I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

She still vividly remembers the scenes she witnessed and experienced at the Shie-e-gwan, as if they happened just yesterday.

The house where she lived with her grandfather and Leroy had long been sold.

Although Edo is vast, the only place she can go now is this Shieikan.

After looking around the test hall several times with mixed feelings, she strode quickly toward the gate.

The Shiwei Hall was very quiet at this time, completely silent.

In the past, the Shiwei Hall would have been bustling with activity at this time, with shouts of "humph" and "ahh" constantly emanating from it.

Elodie was not surprised by the current silence at the Test Guard Hall.

Edo has now become a frontline battlefield, and the apprentices of Shieikan and the Kondo family must have fled there.

Elodie stood outside the gates of the testing hall and tentatively called out:

"Mr. Kondo! Mr. Kondo! Are you there?!"

A moment later, a familiar, aged voice came from inside:

"Huh? Who is it?"

Kondo Shusuke is still here—while Elodie is overjoyed, she is also stunned.

A moment later, the doors of the Shieikan were slowly opened, and Kondo Shusuke leaned out halfway, cautiously checking the identity of the newcomer with a wary look in his eyes—of course, this wariness quickly dissipated.

"Oh! It's Elodie!"

Elodie blinked her beautiful eyes a few times, looking Kondo Shusuke up and down with a surprised expression.

"Mr. Kondo, what brings you here?"

His sleeves were tied tightly with belts, his calves were secured with leggings, and he wore the famous sword Erwang Qingshi at his waist... He looked ready to go into battle at any time.

Kondo Shusuke chuckled.

"Come in first, let's talk inside."

He turned to the side, gesturing, "Don't just stand there, come in."

Elodie murmured "Excuse me" as she slipped inside.

Kondo Shusuke was in front, and she was behind. The two quickly crossed Shirasu and entered the residence.

[Note: Baizhou: A place paved with white pebbles in front of the gate of a large mansion.]

As soon as she entered the room and stood on the earthen floor, she noticed that the examination hall had become much dirtier.

On ordinary days, the daily maintenance of the public areas of Shieikan—such as the dojo—is the responsibility of the disciples.

The daily maintenance of the private area, which is where the Kondo family, Aoto, and other diners live, is mainly handled by three people: Abi, Kyubei, and Inoue Genzaburo.

As the mistress of the house, it is only natural for Abi to manage household affairs.

Kyubei was Aoto's servant. After he and Aoto moved to Shieikan, he took on many household chores to repay the Kondo family.

As for Inoue Genzaburo, his enthusiasm for housework such as sweeping and mopping was purely out of personal preference.

Because of his simple and honest appearance, like an ordinary farmer, and his daily housework which he did with great enthusiasm, outsiders always mistook him for an ordinary servant of the Shieikan, never imagining that he was a senior figure in the Shieikan, and that even Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo treated him with utmost respect.

Thanks to the dedicated efforts of Abiko, Kyubei, and Inoue Genzaburo, the hygiene of Shieikan has always been commendable.

But now... the corridor floor is covered with a layer of light dust like snowflakes, and each step reveals a clear footprint.

Kondo Shusuke gave an awkward laugh.

“Abi has taken the others to Hino to stay with Souji’s sister. This house is so big, I can’t manage it all by myself, please forgive me.”

"Have the lady and the others left Edo?"

"Yes, it took me a lot of effort to get them to leave Edo obediently. Now I'm the only one left in the huge Shieikan."

The two walked into the hall as they talked.

Kondo Shusuke covered Elodie with a cushion, brewed hot tea, and served her a plate of wagashi (Japanese sweets)—the old man's tea-making skills were less than impressive, and the tea tasted rather bland.

However, Elodie seemed to thoroughly enjoy her drink.

During the days she stayed by the Eighth Prince's side, she could only eat hard, dry food and drink cold water that made her teeth chatter.

To be honest, it wasn't until she drank some hot tea that she finally felt like she had "left the battlefield."

For some reason, she suddenly felt a lump in her throat and an urge to cry.

Fear, horror, grievance... these negative emotions that she had buried deep in her heart in order to fight on the battlefield broke through her defenses and surged out all at once.

To cover up her confused expression, she pretended to drink tea, holding the teacup with both hands and using the cup to cover her face.

However, once these emotions arise, they are difficult to suppress.

A moment later, a faint sobbing sound came from behind the teacup she had held up to her face.

Kondo Shusuke pretended not to hear anything, wearing a calm smile that seemed to see through everything.

The old man said nothing and did nothing, just quietly waited for the girl to calm down.

One tried to cover it up, while the other didn't point it out.

The old man and the young man maintained a subtle understanding, and the atmosphere at the scene was harmonious.

About twenty minutes later, Elodie sniffed hard, gradually calming down.

After a while, she recovered and immediately pretended nothing had happened, drinking tea and eating snacks while briefly recounting her recent experiences.

After listening quietly, Kondo Shusuke recounted his recent experiences one by one.

He recounts how he made up his mind to stay and fight, how his wife, Abi, strongly opposed his decision, how the couple had a fierce argument, and how he ultimately won, successfully persuading Abi and the others to leave Edo, while he stayed behind to guard the Shieikan.

After listening, Elodie couldn't help but ask in return:

"Mr. Kondo, are you really... going to stay?"

As she spoke, she involuntarily raised her gaze and carefully examined Kondo Shusuke's aged body.

She didn't look down on the other person.

To become the third head of the Tennen Rishin-ryu main family, one must naturally possess considerable skill.

But... she still vividly remembers the scene of Kondo Shusuke crying out while vigorously rubbing his lower back. "Ah! My back hurts so much!"

Kondo Shusuke is a typical old man, and cannot be compared to a legendary figure like Kiryu.

As people age, their physical functions decline rapidly.

The aftereffects of my hard work in martial arts when I was young have all come out at once, and I'm always feeling sore or achy here and there.

In this physical condition... to put it bluntly, Elodie was worried that he would strain his back before he had even killed a few enemies.

Kondo Shusuke saw through Elodie's thoughts and chuckled lightly.

"Hehehe~~ Elodie, I understand your concerns."

"I'm getting old, and my health isn't what it used to be."

"The moves I could easily master when I was young, I can't do now."

"Let alone making great achievements, it would be a blessing if you didn't hold others back."

"Even so, I still want to go to the battlefield."

"No matter what, I am still a swordsman."

"I want to be a 'swordsman who can take on a thousand men' one last time before I die."

"Besides, I have other considerations besides my old age indulging in youthful exuberance."

As he changed the subject, a dazzling light flashed in his eyes.

“When I was young, my father told me: People cherish their lives.”

"Preserving oneself and striving to survive is human nature, and there is no way to go against it."

"However, there are often moments when people are willing to disregard life and death and act without hesitation!"

At this point, he seemed to remember something, paused for a moment, and then continued:

“Elodie, I don’t know if you know this. It is said that our Natural Rishin-ryu school has a close relationship with the ‘Eternal Sword Saint’ Ogata Ittosai.”

Elodie was stunned—this was the first time she had ever heard of such a thing.

No, I have never heard of that.

Kondo Shusuke smiled slightly.

"I see. Then I'll explain it to you briefly."

"It is said that 70 years ago, Kondo Naikura, the founder of our Tennen Rishin-ryu school, was a close friend of Ogata Ittosai."

"It is said that it was thanks to Ogata Ittosai's careful guidance that the founder of the school, Kondo Naizurasuke, was able to perfect the Tennen Rishin-ryu."

"In other words, Ogata Ittosai deserves some credit for the creation of the Natural Rishin-ryu school."

"He can be considered the ancestor of our Natural Mind-Body Flow."

"Although this is just a story passed down within our family for generations, and it is difficult to tell whether it is true or not, I, like most swordsmen, greatly admire Ogata Ittosai and regard him as the person I will strive to emulate throughout my life."

“‘One against a hundred, slaying the tyrant,’ ‘capturing Nijo Castle,’ ‘destroying the legendary ninja village’… I know all of Ogata Ittosai’s deeds by heart.”

“Ever since I was young, whenever I look back on the deeds of Ogata Ittōsai, I can’t help but wonder: Was Ogata Ittōsai so brave and repeatedly risked his life because he encountered many ‘moments’ that made him willing to go all out?”

"Now that I'm old, I've met Tachibana-kun, who is also a prodigy. So I've been thinking: Tachibana-kun bravely faces powerful enemies, whether it's the Exile Group, the Shimizu Clan, or now the Choshu Domain and the Hoju Party. None of them can make him back down even a step. Is it because he has encountered many 'moments'?"

"To be honest, I can't help but feel a little jealous when I think about this,"

"You're so cunning! Why do you always manage to stumble upon such 'moments,' while I've never experienced one?"

What exactly is this kind of 'moment' that can make people brave and fearless?

"Will experiencing these 'moments' allow my personality and abilities to undergo a new transformation?"

"I'm very interested to know the answers to these questions."

"I want to witness this 'moment' with my own eyes and experience this 'moment' firsthand."

"What a pity... It is a great regret that even now, with my temples turned gray, I have not yet encountered this 'moment,' and therefore I have no way of finding the answers to these questions."

At this point, a look of regret crossed his face.