LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 47: Everything Has Changed
Using the perfect excuse of going on a mission, Hisagi didn't return immediately to the sorcery school. Instead, he went to the place where the battle had unfolded in an incredibly intense way.
The place remained desolate, with nothing but solitude in the surroundings and the occasional curious animal searching for food.
"Resentful sorcerers died here." Hisagi looked at the battlefield and shook his head before sweeping his hand over that soul point where resentment lingered, soon to hatch into a cursed spirit.
Hisagi usually erased points of resentment wherever he went; it was as simple as purifying the place with his spiritual energy.
A few minutes later, Hisagi arrived at what looked like a temple with a rich spiritual aura. He noticed an entrance adorned with powerful seals that repelled or trapped cursed spirits.
Additional slots were located at strategic points with highly effective talismans as well.
Hisagi observed it silently for a few seconds. Suddenly, footsteps echoed from within, and soon a woman appeared, possessing a soul much older than her appearance suggested.
"You must be the saint of this place, a conduit to the world of sorcery."
Despite being a grandmother, Seiko looked like a slender woman in her prime. She had long, white hair typically tied in a large topknot, wore glasses, and was occasionally seen smoking. Beyond her youthful appearance, Seiko was known for her beauty, often described as enchanting.
Due to this, many mistook her for Momo's mother, only to be shocked when they learned her true relationship with the girl. At the moment, she appeared to be no taller than Hisagi.
The information Aoki had gathered said that, in public, Seiko wore a large-buttoned sweater that revealed her crisscrossed strap top, a jacket with a symbol on the back, hoop earrings, and sandals. When at home, she preferred a tank top, shorts, a haramaki, long socks, and arm warmers.
As Saint Dodoria, Seiko wore a mask, sharp-tipped gloves, and a cloak covering her entire body, leaving only her large topknot visible.
"I thought you'd wear ceremonial attire like you used to." Hisagi didn't need to introduce himself; he had already done so the moment he set foot in the woman's domain.
Seiko didn't want to see a sorcerer in her home, especially when her granddaughter was playing with a cursed boy who abused those powers to regain what was taken from him.
Under normal circumstances, she would have nothing to worry about. But as far as she knew, the boy in front of her was truly deadly when it came to cursed spirits, and he seemed to be quite good at it.
Hasagi waved his hand without even a hint of a smile and said, "I have some questions regarding an investigation I've been conducting nearby. May I have a few minutes of your time?"
"You came all the way here without a gift?" Seiko swung her bat back and forth, showing her impatience.
With a flick of his wrist, a bottle of wine appeared in Hisagi's hand, and he shook it a few times, saying, "A rather old wine; I stole it during one of my recent missions."
Though surprised, Seiko could only sigh and said, "Come in, but be quick. I have much more important things to do."
"It's not even night yet. What are you supposed to be doing when you mostly spend your time guarding this place?" Hisagi found this amusing, though he had a feeling the woman was hiding something from him.
"I just don't like strangers, even if they're sorcerers." Seiko said before opening her door and letting Hisagi enter, who followed her silently into the living room.
After sitting down, Seiko lit a cigarette and said, "I told you to be quick; my granddaughter doesn't like strangers."
Hisagi's eyes scanned the entire house, and upon sensing strong energy, he murmured, "For a powerful saint, you've allowed a pest to enter your home. Has something happened recently?"
'Did he notice so soon?' Seiko didn't panic and replied, "I'm training my granddaughter; she just awakened her spiritual power."
"How old is she?"
"Fifteen."
"Don't you think that's rather late to awaken spiritual power, considering that you're a powerful saint?" Hisagi's gaze fixed on Seiko, who was visibly growing more irritated with his questioning.
Seiko furrowed her brows and asked, "Are you interrogating me?"
Realizing he'd gone too far, Hisagi smiled at once and said, "My apologies. I was simply concerned for the safety of this place after sensing cursed energy in your granddaughter's room, the bathroom, and the entire hallway."
"I've been training her. Won't it be reasonable for my training to be more intense than usual?"
"She's your granddaughter; it's not my place to say otherwise."
Seiko maintained her unchanging stare, waiting for Hisagi to reveal the real reason he was there.
"Well, as you know, there was a major battle nearby recently where we exterminated several special-grade cursed spirits. But unexpectedly, I encountered beings from another world—not spiritual or cursed, but rather beings from space."
When Seiko heard this, she remembered what her granddaughter had mentioned a while back and replied, "Nonsense, I don't believe in such things."
"But I believe your granddaughter knows about it, so I'd like to speak with her to get to the bottom of this. How does that sound?" Hisagi asked with a gentle smile, though it was clear he was giving the woman in front of him a direct warning.