These weren’t Koshun’s words, but her own. She figured that Ko had been dispatched to the Northern Mountains in order to instigate a rebellion. Such an act was punishable by death. Koshun hadn’t answered that.
“Ko said that this will be the downfall of the Saname clan. I feel the same way,” said Shin. He started to turn pale again. “It’s my own fault for being born. Our clan is going to collapse because of me.”
Jusetsu frowned. “Because of you? What makes you say that…?”
“The person I thought was my mother…she wasn’t my mother after all. I’m the son of the woman my father loved—the only woman my father ever loved.”
Jusetsu wanted to ask who that woman was, but hesitated. Shin didn’t look like his usual self, so she refrained from asking any more questions.
“That was where all the mistakes began,” Shin said, continuing. “I’m sure it was at that point that he started taking the wrong path.”
His voice was shaky, but it was hard to tell what kind of emotion was behind it. Was it anger, sadness, remorse, or disdain?
“I see,” said the Raven—she was conveying whatever Koshun was saying verbatim.
“Choyo’s inconsistency…makes sense now,” the Raven continued. “Although Choyo claimed he wanted to maintain a distance from the imperial court in order to keep the Saname clan alive, he was interfering far too much for that to be the case—offering his daughter as a consort, devising plans… It was excessive. His actions contradicted his words.”
This was a justifiable point.
“It must have been for Shin’s sake,” the Raven continued. “He wanted him to have the glory—his beloved son.”
Glory? For Shin? Jusetsu stared at him.
“But that’s not Shin’s fault,” the Raven went on.
Shin looked up.
“Choyo was acting of his own accord. If the Saname clan falls, then it’ll be his own choices that cause its collapse. Shin doesn’t need to take responsibility for his father’s whims.”
Shin stared back at Jusetsu, appearing absorbed in thought.
“Jusetsu—Koshun has this to say to Shin,” said the Raven. “Go back to Ga Province. Order Choyo to retire and stay under house arrest. From now on, you are the most senior member of the Saname clan.”
Jusetsu repeated the emperor’s message word for word.
“What…?” Shin’s eyes darted around the room. He looked flustered.
“You have no other choice. If you leave now, you’ll still make it in time.”
Koshun had indicated that Choyo’s punishment was going to be a modest one. He was likely just being kind—that, or he was taking into consideration the fact that Banka was still pregnant.
“You don’t want to see the Saname clan get annihilated, do you?” asked Jusetsu.
“Does this mean I have His Majesty’s permission?” asked Shin.
“I assure you—you do.”
Shin rose from his seat and got to his knees to bow before Jusetsu. “Understood. There’s just one more thing I’d like to ask.”
“Go ahead.”
“May I give one of my brothers—Ko or Ryo—the most senior position in the Saname family instead?”
“Ryo…?”
“Ryo is in the imperial capital at the moment. With me in charge, I’ll inevitably lead the clan to its ruin,” Shin said.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I am not going to get married. I’m not going to have any mistresses either. Without any heirs, the bloodline will die out. One of my brothers should be the head of the family.”
Jusetsu found it strange, but Shin seemed to have made up his mind.
“All right,” she said with a nod.
“That’s perfectly fine,” Koshun responded.
“Boats to Ga Province seem to be leaving, so I’ll head there right away,” said Shin. It looked like he was ready to leave the room at any moment.
“Why don’t you rest first?” Jusetsu suggested.
Shin gave her a small smile but shook his head. “Your kindness is very much appreciated. I’m feeling slightly better now, thanks to you.”
“Only slightly?”
“I will never feel true relief. After all, I’m living proof of my father’s sins.” Shin looked anguished—as if there was blood gushing out of his wounds. “My mother was my father’s younger sister.”
That was all Shin said before leaving the room at last.
Jusetsu quickly wrapped some candy in a handkerchief and chased after him. “Shin.”
He stopped and looked behind him. Jusetsu placed the candy-filled handkerchief in his hand.
“Pay Banka another visit, won’t you?” she asked. “I’m sure she’s worried about you.”
Shin simply smiled.
“Take care on your journey,” she said.
Shin didn’t respond. The cold hallway was silent save for the sound of sobbing.
“Is it completely impossible to get over to Je Island?”
After leaving the house, Jusetsu started heading to the port town. The streets were full of sea merchants and sailors. They all appeared to be trying to while away the time, whether it was by drinking themselves silly or by playing Go in front of buildings. The prostitution district seemed to be doing good business as well.
“Can’t they just circumvent the eruption…?” she asked.
“The sea currents present a problem too,” replied Tankai. “If the sailors say it’s impossible, then it must be.”
“There’s a fast tidal current that runs from the south to the west of the island before colliding with the current from Ake on the north,” Onkei said, explaining what he heard from a sailor. “The colliding currents are pushed southward and then flow east of the island. To put it simply, Je Island is surrounded by fast currents—if you’re not careful, they’ll carry you right out to sea in no time at all.”
“So you need to be able to predict the tides,” commented Jusetsu.
In other words, they could try rowing haphazardly toward Je Island, but from the sound of it, that was very unlikely to be successful.
“We’re not going to make any progress stuck here though.”
The group proceeded through the town, then emerged at the headland. From there, they could see the smoke from the volcano. There was a vaguely warm breeze blowing here as well. It wasn’t because of the eruption, however—this area apparently had a naturally temperate climate, even in the winter.
Jusetsu was reminded of what Senri had written in his letter.
“I had been worried that the sea winds would be cold during the wintertime, but the weather here is even milder than that in the imperial capital. The climate has proven to be far more pleasant too…”