Night Raid on the Bandits' Stronghold

"Ah, General, coming here with you was definitely the right decision! If I could use my Noble Phantasm, I could eat as much as I want without any problem. What a pity! What a pity! Another bowl, please!" Tawara Toda sighed regretfully as he ate heartily.

"No, even if it's delicious, there's a limit. If you eat too much, you'll only be making yourself suffer later," Shirou said with a helpless smile.

I thought to myself that I might need to prepare another pot of rice.

"Oh, this is quite a flavor, it has a refreshing mountain feel to it." Kojiro picked up a mushroom with his chopsticks, then picked up some rice and put it in his mouth. After savoring the taste, he smiled with satisfaction.

"Here you go, Aichi! You worked so hard collecting these ingredients." Shirou filled a plate with rice and handed it to the villager.

"No, no, I can't possibly eat at the same table as a samurai," Aichi said, waving his hands.

"Eat up! There's no reason to let the laborers who brought the ingredients just stand there and watch," Shirou said to Aichi.

"No... I'd rather just eat millet porridge." Aichi smelled the aroma, her throat tightened, and she refused with great difficulty.

"Just take it," said Tawara Toda impatiently. "Nobody here cares about these things. You'll definitely regret it if you don't eat it."

"Is... is that so? Then I won't be polite." Aichi took the plate, pulled out his chopsticks, shoveled the rice into his mouth, and then his eyes widened. An unprecedented delicious sensation filled his taste buds, bringing a shock that made his brain tremble.

Aichi looked utterly shocked and said, "Delicious! Besides delicious, I don't know how else to describe how I feel right now..."

"Right, right, I told you so! Ugh! Shirou! Another one!" Soji's mouth hadn't stopped moving from the start. He ate like crazy while smiling smugly, completely oblivious to the rice grains stuck to his face.

"Yes, yes, eat slowly, there's still enough rice. You're a child too, your face is covered in rice." Shirou teased. Soji really was like a little sister to him now. Shirou reached out and wiped the rice grains off Soji's face.

Of course, Shirou could tell that the Soji opposite him was not his sister, but his sister, so he wouldn't do something as rude as eating the rice.

"Thank you, Shirou," Soji smiled.

"You're welcome," Shirou said, preparing to wipe the rice grains away with a towel.

"Ah! Don't waste it." When Soji saw Shirou's actions, she leaned over, took Shirou's finger into her mouth, and ate the rice grains. Since she had suffered so much in this world, food really shouldn't be wasted.

"Eh..." Shirou felt the warmth on his fingertips. Even though the girl's lips had already left, there was still a moist feeling on them, which made him feel very ashamed.

However, everyone was busy grabbing food to satisfy their appetites, so they didn't pay attention to what was happening here. After receiving the bowl of rice, Soji didn't say anything, but just lowered his head and quietly continued eating. Everything was so calm, as if nothing strange had happened.

Shirou couldn't help but start to doubt, 'Hmm? Is this actually quite ordinary? Am I just making a fuss over nothing?'

Just then, Yukino buried her face in the bowl, then lifted her little face, which was covered in rice grains, and looked at Shirou with her big eyes.

'Why? Don't learn this!' Shirou cried out in his heart.

While everyone was enjoying their meal, the black-haired, red-eyed girl stood quietly, staring at the food on her plate, hesitating and not touching it for a long time.

"What's wrong? Nobu, aren't you going to eat?" Soji asked curiously.

'Oh no, damn it... This! This! My Hero of Justice! Has it been exposed that I kidnapped Nobu and switched him? But that doesn't make sense. If it had been exposed, this wouldn't be the reaction, would it?' The black-haired, red-eyed girl wondered inwardly.

"So why is there eggplant?! I hate eggplant the most! And you put so much in it! Eggplant is enough as a tea utensil!" The black-haired, red-eyed girl gripped her chopsticks, glared at Shirou, and said with a displeased expression.

"If you don't want to eat it, I can eat it for you. Hehehe." Soji continued while taking big bites of the fried rice on the plate.

"I'll eat it! I won't give it to you!" the black-haired, red-eyed girl shouted, because if she didn't eat it, her identity might be exposed.

"Hey, Nubo, do you have any vegetables you can't eat? I asked you before, but you didn't say anything," Shirou asked, busy cooking the next batch of side dishes.

"It's alright! I'll start eating!" Oda Nobunaga picked up a slice of eggplant, grabbed the hand holding the chopsticks with his other hand, and forcibly pushed the eggplant, which was held by his trembling hand, onto the top, and stuffed it into his mouth with great difficulty.

The moment Demon Nobunaga took a bite, he thought to himself, "Heh heh heh... Remember this, Hero of Justice! Today's humiliation will be repaid tenfold in the future... Eh? Delicious!"

As his taste buds detected the flavors of the food, Demon Nobunaga froze, slowly chewing on the eggplant and rice. "As expected... it's delicious..."

It's clearly eggplant! Those little purple eggplants! I don't know why, but now it doesn't taste greasy at all; it's very delicious. Gradually, I even find those little purple eggplants a bit tempting. Does Shirou's cooking have some kind of brainwashing effect?

Nobunaga, ate his meal one bite after another, finding it increasingly delicious with each chew.

'What's going on? Is this also a power of the Hero of Justice? The ability to make absolutely awful food delicious? How strange, ugh, this is so weird! Ugh!'

Before she knew it, she had finished the whole plate of braised rice.

Unaware that his face was covered in rice, Demon Nobunaga handed his empty plate to Shirou and shouted, "Another bowl!!!"

'Hmm? What was I planning to do again? Ah, I remember now! Of course, it was to capture Shirou, make him my beloved prisoner, and then enjoy his service in bed and the food he cooks every day!'

After that, Shirou and Aichi asked for some hay and beans for feed, and took some leftover carrots from cooking. They found the three horses on the back mountain, fed them some good-tasting food, petted them, and got to know them for a while before preparing to go up the mountain.

The bright moonlight illuminated the earth, and the steed carrying the riders had its eyes gleaming. It raised its strong, muscular hooves and walked along the familiar path. Shirou, and Nobunaga, disguised as Nobu, the Demon Nobunaga, held the reins, entrusting the task of walking to the spirited horse and letting it carry them up the mountain.

"Wait for me! Hurry up and catch up, don't stop!" The Soji behind her wasn't very used to Riding. Although she could ride during the day, she became a little nervous at night when she had to rely more on the horse. As a result, her movements made the horse uncomfortable, and the horse became nervous and restless, stopping uncooperatively every now and then.

"Whoa--!" Shirou noticed what was happening behind him, stopped his horse, and then turned around and walked towards Soji.

"Soji, just sit up there and let the horse take over. Horses have very sensitive skin and can clearly feel your movements. If you get nervous or impatient, the horse will become impatient too."

Humans only need to give instructions when necessary. Horses are very sensitive and attentive to the emotions of their companions, so they are very good at understanding and interpreting human thoughts.

The horses are tall and have a wide field of vision; they can see clearly even in the starlight. The moonlight is clear now, so the mountain path is perfectly visible to them. Besides, they came from the village, so they know the way back. We can just leave them to their care."

"Pfft--!" Shirou's stallion snorted and came to the mare riding Soji. The mare responded with a neigh, and the two horses seemed to know each other very well.

The horses beneath them rubbed against each other's necks like lovers, exchanging affections and communicating.

"The female human sitting on top of you is no good at all. You can just follow behind me. After all, the dry grass and carrots that this friendly male human fed us earlier were delicious," the stallion said.

"I know!" the mare replied with a snort.

Although Shirou and Soji couldn't understand horse language, Soji's horse walked much more smoothly after that, always following behind Shirou.

"Oh! I think I've got it! Ms. Okita is quite talented!" Soji said happily, even though she seemed to have just been sitting there doing nothing.

"Pfft--!" The mare beneath the girl showed a look of disgust.

Chapter 234 Night Raid on the Bandit Stronghold

Looking into the night sky, one can see the stars twinkling in the distance, while the bright light at the center comes from the oval moon. In the darkness, the three horses opened their eyes wide, taking in the light, and looked at the dirt road below as they walked upwards.

The moonlight is so bright tonight that even people sitting on horseback can see everything nearby clearly.

However, there is a downside: the Soji behind can clearly see the every move of the horse's rump.

As we all know, animals like horses defecate while exercising. Since they spend most of their time eating, they practically defecate while eating and running.

Riding a horse may be exhilarating, but you have to pay a price for it. Even in the best horse farms, things can still go bad.

Heaps of horse poop fell from beneath the swaying of the horse's tail.

"Pah, horse poop is so dirty!" Soji frowned and said with disgust.

The mare carrying the Soji couldn't understand why the human female on top was making such a fuss over seeing another horse just going to the toilet. Did she really want to see that? The mare simply quickened her pace and closed the distance.

The mare, while walking, deftly avoided the poop on the ground, but her back swayed so violently that the Soji quickly grabbed her neck and dared not look around anymore.

"Eh? What did I do wrong? Why am I suddenly so agitated?" Soji cried out pitifully.

The mare snorted and asked curiously, "Aren't you going to look? That round, big, muscular rump?"

After a while, the sound of flowing water could be heard. The night in the mountains was very quiet, but here it was just as lively as during the day. The small lake by the waterfall reflected the moonlight and illuminated the surroundings.

The rapids surged and crashed against the boulders below, making a loud splashing sound. The four- or five-meter-high waterfall seemed to absorb the moon's energy, resembling a luminous yellow dragon churning and twisting.

Water droplets floating in the air act like a natural air conditioner, bringing a cool breeze.

Shirou and the girls dismounted, letting the horses, which had been traveling for over a Tokiomi, stop to drink some water. Shirou then fed them some sweet carrots, which the horses liked. Soji and the black-haired, red-eyed girl also found a flat rock to sit on and rest for a while.

The two girls playfully took off their shoes, rolled up their trouser legs, and shamelessly soaked their fair legs in the water.

"Ugh! It's so cold!"

"Don't splash it this way! Take this! Haha!"

"Yay! Hahaha!"

The two girls simply lifted their feet and splashed around in the lake, playing and frolicking.

"The temperature difference is huge at night in the mountains, of course it's chilly. We're not here for sightseeing," Shirou said irritably.

As Shirou spoke, he took off a package. He had brought two packages with him on this trip. One was the weapon bag he had brought from the small town, which he had tucked behind his waist. The other one he took off was a gray-blue cloth bag that he had gotten from Aichi.

Unwrapping the package revealed several golden rice balls wrapped in large, clean leaves. These were leftovers from the second batch of steamed rice. The rest were all eaten clean.

Because there were plenty of ingredients and no greasy meat, the taste was still quite good even when it cooled down. Since a battle was about to begin, the soldiers must never be allowed to go hungry—this was Shirou's motto.

Shirou stepped forward, carrying the package, and offered the rice balls to the two girls, saying, "Here, eat up, replenish your energy, we still have a long way to go."

"Ah! Rice ball! Thank you, Shirou! How thoughtful! It's so nice to go out with you." Soji, who was already starving, picked up the rice ball and praised it happily.

"Mmm, Shirou's cooking is really good. Even his rice balls are impeccable," the black-haired, red-eyed girl remarked, savoring the food.

Shirou found a place to sit down, took out the blank sheet of paper with the notes, and said by the moonlight, "Going up to the left will take you to another hilltop, and we'll only be halfway to the bandits' location."

"Is that so? Once we get there, how should we fight?" Soji asked, drawing his sword from its sheath, its sharp, cold light gleaming.

"Why go through all that trouble? Once we get there, we'll just storm in!" the black-haired, red-eyed girl said nonchalantly.

"Let's wait until after midnight, when the bandits are most tired, then take out the patrolmen, set the houses on fire, and kill them when they come out," Shirou said seriously.

"Oh, I see! If Bad Nobu and her henchmen show up, leave it to me!" Soji said confidently.

"Our goal this time is to wear down the enemy. If we encounter danger—no, if we sense something is wrong—we'll retreat," Shirou said.

"I understand," Soji replied seriously, then flashed a fawning smile and held out both hands, saying, "So~ give me another one! Shirou ~ rice ball!"

"I really can't do anything with you," Shirou said with a helpless smile, opening the package again and handing it to the girl.

"Hehe." Soji picked up the rice ball and said with a happy smile.

"Nobu, want another one?" Shirou asked the black-haired girl beside him.

"Hmm... no, give them all to Okita, after all, I'm not in a hurry." The black-haired, red-eyed girl's eyes sparkled, and then she said with a smile.

"What? Nobu is suddenly being so generous? I really ate it all, I ate all of yours!" Soji said in surprise.

"Eat, eat," the black-haired, red-eyed girl said, spreading her hands. She thought to herself, 'Anyway, once I've won over Shirou, I won't let him cook whatever he wants to eat. Once we get up the mountain, with my beauty, I'll definitely make him fall head over heels for me in no time.'

Clack-clack, horseshoes pounded the ground as they galloped forward at a leisurely pace, finally arriving at the bandits' base after midnight.

From horseback, the view was expansive, and Shirou, with his sharp eyes, quickly spotted several wooden houses built on the hilltop, with faint lights still shining inside. At the entrance to the camp, several braziers were burning.

"Let's stop the horses here." At the edge of the woods, just a slope away from the bandits' camp, Shirou dismounted and instructed the two girls.

"Oh, how's it going, Shirou?" Soji asked.

"Yes, anyway, let's find a way to kill the night watchmen before we're exposed." Shirou untied a package and prepared to put it on his horse.

"Hey? Don't leave it here! What if the Monkey steal it? Give it to me!" Soji snatched the package containing the remaining rice balls and tied it to himself.

"Do as you please, but there won't be time to eat once you're inside."

"I know, we'll eat it on the way back after the mission is complete!" Soji said.

"That's good, wait for me a moment." Shirou said, taking the longbow off his horse. It was a bow from the village. He removed the string from the bow, reattached it, and gently pulled the string, producing a pleasant sound.

Shirou slung the quiver around his waist, tiptoed up the slope, and slowly approached.

At this moment, there were two bandits squatting against the wall in front of the camp gate, dozing off with wooden spears in their hands. Their closed eyes could be seen by the firelight.

Shirou tucked two arrows between his fingers, drew his bow, and aimed at one of the bandits from several dozen meters away.

The bowstring was drawn back, and the arrow vanished into the night in a flash.

The next moment, the bandit guarding the camp gate let out a muffled groan and collapsed.

Before the other bandit could react, an arrow pierced his forehead, and the wooden spear he was holding slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground.

This is all he can do right now.

Without magic power, one cannot Projection Noble Phantasm, and therefore cannot use Broken Phantasm.

Even for sword techniques that one is already extremely familiar with, such as the Crane Wing Triple Slash, even a weakened version, one must find a mineral that is hard, lightweight, and magnetic, which is almost an impossible task.

As for sword techniques like 'Secret Sword - Nine Lives Blade Works', there is absolutely no possibility of them being realized.

"Let's go, it seems like it's resolved." Shirou put away his longbow and beckoned to the two girls.

"As expected of Shirou, you really excel at everything!" Soji praised.

"No, these are all the little tricks I can rely on now," Shirou said with a smile. Although he had retained his archery and cooking skills, his proficiency in using other weapons was largely thanks to Muramasa's own versatility.

When the three entered the mountain stronghold, it was located at the highest point of the mountain, backed by a cliff, with a forest and bamboo grove. The surrounding area was enclosed by wooden planks driven into the ground as a fence, forming a large stronghold.

Beside the woods inside the village, there were several large wooden houses built from the inside out. The outermost building was the simplest, just a large house, which was probably where a group of ordinary mountain bandits lived together.

It was already past midnight, and the bandits inside were probably all asleep.

Shirou raised his hand to signal, and then, leading the two girls, crouched down and quietly approached the door of the nearest house, peering inside through a crack in the window.