After the notification window appeared, silence fell instantly, abruptly, as if the world had been frozen in mid-motion. No one moved. Even the wind seemed to have stopped, refusing to disturb the moment. The words remained etched before their eyes, impossible to ignore, impossible to interpret any other way.
Some slowly raised their heads, their gazes sliding from one face to another, searching for an answer that did not exist. Others gripped their weapons a little tighter, as if that could anchor them in a reality that was gradually slipping away. But no one spoke. No one dared to voice what they had all already understood.
There was nothing to be done.
No escape. No obvious strategy. No possible compromise.
They were doomed.
Doomed to face the legacy of Takeda Shingen.
One man finally broke the silence, as if unable to bear the weight of this announcement any longer. He approached Ishikawa, his gaze agitated, almost desperate.
"We can't stay here," he blurted out. "We should retreat or at least hide."
His words resonated with several others. After everything they had just been through, the idea of immediately plunging back into another massacre was unbearable.
But Ishikawa didn't budge.
"That's not an option," he replied firmly.
The man frowned.
"Why?"
Ishikawa paused briefly before answering, as if weighing his words one last time.
"Because the regalia is in Nagashino Castle."
Silence fell immediately.
The man stood frozen.
"What?"
The tension rose a notch.
"Why did you hide it there?" he retorted, this time with a hint of anger.
Ishikawa held his gaze.
"I had no choice. I received a quest. It required me to place it there." "
Another silence fell, even heavier than the previous ones.
Then, behind them, another member of the group spoke up, more slowly, as if a piece had finally fallen into place in his mind.
"Wait."
All eyes turned to him.
"That means... It was all planned from the start. "
His eyes rested on Ishikawa.
"That's why you were forced to hide the regalia at Nagashino…"
A shiver ran through the group.
"To force us to stay."
No one answered, for they understood they were following a path already laid out.
Ishikawa remained silent for a few seconds, his gaze fixed on nothing in particular, as if he were weighing all their options one last time. But deep down… he already knew there weren't many left.
"I see only one thing we can do," he finally declared.
All eyes immediately turned to him.
"We must ask Bun Chokan for help."
A murmur ran through the group.
"Bun… who?"
There was complete confusion. Some exchanged glances, trying to connect that name to something concrete, but nothing came to mind.
Ishikawa raised his head slightly.
"The leader of the Oda clan, Nobunaga," he explained calmly.
Silence fell at once.
"The one who defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto."
This time, the information sank in. Some faces tensed, others seemed hesitant.
Ishikawa continued, without beating around the bush.
"After that battle, he saved me, and we made a pact."
His words were simple, but their significance was clear.
A man then stepped forward, visibly troubled by the decision that had just been made. His gaze wavered between suspicion and confusion, as if he were still clinging to some alternative.
"Wait…" he said, raising his hand slightly. "Are you telling us we're going to ask an enemy clan for help?"
A faint murmur rippled through the group.
"And how can you be sure he won't just betray us?" he pressed. "Take our regalia and leave us to die?"
The question was legitimate.
Brutal.
Ishikawa didn't try to dodge it.
"I can't be sure," he replied simply.
Silence fell immediately.
"It's a risk."
He met the eyes of those around him, one by one.
"But I have no other choice."
His words were neither reassuring nor strategic.
Just honest
He paused, then continued, in a slightly harsher tone:
"And anyway, you were ready to run away. "
Some lowered their eyes.
"Which means one thing."
His gaze grew sharper.
"You're not ready to fight."
No answer came.
Not because they had none, but because they knew Ishikawa was right. Their eyes turned away, some to the ground, others to the horizon, as if to avoid facing this all-too-blunt truth. Flight had been considered. Accepted, even, for a moment. And that was enough.
There was a brief silence, then one of them finally spoke up.
"In that case, how do you plan to go about it?"
The question was simple, but it now held all their hope.
Ishikawa didn't seem to hesitate.
"Don't worry," he replied calmly.
He raised his head slightly, as if observing something the others couldn't yet see.
"Ever since the castles appeared… It's in his best interest to come help us."
Since the fire on Mount Hiei, a strange calm had settled in. Not true peace, but rather a heavy, almost artificial lull, as if the world were holding its breath after witnessing the horror. I took advantage of it without delay. Every moment of respite was an opportunity, and I had no intention of letting it slip away.
Our territory had changed.
What had once been nothing more than a fragile plain had been transformed into a true strategic base. The castles that had sprung up strengthened our position, structured our defense, and gave our clan a tangible presence on this battlefield. Added to this were the arquebuses, whose power was no longer in doubt. We were no longer a makeshift group. We had become a force.
A clan capable of withstanding attacks.
A clan capable of striking back.
But despite all this, Saé didn't seem reassured.
She approached me, her arms slightly crossed, her gaze betraying a lingering anxiety.
"Do you really think all this will allow us to solve the riddle peacefully?"
Her question was legitimate. More than ever.
I looked at her for a moment, then replied simply.
"As long as the other two clans don't attack us, there won't be any problem."
Just as the tension seemed to have eased slightly, an unexpected presence disrupted this fragile balance. Ryo Kanjo was approaching us. That detail alone was enough to catch my attention. He wasn't the type to come over on his own. Much less to strike up a conversation.
I watched him walk toward us, silent, his expression as hard to read as ever. But something had changed.
Or rather, something was missing.
Unlike other clan members, Ryo wasn't carrying the excess gear I'd started distributing. No superior weaponry, no visible advantage. He'd stayed on the sidelines of the system I'd set up.
And that wasn't a coincidence.
My meritocracy favored the most useful. Those who contributed, those who moved the group forward, those who actively participated in our progress. Ryo had always chosen a different path. Constant opposition. An almost systematic determination to undermine what we were building.
Under these conditions, he had nothing to gain.
On the contrary.
Getting involved would have meant playing by my rules.
And Ryo had never intended to do that.
He finally stopped a few meters away from us, his gaze fixed directly on me.
Ryo stopped a few steps away from us, his gaze fixed on me with unusual intensity. He didn't even bother to preface his words, as if the mere fact of being here was already enough to annoy him.
"I've been given a quest," he said.
His voice was dry. I said nothing, waiting for him to continue.
"Several clans have formed an alliance," he continued. "Their goal is simple: to bring you down."
A brief silence.
Then he added, bluntly
"They're already laying siege to Nagashino Castle."
The news hit me hard.
I stood motionless for a few seconds, analyzing every word. Of all the people here… Ryo was probably the last person from whom I would have expected this kind of warning.
Usually, he would have kept this information to himself.
Worse yet, he would have used it against me.
But this time, it was different.
I looked up at him slightly.
"Are you coming to help me now?"
Ryo immediately frowned, clearly annoyed by the mere idea.
"Don't get your hopes up," he retorted. "I'm just doing what I have to do. "
His tone was almost hostile.
As if working with me was a burden to him.
A thought crossed my mind.
Had he realized that he couldn't grow by remaining in constant opposition? That rejecting the system only served to exclude him further?
Or…
Was it simply another constraint imposed by this riddle?
I had no idea.
And deep down, that wasn't the most important thing, because another question demanded an answer.
Was this a trap?
I fixed my gaze on him for a moment, searching for the slightest sign. But as always with Ryo… nothing was clearly apparent.
One thing, however, was certain.
There was no way he hadn't received any quests since the beginning.
So if he had decided to come all the way here…
It was just that, this time, our paths were bound to cross. Whether he liked it or not.