It was March 13th, two weeks after I had made love to Ichihime for the first time in almost a year.
Eight members of the Takamine Party, who had returned from Echizen Province after completing a long-term special intelligence mission, are visiting the Nagahama Palace.
The faces of Myo and Yashichiro were, of course, among them.
"First of all, I'm so glad you made it back safely... That's the best news I could receive."
I glanced at the members of the Takamine faction who were prostrating themselves and said:
"There's no need to be so formal. You've certainly fulfilled a very important role... Now then, Osamu."
"Yes, Lieutenant General."
As if responding to my call, Haruhime entered the room.
She was carrying a rather large, heavy-looking package in her hand.
Then, he places it in front of Myo and Yashichiro.
"These are rice cakes that the Lieutenant General himself made. Please enjoy them slowly after you return to your village..."
"Your Lieutenant General did it himself...?"
"That's right."
I nodded to the white-haired, dog-eared ninja who had an expression of disbelief on his face.
"Making sweets is my hobby. I used to make foreign sweets as gifts for my retainers. Feel free to take some home."
"Yes, that happened," Naotsune nodded beside me.
The reason he's here is simple: Naotsune is in charge of foreign intelligence.
The reason Haruhime is present is because she, along with Naotsune, serves as my strategist.
Incidentally, the reason why Haruhime calls me "Lieutenant General" instead of "Your Honor" is simply because she keeps her public and private lives strictly separate.
A capable woman knows how to draw clear boundaries.
"I just made it this morning, so it should still be nice and soft. It's best to eat it soon if possible."
"But, however..."
"Yashichiro-dono"
Naotsune addressed the de facto leader of the Takamine faction, who appeared hesitant.
"Our lord prepared these rice cakes solely to reward your service. To refuse them now would be disrespectful."
"Ha...haha...!"
Moved by emotion, Yashichiro nodded, wiping away tears.
After waiting a while for him to calm down, I slowly asked the question.
"So, what did you think? What were the developments regarding the Asakura family?"
"With all due respect..."
"Okay, go ahead and say it."
When I gave Yashichiro permission to speak, he raised his head and began to speak.
"We eight men, under orders from the Lieutenant General, infiltrated Echizen Province, the territory of the Asakura family... and have come to light some facts that cannot be overlooked."
Yashichiro paused for a moment before continuing.
"First, regarding the Asakura family's foreign policy, which was of the greatest concern to the Lieutenant General—we have found that they are conducting extremely active and widespread operations."
"A wide area...?"
"yes"
The white-haired, dog-eared ninja nodded.
"We captured several messengers and tortured them until they confessed... It appears the Asakura family has already formed alliances with the Urakami family of Bizen Province in the west and the Uesugi family of Echigo Province in the east."
"Uesugi... you mean that Uesugi...?"
"There is no mistake."
Yashichiro said:
"It appears the Uesugi family has ambitions to march on Kyoto. The Asakura family has reportedly requested military support from the Uesugi family to the Asakura family in exchange for allowing the Uesugi family to travel by land and sea through Echizen Province and cooperating with their march on Kyoto."
"Hmm..."
"In addition, the Asakura family appears to be aligning itself with the Isshiki, Hatano, and Yamana families, as well as the Uesugi and Urakami families, in preparation for the Oda family's westward advance. Furthermore, it seems they have exchanged letters numerous times with the Miyoshi Three in the Kinai region, the Hongenji sect, and the Saika clan..."
"...What?!"
I couldn't help but let out a groan.
Needless to say, the Isshiki and Yamana families are among the most prestigious families, and the Hatano family was a powerful daimyo family in Tanba Province during the Sengoku period.
The Miyoshi Triumvirate possesses military power that surpasses that of an average daimyo family, and the Saika clan is undoubtedly an extremely formidable opponent.
(In short, a conflict has been established between the offensive and defensive alliance of Oda, Tokugawa, and Asai, and the nine major alliances of Asakura, Uesugi, Yamana, Isshiki, Hatano, Urakami, Hongenji, the Miyoshi Triumvirate, and the Saika Party.)
The Asakura family's intentions were now clear.
This is a political encirclement solely designed to contain the expansion of the Oda and Asai families' power.
The Asai family would defend against the Asakura family, the Uesugi family, and the Ikko-ikki rebels of Kaga Province, while the Oda family's westward advance would be defended by various other families.
But what we should fear most is the man named Yoshikage Asakura, who possesses the management skills and vision necessary to build such a vast alliance.
(This... may be a situation where we can no longer afford to be picky about appearances.)
The alliance proposal that Matsunaga Hisahide had made to me previously.
I still don't know what conclusion was reached within the Oda family.
However, it will undoubtedly become necessary to form an alliance with the Matsunaga family in order to deal with the Miyoshi Three and the Saika clan in the Kinai region.
(Could it be that Hisahide had foreseen this happening and taken precautions beforehand...?)
It felt like an invisible black hand was pressing down on my throat.
But Yashichiro's report is not yet finished.
"And in addition to that..."
"Keep going"
Are we to expect even more bad news to follow?
To be honest, it's making me feel depressed, but I suppose I have to listen anyway.
As long as I am the head of the Asai family, and as long as I live with my family and retainers, I cannot afford to run away.
"Yes... In fact, it is Lord Masayuki, the younger brother of the lieutenant general who fled to Echigo Province..."
"Masayuki...? Ah—"
—That foolish traitor, huh?
The stagnation deep within my heart is spreading.
"I see, so it's still alive... It's a surprisingly resilient creature, isn't it?"
"It would have been fine if it had ended there, but..."
Yashichiro announced in a clear voice.
"That man... It seems he fathered a child with the Asakura princess in Echigo."
"What...?!"
Kneeling, Naotsune asked with a terrifying expression:
"Is that true?! You mean you had a descendant of the Asai family born in the womb of Asakura of all people?!"
"yes"
Yashichiro continued with a serious expression.
"I understand that the baby is still very young, but that is correct."
Even I understand how important that is.
The Asakura family now had a reason to eliminate the Asai family and me.
They can once again condemn me as a patricide and support Masayuki and his children as the legitimate successors.
"...kill?"
Tae raised her head and asked in a cute voice.
"Right now, I could kill both my parents and my child. I could go back to Echizen right away and kill them all, but..."
That is a very rational choice.
In a sense, it was the best option for violently resolving the Asai family's pending issues.
But—in my mind, I see the image of my own child, the image of Ichihime holding a baby.
(...damn it)
It's better to kill him. It's definitely better to kill him.
With that, all grudges were put to rest, and the stable rule of the Asai family over northern Omi should have been guaranteed—in terms of legitimacy by bloodline.
Because the Asai family's authority was backed by the powerful demon known as the Mizuchi, it was virtually impossible for anyone not related to the Asai family to wage war against them.
(To be honest, Masayuki himself doesn't really care.)
But surely, that child, like Manpukumaru and Chacha, will be the most precious and adorable thing to its parents.
Babies are adorable creatures no matter who looks at them. I'm sure I would have thought so too.
(And yet, they make him kill it...)
I'm sure there's no pain.
Myo will probably send Masayuki, the baby, and their mother to hell with ease, without them feeling any pain.
But I can't help but think about it.
The scene depicts Ichihime begging for her child's life and trying to protect the young life, but to no avail, as the baby is brutally murdered right before her eyes.
"..."
"Lieutenant General?"
Myo tilted her head, her blue cat ears twitching.
He seemed utterly baffled as to why they hadn't immediately issued an assassination order.
"...No, you don't have to kill him."
"Why?"
A blue-haired, cat-eared ninja asks, a question mark floating across her entire face.
I decided to blurt out whatever pretense came to mind.
"Certainly, this is a headache for the Asai family—but a relative of the Asai family with Asakura blood in him can certainly be useful. When Echizen comes under our control through the upcoming battles, we can use him as a legitimate reason to rule Echizen... I understand it's a double-edged sword, though."
"..."
Everyone fell silent, and silence reigned.
It was Naotsune who broke through that barrier.
"...We will simply follow the decisions our lord has made. We will willingly become corpses in order to pave the way for that path."
"I agree..."
Haruhime also spoke quietly.
"It would be best to eliminate the threat as soon as possible. However, that is not always the right choice... If it is in your best interest, Lieutenant General—and it is our duty to support you at all times."
My concubine, a strategist of unparalleled skill, said this with a smile.
As I looked at her face, I began to seriously question whether my choice had been the right one.