Chapter 97
If we can't protect them, what's the point of giving them the Saniwa?
The setting sun fell on the calm face of the winter tree. She sat alone under the eaves, gazing into the distance where the eternally tall and beautiful cherry blossoms stood. She simply savored the tranquility of this moment.
Fuyuki exhaled and leaned back, stretching out completely as she lay down. The back of her head hit the wooden floor without making a sound, and she felt no pain.
Honmaru itself is an independent world far removed from the noise of the world. In this space that he has complete control over, Fuyuki can sit idly anywhere and appreciate any place.
Because the Saniwa (Master) has absolute control.
This is probably why some people, after gaining such a "supreme" feeling, lose their true selves.
The fingers that landed beside me gently tapped on the wooden floor, making a crisp sound, which was quite magical.
It felt like the dryness and ease that came from completely escaping the summer heat, which was also Fuyuki's favorite feeling lately.
As a Saniwa (a high-ranking official in the game of martial arts), she has a lot to do and shouldn't be so leisurely.
However, as a Saniwa who has been recognized by four worlds, her missions are not many when nothing goes wrong in the world.
In some ways, Fuyuki is indeed quite idle.
But to be honest, she shouldn't be idle right now.
Whether it was the matter Qinghe had asked of him, or the messages sent from various worlds in the past few days.
Although the worlds speak different words, speak different languages, and have different reasons, their ultimate goal is simply to say—it's time to come.
A gentle breeze stirred, and the winter tree swayed, propping itself up against the wooden plank, its hair at the back of its head becoming disheveled as it rubbed against the plank.
As if the hair tie at the back of her head was poking her, she turned her head away, pouting slightly in annoyance, her whole demeanor exuding a childlike air that hadn't fully grown up.
Or perhaps she never grew up at all; in every instance, she was never old enough to be considered an adult.
Touching the sword scroll that appeared in his hand according to his will, Fuyuki sat up and leaned against the pillar next to him, one leg hanging down, one bent and the other bent, and then carefully looked through the sword scroll, which had changed quite a bit.
The current sword register contains all her tsukumogami, plus four identity cards.
To be honest, it doesn't look very thick; it's not even as thick as some study guides.
Thinking of the books he used to study when he was a young child, Fuyuki couldn't help but shudder and quickly shook his head to shake off the scary thing.
Putting aside the terrible study materials, the sword manual in her hand was just as frighteningly thin compared to some Saniwa in the current political arena who possessed all sword manuals.
She slowly raised her arm to shield her eyes from the suddenly intense sunlight.
It's a bit too hot.
Every now and then, her spiritual energy began to fluctuate, and the intense sunlight was instantly obscured by white clouds. In an instant, she enjoyed a long period of peace and tranquility.
Honmaru is a place where one can do as one pleases, a place where the Saniwa can do as one pleases.
"Lord, it's time to eat."
Dongshu turned his head in response to the sound.
Having already figured out the habits of the Saniwa, Hasebe found the place very easily.
His steps were light yet firm.
"I'm here." Fuyuki closed the sword curtain in his hand, pushed himself up from the ground, and said, "Wait for me there."
Hasebe remained stationary, allowing his young master to control the distance.
That delicate, youthful face was clearly imprinted in his eyes.
Whether it was the tip of his eyebrow or the corner of his mouth, it was a more perfect appearance than he had imagined. Or rather, no matter how he imagined it, it could not compare to the real appearance of the Lord.
Just as grains of sand gradually fall, time in the funnel marks the final moment.
His most important Lord is running toward him.
He curled the corners of his lips into a slightly uncomfortably smug smile.
"Let's go. I wonder what delicious food Shokudaikiri made today."
She never doubted Shokudaikiri Mitsutada's perfect craftsmanship, which, over time, seemed to have been enhanced, becoming more and more to her liking.
Hasebe lowered his head, concealing the glint in his eyes: "Yes."
The puppy is wagging its tail.
It turned into a propeller.
—
Fuyuki often wondered, what exactly is the evil about the corrupted tsukumogami?
There were two of them in her own citadel. One of them protected her when she was in despair, while the other used his own methods to cleanse himself of corruption and become an ordinary tsukumogami.
Even though they sometimes had some wicked sense of humor and played small pranks, overall she never felt any harm from them.
Even with Ichigo Hitofuri, who is now her target in the citadel, Fuyuki doesn't feel that he's much different from the head of her own citadel, Awataguchi.
As sword spirits, even though they have human appearances and live like humans, they are still swords in essence.
Just as she had once thought, it was a sword spirit possessing the instinct of a sword.
—What's wrong with a sword loving its master and longing for that master's love?
So, under what circumstances would a tsukumogami go against its instincts and kill its own master?
She didn't quite understand.
Just as she didn't understand why someone would risk coming to a place like the Omiya to find a new Saniwa, knowing that they were being watched.
Perhaps it can be explained that they needed the Saniwa to provide spiritual power in order to survive, but instead of capturing her directly as expected.
Instead, they showed remarkable patience.
Although there was an undisguised coldness in his eyes, his gentleness was undiminished—a remarkable quality for a naive and somewhat rebellious Saniwa.
He, Ichigo Hitofuri, is a steady and reliable older brother.
They also spoil their children a lot.
This is truly incredible.
After all, he can see some differences, and he really does comply with everything, even like now.
The surrounding light grew dimmer as the two walked deeper into the area. The blue-haired youth beside them gripped the knife at his waist, his hand never relaxing, as if he were in a dangerous place, using all his strength to protect someone.
He led the girl with long black hair beside him deeper into the forest, with a clear goal in mind.
Fuyuki looked around curiously; she rarely came to such a boring place as the forest.
Its bright, dark eyes looked around like a curious rabbit.
Ichigo Hitofuri remained vigilant, but when he caught a glimpse of her like this out of the corner of his eye, he couldn't help but relax a little.
...The one who was arrested acted more naturally than him.
Didn't they notice anything unusual at all? This child...
Ichigo Hitofuri remained silent.
She was even more naive than he had imagined; those swords and blades hadn't protected her at all.
Since that's the case, why not give it to them?
The trees ahead were so dense that only one person could pass through.
Fuyuki held Ichigo Hitofuri's hand tightly and followed him through there.
Amazingly, everything in front of me changed after I went through the door.
The dim light is gone, the lush trees are gone, and even the fresh and beautiful atmosphere of nature is gone.
With a sense of doubt and unease, Fuyuki looked up at the tsukumogami she trusted beside her.
"Ichigo-nii, where is this?"
Her fingers clenched even tighter, but even now, the young Saniwa still has immense trust in the tsukumogami around her.
After spending a long time together, she gradually discovered that Ichigo Hitofuri was able to gain a great deal of freedom.
This unprecedented sense of freedom captivated the Saniwa, who would even deliberately send away the Tsukumogami around her, leaving her alone with another Tsukumogami from another Honmaru without any guarantee of safety.
Faced with the occasional capricious little requests from the Saniwa, Ichigo Hitofuri always smiled and complied with her, taking her out to eat, drink, and have fun. He would even secretly take her along to dangerous activities like going to the battlefield.
However, the time-space converter was provided by Fuyuki.
After all, how could a tsukumogami in a masterless citadel possess an object like a time-space converter?
He could only reach the pitiful tsukumogami through the most basic teleportation array in the citadel.
Fuyuki, who was asked for a time-space converter: This criminal gang is really strapped for cash.
Ichigo Hitofuri paused at the question, stopped walking, his face darkening. After a long while, he said, "This place... this is Eden."
Fuyuki asked curiously, "Eden? Are there still places like that on the battlefield?"
At least she never mentioned it to her own tsukumogami.
After all, these battlefields are not unfamiliar to those who have always liked to continue repelling the Time Travel Army in the history of the original world.
However, the tsukumogami will not talk about things on the battlefield except for the necessary reports.
The battlefield is where you go into battle, but the interesting things that are suitable for telling the Saniwa mostly happen on expeditions.
And in these places that are not often seen by people—
It wasn't weeds, but a main keep.
[Author's Note]
Black Ichigo: Heh, you can't even protect your master, so give it to us.
A very calm chapter [ear emoji]
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