My last post only had the last section of the prologue (I can only work with what I’ve got!). Now that the full thing is posted on the site, here is the full prologue:
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[1] Ryouma, Returning to Tosa
The great ocean spreads out before his eyes…
Whilst returning to Tosa after finishing his fencing training in Edo,
Sakamoto Ryouma stood alone at the bow of the ship, deep in thought.
On his quest to try to change the times - A time in which there is talk of “expelling the forgeigners” and “adherence to the Shogunate” -
he wondered “What should I do?”
Yet he could not find the answer…
The largest domain of Shikoku - Tosa.
This old-fashioned land, in which exists a barrier known as “rank”, continued to make life miserable for
"Goushi" such as Ryouma, who live as low ranking samurai.
This is a world in which the absurd reasoning of “rank being more important than a person’s life” goes unchallenged.
As soon as he returns home, Ryouma sees the still unchanged state of Tosa and turns on the higher ranking samurai, ending up with
him being sent to prison…
"Can live my whole life like this…?"
When he psyches himself up with this thought, a man appears before him.
It was Yamada Touyou, who is said to be the most strict in discipline in Tosa….
He was Ryouma’s beloved, teacher.
While he holds an important office within the domain, at the same time, in absolute secrecy,
he looks after those who have fallen victim to the domain and have lost their families.
During this reunion with Touyou, he is instructed to meet with Takechi Hanpeita - another who is in the same situation
as himself
"The time has come"
Touyou explains their true objective.
The plan is for a great coup d’état, to collapse the severe hierarchical society in which they live…
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[2] The night of the coup d’état
The Tosa Loyalist Party. A great force formed by young low ranking samurai advocating loyalty to the Emperor
and the expulsion of foreigners and who are concerned about the current times.
The man standing a the top is Takechi Hanpeita.
He lost his family when he was young due to the way things work in Tosa.
The young man raised by Yoshida Touyou, gifted with intellect and courage, became just the man the young people of Tosa have been
longing for.
He is the man behind the formation of the party.
That was the public guise of the Tosa Loyalist Party…
The Loyalist Party Headquarters is full of energy and resounds with the sound of training pistols.
Takechi rejoices over his reunion with Ryouma and declares he shall be welcomed as a head of the Loyalist Party.
Takechi, under Yoshida Touyou together with Ryouma - whose ability Takechi has more confidence in than anyone else, awaited
the trip back home.
However, Ryouma seems gloomy. He felt a sense of guilt for not having high aspirations like Takechi.
But that wasn’t the only reason he feels guilty.
Takechi still has a large burn mark on his back…
He got that burn when saving Ryouma from his burning house when he was young.
Every time Ryouma looks at the wound, he is reminded of his past and loses confidence in himself.
Takechi has a serious talk with the hesitant Ryouma about the future of Tosa.
He explains that they must fight so that there can never be people like themselves ever again.
Trusting in the words of Touyou and Takechi, he agrees to participate in the plan to bring down Tosa…
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[3] The Man called “Saitou Hajime”
It is one year after the coup d’état of Tosa…
In a room of the Terada Inn in Fushimi, Kyoto, lies a lazy man who, even though it is already noon, has yet to arise.
He is the samurai, Saitou Hajime.
On that day, after he is forced out of bed by the mistress of Terada Inn, “O-tose”, and a servant named “O-ryou”, he goes out
to gamble…
Several winnings later, a man approaches Saitou. He whispers into his ear:
"Are you pretending to be here to gamble again today, while you’re actually looking for the culprit?"
There is a complete change of expression on the face of Saitou.
When he shot around to look at the man, he mumbled:
"Where is the man who killed the father… the man who uses that sword…"
Saitou Hajime’s true name is “Sakamoto Ryouma”.
A man who changed his name and is living in Kyoto. The man he is after is a mysterious swordsman who one year ago, on the
night of the coup d’état that occurred in Tosa, murdered his father and old teacher right before his eyes.
Sakakmoto Ryouma loved Tosa, was betrayed by Tosa and then abandoned Tosa. He is now in a fight for revenge and is
prepared to put his life on the line.
It is said that the greatest swordsmen gather in Kyoto. It’s an extremely dangerous place to plunge yourself into…
A place where the group of killers called the “Shinsengumi” make the streets rain with blood.
He abandoned the name of Sakamoto Ryouma and has tried to begin a new life living as Saitou Hajime.
