v3c3 part1 (1/2)
Chapter 3 - Restless Warlords[edit]
Part 1[edit]
Back when shi+ori first appointed Tachibana Hatsune as her personal lady-in-waiting, this was the first thing she told Hatsune
”The Empress and her inner circle all resent me very much”
”Eh!?” Hatsune was very surprised, apparently unaware of such things
At the time, shi+ori was still at the imperial capital of Tokyo This conversation had taken place in September
”Your Highness, you're so pretty, s person”
Why would such a lady be the target of resentment?
shi+ori did not hide anything and candidly told this new and inquisitive lady-in-waiting, ”The qualities you mentioned are precisely the reasons why I am resented Beautiful and smart as I am, if I were to stay by Her Majesty's side as a foil, the comparison would reflect poorly on her”
””
”Oh no, please do notwas simply the other side's mindset!”
”Don't worry, I actually like a person who can brazenly call herself 'beautiful and smart'”
Putting aside her noble bloodline, the current Eirl
Consequently, this bred conflict And conflict beto out of plain sight Unfortunately, the situation between shi+ori and the Empress was no exception
In the end, shi+ori, who had relocated to the Suruga City, was abandoned and neglected by those at the i time
However, the Tokyo ier
They were finally willing to show so hand to rescue the poor princess from war-torn Tōkaidō—
November 13th, it was Thursday
The h shi+ori chose to ”have an audience” on ca the principal's office lent out by the school
Behind the somewhat classy reception desk, shi+ori met with the officer from the Imperial Guard
”Thank you for traveling all the way out here for my sake”
”Not at all, Your Highness I was supposed to hasten my way here to rescue you as soon as the incident broke out Having dallied for over a month, all of us at the Imperial Guard are shamed beyond compare—”
”Do not say that Please raise your head”
The major from the Imperial Guard, the army that served the iy
As an aide-de-camp of the imperial palace, he was acquainted with shi+ori Back in September this year, this soldier had accoarden party held for Generalissimo Caesar
shi+ori said solemnly, ”Hakone Checkpoint and various areas of Tōkaidō are still under the Restoration Alliance's control You only a City's emancipation I know that the Imperial Guard is not at fault here”
These earnest words of understanding were also ”false” platitudes
If Staff Officer Yang, a Roh the blockade, there was no reason why soldiers of the Imperial Guard failed to do the same
Bluntly stated, they did not have the slightest sincere intention of saving shi+ori
Meanwhile, the aide-de-caed the subject naturally
”In any case, I ahness”
The aide-de-camp's tone was filled with sincerity
Presuainst his conscience The Imperial Guard had simply not taken actual action As expected of an aide-de-ca ladies-in-waiting at the imperial palace, he had honed perfect skills in ”professional customer service”
Using pleasing words, the ence and incompetence
In a way, this was part of his job too
”Your Highness shi+ori, Her Majesty Teruhierly awaiting your return Should you wish to leave, I can ht away”
Only now did an aide-de-camp arrive tardily
At least he seeh it was not an ”absolute” ient on shi+ori's desire to return,it was fine to leave her here too, since the princess still had House Akigase's protection, after all
Soiven instructions to ”handle it this way”
”I am truly overjoyed to learn of everyone's care and concern, but please forgive me for I must decline their kind wishes In fact, I recently decided to enter employment”
”Enter ea?”
”The details will be announced at the cereive my secrecy for now”
shi+ori s in the bud
The cerease Shouzan's transfer of the fahter was scheduled for the weekend This was already coe
”But Your Highness, for an i the Iency's counsel, that would be quite unprecedented It is my humble opinion that it would be prudent for you to first confer with the imperial palace”
”Be at ease I have secured Rindou-sensei's approval for this matter already”
shi+ori sht up a name of extraordinary note
The na the aide-de-cau quietly went ”oh?” to himself
For soer froued by this character this ”Rindou-sensei”
”Is this alright with you, Masatsugu-sama?”
”What do you mean, Princess?”
”Today Hatsune is not with us”
An hour after thePrincess shi+ori on a stroll near Rinzai High
Walking slightly ahead, shi+ori see a little There was also a hint of sarcasm in her words just now
”She went over to the tutelary fort If you need her, should I give her a call?”
They alking along a rural path on the outskirts of Suruga City
Fortunately, wireless communications could be used normally now that noetic disruption was over
All he needed to do was borrow a phone soa tutelary fort, and Hatsune would rush over by car in about half an hour
”M-Masatsugu, you fail to understand me!”
”Then what do you mean?”
”Uh, uu-sama, it is fine if you wish to join her If you prefer her co,” shi+ori stammered
Just earlier, she had handled an aide-de-camp with perfect composure, but her attitude now made her seem like a completely different person
However, this too was part of Fujinomiya shi+ori's nature as a person She was not only a clever princess with aoals, but also a shy and reserved maiden
Her nature was so delicate that it was iu to comprehend
For the clever princess to be expressing her displeasure in such a ency in a certain sense
”Princess”
Masatsugu gazed at shi+ori's beautiful face and said lightly, ”I am merely someone who serves you—a person in the i and safety are my top priorities Unless there is a particular necessity, I should remain by your side in preparation for the next battle”
”Remain by my side, you say?”
Masatsugu nodded, deliberately eschewing the use of words
He stared at shi+ori intently, causing the sulking princess to turn her head away shyly as though he had struck some kind of emotional chord
”I-I a with Hatsune”
”Really?”
”Yes, Masatsugu-sa you to make such a solemn statement out of it”
There was still a sulking eleone
Through a feords and subtle nuance, Masatsugu had cleared up a little of the displeasure in his lady liege's heart Perhaps it was tiht
”May I ask what kind of person is Rindou-sensei the one whoht up earlier, Princess?”
”Ah yes, I still have not told you, Masatsugu-sa served the iuished veteran with prominent accomplishments Rather, she would be best described as one of the elder statesmen who helped the current io and is currently living an idyllic life near Suruga City”
I see
A so-called elder statesreat service to the nation Masatsugu now had a preli at last
”So even after retirement, she still retains a certain level of influence, huh”
”Yes, she not only watches over the descendants of House Fujinomiya but is also the mentor who instructed me in noetic control”
Noetic masters learned techniques in noetic control at specialized educational institutions
However, it was highly improbable that shi+ori would attend those kinds of facilities as an imperial princess She had her own private instructor
This Rindou-sensei was presumably an authority on noetic control at the imperial palace
The Tachibana clan and Rindou-sensei all lived in and around Suruga No wonder Princess shi+ori had chosen to retire to this place
”Based on what you've said, Princess This Rindou-sensei must be quite old?”
The current imperial family had defeated the ”southern court” of the Great Empire of japan towards the end of the Second World War to become the rulers of japan This would be , an ”elder statesman” from that time would be quite old now—
”Yes, Sensei is definitely at least as old as Shouzan-sama”
”It ht be rude for ”
”Fufufufu Sensei harbors numerous secrets You will knohen you meet her in the future However—”
shi+ori shed
”Sensei can be rather eccentric and I have no idea when I will have a chance to h and weary of worldly matters, she has stayed ho just nohen I claimed to have received Sensei's approval”
”An elderly hermit, in other words”
”Yes I suppose you could say that”
The princess was inexplicably vague She took Masatsugu somewhere
This was an elegant wooden building in a bamboo forest, reminiscent of a well-maintained japanese inn
Its nau and shi+ori had their first ”heart to heart” conversation
Masatsugu noticed a case of twenty beers in front of the entrance along with domestic whiskey and several bottles of wine
These were probably delivered from a liquor store or a supermarket?
”I have prepared s' to invite Sensei, but unfortunately, she remains unmoved”
”Is this part of the offerings too?”
Masatsugu waved a bottle he was holding in his hand
It contained juninjou, a type of premium sake brewed froo with the words ”Special Selection, Lord Nanryuu”
At the princess' request, Hatsune had ordered this famous brand of sake from a nearby liquor store
The bottle had arrived yesterday after Suruga's blockade was lifted The liquor store oho made the delivery to the dorm even promised ”This stuff is so rare that it's absolutely a phantom sake!”
Masatsugu's job today was transporting this bottle of sake
Hence, he had been chatting with hs lady liege while walking to Ryouzan Manor
”And here I was thinking 'the princess is an alcoholic too' huh”
”I-I ae except for amazake I specially ordered this brand because it is Sensei's favorite!”
”I see”
”The problem is that Sensei's 'favorite brands' nu the collection,” said shi+ori in distress
This Rindou-sensei was evidently quite the drinker
”It is time for Sensei to return to society and aid me I really need the help now that a new Resurrectee has joined the Roman faction at Tokyo”
A few days ago, Staff Officer Yang had informed them of a certain name
He was the newly appointed general of the Roh to surprise the well-learned princess, who never expected a reatness to return to the human realm—
Part 2[edit]
”You don't know my name?”
”No, I was only asked to 'take the Rohness of House Fujinouest asked curiously
Genzou was Tachibana Hatsune's father and the steward of House Fujinomiya's Tokyo residence
He was speaking to a handsohair His slender eyes were awfully cool and refreshi+ng In other words, his was not the ”thick and rugged” kind of face
His well-proportioned facial features were not only calm but also beautiful
Compared to this sort of ”beauty,” the massively built Tachibana Genzou was like a professional wrestler With a bad guy's face covered by an overgrown beard, he seemed more like a bandit leader than a princess' retainer
”Anyway, I will fulfillupon his talent for taking things in stride
Due to noetic disruption, he had not been able to reach the princess at Suruga for over a month
Reportedly, his single daughter had inherited Kurou Hougan Yoshi+tsune during this period and Tachibana Masatsugu's power as a Resurrectee had also started to awaken Last night, he finally received Princess shi+ori's instructions for the first time in a while
”Is this your first time at the imperial palace, sir?”
”Yes To be honest, I am still uncomforable with these kinds of places”
The two of them were currently at the Tokyo imperial palace
This was the official residence japan's head of state and the palace of Ehter of the sacred beast Lord Tenryuu Genzou and his guest alking along a passage
”It's true that you don't look like a military man”
”People always say that, but I don't knohy”
”Maybe it's to do with your clothing? No soldier would dress like this”
”Ah”
Genzou's observationman smile
Instead of the Eastern Ro a robe—In other words, ancient Chinese attire The hem reached down to his ankles with a pair of pants underneath
ChronicleLegion 03 BW02jpg
It was as though he were a character who had been plucked out of a Chinese historical film
”Even if you say you're not comfortable with this kind of place, sir, you see”
”Not really, all I did was greet her”
”Youtoo , creating trouble down the line”
Earlier, Genzou had visited the Iency
His purpose was tolike a soldier, he was the newly appointed commander of the ”Kantō Garrison of the Eastern Roman Imperial Army”
Ignorant of politics andalways behaved and spoke as though they were superior to others
However, the ladies-in-waiting had not been difficult for a change, greeting this young soldier rather cordially The reason was most likely because this courteous and handsoure were all ”perfect and first-rate”
”The inability of ladies to understand e, huh”
”The way you say that, sir, don't tell me you're also one of those Resurrected from the past?”
Genzou's question was intended as a probing test
Unexpectedly, the younghim jump in surprise
”Indeed,Pleased to make your acquaintance”
””
”Eh, what's the matter with you?”
”Oh, nothing I thought it ht be i yourself so readily That's quite surprising,” Genzou shared his thoughts honestly, switching froe of polite forms to a more casual tone
Meanwhile, the handso, smiled
”It's fine My reputation is nothing special, after all I suppose you have no idea what kind of ht?”
”Uh, let me see, how do I put this?”
”See, that's the extent of my reputation I'm sure the soldiers under my command will feel very troubled”
Unfazed by Tachibana Genzou's aard response, the ancient warrior smiled
Wei Qing Genzou had some recollection of this name, probably from a history textbook
However, Genzou was a japanese e of history was rather rusty
Asking so's life in detail—would be absolutely impossible
”But ions instead of human soldiers I'm quite relieved that I don't need to worry about matters on that front,” The handso whispered casually
Several hours later, Tachibana Genzou was reading a history book after finishi+ng his work
He wanted to knoho exactly was ”General Wei Qing”
According to historical records, Wei Qing was a soldier during the Western Han Dynasty, around 110 BCE The ruler he served as general was Emperor Wu, who had punished the historian Siainst equestrian noreat acclaim
However, his origins were quite humble
Wei Qing herded sheep in his childhood and was treated no better than a slave
In tieneralissihest honors of the state—
Part 3[edit]
In the land of Hakone, four tutelary forts had been built at the four cardinal directions
The first tutelary fort was Seiryuu Gate in the east This fort was several kilo town located at the entrance of Hakone when traveling from Tokyo
The second tutelary fort in the south and the third tutelary fort in the ere both located near Lake Ashi+
Lake Ashi+ was the largest body of water in the vast area of southern Hakone The second tutelary fort, Suzaku Gate, was on its south shore while the third tutelary fort, Byakko Gate, was on the west shore
The fourth tutelary in the north, Genbu Gate, was situated at Sengokuhara in northern Hakone
In other words, the land of Hakone had four strongholds, guarding the directions of north, east, south, and west respectively
The British aristocrat who had captured Hakone, Edward, ions and ifrits at the four tutelary forts to erect a 'wall' to protect Kantō and Tokyo fro in western japan That seems to be the aim”
”Yes This is Hakone Checkpoint's concept, indeed”
The genie Morrigan in his co her usual doll, 150cm tall and dressed in a sailor outfit with a beret
”The idea itself is sound, but ulti the total forces of the four tutelary forts and attacked, easily capturing Hakone”
Edward and the genie Morrigan were at the central command center
This here the ”supreme commander of the Hakone tutelary forts” used to be stationed to issue orders to the tutelary forts in the four cardinal directions It was also located right in the center point between the four tutelary forts of Hakone
In teratake
”In nable' Ultith to resist an invasion of a thousand Legions That is the long and short of it”
”I, agree I expect some of the japanese, to feel the same”
ChronicleLegion 03 Map2jpg
”All things considered, it boils down to this mechanism of the Four Gods Union”
The central command center did not have fortification walls
It was simply composed of four towers of stone, built on a wide open plain
The architectural design was essentially unifor keeps of tutelary forts, these forty-meter all towers used red bricks as the construction ed in a rhombus
Riding a British white wyvern together, Edward and Morrigan were flying over the four towers
In charge of controlling the wyvern, Edward said, ”Hakone's four tutelary forts can couardian ifrit, respectively Seiryuu, Suzaku, Byakko, and Genbu, into one y”
”Furthered entity can defend all four tutelary forts, north, east, south, west, simultaneously”
”Yes, an a system”
After offering praise together, the British aristocrat and Morrigan shook their heads
”But this assumes the successful activation of the syste my attack, Hakone would not have fallen so easily”
”It seems that japan lacks the coan remarked coldly
”What they lack is a genie capable of controlling the Four Gods, the entity resulting froenie in this role also requires powerful noesis from a supreme Chevalier as support”
”Morrigan, since you have said this much,” Edward smiled and said, ”then our partnershi+p should not face any probleht?”
”Indeed It is not impossible Especially since you have minimized your sorties for the past half asubstantial noesis”
”Yes, all of it for the purpose of acquiring the Four Gods”
The night of Fuji City's capture
Edward did not head out to the front line and ended up forfeiting the chance for a shon against Tachibana Masatsugu
This was because they were planning to hold the ritual for subjugating the Four Gods soon And now, the two of the in the sky over the four towers
Riding the wyvern, Edward said slowly, ”Proceed, Morrigan Use ate the Four Gods”
”Affirmative”
After the genie nodded, gigantic eyeballs manifested in the sky
It hat Tachibana Masatsugu and coiant eyeball with a diameter of sixty meters or so In this case, there was not one but a total of three Three eyes
The three giant eyeballs were arranged in a triangle in the air
This was precisely Morrigan's true foriant eyeballs, an equally large ic circle appeared
”Prince, please”
”Sha upon my name and soul, I beseech the local deities and spirits of Hakone Abandon your home country of japan and surrender to ht of the British Eeneral!”
Edward released an inordinate ay from his body and soul
Nory would transforhts of the Garter, but today, not a single black knight appeared
All of the noesis was absorbed by the three eyes hovering in the sky!
I from the British ifrit was amplified three-fold
”O deities of japan, recognize an, as your master Obey this instant”
A change came over the four towers built by the japanese on this Hakone plain
Four giant beasts manifested in the sky over the roofs of the four towers
Each beast was seventytranslucent bodies, they were ies without corporeal form
The four beasts were respectively a blue dragon, a verer, and a black turtle (with a snake for a tail)
These were the holy beasts, Seiryuu, Suzaku, Byakko, and Genbu, known collectively as the Four Gods in China and japan
Morgan le Fay's three eyes continued to hover in the air
Overlooking the towers and the Four Gods, the three eyes sucked away the gigantic beasts of japan!
Seiryuu, Suzaku, Byakko, and Genbu radually rose up in the sky
The three eyes watched carefully The Four Gods of japan released noetic energy and tried to resist Morgan le Fay's suction
However, the three eyes had taken in Edward's noesis The Four Gods were no match at all
First of all, the desperately resisting i the three eyes, it was finally absorbed into them
One after another, the same happened to the rest of them
Second to go was Genbu, then Byakko, and finally Suzaku
”The central coranted by the sacred beast Lord Tenryuu to e the Four Gods of the four cardinal directions It can be thought of as Hakone's fifth tutelary fort, isn't that right?”
”Yes, Prince”
”And until now, it never had a chance to fulfill its function”
”Yes, we of the British, shall change this fact of history”
Treacherous and unforgiving, featuring an abundance of towering peaks and abyssal valleys
This was how people described the e before motorized transportation This place had been a natural choke point since tinable
”With this We are now fully prepared to meet the Tōkaidō army in battle”
”Quite rare to see you so an”
”They have stolen that which I had left behind at Fuji City This is revenge”
Calht as the day of reckoning approached Satisfied, Edward nodded in approval of Morrigan
”Edward, er brother's descendant It isHakone”
The man who proposed this solemnly was Richard I, the one whom Edward called ”Uncle”
The British forces had requisitioned a luxury hotel (a cozy and stylish building) in Hakone as Edward's living quarters The top leaders had gathered at this hotel for a war council
It was around 7pm on November 13th
During the daytiated the Four Gods at the central command center
”As the commander-in-chief, you should return to Kinai where it will be easier to handle oya and respond to the Ro on Kyoto from the Sea of japan”
”Isn't that the job I assigned you a few days ago, Uncle?”
Edward immediately rejected the Lionheart's opinion
Originally, this forefather of the Plantagenet faed in two hours earlier on his own accord
Attendees included the spirit Morrigan and trusted subordinates such as the elderly Lieutenant Colonel Grayson
”Nagoya is yours, Uncle, while I handle the Kantō side of things That was the plan There is no need to alter our approach at this point We agreed on this from the start”
”Quitnonsense inbattle for your own personal enjoyht!?”
Richard's voice was deep and rich, but the words were no different fro a tantrum
Edward sht, Uncle, but you have no grounds to complain Who asked you to defy orders and come back in defeat?”
”Grr!” Richard was silenced by Edward's veiled assertion that this was his deserved punishment
”Furthermore, Uncle, the death of your thousand-odd Escalibors would require two or three weeks for your army to recover Please remain obediently at Kyoto”