Volume 2
Chapter 2 Part
3
At Kamotsu,
Walking into a Headwind 3
Translator : PolterGlast
"It's a good
thing we decided where to stay ahead of time."
"......
Indeed."
Saki responded to
Akira's words of comfort with a wry smile.
The two were on the
main street leading to Kuga's mansion, on a hill slightly north of the center
of Kamotsu.
Saki had initially
assumed that the meeting with the head of Kuga would take place the following
day, as it often takes a day to prepare for the meeting once a request has been
made.
However, Saki's
expectations were greatly betrayed, and as soon as Saki announced her arrival,
the meeting was granted immediately afterward.
Judging from Saki's
dismay, even Akira could understand that this sudden meeting was not a normal
one.
There was no way that
Saki could postpone the meeting once she had been granted permission, so the
two of them decided to go to Kuga's mansion without any further ado, as soon as
they completed the procedures for checking in at an inn.
The main street where
they proceeded was crowded with people.
Men and women, young
and old, various people and steam-powered vehicles passing by.
The people were
dressed in Western-style clothes and other sophisticated attire, with few of
the familiar kosode.
Looking at the
buildings along the main street, there are no stucco buildings, which is the
mainstream in Karen, and instead, they are filled with high-rise buildings of
around five stories, made of bricks and concrete.
Contrary to Saki, who
showed no signs of interest whatsoever, Akira was completely taken aback by the
unusualness of the surroundings.
"...... The
surroundings, amazing."
"―Eh? ...... Oh.
A lot of people come from overseas, and it's particularly developed here.
The current trends in
Takamagahara are basically influenced by foreign influences, so in a sense,
Kamotsu is perceived as the source of the current trends."
"Hee~.
―Ojou-sama, have you been to Kamotsu several times?"
"Well, yeah,
several times. Kamotsu is a vital point for imports and exports after all, and
an important trading partner for the Nase territory. My father takes me to
Kamotsu twice a year, and I also meet with the head of the Kuga clan. ...... I
came to be acquainted with Kuga-kun because of that."
"The head of the
Kuga clan? ―What kind of person is he?"
Saki's mind was
stumped when she was asked about something difficult to describe.
She knows his
personality, but it is difficult to describe him as a person.
Forceful and
strong-willed. A genuine aristocrat who measures things in terms of profit and
loss rather than right and wrong.
He is not arrogant
beyond necessity, which is probably his saving grace.
In other words, he is
such a person, but for Akira, he is probably an unknown individual with whom he
has had little experience.
"Hmm~. ―If I had
to put it in one sentence so that it would be easy for you to imagine, I would
say that he is the [head of the eight families]. For better or worse, he is a
politician. Due to his position, it's unlikely he'll talk to you, considering
you're a commoner-turned-protector, but if you let him get the better of you,
you'll be powerless to do anything about it, so be careful."
"...... Is he
that scary of a person?"
"Hmm, let's see.
Would it make sense if I said he was Kuga Ryota-dono's father?"
"............
That makes sense."
Akira couldn't help
but raise an unintentionally convinced voice in response to Saki's explanation.
In other words, it's
Saki's roundabout way of agreeing with his question.
"Can we drop this
subject for now? ...... I don't know where people's ears are, and I don't want
to be overheard conversing something inappropriate either."
"I understand,
thank you."
Understanding Saki's
concern, Akira nodded.
Then, he noticed.
―The number of people passing by on the main street has
somehow decreased.
Are they avoiding it,
or are the streets arranged so that people don't need to approach this place?
Perhaps it is both of
these reasons.
In front of Akira's
eyes towered a gate that, as far as he could remember, was larger than the main
gate of the Ugetsu mansion.
It was the main gate
of Kuga's mansion, Akira and Saki's destination.
As soon as they
climbed the gentle slope paved with high-quality stone pavement, they were
immediately greeted by the main gate, which was wide open.
The main gate opened
wide, and the fact that it was not a regular gate showed Kuga's concern for
Saki's position and how important she was.
"Welcome, thank
you for coming."
On the other side of
the open main gate, a slightly older girl with shoulder-length hair in a loose
braid was standing with a beaming smile on her face.
―Who?
Saki wondered
inwardly.
She was dressed in a
kimono of high quality for a servant. In other words, she must be a member of
the nobility.
However, Saki has no
recollection of ever having met the girl in front of her, even though she
visited the Kuga residence quite often.
After a brief
hesitation, Saki, trying her best to remain calm, announced her arrival.
"―I have been
dispatched to this place by Kihouin's order.
Rindo Saki requests a
meeting with the head of the Kuga clan.
I beg you to convey my
request to him."
"Permission has
been granted in advance.
Our Lord awaits you in
the Council Chamber.
―At the order of my Lord, I, Tatewaki Nonoka, will lead
the way."
"...... Thank
you."
Tatewaki Nonoka. Saki
was startled upon hearing that name, and was slightly delayed in her reply.
Saki and Akira also
started to walk, following Nonoka, who went ahead to lead the way.
"............
Ojou-sama, what's wrong?"
As Saki stared at
Nonoka's back and pondered, Akira, impatient, asked in a hushed voice.
There was a slight
bustle in the surroundings, and Saki responded in a hushed voice, judging that
it would be difficult for the other party to hear her because of it.
"............
Tatewaki-sama, you see. I've heard that name before amongst the nobility of
Kabeju Province. As I recall, she belongs to a fairly prestigious family. I
just can't figure out why she's welcoming people at the Kuga mansion."
"That's certainly
strange."
Akira tilted his head
in response to Saki's reasonable doubts.
Even amongst the
members of noble families of similar family ranks, intermarriage across the
province tended to be treated as a basic abhorrence.
The reason for this
was closely related to the blessings obtained from the [Shrine Parishioner
Lottery].
The [Shrine
Parishioner Lottery], which took place throughout Takamagahara, was a contract
that bound the land deities and the people together.
Those who have
undergone [Shrine Parishioner Lottery] are given preferential access to the
blessings of the land according to the contractual hierarchy.
The nature of the
blessings varied, but the one thing they all had in common was that they kept
away evil things such as miasma and maladies.
And the scope of these
blessings is largely limited to the region ruled by the land god.
Of course, it is
possible to withdraw oneself from the province and receive [Shrine Parishioner Lottery]
again in a different province, but it has been confirmed that if one receives
[Shrine Parishioner Lottery] in another province, the blessings received will
be less than in the province of one's birth.
If one is a
parishioner, the blessings are already insignificant enough not to be of
concern, but for protectors and guardians, crossing over to another province
has a history of being considered taboo, as injuries sustained in battle could
lead directly to life or death.
Tatewaki Nonoka is
supposed to be one of the top-ranking nobles in Kabeju Province.
So there should be no
reason for her to cross over to Kamotsu to work for the Kuga clan.
And yet, she is even
given the role of guiding and leading a high-ranking nobility.
...... In other words,
she is trusted by the Kuga clan.
While Saki was puzzled
by the fact that she could not determine the position of Nonoka, Nonoka,
walking ahead of her, began to giggle.
"―Is something
the matter?"
"No, pardon me. I
overheard Rindo-sama's conversation."
"Eh? ...... A~a,
I see. Hariin-school, is it?"
The surroundings
noises were reasonably loud and there was a slight distance between them, so
she let her guard down, believing that the other party would not be able to
hear her.
Hariin-style spirit
techniques. This factional school, specializing in dealing with the spiritual
power of tree line, was famous for its spiritual techniques that were
classified as internal techniques, such as body strengthening, rather than
those classified as external techniques, such as long-range techniques.
Saki wondered if she
had overheard due to applying such technique, but with a smile, Nonoka shook
her head and denied it.
"No, nothing to
that extent. It is just a hands-on level of skill, which most civilians
possess."
Smiling, Nonoka turned
to Saki.
"Our family is
allowed to bear the name of Tatewaki, but we are at the end of the branch
families. The head of the family wanted me to be Ryota-sama's concubine, so
I've been staying with the Kuga family since May."
'"Aa~~"
Upon hearing Nonoka's
words, a sigh of understanding and bewilderment escaped from the depths of
Saki's throat.
Saki understood the
plans of the head of Kuga, who had summoned the girl in front of her from
outside of province, even if it was by force.
Then, when she
realized the fact that this plan had been ruined, she inwardly wondered what
was going to happen next.
Kuga Ryota, the eldest
son of the Kuga clan, is so talented that he is known as [Kuga's prodigy] if
one were to look at his abilities alone.
Kuga Houri probably
wanted to send him as Kihouin's son-in-law to further strengthen his influence,
but there were concerns about his personality.
Since the beginning of
this year, Kuga Ryota has been kept in check by teaming him up with Saki, who
was relatively obedient to Ryota's words, but naturally, this could not be done
24/7.
Since it was
impossible to correct Ryota's personality instantly, the only way was to find
someone who could restrain his behaviour and give him advice behind the scenes.
The person who stood
out as the best candidate for the job was probably Tatewaki Nonoka.
At this moment,
however, the Kuga family's plans have all backfired.
Akira's marriage to
Tsuguho as Kanna-no-Mikura is a top-secret matter known only to a handful of people.
In fact, even Akira,
the person in question, did not know about it.
Even the Kuga clan
would not have dreamt of the fact that the consort selection process would no
longer be carried out.
The Kuga clan probably
invested a considerable amount of money to convince the Tatewaki family, but
once the consort selection was no longer carried out, it was highly likely
that, apart from Nonoka's qualifications, it was all for naught, to say the
least.
However, considering
the fact that she has been trusted by the Kuga clan in such a short period of
time, Nonoka's qualifications themselves must be quite high.
Saki inwardly
expressed her solace to the Kuga family, believing that it was not entirely in
vain.
"From now on,
please take care of me. I've heard a lot about you, and I'm so happy to finally
meet you, Rindo Saki-sama."
"Eh? ...... Yes.
Pleased to meet you."
Receiving a graceful
bow from Nonoka, perhaps out of respect towards someone slightly older than
her, Saki also hurriedly returned the courtesy.
She felt a slight
discomfort in Nonoka's words, but even so, the discomfort drifted to the corner
of her thoughts as she was about to meet the head of the Kuga clan.
The head of the Kuga,
Kuga Houri, was sitting in a spacious guest room overlooking the courtyard,
awaiting the arrival of Rindo Saki.
"...... I
congratulate you on your good health, Kuga Houri-sama. I had the honour of
receiving an order from Kihoin to come to this place. I, Rindo Saki, am pleased
to inform you of my arrival here."
Saki, who had advanced
to the middle of the hall to which she had been escorted, bowed her head deeply
after sitting on the floor, and gave a formal greeting.
Akira also hurriedly
bowed behind Saki.
"Umu, Saki-dono,
well done for coming here. I believe the last time we met was around February,
was it not?"
"Yes, indeed, it
was."
"Haha. I guess my
memory is getting weaker at this age. It takes me a minute to remember."
Tapping the side of
his head, Kuga Houri, who was probably still in his middle age, showed a wry
smile.
Seeing this, Akira
inwardly felt shaken.
As far as Akira could
remember, the head of the eight families was none other than Ugetsu Tenzan. And
his impression was one of negative and fear.
The impression he got
from Ugetsu Tenzan and the somewhat carefree impression he got from Kuga Houri.
Akira could not hide
his bewilderment at the difference resulting from this discrepancy.
"Well, let's wrap
this matter up for now, shall we?
―The Kuga family was very regretful that your
partnership with Ryota had been dissolved.
We have also received
a formal apology from the head of Rindo. It seemed that there was a direct
order from Kihoin-sama."
"...... Yes. I
have received a request from Kihoin Tsuguho-sama to train this new protector
here."
"...... Hou,
Kihouin is his guardian? He must be quite capable. Given that they appointed
Saki-dono as his mentor, I can see how much they expect from him."
At that moment, a
heavy gaze pressed down on Akira's shoulders.
A gaze that was
different from, but comparable to, that of Ugetsu Tenzan.
At this moment, Akira
understood Saki's words.
―I see, so this is the head of the Kuga clan.
Leaving Akira, who was
frozen with nervousness, aside, he averted his gaze and returned to Saki,
seemingly not interested.
"I made several
requests to the head of the Rindo for a withholding, but he flatly refused. So
I had no choice but to ask Kihouin-sama to dispatch Saki-dono to conduct an
investigation into a matter which has come to my attention."
"Yes, I have
heard about it. Tsuguho-sama is more than happy to help you resolve the
matter."
"I see! That's
reassuring. It would be easier to proceed with someone you know well, so I'll
put you together with Ryota, there should be no problem, right?"
"―Yes.
Understood." "And also..." "?"
When Saki raised her
gaze at Houri, who interjected his next words without a pause, Houri tilted his
chin towards behind Saki.
There stood Nonoka,
who had led Akira and Saki to this place earlier.
"I believe you've already
met each other. She's a daughter of the Tatewaki family, in our
custody, and we'd like you to team up with her."
"......
Understood."
I see. Was
this also the reason why she came out to greet us?
Anyway, there
is no reason for me to refuse.
Without much
hesitation, Saki agreed with Houri's words.
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