CH 42: RISING TENSION
The moon hung high up in the sky while the stars covered it.
Under those lights, in a dojo, two people sat in seiza, facing each other in absolute silence.
Nothing could be discerned from their eyes that were as calm as still water.
One of the two was a woman. More precisely a young girl. She had long purple hair that reached her waist, and surprisingly large breasts for a supposedly Japanese teenager. She was clad in a black kimono that barely concealed her curves.
The stoic man had chiseled features denoting years of experience. Even seated, one could see that he was a tall man of imposing stature, with fierce eyes. He was clad in a green military uniform and in his hand, was a long sheathed sword.
The standoff between the two
"Saeko, I will ask once again. Is this really what you wish?"
"Indeed, Takagi Oji-san, I ask you to give me the Murata-Tou, the sword of my now bedridden father."
Saeko bowed to the man. Souichiro Takagi. He was a man of steel. A heavyweight in the political environment of Japan. He was the leader of the ultra-nationalist political right-wing group. One of the most influential groups.
He was also a student of Saeko's father, and since he was currently bedridden because of a wound he received during an A rank dungeon raid, he asked Takagi to take care of the Busujima family.
The Busujima family was without a doubt powerful and extremely noble. But, nowadays, nobility didn't mean much. Only capitalists and politicians had power in their hands.
This was why the two candidates for Saeko marriage were Akira and Koichi, for what they represented.
For a super traditionalist family like the Busujima, being given the power to choose between the two was already a great concession and Saeko was thankful for it since it helped her meet Akira.
Still, she didn't simply want to fall in his arms.
Takagi admired Saeko détermination before sighing,
"Looking at the brutish little girl who always ran behind me now being all grown up is really a peculiar feeling."
Saying so, a cold expression formed on his face.
"But, I am sorry, I refuse."
"Oji-san!"
"Let me finish." Takagi raised his hand and continued, "You should know what kind of power you have and what you can potentially become. Even though those stupid elders just wish to use you, I refuse to let an unknown brat take you away if he doesn't have the power to control you."
Saeko bit her lips in frustration, but Takagi continued completely undaunted.
"Your innate power. [Sword birth] as you call it. More known as [Demonic Sword Creation]. You should understand how corrosive this power is to your mind and how it affects your personality."
Indeed, as the name suggested, demonic sword creation allowed Saeko to create swords with demonic power and attributes.
People might say that power was never inherently evil, that what mattered was how you used it, but the truth was simple. Some powers were simply pure evil.
"Akira-dono is now a warlock. He should be able to accept this power of mine."
Takagi scoffed in derision.
"Don't joke with me. I have dealt with many witches and warlocks. They are just all some small fry attracted by the lure of easy power. The fact that this Akira chooses such an easy road is even more worrying."
Saeko lowered her head in frustration. Inwardly, she knew that Takagi was just acting for her own good. But, she felt incredibly uncomfortable as he kept denying the worth of Akira.
She already spent a few months knowing him, and while she knew that she couldn't understand everything about him, she also knew that Akira was someone worthy of respect.
Takagi on the other hand, seeing Saeko act like this, softened a little. It has been a long time since he saw Saeko showing any emotion other than the one necessary in any occasion.
She was angry when she needed to be angry.
Sad when she needed to be sad.
And happy when she needed to be happy.
He always feels like his cute little sister or niece died and left her place to some sort of robot who only followed the rules of the family.
'To think this Akira could change her in such a short amount of time.'
He couldn't help but put his competence aside and think carefully about him. He was a politician, he was first and foremost a soldier. A soldier will never underestimate anyone and never went to the terrain without enough information if he had a choice.
"*Ahem* Looking at your resentful face, I feel like I am the bad guy." He coughed in order to disperse the silence. "It's isn't like I am against your relationship. I just want to at least face him before you decide."
The Murata-Tou wasn't a particularly powerful sword. At least Saeko was able to create way more powerful swords than it. But it had a special meaning in the Busujima family. If Saeko took the sword and gave it to Akira, it did not just mean that she was accepting to be his wife.
No, it meant that she was lowering herself and her family to the level of a subordinate. The Busujima family would become a branch family of the Karino. It wasn't a decision that could be taken lightly.
Saeko of course understood that as such she didn't continue reclaiming the sword. She had absolutely no doubt in Akira's ability to pass whatever tests Takagi would cook for her.
"Now that I think about it. This boy is really gutsy. To think that he would attack the Gasai family in such a way. When will he deliver the first hit."
Saeko answered calmly, "Tomorrow. He said that he needed the full moon."
'The full moon? Is he going to cast a specific spell? But he should still be a beginner in magic from what I knew. Only Saint spells require special rituals. Or-'
Takagi thought a little. In truth, it wasn't just Saint spells that could require special time and place.
There were other kinds of spells.
'Is he trying to do a ritual to a god related to the moon?'