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Volume 4 Chapter 5 Part 4

「Leading the lolicon comrades of the Kawanami clan as chief protector of Boss’s soft skin, Maeda is here too! 」

「To protect the boss, our eternal idol, the Kawanami Group appears! 」

「Comrades, get this princess and the little one off Chikubu island! 」

Their help had finally arrived.

Immediately after they were released, Nobusumi and Nagamasa embraced each other in a hug that wouldn’t lose even to death if it were to try to bring them apart.

Their future seemed much brighter all of a sudden.

「Leave your words for later! For now, we should get out of here as soon as we can! 」

「Ohh, that’s true, Ninja-kun. 」

「I will negotiate directly with Father now. 」

「Asai-shama, right now we should escape to somewhere safe! Please leave negotiating or things like that for later when you’re finally going to be free. 」

「No, I want to go to Odani castle. I have to take back the position of the clan head back from father! 」

「No, Azai Hisamasa wouldn’t listen to a word you say right now! Besides, that man isn’t at Odani castle right now! 」
「What? What do you mean? 」

「Ninja-kun, Oichi, hurry! The soldiers are here! 」

The soldiers of the Azai clan had rushed to the scene, though Goemon’s smokescreens were temporarily slowing them down.

With the danger avoided and them being in the clear so far, Azai Nagamasa mounted the horse Maeda brough for her, pulled Tsuda Nobusumi onto the horse and set him in front of her, gripping him tightly.

As they fled, it became apparent why Goemon and the Kawanami Group had taken so long in their rescue: with careful planning, they had prepared a perfect escape route.

Not a single enemy soldier could avoid the traps the Kawanami group had prepared beforehand.

「Come on, onto the boat! 」

「We’re indebted to you, Ninja-kun! 」

「Kanjuuro! 」

Holding each other’s hands, they both jumped aboard the boat.

「Now, let’s hurry and head out. 」

Once the boat was properly on Lake Biwa, it quickly picked up speed, all but gliding across the water. The Kawanami group members, skilled as they were in water battles, cried out, 「YOU SHALL NOT PASS THROUGH HERE!!! 」 and flipped their enemies’ boats upside down.

「Hahahaha! This isn’t some cave, and your enemies aren’t mere prisoners! Once you enter the water, you’re in Kawanami Group’s world! 」

「We are the heroes who created the legend of 「Sunomata’s One Night Castle! 」

「Perfect, with this, we will surely gain a lot of Boss’s praises! 」

Sighing with relief, Goemon informed Nagamasa and Nobusumi:

「According to the latest information, Nobuna-sama is safe, and her life is not in danger. The Oda clan’s army is currently facing off with the Azai-Asakura allied forces at Mount Hiei. After we finish what we are doing here, we will go to meet with them immediately. Sho ash you can she, we cannot delay evan ashingle minute now. 」

Nobusumi and Nagamasa, not even trying to understand Goemon as her speech deteriorated, were glancing at the reflection of the moon on the surface of Lake Biwa as they talked with each other.

「Our clans have avoided a direct confrontation! And the Imperial Palace’s decree had given us a temporary peace agreement. Isn’t this what we wanted? This is our best chance to recover the alliance between the Azai and Oda clans! 」

「After abandoning Onee-sama, I had given up on the dream of conquering the world with her. But, who would have thought that I could have the chance to fight together with her for her dream one more time? 」

「Anyway, I’m in that dream too, though I’m on the back seat, hahaha! 」

「You’re more important than that; aren’t you, my husband? Just stay by my side and try to do your best. 」

「Yhm. 」

「Though it’s winter, it’s so hot in here… Ahh, as expected, love should be something that suave guys and beauties should have. Covered in sweat and dirt, we have no connection with it… 」

At Goemon’s side, the Kawanami Group watched the two of them jealously.

However…

Fate, it seemed, would not give them their happiness so easily.

Finally reaching the shore of Lake Biwa, just as Nagamasa and the rest were getting off the boat,on the dark road beside the shore, almost by coincidence Nagamasa and the rest caught sight of the Azai clan’s army, who were seemingly defeated.

No, it already could not be called an army.

「Hurry and run! 」

「The Viper of Mino! The Viper of Mino is coming! 」

「He is not someone we can do anything against! Hisamasa-sama cannot be compared with Viper at all! 」

「Hurry and escape back to Odani castle! 」

They were totally decimated and had been consumed by fear. There wasn’t a single soldier without injury or blood stains on them, but what made them most frightening were their delusions of Saito Dosan.

「What is going on here, Ninja-kun? 」

「I’m afraid that on their way back to Odani castle, these soldiers must have met with Dosan-sama who was leading his troops to aid Nobuna-shama and were shoundly defeated by him, 」

「Dosan-sama did this? But the Viper of Mino should not have that great of a military force behind him. 」

「On one side, the commander is renowned for his skill in battle. On the other, the commander is famous for being absolutely craven. Even ignoring the other great differences in their capabilities, with this alone Hisamasa was doomed. 」

「It seems like even superior numbers couldn’t overcome these differences between them. 」

Just then, they spotted the utterly injured Azai Hisamasa riding along with the defeated soldiers.

Hisamasa was wailing in regret. Though he wasn’t skilled in combat and suffered from severe cowardice, he had plucked up his courage and decided to fight in order to let his own child have a chance in obtaining the world.

But contrary to what he was exoecting, first he failed to kill Nobuna, and then met Dosan by chance during his retreat. His army was totally decimated, and the fate of the Azai clan hung on by a thread.

「If I had just a little bit of talent for waging wars, then maybe things would have ended differently. How can this be my legacy to Nagamasa…? 」

Hisamasa sank into a deep anguish.

As Nagamasa and the rest watched the defeated army in a daze, the 3 elders of the Azai clan finally spotted their spectators. All 3 of them were experienced generals, but due to the insurmountable difference between Hisamasa and Dosan, they could not display their prowess and seemed to be seriously injured.

「Ohh, You are… Nagamasa-sama!? 」

「Saruyasamaru-sama! Have you come for your father? 」

「Without Nagamasa-sama’s leadership at such a situation, we might not even be able to run away! 」

「Hisamasa-sama planned to commit seppuku upon reaching Odani castle! Saruyasamaru-sama, please abandon the grudge for your imprisonment at Chikubu Island and command us again! 」

「Please save the Azai clan, Nagamasa-sama! 」

Nagamasa was speechless when she heard all that. Right now in front of her eyes, the Asai clan was slowly moving towards oblivion. Though the Oda clan did not seem to pursue them, Hisamasa himself had decided to commit seppuku. Even the three elders in front of her had also resolved themselves to die with the Azai clan.

(Father Hisamasa, or the elders, they believed in me, Saruyasamaru, that I should stand at the top of the world; that’s why they betrayed the Oda clan, even though I could clearly feel the chasm that separates me from Oda Nobuna… but I can’t just to abandon father and retainers who still believe in me!)

「Nagamasa-sama! 」

「I understand. I will return and take the title of head of the Azai clan. 」

「Thank you so much! 」

「Understood! 」

「With this, there is hope for the Azai clan yet! 」

In that moment, the shining star of a Sengoku era warrior, Asai Nagamasa became dark.

Nobusumi at her side was shocked,

「Oichi!? Won’t this mean you’ll cross swords with the Oda clan? 」

「I can’t just do nothing while father and the retainers are being destroyed. I’m sorry, Kanjuuro. 」

Azai Nagamasa mounted the white horse the Azai clan’s soldiers brought over and turned towards Odani castle.

「In the end, I am the Azai clan’s head, Azai Nagamasa. In the end, Oichi is just a dream that was not meant to be… Farewell, Kanjuuro. 」

Nobusumi began to chase after her on foot.

「Wait, Oichi! You are no longer Saruyasamaru! You’re my wife Oichi, aren’t you!? If you betray Nobuna-onee-sama, we will have to face each other as enemies! 」