On the morning of his departure for Arioka Castle, his wife, Teru, helped Kanbe'e prepare, her demeanor as calm and steady as any other day.

  To Kanbe'e, the journey to Settsu did not seem particularly daunting. He expected to conclude the negotiations within a few days and return with Murashige Araki in tow. He held a light heart, convinced of his success.

  "My Lord, please do not overexert yourself. I have packed several changes of clothes and hid some of your favorite dried sweets in your luggage... Please, return safely."

  Teru smiled, meticulously smoothing the wrinkles in Kanbe'e’s haori coat. But when her fingertips touched his chest, she suddenly froze.

  "…Teru? What is the matter?"

  "Nothing... It is just that, for some reason, today of all days, I feel a desperate urge to hold you back. It is foolish, I know. I am aware we shall only be apart for a few days, and yet my heart feels so lonely..."

  Teru shook her head as if to dispel her own foreboding. Kanbe'e gently took her hands in his.

  "Do not worry. Murashige and I are old friends. A talk over some tea is all it will take to settle this. Wait for me; I shall bring back stories from Arioka as a gift."

  "Yes. I shall wait, believing in you..."

  Teru nodded firmly. To Kanbe'e, her smile was a protective blade more vital than any sword he carried to the battlefield.

  But at that moment, Kanbe'e did not know.

  He did not know that this brief exchange with Teru would be the last sunlight to sustain his soul for the year to come.

  Before long, Kanbe'e set out for Arioka Castle in Itami, Settsu Province, accompanied by a few retainers. Along the way, Hanbe'e’s words echoed repeatedly in his mind.

  (To bring an end to this era of chaos... something only Kanbe'e can do... I wonder what Lord Hanbe'e meant. I must return as soon as possible and ask him...)

  From Harima to Settsu. In modern terms, from Himeji to JR Itami Station. On horseback, the journey could easily be completed in a day. The expressions of the people along the road were grim. Villages were desolate, and the shadows of war hung heavy over the land.

  Stone statues of Jizo lay toppled and abandoned, and the stench of death wafted from the roadsides.

  The atmosphere foretold that no bright future awaited. Just as in modern times, the air felt by the common folk reflected the reality of the era.

  Due to Murashige Araki’s rebellion, the region was divided between Oda supporters and anti-Oda factions, leaving the populace in a state of confusion.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  (Why did Murashige revolt? He is no fool. He is a wise man who can see far into the future. There must be a reason... something he cannot tell others. Is it a lack of trust in Lord Oda, or was he instigated by someone? I must meet him directly and hear the truth from his heart.)

  Eventually, the keep of Arioka Castle appeared in the distance. It was a formidable fortress. Soldiers could be seen standing guard around the perimeter. One of his retainers, Zensuke Kuriyama, spoke up anxiously.

  "My Lord... are you truly sure about this? Murashige has already drawn his bow against Lord Oda. His mind seems made up. Rather than negotiating, he might capture us and throw us into a dungeon. It feels as if we are throwing our lives away... Even so... even so, do you still intend to go?"

  Kanbe'e answered quietly.

  "Zensuke, do not worry so much. Murashige and I are long-time acquaintances. I understand his nature better than anyone. If we sit down and speak with utter sincerity, he will surely understand. Trust me... understood?"

  As he spoke, Kanbe'e felt his own voice tremble slightly.

  Until now, Kanbe'e had moved people and dominated battlefields with a single word or a single strategy. That was the life of a 'Strategist.' But the oppressive aura radiating from Arioka Castle felt like the raw, murky obsession of human emotion, something that could not be settled by logic or reason.

  (If... if Lord Murashige is truly determined to oppose Lord Oda...)

  Hanbe'e had once looked him in the eye from his sickbed and said:

  'Lord Kanbe'e, the human heart cannot be solved by calculation. Human karma is something that cannot be divided by logic. If something happens, discard your logic and think only of survival. Even if you must crawl through the dirt and swallow mud...'

  The clear, all-seeing eyes of Hanbe'e at that moment... Had that man foreseen even this abnormal bloodlust surrounding Arioka Castle?

  Kanbe'e looked up at a lone crow flying across the sky and took a deep breath.

  (No... whatever happens, I must survive. For Lord Hideyoshi... and to carry on Hanbe'e’s legacy, I cannot rot away here. If I die, I can achieve nothing. Even if I have to crawl, even if I have to swallow mud, I will survive. Watch me, Hanbe'e. I... I am not finished yet!)

  Kanbe'e told himself this. But he felt an unreasonable premonition—that if he stepped inside, he would never return as the man he once was. It was a cold shiver that stroked his spine.

  The gates of Arioka Castle, which had been far off, were now looming before them.

  A dry wind of late autumn blew through, rustling the hems of their robes. The sky was clear, yet somehow lonely. With the days growing shorter, the massive shadow of Arioka Castle stretched far across the ground.

  The Sogamae (grand outer defense) of Arioka Castle spread out as if to swallow whole villages. It looked like a wall to keep enemies out, but also like a cage to ensure those inside could never escape.

  From the loopholes above the gate, the muzzles of matchlock guns looked down at them like soulless eyes.

  The blackened, massive gate of Arioka Castle awaited them like the gaping maw of a great beast.

  As they approached, the tension heightened, and the party straightened their attire. Kanbe'e sat tall on his horse, and his vassals lined up orderly behind him. They maintained the dignity expected of messengers from Harima.

  When Kanbe'e halted his horse at the dismounting point, the waiting Zensuke quickly took the reins and helped his lord to the ground. The moment Kanbe'e dismounted, the horse let out a loud snort, its breath blooming white in the cold autumn air.

  As his feet touched the ground, Kanbe'e thought he heard a sound like the earth itself trembling.

  The cold late-autumn wind whistled through the gaps in the castle gate with a high-pitched cry. It sounded like the sigh of the dead, announcing the arrival of a long, dark winter.

  Zensuke, wiping the sweat from his brow, looked up at the gate and shouted.

  Produced and written by a Japanese author, rooted in authentic Japanese history. Translated with the assistance of Gemini (AI).