Akatsuki Translations

“I have… retrieved them,” Libi said in a heavy voice as he presented a pair of familiar swords.

To check their condition, Ba Ryouki drew the swords from their sheaths.

“They’re in perfect condition. Where were they found?”

“The discarded swords on the battlefield were all collected and stored in a warehouse. If they were in good condition, they would be reused. If they were in poor condition, they would be shown to a favored traveling merchant and sold at a low price. However, since these were exceptional items, a high-ranking military officer had claimed them as spoils of war. It wasn’t too difficult to track them down, but I had to beg and plead to get them, and in return, I was extorted for a large sum of money…”

Libi’s shoulders slumped. Judging from his demeanor, he must have been thoroughly fleeced.

With a lighter wallet, Libi rubbed his hands together like a merchant looking for prey in a back alley.

“Um, about the money I used to retrieve those swords, would it be possible to cover it with my travel expenses…?”

Ba Ryouki responded to his courageous request with an intense glare.

“…I guess not.”

Libi let out a soft sigh.

Returning his gaze to the swords, Ba Ryouki could tell at a glance that although they didn’t match his own Iwanawa, they were also the work of a renowned master craftsman. The length of the blades was unique, shorter than a typical longsword but longer than a short-bladed light sword. They were probably crafted to suit the qualities of their wielder. Upon closer inspection of the ornament between the blade and the sheath, Ba Ryouki realized it was a snarling wolf. He had thought it was just a decorative pattern, but could it be a crest?

“Do you know anything about the crest of a snarling wolf?” Ba Ryouki asked his nephew.

Libi placed his hand on his chin.

“When it comes to wolves as a symbol, the Adulelia of Murakumo are famous, but…”

“I see… that Ice Wolf clan.”

In the eastern lands, the two families that supported the kingdom, the Wolves and the Serpents, were the most renowned of the renowned noble houses. Reminded of this, Ba Ryouki was overcome by a sense of powerlessness akin to impatience.

–I’m getting old.

“If he possessed a sword bearing the Adulelia crest, could that man be connected to that clan?”

“Perhaps. It’s hard to believe that such talent has gone unnoticed by anyone until now. If it was bestowed upon him, it would make sense.”

Ba Ryouki placed the two swords in a bamboo tube and hid them under the bed.

“Do you intend to give those to that man?”

“That’s right.”

“Why do we–no, why must you go to such lengths?”

“Defeating an opponent who cannot muster their true strength cannot be called a true victory.”

“But for that, you disgraced General A Zan. If this matter is brought up, it may tarnish your standing in the court.”

Ba Ryouki laughed off his nephew’s concern.

“The current royal family needs the backing of the Ba Clan. They’ll overlook something of this level. Besides, the hobby of tormenting prisoners is likely a source of shame for Lord A Zan. I don’t think he’ll make a big fuss about it.”

“That may be so, but–“

Libi suddenly averted his gaze.

“–By the way, where is that man? You said you were going to shelter him in a room…”

“The princess took him to her private quarters.”

“What? Huh?!”

Ba Ryouki explained the simple circumstances to his wide-eyed nephew, but Libi paced around the room suspiciously, not seeming to understand at all.

“Why didn’t you stop her?!”

“Lady A Shara’s proposal was reasonable. It avoids all sorts of troubles and suits my purpose.”

“Even so, you allowed a young girl and a man of unknown character to be in the same room?!”

“I did tell her not to loosen his restraints.”

“That’s not the issue!”

Exasperated by Libi’s persistence, Ba Ryouki spoke as if admonishing him.

“Lady A Shara is not the kind of person who would do something improper. The princess promised to protect that man until the appointed day. I believed in that. That’s all there is to it.”

Libi impulsively reached for the door.

“I’ll go and tell her to reconsider. Don’t stop me!”

“Do as you wish. But think carefully. Is that girl the type of person who would easily break a promise she made?”

After a pause, Libi ultimately remained in the room.

Bowing his head as if to hide his tired expression, he spoke in a voice like a dawn owl.

“…Uncle, can’t we go home now? The agreement between our nations should have been fulfilled with the previous battle. Even if we’re welcomed, we’re outsiders after all. I’m tired of living here.”

“If you want to, you can go back alone. I give you permission. But for me, that battle is not over yet. Until I secure the victory I’ve grasped, this land of Uzumi is where I belong.”

Even though he was brushed off, Libi didn’t try to prepare to leave.

Ba Ryouki had a faint premonition that his nephew’s true feelings, which he had expressed weakly, might stem from A Shara. As an elder, he wanted to offer appropriate words, but having lived solely for the way of the sword, Ba Ryouki had not the slightest idea what to say about matters of love.

*

Shuou still didn’t know much about A Shara as a person, but on the way to her room, he saw burly soldiers shudder and hunch their shoulders whenever they saw her. From this, he imagined a rough picture of her as quite a militant young woman.

Judging from the way she had pinned down the man who attacked him with one leg, she was no ordinary person. Shuou couldn’t tell if the strength to subdue a grown man with a girl’s physique came from the power of the colored miracrystal on the back of her left hand or not, but he found it hard to believe that it was solely due to her innate physical strength.

The room he was taken to was far more spacious than the neat room where Ba Ryouki slept, and the array of luxurious furnishings loudly proclaimed that this room was truly meant for royalty.

“It’s in poor taste, isn’t it?”

Those were the first words of A Shara, who had brought him here.

There was nothing to say in response.

Shuou simply made an effort to observe every corner of the room.

“I wouldn’t recommend trying to leave this room. It’s a room for important people and is designed to make it difficult for intruders to enter from the outside. The same goes for getting out from the inside.”

Feeling as if his thoughts had been read, Shuou pursed his lips.

“I wasn’t thinking about it.”

As if seeing through him, Shara smirked.

“Everything you do is unsightly, but that’s what makes it interesting. Your figure, clumsily trying to live with all your might, is also to my liking.”

The girl spoke as if she were a world-weary hermit. Her words sounded like she was looking down on him.

“Unsightly, huh? Are you referring to me trying to bite your father to death?”

Even such words, which Shuou had said with the intention of provoking her, didn’t faze Shara in the slightest.

“That’s right. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have brought you here.”

Shara sat down on a plush, long red chair and brushed her bangs aside. Her eyes, fixed on Shuou, were strong, without any deception or cloudiness.

“Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t take you in on a whim. As I promised the Sword Saint, I accepted you to protect your life. You are a man whom such a great figure desires to challenge, even at the cost of disgracing a foreign general. Keeping that in mind, I, A Shara, have taken responsibility for your life, Shuou. You just need to wait by my side.”

For a while, Shuou and A Shara exchanged gazes.

If she had truly taken the trouble to protect him and bring him here without any deceit, shouldn’t he be grateful instead? Thinking about it that way, it might be better for his own sake to have a good relationship with this girl. Even a child selecting sweets with pocket money should be able to make that kind of calculation.

“I want to sit. May I?”

When Shuou pointed with his chin to a chair of the same shape opposite Shara, she immediately agreed.

As he let out a sigh of relief at the soft sensation, like a high-quality bed, Shara’s large, round eyes were fixed on Shuou’s hands.

“I just noticed, but your fingertips are bent in a strange direction.”

Upon being told, Shuou responded in a detached manner, as if it were someone else’s business.

“Ah…”

“Well, I can guess how that happened. Let’s call a doctor–“

Shuou instinctively stopped Shara, who had enthusiastically stood up.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll do it myself. If you untie this, even if just for a short while.”

He tried making a proposal, but when he looked up at Shara from the corner of his eye, her face was like a mother looking at a child throwing a tantrum.

“The Sword Saint has strictly instructed me not to loosen your bonds. I don’t intend to be left behind, but I’m not foolish enough to be swayed by baseless confidence. Therefore, I won’t remove the bit attached to the beast.”

“…Then help me.”

Shuou said, sounding dissatisfied.

“What should I do?”

“Just grip the fingertips tightly and hold them firmly.”

“Sounds simple.”

“But absolutely don’t move them. If you do it poorly, the bones will fracture and get caught in the gaps. If that happens, your fingertips will remain bent for life.”

For some reason, Shara laughed as if she had burst out upon hearing Shuou’s warning.

“Leave it to me.”

With her help, Shuou skillfully reduced his dislocated fingers.

The way to handle such matters was also thanks to Amane’s teachings. He had been constantly told and taught that breaking and fixing were a pair.

“Well, if there’s anything else you need, just say it. I’ll at least listen.”

At Shara’s suggestion, Shuou immediately said, “I want to eat something, preferably right away.”

“That’s true. It’s just about the right time–“

Shara turned her head towards the door and urged him to go outside.

“I’ll guide you to the family dining table.”

“Indeed, I did say I wanted to dine together, but… Just when I thought you finally approached me on your own, what is the meaning of this?! Why is this man sitting at the same table?!”

A Zan’s angry voice filled the dining room, which was enveloped in a faint scent of incense and overlooked by a giant statue of a fierce deity.

The three people gathered around the large round table, each harboring their own thoughts, and there was not a single shred of the warm atmosphere that Shara had called a family dining table.

To A Zan’s right sat his daughter A Shara with a straight face, extending her chopsticks, and to her right sat Shuou, still in his dirty attire, shoveling the food in front of him into his mouth. His vigor was like pouring a cup of water into the midday desert.

“He begged for food.”

Told by his daughter without even making eye contact, A Zan groaned with anger and absurdity, as if he had witnessed the end of the world.

“Even so, why must we feed him here?! In the first place, why are you keeping that man with you?! It doesn’t… It doesn’t make sense!”

Sitting opposite Shuou, A Zan glared at him with bloodshot eyes, stroking the bandage wrapped around his neck while ranting.

Shuou deliberately kept his mouth shut, but in this situation, it could be said that A Zan was showing a far more reasonable reaction. That’s how outrageous Shara’s actions were. It even seemed as if she was deliberately angering him and enjoying his reaction.

“After Lord Ba Ryouki took him into his room, someone appeared trying to take this man’s life early on. I promised the Sword Saint that I would take care of his life until the time of the match. He is a skilled fighter recognized by that Sword Saint. It would be a waste to hand him over to the rabble.”

“Again with the nonsense… This man tried to bite me to death, you know?! And you’re saying you have no feelings about that?”

“To begin with, it was you, Father, who kept him half-dead and imprisoned. If you had ended his life in one go, it would have been fine, but if you keep him alive halfway, there will be those who rebel. As your daughter, I am concerned about you and hope that you will learn from this and reconsider your bad habits.”

“Ugh…”

A Zan gave up on confronting his daughter and turned his hostility towards Shuou.

“You bastard, how dare you shamelessly eat in front of me?”

Shuou glared back at the intimidating A Zan.

“I was hungry. It’s your fault, to begin with.”

“Ugh.”

Shara chuckled and, staring at Shuou’s almost empty plate, said, “Still, that’s an impressive appetite. If you’d like, you can have my portion too.”

“I want it.”

“Alright, here–“

Shara picked up a convenient fried item with her chopsticks and prompted Shuou to open his mouth.

Faced with Shuou, who opened his mouth as instructed and waited for the food, A Zan slumped his shoulders and pulled back his chair.

“Right now, I must be the most unfortunate father in the world…”

As A Zan stood up, grumbling, Shuou sent him a slightly sympathetic gaze, but his interest quickly shifted to the untouched food that remained.

The impact that suddenly struck the back of his head caused Shuou to wake up with a start.

“Get up. We’re going to morning training.”

The wooden pillow that should have been supporting his head was gone, likely kicked away, and Shara was staring down at him intently.

No light could be sensed from the narrow window. It was probably a time when the sun had not yet risen.

Releasing Shuou, who had been tied to a pillar in the corner of the room, Shara threaded a rope through the chains binding his wrists and pulled him with the casualness of letting a tied-up livestock out to pasture.

With his aching body and tired head that had not yet fully awakened, Shuou obediently followed this terribly uninhibited girl out of the room.

A young guard who had been standing in front of the door at some point had fallen asleep, completely slumped over. Seeing this, Shara let out a small sigh through her nose.

“They worry unnecessarily.”

She muttered and left the room.