4
—Operation Kumaso Takeru.
That was the name of the plan to entrap Zikr Osman, the skirt-chasing general second-class of the imperial army.
There were no objections to the operation name—borrowed straight from the Kojiki—so the group, disguised as a traveling performance troupe, walked boldly through the front gates of the walled city.
Meanwhile, Mizelda and the others moved separately.
There was no need for a back door. If they couldn’t pass through the front gate’s inspection, then they had no hope of getting close to Zikr.
—The inspection was their first test.
And…
“Come one, come all, and lend us your time! We shall perform a song and dance from the far East—beyond the Great Waterfalls, beyond the vast seas, traversing through time itself! We are a traveling troupe, and we have arrived to delight you with our performance!”
A black-haired maiden raised her voice in a poetic introduction, drawing curious glances from the line of people awaiting inspection.
At her side stood:
A young woman with soft black hair.
A musician with flowing blond hair.
Two dark-skinned women of striking beauty.
Their presence was dazzling enough to earn whistles from the gathered crowd.
As a lyulyre was strummed, a clear, bright voice rang out beneath the blue sky.
“Oh? What’s going on?”
“They said they’re traveling performers—music!”
“Heh… They’re all lookers…”
Excitement spread as attention and anticipation grew.
The guards handling inspections were completely overwhelmed.
—And that was exactly what the troupe had planned.
The moment the guards asked about their performance, their fate was sealed.
Before they even realized it, the troupe had begun a show—using the gate entrance as their stage.
“Well…the singing and playing aren’t bad at all.”
The guards, already fed up with their work, didn’t bother stopping them.
Lately, they had grown frustrated with the imperial army’s behavior. Soldiers and guards had different positions. Soldiers were subordinate to the empire, and guards were subordinate to a city. Neither of them was inherently superior, but the soldiers did not seem to understand that.
Occupying the city hall, looting people’s houses under the guise of searches, carrying out night patrols only to spend all night in bars.
The entire mood of the city had soured under the military’s tyrannical presence.
On top of that, the guards had recently been blamed for letting rebels escape through the main gate—leaving them bitter.
If a troupe of performers could clear the air some and lighten the mood, that was not such a bad thing.
And so they had overlooked the troupe putting on a performance, but…
“…Ah.”
The guards froze as someone stepped forward.
—No.
Not just the guards. Everyone. The entire line of people awaiting inspection—every last person—fell silent.
“…”
A dancing girl lifted her veil. In that moment, the spell was complete.
“…And now, Bianca’s performance!”
At the black-haired maiden’s call, the dancer slowly raised her arms.
Even that single movement was irresistibly elegant—bewitching those who watched.
Then a flowing, mesmerizing, and majestic dance began.
“…”
The audience was entranced.
Breathless. Something primal in them refused to look away. It was so enchanting that they wouldn’t have hesitated to say their souls were crying out—declaring that their eyes existed solely for this moment, no matter how dramatic it sounded.
—They were under an instinctual command:
Watch.
Had there been a pickpocket in the crowd, they could have stolen freely and walked away undetected.
But even a thief would be too captivated to act.
“…”
The song lasted less than five minutes. As the music faded, the dancer’s feet touched the ground—the spell was broken.
And only then did the guards and the audience realize the performance had ended.
A wave of applause and cheers erupted.
“…Hopefully, we were able to relieve some of the tedium you’ve been feeling.”
“Y-yeah…”
One of the guards snapped back to reality at the voice of the black-haired musician.
The troupe had demonstrated their skill—in both music and dance.
And, judging by the crowd’s reaction, there was no way they could be turned away.
Now only one question remained—
“What do you ladies intend to do in town?”
“We shall renew the spirits dampened by the soldiers’ presence.”
A confident smile. A gesture toward the rest of the troupe.
The guard swallowed hard. Then, touching the hilt of his sword…
“I know a shop in town… Would you mind performing there tonight?”
“Oh my…” The black-haired musician covered her mouth in delight.
With that, their entry was secured.
The troupe stepped into the walled city.
As they walked away, the guard watched their silhouettes disappear, vowing to finish work early tonight.
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