Chronicle Legion:Volume 3 Epilogue

Epilogue

The intense battlefield of Hakone sank into darkness and peace after night fell.

All fighting had ceased by now.

Saturday November 22nd, 18:45.

The four tutelary forts protecting Hakone manifested four golden guardian deities out of thin air, illuminating their surroundings. These four guardians were especially conspicuous under the dark night—

In the sky over Seiryuu Gate in the east, a giant golden dragon with the "imperial" kanji on its forehead was twisting its gigantic body.

In the sky over Suzaku Gate in the south, a golden phoenix with wings spread had likewise appeared with the "imperial" kanji.

In the respective skies over Byakko Gate in the west and Genbu Gate in the north, a giant golden tiger and an enormous golden turtle with a snake for a tail, each with the "imperial" kanji on their forehead...

"Amazing, all these gods have become the princess' flunkies."

"It's better to call them 'guardian deities,' I think."

The Tachibana siblings were chatting in the sky over Hakone.

They were each riding their own blue wyvern, flying side by side in the night sky.

For the whole day today, dark clouds had shrouded the sky, but weather tended to change at moment's notice in mountainous regions. Currently, the moon's clear rays were falling upon the land.

The moon and scattered stars were bright in the sky without any clouds for miles.

The two wyverns were flapping their wings slowly under the moonlit sky.

Retainer beasts needed to have excellent night vision and an extraordinary sense of direction to be able to fly during the night.

If helicopters were placed in the same situation, pilots would not dare to fly without night equipment. This could be considered a drawback of "modern conveniences." Of course, for anyone apart from Chevaliers, flying exposed to mountain winds would be a type of torture...

"Onii-sama," Hatsune said after thinking for a moment. "Edward and his entourage—and the armies of the Restoration Alliance—have withdrawn from Hakone, right? Is it necessary to summon all of the Four Gods...?"

"You're right, it's not necessary."

They were flying five kilometers south of Lake Ashi.

However, Masatsugu's vision was excellent. Even from this location, he could see Hakone Yumoto, Lake Ashi's south and west shores, as well as the brilliant golden glow from the Four Gods in the sky over Sengokuhara.

"I heard that the display will last two or three hours as proof that Tōkaidō has taken Hakone. The process was also recorded to be used for promotional purposes in the future."

"The princess came up with this too?"

"That's right, Rikka-dono agreed before going to bed."

Borrowing Rikka's strength, Masatsugu had activated a new Feat of Arms—Two-Headed Dog.

This move was extremely draining. After the battle, Rikka could hardly stand. Leaving the aftermath for subordinates to handle, she had retired to bed quite early.

"The British Empire's prince fled so quickly. I had just arrived and was about to put on a grand performance."

Riding her wyvern next to her older brother, Hatsune sounded quite happy.

"But it feels great to see them routed. They've been beating down on us for so long, but now we finally got our revenge!"

"Indeed, they fled very quickly," Masatsugu agreed and said to the little sister. "Hatsune, once you understand it as a move taken by an accomplished general who knows when to advance and retreat, you'll be full-fledged general too."

"R-Really?"

"Yes, that prince is really quite something."

"Speaking of outstanding abilities, our princess is amazing too, right? Rindou-sensei praised her so much."

"She praised the princess?"

"That's right. She said ordinary royal princesses lack sufficient spiritual rank, which means they would at most be able to order the Four Gods to disappear for the time being. Unable to act as Lord Tenryuu's representative, they cannot perform a resummoning. Considering the royal families across the entire world, you probably can't find another like her!"

"I see."

Masatsugu was well aware that their liege was not only outstanding in spiritual powers but also highly capable and full of resolve.

Fujinomiya Shiori sacrificed her lifespan on her own volition and obtained results accordingly. Had she not resummoned the great phoenix of the Four Gods to aid the Tōkaidō-Roman coalition, they would not have been able to capture the second tutelary fort, Suzaku Gate, within one hour.

This was what had thrown a wrench into Prince Edward's calculations.

In fact, back when he saw a thousand and two hundred Garter Knights gathered at the heart of Hakone, Masatsugu had said this.

If the speed with which they captured the four tutelary forts in the cardinal directions surpassed the Black Prince's expectations, victory in this battle would be secured.

After hearing that, Shiori had volunteered on her own accord to take care of the Four Gods.

...Back when Hatsune rushed to the battlefield to help out, the yellow dragon of the Four Gods had already descended upon Seiryuu Gate. After that, the Four Gods at Byakko Gate and Genbu Gate also manifested to fight the Restoration Alliance.

Prince Edward had swiftly led his entire army to retreat before all four of them could manifest.

Had he been a step late, the Kamuys and the Centuriae coming from the four cardinal directions would have been able to surround and wipe out the Knights of the Garter.

Unfortunately, the English prince had withdrawn from the battlefield before the encirclement could be completed.

Roughly four hundred and eighty Garter Knights formed a spherical formation and fled southwest.

Along the way, they converged with British forces that had retreated from the tutelary forts, running away in an orderly fashion. Seeing that, Masatsugu did not give the order to pursue.

This was because he knew instinctively that further fighting would only result in mutual annihilation.

"Now that the princess has subjugated Hakone and the Four Gods in this manner, for better or worse, everyone's view of her will change completely. Hatsune, we need to prepare ourselves too."

"I got it! By the way, Onii-sama what are we doing here?"

The two of them had arrived at an area in the southern end of Hakone.

Masatsugu stopped his wyvern near the peak of Jikkokutoge Pass. Imitating him, Hatsune ordered her wyvern to land too. Walking south from here, one would reach Izu and the area of Atsumi.

With their two wyverns crouching on the ground on standby, they began to walk forward.

"I have an appointment with someone. After the battle ended, the command center at Suzaku Gate received a message."

"An appointment with who?"

"You'll know shortly."

The peak of Jikkokutoge Pass had a cable car terminus.

Due to the battle between the Restoration Alliance and the Tōkaidō-Roman coalition, the sightseeing cable car was not in operation today. In front of the entrance to the terminus was a tall figure.

Seeing the person whom Masatsugu had agreed to meet, Hatsune jumped in fright.

"I wonder if I should say 'it's been a while'? After all, we were fighting in an intense battle only hours ago."

"As for an actual encounter, it happens to be one month ago."

The other party was Edward the Black Prince, dressed in Britain's black military uniform—

Edward was leaning against the wall of the terminus, smiling elegantly. The legendary crown prince also smiled at Hatsune, who was standing behind Masatsugu in shock. He said, "I came alone. If I brought a follower along, she would probably mock and ridicule me to no end."

"To think that someone is tough enough to dare mock and ridicule you? No wonder Britain is so powerful."

"Personally, I would prefer if my companion could be a little more polite with me."

"So, what business do you have with me?"

"I just wanted to chat. Think of it as sharing our thoughts about the battle just now. Wouldn't it be nice to do this once in a while?"

"Yes, I suppose."

"Uh, umm... May I say something?"

Hatsune raised her hand timidly, seeking permission to speak. Masatsugu and the Black Prince nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"Isn't it inappropriate for the two sides to meet in secret after a battle...?"

"Why? We're not colluding in conspiracy."

"The battle is long over. It's fine as long as you don't tell anyone."

"Uh, aren't either of you afraid of the other side setting an ambush with assassins or snipers?"

"We can read noesis. Any ambush force will be found immediately."

"Besides, we are not people who'll submit and die without a fight, trying to set up an ambush would be totally a waste of time and energy."

"...In other words, this is one of those?"

Hatsune sighed in a rare moment and said solemnly, "The kind of relationship where one discards their allegiances after a battle to gather for a discussion of heroes over wine, then resuming hostilities another day. You guys are doing this with inspiring stories from turbulent times in mind, right?"

"This little lady is quite amusing."

Edward smiled.

"Tachibana-dono—You definitely bested me on this occasion, and not just you, but your princess too."

"You are truly impressive for discerning this."

"You are too kind. I was amazed to learn that Imperial Japan had such a capable princess. Furthermore... Hohohoho, her existence inspired me with a few ideas. For example, knowing that someone talented as her is involved, we might have to change the way we interact with Tōkaidō."

"So that is why you asked to meet me here?"

"Not exactly. However, Tachibana-dono, I am well aware of the reason why your faction rushed to capture Hakone before Lord Caesar's arrival. Let us discuss this a later time."

"......"

Although the Eastern Roman Empire was Japan's ally, it was definitely not a friendly nation. It would not be wrong to call it a potential enemy.

On the other hand, the British Empire was the official enemy. As the saying went, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." The dialogue between Masatsugu and the Black Prince was brief and concise, but conveyed plenty between the lines.

Masatsugu was willing to meet him precisely because he expected such a development.

That being said, he had no intention of making any decisions here. It was presumably the same for the other party. Masatsugu did not give a clear answer and Edward simply stared leisurely into the night sky.

"Oh right, there is another matter." The Black Prince's tone turned serious, losing his earlier levity. "The battle today... It is true that my side withdrew from Hakone. This I concede. However, you only managed to make it this far by borrowing your liege's aid. At the conclusion of the battle, if one were to compare the state of our armies—My order of knights was still in better condition, wouldn't you agree?"

Edward's face was solemn while he sought Masatsugu's agreement.

"In light of the aforementioned points, I believe that for today's battle, regarding the showdown between you and me... It was a draw, possibly in my favor, perhaps."

"On the contrary."

Masatsugu denied the claim outwardly but his thoughts differed.

In the end, only two hundred Kanesadas remained while Wei Qing's Centuriae were down to a hundred and twenty. Fewer than forty of Rikka's Kamuys survived—

Undeniably, in terms of surviving numbers, the Garter Knights were in better shape.

Edward's claim had some logical merit and was not simply the words of a sore loser. Naturally, Masatsugu did not voice these thoughts. He simply replied indifferently, "In the end, we are the ones staying in Hakone, so the victor can be no one but me."

"No, no, this is still disputable. Let us find a venue to settle this debate some time soon. By the way... It would be nice to find somewhere in Atsumi or Hakone to hold a discussion while enjoying a hot spring."

"What?"

"If permitted by the situation when the time comes, I would like to meet your princess too," Edward added confidently at the end with a mischievous smile.

After retaking Hakone successfully, Shiori was extremely exhausted.

Akigase Rikka had strained herself too much during the battle and retired for the night early. Seeing that Rikka had gone to bed, the victorious princess found a bedroom in the second tutelary fort as well and hastily lay down to recover her energy—A couple of hours had passed by the time she woke up again.

"Princess, are you able to rise?"

"Sensei... Y-Yes, I am fine—"

Dressed in a kimono, Rindou-sensei had entered the room.

This was a room reserved exclusively for high-ranking officers. For a military facility, the furniture such as the sofa, the table and chairs were very luxurious. Shiori's mentor and guardian was sitting on the sofa, having a drink.

Shiori sighed lightly and sat up.

Her body still felt a bit heavy, presumably due to the effects of invoking the master-servant enchanted ritual of the Four Gods.

However, she could still manage to move her limbs. She walked over to Rindou-sensei. By On the table, there was a red gourd and a porcelain dish along with a sheet of Japanese paper.

A blue liquid had been poured into the dish—Artificial ectoplasmic fluid.

Looking at Shiori's face, Sensei put down her wine cup and picked up the Japanese paper on the table.

"By any chance, Sensei... Are you going to use spirit vision?"

"After observing today's battle, a few vague notions have occurred to me. There might be a chance right now to receive an oracle, so as to elucidate that undead one's true identity."

Shiori secretly jumped in surprise. Ignoring her surprise, Rindou-sensei tore the paper into dozens of pieces and scattered them in the air.

Three of the paper fragments fell into the blue ectoplasmic fluid in the dish.

A Chinese character appeared on each fragment, respectively BU, SU, and TAI.

Having performed a divination to seek an oracle, Rindou-sensei went "hmph" and picked up the gourd on the table. Without pouring the wine into her cup, she drank directly from it.

"What is this? Totally incomprehensible."

"These three characters... probably give Masatsugu-sama's name."

As soon as Shiori spoke, Sensei's gaze turned sharp.

"Princess, you already have some idea as to his identity, don't you?"

"Until now... I had no concrete evidence. However, I discovered several clues. First of all, he might be a general who led a cavalry army. Secondly, he commands his troops logically and appropriately, and also moves swiftly with decisiveness."

Shiori calmly explained.

"Accepting all available weapons at his disposal—whether a samurai's katana, the name of Hijikata Toshizō, a destroyer from Britain... He used all of them without any prejudice. Moreover, there is the issue of his tactics."

"Oh?"

"The tactics he used last time against Richard the Lionheart, as well as what he employed against Hakone this time, both had similar precedents in the ancient past. For example, two battles... One at Liegnitz in the past, in other words, the area where the village of Wahlstatt was later built, and another that took place on the Sajó River's shore."

Floating on the blue ectoplasmic fluid were three fragments of paper.

Shiori reached out with her index finger and arranged the order into SU, BU, TAI.

"He was the trusted retainer and favorite pupil of the greatest emperor in history. Even centuries later, the German knight Sir Rommel, nicknamed the Desert Fox, would imitate his strategies—I believe this ought to be his true name."

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