With a genuinely apologetic response, Sumire bows her head to Shizu, although her true feelings are different.
(If the conflict deepens within the main family...)
Although Shizu is a family member, she is not fully aware of all the intricate details. However, she knows that the Onitsuki main family is currently caught up in a succession dispute between the two half-siblings for the next head position. She also knows that the biological mother of first daughter passed away due to illness and that the head of the clan had favored the second daughter in the past. Additionally, Onitsuki Sumire is known for her formidable skills, even within the prestigious Akō family.
In the meantime, A concubine's child is, after all, a substitute for the legal wife. The child of a concubine is technically considered the child of the legal wife, and in that sense, Hina must show respect to Sumire as her mother.
Naturally, humans are creatures driven by emotions. If Sumire scolds Hina, it may have repercussions for the Onitsuki main family. Each individual incident may not be significant, but it could eventually lead to the rise of her own lord. In that sense, just obtaining a verbal agreement from Sumire was already an achievement. Shizu momentarily lowers her head, lightly lifts the corners of her mouth while still bowing, and hurriedly corrects herself. Concealing. Pretending. Compensating.
As Shizu raises her head, the two of them reach the top of the hill. And they witness it.
From the mist-covered mountaintop as a base, an unrealistically dazzling grand mansion sprawls before their eyes, occupying their entire field of vision. It is a luxurious and magnificent mansion that exudes a sense of heaviness.
"..."
"...I had heard about it, but it's quite impressive."
Silently observing it for a moment, the two of them speak. It is Sumire who opens her mouth first. Shizu solemnly nods in agreement with her words.
"With such opulence, there must be a considerable number of youkais lurking inside."
"Both I and Hina... our main focus will be on destroying the main body and its core. Shizu, I would like you to work with the other members of the family in eliminating the swarm of lesser creatures that overflow. Can I count on you?"
"Yes, I won't let a single young youkai escape!"
It was a firm determination. Unlike Yun-shoku (允職), who is nothing more than a servant, Shizu is different. As a house member and an assistant, Shizu's failure would directly reflect on her lord. Shizu cannot afford to hinder her lord. In that sense, Shizu is determined to fulfill her role to the best of her ability.
"Hehehe, I have high expectations. Now then, since we've seen our target, it's about time we greet the representatives from other families we will cooperate with, don't you think?"
"The banquet preparations are already in order. This way, please."
With a respectful gesture, Shizu guides Sumire in response to her words. Mayoiga is fundamentally a passive youkai. As long as they don't intrude into their territory, they won't attack. After thoroughly eliminating the surrounding youkai and making progress with the construction of the boundary, the remaining task is to deepen the relationships with the representatives from other families with whom they will cooperate until the main event.
"Hina, Aoi... and Miss Murasaki?"
"They'll be summoned later. What about the young lady from the Hotoya family?"
"Well... let's leave her out this time. She must be tired from the long journey, and she's inexperienced with this type of banquet."
In other words, there's no need to risk involving an inexperienced newcomer who might be easily swayed by other families.
"Understood."
Shizu respectfully accepts Sumire's instructions. Sumire, at least outwardly, smiles softly in response. ...Then, she suddenly stops and looks perplexed.
"..."
"...Madam?"
Shizu tilts her head in confusion as Sumire silently stands there. Ignoring that, as if trying to sense something, Sumire closes her eyes...
"No, there's nothing. Getting older is such an unpleasant thing, isn't it? Perhaps it's just fatigue from the journey?"
Sumire opens her eyes and laughs as if nothing had happened.
"Please take care of yourself. Let's switch to weaker drinks for the banquet."
"Yes, please do. ...Now, shall we go?"
Prompted by Sumire, Shizu hurries to guide her to the venue. Something caught her attention... but Shizu pushes it aside, prioritizing her current duties and soon forgets about it.
...From the world of darkness, it was already creeping in.
* * *
"Well, we're going on patrol."
"Yeah. Be careful, okay?"
Kashiwagi reports as he enters the tent where I am attending to my injuries (self-treated). The young boys behind him glance at me but quickly leave after being prompted by their superior. They are planning to head out to patrol the surroundings of "Mount Hōraku's Mayoiga."
"...D*mn, it took longer than expected."
'(´･ω･｀) That's true.'
After confirming that there is no longer anyone around the tent, I grumble to myself. I disinfect and bandage a large scrape on my arm. It's the injury I sustained when I was dragged around the forest by the Ōsanshōuo that we finally took care of with the mobilization of the Hidden Group servant.
To be more precise, it's the injury I received from the Ōsanshōuo when it closed in on me in the woods. It was quite painful to remove the numerous wood splinters that had embedded into my flesh.
"That d*mn demon. It must be that d*mn demon, right!?"
In my mind, the image that comes to mind, and what I would even curse with foul language, is the appearance of the blue demon that always sneers in a crude and vulgar manner.
It's not like there are great youkai rolling around everywhere. Once Hina eliminated the Ōsanshōuo, the remaining ones should have been just a bunch of miscellaneous, small youkai that we could easily handle... or so I thought.
"But, it's strange. Three in five days is definitely strange."
'(・∀・) Let's launch a jet stream attack!!'
"How the hell should I know, you idiot?"
Growing tired of the nonsense from the white idiotic spider, I reflect on the abnormality of the current situation.
A giant "Mayoiga," resembling a carnivorous plant, is sitting there. Considering its relationship with the spiritual veins, it should have been the first to attract and devour great youkai. Yet, even excluding the Ōsanshōuo, we've encountered three in just five days. When I think about it calmly, it's beyond abnormal. And the most likely possibility was something I already knew.
(If there's one less laborer, it's the most likely candidate. I can't believe all these attacks were just a coincidence.)
The day after dealing with the Ōsanshōuo, a new enemy arrived. As soon as Hina grilled that one, I hurriedly prepared for the next. We managed to handle the second and third ones with the servant groups and Hidden Group, but...
"Being prepared ensures peace of mind, huh? It's not that simple, though..."
There were nearly double-digit injuries from this battle, but no fatalities, thanks to two factors. One was that Tachibanashi Trading Company had prepared various equipment, including backups. The other was that the servant groups and Hidden Group from each family had substantial command authority.
The second factor was particularly important. Originally, this mission was not meant to be intense, so I had requested Hina to arrange joint training for the servant groups in advance. ...Shizu seems quite uncomfortable with the fact that she was being moved behind my back, but there's no choice when push comes to shove. It's human nature to want to come up with countermeasures when unexpected things happen. Life is precious, after all.
(I should be prepared for the worst...)
The protagonist, including the fact that the protagonist is a girl, has deviated quite a bit from the original work. I put in the effort, but a bad ending may be inevitable. So, the training and bonding with the servant groups from each family are for that purpose.
I had a vague sense of it. The Onitsuki family's servant groups are like black companies with an average length of service of less than ten years, but sadly, they seem to be a type of white among black companies.
There were also miserable aspects to the servant groups of a small, cash-strapped family. I don't understand things like a 90% annual turnover rate. Sending in individuals who lack even the minimum equipment, coordination, and combat techniques is simply ridiculous. As for me, despite being the servant groups of the Onitsuki family, which is like the sh*tty environment, I was relatively fortunate due to the accumulated know-how and personnel from their history. It's remarkable.
Servants may be mob-like grunts in the original game and other media such as manga and novels, but they are still valuable combat assets. Zero and one are different. I wanted as many of them to survive as possible and kill as many youkai as possible. As part of this opportunity, I gifted them some of the unused equipment and shared our knowledge and techniques to improve their survival rate... that was my objective for this mission.
...Thanks to that, I ended up with the riskiest and most dangerous role, being a wounded decoy. The newly acquired spear also broke, and now I'm mainly relying on a backup weapon of inferior quality. It's not funny. And it's all because of that d*mn demon!!
"D*mn it! She's playing with m—who's there!?"
Feeling frustrated with the demon, I aim the spear I had prepared at the presence stealthily approaching the tent.
"Hyaii!? P-Please, stop!"
However, my actions were far too hasty.
"Huh!? It's... Shiro...?"
Shiro, who entered the tent, trembles in fear at the sight of the spear's tip aimed at her.
"T-T-Tomobe-san? Um, what's this...?"
"N-No, sorry. I thought you were a tricky one..."
I retract the spear, trying to deceive Shiro, who is genuinely terrified. As the blade in front of her disappears, Shiro's expression calms down a bit... (＾ω＾) I'm watching over here, becoming a comrade! Is this a Dragon Quest reference?
"Oh, um... I see. You came as an attendant to the princess?"
"Y-Yes, that's right..."
Naturally, it was to be expected. It was already known that Gorilla-sama would accompany the main force. From her perspective, Shiro had no ties to the Onitsuki family and no backing or blood connection. As a convenient errand runner, Shiro was relatively trustworthy. So, it was certain that Shiro would be brought along for this mission.
The problem lies in why Shiro came here, or rather, if she was sent here...
"What? Do you need something?"
"I-Is it not allowed for me to come without a reason?"
"No, it's not like that..."
Due to my earlier irritation, my words were sharp, and Shiro asked timidly. An awkward atmosphere filled the space...
"...I understand. Sorry, I was a bit frustrated."
As an adult, I was the first to yield.
"You must have been scared when I pointed the spear at you, right? I apologize for making you feel uncomfortable. So, tell me, even if there's no clear reason, do you have some purpose?"
Expressing my apology, I asked Shiro politely once again. Shiro slightly lowered her head and then hurriedly approached me. I suppressed my reflexive response to her actions.
As Shiro approached, right in front of my eyes, she nervously presented the folded cloth that she had been hiding behind her back. And then... she shouted.
"H-Here, it's a bento! It's lunchtime, so let's eat together!!"
"......O-Okay."
In response to Shiro's desperate request, I found myself answering in astonishment...
...
...
It seems that before arriving here, Shiro had prepared bento for both me and herself at the inn where we stayed. To be more precise, it seems that Shiro made two bentos using leftovers from the dishes Gorilla-sama had cooked.
