The Weight of a Hero

The Taoist Association—(3) People. No, yokai. They really should live in nature, after all.

The scenery of Uchi Six Jia Divine Taoist Park was quite magnificent. For someone like me, who lived in the mountains—the very essence of nature—to feel this impressed, it truly was exceptional. Had they used Taoist Arts to craft the park's landscape? Unlike other parks, it didn't feel artificial at all.

I slowly lifted my head and gazed at a statue of a Taoist master.

This was the guy. The founder of all Taoist masters. The one who, despite being born human, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had risen to become an immortal—Uchi the Feather Scholar.

It wasn't that I'd stopped in front of his statue out of any particular interest in him. Whether he was the originator of Taoist masters or whatever, it wasn't any of my business. I wasn't even a human living and breathing in the modern world anymore.

The one and only reason I'd been staring blankly at his statue was this: he looked shockingly like Hojun.

That distinctive rude glare. The overconfident expression. Even the arrogant posture. Every single detail of Uchi the Feather Scholar's statue screamed Hojun.

Reincarnation. The endless cycle of life and death, repeating forever. It was a religious concept from Indian traditions. According to the idea of reincarnation, the world turns like a wheel, and people's lives and deaths spin along with it. When you grow old, fall ill, and die, you simply start over with a different name and a different life.

Could Hojun... be the reincarnation of Uchi the Feather Scholar?

...Who knows. Truthfully, I didn't believe in reincarnation. When you die, that's it. What's the point of being born again? In that sense, the fact that Hojun and Uchi looked alike was pure coincidence. And the fact that I'd been reborn as a fox yokai was also just a coincidence.

Yeah. Nothing more than a simple coincidence.

...

...

...

The current time was 10:55 PM. Right on schedule.

I glanced left and right, checking to make sure no one was still lingering in the park. Fortunately, I was completely alone.

What I was about to do was seriously, extremely embarrassing, so I really didn't want anyone to catch me.

I took a deep breath.

Hojun, you crazy bastard. Hojun, you lunatic. Hojun, you insane son of a bitch.

After cursing him out a few times in my head, I steeled myself and moved my lips.

"...Woof."

"W-woof woof. Bark bark. Arf arf."

"W-woof woof. Bark bark. Arf arf."

"W-woof woof. Bark bark. Arf arf...!"

Sitting on a park bench surrounded by the lonely chirping of insects and barking like a dog... it didn't exactly bring me peace of mind. My pride was wounded, I felt humiliated, and overall, it wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling.

Alright. I've recited the spell, so open the damn door already.

"..."

But even after a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠full minute, the path to the Taoist Association still didn't appear.

Hey, I barked exactly like it said on the paper! Why isn't it opening?

Time kept ticking. It was now 11:02 PM. I only had three minutes left, so I hurriedly checked the paper again.

This damn thing. It wasn't "woof woof bark bark arf arf." It was "woof woof, arf arf, bark bark." I'd mixed up the order.

With no time to waste, I swallowed my shame and tried again in a tiny, shrinking voice.

"W-woof."

"Woof woof, arf arf, bark bark..."

I had no idea why it felt so humiliating when there wasn't even anyone watching.

A-anyway. I'd recited the spell properly this time. Now the path to the Taoist Association should...

"You son of a bitch!"

It was Hojun's voice. This crazy bastard had been watching the whole time.

"I'm not a dog, I'm a fox, you lunatic!"

"Ugh..."

Hojun had always been especially mischievous toward me, but he'd never pushed me this far before. So I really must have done something to piss him off.

Whatever. Even if I was going to apologize, I'd do it to his face. With that thought in mind...

"Woof woof!"

"Arf arf!"

"Bark bark!"

"There, you bastard! Now open the door!"

I barked at the top of my lungs, loud enough to shake the entire park.

"W-why are you doing this to me?! What the hell did I even do wrong?!"

In the end, I had no choice but to follow Hojun's demands. I barked three times—properly, with all my heart—before I was finally allowed to enter the Taoist Association.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

While Uchi the Feather Scholar was indeed the originator of Taoist Arts, there were countless others who had cultivated the Dao by following the will of the Six Ding and Six Jia Divine Generals. Uchi had simply been the one among them with the clearest understanding of the Dao.

But realizing the Dao hadn't made him decide to become a guardian of the law. The reason he had chosen the path of the protector was said to be something incredibly small and trivial. What that trivial trigger was, no one knew. But after deciding to walk the path of the protector, Uchi the Feather Scholar founded the Taoist Association—a gathering of those who served as guardians of the law.

"Whoa..."

I couldn't stop marveling at the towering peaks that seemed ready to pierce the clouds and the sprawling main complex of the Taoist Association spread out around them.

"Heh heh heh. Is it that impressive?"

"Honestly... yes. I had no idea it would be this beautiful."

"As expected of a lewd fox bitch who's spent her whole life trapped in the mountains."

"...Excuse me."

"What is it?"

"How long are you going to keep using that awful way of talking?"

"Until we get there."

"..."

"Let's go. It's been decades since the Taoist Association last allowed outsiders in. We should greet the elders first."

Hojun walked with his hands tucked into his sleeves. I followed behind him and asked the question that had been bothering me.

"Um, Hojun."

"What is it, lewd fox bitch?"

"...Did I do something wrong to you?"

"You did."

"What did I do wrong? I want to apologize, but I can't if I don't even know what I did."

"Hmm."

Hojun turned his head and stared at me intently for a moment. Then he let out a long sigh.

"Fine. I'll stop with this childish revenge."

"...Huh?"

"I forgive you."

"Then what exactly did I—"

"I forgive you for the sin of daring to try and eat me, even though you're just a yokai."

"..."

This guy. Here we go again. Yeah, let's just drop it. I still had no idea what I'd done wrong, but since he said he forgave me, I should probably just shut up.

"So, how does it feel?"

"Feel? About what?"

"People have started praising your name, Miho. How does that make you feel?"

"Well... I don't really... feel anything in particular."

Hojun suddenly stopped walking. He looked at me with a steady gaze and continued.

"From now on, you'll keep saving a lot of people from the threat of yokai and goblins."

"Yeah."

"The number of people you've saved will only grow."

"I suppose so?"

"You'll become a hero for this entire country."

"Isn't that a bit of an over—"

"You still don't fully understand what it means for your existence to become known to the world. I figured you might not, but damn. You're even denser than I thought."

"W-why are you suddenly yelling at me—"

"Listen carefully, you dense bitch."

Hojun's eyes suddenly grew serious as he spoke to me.

"At this moment, you are the only means we have to fight against the goblins. That means you will inevitably be treated as a national hero."

"Being called a national hero is no small thing."

"If you exterminate the goblins and save all of humanity, then sure, there won't be any problems."

"People will continue to sing your name to the heavens."

"The nation will likely treat you with the respect you deserve."

"Then what's the—"

"However."

"What if, by some chance..."

"You fail to exterminate the goblins?"

"Or if people die because of your mistake?"

"Have you ever once thought about how people would treat you then?"

"..."

"Miho."

"Humans are far crueler creatures than you think."

I know. I know that better than anyone, because I used to be human too. Just like he said—if I failed to defeat the goblins, or if a lot of humans died because of my mistake, people would turn their backs on me. Because I'm not human. I'm just a fox spiritual beast who's perfect for throwing stones at.

When I didn't say anything, Hojun sighed again, almost as if he felt sorry.

"I'm sorry for saying all this. But it seems like you still don't realize the weight you carry—"

"I do know."

"...What?"

"I said I know. Everything you just said—the weight I carry—I understand it all."

I just hadn't shown it. Since I'd been human until recently, I knew exactly what he meant.

"Thank ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you for worrying about me. I mean it."

"W-who's worrying about a lewd fox yokai like you—"

"You were worrying about me, weren't you?"

"..."

"But it's okay. Because..."

It might sound arrogant, but even Dalki—who had toyed with the entire world with nothing but her own power—had possessed sky-high arrogance. So maybe it was fine for me, a nine-tailed fox yokai, to be a little arrogant too.

"That won't happen."

This arrogance must be the instinct of every multi-tailed fox yokai. Truly, I felt confident that I could beat the crap out of every goblin in the world.