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Volume 1 Chapter 5 Part 3

Unfortunately there was not one amongst the retainers around him who had enough courage to try to take on Katsuie in battle.

「This is what Nobuna-sama wishes for, Nobukatsu-sama! 」

「Y-You mean that my sister ordered my arrest? 」

「Even if it means putting my life at stake, I will petitionwith her to spare your life, so please come with me to Kiyosu castle without resisting, Nobukatsu-sama. 」

「No waaaay, I don’t want to dieeeee! Someone, help me! 」

「It’s impossible, we cannot win against Katsuie-dono! 」

「There’s no other way left but to put our heads together and beg of Nobuna-sama
for forgiveness! 」

That sort of weak opinions was the only thing that could come out of the mouths of those who were supposed to be loyal to Nobukatsu. That sudden surrender of theirs only made Katsuie feel more dejected.

(I am sooo stupid! There was no way this bunch could ever be on par with Nobuna-sama! Not to mention that it would be impossible for them to fight against Imagawa! They’d will be turned into dust with one hit! If only I, Nobukatsu-sama’s chief retainer, had made a decision faster…)

Having captured Nobukatsu and the of his entourage, she resolved herself that even if it meant her own life, she would at least save Nobukatsu. With that resolve she headed back for Kiyosu castle.

When she reached the castle, she entered it while wearing a white attire, went to Nobuna’s room and started reporting about the developments with Nobukatsu to Nobuna who was sitting on her seat with an unpleasant look on her face as she ate the speciality of Nagoya, Tebasaki.

Sitting beside Katsuie was Nobukatsu, who could only cry and tremble with his entire body.
Sitting in a row on both the left and right of Katsuie and Nobukatsu, the chief vassals of the Oda clan were whispering to each other:

(There’s no chance of Nobukatsu-dono being saved anymore.)

(Nobuna-sama will finally make her decision regarding his constant rebellions too.)

While talking fast like that, they were sending gazes of pity toward Nobukatsu.

「Uwaaah, I am being pitied by everyone? Someone, please plead for my life, it’s my honest request!!! 」

「Leave it to me, Katsuie! 」

Katsuie once again turned to Nobuna.

「Being his chief retainer, Nobukatsu-sama’s misconduct is my misconduct too. I don’t understand complex things, but please forgive everyone’s crimes by just taking my head here instead! 」

Katsuie declared as such with a decided, energetic voice. It seems she was prepared to give her life in exchange for her Lord’s since the moment she was ordered to capture Nobukatsu. However, Nobuna couldn’t approve it.

「Katsuie. There’s no way we can win without you. Didn’t I say it before? If we calculate the gains and losses of the decision, then it is more than clear that the person who should die for the benefit of others is Nobukatsu. 」

「Uwaaah?! Sister, I promise I won’t oppose you anymore, so please forgive me! My eyes have been opened! I was the one who was foolish here for thinking that I could realize my small dream of making the Nagoya speciality, Uirou popular across Japan and revolting against you everytime. Sisteeeeer, please, show mercyyyyy!!!! 」

Having awoken from his foolish ambitions, Nobukatsu begged for his life while ugly crying.
「I don’t want to die! However, please don’t kill Katsuie! She hasn’t ever opposed you, not even once! But I don’t want to die too, so take that under advisement! 」

(So which of the two do you want, huh?)

While thinking that he was acting like the lowest scum of the low, Yoshiharu remained silent.

「I have made my decision. From today on, Riku will be serving under me as a substitute for my chief-retainer. The group serving as Nobukatsu’s shall be forced into exile, and Nobukatsu shall commit Seppuku here. 」

「Seppuku?! That sort of painful way of death is impossible, I can’t do that, big
sis! 」

「I see. If you are going to refuse, I will just have to personally behead you. 」

Nobuna took the sword from the servant and stood up, and descended to the level where Nobukatsu was sitting.

「Nobuna-sama, please! Nobukatsu-sama is your real younger brother, so please forgive him! 」

「Silence, Riku! If I can’t even suppress one rebellion within my own clan, there’s no way I can proclaim conquering the whole of Japan, right? The rest of you should listen well too! From now on, if there’s anyone who opposes me, regardless if they are my family, I will kill them! I will throw away my emotions, and will become like a Demon Lord of the Sixth Heaven if I have to! All of it for the sake of uniting the nation, and for the sake of our people! 」

The foolish Nobuna was no more. The current Nobuna looked like she had changed into an unmatched beauty with a gaze so sharp that it send shivers down the spines of everyone who watched her now.

In her hand was a large sword.
Nobuna threw away her emotions, and had become the Goddess of War fighting for the purpose of conquering Japan.

Someone muttered that she looked like the Buddhist God of War, Marishiten: so beautiful, so divine, and also, so dreadful at the same time. It was like there was no one who could oppose her now.

The retainers had bowed their heads and were trembling, while Yoshiharu who was in the lowest seat stood up.

「Wait, Nobuna. Don’t go on killing your own younger brother! 」

「I….Idiot! Monkey even you will be beheaded if you interrupt her now! 」

Katsuie let out a voice which sounded like a shriek.

However, Yoshiharu was thinking that since he came to the Sengoku era by some mistake, then even if he dies, this era would still be like how it was supposed to be, so he couldn’t stay put.

Nobuna’s appearance right now was turning exactly into the image he had seen in Sengoku era games and dramas: the cold-hearted and cruel devil, Oda Nobunaga.

Without any reason, he thought that he didn’t want her to turn into someone like that.

The two of them started staring at each other from a close distance which looked as if their noses were touching. However, she wasn’t the usual her. It was Nobuna who was changing into the devil of the Sengoku era.

Katsuie thought that for a monkey he must have nerves of steel, and wondered if he could really be someone amazing, or just a run of the mill idiot while doubting her own eyes.

「You really opposed me again. You will die here, Monkey. If you have anything to say, say it now. 」

「Alright, I will speak my mind! If you turn into a devil and kill Nobukatsu here, you will continue on to kill and kill and kill those around you who are close to you, and continue to spend the rest of your life like a Demon Lord! Are you fine with that?! 」

「That’s right. I said I am fine with that, right? It’s for the sake of all the people of this nation! As long as my retainers don’t faithfully follow my orders, the dream of uniting Japan will be impossible, you know? Since they are all fools who can’t understand what I say anyways, they just have to stay quiet and listen to what I say! I don’t need a younger brother who will oppose me! 」

「Shut up! ‘Conquering Japan’ my ass, you stupid woman! 」

「W-What?! 」

The retainers all started stirring. There was no way that monkey can be saved after saying something so outrageous like that!

「Are you mad?! If I forgive Nobukatsu since he’s my kin, it will be unfair to those soldiers, who died in the battlefield. Although a person may be a samurai or a farmer, or a mere city-dweller everyone’s equal. If I can protect the lives of the citizens of Owari by killing him then it will be a gain for everyone! Am I wrong? 」

「That’s why your brain is no good! No one can understand you because of it! Besides, the hearts of humans are not just made of logic! 」

「Huh? What’s that, do you want to put off the issue at hand?! 」

「Do you hate your brother so much that you want to kill him? That’s not it, right? It’s because you didn’t want to plunge your weak little brother into this chaotic world that you succeeded your family on your own, right? Even then, killing him with your own hands is like mistaking the cause for the effect! 」

「M-Monkey! You rebutted me just for the sake of saying that? How cheap of you! 」