"How did you find us?" Yae Saiguu and Alice sat obediently to the side, watching Reisen Riou dismantle the barrier. They were being escorted by Reisen and Raiden Ei to the Shogunate.
As for the miko from the Grand Narukami Shrine, Reisen had already dealt with them. The miko were easy to appease—Reisen simply offered some fragrant ointments from Liyue, and the beauty-loving girls forgave Saiguu.
Those ointments were originally bought for Ei, but she insisted she didn't need them, leaving them to gather dust in Reisen's Vision space. He'd purchased them in bulk, thinking more was better, only to be stuck with them. This time, they conveniently cleared some inventory.
"Thanks to her," Reisen said with a sly smile, holding up Yae Miko before Saiguu. Miko struck a haughty pose, only to be ruffled by Reisen, her face a picture of despair.
Miko wasn't weak. As Ei's kin, she'd effortlessly pushed her life energy to LV46+, but she was no match for Reisen. A bow-wielder, Reisen lacked a swordmaster's agility but surpassed same-level swordmasters in raw strength—a conclusion drawn from sparring with Reisen Anko, though she was an all-rounder swordmaster. Still, he was far from Ei's level.
Seeing Miko, Saiguu realized her mistake. She'd brought the little fox to all her fox dens. No wonder they found her despite her careful hiding.
"Careless! Digging a fox den isn't easy!" Saiguu whined, rubbing her tail with teary eyes.
Fox dens weren't mere caves but spaces akin to Liyue's Serenitea Pot, though less mystical. Even for Saiguu, creating one was a hassle.
The "escort" was more like keeping an eye on the two as they headed to the Shogunate.
Even Alice, usually carefree, grew serious upon arriving. "Lord Reisen, apologies, the matter's settled," Raiden Makoto said first upon seeing them.
"No worries, Lady Narukami. I expected this before leaving. I just hope Sangonomiya meets my expectations," Reisen replied.
Makoto handed him a document.
Beneath the sparse numbers lay thousands of lives. Watatsumi's nobility, the Eight Houses, had been gutted—six houses wiped out, the remaining two battered and cowering.
"Not bad, some guts," Reisen said, then paused. "Well… never mind." He stopped himself, acknowledging they'd done well enough.
"Seems Lord Reisen's satisfied with the outcome. What about the tech upgrades?" Makoto asked.
"I'll keep following up," Reisen nodded.
Makoto visibly relaxed, then shared an amused glance with Saiguu. "I hear you're pushing some miko outfit reform," she said.
"Want to see? The new outfits are gorgeous!" Saiguu's tails nearly wagged in excitement, practically begging to be ruffled.
"No thanks," Makoto shook her head. "That miko attire came from this elf witch, right? Miss Alice of the Hexenzirkel."
"My respects, great Lady Narukami," Alice said. "I found the miko outfit in an otherworldly magazine. Thought it was fun, so I shared it with Saiguu." She opted for honesty.
Alice and Makoto began chatting, while Reisen started recording the conversation—his true duty as the Shogun's Archivist.
The Hexenzirkel's history was older and more formidable than Reisen imagined. Take Alice: she'd existed during the Archon War, fending off gods who tried to subdue her. Though not a god, she wielded god-tier combat power, having defeated multiple deities. Normally, her destructive force was kin-level, around LV90+.
Strong as that was, she wasn't necessarily Reisen's match in her normal state. In a special state? Hard to say. Reisen calculated silently.
Though Alice was the Hexenzirkel's No. 01, she wasn't the oldest witch. In her talk with Makoto, they mentioned at least three great youkai-level witches and one kin-level witch. One was an Inazuman youkai, whose status Makoto inquired about.
After catching up, they announced Saiguu's punishment. For deceiving miko and forcing them into "new-style" outfits, causing a bad influence, Saiguu had to personally apologize to each miko and provide resources to train them. Two of the affected miko had Visions, and most resources were for them.
The matter settled. Saiguu went to apologize, and Alice slipped away quietly.
Reisen proposed visiting Watatsumi. Makoto suggested Ei accompany him, but he declined. Watatsumi had few true experts these days, especially in the current climate.
Soon, Reisen arrived at Watatsumi.
The grand Sangonomiya Shrine stood empty, save for a few miko and samurai.
"Water!" A fierce splash erupted, followed by blinding lightning. Reisen was knocked from the void.
Wiping water from his face, he was unharmed. His barrier, though shattered, absorbed most of the attack's force. "As expected, Lady Sangonomiya's strength is Watatsumi's greatest. She's no weaker than Saiguu, is she?"
"You're… 'Bygone Wisdom' Reisen Riou?" The Watatsumi Priestess recognized him—the man she both loathed and thanked. She lowered her charged hand. "Let me introduce myself again: Sangonomiya Eigetsu."
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