Through the Eyes of the Dragon

Chapter 17.5

Chapter 17.5 - Decision

"DAMMIT CHOUSO! What the hell?!" Masamune snarled, punching his general hard and watching with satisfaction as he took the blow with no complaints.

Sitting on his knees, Tatsuya rubbed his throbbing cheek a bit, sensing the discomfort of the Acquans seated behind him. "Yes, about that, Masa, I just happened to be there when Ashina notified me so I felt it necessary to take matters into my own-" he started before his lord cut him off.

"I don't give a s-, crap about that! I'm just pissed that you made me do all those embarrassing things to make you feel better about your brat brother's death!" Masamune shot back, pacing the back of the War Room impatiently.

A small snicker escaped Shun at that mention and Tatsuya had to shoot him a glare to keep him quiet. "Masa, can we not talk about that now? ... We have guests," he hissed. Tsunamoto nodded his agreement in his peripherals, slightly adding to his growing irritation.

Slumping himself down on a mat with an angry huff, Masamune scowled at his generals before redirecting his attention to the men waiting on trial. "... So, they wanna have refuge and whatnot, right? So why are we holding this thing?! My policy is that we let any outcasts in so long as they agree to the laws and such, right? And with Acqua in the shambles it's in, all the better for them," he grumbled, fingers drumming his kotatsu impatiently.

"Yes, but the preparations we have to make in order to house them will be pricey... and I don't think Evangeline will be ignorant of their presence for long," General Oniniwa reminded him, leaning his head against one arm tiredly.

"Plus, I doubt we have many citizens willing to give quarters to foreigners..." General Mizuki added with a frown.

Standing up, Norishige flushed slightly at all the eyes before clearing his throat to speak. "Um... we don't need some fancy place. Honest, you can just give us some blankets or something and we'll try to be good boys and girls," he offered, taking care to switch to the Aerosian dialect to show his ability to translate.

"Yes, we could set up tents... similar to settlement camps and such," General Tachibana agreed, his hopeful gaze flicking to his lord.

Pondering their options, Masamune gave a little nod of approval, seeing no real harm in their propositions. "Alright, that's fine with me. But until you guys are ready to return home, I'm gonna have to make it a condition that you all work to earn your food. Just some field work is fine," he confirmed without raising his head to look at them.

Having been holding his breath, Norishige let out a long sigh, sinking to his feet. Unfortunately, he knew the interrogations had only just begun.

"Sanada Nobushige... also known as Yukimura or Genjiro. Namikawa tells me the pirates saved you from being wrongly thrown into jail. Some clarification, please?" the Aerosian lord continued, motioning for him to rise.

Getting to his feet, Genjiro stared at the ground for a bit, unsure where to begin. "May I ask... what Ignis's current condition is?" he started off, his voice hushed as he debated where to begin.

"... Takenaka Hanbei was confirmed dead just earlier today. That was why Lord Masamune was unable to meet with you all earlier; Ignis has become completely overrun with mercenary forces, and floods of lesser lords appeared on our borders pleading for refuge. Similar to yourselves," General Mogami replied as he unraveled a scroll and began to point out different locations, "Therefore, it is highly likely that our commercial alliance will be dissolved... Leaving only three of the five kingdoms stable enough for war."

Sighing at the dreadful news, Genjiro shook his head sadly, eyes filled with guilt. "If only I had come out about it sooner... perhaps this would have never happened," he groaned, holding his head in his hands in shame, "It was Akechi Mitsuhide that hired the mercenaries to kidnap me from Ignis and prevent me from becoming a minister there. Rather, he knew if I were to have taken the position... that it would make bending the government in his favour much more difficult. Ishida is weak; he has no will of his own..."