Hakuya Dōdō cautiously moistened his lips. One wrong word, and he would face the old woman’s wrath. He feared that above all else.
“That’s right, Grandma. The guy’s just some small fry who can’t even use mana. Plus, he’s unlicensed. They say he couldn’t even pass the Exorcist exam.”
“Then why is Ikaku Akamuro not yet dead!”
“Th-that’s… Just leave it to me, Grandma. I’ll kill him.”
Sakaki turned to Hakuya. She stepped right up to him and straightened the collar of his white shirt.
Hakuya managed a strained smile, his expression tense. Sakaki placed a hand on the back of his neck to hold him in place, then drove her fist into his stomach.
Hakuya doubled over and collapsed. The strength was incredible, coming from her frail, withered frame.
“Gah! Cough!”
“My grandson. Do you know what kind of man Retsu was? He was a man to be trusted. A man with a dream to build an army of Demon soldiers. He was a meticulous man. And even he could not defeat Ikaku Akamuro. Did you hear me? They were wiped out, every last one of them. So tell me, my grandson. What makes you think you can do it?”
The old woman’s question was grave.
Hakuya clutched his stomach and pulled himself to his feet.
“Ikaku Akamuro is just a man of flesh and blood. He’s been fighting all night. He must be covered in wounds. You know how it is, Grandma. A mere human is fragile.”
“Hm. I see. That is… not a bad line of reasoning. He must be injured. Grievously so, I imagine.”
“See? And don’t forget, Grandma. I’m a genius, remember?”
A smile played on Sakaki’s lips.
It was not a sneer. She knew that Hakuya was one of those people with an extraordinary talent for almost everything. His aptitude for mana, of course, was second to none.
For all his laziness, his abilities were exceptionally high.
“Very well, my grandson. I’m trusting you. I expect you to be the one to do it. Kill Ikaku Akamuro. You may use our forces as you see fit.”
“Thank you, Grandma.”
Sakaki and the ritualists returned to their ceremony. Hakuya and the mercenary captain ascended from the sanctuary on the lair’s lowest level, moving to the middle floors.
“If I piss Grandma off any more, she’ll actually kill me. Hey. You want to avenge Shido, too, right? Then back me up.”
“Fine. I’ll round up our forces. Meet me at the entrance in five minutes.”
“Make it ten. I have my own people to gather.”
Hakuya shrugged off his heavy robe and headed briskly toward a particular room. It was a guest room of sorts, one reserved for lodging outsiders.
He knocked on the door, and a voice called back, “Come on in~.”
Hakuya shoved the door open without a shred of courtesy.