Volume 3 Chapter 14 Kou Tenhou And Gen Touri Head To The Jinkyo Tribe's Land V
The Jinkyo Tribe's fortune teller looks at the stars before doing a reading.
First, they check the position of the stars and use that to find a suitable day for the reading.
On the morning of the reading, they offer a sheep as a sacrifice.
After that, they burn incense and continue to pray inside the tent.
Eventually, the fortune teller loses consciousness and dreams.
This dream is believed to show the future.
However, the elder──Eigan Taiga──had a different dream.
During the ritual, she collapsed and saw a dream that pointed to the future.
In that dream, beasts were fighting each other while devouring some creature.
The creature was wearing the royal morning attire of Aika Country.
Even though the elder didn't know about the morning attire, she understood it clearly.
"Oh. Is this the end for Aika Country in my time?"
The creature in the morning attire was shouting that.
The beasts were consuming that creature in a deep blue river.
Around the Aika King, there were 4 beasts.
Their shapes were hard to tell.
They looked like dark silhouettes, completely black.
Of the 4 beasts, 2 were chained.
The chains were held by Zeng Taiga.
Zeng Taiga was directing the beasts to devour the creature that looked like the Aika King.
Another chain was held by an unknown boy.
He was a mysterious boy, shining brightly.
The last beast was not chained.
The beast was sitting far away, showing no interest in its prey.
Eventually, when King Aika was devoured, Zeng Taiga declared victory.
And so, the dream came to an end.
"My fortune-telling showed the future in this way."
the elder said, finishing her explanation.
"This was what I saw when I predicted the future of the Jinkyo Tribe on the king's orders. If I were the only one who had this dream, it wouldn't have been a big deal..."
"Did the king order other fortune-tellers to predict the future too?"
I said.
"Did all the other fortune-tellers see the same future as you, elder?"
"That's right. So the king and Prince Zeng must have felt a sense of fate."
The elder nodded bitterly.
The king of the Jinkyo Tribe and Zeng Taiga probably believed in the fate that 'Aika Country will perish.'
That's why they led the army to invade Aika Country.
Organizations like 'Golden Feather Syndicate' probably supported them.
The beast that appeared in the elder's dream was likely the 'Four Fiends.'
The fact that Zeng Taiga controlled two of them might mean that the Jinkyo Tribe would obtain the 'Two Fiends.'
The boy who controlled the other one was... the game protagonist Kai Yougetsu.
He probably used the 'Four Fiends Technique' in the game 'History of Swordmaster.'
It wasn't shown in the stats, though.
And the last one didn't participate in the destruction of Aika Country.
I wonder if there are 'Four Fiends' like that...?
Honestly, I want to hear more details.
But... I'm in a position where I'm helping Suuki and Reki by chance.
I can't ask the elder of the Jinkyo Tribe about Zeng Taiga or the 'Golden Feather Syndicate.' If I dig too much, I might lose the trust of the moderates.
If that happens, the cooperation between the moderates and Aika Country could fall apart, and that would be the worst.
I guess I'll have to be satisfied with just hearing about the fortune-telling.
"Thank you very much, Elder."
I clasped my hands together towards the elder.
"It was a valuable story. I will take it into consideration."
"If it was helpful, that's all that matters."
"Do the people of the Jinkyo Tribe know the results of the fortune-telling?"
"Only those close to the king know the details. But it's not a secret or anything. It's fine if you tell someone."
"...You see right through me."
"If you're a disciple of the one who saved Suuki and Reki, you must be someone special. That's why I spoke about the fortune-telling."
The elder seemed to smile faintly.
"The wind circles the grasslands. Similarly, gratitude also circulates. If you saved Suuki, then you are also my benefactor. I trust you."
"Thank you very much."
"Thank you as well. I appreciate you delivering the letter from Suuki."
The elder bowed her head towards me and Touri.
"There's no doubt the letter will reach Suuki's father. You all can stay in the village. I can't offer much, but I hope you can rest your bodies well."
"Yes. And... can I ask you one thing?"
"Of course."
"I, I want to see where the moderate people are."
If possible, I want to confirm the location of Suuki's father.
Ryougen-kun and the high officials of Aika Country might want to contact them directly. So I need to be ready for that.
"Understood. It's not far from here. I'll have Reki guide you tomorrow."
"Thank you very much."
I bowed my head to the elder.
Touri and Reki did the same.
In this way, I successfully completed the task that Master Raikou and Suuki asked of me.
──Touri's Perspective──
"If it's okay, I would like to check on the elder's health."
After the conversation ended, Touri made that offer.
The elder is weak in body but respected as a capable fortune teller. She is an important figure in the Jinkyo Tribe.
And the elder does not harbor hostility towards Aika Country.
On the contrary, she is worried about the current methods of Zeng Taiga.
Moreover, the elder is someone who can connect the moderate faction of the Jinkyo Tribe with Aika Country.
She cares for Suuki and Reki and is kind to Tenhou and Touri, who come from a foreign land.
She wants such a person to live a long life.
Thinking that, Touri decided to examine the elder's health.
"Yes. It may be a good opportunity. Please do."
The elder accepted Touri's offer.
After Tenhou and Reki left the room, she took off her kimono and leaned her body against Touri.
"My eyes and legs have been bad for a while, but recently my back hasn't been good either. It's a blessing to have a traveling doctor look at me."
"...Elder-sama, you are an amazing person."
"What do you mean?"
"Aren't you worried about trusting your body to someone from a different tribe?"
"What's there to worry about? You all have also entrusted yourselves to my village, haven't you?"
The elder laughed heartily.
"If I were to doubt such people, the God of the Plains would punish me."
"...Thank you."
Even among the Jinkyo Tribe, there are trustworthy people.
However, those people are not the mainstream. They hold no power.
If the elder and Suuki's father were in charge of the Jinkyo Tribe, there wouldn't have been any conflicts.
The relief is that the elder, Reki, and Suuki are not participating in the fighting.
The people of this village are not very strong.
It seems Zeng Taiga has them carrying supplies after conscription.
On the front lines are Zeng Taiga and his supporting soldiers.
"Elder-sama, you seem to have poor 'ki' circulation around your legs and back. That's why your body is cold and Elder-sama is in pain."
After the examination, Touri said.
"There are medicinal herbs that can activate the ki and blood, so I'll give them to you later."
"Thank you. As for payment..."
"I don't need it. It's enough if you all become my allies. I believe Hou-sama... no, I think Touri's husband would say the same."
As those words left her mouth, Touri's heart began to race.
Holding her chest, Touri continued.
"The medicinal herbs can be found in this land as well. Please look for the black tree roots in the nearby forest. It's a plant with yellow tips and white flowers."
"I'm surprised. You know about the medicinal herbs in this land?"
"It's information I got from the documents Hou-sama obtained."
The wooden tablets bought from Tougen Shimei contained various information about medicinal herbs.
Among them was information about herbs that could help the elder's health.
"You all are quite eager to learn."
"Yes. Especially Hou-sama... he is trying to understand you all."
"I know that. I trust that person."
As she adjusted her clothes, the elder sat up.
"I have a feeling. Perhaps the reason my dreams have changed is because of that person."
"Your dreams have changed? Could it be related to fortune-telling...?"
"Yes. No... it's better not to tell that person."
The elder shook her head.
"My fortune-telling has changed Prince Zeng. Similarly, I fear that the results of the fortune-telling might change Shuu Rikuhou-dono. So... what I am about to say, I want you to keep it in your heart as his wife."
"Y-yes."
Touri nodded seriously.
"I promise. Please, tell me."
"I'm sorry, but before you all arrived, I did a fortune-telling. During that time, I had a dream where 4 beasts appeared again. However, the details were different."
"...How so?"
"The number of beasts opposing Aika Country has decreased."
Quietly, the elder spoke.
"Before, there were 3 beasts competing to devour their prey. Now, there are only 2. Moreover, one of the other beasts was trying to stop the two from eating their prey."
"...What does that mean?"
"I do not know what this signifies."
The elder continued.
"You all came right after I had that dream. Perhaps you are connected to the fate of the country. That is why I decided to speak with you."
"...Hou-sama and Touri...?"
Touri also knows about the existence of the 'Four Fiends' technique.
But she does not know about the 'secret book of chaos.'
All she knows is that Tenhou and Ouka defeated the user of 'Kyuuki.'
(Did something change because Tenhou-sama and the others defeated 'Kyuuki'...?)
The elder told her not to mention this to Touri's husband.
Just like the fortune-telling changed Zeng Taiga, it might change Touri's husband too.
Tenhou and Zeng Taiga are different.
She doesn't think the fortune-telling will change Tenhou.
However, the elder is from the Jinkyo Tribe. Her words carry weight.
So──Touri made up her mind.
(...Touri will keep the secret.)
She feels sorry for hiding things from Tenhou.
She will make up for it.
For Tenhou, and more than anything, for herself.
"And also, there's something I've felt about you."
Suddenly, the elder continued speaking.
"...I see a few stars near you and your husband."
"Stars, you say?"
"Yes. Right now, 2 strong stars are trying to come between you and your husband. No... maybe they have already come between you? Your husband seems to be well-liked. But those stars might disturb the bond between you and your husband. I don't know if those stars are male or female... Hmm? What's wrong? You seem quiet now..."
"N-no, it's nothing."
Holding her cheeks, Touri looked down.
The two stars between Tenhou and Touri.
Touri had a strong feeling about who they represented.
But that was not something to discuss with the elder. It wasn't something to consult about.
Touri had to work hard to close the distance with Tenhou.
So, Touri clasped her hands and said to the elder,
"The examination is over. I will inform Reki-sama about the herbs. Please take care of yourself, Elder-sama."
With that, Touri left the elder's room.
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