Chapter 8: The Letter

In deep winter, Misaki tends baby Izumo while Mamoru spends his break helping Kwang Chul-hee and Kotetsu Atsushi assemble Geomijul info-com towers. The boys refine a system using Mamoru’s ice to position beams, Atsushi’s forging, and Chul-hee’s guidance. Mamoru curbs Chul-hee’s urge to discuss anti-government topics around the younger Atsushi.

Takeru arrives with Kwang Tae-min, recalling the boys to the village hall, then abruptly takes Mamoru home. On the way, Takeru reveals an urgent express letter for Misaki from her brother, Tsusano Kazu, bearing Lord Tsusano’s seal.

Misaki reads Kazu’s message: a coastal storm has devastated Ishihama and nearby areas, killing over a hundred and damaging even the Arashiki; the family lives, though Kazu and Kaito are injured. Uneasy, Misaki and Takeru turn on the news. A reporter praises imperial aid but shows only restricted, generic imagery. Mamoru notes recycled photos from prior broadcasts and questions the lack of real footage.

Pressed, Mamoru voices suspicions learned from Kwang Chul-hee: the “storms” may be Ranganese attacks the Empire hides to prevent panic and keep defenders in place. Takeru dismisses this as impossible and irrelevant, asserting their absolute duty as the Sword of Kaigen regardless of what the Emperor reveals.

When Mamoru argues that blind duty makes them mere tools, Takeru backhands him, condemns doubt as weakness, and links conviction to mastering the Whispering Blade—Mamoru’s ongoing failure. He orders Mamoru to fetch his sword and meet in the dojo. Shaken but resolute, Mamoru obeys, while Misaki masks her dread with grim encouragement.