Chapter 55: I’ll Call You Sis, You Call Me Mom
Although her plans had been slightly disrupted in order to save Natsuba Rinrei…
And she had been forced to confront the Old God earlier than she had intended…
Everything was now back on track.
Summer Harvest Mountain was at the edge, and the area under the crimson vertical pupil’s gaze was rapidly being assimilated.
The Old God sensed that its Nightmare-level Otherside was slipping from its grasp.
Its attacks grew more frantic.
It began to trade blow for blow, regardless of the damage it took.
But unfortunately for it, with the intervention of Summer Harvest Mountain, Kōsei and Inpi’s power was being continuously replenished.
They weren’t afraid of the Old God’s reckless tactics.
The Old God’s desperation was only accelerating its own demise.
Natsuba Hanae stopped paying close attention to the Old God. It was now a fish in a barrel. All she had to do was watch out for it unleashing its Rule.
And the activation of a Rule had a tell.
When the time came, she would just need to keep her distance, stay out of the Rule’s range, then use Inpi and Kōsei to slowly probe it out, and then finish the Old God off.
However, Natsuba Hanae was puzzled.
Why hadn’t the Old God used its Rule yet, even when cornered?
Was it not confident in its own Rule, or…
Too confident?
But Natsuba Hanae set that thought aside for now.
Once the Old God was eliminated, this Otherside would collapse and be absorbed by Summer Harvest Mountain.
Then, she and Natsuba Rinrei would be exposed to the Natsuba conglomerate stewards who were gathering outside. And what she had to do next…
Couldn’t be seen by others.
Natsuba Hanae looked at Natsuba Rinrei and saw that Rinrei had also been watching her.
Instead of watching the magnificent battle between the Old God, Inpi, and Kōsei, she was looking at her?
If it weren’t for the fact that her face was completely obscured by the hazy Sanctuary Flame, Natsuba Hanae would have thought Rinrei had recognized her.
But none of that mattered.
In fact, Natsuba Hanae felt that what she was about to do was more important than devouring two Old Gods.
The mischievous spirit in her heart burned brightly.
The cunning curve of her lips became more pronounced, her brilliant red eyes sparkling with anticipation.
She was going to make Natsuba Rinrei her…
—Daughter!
Ahem, whether she was her daughter or not wasn’t important.
What was important was that she could acquire a future A-rank seed like Natsuba Rinrei, to aid her in her plans.
And she just so happened to have the “Aosagi no Hi” template, which perfectly matched Natsuba Rinrei’s fire control ability. And if Summer Harvest could draw fire again…
Then her Sanctuary Flame would be enhanced once more.
Becoming a truly terrifying flame, the complete opposite of life.
Whether Natsuba Rinrei became her daughter or not really wasn’t important!
The anticipation in Natsuba Hanae’s eyes was almost overflowing. She began to rub her finger against her lips.
She suppressed her mischievous impulse.
And in a calm voice, she began to speak to Natsuba Rinrei,
“I admire your courage in facing a Nightmare-level supernatural being. And it’s impressive that you’ve reached B-rank at your age.”
“To advance to A-rank, both talent and willpower are essential.”
“And you, as it happens, have both.”
At first, Natsuba Rinrei didn’t think much of it, assuming the Master of Summer Harvest Mountain was simply praising her.
She was, of course, happy to be praised by someone she admired.
But then, the more she spoke, the more she felt something was off.
The underlying meaning was clearly that she wanted to recruit her.
Instantly, Natsuba Rinrei’s previously calm supernatural power flared up, flames crackling around her, her ruby-like eyes shining with excitement, turning into dragon pupils.
The excitement she felt now was even more intense than when she was fighting the Old God!
From a purely practical standpoint, if she were recruited by the Master of Summer Harvest Mountain, she would have a direct A-rank backing her. Even against the Natsuba conglomerate, she would have enough leverage.
Not to mention, she had witnessed the power of the Master of Summer Harvest Mountain’s A-rank. It wasn’t a watered-down A-rank that couldn’t kill a B-rank with one blow, but a true powerhouse.
She could tell from how she had completely dominated the Old God.
And from a personal standpoint…
—There was no reason to refuse!
Natsuba Rinrei’s breath quickened. She had already written the script for her future.
The Master of Summer Harvest Mountain would take her in, and with her exceptional talent as a fifteen-year-old B-rank, she would surely be a leader in the organization.
She would probably be groomed as a successor.
And her already powerful ability would skyrocket, until she reached A-rank.
And powerful supernatural users didn’t have to care about the world’s opinions.
An A-rank for an A-rank.
She would become the Master of Summer Harvest Mountain’s partner and reach the pinnacle of her life.
Moreover, for some reason, the Master of Summer Harvest Mountain gave her a sense of familiarity, a feeling of family.
She had never felt so protected before.
And, she had awakened the Red Dragon ability. The nature of a dragon was…
Natsuba Rinrei found no reason to refuse. From every angle, she had to agree.
Besides, from the moment she had been saved, she had already submitted to her.
[Natsuba Rinrei’s affection towards you has reached eighty-four.]
“?”
Natsuba Hanae never would have thought that before she even adopted Natsuba Rinrei as her daughter, her affection level would suddenly skyrocket to this point.
Then, if she did adopt her, her loyalty (affection) would be incredibly stable.
So, a faint smile appeared on her lips, and she said softly,
“Are you willing to be my…”
Before Natsuba Hanae could finish, Natsuba Rinrei nodded frantically.
“Daughter?”
“I am!”
The two spoke almost at the same time.
Natsuba Rinrei smiled in satisfaction. She had guessed correctly. The Master of Summer Harvest Mountain valued her talent and was taking her in to inherit her legacy…
Hmm?
Wait a minute. Not a subordinate, but a daughter?
“Eh?…”
Natsuba Rinrei suddenly realized, her brilliant, fiery dragon eyes instantly extinguishing, becoming dull and lifeless.
As if she had been broken.
Her expression was one of stunned disbelief.
If the Master of Summer Harvest Mountain was making her her daughter, what hope was there for the future?!
But she had already agreed.
And hearing Natsuba Rinrei’s agreement, Natsuba Hanae’s joy spread throughout her body.
From now on, I’ll call you sis, you call me Mom.
However, at that moment, her smile froze slightly.
Her brow furrowed as she looked towards the Old God.
Suddenly, an invisible wave of power began to sweep through the area, vast and surging like the ocean. The gray mist, as if receiving a boost, rapidly spread, pushing back against the crimson light.
This was…
—The aura of a Rule.
…
