CHAPTER 69: HOMECOMING

Tyrion was deep in thought, weighing his options for a mentor.

Back on Earth, he was already considered a strong mage thanks to his ability to summon a high spirit. But his shortcomings were just as clear—an average physique and no mastery of supreme techniques.

To compensate, he decided to approach Sid.

He remembered my earlier warning:

"Sid... That Onmyoji is capable of far more than he lets on. When I faced him, I couldn’t uncover much about his abilities. When you meet him, don’t let fear take hold. He’s... dangerously formidable."

Swallowing hard, Tyrion steeled himself and stepped into the dojo where Sid was meditating.

A hunched back, a gaunt frame, and a razor tongue—how had someone like this even been accepted among the Onmyoji?

"What do you want, child?"

Tyrion froze. Sid hadn’t even opened his eyes, yet he knew exactly who had entered.

"S–Sir Sid... I’ve come with a request. Please... allow me to become your student."

Sid turned just enough to fix him with a sharp, cutting gaze.

"Hah? You’re weak. I don’t train weaklings."

And with that, he turned away again.

"W–What?! B–But... Damn it, how do I convince him? P–Please, hear me out! I’ve heard you possess a technique that alters the very terrain—just like Lady Sayuri! I want to learn that!"

"I’m afraid that’s not going to happen."

"What...? Why not?"

"It’s beyond you. I’ve analyzed all of you—and you’re the weakest. Weaker than the girls. Your will is frail, and you don’t even know why you seek the power of Mado."

"No, I do know! I want to excel in every way! I’m not physically strong, but my strength lies in knowledge. You’re wrong about me. My confidence—that’s what got me here in the first place. Please... teach me the power of Mado!"

Sid glanced at him from the corner of his eye and exhaled slowly.

"If you’re after a domain like Sayuri’s, you’ve knocked on the wrong door. The territory I command... brings only pain."

For a brief moment, Sid’s mind was dragged back into the past—blood rain, roaring flames swallowing everything, comrades reduced to charred corpses. He sat in the middle of hell, hands limp at his sides, hating everything tied to his power.

"What I know... you’re better off never knowing. For your own sake—leave, and never ask me again. You’re far too young for such a burden."

Tyrion’s frustration burned. Out of all of us, he was the only one without a master.

"Nonsense!" he snapped. "It doesn’t matter what you know—it matters what you can teach me! I don’t want to copy your techniques. I want your experience to enrich my own knowledge!"

"What a stubborn brat. Shut up and get out."

"No! Teach me! I... I don’t ever want to watch my loved ones die again!"

Sid fell silent. He recognized that emotion all too well. Centuries ago, he had buried his own feelings behind a sullen mask.

"Weakness... that’s what shows just how emotional a person is. You, boy, dared raise your voice simply because you didn’t like my answer. How can you call yourself strong if you can’t accept the reality of others?"

Tyrion caught himself. His teeth ground together. He wanted to strike Sid.

"...As you wish."

He left without closing the door behind him.

Later, we were all gathered in Riven’s room.

I had him in a playful chokehold, squeezing his neck.

"Well, well, Riven... seduced Lady Sayuri, did you? The juiciest woman in this world. You’re quite the ladies’ man!"

"S–Stop... you’re choking me...!"

Aimer threw the first thing at hand right at my head.

"Who did you just call the juiciest woman?"

Ah, right. The girls were here too.

"I didn’t know our bespectacled friend was such a playboy!" Ash laughed. "That’s priceless. You sure know how to surprise us."

"No, you don’t understand! I wasn’t—"

I tightened my hold until his face turned blue.

"Silence. No excuses. The guards told me they saw you with her—when she was naked. What exactly were you doing by that pond?"

"No way! Riven, you monster!" Sylas feigned shock.

"Listen, it’s not what it looks like! We didn’t—"

Meanwhile, Tyrion sat apart, clearly in a foul mood.

"What’s wrong, brother?" Aimer poked him in the shoulder.

"Probably thinking about his usual nonsense," Sylas snorted.

"No... I don’t even know what to think anymore."

He was obviously frustrated.

"By the way," I said, "did you ask anyone to take you on yet? You’re the only one left without a mentor. Decided on Sid?"

"...Yeah. Sir Sid... turned me down."

"What? That bald old fart!" Ash barked.

"Cut it out, Ash! If anyone hears you, we’re in trouble."

"What? Am I wrong? How can he refuse when the Onmyoji agreed to be our mentors? That’s ridiculous! Hey, Tyrion, want to train with me? Lady Nishitani would welcome you with open arms."

"No, I need to learn territory-capture techniques..."

"Oh? And why’s that? Planning something indecent inside?"

"You only ever think about indecency and orgies, Ash!!"

"If you want," Riven offered, "you could train in territory techniques with Lady Sayuri alongside me."

"Riven... I’d love to, but I’d rather not get between your bedroom activities with Sayuri."

The room erupted in laughter. Riven went red and waved his hands frantically.

"We didn’t do anything! How many times do I have to say it?!"

A knock at the door silenced us.

The door cracked open just enough for Sid’s grim, shadowed eyes to peer in.

He looked like a serial killer straight out of a horror story.

"S–Sir Sid! You can’t just appear like that!"

"My apologies. Tyrion, come with me."

He shut the door and started down the hall.

We exhaled in unison. What a creepy guy.

"Go on, Tyrion. This is your chance."

Aimer encouraged him, and Sylas patted his shoulder. Tyrion followed Sid.

"Sir Sid, you could’ve sent for me. Why make me walk all the way?"

"Hah? Don’t clutter your head with useless thoughts. Is it always a mess in there?"

What a pain.

"In any case, Tyrion, I came to tell you this—you’re returning home tomorrow, right?"

"Yes. We’ve got academy classes... and my parents are probably worried."

"So many distractions. Ideally, I’d have you stay and train here."

"Y–You mean... you’re taking me as your student?"

Sid snorted as they passed through the quiet dojos.

"Your training will be long. This isn’t something you can reach just by jumping—you’ll have to leap over yourself."

Glancing at Tyrion, Sid’s mind replayed the nightmare—flames, blood, corpses. It was as if the boy was willingly walking toward his own destruction.

"I’ll speak with my family and devote as much time as I can to training," Tyrion said firmly.

"Hmph. When your Mado power awakens, you’ll be able to train on your own as well. Don’t disappoint me, boy."

Tyrion nodded.

That night, under the moonlight, Salazar sat within Iceborn’s estate.

He approached his mentor. Iceborn stared intently at the moon.

"Are you ready, Salazar?"

"Yes. More than ready."

"The time has come... Let this moon shield us from misfortune and mark the start of a new path."

"Yes."

"Good."

The next morning, we were woken early and summoned to the Onmyoji hall. Their faces were grim.

"W–What?!"

I was stunned by what they said.

"It’s exactly as you heard," Payton said. "Sir Iceborn and Salazar have vanished from our world. Our detectors no longer sense their presence. That can only mean one thing..."

They looked at us with steely eyes.

"An Onmyoji has entered the human world without orders. This is tantamount to an invasion of another realm."

"B–But Salazar... doesn’t that seem strange to you? Why would they vanish so suddenly?"

"We don’t know the reason for their betrayal. That’s why we called you here. You know who Salazar il Tsugihara is. Did he tell you anything?"

I was the only one who knew Salazar personally.

"No... nothing at all. Damn it... Salazar, what’s wrong with you...?"

Payton sighed.

"Typical of that shady Iceborn," Sid muttered. "I never trusted him. Now I see why."

"Enough, Sid. Everyone’s on edge already. We can’t let the people see discord among the Onmyoji."

"Sayuri’s right. And there’s something we haven’t told you, guests. Iceborn is ranked seventh for a reason—no one knows the true extent of his power. Even we can’t read his soul. In other words, we have no idea what his Mado nature is. He’s served here for centuries, and then suddenly... vanishes."

His soul... invisible? Did that mean no one even knew if he had Mado power at all?

No—he must. Otherwise, he’d never have become an Onmyoji. Which meant... he was a master at concealing his energy completely.

"If you see either of them, report to us immediately," Payton ordered. "We’ve already dispatched dozens of Void Reaper squads to capture them. For your sakes, I hope you make it home alive."

We nodded.

Soon after, the gates to the portal—the only way for people of this world to reach Earth—were opened.

A massive, swirling vortex awaited.

"Looks like I won’t be rid of you anytime soon."

Claude appeared beside me.

"What the hell are you doing here?! Nobody invited you!"

"Idiot. Why would you have to invite me? Sir Payton ordered me to keep an eye on you. Apparently, he doesn’t want me looking away for a second."

"The servant gets his own servant? Hah."

"Shut it. I don’t like this either. Earth, huh? I’ll have to talk to humans. Ugh."

"Just shut up already."

Riven looked between us, bewildered—he’d now have to host another guest.

We stepped into the portal...

After three long days in this world, we were finally going home.