Chapter 118
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: Prelude to War (1)
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Il-yeong—no, Hirate Hikage—had not written in the letter he left for Motoyasu where or when they would meet.
But such concerns soon vanished.
Before even a full day had passed, a note—slipped in unnoticed—had been placed under her tea tray, briefly informing her of the meeting place.
―
Today, during the Hour of the Ox (1-3 AM), at the abandoned temple on the back mountain.
―
"An abandoned temple."
Matsudaira Motoyasu lightly traced the elegant handwriting on the paper with her slender fingers, then let a peculiar smile curl her lips.
Did this man, Hirate Hikage, realize it?
Just how immense a burden and gamble it was for her—who was constantly under surveillance—to travel to that abandoned temple at the hour specified on the paper.
'He must know.'
From the very fact that he had sent the first note and now this second one in complete secrecy, it was clear Hirate Hikage had a rough gauge of her precarious position.
Hattori Hanzo had noticed it too, speaking to Motoyasu with cautious eyes.
"...The risk is too great."
She was right.
Of course, the reputation of this man called Hirate Hikage was impressive enough to reach even Mikawa Province, but that was all it was. To Motoyasu, he was no more or less than a retainer of Oda Nobunaga, someone she had grown close to during her hostage days with the Oda Clan long ago.
'Ah, didn't he say he became her husband?'
Even so, there was no reason to answer this summons. The mention of her grandfather's words tugged a little at her, but it wasn't important enough to her to risk incurring the wrath of the Imagawa side.
...No, to begin with, was that pretext even true? She couldn't be sure of that much.
But, but still.
A peculiar smile played on Motoyasu's lips.
"This is interesting."
"Pardon?"
Wasn't it interesting?
Motoyasu glanced at Hattori Hanzo, who had asked in return, then whispered just low enough not to be overheard outside.
"Prepare. We're going out."
Hattori Hanzo simply nodded at her words and immediately left to scout a path to sneak her out under cover of night.
There was no second question or attempt at persuasion.
'A lord's command is absolute.'
A lord's orders were always absolute.
Hattori Hanzo murmured once more the line she had recited before—entrusting the fate of the Hattori family to her—and began searching for a way out of the residence.
Of course, it wouldn't be easy.
*
Chiririri, chiririri—.
Oooong......
The ceaseless cries of grasshoppers hidden in the underbrush.
The low hoot of an owl perched on a branch, its body damp with morning dew, brushed past their ears.
A chilling predawn breeze grazed their cheeks and swirled through the air.
Soon, the wind passed Il-yeong and Akechi Mitsuhide, reaching the sagging gate of the abandoned temple, where it elicited a creepy creak—kiiik—that echoed through the dark mountain night.
Perhaps because it was so early, the air carried a slight chill.
Il-yeong glanced at Akechi Mitsuhide, who was rubbing her hands together while pulling her outer garment tighter, and gauged the time.
'Around 1:30 AM, probably.'
They had arrived at the abandoned temple around 12:30 and waited about an hour, so it should be roughly that time.
Without a clock, he had to rely on the moonlight and his own estimation.
'She's late.'
Il-yeong thought as much while staring toward Matsudaira Motoyasu's quarters, which he had scouted earlier.
More precisely, toward the mountain path leading up from there.
That was when it happened.
"Hoo—. Will she really come?"
Akechi Mitsuhide pulled her clothes tighter against the chill and asked Il-yeong, but without certainty this time, he merely shrugged.
"Who knows... I hope she does."
If they missed Matsudaira Motoyasu this time—the future Tokugawa Ieyasu—there might be no other chance.
The Matsudaira and the Oda Clan behind the Imagawa were not yet at war, but with confrontation looming, even traveling incognito as a merchant's guard was a significant burden for Il-yeong.
'If I come again, they'll catch my tail for sure. They're not complete idiots...'
This venture was something of a gamble for Il-yeong too, so he lightly licked his dry lips as he thought.
This was ultimately the best opportunity.
No, in truth, Il-yeong already considered this his last covert outing.
'If she doesn't show, it'll be a problem.'
Of course, failing to meet her wouldn't ruin the big picture he had in mind.
But to execute the plan as envisioned, her appearance was undeniably crucial, leaving him inwardly anxious.
How much more time passed like that?
Chiririri, chiririri......
Even the tireless grasshoppers' cries began to fade, and Il-yeong looked up at the moonlight before rising from his spot in the abandoned temple and brushing off the dust.
Tak, taak—.
Because it hadn't been used in so long, Il-yeong shook off the entangled leaves, dead insects, and dirt. He shrugged at Akechi Mitsuhide, who was watching him, and said,
"Let's head back......"
Or rather, he tried to.
—Rustle.
At that moment, a presence brushed his ears, followed by an unfamiliar voice from below the hill—not unfamiliar, but certainly not one he expected.
"...Heh, we're a bit late."
A voice too mature for a child, yet too youthful for an adult woman.
Il-yeong froze mid-rise, staring at the approaching shadow, and as the expected face came into view, he slowly raised his hand to remove the sedge hat on his head, careful not to cause misunderstanding, and spoke.
"Indeed. We nearly missed each other."
"And yet you waited. I thought you'd already gone."
"No such thing. I know your situation."
With that, Il-yeong offered a faint smile as he regarded the two who had entered the temple courtyard.
...Which made sense, given their disheveled state explained the delay.
Il-yeong cleared his throat lowly—ahem—and said,
"Sneaking out must have been quite the ordeal."
"...Yes."
At last, the moonlight illuminated them fully.
Thanks to it, Matsudaira Motoyasu stood plainly before Il-yeong, nodding wearily as she brushed sand from the river off her cheek and said,
"I nearly got caught sneaking out, so I hid in the river for a bit. Ha ha."
But her condition was preferable.
Hattori Hanzo's black garb was blatantly soaked, forcing even Akechi Mitsuhide to avert her gaze discreetly.
"Ahem."
Il-yeong deliberately avoided looking at her.
For good reason: her wet night clothes clung transparently to her curves.
It was clear she had shielded Motoyasu when they fell into the river.
"......"
"...Ahem."
Il-yeong, who had waited over two hours.
Motoyasu, arriving in utter disarray.
The situation was awkward for both, so silence hung over the temple air for a time.
But the peculiar quiet didn't last; Il-yeong naturally and adeptly broke it, steering straight to the point.
"In any case, since you've come, I take it you're willing to hear what I have to say?"
"What other reason would there be?"
Motoyasu replied.
That was precisely the bait Il-yeong had dangled for this fish, after all.
"So, what did our grandfather tell you to make you send me that note? Come to think of it, you wouldn't even know him."
Her distinctive eyes—brown mingled with gold—sparkled. At the same time, she voiced a perfectly reasonable, utterly predictable question.
"No way you heard it all the way from Joseon. Am I wrong?"
She said with a light laugh.
At the same moment, Hattori Hanzo—intentionally or not—tilted her reverse-gripped dagger, catching the moonlight on its blade.
"How dare you......"
An obvious provocation.
But Akechi Mitsuhide didn't hold back, gripping her sword hilt and glaring back at Hattori Hanzo.
The somewhat awkward atmosphere sharpened in an instant.
Yet Il-yeong, the very source, showed no fluster at Motoyasu's questioning gaze or Hanzo's hostility, and replied,
"You're not wrong. It was a lie, of course."
"What......"
Hattori Hanzo furrowed her brow at his words. How could someone be so brazen?
But then.
"Oh."
Her eyes dropped to the familiar, all-too-earnest exclamation from beside her.
"Fascinating. Do go on."
It was none other than Motoyasu's voice.
