Chapter 4-Cultural Exchange
Nippon, 1853
The small but powerful nation of Nippon had lived in isolation from the rest of the world for almost a century. There were many reasons for this cultural isolation, but for the most part, it was because of attempts by the Order to spread their religion throughout the mostly animism-central country, as well as starting conflicts with the native monsters. It wasn't until a high ranking priest had attacked a lord and his Keijoro wife that the emperor had decided to exile all foreigners and cut off all contact with the outside world.
This had lasted for a century, and would've gone on longer had Nippon not repelled an invasion from the nation of Temujai. Though Nippon barely won the war and beat back the invasion, it became worryingly clear that the rest of the world had advanced beyond them, and if they wanted to maintain their independence as a nation, they'd need to advance as well. And to do that, they needed allies.
As luck would have it, not long after they opened their borders to the outside world, they were contacted by an envoy from the Britannia Empire. Having just been through a rather tumulus period of conflict and a subsequent renaissance age, the Empire had proposed an alliance with Nippon and offered to send an envoy to explain the details of the proposal. There were many in the Imperial Court who were wary of the sudden request, but the Emperor decided that the least they could do was hear the foreigners out.
And so Doji Yamada, a minor nobleman who was the Imperial Court's designated diplomat and representative, was sent to the coastal region of Maruko with a regiment of soldiers to meet the ship that would be carrying the diplomat and their crew.
"Stop fidgeting. You'll mess up your Obi."
"I can't help it. It's the middle of summer and it's hot."
Bushi Kaeko, a blue skinned Oni who acted as the Court's first monster advisor and a representative of the Emperor himself, shook her head and slapped his hands away from the long white overcoat he wore over his needlessly extravagant kimono. Her own fancy kimono was specially made for her kind, hugging her toned, luscious curves while not straining against her body's natural bulk. A far cry from the tight fitting samurai armor that Kaeko's sister, Rei, wore.
Yamada was a young man for his position, only reaching a little above his mid-twenties in May, with a rugged appearance that he inherited from his father. Short black hair tied back into a messy ponytail (he refused to have it in a bun) and a light shave he regularly cut short, he would often be seen by monsters and some human women as ruggedly handsome, though romance was the last thing on his mind. Yamada just wanted to get his lie on track before pursuing a wife.
It was just another thing in a long list of supposed "insults" his father thought he brought to the family. Being a scholar instead of a warrior, not choosing a bridge, not learning how to fight, all that stuff that only soured the relationship between father and son. Honestly, Yamada was happy that his dad was kidnapped by a Dai-tengu. That man was getting on his nerves with his constant bitching.
"Hey," A tall red-skinned Oni clad in tight-fitting samurai armor peeked into the window of their carriage. "You kids doing okay in there?"
"We are fine, Rei, thank you." Kaeko sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Ah, don't be like that, sis. I imagine it's really boring in there." Rei grinned at Yamada. "Yamada, you going to fuck her or not? She needs a good dicking to loosen her up a bit."
"Rei, could you not?! We're on an important diplomatic mission!" Kaeko's blush on her blue cheeks made her look adorable to Yamada, though he wouldn't dare say it to her face.
To his credit, Yamada didn't blush, only rolling his eyes. "If you're a good girl, Rei, maybe the foreigners might have some suitable men for you."
"Ha! I wish." Rei said and looked up ahead. "Ready up, you two. We're almost at the town."
The imperial convoy made their way down the main road leading to Maruko's main port town, Isshun, which acted as both a fishing village and a port for ships all along the coast. Before Nippon closed its borders, ships from other lands would also come here for trade and such. Now for the first time in over a century, they were greeting visitors again.
Yamada, Kaeko, and their samurai regiment stood at the docks where the ship would be arriving at. Already they could see its large mast in the horizon slowly getting closer to the town. Yamada's eyes widened a show different the ship looked compared to Nippon's own navy, it looked sturdier, capable of withstanding an attack at sea while moving with incredible speed thanks to its large mast. The flag of Britannia hung high in the air, flapping in the wind.
'I must say, they do make some impressive ships.' Yamada thought, his mind only partially on who they would be sending for negotiations. 'Whoever this man is, he must be really important to be sent on a ship such as this.'
As the ship pulled into the harbor, the anchor was dropping and the bridge was placed onto the docks for the passengers to disembark. As Yamada and Kaeko walked over to greet the diplomat, they were surprised to see that he was in fact...a she.
The first person to get off the ship was a centaur, a monster commonly found in western Europa. She was a beautiful woman, with dark blonde hair that reached to her shoulders and was finely combed, with a fair amount of light make up to enhance her facial features. She wore a dark red coat with a sword at her hip that hugged her ample chest enticingly. Yamada's gaze turned to her lower body, which was that of a horse with a black skirt over her equine body. Her brown coat was finely groomed and even her tail looked like it was washed to the point of glinting in the sunlight.
She walked down the plank with dignity and grace common in most centaurs. Behind her were a small group of human soldiers, knights Yamada recalled their titles, and a dozen centaur women who also wore the same colors as her. They all assembled in front of the royal procession and the centaur woman bowed her head.
"Greetings, I am Cathy Ingram, representative of His Majesty's court." She said. "It's an honor to be granted entry into your country."
"The honor's mine." Yamada said, smiling lightly. "I am Doji Yamada and this is my assistant Bushi Kaeko. Welcome to Nippon, Ms. Ingram."
XXXXXX
The trek back to the manor where the envoys will be staying was a pleasant one. There were the usual villagers who were very curious about seeing the first foreigners to step foot on their land in centuries. Seeking to know more about Cathy, Yamada chose to ride on horseback alongside her instead of riding in the carriage with Kaede. Along the way they talked about various things, not necessarily about the negotiations itself.
"So all of the women in your family are knights?" Yamada asked. Cathy nodded.
"Even before the Crown began allowing women into the Royal Army, the centaurs of our nation have always been warriors at heart. My mother met my father as a knight, for he was a talented blacksmith. If you want, I could tell you the entire story. It's quite eventful really." Cathy said, smiling.
"I think I'd like that." Yamada smiled back. "It will be a while before we reach the estate, so you'll have plenty of time to acclimate yourself to our lands."
"Thank you, Mr. Doji." Cathy said. "I've heard many pleasant stories about Nippon that I've wanted to see for myself. Is it true that your emperor is descended from the goddess-"
Before Cathy could voice her question, a bellowing shout from Rei made her and Yamada jump. "Incoming!"
Two fireballs burst from the forest on both sides of the road, exploding in front of the envoy. Rei had the soldiers form up around the carriages, but as more fireballs hit the road, their formation started to break apart. Men clothed in black emerged from the trees, drawing katanas and knives before charging at the samurai.
"Death to the foreigners!" One man cried out.
"This is our land!"
'Nationalists,' Yamada thought, trying to keep his horse steady. 'Fucking perfect.'
It wasn't completed unexpected to still have people who would rather have Nippon locked away from the rest of the world, untainted by the influences of the west after the Order's attempted conquest of their wonderful land. Yamada was just surprised that some would blatantly attack a convoy of the emperor's own warriors just to make a statement.
"Get back!" Cathy surprisingly ran forward, pushing Yamada behind her as she rallied her people to her and drew her sword. "Knights, to me! Push them back and form a path for the carriages!"
Yamada watched perplexed as the centaurs formed up and charged forward, ramming into the bandits like a battering ram. Those swords were clearly weren't for show as the knights began fighting the bandits with the grace and ferocity of true warriors. Rei was also batting aside the bandits with her typical Oni strength, while Kaede aided her sister in handling the mages assaulting them with fire magic.
Yamada, for his part, was no warrior and thus stayed out of the line of fire as two samurai near him protected him from any stray attacks. Unsurprisingly, it wasn't long before the bandits and mercenaries were defeated, but just before anyone could completely declare the enemies routed, Yamada saw a swordsman leaping at Cathy, who had her back turned.
"Cathy!"
Cathy spun around, just in time to see Yamada jump in front of the sword's path and take the blade to his chest. Blood burst from the diagonal slash the katana left in his flesh as it cut him from shoulder to hip in a single swing. To her surprise, the still but barely conscious Yamada was still coherent enough to grab the attacker's arm and pulled him in front of her.
