âWhy have I always been surrounded by blood and souls ever since I came to this otherworld?â
âIf Senior Sister wasnât in a deep slumber, even as embarrassing as it was, I wouldnât mind living as a girl and lose my male personality. So long as we can depend on each other and live in a secluded little village in some corner of the Heian Empire, that would be enough.â
When her bloodthirst finally cooled down and the wicked souls already dispersed, Lily felt fearful of her bloody footage of slaughtering from earlier.
She could choose to be a weak and kindhearted girl, but how would that leave Senior Sister, who was sleeping in that cold stone room?
Lily touched the ancient mirror she had kept safely in her sash. What if Senior Sisterâs soul fell into someoneâs hand and they would casually âĄâââ her or use her soul?1 Thatâs blasphemy!
Absolutely not!
âI have more people I need to protect now! Such as Nanako and Shiu. Although I only love Senior Sister, they are like a family to me. In this dark age, if I donât kill, I will be killed or humiliated instead. I have no other options!â
Lily took several deep breaths. If Nanako werenât here, she would burst out crying!
However, she knew that she couldnât be flustered at this moment. She must be tough and brave. That was how she could ease Nanako and make the girl feel safe.
The trembling Nanako was still burying her face in Lilyâs big and soft bosom. Lilyâs thick body scent became more distinct as Nanako slowly calmed down. When she finally got a hold of herself, she blushed and shoved Lily away. As she separated herself from the slender goddess, she stooped her head to one side and saw a pile of corpses lying on the ground.
Nanako looked around and sobbed. âThis big sister is very strong indeed. To rescue me, sheâd killed so many powerful samurais. As expected, I canât⌠be compared to her⌠Actually, itâs nothing to be embarrassed about to be the slave of a big sister like this?â
Of course, she would never let Lily know thatâs what she thought.
âYou killed Lord Motoshige of the Hojo Clan and his vassal, Daidouji Akira. The Hojo Clan wouldnât let you goâŚâ Nanako was a little perplexed, âYou shouldnât let any of those samurais escape. They will report you to the Hojo Clan!â
âEven so, I couldnât just kill people who turned their backs to me or those who never attacked me. They were only listening to Hojoâs order. They are also victims of this dark and chaotic era.â
âBenevolence is something only the true experts could possess! If I were you, I would kill them all!â Then, Nanako ran toward Hojo Motoshigeâs body. She confiscated his money, Grade 3 katana, and all his valuables.
âTake them!â Nanako collected and handed all the items to Lily.
In this Heian period, all the precious items and money of the losers would become the winnersâ spoils of war. Whatâs Nanako doing was a common practice among the samurais. However, Nanako was afraid that Lily, with excessive feminine charm, wouldnât want to take these things due to her pride.
Lily was a little hesitant, but she still received them. If the Hojo Clan really came to trouble her, she would need all the money, weapons, and secret manuals she could get.
She could keep herself noble and virtuous, but that wouldnât be able to stop Akiraâs attack. Who would protect Senior Sisterâs soul then? For Senior Sister, she could do anything!
She must get stronger! And to accomplish that goal, she would need more money!
Lily began to collect the spoils of war with Nanako. They took everything that was valuable.
However, it was a pity that Akiraâs Grade 3 Golden Club was broken and wasnât worth a dime.
There were two golden ingots and thirty-odd kwans in Hojo Motoshigeâs pockets. A golden ingot was ten ounces, which was equal to one hundred kwans. So, two golden ingots meant two hundred kwans. Hojo Motoshige was rich indeed.
Although Akira was also rich, he didnât have much money on his person. It only totaled up to one hundred and eighty kwans. The money collected from other samurais only added up to approximately fifty kwans. The Arakawa Brothers were penniless, and their swords were merely common Grade 2 katanas. The senile onmyoji had one golden ingot, several silver ingots, which was around one hundred and thirty kwans in total. He also had many talisman arcane tools.
This time, she had collected more than five hundred and sixty kwans, it was truly an extravagant amount. This was equivalent to three years of income for the entire Matsuda Clan!
Of course, all of this money now belonged to Lily.
However, they didnât carry the capital to buy the firearms. Evidently, they werenât planning to pay the money immediately. The Hojo Clan had a history of taking advantage of others.
After Nanako calmed down, she analyzed the situation, âRight now, you definitely canât return to Takeshita Town. Although the Dojo are spread all over the Kanagawa prefecture, most of the territories belong to the Hojo clan except for Kamakura city. The Hojo Clan is one of the most famous and powerful clans in the eight nations in KantoâŚâ
âThen where I can go now?â
âCome with me to Suruga Province. For the time being, just stay in my house to hide for a while. The Suruga Province is Imagawaâs territory. The Hojos donât dare to mess around there. Then⌠we will discuss the rest later,â suggested Nanako.2
It seemed like the only logical choice for her now, so Lily nodded.
Right before they departed, Lily turned around and put her palms together to pray for the dead samurais, except for Akira and Motoshige, âI knew you guys were just following orders, but thereâs no other option than to kill. I pray that your souls would ascend to heaven and for your next life to reincarnate in a peaceful worldâŚâ
Looking at Lilyâs beautiful face from the side, Nanako felt a twitch in her heart, âFrom any angle, Lily looks more of a noble Young Lady than me. Did she really come from a common house? Thatâs clearly not possible. Then, just where did she come from?â
The two then walked toward Suruga Province with their spoils of war like a pair of sisters. As they were afraid of any pursuers from the Hojo Clan, they increased their pace and didnât dare to linger along the way.
âOh, hey!â Although Nanako had been calling Lily as sister previously, she wasnât able to do it anymore after calming down, âArenât you tired? You are carrying a lot of money. How about I help you carry those katanas and arcane tools?â
âNo need,â Lily smiled tenderly. âI can still carry on. Nanako, you are hurt. You shouldnât toil yourself too much.â
Though she said that, Lily was already damp with sweat all over.
âWhat?â Nanako blushed when she heard the words Lily had just blurted out without thinking. They had a master-slave relationship, so it was only natural for Lily to give her orders. However, she didnât expect that Lily was actually that concerned about her. She was⌠so much better than a certain someone!
âCut it off, even if you care about me that much, Iâ I still wonât become your vassal,â Nanako pouted in response and walked behind Lily.
The two of them braved through the Chaotic Night, making swift towards Suruga Province.
According to the geography lessons Lily had taken about Heian, the Suruga Province was a beautiful and fertile plain.
However, after spending almost an entire night and a half walking through Mount Tama, Lily and Nanako only found a desolate and quiet plain beyond the mountainous area!
Within her sight, there were barren fields, dry rivers, cracked ground, and bony dead trees. In the distance, she could see the remaining ember on the burnt houses, with smokes rising in spirals.
âThis isâŚâ It was completely different from the rich fields Lily imagined.
âSurprised? The hometown of the great Young Lady of the Saikanji House is like this,â Nanako stood by Lily and spoke calmly, âThe world to the West of Kanagawa prefecture all looks like this.â3