Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5

[Oldmansour]

>"And if I said yes?"

>That question seems to surprise Youmu, but she thinks about it for a moment and replies, "Then I'd be curious how you managed to hide the power you have. I am, after all, trained to detect supernatural phenomenon, and that includes beings of power such as yourself."

[DracoOmega]

>"The powers we wield are unusual. I do not know if there is anyone else who wields something similar."

[Oldmansour]

>"The powers we wield are unusual. I do not know if there is anyone else who wields something similar."

>"Apart from your fellows, of course."

[DracoOmega]

>"Yes, I meant us collectively."

[Oldmansour]

>"Yes, I meant us collectively."

>"Power is still power, unusual or otherwise. If you are Byakuren, then either you have ways of hiding your power that I'm not aware of, your powers are only detectable when they're is use, like the Blood, or you've only recently acquired this power."

[DracoOmega]

>Pause
>"I assume I can trust your discretion in this matter?"

[Oldmansour]

>Pause
>"I assume I can trust your discretion in this matter?"

>Youmu nods sincerely. "I'm not in the habit of giving away other people's secrets. And I don't want you to think I'm pressuring you into telling me something I don't need to know. My concern is the security of this city and the people living in it. If you are Byakuren, and you've had this power all your life, then I don't need to know. But if you've only recently discovered this power, though some item or being of power, then I do need to know. Such power could have fallen into hands less worthy than that of Byakuren Hijiri, and part of my responsibility is making sure such a thing does not happen."

[DracoOmega]

>"In that aim, we are in full agreement."
>Pause again, then sigh slightly
>Then do a little mystic sweep of the area to satisfy ourselves that no one else might be observing, and assuming not:
>"I cannot in good conscience lie to you, Youmu. You are correct. I am Byakuren."

[Oldmansour]

>"In that aim, we are in full agreement."
>Pause again, then sigh slightly
>Then do a little mystic sweep of the area to satisfy ourselves that no one else might be observing, and assuming not:
>"I cannot in good conscience lie to you, Youmu. You are correct. I am Byakuren."

>There are some individuals you think you might be able to directly lie to, or evade the blunt truth. But for some reason, Youmu Konpaku does not appear to be one of those people. She's a forthright, honest girl. And she's kept the shrine's secrets for as long as she's been Elder, and as you've seen, they hid a pretty big secret. Perhaps she can be trusted with this one.
>After making quite sure there's no one in earshot, and no mystic art spying on you, you come clean. To her credit, Youmu does not gasp or shout, or do anything to betray your revelation. She nods, thoughtfully. "Whatever charm you're using is effective. Haruka knows you, and she had no idea who Lotus was. Nor does Kiku, and she knows Byakuren as well, and her sensing ability is nearly as good as Haruka's. Better, actually, in some ways. But how did you keep this secret from Kaenbyou-san?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I didn't. Or rather, I didn't for very long. You were correct about this power being a recent development. It was certainly not something I had been keeping secret all the time we've known each other. But recent events have thrust a great deal of responsibility upon me and I've done my best to navigate them."

[Oldmansour]

>"I didn't. Or rather, I didn't for very long. You were correct about this power being a recent development. It was certainly not something I had been keeping secret all the time we've known each other. But recent events have thrust a great deal of responsibility upon me and I've done my best to navigate them."

>Youmu gives you a friendly smile. "From what we know, you've defeated three or more Youma without destroying the objects or beings that were corrupted, you've delayed the plans of alien invaders, you've stopped the rampage of a super-powered mage without any loss of life, you helped purge the corruption within these very temples, and you took half a dozen Blackbloods and removed the evil from them without killing them. If you ask me, you've done a good job."

[DracoOmega]

>"Thank you. I just hope it continues to be strength enough for the battles that are surely still to come; I know we have not yet seen the worst the Champions are capable of."

[Oldmansour]

>"Thank you. I just hope it continues to be strength enough for the battles that are surely still to come; I know we have not yet seen the worst the Champions are capable of."

>"Is there any chance that someone else might acquire power like you have? Someone who might not be as righteous an individual?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I... suppose I cannot truly say. I do not even fully understand where these powers came from, myself. I gained them after contact with an avatar of the barrier that isolates Makai, as it saw in me a way to combat the beings it had been created to contain, but it claims that this power had resided within me in the first place and that contact merely drew it out. Whether such a thing might be true for someone less scrupulous, I do not know."
>"But I do know that the Champions are able to empower people of their choosing with rings of power that bear at least a little similarity to our own. The Dementia caster who attacked your shrine was wearing one such ring, created by the Champion of Air."

[Oldmansour]

>"I... suppose I cannot truly say. I do not even fully understand where these powers came from, myself. I gained them after contact with an avatar of the barrier that isolates Makai, as it saw in me a way to combat the beings it had been created to contain, but it claims that this power had resided within me in the first place and that contact merely drew it out. Whether such a thing might be true for someone less scrupulous, I do not know."
>"But I do know that the Champions are able to empower people of their choosing with rings of power that bear at least a little similarity to our own. The Dementia caster who attacked your shrine was wearing one such ring, created by the Champion of Air."

>"Yes, we know. We've been operating under the assumption that there's a limit of how many such rings each Champion can create. Otherwise, we'd be seeing a lot more of them. Do you have any idea what that limit might be?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I"m afraid not. I've never run into more than one belonging to a single Champion at a time, but I'd hardly assume this is their limit."

[Oldmansour]

>"I"m afraid not. I've never run into more than one belonging to a single Champion at a time, but I'd hardly assume this is their limit."

>"Actually, Haruka has a theory about that, but I should probably let her explain that. What I need to know if there's a way to sense these rings before they're active. The Dementiaist that attacked us was able to conceal his ring's power until he drew upon it."

[DracoOmega]

>"I was able to sense one without its wielder using it, but it was at extremely close range. I am not confident I would have been able to do so from much further away."

[Oldmansour]

>"I was able to sense one without its wielder using it, but it was at extremely close range. I am not confident I would have been able to do so from much further away."

>Youmu smiles at that. "In that case, I may have an advantage. The same factor that let me sense- Just a moment." she pauses, looking back down the way you came.
>A quick scan of your own reveals the approach of Magical Poppy, as well as an unidentified Brightblood.

[DracoOmega]

>Give her a moment

[Oldmansour]

>Give her a moment

>A moment later, the two arrive, Poppy decked out in her Saber Spectrum. The Brightblood turns out to be a woman in the leathers of a biker. Leathers that are none too clean you note. Her long black hair is messy and unkempt, and her dull gold eyes sweep around the corridor with a distinct lack of focus.
>Poppy gives you a nod. "Lotus. And you must be Youmu Konpaku, the elder of this temple." The rabbit bows politely to the head of the temple.
>"Yer Lotus?" the Blood woman asks you, her voice colored with a hint of an accent you can't place.

[DracoOmega]

>"I am."

[Oldmansour]

>"I am."

>The dissheveled biker sticks out her hand. "Ioana Radu. Thanks for takin' care of the Stunts.They been a pain in this city's neck for years."

[DracoOmega]

>Accept the handshake
>"I hope the city will be a safer place because of it."

[Oldmansour]

>Accept the handshake
>"I hope the city will be a safer place because of it."

>It's not the cleanest handshake you've ever had, but a friendly one.
>"It'll be quieter, that's for sure. You got some mad mojo, girl." An odd compliment, but you'll take it. "So what're you doing here, hanging out with the holy birds?"

[DracoOmega]

>"We had some things to discuss."

[Oldmansour]

>"We had some things to discuss."

>"They are here for the same reason you are, Radu-san." says Youmu. "To assist in our training and to discuss methods of combating the evils that plague our city."
>"Man, yeu're as stiff as ever, Youmu." the biker Blood drawls laconically. "Ye gotta start mellowin out."
>"As you have said." the miko replies with just slightly strained politeness. "If you will follow me, ladies?"

>Sorry I'm late. Reisen says. Ioana met me on the roads, and we got to talking.

[DracoOmega]

>"Of course."
>Let's follow along

>Do you know her?

[Oldmansour]

>"Of course."
>Let's follow along

>Do you know her?

>No, I'd never met her before today. But she saw me driving up towards the shrine, and she flagged me down. Said she's never seen a Lunar Rabbit on a bike before. Hadn't seen one at all since the war. She shrugs slightly. Between me being a Lunar Rabbit, a slave and a biker, I've basically gotten used to people flagging me down for one reason or another.
>Where are the others?

[DracoOmega]

>Rin and Lily went on ahead with another miko and a Brightblood. Youmu wanted to talk to me in private. She... she sensed my true identity, despite this form. Something to do with her ghost half and her familiarity with me.