A token of sincerity

Nuregarasu's fingers tightened slightly around the Thunder Spear. Beneath her fine lashes, her clear, limpid eyes hazily reflected Tōga, who had seated himself before her without waiting for permission.

She fought down the trembling of her body, straining to keep every muscle taut.

Her torn clothing rose and fell with her labored breaths, exposing the unhealed burns at her collarbone.

"What would you like to discuss, Dog General?"

The girl's voice was threaded with rasping breaths. "If it concerns that farce just now-"

"That sort of thing isn't important to me."

Tōga raised a hand to cut her off. The Fang Sword hummed in its sheath at his waist, spreading a colorless barrier that sealed off sound and auras.

These were little tricks he had worked out in his spare time to make everyday life more convenient.

"Don't worry. It's just a small barrier to make our conversation easier."

He watched Nuregarasu's wary expression and did not rush to continue.

Panoply yokai power gathered in his hand, gradually condensing into an exquisite crystal shaped like the Shikon Jewel, with the power of wind and thunder flowing within it.

The instant it formed, Nuregarasu's eyes widened. She leaned forward involuntarily, staring unblinkingly at the jewel in Tōga's palm.

She felt her throat work beyond her control, dry and tight. The Thunder Spear grew hot in her palm, and the Wind Wing at her back trembled slightly with excitement.

A craving born of her yokai power's instincts surged deep within Nuregarasu.

With difficulty, she tore her gaze away and returned it to Tōga's smiling face. "What is this?" she asked hoarsely.

"This Wind-Thunder Jewel-is a token of sincerity."

The corners of Tōga's mouth lifted slightly, his smile warm and sincere.

With a flick of his palm, the Wind-Thunder Jewel traced an arc through the air. Under Nuregarasu's yearning gaze, it landed effortlessly in the hand she had instinctively held out.

"Mm~"

At that moment, even a will of iron and steel could hardly withstand the instincts of her frail, ailing body.

A low, beguiling moan escaped the Karasu Tengu Chieftain's lips.

Under the Dog General's smiling gaze, a blush rose on Nuregarasu's pale cheeks.

She set down the Thunder Spear and raised her arm, using her broad sleeve to hide her embarrassment.

Her other hand placed the Wind-Thunder Jewel before her. Lowering her bright eyes, now soft as spring waters, she spoke quietly.

"Please tell me plainly what you mean by sincerity, Admiral."

Realizing that his gaze had embarrassed the girl, Tōga gave a soft cough.

"Whatever intentions those three Karasu Tengu Elders had just now, and whatever their reasons for saying those words..."

"Your tribe's contributions to this war are clear for all to see."

Whatever the Karasu Tengu had intended, from the moment they killed the Panther Cat Elder, they had brought enormous benefits to the Dog Tribe.

Combining Zi Yan's account with what he already knew, Tōga had roughly pieced together the causes and consequences of what had happened.

It had also made him understand what truly urgent military intelligence meant.

Tōga had slain White Bone Maru, after which Ringetsu had sent Prison Flame Maru and Instant Thunder Raiga back to the tribal grounds to report the news.

Had she sent Karasu Tengu, who could fly, the news would certainly have reached the Fortress sooner.

With White Bone Maru no longer weighing on his mind, the Great Elder would never have left the Fortress, and the chain of events that followed would never have happened.

The Dog Tribe could simply have sat secure and waited.

Thus, until he had a more convenient means of communication, the Karasu Tengu, every one of whom could fly, were a people Tōga needed to bring under his command.

They would also mark the beginning of his rise to Admiral of the Western Country and supreme leader of all yokai.

"This Wind-Thunder Jewel is a small token of my goodwill," Tōga said sincerely. "Please accept it, Chieftain Nuregarasu."

Ordinarily, after he had gone that far, anyone would have accepted the gift with delight.

But Nuregarasu's reaction caught Tōga off guard.

The blush had faded from the girl's face. Her hands rested naturally on her knees, her back straight, her seated posture dignified and composed.

She looked at Tōga and spoke earnestly.

"I understand your sincerity, Admiral. But this Wind-Thunder Jewel is far too precious. Please take it back."

That effort deserved reward was a universal principle, but that a subordinate's achievements belonged to their superior was an equally well-known truth.

Until she truly understood the Dog General's intentions, Nuregarasu, who bore responsibility for her entire tribe's future, simply did not dare accept his gift.

Watching Nuregarasu refuse him, Tōga came to value her even more.

With a chieftain who understood how to weigh benefits against risks and when to advance or retreat, he would not have to worry about the Karasu Tengu straying so long as the Dog Tribe remained powerful. It would save him a great deal of trouble.

"What a pity," Tōga sighed softly.

"What I want is an eagle that can soar through a downpour, not a sickly sparrow trapped on a withered branch."

"With your body so badly damaged, Chieftain Nuregarasu, I fear you'll find it difficult to survive without the Wind-Thunder Jewel's nourishment."

Watching Nuregarasu's breathing quicken, cold sweat gradually bead on her forehead, and her expression darken, Tōga adapted to local customs and administered a harsh dose of persuasion.

"Chieftain Nuregarasu, you wouldn't want anything unfortunate to happen after you die, would you?"

For some reason, the moment Tōga said those words, the atmosphere within the barrier turned strange.

Tōga felt rather like a thug forcing a frail young girl into prostitution.

He instinctively glanced toward the top of the cliff, where Ringetsu was still bathing in the moonlight.

As he breathed a sigh of relief, he turned his gaze back to Nuregarasu.

With her most vulnerable point firmly in his grasp, the young chieftain trembled slightly and gave Tōga a complicated look.

Nuregarasu was not someone who could not tell good from bad. Continuing to refuse would mean rejecting his courtesy only to invite punishment.

Silently reaching out to pick up the Wind-Thunder Jewel, Nuregarasu could feel the wind and thunder power within it, purer even than her own.

It could not only ease her injuries but also increase her strength.

Even the half-ruined Thunder Spear now had a chance of being repaired.

With all those benefits, coupled with the Dog General's blatant "threat"...

Nuregarasu brought two pale, slender fingers together, raised her sleeve to cover her lips, and slipped the Wind-Thunder Jewel into her mouth.

As the jewel passed down the girl's slender, fair throat and into her stomach, the power of wind and thunder rapidly spread through Nuregarasu's body.

That powerful, pure energy surged through her, bringing a strange sensation in which tingling numbness mingled with stinging pain.

Her eyes drifted shut, her long lashes trembling, and an expression of mingled intoxication and release rose on her face.

The soothing pleasure that followed made Nuregarasu bite down hard on her lower lip.

Yet tiny moans still escaped between her teeth, like the first drop of meltwater when spring ice cracked.

Then came the second drop, and the third.

At last, as though she had given up resisting altogether, her enticing soft moans echoed faintly within the barrier.

The Karasu Tengu Chieftain barely maintained her prim, upright posture, half her face hidden behind her sleeve.

Her dark red eyes held both reproach and delight, reflecting the handsome Admiral who had witnessed every moment of her embarrassing display, and her heart fluttered.

What a naughty dog~