Chapter 141: The Crown

Dawn — Snow Women Clan’s Island

The horizon was still dark when the helicopter descended through heavy sea mist. The blades cut the fog apart, revealing glimpses of what lay beneath: a sprawling island wrapped in silence, where faint lanterns glowed like stars fallen onto the earth.

As the chopper’s skids touched down, the world around them slowly revealed itself. Traditional Japanese courts stretched in elegant lines, wooden chambers with tiled roofs glistening with morning dew. Cherry blossom trees, though out of season, stood proud against the faint mountain backdrop, their bare branches tracing stories in the air. A wide training courtyard spread open near the entrance, marked with white stones and lines, where dozens of women sparred with wooden weapons even at this early hour.

Further in, wisps of steam rose lazily from natural hot springs, hidden behind carved wooden fences and stone lanterns. The sound of running water mixed with the cries of cranes taking flight from the lakeside. It was a place that felt suspended between myth and reality.

Miles and Sayaka stepped out from the helicopter. The mist curled around them like an unseen guard, but as soon as the clan members noticed the unfamiliar man beside Sayaka, the air shifted. Training stopped. Conversations faltered. Dozens of curious eyes turned toward him.

Miles glanced around, his tone dry but amused. “Is it illegal for me to be here?”

Sayaka chuckled softly, her voice carrying a hint of pride. “No. You’re not the first man to step onto this island. The Snow Women clan doesn’t forbid family. We don’t cage people, Miles. The only rule is that men cannot live here permanently. We welcome trade, alliances, and family visits.”

Miles raised an eyebrow. “So the men are just… sent away?”

Sayaka shook her head. “Not sent away. They handle businesses in the cities, run our trade, manage wealth and external affairs. Do you think this population could exist without them?”

Miles smirked. “Honestly? I thought you recruited everyone from outside. Like a… secret draft.”

Sayaka allowed herself a small laugh. “We do, sometimes. Rarely. But most here carry the clan’s lineage.”

They walked along the stone path, flanked by disciplined rows of houses with sliding doors and paper lanterns. Women whispered softly as they passed, all eyes drifting back to the tall foreign man moving calmly at Sayaka’s side.

“So,” Miles muttered, “does that mean I’ll be politely escorted out by sunset?”

Sayaka smiled knowingly. “Not necessarily. If Master invited you, then she already has something in mind.”

Before Miles could respond, a small figure came running from between the houses. A little girl, no more than six, with neatly tied hair and sharp curious eyes. She clutched a tiny flower in her hand, and with bold steps walked directly up to Miles.

Miles and Sayaka stopped.

The girl stared up at him, her head tilting. “Big bro… are you a good man?”

Miles blinked, then broke into a smile, lowering himself slightly. “Yes,” he said simply.

The girl’s face lit up. She held out the tiny flower. Miles took it gently, and with the ease of someone used to children, ruffled her hair.

The girl grinned. “Mama says… you have to find a good man.”

Miles chuckled at her innocent words. “Oh? Then you have to train hard, listen to your mama and your teacher. Do that, and one day, you’ll meet a good man.”

The girl looked toward Sayaka for confirmation. “Really, senior sis?”

Sayaka’s voice softened. “Yes. Your big bro is right.”

Just then, a woman in a white kimono walked briskly toward them, bowing politely. She took the little girl’s hand. The child gave Miles one last smile and waved.

Miles waved back. “Bye. Thanks for the flower.”

As they walked away, Miles glanced at Sayaka. “The kid spoke English so well.”

Sayaka nodded. “We all can. Children are taught multiple languages from the start.”

Miles gave a low whistle. “That’s… a little intense, don’t you think? Aren’t you going too hard on them?”

Sayaka smirked faintly, her voice playful. “We have our own secret techniques of teaching. And no, I won’t tell you.”

Miles chuckled, slipping the tiny flower carefully into his pocket. “Of course you won’t.”

With the mist lifting slowly, the two of them continued their walk along the winding stone path, heading toward the heart of the clan—the leader’s court.

Lady Yurei’s voice carried steady, almost like a chant from the past. Even the disciples training nearby slowed their movements, ears unconsciously turning toward her words.

“Decades ago, we were known simply as the Snow Clan,” she began. “Our ancestors lived in the snowy mountains. Harsh… but beautiful. We had everything—discipline, strength, pride.”

Her gaze drifted far, as if the scenes replayed in her mind.

“But then… a sickness struck. First a man fell. Then another. Young, old, even children. One by one, the men of the clan perished. No herb, no healer, no prayer could save them. And in the end, only a single young man remained alive.”

Sayaka’s posture stiffened, but her eyes never left her master.

“The women wept,” Yurei continued, “but they did not break. They were strong. They took command of the clan’s council, and for survival, they named the last man their leader.”

She lifted her teacup, letting the steam curl into the morning air. “He was strong. Powerful. Respected. In time, he took six wives. But… no son was ever born. Only daughters. Many daughters. And the people began to whisper. That the land itself was cursed.”

A silence fell, heavy.

“Then came war. Barbarians struck, savage and merciless. The Snow Clan was surrounded. No time to call for allies, no time for retreat. That man—our last leader—sacrificed himself in battle, giving the women and children the chance to flee.”

The disciples in the yard struck their staves down at once, like a heartbeat punctuating her story.

“They wandered. Hungry. Freezing. Days of starvation. Until fate placed a pirate ship in their path. The pirates never expected that a band of ’starving women’ could be their doom. Our ancestors took that ship, cut down every raider, and steered across the seas. That ship brought them here.”

Lady Yurei finally set her cup down, her voice quiet but sharp. “Since then, this island has been our base. Only women remained. The elders decreed it would stay that way. Men could come, but they could never stay. Not our husbands, not even our sons. The curse must never return. And so… the Snow Clan became the Snow Women Clan.”

The courtyard fell silent except for the wind brushing through the pine trees.

Miles leaned back slightly, calm but thoughtful. His eyes were sharp with curiosity. “I understand that part.”

Miles rested the envelope beside his teacup. His voice was calm, but his words cut straight.

“Lady Yurei… in the letter, you mentioned barbarians. And… a crown.”

Her eyes narrowed, sharp as steel but weighed with memory. She placed her hand on the stone table and spoke.

“Back then… martial arts were at their peak. Countless schools, families, clans… all fighting for recognition, for survival. To govern them, the great council of martial arts crafted crowns—dozens of them. Each crown was the mark of a clan’s recognition, its seat among the council.”

Miles listened quietly, Sayaka sitting straighter beside him.

“Every hundred years,” Yurei continued, “all crowns are summoned to one place. The clans that fail to present their crown… are disbanded. Erased from the council’s history.”

Her voice grew heavier.

“The Snow Clan’s crown still lies in the mountains where we once lived. We’ve tried for years to retrieve it. But the barbarians who drove us out… they never let go. Worse still, they’ve devised a drug—one that clouds women’s consciousness, weakens their breath, disrupts their flow of energy. Against it, our fighters falter.”

Miles’ expression hardened slightly, a flicker of recognition at the word drug.

Yurei’s tone sharpened. “This coming year marks the hundredth. The council will gather again. And our intelligence says the barbarians will present our crown. If that happens… not only will the Snow Women Clan be struck from the council, but those beasts will gain a seat in our place. It would be the deepest shame in our history.”

The disciples training in the courtyard slowed, as if they too felt the weight of her words.

Lady Yurei finally looked back at Miles, her eyes narrowing with something almost like hope.

“When I first saw you at the Phoenix Clan’s groom selection ceremony… your stance, your composure, your technique—I thought, maybe… maybe I could ask you. But then you became entangled with the Phoenix Clan, and I held my tongue. Yet when I saw you again during the contest…”

She exhaled softly, almost like a sigh. “My mind changed. You are not bound to any clan. You rejected supreme’s title. And… you are a good man. So I ask—please. Help us take the crown back.”

Then, to Sayaka’s surprise, the proud Lady Yurei bowed deeply.

For a long moment, only the sound of the wind in the pines filled the court.

Miles reached forward, fingers brushing the tiny flower the little girl had given him earlier. He held it carefully, like it meant more now than it had minutes before.

“Raise your head, Lady Yurei,” Miles said quietly. “I’m younger than you. You don’t bow to me. And don’t worry…”

A grin tugged at his lips, sharp and certain. “You’ll get your crown back. I don’t want the children of this clan to live

in chaos.”

Sayaka’s chest lifted with relief. Lady Yurei straightened, and in her eyes, there was a rare gleam of gratitude.

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