Hyakuren no Haou to Seiyaku no Valkyria - Volume 22 - Chapter 3

ACT 3

“Now then, please take your tablet. It has yet to fully dry, so take great care handling it.” Alexis held out the tablet, complete with seal and signature, in a ceremonious fashion. Yuuto carefully took it, holding it by the bronzed portion. The peace treaty was complete at long last, so he didn’t want to handle it improperly and accidentally smudge the writing.

“Kris.”

“Yes.” When he called Kris’s name, her voice came from behind. He expected nothing less from the Einherjar who bore the rune Veðrfölnir, Silencer of Winds, as well as the leader of the Steel Clan’s elite espionage unit, the Vindálfs—she had approached Yuuto without him even realizing.

“Deliver this to Felicia posthaste.” Yuuto quickly pressed the tablet into Kristina’s hands. While the treaty had now been established and was, by all accounts, in full effect, it was best to be totally prepared for the worst case. He didn’t want another Xiang Yu situation playing out. The proof of this treaty would be his ace in the hole in case things happened to go south. He wanted it delivered to a secure place for safekeeping as soon as possible. For that reason, handing it to Kristina was the optimal course of action, as she was a master at erasing her presence.

“It shall be done.” She was an intelligent girl. Immediately realizing what Yuuto required of her, she vanished without a trace. He hadn’t taken his eyes off her for a second, and yet he had no idea where she’d gone. Yuuto could always count on her.

“How uncanny. To think she’s able to conceal her presence in an instant... Not even the greatest shinobi in all of Japan could do that. You’ve been blessed with good servants, Suoh Yuuto.” Next to him, Nobunaga spoke in admiration. Having one of his children praised wasn’t a bad feeling per se, but...

“She’s not my servant. If we don’t clear that up right now, I worry for the future.” He made a show of shivering comically. He was partly joking, but that was also how he truly felt, because that girl wouldn’t let that sort of label slide, even if hypothetically it did come from her father Yuuto.

“Hmph. I can’t say I understand that lukewarm nature of yours at all. If you go soft, the ones below you will go soft too, and your entire clan will suffer as a result.” Nobunaga furrowed his brow as if Yuuto’s actions were truly incomprehensible to him. He was the type of leader to strike fear in his retainers to get them to perform at one hundred—no, one hundred twenty percent efficiency. Yuuto didn’t necessarily consider that wrong. Humans were lazy by nature, and if they didn’t have fires lit under their rears, they wouldn’t strive for excellency. But it was a double-edged sword, as it was easy to earn others’ ire through that approach.

“I simply change my methods and way of ruling depending on the person. I determined that the girl earlier simply performs better when she’s independent.” Yuuto responded with a smirk. To Yuuto, Nobunaga was the kind of patriarch he most aspired to be, a ruler of legendary repute. However, he had no intention of copying his methods. He could never be as arrogant or heartless. He could only do what was suited to him, so he would simply stick to doing it his own way.

“So you say. Well, it’s your territory. It’s not my place to tell you what to do with it. You’re free to do what you like.” Nobunaga grinned like he was enjoying himself.

There were things that people could only understand about each other once they’d faced off in battle. Even if their ideals were different, even if he didn’t understand Yuuto’s actions, Nobunaga had probably grown to acknowledge Yuuto’s methods.

“But it remains to be seen whether those methods will hold up in the long run. The real trial begins here, Suoh Yuuto. You’ll be in an unfamiliar land, having to manage several hundred thousand citizens. You can’t afford to be milquetoast there.”

“You make a fair point.” Yuuto nodded, considering Nobunaga’s words. He had already constructed a decent plan for that, but the sticking point was whether it would play out as he hoped. An unforeseen conflict would most assuredly arise, especially if he didn’t survey the situation enough or prepare sufficiently. The troubles there were clear as day.

“Well, we’ll manage. It’s my first time, so of course I’ve prepared a trump card specifically for the situation.”

“If you say so.”

“Thanks for the warning, though.”

“Hmph, I don’t need your thanks. Now then, it’s about time for me to return. I doubt my body can hold out much longer,” Nobunaga said, clutching his flank. Yuuto noticed his face was covered in sweat. When he thought about it, it was natural. From the time he’d been shot in the stomach, he’d ridden a horse as he’d strolled toward Yuuto and company, engaged in negotiations with Yuuto, and taken part in the peace treaty ceremony—all things that would normally be impossible with wounds like his. There was no way he wasn’t in pain. It had to have been pure agony.

“This is probably the last time we will see each other in this life. You may be my enemy, Suoh Yuuto, but you were outstanding. Should you join me in the afterlife, let us cross swords once again.” The words were somber, but Nobunaga looked just as spry and fearless as ever as he grinned in what had to have been pure amusement. His strength of will was without peer. He was, without a doubt, the very same Nobunaga that had been one of the greatest to ever grace the pages of history.

“Good luck. You’ll need it,” he said as he whacked Yuuto on the back as hard as he could, turned on his heel animatedly, and strode away.

That was the last time Yuuto ever saw Nobunaga’s figure. He would never forget the composed silhouette of the man, his back turned, for as long as he lived.

“Big Brother!”

“Father!”

The moment Yuuto had returned to his own camp after the ceremony, Felicia and Sigrún came running to greet him with pure relief on their faces. They had surely already heard Kristina’s report that things had gone off without incident. Still, knowing them, they probably hadn’t been able to relax until they had seen Yuuto safe and sound with their own eyes.

“Hey, I’m back! And as you can see, I’m still in one...piece?!” Yuuto was about to pump a fist in the air to show he was in great shape when suddenly his knees gave out. He tried to right himself, but the strength in his feet had left him, leaving him helplessly falling toward the ground. The two girls quickly grabbed hold of him, keeping him from collapsing. As Einherjar, their reflexes were, to no one’s surprise, second to none.

“Big Brother?!” the pair yelled in unison.

“Ha ha, sorry about that. Must’ve just tripped or something. Damn shoelaces... Huh?” Joking around to lighten the mood, he tried to stand on his own, but neither his hands around the two girls’ shoulders nor his knees would respond. Apparently noticing something was wrong, Sigrún and Felicia looked frightful.

“It can’t be... Slow-acting poison?!”

“Those underhanded Flame Clan cowards...!”

“Ah, no, it’s nothing like that. I’m just dead tired. I’ll be fine after a bit of rest.” Yuuto quickly tried to quell the murderous aura emanating from the two of them. Sigrún and Felicia, normally such levelheaded girls, tended to behave unpredictably whenever concerns for Yuuto’s well-being arose. Naturally, he didn’t see any reason to worry yet, but he didn’t want the treaty he’d worked so hard to forge to be nullified so soon.

“A lot’s happened in a short period. I’m just exhausted is all.” Yuuto smiled wryly. Thinking back over the events of the war between the Flame and Steel Clans, his fatigue was only natural. He had carried the burden of hundreds of thousands of his citizens’ lives on his shoulders while forced into a battle against Oda Nobunaga that he couldn’t afford to lose. On top of that, he’d had to appear calm and composed in front of his subordinates, and as stubborn as he was, he was now belatedly beginning to realize how much that had taken a toll on his psyche. When he’d seen the girls’ faces, the last tense thread had snapped, and all the fatigue built up within him had come crashing down. However, after all the stress, it was a feeling he welcomed.

“Sorry, guys. Just let me stay like this for a while.” He tightly hugged the two bodies supporting him, enjoying their warmth. Countless lives had been lost during this fight, many of them people Yuuto knew. It still didn’t feel real to him that they were gone—he even felt like they might show up tomorrow as if nothing had happened. Even though deep down he knew he’d never see them again, the reality of their absence hadn’t fully sunk in yet. He began to anxiously wonder if perhaps his experiences up until now were nothing more than a dream, and he’d eventually wake up to a totally different reality.

“I’m so glad you two are still alive,” Yuuto said to the girls, his feelings of joy and relief clear in his tone. Feeling their body heat and heartbeats through his clothes let him know that at the very least, Sigrún and Felicia were still here for him. Right now, that was what he wanted to feel most of all.

“Fatherrr!” A high-pitched voice came from afar—a voice he knew well, and one he hadn’t heard in a long time. He turned around to see a girl approaching him, her light-red pigtails blowing in the wind.

“Linnea!” Yuuto called her name, his voice brimming with joy. The last time they’d met was right before the Silk Clan crusade over three months ago. Though they’d secretly stayed in touch through written correspondence like letters, it couldn’t compare to the happiness he felt at seeing her in person once more.

“Huff...huff! I’m so glad...you’re okay!” Linnea tried to run to him but immediately became out of breath. Still, she looked thrilled to see him.

“Yeah, you too. Good job keeping the invaders from the west at bay.” Yuuto raised himself up a little and patted her on the shoulder. His body still felt like lead, but he wanted to reward the girl for her efforts in whatever little way he could. More than anything, touching her with his own hands would confirm once and for all that she really was alive and well.

“No, I must apologize to you. The fate of the Steel Clan rested upon this battle, and I was late in arriving. Truly, I am beyond reproach,” Linnea replied, sounding rather disappointed in herself.

“No, you did plenty. We were only able to eke out a victory thanks to you, in fact.” The threat they’d posed to the enemy had increased tenfold just by having her present. Furthermore, Linnea’s western army of ten thousand had eliminated the allied forces of the Flame Clan’s General of Courage, Shiba, and General of Wisdom, Kuuga. Yuuto had no doubt that the main reason Nobunaga had proposed peace in the first place was because he had underestimated the strength of Yuuto’s auxiliary forces.

“I formed a peace treaty with Nobunaga just a bit ago. The war’s over,” Yuuto explained.

“Is that true?!” Linnea’s face suddenly brightened. Her generosity toward the common folk was unusual for a politician of her caliber, but she was probably relieved from the bottom of her heart that no more soldiers had to lose their lives. “Wonderful! Now we can focus our efforts on Project Noah! I’ll do my best to make up for my shortcomings in the war by being useful to you there!”

“Huff...huff... Your Highness...please, don’t run! Think of the...huff...child you bear!”

Linnea looked raring to go, both fists balled in excitement, until an out-of-breath Rasmus finally caught up to her a few moments later. As an Einherjar, Rasmus had made a name for himself as a warrior in his youth, though it seemed the passage of time had proved to be an opponent he could not best.

“Oh, right! You don’t wanna run like that, Linnea! It’s dangerous!” Yuuto hurriedly warned her. He’d been so preoccupied with the war against the Flame Clan that he’d completely forgotten about Linnea’s pregnancy. “For me to forget something like that... Some father I’m gonna be...” Yuuto thought self-deprecatingly.

“Hee hee. Oh, don’t worry, I can manage this much. Big Sister Mitsuki told me I should be getting more exercise anyway if I want this baby to grow up healthy,” Linnea replied confidently.

“She meant walking and stretching, Linnea. Seeing you run like that almost gave me a heart attack, so please don’t do it anymore. You should also lighten your workload by letting Jörgen handle most of the paperwork from now on.”

“Oh, Father, you sound just like Rasmus.”

“That’s because it is common sense, Your Highness,” Rasmus said, his face stern.

“You said it.” Yuuto nodded in agreement.

This was not 21st-century Japan. At Yggdrasil’s current technological level, it was common for about twenty percent of expectant mothers to die during childbirth. That percentage was alarmingly high to Yuuto, so he wanted to raise Linnea’s chances of survival as much as he could by ensuring she took proper care of herself.

“Really, you two are such worrywarts. I’m the very picture of health, see?” Balling up her fists as if to show off her strength, Linnea gave them a sprightly grin. Her complexion was good, and she did look healthy. Inwardly, Yuuto breathed a sigh of relief.

“If so, that is all that matters. Felicia is also with child, so I look forward to watching over two new members of the family before long.” Sigrún gazed at Linnea’s stomach warmly. From the time Yuuto had first met Sigrún, her expression had rarely ever changed, as though she were wearing a steel mask, but lately, she’d been showing more and more of her gentle side. Yuuto welcomed this new Sigrún.

“L-Lady Felicia too?! Why, it’s just one auspicious event after another! This calls for a celebration!” Rasmus looked shocked, but overjoyed. “Lady Sigrún, I suppose you are next?” he said with a grin.

“Not yet, I’m afraid,” she responded disappointedly.

“Hm, then you really need to try harder. Any child of His Majesty and Lady Sigrún would no doubt grow up to be a strong warrior—an invaluable pillar to support the Steel Clan in the future. A woman’s greatest purpose is to bear children, after all. It’s your duty to leave behind as much of His Majesty’s bloodline as possible.”

If this were 21st-century Japan, Rasmus’s words just now would definitely be instantly condemned as sexual harassment. Yuuto cringed inwardly.

“You make a good point. Truthfully, I have been thinking that it’s about time to have one of my own.” Contrary to Yuuto’s concern, however, Sigrún spoke plainly as though it hadn’t bothered her in the least. This was not Japan, but Yggdrasil, 1500 BCE. Sexual harassment and misogyny didn’t exist as concepts here, so Rasmus’s stance was likely the natural order of things. To Yuuto, of course, it was like being hit with a three-thousand, five-hundred-year generation gap. That said, the fact that he now had the capacity to concern himself over it meant that peace had finally come at last, and that made him glad. The war was over, and if he had his way, he’d like it to stay that way forever.

“Hm?” Then he suddenly noticed a horse galloping toward him. For an instant, he thought it might be an envoy from the Flame Clan, but he quickly corrected himself.

“Wait, is that you, Sigyn?” Yuuto asked the mystery guest.

It was indeed Sigyn, the wife of Hveðrungr, Yuuto’s ever-reliable officer and confidant, and a powerful Einherjar in her own right known as the “Witch of Miðgarðr.”

“Yup. Looks like I finally found you. I’ve been searching everywhere,” Sigyn said from atop her horse. Her casual tone didn’t seem like the kind you’d adopt with a þjóðann, and indeed, the Steel Clan members in the vicinity scrunched up their faces in displeasure at the disrespect, but Yuuto was so used to it at this point that it didn’t bother him in the slightest. More to the point—

“Is Brother Rungr okay?!”

What concerned him was the golden-haired masked man leaning against her back. His arms were hanging limp, giving Yuuto an ominous feeling.

“Please be wrong.” Yuuto said the words to himself again and again as if in prayer. But what came from Sigyn’s mouth betrayed his hopes in the worst possible way.

“He’s already gone. I always thought he was the kind of guy that was too stubborn to die, but he’s gone.”

“No...way,” Yuuto stammered out.

Sigyn’s tone had been so matter-of-fact that for an instant, he couldn’t process what he’d just heard. Even after he belatedly realized what it meant, his mind refused to accept it. Hadn’t he been the one to wound Nobunaga so heavily by shooting him from afar? Somewhere in his subconscious, Yuuto must’ve assumed that he was alive and well based on that. That was why he couldn’t accept Sigyn’s news.

“Wh-What do you mean, gone?! A guy like him can’t die so...”

“He pushed himself too far. Even after getting injured by that pint-sized monster from the Flame Clan, he told me he wouldn’t retreat, and you know what he’s like when he makes up his mind. He shot Nobunaga, then before I knew it, he was already gone.”

“N-No way!” Felicia let out a pained shriek as she fell to her knees beside Yuuto. Though they weren’t formally related anymore, Hveðrungr had been Felicia’s actual older brother. They’d had some bad blood between them in the past, but as far as Yuuto could tell, they’d been close and had thought of each other quite fondly. In other words, the shock of this news was almost too great for Felicia to bear.

“...It does sound like something Brother Rungr would do.” Yuuto frowned, and then sighed. Hveðrungr had had a lot of pride, and he hadn’t liked to lose. He would definitely have exacted revenge on anyone who’d dared damage that pride. Underneath his aloof exterior had always lain a strong conviction and will.

“But you did too much this time. Didn’t you...? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t die for my sake?!” Yuuto demanded of the deceased Hveðrungr.

There was no answer. He knew there wouldn’t be, yet he was compelled to ask anyway. Just as Sigyn had said, he couldn’t picture a man like Hveðrungr ever perishing. His judgment, which had gotten him through countless harrowing situations, had been far too sharp for that. Truthfully, Hveðrungr was the last person Yuuto had expected to die in this battle. The reality was so far removed from his expectations that he refused to believe it.

“First and foremost, let’s get him down from the horse,” said Rasmus. The nearby soldiers carefully lifted Hveðrungr’s body down and lowered him to the ground. He was a man with all kinds of tricks up his sleeve, so Yuuto half-expected this to be another ill-natured prank of his and hoped that he would jump up from the ground hale and healthy. Of course, that was merely a faint hope, and the man remained motionless on the ground. Yuuto put his ear to the man’s mouth. He wasn’t breathing. He placed a hand on his heart. There was no heartbeat. Hveðrungr was dead.

“This can’t be happening... You’ve gone too far with this prank, Big Brother. Come on, it’s lasted long enough, get up now...” Felicia’s voice was shaking. Apparently still unable to stand, she approached Hveðrungr on all fours and grabbed his collar.

“I said get up, you fool! If you don’t get up right this instant, I’m going to be really upset!” She shook him as she raised her voice. Of course, even she knew the truth of the matter somewhere in her heart. She knew her brother was dead. It was likely that she simply couldn’t accept it. She wanted it to be some fabrication, a tall tale, and she couldn’t discard that hope no matter how she tried. “That’s enough already...!” She raised her hand and was about to deliver a blow to Hveðrungr’s cheek when Sigrún suddenly stopped her.

“Felicia.” Sigrún spoke just that one word and shook her head with a solemn expression.

“Th-This simply can’t be. It must be another prank of his. There’s no way Brother can be...”

“The ásmegin, the source of Hveðrungr’s life force, has gone silent. You know what that means, don’t you? He is dead, Felicia.”

“No... It can’t be... It... Waaaahhh!” Felicia suddenly collapsed on top of Hveðrungr’s body, clinging to him as she sobbed. Sigrún silently embraced her. She and Felicia had been childhood friends since before she could remember, so she knew how much Felicia truly cared for her older brother.

“What do you mean...dead? What about the future?! What about what comes after?!” Yuuto spat in a strained, shaking voice as he watched the two of them. Yuuto and Hveðrungr had a long-standing rivalry with each other over who was supposed to succeed the Wolf Clan, which had even at one point resulted in a battle to the death. Even so, he could confidently declare that if he had not met Hveðrungr—if he had not met Loptr—then Yuuto would not be the person he was today. The smelting of iron—that was the first and greatest trigger that led Yuuto to dashing up the path to ultimate authority. The Yuuto of that time was constantly scorned by his peers and called names like “Sköll, Devourer of Blessings,” but Hveðrungr had believed in that delusion of Yuuto’s, taking him under his wing and providing support no matter how many times Yuuto had failed. If it wasn’t for him, Yuuto likely would’ve gone unnoticed and lived the life of an ordinary man. He wasn’t just indebted to him; to Yuuto, Loptr had been someone he’d aspired to be, an older brother he could rely on more than anyone else. He couldn’t even count the number of times he’d been saved by Hveðrungr’s presence.

“It’s too soon. I haven’t even been able to repay you yet for anything you’ve done for me...!”

Yuuto had so much he owed Loptr for, and up until now, he’d only been able to repay it with animosity. Though it hadn’t been his intention, he’d usurped Loptr’s rightful place as the patriarch of the Wolf Clan, accidentally creating a reason for Loptr to murder his own parent and flee. Even after changing his name to Hveðrungr and becoming patriarch of the Panther Clan, Yuuto had intercepted him, crushing his path to conquest once more. Despite that, once he became a general of the Steel Clan, Yuuto had no choice but to rely on that remarkable strength of his time and time again. Thinking about it now, Yuuto was always the one to make Loptr draw the short straw. Yuuto must’ve always been like a divine pestilence to him.

That was why he’d wanted to repay as much of that as he could someday. That was why he’d been planning to give him a position and territory worthy of his strength in the new world and update his status from subordinate to believer through the Chalice.

“There were so many more things I wanted to tell you. So many more things I wanted to discuss and experience with you.” He felt his eyelids growing hot as he spoke, and tears spilled down his face. He felt like he’d finally just gotten close again on a personal level like they used to be. He was the one man he felt treated him as just a regular guy, not as a þjóðann or reginarch, and now he was gone. He would never hear his jokes or sarcasm again. That was, perhaps, the saddest thing of all.

“Pheeew, I feel just a tad winded.” Letting out a long sigh, Nobunaga plunked down on an ornate chair in the audience chamber of Valaskjálf Palace—the throne. Thanks to Suoh Yuuto’s final plan in their war against each other, most of the palace was either reduced to rubble or burned to a crisp, but this audience chamber alone had stayed standing, perhaps because this was where the hidden passage leading outside of Glaðsheimr was located. But that didn’t matter to Nobunaga.

“So, this is the seat of one who rules heaven and earth? Not as comfortable as I’d imagined,” he muttered, his cheek resting on his palm in boredom. He’d finally achieved his long-sought-after goal. He was glad, that was certain, but he had been the ruler of an entire generation back in Japan. He was the kind of person who was only happy when he was trying to make something his, only to lose interest once he finally had it in his grasp.

“But, well, a promise is a promise.” With a small smile, Nobunaga produced a hair tie from his pocket. It had belonged to Ran, his loyal retainer who’d died protecting him.

“Conquer the world, eh?” Those were Ran’s final words to Nobunaga. “Are you watching from Valhalla, Ran? I’ve conquered it, just like you wanted,” he muttered, looking up at the sky. The casualties on the Flame Clan’s side had been overwhelming, but if the battle had continued unabated, the Steel Clan would’ve had little to no hope of winning after losing their main defensive stronghold. There was a ninety-nine percent chance that this war would have ended in Nobunaga’s victory. True, Yuuto was the type of frightening ruler that could have managed that slim one percent, but Nobunaga was always more focused on the result rather than the process. From a conquest perspective, the Holy Capital Glaðsheimr had fallen and Nobunaga had usurped almost all of the Steel Clan’s territory, so all the denizens of Yggdrasil under his rule would declare him the victor of this war—in other words, they would recognize him as the lord of Yggdrasil. And that wasn’t entirely false, since Nobunaga did now lay claim to most of it. Suoh Yuuto, however imposing, was no longer a threat to Nobunaga since there was such a large difference in the amount of land they each possessed. Yggdrasil was his at last.

“I’ve fulfilled your wish, Ran. So forgive me for not striking down your killer. I am a ruler, but I am also a father.” Nobunaga bowed his head in shame. His grudge against Suoh Yuuto had not vanished, but he got the feeling that Ran would understand and accept Nobunaga’s decision. Ran was, after all, the one that held Nobunaga’s thoughts and desires in the most esteem.

“There you are, daddy! So you were here all along! You disappeared so quickly that I was worried!” His beloved daughter Homura poked her head out from the entrance and wandered toward him. That innocent figure of a daughter smitten with love for her parent was appropriate for her age—well, she was actually bordering on spoiled rotten, but that was precisely what made her so cute.

“No need to worry. I’m right here.” Grinning, Nobunaga lifted Homura up on his knee.

“Wah! Ha ha!” Homura let out a cry of surprise, but then beamed with joy, relaxed herself, and leaned back against him. Her entire body went slack, as if she were resting in some sort of recliner chair. That made Nobunaga smile. From an early age, Nobunaga had always been frowned upon by others, and when he grew older, he was only feared. His family had been no exception—back in Japan, there had always been an air of tension between him and his children. As a vivid example of that precarious relationship, during the Honno-ji Incident, when Nobunaga had first heard about the rebellion, he’d immediately suspected his own blood-related son Nobutada before anyone else. A proud parent though he may have been, Nobunaga had never before experienced the innocent love Homura offered from one of his offspring, so he couldn’t help but reciprocate. Belatedly, he realized that somewhere in his heart, this calm repose may have been what he’d truly wanted all along.

“Homura.”

“Yeees, daddy?” She twisted her body around and looked up, staring at him with her innocent face. He felt a slight sense of trepidation at telling her what he was about to tell her. But there was no more time left. He had to say it now.

“I don’t have much longer on this earth, my dear.”

“What?! What are you saying all of a sudden?!” She raised her voice in a panic, sounding upset. She’d probably thought she and her father were now all clear of danger, and in truth, with negotiations with the Steel Clan and the sealing ceremony behind them, they should’ve been. This announcement was probably like a bolt from the blue for her. But that peace was like the final bright flame of a candle before it was snuffed out.

“All things must die, my dear. Over the course of this life, I have taken hundreds of thousands of lives of my own. I won’t say this is what I deserve, but my turn has finally come, that’s all.”

Nobunaga’s tone was casual, but it wasn’t like he wasn’t afraid of dying. It was just a result of his simple outlook on life: all humans must die someday. He was always prepared for death, therefore he always lived each day like it was his last.

“But I implore you, Homura, do not hold a grudge against the Steel Clan. Killing and being killed are inevitabilities of war, and the gods willed me to die someday. Why, I exceeded the fifty-year life span of a normal human by ten years. In other words, I turned a profit.”

“But... But...” Despite Nobunaga’s explanation, Homura couldn’t accept it. That was natural—to Homura, the Steel Clan was her father’s mortal enemy. Nobunaga himself had succumbed to his thirst for vengeance when his family and retainers had been killed—having only sated it once he had burned thousands of innocent Ikkoshu believers alive.

Though if he was being honest, Nobunaga knew from experience that giving in to anger only worsened the situation. Nothing beneficial came from it. Even in the aforementioned burning incident, he became bogged down in a long-lasting war with the Ikkoshu as a result of his actions, delaying his unification of Japan by ten years.

Put simply, it helped nothing to do something so rash. He didn’t want the young Homura to walk the same path of vengeance he once had. All Nobunaga wanted for Homura as her father was for her to live a happy life.

“In the first ten years of my stay in Yggdrasil, every battle had been smooth sailing, and nothing was able to stand in my way. Truth be told, I was ridiculously bored.” Nobunaga spoke in a tranquil voice as he reminisced on the past. Compared even to Warring States Japan, Yggdrasil’s technological standards had been exceedingly low, and that went for their rudimentary tactical playbook as well. Nobunaga had experienced tons of battles in the chaotic Sengoku era for the past fifty years, so rising through the ranks was like taking candy from a baby. Everything went according to his plans. If things had gone a bit shy of expectations, it would’ve at least been interesting, but with every single thing happening exactly the way he’d wanted it, winning every battle with absolutely no resistance, the embers of his heart had gradually cooled. He’d been living day-to-day, not knowing whether he was alive or dead.

“But this year has been so exciting! All thanks to that bastard Suoh Yuuto!”

“Bastard?”

“Yes, if he hadn’t shown up, I might have brought Yggdrasil under my rule with ease! That simply wouldn’t have been any fun! Life only has meaning when you’re living desperately! Yes, I was deceived by the Steel Clan countless times. Yes, it was frustrating and painful. Yes, I even hated them at times, but when all was said and done, I had a great time facing off against them. Battling them was so satisfying.” Nobunaga’s tone was lilting, a boyish grin on his face.

Those were Nobunaga’s pure, undisguised feelings. He had come at Suoh Yuuto intending to crush him with all his firepower and had managed to win from a territorial standpoint, but he’d suffered a big loss from a tactical one. But that was precisely why it had been so fun. Nothing was interesting about everything going exactly the way you wanted. Life simply wasn’t worth living without enormous obstacles blocking your path forward at every turn.

“This year has probably been the most my blood has boiled with excitement in my entire lifetime. Of course, there were times I was full of anger and resentment, but now that everything’s over, the only thing I feel in the end is gratitude.”

“Grati...tude?” Homura parroted his words with a confused look on her face. She probably couldn’t fathom how pushing him into desperate situations and threatening his very life countless times called for anything resembling gratitude.

“Hmph. My dear Homura, you of all people should understand what I’m talking about. Isn’t it lonely to not have an opponent on your level? When you faced off against that masked man, I watched you. You looked like you were having the time of your life.”

“Th-That was...!” She tried to deny it, but she was clearly flustered. That was likely because, in her heart, she knew Nobunaga had hit the nail on the head. She was a young girl, but she was also a twin-runed Einherjar. It was lonely being at the top. Like Nobunaga, she needed someone she could call her equal.

“If it wasn’t for that Steel Clan bunch, I would probably be living a shell of a life, bored and unsatisfied. But thanks to them, I was able to use the full extent of my strength and give it everything I had. They may be my sworn enemies, but I was lucky to have them.” He chuckled. The warmth in his tone was almost as if he was speaking of an irreplaceable friend.

“That’s why, my dear daughter, I’m leaving you to them.”

“Huh?!” Met with this information that came from seemingly nowhere, Homura let out a yelp of surprise. Nobunaga had a faraway look on his face as he continued.

“Once I die, go to them. It’s too dangerous here. After my death, someone will appear who will definitely want to use you to further their own rule.”

“Don’t worry about that! I’m strong! Anyone tries, I’ll beat ’em up!”

“That won’t work. Homura, you may be strong, but you are still young. You do not have the skill or the personnel needed to oppose them. You will only become their prey. As your father, I cannot let that come to pass.” He used a stern tone on purpose. Truthfully, he did secretly think adversity might only make Homura stronger and positively affect her growth. She was, after all, a girl born with the luck of the gods and the strength to rule. Yet he purposefully struck down her suggestion. The reasoning behind that was—

“On top of that, you have no future in Yggdrasil.”

“Th-That’s not true! I’ll grow up to be big and strong so I can succeed you, daddy—”

“That’s not what I mean. Yggdrasil itself has no future, I should say.”

“What do you mean?” Homura tilted her head in apparent confusion. Ruminating on how cute that gesture was, Nobunaga continued.

“I believe I’ve already told you that Suoh Yuuto and I come from a future thousands of years beyond this one. He apparently comes from a future over four hundred years later than mine, though.”

“U-Uh-huh.”

“According to him, this land called Yggdrasil will sink into the sea before long.”

“Huuh?” Sounding dumbfounded, Homura’s eyes went wide. It probably sounded like nonsense to her, like she couldn’t even imagine such a thing happening. “I bet he was lying.”

“It’s only natural you don’t believe it. At first, I, too, laughed it off as some farce. But he was serious. He was convinced of it enough to lead his citizens to the new world. He wouldn’t have gone that far if it were some delusion of his.”

“...You think?”

“I do. Another thing that lends credence to what he says is the earthquakes that keep occurring as of late. With that in mind, I have no choice but to believe it. It’s very likely Yggdrasil will indeed sink into the sea.”

She seemed to be lost for words at this shocking development. Of course, no one could expect her to readily accept such a ridiculous tale.

“Homura, you are still young. Rather than stay here in Yggdrasil, a land that has no future, I want you to go to the new world with Suoh Yuuto. This is not only an order of mine, but my final wish.” Nobunaga stared into Homura’s eyes sincerely, hoping that she would catch his meaning. She drooped her head, seemingly mulling it over. Silence dominated the room for about ten seconds, until Homura finally, hesitatingly, asked a question.

“That’s your desire, daddy?”

“Yes, I want you to travel to the new world and live a fruitful life there. That is my greatest desire.”

“...Then I understand.” Homura nodded, having made her decision. From her behavior, it was clear that deep down she still had reservations, but she couldn’t refuse a request from her beloved daddy. “How lucky I am to be a father to this child,” Nobunaga mused.

“Ha ha. With this, I have no more regrets. I can finally head to Valhalla at peace.”

“Don’t say that, daddy! I want you to be with me as long as possible! I’ll do my best to keep you alive! I’ll give you as much of my ásmegin as you need, so...” Homura clung to her father with a tearstained face. He understood her feelings all too well. Nobunaga had also lost his father at a young age, and with no outlet to put his anger into, it’d ended up consuming him.

“I know, my darling girl. I want that too, but...” With a bitter smile, Nobunaga let out a small sigh. He could feel his strength rapidly leaving his body, and his consciousness was growing hazy.

He somehow knew that the moment he lost hold of that consciousness, he would likely never wake up again. In fact, he was only able to hold on this long through sheer force of will and should have died a long time ago. With everything done that he needed to do, his thread of tension snapped, Nobunaga was unable to stand up a final time.

“I would’ve liked to see where your journey takes you next, Homura.”

Summoning the last of his strength, Nobunaga patted Homura’s head.

That face of hers was still as innocent as ever. Her body was so small and light. He had reservations about leaving her in that state, but there was nothing more he could do about his current circumstances. Life didn’t always go as planned. If it did, it wouldn’t be any fun. Homura would likely learn from this sadness and grow even further. Watching her growth from afar would be enjoyable in itself.

“‘A man’s life of fifty years is as minute as a dream or illusion when compared with the earth and the sky.’ Hmph, and what a life it was. I have no regrets.” With those words, Nobunaga closed his eyes. His consciousness waned in an instant. But it wasn’t sudden and frightening; it was calm and gentle, like the darkness of the night.

“Daddy? Daddy?!”

He could hear Homura’s voice, but he could no longer comprehend what she was saying. Soon after, even her voice faded away, and Nobunaga’s consciousness sank into nothingness.

Just like the Atsumori warrior dance the man so enjoyed, it all really had been like a dream. The only one to set foot on and conquer both Japan and Yggdrasil, Oda Nobunaga, had breathed his last. It was said that when they found his body, there was a peaceful grin of satisfaction on his face.