Chapter 126: Departure
Banajima Street.
It is the name of the straight road that leads from the Royal Palace to the triumphal arch in the eastern part of the Imperial city.
The Arc de Triomphe, as its name suggests, is the gate through which victorious armies pass when they return triumphant.
The expeditionary forces, after winning a battle at a distance, return to the Imperial city and pass through the triumphal arch on their way to the Royal Palace.
It was constructed to ensure that the parade of victory flowed seamlessly from the gate’s position down the road.
According to older historical accounts, it is said that the first Emperor designed the road to be a straight path for easier escape during the “Fall of the Imperial Capital.” However, because a straight path also makes it easier for the enemy to pursue, this is largely considered a folk myth.
I was riding my horse as I marched along Banajima Street.
Soldiers were positioned in front of and behind me.
I was guarded front and behind by soldiers adorned in extravagant ceremonial armor.
On both sides of Banajima Street, the citizens of the Imperial city had gathered in large numbers, bursting forth with thunderous cheers.
The Emperor’s departure—this is the parade for the Imperial expedition.
The main forces of the Imperial army were already en route to the front lines, and most of those here were soldiers for the ceremonial escort.
As a result, they donned splendid and heroic attire that was unsuited for actual combat.
While this attire was not practical for battle, it was visually stunning.
The citizens of the Imperial city were plunged into a frenzy of excitement at the sight of this ceremonial parade.
“Is that His Majesty the Emperor? He’s still young but looks so gallant.”
“His predecessor was handsome too, but our current Emperor is just as good-looking!”
From all around, I could hear voices praising me, the Emperor, mixed in with the cheers.
Since the cheers for the Emperor were based on the citizens’ sense of security, I felt satisfied with the effect of the parade.
“Whoa!”
“What’s that!?”
“The horse! The horse is shining golden!”
As I continued to march, sweat dripped from the white horse I was riding, blending with its white fur and causing its body to gleam golden.
At that moment, the excitement surged even higher.
The cheers escalated to a level reminiscent of a rumbling earthquake.
The jubilant roar caused the ranks of the ceremonial cavalry surrounding me to become disordered.
The horses seemed ready to react, threatening to bolt.
“It’s alright, keep moving forward.”
My white horse reacted similarly, poised to rear up with its front legs and neigh loudly. Anticipating this, I tightened the reins and steadied my position in the stirrups to calm the horse down.
As a result, while the surrounding cavalry became unsettled, I maintained my composure and continued to advance normally.
“Look at his handling of the reins. Impressive for the Emperor.”
“Come on, it’s just a good horse.”
“Are you an idiot? Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘Without a rider, a saddle is useless’? It’s not just about being skilled; you must have a deep understanding of horses to pull off a feat like that.”
Amidst the citizens’ praises, I continued to march down Banajima Street.
The people’s enthusiasm overflowed from their unwavering belief in the empire’s victory.
Progressing through this fervor, I passed through the triumphal arch, and eventually exited the Imperial city.
Outside the Imperial city, a portable shrine awaited me.
“We’ve been waiting for you.”
Oscar was by the shrine.
He is the regent prince tasked with safeguarding the Imperial city, and that is his current position.
So, he had come this far to see me off.
I jumped down from my horse and stood in front of Oscar.
“Thank you for your efforts. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“Yes…”
Passing by Oscar, who deeply bowed, I approached the portable shrine.
It was a large shrine, painted red and occupying the space of a single room.
The framework was wooden, but it was enclosed on all sides with a veil of sheer fabric.
Dozens of people were carrying it, intended to showcase its grandeur in a way different from a horse.
Although the shrine was lowered to the ground, there was still a considerable height to climb.
I used the provided ladder to ascend and took my place inside the shrine.
“Let’s depart.”
I issued the command from within the shrine.
That command spread instantaneously to the entire army.
The portable shrine was lifted by the bearers and started to move slowly.
I glanced back. Oscar was bowing his head, seeing us off.
I had done what I could. I made sure I could respond whether Oscar stirred up trouble or not.
Of course, I prayed that it wouldn’t come to that as I departed from the Imperial capital.
“Thank you for your hard work, Your Majesty.”
Inside the portable shrine, Alice, who had boarded earlier, said this.
She held out a well-wrung hand towel to me.
“Thank you for the trouble, hehe.”
I chuckled softly and accepted the hand towel.
“Was there something funny?”
“No, I just thought it had been a while since I wiped my own face.”
I laughed as I wiped my face with the towel I received. It had probably been about twenty-five years since I wiped my own face.
In my past life, I regularly did this myself, but since being reborn as the Thirteen Prince Noah, I had been having maids and ladies-in-waiting do it for me.
In fact, not doing such things yourself is considered noble, while doing them is seen as “lowering one’s status.”
Alice, who didn’t know this, was like me from several decades ago, so it all came full circle and seemed fresh to me.
“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t know!”
“Oh, I know. I just found it enjoyable; I’m not blaming you.”
“Um… would it be Okay if I did that?”
“Yeah, do that next time.”
“Understood!”
Alice made a fist and showed a gesture of gathering strength, determined.
“Now, can you sing for us right away?”
“Yes! What kind of song would be good?”
“Let’s see… a seductive song that would entice a man.”
“Yes…!!”
She nodded once, but Alice suddenly gasped and froze. It wasn’t because of my words; she was astonished by the “text” I had created.
Since spoken words could be heard by those around us, I used Fuwawa to create a text object in the empty space between Alice and me.
“So that it appears I am deeply fallen for you”
I created the following characters.
Once I saw that Alice’s eyes caught it and she clearly recognized it, I released Fuwawa and stored it back into the ring.
“Your Majesty… amazing…”
“Really so?”
“I understand, I will sing.”
Alice said this, then took a small koto[TN: Japanese harp] from her luggage positioned beside her.
It was a compact koto that was easy to carry.
After checking the tuning of the strings for a moment—she began to sing.
She sang first with just her voice, without playing the koto.
“…”
I held my breath.
Music has a narrative quality.
And narratives have an “order” to them.
However, Alice’s singing voice leapt directly past the storyline, starting as if it began from the climax.
Though it was a song sung solely with her voice, it resonated more powerfully in my heart than any accompaniment possibly could.
It sounded incredibly painful and longing.
It felt as though she was desperately squeezing the emotions from within herself.
Listening made my heart tremble.
After the shocking start to her song, the melody of the koto began to flow forth.
Alice’s delicate fingers danced over the koto, producing the melody.
“Hmmm.”
I nodded. At the same time, I realized something.
I turned my head slightly and spoke to the eunuch at the edge of my vision.
“You’re standing still.”
“…Ah! I-I apologize!!”
The eunuch snapped back to attention, hurriedly bowing his head to relay the order.
Surprisingly, it seemed the entire army had come to a standstill, captivated by Alice’s song.
The command rippled through the ranks, and the advance resumed.
I continued to immerse myself in Alice’s song.
Leaning against the armrest placed on the palanquin, which was almost like a room, I beckoned the eunuch who had retreated a distance away.
“Did you call for me?”
“Bring me some sake, and along with it, some snacks.”
“Yes, right away!”
The eunuch dashed off to fulfill my order.
Before long, wine and snacks began to flow like a current onto the advancing shrine.
It was a luxury that no prince could ever dream of enjoying; only the Emperor could experience such indulgence.
And I made sure to “show it off.”
Wetting my lips with sake, I looked at Alice.
At the same time, I glanced at the soldiers around me.
I could see from their expressions that they were still unsettled.
That opening of her song had a power that truly resonated.
“…I am grateful.”
Muttering to myself, I waited for Alice to finish her song.
When the final notes rang out, she gazed at me with a flushed face.
Her eyes were strong and beautiful.
“Good work, come closer.”
“Y-yes.”
“Pour me some sake.”
“I-I understand.”
Alice set aside the koto and came to my side, pouring the wine as instructed.
I received it generously.
☆
At night, in the camp.
The Emperor’s special tent was spacious enough for a family of ten to live comfortably.
In fact, it was so large that an entire commoner’s house could fit inside.
Inside this tent, I was facing Alice.
During the day, she had sat beside me on the shrine like the bar’s star attraction, pouring me drinks, but now we were sitting across from each other at a table.
“You worked hard today.”
“N-no, did I do it properly?”
“More than enough. Especially the opening of that first song—”
I paused to think before asking.
“That was wonderful—but.”
“Huh? W-was something wrong?”
“No, I recognize your talent and skill. However, songs that can stir human hearts like that aren’t easily sung. It’s akin to a renowned swordsmith pouring all their strength into crafting a masterful blade—it’s that sort of thing.”
“Um…”
“If my assessment is correct, even if you were asked to recreate it, you wouldn’t be able to do so easily. Am I wrong?”
“…You’re amazing, Your Majesty. You see through everything.”
“I see. Do you understand why you could sing like that?”
“Um…”
Alice began to fidget.
She seemed to find it incredibly difficult to express something.
“If it’s hard to say, you don’t have to force it.”
“N-no, that’s not it. It’s just… what I’ve felt until now…”
“Huh?”
“The feelings I’ve held inside until now, I released them all at once when I sang…”
“Hahaha, I see.”
I looked up at the ceiling and laughed heartily.
“Then that makes sense. That opening was essentially your life itself.”
“Yes…”
Alice slightly bowed her head, her cheeks tinged with embarrassment.
If it was indeed her entire life reflected in that song, it would be best not to pry further.
“Thank you; that helped me a bit.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
“That opening moved the hearts of many soldiers. There were quite a few who instantly became your fans.”
“Is that so…?”
Alice was a bit surprised and asked me to repeat myself.
I was also a little surprised that she hadn’t been paying attention.
“Ah. Some of them looked at you as if they were worshipping you like a prophet. As expected.”
“That’s…”
“That’s why I took advantage of it a little.”
“Huh?”
Her embarrassment quickly transformed into a look of curiosity as she stared at me.
“Right after you finished singing, you made me pour you some alcohol.”
“Oh, right.”
“Because of that, I received a lot of discontented glares from the soldiers around.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“No, that’s fine; in fact, it was my plan to do so.”
“What?”
“I treated you just like an ordinary tavern’s signboard girl without being able to move anyone’s heart even with that song. Certainly, rumors will spread that I’m a vulgar Emperor who indulges in wine and women.”
“Ahh…”
Alice gasped.
Looks like she suddenly remembered her role in this situation.
“That’s why I brought you along this time. It was unexpected that your song moved my heart, but I used that to my advantage.”
“That’s amazing, Your Majesty… to calculate everything so quickly.”
“Only because of your song.”
I said this while looking at Alice seriously.
“Thank you for helping me.”
“That’s not…”
Alice’s cheeks turned red again from embarrassment.
“That being said, from now on, you’ll be staying here every night.”
“Y-yes! I understand. I’m prepared!”
“Ha ha, there’s no need to be so tense.”
I smiled back at the enthusiastic Alice.
“Just being here is enough. You shouldn’t have to sing, so it should be easier than usual.”
“Y-yes.”
“That said—I’ll step out for a bit.”
“Huh? Where to?”
“Just for a little while. I’ll be back by dawn.”
“Ah, yes…”
Alice nodded.
Her earlier enthusiasm seemed to shift to a strangely lonely expression.
“What’s wrong? Is something bothering you?”
“Huh? N-no, nothing at all.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes! Have a nice trip!”
Alice seemed to gather herself and sent me off.
It felt as though she wanted to say something, but it didn’t seem like something I could pry out of her.
If I sensed something and asked “Really?”, she would probably confess, but unless I did that, it seemed she would keep her true feelings hidden—that’s the impression I got.
Since I didn’t have time to explore that now, I decided to put it aside.
“Well then, I’m off.”
“Yes.”
I left Alice inside the tent and stepped outside.
There is –>discord<— to get update notifications and releases? I am lazy af these days.
Thank you.