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Volume 2 Chapter 4 Part 5

「Y-You two? D-Don’t tell me you heard my conversation with Monkey?! 」

A slightly embarrassed Nobuna stuttered and then said:

「Sh…Shut up Viper! I am my own person, and it is my choice who I want to marry or not! 」

「No! Even if it’s just an empty title, I’m still your family, and that’s why I cannot allow you to go through with something so reckless! Though Azai Nagamasa is a distinguished Sengoku Daimyo, he’s just a guy who is a bit smart but does not see the big picture before him! It’d be okay if he was just an alliance partner, but as a husband, he does not suit you at all! Besides, it is impossible for you to love that guy! 」

「I can’t help it! There is no one in the world that is compatible with me, so in the end all I can do is to choose this kind of political marriage! 」

「….You… YOU IDIOTIC BRAT!!!! 」

Dosan’s unexpectedly loud shout caused Nobuna to take a few steps back without her even realizing that she did it.

「The man who suits you, isn’t he right beside you!? Isn’t he someone who crossed time and space in order to come to your side and help you fulfill your destiny? Don’t act dumb with me! How can you destroy your own future over a bout of foolish jealousy?! Don’t tell me the oh so esteemed Oda Nobuna is just an inexperienced brat so easily swayed by emotions?! 」

「Ugh… Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up! Stupid Viper! 」

「I will not listen to this foolish drivel of yours any longer! 」

After saying that, Saito Dosan left Nobuna’s room.

「Hmph…. What a short temper… that’s why I hate old geezers like him! 」

Nobuna stood in the courtyard silently, staring at the model of Inabayama Castle. At her side, Katsuie suddenly knelt down by Nobuna’s legs and sobbed while saying:

「To give up your chastity just to fulfill your duty as a Daimyo… and to get reprimanded like that despite your determination… *SOB SOB!* Nobuna-sama, you’re just too pitiful! If you still want to go through with the plan of building a castle at Sunomata, then humbly allow me to do it for you! 」

「Eh, but…. that job has been given to Monkey already… 」

「I, Shibata Katsuie, will definitely build that castle up in three days! And then, I will save from the evil claws of Azai Nagamasa! I’m going to Sunomata right now, so please excuse me, Nobuna-sama! 」

「Ah… Wait… Riku? 」

「I have to do this! Because if this goes on… if this goes on, then Nobuna-sama will be snatched away by Azai Nagamasa! 」

The general who was overly anxious for her master, Shibata Katsuie, did not listen to Nobuna and Nagahide’s persuasion to stop her reckless behavior. She immediately gathered her own men, beat up Yoshiharu who kept shouting「Why are you stealing my job from me?! 」 and left for Sunomata. She took around 3000 soldiers and up to 5000 workers with her. Though non-combat personnel made up over half of the troops, it was still an army counting 8000 people in total.

「People, gather your courage-! If we fail, the beautiful Nobuna-sama will be sullied by Azai Nagamasa! 」

(If Monkey failed his mission of building a castle in Sunomata, Nobuna-sama would be doomed to become Azai Nagamasa’s wife… but if that damn Monkey managed to build it up and capture Mino, then Nobuna-sama might become Monkey’s wife due to the reward promise. Both of these outcomes are the ones that I don’t want to see come true! If that’s the case, there isn’t any other way for me to resolve this situation but to build the castle! If I capture Mino and ask Nobuna-sama to fulfill the promise of the reward, then she will be mine…. Eh? …. W-What the hell am I even thinking about thinking?! )

「If the Mino troops dare to stop me, I will simply mow them all down with my spear! 」

Filled with a fierce killing intent, Katsuie sneaked into Sunomata in the Mino province’s territory. But the location of Sunomata is at Kawakokoro Island which is formed near where the rivers meet, including Nagara river.

Faced with this type of geographical disadvantage, the castle construction troops will have to face the enemy with their backs to the river should they ever be attacked. Add to that the muddy riverbank which is definitely going to make the movement in its vicinity difficult, and you’re going to have an extremely dangerous battleground which is going to severely limit the maneuverability of all the troops.

Even if the one responsible for the construction is Owari’s number 1 general, Shibata Katsuie, building a castle in this kind of place can’t be done by anyone with just effort alone. But even if she’s faced with a disadvantage like this, Katsuie will never back down! Even if they’re going to be faced with a flood-like Mino army, Katsuie is still going to command the troops while shouting:

「Soldiers, we will protect Nobuna-sama’shonor~! Even if death awaits us, we will die for her~~!!!!!! 」

Shibata Katsuie is just that kind of a general whose brain is filled with nothing but loyalty and righteousness.

* * *

2 days later, a sobbing Katsuie fled back to Komakiyama with her tail between her legs. Kneeling in front of Nobuna, she reported her failure.

「O-On the first day, everything was going smoothly, but we were ambushed by Saito Yoshitatsu’s forces on the second day, which turned the entire battlefield into a real mess. Though the troops bravely faced the enemy, the workers all became terrified and fled! And now there is only one day left until your marriage with that damn Azai Nagamasa! Let me commit seppuku as punishment for my failure! 」

The totally confused Katsuie started to make a huge racket. In the end, she was stopped by the smiling Nagahide, who told her:

「There, there, everything is going to be okay. It’s thanks to Katsuie-dono’s strength and flexible command that we could avoid annihilation. But the workers who fled will be afraid of us punishing them for their cowardice, and it is unlikely that they’re going to return to us. 40 points. 」

Sitting cross legged with a chicken wing in her mouth, Nobuna let out a sigh.

「I received the letter from Azai Nagamasa. He will bring his troops over to Owari to prepare for the wedding. 」

Though Nobuna’s tone of voice was light, it was clear that she wasn’t feeling very well about such a turn of events. In fact, her face looked as if she was close to tears. Looking at Nobuna in such a state, Katsuie started to weep even more.

「Uwaahhhhh!!! I think I should just commit seppuku after all!!!! 」

「Stop it, Riku. If you are going to be dead, then forget about conquering Mino, even the protection of Owari will become a problem. From now on, I forbid you from thinking about committing seppuku anymore. 」

「Ahh! N-Nobuna-sama…. You’re too kind….! I, Katsuie, in this life, will always follow you until my last breath! 」

「Okay, okay, I get it, don’t keep saying things like that! It’s depressing! 」

「Katsuie really is a musclehead. 」

Yoshiharu whispered to Inuchiyo.

「What? A musclehead? Is that some new form of Kimono? Inuchiyo doesn’t understand. 」

Yoshiharu, after fainting from the beating he received from Katsuie, was unconscious for two days. After finally waking up with much difficulty, there was only a day left until the deadline set by Nobuna to conquer Mino.

Nobuna’s eyes swept over the people present, while they all lowered their heads without daring to utter even a single word. It’s obvious that they thought that the mission that even Katsuie was unable to finish would be too hard for them. And now that all workers have fled, it would be impossible to build a castle by relying on soldiers alone to do it.

「Well, let’s just put building a castle in Sunomata aside. It’s hard to accept, but it looks like I must marry Nagamasa after all. 」

「Wait just a minute! Nobuna! Didn’t I tell you that I will build the castle up for you to rub it in your face?! 」

Yoshiharu, who was sitting at the back suddenly stood up and said so.

「Damn, the routine of Nobuna-sama and that damn monkey arguing with each other is about to begin again. 」

Katsuie just couldn’t accept it, but Nobuna did not retort back like she usually would.

「Monkey. I’m sorry, but we just don’t have enough manpower now, so such a thing can’t be helped, can it? 」

「Don’t just give up! And I do not plan to bring anyone else anyway! Just the Kawanami Group will be enough to build that castle! 」