“B̲i̲t̲c̲h̲! How dare you attack me, an inspector?! K-Ka…” The obese inspector almost pulled out the katana secured at his waist in an attempt to intimidate the woman who had stopped him with her katana’s sheath, but he was left dumbfounded when he saw who it was that he had just cursed, “Y-You are…”
The inspector looked at the tall and long-legged, slim and full-bosomed, long-haired, red-dressed maiden who wielded a nodachi…
“Kagami Lily?!” The inspector’s expression morphed.
“Yes, it’s me,” Lily stated indifferently.
A layer of cold sweat formed on the obese inspector’s forehead as his face changed colors. Although most of the samurai and officials of the East hadn’t seen Kagami Lily, almost all of them had heard rumors of her.
This inspector had also heard of the woman known as Kagami Lily as there were rumors about her hitting an inspector. The rumors told that although she looked like a goddess, she was actually vicious and merciless, and also quite impulsive as well, that she ignored the consequences whenever she acted and took action first before reporting, and that she had beaten an inspector, Lord Nagasaki, so badly that he was on bedrest for half-a-month.
The inspector knew that she wasn’t a woman who followed common sense1.
He had heard that she was pretty violent back then, and there were also unconfirmed rumors that she had matched the combination of Takeda and Tokugawa in strength all alone recently!
If this rumor were really true, it would place her strength just below Lord Kamakura, so he would have nowhere to seek justice even if he got beat up by her right now as strength was almost equal to status in the East.
He had also heard that she had severe violent tendencies2!
The inspector’s legs began to wobble so much that they almost failed his obese body, “Ka, no, so it was you, Lady Lyn-hime… hahaha… it’s a misunderstanding, I tell you, a misunderstanding. I was just admonishing this useless sword instructor and didn’t know that you were here, Lady Lyn-hime. I wonder what command you have?”
Lily was clearly decades younger than him and of an inferior rank, but the inspector still treated Lily quite politely as he was terrified of her and didn’t want to become the second Nagasaki.
Lily curled her hair behind her ear gently, “Lord Inspector, so you’re telling me that you were admonishing my sword instructor just now?”
“Eh?!” The inspector felt a shiver pass through him. Lily had become pretty strong and stood at the apex of the East in terms of strength, so even he had long forgotten that Lily was connected to this dojo and only remembered it just now. As such, he waved his hands anxiously and tried to make up an excuse, “N-No, it’s all a misunderstanding! I was just joking with Instructor Sakiko!3”
“Joking?” Lily’s gaze turned cold, “So, you subjected my instructor to this kind of public humiliation all for a joke?”
The powerful aura coming off from Lily made the inspector kneel down immediately.
He kowtowed towards Sakiko hurriedly, “Instructor Sakiko, I’ve really offended you and feel extremely apologetic for it! Please forgive me for the offense!”
Sakiko’s eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the desperate inspector. Her strength was actually much higher than the inspector’s, but she couldn’t go against him. However, it wasn’t the same for Lily as she gave no regard for the consequences no matter how severe the incident was, and oppressive officials like this inspector were actually most terrified of running across unreasonable people like her.
“About disbanding the dojo…” Sakiko began.
“I said that in a fit of anger! Just treat it as if I haven’t said it!”
“Hmph! That better be right,” Lily stepped forth and came in front of the inspector.
The inspector also wore a significantly relieved smile, “Hehe. Lady Lyn-hime, didn’t I say it was all just a misunder—”
“Bam!” Lily lifted her foot and sent the inspector flying immediately with a kick, making him arc over the wall of disciples and roll across the floor like a meatball before crashing through the dojo’s hall, leaving a hole behind on it.
Sakiko and the disciples were left stunned.
The inspector’s eyes rolled back, and his mouth frothed as he reached his last gasp, “W-Why did you still hit me…”
“The kick was for disrespecting Lord Minamoto no Yoshitsune openly,” Lily stated icily.
“Ah…” As I thought, this woman is really unpredictable and even highly violent on top of that. The inspector lost consciousness after having such thoughts.
Meanwhile, Lily helped Sakiko stand up, “Instructor, why is the dojo allowing someone like this to lord over it?”
“The dojo has fallen apart ever since the excursion incident and the Tokugawa faction’s withdrawal post their injuries, it’s no longer the same as before. The current situation is pretty messy on top of that, and everything is under the inspectors’ control, even the wages which haven’t been given out in a good while. The disciples haven’t even received magatama these past two months.”
Lily felt ashamed as the dojo had brought glory to her yet had to some extent declined because of her.
“Instructor Sakiko, there’s still one match left in the competition with the Taira clan’s dojo, right?” Lily asked while holding Sakiko’s hand.
“Yes. Unfortunate as it is, we’ve lost 7 matches in a row, and I fear it’ll be difficult for our team’s captain, Kondo, to prevail over their vanguard, Takada Oka, who’s the second strongest in their dojo,” Sakiko shook her head powerlessly, “An 8-0 outcome, the inspector’s fury is quite justifiable.”
“It absolutely won’t end in an 8-0 outcome, Instructor Sakiko,” Lily chuckled.
“But… huh?” Sakiko’s eyes lit up as she looked at Lily.
On the next day, samurai from the Taira clan, Minamoto clan and other samurai clans of the East had all convened at the drum-lined arena constructed over the open space at the trijunction before the Kamakura Mansion in order to spectate the final match of the competition.
The samurai leaders, such as Taira no Kagemori, Ashikaga Makoto and the like, oversaw the arena ahead of them while sitting on an elevated platform with the flags of the various families hoisted all around them.
The drums boomed as the fierce-looking, tall and muscular Takada Oka climbed onto the arena with a wooden sword in hand.
The other seven participating students from the Taira clan’s Eastern Main Dojo were lined up in a row underneath the arena in high spirits.
“How come the boy from the Genji hasn’t dared to come yet? I’ll make Kondo, that pretty boy, kneel and beg for forgiveness today!” Takada Oka shouted after climbing the arena.
“Here comes the captain of the Genji Dojo!” The samurai in-charge of the announcements yelled out along with the drumming sounds.
Takada Oka turned around with a grin, yet he ended up seeing a red-dressed woman climb onto the arena with a wooden katana in hand.
“How come they’ve sent a sexy woman instead of Genji Dojo’s Kondo? Do they intend to compete with me or appeal to me? Hahahahahahaha!” Takada Oka broke into loud laughter with his arms akimbo after seeing Lily.
However, the crowd quietened down gradually and the people who jeered along with him in the past wore solemn expressions now after whispering into each other’s ear.
Taira no Kagemori also called out to Ashikaga Makoto upon seeing this development, “Madam Ashikaga, this is…”
“We aren’t cheating as she’s really a disciple of my Genji’s Eastern Main Dojo. Furthermore, she has the shortest duration of student experience among all the other competitors,” Ashikaga Makoto chuckled.
Taira no Kagemori’s expression turned unsightly in the next moment.
Lily slighted Takada Oka and looked towards the seven Taira clan competitors below while flinging her hair back, “Why don’t you come at me all at once? My time is quite limited.”
“What?! A-Are you sane, woman? Did the Genji Dojo really send you as the captain? I won’t forgive you if you’re here to stir up trouble intentionally!” Takada Oka stepped forth and raised his hand up in an attempt to intimidate her with a slap to the face.
However, the drums began drumming again once the competition’s presider and the staff below confirmed the facts, “I request the two sides to retreat from each other as the match between Taira clan Dojo’s vanguard, Takada Oka, and Genji Dojo’s captain, Kagami Lily, will begin now.”
“What?!”
Takada Oka’s expression petrified when he heard Kagami Lily’s name4.
…
Later in the morning, Ashikaga Makoto, Sakiko and Lily had tea and snacks together in the Genji Dojo’s water pavilion where Lily used to reside in the past.
Makoto intended to invite Lily to the Ashikaga Hall, but Lily insisted on seeing the pavilion where she used to train within the dojo.
“Hehe,” Even someone as mature as Sakiko was unable to hold her laughter back, “The expressions of Taira clan’s eight disciples were really wonderful when they heard Lily’s name.”
“Who would’ve thought that they would actually concede all the matches when it was an eight versus one situation,” Ashikaga Makoko also smiled.
“You can’t blame them for it. Lily is someone who was able to match Lord Tokugawa Shigemori and Lord Takeda Tsunenobu’s strength all alone, so even those reckless disciples wouldn’t dare to compete with her,” Sakiko stated.
Ashikaga Makoko looked at Lily, “It’s really quite incredible. I wonder what exactly you eat to have become so well-developed, Lily?”
“Eh?!” Lily blushed after noticing that Makoto’s eyes were fixed on her bosom.
“Hehe. I hope you don’t take it the wrong way. I was just wondering what fortunes you’ve had to experience such rapid growth?”
“All samurai have their secrets, so you needn’t explain it, Lily. To be honest, the stronger you are, the happier we feel for you,” Sakiko stated while patting Lily’s thigh.
However, Sakiko became despondent again in the next moment, “Unfortunate as it is, even though Lily was able to become the voice of the dojo today, I’m afraid that it’ll be hard to keep the Genji Dojo running in such chaotic times.”
“Instructor Sakiko, if you’re willing to, why not come to my Sakura Blossom Valley?” “Sakura Blossom Valley?” “Yes…”
Makoto and Sakiko weren’t outsiders. Thus, even though Lily hid the matter of the ore vein from them, she told them that she had found a picturesque and secluded valley for herself.
Even Makoto felt tempted after hearing the details.
“I’m willing,” Sakiko stated, “If we look at the members of the East’s Genji, the people who still respect Lord Kurou in these times are really few now. On the other hand, you’ve never forgotten your roots even now, Lily. I’m really quite disappointed with the current state of the world, so why wouldn’t I be willing to move into such a secluded valley? You have to provide me with wages though, Lily!”
“Hehe. I’ll naturally hire you in good faith, Instructor.”
“Madam Makoto, Instructor Sakiko, I plan to journey out soon and leave for Kansai,” Lily stated solemnly.
“Lily, you’re no longer the rising talent of the past and have enough strength now, so I don’t plan to stop you from proceeding with a decision that you must’ve taken after careful deliberation. However, you still need to maintain utmost caution even as you are now since the slightest negligence might land you in unthinkable danger on the journey to Kansai.”
Lily’s gaze turned sterner as she gave a firm nod.
“I know the journey to Kansai is rife with unknown dangers, but I’ve been preparing for this journey since a long time ago. I also learned that Sister Uesugi has long left for Kansai, so I have no choice but to go regardless of the dangers.”
Ashikaga Makoto showed a somewhat reluctant expression to Lily, but she still nodded in the end.
“By the way, Kiyoshi advanced troops towards Owari recently, so you need to be more careful if you plan to pass through the frontline, Lily. If you run into his forces, help me pass these words onto him, that it’s best to quit while one is ahead lest curiosity kills the cat. It’s not like I haven’t reminded him of this, but my words had no effect on that hot-blooded youth. I hope he would at least be willing to listen to you.”
“Eh?” Lily failed to understand why Madam Ashikaga thought that Kiyoshi would listen to her, but she still affirmed.
The skilled Sakiko entrusted her resignation letter to Madam Ashikaga so that it’s passed onto the officials in the imperial palace and bid her farewell before she began packing her travel luggage. She then left for Sakura Blossom Valley along with Lily at night on horseback. As for her other belongings, she arranged for them to be delivered to Takeshita Town and planned to have the Saionji’s caravan deliver it to her later on.
