After learning the truth about Momonosuke and his companions' mistake in time travel, Caelan no longer had any questions.
He dispelled the Reality Marble and took Kozuki Toki back to the shogun's mansion. Naturally, she resisted fiercely.
However...
"With the power of the Command Spell multiplied a hundredfold, you will obey my command."
Caelan only increased his strength slightly, and Toki's resistance crumbled completely.
It felt as though her body no longer belonged to her, as though it had been bound by an invisible mark.
Unable to resist, unable to turn away, she followed Caelan back with light, careful steps. If not for the sorrow and resentment in her eyes, she would have looked like his most loyal attendant.
Caelan didn't mind. In fact, he found her obedience somewhat pleasing.
To make enemies kneel and allies smile, both brought a different kind of satisfaction.
For the first time, he thought the sky above Wano Country looked exceptionally bright. Perhaps it was because those who disgusted him most were gone.
Inside the shogun's mansion, Kozuki Hiyori lowered her head and stood motionless. She didn't cry. All she could hear were the faint echoes of Momonosuke's pleas for mercy.
The failure of the rebellion was undeniable, and the last strength of the Kozuki family had been crushed in Caelan's hands.
From this day forth, the Kozuki family was history.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Footsteps echoed steadily through the corridor, calm and deliberate, as if wiping out thousands had been nothing more than a minor task.
Hiyori immediately knew it was Caelan returning. Perhaps he wasn't alone, but it no longer mattered who accompanied him.
She lowered her gaze and saw his boots before her, the edge of her kimono brushing lightly against them.
Then, she knelt and bowed deeply.
"Your servant, Kozuki Hiyori, welcomes Master back in victory."
Her voice was steady, yet it carried an unwavering tone of reverence.
Caelan raised an eyebrow and smiled.
Whether her submission was genuine or an act, he didn't care. Either way, he was satisfied.
Toki looked at Hiyori in shock and anger, unable to understand what she was witnessing.
From the memories Caelan had implanted in her mind, she knew what had happened between them, and she could not accept it.
This was the man who had brought ruin to their clan and struck down Momonosuke. Yet her daughter stood before him like this.
"Rise. I'm pleased," Caelan said with a faint smile, resting his hand on Hiyori's head.
"Yes, Master," Hiyori replied softly. "You've just returned from battle. Would you like me to prepare a bath for you?"
"We both need to clean up," Caelan said lightly. "Prepare it for me and the lady beside me."
"Yes, Master." Hiyori bowed, but when she looked up, she froze. The woman beside Caelan had green hair just like hers.
"Mother?" she whispered.
Caelan nodded. "Yes, this is Kozuki Toki, whom I have resurrected."
Hiyori's eyes trembled, but she quickly composed herself. "Forgive me, Master. I lost my composure. I'll prepare the hot spring at once."
"How could this happen? Hiyori, wake up!" Toki cried out, her heart filled with desperation.
But Hiyori ignored her and led them toward the hot spring.
The water's warmth filled the room with steam and mist.
Caelan leaned against the edge of the bath, calm and silent. Toki sat beside him, uncertain and uneasy, while Hiyori attended to him quietly from behind.
"It's amusing," Caelan said with half-closed eyes. "Not long ago, you stood against me. Now, you've accepted me completely."
He didn't know what she was thinking, but it didn't matter.
What intrigued him more was how the two women—mother and daughter—would react when forced to face each other.
He released the Command Spell that silenced Toki, allowing her to speak.
"Hiyori, stop this! You can't go along with him. He's our enemy!" Toki shouted, her voice trembling.
"Yes, he is," Hiyori answered quietly. "But then, why are you still sitting here?"
Toki's face turned red. "He's using some kind of spell to control me. I can't resist it."
"Mother, were you also 'forced' to stand by Momonosuke eighteen years ago?" Hiyori's tone grew colder. "That fool led our family to ruin."
"How can you speak that way about your brother!" Toki cried. "He's the chosen one who will lead Wano to salvation!"
"Salvation?" Hiyori laughed bitterly. "He's the one who brought our end. We tried to stop him, but he insisted on reclaiming the shogunate. When the time came, he was the first to beg for mercy."
"If he'd never returned, perhaps our family's fate would've been brighter."
"Hiyori, enough! Momonosuke only failed because the timing was wrong. We just need to wait. The true hero will appear in two years and restore Wano," Toki said firmly.
"With someone like Momonosuke as your hero, even the gods can't save Wano," Hiyori muttered.
Caelan listened quietly, finding her words oddly amusing.
"Hiyori, you mustn't say that!" Toki tried to protest again.
Hiyori turned to her, her eyes calm. "It's all in the past. The dead should rest. What matters now is serving Master well."
Toki fell silent, her expression filled with disbelief.
Caelan chuckled softly as he watched the two—so similar in appearance, yet so different in heart.
The night was still young.
(To be continued.)
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