Volume 2 Chapter 5 Part 4
At his back, Hanbei has been looking at him from the back silently all this time.
(Ah, yes. I had such a promise with Hanbei-chan. I had already said such big words in front of her. How can I force Nobuna into a corner and request her to marry a lowly soldier like me? With how I am now, I have no such right at all.)
There is still such a long, almost impossible distance to go before he would be an outstanding general that would stand on equal ground with someone like her, a Daimyo and the head of the entire Oda clan. No matter if it’s the world or Nobuna, for Yoshiharu now, they are like the sun in the sky: such a far-away yet dazzlingly bright existences
Without even realizing it, he started to become anxious.
「Hey, Monkey? Come on, hurry up and say it. 」
Nobuna’s light breath which was coming out of her mouth together with a nice smell from her body floated past Yoshiharu nostrils.
(This arrogant, violent girl is totally not my type. But… but even if that is the case here…)
All of a sudden, Yoshiharu’s heart was filled with a desire to steal Nobuna’s lips for himself in front of everyone.
(I don’t care at all if this damn brat is the world’s number 1 beauty or not. What I do know is that, this girl is my… )
Suppressing the desire to finish that sentence, Yoshiharu shook his head and said:
「Nobuna, I don’t want you to marry Azai Nagamasa! That asshole does not have even one bit of honesty in him! 」
「Eh, Monkey?! W-What… what are you saying now!? The thing you should be saying now should be…」
「You were the one who promised that you’re going to fulfill any request as a reward, no matter what that request might be, so even if you’re regretting it now, there’s no going back on your word! Listen now and listen well! what I want for my reward is for you to reject Azai Nagamasa’s marriage proposal! There, in your face! 」
「I…I…I don’t….Eh… uhm… It’s… it’s not like that! 」
「That’s a good one for a change, Monkey~! Beautiful~! I applaud you with both my hands! Now Nobuna-sama’s chastity is no longer going to be in peril! 」
Katsuie couldn’t help but dance wildly in joy when she heard that.
「Considering both of your feelings, this ending is quite regrettable, but as long as the Oda clan manages to avoid a major crisis because of it, then all is well. 80 points. 」
Nagahide has long noticed Nobuna and Yoshiharu’s hopeless love for each other, and her usual smile was now replaced by a complicated expression. On the other hand, Azai Nagamasa, who was ridiculed in front of everyone, walked towards Yoshiharu and Nobuna with a pale face.
「What is this about, Nobuna-dono? 」
「Nagamasa. I promised to fulfill any wish of the one who would conquer Inabayama Castle as a reward for doing so. Looks like this monkey of mine is so jealous of my happiness that he chose to destroy our marriage as the reward. Teehee~~ 」
「Nobuna-sama, maybe you wanted to sound professional with this, but nobody’s going to take you seriously when your happiness is so blatantly showing on your face. You should be more reserved about it in the future. 32 points. 」
「Nagamasa, this bad luck of yours is well deserved~ Damn, Monkey nicely done! You are really a good retainer who thinks of Nobuna-sama. I now see you in a different light than I did before! 」
Katsuie happily hugged Yoshiharu while almost twisting his joints and breaking his bones due to how much strength she put into it.
「So that’s how things are now. Go back to Omi if there’s nothing else for you here, Nagamasa. I’m sorry for letting you down after you came all the way here. 」
「What the hell does this mean!? Nobuna-dono, don’t tell me you agree to such a dumb reward!? 」
「Of course. This is a long decided fact, and the achievements that Monkey made are all well known. So Nagamasa, please forget about the whole marriage deal. If you want to hate someone for it, hate this Monkey of mine, not me. 」
A string of thought then rapidly went through Nagamasa’s head.
(I’ve lost. I have once again been totally defeated by this couple. From the very start when I came to Owari and proposed to Nobuna, my fate had already been decided.)
For the dream of conquering the world, Saruyasamaru had even abandoned his own dream. And yet, he’s lost to this monkey who refused to give up like a child throwing a tantrum, and this Nobuna who most likely has the same feelings as this monkey next to her.
Nagamasa’s heart relaxed a little, but these were just the personal feelings of the individual known as Azai Nagamasa… no, Saruyasamaru. As a Sengoku Daimyo, Azai Nagamasa cannot allow himself to back off from just this setback. However, right now all he could do was to swallow his pride and accept what has happened here.
However…
「If that’s the case, the alliance between Azai clan and Oda clan will non-existent! If so, my ambition of conquering the world from Omi will be shattered! 」
「If you so wish to have an alliance with me, how about you start by begging me for it with a nicer tone? 」
「No. If I can’t have an alliance formed through blood relations, I won’t be able to answer to my father! And you do not have any other siblings! There is no other possibility for this alliance except through the marriage of myself with the princess of the Oda clan! 」
Facing Nagamasa’s desperate explanation, Nobuna spoke with a stiff expression.
「Ah, is that how it is? It’s won’t be a big deal for me to destroy Omi while on route to the capital, but since you’re this desperate for it, then I guess it also won’t be hard for me to form an alliance with you. As the proof of the alliance, I will send a princess of the Oda clan to your side, and that matter will be settled with that. 」
「Uhh, other princess of the Oda clan? I…I have no objections to that. 」
「So the alliance is formed then. I will send her over soon, so go back if there’s nothing else that you’d wish to discuss here. And I won’t ask anymore about you being in cahoots with Yoshitatsu and kidnapping Iga Ando or whatever. 」
Nagamasa nodded obediently. If he had a princess from the Oda clan, it’s as if he had a hostage in his hands. And with the way the alliance was formed, his father, Azai Hisamasa, should be able to accept it.
「I understand. I hope this time around you will not break your promise with me. I will also try to convince my father on my side to accept it. 」
「You brought up your father again. Aren’t you overly concerned over forcefully making your father retire? 」
「As a child of my father, I believe that much should be obvious. 」
「Ah, is that so? Placing the same amount of importance in your own father and the world, looks like you are still a child. I also think that such a thing like your habit of deceiving females should be stopped. If you truly want to marry with someone from our Oda clan, that is. 」
「Understood. 」
Asai Nagamasa, even as a Sengoku Daimyo, has been utterly defeated in front of Nobuna.
「Wanting me to marry you was a bit too reckless. From now on, work hard for my Oda clan as my little brother. 」
From Nagamasa’s point of view, the meaning of Nobuna’s words was so hurtful it carved a deep scar in his heart. He could only reach where he was now through the shattered remains of his own dream as Saruyasamaru. And the price for abandoning his own dream was steep.
(I might have lost a bit too much here. But now isn’t the time to lament that. I must not bow down to Nobuna, but for now I should accept this humiliation and retreat. There will be a day when I will return and subdue Nobuna to my will… )
The flames of ambition silently burned inside Nagamasa’s chest. His own abandoned wishes, his lost dreams, the feelings he was unable to get across. Without knowing when, their shape had changed in his heart and had become a fiercely burning ambition.
After Nagamasa left, the hall exploded with a wave of cheers.
「Nobuna-sama is finally safe~! Damn Monkey, yay~!! 」
「G-Get away from me! Your tits are going to suffocate me to death! 」
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