"My lords, our remote little village has very little worthy of offering you."
"These are some of our village's local specialties, along with the only rice we have. Please do not disdain our humble offerings!"
"These young women from our village will also remain here afterward, awaiting your pleasure."
In the Hojo army's encampment outside Kaede's Village.
Old Kaede had brought several young women and villagers with her, and she addressed Hojo Akitoshi, seated at the head of the gathering, with the utmost deference.
But before Hojo Akitoshi could respond to Kaede's anxious humility, Akechi Mitsuhide, seated beside him, swept his gaze over what she had brought.
In particular, he found no sign among the young women of Old Kaede's supposed granddaughter.
"Priestess Kaede, was it?"
"Why do I not see your granddaughter Kagome among these women?"
"Is she truly your granddaughter?"
Even now, Akechi Mitsuhide remained suspicious of Kagome. He might have seized on her absence among the young women Kaede had brought as grounds to challenge her.
But had Kagome been among them, he would still have demanded whether sending such an indecent girl was an attempt to insult his lord, Hojo Akitoshi.
He would have used that as his pretext instead.
All he wanted was to find a crack in the stories of Old Kaede and the villagers and young women around her.
Sure enough, when Akechi Mitsuhide barked his questions, Old Kaede at least had enough experience of the world to hold her composure.
Her face remained calm, but the villagers and young women behind her could not manage the same.
Before Akechi Mitsuhide's eyes, and before Hojo Akitoshi's.
The villagers' and young women's expressions changed in an instant. Some of the more fainthearted among them were especially shaken.
Under the hostile stares of the samurai watching them like hawks throughout the camp, they already looked ready to collapse.
"My lord, please allow me to explain."
Old Kaede bowed so deeply that she pressed her forehead to the ground. Against yokai, she could fight to the death.
Yet when facing human nobles, she was strangely incapable of standing firm.
"That is enough, Mitsuhide. Do not be rude."
Before Old Kaede could rack her brains for a lie, Hojo Akitoshi, who knew the whole story, dispelled the tension.
"Priestess Kaede, thank you for the tribute your village has offered. I will have someone give you copper coins equal to the value of these supplies shortly."
"And please take these young women back with you. We did not come here to requisition supplies or indulge ourselves."
"Thank you very much."
Old Kaede immediately let out a long breath of relief. Though doubts still lingered in her heart, Hojo Akitoshi had already said as much from his seat above her.
Even if she was only deceiving herself, she would accept his words for now.
After all, against the Hojo army, Kaede's Village was nothing but meat on a chopping block, utterly powerless to resist.
Even with Inuyasha included!
Old Kaede discreetly glanced over the well-equipped soldiers nearby. Unless they could wipe them all out at once...
If even one man escaped, not even the chickens and dogs of Kaede's Village would be spared.
Worse still, even if they did wipe these men out...
The renowned Hojo clan's next head was right here. Could the Hojo possibly be unaware of his movements?
No matter how she looked at it, Kaede's Village had no way to survive!
"Lord Hojo Akitoshi."
A thousand thoughts churned through her mind, but Old Kaede gathered her courage and tried to get to the bottom of things.
"May I ask what has brought you here, my lords?"
"Yokai."
His amused gaze settled on Old Kaede's white hair as Hojo Akitoshi gave an answer with a double meaning.
"Far from here, on the battlefield of the Battle of Kawagoe, my ninja discovered signs of a Great Demon."
"To ensure that this Great Demon does not interfere with the Hojo's operations, when I heard this was the village where Priestess Kikyo once lived..."
"I decided to come here seeking help. Although Priestess Kikyo passed away fifty years ago, I imagine she must have left something behind?"
"After all, as I understand it, your village is one of the few peaceful havens in this age of turmoil that remains free of yokai attacks."
Old Kaede shuddered, her heart leaping into her throat.
Of course she had heard of the great battle unfolding on the Musashino Plain. But what she had never expected was...
Had the Shikon Jewel's reappearance already drawn the attention of a Great Demon?
Then was this head of the Hojo clan standing before her truly concerned that a Great Demon might interfere with the ongoing war?
Had he happened to learn of her elder sister Kikyo's deeds and come here seeking whatever aid he might find?
Or did this clan head also intend to seize the legendary Shikon Jewel?
With her face pressed to the ground, Old Kaede's complexion shifted through a succession of colors. She lacked her sister's ability to deal with any crisis.
Yet she wanted to protect the village in these troubled times, and now she was trapped in an agonizing dilemma.
"Hey, Priestess Kaede! Did you not hear my lord's question?"
Originally, Akechi Mitsuhide had not quite understood this expedition, which Hojo Akitoshi had personally insisted upon. In his view, even if they needed to prepare for a possible attack by a Great Demon...
Gathering the monks, Onmyoji, and priestesses within Odawara Castle would have been enough.
If that still seemed insufficient, they could simply recruit more Yokai Exorcists from among humanity elsewhere.
Priestess Kikyo had died fifty years ago. No matter how peerless she had been in her day...
What use could a dead woman be now, when even her bones had probably crumbled to dust?
But seeing Old Kaede's reaction, Akechi Mitsuhide suddenly thought that Kikyo might indeed have left something valuable behind.
At once, he prepared to play the villain again and intimidate Old Kaede as she lay prostrate.
"Lord Hojo Akitoshi, my elder sister Kikyo did indeed leave some things behind in our village. But over all these years..."
"In my inadequacy, I have used up most of those talismans while protecting the village and traveling to exorcise yokai."
"There are no treasures left in the village capable of standing against a Great Demon."
"However, for the sake of the Hojo's great undertaking, I shall fetch the remaining talismans at once. I hope they may allow me to offer you some small measure of assistance."
Choosing the lesser of two evils, Old Kaede, who had lived for well over half a century, made her decision before Akechi Mitsuhide could question her again.
Whether that rumored Great Demon actually existed could wait. Her immediate priority was to placate Hojo Akitoshi while thoroughly figuring
out his purpose in coming.
For that, her sister Kikyo had to have left something behind!
And she had to hand it over!
"Thank you."
Whether his gratitude was genuine or not, Hojo Akitoshi thanked her, then allowed Old Kaede to leave the camp with the villagers behind her.
They were to fetch this supposed legacy of Kikyo's.
When Old Kaede and her party returned to the village and rejoined the villagers, Kagome, and Inuyasha, who were anxiously waiting to learn whether the news was good or bad...
"My lord, there is something wrong with that Priestess Kaede."
Akechi Mitsuhide immediately stepped forward to Hojo Akitoshi's side and offered his warning.
"It is of no consequence."
An unusual gleam flickered in Hojo Akitoshi's eyes. Out of habit, he picked up some roasted soybeans and began eating.
Within just a few breaths, he had decided how to respond.
"Secure whatever Priestess Kaede brings us that she calls Kikyo's legacy. We will decide what to do with it after the monks and others we recruit have examined it."
"Meanwhile, as a precaution, have the soldiers prepare for a yokai attack."
"And do not hold back on the secret weapons we originally reserved for the Takeda and the Imagawa."
"Yes."
Akechi Mitsuhide nodded firmly in understanding. Before turning away to issue orders and make arrangements, he offered another concerned suggestion.
"My lord, would you consider moving to the rear for the time being?"
"If yokai truly do attack, please allow your subordinate to slay them in your stead!"
"No need."
Hojo Akitoshi smiled and waved him off, stroking the Muramasa Blade Sirius in his hand.
Having spent nineteen years here, he was no mere strategist who relied on his mind alone...
Before you continue