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Holding the bowl of tea I had just been given, I asked the hulking man sitting in front of me:点Ta
"...Is that alright? Not just me, but Taishakutsukimo too?"
In response to that question, Toushirou nodded repeatedly, letting out an indescribable laugh, "Gufo, gufo."
Taishakutsukimo lay down beside me, her glossy body resting on my lap, looking quite pleased with herself.頤chin
Toushirou, upon seeing the scene, also wore a look of satisfaction.
That was his home, located in the settlement of Tomokuni Village, which floats on a sandbar in the Anegawa River.
It was a much larger and more spacious room than the mansion where he lived with Ichihime at Sugawa Castle.
However, while that's understandable given his large physique, it's still amazing that he built his own house.
"It's not a matter of whether it's okay or not, we can't possibly separate the current head of the family from that person ..."女子woman
"I see... Well, thank you. But... why did you decide to talk to us, when we just showed up out of nowhere without any prior notice?"
"Well, that's obvious, isn't it?"
Toushirou slapped his knee in delight.
A tremendous banging sound emanated from between his palms and knees, violently shaking my eardrums.
"Komachi... no, it was the horse that brought the news... that the current head of the family has arrived. And what's more... he wishes to coexist with demons and zashiki-warashi... Horses are honest creatures that can't lie. If that's the case, we have to take this seriously... no matter how much of an outsider and pure-blooded he may be!"女子woman
"Thank you... By the way, may I ask a question?"
Indeed, I had been curious about this question for quite some time—and I was most likely to have answered it correctly—and I was dying to finally get the answer right.
In Todo Village, we examine the gestures of Yokichi—the future Todo Takatora—to answer a question that had always puzzled us.
"How did you all know my name? I didn't even introduce myself, yet Toushirou, you knew I was the 'current head'."
"..."
"And so, Komachi the horse has conveyed this message... Toushirou, I want to ask you something. I want you to answer honestly."
"...Ohhhh"
I stared at the leader of Tomokuni Village, who nodded while letting out a growl I couldn't quite understand, and asked:
"Toushirou... no, the Zashiki-warashi—can communicate with... and understand... demons. Isn't that right?"
"...Ohhh"
The giant looked up at the ceiling, slammed his massive hand against his face, then pressed his hand to his forehead, appearing to be deep in thought.
"...Hmm. To be precise, it's only monsters that have the ability to think, that are 'capable of conversation'... They can do it, zashiki-warashi... no, at least the people of this Tomokuni village can."
"I thought so... so that's how it was."
I exhaled all the air I had gathered in my lungs and stroked the mane on Taishakutsukimo's neck, which had an exquisite texture.
"Well, you see... I was originally born in Musashi Province... and I was able to come to this land thanks to the monsters I met along the way..." 儂eagle, I
With that, Toushirou began to tell a long and heartfelt story about the past.
All I can do is listen to what he has to say, process it, and try to understand him.
It seems that Toushirou was born from a demon tiger and a human mother.
His mother's hometown was destroyed by a monstrous dog that was wreaking havoc in Musashi Province at the time, and she was about to be taken into slavery when she was rescued by the tiger who would become his father.攫Sara
Toushirou was born to a mother who was all alone in the world and a demon, but it seems his mother's health deteriorated after giving birth to him, and she passed away five years later.
Toushirou and his father lived by hunting, but eventually a powerful monster appeared before them.
That was the giant dog that had destroyed my mother's hometown.
The father fought valiantly to protect his son, ultimately killing his sworn enemy in a mutual kill and passing away.
Fujishiro, a zashiki-warashi (house spirit) who has no family, is at a loss, but it is a herd of horses that comes to his rescue.
The horses were originally owned by the Asai family, but they lost their master in a battle with the Rokkaku family and had been wandering the land ever since.
And so, after hearing from them about Tomokuni Village, the settlement where the zashiki-warashi (house spirits) live, I was escorted by horses and came to this place.
"Well, it was pretty tough at first... The master swordsmith at the time would scold me every day, saying, 'You're just big and burly, you're useless'..."
"..."
"But ever since we started making guns, everything has changed. The Shogun's family and the Kanrei family have been placing orders, and even the Oda family of Owari has been placing orders with Tomokuni Village... Thanks to that, the people of the village... can live a decent life compared to others."
"I see... hmm..."
I stopped stroking Taishakutsukige's mane and turned to face Toushirou.
"It's clear that there's still so much we don't know. Most people who aren't zashiki-warashi (house spirits) probably don't even know that you can communicate with monsters."
They fear it, they shun it, they keep it at a distance—that's why they don't know. Everyone, uniformly, refuses to know.
And the zashiki-warashi (house spirits) don't want to get hurt, so they don't try to approach them. They stay confined to their own territory and .楽園Azil
Those who have abandoned the path to understanding will never intersect, and therefore nothing will progress.
There must be a way to understand the unique characteristics of this world—namely, the monsters—at the intersection of these paths.
All that exists is the path from stagnation to decline, under the guise of maintaining the status quo.
"We need to get to know each other, no matter how long it takes. We don't know if that will lead to progress or stagnation. But we can't just sit back and do nothing. "碌roku
"Oh... hmm..."
I stared at the old, hulking man in front of me and pleaded with him as sincerely as I could.
If we can gain friendly control of Tomokuni Village, we can create a monopoly on firearms.
This also meant gaining a significant advantage in battles during the Sengoku period.
However, that should not be made the ultimate goal.
A business model that solely pursues profit weakens human connections, eventually leading to their disintegration and loss.
That was not the image of northern Omi that I had hoped for.
"But, to be honest, I can agree with what the current head of the family says to some extent..."
Toushirou said this, leaning forward and speaking to me and Taishakutsukimo.
"It seems that the current head of the family trusts that young lady, but still doesn't understand the fundamentals."
"...what?"
My stomach suddenly felt heavy, and my stomach tightened—that physiological sensation unique to feeling nervous overwhelmed me.
Because I was there, unable to completely deny what Toushirou had said.
"Humans and zashiki-warashi can communicate, zashiki-warashi and monsters can communicate... But humans and monsters cannot communicate. Unless a zashiki-warashi intervenes, understanding through dialogue is impossible..."
In other words, it means that Taishakutsukimo and I, who do not share a common language, can never truly understand each other.
"Kyuoooon"
However, as I was becoming consumed by dark thoughts, Taishakutsukimo cried beside me.
In a very strong voice.
"I suppose so... Well, I see... That's why Lady Yoriko is so anxious."
"...picture?"
I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before—no, I hear a name I know.
When I lifted my head, which had been sinking, I saw the beautiful face of Taishakutsukige and the face of Toushirou peering down at us.
"But there are exceptions even among monsters... Foxes, raccoons, and cranes, for example, have been able to speak human language and mimic human forms since ancient times..."
And then...
Toushirou paused for a moment, then grinned.
"That girl over there isn't a purebred horse. If she could just mimic a human, if she could learn to speak human language... she could truly understand the current lord..."
"What does that mean...?"
There's nothing to be concerned about.
With a distinctive laugh, Toushirou instructed the young man to tell a story like an old man would.
"Have you ever wondered, Your Majesty, why her horns are different from those of the other horses?"
Now that you mention it, you're right.
Taishaku Tsukige is larger than the other horses, and her horns are a striking golden color, unlike the other mares whose horns are pure white.
And above all, the most striking example of her bizarre behavior is her unrestrained orgy with stallions.
Her actions—to thoroughly extract semen from stallions night after night—were not normal, even without thinking too hard about it.
Ever since the incident at Sawayama Castle, I had wrongly assumed she was "looking for men"...
Suddenly, I recall a conversation that Naotsune and Kazumasa had once had at Sawayama Castle.
Seeing Taishaku Tsukige retrieve the stallions from the battlefield , Kazumasa, the lord of Sawayama Castle, said—様looks
"If it were a human, I could understand, but a horse involved in a love affair... My, Lord Nagamasa, you've certainly got a good sense of humor. The only demons that indulge in love affairs are foxes, known for their debauchery, that transform into humans and store up the vital energy of males... I can't believe anything else would do such a thing..."糧Kate
—That's what he said.
Glancing at me, who was standing there in a daze, Taishakutsukige let out a cry of "Kyuoooon" towards Toushirou.
I don't understand it, but he does—the zashiki-warashi seemed to understand things that I had never understood before, as if they were perfectly natural.
"Your Majesty!"
Saying this, Toushirou spoke slowly and gently, with a calm expression on his face, as if explaining something to someone.
"This person is a hybrid of a horse and a fox... And... he has asked that you simply convey the message, 'I will dedicate my life entirely for Nagamasa's sake.'"