-101- Akabane Nadeshiko

Akabane Clan, residence

As Rozen and the others returned in a grand procession, the entrance was filled with a crowd of people there to welcome them.

"Welcome back!"

"Welcome back!"

The clan members gathered around their respective family members, and as Rozen and Raishin stepped down from the carriage, the cheers and laughter began to subside.

"Master Nuragami, welcome back."

With one clan member's greeting, the others also gathered around Rozen.

"I heard about it, Master Nuragami."

"I heard you defeated powerful Shikigami in the forbidden area of the Izanagi Clan."

"You even set a fire in the forbidden area."

"I wish I could see the faces of the Izanagi Clan members."

The Akabane Clan members continued to praise Rozen enthusiastically, relishing the stories of his adventures during the past few days in the Izanagi Clan.

"It's a pity that Master Nuragami didn't get engaged to the Izanagi Clan princess."

"But it's not Master Nuragami's fault."

"If he had gone alone, maybe things would have turned out differently."

"Yes."

The discussions among the clan members seemed to border on exaggeration.

At least, Raishin was being ignored, as if they were oblivious to the fact that he fought alongside Rozen.

Raishin didn't seem surprised at all by this development, appearing to accept it as a matter of course.

"Who would believe me, a worthless guy? Even if I told them I helped in the battle against Enenra, they wouldn't believe it, right?"

Raishin said with self-deprecating humor.

After all, the Akabane Clan had grown accustomed to his lack of accomplishments, so it was natural for them to doubt his role in the recent events.

If it weren't for the presence of Yuge Mutsura, Kamo Subaru, and Domon Hinowa, who could vouch for Raishin's efforts in the Izanagi Clan, nobody would have believed that he had contributed.

Reality was indeed cruel.

But then...

"I believe you."

Suddenly, with these words, Raishin's eyes brightened. He turned his head to the entrance and saw Akabane Tenzen walking towards them with a confident smile, showing trust in him.

"As expected of my little brother, you did great."

Akabane Tenzen praised with a smile.

"Ten-nii!"

Raishin felt a sense of redemption.

"Nuragami, you've worked hard too." Akabane Tenzen shifted his gaze to Rozen and said, "I've heard about the events. I never expected you to defeat Enenra. I'm curious about how much your abilities have improved."

Rozen replied nonchalantly, "You'll find out during the next puppetry practice, won't you?"

"True," Akabane Tenzen smiled in agreement.

At this moment, Akabane Kuukan, who had remained silent all along, finally spoke up, "Alright, everyone, go back and reunite with your families. Don't crowd around the entrance."

He then turned to Rozen, Tenzen, and Raishin, saying, "You three brothers should have a private gathering and discuss your insights from this period."

After giving the instructions, Akabane Kuukan led the clan members into the Akabane Clan's mansion, leaving the three brothers behind, watching their departure.

"Oh, speaking of which, Ten-nii" Raishin asked, "Where's Nadeshiko?"

"She's in the training dojo," Akabane Tenzen smiled, "After hearing about your exploits in the Izanagi Clan, Nadeshiko has been diligently practicing 'Telekinesis' in the dojo, striving to master the 'Puppetry Arts' as soon as possible."

"Is that so?" Akabane Raishin pondered.

"Let's go see Nadeshiko then," Akabane Tenzen patted Akabane Raishin's shoulder and said to Rozen, "You should come too. Before you go into seclusion again, you should see Nadeshiko too."

The experience in the Izanagi Clan made Rozen realize the importance of honing his abilities. He was eager to start his training again.

"I need to further improve my proficiency in 'Summoning Arts,' even if I can't reach the level of summoning higher-ranking familiars. I should learn how to summon more intermediate-level familiars."

"My 'Puppetry Arts' need to be refined too. I haven't fully integrated the group battle techniques I found in the library."

"I need to contemplate advancing to the next stage in the eight ranks of magician techniques."

"And most importantly, I have to open up more magic circuits. After all, no matter the type of magic, it requires magical power to support it."

With all these tasks ahead of him, Rozen had much to do.

Not to mention...

"Even the tempting 'Crimson Wing Formation' has yet to be studied," Rozen excitement surged at the thought of these tasks.

Compared to fooling around outside, his greatest pursuit was to stay at home and study magic.

"You never cease to amaze me," Akabane Tenzen praised Rozen, seemingly understanding his passion for studying magic.

However, for Akabane Raishin, this topic was definitely not interesting.

"Alright, let's go find Nadeshiko," Akabane Raishin urged in a sullen tone.

So the group left the entrance and headed towards the training dojo.

...

At the Akabane Clan's dojo, only a slender figure was present. A young girl with black hair, dressed in a kimono, sat on the cold floor, eyes closed, with a considerable amount of magical power surging through her.

"Ha!" With a clear, spirited shout, the little girl extended her hand, converting her magical power into psychic force, and infused it into the puppet standing before her.

"Crack, crack..." The puppet immediately came to life.

Its movements were not very agile, resembling a toddler who had just learned to walk, stumbling a bit as the sound of joints echoed around.

"Keep going... keep going..."

The girl continued her training, channeling her magical power into the puppet.

The adorable little girl nervously mumbled to herself, continuously infusing magical power into the puppet, manipulating its movements.

Gradually, the puppet's actions became more agile.

"Alright!" The little girl's face lit up with joy and cuteness.

Completely unaware, three figures had already appeared behind her.

"What's alright?" Akabane Raishin deliberately raised his voice and called out.

"Yah!" The little girl screamed in shock, causing her magical power to become chaotic. The puppet sprang up like a spring and flew straight towards the three figures behind her.

"Bang!" With a dull thud, the puppet's foot heavily kicked Akabane Raishin in the face.

"Guh-oh...!?" Akabane Raishin is down.

As for Rozen and Akabane Tenzen, they calmly activated their "Magic Defense" shields, blocking the incoming puppet.

Finally, the little girl turned around and saw the three figures behind her, exclaiming in delight.

"Big brothers!"

She was none other than Akabane Kuukan's youngest daughter - Akabane Nadeshiko.