How did I, an Onmyoji, become the Lord of Yokai?

"We set off immediately after receiving the mission."

"Eh, so soon?" Shimizu Mio was a little surprised. "You just got back, shouldn't you rest a bit more?"

"One day of rest is enough. Besides, sister, there are less than ten days left for the assessment. I think it's better for me to finish the assessment first."

Even if he had enough time, Shimizu Asahi would still complete the task first, since he was used to finishing everything he needed to do in one go.

Dragging things out wasn't his style. (Chapter 17, Section 17: Kyoto Port)

The sky was pitch black; dawn had not yet arrived, and the line between night and morning remained ambiguous.

While the people of Heian-kyo were still asleep, Shimizu Asahi left home under the gentle gaze of Shimizu Mio.

This is what Yin-Yang practitioners do every morning... um, evening?

Well, anyway, this is the time when Yin-Yang students leave for school.

"There are advantages to it being cold."

The clear water and the rising sun murmured softly.

He squinted, as if surrendering himself to the cold air.

Under the stimulation of the somewhat icy temperature, the nerves, which were initially sluggish, gradually returned to normal.

Half an hour later, Shimizu Asahi entered the Yin-Yang Bureau.

Just like outside, the Yin-Yang Bureau is now completely dark.

After walking through a long, dimly lit corridor, a ray of light suddenly appeared in the young student's field of vision.

While the Yin-Yang Bureau was enveloped in darkness and tranquility, only Kamo no Tadayuki's room was still dimly lit.

"Dong dong dong."

Shimizu Asahi knocked on the door and called out softly, "Teacher, your student is here."

His voice had barely faded when Kamo no Tadayuki's voice came from inside the house.

"Come in."

Only after receiving permission from the teacher did the students open the door and come in.

The warmth inside the room dispelled the chill on his body. After letting out a soft breath, he closed the door again and sat down opposite the teacher.

Good morning, teacher.

"Well, good morning."

The man nodded, then took out the authorization form and handed it to Shimizu Asahi.

"This is the task you were assigned. Take a look."

"Thank you, teacher."

The young student thanked him, then picked up the authorization form and began to examine it carefully.

However, the moment his gaze shifted, he froze.

"Eh?"

Looking at the three large characters "Kyoto Port" after "Mission Request Location", Shimizu Asahi blinked, and after a couple of seconds, looked back at Kamo Tadashi.

Kyoto Port is a port city located southeast of Heian-kyo. It is adjacent to the ocean and connected to the Arakawa River. It is rich in fresh seafood and is also home to many sea monsters and water monsters. Therefore, many Onmyoji (masters of yin and yang) are stationed in Kyoto Port.

Leaving aside the clan-based Onmyoji, the commoner seniors who graduate from the Onmyodo will choose to guard this place.

In other words, the Onmyoji forces in Kyoto Port are not weak.

If such a place were to issue a commission, it would certainly mobilize the elite Onmyoji from Heian-kyo.

He was just a first-year student who hadn't graduated yet, so he could only watch from the sidelines.

So... how did the gentleman come up with the idea of ​​giving him the mission to Kyoto Port?

"You are capable of completing this task, so I'm assigning it to you."

Seemingly noticing the doubt in Shimizu Asahi's eyes, Kamo Tadashi calmly said, but after a pause, he continued, "If you feel you can't complete it, I can give you another one."

The assessment tasks assigned to students must be within their individual capabilities. In other words, as long as students are capable of completing the assessment tasks, the location of the assignment is not important at all.

The gentleman believed that Shimizu Asahi was capable of fulfilling the commission from Kyoto Port, so he assigned the task to him.

After understanding the man's meaning, the doubt in Shimizu Asahi's eyes vanished instantly.

He smiled and said very seriously, "Since the teacher has said so, how can I let the teacher down!"

"This is the task, teacher."

"Since it's decided, let's see how things go and set off. Kyoto Port is quite a distance from Heian-kyo."

"Yes, I understand. I'll take my leave now, teacher."

After carefully putting away the order form, Shimizu Asahi bowed deeply, then quietly got up and left.

Only after the door closed again did the resolute man chuckle softly and return to his work.

......

After leaving the Yin-Yang Bureau, Shimizu Asahi set off towards Kyoto Port.

Because Kyoto Port and Heian-kyo are only twenty miles apart, Shimizu Asahi arrived at the largest port city near Heian-kyo two hours later.

"It's so lively."

In the middle of the gently sloping street leading to the vast bay and harbor, the voice of Shimizu Chaoyang rang out.

The bustling crowd and the vast sea stretching out before him made him sigh in amazement.

Unlike Heian-kyo, which may only awaken at this time, this port city had fully awakened an hour earlier.

Its prosperity is now perfectly displayed before Qingshui Chaoyang.

"No wonder this is the most important port in Heian-kyo."

"Its level of prosperity is comparable to that of Heian-kyo."

"Wow, amazing! I've never seen any seafood like this before... And this one's a bit huge, isn't it?"

Walking through the bustling market, all I could see were aquatic products. Not only were there many varieties, but they were also quite large, much better than the aquatic products sold in the markets of Heian-kyo.

As he looked around, he walked on, and before he knew it, he had passed through the market and arrived at a street lined with stone buildings.

Along this street, there are vendors selling rare handicrafts on carpets, tents and huts filled with freshly caught seafood such as fish or conch, and many voices demanding bargaining as if negotiating a business deal.

Listening to the noise reaching his ears, watching the fishermen and other tanned people walking on the road, and smelling the fragrance of the sea breeze, Qingshui Chaoyang revealed a hint of excitement.

This is the largest port city!

Of course, that's not enough. The biggest attraction of a port city is, of course, its port.

If you come here and don't go to the port, then you've come for nothing.

After weaving through the crowded throng, Shimizu Asahi finally arrived at the port.

Then, a scene he had never seen before unfolded before his eyes.

Countless ships were moored at the port, which was shaped like an arc along the sea. Pure white sails fluttered in the wind under the blue sky. Sailboats of all sizes were anchored at the dock. Countless strong sailors unloaded cargo from the ships. Carts loaded with barrels or boxes on the cargo platform were heading to who-knows-where.

In front of the port, a magnificent view of the vast sea unfolds.

Even from here, you can't see the other side of the sea.

The seawater reflects the sunlight shining on its surface, radiating a blue hue that matches the sky.

Just then, a harbor breeze carrying the scent of the sea blew in, and Qingshui Chaoyang suddenly felt as if he were on the ocean.

He couldn't help but open his arms, as if embracing the unseen breeze.

Besides the sea breeze, the cries of waterbirds echoing in the sky and the clamor of sailors in the harbor form the boundary between water and land.

Even with my eyes closed, I can clearly feel all of this.

Although the scene was bustling and noisy, it inexplicably brought a sense of peace to the soul. (Chapter 18, Section 18) Hmm, the Onmyoji of Kyoto Port are truly useless.

This painting, which belongs only to the port, left the young student speechless for a moment. After a long while, he belatedly sighed softly.

"Amazing..."

After taking a few more deep breaths at the picturesque scene before them, the young students finally looked away with satisfaction.

He didn't come here to have fun.

"Alright, let's find a place to stay first."

As a port city comparable to Heian-kyo, Kyoto Port has complete infrastructure, so there is no shortage of inns.

Soon, Shimizu Asahi found a room that satisfied him.

In the room with a view of the port, Shimizu Asahi took out the mission request form.

His mission this time is to deal with a siren causing trouble in Kyoto Port.

A month ago, a sea monster suddenly appeared in Kyoto Port. It stirred up huge waves, created whirlpools, destroyed many ships, and forced countless fishermen and cargo ships to stop working because of its chaos.

Although the Onmyoji in Kyoto Port rushed to deal with the situation, the sea monster was very clever. When it saw the Onmyoji arrive, it hid in the water and did not come out. Once the Onmyoji left, it came out again to cause trouble.

Many Onmyoji tried to go into the sea to kill it, but humans are not amphibians after all, and how could they possibly defeat a sea monster in the ocean? So, after failing more than ten times, the Onmyoji gave up on the idea.

After that, the Onmyoji (masters of Yin and Yang) of Kyoto Port began to take turns guarding the port, and would immediately take action if they spotted a sea monster.

However, Kyoto Port is too large, and the Onmyoji cannot watch over every place. Therefore, every day, fishermen or merchants experience the pain of their ships being destroyed.

With the Onmyoji (exorcists) of Kyoto Port unable to help, Kyoto Port had no choice but to seek help from Heian-kyo (Kyoto).

"A siren..."

Looking at the contents of the authorization form, Shimizu Asahi subconsciously touched his chin.

The commission states that the siren is not very strong; it's just that it has been hiding underwater, and the Onmyoji of Kyoto Port don't have the ability to deal with it underwater, which has led to the current situation.

Without a doubt, this is a rational monster with considerable strength.

Although the commission form stated that he was not very strong, this strength was only relative to elite Onmyoji. He was just a lowly Onmyoji student and needed to be aware of his own limitations.