Il Cielo dei Tre Regni
by Lunar Wave
Disclaimer: This story borrows the setting and characters of the Koihime†Musou series and borrows multiple elements from Katekyo Hitman Reborn. I own neither series as they both belong to their respective owners. Also, considering Koihime†Musou could be considered a fanfic of the Three Kingdoms, I'd like to say I don't own anything related to the stories of the Three Kingdoms.
-()-
Kan vs Chuu: Aftermath
-()-
"Yo, Yue."
"… So, you found me… Shia."
"…"
As the lords were busy portioning Enjutsu's treasury, the Generals were largely left on their own. Some took this as a chance to scope out their possible competition, potential enemies. And naturally, the biggest prize is the group that surrounds Ryuubi and Hongou, the army who's been pretty much assigned the position of Imperial Guard of the Emperor, with their territory becoming the unofficial capital. Many, many, are trying to pry into them, to look for holes in their defenses. Maybe even catch a whiff of any skeletons in their closets. Which is why…
"… You shouldn't be here, Shia." Ei growled.
"Sheesh, for former allies, you're being rather cold, ya know? Lighten up, Ei."
"No one from outside the Joshuu Army should even be here! You being here makes you a trespasser."
"… Well… the guards were…"
"… Ren's men, and knew you… Hah…" Ei held her palm to her face. "Ren, you better thrash them in training for this."
"… Okay." Ren nodded. She still remained, her hand still hovering over her halberd.
"I now feel sorry for them." Shia winced. "Also, whoa! I'm unarmed, I'm unarmed!"
Ren nodded, but she makes no move to remove her hand from her halberd. "Shia, still not left."
"Look, come on! I'm not gonna rat you guys out! I even told Mou-chan that you two are innocent!"
"Don't be stupid." Ei scoffed, "It doesn't matter if Sousou believes us innocent or not. What matters is which is more useful to her. If us being guilty would let her take Kentei, then she'll declare us guilty on the spot, and launch another Anti-Toutaku Coalition so that she can take Kentei for herself."
"She's not that bad."
"The Three Chou Sisters says otherwise." Ei scoffed.
"… That's… I don't get it." Shia frowned, "She treats them the same as anyone… I think?"
"We know that they, at least before Chiihou going to your place, they were absolutely terrified of her. That they'll be executed." Something that Sei kindly relayed to them. That… didn't exactly paint a kind picture of Shia's new boss. For any of them, at all.
"… Yeah, that would sound bad, huh…"
"Admittedly, the three of them did, however inadvertently, lead a rebellion against the Kan. They're lucky that they're alive. Still… that just tells us that Sousou is someone who finds value in people based on how useful that person is."
"… Are ya done?" Shia asked. "I just came here to greet some old friends, sheesh."
"… Ei-chan, please." Yue smiled, "Shia came here to talk with us for the first time in months. Let's hear her out."
"… Fine." Ei relented. Ren nodded, putting her halberd to a position furthest from Chouryou but still put it down. "… If you can promise that you won't tell a soul about us."
"Who do ya think I am?" Shia laughed, "Ya got it, Ei."
"I suppose… how is it, Shia? Life under Sousou?" Yue prefaced.
"Hmm… not all that much different from when we were together. I get good booze, got good sparring partners, some fun idiots to hang out with, and all that." Shia grinned, "How about you? I see that you two have been living the servant life." Shia smiled.
"It's been fun." "It's been difficult."
"… I'm getting conflicting answers there." Shia blinked.
"You don't know half of it." Ei sighed.
"Ren-dono, Nene's ba- Why is Shia here!?"
"Yo, Nene!"
"Don't Yo, Nene me! Give Nene a straight answer!"
And so, the former members of the Tou Army gathered for the first time in months. Shia smiled, as the group started becoming comfortable again.
Even if Sousou tries to pry it out of her, she's not going to give them up. That is proof of her loyalty to her former masters. Let Sousou figure it out on her own. She's smart anyway; there's no need to even bring it up. It's not as if she ever hid the fact of what Yue and Ei's True Names are. Speaking of, she should probably tell them about that part… Then again, they have the Emperor on their side. There's nothing to worry about in the end, she thinks. Still, for now, she'll catch up, and then go back to the Sousou Camp, claiming that she got turned away.
… Was she forgetting someone?
-()-
"Ha-choo!"
"Captain Kayuu! Are you alright? Did you get sick!?"
"I'm fine!" The grey-haired poleaxe-wielder barked. "I… just… why do I feel like I'm being forgotten?"
"Maybe it's because we've only been doing odd jobs so far and haven't made much of a name for ourselves," The lieutenant replied, taking her question at face value. "We should find a place to get hired soon. The rewards for the bandits we hunted are starting to run thin."
Kayuu grimaced. "Maybe…" But who would hire her? The woman who sided with a tyrant and then abandoned her post when she was needed?
"… According to the rumors, Enshou's recruiting."
"… Better than nothing." Kayuu grunted, and the group moved north.
The life of a merc troop is one on a paycheck basis. She'll need to get all that she can. And Enshou's one of the richest warlords in the country; she might be able to get quite a salary that way. But how does she appeal to such a person…
Maybe… Kayuu frowned.
-()-
"Sonsaku."
"Ah, Hongou. You want to continue our duel?"
Kazuto laughed slightly, as he pushed himself up from where he leaned on the wall. "Oh please, spare me. I don't have time for that."
"… Houtou Shigen." Shuuyu greeted. Hinari frowned, holding the brim of her hat to look at her. "So, you're the strategist that led this war effort. It's a pleasure to meet the strategist lauded by Koumei as her equal."
"Shuuyu Koukin." Hinari greeted back.
"Hello…" Sonken Chuubou said as well. Kazuto nodded to her.
"Hello as well, Sonken. It's been a while since we last met." Kazuto smiled. "Hello to you as well, Kannei." Kannei nodded mutely in response.
In that basically empty corridor, Kazuto and Houtou confronted Sonsaku, Shuuyu, Sonken, and Kannei.
"Hmm, I'm surprised. Thought Taishiji would be around as well." Kazuto looked around.
"She's not much for formalities. So, we left her and everyone else with the army." Sonsaku shrugged, "So what did you want, Hongou?" Sonsaku asked, "You didn't come here for mere greetings, I'm guessing."
"What happened with Enjutsu, Sonsaku?"
"… Hmm?" Sonsaku tilted her head. Kazuto merely looked back.
"Oneesama said that she got away before we reached the palace," Sonken replied for her. "That's what we told the Emperor… you did not believe her then?" Kazuto's eyes briefly flitted towards her before settling back to Sonsaku.
"Is that so?" Kazuto asked her.
"Yes." Sonsaku brightly smiled.
"Haaah…" Kazuto palmed his face. "Liar."
"Proof?"
Kazuto turned to Houtou. Houtou looked serious for a split second before shaking her head. He turned back to Sonsaku, "None. And I won't act without it." Kazuto told her. "Still… whatever you're going to do with the Imperial Seal, I hope that we can still be friends at the end of it." Kazuto walked ahead, "Let's go, Hinari." The two passed by without finishing the confrontation.
"… What was that?" Sonken asked after Kazuto went out of earshot. Her confusion is clear in her voice, "That accusation…"
"… He really could see through bullshit." Sonsaku chuckled. "And I thought I did so well."
"He's not the Heavenly Messenger for nothing, I see." Shuuyu agreed.
"Wait, what?" Sonken balked at that. It sounds as if…
"Let's not discuss this here." Sonsaku chuckled. "Let's go."
"Oneesama?" Sonken blinked.
The four continued walking.
-()-
"… Was that the right decision, Hinari?"
"Maybe?" Hinari sighed. "There was no right or wrong answer there, really…"
That little confrontation was… unscripted, as is how he usually operates. He saw a chance and decided to wait for it. Hinari, being his minder for today (apparently, she insisted on it last night), went along with him. He doesn't know why; minding him is a job, and Hinari deserves a break. Anyway, he gave her a basic outline of the situation. He suspected that Sonsaku allowed Enjutsu to escape. That way, she'll have an alibi for not having the Imperial Seal. He suspected that, in reality, the Imperial Seal is with the Son Army.
However, they do not have proof. Depending on the flow of the conversation, they could get the proof needed, but… that's what Kazuto needed Hinari for. Kazuto would give a pseudo-interrogation, while Hinari checks if her words can be used as proof. It was Sonsaku's luck that it was Sonken who answered for her. Or maybe…
"She's rather crafty to use her sister like that." Kazuto chuckled.
"Since Sonken truly believed that Enjutsu escaped…" Hinari nodded. "But you're sure that Sonsaku was guilty?"
"Not as much as I'd like." Kazuto shrugged, "One word is hardly a good measurement for reading tells. I just know that she was oddly confident when Sonken asked her question." A sort of smug confidence that no one would have if they were truly innocent. The kind of confidence of someone who easily got away with something.
"But tells are not proof."
"They aren't." Kazuto agreed, "And if we confront them without proof, we're basically burning bridges." Kazuto grimaced. "And it's kind of important we have at least a few to run to when things turn bad."
"… Should we tell the others?" Hinari asked, unsure.
"What do you think?"
"… Right now, only the two of us know." Hinari pondered, "If we hide it, the others will have no way of knowing unless directly told by someone from Sonsaku's camp." Hinari hummed, "Then, no. Let's not tell them."
"Why?"
"Because, as we are now… if there becomes a conflict with Sonsaku… we're not prepared for that." Hinari nodded. "We need her alliance if we wind up fighting Sousou or Enshou again."
"Got it." Kazuto nodded, "I might tell Touka, and you could tell Shuri, but otherwise…" They'll keep it secret for the time being.
-()-
With the end of the Chuu "Dynasty", the now recognized Kan Imperial Army returned to Joshuu. Now the army's officials sat in their dining hall, awaiting the last step of any successful endeavor, the reflection on the past. They're really only waiting for…
"Ciaossu."
"Welcome back, Reborn," Kazuto said as the baby appeared in a burst of Sun Flame. "What have you been up to? I know Mammon said that you had a mission but it's already nearing the end of spring, you know?"
"Your father was attacked by the White Clothes." And with that bombshell, everyone's smiles turned into faces of shock and concern.
"Did…"
"He's fine, Bakazuto. Your father beat them back without even so much of a scratch." Reborn scoffed, "Just so you know, it was the boy that stole the mirror from the museum."
"I see… So, he's part of the White Clothes too…"
"Hold up! There's a lot of things there that I don't know about!" Ei pointed out. Oh right, they didn't exactly regale the tale to the newer members. He'd have answered if they asked, but if it never came up before, then nothing will have been told to them.
"If you want the full story, get it from Kazuto later." Reborn scowled. "Let's keep this debriefing brief."
"… For everyone curious, the short story is that: I found a thief stealing a valuable artifact from a place that collects artifacts called a museum. I fought him. The artifact broke. The next thing I know, I woke up to Touka's face."
"He fell from the sky." Touka nodded.
"Turns out the thief is a member of the White Clothes." Kazuto frowned. "So, this nonsense of them interfering from the background went back that far. I thought they were just a group trying to manipulate the country from the shadows. If they're going after Papa…"
"Tsuna informed me of this, so I left." Reborn nodded. "It seems that they were after the mirror again. However, they don't seem to have a grasp on its location. So, they've been raiding Vongola Bases. So, we sent out false leads, using my presence, to try and get them to poke their heads out again. Unfortunately, they only used their disposable bodies for them. They didn't send out any of their officials any further." Reborn sighed. Even though they repeatedly showed them that their brainwashed drones stood little chance against Vongola's security, they kept doing it.
"What were you hoping to happen?"
"Precedent showed that they'll pull back their important members when the situation gets rough. I was hoping to get a ride." Reborn shrugged.
"… So that you could torture me in person."
"But of course."
"At least deny it!"
"Now then, what about you?" Reborn asked. "I see that you ended the battle quicker than one might expect for an Imperial opponent. No new Family members?"
"… None this time." Kazuto shook his head.
"You're slacking." Reborn scoffed. "All other conflicts ended with a couple of recruits." Shuri, Hinari, Chiihou, Sei for Koukintou. Kentei and the Tou Group from the Anti-Toutaku Coalition. The Pairen and the Reitei Group from the Sousou-Touken War.
"There's no guarantee that would happen every war, Reborn!"
"So, what cards did you reveal in this war? What cards did you see?"
"We revealed some of our siege engine designs," Hinari admitted.
"Considering that one of Sousou's officers is a tinkering genius, that's not a big problem, honestly…" Kazuto sighed. "The moment Riten gets a prominent position…" Both he and Shuri winced at the thought. Riten is honestly one of the biggest boons in Sousou's army. "And it's not as if Enshou saw them… So… if anything, the biggest card that was revealed by this war is… that Hinari exists and is a strategist on par with Shuri," Kazuto added. "Houtou Shigen is starting to become a big name as the strategist that fell the Chuu Dynasty."
"Awawa!" Hinari blushed at her mention.
"Troublesome it may be, but that was always bound to be revealed. Not a big loss." Reborn nodded. "Other than that?"
"… Nothing off the top of my head." Kazuto frowned, turning to the others. "Well… aside from the obvious."
"The obvious?" Touka tilted her head at that.
"Paitan."
"Ah, right…"
"… You didn't use Kazuma?" Reborn asked. "How long has it been since you last used your Box Animal?"
"Well, using him… is difficult. If it was a dog or a cat, I could bring him out. But a lion-dragon hybrid is a bit…" Kazuto winced. "Then there's… with Chiihou gone… Kazuma is… a limited resource."
"… I see. A Lightning Flame User, then." Reborn frowned. "… Do you have a Lightning Guardian in mind?"
"…" Kazuto turned to the others.
"… Can't we do it?" Rairai asked. Denden nodded as well.
"… The Lightning Guardian's duty makes them a frontline fighter." Kazuto shook his head, "While you two are good fighters… unless you can, say… stand a hit from Rinrin…" Both Rairai and Denden winced at that. The Lightning Guardian, at least in Kazuto's opinion, can't just be a good fighter. And honestly, looking at his group… the only one Kazuto could even think of for the position is Rinrin. And, as far as most of them are concerned? Rinrin's the Sun Guardian, period.
"That's… tough…" Rairai winced.
"Ooo… Go easy on us?" Denden asked Rinrin.
"No." Rinrin easily replied. "If you're going to fight with Rinrin, Rinrin will go all out."
"Standing an all-out strike from Rinrin-chan is…" Rouan grimaced. "I don't think even I could do that. The only ones here that could do that among us are… already Guardians." Aisha, Sei, Ryofu.
"Well, anyway, as is, Kazuma is being saved for… emergencies." Which would make things difficult since Kazuma's best use would be if he was trained with. But with no Lightning Guardian, training with Kazuma just won't work.
"If that's the case, then I have some suggestions regarding Kazuma, but I'll hold off on it for now. Let's finish the debriefing." Reborn nodded, "Anything else you revealed?"
"I had to use Hyper Dying Will Mode against Sonsaku." So, he has one less use of it than before.
"Finding alternatives to the Dying Will Pill from this era is difficult," Reborn shrugged. "If I was physically present, Leon could make the bullets for you, but… As is, the most you can do is eat some poison and hope you don't die before you could transition."
"I'd like not to ingest poison willingly, Reborn." The Dying Will Pills don't count. They might be deadly if used wrong, but…
"Against Sonsaku, what else did you show off?"
"Fighting in midair, I guess… Nothing else, really."
"And the rest of you?" Reborn sharply turned to the rest.
"Aside from the new siege engines… nothing I can think of." Hinari shook her head.
"I see. Then, what have you figured out from your rivals? Information is key."
"Riten Mansei is a genius inventor." Kazuto started. "She made a Drill Spear."
"In this era? That's certainly impressive."
"Gengan of Keishuu has a cannon. As in, a legitimate cannon that looks as if it should be carried by three people and not one."
"The technology of this era is certainly a lot more impressive than it appears." Reborn nodded. "Gunpowder weapons should still be at its utter infancy at this point in time."
"Other than that… not much." Kazuto shrugged, "At least from my end."
"Bachou-san's group is interesting…" Hinari continued, "Bachou-san as the head general, Batetsu as her supporting general, Bakyuu as their logistics officer…"
"That Batai seemed perfectly fine when she lead the cavalry as well," Nenene added her piece, being the only one to see Batai in action up close without her sisters. Well, aside from the nodding Ren next to her.
"And when Batai rejoined us for the last charge, she comfortably slotted in as another supporting general." Hinari nodded, "They seem to be largely a conventional cavalry army. Other than that… I can't think of anything else."
Reborn nodded, "Keep as much as you know about them in mind as you go. Write it down if you can. There's a chance that those who stood with us this time will stand against us the next, and it wouldn't do for you to be caught off guard by their tricks." No one particularly liked how Reborn phrased that, at all.
"Well," Kazuto coughed, "There's also the chance that we do work with them again, and knowing their strengths and weaknesses would make us more effective when we do." Touka gave him an appreciative smile for that.
"Understood." Josho nodded, "I'll compile the info we got on them."
"Next is what we gained and lost from the war." Reborn turned.
"Our casualties are at a minimum." Hinari nodded, "After our first few victories, the Enjutsu army largely ran away. Because of the quickness of the battle, we managed to not dip too far into our stores. We still have a relative surplus."
"As for our gains…" Touka coughed, "We uh… got preferential treatment to grab a few treasures from Enjutsu's vault. We were hoping to find anything that we can use for Flames."
"And?"
Kazuto grimaced, "It's mostly gold, silver, and a lot of coinage. We have a stockpile of jewels that we need to parse through to find if they're flame conductive or not, but… it's still a work in progress. Still, with the amount, there's bound to be at least one or two."
"Hmm… then I'll work on that for the next few days." Reborn nodded, "I don't expect any of you to be able to tell the difference."
"Thank you." Kazuto nodded.
"Don't thank me yet. It will be a bit more difficult to see if we have some flame conductive material to make them with." Reborn scoffed, "Kanyou."
Yuuka blinked, "I'm guessing you're asking about my homework? Making something like a ring would be difficult if you ask me. Especially if I have to inlay a jewel. I'm not that good at it yet." And there's the chance that the ring won't fit the intended wearer.
"A ring is unnecessary. It would largely get in the way of the grip of the user." Reborn shrugged. "A bracelet would be a good enough alternative. Failing that, a pendant."
"I'll look into it." Kanyou nodded, breathing a bit more. "And, yeah, I suppose you're right about the grip thing… so how are you six holding up then?"
"I trained with a ring on my finger since I started." Kazuto shrugged. So he's used to it. At this point, it'll feel off to fight without a ring on his finger. Actually, the grip of his sword has a small ridge on it that lets a ring's band slot neatly into it, making his hold a lot sturdier than most.
"I don't use my sword a lot so…" Touka shrugged. So, she barely really noticed the difference.
"It feels off sometimes, but I've grown accustomed to it." Aisha nodded.
"What she said." Rinrin concurred.
"If I'm to be a Guardian, getting used to this feeling should be a no-brainer, really." Sei laughed.
"I'm fine." Ren shrugged.
"Good to know. Still… I get how a bracelet might work. It's close enough to a ring that it would be easy, but… a pendant?"
"You'll have to pull it off, and then hold it in your palm to use the flames, but…" Kazuto shrugged. "It would probably be more useful for our non-combatant members… like Paitan." A bracelet is actually also a bit difficult to use for flames. The circuits that make flames work, while largely spread across the body, better exits the body through the fingers, but that's a small price to pay for making sure a ring doesn't cause your grip to slip.
"Maybe we'll get another Lightning Flame User out of this?" Paitan thought out loud. "That way, Kazuma wouldn't be stuck in a box the whole time anymore."
"Before we sidetrack…" Reborn interrupted, "… again. What happened to the Imperial Seal?"
"Sonsaku claimed that Enjutsu ran off with it," Paitan admitted.
"Kazuto?" Reborn asked.
"She didn't say it in front of me." Kazuto shrugged, "I can't read tells if there's no tells to read. All I got is the report." Kazuto said, looking straight at Reborn's eye, before nodding to Hinari. Reborn frowned, turning to Hinari for a brief moment. She in turn pursed her lips. She looked back at Reborn before shaking her head.
"… is that so… So, we only have her word for it." Reborn frowned.
"Do you suspect something?" Paitan asked.
"The same as any would at this point." Reborn shrugged, "Is it possible that Sonsaku made off with the Imperial Seal and allowed Enjutsu to run away to create an alibi?"
"A possibility, but without proof, we can't act on it." Kazuto shrugged. "If we do, we're pretty much standing on the slippery slope of tyranny." Which was not what any of them want.
"Very well, but acting conservatively might cost you, so know when to be bold and when to be cautious," Reborn nodded, "Anything else any of you learned in combat? Any last-minute reflections?"
"… War is… not fun to watch." Paitan concluded. "I don't want another war if I can help it."
"Anything else?" They each gave a few snippets of wisdom before Reborn nodded, "Then, Kazuto."
"What?"
"Considering how little you even use your Box Animal, I suggest you let Ryuubi hold onto him."
"Eh?" "What?"
"Frankly speaking, considering how you apparently dueled against both Sousou Moutoku and Sonsaku Hakufu and not immediately lost, it means that the skill level of those in this era isn't so far above you. You are more than strong enough to fight without needing him on standby. Ryuubi, however, is still far below the standards of a duelist. She needs a safety net."
"That's a bit mean…" Touka muttered, as her relatively low combat skill is brought up, yet again.
"… Yeah, I'm fine with that." Kazuto nodded, unclipping the box, before passing it onto Touka. "Take care of him."
Touka gingerly took it before clasping her hands around it, "Is this… really alright?" Touka asked Reborn.
"Strictly speaking, Kazuma is still Kazuto's box animal. This is just lending a tool to someone who needs it more than he does." Reborn shrugged. It's not as if Kazuma is a Vongola Box Weapon; as long as the one inserting the flame is a Sky Flame user, the Sky Lion Dragon should be usable.
"Okay." Touka nodded.
"… Now then, what are your plans for the future?" Reborn continued, "I doubt your group hasn't thought of that much."
"Enshou will not take what we did to Enjutsu lying down." Josho started. "Even if Enjutsu has a bad relationship with Enshou, the reverse is not necessarily true, right, Hakukei-san?"
"Enshou sees Enjutsu as more of a bratty little sister," Pairen said as a way of agreement. "A slight against Enjutsu will probably be taken as a slight on the En Family itself."
"Then the reports I received from Kishuu should be related to us." Josho nodded, "Enshou is ramping up her recruitment."
"… Dammit." Kazuto summed up everyone's feelings with that one word.
"We just got through one war. Granted we came out fine, but…" Touka grimaced.
"There's also our alliance with Kanhyoku to worry about." Kazuto frowned. "She'll definitely be caught in it."
"Should we send out a message to them then?" Aisha asked, "Warning them of the danger?"
"It wouldn't hurt, but they should already be aware of it by now." Josho nodded. "I'll forward a message then."
"Please do." Touka nodded. She then turned to Reborn, "Umm… would the White Clothes be a danger to Kazuto's father?"
"If they were, I'd go back and retrain the idiot from the ground up." Reborn scoffed. "No. Kazuto's father can take care of himself. In fact, he froze his assailant's ankle before he got away."
Kazuto blinked at that. It's not often that his father resorted to ZPB First Edition. He must have really wanted to capture the guy. And, if he recalls correctly… "And since he was a martial artist…" That's gotta suck for him. There will be no fancy footwork until he gets that off, and that ice is virtually unbreakable. He's not gonna get it off so easily.
"We are currently investigating what exactly they want to do." Reborn frowned, "What we do know is that they're looking for the mirror. Likely to destroy it."
"What can we do?" Touka asked.
"Nothing," Reborn said with a tone of finality. "You have your own problems. More than anything, your jobs are to keep this idiot and yourselves alive in this world of war. If you want to do that while being good rulers, I don't care."
Kazuto thought that Reborn shouldn't have said that last bit, but still… "… Yeah, there's no point in worrying about Papa." Kazuto consoled her. "For now, let's focus on what we have to do."
"Which is?"
"Well, I suppose the first thing that comes to mind is seeing our guests off." Kazuto nodded with a sigh. Now that Enjutsu's been defeated, they can't really justify keeping them here.
"Bachou-san, Kouchuu-san, and Sonshoukou, huh…"
"Considering the threat of Enshou…" Aisha frowned, "Couldn't we ask them to remain? At least Bachou?"
"Kouchuu and Gengan are pretty much being called back by Ryuuhyou. We can't do anything about that… As for Bachou." Kazuto frowned, "We could appeal to her, but she's still Batou's heiress, you know? She needs to go home one way or the other. She's been away since the beginning of spring."
"Still, some assurance from them would be nice," Aisha argued.
"We'll tell them, we'll tell them, Aisha." Kazuto chuckled. "I suppose the next thing that comes to mind is… we're unofficially the capital of the empire now. In the least helpful way possible."
"Least helpful?" Paitan asked, worried.
"First, every other warlord will then be sending as many spies as they can into our territory. We'll have to deal with the paperwork of the country because, as much as Sousou probably likes being the one in charge of the capital, I have a sneaking suspicion that she'll be sending those documents our way. If not out of duty, then out of spite."
"… Help me?" Paitan pleaded.
"… Of course." Touka nodded, although a bit gloomily.
"Goddammit, why is it always paperwork that we have to be constantly fighting?" Kazuto sighed. The administration trio all moaned their luck.
"Give up." Reborn scoffed.
"I don't really get it." Rinrin frowned, "It's just a bunch of scrolls, right? Why are you acting like it's worse than fighting in a war?"
"""… Wanna do it instead?""" The trio looked at Rinrin with a sort of annoyance, eerily in sync.
"… I don't have good handwriting." Rinrin shook her head and backed down.
"""Handwriting is the least of our worries."""
"Have you read a noble or a merchant's letter?" Kazuto grumbled, "They put so much flowery language in, just so that they could sneak in some condition that benefits them in what looks like a legitimate policy suggestion. It might be something innocuous like wanting some more leeway on taxes. Next thing you know they're going the full mile and we're paying them to do business in the city." Kazuto grumbled, "Then if you reject something without a good reason, they could use it against you."
"Many town leaders and farmers don't have the best grammar or handwriting." Touka winced, "Translating what they want is pretty much most of what I do. Sometimes I just have to go to the town itself and talk to the town leader myself instead of bothering with the letter."
"Huh? Never had to do that though?" Kuutan tilted her head.
"You do not count, oneesama. Reichen-neesama usually took care of those for you, if not the Eunuchs like Fan-san. And we never had to deal with the complaints of farmers ourselves." Paitan frowned. "Still… I'm happier doing this than going to war."
Kazuto coughed, "At any rate, to avoid thinking about our dwindling free time any more, does anyone else have things they want to raise?"
"How should we respond to Enshou?" Reborn asked. "If Enshou's recruiting up north, she's preparing for something big as well. Seeing as you prepared against Enjutsu for that reason, you have some precedent."
"The problem is that we have no cause to strike at Enshou. Enjutsu we suspected would declare herself emperor. Enshou, however, would probably not do the same thing." Shuri said. "Not to mention that… despite everything, there is still Seishuu and Enshuu between them and Enshou."
"And how likely are Seishuu and Enshuu to prevent Enshou from launching a campaign?" Reborn asked.
"Enshuu… or rather, Sousou… I don't know." Kazuto frowned.
"Many of the northern Seishuu lords are cozying up to Enshou, while the southern lords are on the fence," Josho reported. "The southmost lords, however, claim that they'll side with us."
"Claim?" Touka asked, worried.
"I'm not sure if they're just paying lip service right now. I'll look into it, but for now, that's what we know." Josho nodded.
"Regardless!" Kazuto raised his voice, "Being paranoid about her is fine but acting on paranoia would just make us tyrants." Kazuto shook his head. "That's something we should avoid, not with… you know…" Kazuto nodded to Yue and Ei, both nodding back a bit glumly.
"So, the most we can do is prepare," Touka concluded.
"What actions would she have to do to warrant a reaction?" Reborn asked.
"A declaration of war would be the most ideal." Shuri pondered, "But we can always go for attacking an ally."
"If we had reports of tyranny from her territory, especially in our former base in Yuushuu, we could spin things around that." Kazuto hummed.
"No such luck, I'm afraid." Josho shook her head. "She's apparently relatively hands-off with Yuushuu. She keeps the bandits out, but that's it." So, less tyranny, more neglect. That's not really a probable cause for war until said neglect grows too much.
"So, you're going to keep reacting to the situation, instead of taking action yourselves?" Reborn raised an eyebrow. "It's a fine approach, but this world seems to have its wars move fast. You may not have the luxury of taking things slow when it comes down to it. In board games, there is always a marginal advantage to the player who moves first. By constantly taking a reactionary stance, you'll always be a step behind your enemy. What if, by the time that you have a probable cause for war, you're already in the throes of defeat?"
Silence filled the room, as they processed that question.
Reborn sighed, "Well, it's something for you to mull over. For now, I'll be catching everyone up on our lesson plans. Those weeks of absence have delayed us long enough. Fortunately, since there are no new recruits, I don't have to waste more time catching the others up."
And so, the group went into talking about things other than the wars past and wars of the future. Still… Reborn's question was valid. None of them can deny that. A reactionary approach to war can really only be done by someone in a sufficiently comfortable position to make that call. But their ideals clash with that decision. Starting a war would be antithetical to their wish for peace. And so, they won't.
Hopefully, they don't wind up regretting it. Or at least, it won't be too late to do so.
-()-
"Thank you for everything, Bachou, Bakyuu, Batetsu, Tanpopo." Kazuto smiled.
"Sheesh, it's not like we did all that much…" Bachou sheepishly shrugged.
"Eh, I'm sure the appearance of Bachou the Splendid on that battlefield chased away more than a few less-than-brave souls." Kazuto laughed. "And Tanpopo was very helpful during my trip."
"Praise me more!"
"Please don't." Bachou immediately stopped that. "I don't want her getting a bigger head than she already does."
"Hey~" Batetsu frowned, sidling forward, "I just noticed but… Tanpopo entrusted her True Name to you?"
"She did." "I did!"
Batetsu titled her head, "Hmm… Then call me Sou as well."
"Sou!" Bakyuu cried out. "That's!"
"If I remember." Kazuto smiled. "I doubt we'll be seeing each other again for quite a while. But, very well, Sou."
"So!" Bachou interrupted, trying to end this little tangent. "Where's Ryuubi? Thought she'd be here to see us off too."
"Currently tackling the mountain of paperwork that built up throughout the war." Kazuto chuckled. "She'd have come, but there are too many time-sensitive things there that she needed to deal with as soon as possible."
"You're not helping?"
"Oh, my problems are there, but I'd rather make them sweat a bit more." Kazuto shrugged. "Now that Paitan is revealed, Joshuu's nobility started acting all respectful-like, trying to get in our good books. The more time I spend not answering their little invitations, the more they start wondering what will happen to their heads."
"Knowing you, they probably won't lose them, though." Bachou chuckled.
"Still, they'll be begging for mercy for quite a bit," Kazuto nodded with a smile, "If anything, wasting time not dealing with them is probably the best thing for me to do right now. If Touka needs to deal with a bunch of things as soon as she could, I need to wait a while. If I answered too quickly, they might think I need them and get an ego boost. And the last thing I need is entitled nobles believing something like that." They need nobles for their taxes, so they do have some say in the running of the city, but with the reward they got for the attack on Enjutsu, they can be a bit more comfortable not paying them any heed.
But really, that's not the only reason why he suddenly has a bit more free time than Touka; they've started transitioning the issues of nobility to Paitan, while he's to start focusing more on the military. Especially with the risk of spies, his Intuition might just be the key to rooting them out. He's headed straight to the military headquarters after this.
"Are Kouchuu's Group and Sonshoukou staying here? Would've thought they'd leave sooner than us…" Bachou frowned.
"Kouchuu's Group will probably be heading out tomorrow, I think." Kazuto shrugged. "As for Sonshoukou, she'll stick around until Sonsaku gets enough time to take full control of her new territory so that she can spare a few soldiers to escort her home… Or she can just leave, and we won't know till she's gone."
"… Which is it?" Bakyuu asked.
"Shuutai's apparently been buying travel supplies." Kazuto shrugged. "I'm guessing she'll be gone by the evening."
"Sounds like her." Tanpopo chuckled. That free-spirited princess tended to just do as she pleased.
"Well, anyway, it was nice working with your group." Bachou waved. "We'll go then."
"Take care!"
With a wave, Kazuto watched the marching cavalry leave the city. They chose not to stay, opting to return to Batou now that the threat of Enjutsu has been thoroughly defeated. They did leave a promise: if Enshou comes to attack them for Paitan and Kuutan, that they'll come and help. But they need to go back. They can't stay in Joshuu for the entirety of the year anticipating what may never come.
And so, the Ba Clan left Joshuu.
The next day, Sonshoukou and Shuutai have gone without even so much as a goodbye. Kouchuu, Gengan, Gien, and Riri, left as well. Unlike Bachou, they did not leave with the same promise. Ryuuhyou's still miffed because of the loss of one of his top generals. Well, asking for aid from Keishuu to deal with Enshou wouldn't have worked anyway.
A tentative peace came to the land. But even though it has, none of them could exactly relax. It's clearly the calm before the storm.
-()-
"Shungai-chan, take Bunsetsu-chan and leave!"
"Not without you, dammit, Hanhou!"
"Go!"
"Your arms just healed! There's no way you can handle Kayuu!"
"GO!"
"Hanhou!"
"… Take care, Bunsetsu-chan." Hanhou smiled, "Thank you, for being so nice to me."
"HANHOU!"
-()-
Chapter End
-()-
Chapter Release Date: February 12, 2021
-()-
Beta Reader: Seraphius
And so concludes the Kan vs Chuu Arc, also known as the Enjutsu Arc. And a hiatus awaits till I finish the next arc. Or if I actually write a slice-of-life chapter instead. Some suggestions or ideas would be nice for the latter, as I run after my muse.
Okay! Overall thoughts on this arc. This is the first arc where I start actually using a map of the country to plot out wars. The others were more or less just meant to be standard generic battlefields that mean nothing. It was both fun and a little tedious.
If there's something I'm leery of doing for this and any future war arc is the flagrant use of Flames in war. Oh, the characters use them, but they don't really contribute to the war significantly. Aside from Ryofu's amazing (off-screen) pole-vault that makes her the progenitor/expy of Sun Wukong, at least for this world. Unless I'm mistaken, but Journey of the West was written after the Three Kingdoms Era, right? There's also Kazuto happily making use of his flight for surveillance. Right now they're treated more or less as trump cards. That includes Kazuma, Shuri, and Hinari. If they can win conventionally, then there's no real point in being a show-off and winning with sorcery, right? Besides, all of the flames used in KHR are more meant for one-on-one, one-on-team, or team-on-team combat. Not full-scale wars. It will take quite a bit for Shuri and Hinari to be able to affect things on that scale just yet. The lack of a Lightning Guardian means that Kazuma can't be used freely. And yes, I wish I could time travel to beat up the me who thought it was a good idea to give Kazuto Kazuma so early when I'm apparently not going to be using him for a long time. Maybe in the future, when this story is done, and I feel like rewriting it to book standards, I'll move that scene to later in the story. Anyway… try not to expect Kazuma to be used anytime in the near future of this story.
See you when I finish the next arc!