Spear Mataza!

"This life is impossible to live!"

"Only 57 mon left. After buying rice tomorrow, we'll be out of food."

"It's worrying me to death!"

Inside an estate outside Matsukura Castle, Maeda Toshiie dropped copper coins into a pouch one by one, his face full of helplessness.

As one of Oda Nobunaga's horo guards, he had never imagined that one day he would end up dependent on others.

It would have been one thing if he alone had fallen this low, but his heavily pregnant wife was suffering alongside him. That filled Maeda Toshiie with guilt.

"Sonshiro, the meal is ready. Come eat."

Omatsu's call came from outside. Maeda Toshiie wiped his face and forced on a smile. He did not want his wife to see him in such a dejected state.

When he opened the door, Omatsu stood there with one hand braced against her waist and the other holding the meal, her belly swollen before her.

"We finished the miso yesterday. There's only brown rice today, Husband. Please do not blame me."

Hearing those gentle words and seeing his exhausted wife before him, Maeda Toshiie's eyes instantly reddened.

Just as he reached out to take Omatsu's hand, he suddenly noticed that part of her little hakama was wet.

"How could you be so careless? Your clothes are wet and you didn't even notice."

Omatsu looked down, then said in confusion, "I did not touch any water. How could they have gotten wet?"

Thirteen-year-old Omatsu still did not understand what had happened. She was simply confused.

But a thought suddenly flashed through Maeda Toshiie's mind, making him jolt. "No good—she must be about to give birth!"

"Get back inside and lie down. I'll go find a midwife!"

Maeda Toshiie burst out the door and raced toward nearby Matsukura Castle.

He was a stranger in this place and knew no one. At this moment, he treated Maeno Nagayasu—the only person with whom he had even a slight acquaintance—as a lifeline.

Yet after arriving at the samurai estate outside Matsukura Castle, Maeda Toshiie searched all around and failed to find Maeno Nagayasu.

Like Maeda Toshiie, Maeno Nagayasu had come to Matsukura Castle just to scrape together a living. After joining the Ogawa Band, he no longer lived in Matsukura Castle.

With no other choice, Maeda Toshiie could only steel himself and knock on Maeno Tokiuji's gate. However, the one who emerged after opening it was not Maeno Tokiuji, but a young samurai he had never seen before.

"And you are?"

Yamauchi Kazutoyo was also startled by the towering man at the gate. After all this time, this was the first time he had encountered such a powerfully built fellow.

"I am Maeda Matazaemon. I have an urgent matter and seek an audience with the lord of the castle." Before Maeda Toshiie had even finished speaking, he tried to rush inside.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo was startled. Maeda Matazaemon?

Wasn't that Maeda Toshiie?!

Remembering how Maeda Toshiie had chased him for several miles during the Battle of Ukino, then seeing the man in such a bedraggled state, Yamauchi Kazutoyo could not help but grin.

A few months apart, and Maeda Toshiie had fallen this far too?

"What unfortunate timing. I just asked—Lord Maeno is not home." Yamauchi Kazutoyo called out to stop Maeda Toshiie, who was forcing his way in.

"May I ask why Lord Maeda is in such a hurry to see the castle lord?"

Maeda Toshiie was like an ant on a hot pan. He could not spare a thought for anything else, and simply dropped to his knees before Yamauchi Kazutoyo.

"I am Maeda Toshiie. I only recently moved to Matsukura Castle. My wife's waters have broken, but I cannot find a midwife. I beg you to lend me aid."

At those words, Yamauchi Kazutoyo's smile vanished as well.

He hurriedly helped Maeda Toshiie to his feet. "May I ask where your wife is?"

"In the thatched hut beneath the great willow tree west of the castle. I am staying there for now," Maeda Toshiie answered quickly.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo nodded. "Lord Maeda, return first. I will summon people to help at once!"

Then he added, "I am Yamauchi Iemon. Maeno Shikibu-no-jō is my uncle. Lord Maeda, rest assured. Leave this matter to me."

"Many thanks, Lord Yamauchi!" Maeda Toshiie let out a long breath and hurriedly turned to run home.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo did not dare delay either. A human life was at stake.

Taking three steps as two, Yamauchi Kazutoyo found Maeno Tokiyuki as quickly as he could. After hearing the situation, Maeno Tokiyuki was dumbfounded as well.

Where could they find a midwife in such haste? After pondering it over, Maeno Tokiyuki simply summoned the two maidservants from his household.

Fortunately, one of the older maids had given birth before. They would have to treat a dead horse as if it were alive.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo raced all the way with the maidservants, while Maeda Toshiie had already paced anxiously around the doorway several times.

When he saw Yamauchi Kazutoyo arrive with people, tears welled in Maeda Toshiie's eyes. "Lord Yamauchi, you finally came."

"Save the pleasantries for later. These are maidservants from Maeno Shikibu-no-jō's household. They know how to deliver babies."

After pushing the maidservants inside, Yamauchi Kazutoyo turned and asked, "Where is the kitchen? First, boil some hot water."

Yamauchi Kazutoyo did not know how to deliver a child, but he still possessed basic knowledge of hygiene.

Maeda Toshiie did not understand why, but he nonetheless led Yamauchi Kazutoyo to the kitchen.

Just then, one of the maidservants who had entered first came running out in a fluster. "Good heavens, why haven't you prepared anything?"

"Do you have clean cloth?"

Maeda Toshiie shook his head.

"What about scissors?"

Maeda Toshiie shook his head again.

The maidservant immediately grew anxious. "Then what are you standing around for? Go buy them!"

Maeda Toshiie looked helplessly at the two of them. He had no money.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo saw Maeda Toshiie's embarrassment and immediately said, "Lord Maeda, stay here and boil the water. I'll be right back."

"I'm troubling you, Lord Yamauchi."

Maeda Toshiie hurriedly crouched down to light the fire, and his face was soon blackened by the smoke from the firewood.

A quarter of an hour later, Yamauchi Kazutoyo returned carrying two bolts of ramie cloth. Matsukura Castle held a market only once every six days, and today happened to be a marketless day. He could not buy silk, only ramie cloth.

After Maeda Toshiie delivered the items inside, he was chased back out. The two grown men stood at the doorway, staring wide-eyed at each other.

"Lord Maeda, what is going on here?"

"Aren't you one of Oda Kazusa-no-suke's horo guards?" Yamauchi Kazutoyo asked as he wiped away sweat.

Maeda Toshiie pressed himself against the door, listening to the sounds within. Distracted, he answered, "It is a long story. My mind is in turmoil at the moment, and I truly have no heart to speak of anything else. I hope Lord Yamauchi will forgive me."

Omatsu's agonized cries rang out from inside. Every one of them felt like a blade cutting across Maeda Toshiie's heart.

Seeing that Maeda Toshiie was in no mood for idle talk, Yamauchi Kazutoyo did not press him.

To Yamauchi Kazutoyo, encountering Maeda Toshiie at Matsukura Castle was a surprise blessing. He had been constantly worrying over how to enter the service of the Oda clan without any connections, yet had opportunity not delivered itself right to his door?

To gain an audience with Oda Nobunaga, he needed an intermediary with enough standing.

Unfortunately, his mother Hoshūni had moved to Kitagata Castle. Otherwise, if Hoshūni had helped with the delivery today, Maeda Toshiie would have owed him an enormous favor.

"Waaah!"

Just as the two men nursed their own thoughts, a baby's cry sounded from within the house.

Maeda Toshiie collapsed to the ground like a heap of mud. The enormous pressure suddenly lifting nearly caused him to faint outright.

"Congratulations, my lord. Mother and daughter are both safe."

The sweat-drenched maidservant opened the door. She called to Maeda Toshiie on the ground for quite some time, but he showed no reaction.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo reached out and gave Maeda Toshiie a push. "Lord Maeda, your wife has delivered."

"She really gave birth?"

"Haha, I'm a father!" Maeda Toshiie sprang three feet into the air. In his excitement, he wrapped Yamauchi Kazutoyo in a bear hug.

A tremendous force squeezed down upon him, nearly crushing Yamauchi Kazutoyo's lunch out of his stomach.

"Lord Yamauchi, please wait a moment. Let me go in and see Omatsu, then I will return to receive you properly."

Maeda Toshiie bowed deeply, then excitedly pushed open the door.

Before long, Maeda Toshiie's laughter could be heard from within.

"It's a daughter. She looks just like me!"

Inside the thatched hut, Maeda Toshiie was still beside himself with joy, the smile on his face carving wrinkles into it.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo had someone send Omatsu and her daughter to Maeno Tokiyuki's estate in Matsukura Castle to recuperate. Only then could the two men finally sit down and talk properly.

"Congratulations, Lord Maeda. Have you named your daughter yet?" Yamauchi Kazutoyo asked with a smile.

Maeda Toshiie slapped his thigh. "For Omatsu and our daughter to come through this safely is one of life's greatest blessings. Then let us name our daughter Sachi."

"Little Sachi?"

"A fine name."

Maeda Toshiie grinned foolishly for a long while before suddenly sitting upright. "Earlier, my mind was in chaos and I neglected proper courtesy. Today, I truly owe everything to Lord Yamauchi."

"Please accept my bow!" Maeda Toshiie clenched his fists and braced them on the floor, bent at the waist, and heavily struck his forehead against the floorboards.

He was sincerely grateful to Yamauchi Kazutoyo. Too many pregnant women died in childbirth these days. Maeda Toshiie did not dare imagine how he could go on living if he lost Omatsu.

"It was no more than a small effort. Lord Maeda, there is no need for such formality."

Maeda Toshiie settled back down, then seemed to recall something. Slowly, he said, "Speaking of the Yamauchi surname, could it be that Yamauchi Tajima-no-kami of Iwakura Castle...?"

"That was my father," Yamauchi Kazutoyo replied.

Maeda Toshiie's expression tightened, and reverence filled his face. "So Iemon is the son of Yamauchi Tajima-no-kami!"

"At the Battle of Iwakura, when the castle fell, all the others surrendered. Only Yamauchi Tajima-no-kami fought until the very last moment, and only after his strength was spent did he cut open his belly and depart this world."

"Upon hearing of it, my lord also greatly praised Yamauchi Tajima-no-kami's loyalty, calling him the foremost man of loyalty and righteousness in Owari!"

"Now that I have met Iemon, the saying truly proves itself: a tiger father does not beget a dog son!" Maeda Toshiie could not help but sigh.

Perhaps Maeda Toshiie himself had not noticed, but the way he addressed Yamauchi Kazutoyo had changed from "Lord Yamauchi" to "Iemon."

If Maeda Toshiie's earlier attitude toward Yamauchi Kazutoyo had merely come from gratitude, then by now he was clearly treating Yamauchi Kazutoyo as a samurai of equal standing.

Seizing the moment, Yamauchi Kazutoyo said, "While my father was alive, he often taught me to treat others kindly. If I encountered a samurai in distress, I was to help him without sparing any effort. Only thus could I avoid betraying the way of the warrior."

As he spoke, Yamauchi Kazutoyo's gaze dimmed and his voice gradually sank. "Sadly, I can no longer hear my late father's teachings."

Maeda Toshiie nodded approvingly. Though it was their first meeting, Yamauchi Kazutoyo's words and conduct had earned his approval.

"By the way, why is Lord Maeda at Matsukura Castle?" Yamauchi Kazutoyo wiped at the corner of his eye. Tears or no tears, it was best to wipe first.

Maeda Toshiie let out a long sigh. "That is quite a long story..."