I stared at her, tongue-tied. In both this life and my previous one I was considered a powerful individual, powerful enough that no one had ever said something like this straight to my face. She’s something else, all right. My lips twisted in a smile as I dipped my head in an imperceptibly small yet clear nod.
As soon as I did, she smiled in delight and spun around with a dancer’s grace. “Good night, Sekiei.”
“Good night, Hakurei.”
This time, she really left; I could sense her walking away. I settled back down on the mattress and looked out the window. In the north sky, the twin stars that were supposed to have vanished twinkled by the moon. New stars?
“Ah, I get it.”
It looked like the times had once again provided a reason for the Heavenly Swords to exist. I’ll protect everything until the end this time. I closed my eyes and finally allowed sweet slumber to carry my consciousness away.
✦ ✦ ✦
“So it’s true? Nguyen was killed?”
It was midnight; earlier in the day the main forces of the Gen Empire’s army had been forced to make a retreat after failing to take Keiyou. In the cabin of the empire’s flagship, I, Emperor Adai Dada, looked up from the detailed report of my army’s defeat. I could hear my question still echoing in the room.
Since my most trusted advisors were all resting, the only person in the room apart from myself was one of my spies. They were leaning near the window, dressed in a raggedy coat. They had a slight frame and, with a fox mask over their face, it was impossible to tell their gender.
“Yes. Even if it was from a distance, I saw it with my own eyes,” they replied in a courteous tone. “The Chou army killed many of the Crimson Knights’ officers and the few survivors escaped to Seitou.”
Just before the previous emperor died he had handed me the reins to the Senko, a spy organization cloaked in shadows. They were apparently capable of bizarre techniques and had supported Gen in matters of espionage since the early days of the empire. I didn’t know the details of that history; I’d only met Senko’s leader once, right after I ascended the throne.
“Does our true identity matter that much? We’ll lend you our strength if you focus on unifying the lands—and only that. It’s a fair deal, isn’t it, Imperial Chancellor Ou Eifuu?” he’d said.
He was right. My goal in this life was the same as what it had been in my previous one. I had to unify the lands! I had to accomplish it and made sure it stuck, for that was the dream that my fallen friends entrusted to me. In my previous life the empire that I’d helped to create had only lasted for fifty years after my retirement. I would not repeat that foolishness in this life.
I twirled my white hair around a finger so slender one could mistake it for a girl’s. “I still can’t believe it,” I murmured. “We had ten times as many troops as Keiyou did and they were able to fight us off? So, which one of them killed Nguyen?”
The Crimson Wolf had been a fierce fighter; there was no doubt about that. He might have struggled in an open battle against Chou Tairan, but he wasn’t the type to die a disgraceful death. He wouldn’t have gotten killed on the battlefield.
There was something like bewilderment in the spy’s voice as they replied, “Chou Sekiei and Chou Hakurei.”
The southern wind blew in through the window and the candle flame flickered. I made no effort to conceal my confusion as I asked, “I know he has a daughter, but when did he get a son? Nguyen’s report made no mention of him.”
“They’re not related by blood, apparently. If the rumors among the soldiers are correct, then they’re both sixteen years old.”
“Hmm.”
A boy and a girl of sixteen managed to defeat the Crimson Wolf? Sure, they had worked together, but it was still an incredible feat. It reminded me of a similar feat that my previous life’s best friend had accomplished—the first time Eihou killed a famous officer, it too had been during his first battle. He had been only fifteen years old at the time. The Senko were the best when it came to intelligence gathering, however, so as much as I didn’t want to believe it, this was probably the indisputable truth.
I never thought that Nguyen would die on the battlefield. I fell silent as I grieved at the loss of my loyal subject. The Senko spy glanced at me and then, agile as a cat, leaped to balance on the sill of the window.
“I’ve concluded my business here. Your Imperial Highness, do not forget your duty. We’ve already waited a thousand years for this. You must unify the lands before the arrival of the northern storm.”
“I know. It’ll be trouble if they organize themselves. Ah, that reminds me. How goes the search for the Heavenly Swords?”
“No progress to report. We didn’t find anything resembling them in the temple you mentioned.” There was a slight bitterness to the reply the Senko spy gave before they disappeared into the night.
Left alone in the cabin, I looked at the vase on my desk. Inside it was a sprig of peach blossoms, plucked from the ancient tree in Routou. “Impossible.” Kou Eihou’s dead. It’s unthinkable that he managed to attain a second chance at life like I did... “No, I should look further into it. The Crimson Wolf died and I’m forced to put a hold on my ambitions. It’s crucial for the empire that I investigate the boy and girl who managed that.”
No one except the night air heard my murmuring. From the window I could see the twin stars, those stars that were supposed to have fallen on that fateful day a thousand years ago, sparkling in the northern sky.