Twelfth Arc: Never Will They Be Chained Down Again
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Chapter One Hundred Fourteen: A Future Beyond the Plot
SPRING arrived at Sekirei Palace.
My mother, Sae, and sister, Sakura, had already grown used to living there, and the three of us were having a tea party in the gazebo. Though some snow still lingered on the ground, budding spring flowers peeked out from every corner of the garden, and the temperature had risen enough for us to enjoy a good cup of tea outside as long as we sat around a magical furnace.
“Sis, you can count on me during the Empress Induction Ceremony tomorrow.” Sakura narrowed her unyielding eyes and puffed out her chest. “Your Wagtail Priestess will definitely make sure you have only sunny skies.”
Initially, my younger sister had often dressed in Meridionan clothing, but after settling in Orient, she started to wear an Oriental ruqun instead. The fabric was paler than the uniform of my ladies-in-waiting—a cherry blossom pink that was almost white.
I shook my head and declined her generous offer. “Your mana isn’t stable yet, so don’t push yourself too hard.”
“Sis, listen. To me, it’s also the first occasion when I can stand side by side with Lord Hiaki in public, so I want clear skies.”
“You mustn’t abuse the priestess’s powers for your own selfish gain,” our mother said in a disapproving tone.
“I-It’s not selfish!” protested Sakura.
Our mother was also attired in the Oriental style, although hers was the plain ruqun of the other court ladies, and she had layered a white coat on top of it. Since I was to become empress, our mother had taken over management of Sekirei Palace.
“That aside, Sis.” Sakura propped up her chin with a hand. “You had such powerful arcane ability. I’m surprised you didn’t let it go to your head.”
I had banished the Saint to another world, and the heavens had taken my magic from me in exchange. And so my sister had inherited the powers of the Wagtail Priestess. She grew stronger by the day, and she was giddy, almost a little too excited about it.
“That’s only natural,” our mother said. “I instilled in her the resolve and noble mentality of the Wagtail Priestess from the day she was born. Sakura, from now on, you too will—”
“Yeees, Mom. I know. That’s why I’m diligently learning the fundamentals of magic from Master Raiya.”
Mother kneaded her forehead. “Ugh, I can feel a headache coming on. Sai was dutiful and earnest. Why is teaching my other girl so…”
“Huh?! How can you be so mean?!” exclaimed Sakura. “Hey, Sis, back me up here!”
I chuckled. “Mom, it’s okay. Lord Raiya is a responsible and strict teacher, so I’m sure she’ll learn many things as his pupil.”
Our mother sighed. “I have the feeling that she’s a little unworthy of the emperor’s mentor…”
“Mooom!” Sakura groaned. “Have a little more faith in me, will you?!”
We could talk forever when we sat down with sweets and tea. This is so fun. I was certain that Sakura had always encouraged my parents with her energy and vigor, shining in their darkest days like a dazzling sun. Her light was something I wasn’t capable of. I was very happy to have met my lively and reliable little sister.
We were slowly but surely making up for all the time we had been apart—until it was almost as if we had never been separated in the first place.
“What are you going to do this afternoon, Sakura?” I asked.
“I’m heading to the Gou estate with Lord Hiaki to do some final checks for my outfit tomorrow. It’s red like roses, shiny, and super cute! Take a good look at me tomorrow, okay, Sis?”
“Sakura.” Our mother cut in. “Your sister’s the star of the show tomorrow. Don’t forget that.”
“Yeees, I know. That’s why I gotta stand right next to Sis in front of everyone in Orient and let them all know that ta-da! I’m the new Wagtail Priestess!”
I smiled wryly. “Mom, my sister is a very valiant one indeed.”
“She really is.” Our mother sighed. “Our life has been pretty bumpy up until now, yet for some wild reason, she still ended up like this.”
“Hey! What do you mean by that?!”
Obviously, my sister’s engagement with Lord Hiaki was proceeding smoothly as well. Orient had the custom of holding wedding ceremonies all at once after the snow melted in spring. During each of the thirty days they called the Matrimonial Period, all around the empire, sekka would be scattered into the air, celebrating the newlyweds.
Preparation for my ceremony to become the empress was already finished. As Emperor Haruka recovered from the wounds he had sustained on that fateful day, we completed the procedures step by step through the winter.
The spring breeze rifled through the garden. In the distance, I spotted Suzuiro waving at me. That was my cue, and I stood. “I shall be off, then.” The other two watched me depart with a smile.
I approached Suzuiro, who had matured in leaps and bounds since the day I met her, and together we walked to Kita Palace, where Emperor Haruka was resting.
Magpies flitted across the sky.
As we walked, I thought back on the past few months.
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BEFORE I banished the Saint, I had found hope of returning to the world of the game: I thought that if three women with high-purity priestess blood—my mother, my sister, and myself—activated our magic at once, there was a chance I could survive the transition to the other world.
Until then, throughout history, priestesses and their bloodlines had vanished around the same time as the banishment of the Saints. But if those disappearances were due to the tremendous amount of energy needed to remove the Saint, then… If three powerful women of the Wagtail Priestess line were to release their mana at the same time, the burden on one person would lessen significantly, or so I had thought.
Of course, it had been more a pipe dream than anything—it would be as miraculous as catching a god off guard. I hadn’t discussed it with my mother and sister in advance, nor had I known that they had since traveled to Centoria. But a part of me had been utterly convinced that my plan would succeed, even though I had no evidence to that effect.
My mother and sister were under the protection of Lord Kuze. He must have told my mother that I had been tasked with the Saint’s elimination. And if my mother also had memories of a previous life, she must have arrived at the same conclusion concerning the banishment of the Saint and the missing priestesses. I had trusted in her knowledge of my role and that she would pray around the same time as my confrontation with Lilly, hoping for the same outcome as me.
I had guessed correctly. Sometime after the incident, my sister told me what happened on that day. “Under the instruction of Lord Kuze, we were standing by in Centoria, and when messengers informed us that you had gone to the tower, Mom suddenly yelled, ‘Start praying!’ I was totally taken aback because it was so sudden and all, but—well, I would pray for your sake any day. Then, without warning, a whole lot of my mana was sucked out of me… Yeah, I can’t even begin to describe how shocked I was.”
She let out an exasperated sigh, then added, “But I’m glad. Thanks to Mom’s quick thinking, we managed to save two super important people in Orient! Heh heh, I turned into a hero overnight!” My sister was still treating Emperor Haruka, who was recuperating in Kita Palace.
“Thank you so, so much…”
“Aww, don’t say that, Sis. I’ll surpass your and Mom’s achievements in the future, just you watch! I also get to marry that beautiful hunk of a man, hee-hee-hee.”
“I’m sure you will.” I smiled.
I could tell that Sakura had deliberately affected a joking manner, and I repeatedly and profusely thanked her. Since she had awakened as a Wagtail Priestess, she was likely going to remember a previous life as well.
In the end, the blood of the Wagtail Priestess remained intact, and my sister had inherited my lost magic. Only the heavens could know the significance of such events. Perhaps our line would continue to thrive into the far future when the next Saint was summoned.