Chapter 91
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: If You Dodge, It's Seppuku
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Dota Gozen and Oichi remained at Suemori. However, all the house lords of the so-called Nobuyuki faction, led by Nobuyuki herself, had to head to Kiyosu alongside Il-yeong.
Of course, that was only natural.
In a way, what they had done was to rebel against the rightful heir, so even if forgiveness was granted, they had to receive it in person.
The distance from Suemori Castle to Kiyosu wasn't all that far. As such, they trimmed their forces as much as possible, set out early in the morning, and managed to reach the plains near Kiyosu before sunset.
Their steps were truly light.
With this, they had effectively unified Owari, so there was no worry of ambushes. In truth, all the real hardships had been shouldered by Il-yeong and his guards from the start.
Thanks to that, Il-yeong's authority had long surpassed what it once was. Yet he had commanded his retainers:
"Crack down on any blame directed at those who sided with Lady Nobuyuki. There's no good in letting those who'll fight together from now on fall out among themselves."
"Understood, my lord."
Those led by Itsuki had grown accustomed to reading Il-yeong's moods, so they could tell this wasn't mere political posturing—he meant it sincerely.
Thanks to that, Nobuyuki's retainers, who had braced themselves for unimaginable ordeals after witnessing what happened to Hayashi, received unexpectedly courteous treatment all the way to Kiyosu.
"Thank you, Hikage."
Naturally, Nobuyuki herself expressed her gratitude directly.
About an hour out from Kiyosu.
The scouts sent ahead came galloping back toward Il-yeong, who rode at the front. Without even dismounting, they shouted to him.
"H-Hikage-sama! Right now...!"
Seeing their urgency, Il-yeong wondered if they'd been attacked, but there were no wounds or stragglers. Just as he was about to ask what was wrong...
—Thud thud thud!
Heavy hoofbeats rang out alongside the rumble of a horse charging across the plains. At the same time, the scout instinctively wheeled his mount aside, and in the vacated spot, a woman in blue armor atop a black horse leaped down immediately.
"—Huff, huff!"
She had come so fast that Il-yeong didn't recognize her at first, but he soon realized who she was and widened his eyes. As she rushed over from her horse, he jumped down from his own to greet her.
"Il-yeong!"
Il-yeong.
How could he not recognize the voice calling his name? At her anxious tone, Il-yeong smiled and replied with hers.
"Yoshinari!"
Just those two words.
Did they bring a smile back to her face, filled with worry and longing? As if she hadn't been panting from the sprint moments ago, she beamed brightly, her gray eyes filling with Il-yeong, before diving straight into his arms.
"Oh my."
Niwa Nagahide, riding beside Il-yeong, let out that murmur while covering her mouth with her fan, and Nobuyuki gave an awkward smile.
But for Mori Yoshinari, who hadn't been near Il-yeong for so long, such things were secondary. She hurriedly checked him over and said,
"Are you insane? Huh? Why'd you go charging into a place like that!"
The events at Suemori had already been fully reported to Kiyosu, so Mori Yoshinari's words were, in a sense, predetermined.
But the scolding held only worry for Il-yeong, so he gently stroked the head of the woman in his arms and said.
...He knew he'd messed up.
"I'm fine. Everything worked out."
As he said.
Of course, without Hayashi's little rebellion-not-rebellion, it could have ended far more cleanly and without incident, but when do things ever go exactly as planned? For Il-yeong, this outcome was more than enough to be grateful for.
Did Mori Yoshinari not know that?
His tendency to grin and say he was fine despite constantly getting hurt annoyed her for some reason, but she swallowed her grumbling and savored his embrace just a little longer.
And why not? In just one more hour of riding, a far stronger foe awaited.
Did Il-yeong know?
No, he probably didn't.
Mori Yoshinari, nestled in Il-yeong's arms, faintly etched his long-missed scent into her mind and thought.
...She'd make him pay double for all the time apart.
The group, now joined by Mori Yoshinari, pressed on more vigorously toward Kiyosu and soon arrived at a Kiyosu buzzing with even greater energy than before. Naturally, the citizens who had come out in advance cheered for Il-yeong's victorious return.
—Waaaaah!
—Long live the Oda Clan!
Nobuyuki's gaze toward them was complicated. On a small scale, the unification of Owari felt real; on a larger one, there was a strange pang of regret that their cheers weren't for her.
'What would Mother have said seeing this?'
The thought made Nobuyuki chuckle softly.
But then.
Step.
A group of people approached them. And upon seeing the face of the one at their lead, Il-yeong couldn't help but smile.
"That happy to see me?"
Itsuki teasingly asked without thinking, at Il-yeong's expression. But Il-yeong felt no shame, simply nodding coolly in reply.
"How could I not be?"
"Fair enough."
Itsuki fully understood Il-yeong's feelings.
How many battlefields had he fought on since leaving Kiyosu, and how much time had passed? No matter how unavoidable it was.
"All men, dismount."
—All men, dismount!
At Il-yeong's command, every samurai got down from their horses. At the same time, he knelt on one knee before the black-haired woman who had approached within arm's reach—his lord and lover—and bowed his head.
Naturally, there was only one person to whom Il-yeong, nominally the supreme commander of this army, would show such courtesy.
"Your retainer, Hirate Hikage."
The cheering citizens fell silent, and the somewhat lax discipline snapped back to strict military order as they saluted in unison.
"By command of Nobunaga-sama, lord of the Oda Clan and my sovereign, I marched on Suemori."
Il-yeong felt it all.
The scent carried on the breeze.
The gazes of his retainers—vigilance, respect, and even fear mixed in as they watched him swallow hard.
And the joy of those who had carved a place in his heart.
Feeling it all, Il-yeong parted his lips.
"I have carried out every one of my lord's commands..."
It felt like placing a period at the end of the first sentence.
A year had passed since arriving in this world, and at last, he had unified Owari far faster than in the original history.
Elation, excitement, and fear made his heart race.
In truth, he had sensed it deep down.
As he wielded his sword to survive and cut down enemies, he felt himself growing wearier, his hands trembling.
Yet the reason he pressed on was simple.
Now that things had come this far, he couldn't just sit back. His hands held too much already, and the weight of those he'd gained was too heavy.
Il-yeong said to her, who had become precious to him before he knew it.
"I'm back. Without a scratch."
Silence fell.
And the one to break it was Nobunaga, smiling down at him.
"Rise."
Il-yeong lifted his head and slowly straightened his kneeled leg. And at that moment.
—Step.
Nobunaga stepped forward.
She whispered very softly to Mori Yoshinari, who stood behind Il-yeong with uneasy eyes, glancing up at the two.
"Sorry about this, Mori."
But you'll understand.
How could she let a man like this slip away?
Don't worry, though.
"I'll be a sturdy shield against the other vixens."
"Pardon?"
Il-yeong's eyes widened at Nobunaga's sudden words as he reflexively asked back. But then.
Chin.
Nobunaga's small fingers gripped his chin. And before he could react, she parted her lips.
"If you dodge, it's seppuku, Hikage... no, Baek Il-yeong."
And then.
—Mmph!
Nobunaga's red lips softly pressed against Il-yeong's, her tongue soon brushing his clenched teeth.
Too deep for a light kiss.
Too light for a deep one.
After that fleeting moment passed, Nobunaga pulled her lips back slightly and whispered to the dazed Il-yeong staring at her.
"You are mine. My saru alone, my retainer alone. And..."
She gently swept aside the hair covering his eyes and chuckled.
"My man alone."
At that moment, Hirate Masahide, who had watched the scene, knelt on one knee and intoned matter-of-factly.
"We greet the husband."
—We greet the husband!
The unexpected shout echoed through Kiyosu.