Seeing Lancer annoyed look, the Boat Head Post naturally felt a little awkward. After all, they were indeed being a bit dishonorable in this matter, but there are many helpless situations in this world. One must know that the reason the Onmyōji Bureau, which has always positioned itself as a protector and taken a strong stance against demons, repeatedly backed down was because they did not want a full-scale war to break out between the two sides.
Because once war starts with the Oni Clan, other demons would certainly not stand idly by. After all, the enemy of an enemy, even if not a friend, can still deal with the enemy together, right?
If a full-scale war were to begin then, even if they could ultimately win, it would probably be a pyrrhic victory.
Yes, demons are indeed powerful, but the fact that this country is currently ruled by humans is enough to illustrate the comparison of the two sides' military strength.
And more importantly, the people of the Onmyōji Bureau knew that if this fragile balance were maintained, they would inevitably be the winners in the end.
Why do the gods who frequently appeared in the human world centuries ago rarely appear now?
Why are the numbers of demons decreasing?
It's simple: the 'necessary factors' that sustain the demons' existence are gradually diminishing. Of course, humans did not take them away, but the world's output is decreasing, and spiritual power is becoming thinner. Demons have no choice but to consume human liver to supplement their spiritual power. It might even happen one day that demons will completely decline to the point where they can only survive in the cracks...
Perhaps it is precisely because they sensed this that the powerful gods also abandoned this land, because continuing to stay here would only make them weaker.
However, neither Lancer nor the Boat Head Post could possibly know this secret concerning the entire world. The only informed person is the Emperor, who is a descendant of Amaterasu Ōmikami, and the head of the Onmyōji Bureau only knows bits and pieces.
Even if Lancer knew, he probably wouldn't bother. After all, he has at most one more year before he leaves. Whether this world has lost its magical power or spiritual power has nothing to do with him, since even if he stayed, he is a standard physical type, and his reliance on external factors is minimal.
Looking at the Boat Head Post's somewhat awkward expression, Lancer didn't say much but lowered his head and began to weigh the pros and cons.
He had actually been somewhat interested when he heard about the 'Oni Clan' before, but being interested does not mean he liked being used as a gun, especially since he is sensitive about this kind of thing.
So, since it is a 'cooperation,' the other party must offer a reward that interests him...
On the other side, seeing Lancer just lower his head without directly refusing, the Boat Head Post couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Since Lancer hadn't directly refused, it meant there was still a possibility for further negotiation.
He actually felt a little annoyed about this mission himself. After all, no one would like a task that clearly offends people. But the problem is that he is the person in the Onmyōji Bureau who has the most contact with Lancer. If not him, who would go? At least according to the information currently collected, if he went, even if Lancer refused, he would at least not be harmed. Plus, he is the chief assistant in handling the Oni Clan affairs this time. If he doesn't take the blame, who will?
"Lancer, the reason the Oni Clan is looking for you is, undoubtedly, they want to confirm your identity. Besides that, maybe some Oni will challenge you because their hands are itchy. Other than that, you don't need to worry about anything else. Although the Oni Clan is brutal, they are all straightforward and won't play tricks. They basically won't talk nonsense about things that can be solved with fists. Moreover, the Chief also said that if you are willing to help, our Onmyōji Bureau is willing to fully assist you. We absolutely will not be stingy with equipment or talismans!"
The Boat Head Post's words made Lancer nod unconsciously. At least the people of the Onmyōji Bureau still had some brains and didn't intend to get something for nothing. Moreover, he wasn't completely without security.
"Do you know what the abilities of those Oni Clan members are?"
Hearing Lancer question, the Boat Head Post immediately became excited. Since Lancer asked this, it meant he seemed to have some ideas about this matter.
"The Oni Clan's abilities? The Oni Clan doesn't have any special abilities; they are just purely strong in power and defense. However, a few of their leaders, being Great Demons, should possess some special abilities. Since those three leaders rarely show up, we only know from some demons that one of them is huge in size and is even rumored to be able to flatten a torii (shrine gate) with one stomp. This should be the effect of the other party's ability. The other one, rumored to be a little smaller in stature, possesses various strange abilities, and all the demons' descriptions are different. Excluding the possibility that they are intentionally talking nonsense, the only explanation is that that Oni King possesses multiple abilities. As for the identity of the last Oni King, it is the most mysterious. Few people seem to have seen the other party. The only thing known is that the number of Oni Clan members under the other party's command is the largest, and based on the Oni Clan's habit of worshiping the strong, the other party should be the strongest among the three Oni Kings."
Unlike the reputation of other demons, which are basically earned by opposing humans, the Oni Clan's reputation is built through sheer force. They like to fight the strong, so they constantly challenge human or other demon powerhouses. But precisely because of this, although the three strongest Oni Kings have left many battle records, there are not many descriptions of the abilities they use; they basically fight relying on their physical bodies.
Lancer, after listening, pinched his chin and started thinking. The Boat Head Post's description basically gave him a basic understanding of those three 'Oni Kings.' He even mentally pictured some basic images: for example, Lancer mentally pictured the massive Oni King as a muscular brute, while the other was slender, as, based on the description, the other party's ability should be a magic-oriented type. As for the last one, Lancer simply pictured a mysterious old man, as this would be more consistent with the other party's mysterious image.
According to the Boat Head Post's description, the first two should not have the ability to prevent him from activating the teleportation gate. The only trouble lies with the last one; the other party's ability is completely unknown, which prevents Lancer from taking targeted measures.
But just as Lancer was about to continue asking about the other party's abilities, a slightly hurried sound of footsteps suddenly came.
Since this matter was of great importance, the Boat Head Post immediately closed his mouth and remained silent, but when he saw the owner of those footsteps, he was completely stunned.
A petite young girl wearing a kimono was trotting to Lancer side, handing him a strange object, and then sat next to Lancer as if no one else was present, starting to eat something.
Immediately, the Boat Head Post's expression became somewhat subtle.
'No wonder he said he wasn't interested in that young lady from the Fujiwara family. Was it because she was past her expiration date?'
"Right, Lancer, I forgot to mention this before. His Majesty the Emperor said he is willing to marry the Princess to you. She is 7 years old this year..."
After the Boat Head Post finished speaking, the valley fell silent for several seconds, until ——————
"Get lost!!!"