Empress VS...

THIS WILL NOT STAND!

Hmm. Well, for the moment, I commend you for knowing your place and apologizing with all due profuseness.

However, you are not the problem!

？！

Wh-what's the matter, Wu Zetian?

It's outrageous! Abhorrent! Abominable! Just take a look at this!

...A letter?

Is it not horrendous!? It's impertinent! Insolent! Inexcusable! Grrr, just reading it again makes my blood boil!

Um...this is Chinese, right? I'm sorry, but I don't know Chinese...

Oh, but you said you studied it before you came to Chaldea, right, Senpai? Can you tell what it says?

？！

I see. So you can't read it yourself then. You remind me of a small animal, with the way you are always cocking your head. I shall call you Pá Tù, or "little rabbit," from now on.

...Wait, does this mean I must read the contents of this dreadful letter for you myself!?

Grrr, how utterly infuriating! I cannot believe I need to waste my time like this!

I'm sorry for the trouble, but I'm afraid we don't have any other way of finding out what's bothering you. What does the letter say?

Translating the whole thing sentence by sentence would make me blow a gasket, so I'll just summarize.

It is a letter filled with the most horrid insults about me!

!?

It says I am a coward who fears ghosts, and a child who dislikes cats! Completely untrue!

It is not that I dislike them or get nervous around them. I simply do not care for them. Who does this writer think they are, ridiculing me in such a fashion!?

Grrr, I knew it. Just thinking about what it says makes me see red...!

And here is the real problem. It is clear that whoever sent this letter does not like me.

Evidently, it is not enough for the writer to insult me. They claim a desire to settle things with me, and include coordinates telling me where to meet them.

...Are you going to go?

Of course! As an empress, I cannot let such grave insults pass. Whoever wrote this must be punished.

You will come with me, Master Pá Tù! In fact, I am here to collect you for this task!

？！

Oh, right. You could not read it, so you could not see that it explicitly says to come with you.

Perhaps they wish for you to attend as a witness to our duel.

While I am loathe to comply with the directions of this foul criminal, I cannot hope to exact justice upon them if I do not do as they say.

One must always sweat the small stuff before one can sweat the big stuff.

Oh, do not worry. Once the culprit is revealed, that will be the end of it.

By the time I am through punishing them for their unforgivable first-degree crime of "dissing" me...

...they will wish they had never so much as thought to write that letter! Keh heh heh...!

Now, come, Master. You too, uh...Mash!

...I guess I don't have any right to say no.

I just hope we can help guide this escapade somewhere peaceful, Senpai!

Oh! I was so furious I almost forgot. That little cat who goes around screeching "fou" isn't here with you, is it!?

If it popped up out of nowhere, I think my heart would stoI mean, I might accidentally end up skinning it alive! (Sideways glance)

As usual, I'm afraid I don't have a good answer for you about whether Fou is a cat or not...

...but now that you mention it, I haven't yet seen him today. He must be off playing somewhere else.

Good, good. If I never see that little furball again, it will still be too soon.

Now come, let us be on our way before that strange cat returns to this room!

(...It certainly looks to me as though Wu Zetian is afraid of cats...)

So...whoever wrote the letter told you to meet them somewhere inside Chaldea?

No, they did not.

Then...what are we doing here?

Given how upset you were, I thought we would be storming the meeting place immediately...

Then you thought wrong. I am neither impetuous nor impulsive.

I may be noble, but I am not like those other foolish emperors who have their nobility and nothing else.

？！

B-be quiet! That is not what I am talking about!

I only mean that I am both calm and collected, as any good ruler must be.

The first order of business in any endeavor is to solidify your position...in other words, to gather information.

I'm not sure I would describe how you were acting earlier as "calm and collected"...

Anyway, I presume you mean gathering information about whoever wrote the letter?

Indeed. It would be the height of foolishness to enter the enemy's domain without a plan when we have plenty of time to prepare.

First, we shall discover the identity of this the letter's impudent author, or at least obtain a hint that may end up saving us some time.

If we should end up coming face-to-face with this villain while investigating their identity, well, that is quite all right with me.

After all, it is not a fight with this person that I desire. Instead, I want the quickest possible route to giving them the punishment they so richly deserve!

？！

Keh heh heh. Between this style of Chinese from my original time period, and this handwriting I am unfamiliar with, this accursed letter is itself a veritable treasure trove of information.

As you know from how you could not make heads nor tails of it, there are precious few people here who could have written such a letter.

That, in turn, makes it very easy to narrow down our list of suspects!

In fact, we are heading towards the first of them as we speak. This letter was written with a brush, after all!

Huh? A letter?

Correct! Now fess up! It was you who wrote that insolent, impudent missive, wasn't it!?

The hell're ya talkin' about? What would I go and do something like that for?

So, you would feign innocence, eh. Well, if you think I am simply going to wait for you to confess, you clearly do not know how capable my Torturers are at extracting information.

Besides, everyone in Chaldea knows that you and brushes go hand in hand!

Hah. You might be right about that, but my thing is paintin' pictures, not writin' letters!

I'm a painter. That's what I do. I wouldn't go writin' a letter without a single illustration even if you paid me.

R-really? Then, you truly did not write this?

If I may, I can't imagine what motive Hokusai would have for writing it, either...

？！

That aside...lookin' at this letter now, I might have an idea or two about who actually did write it.

You might!? Then hurry up and tell me who it is!

What, I'm just gonna do that outta the goodness of my heart after you barge in accusin' me of stuff?

I hate to sound like the hoity-toity merchants...but I ain't tellin' you that for free.

You're an empress from way back in the Tang dynasty, right?

You're a lot younger than I thought you'd be, but you got the posture and the eyes of a damn fine model.

You wish to paint me with that brush of yours? Well, I certainly commend your eye for beauty.

However...I regrettably do not have the time to model right now.

Here, I am willing to pay for your help, so just tell me who you think it is already.

Heh, you're a real piece a' work, ain'tcha? If I wanted money, I woulda asked for it!

Money disappears whenever you need to eat or drink, but a painting lasts forever!

I also would've had to go a thousand years before the Edo period and get some monks to take me with 'em to China to have a hope of painting you when I was alive.

Ain't no way I'm gonna pass up this chance now. If you ain't gonna let me paint ya peacefully, I'll just have to do it...er, unpeacefully!

Grrr! So you really are determined to paint me in the nude, aren't you!?

While understandable that you would be fascinated by my beauty, I cannot commend you for appreciating it in such a deviant manner! Help me, Master!

Did I miss the part where Hokusai said she wanted to paint you nude!?

Oh, so I didn't have to take my clothes off? Why didn't you say so sooner?

Kehehe, in that case, I suppose I could make time for that, as long as you finish in five minutes or so.

How is this for a pose?

Or would you prefer something like this?

Ooh, that's good. I already got a pretty good handle on how to paint ya, but it sure won't hurt to do it live.

All right, I'll go ahead and show ya the legendary paintin' speed of Edo's one and only Hokusai!

Hmm. It ain't the be-all, end-all, but a little sexiness definitely goes a long way.

Mind showin' off a little more skin juuust around the shoulders?

Hmm? Nyehehe, you are incorrigible, aren't you! Very well, just this once!

I'm worried this painting might end up veering past artistic nudity if we aren't careful. Let's keep an eye on the proceedings until they're over, Senpai.

...

Here, lemme see that letter again.

Hmm... Well, I can't read Tang-era Chinese either, but I can tell you it's beautifully written.

But the characters that are Chinese-only, not Japanese, look like they've been copied rather than written.

？！

Whoever wrote this letter was born in Japan, same as me, and knows their way around a calligraphy brush.

Hmm? That is all well and good, but how much help will that be?

Don't worry, it looks like Master here's already got an idea of who fits that description. It won't be long before we find 'em.

But watch yourself.

Lookin' at it from a painter's perspective, I'd say this letter was written by someone who's super strict and serious.

...Pretty sure whoever it is ain't gonna talk without puttin' up a fight.

...I have nothing to say to you.

So, it isn't that you don't know anything...it's that you won't say anything? Do I have that right?

？！

Master, I am fully aware that you are my current lord.

However, I am bound by another contract.

Oho, you don't say.

What if it wasn't a request from Master Pá Tù...but a direct order from a noble empress such as myself?

Tell us why you wrote this letter. If you were compelled by another to do so, then tell us why they requested it, and who is responsible!

If you come clean and tell me everything right now, I am willing to be lenient with your punishment!

...That's enough.

On my honor as Tajima-no-Kami, once I have sworn an oath, there is nothing that can make me break it...not even the ruler of a vast country.

Keh heh heh. You have guts, I'll give you that.

Very well then...there shall be no holding back! Come, my Torturers, and beat the truth out of him!

Ah! Wait, Wu Zetian!

From everything I know about Yagyu, he's not the kind of Servant to come clean, even if you defeat him!

Can you please reconsider before... Never mind. It looks like I'm too late...!

(Huff, huff...) You're a resilient one, aren't you...! Why would you go to such lengths?

I am not trying to kill you. I only want you to tell me who ordered you to write that letter!

This is not a matter of benefit, but of honor. I am not one who rules, but one who serves.

As such, I cannot hope to imagine what it must feel like to be the empress of a great country.

But I also cannot imagine that you would easily cast away your honor. Would you?

Hmm? W-well...

That said, our Master is there with you. If he wishes to make me speak regardless of the consequences, there are ways to go about it.

I speak, of course, of those powerful charms... Command Spells, I believe they are called. If he were to use one, he could compel me to speak. However

？！

I am glad to hear that.

Th-that's right. Senpai would never resort to coercing someone like that!

(Still...I wonder what Yagyu was going to say after "however"...)

(Since he's a samurai, the first place my mind went is "However, I will consequently have no choice but to commit seppuku.")

...Oh, forget it! It seems torturing you would merely be a waste of my time.

It isn't that I could not get you to talk, mind you. Only that it would be more time and trouble than it is worth.

I'm a busy woman, after all.

Whether I know exactly who sent this foul missive or not, it does not change the fact that I still have other preparations I must make.

The penalty for writing such insults about me may be stiff, but I can also dole out the necessary punishment just as easily once I return.

And as they say, life's greatest pleasures should be savored. Consider yourself lucky, ghost writer who is strangely skilled with the sword!

...

All right, Master and Mash, let us wash our hands of this man and move on to the next suspect! Come with me!

Well, uh, I guess we should do that. I only hope she'll forget all about this once she gets back to her room!

Heh. I do not know if our Master is wise or foolish...but in time, he will learn he is lacking.

And it is through that lack that he will find new paths open to him. Now that I think of it, my old lord was not all that dissimiHm...?

...Who goes there?

No bloodlust. Hmm... It seems I am not the only one who provided assistance...

By the way, Mash, it occurs to me that you have been Mash for far too long, so I shall give you a new name.

...!?

？！

Indeed. I grow bored of always doing the same things, or always saying the same things.

A ruler's view does not change much from day to day, whether she sits on a throne or remains in the shadows.

Of course, one could argue that such stability is the sign of a healthy country...but as the ruler, it can grow quite tedious and stifling.

As a result, I would often change the names of some of the most boring parts of my domain: eras, ranks, cities, regions...

Of course, nowadays, the only names I go around changing are yours. Hmm, what to do for you, Mash...

Hmm. Got it! I shall call you Zǐcài! "Zǐ" is the character for "purple," so it suits your color scheme perfectly.

I see. So it's like a nickname.

I haven't had much experience with things like that, so this is kind of new for me. Thank you.

Can I ask what it means?

Oh, yes. In your language, the word for it is...

...seaweed.

...!?

？！

Y-yes, I guess that's true. And it does have a very unique ring to it.

There, that feels much newer and nicer.

By the way, where are we headed now? Didn't you say you had to get ready?

Didn't I tell you? I am doing a bit of headhunting for the proper personnel.

What do you mean?

The insolent author of that letter was not merely content to wait for me at the appointed time and place.

The letter also said they had placed obstacles along the way. Pure harassment, that's what it is!

It said the obstacles would suit a coward frightened of ghosts. That should tell us what to expect.

What nonsense! They misunderstand completely! I am not the least bit afraid of ghosts!

Yes, the mere thought sends shivers down my spine, and the idea that none of my torture instruments would hurt them makes me reluctant to go to the lavatory in the middle of the night! But nothing more than that!

I see... So that's why you were thinking of asking for help?

Indeed. Any good ruler must be able to convince others to do her bidding, and there can be no empress around who is better than my royal self.

In fact, I have already found the perfect person to help.

If I am being completely honest, I have been trying to keep my distance from her for various reasons, but now that I have no alternative, well...here we are.

And so, since I must fight ghosts, I require a monk. Come and help me, Xuanzang Sanzang.

Hm? Hmm? Hmmm?

...Have we met before?

Aha, just as I thought. I cannot help but feel as though I have met you somewhere before too.

Really? Then I guess we actually are acquaintances. Hold on, give me a minute. It's riiight on the tip of my tongue!

...Gah! I guess the fact that I can't quite seem to remember shows I still need to train a lot more!

Now, now, I do not blame you for being unable to remember. I have no memory of ever conversing with you before, either.

I most likely just happened to see you in my palace at one point or another.

Did you say palace?

Yes, in the city of Chang'an. I trust you are familiar with Emperor Taizong?

Of course. He was an emperor of the Tang dynasty, right?

The whole reason I headed to Tianzhu was because he ordered me to. At least, I'm pretty sure it was him.

I definitely remember him being thrilled when I told him I'd brought back the sutras. He was a nice guy!

Taizong was the emperor when I first became a concubine.

R-really? I had no idea you two had that sort of connection...

？！

Huh, okay. So you're Empress Wu? And you gave birth to Taizong's son, Gaozong?

I am, and I did.

...

After I got back, I was so busy with copying the sutras that I had no idea what was going on politically...

...but I do think I at least heard your name before.

And now, here we both are in Chaldea. That's amazing! The Buddha must've had a hand in this, too!

N-nn, so you only think you have heard my name before? Normally, I would be furious at such an insult...but I suppose that sort of ignorance is to be expected from a monk so removed from worldly affairs.

And I do remember all the monks I used to know who were clued into politics being rather corrupt.

So, what can I do for you now? Anything I can do for a fellow Tang-erine, I'd be happy to!

If you want to hear all about my journey, or listen to some sutra chanting, I'd be glad to oblige!

Hmm, you certainly have a lot of energy and volume to spare... Zǐcài, you tell her the rest.

Zǐcài...? As in, seaweed?

That's me! It's my nickname!

Anyway, uh, I suppose your sutras might end up coming in handy for this. You see...

I see, I see. So you're trying to get somewhere, and you need protection from the ghosts you expect to pop up along the way?

You got it!

Wow, Sanzang, you didn't hesitate at all. Thank you!

Oh, but could I ask a favor first? See, it's a little different fighting ghosts than it is monsters...

So could you help me warm up and get my old instincts back first? It'd be a big help!

I suppose that is all right. We certainly would not want you to be unable to perform your job after encountering a ghost.

Go on then, let me see the vaunted power of the monks for myself!

All right, we've Rayshifted to the time and location the letter specified...

？！

Keh heh heh. That's right! Now that you are working for me, you are officially an ambassador!

I remember meeting with a group of ambassadors from Japan. They prostrated themselves to me on behalf of their country to request an audience.

Well, ambassadorial visits from Japan began with the Sui dynasty, and Taizong also held audiences with them...

At any rate, now do you finally understand how lucky you are to be working for an esteemed empress like myself? Hmm?

Go on, you needn't restrain yourself. If you cannot resist the urge to prostrate yourself before me and sing my praises...

...or feel overcome by the urge to serve as my chair, I give you permission to do so.

Oh hey, what should I call you, anyway?

Empress Wu? Wu Zhao? ...No, wait, that's your real name, right? Probably wouldn't be proper if I called you that.

？！

Don't be insolent! A noble's name is not to be trifled with!

Hmph... Wu Zetian is what I go by now, so that will suffice.

Of course, I also have many other excellent names, such as Dowager, Empress Dowager, Empress Regnant, Holy Empress Zetian...

...so you may use any of those as well if the mood takes you.

That's...a lot to keep straight...

They say the name makes the person, so it seems like having too many variations may be a problem.

That is exactly the point. Once you get a better name, you become a better person.

Oh, yeah, good point! That's a nice way to think about it!

Still, I think it'd be easier if I go with the same name everyone else is using, so I'll just go with Wu Zetian!

Otherwise, I might mess it up and call you by the name of one of the people I met on my journey to the west!

Um, I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, but may I say something?

What is it?

Well, uh, I was wondering if you were doing okay, as we're going deeper and deeper into this cave where it looks like ghosts could pop out at any moment.

...

Why did you say that, you fool!? I was making idle chitchat specifically to avoid thinking about that, and you go and bring it to my attention!?

Oh, gosh, you're right. I'm sorry!

(Sigh) Now you've got me worrying about ghosts all over again, Zǐcài...

Now that you mention it, it is rather cool and damp in here. It reminds me of a grave.

There is no telling when a ghost could show up unannounced...

Exactly! Exactly, Chinese Empress!

Aaah! There's one now!

？！

...I am Pharaoh Nitocris, appearing before you in all my majesty as a goddess of the underworld!

Nitocris...?

Grrr! So YOU wrote that letter!

Just so we are clear up front: no, I did not.

Then...why are you here?

Well, to be honest, I was hired...because of reasons.

But don't think that makes me just another hired Servant!

I'm deadly serious about this, you know. That noble self-restraint... I was moved by their determination to grow in mind, if not in body...!

Oh, but right. I need to play my part as the queen of the dead right now.

...?

Ahem. Empress of the Far East, it is the will of mine own dead that has guided you here.

Be warned that my realm will suffer no cowards who fear ghosts to pass.

G-grrr. You know nothing about me! I am not afraid! ...I am not!

？！

Yeah, there's nothing to be scared of. I'm right here, and so's the Buddha's protection!

Hm? And you are...

I'm her travel companion! You know, it's a nice change of pace, me accompanying someone else for once!

Oh, I should double check. Um...I don't think I can do much about that cute little Medjed...

...but it's okay for me to be harsh with the other kids, right?

Hm? So you still like to fight with your fists even though you're a Caster, huh?

Well, if you think you're up to it, you're welcome to try. Just don't expect me to make it easy for you.

If you try to "pet" my darling dead with your thousand-palm slap, I'll just call up another ten thousand spirits from my mirror of darkness.

？！

Yes, I am. To be frank, I think Xuanzang Sanzang will have a tough time fighting alone.

Hmm. If you want to get past me...I think the empress herself might just have to pitch in.

She may hate dead spirits, but she is possessed of a powerful will. Casting her fears aside and standing tall is the only path forward.

(Why did she suddenly start giving us tips...?)

I-I... I...

...

(...I can't help but be afraid of ghosts.)

(I am all too familiar with the pain of the dead lingering in the palace, their grievances so numerous they can't even begin to give them voice.)

(After all, I am the one responsible for their deaths in my ascent to the top.)

(It would be stranger for there not to be ghosts. Any grievance powerful enough to take form to kill the living is bound to not look kindly upon me...)

(And yet...and yet...)

...

(Why did I go to such lengths?)

(...Because I was right! Why else?)

(It was what I needed to do to create a truly just country under my command.)

(And...)

(...one of my subjects is here as well.)

(Whether she realizes it or not, the fact that we were alive in the same time and place makes her my subject.)

(...Would a true empress let herself be seen cowering like a little girl in front of one of her subjects?)

(...No. Of course not!)

...V-v-v-very well! I-i-i-if it's a fight you want, it's a fight you shall get!

I will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am not afraid of ghosts! Come on! Bring as many as you like!

Wow, that's the spirit! Way to go!

...Hehehe. Then get ready, because here I come!

What is so funny!? H-h-here goes nothing! My Tortures will make any spirit pass on to the next world!

You know, when you take a step back, this conversation really seems kind of absurd... Anyway, I think we should help out too, Master!

Oh nooo, you got meee.

If your wooden performance didn't give the game away, that smile definitely did!

I don't know what you're talking about.

By the way, you'll find the one who sent the letter up ahead...but they're pretty much a pushover, so feel free to go ahead and take a victory lap if you want.

Nailed it, Nitocris! You did an outstanding job, if I do say so myself!

(Huff, huff...) S-so that's it? There aren't any more ghosts, right?

Phewww...

Keh heh heh! Well that turned out to be nothing worth fearing! Now you know what happens when you dare get in her Imperial Highness's way!

Are you okay, Wu Zetian? Are you sure your knees aren't still knocking a bit?

O-of course not! Not even a tiny bit!

Now come, our final destination is lies ahead! At long last, this impudent slanderer will know justice!

Wh-who's that...?

？！

...(Sigh). Now I think I see what is going on here.

No need to spell it out for me, Zǐcài and Pá Tù. ...No, Mash and Fujimaru.

I am aware it is time to put my own affairs in order. Come, we will talk more once this is taken care of.

Hmm? What's going on here?

This strange medicine bottle dropped from that shadowy version of you we just defeated...

Just as I thought. I know exactly what to do with it.

W-wait, Wu Zetian. Are you going to drink that? Are you sure that's a good idea...!?

...There shouldn't be any problem with that.

？！

My apologies. I took the liberty of following you here.

It's not part of my contract, but as the one who made that elixir, I felt it was only right to see it through to the end...

...Will drinking this do what I expect, Doctor?

Yes. It will restore the memories erased by drinking a potion of forgetfulness.

Hmph, I knew it. Very well then...

...Ahh.

？！

Of course I am sure!

For that matter, I already remember everything now anyway. I'm the one who sent that letter!

？！

Naturally I would recognize my own handwriting, so I employed someone else to write it for me, and even asked that Egyptian queen to help out as a villain.

Then, once all of those preparations were complete, I had that doctor there prepare both a potion to erase my memories and an antidote, and downed the former...

That's right. I created an elixir to erase her memories with pinpoint accuracy, and an elixir to restore them...

...entirely at her request.

B-but...why!?

Well...I suppose because I thought it was long past time that I faced my weakness and overcome it...

Ohhh, you mean your fear of ghosts?

That explains why the Egyptian queen seemed so happy about losing.

She does seem like she'd be enamored with the idea of a king training to be a better king.

And you know me: I'm all about training, so I think this is great! Congrats!

Stop that! I did not do this so you could praise me!

...I did all of this on a whim. A passing flight of fancy on my part.

You should be honored by the opportunity to join me on this adventure. I certainly will not be apologizing for dragging you along!

？！

I see, I see. Well, there is no denying that this slight improvement has made me a completely perfect empress in every way.

No doubt this will be an historical event that you shall remember and recount for the rest of your

Hm? It sounds like something's falling...

Fooou!

............

Gyaaah! A caaat!?

Fou!? What are you doing here!?

She also told me that ghosts alone would not suffice...so she planned to lure him here with the promise of ultra-premium pet food.

She must have set up a pitfall on the upper layer.

Although, given her extreme shock, it would seem the memory restoration elixir was imperfect. Or, perhaps she simply forgot about it. Hmm...

Whatever the case, it would appear she did not have sufficient mental fortitude remaining to face Fou.

？！

Ahh. Nice and dark, thoroughly damp, spacious while still feeling claustrophobic... It's just like being back in Kur.

This should be perfect for helping the Gallû Spirits stay in shape.

Now then, as the Queen of Kur, I suppose I'd better whip them into shape myself from time to time, or else they'll start to slack off something

More ghooosts!?

That sounded like it was Wu Zetian screaming somewhere way off...

H-huh? I know she's still working on cats, but I thought she's okay with ghosts now.

I imagine her earlier resilience was most likely the result of endorphins being produced in response to her extreme situation, which is to say: temporary.

Unfortunately...one's fears are not so easily overcome.

Well, uh...I guess we should go look for her then? We can't go back without her, after all.

Oh, then why don't you and Fujimaru go back now and let me take care of that?

Finding lost children is what we monks were made for! You know, besides the whole sutra thing.

？！

Nooo problem!

Phew... We finally made it back...

(Huff, huff...) Why? Why did King Darius have his undead Athanaton warriors brawl in that cave, TODAY of all days...?

I even saw the giant wolf and headless man taking a nap there, and the creepy old mountain man in that corner... Why today!? I didn't hire ANY of them!

It must have been the Buddha's guidance! I think he's got a thing for piling on extra trials like that!

Well, I did not ask him for help, either! Hmph...

By the way, on a different subject...

...now that it is just the two of us, there is something I would like to ask you, Xuanzang Sanzang.

Hm? What's up?

...What did you think of my Tang dynasty while you were alive?

I know it was officially Gaozong's dynasty, but that is merely a technicality.

Even if you were solely focused on the sutras you brought back from the west, surely you must have heard something in the way of rumors.

...Hmm.

I really didn't hear much more than rumors, but I think I heard you did some terrible things to people.

So as a servant of the Buddha, let me be clear.

One should never be cruel or unkind to others! For everything you do to them will be visited upon you!

...

...That said.

Sometimes, we try to do the right thing, and it still ends up turning out badly.

We are only human, you know.

Honestly...I'm not one to talk, since I'm still in training and make a ton of mistakes myself...

I can't be sure that what I do isn't making trouble for others, or isn't what others would consider to be bad. I still have so much training left to do...

...I believed that what I did was right. I believed it was the only way to create a proper, just nation.

That is why I did it. That much is absolutely true. ...I am even willing to swear to the Buddha.

Okay. In that case...I don't think I need to say anything more.

Because...I can't give you the answer you really want me to.

I'm a disciple of Buddha first and a citizen of Tang second. As they say, only Buddha knows for sure.

Hmph. That is all I wanted to hear in response to that meaningless, throwaway question. It was inconsequential. I expected nothing from it.

Yeah? Well good, it all works out, then!

Still, I'll say this. Seeing you come all this way, thinking this much about who you are and who you want to be...

...I think that's really amazing.

We're all just lost children doing our best to find our way forward. As long as you keep up your training like that, I think you'll be just fine!

Oh, and don't worry! If it looks like you're about to go down a dark path...

...I'll be there to pound the Buddha's proper teachings into you with all my heart and soul!

...Good grief. You enlightened monks are more trouble than I realized. I think I preferred the corrupt ones.

Haha... Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhisvaha...