Chapter 119
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: Prelude to War (2)
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"Of course it was a lie."
The moment those words left his mouth, not only Akechi Mitsuhide but also the samurai hiding throughout the ruined temple, holding their breath, couldn't help but stare blankly at Il-yeong.
And how could they not?
How could anyone be so brazen?
'B-but what's with their reactions?'
Yet strangely enough, it wasn't just Il-yeong. His counterpart, Matsudaira Motoyasu, was much the same.
"Intriguing. Do go on."
There was no sarcasm or anger on her face as she said it. Instead, only Hattori Hanzo and Akechi Mitsuhide were left bewildered.
Of course, it was ironic that their lords were carrying on the conversation with such perfect composure.
"As expected of a tanuki."
"A tanuki?"
"My apologies. A slip of the tongue."
Il-yeong shrugged at her puzzled response, and Motoyasu, a faint smile playing on her lips at his words, finally spoke up.
"Anyway, shall we get to the point? Neither of us has time to waste, but for someone of Lord Hirate's stature to drag my grandfather's name into this and summon me, it must be something serious. I refuse to believe you called me here just to joke around."
As she spoke, she casually glanced over Il-yeong's ronin garb, which screamed trouble if discovered, and added,
"You look like you're in quite a bind if anyone finds out about that outfit, don't you?"
It was a warning.
A warning that, judging by their own disheveled states, they wouldn't let this slide easily if it turned out to be empty talk, given the risks they'd taken to get here.
Naturally, this snapped Akechi Mitsuhide—and the samurai holding their breath inside the ruined temple—out of their earlier disconnect, forcing them to swallow their tension once more.
It was only to be expected.
As she said, if the Imagawa caught wind that they'd crossed into Mikawa, it would be a disaster.
...As if Il-yeong didn't know that.
So, with his trademark calm smile, he replied,
"You're right. We should cut to the chase."
His opponent wanted the main point.
Offering it up as requested was simple courtesy, wasn't it?
With that in mind, Il-yeong eyed Hattori Hanzo—who still gripped his dagger in reverse grip, refusing to relax—and the somewhat youthful Motoyasu, and spoke.
"I know you hate the Imagawa clan. Or rather, it's more than hate. There have been too many events between the Matsudaira and Imagawa for it to be summed up that way."
The Mikawa Province once ruled by the Matsudaira had flourished in the past, but after her grandfather, Matsudaira Kiyoyasu, died in the Moriyama Incident, their power waned.
As a result, the Imagawa of Suruga gradually seized control under the guise of aid.
"Hah."
But Motoyasu burst into unreserved laughter, as if Il-yeong's words were utterly ridiculous, and said,
"The Oda aren't exactly innocent themselves."
Her words weren't mere nitpicking or foundation-building for an argument—they were a pointed rebuke grounded in truth. As she said, during the Oda's decline, Nobuhide—the father of Oda Nobunaga—had indeed eyed Mikawa.
No, eyed it? That wasn't all.
"When I was five, my uncle colluded with the Oda to rebel and oust my father. After that, Oda Nobuhide invaded Mikawa whenever he got the chance. And that's not all."
Motoyasu's smile faded as she glared at Il-yeong and continued.
"Oda Nobuhide urged my father to surrender by threatening to kill me. But..."
"Matsudaira Hirotada, your father, refused and told them to kill him instead."
Il-yeong silently met her sharp gaze, nodding.
'Quite the famous anecdote.'
Anyone with even passing interest in the Sengoku era would know it.
'The incident where Hirotada planned to send Motoyasu as a hostage to the Imagawa, but the Oda kidnapped her en route and threatened to kill her.'
As mentioned earlier, Hirotada rejected it outright, saying to kill his son—daughter, in this context—instead. Hearing this, the Imagawa promised even greater support.
In other words, he was willing to let his child die to solidify the alliance and trust.
'That's how Nobunaga got close to her.'
Of course, he couldn't say what the real relationship was like, but from what he knew, that was it. Naturally, that bond would influence the alliance they formed later.
"Anyway, I don't see why I'd hate the Imagawa. If anything, I should be grateful—they ensured our family's line survived."
Unaware of his thoughts, Motoyasu smoothed her furrowed brow back to serenity and added,
"Is that your main point? If so..."
Did she know the faint thorn in her questioning tone?
Probably not.
Emotions, even when suppressed, often left telltale fragments visible to others.
'Me too, probably.'
With that idle thought, he clenched and unclenched his slightly damp hands, then spoke to her as she seemed ready to end the conversation and leave.
"The Imagawa will attack the Oda soon."
"...Pardon?"
Motoyasu had no choice but to ask again at the sudden declaration. After all, Il-yeong's words weren't something to brush off lightly.
But that shock was fleeting.
She quickly masked her agitation with astonishing speed, fell silent as if pondering, and then spoke.
"...Timing-wise, it's not impossible. But so what?"
She smiled faintly.
Then, as if she'd fully grasped his intentions, she murmured lowly, exhaling.
"Hmm."
The calculations in her head were already complete.
Why would a key figure from the Oda like Il-yeong disguise himself as a ronin and meet her at this precise moment?
She'd been speculating nonstop during their talk.
Tested countless possibilities, and now she was certain.
'She must have heard something from my sister.'
She had only one "sister."
Oda Nobunaga.
'I don't know the full details, but the Oda have sensed the Imagawa's invasion signs and are planning countermeasures...'
But no real countermeasures were possible.
Unlike the Oda, struggling just to unify fertile Owari, the Imagawa controlled Suruga, Totomi, Mikawa, and even parts of Owari—a great clan.
'They can't compete in scale.'
Then, some retainer—Hirate Hikage or otherwise—comes up with one idea.
Winning over Mikawa's young lord, Matsudaira Motoyasu, who could be easily swayed due to her youth and inexperience, to sow chaos from within.
That explained why a heavyweight like Hirate Hikage would disguise himself and come here.
'Flatter her, make her feel important, give her conviction—since she's lived her life as a hostage without experience.'
It would have been a solid ploy against anyone else raised in mediocrity.
It wasn't hard to guess that a lifelong hostage would be timid and starved for recognition.
But there was one thing they didn't know.
'I'm not like that.'
She wasn't naive, foolish, or stupid enough to fall for such an obvious scheme.
"If you're asking me to stir up trouble from the inside, I must decline. As you see, I'm little more than a hostage myself—no guarantee I could even pull it off."
She gave a blunt refusal, no sugarcoating.
Undoubtedly, Il-yeong would be flustered and retreat upon hearing it.
Yet at that moment, she found herself momentarily taken aback.
'Why?'
Her eyes were fixed on Il-yeong's face.
The face she expected to twist in shock or humiliated rage was utterly serene.
"Looks like there's a misunderstanding."
Before she could add another word, Il-yeong flashed his signature sly grin and said,
"Who said anything about not attacking Owari?"
"...What?"