Princess Tsubakiri — Chapter 1
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01 - Fairy Tale: Princess Tsubakiri - Part 1
I was told that my father and mother, the Count and Countess of the Easter Frontier, had no biological children; that all four siblings, including sister Yuu, are foster or orphans. The second son and third daughter, the twins, my brother and sister, were also found by Sister Yuu.
My name was also given to me by Sister Yuu. Camellia. A word that represented this country's 'Camellia Flower'.
I once asked my father why he would welcome a child like us into their home.
This country was originally the place where the old 'Faeshir people' lived, and it seemed that his father found and protected the Faeshir people's children.It was said that a child who suddenly appeared without warning was the proof of the 'Faeshir'.
My twin brother and sister, as well as Sister Yuu, were said to be the same as me. I didn't know what that meant but it didn't matter. We were indeed a family, and I was holding back tears of warmth and happiness.
Nevertheless there was only one complaint.
Sister Yuu has black hair. My brother also has black hair, and his twin sister had white hair, and although they all had very beautiful jewel-like hair, I was the only one with a dull iron-like hair color.
I cried that I wanted to have beautiful black hair like Sister Yuu, but she placed me on her lap and stroked my hair with a gentle smile.
"Lovely little Camellia. I love your hair. You say my hair is like a jewel, but Camellia's hair is as beautiful as a work of art created by a master craftsman."
I love you, my Sister said to me. I too… both my twin brother and sister also loved Sister Yuu. A burning dream-like, tender world where someone loved you, and you loved someone… A warm and kind family. I prayed to God that this dreamlike world would last forever.
And yet…
In just a few years, such a gentle world fell apart because of a disease that ravaged this country and because of a single 'woman'.
"Sacrifice this woman to the gods and they will forgive you. His Highness Lucius, execute these people now!"
The crowd that had gathered screamed with jubilation at the sound of Chloe's voice, making the ground tremble.
"Please wait, I don't care what happens to me! My sister… Please pardon Camelia!"
"Sister! Don't!"
I was stunned at my sister's voice. My memory was still hazy, but that was why I strongly wanted to help my sister. I didn't want to feel like that… anymore.
"How about this! Please execute me instead of my sister, please! Help my sister!"
"What do you say? Camellia! Your Highness Lucius, please spare this child's life."
"The two of you can't be forgiven. All the members of the Eastern Frontier Countless will be executed!"
Chloe exclaimed before His Highness Lucius could say anything. From the beginning, this woman had no intention of letting us go. Are you really saying that is the words of the "gods"?
I can't help wishing that my twin brother and sister, who were praised for their military prowess, were here at a time like this … No, I'm certain they thought that my siblings' presence would be a hindrance, therefore, they purposely planned to execute us when they weren't here.
This world and… its gods are both… insane.
"…I understand. Soldiers, take Yuu to the execution grounds!
At His Highness Lucius' command, the soldiers forced Sister Yuu to stand up and took her to the execution grounds.
"Sister!"
"You're after that woman. Take a good look. My 'story' is about to begin."
I nearly jumped forward to hinder, but Chloe grabbed my hair from behind and dragged me down to the ground.
"…Sis…sister…"
"Give the people a holy 'fire'!"
The voice of His Majesty the King resounded and the soldiers began to distribute lit torches to the people. The execution of the witches by the hands of the people. They would determine us guilty and burn us at the stake to alleviate the people's anger.
"Sister, Sister!"
My cries couldn't reach anyone. As soon as His Majesty lifted his arms high and swept them downward, the people simultaneously flung the torches toward Sister, who was tied up at the execution grounds.
"Siiiiiisteeeeeeeeeeeer!"
The oiled firewood ignited and the flames enveloped my sister. Why…Why? Why does my Sister have to go through this? Relief was slightly apparent on the king and queen's expression; pride shown on the soldiers' smiling faces. The people; young and old, children, men and women were smiling and jeering while cursing at my Sister. Their smiles looked like a blazing fire. The sound of Chloe laughing loudly.
Everyone… is insane.
Under such circumstances, Sister Yuu, who was enveloped in flames almost disappearing into nothingness, directed her eyes at me, and finally her lips moved slightly.
"… I'm sorry… Camellia… I'm… sorry…"
"… Sis…ter…"
Sister… Don't apologize. Sister… Don't cry. Why… why… Cling-Clang I heard the sound of a church bell from a distance. I couldn't move and could only stare at the flames that had consumed my Sister.
"Now, it's your turn next"
"…Wait, Chloe"
Lucius stopped Chloe from trying to grab my hair to make me stand up.
"That girl is just an accessory (of a crime). At least let's show some mercy. Death by suicide"
The ceremonial thin sword that Lucius had, rolled over in front of me unsheathed.
"If His Highness Lucius commands so…"
Chloe looked slightly disappointed at that, but she giggled at the thought of a new enjoyment of this unplanned twist.
"…"
Sufficiently, a lump of iron without even a blade, reflected my image distortedly. It seemed to reflect my ugly heart.
…Hate.
Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate everything!
Unforgivable…
Could anybody forgive? Is this something that is forgivable?
I will never forgive! I will never forgive anyone!
― Yes ―
From somewhere… I heard a 'voice' resonating deep within my heart.
― Release it ―
― Grab it ―
― Your strength lies ― in the fury of your blade ―
It could be the word of gods or the whisper of the devil… Nevertheless it didn't matter. My amber eyes, reflected distortedly upon the iron blade, turned silver like the moon, and the color was gone from the world I could see.
"Little girl, how dare you, ignore the mercy of His Highness Lucius!"
One of Lucius' guards angrily drews his sword, screaming as he approached me.
…Ah, Dear Sister Yuu.
"Lis… "
… Plop
Let me offer… 'Flowers' to you.
How many people could fully gauge the 'skill' of Camellia?
Who would believe that a young girl in shackles could slash a Royal guard's head off with the sword she had picked up from the ground by her side? Even more so, in one swing?
The girl stood up, with a chilling emotionless face and thrusted the freshly dismembered head toward the blazing fire, like a 'flower'…
"… Aieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!?"
As Chloe screamed, blood belatedly gushed out of the headless soldier; the scene was tinged with confusion and horror.
"Y-Youargh!"
"Kill! Slice off!"
A group of Royal's guard soldiers, upon finally realizing that their comrades had been killed, started to attack Camelia with swords and spears.
"…"
… Plop
Camellia's sword, wielded gently between her shackles, effortlessly slashed off the heads of five soldiers.
A sword technique, a Tsubaki drop.
It was the technique that had been practiced thousands of times in the previous life.
A Master's skill engraved onto the soul of a girl who had nothing.
Everyone gasped at the flames of extraordinary wrath and hatred flaring in her eyes, the blood spurting from the headless corpses dyeing her red, blood dripping down her cheeks like tears of blood.
Even the warmth of the wind brushing against the skin turned into a midwinter cold blade. It was as if the sun's light was swallowed by the darkness, as if she could reach into your chest and grasp your heart directly. The intensity of the murderous aura seemed to be impossible even for a human being, yet it was emitting fiercely from the young girl. To the onlookers, she looked like an oppressive Grim Reaper.
Swash
Camellia's sword, which shot out like a gale, slashed the heads of a dozen soldiers who were approaching, in a flash.
No hesitation. Decisive. Merciless.
Camellia rushed out in search of her next prey, up ahead, faces taut with stunned expression, hovered in the air.
"Heee!"
Camellia leaped into the aristocrat's seat and cut off the heads of a fat nobleman and a woman who could be his daughter at the same time, their spurting blood rained over them.
A bloody whirlwind mercilessly slashed off the heads of the aristocrats who were screaming as they attempted to make a quick escape.
It didn't matter whether one was an old man, a woman or a child.
It was useless even if you tried to pull the sword out of your scabbard at your waist as quickly as possible, and block it, or try to cower to protect your neck while holding your head with both arms. If you could cut off branches with a wooden cane, was there something that couldn't be severed with an iron sword? Even if it was for ceremonial purposes?
"Wa-Wait"
Lucius, who was stunned stiff, opened his eyes wide in astonishment when he saw the blade slicing off the necks of His Majesties the King and Queen without hesitation.
"Youuuu … How dare you?!! Father … Mother!!"
At the sound of Lucius' voice, as if he had forgotten what he had even done, Camellia's murderous aura swelled up, turning everything dark, even the atmosphere, and the iron sword slashed vertically at Lucius' right arm, cutting through the bone.
"Guaaaaaaaaaaaah!!"
Looking down coldly at the flailing Lucius, as if to say, Look at what you get Camellia turns her attention to her next target.
"Hiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?"
Screaming with rattling teeth, Chloe tried to escape in a frenzy on all fours, stumbling and falling.
Camellia loomed behind her like death itself, radiating a killing aura of hatred.
"Nooo-aaaaaaahhhhhh! Help mee! Help meeee!"
With her face twisted in horror, tears and snot mixing together, Chloe fled towards the people who were still bound by the killing intent.
Chloe jumped into the crowd as the same time as Camellia caught up with her, she then proceeded to decapitate several people in the front row.
With several severed heads flying in the air, no one moved to help Chloe, as if their minds were paralyzed, as if their minds hadn't yet caught up to the tragedy, it was as if they were watching a play. Camellia caught up with Chloe, grabbed her by the hair from behind and pulled her back.
"Noo–aaa–hhelp me! Forgive meeeeeee!!!"
Camellia turned Chloe's face upward and sliced off her head, her expression still frozen in fear, like a prisoner on the decapitation stand.
What did she see in Camellia's eyes in the end? Perhaps because of the fierce fear, she shriveled like an old woman; Camellia kicked her head up, tossing the head into the air and made a vertical cut in midair, slicing right through it.
When the blood and flesh from the halved head midair splattered and clung on the faces of the people, they finally comprehended that the nightmare was real and began to run away in chaos, screaming like animals.
The people had farming instruments and tools in place of weapons, perhaps they had intended to participate in the execution. However, at this moment, no one thought about wielding them.
― If one stopped for a second, one would get beheaded, unable to do anything about it.
― One-sided massacre. An agonizing picture of hell.
Fear was contagious, those people who were fleeing out in panic were caught, their necks cut off, subsequently, sinking into a blood sea.
But Camellia was not left unscathed either, the soldiers' arrows and blades relentlessly fell upon her, grazing her cheeks or stabbing her shoulders. The next thing one noticed would be the fact that no one was left alive.
Hundreds of rolling heads and headless corpses fell to the blood-stained earth.
Lucius, the only survivor, stared fixedly at Camellia, who was standing in the middle of it, with a deep pale face, trembling with hellish horror.
"… Dear Sister…"
Kling… The handcuffs broke, and the iron sword, that had reached its limit, broke in half and fell to the ground.
Camellia made a sound as if she was about to cry as she stared at the camellia blossoms on a single tree that was growing in the plaza.
It's not over yet. It's not over yet.
Seeing the rest of the soldiers approaching from the distant castle, Camellia tossed her broken sword aside and picked up two saws used for pruning left by the people, and held them one in each hand.
It's not over. It's not over.
Until I offer all the "flowers" of this country to my sister… It's not over.
― Dong The sound of a bell ringing ―
― Kiri… Kiri… The sound of a solid ring ―
― Shalala And the dry tones that play with ―
― The Princess of the Camellia raised the iron-colored blade edge ―
― Reflected in her silver eyes, like the moon, were the blade edges of the saw―
― Let's offer it to that person, camellia flowers ―
―Let's cut out as much as is in front of you… As much as your silver eyes can see―
― Kiri… Kiri… The sound of a solid ring ―
― Shalala And the dry tones that play with ―
― The only reflection in her silver eyes… ―
― Let's offer camellia flowers to that person ―
A month had passed since that day and… all the people from this country had vanished.
Everyone was beheaded.
Like a camellia flower, it fell with a 'plop'…
The few survivors fled to neighboring countries.
Protected by a neighboring country, Lucius, who had aged to an old man appearance from fear; the dark would make him demented, frightened by the sounds of touching saws at night. For the rest of his life, he never left his room.
Then the surrounding countries began to fear the night. People would tell their children…
― Don't lie. Don't indulge in greed ―
― Bad children should run far away immediately ―
― Good children, hide in bed until morning ―
― Tonight, close to you ―
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…"
The little girl who was screaming in the torrential rain, crying tears of blood, collapsed under the rain and mud, exhausted, as if broken.
The torrential rain continued to hit the little girl's body, washing away the anger, hatred and sadness that had consumed her heart, into nothingness.
The girl knew nothing. Memories… or even her own name…
The little creature in the park hid his breath as if frightened by something, and from the camellia tree, which continued to be hit by the rain, a bright red camellia flower fell … with a plop.
― Dong The sound of a bell ringing ―
― Kiri… Kiri… The sound of a solid ring ―
― Shalala And the dry tones that play with ―
― Bad children should run far away immediately ―
― Good children, hide in bed until morning ―
― Tonight, close to you ―
― Princess Tsubakiri is coming ―
TL Note: About the name… is largely a play on words "Tsubaki" (Camellia) and "kiri" which is written as "to cut" but can also be used as onomatopoeia for bells jingling. In meaning will be something akin to "The camellia that cuts while the bells tolls".
[1] TL Note: This is hard to convey without some context, Camellia's name is written phonetically in katakana (カメリア), while the flower is written on its kanji counterpart with the meaning camellia (椿) which is read as Tsubaki.
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