"General... General!" When a young man in armor, probably in his twenties or thirties, appeared, a look of fear and unease surfaced on his face. Like the ordinary Shogunate Soldiers who had seen Makoto, he immediately knelt on the ground.
Next to Raiden Makoto was Kujou Sara. Even though he knew the Raiden Shogun almost always stayed in Tenshukaku and never went out, he was certain that the person next to Kujou Sara was the Raiden Shogun.
"Kujou Masahito, why are you preparing to fight the Watatsumi Island resistance on Ba Yun Island?" Kujou Sara roared. "And why am I unaware of everything that has happened on Ba Yun Island?"
"Do you know that is deceiving the sovereign, that is a monstrous crime!" Kujou Sara's tone was filled with fury. At this moment, she was already blinded by anger, her rage Burning fiercely.
"I..."
"General! Please believe in my loyalty. Everything was ordered by the Clan Head. I merely followed orders; I dared not disobey." Kujou Masahito's face was pale, and he trembled before Raiden Makoto.
He was scared.
Anyone who had heard of the Raiden Shogun's deeds in Inazuma feared her wrath. The withered bones of the Great Serpent on Ba Yun Island, that fissure that cut across Ba Yun Island, were all carved by the Raiden Shogun with her Musou no Hitotachi.
"Are you afraid to disobey Kujou Takayuki's orders, or are you afraid to disobey mine?" Raiden Makoto's tone was very calm, yet the calmer her tone, the more terrified Kujou Masahito became.
"I wouldn't dare..."
"How dare this subordinate disobey the General's orders! This subordinate is utterly loyal to the General!" Kujou Masahito stammered, not daring to look up at all.
"Then why, when such a serious situation occurred on Ba Yun Island, did the Tenryou Commission still not report it to me? Do you think you can handle it yourselves?"
"Yes... the Clan Head said we could handle the problem... and wouldn't let the evil spirits phenomenon spread outside."
"Moreover, the spread of the evil spirits was caused by Watatsumi Island, which could also help us completely solve the Watatsumi Island problem... couldn't it?" Kujou Masahito thought Raiden Makoto wasn't angry and that he could still deceive her, so he slowly continued, "General..."
"So, your solution to the problem was to kill the villagers on Ba Yun Island who suffered from the disaster?"
"Kujou Masahito, even now do you still think you can deceive the Grand Narukami?! Do you... still have the Grand Narukami in your eyes? Do you still care about the people of Inazuma?" Kujou Sara's rage completely ignited upon seeing Kujou Masahito, who was still full of lies.
Lumine and Paimon remained silent on the side. They didn't know what to say. Their experiences in Inazuma were completely different from those in Mondstadt and Liyue.
Although Mondstadt was free, there were no organizations like the Tenryou Commission or the Kanjou Commission that disregarded the lives of ordinary people. Grand Master Jean managed everything in an orderly manner.
And Liyue had the Liyue Seven Stars, plus Zhongli guided Liyue's direction every year, so no one would do such a thing there.
"Tell me what you know, otherwise..." Raiden Makoto looked at Kujou Masahito indifferently. Her tone was calm, but she also felt a hint of anger in her heart.
She didn't know why those once lovely humans had become so selfish.
"The Clan Head had a deal with the Snezhnayan Envoy... saying that he would use the Snezhnayan Envoy to keep the benefits brought by the Snezhnayan Envoy in Inazuma, allowing the Kujou Clan to regain its former glory."
"The appearance of the resistance on Watatsumi Island also had the Snezhnayan Envoy fanning the flames. If we quell the Watatsumi Island rebellion, he said we could also achieve great deeds and receive a reward..."
Kujou Masahito said tremblingly, growing more and more guilty as he spoke. He dared not look directly at Raiden Makoto.
Raiden Makoto was also somewhat silent. The Tenryou Commission, in order to gain profit, actually resorted to war. Kujou Takayuki had no idea that once war truly broke out, there would definitely be heavy casualties.
How could war be a child's play?
"Not long ago, there was an explosion in Tatarasuna... most of the villagers working there also returned to Ba Yun Island..."
"An explosion in Tatarasuna?" Kujou Sara was stunned. "Then why wasn't it reported?"
She also didn't know about the explosion in Tatarasuna. Not only her, but even Narukami Island had very little news about the Tatarasuna explosion.
"I also don't know why the Kanjou Commission didn't report those matters to the General. General, everything I'm doing now is at the Clan Head's request. I'm just following orders."
"General, I am absolutely loyal to you! Everything I've said is true, not a single lie!" Kujou Masahito looked at Raiden Makoto with particular earnestness now. Although he was still somewhat afraid, he could only do this now.
"General... what Lord Kujou Masahito said is true. I can vouch for Lord Kujou Masahito. The Clan Head also said that if Lord Kujou Masahito didn't perform well, Lord Kujou Sara would be sent to take charge."
"I can also prove that Lord Kujou Masahito is telling the truth!"
"I can prove it too!"
As one ordinary Shogunate Soldier after another came forward to vouch for Kujou Masahito, Raiden Makoto couldn't help but sigh.
She certainly believed what Kujou Masahito said, but that didn't mean they weren't acting for their own selfish gain.
However, the only people who could convey messages to the Raiden Shogun were the absolute high-ranking officials of the Three Commissions. Kujou Masahito, for example, truly had no way to relay messages upwards.
"You may rise."
Just as those people rustled to their feet, a mocking laugh came from behind.
"How interesting... You actually mistook a puppet for the Electro Archon! Hahahaha, truly amusing."
Scaramouche walked in from the entrance of the Shogunate Army's encampment with many Fatui elite soldiers. The corners of Scaramouche's mouth were slightly upturned, and his eyes were filled with disdain.
"Your Raiden Shogun is still in Tenshukaku right now." Scaramouche also scrutinized Raiden Makoto. The more closely he looked, the more surprised he became.
Raiden Makoto was so much like her, almost cast from the same mold.
That was also why he had mistaken Raiden Makoto for her.
Because of Scaramouche's words, Kujou Masahito, who had been somewhat fearful, was also greatly surprised, and so were the Shogunate Soldiers.
"She... she's not the General? Kujou Sara! How dare you?" Kujou Masahito had actually noticed something amiss when he carefully observed Raiden Makoto.
He had seen the Raiden Shogun up close; Raiden Makoto had a slight, subtle difference from the Raiden Shogun. He had originally thought that since Kujou Sara was with her, Raiden Makoto must be the Raiden Shogun.
"Interesting."
-------------------------------
Hope you enjoy this fanfiction if you do and would like to read the next 30 chapters in advance, pls do check out my Patreon.
patreon.com/TLScarlet
Also don't forget to give me a Power Stone if you do like this fiction. Your support really motivates me to continue doing my best in translating, Thanks!!