He was no longer furious; he was well beyond that state of anger.
The main base of the [Black Corps] was resisting his power, only because it had been created to withstand far greater pressures.
But not everyone inside the building could bear the pressure of Hajime's stepfather's [mana]. Some of them, who were directly in contact with this pressure, would perish.
"How!? Tell me how they know about this! I want answers! Now!"
No one dared to speak, because they didn't know what to say in response.
And even if they had answers, nothing would have changed his mood.
But they were also unable to make excuses, because they were all on the ground, crushed by the [mana] of their leader, who was breaking their bones, keeping their mouths shut.
Growling like an animal, Goto approached his subordinates, who were inside his office.
"I'm disappointed in you once again! Kill them!"
Turning his back, the [mage] lost sight of the scene where the heads of his [Black Corps] were cut off cleanly, in a single blow.
The bodies and severed parts disappeared along with the blood, as a shadow spread across the floor.
"I'm surrounded by incompetents and traitors! No one was supposed to know what happened that day!"
Goto's [mana] continued to rise along with his murderous instinct.
The metal inside the room began to vibrate violently, like the rest of the building. If it hadn't been built to withstand [mages], it would have already fallen apart.
The phone on the man's desk started ringing, distracting him from his momentary rage.
Only his secretary had permission to disturb him today, at this moment when it was difficult for him to control his murderous instinct.
No one else should see him like this, or he would risk losing his already damaged image.
"What's the matter!? I told you I didn't want to be disturbed!" (Goto)
"S-sir, your wife is asking for you, it's urgent......"
"What does that woman want!? Doesn't she know I'm busy?!" (Goto)
"H-has said that your daughter........"
Goto's anger, which a moment before burned like a sea of magma, cooled instantly as if it had never been there.
The red face of the [mage] turned white when he understood what Hajime's mother was referring to.
For the first time in a long while, the leader of the [Black Corps] felt a great amount of shame.
"(How can I forget my Kaori, in a moment like this!? I never talked to her about........)" (Goto)
Worse scenarios appeared in the man's mind, and he started to sweat cold with fear. With extraordinary speed, he threw open the door of his office, leading to his secretary's desk.
"Cancel all my meetings for the week! I need to reorganize my schedule! Make it clear to everyone, and I mean EVERYONE! Today I will go home early, and no one should even think of disturbing me until tomorrow! I will hold you personally responsible if anything happens! And make sure the journalists don't find out my position!"
"S-sir, many are asking for responses to......"
"The well-being of my daughter comes before those ignorant masses of sheep! They will have a statement from me only when *I* decide! Now go do your job, or your family will be crying tonight!" (Goto)
*****
Hajime was angry, not as much as Goto, but perhaps even more.
The boy had chosen a dangerous path, to protect his mother and little sister, and only afterward, to avenge his stepfather.
The [mage] was completely sure that it was the [New Dawn] who started this defamatory campaign against the [Black Corps], and this made his mood even worse.
Kaori was crying in her room, with her stepmother trying—perhaps uselessly—to comfort her, hugging her.
Hajime couldn't move; he lacked the strength or courage to do what his mother was doing.
How could he, knowing he was part of the group that posted that information?
"(It shouldn't be her suffering, but Goto! They shouldn't have done something like this!)"
One part of him, deep down, could logically understand Yukihime's strategy of spreading the dirty secrets kept hidden by Goto.
But in front of the tears of the first person he cared about in the world, all rationality went out the window.
Fortunately, the teenager still had enough self-control not to manifest his [magic], even if he was almost at his limit.
"(Is there really nothing I can do to make her feel better?!)"
He knew the answer, but couldn't think of anything. It was so frustrating not to be able to do anything to lift her pain.
While he was thinking about this, the front door was forcefully opened, nearly flying off its hinges.
"Kaori!"
Goto had arrived in a rush. In an instant, he heard his daughter's sobs, and headed toward her room.
Hajime prepared for the visit of his most hated enemy, after many weeks away from home.
"Child! I'm sorry! I should have come sooner!"
The young [mage]'s heart clenched in his chest when he saw Kaori let go of her stepmother's arms to run into her father's embrace.
"I'm here, sweetheart, I'm sorry!"
This sight made him see the events that would happen in the future.
(Kaori-chan, you're hugging a monster! A monster who hates me and my mother, and who has done horrible things just for personal gain! A monster I am helping to dethrone! Please, let him go!) (Hajime)
Hajime really wanted to say this, but his instinct of self-preservation held him back.
But one day, the inevitable would come, even if not today.
"(Kaori-chan... when the truth comes out, you'll have to choose between me and him... I...)"
He knew that the pain his little sister was experiencing now was only a glimpse of what awaited her.
A pain that he would have unleashed.
"(I decided to defeat Goto, but now I think about how much my actions will make her suffer? Am I really a worm.)"
With a heavy heart, while watching his mother, Hajime decided to reaffirm his will to follow the path he had chosen.
*****************************
In another district, a certain individual was having an important meeting with his subordinates.
"The situation is degenerating. These continuous attacks on Goto are a clear sign of insurrection. I believe we should consider the need to change our neutral stance."
"You expect too much. Since his rise as head of the [Black Corps], our agreement has been in effect."
"I believe the time for change is coming. Perhaps we should really consider taking sides... but which one?"
There were other discussions among the ranks of the [Black Corps], as well as the [White], and some of the most important men and women of this district were seated at the table, giving their opinions.
Only one of them had not spoken yet.
He was a man dressed in modified samurai armor, hiding his true face and protecting his body.
Next to his seat, two katanas were always with him.
His real name was unknown, but the name he was called by during this period was one.
"Shogun-sama, what are your thoughts?"
The Shogun, the leader of the northern district, simply looked at the woman who had spoken, from behind his mask.
"Thank you for coming. I will consider what you have said, and I will share my thoughts at the next meeting." (Shogun)
"But, sir! Shouldn't we make a decision quickly!?"
"The decision we make... whatever it may be, will not be made lightly, in a moment when blood is boiling. Please, return to your families and sleep on it. Remember that our decisions do not only affect our lives." (Shogun)
Those words cooled the minds of the most belligerent. Shogun, satisfied, left the table, taking his swords.
"(I need to find out how deep this conspiracy runs before I decide whether to help them.)" (Shogun)