Chapter 274: Lady Narukami Is Angry
"It really is lively down there."
Spitting out a fishbone, Bai Luo stood on something like a bell tower, looking with great interest at the bustling crowd below.
To be honest, in Bai Luo's memory, Miss Hina—created by Yae Miko—was indeed quite popular, but nowhere near this popular.
Though, this change is probably due to the two of them hyping her up, plus the early reveal of Miss Hina's portrait.
And considering how many people Gorou had actually helped, it was only natural that he would explode in popularity.
"The time should be about right now, yeah?"
Seeing the crowds lining the street, Bai Luo lifted his head and glanced up at the sun.
The sun wasn't especially harsh today, but standing under it still felt somewhat hot.
Though that level of heat only made Miss Hina's fans more fired up.
"Miss Hina!"
"It's Miss Hina! It's really Miss Hina!"
"Look! Miss Hina is waving at me!"
"Idiot! She's obviously waving at me! "
At the end of the street, several burly men in official uniforms walked forward first. They forcefully split the crowd into two sides, protecting the palanquin behind them—carried by eight Slimes.
The Visions hanging from their waists made it clear they were definitely Tenryou Commission officers. After all, no one other than those acknowledged by the Raiden Shogun herself would dare parade around with their Visions so openly.
(Sidenote: Yes, there is lore saying that being acknowledged by the Shogun allows certain people to keep their Visions.)
The tamed Anemo Slimes flapped their tiny wings with effort, steadily holding up the three-level palanquin.
Judging by the decorations not yet removed from it, this should have been a sacred palanquin used in past festivals. But since its owner was none other than Yae Miko of the Grand Narukami Shrine, using it for something like this was… very much her style.
After all, if she could turn the annual Fire-Soothing Festival—originally meant to pray for protection against fires—into a light-novel writing contest, what couldn't she do?
The bottom level of the palanquin displayed Yae Publishing House's most popular light novels over the years, along with all sorts of premium merchandise, including figurines of Her Excellency the Almighty Narukami Ogosho.
Bai Luo's own novel was among them, placed right at center alongside several other top-selling titles.
The second level was different.
It was packed with people.
Some were dressed like bards, holding flower-decorated lyres and singing songs of freedom.
Some looked like adventurers, carrying a battered greatsword and pretending not to care about anything around them.
And some were even dressed in armor, holding polearms.
They had obviously tried to avoid copying a certain deity too closely, but one could still tell at a glance—
Wasn't that basically the Shogun who dwells in Tenshukaku?
Of course, the most dazzling figure was the girl sitting at the very top.
Seated in a specially made chair, she wore a friendly smile, continuously waving to the crowd.
Smile and wave.
Yes… smile and wave.
Following Bai Luo's instructions carefully, "she" repeated the motion again and again.
Fortunately, as the general of the Watatsumi Island Resistance, Gorou was already used to being surrounded by people with this kind of intense gaze.
Otherwise… whether he could survive this parade was a real question.
The ones suffering the most were undoubtedly the poor Anemo Slimes flapping their tiny wings. Carrying just one Miss Hina might have been fine, but with so many people crowded onto the second level—and the palanquin itself being heavy to begin with—
All of the Slimes now had eyes shaped like ⁽⁽ଘ(＞-＜)ଓ⁾⁾.
Thankfully, Yae Miko hadn't made them fly too far—just one street's length.
When the palanquin finally reached the end of the street, the Anemo Slimes, following the handler's signal, at last set the heavy palanquin down.
They still had to carry it back afterward, but at least everyone had gotten off. That alone would make things much easier.
"Miss Hina! It's me, Kuroda! Kuroda, the one who wrote you that letter!"
"Hahahahaha! Miss Hina! Do you see this? This is the poem I wrote for you! Ahem— ah! My—hey! Shinobu! Give me back my poem!"
"Miss Hina, please shake my hand! After that, I swear for a whole year—no, for the rest of my life—I'll never wash it again!"
"I am Miss Hina's dog!"
The crowd surged forward, packing around the palanquin until not even a drop of water could squeeze through. If not for the officers with Anemo Visions creating barriers with elemental energy to block the fanatics, Gorou's tail would probably have been rubbed bald.
"Hello everyone, thank you for your support."
Sitting at the top of the palanquin, Gorou instinctively greeted the surrounding crowd.
Only—his usually clear, boyish voice had become a slightly shy, youthful girl's voice.
Even Gorou himself nearly jumped in shock.
Wasn't this necklace too effective?
The moment he spoke, the entire street fell silent.
A heartbeat later, cheers erupted—louder, wilder, more feverish than before. Fans wearing Miss Hina shirts and holding Miss Hina posters now had bloodshot eyes.
Too cute!!!
The uproar was so intense that even the Shogun in Tenshukaku opened her eyes slightly.
With the Eye of Stormy Judgment unfurled, the first figure she saw was Yae Miko on the second tier of the palanquin—wearing a simplified Shogun-style outfit and holding a violet-gold naginata.
Although Miko had altered her appearance and aura using youjutsu, such tricks could never deceive a god the way Bai Luo's invisibility could.
Seeing that the source of the uproar was this noisy pink-haired fox, Raiden Shogun lost interest. Causing chaos like this was entirely in character for her.
However…
"Hm?"
Outside the rowdy crowd, a pitch-black figure drew her attention.
The man dressed in black leaned casually against the bell tower, watching the spectacle below with interest.
He seemed to be part of this farce—and yet detached from it.
Most importantly… the Shogun couldn't see through him.
As a god with unimaginable power—and with the Eye of Stormy Judgment able to perceive hidden truths—looking through a mortal should not have been difficult.
But this man… was covered in question marks to her vision.
As the Eye expanded further, even Raiden Ei within the Plane of Euthymia noticed the strange intruder.
But just as she attempted to inspect him more closely, the man seemed to sense it.
He lifted his head slightly, gazing directly at the Eye of Stormy Judgment—something ordinary mortals could never perceive—locking eyes with Raiden Ei within the Plane.
Raiden Ei: "…"
Bai Luo: "…"
BOOM—!
In an instant, a bolt of thunder exploded above Bai Luo's head, flattening the entire bell tower.
Even Yae Miko and all the others who were busy with the meet-and-greet froze and turned toward the bell tower's remains.
"Lady Narukami is enraged!"
No one knew who shouted it first, but the previously rowdy crowd collapsed to the ground in a wave, kneeling face-down. Not a single person dared lift their head as they prayed loudly for the Shogun's forgiveness.
. . . . .
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