Chapter 132: Fanaticism

"Hmph, so you two followed us here? You're braver than I expected."

"As witnesses, until I verify things with the clan head, I'll spare you from being arrested on the spot."

"But… if it turns out what you said before was all slander, not only will you be unable to leave, you'll be charged with additional crimes. Understood?"

Lumine and Paimon exchanged a glance.

Lumine lifted her chin.

"Of course!"

Kujou Sara snorted coldly.

"Hmph. Good. Then let's go."

...

The moment Kujou Sara and Lumine stepped into the estate, they both immediately sensed something was off.

The Vision at her waist glowed faintly. In a flash, a sharp bow appeared in her hand.

Sure enough, a group of Kujou clan guards slowly emerged from the side corridor, tightly gripping various weapons—blades, spears, halberds—with unfriendly expressions as they closed in.

Kujou Sara stared them down expressionlessly, her voice cold as ice. "Are you… planning to rebel?"

One of the guards replied respectfully, "Lady Kujou Sara, the clan head has issued orders: no one is allowed to trespass here without permission."

Her violet pupils shimmered. Lightning crackled from the Vision at her side, and powerful Electro energy surged into her hand.

Behind her, a spectral image of the tengu faintly appeared.

With unwavering resolve, she declared, "Move aside. I must see the clan head. If not, don't blame me for what comes next!"

Still, the guards stood firm, refusing to back down.

Kujou Sara sneered and barked, "Thousandfold Thunderflash!"

In an instant, several brilliant arcs of lightning shot from her hand, blasting a few of the guards directly away from her path.

"Stop right there, Sara! Have you lost your mind? How dare you defy my orders!"

The Kujou clan head, Kujou Takayuki, stormed out of the inner chamber, drawn by the commotion.

Kujou Sara retracted her elemental energy.

"…Clan head."

Lumine was visibly anxious on the side.

"Ask him already! Don't let his presence shut you down!"

"Hmph… Lord Takayuki, I've seen the reports to the Tenryou Commission and the letters sent to the Fatui. I demand an explanation!"

Takayuki's eyes widened.

"So those missing documents… you were the one who took them? Hmph…"

Kujou Sara tightened her grip on her bow and stepped forward.

"Then I can take your words to mean… those documents were indeed authored by you, not forgeries?"

"Tell me, clan head. Tell me—has the Tenryou Commission truly betrayed the Shogunate?"

Takayuki folded his arms, making no attempt to deny it.

"Hmph… I have indeed been in contact with the Fatui. And yes, those documents were written by me."

That blunt admission caught Lumine completely off guard.

Even Paimon was stunned. "He just admitted it like that?!"

Takayuki continued.

"All we had to do was help implement the Vision Hunt Decree, and we'd receive everything the Snezhnayan envoy promised…"

"Many have long coveted the Kujou clan's position. Countless houses want to see us fall."

"By siding with a foreign power, we gain their full support—and the Vision Hunt Decree weakens our rivals."

"I saw it as a worthwhile deal. There was simply no need to tell you, Sara."

Kujou Sara looked shaken.

"You… you always said you revered the Shogun. How can you speak of betrayal so casually?!"

"They're the ones being used by me. What can the Fatui really do?"

"Here in Inazuma, once the thunder falls, they're nothing but trembling wax ants. They wouldn't dare make a move."

"Because—"

"We have the unparalleled Raiden Shogun. We have Musou no Hitotachi!"

Lumine couldn't help but mutter, "Honestly, it feels like he worships the Shogun's martial prowess—and that Musuo no Hitotachi of hers—more than the Shogun herself. He's practically fanatical."

Kujou Sara hung her head in disappointment.

"But clan head… what about your loyalty?"

"Ever since I was taken in by the Kujou clan, it was you who taught me the way of loyalty and duty…"

"So now I see. What you wanted was only for me to be loyal to the Kujou clan—not to justice or to the Shogunate."

"All your so-called principles… they were just a cover for your ugliness and selfishness!"

Takayuki looked confused.

"Selfish? I've been protecting the eternity of the Kujou clan. I believe the Shogun will understand. So would the former clan head…"

Lumine raised her hands in exasperation.

"Not to be rude, but you Kujou types are seriously overestimating yourselves. The Fatui aren't as easy to handle as you think."

But she knew talking more wouldn't help. What mattered now was Kujou Sara's decision.

"I've doubted myself too… Wondered if enforcing the Vision Hunt Decree was truly right. Even if it went against my own sense of justice."

"But I made my choice. As long as that path was pointed out by the Shogun, I would follow it to the end. Who was I to judge right from wrong?"

"Only now do I see—there is no end to the road to eternity. And that path… has long since been defiled by your selfishness."

"That's why I must speak out. At the very least, I owe my unwavering conviction a proper resolution."

Takayuki pointed a trembling finger at her, furious.

"You… you're stubborn to the core! Wasting your time!"

"Hmph! Then go! But don't think for a moment that you can shake the Kujou clan's standing. The current order won't change just because of you."

"The Shogun is at the Tenshukaku right now, meeting a Snezhnayan envoy—her excellency, the Fatui Harbinger known as La Signora."

"Signora?!"

Lumine and Paimon looked at each other in shock.

Didn't she already get the Gnosis and return to Snezhnaya with Shajin? Why is she still here?

Kujou Sara, with rage brewing in her chest, was glad to have a new target.

"The envoy from Snezhnaya… perfect. Let her try to leave Inazuma unscathed!"

Paimon tugged on Lumine's arm.

"Lumine, let's go too!"

"I know, Paimon, stop pulling!"

Along the way, they passed several unconscious soldiers of the Shogunate sprawled across the path.

Paimon couldn't help but comment, "Did Kujou Sara seriously just blast her way through here?!"

...

Inside the Tenshukaku.

"One after another, barging in like a stampede…"

"If I didn't know this was the Tenshukaku, I'd think it was some crowded street market."

La Signora glanced at the fallen Kujou Sara at her feet.

"Finally, some peace and quiet~"

_

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