Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

Looking at the lake surface that had returned to calm, Samael's smile held a mixture of irony and nostalgia.

Back in Misaki City, Aozaki Touko learned all sorts of bad habits from Natalie by breaking into her safe house.

Even the skill of having multiple burrows and storing goods in various places was learned from Natalia.

Afterwards, she taught these bad habits to Ryougi Shiki and the others.

Now they've really brought this upon themselves, and it's a good opportunity for Ryougi Shiki and the others to experience the transmission of tradition and respect for their teachers.

A certain instigator demon, seeing that several of his divine children who had been exploited for their labor had learned to fight back against their unscrupulous bosses, felt a sense of relief.

There's a saying that the four iron bonds in life are: fighting together, studying together, visiting prostitutes together, and sharing the spoils together.

With the blessing of the fourth factor, Samael quickly gained the upper hand and closed the distance between himself and the divine children he had not seen for a long time.

Similarly, having experienced the consequences of going along with the corrupt practices, Ryougi Shiki and the others' reverence for God diminished considerably.

As Samael inquired, whether intentionally or unintentionally, the relaxed children of the gods recounted their experiences over the years to their common "Father."

Samael did not rush to bring up the catastrophe of the singularity. He listened quietly and occasionally shared his insights from his own experiences of schooling and work, making the atmosphere between them increasingly harmonious.

Gradually, even the prickly Tono Akiha couldn't help but open her heart to this "father" and show the respect she deserved.

Asagami Fujino is the other extreme. She is naturally weak-willed, submissive, and most likely to accept the status quo.

In addition, the Asagami family was gradually declining and could only barely maintain its status quo with the help of the council. Traditional family values ​​had led Asagami Fujino to dedicate herself to the god she was to serve.

Therefore, she was the closest to and most obedient to Samael.

As for Ryougi Shiki, her attitude was somewhere between Asagami Fujino and Tono Akiha, showing both respect for the "god" who bestowed the blessing and a slight wariness towards the opposite sex.

What happened in Fuyuki City is not something that can be forgotten so easily.

If Rie Wu were here, she would probably be genuinely happy about this reunion.

After all, Samael had single-handedly pulled the child back from the brink of disaster, and her feelings for him were the purest.

Unfortunately, whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Rie Wu returned to Misaki City after graduating and did not participate in the disaster in Tokyo.

I guess I should call it luck.

Samael glanced at the gun-shaped tower standing in the center of Shinjuku and the gradually darkening sky, and came to a conclusion in his mind.

Noticing that the files on the table had already been roughly flipped through, Ryougi Shiki spoke first.

"Have you reached a conclusion?"

"Not yet. I need to go to the shogunate to meet the shogun before I can confirm some key things."

"tonight?"

"Nighttime doesn't seem like a good time to make a visit..."

Samael recalled the scarlet eyes from last night, paused, glanced at the entrance to the basement, and then added.

"Furthermore, Miss Okita also said that the Shogun is going to hold a purification ceremony tonight, so it's best not to disturb him."

In Shintoism, the so-called purification ritual is a special ceremony for cleansing oneself and exorcising evil spirits and impurities, and it is very solemn.

Whether out of politeness or self-interest, there's no need to confront a group of easily out-of-control Servants just to save time.

"Perfect timing, I also have some things to do tonight."

Having made up his mind, Samael turned his head, a faint smile on his face, and blinked his dark eyes as he looked to the side.

"Shi, come inside with me."

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the pavilion froze, and Ryougi Shiki's body stiffened slightly.

"What, you don't want to?"

Samael glanced at Ryougi Shiki, paused slightly, and then casually waved his hand.

"Forget it..."

Ryougi Shiki breathed a sigh of relief, as if she had escaped a calamity.

Immediately afterwards, Samael yawned and turned to look at the figure preparing tea.

"Fujino, why don't you go first?"

As a child of the gods, Asakami Fujino naturally agreed to all the gods' requests, nodding gently.

"Wait, I'm going!"

But just as Asakami Fujino was about to stand up, Ryougi Shiki seemed to change her mind. She suddenly spoke, stood up first, and looked at this "father" with a faint, colorful glint in her eyes.

Samael looked at Ryougi Shiki with surprise, sized her up, and then a meaningful smile appeared on his face.

"Okay, just don't keep me waiting too long."

After saying this, the father stretched his limbs, turned around and left, heading straight for the bedroom.

Ryougi Shiki's dark figure in the twilight tightened the small knife in her sleeve, her thin cherry lips pursed, she hesitated for a moment, and finally followed.

He took a deep breath and pushed the door open to enter.

The sound of rushing water came from the bathroom, and a blurry figure was projected onto the frosted glass.

Ryougi Shiki bit her lip, her face turning slightly pale, but she still resolutely stepped across the threshold, entered the house, closed the doors and windows, and sat quietly at the table to wait.

About fifteen minutes later, the sound of water in the bathroom stopped, and a tall, slender figure wearing a loose bathrobe pushed open the door and entered the room. He raised his hand to stroke his chin and looked at Ryougi Shiki, who had arrived, with great interest.

"So proactive? They've arrived even earlier than I expected."

Ryougi Shiki remained silent, her body tense like a spring fully charged. Her right hand, hidden in her sleeve, clenched, then finally extended, her pale fingers relaxing.

bang-

The sheathed dagger hidden in the sleeve was thrown onto the table.

Samael glanced at the knife on the table, his smile widening.

"Ready? Let's begin."

Ryougi Shiki took a deep breath, raised her hand and unbuttoned her jacket one button at a time, looking intently at the [deity] before her, her voice clear and deep.

"You can do whatever you want to me, just don't touch them."

Humans are very good at breeding other species, but all their efforts are for a purpose.

Pigs are raised for slaughter and meat, cattle for leather and plowing, horses for riding and transportation, and cats and dogs for companionship and play...

Similarly, the same applies to deities.

However, the gods were raising humans.

To this "father," these so-called "divine children" were merely sacrificial animals offered by the family to please the gods.

When the lambs are plump and ready to be slaughtered and enjoyed, that is the best time to eat them.

Ryougi Shiki was already aware of this.

For more than 20 years, she has denied, been angry, resisted, and compromised...

But as time went on, I eventually chose to accept it.

Sin is not forgiven without cause, and divine grace is not bestowed without cause.

Since He resolved the calamity within His family bloodline, it was only natural that He should receive His reward.

Right now, He is simply taking back what He deserves; it's not a matter of cruelty or not.

The only thing that Ryougi Shiki couldn't accept was that the price was too high, and she wanted to pay for it herself.

"Shiki, have you misunderstood something?"

However, when the last button of the jacket was undone, the eyes that were scrutinizing her showed no lust, only deep confusion and bewilderment.

"It's just a baptism, no need to take off your clothes."

"..."

Ryougi Shiki's hands, which were clutching her jacket, froze. Her face stiffened, and her gaze, which drifted toward the half-open bathroom, was filled with deep astonishment.

"Then how did you..."

"Don't people in the Far East usually bathe and change clothes before holding similar purification ceremonies? I'm just following local customs."

Samael, wearing a bathrobe, spread his hands, looking quite innocent.

"It's been so long. Judging from your reactions during the fight this day, the forbidden power within you must have accumulated quite a bit, and your bodies have also undergone some mutations. As a [Father], shouldn't you at least be responsible for your divine children?"

"..."

Ryougi Shiki's lips trembled, her face twitched violently, and she felt utterly ashamed. She immediately grabbed her clothes, snatched back the dagger from the table, turned and rushed out the door, trying to escape the scene at once.

The general is performing a purification ritual, and the gods are about to bestow a baptism.

It was just a natural expression of care and blessing, so why did my thoughts veer towards such a shameful place?

Too shameful!

However, Ryougi Shiki's attempt to escape the scene quickly failed.

"Don't leave in such a hurry!"

Samael grabbed the goddess by the shoulder and forcefully pulled her back into the house, earnestly advising her.

"Why are you running away before I've even started?"

"Honestly, have you been feeling like there are always two voices in your head lately, and your body is inexplicably doing things that are more masculine?"

"That must be a split between the opposing forces of Yin and Yang in your personality. This is an illness, and it needs treatment!"

Under the father's insistence, Ryougi Shiki, who was holding the upper half of her clothes, was forcibly dragged back to the hut.

Her beautiful face was blank and expressionless, as if her soul had been emptied.

In this situation, in this context...

Guh, how about you just kill me?

Chapter 49 Why am I always so easily overwhelmed?

After half an hour.

The bedroom door creaked open, and Ryougi Shiki, her hair disheveled, staggered out, clutching her shirt. She seemed dazed, her arms involuntarily clasped tightly together, her body shivering like a fledgling bird that had just been battered by a storm.

Even the simple act of exchanging glances with others makes her instinctively look away.

"Next!"

Their father, meanwhile, poked his head out from behind the door frame, waving and calling out with a ruddy complexion, wearing a loose bathrobe.

Gollum—

The two divine beings waiting in the pavilion couldn't help but swallow hard and look at each other with a deep gaze.

Soon after, a figure stepped across the threshold and into the bedroom.

Samael, who was facing away from the door, noticed that the air seemed to have become a bit hotter. He poured himself a cup of tea at the table to moisten his throat and smiled slightly.

"You're the second one, Akiha."

"Ah."

Standing in the corner, Tono Akiha pursed her lips, nodded slightly, and made a low, clear nasal sound.

A series of rustling sounds followed.

Samael downed half a cup of lukewarm tea in one gulp, then turned around with a bright smile.

"Then let's go..."

However, the moment the "father" turned his head, the smile on his face froze.

At the same time, delicate, fair collarbones and a loose-fitting kimono on the ground came into view.

Tono Akiha crossed her arms, her long hair cascading down her front. Her head was bowed, her pearly teeth biting her cherry lips. In her eyes, filled with grief and shame, was an indescribable helplessness.

That scene involuntarily reminded Samael of a famous scene—a woman disdainfully lifting her skirt to show you her panties.

The room fell into a deathly silence.

As time passed, the muscles in her arms, which were clasped to her chest, tensed, her clenched knuckles cracked, her thick, dark hair gradually turned red, and her pretty face, which was filled with shame and indignation, gradually became flushed and crumbled, slowly accumulating a murderous aura.