Sword That Kills Gods

But... but why?

Shouldn't I have known long ago that saying something like this would surely make Makoto despise me?

No one would be willing to risk their life just for the feelings of a cursed woman...

No, I should say that I absolutely cannot let Makoto keep getting this close to me. If I truly lose control of my feelings for Makoto, it will bring him tremendous trouble and danger!

But why do I feel so sad? Why does it feel like something important is about to be lost forever...

Tears unconsciously welled from Ise Nanao's lowered eyes, falling almost one after another onto the unfamiliar yet familiar "Divine Sword: Mirror of the Eight Realms" in her arms.

Unwilling to show Chiba Makoto even the slightest sign of weakness, or any expression that might soften his heart, Ise Nanao clenched her teeth tightly and struggled not to let out even a faint sob. Even her delicate face had nearly crumpled from crying.

Yet at that moment, Chiba Makoto, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly said with deep emotion, "Nanao, your mother... truly was remarkable."

Ise Nanao froze.

"Having suffered the pain of losing the one she loved, yet refusing to surrender to it or accept it as natural, instead doing everything in her power to give you an entirely different fate... she truly was an exceptionally great mother."

Chiba Makoto's tone carried admiration and respect.

Within the aristocratic class of the Seireitei, which had once been steeped in Respira at every turn, Ise Nanao's mother could be called enlightened and great.

It was like someone in the old era of Chiba Makoto's previous life, an age filled with rigid etiquette and outdated customs, doing everything possible to ensure her daughter would not have to bind her