Arc 1: Kumoshima Part 8
1447 Words
CHAPTER 13
"Master, they are coming," Kuro whispered. Then Kuro left again as if he stopped by to inquire about the product.
Nephrite slightly nodded, cautious. He swept his gaze on the street, his left hand holding a whole cabbage. Shier continued to offer their products to passersby while waiting.
They took advantage of the afternoon buzz of the marketplace to hide as they looked out of their target.
As Nephrite's gaze reached the end of the street, he saw a group of men, all carrying swords. The people on the streets were greeting them while the head of the group was smiling at the commoners.
For outsiders, nothing seems unusual at all. Interaction like this was common in this place.
Not for him, though.
There was another reason why he volunteered for this mission.
As the group got closer, Nephrite observed them. He smirked as he noticed Yattsu walking along with them.
Nephrite took a deep breath, This is it. According to the original plot, this was the first time Keisuke saw Yattsu's face. He was asking around if anyone saw his father who was already missing for a month.
Nephrite looked at the man in the middle. Dignified in his kimono with the eagle and snake insignia embroidered on it. It was the symbol of a high-ranking noble family. He looked so down-to-earth with his friendly smile as he strolled in the street of the market.
Trying to control the vessel's emotion, Nephrite's nails dug into the cabbage. He felt Keisuke's strong resentment towards this person, and his blood turned cold.
Keisuke, even until his death, never knew this person's name. But he will never forget the face of the person who killed him and his nephew.
This is the reason why you shouldn't mess up with good-tempered people. Nephrite gritted his teeth.
Suddenly, someone blocked his view and pulled down his cone hat, "What are you dazing around for?"
Startled, Nephrite backhand the person's arm in reflex. Only then did he notice the owner's identity.
Kazuyuki backed off, frowning. Rubbing the part Nephrite hit on his right arm, he asked, "Is something wrong?"
Regret flooded into Nephrite's chest as he realized his mistake. "K-Kazuyukiㅡ."
"Is everything alright?" A calm, soft voice asked.
Nephrite tensed up.
Kazuyuki noticed his pale face. He took a large step and pulled Nephrite on his chest. Their height difference wasn't that big so Nephrite had to bend over a bit.
Holding Nephrite in place with his left hand on the back of the latter's head, Kazuyuki turned around. He pushed away Nephrite gently with his body to face the person's direction. Kazuyuki felt Nephrite had no intention of showing his face to the newcomer. He bowed, pushing Nephrite's head to bow along with him.
"Apology for our rudeness, Lord Fei. My friend and I were just playing around."
Kazuyuki did not lift their heads. Nephrite thought what they were doing was rude but since he didn't want to look up either, he did not budge.
However, it was actually a favorable action in this world. It was a very respectful move for people you think highly of. Lord Fei's family was a close relative of the Minister of the Left, Lord Shun. Kazuyuki didn't think highly of Lord Fei, even the slightest. But it was a good way to feed the latter's ego without disrespecting nor giving him time to inquire about Keisuke.
"It is alright, the young master doesn't need to be overly polite. Yet, I am wondering why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be in the palace by now?"
"May I know what Lord Fei means?"
Lord Fei looked at him. Still wearing the fake kind smile, he asked, "Haven't you heard? Lady Aijin turned out to be the missing daughter of the Minister of the Right. The Palace summoned Physician Takamine to state how the Lady ends in his household."
Kazuyuki lifted his head in shock, cold beads of sweat started trickling down on his back.
As if looking forward to this reaction, Lord Fei's smile turned sincere. “You should be rushing as well. Gaining such a talented and beautiful daughter, it is only a matter of time. The Fujiwara Clan will surely bring her to join the imperial harem."
With that, Lord Fei gave a slight nod and bid farewell. Kazuyuki just stood there, dumbstruck.
Nephrite moved away from Kazuyuki. He knew this would happen soon but he did not expect Kazuyuki to get blown away this badly.
"Kazuyuki, you better go back home and talk to your father. It is still uncertain."
Kazuyuki did not speak right away. He took a deep breath as if stabilizing his emotions.
He waved his hand. "Don't worry about it," he gave a weak smile. Why are you spying on Lord Fei?"
It was Nephrite's turn to get shocked but it did not show on his face. He calmly replied, "I am here to find clues. Plus I saw someone suspicious in his group of guards."
Kazuyuki nodded as he stared at the person in front of him. His father was the one who sent him here to help Keisuke. He was fine with it because he likes Keisuke's company. However, now as he saw it, his father probably sent him here because of Aijin's situation.
"We should split up and investigate this further. Who knows if that person was there to cause harm to Lord Fei?"
Nephrite couldn't tell him the truth from Keisuke's memory.
"Kazuyuki, you should go and check Lady Aijin while you still have a chance," He tapped his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Help me once you return."
Nephrite couldn't let this part change. He can't interfere with Aijin's fate. Who knows what will happen to Aijin if Kazuyuki didn't reach out to her?
Kazuyuki dropped all pretense. Even if he wanted to stay, his heart was already elsewhere.
"Thank you."
"No, thank you for helping me earlier," Nephrite smiled.
Kazuyuki nodded. He left immediately.
Nephrite sighed. It is better to act alone for this mission, he comforted himself. After all, even if Xei was inside Kazuyuki's body, his partner has no consciousness. It was better to do this on his own.
"Young Master," Shier leaned to whisper. "One of the guards of Lord Fei followed Young Master Kazuyuki. Kuro followed them, too."
Nephrite nodded. If Kuro follows them, then it will be fine. He has nothing to worry about.
"Shier, look after our cart. If something happens, I will use the horse whistle as a signal. I will back out if I can't handle the situation. If Kuro returns, ask him to follow me. It will be easy for him."
Shier nodded. Nephrite handed him the poor cabbage with fingernail marks on both sides then left. Following the direction the group went to, he pretended to stroll to avoid suspicion.
Nephrite needed to think of a plan to get information from these people soon. He must know why Lord Fei was here. It was somehow a good thing Yattsu followed Kazuyuki. He might not be able to suppress his anger if he saw him again.
In Keisuke's original lifetime, Yattsu befriended him and offered to help him find his father. Yattsu suggested visiting the places Keichi frequented.
He was running around like a headless chicken. Looking for his father everywhere. Yet, these people were already conspiring against their Clan. They planted fake shreds of evidence against his father in places they went to.
He only learned the truth after Kurokami found him weeks later. They escaped. Turned out Kuro had been looking for him for a week after they separated to look for Keichi. Bandits were already rampaging in some parts of their town. Most of the supplies for export and import were cut off.
Soon after they returned to Bara Town, they heard the news. The Minister of Right, Fujiwara Saigo, sent an order to subdue and punish the whole Akaha Clan. Accused of colluding with the neighboring country and a*******n.
His mother told him to run away with his five-year-old nephew. Told him to protect their bloodline and the next successor of the Akaha Clan at that time. But their attempt was unsuccessful. Kurokami died protecting them. The enemy caught him and his nephew and brought them to who-knows-where. Lord Fei was waiting for them. The latter ordered his men to torture them beyond recognition. He did not even spare the poor child.
His nephew died in a horrible way. Keisuke's last memory before death was Lord Fei celebrating the newly obtained power.
This time he won't let these people get away with it.
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