Regarding Suzuka, if that is really what she wants then let her. Just make sure she isn’t in Yuto’s battalion. I believe you already knew the reason, Yuma. About the crown prince, I’ll deal with him myself later; and about the escaping caravan, when Umika arrives, tell her to resume her duty to Mirai. I trust everything in Matsudera to you until I return, Yuma.

That was a part of Ryosuke’s newest instruction letter Yuma received. He recalled the latest occurrences in the camp.

Yuri and Kei had returned with their successful mission, and surprisingly bringing along the missing general, Chinen Juudai. He had passed Ryosuke’s instruction to bring the hostage to the prison in the castle. One day after the squad departed to the castle, Mirai and Hikaru arrived from their visit to South-East Province. The ladies caravan had just arrived yesterday. Based on Ryosuke’s plan, the escaping caravan should have to depart to Heiwa in a week most. He just needed to wait for Umika’s arrival.

He remembered the answer he received from Suzuka which he passed to Ryosuke to get his consent and earned that reply from Ryosuke. He recalled his conversation with the lady more than a week ago.

He received an unusual visit from the lady in the commander tent two days after he asked her about what she would decide for herself.

“I have decided that I want to be included in the medical team,” she said straight to the point.

“Give me a reason,” he replied.

“I don’t want to runaway anymore,” she said, eyes determined. “This battle that has caused so much pain to a lot of people… a little or more… I have a part in it… I can’t evade the fact that I carry Okamoto’s blood. And just as you said that I have to make my own decision, I have decided that even just a little, I want to alleviate the pain my family has caused. Thus, please ask Prince Ryosuke to allow me to join his troops.” She bowed to him low.

He was a bit surprised as it was the first time she bowed to him that low, and sacrificed her pride.

“Fine. I’ll pass your request. I’ll tell you when I have the answer from His Highness.”

She straightened her back and smiled to him, and that was the first smile she had ever showed to him, “Thank you, General.”

She excused herself after that and left the tent.

That day he started to think that he might have understood one of the reasons why Mirai befriended Suzuka or why Yuto had loved the lady. It might because she had that bravery not to run away from her problems. She never complained about the bad treatments she received from a few people in the camp. She had a strong determination, typical of the ladies in Okamoto, yet she also had a soft part which rarely showed by an Okamoto. She was indeed different from what he had ever thought.

Then, in which battalion should he placed her? There would be five main battalions according to Ryosuke’s instruction: his and Keito’s, Ryosuke and Yuto’s, General Shida’s, Ryutaro and Daiki’s, and his father’s. Mirai had repeated her instruction for him to protect Suzuka. So, he had to consider it, too, in choosing the battalion. With Yuto’s battalion excluded, there would be only four choices, and among them… it seemed he had no better choice than placed the lady in his own battalion. That was the practical way to accommodate all the requirements from his superiors.

So… I will be stuck with her from today onward…

He sighed as he wondered why he was rather looking forward to work with her. Rather. Just a little. It did not mean anything. He was just curious. Nothing more. Right?

**********

One more word—beside the word unpredictable— Yuya had to attach to the second prince, Yamada Ryosuke was… crazy.

Yuya was having a meeting with the prince at their promised place, and he had received an affirmative answer. The prince had decided to accept his offer. Yet, it was not the thing he would call crazy. The prince refused his plans and offered him his own plan instead. The prince’s plan was the cause he called him crazy.

“You promised you’ll give me all you have if I accept your offer and build the world you want. Are you going to back out now?” Ryosuke taunted.

He gritted his teeth, “I am a man of my word. I never back out from a promise.”

“Then, I don’t see a reason you should stand against my plan. It will give you many advantages.”

That was the problem. The plan would be a perfect assurance that his dream-world would come true. The plan was much more feasible than his own plan, and if it was successful, they could avoid shedding too much blood in the future. The thing bothered him was why the prince proposed a plan that…

“In reverse, you’ll lose everything. Why should you be that generous?” He eyed the prince suspiciously.

The prince smiled as though had expected his response, “Nah, don’t jump into conclusion. You should have known better what I will gain from this deal. You knew I have the same dream as you that you deliberately offered me that deal back then, no?”

He should give credit to this prince’s wit.

“I take your silence as a yes,” the prince said more. “So, what your decision will be?”

“Give me time to think,” he eventually said.

“How long?”

“Five minutes,” his answer made the prince raised a brow, wondering about the seriousness of his answer.

He shrugged the odd stare off and mulled over his decision. The prince had not known how big exactly his force was, yet the prince had deliberately counted them in the plan only based on what he said that his force could stand a chance against Seiryoku’s army that deployed on the border. Yet, the plan the prince had for his people did not exceed his force’s strength, so it would be manageable.

That’s his other craziness.

Erasing the source of the dispute; that was a simple logic yet had the heaviest consequences. He himself dared not to even imagine making such a plan.

“I’m sorry to say that your plan is too halfhearted,” the prince said before.

“Halfhearted you say?”

“Yes. T down the nobles’ privileges will not erase the latent conflict between the house, and by letting the throne stands tall and strong, it won’t obliterate the possibility of dispute over the throne in the future.”

“So, what do you have in mind?” He asked impatiently.

“Eliminate the source of the conflict.” The prince answered shortly before continuing the explanation, “You want a world where there won’t be a fight of dominance among the houses… so, just eradicate the existence of the houses. You want people to stand as equal; stripping the noble status will do too for that. And… you wish to put an end to the battle over the throne right?”

He waited the prince to continue.

“Then, just put an end to the existence of the throne.”

He grimaced in his mind, last time he was the one stunned the prince, now their place was switched. He could not find even a reason not to accept the offer.

“Fine. I’ll go with you,” he eventually agreed.

“Good,” the prince held out his hand. “Deal?”

He took the hand, “Deal.”

“Before we proceed further, we need to bring our second-in-command in the discussion,” the prince requested.

Soon, they got up and stepped out of the tent only to call their second-in-command. Once the four of them gathered back in the tent, they resumed their talk.

“This is General Shida Makoto,” the prince introduced the old general who stood beside him. He recalled that the general was the prince’s father-in-law.

“This is Takaki Haru,” he said.

“Is that her real name?” the prince probed. “Since we have been at this point, don’t you think it’s unbecoming to be dishonest?”

The question surprised him. Her? The prince said that word, amusing him again.

“You’re quite observant,” he remarked. “Unmask yourself, Haruna.”

His second-in-command obeyed him, pulling her mask down. Usually when she did that, their opponent would gasp or show any sign of surprise as Haruna was a beauty behind her advance skill in swordsmanship. Yet, the prince did not change his expression even a bit. That was something.

“Takaki Haruna, is it?” The prince asked for confirmation.

“Yes,” he answered. “My little sister.”

“It’s so rare to have a female warrior nowadays, isn’t it?”