I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Just then, Kubota Kiyone, who was standing to the side, sipped her miso soup and slowly said:

“Nan Gu, there’s no need to be so upset about this.”

"Indeed, France is a world-leading power that can rival England. Even the United States and Russia cannot compare to it."

"However, in my opinion, France is currently struggling to protect itself!"

"Putting aside everything else, their internal problems alone are enough to give their emperor a real headache."

"Their form of government has been changed again and again in just a few decades, with no end in sight."

“One moment it’s an empire where ‘imperial power is supreme,’ and the next it’s a republic that ‘neither wants a king nor a nobleman.’”

"One moment it's the Bourbon dynasty, the next it's the Orleans dynasty."

"Their current emperor is neither Bourbon nor Orléans, but a man named Louis Napoleon Bonaparte. It's all very chaotic!"

"France is not a monolithic entity, and it is not impossible that large-scale turmoil will occur in the future, leading to another dramatic change in the form of government."

"Moreover, in addition to their internal troubles, their external threats should not be underestimated."

"As far as I know, in the heart of the European continent, there is a country called 'Prussia' that is rapidly rising."

"In my opinion, Prussia will pose a great threat to France sooner or later. If we don't quickly find a way to deal with the rise of the former, the latter will definitely be in big trouble."

From the moment he arrived, Qingdeng had been acting as the “perfect listener,” remaining silent and simply listening attentively.

Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for this "all-around martial artist".

Kuboda Kiyone has a sharp eye and makes very accurate judgments.

Although Qing Deng was not familiar with 19th-century world history, he knew that if history had not been affected by his time travel, then in 1870, several years later, France would have been utterly defeated by Prussia in the Battle of Sedan.

The famous historical painting is in my high school history textbook—the King of Prussia, surrounded by his officers, is crowned Emperor in the Palace of Versailles in France.

Because the act of being crowned in the enemy's palace was so impressive, Qing Deng was deeply impressed by the painting and also remembered this famous historical event.

……

……

At this very moment—

Edo, the Thousand Things Shop—

Mr. Kiryu sat behind the counter, flipping through the ledgers laid out on the table.

Because Kinoshita Mai had gone to witness Seito's "Military Campaign," only the old man and the lazy orange cat remained in the large shop.

Just then, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded from afar outside the shop door.

*Click-clack*—After hearing the shop door being pushed open, Kiryu calmly closed the ledger in front of him and said in a formulaic, calm tone:

"Welcome, light..."

"Mr. Kiryu! You absolutely have to help us!"

Upon hearing that familiar, aged male voice, Mr. Kiryu quickly looked up and blinked in surprise.

"Hmm? Mr. Ungulem?"

Mr. Angoulême… that is, Anthony, quickly took off the snow hat and face mask he used to cover his face, and then eagerly rushed to Mr. Kiryu’s side.

"Mr. Kiryu! Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened!"

Anthony's sudden visit and the series of unusual actions he has shown have caused Kiryu to involuntarily frown.

"Mr. Angoulême, please calm down. What exactly happened?"

Listening to Kiryu's advice, Anthony's expression finally calmed down a bit.

He swallowed hard, then subconsciously glanced behind him, as if to make sure no one was following him, and said in a trembling voice, trying to suppress his urges:

"Mr. Kiryu! He... he's caught up with us!"

Even though Anthony hadn't explicitly stated who "he" referred to, Kiryu was still taken aback for a moment, then his expression darkened as if he instantly understood something.

"...Mr. Angoulême, please tell me the details of what happened, one by one. First, please tell me: how did you know he was coming after us? Did you see his men?"

Anthony shook his head:

I did not see any of his subordinates.

“But for more than half a month now, Leroy and I have frequently discovered unidentified ronin spying on our house.”

"At first, I thought I was just overthinking it."

“Until recently, Leroy and I always felt like we were being followed whenever we went out.”

“As you know, thanks to that man, Leroy and I are both very good at detecting when someone is following us…”

After listening, Mr. Kiryu nodded thoughtfully.

"I see... In that case, we should indeed prepare for the worst."

He paused, then murmured with a helpless expression:

“That guy is really persistent... You have already fled Europe, crossed the ocean with great difficulty, and come to this Far Eastern country thousands of miles away, but he still won’t let you go.”

Anthony lowered his eyelids, looking dejected.

"For him, Elodie is his dream, his hope... He wouldn't give up so easily..."

"Is Miss Angoulême aware that 'you are being monitored'?"

Anthony was silent for a moment, then sighed heavily:

“I didn’t tell her… If possible, I hope she can stay away from all that trouble…”

Mr. Kiryu nodded slightly.

"Yes, that makes sense. I can understand. Miss Angoulême has already endured enough pressure and suffering."

"...Mr. Kiryu."

Anthony, who had been hanging his head since earlier, suddenly clenched his fists and took a deep breath.

"I know my request is unreasonable... but... but... please help us one more time! We can't stay in Edo any longer, we have to move again! To a place even farther away!"

After saying that, he forcefully raised his head and cast a hopeful glance at Mr. Kiryu.

"Further away...where do you mean?"

Mr. Kiryu lowered his eyelids, appearing to be deep in thought.

"The domains of Oshu? Ezo? Or some other country?"

"I don't know... anywhere is fine, as long as it's safe and a place where Elodie can grow up peacefully and happily!"

"..."

"..."

A heavy silence settled between the two.

One side remained silent, while the other waited anxiously.

After about 10 seconds, the hesitation finally turned into sound:

“…Mr. Angoulême, let me be frank: your request is indeed very difficult.”

"Our Gourd House may have a large number of people, but we are not so powerful as to be omnipotent."

"Previously, you settled in Osaka under the Lord's arrangement."

"After the anti-foreign sentiment grew stronger in the Kinai region, you moved to Edo three years ago for fear of being implicated."

"And now, you are leaving Edo and heading to a safer new place."

"Frankly speaking, in Japan today, apart from Osaka and Edo, it would be hard to find a safer place than these two cities."

At this point in the conversation, Mr. Kiryu seemed to remember something and paused.

When he spoke again, his tone was more indifferent.

"Furthermore... to put it bluntly: your relationship with my Gourd House is not deep enough for us to go through fire and water for you and protect you regardless of the cost."

Anthony looked completely bewildered.

Anxiety, unease, and trepidation... these three emotions were beautifully mixed on his aged, round face.

"..."

He didn't speak.

He just silently lowered his head and slumped his shoulders, his expression filled with helplessness, as if he had shrunk a lot.

The dying sunlight shone on him through the window, making him look like a weightless ghost.

For a moment, silence and dejection dominated the entire Senjiya.

Suddenly, Mr. Kiryu spoke up out of the blue:

"Although I've put it this way... I'm not some kind of demon after all."

As Kiryu spoke, he adopted a gentler expression and tone.

"Before the young master met Tachibana-kun, Miss Angoulême was her only friend."

"For this reason alone, I will not stand idly by and watch you perish."

Upon hearing this, Anthony froze on the spot.

Immediately afterwards, the wrinkles on his face smoothed out.

Gratitude, excitement, and other emotions, like flower buds, were waiting to bloom on her cheeks.

However, before these "flowers" could even bloom, Mr. Kiryu lowered his voice and said quietly:

“Well then, Mr. Angoulême, I have a suggestion—you should move to Kyoto.”

In an instant… truly in a split second, the gratitude and excitement that Anthony hadn't yet shown on his face transformed into shock and terror…

"Kyoto? Mr. Kiryu, you...you're not kidding me, are you?"

"Of course I'm not joking with you. I'm very serious."

"This, this... Kyoto... Isn't Kyoto about to go to war? And isn't Kyoto the place most hostile to foreigners and the place with the strongest anti-foreign sentiment? Kyoto is full of radical anti-foreign patriots who kill any foreigners or people who advocate opening the country! No foreigner dares to go to Kyoto at all!"