Two things occurred to Kaede as her army clashed with the enemy. The first was relief that her plan had worked—carefully inching her forces close to the enemy fortifications under the guise of posturing for position. Moving into range of the arrows was a calculated decision, but she’d made it look like a mistake.
Yamato’s archers wer...
2024-01-19 21:21:29 +0000 UTC View PostTheir first incursion into hostile territory was mostly uneventful. Melati reported a few scouts that spotted their advancing army, but that much was to be expected—one didn’t move even an army as small as theirs without anybody noticing.
Once they arrived at the expected battlefield, they began setting up camp at the edge of the fores...
2024-01-17 21:17:31 +0000 UTC View PostAfter meeting with Lord Noguchi, Jiaguo’s army—now bolstered by Noguchi’s forces—used the former Urayama village as a staging ground. While they prepared to move out, Kaede found Luo Mingyu in a small cottage, working by himself to produce rejuvenation pills as quickly as he could.
“You’re a surprisingly hard worker, aren’t y...
2024-01-15 21:36:47 +0000 UTC View PostWith Noguchi on board, Jiaguo had officially made its first foothold in Yamato. The lord’s forces weren’t much greater than Jiaguo’s army—only a few hundred soldiers, mostly consisting of draftees and a few trusted veterans. Integrating them into the existing forces wouldn’t be easy, but Jin Hu and Long Ruiling had been hard at work wi...
2024-01-12 19:49:12 +0000 UTC View PostOnce ready, Jiaguo’s hastily assembled army made its way across the wilderness that separated the young nation from its southern neighbors. When Yoshika had escaped from the demonic invasion that took over the former academy, it had taken her two years to cross that stretch of wilderness. In retrospect, it had probably only taken them so long ...
2024-01-10 22:08:32 +0000 UTC View PostDespite Yoshika’s best efforts, it wasn’t practical to broadly incorporate the demonic forces into the rest of Jiaguo’s army. Instead, they were relegated to their own specialized unit under the command of Yang Qiu. They made up the bulk of the front line fighters, supported by a handful of artillery mages under Kaede’s direct command. 2024-01-08 21:44:24 +0000 UTC View Post
Once the plans were in place, everything moved very quickly. Jiaguo’s military doctrine was adapted from Goryeo, with a focus on small elite groups and a tight command structure. Hayakawa Kaede was the Grand General of the entire army—if it could even be called one.
Jiaguo’s entire population was still fewer than a thousand people, w...
2024-01-05 21:59:42 +0000 UTC View PostAfter a series of long and painful deliberations, Jiaguo’s war plan was eventually drafted. It felt like not a single person was happy with the terms that they’d established, but Yue assured her that getting the assembly to agree to plans that none of them fully approved of was a good sign. It meant that they were willing to make sacrifices ...
2024-01-03 19:04:22 +0000 UTC View PostAs much as Yoshika wanted to rush over to Yamato, personally storm Hayakawa’s castle and forcibly rescue her master, that wasn’t a real option. For better or worse, she now had obligations, and her actions had to represent the entire nation. An aggressive act of war like that would doom Jiaguo.
That wasn’t to say she was entirely wit...
2024-01-01 21:35:50 +0000 UTC View PostHayakawa Kaede fussed over her appearance as she prepared for her audience with Lord Ienaga. Yoshika had decided that she would be the best aspect to represent them, only narrowly edging out their usual ‘High Arbiter’ spirit form. It sent a crucial message.
First—it was nearly unequivocal proof that she was both alive, and who she cl...
2023-12-29 17:55:37 +0000 UTC View PostAfter blitzing through an overhaul of the design, Dae’s new reflecting pool formation was nearly complete. With Yoshika’s help, he constructed a full-sized array, with its own room tucked safely within one of Jiaguo’s de facto government buildings. It was actually converted from what was once a dormitory bathroom, but nobody needed to know...
2023-12-27 19:25:25 +0000 UTC View PostRika felt uneasy as she led her team through the streets of her home. There were soldiers everywhere she looked, and while none of them had heard news of any fighting yet, tensions were rising rapidly. Though they’d made it into territory controlled by Ienaga, Rika opted to keep her head down until she could get a better sense of what was goin...
2023-12-25 19:33:08 +0000 UTC View PostHaeun’s breakthrough had been a sudden but pleasant surprise. That she had apparently achieved it using a completely unique cultivation method was even better, but it meant that Yoshika now had a whole host of questions that needed answering.
She’d noticed the intense gathering of mana around Haeun, and watched over her breakthrough ju...
2023-12-22 20:54:03 +0000 UTC View PostPrincess Seong Haeun sat in her garden and meditated quietly, focusing intently on the mana around her. The loose essence drifted aimlessly, but not without purpose. It was commonly assumed that neutral mana simply existed, floating through the world through invisible currents called leylines and disseminating throughout the earth where it was n...
2023-12-20 20:42:48 +0000 UTC View PostWith Void gone and Yoshika’s injury covered up by an illusion, people felt comfortable approaching her again, but before she could get back into the flow of politely brushing people off, Seong Min approached—splitting the crowd before her.
“The Queen invites you to return to the main hall and sit with us.”
She didn’t wait f...
2023-12-18 19:34:01 +0000 UTC View PostThere was a round of applause for Yoshika’s victory. Few realized just how dangerous the end would have been if not for Void’s intervention, and those who did were just glad that they hadn’t been the ones responsible for trying to control the damage.
Nobody approached Yoshika, however—either put off by the gruesome sight of her mis...
2023-12-15 21:33:17 +0000 UTC View PostYeong Mishil stared down at the proffered weapon, the crowd around them watching with bated breath. Yoshika’s offer was more than just a show of dominance. Every culture recognized, one way or another, that not all disputes could be settled by arbitration. Some grudges were too personal, some conflicts too ingrained to ever go away. If there w...
2023-12-13 20:43:47 +0000 UTC View Post“Eunae! I need you for something important, quickly!”
Seong Eunae carefully schooled her expression as Jia barged in on her meeting with a college representative. They had been discussing the possibility of a student exchange and explicit recognition by the Goryeon Magical Research Society of Jiaguo’s academy as a guild member.
Yoshika was nervous about meeting with Void. The enigmatic elemental was perhaps the least well understood of her potential allies and adversaries. Unlike Do Hye, who danced merrily on the line between them, Yoshika had a hard time placing Void on either side.
By mutual agreement, the meeting was to take place in the main hall of the palac...
2023-12-08 19:43:11 +0000 UTC View PostYoshika wasn’t sure whether she’d prefer to talk to Void or Do Hye first. The Void Elemental was difficult to comprehend at the best of times, and she still wasn’t entirely sure exactly what she needed to ask of it. Do Hye might be able to provide valuable insight in that regard, but he’d be poisoning her every step of the way with his o...
2023-12-06 19:13:31 +0000 UTC View PostEunae giggled as Jia’s illusion technique subsided, Goryeo’s throne room dissolving into Yoshika’s much smaller courtyard garden.
“That was a terribly cruel trick you just played.”
Jia chuckled. The negotiations had gone very well. The queen couldn’t unilaterally promise anything concrete, but with the support that Eunae ...
2023-12-04 18:11:48 +0000 UTC View PostEui left the Sun estate feeling refreshed. For once, she felt as though her past was well and truly behind her. It also meant that she could no longer put off the official reason for her visit to Goryeo.
Eui considered the upcoming audience seriously as she flew with Misun back to the capital. She wasn’t as averse to political pursuits a...
2023-12-01 17:30:23 +0000 UTC View PostEui had to take a few minutes to compose herself before bidding farewell to Magus San. When she finally returned, Misun groaned in exasperation.
“Ancestors, finally! What took you so long?”
“He wanted to hear about his brother’s final days.”
The princess grimaced.
“Eugh, my condolences. That must have...
2023-11-29 19:52:39 +0000 UTC View PostNo need for alarm, this isn't a hiatus. Now that Book 6 is up on the free platforms, I'm going to take a long overdue break. I think I pushed myself a bit too hard lately, and the stress is starting to be reflected in the quality of the chapters (not to mention my ever-shrinking backlog). I'm just going to take a week to reset my brain and get m...
2023-11-20 20:51:36 +0000 UTC View PostEui let out a long sigh as she left Cho Sook-Joo’s home. She’d left her with another unopened bottle of soju, the tokens of invitation, and enough coin to handle her living expenses for at least a year, on top of the other promises. Seong Misun regarded her archly as Eui rejoined her escort.
“Satisfied?”
Eui shook her head. 2023-11-20 20:44:31 +0000 UTC View Post
A tired woman with a toddler on her hip answered the door. She was a half-spirit in her early to mid thirties, and her hair was an unusual shade of light green, with a few feathers mixed in. She gave Eui a confused look before greeting her.
“Um, hello?”
Eui bowed.
“Hello, Miss. My name is An Eui. Am I speaking to Miss Cho...
2023-11-17 22:54:42 +0000 UTC View PostSince they’d settled in Jiaguo, Eui made a point of visiting her parents on a regular basis. It was nice having them around again, and she was glad that she didn’t have to worry about them living abroad. They had their work cut out for them rebuilding their business in Jiaguo’s fledgling economy, but her father seemed to enjoy the challeng...
2023-11-15 19:37:33 +0000 UTC View PostElder Qin Zhao—no, Disciple Jin Hu, he reminded himself. It was best that he internalize his persona to avoid any unintentional slip-ups. Jin Hu felt an odd sense of dissonance as he explored the city of Jiaguo. Much of it was quite the same as the city he’d had a hand in building himself, yet it was different in subtle ways that always left...
2023-11-13 21:50:04 +0000 UTC View PostIn the privacy of their dormitory courtyard, Princess Seong Haeun dipped to the side to avoid Narae’s swooping assault. As she did, she snatched up a little bit of the essence surrounding her friend and listened carefully to what it was saying.
A sharp turn, a feint to the side, a spinning strike to catch her off balance.
...
2023-11-10 20:59:38 +0000 UTC View PostJia puzzled over the image in the miniature reflecting pool, glancing between Yue and Dae.
“Well, it’s definitely the moon. I know that dusty patch of wasteland—it’s the place where my soul realm connects to it.”
Before she’d taken control of Chou’s realm and made it hers, it had been anchored to a giant maelstrom in th...
2023-11-08 21:59:34 +0000 UTC View Post