Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 5, Chapter 78 - Confrontation

“Yes.”

“So you admit that you have met Madam Yoruko before?” As the only judge who knew how to interrogate, Kimura was responsible for the questioning.

“Yes, I’ve met Madam Yoruko.” With the situation having devolved to this point, Lily didn’t hide the facts.

“When did you meet?”

“Yesterday night.” Though this question was disadvantageous, she didn’t evade.

Hirohikari interrupted impatiently, “And she was murdered after you met Madam Yoruko! What is there to argue about? You dare insult the officials of this court? Whatever, first punish her! Men! Do not show mercy!”

“Hold!” Minamoto no Yosh*tada halted them with the pressure from his voice, “Lord Hirohikari, no matter who, getting agitated after being accused of murder is normal. With me here, Kagami Lily cannot flee, but she is an unmarried woman. If she’s innocent, how can she still live if she’s punished? I say we interrogate and understand the situation.”

“Right Division General, this woman is sly and stubborn, what confession will she give without pain!” Hirohikari angrily protested.

“Lord Hirohikari, we have already gathered all the evidence, when it is displayed to this woman, how can she not confess?”

Kimura added, “I hear…that she lives in the Chief Advisor’s mansion…Though we must be impartial, we still must give the Chief Advisor face.”

Hirohikari considered a bit before agreeing, “Fine, then let the interrogation begin! Lord Kimura, let her know there is no escape!”

Kimura turned towards Lily with a helpless look, “Kagami Lily, why did you visit Madam Yoruko? According to our investigation, you only recently arrived in Heian-kyo and have never met Madam Yoruko before.”

“How did… Madam Yoruko die?” Lily’s eyes were filled with indescribable sadness, she was more concerned with this than her own grievances.

“Kagami Lily, first answer my question, other issues can be discussed later.”

Lily sighed and lowered her head, “I cannot answer.”

“You cannot answer!? What is the meaning of this! Kagami Lily, you claim that you are innocent, yet you refuse to answer? Do you not understand that concealment only increases your suspicion?”

Lily didn’t answer, she would not answer. Though she didn’t want to clash with the imperial interrogators, she would not mention Lady Ayaka’s matters.

Kimura wanted to help her, but could only continue asking, “Then, who sent you? When you were captured, you said you were under the orders of a lord and trespassed into the palace by mistake, who is that lord?”

“Kagami Lily, this is the interrogation hall, no matter who sent you, you must speak!” Yosh*tada warned.

Sucking in a breath, Lily responded, “That’s right, yesterday night I was on a far-reaching mission. That lord once mentioned that so long as I continue walking along my path to gain true understanding, we will eventually meet.”

“What? Speak clearer, Kagami Lily, you must explain, who is that lord?” Kimura asked.

Lily faintly smiled, “As you three are Genji clan members, you are very familiar with that lord.”

“Kagami Lily, you still dare play tricks? Speak! Who is that lord!” Hirohikari roared.

“That lord is…Lord Kurou Hogan Yosh*tsune.”

“What!??”

They were all shocked.

“Kagami Lily!” Hirohikari was infuriated, cursing at her, “Are you crazy? You dare treat the interrogation hall as a joke? How dare you make up such an outlandish story!”

“Lady Kagami!!!” Kimura was also worried, “Since you want to defend yourself, Lord Yosh*tsune is a hero of my Genji clan, but he has long passed away. How would he give you instructions?”

Yosh*tada shook his head in disappointment.

“Though Lord Yosh*tsune has fallen, his ambitions were unfulfilled, but his descendants are unaware, the lord can only convey his will to me, an outsider, do you not feel ashamed? You dare laugh and question?”

Hearing that, the group could say nothing for a while.

“Sugawara no Michizane and Taira no Masakado still walk the Suzaku streets at night. Can it be that Lord Yosh*tsune cannot convey his will to his descendants just because he has fallen? Am I talking nonsense or are you just ignorant?”

“This……” The three Genji officers could only look at each other in confusion, as if Lily’s excuse was reasonable.

“Are you saying, Lord Yosh*tsune spirit is guiding you?” Kimura asked, his eyes filled with reverence towards Yosh*tsune.

“Lord Yosh*tsune is different from the likes of Sugawara no Michizane and Taira no Masakado, there are no records of his spirit having ever appeared in Heian-kyo, why would he guide you alone?” Hirohikari challenged.

“When I first arrived here, I encountered Demon King Sugawara no Michizane. On the first night of my arrival at Heian-kyo, I spent it drinking wine with Taira no Masakado. You ask why Lord Yosh*tsune is guiding me alone? How would I know?” Lily riposted.

“Ah? This…” Lily’s quick reply left them speechless.

“Kagami Lily, you claim to have encountered Demon King Sugawara no Michizane and Taira no Masakado? How are you still alive?” Kimura asked.

“Minister of Justice, don’t listen to her lies! If I say I’ve met Amaterasu Omikami and Tsukuyomi no Mikoto, would you believe?” Hirohikari arrogantly decried.

In the face of Hirohikari’s blasphemous words, Kimura and the others dared not answer.

Since they no longer spoke, Lily continued on with the excuses she had prepared last night. “Lord Yosh*tsune’s heroic spirit said, one day, I would meet with him, but what day, month, year and location would be unknown. Lord Yosh*tsune told me to seek my path and walk down it.”

“And what is my path? With the recent heavenly phenomenon, I wanted to discover more, so I investigated and found out that Heian-kyo’s Madam Yoruko knew much about such topics, so I visited at once. This allowed me to overcome my inner confusions. I think this is also what Lord Yosh*tsune meant by finding my path and walking down it.”

“Hah!” Hirohikari was a man accustomed to arguing semantics in the imperial court, “What a good excuse, Lord Yosh*tsune guided you, so what you do is all reasonable? How can there be such shameless rhetoric in this world?”

“The world is large, Lord Counselor, there is much you do not understand about it. Do you know why the moon hangs high in the sky and excludes such endless might?”

“I……” This subject involved the secrets of the heavenly path, how could he understand it?

“This is why I said, you wouldn’t believe me. But I’ve still told you the truth.” Lily persuaded.

“Kagami Lily, such an explanation we cannot prove true or false, but, if you dare say the murder of Madam Yoruko was done under Lord Yosh*tsune’s guidance, no one will believe such a ridiculous claim.” Minamoto no Yosh*tada reminded her.

“I’m only explaining the reasons for meeting Madam Yoruko. My hate for those murderers eclipes what you hypocrites feel by a thousand times, ten thousand times! I have never harmed Madam Yoruko, when I left she was still fine! On this point, the old granny at Madam Yoruko’s house can testify.”

The other witness, Lady Ayaka’s household’s emaciated old man had already died. To avoid implicating the Lord Chief Advisor, she would not mention him.

“Hah! Ok!” That Hirohikari waved his fan, acting as if all had entered his control, “At last, Secretary of Justice, summon the witness!”

Kimura looked at Lily with pity, “Madam Yoruko’s household caretaker granny.”

Lily looked at his expression, feeling something wasn’t right.

Soon, an old granny who couldn’t walk straight, staggered over. Last night was dark, so Lily didn’t clearly see her face, but she could feel that this was that person, but for some reason, that old granny had a gloomy expression.

Kimura asked, “State your identity!”

“I…I am my lady’s steward. I’ve been by my lady’s side since she was born. My lady was so talented, she could have walked farther on the path and attained eternal youth, but… I never imagined she would leave before my old bones, sniffle——” The old granny sobbed.

Kimura frowned, “This is the interrogation hall, old lady, you must clearly answer my questions. The lady you serve, are you talking about Madam Yoruko?”

“Yes.”

“Then, look at the lady beside you, do you recognize her?” Kimura continued.

The old granny wiped her eyes still immersed in grief, she lifted her head and looked at Lily.

“AH——!” The old granny face turned pale and panicky, screaming while falling back, trembling on the ground pointing at Lily, “Murderer! Murderer! She’s the murderer!”

Lily’s eyes widened in surprise and looked at the old granny in disbelief. In the old granny’s panicky eyes, she could feel a tiny hint of frighteningly deeply hidden Eldritch energy.”

The old granny crawling on the floor continued to point at Lily and cried out in a frenzy of hate, “Lords! It’s this woman! It’s her, she cruely murdered my lady!!! Capture her! Capture her!”