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Volume 2 Chapter 3 Part 14

For a long time since her birth, Hanbei was a slave to the paralyzing fear that has crept into her heart. So right now, knowing that the words she was about to speak would change her whole life, she spoke them out loudly and with confidence.

「I also want to… to be your light and protect you forever. 」

That was Takenaka Hanbei’s declaration that she wanted to become Yoshiharu’s companion.

「Genius strategist Takenaka Hanbei actually teaming up with a nobody like me? You gotta be kidding me! And besides, you don’t want to work under Nobuna, but under me instead? 」

(If that’s the case, then the hope of not letting Azai Nagamasa take Nobuna away is not dead yet!)

Yoshiharu, who was shocked at the sudden turn of events, cried out:「I’m forever in your debt! 」and before he realized it, he was bowing down to the younger Hanbei.

「Raise your head, my master. From now on, my strategies and Onmyouji powers will all belong to you, so don’t be reserved and use them however you would see fit. 」

「No, no! Hanbei-chan, you’re not my underling! You are my trusted companion! A family member, basically, so you can just call me Yoshiharu, without honorifics if you so prefer. 」

「Hahaha, as expected, you are totally different from the rest of the warriors of the Sengoku era, Yoshiharu. 」

Yoshiharu nodded and bowed to Hanbei again.

(We will definitely save Iga Ando now. Before that, even if it’s our own allies, we should hide our real identities.)

That is what Yoshiharu and Inuchiyo decided together.
* * *

In the meantime, back at Inabayama Castle.

Saito Yoshitatsu and his retainers were holding a feast in a three-storey building, which was also the living quarters of the fortress’s master.

Measuring 6 feet and 5 inches, Yoshitatsu was a big man with a face that looked like a child’s doodle. Contrary to his bad looks though, he had an unexpectedly clever brain in his head. From a young age, Yoshitatsu had been doubting whether he was the true son of his father, Saito Dosan, who has always been known as fair looking.

After growing up and hearing from Dosan himself that he was the son of the previous Daimyo Dosan had banished from Mino, Yoshitatsu had been hatching a plot to overthrow his godfather, aiming to revive the Toki clan.

Yoshitatsu had always held an opposing mindset against Dosan, who had benefited from taking Mino away from them and used dictatorial methods to grow the province into a twisted creation of his liking.

「He was but a merchant by birth, so he knew nothing about the importance of the old laws of this country. I’m not the same. I’m a descendant from the distinguished Toki clan. As long as I will rule over Mino, I will definitely abolish all the changes that he has implemented, and let Mino go back to its original state. 」

That is what Yoshitatsu was planning from the very beginning, but then all his hopes and plans were shattered to pieces when that perverted geezer Dosan suddenly said, 「I have decided to give Mino to Oda Nobuna~~! 」

At that time, Oda Nobuna who had not been through the battle of Okehazama against Imagawa Yoshimoto was nothing but a fool in the eyes of the residents of the Mino province.

The residents of Mino, especially the powerful 「Mino Trio 」 had all came to a single conclusion:Who knows what that fool Nobuna will do when she comes to Mino? Fearing for themselves, they brought the strategist Takenaka Hanbei into the fray and allied themselves with Yoshitatsu, and in doing so, they allowed Yoshitatsu to force Dosan into a corner at Nagara river

The Mino Three refers to Iga Ando, Ujiie Bokuzen and Inaba Itetsu. Between the three, Iga Ando held the top position as Dosan’s confidant, but due to Dosan’s reckless action of passing Mino to Owari’s Oda Nobuna, Dosan has been labelled as a tyrant. To protect himself, Iga Ando allied himself with Yoshitatsu.

But right now, Iga Ando doesn’t even know the location of his own niece.

On the other hand, Yoshitatsu seemed very satisfied as he downed all of the victory wine in one gulp.

「Good job, Saruyasamaru-dono! You really forced Hanbei and her gang to retreat from here! 」

「Yesterday, was a total failure for me, be it at persuading Hanbei-dono to join me or almost eating shit-covered dango. This is but one small payback for that failure. 」

Unexpectedly, Azai Nagamasa was sitting beside Yoshitatsu with a relaxed face.

「Yoshitatsu-dono, after thinking about the alliance with the Oda clan, I, Nagamasa, came to a conclusion that I am fed up with that fool of a Daimyo from Owari. As of now, please take good care of me. 」

「Hmmm. Saruyasamaru-dono, don’t tell me this is also a payback to Oda Nobuna for not responding to your advances? 」

Though with a height of 6 foot 5 inches and a face that is totally fated to not have any experience when it comes to love, Yoshitatsu isn’t stupid.

「What do you mean? 」

「If that foolish Daimyo managed to absorb Mino as a part of Owari, her fame and prestige as a leader would’ve skyrocketed. If that happened, there would be no need for her to marry you. In contrast to that, if that happens, you will be the inferior one when compared to the Oda clan. So, to prevent Inabayama Castle from falling into the hands of the Oda clan while it was controlled by Hanbei, and because you failed to persuade Hanbei to join you, you planned to let me take back this fortress, isn’t that right? 」

Yoshitatsu completely saw trough Nagamasa’s plans.

This artistically-lacking face and that thick body of his actually matches Dosan in terms of intelligence. Nagamasa felt fear growing in his heart, but still maintained a calm face.

「Saruyasamaru-dono, even without Hanbei, as long as I avoid open warfare, this Inabayama Castle has no weakness that can be exploited. That foolish Nobuna will definitely be disdained after failing the last time, and will be thinking who she might look to for help, so I believe the two of you will become a couple very soon. 」

「Hmmm. At that time, we might just combine forces and attack Inabayama Castle, so is this really okay with you? 」

「Of course. It’s different if the Oda clan has Hanbei, but this fortress will never fall, and that’sa fact. 」

「Hmmm, you do have a point. 」

(Looks like the fact that I’m holding Iga Ando as a hostage has not been discovered; if so, Hanbei will definitely serve me one day!)

Nagamasa laughed in his heart while letting out a sign of relief, but he does not know the fact that Hanbei had already sworn to be by Yoshiharu’s side. There might be a day when both of them will become enemies, but even with that in mind, both Saito Yoshitatsu and Azai Nagamasa laughed heartily and made toasts.

The enemy of yesterday can become today’s friend, but they may just as easily become your enemy in the future. This is a certainty in the Sengoku era.

Why not finish him off here? Is what Yoshitatsu’s retainers were asking him with their eyes, but Yoshitatsu didn’t seem to think such an action was necessary.

(It’s partly thanks to Nagamasa’s effort that we managed to reclaim Inabayama Castle, and if Nagamasa died here, there won’t be a chance for me to see that foolish girl of Owari being forced into a marriage she doesn’t want with a broken spirit. If she became the wife of the experienced Saruyasamaru, that willfull and foolish girl might learn her limits and do her duty as a woman. After waking up from the unrealistic dream of conquering the world, she might be disdained and give up on trying to claim Mino for herself.)

Yoshitatsu has already started predicting the outcomes for the future.

From Nagamasa’s point of view, a man like Yoshitatsu who can become a capable Sengoku Daimyo can be said to be lucky. Even without the help of the strategist Hanbei, Yoshitatsu still had ways to protect Inabayama Castle from the Oda clan’s army.

Nagamasa is certain that there is no other choice for Nobuna than to obey his orders. It could be said that he has Owari firmly in his hands now. From now on, as long as Omi and Owari will be allied together and surround Mino from all sides, there will be a day when Inabayama Castle will be his. For that reason, during the day when he was climbing the castle, Nagamasa has memorized every detail and piece of structural information in this fortress.

In this world where wars are abundant, you have to bluff and cheat your way through life in order to make life as easy for yourself as possible.

For Nagamasa, who is said to be the very incarnation of ambition, there is no such thing as friendship in this world, nor are there things like romantic love or family love. All he does is rely on his naturally good looks, using different girls and abandoning them in stride as needed. This way of doing things was actually very similar to that used by the young Viper, Saito Dosan.

A person born in a Daimyo family of the Sengoku era does not need love. Their so called family members are nothing but chess pieces to them. Yoshitatsu had banished his own godfather, and Nagamasa has also forced his useless father Hisamasa to retire and give up the position of head of the clan.

(Even Nobuna will one day give up on that childish dream of 「marrying the man I love」, and become mine.)

Without knowing why, Nagamasa, whose heart had never been moved by any female, wanted to see the sobbing face of Nobuna when her dream was shattered.

Oda Nobuna and Sagara Yoshiharu… these two people have totally different positions, yet they always quarrel and throw curses at each other once they are together. But looking at the their purity, Nagamasa would always slip into a state of melancholy. Looking at these two people who had totally no regard of their relationship would remind Nagamasa of his long forgotten, yet never really given up dream.

Azai Nagamasa isn’t someone who just plays with women. But the truth behind Nagamasa’s long forgotten dream can never be known to others. Even to Nobuna who will soon be his wife, not a word can be spoken about this.

「My oh my, tonight is really a night worth celebrating. Let us drink the prosperity of the Saito and Azai clans! 」