Chap 137: trial
"Do you know why you are being summoned here, clan head Takumi ?"
The meeting chamber of the higher-ups is deliberately austere, echoing with tradition and authority.
Dimly lit, relying on natural shadows and a few muted lanterns rather than anything modern. Its walls are made of dark wood, polished smooth yet aged.
He smirked, all the members were hiding behind those who sat in a rigid formation, each cross-legged behind a thin wooden screen wall that let their frames be illuminated by the small candles in the room.
He can spot about eight seats, two for each faction, the Zennin, the Gojo, the Kamo, and the last is some positions for the people in the country apparatus.
A long tatami floor stretches to a raised dais where the council members sit around in a circle. And in the middle is he, standing like a criminal on trial.
The entire room is intentionally devoid of warmth, every element serves to remind the sorcerers inside that they are under scrutiny of centuries-old laws.
Not to mention the usage of talismans and barriers to hinder sorcerer from using their technique in this room.
'So they do have some defense.' He thought before speaking.
"Let me guess, is it because you bunch of decrepit sacks of bones are mad about something I do ? Was it because of the recruitment I made ? Or the Fukuoka incident ?"
"HOW DARE YOU!!" One voice shouted.
He can hear the old woman behind it just seeping in anger, a Gojo clan member to be exact.
"DO YOU REALIZE HOW MANY LAWS YOU HAVE BROKEN!"
"HE SHOULD BE EXECUTED!"
The voice kept piling on, accusations, curses, harsh words of reproach, insults, and more curse words are thrown all aimed at him.
Takumi just sighs inwardly. These women are just truly a bunch of old, head politicians. He really didn't have to go here. Over the course of the last two years, Takumi has lifted the bricks off the old Jujutsu system.
Starting from the time they had cleared the curses off other nations, to when he had taken in a significant amount of sorcerers. Granted, all of them were below average, but he couldn't care less.
Then the last straw was when he and his clan did so without sending a notification to any other clan. Which is a stupid thing in of itself since no one even answered when he made the call to them.
He let them berate him, scold him as much as they want, they only summon him here because they want something from him or try to pin the blame on him.
Some minutes later, a voice picked up, someone from the Zennin.
"We should let him speak, at least he can defend his case. Just to be fair." He remembered this voice, one of his own elders, Jinichi.
"Yes, I agree. Man or not, one should have a chance to explain themself." Another Zennin, Goda.
He didn't know them well, but from Naobita, he knew they also played a big part in hindering a lot of his actions earlier on during his first year.
'So what they're doing here is just for looks, maybe they want to use this as some leverage against me.'
"Thank you, but I didn't need to explain shit to any of you." He can hear a second round of screaming and yelling.
They use any slur possible and throw all the name-calling they have under the sun at him.
"We have given you enough chance to clear your name-"
"Clear my name of what ? I have committed no crime, if I open my mouth it'll be no different to admitting to those baseless accusations."
"Then how do you explain the heresy that has unfolded under your very watch as a clan head ? All the recent events, you knew of them."
"I knew." He admitted.
This shocked all the elders, they weren't aware much of Takumi's actions except for the fact that he did it in secret, they knew not of his collaboration with Senjaku, but with a confirmation like this......
"I knew all of you were senile and old, too old to see what is right in front of you, and that's why you didn't take any action."
The room exploded in anger, the elders had had enough.
"A man shouldn't even have this much reign in the first place, i don't know what the hell Naobita was thinking. Giving you the chair of Clan head, when this is the way you act."
"How can we trust you when this is the course of actions you take? Causeing mayhem and discord in our rule."
"What ? You think I'm somehow involved in attacking my own people that I'm supposed to protect ?"
"Watch your words, you brat. That insolence can cause you to be stripped of your title."
"Whatever you say, whatever blame you think you can shove on me. The truth of the matter is, I'm just ahead of the curve. Face it, want to control me, well you can't. Go and talk all you want but you'll lose it all of this is how you keep running things."
At the end of the day, after a lot of threats and fear-mongering tactics were used to pressure Takumi. He refused to bug one bit, it was late at night when Takumi exited the room.
"Remember this, everyone will bow to the council, we are the ones who have kept Jujutsu society in check and will continue to do so." A final warning was said to him, but it sounded like a bad attempt to make themself look more dangerous in his eyes.
Walking down a long set of stairs, Takumi didn't stop for a single second. He needs to prepare after gathering the information about the place, in case he decides to kill them all when it is necessary.
*ring* dialing someone on his phone, he checked to see her phone number.
"Yo."
"How's your trial go ?" Senjaku's voice is coming from the other end of the line.
"They threaten to take my position away, you know how the rest of it went." Casually speaking, Takumi takes off into the night, cutting off any would-be tail that could track him.
"I'm going to move my base elsewhere now, and before you ask. It's a domain of a curse spirit so don't try to track me anymore. Do you still intend on moving forward with that plan of yours?"
"Yeah. I think I will." Opening the palm of his hand, a set of keys, glowing with otherworldly colors.