Freedom's Gate

Twenty minutes earlier, just as dawn broke.

After strolling along at an unhurried pace for more than half an hour, Xue Ya stopped outside the silent gates.

The estate, once prosperous, bustling, and clamorous even in the dead of night, was now deserted. The servants who had once come and gone were nowhere to be seen; only the gates stood open.

Anyone could come and go.

"How deserted."

Xue Ya sighed softly and knocked on the gate beside her. "Excuse me, is the general home?"

There was no reply. She stepped forward and invited herself in like an unwelcome guest.

She looked around at the splendor surrounding her, admiring it intently. No matter how many times she came here, everything before her was still so exquisite and beautiful.

Step by step, she continued onward until she reached the empty beach.

The youthful, dazzling scenery of the past—and the beautiful girls who had once frolicked here—had all vanished. Only silence remained.

Beneath the only lit lamp and sunshade, the man sat in a rocking chair, quietly gazing at the city on the other side of the bay, staring at the reddened sky.

As though he were admiring some magnificent vista.

"Do you have any beer?"

Xue Ya put away her umbrella and hung it beside the liquor cabinet, looking over the general's collection. "I prefer something with a richer malt aroma. Any recommendations?"

The general waved a hand dismissively. "Once you get used to drinking it, they all taste about the same."

"Oh-ho, then I'll just pick one."

Xue Ya beamed. After taking out two cans, she sat down in the chair beside the general.

Together with him, she examined the battlefield in the distance.

"From this angle, Kyoto really is especially beautiful." She pulled open the beer tab and clicked