"Do you think you still have any basis for my trust? Without the Fountainhead Palace, the Interior Ministry is still the Interior Ministry, but Ashina might not be Ashina anymore. I have seen your will and that of Genichiro Ashina. If you don't stand in my way, I have no interest in beating up an old man."
Suzuki Makoto rejected Isshin Ashina's proposal.
The old man gave a bitter smile, while the female physician, Emma, had already stood up, her right hand gripping the hilt of her sword.
"Apologize to Lord Isshin!"
"That's enough, Emma. Mr. Suzuki is not wrong. I am indeed no match for him."
"But!"
"Emma, leave us. Go and ask when Genichiro will be back."
The woman glanced at Suzuki Makoto resentfully but still obeyed Isshin Ashina's command.
After sending Emma away, Isshin Ashina took a small jar of sake from a nearby cabinet, poured two cups, and eagerly brought his own to his lips, beginning to savor it with relish.
"Have some. This is Dragonspring sake I've treasured for a long time, not the kind they brew nowadays with water contaminated by the Fountainhead Palace."
Suzuki Makoto didn't touch the cup, not because he suspected it was drugged, but because he had never been interested in alcohol.
"Do you have a map here?"
"Of course."
The old man pointed to a drawing on the wall. The abstract ink wash painting made Suzuki Makoto's brow furrow. The only reason he was willing to stay and exchange a few more words was that he was unfamiliar with the local terrain and didn't even know where the Fountainhead Palace was.
Behind him, Isshin Ashina had begun to ramble on about the Divine Dragon, the Dragon's Heritage, its Covenants, and the affairs of Ashina, but Suzuki Makoto paid him no mind. He was just struggling to make out the locations on the map.
"——Are you listening?"
"No."
Isshin Ashina was taken aback for a moment and put down his sake cup.
"Are you so confident that you can enter the Fountainhead Palace on your own and slay the Divine Dragon? It's not the same as it was back when the Interior Ministry first invaded the palace. For three years, it has received daily offerings. It's no longer just clinging to life."
"I've said it before, I don't know the Divine Dragon, but I know the dignitaries of the Interior Ministry. They might do anything for immortality, but they want the kind of immortality they can control. If the Interior Ministry can't control the Divine Dragon, they wouldn't be pushing their current plan, let alone publicizing it to everyone."
Suzuki Makoto's scabbard tapped the location of the Fountainhead Palace.
"What I'm curious about is, if the Fountainhead Palace is on a high peak, how did you and the Interior Ministry invade it back then?"
"The path connecting the Fountainhead Palace to the outside world is a giant shimenawa rope. It allows one to cross the cliffs. After the Interior Ministry took control, they seized all the shimenawa and began building an additional stone staircase, which was completed a year ago."
Having gotten what he wanted, Suzuki Makoto turned and headed back the way he came.
"Hey, are you sure you don't want to stay and hear more?"
There was a hint of pride in Isshin Ashina's voice; he was growing displeased with Suzuki Makoto.
"Hear what? Haven't you realized that everything you've said is completely contradictory?"
Upon hearing this, Suzuki Makoto's face showed a mocking expression.
"The Divine Heir, the Dragon's Heritage... don't they all come from the Divine Dragon? If the Mortal Blade is so miraculous that it can kill the Divine Heir, why don't you use it to kill the Divine Dragon directly, instead of trying to obtain its blood?"
"To put it bluntly, you never intended to actually kill the Divine Dragon. All you want is a controllable form of immortality without side effects. As long as the Divine Dragon lives, you believe you can one day figure it out, right?"
The old man froze.
"I really don't detect any superfluous aura on you. So either you've been deceived by someone, or you simply never thought about this carefully from the beginning. In either case, my staying here would only bring ruin upon Ashina."
The man stepped forward and drew his sword.
"Secret Technique: One Mind——that's what it's called, right?"
Dozens of sword flashes burst forth like a silver vase shattering, splashing across the wooden sliding door. In an instant, the entire door disintegrated into fragments that fell to the ground.
"Thank you for the sword technique and the map."
The sound of footsteps descending the stairs faded away, while Isshin Ashina stared blankly at the fragments before him.
Just as Suzuki Makoto was leaving the castle keep, he heard a sound slicing through the air.
He raised his hand and caught it, realizing it was Isshin Ashina's personal sword.
"Maybe you're right, maybe you're wrong. But I believe the only person who might truly be able to sever this curse is you. The other blade... it was once in the hands of the Senpou High Priest. But after Senpou Temple was pacified by the Interior Ministry, I lost track of it."
The old man's voice was intermittent on the wind.
Suzuki Makoto's gaze fell upon the blade, a look of surprise on his face.
[Name: Mortal Blade - Open Gate]
[Status: Awakening]
[Note: This blade has always longed to be reunited with its brother.]
Now Suzuki Makoto was intrigued. This was the first time he had directly obtained a blade in the process of awakening, and the condition for it didn't seem too difficult to meet.
Senpou Temple, the Senpou High Priest, the Interior Ministry... sounds like another cult.
Amidst the astonished and curious gazes of the crowd, Suzuki Makoto left the mountain castle that countless swordsmen flocked to. He had not found a Sword Saint here, only an old man trapped in a lonely castle.
However, on the mountain path, he encountered someone unexpected.
Emma stared at him with eyes as sharp as needles but said nothing. The young man following her had also clearly noticed that Suzuki Makoto was coming down from the mountain.
"Emma, who is he?"
"Someone who came to seek apprenticeship."
"How do you know him?"
"I saw him in the castle keep."
Genichiro Ashina stopped in his tracks. Emma had seen this man in the castle keep, so why did he look like he had failed the test at the main gate and was heading back down the mountain?
"Samurai, I am the lord of Ashina Castle, Genichiro Ashina. What is your name?"
"Suzuki Makoto."
So this is Genichiro Ashina.
After meeting Isshin Ashina and learning the truth, Suzuki Makoto had lost interest in this young yet cunning politician. So, he merely gave a polite answer and prepared to walk past him.
"Wait, Samurai Suzuki. I heard you entered the castle keep, why——"
His gaze fell upon the two swords at Suzuki Makoto's waist, and his voice stopped abruptly.
Even Emma noticed something was wrong; she couldn't suppress her surprise.
"Lord Isshin's personal sword?!"
"Who exactly are you."
Genichiro Ashina's hand was already on the hilt of his sword as he asked in a grave voice.
____
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