Too Naive

Sayo felt dazed, as if her head were filled with mush. She had no strength in her body. It was like a nightmare; although her mind was relatively clear, her body seemed paralyzed and uncontrollable, as if a giant stone were pressing on her chest, making it hard to breathe.

An unprecedented feeling of fear arose from the depths of her heart. She panicked, wanting to move but unable to, as though a hand was gripping her heart tightly.

Finally, Sayo jolted awake, gasping for air, her eyes wide open. Sweat dripped from her forehead as if she had just experienced a terrifying nightmare, making her entire body tremble.

"Phew, thank goodness it was just a nightmare." Sayo exhaled deeply, but when she looked around, her pupils contracted.

The room was in complete disarray, covered in blood. Blood splattered across the gilded walls, exquisite furniture, and even the soft, smooth carpet bore crimson stains.

Not far from her, three bodies lay sprawled. She recognized them as the villa's guards. She had noted their extraordinary presence when she first entered the villa, impressed by their prowess.

Now, they were decapitated, their arms severed, revealing stark white bones and blood sprayed everywhere.

"What happened here?" Sayo was a novice, and it was her first time witnessing such a gruesome scene, causing her to panic and her limbs to go weak.

What about Ieyasu? Where did he go?

Panic-stricken, Sayo stood up hurriedly and glanced around but saw no sign of him. Her heart tightened with worry. Could it be that he...?

"Snore..."

Just as Sayo was overwhelmed with anxiety, a snoring sound came from beside her, and her face fell.

There was Ieyasu, lying on the ground, mouth open and drooling, sleeping soundly.

Seeing him like this, Sayo was furious. At a time like this, how could he be sleeping? She stormed over and kicked him in the stomach.

"Ow!" Ieyasu jumped up from the ground like a spring, clutching his stomach and shouting, "What are you doing, Sayo? Trying to kill me?"

"Idiot!" Sayo yelled angrily, "How can you be sleeping at a time like this? Do you want to get your head chopped off?"

"Sayo, you..." Ieyasu began to argue but suddenly fell silent, his pupils narrowing sharply.

The villa was filled with corpses, the walls and floor stained with blood. The entire room reeked of blood, making him nauseous.

"What happened?" Ieyasu asked with difficulty, the gruesome scene leaving him momentarily speechless.

"I don't know either. This is how it was when I woke up," Sayo said gravely. "It seems something happened in the villa."

"What about our weapons?" Ieyasu suddenly regained his senses, searching for his sword.

"I remember they're in the next room," Sayo said, motioning for Ieyasu to follow her as she headed next door. "Let's go."

"Right." Ieyasu hurried after her.

As they reached the door, they suddenly stopped, confronted by a headless body, blood everywhere. The once-vibrant red blood had dried into an unsightly dark red.

"How could this be?" Sayo gasped, covering her mouth in disbelief.

"This is horrific," Ieyasu said, clenching his fists in anger. "They even killed the lady of the house."

Judging by the body's build and clothing, it was indeed the lady of the house. Her grace and gentleness had left a strong impression on them, especially Sayo, who had admired her. Now, she was nothing more than a stiff, headless corpse.

Ieyasu and Sayo exchanged a glance, gritted their teeth, and rushed into the next room. As they emerged with their weapons, they saw a familiar silver-haired girl before them. Her beautiful face appeared even more captivating in the cool moonlight.

Ieyasu was momentarily entranced but quickly snapped back to reality. He noticed the silver-haired girl holding a katana, its watery blade stained with crimson, blood dripping from its tip.

"So it was you!" Ieyasu shouted in shock and anger.

"Why did you do this?" Sayo yelled, her bow and arrow aimed at Kaguya.

"You're too naive," Kaguya said with a soft laugh, flicking the blood off her blade.

"You're despicable!" Sayo's anger boiled, her face flushed, and her knuckles whitened around her bow. "They took you in and fed you, and this is how you repay them?"

Sayo bit her lip, staring at Kaguya with resentment, her chest heaving as if she were an angry kitten.

"Do you really think they're good people?" Kaguya sheathed her katana and twirled a lock of her hair, watching the angry girl with amusement.

"Are you still slandering them? I didn't think you were like this!" Ieyasu shouted, pointing his sword at Kaguya indignantly.

"Do you think what you saw was the truth?" Kaguya asked with a smile.

"The truth?" Ieyasu paused, confused. "What truth?"

"Don't believe her," Sayo shouted, biting her lip. "You've killed so many people, and now you want to make excuses?"

"If you want to know the truth, follow me." Kaguya turned and began to walk away.

"You're trying to escape?" Ieyasu gritted his teeth and chased after her.

"Stop, or I'll shoot!" Sayo shouted, her bow aimed at Kaguya.

Yet Kaguya seemed not to hear them, ignoring their warnings completely.

Sayo bit her lip, aimed at Kaguya, and pulled the bowstring taut.

With a "twang," the arrow shot toward Kaguya like a black streak of lightning, reaching her in the blink of an eye, about to pierce through her.

At that moment, Kaguya moved. As if she had eyes on her back, her arm bent backward, and she caught the flying arrow between two pale fingers.

"What?"

Sayo was shocked. She knew Kaguya had defeated the villa's skilled fighters, suggesting she was powerful, but she hadn't expected her to be this formidable. Kaguya hadn't even used her katana; she had caught the arrow with her fingers.

Ieyasu was equally stunned, staring at the silver-haired girl in disbelief. Though he didn't fully grasp Kaguya's strength, he knew Sayo's capabilities. While Sayo was weak in close combat, her long-range attacks were unmatched, and few could withstand her arrows head-on, not even himself.

Who exactly is this Kaguya?