"Of course I trust you, Uncle, but I really have been bored out of my mind. There's no harm in moving the winter hunt up a little~"
Heh. The close minister sneered inwardly, then offered no further explanation before rising and leaving.
Choichiro had long grown used to such rude behavior.
"I wonder just how beautiful a woman she is, to make everyone who sees her sing her praises?"
Choichiro looked up at the sky. The autumn wind carried a hint of chill, and he felt it was time his palace had someone else to warm his bed.
A ruler's consorts were not chosen by himself, but aside from the position of principal wife, he could pick anyone he wanted. So long as he was forceful enough, those powerful ministers would have to yield. After all, there was no real benefit in this matter. Fighting over it would only create needless trouble.
A week later, a grand party of a hundred entered the forest. It had been two weeks since the close minister's last outing, and to prevent him from causing trouble, they had specifically left him behind this time.
Aside from Choichiro, the ruler who could not even truss a chicken, everyone in the party was fully armed. Longbows hung across their backs and longswords at their waists. Put together, they would have been no small fighting force anywhere else.
As they traveled, Choichiro's spirits gradually rose. He held a longbow without firing it, merely waving it back and forth for show.
Coo, coo~
Coo, coo~
Hm?
Hearing the sound, Choichiro looked up. A strange bird the size of a horse's head hovered on a branch. After judging the distance and finding it too far away, he lowered his guard.
"What kind of bird is that?"
Everyone looked in