Miss A-Long poked the tanuki's plump belly with her finger, making all the fur on its back stand on end.
"Why did you go cause trouble at the lord's estate for no reason?" Hebe shook the tanuki. "I thought tanuki prided themselves on being clever and adaptable. You shouldn't be stupid enough to smash your head into a wall... Don't you know that onmyoji and ascetics love picking on soft targets like you?"
The tanuki froze and lowered the hands covering his face.
"You won't kill me or eat me?"
"I came from the west."
Hebe smiled meaningfully.
Cathay was to the west, and Albion was to the west as well.
"Ah..."
This time, the tanuki was truly convinced.
It was not only Heian aristocrats who admired Tang customs. Demons held Cathay in both reverence and fear.
A saying circulated among demons: if one offended a great demon but was not immediately killed, and the other party instead asked for the reason, then that demon might have crossed over from Cathay.
Though both were great demons, once one had ties to Cathay, their status became immeasurably more exalted.
Had Ibaraki-dōji, who originally ruled Mount Ōe, not had her rule seized by Shuten-dōji?
Ibaraki-dōji had initially wanted to gather the Oni Host and resist, but when Shuten-dōji "casually" mentioned that she had traveled through Cathay, Ibaraki-dōji immediately prostrated herself before her, willing only to become Shuten-dōji's right-hand woman.
Hebe released him, and the tanuki hurriedly dropped to his knees.
"Lady Tamamo-no-Mae! I have a grievance to air."
"Stand up and tell me."
Listening to all sides brought clarity, while favoring one side brought darkness. She felt that the path ahead was gradually becoming clear.
"I came from Mount Ōe. The Oni Host there has been expanding its influence, so all the other demons were driven away. Heian-kyō lay to the northeast, and knowing my abilities were meager, I headed toward Hyuga Province."
"Hyuga Province may not be as bustling as Mount Ōe or Heian-kyō, but it is quite interesting too. I wandered everywhere and came across a young dog spirit. Seeing that she was starving, I gave her some bean cakes, but she insisted on following me."
The tanuki was both worried and angry. "I was a tanuki fleeing Mount Ōe. Where was I supposed to get food? I could only risk sneaking into the lord's estate to steal food for her... Once, I returned late, and she actually thought I'd been caught. She rushed into the lord's residence!"
"She was such a tiny dog. What was wrong with wanting to fill her belly?" The tanuki fumed. "If she was caught by Minamoto clan warriors because of me, then killed and eaten... I, I—"
As he spoke, the tanuki burst into loud sobs. "But I could never find her! I thought I couldn't let her die for nothing, so I risked my life to take revenge on the Minamoto clan!"
Even as adults, tanuki spirits had limited power when casting illusions. What limited illusions was not rank, but imagination.
Even using every trick he had, Tanutarō could at most disgust the Minamoto clan a little. He could not truly do anything to them.
After listening carefully, Hebe said to the nearly yawning Miss A-Long, "Please watch him, Miss A-Long. Don't let this tanuki run away."
Then she turned and returned to the lord's estate.
Having resolved a major worry that had weighed on his mind, the Minamoto Noble was drinking alone with a cup of wine. When he looked up and saw Hebe standing in the courtyard with her hands tucked into her sleeves, he was so frightened that he nearly dropped his cup.
"Y-you've returned?" the Minamoto Noble asked cautiously. "Are there still demons that haven't been dealt with?"
"You could say that." Hebe kept both hands in her sleeves. "Please gather the servants and ask whether the estate has caught a small dog within the past half year."
News soon came from the servant boys: a low-ranking warrior named Miura had caught a little Shiba dog in the estate several months ago. After learning that it had no owner, Miura had raised it, intending to train it as a hunting dog.
"Have Miura bring that dog here!" The Minamoto Noble's face darkened.
He was no fool. Seeing Hebe make a special trip back, he naturally guessed that the turmoil in his estate over the past half year had something to do with this dog.
"My lord!"
Warrior Miura soon hurried over. Carrying a little black Shiba dog in his arms, he immediately dropped to his knees upon entering.
The little black Shiba wriggled free from his arms, staring with round black eyes as she tilted her head and examined Hebe in the courtyard.
The Minamoto Noble looked hopefully at Hebe. "Lady Tamamo... Is this the dog you were looking for?"
Hebe merely held out her hand. "Do you know Tanutarō?"
"Woof woof!"
The little Shiba narrowed her eyes, happily broke free from Miura's arms, and ran circles around Hebe's wooden clogs with her tail wagging.
"What exactly is going on?" The Minamoto Noble frowned.
Hebe relayed Tanutarō's story to him.
The Minamoto Noble's expression turned even uglier after hearing it. "When all is said and done, am I not the victim here? That tanuki and this dog spirit came and went in my residence as they pleased... Where does that leave a noble's dignity? Lady Tamamo, please hand this dog spirit over to me."
Hebe thought for a moment, then smiled. "Does Lord Minamoto intend to kill this little dog spirit?"
The Minamoto Noble stared at the Shiba and nodded with chilling killing intent.
"It seems Lord Minamoto's thinking is somewhat too straightforward."
The Minamoto Noble fell silent for a moment, then waved for Miura and the other servants to withdraw.
"Please instruct me, Lady Tamamo."
"Lord Minamoto wishes to kill the little dog spirit merely to vent the anger in his heart. But after venting that anger, will your lost reputation and grain return?"
The Minamoto Noble gritted his teeth. "I can order the warriors and servants of my estate to keep their mouths shut!"
Watching the little Shiba run about, Hebe said evenly, "There is a saying in Cathay: stopping the mouths of the people is harder than stopping a river. The more Lord Minamoto forbids word of this matter from spreading, the more the commoners will deliberately spread it—who knows what sort of figure they will make Lord Minamoto out to be?"
Cold sweat poured down the Minamoto Noble's back. The moment he heard that Cathayan saying, stopping the mouths of the people is harder than stopping a river, unease rose within him.
"Then... then what should I do?" The Minamoto Noble could not even remain seated. He hurried into the courtyard. "Please save me, Lady Tamamo!"
The Wise Fox
Under normal circumstances, court nobles prized elegance and admired the composure to remain unruffled no matter what happened.
From "instruct me" to "save me"... It was clear that this nobleman was truly panicking.
Hebe kept her hands tucked in her sleeves and subtly took a step back to widen the distance, wearing a somewhat detached smile.
"Please remain calm, Lord Minamoto. I do have a question—why not ask an onmyoji or a monk to subdue that tanuki?"
"Alas!" The Minamoto Noble stamped his foot. "To be honest, I have no money!"
The noble then poured out his grievances to Hebe. "If I hire an onmyoji and want to preserve my dignity, it would cost at least two thousand coins... And not our Eastern Court's copper coins, but Tang coins from Cathay!"
The Minamoto Noble spoke gloomily. "If the gift money is insufficient, those onmyoji reeking of copper will likely slander me behind my back... On the other hand, though that tanuki fills me with irritation, if I let it keep causing trouble, it will take many years before the losses reach two thousand coins."
In his view, the tanuki would probably leave on its own after it had caused enough trouble.
After hearing him out, Hebe nodded. "In that case, this matter can be settled properly."
"To keep the little dog spirit from starving, the tanuki spirit was willing to risk stealing rice from Lord Minamoto's estate. Worried for the tanuki spirit's safety, the dog spirit was willing to risk her life to rescue him. After learning that the dog spirit had fallen into Lord Minamoto's estate, the tanuki spirit refused to abandon her and sought only to find her... They are clearly demons, yet they possess the loyalty and righteousness of humans."
"Since that is the case, why not pardon them and display your benevolence, Lord Minamoto?" Hebe said unhurriedly. "Once people learn of this, they will surely say, 'Lord Minamoto's magnanimity has won even demons' heartfelt submission.'"
"In time, brave warriors will come to join you of their own accord, loyal servants will appear on their own, and the commoners under your rule will become increasingly fair and law-abiding. Would that not be a good thing for Lord Minamoto?"
The Minamoto Noble was overjoyed. "Excellent! We shall do as you say."
Tanutarō felt chilled all over under Miss A-Long's watchful gaze.
Fortunately, Hebe finally emerged, followed by the little black Shiba, whose tail wagged happily.
"The matter has been resolved. You may take this little dog spirit and leave." Hebe looked at the tanuki. "From now on, do not do such ignorant things again—onmyoji and monks will not show mercy."
The tanuki's eyes brimmed with tears. He knew that he and the little dog spirit had survived only thanks to the great demon from Cathay standing before him.
"I, Tanutarō, swear it!" the tanuki shouted. "From this day on, I will obey only your commands and brave fire and water without hesitation—if I have little tanuki and even smaller tanuki in the future, I'll make them swear it too."
Hebe twitched the corner of her mouth. "There is no need to brave fire and water, but I do have a matter that requires your help."
The tanuki heard the girl before him part her lips and utter words that sounded like a nightmare.
"To reach Heian-kyō, we must pass through Mount Ōe, which Shuten-dōji rules. Miss A-Long and I have already decided that you will serve as our guide."
The tanuki was struck dumb, standing frozen for a long while.
"Ah... Ah?" He pointed at himself stammeringly. "Me?"
"If not you, then should it be this little dog spirit?" Hebe pointed at the little Shiba beside them, who could not even speak human language.
"Th-that can't be."
The tanuki spun around anxiously. "Mount Ōe is now oni territory. The two oni kings rule with cruelty. They act without restraint, often cutting open demons and humans alike for their hearts and livers to accompany wine."
"The Great Oni King Shuten-dōji once traveled through Cathay. The oni call her the child of Mount Ibuki Great Myojin, a wild deity who is both oni and dragon. In truth, she has little interest in ruling Mount Ōe or the Oni Host. The one who truly built the city on Mount Ōe and gathered the Oni Host was Ibaraki-dōji."
"Ibaraki-dōji is terrifying." Mentioning her name made the tanuki's face turn pale. "She is a born fiend. Though she is an oni, she possesses the strategies of a human sage. On a whim, she once led the oni to attack Heian-kyō, killing countless warriors, onmyoji, and monks, while many nobles were carried off."
"Most frightening of all, Ibaraki-dōji has completely transformed the Oni Host into an army!"
The tanuki went on and on about Shuten-dōji's lofty status while doing his utmost to exaggerate Ibaraki-dōji's brutality and terror, all to dissuade Hebe from going to Heian-kyō.
Unfortunately, his speech did not persuade Hebe at all. Instead, it stirred Miss A-Long's competitive spirit.
"Heh heh." Miss A-Long flexed her arm. "Miss A-Long isn't afraid of fighting. Miss A-Long gets happy the moment she hears there's a fight!"
The tanuki stared in dumbfounded silence, then slapped his forehead in frustration.
He should have realized long ago that Miss A-Long was a hidden battle maniac.
Now that he had awakened Miss A-Long's competitive spirit, it was too late for regrets.
After breakfast, Hebe's group left Hyuga's castle town early.
Someone had already been waiting at the city gate: Warrior Miura, whom Hebe had met the day before.
"My lord asked me to wait here." Miura smiled honestly and handed over the cloth bundle he carried.
Hebe accepted it and saw Tang coins inside, along with wrapped rice balls.
She did not refuse. She accepted the cloth bundle prepared by the Minamoto Noble, then handed it to Miss A-Long to carry.
Warrior Miura hesitated. "Lady Tamamo... I would like to say goodbye to A-Shiba."
A-Shiba was the name Miura had given the little dog spirit, though the little dog spirit clearly did not like it much.
Hebe looked at the little dog spirit. "What do you think?"
"Whine..." The little dog spirit tilted her head and let out a soft whimper.
"She agrees."
Hebe nodded to Miura and led Miss A-Long and the tanuki some distance away.
Miura knelt on one knee and quietly said something to the little Shiba.
Several minutes later, he reached out to stroke the little Shiba's head, then stood and watched her run toward Hebe.
With her hands tucked in her sleeves, Hebe nodded to Miura. Then, without looking back, she left Hyuga's castle town.
After taking only a few steps, words visible only to her appeared before Hebe's eyes.
Current Lostbelt Progress: 10%
Hyuga Province lay in the southeastern part of Kyushu, belonging to the later Saikaido region, a frontier among frontiers. According to later maps, one would need to cross the sea to reach the Eastern Country's main island, but at this time, Kyushu and the Eastern Country's main island were still connected by land.
Hebe had grown accustomed to the subtle differences between the Lostbelt, the present world, and memories of her previous life. That was the charm of secret history.
A road connected Hyuga Province to Bungo Province. Spring had only just passed its midpoint, and flowers of every color bloomed throughout the mountains and fields.
If a court noble were traveling and saw such a beautiful sight, they would surely compose poetry and waka to praise the splendor of the mountain flowers.
Hebe looked at the scattered villages, her gaze sweeping over the numb-faced farmers, and thought they probably had no such leisure.
The Minamoto Noble of Hyuga's castle town had recently become quite famous, and even the waka he composed had spread throughout Bungo Province.
—"In the west dwells an immortal maiden, who untangled my troubles and hardships, subdued the tanuki and tamed the dog. She spoke to me of loyalty and righteousness, making my honored name spread ever farther!"
It seemed that before the Nine-Tailed Fox became known as a symbol of beauty, her reputation for wisdom would spread first.
The distant mountaintops carried the noisy sound of pipes and drums.
Hebe stopped and listened closely.
The tanuki ran quickly, and before long he returned to tell Hebe, "They're sending a bride up the mountain ahead."
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