第４５５堀：剣聖と日ノ本の誇りがため (Part1)
**Chapter 455: For the Sword Saint and the Pride of Hinomoto**
**Side: Yuki**
"My Lord. It’s Kirika. Today, while I was observing and monitoring the public matches in the Land of Swords, Nogosh appeared wielding a katana. He performed a display where he cut a minotaur in two with a single strike. I’ve sent the footage, and as you’ll see when you check it, it feels to me as if he has already been taken over by the blade. Mauve-san and the others share this opinion. I propose we expedite the start of the execution."
That was the message I received.
Things have been moving way too fast since yesterday.
For now, since the number of things I need to confirm urgently has increased, I decided to head back to where Taiki-kun is.
"I'm coming too."
Seraria seems to be tagging along.
Well, it’ll be easier if I leave the explanation about Shuten-doji to Seraria, so that’s fine.
"So, what do you think about Kirika’s report?"
"I can’t say for sure since I haven't seen it yet. First, I’m going to go to Ranks and check the footage with Taiki-kun and Taizo-san."
"Well, that’s reasonable. And what are you hoping for?"
"Obviously, I hope it’s just Kirika’s imagination. Getting possessed the day after getting the sword? That would be peak 'fake god' behavior. I want him to show some backbone."
"True. I’d like to see that much spirit from him, at least."
Seriously, tell me about it!
If things keep going like this, Luna’s wish for a "Demon Slaying at Mt. Oe: Isekai Version" is going to become a reality!
At this point, just summon Minamoto no Yorimitsu and the Four Heavenly Kings from the afterlife already!
Though, I don’t think they’d win even if we did summon them.
Looking back at my earlier analysis, a head-on fight is too difficult. Since Abe no Seimei used the Four Heavenly Kings back in the day, if the opponent is human, there’s a possibility they are a practitioner of that level.
There’s no way I’m going to fight a cheat like that head-on.
Japanese sorcery and the like have always had a dark, gloomy side to them.
While thinking about that, I arrived at Ranks. I gathered Taiki-kun, Taizo-san, Ruth, and Keenog to watch the footage Kirika brought.
The result wasn't something we were happy about; to me, it looked like he was being eroded just as Kirika had described.
In the first place, it’s unthinkable to use your trump card weapon in a place like a public match.
Weapons are essentially consumables. Things called "treasure swords" in this world are usually imbued with special powers or enchantments, so using them in public risks exposing those powers or damaging the blade.
Using it in front of a crowd like that feels like a sign that his judgment is no longer sound.
"Is this that 'tonight, the Kotetsu is hungry for blood' kind of situation?"
"That would be the famous Nagasone Kotetsu of Kondo Isami-dono. However, if you trace the maker, it was born in a fiefdom during the era when Ishida Mitsunari was still alive."
"Oh? Is that so? But Kondo Isami is the commander of the Shinsengumi, right? Isn't there a huge gap in years?"
"That just goes to show how incredible Kotetsu-dono’s blades were. But, I digress. Kondo-dono said that to intimidate the anti-shogunate faction; he is not like that fool."
"Ah, right."
Taiki-kun quieted down at Taizo-san’s stern rebuke.
That’s understandable.
I watched the footage of Nogosh, and he was swinging it like a club.
That’s going to damage the blade, you know!
My stress levels are hitting the ceiling.
What? If he’s using it like that on purpose to mentally corner me, then he’s a brilliant tactician. Truly.
"Still, to take a life just to test one's power is beneath a warrior, and to use a national treasure in such a manner is absolutely unforgivable!! I shall advocate for moving up the execution date immediately."
Man, I can’t even make a snide remark like "Nogosh isn't a warrior anyway"—it’s too terrifying.
"Well, as Taizo-san says, moving up the execution date isn't a problem. The villagers are cooperative, and preparations are moving faster than expected. But even if we move it up, do you think they’ll actually come?"
As Taiki-kun said, the question is whether they will show up.
It’s been a concern from the start, and while we’ve discussed it, we haven't reached a solution.
If they don't come, we’ll have to storm their dungeon, which is extremely risky.
It might be better to shift our focus to sneaking in and just stealing the sword.
Fortunately, we’ve confirmed who has it, and it doesn't seem like the existence of Mauve and the others or Kirika has been exposed, so their security must be lax.
I think if we send Steve and his group in, we could pull it off.
We hadn't sent them in yet as we were observing, but Steve and the others are ready to move at any time, so that’s not a worry.
However, if we do that, there’s a chance Nogosh and Bitz will escape, which is another headache.
If it’s their own dungeon, they could create escape routes anywhere. If they use those in conjunction with a Gate, I don't think we could catch them.
Actually, we could get caught in their traps, so we can't move openly.
If we’re going to operate in the Land of Swords, it has to be done in secret.
We were all silent, thinking about how to handle Taiki-kun’s concerns, until Seraria, who had come with us, broke the silence.
"At this point, we should change our priority target. Let’s give up on Nogosh and Bitz for now; the recovery of the sword is the top priority. I don't want the legendary Shuten-doji running wild in this world, or yours. If they show up at the execution grounds, great. If they don't, we use Kirika and Steve’s group to recover it in secret. I think that’s best."
"That’s really all we can do."
"Agreed."
"…I suppose aiming for too much is a mistake."
It’s the classic "if you chase two rabbits, you catch none."
For Taizo-san, this must be a gut-wrenching decision.
"Well, it’s not absolute. We do have a strategy to lure them out."
"Really?"
"You have one?"
"Seraria-dono, please, I must hear it!!"
Taiki-kun and I were calm, but Taizo-san leaned in with such intensity that he caught Seraria off guard. She calmed down quickly and nodded.
"Yes. I understand Taizo-dono’s indignation at having a national treasure stolen. It is a national disgrace and a matter of national pride. It is only natural to want to capture and punish the culprit. So, the strategy is this: we inform Nogosh of the execution, but we add the name of Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami Nobutsuna to the message. There is a story that he once trained my father, and later beat Nogosh to a pulp in the Land of Swords. I believe that is why he wanted the sword in the first place. If we mention his name, he will come."
"Kamiizumi Nobutsuna?"
Taiki-kun tilted his head, but Taizo-san seemed to know.
He was gasping in shock.
Both of them should have heard the name from Luna during Rei’s execution, but as you can see, Taiki-kun didn't know, and Taizo-san was likely too furious to pay attention.
"Se-Seraria-dono. What name did you just say?"
"Kamiizumi Nobutsuna."
Seraria already knew how incredible Kamiizumi Nobutsuna was, so she understood Taizo-san’s shock and repeated the name clearly.
However, Taiki-kun didn't know who he was, so he asked me in a whisper.
"Who is Kamiizumi Nobutsuna? Judging by the name, is he related to Shuten-doji or something?"
"Ah, close. During the Sengoku period, he founded the Shinkage-ryu school. He’s called the ancestor of modern swordsmanship, the one who created the bamboo sword (shinai). His disciples served the Shogunate, leading to the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, the famous Yagyu family. In modern times, he is respected and called the Sword Saint."
"…What is that? A real-life cheat?"