"…So why do so many people actually believe this rumor?"
When the tale reached Cyr's ears, he looked utterly baffled.
Seriously, was there something wrong with the people of Heian-kyō? Some kind of collective brain damage causing widespread stupidity?
Gojō Haru and a goddess from the heavens had given birth to him…? At least tell the world which goddess it was! They didn't even dare name her, yet the story was full of vivid detail?
And people believed this?
"What's so unbelievable about it? Rumors of romantic entanglements between humans and yōkai, or humans and gods, always spread far and wide." Gojō Haru, on the other hand, was unbothered—he even tried to soothe the youth's irritation.
"Lord Seimei's father and the fox spirit's love story was also embellished until it became deeply moving."
"And as for my supposed romance with that goddess…" Gojō Haru raised a sleeve to cover his face with exaggerated modesty.
"…From an outsider's perspective, I suppose it is rather touching," he added.
"…You mean the one where you loved her, she loved you, but the gods of Takamagahara forbade relationships between humans and gods, so they forced her to return to the heavens, leaving you behind on earth?" Cyr summarized the story flatly, expressionless.
As if things weren't absurd enough, he even had a bit part in that fantasy.
Because the story continued: after the goddess returned to Takamagahara, she discovered she was pregnant and decided to hide the child from the other gods.
Given that the entire tale was pure fabrication, Cyr didn't bother to question how a god somehow didn't know she was pregnant. No point applying logic here.
Anyway, the goddess eventually gave birth to a child—Cyr—half-human, half-god, raised in Takamagahara, indistinguishable from a true deity.
As for why he descended to earth? The storyteller had an explanation ready: the half-human, half-god Cyr felt different from the other gods, and this gave rise to an identity crisis. Eventually, he overheard from other deities that he had a human father.
And so, the divine child descended from the heavens, just to meet his father.
And the reason he went on a killing spree and gouged out his "father's" eyes? Because the divine child believed it was those around his father who had obstructed the goddess and her human lover—and that the human man had betrayed his mother.
As for those he killed, they were innocent, because the ones who had originally opposed the relationship between Gojō Haru and the goddess were actually members of the Gojō clan.
But Cyr didn't know that—so he lashed out at everyone.
To calm his wrath, the Emperor decided to build a shrine and have him worshipped as a god.
With that kind of storytelling, everything wrapped up nice and neat. To the uninformed, it all made perfect sense.
But from Cyr's perspective—as the one being talked about—he had only one thought:
Are the people of Heian-kyō all master storytellers or what?
And what's worse… some people were actually moved to tears by it?
For some inexplicable reason, every other member of the Gojō clan simply accepted the story. Even when asked about it, they would only lower their heads in silence, acting mysterious and deep.
As a result, the Gojō clan became even more isolated.
The people of Heian-kyō: So you're the ones who brought the demon king to town, huh?
"Isn't it great?" Gojō Haru teased, his tone flippant and playful. "They've gone and given you a noble background."
Fabricating noble origins for famous figures had long been a tradition among Heian aristocrats.
It was their way of explaining why someone else was better than them.
Because that person must've had noble blood, a rare lineage, an extraordinary destiny.
"…I don't need a story like that to prove I'm special," Cyr replied expressionlessly.
Half-human, half-god—what's so noble about that? How is it any different from being just another mixed-blood? Especially when the divine part comes from a Shinto goddess…
"…Forget it. Just the madness of fools," Cyr sighed and put the story out of his mind.
In the end, no one would be dumb enough to say something like "half-human, half-god" to his face.
"About what I said—taking Tsukuyomi's divinity for myself—how did the others respond?" Cyr changed the subject.
"…Not optimistic," Gojō Haru shook his head.
The divine name of one of the Three Noble Children wasn't something you could just claim on a whim.
"What if I killed the current Emperor?" the white-haired youth asked.
"…With that one sentence, I'd say the issue's settled," Gojō Haru replied with a small smile.
Because that statement essentially meant: Whoever disagrees—dies. I'll keep killing until everyone agrees.
Once that line got out, no one would dare oppose him.
"Roughly half a month from now, there'll be a consecration ceremony. You'll need to prepare something to place in the shrine, for the priests and shrine maidens to worship," Gojō Haru reminded him.
"Prepare something? Nah. Just make me a statue," the white-haired youth said lightly, willfully. "Like the Buddha statues in temples—I want a divine statue of me, just like me, placed inside the shrine."
In Japan's shrines, there typically weren't statues of deities. Most offered sacred relics, legendary items used by gods, or talismans with the god's name written on them.
But Cyr still preferred the good old-fashioned divine statues.
"Oh, right. Like how there are fox statues at the gates of Inari shrines—mine should have a statue at the entrance too. Carve it to look like Sora," Cyr casually pointed to the massive white tiger resting nearby.
Otherwise, how would anyone know it was his shrine?
A statue of him inside, and a statue of Sora outside—anyone who had seen him would immediately recognize whose shrine it was.
"They can handle that, right?" Cyr asked with a cheerful smile.
"I think that won't be a problem," Gojō Haru said with a laugh.
Faced with the possibility of death for failure, most people would certainly do their utmost to fulfill such a demand.
Still… the way he made those demands was almost unnaturally casual.
Even someone like Gojō Haru—if worshipped as a god—wouldn't so effortlessly and self-assuredly ask for a life-sized statue of himself to be made.
The conversation between Cyr and Gojō Haru, of course, naturally made its way to the ears of those outside who had been eagerly waiting for updates.
"What? He actually asked for a divine statue to be made?"
"Even if he is the child of a goddess, that's far too arrogant…"
"As the losers, do we really have the right to object to the winner's demands?"
Led by Minister Fujiwara, the gathered nobles looked at one another in silence. In the end, they carried these demands straight to the Emperor.
The Emperor's stance? He had none.
If the man had made a request, then just do it. The whole point of building the shrine was to appease him.
They had already agreed to worship him as a god—what did pride or face matter anymore?
And so, this unique shrine began construction.
Those responsible were a mix of jujutsu practitioners, onmyōji, and skilled professionals.
The pros handled the building, while the jujutsu users and onmyōji accelerated the work—after all, they could summon shikigami to help, or use their spell power and spiritual energy.
What would take a normal construction crew a year or more to build was progressing at lightning speed in the hands of these superpowered individuals.
Except for the statue…
°°°
If you want to read ahead and access 20 advanced chapters, check the patreon
Link: Patreon/Moziel
Subscription should be made thru the web and never the ios app, it helps you and me.