The cold, damp sea breeze carried the scent of salt and rust. A few clumps of withered reeds trembled in the wind. The tidal flat stretched into the distance. The view was a misty sky that blurred the far-off horizon, but the enemy on the ground was still clearly visible.
"So the resistance army has only gathered this many people?" Kujou Masahito, the eldest son of the Kujou clan, sat on his horse, looking at the battlefield before him. Seeing the resistance army, with no proper standard-issue weapons and not even a decent leader, the general let out a cold snort. Just a rabble. Fits my stereotype of those western barbarians perfectly.
"Don't be careless. There may be an ambush," Kujou Sara said, riding up beside him to remind him.
"You're right. Send the vanguard to probe first. If there are no problems, then we press the main force forward," he ordered. The vanguard charged at the enemy. "To advance as quickly as possible, I'll return to the warship first." He turned his horse and headed back, leaving Sara to issue commands in his stead.
The resistance army collapsed just as they had expected. Even the vanguard suffered few casualties, and most of the enemy was annihilated. Only a few who had fled early were not pursued. Not a fight to the death, nor an immediate collapse… was I being too suspicious? Kujou Sara, who had been watching the battlefield closely, no longer had any doubts. She rode her horse to the shore.
Seeing a warship approach, she pulled in her legs, stood on the saddle, launched herself into the air, spread her black wings, and landed steadily on the deck.
It was still early, and the morning sea fog had not yet dissipated. Morale was high. If they were to cowardly wait for the weather to clear, the soldiers' morale would be affected—plus, given the enemy's performance just now, Kujou Masahito roared, "Advance!"
The ships set sail, heading for Watatsumi Island. The wind was favorable, and the sailing ships quickly approached the island. But when they were not far from the coast, they felt a change in the wind's direction. "The wind has changed! Furl the sails quickly!"
As the sailors were furling the sails, a rain of arrows accurately aimed at Masahito's ship. The sudden, unannounced attack caught the Tenryou Commission off guard. Masahito and the other soldiers hurriedly raised their swords to block. "Still trying to resist?" Their attention was all on the sky, and they naturally ignored the crisis at sea.
A boat filled with dry grass slowly approached from the sea. The people on board quickly set the hay on fire after getting close, then leaped into the sea, disappearing underwater with their advantage as people of the sea. The small boat was pushed forward by the wind and waves, the flames burning the dry grass, which gave off a smell of fuel.
"Report! A burning boat is approaching from below!"
By the time the Tenryou Commission realized it, it was too late. The fire had already started from below Masahito's ship and, with the help of the wind, had spread to the entire vessel in a flash.
"I'll go help—" A Hydro Vision holder by Sara's side immediately reported and braved the arrow rain to provide support.
At the same time, the sound of a massive number of troops moving came from the shore. The sound of drums and battle cries echoed even before the ships reached the shore.
"An ambush?" Kujou Sara, who had been worried about this, ordered the remaining ships to hold their position and had her men raise their shields to defend against a possible arrow rain like the other ship had faced.
"Water!" The Vision holder, upon landing, immediately used his elemental power to extinguish the fire on the ship, shouting, "The rest of you, raise your shields! If you can't, get in the water!"
At this crucial moment, he saw a streak of brown light flash past. A meteor? No, it's an arrow infused with elemental power—
The arrow was fierce. Unlike the other arrows, which were mostly fired in arcs, this one was powerful and had a clear target, obviously aimed at the most important person. "Look out!"
There was no time for anyone to dodge. He could only use his own body to shield Kujou Masahito.
…
"The general was attacked, and it's highly likely the enemy had already locked onto him. Plus, with the enemy in the dark and their numbers and equipment unknown, that's why the Tenryou Commission chose to retreat."
After Muramasa finished telling his synthesized story, he noticed that no one was responding. Hm? Did the story disappoint them… Though he was a little uneasy, he didn't show it and just waited for their reply.
"Well, it's certainly logical…" Ayaka was the first to nod, but then a cold wind blew. It carried no malice, so he let it pass over him, only feeling his candle extinguish.
Then…
"Waaah—"
"Hoo, hoo…"
Two sounds, one big and one small, came from his side, and then two soft, jade-like bodies pounced on him. Muramasa felt his cheek being pressed by two soft mounds, and a head suddenly appeared at his waist.
"What are you two doing all of a sudden?" Muramasa was not surprised. A blush spread across his face in the darkness, but he tried to ask in a normal tone.
"You're not scared?!" Yoimiya, who had been so proud of her plan, sounded a little mournful. The soft thing pressed against his cheek retreated.
"It didn't work after all…" The white head at his waist didn't retreat immediately, but instead rubbed against him in frustration.
After a bit of a commotion, the lights were finally lit again. The two pranksters were dejected, but Ayaka sat on the side, unable to hide her smile. "It seems you two will have to try harder next time~"
"It's Muramasa who's not playing fair," Hailing said, puffing out her cheeks, though she wasn't really angry. Yoimiya, who loved to stir up trouble, also chimed in, "That's right, that's right!"
"You two…" Muramasa had no way of dealing with these two mischievous girls and just shook his head. But his mind was on something else: Come to think of it, my story was the only one that didn't get a comment…
"Well, it's getting late today. I had a wonderful time chatting with you all. I hope we can have such an opportunity again next time." She gracefully stood up, patted her clothes, and smiled, about to say goodbye.
"Are you leaving? I didn't hear a carriage." When they had arrived, the two had come by vehicle, but now, he didn't hear a similar sound.
"Indeed. The time I told them was actually a little later." Her smile was still serene, but her gaze was a little embarrassed as she looked away. "Let's just say, it's a little whim of mine~"
At this hour, for the young lady of the Kamisato Clan to return home alone would surely not be accepted. So she thought of a way to leave at a different time? Muramasa looked at her and made his own guess: Having a rare chance to have fun with others, even if she can't stay longer, she wants to savor this small joy on her own… can't be helped.
"Then, how about I walk you back? It's not good for a girl to walk alone at night."
-------
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