Chapter 10: Chapter 10
"Ei, I haven't seen you in such a long time. When I see you, you look so angry, and your divine power is frightening everyone. Who is bold enough to make you so furious?" Yae Miko's attention returned to Raiden Ei. As a member of Narukami, she knew that it was Ei's consciousness present.
As a dependent, she could clearly sense the divine power emanating from Ei—like the silence before a volcanic eruption.
What could have happened? Was she already so angry after just emerging from the Plane of Euthymia?
"Lady Shogun," Kamisato Ayato greeted respectfully, feeling awestruck, and at the same time, was shocked by Yae Miko's words.
The Shogun was angry?
Thinking of the thunderclouds overhead before they arrived, it all made sense—those were caused by the Shogun's anger.
What could have made the Shogun so furious?
Considering the dire state Inazuma was in, Ayato started making some guesses.
"Miko, why didn't you tell me that Inazuma's current situation was so dire?" Raiden Ei pushed the reports off the desk, her expression darkening as she thought of how the reports the Shogun had read for five hundred years had all been fabricated.
Rumble, rumble—
As an innate demon god, her emotions affected the heavens, causing the sky over Narukami Island to rumble with thunder.
Yae Miko instantly understood that Ei had learned of Inazuma's poor condition, and that's why she was summoned here.
She felt both happy and resentful at the same time.
"So, Ei, you called me here just to scold me," Yae Miko said, forcing her eyes to moisten with tears, her voice filled with grievance.
"You're finally willing to come out of the Plane of Euthymia and see the state of this country. For the past five hundred years, you've ignored me. Every time I tried to tell you about Inazuma's situation, you chose to trust those officials over me."
Yae Miko's tone shifted to a mixture of genuine grievance and a bit of playacting as she covered her face with her hands and began to wail.
"What else could I do? I could only lead the shrine maidens of the Grand Narukami Shrine to do their jobs as best as possible. But now, when you summon me, you scold me right away—boo hoo hoo..."
Takumi looked at the moaning Yae Miko with amusement, as if enjoying the drama of a soap opera. Seeing Yae Miko like this made the trip worth it.
He even used his power to take a Kamera from Fontaine to capture this scene for later enjoyment.
Kamisato Ayato remained expressionless, though he was astonished inside. Was this the same Lady Guuji who enjoyed teasing others for amusement?
But beyond that, what truly shocked him was when he glanced at the contents of the report that had been pushed to the ground by the Shogun.
The report claimed that Inazuma was peaceful, that its people lived in contentment...
He knew that the Tenryou Commission and Kanjou Commission had fabricated some parts of the reports sent to the Tenshukaku, but he hadn't realized they were bold enough to completely falsify everything.
The Kamisato clan's role was to manage cultural ceremonies and events. Even if Ayato had wanted to tell the Shogun about Inazuma's current situation, he couldn't—it would be overstepping his bounds. Furthermore, he didn't know if the reports he sent to the Tenshukaku had reached the Shogun at all.
As a young head of the Yashiro Commission, Ayato quickly grasped the significance of the situation.
The Shogun had summoned him and the Guuji here because she intended to take action against Inazuma's corruption.
His heart pounded faster. He knew that those who had deceived the Shogun would soon face retribution. The Shogun wanted his Kamisato clan to assist with the purge.
If all those corrupt officials were removed, his Kamisato clan would become the most influential family in Inazuma.
Raiden Ei looked at Yae Miko, her face apologetic.
"I'm sorry, Miko. I thought you were just joking with me, as you always do. I never imagined that Kujou Takayuki and the others would dare present false reports to the Tenshukaku."
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Those vile individuals!
Seeing Ei's apologetic face, Yae Miko seized the opportunity, letting tears fall from her eyes, expressing as much grievance as she could.
"Ei, you have no idea. Those officials have always been obstacles to me. Not only me, but even the Kamisato clan, who are also part of the Tri-Commission, were nearly wiped out by them if I hadn't saved Ayato and his sister."
"If you didn't come out of the Plane of Euthymia, I wouldn't know whether you were Inazuma's ruler or if they were the true masters of Inazuma."
The more grievances she expressed, the more likely she was to gain sympathy from Ei in the future.
And she wasn't just advocating for herself—she was also standing up for her dear friend, Ayato.
Kamisato Ayato was instantly filled with gratitude towards Yae Miko.
Lady Guuji wanted the Shogun to rely on the Kamisato clan more.
Yae Miko held back her tears and gritted her teeth as she said, "Over the years, my shrine maidens and the Kamisato clan have collected a lot of evidence that the officials colluded with the Fatui, exploited the people, forced girls into prostitution, and engaged in human trafficking."
"I've just been waiting for an opportunity to present it to you."
Raiden Ei's voice was cold, filled with murderous intent. "We don't need evidence now. Inazuma has become such a mess that Sky Island nearly intervened. For this, they should immediately commit seppuku to atone for their crimes."
Inazuma was her sister's Inazuma—it had almost been destroyed.
She knew that if the person sent this time hadn't been the new Lord Heavenly Principle, but rather the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, Inazuma would have been mercilessly punished.
"Hiss—"
Yae Miko took a sharp breath, her tail-tip feeling icy.
It was that serious—it had alarmed Sky Island!
So Ei had rushed to Sky Island because of a command from there.
Kamisato Ayato also took a deep breath. Although he knew that Sky Island was home to gods more powerful than the Shogun, it was too much for Inazuma to have reached such a level. Still, knowing the gravity of the situation, it was clear this was a matter of life and death for Inazuma.
Those corrupt officials who had caused all the suffering would surely meet their end.
He was also secretly pleased, as those officials had used every possible means to suppress and annex the Kamisato clan when he and his sister were younger. If not for Lady Guuji, neither he nor his sister would be alive today.
Raiden Ei spoke coldly.
"Miko, Ayato, immediately lead the Yashiro Commission and the Hatamoto generals to arrest Kujou Takayuki, Hiiragi Shinsuke, and all those involved in Inazuma's chaos."
"Wait... Just arresting them is too lenient."
Takumi waited for Raiden Ei to finish before putting away the Kamera without saying anything.
"By the way, Ei, who is this unfamiliar young man? Such boldness makes me curious, and I just saw him use a Kamera to secretly capture something..."
Yae Miko looked at the boy with a hint of mischief in her eyes. She had wanted to ask for some time, especially after seeing him take out a Kamera to record her earlier.
If Ei hadn't been here, she would have rushed over, grabbed his ear, and given him a good talking-to.
Whoever this guy was, if he dared to take a picture of her, she had already made a mental note of him in her "people who need a prank" list. She'd wait for the right opportunity to show him just how generous Narukami's only kitsune could be.
"He... He is..." Ei became nervous immediately. Miko had called Lord Heavenly Principle her "little brother"! Such irreverence was a grave transgression.
Takumi waved his hand to interrupt whatever Ei was about to say, looking playfully at Yae Miko, who was eyeing him with curiosity and calculation.
"My name is Takumi, from Sky Island."
Yae Miko's eyes widened, and all her mischievous thoughts were instantly doused as if with a bucket of ice-cold water. Her expression stiffened.
Sky Island!