Chapter 98: Reporting to Lady Furina—Episode 5

"The Asada family is Inazuma's executioner family." Furina looked at Ye and spoke softly: "Generations of their family have served as executioners, possessing the most exceptional swordsmanship." "And each generation's head of the family is responsible for beheading criminals designated by the Raiden Shogun, inheriting the name 'Sen'emon' and mastering a secret technique called 'Soul Cleansing'—a technique that severs the soul without harming the flesh." "Of course, while it's said to sever the soul without harming the flesh, in reality, it's because the sword is so fast and the cut so clean that the body is deceived, unaware it has been cut, and thus the wound heals automatically." "No external wounds, yet the soul is severed—this is 'Soul Cleansing.'" "Every generation of Sen'emon who has mastered this swordsmanship has been one of Inazuma's greatest swordsmen. The title of 'Inazuma's Strongest' has always been held by successive generations of Sen'emon, rarely passing to outsiders." "That said, the current Sen'emon became the strongest at an unusually young age—on the very day she was born, she inherited the title of 'Strongest' and the name 'Sen'emon.'" "Before she could even be given a name of her own, 'Sen'emon' became her only name." "The reason for this is..." Hearing Furina reach this point, Ye finally interjected, his voice calm as water: "The reason is that on the day she was born, she killed the previous Sen'emon Asada—because the previous Sen'emon feared her existence." "The fear of a 'mediocrity' toward a 'genius,' the fear of a 'human' toward a 'monster,' the fear of the 'strongest' toward the 'stronger.'" "That fear drove him to draw his sword and strike at a newborn baby." "—And then he was instantly killed by that newborn baby." Furina continued: "This is the current Sen'emon. At zero years old, she was recognized as Inazuma's strongest by the Raiden Shogun, a title proven by the death of the previous strongest." "Don't worry, Lady Furina," Ye said, his expression unchanged. "I am fully aware of the current Sen'emon's strength." No one understood it better than him, after all—she was his creation. When he logged into the Sen'emon account to test her power, even he found it a bit excessive. Ye hadn't expected that giving Sen'emon the ability "Nanami Yasuri's Talent" and the setting "Twenty Years of Growth" would make her so ridiculously strong. Oh, and there was another setting: the Raiden Shogun's blessing suppressed the one billion deadly viruses in Sen'emon's body, allowing her to grow up normally instead of struggling to survive like Nanami Yasuri. Clearly, this setting was what allowed her monstrous talent to blossom to such terrifying levels. But there was no helping it. The popularity points had already been spent, so it was what it was. After all... as Ye's alternate account, he could log in anytime. In the end, this was his power too. No matter how loyal you are to the Raiden Shogun, you'll still do whatever I tell you to do, won't you? Well, giving the Raiden Shogun a loyal dog and then outsmarting her—Ye was just that bored. "Fine, as long as you know what you're doing." Furina sighed softly. "Inazuma's sudden isolation has left many from Fontaine trapped there. This is something we can't ignore—I just hope you'll act within your limits and not put yourself in danger. Fontaine still needs you." Ye looked at Furina earnestly, moved. "Lady Furina, are you truly concerned for me?" Furina met his gaze with sincerity. "Of course, my Supreme Bishop. You are my most capable and trusted subordinate!" "I'm so moved, I don't know how to express it. Lady Furina, please accept this gift as a token of my gratitude." Ye took out a blue gift box and placed it on the table, pushing it toward Furina. "My Supreme Bishop, you've worked hard. It's only natural for me to care for you. There's no need to be so polite." Furina pushed the gift box back to Ye, then took out a black gift box and slid it toward him. "I also have a gift to reward you. Don't be shy—open it and see." 「Here we go, the main event is finally here.」 「I've been waiting for this.」 「Let's see who wins today.」 「I bet a spicy strip, the Supreme Bishop wins.」 「I bet a lollipop, the Supreme Bishop wins.」 「I bet a gold bar, the Supreme Bishop wins.」 「Alright, alright, everyone's underestimating my girl Furina, huh? No problem, Furina, I've got your back—I bet my homework, Lady Furina wins.」 「You almost broke my back with that one.」 「Hey, upstairs, your teacher is watching.」 「Wow, I thought there was someone willing to lose everything for Furina.」 「Even though Furina is my true love, that doesn't stop me from siding with the winner!」 「I just came back from the future. Guess who won? All I can say is the Supreme Bishop's face looked terrible.」 「Yeah, terrible. Really terrible.」 「I can confirm he's telling the truth.」 The screen was instantly flooded with comments. Axue had to turn off the video's comments and her live stream's chat to continue watching the PV with anticipation. "Lady Furina, a gift given cannot be taken back." Ye pushed the gift back toward Furina. "No, no, really, it's unnecessary. As a superior, how can I accept bribes from my subordinate?" Furina pushed it back to Ye. "It's nothing valuable. How can you call it a bribe? This is my heartfelt sentiment, Lady Furina!" Ye pushed it back again. "Even if it's a sentiment, I am the Hydro Archon. Accepting tributes depends on the situation, and now is not the time." Furina pushed it back once more. Ye sighed. "If Lady Furina truly refuses to accept my sentiment, then I cannot accept your sentiment either!" As he spoke, Ye pushed the gift back to Furina, locking eyes with her seriously. Furina also looked at Ye with a grave expression. After ten seconds of silent staring, they both nodded in unison. "「Let's open them together.」" So, they opened their gift boxes simultaneously and looked inside. First, Ye's gift box contained a piece of paper. Furina, after opening the box, didn't immediately look at Ye's gift but instead peeked at him, her face full of anticipation as she watched his expression. Ye's face remained unchanged as he took out the folded paper and opened it. The camera shifted to show the contents of the paper on the screen. 『One White Dragon Jade: 30 million Mora』 『Three Banquets: 9 million Mora』 『One Chiori Custom Outfit: 50 million Mora』 『Three Bottles of Windblume Perfume: 30 million Mora』 『...』 It was a list of expenses. Ye quickly calculated the total: 590 million Mora. At the end of the bill was a note: 『Lady Furina's daily expenses. Please have the Ministry of Internal Affairs settle the bill within a week.』 Ye's eyebrow twitched violently, his expression darkening. Seeing Ye's reaction, Furina couldn't help but smile triumphantly. "Ye, I am the Hydro Archon. Spending a bit from the national treasury is fine, right? After all, a god's daily expenses should naturally be covered by the treasury." Ye took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right, Lady Furina. I was mistaken to forget such a thing." "It's fine. Just remember in the future. Don't forget to settle this bill, or they might sue the Ministry of Internal Affairs." Furina coughed twice, smiling as she reminded him. Ye nodded earnestly. "Yes, Lady Furina. I will remember in the future. Actually, you didn't need to remind me. Your daily expenses have always been covered by the treasury, as are Neuvillette's. These are your legitimate rights. It's just that this time was a bit special—but I will heed your advice and ensure your future expenses are properly accounted for in the treasury." "Huh? This time? Future? Properly accounted for?" Furina's smile slowly faded as she instantly grasped the key point, a wave of dread washing over her. She immediately looked down at the gift Ye had given her. Inside was also a folded piece of paper. Furina's hands trembled as she opened it. 『Hydro Archon's Personal Treasury Expense Report』 『One White Dragon Jade: 30 million Mora』 『Three Banquets: 9 million Mora』 『One Chiori Custom Outfit: 50 million Mora』 『Three Bottles of Windblume Perfume: 30 million Mora』 『...』 "YE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"