It was so loud that everyone around stopped in shock, and his words echoed through the air.
But the man, now glassy-eyed, ignored the stunned silence and kept ranting.
"I gained wealth! Power as a merchant! All that was left was real influence! I gave up on strength, but political power? I just had to use that little girl as a puppet! But I couldn't risk her bearing kids with anyone else, so I killed him! Once she gained enough skill to control Kyoto's leyline, I planned to kill that damn fox woman too!"
Openly saying this would get him executed, yet he doesn't even realize it.
I almost finished him right there, but then,
[Ikki-dono… I want to know the full details.]
Yasaka's voice came in, low and deadly.
"I understand… So, this poisoning, how exactly did you do it?"
"I just slipped poison into a bottle of sake and gave it."
With something that obvious? That would've been investigated thoroughly. He'd have been caught in no time.
But then he grins creepily and starts explaining:
"Centuries ago, I came across the baby of a deadly youkai species, the Zhen. Their feathers dissolve in water, odorless, tasteless, and perfect for assassination. But no matter how subtle, poison in gifted sake is still traceable. So I learned something: when they're young, their poison fades after half a day.
"Sounds useless, right? But if the target is a youkai, the poison lingers by feeding off their spiritual energy. It causes slow, inevitable death, like an illness."
I see. By the time investigators check the sake, it's harmless. Even blood tests would find nothing. Clever.
…But he just said something odd, "centuries ago"?
"You're saying the poison used on Yasaka-san's husband came from that baby youkai?"
Surely they don't stay babies for centuries.
"Baby? Kukuku! What a waste that'd be! I kept the adult Zhen locked underground and forced it to breed! Once done, I disposed of the adult. I've lost count of how many generations we've gone through! But I only use it once every few decades, just a few deaths at a time to avoid suspicion!"
"So that's how you became one of Kansai's top merchants?"
"Heh heh! Exactly! So how about it? Join me instead of that little fox girl, I'll give you money, women, whatever you want. Let's just bury this whole mess."
Looks like the pain is wearing off. Until now, I've avoided permanent damage to the candidates. But for this guy, it's open season.
I slam a palm strike into Danzaburou's chest.
"GWAAHHH!! Geh!Goh!"
I channeled the shock into one of his lungs, collapsing it. Normally, senjutsu can't cause physical damage like this, but that's assuming the opponent's at your level.
As he starts vomiting blood, I press my hand to his back and forcibly heal it, just enough that it can't be repaired naturally. Even Asia-san couldn't fix this.
I do the same to his other lungs.
He wheezes, face contorting in agony. When I hear a thin "wheeze… wheeze," I grab his hair and force him to look at me.
Looks like the fear's finally caught up to him.
"One last thing: how far does your commercial network reach? You must have blackmail or records on your partners, right?"
As a major merchant, surely many of his shops are unaware of the underground dealings.
"S-such records… exist…"
Still hesitating?
I break his pinky.
"Gyaaaaaa!! Th-they're right here! I always keep them close!!"
He pulls a single leaf out of subspace. The moment he places it on the ground, Pop!, it transforms into a mountain of documents.
Clever. If someone tried to steal them, they wouldn't know which leaf was which. Probably got a whole pile of them stored away.
"Yasaka-san."
[I have them.]
With her name called, Yasaka-san immediately starts transferring the documents.
Let's end this now.
I knock Danzaburou out, seal him in a soundproof barrier, and relay a plan to Yasaka-san. Through Izuna, I ask her to broadcast her voice across the entire field.
[I see, so you plan to round them all up in one sweep. Very well, but give me one day. I need time to analyze the data and finalize the plan.]
"Understood. Let's not let a single rat escape."
[However, we'll need more personnel… and if we make a big move, the enemy might catch on…]
That's when the Kunou fans, who just happened to be nearby, stand up and shout:
"Yasaka-sama! Use us!"
"We can't forgive the guy who assassinated your husband!"
"And that means he hurt Kunou-chan too! That's twice the offense!"
"We'll wipe out these pests infesting Kyoto!"
Looks like I've got troops. Now I just need to patch them up.
"Yasaka-san, I'll begin treating them now. Could you handle their deployment?"
She's more familiar with Kyoto than I am. Best to leave it to the boss of Kansai.
With her agreement, I have the candidates (including the tanuki) locked in cages. Then I turn to the group.
"You heard all that! Tomorrow's going to be a big showdown! But you're all wrecked! So I'm gonna fix you up, fast!"
What? I'm the one who wrecked them in the first place? Hah, ancient history!
They were like zombies at the start, but now? Good luck finding a single spot that isn't wrapped in bandages. When did they all become mummies?
"The enemy made Kunou and Yasaka-san cry!There's no one here who'd fight them half-heartedly, right!?"
I shout to rally them, though their ringleader (the tanuki) is already out of commission.
[UWOOOOOOOOOOHHH!!]
"You wanna show Kunou how cool you are!?"
[UWOOOOOOOOOOOO!!]
"Even Yasaka-san's backing us now!!"
[UWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!]
"Then follow my lead!!!"
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Note:Danzaburou the Tanuki: A tanuki youkai who deceives and kills a fox running businesses both on the surface and in the underworld.