-80- A not-so-troublesome trouble

Afterwards, Rozen's group, along with the entire Akabane clan, were arranged to stay in a separate villa. This villa seemed to be intentionally left vacant for the Akabane clan's use. The arrangement was made to avoid any conflicts or disputes that might arise if they were to live together with the Izanagi clan due to their long-standing enmity.

Understanding the situation well, Domon Kira didn't allow the Akabane clan members to roam outside freely. She strictly restricted their movements, keeping them all inside the designated area to prevent any complications. Consequently, Rozen was able to stay obediently in his room, continuing his training. However, Raishin couldn't bear staying confined for too long.

"Do you want to go out and play?"

Rozen was met by Raishin in his room, and from Raishin's words, he sensed an invitation to go out. Feeling somewhat exasperated, Rozen rolled his eyes and replied, "What do you want to play? Didn't father remind us not to go out under any circumstances?"

"But staying here all the time is so boring," Raishin complained. "We've never been to a place this far before. Let's just go out for a look. It should be fine, right?"

This guy really likes to cause trouble, doesn't he?

"Are you looking for another martial arts master here?" Rozen remarked. "Back at our own place, you can run around as you like, but here, please be a little more obedient and stop playing around."

"I'm not playing around," Raishin retorted. "I said we're just going out to see. Can't we do that?"

"In that case, go ahead on your own," Rozen said with no intention of accompanying him. "I don't want to be walking on the street and suddenly get knocked out."

After speaking, Rozen was about to close the door. However, Raishin seemed to have anticipated this and directly extended his foot to block the door crack.

"Do you really have no intention of coming with me?" Raishin's eyes flickered, and he continued, "The Izanagi clan is a family of Onmyouji, and everyone in the clan is skilled in Onmyojutsu. Don't you want to see and learn more?"

One sentence made Rozen pause in his action to close the door. If Raishin had used any other reason, Rozen wouldn't have agreed to go with him no matter what. However, with this particular reason, Rozen couldn't help but be tempted as well.

—Onmyojutsu.

The technique that manipulates the boundary between "life" and "death," used to summon Shikigami.

For Rozen, who was a summoner, this kind of secret art naturally had its allure.

"Shikigami, huh?" Rozen pondered.

From the knowledge bestowed by the "Miracle," he had access to all summoning-related magic from ancient to modern times. Even "Heroic Spirit Summoning" was included, let alone the summoning magic of the Far East.

—Shikigami Summoning.

As the name suggests, it is a magic used to summon Shikigami.

Originally, Onmyojutsu belonged to the summoning system, and it contained many techniques to summon Shikigami, which naturally fell into the category of "Summoning Arts."

However, the limitation of techniques like Shikigami Summoning was high, as they usually dealt with spirits, and even beings like gods and legendary ghosts were at least of Heroic Spirit level.

In this world, the existence of beings like gods and legendary ghosts was merely a type of spiritual entity due to the absence of Heroic Spirits.

Hence, they could be summoned as Shikigami without the need for the advanced levels of "Summoning Arts" like "Heroic Spirit Summoning" or "Divine Spirit Summoning."

However, whether the summoning would succeed depended on the skill of the practitioner.

For this reason, Rozen was genuinely interested in witnessing the Izanagi clan's proficiency in Onmyojutsu.

(If I can catch a glimpse of something from it, perhaps it will further enhance my "Summoning Arts." I won't even mention completing "Heroic Spirit Summoning" or "Divine Spirit Summoning," achieving "Shikigami Summoning" alone would be a significant gain.)

Initially, Rozen had the same intention, hoping to study the knowledge of Onmyojutsu abandoned by the Akabane clan.

Unfortunately, the Akabane clan had thoroughly discarded Onmyojutsu, and their library contained no books on practicing the art. The only available resources were introductions, records, and coping methods related to Onmyojutsu, making Rozen's attempt futile.

Now, since he had come to the Izanagi clan, it would be unjustifiable not to take the opportunity to learn more.

Hence, it must be said that Raishin's clever reasoning worked.

Only this reason, for Rozen, who had a keen interest in magic, was a trick that will always work.

If one were to consider his passion for magic alone, Rozen wouldn't be inferior to any magus in the "Mage Association." However, unlike them, he wouldn't go to extreme lengths or commit insane acts just to reach the "Root" for magical research.

In terms of passion, Rozen could be considered a genuine magus.

So, Rozen looked up and saw the smug face of Raishin.

Suppressing the impulse to punch that face, Rozen sighed.

"Don't act too obvious, we'll just sneak out for a stroll," Rozen compromised.

"No problem," Raishin readily agreed.

The two of them left the room and sneaked out of the Akabane clan's residence.

Unbeknownst to them, this little escapade would lead them into a not-so-troublesome trouble.

...

"Well, what should we do about this?" Rozen sighed again as he looked at the two arrogant kids in front of him.

They were two completely different types of children.

On the left was a burly kid, who undoubtedly wouldn't be weak in the future, giving off a rough and tough vibe.

On the right was the complete opposite, a slender boy with a delicate and beautiful appearance, having the potential to become a pretty boy.

Now, these two boys stood in front of Rozen and Raishin.

"What's wrong? The genius of the Akabane clan and the useless one have no courage at all?" one of the boys mocked.

"Just surrender, and we'll let you go," the other added with a tone somewhat resembling the Kyoto accent.

Both of them were taunting Rozen and Raishin.

"Who wants to surrender? Let's fight!" Raishin, fueled by anger, clenched his fists tightly.

The situation was about to erupt at any moment.