Sunday morning – elsewhere
After receiving orders from the Emperor, Roku, accompanied by his deputy Seiji, headed immediately towards the Old Kingdom to find out the reason for its destruction.
Roku did not just change his clothes; he wore a wide-brimmed hat and a new black glove since the other had been stained with the thieves' blood. As for his deputy Seiji, his gray hair and black eyes stood out, and he wore a combat kimono made of thick, durable fabric, a blend of cotton and linen. His kimono stood out in crimson brown, with small fabric buttons fixed at the neck and chest. Underneath, he wore a hakama matching the combat kimono, wide and multi-layered, made of stiff interwoven fabric threads.
The Old Kingdom was only a few miles away, and in between, the borders of the Old Kingdom were divided by the Kagutsuchi Empire through a forest known for its towering trees. The reason for their immense height was their age; the smallest tree among them was about ten thousand years old. Roku described the road as difficult because the trees blocked sunlight, causing darkness to dominate over light.
While walking, Roku said in an annoyed and angry voice, "That old man, instead of knocking on the door, broke it. Doesn't he know I can't buy another door? This wasn't the first thing he destroyed; I'm broke." As he said this, a look of disappointment began to dominate Roku's face.
While grumbling, Seiji felt anger at Roku's excessive complaints and said in an angry tone: "Why do you pretend to be innocent? Commander Takero knocked on the door several times and waited for an entire hour. And when he broke the door, you were sleeping like a princess."
Roku's eyes widened, his mouth opened, and he looked at Seiji with resentment. "Oh really? Doesn't that old man know that I was on a mission an hour ago?"
Seiji turned and said in an annoyed and angry voice: "Your mission was just a thief mission and only took you ten minutes. So what delay are you talking about? As for that, you must not ignore or postpone the imperial matter, so don't try to pretend injustice."
Roku forgot about Takero and drifted into thought, thinking about something that had happened.
Before their departure – an hour earlier, in the imperial museum, which dates back a hundred years
There were no important artifacts in this place, only items decades old. These items included a stick five hundred years old and a flute known to attract snakes, seven hundred years old. Even the museum interior was not beautiful; its floor was worn, and its white walls were eroded. The artifacts did not attract Roku until he reached a particular painting that made him stop. It was a painting of a samurai holding a katana with both hands, gripping it tightly. The face was not shown, nor the eyes. He appeared featureless, a soulless hatred carrying his weapon and holding it to the last breath.
Despite the lack of details and the strangeness of the painting, Roku observed and tried to understand it until the museum guard, an elderly man at the end of his life who had submitted his retirement request and had it accepted, approached. Since Roku was the only one contemplating without knowing the nature of this painting, the old guard decided to answer Roku's unspoken question:
"It seems you are looking at the painting of the famous Samurai ruler."
Roku turned slowly, his eyes still focused on the details of the painting, then said spontaneously, with a look of confusion on his face:
"And who is this person?"
The old man looked at him and replied kindly:
"In an era whose duration is not specified, a Samurai ruler encountered a mysterious figure about whom little was known, but he became famous as the founder of the Samurai way and is known as the first Samurai in history. He was not just a strong warrior of his time but a living legend. Many scholars recounted tales about him. One scholar in the first era wrote that in his time, there were no powers or magic… until he appeared. With his appearance, power was born, and magic spread in this world. He was known for both wisdom and strength, and scholars agreed on these points."
Roku was shocked by the old guard's words and said in confusion: "If scholars agreed on that, what did they differ on?"
The old guard laughed and continued: "Hehe. What they differed on was how he was treated. One scholar said he was loved by everyone, not just for his prestige but for what he did for his people… and that this painting was not without reason, but rather a tribute to him and a glorification of his legend."
Then the old man remained silent for a while and then said in a hoarse, weak voice: "But this narrative began to weaken, for there is no such thing in this world, and the world expected that because of its belief that powers bring love. Even the scholars who spoke about him interpreted it similarly, with some events changed."
After hearing this, Roku, who grew more confused with every word of the old man, continued thinking about the Samurai ruler: "So which narrative described him correctly?"
The old man looked at the painting carefully and then said: "None. I do not know either. But I have summarized the story I told you from everyone's accounts. I might have believed it if I had not seen the painting, for the painting shows the truth of the story. So I will leave; I wish you good luck, boy."
Roku returned to his senses and said to Seiji in a low voice:
"Don't you think the story of the Samurai ruler, which everyone knows, has some exaggeration?"
Seiji looked at Roku, shocked because Roku had never mentioned the Samurai ruler before, nor had he spoken about him. During his shock, he decided to respond: "In fact, I agree with you, because if you scrutinize this story, you find it fictional, not connected to reality. It is just a tale told by elders, followed because the author lived in the first era, and they thought he had witnessed it."
Then Seiji continued loudly: "Now stop thinking about the Samurai ruler and let's focus on this mission."
After Seiji, angered by Roku wasting time, spoke, Roku said grumbling: "By hell, Seiji, why do you treat this matter as if it were unimportant?"
Seiji shouted strongly: "Because it's unimportant."
Roku closed his left eye and said sharply: "Don't you think Commander Takero acted strangely when he came?"
"What do you mean, Roku?"
Roku continued: "Since I am a leader, I know other commanders, and I have never seen Takero this angry. Even his behavior is strange, which makes me doubt whether he is the same person I know or not."
Seiji looked at him strangely because what Roku said was logical, but to avoid distraction, he told him: "I expect that behavior is due to the destruction of the Wizard Empire and the Old Kingdom. Such news struck like lightning, even to me."
Seiji fell silent, and when he wanted to continue, his smile disappeared, and he said seriously:
"When I think about the fall of the Old Kingdom, I feel something strange. The Old Kingdom was the oldest kingdom in this world and was strong enough that no one dared to fight it. Even the Yokai did not approach its borders. It resembled our empire in approach but differed in combat, following the knightly way. It was also famous for its strong economy, equaling ours several times over. This was because it had the only sea port and excelled in discoveries. These discoveries would have been revealed, and after news of its destruction, our dreams perished. It seems that its destruction was caused by a terrifying entity. Now I expect we have reached the first city."
When Seiji looked at Roku, who minutes ago had laughed and seemed unconcerned, he now appeared terrified, as if he had seen death.
Seiji tried to glance around and found that the first city of the Old Kingdom was destroyed.
The ruins of the decorated buildings were scattered everywhere. The towering buildings had collapsed, leaving nothing standing. At the gate, the corpses of knights were impaled on spears.
This scene was only a prelude to what was inside, where the smell of blood dominated and silence gave no hope. Even the sound of birds or insects was absent. Roku and Seiji looked at the gate that should have led them into the Old Kingdom, and what they saw froze them with fear. This was not a city gate; it was a gate of hell drenched in blood.
Roku, terrified, hands trembling, lips quivering, sweat dripping from his body, could not even express what he saw. He only said in a trembling, weak voice:
"What the hell is this…"
In the Samurai headquarters
Ryuta sat beside Takero and said laughing: "It seems the Emperor canceled the order to go to the Old Kingdom. Why didn't anyone tell Roku?"
Takero's pupils widened, and he said in a deep voice: "I was about to go to him, and after the Emperor's order, I returned to the headquarters. Where were you yesterday, Ryuta?"
Ryuta laughed and said: "I met an old friend."
Another samurai entered the headquarters, showing respect, and said loudly: "Commander Takero, Commander Roku, accompanied by his deputy Seiji, has headed to the Old Kingdom after being informed yesterday."
Takero was shocked to hear this news and shouted: "I didn't go to him yesterday, and this order was canceled. How did this happen?"
Ryuta thought about what happened, smiled, and said to himself: "Didn't you say you weren't planning anything, Akayama?"
Elsewhere in the capital, the fake Takero walked to an alley with no one. His body disappeared, and Akayama appeared, smiling broadly, laughing: "Let's see now what happens in one of my beautiful works."
In front of Roku and Seiji, terrified by the horror of what they saw, was written: Welcome to the Old Kingdom.
End of Chapter