Ten years was an astonishingly long period of time.
But for a true scheme or scheme, ten years wasn't that long either.
How likely was it that the Tendo Family had already set up a scheme targeting the Realm of Cherry Blossoms ten years ago?
It probably wasn't likely. It was almost impossible for the Tendo Family to clearly predict the current situation after such a long period of time. However, it was possible for the Tendo Family to set up a trap and wait for the right time to activate it.
Some people had a misconception about schemes. They believed that schemes were always well-hidden and well-planned from the very start. At the very least, schemes would be executed in secret step by step until they succeeded in the end.
Actually, that wasn't always the case. Sometimes, the schemer wouldn't even know what the final result would be. They would simply place down a chess piece at an appropriate time and method, and then place down another chess piece, erase the previous chess piece, or change its position depending on the situation. Gradually, the schemer would arrive at an end that would be beneficial to them.
If the Tendo Family really had a scheme, then it was probably the latter.
Of course, it was also possible that this wasn't the case. The black-clothed man said that it was most likely due to the betrayal ten years ago, but that was only a possibility.
But no matter what, this was a possible direction.
"Call him over," the black-clothed man told Yui.
Yui knew who "him" was referring to. There was only one person who understood the Tendo Family the most and was trustworthy.
And so, she took out her cell phone and dialed a number.
Not long after, the person she called arrived.
This person walked in without even knocking. He wore a gray samurai combat uniform with an angry minotaur mask on his head. He seemed rather strange and comical.
If Seiji had been here, he would have recognized that this was the minotaur boy that he had met with together with Mika!
"What would you like to ask?" The minotaur boy spoke in a low voice from behind the mask.
"It's about the incident ten years ago where someone from the Tendo Family attempted to steal the Yasakani no Magatama …" Yui explained.
The minotaur boy fell silent for a moment after hearing this.
"Apparently, the mastermind behind that incident was Shinzen Tendo," he told her.
"He's the younger cousin of the current head of the Tendo Family, Sougo Tendo. At the time, his power level was only average, and he wasn't very good at socializing. He didn't have much of a reputation, and he was focused on researching spiritual artifacts. However, he never produced any good results. His status among his peers was quite low.
"When he was trying to steal the magatama, he was discovered before he could succeed and was quickly dealt with."
"As for the outsider who was in cahoots with him, he self-destructed when the Tendo Family's hunting squad forced him to the brink. He didn't leave any traces behind. It's unknown who he was."
"That's all I know."
"Do you think that there's something fishy about this incident?" Yui asked.
"How clumsy." "The mastermind behind all of this, no matter if it's really Shinzen Tendo, the person who self-destructed, or the mastermind behind all of this, all of them are far too weak."
"That's to say, the Tendo Family has done an extraordinarily perfect job." "Even though this was clearly a serious betrayal by the Tendo Family, the Tendo Family didn't suffer any losses at all. It seems as if Shinzen Tendo was purely suicidal."
"That's right. From what I know, that seems to be the case. Shinzen Tendo is truly foolish."
"Is he really such a stupid person?"
"There's no specific information about him. That's because he doesn't have much of a reputation, nor does he have any good relationships with others. There's too little information for me to know. That's why I don't know." The minotaur boy paused for a moment as his tone became rather grim. "But, three months after that incident, a village was destroyed."
The minotaur boy's expression didn't change. However, Yui furrowed her eyebrows.
"This village's destruction was classified as a top-secret by the Tendo Family. I did my best to investigate. In the end, I only learned that it had something to do with the Tendo Family's' Dragon Vein, '" the minotaur boy spoke lightly. However, his seemingly calm words contained a certain emotion.
Dragon Vein.
This was what the Tendo Family called the Spirit Vein that they inherited. So-called Spirit Veins were believed to be an important factor in the creation of Spiritual Ability users. Spirit Veins could exist in a tangible or intangible form, or they could exist in both.
Simply speaking, the Dragon Vein was one of the foundational reasons why the Tendo Family was known as the Tendo Family.
For the sake of their foundational existence, the Tendo Family would do anything! All three of them understood this.
The minotaur boy mentioned this secret of the Tendo Family. But, the most important thing right now was still the magatama.
"Do you believe that the village's destruction is related to the magatama theft incident?" the minotaur boy asked.
"I think it's possible, but I can't find any actual evidence," the minotaur boy replied.
"If it's related, then the magatama theft incident isn't as simple as it seems on the surface. In that case … perhaps the destruction of that village will repeat itself in a similar fashion, causing the situation to go out of control," the minotaur boy said.
Yui recalled what Seiji had said and felt a chill run down her spine. An unimaginable destruction. Was this what he had truly foreseen?
"That's only a guess," the minotaur boy stated.
"But it is a very likely guess, because we are sure that there is something wrong with the magatama." A mysterious light flashed in the black-robed man's eyes. "We might not be able to find out anything about the magatama, but we can investigate something else … the Tendo Family's Dragon Vein!"
"… What do you want to do?" The minotaur boy looked at him.
"I should be the one asking you what you can do, Raizen Tendo." The minotaur boy looked directly at the minotaur boy and spoke his real name.
This was the name of a genius of the Tendo Family who should have died! And, the person who had "killed" him was none other than Yui.
"Don't call me by that name," the minotaur boy — Raizen Tendo — spoke in a heavy tone.
"No matter how much you resist, your real name is still your real name," the minotaur boy stated lightly.
"It means your background and origin, your origin, and the source of everything about you.
However, your real name can't determine who you are, what you can do, or what you can do.
I don't care what you think about the Tendo Family. Right now, I need you, and Soul Society needs you. Investigate the Tendo Family's Dragon Vein in order to investigate the problem and prevent the impending destruction! "
"What if I refuse?" Raizen countered the minotaur boy's imposing aura.
"You can't," the minotaur boy stated coldly as his aura became even stronger. It was so strong that it was almost tangible.
Motes of white light started appearing around him. They seemed ethereal yet contained a dangerous aura.
* Clap! *
Yui forcefully clapped her hands.
All the white light instantly vanished. The energy in the room also decreased by a level.
Raizen and the minotaur boy turned to look at her.
"Don't be like this, Sorin-san," she calmly tried to persuade him. "You as well, Tendo-kun … we're companions."
"Hmph …" Raizen snorted coldly and stopped his battle stance.
The minotaur boy also retracted his aura.
After a period of silence, Raizen looked back at the minotaur boy.
"I can try to investigate the Dragon Vein. However, I'll need your assistance. Also, you owe me one, Meisei Sorin."
"Sure, but you need to be quick," the minotaur boy — Meisei Sorin — spoke up. "We don't have much time left."
"What do you intend to do?" Yui asked Raizen.
"The easiest way to investigate the Dragon Vein is to investigate a Tendo Family disciple who recently had a large spiritual fluctuation," Raizen told her. "There's an extremely suitable candidate that I'm quite familiar with."
"Who?" Yui faintly guessed at something.
"Shigure Tendo," Raizen stated lightly. "My originally 'immature' younger brother."
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