Strongest Among the Heavens
Chapter 411: Yuna

Chapter 411: Yuna

Brothers. Mouths to feed. A young woman either twenty years of age or just. Desperate and meek. Her position in this was clear: it was the same as Kazi’s when he was a boy. A servant. A slave. Whichever one preferred. Whichever was legal.

Like many nations, Japan had their own official slave system. In 1590, that slave system was abolished by the daimyo Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Here was something some men did not understand. Just because something was "legally" cast aside did not mean it did not continue in practice. See Article 17 of the Gotōke reijō—the Tokugawa House Laws—stipulating that the immediate family of executed criminals could be subjected to "non-free labor" as a form of punishment or the Portuguese slave trade in Japan which sold men and women en masse. Daimyo Hideyoshi was disgusted. Laws were passed.

So what? People enslaved others anyway. His people enslaved others of his people.

Kazi glanced at the shop behind her, noticing the sign—a small general store, selling basic goods and food staples, nothing extravagant. The shelves were sparsely stocked and functional, the kind of shop that catered to the common folk. A place like this would be hard-pressed to make a living and it was clear that the woman worked here, either for little pay under the owner or none at all.

When Kazi was a child, there was an illusion of choice. That Pakistani "servant" came to him, Imtiaz Ahmed, he raised a hand and claimed he had a choice. In reality, there was no choice. He was going to be sent to that big house kicking and screaming. See, his "master" needed youth. He needed someone that would serve him and his family for their whole life.

Kazi had been the only healthy, rationale boy. Whether he liked it or not, he was going to go there. He was going to stay. That did not end up happening.

Kazi’s eyes shifted to the middle-aged inside the store, seated behind the counter, counting coins in his hand. The owner, no doubt.

"I’ll be back."

Amping up his smile and charm, Kazi stepped inside the store, drawing the attention of the owner. The man, dressed in a faded blue kimono, looked up, surprised to see a well-dressed foreigner in his modest shop.

"Good day, sir," Kazi greeted warmly. "I was hoping to make a purchase."

"Of course, ah, what are you looking for?"

Kazi glanced around the store casually before returning his gaze to the owner and putting an arm on the counter. "Not an item, per se. I’d like to discuss your... servant outside. The young woman sweeping."

The owner’s eyes flicked toward the doorway, where the woman stood, broom in hand, looking back into the shop with growing confusion. "Her? She’s just a servant. Not much to speak of. Why?"

Kazi put his arms on the counter, his smile as smooth as ever. "I’d like to buy out her service. Whatever she owes you, I’ll cover. Consider her debt paid."

The owner blinked, taken aback by the offer. "You... want to buy her out?"

From the arm on the table, he opened up his wrist to reveal an ovoid gold coin over seventeen centimeters long. The owner was wowed. This was an Oban. Ten years had passed since the introduction of the Tokugawa coinage. This was the largest, most luxurious coin introduced, typically reserved for ceremonies or rewards.

For Kazi, it was a gift from Lord Mosuke in case of an emergency. He had five more of these.

The owner, wide-eyed, took the Oban coin. His eyes lit up with greed upon confirming it was real and he nodded. "It’s more than enough, Portugeuse. She’s yours."

Kazi smiled, ignoring his mistake of ethnicity and offering a polite bow. "Thank you. Pleasure doing business."

With that, Kazi turned and walked back outside, the woman watching him with shock and confusion.

"W-what just happened?" she asked, her voice shaky. "What did you do?"

"I’ve bought you out of your service. You’re no longer tied to that shop."

"B-but..."

The Portuguese. The slave trade. She thought he would be worse.

"Don’t think of me as your master—I don’t believe in such things. Consider this a favor I’m doing in advance."

"F-favour, so I’m still...working?"

"Under me, yes. I’ll pay ten Nibuban today and another ten tomorrow and every day you work under me. Does that sound fair?"

Handing a poor person an Oban coin spelled trouble. No need to make it more difficult than it had to be. The former slave woman was in utter confusion and thought. If she went with him, would he kidnap her? Would he seize from this land and trade her as property in some distant land? She then looked at Kazi.

He was beautiful.

Could such a divine form be evil? Impossible. She drew in a deep breath. "Y-yes, My Lord."

Kazi started walking. The woman laid aside her broom and followed. "You said you had brothers, didn’t you? I’d like you to take me to them."

She hesitated. "My brothers? T-they are not men and w-we don’t live anywhere proper. We—" She trailed off, looking embarrassed.

Kazi’s tone was gentle, reassuring. "It doesn’t matter where you live. I just need to meet them. Ah, right, I haven’t asked for your name, have I?"

"It..." The woman bit her lip, glancing down the street. Finally, after a long pause, she nodded slowly. "It is Yuna."

"Yuna, how young are your brothers?"

"Very young."

No age. Probably because she was illiterate.

"The younger you are, the more you hear. The more you sweep, the more sounds brush into your ear."

"H-huh?"

"There are things only you and your brothers know," Kazi elaborated. "And there are some things only I can do. Do you know why I’m here?"

"T-to trade slaves?"

"No, I’m here..." He spun, smiling and pointed at her. "To protect you! I am a samurai sent by Lord Mosuke!" He jabbed a thumb at his attire. "Check the clothes."

"A-ah. Ohh." She nodded along like a child, in awe. A foreign samurai? It didn’t make sense yet she believed it. A simple woman who did not think much outside her immediate future. It was endearing. These kinds of people were who Kazi had been surrounded by. He loved them. Their innocence, their smiles when they were given a shred of happiness.

He loved them so much that his heart ache whenever people tried to take advantage of them.

For now, he had a mission. Information and being able to act upon that information. Yuna didn’t get it now but she would soon. Her brothers might be the key.