Chapter 290 - Kikyo Petals, Carried to the Sea
Directly overhead, sunlight poured down upon the women clad in ink-black and moon-white coats.
At the head of the procession strode me—commanding a monstrous machine painted black with gleaming silver parts. The Bloomstar Galaxy roared with thunderous noise, dominating the surrounding landscape.
Following at measured intervals were my traveling companions, each riding their own vehicle.
Valeria piloted a cute, medium-sized racer replica, painted white with a rabbit-like design.
Siegrune rode a large, high-performance sports model—a sleek, stylish machine colored predominantly blue, perhaps because she was once a Blue Knight, or simply because she liked it.
Mary rode a cruiser-type bike similar to mine, but painted a striking crimson. Whether intentional or coincidental, its color perfectly matched her infamous epithet: Bloody Mary.
Behind them came over a dozen riders, including Vice-Commander Violante-gochou of the Second Combat Unit. This entire group tore across the peaceful grasslands along a long, open highway.
Bringing up the rear was the massive armored vehicle Delta, steered by Rosabel-san, followed by two small armored cars and around ten jeeps ranging from large to medium. This was our traveling convoy.
Altogether, about sixty strong—a sizable force. Merchant caravans never used motorcycles, so to outsiders, we must have looked utterly bizarre.
The expedition team was centered around Mary’s Second Combat Unit, with me, Siegrune, and Valeria joining, along with Rosabel-san from the Healing Bureau, and selected members from the Combat Support Unit.
When deciding the expedition roster, we considered prior training results using dummy ships, and ultimately concluded that Mary’s Second Combat Unit was the best overall choice.
Mary’s fierce hatred toward thieves would surely extend to pirates as well. But she wasn’t some amateur who’d forget our mission to recruit the pirates and recklessly go on a rampage. I trusted her to keep her emotions in check and do only what needed to be done.
Beyond that, Mary’s sheer intensity in despising “criminals” would surely be felt by the other side. Perhaps her sheer presence alone could silence even the most arrogant pirates.
Another reason for selecting the Second Combat Unit was that, led by Mary, many preferred hand-to-hand combat over weapon-based fighting. This made it easier to control their force—crucial for a mission where we absolutely had to avoid killing, even by accident.
I intended for Siegrune to take the lead in negotiations. In this case, I expected her to be even more suited for the role than I was.
Since the pirates were apparently former soldiers, I hoped that Siegrune—also a former soldier—might find some common ground with them.
Siegrune, a beautiful woman with a commanding presence, had once been an elite knight and now stood as a top-ranking member of Exembra’s underground Three Great Families. Even pirates would hesitate to underestimate her as a negotiating partner.
Still, we were outsiders—and a group of women, at that. It was impossible to deny they might look down on us from the start. But if so, we’d simply make them understand our strength through action.
Rosabel-san was also accompanying us as one of the negotiators.
Rosabel-san, an advisor to the Kikyo Society, normally enjoyed near-total freedom—aside from her duties producing a set amount of healing potions at the Healing Bureau and treating fighters at the Arena. This time, however, I’d invited her along to leverage her reputation and experience.
Even among the increasingly notorious Kikyo Society, Rosabel-san was undoubtedly the most famous. And her fame extended far beyond the Society itself—she was widely known across the entire continent, not just its eastern regions.
Rosabel—renowned as the greatest healing mage of the age—was a living legend.
Having such a celebrity as our advisor was a tremendous asset we couldn’t afford to waste. With port rights at stake, it was time she contributed beyond healing magic. After all, she even held a Negotiator Insignia—Gold.
This was a big score, a meal ticket we couldn’t let slip. We’d use every advantage available.
The Vice-Commander and the advisor would handle negotiations, Mary’s Second Combat Unit would provide intimidation and force, while Valeria and I would deal with any irregularities.
We were still in the information-gathering phase regarding negotiations with the pirates. Our plans were layered with contingencies, but in practice, we’d inevitably have to rethink things on the spot. Irregularities were guaranteed. I intended to leave the negotiations to them, but I wouldn’t be idle.
“This is Siegrune. Yukari-dono, shall we take lunch soon?”
The voice in my ear was clear. I replied immediately.
“Let’s rest at that grove up ahead. Everyone, did you hear?”
A chorus of casual acknowledgments came back.
We were talking normally, despite being scattered across different bikes and vehicles, and even over the roar of engines—thanks to the earring-shaped short-range communication magic items we wore. They made coordination during movement much easier, though they devoured magic power like mad, so we couldn’t afford to chatter uselessly. Still, undeniably convenient.
After stopping the convoy along the deserted roadside, we unloaded ingredients and utensils from the large jeeps and began preparing lunch.
Members who loved cooking and cared deeply about food took charge, so the work was efficient, and even on-the-go meals like this were guaranteed to taste good.
We were traveling along a major highway, so under normal circumstances, we could have stopped at towns for lodging or meals. But we were an unusual group. To avoid unnecessary trouble during transit, we’d opted to continue our journey with quiet camping until reaching our destination.
That said, this region—formerly the Kingdom of Retnark—had endured fierce civil wars and now consisted of small, independent factions. It was an extremely unstable area. Even along major roads, few travelers wandered these remote stretches.
If you saw someone out here, they were likely either fleeing their town at night, a runaway criminal, or a bandit lying in wait to ambush isolated villagers or the rare traveler.
“Onee-sama, I got it.”
“Thanks.”
Today’s lunch appeared to be a hearty vegetable soup in a cup, resembling pot-au-feu, and a bagel sandwich with cured ham and cheese. A staple menu, perhaps, but there was value in consistency.
Though we often ate soup and sandwiches, the variety of ingredients kept things interesting. With a wide range of spices and seasonings, the flavors never felt repetitive.
“Yukari, Chairwoman, may I ask something?”
“What is it?”
One of the members, casually seated on the grass like it was a picnic, tossed out a conversational question.
“We’re securing port rights, right? But what about the Clad Family and Anastasia Union? If we take the ports, won’t they complain later?”
“Now that you mention it, I’ve explained our goals but not much about the other organizations. Don’t worry—everything’s been coordinated. If we kept them in the dark and they ended up allying with the pirates, that’d be disastrous. Rosmerta’s faction is handling the groundwork. Besides, there are plenty of ports. If they want one, they can take another. In fact, they’ve probably already started moving.”
Powerful, greedy factions wouldn’t just sit back and watch. Exembra had taken time to stabilize under the Three Great Families’ rule, but now that things were settling, it was only natural they’d pursue profitable ventures.
The Three Great Families cooperated within Exembra, yet remained rivals. They didn’t share every piece of information.
They probed each other’s intentions, and when interests clashed, chose to avoid conflict, negotiate, or—intentionally—confront. None were serious about destroying each other, so for now, they maintained a healthy tension as both rivals and peers.
“Since the era of the Five Great Families, river rights have been controlled by guilds. If maritime rights are now up for grabs, they’d move quickly.”
Another member chimed in, and they were right.
The city had numerous rivers, large and small. If each family claimed territory over rivers, it would create serious logistical problems.
If every stretch of river demanded tolls—“Pay up if you want to pass”—the river-based logistics system would collapse. The current arrangement had evolved through historical negotiations, and we had no intention of interfering. Though, of course, rivers and ports were entirely different matters.
“Are there many ports in Retnark?”
“If you count all those on the mainland and scattered islands, we’re talking well over a hundred or two hundred. Right, Onee-sama?”
“Hmm, I don’t know the exact number, but including the small ones, there should be quite a few. Though that includes rural fishing ports where only small boats come and go.”
“I’ve heard the major ports will either be secured by Rosmerta’s faction or placed under direct control of the Royal Family.”
For example, the few large, well-equipped international harbors—or those with shipyards—were reportedly to be managed directly by the Royal Family.
Other ports deemed key nodes in domestic and international maritime networks would fall under the control of high-ranking nobles.
We’d be securing rights to ports one or two tiers below those major hubs. But that was fine.
Ports deeply entangled in politics would mean interference from nobles, leaving us little freedom. Even if profitable, such troublesome locations weren’t worth it. The return on investment wouldn’t justify the political maneuvering required—especially replicating Exembra-style schemes in a port town.
“Securing the port town and winning over the pirates… it’s not going to be simple.”
Someone murmured it, and all I could do was agree.
Securing port rights wasn’t something the Kingdom of Brenark would guarantee—it wouldn’t offer any such assurance. At best, they’d turn a blind eye.
The Kikyo Society had to prove our dominance through strength, forcing the townspeople to recognize us as their rulers.
Even if pirate activity had crippled the port’s function as a transport hub, small fishing boats still came and went normally. The local guild members—fishermen’s associations, and former big-shot import-export merchants—wouldn’t tolerate newcomers swaggering around.
With pirates having run rampant for so long, the town’s economy had developed more around land-based trade. The influential figures who’d risen in that sector would also need to be won over.
Only when we’d gained the recognition of so many groups and individuals could we truly claim to have seized control of the port town. It wouldn’t be easy.
“The members scouting ahead should be devising various strategies. Once the plan’s set, all that’s left is execution. We’ll manage somehow.”
There’d certainly be plenty of complications. That’s why I chose to speak lightly and positively.
If the chairwoman started out negative, morale would plummet. It affected everyone. Besides, I was naturally pretty high-energy.
“Work will get done, one way or another. But more than that—I can’t wait to see the sea!”
“Onee-sama, you’re really that excited?”
I didn’t particularly want to swim, but the seaside views—and above all, the seafood—called to me.
The ocean’s bounty was summoning me. That alone made the journey worthwhile!
Days passed as we resumed our journey and continued our camping life.
We ignored suspicious figures who watched us from afar and fled, and bypassed settlements entirely to avoid trouble.
In their place, we killed any wild monster we encountered. A collapsed nation without monster-hunting units was dangerous in many ways. We weren’t suddenly driven by altruism—this was merely training for headshots during high-speed motorcycle travel.
Traveling like this, we finally neared our destination.
After cresting a high hill, the distant expanse of blue sea came into view.
It was profoundly moving. Words failed me.
Surely, most of our group were equally awestruck by the vast ocean before us.
The port town stretching along the coast had a distinctive skyline of orange-tiled roofs. I looked forward to experiencing its atmosphere firsthand—my excitement surged anew.
As our convoy naturally slowed, flowers bloomed wildly across the hill, as if welcoming our arrival.
The deep violet-blue flowers were Kikyo blossoms. They covered the hillside in a single hue, blooming thickly despite being slightly early in the season.
It was as if they were welcoming us.
No—we were being welcomed.
This land had accepted our Kikyo Society!
Well, maybe not.
Still, the townspeople would surely be shocked.
Our convoy, led by the massive armored Delta, radiated overwhelming intimidation. The port town, though rural, had a decent population, but apparently lacked outer walls or city gates. We’d ride straight in.
Our business thrived on visibility, so we’d make a grand entrance from the start. We’d flood the town with talk of the Kikyo Society.
We’d make such a spectacle that not a single person in town would remain unaware of our presence.
“This is our Kikyo Society’s first new step forward. Let’s do this!”
“Ooooh!”
I’d switched on the communicator to shout, but the enthusiastic roar that answered needed no magic device to be heard.
This somehow turned into another setup chapter, feeling much like a lead-in to the new arc—consider it a continuation of last time’s introduction!
I’m cutting it here due to length, but next time we’ll get into more concrete developments!
So stay tuned for the next chapter: “Conquering a Town from Scratch”! I’ve actually got quite a bit ready!