Volume 4
Chapter 6
After the
Feast, We Spoke Our Hearts Out
Translator : PolterGlast
―How did this happen?
Tsuwabuki Samon
muttered, his gaze fell on his disordered knees. The tatami mat, where he had
always sat, provided a comfortable sensation, oblivious to his predicament.
―How?
The question echoed in
his mind, a reflection of his despair.
Samon and his faction
hadn't made any particularly difficult requests. They had simply proposed that
the old families take over all the affairs that the Three Imperial Families,
who had little interest in politics, had been neglecting. This, he believed,
was a rightful claim that the old families had always held. He saw their
previous proposal as merely urging the Three Imperial Families to do what was
naturally expected of them.
―Besides, if not the old families, who are at the heart
of the Santen-ryō, then who will manage the sanctuary?
His thoughts finally
caught up, and he looked up sharply.
"Tsukinomiya-sama,
we, the Inner Palace (old families), have dedicated our lives to serving as the
bulwark of Takamagahara.
That will never
change. If you find our loyalty an eyesore,
—then I, Samon, intend to step down with dignity."
"Is that
so?"
Tsukinomiya Shuu
replied, his voice tinged with a hint of interest. Samon made up his mind that
this was the way forward.
"But how do you
intend to manage Takamagahara with only Three Imperial Families after the old
families have retired?
Our positions as the
inner palace are not easily replaceable."
Not only the Imperial
Guards, but 80% of the Inner Palace (the high-ranking officials of
Takamagahara) were under the control of the old families. If they were all
dismissed, it was clear that the government of Takamagahara would collapse.
At this point, he
would be willing to sacrifice even the Mikuriya family, which had fallen into
decline after being stripped of their position as the Imperial Guards, as a
sacrifice. As long as he could maintain the position of the Inner Palace and
the Tsuwabuki family as its head, Samon considered it a satisfactory result.
To protect the nation
and the organization, the Three Imperial Families would have to yield their
position to the old families.
—In a way, this was a dark struggle for justice,
holding Takamagahara hostage.
"Let Samon take
responsibility for appointing the Imperial Guards and resign as the
commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guards.
In light of my past
contributions, I would like to ask the Three Imperial Families to overlook this
blunder.
I, Tsuwabuki Samon,
will prove my worth as the head of the Inner Palace by restoring my tarnished
reputation-..."
As Samon raised his
voice loudly, a sharp wind blew behind him.
Without any spiritual
light or even an aura, Mikuriya Shishin, who had rushed from the edge of the
hall, suppressed Samon's impassioned speech.
"If you'll just
be quiet and listen. Basically, you're saying that you wanted to be pardoned
even after you wreaked havoc within the Imperial Guards and then ran away
without cleaning up your mess? You have the audacity to ask the Three Imperial
Families to pay for your misdeeds, huh?"
"Wh-what nonsense
are you saying? Mikuriya, y-you bastard... have you forgotten our agreement
from the other day?"
The old man struggled,
but the firm grip that held him down did not waver. The sharp, bloodshot eyes
shot through Samon as if he were a mere insect.
"I heard
everything, every word.
Agreement? It seems
you've conveniently forgotten all about it with your smooth tongue."
"Don't talk
nonsense! You can take my seat after I leave my post."
"To throw away
your responsibilities and call that an agreement? Your tongue is quite nimble,
and it seems rather light."
"—That's enough.
I won't allow either of you to disturb this place any further."
"Yes..."
Tsukinomiya's voice,
sounding somewhat weary of Samon's disgraceful behavior, cut through the
tension. Both Samon and Shishin bowed their heads, their earlier defiance was
restrained.
"Tsuwabuki, did
you think I didn't know that you've been neglecting your duties as the head of
the Inner Palace for a long time?"
"What reason do
you have for making such a baseless accusation!"
"You've been
traveling all over the place, under the guise of official business, including
to other provinces. Even without this recent Hyakki Yagyo, there would have
been plenty of reasons to dismiss you.
The other old families
are all the same. If that's the case, the government would be better off
without the Inner Palace."
"………………”
No matter how much
Samon protested, Shuu's gaze did not waver. Realizing that he had been cornered
from the beginning, Samon remained silent.
Overlooking the bowing
old man, Shuu turned his gaze to Shishin. Under the silent pressure from the
head of the Tsukinomiya clan, the pinnacle of the Three Imperial Families,
Shishin bowed his head even lower.
"I believe you
were the previous commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guards?"
"Yes. It has been
ten years since I was last granted an audience."
"Around that
time, huh? ... I believe you were retiring as the head of the family as
well."
"Yes. I heard
rumors that this year's Kannamesai Festival would be something different.
—After returning to the Central Capital, I was
heartbroken by the devastation of the Hyakki Yagyo."
"Is that
so?" Shuu replied indifferently. From his ambiguous tone, Shishin quickly
considered his options.
It was unfortunate,
but the pride of the old families had been tarnished by Tsuwabuki Samon's
disgraceful behavior. While it wasn't impossible to recover, Shishin couldn't
imagine how long it would take to do so after such a foolish fiasco.
The biggest problem
was that the Three Imperial Families had struck at the heart of the Tsuwabuki
family before Mikuriya Shishin could.
—Thanks to that, Mikuriya Hirotada's scheme was
completely foiled.
The downfall of
Tsuwabuki was satisfying, but it also meant that Mikuriya had no chance to
rise.
With his head bowed in
thought, Shishin turned his gaze towards Shuu.
Through the gap in her
swaying hair, he caught a glimpse of her melancholy eyes.
In that cold gaze,
Shishin realized that she had lost interest in the old families.
"I would like to
take responsibility for this disturbance as a member of the Northern Front.
―Is that all right?"
"………………Very
well."
Since ancient times,
The Mikuriya family had been responsible for guarding the northern region of
the Central Capital, including the Kimon (demon gate).
Within the Central
Capital, protected by the Five Elemental Barrier, the family had also been
responsible for maintaining the city's security.
Although the
significance of war had faded long ago, their pride and history had not been
lost.
Tsukinomiya Shuu
responded to Shishin's decision with a short response, showing little interest
in the matter.
He ordered his men to
drag the completely disinherited Tsuwabuki Samon away and imprison him.
Without any
resistance, the old man who had grown even older in the short time was dragged
away from the hall.
Shishin did not relax
until he had watched the old man disappear, and then he took a deep breath.
He slowly returned to
the side of Hirotada, who was waiting for him at the edge of the hall.
"You've worked
hard, Father.
But was it wise?
Driving him into a corner like that was your lifelong goal."
"Don't
misunderstand, Hirotada,"
Shishin cut his
questioning son short.
All he could think
about was the indifferent gaze of Tsukinomiya, who looked down on him.
"The Three
Imperial Families are now determined to abandon the old families. If we had
persisted with Tsuwabuki,
... we would probably
have been dragged down along with him."
It was precisely
because the Mikuriya family had lost its authority as an old family that they
had been able to survive.
"…Hirotada"
"Yes"
"Notify the
Onmyoji we have kept hidden. ... Discard all our petty schemes."
Understanding his
father's intentions, Hirotada nodded without replying.
Now that the situation
was completely decided, there was little the Mikuriya family could do.
They would have to
spend the Kannamesai Festival quietly, under constant surveillance. And they
would have to discard all the schemes they had been working on.
♢
The final day of the
three-day Kannamesai Festival passed without incident, with only formal
commendations and announcements to be made. The festival, which had been so
intense, was now in full swing, and the nobles who participated in the small
banquet were enjoying themselves.
Having finally been
given a chance to relax after two tense days, they couldn't help but discuss
the rumors circulating among the people.
"And so, the
first of the Eight Families has fallen, you say?"
"That's right.
They angered the Gionin family. Even with such a long history, it seems that
when one falls, it is without warning."
"The elimination
of the old families is also good news. At least, the atmosphere will feel a
little fresher."
"I hope so."
The rumors flying
around were about the downfall of Ugetsu and the significant purge of the old
families. Perhaps because many people had been growing dissatisfied with their
recent failures, many of the rumors were expressed with malicious joy.
Hearing the excited
voices, Akira lowered his gaze to the cup in his hand. The transparent surface
rippled, indifferent to everything.
"Good work,
Akira-kun."
"Likewise, Saki.
...... It seems the matter hasn't been resolved yet, though."
A gentle voice came.
Looking up, he saw Rindo Saki sitting down next to him. She had probably
slipped away from her father, who was interrogating her, as she exhaled
heavily, showing signs of fatigue.
"Yeah... They say
they'll send Ravana over next spring."
"They sure take
their time pretty leisurely, considering how urgent they said it was."
Although Akira
complained, there was no blame in his tone. Saki understood the situation and
simply smiled wryly.
It was true that the
wave of civilization was heavily dependent on the Western Continent. In
particular, the steam engine, a symbol of that civilization, was still
difficult to produce domestically.
In other words, even
if they wanted to go overseas, Takamagahara did not have adequate sea routes.
Even if they solved
that problem, the country of Bharatush was still mired in internal conflict. It
would be reckless, if not dangerous, to set foot in a land where even the
geography, let alone the political situation, was uncertain.
"―To solve that
problem, I've proposed establishing a navy in Kabeju Province."
A cheerful voice
interrupted their conversation.
Before Akira could
turn around, a girl with a white eyepatch covering both her eyes sat down in
front of him.
Startled by the
appearance of the girl, who was one of the highest-ranking in Takamagahara,
Akira and Saki quickly straightened up. Although it was a casual gathering, the
other party was not someone they should be treating lightly.
Akira hurriedly
glanced around. But everyone else was simply engaged in their own
conversations.
"It's a
concealment spell," Aya revealed with a wry smile, sensing Akira's
question from his gesture.
"It's not as
powerful as the one Akira-sama uses, but I'm confident that we can have a
fairly loud conversation without being overheard."
She turned her gaze
back to Akira and Saki, her expression turned serious.
"To bring Ravana
back, we need to go to Bharatush, but the problem is that Takamagahara doesn't
have a means of traveling to other countries."
"What about
taking a merchant ship via Kamotsu?"
"I believe
relying on the Western Continent, including Ronkoku, would be a bad move.
―Perhaps, hostile negotiations would be inevitable."
She set down the cup
she had been holding and exhaled a sweet, spiritual light from her mouth. A
hint of blush appeared on her cheeks, perhaps from the alcohol.
"I thought we
needed a different reason for Takamagahara to send Akira-san and Saki-san to
Bharatush secretly."
For the first time in
Takamagahara, a steam-powered warship based on the Western Continent's military
doctrine would be put into practical use. To achieve this, they desperately
needed the Western Continent's expertise.
Benedetta Casalini's
proposed alliance with Vansuir naturally included military objectives. Under
the guise of military exercises with Vansuir, they would open a route to
Bharatush. That was the possibility that the Three Imperial Families had
prepared for Akira and the others.
"According to the
report from the Hariin family, who is leading the establishment of the navy,
the first battleship will be ready at the earliest next spring.
—But that's perfect timing for you, right,
Akira-san?"
Acknowledging Akira's
nod, the noble girl smiled slightly and stood up.
Her gaze wandered to
the backs of the two Mikuriya family members as they left the hall without
making eye contact with anyone.
"Were they
aware?"
"I apologize.
Since our main objective was to eliminate the old families, we didn't pay much
attention to the Mikuriya family who had kept their distance."
Akira shook his head,
recognizing the sincerity in Aya's tone.
The fact that Mikuriya
Sishin's thinking was more flexible than he had imagined was probably the
reason for Akira's defeat.
It was unexpected that
they were able to escape punishment without giving any further clarification.
But for the Mikuriya family, who were hanging on by a thread of skin, the
trials would begin from now on.
"It's fine. If
the prestige of the old families is nothing more than a facade, then the
Mikuriya family has no other choice."
"If you
understand that, then it's fine.
Shall I take care of
the leakage of information to Ugetsu?"
Akira shook his head
with a wry smile, as if seeing through Aya's intentions.
—In truth, Akira had no intention of forgiving Ugetsu.
He had made a
seemingly sweet proposal as a way to suppress his darker emotions. While Akira
was wondering how much Aya understood of his plan, the girl with hidden eyes
smiled, pressing her palms together.
---
As Aya walked away,
seemingly in a good mood, Saki asked softly,
"So..."
"Yes?"
Saki's question was
more of a confirmation of Akira's intentions than a doubt. Yet, Akira replied
straightforwardly.
"That proposal
you made to Ugetsu, why was it so lenient?"
"Lenient?"
"Of course. You
said that after cleaning up the mansion, we would wait until spring to dispose
of them.
—They might misunderstand that as an invitation to
cooperate."
Saki's assumption was
correct. As far as Akira knew, Ugetsu would definitely take advantage of the
opening he had presented.
That was precisely why
he had made this proposal.
Ugetsu Tenzan had a
reputation for fulfilling the treaties they made, no matter what. And that
would be even more true when dealing with Akira. In fact, they would probably
try even harder to fulfill their obligations because it was Akira.
"My grandmother,
Ugetsu Fusae, never gave up her position as the lady of the house until the
very end.
—She continued to undermine her own position to protect
me."
Despite marrying into
the Ugetsu family from the outside, Ugetsu Fusae held an authority that even
Ugetsu Tenzan could not ignore. And even though she was secretly criticized,
she had always shown unwavering affection for Akira.
As her grandmother's
death approached, no one had paid any attention to her authority. Even her
grave was probably neglected.
The area of the mansion
included the graves of the Ugetsu family.
—So,
"I just wanted to
take this opportunity to pay my respects to her grave."
As Akira prepared to
settle many unresolved issues, Akira's homecoming was quietly approaching.
-----
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