Chapter 39: Echoes of the Old World

By the time the effects of the Dragon's Vigor had worn off, the sun had already started its descent towards the horizon. Were it not for the mystical properties of the herb, Nobu was pretty sure the two girls would have fucked him to death. This was infinitely better than getting isekai'd via school shooting, however, and, once everything was said and done, Nobu felt as though he had achieved a form of enlightenment as he cradled the two naked beauties resting their heads on his shoulders.

Unfortunately, just as he was thinking about dozing off, a peaceful smile on his face, Nobu's body betrayed him. He hadn't eaten anything in almost twenty-four-hours, so, shortly after the Dragon's Vigor wore off, his stomach released an audible rumble that immediately alerted the duo resting at his sides.

Before he could say anything to stop them, Yui and Yuriko both sat up at the same time, the former saying, "I'll fetch something immediately." while the latter added, "It's already late in the day so we might as well set camp. Traveling at night is ill-advised while fatigued."

As the duo immediately set out to retrieve their clothes, Nobu forced himself to a seated position, saying, "Yo, hold up. You girls need to chill out. We just spent the whole day fucking. Let those two brats spying on us set camp and grab something to eat. I might not be the sentimental type, but I like to relax for a bit after having sex. You can't tell me you're not tired."

Since the Yang Energy contained within the herb had helped them recover the majority of their aura reserves, indiscernibly wry smiles appeared on the girls' faces as they exchanged glances. Then, as if they were suddenly in sync with each other, they shifted their attention towards the entrance of the cave, Yuriko being the one to call out, "Shizune. Rynka. Get in here."

Responding to the command, Rynka, now having mostly recovered from the beating Yui had given her, entered the cave with a ruddy hue coloring her cheeks. She had arrived sometime around noon after Yui and Yuriko failed to return. Since then, she had been spying on the trio as they engaged in their carnal act while Shizune, following Nobu's advice, spent most of the day sunbathing atop the rocky outcrop. This caused her to appear shortly after Rynka, but, rather than a red face, it wasn't an exaggeration to say her entire body was colored with a ruddy hue...

Hissing in pain at the mere sight of Shizune, Nobu couldn't help saying, "Holy shit." before asking, "Are you okay? You look like a fucking lobster..."

Staring at Nobu with dull and lifeless eyes, Shizune reacted with a courteous bow before replying, "Thank you for your concern. Once I apply the ointment in my bag, I'll be fine..."

"Right..."

Though he was intending to have Shizune go out and search for their food, Nobu shifted his gaze to the chibi with pitch-black hair, asking, "Your name was Rynka, right?"

Startling to attention the moment Nobu asked her a question, Rynka exclaimed, "Yes! This little one is known as Yoshitsune Rynka! It is my life's greatest honor to make your acquaintance, Nobunaga-dono...!"

Punctuating her words, Rynka bowed forward at an angle that would have been impossible were it not for the fact she was keeping herself rooted to the ground with her aura. As for how she learned of his identity, well, Yuriko, in particular, hadn't exactly been quiet.

With a moderately incredulous expression on his face, Nobu was about to tell Rynka to go off and procure them some food when Yuriko suddenly stated, "Our Lor-I mean-Nobu does not believe in lying with girls under the age of eighteen. You need not worry that he will attempt to lay his hands on you. Now, go and fetch us some food. As for you, Shizune, come over here. I'll help you apply an ointment. After that, we'll begin setting camp."

Raising her head in response to Yuriko's words, a practiced smile that didn't quite reach her eyes appeared on Shizune's face as she replied, "Understood, Yuriko-sama. I thank you in advance for your kindness.". As for Rynka, she had vanished in a flash of bright silver almost immediately after being told to go fetch some food.

With Yui having already taken a seat at his side, Nobu didn't feel the need to talk over or change Yuriko's directions. He was still adapting to the whole being in charge thing, so, instead of making things unnecessarily complicated, he just wrapped his arm around Yui's body and enjoyed the sight of one naked woman rubbing some kind of lotion onto another. They even began setting camp in this state, so, for the better part of twenty minutes, Nobu just absentmindedly caressed Yui's belly while observing the two busty beauties pitch a tent and scrawl a bunch of strange patterns in their birthday suits...

Though she was tempted to ask what he was thinking, Yui didn't want to interrupt Nobu's thoughts. He had said he wanted to relax, so, for the time being, she just rested her head against his shoulder with her eyes closed. It was only when Yuriko and Shizune had finished erecting the barrier that she opened her eyes and asked, "Would you prefer it if we stay disrobed?" as if it was a pressing matter that needed to be discussed.

With Yuriko and Shizune suddenly turning to stare directly at him, a feeling of awkwardness washed over Nobu's body as he released Yui's waist and answered, "Nah. As much as I enjoy seeing naked women roaming around, I ain't desperate enough to force it. Go ahead and get dressed if you want. I'll probably wash up and do the same."

Nodding her head in understanding, Yui rose to her feet and said, "After I get dressed, I'll go and fetch some water. When I return, please allow me to clean your body. Even if you don't wish to be treated like a Lord, it is easier for Yuriko and me to regard you as such. You might disagree with the teachings of the Yoshitsune Clan but we have spent our entire lives preparing to attend you. Please don't take that away from us..."

Taken aback by Yui's words, Nobu was going to ask about her dream of becoming a warrior. When he noticed the sincere plea in her eyes, however, the words immediately got stuck in his throat. This made him feel extremely uncomfortable, but, after several seconds of inordinately tense silence, he ultimately just released an exasperated sigh and muttered, "Whatever...do what you want..."

Displaying a rare smile that legitimately caused Nobu's heart to skip a beat, Yui offered a courteous bow before stating in a sincere tone, "Thank you for tolerating this one's selfish request, Nobunaga-sama..."

Rolling his eyes, Nobu turned his face away without bothering to reply. This caused even Shizune to adopt a slight smile, but, thanks to his vision being directed away from the naked trio, Nobu didn't see it. Instead, he was internally cursing, ("Fuck. I really did it this time. Now, even if I wanted to get away, these bitches will probably follow me to the ends of the earth...")

Despite his internal griping and the fact he had crossed his arms in defiance, Nobu's expression and body language showed that he wasn't actually all that upset. Yui had been a tremendous pain in his ass, sure, but she was still a good girl. As for Yuriko, well, Nobu would be lying if he said she didn't have one of the most rockin' bodies he had ever seen. She gave off the impression of a clinger, but, in this kind of world, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, it was better to have people who wanted to be with you than forcing yourself to remain alone in a world you knew nothing about...

...

..

.

Since he had made it 'optional', Yuriko spent most of the evening completely naked. Nobu's words had left a deep impression on her, so, believing he appreciated her body, she wanted to display it as much as possible.

Similar to Yuriko, albeit for 'very' different reasons, Shizune remained predominately naked until the red coloration of her skin began to fade away. The only garment she chose to wear before that was her inordinately expensive panties. When Nobu finally got around to asking about their origins, she explained they were an import from a remote overseas country known as Granus. When pressed for further details, she went on to explain that the founders of Granus had uncovered numerous ruins dating all the back to the Age of Gods, an Era roughly 40,000 years in the past. Many of these ruins included advanced production facilities, so, despite being relatively young as a country, Granus had already secured its position as a world power thanks to its Automatons, unequaled industrial might, and one of the greatest Navies in the entire world.

Hearing all of this, Nobu asked if Granus was located overseas and to the East. Unsurprisingly, the answer was a resounding yes, so, even without seeing a world map, it was safe to assume that this world was geographically similar to the Earth he had come from. He could also surmise that Granus was this world's version of the United States. This might have incited some semblance of comfort in other Reincarnators, but, considering how abysmal his home country's gun policies had been, Nobu was genuinely horrified by the notion of a US filled with cultivators and backed by ancient weapons of war...

Fortunately, at least for the time being, Granus was more focused on developing infrastructure and tightening its borders than meddling in the affairs of other countries. It was also nowhere near the most powerful nation in the world. That was a title ordinarily associated with the Heavenly Kingdom of Tai and The Holy Empire, nations that Nobu suspected to be this world's versions of China and Europe. As for other threats, there was the Dark Continent, a land purported to be overflowing with Demons, the Frozen North, ruled by Ice Giants, and, most notably, the Savage Lands located to the South of Granus.

Using the same reasoning that had led to him associating the Heavenly Kingdom with China and the Holy Empire with Europe, Nobu assumed that the Dark Continent was basically Africa while the other two were Russia and South America. As for what made them dangerous, the Dark Continent was apparently ruled by a Demon King named Solomon who looked down upon the world from a tower that pierced the Heavens. The others were governed by two of the Eight Sovereign Species, specifically Ice Giants and Amazons. As for what made them dangerous, the former's very existence caused an endless winter to sweep across the lands while the latter, as could be expected, was filled with 'savage women' who executed weak men while taking those that suited their fancy as breeding stock.

Though Amazons were known to be quite beautiful, it was rumored that they possessed an ability to drain the life force and cultivation of men. The men they captured would never be seen again, and, after thousands of years of observation, it was all but confirmed that Amazons only gave birth to female descendants. This was, ironically, one of the traits that protected them, as, in nearly every other country, women were effectively regarded as broodmares. Between 5~20% of their cultivation base was inherited by their offspring as raw potential. Thus, while most of the world considered the Amazons to be savages, Nobu couldn't help feeling that the entire world was fucked in the head...

...

..

.

(A/N: Oho. A little bit of world-building to spice things up. I'm liking where this is going...)