I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Okay, sweetie. I'll take you out for something delicious afterwards."

Qingdeng, holding the knife at his waist, quickly mounted the horse... ah, no, mounted the ox.

Just as he was about to urge the bull beneath him to run—

"Tachibana-kun, wait a minute."

An unexpectedly familiar female voice suddenly rang out from behind Qingdeng.

Qing Deng's expression changed, and he turned to look behind him.

"Miss Sanako?"

Behind Qing Deng, Sanako dragged her injured leg and limped towards him.

"Tachibana-kun, I've finally caught up with you... Hmm? What's wrong with you, you ox?"

Sanako Hidemi frowned slightly and blinked in confusion at the big black bull who was now turning his head to look at her.

"Miss Sanako, what brings you here? Where is Miss Natsume? Didn't you take Miss Natsume to safety?"

Without bothering to explain the origins of his new mount to Sanako, Qing Deng bombarded Sanako with a barrage of questions.

“I let Yue escape on her own first,” Sanako said. “I have some important things to do now, so I can’t go with her to safety.”

“She is a strong child. Even without me by her side, she will definitely be able to escape to a safe place.”

"Moreover, without me, an injured person who can't even walk fast now, her journey to safety should be easier."

Do you have something urgent to do?

Before Qing Deng could question Sanako about the words she had just used, he saw her let out a long breath, then straighten her pretty face and say seriously:

"Tachibana-kun, please take me with you."

"I know a shortcut to the settlement!"

"A shortcut?" Qing Deng's eyelids drooped slightly.

The word "shortcut" immediately made Qing Deng's expression serious and solemn.

"Miss Sanako, do you really know a shortcut to the settlement?" Aoto asked quickly.

Sanako nodded solemnly: "When I go to teach the little princess of the Uwajima Domain, I always take this shortcut to travel between the Uwajima Domain's residence and the Kochiba Sword Hall."

"This shortcut isn't far from here!"

Having served as the tutor of Princess Date of the Uwajima Domain for four years, Sanako knew the route from the Uwajima Domain's uproar residence to the Kochiba Kenkan (Kenkan) like the back of her hand.

By chance, Sanako accidentally discovered a shortcut from the Uwajima Domain's uphouse to the Kochiba Kenkan.

This shortcut consists of many secluded alleys and lanes, and passes through a neighborhood adjacent to the Western settlement.

In other words, this shortcut leads to the place of residence!

Upon hearing this sudden and astonishing news, Qingdeng's brows furrowed in surprise.

"……OK then."

After gazing intently at Sanako for a few moments, Aoto nodded slightly, then reached out and patted the cow's back behind him.

"Then please show me the way, Miss Sanako."

"Come on, Miss Sanako, get on the ox! There's just enough room for one more person on this ox."

"Hey, Mr. Orange, can I ride this ox?"

Looking at the mount beneath Qing Deng, a mount that samurai would not normally ride... Sanako's aloof expression uncontrollably "collapsed," and her expression involuntarily became strange.

“My cow is very intelligent,” Qingdeng said with a smile. “It just lay down on the ground, signaling me to get on it quickly.”

"Moo~~" As soon as Qingdeng finished speaking, the big black ox timely swung its tail and mooed... as if in response to Qingdeng's words.

"……I see."

Sanako took a deep breath, revealing a "so what if I'm riding a bull?" expression, then dragged her injured leg to the side of the big black bull, put her two long, beautiful legs together, and sat sideways behind Qing Deng.

Once he confirmed that Sanako was seated behind him, Aoto raised the reins in his hand.

"Charge! Radish!"

"Moo~~"

A man, a woman, and an ox race through the streets of Edo under the cover of night!

"radish?"

"I just thought of a name for my cow." Qing Deng turned around and smiled slightly at Sanako behind him.

*******

*******

A new and important character – the mount Carrot – has arrived!

Its character cards should be approved soon, and everyone can give them lots of likes later.

Today's chapter is a bonus update to make up for the missed chapters for the Silver Alliance member 【Handsome is Handsome】. I still owe this reader 8 bonus chapters.

The author still owes 10 chapters of 10,000-word length.

If the author works hard enough, the final battle between Aoto and the Exile Group should begin tomorrow...

So, the author is asking for votes again! The book currently has 938 monthly votes. If we can reach 1050 votes today, the author will release a super long chapter tomorrow with a minimum of 10,000 votes and a target of 15,000 votes.

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

Chapter 181 Though there be millions, I will go.

Naming a cow that can't eat radishes "Radish"... Sanako felt a little strange, but she didn't say anything more.

After all, it's entirely Aoto's prerogative to name his mount, and Sanako, being an outsider, shouldn't interfere.

Before saying goodbye to the old farmer, Qingdeng casually asked about the radish's age. According to the old farmer, the radish was a strong male bull just over three years old.

Even someone like Qingdeng, who knows nothing about raising cattle, can tell from Luobo's physique how well this big black cow was fed and cared for during its short three-year life.

It was large and sturdy, with clearly visible muscle lines on its four hooves. It was very strong and could run very fast even when carrying two adults, Qing Deng and Zuo Na Zi. Its speed was not much slower than that of an ordinary packhorse.

Moreover, it was very docile. Qingdeng only needed to gently tug on the reins, and Luobo would obediently turn, never disobeying Qingdeng's orders. It ran very smoothly, and even without a saddle or stirrups, Qingdeng and the others remained quite comfortable.

“Go to the end of this street, then turn right. You will see a very hidden path. Go into that path and continue to the end. You will then enter the shortcut to the settlement that I mentioned.”

Sanako, sitting gracefully and ladylike behind Aoto, continuously gave clear instructions to guide him.

"Can Radish get through that path you just mentioned?" Qingdeng glanced down at Radish's broad shoulders.

Edo's town streets are filled with a large number of narrow alleys and lanes that feel incredibly narrow to walk through.

“It can fit.” Sanako said with certainty, “The path isn’t particularly wide, but it’s more than enough to let this cow… let Radish in and out.”

"That's good."

After pointing out the route to the shortcut to Qing Deng, Sanako shut her mouth and fell silent.

Because of Sanako's quietness, the tranquility immediately enveloped the man and woman riding on the back of the ox. The only sounds that reached their ears were the sound of Radish running, panting, and the sound of the wind whistling past them.

However, it's strange.

Although both of them were silent and neither of them spoke, there was no awkwardness in the atmosphere between them.

Only a peculiar sense of security dominated the atmosphere between the two.

Only after Radish carried the two of them across the wide street beneath its hooves did Qing Deng pull the reins to the right as instructed by Sanako. Radish then turned right as Qing Deng led it, and Sanako's melodious voice, like the sound of silver bells, once again reached Qing Deng's ears.

"...Tachibana-kun, thank you so much for tonight..."

Without any explanation or annotation, Qing Deng knew what Sanako meant by "thank you."

While the radish was running steadily forward, Qingdeng turned his head to look back.

Sitting sideways behind him, Sanako maintained a distance of about a fist's width from him. Her two long, beautiful legs were together, her back was straight, her left hand rested quietly on her thighs, and her right hand held the cow's back. Even the thick darkness of the night could not conceal the alluring white jade luster emanating from her fair face, which was as smooth as cream. Her long ponytail, which reached her waist, fluttered in the wind, making her look incredibly beautiful.

Sanako had been staring intently at the street scene rushing past on her left, her gaze fixed on something as distant as a distant view.

Perhaps sensing Aoto's gaze, Sanako turned her beautiful eyes and met Aoto's gaze... Then, in the next instant, Sanako quickly looked away and deliberately withdrew from the eye contact with Aoto.

"...You're welcome." Qing Deng smiled casually. "I'm just glad you're safe and sound, Miss Sanako."

Qingdeng turned his gaze back to what was in front of him.

"Although it seems a bit late to ask now... Miss Sanako, why did you suddenly come to help me and show me the shortcut to the settlement?"

Sanako seemed to have anticipated Aoto's question and had prepared her answer beforehand. As soon as Aoto finished speaking, she replied calmly without hesitation:

“I’m not the kind of nice guy who won’t fight back even if someone bullies him.”

“I have received so much ‘attention’ from the Expeditionary Group. I can’t swallow this anger if I don’t try to get back at them.”

"Even if it's just a little bit, I want to give the Expeditionary Force some feedback and cause them some trouble."

"Moreover... I simply cannot stand idly by and watch the Extermination Group plan to burn down the settlement."

Sanako's left hand, which had been resting quietly on her legs, slowly tightened.

"They really are a bunch of unreasonable lunatics... Didn't they ever think about what the consequences would be if the fire got out of control...?"

"Although I can't even walk properly now, so I probably can't be of much help, I still want to do my best to stop the atrocities of the Extermination Group."

It is now early summer, which is one of the times of the year when fires are most frequent and most likely to get out of control.

The area of ​​the settlement was not small. If such a large area of ​​the city were to be burned down and the fire were to get out of control... it wouldn't be impossible for the entire Edo to be burned down.

This is not an exaggeration. The "Meireki Fire," which burned more than 8% of Edo more than a hundred years ago, was caused by a woman's kimono sleeve that caught fire.

Even a single burning sleeve of a woman's kimono could burn down more than 8% of the buildings in Edo... let alone an entire burning neighborhood.

As soon as Sanako finished speaking, Qing Deng, who had just turned his gaze back to the person in front of him, turned his head back to his back and looked at Sanako with a rather charming gaze.

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that all of a sudden?" Aoto asked, responding promptly to the strange look that Sanako had given her.

"It's nothing, I just suddenly realized... Although I've known Ms. Sanako for quite a long time, I've never really known her very well."

"Just now, I learned something new about you, Miss Sanako."

At this point, Qingdeng adopted a tone of deep admiration and emotion.