Chapter 116
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: If I Can't Reach Her, I'll Make Her Come Out
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After Il-yeong annihilated the bandits, there were unfortunately no further attacks from them.
As a result, even though the ronin couldn't gauge their identity, they realized just how formidable he was. They would joke around, saying perhaps word had spread to the bandits.
In any case, the journey continued peacefully.
Of course, the merchants and ronin had developed a subtle fear of Il-yeong—not only for his overwhelming display of force but also because he'd dragged back the bandit leader's severed head. However, they soon realized that when he wasn't in combat, he was far more refined than average. They gradually let their guards down.
How many days had passed like this?
They safely reached their destination, Okazaki Castle, after the merchants revealed themselves to the samurai of Mikawa Province, whom they occasionally encountered along the way.
"Halt!"
An ashigaru who spotted them as they descended the mountain, passed through villages and rice fields, and arrived at the castle gates shouted out. Soon, more ashigaru pushed through the passersby and approached, eyeing them warily as outsiders.
"What are you lot?"
Their gazes fell on the swords hanging at the waists of Il-yeong and the other ronin.
Carrying swords.
It wasn't all that rare in these chaotic times, but they couldn't help being cautious around anyone more armed than ordinary peasants or common folk.
"We're merchants, working under the Ikoma house."
"Ah, Ikoma..."
But such wariness quickly dissolved at the words of the elderly man leading the group.
"Hmph."
The ashigaru at the front gave them a once-over, nodded as if satisfied there were no issues, and spoke.
"Fine. You may enter."
"Thank you kindly. And this is a small token of my appreciation..."
"Ahem."
Bribes between merchants and gate guards were as good as symbols of trust, so both giver and receiver exchanged silver coins without any awkwardness.
With the satisfactory transaction complete, they were able to step inside Okazaki Castle without any major hassle.
Of course, they didn't part ways immediately.
Merchants, by the nature of their profession, couldn't help feeling uneasy without armed escorts even in peacetime.
Thus, Il-yeong and the others accompanied the merchants all the way to the market district where they could set up their stalls. Only then did they bid farewell to the merchants they'd guided from Owari to Mikawa.
"We'll head back in three days, so please hold out until then."
"We'll do our best."
The old man's wrinkled eyes crinkled with a smile.
"Take care of yourselves."
Unlike the others, he seemed to have already guessed the identities of Il-yeong and the Akechi Mitsuhide following him. He added those words pointedly.
So Il-yeong, instead of just nodding, gave him a sincere bow before departing.
Of course, they didn't all head off together.
'See you later.'
'Stay safe.'
Remembering their prearranged meeting point, they dispersed into the castle town.
However, due to the samurai's unanimous insistence that Il-yeong couldn't be left alone, Akechi Mitsuhide remained glued to his side.
Now that they were alone together, Akechi Mitsuhide scratched her cheek and looked at Il-yeong.
"...So, what now? I mean, what are you gonna do?"
Knowing his true identity and prowess, casual speech didn't come easily to her. Still, she'd grown accustomed to slipping into it midway.
Il-yeong shrugged at her question and replied.
"Beats me..."
With no clock in sight, he glanced at the sky and realized it was around lunchtime.
As he turned to her, about to suggest grabbing a bite—
—Grrooowl.
A faint but unmistakable sound brushed past his ears. Half on instinct, Il-yeong glanced downward, his eyes landing on Akechi Mitsuhide's slim, flat stomach.
"Uh, ah."
Naturally, Akechi Mitsuhide flushed red and averted her gaze. Il-yeong couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.
"Akechi... No, Momomaru."
"...Huh?"
"Let's go eat."
All she could do was nod at his words.
The meal was far from satisfactory.
As the bandit leader—Manabu—had said, Mikawa Province as a whole was suffering under the Imagawa clan's exploitation. There were scarcely any proper eateries open, let alone places for a decent meal.
So they had no choice but to make do with meager side dishes of vegetables and half-empty bowls of rice, padding what they'd received from the merchants earlier with extra coin.
"Mm."
"Huh."
But their moods soured for entirely different reasons.
The back alleys of the streets outside the eatery were littered with corpses that appeared to have starved to death.
Such sights were common during famines or plagues, but the problem was that there was no exceptional famine or epidemic raging right now.
In other words, this was entirely due to the Imagawa's plundering.
"......"
Even Akechi Mitsuhide, who until now had acted somewhat off-kilter, clenched her teeth at the scene. Needless to say, Il-yeong took it in with a chilling gaze.
The sun was setting quickly.
And in this Sengoku era without electricity or streetlights, nights without clear moonlight were pitch black, impossible to see even a step ahead.
Thus, while visibility still held, the two made their way to the agreed-upon spot.
—Step, step.
They walked along walls mixed with wood and stone.
Passing villages, occasionally pushing through thickets, they soon gathered near a canal on the castle's outskirts.
"Glad you're safe."
"Truly. Whew."
Fortunately, no one was missing.
If anything, they had been worried about Il-yeong and Akechi Mitsuhide, steadying their pounding hearts.
And for good reason—Il-yeong was, in essence, the husband of Oda Nobunaga, Owari's sole leader. Any harm to him would invite her wrath upon them; only a fool wouldn't realize that.
"Don't worry. Even if I die, she won't come after you."
Il-yeong could hardly be unaware of their concerns.
So he let out a wry chuckle, soothing the anxious samurai before pulling a sheet of paper from his bosom.
—Rustle.
It was none other than a rough topographic map of Okazaki Castle's layout.
'Are Takigawa's Koka-ryu ninjas really that impressive?'
The map had naturally been provided by the Koka-ryu ninjas under Takigawa Kazumasu, who shadowed the Oda clan.
Of course, they'd nearly failed to receive it due to Oda Nobunaga's objections to the mission, but even she couldn't break Il-yeong's stubbornness.
'I'll catch hell when I get back.'
He smiled at the thought.
Wasn't she the picture of a classic tsundere?
But such idle musings didn't last.
"Ahem."
Confirming no eavesdroppers lurked nearby, Il-yeong laid the map on the ground. As all eyes focused on it, he spoke.
"First off, our goal is to meet Motoyasu."
One key fact: aside from Il-yeong, neither the samurai nor even Akechi Mitsuhide knew the true reason for their covert entry into Mikawa.
Thus, they had no choice but to listen intently to the objective he described.
Knowing this, Il-yeong kept his explanation concise and easy to grasp.
"The aim isn't assassination or abduction—it's simply conversation. More precisely, proposing a deal."
That was the truth.
At this point in time, she still stood with the Imagawa. What he sought lay beyond the Okehazama turning point.
Akechi Mitsuhide, hearing this, lowered her voice to prevent it from carrying.
"Do you have a plan in mind?"
"Of course."
He hadn't always avoided rash moves without plans, but this mission's success hinged on secrecy. No one else could learn he'd met Motoyasu.
His method was straightforward.
"If we go to her, we'll leave traces. So we make her come to us."
"How, exactly?"
Il-yeong's words sounded too simple, and turning them into reality seemed fraught with uncertainties and vague steps.
The samurai gazed at him anxiously yet silently, trusting he had a way.
And sure enough.
—Smirk.
Il-yeong smiled faintly in the darkness and spoke.
"You think I'd come this far without a method?"
With that murmur, he pulled out a small brush and paper from his bosom and began writing.
Black ink lines flowed across the low-quality yellowed paper.
The elegant calligraphy formed words into sentences. Once the samurai read the contents, they stared at him in disbelief.
And for good reason—the message read:
"I-is this... for real?"
—
I have come to relay your grandfather's words.
Hirate Hikage.
—
It was a single line that could potentially offend Motoyasu.
So when a samurai asked if it was true, Il-yeong merely smiled and replied.
"As if."