Someone inexperienced in politics might be quite surprised to see how leniently Jishin dealt Shin and Kensei. After all, one shouldn't forget that their actions could have endangered Jishin himself.
Not to mention, their overconfident schemes could have led to their own deaths. After all, if Izuna actually managed to come to power, no one would be spared.
However, one must look around and realize that real elections were taking place. Such events require every party to maintain unity and present their best side to the crowd.
This means that so-called "friends" at social gatherings would smile through gritted teeth and cheerfully embrace each other if it would boost their "ratings."
Worlds change and spin, yet electoral campaign remains as deceptive as ever.
Although the princes had not yet reached the level of empty promises of earthly politicians, they were earnestly trying to learn.
That's why, no matter how angry Jishin was, he had to let these two go, limiting himself to a verbal reprimand.
Things could change later, but first, one had to survive until that "later."
Stas's perception of the situation was different, though. If Jishin was seething with rage but had to temporarily put up with the excessive audacity and insubordination of his underlings, Ordyntsev felt more of a light amusement.
The earthling was genuinely entertained by how clumsily and desperately these two plunged into "big politics" and immediately got bumps wherever possible.
However, no matter what Stas felt, he understood perfectly well that some actions must not go unpunished.
After all, it would be simply foolish. Without receiving a proper response, the schemers might decide to try again, but with greater success this time.
It's amusing how often people fail to understand the importance of having children in schools and kindergartens. There's a belief that children should learn practical life skills there. And indeed, they should. But for most people, these "practical skills" end by the sixth or seventh grade.
Beyond that, young people learn about such a crucial aspect of human society: "actions and their consequences."
Take, for example, a strong and healthy child. It's easy to figure out that since you're big and strong, you can make the weaker ones do what you need. At some point, the bully decides that his whims should be followed by everyone. But no matter how strong or big you are, you can't stand against a whole group.
After getting a beating from a group of kids, the bully realizes a critical life lesson: "Strength does not always solve all problems."
And, in this regard, it's especially unsettling to watch the grown-up children who, for some reason, managed to avoid learning this important lesson.
They enter real life confident that their strength is still as relevant as before and will help them. However, the only place it would lead them to is a cell with others like them, who also failed to learn certain lessons of society.
Some thought it was safe to go against the state, spitting on its laws. Others did not learn that taking what's not yours is bad. And getting out of this vicious circle is very hard.
So, as much as Ordyntsev was reluctant to waste his time on these two fools, he knew he had to do it.
Yes, during this time, he could have made progress in studying chaos or attaining immortality, but he still had to deal with Jishin's friends.
Moreover, Stas was very interested in where Izuna's people learned that he would be returning to the Citadel. Did Kensei and Shin betray him, or did the opponents find out otherwise?
However, one had to understand that although Kensei and Shin had committed a rather serious offense, they were still friends of the prince.
They had been with him for many years, fought together in two wars, and helped him in every way.
Yes, there was a conflict between them and Stas, but that didn't mean death should be the punishment.
Which Jishin stated outright.
"Shiro," the prince looked attentively at Stas and then sighed quietly. "I understand how angry you are at them. In your place, I would be raging. If they had succeeded, you would have had many problems. But they weren't planning to kill you, so I would be very upset if something suddenly happened to them."
Jishin emphasized the word "suddenly."
"You do realize that by letting this slide, you're only encouraging them to continue their misdeeds?" Stas asked sarcastically, watching as his interlocutor winced.
"Don't overstate it. I didn't say you can't punish them. Just, no killings and ensure nobody ends up maimed. Understand, they might be idiots, but they're not irredeemable. They have moments of clarity, and compared to most of my subordinates, they're practically geniuses!"
"Alright, I won't kill them," Stas agreed with a chuckle. Why mention that you weren't planning to do it anyway if your agreement earns you a few points in the eyes of the future clan head?
Nevertheless, any revenge had to wait until after the elections.
The next significant news was Izuna's arrival.
In general, Stas understood very well how lucky they all were.
Because of the "deaths" of both clan heads, the war had practically stalled for a while.
Not only Izuna and Jishin had to abandon their armies to deputies to rush to the Citadel.
Io's people brought the news that there was also some suspicious activity on the Mizuno's side.
Apparently, due to the absence of someone like Io, the Kindhearted also faced some unexpected problems in ascending the throne.
As a result, the war was mainly fought by small units of warmasters, while the major forces simply remained at their positions. This had already created several conflicts with the daimyo, whose samurai troops were not receiving proper support.
But let's return to Izuna's arrival.
The first thing the elder prince faced was the sharply negative attitude of his own clan.
Stolen story; please report.
What's it like to rush through several countries only to be met with contemptuous glances from members of some side families?!
Not to mention, while walking through the Citadel, a group of angry warmaster women accused him of attacking some nurseries.
He knew nothing about it!
If it weren't for the guards and the fact that, despite the heated emotions, no one resorted to techniques, the future clan head might have even faced physical retribution.
The elder heir was genuinely indignant at this slander.
After recovering from the shock, he got enraged and planned to ask his people many uncomfortable questions.
What mess had they created in his absence?
But the unfolded truth left Izuna stunned.
A long time ago, the elder prince had a brief conversation with his father about the shady clanless man who had latched onto Jishin.
At that time, Goro told his outraged son not to touch Shiro, as he had given the latter to his brother, Jun, as a student.
When asked why and what good it would do, Goro promised that Shiro would still benefit the clan.
And perhaps the benefit was indeed there, but it was directed not at all towards Izuna.
'That bastard Serpent,' the heir raged, 'How dare he spread defamatory rumors about me?! Curse it, when I become head, my first decree will be to capture him and send messengers to the executioner clan, the Rangiku. They know a thing or two about torture!'
Nevertheless, the elder prince could not dwell on his fantasies for long. As soon as he arrived, the election machine spun even faster, beginning preparations for the event itself.
Both parties did everything possible to sway as many votes to their side as they could.
The time was drawing near for the conclusion of the drawn-out confrontation.
*****
If one delved into the intricacies of Sumada clan politics, any sane person would immediately want to get out.
Despite their nature, warmasters were not strong in intrigue, but over the years, they had accumulated a vast number of various family ties, various covert pacts, and plain dislikes.
The major families fought each other and with the particularly brazen subordinate families, who in turn eagerly jostled, interfering with their opponents' climb to the top.
However, if one were to invest considerable time and effort, the situation began to emerge as somewhat different, allowing for a far simpler description.
It turned out that the political squabble in the Sumada clan was not so much between the major families and their subordinates but between the families and the Council of the Supremes.
Here played its part the rule that prevented a supreme from a major family from becoming a representative of the Council of the Supremes because they could promote the interests of their family.
As a result, the supremes born to subordinate families weren't really pleased with the status of the warmasters from more privileged families.
And here it should be noted that there were far more subordinate families. Plus, their total number was also very large.
As a result, the Council had many more members than there were elders among the ten main families.
A solution was found, and a quite insulting one at that.
Each elder had as many as two votes, making the total score of the major families equal to twenty.
The representatives of the Council, however, only had one vote each. And as if that were not enough, their number was deliberately limited.
The maximum number of representatives of the Council of the Supremes was nineteen.
This way, the major families could always be sure that their voice would be decisive in any dispute.
Although the Council of the Supremes was dissatisfied with this arrangement, they could do nothing about it, because although there were more of them, they were well aware that there was even less unity among the subordinate families than among the major ones.
The latter understood the need for cooperation to avoid being overthrown by the more numerous subordinate warmasters.
Accordingly, exactly twenty-nine people were invited to the ceremony: ten elders and nineteen representatives of the Council of the Supremes.
But it is worth considering that along with each of the twenty-nine, guards, invited guests, and sometimes even servants arrived. There were also people from the administration and just warriors of the Shadow Stone.
In the end, the gathering had to be assembled in one of the largest halls of the Citadel. The latter was located in a small, compared to the whole fortress, annex at the base of the Citadel.
It was designed as a massive room with a tiered floor, somewhat resembling an amphitheater's structure. But unlike the typical setup, there were no benches present. Only flat platforms with many soft cushions.
In the far and lower part of the hall, there was a stage with two honorary places for the princes.
"Damn it!" Jishin shook his hand, but the unexpected tremor wouldn't go away. "Stop shaking, you demon's hand!"
"Jishin, calm down," Stas spoke softly to the prince, leaning slightly forward. "You've been in situations more dangerous than this. Remember how we went up against old man Jirobu? You weren't shaking then, were you?"
Right now, they stood in front of the amphitheater doors, waiting for the signal to enter.
"Tell me something I don't already know," Jishin snapped back, grinding his teeth. "I've addressed the troops many times. But right now, damn it, I'm still shaking. Better tell me how to fix this!" The prince addressed not only Stas but also the man standing nearby - the one who had witnessed that unfortunate conversation with Shin and Kensei.
As Stas learned, his name was Gash, and he had met Jishin at the end of the war with the Sansa clan. Gash, at thirty, was a real gem. Although he was born into a subordinate family, his persistence and lineage had allowed him to approach the rank of supreme warmaster by the age of thirty-three.
Since the candidate had to be accompanied by two attendants, Jishin, as part of the punishment for the schemers, appointed Stas and Gash to accompany him.
And as Ordyntsev observed, such a distancing from the leadership did not go unnoticed by other supporters of the younger prince.
"I can use a technique to completely paralyze your hand," Stas offered, but judging by how sharply Jishin turned around, he clearly did not appreciate the joke. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding, don't jump on me." Ordyntsev even raised his hands in appeasement.
"Alright, there are two other ways," Stas quickly whispered, as there was little time left. "First, you need to imagine that the worst has already happened. Izuna has won and orders us to be executed."
"I wish I could rip your serpent tongue out," Jishin grumbled. "And how will that help me?"
"People usually fear the unknown much more than what they've already thought through and know. Right now, it's the unknown that's troubling you. I'm suggesting you conquer it."
"That's a ridiculous method; what's the second one?"
"You need to imagine everyone gathered here naked," Ordyntsev explained with an absolutely calm face.
"Have you lost your mind?" Not only the prince but also Gash, standing nearby, stared at Stas as if he were insane. "What kind of nonsense are you suggesting?!"
"The point is," Ordyntsev continued nonchalantly. "To add some comedy to the scene. It's much harder to be afraid of something that amuses you." Before Jishin, who had taken a deep breath, could unleash a torrent of curses on the earthling, Stas quickly pointed at his hand. "Look!"
The heir silently lowered his gaze and stared at the absolutely calm limb.
"As I said. It works." Stas nodded sternly. Jishin narrowed his eyes, trying to understand whether he was being mocked or not. But it was not so easy to tell from the Serpent's stony face.
"Master," Gash spoke up, glancing somewhere up with an indifferent gaze. "Just don't look at elder Gyujin from the Chiyo family according to Shiro's method. It might make you sick."
"Go to hell, you jesters," Jishin snorted, his mood clearly lifted. "We have a serious situation here, and you're cracking jokes..."
A gong sound echoed from the hall. The servants standing by the entrance, tensing up, began to push the wide doors to the sides.
"Naked or dead. A hell of a choice. Should we make it out today, I'll certainly repay you for this one." Stas heard Jishin's quiet muttering as he stepped forward.
As it turned out, besides the princes themselves, other ceremony participants were also being let into the hall.
The members of the main families and the Council marched in with a dignified air, often leading their small groups of supporters.
As soon as one of them took their place, other warmasters would immediately surround them.
Involuntarily, the entrants began to split into two camps. Izuna, sitting on the left, filled the left side of the amphitheater with his people, while the right side was occupied by Jishin's supporters.
Some representatives from the Council of the Supremes also sat on one side or the other, but most of them preferred to settle in the center.
Stas also noticed how Jun entered the hall with a crooked smile. Shockingly, his cunning sensei managed to secure a place in the Council of the Supremes.
Ordyntsev didn't know how they could have allowed him there. Perhaps Goro had played a hand in this at some point, aiming to bring the Council under his control. But the fact was undeniable. Jun's presence made Izuna's supporters wince.
After all, it was clear to everyone who Jun - the former sensei of Jishin's close associate, Shiro - would vote for.
Finally, all the places were taken, and the audience began to intensely scrutinize the two main characters of this performance.
Part of the attention also fell on Stas and Gash, standing next to Jishin.
The resounding gong strike signaled the start of the struggle.