Chapter 501: The Meeting, Part 4

"Many of you seem confused by what you’re seeing, but there’s no need to overthink the situation," she explained calmly. "I really am sick, and I’m afraid I don’t have much time left."

Her expression remained composed as she looked around the room, allowing everyone a moment to absorb her words before continuing with her explanation.

"With that said, I’ve decided to entrust everything to the person who will become the next saint. Once I’m gone, she will be the one responsible for carrying that burden, and I want to make sure everyone understands who she is before my time finally runs out."

Her words only raised another question in everyone’s minds.

Did she already know who the next saint would be?

That was what people were wondering, although few of them dared to ask the question aloud.

The Ichinose Family had always held a special position in the demon hunting world because they were direct descendants of a saint. Their bloodline carried the legacy of someone who had once possessed extraordinary power, and their ancestry had given them a level of prestige that few other families could match.

However, having the blood of a saint didn’t necessarily mean that someone would inherit the saint’s power.

That distinction was important, especially when discussing abilities as extraordinary as those associated with the first demon hunter and the saint herself.

Even the daughter of the original saint, who was also the grandmother of the former head of the Ichinose Family, hadn’t inherited the power of either legendary figure. Despite having such an impressive ancestry, she had never awakened the abilities that had made her predecessors so extraordinary.

Her example alone proved that the power wasn’t something that could simply be passed down through generations like an ordinary family inheritance.

Being born into the right family certainly carried its advantages, but it didn’t guarantee that someone would be chosen.

Nevertheless, rumors had circulated for years that the saint’s power would awaken once again during the current generation. It was an expectation that had attracted considerable attention from the demon hunting world, especially among families and organizations that understood how much the return of such a power could change the balance between humans and demons.

The problem was that nobody knew exactly when the awakening would occur, much less who would become its next wielder.

There had never been a reliable way to predict the outcome, and no amount of studying the family bloodlines could provide a definite answer.

The saint’s power wasn’t something that could be inherited through blood alone, nor was there any guarantee that a particular family member would eventually receive it. Instead, the ability was said to manifest in a person of its own accord, appearing without any clear indication of who would be chosen.

It was a strange process, especially considering how much importance people placed on the power itself.

That was what made the former head’s announcement so surprising.

How could she possibly know who had been chosen when even the most knowledgeable people in the demon hunting world couldn’t predict it?

"Right now, the demons pose a greater threat to the human world than ever before," she continued, her voice becoming more serious as she addressed the room. "It won’t be long before humanity begins to feel the full weight of their power, and when that happens, we may find ourselves facing a crisis that our current forces simply cannot overcome."

The room gradually fell silent as the seriousness of her words became clear.

"Unless someone who possesses the power of the saint comes forward to protect us, I’m afraid we won’t be able to win the battle ahead," she continued. "That is precisely why the time has come to reveal the person who has awakened that power."

She paused briefly before continuing her explanation.

"I’ve been observing the candidates for quite some time, so I already know who it is. Although she hasn’t realized it herself yet, the power of the saint has already awakened within her."

The moment she finished speaking, nearly everyone in the room turned toward the two daughters of the Ichinose Family.

Haruna immediately straightened her posture, puffing out her chest with an expression of unmistakable pride. She looked so confident that anyone watching her might have assumed the announcement had already been made, and she seemed completely convinced that she was about to receive the honor everyone had been anticipating.

Judging by her reaction, she had probably expected this moment to arrive for quite some time.

The other people seemed to share that assumption, and several of them looked toward Haruna as though they were already preparing to congratulate her. After all, she was an obvious candidate, and many of those present had considered her the most likely person to inherit the saint’s power.

Given her position within the family and the expectations surrounding her, it was hardly surprising that people would assume the announcement was going to be about her.

Even so, nobody dared to interrupt the former head before she revealed the name.

The entire room remained quiet as everyone waited for her to speak, while Haruna continued wearing a confident expression that suggested she had already won. The anticipation was practically tangible, and the people gathered there seemed eager to witness the moment when the next saint would finally be revealed.

However, the name that came out of the former head’s mouth was something almost nobody had expected.

"Ichinose Hiyori," she announced clearly, directing her gaze toward the girl who had been standing beside her sister. "You have been chosen by the power to become the next saint."

When the name was finally announced, quite a few people looked confused, and it didn’t take long for the entire meeting hall to fill with murmurs and whispered conversations.

The name that had been announced was Hiyori.

It was Hiyori who had been chosen, rather than Haruna, who was practically the person everyone had expected to become the next saint. Of course, it wasn’t as though nobody had ever considered the possibility of Hiyori receiving the position, but most people had placed their bets on Haruna from the very beginning. She was the obvious choice in their eyes, so hearing Hiyori’s name instead left many of them wondering whether they had heard the announcement correctly.

"Wait, did I hear that right? Was it Hiyori-sama instead of Haruna-sama?"

"I heard it too, so I don’t think you’re mistaken. I’m pretty sure the Former Head said Hiyori-sama, but how could that possibly be?"

"Could the Former Head have made a mistake? Perhaps her illness is affecting her judgment, and she accidentally announced Hiyori-sama instead of Haruna-sama?"

Those were only a few of the questions being thrown around, but the entire hall quickly became filled with similar remarks as people turned toward their neighbors to discuss what they had just heard. Some sounded genuinely confused, while others seemed almost offended by the announcement, as though the Former Head had personally gone out of her way to ruin their expectations.

Naturally, their confusion was understandable. As far as most of them were concerned, Haruna had always been the one destined to become the saint. They had spent years watching her grow, improve her abilities, and prepare herself for the responsibilities that came with becoming the next head of the Ichinose Family and the Demon Hunter Association. Hiyori, on the other hand, had never been considered the leading candidate for the position, at least not to the same extent as her older sister.

"You heard correctly," the Former Head said, keeping her eyes closed as she addressed the people gathered before her. She didn’t seem bothered in the slightest by the number of people questioning her announcement, nor did she show any sign of uncertainty about what she had just declared. "Hiyori is the one who will become the saint."

The moment those words reached everyone’s ears, the murmuring grew considerably louder, with people turning toward one another to exchange opinions and question the decision. Some were practically shouting at this point, unable to contain their disbelief over the unexpected announcement. Considering how certain they had been about Haruna’s future, it wasn’t particularly surprising that they were having trouble accepting the result.

After all, Haruna was the person many of them had been betting on since the beginning. She was talented, capable, and had already been involved in the affairs of the Association far more extensively than Hiyori. From their perspective, she was the ideal candidate to inherit the position, and they had believed that choosing her would guarantee a promising future for both the Ichinose Family and the Demon Hunter Association.

Some of them were genuinely disappointed by the announcement, while others looked as though someone had suddenly snatched away a future they had already begun celebrating in their heads. They had placed their hopes on Haruna for so long that the thought of someone else becoming the saint was difficult to accept, especially when the person chosen was her younger sister.