(TL/N: Extra chapter from me.)
"Is this real?"
After reading the documents, Gorou was deeply shocked.
He had never expected that there would be so many spies within Sangonomiya Island. Although he doubted the authenticity at first, the information in his hands was far too detailed.
He had no choice but to believe it.
Soon.
A note was passed out from behind the folding screen.
[Go immediately.]
[The truth is beyond doubt!]
Gorou looked at the screen in confusion and asked, "Are you alright? Why can't you speak?"
The shrine maiden on the left replied, "My lord has caught a slight cold. She will communicate with notes today."
"I see. Then please take care!"
Gorou naturally trusted Sangonomiya Kokomi.
Even though he could not see her in person, he recognized her handwriting.
At the same time, the seal of Sangonomiya Kokomi was on it, making forgery impossible.
After organizing the tactical cards,
Gorou stood up and left.
Once the room fell silent,
Sangonomiya Kokomi behind the screen closed her eyes in exhaustion.
This night had truly been too tiring.
The two shrine maidens exchanged a glance and quickly helped their lady onto the bed, covering her with a blanket.
Although they did not know what had happened,
they understood that their lady must have worked very hard.
Sangonomiya Island…
was changing.
Gorou led his loyal soldiers and began purging from within Sangonomiya Shrine.
A guard was captured.
At the same time, confidential documents were found in his home.
"Damn it, you traitor. Kill him!"
"No, this isn't real."
The man resisted desperately, but he could not escape the blade.
Slaughtering his own people was painful for Gorou, but he had no choice.
If they were not dealt with,
more of their comrades would die because of them.
An entire day passed.
Merchants.
Fishermen.
Farm women.
A total of sixty-three people.
All with conclusive evidence.
At first, Gorou still held onto a bit of hope, thinking perhaps some were wrongly accused.
But as more and more evidence appeared,
he became numb.
Of course, those captured later were not executed, but all detained.
"My lord, shall we proceed to purge the army next?"
"No rush. Let me report first."
"Yes."
Sangonomiya Shrine.
Gorou met with Sangonomiya Kokomi, his expression extremely heavy.
It was clear how painful the day had been.
Sangonomiya Kokomi spoke hoarsely, "How is the situation?"
"It's all true. They've all been captured."
"So it was all real."
The shrine maiden rubbed her temples.
It seemed everything had happened just as Su Han predicted. War was nothing more than a game manipulated by others.
Gorou asked, "What should we do next?"
"First distribute the supplies in the courtyard next door. At the same time, calm the civilians. Increase the surrounding security. You understand what I mean."
"Yes, my lady."
When Gorou arrived next door,
he froze in place.
Bag after bag of rice was piled into a small mountain.
Large amounts of cured meat and vegetables appeared before him.
It was the first time he had seen so many supplies.
"W-Where did all of this come from?"
Now that thunderstorms blocked merchant ships,
and Narukami Island was the enemy,
these resources were incredibly precious.
He even found a large quantity of medicinal herbs, which were priceless.
"Men, move them out."
"Yes!"
The supplies needed to be distributed one by one.
Seeing such abundance,
Gorou's heavy heart finally began to ease.
...
Inside the room,
Su Han stared blankly at the ceiling.
He had been drugged.
No one would believe it if he said it out loud.
But it was the truth.
He could not understand why Sangonomiya Kokomi had done this, and now that it had happened, he did not know what to say.
At dusk,
the door opened.
The familiar scent told him it was Sangonomiya Kokomi.
She walked to the bedside.
"I'm sorry. Yesterday was my fault."
"..."
Su Han did not know what to say.
Sangonomiya Kokomi forced herself to remain calm and said, "You have so many wives. You're not at a loss in this matter, and I won't take advantage of you. The resources will be exchanged with treasures. I came to ask you something. How should I deal with the Kujou clan?"
"Have all the spies on the island been cleared?"
"Yes. Gorou was very fast. It was done in less than a day."
"In that case, purge the army. Be ruthless and establish authority. Mercy cannot command soldiers; righteousness cannot manage wealth. You should understand."
Sangonomiya Kokomi's eyes lit up.
There was deep meaning in those words.
She liked them very much.
"Mercy cannot command soldiers. Does that mean kindness will make soldiers undisciplined? And righteousness cannot manage wealth means it will be borrowed away?"
"Yes, you can understand it that way."
On Earth, such things were very common.
The room soon fell silent again.
Su Han originally thought about leaving tonight to avoid the awkwardness.
Unexpectedly, Sangonomiya Kokomi suddenly picked up a towel and began wiping him.
"Don't misunderstand. I just don't want that fox to think I mistreat guests."
Su Han had injuries,
so Sangonomiya Kokomi used a towel to clean him.
It took a full two hours before he was completely cleaned inside and out.
"Do you want to rest for a while?"
Although Su Han minded being drugged, seeing her so attentive made it hard for him to pursue the matter.
The shrine maiden shook her head. "No, I'm done. Don't dwell on what happened yesterday. Let's just pretend it never happened. And don't think about leaving secretly. That fox will arrive in two days, so I'm asking you, please don't go."
She knew Su Han possessed great strength.
Even injured, he could still leave if he wanted.
But she had her pride, and these words were already a plea.
Su Han was soft-hearted, and all his thoughts turned into a sigh.
The next day,
Kaedehara Kazuha arrived. Under Su Han's instructions, he followed Gorou to purge the army.
Throughout the process, Sangonomiya Kokomi watched through the Den Den Mushi.
When she saw the images for the first time,
she was utterly shocked.
Like a country bumpkin arriving in a big city.
It was at this moment that the leader of Sangonomiya Island realized how vast and powerful the world beyond was.
No wonder Su Han looked down on Sangonomiya.
Not only was he powerful, but he possessed an astonishing number of treasures.
Any one of them could shock her for a hundred years.
In the scene,
Gorou began clearing out the squads stationed outside. Captured soldiers resisted, but once the evidence was undeniable, they stopped struggling.
"What? He's a Fatui spy!"
"Wait, those who died in the trap before, was it because of him?"
Everyone was shocked.
The truth of the past was fully revealed.
And there was more than one traitor.
When large amounts of letters and evidence were exposed,
the soldiers felt anger and hatred.
They had believed the war was to protect their homeland, but it had turned into a means for others to gain promotion. It was utterly despicable.
After finishing one location,
Gorou moved to the next.
The soldiers were calmed down.
An entire day passed.
Gorou never stopped moving. Hundreds of people were escorted to the largest military camp.
Watching comrades they had lived with for so long being executed,
the soldiers' emotions were obvious.
At this moment, Gorou announced the ceasefire.
"Retreat from the front lines? Why? Even if there were spies, we still took this territory."
"If we retreat, the Shogunate will definitely push further."
Facing his enraged comrades,
Gorou said coldly, "This is Lady Sangonomiya Kokomi's order. Do you intend to disobey?"
"We are not disobeying. This order tramples on the dignity of those who died. We absolutely cannot stop fighting."
A flash of blade.
The loudest protester
was instantly killed by Kaedehara Kazuha.
"This is my lady's command. Who else has objections? Lady Sangonomiya Kokomi has ordered: military commands are absolute. Those who do not obey will be executed without mercy."
The iron-blooded policy
struck fear into the soldiers.
Some were unwilling to give up territory or power.
But disobedience meant death.
Today, the training ground was stained red with blood.
Traitors deserved death.
But those who resisted orders were also killed.
In the past, disobedience might only result in criticism.
But today was different.
Watching this, Su Han commented, "Do you see? This is how you command soldiers. If you're not ruthless enough, you can't control them. Soldiers all have tempers. If you can't suppress them, they'll become a scattered mess."
"I understand."
Sangonomiya Kokomi felt she had learned something important.
Su Han shook his head. "Not enough. Authority alone isn't enough. You also need sufficient strength."
He picked up the Den Den Mushi and said to Kaedehara Kazuha, "Show them your power."
"Yes, master."
On the other end,
Kaedehara Kazuha looked at the soldiers and said, "You may be unconvinced, but to me, you are nothing but ants. If you wish to challenge me, come."
He drew his sword.
A black sheen covered the blade.
Kaedehara Kazuha accelerated forward and unleashed a slash.
The black energy surged outward.
With a massive roar of wind, the entire mountain wall was split apart.
Seeing this terrifying scene, all the soldiers were horrified.
Was this something a human could achieve?
Even Gorou was stunned. He had not expected Kaedehara Kazuha's strength to be so terrifying. What kind of power did his master possess?
Inside Sangonomiya Shrine,
the shrine maiden's mouth formed a small O, clearly shocked.
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