“I see. I understand. Very well, then.” Meirin stood up and spun once on the spot. She stopped, her hair bouncing next to her head, and then she slammed her palm on her chest, right over where her heart was. She declared in a loud voice, “I, Ou Meirin, swear that I will do everything in my power to find the Heavenly Swords and offer them to you, Lord Chou Sekiei! And then, when the time comes, hee hee, you’ll be my consort! ♪”
“I didn’t give you permission to turn me into a consort,” I pointed out, even as I was thinking back to the beloved swords that had protected me on countless battlefields.
However, Meirin, still in high spirits, held up her fists and exclaimed, “You didn’t! But, that’s what you’ll be in the future, so there shouldn’t be a problem! ♪” She suddenly turned her back to me and muttered, “The most dangerous love rival I have is a lot more pathetic than I imagined, so there’s nothing to fear!”
I smiled, though it was a strained one. “Just don’t do anything dangerous, all right?”
“Don’t worry about me! I’ll have Shizuka with me. And besides...” Her expression morphed into one more befitting her age. She walked over to me and gave me a hesitant hug. “If anything does happen, I’ll have you save me, my future husband!” Then she lowered her voice and continued, “More and more people within the court are of the opinion that we no longer need General Chou. That the conflict with Gen is going in our favor. There’s also something amiss in the story I told you about the rats. Please be careful.”
“Make sure you don’t stick your neck into anything too dangerous,” I returned. “Thanks for the information. Contact me whenever you learn something new.”
Hakurei was waiting for me near the front entrance of the manor, an unfamiliar cloth bag in her hands. It probably contained the gift that Miss Shizuka had prepared for us. I walked up to her and, without saying anything, held out my hand. Just as wordlessly, Hakurei passed me the bag and then turned on her heel.
When we walked through the front gate, I turned to see Meirin and Miss Shizuka watching. I waved. Next to me, Hakurei bowed. It looked like she and Shizuka really bonded during their time together in the manor. Despite how haughty Hakurei acted in Keiyou, she’d been quite reserved since arriving in Rinkei, so it was a little surprising how quickly Shizuka had gotten through her defenses.
The two of us left the Ou manor and walked down the street together. The sun had almost set and I could feel the approach of the night. The Chou manor was situated north of the residential area, so we had quite a walk ahead of us. Thankfully Rinkei was fairly safe and so I wasn’t too worried about bandits or thugs. Asaka hadn’t even bothered to come get us from the Ou manor.
One by one, the various stalls and stores lit their lights and lanterns. I idly watched the waterways, which were filled with sailors in small boats hurrying home. The bridge ahead of us scarcely had any people on it, and as I was about to step on it, I heard Hakurei’s voice from behind me.
“Earlier...”
“Hmm?”
“After Miss Shizuka and I left, what did you and that girl talk about?” Hakurei walked ahead of me and stopped. With her back facing me, I couldn’t see her expression.
I placed my hands behind my head and gave an honest answer. “I asked her to fulfill an impossible request. Oh, uh, about the first battle...”
“I’m not angry about it. By the way, Miss Shizuka gave us some rare Seitou tea. When we get home, I’ll brew some.”
“For me too?”
“Of course...not. I will only prepare some for father, Asaka, and myself.”
“You’re so mean.”
We started walking again, even as we continued our lighthearted bickering. Hakurei was in a far better mood than earlier and there was a lightness in her step. I, however, couldn’t stop thinking about the revelations of the day.
“Seitou, huh...” I murmured to myself as I stared at the light playing off Hakurei’s silver hair. Was their betrayal the truth or a lie?
Ever since an ascendant—a mystic—founded Seitou several hundred years ago, it had been a close ally of Ei. It was a commerce country famous for the metal goods it produced from a huge mine within its territory, where iron ore was extracted. Thanks to its trade deals with us and the countries in the west, Seitou boasted incredible wealth, which it put into developing and improving new technologies imported from other countries.
That was what I heard, anyway.
In terms of size, Seitou was only a small fraction of Ei. Its border with Gen, situated in the northeast, had a natural wall in the form of the steep Nanamagari Mountains. In the northwest of Seitou was the Hakkotsu Desert. Both terrains proved difficult for Gen’s cavalrymen—which meant that Seitou had always been able to protect its lands without needing to draw arms. Eastern Seitou, which connected to Keiyou, was the only region with plains. That geography was why Seitou’s goods were so rare and valuable.
Even the Ou family, with their reputation and financial power, would have trouble getting their hands on special-grade tea. And yet, despite that, Hakurei’s bag contained those very leaves. In other words—more rats disguised as merchants than I imagined had infiltrated Ei. If Rinkei was like this, then Keiyou definitely wasn’t safe.
Meirin seemed to take this information, as well as what I’d told her about Nguyen’s troops’ weapons, to deduce that Gen was trying to sow discord between Ei and Seitou. But she hadn’t been completely confident in this theory. She’d felt like something was off. Let’s say on the off chance that Seitou really has betrayed us...
“Sekiei, what’s the matter?” Hakurei peered at me, a worried look in her eyes.
I’d gotten so lost in my thoughts that I’d stopped walking. “Oh? Ahh, sorry. I was spacing out. C’mon,” I said with a wink.
As I ushered Hakurei across the bridge, I steeled my will. On the off chance that my worst premonitions came to pass, I had to warn father about Seitou’s potential betrayal. Anything was possible in this world, after all.