*Tak! Tak!*
"Come in, it's open."
At a silent morning in Naka castle's Lord's Office when the weather is slowly becoming colder as winter season approaches, a knocking on the door made the young lord of Kiko to respond with a reply.
"My lord…"
"Master…"
"Sir…"
Three men came in the office and bowed down to the young lord sitting formally on his seat.
One was wearing a black formal military coat and a white undershirt with his shoulder insignias that has five golden stars and on his head is a peaked cap with a shiny silver cross embedded on its front.
Another one was wearing the same uniform as the other, but his shoulder insignias only have three golden stars, he wears a peaked cap with a golden shield on the front. However, on his left chest is a silver medal with a shield that has wings.
The last one wears a ninja's garb. He has no other accessories other than a small red band on his right arm with a skull pin sewn into it.
"I see that you are enjoying your new uniforms… Nobisuke, Takeo, Kuro…"
"We thank you for the praise, your highness…"
"Now, now… don't be so formal. It's not like anyone can see us in here."
Even though he looked shy with the words of appreciation, Hiroshi still felt a bit proud with seeing his subordinates donning the military uniforms that he personally designed for them.
"Now then… shall we get to business?"
There is a reason why Hiroshi called for his retainers even in such a cold weather.
"Seriously, that woman… She can give an entire province to her meat-headed retainer, but she'll give her fellow lord another headache work to do… Not that I want more territory, but the alternative is just more of a pain…"
It has only been a week since Hiroshi and the army of Kiko got back to their lands. At that same time, the Kusanagi clan of Shinka finally stitched the fragmented domains of Yukonami province back together and rewarded the lordship of the province to the Ayanami clan. The elder sister and head of the samurai clan, Ayanami Mitsuha, became a semi-independent daimyo, becoming a provincial lord whose prestige is a step below her master and Hiroshi.
While preparing the castle for the arrival of their new lord, the servants of Kyoga castle stumbled upon a secret chamber behind their former lord's bedroom and found three scrolls where a coded message is written. Because Kyoko doesn't have the appropriate people to decode it (and she deemed it too much of a pain to handle), she sent the scrolls to Hiroshi and asked him to do it.
"It took me a while to find the book with the decoder, but with it, I finally deciphered the meaning behind this letter that she handed to me."
Over a long table, Hiroshi unfurled the three scrolls that has strange and repetitive symbols.
"What are these, my lord?"
"Morse code."
The first scroll contained long lines of dots and dashes that confused the three retainers.
[.-..-. - .... . / ... -.- -.-- / ... .... .- .-.. .-.. / -.. .. -- / .- -. -.. / - .... . / ... ..- -. / ... .... .- .-.. .-.. / -... . / -... .-.. --- - - . -.. / --- ..- - .-.-.- / - .... . / -.. . ... - .-. --- -.-- . -.. / -.-. .. - -.-- / --- ..-. / - .... .. ... / . -- .--. .. .-. . / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / --- -. -.-. . / .- --. .- .. -. / .-. .. ... . / ..-. --- .-. / --- -. . / .-.. .- ... - / -... .- - - .-.. . --..-- / .- .-.. .-.. / .. -. / --- .-. -.. . .-. / - --- / .- ...- . -. --. . / - .... . -- / .-- .... --- -- / - .... . -.-- .----. ...- . / .-.. --- ... - / ..-. .-. --- -- / - .... . / - .-. . .- -.-. .... . .-. -.-- / --- ..-. / - .... . .. .-. / . -. . -- .. . ... .-.-.- .-..-.]
"It's good that I found a page of the corresponding letters and numbers at one of my personal books. If not for this, I cannot decode it since I didn't think of learning it before… The message is as follows: The sky shall dim, and the sun shall be blotted out. The destroyed city of this empire will once again rise for one last battle, all in order to avenge them whom they've lost from the treachery of their enemies."
"A legend?"
"It sounds like one."
After he placed down the transcript, Hiroshi opened the next scroll to show it to them before reading the transcript.
[.-..-. .- / -.-. ..- .-. ... . / ... .... .- .-.. .-.. / -... . / -.-. .- ... - / ..- .--. --- -. / - .... --- ... . / .-- .... --- / -.-. .- -. -. --- - / -... --- .-- / -.. --- .-- -. .-.-.- / - .... . / -.. . .--. - .... ... / --- ..-. / .... . .-.. .-.. / ... .... .- .-.. .-.. / .-- .- .-. -- / .. - ... / ..-. .-.. .- -- . ... / ..-. --- .-. / - .... .. ... / -- .- --. -. .. ..-. .. -.-. . -. - / .--. . .-. .--. . - .-. .- - --- .-. ... / - .... .- - / -.-. .- -. -. --- - / ...- .- .-.. ..- . / .--. . .- -.-. . .-.-.- / .. ..-. / - .... . -.-- / .-- .- -. - . -.. / -.-. .... .- --- ... --..-- / .. / ... .... .- .-.. .-.. / .--. .-. . .--. .- .-. . / .. - / ..-. --- .-. / - .... . -- .-.-.- .-..-.]
"A curse shall be cast upon those who cannot bow down. The depths of hell shall warm its flames for these magnificent perpetrators that cannot value peace. If they wanted chaos, I shall prepare it for them."
"Another passage from some story?"
"It really sounds like one to me."
At last, Hiroshi opened the last one that contained this coded message.
[.-..-. -.-. --- -- . / -... .- -.-. -.- --..-- / -.-. --- -- . / -... .- -.-. -.- --..-- / -- -.-- / -.. . .- .-. .-.-.- / .. / -.. --- -. .----. - / .-- .- -. - / -.-- --- ..- / - --- / -... . .- .-. / - .... .. ... / .... .- - .-. . -.. / .- -. -.. / .-.. .. ...- . / -.-- --- ..- .-. / .-.. .. ..-. . / .. -. / .--. .- .. -. .-.-.- / -.-. --- -- . / -... .- -.-. -.- --..-- / -.-. --- -- . / -... .- -.-. -.- --..-- / -- -.-- / -.. . .- .-. .-.-.- .-..-.]
"Come back, come back, my dear. I don't want you to bear this hatred and live your life in pain. Come back, come back, my dear."
"…It sounds like this one is talking to the previous two letters."
"Because it is."
Hearing their lords, statement, the three looked at him in response. There, they noticed that their lord was looking distraught about something as his eyebrow furrowed and the edges of his lips sank down.
"These lines aren't supposed to exist… at least not at this point of time."
"What do you mean… my lord?"
Being asked that, Hiroshi took a piece of paper and wrote something on it using his new fountain pen.
"I have a question for you three. Can you read this?"
He showed the writing to his retainers and as they narrowed their eyes to observe the text, they simultaneously spoke.
"""I can't read this, my lord."""
"Figures… I feel stupid asking you to do this…"
Hiroshi crumpled the paper and tossed it into his trash bin before sitting down on his chair with a disappointed sigh.
"I'm sorry for asking this, my lord. But what is the meaning of the symbols you wrote in there?"
"That? I just wrote my name using the English alphabet. Nothing else."
"English alphabet? Is it some kind of ancient language?"
"No, it's… I don't know if I should call it a present or a future language, but one thing I sure can tell you is that it isn't supposed to exist yet. I'm not sure about basing it with the history I know, but the first foreigners to arrive in Japan are the Portuguese during 1543. Yet in here, this morse code type is certainly written in the English."
"I apologize, my lord. But we cannot understand what you're saying…"
"No, no… It's alright."
Facing this newly discovered mystery, Hiroshi can't help but feel the sense of worry yet again as he thought about ways to tackle this.
"Wait… if japan already had muskets…"
As he remembered that fact, Hiroshi looked away for another book in his personal shelf and opened it to the part where it has a simple timeline.
"At that same time when they arrived, Antonio Mota and his two other fellows introduced the Tanegashima musket to the locals. Because of this, the prevalence of muskets and arquebuses during the Sengoku era made the warring lords more eager to create such weapons."
When he read this, his eyes darted to Nobisuke and he asked.
"Nobisuke. When and where did the muskets first come from?"
"M-muskets? You mean the old ones that we used before you became the lord?"
"Yes. Where did they originate and when was it first used?"
"Hmm…"
Nobiskue placed his hand under his chin, trying to remember something that he didn't expect to be asked from him.
"If I may, my lord…"
"Kuro? Okay, if you know something, speak up."
The captain of the Crows, Kuro, raised his hand and Hiroshi gave him permission to speak up.
"I once had a client from Fuku province who hired me to assassinate a business rival. This merchant that I worked for apparently produced and sold musket barrels and his rival has been copying his products and selling it cheaper than him."
"And what does that entail, Captain Kuro?"
"After I was done with the job, my client, in his drunken folly after his victory, told me the history of his business over some rice wine and grilled meat. If I remember correctly, he said that his business with muskets came from his great-great-great-great-grandfather who was just a fisherman. In a stormy night, his ancestor was shipwrecked but saved by a passing ship."
Hiroshi furrowed his eyebrows while listening to the story, it seemed like it was familiar to him.
"Surprisingly, the people in the ship didn't look Japanese at all. Their skin was pale, their clothes furnished with red and white colors, and their speech was flowy and deep. But one thing that captured his attention was when a stout man from underneath the deck raised a metal stick, the sound of thunder rang out and two birds fell down from the mast of the ship which became their dinner later that night."
"How did his ancestor acquire the musket then?"
"When the ship docked to an island to scout for provisions, his ancestor grabbed a musket, dropped a boat to the water and while the crew aren't aware yet, he paddled away to the direction where he knew Japan was. When he arrived at nighttime to his house, his neighbors unaware of his arrival, he spent the night tinkering with the weapon and after a few weeks knew how to make it."
"I see… All the clues are pointing towards it…"
Hiroshi chuckled for a moment before looking out of the window behind him.
"England… of all the European nations to start their world colonization, they started unlike history dictated…"
In Hiroshi's mind, the existence of Morse code at this time is still a mystery. But now, he knows why that language existed in this country.
"I don't have concrete evidence yet if it really is the case. But if England is the first ones to discover this country, it means that I can throw away all logic and history about this timeline…"
"S-sir?"
Finally regaining his advantage in information, Hiroshi stood up to hand out instructions to his men.
"Kuro!"
"Yes, master!"
"I want you and your men to find more information regarding this first contact. I know that it will be a hard trip since it's wintertime, but I'm relying on you guys to clear up this mystery so we won't fall victim to it later."
"As you wish!"
"Ishida!"
"Yes, my lord!"
"Request the naval command's cooperation and investigate the islands near Fuku province. However, do not attract the attention of the Yamaguchi clan's fishermen and navy. Look for traces of former visitors and if ever you can find an active settlement, do not attempt to make a landing, retreat immediately."
"As you command!"
"And you, Nobisuke."
"Yes, my lord!"
"Send a messenger to our consulate in Tohou. I want to create a line of communication with the Yamaguchi clan as soon as possible."
"I follow, my lord!"
With their commands given, the three left immediately after giving their lord a salute and bow.
"…Things are getting too hectic. If this is how it will turn out, I have no other choice but to conduct both an internal and external political fight."
In his mind, Hiroshi seem to be worried about this new discovery. If there truly are foreigners lurking around already this early, it's not impossible that they would meddle with the balance of power in this country.
"I should be prepared. If things go south, it's impossible to quell both local and foreign interlopers. But if that will be the case… I guess it's not quite wrong to advance ourselves higher than ever before."
While he was saying this, he opened a blueprint and in there, a simple yet revolutionary invention is set to be made again.
"Telephone, Morse code and radio. If even in the great distances, we can transmit information, it is not impossible for us to gain the upper hand in every fight."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
At that same day, a ship at the fringes of the west Pacific ocean that is flying a white flag with a red cross, sailed forward with the cold winter winds behind its sails, steadfastly resisting the strong, rocking waves that keeps on hitting its hull.
"Come on lads! Pull! Pull the ropes and ne'er let go of that bloody sail!"
"Aye, aye! Captain!"
With it being the start of winter, the change in the weather causes the wide ocean to have a weird climate. As for this ship alone, it already faced 7 storms since it left its home port to go to this expedition.
"Come on! Put yer' backs into it! Grip t'at rope harder than you grip a whore's neck!"
"Hngggh!!!"
As for the choice of words, that line alone may already ensure it to come from the mouth of a liberally-tongued sailor.
"Sister…"
"It's alright. You two. Stay near me and don't let go."
Underneath the decks, a woman dressed in black clothes with a veil hiding the contours of her face and the hair beneath it, at first glance alone, one cannot mistake her outfit as that of a nun's. Along with her is a child with bright blue eyes and golden blonde hair and another girl with shiny black hair and irises.
"Sister, are you and the orphans alright?"
"Mm. We're just fine. How are things going up there, Hans?"
A young man came from the deck and checked on the three who was in a room beneath the main mast of the ship. He wears a dark blue tunic and a pair of pants that are both wet with sea spray. On his drenched head are thick strands of black hair that are frizzled from the water.
"The winds are letting us go forward but the waves are too wild. Father- I mean, the captain is keeping his hands on the wheel while we're doing our best to support the sails. If we won't pull it, the ropes would snap, and we'll be on the mercy of the sea current afterwards."
"I see… Yukari, Chito, let's close our eyes and pray to the Lord that He may save us from this weather."
"Sister Camilla, even if it's just prayer, thank you for helping us. I'll be going back to the deck now. Keep safe in here."
"Understood."
The nun and the two children closed their eyes and clasped their hands in prayer, reciting a line over and over as the waves continued to assault the ship and the whirling winds made the hands of the sailors that are pulling the ropes bleed and be skinned.
"Pull, lads! Pull!"
"Stand fast! We can't let go of the mast!"
But even with a prayer to the divine, a single event changed the fates of the people in this ship.
*Ka-crash!!!*
"AGUAH!!!"
"CAPTAIN!!!"
"THE SAIL!"
In but a single moment, the main mast of the ship was halved lengthwise by a thunderstrike, and with it falling down on different directions, the ship too, was halved into two.
"Sister! Sister!!!"
The shouts of the young man named Hans echoed as he jumped to the halved rear part of the ship and as it was being slowly swallowed by the sea, he opened the door of the room to take the wounded Sister Camilla and the two unconscious children who was hit by the splinted hardwood when the mast fell near them.
"Sister Camilla! Take these two to that boat!"
"Wait! How about you Hans?! You're-"
"Go! Just go and save them! I have to help the surviving sailors!"
Against her will, the young man let go of her hand and jumped into the water. With no paddle to catch up to the swimming man, the nun helplessly embraced the two children as the waves tossed them further and further away from the shipwreck.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"My lord!"
"Ishida? It's only been four days. How did you manage to come back so soon? I didn't even hear the ships leaving port these last few days."
Hiroshi was surprised when his retainer, Ishida Takeo, passed a report only three days after he ordered him to investigate with the navy.
"To tell you the truth… we didn't actually have to sail too far to find any of what you asked from us."
With that statement, Ishida narrated what happened these last few days.
"The navy said that preparing the ship would take a while, so I hired a few fishermen from Hikigaya domain to help me scout the sea near Fuku province. Only a few kilometers away from port, we caught sight of a strange boat and when we approached it, we found an unconscious woman and two children in the verge of dehydration and starvation. I ordered for them to be taken and immediately brought them to an inn here at Naka where we are guarding them."
"I see. They might be residents from Fuku. Bring this up to Nobisuke and tell him to arrange for their return."
"Apologies, my lord. But I think you may need to see this before you ask for that."
As Hiroshi raised his eyes to see what he is holding, he shot up immediately as he recognized what it is.
"A Bible…"
A thick book furnished with black leather is sitting atop Ishida's hands. A book that even Hiroshi, a person of the mostly non-Christian Japan, can instantly recognize.
"We found this on the belongings of the woman. She embraced it tightly even when she is already weakened."
"Of course… Ahaha… to think that things really are picking up their pace… this new world is amazing…"
Hiroshi giggled lightly and took his coat from the rack beside his table.
"Lead the way, Ishida! I want to meet our guests as soon as possible."
"Yes!"
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Meanwhile, at the inn at Naka Harbor. The eyes of the unconscious woman slowly opened to show her bright blue eyes and as she moved her head, her blonde bangs fell over her eyes.
"Good morning! Are you awake now?"
["H-huh?"]
(TL: Lines that are enclosed like [this] are spoken in English. This is to differentiate it with the translated Japanese speech).
"Are you hurting anywhere? Uncomfortable with the pillows?"
["I… I'm sorry but… I don't speak-"]
"Is that so? I see. I can leave if you wish to."
As the nun in unsuccessful in talking with the caregiver assigned to her, she looked around to see the two children nibbling on bread and soup while wearing strange, colorful robes fastened with a bright yellow sash.
["Chito… Yukari…"]
["Sister? Chito! Sister is awake!"]
["SISTER!!!"]
The two children slid away from the table and hurriedly ran to the newly-awakened woman and embraced her tightly.
"Oh my, oh my… How lovely of these little cuties…"
(TL: Some trivia, Author Rai said that the caretaker is an Ara-ara Onee-san. So, I don't blame you for hearing that line… filthy weeb.)
["Sister Camilla, are you alright? You collapsed while trying to catch some fish."]
["Mm-mm. I still feel a bit weak, but I just need to eat and rest for a bit."]
["Should I bring the bread and soup here? You can have half of our portion."]
["No, no. Just enjoy your food and thank God for saving us."]
As the three was talking, the caretaker took a basin from outside the room. In it, is warm water and a cloth. She watched patiently until the two children walked out of the room and returned to eating at the table.
"Pardon me miss. But even though you cannot understand me, I still have to heed the orders given to me."
Without any warning, she pulled the blanket of the nun and lifted her to lean towards a wall.
["W-w-wait! What are you doing?!"]
"It's alright, miss. We are both women so no need to feel bashful."
She took the cloth from the basin and without facing any resistance, undid the sash binding the yukata on the nun's body.
["Wait! Wait! Stop! I can do this by myself!"]
"It's alright miss. I am just cleaning your body."
["Iyaaaa! Stop already!"]
Shortly after the towel bath, the nun was returned to her futon where she was trying to calm down after that embarrassing experience.
["Mmm! That's so embarrassing! Where are we anyway?! The route that the ship was taking is supposed to go to India, isn't it?!"]
Baffled with everything that was happening, Sister Camilla mustered her remaining strength and looked around the room.
"This place is… what kind of country is this…?"
On the far-left corner of the room is a small metal box that continually spewed warm air into the room which she deduced is a heater. However, she can't smell any burning wood or coal and therefore wasn't convinced with her hypothesis.
She then looked down on her garments and felt the texture of the cloth.
["It's soft and airy… and the scent smells like apples."]
With the usual materials for cloth in her homeland being either wool or linen, the sensation of cotton cloth on her body made her feel cool all around.
"Your highness, it's an honor to have you visit our humble establishment."
"The honor is mine. Is this the room?"
The woman who cleaned her earlier opened the door of her room bowed to a young man. She cannot understand their language but as she looked at the lad, she knew that he is someone respectable.
"If you may excuse me…"
["Hmm…? Kya!]
The young man pressed something on the wall and something above their heads flickered and immediately bathed the room in bright white light.
["W-what was that? A lightning strike?"]
She looked up and on the ceiling, a shining orb was lighted up which she recognized to be the source of the light.
"Sorry in advance."
["Huh? Iyaa! What are you doing?!"]
The young man took a thin glass tube out of his box and tucked it under her armpit. He then placed a pair of buds on his ears and placed a circular patch over her left chest. The woman, who is a nun who is supposed to not have any kind of close contact like this with the other gender, can't help but be surprised of what is happening.
"No problem in the heart… No elevated body temperature…"
The young man took a small metal stick and held her lower eyelids and from the stick a bright light shone.
["Umm! What are you doing to me?!"]
"Normal eye dilation. No problems in the head then."
He took out one last equipment. He placed a cloth cuff on her arm and with a hand pump, pumped air into the cuff until it reached some point and he slowly let go of the air.
"Normal blood pressure. No overall problems."
["What… what was that for?!"]
When she finally lost her patience, she shouted at him and his reply was something that none of them expected him to say.
["Are you from the Church of England, Sister?"]
"-?!"
["W-what…?"]