The Exorcist from Lotharingia Attacks

Yukina Himeragi: "..."

The girl did not respond, but simply kept her head down and remained silent.

The black cat in front of her was not her master herself, but her master's summoned demon, who connected with the black cat through a secret technique and sent its consciousness down.

Yuantang Yuan should still be in the High God Forest.

The black cat didn't seem to care much about Yukina's silence. It chuckled and raised its front paw with a human-like gesture, as if stroking Yukina's flowing hair from afar.

"... I've read your report, and things have indeed gotten very bad."

"Yes, Master. It's all Yukina's fault, all caused by Yukina's recklessness."

As she spoke, Yukina lowered her head again, taking all the responsibility upon herself.

No, the responsibility doesn't lie with you at all.

The black cat shook its head and said:

"While your naive recklessness was the main factor that led to the escalation of the situation, we Three Saints also bear some responsibility."

"Master...?"

Yukina looked up in surprise, somewhat incredulous.

"What, did you not expect your master to say such a thing? Did you not expect your master to shoulder the responsibility onto the Three Saints?"

"No..."

Upon hearing what the black cat said, Yukina quickly lowered her head again.

"Hehe, no need to be so nervous."

The black cat waved its paw, indicating to Yukina she shouldn't worry too much.

"We Three Saints are not gods. Since we are not gods, we are naturally prone to making mistakes. This time, we indeed underestimated Yotsuba Mahiro."

Upon hearing this, Yukina pursed her lips, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

"What, you have something to say? Then speak plainly. There's no need to hide anything from your master. I've said before that when it's just the two of us, I am only your master, not Three Saints."

The black cat's words reassured Yukina, allowing her to voice the question she most wanted to ask.

"Master, Yukina wants to ask, when you sent Yukina to monitor Yotsuba Mahiro, was it really just simple surveillance? And what about the rumors circulating outside about the Lion King Agency...?"

After that day, Yotsuba Mahiro's words kept echoing in her heart.

Just when I'm about to forget, I remember it again.

Moreover, during her time on Itogami Island, she had indeed heard some bad rumors about the Lion King Agency from some demons.

"It was Yotsuba Mahiro who told you that, right?"

Upon hearing the black cat's words, Yukina felt a sudden surge of tension, but she still nodded and admitted, "... Yes, Master."

"Well..."

The black cat first sighed, then, as if reflecting, looked out the window and pondered for a long time before softly saying:

"That man was right, and those rumors were indeed true."

"!!!"

Yukina's eyes widened slightly.

Although she had partially accepted this fact, Yukina was still inevitably shocked when she heard her master admit it to her own mouth.

So much so that I subconsciously asked:

"Why?"

However, the black cat did not answer directly, but instead asked in return:

"Yukina, what kind of organization do you think the Lion King Agency is?"

After a moment's hesitation, Yukina replied:

"Upholding the law impartially, safeguarding justice, and ensuring world peace."

"Yes, that's right."

The black cat nodded and then said, "But Yukina, do you know that upholding justice comes at a price?"

"Cost?"

"Yes, that's right, the price. Either you have immense power, like a True Ancestor, or you have a vast network of connections. But our Lion King Agency originated from the 'Takiguchi Warriors' who protected the palace from demons during the Heian period, and we've only been established for a thousand years."

To maintain a balance with those True Ancestors and various powerful organizations, one must naturally pay a price.

"..."

Yukina remained silent, waiting for what would happen next.

"Of course, this price is based on voluntariness. We naturally yearn for peace, but we will not force anyone. They are all doing it willingly."

However, this method was ultimately wrong, and Koyomi Himgari, as the head of the Three Saints, had already paid the corresponding price.

Upon hearing this, Yukina's eyes widened slightly, and she exclaimed in surprise:

"You mean... something happened to Master Koyomi Himgari?"

"Yes, something's happened."

The black cat nodded, saying with a sigh, "Fortunately, it's not fatal; it will just make her uncomfortable for a while."

For some reason, there was a hint of pleasure in the black cat's tone when he said those words.

And the Koyomi Himgari she spoke of was indeed in great distress at that moment.

"Ugh... Hah..."

In the classroom where the last self-study class was being held, Koyomi Himgari, who was using the pseudonym Scarlet Rice, was clutching her stomach and lying on the table with a pained expression.

Her forehead and clothes were soaked with sweat, and her fair face was flushed with an unnatural redness.

Her legs were pressed tightly together under the table, awkwardly twisting and rubbing against each other.

She has completely lost her previous quiet and composed demeanor.

It's like they're enduring something.

"Scarlet Rice, are you alright?"

The girl in the back seat, Scarlet Rice's friend, gently poked Scarlet Rice's back with the tip of her pen, wanting to offer her some words of comfort.

The poke caused Scarlet Rice to immediately straighten her body, her legs tensed, and she uncontrollably kicked the empty seat in front of her.

A faint scratch was left on the pristine white indoor shoes.

Her head was held high, her braids flying wildly, revealing her slender, fair neck glistening with sweat.

An unnatural, muffled groan of pain escaped from his tightly closed throat!

Then, feeling completely exhausted, he slumped into a chair.

Her chest rose and fell slowly.

Seeing Scarlet Rice's appearance startled the girl behind him.

Unlike Scarlet Rice, she had already had boyfriends and even reached home base, so she naturally knew what Scarlet Rice's state represented.

The problem is, she clearly poked her back lightly with the pen.

That's all they did.

Moreover, Scarlet Rice stayed at her desk all day without moving, not even during lunch break, and unusually stayed in the classroom.

Actually, it's not her fault.

Ever since being Yotsuba Mahiro, Scarlet Rice has felt that her body is strange, as if something has changed.

After lying in bed for two days, I finally managed to stop the pain in my buttocks with my spiritual power and returned to the classroom.

But from the moment she sat down on the stool, she could no longer stand up.

A strange feeling rose within her, tormenting her mind.

Even though she tried her best to endure it, it didn't alleviate the situation at all; instead, it got worse and worse.

She felt like a small boat on a turbulent sea, and her friend's poke was the last straw that broke the camel's back, creating the final wave on the surface.

It capsized her small boat, sending it sinking to the dark seabed.

At that moment, she almost fainted!

The commotion naturally attracted the attention of the other students in the class.

Countless eyes were drawn to Scarlet Rice, some with curiosity, some with inquiry, and some with concern.

Almost everyone saw the tragic state of Scarlet Rice.

They didn't know much about Scarlet Rice, because Scarlet Rice was usually not very noticeable; they only knew that she was a good student with excellent grades.

However, if such a quiet and unassuming studious person does attract attention, especially in this way, it will naturally generate all sorts of gossip and rumors.

Scarlet Rice didn't have time to care about the rumors. She weakly raised her hand and said to the supervising teacher:

"... Teacher, I'm not feeling well... I need to go to the infirmary."

"Okay, go ahead, be careful."

After receiving permission, Scarlet Rice braced herself on the table with both hands, stood up shakily, and with her already weak legs, staggered and limped towards the classroom door.

The person who caused all of this is currently sitting in Natsuki Minamiya's office, sipping red tea.

Natsuki Minamiya's tastes remain peculiar; she likes to add things like brandy to black tea, which always feels a bit like gilding the lily.

He was quite relaxed today.

Without that silly girl Yukina following him, Koyomi Himgari was even more overwhelmed by him.

The main focus is on a relaxed and enjoyable experience.

Unexpectedly, just before school ended, he was dragged by Natsuki Minamiya to work as a laborer again.

But this time, Natsuki -chan's attitude surprised him; she seemed exceptionally kind and even personally brewed him a cup of black tea.

"Speaking of which, what exactly do you want, Natsuki- chan? You didn't call me over just to have a cup of tea with you, did you?"

"Is that not allowed?"

Natsuki Minamiya put down her teacup and opened the black lace folding fan in her hand, fanning herself slightly in front of her delicate face.

He said jokingly:

"You spend your days at school with your lovely daughter and girlfriend, then come home to spend time with Est and that bunch of kids, and then you have to keep Yoru occupied in the Yoruichi Shihōin of the night. Yotsuba Mahiro, you really are a master of time management."

"You flatter me, you flatter me..."

"Idiot, was I praising you?!"

With a snap, Natsuki's folding fan landed on Mahiro's head, tapping it a few times with a little force.

Mahiro didn't resist; she let Makoto do whatever she wanted.

A moment later, whether she was tired from the Natsuki or had vented her pent-up temper, she closed her folding fan, her face serious and earnest:

"... The Lion King Agency should have contacted you recently, right?"

Upon Mahiro put down his teacup, glanced at Natsuki with considerable surprise, and then nodded.

"Yes, I've made contact, but I've dealt with them all. They shouldn't cause any trouble anytime soon."

"Is that so? In that case, you can handle it yourself."

Natsuki Minamiya abandoned her plan to intervene. She trusted Yotsuba Mahiro and believed that the Lion King Agency couldn't cause any trouble in this man's hands.

Then they started talking about another matter.

"Come with me for a bit. There have been a few strange demon murders on Itogami Island recently, and I need your help to take a look."

Chapter 363 The Attack: Lotharingia's Annihilation of Priests (5.5K)