It’s okay. It’s okay. He reassured himself.
It’ll be all over soon. Everything will be put to rights soon.
He felt the thread that coiled around his leg snap. He acted in order to cut off the countless threads that were still wound around his neck.
Soon. Soon.
He looked at the flight feathers on the shelf. They belonged to his mother’s favourite falcon. It had died after his mother’s death as if it followed after her. She told him to look after it, but it was impossible. He never thought about looking after birds and stuff.
He was named after a bird that lived in the lands of the east. He would have rathered the name of a strong eagle.
“Gyoku’ou-sama, there’s someone who wants to see you. What will you do?” His adjutant came over.
Gyoku’ou sat on his chair and perused the documents. “Who is it?”
“Someone who goes by the name of Takubatsu* from the northwestern village. What will you do?”
(*拓跋, Tuoba. Actually the name of a real group of nomadic people from China’s history.)
What will you do? meant, Shall we place a guard in the room?
“It’s fine. You can withdraw as well.”
If not mistaken, a former nomad who settled a few decades ago had such a name. He recalled the man kept making mistakes at the unfamiliar farmwork and came to borrow money from his father. His father was kind, and lent the farmer money. The amount to be paid back was paid through employment during the busy farming season. As interest, it was low. Rather, considering the training fee too, the borrower benefited more. Despite this, his father wasn’t greedy. Can the man with deep pockets provide for strangers to such an extent?
The farmer was probably devising means to get money this time too. Apparently, in normal cases, they wouldn’t hold direct meetings. It can be said Gyoku’ou is odd to have personal meetings.
Why was that? Even though Gyoku’ou was imitating his father.
He wanted to be like his father.
His father’s back was wide. Gyoku’ou had also grown up. But he was different.
In the beginning, he didn’t really pay any mind to it.
His mother and father ran a business and they were surrounded by servants. Father was good at business. Mother was clever too. She worked, checking what father needed. She was an outstanding person.
Gyoku’ou didn’t have any inconvenience. However, when Gyoku’ou turned five, a different mother and child joined his family.
Father doted on his new family. It was a younger sister. Mother also doted on his younger sister, and the second mother was also kind to Gyoku’ou.
And two years later, the third mother and a younger brother came.
Then the fourth, and the fifth…
His family expanded in size. Every time it grew, Gyoku’ou got anxious. He felt the jar of honey was being diluted by water.
The mothers that father had chosen were all clever. One excelled in horse-riding, one was good at arithmetic. The mothers taught their respective child what they were good at. The mothers supported father, and the children assisted their mothers.
Through the ties called family, the newcomer You family got so much larger in the western capital.
At the same time, he noticed that the connection between his father and Gyoku’ou steadily weakened.
“E-excyuse me,” Takubatsu let out, sounding slightly intimidated. His skin was sun-tanned and his outfit was barely proper in the western capital. The farmer smells like dirt, Gyoku’ou thought.
“What is it? Asking for money? I can’t give you special treatment in these times, you know,” Gyoku’ou said.
His being bad at growing fields was still the same now as before. He came crying about his crop failure last year as well.
“N-no. It’s about the debt from last year.”
Gyoku’ou had lent money to this man as his father did. At this rate, the farmer would die from starvation, so Gyoku’ou lent him a large sum. Of course, they also drew up a contract for that reason.
He acted the same his father did.
“Y-yes. B, but…”
“What do you want to say? I was sure I’d lent you quite a bit.”
“T-that’s true, but.” Takubatsu looked imposing but his eyes were filled with misery. “In the contract, you wrote that during an emergency you’d want me to lend a hand, right?”
“Correct.”
“Could the emergency be war?”
“What else could it be?”
His father lent money to have them work during the busy farming period.
In the same way, Gyoku’ou lent money to have them work during emergencies. This man, no, the many other village heads who wanted to borrow as well, received charity with the mistaken idea that an emergency wouldn’t appear.
“Um, will we be waging war against Sha’ou?” Takubatsu asked.
Gyoku’ou was telling them to pay back the interest to the money they had believed to be charity. Even though Gyoku’ou had done something extremely upright, why does the farmer look like he got deceived?
“We have a chance for success. If we obtain the western sea route, we will be rich,” Gyoku’ou said.
The western food supply was more stable when using the sea route compared to the overland route. Although other countries would try to criticise them, merely allowing them to sail like before and lowering the import tax to a sum below Sha’ou’s, it should silence most countries. There was the stopover point too, the country of the priestess has a greedy side.
“I-It’s over if I die.”
“Don’t die.”
Be strong. That was all it took.
“Y-you have it easy. If you’re at the rear carrying the banner. The ones standing at the front will be us, a mishmash of soldier’s, right?”
“The front, huh. In that case, you can be the first to steal.”
There was fear in Takubatsu’s eyes. That’s right, this man was already a farmer. He was no longer the nomad who traversed the grasslands and occasionally stole. “My youngest child was finally born, a son. He’s still sixteen.”
“Sixteen, huh. He’s reached his coming of age. He can get ahead in life.”
“T-there’s no way. If my son is going, I will…”
“Impossible.”
The contents of the contract should be the same everywhere else.
“The ages are fifteen to forty. It’s too late for you.” Gyoku’ou showed him a similar contract.
The man trembled all over, unable to think it through. Then, he tried to snatch the document from Gyoku’ou. Gyoku’ou jerked it away, avoiding him, and the farmer fell awkwardly.
Of course, this was a different contract. It’ll be meaningless if it got ripped.
What happened when he did that? Takubatsu took out a dagger from his breast pocket. He stood ready, then rushed towards Gyoku’ou.
This was inevitable.
The man who pointed the blade at him was to blame.
Was he at fault for holding a one-on-one discussion without guards? However, Gyoku’ou had the leeway to immediately deal with this level of opponent who was rushing towards him.
He picked up the double-edged sword that had been leaning against the wall. Without unsheathing it, he slammed it right into Takubatsu’s belly.
Takubatsu frothed in pain. His bloodshot eyes glared at Gyoku’ou. “You… Ih-spawn.”
Gyoku’ou caught what the man had been muttering under his breath. He found himself tossing the scabbard. Gripping the sword with both hands, he plunged it into the right side of the prone Takubatsu’s back.
The farmer made not even a sound. The froth in his mouth mixed with blood.
Gyoku’ou had avoided the spine and rib, piercing the heart. The farmer had a dagger in his hand. It was sufficient evidence to label him a rebel. After a groan and a twitch, he expired.
Was there no one outside? He said that the guards didn’t need to stay here, but they should be watchful of outside. Moreover, the farmer had been carrying a weapon, so he knew that there was some intent to kill.
Should I call for someone? Gyoku’ou thought. And it was then a familiar man stood at the door.
“What happened here?”
The man, although shocked, feigned serenity. It was Rikuson. The man who came from the capital to be Gyoku’ou’s advisor at his father’s behest.
“Do you not understand the situation in any way?” Gyoku’ou asked.
“…this person came to the government office yesterday too,” Rikuson said.
“That’s right. He signed the contract without reading it and came to avoid paying.”
“Shall I take it as he got beaten at his own game?”
“Yeah, do you think I would lose to this level?”
His face was still twitching. Takubatsu was past hope. Since he had said “Ih-spawn”.
“Yes. Gyoku’ou-sama’s skill has no equal.” Rikuson crouched down and studied Takubatsu.
“I have no fault, but there were no other options. If possible, I want to settle this peacefully,” Gyoku’ou said.
“Yes. That’s true.”
For an instant, Gyoku’ou felt a chill. When he turned around to look, he saw Rikuson’s face.
“I will tell everyone this:” Rikuson’s face was cold.
This time Gyoku’ou’s body felt feverish. Why was that?
“Gyoku’ou-sama encountered a rebel. And was defeated.”
What is he on about? Gyoku’ou thought, but his body slumped over.
Takubatsu’s face was nearby. The dagger in the farmer’s hand was gone.
“It was too late when I arrived. As a last resort, I killed the rebel.”
What was he on about? It made no sense. Gyoku’ou tried to speak but no sound came out. Red froth came out of his mouth.
“—!” He couldn’t make a sound. Only a groan that sounded like a bird’s cry came out.
“Don’t make such a questioning look, please. You became the leading role.”
Tears rolled down Rikuson’s expressionless face.
“Of a tragedy.”
Tears splattered on the ground.
That was the end of Gyoku’ou’s consciousness.
No more thoughts. No more anything.
It was an abrupt end.
