Lumine looked speechlessly at the silly Paimon, sighed, stepped forward, pulled on King's sleeve, and whispered, "King, we've got too much of the scent of blood on us. Why don't we stay and soak in a hot spring..."
Her face turned red as soon as she finished speaking.
Why did that sound so strange?
King didn't stop, only looking back at Kamisato Ayato once.
That gaze was very flat, but Kamisato Ayato felt a chill down his spine, as if he had been glimpsed by some prehistoric beast, and all his calculations instantly froze.
"Do what you are supposed to do."
King left these words behind and led the group grandly out of the Yashiro Commission.
Kamisato Ayato stood alone under the corridor, watching the direction where King's group disappeared into the night for a long, long time.
The moonlight fell upon him. On that face that always wore a gentle smile, there was not a trace of a smile now. Instead, he seemed to have suddenly aged ten years, his brow filled with an unshakeable gravity and exhaustion.
"Brother..."
Kamisato Ayaka had returned to his side at some point, her eyes full of worry.
"That person is too terrifying. Even the Almighty Shogun..."
"His murderous intent is too heavy. When I look at him, my heart is never at peace."
"Why did you want him to stay?"
"Wouldn't it be better if he left Inazuma?"
Kamisato Ayato sighed deeply, very deeply, turned around, and reached out to gently ruffle his sister's hair, his eyes complex:
"My foolish little sister..."
"Stop saying such naive things."
"Power abhors a vacuum."
"If Lord King really leaves, guess what happens. With so many Officials dead all at once, the top ranks of the Three Commissions almost wiped out, the middle ranks in panic, and the grievances of the lower ranks exploding..."
"What will become of Inazuma without its 'Suppressor'?"
Ayaka was stunned, her pupils shrinking slightly. Her small mouth opened and closed, but she was too frightened to say a single word.
"Inazuma will become a living hell." Ayato answered for her, his tone flat but his words shocking: "Hatred will consume everything. Ronin without restraint will burn, kill, and pillage."
"The lower-level Officials without the suppression of their superiors will go mad."
"The people who have been oppressed for too long will, in their euphoria, pour their rage onto the Tri-Commission."
"And the people who have lost their reason won't care whether there are good people within the Tri-Commission."
"The old order has been completely shattered, and there is no time at all to establish a new one."
"That will be the true end for Inazuma."
"The bloodshed will be ten or a hundred times more than today, until this land is completely dyed red, until there is no one left standing to speak."
Ayaka's face turned pale, her fingers tightly clutching her sleeve: "So... that's why you..."
"That's why I wanted to keep him here at any cost."
Ayato smiled bitterly: "With him here, at least no one dares to make a move. He is like a giant boulder thrown into a pond, shaking out all the filth at the bottom. At the same time, he uses his 'existence' to forcibly suppress the boiling pond, not allowing it the slightest ripple."
"Ayaka, pass down these instructions I'm about to give."
Kamisato Ayato quickly reined in his emotions, returning to the state of an all-calculating clan head, his speaking speed increasing.
"First, take inventory of the clan's assets overnight, sell off properties, and prepare compensation. The amount must far exceed Fontaine's losses, and the attitude must be so humble that they feel embarrassed to make things difficult."
"Second, contact the clan's hidden agents everywhere and initiate the 'Spark' plan. Screen and recruit middle-to-lower-level Officials who have real talent, clean backgrounds, and are dissatisfied with the status quo as quickly as possible."
"Third..."
He glanced at his sister: "Ayaka, tomorrow morning, you personally go to Ritou Dock and visit the ship 'justice' in the name of the Kamisato Clan."
"Be respectful but not fawning. The main goal is to express gratitude—thanking Lord King for helping Inazuma clear out its chronic ailments."
"By the way, try to gauge Lord King's intentions from the Traveler."
Ayaka nodded vigorously, engraving every one of her brother's instructions into her heart.
"Then what about you, Brother?"
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