[Part 4/4]
And the other Tengu who witnessed it accepted the man's strength without realizing the full story.
"..."
And because of the shock of the situation, the Tengu didn't notice sothing important. The man was desperately hiding his emotions and making eye contact with Kakitsugi's princess, who was standing at the window of the treehouse palace. She always positioned herself where she could see the man's movents. He wasn't planning to give them any chance to realize her extraordinary abilities.
"The pledge is to defeat the sh*t snake, and you guys promise to support it...right?"
The man called out to the Tengu surrounding him, as if seeking confirmation. After confirming their reaction, he continued speaking.
"Well, then it's ti to request your support here. I need you guys to help ward off the annoying small fry who might try to interfere."
'Be a shield...is that what you're planning? Don't ss around...!!'
The leader's assistant, who was thrown to the floor, groaned and spat out their words. The man, the Household mber Coordinator's servant, nodded with a wry smile, acknowledging it.
"In a way, yes. I'm heading straight for the main target with this bird. Having her as company is more than enough."
"Hey, stop treating people like birds, okay?"
"Oh, then maybe a crow?"
"Call by my na. Call ... Kaede. It's the na my mother gave !"
She shrugged her shoulders in response to the disapproval, crossing her arms with a sullen expression.
"Got it. Well, that's the deal. I'll take care of snake extermination and curses. I'll even rescue your precious, precious mother."
And... the man presents a choice to the Tengu.
"Choose. Will you use this monkey-skin monster to take back everything, or will you abandon pride and everything else to lick the feet of reptiles like beggars? Make a decision now. Show your pride to monkeys."
After a mont of silence at the man's declaration, the Tengu hesitate, hesitate, hesitate... and finally make up their minds. They grip their weapons tightly, speak with sharp determination.
He firmly grips the weapon in his hand again, and his eyes sharpen as he carefully chooses his words, and then...
* * *
"Idiot. Is this letter real?"
The provisional representative of the Onitsuki family's dispatched personnel asks with a trembling voice, after reading the contents of the docunt multiple tis. The second-in-command of the envoy, also a provisional representative, responds.
"Of course it is. Look at this seal! This is undoubtedly the Emperor's seal! This is an official matter from the court!"
The second-in-command noble, a pale middle-aged man, shouted with a trembling voice and a disturbed tone that was even more shaken than Shirowakamaru. He was also astonished by the contents of the letter. But it wasn't just astonishnt. The swift decision was also a surprise to the mbers of the envoy.
"The Tengu of Mount Anma, they recognize this as an act of treason and order its suppression. They don't even consider the safety of the Middle Counselor..."
"Is this really approved by the council? Isn't it too authoritarian?"
"And it's too quick. What about the hostages? Considering the ssengers' travels, they reached a conclusion in less than half a day."
"I can't believe it. I never thought such harsh words would co back to us."
The guards and representatives from various departnts and offices of the court, gathered in the eting hall, desperately tried to understand the intentions of the court. They held their heads, furrowed their brows, and weakly sighed, trying to figure out who could have approved and submitted the docunt.
The Emperor's seal is not the Emperor's will. That's the main point. Throughout history, including the current Emperor, they are just a cog in the imperial machine. They are nothing more than a puppet, a re stamp of authority. They are like a decorative ornant, not speaking or expressing any opinions during public discussions. It is an unspoken understanding.
Therefore, the people in attendance at the public discussions, especially the leader among them, feared misinterpreting the intentions of that person's scheming. They wanted to avoid getting caught up in palace conspiracies.
(Even I refuse to carry out such an order!)
The letter instructed the dispatch of reinforcents and the suppression of the enemy upon their arrival. However, this decision disregarded the safety of the captured individuals. In other words, it also didn't matter what happened to those others... but the safety of the one and only beloved person had to be protected at all costs.
Even if it ant doing anything...
(I have to ask my master later...!! What should I do? What should I do!? What...!? Ugh!!?)
Shirowakamaru, feeling anxious, turned around upon sensing a presence behind him.
He recognized the figure of a noble and dignified female warrior, the representative of Onitsuki's guardians.
"Why..."
"No need to worry, the substitute has already taken care of everything. Shall we switch seats?"
It was a statent that ca unexpectedly early, during the worst possible mont. Reading the contents of the letter, Shirowakamaru couldn't predict what the madwoman in front of her would do next. It was possible that she would even burn everything down. She prepared herself for the worst.
"Don't worry. I understand the situation."
Onitsuki's first princess said, glancing sideways at Shirowakamaru. She quickly lost interest and addressed the attendees.
"Forgive , but I happened to overhear the conversation outside the tent. It is an imperial decree from the court, from the Emperor himself. Despite any concerns, we cannot deviate from this."
The forr boy thought it was strange for soone as loyal and noble as a courtier to make such an uncharacteristic statent. She couldn't help but wonder if the person was actually a youkai fox in disguise.
"Well, that's certainly..."
"Of course, we would never go against the imperial order...!!"
The attendees hurriedly tried to clarify the misunderstanding. Especially the Onitsuki family, who were appointed as the guardians this ti, wanted to avoid any negative evaluation, at all costs.
"Please calm down. I'm not here to accuse anyone. I can't act all high and mighty, especially since I've been fooled by Tengu before."
However, Hina admitted her mistake and voiced her concern.
"Should we just wait for the extermination squad to co like this?"
Everyone fell silent, staring at Hina. Their expressions showed confusion, and so of them even guessed what Hina ant and held their breath.
"The village of Tengu has been able to repel human's nurous attacks in the past. However, if we were to attack again without a plan, even if we were to achieve victory, there would still be significant sacrifices. We must avoid tarnishing the reputation of the imperial court."
The words of Hina were just, legitimate, and logical. And it was understood what her point ant.
"So, are you saying that we should conduct reconnaissance and clear the way for the attack... is that correct?"
The representative of the Ikaku clan, the guardian force of the samurai, Inoue Yasumori, confird. Hina nodded and continued,
"The contents of the letter only ntion that the expeditionary force has arrived and we should join them. However, it does not explicitly give an order to do nothing. Is that correct?"
Looking at each other, the attendees turned their gaze towards Hina once again.
"But... does that not put the hostages, including Middle Counselor-sama, in danger?"
"The imperial court has already considered the matter without taking his safety into account. Therefore, if we take action, it would be the sa. In fact, I believe it would be better to infiltrate and investigate the whereabouts and treatnt of the hostages."
The advice was given in a calm but clear tone.
"If things go well, we may be able to help in the subjugation and rescue the hostages. But, we cannot ignore the investigation of that heavenly light."
The story is about the pillar of light observed deep within Anma's forbidden land. It was too far from the location of the envoy to confirm what it was. However... it could possibly beco a threat to the subjugation team.
"...What you say, Hina-dono, is indeed reasonable. However, there is one problem."
"...What is it?"
Inoue Yasumori promptly agreed with Hina's proposal. However, he expressed his concerns.
"Can we actually carry out reconnaissance? We have already been deceived before. It is certain that we are under surveillance. Won't a failed infiltration only diminish the strength of the subjugation team?"
Many of the attendees agreed with Yasumori's observations. Their agreent was partly genuine, and partly to avoid taking responsibility. It was a way to have an excuse in case sothing went wrong, to say that they opposed it.
Hina did not change her cold, dignified deanor, but in her heart she responded with a cold smile.
"That worry is reasonable. And there's no need to worry about it. I'm enough to infiltrate the reconnaissance by myself. At worst, I can do it on my own. Well... there's no other way to infiltrate than by myself."
Hina told everyone. The unusual ans by which she infiltrated. Everyone is surprised, surprised, and afraid. The nobles almost fainted just thinking about it. The samurai families were moved by her determination to be loyal despite their misconceptions.
Shirowakamaru, standing next to her, was listening to the strange thod with her mouth hanging open. She asked, but she didn't really understand what it ant and was confused. She had no idea how she could think such a crazy idea.
And the forr boy was watching it after a while. Seeing it happen, she guess who might have freed this woman from the ropes and advised her. When she realizes this, she is horrified by both the person who proposed it and the person who accepted it. She's jealous of the depth of that love.
On the back of the first princess, a black butterfly was sticking, hidden, as if resting its wings...
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