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Chapter 330: Mikado, and the Spirit of Snow.

(Note: since the author isn’t exactly clear on which one he’s using in the text, I’m using “Mikado” and “emperor of Eashen” interchangeably in this chapter. Just a heads up.)

“I don’t know much about the Mikado-degozaru yo. Someone like that is far out of my reach- degozattashi.”

Was Yae’s reply when I asked her about the emperor of Eashen.

The Mikado really is a mysterious figure… Apparently none except the lords that act as his/her close aides are even allowed to see him/her. Is the emperor a hikkikomori?

For now, let’s try contacting Ieyasu-san and asking if he can arrange a meeting for us.

As Eashen has not been officially included within the World Alliance yet, I did not give a mass- production model smartphone to Ieyasu-san. As such, because I have to send a letter expressing my intents to the other side via a gate mirror, I wrote an official letter with the Brunhild coat of arms on it and sent it off.

A few days later, I received a letter which said the Mikado is willing to meet with me, so I brought Yae along and transferred ourselves to Ieyasu-san’s castle in Oedo.

“Well, it’s really been a while, Touya-dono.”

“I’m relieved to see Ieyasu-san’s doing well.”

Ieyasu-san, who seems to have gained some weight, greeted us with the same friendly smile as before.

We’re brought to a separate room and served some tea. It’s houjicha. Delicious.

It’s been a while since I’ve been in a tatami room too. As expected, coming to Eashen is really calming for me.

“Thank you for the large amount of rice the other day. They were very delicious. Yae was eating them up every single day…”

“That, that was due to Claire-dono’s cooking being too excellent, and as such I couldn’t stop my chopsticks… Wai—why are you talking about something like that here-degozaru ka! Touya- dono, you meanie-degozaru!”

I then had to soothe Yae who turned her back to me while puffing up her red cheeks. I wasn’t meaning it in that way when I said that though…

The way Yae heartily chomps down on food is something heartwarming to see for me. It gives me a feeling of, “It’s peaceful isn’t it~”, or something like that. I love that part of her as well, after all.

“Hahaha, it’s good that your relationship is close. When Yae-dono was still in Eashen, she was someone who devoted herself to nothing but sword training… She sure has changed a lot from just obtaining a man she loves, eh?”

“L-love, to say, that… Um… That…”

Upon hearing Ieyasu-san’s teasing words, Yae became even redder and pitched her body forward. She covered her face with both of her hands, and would sometimes take a peek over here before turning down again from embarrassment. Uwa, what is this cute living thing!? I want to give her a hug right this instant!

As expected, that would be bad in this place though. I restrained myself, gave a dry cough, and moved onto the main topic at hand.

“And so, about the Mikado…”

“The Mikado is not here in Oedo, but in Kyoto’s imperial palace. With Touya-dono’s transfer magic, it’s an easy trip. Of course, I’ll be going along with you.”

(Note: the raw used キョウの都 , which I remember reading somewhere to be the way Japanese refer to Kyoto in the old times. I’m not sure on this one, however… Could be one of those fake knowledges instilled in me by animes.)

Kyoto, eh. Well, I did think it would be there somehow.

The important matter of information regarding the Mikado was not given. Something like “You’ll know when you see him/her.”

Although the emperor of Eashen, the Mikado does not actually partake in politics. Up until now, it was a system where each of the feudal lords took control of their own territories, and although there were the occasional troubles, Eashen had been maintaining its state as a single country while delicately balancing various matters.

Having said that, in recent years, someone with the ambition to replace the Mikado appeared. That someone is Oda Nobunaga.

Nobunaga sought to unite Eashen under his rule and waged war against the other feudal lords, but due to the betrayal of one of his aides, Akechi Mitsuhide, he lost his life while leaving his ambitions unfulfilled.

Looking back, the one who had fueled the ambitions in Nobunaga’s heart might have been the monkey who named himself Hashiba Hideyoshi… I’m somewhat suspicious that all that was the work of the subordinate god who had hidden himself behind Hideyoshi’s fa?ade back then.

(Note: kinda late and also useless reminder. All the names the author used sounds exactly the same as their actual historic counterparts, but the kanji used for the name in the raw has been changed, such that they sound the same but are actually different. Just a point to note.)

In the end, that whole mess had greatly upset the power balance between each of the feudal lords, and Ieyasu-san had jumped to the top from within that mess.

Anyways, if the other side is willing to meet, then there’s no harm in going. If you ask me, honestly I wouldn’t mind if Ieyasu-san had simply become the Eashen representative for the alliance, but it’ll be troublesome if others came to me later and complained about it.

Using [Recall], I received memories of Kyoto, and proceeded to open a [Gate] there.

Like that, I transferred to Kyoto together with Yae, Ieyasu-san and several guards who followed along.

“Haa—a… I see, so this is Kyoto…”

Should I say it’s exactly as I expected… It’s a perfect replication of one of those Heian-era depictions of the capital you see in historical dramas. Really, isn’t the flow of time a bit weird in this place? There’s even a cow carriage. Makes me wonder if some noble wouldn’t suddenly pop up and say something like “Let’s be relaxed about this-ojaru.”

In front of us is a giant vermillion gate, and behind is a wide road that stretches out far off into the distance. A five-fold tower-like building can be seen in the distance as well. Is this road

we’re on something like Suzaku Avenue in the old Kyoto?

The vermillion gate opened with a loud squeaking sound once Ieyasu-san announced his arrival.

While being guided by people wearing clothes that make them look like Heian-era nobles, we removed our shoes and went deeper into the palace that looked like a shrine.

Having been walking between similarly-looking vermillion-colored pillars for a while, I almost feel like I’m lost inside an oriental labyrinth.

And at last, the man who had been guiding us stopped before a pair of majestic sliding doors that probably leads to the deepest room in this palace.

The guide slowly pulled open the sliding doors to reveal a wide tatami-floored room and a raised seat of honor in the back, separated from the room by a bamboo curtain.

There’s unmistakeably a presence behind the curtain. The emperor of Eashen, huh.

After having Ieyasu-san’s guards wait outside, the sliding doors are closed once again. We proceeded to walk up to the curtain, before Ieyasu-san stopped us at a good spot.

“Your Majesty. This is the Sovereign of Brunhild Dukedom, Mochizuki Touya.”

Ieyasu-san changed his way of speaking, and bowed down deeply while sitting down on the tatami. While Yae too had sat down and lowered her head deeply, I’m neither someone born in this country nor one of its vassals, so I didn’t follow suit.

Even though small, I’m nevertheless the representative of a whole country, so I can’t lower my head easily. Or so I thought while trying to look cool, but I was actually almost made to bow down as well following the atmosphere in the place. Well, if it’s just a light bow I think there wouldn’t be any problems…

“Thank you for coming, Your Majesty the Sovereign King.”

The bamboo curtains are pulled up smoothly before one person came down from the seat of honor.

The one who appeared is wearing a junihitoe based on a light peach and white color tone. A beautiful woman, with skin as white as snow and, to my slightly surprise, long hair that were even whiter than that.

This is unexpected. The Mikado was an empress, eh?

Still, there’s something even more surprising than that; her two eyes were bright red, and two small horns grew out of her forehead.

Oni. That word floated up within my brain… No, rather than an oni, is she a horned person… A demi-human?

“My name is Shirahime. I’ve been acting as the emperor of Eashen for around two thousand

years now.”

“Ah, hello… Mochizuki Touya.”

Two thousand years… Is she perhaps a member of a race with a long lifespan like Her Majesty the Empress of Elfrau? Eh? But I’m pretty sure that although the horned people do live longer than regular human, they don’t have that much of a long lifespan…

Also, this feeling I’m getting from Her Majesty in front of me… Where have I… Ah.

“Have you noticed? Yes, I’m not a normal demi-human. While my father had indeed been a member of the horned people, my mother was a spirit.”

Shirahime-san smiled lightly. Oh, that’s it. Right, her aura feels somewhat similar to that of a spirit.

Even a spirit can give birth to a child if she turns into a human. Still, that process is something that could shave away a huge portion of the spirit’s power, and at worst, it could even lead to her death.

Of course, spirits can’t die in the literal sense of the word, but the resurrected spirit wouldn’t be the same existence as the one that had disappeared. I wonder if the spirit who had been

Shirahime-san’s mother had made the decision while knowing full well the potential consequences…

“Originally, as a person who has the blood of a spirit flowing in her veins, I should be bowing down in order to greet you who has been crowned the king of spirits, so please forgive me for not being able to do so. I’m also one who represents a country, after all.”

“Ah… Well, don’t worry about it. On a side note, who did you even hear that from?”

“A dependant of the spirit of ice. Since the spirit of ice is someone like my aunt, her dependant teaches me a lot of things.”

“And Shirahime-san’s mother would be…”

“The spirit of snow. She was a gentle mother to me.”

I see, the spirit of snow. That would explain the features of the one before me.

The spirit of snow is someone on the same tier as the spirit of ice, a spirit only one level lower than the arch-spirits. A high-ranking spirit like her appearing on the surface world should be something extremely rare…

Apparently, when Shirahime-san was still young, her mother, the spirit of snow, had lost her powers and disappeared.

“I’ve actually been meaning to thank Your Majesty the Sovereign King since a while ago. Regarding the matter with Hashiba Hideyoshi.”

“That monkey?”

“While it’s a shameful story, I could not oppose that person for some reason. His appointment as a feudal lord was also pushed through rather forcefully by the person himself…”

Well, even if he’s rotten, he’s still a subordinate god, a member of the divine. To Shirahime- san who had a half-spirit lineage, it must be tough to oppose the strong coercion of that guy…

“When Ieyasu over there had subjugated Hideyoshi, I had felt a weight lift off my chest. Thank you for that.”

“Such words are wasted on me…”

Ieyasu-san said that while still bowing down on the floor. Er, shouldn’t it be fine for you to lift your head by now?

“And then, regarding the meeting this time…”

“Ah, yes. You see…”

I sat down together with Shirahime-san, and began discussing various matters.

The matter regarding Eashen officially joining of the World Alliance has been approved, and Shirahime had also expressed her intent to participate in the coming alliance meeting. Well, the next meeting also has the leisure segment at the royalty’s private beach in Egret, so her junihitoe might be a bit troublesome to handle…

Also, to her who has the blood of the spirit of snow, the blazing tropical sun could be bad on her in some ways; that needs to be considered too.

After that, I passed two mass-production model white smartphones to Shirahime-san and Ieyasu-san, and taught them the operation basics.

Surprisingly, Shirahime-san managed to get used to the smartphone a lot faster than Ieyasu- san did, and started taking pictures of various things in the room with the camera function while having a nice smile. Seems like she likes it.

“That reminds me, there was one thing I wanted to ask after hearing the talk earlier. Shirahime-san’s mother… Has the spirit of snow ever appeared in front of you again after she disappeared?”

If that was when Shirahime-san was still young, that means a long time has already passed. The spirit of snow should’ve already revived by now…

“Once a spirit is gone from this world, when it revives again it will be as a separate individual. She would no longer be my mother. I doubt she would have any reaction even if the current spirit of snow did see me.”

I couldn’t find the right words to say towards Shirahime-san who had a lonely smile.

It’s true that the spirit of darkness whom I’ve defeated once in the past appeared to have become a different individual when I met her in the Spirit Realm, and also lost her memories from before. Still, I don’t think everything would be lost. The spirit of snow should be able to feel something from Shirahime-san as one born from her own blood, no matter how faint.

“Should I try calling her?”

“My mother…? Is that possible?”

“It is. Of course, there’s a large possibility that she would not remember you, but I believe that she should be able to feel something from her own child.”

Shirahime-san showed some hesitation for a while, but eventually gave a small nod.

Normally, I would require some sort of medium (in this case snow) to call out the spirit in question, but I’m tentatively someone shouldering the title of Spirit King, so I should be able to make do without.

I roused some divinity within myself and called out to the Spirit Realm.

“[In the name of the Spirit King. Come forth, O Spirit of Snow.]”

As I had said that in the spirit language, no one else here had understood that sentence. Rather than paying heed to that, however, everyone else was staring in shock at the sight of large amounts of snow fluttering down from somewhere within the room.

The snow started converging, before forming themselves into one shape in front of me.

…I just remembered, but when they revive spirits could lose not just their past memories but also basic personality traits and even genders, right… W-what do I do, what if it’s a macho old man that appeared here… It could become a trauma for Shirahime-san. I might’ve been too hasty…

Thankfully, the appearance of the spirit of snow who had manifested in front of me was that of a beautiful woman. Guess I was worried for nothing.

White hair and white skin. She looks pretty similar to Shirahime-san, eh? They can pass off as sisters, really. Well, except the spirit doesn’t have horns and red eyes.

Oya? She didn’t come here in a spiritual form, but a material one. Is it a body made out of snow?

Before long, the icy-blue eyes of the spirit of snow opened, and looked around the room when she caught Shirahime-san in her eyes.

“M, mo, ther…?”

The spirit of snow turned a troubled smile towards Shirahime-san who asked that with a shaking voice. I asked the spirit of snow in an uneasy voice.

“As expected, do you not remember?”

“… Yes. I can only recall hazy memories. However, I have the conviction that the one before me is my child. My very important… Dearest child. My heart is telling me so.”

“Gu… Mo, ther…”

The spirit of snow silently embraced Shirahime-san who had started sobbing. The emperor of Eashen, from whose eyes large drops of tears are spilling out, wrapped her hands around the spirit of snow in a similar fashion and hugger her close.

Since her body is made from snow, it should be freezing to the touch; however, not minding small details like that, Shirahime-san buried her face within the spirit of snow’s bosom and cried. Well, she is the daughter of the spirit of snow, so it isn’t weird for her to have high resistance to cold anyway.

When I looked besides me, Yae was supressing her voice while bawling at the touching family reunion in front of her. She’s even dripping snot from her nose.

“Gu… Uue… That’s, that’s great-degozaru…”

“Sigh… Here.”

I took out a handkerchief and wiped her face for her. Yae is as easily-touched as ever, huh. I like such innocent parts about her too, though. Even though Yae would be angry if I ever said that I think it’s cute in front of her.

“Ugu… Uuu… That’s great, Your Majesty…”

When I turned my head to look towards another sobbing voice I heard, I saw Ieyasu-san looking up towards the ceiling with tears flowing down his face. You too!? Eh, I won’t be lending you handkerchiefs, ok?

“O king of spirits. Even though it was you who have called me forth, could you forgive the impoliteness of me forging a contract with this child instead?”

“Mm. It’s no problem for me anyway.”

I didn’t call her out with the intention of forming a contract, and in any case, I can call on them even without contracts anyway. Rather than me, the spirit of snow should be happier if she’s together with Shirahime-san.

“From now on, I’ll always be with you. Whenever you’re in pain or in sorrow, I shall protect you, support you, and step forth together with you into the next day. My dearest child. May you be blessed.”

“Mother…”

The spirit of snow turned into particles of light and disappeared, leaving a marble-sized whitish spirit stone on Shirahime-san’s palm.

I asked to receive that spirit stone from Shirahime-san, and pulled out a block of mithril from [Storage] before proceeding to make a bracelet embedded with the snow spirit stone using [Modelling]. With this, it would be easy to keep on her person.

Shirahime-san received the bracelet from me, and hugged it close to her with a gentle motion.

“I thank you for this most extravagant gift. Your Majesty the Brunhild Dukedom Sovereign. Let us walk together on the path of peace and prosperity as friends, and as fellow rulers.”

“Yes. My best regards to you too henceforth.”

I shook the hand that was presented to me by Shirahime-san. Perhaps due to hugging the spirit of snow earlier, her hand had a coldness to it; it was a gentle, comfortable coldness.

- Pixel