Chapter 927: Before Susanoo Gets Her Hands on Vergil

Raphaeline was still trying to process the information that Inari was her godmother. Her mother had mentioned the goddess a few times during her childhood, but she had never told her that the two shared such a close relationship. Considering how many problems that information could have solved over the years, Raphaeline didn't know whether to be surprised or irritated that she was only finding out now.

Ada, on the other hand, seemed quite pleased with the situation. She watched her mother with a small smile, clearly hoping Inari would reveal something else embarrassing about her past.

Raphaeline noticed and decided to change the subject before that could happen.

"Lady Inari, I actually came here because I need to talk to you about my husband." She straightened her posture before the throne and continued in a more serious tone. "Vergil intends to visit the Oni Gate to look for Miyamoto Musashi. I imagine you've already heard of him."

"Naturally," Inari replied, settling more comfortably on her throne. One of her tails moved slowly behind the silk curtain. "It would be rather difficult not to hear about someone who managed to cause so much trouble in Asgard."

Raphaeline let out a small sigh. "That's exactly why I'm here. Vergil isn't exactly the most subtle person when something catches his attention, and I'd like to prevent him from causing problems during his visit. He only needs to speak with Musashi, but knowing my husband, there's a good chance he'll end up getting involved in some kind of trouble before he even finds him."

Ada crossed her arms, silently agreeing with that assessment. It wasn't difficult to imagine Vergil getting into an argument with some Oni simply because someone had decided to provoke him along the way.

"I'd like to avoid a war," Raphaeline added. "I don't want such a simple visit to turn into an incident between the Oni Gate and the Demon Realm."

Inari remained silent for a few seconds. When she spoke again, her voice was still calm, but there was a faint note of amusement in it.

"Little Raphaeline, I believe you're trying to control a situation over which you have far less control than you imagine."

Raphaeline frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't simply order every resident of the Oni Gate to treat your husband in a special way. Nor would it be appropriate to demand that they ignore his presence or refrain from approaching him." Inari paused briefly before continuing. "And frankly, the chances of someone recognizing Vergil the moment he sets foot here are as enormous as Mount Fuji."

Ada let out a small laugh at the comparison, but Raphaeline remained serious.

"Couldn't you at least send out a notice?"

"I could. But that doesn't mean anyone would obey it." Inari rested her face against one hand, observing the two through the curtain. "We're talking about a man who stole the Bifröst, won the loyalty of thousands of Valkyries, took Mjölnir from Thor, and confronted Odin. Even if I sent out an announcement asking everyone to stay away from him, I'd probably only make them more curious."

Raphaeline opened her mouth to respond but couldn't find a convincing argument.

Inari continued. "Celebrities are celebrities, after all. Even I can't easily walk through the streets without disguising myself. If the residents discover that I'm strolling through the city, someone always appears wanting to talk, take photographs, or ask for something. Imagine what would happen with Vergil, considering he's been at the center of supernatural news for months."

Raphaeline fell silent, watching the goddess's silhouette. She hadn't fully considered that aspect of the situation. Her intention was to prevent Vergil from drawing attention, but his reputation made that practically impossible.

"I just don't want him to cause problems for himself," she said after a while. "Or for the residents here. I know he won't go looking for trouble on purpose, but I also know he doesn't usually ignore someone who decides to provoke him."

"Have you talked to him about that?" Inari asked.

Raphaeline blinked.

Ada slowly turned her head toward her mother.

"I..."

Raphaeline fell silent.

Inari waited a few more seconds before letting out a soft laugh.

"Ara, ara... You're still exactly as your mother described you."

Raphaeline raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're so obsessed with the people you love that, instead of talking to your husband, you're trying to reshape the entire world around him to prevent anything from happening." Inari seemed genuinely amused by the situation. "You came all the way to another dimension, sought out an old friend, and climbed this mountain to ask for my help, but apparently it never even occurred to you to tell Vergil that you're worried about his visit."

"It's not quite like that," Raphaeline replied, a little embarrassed. "I just thought it would be better to take care of a few things before he arrived."

Ada placed a hand on her mother's shoulder.

Raphaeline looked at her.

"Mom, even if you go to all this trouble, we both know it probably won't do much good."

"You're not helping, Ada."

"I'm being realistic." Ada smiled and gently squeezed her shoulder. "Our husband is practically a force of nature. You can try to prepare the way, warn everyone, and even ask Inari to talk to him, but if something happens, he's going to do exactly what he thinks is necessary."

Raphaeline sighed.

Ada continued, now laughing. "And there's not much anyone can do to stop him or reduce the damage he'll cause. If someone decides to challenge Vergil because he's carrying the most interesting sword around, you know perfectly well how that's going to end."

"He doesn't accept every challenge he receives."

"No. But he accepts the ones that seem interesting."

Raphaeline didn't respond.

Ada removed her hand from her mother's shoulder, satisfied that she hadn't received any argument.

Inari followed the conversation with obvious interest. The way mother and daughter spoke about Vergil made it clear that both understood his personality perfectly, although they had different ways of dealing with it.

"Actually, Susanoo has already told me a few things about your husband," the goddess commented, changing the subject slightly. "She saw him during the Celestial Tournament, when he killed Ryomen Sukuna."

Raphaeline immediately looked up.

"Susanoo was there?"

"She was. And she became quite interested in him after that fight." Inari settled one of her tails beside the throne. "From what she told me, Vergil demonstrated a very peculiar way of using his katana. My sister was especially curious about the weapon's ability to cut through space and the way he combines his demonic abilities with swordsmanship."

Ada seemed interested. "So she wants to meet Yamato?"

"Yamato and her wielder," Inari replied. "Susanoo has been waiting for Vergil to visit the Oni Gate ever since she learned that he intended to seek out Musashi. I imagine she's quite pleased to finally have an opportunity to speak with him."

Raphaeline brought a hand to her forehead.

"Wonderful. Just what we needed."

Inari tilted her head slightly. "Is there a problem?"

"That Sword Goddess is a lunatic who pretends to be calm and cold." Raphaeline shook her head, remembering a few encounters from the past. "She can spend hours without showing the slightest interest in anything, but the moment someone appears with a different sword, she completely loses her composure. If she finds out Yamato can cut through dimensions, she'll probably chase Vergil until he agrees to show her the weapon."

Inari let out a small laugh.

"You two are quite alike."

Raphaeline blinked.

"What?"

"You and Susanoo."

Raphaeline stared at the curtain.

"We are not."

"Of course you are," Inari replied with the same calmness. "You were completely obsessed with swords too. Your mother was always complaining that she couldn't leave you alone near an interesting weapon without you trying to figure out how to obtain it."

Ada began to smile, but Inari continued before she could make any comment.

"If I remember correctly, there was even an occasion when you tried to sell your own daughter for a sword."

Ada's smile disappeared immediately.

Raphaeline fell silent as well.

The change in the atmosphere was clear enough for Inari to realize that she had touched on a subject far less amusing than she had imagined. Ada lowered her eyes to the floor, her expression quietly closing off. She didn't like remembering that period, especially now that her relationship with Raphaeline had changed so much.

Inari observed them for a few seconds before bowing her head respectfully.

"Forgive me. I shouldn't have mentioned it that way." Her voice lost its playful tone. "Sometimes I forget that certain memories remain painful even after the people involved have managed to reconcile."

Raphaeline looked at Ada.

Her daughter remained quiet for a moment, but soon let out a small sigh and raised her head.

"It's all right. I just don't like remembering it."

Raphaeline moved a little closer and placed a hand over hers. Ada looked at her mother but didn't pull away.

"I know," Raphaeline replied quietly.

Inari allowed them to remain like that for a few moments before resuming the conversation. She didn't seem interested in dwelling on the subject, especially after realizing how much their relationship had changed since the events of the past.

"Anyway, Susanoo isn't the only one interested in your husband." The goddess sighed and settled back into her throne. "I confess that I'm also curious to meet this Vergil."

Raphaeline raised her head.

"Because of the Bifröst?"

"Among other things," Inari replied calmly. "It's rare for someone to attract so much attention from different pantheons in such a short time. Especially someone who, from what you're telling me, seems to continue living normally despite all of it."

Ada laughed.

"Normally is a bit of a strong word."

"He was sleeping when we left home," Raphaeline commented. "After getting beaten up by Scathach during training."

Inari went still for a moment.

"Scathach?"

Raphaeline nodded.

"She was trying to teach him how to use a sword."

One of the tails behind the curtain moved slowly.

"And that's why he decided to look for Musashi?"

"Exactly."

Inari remained silent for a few seconds, apparently considering the information. Then she let out a small laugh, this time with much more obvious interest.

"Now I understand why Susanoo is so eager."

Raphaeline narrowed her eyes.

"Lady Inari..."

"Don't worry, little Raphaeline. I have no intention of causing problems for your husband." Inari paused before adding, with an amusement that Raphaeline didn't like hearing one bit, "But I would very much like to speak with him before my sister manages to get her hands on that katana."