The snow has finally melted and spring has sprung.
Now, I am surrounded by cheers. But it's only the cheers of demons.
The previous autumn, I had taken them under my command? The harpies I had assigned to them had laid eggs, and the chicks had hatched from them. All 84 harpies, including the general harpy, have gathered in the stable of my house, and it's a big mess.
Harpy eggs take a long time to hatch. It takes about a month. Just after the new year, General Harpy (now called Geneha) asked me if I would like to add to my family, and I agreed. Four harpies were to be born this time, and they were to live in the stable of the house, Geneha's residence, until the eggs were laid and kept warm until they hatched.
Generally, harpies live in groups, helping each other until they hatch. They eat and follow each other until they hatch. This is said to be the reason for the strong sense of camaraderie among the harpies.
All four chicks look healthy and will live here until the day they are ready to fly.
The harpies are working, of course. They hunt demons from the forest every day. Mostly orcs and other meaty creatures, but they also bring in a variety of fruits. Thanks to them, my house has an abundant surplus of food. The surplus meat is bought by a hotel that serves a delicious beef stew.
Sometimes I cook food for the harpy. Zenzai, fried rice, karaage, tempura, and so on. When I prepare the food for them, they bring it back to their nests with great joy.
"All right, I'll make some o-hagi (rice balls) to celebrate the addition of new friends!"
"Peeeeeeeee!"
I spent a whole day making a hundred huge, ridiculous rice cakes. Needless to say, everyone was overjoyed at the exquisite taste.
While everyone was enjoying the o-hagi with great delight, I found a shrine by the well behind the kitchen. Hate? There was nothing like this...? I wondered why, so I appraised it,
A shrine dedicated to the fox god. It has the power to communicate with the fox god. It has a power that is connected to the fox-god.
The answer is "yes". It is not an evil thing. Since it said "fox god," I assumed that Gon must have made it, and I offered leftover o-hagi and two kinds of fried bean curd there.
When night fell and I told Gon about it, his humanization melted away and he began to shake and tremble.
"It's finally here, isn't it? I guess you couldn't miss it after all..."
Gon begins to cry. This is unusual. I asked him what was wrong.
We white foxes, the resident foxes of the fox-god, must visit the fox-god, Ohii-sama, once every three years to see how he is doing. There, they are examined to see how they have lived for three years, and if they are good, they are raised in rank, and if they are bad, at worst, their status as a household member is taken away from them.
"I am proud to say that I am appreciated for transforming the Great Demon King and avenging the death of the fox Piaolan, but I am sure that I will be blamed for abandoning the position I was given and living a self-indulgent life day after day without giving any benefits after that. I am afraid. The ladies who serve the Princess are so mean that just thinking about what they will say to me weakens my will to live.
Ah, the so-called "bureaucrats". But Gon is a successful farmer in this house. He even manages to grow sweet tomatoes. More importantly, he's been an interpreter between me and the demons and a mediator for many of them. It is thanks to Gon that I have the life I have today.
"I'm glad to hear you say so, but I can't tell lies to you, Ohihi-sama. He has the divine power to see everything I do, so if he sees what I have been doing, he will be absolutely furious.
Hey Gong, what did you do without my knowledge? No, no, no, no, tell me, I won't get mad. Maybe we can work together to find a way out of this. Okay? I won't be mad, just tell me, okay?
"...actually..."
I'm so disappointed to hear that. It seems that this stupid fox had been secretly buying prostitutes with a free card from the brothel "Milaya" and playing with them, taking advantage of the fact that I was not using the brothel. He claimed that he was practicing humanization, but I, as a fellow male, could never accept such an excuse. He climbed up the ladder of adulthood before I did. Oh, no... How can I do this?
"No, the women of Milan are very talented. I don't know how many times they have made me dizzy. When those hands are gently tracing my back....... I'm going to Milaya for a change of pace. Would you like to join us? Guh heh heh heh heh."
You erotic fox. How many times have you been there? The women of Milaya are to be feared. I confiscated Miraya's card silently.
Because of this Gon, he will probably be severely punished. The exclusive member of the board, who is supposed to give benefits to others, was happy to be given benefits by others. It is a gross dereliction of duty.
But if Gon is punished severely, he will lose his current abilities. That would be a problem for me. Gon has been a good encyclopedia for me, not only as an interpreter but also as a teacher of the common knowledge and characteristics of demons. To be a mere fox is quite painful.
"Do I have to go to this grandmother's place by myself? If it's possible, I'd be happy to go with you and make you an offer..."
"Some of us have been there in the past with a companion, so I think it's probably safe..."
But what?
"The lady attendant to the princess is mean to a first-time visitor. I have been told quite harsh things myself, so it pains me to see other people feel the same way.
"Well, isn't that how bureaucrats are? What did Gong say to you?"
"He said I don't even know how to say hello. I have lived among humans for 200 years and I was confident in my ability to greet people in public. But they snickered at me and called me a bad-mannered fox. I still remember that frustration to this day.
"That's terrible. What kind of greeting did Gong give? I'll take a look at it myself."
Gon straightened his posture, coughed, and said
"I am happy to see you here today, and I am glad to see you. It is said that there are three bags that one must not forget. That is, one's endurance bag, one's purse bag, and one's mother..."
...Isn't that a wedding greeting? That's right, the bureaucrats would have a field day with me.