kscans

Chapter 46 - The Source of the Rumor

The villagers came to offer their congratulations the day after the Tower officials had departed. On that occasion, Shintaro found himself bombarded with all sorts of questions, but it was Saneyuki who provided the explanations.

The local temple school only taught reading, writing, and basic arithmetic, so he first had to explain that there was also a Tower in the west. It took time, but he eventually managed to make them understand.

"Lord Yukimitsu is a great financier and an architect. His ancestors designed the Towers, and ever since their skills were recognized, his family has continued to prosper. He has inherited unparalleled talent and immense wealth from generations past, and even now, he provides us with his wisdom on building design and repair, as well as financial support for the country. That's why even the Tower Master can't defy him."

The second half of this speech had likely been prepared for just such an occasion. Saneyuki delivered it without a hint of hesitation, as if it were the gospel truth. The villagers gathered at Shintaro's home believed him without question. They were simple, honest folk.

"Wow. He's a lucky guy, falling in love with a man like that's daughter." Saneyuki's cheek twitched. It wasn't a complete fabrication, but a lie was still a lie. Being a fundamentally honest man, it seemed to weigh on him a little.

"Just as you said, they seem to be a good bunch of people," Saneyuki whispered to Shintaro, who just laughed.

"Were you doubting it?"

"Don't tease me." Still, Saneyuki returned a wry smile, thinking it was probably true that they had bet on Shintaro's success.

In fact, word from the village spread like wildfire to the capital, and Shintaro became the man of the hour.

"They say he was picked up by the next master of the Western Tower right after he left the capital. And the story goes that he was immediately pursued by the daughter of the family where the next Tower Master's wife used to serve. It pays to be handsome, doesn't it? On top of that, his new partner is an incredible heiress, from a prestigious family that has been patrons of both the Eastern and Western Towers for ages."

Such was the tale being told with great flair by a silver-tongued man in the middle of town.

"And get this! The sword skills that got him noticed by the next Western Tower Master were apparently so incredible that even Kawara Soma, the best swordsman in the East, was no match for him!"

"Is that true?" someone in the crowd called out. The storyteller slapped his knee.

"You bet! 'With the eyes of a lion, he dances like a dragon'—that's how he's lauded in the west. They say he has a body and soul so strong he can leap from the top of the Tower, and that he cut down ten thousand swordsmen in the blink of an eye. This information comes from a reliable source, I tell you!"

"No way. Is it really from a reliable source?"

"Of course! I heard this story with my own ears, straight from the mouths of the next Western Tower Master and Kawara Soma themselves!" It's often said that you can't stop wagging tongues. Shintaro himself would surely be surprised to learn such a rumor originated from his own circle. Deemed highly credible, the rumor spread from person to person, from neighbor to distant land.

As a result, their passage through the capital on the way back to Kyo caused a commotion. People gathered from all over to catch a glimpse of the now-famous man. Fortunately, no one blocked their path, but their horses were forced to a pace slower than a person's walk.

"Hey! There he is!" Shintaro had to turn and offer a polite smile to every shout. No one forced him to, but he had no reason to look annoyed, and ignoring them would have been just as strange.

When they had finally made it out of the capital, Shintaro thought to himself, I'm never coming back here again—though for a completely different reason this time.

The rumor, of course, was whispered within the Silver Tower as well. Out of deference to Mana, no one spoke of it loudly, but she couldn't help but notice something was amiss from the pitying glances of the maids. Eventually, the story reached her ears.

It was the tale of a man who had found his vengeance and seized happiness. The man Mana had once scorned for having no status, honor, or wealth had returned with all three.

Mana was devastated. She had already regretted abandoning him, so her disappointment was immeasurable.

It was then that Razan came to her.

"We must attend the wedding ceremony together," he said. "Do not lose your composure."

Mana trembled at his cold words, concerned only with his own public image.

"Do not worry. I will do nothing to embarrass you. If anything, I should be thanked, not criticized."

Razan looked at her, surprised by her retort.

"Thanked?"

"Yes. If he hadn't broken up with me, he wouldn't have achieved his current success."

Razan scoffed at her bravado.

"That man would have succeeded no matter what. The Emperor was apparently planning to appoint him as Imperial Court Chief if he couldn't marry Shion-sama. He's been considering it for seven years." Mana flinched. Her face went pale as she dropped her gaze to the tatami mat, her fists clenched. Was she furious for misjudging the worth of the man she loved, or did she regret succumbing to the temptation of becoming the Tower Master's wife and choosing a man she didn't love? Probably both, Razan thought, sighing as he looked at her.

"You are well-suited to be my wife," he said suddenly. Mana looked up. Razan was smiling sadly.

"A woman who flaunts her desires, who believes that appearances and reality are all that matter in this world... she is a fitting match for a doll who is loved by no one and loves no one in return, simply living a tasteless life. Don't you agree?"

Mana stared back at Razan, speechless.

It was a second proposal, one so full of sorrow it was almost a resignation.

*

He poisoned his parents.

That groundless rumor had spread long ago. Of course, it was completely untrue, and it eventually faded away... but it was from that time that Razan had stopped trusting people completely.

He despised those who, assuming he must have hated his parents simply because they didn't love him, would spread such vicious lies.

Razan couldn't smile because he wasn't loved, but he had loved his parents unconditionally. The younger a child is, the more they are capable of loving their parents, no matter how much they are hated in return.

But as he grew older, a resignation took root in his heart over his unrequited feelings, and he eventually stopped loving at all. He couldn't even muster enough expectation to hate them. By the time he was fifteen, he understood why he wasn't loved.

Razan's parents had never loved each other. Theirs was a political marriage. And Razan, too, was a child born of politics. They needed a male heir to inherit the Tower. A loveless marriage, a loveless birth. No affection could have possibly sprung from such circumstances.

His parents fell ill when Razan was nineteen. It was an epidemic.

To prevent the next Tower Master from becoming infected, Razan was sent far away. And in the midst of his grief at their passing, unable to even nurse them in their final days, that rumor began to spread.

Razan dispelled the rumor by refusing to officially succeed his father until after the seventh anniversary of their deaths, but the incident left a deep scar on his heart. That pain froze his soul and shaped him into the man he was today.

After taking his place as Master of the Tower, Razan raised the taxes. He also instituted a harsh collection policy where any unpaid portion would be carried over to the next year. If the people wanted a cold, demonic Tower Master who could even murder his own parents, then he would become one. He didn't care if this revenge would one day be his own undoing. His wounded heart would be soothed only when the people felt the same suffering and pain he had endured.

I'm not the only one who's suffering. I'm not the only one who's sad. Everyone is lonely and in pain.