◆
Upon arriving at Todo Village, a stallion pulling a carriage had already arrived.
When we hear the word "horse-drawn carriage," we tend to imagine something Western—but this is actually a very Japanese type of carriage, pulled by animals.
However, since the wheels are made of wood, it vibrates and rattles when moving quickly, which is a bit of a drawback .瑕wound
Nevertheless, it is undeniable that cars remain crucial when it comes to transporting multiple people.
The carriage I see in my field of vision is of a type called a [name of carriage].網代車Ajiroguruma
The vehicle has a box-like structure that is approximately 2.5 meters long and 1.5 meters high, and can accommodate about five people.
The surface of this car box was coated with lacquer, and the Asai family crest was painted on it with white paint.
And nearby, Mitsui Yohachi, the village headman of Todo Village, is kneeling.
I dismounted from Taishakutsukimo and approached him.
"It's been a long time, Yohachi."
"Even though you are the head of the family, you seem to be in good health..."
After exchanging brief greetings, I ordered Yohachi to stand up—and together we entered the village.
Behind us are Taishaku Tsukige and the stallion pulling the carriage.
"What do you think of the Todo family?"
"Yes, that's right... He appears unchanged from usual."
"I see..."
"Perhaps because their mother is a very capable person, she encourages her children to behave as they normally would."
Yohachi said this, his face showing a look of sorrow.
"Your mother... Lady Moriko has always been like that. She was a strong woman who would smile no matter what happened. And she also had a temperament that always suppressed her own feelings... Your Majesty."
"What?"
"Please... I beg you to take good care of this... My children and I humbly request... We are truly grateful."
He knelt down by the roadside and bowed deeply, rubbing his forehead against the dirt.
As I had previously suspected from the expression on the mother's face in the Todo family—it seems certain that there is some special connection between Yohachi and that zashiki-warashi (house spirit).
(I don't intend to ask about that, though...)
However, in any case, Yohachi must have been suffering considerably.
Todo Village was not a wealthy village, and the support that Yohachi provided to the Todo family was probably difficult, both economically and socially.
As a result, Moriko had no choice but to sell her body in order to prevent her son and daughter from starving.
And it was probably rare for her, being a zashiki-warashi (a type of house spirit), to receive a proper payment for her prostitution.
What did Yohachi think when he saw the mother and child in such a difficult situation...?
It's more than I can imagine.
(If Ichi or Osamu were to suffer the same fate as the Todo family's mother... I would undoubtedly go insane.)
After parting ways with Yohachi, I mounted Taishakutsukimo and made my way through the forest filled with miasma.
It was impossible to lead the stallion pulling the carriage into the forest.
The forest where the Todo family's residence is located is practically devoid of any roads.
This is definitely not a place where a horse-drawn carriage with wheels should be allowed.
(If you live in a place with such bad air quality... or rather, perhaps that's precisely why that mother's health deteriorated.)
The air was so polluted that it made me think that way.
Taishakutsukimo tramples on giant rats and other creatures as he makes his way through the pathless wilderness.
And finally, we could see our destination.
As she dismounted from Taishakutsukimo in front of the mansion, she neighed at the opportune moment.
"Kyuooooon"
Then, after a short pause, the door to the mansion opened.
At the same time, the sound of a girl crying can be heard.
Wondering what was going on, I called out to Yokichi, who had opened the door for me.
"What's wrong? It looks like Kyoko is crying..."
"I'm so sorry... Lord Bizen."
Yokichi came and apologized profusely.
"Well... my sister still doesn't want to be separated from our mother..."
"What does that mean?"
I entered the Todo family mansion with a frown on my face.
The only sound echoing inside the mansion was the high-pitched cry of a young girl.
If you follow the direction from which the voice is coming, you will indeed arrive in front of the room where Moriko was lying in bed.
"Ah... Lord Bizen-no-kami..."
"No, noooo
Clinging to Moriko, who was thinner than before and pale, the brown-skinned girl cried uncontrollably, her silver hair disheveled.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Aa
There's no one harder to talk to than a child whose emotions have run wild.
Indeed, Kyoko's face was drenched in tears and snot, as she desperately clung to her mother.
"...Yokichi, what does this mean?"
"No, well..."
Yokichi said, clutching his kimono tightly.
"My mother... well, she said she couldn't accept Lord Bizen's invitation. She said that only my sister and I should go to Nagahama..."
"...I see."
I nodded slightly and approached Moriko, who was lying down.
And with each step I took, Kyoko's cries grew more and more tragic, becoming even louder.
"Don't take me away!!! I want to be with my mother, I want to be with my mother!!! No, noooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!"
"H-hey Kyoko!"
Perhaps realizing his sister's behavior was truly inappropriate, Yokichi raised his voice.
I stopped her, and forcibly held her down as she thrashed about, hugging her tightly...
I sat down beside Moriko's pillow, who was still lying down.
"...I am so sorry. I apologize for being so rude despite your kind visit..."
"No, it's fine... Don't worry about it."
Kyoko was crying and thrashing around in my arms.
It's quite a struggle when her fist occasionally hits my jaw.
And this girl is incredibly strong for her age.
She probably has more power than an adult woman in the world I came from.
I don't know if it's because of the demon blood, but... I deliberately ask Kyoko as if I'm trying to convince her.
"But what does this mean? I came here intending to take you and the children in. Yoichi told you the same thing, didn't he? To go back on that now... I simply cannot forgive this."
You can see that Kyoko's power, which had been raging, is gradually weakening.
"Please, please, save my son and daughter..."
"Are you not planning to come?"
When I asked her that, Moriko narrowed her lifeless eyes and shook her emaciated hand slightly as she said:
"I don't have much time left... And unlike Yokichi and Kyoko, who can serve you, I am only capable of selling my body... Such a woman would be of no use to Lord Bizen-no-kami..."
"...Yeah, I guess so."
I released Kyoko, who had stopped crying, and crept closer to the widow lying on the ground.
"But even if it's unnecessary to me...it's probably not unnecessary to your children."
"a--"
Her body was even lighter than the petite Princess Chihime, making her very easy to lift.
Moriko seems unable to comprehend what is happening.
Meanwhile, I signaled to Yokichi with my eyes to get ready and go outside.
"M-Mother!"
"Don't worry."
I smiled faintly at the silver-haired, tanned, elf-eared girl, whose eyes were beginning to well up with tears again, and said:
"I'll take her with me, no matter what. Children need a mother. And if you leave, this woman will be all alone."
"ah..."
Not knowing what to do, Moriko could only freeze up.
Her emaciated body, ravaged by disease and simply waiting to die, is powerless to resist and is at my mercy.
"And are you planning to abandon your responsibilities as a mother? You don't mean to think that you could just leave the child with me and then pretend you don't know anything about it, do you?"
"Th...that is..."
"You fool"
As I stepped over the threshold of the mansion and stepped outside, I continued.
"Consider your parental duty to raise your child and to be there for them until you die. To a child, a parent will always be a parent...and nothing more."
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Todo Village was already behind us, and we were heading towards Nagahama at an extremely slow pace.
Inside the carriage pulled by a stallion were the Todo mother and daughter, who were probably breathing the air outside the village for the first time.
And there was Yokichi—riding on the horse Taishakutsukige, just like me.
I begged Taishakutsukimo and somehow managed to get his OK.
"Yokichi"
"Y-yes"
I could hear Yokichi's tense voice coming from behind me.
I gripped the reins and said, looking ahead.
"I'm sorry to say this, but from now on, you'll need to learn the proper etiquette of a male-dominated society."
"Manners... you say?"
"That's right."
The only sounds that echoed along the journey were the thudding of horse hooves and the rattling of carriage wheels.
As I felt the gentle, humid June breeze blowing by, I continued speaking.
"The world is made up of appearances and formalities. For you, a zashiki-warashi (house spirit), to face that world, it is absolutely essential that you correctly understand those appearances and formalities. Only then can you enter it. You have no choice but to enter it in order to survive."
"...yes"
He's still a young boy.
However, having taken the head of a general named Asai Hisamasa and gaining some recognition within the Asai clan, what he now needs is the correct knowledge to survive in samurai society.
But that's not something someone like me, who deviates from the norms of this world, should be forced to learn.
"Don't worry, I have two reliable instructors ready for you. Just because you're a zashiki-warashi (house spirit) doesn't mean they'll treat you lightly. I hope you'll learn a lot from them, and eventually—I want you to become the backbone of the Asai clan."
Todo Yokichi. In the world I came from, he was the boy who would later go by the name Todo Takatora.
His ability to defeat Hisamasa, among other things, had already demonstrated that his spear fighting skills were quite impressive.
Therefore, my interest lies in how far we can push his exceptional potential for growth.
"There's no need to feel pressured. There's no need to feel that your work will change people's perception of the zashiki-warashi (house spirits)."
"..."
"And the people around you may not see and appreciate you as much as you hope. But there are always people who do see you. Cherish those connections... just remember that."
"...yes"
As I listened to the boy's quiet response, which sounded like he had made up his mind, I gripped the reins tighter.
The sun has risen, and it's already almost noon.
But we were moving forward slowly but steadily.
In the distance, I could see the land of Nagahama—it looked like I might be able to arrive there sometime during the day.