Horizon:Volume 9A Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Feast in the Jinmaku

If you are more cautious than you thought

More will happen than you thought

If you do not do more than you thought

You will not get more than you thought

Point Allocation (Nonsensical Tension)

●

Gold Mar: “I’m gradually getting an idea of how this works…I think.”

Art-Ga: “N-no, Margot! Don’t give up yet!”

Smoking Girl: “This looks like a pain, so can I smoke now?”

Asama: “No, Masa. These aren’t smoking seats.”

Unturning: “To be honest, I appreciate that these servings are bigger.”

●

Masazumi thought while eating the curry with chopsticks.

…Why did the stew become curry?

Curry was, broadly-defined, a stew. Especially authentic curry, unlike the Far Eastern variety, because its roux was less viscous and functioned as a broth.

But these containers were a lot larger than the small bowls from before.

They appeared to contain the same curry, so why the different containers?

…Don’t tell me…

Masazumi realized she was holding her breath as she thought.

Vice President: “The small bowls from before were individual servings that were the same on the inside, which was meant to symbolize us and Tres España. So are these bigger bowls a symbol of us all coming together as a single whole?”

In other words…

Vice President: “Tres España and the Testament Union nations are saying they want to work with us. And this is their way of expressing it since the Kyou rules prevent them from saying what they mean!”

“If so,” continued Naito, tilting her head.

Gold Mar: “How are we going to respond to this?”

Vice President: “We mostly agree with what they want since we have to focus on Honnouji right now. But Tres España is linked to Hashiba, which means a pincer attack with P.A. Oda is still a possibility.”

But if she was correctly interpreting the symbolism of these bowls, Tres España had no intention of doing that.

This hinted that Tres España wanted to work with Musashi more than Hashiba.

Vice President: “I’d like to think Tres España will keep the Testament Union from acting against us…but that’s probably asking too much. This part is probably lip service from Tres España.”

Me: “What’s lip service?”

Silver Wolf: “It likely means they are serving us cheek meat. Cows do not actually have lips, so cheek meat is the closest alternative. It is perfect for stews and curries.”

Still Got It: “What is wrong with you, Nate!? It’s another term for orally servicing someone! I’m going to go try it out on your father, so wait a bit!”

Silver Wolf: “I gave that absurd answer specifically to avoid having you chime in!”

Horizey: “To combine the answers from our two experts, I can only conclude it refers to sticking your dick in a hot curry or stew.”

Art-Ga: “I have to admit, that one’s new to me!”

Asama: “Um, Horizon? Could you not say things like that while we’re eating curry?”

Masazumi lost her chance to give the correct answer, but maybe that was for the best.

At any rate, she had an idea about this.

Vice President: “If Tres España is not here to attack us, I would prefer to keep things peaceful with them. In fact, my current plan is to try and make Tres España into new allies.”

Unturning: “Why? You already fought them in that Armada battle, right? And we just got done duking it out in Kyou.”

Vice President: “England hired us as mercenaries at the Armada battle. And in Kyou, Akechi Mitsuhide and the Imperial Palace had also hired us as mercenaries. Furthermore, our first skirmish on the way to England was only to prove to the Testament Union that we meant business.”

“So,” she continued.

Vice President: “We have never fought each other in an official international war.”

Silver Wolf: “Then what do we do here?”

Vice President: “Judge. If possible, I want to hire Tres España as mercenaries. Why we would want that during Honnouji is obvious, but afterwards we should be pretty worn down. It would mean a lot to have Tres España’s protection then.”

Circle Be: “Hold on a second. You’re being too optimistic here. It isn’t easy to gather the funding needed to hire a national-level mercenary force. Besides, we don’t actually know how worn down we’ll be after Honnouji.”

Novice: “I would remind you that we limited the previous battle with Tres España to a surface battle fought by a limited number of elite fighters so we could preserve the majority of our forces.”

Smoking Girl: “Yeah, sorry I got Suzaku destroyed. I doubt you expected that loss.”

A few of the others said “these things happen” with their expressions and nodding heads.

She had of course predicted this much. With war, it was crucial to consider what happened after the fighting stopped. They had to be extra cautious with the Honnouji Incident since it could easily change the course of history.

How worn down would they be after the battle?

In that sense, she had been optimistic with what she had said. Because…

Vice President: “Even if we win at Honnouji, if our forces have been reduced too much, another force could finish us off. I expect the European forces in particular are hoping to do just that.”

Silver Wolf: “Judge. Once Honnouji is complete, Westphalia is right around the corner. And just like we discussed at Magdeburg, if we do end Honnouji, we will have suppressed P.A. Oda and Hashiba like we promised the European forces we would.”

That was right.

Vice President: “Then Hexagone Française, the Protestants, and the former P.A. Oda forces will back us at Westphalia. That agreement is one of the big reasons we’re fighting P.A. Oda and Hashiba.”

Unturning: “I just assumed it was your hobby.”

Me: “No, Seijun’s love of war isn’t a hobby. It’s her way of life!!”

Horizon hit him with a short hook without even turning around, so all was well.

The Tres España Vice President looked shocked, but…

“Pay close attention to that. I’m quite glad you got to see it.”

“Y-you are?”

This reverse talking is hard.

Anyway, Tres España was also European.

Vice President: “On the political front, the European nations will want us to be worn down by Honnouji. Because not only will we have dealt with Hashiba and P.A. Oda’s recent rise to power without them having to dedicate any of their forces to it, but we will have self-destructed and reduced ourselves to a weak fighting force.”

Unturning: “What would happen then?”

Scarred: “I think we would be allowed a seat at Westphalia, but our voice there would carry a lot less weight and the European nations would work to push us out.”

Art-Ga: “And then the European powers would surround Musashi and have their way with us?”

Tachibana Wife: “In the worst case, I believe so.”

The Tachibana Wife was from Tres España, so if she said so, it was probably true.

Laborer: “So you’re saying these Tres Españans right here are our enemy!!”

Gold Mar: “Noririn, didn’t you say you and their pitcher were friends down in Kyou?”

Laborer: “And we still are! He needs at least one person who understands him!”

Me: “Okay, Noriki, then do you understand what Miss Busty Glasses there is thinking?”

Laborer: “Of course not! What are you, stupid!?”

Me: “Now hold on, Noriki! Stop badmouthing Tenzou like that!”

10ZO: “What does any of this have to do with me!?”

Scarred: “Master Tenzou, he is implying that comment was directed at you.”

“Incredible, Ma-yan,” muttered Naito while looking the other way, but she wasn’t wrong. However…

Worshiper: “This whole situation is a real pain in the rear.”

“Indeed,” agreed Urquiaga.

Uqui: “They can do whatever they want with us. And looking to the future, they benefit if we are weakened. So the question is what we should do now.”

Silver Wolf: “Europe is ending the Thirty Years’ War and moving on to their separate international wars as they head for the next stage, right?”

Vice President: “Right. The Apocalypse is also an issue, but they must have a few different plans for that. If Musashi can stop the Apocalypse with the gathered Logismoi Oplo, they should be willing to help us with that.”

Asama: “But once they help with that, they’ll sever all ties with us if Musashi has weakened, won’t they?”

Novice: “If a weakened Musashi can still stop the Apocalypse, then whichever nation works to safely make that happen will have a lot of sway in Europe.”

Everyone considered what nation that would be. And…

Still Got It: “Oh, can you wait a bit? I’m a bit busy after my lip service ended up escalating by three or so levels.”

Silver Wolf: “That is not what an Hexagone Française Representative should be doing!”

Yes. Hexagone Française would be the most influential.

●

Gin was at an elevated location.

She was commenting via divine transmission, but she was located outside, on Tama’s bridge astern of the port. The giant structure acted as a bridge spanning port to starboard between the hull and the port and she sat on its roof. Chairs had been provided for her and Muneshige, so they were taking a break and looking overhead.

“Now, then.”

A cannon floated overhead in Kyou’s darkening sky.

That was Cuatro Cruz. She had used it at Kyou, but since its simple repairs were complete, she was using it to monitor the Tres Españan ships keeping their distance.

She had no plans to shoot them, but she had no plans not to shoot them either.

At this point, she and Muneshige considered Musashi to be their home and their affiliation.

“Gin. Would you like something to drink?”

“Judge. I would like curry.”

She realized something only after saying that.

“It’s dinnertime, isn’t it?”

Tama: “Let me know if you would like to place an order. We will cook it up in the bridge’s guest kitchen. Over.”

Tachibana Wife: “No, I would like Hassan’s curry.”

Musashi: “ ‘Tama’. Over.”

Tama: “O-of course! I will arrange that right away! Over!”

Tama was in the process of purging the base hulls, so Gin felt bad giving her extra work. But…

“If the others from Tres España do not want the curry, does it mean that we really have become Musashi people?”

“Curry is an all-purpose food, Gin.”

That put a smile on her face. The roof of the tall structure shook some. Even Tama’s great size and management system weren’t enough to eliminate the effects of removing those heavy blocks from the base hull section. But the shaking was a lot less when below the surface.

…But even this great aerial ship has reached a crossroads.

Far out in front of her, a second jinmaku was set up next to the one hosting the meeting. Most likely…

“Vice Chancellor Takakane and the others are in there, aren’t they?”

“Judge. They likely intend to rush in if anything happens. They haven’t changed at all since we were with them.”

“Which means we can’t let our guard down either.”

“Judge,” replied Muneshige. “The European power balance could be rewritten tonight. Because P.A. Oda’s Oda side will effectively lose all power tonight.”

After that, Hashiba would rise to the top within P.A. Oda. That was all in accordance with the history recreation based on the Testament.

But there were definitely some questions regarding these events. The biggest being…

…Why hasn’t Hashiba returned to P.A. Oda?

Well, she physically had. She was currently waiting at the Lake Biwa Azuchi.

The problem was how she was still part of M.H.R.R.

“I wonder why Hashiba hasn’t returned to P.A. Oda.”

“That is a good question. We have intelligence suggesting Lord Shibata has begun a rebellion up north. If that is accepted as the Battle of Shizugatake, the reins of P.A. Oda should be handed over to Hashiba tonight.”

It wasn’t clear why they were doing it like this.

But based on the current situation, the key to it all was Musashi since they had inherited Akechi Mitsuhide’s name. It was technically their Chancellor who had accepted the name, but…

“How worn down will Musashi be by Honnouji and what will the European powers do with Musashi then?”

In other words…

“What will Hexagone Française do about Musashi?”

●

A question occurred to Asama.

…Hexagone Française has worked with us a lot, but can we be so sure they’ll push everyone else out of the way to work with us now?

Not to mention England and the Protestants. She decided to ask about it.

Asama: “What do you mean? You sound certain that Hexagone Française will step forward to work with Musashi. Aren’t we also working with England and the Protestants?”

“That’s true,” said Neshinbara.

Novice: “We do indeed work with England and the Protestants, not to mention many others. Most recently, Sweden has been treating us very well. And Europe as a whole will be able to use the Kantou Liberation to accuse Musashi of pushing Hashiba to focus solely on Europe . That gives every country an opening to work with us.”

Four Eyes: “Do you really need such a long introduction?”

Horizey: “Mitotsudaira-samaaaa!!”

Silver Wolf: “J-judge! This is less about who has been working with Musashi and more about the power balance within Europe.”

Asama: “What do you mean by power balance?”

Kimi alternately pushed down on her breasts from above, but that probably wasn’t what it meant.

Asama looked to Mitotsudaira for clarification and Mitotsudaira first took a look around at everyone eating during their meeting.

After seeing there was enough of a pause for this, the wolf explained.

Silver Wolf: “Listen. It all comes down to the power balance within Europe. Hexagone Française repelled M.H.R.R. and claimed their right to be the ruler of Europe, so they have the right to speak first in political situations. So even if the Protestants or England try to make their move, Hexagone Française will get in ahead of them.”

In that case, thought Asama.

Asama: “Have Hexagone Française become the representatives of Europe?”

Silver Wolf: “You could say that, yes.”

“Then,” said Ohiroshiki.

Worshiper: “What happens if England or the Protestants try to get ahead of them?”

Novice: “Heh. Is your imagination too deficient to figure that one out? You would have a powerful nation against a weaker nation. They would be butting heads with the future ruler. Which would of course mean-”

Four Eyes: “Brevity is the soul of wit.”

Horizey: “Mitotsudaira-samaaaaa Part 2!!”

Silver Wolf: “J-judge! Even if the other nations and powers tried to surround the Musashi, Hexagone Française could trample over them and either steal their position or just crush them.”

What did that mean?

Still Got It: “From a certain point of view, that puts Musashi in a very safe position.”

Vice President: “From a different point of view, it makes us their puppet.”

Still Got It: “Testament. And that is your next task, isn’t it?”

Mitotsudaira’s mother was clearly enjoying this.

…Not too surprising.

Her daughter and that daughter’s king and friends were predicting what Hexagone Française would try to use against them and were thinking up a countermeasure.

As a mother, she had to enjoy seeing this growth of her daughter’s generation. But…

Asama: “Oh, I understand now.”

Novice: “Eh!? But how!? I never got a chance to explain it!”

Asama: “Yes, I understand now that I should have asked Mito in the first place.”

Novice: “But that’s a bad lesson to learn!!”

Whatever the case, she understood the situation in Europe.

●

Yeah, thought Masazumi.

It all came down to the power balance.

England had avoided directly supporting Musashi while arranging to give them a mercenary position. And by allowing Mary to stay on the Musashi, they had ensured future relations between the two nations.

The Protestants had provided frequent support and were working with Musashi now.

But Hexagone Française had the right to shove those two aside and move out front. In particular, they had proven their ability to fight M.H.R.R. and Hashiba during the Kantou Liberation and the siege of Paris. They had created a sense that Europe could support themselves even without Musashi’s help.

How would Musashi deal with England and the Protestants now?

What happened in the near future would determine that. They would have a lot more answers once the Honnouji Incident and all its uncertainties were behind them.

But what did Tres España think of all this?

…I bet I know.

Tres España was in a bad position. The Honnouji Incident would predict the future of the Far East, but no one knew what would actually happen there. And they also had the great threat that was Hexagone Française right next door. Furthermore, they were still rebuilding domestically.

That large nation was meeting with Musashi while facing so many uncertainties.

That meant Tres España saw this opportunity as a meaningful one.

They had fought Musashi as mercenaries earlier, but they were trying to put that behind them.

What were they after? Masazumi hoped to find out and, as stated in her optimistic plans, she hoped to ally with them.

But she did have one thing to keep in mind here.

Vice President: “I want to avoid any fighting here.”

Horizey: “You mean Musashi is trying out pacifism, Masazumi-sama!? I suppose there is a first time for everything.”

Vice President: “I was going to agree, but this is far from the first time!”

But anyway, she should probably spell that out here.

“This is probably a bad thing to say,” she began in accordance with the Kyou rules and raised her right hand.

●

Juana wanted to keep this peaceful.

…Because this has been disappointing so far.

Musashi had refused to provide support right from the beginning, but that was to be expected in international negotiations.

Tres España had its own plans here, but they needed to avoid making an enemy of Musashi.

If that happened, the nations friendly with Musashi could take an anti-España stance and it would become a lot harder to receive indirect benefits from the Musashi. So for now…

…I want to play it safe.

Just like she had decided in advance, she would generally keep her distance and play it safe. Yes, her initial thoughts had been correct.

As soon as she made that decision, Musashi’s Vice President raised her right hand.

“Yes, Musashi Vice President?”

“Judge. I just forgot something I don’t need to say.”

Juana nodded for her to continue.

“Musashi wants to do everything it can to wage war against Tres España.”

She declared war out of the blue.

●

Masazumi explained that they wanted to avoid any conflict.

“We want war.”

…We want peace!

“We are prepared to fight against Tres España. Even with Honnouji coming up, we can easily fight another battle before or after that.”

She clenched her right fist and raised it overhead.

…Peace is best!

“Because Musashi is a warrior nation that loves war above all else and is very accepting of bad jokes. When another nation approaches us, we would prefer to fight than talk it out! Which is why we have gone to such great lengths to always fight in the past!”

Yes, nothing beats peace!

So what would they do?

“Let’s fight, Tres España! I know that’s what you want too. We can call it round two of the Armada battle, so let’s battle! We can all enjoy a good war together!”

Indeed. They needed to avoid conflict. So to really drive her point home…

“We will not hesitate to use the Musashi for war! Our Kanesada cannon is prepared to fire on you at any time. Yes, all we want is peace- I mean, a piece of you on the battlefield!”

●

Vice President: “Do you think that got across just how dedicated we are to peace?”

Me: “You do know that made you sound like a nutcase, don’t you?”

Art-Ga: “Why did that flow out of you as smoothly as water down a slope?”

Circle Be: “Hey, we’re having some trouble with a few of the Kantou clans, so can I play them a recording of that? I think that would solve everything.”

Horizey: “Heidi-sama, I must ask that you use Masazumi-sama’s words irresponsibly.”

Silver Wolf: “You mean responsibly, don’t you? Don’t you?”

Wise Sister: “Heh heh. War-driven politics! What’s wrong with that? One of the best parts of getting into makeup is learning to enjoy collecting the ones you like. When looking for cute underwear and clothing, you need to focus on the ones you think will make you look fantastic. In other words, our politician wins if she wages constant war and every once in a while uses it to help with the politics! What is our top industry!? That’s right – war! It’s war season and the crop is booming this year!”

Vice President: “The Kyou rules mean I meant the opposite of what I said!!”

Gold Mar: “I mean, if you take that speech at face value, it sounds like your brain is broken.”

●

Juana couldn’t believe this.

How much couldn’t she believe it? A lot. A lot a lot. Because…

…I did not expect them to excitedly declare war here.

They’re completely insane. Mister, what am I supposed to do about this?

But I doubt Mister would want to deal with this either, she thought. He isn’t a very belligerent person, so he always keeps his distance from these things.

So she had to deal with this.

But why had they declared war out of the blue?

This isn’t right, she thought.

Juana: “Flores, what do you think is happening here?”

Flores: “Testament. Is that even a question? Musashi’s Vice President’s brain is broken.”

She nearly agreed with that, but her rational side stopped her. Her emotional side was a different story.

●

Vice President: “Wait! Stop saying my brain is broken!”

Art-Ga: “Then can you explain what part of you is broken?”

Asama: “Naruze, let’s not assume that any part of her is broken.”

Wise Sister: “Heh heh heh. But there’s nothing wrong with that. Now, say it for us, Asama: ‘Oh, no. He just broke me…’ What’s that look for, Asama?”

Horizey: “Anyway, Masazumi-sama has made a declaration of peace through a declaration of war.”

Flat Vassal: “That’s technically correct, but it sounds wrong.”

●

Calm down, Juana told herself.

…Her brain can’t be broken.

If it was, Musashi couldn’t have made it this far politically. They had managed to reach agreements with England, Hexagone Française, the Protestants, and others in Europe.

Juana: “Testament. We need to calm down, Flores. Her eccentric behavior is no reason for us to follow suit. Besides, they have helped Musashi survive this far.”

Flores: “Yes, which is impressive when they’re lead politician’s brain is broken.”

Juana: “Wait! Wait, Flores! Let’s stop talking about broken brains! Constantly talking about broken brains is a sign that your brain is broken!”

Flores: “You just said it three times just now!”

That doesn’t count because I was only doing it to explain the situation.

But what was she supposed to do now?

Juana: “Do you really think they would go to war with us in these circumstances?”

Flores: “You never know what a crazy person is going to do. My brother has taught me that well enough.”

My Sister’s Brother: “Sister. There seems to be a major misunderstanding between us.”

Flores: “Okay, can you explain why you threw your first pitch directly at the other team’s third at bat during that recent game?”

My Sister’s Brother: “Because I didn’t like the shape of his nose, sister.”

Flores: “See, Lady Juana!? This is the kind of person we’re dealing with!”

That was a big problem.

But she was curious about something else as well.

Juana: “By the way, Flores. Why did you hit the first and second at bat during your friendly match the other day?”

Flores: “Those were an accident, so they don’t count.”

My Sister’s Brother: “Lady Juana, explain to my sister how avoiding responsibility by calling it an accident is a bigger problem than admitting to your actions like I have done!”

Hopefully Musashi wasn’t doing both those things at once.

But she didn’t have time to get after her own crazy people.

Juana: “Calm down, you two. And no claiming you can’t, okay?”

Flores: “Oh? Is the usual Lady Juana back?”

Was that what this meant?

Flores: “Yes, she ambushes you with a lecture, cuts off all escape, and then later realizes she was wrong to begin with!”

Juana: “I am not that pathetic!”

Juana just about said “listen” but realized that might sound like the start of a lecture.

…Honestly.

But the others must have realized something was wrong here.

Flores was usually so cheerful, but she was being very cautious about their opponent here.

Juana: “Flores, why do you think this broken brain behavior is showing up here?”

Flores: “That’s an easy one, Lady Juana. Because they have no other choice right now.”

“Do you get what I mean?” she continued.

Flores: “How about this? Do you know how they managed to get this far when they’re like this?”

Juana: “That is an easy one, Flores. Because it was the only way to get this far.”

It came down to this.

Juana: “They can switch it on and off – between normal and abnormal.”

●

Juana thought she understood to an extent.

…This broken brain behavior is only one facet of Musashi, isn’t it?

It wasn’t clear why that facet was showing itself here, but if they had no other choice, Juana could sympathize to an extent.

So it was possible this choice wasn’t actually what Musashi wanted.

…That makes more sense.

It was the same for Juana.

For so long, she had hidden her identity while working as Tres España’s Vice President. If she included the time spent working up to that position, she had spent a very long time pretending to be someone she was not.

At times, Mister and the others must have wondered why she was so strict.

That was an easy one. Because if she wasn’t, she feared they would discover who she really was. So she had suppressed her true feelings and said the opposite of what she meant.

“Yes.”

Just like Flores had said, she had often gotten aggressive to keep the others from pursuing a matter further and then later regretted it. She had groaned in the bath, slammed her head into the hallway wall, or dived headfirst into bed.

In that case…

Juana: “I wonder what Musashi is thinking right now.”

Flores: “With their broken brains?”

Juana: “But they do seem willing to talk.”

Flores: “Are you sure you can talk with them when they don’t make any sense?”

Juana: “I have a lot of practice after dealing with all of you.”

Flores: “So what are you going to do?”

She already knew.

What should she do with Musashi who were threatening an impossible war here?

Juana: “I must determine what is best for Tres España’s future: cutting all ties with Musashi to defend ourselves, or supporting Musashi to give us the upper hand in Europe.”

She didn’t need to explain why.

This was something she used to do all the time.

●

Something’s changed, noted Masazumi.

Tres España’s Vice President had seemed wary of her before, but now the woman looked straight at her.

…Is she ready to do this?

Earlier, it had looked like she was discussing something on her sign frame, but she must have reached some kind of conclusion.

She likely had her answer.

Just like Musashi had decided how they would handle things with Tres España going forward, Tres España was thinking the same thing about them.

That settled it then.

Vice President: “This will likely be a discussion about events before and after Honnouji.”

Art-Ga: “Wasn’t that our plan? So what’s the problem?”

Vice President: “Judge, it was the plan. But we don’t know if they’re thinking the same thing as us. That’s the problem.”

Meanwhile, a new serving tray was brought in.

“Now, how about we continue with the meeting,” said the Tres España Vice President, gesturing toward the food.

Horizon raised her right hand.

“Then from here on, all of our statements must conform to the Kyou rules. Fail to do so and you lose instantly. Will that be acceptable?”

“It will not,” said Masazumi, earning a pat on the shoulder from Horizon.

“That’s the spirit, Masazumi-sama. Please try not to forget about the rules.”

Anyway, the most important part of this meeting was yet to come. So far, they had only been confirming their own stances. Now they had to determinate what the other was thinking and try to get their own opinion accepted.

“Now,” she said, reaching for the lid to the third course’s tray. “Shall we enjoy the next course while we talk?”

She removed the lid.

It was sashimi.

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