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Volume 4 Chapter 2 Part 8

「Please try your best no matter what! Isn’t Manase-sama a renowned doctor that combines both western and traditional medical skills to people who cannot be helped in any other way?! 」

「….I am, but unfortunately, the dream world isn’t a place that medical skills of the mortal realm can reach. 」

(If her high fever doesn’t subside, then it won’t be just a matter of remaining in a coma. If that happens, then Nobuna-sama can last another one to two days at most.)

In his mind, the images of numerous of his dead patients flashed before his eyes, but that was something that Manase Belchior could not bring himself to tell to the young Nene whose eyes were already full of tears. But Nene was a very intuitive child, and so she had already understood that.

「….Nobuna-sama… she… there is no way to save her, right? Uhh… uhh, if only Onii-sama… if only Onii-sama could come back….! 」

It was as if they were in hell.

Inside Honno-ji, there was a deathly silence. Suddenly, there was an unexpected guest.

「Hmmm, geezer, isn’t it time that you guys need me? 」

A body which emitted a 「not of this country」 atmosphere and a strong smell of perfume. A china-styled attire worn over tanned skin and a long, thin tobacco pipe.

It was Matsunaga Danjo Hisahide, commonly known as 「The Venomous Scorpion」.

Hisahide, who hadn’t been seen for quite some time, walked elegantly towards Manase Belchior.

「Ohh, Matsunaga-sama? Rumors are all over Kyoto about you running back to Yamato after Nobuna-sama was sniped, and that the Oda clan was doomed because of you. 」

「Oh, that must be from those kids in Kyoto who dislike me. I was actually coming up with a secret drug for Nobuna-sama. 」

Manase began trembling all over at the sound of Hisahide’s voice, and, pointing at her, he stammered out:

「Da..Da…Dan…Danjo-chan? Y…You… What are you doing here? 」

In the past, the lecherous doctor Manase Belchior had once created illicit pictures of Matsunaga Hisahide. At that time, Manase who wanted to seduce Matsunaga Hisahide was rejected by her with one simple sentence: 「I hate geezers」, and was given sulfur mustard poison and abandoned at Hisahide’s castle, on Mount Tamon where she hoped he would die. To Manase, the event was traumatic enough to incite trembling whenever he thought of it to this day.

「I’m saying, Geezer, that by now you should’ve run out of ways to stop Nobuna-sama’s illness from proceeding. Nobuna-sama is trapped in her nightmares and can’t wake up, right? 」

「Yes, you are correct, but to give Nobuna-sama drugs created by Danjo-chan, 「The Venemous Scorpion 」… it’s very suspicious, extremely suspicious, I would even say. 」

「Not at all. There is a drug from Persia that is able to manipulate dreams. The materials are very difficult to gather here, so that’s why I was delayed from coming here sooner. 」

「Hou? A drug that manipulates dreams! What is it, exactly? 」

「If we use this, will Nobuna-sama be released from her nightmares? 」

Nene asked.
「Yes, it will not only end her nightmares, but also give her sweet dreams, dreams of happiness that Nobuna-sama herself truly wants. Once Nobuna-sama’s spirit becomes better, her temperature will drop and she will eventually wake up. 」

After listening to Hisahide’s explanation, Nene held Hisahide’s hands tightly and begged numerous times:

「Please! Do it! Help Nobuna-sama get better! 」

「Nene-chan, those Persian drugs that this woman uses are actually poisons! They are things that are extremely toxic, and while they may have their uses, they can only do harm to Nobuna-sama with how weak she is now. It’s too dangerous! 」

Manase said as he frowned.

「If that’s the case, what do you propose in order to bring Nobuna-sama back to health, geezer? 」

Under the stare of Hisahide’s sharp eyes, Manase could only cower and whimper in fear.

You guys are bothering me here. How about I poison you along with that child… Hisahide’s eyes seemed to emit such a threat as they all but drilled holes right through Manase.

「Bitter medicines tend to work best. If it can save Nobuna-sama’s life, I will turn a blind eye to any potential side effects it will bring. But Danjo-chan, that drug, has it been tested on humans yet? 」

「Hmm, I had tested it on myself. During the period when the drug was taking effect, I had a dream where I was with Nobuna-sama in Tamon mountain castle having a passionate discussion with her, and I didn’t notice any adverse side effects. 」

「If so, then it seems kinda safe, I think. 」

Nene said.

「Danjo-chan, after taking so many drugs and toxins, your body has probably developed a resistance to most poisons, and your body isn’t the same as an ordinary girl’s to begin with, so you can’t be considered a good test subject. No, definitely not. 」

Hisahide narrowed her eyes and laughed.

「At least I can say that it won’t harm Nobuna-sama’s life. This I guarantee with my own head. 」

Though Manase had an ominous feeling about this, he decided that Hisahide’s plan is the best option currently available to them, and decided to go through with it.

Just like this, Hisahide entered Nobuna’s room by herself.

「Is that really okay? Nene is actually kinda worried. 」

「Uhh, I won’t lie, what we are doing here is a huge gamble… but whether Danjo-chan’s medicine is good or bad, we have already entrusted Nobuna-sama’s fate into her hands, so we have no choice but to see that decision of ours through to the end. 」

* * *

「Nobuna-sama… for you to have become so weak… how pitiful. 」

Hisahide looked at Nobuna, who was still tortured by a high fever, and couldn’t help but shed a tear as she held Nobuna’s hand tightly. At the same time, she felt unrestrained anger towards the bastard who shot Nobuna with an arquebus, and was still hiding in the safety of Mount Hiei even now.

Mount Hiei was a spiritual mountain that prohibited females from entering its premises, which means that whoever it was that shot Nobuna, the Oda clan’s army, which was comprised mainly of female warriors, couldn’t search for him even if they wanted to.

In fact, Hisahide had sent out numerous requests to 「 Surrender that bastard to face justice」, but Mount Hiei had rejected all of them by saying 「Unclean female Daimyos have nothing to do with us」.

And as if that wasn’t enough, the allied forces of the Azai and Asakura clans had pitched camp on that very same Mount Hiei.

Thanks to that, both Shibata Katsuie and Niwa Nagahide couldn’t enter due to being female, even though they were generals in Nobuna’s army.

(How despicable is this? What do they think women are?)

Hisahide lost her home and family due to the wars that were ravaging Kyoto and was picked up by the monks and raised in Kofuku-ji. It was due to these fallen monks that she had despaired and abandoned Buddhism.

Of course, among the monks, there weren’t just fallen monks. There were still monks who strictly followed the rules and prayed for the people as per Buddha’s teachings. But there were also monks who, in their arrogance and without any care for their Buddhist teachings, started killing without thought and built attitudes that made them think of women as 「 unclean」, even though they worshipped Buddha, who declared all people to be equal. Since her joining, many more monks fell and became lost in their desires due to these reasons.

The young Hisahide, whether she found herself in Kyoto or Nara, was always insulted by the monks, who viewed her as a 「Bastard from overseas」. Because of that, she learned spearmanship skills and the art of crafting poisons to protect herself.

Thinking about the past, Hisahide’s heart came alight with black flames as an incredibly fierce look darkened her face.

「Nobuna-sama, I, Matsunaga Hisahide will personally catch that bastard that had the audacity to hurt you and subject him to the most brutal torture imaginable. I will bury him in the sand until only his head remains, letting passersby use saws to slowly saw off his neck. Though there are a few people who treat bloodying criminals as a game and have fun with it, the criminal subjected to it will definitely be better off dead. Yes, it’s not enough to just kil him. To have harmed Nobuna-sama’s beautiful body with a bullet, I must let him taste something much more terrible than death! 」

While speaking to Nobuna, Hisahide put a black fluid into the famous tea kettle, Hiragumo, and started boiling it.