Even Yoru couldn't help but think that Baraqiel was being incredibly dense. Couldn't he say something more crucial? To go on and on, repeating the same few lines as before—how could Akeno not get angry?
While Yoru was racking his brain for a way to help repair this broken father-daughter relationship, Akeno, hearing her father's words, finally exploded again.
"No need to say any more. If that's all you have—these hypocritical words—then I've already heard enough. My current situation is just as you can see. So that's it. It's best if we never meet again, because seeing you… only brings me pain!"
With a sarcastic tone, she turned her gaze away in clear disgust.
Struck speechless by her words, Baraqiel could only cast a desperate, pleading look at Yoru. The latter simply rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"Maybe there's been a real misunderstanding between you two. Lord Baraqiel, could you explain in detail why this happened back then—what led to such a tragedy?"
The key issue was clearly the death of Akeno's mother. In reality, if Baraqiel could just explain why he hadn't saved her back then, things might be different.
If he truly had been cold-blooded and let the woman die, then not only Akeno, but Yoru himself would have nothing to do with him. But if there was some hidden circumstance…
From what Yoru had seen, Baraqiel was a man of deep feeling and loyalty. It didn't make sense that he would simply watch the woman he loved die without acting. Yoru believed there had to be some truth he didn't yet know.
"…I'm sorry… and thank you, Yoru. But the truth is… I can't deny my responsibility for Akeno's mother's death. If I hadn't been careless back then…"
He lowered his head in silence. Whatever hidden reasons there might have been, the fact remained—it was his fault. If Akeno's mother hadn't given her life to protect young Akeno, he might never have had the chance to see his daughter again.
"Heh… An apology? What good is an apology now? Can an apology bring Mother back?!"
It was the first time Yoru had seen Akeno, who was usually all smiles, with such an expression—like a wounded beast lashing out, her fury aimed squarely at her father.
Yoru could only sigh. Just as he'd suspected, there was more to the story, but ultimately, it still came down to Baraqiel's mistake. Even if it was unintentional, the outcome was irreversible.
"Cry if you need to—let it all out. You might feel better afterward."
Yoru comforted her gently as she sobbed. Meanwhile, Baraqiel began to explain to the bystander what had truly happened.
The ones who killed Akeno's mother were enemies of the Fallen Angels. Back then, the people at the shrine believed she had been brainwashed and imprisoned by a Fallen Angel, so they joined forces with a few Onmyoji to try and kill Baraqiel. These small fry were no match for him, and because they were her former companions, he spared them.
But those injured Onmyoji held a grudge. They revealed the location of Akeno's mother and sister to the Fallen Angels' enemies—the true killers of her mother.
It was indeed Baraqiel's mistake. If he had placed guards around Akeno and her mother, the tragedy might never have happened.
But after hearing this, Yoru noticed a gap in the story.
"You said you were urgently summoned back to Fallen Angel headquarters and didn't have time to make arrangements. Who was it that summoned you?"
"This…"
Baraqiel's face stiffened, and Akeno stopped crying, lifting her head from Yoru's embrace to stare at her father.
At that moment, the door opened again. The Governor of the Fallen Angels, Azazel, stepped in with a bitter look on his face.
"…It was my fault. That day, I called Baraqiel away. It was a job only he could do, so I forced him to come. And in that short time… I'm sorry, Akeno. I took your mother from you."
Hearing Azazel's words, Akeno's face darkened instantly. Golden spiritual power surged violently around her, threatening to spiral out of control.
"Calm down, Akeno. Both Azazel and Baraqiel share responsibility for this, but neither of them wanted this to happen! The real culprits were the Fallen Angels' enemies and those hypocrites at the shrine, weren't they?"
Holding her tightly, Yoru let a faint cold aura seep from his palm, suppressing the raging power within her.
"Are you really going to let the true culprits walk free, just to take it out on your own father?!"
His words struck her like a slap, instantly snapping her back to clarity. Her dark, deep eyes stared ahead as she murmured in a daze, "The… real culprits…"
"Most of them have already been killed by me and Baraqiel. But if you're still not satisfied, we—"
"Enough! Don't give me your fake kindness! I thought they were all gone, but if some remain, tell me where they are! I will personally avenge my mother!"
An unprecedented aura burst from Akeno's body, her power surging to the level of a top-ranked devil. Her Fallen Angel and devil bloodlines fused, manifesting both black angelic wings and demonic wings behind her—on par with high-ranking Fallen Angels.
"Don't worry. For years, Baraqiel and I have been tracking their whereabouts. The moment we find them, we'll tell you first."
Though her power was intimidating, it didn't faze Azazel. Seeing Yoru talk her down so quickly, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Baraqiel hadn't dared face his daughter for all these years, but Azazel had been no better. Not only had he avoided Akeno, he had also avoided Baraqiel. If not for his order that day, Baraqiel's family wouldn't have been torn apart, and father and daughter wouldn't have come so close to becoming enemies.
And yet, for all these years, Baraqiel had never once blamed him—instead, he had continued to serve loyally, just as before.
Today, at last, that guilt, that knot in their hearts, had been untied. Both Baraqiel and Azazel exhaled deeply in relief.
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