In my home kingdom, Kou...
...Sankyaku and Kaikyaku both lead a life even tougher than that of refugees.
You see, I've never met one before.
Sankyaku and Kaikyaku bring unusual things into this world.
For example, paper, ceramics, printing, medicine, and Buddhism.
Is that true?
The very first temple was built in Hou.
During the Hitsu-Ou era, a Sankyaku built a temple in Hou.
Who is Hitsu-Ou?
I think it was the twelfth or thirteenth ruler of Hou.
But...
How do you know this?
The current Queen Kei is also a Kaikyaku, so...
It looks like it's true that Youma still haunt this kingdom.
Look, that's Mt. Koushuu.
Beyond that mountain is the Kingdom of En.
Episode 31
A Great Distance in The Wind, The Sky at Dawn, Interlude.
Ryuu
En
I don't understand.
What don't you understand?
Aren't you glad that we made it here safely?
The guards only checked your pass...
I don't even have a pass, but they let us through so easily...
Just who are you?
Well, it's kind of a long story.
But...
Amazing...
Is this En?
After all, En is the wealthiest kingdom among the kingdoms in the north.
What are its resources?
Gyoku? Granite?
Actually, there are no valuable mines in this kingdom. All they have is land.
People here grow wheat and raise cows, that's about all they do.
But, it looks completely different from my kingdom or Ryuu.
That's because King En is a man of high caliber.
It makes a big difference when the kingdom is stable for 500 years.
But still...
While a ruler is on the throne, the kingdom suffers very few natural disasters.
That allows people to tend the land and get more grain stock.
Flood control, town management, and...
...everything else here follow the same policy.
I feel sorry for a kingdom with a short-lived ruler.
It doesn't matter if there are fancy shops, or fine estates...
...because one flood can wipe them all out.
I see...
And the same thing will happen to Hou...
There will be no harvest because of the natural disasters...
...and then people will starve...
...all because the ruler is gone.
Your father, King Hou...
...I suppose I should call him Retsu-Ou now...
He was known for his very strict laws.
There has never been a case where a cruel ruler like him has lasted for long.
After being cruelly tyrannized by their king...
...they'll now have to endure hard times until a new ruler is found.
I feel sorry for the people of Hou.
Every ruler does his best for the sake of his people!
When people misbehave, punishment may be necessary!
My father was...
Father despised bribery, demanded his people and officials to be truly honest.
Thus he would never forgive those who wouldn't work hard...
...or stole, or evaded their taxes.
Father wanted Hou to be a pure and beautiful kingdom.
A certain degree of discipline may be necessary...
...but there's a limit to everything.
The fact that the king fell, suggests he went too far.
King Hou didn't lose the throne because that was his fate.
He was murdered by that usurper!
I want you to take a good look at this and remember...
No!
Killing a ruler is a great sin.
And if the Lord of Kei dared to commit such a crime...
...perhaps that was the only way to stop King from...
...causing an even more serious crisis in the kingdom.
The situation must've been so desperate that he had no choice.
Come to think of it...
...everyone praised that murderer, Gekkei.
After I was sent to a Rike, I spent my days watching myself age...
...and despised that cruel mistress of the Rike...
...who treated me horribly knowing who I really was.
Soon my identity was revealed...
...and Gekkei had to take me away from there.
Then I was sent to the Kingdom of Kyou...
...and became a servant of Queen Kyou, Shushou.
Everyone detested me...
...although I hadn't done anything wrong.
Inside me grew hatred toward Queen Kei who gained everything I had lost.
One day, I stole the treasures from Queen Kyou...
...and escaped to the Kingdom of Ryuu, but I was soon captured.
W-What is this about?
There I was, having lost everything in exchange for freedom...
...I was saved by a Hanjyuu named Rakushun.
I know about Hou better than the princess of Hou does.
That should be far more embarrassing than having to wear rags.
I was repelled by Rakushun's words...
...but at the same time, they rang deep inside me.
This vision of the Kingdom of Ryuu in decline, represents the Hou of tomorrow...
...or perhaps even the Hou of today.
I didn't know what would happen to a kingdom without a ruler...
I just pretended that I knew.
I really didn't know anything, did I?
What the Lord of Kei did must've looked awfully cruel, but...
I know now...
...what kind of state the kingdom is in...
I used to spend my days in idleness at the palace...
...and didn't even bother to learn what was going on.
And that's why I'm being punished.
I didn't know anything, so Gekkei revoked my contract of immortality.
Of course, I wouldn't be able to live on my own, so he sent me to a Rike...
I was so foolish.
She once said the same thing.
That she was foolish, and wondering if she really should be a queen...
Who are you talking about?
Um, nobody...
Rakushun, can I see your pass?
Seichou
This pass is endorsed by the Chousai of En...
What is this about?
I don't personally know the Chousai...
...but the person I borrowed the Suugu from is...
Well, I happen to know Queen Kei, so...
What?
How?
As you can see, I'm a Hanjyuu...
...but she told me that there's only distance between people.
So...
Yes, you can say that I am her friend.
I found her dying in woods...
...and took her to En.
Queen Kei was dying in woods?
Because she's a Kaikyaku.
Saku-Ou of Kou had strict guidelines for Kaikyaku.
She must've suffered...
To tell the truth, I thought, maybe...
...I could get a job as a reward for taking her to En.
But as I spent time with her, I realized that I was being servile.
Nonetheless, when I was asked what I wanted...
...I said I wanted to get into a Daigaku.
When we were in the cell, you looked just like Queen Kei when I met first her.
Me?
You looked as if you were suffering so much that you couldn't bear it anymore.
That's why you saved me, too?
I told you that it was probably my luck.
What's Queen Kei like?
She's probably about the same age as you are...
...but you are more feminine than she is.
She is somewhat blunt.
Do you keep in touch with her?
Well...
...actually, she's been missing.
I call her Youko, she said that's the name she had in Hourai.
She held her coronation ceremony on a large scale at the end of last year.
But after finally becoming a queen, she still wasn't too happy.
She still didn't know anything about this world.
Besides, the previous ruler of Kei had a short reign, so...
...for many years, the ministers had been running the court.
The administrators were divided over the issue of the treatment for the...
...Iord named Koukan of Baku Province.
There was a rumor that Koukan was plotting to revolt...
...but instead of taking any action right away...
...Youko requested to talk to him first.
But the night she was visiting the Taishi's home...
Touki weapon can kill Sen-nin.
It is clear that you, the Sankou and the Taisai conspired to...
...kill the Queen with the help of Koukan.
Your Majesty, please forgive me!
Uikyou!
Shoot!
Youko had come very close to losing her life.
Then Youko disappeared from the Royal Palace.
Disappeared?
You mean she resigned as the ruler?
I guess it might seem that way to you.
She told the ministers that she was going to En...
...but I heard she is living somewhere in Kei.
But...
Without the ruler, the kingdom will fall into ruin again.
That's true.
But I think I know what Youko is doing.
She knows nothing about this place.
But if that causes her to simply do whatever her ministers say...
...it's as if she's merely their servant.
Then of course, the ministers would try to control the kingdom for their benefit.
She couldn't decide anything on her own.
She didn't even understand why someone would try to kill her.
I guess she didn't want to be like that anymore.
Then...
Yeah, I think she's trying her best...
...somewhere in this world.
She's trying to learn about this world, and find what she's supposed to do...
...and then she will come back to her throne someday.
How do you know?
She might just run away.
I believe in her.
To tell you the truth, I actually wanted to go to Kei.
Really?
I was going to get a job as an official, and get close to Queen Kei...
And then I'd win her favor...
...and if chance favored me, I was going to usurp the throne.
I was pretty serious about it, too.
Does that make you angry?
I'm not angry, but...
...if that really happened, I wouldn't have been able to show my face to her.
I was going to Tai first, and then I'd enter Kei as a refugee...
...because I heard they offered land and citizenship to refugees.
I was once the princess of the Kingdom of Hou.
And I just could not throw away my royal pride.
I did not want to forget the luxurious life I had in the palace.
I was ashamed of working in the fields, and wearing ragged clothes.
So when I heard that Queen Kei was about the same age I was...
...I was jealous of her.
I see...
To be honest...
...I still feel uncomfortable staying in common inns or wearing these clothes.
But I realize that this is how I must live now.
The princess of Hou was punished because...
...she didn't know what she was supposed to do.
But you can't regret what happened in the past now.
Your life has just started, hasn't it?
The ruler doesn't get a second chance.
But now that you're a common citizen.
There's nothing you can't try again.
I want to go to Kei after all.
Queen Kei spoke of her foolishness...
I want to see what kind of kingdom she'll build.
R-Rakushun?
Wait.
Are you mad?
Rakushun?
Sorry.
Did he scare you?
I made him wait here for me.
I was planning to go back to Kankyuu from here...
...but, I'll take you to the border of Kei.
Aren't you worried after what I told you?
Go, and see Kei with your own eyes.
And if you ever meet her, please ask how she's been doing.
I just realized now, but...
...you must be warm.
For now.
But I get exhausted during the summer.
Oh my precious doll...
Doll...
She said she was born in the Meiji Era.
I don't know if it's true or not.
Her name was Suzu Ooki.
When I came to, I was floating in the Kyokai.
Fortunately, I was rescued from the sea...
...but the next four years were sheer hell.
I'm sure you know how hard it is not being able to communicate.
So when I found out that I would be able to communicate if I became a Sen-nin...
...I begged Lady Riyou to make me a Sen-nin.
But Lady Riyou turned out to be a cruel woman.
She made Suzu her servant, and tormented her for a hundred years.
I was just so sad.
I didn't know why I deserved such pain.
So...
...when Suzu learned that the new Queen Kei was also a young Kaikyaku...
...she thought that Queen Kei would save her from misery.
Although Suzu was yet to meet Queen Kei...
...she managed to escape to Sai and met Queen Sai.
But just like Riyou, Queen Sai only could offer disappointment to Suzu.
She said that I should grow up, and wouldn't let me stay in the royal palace.
After all, no one could understand my pain.
That's why I decided to go on a journey to meet Queen Kei.
It must've been fate that I met Suzu.
I needed Suzu to guide me to my next mission.
When I met her, I immediately knew that Suzu was just like me.
I learned so much from her about this world, and realized that...
...this world was twisted.
At least, someone like Suzu or me couldn't be happy in this world...
...or rather, it seemed as if this world resented us.
Am I wrong?
Everything is just so unfair.
Rulers?
Youma?
None of that has anything to do with us Kaikyaku.
We just wanted to live peacefully, that's all we wanted.
What have I done to deserve this?
My girlfriend said this was her world.
But she was wrong.
This world itself is wrong.
That kid is now dead...
He was supposed to be an assassin who had been sent to kill me.
But for some reason, he was terminated.
That is an interesting story.
I always have wondered about it myself.
Why must a Kirin choose a ruler for us?
Why do we even have to have a ruler in the first place?
If the world was made to fall into ruin without rulers...
...then the world should have been in ruins when it was created.
This world is wrong.
Then I shall do everything to fight divine providence.
So what if I anger the Heavens?
Let the Heavens punish me.
Until then, I shall live the way I please.
What's your purpose?
Why don't you come work for me?
Why? I tried to kill you.
Whether the Heavens will really punish me...
Which side is wrong, us or this world?
Are you not interested in finding that out?
Then come with me.
And work for me, the Chief of the town of Shisui, Shoukou.
I was counting the sands of time without realizing.
In a false dream I became speechless.
I would stare into the fire...
...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.
Suzu...
It's an unusual name. It does not sounds like a name of this world...
"Could she be..." Youko thought as she bites her lips.
The Twelve Kingdoms, episode 32.
Episode 32
A Great Distance in The Wind, The Sky at Dawn, Chapter Nine.
A Great Distance in the Wind, The Sky at Dawn, Chapter Nine.