Chapter 102: Indignant Fury

After comforting Rukia, Nobu asked if she was willing to look after Reina. The latter was basically an orphan so he thought they might be able to look after one another.

Unfortunately, while she was grateful for the offer, Rukia wasn't ready to accept responsibility for another person right now. She had even confided in him that she had thought about killing herself, so, for the time being, she just wanted to focus on her duties as a teacher.

Since he couldn't really force her to move into the main house and adopt someone she had only briefly interacted with, Nobu decided to respect Rukia's decision. Before he left, however, he had her promise she wouldn't attempt to harm herself or seek vengeance on her own terms.

Fortunately, Rukia had already made the decision to continue living. More specifically, she wanted to see how far someone like Nobu was able to go. He was so different from other Nianese Nobles that she couldn't help wanting to see what he might accomplish in the future...

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"This is all the information our kunoichi have been able to gather thus far. As per your request, I have also gathered all information pertaining to trainee Takao's mission and the circumstances that led to her death..."

Though the sound of Suzune's voice was as pleasant as always, Nobu's expression darkened as his eyes skimmed over one of the reports. It was written in code, but, thanks to his Camera App, he was able to translate the entire thing at the cost of a few hundred Aura.

"Granus is trying to invade us? Are they stupid...?"

Despite knowing very little about Nian, Nobu knew they were effectively closed country. Owari was one of the only provinces willing to trade with them. It didn't make sense for Granus to antagonize one of the only administrations will to work for them. Even if they did manage to get a foothold in Owari, the surrounding Provinces would never let them establish a settlement. They would literally be wiped out the moment they tried.

Restraining a laugh, an amused smile developed across Suzune's face as she explained, "Granus is a nation founded by criminals and opportunists. Most countries outright refuse to trade with them so this kind of behavior isn't particularly surprising. If they could establish a supply line, I imagine they would skip the pleasantries entirely."

Shaking his head, Nobu elected to withhold further comment. If he were being completely honest, even the politicians ruling back in his previous world were a bunch of asshats. Nianese society was fucked due to how strictly regulated it was but it seemed like Granus was even worse. If they were able to find their footing as a nation, he had little doubt they would start waging wars all across the planet. The US certainly did.

("It seems politicians are touched in the head no matter which world it is...")

As that thought crossed his mind, Nobu's eyes widened as he found a strange document showing a hastily sketched drawing of a little girl wearing what appeared to be some kind of exoskeleton.

"What's this...?"

Taking advantage of the situation, Suzune shifted from a flawless seiza to her hands and knees as she peered at the document in Nobu's hands. This allowed her aroma to tickle his nose, and, more importantly, gave him a clear view of her cleavage as she answered, "Hmmm...it appears to be one of the automatons excavated by Granus. Based on the detailing notes, I would assume it is one of their Amphibious Destroyers."

Deadpanning even before Suzune finished speaking, Nobu earned a curious look from the pinkette as he lowered his face into his hand. He had learned about Granus's automatons but he had never actually seen one. Prior to this, he had assumed they were some kind of futuristic golems or maybe a knock-off mech. The last thing he expected was a bunch of fembots and gynoids that were clearly ripped from some shitty gacha game...

"Fuck my life..."

Misunderstanding Nobu's lament as concern regarding the automaton's battle capabilities, Suzune adopted an assuring tone as she said, "You need not be so concerned. As strong as the automatons of Granus are, they require a tremendous amount of power. They also require a specialized handler to command and are nearly impossible to repair outside of their original production facilities. This is one of the reasons no one takes Granus seriously. They like to openly flaunt the technology they've uncovered but they fundamentally lack the ability to make effective use of it."

Though he nodded his head in response, Nobu couldn't help asking the thing that was bothering him the most, specifically, "Why are they female?"

After a moment of confusion, a look of realization flashed across Suzune's face as she fixed her posture and explained, "It's because they are technology dating back to the previous era, the Age of the Gods. Back then, the method of cultivating Aura had yet to be developed. It was something given to humanity to strengthen their bodies and allow them to perform manual labor. The most common form of energy was Divine. The female form is far more suited to the accumulation and storage of Divine Energy as it naturally collects within the womb to form a Nascent Soul. Thus, for the most part, the various automata of Granus are female in form."

"..."

When he asked his question, Nobu didn't expect to hear Suzune confirm what he already expected to be true. The automata didn't simply resemble females. They had artificial organs, a womb, and, even without asking, he could guess that the handlers mentioned by Suzune were exclusively men...

"This place really is an Otaku's wet dream..."

Exhaling a sigh, Nobu ignored the inquisitive look on Suzune's face as he muttered, "Whatever..." before following up by asking, "What are our options? I can't imagine my father ignoring such an obvious invasion."

Pausing to consider her words, Suzune's expression became apologetic as she explained, "Truth be told, our hands are tied. As vassals of the Oda Clan, we cannot act without their permission. This is especially true when it concerns Government Officials and Nobles..."

Furrowing his brows, Nobu could feel his blood beginning to boil as he asked, "So we're just going to ignore the fact that enemies are infiltrating our province and executing our people...?"

Closing her eyes, Suzune took a deep breath before calmly explaining, "Nations and Clans cannot be run on sentiment alone. We must reward our kunoichi for risking their lives and the majority of our funds come from the Oda Clan. There is also the matter of filing a report to the Imperial Family and requesting permission to install a new Governor. Owari-Asai is the most important port in all of Owari. Without a Governor, opportunists will quickly take advantage of the situation before cutting and running with their profits. Destabilizing the economy of the entire Province to avenge a trainee is not a wise course of action..."

Though he couldn't help grinding his teeth in response to Suzune's words, Nobu didn't lash out at her. He hated to admit it, but he knew she was right. This was one of the reasons he hated politics, as, no matter how fucking useless the people in charge seemed to be, they were still important for maintaining control over the markets. If the economy collapsed, the citizens would be the ones to pay the price...

Shaking that thought from his mind, Nobu's gaze sharpened as he said, "We might not be able to do anything about the Governor but there has to be something we can do about these perverted fuckwits from Granus..."

Suppressing a sigh, Suzune forced a smile as she answered, "I'm afraid that is a decision for your father to make. Granus provides quite a number of high-quality goods to Owari. As a result, more than 20% of our annual revenue comes from distributing their products to other Provinces. While their actions are reprehensible, ceasing trade and opening hostilities against them is not an ideal solution. If we're taking the benefits of the Province into consideration, it would be better to use this incident as leverage to renegotiate terms in our favor..."

Raising his hand, Nobu prevented Suzune from continuing. Once again, he knew she was right. He just didn't like it. Not one bit. In fact, it was so fucking fucked up he wanted to punch a hole in the wall.

"That's enough for today. Thank you for coming..."

Understanding she was being dismissed, Suzune adopted an apologetic smile before offering a polite bow and promptly departing the room. She had wanted to use this as an opportunity to get closer to the Young Lord but it would seem she had underestimated just how sentimental he could be...

Though he would have normally followed Suzune's departure with his eyes, Nobu pretended to be focused on the documents littered around him. He wasn't actually in charge but he was gradually beginning to understand just how difficult it was to govern a nation. Resources weren't unlimited and every decision you made had to be weighed against the interests of the entire country.

"I'm starting to wish I had reincarnated into one of those generic cultivation worlds. The MCs there get to behave like complete asshats without any fucking consequences..."

Oblivious to the fact he was starting to view himself as the 'Main Character' of this world, Nobu just shook his head before rising to his feet and calling out, "Kumiko, you here?"

Appearing the moment Nobu finished speaking, Kumiko resisted the urge to take a knee as she just smiled and asked, "How might I be of service, Nobunaga-sama?"

Gesturing towards the scattered documents, Nobu asked, "Can you read through these and write up a summary for me? My hands might be tied at the moment but I refuse to let this matter lie. At that time, I'll be relying on you to supply me with information and advice."

Smiling radiantly, Kumiko pressed a hand to her chest as she performed a half-bow and said, "It would be my pleasure~!" in an audibly excited tone. She had enjoyed teaching Nobu these past few months but her actual responsibilities revolved around gathering information and compiling it. This was the first time Nobu had officially tasked her with performing her primary responsibility so she couldn't help feeling excited.

Seeing how happy the silver-haired woman was, much of Nobu's frustrations simply faded away. It was hard to remain angry when other people were happy, so, while he would probably brood over this matter for quite a while, he would do his best to make sure it didn't adversely affect the people around him.

To this end, Nobu extended his hand to gently caress Kumiko's head. This had become a habit of his after spending time with Kaia and warming up to the five brats who constantly pestered him. It also put a smile on the girls' faces, so, while it was a little awkward to stroke the head of a grown woman, Nobu offered a smile of his own as Kumiko looked up at him with a happy expression on her face...

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After departing Nobu's estate, Suzune zipped up the mountain like a pink phantom. Upon reaching the massive manor located at the peak, she quickly arranged a meeting with the Matriarch as it was customary to report on their interactions with Nobu as soon as possible. This was a decision made by the entire Elder Council, so, while it was annoying to have to run up and down the mountain, she didn't really have a choice in the matter.

Fortunately, Hitomi was already waiting for her, so, after a number of formalities, she found herself seated across from the heterochromatic woman. What she didn't expect was for Hitomi to open the conversation by producing a letter written by their Master, Lord Senken...

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(A/N: Governing a nation isn't easy...)