Chapter 234

Outcome [Part 1]

What the Stuart family had brought to Imperial Japan was too great.

Emperor Yukarinomiya Hinomoto, along with Shogun Fujiyoshirou Toyotomi, had witnessed a miracle.

Because that Over had been exterminated without even a single trunk left.

The family headed straight to the propagation place of Over upon arriving in Imperial Japan a month ago. That night, the magic stone tablet shone.

Without heeding the samurais’ persuasion and warning, they went to the main cause of Imperial Japan’s ruin. The Emperor and the Shogun believed without doubt that the magic stone tablet had brought the news of the family’s death.

Mitsunari Ishida’s voice shook the whole time he was reading the message on the magic stone tablet.

Perhaps he read it that way so the Emperor and the Shogun would believe it?

“T-This is Fukushima… T-The giant(?) insects the family brought… huh? …have crushed Over…! Similarly, the cats the family brought have caught all the seeds Over launched(?). We will keep up the pace and continue cutting down Over in this area… ?!“

“Huh?“

Hearing that report, the Emperor and the Shogun thought.

Such an impossible thing…

Fukushima must have gone mad from the unbearable despair.

There’s no way insects, something like insects, can crush Over.

And for cats, an animal, to catch the seeds is just ridiculous.

“My Lord, Your Imperial Majesty, I’m concerned for Fukushima. Could I please beg for your permission to go over to take a look at the situation there?” Katou, who had been holding himself back, requested with a grim expression.

“Katou, Over‘s seeds have already started flying. There’s no guarantee you can make it back alive if you go there now. You know that, don’t you?“

“Will you still go despite that…” the Shogun asked, even though he fully knew that it was useless to stop this subordinate of his, who he had looked after since he was a child.

“All this time, I’ve only had one year left to live. With how it is now… what more should I hesitate about? What can possibly waver me when most of my friends are now in the world after death rather than in the world of the living?“

Katou, who was ready to die when he proceeded toward the propagation place of Over, came back the next day with a large amount of meat. He reported with a mysterious look, looking as unreadable as a fox disguised as a raccoon dog. [1]

[T/N: This can be related to the Japanese proverb, “a fox and a raccoon dog fooling each other,” which means two sly characters outfoxing each other.]

“My Lord, Your Imperial Majesty, everything Fukushima reported through the magic stone tablet was true.“

“Huh? Katou, what did you say just now?“

“There were no lies or falsehoods. It was all true. Insects… gigantic insects with a repulsive appearance… have already turned the numerous Over… into crunch crunch crunch…“

“Crunch crunch crunch…?“

“The huge fluff, I mean the cats jumped at Over‘s seeds heartily…“

“Huge fluff…?“

“The people of the Stuart family were eating meat very happily.“

“Meat…?“

The Emperor, the Shogun, and the vassals did not doubt that even Katou had now gone crazy.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

However, the amount of meat Katou brought back was, by any means, not the amount that could be prepared in this food-strapped Imperial Japan.

“This is the monster… armored boar. I mean, steamed armored boar.” [2]

Katou presented the meat he brought back.

“M-M-Monster… meat… you said?“

Some people even disliked eating four-legged animals, let alone eating monster… meat.

“Such a barbaric thing!“

The Emperor frowned at the meat presented to him as if he were looking at something dirty.

“Father, monsters are commonly eaten in the Kingdom.“

Imperial Prince Tasuku standing on stand-by near them, informed the Emperor.

“Huh?“

“The Kingdom has bigger land and population than our Imperial Japan. Developing a culture of eating monsters became inevitable because of its needs to secure food.“

“But…“

“It’s to live, Father. The Stuart family must have let Katou bring back this meat so not only the Imperial Household, the Shogun Household, the nobility, and the samurais can survive without starvation, but also the entire country.“

Imperial Prince Tasuku said with earnest eyes.

“…Katou, have they really defeated Over?“

The Emperor asked Katou calmly.

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. Hundreds of Over‘s stems have been crushed in one night. There’s no mistaking it because I have confirmed it with my own eyes.“

Katou said with earnest eyes.