[Task Issued: Resolve the war between Watatsumi Island and the Shogunate.]
Another task?
Su Ran glanced at the visibly worried Kamisato Ayaka.
"Ayaka, you haven't been home for a while, have you? Since the Raiden Shogun has recovered, I am giving you a day off. Go back and visit your family."
Once the dream machine was finished, every single person in Inazuma would enter the dream realm. The war between Watatsumi Island and the Shogunate would effectively cease to exist in reality because everything one could ever want would be available within that dream. They would no longer need to squabble for so long over meager resources and territory. As time passed, they would eventually lose the ability to distinguish the dream from reality.
But if he were to resolve everything so easily, the drama he had prepared might not be particularly interesting. Resistance was still necessary. If the Traveler were to arrive in Inazuma only to find the people perpetually lost in dreams, unwilling to wake, they might not choose to shatter that dream and liberate the nation.
Someone had to act as a rebel. Only with rebels in place would the Traveler have a reason to shatter the illusion. If everyone stood on the same side, then the act of resistance would be nothing more than a crime.
Who, then, would inform the resistance about the dream?
This was a job perfectly suited for Kamisato Ayaka. Anyone else would likely lack such deep connections to the resistance, but with Ayaka, there would be absolutely no issue. Her reputation was impeccable, and the resistance would be willing to trust her.
"Thank you, Lord Su Ran!"
Even though she had been mentally plotting how to resist, Ayaka had not felt particularly mistreated during her days at Tenshukaku. If anything, she found she enjoyed chatting with Su Ran and serving him. It was just a pity that his goals were far too dangerous for the people of Inazuma.
After expressing her gratitude, Ayaka was the first to leave, intending to return and share the news with her brother and Kokomi (Sangonomiya Kokomi) of the resistance.
The others did not react to her abrupt departure, as she had indeed been there for quite some time. Kujou Sara understood her desire to go home; after all, she was not a soldier, and for the young lady of the Kamisato Clan to have served the deity for so many days was no small feat.
It was Yae Miko, however, who felt a surge of suspicion regarding her departure. Only those present knew about the dream realm. Kujou Sara didn't even know yet. Why, then, was he dismissing Ayaka at a time like this? To visit family? That excuse was simply too ridiculous. As a god, would he truly care that much about the emotions of a mortal? Furthermore, Ayaka had never once mentioned or shown any signs of missing her family. She hadn't even shown a change in expression.
"I have many matters to attend to at the Grand Narukami Shrine, and as the hour is late, I should be returning as well," Yae Miko decided to test the waters.
"Heh." Su Ran stopped his analysis of the Gnosis. "Guuji, there is no need to be in such a hurry. No matter how urgent those matters seem, they no longer matter. In a week at the earliest, or a month at the latest, none of that will be a problem anymore."
Yae Miko sat back down, feeling helpless. This little probe had already yielded an answer. Ayaka's departure was indeed calculated. That little girl was truly foolish; she was being used, yet she didn't even realize it.
"Besides, what is so fun about the Grand Narukami Shrine? Why not stay and keep Ei company?"
Raiden Ei: ...
Everyone present was, in total, younger than her, yet he somehow felt comfortable calling her Ei.
"That is true. Ei is quite adorable, after all."
Though Yae Miko saw Raiden Ei again, she felt no joy. Was she a prisoner now? If she didn't even have a chance to prepare a countermeasure, then Inazuma was truly beyond saving. She hoped the resistance on Watatsumi Island could be of some use. If Ayaka reached them, she should be able to convey the message.
In the next heartbeat, Yae Miko's expression went rigid. She had just realized something. Ayaka was only able to leave with Su Ran's permission. She might tell others, but... could it be possible that delivering this message to the resistance was exactly what Su Ran wanted?
Noticing the look in her eyes, Su Ran felt the urge to engage her in a battle of wits. However, a mental standoff could never compare to the fun of teasing the fox directly.
"It seems you have guessed it. That is correct. If the resistance knows nothing of the truth, how would they know it isn't reality once they enter the dream?"
He needed the resistance to know. That was the only way they would have a reason to fight back. Before, they fought against the Vision Hunt Decree and the Sakoku Decree, but now, things were different. Su Ran didn't believe the resistance was merely opposing those two orders. The grudges between Watatsumi Island and the Shogunate ran deep.
"The resistance? What resistance?"
Raiden Ei, who never concerned herself with external affairs, knew nothing of the resistance.
"It is... a faction formed on Watatsumi Island by those who opposed the Vision Hunt Decree and the Sakoku Decree. The Shogunate army is currently working to suppress them," Kujou Sara explained, recounting the entirety of the conflict to her.
This sparked her displeasure. "The eternity of Inazuma must never be allowed any variables!"
She had assumed that while she meditated within the Plane of Euthymia, the Shogun would handle everything outside. After all, the Shogun's power was equivalent to her own. Unless a deity-level entity appeared, no accidents could occur in Inazuma. It was Su Ran's arrival that had caused the anomaly, granting the Shogun more of her own autonomy; otherwise, no such issues would have arisen.
How could a resistance force even exist? "Shogun, how exactly have you been managing things?"
"The resistance is nothing but a mob. Kujou Takayuki told me they could not stir up any major trouble. He said that as long as Sara led the army to campaign, they would be suppressed." The Raiden Shogun looked toward Kujou Sara.
The pressure shifted onto Kujou Sara, who hung her head in shame. Although the Shogunate had been victorious in many skirmishes, the undeniable fact remained that she had failed to thoroughly eradicate the resistance.