Kizashi placed the cup of tea on the table, causing it to clink unpleasantly.

"Some of the elders of other families even suggested expelling me from the clan so that my mere existence wouldn't spoil the thoughts and aspirations of the young warmasters. But the rest were against it. They believed that since I possessed knowledge of techniques, letting me go was out of the question."

It wasn't hard to guess what conclusions the local leadership might come to.

"If it weren't for Grandfather Hideo, I would no longer be breathing. Shiro-sa... Shiro, don't mind that Grandfather speaks to me so harshly. He has suffered a lot because of me and still cares for me. As best as he can. He's constantly being told that he's wasting the clan's money on a failure like me. That the war is all around and every ryo is needed. As if we ever have a time without war?" the lad hissed with unexpected bitterness. "If it's not the poisonous Sansa or the beastly Kiatto, then it's the water-wielding Mizuno, if not Mizuno then the seal-makers Tokitoru, or perhaps even the executioners of the Rangiku seeking a new collection of heads for their lord's throne. And these are just the ones living near our borders."

Stas hid a content smirk. Working with unremarkable people was definitely convenient. They wouldn't challenge your orders and would do exactly as you say.

It seemed convenient indeed.

But life is such that, sooner or later, every job requires a creative approach. And it's very rare to find people willing to take some responsibility and do something themselves, without a nudge from above.

For a creative approach, you need some, well, "balls."

Despite his difficult life, this lad still had them, which was good.

"And thanks to Grandfather, I've set up this workshop, and I'm trying to help our clan's fighters despite being far from the front. And sometimes I even succeed! But the council is still unsatisfied, no matter what I do."

"I must admit, Kizashi, your situation is indeed not simple," Stas nodded sympathetically. He did feel a bit sorry for the youth sitting before him. "However, you mentioned some successes. I still don't quite understand what exactly you do."

"Oh! Follow me, Shiro; I'll show you everything right now!" Kizashi jumped up, burning with the desire to boast about his achievements. Obviously, he rarely had the chance to do so.

Stas and Leviathan watched the lad who had run off and left them, then exchanged looks. The expression on the snake's face clearly read: 'No good. No, did you see that? Did you see?! He reached out to me with his filthy hands! He won't amount to anything, I'm telling you.'

"Come on now," Stas scolded his pet, not realizing that he fully understood her. "Let's give him a chance. You can see he's a promising lad."

'I've said my piece,' Leviathan hissed proudly, then laid her head back on Ordyntsev's shoulder.

"Shiro, where are you?" they heard.

"On my way," the man sighed as he got up. "And what's all this about?" he asked, approaching the bustling lad at one of the tables.

"Look!" Kizashi opened a wooden box and proudly held a small elongated pill in his hands.

"And what does it do?" Stas asked with interest, examining the capsule lying before him.

"You, Shiro, probably don't know, but we, Sumada, aren't really known for our ability to grow medicinal herbs and plants like the Kito clan. And we're not great with seals like the Tokitoru either. The Sumada buy all this and much more from other clans. Often from those who live very far away. After all, we've fought less with them than with those nearby. During the war, which is always, we have to spend a lot of effort to protect these caravans, and even so, it's not always successful."

Kizashi caught his breath.

"I decided to solve our dependency problem on other clans. For this, I used only the magical herbs that grow directly in our lands or, at worst, in neighboring ones. In the end, after six months of work, I managed to create this little one." The lad actually stroked the pill with his finger.

"Ahem," Stas caught his attention, making the lad genuinely blush. "This is indeed interesting, but I'll repeat the question. What does it do?"

"Oh, Grandfather always says I get too carried away when I talk about my research. But how can I not when to understand the full importance... Oh, not again!" Kizashi hurried as if expecting an inevitable smack on the head. "In short, this pill does several cool things! First, it allows prana to be restored faster; second, it nourishes not only the channels but also the body itself, making it easier to withstand the increased prana generation; and finally, thirdly..."

The lad nearly choked on the emotions overwhelming him.

"Unlike the Kito pills, which frankly taste unpleasant, I worked hard to make mine taste like ripe raspberries! Isn't that brilliant? This way, we can sell our product much better and take their customers for ourselves!"

"Raspberries?" Stas clarified with a stone face.

"Yes, raspberries! And I even managed to tweak the smell! They have a light, pleasant scent."

"Understo-o-od," Stas drawled with mixed emotions. "And why, you say, did the council not accept your pills?"

"They don't understand anything," Kizashi snorted angrily. "I wasn't even invited to the council. Only Grandfather went. 'Your pills are almost as labor-intensive as Kito's'," he mimicked, but then he drooped. "Well, the council still listened to Grandfather's words and conducted tests. Yes, my pills were weaker, but they were absolutely safe for their users! Unlike that slag that those damned flower lovers send us."

"Wait a minute," Stas frowned and interrupted the lad's stream of insults. A thought was spinning in his head, and his interlocutor's disjointed speech kept disrupting it.

"Let's go in order. You said that your pills are made from local herbs and plants. So why, according to the council, do they cost as much as Kito's work?"

"The thing is that, unlike Kito's concoctions, not just anyone can make my pills. They require precise influence with prana at different stages. The level of control required starts with an advanced warmaster..."

"Are you saying you're at the level of an advanced warmaster?" Stas looked at his interlocutor with new eyes.

"No, no, what are you talking about," Kizashi chuckled. "I don't have the skills or the volume of prana, but my control is excellent."

"Got it," the earthling calmed down. "So, your pills require a high level of professionalism from the workers."

'The clan's council would rather pay someone else than spend a fortune and deal with the headache of creating a labor-intensive production themselves. I'm sure they keep convincing themselves they'll get to it someday later. But "later" never comes.'

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Hmm, and what if ordinary warmasters with not-so-advanced control were to make your pills?" Stas asked casually.

"But that can't be allowed!" The alchemist's eyes widened in horror. "The whole chain of calculations will be disrupted! They won't be able to properly process the material with prana, so the final product will be much worse!"

"Nevertheless, it will work, right?" Stas pressed, finally forming an idea in his head.

"Maybe," Kizashi extended uncertainly. "I never thought about it."

"I take it no one ever asked you about it?"

"Grandfather, I think, once asked, and I explained that the pills would turn out worse and there was no point in doing it that way."

"Worse, but cheaper and more accessible," Stas mused. "But let's not stop there. That's still too little. You say you worked hard on the raspberry taste and scent?"

"No, that is, yes! Only the raspberry taste, the scent is just pleasant. And I did work on it a lot. But I still succeeded." Kizashi proudly puffed out his thin chest.

Stas just smiled paternally.

'Brilliant mind, but the ability to plan his time and prioritize is in its infancy. If we work together, this is something I'll need to carefully monitor.'

"And what if," Stas smiled jesuitically, "you completely remove the pleasant taste and scent? Could that increase the efficacy of the pills?"

"What do you mean, remove it?! But I..."

"And yet, Kizashi, is it possible or not?" Stas pressed, cutting off the objections.

"It's possible, but then they'll taste even worse than Kito's! The herbs I use are monstrously astringent, bitter, and pungent! The result has such a terrible taste that when I first tried it, I immediately threw up my breakfast. Then I couldn't eat anything all day..."

"Don't worry about it. Trust me, if we succeed, this 'magnificent' taste won't be an obstacle for many warmasters. I'll tell you more, they'll be ready to choke themselves but swallow this cra... this medicine."

"I honestly don't quite understand you right now." The alchemist mumbled apprehensively, looking at his new boss's creepy smirk.

"Believe me, Kizashi-kun, you don't need to worry. You just do what I tell you, and all your troubles will melt away like morning fog under the hot sun."

"That would be nice..."

"And yes," Ordyntsev asked as if inquiring about an insignificant matter: "What benefits could be gained if you tweak the formula of your pill to not focus so much on its safety? For example, if it were to harm the body. Maybe even seriously harm it, but how much would its efficacy increase?"

"Why are you asking, Shiro-san?" the young alchemist asked warily.

"Just curious, Kizashi-kun," Ordyntsev smiled. "You know, the usual professional curiosity."

"Well, if that's the case," the lad pondered. "I can't say for sure because it requires calculations and experiments. But probably, you're right. It would seriously improve their efficacy. They could vastly outperform Kito's pills. It's just that the price for this would be..."

"Don't trouble yourself with such trifles, lad. After some consideration, I'm sure we're headed for great things, Kizashi-kun."

"You think so?" Kizashi said with a hint of doubt. But it was evident that he desperately wanted his new acquaintance's words to be true.

"Definitely, great things. Perhaps someone will subsequently call them terrible, but that won't make them any less great, understand, Kizashi-kun?" Stas smirked at a joke only he understood in this world and patted his personal Nagaina[1].

"No, Shiro."

"It's okay. You'll understand in time," Ordyntsev chuckled contently. Overall, the man's mood was on the rise.

The earthling's eyes were fixed on the small and unassuming pill, but before him unfolded visions of what he could do with such a magnificent opportunity.

'The main mistake of many great inventors – failing to properly present their product. Tesla and Edison, these names demonstrate well the importance of a systematic approach to any invention.'

Ordyntsev chuckled quietly at his thoughts, and his laughter was supported by the hissing of Leviathan proudly rising above her master's head.

The alchemist watched this scene with a heart filled with dread, beginning to vaguely understand what kind of snake his dear grandpa had placed under his pillow.

'You don't want to eat delicious raspberry pills? Heh-heh. Then you'll be eating ones that are not so tasty and beneficial. Feel like throwing up? Swallow and keep quiet. Aren't you, warmasters, ready to give everything for strength and the opportunity to kill an enemy? You're ready to betray, kill, and give up your humanity for revenge on foes. And I will give you exactly what you want. And even more! Be careful not to choke on the power you so crave.'

A bloody sunset slowly but surely descended on the citadel as if trying to tell people what awaited them.

But people, as always, ignored the secret signs, continuing to live their carefree lives.

*****

Leviathan irritably coiled and uncoiled her rings. Who would have thought that her master would repeat his dastardly act and lock her in a room while he went about his business?!

She still hadn't forgiven him for the last time he did this, and now he did it again!

Levi was very angry, but the cursed door simply refused to budge. Made of solid wood, it resisted attempts to gnaw through or push it open, unlike the usual paper ones.

But the snake wasn't going to give up that easily.

With the stubbornness she must have gotten from her master, she methodically crawled along the walls, searching for even a tiny crack through which she could slip.

But nothing came up.

'His-s-s!' which translated from snake language, politely put, as: "Such a bad person."

From the frustration consuming her, the tip of the snake's tail flicked against the impenetrable wall.

Something inside her flared up, followed by a warm, invigorating wave rushing along the reptile's body, and the next second, her tail sank into the stone masonry as if it were jelly.

After staring in disbelief for a few seconds, Leviathan darted forward, diving into the wall.

'Onward, just a little more!' The surrounding stone became less liquid with each passing second, solidifying.

Levi shuddered, imagining she would now be encased in stone.

'Yes, I did it!' The tired but proud snake rolled out on the other side of the wall, finding herself in some corridor.

The smell of her master was still distinctly present, so Leviathan, trying to stick to the shadows and avoid the light, curiously crawled forward, seeking adventures for her scaly tail.

Ordyntsev, once he learns of her new abilities, will clutch his head in dismay.

For true 'happiness,' all he lacked was a huge venomous magical snake that could crawl through stone walls!

*****

'What an impudent man!' Kaede was outraged to her core: 'Yokai never serve humans. And this one - he started ordering around. Pass this on, show yourself. I should've eaten him right away, like all the others. I thought he was different, but he turned out to be the same as everyone else.'

Nonetheless, as much as the spirit girl grumbled, she was bored. She didn't want to go to sleep, fearing that she would miss everything again, waking up, say, in a couple of years.

And she needed to keep an eye on Shiro. What else could that scoundrel be up to? For some reason, the yokai found watching him strangely fascinating.

Still, the problem of boredom remained.

Much of the citadel was entangled in cursed onmyodo papers. Kaede's power was enough to ignore most of them, but it was still annoying. Like a mosquito buzzing ultrasonically in one ear and then the other.

Moreover, the dead girl was very interested in what was happening at the citadel's foundation.

If there were many protective spells made by the spirit subduers above, then down below, they almost merged into one from the insane quantity.

'What's down there?' the yokai couldn't help but wonder.

And after a couple of attempts to understand it from a distance, she couldn't resist and went down to look.

Bypassing the protection turned out to be difficult but possible. This web seemed to be built not against all spirits but against some specific one.

Of course, this information didn't alarm the curious yokai in the slightest. She clearly hadn't heard the saying about the cat.

Having penetrated inside, Kaede found a whole network of pitch-dark caves and tunnels going deep down.

Darkness wasn't a barrier for the spirit, but she felt increasingly uncomfortable with each step. As if someone's eyes were drilling into her back, sometimes approaching, sometimes retreating.

Into the beautiful mind of the spirit girl, a cautious thought began to creep that perhaps she had descended here too hastily.

Finally, the girl emerged into a large grotto, in the center of which stood a quiet, dark lake. The water, due to the lack of currents and air, was so smooth that it resembled real glass.

Suddenly, something swiftly slid through the darkness, causing the yokai to turn there in fright.

'No, that's enough, I'm leaving!' Kaede thought, scared, but who was going to let her go?

"Are you leaving already?" a pleasant female voice seemed to crash down from all sides. "Don't rush, stay. I haven't had guests in so long."

Worse, the only exit, and everything around, was closed off by snake rings appearing out of thin air.

Clearly, the creature living here was on another level of power to so intricately hide its presence from another spirit like her.

"I-I-I," Kaede's eyes slowly rose, following the curves of the rings until they landed on the body of a breathtakingly beautiful black-haired woman lying languidly on her own serpentine tail.

Her black hair was so long that she wrapped it around her stomach and chest like clothing.

The eyes of the immense Nure-onna flared with deep emerald light, and a long forked tongue slid between two sharp upper fangs.

'Shiro-ku-u-u-n, save me-e-e!'

End of the second book.

[1] Perhaps the idea voiced by Stas is inspired by Kipling's "The White Man's Burden," and the mention of Nagaina clarifies the reference. But that's not certain.