Chapter 22 - Untalented child
"Yuya is ......?"
"He was doing well every day."
"I see," he muttered, his tense expression loosening.
When he returned home from work, he checked on his son's safety before saying "I'm home."
It was as if he was worried that something might have happened to his son.
"Saint is by Yuya's side all day long and takes good care of him. He even misses him more than me."
"...... I see."
He takes off his suit and changes into his room clothes with the help of his wife.
He wonders inwardly what his children think of him for not being home all the time, and whether they have forgotten his face.
"You're off tomorrow, right? Please play with the children."
"It's difficult. We need to replenish our talismans and buy all the supplies for the summoning ritual. And we have to give the ceremonial deity the spiritual power for the reward."
"This is the only time you can make memories with your children. Why can't you just do it?"
Passing on spiritual power significantly drains one's strength.
Since he has used a particularly large number of Shikigami in this job, he will not have enough time to play with the children.
The Kyobe family is now in a critical situation.
If they do not push themselves a little harder, they will not be able to protect their precious family.
Tsuyoshi did not reply to Reika and headed for the bedroom.
Gently opening the sliding door, he finds children sleeping peacefully.
"......Really, you survived for six months."
"Yes, and I check the talismans every day, and there isn't a single scorch mark on them."
Yuya, the son who did not inherit the Onmyoji talent.
It was a wager whether this child would live for six months in the Kyobe family.
"Honey, is Yuya really in danger in this house? I don't mean to doubt you, but I don't really feel it."
"......I am told I had two older brothers, both of whom died suddenly within a few months of each other. There are many similar examples in the records. For those without the gift of Onmyoji, this land is tantamount to a curse. Even with a talisman, it would be a miracle if you could survive for a year."
As Saint predicted, ordinary people cannot survive in a Onmyoji family.
Of course, there are many children born in the Kyobe family who did not inherit the Onmyoji talent, and there are some who were able to properly grow up to adulthood. However, they are few and far between, and in many cases they were adopted out of this family.
It is the same in other families. It is an inevitable fate.
"Leaving this house is......"
"No, no. Saint must be raised on this land......spiritual vein. The tradition of the Kyobe family is absolute."
Since the cause of the problem is known, it is normal to think, "Just abandon the house".
However, this is not possible, which is why the heads of the family have been suffering from this problem for generations.
["A child raised in a land in contact with a spiritual vein will have high spiritual power."](T/N - This isnt something a father is saying, this is something like a saying or a quote in Kyobe family)
It is not the spirit vein itself, but the direct cause of the mysterious creature, as Saint calls it, that has not yet been revealed.
Even though the adults cannot see the mysterious creatures, they know this by rule of experience. Therefore, there is a tradition in the Kyobe family to "keep them inside the house as much as possible until they are over one year old".
And in order for the Kyobe family to maintain their position as Onmyoji, they cannot afford to give up this advantage.
Reika knows this very well. She also knew that it would be better to remain on this land for the sake of her family and the Saint, and that it would be better to give Yuya up for adoption.
Still, she could not let go of her newborn, adorable child.
As a civilian, she could not separate the two for the sake of her family.
Seeing his wife struggling between reason and instinct, Tsuyoshi dropped the idea of giving Yuya up for adoption.
He then purchased an expensive amulet, produced through a sacred ritual, and used it as Yuya's protection.
The effectiveness of this amulet is somewhat reliable, and it is famous for being used by the big three families in the Onmyoji world.
"If he survived this long, there is no need to put him up for adoption anymore. Under normal circumstances, there was a good chance he would burn out his protective talisman in six months or so and die; you can't give two blessings to one child."
The sacred amulet, a divine blessing, cannot be used consecutively.
Therefore, even among the three families, children without the talent of Onmyoji are usually put up for adoption.
It is too painful to watch your own child die.
Then the current situation is strange.
The current situation where the protective talisman is not stained at all and Yuya is in good health is too abnormal.
"Maybe this boy is really protecting him."
Reika says while patting the head of the sleeping Saint.
That possibility was impossible, Strong's reason assured him, but it never left his mouth.
This is because he could not forget the strong will he felt from Saint when he performed the birth ceremony for Yuya.
There are still many things in the art of onmyoujutsu that have yet to be elucidated. Even the summoning technique, in which the Kyobe family specializes, has not yet been clarified in detail.
If so, it cannot be dismissed that the strong will of a young child can perform miracles.
"Maybe, maybe not."
"Of course it has to be so. Saint is an excellent child, and I'm sure he'll make a fine Onmyoji."
You might call me a parental idiot, but I am already seeing glimpses of this.
Perhaps he will really make the Kyobe family prosperous.
Looking at his eldest son sleeping peacefully, Tsuyoshi's cheeks unconsciously relaxes.
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Thanks so much for the chapter! They know the risk and still do it. Sei need to tell them about the spirit in the house.
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