KATANAGATARI 2
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In a corner of the town built up around1 Owari Castle, and cloistered in a copse of trees, we find a residence fit2 for a samurai─and within one of its grand rooms, a woman, posture rigid, paused in thought. Though the hour was late, no lamps were lit, and the bedclothes had not been turned down. She stood stiffly in the middle of the room─as if waiting for something.
Because she was waiting for something.
And in short time, she heard it coming from the ceiling.
“Your Highness─”
A disembodied voice.
Though hearing it directly overhead, the woman barely moved her eyebrows, losing none of the stiffness of her posture─not looking up. Her gaze seemed fixed beyond the closed-off paper doors─and it was vacant.
Or perhaps fixated on the inner world.
A gaze starved of humanity.3
“You’re late.”
These were her first words.
“You fool─I suppose you think it’s fine to keep me waiting.”
“My apologies. It takes time to get around the guards─”
“I’m not interested in your excuses. They will do nothing to quell my anger. I want results. Do yourself a favor and stick to the intelligence. The latest─on that nasty4 woman.”
Nasty woman.
She made the words sound bilious,5 and nearly spat them out─each foaming with gratuitous emotion. But the bile was solely in her tone. No change to her face, her gaze, her bearing.
“Mmh,” the voice hummed from the ceiling. “The Schemer is in Kyushu, bound for Satsuma─dare I say she may be there by now.”
“Satsuma. Which means─she must be eyeing Zokuto the Armor.6 Hmm, she seems to be getting ahead of herself.”
“Not without reason─already, she has managed to obtain four of the Twelve Possessed, those masterworks of Kiki Shikizaki not even the Old Shogun could make his own.”
Zetto the Leveler.
Zanto the Razor.
Sento the Legion.
Hakuto the Whisper.
The Twelve Possessed of Kiki Shikizaki─
“Indeed, vanquishing Hakuhei Sabi, the Strongest Swordsman in Japan, and capturing the Whisper must have earned them abundant experience points.7 It appears they had been planning an appearance at Owari Castle after capturing the Legion, but following their unexpected duel with Hakuhei Sabi, they shifted course to Satsuma.”
“Hakuhei Sabi.”
Finally─the woman smiled.
Or at least, her expression resembled a smile.
“Absurd to get carried away by such a victory, when he was the Strongest Swordsman in Japan only because I couched him so─but from the likes of her, I should expect as much.”
“My liege,” said the voice in the ceiling. “This is more than just an inconvenience. The Schemer is one thing, but that swordsman traveling with her─”
“The Seventh Master of the Kyotoryu?” the woman asked, scanning her memory. “Some call him…the Swordless Swordsman.”
“His name is Shichika Yasuri, and he is quite the warrior. He may be lacking in combat experience, having spent the better part of his life on a deserted island─”
“You’ve briefed me on that before, I get the gist─but how did things turn out? You saw him fighting Sabi with your own eyes. What was the fight like?”
“It was vicious. Hakuhei Sabi had the upper hand from start to finish─just hammering away at Shichika Yasuri. The Kyotoryu took advantage of an opening─without which, it would be fair to say he never could have won.”
“I should say not. I chose Hakuhei Sabi, imperfect as he is─to be the Strongest in Japan.”
“Yes, my liege,” the voice said from the ceiling, “but after facing off against him, Shichika Yasuri came away entirely unscathed.”
“…”
“And not just against Sabi. Since departing on the Sword Hunt, Shichika Yasuri has not been hit by an enemy attack. Not once.”
“Not even a scratch?”
“Not even a scratch,” the voice affirmed her prickled curiosity. “The iainuki of Ginkaku Uneri and the Sentoryu of Meisei Tsuruga both failed to wound him. The Kyotoryu has trained himself to behave like a sword, but what makes his school so powerful is not its offense, but its defense. And in the long term, defense clearly matters far more on the battlefield.”
“Exactly what that woman’s Sword Hunt needs,” she said, making her scorn apparent. “After being double-crossed twice over, by the Maniwa Ninja Clan and Hakuhei Sabi, she draws a fine lot? Some twisted fortune favors8 her─which makes it even more exciting to see what happens.”
“Huh?”
“Can’t you see─the next one of the Twelve Possessed her little team hopes to pilfer is Zokuto the Armor, more barrier than sword, the last word in defense.9 Not even after issuing his Pirate Ban was the Old Shogun able to obtain it; in terms of defense, it merits the highest certification. Defense versus defense─interesting to see what comes of that.”
“Sounds─like fun.”
The woman was surprised.
But then she laughed─like she was having fun.
“Yes─promises to be a great show. But if that woman lays her hands on a fifth sword, I may need to show up myself. To clarify who’s in charge.”
“Shall I…”
“Actually, let’s hold off. I’ll move when I’m ready. For now, just keep an eye on her. Let her get carried away.10 We won’t switch to an active role until she has her eighth, or even her ninth sword. She can take her Sword Hunt up and down Japan, but at some point, she will come back to Owari. Which is why I’m working─in the opposite direction.”
“But in the meantime, they could be killed in action somewhere on the Sword Hunt…”
“Fine by me. To be honest, the fact that she has managed to collect four swords─exceeds my expectations. Look how rapidly she took out Hakuhei Sabi, proving herself able to outstrip my predictions. It won’t be hard for her to keep things going, and I would prefer not to do anything too conspicuous.”
“Of course not… Best to leave the high-profile work to them.”
“But we must not be optimistic.11 Just as you say, we cannot be too certain of her capturing a fifth sword in Zokuto the Armor, let alone making it to eight. The Schemer is a gambler. She either wins big or loses everything─but success is not out of the question. Not when she views the Twelve Possessed of legendary swordsmith Kiki Shikizaki as nothing more than swords, or instruments for advancing her career─though if I were her, I’d be a bit more careful. Have you any other news?”
“Still no read on the movement of the Maniwa. As previously reported, three ninjas, Komori Maniwa, Shirasagi Maniwa, and Kuizame Maniwa, have shown up on the Schemer’s Sword Hunt, only to perish. The whereabouts of the other nine are unknown.”
“Ah… What is it with these ninjas─oh, my apologies. I forgot you were a ninja too. Anyway, forget it. And you may go now. Well done.”
“As you command,” the voice assented, but there was no sound after that, not even a scurry behind the ceiling─as if no one had been there, as if it had been a voice and nothing more. Mysterious.
“I wonder what will come of this.”
The woman─still kept a rigid stance and made no sign of moving. Standing alone, in the middle of the room─she appeared to be waiting for something.
What she was waiting for, however, was unclear.
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Togame the Schemer, the Maniwa Ninja Clan.
And what about this third contender?
Something is rotten12 in Owari, but now it’s off to Kyushu!
To fight the pirates!
What kind of sword is Zokuto the Armor?!
Let’s find out! Unroll this scroll of swords!
The tragedy, the comedy, the tragicomedy!
Tale of the Sword: Book Five ♪
1 城下町 JŌKA MACHI “town at the base of a castle”
2 武家屋敷 BUKE YASHIKI housing near a castle, bestowed upon a vassal by his lord
3 人間性 NINGENSEI “humanness”
4 不愉快 FUYUKAI disagreeable
5 乱雑 RANZATSU hot mess
6 賊刀 鎧 ZOKUTŌ YOROI “The Pirate Sword: Armor”
7 経験値稼ぎ KEIKENCHI KASEGI “gaining XP” as in gaming (deliberate anachronism)
8 悪運の強い AKU’UN NO TSUYOI “have the devil’s luck”
9 絶大の防御力を誇る ZETSUDAI NO BŌGYORYOKU WO HOKORU boast immense defensive power
10 泳がして OYOGASHITE “leave [her] swimming” monitor while allowing for a semblance of freedom
11 楽観は禁物 RAKKAN WA KINMOTSU an easy outlook is prohibited
12 不穏 FUON unsettled