Onmyoji, a nobleman in Heian-kyo

"—Please forgive me, sir!"

"It's okay, we'll see if we have enough manpower later."

Kyosuke Kosaka offered a warm reassurance to his subordinate who knelt on the rain-soaked ground, oblivious to the filth, and begged for mercy.

Nowadays, most of the people still wandering outside are considered lowly or inhuman.

It is logical to be rude to them.

However, as long as these people are able to move and work, they are all a source of labor.

It would be such a pity to die like this.

Day 27 of crossing

The rain stopped temporarily, but the sky remained shrouded in smog.

It looked like it was about to rain at any moment.

Kyosuke Kosaka arranged for the bodies to be gathered together and ordered them to be burned.

“Amitabha, Amitabha…”

The recitation of the Rebirth Mantra has ended.

Kyosuke Kosaka then inspected the situation of the disaster victims near the Kamo River.

The disaster victims were people picked up or arrested on the street by the police from the Procuratorate; they were all homeless people.

Kousaka Kyosuke, who considered them troublesome, had them isolated in a vacant area in southern Ukyo, a place where monsters frequently appeared.

The feng shui there is slightly worse, but it has the advantage of being a wide, flat area at a high elevation, making it very suitable for living during the flood season.

The downside is that anyone who goes there will be eaten by a monster.

But that's not a problem; we can just drive the monster away and kill it.

As for the disaster victims, they weren't simply supported.

They only provide some porridge each day to keep them from starving, but those willing to work can be given more food.

Kyosuke Kosaka, who felt the conditions were mediocre and not attractive enough, even participated in a competition.

The person who does the most work that day will receive one liter of rice, the second-highest will receive half a liter of rice, and the third through tenth-highest will receive half a liter of millet.

Incidentally, the person who provided the food was a Taoist priest.

Yes, he should be a good person.

Anyway, Kyosuke Kousaka didn't contribute any money.

Day 28 of crossing

Heavy rain struck again, and Kousaka Kyosuke, believing there was no problem, sent men to guard some river embankments.

Send some more people to patrol.

The others rested quietly for the time being, and nothing happened that day.

Day 29 of crossing

The rain has stopped, and the weather is clearing up.

Kyosuke Kosaka continued to organize people to move corpses from the streets, retrieve corpses from the river, and cut down trees to build houses...

Day 30 of crossing

The rain has completely stopped, and the sun is out in the sky.

The sunlight shone softly on the earth.

Kyosuke Kosaka began assigning willing low-class non-humans to tasks such as garbage collection and road repair.

Day 31 of crossing

Slacking off at work, secretly hunting.

Day 32 of crossing

Slacking off at work, secretly hunting.

Crossing through the 33rd day, the 34th day, the 35th day... until the 36th day—

Ten days after leaving home, the aura of calamity in the Kyoto Ukyo region dissipated somewhat, and Kousaka Kyosuke prepared to return.

As he walked along a secluded path, he saw a young guard from the Outer Guard being beaten by several people in a corner.

"You're the one who killed Ikuta!"

"What right do you, a mere penguin, have to be an official?"

"It's all your fault!"

"Hand over the grain..."

Kyosuke Kosaka glanced at it and continued on his way.

When he encountered a guard who bowed his head upon seeing him and whose clothes were embroidered with the crest of the Sasa Rinpoche family, he gave him a warning.

"Your colleague was beaten up by the lowly people on that sidewalk."

The guard, who had looked like a chick, saluted and immediately rushed over, drawing his long sword from his waist.

He saw his colleagues nearby starting to call out loudly for help.

"Damn it! Catch them!"

"We absolutely cannot let them escape!"

Soon, cries of agony and sobbing pleas for mercy came from the path.

Kyosuke Kosaka shook his head.

Continuing onward, as they passed a familiar manor, a young girl was sweeping in front of the manor gate.

The sunlight shone on those healthy little hands, making their delicate and smooth skin appear even more fair and rosy.

Kousaka Kyosuke, who only saw the girl's back, glanced at her small, cute ears and nodded secretly, indicating that he probably knew her.

"Sir, do you like Eru?" A sneaky voice rang in my ears.

Kyosuke Kosaka turned his head and stared at a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties.

"It's too frivolous to say you like someone after meeting them a few times."

"So, does that mean you, sir, have feelings for Eru? If so, I'll have her serve you immediately—"

"……uncle!"

Before the middle-aged man could even get into his aggressive sales pitch, a young girl, hearing the commotion, hurried over.

The girl, embarrassed and annoyed, carefully lowered her voice to interrupt.

The voice is soft and gentle.

Kyosuke Kosaka discovered that his voice was probably better than the girls' voices in the mansion.

Look carefully.

The girl's fair neck and clearly defined collarbones were exquisitely highlighted, and her figure, barely covered by a single garment, could not conceal her graceful and proud posture.

Her pearly white teeth, revealed by her open mouth in embarrassment and annoyance, shimmered softly in the sunlight.

Kyosuke Kosaka lowered his head and pondered, wanting to answer.

It's not that I have any particular fondness for it; I just enjoy watching and appreciating it.

15. "I'm very curious" - Girl/Good Uncle/Surprised

"Onmyoji, my lord."

After whispering "Uncle," the young girl Chitanda Eru bowed respectfully to Kousaka Kyosuke.

Kousaka Kyosuke smiled and said, "There are too many Onmyoji in Kyoto. My name is Fujiwara no Asomi Kyosuke."

"Fujiwara" was the clan name, and "Asomi" was the surname.

There were many Fujiwara clan members during this era, but not many had the surname "Asomi".

This current status is a result of the legacy of his privileged father.

Japan, which borrowed and imitated the Tang Dynasty's system of hereditary titles, now has a very well-developed system of hereditary titles.

"Excuse me, my name is Airu."

Chitanda Eru quickly bowed again.

Guan Gu Jun stood to the side, smiling silently.

Kousaka Kyosuke looked at him again: "May I ask what your honorific title is, sir?"

"I am unworthy of such a respectful title. My name is Jun. Lord Kyosuke, please feel free to use me, a lowly person."

A glint flashed deep in Kousaka Kyosuke's eyes.

The pronunciation of "纯" is "峻", which is indeed Guan Gu Chun.