I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

With such a tough-minded commander, the Fourth Division's overall quality is naturally extremely high.

Encountering the Fire Thief Reforms was bad enough, but to run into one of the most difficult Fire Thief Reforms to deal with... made Aoto, who had just felt lucky to have found the culprit of the Tsujizane incident on the first night of staking out the Eta settlement, feel complicated.

However, Aoto did not feel annoyed or anxious. When he decided to lend a hand to Kinoshita Mai and investigate the "Tsujizane Incident" together with her, Aoto was already mentally prepared to be hunted down by the police as "Nekozo's companion".

Qing Deng was unaware that he wasn't the only one feeling conflicted and confused—Nishino, Mizushima, and the others who were currently chasing them felt the same way.

Who is the person wearing a fox mask who is traveling with Cat Monk? And what about the "Red-Faced Brothers" who have already died?

These questions had been echoing in Nishino and Mizushima's minds ever since they began.

Just now, while they were relentlessly pursuing Cat Monk, they clearly saw Cat Monk turn into a street and run towards a black-clad man wearing a fox mask standing at the corner of the street. At the feet of this black-clad man wearing a fox mask lay several corpses.

Nishino, known as "the top detective in the North District," and Mizushima, "the captain of the Fourth Division of the Fire Thieves," are both people who can recite the portraits on every wanted poster currently circulating in the market perfectly.

They recognized at a glance that two of the corpses lying at the feet of the "fox mask" were the vicious murderers known as the "Red-Faced Brothers," who were currently wanted "regardless of life or death"!

Who exactly is this "fox mask" person? Why did he and Nekozo appear in the Eta settlement? And what about the "red-faced brothers" who are already dead?

Among them, Nishino, who is now in full charge of capturing Nekosō, is the most shocked by these issues.

Having dealt with Cat Monk for so long, this was the first time he had seen someone who appeared to be Cat Monk's companion!

哒哒哒哒哒哒……！

Qingdeng then heard a series of rapid footsteps coming from ahead.

Looking ahead, the three squad members that Mizushima had just sent to take a detour and intercept them were blocking the intersection ahead.

After taking their positions, the three team members drew their sashes from their waists, ready for battle.

If they were to force their way through the blockade of these three, it would take some time, which could very likely allow Mizushima and the others behind them to catch up.

So, Aoto and Kinoshita Mai looked to the left and right at the same time, looking for another way to escape.

On both sides of them were densely packed shops.

Before long, Qingdeng found a suitable direction to escape.

"Miss Kinoshita, this way." Qing Deng pointed to a low shop to his right.

This shop has only one floor and the eaves are only 2 meters high.

Kinoshita Mai looked in the direction Aoto was pointing, and after glancing at the shop he was pointing to, she immediately understood what Aoto wanted to do.

"Tachibana-kun, do you have any experience running on rooftops?" Kinoshita Mai asked in surprise.

"There is a little bit."

Jumping onto the rooftop and doing parkour on it... He had done this before, when he was chasing the arsonists who burned down his house with Okita and Saito. Aoto had tried doing parkour on the rooftops in this era, so he had relevant experience.

Moreover, Qing Deng has complete confidence that he can "do well" at "parkour on the rooftop".

His confidence stems from a certain talent he possesses.

Aside from jumping onto the shop and escaping along its roof, Qingdeng couldn't find a better escape route.

So Qingdeng didn't hesitate and headed straight for the shop.

Seeing this, Kinoshita Mai could only grit her teeth and follow closely.

Because the shop was not tall, Qingdeng, who is 1.75 meters tall, only needed to leap lightly to climb onto the roof of the shop with both hands.

The shop's roof is sloping, with an angle of about 20 degrees.

After vaulting over the eaves and leaping onto the sloping roof, Qing Deng quickly regained his balance with almost no sway. Then, he and Muya, who had also leaped onto the roof, followed the roof to another shop behind the shop.

Because the houses in the town were densely packed together during that era, moving between the rooftops was not too difficult.

Aoto and Kinoshita Mai are like two checkers, and the rooftops of these houses are their chessboard, moving freely across this vast chessboard.

After leaping onto the roof of a house, Kinoshita Mai turned her undisguised surprise toward Aoto.

"Tachibana-kun, have you practiced moving on rooftops and other complex terrains before?"

"No," Qingdeng answered quickly.

"No... Then you have a real talent for this. Your sense of balance is excellent. You can keep your center of gravity stable even on a roof with such a steep slope."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng couldn't help but chuckle.

His sense of balance is certainly excellent—because he has a talent copied from Sanako: the "cat turn" that gives Aoto a powerful sense of balance.

The "cat turn" is precisely the talent that gives Qing Deng complete confidence in "flexible parkour on rooftops".

It was thanks to the "cat turn" that Qing Deng was able to follow Kinoshita Mai so skillfully, leaping and bounding across the rooftops of various houses.

The secret to parkour on complex terrain like rooftops is to maintain your center of gravity.

As long as you can maintain your center of gravity, you can move freely and easily on any terrain, no matter how complex.

Whoosh—! Whoosh—! Whoosh—!

Perhaps because he was standing on the roof, at a slightly higher altitude, Qingdeng felt that the wind around him had become much stronger.

Speeding across the rooftops against the strong winds, Qingdeng felt an indescribable sense of comfort.

At this moment, Qing Deng sincerely exclaimed that the combined effect of the talents "leading the way" and "strong muscles" was truly perfect for chasing people and escaping for one's life.

He was sprinting at the top speed he could, the wind rushing past him making his clothes flutter loudly.

Since his transmigration, Qing Deng has never slacked off in physical training, so his physical strength has greatly improved. His breathing is still long and steady, and has not yet become disordered.

Kinoshita Mai's speed is equally astonishing. Her sprint speed and endurance are in no way inferior to Aoto, who has the two great talents of "First Step" and "Strong Muscles". This makes Aoto wonder if Kinoshita Mai also has a speed-type talent similar to "First Step".

The two sped through Edo under the cover of night, one after the other, but were unable to shake off Nishino, Mizushima, and the others who were sticking close behind them.

The elite of the Fire Thieves were now on full display.

One by one, the Okabiki under Nishino's command had fallen behind because they could not keep up with the speed of Aoto and Kinoshita Mai. Only Nishino was still able to keep up with Aoto and Mai's pace.

On the contrary, the Fire Thieves Division 4, led by Mizushima, has not yet been overtaken by Aoto and his group—although they do not look relaxed either, with some of them already pale from exhaustion and panting heavily.

Having witnessed Aoto's exceptional balance, Kinoshita Mai has now begun to actively guide Aoto to "take unconventional routes."

Kinoshita Mai, who had just landed on the street from the roof of a house with Aoto, turned around, glanced quickly at the pursuers who were still following them, and then looked ahead.

A moment later, her gaze settled on a two-story shop to her right.

"...Tachibana-kun, do you have a way to jump onto that shop in front of you?"

Qingdeng glanced at the shop and nodded vigorously: "No problem."

Seeing that Qing Deng nodded, Kinoshita Mai took a deep breath, then mustered all her strength and increased her speed slightly. Using the momentum of her run-up, she leaped up! She pounced on the shop, grabbed the eaves of the shop with both hands, and then pulled herself up, landing steadily on the roof of the shop.

Qing Deng followed closely behind, running, jumping, and grabbing the eaves of the shops like Kinoshita Mai.

Although Qing Deng's movement of lifting himself onto the roof was not as graceful or elegant as Kinoshita Mai's, he still managed to quickly regain his footing on the sloping roof thanks to the strong balance granted by his "cat turn".

The shop's roof was made of wood and was quite sturdy, more than enough to allow Qing and Wu to stand and run on it.

With the help of the "cat turn," Qing Deng and Kinoshita Mai walked on the extremely steep shop rooftop as if it were flat ground.

Faced with the two who constantly "didn't follow the usual path," some of Mizushima's subordinates began to drop out one after another.

However, the Fire Thieves' Fourth Division's strength was not just for show.

Even though they had fallen far behind and many of their subordinates had fallen behind, a mere dozen or so people, including Nishino and Mizushima, who could still barely keep up with Ao and Mai, continued to struggle and relentlessly pursue Ao and his group.

Unable to shake off the last remaining pursuers—Kinoshita Mai's beautiful brows furrowed: "As expected of a fire-fighting thief... he's different from ordinary constables..."

Kinoshita Mai turned her gaze back to the front, scanning her surroundings.

Suddenly, as if she had remembered something, her expression froze.

Then, she suddenly made a 90-degree turn: "Tachibana-kun, come with me."

"Where are we going?" Qing Deng asked, puzzled, as he followed Kinoshita Mai in turning around.

“I know a neighborhood nearby that’s perfect for shaking off pursuers.” Kinoshita Mai’s lips curled into a meaningful smile beneath her mask. “The buildings there are all very tall, and I know the area very well.”

……

……

Edo, the leased territory—

"Well……"

Elodie groggily opened her eyes, and the familiar ceiling came into view.

—Hmm? What time is it now?

Still groggy from just waking up, Elodie turned her head and looked around blankly.

"I think I'm... reading a book..."

Elodie sat up, rubbed her eyes, and glanced at the book "Robin Hood: The Thief" that was placed on her bedside table.

Memories from before she fell asleep gradually surfaced in Elodie's mind.

After taking a relaxing bath, Elodie sat at the bedroom table as usual, engrossed in reading "Robin Hood: The Thief," a book she had read countless times before fleeing Europe with her grandfather.

After quietly reading this novel, which she considered an immortal classic that she could read countless times without ever getting tired of it, for an hour, Elodie's eyelids began to grow heavy.

However, Elodie happened to read the most exciting part of the story—Robin Hood, who had once again successfully stolen money from a ruthless merchant, and effortlessly shook off his pursuers who came to capture him.

This scene is one of Elodie's favorite parts in "Robin Hood: The Thief of Time".

Elodie couldn't help but yearn for the image of someone gracefully and calmly retreating after punishing the wicked.

Thinking she would "read this part of the story before going to sleep," Elodie fought off her drowsiness and continued reading the novel.

However—Elodie ultimately overestimated her willpower.

After deciding to finish reading that part of the story before going to sleep... Elodie's memories of what happened afterward were very vague.

She guessed that she must have fallen asleep on the table halfway through reading because she couldn't resist the drowsiness.

After she fell asleep, her maid, Leroy, put her back on the bed and placed her copy of "Robin Hood" on the bedside table.

"I actually fell asleep while reading..." Elodie smiled helplessly and gently lifted the thin blanket covering her.

I'm grateful that she was a little thirsty and went to the table opposite the bed to get some water.

She jumped off the bed, her two delicate little feet slipping into brightly colored Persian slippers.

But at that moment, she suddenly heard strange noises coming from outside the window.