The hermit's / janitor's training definitely has "pedo" written all over it, but I find myself the most interested in his training. If he practices minimalism and harmony to such a degree, it makes me feel like he has seen abnormal, terrible things. Which as a result, brought him to seek power in emergencies, but have the ability to live without sticking out.
That is to say, what is the point in power, then, if all it boils down to is an ouroboros chain of being in conflict with people, thus needing more power, which leads to ending on a larger stage to be in conflict with more people.
P.S: Apropos ladies, I miss the Heavenly Demon granddaughter / daughter / whatever. We haven't seen much "supernatural" stuff in the story in a while now. Which....Is a very interesting statement, given the setting...