It could be said that he had prepared emergency plans for everything: Lancer suddenly challenging a passerby, a dispute in a tavern due to excessive drinking, or even an sudden attack on a woman causing a fight. After all, this "Red Oni" had quite a reputation.
As for why he expected trouble? They didn't think that Lancer, who was called the "Red Oni" and even recognized by the Oni clan, would be a saint—even though they knew he was human.
But he never imagined Lancer would go and custom-order clothes!
"What did he order? Let me see..."
Perhaps for the pleasure of spying on a powerhouse's privacy, or simply for a good laugh, he opened the envelope.
"Women's kimono? Ribbons? And a cover with a mold? What the hell is all this?"
The man had ordered two sets of kimonos: one for an adult and one for a child. A normal person's first reaction would be that they were for a wife and daughter, but considering Lancer "reputation," it was hard to say who they were for. As for the ribbons, they were both long and short; the short ones seemed for tying hair, but he had no idea what the long ones were for. Could they be chest wraps?
If he could barely recognize those things, the drawing of the last item left him completely bewildered. A cover for a rectangular box with a protrusion?
"Is there something wrong with that shop?"
"No, the owner has been in the Youkai Mountain for nearly a hundred years. There have never been any issues."
The items were bizarre, but the shop was fine. This was truly strange.
"Archive it for now and continue monitoring. Report to me if you notice anything unusual."
"Yes!"
Even though the man hadn't caused trouble yet, his identity and past actions suggested he was a ticking time bomb. Originally, the Great Tengu had planned to let him wait for a couple of days—after all, even if this was a win-win, they weren't in a hurry. Putting on some Tengu pride was perfectly fine.
But now, he felt it would be better to get rid of this guy sooner.
The man seemed somewhat jinxed. According to what he knew, wherever this guy went, trouble followed. Although Lancer resolved everything in the end, wouldn't it be better to just save the trouble?
In fact, one of the reasons Lancer chose to go shopping was that he didn't expect a quick response. Setting aside the fact that there seemed to be a hidden story, the idea that he could get a reward without any reason or leverage was basically no different from robbery. Why would strangers help him?
He was self-aware. Though he had a system, the thing basically slacked off every day and never showed up. Forget about subordinates bowing down or beautiful women throwing themselves at him; he'd thank heaven and earth if he could just pass a day in peace.
However, he didn't expect that when he returned to the temporary lodging the Tengu had prepared, a Tengu was already waiting outside.
"Mr. Lancer, please."
Although this was his temporary residence, it was arranged by the Tengu. He didn't mind being led, but he found it strange that the Tengu were so efficient. Was it true that the Tengu were an exceptionally industrious race of youkai?
As expected, when he arrived at the drawing room, the Great Tengu who had led him into the Youkai Mountain was already waiting. There was even a cup of freshly brewed tea at Lancer seat.
Lancer sat directly across from him, took a sip of the tea, and set it down.
He knew a bit about alcohol, but he was completely clueless about tea. His only thought was that this tea didn't seem as good as the one Kaguya brewed.
"Mr. Lancer, I have reported what you mentioned earlier to Lady Tenma. Regarding that matter, Lady Tenma has agreed."
Lancer was very interested in the "Tenma" they mentioned. According to the Onmyoryo's intelligence, this "Tenma" had lived for nearly a thousand years and was extremely long-lived even among youkai. However, there had been no sighting reports for the last few hundred years. It was said she had stayed within the Youkai Mountain, and there were even rumors she was dead—though few believed that. She had long surpassed the definition of a "youkai" and was considered the "Deity" the Tengu clan worshipped. Even Hoshiguma Yuugi and the others had suggested Lancer go to the Tengu for information, mentioning more than once that they hoped to have a match with that "Tenma."
Curiosity aside, Lancer didn't forget his goal.
"Then—what is the price?"
Lancer didn't believe they would help him for free. Or rather, "free" was the most expensive price. In this world, a favor was the hardest thing to repay. Lancer had even considered refusing the deal if they said there was no price. They were strangers; sudden kindness only bred suspicion.
"Lady Tenma wishes for you to retrieve something from the Kappa clan."
"An errand? It shouldn't be that simple, right?"
"Of course. That item is actually a treasure our Tengu clan lost long ago. It was later obtained by the Kappa, and they have not returned it. While the item is important, we cannot start a war over it..."
"In other words, you're letting me, an 'unrelated party,' go and get it back?"
"Exactly."
The man made no attempt to hide the fact that they were using Lancer. His attitude was firm; Lancer only choice was to accept or refuse.
And so, one sipped tea while the other held his cup with one hand, head lowered, weighing the pros and cons.
"I'm willing to try."
"Very well. Here is the information on the item we need..."
As he spoke, the man took an envelope from his robes.
Lancer expression didn't change when he saw the envelope, but he couldn't help but criticize inwardly that they were certainly well-prepared. He opened the envelope.
The so-called "information" was actually just a drawing. There wasn't even a name or description of its abilities. However, looking at the item they wanted, Lancer mouth twitched slightly. He hadn't expected to be retrieving this? A leaf fan that looked like a maple leaf?
The man didn't know why Lancer expression turned strange; he assumed Lancer recognized the item and decided to explain.
"Although the reward for retrieving this item is the information you seek, we will prepare a suitable price to exchange for it when the time comes."
[Tengu's Obsession]
[Mission Objective: Retrieve the 'Wind God's Fan' lost by the Tengu clan during the Great War.]
[Mission Reward: Secret Technique - Wind God's Flash]
The sudden mission prompt also let Lancer know exactly what he was supposed to retrieve.