"So you want nothing to do with the Grail?"
'Of course! I'm a skinny ass 4 year old. The moment I show my face I'll get my arm cut off and be used as fuel!'
"It won't be that bad, you have me dechi"
'Hah'
After introducing and explaining myself to Beni-Enma about what's going down she obviously found the fact that I have no intention of participating in the Holy Grail war abit, despiriting.
She doesn't have any wishes but thinks that since I summoned her we should give the war a chance.
"Well before we start with anything, I think we should get some food in you. I'm your servant now and I can't have you going hungry under my watch dechi"
'How, I don't have anything for that. No ingredients or cooking equipment, how are you going to get the those things'
She paused for a moment before looking around in hesitation.
'Yeah, nothing'
I just watched in amusement as her face changed multiple times. Hesitation, confusion, acceptance then ponderous.
"Hmm, I see what your talking about. Don't worry, tommorow I'll do something to improve our situation dechi"
I could only look at her in doubt. See I don't have any doubt that she could improve our situation, but for her to think that tommorow it would magically be better. I guess it's good to be optimistic.
...
Uh, well this is awkward. We just stood there looking at each other in silence...
'I'm going to go and find something to do'
"What" here words quickly followed, probably feeling awkward as well...
'I, I dunno. Stuff like exploring and looting I guess'
Her head tilted in thought.
"Why though? Tommorow I'll fix everything, it's afternoon so it's best to start bright and early dechi"
"What currency do you have for transactions dechi?"
'Uh, here you go' I passed the wallet that I looted from the dead magus.
"Hmm" she pulled it open and removed the small stack of Japanese yen.
"This will do, now. I see that you have some books, good! Read these and go to sleep, I'll be back soon" she said while picking up and giving me the books I got from the magus.
'I, I what?'
I just watched as she effortlessly lifted the door and left, the sound of wood pushing itself closed followed behind her...
Know what, I can't bring myself to care. She would do just fine in modern day Japan... Right?
Moving on, I looked down at the 3 books in my hands. One book in German, one in Japanese and one in english... I dont know German, barely know Japanese, but I do know English pretty well, considering it's my previous life's main language.
Plopping down on my makeshift mattress I started on the English one. The words 'Points of materials and structures'. Sounds promising... I think.
(short time skip)
So... Just to summarize what I just read. This is a book that covers basic things like Reinforcment, Projection, Structural Analysis and more random things.
It's all introductory things that would help an up and coming magus practice and hone their skills. If it's not obvious, I'm gonna give it a try.
I reached into my pile of junk and grabbed the first thing that my hand touched. With a pull it didn't come out of the pile...
Uh... Again I pulled on whatever was buried in the pile of random bs. Until it finally gave away.
Dusting myself off, I didn't fall, I DIDN'T. Ok, I looked down to see a fucking sheet of cloth that I used to lay the stuff from my loot on... Fuck me. I grabbed the first thing On Top of the pike, a broken rice cooker the I found when I was about.
Sitting down I mentally prepared myself, from the instructions the first step of Structural Analysis is the ability to visualize and trace your circuits as the prana flows through them and into the object your analyzing.
Which means that I need to somehow mentally visualize the prana running through my circuits, so with a movement of my mind I activated my circuits.
Closing my eyes I sat there and followed the way my prana seemingly filled my circuits, I should look into getting something like a core or dragon heart or something. Unlike something with a core it takes time for a normal magus to regenerate prana.
Then time passed and I opened my eyes to Beni-Enma closing the door behind her, it may be the shadows but a weird look of annoyance layer on her face.
'Your back, how was your journey?'
"It was... Alright dechi. Here, I got you some food and water dechi"
She passed me a plastic bag with some wrapped rice balls and a bottle of water.
'Thanks, did you run into anything?'
She simply nodded.
"Yes, the people of this Era are... Unique"
--Beni-Enma A few hours ago Flashback--
This is easy!
I closed the door behind me and began my journey into the more populated place of Kyoto.
'Sigh' I haven't been here in so long. I wonder if everyone is still so nice, I still have a favor from a rice merchant in the city.
My plan is perfect! Scout city for anything to take note of, get food and reconnect with old contacts in the city.
With a mere twitch I was on top of the roof of a building and my Presence Concealment was in full play, making me invisible to everything.
I began to bound across rooftops and over streets as I made my way towards the center of the city.
~Kya!
With the sound of a scream below me I stopped and looked down into the alley, only to see a naked man with some sort of black leather crossing his chest a black rain coat on the ground as a young lady screamed in fright.
"Keke, names Henry girlie! Touch it! Touch my muscles! My ~hard, ~pulsing, ~chest."
That's not human... IS IT?
I watched as the girl gently touched his chest, 'moan'...
He fell on the ground and writhed in... Pleasure?
"Your another pervert who falls over when I touch them, disgusting."
She turned around and walked away, leaving the still writhing man on the ground...
The Grail gives a servant basic knowledge for the Era they find themselves in... But I don't know anything about this. You know what! It's not worth checking into, but the way she said 'another pervert'.... Does this mean that all people of this Era are perverts? Even... My master? No not him, he's to young and he hasn't been influenced by these 'humans'.
Umu, for now on I'll take care of him! I'll raise him, teach him and train him so that he can be better and stand above these 'perverts'.
Shaking my head I started running again, quickly reaching the location where my old contact should be.
With a silent movement I landed infront of his building.
Well he changed alot, reading the words 'Nishigishi Furniture'...
He sells furniture now?
With a sigh I turned around to leave, oh...
Across the street is a small old inn that sits between two large commercial buildings.
'Hmm!' with a small smile on my face I entered the inn.
The interior looking just like it did 500 years ago.
"Oh" I turned and looked at an old man sitting behind the counter.
"If... It... Isn't.... Beni.... Enma..."
"You have gotten slower with age old man dechi"
I watched as the old turtle yokai slowly formulated his thoughts.
"Would... You... Like..."
"Tea yes? Of course dechi"
Cutting him off, I'm already back to his old speech pattern and anticipating his next words.
He slowly reached up and pulled a bell hanging from the ceiling. A pleasant ~ching sounded out.
"Coming!" I watched as a small Tanuki yokai in the form of a young black haired boy ran from inside the inn.
"Oh! What can I get for you today esteemed guest!?"
"Sencha... Tea... For..."
With a quick turn the Tanuki bolted off through the door.
"I... Apologize... For... Kenta's... Lack... Of.."
"No need to worry yourself dechi"
I sat and waited for the tea, Kaito the old turtle yokai slowly sipped his own as he waited with me.
"Sorry for the wait! Here you go!" with quick movement the tea set was set up and a cup was pored for me.
"My thanks dechi"
With a sip of the green sencha tea I closed my eyes and enjoyed the moment.
"Kenta... Please... Explain... To.... Beni.... Enma... Sama... That..."
"What! Your Beni-Enma-Sama!? I apologize for my callous actions!"
I kept my eyes closed to keep the upcoming eye twitch from showing, his loud voice starting to annoy me.
"I will accept your apology if you can, quite down dechi'
With multiple quick nods of his head he accepted.
"Kenta... Tell... Beni... Enma... Sama... About... Kyoto's... Current... Situation..."
Then I just sat there, sipping my tea and listening to the young boy lay out what the current state of the city looks like.
"So there are two yokai sides in the city. One side is the East Yokai Faction under the Nurarihyon, the entire yokai faction is represented and under the umbrella of Lady Yasaka who lives here in the city. You can think of yokai as 3 branches of the tree, we have the scattered clans and roaming yokai, we have the Nurarihyon east faction that have pulled together multiple random yokai and created their own faction that still recognizes Lady Yasaka as the diplomatic head for Japan, speaking of Lady Yasaka, she is a 9 tailed yokai that has connected to the leylines here in Kyoto. Then we have the human faction or well, clans. Their is an alliance of the Tsuchimikado and the Nofretari clans that have been allies all the way back since Abe no Seimei taught them about Onmyodo and Youjutsu." Pausing a second to sip on his own tea.
"The human faction hates the yokai race as an whole. Lady Yasaka has been attempting to have peaceful relations with them, but the most they would do is not actively hunt yokai. The clans would without a doubt though, kill and murder a yokai if they are presented a chance. The human race on the other hand is ignorant of the 'supernatural' side of Japan and has placed legendary beings under fiction and myth. Then we have the biblical factions and the clock tower."
After a couple of hours and the sun began to set, I thanked them for the tea and began to make my way back.
"Oh?" I looked down at a convenience store...
I, I forgot to get master some food and water for dinner. Without any wait I jumped down and using one of my abilities I changed my appearance to seem more human like.
I walked in, got a rice ball and a water bottle.
"That would be 300 yen please" I passed looked at what I have, 1 10k yen bill and 4 1k yen bills.
Passing a 1,000 bill I got 1 500 yen coin and 2 100 yen coins.
I nodded to her and left, but yet again...
~Kya
'Nope, I'm done with this'
~Oh!
'Yep, I'm not dealing with that'
In literal seconds I made it back to my masters 'temporary home'.
'I'm not going to let my young master live in this condition'
I opened the floor hatch letting me fall into the basement. I closed the door behind me, just looking around this place reeked of dilapidation and closeness.
'Your back, how was your journey?'
"It was... Alright dechi. Here, I got you some food and water dechi"
I passed him the plastic bag that contained rice balls and the bottle of water.
'Thanks, did you run into anything?'
I simply nodded.
"Yes, the people of this Era are... Unique"
What's the word, oh, yes.
Fucked... There fucked.