Volume 3, Chapter 75 - Entrapping Lily
Translator: Aoi
Yumi didnât express any fear or intent to resist in response to Haihimeâs threat and just lifted her head up to direct a regretless gaze at her, her eyes still full of admiration and reverence as before.
âLady Haihime. If you think I have betrayed you or distrust whatever I say after this, kill me after listening to my words,â Yumiâs cheeks flushed up slightly but she still revealed a slight smile.
This smile, however, felt a bit unusual to Haihime, âSpeak, then.â
Haihime withdrew White Tiger Muramasa that was shining with blue and black eldritch fluctuations.
âLady Haihime, why donât you go meet Kagami Lily? I personally saw her rescue my sister, Yukiko, from the tyrannical abuse of Tokugawa. If itâs her, perhaps even your misfortune that always deals you a losing streak can be changed,â Yumi looked at Haihime without the slightest stray thought and seemed to give thought for Haihime sincerely.
âSlap!â However, what replied her was a slap on the face.
âA bunch of nonsense! My position is second only to Amanojaku in these Endless Demon Mountains and I dominate the Hundred Demons. Why do you make it sound like I am misfortunate? Which woman in this world is able to gain as much power as me?â Haihime seemed to lash out at Yumi righteously.
âLady Haihime. I can feel your sorrow. Itâs impossible for me to turn a blind eye to the look in your eyes whenever you return from Amanojakuâs place each time he returns. Itâs because we are both women that I can see some things clearly which even those demons, including Amanojaku, canât see through. You and Lily are similar, Lady Haihime. Why not ally with her? Even if you have some other ambition in sticking together with Amanojaku, working together with Lily doesnât do you any harm at all!â Yumi persuaded loyally.
âHmph! Meeting with Kagami Lily isnât an impossibility. That woman is really unusual. I intended to do it even if you didnât mention it, but since thatâs the case, why didnât you liaison a meeting between us and schemed to draw Lily into the Land of Hundred Demons instead?â
âLady Haihime, Amanojakuâs subordinates are monitoring you at all times. Iâm the only one truly loyal to you in the Land of Hundred Demons, even those Itsura kunoichi canât be trusted.â
âHmph! Do you think Amanojaku, that fool, has the brains to think of monitoring me? Heâs overconfident because of the overwhelming strength he possesses, so thereâs no way he would employ such lax measures. I understand his nature better than you. He wouldâve clawed me to death if he really suspected me.â
âEven if Amanojaku isnât that wise, it doesnât mean the monsters who follow him arenât. Iâve always been investigating this secretly and acted accordingly to protect you, Lady Haihime.â
âHmph! You are pretty good at this aspect, but why do you keep failing the missions I give you? This caused Amanojaku to scold me a little. Also, your presumptions are based on the premise that I intend to oppose him. Why would I oppose him when he is my husband?â
âThat is true⦠But Lady Haihime, please recall since when did I begin failing my missions.â
âHmm?â
âIt all began after establishing contact with Kagami Lily, Lady Haihime. This woman possesses unfathomable power and I also felt an unimaginable survival instinct and an incomparably strong obsession from her. I donât know where this obsession of hers comes from, but it has made her push through all kinds of crises without giving up and grab the sole opportunity to turn the tide. I lost to such a woman! You know I possess high self-esteem and harbor both pride and dignity as the kunoichiâs overseer, but I cannot defeat that woman! Iâve admitted defeat, Lady Haihime. Iâve lost to her on each occasion, so maybe she can really change things that look undisputable if you trust her like me!â
Haihime felt quite displeased seeing Yumi speak about Kagami Lily with trust and obedience in her eyes, âFine, then. Since you say this Kagami Lily is so amazing, I will go meet her soon. If she is really as capable as youâve mentioned, she should be able to escape from my trap easily, right? Thereâs no harm in listening to her if she manages to defeat me in the Land of Hundred Demons, but if she fails to defeat me, I will sample the body flavor of the Eastâs prettiest woman and hand her over to Amanojaku after that to make up for the lost trust between him and me.â
âWhatâ¦â Yumi turned anxious, âThis is unfair, Lady Haihime. I incited Lily to enter these Endless Demon Mountains only to create a chance for the two of you to meet. Even if sheâs strong, she isnât your match, and itâs even more impossible for her to deal with the trap that you lay out secretly! Lily isnât your enemy, Lady Haihime!â
âWhether sheâs my enemy or not depends on whether sheâs qualified to negotiate with me. Even I donât think she will win, but didnât you say sheâs a woman who creates miracles? If so⦠shouldnât she be able to turn any peril to safety?â Haihime grinned.
âAlthough Lily is brave, she isnât a god! Also, I wonât have the face to live anymore if my undue actions end up landing her in dangerâ¦â
âThatâs why I said that youâve turned over to her side, havenât you, *****?! Haihime picked up a bamboo rod from the shelf to the side but ceased her actions promptly, âHmph! Hitting you is equal to rewarding you, isnât it, b?i?t?c?h?? How about we have a bet then? You, I, and the Mirror Girl Lily, let us three have a night-time candlelight talk with you as the matchmaker. I shall have you tied up at one side and make you watch how I train and shame the woman you deem a hero. Hahaha. Donât you think that would be pretty fun?â
âNo⦠Lady Haihime⦠donât do this⦠I did all of this for youâ¦â
âCome. Bind her tightly and stuff her in the cellar! Weâll see some great fun.â
The Itsura kunoichi ignored Yumiâs screams and dragged her to the underground room forcefully.
As for Haihime, she pursed her smoked pink lips while gazing at the distant and majestic Mt. Fuji, âThe most talented samurai woman in Kanto and the prettiest female liege lord of the East, huh! Since youâre delivering yourself to my doorsteps, donât blame this sister for not going easy on you, Kagami Lily!â
At present, Lily had no idea that Yumi had reached Haihimeâs place via a shortcut and that her location had been leaked out completely.
Although Haihime didnât know Lilyâs exact location, as Lily was following Yumiâs map, it was actually easy for her to predict Lilyâs route, so she just needed to lay a trap at the perfect location andâ¦
However, Lily didnât know anything about this.
She was sitting cross-legged in a hidden rockâs crevice and had just finished assimilating the perfect magatama she obtained previously.
However, she still needed at least eight to nine magatama like this one to attain the Spirit Jade Stage.
âYouâre really extravagant, Master. You assimilated an attributed grade 7 magatama directly as if it were a common magatama even though its attribute is of no help to you, youâve really wasted it.â
âItâs better to turn a treasure into personal strength than guarding it in vain. Although Mt. Fuji isnât that far now and we havenât encountered any huge perils by following Yumiâs map, I feel a bit uneasy for some reasonâ¦â Lily stated while gasping for breaths with her crimson lips as a thin layer of sweat formed over her bountiful cleavage by the time she finished assimilating the magatama.