At the same time as Azusa reaching the Holy Capital Koberheim…
Eighteenth Day of the Eleventh Month, the 673rd Year of the Innocence Calendar.
Miwako Plains, outside of Yanamiya, Hakuga Province.
“Charge!!”
A shout from the commanding officer on the frontlines reverberated through the battlefield.
He was in charge of the frontline soldiers of the three-clan coalition between the Mononobe Clan, Kazurai Clan, and Sakata Clan, which were formed to combat the rising warlord, Adachi Yoshinobu, and his powerful Adachi clan. The aforementioned Adachi Yoshinobu had only recently risen to power and yet had already conquered both Shizumi Province and Gendai Province alongside a large swath of Hakuga Province in the five years since his ascension as head of the Adachi clan. In an effort to stunt his efforts, the three most powerful clans still remaining in Hakuga Province combined their armies to defeat Yoshinobu.
Currently, they were outside Yanamiya Castle, the castle of the now-destroyed Fujimoto Clan, and the castle in which Yoshinobu has taken up residence in his campaign to conquer Hakuga Province. The armies of the Mononobe, Kazurai, and Sakata had already destroyed the bridges that would allow the Adachi safe crossing of the Sumisawa River. Their current charge is a show of confidence that they can easily crush the Adachi army no matter what strategies the so-called ‘Apostle of War’ is capable of.
From within the castle walls, the Adachi clan army can hear the spirited screams of their enemies. Several soldiers on the castle walls looked down at the approaching army and began to banter.
“Phew, that’s a pretty loud scream!”
“I agree! I must say, if I didn’t go to the lavatory earlier, I would’ve leaked!”
“Ew, gross, get out of here!”
“Hey, hey, you know what our lord says! If you need to go, you need to go! There is no shame in going!”
“Oy, you shuddup, that was advice our lord whispered out in his sleep! Lady Chiyono was the one who spread it to her courtesans.”
“Well, luckily, our lord has yet to realize that we are privy to his nightly ramblings!”
“Hey, that’s blasphemy towards our lord!”
“Brother, I’m just joking! Don’t get so riled up.”
The soldiers never expressed fear in the fact that they were going to fight a war.
The soldiers never expressed anxiety in the fact that they were outnumbered in a possibly losing battle.
The soldiers never expressed despair in the fact that this could be the last time they would speak to each other as friends.
Instead, the soldiers expressed hope and confidence that their lord, the all-powerful Adachi Yoshinobu, would deliver them from their fate.
Meanwhile, inside the castle proper, a young adult was seated in seiza, facing the makeshift great altar set up in the great hall. He was busy meditating, asking the spirits of the deceased for guidance. Suddenly, he felt a gentle touch on his shoulder. “Dear Husband, it is time.”
“Ah, is it that time already?” the man groaned, opening his eyes. “I would have thought that Arisa-dono would wait several days before launching an attack…”
Hugging him from behind, the girlーno, the womanーsmiled and replied, “Do not worry, Dear Husband, you have me by your side.”
He stretched out his right hand and placed it over the woman’s hand. “I suppose you are right, Chiyono.”
The woman lifted her body up and seated herself next to her husband. “Wherever you go, I shall follow,” she said. “I am your wife.”
“In that case, I suppose I have a duty as your husband to protect you.”
“Surely you jest, Dear Husband,” she giggled. “Since when have I required your protection?”
“Aha, I apologize, it seems I’ve struck a nerve,” he coyly shot back. After that, a silence passed between them before the man reached his hand out towards the woman’s chin before turning her face his way and planting a kiss on her lips. He remained there until…
“Our Lord! Princess!”
A voice from behind suddenly interrupted them. The couple hastily broke away as Chiyono squeaked, “Ye-Yes? What is it, Aguri?”
The girl who had just entered was wearing the standard armor associated with a high-ranking officer (in terms of the real world, her outfit was the textbook example of an onna-bugeisha). “… I can come back in a few minutes if you need some time to yourself~,” she snickered, having read the air and inferred on what had just occurred.
“He-Hey! Get to the point!” Chiyono stammered, her face reddening as she lost the dignity and poise she had earlier displayed to her husband.
“Hehehe, apologies, Princess,” Aguri chuckled. Her expression then shifted to a serious one. “I’m sure you already know but the three-clan coalition between the Mononobe, Kazurai, and Sakata clans have begun their assault of our castle. They have burned the bridges spanning the Sumisawa River and have also set up siege castles to the north, south, and east.”
“Hmm, I suppose the river itself blocks an attack from the west…” the man muttered. “How far north are these encampments?”
“Umm, about a hundred meters out.”
“Hoh, that’s quite close… That must be where the Kazurai clan is entrenched as Arisa-dono wouldn’t be that foolish to leave such a blatant opening.”
“… Amazing, Our Lord, you would be entirely correct,” Aguri blinked.
“Heh, let me guess,” the man continued. “Arisa-dono and the main retinue of the Mononobe clan are situated to the east while the Sakata clan is to the south.”
“… You are correct yet again, Our Lord.”
“And that battle cry I heard earlier was a separate retinue of a small elite force combining the three armies barging towards the main gate to our southwest.”
“… Our Lord, are you sure you do not have eyes that see through everything?”
“Well…” Is it safe to reveal this to them? Chiyono already knows but I have kept this a secret from anyone else because of the chance that the information may leak to another clan.
However, before he could reach a decision, his wife bailed him out. “Now, now, Aguri, it is rude to inquire upon the gifts the gods have given him.” Chiyono sent a wink in her husband's direction and he replied by apologizing with his eyes.
“A-Ah, yes, of course,” she stammered. “I apologize. In any case, what should we do, Our Lord?”
“Hmm… This requires an exit strategy taken directly from Oda Nobunaga…”
“Um…? Who is that?”
“Ah, sorry, those were nonsensical ramblings,” he quickly denied. “Now, Chiyoー”
Chiyono cut him off, “Oh, I know, Dear Husband. I shall lead the vanguard and break out to the north. The Kazurai clan is the weakest link in this coalition.”
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“Perfect,” he nodded. “You really do know me.”
“Ehe, well, again, I am your wife,” she giggled before kissing him on the lips once more. “I shall be off.”
“Fare well in battle,” he saluted as Chiyono quickly left the room. “In any case… Aguri, I need you to accompany me.”
“…”
“Aguri?”
“Ah!? Uh, yes, of course!” Aguri stuttered, giving a rather late reply thanks to her confusion of witnessing her mistress giving him a kiss in this situation.
“Excellent,” he smirked. “Are you confident in your legs?”
----------------------------------------
For Adachi Yoshinobuーor more accurately, Fate of «Le Sette Spada», the last five years were a blur.
The last thing the samurai remembered was toasting one final time with his friends.
The next thing he knew was an all-consuming void.
A great emptiness that painfully persisted in its attempt to consume the samurai until it finally let him go. With his consciousness returning to him, the samurai felt something soft beneath him as well as an acrid smell infecting his nose with its abhorrent scent.
Regaining his bearings, Fate slowly stood up as he confoundedly looked around. He finally managed to fully take in his surroundings. He was currently somewhere in a forest, perhaps near the edge of it considering the thinning density of the trees around him. Above him, the sky was an evil gray as rain pattered relentlessly against him. Wait. I can feel it?
Fate began to touch himself, feeling his face, his shoulders, his chest, his arms, and his legs. He found that he was able to fully feel it. He then opened his inventory and fetched a sandwich before chewing on it. “… I can taste it!?” Previously, I had no sense of taste or smell but this… What is this? Where am I? He had just earlier confirmed that he could open the menu and upon a secondary inspection, he found that he was in the exact same outfit that he had on in the final minutes of IWO. The outfit was a testament to Fate’sーor, well, Michinari Kozume’sーlove of the Sengoku period and its warlords. His armor was, to put it rudely, direct plagiarism of the armor used by the warlord known as the “Dragon of Echigo”, Uesugi Kenshin. At his waist, there were his four beloved swords, «Ayasakura», «Chisetsuzuki», «Amanomurakumo», and «Amenohabakiri», all in pristine condition.
Sighing, he decided to exit the forest to find out more about where he was. As soon as he was about to exit the forest, his senses tingled. Immediately, he hid behind a tree and initiated his «Searching» skill with the skill mod, «Hyperenhanced Hearing», active. He listened to the sounds his now-augmented hearing picked up.
The crunch of boots.
The swinging of swords.
The clashing of steel against steel.
It seems I was dropped right in the middle of a warzone… A smile crept onto his face as he began radiating excitement. Just the way I like it! But, for now, be patient, me. You need to gather information first. Fate once again strained his hearing.
“Quickly, find Our Lord!”
“He was last spotted in this area… I refuse to believe that he has died!”
“He must be pulling one of his pranks again… Yes, that’s gotta be it!”
… Wow, this ‘Our Lord’ guy must be a pretty important dude. I’m guessing that they just can’t accept the fact that he’s deceased? Well, I suppose I’ve heard enough. I don’t want to ask them about my plight when they have their own problems. As Fate prepared to walk away, the voices came closer until…
“Hey! Isn’t that Our Lord?”
“Ohh! Our Lord!”
Oh shiー
Before Fate could run away, he was surrounded by a group of people: three men and two women.
Or is it more accurate to describe the women as girls?
To Fate, they didn’t seem to be any older than himself.
“Wait, I’m noー”
He could not even explain himself as one of the younger men said, “Our Lord, that was a very mean-spirited joke! What are you doing, spreading the news that you were deceased?”
“Like I said, I’m noー”
“Now, now, Harunobu-dono, even Our Lord requires his alone time but I must agree,” the other man, a much older-looking one (Fate estimates that he’s around 50), chided. “Our Lord, that was quite a jest to pull on us.”
“Again, I’m noー”
“In any case, we have found him.” The more mature-looking girl spoke up and Fate could find his heart skipping a beat before immediately chiding himself as he already has a girl in his heart. However, he couldn’t help but sneak a second look; her beauty was simply otherworldly. Her hair seemed to be entirely made out of liquid silver as it bubbled up from her crown and dribbled down the sides of her face. “We must prepare for the ceremony."
Wait… What ceremony!? Fate then once again looked over the mature-looking girl. He finally noticed that she was wearing what seemed to be a shiromuku, a traditional Japanese bridal gown, under a cape along with three blades hanging at her waist.
“Indeed,” Harunobu nodded. “It wouldn’t be prudent to make Chiyono-sama wait any longer.”
Fate was then surrounded on both sides by the three gentlemen who proceeded to shove him into a carriage and bring him to who knows where. Within Fate’s mind, he was once more screaming, Again, what ceremony!? His mental question was answered about ten minutes later when the carriage he was in arrived in a rather fancy castle which greatly intrigued Fate as the design reminded him of Kasugayama Castle, the primary fortress of the same warlord his armor was modeled after. He exited the carriage and was escorted inside where he spent the next ten minutes being dizzily spun around; his armor was exchanged for a black kimono, its elegance not losing to the brilliance Fate had earlier seen with Chiyono’s shiromuku. After that was done, he was escorted into the inner chambers where he was once again reunited with Chiyono and Fate honestly could not deny that she was exceedingly beautiful.
Fate already had someone in his heart, Tsuchigumo of «Le Sette Spada», who Fate knew in real life as Natsume Shiraishi. In real life, Michinari and Natsume had already consummated their relationship even if Michinari had to be slightly pushy to get to that point. In his heart, he was satisfied.
However, there was a part of him that wanted to explore other girls.
Back in real life, he had always eyed Kaori Saionji, the girl behind Calais in IWO. Of course, he already knew that Calais was in love with Noir who was also Michinari’s friend from real life, Tomoki Kageyama. He consistently kept his fantasies to himself but he couldn’t help but always steal glances at Kaori’s charm.
Now, here, in this new unknown world, Fate was to be married to a girl he had just met. He couldn’t deny that a small part of him rejoiced immensely because of her sensational allure. Her loveliness can surely only be described as perfectly formed artistry. As Fate mulled over what to do in his mind, he felt Chiyono wrap her fingers around his left hand. “What’s wrong, Dear Husband?”
… Nope. I can’t. I’m sorry, Tsucchi, but I can’t. She’s too pretty for me to pass up! Fate smiled back, “Nothing at all, my sweet. I was merely admiring your figure.”
Chiyono’s face colored a light pink as she muttered, “… Were the rumors true after all?”
“Hmm?”
“… No, it’s nothing.” Chiyono let go of his hand and attended to Fate’s side as their procession made their way across the city to the shrine by the ocean. Along the way, Fate observed how everyone was celebrating with a ‘mask’ on; it wasn’t a physical mask but an emotional one. It was as if they were forcing themselves to celebrate an occasion, an occasion that would normally bring genuine smiles on everyone’s faces. Fate tried not to let it bother him too much because he has more important things to worry about, namely, presences that his «Searching» skill picked up and his extra skill «Shingan» confirmed to be legitimate presences. They were about fifty kilometers away but they were approaching exceedingly fast. Fate kept himself on guard just in case he ever needed to leap into action at any moment.
However, he arrived at the shrine with Chiyono at his side with no issue. The priest then began to purify the shrine before pouring Fate a small cup of sake. Intuitively knowing what to do, he tilted his head back and drank before passing the cup to his bride who then did the same. The priest repeated the process with Chiyono who drank from the cup and gave it to Fate who also drank before the priest gave Fate another cup, repeating the process a third time. Just when Fate was about to stand up to read his vows (or more accurately, the vows of the person Fate was currently impersonating), a samurai unceremoniously burst into the room. “Our Lord! Princess! I bring grave news!”
Fate clicked his tongue as he shoved the scroll back into his pocket, palming his swords. “Are we under attack?”
“… Yes, the Nagakura clan have launched an invasion.”
“Tch, I knew it,” Fate muttered.
“Dear Husband?”
“I sincerely apologize, Chiyono, but I promise I’ll read to you my vows after we drive back the Nagakura,” he said. Okay, I need to find out where the hell I am and for now, I need to bail these guys out. They’re the first people I came across in this new life, assuming it is one. I need to pay my dues lest I suffer divine judgment. “Gather the forces! I shall lead the defense myself!”
Thus began the first battle of Fate after having taken the guise of the late Adachi Yoshinobu, the Siege of Oishi, which ended in a total victory for the Adachi clan.
From there, Fate spent the next five years on a campaign in an attempt to reunite the Yamatsu Empire under one banner following the decline of the Katagiri Shogunate.
I’m working my ass off, trying to survive. So if you plan on coming, you better survive too! Leader!