Act Four: Remedy for Intoxication, Part Four

This looks to be the end of this floor...

Okay, that's far enough. I think we'd better take it from here, okay?

I can't say I approve of eavesdropping. One cannot truly immerse the listener in a tale unless the story is being told face-to-face...

I had no intention of showing myself here.

My only purpose was to see what sort of state our guests were in.

But...it is as I suspected. You may be following the letter of the law, but the spirit is completely absent.

You two are no longer Ooku attendants, and the boy only appears to be intoxicated.

？！

...(Cough) It is hard to believe you made it this far while forsaking drink and banquet alike.

How did you do it...

If you find it that puzzling, maybe you should have a few drinks yourself. It might at least help with your worry lines.

Even if you can't hold your liquor, you could still substitute with a cup of tea and a tasty snack.

Earnestness is an admirable quality, but you'll never win people over if you don't occasionally have fun with them.

...Ha. I would gladly imbibe myself if necessary. I only refrain in order to fulfill my task of ensuring that others drink.

I see... Hehe. So you are not here to stop us...

...but only to see how Master is doing.

Why, that makes it sound as though you are more concerned with our current condition than with the fact that we have managed to come so far.

That, in turn, suggests that you do not care how far we penetrate into the labyrinth...

...but only whether or not we have been breaking each floor's precept, yes?

...

We have already determined that this Ooku has a connection to the five precepts.

Thus, I will ask you only once. Nobutsuna, are you certain you do not know Kama's true objective?

Whatever hasty reasoning may have caused you to go over to her side, you are still the man once known as Wise Izu.

If there is an answer to this mystery, surely you must have realized it.

...A foolish question if ever there was one. Even if I have realized her goal, why would I share that information now?

Indeed, it would be especially worthless and troublesome to share that with ones clearly more foolish than myself.

That sounds like you do know it. Come on, why not just tell us while we're all here then?

Whatever this goal is, it's obviously important enough to you to turn us into your pawns and use us to make others to drink.

So come on, tell us. After what you put us through, don't we have a right to know?

...(Cough) Do not make me repeat myself. The signs are already there.

If you still fail to understand, it is only because you have overlooked them. At this point, I can do little else but laugh.

...

Still, I am glad that I need no longer talk around the precepts. That will make things much simpler for me.

There is only one thing this floor requires of you: intoxication. Fail to drink to excess, and you will die.

You may have been able to deceive everything else on this floor, but you will have no such luck with these guards.

Oh my, two of them? Really, isn't that a bit excessive?

This is certainly one way to enforce your mandate of intoxication, but it is so...inelegant.

(Sigh) It's left me so...turned off.

Nobutsuna. If you will not share what you know, then we have nothing more to discuss. Stand down, or be slain.

Of course I will stand down. It is not my job to fight you, but theirs.

But first, let me warn you of just one more thing, so as to avoid any more foolish questions.

Resistance is futile. Really, truly futile. None of you can hope to defy Lady Kama.

This very Ooku was made to have you succumb. Sooner or later, you will find yourselves unable to progress unless you give in to depravity.

？！

After all...who do you think placed these corridors and staircases to begin with?

It is only thanks to these staircases that you are able to make your way further and further inside.

The way down could have been a pitfall, or a line of spears, but instead, you need merely contend with stairs.

Why? Because that is what Lady Kama decided. There is no greater significance, nor does there need to be.

This is no different.

Lady Kama decided all these paths ahead of time, and there is no way you can go against them.

Once you decided to delve into the Ooku, Lady Kama already had you exactly where she wanted. All you can do now is resign yourselves to your fate...

Aah! You just did it again!

How dare you say your piece and walk off without giving us a chance to respond!? I know I raised you better than that!

Get back here right now, Lord Nobutsuna, or you'll be going to bed without your supper again!

As I suspected, it would seem we have no choice but to defeat these creatures before we can proceed.

Shinkageryu is not meant for party tricks, but it should be well suited to bring the festivities to an end...

It's another pillbox. This one says "Yoshimune."

I...I know that name. It must have belonged to Abaren-Boy Yoshimune...!

He was a very good king.

He did have a bad habit of dressing up like a commoner and slipping out of his castle...

...but that is nothing his highness Harun al-Rashid hasn't done before either.

Perhaps that is just how people of noble birth like to relax...

Anyway, it looks like there's no one stopping us from moving on to the next floor now.

Hang on just a little more, Master. I'll undo your drunken state once we get there, okay?

Sounds like something someone who's drunk off their ass would say.

？！

If my theory is correct, then we have two large floors ahead of us, one for each of the remaining precepts.

That would put us on the home stretch of our little marathon session, so to speak. Do be careful, everyone...