"I am Queen Kei." "Chosen by the Heavens, I became the ruler of the Kingdom of Kei." "What is the way of this world?" "{\3cHFFFFFF\4cH808080\cH23373D\3aHFF\4aHFF\fnPoor Richard\move(392,148,194,147,0,130)}Wa" "In Hourai, where I was born, the will of the Heavens doesn't exist." "People just live their lives." "What is the will of the Heavens?" "I'm the ruler but that doesn't guarantee I'll never make a mistake." "Shoukou tried to resist the fates." "And I understood that desire more than anyone else." "Episode 45" "{\3cHFFFFFF\4aHFF\fnPoor Richard\b1\bord1.5\pos(191,176)\cHD23E01}The God of the Sea in the East, the Mighty Ocean in the West, Interlude" "{\3cHFFFFFF\4cH808080\cH23373D\3aHFF\4aHFF\fnPoor Richard\move(226,125,199,166,34,2286)}En" "King En understood exactly what I was thinking." "By punishing Shoukou, I felt as if I were punishing myself." "Over there, my other self sleeps..." "What?" "His name was Atsuyu..." "I killed him." "What?" "It happened a long time ago..." "Atsuyu was the only son of Genkai who was the provincial lord of Gen Province in En." "Under the tyranny of Kyou-Ou, the kingdom had fallen to ruin and the people were struggling to survive." "Fair-minded provincial lords were killed by the King..." "Others supported Kyou-Ou to survive, and oppressed the people." "Atsuyu's father, Genkai, was the latter." "Have you lost your mind?" "That's what I'd like to ask you." "You flatter the king and execute citizens so you can live..." "When he claimed there weren't enough executions and suspected you of conspiracy you even killed innocent civilians to clear yourself." "I have no doubt that you are unworthy to be a lord." "Atsuyu chose to govern Gen Province in place of his oppressive father." "A provincial lord is chosen by a ruler." "So Atsuyu might be considered a usurper." "But it was true that he saved the people of Gen Province." "While other provinces suffered poverty after the end of Kyou-Ou's reign Gen Province prospered because of Atsuyu." "Then King En, Shouryuu, ascended the throne." "King En was the heir to a clan of sea warriors in Setouchi Bay." "He was a Taika." "Young Master, the Murakamis have begun to move." "I bet the Murakamis want this land badly." "If they control the area from here to the opposite shore it'll be like a barrier across Setouchi Bay." "Well, they're going to make an attack sooner or later anyway." "How can you say that so lightly?" "I told my father to surrender to the Murakamis but I guess he has too much pride to do that." "King En and Atsuyu." "Both their fathers, as King En himself admits, were cowards." "Father!" "Where's Father?" "Father..." "The Komatsu Clan of Setouchi perished when Naotaka Saburou was defeated." "Stop it!" "Atsuyu killed his own father to avoid misfortune..." "The other man was scared of becoming a criminal and let his father live he ended up letting his people die." "I wonder which man was better..." "After seizing Gen Province and gaining the trust of the people Atsuyu rebelled against the kingdom." "He took the En Taiho as a hostage." "He ordered Kouya, who happened to be a friend of the Taiho to take advantage of the compassionate nature of the Kirin." "Kouya!" "Tell him and your Shirei not to get any funny ideas." "If you want to save this child's life, please come with me." "Then Atsuyu requested something no one had expected." "Gen Province Chief, In Hakutaku, reporting as ordered." "The Taiho, Enki, is currently staying in Gen Province." "And?" "We request that you establish a rank superior to Your Majesty and appoint the director of Gen Province, Lord Atsuyu, to serve in that post." "I see." "Atsuyu didn't just want to usurp the throne, but to become superior to the King." "How bold can he be..." "Tell Atsuyu that I'm not generous enough to give someone what is rightfully mine..." "If you return Enki, I'll be compassionate and let him take his own life." "However, if he persists in holding Enki hostage I will capture him and execute him as a rebel." "I'm not interested in the throne." "So I did not go on a Shouzan when Kyou-Ou died." "The welfare of the people is all I care about." "The citizens might not care who governs the kingdom so long as they can live in peace." "Just like I didn't when I was in Hourai..." "I heard that Atsuyu was a great leader." "But then, what was it that drove him to rebel?" "What made him rise against the king?" "I think Atsuyu was well aware of it." "Aware of what?" "The fact he was merely a chief under the lord of Gen Province, who had been selected by Kyou-Ou." "If a new king ascended the throne, he could no longer be a leader." "He felt that he would have no value if he wasn't a ruler." "That's why he wanted to become something more powerful than a king." "Atsuyu said it was all for the people, and he really meant it..." "I don't think he believed he was being dishonest in any way." "Atsuyu did make Gen Province prosperous." "He was trusted by the people as well." "I guess you like Atsuyu a lot." "I do." "Enough to take you prisoner." "Kouya was abandoned by his parents and raised by a Youma." "I can imagine how important Atsuyu was to him." "You don't like to be touched?" "Kid, do you have a name?" "Where do you live?" "Kouya..." "Kouya, huh?" "So you do understand what I am saying." "You're a smart boy, aren't you?" "I'm sorry Kouya." "You don't like to be touched, do you?" "Atsuyu who was a great leader took in a boy who had been raised by a Youma." "I wonder if he just wanted to be accepted." "Even if he was doing it to gain respect, so long as the people are happy I don't see anything wrong with it." "But no one noticed when things started going wrong." "Kouya." "What did you do about the prisoners you said you'd take care of?" "I-I have banished them from the castle." "Good work." "You really are reliable." "You understand what's in my mind without asking." "You know what I want you to do." "I could not ask for a better commander." "I'm very fortunate." "From now on, you will be in charge of the treatment of criminals." "Thank you, sir." "Or perhaps, something was wrong from the very beginning." "I'm used to it now." "Such things no longer bother me." "With Enki as a hostage, it became a matter of life and death for King En." "King En disguised himself and joined the provincial army of Gen." "Meanwhile, he gave an order to gather the people and have them build a levee at Rokusui river." "Actually, building an embankment for the people was Atsuyu's first request." "But by then, the embankment had become a double-edged sword for Atsuyu." "Are they planning to flood us?" "The embankment would prevent the Rokusui river from flooding..." "But it also could be used to flood Ganboku." "King En was challenging Atsuyu and at the same time, he was trying to save Enki all by himself." "You don't know what people are capable of!" "It's the same with your master." "I wouldn't make him do that." "It'd be easier to do it myself." "Why did you come to Gen Province?" "Are you after Lord Atsuyu?" "Stop it!" "If you hurt Shouryuu, I'll never forgive you." "Why are you defending the king now?" "I've pledged my loyalty to him!" "It's the same with me." "I serve Lord Atsuyu." "I like you, Kouya." "But as long as you smell of blood, I can't even get close to you." "It can't be helped." "Just like you want to protect Shouryuu, I want to protect Atsuyu." "That's how you protect Atsuyu?" "By killing people?" "If Atsuyu asks you, is it okay to kill?" "Is it okay to raise an army and revolt?" "Even if it destroys the kingdom?" "Do you want to create more orphans like you?" "I don't care about anyone else." "Why does it upset you when people die?" "What's the tragedy if the kingdom falls?" "People die eventually." "Every kingdom falls into ruin someday." "It doesn't matter how hard you try to stop it, because you can't." "I don't care as long as Atsuyu is happy." "Are you afraid to let the kingdom fall?" "Are you scared of devastation and death?" "You want to know how you can be free from all this fear?" "Let everything be destroyed." "You don't care if Atsuyu dies along with it?" "If that's what Atsuyu wants, then so be it." "Give me a break." "You don't care if the kingdom falls into ruin?" "You say you don't care whether the people die or not?" "You are one of my people and if you say such things, what am I supposed to do?" "This is your kingdom too." "Atsuyu isn't the only one you have left." "This kingdom belongs to you as well." "What good can a king do without his people?" "I could become king only because my people entrusted the kingdom to me." "And now one of my citizens tells me to let the kingdom fall." "Then what purpose do I have here?" "I was put here to provide a prosperous kingdom for you, Kouya." "My Lord!" "What have you done?" "Why did you give the order to break the embankment?" "What are you trying to do?" "Hakutaku, stand down." "It's the citizens who will decide if you are just." "Why do you not understand?" "It's the citizens who are fighting our Provincial Army!" "What?" "Hakutaku!" "You're the traitor who's turning against the Heavens!" "You convinced us to trust you and once the situation turns sour, you abandon us all?" "My Lord..." "Taiho." "I shall accompany you to Kankyuu." "I would like to personally report this to his Majesty and leave this matter to his Majesty's discretion." "I'm going back to Kankyuu." "I don't need an escort." "I'll explain the truth to his Majesty by myself." "Hakutaku, you must've plotted this with his Majesty and the Taiho." "I see it now..." "You knew you could be killed, yet you requested to go to Kankyuu alone." "Why were you able to return alive?" "His Majesty must have been jealous of my popularity among the citizens." "He isn't that kind of man." "As if you would know!" "He isn't like you!" "You're mere dirt compared to Shouryuu!" "Well that's nice to hear." "So King En came to have a fight with Atsuyu, one on one." "It was the first and the last encounter between the two." "Trying to overthrow the king is the same as trying to overthrow the Heavens." "There's no need to involve the citizens." "Instead, why don't we settle this man-to-man?" "If, by any chance, you were to take my head then that's the will of the Heavens." "Surrender the castle and disband the provincial army for starters." "Understood." "Take him into custody just in case." "I will be extremely compassionate." "Have the guards keep an eye on him." "Don't let him commit suicide." "Shouryuu!" "Rikaku!" "Rokuta!" "Rikaku!" "Right at that moment, Kouya stopped his Youma from attacking King En." "Even though he wanted to protect Atsuyu." "I'll put you out of your misery." "There's no place for Big One and me." "Because I'm a child of Youma." "Give me some time, Kouya." "I promise that I'll give you a land where the two of you will never be hunted." "Will a time like that really come?" "That's why I became the king, Kouya." "We'll wait." "We'll wait in the Koukai until the kingdom becomes such a place." "I still wish, from time to time, that Atsuyu could have lived up to his good intentions." "If he could have, there wouldn't be a better candidate for the throne." "Atsuyu could've been sitting on the throne, instead of me." "But unfortunately I was allowed to live..." "King En challenged Atsuyu." "He tried to fight him man to man." "By doing so, he was also challenging the Heavens." "King En wanted to know if he was worthy to be king." "King En described Atsuyu as his other self." "Atsuyu wanted to make his dream come true." "For the people and the kingdom, and most of all, for himself." "And now, Atsuyu is sleeping in his tomb." "If that is the will of the Heavens, I must always remember my other self." "I keep my other self always in my mind." "I still don't know if the will of the Heavens exists." "But..." "The fact that I'm here now..." "That you and the En Taiho are here and that Rakushun is here with me has nothing to do with the will of the Heavens." "I'll think about what to do with Shoukou for a little longer." "There are still so many things I have to learn." "It's not too late for me to decide what to do after that." "That's a good idea." "You have plenty of time." "What the hell..." "Why are you telling that gloomy old story?" "You're here too?" "It's getting a little crowded here." "En Taiho." "If there's anything I can do for you, Youko, please let me know." "Well, I can't fly to you or anything, but..." "Rakushun..." "Thank you." "I've received permission from Hakutaku, but are you really sure?" "Who could say no after seeing that?" "Yeah..." "Huh?" "Youko, it looks like you really need Rakushun by your side." "Yes." "Huh?" "What's going on?" "Rakushun." "You've been admitted for transfer to the Daigaku in Kei." "Is that true?" "En Taiho?" "They can't refuse the request of En's "best student", can they?" "Besides..." "I'm tired of listening to him whining about how he's worried about Youko." "Rakushun told me he wanted to see what kind of kingdom I'd build." "If it's okay with you, I want you to look out for me by my side." "So that I won't lose my way..." "Youko..." "Remember what Kouya said?" "Until the day comes..." "We'll be waiting." "I know..." "I haven't been able to build the kingdom I promised with Kouya." "After five hundred years, you're still nagging me to do better?" "What are you complaining about?" "That's your job, isn't it?" "I suppose it is." "I was counting the sands of time without realizing." "In a false dream I became speechless." "{\3cH000000\cH8A7F78}I would stare into the fire... {\3cH000000\cH8A7F78}...as I swore to be true forever." "Let my prayers be heard, I will overcome hardship and keep my oath until the end of the world."