Hi, Don't Be Afraid

"Then what?"

"Then take care of their backup plans in a second, and observe their expressions. That will definitely be very interesting."

"..."

Suzaku Himejima quickly rejected the proposal.

After all, even the secret guards were members of the Himejima Family. Those specially trained guards were just following orders.

Besides, what Ren did was incredibly perverse.

The night outside the window was as still as water; the night at the Himejima Family was exceptionally peaceful.

Because the Hero Faction had just retreated and the Himejima Family's elites had been injured in the previous battle, the level of their sentries had clearly dropped considerably.

Furthermore, Suzaku Himejima was extremely familiar with the environment, so she didn't encounter any patrolling Onmyoji along the way.

"This mansion is really big. Your Himejima Family must have embezzled a lot of money."

In a place like Kyoto where land is incredibly valuable, it's impossible for a family's mansion to stretch as far as the eye can see without the support of real businesses.

Perhaps even the island nation's government is under its control.

"The Himejima Family's finances are handled by professionals; I never deal with these things."

Suzaku Himejima shook her head. Her daily work involved handling miscellaneous tasks within the family, and she had not yet come into contact with the true core of power.

However, this was probably because Himejima Suou realized that her ideals did not align with his, and deliberately distanced herself from him. Even if she became the true head of the Himejima Family in the future, she would still be left with no one to rely on and would eventually have to ask him for help.

After walking for about ten minutes, Suzaku Himejima led Ren to a corridor leading inside.

There were two Onmyoji at the end of the corridor.

Ren wanted to put them to sleep, but Suzaku Himejima stopped him.

"I have something important to discuss with my uncle."

"But the Sect Master is currently discussing very important matters with the elders."

To the rest of the Himejima Family, Suzaku Himejima had always been the successor to the sect leader, so even though they knew that Suzaku Himejima had been imprisoned and was now out, they didn't ask any questions.

However, the sect leader's order to them was to forbid anyone else from entering or leaving.

However, they did not know whether the others included Suzaku Himejima.

"Lord Vermilion Bird, please allow me to report to the current sect leader."

As soon as she finished speaking, Suzaku Himejima suddenly saw two Onmyoji lying beautifully on the ground in front of her, each using one of their hands as a pillow under the other's head.

She was stunned for a few seconds before she realized what had happened, while Ren looked completely unconcerned, but she knew he must have done it.

"Go in."

With no other choice at the moment, Suzaku Himejima led Ren through the gate, then pushed open a paper sliding door, leading them into a very spacious room.

This is a hall with an estimated area of over 200 square meters.

Thick, square carpets were laid on the floor, with patterns resembling the Vermilion Bird of the Himejima Family. Many seats were neatly arranged on the floor, each with a luxurious cushion, giving the impression of a very grand and elegant setting.

The sounds of conversation drifted from behind the curtain at the audience seating area on the stage.

"The Inner Shrine doesn't agree with our decision; they also seem to have decided to send someone to negotiate with the major threat target."

"This has nothing to do with them. We should handle our own affairs. Agreeing to let the Four Fiends and Dog God take action is already the limit. If they push their luck any further, we don't need to give them any face."

"What does the Hyakki Family think?"

"Remain neutral."

"I really don't know what they're thinking. The Hyakki Family also suffered heavy losses in that battle, yet they're still taking sides!"

"Perhaps they think the same way as Inner Shrine, wary of the Hero Faction's strength? If they harass us again, it will be difficult to organize new forces to fight back in a short time. In that battle, the successor heads of the major clans were also injured, and in the end, it was that mercenary Ren who ended the battle. Headmaster, I personally feel... the Himejima Family's attitude should not be so indifferent."

"Hmph! Just when he arrived, the Hero Faction showed up to cause trouble, and in the end, he defeated the Hero Faction in front of all the members of the Five Great Houses. Who knows if it was all a show they staged themselves?"

"But what if he doesn't agree to our conditions? It's said that he was the one who saved Yasaka, the supreme commander of the Yokai World, and Kyoto isn't entirely under our control."

Upon hearing this, Himejima Suou, seated in the main seat, looked extremely displeased. "The power of those monsters is negligible. The current peace is merely temporary; they will certainly not be as carefree as they are now in the future."

The conversation behind the curtain seemed oblivious to the arrival of the uninvited guest.

Ren listened for a while, then asked curiously, "What's the deal with the Inner Shrine and the Hundred Demons? Aren't they on the same side as the Five Great Houses?"

Chapter 232 Hello, I'm not afraid

Chapter 232

"Although the Five Great Houses have their own main and branch family residences and headquarters, there are still many bases in this country where people related to the Five Great Houses gather. Inner Shrine is the most important of these bases, similar to the United Nations in the secular world."

Suzaku Himejima gave a relatively simple example.

"I didn't expect you to know about the United Nations?"

Rosen exclaimed in surprise.

"I'm not completely ignorant."

Suzaku Himejima was speechless; all the words of complaint he wanted to say were stuck in his throat and he couldn't utter them.

After all, their conversation had already caught the attention of the elders behind the audience seats.

"Didn't I tell you not to let anyone in? How come you...?"

When Himejima Suou heard the other voices, his face immediately turned angry. But just as he was about to lash out, he noticed that the two people below the stage were not the guards he had arranged at the door.

Instead, it was Suzaku Himejima and another man she didn't recognize.

"Vermilion Bird, aren't you currently in solitary confinement?"

Himejima Suou's expression was indifferent.

Regardless of who that man was, Suzaku Himejima's escape from confinement was completely unexpected.

After all, Suzaku Himejima has always been extremely obedient, which has given Himejima Suou time to plan for the future.

Since the incident with the Lightning, Himejima Suou had noticed that Vermilion Bird would occasionally voice her opinions on his decisions, which made Himejima Suou realize that the girl had doubts and objections to his decisions as the sect leader.

If possible, Himejima Suou would naturally want to find a more obedient person to be chosen as the successor to the sect leader.

However, the spirit beast Vermilion Bird resides within the Suzaku Himejima.

Unless Suzaku Himejima betrayed his family, he would not be able to depose the young girl from her position as the successor to the clan leader.

"Uncle, I've thought about it for a long time, and I still feel that some of your and the elders' decisions were somewhat arbitrary."

Suzaku Himejima did not directly answer Himejima Suou's question.

"Vermilion Bird, what exactly are you trying to say?! And this is not a place for you! I will report your actions today to the entire clan. As the successor head of the Himejima Family, you should abide by the laws and precepts of the Himejima Family!"

Himejima Suou keenly noticed that something was off about the girl at this moment.

Feeling somewhat nervous, he once again tried to intimidate others with the guise of righteousness.

This method has always been very effective.

Suzaku Himejima cared more about her clansmen's attitude towards her than anyone else.

"This is precisely what I wanted to discuss with you, Uncle, and all the elders. The Himejima Family's precepts are currently seriously flawed. Continuing on this path will not be conducive to the family's future. Therefore, I hope that some aspects can be changed. For example, we could be more tolerant of family members with special abilities and those without talent, and we could engage in more meaningful contact with friendly forces from the outside world..."

Before he could finish speaking, the elders behind the audience table interrupted Suzaku Himejima's remarks.

"Vermilion Bird, you have overstepped your authority."

"Ancestral precepts must not be disobeyed!"

"It has always been us Himejima who have protected this country. There is no point in communicating with the outside world! As for those who possess supernatural abilities but have Himejima Family blood flowing through their veins, they are a disgrace to us Himejima. Only in this way can we maintain the purity of the Himejima Family bloodline."

Himejima Suou's eyes were fixed on Ren, her gaze calm yet filled with a sense of oppression.

A few seconds later, he slowly spoke.

"I have recorded what you said tonight. Tomorrow I will convene a clan meeting and let them hear your treasonous words."

"You are the successor to the head of the Himejima Family!"

At this point, the elder of the Himejima Family turned to look at Ren, who was standing next to Suzaku Himejima.

"Vermilion Bird, who is he?"

"He is the mercenary Ren, whom my uncle and the elders have listed as a major threat."

Suzaku Himejima glanced at Ren beside her.

Compared to his nervous self, he remained as relaxed and carefree as ever.

"Finally, it's my turn."

Ren took a deep breath.

"Speaking of which, all those people Vermilion Bird mentioned who see me as a threat, are probably here, right?"

Upon hearing Ren's words, the elders behind the audience seats immediately felt an inexplicable sense of oppression.

However, because he had held a high position for many years, he did not have any other ideas.

"Mercenary Ren, what is your purpose in appearing in Kyoto? What do you intend to do to the Himejima Family?"

Bang--!

A loud gunshot suddenly rang out, and the elder who had been questioning the elder suddenly had a brilliant idea, and died with a smile on his face.

Ren chuckled and blew away the faint smoke from the muzzle of his Desert Eagle, saying, "Now you know."

Himejima Suou: "..."

Elder Himejima: "..."

Suzaku Himejima: "..."

When Ren suddenly fired his gun, Himejima Suou and the elders were completely dumbfounded.

They had considered all sorts of reactions from Ren: questioning, negotiating, or negotiating before attacking them. But they never expected that this man would act completely unpredictably, opening fire without warning.

As high-ranking officials, they fear two types of people who are armed the most.

One type is a madman, the other is a fool.

These two types of people can act without reason or warning, rendering their most effective rhetoric and manipulation techniques useless.

They were well aware of just how strong Ren was.

But even the Vatican, the demon's messenger, could be turned away, and the wife of Black Wing cadre was dealt with. Why would they be afraid of a mercenary who has power but no organizational background?

How large is the Black Wing's influence?

One of the three great powers in the Bible, rivaling angels and demons.

But the Himejima Family remained unfazed.

And to this day, the Black Wing high-ranking official whose wife they disposed of has not dared to make any statement against the Himejima Family, not even a single official condemnation.

Moreover, even if war were to break out, the Himejima Family would remain completely undaunted, prepared to perish together with their enemies!

But what kind of good person shoots someone in the head right away?!

They were given absolutely no chance to react!

Ren didn't care at all.

After all, these old guys dared to act so high and mighty in front of him, as if they had everything under control.

"Mercenary, you... you actually killed him! You... are you really not afraid of death?!"

"Hello, don't be afraid."

Ren pointed his gun at another elder and pulled the trigger.

Bang--!

The scorching bullet whistled out of the barrel, tearing through the curtain as it struck the opponent's head.

However, this time they were on guard, and the bullet was stopped by a talisman.