"Now, let's begin the State Council!"
April 24th, the hour of the snake (10:00 AM) --
In the great hall of Sugawa Castle, the voice of that old man—Asai Ryoshin—who serves as both the presenter and chairman, echoes.
However, despite being called the "Great Hall," it was narrower than the one in the former Odani Castle, causing the men participating in the council to jostle and shove each other.
As a result, the room was filled with the combined heat of the men's breath and body heat, creating a space that smelled not just a little, but quite strongly of men.
However, it's not just men. That's because Princess Chihime is also participating as a councilor.
Naturally, she wasn't participating in the council of state affairs as my concubine. She was participating as a retainer, under the name "Takenaka Shigeharu."
Incidentally, for the Asai family, a mid-ranking daimyo family of the Sengoku period, the Takenaka family, who controlled Sekigahara and the surrounding area in eastern Mino, were actually a force that could not be ignored.
"Now, there are many topics we should discuss today, but..."
Ryochika paused after saying that, then looked around the room,
"—As expected, everyone's interest is focused on 'this,' isn't it! To be honest, I myself have . I'm really looking forward to it!"急height
In the center of the tatami-floored room, which smelled of fresh greenery, sat a large, vertically oriented box made of paulownia wood.
This box, delivered this morning from Oda territory, was adorned with the Asai family crest in gold leaf, giving it a truly dignified and prestigious feel.
"That hawk, the Gluttonous King of the Sky, is proof that our Lord Nagamasa hunted it...and this golden armor was made from its materials. To be able to see this proof that Lord Nagamasa has etched his name into the history of the Asai family, no, into the history of all of Japan...it is something that can be passed down as a source of pride for generations to come!"
As soon as Ryoshin said that, the great hall began to buzz with murmurs.
Ryochika is really good at talking and hyping people up.
If someone has strong meeting management skills and excellent presentation abilities, they would undoubtedly be a highly sought-after talent in companies in the world I used to work in.
Individuals who can coordinate various matters and communicate effectively are actually quite valuable.
"And when Lord Nagamasa, who defeated the King of the Heavens, dons this armor... all disasters caused by monsters in our Asai land will be subdued by Lord Nagamasa."
"Yes, Lord Nagamasa has something to say about that, so everyone, listen carefully."
When Naotsune, who had been standing behind Ryoshin, raised his voice, the gazes of the men in the great hall all focused on me.
Haruhime gently closed her eyes and lowered her head slightly.
"First of all, I think most of you already know this, but to put it simply, I worked with Lord Nobunaga to confront the hawk and succeeded in killing it. Because it was an emergency, I didn't contact anyone, which caused some of you unnecessary worry. I would like to apologize for that first."
Naotsune closed his eyes, crossed his arms, took a deep breath, and then forcefully exhaled through both nostrils.
Meanwhile, Haruhime had a calm expression on her face, and she was clenching her chest tightly as if she had remembered something.
"And here, as Ryoshin mentioned earlier, is armor crafted from the body of the hawk I slain. It repels all kinds of attacks and can withstand even the slashes of a fluorite sword... There is probably no better piece of armor than this."
When I gave them a knowing look, Naotsune and Haruhime stood up and threw open the door of the box.
Suddenly, the room was filled with a golden light, reflecting the spring sunlight streaming in.
Indeed, the men let out a collective "Oh..." and the murmur that had filled the room moments before vanished into the light in an instant.
"As everyone knows, hawks are extremely dangerous creatures. And I've experienced firsthand just how difficult it is to contain the damage they cause."
I continued speaking, clenching my fist tightly.
"Many died. Not just the soldiers of the Oda clan, but even renowned generals were no exception. I saw with my own eyes how soldiers were dragged, crushed, and brutally devoured by the overwhelming power of the hawk..."
They must have sensed the sorrowful tone in my voice.
The men straightened their posture and looked at me with respectful expressions.
"Just as I have a family, and you all have a family, they must have had families too. Why did they have to die...? They surely didn't want to die, they surely wanted to come home alive..."
My heavy voice echoed through the eerily silent room.
"But because of the appearance of a single demon, the hawk, even the simplest thing—returning to one's family—became impossible. Not only that, but the families who were waiting for the dead also found themselves unable to do the simplest thing—welcoming their sons and husbands home."
Overwhelmed by the atmosphere, tears began to well up in the eyes of the middle-aged men.
They probably have children. And they must have imagined those children confronting the hawk and being brutally killed.
They understood too. That the gleam of this armor was also the light that had overshadowed the brilliance of the lives of those who had died namelessly.
"That's why I made a resolution...! I will never let such a tragedy happen in northern Omi, and even if a hawk appears, I will minimize the damage to both the military and civilians."
Kneeling, I blasted a powerful voice into the hall.
Somewhat overwhelmed, yet engrossed, the men watched my every move intently.
"I thought about what I needed to do to achieve that... I had no choice but to think. I considered seeking weapons made of fluorite, but as everyone knows, fluorite is extremely rare and not something you can easily obtain."
The men nodded as they listened to what I was saying.
Indeed, if there had been a large quantity of fluorite, the battles of today, which heavily rely on horses, would undoubtedly have been drastically different.
"And the same is true for horses. I hear that even if we try to increase their numbers, their reproduction rate is extremely low. Moreover, our Asai family has enemies in the Rokkaku, Asakura, and Wakasa Takeda families. If we were to use up our horses when a hawk appears, how would we be able to deal with these enemies?"
As soon as I said that, the men started to groan and ponder, looking troubled.
I find their honest and straightforward nature very appealing.
To put it negatively, it's extremely simplistic, but even so, I think being able to accept and consider things honestly is quite a virtue.
"That's when I set my sights on a certain being. Or rather, a being I had been avoiding setting my sights on. A being with superior physical abilities compared to humans, and capable of acting as a deterrent against monsters. In other words—"
I steeled myself, glared at the great hall, and opened my mouth.
"—It's a zashiki-warashi (house spirit)."
Suddenly, the grand hall erupted in murmurs.
Ryochika shouted, "Quiet Marie !" and as the hall finally fell silent, I addressed him.
"Perhaps the reason I can think this way is because I learned what monsters are like when I killed a hawk. Or perhaps... it's because I experienced their terror firsthand."
The men in the great hall were completely silent, listening to what I was saying.
"When I confronted the hawk, the epitome of a demon, I wondered if we could use the terror of this demon to our advantage in the Asai family. In short, we can deal with demons that harm humans using zashiki-warashi, who have demon blood in them. That way, we can focus even more on dealing with external enemies, including the Asakura family."
When I said that, I started to hear scattered voices saying, "I see..."
Monsters cannot be harmed by human hands. However, perhaps a zashiki-warashi (a type of house spirit) with monster blood in them could harm them...
Those with quick minds seemed to have a lot on their minds, and were quick to realize this.外others
"However, employing a zashiki-warashi (house spirit)...that's dangerous."
"No, if you're the one who brought down the hawk, then surely you can easily subdue a zashiki-warashi, which is nothing more than a half-baked demon."
And then, a dispute suddenly begins to erupt among the retainers below.
It seems there's quite a bit of resistance to welcoming a zashiki-warashi (house spirit) into one's home—though that was something we could have certainly expected.
"But even so... zashiki-warashi are disgusting, aren't they...? A hybrid of a demon and a human... ha, I don't want to see one..."儂eagle, I
"However, if we can pit a 'Zashiki-warashi' against the monsters... the damage to will be greatly reduced."被Koumu
"That's certainly true, but..."
"We can use the Zashiki-warashi for the dangerous tasks that we avoid. And if the Zashiki-warashi shows any signs of going berserk, we can simply beat it to death... As for Zashiki-warashi that are impervious to weapons, I'm sure our lord will easily cut them down for us."
"nothing..."
As expected, or rather, as I suspected... it seems that the Asai family also harbored considerable discriminatory attitudes towards zashiki-warashi (house spirits).
I may appear calm on the surface, but honestly—inside my heart—a seething rage is coiled and burning fiercely.腸Guts
How could they be so cruel to them? I almost yelled at them, but I quickly suppressed my anger.
(There's nothing we can do about it right now... The problem of discrimination runs deep. It's not just in Japan; discrimination exists all over the world. It's not something that can be solved immediately...)
And it was only in modern society that we began to take action to properly solve such problems.
Even in modern society, discrimination still exists, but in the Sengoku period, which was not even in the modern era, let alone the early modern period—the very idea of trying to solve discrimination, or even thinking that discrimination is bad, is absurd, frustratingly so.
Ultimately, pre-modern societies were, in a sense, societies where order was stable and domination was established precisely because of discrimination.
From the perspective of modern people, it's an unbelievable society.
(But I believe in these guys...)
I glanced at Princess Chihime, who was waiting in the great hall, and opened my fist briefly before clenching it tightly again.
(I can't give up, I absolutely can't...! These guys have accepted me, Haruhime, a "woman," as a valuable comrade...!)
If only there was an opportunity, I would accept them as a friend...
Wasn't that the unique atmosphere that permeated the Asai household that I had sensed?
If it weren't for Haruhime risking her life to protect the Asai family from the machinations of the Rokkaku, Asakura, and Saito families, if I had said, "Let's appoint a woman," I'm sure I would have received the same reaction as when I suggested a zashiki-warashi (house spirit): "A woman?!"
(All that's needed is a case, and time. If we can just get those two things together, even they will surely...)
I lowered my voice even further, towards the great hall where the discussion was drawing to a close.
"Therefore, I will take in a certain number of Zashiki-warashi. Their dwelling place will be near Hibariyama, which is also my territory, and I will have them live together in that area. Their duties will be to deal with the damage caused by monsters and to conduct infiltration surveys to gather information on the enemy. Such things would be quite dangerous for us humans. Let's have them take on such tasks. We must use what we can; otherwise, we will not survive in this Warring States period."
Saying things I didn't mean, while feeling the frustration that I couldn't even persuade anyone otherwise, I finished speaking.
(I feel bad for the Takamine faction, but... I'll have to include dealing with the monsters as part of my job, given the circumstances.)
No objections were raised from the great hall. Perhaps my retainers also acknowledged that what I was saying was "reasonable."
"...In that case, I will consider it approved and will make the necessary legal adjustments at the next legal review. I should mention that those I hire this time will be treated as my direct retainers. After all, only I can control the zashiki-warashi."
When I fell silent, Ryochika brought up another topic, saying, "Well then..."
Indeed, the report included Masamoto's financial situation of the Asai family, as well as details on the important issues facing the Asai family today and their progress, such as the transfer of laborers currently working on the construction of Nagahama Castle to the new Grand Hall to be built on the same site.
Financial issues are not my area of expertise, and more importantly, they are specialized matters that I cannot even get involved in.
Despite the difficult conversations and my grief over the zashiki-warashi, there was one thing that made me happy.
This was because reports indicated that the construction of the silkworm farm was nearing completion.
Since this facility is also being built in Nagahama, the area will eventually become not only a political and military center, but also a center of industry in addition to the ceremonial hall known as the Daireiden.
However, naturally, once the silkworm farm is completed, the question of how to hire the staff will also become an issue.
(—Contrary to what was initially planned...even if the factory is built, it might be difficult to start operations immediately.)
As I watched Ryochika skillfully manage and guide the discussion, I secretly sighed, making sure no one noticed.