I'm not going to be an Spirit! (Translate)

"In short, that's all we have to say about today's meeting." 

The next day, at noon. 

In the Tendo Civil Security Company, Nia Honjo and Kisara Tendo sat face to face. 

After summarizing everything that had happened at the Ministry of Defense in one breath, Kisara Tendo took a sip of cheap tea bought from a 100-yen store to moisten her throat. 

Looking at Nia Honjo, who seemed distracted from the beginning, she twitched her lips and said, "Hey, hey, what I just said is very important. Are you even listening?" 

Nia Honjo, who had been thinking about the plot of her comic, snapped back to reality and nodded quickly. "I'm listening, I'm listening. Not missing a word." 

"Then tell me what I just concluded." 

"The Seven Stars relics, the Holy Emperor commission, the generous bounty, and the matter of the Legacy of the Seven Stars." 

"..." 

Kisara Tendo stared directly into Nia Honjo eyes and remained silent for a moment. 

Then, she said slowly, "I didn't mention the Legacy of the Seven Stars just now." 

"Oh, you didn't?" Nia Honjo smiled awkwardly. "It's such an important thing, I thought you'd definitely tell me." 

"Forget it. I won't ask how you knew about the Legacy of the Seven Stars being discussed at the meeting. The fact that you were able to gather dirt on the Tendo family means you must have your own intelligence channels." Kisara Tendo sighed slightly. "But since you already knew, you could've just told me instead of wasting my breath." 

Kisara Tendo didn't trust her new employee as much as she trusted Rentaro Satomi. 

Although Nia Honjo seemed harmless and carefree, Kisara knew that this woman was definitely not as simple as she appeared. 

After all, the exact crimes and evidence against Kikunojou Tendo had been provided by her. 

For so many years, Kisara had been searching for evidence of the crimes committed by the five Tendo family members directly responsible for her parents' deaths, but progress had been painfully slow. 

She knew better than anyone how difficult it was to obtain information on the largest political family in Tokyo. 

No matter what means Nia Honjo had used to get the evidence of Kikunojou Tendo guilt, it showed that this woman's hidden capabilities were far beyond her imagination. 

And now, she had further confirmed her suspicions. 

Just moments ago, she had returned from a meeting at the Ministry of Defense. 

The confidentiality of the meeting was absolutely top-tier. Except for the people in the Ministry of Defense and the invited representatives of the police companies, it was impossible for outsiders to know what had transpired. Not to mention, the Holy Emperor had taken the meeting extremely seriously. 

However, less than an hour after the meeting ended, Nia Honjo already knew its contents. 

Had she planted spies in other police companies, or was she a member of the Ministry of Defense herself? 

Kisara Tendo thoughts instinctively expanded, considering many possibilities. 

But without definitive evidence, she could only give up on exploring Nia Honjo identity for the time being. 

Even though she knew there was something off about Nia Honjo, Kisara didn't show any hostility or vigilance. 

Because from the moment they had first met, Kisara Tendo had known that this girl was hiding something. 

Even though she was aware of Nia Honjo secrets, she had still chosen to cooperate with her not out of trust, but simply because of the mutual benefits involved. 

After all, it was thanks to Nia Honjo that she had obtained the evidence of Kikunojou Tendo guilt. In the future, she would need Nia Honjo help to gather evidence against the other four Tendo family members. 

Therefore, even if Nia Honjo identity was questionable, Kisara wouldn't pry. 

As long as Nia Honjo interests aligned with hers, the two could continue working together until her revenge was complete. 

"So, what do you think of this meeting?" To steer Kisara Tendo away from her earlier slip-up, Nia Honjo changed the subject. 

"The reward is high, and the difficulty is low. Whoever can find the Gastrea that swallowed the Seven Stars relics will win the prize." 

"Do you really think the difficulty is low?" 

"Of course. According to the intelligence, it's at most a stage three Gastrea, which Rentaro can handle alone." 

"But have you forgotten about the Legacy of the Seven Stars?" 

"Him..." 

Thinking of the commotion caused by the man named Kagetane Hiruko at the meeting, Kisara Tendo couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. 

Kagetane Hiruko, like Rentaro Satomi, was one of the mechanical soldiers from the New Human Creation Project. 

However, the extent of his transformation was far more thorough than Rentaro, and the abilities he had gained were extremely powerful. 

At the same time, he was also a notorious international criminal. 

Such a man had shown up at a meeting that was supposed to be attended only by invited guests, and he had even boasted that he would find the Seven Stars relics first and use them to summon a Zodiac-level Gastrea, turning Tokyo into the next ruin ravaged by Gastrea. 

This had left many of the attendees feeling uneasy. 

"But our mission isn't to defeat Kagetane Hiruko. It's to find the Seven Stars relics," Kisara Tendo said, sounding more relieved. 

"Really? If I were you, I wouldn't jump to conclusions so quickly," Nia Honjo said calmly. 

"What do you mean?" 

"This was a secret meeting, and only those invited were eligible to attend. Why do you think Kagetane Hiruko showed up there?" 

"Maybe the news leaked from other companies. Not all police companies are tight-lipped." 

"That's a reasonable guess, but have you considered another possibility?" 

Nia Honjo paused and said meaningfully, "What if he was also an invited guest?" 

Kisara Tendo frown deepened. 

It wasn't that she hadn't considered this possibility, but because it seemed so untenable, she hadn't pursued it further. 

Kagetane Hiruko was a madman who wanted to destroy Tokyo. If he got his hands on the Seven Stars relics, the tragedy of ten years ago would repeat itself. 

Even governments hostile to Tokyo wouldn't want to see such a thing happen, let alone the Tokyo government itself. 

Therefore, Kisara Tendo hadn't thought it likely that Kagetane Hiruko had connections with high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Defense. 

But now that Nia Honjo had brought up this possibility, it was a different matter. 

"After all, the Seven Stars relics, which should have been well-guarded by the government, were swallowed by a Gastrea that appeared out of nowhere. Doesn't that sound strange?" Nia Honjo spread her hands. "Don't you smell a conspiracy?" 

"Hearing you put it that way, it does seem a bit..." 

Kisara Tendo pondered further, following Nia Honjo line of reasoning. "The government's top brass deliberately created a Gastrea disaster in the area where the Seven Stars relics were sealed, allowing the Gastrea to take them away... But if the mastermind's goal was to destroy Tokyo, couldn't they just open the Seven Stars relics? Why go through all this trouble?" 

"Is there a possibility that the mastermind doesn't want to destroy Tokyo?" 

"Then what is it for?" 

"In order to make this society, which has been peaceful for too long, feel the fear of the Gastrea again," Nia Honjo said lightly. "In order to transform people's fear of the Gastrea into anger against the cursed children." 

The world's malice toward the cursed children is everywhere. 

Especially in the first few years after the cursed children appeared in human society, their chances of survival were almost zero. 

People who had lost loved ones, people who had lost their homes, people who had lost everything they took their anger, which had nowhere else to go, out on these innocent children, treating them as monsters no different from the Gastrea. 

However, as time passed, people's fear of the Gastrea diminished day by day. 

Since the appearance of the Monoliths, most people had no longer experienced the disasters brought by the Gastrea. They had obtained a false sense of peace and were immersed in it. 

Even those pure generations born after the Cataclysm might never have seen a Gastrea with their own eyes. 

Then, among the crowd, those who had never harbored ill will toward the cursed children and even felt sympathy for them began to speak up. 

Led by the Holy Emperor, these people drafted the [Gastrea Protection Act], attempting to grant the cursed children human rights and improve their social status. 

Naturally, they faced opposition. 

Even though peace had lasted for several years and most people's fear of the Gastrea had faded, there were still extremists. 

Those who had lived through the plundering, who hated the Gastrea to their core and treated the cursed children as equally monstrous, stood on the opposite side of the Holy Emperor and obstructed the decree. 

Such extremists were not uncommon, not only among citizens but also within the Tokyo government. 

As a result, a stalemate emerged between the supporters and the opposition. 

This wasn't necessarily a bad thing. 

As peace continued, more and more people would support the act. 

The opposition knew this, so they had to take action. 

It would be a simple matter to kill the [Gastrea Protection Act] in its cradle and force the Holy Emperor to withdraw the decree. 

Because even the Holy Emperor couldn't fight against public opinion. Once public opinion became radical enough, the government would have no choice but to compromise. 

Therefore, the opposition needed to do only one thing: 

Make the citizens of Tokyo, who were immersed in peace, remember the fear of being dominated by the Gastrea. 

Let the false peace vanish, let the so-called civilization shatter once more, and let barbarism and fear dominate people's rationality. 

Make people remember the beginning of the Cataclysm. 

If they could achieve this, the number of opponents would skyrocket, and the pressure on the Holy Emperor would become unbearable. 

Extreme, radical, and stubborn Kisara Tendo knew this kind of person all too well within the Tokyo government. 

"Kikunojou Tendo..." 

Under Nia Honjo guidance, the already sharp Kisara Tendo immediately guessed the mastermind behind it all. 

Her eyes darkened slightly, and she took a deep breath. "To prevent the implementation of the [Gastrea Protection Act], he actually dared to do this? Haha, what can I say? I'm not surprised at all. This really sounds like something that old monster would do." 

At this point, the truth of the matter had come to light. 

To awaken the citizens of Tokyo to their fear of the Gastrea and reignite their anger toward the cursed children, Kikunojou Tendo, the assistant officer of the Tokyo region, had orchestrated an accident. He allowed a Gastrea to take the Seven Stars relics. When the Holy Emperor commissioned the Tokyo police to retrieve the relics, he hired Kagetane Hiruko to obstruct their progress. 

Perhaps, before long, news of the search would spread. 

Because the large-scale actions of the police couldn't escape public notice. 

People would grow uneasy, question the government, and try to figure out what was happening. 

However, the Holy Emperor would continue to conceal the matter of the Seven Stars relics until the moment when secrecy was no longer possible. 

In the end, people's anxieties would turn into shock and rage under the weight of the shocking truth, becoming a mob that would overturn order in their despair. 

By then, the [Gastrea Protection Act] would be dead in its cradle. 

As the mastermind behind it all, Kikunojou Tendo, after achieving his goal, would only need to recover the Seven Stars relics and end the farce. 

The Holy Emperor ruling power would diminish, but his prestige among the people would grow. 

By then, the Holy Emperor, who had not yet fully consolidated control of the Tokyo government, would face an even more precarious situation. 

This cunning politician had found a way to kill two birds with one stone, all without harming his own interests. 

"Kisara-chan, I've said before that my goal is to make the cancer of the Tendo family disappear from Tokyo politics," Nia Honjo said, standing up and walking to the window. She gazed at the towering building of the Ministry of Defense in the distance. "This is the opportunity. I need to complete this commission and let the Holy Emperor notice my existence. Only then can I work with her to clip the wings of the Tendo family." 

"That sounds good." 

"So, I need your help." 

"I'd be happy to oblige." A dangerous smile appeared on Kisara Tendo lips. "I'll do my best to find that Gastrea." 

"No, that's not necessary," Nia Honjo said calmly. "Go and rent a helicopter for me. The sooner, the better." 

Kisara Tendo was stunned. "Of course, but... what are you going to do?" 

"To recover the Seven Stars relics, of course." 

"Wait, I'm a little confused." Kisara Tendo looked at Nia Honjo in disbelief. "You mean, you already know the location of the Gastrea?" 

"That's right." 

"How do you know? This is unscientific! Obviously, no one..." As she spoke, Kisara Tendo swallowed the rest of her sentence. 

Obviously, no one knows. 

That's what she had meant to say. 

But was it true that no one knew? 

Since Kikunojou Tendo goal was only to create a farce, not to destroy Tokyo, would he really throw the Seven Stars relics into the stomach of a Gastrea without any backup? 

Obviously not. 

Perhaps, while the police across Tokyo were desperately searching for the Gastrea, he was sitting in his room, sipping tea and watching the Gastrea's movements on a GPS tracker. 

But... 

Kisara Tendo couldn't help but look at Nia Honjo. 

How did this woman know? 

She couldn't possibly be in cahoots with Kikunojou Tendo. Was she watching the GPS alongside the old man? 

Nia Honjo turned her head, her gray eyes seeming to see through Kisara Tendo thoughts. 

"Trust me, Kisara-chan. I have nothing to do with the Tendo family." 

Nia Honjo patted her shoulder with a smile. 

"I just know a little bit about everything."