🐦🐦🐦
WE tumbled to the bottom of a ravine. At the last moment, I thought to use my magic to enlarge my hakama skirt, transforming it into a cushion as we crashed into a tree. My hakama were shredded, but thanks to their sacrifice, Lord Hiaki and I emerged with only grazes and scratches.
The general looked up at the cliff top and clicked his tongue in frustration. “They’ve never gone crazy like this before. Sorry.”
I shook my head. “No, please do not apologize. I am their first hope in a long time, and they must have gotten overly excited, maybe even thinking that their doomed future might change. I…can’t completely blame them.”
Lord Hiaki scowled. “Why are you sympathizing with them after they did this to you?”
“Maybe it is because they remind me of myself.” I gazed up at the sky wistfully. “The only thing they ever did wrong was be born in the wrong family, be born the relatives of rebels, and that’s out of their control. Their lives were practically snatched away from them just because of the circumstances of their birth… Even good people can’t stop themselves from feeling bitter and anguished. If I were in their place, perhaps I would have turned out the same way.”
The general sighed. “You’re the type to suffer more than you have to because you care too much, huh?” He plopped down cross-legged on some dry grass. “Guess the only thing we can do for now is wait for help. Even if the others are drunk, they’ll definitely notice two people missing.”
I chewed on my lip. “I agree.”
“Ah, before I forget.” He studied me before breaking into a smile that softened his features. “You saved me twice today. Thanks.”
“It was nothing.” I shook my head again. “You were dragged into this because of me to begin with…” I magically repaired my hakama and sat down next to him.
“Huh, magic’s pretty handy,” he commented. “Can you heal wounds with that stuff too?”
“Technically, yes, but using mana directly on a person does not yield effects in proportion to its expenditure. In other words, it is very inefficient. Potions are a different matter, because mana stimulates the medical ingredients, which increases their efficacy in the human body.”
I paused before adding, “Well, in an emergency, magic can be used to stop bleeding and relieve pain, but to heal our minor wounds would not be worth it. It would only exhaust me.”
“Interesting. So magic isn’t a cure-all…”
“Indeed. For example, I repaired my hakama, but the fabric is now worn down as a result. There are specialized mages who can repair threadbare fabric, yet it is such a difficult skill that you have to study specifically for that purpose.”
Magic was an everyday commodity in Centoria, so to be asked about it was quite novel and interesting. As I explained, he stared at my hakama with intrigue.
Within the forest, the sound of rustling leaves was so loud that it grated on my ears. In the shade beneath the tree canopy, it was dark and almost freezing despite the summer season. I started to shiver and hugged myself reflexively.
Noticing, Lord Hiaki said, “You’re cold, aren’t you? Here, you can sit on my lap.”
“But…”
“Oh? Do you think I’m going to do something?” He reached out and ghosted a finger under my chin. His lips were pulled into a devilish smile.
I flinched, recalling how he had almost kissed me in Sekirei Palace, and tensed.
“Aw, I was joking. I wouldn’t do anything to you in a situation like this. After all, you just saved me, Sai. I could never forcefully kiss my savior. …Though if you want one, I will,” he quipped after a beat.
I narrowed my eyes and stared at him warily.
He chuckled. “I swear to the heavens that I won’t cross any lines here. Relax.” His mouth twisted into a sardonic smile as he finished his sentence. “The heavens, huh… I guess saying that on this island is kind of pointless. After all, it’s a place forsaken by Amawashi,” he muttered.
He didn’t wait for an answer before catching my arm and tugging me into his lap. I regretted inconveniencing him, yet I had to admit that it was a lot warmer. “Thank you…”
“Hey, just wondering,” he asked, “can’t you warm yourself up with magic?”
“I can, though I think I should conserve mana given our predicament.” I paused. “But oh, you make a good point…” I picked up a twig, suffused it with mana, and gave it a light swing. Fallen branches and brush converged around us into a makeshift shack. “I can do this much, at least. It will leak if it rains, but it should provide us shelter from the wind.”
“…Mages are so unfair.”
“Not to that extent. Once my mana runs out, this structure will fall apart. In the past, even something like this would have dried up my mana reserves after a short while.”
“Oh? So it’s different now?”
“Yes. After I came to Orient, my mana levels increased.” With the emperor’s every touch, my mana pool grew. I suddenly recalled the emperor’s captivating scent and felt heat gather in my cheeks.
Lord Hiaki raised an eyebrow. “Hm? Why’s your face red? Is increasing your mana levels something that warrants such a reaction?”
“No, please ignore me… I-I just thought that, well, I was being too pompous about the fact that I can use magic, and…”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re bad at lying?”
I hung my head, mute.
“Looks like someone did.” He sounded amused. “I’m not surprised.”
Our conversation lapsed. We waited for rescue in silence.
As we sat, the sky rumbled. Concerned, I ducked out of the shack and looked up to see dark skies. “Is it going to rain…?”
Lord Hiaki frowned. “That’s bad news. They won’t be able to find us in the rain.”
“Ah…” What do we do? I scanned the sky worriedly.
What Lord Hiaki said next took me utterly by surprise. “The emperor’s likely going to make you his empress.”
I whipped my head around to gawk at his face. He, meanwhile, was gazing up at the sky, his crimson eyes solemn.
I was flabbergasted. “That is… That was unexpected. Why did you say that?”
“It’s something I can say only at a time like this. Please listen.”
“That is ridiculous,” I said, shaking my head.
“Whether you believe it or not, that’s how it is. You’ve been building a reputation for yourself just as the emperor hoped.”
“I…”
My mind was in shambles. Hoped? Reputation? The emperor rarely ever asked anything of me other than his treatment and my participation in divine rites. The emperor that Lord Hiaki described seemed to be different from the person I knew.
Yet I saw the conviction in his eyes when he glanced down at me, piercing into my very soul. “You must have noticed how the people here received you—with a warm welcome. Even those who resent the emperor support you, and that’s a reputation you earned for yourself through hard work. But.”
“But…?”
“But once you become the empress, you likely won’t be able to offer your prayers and blessings to the residents here or to outcasts like them.”
I fell quiet.
“Marry me, Sai,” he said. “If you choose me, you can save all the people who fall through the gaps in the emperor’s authority. I don’t know for sure, but if you voluntarily request our union…he will likely grant you permission.” He paused. “That’s what I think. How does it sound?”
I cast my eyes down. I didn’t know what to say.
“Well, you don’t need to give me an answer right away,” he said. “But please remember what I just said.” He had finished saying his piece. He returned to the far side of the shack, sat down cross-legged, and offered no more words.
I couldn’t squeeze a single syllable out of my throat. I stood at the shack entrance in a daze.
…Our rescue was still nowhere in sight.