Chapter 236: Escaping the Bandit Stronghold
This place was originally a secret escape tunnel known only to the three bandit leaders. If Nobu were discovered by Mochizuki Chiyome, who held a grudge against her, it would be very troublesome.
Therefore, Demon King Nobunaga kept it secret from everyone and tied Nobu up inside the former leader's room.
However, during this time, Nobu managed to break free from the ropes and discovered a secret tunnel beneath the former leader's bed, which Demon King Nobunaga had never used.
This tunnel led directly to a cave beneath the cliff. Earlier, when Nobu heard the commotion outside, she initially wanted to rush out, but upon closer thought, there was the seemingly formidable executioner, the troublesome ninja, and the other strange, single-horned bandits also appeared difficult to deal with.
So Nobu fled. Seizing the opportunity created by whichever samurai was attacking outside, she escaped through this tunnel to where she was now.
After descending, Nobu was also looking for an exit and walked toward the cave opening where there was light.
However, as she was about to step out, she realized she had gone the wrong way; this side was a cliff. But the view outside was nice, so Nobu stood at the entrance and looked at the scenery, reaching out to touch the clouds. Unexpectedly, a familiar figure suddenly fell from above.
Without thinking, she reached out, caught the descending Sakura Swordsman, and, lying on the ground, finally managed to pull the girl up.
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At this time, Shirou, who had infiltrated the forest, was squatting quietly on the ground, facing the direction the bandits were coming from, with his longbow at the ready. With the camp gate surrounded, he had no way to escape, and archers were lying in ambush outside. Thankfully, he had hidden in the bushes.
While vigilantly watching the front, Shirou mentally inventoried the few remaining weapons and arrows on his person.
Fighting these bandits, who had deteriorated into Oni men due to the Holy Grail, with an ordinary human body, he actually had little advantage in terms of power. If these Oni-man bandits had charged straight in without restraint at the beginning, they would likely have been cut down instantly.
The fact that he had lasted this long was due to the tempered, steel-like body, battle experience, and the skill in flexibly using various weapons, all thanks to Senji Muramasa's training.
Since escape seemed hopeless, he decided to use all the tools at his disposal and, relying on his proficient archery, take down as many bandits as possible.
Fortunately, he had found reliable companions on this trip, to whom he could entrust the matters afterward.
Although he was a pseudo-Servant summoned to this world, borrowing the body of someone very similar to himself, it had tragically led that person's body to its end. He truly felt sorry for them.
However, during the fighting, the residual consciousness of Senji Muramasa seemed to be gradually reviving, perhaps influenced by the corrupted oni men he killed. It told him in their inner world that what he was doing was right.
Then there was nothing to hesitate about.
Just then, the grass to the side rustled and shook. Shirou instantly spun the bow, aiming a sharp arrow toward the sound.
"Shirou! It's me," the black-haired, red-eyed girl called out.
"Nobu! I'm so glad you're safe!" Shirou lowered his bow and exclaimed in surprise.
"Ah, but the situation is really bad, Shirou. It looks like we've completely stumbled into their ambush and are surrounded now. It's a dead end," the black-haired, red-eyed girl said.
"Mhm, where is Souji?" Shirou asked with concern.
"Okita... she has already..." The black-haired, red-eyed girl shook her head and did not continue.
"What exactly happened?" Shirou asked anxiously.
"She did her best as a samurai, and we are also close to our limit. Shirou, you should think about what you should do. If we surrender now, I have a way for both of us to survive," the black-haired, red-eyed girl said.
"Tell me clearly, what happened to Souji? I can't abandon a comrade-in-arms. If you were injured here, Nobu, I wouldn't leave you behind either!" Shirou shouted earnestly.
'Nnnn!! To say such pleasing words at a time like this...' The black-haired, red-eyed girl, Demon King Nobunaga, widened her eyes in surprise and thought, 'But no, I have to make him stay willingly.'
"Okita killed a few bandits in the fight, but when facing the enemy's stronger fighter, she was cornered on the cliff and jumped down," the black-haired, red-eyed girl answered, feigning sadness.
"The cliff... she sacrificed herself, damn it..." Shirou said, gritting his teeth. Indeed, in this world of samurai, where everyone's physical defense was at the level of ordinary people, humans were truly too fragile.
But even so, wars would constantly break out because reconciliation was too difficult, and killing was too easy.
"This is war. Sacrifice is inevitable. It's truly not worth wasting your precious life just for those villagers," the black-haired, red-eyed girl said.
At this moment, rustling sounds were heard not far ahead, followed by the shaking of bushes from multiple directions. The bandits had found their way here.
"Shirou, there's no way out. Let's surrender. As long as I can see the Nobunaga who is the Bandit King here, I can ask her to let us live," the black-haired, red-eyed girl said.
"No! Even if I fight to the end, I won't let these guys harm the villagers down below," Shirou said resolutely.
"No, Shirou, even the matter of the village can be negotiated with Demon King Nobunaga. If you satisfy the other me's wish, she won't attack the village again," the black-haired, red-eyed girl said.
"No, with Souji already sacrificed, there's nothing left to discuss. Nobu, you escape! I will hold them off. I will deal with either the ninja or the samurai. I'm entrusting the battles after this to you all.
If you don't want to fight, you can leave then. Just pass on a message for me: tell Tawara Touta to take over the command!" Shirou drew his sharp blade, and with his other hand, pulled out shuriken from a place close to his body, preparing to fight to the death.
"Aah!!! You senseless fool! Idiot! If you die, you'll lose everything. Important things, the existences you want to protect—you won't be able to safeguard any of it! Escape! Both you and I together!" the black-haired, red-eyed girl grabbed Shirou by the collar and scolded him.
The black-haired, red-eyed girl released her magic power, raised a matchlock gun, and fired a bullet, forcing back a bandit who was trying to peek out of the bushes and catch up!
"We're retreating! They won't dare to pursue easily since I have a matchlock gun!" the black-haired, red-eyed girl said, grabbing Shirou's collar and lifting him up.
"I understand!" Shirou undid his bundle and scattered sharp iron caltrops on the inevitable path the pursuers would take to prevent being followed.
"What's going on? Boss, what kind of game is that?" The pursuing bandits asked curiously.
Okada Izō simply sheathed his katana and said, "Well, if the Boss wants to do something, we'll cooperate. Chase slowly, but don't follow too closely. Without the Boss's help, you won't win against that man."
"Yes!" the bandits agreed.
The bandits pretended to pursue for a while, but when they reached the path with the iron caltrops, they retreated.
Okada Izō stood silently under the moonlight. He wasn't in a hurry. The next day was the time to lead the attack. There were still 20 bandits left, plus himself and the ninja, which was enough. The reduced manpower simply meant he could fully enjoy the battle and killing of the samurai!
At this moment, the man's single exposed eye widened, revealing a terrifying madness.
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Shirou and Nobunaga escaped the forest, cut through the camp fence, ran back to where the horses were tethered, severed the ropes, and jumped onto the horses, galloping down the mountain. Since the bandits seemed to have given up on the pursuit down the mountain, they successfully escaped.
However, three people had ridden up on three horses, and now there were only two. The last mare followed unhurriedly behind the male horse Shirou was riding.
The black-haired, red-eyed girl, riding in front, had a furious fire burning in her eyes. Her plan had been completely ruined just like that.
Demon King Nobunaga thought in great turmoil: 'Nnnn... Talented and handsome men are indeed too dangerous. Male beauty is truly a great enemy. It's the same with both Mori Ranmaru and Shirou. If I hadn't pampered Mori Ranmaru so much back then, I wouldn't have neglected the yandere Mitsuhide (Akechi)... Argh, being popular is such a headache~!'
Originally, Demon King Nobunaga had intended to use this night raid ambush to capture Shirou. As for Souji, she only planned to wound her, tie her up, and put her in the room with the good Nobu. As long as they didn't cause trouble, letting them out later wouldn't be a problem.
While she was willing to kill to achieve her goals, she wouldn't needlessly waste energy creating bloodshed.
But she hadn't expected Souji to jump off the cliff, and if things had progressed as they were, Shirou would certainly have charged forward until he was killed in action.
She had originally intended to act as an undercover agent, thoroughly scouting the village and then working with the bandits inside and out to seize it in one go. But life in the village was surprisingly pleasant, and she inadvertently started to like it.
A handsome and stubborn guy is troublesome, yet precisely because of that, she wanted to have him.
Who could blame her? Shirou perfectly matched her ideal man. It would be such a waste to let him go.
For Demon King Nobunaga's ideal life, she would realize her ambition, use the Holy Grail, split it into fragments to make bombs, and then conquer the world a little. After achieving success, she would retire and spend every day leisurely with her ideal beautiful man.
The black-haired, red-eyed girl couldn't help but imagine: in a Japanese-style castle, she and an ideal man with a blurred face—a man who seemed to be a composite of all the charismatic men she had ever met—would live together. She would use her Ninety-Nine Eggplants and Hiragumo Teakettle to make the best matcha tea and enjoy it with her ideal beautiful man.
Then, at mealtimes... the face of the imagined ideal person became clearer and clearer, eventually completely turning into Shirou. He would cook delicious and heartwarming home-cooked meals, and the family would enjoy these delightful dishes filled with love while talking and laughing together.
'Nnnn! No good! I got distracted...' Demon King Nobunaga snapped out of her daydream and quickly wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve.
"Nobu..." Shirou saw the black-haired, red-eyed girl raise her sleeve and thought she was wiping away tears. Inevitably, he felt a sense of sadness.
'Yes, Souji fought and joked with her every day, they must have had a very good relationship. Although she speaks toughly, she must be hurting inside.'
After all, the Souji of this world was gone forever...
Just as the body he was currently using belonged to Senji Muramasa—he was in a state of pseudo-Servant summoning, borrowing the other person's body, but he was also influenced by Muramasa to some extent.
If he were to die in battle, his own soul might return to his original world, but the owner of this body would likely perish just like this.
He had asked Senji Muramasa about this in their inner world. The swordsmith had simply laughed, said he would die a worthy death, and didn't care.
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In fact, at this very moment, in the cave entrance beneath the cliff, two figures were grappling with each other.
Souji lunged at Nobu and shouted, "You bastard Nobu! Just go die!"
"Okita! Is this how you treat your savior!" Nobu retaliated, pinning Souji beneath her.
"You acted all high and mighty at first, and now you can't find the exit! This cave is where the bandit leader hides treasure, there's no other exit, and you even forgot how we came in! I'll be trapped here and die even if I didn't fall to my death!" Souji pushed Nobu off her, scrambled up, pinned Nobu to the ground, and roared.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up! This isn't my fault! It's pitch black in here, it's not surprising I can't find it! I only remember opening the cover and jumping down, and something long seemed to slip from my grasp, and then I fell, and my butt got bruised badly!" Nobu pinched Souji's cheeks forcefully and shouted.
Souji, teary-eyed from the pain but unwilling to give up, reached out and pinched Nobu's cheek flesh, shouting, "No! If I kill you now, maybe the bad Nobu will also die! When I was a pseudo-Servant, my Master Komachi told me there's a green-skinned alien who excluded his evil thoughts from his body, and that's how it works!"
"Gugugu..."
"Gugugu gu~"
The sound of their rumbling stomachs seemed to attract each other, rising and falling in turn. One would rumble, and the other would follow, cycling repeatedly.
The two girls gave up fighting, released the hands pinching each other's faces, and slumped weakly onto the ground...
Outside the cliff, there was silence, broken only by the occasional sound of the wind. The cold night wind blew through, and some air entered the cave through the opening, making a clear, mournful sound, utterly desolate...
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