“Hey, can you tell me why I can’t give Eifuu one of my swords? I don’t mind Black Star being the only sword I wield.”
“Huh? Oh, Eihou. You didn’t know?”
I knew that I was dreaming of the past—and it was one nostalgic memory. It was a dream of when the Tou Empire still had power and I was visiting the first emperor. He had fallen sick and so I went to pay him a visit; we were deep in the depths of the palace, where the emperor’s bedroom was.
My friend, his face pale and drawn, smiled, though it wasn’t a happy expression. “Eifuu’s always been jealous of you, you know? Jealous that he had his first battle after you did, and of both your popularity with the soldiers and your accomplishments on the battlefield. He doesn’t even realize that he has no reason to feel that way. That’s why no matter what happens, you’re the only person Eifuu will never bow his head down to. As long as he’s wrapped up in his envy, he’ll never be able to mature.”
“Jealous of me?” I scrunched up my face as I brushed my fingers against the twin sheaths. On one hand, we had the imperial chancellor, who had power over the lands. On the other, we had a general who commanded the common folk. I couldn’t understand how Eifuu was the one racked with jealousy.
The emperor’s smile widened as he continued, “Eihou, just be yourself. If Eifuu ever approaches you after I die and asks for your help with a bowed head, I hope you’ll extend a hand.”
“I’ll help him even if he doesn’t bow his head. He’s an old friend of mine, after all.”
Pained laughter echoed in the bedroom as my companion nodded several times. “That’s precisely why, my dear friend. You’ve always helped Eifuu and me, never stopping to weigh the pros and cons of doing so. The people may praise us and look down on you, but Kou Eihou, you’re a true hero. Those swords were said to have been forged by an all-knowing sage who despaired over the constant wars plaguing our lands, using metal from a star that fell during the age of the gods. You should be the one to have these swords, for—”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Ngh...” I woke up slowly. The room was dim, illuminated only by candlelight. From the round window, I could see the large moon hiding behind a veil of clouds. If I recalled, the battle had begun in the morning. I pushed myself up and looked around. “This is...”
It seemed that I was in my room in the Chou manor. Luckily, it had survived the destruction from the catapults. I was wearing light-blue sleeping clothes rather than my armor, and there was a thick layer of bandages around my left arm.
“Oh? You’re awake?”
“Hakurei.”
Hakurei, in pale blue night robes and with her long silver hair loose, walked in with a tray. The moment I tried to get out of bed, she snapped, “Don’t move!”
“All right...” Feeling a little sad from the sharp rebuke, I stopped and lay back down. My bow, the string still snapped, was leaning against a nearby wall, so someone must’ve picked it up for me. Hakurei placed her tray down on the round table at my bedside and then sat down. As soon as she settled, I asked, “How did the battle go?”
“A small portion of the Gen army fled for the west, but we chased the majority of them towards the river. I hear that the main forces, led by their emperor, had set up a camp on the northern shore, but they’ve retreated as well. Father has sent some scouts to Seitou to check on the situation there.”
“Got it.”
Even after the enemy lost Nguyen, father showed them no mercy—he had chased them all the way to the river and annihilated them there. Hakurei slowly began to unpeel a sticky rice dumpling—zongzi—from its leaves. It must have been freshly cooked; it looked delicious, with clouds of steam wafting from it. My stomach growled as I realized just how hungry I was.
Hakurei’s expression softened and with a quiet chuckle, she handed me the zongzi. “Here you go. So you’re feeling up for some food?”
“Yeah, I’m fi— Ow!” The moment I tried to reach for the zongzi, pain shot through my arm.
“Your arm’s not broken,” Hakurei said calmly. “However, you shouldn’t move it until it heals. Here you go.”
“Huh? Uh, Miss Hakurei?” I stared down at the zongzi held in front of my lips.
Hakurei’s cheeks flushed pale pink as she spoke, the words quick. “You’re hurt and father told me to take care of you. This is the only way we can get you to eat, isn’t it? This is part of my duties in the military and I have no ulterior motives.”
“Uh-huh...” My right hand could move without any issues, but oh well. It looked like I didn’t have a choice in the matter. I leaned forward and took a bite out of the zongzi before giving my honest review: “It’s good.”
“I’m glad.”
I continued to eat from Hakurei’s hand, occasionally removing grains of rice from my mouth with my uninjured limb. “Ahh, that reminds me! Hey, how did you and father get back so soon? D-Don’t tell me you really used some kind of magic or sorcery?!”
“Idiot. Of course not. Here, have some water.”
I accepted the bamboo bottle and drained it in one swig. My dehydrated body practically wept in relief.
Hakurei busied herself with preparing a second zongzi as she revealed, “The Ou family allowed us to use their giant paddle wheeler fleet. I never knew that ships could move so fast; it was a little frightening.”
“A giant paddle wheeler fleet?” I had never heard of that term before; I tilted my head to the side. Well, I knew what paddle wheelers were. They were boats with a wheel of sorts attached to the outside. Moving the wheel through man power would allow a boat to travel even when there wasn’t any wind. I’d also heard that Meirin actually went and constructed one. However, what did Hakurei mean by “giant” and “fleet”?
Though Hakurei’s fingers continued to deftly peel away the bamboo leaves covering the zongzi, she looked up at me with something like disbelief in her eyes. “I heard that you were the one who came up with the idea.”
“I did, but I never told her to go and make a giant one, let alone a whole fleet of them!”
Hakurei sat back down on the bed and leaned towards me. “I don’t want to hear your excuses. Can’t you keep your thoughts to yourself for once?”
“W-We were just having a conversation over tea. Our aunt happened to tell me about some foreign ships that were able to move without wind, so I brought it up. They say that there’s a fine line between genius and, uh, something else. But I guess the saying’s true.”
“I agree with the latter part of your statement,” Hakurei said with a nod, her expression still pinched. It looked like something had happened in the city between her and Meirin.
By the time I finished eating all the zongzi Hakurei had brought, a night breeze had started to blow in from the south. The full moon peeked its face out from behind the clouds. As I gazed up at it, I asked, “Are father and the others at the river?”
“They are.”
Adai might have lost Nguyen, but I doubted that he would give up on the invasion. We would likely start to see the massive catapults and heavy metal armor on the northern battlefront as well. We needed to prepare for anything that Seitou might pull. From the moment Seitou broke its neutrality and allowed the Gen army to pass through, they had become our enemy. This most recent battle had proved how much of a threat their technological advancements were—which meant that we had to find a way to deal with them.
The northern front was no longer the only one father had to contend with. Now not only would he also have to prepare troops in the west, but the Peacemaker Party was yet another threat we would have to face off against, even if they were an internal one. Hopefully, they’d lay low after receiving news of our most recent victory. The only thing I could say for certain was that war had broken out again—a war that would result in the deaths of hundreds of people. And I had gotten involved in it.