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(But seriously, why would they build a castle in such a high place?!)
Of course, it was purely for self-defense, but I couldn't help but sarcastically remark.
I knew that Inabayama Castle was a mountain castle, but I had no idea it was built on such a high place.
Taishakutsukimo doesn't seem to be that fond of mountain climbing. She shivers violently, urging me to come down, and with a look of annoyance on her face, she follows behind me and the two Oda retainers who are leading the way.
I had expected to meet Nobunaga soon, but what awaited me was a pointless mountain climb that wasted my energy—and my mood plummeted.
However, in the world I came from, it was recommended to use the ropeway to get to the top of Mount Kinka... so it was my fault for completely forgetting that.
But if there are people who laugh at me saying, "It's just mountain climbing...", then they should actually climb Mount Kinka themselves. Building a castle on top of a mountain like this, or trying to attack it, is sheer madness.
Sweat seeped in slowly, making the kimono feel damp and stuffy.
I instinctively reached into my pocket to check if the letter Ichihime had entrusted to me had been ruined by my sweat.
Indeed, when I said I was going to visit Nobunaga, she seemed startled, quickly scribbled something down, and then handed me a tightly sealed letter saying, "Could you please give this to my brother?"
"Even so, none of us ever imagined that Lord Bizen-no-kami would be here."
Saying this, Niwa Nagahide continued along the mountain path without changing his expression.
He was one of the people who volunteered to lead me, and he is an influential and highly respected retainer of the Oda family.
(But what concerns me even more is—)
"Indeed, that is very true! Well, I imagine things are quite difficult in your territory, Lord Bizen-no-kami... Hmm, this monkey has been incredibly rude!"
A small man was bouncing around in front of me—it was none other than Kinoshita Hideyoshi.
In historical fact, he was one of the "Three Great Unifiers" who succeeded Nobunaga and ruled Japan under the name of Toyotomi.
I never dreamed we'd meet in a place like this.
"I apologize, Lord Bizen."
Nagahide nudged Hideyoshi with a wry smile.
From their casual movements, it's easy to see that these two have built a friendly relationship.
"This man is from a peasant background and has not received a proper education, but his talent is recognized by both Nagahide and Lord Nobunaga. I humbly ask for your leniency, Lord Bizen-no-kami..."
"I am so sorry!"
As I watched Hideyoshi bow his head, I waved my hand in response, saying, "It's alright."
To be honest, just climbing Mount Kinka is quite a challenge.
It's foolish to waste energy getting angry over trivial things.
And just as we were about to arrive, I saw a man standing there who was unmistakably the same as mine.
There's no mistaking him; it's Nobunaga.
He must have known I was coming, because he came out to the castle gate and was waiting for me.
"My brother-in-law, thank you for your long journey."
When Nobunaga called out to me, I deliberately put on an exhausted expression and returned his greeting.
While it was true that he was physically exhausted, there was a slight exaggeration and acting involved.
Apparently, Nobunaga was curious about my condition, and began to ask me questions in a way that seemed to be trying to probe me.
"You look quite tired, brother-in-law. What happened?"
"—Exactly."
I wiped the sweat from my brow and smiled at Nobunaga.
"Good things tend to come in bunches. Just as good fortune began to befall our family, Lord Nobunaga launched his attack on Inabayama Castle... It seems I, Nagamasa, have no time to rest at night."
I tell lies with a fair degree of ease.
Of course, there was no way I could tell Nobunaga, "I'm exhausted from climbing the mountain."
If you were to say something like that, you'd undoubtedly be met with a cold, dismissive look and a "How ridiculous..."
Therefore, the key to success will be how convincingly you can talk using the cards you have at your disposal.
"Oh, so Asai has a lucky charm in his home..."
Nobunaga leaned forward and said:
"Such good fortune that it will overshadow my brother-in-law's night... I'm intrigued. Nagahide, Saru, I need to speak with my brother-in-law alone. Either of you, stay behind and we keep watch."
Indeed, when Nobunaga gave that order, Hideyoshi shouted "I'm coming!" and rushed into the castle.
After a while, he reappeared with two benches and placed them at the base of a large tree, estimated to be several hundred years old, growing right next to the castle gate.
"Lord Nagahide, this monkey will fulfill this duty. Above all, Lord Nagahide is still in the middle of a major task: inspecting the castle town! In that case, I, Hideyoshi, who has no particularly important tasks to do, would be the most suitable person! Is that alright?"
"--Hmm"
Well then, Lord Nobunaga and Lord Nagamasa, I will take my leave now. With that, Nagahide departed. Hideyoshi also bowed to us and disappeared into the shade of the trees.
They were probably trying to keep a close watch, making sure no one was hiding in the shade of the trees to launch an attack. Their movements were quite natural, and I couldn't help but be impressed by their agility.
However, Hideyoshi's brilliant and efficient movements seemed either perfectly natural to Nobunaga, or perhaps completely uninteresting to him.
He beckoned me over and spoke in a tone as if he were instructing an older brother,
"You should sit down there first. You must be tired, right?"
He said that. I responded without sitting down first.
"Thank you very much. By the way, Lord Nobunaga, aren't you tired? After coming to my Omi Province, you must have come to Mino without a moment's rest—"
"No way, I'm not going to give up so easily."
Nobunaga laughed it off, and that was our signal to turn to face each other and bow. Then we sat down on our benches.
"Now, first of all, to my brother-in-law... Lord Nobunaga, I offer my congratulations on your successful capture of Inabayama Castle."
"Yes"
Nobunaga nodded deeply at my words.
"The celebratory gifts will be loaded onto packhorses later and delivered to the town below Inabayama Castle by members of my household. My purpose in coming here is, for the time being, to pay my respects to Lord Nobunaga."
"Is that so?"
Nobunaga was looking at me with a questioning gaze.
He probably doesn't intend to, but his gaze is so sharp it looks like he could easily stab someone to death. It's pretty bad for a timid person like me.
"But surely you wouldn't have come all this way just for that...? Surely you're not that foolish."
"Yes, I am indeed a fool."
"—What?!"
Nobunaga chuckled wryly, pressing one hand to his forehead and looking up at the sky.
"My brother-in-law, you are the one who rules over northern Omi. Our Oda forces have now entered Mino, and soon their control will be complete. And then, the head of a different family, Asai, appears without a single attendant—"
He paused, glared at me with a serious expression, and slapped his knee.
"You've got some nerve giving me the power of life and death. If I intend to rule Omi, I'll stop at nothing. I could kidnap you and threaten the people of Kohoku, or I could just return you as rust on my sword and advance my army—don't you understand that, you utter fool?!"
Nobunaga's furious roar echoed, shaking Mount Kinka to its core.
To be honest, I almost wet myself, but since his anger stemmed from his concern for me, I felt I had a duty to properly explain myself.
"With all due respect... I stand before Lord Nobunaga knowing that such dangers are inherent."
"What?!"
I'm desperately trying to stir up the courage that's wavering within my own heart.
Indeed, Oda Nobunaga, a hero of the Sengoku period, was an elusive figure whose emotions changed constantly.
Despite having smiled, albeit a wry one, just moments ago, he now stands before me, his anger on full display. How should I deal with him in this state of change?
(Ultimately, we'll just have to use everything at our disposal to persuade them.)
As long as humans are creatures that rely on communication, it all ultimately comes down to that.
I glared back at Nobunaga, who was radiating an aura of anger, and decided to unleash a barrage of forceful words aimed at his forehead.
"With all due respect, do you think Lord Nobunaga would want to see Ichi's sorrowful face?"
"..."
"She is truly the bridge connecting our Asai and Oda clans. To me, she is my beloved wife, and to Lord Nobunaga, she is his beloved sister. Therefore, if she grieves, it will be a misfortune for both of us. I don't think that understanding is wrong."
I looked Nobunaga straight in the eye,
"Therefore, her matter is a matter between the two families, and what has happened to her must be conveyed by me, Nagamasa, before anyone else. It is only right that it be conveyed to my brother-in-law, Oda Nobunaga, through me, Nagamasa, before anyone else. That is the duty of those who stand on both sides of the river, with the market as a bridge—especially if it brings good fortune."
Then Nobunaga let out a surprised "Ah!" that seemed to be squeezed from the back of his throat, and in his excitement, he jumped up from his stool.
With his eyes wide open and his body trembling, he screamed as if bursting with emotion.
"Nagamasa!"
"yes"
"In the city... that guy has a child, he's had a child!!"
"yes!"
Then Nobunaga let out a scream that could only be described as a "bizarre cry," leaped up and down the mountain path, kicked over the bench he was sitting on, and then picked it up and began to dance around in circles.
They were overjoyed. The excitement was so overwhelming that countless soldiers' faces could be seen peeking out from the castle gates.
However, Nobunaga probably doesn't care about that at all.
She approached me, who was still sitting there stunned, knelt down on one knee, and with tears streaming down her face like a waterfall, grabbed both of my hands and shook them wildly.
"I see, I see... That makes sense. I see... That's why my brother-in-law came to me alone...!"
Nobunaga, with tears welling up in his eyes, repeatedly slaps me on the shoulder, saying, "It's a noble cause, it's a noble cause." It's not just a little painful...it hurts quite a bit.
"So, when did you find out about that?"
"It was actually last night."
"I see, I see, I see..."
I feel bad for Nobunaga, but to maintain consistency with the bluff I just made, I'll have to insert a fake detail there.
However, in any case, the issue is not the time when the pregnancy was discovered, but the fact that the pregnancy was discovered at all.
The fact that Ichihime was pregnant held considerable significance for both families.
This is because "a person with the blood of both the Asai and Oda families may be born into this world..."
The point is, when Nobunaga and I retire, the person who takes over the position of successor must be a close relative who shares the same bloodline.
The significant influence of relatives between the heads of daimyo families can be clearly seen in the case of the Date family of Oshu.
In other words, successive heads of the Date family actively pursued diplomatic marriages, intentionally creating a situation where all the daimyo and powerful families of Oshu were related.
Indeed, this led to the emergence of an unconscious order in Oshu: "We may be in conflict, but we will not destroy each other."
Even if two feudal lords were at odds, if there were blood relatives in the opposing family, it is human nature to hesitate before resorting to extreme measures.
Incidentally, the reason Date Masamune was able to establish his dominance in Oshu was precisely because he deliberately disregarded such kinship hierarchies.
In any case, if Ichihime and I were to have a child, and if it were a boy, the ties between the Asai and Oda clans would deepen even further.
At that point, they would no longer be considered outsiders, but rather equals kinsmen, and if we assume that the turbulent Sengoku period continues, they could become the most powerful allies imaginable.
However, it's unlikely that Nobunaga was only expressing his joy over such things.
He was someone who showed exceptional affection for his relatives. He may have been relieved that his sister, Ichi, had been proven to be able to conceive, and perhaps that also served as a source of motivation for him.
In other words, during the Sengoku period, women were expected to bear children and continue the family line to the next generation, and the moment that expectation was betrayed, they would face tremendous backlash from within the household.
Nobunaga knew the suffering his own wife had endured. Therefore, he may have felt pleased that "my sister will no longer have to suffer from that..."
"However, for now, it's nothing more than the fact that a child has been conceived within Ichi's womb. I don't even want to think about it, but there's also the possibility of miscarriage."
"No, it should be fine."
Nobunaga had completely regained his composure, lowered the bench he had been holding onto the ground, plopped down on it, and said with his legs crossed.
"She's Nobunaga's sister, you know. There'll be no problem, she'll give birth to a child."
It's an incredible display of confidence, but when Nobunaga says it, it somehow starts to seem believable.
As Nobunaga moved the stool closer to me, he took a fan from his pocket and lightly tapped my knee.
"Even so, that was quite quick, wasn't it?"
"What do you mean?"
"The city's pregnancy is the issue."
Upon hearing this, Nobunaga wore an expression as if he were looking at something amusing—
"It's only been about three months since the wedding, right? I'm not trying to make fun of you. On the contrary, I'm very happy for you."
—And then he lined up the stools and put his strong arms around my shoulders.
A faint scent of Nobunaga hits my nostrils.
However, it wasn't unpleasant.
Perhaps it was because it resembled Ichihime's in some way.
If I were a woman, I might have been so thrilled that I would have clung to his broad chest.
But I'm just a perfectly normal guy, after all...
While I admire the masculine charm that Nobunaga exudes, I am never aroused by it.
In a sense, I feel like things would go wrong if you crossed that line.
"Ichi is a fortunate woman. She has met a good husband...that alone makes her life as a woman of the Warring States period worthwhile."
I wonder how many women in this world have ever experienced such happiness—Nobunaga kept his arms around me and glared intently at the azure sky.
"However, that is another matter. I, Nobunaga, must always keep moving forward. I cannot afford to be preoccupied with Ichi's pregnancy."
Nobunaga said this and then stood up abruptly.
"I'm sorry, brother-in-law. Ideally, I'd like to sit down and talk to you properly, but... I'm busy with the aftermath right now."
"Ah, in that case, I must give you this."
I hastily pulled a letter from my pocket and handed it to him.
"--this is?"
"Ichi asked me to deliver this to Lord Nobunaga. He said he hastily wrote it down when he told me he was going to Mino, so please excuse the poorly written text..."
"Hmm..."
Nobunaga quickly unfolded the letter and began to read.
Then, he carefully folded it and put it away in his pocket.
"My brother-in-law, I am terribly sorry, but—there is something that needs to be brought from Kiyosu Castle for the sake of the city."
Nobunaga said that, looking at me with eyes that seemed to be testing me.
"There are many complicated procedures involved, so even if we were to send the messenger at full speed now, he wouldn't be back until tomorrow morning."
"teeth..."
"Therefore, however—"
Not understanding what he was thinking, I could only give a foolish response, to which Nobunaga replied with a somewhat tense expression.
"If my brother-in-law acknowledges us as family and trusts us...you may stay the night in this castle."
"Hmm..."
In a sense, it was the ultimate choice.
Although he is my brother-in-law, I hold the position of a feudal lord from the Sengoku period.
If you're going to stay alone inside the enemy's castle... you naturally have to consider the possibility of assassination and be prepared for it.
The number of daimyo and samurai who were invited to the enemy's castle and killed during the Sengoku period was so vast that it was practically impossible to count them all. But—
"That would be a dream come true, so I'll gladly ask for your help."
"I see."
I didn't have the option of refusing my brother-in-law's offer at this point.
Rather, the idea of refusing the offer may not have even crossed their mind.
(Lord Nobunaga had opportunities to kill me, and there will be plenty more opportunities in the future—)
Yes, if they saw me as an obstacle—for example, after relieving Omi, they could have crushed me along with the castle when I entered Sugawa Castle.
Nobunaga didn't do that. And I'm emphasizing Ichihime and making a point of highlighting that he's her "brother-in-law."
(If I refuse now, Lord Nobunaga will quickly lose all trust in me.)
Such a foolish plan cannot possibly be adopted. As the old wise man said, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
Alternatively, even if the Asai clan were to engage in a straightforward battle with the Oda clan, the difference in national power is already overwhelming, making victory virtually impossible for the Asai clan.
(Therefore, I must play my cards right, just like Tokugawa Ieyasu did in history.)
Indeed, Nobunaga nodded, seemingly satisfied with my answer,
"Then, Kicho! Is Kicho there?!"
He shouted that at the top of his lungs.
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"Yes, here."
Along with that clear, serene voice, a woman as white as ivory appeared from the castle gate.
Its surface is remarkably fine, much like the white of a hard-boiled egg, and I'm sure that if you were to run your finger over it, it would spring back with incredible elasticity.
Kicho was the daughter of Saito Dosan and the principal wife of Nobunaga.
However, very few records remain, and it is completely unknown what kind of person she was, what activities she engaged in, and how she died, making her a black box in historical studies.
But more than anything, I was surprised by her appearance itself.
"Brother-in-law, let me introduce you. This is my wife, Kicho."
I stared at the woman in front of me, disbelieving my eyes and worrying whether my retina was really functioning properly.
It is undoubtedly a living, warm human being. Beneath its pale skin, hot blood must be flowing.
Her red, luscious lips were incredibly provocative. And when they parted, I was able to take in her entirety once again.
"I am Saito Kicho. Lord Asai Bizen-no-kami, I look forward to working with you from now on."
Her hair was a golden honey color, sparkling and reflecting the brilliant sunlight.
Like his wife, he has a somewhat unruly hair texture, but it looks incredibly soft, and I imagine it would have a refined feel to the touch.
Nobunaga's wife, with her slender figure and intelligent features, has blue eyes.
(—This clearly shows he has European blood in him...)
But upon reflecting on my own perceptions after that shock, I realized that things had been strange all along.
(For example, Hanbei—his hair was also dark brown.)
From a human science perspective, the genetic information for brown hair is the same as that for blonde hair, and different from that for black hair.
As far as I know, brown hair is the most common hair color found all over the world, but it should never have appeared in East Asia.
If you look closely, you can see that among the soldiers peeking out from the castle gate, there are a few with brown hair.
Indeed, if I were to consciously observe, there were probably several people with dyed hair among the Asai family's retainers.
(—There weren't any blondes, though.)
I somehow managed to suppress my inner turmoil and faced Kicho.
She is the complete opposite of Ichihime in every way, but what is the source of this alluring charm she exudes?
(It's no wonder Lord Nobunaga was so captivated by this—)
When I greeted her, Kicho gently extended her hand.
Yes, it was a handshake. It was a handshake.
(—Think carefully, me!)
I held her slender hand with a cheerful expression, but a cold sweat was beading all over my back.
(When I went to Bodaiyama Castle to see Osamu before, Shigenori held my hand, didn't he?)
Yes, that's where the unease lay.
Aside from the presence of strange, monstrous creatures, it's the quintessential landscape of Sengoku-era Japan that I know so well.
However, the people living there still retain some remnants of Western culture that modern Japanese people like myself are familiar with, and genetically, they also exhibit characteristics of people from other countries.
(This is getting more and more confusing...)
As I entered Inabayama Castle, guided by Kicho, I was once again acutely aware of what I had to do.
(I must learn... I must somehow learn the history of this world, which is not the "history" I know...!)
I was an idiot.
Up until now, with the actions of the Rokkaku and Asakura families, I had assumed that "general historical knowledge is meaningless," but I had completely forgotten that there was a "history" here that I was unaware of.
In other words, I had mistakenly identified the "history of Japan" that I knew with the "history of Japan" in this world.
Should we call this a consequence of a Japanese person mistakenly immersing themselves in Japan? It's a mistake that could happen to anyone, but it's a fatal error.
In any case, I was rediscovering facts and misconceptions that I had previously overlooked, thanks to the character of Saito Kicho, while at the same time being tormented by an overwhelming sense of unease.
As if to provoke me, a pair of long, unruly blonde hairs swayed seductively before my eyes.