In that case… we'll do as you say," the Emperor declared.
There was no better option.
At that moment, there was no one left in Heian-kyō who could stand against him.
"But… what if he refuses?" one minister asked.
"…I don't think he'll refuse," said a minister of the Fujiwara clan. "Otherwise, he wouldn't have held back—he could have easily wiped out all his enemies."
"But the fact that he did hold back means there's room for negotiation."
Everyone present nodded in agreement.
If there was truly no room to talk, none of them would still be alive to stand here before the Emperor. They would've been killed already.
"Then—who will be responsible for discussing the details with him?" the Emperor raised a new question.
Silence fell over the entire court.
—
Two days later, at the Gojō estate.
"So… what you're saying is… you want to worship me? Even build a shrine for me?" The white-haired boy sat at the head of the room, one brow raised, tone laced with suspicion.
Standing on either side of him were members of the Kamō and Gojō families.
The Kamō clan had been quick to read the situation—when Cyr first stepped through their gates, the head of the Kamō family had come out immediately to surrender.
They had even offered to serve Cyr without hesitation.
Because of that awareness, their clan suffered the least losses.
Cyr actually regretted not starting with them. The Kamō clan was weaker anyway. At least the Zen'in had Mahoraga to pull out in a last-ditch fight. What did the Kamō have? Nothing but their so-called noble bloodline.
"Yes. The Emperor has already given the order. If you agree, construction will begin tomorrow…" reported a representative of the Fujiwara clan.
As one of the most powerful and influential families, the Fujiwara would, of course, have to contribute the most.
"Hm…" Cyr touched his chin in thought.
A shrine… what benefit would that bring him?
Could fear or belief really make one a god? He wasn't born from faith.
To him, the idea of a shrine was more symbolic than practical.
Still, having everyone worship him… that sounded kind of nice.
Even if it felt a little strange to be worshipped while still alive.
"Sure, go ahead and build it," Cyr finally replied to the Fujiwara envoy.
"The Emperor also hopes… that you will attend the inauguration ceremony," the envoy continued.
"Of course. I'll go inspect my own shrine. Don't cut corners," said the white-haired youth crisply.
Only then did the envoy let out a relieved breath, hurrying away with an expression full of "I've-just-cheated-death" relief.
"No one's ever suggested building a shrine for me before," Gojō Haru said with a soft laugh. "Guess being a little ruthless does inspire more fear."
Even though he was born with the Six Eyes, destined to become the head of the Gojō family, and praised as a divine child blessed by Amaterasu herself, no one had ever proposed building a shrine in his honor.
Because he was a divine child—just that. Not a god.
Only gods had shrines of their own.
"Gods usually have divine names, right?" Cyr murmured, falling into thought.
Was Sukuna's real name actually Ryōmen Sukuna? Probably not. Ryōmen Sukuna was originally a kind of demon god. Sukuna himself was a person—neither demon nor deity. At most, he was a human with a grotesque appearance—two faces, four arms—so people started calling him Ryōmen Sukuna. And he accepted that name.
Hmm. In that case, Cyr figured he could just take over the identity of some other god.
Sukuna never got attacked by the real Ryōmen Sukuna, so it should be fine.
Same rule as always—if you're not happy with it, come fight him.
If you're brave enough to show your health bar, even a god can be killed. That wasn't just talk.
"Have you already decided on your divine name?" Gojō Haru asked.
"Amaterasu is a goddess… then there's Susanoo and Tsukuyomi…" Cyr wavered between the two.
"I'll go with Tsukuyomi. Or rather, Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto. That way, I won't even need a new shrine—just repurpose the existing moon deity shrines to worship me instead," he said nonchalantly.
Just like that, he planned to claim the divine status of one of the Three Noble Children of Heaven.
Gojō Haru was briefly rendered speechless.
"Though honestly, I think I'm more like Amaterasu… but she's a woman," Cyr said thoughtfully.
After all, with white hair and blue eyes, the first thing that came to mind was a clear sky—and Amaterasu ruled over the daylight.
"The moon god… that's not too far off either," Cyr continued musing.
White hair and blue eyes could also evoke the night. Moonlight and the night sky… the sky at night was still blue, after all.
And the records about the moon god were fewer, more mysterious.
"…Don't you want a divine name of your own?" Gojō Haru hesitated, almost asking.
"All things have spirits. All things can become gods. But even among gods, there's a difference between the weak and the strong. The Three Noble Children govern the sun, the moon, and the sea. The rest of the gods' domains don't interest me."
"If I were to create a divine domain of my own, I'd have to rewrite your entire mythology."
"For example, I'd erase all the other great gods and record myself as the one who created everything…" Cyr said lightly.
But that would be a real hassle—he'd have to tear down a lot of shrines.
To turn every shrine into one that worshipped him.
By comparison, just stealing the moon god's authority was practically charitable.
"…Fine," Gojō Haru said, giving up on persuading him.
He had no doubt that if he kept pushing, Cyr really might demand that all of Japan worship only him.
"Oh, right," Cyr suddenly added, as if just remembering something.
"Let the others know—from now on, whenever they see me, they're to kneel. And bow their heads." He smiled.
Even when facing the Emperor, kneeling wasn't required—but now he was demanding everyone kneel before him.
"Since you've decided to worship me as a god, you'd better start acting like it."
"When followers meet their god, they're supposed to kneel and kowtow, aren't they?"
"Even if other gods don't require it, that's not my concern."
"After all, I'm from a dynasty."
"You should treat me with the same etiquette used for an emperor," the white-haired, blue-eyed boy said with a casual curl of his lips.
The Three Great Families loved clinging to old traditions, so he'd just be even more old-fashioned than them.
"If I catch someone daring to meet my gaze without kneeling…" He sat at the head of the room, resting his chin on one hand, eyes sweeping expectantly across both sides. "No mercy."
As soon as those words left his lips, everyone dropped to their knees at once.
Maro had already been kneeling at his feet from the start.
"…Do I have to kneel too?" Gojō Haru sighed.
He wanted to stick close to the anomaly, but he really didn't want to kneel.
"No. You're a special case," Cyr said with a smile.
Gojō Haru finally let out a breath of relief.
After all, he'd been treated as a divine child since birth. He looked easygoing, but at heart he was just as proud as anyone.
From his domain… and certain actions, it was clear that he didn't care much for other people or things—only what he found interesting.
That's why, when he discovered this visitor from another time, he didn't expose him. In fact, he even helped conceal Cyr's identity.
Even now, he didn't plan on doing anything.
Because, to him… this anomaly from a thousand years in the future was more intriguing than everyone else in the Heian era combined.
And so, when everyone else was required to kneel, and he became the only exception, a new rumor began circulating in Heian-kyō:
Gojō Cyr was the son of Gojō Haru and a goddess from the heavens.
Following the legend of the White Fox Lord, Abe no Seimei, came a new tale—of Gojō Cyr, half-human and half-divine.
°°°
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