It turned out that Thoma had invited the Traveler to "Komore Teahouse," but he hadn't provided her with permission to leave Ritou.
Left with no choice, the Traveler could only approach the Kanjou Commissioner to obtain the permit.
This Kanjou Commissioner was clearly not as foolish as his subordinates.
Though he also disliked the Traveler and had no intention of granting her permission to leave Ritou, at least he was "subtle" about it.
Instead of outright refusing, he praised the Traveler, promising to give her a pass as long as she fulfilled his requests—making it seem like a reasonable demand.
However, the tasks he assigned were clearly designed to delay her. Even after completing them, there would likely be more requests, all to stall her indefinitely.
Fortunately, there's always a turning point. While Hiiragi Shinsuke didn't want the Traveler to leave Ritou, his daughter seemed to be "making eyes" at her.
Later, she even sent someone to deliver an envelope to the Traveler, inviting her to meet at night.
[Hiiragi Chisato, somewhat shy: "Ah, you've finally come… I… I'm Hiiragi Chisato. Pleased to meet you."]
[Lumine: "Likewise, pleased to meet you."]
[Hiiragi Chisato quickly waved her hands: "No need… no need to be so polite. I've long admired your deeds, and I finally found this opportunity."]
[Paimon: "Huh? Why does the atmosphere feel a bit strange?"]
[Hiiragi Chisato, blushing, spoke cautiously: "The reason I wanted to meet secretly is… I was afraid that if I missed this chance, I might never get to speak with you again…"]
Not only Paimon found it odd—even the readers felt something was off.
"I'm a botanist, so this must be yuri, right?"
Shinnojou's heart skipped a beat. "No way… does the young lady like women?"
However, Miss Hiiragi wasn't planning to confess or go on a date with the Traveler. She, too, had a request—to deliver a letter. Unlike her father, she only asked the Traveler to send one.
Shinnojou sighed in relief. "Thank goodness, the young lady doesn't like women."
Meanwhile, the Traveler's heart sank. "Oh no, now Miss Hiiragi can't 'secretly meet' me anymore. How am I supposed to leave Ritou?"
Indeed, upon reading this, Hiiragi Shinsuke immediately ordered his daughter to be confined.
Another noteworthy detail: Hiiragi Chisato revealed that a haughty woman had spoken with her father.
Their discussion revolved around how to keep the Traveler trapped in Ritou, and her father had acted with extreme deference during the conversation.
This time, Signora wasn't angry—because she had actually done it. No false accusations here.
But the people of Inazuma were furious. As one of the Tri-Commission, Hiiragi Shinsuke should only show such reverence to the Shogun. How dare he bow to someone else?!
The people of Inazuma could tolerate the Kanjou Commission temporarily confining the Traveler in Ritou, but they could not accept this man showing deference to anyone other than the Almighty Shogun.
"I can't read this for even a second longer! This is disrespect to the Shogun!"
"Kanjou Commission…" Kujou Sara was deeply displeased.
"As one of the Tri-Commission, your loyalty should belong solely to the Shogun. Who else in this world deserves such reverence from you?"
She didn't yet know that her own clan's Tenryou Commission wasn't much better.
Without even reading further, the people of Ritou were already in an uproar, and even those outside Ritou were buzzing with discussion.
Though some of the Shogun's decisions might be questionable, the people's reverence for the Narukami Ogosho had never wavered.
"You, as one of the Tri-Commission, holding a third of Inazuma's highest authority—how dare you show such deference to someone other than the Shogun?!"
"Fine. The more you obey her, the more we'll defy you! The Traveler must leave Ritou!"
"Otherwise, we'll—start an uprising!"
Meanwhile, the Traveler on the ship was still worrying about how to leave Ritou. "I can't just fight my way out, right? I'd get a bounty…"
Though the Lumine in the story was often wanted, the real Traveler—thanks to Lucian's prophecies clearing her name early—had a smooth journey so far, free from bounties.
So she pondered how to leave without causing a scene, only to realize that Thoma's route was her only option.
But leaving Ritou was the test Thoma gave her! Could she really skip it?
Little did she know, Inazuma was already in chaos—her departure from Ritou was practically guaranteed now, no letter delivery needed.
While some Inazumans set the book aside to protest, others kept reading—like Shinnojou, who discovered he appeared in the story.
When Hiiragi Chisato left Ritou, he served as one of her guards.
[Hiiragi Chisato: "Wait—this shipment… is it bound for Watatsumi Island?"]
[Shinnojou: "Young Lady! What are you doing here? You're correct. This is a shipment the Kanjou Commissioner specifically ordered to be delivered intact to Watatsumi Island."]
Watatsumi Island! Another bombshell!
Watatsumi Island and Inazuma were currently hostile. Yet one of the Tri-Commission was conducting dealings with them?!
Kujou Sara was thrilled—this was exactly the Tenryou Commission's jurisdiction.
Earlier, she was merely dissatisfied with the Kanjou Commission's behavior, but now? This was outright suspicion of collusion—grounds for arrest.
Given the prophecy book's influence, it could even serve as direct evidence.
And even without the book, traces would remain. Shipping goods from Ritou to Watatsumi would leave evidence—it's just that no one had investigated this angle before.
After all, who'd expect someone wielding a third of the nation's power to collude with the enemy?
Even if it wasn't material aid, trade alone was unacceptable. "Who do you think you are?"
"It's over. Completely over." Hiiragi Shinsuke clutched his head, as if suffering a splitting headache.
Forget his position—once this was exposed, a lifetime in prison wouldn't be enough. He never expected Lucian to write about Inazuma so soon.
"Inazuma's in lockdown! Why would you bother writing about it?!"
Though it was his daughter who revealed the information, Hiiragi Shinsuke didn't blame her—these were his own decisions.
He knew the risks when he chose his side for profit. He just didn't expect the fallout to come so quickly.
"Sigh… at least I confined Chisato. She probably hasn't seen the contents yet…" Hiiragi Shinsuke muttered.
"Someone, burn every copy of this book! The Hiiragi Clan must not have a single one!" he ordered.
At the very least, his daughter mustn't see it—or she might blame herself.
The Hiiragi retainers obeyed without question. After all, Shinsuke was still the clan head.
But his reign wouldn't last much longer. Once the Tenryou Commission came to arrest him, other clans would vie for power.
Meanwhile, at the Tenryou Commission, Kujou Sara stared at the Kujou Clan head in disbelief.
She proposed investigating and arresting the Kanjou Commissioner—but the Tenryou Commissioner, the Kujou Clan head, refused.
"Is this really the Kujou Clan head? Are you afraid of the Kanjou Commission… or the master behind him?"
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice-Over · Kujou Sara: About the Kujou Clan Head
"Lord Clan Head… you haven't betrayed the Shogun, have you?"
"If you truly have… then let me perform your seppuku myself."