The sky was azure. Countless clouds floated in its vibrant blue. A giant white silhouette flew through the gaps between them.
A unique call that makes the air vibrate subtly, and somehow evokes a sense of cuteness.
That is none other than the white ball of fur that I have been keeping at the Nagahama Imperial Palace.
"Kyuu
A short, stocky, and somewhat chubby body.
The wings, which possess the power to effortlessly lift its massive body into the air, are the same color as the pure white fur that covers its body.
A pair of antennae grew from the top of its head, which were currently flattened by the wind pressure.
Its face has round, innocent-looking black compound eyes that keep a firm grasp on the situation on the ground.
"W-what is that...!"
"A giant silkworm...! Could it possibly be the legendary Heavenly Rainbow Silkworm?!"
"What is this? What on earth happened?!"
At Mogura's feet, the members of the Takeda family, seeing Bontenmaru's intervention for the first time, appeared surprised.
But that's no longer relevant.
There is only one thing we must do. Kill this mother mole for the sake of human ego—that is all.
"Bontenmaru! Myo! Lend me your hand to take down this mole!!"
The back of a rainbow silkworm shimmers in the sunlight.
Clinging to it was a figure with long blue hair and cat ears of the same color.
Indeed, this is Myo, the leader of the Takamine clan, a secret spy employed by the Asai family.
He's probably experiencing tremendous wind pressure right now.
However, she seemed completely unfazed by it.
Myo is a zashiki-warashi (house spirit). Perhaps it's because of her exceptional physical abilities.
"Kyuu
And it seems my wish reached Bontenmaru.
The white ball of fur let out a loud cry, indicating its understanding.
Or perhaps, through that response, I somehow managed to convey my intentions.
The rainbow silkworm begins to circle above the mole.
The demon and zashiki-warashi who agreed to lend their strength in killing the mole seem to be waiting for the right moment to intervene.
And I, too, have no choice but to remain a bystander until they remove the mole's hand from my eyeball.
"Gigi-gigigigigigigigi!"
But while I began to remain a bystander, Mogura naturally continued to be a participant.
A new monster had appeared. Realizing that it was a traitor siding with humans, the mole, as expected, raised its voice in anger.
However, it seems that these monsters living underground have no effective countermeasure against the rainbow silkworms that soar high in the sky.
All it does is swing its jaw around to prevent anyone from getting close.
Moreover, because I'm clinging to its back, it can't even move its hand away from its eyeball to see the approaching enemy.
The mole was practically doomed.
It's the same as how battleships were powerless against aircraft launched from aircraft carriers during World War II.
No matter how hard those crawling on the ground struggle, they cannot win against an attack from above.
"Kyuu
And the white ball of fur, looking down defiantly from above, seems to be well aware of its superiority.
The large, scissor-like jaws are being violently opened and closed as they are swung around.
The white ball of fur's mission is to dive down and approach the mole, then drop its magic onto the hand that the mole is using to shield its eye.
If that can be done, then Myo will use a powerful electric shock to burn away the mole's arm.
"G-G-Gig
But the mole was desperate too.
I cannot die yet, because I must survive, and more importantly, I must kill Nobunaga and Renzen Ashige, who killed my son.
"Kyuu
Perhaps sensing Bontenmaru's approach through the air, the mole thrust its jaw almost precisely towards the white ball of fur.
In the nick of time, Bontenmaru rolled in mid-air, dodging the attack.
Seeing the danger, it then turned to avoid contact with the protruding jaw and made an upward U-turn to create distance.
In modern aerial warfare, this maneuver is called the "Immelmann turn."
Having thus created distance between them, Bontenmaru once again looked for an opportunity to close the distance.
"Gigi-gigigigigigigigi!"
The mole had been keeping a keen eye on the sky, but at that very moment, it let out a scream and lost its balance.
"Everyone, provide support for Lieutenant General and that Tenkosan! We should be the ones to take them down , we cannot let the pride of the Mihata Tatenashi be tarnished!!"土竜partner
Indeed, the Takeda cavalry had launched a full-scale charge, targeting the mole's hind legs.
Those who did not join the attack rang bells from their mounts around the mole, trying to disrupt its hearing.
Even I feel like I'm going crazy from the noise. I can only imagine how unbearable it must be for a mole.
"Kyuu
And the white ball of fur was not one to miss that opportunity.
Commonly known as the "Split S"—a rapid downward U-turn allows the horse to quickly close the distance with the mole.
It's a magnificent sight, something you wouldn't imagine from his usual lazy, lounging-around-the-bed appearance .高機動Maneuver
It's hard not to be captivated by it—but I can't just leave it at that.
"Bontenmaru, Myo! Now!!"
"Kyuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"
The sky above where the mole's palm is located.
Then the white ball of fur spun around nimbly, and the blue-haired girl came descending with her arms and legs spread wide.
A small shadow, its long hair billowing in the wind, flies towards the scene, bearing the full force of the immense wind pressure.
And right in front of me, without any hesitation, Myo landed on the mole's palm—
"...I'm sorry, I'm going to die."
—With those words, he unleashed a super-high voltage electric current into the mole's arm.
An incredible roar. The sound of meat burning and crackling, and the smell of it all that filled the air.
"G-G-Gig
"---~~~!"
Myo's body was sent flying high into the air.
Needless to say.
She was perched on the mole's palm when the monster, in pain, suddenly sprang its arm up, and she was caught in the crossfire.
But Bontenmaru was in the sky. Surely that white ball of fur would pick it up.
At least, that's what I believe. So—
"You've finally shown me those beautiful eyes of yours...!"
Without any hesitation, I raised Ishiwari Kanemitsu near the mole's exposed eye socket.
"I'm sorry, but I'm going to kill you. You've surely done nothing wrong. You're just alive—so this is nothing more than a selfish decision on our part as humans."
"Gigi, gigigigigi!"
Staring into those huge eyes filled with anger and sorrow, I said:
Even though I don't understand the language of monsters, I could guess what this mole was thinking.
The grief of having one's child taken away.
Anger at senseless violence.
And a protest against the excruciating pain.
As long as one is alive, it is only natural that such feelings should be expressed.
Peace and tranquility. A peaceful life. The dignity that every living being deserves.
It is only natural to resist enemies who try to usurp those things.
"So, I'm sorry. I'll gratefully devour your soul."
Then, he plunged the tip of Ishiwari Kanemitsu's sword straight into the eyeball.
Bodily fluids spurted out in an instant.
Even after hearing the raging torrent and the cries of agony, I continued to reape the life out of the mole with all my might.
I placed my foot on the hilt of the sword, lowered my weight, and continued to thrust deeply. Knowing that it was wrong, I absolutely did not loosen my grip until all strength had completely drained from Mother Mole's body.
The mole's body slumped forward and it fell to the ground.
At that moment, a roar of cheers erupted.
Men belonging to the Asai, Oda, and Takeda clans are looking at me and letting out cries of admiration.
However, I couldn't fully embrace the joy.
It's like killing a mother who was enraged after her child was murdered. I can't help but wonder what would have happened if the opponent had been a human being.
But even so, I have to act like a hero.
I had a gut feeling that this was what was needed.
When the three families consider deepening their relationship from now on, I'm probably the one they'll have in common to talk about.
The scenario of us working together to take down a giant mole is necessary to strengthen our sense of camaraderie.
I pulled out Ishiwari Kanemitsu, raised it high, and roared—but deep down, I found myself feeling empty.
What would have happened if the roles had been reversed?
I wondered what would happen if the scene were transformed into one where Ichihime, whose child was killed, challenges the demon and is ultimately killed herself.
I knew it was pointless, but I couldn't help but think that way.
◆
The sun had long since set.
I don't know exactly what time it is now.
All I know for sure is that I'm standing in front of the gates of Naegi Castle, a base belonging to both the Oda and Takeda clans, exchanging cups of sake with members of both families.
Many people were relieved and laughing, having dispelled the immediate threat.
Many people were drinking, eating, and laughing.
It seems that townspeople are celebrating the successful repelling of the moles all over the castle town, and it's fair to say that the whole of Nakatsugawa is buzzing with energy.
And beyond that, the corpses of the mole mother and child still lie exposed to the elements.
Furthermore, they said they have no intention of moving it and will leave it as is.
I hear that other monsters devour the corpses of those kinds of monsters, and humans only need to cut out the necessary parts from the carcasses to use as weapons.
It was none other than Katsuyori, the heir to the Takeda family, who taught him this.
He's Nobunaga's adopted son, and we're roughly the same age, so it seems he's taken a liking to me, Nobunaga's adopted brother.
Perhaps the fact that they are close in age is what makes them feel more comfortable with each other.
I don't know the inner workings of the Takeda family, but everyone around him probably uses polite language, and Katsuyori himself couldn't afford to show any weakness to those around him...
Just that alone makes me imagine that things must be quite difficult for them.
I respond to Katsuyori, who often strikes up conversations with me, by nodding or smiling.
My image of a Sengoku period warlord was that of Takeda Katsuyori—I thought he would be more of a fierce warrior.
However, the man in front of me was clearly an intellectual, and even his way of speaking conveyed a sense of refined culture and sophistication.
He was a really nice, refreshing young man, and I would have preferred to continue getting along with him without having to fight him if possible.
And Nobunaga, watching the exchange between his two younger relatives, happily gulped down his sake.
"And so, my brother-in-law."
Nobunaga casually patted me on the shoulder and pointed to the corner of the banquet hall, saying:
"Why don't you introduce those who have been keeping a low profile to Lord Katsuyori? They were key players in this battle."
"...Hah"
It goes without saying that Nobunaga pointed to Myo and Bontenmaru.
Bontenmaru is curled up in a corner, looking somewhat restless.
In contrast to the Oda family, who were already aware of the Zashiki-warashi (house spirit), the members of the Takeda family were probably completely unaware of this fact.
I occasionally sensed people wondering why a demon, or rather a zashiki-warashi (house spirit), was so openly mingling with the Asai family. Or, more fundamentally, what kind of relationship did they have?
"Myo, Bontenmaru. Come here."
When I beckoned to her, Myo's face lit up instantly.
Then, with his body trembling and his emotions swelling, Bontenmaru walks towards me.
Regardless of Myo's size, Bontenmaru was clearly enormous, and soldiers from both the Takeda and Oda clans moved in droves to clear a path for it.
"Ah, let me introduce them. Although, my brother-in-law may already know them—this one is Myo, and the larger one is Bontenmaru. Both are important retainers of the Asai family."
Katsuyori, still holding his sake cup, replied in a calm voice—but with his eyes slightly wide open.
"Hmm... so it involves monsters and zashiki-warashi (house spirits)..."
"Yes, in Biwa Buddhism, demons and zashiki-warashi (house spirits) are important beings."
That's what I said to Katsuyori.
"Don't you think it would be wonderful, Lord Katsuyori, if humans and demons could live together without harming or hindering each other...a peaceful era like that?"
"To harm neither humans nor demons... Hmm, that's right..."
Understanding what I was saying, the young master of the Takeda family gazed in the direction where the mother and baby mole lay exposed to the elements and let out a quiet sigh.