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Volume 2 Chapter 2 Part 8

「There is no need for any exit! It’s because we follow logic that we lost the sight of it! We should follow our own ways now! Goemon, hurry up and start digging! Push down these stone towers so we can use them as stepping stones! 」

「Undershthood!. Sho you want to break out of this mashe by pushing down the towers? It will be done as you ashked! 」

Goemon started lisping as soon as she opened her mouth. Looks like she is getting anxious about their current situation too.

「Yes! Though I do not understand the logic behind the Stone Sentinel Maze, if we destroy the maze itself, we should be able to walk out of it unscratched! And while doing that, we can use the towers themselves as stepping stones to prevent any danger of drowning! 」

「Yoshiharu-dono, it is shockingly simple, but to think that you can find a loophole in one of Takenaka Hanbei’s traps… 85 points. 」

Nagahide nodded and agreed with Yoshiharu’s strategy, and at the same time Katsuie at the side also pulled out her katana.

「Not using your brain and just destroying everything around us, huh? Now that is the strategy I can get behind! Leave it to me! 」

*KLAAAAAAAAAANG!!!!!!!!*

Katsuie’s sword was destroying all of the stone towers it collided with as easily as if it was striking down a set of bowling pins. Looking at Katsuie who looked as if she had been turned into an Ashura, the soldiers of the Oda clan who remained at the side until now started to use their own spears to bring down the rest of the stone towers as well.

「I’m feeling much better now. 」

While taking out her own bamboo spear, Inuchiyo whispered as such as well.
Looking at her subordinates suddenly acting in such a cohesive manner even though they were running around like a bunch of headless chickens mere moments ago, Nobuna was surprised.

「You destroy the maze itself because you cannot find an exit out of it… what a ridiculous strategy that is. 」

It’s just like with that famous problem of making an egg stand up, to which a barbarian explorer, Christopher Columbus gave a shocking answer of: 「Just crack the bottom of the egg up.」.

Though Yoshiharu’s way of handling it was a bit more cunning, it did have a curious similarity to that. Totally ignoring the questioner’s objective to give the simplest correct answer, using brute force to force a way out… yes, in a way, it can be considered a groundbreaking solution too.

It’s like losing in a game of chess, yet flipping the whole chessboard; a totally ridiculous way of doing things. As expected of a guy who follows his own rules without listening to anyone around him.

On the other hand, though Nobuna said she did not believe in things like onmyoudo, she unwittingly wanted to pit her own intelligence against that of Takenaka Hanbei. Because of this, she continued to try to find an exit from the Stone Sentinel Maze while totally forgetting about the solution of just destroying the maze itself, the simplest one that was right in front of her.

While wearing a displeased expression on her face, Nobuna stood on one of the freshly created stepping stones, turned towards Yoshiharu and said:

「Don’t… Don’t let this get over your head, Monkey! In the end, the reward can only be given to you once we actually conquer Inabayama castle! Something small like this is nothing worth of a reward! 」

While being busy helping Goemon push down the stone towers and being covered with dirt all over, but with an expression full of motivation, Yoshiharu interrupted her and said:

「Yeah, yeah, you are really not cute at all! Would it really kill you if you showed the slightest bit of gratitude for the plan that I have come up with?! 」
「WHA….?! *Tsk!* This… This is not something that was achieved with human knowledge! This is knowledge from a monkey who has given up on logical thinking! And no matter what, you have no proof that this plan of yours is going to guarantee us a way out, do you? 」

「Ugh, shut up with that pessimistic yapping of yours! Listen, I will definitely make it possible for you to conquer Inabayama castle, you’ll see! And once I do it, don’t you forget about that promise of yours! You will fulfill any request that I’ll make, no matter what that request is going to be! 」

「Eh?O-Okay, I get it! No need for you to remind me! 」

「No matter if it’s conquering the world, or marrying the man you love, I will not give up! I will definitely enable you to fulfill all of your dreams! 」

Yoshiharu’s eyes were filled with dazzling motivation as he was shouting that.

「But don’t forget about the reward! And no going back on your promise either! 」

Nobuna, noticing this and seemingly getting affected by this aura he was emitting, started blushing furiously. Yoshiharu had never spoke a word about Nagamasa’s marriage with Nobuna until now, but Nobuna finally understood deeply that Yoshiharu was in fact anxious about it and frustrated that he did not manage to score any noteworthy achievement for himself yet.

After destroying the stone maze completely, the exit finally appeared in front of the nearly drowned Oda clan’s army. While on the route back to Aoshuu, Nobuna on horseback started whispering to herself:

「What if… What if Monkey is going to request me to be his reward? 」

(If it’s really going to be like that, what should I do? The words have been spoken, and the promise can no longer be retracted. But no matter what, our social standings are just too different…. Oh, I know! If Monkey really manages to conquer Inabayama Castle, how about promoting him to a general? But in the end, that’s still little more than an ordinary adviser. A-And, compared to this guy who came from nowhere, being the same as a monkey… compared to Saruyashamaru, Azai Nagamasa, they are like heaven and earth, so there is not much of a possibility…. )

「But…But that guy seems unexpectedly reliable, and he saved my life a bunch of times now.T-That guy’s dream is to do perverted things with the world’s number one beauty, so as to say, m…… Ahhhhh! Why must I be thinking of such things now of all times?! 」

(This isn’t good… This isn’t good at all!)

Thinking that to herself, Nobuna began to regret that she promised to fulfill every request of the one who conquers Inabayama castle, and she started panicking as she blushed even more furiously.

In the back, Katsuie and Yoshiharu were too busy shouting whose achievement during the conquest of Mino is going to be greater, and because if that spontaneous comedy skit of theirs, they didn’t notice the inner turmoil that Nobuna was currently going through at all.

Once again they returned to Aoshuu, and early next morning. Nobuna summoned her two most trusted advisors, Shibata Katsuie and Niwa Nagahide, to her side.

「Ugh, why must Nobuna-sama summon us to talk about Yoshiharu-dono’s matters so early in the morning? 」

「Nobuna-sama is so attracted to that damn monkey and keeps siding with him in regards to everything she does…damn it!!! 」

Katsuie’s rage towards Yoshiharu seemed to increase day by day.

「So, what did you quarrel about this time? 」

Though Nagahide admitted that she did not understood the weird thinking patterns of Nobuna and Yoshiharu, her presence as someone highly intelligent was reliable to Nobuna.

「I wouldn’t go as far as to call that quarreling. It’s just that this guy arrogantly asked me not to forget about the reward after conquering Mino! 」

「I see. Previously, as part of the promise to give him the number one beauty of the world for what he achieved during the Battle of Okezahama, you gave him Nene as a younger sister. It’s a good thing that the lonely Yoshiharu-dono has obtained a cute sister for himself, but I’m afraid that no matter how people might look at it, they’re only going to see it as a clear act of deceit on your part, Nobuna-sama. 13 points. 」

「That’s the thing…. That’s why he is now pestering me to reward him properly. How irritating. 」

「Haha, is he still bent on being introduced to the number one beauty in the world? 」

Nobuna’s face was painted with a light shade of pink, while she answered in a low voice:

「… I don’t know anymore. I… I think that Monkey might’ve actually been proposing to me with that. 」

「Eh? 」

「*COUGH COUGH!!!*」

Nagahide, who is usually calm, spat the tea out of her mouth at the same time Katsuie did.

「Ah, how rude of me. But no matter what, this kind of reward is too ridiculous. Nobuna-sama, you are the one and only leader of the Oda clan, and Yoshiharu-dono is just your retainer, who
previously was just an unknown vagrant before he joined you. There is no chance or reason for the two of you to be together 0 points. 」

「Th…Th…That ero-monkey! He finally revealed his true motive to capture the Oda clan! What a bastard! Looks like I have to kill him with my own hands after all! 」
「Wait, Riku. This is just a possibility. I’m just thinking if that was the case! 」

「Nobuna-sama, what kind of proof do you have to think this of Yoshiharu-dono? 」

「Yes, Nobuna-sama. What makes you so mindful of that damn monkey’s intentions? 」

Nobuna used her finger on the tatami and started drawing circles while stuttering,

「Uhm, well…That…that marriage between me and Nagamasa, he does not seem to agree with it. And Monkey, though he always says things like that ‘I’m not cute at all and violent too’, but he does do his best all the time, right? And he did put on airs and say 「No matter if it’s conquering the world or marrying the man you love, I will definitely make you fulfill your dreams! 」 so the way I see it, he was implying that… that he wanted me to be his bride…or things like that. If…If things really become like that, I had already promised to give him anything he wants. I can’t escape this time. If…If Monkey really conquers Mino this time, I… I won’t be able to do anything about it. That, and… and a sa…samurai does not go back on their word! 」

「Nobuna-sama, this talk is no longer about asking how to punish Yoshiharu-dono for his disrespectful attitude. It’s just normal sweet talking that couples do. 12 points. 」

Shibata Katsuie started to tremble with anger, and the veins in her forehead were almost stressed to the point of breaking. She stood up while drawing her sword, and…

「Un… Unforgivable! He actually da…da…dared to let Nobuna-sama display such an act of helplessness!!! 」

「It…It has not been decided if it’s really a proposal, Riku! In the end, I’m just troubled about it! That’s all! 」

「Damn Saru, you actually plan to snatch away the invincible, heart of Nobuna-sama, who’s yet to know love?! Compared to Nagamasa, this bastard is actually more dangerous! Let’s kill him now! 」

「Gosh, I already said not to kill my monkey without reason, right? 」

「Correct, Riku-dono. Yoshiharu-dono’s already an officer now; killing him without a reason is not permitted. 」

「My… My monkey?! The relationship between the two of you had advanced to such a stage already? Ahhhhhhh! I can’t take it, I should just go and die now! 」

「Eh? What are you saying, Riku? 」

Nobuna’s face was that of a young girl’s in love, but the situation did not develop in the direction that she was fantasizing about.