This story is part of the Wanderer series.
One of the study room doors creaked open, and a boy a third of its size walked in. Dressed in vibrant robes like the rest of them, he got a few glances from the sparse occupants as he walked down the railed aisle, lined with built-in bookshelves. They soon returned to their business.
Hibiki made his way around the books and scrolls stacked on the floor, snaking around several desks to the other side of the central room, where the dark-red-haired young man sat with his quill, writing a report.
“Orders from Tatsuo.”
Setting the rolled-up parchment on the desk, Hibiki brought his arms square behind his back and stood by.
The young man did not glance up from his writing, instead reaching out with his left arm and sliding the parchment closer to him. “What does he want now?”
As Akasuki let go of the parchment, the bright red seal caught his eyes, bringing his writing hand to a stop. His brows furrowed as turned the seal towards him.
“A divine mandate,” said Hibiki.
Akasuki glanced up. “From the emperor?”
“Yes.”
Immediately, he put his quill in the ink bottle and got up from his desk, bringing the mandate with him to the grand table at the center of the room. Hibiki followed.
“Why, you should have said that earlier,” a voice called from behind.
They both looked up to see a boy, with brazing brown hair and golden red robes to match, swing over the mezzanine handrails and jump down, landing swiftly and gently in a crouch. Standing up, he wrung a wry smile.
“Do not give that man the emperor’s voice.”
Hibiki frowned. “I was not implying as such, Hayate. General Tatsuo was the one who ordered me to deliver the mandate.”
The boy paid his explanation no heed. “Hmph.”
Around the study, young individuals were drawn out from the stacks towards the center, some from the second floor, observing the noise. There was Meru and Aliah, maroon-haired girls who were respectively carrying an armful of books and scrolls, leaning over the railing. Wan, who was lounging back in a chair by the window, straightened up. Cedryck with his stern eyebrows and deep teal robes approached from his desk near the doors. Juro, a short but older individual, joined from his desk as well. Miu, a purple-haired young lady, set aside her instruments, and Kaori from the North ducked out from the shelves near the window to join the reading of the mandate.
With the sunlight coming in from the windows behind him, Akasuki set the parchment on an empty ledge of the grand table. The grand table was a long and wide hardwood table with semi-circular ends on the shorter sides and a long rectangular map at the center, displaying the extent of the empire’s reach across the West Continent. Books and scrolls surrounded the map’s perimeter, along with other half-written parchments with an ink and quill within arm’s reach.
Breaking the wax seal, Akasuki unrolled the parchment and gazed at it silently as Meru and Aliah joined the table. Juro and Cedryck leaned toward him to read along with him. Meanwhile, the other children stood by and watched their senior’s reactions.
“What does it say?” Miu asked.
Cedryck straightened back a bit without taking his eyes off the parchment. “It is a decree from the emperor… to develop a new method to rain over the land.”
“Wasn’t Katsuo already doing that?” Hayate snarked.
“No, to rain… in a literal sense,” Cedryck corrected.
“Rain down water, not fire,” Juro added.
“Oh.”
Akasuki finally leaned away from the parchment. However, as he opened his mouth to speak, the doors to the study room opened again. As the gathered individuals looked up, a short but elaborately robed young lady with long, flowing dark purple hair and piercing eyes walked in.
Immediately, Akasuki, Cedryck, and Juro straightened, brought their feet together, and clasped their hands, right fist in the other’s palm. Miu and Wan briskly did the same, while the rest of the children followed in a more sloppy and hasty manner.
Miyako walked down the aisle, gazing at the young mages that stood at attention. Many of them avoided directly meeting her gaze, choosing to gaze lower, at her robes, or gaze straight ahead. But not Akasuki.
“Your Highness.”
“Akasuki.”
Stepping down the elevated aisle and easily rounding the books on the floor without a second glance, she stopped at the grand table, across from the ranked magicians. They unclasped their hands and dropped them to their sides.
“Change of plans,” she said as she set her fingers on the map and gazed across it. “We will develop the Budding Mist technique first.”
The proclamation received mildly surprised responses from the three lieutenants.
“Does the imperial mandate pertain to this decision?” Akasuki asked in return.
“Yes,” she affirmed, looking up. “Reports from the west arrived. The spring in the Great Plains has been very dry this year. It has Father concerned about a drought in the summer.”
“Very well.”
“First, we shall see if we can create a mist to blanket the crops and keep them from going dry. Then, we shall see if we can create rain.”
Juro brought a hand to his chin and stroked it. “Certainly a tall order. Do we have someone in mind who will learn this technique?”
One of the girls in the rank perked up.
“Ideally, none of the weavers in our army needs to be dispatched to the plains. Father wishes to contain a day’s worth of rain inside a single scroll.”
This statement surprised everyone in the room. Miyako leaned back and silently stared around, watching the vibrantly robed magician and measuring their expressions, her gaze eventually picking out Kaori, who was leaning forward, as if intending to speak.
“I don’t mean to dampen the mood,” the blue-haired girl spoke up. “But that’s… magical thinking. A scroll cannot contain that much water.”
The princess nodded. “We will not know until we try. So I ask you, Kaori… to lend us your aid.”
Pulling her chin back and straightening her posture, the girl briskly nodded, her brows still pinched as she tried to mask her anxiousness.
“That is all,” Miyako dismissed. “We will begin immediately.”
Nodding, the mages scattered away from the table, some returning to their desks to wrap up what they were doing, others grouping up with their seniors. Cedryck gave his writing one long stare before lifting it from his desk and setting it aside to dry. Miu began listing out several scrolls for Meru and Aliah to go and fetch for her. Akasuki, meanwhile, observing Miyako’s locked gaze on him, stood by the grand table. Once the rest had scattered, Miyako dropped her gaze to the map once more and rounded the table to approach him.
“Princess?” he began.
Miyako nodded without looking up, seemingly deep in thought. Eventually, she straightened her back and brought her hands together in the long sleeves of her robe.
“Asahi— General Asahi… told me the naval campaign in the peninsula isn’t going well…”
Akasuki brought his hands behind him and stared at the map with her.
“If the situation deteriorates further, I may have to join it.”
He nodded. “Should I develop the two techniques in tandem?”
Taking a breath, Miyako straightened and sighed. “No. Postpone all other work for now. The Scattering Flames technique is not a priority. I want your help with this.”
“Very well.”
Dipping her head a bit, she closed her eyes and smiled. “After all, a nation must keep its people fed to keep them in order.”
Akasuki turned his gaze towards the princess. “Ah. How cognizant of you.”
Opening her eyes, Miyako straightened. “I will summon some of our best water mages to assist you in your developments. I want you to help Kaori work with them. She is still very young, so she will be afraid to speak up.
“Right.”
Letting go of her hands, she turned around and started to walk away. “Then…”
Akasuki watched her round the table. “Is Katsuo aware of our postponement?”
“No,” she said, stopping at the other side of the table and looking back over to him. “However, I told him some time ago not to wait for our results. I am sure he will not notice a change in our developments.”
“Very well.”
Flashing another sly smile, Miyako turned her head towards the door. “Besides, I am sure Katsuo is practicing his own techniques in the south.”