Editing Chronicle Legion:Volume 1 Chapter 5 (section)

===Part 4===

"Grandpa! I came to get what the princess wanted!"

Using this excuse, Tachibana Hatsune obtained what she wanted for herself.

The Tachibana clan's most venerable elder, the hundred-and-two-year-old Tachibana Bunzaemon, initially refused, saying "Hmm~ Then let's hold a meeting for the clan's approval..."

"What nonsense are you talking about, Grandpa? Suruga is in a crisis right now, it's an emergency!"

The word emergency overturned the elder's objections.

As a result, Hatsune left Bunzaemon's residence near Suruga Station.

Her next destination was the eastern part of Suruga City where Rinzai High was located. But rather than the dorm, she was heading to the plateau in the mountainous region east of the city&mdash;The Suruga tutelary fort.

Riding a scooter, Hatsune sped along the road.

She was dressed in her usual kimono, hakama, and low boots in ''Haikara-san'' style. In addition, she was wearing a helmet and carrying ''a certain object'' next to her bosom.

"Kurou Hougan Yoshitsune's Appellation... Every challenge is worth a try."

Hatsune was an accomplished martial artist but was never inspired to become a Chevalier.

However, now that Suruga City and the princess were caught up in the Restoration Alliance's coup d'etat, the situation was very dire. There was no downside to holding combat power&mdash;

For a mere school girl to have such sense, she truly belonged to the Tachibana clan that prided themselves on strength and valor.

Besides, it did not feel fair for Masatsugu-oniisama, the other young Tachibana, to be fighting alone. It bothered her. She did not want to lose to him.

"By the way, my father in Tokyo said he wanted to come talk about Onii-sama. What the heck is that about?"

With Suruga's surrounding area blockaded by the Restoration Alliance, her father could not possibly visit in such circumstances.

In any case, Hatsune arrived near the tutelary fort on her scooter. Yesterday, a great number of Kamuys and Crusades were killed in combat and many Legions had crashed in this area.

Now, the dead bodies from either the Japanese or the British side were no longer visible.

Legions were giants created from the noesis of Chevaliers. Their bodies would vanish an hour after death.

Hence, Hatsune reached the side gate without running into any corpses.

Of course, this was not a place where civilians could freely frequent. Fortunately, Hatsune had accompanied the princess on her frequent visits recently, so the soldier guarding the gate remembered her face.

Moreover, she had a trump card.

"I have a matter to discuss with the castellan Rikka-sama... Oh, I forgot the appointed time but Rikka-sama said I was welcome to drop by any time♪ Please have a look at this."

She brought up the earlier verbal promise and took out Akigase Rikka's calling card.

This was the card Shiori had handed to Hatsune recently, on which the words "please provide assistance to the princess" had been written. Hatsune was holding onto the card for Shiori as her lady-in-waiting and was now making use of it.

Half-convinced, the guard still confirmed with the tutelary fort for clearance.

In the end, Rikka gave the go ahead and the guard readily allowed Hatsune in.

Happy-go-lucky in other people's eyes, Hatsune was actually quite meticulous and careful&mdash;at least she thought so herself&mdash;and rather slick in her comings and goings.

This time, she succeeded in infiltrating the tutelary fort through impulse and initiative.

Hatsune's goal was to show "a certain object" to Rikka for appraisal, thus taking the opportunity to ask about her successful experience. Hatsune wanted to know how Chevalier Akigase Rikka had inherited the Appellation of the famous Onikiri.

"Onii-sama has forgotten his past of inheriting an Appellation... So asking someone else to share their experience is a good idea."

This was not a place one could arbitrarily visit on optimistic impulse and spirit alone.

Hatsune understood this much. Following the soldier guiding her, she walked into the tutelary fort's premises.

She saw the barracks and hangars that had been wrecked two days earlier.

There were also the nervous and weary soldiers of the Tōkaidō provincial army.

Witnessing these images, Hatsune was taken to a small three-story building.

It was a bit similar to mixed tenant buildings in the city. The castellan's office was located there. Shiori had visited this place yesterday.

...Arriving at the entrance, Hatsune asked the soldier guide in curiosity, "Excuse me, did you just see something weird run inside?"

"No, I didn't," answered the soldier immediately, but Hatsune did not believe him.

Just now, a "human figure shrouded in black haze" had slipped into the building. The figure was roughly Hatsune's height but unfortunately, she could not get a good look at the face obscured by the haze.

However, did the soldier guide not even see the black haze...?

At that moment, ''a certain object'' next to Hatsune's bosom vibrated.

Hatsune hastily took it out, a blue scroll. Old Japanese paper had been rolled up then bound using scarlet string. This was the Tachibana clan's treasured item for Kurou Hougan Yoshitsune's manifestation&mdash;

The scroll symbolizing the seal of a Feat of Arms vibrated again.

It was trying to convey something. Certain beyond a doubt, Hatsune charged forward to chase the human figure!


"They should be contacting me any time now..."

Rikka muttered quietly.

She was in the castellan's office, facing the desk on her own.

Blockaded by the Restoration Alliance, Suruga City was like a land-locked island with no way to communicate with the outside. But today was already the third day.

The pipe foxes sent out of the city should have returned by now.

Nagoya Castle&mdash;the headquarters of the Tōkaidō Fiefdom and House Akigase&mdash;should be relaying messages to her too.

If only there was a way to exchange information and establish communications, Rikka would be able to work in concert with friendly forces outside instead of being stuck inside the tutelary fort on defense duty.

"...I suppose the Restoration Alliance is well aware of this too."

The Alliance's forces had taken over the Fuji tutelary fort.

Perhaps they were going to lay siege to Suruga in full force within the next two days.

Naturally, the enemy's two Knights of Her Majesty had suffered major losses and could not fight again so soon.

In contrast, Rikka with her Chevalier Strength of 154 still had Kamuys to use.

Including previous casualties, all one hundred and fifty-four of Rikka's Legions had fully recovered.

"I don't really enjoy defending castles, but I am thankful for this one fact."

The greatest advantage of fighting on home turf was that Legions that had fallen in combat near the tutelary fort where the ''tutelary pact'' was established only needed one day to revive.

Furthermore, a Chevalier also gained toughness from a water shrine's blessing.

There was once a Chevalier who fought for seven days straight, neither resting nor sleeping, and succeeded in defending a tutelary fort.

In the past, siege battles favored the defending side. The same principle applied to modern Legion combat too. Hence, Rikka was able to maintain composure without getting too neurotic.

In fact, the body would not hold up for long if one remained tense continuously during times of crisis.

"Indeed, which is why reading this is fine too."

Rikka coughed lightly and reached out for a book on the desk.

The paperback on the desk was ''Roar, My Sword'', written by a national history novelist. Featuring Hijikata Toshizō the Shinsengumi vice-commander as the protagonist, it was a brilliant masterpiece depicting bloody battles and stories of youth.

Rikka flipped the pages casually. She had fallen in love with this book back in Grade 6.

Taking this book to Suruga was purely coincidence. Originally, she had picked it off her bookshelves at home on a whim, wanting to savor this famous title again after so long.

Never had Rikka expected to encounter Hijikata Toshizō in the land of Suruga through destiny's mischievous twists&mdash;

"The power to take my Kamuys... That was certainly no ordinary Chevalier."

The young man calling himself Tachibana Masatsugu had a handsome face, carried Izumi-no-Kami Kanesada, and specialized in Tennen Rishin Style swordsmanship.

All elements corroborated Rikka's guess. Furthermore, there were no extant photographs of Hijikata Toshizō.

One theory was that Hijikata Toshizō never appeared before the camera his whole life as a precaution against assassination by the Meiji government. He did not want his image to spread.

However, he was as good-looking as a celebrity&mdash;

Many people had attested to that fact. And likewise, Tachibana Masatsugu was so handsome...

Just as Rikka was thinking about Masatsugu's face, someone knocked at the office's door. Recalling news that the princess' lady-in-waiting had arrived, she wondered if ''he'' might have come too.

Rikka could not help but feel a little nervous. She put the paperback away inside a drawer.

"P-Please enter."

Rikka put on a calm face intentionally.

However, she frowned as soon as she saw the visitor. It was a human figure shrouded in black haze, obscuring the face and figure, presumably a powerful noetic technique for masking one's appearance.

That being said, noesis of this strength&mdash;Rikka was quite doubtful.

Human noetic masters were not capable of such output. This had already reached the level of high-ranking retainer beasts.

Ordinary people would not even register this black haze crossing before their eyes, right? Such was the strength of the noesis used for identity concealment.

"Excuse me, but this technique is useless on me. At most, it just makes it harder to see clearly."

Rikka shrugged and raised her right hand.

She picked up her personal blade, Onikiri Yasutsuna. Noetic techniques had limited effect on Chevaliers like Rikka who possessed a high-level Appellation.

"I acknowledge your ability in sneaking into the tutelary fort through unknown means. If you are an assassin, I shall meet you with this sword of mine."

Drawing Onikiri Yasutsuna, Rikka stood up and slowly approached the figure. Even though the outline was blurred, severing parts of the body would not be any problem.

However, the figure immediately dispelled the disguise.

"A bold declaration. Fufufu."

A young woman appeared, her laughter as beautiful as the sound of silver bells.

Furthermore, she was a blonde maiden whose gorgeous hair reached waist length. Her figure was so svelte that her limbs seemed delicate enough to break with a gentle squeeze. Most striking of all was her beautiful face.

Delicate, exquisite, as lovely as a fairy. Her skin was also perfectly pale and pristine like porcelain.

She was wearing a black fur coat that reached her waist. Her slender legs were clad in black tights. Her black attire was reminiscent of funeral wear, probably due to the femme fatale aura she exuded.

"I would like to make a request to the fierce and courageous knight&mdash;Please acknowledge me, Eleanor, as your master. Bow down before me and pledge your allegiance."

"What rubbish are you speaking..."

The blonde girl looked straight at Rikka, causing her to shudder.

Rikka could not exert any strength in her body. Her body even began to move on its own. Bending slightly forward at the waist, her knees were almost about to kneel. Her view was dominated by the blonde girl.

If she were to bow her head and swear an oath of loyalty&mdash;

Akigase Rikka would become the girl's possession. This provoked Rikka's anger.

"Gah&mdash;!"

Mustering all her strength, Rikka gripped Onikiri Yasutsuna's blade tightly with her left hand.

The blade sliced open the surface of her palm. Pain arrived with the shedding of fresh blood, but thanks to this pain, the mysterious control lessened somewhat. Rikka glared viciously at the girl before her.

Though her limbs were still weak, slashing the enemy would not be a problem.

"Oh dear, to think that there exist Chevaliers in the Japan who can resist binding curses. How surprising."

The blonde girl smiled at Rikka who had regained presence of mind.

Holding a .38 revolver in her right hand, she aimed at Rikka's head.

"Even among the Knights of Her Majesty, few are able to resist my power. Someone as dangerous as you should be killed as a precaution..."

The enchantress smiled with mockery.

Rikka lamented inside. An ordinary swordsman facing firearms would be a very unfavorable situation, but she was a Chevalier with the ability to sense and control noesis.

She was capable of reading the witch's bloodlust to evade the moment before the trigger was pulled.

Then swiftly closing in, she would slay the enemy with an instantaneous slash of the sword.

Unfortunately, Rikka was in poor condition at the moment and unable to rush into attack range. Most troublesome of all, the witch Eleanor was staring intently into Rikka's eyes, hypnotizing her with enchanted words.

"Let me ask you again... Please will you become my knight?"

Golden light flashed from the witch's eyes.

Rikka gritted her teeth. The witch's eyes were draining her body of strength. The situation was getting worse with each passing moment. She needed some kind of opportunity to enable her to counterattack!

"This ends here, villain!"

A girl's courageous and energetic voice was heard at the scene.

The princess' lady-in-waiting, Tachibana Hatsune, charged into the office. Able to see the witch that ordinary people could not see, she threw the blue scroll in her hand at the witch.

Living up to the name of Tachibana blood, she had responded without the slightest hesitation.

"!?"

The witch reflexively dodged the scroll flying at her face.

Eleanor's movements were nimble. Despite looking weak and frail, she had reflexes like a beast. However, her course of action was undeniably a mistake&mdash;

"Yahhhhhhhhhhh!"

Spurring her exhausted body, Rikka stepped forward.

Giving it her all, she sent a thrust of the sword at the witch's throat. However, her weakened body could not move as normal. In the end, her sword only managed to pierce the witch's left shoulder.

"Guuuh!"

The witch Eleanor groaned in pain as red blood splattered&mdash;No.

What flowed out of the slender girl's shoulder was blue blood, unbelievably. It was almost like the marine blue of ectoplasmic fluid.

"Looks like this really is the end."

Eleanor spoke in chagrin and turned to flee as soon as she finished.

She dashed at the window in the room instead of toward Rikka or Hatsune. The office was located on the third floor but she went for the window without hesitation.

When Eleanor collided with the glass, Rikka saw the witch's slender body transform into a ''black dog''.

It was a fierce hunting hound. In the form of a hound, the witch Eleanor broke through the glass and flew into the air.

"W-What's with that girl...?" Utterly drained, Rikka could no longer move at will.

She stumbled over to the window side. Hatsune went over to support her.

"S-She's gone..."

Hatsune looked out the window and scanned the ground, speaking in confusion.

The black hound had ran at full speed, racing across the tutelary fort's lawn as fast as the wind. Along the way, she transformed again&mdash;This time into a raven.

The black raven spread its wings and took flight.

The image of the witch's gliding departure was undoubted some kind of inauspicious omen.


"However, it is understandable why Rikka-sama would get the wrong idea."

Saying this, Shiori was walking in the Suruga tutelary fort's parking lot.

Masatsugu was also on the side after having just playing the driver's role. With Izumi-no-Kami Kanesada hanging at his waist, he was now serving as the princess' knight.

"Tōkaidō is a land with deep ties to Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu. Hijikata Toshizō served the Tokugawa shogunate as a samurai until the very end and later acted as the imperial family's protector. He is a special hero. Besides..."

Shiori glanced at Masatsugu.

"I too have entertained suspicions whether your true identity is Lord Hijikata, Masatsugu-sama. My guess was that my grandfather might have sent me a hero with intimate ties to the imperial family... Rumors of Lord Hijikata's appearance are quite similar to yours too, Masatsugu-sama."

"I see."

"However, my guess was overturned when the Izumi-no-Kami Kanesada treasured by House Fujinomiya failed to show any reaction."

Masatsugu now understood too. Hijikata Toshizō was rumored to be quite handsome and both Shiori and Rikka had shown great interest in Tachibana Masatsugu's visage.

"By the way, Masatsugu-sama, your driving skills... could use some improvement."

"Sorry about that. To be honest, I'm not used to driving four-wheeled transportation."

"Once we find Hatsune, leave the return trip to her..."

Tachibana Masatsugu had a bad habit of turning into a speed demon when not paying attention.

After experiencing how dangerously he drove, Shiori was thoroughly haggard in mind and body.

Along the winding mountain roads to the tutelary fort's plateau, the princess had to suppress her fear and screams on every turn. (Furthermore, since the experience would be more terrifying downhill, Masatsugu had absolute confidence he could make Shiori scream out loud.)

While chatting, the two of them approached the building containing the castellan's office.

They then found out about the mysterious intruder's attack on Akigase Rikka as well as Hatsune's arrival to the rescue.


Outside the building of the castellan's office, Masatsugu and the Tachibana girl were talking.

"...So that's what happened. We barely managed to fight off that transforming girl."

In a rare state of listlessness, Hatsune reported the whole story.

Her expression was mixed with doubt, unsure whether what she had seen was real. It felt like she had been bewitched by a fox spirit.

"Well, we do live in an age where dead people revive and roam the world. A transforming witch is nothing surprising."

"Onii-sama, I've never heard of anyone like that. Noetic techniques can only be used for camouflage at most."

A group of soldiers had gathered in front of the building.

Lying on a stretcher, Rikka was being transported out of the entrance with a number of people waiting on the side, including paramedics and Shiori. They went forward to examine Rikka's condition.

"Masatsugu-sama!"

Shiori called his name and Masatsugu hurried over to the princess and Rikka's side.

"Rikka-sama has a request for you."

"A request for me?"

Arriving at the two girls' side, Masatsugu could not help feeling a little puzzled by what Shiori said.

Meanwhile, Rikka smiled faintly while lying weakly on the stretcher. She only managed to curl the corners of her lips, but her fortitude was evident.

"...Just as you all can see, I was careless. Truth be told, I am not confident I can recover immediately."

Rikka's voice also lacked vitality but she gazed at Masatsugu firmly.

"Hiji&mdash;No, Tachibana-dono. I hope you could defend Suruga in my stead for the time being. The princess has also given her consent."

The assassin was an unknown blonde woman, but definitely involved with the Restoration Alliance.

Now would be the perfect chance to conquer the tutelary fort while the castellan was unconscious.

Masatsugu said, "Since Her Highness Shiori has given her consent, I have no objections. I will defend Suruga on your behalf despite my humble talents."

"Much appreciated," Rikka closed her eyes after thanking him.

She lost consciousness. Unexpectedly, Tachibana Masatsugu was now tasked with the castellan's duties. Unable to summon a single Legion, how was he going to oppose the enemy?

Masatsugu shrugged. There was no point in worrying before the battle. The only way to know if things would work out was to do it for real.
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