Volume 1
Epilogue Part
2
Vermilion's
Joy, Black's Lamentation 2
Translator : PolterGlast
At the same time when
Shuka raised her voice in delight.
―Kokuten Povince, Shū-to, Nanatsuo.
In the sanctuary, at
the Kuroyouden.
"―A, aaaa~a~a~a~a~a ！！！！"
Lamentation that was
so painful that it felt as if one's body was being chopped into tiny pieces,
shook the space submerged in deep darkness.
*Whoosh*. The space
undulated as if trembling, and a series of small ripples formed, creating a
disturbance on the surface of the water that filled the area.
"―……Kuro-sama!
What's the matter!?"
Hearing the incessant
cries of impatience, Gioin Shizumi, who was standing close by, ran into the
sanctuary while gasping for air.
Stepping into the
sanctuary, Shizumi's feet submerged into the water up to her ankles.
At that moment, an icy
coldness jolted her brain.
"...............~!"
The pain made her
nearly let a scream escape from her throat.
The coldness that
stung her feet was the first time Shizumi had ever experienced.
The sanctuary is not
only the throne of the Divine Pillars, but also their very essence.
In other words, it is
synonymous with the Divine Pillar itself.
Naturally, this water
that torments Shizumi's feet is no exception.
To put it in simple
words, the temperature of this water is influenced by the emotions of the Deity
Pillar that governs this land.
The freezing midwinter
cold as well as the turmoil and lamentation of the Divine Pillar tormented
Shizumi's emotions.
The Divine Pillar here
has a calm and gentle nature.
That's why, this
distraught state of mind seemed out of the ordinary.
"Kuro-sama!
Kuro-sama!? Where are you!!?"
Shizumi called out
frantically, but all she heard was the sound of the rippling waves on the
water.
There was no response,
and for a few moments, only a piercing silence greeted Shizumi's call.
―Eventually,
"...............
Shizumi?"
From beyond the
darkness, a young girl about the same age as Shuka appeared.
"Yes. Shizumi is
at your service".
Shizumi rushed to the
girl, feeling relieved that she did not see anything out of the ordinary.
"Kuro-sama,
what's the matter? If you are so distraught like this, even the spirits will be
frightened."
The young girl, who
was called Kuro, raised her eyes slightly to look at Shizumi with a sorrowful
expression on her face.
Her glossy black hair,
trimmed at her shoulders, sways gently as she moves, and her jet-black eyes,
with no iris in sight, are distorted with sadness.
"...... Shizumi.
Where's Akira?"
"Akira-san, is
it? According to the letter I read before, his education as the next head of
Ugetsu family is finally coming to an end."
Shizumi was puzzled by
the sudden question, but she then conveyed the content of the letter she had
received just a few days ago.
While responding to
the question, Shizumi thought in the corner of her mind.
It has been almost
three years since Akira stopped visiting the capital because of his education
as the next head of the family.
Though it was
convenient timing since they had to start renovating Kuroyouden in preparation
for welcoming Akira, they are now in the middle of requesting Ugetsu to invite
Akira to visit the castle since the renovations are almost finished.
For the past few
months, Ugetsu's response has been vague and ambiguous, and they have not
received a favorable response.
The head of the
family, Ugetsu Tenzan, has said that Akira's incompetence has made it difficult
for him to make progress in his education, and he has been having a hard time.
On the other hand,
Shizumi has recently been concerned about his attitude of vocally bragging about
his second son, Ugetsu Souma.
However, she had never
pointed this out to Tenzan, because it was more convenient to let the second
son, who is appropriately talented, get the attention of others than to have
Akira attract unnecessary attention......
In the first place, it
is arrogant to compare Kanna-no-Mikura with anyone else.
Comparing someone to a
miracle itself is ridiculous.
As she was thinking
about this, Kuro muttered something.
"............Not
here."
"Yes?"
"Akira is nowhere
to be found."
"Wha~!!?"
"J-Just now, my
divine energy, which filled Akira, has disappeared."
Shizumi felt a shock
as if she had been punched in the head upon hearing Kuro's words, which caused
her shoulders to tremble slightly.
Despite the fact that
she had not seen Akira even once in these three years, Gioin was not worried
about his well-being.
The reason was simple:
Akira was filled with divine energy.
Divine energy is the
spiritual essence that constitutes the Divine Pillar, or to put it more simply,
the divine energy is the Divine Pillar itself.
Any abnormality,
regardless of location or distance, would be known to Kuro, the source of the
divine energy.
If she wanted to know
about any illness or injury, she would have been able to find out in great
detail.
"D-Do you happen
to know where the loss occurred?"
She shook her head
sideways helplessly.
That alone was enough
to reveal how hopeless the situation was.
"I don't know. I
had no idea where Akira was, and the connection had suddenly been severed. I
hurried to track him down, but I can't find any trace of him."
These are the words of
Genrei, the Great Divine Pillar who is well known throughout Kokuten Province.
When it comes to the
matter of Akira, there can be no mistake and no deception.
Moreover, there is no
way that the divine energy of the Divine Pillar, which is under contract, can
be suddenly severed.
This basic premise had
been overturned, so Genrei and Shizumi's dismay was natural.
For them, Akira was no
simple Kanna-no-Mikura.
Kanna-no-Mikura is
supposed to be born in one of the eight families at intervals of about once every
hundred years, but for some reason, he has never been born in Kokuten Province.
It has been 4,000
years since the birth of Takamagahara.
This is the first time
that Kanna-no-Mikura has been born in Kokuten, overturning the reality of the
past.
The joy of Gioin, when
they learned of Akira's birth, was beyond description, and they were greatly
excited by the long-awaited existence of the newborn.
Naturally, they moved
with what could be described as forceful measures to bring in Ugetsu, giving
them preferential treatment in a variety of ways.
Fearing interference
from other provinces, they even enforced information control in Kokuten, not to
mention other provinces, and kept Akira's existence a secret until it became
known that he belonged unquestionably to Gioin.
Although they had made
all this effort and were counting the days until the unveiling in a few months
without being made known to the public, their efforts had come to naught before
their very eyes.
There was no way that
the divine energy would disappear from Akira's body.
If there was, it would
either be because the divine energy was sealed off by Akira's will, or because
Akira had died.
"No
way......"
Akira's death.
Shizumi's mind was filled with the worst possible scenario.
She was too frightened
to even anticipate the disaster that would befall Kokuten if such a situation
arose.
The best-case scenario
would be if Akira voluntarily blocked the divine energy.
If that is the case,
it would mean that Akira has some kind of animosity toward Gioin, but there
would still be room to work things out through discussion rather than other
irreversible situations.
She shook her head in
a jumbled manner and shook off the unpleasant imagination that tormented her
thoughts relentlessly.
She forced herself to
hold down her trembling body, and spoke to Genrei in a calm voice as if nothing
was wrong.
"Kuro-sama, I'm
sure it's nothing serious. Akira-san was probably just a little depressed
because of the education of the head of the family. Perhaps the connection will
return tomorrow. When that happens and Akira-san knows that Kuro-sama is in
such a state, he will surely laugh at you."
"............Is
that so?"
Normally, she would be
able to see through Shizumi's hidden emotions, but Genrei, perhaps not having
the luxury of being concerned about others, only turned her anxious eyes toward
Shizumi.
"Of course, it
is. Then please take a good rest tonight. I will try to contact Akira-san
later."
"N.............
Shizumi-ya, please do me good............."
Leaving these words
behind, Genrei's figure faded away as if sinking into the darkness.
Shizumi bowed her head
and looked away from Genrei, then strode quickly out of the Kuroyouden.
Contrary to Genrei,
who was left with nothing but anxiety, Shizumi made no attempt to hide her
impatience as she walked down the hallway that crossed the sanctuary and the
main residence, while wrinkling her brow. From the other side, two entourages,
who had noticed something unusual, came running toward Shizumi in a hurry.
"Hime-sama! What
exactly is going on here!?"
"......There's no
time to explain it. Sonomi, Kaede, I relieve you of your night shift. Hurry up
and prepare to depart at once."
"Depart!? At this
time? Where on earth are we heading to?"
"To Samidare
Territory. We will go on a separate mission so that Ugetsu will not notice our
movements."
"Hime-sama, I
will obey your orders, but don't you think you are being a bit impulsive? At
this critical time, I fear it may provoke Ugetsu in unexpected ways."
"―Kuro-sama's
divine energy, which filled Akira-san, has disappeared just now."
After a moment's pause
upon hearing these words, the two attendants' faces drained of their blood.
Those who served as
attendants were taught various secrets, including about Kanna-no-Mikura.
Therefore, they
understood the current situation of Gioin, who showed excessive consideration
for Ugetsu.
And, imagining the
cause of the disappearance of Akira's divine energy, they understood how fatal
it was.
"H-How is
Kuro-sama......?"
"She hasn't
become an Aragami yet. But, it is only a matter of time.
............ Now that
you understand, we don't have time to spare for questions and answers here.
Hurry up with the preparations, we need to check on Akira-san's safety as soon
as possible."
"Understood."
"Kaede, your
family owned a lumber business, right? Did they have a branch in the Samidare
Territory?"
"As I recall,
there was. Samidare cedar is a specialty of that territory after all."
"Good. Contact
your parents and visit them as part of your mission."
After Chidjiwa Kaede
nodded her head, Shizumi shifted her gaze to Sonomi.
"Sonomi, have you
seen any movement in the Dōgyou family?"
"When I returned
home a few months ago, there was no indication that they were hiding anything
from me. Besides, Father, the head of the Dougyou family is not so foolish as
to meddle with Kanna-no-Mikura's mater."
With a stiff
expression on her face, Dōgyou Sonomi, the seventh of the eight families and
the youngest of the Dōgyou lineage, shook her head.
The information that
the Ugetsu family had obtained Kanna-no-Mikura should not have leaked out to
the Dōgyou family.
In the first place,
since her father was chosen as the head of the family, it meant that in
addition to his bloodline, he had the ability to carry the title as well.
No matter what the
reason, whether it is for power or any other reason, anyone who would meddle
with Kanna-no-Mikura would not have been chosen.
"…………Certainly,
I'm sorry for doubting you."
"It's okay. ―After
we are done with the Samidare territory, we will also investigate my family's
situation. In any case, now that this has happened, we should be suspicious of
the entire nobility."
".......I guess
so. How long will it take to reach the Samidare Territory from here?"
"If we can board
the Shutetsu train leaving in the morning, we should be able to arrive there by
noon the next day. That's assuming there's no interference."
"I'd rather have
some interference though. That way, we can be sure who exactly is opposing us. ―I
remember that we had a steam-powered car imported via Rondaria, right? Do you
think we could save some time by using that?"
"Although we
can't outrun a train in terms of speed, if we can reach Uki territory where the
relay station is located overnight, we may be able to infiltrate into Samidare
territory tomorrow evening. But I think we would stand out quite a bit."
Steam cars are the
latest foreign technology that has only recently begun to be imported, powered
by a small steam engine driven by coal.
They are expensive and
not many individuals own one.
The fact that someone
is riding it around in Kokuten, which has no contact with foreign countries, is
as good as telling people that he or she is affiliated with a certain party or
organization.
―But still,
"I don't mind. We
don't have time to waste now, so we should use any means at our disposal. And
the only one who could drive it is Yoshimori-san, the horseman. At this time,
he's probably asleep at home. ―Well, it doesn't matter, just wake him up."
Yoshimori the horseman
is an honest man who has served Gioin for several decades.
However, she mistreats
the one who has been loyal to Gioin for so many years without showing any
consideration for him.
Shizumi's unusual
behavior made them realize once again that Gioin had no leeway and that Kokuten
was in a precarious situation.
"It doesn't
matter how high the cost might be. We will make sure to get a hold of
Akira-san's current situation. ―It would be better if nothing happened, but
losing one's divine energy is not normal, so something must have
happened."
"Umm, in order to
grasp the current situation, we need a point in time when we can be sure that
Akira-sama was certainly present. So, Hime-sama, when was the last time you saw
Akira-sama?"
"...........Eh,
right. Let's see."
Shizumi was rendered
choked up by the sudden question.
"......I think it
was 2......no, 3 years ago that we actually met. We had exchanged letters, but
then I was occupied with preparations for welcoming Akira-san."
After saying so, her thoughts
finally caught up with the unnaturalness of the current situation.
Tenzan never brought
Akira to the capital on the pretext that he was having difficulty in educating
him as the next head of the family, but it was too strange for him not to even bring
Akira to the New Year's greeting.
Although it was for
the sake of avoiding any unnecessary provocation toward Ugetsu, Gioin was also
too thoughtless in overlooking this abnormality.
"......Yes, there
are certainly too many suspicious things. Let's investigate him. If there was
someone who was close to Ugetsu Tenzan during his stay in the capital, we might
be able to get some information from that person."
"Please, I leave
it to you. How should we communicate with each other?"
"Use telegraph.
Whenever you have any further information, send it to me as soon as possible. ―Since
Ugetsu is scheduled to visit us in the middle of August, we need to have a
clear picture of the situation before then."
"Understood. We
will depart at once."
"Please do. ―From
now on, our family will be at war."
Shizumi shouted loudly
to the vassals living in the mansion, who had gathered to see what was going
on.
"There is a
possibility that Ugetsu has rebelled against us. Gather information on Ugetsu
without letting them suspect anything."
Ugetsu is the first of
the eight families and a family with a long history that is highly trusted by
Gioin.
And yet, they rebelled
against Gioin. Looking around at the shocked vassals, Shizumi tried her best to
remain calm and said,
"Once again, we
would like to remind you. Rebellion is a possibility, not a certainty.
Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to provoke them. And we forbid you to move
publicly until we have an accurate picture of the current situation."
As she said so, Shizumi
put her finger on her forehead as if enduring a headache.
She was aware that
what she was saying was of little comfort.
"From here on,
consider yourself as though you won't be able to afford to get any sleep at
all. There is only one month left until Ugetsu's inauguration. Everyone must
move at once."
In response to
Shizumi's command, the vassals immediately began to move.
While feeling a slight
sense of relief, Shizumi couldn't suppress the words that escaped from her
mouth.
"..................
Akira-san, please be safe."
From this moment on,
the darkest days in the history of Gioin began.
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