Extra Chapter: Asura, Aoyama Takeshi

"Grandpa! Want some ice cream?"

In what others may consider as the pantheon of Kiko's historical legends, one man alone can be called deserving of the title that he was given.

Many titles are given by important people like the "War god of reincarnation" title of Itsuki Gojo that was given to him by the former Pheonix Priestess of Kingo sanctum or given by the people like the "Kirin Lord" title of the First Kirin Lord in the Imperial Capital.

"Sure thing. Over here then."

But this man is an exception… after all, it was believed that those whom he killed were the ones who gave him such a moniker of "Asura". A demon so enamored with slaughter that it became the sole defining thing that he was given.

"Say "ah"."

"Ahh…"

And right now, what he is doing is something that would make the people that he slaughtered think twice if it was really him that they are seeing.

"Mm… This is a tad too sweet for me."

"But I like it, grandpa!"

In the Aoyama Manor, the princess of the Yamaguchi clan, Yamaguchi Kaede, is sitting at the lap of an old man while holding a cup of peach ice cream and a bamboo spoon on her tiny hands.

"Be sure to brush your teeth properly later then, okay? We don't want your adorable teeth hurting due to cavities, right?"

"Mm! I'll brush-brush them!"

To many people, the name Aoyama Takeshi is synonymous with the word "massacre". After all, this was the same person who fought against the Kusanagi clan and managed to convince them that Kiko is not a land worth conquering if thousands of them will die in return.

This cannot be exemplified more than that time when Akizuki Godan was starting to become mentally deteriorated and instead of receiving the Kusanagi ambassadors and messengers properly, he killed them the moment they crossed Iso river. This was the time when Kusanagi Kenji assembled his army to avenge his murdered subordinates.

At that time, the Kusanagi lord understood well that his fight is with the Akizuki lordship and not the other noble landlords. He was allowed by the Aoyama and Fumikage leaders to march through their lands peacefully, but while marching, some of his young and overly prideful soldiers assembled a raid on a village at Aoyama domain where they burned rice fields and stole some women and children to become their slaves.

What happened next was something that, if called "horrifying", would be a major understatement.

"Grandpa?"

"Hm? What is it, Kaede-chan?"

"Is that your armor?"

"Hm? Oh! Ahaha… Yep, that's grandpa's armor right there."

"It's scary."

"Ahaha!!! It should be. I have to scare off the bad guys after all."

"Mmm… It's still scary…"

"Ahaha… Come here, let's turn around so you won't see it."

It was said that since antiquity, the Aoyama clan has served as the military family branch of the main Misanagi clan. Because of this, their entire genealogy was one bathed in blood and war. There were common beliefs that, in order to see who in your enemy came from the Aoyama line, you should look for the person whose armor has skulls on its waist belt.

The armor that was mentioned by the little girl was indeed scary. After all, 4 skulls hang from its waist. 4 generals of the Kusanagi clan that he personally executed after that raid happened which endangered his people.

Asura… indeed, he deserves such a title.

Later that afternoon, Princess Kaede went to the study room with her teacher to practice her calligraphy and manners. With this, the old man decided to go out to the rear courtyard of his estate where he loosened off his yukata from his torso to begin stretching his body.

"Hurgh… Argh… Igh…"

The old man's joints and muscles creaked and strained as he moved around. Although his body showed signs of aging and a sense of fragility, a swift motion with a wooden sword on his hand proved that he is not yet weak enough to be easily beaten.

"HARGH!"

*Plok! Plok!*

A bamboo pole on the ground was split lengthwise in an instant, each half falling on the ground with a clean cut on it as if it was halved by an axe.

"It seems like the demon of the Aoyama clan is still too strong to retire."

"Huh? Oh… it's you, Shido."

"Good afternoon, Aoyama-dono."

The man that appeared from the hallway leading to the rear courtyard is Shimura Shido, a close friend of the old man and his former subordinate under the Asura Horsemen.

"How is your arm doing?"

"I'm still recovering, but I'm happy that it was successful even though Iwasawa-sama is not the one who did the surgery."

He had a plaster cast on his arm that is slung on a torniquet around his neck. The mention of a surgery suggests that it is an old injury that was just cured lately.

"At least you'll be able to write with that hand now after all these years. I still can't believe that a musket ball lodged on a bone can last that long."

"Same with me… Can I sit here?"

"Sure. Let me ask someone to brew some fresh tea for us and some dango."

A few moments passed and a female servant placed a small table between the two old men sitting at the hallway. She then poured the tea on their cups and presented a plate of colored dango.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, sirs."

After they were left alone, they began to talk about things that concerned them.

"I received a letter from Nobisuke… He said that he wants me to come at the war as a consultant."

"Your son, huh? And a war… with the pirates of Arakami island no less."

"Yeah, it's against the Arakami pirates, but he said that there are people behind those ruffians that he suspects is behind the events from earlier this year."

The event that he mentioned was that time when Naka harbor was bombarded by pirates. It was not disclosed to the public that there are people behind the attack and that the perpetrators have acted erratically and died en masse in prison.

"The world has changed, but its elements are the same. The struggle of life continues yet it changes its reasons as each past cause becomes obsolete."

"I can see that you are still a silver-tongued poet, Shido. You always have the right words to speak something formally."

"I've been spending my retirement in the comfort of my home and the typical visit on some of my son's many hotels and resorts. Actually, I came here to invite you on one so you can get a massage or use a sauna for once."

"Ah. I heard about that already. I'll take you up on that offer then."

"It's a pleasure."

The two partook on the snacks as they concluded a part of their conversation and felt the warm autumn wind on their skins.

"I just want to ask this Shido…"

"What is it?"

"Do you… still feel no hatred for her?"

"…"

The mention of that "her" made Shido sigh heavily as he took off his arm from his torniquet.

"I still remember the day when I came back with some delicious food for our wedding anniversary and the moment I stepped inside our house, I saw her half-naked and strangling Nobisuke… she was about to plunge a knife on his throat…"

"…"

"I didn't understand from that time, but my instincts kicked in and I pushed her away from our son while also taking the knife from her hand. Once she saw me, her eyes went wide, and she ran into our room. That's when I saw another man's shadow from the door, and I realized what just happened."

"Shido… What you did back there is-"

"My wife whom I loved with all my heart and being… has betrayed me… they were caught by Nobisuke, and she decided to hide the evidence, but I came in just the right time to save him and save myself from further ignorance."

"None of it is your fault."

"…"

The old man placed his hand on his friend's shoulder and spoke to him calmly.

"Natsuki used to be a woman deserving of honor and respect… but I guess there really are temptations in being a human that one cannot easily resist and win against."

"Even though all of that happened, I still have a part of my heart that loves her… but I cannot stop the other person who promised to end her life. I cannot convince Nobisuke to forget his hatred and move on like how I did… But I cannot also discredit his hatred for her."

"…"

Only the Misanagi clan has the records to prove it, but the way of life of the people of Kiko has always been one centered around loyalty and honesty to the family. A trait that made them so resilient against all harm that life threw their way for the past thousands of years.

Many of these traits were changed as time went on, but the central values of being loyal and keeping no unnecessary or harming secrets to your family is something that remained unchanged.

As such, it was rare since antiquity for Kiko folk to be seen bawling on the streets while dying from drunkenness or be seeing hanging around or working at courtesan houses that only outsiders go to. For them, it is unnecessary to go to these places when it does nothing but to delay the inevitable or seek temporary pleasures that only last for a moment.

Because of this, the news about Aoyama Natsuki's adultery and the many other atrocities she made as she escaped from Kiko's jurisdiction was something that solidified Kiko's conservatism more while also damaging both her in-born and marriage families' honors.

"She is my half-sister… though we don't have the same mother, we are still family. That's why I have the legal obligation to protect her no matter what happens… I took all the shame because of her adultery… I sold many of my possessions to pay for the damages she made… I even had to part ways with my beloved daughter and have her serve as the Ayanami clan's Page to pay for her debts to them while she is escaping."

"…"

"I do not seek her life, but I also cannot stop the one who does… That's why I let Nobisuke to serve Young Iwasawa because I knew it was only through him that he can achieve that goal."

Both of them had reasons not to go after their common enemy. But they also share the same way of indirectly making someone do it. For both of them, Nobisuke's path to revenge is something that they do not wish to stop regardless of what they feel.

"Speaking of which, is the reason why you asked for her to live in here is to catch up on seeing little Chiyo grow up?"

"That's… part of it. I regret that I wasn't there when Chiyo was growing up and I do see her in that little girl. She's adorable and innocent… seeking the care of others so she can smile."

"Compared to the bumbling and crybaby little Chiyo that I know of, Chiyo is a strong, dependable and beautiful now. Someone that people can look up to and believe in."

"I am proud of her. A woman worthy of the Aoyama name and someone who can be a prime example of a Naka woman's pomp and elegance."

"She's a good pair for our dear lord, isn't she?"

Hearing his friend's statement, he looked at him suspiciously until he replied.

"I know about it… Nobisuke told me once when I became suspicious of Chiyo's closeness with Young Iwasawa."

"I see… I trust you know the reason why we are keeping it under wraps?"

"I do. When it's leaked that the lord already has a fiancée, it would discourage other noble families to stop sending their women to him for potential marriage arrangements."

"And weaken the rule of Young Iwasawa that hasn't received the full reverence of the public yet."

They were the ones who raised that young man into lordship, it would only be fair to feel wary of what might happen if they let him do things that will weaken his rule.

"Chiyo is a good woman for him. She is strict but caring while also being someone who feels and speaks from the heart. And they both seem to love each other deeply. I'm actually surprised that they haven't moved to the next part yet and gave you an actual grandchild to dote on."

"Ahahaha!!! I would most definitely like that!"

The old man laughed heartily from the joke of his friend but after calming down, he spoke contrarily.

"I would like that… but it is not the right time yet."

"Because they aren't married yet?"

"No, it's because he's not mature enough yet."

The old man stood up from his seat and took the bamboo pole that he split apart earlier before returning to the hallway where his friend is located at.

"There are still lessons in life that Young Iwasawa has to learn before he moves forward in life. He has to learn how to find people worthy of trust and who to believe in trying times… unlike this bamboo, he has to learn how to become resilient enough to withstand anything that tries to break him apart."

"You've been teasing me about being a silver-tongued poet, but here you are, stating things in a roundabout and flowery way."

"I guess it's just my conscience at work…"

"Conscience, huh?"

"Yeah. We did nothing while Godan was obviously being poisoned by the other nobles. We can do nothing because Old man Jirou doesn't tell us anything… so now that even he supports Young Iwasawa's rule, I want to be there to avoid any kind of harm to happen that may lead to his downfall."

"I see."

The fearsome warrior known with his title as the Asura has decided that it was time for him to leave the battlefields and support someone to become a ruler. For him, it was the only thing he has left.

"Hey, I have a question."

"What is it?"

"Is that your fir tree next to the small sapling there?"

Shido pointed at a tall tree at the side of the courtyard which is next to a small fir sapling growing on its shade.

"Ah… I just remembered now…"

"Remember what?"

After seeing it the old man stood up and took an axe from a shed nearby, he then stretched for a moment before swinging the axe to the trunk of the tree until it fell down.

"…Why did you cut it? Isn't that something that you've taken care of since we were young?"

"Yes… but now that it has grown to its peak and serves no other purpose but become a display in this yard, I just decided to give the new sapling a chance to live."

Both of them turned around to see the sapling now bathed in sunlight with nothing blocking it.

"The old must give way to the young…"

"And the young must thank the sacrifice of the old…"

The two ended each other's words and this made Shido to look at Takeshi suspiciously.

"What exactly are you planning, my friend?"

"…"

There was a sober look on the old man's faced after he was given such a question. It took him a while before he spoke a reply.

And that reply was a question that he didn't expect to be asked straightly and without any context.

"Do you believe in reincarnation, Shido?"