346 The Reunion Once Again
After the Hojo coup against the Tokugawa Clan and the ousting of the old shogun, the Tokugawa main family and loyal retainers were nearly eradicated, throwing the country's upper hierarchy into chaos. The Hojo clan swiftly filled the resulting power vacuum with their own people.
Amidst the turmoil, only a three-year-old child, the son of the late shogun, survived the Hojo purge, thanks to Matsudaira's intervention. Matsudaira, along with Atlanteus and a handful of aging royal retainers, sought refuge in a rural area, evading the Hojo's grasp.
Now... With the downfall of the Hojo clan, Daniel's soldiers, clad in formidable power armor, marched toward the Sagami province, the ancestral homeland of the Hojo clan. A brief skirmish erupted, culminating in a brutal massacre. Within half an hour, 80% of the Hojo forces in their home province lay decimated, prompting their surrender.
Daniel granted Odysseus permission to utilize metal scarabs to construct temporary prisons for high-value captives and war prisoners from the Hojo clan. Despite initial tensions, the plan unfolded smoothly. Surprisingly, the anticipated orbital bombardment and deployment of Oceanos' weapons of mass destruction were averted. This unexpected turn of events stemmed not from Odyeeus' mercy, but rather from a veto by Envy, who opposed such extreme measures.
In exchange for forgoing the devastating weaponry, Odysseus enlisted Envy's direct participation in the war effort. With Envy's involvement, her anti-magical rituals neutralized the onmyoji residing in the Hojo clan's territory, rendering their magic ineffective. This left the conflict to be decided by conventional means, resulting in a resounding victory for Daniel's forces, with none of the soldiers in their hulking power armor suffering casualties.
—
Odysseus sat in the office within the shogun's castle, having temporarily assumed control of Edo with minimal disruption to its population. He began by taking control of the forces responsible for maintaining order in Edo and promptly notified the Daimyo in other provinces of the regime change. They were instructed to report to Edo within one month before the new year arrived; failure to comply would result in them being deemed enemies in need of elimination, with their provinces undergoing significant management adjustments.
Standing up from his desk, Odysseus made his way to the window, where he gazed at the horizon where the sun was rising. Despite the early hour and his lack of sleep, he felt a rush of excitement coursing through him. One of his dreams was being fulfilled in its own way: the dream of conquering the land. This endeavor differed from when he assisted Agamemnon in conquering Troy. Back then, he had helped Agamemnon out of necessity, fearing the repercussions of earning Agamemnon's ire. As the king of a small country himself, he had no choice but to aid Agamemnon for the safety of his own kingdom.
However, this time, it's different. Odysseus felt a surge of excitement and accomplishment as he helped Daniel, his lord, conquer this land, almost as if he owned it himself. This was the first step in accumulating merit for his lord to recognize, and he hoped that one day, his lord would bring back his beloved, Penelope, from Hades' grasp too.
After a brief break, Odysseus returned his attention to the document he received from Maria's intelligence agency the previous night. He perused the list of Daimyo from the north and south who were likely to seize this opportunity to cause trouble and attempt to usher in a second Sengoku Era.
A smirk played on Odysseus's lips; he hoped these individuals would indeed cause a ruckus and make foolish moves. It would provide him with the chance to prove Envy wrong!
The previous night presented a prime opportunity to demonstrate the power of orbital bombardment and make an example out of the Hojo Clan. It was a deterrent against any foolish moves, such as self-appointment as Shogun or adopting titles like the Patriot, which aimed to drive out foreigners.
— Oceanos - Medical Center —
Koyuki pondered for a moment before shaking her head. "I don't know. Grand Councillor Golden Scale remains an enigma; no one has ever seen his true face beneath that robe. The only thing I know, like many others, is that he avoids social gatherings entirely. You might want to pose this question to Envy," she suggested.
"Envy?" Daniel repeated, intrigued.
"Yes," Koyuki confirmed with a nod. "Envy is exceptionally knowledgeable, often concealing more than she reveals. According to her, she lived through the fall of Rome and even claims to have met Merlin. Can you believe it? She might even know the location of Camelot!" Koyuki shared, conveying Envy's remarkable depth of knowledge.
"I see..." Daniel fell into deep thought for a few moments before being roused from his contemplation by a hug from Koyuki. He reciprocated her embrace, his touch on her back reassuring him that she was truly with him. He even sensed a faint sob from Koyuki, though she didn't voice her fears; he could only guess.
"I'm afraid, Danny. I'm afraid that I can't protect my body. I'm afraid that I won't ever see you again. During my imprisonment, the only thing that protected me from them was my bluff of detonating my soul, so they couldn't exploit the Orochi power within me... It's good that you're here... it's very good," Koyuki confessed, her voice trembling with fear.
"It's okay... I'm here. I'll never let you go again," Daniel reassured her softly, holding her close.
Click...
"Helloooooo, Wrath! What's... up..." Gluttony's cheerful voice filled the room, but the nurse accompanying her frowned at the disruption. This was a medical center, and Gluttony's loud voice could disturb the patients.
"Please be considerate of the patients here, dear guest," the nurse gently admonished.
"Oh, sorry..." Gluttony apologized awkwardly, noticing the scene unfolding before her—her friend Wrath, or Koyuki, embraced and sobbing in Daniel's arms, along with the nurse's reprimand.
"Oh my my," Envy murmured with a faint smile as she observed the scene, while Pride, less tactful, barged in with a pout, harrumphing, "Hmph! Hmph!" at Daniel.
It took some time before Koyuki calmed down and could speak normally, but everyone in the room was very patient with her.
The nurse advised Koyuki about her health and instructed her to eat properly. Glancing at the untouched breakfast, she lightly admonished Daniel to take care of Koyuki and ensure she ate her meal properly before continuing with her job as usual.