The duel before the throne was like a strong gust of wind. People might worry if their laundry would be blown away, but once the wind passed, it was forgotten.
Muramasa walked out of the Amenoma Smithy and thanked Amenoma Juugo and Tougo behind him. "Thanks for letting me borrow your forge." After retrieving "Yaegaki," Muramasa had brought it to the Amenoma Smithy to use their facilities.
"Not at all. Feel free to use it whenever you need," Amenoma Juugo said, shaking his head. He wouldn't be so courteous to just anyone—coming to the Amenoma Smithy, were they worried their skills weren't up to the task or something? But in the face of Muramasa, whose achievements far surpassed his own, the old craftsman couldn't bring himself to boast.
"This sword... is it the one you forged before?" As they talked, Tougo's gaze had been fixed on the sword in Muramasa's hand, and he finally asked. Tougo, who had observed it all night, was certain that, from its appearance, this sword was identical to the previous one. Something inside had changed, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
"It is... and it isn't."
"It's just that a samurai has taken up residence inside now." Muramasa spoke in riddles, sheathed the demon blade that was never meant to be wielded, and headed for the place he had arranged to meet before the battle.
…
He crossed the street, turned behind the bustling Adventurers' Guild, and followed the sea view forward until he saw an enclosed courtyard. This was the "Komore Teahouse," a fief of the Yashiro Commission, almost inaccessible to those without an invitation.
A woman in a brown kimono stood at the entrance, her face cool and her expression even more striking than her features. Seeing Muramasa arrive, she simply nodded and made way.
In the back room of the teahouse, two people were already waiting.
"My, my, you're quite the important person, old man, making me wait for so long." Hearing that voice, the image of a fox naturally formed in Muramasa's mind. The Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine was, of course, closely associated with this place…
"I didn't hear you were coming... and you as well." He sat down with a calm expression, his gaze falling on the other person in the room.
"I have been waiting for you for a long time, Mr. Muramasa." Ayaka maintained a polite smile. "My brother has an appointment with another guest, so I will be hosting you this time. As for the Lady Guuji..." Ayaka's smile was clearly a little helpless, and the pink fox interjected, "I was originally going to the Kamisato Estate for some desserts. A pity~ I arrived to find it empty, so I had to use a little trick to find my way here."
Her face was full of pride, the tips of her ears even twitching upwards. She then reached out a delicate hand, picked up a square, white-topped pastry from the table, and popped it into her mouth. It seemed her desire for sweets had been fulfilled.
With Miko busy enjoying her desserts, Ayaka steered the conversation back on track. "First of all, thank you, Mr. Muramasa, for your earlier words, which allowed the Yashiro Commission to prepare in advance." Before the duel, Muramasa had contacted the Yashiro Commission through Sayu, allowing them to find Kazuha before the Tenryou Commission did.
"It was nothing. And I didn't expect him to be the one to snatch the 'Vision'." In his mind, Kazuha was supposed to interfere with the judgment. The preparations he had made were actually to deal with the pursuit after Kazuha's identity was exposed. He hadn't expected them to be useful in another way. "I suppose it was a fortunate accident."
At this, he saw that Ayaka was hesitating. "What? Are you so hungry you're eating your words? That stuff won't fill you up."
Before Ayaka could speak, Miko, who was eating, almost spat out her pastry. "Cough... cough, cough…" She managed to swallow and fought against her body's natural reaction. "Could you please not say strange things so seriously while others are eating?"
"Who's saying strange things?" Muramasa was visibly annoyed with a certain fox.
"Oh my~ am I being disliked? Being so petty isn't a good look, you know." Miko was not at all angered by his reaction; in fact, her desire to tease him only grew.
"Who's being petty?" he retorted, his face still full of disdain. "And you've scared Miss Kamisato into silence."
"Ah? Me?" Suddenly finding the topic back on her, Ayaka paused before re-posing her earlier question. "It's just that, I feel that although you knew what they were going to do, you had no intention of stopping them. You didn't even try to persuade them…" That young man had bet his life on a game he had no chance of winning.
"That…" Muramasa thought for a moment. "Let's just say it's an old man's empathy for his own kind. At first, that's what it was." The last sentence was spoken softly, but both women heard it clearly. "At that time, I just thought... if the chance to forge my 'ideal blade' was right in front of me, even if it cost me my life, I wouldn't back down."
At this, the image of the young man swinging the demon blade flashed before his eyes. All the other images were blurry, but that single moment was painfully clear, making him mutter in a voice only he could hear, "Damn it. For the first time, I feel like I've lost in terms of 'ideals'."
It seems that young man's image has touched him. Miko was not so tactless as to interrupt his epiphany. She turned to Ayaka and pointed at him. "This guy, he's very easy to understand~ Don't mind all his words, it all boils down to one simple sentence. Their minds are all on a single track, and they've set themselves an impossibly grand goal, so all they know is to keep moving forward."
Hearing Yae Miko's explanation, Ayaka discreetly observed Muramasa's reaction. He just snorted and looked away, not retorting.
So that was the reason… She blinked, feeling she had understood a little more about this mysterious smith.
"Alright, that's enough about me." Muramasa's gaze returned to Ayaka. "To arrange another meeting, especially in a place like this, you must have something else in mind."
"Indeed." Seeing the time was right, she revealed her purpose for the meeting. "It's not anything of great importance. It's just that the Yashiro Commission… rather, I wish to know what your plans are for the future."
Are you asking personally, or on behalf of the Yashiro Commission? You should be clear… Muramasa thought, but he didn't hide anything. "Of course, I'll be completing the commissions I have on hand. I have a mountain of work piled up. Helping to build the Statue of the Omnipresent God, exploring the place that fox requested, and…"
"Cutting down the Tenshukaku, something like that?"
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (330 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (130 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (140 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (330 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (160 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (170 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (90 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (130 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (140 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (148 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (150 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (130 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (100 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (50 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (94 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (90 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal Life in the Nasuverse (75 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.