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[color=silver]Daikaku Shrike[/color][/center]

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Takaya's previous words still echoed in Kōshin's head... Words that left quite a bitter taste in his mouth. While the Daikaku Temple had agreed in assisting the Slayers against rogue demons, they were still clearly a separate organization. Specifically regarding how the temple saw evil as just evil, regardless of race... Or at least that was what they were supposed to be... As the time went on, the entire temple was slowly, but surely manipulated. A neutral entity at first, they were now seen as clear allies of the slayers... And judging by Takaya's words, even the slayers themselves saw the temple as being under their control...

Kōshin thought the temple was beyond such things as petty political struggles, being instead a bastion of peace and calm... But this exact unwillingness to discuss power politics was what perhaps caused it's downfall. Kōshin and the entire temple were unknowingly manipulated and dragged into a conflict that weren't theirs to begin with... Still, in the end that did not change the fact that the Daikaku Temple fell... And it fell because Kōshin failed. Failed in protecting it, in realizing what was happening and above everything else, failed in preventing the temple from being dragged into a conflict they weren't supposed to take sides.

[i][color=B8860B]"Nothing will change the fact that the temple fell because I was unable to protect it. Should the other monks see fit to elect a new head monk to the Daikaku Temple, so be it.[/color]"[/i] Those were the words he had replied to Takaya previously and even now, they stood unchanged. Kōshin had no intention of keeping his position as the head monk should the other branches decide he was unfit for the role, but as long as he remained as the head monk, he wouldn't let Takaya have things his way...

There was no reason to accept the slayer's help after the attack... The wounded monks' lives came first after all... During the last few weeks, Kōshin remained within the Slayers' headquarters. Helping the wounded monks and biding his time. He would not let Takaya turn himself and the Daikaku monks into soldiers for the slayers or bring all them under his control. The damage to the temple's standing was already done. The demons saw the Daikaku temple as allies to the slayers. Unless Kōshin and the monks truly became the slayer's subordinates, they would keep suffering attacks from demons who were after the blue spider lilies... The only way to prevent the temple from becoming a target was to disclose the method to plant and produce blue spider lilies... To both sides of the ongoing conflict. A radical and dangerous solution, but the only solution Kōshin could think of... 

Both the Slayers and the demons were dangerous. For different reasons, but dangerous nonetheless... He would have to think well to which demon he would hand over the production method of the Blue Spider Lilies. Even among demons, he knew there were a few who seemed to despise conflict as much as he did. If he could get in contact with them, they would be the safest bet. With the one thing both sides were fighting for now being known by both sides, neither one of them would have any reason to go after the Daikaku Temple anymore. 

But the time for action hasn't arrived yet. There was still much to do. For now, Kōshin would simply bide his time. There was no reason to reject the Slayer's offer of protection... Even if they did so out of personal interest.

Until the time was right, Kōshin would keep doing the same thing he had been doing since the time he and the remaining monks arrived on the Slayer's headquarters. Praying for the fallen, meditating and training. Silently waiting until he could correct his mistakes, the same ones that led the temple to it's destruction and caused the loss of many monks.

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