He had no idea how to talk to them.
The two children before him simply wore the faintest of smiles.
They seemed to have little emotion or thoughts of their own. Sitting there in silence, they looked less like people than two exquisite dolls.
Tetsu no Sosuke suddenly felt that while Ubuyashiki Kagaya had undoubtedly succeeded in life, both as a person and in other respects, his approach to raising children was terribly harsh.
It was not Ubuyashiki Kagaya's fault. His family had likely maintained this cold, cruel way of raising children for a thousand years.
And yet the children it produced understood sacrifice and the greater good. They took it for granted that they should put others before themselves.
"Incredible."
He shook his head, then asked what his duties would be.
"The Hammer Pillar needn't do anything."
"You only need to come with us."
"If something unexpected happens..."
"Please don't concern yourself with whether we live or die."
"If there are any Swordsmen worth nurturing..."
"Please protect them and lead them out of danger."
That was how the two spoke: one began a sentence, and the other finished it.
After listening, Tetsu no Sosuke nodded quietly. "Have you found anything so far?"
The two exchanged a glance. After a brief silence, they spoke.
"We once found..."
"Signs that someone had damaged the Wisteria."
"But..."
"The signs weren't clear. We couldn't tell whether it was a beast, a human, or something else."
"So..."
"As a precaution, we're sorry for the trouble of making the Hammer Pillar come all this way."
"We're very sorry."
"We're very sorry."
Tetsu no Sosuke waved it off. "There are still two days to go. Where was the damage? I can take a look now."
The two exchanged another glance, then nodded together and told Tetsu