Toaru Hikuushi e no Seiyaku:V7Part3

Part 3

Is a nation truly this fragile?

From her saddle, Kagura gazed at the desolate landscape of the abandoned city, Misato, and was overcome with a deep, sorrowful emotion.

Since the air raid six months ago, the residents had given up on living in Misato. They packed their belongings onto carts and chose to evacuate to rural areas. Once a flourishing capital of the Akitsu Federation, this city had now become nothing more than a concrete fortress waiting to confront the imminent land forces of the St Vault Empire.

The Year 1350 of the Imperial Calendar, June, the capital of the Akitsu Federation, Misato──.

The rain that had persisted since last night finally ceased, leaving the dust and debris turned to muddy water, blackening the streets. The bomb craters had formed deep puddles, and as armoured vehicles passed, they splashed the filthy water everywhere.

Roof tiles and rubble from collapsed buildings littered the streets, obstructing the passage of wheeled vehicles. Advancing would be difficult unless they used tanks with caterpillar tracks. For the soldiers of the Federation Army, who lacked the firepower to penetrate the armour of the Empire’s heavy tanks, the only way to resist was with night raids—hiding in the shadows of buildings and debris, using their bodies as shields, throwing incendiary bottles into the fuel tanks to destroy the tanks. The soldiers of the Imperial Guard Division, who awaited the inevitable battle of despair, merely stood with faces drained of hope.

Kagura inspected the condition of these soldiers from horseback, occasionally offering words of comfort or encouragement. Despite harbouring doubts deep inside, she fulfilled her duty as the captain of the Shinmei Unit, never allowing those doubts to surface.

The Shinmei Unit consisted of 250 members, tasked with guarding the Keiken Dynasty Imperial Bloodline. Though primarily ceremonial, its ranks were filled with elite soldiers, skilled in combat. Kagura, despite her young age, had been selected to lead the unit by the division commander of the Imperial Guard, Prince Daitoku Shinnou. In this time of national crisis, only Kagura, who had trained alongside the prince since childhood, was deemed capable of being the blade at his side.

It was an overwhelming promotion. Having been transferred from the Kusanagi Aviation Unit, Kagura now worked to establish closer cooperation between ground and air forces.

It was an immense responsibility, but one that Kagura found fulfilling. Yet, no matter how satisfying the work, a cold wind seemed to blow through her heart.

── Everything feels so meaningless.

The ideals of the Akitsu Federation had long since crumbled. The three peoples, who were supposed to have united against Urano and the St Vault Empire, were now on the verge of defeat, splitting apart and returning to the state of three separate nations, as they had been before the federation was formed.

The central and western peoples were using Kagura and her fellow eastern people as a shield to delay the St Vault invasion while they purged their old war factions and prepared to surrender. Geopolitically, the central and western peoples had much to gain from this strategy. Once they completed the internal regime change, they might even accuse the eastern people of being "imperialists who disturbed the peace of the Multi-Island Sea" as a way of appeasing the Empire after surrender. Such measures were expected if it meant navigating this crisis with minimal sacrifice and loss.

But it wasn’t only other peoples at fault.

The eastern people themselves were also on the brink of internal conflict.

With the collapse of the federation, the military quickly established a single eastern-people-only cabinet. The new prime minister, General Takatora Kuonji, was one of the military's leaders. He immediately assumed the role of supreme commander of the remaining federation forces and set about reorganizing the army exclusively with eastern soldiers. However, the gap left by the departure of the central and western soldiers was impossible to fill, and it was expected that the defence line they had established in the Henan region would fall within six months. Kuonji’s only hope was for the Imperial Guard Division to cling to Misato and delay the St Vault ground forces as long as possible after Henan's collapse.

As Kagura passed silently between the soldiers of the Imperial Guard Division who toiled away, her sense of sorrow deepened.

── Is there any point to this?

A doubt that no soldier should carry began to well up from deep within her.

── Is this simply a fist we raised that we cannot now lower?

For the past six years, since their participation in the Battle of Hydrabard, the military had invested half of the national budget into the war effort, promising reparations, territory, and new benefits after victory, all while forcing the populace into lives of poverty, nearly to the point of starvation. Now, the military’s pride would not allow them to show any sign of weakness. Rather than surrender, they would choose to drag the entire nation down with them.

And now, Prime Minister Kuonji sought to utilize the Keiken Dynasty Imperial Bloodline to establish a new wartime regime. In this dire situation, the Imperial Family was being revived as an absolute value, something both the military and the people could equally look up to. Since the transition to federalism, the Keiken Dynasty Imperial Bloodline had ruled without governing, but Kuonji planned to restore its command authority.

── This is madness.

Kagura could no longer even bring herself to sigh. The military, which had once boasted of "establishing a new order in the Multi-Island Sea" when the federation was first formed, had now become so desperate in the face of defeat that they shamelessly sought to return to the old regime they had once abandoned. The true tragedy lay in the soldiers and their families who would die for this political farce.

And now Kagura, fully aware of the military’s disgraceful inner workings, found herself leading soldiers toward certain death as a pawn of this very system.

── No...

Her heart groaned in pain.

── This is not the way I want to live...

Deep within her consciousness, a voice lamented.

Was it the influence of her time studying abroad in St Vault? Kagura found herself observing the sensibilities of her own eastern people from a slight distance. The eastern people's unique aesthetic of finding beauty in the fleeting life of cherry blossoms was admirable, but was it not too steeped in self-indulgence? While dying a noble death in battle was simple, was there not a harder but more worthwhile path to pursue?

Knowing full well that this path led only to ruin, why did no one try to stop it? Despite being at the brink of their nation’s destruction, why did they refuse to even glance at the alternatives?

Wouldn’t someone—someone willing to sacrifice even their own life to stop this foolish war—be exactly what this dying Akitsu continent needed right now?

── If anyone could do that...

Kagura looked up at the cloudy sky.

Rain clouds, heavy with moisture and ready to burst at any moment, filled her vision. There, reflected in those clouds, was the image of her childhood friend, who had long since stored only sorrow within his slender frame.

── There is only one person...

Kagura wrapped the reins around her wrist. The horse's lonely hoofbeats echoed across the field of rubble. She kicked the stirrups and turned the horse’s head toward the "Imperial Palace."

The "Imperial Palace" located in the centre of Misato was the only "sanctuary" in the city that had escaped the bombings.

If they were to bomb the residence of the "Keiken Dynasty Imperial Bloodline," which served as the spiritual pillar for the eastern people, it would unnecessarily provoke their national sentiment. The St Vault Imperial Army understood well the disadvantages of destroying symbolic and historical buildings, and although they had razed the other districts completely, not a single bomb had been dropped on the Imperial Palace.

However, even if it wasn’t bombed, it was impossible to allow the Keiken Dynasty Emperor to reside on the front lines. Nearly all the royal family members, including the emperor, had evacuated to a city in the high mountain region along the border with the central state, called "Kyonagi." Currently, the only person living within this vast compound was Prince Daitoku Shinnou, the commander of the Imperial Guard Division.

Kagura dismounted in front of the main gate and entered the palace.

Guarding the palace was also part of the Shinmei Unit's duties. As she navigated the winding pathways, she greeted her colleagues stationed in the watchtowers before proceeding to the main hall, which had become much quieter compared to its former days.

Prince Daitoku Shinnou had just returned to his office after finishing a morning meeting.

He had received reports from the senior officials of the Cabinet Office and the general staff of the Supreme Command on the current situation and listened to the bleak prospects for the future. As he stamped documents that had piled up on his desk, Kagura entered.

"It's ironic, isn't it? Even as the structure of the nation dissolves and politics reaches the depths of confusion, the war still continues."

The prince looked up from his papers and spoke with a tone of self-deprecation. Standing upright in front of the desk, Kagura responded.

"It’s the result of the bureaucrats' efforts."

Even with the collapse of the federal system and the reorganization of the cabinet, military governance (the administrative work necessary to continue the war) was being run tirelessly by the bureaucratic machinery headed by the Ministry of the Army and the Ministry of the Navy. Although there was chaos in the departments related to military commands (the orders to carry out operations), the officials had been working around the clock for nearly two months to reorganize, and it was expected that things would settle down within three months.

"The bureaucrats are excellent. It's almost heartbreaking."

Though there was an unspoken depth of emotion in the prince’s words, Kagura didn’t question his true feelings. There was no need to ask—what lay in the prince's heart was already clear to her.

Unless someone stopped it, this war would continue, with no clear accountability, regardless of how capable the bureaucrats were. They were merely cogs in the machinery executing the will of the politicians. Unless the root of the nation’s will was corrected, the tragedy would not end.

The thoughts that had surged within Kagura earlier as she rode returned to her mind.

If anyone could stop this, it was only one person.

The "childhood friend" standing before her.

"A council was held in Kyonagi, and it has been decided to revert the country's name to the 'Keiken Kingdom.'"

The prince announced this in an indifferent tone, as if he were merely reading off the evening's dinner menu.

Kagura straightened her posture and rolled the newly altered name on her tongue. It was the name of the nation before the formation of the Akitsu Federation, a state composed solely of eastern people. The change in the nation’s name was a way to inform the people that the government had returned to the pre-federal system, but it didn’t stir any particular feelings in her. Like the last bubble spat out by a sinking ship, the sound of the name echoed hollow and forlorn.

"Along with that, His Majesty the Emperor has been granted supreme command authority. In the very end, the royal family has taken on the entire fate of this nation."

There was little trace of irony in the prince’s words. Though he had long desired the return of political power to the royal family, there was no joy in it. It had come too late. His tone carried a distant echo, as though he had already detached himself from this world and was gazing down at the conflicts below from a high vantage point.

"Would you accompany me for some fresh air? I want to see Misato."

"As you wish."

The prince placed a paperweight on the stack of documents and rose from his chair. Kagura already knew where they were going. The prince’s favourite place in the palace was deep within the main hall.

"This is a good place. It allows me to forget the war."

The scent of lingering rain was carried on the wind. The prince looked up at the June sky, letting the damp breeze wash over him for a moment.

Kagura and the prince had climbed to the highest watchtower in the palace. It stood about twenty meters high, and from the roof, which had no ceiling but was surrounded by a protective fence, they could take in the entirety of Misato. Ever since childhood, the prince had often invited Kagura to this place whenever he found a free moment, where they would gaze down at Misato and dream grand dreams. This watchtower was the place where the prince could forget his status and become just a boy again.

"This place brings back memories, doesn’t it?"

Kagura, too, had fond memories of the rooftop from her girlhood. Though she and the prince were of different ranks, their competitive spirits often led them to challenge each other, even resulting in a few arguments up here.

"The view has changed beyond recognition. Though it is the nature of things to change, I am at a loss for words..."

The devastation caused by the bombings was starkly evident from this vantage point. The high-rise buildings that once lined the commercial district had crumbled to ruins, and the residential areas, packed with tin-roofed houses, had been reduced to a scorched wasteland.

"We are guilty, aren't we? Without resisting the flow of time, we decided that unfamiliar people were enemies and shouted only about our own righteousness. This is the result. Our ignorance, arrogance, and failure to reflect have led to one of the greatest massacres in human history..."

The prince muttered these heavy words to himself as he surveyed the burned-out remains of Misato.

Though he had not said it outright, his resolve became unmistakably clear to Kagura.

──The prince does not wish to survive.

──He is thinking about how to die.

Having trained together in swordsmanship since childhood, Kagura understood this without needing words. As someone who had always been concerned about the future of their people and prayed for their eternal prosperity, the prince felt responsible for the current situation, where their nation's survival was at risk. Even though the royal family had no real power since the formation of the federation and was not allowed to intervene in politics, the prince still sought to take on the people's suffering as his own.

The pain he carried transformed into a deep sorrow within Kagura.

She wanted to stay with this lonely, kind-hearted childhood friend until the very end.

At this moment, what she could do was fight alongside the prince and die together with him.

Kagura was born into the Murasaki family, a clan that had protected the Keiken Dynasty Imperial Bloodline from the shadows for over a thousand years—an elite family known as the "House of Darkness." Their fate was tied to living and dying alongside the royal family. Defending Misato against the Imperial Army and dying with the prince was, for Kagura, the "noblest death" she could achieve, in line with her family’s duty.

──If this is my destiny, then I will accept it.

Kagura tried to convince herself of this.

However, deep within her heart, a different voice whispered.

──Dying is easy. But isn't living more difficult?

──For the sake of the people, shouldn't we surrender to the Empire now?

As she patrolled Misato and saw the brave soldiers, Kagura's heart continually echoed with these thoughts.

──Even if it's ugly, shouldn't we choose a path where we survive, even if it means eating dirt?

The mindset she had sharpened through her training as an airman wove these thoughts together in her mind.

──Do we fight with dignity and die beautifully?

──Or do we live on, ugly, in order to save the people?

The former was the easier choice. The royal family and Kagura could fade away, satisfied with themselves. And millions of innocent civilians would be dragged down with them.

The latter was the harder, more painful path. After surviving, they would be unable to escape the condemnation of those eager to place blame, branded as "cowards who surrendered out of fear for their lives." That was intolerable. To have the noble and gentle-hearted prince bear the shame of being called a coward would bring disgrace to the Murasaki family.

If Kagura could take all the blame, endure the shame heaped upon the royal family herself, she would gladly do so. That was the true calling of the Murasaki family, the "House of Darkness."

──But, how?

──Do I persuade the Emperor to surrender immediately? Should I be the one to do that?

At this moment, the will of the nation rested with the Keiken Emperor. Once the Emperor decided, the nation would follow.

However, the reality was that the elderly Emperor had lost his ability to make sound decisions, and those making the decisions were the senior officials surrounding him—the military leadership. The Emperor merely approved the reports they presented; he rarely expressed his own will. In essence, unless Prime Minister Kuonji and the military leadership were persuaded to abandon the war, the needless sacrifice of innocent lives would continue.

But it was unlikely that the military would ever give up the war. After all, it was the military leadership that had instilled the belief in the soldiers that "living to be captured is a disgrace." They were the last people who would kneel before the enemy. More than anyone else, they wished to fall gloriously, like cherry blossoms.

──There’s no changing the military’s will. They are set on marching straight into hell.

──So what can be done?

Kagura lifted her gaze.

She looked down at the ruined city from afar.

──What does the heavens want from me?

As she questioned herself, suddenly, memories of familiar faces flooded her mind.

The Seven of Eriadore.

Her lifelong comrades whom she had met at the officer school in a foreign land, people she would likely never see again.

Kiyoaki and Illia had gone missing after their duel six months ago. Kagura believed they were still alive, as they wouldn’t have died so easily, but there had been no word from them. Mio and Reiner had defected to the Urano side and were recognized as traitors by St Vault. Cecil must have graduated from the officer school by now, but from where Kagura stood, she had no way of knowing what she was doing or where she was.

Then there was Balthazar.

The mischievous, brooding youth who had thrown away all he had accomplished to rush to the rescue of Kagura and Kiyoaki when they were captured, without ever realizing his own good nature.

Kagura envisioned Balthazar’s expression as he had appeared in the prison cell, and it overlapped with the distant sky.

"Never lower your head again in front of me. Keep it held high."

Those were the words he had said, and now they echoed in the sky. While imprisoned, Kagura had kept her head down, ashamed to let Balthazar see her bruised and swollen face from the beatings she had endured. After breaking the cell open with brute force, Balthazar had dragged Kagura out of the darkness and, under the bright lights, had grabbed her chin and forced her to lift her head, telling her this.

The memory alone tightened her chest. A sense of nostalgia brought tears to her eyes.

──I must have fallen in love with you at that moment.

Kagura straightened her posture.

She looked up at the cloudy sky. With nothing but her heart, she called out to the person she might never see again, the one she cherished.

──How are you, Baltha?

──You’re probably still walking your own path, as true to yourself as ever.

Warmth and sorrow filled Kagura’s chest.

Suddenly, the words she had spoken to Balthazar before parting echoed in her ears.

"I'll become someone great enough to change the world on my own, and we’ll meet again."

Words of promise, spoken with all the courage she could muster to the person she adored.

Courage welled up within her.

──When we meet again, I want to stand tall before you.

──I want to accomplish something as great as you.

For that purpose alone.

──I will walk the path I believe is right, with pride.

──Because I believe that at the end of that path, a wonderful future awaits.

A strong light shone deep in her eyes.

What could she do right now to save her people from extinction?

What must be done to end this war…?

The answer came suddenly, delivered from the depths of Kagura’s soul.

──A military coup.

The thought struck Kagura like a bolt of lightning, sending a shiver down her spine at the audacity of her own idea.

But her soul would not let the thought go.

──Destroy the current regime.

The Imperial Guard Division stationed in Misato was not under military command; it operated as an independent combat unit, following the will of the prince. Meanwhile, the main military force was tied up in the Henan defensive line, locked in battle with the St Vault forces and unable to move.

With this situation and the strength they had, what could be achieved?

──The Imperial Guard could seize control of Misato, while the Shinmei Unit strikes Kyonagi Palace, and we could take over the government.

The Imperial Guard Division already holds complete control over the capital. Not only the military facilities but also symbolic places like the parliament building, the memorial park, the National Shrine, and the Imperial Palace—all fly the division's flag. The media could be forced to spread their authority to the public. Meanwhile, the Shinmei Unit would launch a swift attack on Kyonagi Palace. For the 250 elite soldiers, the palace's security would pose no issue. They could infiltrate the palace as easily as tearing through paper, cutting off transportation and communication, seizing the Emperor and senior Cabinet officials, and taking possession of the Emperor’s seal, the "Imperial Seal." By forging an edict of abdication, placing Prince Daitoku Shinnou on the throne, his will would become the will of the nation.

──The war would end.

It sounded like a dream.

But it wasn't impossible.

Looking back at history, there had been cases where rebels seized control of a nation while the main army was away at the front. Though, in most cases, those rebels were eventually overthrown by the returning main force.

Still, even if she were branded a traitor...

──I could stop this war.

──The people would be saved.

If that were the case, wouldn’t that be enough?

If Kagura alone could save the nation, it was a small price to pay.

──Perhaps this is my destiny.

The answer Kagura had been searching for—the reason she had been born into this world—now seemed to shine before her like a beam of light piercing through the darkness.

──If I can stop this foolish war...

──Then I will gladly offer myself.

These thoughts seamlessly spread through every cell of her body, into her mind, and deep into her soul.

──I will gladly become a national traitor.

With that single thought, the tangled emotions that had been knotted in her heart were swept away, leaving her feeling refreshed and cleansed.

But...

She couldn’t do it alone.

To move the Imperial Guard Division, she needed the will of Prince Daitoku Shinnou.

She would have to involve the prince in an act of treason against the state.

Suppressing her suddenly rapid heartbeat, Kagura casually glanced at the prince’s profile.

"Can it not be stopped?"

As if he had read her mind, the prince suddenly spoke.

Her heart, which she had tried to calm, leapt.

The prince turned his sorrowful gaze from Misato toward Kagura.

"In this moment of national crisis, is there not something only I can do?"

The prince was thinking the same thing.

Kagura immediately sensed this.

"The Emperor has lost his ability to make sound judgments."

With those words, her intuition was confirmed. Had anyone else uttered such a statement, they would have been immediately arrested for treason. But the prince continued with his dangerous words.

"The Emperor is no longer in a state to make holy decisions. The fate of our people is entrusted to someone with the intelligence of a child. Can this truly be called a functional nation?"

"……………………"

"What do you think?"

The prince looked at her with a sincere expression, as if seeking her support.

The Imperial Guard Division was in her hands now, and the prince surely understood the situation as well as she did—the main military force was stationed at the Henan front, and the defence of Kyonagi Palace was far too thin. What Kagura had just thought of may have been something that had sprouted within the prince long ago.

But... should she say it out loud?

If she told the prince her thoughts, there would be no turning back.

Hesitation birthed silence.

Her answer remained stuck in her throat. The thought that had just passed through her mind was not something to carelessly utter to the prince. If she spoke it, it would turn the fate of the nation. Her reason urged her to refrain.

"Careful preparation is necessary."

She barely managed to say this. The prince’s expression remained heated, but he showed no reaction. Kagura could feel her palms damp with sweat as she continued.

"If we forcefully straighten the twisted course of the river, it will overflow and destroy the country. Changing the flow of the river requires meticulous calculations and proper fortification."

Speaking with caution, Kagura assumed that the prince shared her thoughts of a military coup.

"Are you saying we must wait for the right time?"

The prince also assumed that Kagura was reading his thoughts correctly and asked another question.

"Don’t you see the situation as I do?"

"We must carefully observe the movements at the Henan front. The strength of our forces in the mountains has caused the Empire to grow impatient."

This was a fact. While the St Vault army had successfully captured Henan, they were struggling to break through the narrow mountain passes leading to Misato. The coastline near Misato was lined with cliffs, making an amphibious landing impossible, so the only way for the Imperial Army to advance on Misato was through these mountain passes. The under-equipped Keiken Imperial Army had found a way to survive through night-time mountain warfare, literally becoming the bulwark protecting Misato.

But...

"They will break through eventually."

"The time bought by our field army is our ally. It’s been reported that there are unsettling movements in the Harmonia Empire. According to our intelligence, they are preparing for full mobilization while St Vault is preoccupied with the Multi-Island Sea."

"It’s impossible for the Empire to break through the Kukuana Line. If anything, the St Vault Empire would welcome Harmonia’s involvement."

"Even so, if the battlefront with Harmonia opens, St Vault will seek an early end to the war with us. If everything goes well, we might be able to end the war through diplomacy."

"The military does not want negotiations."

"That’s why your holy decision, Prince, will be essential."

"……………………"

"We cannot yet see how things will unfold. But no matter what happens, we must prepare ourselves to respond. If we act rashly, we will end up tightening the noose around our own necks."

She carefully framed her argument. Using language that would only make sense if the prince was contemplating a military coup, she added, "If he wasn’t, this would fall on deaf ears." After a long silence, the prince gave a brief reply.

"I understand."

Whether the prince was satisfied with her response or not, his expression gave no clear answer. But it was evident that they had communicated. For now, that was enough.

"Ensure that the Shinmei Unit is well-disciplined. Within three months, have them fully under your command."

"As you wish."

"I trust you more than anyone... You are the only one who understands me."

"...Yes, my prince!"

Standing tall, Kagura received the prince's excessively generous words.

The prince’s determination and loneliness seeped into Kagura’s entire being. Because of his deep love for the people of this nation, the prince was prepared to walk the path of hardship.

Kagura’s heart resonated with the prince’s.

──I will live and die alongside him.

Reaffirming her resolve, Kagura engraved this conviction deep within her core.