Chapter 201 - Mother Fox’s Chastisement

“Kikyou, are you acquainted with Dragon God-sama?”

“Rather than an acquaintance…”

Kikyou drew closer to my ear and explained their circumstances in a whisper that only I could hear.

“This one had been the weakest colored dragon in the past. He was always bullied, so he ran away, escaping into the Sacred Mountain, which was this concubine’s abode.”

Kikyou took pity on the crying red dragon, so she looked after him for several hundreds of years, until he became powerful enough that no one could no longer treat him as a fool.

In short, Kikyou became a mother figure to Dragon God-sama.”

“By the way, he said that he is now a deity. It would be a pity if his believers were to learn this fact about him, so can you please keep it a secret?”

“Y-yup. Got it.”

“Thank you very much. Besides, he is a deity. He is surely having a hard time dealing with his anger, since he must have felt betrayed by the person who received power from him.”

Ryuka was kneeling on the floor. Kikyou said that while glancing at the girl.

Dragon God-sama wanted to retract the role of being the Dragon’s Shrine Maiden from Ryuka, because she didn’t stop me when I attacked him.

As for me, I planned to accept it even if she stopped being the Dragon Shrine’s Maiden, if that meant that she wouldn’t be hurt.

Ryuka’s Resurrection spell that could restore objects was very handy, but I didn’t marry her to obtain that skill, after all.

Even if she wasn’t the Dragon’s Shrine Maiden, Ryuka was still Ryuka.

If she was willing to be with me, then I wanted to protect her from hereon — that was what I thought.

“Sekiryuu said that he will take away that girl’s Divine Role, but I can see how strong that girl’s faith towards the Sekiryuu is. It will be a waste if such a faithful heart is lost. That’s why, please let this concubine handle this matter and calm the situation.”

Kikyou was the one who raised Dragon God-sama, so I also want to leave it to her if she’s willing to do something about this.”

“Can I request it?”

“Please leave it to me, Halt-sama.”

Kikyou left me with a bewitching smile on her face.

She drew closer to Ryuka, who was still bowing with her head on the floor, and squatted before her.

“Ryuka, is it?”

“Y-yes.”

“Please raise your head.”

“.....Yes.”

Kikyou gazed into Ryuka’s eyes.

Ryuka was captivated, and she couldn’t tear her eyes off the woman.

I took a peek at the flow of mana, and it seemed that Kikyou was reading Ryuka’s mind.

“Hm. You hold such deep faith towards the Sekiryuu. Despite that, you weren’t able to stop Halt earlier, but that was only because you were so shocked that you couldn’t move your body, am I right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“In that case, you are not to be blamed.”

“B-but, it’s a fact that I didn’t move to save Dragon God-sama!!”

“Indeed. It’s not your fault, but nevertheless, your heart is weak. Even if you carry such deep faith to the deity, you do not possess enough force of will to be able to stop a person from injuring the deity, so you must still be punished.”

Kikyou suddenly raised her arm, then she hit Ryuka’s head with a balled fist.

“Urk!?”

Ryuka clutched her head; it looked really painful.

“Forge your emotional strength, and obtain the power necessary to protect the people that you must protect.”

“I-I understand.”

“And, the problem lies with you.”

Kikyou turned towards Hakua.

“Hiiii!”

Bloodlust flowed out of Kikyou, totally different from when she was dealing with Ryuka.

“I already read your mind arbitrarily. You are the reason for this mess, are you not?”

“T-that’s right.”

Hakua was trembling all over as she bowed her head.

“Raise your head.”

“....Yes.”

“It’ll be more painful than Ryuka, okay?”

“Higyuu!!”

Hakua screamed louder than when Ryuka was hit as Kikyou brought her fist down with a greater force.

“I understand how joyous it is for a beloved person to desperately do everything in order to protect us. I sympathize with you a little when I read your thoughts. However —”

“—!?”

Kikyou pinched both of Hakua’s cheeks.

“Apologize and be deeply remorseful for what you have done to the Master that taught you how to fight.”

“D-dor-dorey”

Hakua spoke while big drops of tears fell on her cheeks, but it’s hard to understand what she’s saying while Kikyou pinched her cheeks.

She was probably saying “S-sorry”, I guess….

However, Kikyou seemed satisfied with Hakua’s apology because she released her cheeks.

Nine-tailed foxes were a race that was well-attuned to the thoughts of other people.

She smiled and stroked Hakua’s cheeks before standing up.

She then addressed the Dragon God who was still kneeling on the floor.

“Just as you have seen, both are reflecting on their actions deeply. This concubine has punished them. You will now forgive them, will you not?”

“Eh, no, but…”

“What is it? These tender young maidens are already crying rivers of tears while begging for your forgiveness, and yet you won’t do so?”

“B-but because of those two I was —”

“So you want to continue holding on to your grudges just because these two young girls didn’t save you? Since when have you become such a coward? Are you really a deity in that state?”

“Ugh…”

The Dragon God could raise his voice for a bit; he couldn’t even retort to Kikyou.

“Moreover, your divine flesh had been rendered immobile after being thoroughly beaten by just a mere human all on his own...How pathetic.”

“That’s because Halt is abnormal!! He’s a Bakemono* that can even interfere with the Divine Characters, so there’s no way he’s just a mere human!!!”

“Well, that is indeed true.”

Kikyou whispered really softly.

The Dragon God probably didn’t hear it.

“Anyway, hush. Let’s beat that cowardly attitude out of your system.”

Kikyou stretched her hand towards the Dragon God.

“N-no way, you’re not going to do that to me, right!?”

It seemed that he had an inkling as to what she was about to do.

The Dragon God hurriedly stood up and tried to escape.

But —

Kikyou’s hand was faster. She touched the Dragon God’s head.

The Dragon God’s body was frozen, still posed to runaway after standing up, as if time had stopped for him.

“K-Kikyou? W-what on earth did you do to Dragon God-sama?”

“Oh, it’s not something significant. This concubine merely confined him inside a Mind Space, a place where he had to fight an opponent that is as powerful as he is. Well, it’s not really Sekiryuu’s fault, so I will let him out after ten minutes have passed.”

“O, oh…”

Even if it was just ten minutes, constantly battling it out with someone as powerful as you sounded like it’s hard.

“A day in the Mind Space is equivalent to a minute of this world, though.”

“Hm? Did you say something?”

Kikyou mumbled, but I didn’t catch what she said.

“Fufufu, it’s nothing, Halt-sama.”