Chapter 75
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Suemori Castle (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Moonlight bathed the ground.
A cool breeze brushed against her cheek, and the slightly warmed sake heated the flask, intensifying the buzz.
"...Haa."
A languid sigh slipped through her red lips. Long, black hair like fine silk swayed, and she brushed her faintly flushed cheeks with her hand.
"...Nice night."
Without thinking, the words escaped her. As if responding to Nobuyuki's murmur, the wind rustled the branches of the tree in the courtyard.
—Splash.
Sake poured from the flask's mouth. She filled her cup, letting the fleeting warmth seep into her palm, then silently tilted the cup.
The sharp sake slid down her throat.
Droplets traced past her red lips along her jawline, beading at her chin. Nobuyuki wiped them lightly with the back of her hand and murmured softly.
"Bitter."
Bitter. The sake tasted especially bitter.
She couldn't tell if it was inherently so or if her own palate had turned that way.
Thus, she poured another round.
Even as the light snacks on the table grew cold, she continued tilting her cup alone.
How many more cups did she empty?
—Rustle.
Suddenly, in the courtyard where only silence had reigned, the sound of someone stepping on the frosted ground echoed. Nobuyuki stared at her half-filled cup for a moment before gripping it and downing it in one gulp.
She lightly licked the lingering sake droplets from her lips and spoke.
"Who goes there."
Her voice was calm, unsurprised—as if she'd expected this. No reply came. So she rose from her seat, grasping the hilt of the katana neatly placed on the table.
The rough texture of the hilt felt foreign.
Yet it would be laughable for her, ever prepared for chaotic times, not to know swordsmanship. With a smooth shing—she drew the blade.
Moonlight gleamed off the flashing steel with a clear ring. Clutching the sword that emanated a chill menace, she turned, gazing beyond the courtyard pillars as she intoned.
"Just when I was feeling bored. Come out quickly."
Her voice was resolute, brooking no thought of defeat.
In that instant, it was the bold spirit unmistakable as Nobunaga's sister.
—Swish.
She raised her sword, pointing it ahead.
Narrowing her brow, she shook off the alcohol's haze in one sharp motion.
"If you won't come, I'll go to you."
As her words hung in the air, a group clad in black night robes emerged from behind the pillars, stepping onto the courtyard's dirt.
Nobuyuki quickly assessed them.
'Three.'
She'd long abandoned any romantic notion they wouldn't send assassins. Brushing aside a fleeting thought of Il-yeong, she silently positioned herself on the tatami, angling her sword downward.
A spy within her ranks?
To strike just when her melancholy had emptied the surroundings for solitary drinking—the timing was exquisitely perfect.
'Looks like I need to weed them out.'
She harbored a blade in her heart for her retainers. At the same time, she racked her brain for a path to survival.
Like Nobunaga, her golden eyes flashed, her red lips parting slightly as she drew and exhaled a deep breath.
'Take one down fast, then break through and call the guards.'
She was more strategist than swordsman. Better to handle three that way than fight alone.
With that resolve, she kicked off the floor.
And as she lunged toward the hulking man in the lead—
—Swish.
The man's hand touched his mask.
And upon seeing the revealed face, Nobuyuki could only stare blankly.
"...You."
His distinctive sharp jaw and pale face caught her eye.
His once shaggy hair was now neatly trimmed, swaying in the opportune breeze.
Taller than the others, with broad shoulders.
And a voice all too familiar brushed her ear.
"Yes, my lady."
The man she'd sometimes longed for in drunken moments. The one she'd desperately wanted to claim... to bring to her sister. He stood before her.
—Clang.
The sword slipped from her hand, crashing to the floor.
And soon, a bitter smile curved her lips as she murmured softly.
"I see."
Her intellect rivaled Niwa Nagahide's. Thus, she instantly grasped what Il-yeong's presence here signified.
'Never imagined I'd lose.'
Could an oni not defeat a yaksha?
The thought brought a wry chuckle. In that moment, Il-yeong set his undrawn Onimaru down on the courtyard floor and stepped forward with heavy footfalls—toward her.
"Perfect timing. You're having a drink."
Meeting her gaze as she looked down from the veranda, he offered an awkward smile.
"Care to share one with me?"
Hearing Il-yeong's words, Nobuyuki...
"...Sure."
Could only smile back and nod.
*
With Il-yeong having revealed himself, Itsuki and Akechi Mitsuhide had no need to hide their faces behind masks. The two knelt on the veranda, heads bowed.
Il-yeong and Nobuyuki faced each other across the sake table. At that moment, Nobuyuki glanced at Akechi Mitsuhide with a faintly displeased look and spoke.
"A new guard you've taken on?"
"Yes."
Il-yeong poured her a cup, then lifted his fresh flask slightly. Nobuyuki naturally clinked her cup against it, and soon they both tilted their cups almost in unison.
—Gulp.
Their throats bobbed, and the sharp sake aroma filled their mouths. Il-yeong bit into a piece of fried fish from the snacks, chewing as he spoke.
"Akechi Mitsuhide of the Akechi clan. He just came from Mino, so I asked the family head to assign him as my guard."
"The Akechi clan..."
For a moment, pity flickered in her eyes.
Like Nobunaga, she paid close attention to the political landscape, so she knew of the Akechi clan's destruction.
But Il-yeong, unperturbed, continued.
"Just as you suspect."
He reached into his robe, pulling out a bisected mask. He placed it on the tatami beside the table and went on.
"Lord Shibata fell to me."
Nobuyuki's gaze fell on the split mask. She alternated between it and Il-yeong in disbelief, but having kept Shibata Katsuie close for so long, she knew.
'No room for doubt.'
The bisected mask Il-yeong presented was unmistakably Shibata Katsuie's. Thus, her suspicion hardened into certainty.
With slightly trembling hands, she took the mask.
Then, lifting her eyes to Il-yeong, she offered a bitter smile—as if she'd already foreseen his words.
And Il-yeong, meeting her gaze, had no choice but to speak.
"Cease the rebellion and recognize Nobunaga... the family head as lord. I'll do everything to ensure you and your retainers keep your lives."
It might be tough alone, but with Hirate, Niwa, and Mori Yoshinari's support, he could suppress opposition in the Oda clan. And if not...
'I'll break it.'
Old habits were always outdated refuse to be cleared.
Thus, Il-yeong had no intention of hesitating.
"Tempting."
At that point, Nobuyuki, who had listened silently, let out an involuntary smile. A lovely smile spread across her face.
"But your premise is all wrong."
She took the cup Il-yeong had poured, tilting it slightly to sip. Then, picking up her chopsticks, she plucked a bite of fried fish.
—Lick.
She lightly licked the salt from her lips. Then, to Il-yeong steadily watching her, she said.
"I can never give up. Hikage."
Declaring it outright.
That she could never relinquish the seat of family head.
Il-yeong furrowed his brow in incomprehension.
And as he opened his mouth to ask what she meant—
—Thud.
Nobuyuki set her cup down on the table, a strangely bitter smile on her lips as she spoke.
"Do you know why Mother supported me?"
In that moment, a breeze swirled lightly between them before fading. Il-yeong answered.
"No idea."
In truth, history books didn't record it.
Or rather, not the ones Il-yeong had read. So he was inwardly curious too.
To his reply, Nobuyuki smiled as if she'd expected him to know. It made sense—a man from Joseon had no reason to voice it.
—Splash.
She filled the empty cup.
Then, bringing the cup to her lips for a sip, she turned her gaze to the courtyard.
The garden, somewhat barren after winter, came into view. It somehow mirrored her own state.
The way it had grown endlessly desolate through winter, all for others to see.
She drained the remaining sake.
And turning back to Il-yeong, who still watched her, she spoke.
"Mother originally backed my sister."
Her gaze drifted past the courtyard to Kiyosu. And she recounted the tale that had once shaken all of Owari.
"If only she hadn't done what she did, the headship would naturally have gone to her."