I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

She bent low, her expression solemn, her tone carrying a subtle hint of apology.

Abi gently shook her head:

“Miss Angoulême, you don’t have to do that. Please raise your head.”

"I am not saddened by my son's passing."

My husband is an old man over seventy years old.

"It is rare for a person to live to seventy. As a swordsman, it is already remarkable that he has lived to such an old age. There is nothing to lament."

"Moreover, 'fighting to the death' has always been my husband's wish."

"He has achieved his wish, and we should be happy for him."

“If we complain, it would be disrespectful to him.”

She paused after speaking.

She seemed to remember her purpose for coming, and her face showed hesitation.

After hesitating for a moment, she asked softly:

"Miss Angoulême, I have a question, and I wonder if you could answer it?"

Elodie answered without hesitation:

"Please speak."

Abi pursed her lips, then adopted a solemn expression:

“Miss Angoulême, could you tell me what my husband looked like as he faced death?”

Upon hearing this, Elodie paused slightly, then spoke without hesitation, enunciating each word clearly and seriously:

"He's like a hero!"

Abi's expression froze, and her eyes flickered slightly.

"'Hero,' huh... I see..."

As she talked to herself, a calm smile slowly spread across her face.

The slight frown between his brows dissipated.

"What a brilliant ending..."

She turned her head to the side, casting a calm gaze at the tombstone not far away, her features softening.

About five seconds later, she turned to look at Elodie again:

“Miss Angoulême, please stop blaming yourself.”

"Although I did not witness my husband's last battle, I am certain that he must have felt very proud to fight alongside a heroine like you."

Having said that, she gave a slight bow to Elodie.

Before Elodie could recover, she had already walked away.

"Alright, Chang, Xiao Guang, cheer up!"

She clapped her hands loudly, attracting the attention of Ah Chang, Okita Hikaru, and other female relatives.

"Do you want to wash that guy out of his grave with your tears?"

Even if we could break through, there's no way to bring him back to life.

"Appropriate grief can express the depth of emotion, but excessive sorrow can prove a lack of wisdom."

"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the natural order of things; stop crying."

Although it was a harsh form of advice, it was surprisingly effective.

Ah Chang, Okita Hikaru, and the others gradually stopped crying.

The funeral scene returned to silence, with only a gentle breeze and drifting clouds.

……

……

Affected by the funeral, Qingdeng was very depressed, as if a huge rock weighing dozens of kilograms was stuck in his chest, and even his steps became heavy.

In terms of pathos and sorrow, he is second to none.

Kondo Shusuke was his mentor.

Without Shusuke Kondo, there would be no Tachibana Aoto of the Natural Rishin-ryu school!

I wish I could see him a few more times...

I wish I could have talked to him a little longer...

If only I could spend more time with him...

Regret welled up in her heart... If she could, Qingdeng really wanted to lock herself in her room for a few days to calm down before coming out to see people again.

Unfortunately... the heavy pressure of reality did not allow him to slowly sort out his feelings.

He had barely left the funeral when he headed straight for Edo Castle to handle the day's political and military affairs.

After the Second Battle of Edo Castle, the various matters waiting for Qing Deng and others to handle were truly piling up like a mountain.

There are already enough problems waiting for him to solve.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he returned to Edo Castle, Katsura Rintaro found him with a grim expression and brought him a new and devastating piece of news—

"What? The Emperor and the Crown Prince have been kidnapped?"

Aoto frowned, looking at Katsurin Taro with undisguised astonishment.

Katsura Rintaro nodded and continued:

"Also stolen were the Yata no Kagami and the Yasakani no Magatama, two of the Three Sacred Treasures."

Qingdeng's brows furrowed more and more deeply:

"What exactly happened?"

Katsura Rintaro recounts the events in a simplified manner.

After listening, Qing Deng pressed for an answer:

"Has the killer been identified?"

"It's confirmed, it's a good thing that Iwakura Tomomi did."

"Iwakura Tomomi?"

Upon hearing this name, Qing Deng was both surprised and unsurprised.

If this guy is the murderer, then it's not surprising!

After all, Iwakura Tomomi's cold-bloodedness and ruthlessness are well-known to the world.

As a high-ranking official, he actually kidnapped the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and two sacred treasures... To describe him as "outrageously audacious" would be an understatement!

Suddenly, Katsura Rintarou added:

"The Three Sacred Treasures were not all lost; only the Kusanagi Sword remains, which is a stroke of luck amidst misfortune."

Qingdeng retorted irritably:

"What kind of 'good fortune amidst misfortune' is this?"

"What use is a broken sword?"

"Moreover, this 'Kusanagi Sword' is a complete fake, with absolutely no 'sacredness' to speak of."

Compared to the other two divine weapons, the "Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi" has faced very little controversy—because everyone is convinced that the "Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi" that has been passed down to us is a fake.

After Emperor Antoku jumped into the sea with the "Three Sacred Treasures", the Minamoto army soldiers only managed to retrieve the "Yata no Kagami" and the "Yasakani no Magatama".

As for the "Kusanagi Sword," it can never be found again.

Therefore, from then on, the "Kusanagi Sword" that has been passed down is a counterfeit and is no longer the legendary divine weapon.

After pondering for a moment, Qingdeng asked again:

What was Lieutenant General Aizu's reaction?

Matsudaira Katamori held the official rank of "Left Vice-General of the Left Imperial Guard," hence his honorific title was "Lieutenant General of Aizu."

Aoto understood Matsudaira Katamori's upright character and also knew about his feelings for the Emperor.

Therefore, his question was completely unnecessary.

Even without asking, he could roughly guess how intense Matsudaira Katamori's reaction would be...

as predicted--

"Lieutenant General Aizu felt extremely guilty..."

Katsu Rintaro sighed heavily.

He believed that this disaster was caused by his incompetence.

"It is understood that he intends to commit seppuku as an atonement."

"He didn't even change out of his plain clothes; he simply drew the wakizashi from his waist and stabbed it into his own stomach."

Fortunately, the servants beside him rushed forward in time to snatch the knife, thus saving him.

"However... his emotions remain unstable."

"If he had the chance to touch a knife, he would definitely stab himself in the stomach again."

Qing Deng's face instantly darkened, and he said in a deep voice:

"Tell Lieutenant General Aizu for me: Don't do anything foolish!"

"Even if they cut open your stomach, what difference will it make?"

"Can the lost Emperor, Crown Prince, and two sacred artifacts escape from your belly?"

"If you feel grief and indignation, then quickly muster your troops and prepare for war! Prepare for the 'recapture of the Emperor' later!"

Katsura Rintaro gave a wry smile: