Kubinashi, upon seeing Morpheus, neither welcomed nor scorned him.
Arms crossed, leaning against a pillar, he stared at the ground as if Morpheus didn't exist.
Morpheus figured he was still bitter about the beating he'd given him before.
It had been a while, and the guy still hadn't let it go.
Pretty petty.
To be fair, if Morpheus had been the one beaten, he might've been even pettier.
So, he ignored Kubinashi in kind, his gaze settling on the group of bound yokai.
He approached the first one.
"Give me a laugh. If it sounds good, I'll let you go. How's that?"
The yokai looked baffled but, hearing Morpheus might spare him, tried to laugh.
He did his best to make it sound pleasant.
Pop!
The next second, Morpheus smashed his head in.
"Too awful," Morpheus said with disgust. "Who told you to laugh like that?"
'This guy's unhinged.'
They trembled in fear.
Morpheus turned to the second yokai. "Your turn. Laugh for me. If it's good, you're free."
This yokai was so terrified his face twisted into a smile uglier than a sob, his "laugh" more like a wail.
Crack!
Predictably, Morpheus crushed his head, killing him instantly.
Morpheus could tell this one wasn't the target he was after.
His eyes shifted to the third yokai, who was shaking like a leaf, pleading desperately, "Spare me, please, spare me!"
But Morpheus didn't spare him. He killed him too.
As he turned to the fourth yokai, Tsurara Oikawa suddenly spoke up, "Lord Morpheus, someone's coming."
Morpheus nodded, already hearing footsteps.
He looked toward the stairs and saw a petite girl ascending, appearing before the group.
"Good evening, members of the Nura Clan, and this unfamiliar young man."
The girl greeted Morpheus and the Nura Clan with elegant poise.
Morpheus studied her. Petite but refined, often mistaken for a middle schooler.
She wore a beret, carried a cane, and was dressed in a white lace skirt, exuding the air of a refined young lady.
Familiar. Too familiar.
This was none other than Kotoko Iwanaga, the heroine of In/Spectre.
If Morpheus remembered correctly, she was indeed from a prominent family and served as the Goddess of Wisdom of yokai.
To become the yokai's Goddess of Wisdom, she paid a steep price—her right eye was prosthetic, hidden beneath her hair, and her left leg below the knee was also artificial.
Tsurara Oikawa clearly knew her and asked curiously, "Miss Kotoko, what brings you here?"
Kotoko Iwanaga's gaze settled on Morpheus. "I'm actually here to speak with this young man. Can we have a word?"
"Of course."
Morpheus was intrigued by this Goddess of Wisdom.
He summoned two chairs from his Light Dimension and set them down. "Please, have a seat, Miss Kotoko Iwanaga."
A flicker of surprise crossed Kotoko's eyes as she sat across from him.
"You've heard of me?"
Morpheus nodded. "The Goddess of Wisdom of yokai. I've heard a thing or two."
He turned to Tsurara Oikawa. "Miss Tsurara, could you tell me how the yokai view Miss Kotoko Iwanaga?"
Tsurara's expression grew complex. "Rather than the Goddess of Wisdom, it's more accurate to call Miss Kotoko the protector of yokai."
Kotoko smiled faintly. "You're exaggerating, Miss Tsurara."
Morpheus raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What does that mean?"
Tsuraraexplained, "During the Sengoku period, yokai ran rampant, and many powerful ones emerged with terrifying strength. When they clashed, the world itself seemed to tremble."
"Weak yokai could only cower before these great yokai."
"So, the weaker ones banded together to survive against the stronger ones."
"Even so, they had no leverage to negotiate with the great yokai."
"But then, a human miko appeared."
"This miko wielded immense power and held a shred of compassion for the weak yokai."
"So, the weaker yokai rallied behind her, following her orders and proclaiming her their Goddess of Wisdom."
"This gave the weaker yokai a chance to survive in that era."
"As time passed, the powerful miko faded away."
"But the tradition of the Goddess of Wisdom endured."
"Weak yokai would randomly select girls suited to inherit the miko's will, making them their Goddess of Wisdom."
"That's why, to me, Miss Kotoko is the protector of yokai."
Well, damn. So that's the origin of the Goddess of Wisdom in this world.
Morpheus locked eyes with Kotoko Iwanaga, sensing a potent power within her.
She was no ordinary person.
She was a miko.
This differed from In/Spectre, where Kotoko Iwanaga was the Goddess of Wisdom but just an ordinary girl with no supernatural powers, relying on her boyfriend in fights.
In this world, though, Kotoko was a powerful miko. Fascinating.
"So, Miss Kotoko, what do you want with me?" Morpheus asked, curious.
Kotoko said, "Recently, some yokai have been complaining to me that the Nura Clan has been capturing others like they're possessed. They asked me to negotiate with them."
"After investigating, I found the Nura Clan is mostly capturing man-eating yokai."
"After observing quietly, I finally got my answer today. The Nura Clan's actions are because of you, aren't they?"
"Correct." Seeing how thoroughly Kotoko had investigated, Morpheus saw no point in dodging the question and admitted it outright.
"The Nura Clan is indeed capturing these man-eating yokai for me."
"May I ask why?" Kotoko inquired.
"Because a yokai ate me," Morpheus answered candidly.
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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