Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 297: The Last Emperor & The Last KGB Officer (12)

Dragon Raja 3

His eyes burned with a fierce, dark gold light, like molten lava flowing in their depths. His dragon blood raged, surging uncontrollably.

“After my mother died, Major Fujiwara Katsu used her corpse to test his blade. His sword, a sharp ‘Nanadani-kiri,’ sliced through seven bodies—my mother’s and the Chinese women’s—all stacked up together… I screamed in terror, like a frightened child. I couldn’t believe that testimony. My mother was alive, living peacefully somewhere in the world, reading Bible stories to children. How could she have been on the battlefield? How dare those wretched ants use their swords on my mother? Those ants, those traitors! Even if they died a thousand times, they could never atone for their crimes!” Uesugi Koeru growled in a low voice.

He had tried to remain calm, but at that moment, his true nature was revealed. It was said that a dragon had a single reverse scale under its neck, and whoever touched it would enrage the dragon. For Uesugi Koeru, his mother was his reverse scale.

“I grabbed my sword and rushed out, determined to kill someone. The only name in my mind was Fujiwara Katsu. He couldn’t escape me. I could find any returning soldier, but I couldn’t kill Fujiwara Katsu. He had committed seppuku on the day Japan surrendered, and they praised him as a hero. His memorial was placed high in the shrine because he had proven his samurai honor.” Uesugi Koeru’s face twitched. “That shrine was none other than the Yamata no Orochi shrine. His real name wasn’t Fujiwara—it was Miyamoto. He was one of my subordinates. But because of his low rank, I had never met him.”

“A traitor shouldn’t be called a hero,” Uesugi Koeru growled, gripping a pair of chopsticks as if they were a warrior’s sword, the veins on his hands bulging.

Not long ago, he had claimed to be nothing more than a humble ramen chef, but now his pupils were ablaze with the fury of an emperor’s rage.

“Alright, alright, calm down,” Anjou took the chopsticks from his hand and handed him a cup of sake. “So, you burned down the family shrine?”

Uesugi Koeru drank another cup of sake, taking a long time to calm down before exhaling softly. “I stormed into the shrine, right in front of the priests, and I cut down Fujiwara Katsu’s memorial tablet. I kicked over the eternal lamp that was lit for him, then scattered his ashes all over the place from the altar… but that was all I could do. How could I take revenge on a dead man? I couldn’t. So, I turned my hatred toward those old fools in the family. They were the ones who took me from my mother, who filled my head with holy war theories. But they were all dead too. They were too old and had gone to see Buddha before the war even ended. In the end, I could only take out my rage on my wives… I pretended nothing was wrong when I returned home and told them we would bathe together in the Roman bath. I encouraged them to keep trying, that we needed to give birth to strong children to continue Japan’s spirit. They obediently complied as always. By then, we didn’t even have enough coal left, so they used wood to heat enough water to fill the Roman bath. They called to me from the bath, naked, and I suddenly drew my sword and slit their throats one by one.”

Uesugi Koeru slowly closed his eyes. “The water in the bath turned completely red with their blood.”

Anjou remained silent for a long time, then sighed deeply.

“The last woman I killed wept, saying they had done nothing to wrong me. Their only secret mission was to mix aphrodisiacs into my drink. If I impregnated them, their families would receive 100 acres of rice fields and 100,000 yen. I sat at the edge of the bath, watching their bodies float, overlapping in the water, their long hair spread over their pale backs. There’s never been a more grotesque sight in the world. And then, I realized something. The Catholic Church forbids suicide, yet as a devout nun, my mother had shot herself. Why? Was it because she couldn’t bear to see the girls being abused? No. She couldn’t bear the torment in her own heart. She knew that her son had participated in that war, that he was the spiritual leader of those savages. Her final curse wasn’t aimed at Fujiwara Katsu… it was at me. The one who deserved to be struck down by lightning and fire wasn’t those pitiful women who served me with their bodies—it was me.”

“I’m sorry for you,” Anjou said softly, draining his cup.

“This is my sin, enough to nail me to the cross until the end of time. I betrayed my mother. I listened to all those Bible stories she told me, but I never understood love.” Uesugi Koeru reached into his collar and took out a silver crucifix, gripping it in his hand as he whispered, “Repent, therefore, of this wickedness, and pray to the Lord that the intent of your heart may be forgiven… After many years, I finally came to believe in God. Now I work part-time as a pastor at yournovel.org a community church. Sometimes, I spend entire afternoons sitting in the church, watching the sun slowly set. It feels like I’m back in that small chapel in the countryside of Lyon. I wait for someone to come and tell me stories of Sister Charlotte… That’s the only peace and joy I have left in this life.”

“And that’s why you’ve never had children—you don’t want the Emperor’s bloodline to continue,” Anjou said.

“The Emperor’s bloodline is a mistake for humanity. I don’t know what that noble dragon king intended by granting it to humans, but it brings no happiness. It only lights the flames of ambition, and those who are born with this blood are cursed from the moment they enter the world. They will never know happiness. I don’t want my descendants to carry this curse.” Uesugi Koeru looked directly into Anjou’s eyes. “Old friend, you should give it up too. The Emperor’s blood and the Sacred Remains—both are things that should be destroyed. Don’t let them stay in this world.”

Anjou slowly drained his cup of sake. “On this rare rainy night, after hearing such a rare story, I feel like I should do something for you. Fine. I promise I won’t use the power of the Emperor’s blood. Once I find the Sacred Remains, I’ll destroy them as soon as possible. Maybe turning them into a philosopher’s stone wouldn’t be such a bad idea.”

“The sake’s finished, and I should close up. Goodbye, Anjou… or rather, let’s never meet again. Just let me die in the peace and joy I’ve found.”

“Judging by the way you’re speaking, I guess I’m not invited to your funeral?” Anjou chuckled.

“It’ll be a quiet, compassionate, love-filled Catholic funeral. I’ll be remembered as the humble ramen chef who served the community, not as a former Yakuza emperor. A bloodstained avenger like you shouldn’t come.”

“I brought you a little gift—chocolates from Debauve & Gallais in France. Maybe they’ll remind you of the taste of France.” Anjou placed a paper-wrapped package on the table.

He stood up, opened his umbrella, and staggered toward his Maserati. At the end of the alley, the lights of the city glowed brightly. As he opened the car door, he turned to look back. Uesugi Koeru sat quietly in the depths of the alley, rain and cherry blossoms flowing at his feet.

[To be continued]

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