After Hideyos.h.i.+ took a group of soldiers to chase n.o.bunaga, the remaining people gathered.
Rody looked softly at Mouse and asked, "Why are you here?"
Mouse smiled as though she was enjoying Rody’s care towards her.
"The more I thought about you being in the Roland continent, the more worried I became. The situation here is too confusing. King Sauron probably did not have any good intentions when he asked you to lead the soldiers here. So, I decided to request the Royal Concubine to come together with me. When I came, I saw the Roland Army attacking for a long time without success, so I lent some help along the way."
Everybody frowned after listening to that. She said she lent some help but instead caused the two evenly matched sides to s.h.i.+ft. What would have happened if Mouse were to have seriously helped one side?
Rody was startled when he heard Mouse’s words. He was startled not because of her comment about her lending a hand but because he was worried about something else. He moved to Mouse’s side and whispered, "What about Seth? Is he still in the Sauron Kingdom?"
Mouse smiled again. She grabbed Rody’s arm and replied, "Don’t worry. He also came with us. I know you are worried and you would not want to leave him alone. Naturally, Old Mark also followed."
Rody calmed down. He was worried that n.o.body would be watching Seth after Mouse came here. If he escaped again, it would be very difficult to find him. At that time, Rody would have to play two roles again. He would need to pretend to be Earl Rody and also the Duke of the Tulip Family. It would be extremely torturous.
Yukinari was amazed at Rody"s influence and became more and more humble. He walked towards Rody with an expression full of smiles, then he invited everyone into the official residence to speak.
Mouse said, "Sounds good. Let us find a place to stop before continuing. You also need to rest." Mouse had spoken while looking at Rody with full concern. Rody showed a slight smile on his pale face. He was seemingly telling Mouse that his injuries were not serious. Mouse continued, "It is about time that Ruolan and Miss Nicole followed the Roland Army into the city. I will send someone to look for them later."
Everyone moved forward together.
Along the way, Yukinari, feeling uneasy, said to Nedis, "The Roland Continent"s army has almost fully controlled River Home. At that time, they will not kill me as well, right?"
Nedis was now feeling distressed and bitter. She smiled coldly at Yukinari as though she was sneering. "Please. Think like a human! If the Sauron Kingdom wants to control the dwarven lands, they would need to dispatch someone to manage it. Even if it would not be bothersome to you, it would be bothersome to them. They will leave some troops behind for you to maintain the postwar order and help you rebuild. They will not directly occupy your land." Nedis said in her heart. "Only you dwarves think that this lousy place has fantastic feng shui? If it was not because of the ironwood, do you think the other kingdoms would even care for this rotten land?"
Yukinari only nodded his head and consented submissively. Although he was still uneasy, he did not dare to continue asking but instead chose to act according to the situation to protect his life. He knew that his life was totally in their hands. Although he had the Maruyuki, they were no match for the black-veiled woman’s strength.
After reaching the residence, Mouse supported Rody to one end of the room. She left the others in the hall and ignored them. Nedis also wanted to go over but she did not have any good reasons to do so. She watched Rody and Mouse walk far away and gave an anguished smile.
Inside a room in the backyard, Rody was lain down on a bed by Mouse. Mouse then sat beside him.
They tightly held hands and looked around. Both seemed to have a lot of things to say yet did not know where to start.
Mouse finally opened her mouth to ask a question. After all, the question had been bothering her.
"What happened to you? You could easily defeat a Dragon Paladin so why can’t you defeat an opponent like that?"
Rody shook his head as if he had no strength to tell such a long story. After thinking for a while, he started to relate the whole story starting from his departure from the Sauron Kingdom. When he finally talked about the Temple Elder and that he was the Devil Kara, Mouse let out a cry of alarm. She found what Rody was telling hard to believe, but she completely trusted Rody. Mouse could not find any reason for Rody to lie to her. After that, she calmed down and continued to listen to Rody.
Rody soon told of how he summoned Sky to fight against the Hakone Serpent. However, he hid the fact that he was being controlled by the Mystic Dragon at that time.
In the end, Rody spoke to Mouse in a heavy tone, "Since then, I have lost my Domain Powers and become an ordinary warrior at the level of a high-ranked knight. Perhaps it was because I fought too hard in that battle. I hope I could recover after some time." Rody showed a wry smile. "I also have this strange feeling that my strength would not be restored."
Mouse immediately covered Rody’s mouth and gave him a complicated look.
She found Rody’s experience almost inconceivable and she could not accept the fact that Kara was the leader of the Temple. However, her rationale told her that Rody’s words were true.
It was as if all of Mouse’s faith was taken out. She lay down on Rody’s chest. Initially, Mouse had some remaining hope for the Temple.
However, Mouse did not say anything about these. She murmured, "I don’t want to bother with these anymore. The Temple and domains can all go to h.e.l.l…Rody, I just want you to remember that no matter what happens, you must not throw me aside." She stared at Rody’s eyes and whispered, "If love is a poison, you are my pufferfish…Do you still remember this?"
Rody gently stroked Mouse’s long hair, softly like water.
Mouse felt Rody’s touch and slightly raised her head. Her eyes were filled with tears. Rody could not bear to let go. He raised his head and gently kissed Mouse’s eyelids. Mouse seemed to shed tears in his arms...
After receiving Rody’s kisses, she gradually warmed up. She took the initiative and drew her charming lips to Rody’s dry and cracked lips.
The two wrapped their hands around each other as they kissed, their pent-up pa.s.sion exploding, filling the room with their pa.s.sion...
While they were filled with tender feelings, Hideyos.h.i.+ was filled with stress.
Oda n.o.bunaga was an experienced general and naturally knew how to hide the tracks of his escape. He left behind fake clues to confuse the pursuers. This forced Hideyos.h.i.+ to rack his brains.
However, the resources n.o.bunaga’s men could use were extremely limited. He only had six subordinates. With only six people retreating, in the end, Hideyos.h.i.+ would be able to track them.
n.o.bunaga immediately sat down. He knew Hideyos.h.i.+ was fast approaching from behind, but despair did not show in his eyes. He said, "Looks like G.o.d wants me to die today!" He turned around and saw a small house. After thinking for a while, he approached it.
n.o.bunaga felt helpless. Had he not received an injury fighting Rody and another injury during his sneak attack on Mouse, he would not fear being pursued by a junior warrior like Hideyos.h.i.+. However, with his injuries, he knew he would not be a match for Hideyos.h.i.+. If he were to fight desperately, he would be able to injure Hideyos.h.i.+ but he was certain that he would also be killed. Hideyos.h.i.+ was an ambitious man; he might have lost many times, but he now had the chance to take revenge and certainly would not let n.o.bunaga die so easily.
People can get killed but must never be disgraced. Rather than be killed after being pursued by Hideyos.h.i.+, it was better to end it himself.
The dwarves had a tradition of committing seppuku after defeat. Since it was hopeless, it was better to die by their own hands rather than let the enemy have his way.
With that in mind, n.o.bunaga got down the horse and looked at his six remaining subordinates. "In today’s battle, I feel ashamed to face you all. Go and escape. Take off your cavalry uniform. You will not be humiliated. The pursuers are approaching, and I will not be able to escape death. Today, this small house shall be my burial ground." Although these were dying words, it had a formidable air perceived by everyone. It was something Yukinari did not have and something Rody admired.
When the six subordinates heard n.o.bunaga’s words, they stopped and glanced at each other. They knew that they all had a death wish too, so they said, "Thousand Rider General, we are all proud warriors! Today’s defeat simply ends in death! We will accompany you to the warrior"s most glorious seppuku!" Their words were resolute and had no compromise.
n.o.bunaga heard them and sighed. He knew it was impossible to persuade his subordinates to escape on their own. He looked up to the sky and shouted, "Good! Let us warriors die with dignity! Die a heroic death!" After that, they went inside the small house.
When n.o.bunaga shouted, Hideyos.h.i.+ was not far and had also heard it.
He felt elated as he knew that he was now close to where n.o.bunaga was. After all, the opportunity to claim credit was right in front of him. He looked back to his men. The Maruyuki had spread out to track n.o.bunaga leaving only five members with him. Hideyos.h.i.+ was worried that he might not win against n.o.bunaga. However, he was impatient and no longer cared that much. On top of that, he knew that n.o.bunaga was wounded and was more or less counting on this in his mind.
And so, Hideyos.h.i.+ shouted, "The traitor is not far! Let us hurry and give chase!"
When Hideyos.h.i.+ reached the small house, he had almost rushed in but suddenly saw the tracks of the horses. He thought of the situation inside and stopped his horse.
Hideyos.h.i.+ carefully studied the tracks and knew that n.o.bunaga would definitely be inside. He wanted to ride inside with his horse, but he felt worried.
Instead, he told this to the few Maruyuki behind him, "n.o.bunaga is definitely in there. Who dares to go first?"
Several of the soldiers looked at each other. Although they knew that n.o.bunaga was seriously wounded, they still acted cowardly. After all, the difference in strength was too big.
Hideyos.h.i.+ cursed silently, "A bunch of useless people. Their hearts say one thing but do something else." He exclaimed, "Fine! Since n.o.body dares to go in first, I will. Listen to my orders!"
Hideyos.h.i.+ rode in with his horse. Although dangerous, it would be exchanged for riches and honor.
n.o.bunaga and the others knelt at the hall when they entered earlier. The house seemingly used to be the home of a warrior, with ‘Budokan Fortune’ written on a plaque on the wall. It was possible that the owner had died during the war and their family had fled.
n.o.bunaga and the others knelt under the plaque and tore their upper clothing, revealing their muscular chests.
They sighed deeply together. n.o.bunaga then said, "I did not expect to end up here after fighting for so long! This good-for-nothing Yukinari has actually allowed the enemy in. My Hakone Kingdom is now gone!"
Tears rolled from his eyes as he spoke. His face looked determined as he drew his katana.
The rest of the cavalrymen had also taken out their katanas and pointed it to their own stomachs.
n.o.bunaga sighed again. His eyes turned ruthless, then he cut into his own abdomen without hesitation. He turned it sideways after the blade entered his body. Blood came out from his mouth. His eyes looked as though he was not reconciled as his body turned and collapsed sideways. The other warriors did the same. Just like that, in but a short moment, seven warriors died.
Hideyos.h.i.+ carefully entered with his katana only to find seven corpses.
Hideyos.h.i.+ felt ecstatic almost shouting with joy but covered his mouth, not letting himself cry out happily. "Yes. How could I share such an easy victory with the guys outside?"
Hideyos.h.i.+ calmed himself down. He went to n.o.bunaga’s body and saw n.o.bunaga’s eyes glaring at him. He could not help feeling angry. "Hmph. Glaring at me even in death." Hideyos.h.i.+ felt annoyed and kicked the corpse. The corpse bent back to the other side. Hideyos.h.i.+ took out his katana and lifted n.o.bunaga’s head by pulling his hair with the other hand.
The blade was swung, and it cut off n.o.bunaga’s head.
As the blade flashed, n.o.bunaga’s head ended up in Hideyos.h.i.+’s hand.
Hideyos.h.i.+ looked at the head. He unexpectedly did not feel very happy. Instead, he felt a faint sorrow.
‘I have finally cut off the distinguished Thousand Rider General’s head. I should be in high spirits, but I feel a chill in the air instead.’
Those that came from the Roland Continent also had a strength that made Hideyos.h.i.+ feel a sense of despair. This strong feeling was like a bucket of cold water being poured over his burning ambition.
After thinking of this, Hideyos.h.i.+ gave a wry smile and whispered, "Oda n.o.bunaga, was our battle to the death meaningful?"
After a while, Hideyos.h.i.+ carried n.o.bunaga’s head out. He coldly looked at the few soldiers outside. The soldiers did not believe that Hideyos.h.i.+ could actually cut down n.o.bunaga’s head but the scene in front of them forced them to believe it.
Hideyos.h.i.+ spoke aloud, "The head of the traitor, Oda n.o.bunaga, is here. Let us report back!" He mounted his horse and rode away, disregarding the other soldiers.
Everybody looked at each other. Although they still had doubts in their hearts, they still followed quickly.
In the large residence at River Home, Concubine Ruolan and the cross-dressing Seth sat in the hall. The host, Kikukawa Yukinari, sat on the seat with lower priority. He looked at the pig-like Concubine with an inconceivable expression.
Yukinari had only one thought. He wanted the Sauron Kingdom that had suddenly invaded to have compa.s.sion.
Mouse supported Rody out of the back door. After the two came out, Mouse’s hair was disheveled, but it added to her charm.
Ruolan had seen Mouse many times before but this was the first time she saw Mouse look beautiful and feeble. Her eyes shone and looked stunningly breathtaking.
When Mouse and Rody entered, Ruolan stood up before the servants had the time to react and helped Mouse to find a seat. Mouse and Rody then sat down as they leaned on each other.
Before Rody and Mouse came out, Nedis had already explained the situation to Ruolan and Seth. Naturally, she hid some things and did not speak of Kara and the Hakone Serpent.
As everyone thought of how to start, Nedis was the first to speak.
"Alright. Now we just wait for King Sauron to come in. Young Master Yukinari, first, sign your contract with me."
Everyone frowned, feeling puzzled at the same time. Yukinari also panicked, not knowing how to reply.
Rody spoke, "Nedis, you do not have to worry about that. Let us wait for King Sauron to come first before speaking. Not just your contract, but the two nations need to discuss their contract, too."
Yukinari was still feeling disturbed about the conditions of the contract with King Sauron but gave Rody a grateful glance. At least he could delay and look at King Sauron’s conditions before speaking. If King Sauron wanted to take away the rights to trade ironwood, how could he sign another contract with Nedis? That would be courting death. Although Yukinari was a bungling oaf, he knew that the only thing he could give was the right to trade ironwood. However, he also hoped that King Sauron would help him rebuild the kingdom.
At that moment, an announcement was made outside the door. "King Sauron has arrived!"