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"Lord Nobunaga, there shouldn't be any problems now. All that's left is to detonate the gunpowder ball the moment the mole passes by... At this depth, the vibration will surely reach the mole's snout."
Takigawa Kazumasu, who was in command of the Oda family's civil engineering and construction unit, announced:
It's been a while since the Battle of Lake Yogo, but they still seem as strong as ever.
Nobunaga seems to have placed great trust in Kazumasu, and apparently has no doubts about his reports.
Nobunaga nodded with his arms crossed as he listened to Kazumasu's report, and then had the Oda family's laborers carry a large number of barrels to the vicinity of the hole.
However, it's not just any barrel.
Some of them were filled with a large amount of explosives. In short, they were improvised bombs.
From what I hear, like the cute moles that inhabited my original world, these creatures in this world are also sensitive to sound.魔物Mole
Therefore, gunpowder is used to pull out moles, which basically never come out of the ground.
You cannot damage a mole, which is a monster, with bombs.
However, it seems that it is possible to surprise them, and in this world, pulling moles out of the ground using gunpowder is called "mole fishing."
"Once the moles appear on the surface, we'll scatter the nets that the Lieutenant General has arranged around their feet to trip them. They aren't very good walkers, so it should be easy to make them fall. Once we've made them fall, we should be able to minimize the damage."
I nodded in agreement with what Kazumasu said.
Of course, we must also anticipate situations where things don't go smoothly.
The situation that we, who are in charge of the first team, must avoid at all costs is an "unexpected" situation.
The moment that situation arises, the military will be severely lacking in response capabilities and will face the risk of complete annihilation.
"So, what will you do if the mole doesn't come up for fishing right away?"
"At that point, it might be best to retreat. Fortunately, this is where the Kiso River flows... so the mole's path will naturally be limited. Then, you can just fish again in the same way."
"However, according to Lord Katsuyori's report, this mole is enormous, nearly 100 feet long. It may be questionable whether the usual amount of gunpowder will be sufficient."
When I said that, Nobunaga opened his mouth.
"In that sense, it would be best to have giant monsters deal with other giant monsters... But brother-in-law, is it not possible to mobilize that giant female monster that also showed itself during the dragon incident?"絡新婦Jorōgumo
"Well... actually, we have absolutely no idea what happened to that person, and we don't even really know what their purpose was..."
"I see, well, that's normal. Monsters are inherently beyond human control. Trying to tame them with human hands would be presumptuous... It's like trying to deal with nature itself."
As various topics came up in conversation, I stepped away for a moment and beckoned Naotsune over.
"Naotsune, I'm sorry, but... can you return to Omi immediately?"
"We have horses, so there's no problem... What would you like?"
As my trusted subordinate tilted his head in confusion, I scratched my forehead and said:
"No, I was thinking it might have been better to bring Tenkosan... or rather, Bontenmaru..."
"You mean Bontenmaru...?"
"That's right. From what I hear, this mole is enormous... Even if we manage to pull it onto land, we might have trouble dealing with it. But if we have Bontenmaru, he should be able to jump onto the mole's back. Having him on standby as a backup wouldn't be a bad idea."
"...I see, that makes sense."
Naotsune bowed and took a step back.
"Then, immediately."
"Yes, I'll take care of that. And also..."
"Anything else?"
"...Could you bring Myo along with Bontenmaru?"
I say this while picturing an electric-type cat-eared ninja.
"Myo's very existence is a means of attack against demons... I'd like to bring Takatora along as well, but he needs to be on guard at Nagahama Palace just in case."
"Understood, then... hmm."
Suddenly, Naotsune's expression changed.
Almost simultaneously, Nobunaga and his men let out growling sounds.
"...It appears the mole is approaching very close by...I can clearly see the mountain beginning to crumble...It must be as large as Lord Katsuyori said.I will return to Omi immediately and bring Bontenmaru and Myo back with me."
Naotsune suddenly turns around, mounts his horse, and rides away.
Without even having time to see them off, I returned to Nobunaga and the others.
"The mountains are collapsing one after another... Does that mean they possess incredible strength...?"
Nobunaga's brow furrowed.
"It seems that, as Lord Katsuyori said, it is indeed a considerably large mole... Even so, to think that it would destroy the forest, which is precious to both humans and monsters... Moles are truly sinful beings."
Kazumasu scratched his chin with his thumb and said to us:
"Lord Nobunaga, and Lieutenant General and Lord Katsuyori, it would be best for you to retreat to the rear. I will oversee the ignition of the gunpowder. I leave the instructions to you once the mole emerges from the surface."
"Okay, let's do that."
Nobunaga turned on his heel, and Katsuyori and I followed.
Certainly, it would be dangerous for Nobunaga or Katsuyori to be in charge of igniting the gunpowder given their positions—and as for me, I don't even know when or at what point to detonate the gunpowder.
It would be best to leave this to the expert, Kazumasu.
"As soon as the mole is caught, Lord Katsuyori and the Takeda cavalry will be tasked with killing it. We, the Oda and Asai troops, will provide support."
"Of course, that's my intention. The basic principle is that monsters released by a country should be dealt with by the people of that country."
In the distance beyond Katsuyori, who was speaking in a calm tone, one could see the mountain in the foreground crumbling away, accompanied by the tremendous sound of a landslide.
"Well then, let's welcome this impolite monster."
As he watched the earth rise, having finally reached the plains after leveling the mountains, Nobunaga's eyes gleamed brightly as he spoke.