[Part 1/4]
'Repeat after me. Immediately drop your weapons and surrender. If not, I will execute all of you right here and now. If you want to live a little longer, it's best to obey without hesitation. ...Aka-bouchou, you too need to understand your position well and make the best choice.'
In a calm, cold, and serious tone, the representative of the Tengu armed group declares. The surrounding troops respond to this declaration with even more hostility. They point various weapons such as the shakujo (Buddhist staff), bows, swords, spears, hammers, ropes, and conch shells... the youkai birds roar and threaten.
"This is... going to be bad."
The female Tengu whispered, trying to sound tough. Sweat dripped from her forehead, and her mouth was twisted. Her beauty was distorted by anguish.
"We've been set up. I thought with all that raging, they were just a hot-headed brute... but they're cunning like a snake."
Tsuchigumo was like that too. Despite being a youkai fallen to the dark side and acting foolishly, she strangely never let her guard down. Well, maybe it's because sh heas fallen into that youkai state?
"It's quite surprising, isn't it? After all the beating we took, I never thought they'd see us as much of a threat. ...Well, it was certainly a ruthless move. I never expected them to aim for our complete surrender at this moment. It might serve as a good example, though."
"...Are they going to break the curse-contract?"
Inaba-hime, who had somehow ended up next to me, had a skeptical expression as she made her guess.
Curse Art-like contract is an absolute rule that never allows for any changes. Depending on its nature, a sworn agreement can sometimes force certain actions, interfere with someone's fate, or even take their life. The consequences of breaking an agreement are incredibly heavy, and it requires the same level of commitment as risking your life... It's common knowledge for anyone from an exorcist family. From Inaba-hime's perspective, Tengu's actions are just unbelievable.
"...Surely, it was the Bouchou group who made the blood contract."
I touch my chest to feel the sensation. Most likely, just like us, the leaders who ordered this siege have the same contract on their chests.
"So, does this mean that only the leaders have the contract, and not the others?"
Aka-bouchou nods with a bitter expression in response to my question. The commander over there is not Bouchou, but the next in line. And everyone who swore the contract is a Bouchou. And the call to the female Tengu... they made up their minds for the sake of the village and the "mother."
(This was unexpected. They are not afraid to sacrifice their lives.)
Just like humans, or maybe even more selfish, youkai are willing to sacrifice themselves. There may be some insect-type youkai who sacrifice themselves for the greater good, but for a bird-type youkai with at least average intelligence to pledge such loyalty to the queen, it's unexpected.
"..."
"...What's with that look?"
"It's nothing. What do you plan to do?"
Aka-bouchou is a tough and rebellious leader, with a hint of tsundere attitude. With the queen's command at stake and the remaining executives ready to sacrifice, it was hard to predict what choice Aka-bouchou would make. There was no bright outcome in sight. Right now, the chances of us being caught and surrendering, Inaba-hime and I, are fifty-fifty or more. Are we in trouble?
"By the way, what will you do if I meet your expectations, monkey?"
Aka-bouchou glanced at me with a side-eye. She observed me closely, as if probing for weaknesses, never averting her gaze, not even blinking, just keeping her eyes on me.
"I'll resist with all my might alongside Inaba-hime. And then, we'll go kill that scumbag snake. Isn't that obvious? Surrendering won't benefit us in the slightest."
If we resist, we'll die. But if we surrender, we'll probably die too. So, if there's even the slightest chance, I won't just obediently get caught here. I'll struggle with all my might, even if it's futile.
"I see. That's a tough situation."
Whistling as if it's none of their concern, Aka-bouchou slowly draws a dagger from her pocket. Inaba-hime quickly grabs a weapon too. Myself, Inaba-hime, and the female Tengu exchange glances.
"It's hard to trust what others are truly thinking, right? You never know if they're being sincere."
"Yeah, tell me about it. Especially when dealing with monkeys."
"Mutual understanding is tough. Absolutely."
Hahaha, both of us laughed awkwardly, filling the room with dry laughter. The tension was clear. We drew our Tanto swords completely out of our sheaths, and the glimmer of the blades ominously illuminated the dimly lit room.
"Yeah, it's really difficult to trust others."
"Yeah, it's a shame."
"Yeah, it is."
And then, the female Tengu, after finishing her conversation, prepared her blade... and cut her own thumb.
"What...!?"
"What do you mean, it's a blood contract?"
Inaba-hime was dumbfounded by the unexpected action. Ignoring her, the Tengu casually took out a scroll from her pocket and dipped the brush in the blood flowing from her thumb, using it as ink to write something on the scroll. She acknowledged it, stamped it with her blood, and pushed it onto her.
It was a Curse Art contract. The contents stated the absolute compliance with the initial agreement. Not betraying, protecting the person hired as an assassin with all their might, and not breaking any of it. In short, it meant that she would become our shield and obey all our unreasonable demands. It was almost like a one-sided contract.
"...Are you serious about this?"
"Well, it's a two-way street, you know. Besides, I don't want to stand downwind of that damn snake. It's inevitable that I'll be used as pawns. And above all... I'm scared of the lecture from Mother after handing you guys over."
Her confession of reasons were unclear whether it was a joke or serious, but the last sentence seemed strangely sincere, and she did indeed seem afraid of it. She shouldn't have to worry about the lecture since she'll probably die for breaking the contract after handing us over, but still.
"That's fine, but... we have two problems."
"One is the people outside. What's the other one?"
"The safety of Middle Counselor (Chuunagon). Do you think he's being held hostage... or rather, he is?"
The female Tengu pondered silently for a moment at my question. Then she shrugged as if she understood.
"That's not a problem. Don't worry."
"Do you have any countermeasure in place?"
"As you can imagine, things have been tense up there even before you guys arrived. We're taking precautions so that our valuable pawns won't be snatched away."
Insurance, huh? Not really the time to talk about the details.
"Oh well. As long as his safety is guaranteed, it's fine. So the only problem now is the immediate task..."
Forcing our way through is not practical, but quietly sneaking out is also quite difficult. In that case...
"You mean persuasion, right? Can you do it?"
"What do you think? As a fellow member of the Tengu family?"
"Well, I don't know... judging from the situation, some half-hearted deception won't cut it, I guess."
While saying it as if it's someone else's problem, the female Tengu returns the contract to me. After confirming the blood contract that I also pressed, I snap my fingers and instantly burn the scroll with a fire technique. The flames, which turned from crimson to blue Will-o'-the-Wisp, wrap around her dominant arm and leave a burnt mark like embroidery.
"Ouch! You've hurt my beautiful soft skin. ...I've already come to regret it."
"You made the commitment. Don't give up. So, what now? What are you going to do? Sorry, but I'm not all talk."
I shrugged my shoulders at Tengu, who seemed disheartened. Then, I steered the conversation back to the main point. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep goofing around forever.
"Tch... Well, I guess I'll give convincing a try. Don't get your hopes up, though."
In other words, it was a way to buy time and come up with clever words to persuade, despite having a dull mind.
"We have no choice, huh? ...The real issue is whether we can handle this situation well."
This was a seriously troubling matter. I had thought of a grand plan to deal with the tricky situation with the snake, but without practice... the moment I made a misstep, the others outside would be completely disappointed and give up on me. If that happened, it would be over.
"Hey..."
Inaba-hime, who had been staring at me the whole time, finally spoke to me and the female tengu.
"What's wrong?"
"I want you to tell me. What do we need right now? ...Maybe, I can be of help?"
In the end, with a sense of ambiguity, the princess of Kakitsugi posed a question while showing off her weapon...
'Ah, so you've come out, Aka-bouchou. However... it's unfortunate. For someone like the leader of the Bougumi to make such a foolish decision.'
Those were the first words spoken to the Bougumi leader, Shinbouchou Kaede, as she revealed herself at the door to greet the Anma Tengu clan. More accurately, they were words of scorn directed at the curse marks engraved on her displayed arm.
"You talk big, don't you, Matsuhana? Since when did a mere assistant of the Ao-Bougumi become able to engage in combat play?"
Ignoring the scorn directed towards her, the hostility aimed at her, and even the countless blades pointed at her, Kaede provocatively challenged the leader of the army.
As one of the eight divisions governing various fields in the Tengu village, the Ao-Bougumi is in charge of record keeping and accounting, primarily dealing with administrative matters. They are essentially the opposite of the combat-specialized Aka-Bougumi. Moreover, it should have been unthinkable for a mere vice leader to wield weapons and show hostility towards the leaders of other divisions, considering the perspective of maintaining order.
Normally...
"If we're talking about leadership, shouldn't it be Kuro-Bouchou who steps in instead of you? Even if you guys accept that, I'm still your superior. This isn't right. You guys, who are always nagging about discipline and rules, shouldn't you be ashamed of trampling on them yourselves?"
'Shut up. Are you the one to speak? You, who suggested relying on those monkeys? And what's the result? It's a mess... Don't you understand the severity of the situation?'
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