Facing such an Anastasia, what else could Jeanne say?
She shot Ryou a cold glare, the meaning clear: I'll let you off for now, but you'd better explain everything later!
Ryou sighed. What a mess this has become.
Later, he found an opportunity to explain Anastasia's tragic background to Jeanne.
Originally, Jeanne had been somewhat jealous of her, but upon hearing her story, her maternal instincts surged, and she expressed a desire to take good care of her. At the same time, she sternly warned him not to harbor any improper thoughts about the poor girl.
Ryou couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated.
I didn't have any such intentions to begin with, okay?
After this small storm passed, things gradually settled down.
But he knew this was the calm before the storm.
He had decided to assassinate the Queen ahead of schedule.
Although the mission was already 55% complete, as time passed, Ryou felt increasingly uneasy.
He had a nagging feeling that the Queen was plotting something behind the scenes.
As it turned out, his intuition wasn't wrong. Jeanne's Revelation skill also raised alarms.
Though Revelation had been weakened and could no longer reveal glimpses of the future, the strong sense of danger it conveyed was undeniable.
After discussing it with Jeanne, Ryou decided that he, Jeanne, and Ais would act together and assassinate the Queen.
And right now, it was the perfect opportunity.
His father-in-law, who had been lurking near Shogun, risked his life to send someone to inform him that Biba Amatori seemed to be preparing for a final, all-out battle with his father.
Biba Amatori had sent out nearly all his forces, launching a fierce assault on the outskirts of Kongoukaku.
The Shogun wasn't backing down either, advancing with a massive army.
The father and son were now battling so fiercely that they had no time to focus on anything else.
Of course, to avoid being tricked, Ryou consulted Natsume. After the Brotherhood of Assassins under her command verified the situation, they confirmed that the two men were indeed locked in intense combat.
Ryou was finally able to relax.
The perfect opportunity!
As for the other enemy, the Emperor, Ryou's real target was the Emperor's little sister, Princess Sakura.
That's right—this woman was the mastermind behind everything!
If Ryou hadn't pieced together numerous clues, he wouldn't have believed how deeply this woman had hidden herself, nor how complex her identity was.
He had already notified Ais and Jeanne, telling them to prepare to depart at any moment.
Ais was fine; she usually spent her time either training or practicing and stayed out of management affairs.
But Jeanne was different. She had been in charge of Yokosuka, so even leaving for just a few days required her to hand over a massive amount of work.
While Jeanne was handling the transition of responsibilities, Ryou was in the admiral's residence, hosting a guest in the reception hall.
At that moment, in the European-style reception hall, two people sat facing each other.
A middle-aged man dressed like a ronin sat opposite him, shifting awkwardly in his chair.
Seeing this, Ryou decided to cut to the chase.
"Thank you for bringing such important information, Mr. Mizuno."
Ryou spoke with genuine sincerity.
"Lord Yomogawa, you are too kind. You are Lord Makino's trusted man, and naturally, you are also my lord."
The man stood up and bowed deeply, his face full of respect.
Mizuno Takumi was a retainer of Ryou's father-in-law, Lord Makino. He had risked his life crossing Kabane-infested areas to deliver this precious information to him.
Though telegraphs and even telephones had been invented in this era, their security was unreliable. Thus, critical information was still often delivered manually.
"Now that the message has been delivered, I must take my leave."
Mizuno bowed deeply again as he spoke.
Ryou nodded. Since the man was uncomfortable sitting in chairs and time was of the essence, he didn't keep him any longer.
"Please send my regards to my father-in-law."
"I will do so."
After Mizuno Takumi left, Ryou didn't notice the strange expression on his face.
Once Mizuno returned to his quarters, he immediately retrieved a small telegraph machine from a hidden compartment.
With a series of rhythmic taps, a cryptic message was transmitted:
The fish has taken the bait. Time to reel it in.
Most people who received the telegraph were baffled, assuming it was a prank or a message meant for fishermen.
But in one particular place, when the telegraph operator received the message, it quickly passed up the chain until it landed on someone's desk.
An invisible net, aimed at Ryou, was slowly being drawn tighter.
...
Two days later, Jeanne finished handing over her responsibilities as quickly as possible, and the three of them quietly left.
Only a handful of people knew they had departed, and Anastasia, who had fallen under Jeanne's maternal care and was being personally taught by her, was one of the few.
As she watched Jeanne's departing figure, Anastasia's sapphire-blue eyes filled with envy.
Her hands instinctively gripped the faceless doll she held.
Staring intently at Jeanne's back, Anastasia didn't notice that the doll in her hands seemed to grow darker, its blackened face completely obscured, as if connected to a bottomless abyss.
Meanwhile, the three met at a secluded seaside location and immediately began discussing their departure.
Among the three, Ais and Ryou could fly. Jeanne couldn't, but one of them could easily carry her.
Jeanne glanced at him, who wore a mischievous expression, then at Ais, who looked adorably clueless.
After hesitating for a moment, she cautiously asked Ais:
"Ais, can you carry me while flying?"
Ais nodded obediently.
Jeanne had just taken a step toward Ais when a sudden gust of wind swept from behind her.
Since there were only three of them in this area, Jeanne hadn't expected a sneak attack and was caught off guard.
She was suddenly lifted from behind in a classic princess carry.
"Wait! What are you doing?!"
Jeanne struggled, especially when she saw Ais looking confused. Two blushes appeared on her pale cheeks.
Smack!
A crisp sound echoed in the air.
"You!?"
Jeanne's eyes widened in shock.
Ryou had spanked her!
But he acted as if nothing had happened.
"Don't move. Or do you want another?"
Jeanne immediately stopped struggling, but the blush on her face deepened.
The three of them, under such a peculiar atmosphere, flew away from Yokosuka, heading northward toward the land of Hinomoto.
As they soared through the sky, the scenery they encountered was a stark contrast to that of Southeast Asia.
In South East Asia, over 99% of the Kabane had already been eradicated, and the once-devastating Kabane corpse tides had become a rare occurrence.
The residents, under the military's protection, had begun reclaiming farmland near the cities, and the entire island was showing signs of prosperity.
However, the rest of Hinomoto remained a living hell.
In the south, the Shogun father and son were tearing each other apart, while the Emperor in the north watched the situation, ready to exploit any opportunity. Some feudal lords also took advantage of the chaos, fighting among themselves. And to top it off, Ryou's focus had never been on Japan.
The various factions in Hinomoto were completely disorganized. In such circumstances, they could barely protect themselves, let alone dream of driving away or eliminating the Kabane—it was pure fantasy.
As the three flew overhead, the landscape below was bleak: cold, empty railways, aimless walking corpses, and fortresses surrounded by layers of walls.
Large farmlands lay desolate, homes had collapsed, and broken corpses littered the ground.
Jeanne's face showed a hint of sorrow.
Ryou softly comforted her.
"Don't worry. Once we eliminate the mastermind, we'll restore this world to its original state."
"Yes, I understand."
Jeanne nodded firmly.
Although every day of delay meant more people would die at the hands of the Kabane, Jeanne wasn't naive enough to believe she could save everyone.
She knew that more people would die in the process of reclaiming the world—a sacrifice she had long accepted.
Ever since she, as a young girl, had taken up the sword and led the French army under the banner of the Fleur-de-lis, she had come to terms with this harsh reality.
To achieve a world where everyone could live in peace, some would inevitably fall along the way.
The path of resistance was always one filled with thorns and blood.
If sacrificing a few could bring happiness to the many, then she was willing to bear that burden—even if it meant offering herself as a sacrificial lamb for the cause.
Her hands had been stained with blood countless times, and at the same time, she bore the heavy responsibility of leading the people forward under the Flag. The weight on Jeanne's frail shoulders was something no ordinary person could even imagine.
Among girls her age, few could compare to her.
And this Jeanne—was truly breathtakingly beautiful.
Not just because of her appearance, but because of the radiant soul she carried, symbolizing unyielding devotion and sacrifice.
That was why she was so captivating.
That was why Ryou, by any means necessary, had to have her by his side.
"So beautiful," he couldn't help but mutter softly.
Jeanne gave him a strange look.
"What are you saying?"
Ryou smiled, looking down at Jeanne in his arms, and said plainly:
"I'm talking about you. You're so beautiful I can't take my eyes off you. So, give up. I'll never let you go for the rest of my life."
Buzz!
Jeanne's pale face turned red in an instant like a shrimp being boiled.
"Idiot! What are you saying!?"
"I'm just speaking the truth."
Ryou shrugged, looking perfectly calm.
"You, you, you...!"
Jeanne was so flustered she could barely form words.
Five meters away, Ais watched the two with a blank expression.
Then she took out a cookie from her pocket, popped it into her mouth, and started crunching away.
This cookie is so crispy!
And so, teasing and bantering, the three continued flying toward their destination.
Two days later, they arrived in the skies above their target.
To maintain their best combat condition, Ryou hadn't pushed them to travel day and night. Instead, they alternated between flying and resting.
Their destination was Fukushima, the notorious prefecture that would later become infamous for its nuclear power plant meltdown following a massive earthquake.
Of course, at this point, it was still called Fukushima Station.
Their target, the mastermind behind the Kabane outbreak across the world, the Queen, was currently here.
This place had recently been captured by the Emperor's army.
While Ryou had been expanding his campaign southward to Southeast Asia, The Emperor, ever ambitious, had not been idle either. After sending Princess Sakura to the front lines, he ordered her to advance southward relentlessly.
It seemed as though the Emperor had given her an impossible task, but with Sakura's ability to manipulate the world, it was all too easy.
In less than a year, her army had advanced from the northernmost tip of Honshu to the central regions of the island.
Just a month ago, Fukushima Station—once considered an impregnable fortress—had been effortlessly captured by Sakura in less than half a day.
Since then, she had stationed her army there, taking time to recover and stabilize the region after the turmoil of war.
Had Sakura not been opposed to Ryou, he might have liked to recruit her as a subordinate.
A genius such as her, adept in both strategy and governance, could have greatly shortened the time it would take for him to conquer the world.
As for the Emperor, Ryou didn't even consider him a worthy opponent.
After sending his sister to the front lines, the selfish and cruel emperor stayed behind in his headquarters in Sapporo, Hokkaido, indulging in luxurious pleasures with his wives and concubines.
His behavior epitomized shamelessness and laziness.
He was truly the archetype of someone with grand ambitions but little talent, more interested in enjoying life than achieving greatness.
Before long, the three of them neared Fukushima Station from the air, and Ryou set aside all distractions.
As long as they killed Sakura, the Emperor would cease to be a concern.
From the sky, with his magically enhanced vision, Ryou could observe every movement within the station.
Perhaps because it was both a bulwark against the Kabane and a frontline in the ongoing war, the entire station was under extremely tight security.
Unfortunately for the guards, such precautions were only effective against ordinary people—they were useless against those with extraordinary powers.
As they approached the station, Ryou cast an invisibility rune on the three of them.
Without alerting anyone, they slipped into the heavily guarded station as though they were invisible.
It wasn't difficult to find where Sakura was staying.
After all, she was a young, unmarried noblewoman and would naturally not be housed with the rank-and-file soldiers or samurai.
As the emperor's sister, she had taken over the most luxurious building in the station—the former castle lord's residence—as her temporary palace.
The three of them silently entered Sakura's temporary palace.
The original owner of the castle lord's residence had been someone who knew how to enjoy life.
The courtyard was full of vitality and beauty. From the pond with dozens of koi swimming about to the small wooden bridge over the water and the distant rock garden and cherry trees, everything was arranged with a perfect sense of depth and charm.
As the three of them admired the courtyard's scenery, the paper door facing the courtyard suddenly slid open.
A soft yet supremely confident voice rang out.
"Honored guests, please come inside and allow me to offer you some tea as a small gesture of hospitality."