When Watanabe no Tsuna spoke, the entire hall fell silent.
All eight clan heads present were witnessing for the first time the fantastical sight of a successful Heroic Spirit summoning.
They all knew the lengths Minamoto Ichise had gone to in preparation—meticulous arrangements made to summon the legendary demon-slaying general Minamoto no Raikou from a thousand years ago. Yet the outcome defied everyone's expectations.
The Servant that appeared was not Minamoto no Raikou, but one of her Four Heavenly Kings—Watanabe no Tsuna himself. And Tsuna had openly stated that the reason for his summoning might be because the summoner was not actually of the Minamoto bloodline.
In other words… their Shadow Emperor's identity might be in question!?
Ichise stood there, face outwardly calm, but inside a storm churned. Never had he imagined his heritage being questioned in such a public setting.
Even Tachibana Masamune furrowed his brows; he had not foreseen such a twist. With all the clan heads gathered, if Ichise's Minamoto lineage were to be doubted, then as the patriarch who brought him into the clan, Tachibana could not possibly escape suspicion.
And the root cause of this suspicion was the undeniable fact—seen by all—that Ichise had failed to summon Minamoto no Raikou. There was no room for behind-the-scenes manipulation to change this.
A suffocating silence filled the air, heavy as lead.
Sensing the tension, Tsuna placed his fingers on the hilt at his left hip, remaining silent and feigning ignorance. The clan heads began murmuring among themselves, and the room became noisy.
"Outrageous!"
Tachibana was just about to speak to steer the situation away from an unfavorable direction when, to his surprise, the elderly man sitting neatly behind him—Fūma Kotarō—rose to his feet, voice clear and forceful.
Straightening his pure black kimono, his sharp presence filled the room.
"The Young Lord is the rightful Shadow Emperor; his bloodline is genuine. This was confirmed by all the clan heads through joint verification. Over the years, his capabilities and character have been beyond question. I fully support him as the Minamoto clan head."
Kotarō's words shut down the suspicion entirely.
Back then, they had agreed that even if Ichise was not a direct Minamoto descendant, his Shadow Emperor lineage was genuine. The Eight Families needed a sovereign; whether he was truly Minamoto mattered little—as long as he was Emperor, his bloodline had to come from the Inner Three Families.
"So, he is and must be the Minamoto Young Lord!"
Kotarō's cold gaze swept the murmuring heads.
"As for why the summoning failed—this is simple to explain. It means there was a flaw in our Holy Relic plan."
"Recall that in our strategy meeting, I asked Emiya Shirou whether using multiple relics could improve the precision of the summoning. He gave a clear yes. Yet the result is Watanabe no Tsuna, linked to the 'Oni Slayer,' instead of Minamoto no Raikou. This deviation is clear."
"The cause is obvious."
Kotarō suddenly turned toward Tachibana, voice tinged with anger.
"Clan Leader, I believe this was deliberate misdirection from that Emiya!"
"The Holy Grail War's inner workings are clearly entangled with the Demon Horde. Emiya conveniently fed us false information, causing us to fail to summon our ancestor and lose ground before the war even began!"
"Clan Leader!" Kotarō stepped forward, closing in on Tachibana.
"I fully support your will to destroy the Demon Horde. Today's matter concerns the very survival of the Eight Families. We cannot afford the slightest carelessness in investigating Emiya's ties to them!"
Tachibana was taken aback by the elder's stance.
He knew that since joining the Eight Families, his own background had often been questioned. While his status as Ichise's adoptive father had shielded him, the two senior-most heads—Kotarō and Inuyama—were never fully trusting.
He had already heard from Ichise about their doubts over his absence last time. He thought this incident would give Kotarō a chance to attack him, but instead the man defended him, shifting suspicion outward.
Truly, Kotarō understood the greater good—a loyal servant of the Eight Families…
"Ahem!"
Tachibana decided to take the offered lifeline and regain control to minimize today's uncertainty—
But as if planned, Inuyama rose at that exact moment. Despite his age, his movements were swift and sharp.
"Kotarō, I cannot agree with your view!"
Stepping forward to stand opposite Kotarō, they flanked Tachibana between them.
"The Demon Horde's strength is well known. They can contend with us in Osaka, but they could never provoke the entire mixed-blood world by openly meddling in the Holy Grail War!"
"So, their link to the War is unproven—we must not lump them together carelessly!"
"As for Emiya, we've all seen his strength. If he were truly with the Demon Horde, back during the Shinjuku Incident he could have shifted the battlefield toward the Young Lord and let the attackers kill him. But he didn't—he moved the fight away, minimizing our losses."
"And let's not forget, Clan Leader, you yourself said we should draw Emiya closer. Have you forgotten?"
Inuyama's voice rose with conviction. Even Tachibana was stunned—this usually mild elder was visibly agitated.
"Kotarō, blaming Emiya now makes the Clan Leader contradict himself!"
"What is your true aim, Kotarō?!"
With a glare, Inuyama gripped his sword hilt, ready to draw on his decades-long comrade.
Seeing this escalate, Tachibana rushed to intervene.
"Calm down! Both of you!"
"Heh, Inuyama! After all these years, you still love to charge ahead blindly!" Kotarō scoffed. "The Clan Leader has ordered calm—put your sword away!"
Reluctantly, Inuyama lowered his weapon.
"Then tell me—our opinions differ, and we can't make the Clan Leader choose between us. What now?"
"Simple—neither of our opinions matter," Kotarō said coldly. "The Servant was summoned by the Young Lord. He decides."
"Hmph… only if the Clan Leader agrees—"
"What do you say, Clan Leader?"
Faced with their stares and the subtle attention of the others, Tachibana finally saw the scheme: they had stolen his chance to control the situation, leaving Ichise to question his surname and doubt his own father.
A perfect setup for a "peaceful abdication" in favor of Ichise.
"…Yes, Kotarō speaks the truth," Tachibana forced out through gritted teeth.
————
The farce ended.
Ichise stood at the window, looking past the night into the city's countless lights, flowing through streets like a silent, brilliant river.
Tsuna, still in spirit form, silently stood by, fingers tracing his sword's scabbard as if waiting for Ichise's next move.
Ichise had just called Emiya to ask: what would happen if someone not of Minamoto bloodline performed the relic ritual?
And the misunderstanding became clear—Emiya had always assumed he was a true Minamoto, hence the multiple relics.
But in truth… he was not.
Ending the call, Ichise sighed. The elders' actions now made sense—more than his "father," it was he whom they recognized.
Which meant his Minamoto identity was fabricated. And the one who fabricated it…
Ichise turned his gaze to the other side of the room. Tachibana knelt like a man awaiting execution, head bowed, hands limp on his knees, fingers trembling with silent turmoil.
The air felt frozen, broken only by the faint wind outside.
"Father," Ichise's voice was calm but unyielding, "it's time you told me the truth you've been hiding."
(End of Chapter)
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