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CHAPTER XX—PURVEYING TRUTHS

Daimyo Shōzu’s eyes were a lidded mask of hate and malicious ill will as he regarded the oni before him. Who did this fool girl think she was, threatening him?

“Do you see?” he said to the shōgun. “This bandit wished me dead, and for what? Lies?”

Daichi Ashikaga turned to regard Shōzu. No one knew, but with his ability Purveying Truths, he always knew when a person was lying, and this oni bandit was not lying, though that didn’t mean that what she said wasn’t true.

It simply meant that she believed what she said was true.

However…

Daimyo Shōzu’s words were most certainly seeded with lies, and with each of their telling, a little thrum sounded inside of the shōgun’s ears. Of course… the emperor’s shōgun, arguably the most powerful man in all the lands, could not be seen as siding with a bandit with a mere accusation as justification for attacking the Imperial Domains.

“My lord,” persisted Shōzu. “This woman is nothing but a liar and a poor sad and confused woman who has no idea what she is even doing. Clearly she is mad.”

As the daimyo spoke, Rōkura barely contained herself from lashing out. With each of his lies and insults toward her, she came closer to lurching across the space to take the man by the neck and end him right there in front of everyone.

But if I do it—will I succeed?

There were other powerful fighters present, including members of the Taisho Six. Rōkura recognized Yuki Tsubaki, and behind them… Ryuunosuke! Is she a Taisho Six member?

Lightning growled overhead and a flash of light skittered across the sky in bright flashes. Those in the crowd shouted and murmured in worried voices as they flinches and glanced up at the clouds.

The cold wind blew up into their voluminous sleeves and up the skirts of the women. Many of them shivered as the cold rains that were surely coming cooled the summer night considerably.

“My daimyo is correct,” said the shōgun, and as he said the words, Rōkura’s hope died and her rage was kindled. “Strangers cannot simply be allowed to make accusations against my daimyos without proof.”

Shōzu smiled infuriatingly and behind Rōkura Shinjiro swallowed with apprehension as he thought furiously. And an idea came to him. He took a step forward. “Then…”—Rōkura glanced over her shoulder to look at her samurai companion—“this is a matter of honor.”

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“Of honor?” asked the shōgun.

“Hai,” said Shinjiro with a firm nod. “My companion has been wronged by the daimyo’s actions and therefore, to settle the matter, she should be afforded the right to challenge him in a duel!”

The crowds gasped.

“Nonsense!” snapped Shōzu. “Her claims are spurious!” He cut the wit with his hand. “She is out of her mind?”

“But is she?” asked the shōgun.

“Of course she is,” said Shōzu. “Do you not believe your own daimyos, my lord?”

A tiny smile of arrogance touched the shōgun’s mouth, though Shōzu and no one else present were aware of it. “Bring me that servant that I inducted into my bakufu at the dinner.” He turned to his stern-faced and trusted aide Hikaru Naga. “Bring him.”

“Hai,” Hikaru intoned with a nod, and he turned and strode through the thick press of the crowd.

Shōzu’s eyes were focused on Rōkura. His jaw muscles twitched and his temples pulsed. Had the shōgun not been here, she knew that he would order her death right then and there.

To make him angry, the oni wanted to twist her lips into a subtle wry sneer to send him into a full rage—which was what he would probably do regardless if he was found out.

Her heart pounded in her chest like a drum as the servant came. “I am here, my lord shōgun!” he said with a bow.

“Good,” said Daichi. “We will get to the bottom of this. And then—then we will decide how to settle the matter. Now tell me, you of the daimyo’s former court. Did your previous lord have a man of this woman’s company killed?”

The servant swallowed and glanced toward Shōzu.

“Do not look at him!” snapped Hikaru. “Look to your lord!”

The servant obeyed, though his legs were like rotted driftwood. By inducting him into the shōgun’s bakufu, he had become an enemy of sorts to his daimyo, and still he feared for his life, despite being of the shōgun’s administration.

“And tell us the truth,” said Daichi. “I will know if you lie to me.”

“Answer the question!” growled Hikaru.

The man stammered. “Hai! Hai! He had a man killed. In front of her.”

“For what reason?!” pressed Hikaru, his tone a gravely bed of rocks that threatened to roll over the servant until his flesh was bruised and battered and not but a bloody mess.

“He…”

Shōzu growled, his inability to contain his anger and frustration beginning to boil over.

And yet the traitor went on.

“He did it to intimidate the oni,” said the servant. He was shaking now, physically. Rōkura was worried he would wet himself and make a mess on her bare feet.

“He is telling you what you want to hear!” said Shōzu as he gestured to the servant. “He is a lying dog, a cur that should be strung up and executed on the street corner!”

“Silence,” Daichi said with a wave of his hand. Quiet ensued. He knew the truth. The man was not lying. There had been no thrum in his ears. His ability Purveying Truth was not activated against the man’s words. “We have, a witness…”

That hung in the air as Shōzu made a frustrated sound, that indicated his disappointment and outrage. Shinjiro understood the sound, one only his countrymen made during times of great outrage to their personal honor.

The shōgun took one step forward and raised his hands. Rōkura’s heart pounded in her chest so hard it hurt.

“You have a witness to your claim,” he said. “But… I cannot simply allow you to attack my daimyo with the intend of ‘murdering him.’”

She swallowed.

“However,” continued Daichi Ashikaga. “I will allow your challenge to be put forth. For the sake of honor.” He turned to Shōzu. “Do you accept her challenge?”

The daimyo ground his teeth, and Shinjiro almost smiled. He could not refuse the challenge in front of all these people. His honor would be scathed.

“I ask you again,” said the shōgun. Shōzu Yonezawa. Do you accept the oni’s challenge?”

“Hai,” he breathed with a nod. “I accept… on one condition.”

“State it,” said Daichi.