-97- Definitely wouldn't admit

————"Fire-rat Summoning."

This was a magic that Rozen had learned after arriving in this world. If Domon Hinowa, Kamo Subaru, and Yuge Mutsura saw the fiery red rat hidden in the flames, they would surely exclaim in surprise. After all, the fiery red rat was a creature only found in legends.

The Fire-rat, also known as the Fire-light Beast, was a legendary rat that lived in the volcanoes of the southern region of ancient China. It resided in the ever-burning trees known as the Unburnable Trees.

According to legends, when in the fire, their bodies were fiery red, and when they emerged, they turned white. Once they touched water upon leaving the fire, they would perish.

These rats could survive in flames, and their fur would remain unscathed even when exposed to fire. Many people sought the fur of the Fire-rat, known as the Fire-rat Fur, but it was nearly impossible to find.

In this far eastern island nation of japan, the Fire-rat Fur also appeared in Japan's legendary tale "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter," where Princess Kaguya proposed that whoever could acquire one of the five rarest items in the world would become her husband. One of these items was the Fire-rat Fur.

Now, Rozen had used the "Fire-rat Summoning" magic to summon this legendary creature. With the fiery rat by his side, any flame posed no threat to him.

Relying on the fiery rat, Rozen chose to detonate all the Gokuraku butterflies within the shrine and defeat the Enenra. Without the fiery rat to rely on, Rozen wouldn't have chosen this tactic, which was akin to both parties perishing together. Of course, there was no need for Rozen to explain this.

"I just used all my magic and used 'Magic Barrier' to protect myself," was the only explanation Rozen gave. Although this explanation had many loopholes, the people here were all ten-year-old children, so they couldn't think too far ahead.

As a result, Rozen brushed off the question like that.

The group stood before the burning shrine, gazing at the charred remains.

"Didn't expect that we actually defeated Enenra."

"If father finds out, he'll surely be shocked!"

Kamo Subaru and Yuge Mutsura expressed their thoughts, one sentence at a time.

"I wonder when the fire will go out, as long as it doesn't spread to the entire Forbidden Area."

Domon Hinowa worried about that.

Only Rozen and Akabane Raishin stood there, nonchalant, watching everything happen without any concern.

"By the way," Akabane Raishin suddenly remembered something and said, "What happened to the token?"

With that one sentence, the entire group fell silent. Rozen remained silent as well. After a while, he spoke expressionlessly, "Do you think a mere token could remain intact in such a huge fire?"

His simple words left everyone speechless. Then...

"What... What do you mean!?" The group exclaimed in shock.

"You... You jerk! You didn't mention it would turn out like this before, did you!?"

"Yeah! How are you going to compensate us!?"

Kamo Subaru and Yuge Mutsura were furious, grabbing Rozen by the collar.

"Stop it! Subaru! Mutsura!" Domon Hinowa hurriedly stepped forward to stop them, looking anxious.

Only Akabane Raishin remained, muttering somewhat helplessly, "This is bad. Now that even the tokens are gone, I wonder how father will react when he finds out."

Akabane Raishin, who often caused trouble, seemed to have a premonition about this.

On the other hand, Rozen spoke nonchalantly, "Even though the tokens are gone, we still managed to defeat Enenra. If the adults learn about this outcome, they surely won't hold us responsible, right?"

That's what Rozen said.

Indeed, if neither Rozen nor Akabane Raishin obtained a token during the trial, it would undoubtedly damage the reputation of the Akabane clan. Perhaps that's why the Izanagi clan placed a Enenra, a high-level Shikigami, in front of the shrine.

However, if the fact that they defeated Enenra spread, then it would be a different story altogether.

"Being able to defeat Enenra proves our abilities. Presumably, even without obtaining the tokens, the adults will have nothing to say about the results, right?"

Rozen's opinion was quite reasonable.

However, Akabane Raishin didn't seem content with it, and neither did Yuge Mutsura. Kamo Subaru was also unwilling to accept it.

"Damn it! If I knew it would end like this, I wouldn't have come in the first place."

Kamo Subaru was extremely displeased.

The fact that they defeated Enenra was undoubtedly shocking to the adults, but it only achieved fame for the Akabane clan. After all, Kamo Subaru's original plan was to obtain the tokens, tarnish the reputation of the Akabane clan, and use the opportunity to make Domon Kira take back the marriage proposal.

Now, even though they didn't obtain the tokens, the fact that they defeated Enenra would elevate Rozen and Akabane Raishin's status.

Although Domon Hinowa, Kamo Subaru, and Yuge Mutsura also contributed to this achievement, it was still highly impressive for a group of ten-year-olds to defeat a Shikigami of Enenra's caliber.

In the end, Rozen and Akabane Raishin would be highly regarded and no longer underestimated.

As for their own group having accomplished the same thing, receiving praise from the adults of Izanagi clan wouldn't make any difference. Even if they were praised and highly regarded, it wouldn't have any impact on the arranged marriage.

Instead of that, it would be better to give up from the beginning and let the trial end in complete failure.

"Ahhhh! This is so frustrating!" Kamo Subaru exclaimed, pounding his chest and stomping his feet in frustration.

"Gosh..." Yuge Mutsura sighed, not knowing what else to say.

"Let it go. Since things turned out this way, there's nothing we can do about it," Akabane Raishin said, taking it in stride.

Originally, he never wanted to obtain the token, nor did he consider the reputation of the Akabane clan. Among the group, he was the most relaxed about the situation.

On the other hand, Domon Hinowa felt a faint sense of disappointment, for some reason.

"If only Nuragami-sama had obtained the token..." She was surprised by the thought that crossed her mind and blushed, unable to look at Rozen.

Unexpectedly, Domon Hinowa had missed a golden opportunity.

If she had been paying attention to Rozen, she might have noticed him secretly sliding a talisman out of his sleeve and tossing it into the nearby flames, where it burned to ashes.

"This should be something to celebrate about, right?" Rozen stretched lazily.

According to his original plan, even if he found the token, he would discreetly slip it into Akabane Raishin's pocket, completing his initial scheme and leaving the decision to Izanagi clan. They would most likely choose Akabane Raishin as a son-in-law, while he himself was just here for a visit.

However, now Rozen had changed his mind.

"Regardless of whether we found the token or not, with the accomplishment of defeating Enenra, Izanagi clan won't be able to mock the Akabane clan. Obtaining the token is irrelevant," Rozen thought to himself.

He absolutely wouldn't admit that he felt a little unwilling to push Domon Hinowa to Akabane Raishin, which led to his current choice.

No, he definitely wouldn't admit it.