The capital of the Land of Birds stood beside a lake where migratory birds roosted. Nestled on its shores and filled with greenery, it was a beautiful, peaceful city.
But suddenly, terrible news spread throughout the capital.
The reigning Daimyō, Lord Ōsagi, had suddenly passed away.
Lord Ōsagi deserved much of the credit for the Land of Birds' prosperity and its people's peaceful, contented lives.
And unlike the Daimyō of certain countries who preyed on their people, Ōsagi had always enjoyed a fine reputation.
So when the people heard of Lord Ōsagi's death, they initially refused to believe it. But once the news was confirmed, many struggled to hide their grief and spontaneously prayed for him.
Many who had benefited from Lord Ōsagi's kindness broke down crying in the streets.
For a Daimyō to win the love of so many of his people was an extraordinarily difficult achievement.
As for the next Daimyō, presumably someone would be chosen from among Lord Ōsagi's children, or perhaps some capable, insightful individual. The people were not particularly concerned about that. It was too far removed from their lives, and their opinions could not influence anything. At most, they discussed it as idle conversation over tea or after meals.
It was under these circumstances that Lord Ōsagi's son, Young Master Sagi, and Kōmei, who had long served as his adviser, were both nominated as candidates for the next Daimyō.
The former had an impeccable pedigree, making his succession to the position legitimate.
In particular, he had been raised as an heir since childhood and had enjoyed an excellent reputation over the years, with no unsavory rumors ever circulating about him.
If Young Master Sagi succeeded to the position, he could inherit as much of Lord Ōsagi's legacy as possible, including his reputation, connections, popular