Paimon was speechless for a moment, his small feet stomping in the air as he put his hands on his hips: "You idiot, what on earth are you talking about?"
"What 'lord' or whatever? I'm a girl!"
"And why did you suddenly give me a nickname?"
"Just call me Paimon like before!"
Arataki Itto scratched his head awkwardly, his crimson oni horns swaying along with him.
"Yes, yes, yes, Miss Pai is right!"
He collected himself and looked at King. His tone lacked its usual flamboyance, instead carrying a hint of constraint:
"Um, My Lord, thank you for taking care of Onibaba just now."
"No need to thank me. I only did what any human should do."
"An elder shouldn't have to suffer from cold and hunger."
King's gaze fell upon him. It was a calm gaze, yet it seemed to pierce through appearances and see into the soul.
"Do you know how to get to Tenshukaku?"
"Tenshukaku?"
Arataki Itto was stunned for a moment, then, as if a floodgate had opened, he began to gesture rapidly: "You're going to see the Raiden Shogun, right?"
"Go from here. Do you see that largest Thunder Sakura Tree?"
"To the right is Inazuma City. Go straight up the main road in Inazuma City until the end, and you'll see Tenshukaku. It's very tall; you'll recognize it at a glance!"
"If you get lost, buy some Konpeito and ask any child on the street; they all know!"
"If you think it's too far, I know a few brothers who operate boats; I can call them for you..."
"No need."
King interrupted his enthusiasm and nodded, "Thank you."
Then, he turned and walked in the direction Itto had pointed.
Clorinde and Lynette followed silently. Zhongli gave Itto and Kuki Shinobu a polite nod before following as well.
Lumine took Paimon's hand, waved to Itto and Shinobu, mouthed "See you later," and hurried to catch up with the group.
The group moved forward grandly, like a giant boulder cast into a calm pond, heading toward Inazuma City and Tenshukaku.
Wherever they passed, the crowd scrambled to get out of the way in fear, and a deathly silence fell.
Arataki Itto watched their retreating figures, especially King's back—straight as a pine and seemingly capable of shouldering the entire sky. Driven by some inexplicable impulse, his feet moved, wanting to follow.
"Boss! Stop right there!"
A low shout suppressed with alarm and anger, accompanied by a sharp pain from his scalp, made him stop with a grimace.
Kuki Shinobu was clutching a tuft of his white hair tightly, her strength so great it seemed she was going to pluck him on the spot. Her purple eyes were filled with the shock and lingering fear of 'Are you crazy?'
"Ow, ow, ow! Shinobu, take it easy! My hair is going to fall out!" Arataki Itto wailed.
"Losing hair is better than losing your head!"
Kuki Shinobu dragged him behind a simple shed stacked with goods. Her pretty face was slightly flushed from the exertion, and her usually calm and composed voice had changed pitch, her lowered voice fast and urgent like a machine gun:
"You idiot! Do you have any idea what you were just doing?!"
"They were asking for directions to Tenshukaku!"
"Isn't it obvious they're going for Her Excellency the Shogun!"
"Look at their posture. Does it look like they're going for tea and a chat?!"
"They're definitely going to cause trouble!"
"And you actually gave them directions, and so clearly too!"
"At best, it's being meddlesome. At worst..."
She took a deep breath, her tone turning heavy: "...it's being considered a collaborator. It's treason, a capital offense, Arataki Itto!"
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