Reincarnated Into A Dead Woman's Body In Another World-Chapter 275: Arc 4, Act II, - 120: To Bring Change is To Keep My Ears Open
Jotou’s plan had been set out and it was, so simple. The simplicity alone had everyone second-guessing themselves; is there some sort of secret ploy by Trailon that superseded the minds of the Cravoltan army’s leaders?
The troops set up camp, some already went to sleep to get a full night’s rest for the battle come sunrise. While others opted to burn the midnight oil and fuel themselves on caffeine or light drugs.
Soon, the Sun faded and faded, with cotton candy-like clouds painted in pastel tones. Dusk overtook Division Six- or rather, whatever mishmash of a division it had turned into.
Beams of light from the horizon caught the eyes of the princess walking about. Feyan had gone to heal any and all injured troops, Arabella wished to get more rest; leaving her to wander in thought.
This was no balcony where she could stand alone—to watch a city glimmer in lights below her while the night sung its ballads. Allowing one space for herself, to be alone; to mimic how she truly felt in the first days she came back to the land of the living.
Now, left and right she’d turn to a scowl or a smile from the people she was supposed to govern... Would Jotou’s plan work? How many more lives will she stain on her land in the name of the needs of the many?
Perhaps she had not thought this through as much as she should’ve... Was such a drastic solution really the best choice? She wanted to change Cravolta for the better and yet was it the best choice to deem herself worthy of bringing such a change?
Had inaction been her choice, would thousands of lives been lost in a day... like yesterday? How many of those people was a loved one lost? Slowly and meticulously each thread of conflict spun itself into a web across her mind.
But as Jotou told her, it could’ve been worse, yesterday... Daiyu’s mind only thought of what could possibly be worse that Jotou was seemingly so fine after thinking of.
Yeah sure, a lot of things could be worse; like a meteor crashing into the planet and killing millions would be worse than thousands of lives lost. But at that point, it was already grasping at straws...
How was Jotou’s head still so level after all that? Jotou was already complaining on the fourth day after their victory against Gale.
When Daiyu was so... selectively ignorant of the matter at hand. "You should’ve been the princess and I should’ve been fighting in Kria, you’re way better at this than me," she muttered the same words she had told the blonde once before.
"Guh..." Daiyu grumbled, the clutter of footsteps marching and voices rising all around her. She glanced up to the leftover beams of sunlight shining down.
However, towards the west she saw another figure stood alone; one who glittered in his full gold suit with swirls of silver. Right near the edge he stood, his thin golden sword poked into the ground with both his hands on the pommel.
"Hey there your kingliness," Daiyu stood beside him with a resting smile. Less soldiers behind them, none in front as they stared off into the chasm.
"Good evening Undying Princess," he glanced to her to greet, a polite smile upon his lips. "Taking a stand away from the sound of hassle?"
"Sorta," she shrugged her shoulder. "Was more wondering what you were doing all by your lonesome. Isn’t there usually a heavy guard around you?" she lightly tapped her foot.
"Indeed," the golden light descended down the hues of his beard. "It is less of a custom, more of a precaution. I am not a prisoner of my own guard; they can be dismissed if I wish to.
As for why I am here. The Thundering Blade asked the same question," he chuckled to himself. "It takes being alone to think of certain things. Are you ready to face the last elite on our path?"
"I can’t wait to finish off the elites once and for all," Daiyu punched her open palm with a grin.
"Good, good," the king looked back to the setting Sun. "I cannot help but think that the Thundering Blade and yourself have been quite familiar with one another; one would think you knew her for much longer than a few fleeting weeks."
Daiyu gave a single loose laugh, "Me and Jotou? Yeah, I guess you could say that..." She turned her face away from the king, to hide her frown, "Me and him go way back."
"I could assume as much. Did something divide you two?"
"No, nothing like that. We’ve known each other since we were kids—barely separable. Although, I guess distance became an issue, but we still kept regular contact."
"I see. It must have been difficult."
"It was."
"Apologies for bringing it up."
"No need," she smiled. "He’s here now and that’s what matters."
"Well, then what seems to be troubling you?" King Akimitsu saw through the princess’s attempt at concealing her problems behind a grin.
Daiyu closed her eyes and sighed... "I hate to admit it, but Jotou’s just a better leader than me. He can make the right calls, iron out the details and say the best things.
He even understands most of the political stuff that just goes over my head a lot of times. I had to keep banging my forehead into the desk to get it all into my head for months.
If I didn’t have Feyan, Hotaru or him, I’d be so lost and well, useless. I’m not meant for this position and I never will be," Daiyu’s shoulders completely slumped as she stared off into the chasm.
"I’m not smart... I’m better off with a racket and a ball or a hammer and a rock. I’m just, simple, you know? Point A to Point B. If people hungry, give more food; if people unhealthy, give more medicine. If people problem, destroy people—ugh.
I want to change things for Cravolta and all, but every turn I take, there’s a million complications I’m too late to realize sooner and too dumb to untangle. And then all I have are consequences," her voice cracked in annoyance.
"Hm..." the king pondered about her words for a moment. Quietly he stared into sunset finally leaving, allowing a cooler breeze to whisk past them. "The Thundering Blade is an inspiration—a forerunner.
She is uniquely clever, able to find determination and hope, even from places that may not have it. She is a rebel—a free spirit who desires to test the limits of fate itself and to be bound by the rules only she herself sets.
She is curious and will strive forever forward into the unknown if she cannot gleam the known," his gentle voice relaxed the air. "She is a protector, she is a fighter and most of all she is a dreamer; but leader, is only a role she plays.
Her leadership is sufficient for the party she keeps and her reasoning may be sound, but the responsibility you hold, is for the millions of people who you reign over."
Daiyu gulped and looked to the king. The voice that had soothed her, just dropped boulders onto her shoulders...
He continued staring into the wind, "While many qualities are comparable, they are not the same role. She is a leader in her own right, using a will fashioned for herself.
The people of Cravolta are your will. Their hopes, their dreams, their lives, rest on your shoulders and you should never take that lightly."
Not like she was taking it lightly anyhow...
"But you should not take them as burdens either; use it as your strength."
Daiyu stood a little straighter to heed proper.
"Listen to your people, listen to your council. You have the power to decide and make a change; and to do such a task, is not to keep your own words silent, but to listen and acknowledge the voices of a few and the many.
In the end, it is up to your judgement; which decision will be more righteous and justifiable? However you choose, conflict and complications will follow regardless."
King Akimitsu chuckled, "It could be as simple as deciding what to have for breakfast, or it could be to bring change to the way of life to millions.
Always listen and exercise patience; to show brash behaviour with little caution is to act without reason and to trample on the voices of the people.
There is always room to improve and always be willing to give people the benefit of the doubt. Most of all, do as your conscious dictates.
Sometimes there are tasks that you simply will not be able to comprehend, much less handle. Do not take it as weakness, rather the lack of a perspective you can work upon.
However, you have the power to know the perspective of others and know where their strengths may be more beneficial. Your perspective and your understanding, is your strength.
You should be able to see the potential in someone, even if they themselves cannot see it," he finished.
Daiyu stood silent... His words all rang true and perhaps a few of the boulders on her shoulders rolled off... She clenched her fist, "I... made the decision to go forward with this last stand... And the complications in it all...
They’ve weighed me down a lot... Thousands of soldiers died, not only on our side either. I’ve allowed this giant graveyard to exist, one that I was so gung-ho to approve of.
I knew the risks, I knew that people would die. But somehow Jotou realized it more than me, even though I was the one spearheading it and forcing the decision to be made that day..."
The king chuckled once more, "Do not be brash to derive such a conclusion now. I believe you spoke to your friends before coming to that decision that day, did you not?"
"Yeah, I did."
"Did you listen to their words. Did you value their input? Did you take their suggestions into consideration?"
"Yes."
"If their decision was to not go through with this last stand, would you have listened?"
...
"...I would’ve."
"Then you did as your conscious dictated. It was quite wise of you to seek council. The understanding that you need not do it all alone is already there within you.
Perhaps all you need then, is to listen more, believe in yourself and doubt yourself less," he bellowed with laughter.
Little by little, Daiyu smiled to herself, "Yeah. Guess I do."
"Feeling better are we?" he faced her.
"Could say that," Daiyu could feel the stress partially leave as she chortled. "Thank you."
"Good. Now, look at all the people, the soldiers around you. What can you perceive?"
Daiyu took a deep breath and turned around. The movement of soldiers had not ended, the voices hadn’t gotten any quieter. However, what she could notice was the lack of smiles or confidence.
Shaky hands, morose and grim expressions, palms on foreheads and the more ordered ones were, in essence, functioning like automized machines doing their jobs... Like they had shut out the world around them...
"I think everyone’s afraid of what’s to come," Daiyu answered. "They don’t think we can pull this off very well."
"Do you think it may become a hindrance to our battle?"
"Obviously."
"What do you think should be done to cure this then?"
"Their morale needs to be boosted."
"And how would you go about doing that?"
Daiyu paused. "I... don’t know at this point. I don’t suppose you’ve got an idea?"
"Hm... I do not believe I have the right words." The king turned his head a little to the left and spotted someone. "Look over there," he pointed. "What do you suppose she is up to?"
Daiyu looked in the direction to notice a blonde woman near the chasm’s edge, staring up to the sky. "Jotou? Probably thinking about something existential and being overdramatic."
"Then perhaps she may have a solution or could help you with one?"
It was most likely Jotou glancing at the first stars of the night... Daiyu thought for a minute, "Well, guess it can’t hurt to try."
With that, Daiyu walked away, "See ya around king," she saluted just before. The king gave a smile and light nod before staring back across the chasm.
"What’re you up to loser?"
Jotou turned to the incoming Daiyu, "Oh ya know, resting my head, thinking about the fight; I’m probs not gonna sleep, so."
"You think that’s smart? You need all the energy you can get."
"I woke up at five, you need eight to nine hours of sleep, meaning you’ll most likely be awake for sixteen to fifteen hours in a day, I’ve got plenty of sleep, so sixteen hours from now would be around nine tomorrow morning. I’d say that’s a little past dawn."
"Alright smart-ass, I get it," Daiyu rolled her eyes.
Jotou giggled, "I’ll be fine. If anything, Hotaru’ll have to rejuvenate me a bit, but it should be enough. I’m planning to just take it easy for tonight."
"Probs for the best," Daiyu glanced to the stars coming into view. "It’s just one left for the most part. You... think we can do this?"
’Daiyu’s nervous?’ "Yeah, I do. We’ve faced all but one. I’m worried obviously; if Cinder is taking this cocky approach, then how truly powerful is this guy?
But I think we’ll make it through. We’ll find a way and if it comes down to a pure fight, hey, we’ve got training for that~" Jotou glanced to Daiyu, "We’ll be okay," she flashed a smile.
Daiyu looked back just in time to catch it... That smile was too genuine to be forced. Her brows only furrowed to see Jotou, "So many people’ve died... How are you even still smiling?"
She queried not in anger, but rather it was a plea to know what was the blonde’s secret. For even she had cracked at this point; her competitive spirit was no lost, but it was certainly tired.
Jotou cocked her head. ’So what? So many people are dying at every breath I take.’ "Because I still can," she smiled.
’The truth is, the death and carnage of all this, have little to no effect on me.’ "We’ve come so far and what’s left is on final push."
’As selfish and insincere as it may sound, I can narrow the list of people I care about down to six, maybe seven.’ "D’you forget what you said to me? When I asked you to stay out the fight?" Jotou cocked a brow to the princess.
Daiyu squinted.
’But I want to protect these people too—everyone; I want to fight. It’s not that I don’t care about life. Every life has a story to tell and I will defend that-’ "Keep fighting. Know that if you fail, it’s over.
You be by my side and I’ll be by yours; like always psychopath. Till every bone’s fractured, till every artery’s bled and then some. Show them a taste of hell; till everything crash and burns."
’-It’s just, I also understand, mourning their death has no use for now; the dead are dead, and that’s that.’ "You’re still by my side and I’m still by yours.
And I don’t think I’ll regret smiling as opposed to frowning," she giggled. Jotou put a finger to Daiyu’s chin and lifted it, "So chin up. The fight’s not over yet. You can frown some other day, but right now, are you ready to give up?"
Daiyu’s eyes flashed a purplish gem-like ripple... A grin grew upon her lips, "Till everything crash and burns loser; and then some."
"Let’s throw them hell then," Jotou let go of Daiyu’s chin. She gave it a second before uttering, "Why the hell do you get to be this tall...?" it was a bit awkward to move her chin up, but she made it work.
Daiyu burst out cackling.
Jotou groaned as her eyes glazed over, "Glad your mood’s back," her lips tightened.
Daiyu exhaled in relief, "Thanks for the pep talk, I needed it... Wait..."
"Hm?" Jotou turned.
Daiyu’s eyes widened, "It’s you."
"It’s... me."
"You’re the solution."
"The hell are talking about psychopath?"
