Volume 1
Epilogue Part
1
Vermilion's
Joy, Black's Lamentation 1
Translator : PolterGlast
"―Ahahahahahaha!!!"
Clear laughter echoed
through the temple.
As if in response to
the laughter, the wind chimes on the roof of the temple rang, filling the
temple with festive sounds.
The owner of the
voice, Shuka, leaned over the balustrade and looked at Akira as if she wanted
to feast her eyes on him, and kept laughing loudly and enthusiastically.
"Behold, Tsuguho!
Without a doubt, that was Kanna-no-Mikura!"
Beyond their gaze,
what spread out before them was a pillar of fire that blazed through the sky.
And Akira, with his
sword raised in the air.
While leaning her body
more than half out from the balustrade, her graceful hands wandered in the air
as if to embrace Akira, who was not there.
".......Congratulations."
―Indeed, that was Kanna-no-Mikura.
Tsuguho, while
clenching her fists so as not to be noticed by Shuka, still tried her best to
remain calm and finally said just that.
Although she had
received the confirmation from the divine pillar to which she is dedicated, she
was still skeptical because she had not actually confirmed it with her own
eyes, but she had no choice but to accept it after being shown the reality to
this extent.
A miracle of the
chosen one who is born only once in a hundred years among the eight families.
The one who is born
without a spirit, and is called Kanna-no-Mikura.
The fact that he is
born without a spirit means that he is a vessel so strong that he alone can
exist in the world without the help of spirits.
His life is equal to
one world.
―In other words, it is a vessel that is capable of
containing a Divine Pillar.
"A~a, my
Kanna-no-Mikura after 400 years! My own personal throne! ―I won't give him to
anyone. Not to Ao, not to Shiro, not even to Kuro!"
"Aka-sama!"
Tsuguho's face lost
color at this dangerous statement that could split Takamagahara in two.
If things proceeded
according to her words, Gioin would surely turn into an enemy.
What lies ahead is a
reenactment of the civil war that raged 400 years ago, to the point where the
continent interfered.
That was the worst
possible future scenario that Tsuguho must avoid.
"......What's the
matter? You're ruining my fun, you know?"
Tsuguho carefully
chose her words as she tried to persuade Shuka, whose lips were pouting cutely,
as if she was being drained of her elated mood.
"If we proceed
according to Aka-sama's wishes, we will surely incur Kuro-sama's displeasure. I
am sure that even Aka-sama would not wish to see Takamagahara destroyed into a
thousand pieces."
"But then, Kuro
would take Akira away, wouldn't she?"
"......Therefore,
let's negotiate with Kuro-sama to set a term regarding Akira-san's possession.
We have the advantage that Akira-san has been staying with us and the fact that
he has reached the empty throne at Karen. Even though Kuro-sama was unaware of
it and it was by a mistake, given the fact that she had let go of Akira-san, it
would be difficult for her to raise her voice aggressively. I think there is
plenty of room for negotiation."
"Mu~u, it would
be a shame to let him go, even for a moment though."
Perhaps recognizing
that Tsuguho might have a point, Shuka expressed some annoyance rather than
immediately dismissing her opinion.
Originally, it was a
tradition that the possession of Kanna-no-Mikura belonged to the province in
which he was born.
If they were to follow
this tradition, Akira would belong to Kokuten, and only Kuro would be allowed
to possess him.
However, if what
Ugetsu has done is as they have speculated, then Akira should have been
expelled from Kokuten, and according to common practice, Shumon would become
the place where Akira belongs.
Although Akira was
engaged to Gioin, he was simultaneously in the custody of Ugetsu.
Since the territory
under the jurisdiction of the eight families is allowed a certain degree of
autonomy, it is ultimately Ugetsu who has the authority to decide how to deal
with Akira.
In short, the current
situation is that both Kokuten and Shumon simultaneously have the right to
declare Akira's possession.
Ugetsu's rashness and
negligence.
Now that this had been
allowed to happen, a complete restoration of the relationship with Akira to its
original state would probably be nearly impossible.
If they still had
rationality left in them, Gioin would not have been able to reject the proposal
to take the negotiating table.
Besides, there was
another reason why Gioin could not forcefully demand to take Akira back.
"No matter how
much Gioin might push the tradition, the final decision was left to Akira-san,
who is the Kanna-no-Mikura. It is not possible even for Divine Pillars to bind
the Kanna-no-Mikura's hearts and minds. The inability to keep Akira-san
attached is the fault of Gioin, and by extension, Kuro-sama's fault. Even if
she disregarded the negotiation table and asked Tsukinomiya for judgment, it
would have been Kuro-sama who would lose her position. ―As long as the
relationship between Aka-sama and Akira-san is good, I'm sure that Kuro-sama
would refrain from taking any measures that would worsen Akira-san's impression
of her."
The greatest benefit
that the title Kanna-no-Mikura brings is that it allows him to freely choose
the land in which he will reside.
For better or worse,
among all the people who are bound by the spirits and the land they live on,
the only one who is allowed to freely cross over the land is the one called Kanna-no-Mikura.
That is why Divine
Pillars are so desperate to attract Akira's attention.
Truth be told, they
could not detain Akira by any other means, so they went half-crazy and gave him
what they had to satisfy him.
Having failed to
fulfill this, Kuro has little room for objections.
Although their
relationship with Gioin will deteriorate, a direct confrontation will be
avoided.
As soon as Shuka
finished listening to Tsuguho, she cleared her throat and smiled.
"Well, fine. I'll
allow you to negotiate with Kuro in recognition of your efforts to persuade me,
the Divine Pillar."
Tsuguho breathed an
involuntary sigh of relief after obtaining Shuka's permission.
With this, there
seemed to be some hope for negotiations with the Gioin.
Tsuguho was honestly
happy that the possibility of a worst-case scenario had been reduced, albeit
slightly.
"―But, I think it
would be a good idea to make an effort to turn Akira's feelings toward us,
wouldn't it? It's been a long time since I've met Kanna-no-Mikura. I would like
to enjoy our time together to the fullest."
"Yes, please take
your time."
She bowed her head
deeply and accepted Shuka's intention.
For Tsuguho, it was a
welcome relief that the distance between Akira and Shuka had been shortened to
some extent.
After all, regardless
of the depth of this problem, the solution lies in Akira's feelings.
In order to gain the
upper hand in negotiations with Gioin, it was a natural course of action to try
to sway Akira's feelings toward Kihouin.
"Then, since
there are some follow-up matters to be dealt with, I will excuse myself for
this evening."
"Umu. ......Ah,
right, Tsuguho. When is your spouse selection taking place?"
"......It is
scheduled right after the Kanna Festival in October."
"I see. I am sure
you understand, but it has to be canceled. Akira shall be your spouse."
"Understood."
Tsuguho readily
accepted Shuka's decree with a nod of her head without any objection.
It is the duty of the
lineage of the Sannomiya and Shi-in to be the ostensible marriage partner of
Kanna-no-Mikura.
It is one of the
covenants made in ancient times between the Divine Pillars and the eight
families of Sannomiya and Shi-in as part of the contract that connects the
divine era and the modern era.
Four thousand years
have passed since the end of the Age of Gods, which is too long a time even for
the Sannomiya and Shi-in, the descendants of Divine Pillars.
The lineage of
Sannomiya and Shi-in inherits half-gods and half-humans, and is the link that
connects the human realm and the divine pillar, but no matter how strong the
link may be, deterioration is inevitable in the face of the passage of time.
There is only one way
to reconnect the deteriorating link, and that is to add a drop of
Kanna-no-Mikura's blood to one's own bloodline.
Only once, at the time
of the rise of Takamagahara, was it possible for a Divine Pillar and a mere
mortal to mix their blood and give birth to the half-god, half-human.
According to legend,
this was accomplished by the Divine Pillar, who presided over the central
region of Takamagahara, and the Kanna-no-Mikura, who was said to have attained
the empty throne.
Akira is the second
Kanna-no-Mikura in history who has attained the empty throne.
That is precisely why
the Divine Pillars would surely do everything in their power to obtain him.
"If possible, I
would like to keep the fact that Akira-san has been banished from Kokuten from
being known until we start negotiations with Gioin."
"That's
impossible. I can't say this for sure if it were yesterday, but now, I'm sure,
Kuro is already aware of it."
"May I ask the
reason?"
"It's simple. In
order for Akira to wield Jakuen Gayou, Kuro's divine energy, which has filled
Akira, is getting in the way. Therefore, the moment Akira pulled out Jakuen
Gayou, it took measures to block Kuro's divine energy. Furthermore, last night,
I changed the connection of his soul stone to a new one. ―No matter how careful
I am, Kuro will probably find out about it and go mad within the next day or
two."
"............Then,
we must hurry. Since we can't act publicly, we won't be able to contact Gioin
until after the summer break."
"Umu. Very
well."
Currently, 12-year-old
Tsuguho is enrolled in the Tenryo Academy middle school in Hisashi Province.
The same goes for the
13-year-old Gioin Shizumi, who is also enrolled in the same school.
Because they share the
same family background and are close in age, they have had a fair amount of
interaction with each other.
As long as they did
not make major blunders, it would not be so difficult for them to make
confidential contacts at the academy.
Right now, this good
fortune was something Tsuguho was grateful for more than anything else.
With Tsuguho bowing
and leaving the temple grounds, Shuka once again turned her gaze back to Akira,
who was far away beyond Karen.
The blazing pillar of
fire scorching the sky was fading into dimness.
The vermilion-gold
radiance that had covered the whole area was simply drifting around the river
like a haze.
Perhaps having
squeezed all his strength, Akira, who had generated the pillar of fire, was
frozen in a stance with his sword raised at the place where the pillar
previously stood.
At the sight of this
endearing Akira, Shuka spread her arms wide.
"A~a, Akira.
―Let this mistress bestow her blessings upon you.
―Behold, the joy of the spirits.
―Hark, the celebration of Shumon Province."
With a passionate
feeling, Shuka, the Great Divine Pillar of the Fire Element that governs Shumon
Province, cried out her blessing to Akira.
"―Therefore,
please adore me, this mistress of yours. Your love, Kanna-no-Mikura, is the
very fulfillment of this mistress!!"
Kanna-no-Mikura, who
is able to bear even the divine power of the Great Divine Pillar in his body,
is called by many names because of the role that he carries.
The Bearer of
the Age of the Gods.
The Pile
Hammer.
And,
―The Partner of the Gods.
Be worthy of those
names, Shuka laughed, simply shouting her love.
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