I once again went to the Shogun’s chambers to deliver my report on what we had uncovered so far.
“They said you may have discovered the enemy’s stronghold. Is that true?”
It was a voice of a man filtered through the bamboo blinds. But the one speaking was no man—it’s merely an artificial voice conjured by karakuri contraptions. The true shogun, Tokuyama Ietaka, was in fact a young woman: beautiful, big-breasted, radiant with maternal warmth—totally different from the stern male timbre projected from beyond the screen.
“It’s true. According to the map, it should be somewhere around here.”
By comparing the location of the marked ninja with the map, I had determined that it corresponded to a certain island.
“That place… could it be Onigashima? Long ago, it was said to be infested with demons who captured and devoured humans. The island has since been abandoned, it became a desolate wasteland… Yet, for a band of ninja seeking a hidden base, it may indeed be an ideal refuge.”
The waters around Onigashima were notorious for their violent currents, making travel by boat perilous.
“Worse still, most of its shoreline is sheer cliff. To land a large force by sea would be near impossible.”
“That’s fine. We happen to have a very convenient ship on our side.”
★★★
“I never imagined such karakuri existed even in the western lands…”
“It’s actually a relic from over a thousand years ago. The West today doesn’t have the magical technology to make something like this anymore.”
Well, even back then, I was probably the only one who could create a flying vessel of this scale.
The magic airship now carried about a hundred of Edo’s elite soldiers, bound for Onigashima, the island suspected of housing the ninja clan’s base. When I explained the ship’s nature to the Shogun, she insisted she had to see it for herself and… somehow, she decided to come along.
“Don’t worry. I do not intend to set foot on Onigashima myself.”
“True enough—staying on the ship would be the safest option.”
“In hindsight, perhaps we should have taken this vessel to Nikou as well.”
To conceal her identity, the shogun dressed as a samurai like Karen, passing herself off as just another member of our group. Fana and the others still had no idea about her secret.
“So who is she, exactly?”
Anje asked, eyeing the newcomer.
“Another samurai with a suspiciously large breast… Karen, do you know her?”
Karen shook her head.
“No. I don’t know her either.”
“I am Tokuyama Ietaka.”
The Shogun declared without hesitation.
“Wait, you’re just going to say that outright?”
I blinked.
“I trust you all. You’ve aided our country this far—leaving you deceived would be unseemly.”
“S-sho-shogun!?”
Karen was the most surprised. She hurriedly dropped to her knees and bowed her head.
“I-, I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you were the Shogun, how rude of me…”
That’s probably how important the Shogun was to the samurai of this country.
“You don’t need to be so intimidated. You are Yagyu Gonzo’s apprentice, right?”
“Y-yes, I’m Karen, Shogun-sama!”
“I remember you putting up a great fight against some ninjas on the way to Nikou the other day. You seem to be far more skilled than even the elite of my vassals.”
“I’m honored by your praise…!”
Karen was delighted to receive such high praise directly from the Shogun.
Before long, the sea stretched out beneath us. Just as the stories said, the weather is clear—yet the waves below rose high and violent, the water is roiling with a chaotic energy.
It was a perilous stretch of ocean, teeming with dangerous sea-beasts. No sane fisherman dared cast his nets here. With Onigashima so close, not a single village or settlement could be found along the coast.
“There it is… Onigashima.”
Far out on the horizon, the faint outline of an island took shape. Even from this distance, its size was plain to see.
As we drew closer, the island’s true form revealed itself. A forbidding mass ringed entirely by sheer cliffs. Only a few narrow strips of beach existed, and attempting a landing there would be nothing short of inviting death.
Fortunately, with the magic airship, we could descend from any angle we chose.
No—truth be told, there was no need to set foot on the island at all.
Soaring easily over the sheer cliffs, we reached the skies above the island. From here, the truth was plain to see.
In the heart of Onigashima stood a structure. It’s an old building, its presence heavy and foreboding. The surrounding shrubs had been cleared, and its outer walls showed far less wear than the years should have allowed. This implies one thing, someone is tending to it. Someone is living there.
“That must be it, the ninja’s stronghold.”
I murmured.
This shadowy organization plotting to overthrow the shogunate—its true leader remained shrouded in uncertainty. But some rumors had reached the government’s ears.
The descendant of the legendary shinobi Hattori Hanbei. A young woman bearing her bloodline, known as Hattori Hanna—a kunoichi.
(What kind of kunoichi will she be?! I can hardly wait to find out!)
『She is the enemy, Master. Please remember that. 』
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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