Serving Through Regicide

Hey! That outfit... Could it be...?

Hey, would you happen to be Shigure of the Itto-Ryu clan?

That is correct. I am Shigure. What business do you have with me?

I have a letter for you here.

I can confirm that I handed it to you, yes?

Yes, thank you!

A letter for you, Shigure? Who's it from?

Hold on. I'll read it right now.

Hm! This is...!

What happened?

Hm... I'm rather shocked.

This came much sooner than I thought it might...

Shigure, you look so morose... Was it bad news?

Well, I don't think it's bad news, but it's definitely not good news. All that is clear is that this will surely test my resolution.

What...?

The only regret I have... Is that I couldn't find a wife and start a family...

The letter is rather short. All it says is, "Father is on his deathbed. Return home immediately."

Father? You mean yours, Shigure?!

...Yes.

That's terrible news! You have to return to your father, then!

Of course. But we will have to cross the ocean again... First, let us go to the town of Izana!

Hey, Shigure. Where are we going after this?

We are heading to the Temple Ruins on the Inanari Plateau.

Huh?! I thought your father was deathly ill, Shigure?

Could it be... That he's already passed away?

Well, about that... Actually...

...What? This aura...!

Oh, is it a cat, perhaps?

No, look at that!

Is that a samurai? He looks kind of strong, if you ask me. Who is that guy, Shigure?

W-Well... How do I put this? That man... Is a debt collector!

I really don't want to see him right now! So...

Hey, wait, Shigure!

All right! I should be safe here.

Ha ha ha!

Shigure, that's not like you. Don't you feel guilty about not repaying your debts?

Of course I feel guilty!

Then why...?

To tell you the truth, Aldo... That debt collector is...

That's him! The head of the Fugen Itto-Ryu...

No! How do I put this? That man... Is a debt collector!

Huh?

I really don't want to see him right now! So...

Hey, wait, Shigure!

All right! I should be safe here.

Ha ha ha!

What's that supposed to mean?! He's the head of the school isn't he?

Hmph... As expect it's hard to pass one on you.

What's with trying to hide it?

Well, the truth is...

...You fool!

Owwwww!

How dare you call your own father a debt collector.

Huh? Father? As in, Shigure's father?

Exactly so. You are Shigure's friend?

Friend, travel companion... Whatever works.

I see. Thank you for taking care of this troublesome boy. I hope you will continue to get along.

The pleasure is all mine.

Huh? Father? As in, Shigure's father?

Cause he's my student!

Thank you for your kindness. So the master was Shigure's father after all.

So the boy didn't even mention that much, did he?

... Hahaha! Seems like Father is as ruthless as ever!

Um... I thought you were deathly ill, sir...?

Oh? I'm deathly ill? This is the first I've heard of it.

Ow ow ow!

How dare you make me out to be sick and feeble!

For goodness' sake... I thought I had raised you well, but you're still just as immature as you've always been.

Hm? Who are you? This is the Itto-Ryu dojo! Do you want to enroll here, by any chance...?

In that case, you have to kneel to me! You'll have to call me Master Shigure!

...You fool!

Owwwww! What was that for, you old geezer?!

I don't remember that at all! Although, that does sound like something I might have done.

Ha ha ha!

Hm. You're just like your grandfather, trying to smooth things over by laughing.

If you have time, please pay our humble dojo a visit.

Should you have the time, you should come back to the dojo and train.

Yeah, I'd love to.

Well then, I shall excuse myself.

Still... What was a terrible letter. Why would it say your father is deathly ill?

......

So what are you going to do now? If you have nothing else to do, let's go to your family dojo, Shigure.

No... There is somewhere I must go first.

Huh?! Where's that?

My father is deathly ill. Therefore, I must go to the Temple Ruins immediately.

What?! What are you on about, Shigure?

You'll see when we get there. Let's head to the Temple Ruins, Aldo.

I was waiting for you.

What? Who's that?!

Calm down, Aldo. This is who I came to meet.

What do you mean?

That letter was a sign.

A sign? You mean like a code?

Correct. It was code to inform me of this secret location.

Shigure? Who is that swordsman?

Don't worry about him. He's my travel companion.

So, what am I to expect?

It will be soon. You're better to assume you have no time.

In that case, I should get my affairs in order.

The details are written here.

Destroy it once you have memorized it.

Understood.

Once the preparations are complete, our accomplices are prepared to move out in a moment's notice. After that, it will all depend on the success of your sword, Shigure.

Our lives are in your hands...!

I am not worthy of such words...!

Don't you worry. I am prepared to take everything into my own hands! I will not allow any danger to befall you!

Shigure... Your resolution proves that you were the right choice for our leader.

Now then, I must go. We will meet again at the crucial moment.

......

Hm, I see. Things are certainly going well. You've done a good job.

Hey, Shigure... What are you trying to do?

You have to let me see what's in that letter!

Hey! I can't show you that!

What...?!

Hahaha! The letter has been turned to ash! It exists only in my head now.

Shigure, you're being so cautious... Don't tell me you're about to commit a crime.

Whether it's criminal or not is not for me to decide.

That... is for history to decide.

I have a brother in arms I must save, no matter what.

You mean Shion?

A brother in arms...?

Yes, that's right.

Yes... His name is Shion.

In the past, Shion... He saved my sword. If it weren't for that, I would not have become a samurai.

So that's what happened...

But even now... I still have not repaid my debt to Shion.

I can not leave a debt unpaid, on my honor as a samurai!

Right now, Shion's sword is being defiled by scoundrels. There is no time to waste!

I intend to save Shion's sword like he did mine, in order to repay my debt to him.

......

At the very least, I would never do anything dishonorable. I promise you that, Aldo.

All right. But I intend to see this through until the very end.

I have no objections. I was going to ask you to accompany me anyway.

For now, though, I'd like to return to my family's dojo.

I must apologize for how ungrateful I have been.

......

Come, Aldo. Let us go to the Inanari Plateau.

......

I have trained at this dojo ever since I was a child. I took everything here for granted.

Now that I look at it again, it shines brighter than any temple I've ever seen.

This is what it means to have a heart. Or should I say, to feel sentimental?

Shigure, what are you trying to do...?

Let's go inside. I have a scolding to receive from my father.

How regrettable that it should be the last... Ha ha ha!

......

What's wrong, Shigure? You said you wanted to talk?

Well, there is something I must apologize to you and Grandfather for.

Ha ha ha! Did you make a mistake again? It's the same old story, right?

No... This is a much bigger problem than usual.

The Itto-Ryu bloodline that has been passed down for generations will end with me.

... What are you saying...?

Please don't ask anything more. I just... I wanted to apologize for causing such trouble.

I'm not interested in whatever trouble you think you've caused. Rather...

The Itto-Ryu bloodline? What are you talking about?

Hm? Are you going senile, Father? The Itto-Ryu lineage that goes straight back to our founder!

We may be Itto-Ryu... But we're not the direct descendants of the founder.

...What?!

Yes. We three, grandfather, son, and grandson, are a direct lineage, though.

Wait! I know that Grandfather married into the clan. But I thought Grandmother was a descendant of the Itto-Ryu bloodline...

I didn't marry into the clan, I was adopted by the head two generations ago. When I earned the title of head of the dojo, I formally become an Itto-Ryu.

Really...?!

Your sweet grandmother was just a waitress at a teahouse. She was so beautiful. In between my training sessions, I barely left that teahouse, and I managed to get her to marry me.

I had no idea...!

Hahaha! "Where there's a Will, there's a Way!"

...What exactly is this "Will" and "Way," Master?

Ah, Shion.

My, my. I have some guests from the West, and Shigure and Shion are here, too. Perhaps...

My, my. The pupil from the West, and Shigure and Shion are here, too. Perhaps...

We should have a banquet!

How about it, my young guest from the West?!

How about it, my pupil from the West?!

Sure. I'll gladly join.

(Shigure's love for banquets must come from his grandfather.)

Father... I wish you would show a little restraint in throwing these banquets...

Ha ha ha! Don't be such a square, son!

He's right, Father! I have just solved a problem that has burdened me for years, and my heart feels so much lighter! Today is an auspicious day! What better time for a banquet?!

We Itto-Ryu do not need to be related by blood. We need only to be connected through our skills with a sword. By passing down our skills, we create the next generation.

Adopting promising students and handing them the reins of the dojo is something we have done more times than one can count.

Hmm. I wonder if all the dojos in the East are like that?

In that case, if I were to die, could Shion become the head...?

Shion? I think you're more fit to lead... But that isn't to say it would be a problem.

There would be no problem at all... There's no one better than Shion, Father.

Please... I am honored you think so, but I am not fit to be the head.

Enough, Shion! I know you can do it!

...You fool!

Owwwww!

Why do you always talk down to people?! Shion is a student of my own teacher... We are disciples of the same school.

You, however, are my student. In other words, even though you entered the dojo first, Shion has seniority over you as a student. So show him some respect!

No, sir, Shigure is the heir of the family. He need not pay me any respect.

Besides, Shion and I are good friends. Why can't you be more open minded?

They're right, my son... You're too stubborn sometimes.

There you go again, spoiling Shigure.

From the sound of it, Shigure and Shion seem to be the strongest users of the Itto-Ryu technique...

That's right. Right now, Shion and Shigure are considered the "Tiger and Dragon" of the Itto-Ryu clan.

I wouldn't say that...

Ha ha ha! That's an exaggeration, all right. They're still just a cat and a lizard.

Yes, Master.

Ha ha ha! At least, you could call us a mountain lion and a giant lizard, Grandfather!

Hmm... Regardless, both of them are still strong. Aren't there any other strong members of the Itto-Ryu clan?

There is. Shion's younger sister is a genius with the sword.

Huh?! Akane is a genius?!

Huh?! Your sister is a genius?!

Her natural talent with the sword surpasses both Shion and I.

That's amazing!

She watched and copied Shion when he was training, and has reached the level of the Itto-Ryu.

She's even a student at the dojo now, so there's no telling just how far she'll go.

Still... She's a bit of an airhead and can be tricked pretty easily.

Not only that, she's rather wild, and it's difficult to rein her in.

I can definitely see that...

Technically, she is not a formal student of the Itto-Ryu.

However, her natural talent with the sword surpasses both Shion and I.

That's amazing!

She watched and copied Shion when he was training, and has reached the level of the Itto-Ryu.

Oh, really? If she's that talented, why haven't you accepted her as a formal student?

Well, about that... She's a bit of an airhead and can be tricked pretty easily.

Not only that, she's rather wild, and it's difficult to rein her in. If she receives formal training as a student here, she'll be unstoppable.

I-I didn't know...

Still... If both of you end up dying... The next head will be Shion's sister!

P-Please don't say that, Father! That would be the death of the Itto-Ryu clan!

All things come to an end eventually. If we are brought to ruin, then so be it!

Ha ha ha!

Hey, Shigure. What are you doing, sneaking out in the middle of the night like this?

Well, I just learned that the Itto-Ryu clan will be fine, even if I don't find a wife to bear my children. And now I also know about Oboro. So as far as I'm concerned, the Itto-Ryu clan is in safe hands. Now I can go and repay my debt.

Well, I just learned that the Itto-Ryu clan will be fine, even if I don't find a wife to bear my children. Now I can go and repay my debt.

That was saving Shion's sword, right?

Correct. As promised, I would like for you to be there until the end. Do you mind, Aldo?

Sure, I'll keep that promise. At least tell me what you're doing, though.

......

Well... I suppose I could tell you.

Shion! Why are you here?!

I've known you for long enough that I can tell when you're about to do something foolhardy. Let's hear what you're plotting this time around.

I refuse! You're the last person I can tell!

......

Then I'll beat the truth out of you!

Very well! If I win, you shall not interfere!

Understood!

Hey, you two! Why did they start fighting all of a sudden?!

Don't ask! This is the way of the samurai!

Geez... Samurai are all the same!

I'm sorry, but I will be joining Shigure! I promised him that I would see things through to the end!

To be parted in factions on the battlefield is common among samurai! En garde!

Argh! Shigure! Why is your sword so fierce tonight?!

You would not understand. For tonight...

I wield my sword for a treasured friend!

......

I see...

I'm glad you understand.

I didn't know you had a friend like that...

What?!

Aldo is the only friend like that I have. If I were fighting for his sake, I'm sure I could fight with more power than usual. That's what you're talking about, isn't it?

I don't have a friend like that... But if I were fighting for my sister's sake, I'm sure I could fight with more power than usual. That's what you're talking about, isn't it?

......

Shion, what am I to you?

Do you really have to ask? We've known each other since childhood.

So we're friends, right?

Hm. Is that what you want to call us?

Gah! How dense can you be?!

Why are you angry? I have never understood you, Shigure.

(I'm starting to feel sorry for Shigure...)

Enough of this! I won, so let me pass!

Very well. It is the way of a samurai to yield to the results of a fair duel.

Come, Aldo! We will leave for Kurosagi Castle at the break of dawn!

I love the way these flower petals dance in the wind.

Yeah. When the petals scatter like this, they look so beautiful. It's really something.

I shall have to burn this sight into my memory so I never forget it.

Hey, Shigure. It kind of sounds like...

The time has come!

Well? Are the preparations complete?

Meaning that scoundrel is alone, then?

Hm? Scoundrel? Do you mean...?

Let's go, Aldo! As promised, let's see this through to the end!

Muahaha! I cannot wait. I managed to talk Ageha into returning home, so I have nothing to worry about.

Now I can relax and spend time with some beauties! Muahahaha!

I have returned. I seek audience with Lord Genshin.

Ah, welcome! Come closer to me!

Hmm... You two? Aren't you that swordsman from the West, and Shigure of the Itto-Ryu clan?

I have a very important appointment I must keep. Begone!

Unfortunately, Lord Genshin... If you're waiting for that beautiful woman with long black hair and pouty red lips, she can no longer make it.

Wh-What?! How do you know about her?!

Well, I came here in her stead. There is something I'd like to discuss with you, Lord Genshin.

What? If there's no beautiful lady with you, I'm going to bed!

You can lie down if you want. However...

You must retract the secret orders you gave to Shion, and free him!

Only after you issue a declaration of Shion's freedom!

......

Absolutely not! Shion has not suffered anywhere near enough! Muahahaha!

...... I knew it would be no use, even if we came to you directly.

This is for Shion!

What?!

Shigure, don't!

That's right! Don't do it, Shigure! If you kill me, you'll get the death penalty, you know!

I came prepared for that! That is but a small price to pay if I can fulfill my duty!

You can't do this to everyone, Shigure!

I can't let you do that!

All right! Well said, swordsman of the West! I'll give you a little reward!

Listen, Aldo. I need you to witness everything that is happening now to prepare for what will happen later. I am doing this as an individual. You must testify that this has nothing to do with the Itto-Ryu clan. Should you hear my name in the future, tell them of my sacrifice, and tell them that I had not a single regret!

Shigure...

As payment for your troubles, I'll give you this coat of mine as a keepsake. You can hang it up in your bedroom to look at morning and night, and I hope it'll remind you of me sometimes.

...... That's kind of weird.

Hm. Perhaps. Then, I don't mind if you don't look at it much, but I won't budge on you hanging it in your bedroom!

Now then, Lord Genshin. Your answer?

I shall never free Shion!

You leave me no choice! Itto-Ryu: Secret Arts! Godly Step Slash!

Arrrgh!

For my treasured friend...

For the people who you abused...

May you rest in peace, Lord Genshin.

...Never!

Hm?!

I failed! He had ninja servants at his side!

I have to be very careful about these things. I won't go down that easily. And you, Shigure... You're just so plain and boring. You're not really much fun.

Shion is much more fun to torture!

What's the meaning of this?!

Listen well. There are only two types of people in this world.

There is scum...and non-scum!

Huh?! That's a rather biased point of view.

I love seeing innocent people gradually becoming scum. Truly, I get so much enjoyment from it. That is why I shall torture Shion until he becomes scum like the rest of us! I will never grant him his freedom!

Muahahahaha!

You are the king of scum!

It's true! I know!

Shigure, I will forgive what you did here. Your loyalty to your brother in arms was so incredibly amusing!

Muahahahaha!

Damn! He got away...

There's no point in staying here. Let's head out, Aldo.

Right...

Sh-Shion?!

What are you doing here?!

While I could not interfere, I wanted to at least watch over you, or be by your side for your death.

But...

I'm glad you are safe.

......

......

I'm done here. Farewell.

So this is the way of the samurai. You guys really don't say much.

That's not true, Aldo. Shion might be a little taciturn, but I certainly talk a lot!

R-Right...

Still... I failed this time. It may not have been prudent to curse that awful scoundrel on a daily basis. That scum managed to pick up on my ill will towards him.

Huh? You were insulting Genshin on a daily basis?

Yes. That is exactly why people tell their daughters to never marry the son of the Itto-Ryu clan. Marrying into this family would bring Genshin's wrath down upon them, causing much harm.

I had no idea...

(And yet he goes around hitting on every woman he sees. No wonder they don't want their daughters to marry him.)

This regicide was a failure, but I've gained something from it, at the very least. It seems that scum doesn't intend to do anything serious to Shion for now. Next time, I'll plan my course of action more carefully.

Shigure... You still haven't given up?

Of course not. I won't give up until the day that Shion is freed.

Well, be careful. I don't want to end up with your coat to remember you by.

......

Thank you for such kind words. You say that out of worry for me as a friend, yes?

Of course. We've been fighting alongside each other for so long, after all.

You're right, Aldo. You, too, are my brother in arms!

Well, then, I shall endeavor to stay alive, so that you need not take anything of mine as a memoir. It's the least I can do for a comrade.

Thanks, Shigure.

(But is there really a way to avoid execution after regicide?) (I can't run from it, because that would go against the way of the samurai... Hmmm...)

What's wrong, Shigure?

It's nothing. I'm sure everything will be fine.

Ha ha ha!

Huh?

Oh, by the way, what exactly is the debt that you owe Shion? You said something about how he saved your sword, right?

Oh, that. It all happened when we were still just children...

I can't take this anymore! If I have to suffer another training session with that old geezer...

I'll quit being a samurai and become a merchant!

Shigure...

I want to be taking lessons from Grandfather instead! His "sword of strength" technique is so much cooler!

Why did Grandfather choose you as his student instead?!

*sniff* Grandfather and that old geezer... They must hate me. Because I'm not good enough...

Shigure, that's where you're wrong! They have high hopes for you!

What do you mean? Do you know something, Shion?

Master told me, but he told me to make sure to keep it a secret from you.

Then you can't say it! You blockhead!

......

Shigure, your personality makes you much more fit to use the "sword of skill" technique. Master wanted to teach you himself, but he is a wielder of the "sword of strength" technique. That's why he stopped teaching you, and entrusted your training to your father.

I had no idea...

Wait. My old man said something like that too. That Grandfather's personality is more fit for the "sword of strength" technique, and that you're the same, Shion. That's why he sent you to be taught by Grandfather.

So that's it. I guess we're kind of similar.

Yeah, we sure are.

Then let's race to see who can become grand master first.

Yeah! I'll race you!

Heh! I'll be the winner! You'll see!

I won't lose either!

So that was it, huh?

In the end, we both became grand masters at the same time.

Back then, Shion broke his promise to Grandfather and told me everything. If it weren't for that... I would have given up on the way of the sword. I hated everything back then.

That was right after my mother died.

I see...

But Shion's parents had also passed away around that time... Yet, he desperately tried to cheer me up.

I have never forgotten the gratitude I felt back then.

I will carry that gratitude with me for the rest of my life. I will hold my head up high as I move forward on the path of the sword!