Volume 4
Chapter 2 Part
1
Days Continue,
Like a Buried Fire 1
Translator : PolterGlast
On the night that the
Hyakki Yagyo came to an end. In the Hariin mansion, which stood in the heart of
the Central Capital, was suddenly filled with a tense and bustling atmosphere.
Hariin Homare, with
her irritation plain to see, opened the door leading to her study.
She glanced at those
who followed behind her. Without a word but with a clear intention, all but one
left the room.
The study, which faced
the mansion's courtyard, was located on the second floor, far from the outside
world.
Normally, she wouldn't
worry about eavesdroppers, but Homare separated the darkness of the night from
the flickering light bulb in her study with thick curtains.
Rummaging through the
oak study desk, she pulled out a wood element barrier talisman and released it
in each corner of the room.
Leaving behind a pale
blue flame, the talisman activated. By adding her divine energy, a temporarily
strong barrier was erected.
—After taking such precautions, Homare finally let out
a big sigh.
She collapsed onto the
sofa on the side of the room.
"That's not very
ladylike, Hime-sama."
"Whose fault do
you think that is?
...No, it's partly my
fault too."
Hōjō Izana, who had
stayed behind, exclaimed in astonishment, and Homare glared at her while taking
off her socks.
Dry mud spilled from
her socks and turned into a cloud of dust on the floor.
While being tickled by
the smell of the earth, Homare put her arms around her head.
She glanced at the
light bulb flickering on the ceiling from the creaking sofa.
Soothed by the
flickering light, she muttered softly.
"...How is Ugetsu
Souma?"
"If you're
talking about him, he's been thrown into the dungeon in the back.
—I'm a little surprised that such a thing still
existed."
"I know it's
outdated. It's for dealing with the mischief caused by the nobles of Kabeju
Province internally."
A guardian who can use
spirit techniques is more troublesome than a mere defiled beast.
Moreover, most of the
time, such opponents have information that they don't want to be made public.
Homare knew that this
type of facility was set up in various places to deal with cases that could not
be made public.
"If you've locked
him up in a dungeon with a sealed spiritual vein, you can be at ease for now.
What about the
retainers Souma-kun brought with him?"
"They're in the
cell next to his. Since they can hear each other's voices, their boredom will
be relieved."
"—I see."
She couldn't find
Souma among the Ugetsu retainers who had gone to the battlefield.
That report was what
had made her realize that something was wrong.
It couldn't be said
that she had arrived in time, but it was fortunate that she had managed to
avoid the worst.
"I think it would
have been better to leave it alone. He won't be able to sort out his emotions
like this."
The soft mutter was
not one of pity for Souma, but for Akira.
Despite the sarcasm
that seeped into the words, Homare pretended not to notice.
She understood that
interfering between Akira and Souma would be a bad move.
The only way to soothe
the resentment was to let him vent his pent-up emotions.
But judgments made
based on emotion often end up with a tragic outcome.
The tragic outcome
that something everyone pretended not to know.
And that was what
Homare feared the most.
"...Lord Hōjō,
don't you know the details of what happened 400 years ago?"
"You mean the
matter of the Kanna-no-Mikura that the Fuwa family produced? The only thing I
know is that it caused the balance of power with other provinces to collapse."
"That's just
scratching the surface. You should keep the details in mind for the
future."
Upon receiving such a
short response, Homare turned her gaze in dismay.
"At the time the
Kanna-no-Mikura was born, the Fuwa family was in a crisis.
They were about to be
swallowed up by their neighboring territory, which was gaining power."
From the perspective
of the Three Imperial Families and Four Sovereigns, the Eight Families were,
after all, just ordinary people.
Although they were
favored by the divine contract, the truth was that Three Imperial Families and
Four Sovereigns would not hesitate to replace them if other favorable
conditions were to be found.
In fact, in the
history of Takamagahara, it is not uncommon for the Eight Families to be
replaced.
What matters is
whether or not they have the military force necessary to maintain the Five
Elements, Yin and Yang, and protect the dragon veins.
In addition, the
result of giving them a divine artifact is to clarify the location of
authority.
The fact that only the
Ugetsu clan (the first of the Eight Families) boasts a history on a par with
the Three Imperial Families and Four Sovereigns is concrete proof of that.
There is no use for
the Eight Families whose strength has declined. If another noble family rises,
they will simply favor the new possibility.
In fact, the Fuwa
family 400 years ago followed the same fate as many other declining Eight
Families.
—Or so it was supposed to be.
"And then
Kanna-no-Mikura was born, and the situation reversed.
—Ah, from the others' point of view, they must have
felt abandoned by fortune."
Izana's casual
speculation made Homare nod in agreement.
"Those noble
families seemed to prioritize power over the divine pillar.
I don't really care
about that, though..."
"—If they were
such people, don't you think they might have joined forces with the nobles of
Hakudō Province and tried to steal the Kanna-no-Mikura?"
No matter what
arguments they made, the dominance of the Fuwa family, which had given birth to
Kanna-no-Mikura, had been decided.
This one point alone
was enough to ensure these noble families' defeat in Kabeju Province.
Since the only
obstacle for those noble families was Kanna-no-Mikura, then eliminating it
would have been a natural decision.
—To steal Kanna-no-Mikura and hand it over to another
province.
In an era when the
knowledge of Kanna-no-Mikura was common among the nobility, those noble
families committed an outrageous act that should never have happened.
It was the result of
making overly optimistic estimates, such as assuming that a newborn child could
be easily manipulated.
"It must be a
nuisance for the Jinrōin.
Even if they wanted
Kanna-no-Mikura, I don't think they wanted to start a war."
"So they didn't
forcefully try to put us in a corner?"
"If it had just
been the Divine Pillar, they would have moved without hesitation to make it
their own.
But even the Four
Sovereigns live in the mortal world, you know."
There have always been
countless nobles who aim for a sudden reversal of fortune.
The war that broke out
in the Nakiri territory caused by the nobles of small territories who learned
of the situation was an event that occurred 400 years ago.
"The saving grace
of 400 years ago was that none of the Three Imperial Families, the Four Sovereigns,
and the Eight Families were involved in any way.
Thanks to that, it was
essentially enough to simply clean up the nobles."
Mingled with deep
emotion, Homare moved away from the sofa.
Hiding her true desire
for rest, she headed towards the study desk, using the weight of the acting
head of the family as a shield.
"The conclusion
that the Three Imperial Families and the Four Sovereigns learned from the civil
war is that the nobility, with the exception of the Eight Families, do not need
to have knowledge of Kanna-no-Mikura.
It's better for
everyone to be ignorant and indifferent than to impose severe penalties to make
it taboo."
"But in the end,
shit happens.
Are you okay with
this, Hime-sama? You've made a lot of promises to get Kanna-no-Mikura to step
down."
Homare could only
manage a wry smile at Izana's teasing murmur.
No matter how many
countermeasures one takes, problems will always slip through.
All Homare could hope
for in the current situation was to handle the aftermath as peacefully as
possible.
"I bluffed, but
it's not like I don't have a chance of winning.
Neither the Giōin nor
the Kihōin will welcome the current situation."
"That's for
sure."
"The Rindo family
is in charge of mentoring Akira-kun.
Without a doubt, it's
a move with the future of the Eight Families in mind."
Any disturbances that
occur near the Central Capital will be under Fujinomorimiya's supervision.
Since the Kihoin
family is a faction of Fujinomorimiya, it is not a good idea to incur their
displeasure.
"Then it will
work against the Giōin, won't it? The reason they're not making a fuss is...
...to delay Ugetsu
from noticing the disturbance?"
"That's right.
They probably intend to have Ugetsu's punishment carried out at the Kannamesai
Festival.
It would be less ugly
if Ugetsu offered their necks willingly rather than crawling around
awkwardly."
"I see. Well
done, Hime-sama."
The smile directed at
Homare showed that Izana understood her plan.
The important thing
was not who appreciated what, but the heat difference between the Kihōin and
the Giōin. That gap was Homare's advantage.
By taking advantage of
this gap, it wouldn't be difficult for the Hariin to maneuver.
The reason was that
the restraint of Souma that Homare had promised would likely turn into profit
in the long term.
Homare's goal was to
gain unnoticed benefits by dealing with the southern and northern provincial
governors.
The girl who quietly
supported the Hariin had snatched the greatest benefit she could hope for while
gaining sympathy.
"There's no
problem with that. In the short term, the Hariin have only yielded ground, and
—Rather, he might even remember it as a favor."
"That's good.
Hime-sama's plan is to my taste, I'll support it wholeheartedly.
In that case, shall we
contact Jinrōin?"
"Yes.
—Now, have I fulfilled my duty to Lord Hōjō?"
Having seen through
Homare's intentions, that was probably Izana's true feelings.
As Homare smiled
bitterly, Hōjō Izana's smile bloomed into a wide smile.
The key to making this
plan work lies in coordinating with the Jinrōin.
The only member of the
Jinrōin family staying in the capital is Jinrōin Kagura. If they wanted to have
a meeting with the young future head of the family, they should contact Yuge
Kōjō.
With a creak, she got
up from the sofa.
Relying on the
flickering light, Homare reached for the study desk.
She looked through the
stacked reports.
A list of the noble
children who participated in the battlefield of Kabeju Province. The attack by
the Giant Ogres had broken through the flanks, resulting in heavy casualties
among the prospective guardians.
Combined with all the
injuries, both major and minor, a significant amount of capital will be
required for future reconstruction.
She couldn't help but
resent the Imperial Guards who had fled the front lines under the pretext of
guarding the Santen-ryō.
A lot of effort has
been put into maintaining the Blue Army. The fact that the result is so poor is
something that no one, let alone Homare, can easily accept.
—I wonder if the Three Imperial Families, especially
Fujinomorimiya, who is in charge of military affairs, will feel the same way?
Of course. It is a
well-known rumor that the old families, who call moderation a weakness, are
gradually encroaching on the authority of the Three Imperial Families.
With this, the old
families, who were on the verge of seizing military power, will now have to
tone down their moves a little bit...
After thinking this
far, Homare raised her chin slightly.
It was a well-known
rumor, not only to Homare, that the old families aimed to seize military power.
Feeling a sense of
unease from her intuition, Homare carefully considered the movements of the old
families.
"It's fine to
have a meeting with the Jinrōin, but what about the Three Imperial Families?
We can't contact them
without your help, Hime-sama."
"It's
unnecessary," Homare replied shortly to Izana, who asked as if remembering
something. "I'm sure Utanomiya is already aware of it, especially the
Fujinomorimiya."
"Why is
that?"
In frustration, Homare
threw the report onto the desk.
The white sheet of
paper fanned out in the air and spread across the desk.
"When I requested
an inspection of the Talisman Association, I was granted permission quite
easily.
And also the
permission for Shizumi-sama of the Giōin to return home temporarily.
—It would be strange if Utanomiya were not involved
with either of them."
"I can understand
about the Talisman Association because it falls under the jurisdiction of
sacred rites, but why the Giōin?"
Ignoring Izana's
skeptical question, Homare picked up her fountain pen.
The smooth sound of
the pen stroke across the paper echoed through the room.
"It was Tenryō
Academy that granted permission for Shizumi-sama, a student, to return home.
If the intentions of
the family are involved, their status has to be higher than Shizumi-sama's or it will tarnish their reputation."
After a while,
Homare's speculation mixed with the sound of the pen stroke.
No, it's not
speculation, it's a conviction.
"I see.
The Rokkaku-kan in
Tenryō Academy was originally a storehouse for the Onmyo Ministry. Due to that
relationship, Utanomiya has jurisdiction over Tenryō Academy."
And the collapse of
the Five Elemental Barrier.
Although it was a
collapse caused by an invasion, there was almost no impact on the houses in the
Central Capital.
Things would have been
worse if someone hadn't intervened to control the damage.
The maintenance of the
barrier is under the jurisdiction of Utanomiya.
Even if each one of
these incidents could be dismissed as a coincidence, it is inevitable when so
many things overlap.
"Recently, the
arrogance of the old families has been excessive. Especially the recent trend
of exploitation for military power."
"They created a
gap in power and attracted a motley crew.
—So, the Imperial Families intends to conclude the
Hyakki Yagyo by reorganizing the old families, huh?"
The Three Imperial
Families' evaluation, scheduled for the middle of the Kannamesai Festival,
should also be attended by the old families, who are the nobles of the Central
Capital.
Considering the
timing, the discussion of merits and demerits will probably take place there.
Taking away the
military authority from the Imperial Families. This was an abomination.
It was easy to predict
that the conclusion would be harsh.
"—Perfect timing.
Let's take this opportunity to punish the members of the Blue Army as well.
Even the old families
must not have much free time to expect so much from mere twigs who aren't even
Central Capital nobles."
Homare chuckled deep
in her throat.
Seeing this, Izana
replied in astonishment.
"What a
frightening Princess.
So? Shall we explain
the current situation to Ugetsu Souma in detail?"
"No need. The
information about the Kanna-no-Mikura is only for the head of the Eight
Families and their successors.
—Speaking of which, have you issued the gag order in
time?"
"I issued the
order myself. It should be effective for Kabeju Province's guardians."
Nodding in
satisfaction, Homare finished writing the letter.
She put it away on the
desk and locked it securely.
"From tomorrow
until the Kannamesai Festival, you can expect to have daily meetings.
I'll have you, Lord
Hōjō, accompany me."
"Since you've
fulfilled my wish.
—I have no complaints, Princess of Hariin."
Yawning once, Izana
turned on her heels and Homare followed her toward the study door.
She reached out and
turned off the light bulb that had stopped flickering.
Click. A merciless
sound echoed quietly in the study.
The sudden darkness fell
on the study.
In one corner of the
study desk, the list of Ugetsu retainers and other documents all sank into the
darkness.
—All that remained was the silence of an ordinary
night.
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