Chronicle Legion:Volume 1 Chapter 2
Chapter 2 - Invading Legion (2)
Part 1
"By the way, Her Highness Shiori certainly made quite a bold move."
Akigase Rikka offered her sincere reaction.
It was the middle of October, on a sunny Friday afternoon.
Rikka was visiting Suruga's city hall, located roughly ten minutes' walking distance from Suruga Station. This building of over seventy years and featuring red glazed tiles had been constructed next to the historical site of Sunpu Castle where Tokugawa Ieyasu once lived.
Rikka had come to the mayor's office in the elegant city hall, in other words, the room of the city's highest authority.
"Even though it was a local program, to think that a princess of the imperial family dared to make a public appearance on television..."
Rikka smiled. She did not dislike the princess' style of audacity.
Her comments were made to the mayor, a dignified man in his early sixties, dressed in traditional Japanese attire of haori and hakama. On the other hand, Akigase Rikka was only seventeen years old—
Her gorgeous black hair reached waist length and she was a maiden with a lovely and dignified face.
However, her lips were shaped into a smile of resilience. Her attire was also different from the female high school students in the city. Her black military uniform was only worn by high-ranking officers in the Imperial Army and she even had a Japanese sword at her waist.
Incidentally, her excellent figure was visible even beneath the military uniform.
Her bountiful bosom was bulging generously while the round curves of her hips also indicated appropriate voluptuousness.
"Did you watch the interview?"
Despite Rikka being young enough to be his granddaughter, the mayor spoke to her with unusual reverence in his tone.
One would hardly blame him. Rikka was the holder of two positions. First of all, she was the eldest daughter of the Tōkaidō Governor General who ruled over the three prefectures of Aichi, Shizuoka and Yamanashi. Secondly, she was a Chevalier of the Tōkaidō provincial army—
Either one of these positions would rank her above a mayor or a prefectural governor.
Facing the one who was in charge of Suruga City's administration on her father's behalf, Rikka replied, "Yes, I watched it. Her Highness is surely refreshing in her manner of doing things. I am simply pleased as part of the Twelve Houses serving the imperial family. Besides, this is just so thrilling. If those ladys-in-waiting in the empress' service were to find out about the television program, I am certain it would vex them to no end."
Imagining the sight, Rikka laughed again.
"If Her Highness Shiori is not simply an obedient princess... Then it would seem that an audience with her would not turn out to be a boring meeting or a waste of time. It is certainly worth celebrating."
"...Akigase-sama."
The elderly mayor smiled uncomfortably and tactfully cautioned Rikka.
Seeing as she was a member of one of the Twelve Houses and also the Akigase's Chevalier princess, it was very rare for anyone to dare make such suggestions to her. Most people tended to shower her with sycophancy.
Grateful for the mayor's well-intentions, Rikka smiled wryly and swallowed the rest of her irreverent words.
Ever since the end of Second World War and Japan accepted Lord Tenryuu's protection...
The islands of Japan had been divided into twelve provinces, each ruled by a hereditary Governor General. Bluntly stated, it had returned to the Edo period's feudal clan system.
The twelve regional Governor Generals each had their respective army and Chevaliers, thus giving rise to the name of the Twelve Fiefdoms.
The Hokkaidō Fiefdom. The Ōshū Fiefdom. The Hokuriku Fiefdom. The Kantō Fiefdom. The Tōsandō Fiefdom. The Tōkaidō Fiefdom.
The Kinai Fiefdom. The Ōsaka Fiefdom. The Chūgoku Fiefdom. The Shikoku Fiefdom. The Kyūshū Fiefdom. The Okinawa Fiefdom.
Rikka was the eldest daughter of the Akigase family ruling over Tōkaidō.
"As I recall, tomorrow is when you will pay a the princess a visit, is that correct?"
"Indeed, I wish to make a trip to the tutelary fort if time permits, so as to meet with Sakuya. Her condition has not been the best for the past few months. It seems that currying her good favor might be even harder than the princess."
After the amiable conversation, Rikka put on a serious expression and said, "However... I must first speak to that man today."
"Are you referring to Kawazoe-dono? The castellan of the Suruga tutelary fort—Or rather, the former castellan. It is such a shame that he engaged in such clandestine dealings," the mayor remarked painfully.
Rikka shrugged and said, "He was an avaricious man to begin with, so taking bribes is not surprising at all. What is truly problematic is the fact that he made contact with agents of the British Empire."
The Chevalier serving as the castellan of the Suruga tutelary fort had been arrested by the military police two days ago due to allegations of corruption. Reportedly, he had accepted bribes from someone in the construction business seeking illicit gains—
It was during this case's investigation that his second crime was uncovered.
"To think that the Britain Faction has appeared in our Tōkaidō, and even a Chevalier too," the mayor sighed in dismay.
The Eastern Roman Empire and Japan had "entered an alliance" for over ten years now.
But in recent years, more and more politicians, mainly in western Japan, were advocating an alliance with "the other major power" involved in Asia, so as to cleanse Japan of Rome's influence.
This was the so-called "Britain Faction," which had many adherents in the fiefdoms of Kyūshū, Chūgoku and Shikoku.
"The fiefdoms in the west had established intimate ties with England ever since the Bakumatsu era—since the Satchō Alliance—but the same cannot be said for Tōkaidō," said Rikka with a nod.
"This is not only the place where Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu was born and raised but also his long-term base of operations, as well as where he retired after stepping down as the shogun. In honor of the Tokugawa legacy, we must uphold absolute loyalty to the imperial family and demonstrate our unyielding mettle as a samurai family."
After expressing her principles as a descendant of samurai, Rikka smiled ironically.
"Regrettably, whom the current imperial family currently trusts is not us but the powerful Roman Empire."
"Akigase-sama..."
"Oh, my apologies. It is time for me to go see Kawazoe-sama."
The mayor cautioned Rikka again and she hastily took her leave.
Rikka was a Chevalier answering directly to the Tōkaidō Governor General and normally served at Nagoya.
She had come to Suruga City to meet the suspect on her father's behalf. After that, she was scheduled to have an audience with princess of rumor, Fujinomiya Shiori.
Part 2
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Part 3
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Part 4
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Part 5
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