Saku: “We should have brought more supplies. You two are greedier than I thought.”

  Naki: “Then just eat with us while you still can.”

  Saku: “A refined lady like me doesn’t behave like you two. I’d rather starve.”

  Naki: “Your loss.”

  Naki, Saku, and Najun have been traveling for about three hours now. It is very dark, and to make matters worse, the moon is completely covered by clouds. The journey from the Sakiko family’s estate to Tongyo always takes a long time, but the exact duration is never the same. People say it depends on where and when the journey begins. Supposedly, the time, day, season, and even the year matter—but whether that is true is unclear.

  Naki: “They have a full day’s head start. I think even with the turbo carriage it’ll be difficult to catch up, especially if we don’t drive at full power.”

  Najun: “The coachman told you that it’s easy to lose control when driving at full power. And it’s dark. It’s better to arrive a little late than injured.”

  Naki: “I know.”

  Saku: “Be quiet now, I want to sleep. I wish this carriage were bigger, but the universe always gives me the same thing: bad luck. This time in the form of having to sleep sitting up.”

  Naki: “[Can she just shut up already? Always complaining and talking. Why did we even bring her along?]”

  Saku notices Naki’s look and shoots him an angry glance in return. Within just a few minutes, she is already asleep.

  Najun: “I’m going to lie down a bit too. What about you?”

  Naki: “I’ll stay awake and keep watch with the driver. Sleep.”

  Najun: “Okay.”

  Naki: “[I have to stay awake and be ready immediately if something happens. I’ll clear everything out of the way to make it to the tribunal on time. I don’t trust you, Father. Not at all. That’s exactly why I have to be there.]”

  Aihara suddenly gets a strange feeling in his stomach, as if someone were thinking about him very intensely.

  Ino: “Everything okay, brother?”

  Aihara: “Everything’s fine. What about the others? Were you able to reach them?”

  Ino: “Yes. There are six Sakiko family members already in Tongyo waiting for us. We’ll pick up a few more along the way.”

  Aihara: “Very good. At this rate, we’ll arrive early, so we’ll have a few days before the tribunal. We should prepare ourselves properly.”

  Ino: “We will. The Taira family will be exposed as liars. I promise you.”

  Aihara: “I really hope so. It’s just that…”

  The van suddenly stops, and the brothers are literally thrown forward.

  Ino: “What the hell just happened?”

  The door of the van opens, and an extremely old woman is standing there. She has short hair colored black and white, wears a long red coat, and holds a walking stick in her hand.

  ???: “Could you perhaps give an old lady a ride?”

  Aihara and Ino: “Aunt Keiko!”

  Keiko: “Yes, it’s me—the wonderful and beautiful Keiko.”

  Aihara: “We thought you were in that grandmother forest settlement. We were just about to take a detour there.”

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  Keiko: “I ran away from there yesterday. My guards don’t even let me breathe on my own.”

  Ino: “Good, then we can keep driving.”

  The driver continues, and the three of them talk about old times. They laugh a lot and briefly forget the current situation.

  Keiko: “Are your children in one of the other vehicles?”

  Aihara: “We left them at home. We thought they shouldn’t be involved and should stay safe.”

  Keiko: “Man, how stupid can you be? This is a serious situation, Aihara. Children should learn about things like this as early as possible. They need to be prepared in case things go wrong.”

  Ino: “Children have no place on a battlefield. Besides, they’re protecting our home.”

  Keiko: “Bullshit. They’d be safer with us. Here, they should learn instead of being coddled. And honestly, I think they’re already almost as capable as you.”

  Aihara: “I think you’re overestimating them.”

  Keiko: “No, trust me. All seven of your children, as well as Ino’s children, are far stronger than you think.”

  The brothers exchange doubtful looks, both wondering if they really are underestimating their children as Keiko claims.

  Keiko: “It wouldn’t surprise me if they were already on their way here.”

  Aihara: “I highly doubt that.”

  Many hours later, Saku wakes from her slumber. She feels calm and well-rested. She immediately prepares an instant tea and enjoys it with her cookies.

  Saku: “How far are we?”

  Carriage Driver: “Quite far, but it’ll still take a long time to reach Tongyo. We should probably take a break soon.”

  Saku: “Why?”

  Carriage Driver: “Because the horses seem exhausted—and so am I, since I’ve been driving all night.”

  Saku: “Stop whining.”

  Naki: “Show some more respect to the driver. What was your name again?”

  Coachman: “Kogiri.”

  Naki: “Please show more respect to Kogiri.”

  Saku sighs loudly and continues drinking her tea.

  Kogiri: “We need to stop. There are three people standing on the road.”

  Kogiri stops the carriage. The three figures do not move and are wrapped in cloaks. Kogiri gets down from the carriage and stands in front of them.

  Kogiri: “Excuse me, could you please move off the road? We need to continue.”

  ???: “Where are you going?”

  Kogiri: “We’re heading to Tongyo.”

  ???: “And what do you want there?”

  Kogiri: “We have to attend an important meeting.”

  ???: “What kind of meeting?”

  Kogiri: “If you really need to know—we’re going to a Serpent-Crow Tribunal.”

  ???: “I can’t believe it. You’re finally here. My brothers and I have been waiting for you for a long time.”

  The three figures reveal themselves. The one who spoke to Kogiri is a woman, and the other two are large men.

  The woman: “We are the Chaos Siblings, and we were sent here to kill the Sakiko youths.”

  Kogiri steps back and warns the children in the carriage.

  Kogiri: “How do you know that we set out as well?”

  The woman: “An unknown source. We were simply given this task, and we will carry it out perfectly.”

  Kogiri: “[This is the work of the Taira family. Somehow they found out that we followed Lord Aihara and the others. We need to leave quickly, or this will turn into a fight.]”

  Before Kogiri can act, one of the brothers attacks him. He rains down punches that Kogiri barely manages to block. The brother pushes Kogiri into the forest and lands a clean hit. Kogiri crashes into a tree and falls to the ground.

  Kogiri: “[I can’t leave the others alone. I need to get back to the carriage quickly.]”

  Kogiri tries to run back, but the brother keeps stopping him. He is fast and large, like a mobile, feather-light wall.

  Brother Number 1: “You will die here.”

  Naki: “Kogiri! Who are they?!”

  Naki jumps out of the carriage with his sword in hand and confronts the other two siblings.

  Sister: “Where do you think you’re going, little boy?”

  Naki: “To your elimination.”

  With those words, Naki attacks them. He swings his sword at both, but they evade. Naki moves in wide steps in a circle, chasing the sister with his blade.

  Naki: “Come on, just wait—I’ll get you.”

  Brother Number 2: “Leave my sister alone.”

  Brother Number 2 pulls out an axe and engages Naki. He is physically stronger and quickly overwhelms him. Naki goes on the defensive, focusing only on dodging. He is pushed deeper into the forest, though in a different direction from Kogiri.

  Naki: “You’re a wild beast. Do you even die if I cut you with my sword?”

  Brother Number 2: “Find out.”

  Naki jumps into the air and attacks diagonally from above. He makes many semi-circular movements, trying to hit a weak spot. Each time, he narrowly avoids death as the brother’s axe swings past his head.

  Birth Ability: Tin Man with the Axe

  Brother Number 2 activates his ability, and his skin transforms into a kind of thin, metallic armor. His axe grows larger, and a helmet forms on his head.

  Naki: “[He looks cool. His skin looks tough. Can I even cut through that with my sword?]”

  Meanwhile, Najun and Saku barricade themselves inside the carriage, hoping no one finds them.

  Najun: “We should go out and help them.”

  Saku: “Don’t be ridiculous. I could barely do anything, and you even less. We help them more by staying out of it and hiding.”

  The carriage door opens, and the sister steps inside. She sits next to Saku and drinks her tea. Saku pulls out her fan and tries to release a massive wave of cherry blossoms, but the sister grabs the fan and snaps it shut. With a closed fan and no room to move, Saku cannot create any cherry blossoms.

  Sister: “I’d like to talk first and kill afterward. Is that okay with you?”