Chapter 60 - Strangers

The meal went on without a hitch. After eating, we moved to another room. In this room, there were two sofas and an armchair.

Barakiel and Shuri are sitting together on one of the couches. He is hugging his wife's waist as she leans on his shoulder, the two of them watching their daughter with a smile on her face.

Raynare is sitting in the only chair, lost in thought. She has been acting strange ever since Shuri mentioned her mother.

I'm sitting on the other couch. To my left sits Kuroka, who, in imitation of Shuri, is leaning on my shoulder, and to my right sits Akeno.

Kuroka is just relaxing, perhaps tired from all the training this week. These moments of relaxation are always appreciated positively.

Akeno, on the other hand, seems to have got rid of all his initial shyness. She does not stop asking questions of Kuroka and me, and she does not stop playing with my horns and tail. To anyone else, it might seem annoying and problematic, but to me, it's just the opposite.

Damn... She's too cute.

"Do you have scales in other places besides your tail?" Ask Akeno with curiosity.

Because of the clothes I'm wearing, all my scales are covered. The only exception to this is my tail because I have no other method of hiding it. The scales that reach my neck are covered by my scarf, which I do not take off out of habit.

"Of course, look."

I take off my scarf to show her the black scales on my neck.

Curious, Akeno gently touches my scales.

"You tickle me."

"Teehee!" Akeno stuck her tongue out with a mischievous smile.

Knock-knock

Someone knocked on the Shrine's door.

"I'm coming!"

Akeno jumped up and ran to see who the person, or people, was.

"Who could it be?" Shuri asked Barakiel.

Both looked confused.

"Few people know we live here. It will be some person who is lost."

Raynare also looked in the direction in which Akeno had marched, she too seemed curious.

The only one who was different was Kuroka. She frowned as she repositioned herself on the couch.

"5... 10... 15, this is bad." Kuroka mumbles.

Shuri, Barakiel, and Raynare looked at Kuroka in confusion. They could not understand what she was saying.

But I do.

I dare say no one knows Kuroka better than I, and I know her abilities well. Kuroka's use of [Senjutsu] was a thousand times better than mine, she used it unconsciously.

If what Kuroka has said is accurate, and I have no doubt that it is, Akeno is in danger.

Without a second thought, I get up from the couch and run after Akeno.

But no matter how much I hurry, I'm still late.

Akeno had already opened the door by the time I got to the entrance of the Shrine.

..............

"You remind me so much of Shuri, child."

"Who are you?" Akeno was asking the middle-aged man who led the group of what appeared to be monks.

"I am Suou Himejima." The middle-aged man answered little Akeno.

"Himejima? I'm Himejima too! Are we family?"

"Family"? You're just a cursed child born to our offspring, the Himejima clan. The child who carries the blood of that dirty angel."

One of the monks answers Akeno's question angrily. The middle-aged monk raises a hand, causing the angry monk to calm down.

"What is your name, child?"

"Himejima Akeno."

"I see, you must be Shuri's daughter. Shuri is my niece, so you can call me Granduncle."

"Great Uncle?"

The middle-aged man, Suou Himejima, nods his head.

Himejima is a clan that has been affiliated with Shinto since ancient times. Suou Himejima is a man of the main clan, so he has a lot of power within the family. The other monks must be related to the Himejima family.

"It's a pity, a pity. I'm not going to let you get away now. I have to get rid of the shame of Himejima today. Do you understand me? Right?

"What are you saying?" Akeno couldn't understand anything this stranger was saying.

"You're not to blame. You are only the result of the evil actions of a fallen angel who took and used my niece. That's why you are an embarrassment to us."

Akeno might not understand many things, but she wasn't stupid either. When she heard of a fallen angel, the image of her gentle father flashed through her mind.

"Dad is not evil! Dad is the best dad in the world!"

She defended her father without hesitation.

"Sigh... Even a girl like you has fallen for the lies of that impure being. I was going to get my niece back before I eliminated you, but I can't bear to look at you."

The man began to recite a mantra that Akeno did not understand. The staff in his hand began to light up.

"Destroy!"

Akeno, sensing the danger coming from the staff, remembered what her father had taught her and created a lightning bolt and threw it at the middle-aged man.

The power of Suou Himejima and the lightning of Akeno dispersed from one another.

The monks corrected their stance and directed their hatred toward Akeno.

"Damn it! The power of her holy and lighting is strong!"

"If we don't defeat her soon, we'll eventually be killed!"

All the monks started pointing their canes at me.

Akeno was now very frightened. The ray she had created before was the most powerful lighting she could form at this point, and she had only been able to disperse the power in a single attack. She could not stand against so many men.

Her great uncle pointed his staff coolly. Great power gathers at the point of his staff.

I will probably die if that catches up with me.

That was what Akeno thought.

"I am sorry, but this is the end of you."

"AKENO!"

Just as Akeno thought she was going to die, a cry rang out behind her. A figure passed by her like a blur and stood in front of her.