◆Yukinojo



"Please come in."



　The priest led us to a room in the middle of the mansion.



"Is this where you are going to hold the ceremony to name the shogun?"



To the left, Your Highness. Please, come in.



"Mm."



　The priest urges him to enter the room.

　But when I saw the inside of the room, I was puzzled.



What is it?　Isn't it just a room?"



　Yes, the room to which the priest led us was an ordinary room that could be found anywhere.

　It did not seem like a sacred place to hold a ceremony to name a general.



"Oh, you have come!



　The voice coming from the back of the room made me realize that I had a guest before me.

　I thought that the priest who was going to perform the ceremony of assuming the title of Shogun was waiting for me, but the moment I saw him, I was again bewildered.



"......What are you?"



　No wonder I said that.

　After all, the man was dressed in a dirty outfit that could not have been that of a priest.

　He was not dressed in a kimono like the people, nor was he dressed like a warrior. I would venture to say that he was dressed in exotic clothes with matching colors on the top and bottom.

　The only reason why I felt they were not exotic clothes was because of the design of the clothes he was wearing, which was in the style of Tenpo-style.



"Ha ha ha, don't you know who I am?



　Despite being told that he does not know who he is, the man smiles pleasantly.

　Who in the world are you?　If he was here, does that mean he was involved in the ceremony of the Shogun's succession?

　But these doubts are blown away by the man's next outrageous statement.



I am the emperor. I rule this country. ......



"Huh?



　Yes, of all people, this man claims to be the emperor.

　The statement was so impolite that I couldn't help but raise my voice in a panic.



Don't be a fool!　How can the emperor be a dirty man like you!"



　Yes, the emperor is the symbol of this country and the noblest of men. He is definitely not a dirty man like this.



"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!　A dirty man!"



　But the man continues to laugh, seemingly unashamed of his profane remark.



"You are impious to try to cheat the name of the emperor!　I will punish you myself!"



　As a warrior in the service of the Emperor, as the next Shogun, I cannot allow such an insolent person to go unchecked!



"Calm down, Yukinojo-sama."



　But for some reason, a priest stood in the way and stopped him.



"Why did you stop him?　This man is a great sinner!



　Yes, deceiving the name of the emperor is the greatest sin imaginable, isn't it?

　So why would a priest who serves the emperor stop him?



I'm not a liar.



What?



This filthy person is the supreme power of our country, the emperor himself.



"Huh?



　The priest's words were so unbelievable that I rolled my eyes.

　This filthy man is really the emperor?



"I understand your feelings very well, but it is true.



"Hey, hey, hey. You're treating me like a dirty old man too?



"It's true, sir."



"No, ......, but ......."



　Unbelievable. This man, dressed like a dirty laborer working in a workshop, is the emperor himself, the leader of the warriors of Tenpou?

　But the words of the local priest who performs the ceremony to name the Shogun.

　Are they ...... to be believed?



"That's why I said it, my Lord. You should at least dress a little better for an audience."



"What the hell, sir? What's the point of being an emperor? As soon as this monk finds out why, he'll understand why I'm dressed like this.



"Reason?"



　I couldn't help but nod my head at the strange conversation between the priest and the emperor .......






"Yes, boy. He's right, I'm a real emperor."



"...... ha!　I'm so sorry, Your Majesty!　I am Yanglian Xiaotsuke's only child, Yanglian Yukinojo. The emperor has asked me to tell you about ......."



　I still don't know if the dirty man ...... in front of me is really the emperor.

　But as long as the priest proves it, we have no choice but to believe that he really is the emperor.



　If he is, our attitude is very bad.

　If that's the case, then our attitude has been very bad.

　I hurriedly fell to my knees and bowed my head.



"Oh, that's all right. I know you're Natsunori's son from the letter from Omitsu.



　But the emperor waved his hands in the air as if it were a bother, and said to stop it as if he didn't care.



"Then!"



　At the emperor's words, I looked up, offering my gratitude to my uncle.



"Wait, wait. Listen to me first. It's important. And it's also the reason I'm dressed like this.



"Meaning?　You mean, in that outfit?



　I remember you said something like that earlier.



That's right. Because emperor is not the name of the king who rules this land. The emperor is the name of the keeper of the magic item that protects this country from disasters!



"The keeper of the magical artifacts?　The emperor?



　The emperor is the keeper of magical tools?　What the hell does that mean?



This goes back thousands of years. The ancient magical civilization that once flourished in this world collapsed due to an incident. But, well, we don't know much about that incident. There are many rumors that it was a battle with a legendary demon, a failure of a large-scale magical experiment, or even a natural cataclysm.



"Huh."



　I have certainly heard that story.

　It is a fairy tale that every child in Tianfeng knows, that once there was a catastrophe so ancient that the whole world was in trouble.



So here's the thing. The land of Amamine where we live was also affected by the catastrophe. The sky, the earth, and the sea all went wild as if it were the end of the world.



"The End of the World ......"



　The fairy tales I had heard from my nannies and grandfathers were a bit more vague, but the emperor was very clear about the scale of the disaster.



"In such a state, we can't even get on a ship and escape to the outer continent. So the survivors of the ancient magical civilization created a huge magic item to stop the disaster in Tianfeng land. Thanks to this, the disasters that had been ravaging the land of Heaven's Peak were calmed down and the land of Heaven's Peak became the place you know today.



"Oh!"



　Oh my God!　I didn't know there was such a history in Amagamine's past!



"People hailed the developer of the magic item as a hero for successfully stopping the disaster. They asked him to be the king who would lead them."



"You mean that's how the emperor's family started ......?"



"Yes. It's just that my ancestors had trouble with it."



　But then the emperor shrugs his shoulders in annoyance.



"Why are you troubled?　Isn't it a natural progression that the hero who saves the country becomes king?"



　It is common to hear of heroes rising a nation. We hear similar stories in tales from foreign lands and in the myths of the founding of nations.



"Well, it's a common story in tales. But my ancestors thought it was wrong.

　It is true that the land and people of Tianfeng were saved thanks to a giant magic item. But magic items are tools. People have to maintain them. I can't play king with an item that I don't know when it will go bad or break down.



"It's ......."



　That's what I've been told. Not only the weapons of warriors, but also the tools we use in our daily lives will break down at some point.

　There is no guarantee that only magical tools will not break.



"Besides, if we are killed by those who seek the throne, this country will be helplessly destroyed when the magic items are broken. We have to do something about that.



　Mm, that's for sure.

　The way to save the country is right in front of us, but it will be useless if the key to save the country is broken.



"So my ancestors decided. "That's why my ancestors decided to leave the real power of politics to others and be a mere decoration.



"So this country is now ruled by a general?"



"Yes. We, the emperor's family, inherited the knowledge and skills of magic items, and our only duty was to repair the magic items that were deteriorating. And we decided to teach this fact only to those who would be generals for generations to come. This is the truth about the succession of generals.



　I see. If that is the case, then I can understand why the emperor entrusts his government to the generals.



Why only the Shogun?　Why don't the others know about it?"



　Well, that's all I was wondering. If a magical tool could be a threat to the existence of the nation, don't the people of Amagamine need to work together to protect it?

　But when the emperor heard this, he scratched his head with a wry smile.



"Ah, well, I don't know..."



"To put it another way, we are asking the Shoguns to act as our shields."



"A shield?"



"Yes. Once the truth of the emperor's role is known, there will be those who seek his technology and huge magic items. And there is a danger that they will use the security of the country as a shield to force us into submission.



"Ugh, that's for sure."






　Yes, as they say. If a magical tool is used to protect a country, it stands to reason that it can also be used as a tool to control it if it is misused.



"But you can't use magic tools for such a convenient purpose. The uninitiated would think that only the lands within the domain of their opponents should be exempt from the magic item's blessing, but in reality, the entire country and the surrounding seas are within the magic item's reach. If you shut down the device for the sake of blackmail, you could destroy your own threatened habitat overnight, you know."



"It's kind of a self-inflicted wound, isn't it?"



　It is no laughing matter that only your clan was destroyed when you threatened to take everything you thought you had.



"In fact, I heard that there was a fool who really tried to do that in the past. It ended up being a disaster, and after that, the other feudal lords decided to cooperate in keeping the information secret because they couldn't bear to be involved themselves.



And that's how it came to be.



That's why.



　I see. The magic tool to protect the country cannot be used in such a convenient way, but even if I explain it to you, some of you will not believe it until you actually use it.

　If it can be used in such a convenient way, emperors and generals of the past would have made good use of it.

　The fact that they did not do so is proof that the emperor's words are correct.



But what does this have to do with what you just said about the clothes?



"That's easy. As I said, I am the heir to a line of magic item technicians that has been passed down from generation to generation. That's why I spend my days maintaining the giant magic items that protect the peace of the country. In other words, this is my work clothes."



"Work clothes?



　Well, if you ask me, the fluttering, undecorated clothes that resemble exotic garments do not look like work clothes at all.



"I was hoping you would at least wear something decent when you had an audience with me.



　A priest complains that he should at least behave properly on official occasions.

　It seems that the emperor is a rather zubo-...... free man.



Don't talk so much. Don't tell me that I am a magic item engineer wearing such a fluffy dress and I won't be believed.



　Well, that's true, too: ......



"You couldn't make me believe you were the emperor even in that outfit, could you?"



　I guess it is. In fact, I didn't believe it either.



"Oh, it's okay. I believed you.



"Yes, I was a witness."



　But I had no idea that the emperor was a magician.

　It is hard to believe, but it is hard to believe that they would go to the trouble of bringing in the next general to make a farce of it.

　I suppose what has been said so far is true.



"Oh. That's why I've entrusted you with the administration!　I guess that completes the succession of the Shogun!"



"What?　Is it that easy?



　The emperor, who was supposed to have been arguing with the priest earlier, appointed me as a general as if he had some business to attend to.



"Oh, yes!　It's okay, because I'm the emperor and I'm the one who gives the okay!"



　Well, what was all that hard work to get here ...... so easily?



"Please wait. You have not told me the most important thing.



　And then the priest stopped the emperor as he was leaving the room.



"Oh, yes. Hey, kid. Give me the sword at your waist."



"The sword?"



　I don't know what it is, but I do as I'm told.

　The emperor grabbed the sheath of the sword and looked at the handle without drawing the blade.



"Good, good, you have inherited it well.



"Inherit?　It's just a sword that my father gave me as a gift for my first year of school.



"Yes, the blade. But this is different.



　With these words, the emperor disassembled the hilt and took the tsuba out of the blade.



"Is this the sword's tsuba ......?"



Yes, this is important. This is the key to activate a huge magic item that will protect the country.



"The sword guard is the key to the magical artifact?"



　What?　What does that mean?



What do you mean? The keys to activate the giant magic items are the tsubas of two swords, a tachi and a wakizashi, held by emperors and generals from generation to generation. The key that the emperor holds is inlaid in the device to activate the giant magic item at all times. Your key is a backup in case something happens to that key."



"That's what this Tsubaki means: ......"



　Well, I never thought that a sword given to me by my father had such a secret. ......

　Hmmm, I'm so glad I took my sword with me when I ran away from the castle: ......



"Take it and go to the giant magic item. There, have that Tsubagu register you as Lord, and your shogun title will be complete. ......"



"I didn't know there was a spare key here."



　That's when it happened.

　Just as the emperor was about to stand up, the walls of the mansion suddenly blew away.



"Gah!"



"Saburo, are you okay?



　As he braved the blast, he looked in the direction of the scream and saw a priest injured while protecting the emperor.




A painfully broken piece of building material was lodged in his back.



"We are lucky not only to have succeeded in breaking into the village, but also to have learned of the existence of a spare key.



　From behind the cloud of dust, the sound of something being dragged along with a strange man's voice could be heard.



"Who are you?



"Oh, I beg your pardon. My name is Zalkyr, the Witch Zalkyr.



　The man who appeared with these words was a demon with dark brown skin, silver hair, and bat wings sprouting from his back.

　He was a companion of the terrible demon who had attacked me before.



A demon?



　I never thought he'd show up here!



"Nonsense!　A demon?　This village is wired to keep the wicked out!



　But the emperor was even more astonished.

　I mean, was there such a thing as warding in this village?



　But the witch laughingly denies that the wards had any meaning at all.



Wards mean nothing to me. Now give me the key. Unless you want to end up like this guy.



"Ugh."



　The Majin raised one arm out of the cloud of dust and smoke, and there was the wounded Haruomi.



"Haruomi?



"Waka, young ......, please run away ......."



　Haruomi tells Yo to run away in a weak voice.



"What have you done to Haruomi?



He was standing in front of the house like a dog. I was just playing with him.



　The demon who answers as if it were nothing at all makes me tremble with anger.



"You!



"Now give it to me. If you don't give it to him, he'll give it to ......."



　The demon tugged at Haruomi's arm carelessly, causing her to scream as the sleeves of her kimono tore.



"Gaaaah!"



Haruomi!



"What's wrong?　If you don't hurry, this man's arm will be torn off, okay?"



"Gah!"



　The demon shows Haruomi the suffering figure with an amused smile on his face.　



"Wait!



"No, no. If you give it to him, the earth of Amagamine will ......"



"Shut up, old man!"



Whoa!""Whoa!""



The demon wields his arm and the emperor and the priest are blown away.

　No! Not only Haruomi's life but also the emperor's and the priest's are in danger!



"Okay, okay. You can have the key. Just give me Haruomi!



　He throws the sword's tsubag at the Majin, who releases Haruomi's hand and takes the tsubag from him.



"Ha-ha-ha-ha, now I have the key!　See, I'll give him back!



"Agh!



　The Majin, laughing merrily, kicks Haruomi carelessly and rolls him toward him.



"Haruomi!"



　I picked up the injured Haruomi and made sure he was all right.

　Thank God, he is wounded but does not seem to have lost much blood and the wound does not seem to be deep.



I'm sorry. It is my fault that the key is ......."



　Haruomi, however, still apologizes to me apologetically.



"I don't care!　I would not trade your life for anything!"



　Yes. Haruomi is more important to me than a key to a magic tool I don't understand.



Young!　What a ......!"



　Hearing this, Haruomi's face contorted apologetically and ......



"What a foolish man!"



　Suddenly, he pushed me away, and then he pushed me down to the ground and mounted me on his horse.



"What?　Ggh!



"Ha-ha-ha, you are not a general after all, abandoning your country and people for the sake of immediate profit!






　Haruomi curses me with a smile I have never seen before.

　What the hell is wrong with you?



Haruomi, come ...... back to your senses!



"What?"



　At that moment, Haruomi stops moving.

　Did my words get through?



It's not Haruomi.



What?



"My name is not Haruomi!　My real name is Chun Ying!"



"Spring ...... bush warbler?"



　The name, which I had never heard before, puzzled me.

　Haruomi's real name?



Yes, the name of the king who took the character for spring, which heralds the seasons. The true name that your father stole from you!"



　Stolen?　Your father?



"Stolen"?　You are Yume's son, after all!"



　Hearing Haruomi's words, the emperor asks him, looking upset.



"Oh, you knew. You are indeed the emperor.



"Yume's?　Who is that?"



　I've never heard that name before. The name of the wife of the lord of this clan?



I'm surprised you don't know the name of the Shogun's wife.



　Your father's wife?　No, no. Your father's regular wife is ......



"Your father's wife is my mother.　What are you talking about, Haruomi?



　Yes. Your father's wife is my mother, Koromo. Not some woman named Yume.



You've been taught nothing. d*mn you!　You took everything from me!"



　But Haruomi says I don't know.

　Are you really saying that my father had a wife other than my mother?

　Is that why the emperor was so surprised?



"What do you mean!　What are you talking about?



"Well, if it were true I'd tell you everything and then kill you in despair, but there's no telling when those boys will be back. You can die without knowing anything!



　Haruomi drew his sword and thrust it toward me.



"What?



　But instead of pain, what he heard was Haruomi's surprised voice.

　Then, Haruomi's blade was repelled by a wall of light.



What in the world is this?



What is this?



The light is protecting the Yoren monk?　What the hell is that?"



　Even the emperor is astonished, not knowing what this is.

　Then who in the world is protecting me?



What are you playing at? A mere mortal!



　A reddish-black glow of evil gathered on the demon's hand and shot out toward me.



"d*mn!"



　Haruomi jumps back in a panic to avoid getting caught in the middle.

　No, I have to run too!

　But the demon attacked before I could even stand up.



"Whoa!



　There was an explosion, and my body was obliterated ...... into pieces.



"What the hell?"



　When I opened my eyes, I saw Majin and Haruomi with astonished expressions on their faces.

　And in front of me was the wall of light from before.



　Was this wall protecting me after all?



"Yeah! Clever!　How about this!"






　The demon produces a large amount of reddish-black light and shoots all of it at me.



"A barrage of attacks even a dragon cannot withstand!　Blow it up!



　No!　This is a bad idea!

　But how can I avoid it indoors?　Run outside ......



"What?　No!"



　Yo tried to escape, but then he remembered that the emperor and the others were right next to him.

　If I escape alone, the emperor and the others will be killed instead!



"d*mn!"



　I will stay there, prepared.

　I beg you, Wall of Light!　Protect me and the emperor!



　And then everything in sight was engulfed in a reddish-black explosion.



"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!"



　Please!　Endure!



"Kuh ha ha ha ha ha ha!　I hope you disappear without a speck of dust!"



　The loud laughter of the demoniacs and the sound of explosions take over the world.

　Tremendous vibrations shake the earth, and the impact is so violent that it threatens to destroy the world.



"Well, I may have overreacted a little in my passionate mood..."



"Indeed. I almost got dragged into it myself.



"Ha-ha-ha-ha, don't say that. Now, let's see your hated enemy turned into a piece of meat ......."



　The smoke clears and our gazes cross.



"...... well, I'm alive."



　Well, I'm alive.

　And the emperor and the others are alive. You look like you're about to faint.



How are they alive?



　Majin and Haruomi scream that I'm alive.

　I hoped they would endure, but they really did and I was surprised.

　What really is this wall of light?



"Duh!　How stubborn and abominable you are!"



　Haruomi glared at me and spun resentful words.



"Haruomi ......"



　Why? Why do you hate me so much? ......



"Ugh!"



　That's when it happened.

　The sound of the priest in pain as he protected the emperor echoed through the room.



"No!　We have to get him to a doctor as soon as possible!"



　That's right. If we don't do something, the priest will die!



"Hmm?　I see. Hey, those two. If we aim directly at those two, that strange wall of light won't show up.



"Huh?"



　Hearing Haruomi's words, the Majin smiles pleasantly.



"What do you mean, Haruomi?　This man is the emperor!



　It is a terrible crime to kill the emperor who protects this country!



"So what!　I don't give a d*mn about the emperor who left me to die!　If I could see you suffer for killing them, I would gladly kill you!"



How dare you!



"If you want to protect them, you protect them!　But how long do you think that strange wall will hold?"



"d*mn!"



　I certainly don't know why this wall of light is protecting me.

　Maybe at any moment this wall will lose its power and disappear.




　But ......



"But we can't just leave him there!"



　I move toward them with my sword at the ready to distract the enemy from the emperor and his men.

"Take the priest and run while you still can, my lord!　You who can repair magical tools, we cannot let you die!"

　I am the next general to protect this country!　Even if I die, I will protect the emperor!



"Haaah!"



Whoa, you're dealing with me!



　As Yo was about to attack the demon, Haruomi stood in his way.



Haruomi!



　Tsk!　The sword has been disassembled to remove the tsubasa, leaving only the blade, so it cannot hold its power properly!



Come on, let's do this!



"Heck, humans are really stupid if they hate each other as their own race!"



　The light raised by the demons is shot out toward the emperor and the others.

　But the emperor, who was carrying a seriously wounded priest, could hardly avoid it.



My Lord!



　Yo stepped forward to protect the emperor, but Haruomi stopped him.



"Ha-ha-ha!　I said I won't let you!



Haruomi!



　No!　We're not gonna make it!



It's okay!



　That's when it happened.

　A young woman's voice echoed through the war-torn room.

　At the same time, something collided with the reddish-black glow of the demoness and exploded.



"Whoa!



"Rock wall!"



　The ground in front of Teishama and the others rises to protect them from the reddish-black glow that has burst.



"Oh?　What is this?



What's happening?



　The demons do not seem to understand what is going on, and their bewildered voices can be heard.



"I don't know why the demons are here, but don't think you can do whatever you want now that we're here.



　As if ignoring our confusion, a young woman appears with the voice we heard earlier.



"Who are you?



　The demoness shouts in alarm and tries to shoot the reddish-black light at the woman.

　But another shadow appeared from behind him.



"It's not just Liliela!"



"Gooo!　Is that a new move?



　The one who cut the demon from behind was a young woman as well.



What the hell are you ......?



"Nolbu, take care of my uncles over there.



"Yes, sir. Don't worry. We'll take care of you right away.



　I turned to look at the third voice and saw a strange young man casting a healing spell on the priest.

　The young man's healing magic seemed to be quite skillful, and the priest's seriously injured wounds healed in no time.



"Oh, oh?　The pain!



"Saburo!　Thank goodness ......"



　Relieved at the sight, Yo turned his attention back to the women who were facing the demoness again.



"You look like you are from another country!



　Haruomi's words made my heart flutter.

　That's right. That figure, that costume...it's definitely the appearance of a foreigner.



Are you one of Mina's people?



"Oh, you know Mina?"



　A woman hears Mina's name and turns around.

　But that was a mistake.




　Majin and Haruomi attacked the woman who looked away.



Kaaah!"



No!



　Oh my God!　How dare you lose focus in the middle of a fight!

　I hurried to catch up with Haruomi, but from here I'll never make it in time!



Oops, I won't let you.



　However, the other woman interfered with the attack and took advantage of the opening she created to avoid the attack altogether.



"Hey!"



"You seem to be from this country, are you one of the demons?



　The attacked woman did not seem to panic and looked at Haruomi with doubtful eyes as she and the demon attacked them.



"d*mn!"



"Oh, well. We got what we came for. Let's get out of here.



"...... yes, sir."



　Haruomi backs down at the Majin's words urging him to retreat.



Wait, Haruomi!



　But I will stop Haruomi.

　He has not yet heard Haruomi's true intentions!



"...... My name is Haruyoshi! I am not your vassal!"



　Haruomi's words of rejection make me stiffen involuntarily.

　At the same time, a large black sphere appears behind them.



"Is that ...... the transition gate?



　One of the women who had been assisting me made a panicked noise for the first time.

　The demon enters the sphere, and Haruomi also enters.

　Before his body completely submerges, Haruomi opens his mouth.



Yukinojo, we are going to destroy this country. We are going to destroy this country that has taken everything from me!



Why, Haruomi?



If you want to stop me, come under the grimoire!



Haruomi!



Farewell, Yukinojo!



"Wait!"



　Haruomi's entire body sank into the black sphere, and the sphere instantly shrank in size and disappeared.

　In its wake, both the demon and Haruomi were gone.



"Oh no, he escaped.



"I'm glad I didn't go in there. If you enter the gate of the demon, you don't know where you will be sent.



　The people who helped me were saying something, but I could not hear them.

　I was more concerned about Haruomi's disappearance.



"Why? Why Haruomi, Haruomi, Haruomi!



　With his indignation that there was no one to answer his question, he could do nothing but shake his fist at the ground. ......