Dark History of Japan

Amakasu Touma's POV

"How has your conversation with the King gone so far, Princess?" I asked tentatively, though my tone carried a curious edge that mirrored my genuine interest in her answer.

Knowing the King's personality, it wasn't hard to predict how he would react to a beautiful woman in his presence.

He wouldn't typically push them away, especially if they possessed qualities unique enough to capture his attention.

Beauty alone wouldn't suffice—no, it had to be complemented by traits like a strong identity, immense power, or significant status.

Such women had a chance to earn a place in his orbit, and I believed the Princess belonged to that rare, exceptional category.

Her beauty, while undeniable, might not have been enough to lure the King.

What truly set her apart was her lineage as royalty, her esteemed position as a princess, and, intriguingly, her idol's allure.

These traits combined to form a magnet that could attract the King's attention, pulling him toward her with a force that demanded action.

Of course it would only be limited on conquest, not love.

Love wasn't in the cards—not for her and certainly not for most women who encountered the King.

According to reliable reports, the only woman the King had ever truly loved was his sister.

His affections for other women were, at best, shallow and fleeting, driven not by romantic passion but by a primal urge to conquer and dominate.

However, even with this conquest-driven mindset, the King was not known for cruelty.

Quite the opposite—he treated the women in his life with more respect and generosity than most men treated their own partners.

His conquests didn't result in neglect but rather elevated those women, granting them better lives and more privileges than they might have received elsewhere.

This understanding filled me with confidence. The Princess and Japan would fare better in his hands than under the rule of a Heretic God who offered Japan nothing but empty promises and hollow protections.

Susanoo, for instance, had been a colossal disappointment.

Despite his supposed divine authority, he had done little to safeguard Japan from external threats.

Fallen angels blatantly disregarded our laws, and one of them, Baraqiel, had even married one of our mikos, Shuri Himejima.

This union wasn't just a breach of our traditions—it was an outright insult that Susanoo allowed to persist without consequence.

And let's not forget how devils managed to steal the Holy Sword experiment and establish Kuoh Academy right under our noses in the human world—within Japan, no less.

Did Susanoo act to stop them? Of course not. He merely watched as our sovereignty was trampled upon.

We needed a strong leader, someone with an uncompromising resolve, not a weak, indecisive god like Susanoo.

His failures weren't limited to external diplomacy or enforcement of rules. Susanoo's incompetence was personal, too.

There was Yasaka, one of the most powerful and respected leaders among the yokai. She nearly took her own life after enduring the horrors of his vile lust.

He had raped her—violating not just her body but the fragile trust that bound us to the yokai. The only reason Yasaka didn't succumb to despair was her unwavering faith in Amaterasu and her hope for the child she carried within her, a child born from Susanoo's crime.

That child, Kunou, has since been born and is now coming of age. Yet the stain of Susanoo's actions lingers, poisoning our relations with the yokai to this day. Where once there could have been cooperation and friendship, now there is only isolation.

His abuse of power wasn't even matched by competence. If he had been equally corrupt and capable, perhaps we could have overlooked his sins for the sake of mutual gain.

Instead, his actions alienated the yokai, leaving us isolated and weakened.

In short, Susanoo isn't just incompetent—he's a disgraceful rapist who has done irreparable damage to our cause.

He is a liability.

I cannot stand the thought of such a creature leading us.

And yet, amidst my frustration, I feel a glimmer of hope.

The Campione—the King—might be the leader we truly need.

"I'm afraid he isn't the kind of man who yearns for friendship, Touma," Princess Hatsune said, her voice heavy with frustration as she explained her thoughts about the king.

"We spoke, but our conversation didn't go in the direction we had hoped. He harbors these grandiose, unrealistic ambitions to conquer Japan. This won't do—it would only lead us into chaos and destruction."

She stared at me intently, her delicate features marred by concern as if seeking my agreement.

I, however, offered no response to her critique of the king's personality. My expression remained neutral, perfectly masking the surge of joy and excitement I felt within.

The king's ambition to rule all of Japan meant that my judgment had been correct. He was the leader we needed—a man of vision, strength, and competence.

Not like the unambitious, pathetic excuse of a deity such as Susanoo.

The thought of having a king who could inspire fear and respect, rather than one who would roll over at the first sign of resistance, filled me with a deep sense of satisfaction.

"He didn't turn his back on you, did he? That's what truly matters," I said, trying to comfort her.

"No, he didn't," Princess Hatsune replied with a reluctant nod, her expression softening slightly. "In fact, I managed to secure his contact information for further discussions. But... what should we talk about, Touma? What direction should our negotiations take?"

She looked at me with a mix of humility and uncertainty, a rare moment of vulnerability for someone of her status.

Despite being a princess, Hatsune's sheltered upbringing had left her ill-prepared for the murky waters of political maneuvering.

She knew enough to realize her limitations but lacked the experience to navigate them effectively.

Even an amateur strategist could probably best her in a simple chess match.

"Let me work for you, Princess," I said suddenly, dropping to one knee before her.

Her eyes widened, and she immediately seemed flustered, waving her hands in confusion. "Uhm... Touma? What are you doing? Why are you kneeling before me?"

"Let me become your butler, your informant, and your source of strength," I declared passionately.

"I'll do everything in my power to help you sway the king to our side. You don't want him walking down a dark and destructive path, do you? Let's conquer him together—with love!"

Her gaze shifted, suspicion creeping into her eyes as she instinctively stepped back. "Touma, even though I don't fully understand politics, that doesn't mean I don't understand what you're really suggesting. You want me to become his woman, don't you?"

Her words struck like a sharp blade, and she didn't wait for my reply before continuing, her voice tinged with disbelief and something akin to hurt.

"Why, Touma? Why would you suggest something like that? I don't believe you love this country so deeply that you'd risk everything—even offending me—to push me into the king's arms."

"No, I don't buy it, especially not after everything they've done to you. They tore you away from your joy, your peace, and turned you into a cold-blooded killing machine. And now, you're asking me to make this kind of sacrifice? For what purpose? What's truly driving you, Touma?"

"I didn't sell you to the king, Princess; I saved you," I said with a sly grin, my voice laced with amusement.

"Have you ever heard of the infamous incident involving Susanoo and his rape conquest on one of the youkai leaders, Yasaka?"

Her face darkened at the mention of the event. It was a story drenched in shame and blood, an event that had soured relations between the imperial family and the youkai so severely that hostility was now the default when their paths crossed.

Weapons drawn, accusations exchanged—every meeting was a powder keg ready to explode.

"Yes, I've heard of it," Princess Hatsune replied icily, her voice carrying the weight of disdain. "But what relevance does that have to our current conversation?"

"Oh, it's very relevant," I said, my smirk deepening.

"Tell me, Princess, what if you were to become his next target? Do you really think you could escape unscathed?"

"Do you even understand why the Emperor has only daughters, yet none of them remain in court? Why, instead of his own bloodline inheriting the throne, he was forced to abdicate in favor of a distant relative?"

"Every single one of his daughters disappeared—vanished as if swallowed by the earth. Did you not know that?"

I chuckled softly, the sound dripping with the confidence of someone who held all the cards.

Her eyes widened, a flicker of fear piercing her cold demeanor.

"You mean… are you saying our God is behind all of this?" she asked, her voice trembling ever so slightly, betraying the terror simmering beneath the surface.

"Yes, precisely," I said, my tone unyielding. "Susanoo did all of it. And the only force capable of saving you—of saving us—is a Campione. They are the natural enemies of gods, the only beings capable of standing against such divine tyranny."

"But don't fool yourself into thinking just any Campione will come to your aid. Most of them would care little for your plight. The only one you can rely on is the King. He will protect you."

Her lips tightened, her disbelief palpable.

"Is there no other way?" she asked, her voice tinged with desperation.

"There is another option," I admitted, my tone deliberate, as though savoring the gravity of my words.

"You could seek the protection of the Gremory family. Specifically, you could offer yourself as a pawn to Rias Gremory. If you did so, Sirzechs Lucifer would have no choice but to shield you."

Her shoulders sagged, her composure crumbling beneath the weight of the truth I laid bare.

She slumped in her chair, defeated.

"All of this… all of this was part of your plan from the beginning, wasn't it, Touma?" she said bitterly. "You've won. Now tell me, what must I do to approach the King?"

I inclined my head respectfully, though my smirk betrayed the satisfaction I felt.

"It's always a pleasure to serve you, Princess," I said smoothly, already beginning to weave the threads of a strategy.

My mind raced with possibilities as I began plotting how to etch Princess Hatsune permanently into the King's heart.

…

A/N: Regarding Yasaka's backstory, honestly, I have mixed feelings about whether I should post it or edit it because it's quite dark.

I'm unsure if readers in this current year can handle this type of backstory, but I know for sure that back in 2019, when such dark backstories were rampant, it would've been better received. I miss those years when creativity and fun triumphed over profit and strict rules.

Nowadays, there's too much focus on political correctness and overly soft policies, likely influenced by translated Chinese novels with excessive censorship and cringe-worthy romances built on unrealistic premises.

What used to be considered normal in the past has now become controversial.

So, yeah, if you feel this backstory is too dark, just let me know in the comments. I'll avoid this type of backstory in the future.

I plan for the MC to visit the Seraph of the End world eventually, and Krul Tepes' canon backstory involves being sold into slavery (yes, it's canon, not AU—I've read the manga and nearly finished it, so I know what I'm doing).

Her backstory is also quite dark. However, if it's too much for you, just let me know now, and I'll avoid describing it in detail, leaving it as vague as the canon does.

Again, I'm not omniscient, so I don't know what readers prefer nowadays. I stopped investing in reading webnovel when Chinese translations became the norm.

Yeah, some of you may know that I have experience in writing and should already understand what readers want, but the truth is, I don't.

I've never stepped out of my comfort zone, pushed boundaries, or taken risks. I've always played it safe most of the time.

I simply assumed that most readers of harem stories only prefer virgin heroines and that authors should make them one by altering their backstories, no matter how unrealistic it might seem.

I've never taken a risk or wanted to face one, and even though this is the first time I'm trying something different, I still don't want to deal with the drawbacks or consequences that come with it. So please, be honest with me about it, and I'll go back to my comfort zone if necessary.

Of course, if you prefer something more realistic or darker instead of blatant wish fulfillment or power fantasies where all the heroines should be virgins, feel free to comment. That way, I'll know whether what I'm doing is correct or not.

Before anyone misunderstands that the backstory always involves like Yasaka, no, it doesn't.

For example, if we take a realistic approach, Serafall and Runeas being virgins is obviously impossible considering their race.

Probably, when Serafall was young, she might have been fooling around with Sirzechs, or her obsession with Sona could be the result of them secretly fooling around behind the scenes.

However, if we take an idealistic, wish-fulfillment kind of story, then they're virgins.

Thus, whether we take a realistic approach or a wish-fulfillment one, it depends on you, my friends. Just voice your opinion in the comments.