Imperial Advisor – Daigotsu Susumu

The Conclusion, Part 3

 

by Shawn Carman

 

 

The twenty-first day of the Month of the Dog, year 1170

 

Ide Yusuke walked along the secluded path, alone with his thoughts for the moment. Here he could finally escape the unending clamor that had sprung up around Seppun Hill. When a city’s worth of people were concentrated in such a small area, then given reason to behave as if it were the final day of the Bon Festival… well, that was not an environment that he particularly enjoyed. He had long ago learned to deal with it, of course, but given the opportunity to take his leave, even if only for a short time, he gladly did so. And he had important business that required his attention, after all.

A short time ago, a Unicorn sentry had come to find him. Yusuke had saved the life of the boy’s father in battle, and the warrior had never forgotten it. The sentry informed him that a lone courtier had been seen walking down the path leading south of Seppun Hill. It seemed perfectly harmless of course, but this was a person in whom Yusuke had a particular interest, especially after the incredulous events of the morning. So he had quickly set aside his obligations for the moment and set out along the same path, hoping to find his prey somewhere in the area. Yusuke had questions. A great many questions, in fact.

There. Sitting on a stone near a small stream. The young man seemed pensive, perhaps even concerned, and the thought filled Yusuke with satisfaction. He had nothing but suspicion and contempt for the other courtier, and had been aghast at the news he had heard only a few hours ago. That the man seemed himself to find the news of concern only confirmed to Yusuke that his suspicions had merit. “Susumu,” he called out as he approached.

The young Spider turned toward the voice and smiled. It seemed so genuine, but the Unicorn doubted its sincerity very much. “Yusuke-san,” he said. Immediately he winced slightly and held up a placatory hand. “I apologize. You have specifically asked me not to be overly familiar, and that was inappropriate. I should say, Yusuke-sama.”

Yusuke frowned. He had not expected such deference. He glanced away to hide his look of dismay. “I suppose,” he admitted grudgingly, “that manner of address is no longer appropriate. It is I who should call you sama, it seems.”

“Ah. You have heard, then.” The young man turned back to regard the stream and the pasture beyond. A horse could be seen grazing in the distance. “I actually thought of you, when I was first given the news. I knew you would be upset.”

“I want to understand,” Yusuke said. “You are a ronin. A member of the so-called Spider Clan, men and woman who have no right to call themselves a clan at all, and the new Emperor chooses you, you of all people, to serve as the Imperial Advisor?”

“So it would seem.”

“None of this makes any sense,” Yusuke said gruffly. “Could I have been so completely wrong in my assessment of you? Of your people? I need to understand. If I have been wrong, then I owe you and yours an apology.”

Susumu smiled and held up his hand, palm up. “That will not be necessary, my friend. You wished only to serve your clan. I assure you that given all I have seen, I will never fault a man for wariness.”

“Thank you, Susumu-sama,” Yusuke said, the honorific like ashes in his mouth. “I was hoping… could you tell me what happened?” He hated asking the younger man with such an air of deference, but he knew no other way to solicit the information he required.

“I would like to tell you,” Susumu said. “I would like to talk about it very much. Please, have a seat. I fear this will take a few moments.” He patted the rock next to him, and Yusuke took a seat cautiously. “When the new Voice of the Emperor came to see me, I was quite surprised, and not a little alarmed. Few are pleased that we Spider are present, even with your Khan’s endorsement. I thought perhaps he had come to eject me, or even to punish me.”

“Punish?” Yusuke asked.

“I have a litany of sins that I keep well hidden from my Unicorn hosts,” Susumu said with a disarming grin. “The Voice told me that the new Emperor was well aware of the breadth and scope of the Spider Clan’s activities. You can imagine that this was extremely discouraging for me.”

Yusuke dared to hope that he might find out the truth. “What activities might those be?”

“Much that you might expect,” Susumu said. “That our leaders orchestrated many of the threats that we combated in order to gain the favor of the people. That we were involved in a number of assassinations of prominent individuals, and that we had deliberately fostered moral and political corruption throughout the ranks of virtually every Great Clan.”

The old quartermaster said nothing, his mouth slightly agape.

“The Divine One knew of all this, the Voice explained,” Susumu continued, “but had chosen not to reveal it to the Empire as a whole.”

“What? Why not?”

“I assume that the Spider’s association with the Unicorn and, before you, the Mantis, played a role in that decision,” Susumu said. “Should the truth be known, both your clans would be ruthlessly persecuted, not to mention the Scorpion as well. Their duty is to seek out hidden threats, and all that. Such revelations could easily stoke the embers of war again, and that is not what the Divine One desires. Or so it would seem. Ultimately who can truly know the mind of a divinely endorsed monarch?”

“But… but…”

“Still, one must assume that there will be dire ramifications,” Susumu continued. “Any further… indiscretions… on the part of the Spider will likely result in our wholesale execution regardless of what ramifications such an act might have between the clans.”

“Why are you the Imperial Advisor?” Yusuke roared.

Susumu seemed genuinely surprised by the question. “I have thought about that. For one thing, I believe it was Akodo’s Leadership that advised one’s enemies should be kept close at hand. For another, men like me managed to deceive an entire Empire. We sought out the weak and the hungry, and we turned them to our end without great difficulty. Even if that manner of skill could not be used in court, then at the very least I imagine that I can offer a completely unique perspective to the Divine Emperor that none other in the Imperial Court can.” He smiled. “One can only hope!”

Yusuke sat in stunned silence, attempted to absorb everything he had just heard. Anger blossomed in his chest, but he struggled to keep it under control. This was an opportunity to rid his clan of an enormous threat, and he must not act rashly. “Why have you told me all this?” he asked warily.

“Honestly?” Susumu said. “I almost certainly should not have done so. It seems reckless, don’t you think?”

“Why?” Yusuke repeated.

“Truly, part of me very much wanted to sit and talk with someone about the entire affair, without the web of lies I normally wield. Make no mistake, I find it a comforting weapon to use against others, but today has been… unusual. And I felt the need for a little honesty. It really is extraordinarily out of character for me. Under normal circumstances I lie as easily as I breathe.” He glanced sidelong at the Unicorn. “But of course you know that. You always have.”

“I think it is time I summoned the magistrates,” Yusuke said, beginning to rise.

“I also shared this with you,” Susumu continued, nonplussed by the quartermaster’s threat, “because you alone, I think, suspected the truth. Your people have accepted us so readily. Before I entered my master’s service, I think I would have found your hospitality… touching. But not you personally, of course. You despise me and all my kind. That you are one of the leading contenders to replace Ide Tang is a problem, of course, due to your extensive military experience. Should you assume control of the Ide instead of that slimy, simpering buffoon Eien, which I say with all affection and respect, if I may, then my life would become considerably more difficult. And that, of course, ties into the final reason that I spoke to you today.”

Yusuke had heard enough. He rose and turned, gathering his satchel. When he turned back, Susumu had risen silently and stood before him. He started to bark an order to move at the younger man, but found himself strangely unable to speak. Something was wrong, but he did not know what. “The final reason,” Susumu said quietly, “is that after today, I am uncertain when I shall ever have the chance to take the life of an enemy with my own hands. Possibly never again, and I wanted to savor that sensation one last time.”

The Unicorn looked down at the knife the Spider had plunged into his stomach. He struggled to speak, but the words would not come. He reached up feebly for Susumu’s face, but the young courtier batted his hand away absently. Yusuke had the thought to withdraw the knife, but before he could do so everything went black, and he fell away into the darkness.

Susumu stared at the Unicorn’s body for a moment. “A pity,” he muttered. “So many unsavory types attend these large tournaments, looking for easy prey.” He picked up the fallen courtier’s bag and scattered its contents along the ground, careful to remove the handful of coins to ensure it appeared that he had been the victim of theft. Then he turned to go find a magistrate, casting his simple knife and its saya into the stream as he walked.