Now that he had made a decision, Kanbe Hikaru already had a certain idea of how to proceed next.
Either don't do it at all.
Or if he was going to do it, he would naturally do it better and more perfectly.
His thoughts quickly formed a preliminary plan.
Several days passed in a flash.
Kikyo stood on the shrine's veranda, holding that simple and ancient longbow in her hand.
Her white upper garment was clean and plain, the collar tied neatly, and her red hakama swayed gently in the breeze.
Her jet-black hair was tied behind her head with a white ribbon, the ends falling over her shoulders, with a few stray strands hanging by her ears, framing her delicate and beautiful face.
She was raising her bow, aiming, and firing, accurately pinning arrows into fallen leaves over a hundred paces away.
She was practicing the archery she hadn't used for many days.
Kanbe Hikaru sat to one side, watching her practice while marveling at the terrifying skill of this girl. Even without a shred of spiritual power, her archery alone would allow her to shine anywhere. Meanwhile, he began to speak.
During this time, Kikyo had once again finished listening to Kanbe Hikaru's plan.
The young woman glanced sideways slightly.
"You want to go to the Hojo Clan."
"Yes."
Kanbe Hikaru leaned back against a pillar. Dressed in gray with pale hair, his crimson eyes looked at her.
"The news brought by that Ashigaru—Echigo is invading south. The Hojo side doesn't know the specifics yet, so this intelligence will be useful to them."
"At the same time—"
His gaze swept over the group of minor demons huddled in the corner of the yard.
"They cannot stay here."
Kaede Village is a human village.
Although the villagers are grateful to Kanbe Hikaru, the premise of that gratitude is that he is a guardian god who protects them, a 'guardian' fighting alongside the priestess, and not a neighbor who brings a pack of demons to live at their doorstep.
Furthermore, the operation of the Barrier has its rules.
This Barrier is based on spiritual power and naturally repels demons.
Although Kanbe Hikaru is not restricted because of Kikyo's acceptance, having over twenty minor demons squeezed inside would multiply the burden on the Barrier.
"I have to find a place for them."
Kanbe Hikaru said directly.
"It can't be too far from here, but it can't be too close either. We need to be able to respond to each other. And I think the Hojo Clan, which rules both Musashi and Sagami provinces, should be able to help me with that."
These kinds of minor demons, who need to huddle together for safety and don't eat people or drink blood, are different from other monsters. Their early Physical Transformation is focused on developing intelligence. If they don't gather in groups, their survival ability is actually quite mediocre.
Any random demon, samurai, or even a bold farmer could eliminate them.
Therefore, what Kanbe Hikaru needed was not a suitable wild stronghold.
Quite the opposite.
He needed the power of 'humans'.
Rumors, the direction of human dread.
That is, 'Awe'.
Yes.
Although they were minor demons, because they possessed the rare trait among first and second-stage Physical Transformation demons of being able to communicate with humans, Kanbe Hikaru felt that letting them gain human 'Awe' to grow stronger might be a good arrangement for them.
These demons had limited talent; relying on themselves, it would be difficult to grow to any significant level.
'Awe' was an 'external force' that could make them stronger in a short time but would return them to their original form once lost, making it more suitable for them.
After all, as long as they didn't lose that Awe, they would be fine.
And once they became stronger...
They could become a further aid to him, rather than just eyes and ears.
Kanbe Hikaru could even use them to collect 'Dread' himself, even if he didn't actually need it and had no need to rely on such external forces to strengthen himself—in Kanbe Hikaru's view, true Great Yokais should all look down on 'Awe'.
But even if he couldn't use it himself, he could certainly let the beings around him use it.
For example, letting the 'Muramasa' in his hand demonize and become a Tsukumogami.
Or letting those beings with full favorability become demons through it.
These would become his true foundation.
Of course, Kanbe Hikaru was only going to create the conditions for them to settle inside human settlements; how much they could actually achieve would depend on themselves.
Kikyo agreed with this very much.
"To the southeast of Kaede Village, there is a range of rolling hills. It is sparsely populated, and the Demonic Qi is not thick. The areas previously swept by the Echigo army have instead become empty land."
"You can pass through there; you won't face any obstacles on the way."
Kanbe Hikaru was slightly stunned.
"When did you scout the terrain over there?"
"In my spare time."
Kikyo's tone was very calm.
"The Barrier's perception range covers a ten-mile radius. In the days since I came out, I've been familiarizing myself with the surrounding environment along the way."
Kanbe Hikaru looked at her.
This girl—
"You really are..."
"What?"
"Good at everything."
Kikyo didn't respond.
But the tips of her ears turned slightly red, and the corners of her mouth carried an irrepressible curve—faint, yet very real.
"I'll be back as soon as possible."
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