Fates Parallel Chapter 416 - Declaration (Patreon)

Magus Hwang Sung didn’t want to stay much longer, and as much as Yoshika wanted her own answers from Do Hye, she respected his decision to take him in as soon as possible.

“Are you sure you’re going to be alright transporting him on your own?”

Hwang Sung sighed.

“You can never be sure of anything with that old snake, but I’ll manage. He’s powerful, but drained, and I don’t plan on giving him the opportunity to recover any time soon.”

Meili nodded slowly, casting an uneasy glance at the captive Do Hye. He didn’t look worried at all, which was making her worry.

“You must be glad to have finally gotten the best of him.”

Her old teacher frowned.

“I wish I could say I was. I never hated him, you know. He irritated me to no end, but it was nice having someone to compete with. I truly wish that things had turned out differently.”

He gestured at Do Hye, and the entire sealing formation lifted off the ground, carrying Do Hye with it.

“Magus Hyeong...I had originally intended to invite you to join me, but I don’t think that’s a good idea now.”

Dae bowed.

“I appreciate the thought, but I’ll see to my duties here. Please give my regards to Aecha, if you see her.”

“I will. Take care, Dae, and the rest of you as well.”

Hwang Sung carried Do Hye away and took off into the sky. The shield formation hadn’t been fully repaired yet, but Yoshika had gained control of it in the merge, and she let them through with a thought.

There was so much left to do that it was overwhelming. Even with Do Hye taken care of, declaring their new nation had added yet another pile of problems to the mess before her. The first of which peered anxiously into the lecture hall, waiting for the right moment to come forward.

Meili sighed and turned to address her.

“You can come inside, Ruiling, just watch your step.”

Ruiling stepped inside, delicately avoiding the formation as she navigated the destroyed floor.

“Um, hello. Sorry for eavesdropping, but I couldn’t help but overhear something about founding a nation?”

“Yeah, just some mainland politics. Nothing you need to be concerned about—I’ll make sure you can all find your way home.”

“Ah, actually, that’s what I wanted to talk about. I don’t suppose this new country of yours is accepting refugees, is it?”

Kaede pursed her lips.

“We hadn’t exactly gotten that far with our organization, yet. You have to understand that this country has only existed for a few minutes at this point—we don’t even have a name. Why do you ask?”

Ruiling’s wings drooped as she stared down at her feet.

“I...don’t think I should go back home. The Dragon Lord was...understanding, but the fact is I messed up big time. There are people who are going to want me to answer for it, and the dragon clan isn’t a monolith. I’d just be putting my village in danger if I returned.”

Meili gave her a sympathetic smile.

“Have you talked to Karto and Mel about this?”

“No, but I already know Melati didn’t want to go back to the village and Sukarto will follow me even if I ask him not to.”

“I see.”

Yoshika frowned thoughtfully.

“I’d like to welcome you with open arms, but I don’t think I should be making that kind of decision unilaterally. For now, you can stay here as my guests until we figure things out, but I’ll need to deliberate on anything more permanent.”

Ruiling bowed deeply.

“Thank you, Yoshika. I’m sorry for putting you on the spot like this, I’m sure you’ve got a lot to deal with as it is.”

That was an understatement, but Yoshika returned the bow, appreciating the sentiment nonetheless.

Yue put a hand on her hip and shook her head.

“You realize, Yoshika, that we made you the ruler on purpose? You actually can make decisions like that. Perhaps the one thing we can say for certain about the country we’ve just founded is that your word is law.”

Kaede shook her head.

“No. Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should. I don’t want to be worshiped as an infallible god like Emperor Qin. I need people who I can trust to tell me when I’m making a mistake instead of just simpering.”

Dae chuckled.

“Well said. I suppose that’s why we chose to appoint you in the first place.”

Ienaga tapped her foot on the ground restlessly. She’d been quiet since agreeing to witness the birth of their nation, but chose that moment to speak up.

“You’ve made an incredibly bold and dangerous move. I understand your reluctance to become a dictator, but what Hwang Sung said isn’t wrong. This country has no land, people, or government. All it has right now is you, and in these early moments every second counts. Your every stray breath defines this nation’s future, and you must be prepared to take on the burden of that responsibility.

“I won’t throw my support behind a half-hearted attempt with no vision. This isn’t something to be put aside for later, or discussed at your leisure. What kind of ruler do you want to be? What sort of nation are you going to create? What shape will the lives of your people take? You need to choose now, and choose wisely, because this nation of one already has an army at its doorstep.”

Yoshika took a deep breath. Ienaga was right—she couldn’t do this haphazardly, nor could she just rely on her friends to do everything for her. It would take time to build her ideal nation, and until then she needed to take control of the situation.

“I don’t think I have the answers you’re looking for, Master. I want my people to be safe and happy, but I don’t know how to do that. I want peace with our neighbors, and with the people across the sea, but I don’t know how to do that either. I can bring people together, but I can’t control them—I can only hope that they will share my vision and trust me to see it through.”

Master Ienaga smiled sadly.

“I think you’ll find that to be much more challenging than you think. I’m satisfied with your answer, but you really should address the situation outside. This is your nation’s defining moment, and it’s up to you.”

“Right...”

Yoshika started with the demons still within her domain. She knew that many of them were completely feral, but Yang Qiu had taught her how to deal with them. Her power suppressed them in an instant, causing them to freeze in fear as she spoke directly to their minds.

“Your masters are dead or defeated. Any who wish to leave, may leave—though I can offer no promises of protection from the armies outside. Those who wish to stay must subject themselves to temporary imprisonment, while we decide what to do about you.”

Most immediately fled, and she let them through, even knowing that it would mean that the army outside would cut them down. Those that remained, she guided towards a single location—a set of buildings that had once been the academy’s medical pavilion, where she could separate and isolate them to prevent violence.

Eui crossed her arms and frowned.

“Yang Qiu, come with me. We need to deal with the demonic stragglers.”

The demon perked up.

“Oh! We’re gonna wipe them out?”

“No, just rein them in. I want you to help me handle them without killing anybody—or letting them kill each other.”

“Uuugh, are you kidding? Even worthless demons? You’d be doing them a favor to just get rid of them.”

Eui raised an eyebrow.

“Does that mean you’re gonna be first in line?”

Yang Qiu chuckled nervously.

“Just kidding, haha! Okay, boss, let’s round up some demons. Non-violently, I guess...”

While they left, Kaede turned to the others.

“Yue, Dae, I’ll need you two with me to address the coalition leaders—Eunae, Xin Wei, and Zheng Long as well.”

Ienaga sighed and shook her head.

“I’ll come as well. This is probably going to be messy...”

They all stepped onto the teleportation circle, and Yoshika sent them to the matching one that Dae had drawn back at her camp. They marched out towards the main command center, striding with purpose past a rather surprised Pan Jiaying.

As Jiaying nervously watched them go, Meili placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, surprising her all over again.

“Ah! Oh, hi Meili—”

Jiaying did a double-take, glancing back towards the Yoshika avatar with Kaede before returning her attention to Meili in her original form.

“Oh! You’re back! Uh...that was fast?”

Meili chuckled.

“It’s only been a couple of hours from your perspective, but for me it’s felt a whole lot longer.”

“Oh right, the time thing. But if you’re here, then who’s...”

She cast another questioning glance back towards the now distant crowd of diplomats. Meili shrugged.

“Well, me, obviously, but that’s not what you meant, was it?”

“No, sorry. I should be used to all this by now.”

“Hah, don’t worry. It’s still a bit weird for me too. It really is me, but I guess it might be easier to say that body is currently representing Jia. Her original one got obliterated by divine lightning.”

Jiaying covered her mouth and gasped.

“By the emperor! Are you okay?! Is...is she...?”

“She’s not dead or anything, if that’s what you’re asking. As for whether I’m okay...I’m really not sure yet.”

Yoshika still felt the raw wounds in her soul. Now that the fighting was over, the pain of repeatedly losing her avatars was hard to ignore—like the ragged wound that had once prevented Jia from rejoining with Eui, so long ago.

“I think I will be, though. Come on, let’s find Jung and Narae—we’ve got a lot we need to talk about...”

—-

Within the command center, the leaders of the coalition gathered, all of them convening in the same place for the first time since the beginning of the siege. Sun Quan glared firmly at Yoshika, his domain roiling against hers as he seethed angrily.

“Could you please repeat that? I believe I must have misheard.”

“Now that the demon threat has been quelled, the Grand Academy expresses its profound thanks to the people of Qin, Yamato, and Goryeo for coming to its aid, and requests that the occupying armies return home.”

“There is no academy. You have no authority to make such a demand.”

Yoshika shook her head.

“It’s not a demand, but a request. As head of state, I must consider the implications of long-term military presence by foreign powers.”

“Head of what state? The academy is a neutral zone formerly supported by Elder Qin Zhao, who has since been branded a traitor for his involvement in the demonic invasion.”

She made an effort to suppress her irritation at the casual slander of her former master.

“We have declared our independence, as witnessed by relevant parties from each nation. Since the empire doesn’t officially recognize foreign powers, please consider us an independent sect granted official recognition by Yan Yue of the Great Awakening Dragon.”

“This is beyond absurd. I was willing to commit my forces to quelling the demonic threat, but I can’t allow such a blatant power grab in good conscience.”

Seong Misun snorted in amusement.

“Is that why you elected to join? As far as Goryeo is concerned, everything was done in the proper legal manner. I can’t predict how the queen or high nobles will react, but we’ll comply with the request for withdrawal.”

Ienaga nodded.

“Yamato’s laws are less clear, but if Lee Jia claims this territory then its hers for as long as she can defend it. The soldiers present will remain under Hayakawa Kaede’s command until they are returned home to their lords, or the Shogun declares otherwise.”

She cast a meaningful glance at Kaede, and Yoshika understood what she was implying. Her father was going to revoke her command. He may have already done so, and they just hadn’t gotten word yet. She’d need to send most of the soldiers home before it was too late.

Sun Quan grimaced.

“So be it. However, as a representative of the Great Sects, and the Empire of Qin—”

Lin Xiulan cut in before he could finish, waving a hand dismissively.

“Ah, speak only for yourself, Sun Quan. The Flowing Purewater will withdraw—we have no further stake in things this far east. Nor do I want to sour relations with my future daughter-in-law by opposing the sect she’s sponsored. In fact, if she requests it, I may even lend my support.”

Sun Quan’s white knuckled grip on the table caused it to crack and splinter around his fingers.

“And what of my second-in-command’s accusation that former ambassador Yoshika was seen collaborating with demons?”

Yoshika frowned.

“Yang Qiu is a bound demon, unable to cause any further harm. I’ll take full responsibility for her.”

“I would remind you that the binding of demons is, itself, considered a demonic art.”

“Then I guess I’m a demon. I already was according to most of your peers anyway, so what difference does it make? Put me on trial in front of Qin Yongliang again if it matters so much to you.”

He pursed his lips. As much as Yoshika hated to antagonize her closest neighbor in Qin, Sun Quan was unyielding—she had to deal with him as directly as possible. At the very least, the removal of his allies would mean that Sun Quan needed to return to the Silver Orchard before he could offer any real opposition.

“So be it. I will withdraw my people for now, but I do not recognize either your sect or your so-called nation. When I return, I will report this petty rebellion for the treason that it is.”

He turned on his heel and stormed out, his people following close behind. Lin Xiulan smiled and waved as he left.

“Goodbye Sun Quan! Always a pleasure!”

The man offered no response, but she just laughed.

“Well, that was a far more interesting outcome than I could ever have anticipated. Tell me, girls, what are you going to call this lovely new nation you’re founding?”

Yoshika froze. She hadn’t thought about it. ‘Geumji’ wasn’t exactly the most welcoming name, and just calling it The Academy felt too stuffy and formal. They needed a proper name—something that represented who they were, and what they wanted to be. Her lips moved without thinking.

“Jiaguo.”

She regretted it as soon as it left her mouth. Misun covered her mouth and snorted, then erupted into full-on belly laughter.

“Jiaguo! Pfft, are you kidding me? ‘Good country’? And you named it after yourself, too! Oh, that’s too good!”

Yoshika felt her face heating up. Was it too late to take it back?