Volume 4
Chapter 8 Part
2
Preaching with
Pity, Knowing no Parting 2
Translator : PolterGlast
The descending wind
roared, wandering into the hole that had been punched in the mansion.
The freezing gust
passed the candlelight and stole the heat that lingered on the tatami mats.
The wind swirled white
without end.
Only the light of the
light bulb illuminated the snow that had been blown into the shadows of the
hall.
Yotsurugi Akira and
Ugetsu Tenzan. Their gazes crossed, separated by a distance of about 5.4
meters.
Both were silent. The
tension of an imminent confrontation caused even the retainers to half-rise
from their seats.
The obsidian spiritual
light that protected Akira danced soundlessly with the snowflakes.
All that remained was
the tatami mat, damp with droplets, and silence.
—Just that.
With utter
indifference, Akira looked down at Tenzan from the lowest seat in the hall.
Akira's question
provoked Tenzan's agitation, but even Tenzan's response to Akira was far from
significant.
Tenzan trembled with
rage, only meeting Akira's gaze.
"What's with
that...?"
Even Tenzan knew that
these negotiations would be difficult.
—The extraordinary miracle called the Kanna-no-Mikura,
whispered by Sanezaki Yukitsuna.
An existence, that was
forgotten by the Ugetsu family, was said to be a being who could wield an
inexhaustible supply of spirit power, something rarely seen in history.
As an individual on
par with the Three Imperial Families and Four Sovereigns, he was undoubtedly a
special class as a fighting force.
It was only natural
that all the main families would be in favor of him.
But according to
Sanezaki Yukitsuna, it was also an undeniable fact that he was just a human
being.
Even if he surpassed
the Eight Families in military strength, he would be a fragile fool once his
skin was peeled away.
It would be fine if he
agreed to the unprecedented concession of becoming a branch family of the
Ugetsu, but if he rejected the negotiations out of arrogance, he should be
executed.
Tenzan, who had
prepared himself for such a possibility, had naturally made full preparations
to take him by surprise.
Tenzan lured Akira
into a sense of security with the pretense of a banquet and separated him from
his spirit weapon.
The remaining threat
was the divine artifact, but it would be possible to block the initial blow if
they were in a wide-open space.
The plan went as
expected, and Tenzan's initial attack was also a foregone conclusion.
Tenzan rejoiced at the
feeling of penetration and understood that the black obsidian divine spirit
that protected Akira would be easily destroyed.
The transparent glow
of the night sky disappeared soundlessly into the void.
Ignoring the last bit
of pity and disgrace, Akira turned his gaze to Rindou Saki, who was sitting
beside him.
"—I'm done
here."
"Understood. I
have something to say, so you can go ahead."
The girl's agreement
came as planned.
Leaving behind only a
nod, Akira finally left the room.
The young back, still
in the process of growing, left without hesitation.
Watching until his
figure disappeared completely, the retainers whispered their indignation.
"—G-good frief.
To trample on the consideration of the head of the family and just say whatever
he wants..."
"He even drove
the Ugetsu family out of the Samidare territory and left us to ruin..."
The retainers' mouths
were full of resentment and indignation.
However, the false
pretense they had put on was peeling away, and their attitude was somewhat
weak.
Saki watched the
madness without saying a word.
Tenzan and Sakou
exchanged a private conversation at the upper seat for a while.
—Noticing the cold wind blowing in, Tenzan turned to
Saki with a forced smile.
"...Ha ha. I made
a fool of myself.
As you can see, my
foolish son is ignorant to the rules."
"...I don't
mind."
Saki shook her head
while speaking in a calm voice. The retainers, who had come to their senses,
sat down one by one.
Their backs trembled
in the cold winter wind, and Fuwa Naotoshi, seeing this, cast a barrier spell
at the four corners.
A blue-white, invigorating
flame connected the four corners, and a barrier wrapped in spiritual light
blocked the wind.
"It's a
wood-element barrier. I think it will hold for a while."
"Sorry, Naotoshi.
—Now, Lady Rindou. I apologize for troubling you with
such an incompetent burden."
"It's not that
much trouble."
"You're too
modest. I will have the pledge to the Gioin family approved tomorrow as soon as
possible.
...Judging from
today's disgrace, he must have been surrounded by a bunch of idiots in the
southern region and become arrogant."
"Quite the
opposite. That's not the case at all."
"Hmph. That was
just a boast to cover up your first meeting.
It's hard to see
through him even during the Kannamesai Festival, but his true colors will soon
be revealed."
Saki tilted her head
at Tenzan's explanation. —She knew he had a bad impression, but his willingness
to understand Akira seemed too shallow.
"No, I've known
Akira-kun since July."
"...Hoho. A few
months might be an exception, but he's just good at disguising his attitude.
I'm so ashamed, even
if he was my own child."
Saki shook her head,
but Ugetsu Sanae interjected as if to agree.
Not wanting to
acknowledge the fact that she denied him being a family member, the insistence
behind her words was annoying.
Saki sighed at such a
deceitful act.
For Saki, family is a
very close existence.
Starting with the head
of the family, Rindou Kozaburo, she never forgot that they were parent and
child, even though he was strict.
From Saki's point of
view, the Ugetsu family was cold and indifferent.
It was easy for Saki
to imagine that their attitude toward Akira must have been horrible.
"I apologize for
my poor choice of words.
I've known Akira-kun
since July as his mentor. —We have fought side by side several times, and I
acknowledge his abilities reasonably well."
"……………………I see.
So you've been mentoring him at your age. The Rindou family seems to be blessed
with a dragon."
Saki hinted that he
didn't know everything.
Correctly
understanding Saki's sarcasm, Tenzan replied bitterly, missing the point.
He seemed determined
not to acknowledge Akira's success.
Without expecting
anything from the other party's stubbornness, Saki took a letter out of her
pocket.
—A plain white letter, carefully folded.
"It can't be helped
since we don't know each other.
—Rather, this..."
"Since it's from
the Rindou family, is it from Lord Kozaburo?"
It was customary to
carve a shadow in the corner of the letter so that the sender could be
identified.
It was the same in the
Eight Families. Kozaburo might be a fool, but he couldn't be the head of the
family if he didn't even know that.
Tenzan unfolded the
letter and glanced at it.
As he understood the
contents of the letter, Tenzan could not suppress the fury in his tone.
He slammed his palm on
the tatami mat and glared at Saki, leaning forward.
"Do you
understand what this means, Rindou family!?"
"As you can see.
It's a formal letter from Lady Shizumi of the Gioin family, who is the governor
of the province."
Saki, who understood
the contents, nodded in response to Tenzan's question.
The contents of the
letter, which had been given from Shizumi to Ugetsu, concerned the expulsion of
the Ugetsu family from the Samidare territory.
It was a simple
statement of the decision, from the handover of the acting lord to the disposal
of assets.
"The deadline in
the spring is still far away.
It's not as if it's
been decided that we're going to fall, so isn't it too hasty?"
"It's already
been decided. At this point, there's no way of a recovery."
Saki cut off Tenzan
without a second word.
Although it was a
scandal, the expulsion of a noble family was a common topic.
As long as the
subject's opinion is left aside, even if one is laughed at behind one's back,
it is basically not considered a crime.
—That is why the Three Imperial Families and Four
Sovereigns had left the disposal of the Ugetsu to Akira's judgment.
Just as Tenzan had
banished Akira, Akira had now returned the same treatment to the Ugetsu family.
The fact that they had
ignored their connection with Akira until now had simply been returned to
Tenzan and the others.
The hall grew colder.
Tenzan and the others were forced to taste their own medicine.
♢
Squeak, squeak,
squeak. The soles of his shoes cried out against the powder snow, leaving small
white tracks behind.
Akira climbed the
dimly lit, closed slope, driven by the raging blizzard.
It was easy to slip
out through the back gate while the Ugetsu mansion was in chaos. The secluded
cottage where he lived with his grandmother could almost be said to be his
garden, and it have a direct path to that escape route.
It was only three
years ago. He detoured around the now unusable path and walked ahead of it with
a wry smile on his face. Even though it was snowy and dark, he was familiar
with the path.
"...I wonder if
Saki managed to buy me some time."
A monologue that no
one would listen to trembled on Akira's lips. A laugh naturally appeared on his
face, soothed by the rejuvenating water that burned deep within him.
In truth, the
condition of cleaning up the mansion for Tenzan was not a big problem for
Akira. The essence of the condition Akira had set was to have Tenzan invite
Akira to the mansion at Tenzan's request.
Exceptional response
to a relatively lenient condition. In addition, a reprieve for the Ugetsu and a
promise to entrust the decision to Akira. As expected, Tenzan was unknowingly
off guard and invited Akira to his own territory.
He maneuvered things
to break off the negotiations and left the room first. He asked Saki to buy him
some time until Akira left the mansion.
It was a sudden idea,
but things turned out surprisingly well. The reason for doing all this was the
very path that Akira was taking.
"...I've
arrived."
Akira's vision opened
up, and his white breath stopped.
The snowflakes had
stopped falling between the clouds, and the full moon illuminated the place.
The traces of thinly
falling snow, the rows of stones, were white and vivid.
—Akira's destination was the cemetery where the Ugetsu
family had been laid to rest for generations.
He walked through the
cemetery, relying on the moonlight.
The last time he had
seen his grandmother was when she was dying.
During the funeral, he
was confined in the cottage and banished within four days.
The tombstone of his
grandmother, which he saw for the first time, was erected next to his
grandfather's.
His throat tightened
with relief, and Akira's fingers fell on the epitaph.
Gently, over and over
again, on the cold surface.
Ugetsu Fusae and
Tenzan had a long-standing feud over Akira
Even Tenzan, who was
usually so ruthless, seemed to have refrained from doing anything to hurt the
dead.
As far as Akira could
see, there was no damage to the tombstones. Instead, stubborn winter weeds
peeped out from between the snowflakes.
Without any worries,
Akira reached out to the weeds around him.
Japanese knotweed,
hollyhock, and sorrel. His fingers were torn by thorns and bled.
Regardless, Akira
continued to pull out the weeds from the roots.
Snowflakes danced in
the air. After a while, Akira finished cleaning up and stood up, exhaling white
breath.
"...It's been a
while, Grandmother.
I'm sorry I took so
long to visit your grave."
Ugetsu's cemetery is
located at the back of the mansion.
Even if Akira had requested
to visit the Ugetsu family cemetery, he couldn't be optimistic about Tenzan
granting him permission. Considering Tenzan's past behavior, there was a
possibility, at worst, that he would use the grave as a shield to force Akira's
surrender.
He had thought of a
plan in case that happened, but diverting Tenzan's attention away from the
cemetery would be more certain. It was a roundabout way, but it was the best
outcome. Akira stretched out his arm and brushed away the snow that had
accumulated on the grave.
"—There's
something I want to talk to you about. About everything that's happened in the
past three years."
The tombstone remained
cold, and silence was the only reply. Nevertheless, Akira spoke slowly,
enjoying the moment.
He talked about how he
ended up in Karen, how he lived in a tenement house, how he joined the
garrison, and how he made friends.
"Just as
Grandmother said,
—I eventually figured out the meaning of my life."
He talked about how
Fuyou Gozen, who was his grandmother's spirit, had broken the rules and kept
him from straying.
—How he met Shuka and learned that he was the
Kanna-no-Mikura.
How he confronted the
divine pillar and defeated Ugetsu Souma.
Sobs escaped his
throat as he recounted the past with regret. In just a few months of knowing
himself, the situation had changed drastically, and Akira had finally reached
this point.
Finally, as he was
about to witness the downfall of the Ugetsu, a fact that he had to consider
became a source of worry for Akira.
If Ugetsu Fusae was
Akira's grandmother, then naturally Ugetsu Tenzan was Fusae's son. A son born
to the previous head of the family, who had died before Akira was born.
"...I'm sorry,
Grandmother.
Now that I have
severed ties with the Ugetsu, I will eliminate Tenzan, your son, along with the
family."
By eliminating the
Ugetsu and having the Yotsurugi take over as the new Eight Families, that was
the minimum condition for Yotsurugi Akira to stand among the Eight Families.
Akira had no intention
of forgiving the Ugetsu. Therefore, the elimination of Ugetsu Tenzan and the
rest of the family had been decided.
"When everything
is over, will you let me visit your grave again?"
The dead could not
hold Akira back.
To prove his
determination, Akira left words of apology at Ugetsu Fusae's grave.
Akira's determination,
which no one else would hear, was scattered and disappeared in the swirling
vortex of the few snowflakes that danced.
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