If I hadn't known this character, I probably would have thought it was some grotesque Jesuit trick or an illusion created specifically to manipulate us. But once again, all those years I'd wasted playing games ended up coming in handy.
Hack 'n' Slash games had never been my favorites. Yet I clearly remembered launching Samurai Warriors one day out of sheer boredom, without imagining for a single second that this absurd knowledge would ever be useful to me.
And now…
I found myself face to face with Yasuke.
The further I ventured into this world, the more a disturbing feeling took root in my mind. This world seemed built specifically for me. Every detail, every reference, every event seemed to draw from things I already knew.
Or worse still…
As if I were the one who had unconsciously shaped it.
That thought sent a slight chill down my spine.
Then a new window appeared before me.
[ Main Quest: New Ally
✱ Background:
Yasuke, a foreign samurai, has arrived in your lands.
✱ Main Objective:
Convince him to join your ranks.
✱ Failure:
Death. ]
I stared at the notification for a few seconds.
Death?
For failing to recruit someone?
The system was becoming increasingly absurd in the way it enforced its rules. Every quest now seemed designed to prevent any possibility of inaction.
I let the window slowly fade away before turning my attention back to Yasuke.
Then I immediately decided to cut through any unnecessary formalities.
"We'll skip the long introductions," I said calmly as I walked toward him.
The Honnō-ji temple seemed almost silent around us.
"From now on…"
I locked my gaze with his.
"You will serve under my command."
No sooner had I finished my sentence than a new notification appeared before me, this time floating directly next to Yasuke.
[ Main Quest: New Ally
New Ally's Affinity Toward You: 20% ]
I remained silent for a second.
…20%?
I stared at the window in disbelief.
Don't tell me that…
I let out a weary sigh inwardly.
So now I had to deal with affinity systems? As if these quests weren't already ridiculous enough at times. What's next? Multiple-choice dialogues? Did I literally have to "seduce" my allies to increase their loyalty?
I ran a hand over my forehead before quickly regaining my composure.
Very well.
If the system wanted to play that game…
Then I'd play along.
I retrieved a katana from the rewards I'd saved and handed it directly to Yasuke.
"Consider this a welcome gift to the clan."
Yasuke examined the weapon for a few seconds before calmly accepting it.
A new notification appeared immediately.
[ New ally's affinity toward you: 30% ]
I blinked slowly.
Only ten percent?
I was seriously starting to think this system was making fun of me.
I remained pensive for a moment, trying to figure out what could actually influence this so-called "affinity." Money? Weapons? Gratitude? Or something more personal?
While I was still pondering a solution, a small voice suddenly rang out not far from us.
"Um…"
I turned my head slightly.
A young boy had just spoken up.
"Well…"
I furrowed my brow slightly.
I'd almost forgotten that there were also young people in the clan. With all these wars, strategies, and absurd quests, it was easy to forget that some of us were still just children trying to survive in this chaos.
The boy stepped forward timidly before declaring:
"Father… Yasuke could join my group."
An immediate silence fell around us.
I looked at him for a few seconds without answering, trying to understand exactly what he had just said.
Then I finally asked, genuinely confused:
"Who are you?"
The boy seemed surprised by my reaction.
Beside me, Saé and Edano immediately exchanged a strange look.
"Wait…" Edano whispered. "You really had a secret child?"
"Bun…" Saé added with an expression mixing confusion and concern. "Is that true? "
I looked back at them, equally baffled.
But before the situation could get any more out of hand, the young boy quickly raised his hands to set the record straight.
"No, no!"
He straightened up immediately.
"My name is Hayato."
Then he added:
"I've been cast as Oda Nobutada."
A brief silence followed.
"I think he was Oda Nobunaga's son."
This time, everything immediately became clearer in my mind.
I let out a slight sigh inwardly.
Of course.
So that was why he had called me "father."
Yet another consequence of this enigma and the roles it forced upon us. The more time passed, the more blurred the lines became between our true identities and the historical figures we were forced to portray.
As I turned my gaze back to Yasuke, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
I looked at Hayato again.
Then I simply asked him:
"So, where's your mother?"
No sooner had I asked the question than I almost immediately regretted it.
The boy froze slightly.
His gaze wavered.
A silent unease immediately appeared on his face, clear enough for me to understand without needing to press further.
I looked away slightly.
There was no need to read his mind.
His mother had probably disappeared during a previous puzzle. Perhaps dead. Perhaps sacrificed by this absurd system that used us all as interchangeable pieces.
And now…
Hayato was moving forward alone.
I then realized something else.
His question about Yasuke was probably not trivial. It wasn't simply a child's naive admiration for a famous samurai. It felt more like a quest, a goal imposed by the system.
I let out a slow, inward sigh before finally nodding.
"All right."
Hayato immediately looked up.
"Yasuke will join your training group. "
Yasuke integrated into the clan with almost disconcerting speed.
From the very first days, he devoted himself entirely to training alongside the camp's most experienced warriors. Swordplay, posture, military discipline, battlefield tactics… he absorbed everything with impressive efficiency, as if he had always belonged to this world of war.
And above all…
He was truly strong.
Not just because of his physical strength or his mastery of combat, but because of the presence he exuded. Even the most arrogant members of the clan eventually fell silent when he passed by them. His calmness naturally commanded respect.
Very quickly, his name began to circulate throughout the camp.
And inevitably…
An ally capable of bringing us closer to survival immediately became valuable in the eyes of others. After all, in this world, every useful person represented an additional chance to escape death.
So the clan accepted him quickly.
Perhaps even too quickly.
But that was also a direct consequence of the system I had established. In a meritocracy, an individual's true worth always eventually causes them to rise naturally through the ranks.
And Yasuke…
Was brimming with worth.
Day after day, he climbed the ranks without difficulty, until he became one of the clan's most respected pillars.
Then a new notification appeared before me.
[ Main Quest: New Ally
✓ Completed ✓
✱ Objective Accomplished:
Yasuke has become your ally.
✱ Consequence:
Survival ]
I had succeeded in making the famous warrior Yasuke my ally.
While, on our side, a semblance of stability finally seemed to be taking hold, the situation was quite different in Harima.
There, calm did not exist.
Raiden had gradually imposed his authority on the group, not through a vote or genuine collective trust, but through pressure, charisma, and fear. His strategy was now being carried out without real opposition: the weakest would serve as the vanguard while the strongest would conserve their strength for the decisive moment.
An effective, yet monstrous logic.
And Shun…
Did nothing.
Or rather, he could no longer bring himself to do anything.
With every decision Raiden made, he simply remained silent, crushed by the constant feeling that no one would listen to him anyway. He had accepted the role of leader without ever truly being able to bear its weight.
Fear paralyzed him.
And the further the group advanced under Raiden's orders, the more insignificant his own presence became.
Yet, despite Raiden's growing authority, one thing continued to trouble Shun.
That artifact.
That famous relic capable, in his view, of healing wounds.
Everyone seemed to have accepted its existence without asking any further questions. After all, in a world filled with absurd quests and supernatural objects, that kind of power seemed almost normal by now.
But Shun…
He just couldn't quite bring himself to believe it.
So, looking for a moment to get away from the group and collect his thoughts, he eventually slipped away from the camp.
And that's when he spotted them.
Raiden.
Deep in conversation with another member of the group, standing slightly apart from the others.
Their voices were low.
Almost secretive.
Instinctively, Shun froze.
"So… where did you find this artifact?"
The other man's voice was low, curious, almost admiring.
Hidden behind the camp structures, Shun unconsciously held his breath.
Raiden, for his part, frowned slightly.
"What artifact?"
The man let out a nervous chuckle.
"Stop playing dumb. The one that heals wounds. You can tell me."
A brief silence followed.
Then Raiden sighed slowly before shaking his head wearily.
"You're the real idiot here."
His tone had changed.
"That artifact doesn't exist."
The man's eyes widened immediately.
"What?"
Raiden calmly crossed his arms.
"It was a lie."
He spoke those words with an almost unsettling ease.
"People obey much more readily when you give them a glimmer of hope."
Shun felt his body freeze.
"As long as they think they have a chance to survive, they'll accept almost anything."
The other man remained silent for a few seconds before asking, more hesitantly:
"Wait, are you really planning to sacrifice the weakest ones?" "
Raiden showed not the slightest embarrassment.
"They're weak anyway."
His reply came without emotion.
As if it were obvious.
Then he added calmly:
"And if things go wrong, we'll just say this strategy came from that kid."
Shun's blood seemed to run cold.
Raiden continued:
"A kid his age leading a military operation with no casualties? No one will believe it."
A faint smile then appeared on his face.
"Everyone will accept the idea that he failed much more easily."
Behind them, hidden in the shadows…
Shun was trembling.
But this time…
It wasn't just because of fear anymore.
People…
Were actually planning to use his inability to lead to serve their own interests.
That thought hit Shun like a ton of bricks.
Up until now, he'd mostly been afraid of failing. Afraid of looking ridiculous. Afraid of not being up to the task that had been forced upon him. But what he had just heard went far beyond his own humiliation.
People were going to die.
And this time…
It would be directly because of him.
Or rather, because of his silence.
Shun stepped back slightly into the shadows, his heart pounding so hard he felt as though the others could hear it. His throat tightened little by little as Raiden's words continued to echo in his head.
"All we have to say is that this strategy came from Shun."
Even now…
Raiden didn't see him as a leader.
Only as a convenient shield.
An ideal scapegoat.
And the worst part of it all…
Was that no one would likely question that version of events.
After all, he was weak, inexperienced, a child.
His hands began to tremble slightly as he lowered his gaze to the ground.
He had to do something.
But what?
Stand up to Raiden?
No one would listen to him.
Expose him?
And then what?
The group was already under his influence.
Every possibility seemed to lead to the same outcome.
Disaster.
Little by little, a single thought eventually took over his mind entirely.
A simple, brutal, suffocating question.
"WHAT SHOULD I DO?"