"I only wanted you to have a proper talk... What, planning to take that little girl and leave?" Mizuno Ichirou's tone turned completely cold, and a hint of hostility appeared in his eyes.
"Old man Mizuno, you dare be so insolent in front of Lady Sangonomiya?" Gorou was furious, drawing his weapon in an instant.
"Don't be disrespectful to Lord Mizuno!" Several attendants beside Mizuno Ichirou also drew their weapons, instantly forming a standoff with Gorou.
Kaedehara Kazuha and Kujou Sara both assumed full combat stances; Kujou Sara was waiting for Raiden Makoto's command.
Meanwhile, Raiden Makoto was holding Sangonomiya Kokomi's arm, stroking the girl's small head.
Adopting Kokomi as a daughter had originally been a fleeting thought, but it had actually become a reality.
"Lord Scaramouche, please help me take complete control of the Sangonomiya Shrine!" Following Mizuno Ichirou's loud shout, several Fatui Skirmishers and Vanguard Legionnaires appeared before them.
At the very front was a youth wearing a conical hat.
"The Scaramouche?" Raiden Makoto was slightly stunned. She actually felt a particularly familiar aura within the youth's body; how was it so similar to her sister Ei's?
But within the body of the youth known as the Scaramouche, there was also the scent of a evil eye.
"A Fatui Harbinger?" She could tell from his codename alone that the figure was a Fatui Harbinger.
The Scaramouche wore a hat, but Raiden Makoto could still see his face clearly. She saw a look of disbelief in his eyes; he even showed an expression of terror.
Did he seem to know her? Raiden Makoto wasn't quite sure, but the youth seemed to be terrified of her.
"Retreat!" In the next moment, the Scaramouche and the several Fatui Skirmishers vanished completely, leaving only Mizuno Ichirou and the few servants he brought staring at each other in bewilderment.
"Lord Scaramouche?!"
"Do it, Sara."
At Raiden Makoto's command, Kujou Sara, Kaedehara Kazuha, and Gorou all moved simultaneously. Although the servants brought by Mizuno Ichirou used the power of evil eyes, they were still no match for Kujou Sara and the others.
Soon, those men lay fallen at the feet of Kujou Sara, Kaedehara Kazuha, and Gorou.
Only Mizuno Ichirou remained standing there in a daze, his eyes filled with blankness.
How could the Lord from that place... abandon him? But seeing all his subordinates lying on the ground, Mizuno Ichirou was so terrified that he fell directly to his knees.
"Lady Sangonomiya! It was my poor judgment... I was blinded by them, please forgive me..." Mizuno Ichirou looked terrified... he had no idea why he had been abandoned.
Sangonomiya Kokomi's mouth opened slightly, but she didn't know what to say.
"I think you were just blinded by greed. Gorou, take him away." Seeing that Sangonomiya Kokomi didn't seem to know how to decide, Raiden Makoto made the decision for her.
"Yes."
After Gorou took away the limp Mizuno Ichirou, Raiden Makoto rubbed Sangonomiya Kokomi's head.
Sangonomiya Kokomi was still a bit too soft-hearted.
Though she was gentle, her gentleness should be for her own people; toward enemies, one must absolutely not be merciful.
"Sometimes, when you need to be heartless, you must be heartless."
"Mm..."
"I understand... Sister..." Sangonomiya Kokomi nodded; she truly didn't know how to deal with those people.
After all, those people were also residents of Watatsumi Island.
Raiden Makoto had originally been joking; she felt it would be a bit awkward if Kokomi really called her 'mother,' so after teasing her, she asked Sangonomiya Kokomi to call her'sister' instead.
That way it wasn't awkward, it was quite fitting, and not at all abrupt.
In any case, she didn't mind having another sister. Sangonomiya Kokomi could be considered a partial descendant of Orobashi, so treating her like a sister was perfectly fine.
Whether as a daughter or a sister, wasn't it all just raising her? The image of her and Ei when they were first born surfaced in her mind; back then, hadn't Ei been like a daughter to her as well?
At that time, she really had raised Ei like a daughter.
There is an old saying in Huaxia: 'An elder sister is like a mother.' Wasn't that exactly the case?
"Mm."
"That Scaramouche just now should be a Fatui Harbinger... I don't know which seat he holds, but Lumine might know."
"It's just that 'Scaramouche'... is a bit too..."
Raiden Makoto felt that the codename 'Scaramouche' was a bit silly; she didn't know why the Fatui would choose such a... unique codename. (Translator's Note: In Chinese,'Sanbing' sounds like'Scattered Soldiers/Grunt' or a slang for 'Idiot'.)
But she also looked somewhat puzzled because, in the presence of the Scaramouche, she had felt the same aura as her sister, as if the Scaramouche was related to Ei.
But how could a Fatui Harbinger be related to her sister? Raiden Makoto was confused, but she couldn't imagine why right now.
"So all the chaos in Inazuma is indeed the work of the Fatui?" Kujou Sara murmured, her hatred for the Fatui growing.
"Of course not. Inazuma's most important issues are still internal... the Fatui are merely fueling the flames," Raiden Makoto said calmly. "To solve Inazuma's problems, those scumbags must be completely purged."
"Yes." Kaedehara Kazuha nodded. "The Grand Narukami is right... Inazuma is completely corrupt now; the Vision Hunt Decree is merely an excuse."
"The Fatui acted recklessly in Liyue as well... they released the God of the Vortex from Guyun Stone Forest... many Liyue soldiers lost their lives because of it."
...Meanwhile, at the resistance camp.
"Was that... the Scaramouche?!" Lumine watched the figure running swiftly ahead with some doubt. That figure was all too familiar; she had encountered that Fatui Harbinger while dealing with that unknown meteor.
"So that guy was behind everything?" Paimon also spotted the Scaramouche disappearing ahead, but she was slightly confused. "But why does he look like he's running away?"
"He seems to be fleeing from the direction of the Sangonomiya Shrine?" Paimon was puzzled, while Teppei said with absolute certainty, "The person who gave me the evil eye was him!"
Teppei was also quite excited; he was sure that the person who gave him the evil eye was the one wearing the conical hat! It was definitely him, he was certain.
"Are you sure he's the one who gave you the evil eye?" While Lumine, Paimon, and Teppei were talking, the Scaramouche had completely vanished beyond the coastline.
"Yes, I can't be wrong, absolutely can't be wrong!"
"We... must catch up!" Lumine and Teppei exchanged a look, then quickly charged off in that direction.
Teppei was somewhat excited. He touched the Vision on his chest and murmured to himself, "Partner, you and I are about to start our first battle!"
"We must succeed!"
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