"I just knew she'd ask for that..." I pressed my hand to my forehead.
I'd talked to Aisha and the others about it last night. There was a chance
that Mio's wish was probably going to be the restoration of the House of
Carmine. And if it wasn't that... I had an inkling it would be the restoration
of Georg's honor. He bore the disgrace of becoming a traitor, and sacrificed
himself to root out the villains who had infested the Kingdom. Things went
as he planned, and now that the problems inside the Kingdom were nearly
all fixed, all that remained was to restore his honor.
Naturally, I wanted to make the truth known, and rehabilitate Georg's
reputation. Liscia loved and respected him, and I didn't want to leave the
man who had risked his life for the country as a villain. However, because it
was before I formally took the throne, I had put off restoring his reputation
in order to avoid confusion. When I considered that it might still cause
chaos, even now that I had been coronated, I was hesitant to get started—
especially when I considered the children who had just been born.
But, at the same time, it was also a problem I didn't want to hand down
to their generation. No... but Mio isn't demanding a release of the results
from the new investigation. All she requested was that we "reinvestigate"
and "to know the truth." She might have had some vague awareness that
there was a reason why Georg needed to keep everything a secret when he
died. That was why she wanted the truth just for herself.
"Don't let your emotions lead you to make a decision lightly." Aisha's
words from yesterday came back to me. It was true that I was feeling a little
sympathetic towards Mio right now. That was no good. I needed to be
aware of the risks of granting her wish.
"Influencing other nations is beyond the realm of what this country can
do. If you insist on it, you will need to defeat me, become queen, and
negotiate with other countries in your role as sovereign," Gimbal declared
to Mio. "However, King Souma just so happens to be here in the audience."
Gimbal looked at me.
"You should ask him directly whether your wish can be granted or not. I,
Gimbal, will observe the result as Zem's king."
He was taking a dignified tone, but I felt like he was saying, "Would the
Kingdom please solve their own problems?" Well, that was fair. I stood up
and stepped forward. When I did, all the eyes in the crowd were suddenly
on me. They all must have been interested to see how I'd answer.
It was generally accepted in this country that the winner of the
tournament's wish ought to be granted, so if I refused I was going to get
booed. Well... I'd have to be ready for it.
"First, Mio. Your victory in the Great Martial Arts Tournament was
incredible."
"Thank you."
"And... I understand your wish."
"Sire!" Aisha exclaimed from behind me.
Naden followed up with, "Souma, is it okay for you to say that?"
They sounded worried, but I put my hand up and signaled for them to
stop. I deliberately made the announcement to Mio in a regal manner.
"You were willing to go as far as winning this tournament for your wish.
You must be quite determined. In which case... In the process of granting
your wish, I would like you to show me your determination once more."
Those words made Mio furrow her brow. "...What do you mean by
that?"
"This is a martial arts tournament. Clearly, your determination should be
shown through battle." I extended my hand towards Mio. "If you can defeat
the warrior from my country who I will send against you, I will
reinvestigate the truth of Georg Carmine, as you wish, and tell it to you."
At my declaration, the whole Colosseum shook with applause. The site
was filled with people who had come just to enjoy watching a good fight.
What I was proposing was basically an exhibition match. They must have
been genuinely pleased to be able to see another fight.
I turned back to a dumbfounded Gimbal and asked, "That's how it
turned out. Is it okay?"
"Hmm. If the parties concerned accept it, I suppose it's fine. Though,
with the crowd so worked up, I couldn't very well refuse it now."
"You have my gratitude."
Once the crowd settled down, I asked Mio, "Do you accept my terms,
Madam Mio?"
"I accept your proposal. Right now, even if Madam Aisha were my
opponent, I would make you grant my wish." Mio put her hands together in
front of her and bowed to me.
Aisha put a hand on the hilt of her greatsword and stood to my side.
"Sire, send me," is what her eyes pleaded, but I poked her in the ribs
instead.
"Ahwhuh?!"
Aisha let out a strange cry, and fell to the ground. Paying no more
attention to Aisha as she glared at me, tears in her eyes, I looked down at
Mio and said, "Don't misunderstand. Your opponent is not Aisha."
"Then who would you have me fight?"
"You'll see soon enough... That's how this thing is going!"
I raised my voice as I looked around the stands.
"You saw how things went! So..." Spreading my arms wide, I bellowed,
"Come forth, Kagetora!"
As my shout reverberated through the Colosseum, a black shadow
descended from the stands to the arena where Mio was standing. A sudden
interloper—his strange and majestic appearance made the audience gulp.
His massive form clad in black armor, wrapped in a cape of the darkest
black, he carried an odachi, a large, single-edged sword similar to a NineHeaded Dragon Katana, at his waist. But more mysterious than anything
else was the black sword tiger mask that he wore.
"The black tiger of Parnam..." Gimbal whispered beside me. "It is said
that any spy who meets him never comes back."
They were apparently terrified of him.
"Don't tell me you brought him here."
"I did. As my bodyguard."
After responding to Gimbal, I gave Kagetora his orders, "Kagetora.
Fight with Mio, and test her determination."
"...By your will." Kagetora drew his odachi from its scabbard, then cast
it outside the arena.
Kojirou, you are defeated... Yeah, no. Historical reference aside, it was
probably because the scabbard didn't work well with his cape. Mio drew
her two longswords and took up a fighting stance, too.
"I know not who you are, but I can see you are a good warrior. Now, let
us do battle."
"...Have at you."
Then the two ran forward, and their blades collided.
◇ ◇ ◇
He's strong, she thought. The man was dressed all in black, with a black
sword, and a tiger mask over his head. She could only assume he was
outfitted this way to be purposely strange, but the air around him was that
of a battle-hardened warrior. She could feel it when their swords collided,
too.
As she swung with her longswords, Kagetora would knock away each
blow with his odachi. His guard was so solid that Mio felt like she was
beating her swords against a rock. He's blocking all my attacks... This was
different from the kind of strength that Aisha had.
In addition to the techniques that must have been cultivated through
many long years on the field of battle, this person could see through all of
her attacks. I've never faced anyone like this before... she thought. But, as
they traded blows, she felt something familiar. It's like... when Father was
training me.
Making a large leap backwards to put some distance between them, she
spread her two longswords wide like a pair of wings, then rapidly closed the
gap. She tried to cleave through her opponent's torso before he could swing
down his odachi.
"You let off too much."
"Guh!"
Kagetora let loose with a tackle instead of swinging his odachi, and sent
Mio flying. She felt like she'd been hit by a charging bull as she soared
through the air.
When she landed and tried to recover, Kagetora came after her with a
followup attack. As Mio blocked the downward swing of his odachi with
her two longswords, Kagetora told her, "You depend too much on your
inborn strength. Because of your excessive confidence, you're too soft
when it comes to judging your effective distance. You need to let the
tension out of your shoulders more, and focus on eliminating unnecessary
movements."
"Y-Yes, sir! ...Huh?"
Mio put distance between herself and Kagetora, as if she'd been
launched away from him. In an attempt to hide her confusion and surprise,
she used the back of her hand to wipe the sweat that dripped from her chin.
Yes, sir...? What was I thinking just now? She couldn't believe herself,
meekly accepting Kagetora's advice in the middle of a battle. Mio was
shaken up, but Kagetora simply held his odachi in a fighting stance,
unmoving. He was just staring... Watching...
Wha?! No way... As she peered into the eyes beneath his mask, Mio felt
something like a premonition. His stature, his presence, the way he carried
himself, and the techniques he unleashed... She remembered all of them.
The premonition confused Mio horribly, and she couldn't even take up a
proper stance with her longswords.
"What's wrong? Are you finished already?" Kagetora quietly said.
"You're going to let it end? Was this all that your technique, your resolve,
could manage?"
"...!"
His words snapped Mio back to reality. She kicked off the ground and
quickly closed the gap between her and Kagetora. He tried to swing his
odachi down at Mio who charged in... but he stopped halfway. Mio had
made no effort to defend her exposed head.
Thump! In the next instant, Mio socked Kagetora in the face. The impact
made him back away this time. With her face downturned, and her arm still
outstretched, Mio told the stumbling Kagetora, "Don't just say whatever
you want..."
As she raised her face, there was a burning anger in her eyes.
"As if I'd let it end with just this. I'm sure Mother accepted it, but I
haven't. This anger, this sadness, this indignation... I'll make you take all of
it. You and no other!"
"...Very well."
That punch must have cut the inside of his mouth. Kagetora spat the
blood out, and then readied his odachi once more.
"A dialogue between warriors needs no words. Show me the extent of
your resolve."
"Of course. I wouldn't have it any other way."
The battle between Mio and Kagetora raged on.
◇ ◇ ◇
From the stands, we were watching their battle. At some point in the
middle, there was an obvious change in the way the two of them fought. In
the beginning, they gave measured blows, trying to see how their opponent
reacted. But now each fought as if they wished and gave it their all.
Mio, in particular, seemed to have let her emotions explode. She went at
him hard, relying on brute force, and Kagetora accepted every one of her
strikes. It probably... meant exactly what I assumed it did.
"Sire... Was this really all right?" Aisha asked in a whisper. "I think it's a
gamble whether or not Madam Mio will be satisfied with this..."
"Well, yeah," I whispered in response. "I bet Hakuya will have a few
choice words for me later, but... I don't think it's a bad bet. Didn't you say it
yourself, Aisha? 'More is said through combat,' right?"
"Yes... I did say that." Aisha thumped one hand on her chest, a look of
concern still showing on her face.
"Because this involves another country, it may seem like a big deal. But
if we can just satisfy Mio, we can handle the rest however we please. In
order to make her accept the result, we don't need any little tricks. Perhaps
because they learned under the same teacher, she and Liscia both have very
straightforward personalities."
I watched Mio fight. She seemed angry, but I could see another emotion
there, too.
"If we go at her with sincerity, she should accept it."
"...I see." Aisha nodded as she watched the two of them fighting down
below. "They both certainly seem to be enjoying themselves."
"If I'm being honest, when they talk with their swords like this, I can't
follow what they're saying, though..."
"Would you like to talk with me through combat, sire?"
"If I got injured, it would impact my duties, so please, no... Oh!"
It had been awhile now since they started fighting. If they played around
any longer, people would start to find it suspicious.
I gave Kagetora the sign. He silently glanced towards me and nodded.
◇ ◇ ◇
Shing! Clang! One of Mio's longswords swung up, knocking Kagetora's
odachi from his hands and sending it clattering to the ground. Without
delay, the other was at Kagetora's throat.
"...I yield."
Kagetora slowly spread his arms. The match was decided, and the
Colosseum was rocked with applause. Mio was the victor, yet she seemed
more surprised than anyone.
"Why did you let me win?"
"...The master's orders." Kagetora quickly answered, having decided
that there was no lying his way out of it. Souma had demanded he "look for
an opportunity to lose."
Mio looked up at Souma in the stands, and whispered, "King Souma had
no intention of preventing my wish?"
"...There will be a new investigation into the true intentions of your
father, Georg Carmine, I'm sure. The results of which will no doubt reach
you."
"Huh?! But I already..."
"Even so. Now that it's come to this, my master must make sure
everything ends properly. You had best prepare yourself. From here on... I
am sure you will be expected to do a suitable amount of work." With that,
Kagetora picked up his odachi and turned his back on Mio as he said, "It
must be difficult for you, having had such a stubborn and foolish father. I
suspect the late Georg feels sorry for what he did to you and your mother."
"Wha—?! Even so—" Mio shouted after Kagetora as he departed.
"Even so, he is my pride! No matter what path he chose to walk!"
"......"
"Will we meet again... Sir Kagetora?"
Remaining unturned, he replied, "...If there comes a day when the two of
you return to the Kingdom, I am sure we will meet somewhere."
Kagetora jumped into the stands and disappeared into the crowd.
"Mph... Mph..."
Mio was left alone in the arena, hanging her head as she cried. The
people watching apparently thought they were tears of joy, but those in the
front row said they were like the tears of a lost child when reunited with her
parents.
◇ ◇ ◇
Meanwhile, having vanished into the crowd, Kagetora was meeting with
a woman in a mostly-deserted hallway. The woman in question had a feline
tail, and though her age showed a little, her profile, and her eyes closely
resembled Mio's.
Kagetora stopped right beside her, and faced forward. "...You came?"
"I wanted to see my daughter's efforts through to the end," the cat-eared
woman said without turning.
Kagetora took a deep breath. "Couldn't you have... stopped her?"
"Never. My husband was a man of conviction. If his daughter was going
to act on her convictions, I would not stop her. Because that is my
conviction."
"...I see." Kagetora smiled a little beneath the stern face of his mask.
"Living in a family like that must be quite difficult for you."
"Like you wouldn't believe. But we're family. I may have given up, but
I still love them."
"...You've been an incredible mother, and an impeccable wife to a
couple of unsophisticated fools." With that, Kagetora placed a hand on the
woman's shoulder. "Now then, my lady, please, take care of yourself."
"Yes. I know you're a complete and total stranger, but nonetheless,
please take care of yourself, too. I'll be looking forward to the day when we
coincidentally meet again."
Without turning back, the two walked off in opposite directions.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Mio, that was splendid," I called out to her as the massive crowd in the
Colosseum looked on. She was in the arena, taking a knee, and bowing her
head. "Raise your head. You are the victor."
"...Y-Yes, sir." She raised her face, but, as might have been expected, she
seemed really intimidated. Her face was a mix of awkwardness and
confusion.
The audience were so excited they didn't seem to notice it, but that
clearly was not the face of the victor. Well, I'm sure she has a lot on her
mind about this. I decided not to worry about her as I carried on talking.
"As promised, when I return to my country, I will carry out a new
investigation into the motivations of Georg Carmine. To that end, I would
like to invite you to come, as well. Would that be acceptable?"
"Y-Yes, sir! I don't mind!" Mio immediately accepted. That was settled
then.
Next... I guess I needed to do something to appeal to the people of Zem,
too.
"Obviously, you have already cut all familial ties with Georg, so no
matter what the result of the investigation, I guarantee you here and now
that I will not seek your life, or to harm you in any other way! Let every
person here be my witness!"
The Colosseum roared with applause. All spoils go to the victor. It's
only natural they be praised. If I were to do something to harm the victor,
the people of this country would not be happy about it. I made clear that
wouldn't happen, while also making it a fait accompli that we would be
taking Mio home with us.
As the winner of the Great Martial Arts Tournament, Mio was a card
that Zem wouldn't want to let go of. However, in the face of this
impassioned crowd, Gimbal would probably not be able to get in the way of
her returning home.
I returned to my seat and looked at Gimbal. "You heard how things
turned out. Is there any issue with me taking the winner of the tournament
home with me?"
"...The people seem satisfied with that, so I have no objection." Gimbal
shrugged with a wry smile. "There is no cup or throne associated with this
tournament. In a way, you could say that the throne I am sitting on might
be, but I haven't faced a challenger in many years now."
Gimbal rubbed the armrests of his throne.
"What needs to be prioritized, over anything else, is the national belief
that, 'Those who are strong will have their wish granted.' That's why, no
matter what, I want to make Mio's wish come true now."
"Leave that to me. I won't mistreat her."
"That should be fine, then. Well, if someone from your country were to
win, and then continue to stay in the country, it might lead to undue
speculation down the line. If you want to collect her, that's convenient for
me... or so I'll choose to tell myself."
"Thank you, Sir Gimbal."
It looked like Gimbal hadn't had any clue what Mio was up to, either.
Judging by her words and actions, she didn't harbor a grudge against the
Kingdom, so if he kept someone like her close at hand, he would always
have to be wary she might be a spy. If you thought about the trouble that
involved, he might have been relieved to have a nuisance taken off his
hands.
"The House of Carmine is taken care of now, right?" Naden asked, and I
nodded.
"Yeah. The House of Carmine is."
Having been able to handle the Mio situation first, I slapped my cheeks
in order to refocus myself. Now... tomorrow's going to be where things get
serious. There was one other reason I had accepted Gimbal's invitation.
Though I had been unsure if it was okay to leave Mio alone, the matter
that was coming up tomorrow was an issue that directly impacted the future
of our country. I'm sure that she'll be coming soon enough, so I need to
keep on top of my game, I thought as the crowd's cheers continued.