Saiunkoku Monogatari II Episode 10 – 待ち人きたる (The Awaited Person Finally Comes)

The story moves on to explain the meaning behind Shuurei’s request to Ensei, and why she’s worrying over being blamed for the disease when she’s clearly not the one who caused it. Preparations for the treatment are being done by the doctors on the side of Shuurei, while Shuuran leads the people of Sekie village to Koringun to speed up the treatment process. Shuurei and her company however receives some harsh welcome as they enter Koringun, with people still believing the rumors spread by the Jasenkyou.

With the title “The Awaited Person Finally Comes”, it’s clear how this is referring to both the people of Sekie (especially Shuuran) who are waiting for Shuurei and the aid she brings to them, as well as Eigetsu and Kourin, with the former yearning for someone to save him so that he’ll be able to fulfill his goal of helping out the people of Sekie before he dies, and the latter who has gone to meet the person she loves most.

Summary

Before Shuurei and the others left for Sa Province, Seiran called on Shuuei, which the latter found to be quite rare and wonders if Seiran wanted to ask him out on a date. That is of course quite absurd for someone like Seiran, and the reason why he summoned Shuuei is to ask him to hand his sword Kanshou to Ensei. Shuuei thinks that Ensei would certainly be delighted that Seiran trusts someone like him, to which he said that it’s not really a matter of trust. Seiran hands Kanshou to Shuuei, telling him that Ensei will definitely understand just why he did this once the sword has been given to him. Seiran also asked him to tell Ensei to take good care of his sword, knowing he’s the kind of man who will just use it carelessly. Shuuei accepts this request from Seiran, assuring him that he’ll send both Kanshou and Shuurei safely to their destination.

And so the sword was handed over to Ensei, and the preparations for the treatment proceeded. As was shown in the previous episode, Shuurei asked Ensei for this request to not hesitate and behead her if needed, much to his surprise, knowing that the disease will certainly not recede by itself even if she’s gone because it’s long been present even before she was born. Ensei adds that having her to blame for this disease is just a plan of the Jasenkyou, and Shuurei is well aware of this, but considers the possibility that difficulties and unrest will arise because of her, which will impend the success of the treatment (as the people won’t have faith in the doctors anymore). Shuurei tells Ensei that treating the patients is the utmost priority in this situation, and that she will convince these people to believe in her and have faith in the treatment. If however, the disease is still not cured after all this has been done, and that the people won’t be at peace with her presence thinking that she certainly is to blame for the disease, then she’s more than willing to give her life to appease this unrest.

Shuurei turns to Ensei, reminding him that his foremost job as the deputy governor is to protect her. Ensei then asks if she intends him to become her murderer, who will have to carry on with his life shouldering the enmity of the people who loves her for the crime he did. Ensei knows well that the reason why she asked him this is because even Seiran won’t be able to do this, and then poses her a question as to what she considers the best measure in this situation. Shuurei reflects on this, thinking about how she can’t easily hand over her life because there are people who believe in her and are waiting for her return, which finally prompts her to give the answer that she’ll protect everything she can, including her own life. Given that, she’ll do her utmost to return alive.

Ensei felt relieved with these words, considering that he certainly can’t trust a leader who thinks first about dying before anything else, since this will show how she will simply be abandoning everything and escape from her problems if she resorts to die. Nonetheless, if that time comes (when the problem is not solved despite everything has been done), Ensei swears that he won’t let anyone get in the way and wholeheartedly take her life and even give her head to both Ryuuki and Shouka. Ensei’s words and gesture of holding Shuurei’s neck (as though he’s going to behead her) sends a chill down her spine, but Ensei explains that he simply reiterated what she asked him earlier, since she also said that there’s no one else she can rely on to do this job but him. Ensei thinks about this, and feels special that she’s being entrusted with this duty, presuming that perhaps he’s loved by Shuurei more than Seiran.

Shuurei explains that if it was Seiran, he’ll most likely find a corpse of a girl who looks like her and run away with her instead of killing her, and Ensei couldn’t agree more. He takes a look at the sword Kanshou, and tells Shuurei that he has gradually come to understand why this sword was entrusted to him by Seiran. Ensei asks Shuurei if she already heard about what happened to Eigetsu, to which she simply nods in confirmation, and thinks about how she should do everything possible for the success of this mission (knowing how Eigetsu went to Sekie village all by himself to help out the people), before finally telling Ensei that they have to go and meet up with Eigetsu.

Somewhere in Sekie, Eigetsu is still held captive and calls on Yougetsu as he wonders what the Jasenkyou’s objective is for doing this to him. Eigetsu puts up a struggle as he endures the pain of the wounds inflicted on him, swearing to both himself and Yougetsu that he can’t die just yet. Kourin comes into his mind, thinking about how he never gave her anything but painful memories, and asks her to live her life in happiness despite this. Just then, the Doushu-looking man draws near Eigetsu, commenting on how he greets him with a stern face as usual, as he calls Eigetsu his “cute child”.

Hei Taishu and his troops are travelling when they come across Shuuran and Riou who asks him if he knows the whereabouts of the doctors who are coming to their aid. Taishu was surprised to see that they brought everyone from the village with them, travelling all the way from there just to save the sick people. Riou remarks that everyone in the village unexpectedly had this will to live and survive through this. One of the troop members Shuon can’t believe that they brought the infected people out of the village, fearing that they might cause the disease to spread in other places. Taishu reprimands him for this, knowing well that the disease is not spread through contact, as he has been telling them over and over already.

Hei Taishu turns to the young kids who led the people out of the village, then decides to bring everyone from Sekie village to Koringun, much to Shuuran’s delight. Shuon however vehemently refuses against this and tells Taishu how absurd this is, considering that the people in the city will most likely disagree with this idea as well. He adds that if this disease happened in his country home, he’ll certainly drive off the people infected. He further exclaims in anger that in the case of the Sekie village, the best measure would be to just burn the entire village and its people, making Taishu furious with his way of thinking and was about to take his sword to hit Shuon, when one military officer knocks him down instead. He tells Taishu that Shuon will have to be expelled from the army and be banished from Koringun, and that Taishu’s hands need not be tainted with this.

He expresses his admiration towards the decision Taishu made, but fears that with the people of Koringun already much affected by the rumors about Shuurei, accepting all the sick people into their city will cause it to become an explosive situation. Once this happens, people will not understand no matter what explanation is given them, just like the case with Shuon. Taishu is well aware of this fact, yet makes them realize that it’s their duty to protect these people who are considered to be citizens of Koringun as well, so they have to take all of them into the city. The officer shares how he left the mountains because of his mother’s sickness, but by the time he got back there to help her, it was already too late, and it’s for this reason that he takes joy in the decision Taishu made, then orders his men to take the people with them. Shuuran grabs unto Taishu’s garment as a gesture of her thanks for what he did, and Taishu smiles back at her, while Riou simply gazes at them.

The doctors’ departure for Sekie village will already is the following day, and so all of them are doing their best in practicing surgery up to the very last minute. The apprentices talk about how they never imagined themselves doing these things like killing off animals and camping out, and thinks about how their parents would most likely be saddened when they find out about this. Another apprentice replies that they would certainly be proud of them since they’re doing this noble act of saving the lives of people, and encourages them to do their best. You-sensei sees them and remarks on how they still need much practice. Shuurei however believes that they’ve already improved much, seeing how all of them are able to cut the animals well, which gives her much ease in cooking as well. What she thinks they need practice on is stitching, since the seams they made still looks quite hideous. But according to You-sensei, seamlessness in cutting is much more important than the stitching, since what matters is the ‘inside’ rather than its external appearance.

Ensei and Shuurei were both surprised to know about this, and You-sensei affirms this to be true, as he dances with glee at the fact that this will even make them have time to drink and be merry afterwards. Ensei looks at You-sensei with doubtful eyes, asking Shuurei if he’s indeed a great doctor and not just an impostor. You-sensei overhears this and gets furious that he’s thought to be fake, but quickly gets over this as he tells Shuurei that this matter with regards to the stitching is but a little concern compared to the much bigger problem they have with the doctors not having a clear grasp of ‘reality’, unlike Shuurei who has already witnessed the dreadful event that happened to Kiou ten years ago.

You-sensei remarks how the doctors chosen are all young ones who are full of vitality, yet are also the kind of people who don’t really know the difference of their ideals or dreams with reality. He worries that if these young doctors won’t be able pull themselves together and stand up against this challenge (since they’d have to face this dreadful situation), it’ll get in the way of their performance, and eventually cause their spirit to break (as they get to experience ‘reality’ with treating the patients of Sekie village). Nevertheless You-sensei believes that they stand a good chance in this, since they simply have to make the necessary preparations for this mission.

Sai Rin arrives and brings with her several news, first of which is a news from Shunki about Kourin travelling all by herself to follow after Eigetsu in Sekie. Shunki intended to request for some of the best people in the army to escort Kourin, but she already left with her belongings while Shunki was in the midst of this. Ensei wonders just why Kourin was in such a hurry to meet him, thinking that Eigetsu didn’t go there to die or anything, and that Kourin could still have at least waited to have people accompany her first before embarking on this journey. The words “go there to die” makes Shuurei remember the words of Governor Kai about the near death of Eigetsu, and thinks that it’s not surprising that Kourin would go to this extent if she she heard these very words of Governor Kai from Eigetsu himself (as mentioned in the novel).

Sai Rin assures them not to worry about Kourin since they found out that she was able to board the wagon of the All-Merchant’s Alliance which is on its way to Sekie village itself. Ensei thinks that there’s still a possibility that they’ll run into her with this circumstance, and says that Kourin seems to be following the footsteps of Shuurei. Sai Rin comments on how calm Kourin is in confronting this situation so there’s no need for them to worry about anything, and tells them of the possibility that they’ll meet Kourin in Korinjou (castle in Korin district) since the villagers including the sick people of Sekie have all been brought there in order to speed up the treatment process. The wagon of the merchants guild has been set forth to head to Korinjou as well, so Sai Rin is certain that they’ll be able to meet Kourin.

Kourin however, decides to stop by Sekie village despite the people from the guild telling her that there’s no one else in the village anymore. Kourin then thinks about the rumor she heard about Eigetsu’s disappearance in the village, and decides to look for him.

Sai Rin continues to tell them of other news she has, regarding how Taishu made the people against his decision to accommodate the villagers stay inside the castle, and is now waiting for news about their arrival. Shuurei asks Ensei how long it’ll take them to reach Koringun, to which he says that they will most likely arrive there by sunrise the next day and wonders what they’re going to do with the tons of pigs that were cut for the surgery practice, knowing that Shuurei doesn’t quite have the time to prepare dishes because of this busyness. Shuurei instructs Ensei to pack as much as they can eat, since they need stamina for this mission. Ensei was delighted to see that she finally regained her energy again, and gets on with the preparation so they set forth for Koringun within four and a half hours time.

The apprentices could still not believe that they will be performing the treatment the next day morning, and You-sensei scolds them for looking all disheartened over this, instructing them to move quickly and help out with the preparations. One of the apprentices is about to say something to You-sensei when he snaps and tells them to stop thinking about things and get moving since they have no more time left. You-sensei then wonders how these young apprentices will confront the dreadful situation with the sick people of Sekie village, knowing that the success of this mission lies in their resolve to face this. Shuurei and the others want to hurry up and reach their destination, knowing well that there are people who are waiting for their aid.

Inside the Korinjou, Shuon is talking to some other members of the army about killing Shuurei, where the other ones exclaim their surprise at what Shuon is thinking, considering that Taishu specifically ordered them not to do anything, and knows that Shuon will be permanently put on exile from Koringun if he disobeys this. Shuon however is not concerned about this ‘measly’ thing, since the more serious problem they have is the fact that Shuurei caused the disease to spread and has come to Koringun to spread it in their land as well. Another soldier tells Shuon how Taishu told them before that she’s not the one to blame for the disease, but Shuon is closed-minded and firmly believes that Shuurei is the main cause of this disease, since the disease only started when she was appointed as the governor. The others are still hesitant to follow after Shuon, fearing what will happen if they disobey Taishu’s orders. Shuon tells them it’s not impossible that Shuurei was able to make a puppet out of Taishu, considering that she has this ‘power’ of generating the disease, and that they have to kill her in order to protect both Taishu and the entire Koringun. The other soldiers were convinced by this, and says that they will attack the moment they arrive.

Kourin arrives at the village and sees that there is indeed no one else in the village. Kourin says that she can’t simply wait, knowing how she certainly can’t just expect Eigetsu to come back just like that. She expresses her anger at how Eigetsu simply left without a word and didn’t even ask her to go with him, and becomes determined to take what she longs for with her own hands, telling herself that if ‘it’ (Eigetsu) is lost, then what she have to do is go find it. At that moment, someone appears behind Kourin and mistakes her for the female governor of Sa Province, and knocks her unconscious.

Shuurei and the others finally arrive in Koringun, but Ensei senses something wrong as the gates are being closed and soldiers armed with arrows are standing by the gates. Ensei decides to go through the gate with Shuurei, but stops for a moment as they become attacked by the soldiers who are warning them to retreat if they don’t want anything to happen to them. Shuurei is not shaken by this threat, knowing that they certainly can’t back down from this situation since the people of Sekie needs their help, and so Ensei rushes forth to enter the gates before it’s closed, with Shuurei warning him that she’s not going to prepare them a meal if they don’t make it in time. Shuurei and Ensei get attacked by a rain of arrows as Taishu also comes out running towards their direction, with Ensei readying himself to protect both Shuurei and Taishu…

Thoughts

And so the reason why Shuurei was ‘blaming’ herself for the sickness in Sekie has been made clear in this episode, where this ‘blame’ is not really because of her being its cause, but rather shouldering the responsibility of being blamed for the failure of this mission, especially if the people will lack the trust in the treatment simply because of her. She was looking at the far future, readying herself for the worst, if things won’t go the way they want it, and that was indeed admirable.

Ensei however got worried because Shuurei was already thinking pessimistically, and despite the fact that she’s looking ahead, this was causing her to worry to the point that it’s making her lose focus as well. Thus he reminded Shuurei of what she should consider the “best thing to do” in this kind of situation, which makes her realize that she has to do her best to come back alive. It’s great to see that Shuurei is back to her usual self again, and we owe it much to Ensei.

I really admire how Ensei he can really set apart personal feelings and his responsibility as a government official, and not allow his feelings to bias his decisions as shown in this episode, showing just how well versed he is in governing and making these decisions. Given a choice, of course Ensei wouldn’t want to kill her, but what Shuurei wanted is for her to be treated as a government official till the very end, not excusing her and making her escape from death if need be. As it was clearly stated in the novel, as a government official, there would be times in which you really have to put your life at stake for decisions that you make, like in this case with Shuurei. She has already foresworn before the emperor regarding this, as what we have seen in episode 8, and this is what she’s living up to when she told Ensei of her resolve to die if all plans fail. Ensei would even be willing to bear the grudge of the people who loves Shuurei dearly, who would hate him for this ‘crime’ of killing her, knowing well that he’s just staying true to his responsibility.

It might seem peculiar for some people that Shuurei is reminding Ensei of his utmost responsibility of protecting her, when she’s asking him to kill her if needed. It was mentioned in the novel that Shuurei needs Ensei’s protection, whom she knows would go through much extent so that no harm will happen to her, and allow her to come back safe and sound. She knows that Ensei is the only one capable of doing both this ‘protection’, and seeing her as a government official till the very end, who will not let her escape from death considering that she has sworn with her life that she’s going to save the people of Sekie.

Shuuran is really admirable for someone her age. I believe she’s as old as Shuurei was ten years ago, both of whom have also witnessed the same dreadful scene, with Shuuran’s experience not as horrible as it was for Shuurei that time because now there are people coming to their aid and won’t allow the villagers to simply die. Taishu himself admires Shuuran for this, seeing how this little kid who’s like his grandchild is already doing this much for the sake of saving her people. As the novel also mentioned, the first time Taishu saw hope for his country is when he met Eigetsu, especially after seeing how he went all by himself on the way to Sekie. And now he’s once again seeing this hope as he sees Shuuran, with whom he believes will make them have a better future.

Riou remains cold and mysterious throughout this episode, and we still don’t know what his real intentions are or what he’s going to do in the later episodes especially when he meets Shuurei. All the while he was talking about how the villagers unexpectedly wanted to survive, he was expressionless, not showing any hints of happiness nor sadness or anything. He’s the kind of person who’s indifferent to these kinds of situations involving other people, and wouldn’t really care if people die, from what I can see…

Kourin has grown to become such a strong character that she seems to be living up to what she mentioned before about wanting to be just like Shuurei. She remained calm and collected in this situation, not panicking despite knowing what lies ahead… she gained the courage and resolve to go after the man he loves because he has really been ‘cruel’ to her for just leaving her like that. It’s great to see how she decided to do this than simply wallow in her sorrow, like what other weak characters would do.

It pains my heart to see how Eigetsu is struggling to live, as he’s being held captive by the Jasenkyou… and I’m sure Kourin will feel even more of this pain once she sees him in this situation. I know for a fact that Kourin and Eigetsu will meet because I’ve spoiled myself a little with the novel, and it’s going to be one dramatic and ‘aww’-ful scene (ok, that didn’t sound quite good) :p I’m really anticipating this, hoping that we’ll get to see this in the next episode. It’s always great to see these romantic developments in Kourin and Eigetsu’s relationship, especially with ‘romance’ being farfetched for someone like Shuurei at this point >_< (so I’m just going to spoil myself with Kourin x Eigetsu) I’m also wondering what Yougetsu’s thinking about at this point with regards to this situation with Eigetsu… I’m sure he’s grieving about this as well. I’m really hoping that Yougetsu will somehow do something to save Eigetsu, and there will also be ‘another person’ who I hope will do something to save him as well.

It’s still not made clear if the Doushu-looking guy is indeed the ‘Senya’ leader of the cult, but he still gives me the creeps up until now… We know for a fact that he’s not Doushu, but their resemblance is undeniable (when the Doushu-looking guy is in his ‘sane’ appearance). He even referred to Eigetsu as his “cute child” (gives me the creeps ><), which I believe is just a sarcastic remark he gave, considering how he looks like Doushu o_O But I just wonder if there really is some sort of connection between this guy and Doushu… o__O

This episode was such a cliffhanger, especially with the intensity of that last scene. From the next episode preview, we can see that no harm was done to Shuurei, Ensei and Taishu, but of course we’re still not sure if the treatment will go smoothly as planned. I’m also anticipating the encounter of Shuurei and Shuuran, and would love to see that scene I saw in the novel (I just spoiled myself with some piccie) ^^

P.S. Sorry for the delay of this post… This is what I get for having this much details to this ‘narrative’ o_O In any case, I’ll try my best to cut down on the length of my post while staying true to the essence of what’s being said (I really hope I can do that ><), with the help of the novels which certainly aid me in understanding and clearing up stuff in the episode.

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