Yatagarasu Series
Volume 8:
The Raven's Reminiscence
Author: Abe Chisato
Prologue
My father once asked me what I thought a true Golden Raven needed, above all else, to be worthy of the title.
I answered quickly and easily. My teacher of poetry and prose had covered this only days before, and I had learned this lesson well.
“Benevolence,” I said, and drew myself up to my full height. “A true Golden Raven must cherish the Yatagarasu and pray for their happiness. By loving and showing mercy to his own people, the people will love the true Golden Raven in return.”
I was proud of this answer. I waited to be praised.
My father tilted his head. “Really,” he said. It was not quite a question. “The idea that if you love people, people will love you in return—that strikes me as an arrogant mindset.”
I didn’t understand. I had answered exactly as I had been taught.
He said, “Even if you wish to help everyone, you can’t. To be an effective leader, you must prioritize and delegate, because no one can do everything at once. Leaders cannot involve themselves in corruption and shady dealings, but neither can they escape the reach of corrupt and powerful men. What would become of a Golden Raven who was principled but not flexible in his thinking? His benevolence would fail to help everyone, proving itself false.”
I asked him what the right answer was, then. It seemed like a reasonable question.
He laughed. “I don’t know, either,” he said. “Let’s think about it together.”
He patted my head gently. I was too confused to feel pleased about that.
He never did explain things directly. He would lay out the shape of a problem, ask questions as though he were confirming something he already believed, and sometimes—in a way that puzzled and faintly embarrassed me—he would adopt the posture of a man seeking my instruction.
He was an emperor. I did not understand what he could possibly need from me.
I understand it now, or think I do. He was using me as a mirror. The questions were not for my benefit. They were for his.
I never did answer his question. I’m still thinking about the answer to this day.
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