For Kanbe’e, who had not seen the sun for nearly a year, the autumn sun looking down from high above was almost cruel in its brilliance. Squinting against the blinding light, only one thought repeated in his mind as he left Arioka Castle:

  (I survived... survived... survived...)

  Zensuke and the others headed toward the Oda encampment surrounding the castle.

  The "creature" Tahe’e carried on his back—looking more like a tattered rag than a human—stunned the warriors in the camp. They parted easily as the group made their way to the presence of Oda Nobutada, the eldest son of Nobunaga, who happened to be seated in the rear.

  At this time, Nobutada was already the commander-in-chief of the Oda army, having inherited the headship of the clan from his father.

  Zensuke, startled to find Nobutada himself there, pointed to Tahe’e, who was still carrying Kanbe’e.

  "L-Lord Nobutada! The man before you is our master, Kanbe’e Kodera! Despite being imprisoned in the dungeons of Arioka for an entire year, he never forgot his loyalty. He endured it all! I beg of you, show him mercy..."

  A collective gasp of "Ooh!" rippled through the Oda camp, but Nobutada himself was speechless.

  When he realized that this creature, who barely resembled a human, was indeed Kanbe’e, Nobutada felt the man’s staggering suffering as if it were his own.

  "Is this... Kanbe’e? Can it truly... be him...?"

  On Tahe’e’s back, Kanbe’e could do no more than give a tiny, weak nod.

  "Y-You have done well... Kanbe’e. You endured long and hard. Your loyalty has been witnessed beyond any doubt... I shall send a fast horse to my father immediately. Rest easy now."

  In his heart, Kanbe’e felt a pang of bitter irony.

  (Father... my son Shoju’s killer...)

  He had been prepared for this since the moment he sent Shojumaru to Nagahama, but the hatred for Nobunaga—which logic could not extinguish—began to flicker like a dark flame deep within his soul.

  Nobutada shouted to his men:

  "Someone, tend to Kanbe’e! And send a messenger to my father! Tell him: 'Kanbe’e is alive! I, Nobutada, have witnessed his unwavering loyalty with my own eyes!'"

  The group was led deeper into the camp. Kanbe’e was wrapped in blankets, and warm tea was brought to him.

  Kanbe’e, unable even to walk on his own, was laid down gently. Though they were simple camp blankets, to a man who had not felt the warmth of bedding for a year, they felt more luxurious than the finest silks. Though he was weakened to the brink of death, the mere presence of Zensuke Kuriyama and the others he had grown up with began to thaw the icy tension that had gripped his heart for a year.

  Zensuke knew he had to inform Himeji of Kanbe’e’s survival immediately.

  "Please, send a messenger to Himeji at once! Tell them, 'The Lord is alive! We have rescued him from Arioka Castle!'

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Tell Lady Teru! 'The Lord’s legs are ill and his appearance is utterly changed, but it is undoubtedly him. Prepare to receive him at once!' I beg of you!"

  The messenger sent by the Oda camp undoubtedly lit a beacon of hope in the Blackda household in Himeji, which had been shrouded in despair.

  Kanbe’e’s only wish was to return to Himeji as soon as possible. He was desperately worried that Teru would still be despondent over the loss of Shojumaru, and he wanted to see her face more than anything.

  The following day, through Zensuke, Kanbe’e received permission from Nobutada to return to Himeji.

  Kanbe’e was placed on a wooden palanquin carried by Tahe’e and Kuroemon. Zensuke took the boy Tamamatsu by the hand, and they left the Oda camp behind.

  On the way, they noticed a messenger riding toward them at full speed.

  In an instant, the men set the palanquin down gently and surrounded it protectively.

  However, it was no assassin, but a messenger carrying a reply from Himeji.

  The rider dismounted and dropped to one knee before Kanbe’e.

  "My Lord! I have come in haste from Himeji! I bring word from Lady Teru! Everyone wept with joy to hear of your safety!"

  Zensuke asked immediately, "And Lady Teru? How is Himeji?"

  "Yes! Lady Teru and all the vassals await your return with bated breath!"

  "Good! Is there any other news?"

  "Yes! In truth... this can only be called a blessing from the Heavens..."

  "What is it? Speak up, man!"

  "Lord Shojumaru, who was reported to have been executed... is safe and well!"

  The moment those words were uttered, time seemed to freeze for the group.

  A fierce light, like a bolt of lightning, returned to Kanbe’e’s eyes. Shoju was alive. His son was alive.

  Kanbe’e tried to bolt upright on the palanquin. But his body, heavy as lead, would not obey, and he only shivered violently, his limbs thumping against the mats. He opened his mouth to scream, but only a raspy breath escaped his parched throat.

  "I-Is it... true? Sh-Shoju... was alive...?"

  Though his voice was a mere rasp, his eyes were wide, harboring a terrifying obsession with life—the gaze of a father—that he had never shown even when he was prepared for death in the dungeon.

  Seeing this, Zensuke leaned forward, nearly grabbing the messenger by the shoulders.

  "Wait... stay! What did you just say?! Is it true? Is Lord Shojumaru truly alive? Say it again! Say it once more! The Young Lord is truly safe?!"

  Zensuke’s voice trembled, ending in a near-shriek.

  "Yes! Even now, a party is riding to fetch Lord Shojumaru. By the time you return to Himeji, father and son shall be reunited!"

  "Ohhh...!!"

  "He did it! The Young Lord is alive!"

  Tahe’e and Kuroemon thrust their rugged fists into the air and roared. They threw their arms around each other, crying and laughing like children, pounding each other's backs. Kanbe’e made no attempt to hide his tears from his vassals. He could not find his voice, but his emaciated chest heaved with violent sobs.

  Zensuke collapsed to his knees. Looking up at the sky, he pressed his forehead to the ground over and over.

  "Such a blessing... such a blessing..."

  But then, a question crossed his mind. How had the boy escaped Nobunaga’s order?

  "Wait! Tell us the details! How did he escape the Great Lord’s command? Who rescued him?! Who could have performed such a miracle?!"

  "It was Lord Hanbe’e Takenaka! He hid the boy secretly within his own lands!"

  The moment he heard that name, Kanbe’e’s heart gave a massive thud.

  "Hanbe’e..."

  His vision blurred with tears, and the autumn sky seemed to melt into a golden hue.

  (Ah... Deus... Hanbe’e... While I was crawling in the filth of that dungeon, were you risking your own life to protect everything that mattered to me?)

  Kanbe’e clutched his chest with trembling hands. Deep within him, the pride of a strategist entrusted to him by Hanbe’e—and the future Hanbe’e had preserved—was still pulsing.

  "Zensuke, do you hear... I have... I have been blessed with the greatest friend in all of Japan... It is more than I deserve..."

  Kanbe’e’s whisper was so weak it was almost carried away by the autumn wind. But to Zensuke, who supported him, the weight of those words and the rekindled heat in Kanbe’e’s soul were unmistakable. With a face smeared with tears, Zensuke nodded again and again.

  It was only after his return to Himeji that Kanbe’e learned of the death of his benefactor, Hanbe’e Takenaka.

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