Inside Sumeru City, Raiden Ei and her group followed Nahida as he led them quickly toward the prison where the Grand Sage was held.
“Mmm…
We’re almost there, just through the front door.” Nahida, who was leading the way, popped the last piece of dango off the skewer into his mouth before calling out in a sweet, soft voice.
That’s right, this God of wisdom had naturally accepted Raiden Ei’s feeding.
After all, for someone who loved candied ajilenakh nuts, this exotic sweet clearly suited his taste.
With just one bite, his brain would start whirring at high speed.
Perhaps this was the greatness of sweets…
“Hmm…
Though, I feel like I’ve sensed a very familiar aura.” Raiden Ei frowned as she listened to Nahida, muttering somewhat uncertainly.
“A familiar aura, you say…
Perhaps it’s the Balladeer.
Come to think of it, he is from Inazuma.” Nahida rubbed his chin in thought for a few seconds after hearing this, offering a possible answer.
Judging by the current timeline, the Traveler had just resolved the crisis in Sumeru and was heading to Fontaine.
Clearly, the plot involving the Balladeer erasing himself from Irminsul hadn’t happened yet, meaning the Balladeer had not yet ‘forgotten himself’.
After all, unlike the game which had content droughts, the real Lumine would head straight to the next nation after completing her travels in one.
Instead of doing every single little task in a place before leaving like in the game.
“The Balladeer…
Kunikuzushi?” Raiden Ei clearly had some impression of the name Balladeer, as her retainer had recounted all the major and minor events that occurred during the Sakoku Decree as soon as it ended.
Creak— Just as Ei was deep in thought, Nahida had already pushed open the door in front of them.
Inside the door was, naturally, the prison where the matra held inmates.
Even before everyone arrived, a youth wearing an Anubis hood had been waiting there.
“Lord Lesser Lord Kusanali, everything is arranged.
That guy is in the innermost cell.
Here is the key.” Cyno watched the group enter and was the first to step forward, then reached out to hand over a complex-looking key.
“Thank you, Cyno.
I will handle the rest.” Nahida took the key upon hearing this, then beckoned to Raiden Ei and the others behind him, walking straight into the depths of the prison.
Cyno, having finished his task, did not leave immediately.
Instead, he stood to the side and stole a few glances at Raiden Ei, wondering what he was thinking about.
“Why are you stealing glances at me?” Raiden Ei had just been about to continue forward when she sensed an inexplicable gaze.
Clearly, no matter how careful Cyno was, he couldn’t hide from the intuition honed by a warrior over thousands of years.
Even Kujou Sara, standing to the side, couldn’t help but frown upon hearing this, staring at Cyno with a hint of jealousy, as if saying, ‘What are you looking at?
What right do you have to look?
Keep looking and I’ll end you!’
“Uh, sorry, I just recalled some rumors about you…” Seeing that his surreptitious observation had been exposed, Cyno hurriedly explained, a hint of awkwardness in his tone.
“Hmm?
What rumors?” Raiden Ei paused, continuing to press for an answer, though for some reason she had a bad premonition.
Even Nahida, who was leading the way ahead, turned his head, clearly a bit curious as well.
“It’s about a question in a book published by Yae Publishing House last month, asking whether the Raiden Shogun uses alternating current or direct current.” Seeing he couldn’t avoid it, Cyno had to explain himself.
Hearing the question Cyno posed, even Raiden Ei herself was dumbfounded.
What was this about alternating or direct current?
Since when did the power of lightning she wielded have such a classification?
“What’s the answer?” Sara, standing beside Ei, asked subconsciously after thinking about it for a moment without success.
“Direct current…
because, because a shut-in isn’t good at communicating.” Cyno paused for a few seconds before explaining with a straight face.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle~ As soon as Cyno finished speaking, a bolt of purple lightning slammed onto the ground nearby, startling the inmates who were eavesdropping and causing them to scramble into corners like ostriches.
Even the dignified Kamisato Ayaka couldn’t help but purse her lips after hearing this, then didn’t forget to open her folding fan to cover the corners of her mouth, which were curling upward, while silently chanting in her heart that this was the Shogun and she must not be rude…
“What book?” A voice devoid of any emotion came from Raiden Ei, breaking the momentary awkwardness.
“Uh…
The Inazuma Collection of Cold Jokes.
The author seems to be called Miss Fried Tofu.” Seeing Raiden Ei asking, Cyno instinctively shivered and replied in a low voice.
“I see.
Let’s go, Buer, sorry to trouble you to continue leading the way.” Raiden Ei wasn’t the least bit surprised after getting the answer; after all, in all of Inazuma, the only one who would dare to make such jokes about her was that damn pink-haired fox.
At this moment, she had already thought about how she would deal with that person when she returned.
‘It seems I can learn a thing or two about the matra’s methods of punishment later,’ Raiden Ei thought to herself…
“Achoo!
Who’s thinking of me?”
Far away in Inazuma, Yae Miko suddenly sneezed.
She didn’t know why, but she had a bad premonition.
But looking at the mountain of paperwork before her, she decided to face reality first.
…
Inside the matra prison, after the small interlude, everyone tacitly didn’t say another word on the way.
However, for some reason, two more skewers of Tricolor Dango had appeared in Raiden Ei’s hand, and even Nahida, who was leading the way, had been given one.
“This is it.
The person you are looking for is inside.” Nahida, having arrived at the cell door, first stood on tiptoe to open the door, then stepped aside and whispered to Raiden Ei and the others behind him.
“Thank you for your trouble.”
“Ayaka and Sara, you can just wait at the door as well.
I have some business to attend to.” Raiden Ei nodded upon hearing this, but her tone was still devoid of any emotion, which showed just how much of a blow that cold joke had been to a shut-in…
And not long after she went in, the group standing at the door saw several bolts of lightning flash inside, accompanied by dialogue and wailing:
“It’s you.
Draw your blade!”
“Hey, wait, I don’t know you!
Don’t strike me!”
“Hmph, tell me where he is!”
“What?”
“Where is he!!!”
“Ahhh!
Stop electrocuting me!
I really…”
“Still making excuses?
Witness the might of the Shogun!”
“Ahhhh~ No, Big Sister, at least ask the question!
Who is where?”
“Didn’t I ask?”
“No!
You’ve been striking me with lightning ever since you walked in the door!
You haven’t stopped once!”
“…”
“…”
“What did you just call me?”
“Uh…
Big Sister?”
“Now, you shall perish!!!”
“Ahhhhhhhhh!!!”
…
“Um, Sara, should we send a few more skewers of Tricolor Dango in?” Ayaka, standing at the door, shrank her head back and asked in a low, uncertain voice.
“Uh…
those previous ones were the last of our reserves…
There are no more…
Tricolor Dango.” Sara felt equally awkward upon hearing this, but she still pulled out the empty food box and replied with feigned composure.
“Um…
would you like to try some candied ajilenakh nuts?” Nahida, listening to their conversation from the side, couldn’t help but pull a handful of candies from his pocket and reach out to offer them, not forgetting to blink his big eyes, as if saying, ‘Why not give it a try?’