This is going to be a long chapter, BTW.


She remembered thinking “aah, I’m dead.’
When she was lying down, her eyes closed, her breathing harsh, like something was lightly pressing down on her, and she felt as though something had melted and was flowing out of her.

Her senses had become vague, but she understood. From some point in time, the leaden exhaustion which had enveloped her like a spider’s web, and refused to disappear had vanished. The voices of Riou, Ensei, and Tantan, while near, were far off. She couldn’t understand at all what they were saying. She tried to listen, but she couldn’t even open her eyes anymore. It resembled the times when she had, worn out, collapse into her bed, and fallen into a gentle sleep.

But, at this time, she felt that it would be okay if she never opened her eyes again.
Shuurei, certainly…..was greatly relieved.
(….It’s enough, right? Yes, it’s enough…)
She wanted to say that to someone, but to whom, she couldn’t remember.
But, someone answered her.
‘Sleep as much as you like.’
(Yeah….let me rest…)

She was happy. She wanted to thank them, but she couldn’t say anything. Her body, and her bent-up heart, were terribly tired.

*****
In the darkness, beams of light were running in a complex geometric pattern. In the Hyou clan, these were known as “passage” magic patterns. In the middle of the circle from which light flowed, Riou’s form soundlessly appeared. He was holding a motionless girl with both arms.
“Open the “Room of Tranquillity! Get all the medicine together. If you let this woman die, I won’t forgive you!”

Riou’s roar, said with a grim face, echoed through the room.

“The ‘healers’ and all of the top magic users have all been sent away?! Stop joking!”
The priestess who had been yelled at with such powerful fury was flustered. Riou certainly was the child of the current head of the clan, Hyou Riou, but he was a ‘son’ rather than a daughter, and ‘powerless,’ and so he was usually ignored as if he were a ghost. Riou also did not insist on his position and authority, but was always quiet. Having been yelled at by Riou, none of the priestesses left in the palace knew how to deal with this. Riou turned towards Shuurei. He had some medical knowledge, and could steep some medicinal herbs, but he was far from the level of an experienced doctor. Within the Hyou clan, there were many famous doctors and healer magicians, but Rious knew that they were certainly frequently called to “the outside” and were often absent. He could see by looking at them that the dismayed priestesses were not lying. But what was this with clearing out everyone—
Shuurei’s face was pure white, and she wasn’t moving at all. Riou checked her pulse, and put his hand to her mouth, and his expression changed. He immediately raised her jaw, and pinched her nose, securing her respiratory tract. He blew into her mouth some tens of time—but her breathing didn’t come back. He felt on the left side of her chest, and his face twisted.
(Damn it, her heartbeat—)
It was then he decided to change to dealing with her heart.
Something small and white was climbing up on top of Shuurei’s chest. It had pure white fur which made him think of Uu Uu, small pointed ears, a long tail, quick movements and clever eyes. What was making little silly noises, out of place in the scene, was a tiny white mouse.
(A mouse–? Are you making fun of me, mouse?!)
He didn’t have time to get angry before the white mouse stopped on the left of Shuurei’s chest. The end of its white tail was pointed exactly on the center of her heart. In the next second, there was a shock, as if a small bolt of lighting had fallen, which even Riou, who was keeping her breathing tract secured, could feel. He felt as though all of his hair had stood on end.
“Wha?!”
He wondered whether the stars were falling before his eyes. After the tremor had faded, when he looked down, some pinkness had returned to Shuurei’s cheeks. When he felt her heart, it had begun to beat again, even if abnormally and slowly. Just to make sure, he put his hand near her lips, and feeling the warm breath, he knew she had started to breath again.
Riou was so relieved that he closed his eyes. He put his back to the bed and sat down. He then head the silly noise of the mouse. It was if it were insisting on its existence. That was an important thing in the Hyou clan. Today was the first time Riou had done so, but had lost to the mouse.

Riou extended his arm, and picked up the white mouse. The white mouse didn’t try to run away, but stayed still in Riou’s hand, gently rustling its fur.

–The lightning revival spell. In the Hyou clan, this was known as “lightning treatment” and no matter how much he thought about it, he could only think that this mouse had been the source of it. Even in the Hyou clan, only high ranking magic users could use this method of revival. Also, the “lightning treatment” was used only when there was no other option. The revival spell was like gambling, tried out when they didn’t know whether the patient would live or die, so they would do it anyway. Riou glared at the mouse and pulled at its fur.
“You just did it straight out, not even hesitating! What would you do if she died!”
The mouse made noises of resistance, and Riou let go of it.
However, the revival spell was a battle with time. Even momentary delays would lower the chances of revival. If the mouse had hesitated, perhaps Shuurei would be dead. Also, considering that her condition had been stabilized along with it, it seemed it had been mixed with some healing magic. Riou stroked its head.
“….you’ve saved her…. Thank you.”
He felt stupid sincerely thanking a mouse, but this was no ordinary mouse.
A white mouse. When he had seen it, he was thinking of batting it away, no questions asked, but when he thought about it, the white mouse was the guardian spirit of the house. Sometimes they were called the little messengers of the gods, and spiritually, their position was high.
Riou narrowed his eyes and looked hard at the white mouse.
“‘Who’ is this?”
Riou was “powerless,” so he could not sense this like a magician. However, definitely someone had “entered” this mouse. This person was a high level priestess or magician who could use “lighting” and “healing” at the same time.
Was it that they were far away, or that they were in a condition where they needed to borrow the form of the mouse?
If it were the former, then he could consider it was Uu Uu. He was a high level magician, and his pure white, fluffy, tiny, cute figure looked exactly like that. Rather, the mouse’s fluffiness was less or insufficient.
(But, all of the other “passages” have been completely sealed. … Also, can Uu Uu use “lightning”?)
The Ministry of the Cave of the Immortals within the absolute sacred ground of Kiyou was actually the place least in need of magicians. Since what was needed was astrological and medical knowledge, Riou himself still did not know how much of a magician Uu Uu was in actual practice, and what sorts of spells he could use. Besides this, he felt based on pure instinct that this was not Uu Uu.
(….a woman?…)
Right now in the Hyou clan, there was a high ranking priestess who now could not move her “body”)
….there was only one he had some idea of. The lady in waiting, whose hidden hypnosis had been moved into action by Riou. After that, Riou had heard from the king that he had met Shusui and Nine Colors Cove, and that she had disappeared after that. Shusui, who had formerly undone the brainwashing which should have compelled absolute obedience, aided in the escape of “Bara-hime” and run off with her, and furthermore, although she should have been “powerless,” later some mystical powers had appeared in her, and in everything, she was an exception in the ranks of the “Assassin Dolls.” If she had really returned to the Hyou clan by her own will, his aunt would not have forgiven her.
If it was that lady-in-waiting, he realized that she would have helped Shuurei without hesitation.
“….are you Shusui?”
The white mouse showed no reaction in its pure black eyes. Only its tail waved a bit. Although it seemed it couldn’t speak, it should have been able to understand what he was saying. Maybe mice weren’t animals which could nod.
(Well, that’s alright.)
When Riou tickled the mouse’s white stomach, it turned away as if angered.
The palace in the sky, which he had not returned to in awhile, was as always, enveloped in an eternal calm.
However, he also felt it was far too quiet.
He recalled that the priestesses had said “they were all sent out.” All sent out? Why?
(….Should I think about this later?…)
He was very tired, and was out of energy to think. He looked vaguely up. There weren’t any voices. It was as if it were hollowed out. It wasn’t the quiet of sleep, rather the quiet of death. The sealed castle in the sky. Perhaps it could be said that it was like something important had ceased long before, and now, slowly, like gangrenous flesh, it was little by little rotting at the edges, and would die.
When he looked at the priestesses and male servants, they seemed to have not even a smidgen of life in them. They all seemed to be a dull ashen color. But hadn’t he himself been like that? Had he looked like he was dead?
(…..Did I stay “outside” for too long?)
Or was it because Riou had come to understand the meaning of “living”? Riou sighed. Perhaps because he had raged at them and chased them away, not one of the priestesses or the male servants returned. What was with a single white mouse being the one to fly in?
However, when he thought about it, up till there had been no one who had listened to Riou in the Hyou clan. “Outside,” although Riou was “a man,” “powerless,” a child, no one had made fun of him or ignored him on those grounds. At the very least, the king, Ou Ki, Yuushun, Uu Uu had felt that Riou was the chief of the Ministry of the Cave of the Immortals, and when he talked about what he was thinking, they listened to him.
He had forgotten. When Riou, a man, returned to the Hyou clan, there he was a being with no value. Even his name itself was not his.
With Kou Shuurei, it was completely the opposite. Since she was a woman, no matter how much she tried, or even if she got results, “Outside” she would not be acknowledged. The final result was that she had been easily made a tool of a political marriage, and discarded in the Inner Palace. He had heard that since she couldn’t have children, the king had given up on the system of monogamy and would promote Jyuusan-hime to consort.

That was the choice of the king, who had said that love was the most important thing in the world.

….Probably, that was the “right” thing in the “outside” world. Just as the treatment of men in the Hyou clan was considered the “right” thing. Maybe if a man from “outside” came here, he’d be indignant, and say “what kind of cruel treatment is this?” and say it was mistaken, and so the treatment of Kou Shuurei “outside,” from the standpoint of a women, should also be considered mistaken. However, at least there were no men in the Hyou clan who had been made to give up their work which they liked because of marriage, like Kou Shuurei. There had been cases where men who couldn’t make women bear children had been tossed out without a cent, and it was the custom of the house that men should remain silent and work silently, enduring for the women, but Ruka had never even once interfered with scholarship or work.
(….So she wished…)
It was strange, but come to think of it, he had never heard Kou Shuurei say anything about this. As if to say ‘whether I’m a man or a woman, that has nothing to do with it’ she only came to do what she must do.
Up till the very end, she was the king’s official.
Riou stood up unsteadily, as if dragging his body. Was the terribly heavy weight he felt of the body or the spirit? He looked down on Shuurei, sleeping with a peaceful expression on her face, her long black hair spread out like a fan.
“…You can rest a bit. You’ve done more than enough work. After this, Rou Ensei and Shin Suou can continue it. So relax, and sleep here. …. You must be tired.”
Her heart and body were worn out.
He placed her arms, which had been thrown out in exhaustion, upon her chest, folded.

The palace in the sky, beyond the far off rainbow. That was the final shield protecting the people.

Those who had come this far could be protected from all authorities. That was the ancient agreement, which even Ruka herself had to keep. It was the unwritten, absolute commandment known as the “Protection of the Pagoda Tree.”

The protectors of the weak. There had been an era where that was the proof that the Hyou clan was the Hyou clan, but that was certainly in the past.

“….Now that you’ve come here, no one can come after you. No one can force you to do anything.”

If she were to awake sometime, and were to leave here, that would definitely be only by Shuurei’s will. Even the king would not be allowed to bend that and take her from here.

“….So, sleep as much as you like.”
Riou was definitely relieved to see the deeply sleeping Shuurei.
That time, she hadn’t been able to open her eyes again. If she had been left “outside,” she would continue to sleep and then die. The only chance had been to take her right away to the Hyou clan’s domain.
….Now, Shuurei’s condition had definitely stabilized.
It was an ironic thing. How could it be that in the quiet place which was Ruka’s castle, that her life would finally secured.
“…Good night, Kou Shuurei.”
He untied the strings holding back the curtains of the bed’s canopy. Ample waves of dark blue closed from the left and the right, and Shuurei’s figure was slowly covered and hidden.

He realized that the white mouse had disappeared.

****

Jyuusan-hime scratched her head, looking at the dinner the king hadn’t eaten.
(….Something’s happened again.)

It was not very late, but Jyuusan-hime decided to go and find him. At first, perhaps because she was thought of as the lady of the Ran clan, the ladies-in-waiting and the servants had followed her around three steps behind, like the waste trailing behind a goldfish, but she immediately made them stop. When she saw the clothing of the ladies-in-waiting, which were gorgeous, but difficult to move in, she immediately took a scissors to them and cut them, altering them to make them easier to move in, which made the ladies-in-waiting begin to tilt their heads to the side. Then, after Jyuusan-hime had hit some noblemen who had tried to lay their hands on the new ladies-in-waiting, wrapped up all of their money, and then hung them upside-down in a tree, no one would say a word even if she decided to go out somewhere alone. Following this, the lady-in-waiting clothes which she had altered, saying “so that they’re easy to fight in if there’s an emergency,” secretly began to become popular among the young ladies-in-waiting, but Jyuusan-hime had of course not noticed this. When she couldn’t find the king, Jyuusan-hime wouldn’t wait, but would go and look for him. Perhaps this was because she had come to understand that this generally happened when the king was depressed. By now, she was able to find him most of the time.
However, all of the long-serving ladies in waiting found this strange when they learned of this. For a long time, the king had been prone to disappearing, but even Shusui found it very difficult to capture him. Despite this, Jyuusan-hime would quickly zero in on where he was, and when asked how she did it, she’d say “some kind of instinct.” Sometimes Jyuusan-hime herself would twist her neck wondering how she did it. However, actually in the past she had had experience with something similar. Her fiance Jin would sometimes disappear, but at those times she could find him using “some kind of instinct.” That was why though it wasn’t that she didn’t worry whether the reason she was concerned about the king was truly something separate, she decided not to think about it too deeply. Especially, now that rumors that when Shuurei returned she would become empress, and after that, Jyuusan-hime would also be rise to the rank of consort were spreading. Thinking a bit, she went towards the shore of the lake near the Peach Immortal Palace. As she expected, on the open pavilion extending lengthily into the middle of the lake, a torch was lit. She could then also see a familiar back. Jyuusan-hime now realized that she was always looking at the king’s back.

Jyuusan-hime stopped a bit. The king did not turn around, but she also did not move from where she was. If he really wanted to be alone, the king could hide himself before Jyuusan-hime found him. Although she knew this, Jyuusan-hime always allowed him some leeway. It was like a wordless signal.

Both Jin and Jyuusan-hime, on the other side of their outside cheerfulness, had a shadow of loneliness in their hearts. This on its own was a decisive difference between them and Shuuei, who had been raised innocently loved, and so because of this, she could not step into someone’s domain without thinking about it. For a second, she stopped and though about whether it was really alright for her to enter. Being able to push in without hesitation like Shuuei and Shuurei….. was something only people whose existence had not been denied could do. Taking a breath, Jyuusan-hime approached him with soft footsteps. She sat down next to the king. Her usual place, too close and too far. It seemed that this was always the distance between them. Probably it wouldn’t get smaller. Even so, it was a comfortable distance. For Jyuusan-hime as well. At the very least, the king himself had also though this, though.
“Isn’t it great to have this kind of spirit, challenging yourself to fish at night even though you’re a beginner. It’s hard, you know.”
The last bit of the tense atmosphere surrounding Ryuuki, who was holding a fishing poll hanging into the lake, melted.
“Yeah. Nothing’s biting.”
When she looked up at the night sky, the king also looked up, as if drawn by her. Then then there was an empty pause.
“….all of a sudden, it’s this late?”
“That’s something that only a person with full days could say. Pretty cool, king.”
Jyuusan-hime had of course noticed with one glance that although he was fishing, there was no fish basket and no bait. He was not here because he wanted to fish. He had probably been here alone for a long time. Possibly several hours.
“….Sorry, you must have made dinner.”
“I knew that it you hadn’t decided not to eat. You just forgot how much time had passed.”
It seemed he hadn’t even noticed that it had gotten dark around him. Jyuusan-hime looked into the pond and muttered.
“….Shuurei-chan will come back safely for sure. It’s okay.”
Jyuusan-hime knew that it wasn’t because she had abandoned her post or run away from Ryuuki. Something unexpected must have happened to her. That was the only thing she could think of. But why didn’t Ryuuki answer? A peculiar silence followed. Finally, after the long quiet, he called her name in a small voice.
“…..sorry.”
It was a small, hoarse whisper, which seemed to disappear in the sound of the crickets. Jyuusan-hime smiled. Then, she spoke the words she thought she would reply with, when this time had come. Only these words.
“It’s okay.”
From the time that she’d heard the rumors that Shuurei would be consort, she half understood. If one considered the matter of inheritance, somehow, another woman would be necessary. Shuurei alone would not be recognized. When she had long before become the chief lady-in-waiting, the court had seen Jyuusan-hime as “unofficially appointed.” This was because ever since Ran Shuuei had lost the rank of general, there was no way of keeping the tie to the Ran clan other than marrying Jyuusan-hime.
“It’s okay.”
She whispered this again. Jyuusan-hime had come here with that goal, so it was okay.
(…Shuurei-chan is sadder than me)
It was too sad, much too sad.
When they had been in Nine Colors Cove, she had thought that even if Shuurei and the king married, they might not be very happy. She had thought that only vaguely then, but what if one looked at it realistically? No one was making a happy face. Even the king…. If Jin had done the same thing to her, Jyuusan-hime wouldn’t have been able to stand it. Because they loved each other deeply, it couldn’t be handled by saying “can’t be helped.’ It would be better not to marry. Probably if it were Jyuusan-hime she’d get on her horse and run away. But—that was not allowed for Shuurei.
….Maybe there had been some way that everything could go well. But, somewhere there had been a mistake. Then, it had vanished to somewhere unreachable.

She didn’t like the words “can’t be helped.” But, there were definitely things that nothing could be done about. The most ridiculous thing was that, ultimately, within the mountain of problems the king had now, the problem of Jyuusan-hime and Shuurei was only the most trivial, low-ranking of his problems. Who he married was, at base, a trivial matter which the government and high officials found trivial, and rather, the only odd person who was considering Jyuusan-hime and Shuurei’s feelings was……the king himself, probably.

That was why she said “it’s okay.” He was suffering, worrying every day alone, so much so he didn’t even notice it had become pitch dark. Even in the midst of this, for a secnd, he would spend time with Jyuusan-hime, and think about her. For Jyuusan-hime, this was enough.
(That’s why Shuurei-chan also accepted…)
Saying, it’s enough.
Jyuusan-hime also wished to lessen the number of people the king had to apologize to, and his suffering.
“King, you don’t need to apologize. I’m the chief lady-in-waiting. And this is your castle. In the Inner Palace, no one obeys anyone but you. If, in the very end, you’re left alone, I’ll protect you.”
While she said that, she felt herself so pathetic she wished to laugh. Although her words weren’t a lie, she knew full well that if something happened, she wouldn’t be of any use. Now, for the first time Jyuusan-hime felt she understood why Shuurei had chosen to become an official rather than to enter the Inner Palace.
Being an official meant having certain power. A strong force which could become a sword and shield and protect the king. …. However, now Jyuusan-hime was far too powerless.
“….Ahem. If I can’t protect you, then I’ll let you escape with me on horseback splendidly, so forgive me.”
“Jyuusan-hime, you told us before that, you’d let us escape to some place where we didn’t need to be king.”
Jyuusan-hime looked at the king.
Somewhere in the pitch black pond, she heard the sound of a fish jumping.
The surface of the water was like a gaping, bottomless mud pit.
“…The more we think, the more we don’t know what is the right, what would be the best thing to do, and everything gets mixed up. We don’t know what is the right thing to do. We feel like we’re sinking into dark mud.”
Jyuusan-hime fluidly clasped her knees to her chest.
“Eh, King, no one knows what is right, or what is the best thing to do. There isn’t anyone who can see the future and go to it, like a god. No matter how smart they are. If there’s someone who looks that way to you, it’s because that person is working so madly they might die. It’s because they’re taking the effort to work their head to the point of death. Because there’s something they want to see. So that they can make their wishes and dreams come true. Everyone is doing that. The person with the strongest will wins. That is the way of the world. If the world has appeared calm to you up till now, it’s because you haven’t been hoping for anything. It’s because you haven’t tried to move it yourself, that it seems calm to you. Life is something that dashes like a wind going somewhere. You’ve begun to walk. You’re thinking ‘where should I go?’”

The front of Ryuuki’s hair wavered. ….That was right. Up until he had gone with Jyuusan-hime to Nine Colors Cove, Ryuuki had thought things were okay like there were now. He maybe he had begun to walk, but up till now, Ryuuki still did not know where he should go.

“What sort of king to you seek to be?”
He knew. Because he couldn’t answer Ruka’s question, now he could not see where he should go. Because he didn’t know what sort of future he wished for, no matter what he did, he had no self-confidence. He should not attach himself to the surrounding scenery, which was changing color with astounding vigor.

Now, if someone were to show him “the right answer,” Ryuuki would probably joyously fly at it. Even if it was a mistake. Because that was far more “easy.” Before, he had flown at the “right answer” presented by Ryou Anju–The plan to make Shuurei an imperial consort.
Ryuuki took out a piece of folded paper from his breast pocket. The flames in the torch basket beside him had gone down, and they seemed to waver. …. Perhaps here, the “right answer” was written. What should he do? Jyuusan-hime could see the address by the light of the torch. The seal had not yet been broken, and it was crumpled, as if it had been touched many times. It was handwriting she had seen before—and in the next second, she froze.
“That handwriting—”
Ryuuki closed his eyes, and without hesistation threw the letter into the fire. The flames licked the paper, and it vanished, as if melting. Jyuusan-hime raised a cry. She screamed and reached out her hand, but Ryuuki stopped her with an embrace.
“It’s okay.”
“But that handwriting! Isn’t that Shuurei-chan’s? Didn’t she contact you? What—what is this, you’re burning it, you fool. You didn’t even open the envelope!”
“–It’s okay!”
Ryuuki tightly embraced Jyuusan-hime. It was if he was hugging her tightly so as to stop himself, not her. Realizing that Ryuuki was shaking, Jyuusan-hime stopped struggling. Beyond Ryuuki’s shoulder, she vaguely saw in the darkness the very last shred of the envelope turn into ash. It was the final letter from her. She had, until the very last, run around for Ryuuki’s sake.
If he opened it, it would always rule him. Ryuuki gritted his teeth. He felt that within him, feelings were moving wildly, like a storm. But, if he cried even once, he’d be unable to move. There was still a place he needed to go. That’s why, instead of crying, he hugged Jyuusan-hime tightly. A long, long time passed, and Ryuuki let go.

“…..I’ve calmed down. Thanks, Jyuusan-hime. …. I’m going to the Outer Court for a while.”
Although it was already late at night, Jyuusan-hime did not ask him why. She simply tapped Ryuuki gently on the back.
“….See you, then. It’s okay if you come running back here crying and sniffling.”
Ryuuki smiled faintly.
From somewhere, he could hear the sound of a fish jumping out of the water.

Ryuuki, who had gone to the Outer Court alone, stopped before a door. Come to think of it, he had hardly ever crossed this threshold. This was because the person whose room this was had always visited Ryuuki’s office himself. The guard was surprised to see Ryuuki’s face. He stopped him from announcing his arrival, and with his own voice spoke to the room’s owner through the heavy door.
“….Yuushun-dono, I have something to ask you. Can I come in?”
In a moment, he heard the sound of a cane. It didn’t seem that he had surprised him.
“Come in, my lord. The door is open.”
He heard Yuushun’s voice, as gentle as ever.

Notes:

Commentary:
Re: Dr. Riou’s attempts at reviving Shuurei: wait, was Riou performing CPR, and then the mouse getting out a defibrillator? XD

Riou has always been one of my faves, and his stock here is just rising and rising. XD

Ryuuki may indeed be changing? But, it looks like he is still in search of his ultimate motivation. Now the author is showing he readers that Ryuuki Must Have a Motivation Other Than Shuurei. To those of us possessing reading comprehension who already noticed this, this is going kind of slow. XD

Jyuusan-hime’s chara dev here is also interesting.