Chapter 145: The Lord of Musashi
A moment later, Hojo Ujiyasu sat on the wooden floor of the main hall, her presence filling the humble space. Her hair, combed into a neat arrangement, swayed with the sleeves of her deep purple kimono as she settled herself. The tachi she typically wore at her waist had been respectfully removed upon entering and now lay beside her, a clear gesture of non-aggression.
Her gaze swept across the interior. The wooden pillars were worn with age, the paper shoji screens were visibly patched, and one could even see the faint, indelible traces of old spiderwebs on the roof beams—cleaned, but never fully erased.
"This shrine..." Hojo Ujiyasu paused, carefully weighing her words. "...it has quite a sense of history."
The unspoken translation was clear: It's run-down. Terribly, extremely run-down.
Kikyo's expression remained a mask of placid neutrality, but the hand gripping her bow tightened for a fraction of a second—the only sign of her wounded pride.
Hikaru, seated beside the shrine maiden, offered no verbal response. Instead, he reached out under the low table and gently took Kikyo's fingers into his own. It was a small, silent comfort… which he immediately followed by playfully rubbing her hand, earning a sharp glare from Kikyo. She did not, however, pull away.
Hojo Ujiyasu's eyes flickered to the corner of the hall, where Naoe Kanetsugu remained bound to a pillar. The captive warrior had long since closed her eyes again, her posture screaming, 'Don't look at me, I know nothing.' After a brief, satisfied glance, the daimyo withdrew her gaze.
A sudden, sharp amusement bloomed within the leader of the Hojo clan. It felt like a great revenge had been enacted. Even if she wasn't the one responsible, seeing one of Uesugi Kenshin's most loyal retainers in such a state was deeply gratifying.
"Let's talk business," she said, her tone shifting instantly. It became crisp and clean, the shrewdness of a provincial daimyo surfacing like a sharpened blade.
"We'll start with an old matter. On my way here, I heard about a certain lord of a small castle—a man named Suda Shigenobu."
Hikaru's crimson demon eyes flickered. Beside him, Kikyo also turned her head slightly. The name was not one that left a deep impression, but enough time hadn't passed for them to forget. He was the petty noble who had oppressed six small villages, the lord who had bullied his own people so mercilessly that they had turned to a monster for protection. The man Hikaru had casually slain.
"You killed him," Hojo Ujiyasu stated flatly, her voice betraying no emotion, as if she hadn't noticed the subtle reactions of the Oni Samurai and the shrine maiden. "He was a minor lord under my rule. By rights, this is an account I should settle with you."
She let the statement hang in the air for a moment before continuing. "But then again, I investigated that man, Suda Shigenobu, on my journey here. I already know what kind of trash he was—oppressing the common folk and extorting them with ruinous taxes. The war was pressing at the time, and I simply hadn't had the chance to deal with him myself."
She paused, her gaze unwavering. "If it were now, I would kill him too. In fact, in that regard, I should thank you. You've given me a perfect reason to directly intervene in the administration of Musashi Province."
Although the Hojo clan ruled both Sagami and Musashi, and Hojo Ujiyasu held the official court rank of Junior Fifth Rank, Sakyo-no-Daibu, which allowed her to directly supervise Musashi, the clan's control over many parts of the province had been tenuous at best. Now, thanks to Hikaru's actions and Uesugi Kenshin's southern invasion, she could assert her authority without triggering opposition from the various local leaders.
"My Hojo clan applies a benevolent policy: three parts for the public, seven for the people. In the future, men like Suda Shigenobu will not be tolerated. Incidents where commoners feel compelled to follow the Uesugi clan will never happen again."
"So, we will not speak of this matter further."
Her tone was decisive, like turning a page in an account book, but Hikaru could hear the repressed grinding of teeth beneath the surface. It was clear she was still furious about Uesugi Kenshin poaching people from her domain. Fortunately, those villagers had ended up staying, and Ujiyasu had already seen to their proper resettlement. The situation was stable and improving.
"I came today to thank you." Thank you. Coming from the mouth of the "Lion of Sagami," the words carried significant weight. It was also a statement of fact. For Hojo Ujiyasu, the resolution of her greatest strategic crisis—Uesugi Kenshin's invasion of Musashi and the flanking raid on Odawara Castle—was largely due to Hikaru. He had orchestrated the Imagawa fleet's landing behind Echigo, crushing three thousand of Kenshin's men. Though Hikaru had acted primarily for his own self-preservation, the objective result was the safeguarding of the Hojo clan's core interests. The Uesugi army had retreated, and Musashi Province had returned to Hojo jurisdiction. Her territory remained intact. She was still sitting here, her position as the lord of Musashi secure. That was enough.
However, both Hikaru and Kikyo knew that such gratitude was likely just a pretext. Otherwise, she would not have needed to deliberately bring up Suda Shigenobu's name. Her arrival had another purpose.
And sure enough, it came. "I don't like owing favors," the black-haired lord of two provinces declared bluntly. "At the same time, I am here to recruit you."
Hikaru wasn't surprised. Imagawa Yoshimoto had recruited him with offers of command authority and divine offerings; it was only logical that Hojo Ujiyasu would do the same. The reasoning was also identical. Uesugi Kenshin fought under the "demon-slaying" banner, empowered by a divine artifact. Takeda Shingen's famed Red Armor was embedded with a fragment of the deity Fudo Myo-o. Both of her primary rivals possessed trump cards that transcended conventional warfare.
Neither the Imagawa nor the Hojo had a power sufficient to counter them. In fact, the Hojo's situation was even more desperate than the Imagawa's. The Imagawa clan held three provinces; though they lacked a warrior princess incarnating a divine artifact, they had land, people, and popular support. They could rely on sheer military momentum and numbers to hold their own on the battlefield, even if they were vulnerable to decapitation strikes.
Hojo Ujiyasu, however, had no divine artifacts, no incarnated gods or buddhas, and no source of supernatural power. Her territory wasn't large enough, and her population and troop numbers were insufficient. This was why she had been forced to rely on Takeda Shingen, nominally as a partner, but in reality, as a subordinate. More than anyone, she needed a blade that could cut through such divine power.
And that blade was sitting right across from her.
"You are very strong," Ujiyasu continued, her gaze intense. "You can deal with those so-called divine artifacts. Your strategic vision is not inferior to Uesugi Kenshin's—perhaps even more formidable and cunning."
"Do you know what people are calling you out there after recent events? 'The Oni Who Does Not Kill,''The One Who Forced Bishamonten to Kneel,''The Kishin of unmatched Benevolence.' Some even whisper that you are an incarnation of the thunder god Indra, or a reincarnation of Gozu Tenno, which is why you could make the avatar of Bishamonten submit."
The latter, of course, was a rumor that circulated only in the smallest of circles, believed by few. But the former…
What kind of bizarre nicknames are these? Hikaru thought to himself. I don't own a Sword of Benevolence or a Sword of Righteousness. He knew, however, that Ujiyasu was telling the truth. He could feel it. Along with those titles, his "Fear" was spreading, the influx of power skyrocketing to unmatched levels.
Hojo Ujiyasu didn't beat around the bush. "So, I need you." Her directness was as startling as Imagawa Yoshimoto's had been.
Hikaru remained silent for a moment before delivering the expected blow. "Imagawa Yoshimoto has already taken that step."
He let the words settle. "I signed an agreement with the Imagawa clan a month ago. Command authority, offerings, and the resettlement of my Twenty-three Demons in Suruga—everything has been negotiated. The Imagawa fleet was able to land in Echigo precisely because of this agreement."
He paused, and his next words carried a distinct, almost mischievous tone. "But to be honest, you were the one I wanted to cooperate with from the very beginning."
Hojo Ujiyasu froze. She had known about the agreement with the Imagawa and had mentally prepared for it. But this last sentence was something she had never anticipated. What does he mean, he wanted to cooperate with me from the beginning?
"Musashi Province is closest to Kaede Village," Hikaru explained calmly. "Your territory surrounds me. The cost of cooperation would have been the lowest. But at the time, you had been captured by Takeda Shingen's subordinates."
"The remaining option, Imagawa Yoshimoto, was very active—and the terms she offered were straightforward. Since I needed a partner anyway, I chose her."
Hojo Ujiyasu sat perfectly still. Her long, dark purple hair hung over her shoulder, and the sleeves of her kimono rested on her knees. Her expression underwent a rapid, complex series of changes. First, astonishment. Then, a wave of deep annoyance, which quickly curdled into anger.
Finally— "..." She covered her face with her hands.
Her palms pressed against her forehead, but through the gaps between her fingers, one could see her brows furrowed in agony and the corners of her eyes twitching uncontrollably. In that moment, she looked less like a shrewd and calculating ruler and more like a student who had just failed the simplest question on a critical exam.
Agonizing. It was literally agonizing. She felt one step away from collapsing right in front of this demon.
If only I had—if I could have just spared half a day—if Takeda Shingen's Akazonae hadn't come at that exact moment—
That damned big-breasted woman, Hojo Ujiyasu cursed inwardly.
But she was a realist. She understood the word "if" held no meaning.
With a deep, shuddering breath, Ujiyasu lowered her hands, her expression once again smoothed into that of a sullen, shrewd ruler. Though a muscle in her jaw still twitched with suppressed agitation.
"That doesn't matter."
Her voice was steady again. "I know you have an agreement with Imagawa. But that agreement doesn't state that you cannot cooperate with others."
"I don't seek to monopolize you. I only want a promise."
She lifted her head, and the gaze from beneath her long hair was exceptionally sharp.
"For that... I can even grant you the entirety of Musashi Province. I will entrust it to you to manage and be responsible for!"
The hall fell into a stunned silence.
Kikyo rose silently and walked to the doorway, leaning her bow against the frame. Her dark eyes were fixed on Hikaru.
From behind the paper door of the side hall, two more heads poked out—Kaede and another young shrine maiden.
And on the pillar, Naoe Kanetsugu's eyes snapped wide open, her disbelief plain to see.
Granting a province.
Handing over an entire Ritsuryo province to a demon.
This proposal was, in the entire history of the Sengoku Period, utterly and completely unheard of.
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