My Soul Will Find Yours 115 Their Punishments

Grabbing his sword, he dragged Hasekura Yorimoto in the middle of the field, freed the old man's hands, and started hitting his face with his katana's hilt. He didn't stop until the traitor's face was unrecognizable. He then turned his attention to the other two prisoners who I later on found out were Ayaka's uncles. He also single handedly beat them up after untying their hands. Those who witnessed the entire scene slowly looked away as Kaname continued his violence. He only hit them with his sword's handle but the force he was using was enough to leave all three men lose consciousness more than once.

All the while Ayaka cried and moaned helplessly as she watched the elders of her family suffer in his hands. I almost wanted to comfort her but then I remembered that her envy and pride were the root cause of Mami's disfigurement and my almost losing my children. I clenched my fists when I remembered the contents of the report Mugi read. If they succeeded, I would have been dead by now and my babies would not have had the chance to see their father!

"Prepare them for the cutting of their bellies!" Kaname ordered.

The elders of the southern clan were made to kneel as Taneyuki-san read their sentences. All of the properties of the condemned clan would be confiscated. Their women and children will be stripped of rank while some will be sold into long-term servitude. The spies in the castle will be subjected to kamayude or death by boiling. Like the three men, the rest of the adult male samurais of the family will be subjected to the capital punishment.

Three guards who will act as their kaishakunin[1] were standing by. Ayaka's father and uncles opened their kimonos, took the wakizas.h.i.+ or short swords before them, and plunged it into their abdomens, making a left-to-right cut. When they were finished, all three men stretched out their necks for their respective kaishakunins to sever their spinal cords by cutting halfway into their necks.

"Stop!" Kaname lifted his hand to prevent the guards from delivering the final blow. "Let them bleed out and suffer immensely."

The crowd gasped in horror. Indeed, the shogun was ruthless towards his enemies! The three men stared at him with eyes bulging in disbelief. He was not going to giving them an honorable death! Ayaka moaned loudly, if she could speak I bet she would be begging Kaname. But he paid her no mind and just smiled evilly at the three men.

I could not bear it anymore so I got up from the chair. While supporting my belly with one hand, I pa.s.sed Ayaka and the guards who were restraining her. I paused when I was only three steps away from Kaname.

"Anata, that's enough," I said softly. "Let these men's agony end."

When he heard my voice, his smile faltered. He then shook his head in response.

"That's enough, please," I said, my tone begging. "Let the guards deliver the final blow and have the officials handle the rest of this matter."

"No," he replied coldly. "Didn't I tell you that I will personally handle their execution?"

"Yes, but you've done enough."

"I haven't done enough!"

"Anata, please…"

"Hinata, return to your seat. If you don't want to continue watching, you have my permission to return."

"I don't want to leave without you. Let's return to the castle together, please?"

"I'm not done yet."

I straightened my shoulders and closed the distance between us. While holding his b.l.o.o.d.y sword-wielding hand I whispered, "Anata, I can't bear seeing you like this. This is not you, the man I love isn't this ruthless."

He closed his eyes. "Hina… This is for you and our children. Don't stop me from avenging you."

"You've done enough, my love. Any more of this and you won't be able to recognize yourself," my voice was thick with unshed tears.

I saw him flinch. Several seconds pa.s.sed and he was still silently standing there with his eyes closed. Ayaka's father slumped forward, unable to hold his body up any longer.

"Anata… Please…"

Ayaka's uncles followed suit.

He removed my hand from his and unsheathed his sword. "For all the pain and deaths you have caused my family, this is your punishment! Be thankful that my wife, the woman you wanted to murder, has a heart of gold! Otherwise, you will all die a death unbefitting of your cla.s.s!"

The men were slightly twitching now and looked like they were taking in their last breaths of life.

"Hold their bodies up!" the guards hurried to follow his order. Kaname raised his sword and severed Hasekura Yorimoto's head first then his brothers'.

The decapitated heads were then mounted on stakes and displayed for everyone to see. Surprisingly, I didn't feel nauseous or sick after what I just witnessed. Instead, relief flowed through my entire system.

Taneyuki-san handed Kaname a clean piece of cloth to wipe his hands with. After making sure that they were clean, he asked for another one to wipe the blood on the hand I used to hold him a while ago. Gently, he then pulled me away from the b.l.o.o.d.y scene.

Ayaka made a sound and this time, it caught Kaname's attention. "Despite your selfish and cruel actions, I will not kill you. You are still the mother of my first child. However, having your tongue removed and seeing your entire clan crumble are still not enough punishment. From today onwards, you are no longer my wife. Starting today, you will live the life of an outcast. You will be exiled to the island of Miyake-jima and spend the remaining of your days there."

Ayaka knelt before Kaname and grabbed the hems of his hakama. Her eyes pleaded with him but Kaname ignored them. Seeing that it was useless, she turned to me and made moaning sounds. Her pitiful sight broke my heart but I couldn't make myself ask Kaname to retract his words. I shook my head and let Kaname escort me back to my palanquin. She and the rest of her family deserved their punishments.