Gozo had told him she was "deceased," yet there was no grave and no memorial tablet. Yugen had suspected a historical secret necessitated her erasure, but his investigations only revealed that she had vanished after leaving the Uwaizumi family. While Gozo was known to be a devoted husband who might have hidden a grave out of grief, Yugen didn't sense that kind of atmosphere.
The Emperor opened his mouth slowly after hearing Yugen's doubts.
"Your suspicion is justified. There is a truth she kept hidden even from the previous head, Lady Chihiro."
"Even from my mother? Does Your Majesty know the circumstances?"
"I do. Lord Kagurazaka, do you have a moment?"
"Of course."
Compelled by the possibility of learning the whereabouts of a grandmother he had never known, Yugen agreed to accompany the Emperor. They traveled incognito with minimal security to a place where those who died for their country in past wars were enshrined: Yasukuni Shrine.
The Emperor whispered to a priest, who then handed him a key. They moved to the innermost sanctuary of the shrine. Yugen used an application of Meteor Line to gather light, illuminating the stairs as they descended into the basement.
In the midst of the descent, the Emperor dropped a metaphorical bombshell.
"I am aware that you are a soul who wandered here from another world. Does that surprise you?"
"...Well, yes. I didn't think I had let any such signs show."
"Indeed, you fooled even me. The reason I know is that Kaname Uwaizumi gambled on a single method to save the sickly child that was Yugen Mitsuya."
Yugen was stunned that the Emperor recognized him as a "reincarnated" being, but the core of that revelation was Kaname's intervention.
"A single method?"
"Yes. She chose this site as a medium to use magic energy from beyond the dimensional wall. She performed a rite to summon a soul from 'another dimension'—one with a spiritual connection to herself—to act as a vessel."
It was a ritual that used the spiritual energy of the war dead as a catalyst to connect to another world without breaking the dimensional wall, pulling a soul across the void using massive amounts of magical energy. It was a technique far beyond the reach of modern magic or even standard ancient sorcery—requiring the caster to maintain their ego while continuously channeling the spell to find a "spiritually similar soul."
Suddenly, a memory clicked into place for Yugen. His suspicion was confirmed as they reached the bottom of the stairs. There, a massive construction of Psions and magic energy stood before them—a colossal ritual circle centered on a small, humble hermitage built deep underground.
"Do you see it, Lord Kagurazaka?"
"Yes… I understand the ritual. And I finally understand why the Ten-jin Magic was split in two."
Magic is inherently something to be kept secret. Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi should have been managed by a single household for efficiency. Yet, the Uwaizumi and Kagurazaka families had split them.
The reason was clear: the four spells generated by the interaction of Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi—the "Creative" and "Destructive" aspects of both sun and moon. By activating all four simultaneously in perfect, opposing harmony, one could achieve the ultimate of ultimate magics. It was a spell mentioned only by name on the final page of Abe no Seimei's chronicles.
The magic that connects severed dimensions using the caster's soul as a beacon: Musou Tensei (Dreamborn Transcendence).
Honestly, Yugen had been skeptical of the mechanics of his own reincarnation, believing a deity had been the sole cause. But seeing the calculations—how this magic could interfere even with conceptual existences—he realized his hazy memory of a goddess apologizing wasn't wrong.
Whether it was a "God Error" or a whim, the reality was that his previous self had been "killed" by the magic unleashed from this world to pull him in. However, Yugen felt no resentment. His previous life had been suffocating; rather than "How dare you kill me," he felt more like "Thank you for giving me a new life."
But this state couldn't be left alone. The ritual was stable for now, but if the caster died, the magic would dissipate. However, the dimensional gate wouldn't close cleanly; it could easily lead to the spawning of Parasites.
Yugen raised both Seraphim and Ragnarok, pointing them toward the hermitage as he began constructing a counter-sequence.
"Your Majesty, I am going to destroy the ritual to close the dimensional wall. Please step back."
"I understand."
Once the Emperor was safely behind him, Yugen began the process. It was his first time attempting to invoke the four components of Ten-jin Magic simultaneously, but he didn't waver. He expanded his magic to envelop the ritual circle centered on the hermitage.
He accessed the Information Dimension at a rate far beyond his usual limits, but he remained composed. All the impossible tasks Gozo had forced him through had paid off. To neutralize Musou Tensei, he constructed a mirrored Musou Tensei.
"Ritual construction complete. Ultimate Ten-jin Magic: Musou Tensei—Activate."
The moment he pulled the triggers of Seraphim and Ragnarok, the counter-magic deployed. His spell wrapped around the dimensional rift, causing the wall to converge and seal perfectly.
Yugen exhaled, feeling a slight wave of fatigue but relieved that the massive discharge hadn't caused an accident. As the magical pressure vanished, the sound of a sliding door came from within the hermitage.
A young girl stepped out.
"..."
In appearance, she looked to be about the age of a high school student. In this world, age-defying appearances were common, so Yugen wasn't shocked by that. His deadpan stare was directed entirely at her lack of clothing.
"Um... who are you exactly?"
"...Cl..."
"Cl?"
"Get some clothes on, damn it!" Yugen shouted.
"Eek!?"
She was, quite literally, stark naked. Her figure was surprisingly well-developed for someone who looked like a teenager. Reacting instinctively, Yugen used Mirror Gate to pull some spare clothes from the hermitage and drop them over her.
As the girl tumbled back into the hut under the weight of the falling fabric, Yugen turned to the Emperor, who was holding his head in his hands.
"Your Majesty... is that person, by any chance...?"
"Yes. That is Kaname Uwaizumi."
"..."
Yugen decided he had experienced enough "silence-inducing" moments for one day. He wasn't a god; he couldn't be expected to have a reaction ready for everything.
Minutes later, after the girl had dressed herself, she invited the Emperor and Yugen inside. She immediately bowed her head low.
"Your Majesty, please forgive my long years of selfishness."
"Think nothing of it, Lady Kaname. Your actions are the reason Lord Yugen is standing here today, which is a great achievement in itself."
"...I see. So, you are Yugen-kun."
"Yes. Former third son of the Mitsuya family, current head of the Kagurazaka family, Yugen Kagurazaka. It is an honor to meet you, Lady Kaname Uwaizumi."
Yugen bowed, but Kaname's expression was a complex mixture of regret and penance. It was the look of someone offering a silent apology.
"Are you not angry?" she asked softly.
"Being angry won't solve anything," Yugen replied. "Besides, my previous life was... stagnant. I'm not particularly mourning it."
Having been surrounded by "cheats" in his previous life, he had often been inconvenienced and had avoided deep connections with others. Furthermore, since learning of his relationship with Celia, he had suspected he wasn't biologically related to his current family in the traditional sense.
Kaname whispered, confirming his thoughts.
"...I'm sorry, Yugen. As your mother in that previous life, I truly couldn't do anything for you."
"...Don't worry about it, Mother."
She had used the name from his past life, and he replied with the title that bridged both worlds.
He had been raised by foster parents as long as he could remember in his old life, meaning his "real" parents had passed away long before. He could never verify the details now that he was in a different world, but he found it ironic. Between Shiho (his mother as Yugen Mitsuya), Chihiro (his mother as Yugen Kagurazaka), and now his grandmother who was his mother in a past life... he was surprisingly well-endowed with "mothers." Perhaps it was a cosmic balancing act for his lonely previous life.
"I'm grateful you brought me to this world, even with the risks," Yugen said. "If I had stayed there, things probably wouldn't have ended well... In exchange, I'll fulfill my duties as the head of the Kagurazaka family. I want to protect this country, too."
"I see... Do your best, Yugen."
Naturally, the encounter ended with Kaname pulling him into a hug. And, as if destined by fate, when Yugen finally returned to the Shiba residence later that day, he was immediately "ambushed" by a very clingy Miyuki—but that is a story for another time.
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