The prelude was about to quietly unfold

"Granny Kaede! What did the daimyo come here for?"

The moment Granny Kaede returned to the village, the villagers surrounded her, anxiously bombarding her with questions.

Although the Hojo daimyo had accepted the supplies they offered, he had sent back the young girls who accompanied them.

This left the villagers, who eked out their lives in these troubled times, frightened and at a loss.

"Don't worry."

In truth, Granny Kaede herself was also deeply uneasy.

But looking at the villagers around her, she could only pull herself together, signaling to Kagome and Inuyasha farther out in the crowd to stay calm for now.

Then, meeting the villagers' earnest gazes, Granny Kaede offered them reassurance.

"The man who has come here is the renowned Kirin of Sagami. I'm sure you've all heard of Lord Hojo Akitoshi's illustrious reputation."

"Compared with most daimyo, Lord Hojo Akitoshi is renowned throughout the land for his kindness toward ordinary people."

"Lord Hojo Akitoshi came here this time because a demon reportedly appeared on the battlefield of the Battle of Kawagoe."

"So, to ensure the war goes smoothly and protect the people nearby, His Lordship hopes to borrow the power of my late elder sister, Kikyo."

"With it, he can slay the great demon that might threaten everyone!"

After hearing Granny Kaede's explanation, the villagers who had not gone to the camp looked toward those who had, along with the young girls.

Seeing nothing unusual in their expressions, most of the villagers immediately felt reassured and settled down.

"That's true. Lord Hojo Akitoshi really does have a good reputation. He takes care of common folk like us."

"Exactly, exactly. People who've been to Odawara Castle and Lord Hojo Akitoshi's residence say he's as benevolent as the legendary Liu Bei."

"Yes, in these troubled times, Lord Hojo Akitoshi may be the only one still fighting under the banner of benevolence and righteousness."

Whether they truly believed those rumors or were simply trying to comfort themselves was anyone's guess.

Suddenly, the villagers were bubbling like boiling water, all talking over one another about Hojo Akitoshi's many virtues.

Seeing the whispering villagers practically praising Hojo Akitoshi to the heavens, Granny Kaede grew uneasy.

She hurriedly found an excuse, saying she needed to fetch her late sister Kikyo's legacy and deliver it to His Lordship.

Only then did she escape the excited crowd and reach Kagome and Inuyasha, whose eyes were filled with curiosity and wariness.

"Granny Kaede, who is this Hojo Akitoshi?"

Kagome asked quietly as she followed Granny Kaede, who was hurrying toward her home.

At first, the cavalry charge had left her head spinning. Then Akechi Mitsuhide's appearance, and the revelation that his lord was not Oda Nobunaga, had stunned her.

At the time, Kagome simply couldn't wrap her head around it. She didn't know whether her history grades were too poor or whether someone named Hojo Akitoshi really had existed.

But now that some time had passed and she had calmed down, Kagome was finally certain!

In the history she knew, Sagami had no kirin, only a lion, and Akechi Mitsuhide's lord had definitely been Oda Nobunaga.

Not some Hojo Akitoshi!

"Hey, old woman, did that Hojo guy come here to fight us for the Shikon Jewel?"

Compared with Kagome, Inuyasha's concerns were much simpler.

As far as he was concerned, there was only one thing worth paying attention to about this human army that had suddenly arrived.

Were they rivals after the Shikon Jewel?

If not, all the better. But if they were!

Then!

Inuyasha gritted his teeth and spread his gleaming claws. If they really were, he would sneak into that camp tonight.

Then he would kill that man, whatever his name was-Hojo Akitoshi!

Anyone coveting the Shikon Jewel, whether demon or human...

They all had to die!

"Hojo Akitoshi?"

With no one else around, Granny Kaede no longer added an honorific when speaking of Hojo.

Once she returned to the house, she cautiously peered outside again, making sure there were no villagers or spies such as a Hojo Ninja nearby.

Granny Kaede hurriedly drew talismans with her rather weak spiritual power while rapidly recounting everything that had happened in the camp.

As she explained, she also made a point of addressing Kagome's questions.

"Is Hojo Akitoshi really such a great man?"

To be fair, even though Granny Kaede still harbored doubts and suspicions about Hojo Akitoshi's intentions...

There was genuine admiration for him in her words. By the time Kagome had heard everything, she was dumbfounded.

That's not right. If he was so famous and benevolent, why had I never heard of him back in the future?

Could the Warring States period I've come to actually be different from the one I learned about in history books?

After all, the Warring States period I knew about didn't have demons.

Her eyes seemed to swirl with dizziness as Kagome lowered her head, unable to tell which version was real and which was false.

"Hey, you old hag, you still haven't told me what that Hojo guy came here for!"

Inuyasha had no interest whatsoever in Hojo Akitoshi's character or any great achievements he might have accomplished.

He pressed again about the matter that concerned him, especially after looking at the woman named Kagome beside him.

Seeing her dazed expression, as though Hojo Akitoshi had utterly enchanted her, left Inuyasha feeling as disgusted as if he had swallowed shit.

"I don't know."

Having swiftly drawn a dozen talismans, Granny Kaede laid them out to dry.

She hadn't figured out the answer to Inuyasha's repeated question herself, so how could she explain it to him?

"You damned old woman."

There was no way the hotheaded Inuyasha would accept such an answer. He immediately clenched his fists, stood up, and tried to rush outside.

He intended to go to the camp, drag Hojo Akitoshi out, and demand a proper answer.

"Kagome."

Seeing Inuyasha act so impulsively, Granny Kaede immediately called to Kagome, the reincarnation of her sister Kikyo.

"Sit!"

Seeing Inuyasha move and hearing Granny Kaede's prompt, Kagome instinctively blurted out the command that bound the half-

demon.

"You! You damned woman and damned old hag!"

Before he had gone more than a few steps, the command sent Inuyasha crashing headfirst into the ground, even leaving him with a mouthful of dirt.

Struggling to lift his head, Inuyasha swept a hostile gaze over the two women before him.

"Kagome, stay here and watch Inuyasha. Whatever you do, don't let him act rashly."

Holding the freshly written talismans, Granny Kaede prepared to deliver these fakes to Hojo Akitoshi as her sister's supposed legacy.

Before leaving, she repeatedly cautioned Kagome that she must not let Inuyasha do anything that would endanger everyone.

"I understand."

Kagome nodded firmly, assuring her with characteristic consideration that nothing would go wrong.

The girl had originally been so annoyed with Inuyasha that she wanted to head home to the future, but Hojo Akitoshi's sudden arrival had changed that.

She no longer even mentioned leaving, and instead worried constantly about whether Hojo Akitoshi's arrival would threaten the village's safety.

Meanwhile, Hojo Akitoshi and his companions were preparing to deal with a possible demon attack.

And the demon they were preparing for was Yura of the Hair, who appeared early in Inuyasha's storyline.

This hair demon with her beautiful appearance had already quietly reached the forest in the mountains surrounding Kaede's Village.

Gazing from afar at the camp where the Hojo army was stationed, she then turned her eyes toward the seemingly peaceful village.