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Taishakutsukimo was waiting for me in front of the stable, as if he had anticipated my actions.
No, it was probably easy for her to predict what actions I was going to take.
In other words, the horses that the messenger had ridden from Nagahama that morning were tethered in the stables where the horses were kept.
The fact that horses possess independent personalities was evident from Fujishiro's own stories about his past.
It's reasonable to assume that information about Nagahama was transmitted to the horses at Sugawa Castle, including Taishakutsukige, through this horse that came from Nagahama.
After putting some simple horse tack on her, I told her our destination was Taishakutsuki-mo—and she immediately put me on her back and started riding.
First, we headed to Todo Village.
Understanding my intentions, Taishaku Tsukimo first headed to the market near Sugawa Castle, and from there hurried to the mansion of the village headman, Mitsui Yohachi.
"Yohachi, is Mitsui Yohachi there!"
When I raised my voice in front of the mansion, the farmers began to watch from a distance, wondering what was going on.
It's only natural, if you think about it. The farmers of Todo Village already know that I'm Asai Nagamasa.
And now the commander-in-chief of northern Omi is barging into the residence of his own village headman.
It's only natural for people to wonder what happened and what's going to happen.
"M-Master of the household... W-What is the matter you have come to see me for this occasion...?"
Yohachi burst out of the mansion as if tumbling, his eyes wide with surprise when he saw me.
And there was a hint of fear in his expression.
(Well, I guess there's nothing we can do about it...)
Last time, I was furious at how they treated the Todo mother and son, who are zashiki-warashi (house spirits), as if they were a disgrace to the village.
However, their testimonies have revealed that Yohachi had been providing financial assistance to the Todo mother and son.
That act is undoubtedly rare in this world, where zashiki-warashi (house spirits) are looked down upon and tended to be ostracized.
Furthermore, their actions to keep me away from the Todo family could also be interpreted, from another perspective, as an attempt to protect them from me, an outsider.
"I'm sorry for showing up so suddenly. But I have something personal to discuss with you this time... Don't worry, I won't take up much of your time."
It seems my phrases like "this is a personal matter" and "I won't take up much of your time" were a bad idea.
Yohachi's face turned pale, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Don't worry, I have no intention of taking your life."
He said this and patted the middle-aged man on the shoulder.
"I don't mean this as proof, but... today, Yohachi, I came here to give you this."
"Huh... I see... What kind of thing is that...?"
Faced with Yohachi, who still remained wary—or rather, unable to let his guard down—I offered him one of the short swords I had hanging at my waist.
"I treated you quite harshly in the past, didn't I? I've regretted that ever since. I happened to be near Todo Village today, so I decided to come and see you. I don't think this will make up for it, but..."
"No... um... well, something like this..."
With his eyes wide open, the middle-aged man's breathing became ragged, and his body stiffened to the point of rigidity—perhaps due to nervousness.
"That short sword is one I've cherished and used for a long time. I hope you'll forgive me for that."
Of course, that's a lie.
The one he had been wearing before was given to Higuchi Naofusa, who accompanied him when he went to Bodaiyama Castle to meet Haruhime—though he didn't know she was a woman at the time.
However, sometimes a lie is necessary.
Human society functions better when it uses lies that don't harm anyone.
"Ms. Todo's mother was very grateful to you. Hearing that, I realized my mistake... You were trying to protect those people from me, weren't you?"
"Th-that's..."
Without accepting the short sword I offered, Yohachi hesitated for a moment, then looked at me with a pained expression.括Kuku
"...My lord. The Todo family was originally the lord of this village. And our Mitsui family is a branch family of the Todo family... Just because the Todo family has fallen to the level of a zashiki-warashi (house spirit) does not mean that we should abandon them—that is unacceptable for anyone with blood flowing through their veins."
With a strong will radiating from him, he said in a clear voice:
"Even if aiding a zashiki-warashi were punishable by death, I swore that I would never lose the affection I feel for my blood relatives. And now, to be granted death by the master's short sword... I consider it a great honor."
"...Wait a minute."
Feeling dizzy, I pressed my index and middle fingers firmly against my forehead and asked the question .眩暈dizziness
"Do you think I'm telling you to kill yourself with this?"
"...That's not it?"
"That's not true!"
I instinctively raised my voice and grabbed Yohachi's shoulders.
His shoulders were very thin, or rather, the shape of his bones was immediately apparent even through his thin kimono—yet, perhaps due to the intensity he exuded, he had a strong presence.
It seems that people who have a firm belief in how they want to live are indeed strong.
In many ways—even if it swings completely in a bad direction, not just a good one.
"I would actually like to commend you. Judging from the state of this village, life must not be easy, yet you still try to help the Todo family... That's something that can't be done with ordinary willpower."
While I looked him in the eyes and pleaded with him, I was simultaneously feeling a strong sense of urgency.
In other words, it's Yohachi's words: "Even if helping a zashiki-warashi (house spirit) was punishable by death..."
If the issue of discrimination against Zashiki-warashi (house spirits) is not just a problem at the grassroots level, but also a problem for us, the ruling class, then it was a problem that had to be solved urgently.
"...Praise, you say?"
And it seems Yohachi never expected to hear such words.
She's looking at me with a bewildered expression.
"That's right. Even a zashiki-warashi is a living being; why should it be punished for trying to help it? Besides, the Todo family still has two young children."
I pressed the short sword into Yohachi's hand, urging him to take it, and continued speaking.
"Children cannot choose their parents—nor can they choose the environment they are born into. Yohachi, don't you think that's absurd? On one hand, there are people like me who are born as the heir to the Asai family, while on the other hand, there are people like the Todo family who are born as the children of zashiki-warashi (house spirits) and are discriminated against."
"Your Majesty... no, but that's not..."
"Listen, Yohachi."
Placing my palm over his fist, which was gripping the short sword, I said:
"People cannot change their birth or their past. But they can change their way of life and their future. If discrimination is to arise, it must exist at the level of those who do not strive to change their future. Even if one is born into a disadvantaged position, there should absolutely be no discrimination against those who strive to live a better life."
Those are the same words I once said to Haruhime when she was depressed about .拘I'm particular about
The past is always there, and it can never be changed.
But the future is always unpredictable.
It's something that will always respond if you just try to make it better, to change it.
And creating a social environment that can accept that should be the ultimate goal for those of us in power who are involved in politics.
However, the reason such ideas come to me is probably because of my own background in the world I came from—I was an orphan who lost both my parents.
"Therefore, I have absolutely no intention of discriminating against my subjects based on their birth. That is precisely why I—Yohachi—praise you. You helped the members of the Todo family who were struggling to survive even in the mire of society."
"Your Majesty..."
Yohachi muttered this, gripping his short sword so tightly that his bones seemed to be sticking out.
"But Asai is not wealthy enough to devote himself solely to that problem. We must create a society where everyone, including those in this village, can smile."
I patted him on the shoulder and then jumped onto Taishakutsukimo.
And when I looked down at him from horseback, I noticed that Yohachi had somehow fallen to his knees on the ground and was bent over.
"I'm going to go meet Todo's men now."
When I called out to him, Yohachi slowly lifted his mud-covered forehead and looked up at me.
"We might need to borrow some of Todo's men for a while. I don't mean to force you, but please keep that possibility in mind."
"H...ha...!"
With a voice that was no longer a sound, Yohachi had a look on his face as if he were seeing something unbelievable—though he probably couldn't see clearly due to the backlight—and he was facing me and Taishakutsukimo.
I don't know what kind of relationship this middle-aged man has with the zashiki-warashi (house spirits) of the Todo family.
However, it's almost certain that their relationship is more than just that of "blood relatives" as he described it.
Otherwise, he wouldn't do something that could lead to the death penalty if discovered.
(But this just means more work to do...)
In other words, we must thoroughly examine whether there are any laws that promote discrimination against zashiki-warashi (house spirits).
If such a law exists, it must be amended—otherwise, it will affect the credibility of the zashiki-warashi (house spirit) more than anything else.
In other words, everything I've been doing and all the effort I've put in to gain the trust of the zashiki-warashi (house spirits) could potentially be reduced to ashes.
That would literally make it impossible for me to become "friends" with Toushirou of Tomokuni Village. That's something I absolutely want to avoid.
"...This is quite a troublesome society, isn't it?"
As I muttered that, Taishaku Tsukimo, who had been running at a brisk pace through the forest where the Todo family's residence was located, suddenly stopped in his tracks—鬱葱Ussou
"Kyuoooon"
—Isn't that how human societies are everywhere?
It was said with a sarcastic tone, roughly along