Check out my new translation!
***
Just as Kamisato Ayato was about to turn and leave, Kujou Kamaji suddenly called out to him, his tone somewhat anxious.
"Wait, Lord Ayato—there's a small personal matter I'd like to ask your advice on."
Ayato paused and turned back, offering a gentle smile. "Please, feel free to speak."
Kamaji seemed hesitant at first, but after a brief internal struggle, he carefully pulled out an already-opened envelope from inside his robe and offered it to Ayato with both hands.
"It's about Chisato. This letter was jointly sent to her by several subordinate families of the Hiiragi Clan. Would you mind taking a look and giving me your thoughts?"
Ayato took the envelope, unfolded the letter, and read its contents attentively. The message was as follows:
The Hiiragi Clan has been annihilated. You are the only surviving orphan, and yet you still plan to marry into the Kujou Clan?
Given your current status and position, you have neither the ability nor the right to lead the Commission of Inquiry.
Ritou is now under the control of us, the subordinate families. The Hiiragi Clan no longer has any share in it.
If you voluntarily relinquish your claim to leadership over the Commission of Inquiry, we'll allow you to leave with dignity and marry Kujou Kamaji. Otherwise, once we turn hostile, it'll benefit no one.
Kamaji clutched his head in frustration, clearly overwhelmed.
"Ugh! This is driving me mad. My father already dislikes Chisato, and now even the Commission of Inquiry wants to drive her out. What am I supposed to do?"
"If Chisato ever finds out what's written in this letter… I can't even imagine how devastated she'll be..."
Ayato now fully understood Kamaji's dilemma—and simultaneously acquired key intel about the Commission of Inquiry.
He began to reassure him. "Please, Kamaji-dono, don't worry. Any personnel matters regarding the Three Commissions must pass through Her Excellency the Shogun. Only she may issue final decisions. This is simply those subordinate families taking advantage of the chaos to provoke and disgust—there's no need to take it to heart."
Kamaji breathed a visible sigh of relief. "Oh, that's good to hear."
Then, as if afraid of being misunderstood, he quickly added, "Lord Ayato, please don't take this the wrong way. I'm not after power over the Commission of Inquiry. I just don't want what rightfully belongs to Chisato to be snatched away by those greedy scoundrels."
As he spoke, Kamaji tugged at his own hair, visibly distressed.
"Chisato has already suffered so much. Her family's gone. I took her into my home, but even then, Father never showed her any kindness. And now, if she finds out that those who once greeted the Hiiragi Clan with smiles have now turned on her… I'm really afraid..."
Ayato nodded slightly, offering calm encouragement. "There's no need for further explanation. I know your feelings for Lady Chisato are genuine. And I believe that no matter how things develop, you will protect her. Am I right?"
Kamaji gave a faint, bitter smile but still straightened up and said firmly, "Yes, Lord Ayato. No matter what, I'll protect her."
"Then, please excuse me—I'll go check on Chisato now. Once Father calms down, I'll pass along your regards."
With that, Kamaji bowed slightly, then turned and departed the Tenryou Commission estate.
Because Kujou Takayuki disliked Hiiragi Chisato, he had arranged for her to live elsewhere days ago, and Kamaji had since rarely stayed at the Tenryou Commission himself.
Ayato watched Kamaji's retreating figure, then turned and exited the estate as well.
He happened to glance at a dent in the Statue of the Omnipresent God and furrowed his brow in thought.
After a moment, he withdrew his gaze and began walking along the town street toward Komore Teahouse.
Along the way, Ayato noticed that the street scenery had changed drastically from the usual.
Of every ten households in Inazuma City, six had white mourning banners hung. Many people were weeping.
Some families had lost their husbands; others, their sons.
Because of the fall of the Kujou Encampment, the entire city was shrouded in grief.
...
When Ayato finally returned to Komore Teahouse, he found his sister Kamisato Ayaka anxiously pacing in front of the counter.
The moment she saw her brother, she hurried over and asked urgently, "Brother, how did it go? Any news of the Shogun?"
Ayato shook his head gently. "I asked around at the Tenryou Commission just now. Kamaji said his father claimed the Shogun is no longer in danger."
"But I'd rather believe Thoma. He thinks the Shogun was destroyed by Shao Yun. Which means the Kujou Clan is lying! Their goal is to become the true rulers of Inazuma."
He paused, then asked, "Ayaka, what about your side? What's the situation at the Kujou Encampment?"
Ayaka shared what she had seen and learned.
"I led people from the Yashiro Commission to investigate Tatarasuna. The sea was filled with drowned Shogunate corpses."
"They say a few people managed to row back to Narukami Island, but most never returned to the Tenryou Commission. We suspect many went rogue and became bandits in the wild."
Upon hearing this, Ayato's expression darkened. He muttered to himself, "This could be serious..."
Ayaka looked at him in confusion. "Brother, what is it?"
Ayato pressed his lips together briefly and spoke solemnly.
"According to reports from the Shuumatsuban, the Kujou Clan had mobilized all available forces, leaving only the city garrison untouched. If what you say is true, it means the Tenryou Commission has suffered catastrophic military losses."
"And with that, we can expect an increase in the number of Nobushi and Fatui Skirmishers. Inazuma's public order will likely deteriorate rapidly."
Ayaka's face turned pale, her pupils trembling. She whispered in disbelief, "Which means..."
Ayato nodded heavily, finishing her thought.
"The route from Ritou to Inazuma City has already been plagued by banditry. Now, the situation may grow even worse."
Just then, a member of the Shuumatsuban suddenly appeared, presenting a folded note with both hands and respectfully reporting, "Lord Kamisato, this is the latest intel we've just uncovered. Please take a look."
Ayato took the paper and quickly read through it.
As he reached the key lines, his eyes widened, and his face showed clear shock.
"What? It was Shao Yun who led the resistance to take the Kujou Encampment?!"
Ayaka turned ghostly pale upon hearing this. She stared at the Shuumatsuban agent, her voice trembling.
"Is that information accurate?"
The agent nodded firmly and briefly explained the source.
"It's absolutely true. Several of us infiltrated Tatarasuna at great personal risk. We overheard resistance members talking. Shao Yun has already been appointed a general of Watatsumi Island."
"And according to those resistance soldiers, Shao Yun's next goal is to lead them into Narukami Island."
"Some even claim that Orobashi himself instructed Shao Yun to aid Watatsumi Island in avenging a thousand-year-old grudge—vowing to kill the Raiden Shogun and seize control of Inazuma."
As Ayato flipped through the intel and listened to the report, unease welled up inside him.
If it had been Sangonomiya Kokomi or General Gorou who led the attack, that might not have been so bad.
After all, both were moderates. They didn't seek total war with the Shogunate.
But if Shao Yun had taken the encampment, then the situation was grave indeed.
From all gathered intel, Shao Yun seemed prepared to confront the Raiden Shogun in a decisive battle.
Ayato tucked the note into his sleeve and looked grimly at Ayaka.
"This is bad. I need to go find Lady Yae immediately and discuss countermeasures. Ayaka, come with me."
Ayaka nodded softly. "Yes, Brother."
...
Meanwhile, within the Tenryou Commission estate, Kujou Takayuki's tears had long dried. With the servants' careful tending, he was still wailing incoherently.
"My son...!"
At that moment, a servant burst into the room, face pale and panting hard, delivering an urgent report.
"My lord, a delegate from the Fatui has arrived!"
Takayuki roared in fury, "I won't see her! My son is dead! I've no mind to entertain her! Tell her to leave!"
The servant stammered, "B-but my lord... the Fatui envoy has already..."
Before he could finish, The Fair Lady, a Harbinger of the Fatui, had already entered the room, sneering coldly at the miserable old man before her.
"Lord Kujou, such a temper. You won't even meet your partner now?"
At the sight of her, Takayuki swiftly composed himself, forcing a calm facade and waving for the servants to leave.
Once alone, he put on a show of strength. "Why are you here? My son has died. I must mourn in seclusion!"
But The Fair Lady was not fooled. With a cold snort and obvious disdain, she replied, "I couldn't care less whether your son lives or dies. What I do care about is that we, the Fatui, have supported the Kujou Clan so heavily..."
"And yet you let the resistance take the Kujou Encampment, greatly harming our interests in Inazuma!"
While the Shogunate held the Kujou Encampment, the Delusion Factory on the cliffs of Yashiori Island could ship crystallized marrow freely.
Now that the encampment was lost, those operations were trapped.
Takayuki, ever the cunning fox, seized the chance to shift the blame.
"It was because your support was insufficient that the Shogunate forces were defeated!"
Now that the army had suffered such a blow, he intended to blackmail the Fatui for more resources.
But The Fair Lady saw through his ploy instantly. Her eyes widened in contempt as she snapped, "Don't try to provoke me. The Fatui have supported you fully—arms, intelligence, everything..."
At the mention of intelligence, Takayuki seized on it like a lifeline.
"Then answer me this! If you knew the resistance was going to attack, why didn't you warn us?"
Trying to evade responsibility, he pushed it all on the Fatui.
Enraged, The Fair Lady glared at him with disdain.
"Maybe our agents believed your forces could handle it—without risking exposure. Who knew your men would fall so pathetically? A bunch of drunken weaklings!"
Hearing the insult, Takayuki's fury erupted. He snarled, "Watch your tongue! The Shogun's Musou no Hitotachi could erase you in an instant!"
The Fair Lady laughed coldly, mockery dripping from every word.
"Spare me. Don't lie to others—and don't lie to yourself."
"That puppet Shogun of yours? She's useless now. Half a body, half a face—you know this better than anyone."
"If not for us Fatui sealing off the truth and spreading rumors, you'd never have been able to rule in her name."
As she exposed the truth without mercy, Takayuki trembled with rage, eyes wide.
"Greedy wolves from Snezhnaya! Get out of my sight!"
Had it not been so time-consuming to replace a faction, The Fair Lady might've killed him then and there.
"No point arguing with the blind. I'll go visit the Takayama Clan instead. I'm sure they'd love to hear news of the Shogun."
As she turned to leave, Takayuki's mind snapped into focus.
If she told others the Shogun was crippled, the Kujou Clan's use of her name would be exposed.
"Wait! Don't go. There's something I must tell you."
But she didn't stop walking. "Too late. If a dog doesn't obey, we simply replace it."
Takayuki paled. He couldn't let her leak the Shogun's secret. If the Takayama Clan found out, their coup would collapse.
He quickly shouted, "Sara said... that Orobashi—the one the Shogun slew a thousand years ago—has returned! That's how the resistance defeated her. Under his protection!"