akafyu

My Lord, our defeat is imputable only to my inadequate command and inability to see through the enemy's treacherous plot. The responsibility is mine to bear!

I know my transgressions are unforgivable, and no one should pity me even if I am to atone for them with my life, but I ask for one final chance to repay you. I swear I can—

Can what?

Even if I were to have you beheaded here and now, or sent you to your death on the battlefield, would that regain the ground we lost in the war, or bring back the men that died because of you? How will you take responsibility for any of this?

What exactly is war to you?

My Lord! I—

Akafuyu, you have no right to remain here.

Leave Higashi.

Phew...

The swordsman sheaths her blade and takes a deep breath. Then, she takes out a dagger and adds another mark to the tally on the wall.

It has been 137 days since her exile from Higashi, and 39 days since she arrived in this strange, foreign city called Lungmen.

Before she left Higashi, she received the invitation of a company called 'Rhodes Island' and was told she still had a chance to fight as a swordsman—perhaps something her master had consented to without her knowledge.

Her only duty for now is to wait here patiently until the company's handler comes to take her to her new asylum—a place far from Higashi.

The road ahead is uncertain.

Never before have I been negligent in my training, but I'm out of blade oil.

What to do...

As the saying goes, a vagrant swordsman is as fragile as a fowlbeast. The sharper the blade in their hands once was, the easier it is to break.

She had run into several nearly-fatal encounters before leaving Higashi, and while her journey since then had been relatively uneventful, she can't be certain her enemies hadn't followed her to this foreign land. She mustn't let her guard down.

Per the arrangement, every ten days, at the exact same time on the dot, someone comes by to leave her daily necessities by the door, and she should not freely leave the room.

Nothing out of the ordinary today...

Her temporary residence is situated in an old alley on the outskirts of the city. Completely inconspicuous, and mostly safe as far as she knows.

Occasionally, there are pedestrians of all sorts passing by, and a breakfast stall owner opens up his stall nearby at the same time everyday. There have been no other noteworthy characters, let alone suspicious ones.

From the window, she can see but a corner of this strange city. Lungmen's size is on a completely different scale compared to her hometown, though it does bear some resemblance to the stories she's heard of bizarre, dazzling cities under the Southern Court's rule.

I'm all out of food. The next supply drop is scheduled for today.

There could be pursuers nearby... It might not be entirely safe to head outside.

Tch... So irritating. A swordsman should never avoid a battle for fear of the enemy! Never has a warrior of Kougon had to suffer such shame!

But being adaptable is a necessary part of my training, too.

And so is eating on time...

Deep in the alley.

For the first time since a little more than a month ago, the swordsman takes a careful step outside the room and observes the area from a low angle.

The alley is closely flanked by short buildings on both sides, with only a narrow opening through which to see the sky, faintly reminding her of the shrine's low ceiling.

They look like a bunch of old residences, and there's nothing special about any of them. There are a lot of things hanging from the buildings, and no good vantage points for snipers.

There is only one entrance and exit. Even if I had anyone tailing me, it would be difficult for them to hide themselves. That said, if I'm ambushed and find myself outnumbered, it would be just as difficult for me to escape.

I shouldn't stay here for long—

Captain! Watch for the turrets!

It's a trap! We've been had! There's too many of them, and keeping up the fight won't get us anywhere...

Get ahold of yourself! We'll fight our way out of here!

Please, you must fall back! We'll stay behind and buy you time!

She opens her eyes to find no one around her.

The sun shines down upon her. It's no different from the sun on that snowy day. What <i>is</i> different is the oily smell wafting into her nostrils from a shop facing the street.

Lou Ban, how come you're stir-frying vegetables this early in the day?

I thought I'd change things up a little. Youngsters these days wake up pretty late, to the point that they have breakfast and lunch in one meal. Might as well follow the trends, don't you think?

Calm down... I mustn't lose my composure because of my past mistakes... Calm down.

Lass, you haven't had anything to eat, have you? Want something?

It doesn't matter how much of a rush you're in. You still gotta eat.

(Your average hole-in-the-wall eatery. Both the owner and the patrons are normal folk. I sense no threat from them whatsoever.)

(Perhaps I can stave my hunger here.)

What do you serve?

Dau zeong, jau zaa gwai, bao, caau min. You name it, I got it. All our customers say we have the best cheongfun in town. Want to give it a try?

I...

(These Yanese manjuu have some kind of filling inside... and who knows where they got these strange sauces. The aroma is enough to make one's mind waver...)

(No... This doesn't sound safe. I should look for something safer to eat.)

What was with that girl just now? Maybe she's not carrying any cash?

She's an unfamiliar face. Might not live nearby.

She looked pretty malnourished, too. Must've been some time since she had a proper meal. *sigh* If she was really that tight on money, I could've treated her to something.

The port.

As one of the city's most important ports of entry, it is also one of the places with the greatest foot traffic. If her handler were here, this is probably where she'd find him.

The swordsman stands at a high vantage point and looks into the distance. Large ships are swallowing up and disgorging large amounts of cargo and passengers, stopping briefly before sailing away just as quickly.

Perhaps one of these ships could also take her straight to Higashi...

No... It is far too soon for me to return.

I have been exiled as a defeated general, and have accomplished nothing since. Even if I do return home, I have no right to face Master...

Ma'am... Sorry, but you're stepping on my boxes...

Oh? Sorry...

Want to buy some fins?

I have all kinds, caught fresh just today. I can cut them for you, or make them into sashimi, if you like.

(Sashimi... a familiar dish.)

(No extraneous preparations and no unnecessary seasonings. A safe dish.)

Yes, I'll buy a fin. Make it sashimi.

You got it. One serving of sashimi, coming right up.

(A hawker has such fine skills?)

(It's an ordinary boning knife, but he wields it with such accuracy and finesse. The strength he puts into his arm and the angle at which he's slicing into the meat both align with the principles of swordsmanship.)

Such amazing knife skills...

What's your name?

Who taught you your knife techniques? What is the name of the school? Does the blade itself have a history?

Ma'am... are you asking me?

The name's Jaye. I'm a seafood hawker, and my uncle taught me how to use a knife.

This one's used for cutting fins, and it's never sliced anything else. As for the technique... I mean, it takes all kinds of different knives and techniques to process shellshrimps and fins...

So it's a school that practices its techniques behind closed doors... How formidable.

I once met a swordsman who trained for ten years only by cutting straw mats at the shrine. It doesn't matter how ordinary a technique is. Once mastered, the force that can be unleashed is no less potent than any other.

You possess such fine skills, yet find yourself working as a fin hawker... You must also be a swordsman yet to find success. It seems misery loves company.

Let me ask you. What are your ambitions? Who will you serve with your prowess?

I... I'm not a very ambitious fella...

In the short term, I want to drive up business, make more money, and get a bigger storefront as soon as possible...

Why would you say that? Don't you feel your knife skills are going to waste when you use them only to cut these small fry?

(Small fry? Does she think this fin is too small?)

Um... I have bigger fins too, of course. They're sold by weight. I'm not trying to shortchange you or anything. Just worried it'd be too much for you to eat.

(Not only are his words riddled with hidden meanings, he is questioning me through my <i>appetite</i>?

Surely you jest? 'My skills and techniques are as immense as my appetite.' A single fin is hardly enough to satiate my hunger! Bring me the largest fin you have!

Okay, okay!

Here to pick up an order.

One grass fin, three <i>kan</i> of shellshrimp.

Yup, all ready to go. Here.

Who's there?!

With light footsteps at a brisk pace, a familiar silhouette passes by in the crowd, like a fin that suddenly leapt from the water before submerging itself in the river just as quickly, leaving not a trace.

That outfit... A ninja from the Southern Court? What are they doing here?!

Stop right there!

My Lord! My apologies for my tardiness in coming to your defense. Is everything okay?!

I'm fine.

These ninja... They plot to assassinate you again and again... Despicable scoundrels! They know they can never defeat you on the battlefield, so they resort to these craven methods!

Akafuyu, do you know why these men want me dead?