Chapter 363: Your Family of Four
Shirou and Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami Munenori locked eyes for several seconds before Shirou withdrew his gaze. He had no intersection with this army heading to suppress the "Demonic City of Amakusa" during the Shimabara Rebellion, nor did he wish to concern himself with them.
While he detested war and disapproved of the methods of this era, history was history. Posterity could judge the merits and faults of those who came before, but regardless of right or wrong, the people involved always made their choices. Future generations lived within the results produced by those very choices.
The victors construct a utilitarian reality, while the losers manifest spirit and civilization; only when the two merge does the present future exist.
The slow and insulting Liu Bang won the world, but the "Hegemon King Bids Farewell to his Concubine" became an eternal masterpiece. It is precisely because people understand that a man like the Hegemon King of Chu—who was compassionate enough to love others yet capable of conquering in battle—is a true hero, and that the loyal Yu Ji is a virtuous woman, that the Han Dynasty achieved its subsequent glory.
If all men emulated Liu Bang and all women emulated Empress Lü—if every pavilion chief thought only of forming cliques for wealth and every chief's wife thought only of seizing power after his death—the Han Dynasty would have perished long ago.
It is like the victorious Cao Wei honoring the defeated Guan Yu. The Mongol Yuan Dynasty and even the Later Jin's Qing Dynasty were fond of loudly praising and promoting the loyalty of Yue Fei, the famous general who fought against the Jin.
Han Fei, who founded Legalism, was poisoned to death in prison; meanwhile, Li Si, who poisoned his senior fellow apprentice, assisted Qin Shi Huang in unifying the seven kingdoms and became a legendary chancellor of the Qin Dynasty.
Confucianism prevails today, and the once-destitute Confucius is recognized as a true sage after two thousand years of validation. Yan Yuan, who was content in poverty, was Confucius's favorite disciple, while the "Great Scholars" of the Donglin Academy, who spoke constantly of benevolence and morality, were mostly refined scum who brought calamity to the nation and the people.
People actually understand that seeking temporary comfort or pursuing wealth and power through crooked means are not the best things in life, yet many still flock toward them.
Shirou stopped worrying about the old man. Carrying the two children on his back, he stepped onto the mountain path and disappeared into the woods.
"Oho, what a young man of steel! Truly interesting." The man in his sixties with grayish-white hair leading on horseback muttered to himself as he watched Shirou's departing figure.
However, the moment he turned his face, his expression changed completely. It became twisted and dark, like a vicious ghost from hell, wearing a hideous grin.
"...Perhaps he is worth cutting!!!"
The soldiers behind him felt a sudden chill run through their bodies, but the sensation vanished in an instant, as if it were a mere hallucination. The man's expression returned to its usual, dignified state.
"Lord Tajima-no-Kami?" an attendant followed up to ask.
"No, continue the march," the old man commanded.
"Yes!"
The soldiers continued their stride, following the army forward.
However, the true destination of this army remained unknown. Though it was only a brief exchange of looks, Shirou was clearly aware of the old man's abnormality; he seemed to view the soldiers around him as something other than human.
Whether these people lived or died meant nothing to him. His heart was already twisted. He hadn't come here to earn merits for a promotion, nor was it as simple as suppressing a rebellion; there was some underlying conspiracy.
'This place is getting weirder. History has likely undergone some kind of change' Shirou thought to himself.
But agonizing over it now would yield no results. The answer lay within the city. Even if Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami was planning something, it would be a matter for when Shirou returned to Shimousa. For now, he could only take things one step at a time.
.
.
.
Carrying the children through the mountain forests and crossing two peaks, he finally found the village nestled there. It was located in a remote wooded area, difficult to discover yet not too far from Shimousa, making it a perfect spot to settle down.
Shirou walked down a slope through the trees and arrived at the entrance of the village. It wasn't large—about twenty households. Most were likely farmers who had fled into the mountains to escape trouble. Men plowed and women wove; they actually looked happier than the overworked people outside.
"Um, where are you from? What brings you here?" A woman under thirty, wearing a headscarf, walked out and asked curiously.
"Hello, sister. I am fleeing the wars outside and hope to find a place nearby to settle down. I wonder if it would be convenient for you to introduce me to the village chief or an elder?" Shirou said with a smile.
The village woman sized Shirou up. Seeing the small children on his back, her guard lowered.
Being soft-hearted, she sighed. "Sigh! Seeing how young you are, it can't be easy raising two children on your own. It's getting late; why don't you rest at my place today?"
"Thank you, sister. Eh? You—" Shirou thanked her happily, but upon closer thought, something felt wrong. A premonition of dread rose in his heart, and he turned his head in confusion.
The lovely green-haired young girl he had encountered twice in the city—the Princess of Shimousa—was smiling slightly at him.
"Kiyohime!!! Why are you here?!" Shirou cried out in shock. He grabbed the girl's hand, pulled her aside, and asked in a hushed voice.
How terrifying! What was with this EX-rank tracking skill? He hadn't sensed her presence at all! Even with a well-trained ninja, Shirou was confident he could detect their trail, yet he had been followed over two mountains by this princess? What kind of existence was this woman?
Kiyohime laughed triumphantly. "Fufufu. Actually, after I shook off my servants, I used a secret tunnel passed down through my family to slip out of the city. Then, I followed your scent and found you."
"Didn't I say it's dangerous outside? Don't just come out whenever you want!" Shirou frowned and shouted.
"I am very skilled with fire. Even if I encounter wild beasts or bandits, I can repel them with my special trick of breathing fire while holding sake in my mouth," the girl said, quite confident in her combat prowess.
"No! That's not the point! What if an accident happens? There are many unpredictable dangers out here! You're a girl wandering into the wilderness alone—what if you actually get into trouble?! And running away like that! What about the people who worry about you?!" Shirou yelled angrily.
"Wuwu, Shirou-kun... are you... worrying about me..." The green-haired girl's eyes widened. She seemed startled by Shirou's scolding, taking two steps back and muttering to herself.
Then, the girl turned her head away, unable to meet Shirou's eyes. She covered her face in delight, feeling it flush hot, and whispered to herself: "Initially, I just thought this person was quite nice and the outside world seemed interesting, so I followed out of curiosity. I didn't expect Shirou-kun to look even more handsome when he's angry. This is the first time I've been scolded like this..."
"Oh no, I feel so happy... my heart is thumping. Could it be that he is my destined one?! I've finally found him!?" Kiyohime covered her face with both hands, twisting her body bashfully, feeling as though she was about to lose herself.
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