Inside the Tenshukaku.
The once majestic great hall was now empty and desolate.
Broken doors and windows were temporarily sealed with crude wooden boards.
The draft howled, stirring up fine dust.
An elegant screen stood in the depths of the hall.
Behind the screen, two figures sat opposite each other.
Raiden Ei knelt quietly on the cushion, the replaced purple kimono still unable to conceal the spiderweb-like cracks on her body.
Deep within these cracks, faint purple lightning occasionally flickered weakly before dying out.
Yae Miko sat opposite her, dressed neatly in her miko attire, her hair meticulously styled, though the dark circles under her eyes were undeniable, and the corners of her eyes were still red.
On the low table in front of her sat a pot of tea that had long gone cold, untouched.
"Your humble servant, Kamisato Ayato, has come to confess his crimes to the Shogun."
Silence fell behind the screen for a moment.
Raiden Ei remained motionless, as if she hadn't heard.
Yae Miko took a deep breath, her temples throbbing.
"Speak, what crime."
"Your servant failed to properly manage the Yashiro Commission, leading to rampant corruption among subordinate officials, collusion with foreign enemies, and harm to the populace. This is the first crime."
"Your servant, in order to raise compensation and atone for mistakes, resorted to private punishments, coercing former Tri-Commission officials to surrender their family savings, employing cruel methods that violated the law. This is the second crime."
"Your servant, without the Shogun's permission, privately ended the lives of Hiiragi Shinsuke and Kujou Takayuki, and displayed their heads at the city gate to disturb public sentiment and overstep authority. This is the third crime."
He finished speaking in one breath, prostrating himself.
Silence reigned behind the screen.
After a long while, Yae Miko's weary voice came forth:
"Understood."
"What about those funds?"
"They are currently being inventoried and sealed. A rough estimate puts the total at approximately..."
"Two trillion Mora."
Yae Miko gasped, and even Raiden Ei's eyelashes trembled slightly.
It was a shocking amount.
This figure far exceeded their estimations.
Kamisato Ayato continued, "Furthermore, this is the roughly inventoried wealth statement."
He took a thick roll of documents from his robe and respectfully held it above his head.
Yae Miko glanced at Raiden Ei, and seeing her still silent, sighed. "Leave the documents, and you may return for now. Keep the Tri-Commission in order, maintain peace in Inazuma City, and prevent any further disturbances."
"Yes."
Kamisato Ayato placed the documents on the ground, bowed again, then rose and backed out of the great hall.
He seemed not to have defended himself, but in reality, he had already said everything that needed to be said.
Yae Miko's tone was complex:
"Kamisato Ayato is truly ruthless, leaving no room for maneuver."
"By killing everyone, he's made it so only he can maintain order in Inazuma now. He's blocked all other paths, forcing us to follow the steps he's laid out."
Raiden Ei finally spoke, her voice somewhat hoarse: "It doesn't matter."
"In the past, I would have certainly killed anyone who dared to usurp authority and commit murder through private means." She lowered her head, looking at her cracked hands. "But what Inazuma needs now is precisely such a fierce blade."
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