Akatsuki Translations

“Is this all…?”

Saburi held a small bowl containing a meager amount of potato soup that couldn’t even fill half of it and expressed his dissatisfaction in a fading voice inside the prison cell.

“Be grateful that you have something to eat at all!”

The one who shouted at Saburi was an elderly soldier with dark skin, called “Old Man Jin” by those around him. As he said that, the voices of discontent that had been grumbling like Saburi’s abruptly stopped. In times like these, the words of the elderly held a strange persuasiveness.

Hario, Saburi’s long-time partner, sat in the corner of the cell, slurping the soup with a gloomy expression.

A sound resembling snoring emanated from Saburi’s stomach.

It seemed wasteful to eat it all at once, but his body, gasping from hunger, craved this meager potato soup.

To avoid finishing it immediately, he sipped it little by little, letting it flow down his throat, but it was almost flavorless. There was no hint of saltiness, and the potatoes had disintegrated. Perhaps due to the small original quantity, it was like lukewarm plain water. Still, it had a slight thickness to it, which was the only consolation.

“Is he still alive…?”

At those words spoken by someone, a topic naturally arose among those who had finished the scarce soup, centered around a certain individual.

“Are you talking about your squad leader? I thought he was just a scrawny guy, but man, he was amazing. Even when he was silent, prey would just keep falling to the ground one after another, so I couldn’t help but follow him.”

“He said it was training. I was forced to accompany him every day, so I knew he was skilled, but I never thought he could easily kill Brights.”

“Hey, didn’t they say in the South that they’re not called Brights?”

“Shut up, who cares about that?”

Their exchanges were followed by remarks from others.

“If I had that kind of swordsmanship, I’d sell myself as a bodyguard to a wealthy merchant or make a name for myself and start a dojo. I’d have a ton of disciples, a beautiful wife, and three children. When I die, I’d pass away peacefully, attended by my grandchildren…”

“If you’re already including your death in your selfish fantasies, you’ve got it easy.”

At someone’s interjection, the defeated soldiers burst into laughter. However, a voice that instantly chilled the cheerful moment resounded lowly in the prison cell.

“How carefree of you…”

Saburi immediately knew who the voice belonged to.

“Hario…”

Hario, glaring at everyone with a seated gaze, looked to anyone like he was picking a fight.

“Hey, what do you mean by that?”

One of the most menacing-looking men in the same cell confronted Hario.

“I said your heads are carefree. You know whose fault it is that we ended up in this predicament, right? It’s him, Shuou! And you’re all praising him with silly grins on your faces… It made me want to vomit just listening to it.”

Saburi noticed that everyone flared their nostrils in anger at Hario’s words.

“Hario, stop it!”

But even his friend’s words didn’t reach Hario.

“Yeah, I know he’s skilled with a sword, that’s right! I’ve seen him take on multiple opponents even without a sword, just with his bare hands. There are people like that… Even in the dojo I attended when I was a kid, there was a genius who came in later but quickly surpassed me and ended up winning against adults. And we ordinary people just watched and muttered about how amazing he was, that’s all we could do.”

Hario’s gaze gradually lowered. His words seemed to fade away, and in the end, it appeared to Saburi as if he was talking to himself.

“Huh? So in the end, you’re just miserable yourself, and you want us to hang our heads like you?”

“N-No, that’s why I’m saying we ended up like this because of him—”

“Shut up, you’re a persistent bastard. What’s done is done, right? We were originally living in a world of life and death. Anyone could imagine ending up like this countless times.”

“Don’t lump me in with you guys! Saburi and I weren’t supposed to come to a place like this. That’s right, if it wasn’t for the order of the Adulelia family’s Ice Princess, who would want to be a watchdog for a guy like that?! He saved the princess and gained her favor, receiving gifts from noble ladies almost every day… Even though he was supposed to be on probation, he easily got promoted… He’s the only one having it good, yet we might die because of him! This is ridiculous, why is it only him—”

In front of Hario, who was speaking with a desperate look, laughter leaked out among the men who had been watching the situation with stern faces.

“Adulelia? Princess? If you’re going to lie, at least choose a better one.”

The stern-faced man who had been confronting Hario was admonished by Old Man Jin, who had been silently observing.

“Hey, Sanji, leave it at that. It’ll be troublesome if we make a fuss and catch the attention of the guards.”

“I’ll do that even without being told. If I had known from the start that he was a poor guy in the head, I wouldn’t have gotten worked up.”

No one was paying attention to Hario anymore.

Saburi knew that much of what Hario had said based on his emotions was true. However, when he thought about the things that Shuou person had done one by one, it was unlikely that those who hadn’t witnessed it firsthand would believe it without evidence.

Hario, unable to gain anyone’s agreement, drooped his shoulders like a wilted tree root.

Saburi, unable to think of any words to say to his friend in such a state, simply stared at the bottom of the empty, crude bowl.

　＊

On this day, just before dinnertime, A Zan was humming a tune in high spirits.

The troops he had left behind to handle the aftermath of the battle had safely completed their withdrawal, and the Uzumi Castle was maintaining a perfect state without any stagnation, fulfilling its role as usual.

Having achieved the remarkable feat of gaining victory over Murakumo in battle, congratulatory messages poured in from various places, and among them, a letter written by the king himself not only praised A Zan’s military exploits but also mentioned that the king himself was planning a visit to Uzumi.

“Mmmph!”

Imagining himself receiving a reward directly from the king, A Zan couldn’t help but let out a smile.

With a cheerful mood, his body, which usually stored heavy excess fat, felt unusually light, and even the dull, light brown stone walls that he always found detestable now seemed to sparkle and shine.

With a light step, he headed towards a special section he had built to satisfy his personal tastes. It was a prison cell prepared to isolate and torture special prisoners he had captured.

A Zan disliked physical exertion, but when it came to torture, it was a different story. Especially before a meal, working up a sweat made the food taste better. The sight of prisoners gasping for breath, writhing and suffering in pain, made it even more exceptional.

As a result, most of those tortured by A Zan lost their lives. However, this was not the result of doing something with murderous intent; most of them simply reached the limits of their physical strength and met their end like withering plants.

Even if it was not intentional, he was aware that what he was doing could be called murder without any hindrance, given that he knew they might die as a result.

But what of it?

He had married into the Coral royal family, and his daughter was a legitimate descendant of the royal line with the right to inherit the throne. He himself held a seat in the upper ranks of the Kuou faith, which had deep roots in various southern regions. With a black robe draped over his shoulders and the rank of monk general, he served as the head of an important stronghold that defended against invasions from neighboring countries.

There was no way anyone would object to A Zan’s actions.

Unlike the priests of the Rishia Church, which governed the northern and western countries, the monks of Kuou were not prohibited from taking lives by their precepts. Rather, they were encouraged to engage in martial training on a daily basis to defend the name of the nation and God.

If the subjects of torture were those who harmed the nation or were people of enemy countries or heretics, there was nothing to be said. It was in line with the precepts of Kuou.

It satisfied a superficial sense of justice, and by unilaterally tormenting someone, he could reaffirm that he was special.

That dimly lit, gloomy, and unclean place was a small temple for A Zan to confirm his own worth.

Accompanied by a single subordinate, A Zan entered the prison cell, which was as dimly lit as a dense forest after sunset. He gave instructions to light the wall-mounted lamps.

He had two people on hand to satisfy his desires. The young man from the Ga tribe, in particular, was a worthy subject to torment, but his mouth never spoke the information A Zan wanted, so he was honestly at a loss.

In the unique ecosystem nurtured in the depths, there were not only creatures classified as “Rabidaemons” but also a variety of other creatures. The bipedal creatures known as “Triskelions” were also one of them. Their speed surpassing that of a swift horse and their jumping power, utilizing the sturdy auxiliary arms folded inside their chests, were worthy of astonishment.

However, Triskelions rarely became attached to humans, and with their habitat being in the depths, encountering them was not easy either.

There were confirmed cases where a Triskelion that had strayed into a human settlement was fortunately tamed, but if it was just a fluke, it had no meaning. Due to the lack of proper breeding methods, even the individuals that had become attached to humans ultimately ended up with short lifespans.

The Ga tribe was a rare clan known for capturing Triskelions and mastering their breeding and reproduction methods. However, the Ga tribe, which possessed superior cavalry forces using Triskelions, was swallowed up by the schemes of neighboring countries, and as a result, it was widely known that the tribe’s bloodline had been severed along with its people. But there were survivors.

The dim light of the lamps illuminated the two men.

One was a Murakumo soldier with dull silver hair. The other was a survivor of the Ga tribe who kept his mouth shut while holding important information.

Perhaps due to the withdrawal of food, the Ga tribesman looked haggard and hung his head, and it was unclear whether he was even awake.

But now, A Zan didn’t care about this man. His target was the newly acquired eccentric Murakumo soldier.

According to reports, this man had single-handedly cut down multiple Stellar Knights and slit the throats of many infantrymen, despite not possessing a Sunstone.

It was hard to believe such information, but there were so many eyewitness accounts, and the fact that the unit this man was said to be in had penetrated unnaturally deep into Coral’s formation matched the reports given by various individuals, leaving no room for doubt about the credibility of the information.

“Now then…”

A Zan left his subordinate waiting at the entrance of the prison cell and entered the Murakumo soldier’s cell alone.

The silver-haired man inside raised his head with an indifferent attitude and stared at A Zan intently. He didn’t seem particularly tired or show any signs of fear, which was not endearing. However, if the reported exploits were true, it was only natural for him to be this composed. Rather, the sight of such a strong person gradually submitting was the majority of the purpose of this act, so he could be considered a perfect subject.

Staring at the silver-haired man as if appraising him, A Zan first tore off the large eye patch that concealed his face.

“Ugh… what an ugly thing.”

He had thought it was just something to hide a wound at most, but what lay beneath it was skin with vividly remaining scars of burns. The part where his right eyelid should have been was melted and festered, painfully sealing one eye.

The moment his true face was exposed, the Murakumo soldier twisted his cool expression and lowered his face as if to hide it. A Zan mocked him.

“What, are you ashamed? Of course you would be, hiding it with such a large thing.”

Tossing the torn eye patch into a corner, A Zan cracked his fingers.

“Let me tell you, I don’t want to extract any information from you. I expect nothing from you other than accepting what is about to happen and showing reactions to my liking.”

Saying that, he took out a whip from his waist. Most people, upon seeing it, would fall silent and break out in a cold sweat, imagining the pain. However, this man took an action that exceeded A Zan’s expectations.

“Let me tell you something too. If you intend to torture me leisurely while I’m tied up here, be prepared for the consequences,” the captive Murakumo soldier said, for some reason issuing words that seemed to intimidate A Zan.

“Wh-what—” A Zan faltered in the face of this unexpected counterattack, and the silver-haired man raised his previously lowered face and began to speak eloquently.

“The one who raised me taught me that those who have experienced pain do not forget it. When a living being experiences agony, it strives to eliminate the cause. Therefore, toying with someone’s life requires a corresponding resolution. I didn’t fully understand the meaning of that until I stepped onto the battlefield. But now I understand. It takes far more courage to keep an opponent alive than to kill them.”

“How cunning… You think you can confuse me by saying incomprehensible things?”

Before A Zan could emotionally raise and swing down the whip, the calm left eye of the man staring at him stopped him.

“If you want to do it, go ahead and swing that down. But I won’t forget. As long as I have life, I will definitely accomplish my revenge against you. If you don’t like that, then kill me right now.”

A Zan instinctively felt that these words were not just a show of false bravado.

He was familiar with the strong eyes that spoke without fear. This was, yes, very similar to the gaze that Ba Ryouki, the renowned heroic general of Shanoa, directed at him. And there was one more person…

—Shara.

The sudden appearance of his daughter’s face in his mind confused A Zan.

His mood completely spoiled, he hurriedly rushed out of the cell, ignoring the calls of his subordinate. Without doing anything, he ran away as if fleeing from the sacred ritual hall that was supposed to be his place of repose.

*

Waiting for the remaining subordinate to diligently lock the cell and leave, Shuou let out a heavy sigh. Then he heard a loud burst of laughter.

“You drove away that pig with just your words. This is the first time I’ve laughed from the bottom of my belly since being locked up here.”

In reality, most of the words Shuou had uttered were nothing more than a bluff. Tied up with no means of escape, there was no way he could carry out revenge. He had simply wanted to avoid being unilaterally subjected to torture and had intended to put on the strongest front possible, but it seemed to have had an unexpectedly effective result.

The man laughing refreshingly received the light from the lamp left behind, exposing his long canine teeth in a broad grin.

“I’m Shiga, Ga Shiga. Tell me, I want to know your name.”

Loosening the tension in his stiffened body and relaxing his shoulders, Shuou, for the first time since arriving here, told the man who had introduced himself as Shiga his own name.