Just before dawn, Takatora, who was the boatman of the small boat carrying me, was rowing across the surface of Lake Biwa.
Yesterday, I spent a holiday being pampered—or rather, practically under house arrest—by Ichihime and Haruhime, but I had an immediate problem that needed to be solved.
Yes, the task is to awaken the Jorōgumo, who was defeated in battle against the Water God in the land of Kanebo and remains lying prostrate, unable to rise.
The people of Nagahama had been taking care of the Jorōgumo ever since, but there was no sign of the giant reviving.
Incidentally, when Takatora had Bontenmaru, who was their last hope, questioned him, he apparently replied, "Hmm, I don't know."
However, that doesn't mean that Tianhong Silkworm was a heartless, cruel, and wicked creature. Apparently, she was at Kanegafuchi Spinning Company all day yesterday, after her health had recovered.
And since the silkworm had been rolling around the Jorōgumo the whole time, it seems that the silkworm was also quite worried.
However, if Bontenmaru doesn't understand anything, then our options are limited.
"...I knew this would happen."
I let out a deep sigh and glared at Chikubu Island, my destination.
That place, the site of the end of the old civilization, has now transformed into a magnificent dome formed of silvery-blue vegetation.
On that day, the Hagoromo Willow tree remained motionless, still standing on Chikubu Island.
It continued to proudly display its presence, as if it were a monument to ensure that no one would forget the appearance of the water god.
The dome, which continues to shine with a bluish-silver light morning, noon, and night, seems to be becoming a famous landmark in Omi, but let's leave that aside for now.
Conveniently, I was confident that if I asked the water god, he would immediately provide a solution.
Moreover, there's a good chance they'll definitely cooperate if it's for the sake of reviving the Jorōgumo who used to be their "playmate."
(But this time, the one I should be meeting isn't the Water God...)
It was none other than the mighty monster, Hagoromo Yanagi, who reigned supreme on Chikubu Island.
(Well, the water god asked me to do it too...)
A small sigh escaped my lips.
A monster imbued with the consciousness of an ancient person who possessed overwhelming power beyond human comprehension, yet simultaneously carried an overwhelming sense of loneliness.
The water god wanted me to talk to Hagoromo Yanagi.
Currently, Taishakutsukige is busy sexually devouring stallions, so she hasn't been brought along—but even so, she could probably at least be someone to talk to.
(Besides, even if Hagoromo Yanagi didn't know about the Jorōgumo, she could still go straight to the Water God...)
There should have been no problem. Except for Ichihime and Haruhime.
Incidentally, they don't know that I'm going to Chikubu Island.
They're probably still dreaming happily right now.
"My lord, it's almost time."
"ah"
Takatora, while rowing the boat, tells me that we are about to dock at Chikubu Island.
Incidentally, the way he addressed me had changed from "Lord Bizen-no-kami" to "Lord Oyakata."
Perhaps it's because I was appointed to the position of Lieutenant General of the Left Imperial Guard—or perhaps it's due to the influence of Naotsune, who is mentoring him.
Currently, Takatora's tutors are Naotsune and Kazumasa—two of the most prominent figures in the Asai family.
As is evident from his dealings with the Takamine clan, Naotsune takes the stance of "using the zashiki-warashi if it can be useful to the lord."
And it seems that Kazumasa accepted the role of instructor simply because he appreciated Takatora's military achievement of taking Hisamasa's head in his first battle.
If someone shows promise as a warrior, we will nurture them, no matter who they are.
Yuan Chang probably believes that, in the end, it will help the people and the soldiers themselves.
Under the guidance of these two masters, Takatora learned the basics of human society.
In addition, it seems that he and Hisa have been attending Haruhime's military strategy classes, and that he is leading a fulfilling life while caring for his mother.
"My lord...the grass..."
The boy with the tanned skin, his silver hair fluttering in the wind, let out a surprised cry.
From what I could see, the willow trees, sensing the approaching ship, had begun to extend and weave their silvery-blue grass, forming a landing area for the boat.
"Ah, it looks like you've already noticed."
I muttered this to myself as I patted Takatora on the shoulder, a gesture of appreciation, and stepped onto the dock.
At that moment, the dock was pulled into the dome—and I, too, was drawn into that plant-based barrier.
"My lord!"
"I'll be back before noon! Come back here again by then! Got it?!"
I shouted that to Takatora, who was on the other side of the wall of plants, and slowly turned around.
The monster I was looking for was already there...
The interface of the Hagoromo Yanagi, with its bluish-silver body, stood there, giving off an air of bewilderment, as if to say, "What reason did you have to be here?"
"...Hello, it's been a long time."
"...Haa"
Hagoromo Yanagi responded to my greeting with a sigh.
However, one must not get angry if someone is not polite.
From the very beginning, she's a different person today than she used to be.
Normally, this interface would wait for my arrival before crawling out from the base of the large tree, but this time it was already waiting, ready for me to dock.
I'm sure my place within the Hagoromo Willow tree has changed in many ways.
"...So, today too..."
Hagoromo Yanagi gestured as if to say, "Are you going to see the water god?"
But I slowly shook my head.
"No, today is different."
"...I don't understand."
Hagoromo Yanagi shrugged, as if incomprehensible.
"...Why did I come here...? There are other things here..."
As the interface grumbled, I slowly approached her.
Even after seeing that, the interface remained unfazed, so I took its hand and gripped it tightly.
Those hands are so warm.
"I wanted to talk to you..."
"Huh...?"
Despite the extremely puzzled look they gave me, I flashed a bright, refreshing smile.
◆
Hagoromo Yanagi was very knowledgeable.
To put it another way, her Japanese was hesitant—but once she started talking, she would talk nonsense, even about things that were completely unnecessary.
According to her, the Jorōgumo is a unique species among the monsters created by ancient people.
The world at that time was facing various problems due to the global increase in population.
The most significant issues were environmental problems such as polluted land and air.
And the monster that was created to solve those problems was the Jorōgumo.
They inhale contaminated air through their mouths, or swallow contaminated soil and water—filtering what they take into their bodies, returning them to a normal state, and then expelling it through their anuses.
In other words, it's a giant, living filtration system, and it seems that this monster has almost completely purified the Japanese archipelago, which had been thoroughly polluted by the old civilization.
However, that means they will run out of food.
As a result, most of the Jorōgumo (spider demons) starved to death, and the few who survived seem to be living by sharing the few remaining pollutants.
"...That doesn't mean that just drinking water on it will be okay, like those white balls of wood..."
According to Hagoromo Yanagi, the Tenko silkworms can live for about 120 years as long as they have water.
And it seems that the silkworms are fine no matter how polluted the water is—even if it's contaminated with radioactivity—and in the past, the silkworms also liked to go to the watering holes where the spiderworts gathered.
"...So, that's why...th, maybe that's when our relationship started..."
Hagoromo Yanagi speaks haltingly and inarticulately, but uses gestures and body language to help her communicate.
As I listened to the story, my gaze occasionally drifted downwards.
(Oh... it's so bouncy...)
A body of silvery blue, unlike that of a human.
Its chest is covered with breasts that are remarkably similar to those of a human.
Of course, there are parts that resemble nipples, but those are also a silvery blue color.
I vaguely thought to myself, "She probably doesn't plan on having children."
"...What?"
"No, I just thought you were incredibly knowledgeable."
"...Hmph, hmph."
The star-shaped willow tree averts its gaze with a huff.
It's as if they're saying, "Just think whatever you want."
Then, while fiddling with her hair restlessly, she stopped looking at me.
I'm sure he thinks he's "talked too much" to me, even though it was just to provide information.
Without pursuing the matter further, I lay down on my back on the ground covered with light blue-green grass, clasping my hands together to use as a pillow.
"...What are you doing..."
"I thought I'd get some sleep."
"...I don't understand..."
To be honest, I was incredibly sleepy.
If things were normal, I would still be asleep by now.
In order to outmaneuver Ichihime and Haruhime, who were tightening their surveillance on me, last night I embraced Haruhime so tightly that she fainted, and last night I whispered sweet words to Ichihime, stroked her head, and lulled her to sleep without letting her grab my clothes—I had been carefully and meticulously preparing to evade my wives.
As a result, I was up all night and reaching my limits in many ways.
"For some reason, talking to you has put me at ease. Especially since none of the people or monsters around me knew anything about the Jorōgumo."
"...Sloppy."
"Maybe so"
Feeling genuinely sleepy, I let out a big yawn.
Hagoromo Yanagi kept interfering, like poking my face, but eventually she stopped doing that too.
I drifted off to sleep peacefully, but it was none other than Hagoromo Yanagi who woke me up.
"...The rules are coming to meet us..."
"Oh, ah... thank you."
Hagoromo Yanagi rolled over beside me as I lay sleeping and stared intently at me.
She probably just stared silently, without saying a word, until Takatora came to pick her up by boat.
But once it confirmed I was awake, it slowly stood up and deactivated a portion of the dome of plants and trees.
There was a small boat that Takatora had rowed, and he was staring intently at me and Hagoromo Yanagi, who was standing beside me.
"...I'll go with you..."
"...Huh?"
"...I want to wake up the golden orb-weaver spider... Is that wrong?"
With an expressionless face, Hagoromo Yanagi whispered, then beckoned to Takatora.
"...The golden orb-weaver spider's energy comes from... solid matter."
Saying that, Interface swept her hair back as if letting the wind blow through it.
"...I sometimes have a cat feces feces...so I'll share it with you..."
"Is that really okay...?"
"...It'll be alright, Kit."
In response to my question, Hagoromo Yanagi smiled for the first time and shrugged her shoulders.
With a somewhat gentle expression on his face.
"...Just pour it directly into her..."