WebNovels

Chapter 115 - All Eyes On You [1]

"Guuji Yae, the people from the Fatui are..."

"Again? Send them away. If not, I'll smite them. Last warning."

"Yes, my lady."

Atop the Yougou Mountain, where the Grand Narukami Shrine lies, the Head Shrine Maiden, Yae Miko, did her usual everyday activities.

However, with the recent decisions of the shogun, the nation has been locked off from the rest of the seven nations, not only dampening the current status of the nation, but also inviting troublesome people in it.

"Tell everyone that I am not to he disturbed for the whole day." Yae Miko said, in a commanding and stern tone. "No exceptions."

Right outside of her abode, the shrine maidens that were stationed bowed slightly. "Yes, head priestess."

After that, they went on their way to spread the command, to leave their Head Shrine Maiden alone for the rest of the day.

Seeing them leave, Yae Miko stood up and closed the shōji door, secluding herself from any more distractions.

Although it may seem like she was about to do her usual activities as a shrine maiden to outsiders, in truth, it was completely different.

"What's happening?" She said as she paced around the room while occasionally looking at the door leading to another room. "Why isn't it leading me to the café?"

A few days have passed since her talk with Isaac, and ever since then, the door leading to Fontaine has ceased appearing in her abode.

This has not happened before.

Even when Isaac closed the café at night, she could still invite herself in without any trouble. But this time, it was different.

She had repeatedly opened and closed the door, but it had been a futile endeavor. It refused to lead her back to her haven, one where he promised to always welcome her and the others.

"I can't believe it." She mumbled as she sat down neatly. "After saying those idiotic words... You now refuse me? Us?"

The ordeal from a few days ago had never left her mind. It had stayed there, gnawing at her psyche and always reminding her that Isaac would always choose what's the best for his love rather than them.

He was selfish, she knew that, and had already come to accept that a long time ago, but this was different.

His idiotic plan might cost him his life.

And she didn't want that.

She clenched her hands as inevitable scenes flashed through her mind. Scenes that depicted either gruesome or tragic deaths of Isaac.

It did not help that Yae Miko also had a creative mind.

"He can't..." Muttering under her breath, her words came out shaky. "You can't go, I'll never let you."

"How dare you capture a kitsune's care and affection and disregard it? For a human... The pure audacity it is."

Yae Miko wouldn't arbitrarily call this feeling close to love, but rather, a sense of care and protection. It was less of a longing for a companion for life, but rather someone to be with and always be there for her.

It had been a long time. Although it was true that a kitsune can live up to nine hundred years, it can also be excruciating if they were alone. Thus, the natural longing for stimulation or entertainment.

And for Miko, Isaac was that recent stimulation.

He was a wondrous anomaly that provided people with a place to rest and be comforted, and he was never short of entertaining tales and events.

She would never allow that stimulation to disappear. Even if it meant going against his wishes, if she could protect him from his own dangerous actions, she would commit to it.

As she sat there, alone in her quarters, still staring into that door leading to the café, Yae Miko's pink fox ears swayed slightly.

"...I've decided."

With that, she stood up and walked out of her abode.

Intending to head to Tenshukaku, the Raiden Shogun's residence.

---

In Sumeru.

"No signal..."

In the space within the Akasha System that united every consciousness of the people of Sumeru, a tiny green speck was present.

That speck was none other than Nahida, the God of Wisdom.

Unlike her usual childlike glee or wise demeanor, however, she looked rather saddened as she held an Akasha Terminal in her hand.

This Akasha Terminal was different from the rest around her. It was significantly older than the current ones being used, but besides that, it was also the Akasha Terminal that allowed her to travel to the café.

But for the past few days, it had been inactive, thus preventing her from traveling.

"Isaac..." Holding it close, she muttered to herself in a low voice. "Where have you gone?"

"It's so lonely here..."

It had truly been a long time.

For five hundred years, she had been stuck in her own cage by her own people, kept less than a God, but more a symbol.

She could only visit the dreams of the people, but cannot physically leave her prison.

It was only through Isaac's invitation does she get to wander outside and see the world for what truly is, even if it meant she still couldn't come outside with her real body.

She had truly enjoyed her stay at the café these past few months. Together, with Isaac and the others, she had come to understand what it feels like to be with people who treat her close, like a warm family.

Indeed, she saw that little group of theirs in the café as family.

For her, as a god with no familial connections, that was the only respite she had in this cold, bleak world.

And it was given to her by none other than Isaac.

But now... It was different. She had once more returned to this cold prison of hers, devoid of the presence of others and the warmth of a family she had been giving.

"Like an illusion of the moon on the tranquil waters..." She said with a damped voice. "Everything fades once disturbed..."

Then, while still holding onto that Akasha Terminal whose origins she does not even know of, she hugged it close with her little arms wrapping around it.

She was the God of Wisdom. Naturally, she had also already known what Isaac was thinking of lately, but she dared not say anything to it.

People are entitled to their own decisions, and as the God governing over knowledge and wisdom, Nahida must be the advocate for that.

But still, as much as she honored that creed of hers, a certain part of her mind couldn't help but think otherwise.

A seed of desire has bloomed in her mind, one that yearned for that warmth of friendship and family.

"Please be safe, Isaac."

She muttered lowly before letting the old Akasha Terminal go, hiding it in a safe spot within the Akasha.

Following that, she looked at other terminals present, where some belonged to high ranking officials, some to commoners, while some to outsiders within Sumeru. And, with her paltry amount of powers, she commanded a few of them.

The God of Wisdom... Also yearned for Isaac's safety.

---

"Here's what I collected from the Maison Gardiennage."

Within the Palais Mermonia, inside the Chief Justice's office, the Champion Duelist, Clorinde, placed a few pages of paper down on the desk of the Iudex.

"Lately, the criminal rings within the Court of Fontaine have gone eerily silent. Even the smugglers entering and exiting the nation, which happen on a daily basis, are not seen lately either."

The Iudex of Fontaine, Neuvillette, picked up a few pages of papers and read them thoroughly. Then, he looked back up at her.

"Has it got to do with that Gherman fellow?"

Clorinde shook her head. "I can't verify it yet. He hasn't made any appearances for two week now, so it's hard to tell."

"Hm..."

Neuvillette grasped his chin as he pondered deeply about this matter. His mind drifted between many factors, but most of them stopped at a dead end with no other leads.

The conspicuous status of Fontaine's underworld has been making many officials uncomfortable as of late, especially with the rise of an infamous individual simply known as Gehrman who had taken down many crime rings and put them under his belt.

It was already no surprise for most to think that he's gathering all these rings to form a unified organization, but what his end goals are still remain unknown to many.

But Neuvillette, and a few sharp-minded others, already know that this was a consolidation of power. A method in which this individual can quickly rise to power and quite possibly incur a dangerous civil unrest or terrorism.

Yet his total silence and repressed actions have only inoculated speculation and wariness.

"I shall tell the Gardes to strengthen patrol. I believe that this façade of peace is but a mere prelude for what is to come."

"Something's coming?"

"Very much so. But as for what it is... I am still unclear of it."

After saying this, Neuvillette stood up from his seat and turned around, walking to the glass window behind him.

"We cannot afford to see another disaster like the incident with Poisson decades ago."

"Especially now, with Lady Furina's new situation."

Hearing this, Clorinde's expression shifted to that of a reticent curiosity. "You mean her lover? That Isaac?"

"Indeed," Neuvillette nodded. "This is an unprecedented occurrence. For five hundred years, Lady Furina had never once taken a lover, much less a mortal. This is a special occasion."

"As the Chief Justice of Fontaine, it is rightfully within my duty to not only safeguard and uphold peace and law, but also the nation's Archon's interests."

"As such..."

He then turned to Clorinde, his eyes narrowing down as his tone remained stern and even. And with a solemn statement, he uttered,

"For the sake of Lady Furina, and her lover, Fontaine must remain safe from disasters."

The Chief Justice, too, wanted to maintain that peace of which Isaac shares with Furina.

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