"Master Miura. Kitajo-san has returned."

Shibata said, after she had quietly opened the door.

A smile lit up Gengyo's face. It was finally time for some movement. He had been toying with the rifle for days, but without the presence of a smith, his progress was limited.

"Send him in."

Was his firm – yet eager – response.

The maid bowed lightly, and disappeared, and then, taking her place, came a familiar young man, who had once been so skinny and frail that it looked like the wind was a serious threat on his life, for it was liable to blow him away. Now he stood strong, and had a respectable amiunt of lean mass on him. His gaze was firm and confident, crafted by all the experience he had acc.u.mulated.

"Welcome home, Kitajo."

Gengyo said warmly. He was happy to see him. Ever since he had received the message that the ship was complete, all he could think about was their mission, and he lamented not being there to fight alongside them.

"I'm back, Miura."

He replied, sitting down with a smile. Clearly he bore good news, and Gengyo waited on it expectantly.

"Well?"

"It worked. It was just as Isabella said, and we've got more ore than we know what to do with."

He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Perfect. Any injuries or complications?"

"No injuries, everyone is fine. Though it did take longer than we expected to load the ore, because there was so much of it, so we ended up getting caught by the city guard."

"Oh?"

His attention was captured, and he ran a finger along his jawline scar, anticipating his response.

"They blocked our path, but Morohira only ordered that we go faster. We crushed them. 50 men lie at the bottom, and we still stand strong."

"Haha!"

He laughed, genuinely amused at that. It sounded very much like his father. This was exactly what he hoped would happen with putting Morohira in charge, but there were always unexpected things that were liable to happen, so it was good to have validation.

"The black-flagged ship will have a bounty on it by now. You will need to move carefully."

He warned, anticipating how the city guard would react to their defeat.

"Yes, Morohira was saying something of the same. Morojo and his boys are busy making stairs so we can unload the ore. After that, they're going to repair the ship, and reinforce it."

"Good."

Gengyo said with a nod. He was pleased that Morojo had decided to stay on and continue working for them. He made a mental note to give him a handsome portion of the gold they sold the iron for, to keep him appeased.

"You'll be needing more carts for the iron, then?"

He guessed. If it was anywhere near what Isabella had promised, then they would need three carts at least.

"Yes, that's one of the things I've come for."

"What about Rin and Akiko? How did they perform?"

He asked, allowing a hint of concern to enter his voice.

"They were fine. No injuries. They were an asset to our team."

He responded, knowing exactly why he was asking such a question.

"Good. That's good."

He reaffirmed, more to himself than Kitajo. He was still having difficulty knowingly putting them into danger, but they had been adamant about it. And they were undoubtedly skilled. Both women were extremely talented, and with the right amount of training, they could, in time, surpass some of the older members.

"Now, Kitajo, I want your opinion."

He prefaced his question, so that the lad would give it his fullest attention.

"As you wish, Miura."

"Is Morohira fit to lead?"

He purposefully referred to his father by given name, because this was not a familial matter and he did not wish to bring the question of family into it.

From what he had been told, his father had performed admirably. But anecdotal evidence was almost no evidence at all. He needed the honest account of someone who had served under him.

"Without a doubt."

Came his immediate reply. He did not even need to take time to think, which reassured Gengyo that it was truthful. When Gengyo did not say anything in response, he continued, and explained his reasoning.

"He is a man we can all get along with. And though he can be irritating a lot of the time - with his jokes and pranks – you can certainly trust in him when it comes to combat. I do not think he even knows what fear is. Both times, as we boarded the sh.i.p.s, he was the first to charge in. When you have someone like him at the front, then there's no backing out."

He explained how he felt clearly, and precisely, allowing Gengyo to understand exactly what it was like. When you heard him speak like this, it was startling. His newfound maturity was so vastly different to the skittish lad who had cried for fear of death in his first battle.

What he said was exactly what Gengyo wished to hear, and was greatly reassuring.

"Excellent. Thank you."

He responded, lapsing into thought. Morohira had responded unflinchingly to the challenge that leadership presented, and it was clear that he would do more than a satisfactory job of raising fear for the black ship in Toyokawa. He had likely already achieved it, he reckoned.

"You've done well. Go and spend the evening with your family – I'll see you tomorrow."

Kitajo responded with a light bow.

"See you tomorrow, Miura."

He said, as he began to walk towards the door.

'It worked then.'

Gengyo thought to himself. His outlandish plan had worked. Spending all that money on buying a ship, and upgrading it, had proved to be ingenious. He expected around 4,000 gold from the iron they sold. There was a big demand for it, with the war that was on, and they held huge quantities.

From a business perspective, it had been the perfect investment, as he more than doubled the money he put in. But there was far more to come, he reckoned. They would get the iron sold, and he would send Isabella back to Toyokawa to observe the sh.i.p.s once more, and then they would pick their next target. A routine would be established, and they would ensure a constant income.

In a matter of days his input would no longer be needed, and they would be able to function autonomously, raiding, and then selling materials as per routine, allowing their treasury to mount up. They were well on their way to contesting Imagawa, even if it was just in finances.

Then, It would be his turn. He would take a portion of what they sold, and look for men to begin their army with. The anticipation was almost suffocating. As well as men, he wanted to find a smith. Or perhaps even multiple smiths. The more the better.