Heavenly Swords of the Twin Stars: Volume 5 E-Book

Riku Nanano

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: Heavenly Swords of the Twin Stars
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 354

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

With the help of his friends, Sekiei successfully manages to defend the city of Butoku from a sustained attack by Orid Dada, a Gen noble who is a powerful general in their army, but Rinkei remains in grave danger as the White Wraith and his troops continue their advance on the capital. Emperor Adai isn’t the only threat to Ei, however; having fallen for the machinations of an organization maneuvering in the shadows, Jo Hiyou prepares to make his move as well.

But now is the time for a counterattack. After deciding that their next move should be to liberate the Chou army’s homeland of Keiyou from Gen control, strategist Ruri comes up with a plan that will fully utilize the Princess Imperial, Kou Miu, and the Heirloom Seal of the Realm. The naive princess’s time with the Chou and U armies has revealed the reality her people and country face, and her resolve may turn out to be the only thing that can stop Ei from being totally destroyed.

Leseprobe

Prologue

“Lord Hiyou, how auspicious that you’ve returned safe and sound! What is the situation at the front?”

“Instead of invading the southern regions as predicted, the Ei army approaching the border suddenly turned and marched northward. The city is abuzz with rumors that the Ei army has returned to the capital, Rinkei, though there is no telling how accurate such rumors are, for we haven’t received much in the way of intelligence lately.”

“I hear that a group of salt bandits who had been making trouble on the central plains fled without a fight when horsemen descended on the area. They say these bandits follow a strange religion, and rumors abound that they plan to launch an attack on the southern regions. The people worry for their safety.”

Ever since my return to my manor in Nansui, a major city in the southern regions, I—Hiyou, the interim head of the Jo family—had found myself swarmed by elderly attendants and civil officials. The sun had long since set by this point, drawing a veil of darkness over all of us, but they must have been far too anxious to return to their own homes. I couldn’t blame them. After all, the Jo family had made an enemy of the powerful Ei Empire.

Several months earlier, the grand chancellor, You Bunshou, had summoned me to Rinkei. The moment I arrived, they locked me away in an underground prison and tortured me. With the help of the wise and patriotic Sir Denso, I managed to escape, whereupon I killed You Bunshou and returned home to Nansui. Yet despite my accomplishments, the elderly attendants of the Jo family still viewed me as an immature and inexperienced youth, and it would be a long time yet until I attained the same status as my father, Jo Shuuhou, the Phoenix Wing, who had been killed on the field of battle.

“There is nothing to worry about,” I said in as severe a voice as I could muster up. I brushed my military uniform, cleaning off all the dirt that had accumulated on it during battle, and this downwards movement made the sword hanging from my belt knock against my thigh with an audible thud. “The Ei army feared our might and fled to the north. As for those salt bandits attempting to invade our lands, I already took care of them.”

Murmurs erupted from the crowd of attendants and officials that had gathered around me and there were lots of smiles of relief.

“Amazing!” exclaimed a voice from the crowd.

“I should never have doubted Lord Shuuhou’s successor,” added someone else.

“How lucky we are to have such a reliable leader in these tumultuous times!” another lauded.

“That’s why refugees from all across the continent are flocking here in search of peace and stability,” yet another person pointed out.

With a great deal of effort, I managed to school my expression into a more neutral one in an attempt to hide my bitterness. In reality, I hadn’t accomplished a single thing. It was true to say that after I had returned to my homeland, I had made the decision to rebel from Ei, ignoring the protests from my sickly mother and talented younger brother, as well as the warnings from my grandparents who were protecting the southern borders. And I did indeed force everyone to follow suit. Yet the only enemies I had actually fought since my defection were the odd gang of bandits or whichever unorganized military squad decided to threaten our borders.

While I wanted to launch an attack on the north, we were suffering from a serious lack of ships and horses at present. Without those, we couldn’t solve our problems militarily, despite having more than ten thousand soldiers under my command. I simply had no way of expanding the territory I had inherited from my father. Worse still, the Jo family’s dwindling funds and supplies continued to drain away every time I ordered the army to do anything. How could I possibly relax under such circum—

“Lying is part of a general’s job. Keep a confident smile on your face, even when things aren’t going well.”

“You smile too much. It isn’t healthy to push yourself so hard; moderation is important.”

The advice I had received from Lord Chou Sekiei and Lady Chou Hakurei echoed in my head and I thought back to their smiling faces. I had fought alongside them in that ridiculously reckless Seitou invasion. Their father, Chou Tairan, the National Shield, had been one of the pillars supporting the Ei Empire, alongside my own father and the Tiger Fang, U Jouko. What happened to them after their father was executed? I really hope they survived, but...

“Hiyou!”

I was dragged out of my reminiscence of these unforgettable heroes of the Ei family by a young man calling out to me from the back of the manor before promptly running towards me, a girl’s hand clutched in his. His hair was a light reddish color and he was wearing the green uniform of the civil officials, while the girl’s hair was a similar shade to his. There was genuine joy on the man’s face at the fact that I had returned, and on seeing his expression, the tension I had been carrying in my shoulders faded away and my lips stretched into a grin.

“Yuushun, Karin,” I said, greeting them.

They were Jo Yuushun and Jo Karin, my younger brother and sister respectively. After all of the people I had lost on the battlefield, I would give my life to protect theirs. Although to be more precise, Karin was the only one fully related to me by blood. Yuushun was the son of my deceased uncle. However, that distinction had little bearing on how I felt about him.

When I became the interim head of the Jo family, my thirteen-year-old brother in turn became the overseer of the family’s internal affairs. “You can deal with what goes on outside, and Yuushun can deal with what goes on inside,” my mother would repeat over and over, constantly reminding me of the division of labor that was required to keep everything running smoothly. The gathered attendants and officials stepped aside to allow Yuushun and Karin to walk right up to me.

The mood now considerably lightened, I clapped my younger brother on his shoulder. “Have you been well?”

“I have,” he replied. “Congratulations on your safe return.”

“All I did was kick some bandit butt,” I said, and I wasn’t lying either. The Ei army didn’t seem to be up to much. Something was very wrong either on the central plains or in the capital.

“Karin, come on. You have to greet our brother as well,” Yuushun prompted.

My younger sister poked her head out from behind my brother. She looked adorable in her pale-green nightgown, and although she had only just turned eight, I could see the makings of a beautiful woman in her pleasingly symmetrical facial features. She must have gotten her looks from our mother.

“W-Welcome home, hi,” she said in a voice so soft, it was nearly inaudible.

She was such a bright and cheerful child when father was alive. Before I could respond, Karin bowed her little head, then turned and scampered away. The female attendants standing in the corner of the hallway hurried after her.

Yuushun stared after her for a moment before sheepishly scratching his cheek. “She was so excited about your return, she didn’t sleep a wink last night. I apologize on her behalf.”

“Don’t worry about it. While I might have left my helmet and armor back in the base on the outskirts of the city, my military uniform is still caked in dirt, as you can see. My appearance must’ve frightened her.” I had already dirtied my hands with blood, and while I wasn’t ashamed of that fact, I would never dare to embrace my younger sister and sully her with my sins. Turning to my attendants, I announced, “I’m sure you all have plenty to say to me, but I’d like to spend the evening with my brother. In private. I hope you understand.”

Even back during my father’s days, the office in the Jo manor didn’t have all that much in the way of furniture, making it look clean and organized. My little brother spent most of his time in here, due to his specializing in paperwork, though now that I thought about it, he seemed far too mature for a boy of thirteen. I sat down in the old chair my father had always sat in and a white porcelain cup was placed in front of me, the amber-colored tea inside giving off a fragrant aroma.

“Here you go, Hiyou,” Yuushun said.

“Ah, thank you,” I replied, picking up the cup and taking a sip. There was no hint of bitterness in its flavor, and I would even have described it as “pure.” The last of the tension in my body melted away and I blurted out my honest opinion of the drink. “It’s delicious.”

“It’s a special blend I ordered for you from Kuragejima. Due to the special circumstances as of late, the merchants in the city don’t really carry it anymore. But well, let’s just say I have my own ways of sourcing it.” With the exception of martial arts, my younger brother always performed tasks better and in a smarter way than I ever could. In this moment though, he was smiling at me like a child who had just pulled off a prank.

I took yet another sip of my tea and pondered his words. We were maintaining a cordial relationship with the foreign tribes in the south, but the central plains had been ravaged in the Gen invasion, leaving them in no fit state to trade. Unless the situation changed soon, our supply problems would only get worse. War was a death knell to business. I placed my cup on the side table next to me and focused on the sounds floating over from the streets outside. It seemed quieter than before, which was evidence that people had started holing themselves up inside their houses.

I rested a hand on my forehead and closed my eyes, then asked something that had been on my mind for a while. “How’s mother holding up?”

My mother, Jo Shion, had once been a bright, lively ray of sunshine, illuminating the rest of the family. But when my father died at Ranyou, she fell ill, and these days, she spent all day every day resting in bed.

Yuushun poured some tea into his own cup, then sat down in the chair opposite mine. “Better than she was six months ago.”

“I see.”

Silence fell over the room, with the sizzle of the candles on the walls the only sound daring to break it. Judging by Yuushun’s expression, my mother wasn’t in a good state.

I bowed my head to my brother, even though he was four years my junior. “Under normal circumstances, I—as interim head of the household—would be the one taking care of mother, Karin, and everyone else. It’s thanks to you taking charge of our internal affairs and maintaining our military logistics that we can focus on the fighting on the front lines. I sincerely apologize for all of the responsibilities I have loaded onto your shoulders. Please forgive your pathetic older brother.”

“Wha—?!” In contrast to his usual calm, friendly demeanor, Yuushun practically jumped to his feet and protested loudly. “You’re not pathetic. Oh, if only I wasn’t so powerless! Then I’d be able to help you with...” He turned to look out of the round window at the moon hanging in the sky.

“Yuushun, there’s something you want to say to me, isn’t there?” I prompted. “Don’t hold back. You and Karin are the only family I have left.”

“Hiyou.” My brother placed his cup down on the table with a gentle clink. The night breeze wafted between us without making a sound as he shifted his slender body in his seat, sitting up straighter and staring at me with his intelligent eyes. “I, Jo Yuushun, have a concern I would like to bring to your attention, interim head of the Jo family.”

He’s so young, I reflected. If the country hadn’t been at war and if father had still been alive, Yuushun might have become a prominent academic, one whose name would be known across the land. I was ashamed of the fact that I was responsible for the pained expression that was presently marring his face.

Ignoring the way I was looking at him, my brother laid a map out on the table and tapped an area near Rinkei. “We got word today from someone fleeing the capital that the vanguard of the Gen army had reached the great water fortress, the final defensive line protecting the capital. The enemy army’s supreme commander is the White Wraith, Adai Dada, and he has with him anywhere between two hundred thousand and three hundred thousand soldiers.”

I suppressed the fearful shudder that threatened to rack my body. This dying country, ruled by an utter buffoon, had lost the Phoenix Wing, the Tiger Fang, and the National Shield. The vanguard in question had crushed me and my army. There was no one left in Ei who could stand up to them, let alone the monster now calling himself the Black Wolf.

Yuushun slid a thin, pale finger across the map. “In response, the Ei army has called back all their soldiers from the various fronts. It seems they’re preparing for a final showdown. No matter who emerges victorious, our family must soon make a choice.”

The empire would fall. Ei—the nation my father had loved so dearly and had risked so much to protect—would be destroyed. I always knew this day would come. Or at least, I had suspected as much. But now that the reality of it was looming large on the horizon, I found it impossible to make a snap decision on the choice that was being presented to me. I was far too different from Lord Sekiei, who had been able to smile in front of his soldiers even while riding across the Ranyou battlefield.

With self-critical thoughts still swirling around my head, I drained the last of the tea from my cup, then asked, “If we continue to watch from the sidelines, then no matter who wins out of Ei and Gen, the victor will regard us as an enemy and crush us once they have recovered their strength. Is that what you’re worried about?”

“It is,” Yuushun confirmed, looking down and clenching his fist. “The southern regions are abundant in resources, and thanks to the people’s adoration of our parents, the people haven’t rebelled against us despite having heavy military taxes imposed upon them. In contrast, the central plains are in uproar as the governments there try to replenish their coffers after the fall of Keiyou and after Gen launched its grand invasion. If the Seitou invasion hadn’t happened and our lands had remained peaceful until Karin became of age, we might have attained enough power to keep hold of our independence, but as it stands, the Jo family can’t...”

“Yes, you’re right,” I said to fill the silence left behind by him trailing off.

We had truly done our best, and as a result of our efforts, our homeland was still at peace despite everything. I was sure my father in the afterlife would be praising us for all of the work we had put in over the past six months, although it was true to say that part of our success had been down to luck in that the south was considered a rural region. The Seitou invasion had dealt an unbelievable blow to our forces and the Jo army was not the mighty outfit it once was. If Gen’s powerful army chose this moment to attack us, then...

Yuushun’s eyes met mine. “We need to make a decision now. Do we forget past grudges and ally ourselves with Ei? Or do we side with Gen?”

In the past, I would have jumped to my feet in a rage at this line of questioning, declaring that neither path was viable, but I was now the interim head of the Jo family, which changed the equation significantly. I couldn’t just bury my hatred of the grand chancellor, yet at the same time, I had a duty to protect everyone in the southern regions. I leaned back in my chair and buried my face in my hands.

“Hiyou?” Yuushun said.

It took me a moment to summon the strength to reply. “I’m a little tired right now. Let’s continue this tomorrow. I still have to inform mother of my return.”

“I understand.” I heard Yuushun stand up and walk away, then heard the door at the end of the room open. Even though my eyes were still closed, I sensed that he had stopped at the threshold. “No matter which option you pick, I will support you in your decision. Good night.” Then, he left the room, the sound of his footsteps receding into the night.

I slowly removed my hands from my face and heaved a sigh. On opening my eyes, I reached up to the ceiling. Without Yuushun here, the room suddenly felt very cold, but I remained there, and it ended up being the only witness to my subsequent monologue. “Save Ei or surrender to Gen, hm? Curse you, Yuushun. You always know how to strike where it hurts. So he thinks I don’t have the strength to maintain the independence of the southern regions, huh? Ha ha. He’d make a far better patriarch than I.”

Yuushun was, of course, right. No matter how much my heart wanted to reject the truth, the Jo family didn’t have the luxury of choosing. Even if I did decide to prioritize my anger and launch an attack on the second-rate soldiers and bandits threatening our borders, it wouldn’t change a thing. If the young strategist of the Chou family (I believe her name is Ruri?) were here, she might have been able to come up with a plan, but unfortunately, she wasn’t. No longer finding myself able to remain seated, I stood up and strode towards the inner courtyard. When I got there, I stared at the dim candlelight in one of the stone pagodas, then all of a sudden, I felt someone’s eyes on me.

My hand moved to my sword and in a cold voice, I called out, “Who goes there?”

“P-Please wait a moment, Lord Jo Hiyou! I-I am no enemy of yours!” The person who subsequently rushed out from the shadow of the stone pagoda and bowed his head to me was dressed in a grubby cloak and had a fox mask covering his face. I sensed no malice from him, but I refused to drop my guard. Seeing the way I was still glaring at him, the man took a piece of paper out of his pocket. “I am a messenger in the employ of Master Denso and I bear news from Rinkei. Please take it.”

“You are a messenger of Sir Denso’s?” Ever since he had helped me to escape Rinkei, I had tried several times to reach out to him, but to no avail. Since he was such a smart man, I figured he had fled the capital himself and was amassing his own army. I took the paper from the man and quickly read it. “Th-This is...” I gasped. I-Impossible! I can’t believe this. I carefully folded the letter again and looked at the masked man kneeling before me. “Messenger, I need to be absolutely sure. Is he serious? The capital’s in a chaotic state, but I can’t believe...” I paused. “No, I simply can’t believe that something like this could have happened.”

“Master Denso is deadly serious. He truly wishes to save our doomed homeland. If he didn’t, why would he stay behind in that corrupt capital and work with the marshal of the Imperial Guard?” the man said in response to my suspicions, spitting out the last part in clear disgust.

Ou Hokujaku, the marshal of the Imperial Guard, and Rin Chuudou, the deceased lieutenant chancellor, had been the ones who had pushed for a Seitou invasion in the first place. They were responsible for my father’s death. And Sir Denso was allying himself with one of them? I rested my hand on the hilt of my sword and gritted my teeth. Homeland? Homeland, you say?!

I’d killed the detestable grand chancellor with my own two hands. According to the rumors I’d heard, terrified of the White Wraith and the encroaching Gen army, the useless emperor was spending his days in the arms of his favorite concubine. I had no idea where Lord Sekiei and Lady Hakurei were, and there were only a handful of officers left who could defend Ei. In that case, Sir Denso and I could use any tactic at our disposal to save the country! Yet...

A cold wind blew through the courtyard. I closed my eyes. “I owe Sir Denso a great debt. He saved my life. If I could, I would repay him for that this very moment.”

My mind was already halfway to a decision. The problem I had was that mother and Yuushun would never approve of it. I couldn’t afford to split my family in two at this moment in time. Or perhaps, given that the situation had come to this, I needed to make a move with haste, even if it was one they didn’t agree with.

Opening my eyes again, I smirked at the messenger. “However, the Jo family lacks the great power that Sir Denso believes we possess. If I must excise the sickness weakening the Ei Empire in accordance with what is written here...” I took a deep breath. Yes, it all falls on this decision. “...I may have to gamble not only my life, but the very existence of the Jo family and the southern regions as well.”

I had steeled my will, yet I shuddered all the same. I already knew I could never be like my father. Like the Phoenix Wing. But if Lord Sekiei were in my shoes, as the wielder of the legendary Heavenly Swords, he would surely have come to the same decision.

Saluting by slamming my fist against my chest, I declared to the masked man, “Messenger, I’d like you to wait two days...” I paused and corrected myself. “No, I’d like you to wait until tomorrow night. As interim head of the Jo family, I promise I will give you my decision before then.”

***

After leaving Hiyou’s room, I—Jo Yuushun—made my way to the very depths of the manor, where there was a room that boasted the toughest security in the entire house. I could feel a weight on my chest as I gently rapped my fingers against the door.

“It’s unlocked,” came the soft voice of a woman from beyond it.

I slowly pushed the door open and padded into the room. A young woman—Lord Shuuhou’s wife, Lady Shion—was sitting up in bed with a smile adorning her pale, sickly face. Her short hair had lost its luster, and her hands that were poking out from the sleeves of her nightgown were practically skin and bones. Her present condition was frankly alarming.

“Yuushun, thank you for all your hard work,” she said.

“Please, there’s no need for that. This is my job,” I replied with a shake of the head.

I approached her bed. My parents had passed when I was still very young, but Lady Shion took me in and raised me as her own. She had been such a vibrant woman—a ray of sunshine illuminating the whole Jo family—but that all changed when Lord Shuuhou died in that ridiculous Seitou invasion, followed by my brother’s imprisonment after being summoned to the capital. And as if that weren’t enough, the unbelievable news that he’d been the person who had assassinated the grand chancellor reached our ears soon after.

The stress of it all had simply been too much for her, and she’d been sick ever since. And whenever it looked like she might be getting better, it was always one step forwards, two steps back. Even in this moment here by her bedside, I could tell this was one of her bad days. I glanced over to the side of the room and saw Karin asleep on a nearby bench beside a beautiful woman with long black hair and a cloak wrapped around her body. I found it surprising that shy little Karin could sleep so soundly next to a stranger, but I reasoned she must have been an important guest of mother’s. I gave a nod of acknowledgment to the beautiful woman, then settled down in the bedside chair.

Mother treated me to a small smile. Her cheeks were sunken from malnutrition. “Let me cut to the chase: How was Hiyou? Please give me your honest thoughts on him.”

“Hiyou is...” I trailed off, my thoughts whirling around my head. Could I really tell my sickly mother the cruel truth? Could I really put it to her that if we continued to leave Jo Hiyou in charge of the army, he would drive both the Jo family and the southern regions to ruin? Could she really handle that? I picked up a bamboo bottle from the bedside table and poured water into a cup with a floral design, my hand shaking all the while. It took some effort to muster a reply. “My brother is having trouble making up his mind and it pains him greatly. I don’t know if he can let go of his grudge against Ei.”

The wind gusted in from the open window, causing the candle flames lining the walls to flicker. I handed the cup to my mother and looked up at the beautiful moon that was visible from where I was sitting. Ah, how could things have come to this?

My clumsy attempt at sparing my wise mother clearly hadn’t worked, for the way she looked down with a sorrowful expression on her face suggested she had seen through to the truth hidden in my words. “As I’m sure you know, Hiyou was a kind, gentle child. He has witnessed so many senseless deaths, including that of Lord Shuuhou at Seitou. After that, he was accused of a crime he didn’t commit in the capital, and to top it off, someone then tricked him into murdering the grand chancellor. It is little wonder that all of those traumatic experiences he has gone through have left deep wounds in his heart. Yet he still tries his hardest as the eldest son of the Jo family to protect everyone here. I believe that at his core, he is still the same boy I raised.”

“I agree with you,” I assured her.

I had no talent for combat, yet my brother had put his faith in me. He was still putting his faith in me. I had never set foot on a battlefield before, so I had no real idea how nightmarish war could be, other than witnessing how it had transformed my brother from the kind young man he had once been to what he was now. I couldn’t even begin to imagine the sort of insane torture he must have endured while imprisoned in the capital. Still, assassinating the grand chancellor? The effect that could have on the Jo family... I took a sip of my tea, while my emotions and logic waged war against each other in my head.

My mother’s eyes caught the light and seemed to glow. “The Jo family was one of Ei’s pillars, along with the Chou and U families. Yet a member of one of those houses is responsible for assassinating the grand chancellor. No matter the motive behind it, it is absolutely unforgivable.”

Her words stabbed at my heart. My mother had evidently already made up her mind. If necessary, she was willing to remove Jo Hiyou by her own hand.

Lady Jo Shion sighed and closed her eyes, pressing the hair ornament father had given to her in their younger days against her chest. “If Lord Shuuhou were alive today, you and Hiyou could’ve worked together to buy some time in the southern regions until things had calmed down a little around us. The National Shield, Lord Chou Tairan; the Tiger Fang, Lord U Jouko; and the grand chancellor would have aided us in the endeavor as well.”

If only that were the reality! My mother must have seen that I was about to burst into tears because she reached out and placed a hand on my head. It was the same thing she had done the night my birth parents died.

“But we...” She faltered. “We don’t have anyone anymore. In the worst-case scenario, I will be the one who brings an end to the Jo family. If that does happen, take care of Karin for me, Yuushun.”

“M-Mother,” I hiccuped, no longer able to fight back the sobs as tears welled in my eyes, clouding my vision. I knew I was acting like a pathetic little child at that moment, but mother continued to pat my head.

“We must discuss things with Lady Ou Meirin at once,” she stated firmly. “I trust you will help us to get in contact with her, Miss Shizuka.”

“Of course,” the beautiful black-haired woman on the bench said.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and I looked over at the woman named Shizuka. Ou Meirin? Isn’t she related to Ou Jin, one of the most celebrated up-and-coming merchants in Ei? His name has reached even the southern regions.

Shizuka gave a fond look to Karin, who was using her lap as a pillow, then turned her gaze towards us. There was no hint of doubt in her eyes. “Please do not fret. Lord Sekiei has described my mistress, Ou Meirin, as a prodigy in the past. She will surely save both your family and Lord Jo Hiyou, so please stay here and await the good news. You have placed your trust in the right person.”

Chapter One

I—Sekiei, the Chou family’s adopted child—drew the black sword from my belt and slashed through the first training target in front of me, the blade making short work of the straw. Under the beautiful blue sky, I smiled as I sliced my way through the rest of the row of targets.

About a month had passed since the Gen army had launched a surprise attack on Butoku, a major city in the U-family-controlled western regions. The person leading the attack was Orid Dada, a member of the Gen royal family and a famous general in his own right, and the battle that took place on Ten Knights Bridge became legendary. Although we successfully managed to repel their troops, I injured my left arm, and from then until this moment here in the training grounds, my overprotective childhood friend had forbidden me from doing any form of exercise whatsoever. Thankfully, the lack of practice seemingly hadn’t affected my skills too much, and I supposed I could put that down to my ability to heal fast, which was something of a special technique in itself.

I spun around and swiped at the final straw target with my sword, then muttered, “Well, that’s that,” before returning my beloved Black Star to its sheath. As if taking the clink of the hilt hitting the scabbard as some sort of cue, the dozens of straw targets around me all fell to the ground in unison.

The U and Chou soldiers who were also in the training grounds near the manor raised a cheer and pounded their armor and weapons with their fists in appreciation of what they had just witnessed. Most were veterans, but I spotted some young volunteers among them.

Was it really that impressive? Oh well. I’m glad if it has helped to improve morale, even if only by a small amount. We had managed to defeat Orid and score a clear victory against Gen, but in comparison to their powerful army, our allies were simply too weak. While our strategist—a self-professed ascendant—had wisdom rivaling the gods, if the difference between our manpower and morale was too great, we wouldn’t be able to hold out until our final showdown with Gen.

“Lord Sekiei, that was amazing!” exclaimed Teiha, the young vice-commander of the Chou army, dragging me from my thoughts.

“That was an insane display of skill. You really have earned the title of Kouei of the Modern Ages,” added Shigou, the former bandit. He had a black cloth tied around his forehead and a battle-axe slung to his back.

The pair strolled up to me, Teiha—who’d accumulated quite a bit of experience by this point due to the number of battles he’d managed to survive—looking as serious as ever, while Shigou simply grinned at me. D-Damn him! He called me that on purpose because he knows I hate that damn nickname!

It was hard to believe from his appearance and his manner (and pretty much everything else I knew about him) that Shigou was the son of General Gan Retsurai, one of the last remaining pillars still supporting the declining Ei Empire. General Gan’s present job was protecting the great water fortress that was protecting Ei.

I settled myself down in a chair and spread my arms wide. “What’s up with that ridiculously grandiose title, anyway? My dream is to become a plain ol’ civil official.”

Still, it was true that my Black Star was one of the Heavenly Swords of the Twin Stars, the legendary weapons that renowned Tou Empire general, Kou Eihou, had wielded about a thousand years ago, the Tou Empire famous for being the first empire in history to unify the lands under the heavens. In fact, I even possessed Kou Eihou’s memories, foggy as they were. But even so! All I’ve been doing lately is fighting on the front lines, even though my dream is only a humble one. How can anyone call an aspiring civil official “the Kouei of the Modern Ages”?!

I was glad that my childhood friend, Hakurei, and the U princess, Oto, were presently out shopping in the city, and that my strategist, Ruri, was in the manor debating about our next course of action, because if they’d heard me being called by that nickname, they would have laughed themselves to bits. I picked up a pitcher of water and poured some into a cup on the round table.

“Hey, Teiha...” Shigou said with a sigh, looking disappointed.

“Get used to it,” Teiha said. “Think of it as Lord Sekiei’s chronic illness. If even Lady Hakurei and our master strategist haven’t been able to cure him of his delusions, no one can.”

“Guess there’s nothing we can do about it then,” Shigou concluded.

“You guys do know I can hear you, right?” I said crossly.

“Well, we’re speaking the truth, aren’t we?” they replied in unison.

I glared at them and growled, but they didn’t seem the least bit intimidated. Shigou not feeling threatened by me was one thing, but Teiha used to panic the second I seemed displeased at all. Where had that cute little greenhorn gone? The way he now dealt with me was starting to remind me of how the deceased Raigen used to. Must run in the family.

“They’re right, Lord Sekiei!” called out one of the soldiers who had been listening in, prompting the rest of them to start chiming in with their own lighthearted jabs.

“Is he really serious about becoming a civil official?”

“It’s unbelievable, ain’t it? But that genuinely is his life goal.”

“He’s been going on about it ever since we were in Keiyou.”

“Is he mistaking the role of ‘civil official’ for that of ‘great general’?”

The soldiers offering their opinions ranged from familiar veterans, to new recruits from the western regions, to U officers who had survived the hellish Seitou invasion. Also mingling among them were a number of adolescent soldiers polishing fire lances, which were sticks with bronze cylinders attached to their tips.

I’d noticed it earlier, but everyone seemed bright and cheery, even though the Gen emperor, Adai Dada—also known as the White Wraith—was still charging towards Rinkei at that very moment with the intent of conquering Ei and taking over the continent. Furthermore, he had in his employ a man whose strength was so monstrous, he had fought my father—Chou Tairan, the National Shield and guardian of Ei—to a standstill. Yet no one seemed to be in despair about the odds being stacked against us! I would never have said it to their faces, but I was grateful to them for that, and I truly wanted to live up to their expectations.

“Yeah, yeah, yuk it up,” I retorted. “Just know that you won’t find anyone who desires peace more than me!” And that was my honest opinion, even if I did disguise it with a dramatic shrug that shook the black sleeves of my shirt. I looked up into the sky above and noted how different the view seemed to be from the one I was more accustomed to in my homeland of Keiyou.

Clearly oblivious to my feelings on the matter, Shigou crossed his arms and continued to tease me. “Ha! That doesn’t sound like something a hero who’d killed so many Gen soldiers would say.”

“What’s that, Shigou? Did you just say you wanted to be the hero of this army? Great! I’ll go tell our strategist,” I replied, tearing my eyes away from the sky and raising my cup to toast him. Manufacturing a hero would be child’s play for my strategist. She could do anything she set her mind to, save for winning at double six. According to her, the god of dice had forsaken her.

Although he’d only met her recently, Shigou already had a good understanding of Ruri’s capabilities. “Uh, that’s, um, well...” he stammered, his face pinched, then he turned in the direction of the soldiers who were in the middle of doing some training and yelled, “Bah! H-Hey, you clumsy oafs! What do you call that pathetic footwork?! I’ll have to personally come and show you how it’s done!” He grabbed his battle-axe that was strapped to his back and stomped over to them.

Talk about a quick exit. Even though Shigou was a bandit when we first met, he had actually been an Ei soldier once, before turning to a life of skullduggery. Apparently, his superiors at the time had harbored high hopes for his future. It was a given that his old bandit subordinates respected him, and the new recruits did too. I’d made him a frontline commander and really counted on him and his skills.

“Teiha, the offer’s open to you too,” I said as I took a sip of the warm water in front of me.

“Ever since participating in my first battle, I’ve been of the opinion that people should qualify for the positions they hold,” he replied calmly.

“Oh, yeah? Well, that’s too bad,” I replied with a wink.

Soldiers kept their eyes on their commanders at all times, and even the simplest word or action wasn’t missed. It had been like that a thousand years ago too. Teiha was well on his way to becoming an exemplary commander now that he had learned this.

In our next battle, I might even be able to entrust him with one of the army’s flanks, I mused, then placed my cup down and rested an elbow on the table. “Oh, that reminds me. Don’t tell Hakurei that I’ve been training. She’s super overprotective for someone who loves to nag me about morning practice and horse rides.”

“Lord Sekiei, I regret to inform you...”

“Hmm?”

Teiha politely gestured to a point somewhere behind me and a horrible sense of foreboding welled up inside my chest.

“Sekiei?”

The voice was so cold, it sent a shiver down my spine. I-I don’t want to turn around. But if I don’t turn around now, I’ll pay for it later! I chugged the last of the water in my cup as a way of mustering up some courage, while Teiha and the other soldiers grinned at me. Cursing them all in my head, I took a deep breath, then turned around.

A little yelp escaped my throat when I laid eyes on the beautiful girl behind me, who had blue eyes and a scarlet ribbon tying up her unique silver hair. It was my childhood friend, Chou Hakurei. The belt around her white-and-blue ethnic garb held White Star, the matching sword to my Black Star. In her hand, she was holding a cloth bag, and she was staring at me with her big blue eyes. I looked away, unable to withstand the pressure of her attention. It was only then that I noticed the girl with a piece of red cloth decorating her short, dark brown hair standing behind Hakurei. This was none other than the princess of the U family, Oto, and she was holding a shovel in her hand, her cheeks puffed out in a dissatisfied pout.

Uh-oh. I’m in trouble. After all, Hakurei and the other girls had given me strict orders to avoid training. I gave Teiha a beseeching look, but he ignored my silent pleas for assistance and said brightly, “Well then, I believe I should start training as well,” before turning and walking away. Heartless bastard!

Before I could say anything in response, the girls walked up to the table and sat down, placing their cloth bags on it. They didn’t say a word, but under the silent pressure being exerted by the girls—who had been instrumental in defeating the great Orid Dada—I could feel sweat beading on my brow regardless.

“W-Welcome back,” I said. “So, um, Hakurei and Oto...” I hesitated. “I thought the two of you were planning to eat lunch in the city.”

“We had a bad feeling and came back,” Hakurei replied.