I was sitting in the grand hall of the Mitsurugi residence, facing my father.

Of course, by facing each other, we weren’t sitting knee to knee in confrontation. He was in the seat of honor, and I was in a lower seat, almost as if being looked down upon.

Moreover, on both sides, renowned flag warriors were lined up, glaring at me with hostility and murderous intent, making me feel like a criminal led to the scaffold.

Well, considering the circumstances that led to this, it was natural for me to be treated almost like a criminal. In fact, it could be said that the Mitsurugi family was showing restraint by not attacking me all at once.

What I had done was to demand that the Mitsurugi family, who had guarded the Demon Gate for three hundred years by imperial decree, hand it over to their sworn enemies, the Kijin.

In this instance, I was the one who had picked a fight with the Mitsurigi family first. This fight was almost synonymous with a declaration of war.

The reason I did such a thing was to bring the Mitsurugi family to the negotiating table.

Let me explain.

I had the duty to tell the Mitsurugi family to hand over the Demon Gate as an envoy of the Kijin. As mentioned before, this matter was synonymous with a declaration of war for the Mitsurugi family, and no matter how friendly I tried to negotiate, the moment I mentioned the matter, negotiations would break down, and it would lead to a fight.

So, I confronted them with the matter first. Naturally, the Mitsurugi family would be enraged. They would see me as an enemy and attempt to kill me.

Then, I would thoroughly defeat their attackers, showcasing our strength. No matter how many assailants came, I would crush them all. This would eventually force the Mitsurugi family to listen to us.

The aim was to drag them into negotiations after presenting an issue equivalent to a declaration of war.

I had given potions to Ragna and Lucius, who came to kill me, for this reason. It was natural for the two of them, or rather, including Zenon, the three of them, to come to kill me. However, killing them would interfere with the next negotiation.

After crushing them, I would show mercy. This would clearly highlight the difference in power between us, providing material to drag the Mitsurugi family into negotiations. In fact, the Mitsurugi family’s decision not to come for a another attack was probably because they judged that it would be meaningless and would only lead to being defeated by me again.

― Well, the real reason I gave them the potion was that I didn’t want to kill Ragna and be hated by Lady Emma! Lucius was just a bonus. The negotiation thing I mentioned isn’t a lie, but the former reason is more significant.

Anyway, I was invited into this grand hall, and so far, things are going as planned.

Whether things will continue to go as I wish, only the gods know.

“Sora, it seems you have found a worthy master, or perhaps a rival to compete with.”

The first words from the Sword Saint were just that.

I slightly furrowed my brows, surprised that the first words from the head of the Mitsurugi family were neither about the Kijin nor about the Demon Gate.

However, there was no need to hide anything. I responded politely while maintaining a formal seated posture.

“It’s true that I’ve found an opponent with whom I can compete with all my might. But whether to call them a master or a friend, I’m not sure.”

Yes.

There’s Kagari, the youngest brother who comes by every day suggesting we have a death match, and Dooga, the second son, who claims to be loosening up his stiff body from military duties but is actually challenging me to death matches. Whether I should call them friends or masters, I don’t know.

Aren’t they basically trying to kill me?

Though not as frequent as these two, the third son Hakuro also often shows up to challenge me to death matches, standing on his hands and spinning his legs like a top, trying to slice me up. Life in the demon world is full of thrills and suspense.

Even Azuma, the one I thought was sane, driven by his younger brothers, challenged me and, when about to lose, would forcibly activate his soul equipment to draw the fight – quite the sore loser.

To explain, Azuma’s soul equipment, “Chaos,” has the ability to deprive all living beings in the vicinity, including Azuma, of their five senses. At least, that’s how I interpret it. Once hit by it, it’s impossible to continue fighting.

Well, thanks to experiencing this sensory deprivation multiple times, my senses have become much sharper than they were a month ago. Now, even under the influence of Chaos, I can somewhat manage to fight.

Whether I simply got used to being deprived of my senses or my sixth sense developed as a result of continuous deprivation, I don’t know.

What I do know is that my intuition has become remarkably sharper, both in everyday life and in battle. Klimt often praises me as a “monster,” and neither Claira nor Ursula deny it.

Klimt and the others tried to do the same, but it didn’t work out. According to Azuma, frequently being exposed to the ability of Chaos can drive people insane, and I am quite fortunate to have it turn out positively.

Although I can’t complain to Azuma since I was warned initially, I still think that the Nakayama brothers were trying to kill me.

Oops, I got lost in thought.

Refocusing on my father’s face, I lifted the corners of my lips into a sly smile to advance the conversation.

“However, it’s true that thanks to the Kijin, I’ve learned things I never knew before.”

I intended it as provocation, but my father didn’t show the slightest disturbance.

My father’s gaze indicated that he was not indifferent to my words. His lack of disturbance suggested that he was confident he could handle whatever I said, believing that no matter what I revealed, he could cope with it.

In reality, even if I spoke the truth about what happened three hundred years ago, nobody would listen. Most of what I knew came from hearsay from Pope Sofia. And with the pope dead and no evidence left, it would be more difficult to believe me.

But I knew that from the beginning.

What’s important for me is the fact that the story about the Mitsurugi family’s founder sealing the demon god in the Demon Gate three hundred years ago is a complete lie, and even if I defeat the Sword Saint, no calamity will spill out from the Demon Gate.

Whether the Mitsurugi family believes me or not, it doesn’t matter.

Therefore, I was not shaken by my father’s unprovoked demeanor.

I simply thought this:

― Ah, so father indeed knows about the events of three hundred years ago. Despite knowing, he still proclaimed to his subordinates and sons that “the Mitsurugi family is the sword that protects humanity.”

I had no proof. It was just a deduction from my father’s overly calm attitude.

What my father saw in my gaze, I do not know, but he smiled as if amused. It had been a long time since I saw my father this happy. It must be the first time since my mother’s death.

Then my father spoke.

“So, Sora, now that you’ve learned things you didn’t know before, what will you do, siding with the Kijin? Regardless of what you say, I hardly think the Mitsurugi family will hand over the Demon Gate.”

“I intend to argue my case with reason and if that fails, I am prepared to force my point with strength.”

“A roundabout approach, Sora. Your eyes have already cut the drawn the sword.”

My becoming an envoy for the Kijin was not for negotiation, but for battle. My father had seen through me, as if reading the palm of his hand, understanding that I was fully prepared to fight from the beginning.

It’s not surprising.

The man before me is Sword Saint Mitsurugi Shikibu, the strongest swordsman on Demon Island and the greatest in the world. It’s only natural that he could see through the depths of my immature heart.

I chuckled unintentionally, feeling a tremor in my throat. No, not just my throat, my entire body was trembling.

The trembling, too strong to be simply the excitement of a warrior, was the prelude to the intense emotions I had been suppressing, now threatening to overflow.

“――Someday, I will surely return. I will acquire the strength to fight on this island and come back.”

Those were my repeated thoughts on the boat when I was exiled from the island five years ago.

It was a vow to show them one day. To show Gozu, Cecil, Ragna, Ayaka, and above all, to show my father who exiled his son and never showed his face.

――Finally, that time has come.

Driven by an overwhelming sense of liberation that made my spine tingle, I opened my mouth to fulfill the duty entrusted to me as an envoy.

“I ask you as an envoy of the Chuuzan Kingdom, which governs the demon realm. Descendants of Mitsurugi Shin, who three hundred years ago usurped the Kijin’s achievement of slaying the dragon and falsely claimed to be the savior-hero, do you acknowledge the founder’s wrongdoings and have the intention to hand over the Demon Gate?”

“No. The Mitsurugi family descends from the Sword Saint who sealed the demon god three hundred years ago, a house of warriors. We cannot accept any words that deny this.”

“Then, we shall shatter that deception and falsehood not with words, but with force. With this moment, the Chuuzan Kingdom declares war on the Mitsurugi family!”

The moment I declared this, I could tell several flag warriors raised their voices in anger and leapt towards me.

Gozu and the Twin Pillars were also starting to move.

While focusing on my father, the Sword Saint, I opened my mouth to fend off the imminent threats.

“Kaaahhh!!”

It was not the basic Kei technique, Kei Blast.

It was merely a display of my own Kei, uncolored and scattered around, hardly more than a child’s play, too modest even to be called intimidation.

Yet, it stopped the flag warriors who had begun to move.

In the deadly silent grand hall, I calmly stated.

“I only wish to fight the Sword Saint. All others should stand back.”

Hearing this, my father twisted his mouth into a grin within my field of vision.

It was a sinister smile, reminiscent of a crescent moon floating in the dark night.