Necessary Corruption 11: The Accident (Patreon)

Unnecessary Corruption
Chapter 11: The Accident

-VB-

“Rimosumoto-dono!” I greeted the lean man with a bright smile, and then we bowed to one another as it was custom before lifting our heads up again. “Are you ready for today’s hunting trip?”

“Aren’t I ever?” the man, a thin “kindly” young man, grinned. “It’s been a while since I’ve gone out to stretch my legs.

Both of us came with only a small number of our retinue, who remained behind us on the move, while we rode on into the small forest that stood at the southern end of the island.

We stayed a bit ahead of our men as we talked. At first, it was about our homes but then the conversation slowly but surely shifted as Rimosumoto directed its course.

And then he finally said it. “I am unsure whether the current lord regent is good for the island.”

“Oh?”

Our horses came to a stop at the edge of a clearing. On the other side, we could clearly see the deers just as clearly as our men could see us.

As he was the local lord, Rimosumoto-dono nocked the arrow first. He took careful aim… and let loose.

He missed. He tsked before letting me have a try. Now, I had some fairly unfair advantages. Among my new secret retinues were those who made wonders with wood and another who shaped flesh, though very minutely. The latter had improved my eyesight, muscle volume, and muscle control and the former had gifted me with a bow only those with my strength or greater could pull, and because of the flesh shaper’s work upon my body, I was stronger than almost all regular men; only ninjas with their chakra would be able to fight me.

The bow, a giant long thing taller than I was, creaked as I nocked an arrow and pulled.

I aimed down at the greatest of the stags…

And loosed.

Unlike Rimosumoto-dono’s flimsy arrow, my arrow screamed with such ferocity as it tore across the clearing far faster than anything else I’d ever seen in my life. The terrifying eyesight proved itself to be too good when my arrow slammed into the stag’s skull and right through the entirety of the stag’s head.

The deer staggered and then collapsed, sending the rest of them into a frenzied fleeing.

“WAH HA HA!” Rimosumoto-dono laughed. “I did not know you were that strong, Takanori-dono!”

I laughed too, though a bit nervously. This strength came as a surprise to myself as well.

“Well, we should go chase after them, then! We might have one for me, but we should get one for you, too, Rimosumoto-dono!”

Then we gave chase. Our hunting dogs, which had been held back until now, came to the forefront and chased after the deers, running ahead of the horses and barking like mad.

Our retinue followed behind us at a sedate pace as we on our horses were going at such a pace. It wasn’t like bows and arrows were meant for close up fighting, so there was no need for us to go chasing personally. The dogs would find the deer herd, and we would shoot one down.

Our chase led us into a thicker part of the forest.

And then it happened.

A hail of arrows came down upon me and Rimosumoto. I intentionally didn’t react until my horse - a borrowed horse from the lord regent - died from three arrows striking its head. I jumped off quickly, but Lord Rimosumoto was not so quick nor athletic.

He screamed as the horse fell sideways, and screamed louder when his left leg got crushed by the horse’s weight.

From out of the woods, a bunch of peasants with their faces covered came out with farming tools: pitchforks, scythes, hatchets, sickles, and only a few bows.

“Kill the lord starving our families to death!” one of them shouted.

Our retinue, so close yet so far, charged to protect us.

I pulled up my bow and fired one shot before they were upon me. At this point, I dropped the bow and pulled out my katana to defend myself.

Three slashes later and one arrow to my shoulder, my soldiers reached me and killed the peasants still foolish enough to stay and not retreat when their ambush failed. Everyone screamed as blades parted flesh on each side, but overwhelmingly in our favor.

In less than a minute, it was over.

Over two dozen peasants laid dead while only three of Rimosumoto and my men died, not each but in total.

But Rimosumoto…

We looked down at his trampled, stabbed, and mutilated corpse. He’d been unable to flee with his leg still crushed underneath the horse.

“These bastards!” one of Rimosumoto’s men shouted, losing his cool.

“Search their bodies,” I quickly ordered. “One of them may have a clue as to who organized this mess!”

“They’re peasants, milord,” Rimosumoto’s chief bodyguard - a samurai - grunted. For his failure in protecting his lord, he would most likely commit seppuku later on. He was a good man, an honorable man, and that was why I couldn’t lure him onto my side; he would reject it and take responsibility for this. “They couldn’t possibly arrange this.”

“Then how did they know that we were here? I didn’t choose this place as the destination for the hunt,” I snapped back, because it was true. The late Rimosumoto had.

“Lord Takanori!” one of my retinues jumped from the body he searched through and ran up to me. “A m-missive!”

Instead of reading it myself, I turned and gave it to the chief samurai. “Your lord and land will suffer most. Read and prepare.”

He took it with thankful stare and trembling hands, and opened it up carefully.

And then raged.

It was a silent rage. It was a sudden bloodshot eyes, snarling lips, hunched posture, and darkening of his features.

“Gato…!”

I mentally smiled.

All of this had been prepared beforehand. My superior retinues made these “peasants” invisible and made them move and fight. It was wonderful how easily people could be mind controlled.

And that “missive” had also been planted beforehand.

All of my retinues’ reaction to this was true. Mine was too, because I didn’t expect to get so close to danger, but it worked out.

It was all working out.