“Alright, Miss Clementine.
I have an idea, would you like to hear it?” Baal was clearly more talkative than her warrior sister, and he extended an invitation to the Thunder Dragon he had just met.
“My sister and I are both the Archons of Thunder.
Here, we protect the people and the islands, building a dreamland of eternity.
But the archipelago is isolated and borders the Outer Sea, making it hard to have friendly neighbors.
Inazuma has just been established, and there are many trifles to attend to, so we are indeed short-handed.
Since you have nowhere to go for now, why not stay and help us build Inazuma together?” The other party didn’t seem to have any ill intentions.
If they were to fight, her chances of winning two-on-one were almost zero, and it wasn’t worth such a roundabout scheme for them.
After a moment’s thought, Clementine agreed to the proposal.
“I am naturally most grateful that you two are willing to take me in.
Since you’re giving me a place to stay, it’s only right that I help out.
I have no objections.” Under the umbrella, the two raised their hands and high-fived, marking the establishment of an agreement.
“Let’s head back to Inazuma City first, then we can discuss the rest.
How does that sound?” Clementine naturally had no reason to refuse.
The clouds dispersed and the rain stopped; the group set off on their return journey amidst the fading rumble of thunder.
Through their conversation on the road, she learned more about the sisters.
For instance, they were twin Archons.
Besides Baal, who had already introduced himself, the formidable warrior who had struck her twice upon meeting was the Archon of Thunder named Beelzebul.
Usually, they preferred to be called by the human names they had chosen: Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei.
When the three of them talked, Makoto always gave off a feeling like a spring breeze, seemingly possessing a calm composure at all times.
Ei was more taciturn.
Perhaps because they were now on the same side, the murderous aura from their first meeting had been tucked away, leaving only a hint of guilt born from the misunderstanding.
Her words were more straightforward, making it easy to see she was a gentle and sincere person.
Although their meeting was a complete accident, it seemed her luck was good to have met such kind Archons.
Clementine made this judgment about her story today.
At the end of her vision, a grand and majestic building that stood out from the rest gradually appeared, and the road became flatter and more orderly.
Makoto told Clementine: “Ah, we’ve arrived.
This is Inazuma City.
That taller building over there is Tenshukaku, which is where we’re headed.” While Clementine nodded to show she understood, she quietly noticed that for some reason, Ei had already vanished by the time they approached Inazuma City.
Stepping onto the flat stone path, Inazuma City was reflected in Clementine’s eyes for the first time.
It was late at night, and there were almost no pedestrians on the street.
A few lanterns housed flickering flames, filtering the intense red heat into a soft glow.
Orange lamplight spread across the road, tinting the buildings on both sides with a gentle hue.
Following the street upward, passing through several turns and climbing some newly built, rather lengthy steps, the pavilion that had been standing silently in the night was now right before them.
Beneath their feet was a large, empty courtyard.
In comparison, the tallest Tenshukaku seemed a bit solitary.
To the left and right of the main entrance were corridors extending outward, but they ended in open ground.
It seemed as though a grand complex had originally been planned, but for some reason, only the tallest main building had been completed.
The rest had been shelved, leaving the quiet courtyard to wait indefinitely.
Pushing the door open and entering, they turned into a small room that seemed to be for resting.
Ei, who had disappeared earlier, was already waiting there.
She had even set out a tea set, clearly having waited for some time.
She likely teleported to the inner chamber of Tenshukaku when she vanished earlier.
The three sat down.
Clementine was a bit puzzled by Ei’s behavior and couldn’t help but steal a few glances at him.
Ei likely saw the unspoken question in her eyes and explained briefly: “The people of Inazuma do not know of the existence of two Shoguns.
Where the lightning strikes, Ei will be cast.
I am Ei.” Ei spoke with her usual sincerity; she clearly believed this herself.
Clementine, however, felt that Makoto, beside her, was a bit downcast by these words, as if she wanted to say something to correct or refute Ei’s statement.
Whether to distract her elder sister’s attention from a topic they both tacitly avoided, or simply out of a warrior’s bluntness, Ei took hold of Clementine first.
“Although it was a misunderstanding earlier, I did exchange blows with you.
Your reactions are fast, and your mastery of Elemental Power is very refined.
Even compared to the many Archons I have faced, you are a formidable opponent.
If you don’t mind what happened before, how about finding some time to spar with me again?
With you as my honored guest, I will surely be able to further improve my martial arts.” Faced with Ei’s sudden enthusiasm, Clementine was a bit at a loss and subconsciously wagged her tail a few times.
She looked at Ei with a slight daze and was struck by the sincerity in her eyes.
This move by Ei clearly diverted Makoto’s attention, making her focus on this side of the conversation.
Makoto pointed at the tail swaying on the ground due to its owner’s fluster and asked curiously: “The tip of your tail seems to be in the shape of a sword?
Do you use a sword too?” Clementine felt a hint of guilt under Ei’s expectant gaze.
Her tail curled around her, secretly hiding the tip before she answered: “No, I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint Ei.
I know nothing of blades or swords.” Knows nothing of blades, yet can exchange blows with Ei…
The difference between her knowing nothing and her knowing nothing seemed quite vast.
Is this some new type of humblebragging?
Makoto thought instinctively.
She was still only at the thinking stage when Ei voiced the same question aloud.
Clementine returned a sincere look.
“I mean, I really don’t know how to use weapons.
Since I know nothing of blades, I am a pure spellcaster.”