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

That's right, after realizing there was nothing to fill my stomach in the ancient wine village, I left.

After this thought arose, Shimizu Asahi felt somewhat excited.

He really hoped for this outcome.

This means that the monster was not one that preyed on humans.

While it's not good to let your personal feelings dictate your actions during a mission, emotions are something you can't control just because you want to, right?

If you think like that, even Qing Shui Chao Yang is helpless.

"Hey....."

The Yin-Yang scholar sitting on the roof couldn't help but chuckle.

Another hour passed, and still nothing happened.

As Qingshui Chaoyang looked up at the sky, he saw that the moon, which had been hanging high in the sky, was gradually setting. This meant that the night was about to end and the sun was about to rise.

At this time, the villagers would be waking up soon, so even if the monster hadn't left the village yet, it wouldn't be able to make a move at this time.

So, we can call it a day.

He yawned and crept back into the room from the roof.

Although he had been exposed to the cold wind all night, he felt it was all worthwhile because he thought the monster might have already left.

"The yokai outside Kyoto are quite nice too."

The Yin-Yang scholar hummed a tune softly as he prepared to go to bed.

But suddenly, without any warning, he sensed a demonic aura, a very faint demonic aura.

Moreover, the location of this demonic aura is right inside the inn.

Shimizu Asahi's happy expression froze.

Did that monster come to this inn?

This is awkward... He noticed everything else, but he completely missed this spot...

It's the darkest place under the lamp; a classic case of the darkest place under the lamp.

Qingshui Chaoyang rubbed his head. It was almost dawn, and he had originally wanted to rest for a while. But now it seemed he had to keep working.

Pushing open the door, the young student of Yin-Yang studies tiptoed out.

Following the trail of the demonic aura, he soon arrived at the underground wine cellar from the second floor.

This is an ancient wine village where every household makes a living from wine. Even if they open a hotel, it's all to serve the wine industry, so having a wine cellar is perfectly normal.

but....

Is the monster now stealing alcohol?

He walked down the stairs step by step, and soon the wooden door to the underground wine cellar came into view.

The wooden door was open... Sure enough, the monster started stealing wine.

Fortunately, it did not attack humans.

Sneaking stealthily into the wine cellar, Shimizu Asahi immediately locked the wooden door behind him.

Although there was no light source in the wine cellar, his eyesight was good, and he could see the outlines of objects even in such a dark place.

After blocking the monster's retreat, he headed straight into the depths of the wine cellar.

The demonic aura was emanating from the wine barrel placed at the very back.

When he arrived at the wine barrel, he found it empty, replaced by a horned...girl? (Chapter 4, Section 4: The Ghost King's Drunkenness)

What appeared in the barrel was a girl curled up in a ball, sleeping peacefully.

If I'm not mistaken, she must have drunk all the wine in the barrel and then, due to the strong effects of the alcohol, simply fell asleep here.

As for how the girl managed to drink the entire barrel of wine by herself, Shimizu Asahi thought that the two ghost horns on her head could serve as an explanation.

This child is a ghost.

Among countless demons and monsters, there is a race called Oni (ghosts). This race is naturally powerful and fierce, and they are extremely famous among both humans and monsters.

Especially in this era, there are countless powerful demons. No matter where you go, you are sure to hear legends of powerful demons.

The most representative of them all are the legendary Four Demon Kings of Mount Oe.

When I was studying at the Yin-Yang Bureau, the teachers also talked about demons. They said that demons were ugly monsters with disheveled hair and ferocious faces, who could scare people so much that they dared not sleep.

At that time, he believed it.

But now, he doesn't believe it anymore.

The ghost in front of me... Although I can't see its face clearly, its petite and delicate body makes it look like a little girl who is still growing up. If it weren't for the two sharp horns on its head, Shimizu Asahi would never have thought of a ghost as a creature.

However, the order form said it was a red-skinned evil spirit, so how did it suddenly turn into a little guy who is growing?

Or is it...?

Qingshui Chaoyang seemed lost in thought.

"This is not the monster mentioned in the request."

"Is this a demon from Mount Ooe?"

This guess is not surprising. Everyone in the world knows that the Oni tribe loves wine, and the wine from the Ancient Wine Village is so famous that it is normal for the Oni of Mount Oe to come here to drink.

Onmyoji in Heian-kyo have seen evil spirits come here to buy sake more than once.

That's right, the villagers of Gujiu Village didn't know that most of the travelers who visited their village were oni.

Perhaps it's because the wine here suits the tastes of the demons. In order for the villagers to continue brewing such good wine, the demons of Mount Ooe are very polite and buy the wine with money, never drinking it for free.

Not even once.

Hmm... As for the situation of this little guy in front of him, Shimizu Asahi had no idea.

The only thing that's certain is that this little guy is a member of the Oni clan, and specifically, an Oni from Mount Ooe.

"Although monsters are said to be carefree by nature, they can't just fall asleep after getting drunk."

Looking at the little creature in the bucket, the young Yin-Yang scholar shook his head helplessly.

Although the Oni clan members are physically strong and it wouldn't be a problem for them to sleep for one night... and they did indeed sleep for one night, Shimizu Asahi still planned to carry her back.

His conscience wouldn't allow him to see an eleven or twelve-year-old child sleeping here.

Even if it were someone else, they would have the same thought.

Whether or not to take action is one thing, but thinking about it is another.

And coincidentally, Shimizu Asahi is the kind of person who thinks and acts together.

He reached out and gently lifted the girl out of the barrel.

Surprisingly, although the little one doesn't look very big, she weighs about the same as a normal teenage girl.

Surprisingly, despite drinking so much alcohol, the girl didn't smell of alcohol at all. On the contrary, the faint aroma of alcohol mixed with her own delicate fragrance was quite captivating.

Qingshui Chaoyang subconsciously sniffed the scent in his nostrils.

Not long after, Shimizu Asahi returned to his room.

He gently placed her on the bed and covered her with a blanket before using the moonlight to examine her.

It was too dark in the wine cellar, so he could only judge whether the girl was cute or not by feeling... just like how you subconsciously think a girl with a good figure is pretty.

Such a petite and delicate girl must be very cute!

In fact, this little guy is really cute.

Because she was lying down, the girl's short, purple hair hung down gently, and her delicate and lovely face was fully exposed to the clear sunlight.

Moreover, her slightly flushed cheeks from drinking alcohol added to her charm.

After taking a closer look, Shimizu Asahi looked away, since staring at someone was impolite.

However, this only bed was given to the little guy, leaving him nowhere to rest.

"Never mind, it's almost dawn, so it doesn't matter whether we rest or not."

Looking out the window at the increasingly dark sky, Qingshui Chaoyang decided not to rest and would spend the remaining time reading.

Before long, the room quieted down, with only the sound of steady breathing and the occasional rustling of pages turning.

Time passed quietly, and the sun rose silently, its rays dispelling the gloom and cold, waking the people from their slumber.

At one point, Qingshui Chaoyang, who was looking at the book on Yin and Yang, suddenly put down the book and stretched wearily.

He rubbed his neck, which hadn't moved much for an hour or two, and then looked out the window.

"It's dawn..."

Unexpectedly, this one look kept me watching until dawn.

"If my sister were here, she would definitely say that I don't take care of myself and need rest."

Thinking about what her sister might say, Shimizu Asahi couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'm a little hungry... let's go out and get something to eat."

Although ordinary people in this era only ate two meals a day, Shimizu Asahi preferred three meals a day.

For no other reason than that the training in the Onmyoji Bureau is quite tough; you get hungry if you don't eat three meals a day...

Moreover, he only ate lunch yesterday in preparation for the night's operation, so it's understandable that he's hungry now.

After closing the book, Shimizu Asahi quietly left the room.

.....

Shortly after Shimizu Asahi left, the girl on the bed slowly woke up from her drowsy state.

"here it is....."

Looking at the unfamiliar ceiling in front of him, a hint of doubt appeared in the little guy's purple eyes.

"I remember, I came here to drink... and then I drank too much and passed out..."