I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Page 1497

"Grandpa, you can rest assured about my personal safety."

As she spoke, she patted her chest, chuckled a few times, and struck a carefree and nonchalant pose.

"The pro-imperial forces, led by Choshu, have withdrawn from Kyoto."

"This town is no longer as dangerous as it used to be."

"Besides, my position is the head of the department, which is in charge of abacuses and ledgers."

"I spend most of my time in heavily guarded garrisons."

"If the Zunyang faction wants to harm me, it won't be so easy."

From ideals to reality... Elodie brought her eloquence to its fullest potential.

Her eloquent speech commanded the respect of everyone present.

To ease the divide between the two nations... It is truly admirable that someone so young has such lofty aspirations.

However... it must be said that Elodie's ambition is indeed too idealistic.

As she just said, her personal efforts could not fundamentally change a dispute of this scale.

However, Qingdeng does not dislike this kind of idealist who "looks up at the stars but keeps his feet on the ground".

Based on her courage to put her ideas into practice, those petty scoundrels who just want to coast along have no right to criticize them.

After Elodie finished speaking, Qing Deng quietly turned his gaze and stared straight at Anthony.

Whether it was Qing Deng, Kinoshita Mai, or Elodie, everyone present was waiting for Anthony's reply.

As expected—Anthony frowned, his features almost scrunched up, his expression dominated by intense hesitation.

His conflicted feelings are not hard to understand.

Although the head of the department does not need to be on the front line, their safety level is undoubtedly much higher compared to other positions.

But... whenever Anthony thought of the brutality of the Extremists, whenever he thought of their abyssal malice towards Westerners, he felt a chill run down his spine, as if he had thorns in his back.

Elodie was his only granddaughter and his only relative in this faraway land.

It's highly unlikely that Anthony would accept it immediately, given that his granddaughter was leaving her safe haven and entering a complex jungle.

To reassure him, Qingdeng spoke in a firm and resolute tone:

"Mr. Angoulême, please rest assured."

"Since I dare to recruit Elodie, I have the confidence to guarantee her personal safety."

Even if a million-strong army attacks, I will never allow Elodie to suffer the slightest harm!

Anthony: "..."

Deng's impassioned speech did indeed make Anthony's expression look better.

However... he remained silent.

They neither agreed nor disagreed.

Seeing that Anthony remained silent for a long time, Elodie pursed her lips.

A moment later, she suddenly let out a dry, self-deprecating laugh:

"Hahahaha..."

"Although I just said a lot of nice things."

"But actually..."

As the conversation abruptly shifted, she slowly lowered her head, gazing at the tatami mat in front of her, as if she were shy and dared not look at anyone.

"'Easing the divide between the two nations'...that is only one of my goals."

“My other purpose was purely selfish—I wanted to be in a lively place with my master and dancers.”

I hate being alone.

"I really don't want to..."

She paused at this point.

Immediately afterwards, she took a deep breath, gathering her strength and emotion:

"I really don't want to be all alone in this big house anymore..."

The instant Elodie finished speaking, Anthony's expression changed like that of an ice cube placed under the blazing sun.

The hesitation in his expression faded visibly, replaced by shame and heartache...

……

Osaka, a teahouse—

With a whoosh, Mr. Kiryu pushed open the paper sliding door in front of him.

Sunlight streamed through the crack in the door and into the room, making the dust particles in the air sparkle under the light.

"...Kuro, it's been a long time."

An aged woman's voice came from inside the room.

Mr. Kiryu smiled slightly:

"My lord, I'm back."

Having said that, he strode forward and entered the room.

Although the tea room is quite large, its decor is surprisingly simple.

The paper sliding doors that surround the entire tea room are the kind that are very common on the market, not the kind of luxury items painted with elaborate ukiyo-e prints.

The only piece of furniture in the room was a screen depicting the famous historical event of "the water attack on Takasatsu".

[Note: The Water Attack on Takamatsu: A classic tactic employed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he used a water attack to capture Takamatsu Castle belonging to the Mori clan.]

In front of this screen, an elderly woman with white hair sat peacefully.

The old woman was very short, only about 1.5 meters tall, with a full head of silver hair without a single blemish.

Judging from her appearance alone, she is at least eighty years old.

Although his features are not considered conventionally handsome, there is a unique air of heroism about him.

Although she was already in her sixties, just like Mr. Kiryu, her eyes sparkled with a vitality no less than that of a young person.

At first glance, she appears to be just a well-maintained and elegant lady.

However... the identity of this old woman, whom Kiryu-sensei addressed as "Lord," is already quite obvious.

She is none other than Kinoshita Mai's grandmother and the head of the Gourd House—Kinoshita Rin!

Kinoshita Rin raised her eyes and carefully examined Kiryu-sensei from head to toe.

"Jiulang, it's been a while since I last saw you, and the wrinkles on your face seem to have lessened."

The Kiryu boss smiled:

"Perhaps it's because I've been encountering a lot of happy things lately."

There's a saying that goes, "A cheerful disposition leads to a long and healthy life."

In terms of social status, they were definitely 'ruler and subject'.

However, in terms of their actual behavior, the distance between the two is actually quite subtle.

Kiryu, the boss, sat cross-legged in front of Kinoshita Rin in a very casual and natural manner, their knees almost touching.

Kinoshita Rin didn't care at all and let him do such an intimate thing.

This kind of relationship... is less like that of a ruler and his subjects and more like that of close friends.

"My lord, let me be frank—why have you suddenly summoned me back to Osaka?"

"Jiulang, it's rare for us to meet again, can't we talk about something happy first?"

Although she was making sarcastic remarks, Kinoshita Rin quietly put away her teasing expression and adopted a solemn demeanor.

“Kuro, a spy lurking in Hakodate reports that 'Myo-oh' appeared at Hakodate Port eight days ago.”

[Note: Hakodate was a city in southern Ezo (present-day Hokkaido).]

The moment Kiryu heard the name "Myo-oh," it was as if he had been struck by a powerful electric current; his whole body stiffened abruptly, and his pupils constricted.

"...Is what you said true?"

Kinoshita Rin nodded slightly.

"Although I don't know why that guy was at Hakodate Port, I guess he probably wanted to take a ship back to the mainland."

"..."

The Kiryu boss was silent for a moment, then murmured softly:

"So that's how it is... You little brat... So you've been hiding in Ezo all this time...!"

In the blink of an eye, Mr. Kiryu suddenly reached out and grabbed the sword at his side, then stood up, intending to leave the place.

However, he had barely turned around when Kinoshita Rin let out a powerful low growl:

"Kuroro, come back."

Mr. Kiryu paused, stopped in his tracks, and turned halfway to the side.

"My lord..."

"Don't be impulsive, calm down."