Matsuba Mayhem

“

Makoto's stricken look bespeaks a serious incident.

— In-game description

Steps

Captain Kongo is dead. According to Makoto, the man committed seppuku in order to atone for his failure in dealing with the insurgents. But there is no time to mourn or even hold funeral rites, for the Tairo is about to arrive, and the Sekiseigumi must ensure his safety. Makoto has been tasked with patrolling the Short Pier, and she asks that you join her in keeping watch for suspicious activity.

You stand watch at a corner of the pier, but see nothing out of the ordinary. Time to move on to the next spot.

You stand watch at a corner of the pier, and catch sight of a quaint charm on the ground. Perhaps it bears investigating.

You pick up the charm, which is rather worse for the wear and caked in blood besides. Makoto will wish to see this without delay.

Examining the blood-stained charm, Makoto realizes that she has seen it before: adorning Captain Kongo's neck. With this comes the disturbing realization that the captain may have in fact been slain by insurgents, and you rush off to the Thavnarian Consulate to find Shiden and have him bolster security around the Tairo.

You arrive at the Thavnarian Consulate, but Shiden is not there. Speaking with the Sekiseigumi present, it would seem the nature of the Tairo's visit is in fact personal and not official, and you will instead find him at Sanjo Hanamachi, the pleasure quarters of Kugane.

You catch Shiden as he is stalking into the pleasure quarters, his katana drawn. It does not take long for Makoto to deduce that he is a traitor, and he proceeds to tell you of his disillusionment with the Sekiseigumi and subsequent recruitment to Ugetsu's cause. With the preamble thus finished, you and Makoto lock swords with Shiden and his fellow turncoats. As the battle unfolds, Captain Kongo, believed dead till now, joins the fray with those still faithful, and with their help you emerge triumphant.

Rather than be taken alive, Shiden turns his blade on himself, and Captain Kongo bids a solemn farewell to his old friend. Turning to you and Makoto, the captain then reveals how he narrowly escaped death in an ambush, after which he laid low that he might keep watch over the traitors' movements. With the Tairo safe and the Sekiseigumi ranks purged of insurgents, you may return to the barracks to continue the conversation.

Captain Kongo begs your forgiveness for his earlier discourtesy, and shares with you what he was able to learn from the apprehended traitors. While much of Ugetsu's operations have come to light, little is still known of his whereabouts beyond that he makes his base somewhere in the vast expanse of Yanxia, upon the mainland. Makoto raises the doubt you have been harboring: how does serving a hedonist such as the Tairo serve the nation? For his many vices, the captain explains, the man is instrumental in keeping the realm whole, and though the bakufu may be a cesspool of corruption, it is the samurai's calling to protect the peace. Though you are come from afar, you share this calling, and both the captain and Mokoto ask that you continue lending your blade to the cause.
- ※The next samurai quest will be available from Makoto upon reaching level 68.