Chapter 226: The Ausbilder Holds the Blade; Kokomi Lies on the Chopping Block
Following Bai Luo's command, the gears within the Fatui began to turn with astonishing speed.
Two billion Mora sounded like an astronomical sum, but for the Fatui's current stockpiles, it was nothing more than a casual withdrawal.
And it wasn't just the money.
Everything listed in the contract—crops, food, equipment, and other essentials unavailable on Watatsumi Island—was swiftly being prepared under his orders.
He said he would handle things personally, but in reality, the moment the orders were given, the actual legwork fell squarely on the shoulders of his subordinates.
As for him, he simply lay back in a rocking chair, eyes drifting up toward the towering Tenshukaku, deep in thought.
What is Eternity?
To Raiden Makoto, Eternity was not about standing still—it was a flowing current. A state called dream, more elusive and abstract than mere wishes.
Wishes, after all, tend to point toward tangible ends or outcomes. They have a limit. One wish is replaced by another. There's always an end.
What Makoto sought was the source—the power that constantly gave rise to new wishes.
That was dream.
A drive embedded in human instinct itself. So long as dreams existed, wishes would be born anew. And as long as wishes never ceased, they would pass on through generations.
And such unending wishes... that was her definition of Eternity.
"From the perspective of change, even heaven and earth cannot last a single moment. But from the perspective of constancy, then both the world and I are infinite."
But Raiden Ei... she took the exact opposite stance.
To her, Eternity was stillness.
The scenes of the floating world should remain the same across a thousand years, unchanging. But the lives of people were no more than fleeting dewdrops, fragile illusions.
To move forward was to lose everything.
That, in her eyes, was the unshakable law of the universe—etched into the flow of time itself.
In stories of far-off lands and distant myths, the blood of the titan Pangu became rivers, Purusha's dismembered body nourished all life, and Ymir's brain formed the very skies.
Even the mightiest of human civilizations crumbled in a single night.
Someday… Inazuma too would lose its divine protection.
Erosion.
Even beings with lifespans approaching infinity were not immune to this relentless force.
And the only answer to erosion… was Eternity.
Eternity could stop time.
Eternity could grant Inazuma unending life.
So long as all remained beautiful, why not freeze it as it was and head straight toward Eternity?
Thus, the Shogun—and the Scaramouche—were born.
Let's set the latter aside for now.
The Shogun, created with the goal of achieving Eternity, bore Ei's appearance and possessed a will of her own. An autonomous entity, unwavering in the execution of the eternal decree Ei had entrusted her with.
As for Ei herself, she had sealed her consciousness within the sword Musou Isshin, entering a meditative trance that suspended her sense of time entirely. A method to resist the constant erosion gnawing at her soul.
Yet there was one fatal flaw Ei failed to foresee in her creation.
The Shogun cared only for Eternity.
Only for the mission Ei had left behind.
That was one reason why Bai Luo had been stirring up so much chaos in Inazuma without ever being directly confronted by the Shogun herself.
After all, the Vision Hunt Decree orchestrated by the Fatui was removing Visions—removing people's wishes.
To the Shogun, that was a good thing.
No wishes, no change.
No change… means perfect stillness.
Simply put—Ei's attempt at creating artificial intelligence had been thoroughly exploited by the Fatui.
Now, back to the Scaramouche.
There was one thing Bai Luo had always found puzzling.
If the information he had was correct, then among the Raiden sisters—well, let's not talk about the elder Makoto, since records about her were extremely limited.
But Ei...
She was supposed to be a martial artist through and through.
The entire martial tradition of Inazuma had originated from her teachings.
Which led to a rather awkward question...
Would someone like her even understand… matters between men and women?
It wasn't about feelings.
It was about structure.
Did she even know—actually know—that the male and female body... was built differently?
If Scaramouche, that puppet, had been created based on her own body as a reference...
Then wasn't it possible that Scaramouche's anatomy might differ quite a bit from Bai Luo's?
Like… maybe he lacked certain lengths but had more depth?
That... was a question worth pondering.
If there was time, the two of them definitely needed to sit down and have a serious, in-depth discussion about it.
Hmm… didn't the city have a hot springs inn or something?
Yeah. Could be worth inviting him out for a soak, just for research purposes, of course.
. . . . . . . . .
Watatsumi Island
The morning sun slipped gently through the window, its soft rays spreading evenly across the sleeping figure's face.
Long lashes fluttered once, twice—then opened slowly, revealing eyes still clouded with sleep.
An unfamiliar ceiling.
Hmm…
What just happened…?
Supporting her aching head, Kokomi sat up with effort. The blanket that covered her slid down with the motion, revealing—
"???"
Kokomi blinked.
Then blinked again.
Then stared.
Her brain very nearly crashed.
Because—she definitely didn't have a habit of sleeping naked.
At the very least, she would wear some underwear, right?
Why was she—
"You're awake, Miss Sangonomiya?"
At her bedside sat Sveta, far less hostile than she had been before.
Well, that made sense.
They had been enemies not long ago. And the Fatui were never the type to go easy on their enemies.
But with allies—ah, that was different. Even if it was all just for show, the Fatui knew how to make you feel the warmth of Snezhnaya hospitality.
"W-What happened to me?"
Even though the other person was a fellow woman, Kokomi couldn't help but feel a surge of discomfort. She quickly yanked the blanket back up to cover herself, speaking with wary urgency.
"You collapsed, and the Ausbilder carried you to bed," Sveta answered calmly.
"???"
Ausbilder?!
That single word detonated in Kokomi's mind like a bomb.
The negotiations with the Fatui. The under-the-table deals. And that one sentence—
'The wandering swordsman 'Battousai' who's been living quietly on Watatsumi Island all this time… has actually been me all along.'
Everything came flooding back.
Her body went limp, slumping helplessly back onto the bed.
The light in her eyes dulled.
She'd lost.
Utterly, completely lost.
She was nothing more than a fish on a cutting board—powerless, at someone else's mercy, unable to resist.
She thought back on all those times she had stood tall and proud in front of "Battousai," spouting confident words about how well she understood the Fatui.
Now? Even she had to admit—what a cruel joke.
He must've been laughing at her the whole time.
And after she collapsed, too…
Wait—collapsed?
She threw off the blanket slightly, peeking at her bare body.
Then looked at Sveta.
"The Ausbilder carried me to bed?"
"Yes."
"Did he... do anything to me?"
"...No."
The pause.
The way Sveta averted her gaze.
The complete lack of confidence in her answer.
Of course. If this girl found out her precious Ausbilder didn't do a thing, and simply dumped her into bed fully clothed… well, the majestic image of her ever-capable superior might shatter right then and there.
Luckily, she had been present. She had... taken care of it.
Gently undressing the shrine maiden while she was unconscious.
To preserve the Ausbilder's reputation, of course.
"..."
Kokomi stared blankly at the ceiling.
And in that moment, she realized something terrible.
She hadn't just lost Watatsumi Island.
It felt like she'd lost... something much, much more important.
. . . . .
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