CH 5

Side: Ohashi Shigenaga

「A black ship you say……?」

An unfamiliar ship had come to Tsushima, causing quite a commotion. A huge unfamiliar black ship can easily be seen in the waters just beyond the port. 

I had thought it was a merchant ship from Ise or the navy, but I have never seen a ship like that in my life.  It had many pillars built onto it, and its sails were stretched out in such a bizarre way that it was difficult to tell exactly how they were made.   I truly have seen nothing like it before. 

Do not tell me it is a ship of those Nanban people I’ve heard about. I did hear that they were spotted in faraway Kyushu, however…… There is no one in Tsushima who understands the language of the Nanban people.  It would be good if some of them can understand Chinese. 

「It is never wrong to take precautions.  Gather the soldiers and have the women and children leave the port.  Also, send a notice to Furuwatari’s lord on a fast horse.」

I do not even want to think that they have come here to launch an attack.  No matter how large their ship is, I do not believe they would attempt to attack us with it alone. However, it is not unheard of for other ports to be attacked while one force is serving as a distraction.  Indeed, I do not know what they will do if I show them even a sliver of an opening. 

「Lord, four people have come down from the ship. One was a young man who looked like a merchant, two Nanban women, and another man who seemed to be their oarsman.」

「Nanban women? Are they slaves, perchance?」

「I do not think so. One of the women is armed with a naginata. I believe they might be the merchant’s wives, or perhaps his servants.」

「Lead a portion of the soldiers to a place that is out of their sight. However, do not engage without my order.」

Nanban women? I have heard that male Nanban came to Kyushu. However, I have never heard of female Nanban coming as well.  Do not tell me they got lost at sea. Or perhaps their ship was destroyed in a storm.

I hope things will end peacefully. 

***

Side: Alex

We landed at Tsushima port in a small boat, but the people suddenly scattered in all directions the moment we disembarked.

Well, I suppose we do look like a foreign warship that came without prior notice, so it’s only natural for them to be wary of us, but if we’re gonna stand out, either way, Elle said it would be better to act boldly from the start.  Elle and the other’s features definitely didn’t look Japanese, so we ended up standing out even more.  

「Do you understand our words?」

More than a dozen armed soldiers appeared at the port along with a middle-aged man who seems to be in command.   The expressions of the soldiers were rather grim.  It’s to the extent that it wouldn’t be strange for a fight to break out at any time. 

「Yes. We do understand your language.」

「That is a relief.  Might I inquire as to where you are journeying to? Hakata or Sakai would be west of here……」

The middle-aged man seems to be trying his best to speak calmly. 

「Actually, I had just inherited my ship not long ago.  I was thinking of visiting Owari’s Tsushima shrine and Atsuta shrine while looking for new business partners, you see.」

The middle-aged man who called out to us amidst the grim atmosphere seemed relieved when he found out that we could understand one another. 

As for the reason we came to Tsushima port, I had already discussed it with Elle beforehand.  Owari was the home of both Tsushima and Atsuta shrines, and visiting them would be a plausible excuse for us to come over. 

「Is that so? This one’s name is Ohashi Shigenaga.  If it pleases you, then I would like to invite you to my residence.  We shall serve as your guide to the Tsushima shrine and Atsuta shrine.」

「Thank you for the kind offer. You can call me… Kazuma. We will be in your care.」

Speaking of Ohashi of Tsushima, was this man from that Ohashi clan? The one who historically became Oda Nobunaga’s brother-in-law? Wow. It looks like I met a big-shot right from the get-go. 

I introduced myself using my real name instead of my player ID “Alex” in Galaxy of Planets.  There was no particular reason why. It’s just that since we’re in the real world, I thought I should use the Japanese name given to me by my parents instead. 

「Hou. I did not expect that you would have sugar, pepper, and saltpeter as part of your wares……」

「This is also a kind of fate. We will provide you with the things you need here in Tsushima.」

Julia was still wary of a surprise attack, so her guard was still up.  However, she was simply showing them that she was on guard and doesn’t actually plan on making a move.  I suppose she’s just warning them not to pull anything sneaky. 

Ohashi-san’s home was quite large.  In my previous world, it wouldn’t be strange for it to be called a mansion.  The gleam in Ohashi-san’s eyes brightened when I told him about our cargo and our intention to do business. 

「Is that really alright? Would it not be more profitable to bring your goods to Sakai instead?」

「I have no prior appointments when it comes to my goods.  As long as I do not lose money, it does not matter where I sell them. Ah, but I have one request.  I would like a residence that I can stay at whenever I come to this land.  It would be great if Ohashi-sama could arrange one for us……」

「A residence, is it? I can certainly prepare one for you, however, will you be conducting business there?」

「No, I do not plan to conduct business directly.  Sea voyages are hard, so it would be reassuring to have a residence in a port that I can call my own.」

「Understood. I will buy your cargo after accounting for the market price. Please leave the residence to me. I will prepare one while you are visiting Tsushima shrine and Atsuta shrine.」

After some small talk, I told Ohashi-san that I had recently inherited the clan and ship in place of my deceased father and that our hometown was on a small island. 

I thought I would be looked down on for being young and seemingly naïve, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.   It’s probably thanks to our “foreign ship”. If the people here were stupid enough to look down on us after seeing our ship, then it would be better not to stay for long. 

It looks like they would prepare a house for us, and Ohashi-san even offered to have us stay at his mansion for a night, so why don’t I call over Katie and the rest who we left on the ship so they can also relax? 

***

Side: Elle

The Ohashi household should be the head family of the So clan that ruled Tsushima. 

It’s also documented that Lord Ohashi Shigenaga was a person who fought in wars together with Oda Nobunaga’s father, Oda Nobuhide.   After taking Nobuhide’s daughter as his wife and serving as Nobuhide’s vassal, he eventually became a powerful supporter of Nobunaga. 

He was soft-spoken and was taking good care of us, but he is most likely a lot more important of a person than Commander is giving him credit for.

He seems partial to silk, I believe. Perhaps he also wants saltpeter, but this was a time when the value of matchlock rifles still wasn’t truly explored.  

At present, not only silk but cotton also cannot be domestically produced. It seems they are able to somewhat locally produce ramie fiber though. 

Perhaps we’ll be able to meet Lord Nobunaga in person instead of just observing him from afar.  After all, if Lord Nobunaga is anything like the historical records describe him to be, then I believe he would be quite interested in the galleon and us. 

In other words, we might end up changing history at this rate instead of being mere observers. 

Have we appeared as nameless merchants in the past of Commander’s world? If we did not exist in the past of Commander’s world, then……

Perhaps this world was just one of the infinitely expanding branches of different timelines.

***

Side: Kazuma

「Those ladies are……?」

「Uh, they are my wives.」

「Ah, they are your wives.  I see.」

After a while, Katie and the others got off the ship as well, so it was only natural that Ohashi Shigenaga-san would ask about them.  Well, their treatment would differ depending on their social position, so I suppose it’s to be expected. 

I think they were amazed to see people with different sense of values from them. 

We’ve already discussed this particular matter as well. Melty told me it would be better to treat them as my wives.  It would be troublesome if someone takes a fancy to them because they were rare foreign women after all.

「Well, that is…… truly something quite unusual.」

Did he figure out that we were false couples? After all, Ohashi-san said something like that with a strange smile. 

「They were all born on the same island.」

「Oh, so that is the case.」

Was my excuse too flimsy? But I’m glad that Ohashi-san doesn’t seem keen on pursuing things too deeply and is apparently treating me as a proper adult. 

We stayed at Ohashi-san’s mansion for the night, and the food was quite delicious, perhaps because the people in the mansion were instructed to treat us well. 

***

Side: Ohashi Shigenaga 

Kazuma-dono was so young that it would not be strange for him to be my own child. However, he seemed to be quite the man indeed.  To think he had five wives. It meant he was in a position that allowed him such luxury.  Well, he did inherit such an imposing ship, so I suppose it was only natural. 

I have heard that white-skinned Nanban people all hailed from the far west.  Was there actually a Nanban island not far away from here?   At the very least, I have never heard of it. 

Well, this was only if they are not telling lies.  I still have not figured out exactly where they hail from. However, it was better not to pry too much. 

Well, regardless of their reason for coming here, I cannot miss out on doing business with such a Nanban ship.  It was better to deepen our ties with them instead of antagonizing them. 

What shall I do for their mansion? I cannot possibly lend them a shabby one.  I believe there was an available mansion whose previous owner was an unscrupulous money lender who had gotten killed due to his deeds.  Shall I lend them that? It also had a warehouse, so it would be perfect. 

***

Side: Kazuma

「It’s a very fine mansion. Though we would have been happy with a smaller residence.」

「Well, it is just sitting vacant after all. This was the former residence of a dosou, so it is fairly well-protected.  Please go ahead and make use of it.」

The next day, Ohashi-san showed me around the mansion he was going to lend to us, and it was just as splendid as his own residence. 

Personally, though, I would have liked a smaller residence.  After all, it looks like it would be pretty tough to clean up and stuff.  Also, I feel like wouldn’t be able to settle down when staying at an overly big mansion. 

I suppose this is also thanks to our foreign ship.  I wonder what he’ll ask in return? Will it be silk? Or maybe saltpeter?

「Thank you very much. I really appreciate all your help.」

I can’t act willfully here and complain that the mansion was too big.   And besides, it doesn’t look like he’ll be charging us rent. 

The mansion was surrounded by earthen walls and had a large garden, stables, and three storehouses.  This was owned by a dosou huh? I think a dosou was a money lender. I wonder if he went bankrupt due to the Tokusei decree issued by the imperial court that made all lenders waive debts owed to them. 

***

Side: Melty

Ufufu. I wonder if you are aware of this saying, Commander: There is nothing more expensive than something free. 

Even if each one is so small that one wouldn’t even notice them, they would become strong and firm once put together.  This is how people fetter one another with ties of obligation. 

Commander is too naïve to live in an era where there is no such thing as good faith.   However…… Being fenced in by ties of obligation doesn’t necessarily mean one would end up being preyed upon.  

Making use of those trying to tie you down may be impossible for Commander, but it’s just a piece of cake for us. 

Ohashi Shigenaga.  I wonder if you realize just how risky it is to try and bind us? 

If you properly understand the risks and are also aware of our wishes, then we will be of great help to you. 

Is Commander’s weakness women after all? He doesn’t seem to be particularly adept at socializing.  It would be troublesome if they sent a woman to take care of him. 

I had another motive when I asked him to treat us as his wives. We’ve spent quite a long time together in Galaxy of Planets. 

But you know– I’m also worried that this might turn out backfiring on us.  The trust and history we’ve built up over the years as player and virtual space residents definitely weren’t in vain.   However, we are now in the real world.  I’ve learned firsthand that people tend to change with time. That now goes for us as well. 

There needs to be a new bond between us and Commander. 

In order for us and Commander to survive in this war-torn era, this was absolutely necessary. 

We are no longer in a virtual space, and nor was this a mere game. If we don’t form even stronger bonds, we might find ourselves getting tripped up one day. 

I believe it’s fine for us to obtain freedom, just as Commander wants.  But freedom also requires responsibility. 

Now then, all that’s left is……

***

The surname Kuon and the Kuon clan first appeared in Japanese history during the 16th year of Tenbun. 

It is said that Kuon Kazuma, who inherited his family estate in the Kuon islands, visited Tsushima port in the province of Owari on a foreign ship at the time. 

The family name of Kuon was later given to him and his clan by Oda Nobunaga himself, and it is recorded in the “Oda Unification Chronicles” and “Kuon Chronicles” that the clan lived inconspicuously before receiving the surname. 

The identity of the Kuon clan’s ancestor is still unknown.  There is evidence that the clan’s past before Kazuma inherited it was systematically erased, and many related materials are still in the possession of the Kuon clan and are not open for public view. 

All the Kuon islands are still privately owned by the Kuon clan, and permission from the clan is required in order to enter them. 

There has been a growing influx of tourists, and for the sake of nature preservation, it currently takes years for permission to be handed out.