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Volume 2 Chapter 1 Part 6

「Such an interesting man. I did not use any Rosewood. The perfume on my body today is sandalwood. 」

「Ah, Nagamasa-sama, please do not pay attention to this overactive monkey. If you follow in his steps, you will become retarded like him as well. 」

「I understand. 」

「What does sandalwood have to do with anything? This bastard pisses me off! 」

Yoshiharu stared at him fiercely, but Nagamasa simply laughed, turned his head away from Yoshiharu and did not care about him anymore.

「So, what brings you here today? Since you are here in Aoshuu personally, I guess it must be something important? 」

「Exactly. Since currently, there threat from Imagawa Yoshimoto is no more, it is already pretty well known across Japan that you are getting ready to attack the Mino province and seize Saito Dosan’s former stronghold, Gifu castle. 」

「Of course. 」

「After that, you will be proceeding to the capital, I suppose? 」

「Yes, you are correct. After capturing Mino, I will go to the capital, and obtain the power to rule the entirety of Japan. I have no wish to hide my ambitions from anyone now that I have come so far. 」

Nagamasa laughed lightly.

(Don’t tell me this bastard even farts gracefully?!)

Yoshiharu was getting more and more pissed off, thinking how good it will be if I could kill him with nothing more but his fierce glare.

「This man is currently trying to charm Nobuna-sama. 」

Inuchiyo muttered to him.

「Such a brave daimyo you are! Because of this, I feel that it must be fate that I who control the Omi province should form an alliance with you. 」

「Ara, I might just attack Omi instead, you know? 」

「Not counting the Sasaki clan, we the Azai clan possess the fortress Odani castle, my father Hisamasa who has just given me the daimyo position is still alive, my retainers are united and my army is strong. If Nobuna-sama really decides to be our enemy, I’m afraid your plan of going to the capital might be delayed for… quite a long time. And if I changed my mind and sought an alliance with Mino province’s Saito Yoshitatsu, no one will know the odds of, then no one will be able to predict the odds of you capturing Mino against our combined forces, Nobuna-sama. As such, I think you should accept this offer of alliance, since logically speaking, it’s the wisest thing to do here. 」

「Hehehe. 」

Nobuna smiled. She likes people who are as smart as her, because that means that she doesn’t have to waste her time and effort on explaining things.

「Just like you said, that’s what I planned too. The Azai clan and the southern Sasaki clan has been at loggerheads for very long, and I remember you had been captured by the Sasaki clan while you were young before. As part of the alliance, I believe you will need my strength to deal with them? 」

「Yes, that is absolutely correct. That’s why I have visited Aoshuu personally. 」

「Damn, why do the two of them seem to talk so happily? I don’t know why, but it just pisses me off. 」

Yoshiharu grumbled under his breath.

「I see. Nagamasa-sama, since you came here personally without sending an envoy to act on your behalf, then can I assume that you’re in favor of this alliance as well? 」

「Actually, my father, Hisamasa preferred to maintain good relationship with our old time allies, the Asakura clan. But, my father lacks the guts to face the Sasaki clan, the enemy who has snatched away a part of Omi from us. 」

「Hmmm, Nagamasa-sama’s father seems to not be the most courageous of people. 」

「As the previous daimyo, Azai Hisamasa has always been an aide of the Sasaki clan. After being a hostage for years under the Sasaki clan and inheriting the daimyo title, they have relied on their own strength and broke away from the Sasaki clan and declared independence. 」

Inuchiyo explained this to Yoshiharu, who did not know the full truth of the relationship between these two clans.

「And I, Saruyashamaru, and the current leader of the clan. As someone ambitious, it does not suit me to do nothing of value in my youth. Rather than currying favor with the clans whose fame lies entirely in the past, I should fight along with ambitious heroes, of the present… or at least that’s what I think. 」

「So as to say, you are willing to lend me a hand in conquering the world? Just like Takechiyo over there? 」

Nagamasa blinked and said:
「Petty lies won’t work towards you, so I will just say it straight: I do not want to help with your ambitions of conquering the entire world. 」

「Oh, so what do you mean? 」

「Obtaining the world together with you… that’s the motive behind my coming here. 」

「Isn’t it essentially the same? 」

「No. What I’m trying to say is, we will aim for the conquest of the world together…. Nobuna-sama, please marry me! 」

「Oh!!!!! 」

Nobuna and Yoshiharu almost immediately spit the tea in their mouths on each other. Even the color on the face of Nobuna showed that she was extremely confused about what has happened just now, since this was basically the first time in her life when someone has proposed to her.

She wanted to stand up, but thought that it might be a bit too rude, so Nobuna sat down quietly and put her hand into her yukata’s sleeve, hiding her bra from sight.

「Ma…Ma…Ma…Ma…Ma…Marry you? So as to say, this is a proposal? Y-You’re asking for my h-h-hand in marriage? 」

「Yes, that’s it. Let us become the representative beautiful couple from Owari and Omi. Adding that to both our ambitions to conquer the world, I dare say there is no other more suitable couple then us in the world.! 」

「Su…Su…Su…Suddenly saying t-t-t-this type of thing, I…I…I will be greatly troubled, you know?! 」

Stealing a glance at Yoshiharu’s reaction, which was him letting out a howl of lament, Nobuna traces circles on the tatami mat with her finger. As for Inuchiyo and Motoyasu, they were whispering to one another:

「…This is bad… 」

「It gave me quite a scare. 」

「So…So…So…So as to say, you… y-y-you find me to be a-a-a-a-a-a-attractive? 」

「No, attraction is but an emotion that commoners feel. I’m the head of the Azai clan, and you are the head of the Oda clan. As both of us are carrying a huge responsibility on our shoulders, throwing away our personal feelings and getting into a political marriage is an obvious thing to do. 」

His words were soft, but cold nonetheless. Seeing how that ladies man in front of him was playing around with Nobuna’s feelings made Yoshiharu tremble with anger.

「I…I…I…I… Er… political marriage is not… 」

「This is such a surprising thing. I thought that you will definitely understand, Nobuna-sama. After all, both of us are no longer kids. 」

「I… at least want to choose my own husband! I feel like that is something that I should decide for myself. I want to marry the guy I love! This is a dream I had had since I was a young girl! 」

「Oh, if I understood your words correctly… could it be that you already have someone whom you fancy? 」

Unlike someone who would be stunned by confusion in such a situation, Nagamasa seemed to be used to this kind of situation, and his tone was still calm and confident.

「Such as, other than me… is it the other monkey over there? 」

Nobuna became red from head to toe, so much so that her face could most likely be used to boil water.

「No….No such thing! This…This…This idiot is just my subordinate! A head of an entire clan marrying just a lowly foot soldier is something unheard of! I… I definitely don’t feel anything for this…this…this kind of idiot! Totally, 100%, from the bottom of my heart! 」

Yoshiharu, who was walking around in circles on the tatami mat for no reason, was suddenly kicked in the face by Nobuna.

「It’s hurts! What the hell are you doing!? 」

Yoshiharu became angry at this unjust display of violence.

‘Actually I don’t love you at all.’ Even though Nobuna was suddenly proposed to by a guy who said something like this, she was so embarrassed that she was now confused because of it., and Yoshiharu couldn’t withstand such a thing anymore.

「Being proposed to by such a suave guy and yet acting like this, do you even realize that you are exposing the normal side of you way too much now?! 」