Chapter 362: Kiyohime Sees Through the Lie
Behind the inn's counter, a middle-aged man dressed in a simple kimono counted change and bowed toward Shirou.
"Yes, I have received the lodging fee. You are heading out of the city, guest? If you have need of it, I can help arrange a caravan for you."
"Thank you, but that won't be necessary. I plan to take the nearby mountain paths," Shirou declined.
"In that case, I wish you a safe journey and a smooth path," the proprietor bowed once more.
Shirou led the children out of the inn's main gate. A lovely woman in a blue kimono with peach-colored hair followed behind them, carrying a bundle wrapped in blue cloth.
"These are rice balls and snacks for the road, and a waterskin of milk for Tasuke. I had someone buy them this morning."
"Thanks, Atsu. Take Tasuke; we're heading out now," Shirou said, taking the bundle and giving instructions to the children.
"Yes, Grandpa!" little Atsu replied.
"If anything happens, have someone bring word to me. If you miss me, come to the city to find your sister," Tamamo-no-Mae said, holding the children's small hands dearly.
"We know, Dancer-Sister. Goodbye," Atsu said obediently.
"Ya-ya~!" Tasuke waved his hands with a laugh.
"Be careful on the road. If anything happens, tell the adult. If he doesn't look after you well, tell him to send you back to the inn and let your sister raise you," Tamamo-no-Mae instructed the children.
"I know. Tasuke and I feel that as long as we're with Grandpa, it doesn't matter where we go," Atsu said with a smile, feeling the warmth on her head.
"What good children, such good children..." Tamamo-no-Mae hugged Atsu and Tasuke. She wanted to keep the big one but he wouldn't agree, and she couldn't even manage to poach the little ones.
The fox-dancer rolled her eyes, curled her lip, and then glared at the man beside her. "Shirou! I'll find time to come looking for you. If you don't take good care of the children and let them suffer, I'm taking them away!"
"I got it. Once we've settled down, I'll send word to you. As for the rest, don't worry about it for now; I'll be coming back to the city later anyway," Shirou nodded and spoke.
Yesterday, when he wanted to go out and investigate, he had been stopped by Tamamo-no-Mae, so he hadn't met with Kojirou. Furthermore, there seemed to be significant problems
hidden within this city. Thus, Shirou had already decided that after settling Atsu and Tasuke, he would begin his investigation.
"Well, I'll wait for your news then. There probably aren't many people in this era who are a match for you, so I'm not really worried," Tamamo-no-Mae said, crossing her arms.
"Then, until next time. Atsu, give me your hand," Shirou commanded.
"Yes!" Atsu smiled and reached out her small hand to take Shirou's.
After bidding farewell to Tamamo-no-Mae, Shirou led Atsu directly toward the city exit.
When they reached the city gate, however, they found the exit blocked by a throng of people. Those entering the city were not being hindered, but everyone trying to leave was stopped at the checkpoint. Residents out on business, merchant caravans, wealthy merchants in ox-carts, and villagers coming for the market were all squeezed together in a mess.
"What on earth is going on?" someone asked those entering the city for news.
"Don't know? Seems like some big shot is passing through. They're letting people in but not out?"
"No way, could it be that war is starting here too?"
The vendors at the roadside stalls whispered among themselves.
"Grandpa? Can we not get out?" Atsu asked in confusion.
"No, let's walk over and see first," Shirou said.
At that moment, a pleasant female voice suddenly drifted from nearby.
"Ah, I think I've heard what this is about. Apparently, they lost a battle recently, so they sent a new General to lead the army."
Shirou turned his head and saw that it was the princess with silver-blue hair he had seen yesterday. She seemed to be a princess of Shimousa Province. Although she looked exactly like a certain "problem child" Heroic Spirit from Chaldea, she was definitely a human.
"You're the person with the children from yesterday! Eh? These aren't actually your children, are they?" The princess looked at Shirou, then at Atsu and Tasuke.
"How would you know that?" Shirou asked in surprise.
"Sniff, sniff. I can tell just by the scent," the princess said proudly.
'...What exactly is your nose made of?!' Shirou shouted inwardly.
"Hmm? Are you heading outside the city? I heard there are [monsters] out there, I'm quite curious~!" the princess's eyes lit up.
"No! It's bandits! I suggest you'd better not go out there," Shirou said.
"Mm-hmm? You lied!" The princess pulled out a fan and pointed it at the tip of Shirou's nose as she pronounced her verdict. However, she stared at Shirou and then tilted her head in confusion. "But you don't seem to have any ill intent? How strange... Still, even a lie without malice is a very bad thing. If you lie to your wife, you'll be burned to death, you know."
"What a terrifying outcome! I was just advising you that it's dangerous outside, but your judgment ability is basically a superpower, isn't it?" Shirou said, taken aback.
The princess unfolded her fan, covering half her face. Her mouth curled into a slight, smug arc as she said proudly, "Hmph, I am quite confident in my ability to see through lies! Moreover, I am skilled with fire, bombs, and gunpowder, so I'm confident in dealing with mere bandits."
"Right, right, you're amazing. But don't go adventuring into dangerous places alone. Well then, we'll take our leave." Shirou waved his hand and pulled Atsu forward.
"Claiming it's bandits was a lie, but there was no malice... Hmm, I'm getting more and more interested in what's outside. As long as I'm not alone, it should be fine, fufu..." The princess laughed behind her fan, unhurriedly following behind Shirou, seemingly planning something.
"Princess!" someone shouted from behind, running toward her.
"Oh no! Gotta go!" The silver-blue-haired girl in the blue kimono snapped her fan shut and sprinted in the other direction.
"..." Shirou watched the girl run off, finally breathing a sigh of relief.
"Grandpa! Grandpa! That sister! She really was a Princess! How wonderful, if I'd known, I would have talked to her more," Atsu said, her eyes wide with admiration, moved as if she had just seen a favorite star.
"Haha, even if it's a princess or a goddess, they might not be exactly as you imagine. Let's go," Shirou said, amused.
At the front, the captain of the guards at the city gate hauled over a wooden crate, stepped onto it, and shouted to the crowd:
"Line up! Get in line! Everyone listen up. Today, vehicles are allowed in but not out. The Shogunate's army, sent to suppress the rebels, is passing by outside the city. All merchant caravans using the main road today are prohibited from passing. Don't crowd here; those who need to go back, go back."
"Wait, we are merchants recognized by the Shogunate! Your General even had dinner with us last night. You're going to block even us?" a merchant shouted as he stepped out of his carriage.
The soldier sneered, "Heh, I'm just a gatekeeper, so I naturally can't control you wealthy lords. But the one leading the army outside is Yagyu—have you heard of him?! If you obstruct the army's progress, you won't have enough heads to be cut off."
The merchant turned pale and retreated a few steps, whispering to his subordinates, "Turn around, turn around. We'll stay one more day before leaving."
"Who is this Yagyu? So powerful that even a wealthy lord would be scared away?" someone in the crowd whispered.
"He is the sword instructor to the current Shogun," someone in the know replied.
"Oh, no wonder then." The surrounding people all showed looks of realization.
As a result, those traveling with large parties dispersed. Only those traveling light lined up and moved forward.
"Visiting relatives? You can pass. Next!"
"On horseback? You can pass, but if you encounter the army outside, remember to dismount and keep your distance. If a Samurai lord finds you unpleasant to look at, don't blame me for not warning you. Next."
"I'm taking the children back to our village, traveling via the mountain paths," Shirou said as he stepped forward, handing over a few coins as a toll while holding Atsu's hand.
The soldier looked Shirou over, tossed the new income in his hand, and waved him through. "Mountain paths are fine. Next."
Shirou led Atsu and Tasuke out of the city. However, he had a premonition that there was still something here—something he was destined to resolve.
"Grandpa, are we going back to the village now?" Atsu looked up and asked Shirou. When she was at her most helpless, Shirou had given her a sense of security; so as long as she followed 'Grandpa,' she felt at peace, regardless of where they went.
However, if they could return to the village, her parents would still be there—though she could no longer see them, and though the village had been burned to almost nothing, she still felt a trace of attachment to the land that had birthed and raised her.
"We aren't going back there. We're going to a new home. Let's find a place where the bandits can't reach and settle down," Shirou promised.
By the time they had finished lunch, Atsu was tired from walking. Shirou took Tasuke and bundled him against his chest, then hoisted Atsu onto his back and continued forward alone. The children were light and didn't feel like a burden. Walking by himself, his speed actually increased significantly.
With steady, measured steps, Atsu felt like she was swaying on a small boat. She soon fell into a deep sleep. Shirou continued to trek forward in silence.
When he finally reached the entrance of the forest leading back to the mountain village, the sound of galloping horses echoed from not far away. Looking out from the high ground, he saw
an army of several thousand approaching on the main road. At the front were dozens of mounted samurai, followed by foot soldiers carrying spears or bows.
Meeting an army... He had heard that the force suppressing the rebel "Grass-Crescent Cross" church was passing through Shimousa, led by a master swordsman of the Yagyu family.
Shirou knew this force was the "ender" of the Shimabara Rebellion. It would be the final seal on the nation's policy of isolation, and it would also turn the fertile coastal areas of the Shimabara Peninsula and the Amakusa Islands into a no-man's-land.
Shortly after the end of Japan's Sengoku period, Western nations had come to this island country via the Great Age of Discovery to take root. Missionaries spread their teachings, and even some Daimyo became Catholic converts.
They accepted Catholic doctrine and established their own branches. Religion tightly bound the hearts of the people, but the teachings were incompatible with the brutal rule of the lords and Daimyo of the time.
After the Tokugawa Shogunate was established and the country was unified, the pursuit of stability led to the suppression of religious activities. Catholic proselytizing was banned, those who refused to renounce their faith were burned alive, and merchant ships from Portugal, Spain, and England were expelled—leaving trade only with China and the Netherlands.
Where there is oppression, there is resistance. In the coastal regions where Portuguese proselytizing was most successful, people were starving due to famine yet still faced tyrannical taxes. Failure to pay meant death.
Thus, the officials drove the people to revolt. Uprisings broke out in the Shimabara Peninsula and the Amakusa Islands, involving over thirty thousand peasants, of whom only about ten thousand could be considered actual combatants.
In truth, they stood no chance against the 120,000 regular troops sent by the Tokugawa Shogunate; there was simply no comparison in strength.
However, in a place called the Amakusa Islands, a child prodigy named Shirou Tokisada appeared. He was worshipped as an angel or a saint descended to earth and was chosen as the leader of the rebel army.
Under the leadership of Amakusa Shirou Tokisada—the saint sent by the Lord to save the people—the rebel army miraculously achieved victory for a time during the siege, defeating the Shogunate's army of 4,000 despite being outnumbered and even killing the general sent to quell the rebellion.
But their luck ended there. The Shogunate then sent a new commander, Matsudaira Nobutsuna, who broke the city in one fell swoop, slaughtered the inhabitants, and wiped out the sect.
After the defeat, Shirou Tokisada hid among the masses. However, the Tokugawa forces seized every boy who appeared to be between his teens and twenties and beheaded them all. Finally, regardless of age or gender, everyone was subjected to a cruel massacre. When the city fell, over twenty thousand people remained inside; by the time the Tokugawa army left, it was a city of the dead.
'Wait... the second commander of this war should be Matsudaira Nobutsuna. Why has it become Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami? Did he follow along to quell the rebellion back then?'
Speaking of Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami Munenori, he was considered a profound master of the sword in Japanese history, extremely famous due to his status. Besides being a Great Swordsman who founded his own school, he was also a shrewd strategist and held a relationship with the Shogun akin to a personal bodyguard and advisor. He was deeply trusted by the Shogun, and at the height of his career, his rank was equivalent to that of a Daimyo.
In the eyes of later swordsmen who were pro-Shogunate—like the Wolves of Mibu, Okita Souji, or Hijikata Toshizo—he would be the ultimate Great Swordsman.
However, to anti-Shogunate figures like Sakamoto Ryoma or Okada Izo, he would likely be seen as a "dog of the Shogunate," or a "wicked master who betrayed the martial world to join the government,"
"..." Shirou observed the army, his mind filled with doubt.
At that moment, the general riding on the main road seemed to sense something. His sharp gaze scanned the surroundings and met the eyes of Shirou, who was standing on the high ground.
When Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami Munenori's gaze touched him, Shirou felt as if a block of ice had been pressed against his skin—a bone-chilling cold devoid of any emotion.
'Rather than a master swordsman, he's more like a sword-demon' Shirou thought.
However, Shirou was long accustomed to things like killing intent, not to mention his greatest enemy now was a god capable of creation.
Shirou's heart was like a furnace burning in the darkness, glowing with intense heat. Like red-hot steel, when struck by a hammer, sparks flew. After a thousand tempers, those tiny sparks filled the entire night sky.
The cold killing intent was instantly baked away by the light and heat.
On his back, the sleeping Atsu and the swaddled Tasuke had furrowed their brows uneasily as if having a nightmare when Yagyu's icy gaze swept over them; now, they relaxed once more, returning to their sweet dreams.
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