New law of Beast Taming

Bloom was an appropriate name that had been given to this contagious disease that was spreading in the slums of the city. It caused plants to bloom on various parts of one's body.

From an ordinary person's perspective, it would look more like magic than a disease and that was what people believed it to be as well. The authorities were busy looking into this situation.

One would think that this had nothing to do with the Tsurugi household, but that was only the truth on the surface.

Out of all places, this disease had erupted into the slum and lower-class areas nearby Tsurugi mansion. And somehow, Sakura felt as if it was a way for their opponent to corner them and pressure them.

That was why she had decided to come and check the situation out in person. But she had not expected the real situation to be this worrying.

"L-Lady, please. You are here to save us, right? Then, help us out."

An elderly reached out to Sakura. He was in heavy bloom and he could only move his torso. Only his arms and upper body had been spared. His lower half seemed to be stuck in place because of the roots that were emerging from his body.

Sakura watched with wide eyes as the man reached out to her but his body disappeared before he could even make it halfway.

Instead, the tree that had been growing on his body shined brightly before it began to bud.

"EVERYONE, RUN. THE BLOOM IS ABOUT TO EMERGE."

Those who were capable of running quickly started running away as far as they could. Sakura was not sure what was happening but she knew that it was bad.

She quickly activated the barrier she had been gifted by Yoko and gained some distance from the tree.

The budding plant finally opened its flowers before it exploded and ended its life cycle. Sakura did not bring the barrier down and she watched how people avoided that ally for the time being.

"So, this is Bloom? It sure is a terrible way for one to live. These plants are sucking all the living energy out of their hosts. What a terrifying thing to face."

Sakura was surprised to see the situation at hand. And she also doubted that it could be fixed easily.

She decided to head back and she was immediately ushered into the quarantine chamber where she was isolated and looked at by the people from the outside.

The bloom could only remain dormant for about two days before it began to show symptoms. But Sakura remained calm even on the third day. It was clear that she had not been contaminated.

When Sakura came out of the chamber, she could tell that the people were still not comfortable with her. They looked at her with suspicion and wanted her back in the isolation chamber.

"Lady Sakura, you got lucky. So far, the only ones who have not been contaminated by this disease are you and the divine leader."

The leader who had been appointed in charge of this case informed Sakura of this fact. He looked hesitant to address Sakura and he even wanted to avoid her.

'Coward. I'm pretty sure he was hoping for me to get contaminated so he has an excuse not to meet me again.'

The leader looked uncomfortable when Sakura searched his gaze for answers. He could not maintain eye contact and quickly looked away.

"Give me my phone back. I need to do a lot and I have wasted a lot of time already."

Sakura held her hand out and she reluctantly handed her phone back. She quickly opened it, only to see a message from Yoko that said that she would be returning today. That was the best news Sakura had received in a short while.

So, Sakura got ready quickly and went out to meet Yoko. She needed to inform her cousin of what was happening around this palace after all.

....

As soon as Amane entered the Tsurugi estate, she could tell that the tensions were running high.

For some reason, even the servants looked restless and they refused to meet Amane's eyes. They just continued to be on their way and there were far less of them than Amane was used to being.

'Are they all avoiding me? No, they all are avoiding Sakura.'

Amane paid a little more attention to what was happening and noticed the 'real' problem soon.

The servants served her just as usual but for Sakura, they kept their distance and they also kept on looking at her like she was a bomb that was about to explode any second.

It made Amane curious about what happened.

"So, Sakura, give me a quick rundown of the situation."

Amane asked as she looked at her cousin in the face. She was sure that Sakura had caught on to the real meaning of her words - tell me what happened here.

Sakura put her cup of tea down and looked Amane straight in the face. But before she started speaking, she waved her hand and the servants left her and Amane alone in the room.

"I decided to check out the contaminated area on my own to see what was going on all around. This bloom is truly a terrifying disease and I do not know what is happening."

Sakura confessed as she put her cup down. She was ashamed to admit that she had been unable to find anything of significance.

She looked up at Yoko with an apologetic expression but her cousin only sighed.

"So, you went to the contaminated section area on your own? I can see why the servants are avoiding you now. And…you did not find anything of significance? Well, that was what I expected to happen."

Sakura looked up sharply as soon as she heard Amane's words. She looked shocked beyond belief.

"Huh? What do you mean that you expected this to happen? Do you know something about this situation? But how?"

Sakura asked with a surprised expression.

"Calm down. How I know about this situation is simple - it is a beast that is doing all this. I can sense its energy's residue on your body and that is how I narrowed it down. As for how I know that? You don't need to worry about it."

Sakura wanted to protest and beg Yoko to tell her. But at the same time, she was sure that Yoko would only spin the story around even more.

So, what was important was to find out how they could solve this situation.

"Yoko, what can we…" Read new adventures at empire

"The solution to this problem is not simple. The culprit, the bud bug is something that lives in their host's stream and they suck their energy. The plants you see are the emergence of their reproduction cycle."

"Once it enters that stage, there is no stopping it. We will need to drive it out and a lot of people would die as a result."

Amane explained and Sakura's heart was not ready to accept it. She did not want a lot of people to die.

She had seen how the people of the slums lived and she had witnessed their desire to live as well. She might not have said it, but that hand that begged her for help was still revolving inside Sakura's mind.

"Yoko, I…want to save them all. Is there truly no way to achieve this?"

Sakura asked with a sad face. She was willing to take anything as long as she got to save those people.

But Yoko just negatively shook her head.

"Trying to save one contaminated person here would mean that you are willing to risk the life of thousands more who are not contaminated by the disease. It is a truly vicious cycle you cannot escape from if you get into it once."

Sakura bit her lip as soon as she heard those words. Objectively speaking, she knew that Yoko was right.

No matter how much she wished to help everyone, some need to be sacrificed to attain the betterment of everyone.

But just because this was the logical thing to do did not mean that Sakura had to like it.

"I will contact the government as well as the divine guilt about what we need to do next. We will handle this situation and bring it under control soon."

Amane assured Sakura and Sakura did not doubt it at all. She knew that Yoko would control this situation.

She just felt sad for the people who had to deal with the aftermath of the situation

"The culprit, I will not let them live a peaceful life. I will make sure to uncover their masks and bring everyone to justice."

Sakura was shocked by her resolve. She had no need to be this serious, but she still was and that was what shocked her. Even Yoko looked amused by her resolve.

"Do what you want Sakura. But you need to take responsibility for what you start. I will help you out as much as you want me to."

It was time for Sakura to take the lead. She quickly tapped into her contacts and began to investigate. She was sure that the culprit had left behind some kind of clue.

"Sakura, do not waste your time and energy on useless things. If you truly have that much time, then come and help me in the company. It will be better for your future as well."

Sakura looked up at her mother's expecting face. Sakura had not seen her mother in the past few days and her sudden appearance was questionable.