Chapter 15: An Audience in the Rain

The sky was a leaden gray as rain began to fall. He walked on, making no move to shield himself with an umbrella.

…

Her words replayed in his mind.

Again and again, he recalled them, and each time, his fists clenched tighter.

(I couldn’t protect her. Yeah, that’s right.)

This was from a time before he was a sorcerer.

A time when he’d made a name for himself as a social misfit, feared as a walking mass of violence.

He met her, a girl of pure innocence.

Hiryuin Rindou. Though a sorcerer, she was a kind-hearted girl.

She looked frail, but she possessed a core of steel.

As he began to walk alongside her, he caught glimpses of her life as a sorcerer.

And then, she was taken by the Yukoku Clan. And her smile was stolen from her.

(I couldn’t protect her. I couldn’t protect Rindou. That’s why I…)

Shiga Inui, who should have been right there, could do nothing.

He was beaten, utterly defeated. By the time he awoke, she was there—devoid of all emotion, like a doll.

He felt his powerlessness, felt his despair, felt his weakness.

(I became what I am so that would never happen again.)

Normally, witnessing such a tragedy would be enough to break anyone’s spirit.

And yet, Shiga Inui clenched his fist.

He threw himself into battle, even knowing he was facing an unbeatable foe.

All to take back what had been stolen—what he should never have been able to get back.

And in the end, he destroyed the Yukoku Clan and obtained their arts.

Ironically, by branding the very principles of the hateful Yukoku Clan’s arts onto his own body.

(Strength is power. The ones with power get what they want. This is the truth I live by as a sorcerer.)

With this power, he can protect what is precious to him.

But as long as he has this power, she will never smile at him again.

Faced with this impossible dilemma, Shiga Inui fell into despair.

Accepting that outcome made him the man he is today.

(So it can’t be helped. The reason she won’t open her heart to me… is because I’m the same as the Yukoku.)

Time, once carved, cannot be reset.

If he didn’t want to lose what was precious, he had no choice but to keep wielding this power, no matter how sullied he became.

(There’s nothing to be done about it. So if that’s the case… I just have to see it through, right…?)

In the rain.

A car kept pace with him as he walked.

Shiga Inui had been aware of the car beside him for some time.

The window slid open, revealing a face.

“…So, who are you?”

Shiga Inui stopped walking and spoke.

The man—clearly no ordinary person—offered a greeting from inside the car.

“Hello. I am Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei. I came here today to meet you, Inui-kun.”

The current head of the Tsuchikurenai-ke, Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei himself, was addressing Shiga Inui directly.

Shiga Inui showed no particular surprise at his appearance and began to speak.

“I’d like to tell you to knock off the familiarity and stop using my given name without asking…”

Perhaps he was feeling down, or maybe he just wanted a distraction.

“Fine. I’ll humor you and listen to your nonsense for a bit.”

He decided to speak with the man from the Tsuchikurenai-ke, a man who would likely be his enemy.

At his words, Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei looked pleased and opened the car door.

Well, he didn’t open it; the door opened automatically, like a taxi’s.

“Thank you. You’re more agreeable than the rumors suggest… Get in. It’s a bit of a drive.”

At that, Shiga Inui got into the man’s car.

The interior was quiet. A driver was at the wheel and another person sat in the passenger seat.

In the back, Shiga Inui settled in next to Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei.

After several tens of minutes, they arrived at a derelict department store.

The store, devoid of any human presence, was scheduled for demolition.

However, the scheduled date had long since passed, and it remained standing.

Its demolition was on hold, the next scheduled date listed as “undetermined.”

The power, however, was still on.

They took an elevator to the roof, where Shiga Inui and Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei stepped out into the open air once more.

A table and chairs were set up under a parasol.

Nearby, two women in maid outfits stood perfectly still.

The women beckoned them to sit, and once they were settled, Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei requested tea.

When the tea was brought and placed before him, Shiga Inui stared at the liquid in the coffee cup as if it were mud.

“This tea was made by a sorcerer in my service. A special brew that can restore stamina and enhance one’s power… Its taste is foul enough to drive your tongue mad, but once you get used to it, it becomes rather addictive.”

Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei’s movements were elegant as he drank without a sound.

Shiga Inui lifted his coffee cup and poured its contents onto the ground.

“Cautious, aren’t we… Proof that you don’t trust others.”

A smile playing on his lips, Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei rested an elbow on the table.

“Now then… shall I get straight to the point? Why don’t you join me and conquer this Sorcerer War?”

He stated his business.

Hearing such a direct question, Shiga Inui snorted.

“A tempting plan. Whether or not I’ll join is another matter, though.”

He seemed to have no intention of listening to the man’s proposal.

Still, Hyakurei seemed to have expected as much.

“Oh? From where I’m standing, you’re already on our side, Inui-kun.”

He said Shiga Inui’s full name.

Being called by his name by another man was usually unpleasant, yet strangely, he felt no such emotion now.

“A sorcerer’s true desire is to follow their own ambition and dominate all. If not for that, there would be no reason for everyone to be fighting in this Sorcerer War, would there?”

The very meaning of a sorcerer’s existence.

It is to monopolize the almighty flow of energy known as the Dragon Veins, which have existed in this land since ancient times.

For that purpose, they have fought continuously, and to this day, that desire has never been fulfilled.

“To fight, to satisfy one’s own desires, and what awaits beyond that is the unification of all sorcerers. Do that, and you can obtain the Dragon Veins that dwell in this land.”

It is something that everyone born a sorcerer dreams of.

To achieve the unification of sorcerers and claim the Dragon Veins is a feat of immense difficulty.

“The Dragon Veins are an almighty source that would allow one to master this entire world. If you could supply your body with that energy indefinitely, you could infinitely expand the potential of your arts. It is, in effect, the fulfillment of any desire.”

That was the blessing to be gained from obtaining the Dragon Veins.

Sorcerers command a power called “flow” to use their arts.

If their flow runs out, their arts become unusable.

The Dragon Veins are a near-infinite energy that streams from the earth itself.

If a single sorcerer were to monopolize it, they could expand the potential of their arts and obtain power close to omnipotence.

In essence, they could grant their own wishes.

However, no one has ever achieved this monopoly.

“The reason it hasn’t been achieved in the last few hundred years is that half-assed sorcerers have been running rampant, satisfying their half-baked desires and failing to bring about the unification of all sorcerers… In other words, they’re a bunch of losers whose dreams have been crushed.”

With their arts and their own flow, most wishes can be granted.

Becoming filthy rich, controlling others—a skilled sorcerer can achieve such things.

When that happens, their greed is satisfied, and they tend to maintain the status quo.

Thus, while many dream, few actually try to make the ultimate dream a reality.

“But I am different. I will bring all sorcerers to heel and obtain the Dragon Veins! When I do, I can create the world I desire—a world where every human being prostrates themselves before me, reveres me, and treats me as a god!”

As Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei spoke joyfully of his own desires, Shiga Inui dismissed it all as pathetic.

“And you think I’m going to help with that?”

Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei nodded at his words.

“Oh, I do. The Hiryuuin-ke… I hear it has many rather domineering women. It’s ridiculous that a man of your caliber would be subservient to women who are inferior to you in strength.”

He looked Inui in the eye.

He continued to speak selfishly, as if to say you and I are the same.

“You really want to violate them, don’t you? Pull their hair, mark their bodies with your teeth, and stomp on their heads as they beg for forgiveness on their hands and knees, right?”

The Hiryuuin-ke.

He claimed he couldn’t forgive the fact that a man like Shiga Inui was being used by women of that level.

“Your true heart is the same as ours. And you can’t deny it. Come over to our side, Inui.”

Slowly, he extended a hand.

Shiga Inui stared silently at the arm, offered as if to a brother-in-arms.

It was true.

Considering Shiga Inui’s power.

The fact that he was being used by the Hiryuuin-ke was probably absurd.

In the world of sorcerers, the strong become kings.

Yet he stands on the front lines, fighting, constantly brushing against death.

Is that the proper way for the strong to act?

The truly strong are those who use the weak, treating them like disposable pawns.

At least, that was what Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei believed.

…

Looking into his eyes, Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei was sure of it: this man would surely be won over.

Convinced that with one more push—one more reason for him to join their side—he would surely betray the Hiryuuin-ke, he spoke.

“Are you hesitating…? That is an emotion unbecoming of a sorcerer. If you are a sorcerer, then be obedient. I will set you free.”

With those words, the maids stepped in front of Shiga Inui.

Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei snapped his fingers, and the maids began to remove their clothes, becoming completely naked.

…

And upon seeing their naked bodies, Shiga Inui’s gaze was riveted.

Tattoos were carved into their flesh.

They were drawn like lewd crests, and engraved within them was Shiga Inui’s name.

As if their very existence was for Shiga Inui’s sake.

“Now, he is your new master. You can do what I told you, can’t you?”

On their bodies, an inerasable name was carved into their flesh.

“My name is Kammuri… I will devote myself to you…”

“I am Tsunoi… I am… skilled at licking feet… so please, use me to your heart’s content.”

They neatly folded their clothes and pressed their heads against the dirty ground.

Seeing them biting back their humiliation, tears welling in their eyes, Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei clapped his hands and laughed.

“Yes, very well said! What do you think? Exquisite women, are they not? Use them as you please. I don’t even mind if you kill them.”

Seeing the state they were in,

Shiga Inui’s scowl finally broke, and a sound escaped him.

“Haha.”

He laughed.

Hearing that tone, Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei was delighted, certain his gift had worked.

“So this is a sorcerer. Yeah, you’re right. This is a sight unbecoming of a sorcerer.”

Shiga Inui spoke words that seemed to affirm Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei’s actions.

The reaction was better than he could have imagined. For a moment, a genuine smile spread across Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei’s face.

“You understand, don’t you?”

Still laughing, Shiga Inui tucked his sunglasses away into his jinbei.

Then, looking at the man’s face, he slowly extended a hand.

“Yeah. I didn’t really get most of what you were saying, but… oh, I see. So that’s what you’re about.”

The moment Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei, mistaking it for a handshake, reached out his own hand—

“If you wanna get killed by me, just say so.”

—Inui clenched his hand into a fist and swung at Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei’s face.

However, the fist cut through empty air. The maids, who had been standing nearby, restrained Shiga Inui, causing his attack to miss.

Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei stumbled out from under the parasol, getting soaked by the rain.

Seeing the rage on his face, he knew he had failed.

At the same time, he watched, seemingly unable to comprehend why the man was angry.

“…What did I do wrong?”

As Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei tilted his head and asked, Shiga Inui informed him.

“No matter how sweet you make the offer… my way of doin’ things ain’t gonna change.”

He shoved the women aside.

Their bodies were under Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei’s control, moving to protect him.

Somehow, that fact seemed to really piss him off.

“I’m the one who screws the women and kills the bastards. Not you.”

To live as a sorcerer.

That is what Shiga Inui decided.

And he decided to be the one who takes.

Therefore, to receive from others is nothing but charity.

That goes against the path Shiga Inui walks.

“So then… why the hell should I have to accept your damn leftovers?”

He didn’t like it.

More than anything, he was being looked down on.

Treated as an inferior.

He didn’t like that.

Growing irritated, Shiga Inui glared and raised his fists.

“The deal is, you’ll let me screw the women you’ve already claimed, so I should join your little crew, right? Who the hell do you think you are?”

He released his flow.

Shiga Inui was now completely in a battle stance.

Reacting to his flow, the maids took their own stances.

“The idea of me serving under you makes me want to puke.”

As a sorcerer.

Shiga Inui wields violence.

But he has already decided in his heart who he wields it for.

“My only king is the Hiryuuin-ke. Nothin’ else matters… That’s the whole reason I became a sorcerer.”

Everything he did, every punch he threw, was to make the Hiryuuin-ke the kings of this land.

He had no interest in anything else. That was Shiga Inui’s guiding principle.

“So… what I’m trying to say is,”

He pointed at Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei and raised his voice to a throat-tearing roar.

“You think I’m gonna stand by silently while you mock my people, you dumbass?!”

All of those outrageous, abusive words about wanting to dominate, humiliate, and subjugate the people of the Hiryuuin-ke.

As their retainer, he could not let it slide.

Hearing his words, Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei ran a hand through his hair.

What had he done wrong? What had the man not liked?

He heard the words, understood them… and then forgot it all.

“I’ve gotten wet…”

Though there was no wind, the rain was falling heavily.

Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei liked the rain.

But he did not like getting wet.

He hated that his appearance, superior to all others, could be ruined by a single downpour.

He was filling with rage.

“My handsome face is ruined, isn’t it…? Why would you do something so cruel…? There can’t be another man as cruel as you… Inui.”

Soaked by the rain, Tsuchikurenai Hyakurei was crying.

But in the downpour, it was impossible to tell which drops were tears.