I do not know anything about the Mikado, that I do not. He was a man above the clouds, that he was.

　Yae Chong's answer about Yisheng's emperor was this.
　''Apparently, there's a lot of mystery about Yisheng's emperor. It seems that only his entourage and lordship are allowed to visit him. Is he a recluse?
　At any rate, I shall contact Ieyasu-san and ask him if we can visit him.
　Yisheng hasn't joined the World Alliance yet, so he didn't give Iatai-san a mass-produced smartphone. So, since I wrote a letter to that effect in the gate mirror, I will send an official document with Brunhild's national seal to the other party.
　A few days later, I received a letter saying that the Emperor of Yisheng would visit me, so I quickly accompanied Yae and transitioned to Ieyasu-san's castle in Oedo.

''No, it's been a while. Fuyao-dono.
Mr. Ieyasu, you'll be fine.

　The little bearded Ieyasu-san, who was becoming more and more well-dressed, still had a good-natured smile on his face.
　We were served tea in a room of the castle. It's roasted tea. It's delicious.
　I haven't had a tatami room for a long time. I still feel at home in Yisheng.

Thank you very much for the rice we received the other day. It was very delicious. Yae crunches on it every day...'
　Fuyu-dono, you are mean, that you are mean!

　Puffy, puffed up and appeased Yae, who turned away from her red face. I didn't mean to be mean.
　I'm not going to be able to say that it's a good idea. It's peaceful, I can truly believe that. You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.

Ha-ha, that's fine, I'm glad you get along. When Yachidono was in Yisheng, he was training as a swordsman, and that's all he could see, but.... But when you have a beloved lord, things can change like this...''
"I love you," he said. Y-ha.... Uh, you know...

　At Ieyasu's words, Yae turns even redder and looks down. I'm not going to be able to get it right. Wow, what a cute little creature!　I'd like to give you a big hug.
　As expected, it's not a good place to be, so I grudgingly hold back, give a little cough and get down to business.

"So, about the emperor...
''The emperor is not in Oedo, but in the royal palace of Kyou's city. With Fuyu-dono's transposition magic, we should be able to get there in no time. Of course, I will accompany you.

　The capital of Kyou. Well, I kind of thought it was.
　I wasn't told about the important emperor. Or rather, I was told that I would find out when I met him.
　The emperor is the king of this country, but he's not in charge of politics. Until now, the country of Yisheng was built on a delicate balance between the lords under him, who ruled their respective fiefdoms and occasionally quarreled with each other.
　However, in recent years, there was someone who had ambitions to replace the emperor. That person was Oda Nobunaga.
　Nobunaga tried to unite the other lords of Yisheng, but his subordinate Akechi Mitsuhide rebelled against him and died before he could achieve his goal.
　In hindsight, the person who ignited Nobunaga's ambition may have been a monkey named Hideyoshi Hashiba, or in other words, a subordinate god behind the monkey.
　In the end, though, this upset the balance of power among the lords of the various regions, and Ieyasu-san popped up from among them.
　Well, anyway, if you can meet with me, I'll talk to you. To tell the truth, I don't mind if Yisheng's representative is Ieyasu-san, but it's not like I'm going to be complained about later.
　I'll get the memories of Kyou's capital in [Recall] and open the [Gate].
　Me, Yae, Ieyasu-san, and the guards all transfer to the capital of Kyou.

''Huh......... I see, this is the capital of Kyou........

　It's just as I expected, or rather, it's the image of the Heian-kyo Capital seen in a period drama. Isn't this capital city the only one that's out of step with the times?　There's a bullock cart or something. I wonder if some aristocrat will come out and say "I'm going with you," or something like that.
　There is a five-storied pagoda-like structure in the distance, a big vermillion-painted gate in front of us, and a wide avenue stretching endlessly behind us. I wonder if this is like the Suzaku Avenue in Heian-kyo.
　As Ieyasu-san arrives, the vermilion-lacquered gates open with a loud squeak.
　A guide dressed like a nobleman of the Heian period led me through the temple-like palace, taking off my shoes. As you walk through the vermillion-painted pillars, you will feel as if you have wandered into a maze.
　Then, a guide stopped in front of a solemn sliding door, which was probably the innermost room.
　The guide slowly opens the sliding doors to reveal a large tatami room and, beyond that, a high, folding screen.
　There was definitely a hint of human presence behind it. Is that the Emperor of Yisheng?
　Ieyasu's guards were kept waiting outside and the sliding doors were closed. We walked to the front of the screen and Ietai-san stopped.

Your Majesty. ''Your Majesty, the Duke and Duchy of Brunhild, Fuyuyo Mochizuki-sama.''

　Ieyasu-san changes his tone from usual and sits down on the tatami mats and prostrates himself. I am not born in this country and I am not a vassal.
　Even if I am small, I am a representative of a country, so I cannot bow down lightly. What a cool thing to say, but it's a secret that I almost lowered my head in an atmosphere. Well, it's not a problem if it's light.

"Good evening, Your Majesty.

　The curtain rises quickly and a person comes down from the upper section of the room.
　A figure emerged, dressed in a pale pink or white, Hitoe-like costume, with pure white skin and long white hair. She was a beautiful woman with pure white skin and long, white hair as well.
　I was amazed. The emperor of Yishen was an empress?
　But what struck me more than that was her bright red eyes and the two small horns extending from her forehead.
　A demon. That's the word that comes to mind. No, rather than an ogre, it's more like a horned man...or maybe a subhuman?

The name is Shirahime. I have been the emperor of Yisheng for almost two thousand years.
Oh, hello......... I'm Mochizuki Fuyao.

　Two thousand years. Is she still a long-lived species, like the Queen of Elfrau?　Huh?　But Aricorns live longer than people, but did they ever live that long?
　And I don't know what it is, but I have this feeling.... somewhere... oh.

'Have you noticed?　As you may have guessed, the concubine, or warrior, is no ordinary subhuman. Her father was a horned man, but her mother was a spirit.

　Shirahime gives a small smile. So. The signs are close to a genie, this guy.
　Spirits can also give birth to children if they become human. But that could cause them to lose a great deal of their own power. At worst, they would be annihilated.
　Of course, because they are spirits, they won't die, but the resurrected spirits are not the same as the original spirits. I wonder if this spirit that was the mother of this Baihime also gave birth to her with that in mind.

It may be necessary for her to kneel to you, the new King of the Spirits, as a member of the Spirit's blood, but forgive me. But forgive me. I am the representative of my country.
Uh..... Well, don't worry about it. I mean, who told you about it?
''From the Ice Spirit's Household. He is a member of the household of a being who is like a concubine's aunt, and he can teach you many things.
White Princess's mother....
It's a snow spirit. She was a sweet mother.

　So it was the snow spirit. I understood as I looked at the woman in front of me.
　The Snow Spirit is a spirit of the second rank after the Great Spirits, just like the Ice Spirit. It should be rare for them to appear on earth, though.
　It is said that when Princess White was a child, her mother, the Snow Spirit, lost her powers and disappeared.

I've always wanted to express my gratitude to the Duke. ''I've always wanted to express my gratitude to His Highness for the incident with Hideyoshi Hashiba.
The monkey?
It's a shameful thing to say, but for some reason the mistress is unable to come out strongly against that person. The appointment of her as the lord of the land was also forcibly pushed aside, and she couldn't resist...

　Haha. It's a subordinate god. Even if it's corrupt, God is still God. A compulsion that is hard to resist must have worked against this man who has half the blood of a spirit.

It's a good thing that you're able to get rid of the tension in your heart when you avenged Ieyasu and Hideyoshi. I am truly grateful to you.
With all due respect...

　Ieyasu-san, who remains in a flat position, states that. I mean, it's okay to raise your head already.

And now, about this....
'Oh, yes. Well......

　Me and Shirahime sat face to face and proceeded to talk about many things.
　I was able to get Yishen to agree to join the World Alliance, and Shirahime will be able to attend the next meeting. However, the next meeting is at Iglet's private beach, so it might be a bit tougher for her to wear a twelve-footer (Hitoe).
　What's more, the tropical sunshine might be hard on her, as she has the blood of a snow spirit in her veins.
　Afterwards, I handed Shirohime and Ieyasu-san a mass-produced white smartphone and gave them a quick lecture on how to use it.
　Surprisingly, Shirahime understood quickly and was able to use the phone before Ieyasu-san did. It seems that her favorite feature was the camera function, and she was happily taking pictures of various things, laughing as she did so.

'Speaking of which, one thing I was wondering about earlier. Shirahime-san's mother.......Didn't the snow spirit appear afterwards?

　If it disappeared in Shirahime's childhood, it's already been a long time. It seems like it would be a good thing to be resurrected.

''Once a spirit disappears, even if it resurrects, it's a different individual. She is different from her mother. She is different from her mother.

　I lose the words I can put to Baihime, who smiles sadly at me.
　It is true that the dark spirits I defeated have become a different person, and they seem to have lost their memories as well. But it's not like I've lost everything. I think you can feel a connection with yourself.

Shall we summon it?
Mother... or is it?　How is that even possible?
'You can. Of course, you might not remember the White Princess, but you might feel something about her.

　Shirahime, who showed a slight hint of hesitation, eventually nodded her head in a small way.
　Normally, a catalyst (in this case, snow) would be necessary, but since I also received the title of Spirit King, I can probably summon it without it.
　I sharpened my divine energy and called out to the spirit world.

''In the name of the Spirit King. Come, snow spirit]

　Because he spoke in spirit language, no one here knew what it meant. More importantly, everyone is surprised by the snow that has started to fall deeply, even though we are in a room.
　That snow rolls backwards and begins to spin a single shape in front of my eyes.
　.........well, spirits have different genders and shapes every time they are resurrected, right? Dude, what should I do? If a gory, macho snow spirit or something like that comes out. Wouldn't it be traumatic for Shirahime? Maybe we've sped things up....
　With my worries aside, the snow spirit that appeared in front of me took the form of a beautiful woman. Apparently, my fears were unfounded.
　She had white skin and white hair. She's kind of like the White Princess. She's like a sister. There are differences in the presence or absence of horns and eye color, though.
　Hmmm?　You're not a spirit body, you're an entity. A snow body, huh?
　Eventually, the snow spirit's eyes open and its ice blue eyes catch Hakubi-san.

''Ha, ha, up...?''

　At the sound of Shirahime's trembling voice, the snow spirit turned a slightly troubled smile on her face. I became uneasy and hurriedly called out to the snow spirit.

''You don't remember it after all?''
...Yes. Only vaguely. But I know with certainty that he is mine. And that he was very dear to me, my dearest child. That's what my heart tells me.
Hugu.......... ..........hahaha.......

　The Snow Spirit quietly hugged Baihime, who began to sob at those words. The Yisheng emperor, who had spilled large tears, put his hand around the back of his mother, the Snow Spirit, and hugged her tightly as well.
　Her body was snow, so she should be cold, but as if that was a trivial matter, White Princess buried her face in the snow spirit's chest and cried. She's the daughter of a snow spirit, right? Isn't it strange that she has a tolerance for cold?
　When I looked to the side, I saw Yae sobbing, killing her voice. I even poured out my nose and watched the mother and daughter face each other in front of me.

Good, good, that it was.........
Oh, God, look at that.

　I take out my handkerchief and wipe my face. Yae is still an emotional person, isn't she? I love this kind of innocence too. Yae might get angry, but I think she's cute.

Ughhhhh..... Yo, that's good........Your Majesty.......

　Suddenly, I turned my attention to another sob that I heard and saw Ieyasu-san looking up at the ceiling with ragged tears running down his face. You too?　I'm sorry, but I won't lend you my handkerchief?

"O King of Spirits! It was you who summoned me, but will you forgive me for making a contract with this child?
Hm. Good. All good.

　I had no intention of signing a contract with her in the first place, and I can summon her to come out of the house even if I don't. The snow spirit would be happier with Shirohime than with me.

''From now on, I will always be with you. I will protect you, support you, and walk side by side with you in pain and sadness. My dear child. My blessing to you.
Mother...

　The snow spirit silently turned into light and disappeared, leaving a round, white spirit stone the size of a marble in Baihime's hand.
　I took the spirit stone, took out a chunk of mithril from 【Storage】 and used 【Modeling】 to create an arm band that the snow spirit stone would fit into. I won't lose it with this.
　Receiving the bracelet from me, Shirohime hugs it carefully.

"Thank you for the greatest gift of all. "Thank you, Lord Brunhild. "Thank you, King Brunhild, for this most precious gift, and it is my hope that Yisheng will be your friend and that we will walk together in peace and prosperity.
Yes. It's nice to meet you.

　I shook Shirahime's hand that was offered to me. The hand I held was cool, perhaps the remnants of the snow spirit, but it was gentle and comfortable cold.