127 The Coercion of Fate

Though he had agreed to become the future Patriarch, that didn't mean Nobu was ready to assume the position any time soon. His primary focus at the moment was becoming stronger and learning more about the world he currently lived in. Thus, while they did briefly discuss his ascension to the position of Patriarch, most of the conversation revolved around settling the dispute in Asai.

As there was bound to be some backlash regarding Nobu's return, performing well in Asai would make things a lot easier for him moving forward. When it came down to it, the people didn't really care who was in charge, only that they were capable of getting things done. So long as Nobu could prove himself, the support of the people would naturally follow.

With this in mind, it was decided that Nobu would spend the next six to nine months focusing on increasing the strength of himself and his allies. It would only take a handful of people at the Fifth Realm to put pressure on the entirety of Asai. If they had a Mithril Lord on their side, the matter was all but settled.

Due to Nobu's decision to cultivate the Breath Progression Technique, the Mithril that had been reserved for him could be given to someone else. The most obvious choice for this was Yui, but, as she would be giving birth a few months before the deployment, Senichi surprised both Nobu and Senken by suggesting they give it to Nohime.

Recognizing the name, Nobu was unsurprised to learn that Nohime was the name of the woman he assumed to be his fiancee. Unfortunately, this was a misunderstanding on his part, as, for the sake of maintaining a cooperative relationship with the Mino Province, Nohime had been married to him posthumously.

When Nobu first learned this, his desire to beat the shit out of his predecessors reached an all-time high. What made the situation even worse was the knowledge that Nohime had been living at the Oda Clan since she was eight. In other words, she had been forced to leave her home and conduct bridal training in spite of the fact that he had already been reported dead. After that, she was kept in the Inner Sanctum before being compelled to perform a wedding and mourning ceremony at the mind-numbingly young age of twelve.

In essence, Nohime had already been Nobu's wife for six, going on seven years. He had the option of divorcing her, but, knowing what she had been forced to endure as a result of his decision, Nobu didn't have the heart to make such a decision arbitrarily. It didn't help that, Saitō Dōsan, the Lord of the Mino Province, had ceded more than thirty percent of his land as part of Nohime's dowry. Land that the people of Owari had spent the better part of a decade developing...

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Though he wanted to act like it wasn't his problem, Nobu was the most aware of how his decision had influenced his life and the lives of the people around him. Had he accepted his reincarnation without incident, he could have prevented this situation, or, at the very least, got to know Nohime while they were still young. Instead, his selfishness ended up derailing the lives of countless people all because he wanted to keep his dick and avoid a bit of awkwardness. Now, each and every day of his reincarnation reinforced the idea he had fucked up beyond compare...

If he were being perfectly honest with himself, Nobu couldn't deny that a part of him just wanted to tell everyone to go fuck themselves. He didn't want to deal with any of this shit, and, were it not for the fact he felt a sense of obligation towards the people whose lives had been ruined as a result of his decision, he would have run away or yeeted himself.

Knowing how frustrating the next couple of years were going to be, especially once things began to pick up, Nobu found himself seriously considering just ending things. He, truthfully speaking, didn't even know how to take responsibility for his own life, much less the lives of others. Bombshells such as his reincarnated mother being his younger sister didn't help. In fact, it was like a kick in the dick to his motivation as the thing that had been fueling him up until that exact moment was his desire to return home. Now, not only did he have unnecessary knowledge regarding his mother's kinks, he would need to protect her as eight other reincarnators turned the world into a fucking playground...

When he looked at everything subjectively, Nobu couldn't help feeling dismayed. He didn't want to sound like a bitch, but this wasn't what he had signed up for when he reincarnated. It was one thing to face difficulties in a new world. He could even tolerate inordinate amounts of pain and loneliness so long as he kept it to himself. Trying to be a decent person and a good leader? These were things he had never even wanted to be. Now, he had to play the part fate had decided for him, and, every time he thought he was beginning to get things under control, he was blindsided and kicked in the metaphorical dick by yet another revelation related to a single fucking decision he had made in the past...

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While waiting to meet his wife of seven years for the very first time, innumerable negative thoughts plagued Nobu's mind. He found himself regretting his decision to become Patriarch, and, though it made him feel like a piece of shit, he was even regretting knocking up Inami and Yui. The latter was clearly not ready to be a mother, and, as far as he knew, Inami was the agent of Inari. Things might be going well between them, but, depending on how things played out in the future, shit could hit the fan in an instant...

"What the fuck am I doing...?"

As that question parted his lips, an incomparably dismal thought crossed Nobu's mind. He began to feel as though the reality of reincarnation had stripped his life of meaning. The notion that he could just kill himself and start over in another world was a surprisingly heavy burden. He imagined this was the reason he couldn't openly discuss it, as, the moment the poor and downtrodden of society became aware of how their perspective influenced their afterlife, they would simply off themselves rather than deal with the shitty hand they had been dealt.

The more he thought about his current predicament, the more Nobu felt as though his life was being deliberately manipulated by the Gods, or, even worse, some asshole sitting at a computer. Everything that happened to him seemed to be geared towards forcing him to accept his current predicament. The reincarnation of his mother, in particular, was especially sinister as his only real options at this point were to swallow his indignation or convince a three-month-old to perform a suicide pact with him...

"..."

Resisting the urge to get up and punch a hole in the wall, Nobu willfully ignored the fact he was supposed to be waiting for his wife and laid down. He had developed the inconvenient habit of thinking about the consequences of his actions these past couple of months so he could easily imagine what would happen if he jumped off a cliff with his reincarnated mother in his arms. His newer mother would most likely lose her mind, and, depending on how Hitomi handled things, it wasn't difficult to imagine Yui and the rest following his example.

"I really fucking hate this world..."

Though it wasn't the first time he had uttered such words, Nobu felt as though he meant them more and more with each repetition. Unfortunately, no amount of complaining would have any effect on his present situation, so, after staring listlessly at the ceiling for several mind-numbing minutes, he eventually sat up and began fiddling around with the stone tablet. He didn't want to admit it but he really didn't have any other choice but to do his best, so, understanding the stone tablet was the key to 'fixing' everything, Nobu's eyes focused on the gently glowing screen as he thumbed through every single tab like a lab analyst trying to find the cure for a pandemic.

Unfortunately, just as Nobu felt as though he was starting to get his groove back, a soft tapping could be heard outside before the door slid open to reveal an emotionless-looking woman with long black hair and dark eyes. This caused Nobu's brows to crease into a frown, not because of the woman, but because someone else was missing.

"Where's Yui...?"

Squinting her eyes, Nohime closed the sliding bamboo door behind her before offering a polite bow and saying, "It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance...Danna..."

Inhaling a deep breath, Nobu did his best to restrain his rapidly growing anger. He was starting to get really annoyed by the fact other people were having Yui run off and do whatever the fuck they wanted. It might sound possessive of him but she was supposed to obey his commands. The fact he hadn't even seen her in nearly twenty-four hours seriously starting to irk him.

Fortunately, thanks to the Breath Progression Technique, Nobu was able to calm down much faster than he otherwise would have been able to. Excess oxygen could give rise to feelings of euphoria, and, more importantly, it helped to focus the mind. In other words, Nobu could get high whenever he wanted, but, instead of experiencing a mental haze, his concentration and reaction time would increase to superhuman levels.

After forcibly calming himself, Nobu surprised Nohime by rising to his feet and approaching her directly. His height allowed him to tower over her, and, due to his lack of control, the difference in their cultivation bases caused Nobu to exude a natural pressure as he adopted a serious expression and said, "I'm not going to pussyfoot around the issue. I don't give a damn about this marriage. I'll do my best to make things work but I'm going to need you to tell me about your intentions, hopes, dreams, and pretty much everything else you can think of related to the future. You've had the last ten years to think, start talking..."

Though he had wanted to start things off by apologizing, Nohime's casual dismissal of his previous question had left a bad taste in his mouth. Her apathetic countenance also made her appear cold and calculating. There was a good chance she had become this was as a result of his decision, but, even if that was the case, there wasn't really anything he could do about that. If she turned out to be a cold and ruthless bitch, he wasn't going to have anything to do with her.

As if her knees weren't shaking as a result of the pressure exuding from Nobu's body, Nohime managed to stare into his eyes without so much as a trace of fear in her own. Such sentiments had faded from her mind years ago, so, now that she was finally face-to-face with the man she had built her entire life around, she felt more excited than anything else. It didn't really show on her face, but, after spending years surrounded by people who would readily exploit her, concealing her emotions had become second nature.

Offering the slightest of smiles, a plan began to form within Nohime's mind as she answered, "Very well. If that is what Danna desires, it is only natural that I comply..." Then, without even suggesting they take a seat, she proceeded to answer each of his questions without breaking eye contact even a single time...

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(A/N: I feel like Nobu would try and beat the shit out of me if we ever met...)