Volume 8 Chapter 12 The King Of Yamato
That night, Sophia returned and talked in Elk's room.
As soon as Sophia came back, she said with a frown.
"Something feels off. We got permission for the audience, but... the atmosphere, or rather, the air feels strange."
"Do you really understand things like atmosphere and air, Miss Sophia?"
"Yes. It's just... somehow heavy, or... I can't explain it well."
Sophia sighed and asked Yato.
"By the way, isn't Ms. Kaya back yet?"
"Yeah. She might be staying at the headquarters tonight. But she could at least send a message."
"Well, Kaya should be fine. Akane is with her."
"Hey... she was an enemy assassin, right? If she goes back to the headquarters, there will be a lot of her allies. There's no guarantee we won't be attacked here."
"Kaya said she would be fine. Besides, you believed her words too."
"Well, yeah. I only said that because you're so optimistic."
Yato turned away with a "hmph."
Sophia cleared her throat and said to Yato.
"Ms. Yato. Our mission is simply to 'deliver a letter from the Galatinne Kingdom.' You can talk to your family, but please don't cause any trouble."
"Miss Sophia... you think that's impossible, don't you?"
"Well, um... Yato, try not to lose your temper or get angry."
"Y-yeah."
Yato, who was addressed, spoke quietly.
"Miss Sophia. I need to say this clearly... I will probably be taken back. But I have no intention of going back. Even if I have to fight."
"I need to confirm this. Ms. Yato, you really won't regret this?"
"Yes. Leaving the Kushinada family is my choice. I am not Kushinada Sakuya. I am Shikiba Yato."
"...Understood. Then, I will act to protect my student. Elk, what about you?"
"I'm just defending myself, right?"
"Yes."
Sophia cleared her throat again and asked Yato.
"I need to confirm something. Ms. Yato, how strong is the Kushinada family's fighting force?"
"They have government-assigned assassins and samurai. There are 7 top-level assassins called the 'Seven Shinobi' and 7 top-level samurai known as the 'Seven Blades.' All of them have triple skills, and one of those skills has evolved into a master skill. Honestly, it's tough."
"...I see. Well, let's try to get through this somehow."
"Eh?"
"...What is it?"
Sophia said this casually, and Elk and Yato were surprised.
Elk raised his hand slowly.
"Um... the master skill, when you reach it, your name gets recorded in history, right? We learned about that in class."
"That's right. It's said to be the strongest skill that can only be reached under perfect conditions of talent, luck, effort, requirements, and environment. There are only about 20 people in the Galatinne Kingdom who have it. The 4 at the top are called the 'Five Stars.' Well, there are many who are not publicly known, so the numbers aren't reliable."
"To think there are 14 of them, or maybe even more..."
"That's right. But I also have a Master skill, so I think I'll manage somehow."
"Eh?"
"I don't get to use it much, though."
Sophia chuckled softly.
Once, she was the strongest 'Sword Saint' of the Galatinne Kingdom. Now, she was a supervising teacher aspiring to be an educator, holding the holy sword, a treasure of the dungeon... Elk and Yato realized, once again, that they knew nothing about Sophia.
"First, it's important to deliver the letter. You two, stay focused."
""Yes.""
That day, Kaya did not return.
* * *
The next day.
They had breakfast and left the inn.
They stored their combat gear and equipment in the item box and weapon ring just in case. Although they were in uniforms now, they were ready to change quickly if needed.
With Sophia leading, Elk and Yato walked behind her. Sophia stood out because she wore a cloak with the Galatinne Kingdom's emblem.
They passed through the town and arrived at Kushinada Castle, the center of the Yamato government.
At the gate, Sophia spoke.
"I am Sophia, who applied for an audience yesterday."
Saying this, she showed the application form from her pocket.
The gatekeeper checked the form and silently bowed, opening the gate.
As the gate opened, a Samurai guide bowed to them.
"Our king is waiting. This way..."
Sophia nodded silently and looked at Elk and Yato.
Elk and Yato also nodded slightly.
"Nothing has changed..."
Yato muttered quietly.
They were guided by the Samurai to a direct elevator to the 'Castle Tower (Tenshukaku),' which was also the residence of the Kushinada family. It seemed to be manual, as 3 strong men were turning the handle to lift the elevator.
They got into the elevator, and as the men turned the handle, it began to rise.
"Oh..."
As they ascended, they could see the town of Yamato below.
In just about 2 minutes, they arrived. They got off the elevator and walked down a long corridor, stopping in front of a huge sliding door decorated with a phoenix and a dragon.
The guide stepped back, and Samurai stood on both sides of the door.
"This is the audience chamber..."
"Yato, are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm just a little nervous."
"Don't push yourself too hard."
"...Thanks."
"You two... don't let your guard down."
When they looked at Sophia, they noticed a bead of sweat trickling down her face.
Then, she quietly said one thing.
"There are at least 3 people of equal rank to me. And one person is of a higher rank... I underestimated this a bit."
Before Elk could say anything, the sliding door opened.
Inside, the room was entirely covered with tatami mats, creating a single spacious area.
Many Samurai were seated on both sides. Additionally, they could sense the presence of assassins all around.
The back of the room was raised, and 3 people were seated there. Even further back, a man sat cross-legged at the highest point.
"...Huh?"
The voice of disbelief came from Elk.
He locked eyes with the man sitting at the highest position.
He recognized that man.
"Long time no see, Elk. Well... it's our first time meeting in person, isn't it?"
"You...?"
He would never forget.
At the deepest part of the dungeon, after the battle with Balthazar, this was the man who appeared and killed Balthazar.
The man grinned.
"Let's do a proper self-introduction. I am Takeru Kusanagi... the true king of Yamato."
Takeru Kusanagi.
The king of Yamato.
That can't be right.
Elk remembered Balthazar and shouted.
"You? A king? No way!! You're... a priest of the Goddess Holy Church, 'Devoted to the Goddess (Adrazione)'!!"
As Elk shouted, Takeru raised his hand.
Before they knew it, a large number of assassins had surrounded Elk and the others.
Takeru yawned and pointed with his chin at a man sitting below.
"Well, calm down. Come on, sit down."
"Don't mess with me," Elk replied.
Sophia grabbed Elk's shoulder with a strong grip.
"We can't do anything in this situation. For now, let's just behave."
"......"
"...Big brother."
The man with black hair smiled at Yato.
"It's been a while, Sakuya. I have a lot to say to you. Hey, Yuuhi, Hinowa."
"Yes, yes. I have so many questions about where this foolish little sister has been and what she has been doing that one day isn't enough."
"Hehe, big sister... I'm so happy to see you again."
Yato's family from the Kushinada house.
Brother Byakuya, sister Yuuhi, and sister Hinowa.
Yato looked at the 3 of them with cold eyes.
"First, let's sit down. Now, shall we talk?"
Byakuya smiled and ordered his subordinates to prepare cushions.
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