In Choyo-machi, before the Cat Izakaya, human officials faced Owl. The scene that had just unfolded left the surrounding yokai in astonishment. How could the human Emperor possibly bestow a title upon a yokai? What kind of situation was this?
Faced with this unprecedented sight, the yokai were filled with confusion. However, after Miketsu spoke, they understood the underlying meaning: the human court wanted to use this enfeoffment to win over Owl? To win over the demon realm? Having deciphered this, the yokai immediately began to whisper amongst themselves, and a flurry of hushed conversations filled the air.
Within the circle of yokai, the lead official’s face was drenched in sweat. Clearly, Owl’s response had exceeded his expectations. He had never encountered such bluntness when conveying imperial decrees in the court or provinces, completely disregarding the Emperor’s or the court’s dignity by directly stating the hidden implications.
“Um… Lord Owl… this, this is His Majesty the Emperor’s grace, not some… um… attempt to win you over…” The official stammered. If he were speaking to a human, he would have reprimanded them on the spot for words like Miketsu’s.
“Heh, there’s no need to be so secretive. Yokai are not like you humans; the higher your position, the more circuitous and pompous you become… Just speak directly about what you want…” Miketsu chuckled softly, then her gaze swept over the armor displayed on the trays held by the attendants.
Miketsu understood the intentions of the Onmyoryo and the Yamato Court very well. She knew that the situation in Heian-kyo for humans was dire. Due to a series of incidents, the Four Symbols Array, originally the ultimate defense of the human realm, had suffered significant damage. Only one of the Four Divine Generals was usable, the others being completely or partially incapacitated. This meant Heian-kyo’s defensive capabilities against the demon realm had been weakened to an extremely low point. The human high-ranking officials were deeply worried about this situation. They were desperately trying to find new power to strengthen Heian-kyo’s defenses and maintain deterrence against other Yokai Lords. Otherwise, if a Yokai Lord were to invade, everything would be in peril.
For the current court and Onmyoryo, the best target for alliance was Owl, who commanded the demon realm of Heian-kyo, possessed the strength of a Yokai Lord, adhered to the path of Ninkyo, and held a tolerant attitude towards humans. If a Yokai Lord of their own could emerge in the Kinki region, it would greatly deter those Yokai Lords coveting Heian-kyo.
The Onmyoryo’s idea was sound, but such a method presented many problems in practice. A crucial point was that in the view of ordinary citizens and Kizoku, the image of yokai remained terrifying, evil, cruel, and bloodthirsty. How could the court, as the central authority, and the Emperor, as the revered representative, noble and sacred, condescend to cooperate with lowly yokai? Had the Great Clans become so incompetent that they could no longer protect the human realm?
Such doubts, if allowed to fester among the populace and in the provinces, would damage the Yamato Court’s prestige and cause them to lose face. However, cooperating with Owl to maintain Heian-kyo’s deterrence against other Yokai Lords was an urgent matter. Thus, under these circumstances, the human court conceived the seemingly ridiculous idea of enfeoffing a yokai.
The court’s enfeoffment of the Great Yokai Owl made her nominally subservient to the court. The court was not begging yokai for help but rather subduing a yokai… Therefore, Miketsu understood that this enfeoffment was specifically designed for public consumption. It was a means for the court to cooperate with Owl while preserving its own prestige, specifically to silence the critics of the world. Before the public, the court could not bring itself to admit that it actively needed the help of yokai.
Heh, humans are such a bother…
Miketsu, who had once been human herself, couldn’t help but inwardly grumble after realizing this. To be honest, although Miketsu disliked such convoluted methods, the court’s enfeoffment for Miketsu was quite sincere. They had given Owl the title of Great General for Subduing Evil, which clearly indicated the highest official rank, the first rank. However, Miketsu simply didn’t care much for such empty titles.
Miketsu looked at the trays in the humans’ hands, extended her own, and picked up the armor helmet from the tray before her. This action drew the attention of everyone present, both humans and yokai. They wanted to hear how Owl would respond to this so-called enfeoffment from the court.
Miketsu held the general’s helmet, then exerted a slight force, directly crushing a large part of it. Her action startled all the humans present, causing cold sweat to break out on their backs.
“Take these useless trinkets back. And tell those court nobles: whatever titles you wish to bestow upon me is your business, but I will not obey anyone because of them…” Miketsu responded directly, her meaning clear: your court can bestow whatever titles you wish upon me, I will tacitly accept them all. You can use them to silence those who criticize, but do not think you can use these illusory titles to issue any commands to me.
Upon hearing Miketsu’s words, the official let out a long sigh of relief. He then bowed deeply to Miketsu, respectfully saying,
“Understood, General…”
…
Watching the court officials disappear into the distance down the street, escorted by Onmyoji and samurai, Miketsu turned her head to the sky, where the moon was already setting in the west, and softly said,
“Let’s go, Makoto.”
“Yes, Great General…” Makoto replied to Miketsu, who paused slightly, looking at Makoto with a hint of curiosity.
“Great General? Why did you think of using that title?”
“Because Lord Owl, your strength and status are no longer what they once were. You need a more imposing title, don’t you~” It wasn’t Makoto who answered Miketsu, but Konkiku, the white fox beside her, wagging her tail.
“Heh… This is your idea, Konkiku…” Looking at the white fox, Miketsu roughly understood what was happening.
“Ehehe~ The Great Commander understands me best! Yes, I always felt ‘Lord Owl’ wasn’t imposing enough. Now that those humans have given you the title of Great General, let’s just go along with it. ‘Great General commanding the yokai of the capital,’ ‘Great Commander of the Hundred Demons’ Night Parade,’ I think these titles suit Lord Owl perfectly~” Konkiku thought aloud, jumping up excitedly. Hearing Konkiku’s words, many other yokai nearby suddenly had their eyes light up.
“Yokai Great General… Oh~ I think that really works! Lord Owl, with a title like that, more yokai will come to join us.” The Cat Shop Owner at the Cat Izakaya said, her eyes sparkling.
“Great Commander of the Hundred Demons’ Night Parade? Ha… What a cool title!” Slippery Nura said enthusiastically, seemingly very interested in these titles as well.
Konkiku’s words seemed to open a floodgate, leading to a lively discussion among the yokai present. It seemed all the yokai were quite taken with the unprecedented title of “Yokai Great General.” Seeing this, Miketsu couldn’t help but chuckle and shake her head.
It seemed Owl’s alias was about to accumulate several new designations.
Rate on N.U.
