"Understood!"
The Yotsuba Family, a premier magical power in Japan, immediately mobilized at the behest of their head, Yotsuba Maya.
Even the heads of the branch families, who usually sought Shiba Tatsuya's death, uncharacteristically refrained from dragging their feet and searched for his whereabouts with all their might.
Because what they wanted to see was a truly dead Shiba Tatsuya, not a monster who might have broken his Vow and was now free of all restraints.
Therefore, confirming Shiba Tatsuya's current state was a necessity for them.
Just like now, the moment William returned to his home, a video call from Retsu Kudou was already connected.
"Grandfather, is something the matter?"
William greeted him casually, making no attempt to hide Shiba Tatsuya, who stood behind him like a statue.
"As expected, Shiba Tatsuya has already reached you!"
Seeing Shiba Tatsuya behind William, Retsu Kudou showed no surprise, instead wearing a look of "as I thought."
When Yotsuba Maya had contacted him, she had at most probed from the sidelines, never once implying in her words that Kudo Mitsunobu was the culprit.
After all, in Yotsuba Maya's eyes, let alone Retsu Kudou's grandson, even if Retsu Kudou himself took the field, he wouldn't be enough to fight Shiba Tatsuya alone.
The reason for this call was merely to casually inquire about the Kudo Family's intentions in meeting with Shiba Tatsuya.
One had to know, although Yotsuba Maya was certain in her heart that the attacker was not the Kudo Family, the incident had, after all, been triggered by William's desire to speak with Shiba Tatsuya.
"What is his current state? It feels quite strange."
Retsu Kudou asked with some curiosity.
In the past, during the Nine Schools Competition, Retsu Kudou had been very curious about Shiba Tatsuya, and afterward, he had