Chapter 10 - The Liar Knight and the Lonesome Princess
It was shortly before Lyrule rang the bell at Azuchi Castle. Over in Fort Steadfast on the other side of the Amagi Pass, the duel between prodigy swordswoman Aoi Ichijou and the samurai Shishi was nearing its conclusion.
“Hyah!”
“Hrrgh…!”
It was impossible to say how many hundreds of times their swords had met.
The blades of firefly light and pure-white ore clashed yet again, producing a shower of sparks and causing both combatants to skid backward. Each was the strongest warrior their side had to offer, and they’d spent the past few hours in a stalemate.
However…they weren’t evenly matched, and one side was clearly favored over the other.
“Holy cow… That samurai lady is something else…”
“Master Shishi’s actually short of breath…”
Mayoi’s magic had turned the dominion army into frenzied zealots, and as the few Resistance members left in the fort repelled their attacks, they marveled at the angel.
Shishi’s shoulders heaved up and down as he panted. His veritable mane of white hair was matted with perspiration, and in contrast, Aoi had spent their entire bout parrying his attacks without shedding so much as a drop of sweat. And that was after having to dispatch a few dozen dominion soldiers who’d rushed in to aid Shishi.
She’s strong. Far more so than when we last tried to take each other’s heads.
The difference in their skill was obvious, even to onlookers, and it went without saying that Shishi had noticed it as well.
I can’t land a hit…
In terms of raw physical strength, Shishi had Aoi solidly beat, but when it came to their respective techniques with the blade, he was hopelessly outclassed. The only thing that had changed since their first bout was that Aoi possessed a weapon capable of withstanding her abilities this time, yet she seemed a whole different person to Shishi.
The samurai glared at the sword in his enemy’s grip—Shoutou Byakuran.
Despite Aoi’s tremendous show of force…
“…What are you playing at?” Shishi demanded.
“Whatever do you mean?”
“Why hold back? This is far from your full strength.”
“Oh? Perhaps you overestimate me.”
“You think me fool enough to misjudge a foe after conversing with them through steel?”
Aoi was winning out over Shishi, yet she wasn’t even giving the fight her all.
Their battle had gone on for several hours, and Aoi had been given plenty of opportunities to take her opponent’s head. She hadn’t acted upon any of those chances, however. Shishi was an expert himself, and thus understood that he should have perished multiple times over.
So he felt compelled to inquire why.
With a carefree look, Aoi replied, “My role was solely to keep you occupied until our main force could take Azuchi, that it was. There was never any need for me to slay you. It brings me no joy to take more lives than necessary.”
“You claim you can kill me whenever you like?”
“Verily.”
“…You would demean me so?”
Shishi gritted his teeth and slashed at Aoi using an overhand stance that took full advantage of his bulky frame. It was an attack designed to slay one’s foe by slicing through their head, helmet and all. Thick metal would not have stopped it, yet Aoi raised Byakuran and caught the strike handily.
“Were I to insult you as you claim, I would not be alone. I am not the only one failing to use my full strength.”
“What…?”
“Hyah!”
“Hrrrgh?!”
Aoi lashed out with one of her long legs and caught Shishi squarely in the gut. The shock from the impact caused him to stagger backward, creating space between the two combatants, and this time, it was Aoi’s turn to close the gap.
Her pure-white blade arced through the air.
Shishi blocked her strike with his sword, Ounin. As they stood with their weapons locked, each pressing for control, Aoi went on. “I sense hesitation in your blade, and it is not the first time. In our initial duel, and when Shura came to save us and you clashed with her, you never brought your full strength to bear. Had you given it your all, you could have cut down Shura with time enough to chase us down.”
“…You mistake me.”
“I am no expert when it comes reading into conversations; I shall be the first to admit as much. But I am certainly not fool enough to misjudge an opponent after conversing with them through steel.”
Aoi pressed down harder with her sword. The two blades screeched against each other.
“Shishi, m’lord, you are unlike the others swindled by magic. Your will is unsullied, and your actions are your own. Why support Mayoi’s system to the point of estranging your daughter? What is it you fight for?!”
There was no finesse to the way Aoi pushed her weapon, merely strength. She was demanding an answer from Shishi, and her intense gaze made it clear that she wouldn’t permit him to escape without giving one.
Shishi strengthened his grip on his sword as well…
“I am Yamato’s Samurai General. I have a duty to protect its people.”
…and pushed back with great determination as he gave his reply.
Aoi was right. Shishi was conflicted. He’d turned his blade on his daughter, the people of Yamato, and even Kaguya, the rightful empress. To claim that he carried a clear conscience would be a lie.
However, independence for Yamato was a fool’s dream. The war had left the country drained, and it lacked the power to stand on its own. Even if Mayoi was deposed and Kaguya declared Yamato a sovereign territory, it would last only until Emperor Lindworm and his imperial army returned from their expedition in the New World. Yamato would be driven to near ruin again, an ant beneath the elephant’s foot.
Shishi wished to never know those horrors again. Living under the empire’s heel was the only option that Yamato had.
“False as our peace may be…!”
They were alive, and that was what mattered most.
He was making the right choice.
“I cannot afford to lose here!” Shishi shouted to encourage himself as he poured more strength into Ounin.
The fact that Aoi had locked the two of them into a battle of strength represented an opportunity for him. Aoi’s superior swordsmanship gave her an insurmountable edge when both sides had room to leverage the full breadth of their talent, but when this close, technique meant nothing. Here, Shishi’s superior strength gave him the advantage.
Now, he could overpower Aoi, force her back, and cleave through her flank during the brief moment he had her off-axis. Shishi had a clear vision of his path to victory and moved to execute it…
“DO NOT HIDE BEHIND SOPHISTRY!!!!”
…but the moment he did, Aoi’s enraged thunderclap of a shout rooted him where he stood.
Shishi felt like a misbehaving child who’d just been scolded.
Aoi shoved her frozen opponent back with all her might.
“ ?!”
“What could be peaceful about a tyrant who wields ultimate power and forces her people to die when it suits her whims?! You know better than that, that you do! You know of Mayoi’s rage! You know the hate she bears for the nation of Yamato! Under her reign, your people are mere prisoners lined up before the chopping block! Their heads may roll merely because she desires it that hour! Surely you cannot call that peace!”
“I…”
Indignation colored Aoi’s face as she pressed in on Shishi with word and blade. Each swing of Byakuran was like a bludgeon strike, and soon, every clang of steel was accompanied by another, duller noise. Ounin yet glowed with a faint, firefly-like light, but cracks were spidering across its blade.
The battle had gone on so long that Shishi’s sword was reaching its limit.
If this goes on…!
His blade was going to break, and with it, his hope of victory.
Shishi panicked, but for all his distress, he had no counterattack or counterargument.
The thing was…
“You know all that and protect Yamato’s status quo regardless! What is that, if not a contradiction?!”
…Shishi had already recognized the falsehood Aoi accused him of perpetuating, yet he’d turned his eyes from it all the same.
Now that she was throwing it in his face, though, Shishi’s heart was wavering. As he desperately tried to keep his emotions in check, he began plotting a retreat. Knowing that he couldn’t fight with a shattered sword, he decided that distancing himself from Aoi was best.
It sounded like a perfectly rational excuse, but an excuse all the same—a reason to flee from Aoi’s questions and his own contradictions.
However, Aoi wasn’t about to let him off the hook that easily.
“You have a reason, do you not?! A reason you wish to protect this state of Yamato, even if it means sacrificing its citizens! But you falter, unsure if that wish is suitable to harbor, unsure if you can justify acting against your position, and that doubt turns you to sophistry to deceive yourself! ENOUGH OF THIS DITHERING!”
“RRGH!”
Aoi had foreseen that Shishi would try to back off. The moment he did, she was already upon him.
Shishi panicked at the abrupt invasion of his personal space and swung Ounin, hoping to block her attack on reflex alone. It was the pathetic strike of a man already broken.
Aoi responded by raising Byakuran aloft…
“What is it you hold in your hand?!
“What do you think it is we swing?!
“A sword is a weapon that steals lives!
“A tool for imposing your will on the world through death!
“It is not to be taken and wielded with a wavering heart!
“To do so is an affront to the sanctity of life, that it is!!!!”
“……………!!!!”
…and brought it down.
Her blade brimmed with her rage at Shishi for having lost his resolve as a warrior, and her furious slash caught Ounin on the side, shattering the weapon.
Aoi’s attack continued through, cutting deep into Shishi’s abdomen.
I…
The wound was grievous, and Shishi dropped to his knees. Then, not a moment later…the sound of a bell echoed over the mountains from Azuchi.
It was the sound of Lyrule’s emancipation spell.
Now, all the dominion soldiers still in Fort Steadfast were free from Mayoi’s malice. Aoi watched as the people of Yamato wailed in agony over having all their sealed memories and real emotions flood back at once.
“It is decided, that it is.”
Her side was victorious.
It was time for their pointless battle to end.
Lyrule’s magic freed the citizens of Yamato from the false truth they’d been living in, and when they regained their hatred of the empire, the first thing they did was turn on the imperial soldiers.
The dominion army crumpled in the blink of an eye as the Yamato warriors began hunting down their former imperial comrades.
It went without saying that the army’s leader, Jade von Saint-Germain, was also a target of their fury.
“Hey, do you see that bastard administrator?!”
“No, he’s not over here! Dammit, where’d he go?!”
Jade had left his imperial underlings behind to cross the Amagi Pass and flee to the safety of the Azuchi side. Newly lucid Yamato samurai were searching for him, their eyes bloodshot with rage.
“Shit, we got careless! I thought he was just some silver spoon rich kid, but that guy’s got some legs on him!”
“Don’t let him get away! He’s got to be around here somewhere! Once we find him, we’ll string him up atop a pile of Freyjagard skulls and stick him full of spears so those invaders know exactly how Yamato feels about them!”
“““Yeah!”””
The samurai breathed heavily in anticipation as they spread out across the mountain road to continue their search.
Once they were gone, Jade breathed a sigh of relief from his spot in the bushes.
“Shit! What the hell’s going on?! How’d this happen, dammit?!”
As he spat and cursed in a voice that was just about on the verge of tears, Jade made his way through the dense, concealing thicket and resumed his escape.
Everything had changed so abruptly.
The bell’s first toll had released the Yamato soldiers from his control, and by the time it rang a second time, the once mind-controlled masses were already at the imperial soldiers’ throats.
Jade could barely even make sense of it.
“What happened in Azuchi…and what does that woman think she’s doing?!”
It was a bullshit question, and he knew it. Given the situation, it wasn’t hard to tell exactly what had happened. However, Jade refused to dignify that horrible possibility by speaking it aloud. The only way to protect himself psychologically was to reject reality.
However, that all ended when the bushes and trees thinned out as he reached the cliffside. His view from that height made the situation he’d been trying to ignore impossible to deny.
“No………”
The night sky was starting to brighten, but it was still plenty dark out—enough so that Jade saw Azuchi glowing. Dawn hadn’t yet crept above the mountains. No, Azuchi was awash in the light of flame.
Azuchi Castle’s main castle tower was ablaze.
“Ahhhhh!”
Mayoi’s castle tower was burning.
When Jade saw that, he sank to his knees and screamed.
“Rrrrgh… FUUUUUUUCK!”
He’d lost. There was no mistaking it anymore.
His foes had taken Azuchi, and the spell Mayoi had cast over Yamato was broken. Mayoi was very likely dead…and even if she’d survived, she certainly wasn’t in any state to ring the bell again.
The jaws of defeat had well and truly clamped shut. There was no victory to be salvaged from them.
All Jade’s successes from the past several years had evaporated as though they’d never existed at all.
Jade began tearing at his hair…
“Shit! Where’d that little bastard disappear to?! Just give it up and show yourself already!”
“Eep!”
…but when he heard his pursuers angrily shouting as they searched through the brush behind him, his entire body shook.
F-first things first—I gotta get out of here…
After Mayoi’s magic got lifted and the Yamato samurai returned to their senses, the remaining Freyjagard forces met a grisly fate. The samurai were so profoundly enraged at being dominated and having their nation destroyed by the very person who sold them out that they gouged out the eyes and cut off the noses and ears of any imperials they came across before beheading them.
Jade shuddered in fear as he recalled the agonized screams of his soldiers while they were hacked to pieces.
He had no desire to go out like that. It was no decent way for any human being to die. Escape was Jade’s only option.
He needed a chance to slip away.
A thought crossed his mind, and upon looking over the cliff edge to see how far of a drop it was…
“I-is that what I think it is?!”
…his eyes gleamed.
Jade had spotted something at the bottom of the thirty-foot-tall cliff: a horse. It had been fitted with a Freyjagardian saddle, and it munched idly on some grass.
Originally, the steed had belonged to one of the imperial soldiers who’d obeyed Jade’s rash order to come up the pass from Azuchi but had gotten struck down by Tsukasa and the main Resistance forces on their way there.
That horse was salvation in Jade’s hour of need, a gift from the heavens, sent to deliver him from despair.
With the dexterity he’d cultivated in his youth, Jade was able to climb down without issue, and the horse was his. He wasted no time mounting the beast and taking its reins. It was a fine, well-trained steed, and with its help, he would finally be able to shake those Yamato samurai.
Luckily for Jade, he’d pulled in Yamato soldiers from all across the nation to stamp out the Resistance, and all of them were still concentrated in or around Azuchi. The road checkpoints were practically unmanned, and border security was paltry. Finding an opening and slipping through it would be child’s play.
Jade was going to make it. He was going to get away.
Yamato samurai wouldn’t chase him beyond the Freyjagard Empire’s border.
All he had to do was cross it.
“You’d do well to remember who it is that’s letting you live in this house, kid.”
All he had to do was go back…
“Say, little mongrel, don’t you think Charlotte’s earrings would look so much better on me? Run on over to her mansion and snag them for me.”
Back to the empire…
“Hey, Jade, what’s the big idea, scoring better than me on that test?! You’ve got a lot of nerve for a filthy whoreson! You’re gonna pay for this, big time!”
“…I’m such an idiot,” Jade mumbled self-derisively. “I can go back…but there’s nothing for me there…”
As images from his past flickered through his mind, Jade hung his head. Fleeing to the empire would leave him nothing but his life.
No one waited to help him. He had no family that would offer shelter.
I’ve always had nothing. That’s the whole damn reason I tried to get my hands on everything.
It all happened in a flash.
As soon as Lyrule’s spell freed the Yamato members of the dominion army, wails of rage erupted from all over. Their anger spread to the Resistance as well, and it wasn’t long before all semblance of order broke down, and they became an enraged mob. Carried by their wrath, they stampeded toward the castle tower where the enemy ringleader, Mayoi, was holed up.
Once they had the tower surrounded, they set it alight.
With the proper battle over, the act was nothing more than vigilante justice. Naturally, Tsukasa had some objections.
However, the people of Yamato were in no mood to hear him out…
“Tsu…kasa…”
“Everything’s going to be okay, Ringo. Just stay behind me.”
…and a group of Yamato samurai had encircled him and the rest of the delegation from Elm with their weapons drawn.
As Ringo and Lyrule cowered in fear, Tsukasa stepped in front of them and glared at the samurai with his heterochromatic eyes.
“I can’t say I much appreciate being treated this way. We’ve been nothing but friendly to you all, and we played a sizable role in your retaking the country. The way I see it, you have no justification whatsoever for turning your swords on us.”
One of the samurai gave him a deep nod. “You’re absolutely right. And as such, if any of us should so much as graze your skin with our steel, the guilty party will sever their own head on the spot.”
“What?!”
“We owe you a great debt, and if we were to do you harm, we would have no way to atone but with our lives. Admittedly, we would rather things never come to that. So please, turn a blind eye here. We have no desire to attack you.”
“ ”
The look in the samurai’s eyes was dead serious.
If Tsukasa tried to push through by force and ended up letting their blades so much as nick him, they had every intention of slashing their own throats to atone for repaying the Prodigies’ goodwill with violence.
“Shura…”
“…Forgive me, Shinobu. But the younger princess took everything from us, and we cannot allow her to live. Until her head rolls, our war will never end, and we can’t prepare for the next fight while amid this one. This is the way things are…”
“How dare you sell out our nation!”
“Die! Pay for your sins with your life, you turncoat!”
“You disgrace every member of the imperial family who died so that Yamato could prosper!”
“Your ancestors would be ashamed of you! Traitor! Murderer!”
The people shouted and jeered at the treasonist princess who trampled on their dignity and betrayed their nation, and as though in response to their rage, the fire grew in intensity and swallowed the tower’s entire base.
Unfortunately for Mayoi, her leg was still wounded from Tsukasa’s gunshot. She had no way to escape.
Realizing that he’d become complicit in an extrajudicial execution, Tsukasa glowered.
“Worry not,” Shura told him. “She was already scheduled to be executed, even before our war with Freyjagard.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Three years ago, just before the war, three of the maids working at her residence disappeared. At first, it was treated as a missing person case, but her older sister had just taken the throne at the time, and when she ordered the Imperial Household Ministry’s Special Forces to inspect the younger princess’s residence, they found three corpses in the basement that had been tortured to death.”
“And you’re saying…that Mayoi was the culprit?”
Shura nodded. “The Special Forces became certain of that after their investigation, and after the younger princess was apprehended, the older princess sentenced her to death by sawing. A member of the imperial family had committed the grave sin of murder, and in accordance with Yamato’s laws, it was Kaguya’s duty to carry out the execution herself.”
“…Why would Mayoi do something like that?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t care,” Shura replied. “I have no interest in the motives of a woman who would betray her nation to save herself.” Her voice dripped with vitriol as she stared up in disgust at the tower keep. The flames climbed ever higher.
“What’s the plan? If Bearabbit and I work together, I’m pretty sure we could force our way through and save little miss princess,” Shinobu asked Tsukasa, signaling him with Morse code so as not to let Shura understand.
“No, sit tight. That would be a dangerous move, even for you. Not to mention we’ve got Ringo’s and Lyrule’s safety to consider.” Tsukasa believed this was no time to be making risky plays. “I can’t say that this vigilante justice sits well with me, but Mayoi’s crimes certainly warrant action, and it is true that she needs to take responsibility for what she’s done. We need to prioritize our own safety here. For now, just hold your position and don’t do anything.”
“Roger that.”
After telling Shinobu to back down, Tsukasa took another look at the tower. Its second floor was already burning.
Then a thought crossed his mind.
Something didn’t add up.
According to Shura, Mayoi committed some murders before the war broke out. From Tsukasa’s perspective, though, that information didn’t sit right. It didn’t quite match what he’d seen of Mayoi’s hatred. Mayoi loathed Yamato, enough that she seemed likely to butcher its entire populace at any moment. Her supposed actions didn’t align with the image Tsukasa had of her.
There’s no way her hatred would ever have been sated by killing a mere three people…
“It is decided, that it is.”
“ ”
The wound on Shishi’s flank was deep, and it brought him to his knees.
His large wolf ears caught voices from all around. The people of Yamato were themselves again, and their sorrowful wails filled the air. They mourned for what they had lost and cursed the years they’d spent bowing to a usurper.
Those cries were proof of just how much they had loved the old regime.
Shishi had claimed that he wanted to protect the fabricated status quo for their sake, but that had all been a sham. To them, a false peace was worthless.
Aoi watched the freed people for a moment, then turned to Shishi. “It is something to be proud of, that it is. It takes a fine nation to inspire its people to protect it so, even to the point of abandoning peace. And it takes a fine hand to build a land so beloved by those who call it home. Winning back your independence may be arduous, but when the people call for it, a warrior must risk their life to give it to them.”
Shishi nodded solemnly. “…You speak true. I know. I have always known what a fine, virtuous nation Yamato is.”
Its people had the power to do anything they set their minds to. Yet for all the might they possessed, they never let it go to their heads. Quite the contrary, in fact. They were fully aware of the responsibility that great strength carried, and they were always their own harshest judges.
For generations, the Yamato imperial family had embodied that sense of virtue. That was why the citizens loved and respected their homeland so deeply, and it was why the imperial family inspired such unflinching loyalty that people were willing to sacrifice their lives for them.
Shishi didn’t need Aoi to tell him any of that. None had served Yamato longer or more faithfully than he had.
He knew the truth better than anyone.
“And so, too, do I know that the uncompromising Yamato virtues…”
“No! I don’t want to die! Please, save me! I want to liiiive!”
“…cast a little girl into the darkest depths of hell!”
An echo of that fateful day conjured new strength, and Shishi struggled to his feet.
“Take care not to strain yourself. Moving around with a wound like that will surely be the death of you,” Aoi warned as she saw blood gush from the man’s side.
However, Shishi paid her no heed…
“Do you know how the imperial family has maintained the peace for so many generations, Angel Aoi? They possess the kind of state power that breeds greed and bitterness, yet they never became a privileged class like the Freyjagard nobles, and they are revered and supported by all. Can you imagine how that impossible miracle came to be?!”
…and shouted while reaching for his wakizashi short sword.
“The answer is simple. Out of all the people in Yamato, the members of the imperial family make more personal sacrifices than anyone else to bring peace to our land and to those who live in it. Why, they even built a convenient performance to show off how self-sacrificing they were right into their administrative system. And Lady Mayoi was a tool to serve that end!”
As Shishi made his indictment, his thoughts turned. He considered the nation of Yamato and his life living in it.
During his childhood, his parents and their contemporaries told him stories about how great the Yamato imperial family was.
As he grew, he once witnessed that virtue with his own eyes and decided to hone his swordsmanship to better serve his home.
His efforts eventually paid off, and he was appointed Samurai General, and on that same day, he learned the shocking truth.
Yamato’s Samurai General oversaw the management of all the nation’s soldiers, and when Shishi promoted him, he had no choice but to learn about the other side of Yamato: the twisted things its imperial family engaged in to maintain the impossible miracle.
“Whenever a new ruler is crowned in Yamato, it is the custom that their siblings commit seppuku to ensure there can never be a conflict for the throne. It’s an extreme practice, but the imperial family has adhered to it for generations without so much as a complaint. Their willing sacrifice for the sake of peace inspires great reverence from the citizens.”
To the people of Yamato, that was their model of how virtuous adults should comport themselves.
“But the truth behind that ritual…was far different than what we imagined.”
It was difficult for any rationally thinking individual to trust that a single family had consistently produced offspring willing to kill themselves for centuries.
Unsurprisingly, there was a trick to it.
The truth was that younger siblings were born and raised for the sole purpose of dying on schedule. Their residences were shut off from everything, and they were afforded none of the world’s joys or wonders. They were barely treated as human. Instead, they became tools reared only to put on a show of dying without hesitation.
Nevertheless, learning that did nothing to shake Shishi’s loyalty. After all, it was an undeniable truth that the imperial family’s willingness to shed its own blood was what had bought the nation such a prolonged time of peace.
Yamato emperors had sacrificed the good of the few in exchange for that of the many. If you looked at the way the Freyjagard Empire oppressed its citizens to benefit a small handful of nobles, the people of Yamato were incomparably well off.
As Samurai General, Shishi chose to endorse the system. Now that he had the whole truth, he still felt that the citizenry’s well-being should come first. As a samurai, he was proud of his responsibility. His was a fine and virtuous duty.
It wasn’t until the day he saw Mayoi sobbing and pounding on her prison cell that his pride turned to self-loathing.
Upon hearing her heartbroken screams, everything changed for him.
Mayoi had been sentenced to death after getting charged with murdering her maids, but she banged incessantly on her cell and professed her innocence. And she had every right to, for she hadn’t harmed anyone. The alleged murders had never taken place.
The whole incident was a lie cooked up by Kaguya and the Imperial Household Ministry’s Special Forces. Mayoi had refused to commit suicide, but putting her to death allowed the dog and pony show demonstrating Kaguya’s virtue to continue.
“Please, save me… I finally…found a reason to live… Meeting Jade…was the first time I ever enjoyed living…but now… No, no… I don’t want to die… Shishi, please, save me… I won’t try to usurp the throne, I promise… I don’t want to be empress…and I’ll never defy my sister… So please, don’t let them kill me…”
Mayoi’s cries still rang in his ears.
Her voice was hoarse from screaming the whole night through, yet still, she begged for his aid.
And with Shishi knowing everything, how had he responded?
How did he answer her plea?
“Lady Mayoi, as Lady Kaguya’s younger sister, your suicide is of great importance. Your death will not be in vain. You will become the earth on which Yamato is built, and your memory will live on and be revered both in history and in the people’s hearts. I beseech you, it is not too late to choose an honorable death. If you do, I will put my life on the line to convince Lady Kaguya and the Special Forces to allow you to go through with it—”
“You utter REPROBATE!!!!”
Shishi was no longer able to contain himself, and his rage came out as a murderous roar. If he could have struck his past self down, he would have done so without hesitation.
“I was an adult telling a child to kill herself! What virtue was there in that?!”
Something had been seriously wrong with him.
How could he have believed that was righteous? What deception did he feed himself to think it was just?
Perhaps, where the general public was concerned, sacrificing the good of the few in exchange for the good of the many was the honorable thing to do.
Yet Shishi could not abide it any longer.
He was sick and tired of any ideal that would have him refuse to save those suffering injustice before his very eyes.
“Thanks to you, I see clearly now. I know what lies I told myself, what I told myself in earnest, what I stayed in this country to protect!”
It was clear to him now who needed him.
“She asked me to save her, and no respectable adult would ever refuse a child’s plea.”
It was time for him to go to her and fulfill his long-neglected duties!
“I will see this through, no matter what it takes! To ensure I never stray from the proper path again!!!!”
The fires of passion burned in Shishi’s eyes as he unsheathed his wakizashi.
He was casting aside his virtue as the Samurai General, his loyalty to Yamato, his duty, and everything else he had—all so he could save a single girl.
Shoutou Ounin lay broken, and his wakizashi was an undoubtedly lesser blade. It stood no chance against Byakuran. This would hardly be a fight, even ignoring Shishi’s wound. Blood still flowed from it, and Shishi likely had only a few hours left.
Still, he didn’t hesitate.
He strode forward.
“ ?!”
Shishi had been ready to do or die, but he stopped abruptly in his tracks.
And why?
Because Aoi had thrust Byakuran into the ground at his feet.
As the man’s eyes went wide in surprise and confusion…
“Were it I, I would be ill at ease heading to so crucial a battle with so meager a blade.”
…Aoi spoke.
“Shoutou Byakuran can take no more, not after our clash. In my hands, even a single swing would be too much for it to bear. However…she is a gentle blade, that she is. Were she to aid a friend of her homeland, to carry out what her wielder believed was right, she would deliver a most glorious final slash.”
And with that…
“Fare thee well, Shishi, m’lord.”
…Aoi smiled merrily.
Shishi found her actions befuddling, but that grin made everything clear.
Now he realized that this was the way Aoi had been fighting her whole life. There was no shortage of noble causes offering reasons not to save people, but she spared them no attention and lent them no ear. Whenever the world’s injustices caused the weak to shed tears, she was always there fighting for them.
Even if she knew it would make a thousand enemies close at hand and ten thousand more beyond the horizon, she drew her sword all the same.
Not once had Aoi ever given in to self-deception, and now that Shishi had chosen to walk the same path, she was giving him the strength to see it through.
She has bested me, well and truly…
After losing his way so completely, Shishi finally stood eye to eye with the samurai before him.
And so…
“I am in your debt.”
…Shishi thanked her as he pulled Byakuran, cracks and all, from the earth.
The moment he did, a silver wind sped over Fort Steadfast’s tall ramparts and swooped down beside them.
That wind…
“Sh-Shiro!”
…was none other than the silvery-white wolf who had led Aoi and the rest of the Elm delegation to the Resistance hideout.
Upon landing next to Shishi and Aoi, Shiro turned to the heavens and howled.
Awooooooo…
His cry soared, as though to reach the fading moon.
When he did, the obsidian crystal fused into his back flashed, causing rays of light to travel along Shiro’s body like blood vessels. Then he began visibly transforming. His body more than doubled in size, his claws grew longer and sharper, and the obsidian crystal spread until it reached about halfway down his legs.
“I-is this…the same as what happened to the Lord of the Woods and the Fastidious Duke?!” Aoi stood aghast.
“……………”
Shiro paid her astonished gawking no heed. Once his transformation was complete, he stared silently at the byuma samurai.
Shishi could tell what the wolf was saying.
“You will allow me to ride you once more, then?”
Awoo!
Shishi was overcome with gratitude at how dutifully Yamato’s guardian deity had watched over him and his daughter. “I apologize for all the worry I caused you. I should be old enough to know better, but all I’ve done is lose my way… I may not have much life left in me, but I feel as though I finally know who I am. And so…I intend to use my remaining time to hold true to myself.”
“ ”
Shiro lay prostrate as his way of telling Shishi to hurry.
With Byakuran in hand, the dying samurai mounted the great wolf’s back, bleeding all over the beast’s beautiful coat.
“Now please, lend me your aid!”
AWOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
With a great howl, Shiro soared into the air like the wind.
He had no need for a running start. With a single bound, the wolf cleared the fortress walls and began making his way toward the Amagi Pass.
“M-Ms. Aoi!”
Resistance soldiers came rushing over in a panic.
“A-are you sure it’s all right to let Master Shishi get away?! Unlike everyone else, he served Princess Mayoi of his own free will! If he gets to Azuchi, our main forces could be in danger!”
“Worry not.”
Aoi didn’t share their concerns.
“Immediate treatment may have saved him, but with how much he is moving, that wound will surely be fatal. My comrades will not lose to a dying man whose sword barely has a single swing left. The most he can do now…is save but one fading life from the ruins of this fruitless war.”
Aoi looked in the direction Shiro had gone.
Her gaze was tinged with anxiety, but only slightly. Shishi was likely beyond the pass by now, and though she knew she would never see him again, she prayed that in his final moments, he would be able to carry out his will successfully.
“Sellout! Traitor!”
“Apologize to all the past emperors’ siblings by dying, you shameless coward!”
“Thousands of people perished because of you! Burn in hell!”
“Give us back our lives! Give us back our country!”
The fires of rage devouring Azuchi Castle’s inner castle had finally risen up the whole length of the castle tower.
Mayoi had fled, dragging her immobile, gunshot-wounded leg behind her, but she was at the top floor now, and there was nowhere left to run.
“Ah! It burns!”
She screamed and reeled back as the flames licked at her toes.
“Hahhh, hahhh… Khhff! Khoff!”
Even breathing hurt. With every breath, scalding air seared her lungs, preventing her from taking a decent inhale. On top of that, she was still fighting through an infection, and her ear and leg were both injured.
There was only so much her body could endure.
Mayoi sank to the floor and leaned against a pillar, unable to take another step.
“““Give them back! Give them back!! Give them back!!!!”””
Meanwhile, the jeering and booing continued raining down on her like thunder.
There was so much rage in their voices, and they echoed so strongly that the castle tower practically shook. Mayoi gritted her teeth.
“What…? What the hell…?”
Mayoi dug her fingers into the floor, snapping her long nails, but she didn’t care. She was so mad.
That she had taken much from Yamato was undeniable. She had robbed its people of their history, pride, land, and their very lives. She knew all that.
But at the same time…what gave them the right to condemn her so harshly?
“You people stole everything from me, too, you know!!!!”
Mayoi’s furious rebuttal spilled out of her smoke-clogged throat like a sob, and perhaps it truly was. At the same time, her impending death caused her life—her needlessly long, empty existence—to flash before her eyes.
When a new emperor took the throne in Yamato, it was customary for all their siblings to commit suicide. This not only prevented power struggles from breaking out and destabilizing the nation, but it also allowed the imperial family to visibly demonstrate to the uneducated populace the lengths they’d go to for national peace.
It took ages to cultivate, but by closing off their country so as to keep the influence of foreign culture to a minimum, devising a self-execution method called seppuku that was exclusive to their nation, manufacturing the concept of an honorable death, and fostering the idea that sacrificing your life for others was something to be proud of…
…Yamato’s rulers had established a method that effectively gave them a stranglehold on the will of the people.
Unsurprisingly, the two sisters Kaguya and Mayoi fell prey to this system the moment they were born. As the older sister, Kaguya was raised in Azuchi Castle so she could become Yamato’s next empress. As the younger one, Mayoi was locked away in a residence on the city’s outskirts to mold her into a tool who would willingly end her own life and demonstrate the imperial family’s devotion on the day of Kaguya’s ascension.
The second child’s role didn’t stop there, however. If anything were to happen to the true heir apparent, it was Mayoi’s job as a “spare” to become Kaguya and take the throne in her place. In her isolated home, she was robbed of all freedom and raised solely to carry out that task.
She wore the same clothes as Kaguya.
She had the same hairstyle as Kaguya.
She took the same lessons as Kaguya.
She ate the same foods as Kaguya.
Nothing else was permitted. She was denied all agency.
She wasn’t allowed to read books Kaguya hadn’t read.
She wasn’t allowed to eat foods Kaguya hadn’t eaten.
She merely imitated Kaguya’s life with mechanical precision, never once afforded any autonomy.
If Kaguya got injured, they hurt her in the same spot.
If Kaguya got a mole, they used a heated drill to give her one, too.
Mayoi’s entire life revolved around becoming the best replacement for Kaguya she could be. There was only one thing that differentiated her, and it was that she never received any of the love her elder sister did.
Everyone Mayoi interacted with at the residence was part of the Special Forces, from those who dressed her to her instructors to her guards, and not a single one of them treated her like a person.
Thinking back now, Mayoi realized that was part of the Yamato imperial family’s system as well. She was a tool designed to die, so they didn’t want her to get attached to living. They had spent generations polishing and perfecting their methods for raising obedient sacrificial lambs, and their methods worked like a charm. Fish who lived in the lightless ocean depths didn’t need eyes, so they eventually stopped growing them altogether, and in much the same way, Mayoi’s constant suppression wore away at her ability to feel. Eventually, all her emotions atrophied away.
Over time, her shriveled-up heart began affecting her body, as well. She lost the ability to see color and taste food. When attendants determined that she needed wounds to match Kaguya’s, she no longer resisted and thus didn’t need to be tied down.
Stimuli hardly even registered to her.
By the time whispers started floating around about Kaguya’s ascension being imminent, Mayoi had become precisely what Yamato wished her to be. If they had told her to die, she would have thrust a blade into her belly without a moment’s hesitation. The girl had been reduced to an unfeeling doll, waiting for the day she’d be expended.
But then she had a visitor.
“Heya there, Princess. ’Tis an honor but to be in your presence. That’s what the kids say, right?”
A visitor by the name of Jade von Saint-Germain.
“…Who are you?”
It was the dead of night, and some person she’d never seen before had come knocking on her bedroom door. The hyuma man had a delicate physique. One look at him was enough to tell that he wasn’t from Yamato, and he definitely wasn’t with the Special Forces.
So then, who was he?
Mayoi cocked her head as she posed her question, but aside from that, her expression remained emotionless as she sat atop her futon.
By contrast, the man offered a reverent bow and an irreverent smile, although his shoulders slumped in visible dejection at Mayoi’s response. “Yeesh, I get zero reaction for that? I get the vibe that you aren’t really one for exclamation marks, but I thought you’d be at least a little surprised. I totally just bombed that, didn’t I? That’s an egg on the ol’ face…”
He scratched his cheek, then asked if he could come in.
She had no particular reason to refuse him. Most people in her position would have been embarrassed or scared, but she hadn’t felt those sorts of basic emotions in a long time.
“Be my guest,” Mayoi said.
The man thanked her, then slid the door shut and introduced himself. “Guess I’d better start by dropping my deets, huh? The name’s Jade von Saint-Germain, and as of today, I’m a new diplomat stationed at the Freyjagard embassy. ’Sup?”
That was enough for Mayoi to comprehend who he was.
However…
“Deets? ’Sup?”
…the unfamiliar words caused some confusion.
What were “deets,” and how did one drop them? What was a “sup”? Mayoi hadn’t the faintest idea.
An awkward look crossed Jade’s face…
“I, uh, I was kinda hoping you’d pick that stuff up on gut feeling, but…‘deets’ is short for ‘details,’ and ‘sup’ is just ‘what’s’ and ‘up’ mashed together. That’s all there is to it.”
“Ahhh.”
…but after he explained himself, Mayoi finally understood his words. She’d never heard those expressions before. The world was a vast place, however. Satisfied with his explanation, she crawled out of her blankets, sat up straight, and bowed down on all fours. “I am Mayoi, second daughter of Yamato’s Emperor Gekkou. It is a pleasure and an honor to meet you. In my ignorance, I failed to understand your greeting, and I would like to express my sincerest apologies for my rudeness.”
“O-oh geez, so formal… Honestly, it was my bad for not speaking more clearly.”
Jade gave the girl another few quick bows of his own. He looked perplexed, as though unsure what to make of this odd young woman.
At that point, Mayoi gave voice to a very reasonable question. “…Mr. Diplomat, might I ask what you’re doing at my residence?”
Jade quickly changed gears and gave her another bright grin. “Well, I was introducing myself to Emperor Gekkou, Lady Hinowa, and Lady Kaguya earlier, but you weren’t in the castle. I figured it’d be rude not to say hi to the whole imperial family. It’s like when you move to a new neighborhood, you know? You gotta do things like this on day one. But if I’m being honest, I have another reason, too…”
“And what is that?”
“See, Lady Kaguya totally has it going on, so I figured that her sister must be a knockout as well. As a dude, I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I didn’t meet you and exchange contact info.”
“A knockout????”
“Ah, sorry, my bad. Again. It means someone who’s super cute.”
“I see…”
Mayoi still struggled to comprehend some of Jade’s vocabulary.
“But man, I was totally right. Heck, I was probably underselling you. You’re, like, the spitting image of your sister. I practically had to do a double take.”
“That’s the way I was raised.”
“Oh yeah? Well, hey, beautiful sisters, I can always get behind that!”
“Thank you for your kind words.”
“Personally, though, you’re more my type. Lady Kaguya’s got her whole menacing aura thing going on, but you’ve got this frail vibe that makes a guy want to protect you. Like, a chivalry kind of deal. That sort of stuff always gets me right in the feels. I’m from the land of knights, after all.”
“I see,” Mayoi replied rather perfunctorily to Jade’s compliments.
Although listening to an extent, she wasn’t paying the conversation much attention, and the half-heartedness of her responses made that fact abundantly clear. Mayoi’s emotions had weakened such that nothing roused her.
Even so, Jade didn’t so much as frown…
“I don’t know about you, but I want us to learn more about each other. Is it cool if I drop by from time to time? Real talk, there is nothing to do at the embassy.”
…and he assertively closed the distance between them.
Why is this man so interested in a mere tool such as I, I wonder?
Jade’s actions earned him a tilt of the head from Mayoi. However, her sole purpose was to die, so she decided this wasn’t really worth fretting over. Choosing who she met and spoke with wasn’t Mayoi’s right, so she gave him an answer befitting her station. “I’m afraid that isn’t up to me to decide…”
“Oh yeah? Well, then consider this me signing off on your behalf. Boom, it’s a done deal.”
“What?”
“Lookin’ forward to getting to know you, girl.”
Somehow or other, a decision had been reached.
Not even Mayoi could remain emotionless in the face of something like that. A hint of surprise crept across her expression. Ultimately, it was all still inconsequential. It didn’t matter what was going through that strange man’s head, nor did it matter if someone from her house found out she’d met with him. A tool didn’t need to consider those matters.
“I look forward to getting to know you as well.”
Mayoi took Jade’s proffered hand and squeezed it.
All she was doing was following his lead with no expression or emotion…
“ ”
…yet she realized something by doing so.
Now that she thought about it, this was the first time in all her life she’d ever held another’s hand.
From then on, Jade began visiting her roughly once a week.
“Mayoi, you gotta hear this. The other day, I went to this… What’re those tea party things called again?”
“A tea ceremony?”
“Yeah, yeah, that. So I was with this important Yamato vassal guy at this tea ceremony, and they brought out some grub.”
“They served you grubs?”
“Nah, it just means food. Sorry about the slang. Anyway, they brought out some food, right? But for the utensils, they gave me these ‘chopsticks.’ And, like, what the hell?! Using those things is crazy hard! I didn’t even know how to hold them at first, and even once I got that down, my food kept slipping right out!”
“I see…”
“We were eating these simmered potatoes, and I kid you not, I dropped them on the floor right in front of this vassal guy’s face. He practically laughed me right out of the room. How rude is that? And also, what’s so fun about sitting around drinking tea with a bunch of dudes? Like, doesn’t that defeat the whole point?”
“Tea ceremonies are a popular pastime among Yamato gentlemen.”
“That’s what they tell me, yeah. The point is, would you mind teaching me how to use chopsticks so I don’t blow it so bad next time?”
“If you asked, I’m sure they would be more than happy to provide you with a knife and fork…”
“I mean, sure, but it’s like…even though you guys have been ramping down the whole national isolation stuff under Emperor Gekkou’s reign, chopsticks and tea ceremonies are still part of Yamato culture. It’s my job to respect stuff like that. Plus, I can’t stand it when I screw up the little stuff. Nothing pisses me off like having someone think I’m an idiot. That’s why I gotta get my chopstick technique down before my next tea ceremony. C’mon, Mayoi, I’m begging you here!”
“…Very well. I suppose there’s no harm in it.”
“Thanks a million!”
The topics of their conversations ranged from Jade griping about his work…
“Hey Mayo-Mayo, I brought you something real cool today.”
“You did?”
“Big time. Grandmaster Neuro wanted to see me, so I had to pop back over to Freyjagard real quick, and while I was there, I spotted something real nifty in the Drachen market. I was all, ‘Mayoi’s gotta check this out,’ so I bought it.”
“I see…”
“Ta-daa! A ‘lemon’ fresh from the Lakan Archipelago!”
“A…lemon?”
“Oh-ho? Judging from your reaction, this is your first time peeping at one of these bad boys.”
“It is.”
“Hee-hee-hee. I’m telling you, this is one tasty treat. I’m so glad I decided to shell out that dough. ♪ Go on, try a bite. I already cut this one up, so go ahead and take a big ol’ chomp.”
“Munch… (>x<)”
“Pfffft! Man, you should see your face right now!”
“~~~~~~~… Are these poisonous?”
“Nah, ’course not. They’re just super sour.”
“I think my cheeks are stuck like this.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty rough if you try to eat ’em straight, but if you drown ’em in South Freyjagard sugar, they are choice. Here, have this one.”
“Munch… (>x<)”
“Ah-ha-ha-ha!”
…to strange items Jade purchased…
“Hurrah!”
“What is that noise you’re making?”
“It’s something you just kinda say when you’re amped up or trying to liven the mood. Everything just feels more fun once you start shouting it. Go on, give it a shot. Hurrah!”
“Hur…rah.”
“No, no, no, you gotta mean it. Oh, and pro tip, ‘whoo-hoo’ is basically the same thing but cuter, so it’s a great choice for the ladies. Hurray!”
“Whoo-hoo…”
“Don’t be shy, now!”
“Whoo-hoo.”
“I wanna hear an exclamation mark at the end!”
“Whoo-hoo!”
“Hurrah!”
…to bizarre cross-cultural exchanges. There was no real rhyme or reason to the content of their chats. However, they always took place in the dead of night, and they were always in Mayoi’s bedroom.
After the first few instances, Mayoi realized what was going on. It was obvious that Jade ensured the Special Forces members guarding the Mayoi’s residence were unaware of the clandestine meetings. She gathered that he’d even hired a ninja to help him get in and out of the building. The structure wasn’t especially well protected, but that the ninja was able to enter so easily with Jade in tow meant they were quite skilled. Perhaps they were even Special Forces deserters.
Mayoi didn’t report any of what she discovered to the staff. She told herself that, as a tool, it didn’t matter who dealt with her or how. And at first, she even meant it. Over time, though, that became an excuse.
She started going to bed later and later each night, and began thinking about Jade frequently. With every thought, something in her chest stirred, although she couldn’t decipher what it was.
Then, a few months after they started meeting…
“Whew, we finally made it. I gotta say, we ended up cutting it pretty close.”
“Pant… Pant…”
Jade had taken Mayoi, and the two of them followed a fugitive ninja named Sasuke out late at night to climb a nearby mountain. They typically only spoke in Mayoi’s bedroom, yet this time, Jade had insisted he had to show her something.
However…
“…It’s pitch-black.”
…Mayoi couldn’t figure out what that could be for the life of her.
She had gone along with his requests as she always did, but…when they finally made it to the summit, there was nothing to see except the vast, bleak night.
Mayoi turned to Jade and cast him a bored look…
“All right, all right, hold your horses. I told you, it’ll all make sense in a sec.”
…and the man grinned back at her.
What was going to make sense?
She was about to ask as much aloud, but she never got a chance.
Light erupted—blinding and white and shining from one side.
Mayoi snapped her eyes shut by reflex, then slowly opened them so that they could adjust.
“Ah…”
Dawn stripped away the veil of darkness, replacing it with the vibrant, colorful hues of a pale-pink flower field that went as far as the eye could see.
“Is the view here unreal, or what? There are lotus flowers everywhere, and from this high up, you can watch the whole hill slowly turn pink as the sun rises. With how much of a shut-in you are, I figured you might not even know you had such a primo spot right by your house.”
The sight before her left Mayoi speechless. As Jade gave his little speech, he reached down and plucked two of the lotus flowers growing by his feet.
“Here, take a whiff of this.”
“Snnfff. …!”
“It’s wild how sweet they smell, right? Back when I was a kid, I used to snack on these.”
A nostalgic smile spread across Jade’s face as he started to take Mayoi by the hand. There were a couple of other nice spots with good views, and he wanted to show her all of them.
Then he noticed something.
“Wait, hey, Mayoi, why are you crying?”
“B-because…hic… Because I…!”
The girl’s voice was practically a scream, and she crumpled to the ground where she stood.
Her vision grew bleary from the tears forced out by swelling emotions, and she all but scooped at her face as she wiped them away. They were obstructing her view, and she resented them for that so much she couldn’t bear it.
She never knew.
She never knew that sunlight could feel so warm.
She never knew.
She never knew that soil could smell so sweet.
She never knew.
She never knew that the wind could whistle so gently.
She never knew.
She never knew that the sky was so high up.
She never knew.
She never knew that the world was so full of color.
She never knew…
“I’m having…so much fun right now…”
…that being alive could be so much fun.
At long last, Mayoi understood the mysterious feeling in her chest. Spending time with Jade was returning what she’d lost.
Her world had color and flavor again.
This magnificent place was where she lived, and she was starting to care about it again.
All the emotions Mayoi had lost years ago were returning in force, and when she recognized this, tears came with no way to stop them. Mayoi sat on the ground, paralyzed by the weight of her feelings…and felt Jade take her hand.
“Hey, you know what we say when we’re trying to turn a frown upside down?”
He hoisted Mayoi back to her feet…
“Hurrah!”
…and shouted.
It was the phrase he taught her weeks ago. The one that she never quite comprehended.
At the same time, though, it always managed to cheer her up.
“Whoo-hoo!”
Mayoi shouted as well. She needed to release everything bubbling up inside her, and although she remained ignorant of the word’s meaning, she spoke it as loud as she could. And through her tears, a smile blossomed.
Three days later, Kaguya’s coronation was set, and with it, the day Mayoi would kill herself.
It had been several years since Mayoi last saw Kaguya, but her sister came to hand down the order in person. For generations, Yamato had diligently carried out the sacrificial rite. The system made one small sacrifice to secure national peace, and now the time had come for another to be offered up for the good of the state.
Mayoi was their tool, and this was the task assigned to her. That was the imperial family’s code, and up until recently, it would have been no exaggeration to say that dying was the sole reason for her existence.
Now that she’d regained her will as a living individual, however, she couldn’t possibly fulfill her duty.
She wanted to see more of the sky.
She wanted to feel more of the wind.
She wanted to smell more of the earth.
She wanted to go more places—and she wanted to do so with him.
To that end, Mayoi prostrated herself before her sister with her forehead pressed to the tatami mat floor and begged for clemency.
She promised to leave Yamato. She swore to harbor no interest in usurping the throne. In return, she pleaded only for her life.
But her entreaty fell on deaf ears.
The imperial family’s tool was broken, and she could no longer execute the customary performance. However, this upset fell within expectations, and there was a backup plan for just such an eventuality.
If convincing the tool to commit suicide was no longer an option, they would instead pin a fictitious crime on her and have the new emperor personally execute her for it, and pursuant to Yamato law, they would use an incredibly painful form of capital punishment referred to as death by sawing. Judging their own flesh and blood like that would serve to demonstrate the Yamato ruler’s virtuousness.
As soon as her sister expressed resistance to the idea of killing herself, Kaguya sentenced her to death and incarcerated her in Azuchi Castle. Thanks to the Special Forces’ covert work, Mayoi looked unquestionably guilty.
In her jail cell, Mayoi pushed her voice to its limits screaming for help. She wore out her throat, then tore at it, yet even as blood dribbled from her mouth, she shrieked with all her might that she didn’t want to die.
None came to her aid.
Finally, Mayoi realized the harsh truth—she had no inherent worth as a person.
The pain and the sorrow were too much for her, and she collapsed into sobs.
“Pleeaase…”
Why her? Why was all of this happening to her? Being born slightly after Kaguya was the only thing she’d ever done wrong. So why?
“Don’t make me…stop being me…”
That was all she asked.
It was her deepest wish to be granted permission to live.
A new guard entered and relieved Shishi, and although Mayoi was barely able to choke out words anymore, she made the same impassioned plea to him, too.
The guard didn’t so much as stir.
As a matter of fact, he remained motionless…
…even as his head rolled from his shoulders.
“Eek!”
“Hey there, Mayoi. You okay?”
“J-Jade… But why?!”
As Mayoi froze at the shocking turn of events, a man called out to her—the very one she’d thought of so often in her cell. She spoke his name in surprise, but he quickly silenced her.
“Shhh, keep it down. There are more guards outside.” The decapitated watchman remained perfectly upright, and Jade rummaged through the corpse’s pockets as he explained. “Listen, when word arrived at the embassy that you’d killed some maids and were gonna get executed, I got mad spooked. I knew you’d never do anything like that, and I kinda freaked out a bit. But it was obviously a frame job, so I sneaked in here to bail you out. Real talk, I would’ve come sooner, but that punk-ass Sasuke was shaking in his boots.”
“Shishi was here a moment ago. I can hold my own against any other, but that man is beyond my ability.”
Mayoi searched for the latest voice and discovered that Jade wasn’t alone outside her cell. The middle-aged ninja named Sasuke, who always helped him sneak into Mayoi’s residence, was there, too. Sasuke wound his hands around each other and spooled back the thread he’d used to silently behead the guard.
“Sheesh, dude. Considering what I pay you, I figure you could at least try. I swear, you’ve gotta be the most useless fugitive ninja around… Ah, found it.”
While griping about his ninja accomplice, Jade finally located the item he was looking for: the key to Mayoi’s cell.
“There we go. Now we’re all peachy—”
“Y-you can’t!” Jade began to unlock the door, but Mayoi stopped him. “You’ll get in big trouble!”
If Jade went through with this, he’d share Mayoi’s fate. The prospect of him dying was so horrible that merely imagining it left Mayoi feeling like she would lose her mind.
The warning did nothing to give Jade pause, though…
“You’ve got a heart of gold. For real.”
…and he unlocked the cell.
“Oh no…”
“But see, that’s why out of all the people in Yamato, I wanted to at least save you.”
“At least…?”
There was something peculiar about Jade’s remark.
Mayoi was still sitting on the floor, so Jade lowered himself to her eye level to answer her question.
“I need you to listen close. Pretty soon, Freyjagard and Yamato are going to war.”
His expression was normally so chipper, it bordered on insincere, yet there was no doubting the severity of this statement.
“What…? A-a war…?”
“I heard it straight from Grandmaster Neuro. The Four Grandmasters have been pushing Emperor Lindworm to conquer the rest of the continent for a while, and now that he’s finished getting the nation under his thumb, he’s formally decided to adopt their plan. And that means attacking Yamato. The army’s already mobilized, and it’s ready to begin the invasion at the drop of a hat.”
“It can’t be…”
“…To be honest, they wanted to storm the border today, but I went to Grandmaster Neuro and got him to hold off. I told him I needed enough time to rescue you.”
“Huh…?!”
To rescue her? Mayoi couldn’t begin to make sense of it. Jade was on the Freyjagard Empire’s side. What did he care about someone in Yamato?
“Why…would you go so far…?”
“What do you mean, ‘why’?! It’s ’cause you’re the most important babe in my whole life!”
“ ”
Jade grabbed Mayoi’s shoulders and spoke with more passion in his voice than he ever had before. This time, Mayoi was at a complete loss for words.
Not long ago, back when she was just a tool, she might not have understood the significance behind Jade’s statement. Now, though, his meaning came across loud and clear. She felt the same way, after all.
Mayoi was surprised, flustered, and thrilled… Feelings whirled inside her, intermixing and throwing the girl off-balance.
Jade rubbed his neck. “Here’s the problem, though… Grandmaster Neuro didn’t exactly agree to sit on his hands for free. The empire’s got this scheme it’s cooking, and the GM said that if you want Freyjagard’s protection…then you have to help out with the plan.”
“What…do you mean?”
“You know that grody-ass belfry, right by the inner castle?”
Mayoi nodded.
She came to Azuchi Castle infrequently enough that she didn’t recall every detail, but the moss-encrusted belfry was distinctive enough to leave a mental impression.
“According to Grandmaster Neuro, that belfry is actually a secret magical artifact, and if you load it up with magic, it can amplify that spell and spread it across all of Yamato. He wants you to cast a spell that’ll put all the Yamato soldiers to sleep.”
“A-a spell?!”
Mayoi was surprised to hear about the bell’s true function, but what shocked Mayoi most of all was the empire’s plan. That her using the artifact was a condition for securing her clemency meant that it had to be possible, but there was a problem.
“But I…I don’t know how to use magic…”
She had never so much as studied the subject, much less actually cast a spell. There was no way for her to meet Freyjagard’s demand.
However…
“Don’t you worry. Grandmaster Neuro gave me something nifty to help out on that front.”
Jade’s expression was downright dauntless as he retrieved an object from his pocket—a large black crystal that nearly filled his whole palm.
“This thing’s an artifact called a Philosopher’s Stone, and when you stick it in someone, it makes them ‘evolve’ by forcibly drawing out their potential… You might be wondering why Azuchi Castle has the bell if they never use it. Well, back in the day, they actually did. Grandmaster Neuro told me that long ago, the Yamato imperial family had this Administrative Authority magic they used to control all the native spirits in the nation. The magic’s gotten weaker over time, and nowadays, it’s totally shriveled, but that doesn’t mean it’s gone for good. If we use this Philosopher’s Stone to draw out the power sleeping within you, you’ll be able to use magic just fine!”
“I will…?”
Was it really that simple? Mayoi lacked the knowledge to answer that question with any certainty. The situation was shifting rapidly, and she had no time to consider her choice.
It was all so abrupt that Mayoi felt her head spinning.
And yet…
“The thing is, not even Sasuke has the skills to get both of us out of the castle. This plan is the only way to save us both. I’m beggin’ you here, Mayoi… Please, come with me. I want to be with you. Now, and for the rest of time.”
…Mayoi could see herself reflected in his eyes. He was looking straight at her.
She didn’t understand what was going on, and it was impossible to know the right decision. However, if it meant a chance to be together with Jade, the man who was willing to let her live within his gaze, then Mayoi had no reason to refuse his proposal.
The plan Neuro entrusted to Jade went off without a hitch. Part of Mayoi’s job was to act as a spare for Kaguya, so all it took was a change of her clothes, and the castle guards—few of whom had ever had any meaningful interactions with her—were none the wiser as to her true identity. She didn’t even need to rely on Sasuke’s disguise techniques.
By combining the bell’s power with the ability to communicate with spirits the Philosopher’s Stone awakened in her, Mayoi successfully instructed the spirits all across Yamato to go to sleep. The tolling of the bell also served as the signal for Lindworm’s army to storm the Yamato border, and with the Yamato forces unable to fight, the Freyjagard soldiers annihilated them. Yamato lost a full third of its army in the span of a single night, and though their warriors’ strength bought back some ground, the losses proved too much to overcome. The Freyjagard Empire overran Yamato with sheer numbers, and eventually, the nation lay in ruins.
Mayoi watched her homeland fall from the safety of the imperial army’s protection with no regrets. And why should she have any? After all…
“You people…took everything from me!”
The castle tower was engulfed in flames. Angry cries thundered like an earthquake, but Mayoi was unshakable, and she met the shouts with equal fury.
Why should she have to die for the likes of them?
How dare they criticize her for not doing so?
It didn’t make a lick of sense.
I’m not an idiot, you know…
Mayoi knew that Jade was an agent who’d been explicitly dispatched to win her to Freyjagard’s side. His story had been fishy from day one. After all, what sort of respectable diplomat went and visited a sequestered princess’s bedchambers just because he didn’t get a chance to introduce himself? It was part of his plan.
Jade had heard about the imperial family’s code and the way Mayoi was treated. His goal was to rise in station by playing a key role in the war effort against Yamato. To that end, he’d shown Mayoi kindness to make her into a puppet that would dance on his strings. Jade’s compassion was calculated, and every sweet nothing had been a lie. None of it meant a thing to him.
Mayoi knew as much long before she betrayed her country.
But so what?
Jade’s words were hollow and his kindness false, but his hand was the first she’d ever been offered. His kind words were the first she’d known.
Those lies showed Mayoi the fun of living.
She didn’t care if it was all a lie.
She didn’t care that he didn’t love her.
She was fine with him using her.
Living solely for Jade’s ambition was enough to sustain her heart.
It was sufficient.
Yet now…
“~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!!!”
Tears of frustration streamed from Mayoi’s eyes, and she kicked the floor even as the flames scorched it black.
Ultimately, she’d failed in being useful to Jade.
Her life for him was unsuccessful.
That knowledge was so heartbreaking she couldn’t help but sob.
Mayoi harbored little hope that Jade would forgive her.
He was going to hate her.
He would never look her way again.
He would never think of her.
He wouldn’t even remember her.
Once again…she would be alone.
The world was vast, yet Mayoi was going to leave it by herself.
When she realized that, it hurt so much that her chest felt likely to rip apart.
She was abandoned, tormented by agonizing pain.
After finally meeting someone willing to see her as an individual, Mayoi knew the joy of living within his gaze, and she wanted to die in it as well.
“Darling… I miss…you…”
“What’s that? You called?”
“………………What?”
Someone answered her.
Her plea that should have been lost amid the fire and chorus chanting for her death had reached a man who shouldn’t have been there.
Mayoi nervously raised her head. It couldn’t be. There was no way.
She looked out into the raging sea of fire. He was there, just beyond it. Standing at the room’s burning entrance was Jade von Saint-Germain.
“Heya there, Princess. ’Tis an honor but to be in your presence. That’s what the kids say, right?”
He wore the same irreverent smile he had worn during their very first encounter.
“D-dar…ling… But why…?”
“Whaddaya mean, ‘why’? Whoa, c’mon, you can’t be serious, right? What the hell kinda guy doesn’t drop everything and come running when his girlfriend’s in a jam, huh? I’m from the land of knights, for crying out loud!”
Mayoi was struck speechless. She’d believed his visage would never grace her eyes again, yet against all odds, they were reunited.
Jade, for his part, strode forward with his asymmetric grin…
“Whoops…!”
“Darling!”
…and tripped, tumbling to the ground by Mayoi’s side.
When Mayoi got closer, she noticed something.
“Ahh! Y-your leg…!”
Jade’s right leg was burned raw. Most of it was little more than charcoal now, and it was obvious at a glance that it was well beyond saving.
“Yeah, I tried to come through the hidden tunnel all gallant and badass, but, like… Apparently, shit’s on fire? We’re talking some reeeeeal nasty stuff. I got roasted on my way up here.”
With a big grunt, Jade crawled his way to a seated position across from Mayoi. From this distance, she spied that his shoulders were heaving and his forehead was slick with sweat. Burns dotted his entire body. Jade must have climbed like a man possessed to endure the flames.
“Listen, Mayo-Mayo. I wanted to save you, but it looks like this is as far as I’m gonna get.”
“Wh-why?! Why would you come here?!” Mayoi shrieked. What purpose was there in Jade willingly endangering himself as he had?
Jade flashed her his usual smile. “How many times are you gonna make me say it? It’s about chival—”
“LIAR!!!!”
Mayoi wasn’t going to excuse his obvious deceit this time.
“You’re lying! I know it, and so do you! You don’t love me one bit, and I’ve been aware of that this whole time!”
“Wh—?”
“So why come for me?! You’re going to die!” Mayoi screamed.
How could he make such a stupid decision? Truthfully, Mayoi didn’t care about Jade’s reason. He was going to die, and that unacceptable reality drove her into a frenzy.
Upon seeing her reaction…
Wait, seriously? She found out?
…Jade was secretly shocked.
Not once had he considered that Mayoi knew.
Mayoi had accused Jade of not loving her, and she was correct. Jade didn’t care for her one bit. On the contrary, he loathed the girl. She reminded him of his old self—his life in that mansion.
Back when I was weak, when all I could do was suck up to the people around me and go along with whatever they said…
Jade was a child of the Saint-Germain family, a lineage of renowned aristocrats. The name alone carried prestige.
However, that was only on Jade’s father’s side. His mother was a commoner and a prostitute. Although he was the offspring of the family head, Edgar, Jade was also the son of a whore.
Imperial nobles had a tendency to be selfish, but Edgar was a comparatively reasonable sort, and he took responsibility for Jade’s mother’s pregnancy by keeping her on as a mistress and moving her and Jade into his mansion. However, Jade’s mother had an affair with one of the servants, then absconded and abandoned her child.
Being the son of a runaway mistress, Jade suffered terrible mistreatment. It would have reflected too poorly on the Saint-Germain household to kick him out altogether, but the abuse he endured was horrific.
Surviving that hellish crucible taught Jade his inherent lack of worth as a person.
That was what drove him to seek fame and status so desperately. He wanted to become valuable, such that none would harm him again.
Reading people had always been a talent of his. It started out as a way to protect himself, but in time, he developed it and formed connections to rise in the world. His ascent was meteoric, especially for the Freyjagard Empire, and after he enticed Mayoi into aiding the invasion of Yamato, he was named Yamato Dominion Administrator, a title on par with a dominion lord’s.
Without him, the empire had no way of holding Yamato.
Jade had assumed that meant he’d changed. The worthless wretch was gone at last. No more would he cower and suck up to those around him, agreeing to whatever they said.
Mayoi’s weakness reminded him of his own, though, stirring something in him every time he saw her.
And yet…
…he’d returned to her all the same.
Jade had scraped and clawed through searing flame to save her.
No…that wasn’t it.
The effort was only another attempt to show off. A lie to conceal the pitiful truth.
I was running away…
After losing to the Resistance and forfeiting everything he’d worked so hard to build, Jade had nothing but his own worthless existence puffed up with fiction.
It was more than he could bear. Thus, he’d fled to the woman who would never turn on him.
God, I’m such a piece of shit…
Jade was sick of himself.
He never changed, and he’d failed to become a person of renown.
Were that true…
“Wait, you think I don’t like you? C’mon, Mayo-Mayo. That’s crazy talk.”
…then he wanted to at least see his final deceit through to its conclusion.
In all the world, there was one woman who desired the man Jade genuinely was, and as a liar, this was the closest he could come to doing right by her.
“C’mon, what’re you getting all neurotic on me for? Aside from the JK Game, I’ve never tricked you in my whole life. Plus, you think I really woulda come anywhere near this gnarly disaster if it weren’t to save the lady I love?”
Jade wrapped Mayoi in an embrace. The hug was a falsehood, the kind he’d fed her countless times before.
And yet…
Huh?
…Jade could feel his arms tighten around her slender frame.
He was squeezing Mayoi so tightly that it was probably hurting her.
Not once had he ever held her this roughly.
Jade hurriedly tried to loosen his grip and discovered he was unable.
And as he sat boggling at his own actions…
“You’re such a liar…!”
…Mayoi returned his embrace.
She folded her arms around him, dug in her nails, and hugged him dearly.
“I don’t care if it’s fake. I want you to stay with me to the end! Don’t leave me all on my own!”
“ ”
The heat of their bodies against each other felt hotter than the fire, and between that, Mayoi’s scream, and the intensity with which she needed him, Jade realized something.
He’d been laboring to build his worth for so long, pursuing it with single-minded devotion to the exclusion of all else.
Yet now that his life was on the verge of ending, he had someone he could hold with all his might, and who would hold him with all of theirs. Surely, there was value in that.
No noble. No lord. No emperor. Nothing.
Jade’s feelings for Mayoi were so strong that he couldn’t control his strength, and she felt the same. And if that was the case…
I’ve been worth something this whole time…
It may have only been in a single person’s eyes, but to Mayoi, Jade was more precious than anything else in the world.
If only Jade had realized it before the point of no return. He’d always prided himself on being sensitive to matters of the heart, but when it came to his own, he was as dense as they came.
He had given Mayoi nothing but lies, and he’d hurt her repeatedly, but if she was willing to forgive him for all that, then starting now, they could share something new—the first true love in all Jade’s life.
There were only seconds left, but they were plenty.
To Jade, every moment they spent holding each other was so joyful—so fun—that it was worth more than the rest of his existence.
“Hey, you know what I’d like? To see the lotus flowers again, just me and you.”
“…Yeah…that sounds nice…!”
And with that, Azuchi Castle’s tower came tumbling down.
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