The Man behind the Strings.

At the camp of the Fujita Lordship army, the commander of the force named Ayasaki Ayato was holding a meeting with his retainers.

"I can't believe that this is happening…"

"We feel the same, Ayasaki-sama…"

His statement and the replies of his subordinates wasn't something unreasonable.

Just last night, a messenger flying an unknown flag came by their encampment's gates and gave a letter that all of them didn't expect.

"The Kirin Lord… No, the entire southern provinces are entering this war…"

This is no joke for them who are actually in the battlegrounds.

"Ayasaki-sama… we must inform Lord Fujita and the Shogunate as soon as possible. If we can inform them that the enemy will be receiving help from an outside power, it would mean that-"

"I know, I know… But we can't do that…"

"But why?"

Faced with the question of his subordinate, he felt more and more anxious of his current situation.

"If it is known that the Nachi clan is receiving the destructive weapons that rumors spoke about in the battle of Yukonami, just imagine how it will damage Haguro afterwards."

"That…"

"I believe you know what happened to the major battle areas where the Alliance army battled the Yukogahara clan… they were turned into residential areas after the devastation in the lands made it unhospitable for any agricultural work."

"Still, majority of vegetable and clothing plants grow in Yukonami. There are even some talks about a new plant with a bitter bean that makes some strongly flavored drink that boosted the agricultural power of the province."

"That is only the case in the places where battles weren't fought. The ones that received the brunt of the fighting were said to have become unhospitable for plant life."

After he explained his point, Ayasaki looked at the letter's scroll cover where the seal of the current Chancellor and Lord of Kiko was pressed firmly on a blot of red wax.

"Damn it… If not for this news, we might already be marching to Inaba city."

He can only curse under his breath as deep inside, even he was aware of just how much of a mistake it would be to incur the wrath of the person who sent this letter to him.

"We have nothing else to choose, Ayasaki-sama… Let's send our cease fire agreement and wait for the reinforcements from Myoko city… If luck is in our side, we would probably be able to defeat them even with their new weapons."

"…Yeah. Let's pray to the heavens that it will be like that."

Unbeknownst to these men, the Nachi clan didn't even receive a lick of help from the Southern Alliance.

"This is the next batch. Place them in the wax paper packets and give them out as soon as possible."

"Aye, sir."

All the help that they received from them is from one young man who is doing the job that he had before he became the lord of his land.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I was in the middle of forming the Ciproflaxin antibiotic into oral tablets when a young man approached me with a thoughtful offer.

"Iwasawa-sama… It is time for you to sleep."

"I just have a few more grams to work on, Minori… Once I get a hundred or so surplus tablets, I can finally rest easy knowing that anyone who develops the illness would have a medicine on hand."

"As you wish. While you're still formulating the medicine, let me draw you a warm bath and prepare your bed."

Given that offer, I am not one to decline since it would be quite the good way to reward myself for almost two days of non-stop work with only a few power naps between those times.

"Gee… Thanks, mom."

"""Ahaha!"""

"Please stop teasing me, Iwasawa-sama…"

Still, I made sure to add my own flair on my reply which made everyone who heard it to break into a light chuckle.

After a few more minutes, I passed off the last batch of tablets to my men who are packaging it to keep it away from moisture and chipping and finally breathed out a sigh of relief knowing that I can finally relax.

"Iwasawa-sama… let me help you up. Hachi, can you take his other arm."

"A-ah! Yes…"

While they are supporting me as I walked, the Nachi army soldiers sat up from their beds and gave me a low bow.

"Thank you for saving us, Doctor."

"We owe our lives to you, sir…"

"I will not forget your help for the rest of my life…"

Hearing all of those appreciation and reverence, I only had one thing to say.

"No… I'm the one who should thank all of you for entrusting your lives to someone like me who uses this strange way of medicine."

After Minori and Hachi brought me near the river where they boiled some warm water for me inside a pot, I told them to leave as I undressed and hopped inside the huge pot of warm water that still has some embers under it to keep it on the good temperature.

"Fuwaaahhh… I missed this…"

I sat inside the pot on a fetal position. Enjoying the warmth that enveloped every corner of my tired body.

"…I am starting to miss Kiko…"

I whispered as I reminiscence the day I left my home to draw the attention of the people trying to kill me and gather information about them.

"I miss Rinne's loud and childish voice… Asada-san's annoyed scolding whenever she is treated like a child… Nagisa-san's instinctive display of her noble talents… Tatsu's stupid attempts to not hit on ladies anymore and…"

But the real reason why I went away from Kiko is to protect her…

"Chiyo… Hik-!"

After 3 months of not seeing or even getting to talk to her, I finally broke down in tears as I remembered her.

"I miss you… I really, really miss you… Shk!"

Through my sniffling and bawling, my true feelings leaked out and for a moment, I was overtaken by my emotions.

I just wanted to go home and be with all of them again…

"But… But I can't do that…"

I knew that I can't… I cannot go home yet while they are still chasing after me.

"Why is the world so unfair…?"

Even in my past life, it has felt like this… It felt like everything that I want becomes a lost cause and I can't even be happy for once.

"…"

But now… Now I can fight for my fate. I have the freedom and power now to do that.

"I am not Miyazaki Hiro anymore… I am Iwasawa Hiroshi."

I cupped some water by my hands and looked at my face that reflected on it.

"I am Iwasawa Hiroshi. Lord of Kiko, Chancellor of Southern Quartet Alliance, The Kirin Lord and many more… I am no longer the cloned replicant of a boy who lived in the most depressing and corrupt time in human history where mankind cannot discern the right from the wrong anymore in fear that they will be seen as uncool or a prude."

I poured that water on my face and spoke.

"I will make sure that this new world will never be like that."

I made a promise in my own name… I must fulfill it.

"I see that you finally rested after all of those work you had on your hands…"

"Being a doctor is not easy. It's blood and gunk from every patient and you must always look if what you are doing is right. And when some ignorant person comes to you, you should always be ready to catch a fist or dodge blade."

Suddenly, the female general of the Nachi army approached where I was.

"I see that you are still bitter about that."

"You would be bitter too if you made me leave and it caused your army to fall down because of this disease."

"I know…"

I turned away from her while I am enjoying my bath, and this caused her to turn around too as respect to my privacy.

"I've noticed something since I travelled around the country."

"What is it?"

"Why are almost all generals of military clans female samurais?"

This question has been bugging me for a while. I know that this is a alternate reality where women warriors are more prominent and female daimyos exists like it is common sense. But I've been really confused with this one.

"Lady Kusanagi Kyoko and Lady Ayanami Mitsuha and Mitsuhide and… wait, no… General Ishigawa Gojo is just a crossdresser…. And you, I guess?"

"Well, I get why you are confused. I heard Kiko folks follow gender qualities and they are very conservative, but to put it simply, most daimyos and samurai families send their daughters to war because they are afraid to lose their names."

"Lose their names? What do you mean?"

"Whether a girl dies or lives through a war, it's the same thing. She won't be carrying the family name. But if a boy dies in a war, that means that the clan's continued existence would be highly questionable."

"Oh… I see…"

I guess that's also a reason why Mitsuha and Mitsuhide really hated their father… Except for the physical abuse through martial arts training and mental abuse from lack of attention and even traumatizing them about men…

"Do you feel sorry for me?"

"Yeah. Sorry for asking something personal."

Hearing my reply, Kotori simply giggled and replied at me gently.

"Don't be. I don't care about it anyway."

"I see."

I went out of the pot and patted my body from head to toe before wearing a new pair of clothes and turning the pot over to pour it out.

"Do you mind telling me more about yourself?"

"Well, I can't promise that it wouldn't be boring."

"Oh please, you can treat this as my apology for what I did earlier…"

"Well then…"

As we walked back to the camp, Kotori narrated her life from before.

"18 years ago, I was born as the eldest daughter of the Himeji clan. My caretakers said that as soon as my brother was born, my entire life has been decided. Since I was a girl who are already of age when the clan name's continuance has been guaranteed, I was sent to train in the military arts, to be the representative of my family in the battlefield…"

"I see that you have a rough childhood."

"Everyone experienced one in Haguro. Such is your fate when you are born in a country that never ends its wars."

She sighed before continuing her narration.

"I met a lot of people while I was studying as an officer and at first, I enjoyed staying in the army as all of us were placed on the rear lines as we are children of nobles… But when the Fujita clan suddenly gained the support of the Shogunate and began to turn the tide of the battle, I lost many of my friends from battles… but mostly from betrayal."

"Do you hold a grudge against them?"

"No… Not at all."

She looked at the moon as she replied to my question and the wind blew gently as the branches of the nearby trees lightly rocked.

"All of them have the right to side with where their loyalty stands… I chose to serve the Nachi clan because my family served them since antiquity. And those friends of mine have decided to give up and just live a peaceful life."

"I understand."

We continued our walk, and she gave the last few tidbits of her story.

"Now, all that I want is to find my purpose in this… Since this is the only life that is left to me, I decided that I really do belong to the battlefield."

"I don't think that is true, Lady Himeji."

"Huh?"

As she turned around towards me, I gave her a gentle smile and handed her something that I found by the river side.

"I don't think that anyone belongs in a terrible place like a battlefield."

"This is…"

What I gave her was a white iris flower.

"Flowers won't bloom when you hit it and sprinkle it with blood."

As I walked away to enter the encampment and finally rest, Kotori said something that I didn't expect.

"You sound a lot like Old man Akira from Yukonami."

That name… I only know one person who came from that place who has that name…

"The former lord of Yukonami?"

"Yes. I met him when I was entrusted with Prince Tozen's delegation visit to Yukonami. We were lucky to escape the province before their war started with the Southern Alliances."

I see… Now I know what I have been missing all this time.

The way their Prince used his musketeers by making them climb on trees to gain more visual on the field… The way he trained them to prioritize the cavalry men…

"He is trying to imitate my army…"

"What?"

Kotori seemed to have heard me mumbling to myself, so I opted to change the topic to gain more information about the things that happened here.

"What do you know about the battle between the Yukogahara clan and the Southern Alliance?"

"Umm… I was only there as Prince Tozen's bodyguard during their meeting, but one thing I can remember is that the things they talked about there included discussions about the trading of slaves and information about the neighboring provinces…"

Damn it… I knew it!

"Thank you for answering my question, Lady Himeji. I must excuse myself now, I still have to rest my body and mind."

"Mm. Rest well, Hiroshi-san."

I walked calmly to the camp but as soon as I was out of her sight, I immediately ran to the tent where my men are staying.

"I-I-Iwasawa-sama?"

"Hachi. Get the radio and connect me to Naka castle. Tell them that it's an urgent message from me."

"Y-Yes, I'm on it!"

As he took out the radio box and fiddled with the dials and buttons, I sat on a bed to collect my thoughts and connect them with each other.

If Yukonami has been sending spies way before I created the border city of Tohou… That means that they've infiltrated Kiko before I was ready and even planted some espionage bases to routinely report my activities…

But that doesn't make sense. Reika said that she and that old man are in good terms since she explained the world to him after he was brought to this place… But when you think about it, that old man was also the guy who slipped himself inside a family without even sharing their blood just so he can become the Daimyo of a province…

"…No, there's one more thing that makes his involvement questionable."

Exchange of slaves… Reika said that even though he allowed his "brothers" to become ruffians who would raid the villages and towns of their neighboring provinces, he strictly imposed a rule that the sale or possession of slaves is punishable under his law… If he was negotiating with the Nachi Prince about slaves, that would make him a hypocrite.

"Unless…"

Unless it isn't him and there is another party in here at play that has impersonated him and used Yukonami as their means to spy on me.

"Damn it… I don't know that much and it's infuriating me…"

As soon as I collected my thoughts, Hachi said that the radio was ready, and I took the microphone and speaker to talk to the person I wanted to talk to.

"Iwasawa-sama… It's a pleasure to talk to you again, my Lord…

"I'm happy to hear you again too, but I have something urgent to say, Nobisuke…"

"Please, let me hear whatever it is…"

I first told him about the things we uncovered from Hashidate up to my latest conversation with Himeji Kotori.

"I knew that there would be an insider at the provinces, and they would most likely be sending information from person to person…"

"Yes. You have said that before, my lord."

"Yeah. But listen to this… The army we are staying with right now was there during our war with the Yukogahara clan. It means that they would have known about us and would most likely be asking us for help when they are in the brink of defeat."

"But they are from the central plains, Kou-sama… Wouldn't they act proud and never seek help from us Southerners?"

"I don't think so. I heard that they have allies at Kanae Estuary and if you know about the nobles at there…"

"I know. They are much worse that them. I heard that they are sadists who would shame anyone asking for even the most insignificant favors…"

"Yeah. If they are asking them for help, it would only mean that they have thrown away their pride just to survive."

"And how does that connect to us, Kou-sama?"

"I think the reason why they aren't asking us for help even when they know about our military power is because they are on the way of imitating our weapons and tactics."

As I said that, I can hear the shock from the radio operators in the castle's communications room.

"What convinces you so, My lord?"

"They received muskets from their allies just the last day and they made their men to climb on trees to shoot specific enemies like cavalrymen."

"That's…"

"Yeah. If I remember correctly, that is what Kuro… I mean Minori and his men did when they laid a trap for Yukogahara Akihiko at the burned village that they laced with dynamite before shooting down the survivors."

"I see… If that is true, then it would mean that another force is watching us back then."

"I know. That's when I started to look back on the unusual things that we saw since then. During my visit in the pleasure quarter of Yamagata city in Fuku, I noticed that the smoking pipe of the proprietress has a design seen only in the handcrafted works exclusive to the capital. Next was our visit in Kingo city in Kise, the people there would surely be afraid of us after we almost single-handedly defeated the people of Yukonami, it can be evidenced by the fact that even Reika-sama said that she sent her people to cajole her people to cheer for us. Lastly, there was the attempt on my life at the alliance officiation festival in Kota, you remember what I said after that?"

"Yes. You wondered how they developed a bomb coat like that…"

"Yeah."

Both of us went silent as these seemingly random things slowly made sense to us.

"Daigo-sama said that she knows about our enemy but cannot say anything else as he escaped her grasp before she can catch him… That would mean that she is reluctant to give the information she has at hand since it would be old and outdated intel that cannot be relied anymore."

"Yeah. That's why I got why she didn't answer my questions back then. She is afraid to give us bad information."

And evidenced by the fact that our enemy would most likely be spying on us to steal the designs of our weapons, it would only mean that he himself is not knowledgeable about it.

"That reminds me… Did our scholars finish the transcription of the documents we found in the experimentation tunnels at Yuki city?"

"Yes. I will be sending a messenger to Haguro soon, he would be bringing a lot of newspapers and documents that need your stamp and signature, so please be careful to not be seen doing that in there and endanger your identity."

"I will. Speaking of which, are the coffee beans in that island ready for harvest?"

"…We will be needing some time to roast them, but I can assure that it would meet your palate."

I spoke with an audible focus on each word which Nobisuke caught to be talking about "that".

"Good. I'm hanging up."

"Roger that."

As I put down the phone, I looked at my men who seemed to be worried of our situation.

"Kou-sama… Are we in danger?"

"When are we aren't? We are behind enemy lines, I was almost killed again last night and we don't even know who is friend from foe…"

I said that as I stomped on a part of the tent's dirt floor that was slightly fractured from being dug up just last night.

"Nevertheless, we have to continue, or we won't be achieving anything. Am I understood, gentlemen?"

"""Yes, sir!"""

I looked around and sure enough, these 12 men in front of me are willing to go to hell and back if that is what I will order them.

"Well then, let's rest for tonight and gather our strength. I will have Minori briefing you about our next moves tomorrow."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Meanwhile in Myoko city, the capital of the Fujita lordship that is the enemy of the Nachi clan.

"Hey, mister! Do you wanna buy some flowers?"

"…"

A young girl of about 6 years old approached a young man wearing a hood that is sitting in front of a mochi snack store and asked him if he wants to buy some of her wares.

"Mister? Do you want some flowers?"

The young man stretched out his hand and showed her a copper Mon coin.

"Ah! Are you buying?"

But as soon as the child cheered up, he flicked his thumb down which made the coin disappear and then waved his hand around to show that it was completely gone.

"Wow! Where did it go?!"

The little girl was captivated of the trick and as the young man snapped his fingers near her face, he placed his other hand behind her ear and out came the coin he was just holding on the other hand.

"WOW!!! How did you do that?!"

The young man lifted his hood off, and the girl finally saw his face. He has a short and neatly combed hair and a pair of plain, black irises on eyes that carried a sanguine expression. His mouth had a gentle smile as he took one of the blue-violet irises on the girl's basket and placed the coin that he used for his magic trick on her sleeve pocket.

"Thank you, mister! I really liked that trick too!"

But before she can leave, the young man held her by the shoulder to wordlessly ask her to stop as he snapped the flower's stem and leaves to leave only the flower that he carefully placed over the child's right ear.

"Mister… this is…"

"You should wear them too to attract more customers. Flowers are meant to be admired after all."

After all of that silence, he finally spoke and even gave the child a smile that made her unconsciously smile too.

"Thank you, mister!"

"You're welcome, little girl."

This exchange didn't happen today. It happened 2 weeks ago.

"Uwaaaahhhhh!!!"

"Poor girl…"

"I feel more sorry about her than those two filthy mutts that she is crying for…"

Just last night, an unknown assailant went inside the flower girl's house and killed her parents. She woke up this morning to see her father and mother mutilated with slashes and stabs that only an insane person would be able to even do.

"Take her out for a moment… I don't want the crime scene tampered with for now."

"Yes sir… Come on, kid. We'll let you cry later but we have to do our works for now…"

As they took her outside of her house, a familiar face showed up that the people didn't expect to see in the slum area of the city.

"Let me take her for now. Handle the investigations properly."

"I-Is that…"

"The Shogun?!"

Dressed in casual clothes and missing his retinue of servants, the townsfolk didn't even notice that such a powerful person was there in the place.

"E-everyone, bow down!"

"Y-yes…"

As the townsfolk bowed to the ground as a show of reverence for the person, the girl who was still confused of what was happening was left dumbfounded as she raised her face to look at the person's face.

"Wait… you are…"

"Hello there, little one… I believe we've seen each other before, haven't we?"

The Shogun was the young man who showed her a magic trick, bought one of her flowers only to give it back to her as a gift two weeks ago.

"Mister… Dad and mom are… Hik!"

The young man knelt to her height and opened his arms to take her into an embrace to comfort her.

"There, there… Just let it go…"

He patted her back as she cried for her lost which made the people around them feel more sorry for her and admire the young man who personally went here and comforted her.

"Amanogawa-Uesama… This crime is…"

"I am aware… Investigate thoroughly and never let this be out of justice's reach."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

As he took the young girl on his arms to take her away from the scene, there was a placid expression on his face.

"Can you tell me your name, little one?"

"Kichi… Hik! My name is Kichi, mister."

Between her stifling, the child answered his question.

"Kichi-chan, then…"

"How about you…Shk! Mister?"

"Hm? My name is Amanogawa Sora. I am the Shogun."

"Shogun? What is that, mister?"

Hearing her question, the young man and his group of bodyguards giggled before he answered.

"I am quite an important person. And because I am an important person, I will make sure that the bad guy who did that to your parents will be punished!"

"Ah!"

As she heard that, the little girl burrowed her face to her shoulder before crying again.

"There, there…"

But now, she isn't crying for her lost but in happiness as she finally had someone who can give her parents' death justice.

"Uesama, let us return to Myoko castle. These slums might be hiding a spy or two who would be making attempts on your life.

"Isn't that the reason why I have you guys by my side?"

"Y-yes… But…"

"I have some other places to visit. Until then, we won't come back to the castle, am I understood?"

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty!"

Later that day when the sun is almost setting, a carriage entered the castle that is still having some repairs done on it. Inside of the carriage was the Shogun, the child he took in and a few other important people.

"Seeing this place is kind of depressing."

"There is nothing to be done about it so get over it."

The person who rebutted his statement was a mustached man wearing a suit of samurai armor while smoking a cigar next to an open window.

"Oh my, Sora-san… Don't be so picky when you yourself wanted to go on this trip."

The next to speak was a woman wearing a blue formal Kimono with a pink shawl around her arms that stick out to give her a small "aura" or halo around her.

"Ahaha… Who would have thought that you would come here just to pick up some kids."

The last one to speak is a young man with an aloof expression on his face. He is wearing a middle schooler's uniform, showing that he is someone from modern times.

"You three… when have I allowed you to speak to me like that?"

As he glared towards the three, each of them became anxious for a moment before sighing or faking a cough to break the atmosphere.

"Mister? Who are these three?"

"Hm? They are my retainers, Kichi-chan. This old man who is smoking stuff that he knows he shouldn't smoke in front of a child like you is Furutani Garou, he is also my military general. just call him old man so you can remember him easily."

"Okay."

"H-hey, I'm just 25…"

He then turned his finger to the woman and spoke.

"This right here is Higuchi Chiasa, she's my secretary and legal adviser. Unlike these two, she is quite fond of children and you can ask her for help or food when you want to. Call her Chia-san, if you want."

"Hey there, sweetie…"

"H-Hello."

The woman waved at her with a smile and the child returned it awkwardly.

"The next guy is Kawasaki Endou, a person who came here because he's bored with just sitting around in Hitachi. I don't really advise you to go around him. He can be mean sometimes and play nasty pranks at you. Call him a creep, so he would scurry away."

"Got it."

"O-Oi, Sora-kun… Is that how you're supposed to present your best bud?"

"Piss off, Endou. I didn't even ask you to come with us."

"Aww… Shucks… Why is everyone so mean to me these days?"

As they entered the Keep of the castle, they went out of the carriage and was welcomed with hundreds of servants who each gathered behind the four with Sora having almost 200 on his trail alone.

"Mister?"

"Yes?"

"What will happen to me now? Mother and Father is gone and Kichi has no relatives anymore…"

"Don't worry about that sweetie, if we get to catch the bad guy and punish him, you can decide after that. But let me tell you this… If you want to, you can live with me."

"R-Really?"

"Mm! If you don't have anywhere else to go, just tell me and I'll let you live here."

The little girl was brought to the dining hall where a literal feast was served for just one person who is voraciously eating the dishes one by one.

"Fujita… I see why you didn't even bother to welcome my arrival."

"Huh? Who is that- Ah! Y-Your Majesty! L-Let me-! Aguah!"

"F-Fujita-sama!"

A man whose belly bulges out of his robes hurriedly stood up from his seat to welcome Sora who was grumpy but instead fell on the floor to be helped up by his servants.

"I-I humbly apologize for my lack of reverence, Your Majesty! I wasn't informed by the guards and-"

"Enough with your reasons… That is not why I am here…"

"Y-yes…"

The young man lifted the child up to his arms and spoke.

"How fares the war with the Nachi clan?"

"Y-yes… The report I read before the evening speaks of a cease fire agreement at the forest near the border with Hashidate that our spies guaranteed to be an important invasion point."

"A cease fire? For what reason?"

"As far as we know, there is a sickness running around the enemy's camp and in order to not harm his soldiers, the commander of our force decided to stop the hostilities to not make it spread to his men."

The young man went silent for a moment before speaking again.

"Good thinking… Anything else?"

"Y-Yes… We heard from the same battlefield that the Prince of the Nachi clan has come with a force carrying a new weapon from their allies at Kanae Estuary. It was muskets, Your Majesty…"

"I see… Inform me of anything that happens in the war. I will be returning to my quarters tonight."

"Yes, I wish you a good night's sleep, Your Majesty."

"Sure. Take care while eating the wild boar… It has some cartilages that might choke you."

"T-Thank you…"

After he walked back to his splendid room, the girl's eyes lit up in joy.

"Did you like it? I'm sorry if my room is quite messy."

"Wow!!! These are so cute! This too! And this too!"

The child pointed at a stack of animal plushies, a canvas with an anime-themed illustration and a stack of other canvases that has the same genre of paintings.

"I'm happy that you enjoyed it. Do you want to try it too?"

"C-Can I?!"

The girl's eyes were basically beaming in joy that Sora chuckled a little as he placed an empty canvas on the stand and made her sit on his lap as he held her hand to help her paint.

"This here… and a little bit here…"

"Uwoooh!"

"Let's leave this brush and change the color od the paint… A little bit here and there… A dash of green here… and smudge it a little… and there!"

As the girl saw the sketch of a cartoonish cat sleeping on a tree branch that they made, she looked so cheerful that the fact that she just lost her parents was almost unthinkable.

"Do you want to try making some plushies too?"

"Mm… I'm scared of needles… I might get pricked."

"Well, do you want to just watch then?"

"Ah! Sure!"

He lifted her to the bed where he took a pre-made cloth pack which she stuffed with some soft stuffing, and she watched as Sora quickly sewed designs and highlights on it.

"Wait… this is…"

"Here. It's done, Kichi-chan."

It was a yellow cute duckling. Something that he gave to the girl after finishing it.

"Thank you, mister!"

"Ahaha… You're welcome, Kichi-chan."

As the night grew deeper, the child also became exhausted and sensing this, Sora called out to a servant by his doorstep.

"What is your wish, Your Majesty?"

"Please clean her up and bring her to an empty room. She must rest now."

"As you wish. We will take care of her…"

"Thank you."

As the child left the room with drooping eye lids, she still managed to wave him a goodbye which he returned with a smile before she was brought to a separate room.

"…"

After she was gone, Sora sat on his bed while hanging his head silently.

"This is the least that I can do to show remorse…"

As he said that, he stood up and after ordering his servants to not follow him, walked downwards to the cellar of the castle where three people were waiting for him.

"Did you enjoy entertaining her?"

"It was pleasant. It's not like it's my first time to comfort the child of someone I killed."

Sora replied before sitting at the square table with the others.

"It's unavoidable."

The young man wearing a school uniform slid a scroll open on the table before he spoke with a serious voice that didn't fit his previously aloof tone.

"My men stole this from that camp… I believe I don't have to explain this anymore…"

"He's making his own moves, huh?"

The mustached man spoke and singed his cigar out at an ash tray.

"The Kirin Lord, he's an interesting individual…"

"That wacko would surely rip this letter apart once he sees it."

Sora sighed as he knew who he was taking about.

"That weirdo who said that he's the only one who deserves to have that title is getting on my nerves. First, he pestered me to provide him with men and ships to attack that man's city but all that happened was they were defeated, and I had to send my man to activate their self-destruction order to dispose of any evidences…"

"What was that again? They are mostly Echoes and Deltas, wasn't it?"

"Yes. It took a while to gather that many people but it only took him a single night to reprogram them to follow his orders and send them to their deaths at Naka… that idiotic weirdo…"

The three others sighed, and this made Sora to speak a short reply.

"Should we move now, Garou?"

"Hmm… If Endou hasn't given a coming opportunity yet, I highly advise that we enter the war directly."

"I think the same, Sora-sama…"

With his three retainers agreeing on one thing, the young Shogun knew that he should just agree as well.

"Alright. Let's keep our involvement limited for now. I will send the next batch of captives to spread the diseases and keep our enemies occupied with handling it as we wait for more forces from Hitachi. How about you, Endou? Do you need more brainwashed agents to act as assassins and spies for your activities?"

"No. I still have more than enough for what I must do. I will inform you if I am in need of anything, Sora-sama…"

"Mm."

As they stood from their seats and walked further into the cellar where some jail cells are located, they wore amulets with flower designs which made the people who seem to be previously raging by the jail bars to go away into their cells in fear.

"For such a sweet girl to sell these flowers at a young age… it only means that her parents are irresponsible enough to make her do so to stay alive…"

He spoke as he plucked an iris flower from a vase as he passed by.

"I'm happy that you took my intel report seriously. That girl's parents are spies after all."

"It's mostly my pity for the child that made me do this."

He raised the lamp by his hand and made it shine the cell furthest in the cellar where a man acting like a feral animal cowered into a corner in sight of the amulet by their necks.

"Freedom has no place in the country that I wish to make."

He took a vial of a viscous fluid from his pocket and poured it through the jail bars which the feral man hurriedly ran to and licked at the floor.

"If you don't want to come under my law, your only place in my country is behind these bars and living off these psychedelics like the brainless animal that you are."

He then stomped on the feral man's head and pressed it deep into the filthy floor.

"And let me tell you… I rule over humans, not animals."

This is Amanogawa Sora, the Shogun of Japan, the unknown killer of his enemies and the man responsible for brainwashing an entire race of people that he deems to be unworthy to be ruled over.

But most of all… he is…

"Kirin Lord… looks like we share the same world of origin after all."

The Otherworlder that the Daigo Priestess so solemnly feared.