I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

She was around 20 years old, with glossy black hair tied in a neat high ponytail.

It's worth mentioning that her outfit was very distinctive.

It's easy to see that she's wearing a dark black kimono, but it's been cut up beyond recognition.

First, both sleeves were cut off, exposing the arms below the shoulders.

Her belt wasn't the common wide style that covered her entire belly, but a very delicate Western-style leather belt that accentuated her slender waist.

Perhaps to improve mobility, her hem was cut very short, reaching all the way to mid-thigh, making her look exceptionally cool.

Her two small feet were not wearing shoes or socks, but rather thick black tabi socks.

Tabi socks and socks are two different things.

Socks are just socks, while tabi socks are more like a combination of shoes and socks.

Some high-quality tabi socks can be worn directly as shoes, and you won't feel any discomfort or blisters even when walking in the wild.

Is he dead?

The woman asked.

"Ah."

The man responded succinctly, then slowly laid Nitta Toranosuke's body flat on the ground.

Immediately afterwards, he clasped his hands together and whispered with a devout expression:

"Gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate, bodhi svaha!"

……

……

The only sound on the narrow country road was Mael's footsteps.

Suddenly, two people emerged from the bushes by the roadside in front of him, blocking his way.

Upon seeing the person's face clearly, Mael immediately frowned.

"Ox-demon? Wet woman? What are you doing here?"

As he asked the question, he looked down at the bull demon... that is, the hemp rope in the man's hand.

The beautiful woman, called "Nuruma," smiled slightly.

“Mr. Orleans, although we do not know what you talked about at the Orange House just now, it seems that you were not well received.”

"Just now, a guy was following you."

"This person is quite skilled, and his tracking techniques are very sophisticated."

"If I'm not mistaken, he should be a ninja from the 9th Division of the Shinsengumi."

"However, you can rest assured now."

"We've already cleaned your bottom."

As soon as Ru Nu finished speaking, Niu Gui raised the hemp rope in his hand.

Upon hearing this, Mael's face immediately darkened.

"...Ox-demon, Wet Woman, thank you for your hard work."

The woman smiled gently.

"You're welcome, it's our duty."

"They actually sent someone to follow me..."

As Mael spoke, he turned his head and looked into the distance... or more precisely, into the distant Orange Mansion.

"Mr. Orleans, please forgive my impertinence, but would your daughter be willing to return to your side?"

Mael replied coldly:

"Does this even need to be asked? You can tell the answer just by looking at my expression, right?"

The woman with wet hands shrugged, feigning innocence.

"Please forgive me, my daughter did not ask knowingly, nor did she intend to mock you, she just wanted to confirm."

"Hmph! Alice has changed quite a bit in the years I haven't seen her."

“If it were the old her, no matter how much courage she had, she would never have dared to disobey my orders.”

"And now... this is the first time I've ever heard Alice speak to me in this tone."

"What a troublesome heir...!"

"Fine!"

"Let her be willful for a while longer."

"It's a pity, but I really don't have the ability to snatch people away from 'Niou' right now."

"We'll just have to be patient for now."

"The successor is certainly important."

"However, the 'Heavenly Spear' is the most important thing right now."

"Everything else can be postponed."

Upon hearing this, Ru Nu immediately cast a joyful glance at the other party.

"Mr. Orleans, well said!"

"Both of us have been preparing for the 'Heavenly Marsh Spear' for a long time."

"A long wait, all for that moment when the toss is cast!"

"Once we unleash the 'Amanuma Spear,' the Shogunate and the Hatatsu Domain will surely suffer a crushing blow!"

"It won't be too late to try and win your daughter back then!"

Mael smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Let's go back to Changzhou."

Having said that, Mael took the first step forward.

The Ox-Demon and the Wet Woman followed closely behind, one on the left and one on the right.

After taking only a few steps, Mael turned his head again, casting a deep gaze in the direction of the Orange Mansion...

……

……

Elodie's father came to demand her return—such a big matter could not be hidden.

Now that things have come to this, Elodie no longer intends to hide her background.

So she told her all about her past to Mai, Souji, and other people close to her.

"Huh?! Elodie, you're from Orleans!"—Awu said.

As expected, A-Wu knew nothing again... Qing Deng was already quite used to A-Wu's ignorance.

From the specific business of the gourd shop to the true identity of the Kiryu boss, and then to Elodie's background, Mai is always confused and knows nothing.

However, this time was different from before.

In fact, just like Qingdeng, Awu had long realized that Elodie's background was unusual.

However, she vaguely sensed that Elodie didn't want to talk much about her past, so she never pressed for details.

Upon learning of Elodie's extraordinary past, the women, led by Zonako, were overcome with maternal instincts.

As a result, Elodie has recently become the darling of the Orange House.

Whenever she had free time, she would always receive invitations from Sanako and others.

They could enjoy the scenery together, or drink tea together.

Over time, their relationship deepened considerably.

For example, today, Souji invited Elodie to eat konpeito (Japanese candy).

"Come on, Airo... ah, no, Alice, try this! This is some konpeito I just bought! It's very crispy because it's fresh out of the oven!"

As he spoke, Souji opened the paper package in his hand, revealing the colorful candies inside.

Ever since they learned Elodie's real name, Souji and the others have been trying to change how they address her, starting to call her by her real name, "Alice."

Elodie first thanked her, then said with a helpless expression:

"Sister Souji, you don't have to force yourselves."

“‘Elodie Angoulême’ is my pseudonym, but after using it for so many years, it’s practically the same as my real name.”

"I am both Alice and Elodie."

You can call me by any name you like, I won't mind.

After saying that, Elodie popped a few konpeito into her mouth and savored them with relish.

The two girls chatted casually while munching on candy.

Before they knew it, their conversation had turned to Qingdeng.

"Miss Souji, I feel like Master hasn't been looking too good lately. Has something happened?"

The commander shrugged:

"Hmm... I'm not quite sure either."

"With the 'Changzhou Campaign' imminent, perhaps he was feeling tired due to the busy schedule and the unprecedented weight on his shoulders."

"It's also possible that he was frustrated because he couldn't find the 'ten-thousand-refined steel' to recast Vairocana."

Elodie blinked:

"'Ten-times-refined steel'?"

Vairochana suffered severe damage in the summer battle of Kyoto, and Aoto decided to find "Ten Thousand Refined Steel" to reforge its blade—Elodie, as the head of the finance department, naturally heard about this.