Chronicle Legion:Volume 3 Chapter 3
Chapter 3 - Restless Warlords
Part 1
Back when Shiori 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, Shiori was still at the imperial capital of Tokyo. This conversation had taken place in September.
"Your Highness, you're so pretty, smart too, and an amazing person..."
Why would such a lady be the target of resentment?
Shiori 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 not mistake this for bragging, what I am describing was 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 Empress was an "ordinary" girl.
Consequently, this bred conflict. And conflict between women tended to be of the insidious sort, staying out of plain sight. Unfortunately, the situation between Shiori and the Empress was no exception.
In the end, Shiori, who had relocated to the Suruga City, was abandoned and neglected by those at the imperial palace for a long time.
However, the Tokyo imperial palace finally sent a messenger.
They were finally willing to show some charity and extend a helping hand to rescue the poor princess from war-torn Tōkaidō—
November 13th, it was Thursday.
The messenger made a special visit to Rinzai High. Shiori chose to "have an audience" on campus, using the principal's office lent out by the school.
Behind the somewhat classy reception desk, Shiori 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 imperial family directly, bowed his head deeply in apology.
As an aide-de-camp as the imperial palace, he was acquainted with Shiori. Back in September this year, this soldier had accompanied her to attend the garden party held for Generalissimo Caesar.
Shiori said solemnly, "Hakone Checkpoint and various areas of Tōkaidō are still under the Restoration Alliance's control. You only managed to get here now due to Suruga 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 Roman soldier, succeeded in breaking through 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 Shiori.
Meanwhile, the aide-de-camp changed the subject naturally.
"In any case, I am relieved to find you safe and sound, Your Highness."
The aide-de-camp's tone was filled with sincerity.
Presumably, he was not speaking against his conscience. The Imperial Guard had simply not taken actual action. As expected of an aide-de-camp, spending his days dealing with those aggravating ladies-in-waiting at the imperial palace, he had honed perfect skills in "professional customer service."
Using pleasing words, the major skillfully glossed over the Imperial Guard's negligence and incompetence.
In a way, this was part of his job too.
"Your Highness Shiori, Her Majesty Teruhime and the other members of the imperial family are eagerly awaiting your return. Should you wish to leave, I can make arrangements for you right away..."
Only now did an aide-de-camp arrive tardily.
At least he seemed sincere in bringing Shiori back, though it was not an "absolute" imperative. He had added a conditional at the end, contingent on Shiori's desire to return, meaning it was fine to leave her here too, since the princess still had House Akigase's protection, after all...
Someone in the Empress' inner circle must have given 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... employment? Do you mean taking a job here in Suruga?"
"The details will be announced at the ceremony this coming weekend. Please forgive my secrecy for now."
Shiori smiled gently and did not neglect to nip further questioning in the bud.
The ceremony to commemorate Akigase Shouzan's transfer of the family's headship to his beloved daughter was scheduled for the weekend. This was already common knowledge.
"But Your Highness, for an imperial princess to 'enter employment' without seeking the Imperial Household Agency'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."
Shiori smiled and brought up a name of extraordinary note.
The name worked like magic, instantly silencing the aide-de-camp. Observing this conversation from the back, Masatsugu quietly went "oh?" to himself.
For someone to wield such influence over a messenger from the imperial palace, Masatsugu was quite intrigued 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 the meeting, Masatsugu was accompanying Princess Shiori on a stroll near Rinzai High.
Walking slightly ahead, Shiori seemed to be sulking 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 were walking 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 somewhere and call the Suruga 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, umm, Masatsugu-sama, it is fine if you wish to join her... If you prefer her company... That is simply what I am thinking," Shiori 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 Shiori's nature as a person. She was not only a clever princess with ambitious goals, but also a shy and reserved maiden.
Her nature was so delicate that it was impossible for a coarse man like Tachibana Masatsugu to comprehend.
For the clever princess to be expressing her displeasure in such a manner, this indicated quite a serious emergency in a certain sense.
"Princess."
Masatsugu gazed at Shiori's beautiful face and said lightly, "I am merely someone who serves you—a person in the imperial princess' service. Fujinomiya Shiori's wellbeing 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 Shiori intently, causing the sulking princess to turn her head away shyly as though he had struck some kind of emotional chord.
"I-I am simply asking whether you were alright with not going along with Hatsune."
"Really?"
"Yes, Masatsugu-sama, I understand your loyalties without needing you to make such a solemn statement out of it."
There was still a sulking element in Shiori's voice, but the sarcastic tone had gone.
Through a few words and subtle nuance, Masatsugu had cleared up a little of the displeasure in his lady liege's heart. Perhaps it was time to change the subject, he thought.
"May I ask what kind of person is Rindou-sensei... the one whom you brought up earlier, Princess?"
"Ah yes, I still have not told you, Masatsugu-sama," Shiori replied smoothly. "Having served the imperial family for many years, Rindou-sensei is a distinguished veteran with prominent accomplishments... Rather, she would be best described as one of the elder statesmen who helped the current imperial family come to power. She retired over ten years ago and is currently living an idyllic life near Suruga City."
I see.
A so-called elder statesman was someone who had rendered a great service to the nation. Masatsugu now had a preliminary understanding 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 Shiori 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 Shiori 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 more than half a century ago. Logically speaking, an "elder statesman" from that time would be quite old now—
"Yes, Sensei is definitely at least as old as Shouzan-sama."
"It might be rude for me to say this, but I'm surprised she's lived so long."
"Fufufufu. Sensei harbors numerous secrets. You will know when you meet her in the future. However—"
Shiori smiled suggestively then sighed.
"Sensei can be rather eccentric and I have no idea when I will have a chance to meet her again. Saying she has labored enough and weary of worldly matters, she has stayed home for a number of years and refused to go out. I was lying just now when 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 name was Ryouzan Manor and was where Masatsugu and Shiori 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 many successive 'offerings' 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 junmai daiginjou, a type of premium sake brewed from pure rice. The label on the bottle featured a vibrant logo 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 owner who made the delivery to the dorm even promised "This is absolutely the stuff of dreams!"
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 am still a minor! I have never imbibed any alcoholic beverage except for amazake. I specially ordered this brand because it is Sensei's favorite!"
"I see."
"The problem is that Sensei's 'favorite brands' number over a hundred. I am still far from completing the collection," said Shiori 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 Roman garrison in Kantō. His name was enough to surprise the well-learned princess, who never expected a man of such greatness to return to the human realm—
Part 2
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Part 3
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Part 4
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