Chapter 89
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: A Passing Storm
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A long and brutal night had passed.
The blood that had seeped into the soil during the early hours of dawn was washed away with water drawn from the well, and the residents of Suemori Castle—who had leaned against thin walls, waiting for it all to end—finally breathed sighs of relief.
Chirp chirp...
In the void left by the receding darkness, warm sunlight poured down. Yet no sooner had morning broken than the retainers found themselves staring at the downfall of the Hayashi clan from the night before and the Oda Nobunaga forces flooding through the open castle gates.
"It was a success."
"So it was."
Baek Il-yeong returned the smile from Niwa Nagahide, who grinned at him. She promptly dismounted her horse and approached him.
At the same time, the retainers under her command, along with those of the Hirate family, all dismounted as well.
—Neigh!
All eyes turned to the castle entrance.
The retainers from Nobuyuki's side and the common folk of Suemori Castle.
The retainers from Nobunaga's side and her soldiers.
Everyone was watching Baek Il-yeong, and Niwa Nagahide, who had drawn near to him, softly covered her mouth with her unfolded fan and whispered,
"If Lady Nobunaga finds out about this, she'll have you flogged."
"She probably will."
Niwa Nagahide was a wise woman.
Baek Il-yeong could only nod inwardly, awkwardly lifting the corner of his mouth at her sincere advice.
But that moment passed quickly.
Niwa Nagahide knelt on one knee before the dismounted retainers, bowed her head, and cried out,
"Congratulations on your great victory, Lord Hirate!"
—Congratulations on your great victory, Lord Hirate!
In response to her gentle lead, the soldiers' shouts rang out, making everyone watching realize the truth.
Who the victor of this war truly was.
"...Impressive."
Akechi Mitsuhide murmured softly at the sight. Or could someone like him truly be summed up with just "impressive"?
'...Lady Nobunaga isn't the fool they say she is, but this feels different. It's like he knows the future and is acting accordingly.'
Baek Il-yeong's figure reflected in her eyes, a mix of silver and pink. How many achievements had he racked up since she'd joined him?
It had been less than a few months since she'd come aboard. Yet Baek Il-yeong had seized parts of Mino amid the chaos, averting the sisters' conflict—which could have led to mutual destruction—with minimal losses.
It was less strategy and more prophecy. Just as he'd predicted Shibata Katsuie would challenge him to a duel in Ino and handled her accordingly, he'd entered Suemori and talked Dota Gozen and Oda Nobuyuki into submission.
'Perhaps.'
She pulled out that small, earnest hope she'd ignored—or hidden away, essentially giving up on.
'We might be able to return Mino to the young lady.'
Saito Yoshitatsu.
They might be able to drive out that monstrous traitor. Not with Oda Nobunaga's power, but by borrowing Hirate Hikage's.
Who the true master of Mino would be...
She couldn't decide that.
But she could ensure it wouldn't be the illegitimate Saito Yoshitatsu.
"Come, let's go inside."
Akechi Mitsuhide awkwardly brushed off Niwa Nagahide's courtesies and followed Baek Il-yeong as he headed into the inner castle, quietly lowering the black silk veil over her eyes.
The heart was a strange thing—sometimes all too easy for others to peer into.
But as those thoughts crossed her mind, she suddenly recalled Baek Il-yeong's appearance from the night before.
His trembling hand, dripping with blood.
She'd thought for a moment he was wounded, but when he shed his bloodied clothes, there wasn't a scratch on him.
Fear? Guilt?
Impossible.
Akechi Mitsuhide shook her head, dismissing the absurd notion, and followed him into the inner castle while thinking,
'Ridiculous.'
It was probably just from gripping his sword too long—his hand had gone numb. With genuine belief, she smiled faintly.
Inside the inner castle, the captured Hayashi family members and retainers knelt with half-lidded eyes, exhausted from their ordeal. Naturally, the coup had relied on the clan's own forces, and with most slain by Baek Il-yeong and Shibata's hands, they hadn't even mustered proper resistance.
Their plight might have stirred pity in some, but Oda Nobuyuki, gazing down at them from the head seat, showed not a shred of mercy.
"...".
A chilling silence hung in the air.
The retainers, only grasping the situation come morning, kept their distance, merely observing. Even Dota Gozen struggled to compose her darkened expression.
But that silence shattered the moment Baek Il-yeong entered.
"Hirate Hikage!"
"I'll kill you!"
The family members sat dazed, still unable to believe their circumstances, but a few warriors loyal to Hayashi thrashed against their bonds, itching to lunge at Baek Il-yeong.
A glance.
Baek Il-yeong rolled his eyes toward them, staring silently. As if daring them to try, he strode past them toward Nobuyuki. Niwa Nagahide and the other retainers under Nobunaga followed close behind.
Soon reaching Nobuyuki, Baek Il-yeong knelt on one knee and bowed his head to her.
"As vassal to the Daimyo and adopted son of the Hirate family, Hirate Hikage has subdued the traitor Hayashi Michikatsu before Lady Nobuyuki."
"Yes."
Nobuyuki responded flatly, but those who grasped the political weight understood the shock it carried.
Oda Nobuyuki had already declared herself Daimyo.
Yet by acknowledging Baek Il-yeong's words, she signaled her return as Nobunaga's vassal and sister.
"...Ahem."
Her retainers, realizing the tide had turned, cleared their throats and prayed only that they and their houses might survive the coming storm.
But then.
"Hahaha!"
A booming laugh echoed suddenly, drawing all eyes to where the family members were bound. At the forefront knelt a middle-aged man whose face strongly resembled Hayashi Michikatsu.
Thus, Baek Il-yeong quickly recognized him as Hayashi Michitomo, Michikatsu's brother.
Did he know he'd been spotted?
Michitomo twisted his face at the end of his hearty laugh and bellowed at Baek Il-yeong and Nobuyuki.
"For Owari to be shaken by a single loach from Joseon—what certainty that the Oda clan will crumble! You foolish princess. Even if you can't honor those who died for your ambition, to treat them this outrageously... I regret ever serving a wretch like you. Shibata!"
He stepped back a pace from the rest, calling out to Shibata who watched from a short distance, then continued with a sneer.
"A demon? Too generous for such vermin! Posterity will brand you the fool of the age, reviled forever..."
"Michitomo."
But in that instant.
Baek Il-yeong, now before him, looked down with impassive eyes. Michitomo flinched for a moment but soon shouted as if utterly unafraid.
"Yes, monkey from Joseon. Speak your piece!"
"Yes, Nobunaga's pet monkey!"
"How's your lord's cunt taste?"
Perhaps inspired by Michitomo's fearless defiance before death, the Hayashi samurai spewed vile insults. Yet Baek Il-yeong, facing them head-on, listened with eerie calm.
Was there something ominous in his demeanor?
As Nobuyuki opened her mouth to speak.
"A long last testament."
"What?"
"Milady."
Baek Il-yeong turned to Nobuyuki standing behind him and made his request.
"I request we change the order of executions."
"How so?"
A glance.
Baek Il-yeong stared briefly at Hayashi Michitomo glaring at his back, then spoke.
"Execute all the family members before Hayashi Michitomo's eyes, and save him for last."
"...!"
Michitomo's eyes widened at his words, and silence fell, as expected.
Even Nobuyuki hesitated to reply, everyone grasping his cruel intent.
"...Hikage."
Nobuyuki called his name after a pause. Even she seemed to think it a bit much.
But then.
"Vassals who rebel against their lord deserve death. They forfeit even the honor of seppuku."
Dota Gozen, seated within from behind Nobuyuki, addressed Baek Il-yeong.
"I approve."
Dota Gozen's permission was granted.
"Th-this can't happen. It can't!"
Understanding the implications, Hayashi Michitomo stared at Baek Il-yeong with trembling eyes, but all that returned was,
"Drag him away."
"N-no! No law in the world allows this!"
Utter regret.