(3)

"--Risai?"
Risai came to herself with a shocked expression. She looked, and saw Kei-ou Youko peering in Risai's face with a concerned look. It seemed when Risai searched for words on what and how to explain, she was sucked deep into her own memories.

" Are you not feeling well? ... Then"
No, Risai shook her head.
" I apologize. There are so many things flashing through my mind..."
Risai said, and Youko nodded, as if saying she understood.

" You are asking what has happened in Tai, right? ... To put it bluntly, it was a rebellion. His majesty was lured out using the excuse of local rebellions, and disappeared without a trace from there."
Risai explained the circumstances briefly.

" ... Even I am not familiar with the details. From what I have heard, his majesty reached the vicinity of Tetsui, and set up his tents there. Then they were attacked. In the attack his majesty disappeared, and his whereabouts were not heard of since then."

" That's everything that happened?"
" More or less... Rather, I could not at all meet with anybody familiar with what happened in Bun Province. I wonder if anyone besides me can ask for much further details. I do not even know whether any searches are being conducted. Possibly, such searches remain to be impossible... Rather, when news about his majesty's disappearance arrived, the whole goverment was within such great chaos that it was in no shape to possibly organize itself to do anything."

" Why?"
" ... Because of a shoku (蝕, lit. eclipse)."

***

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