I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Tachibana-kun," Arima initiated the conversation, "how is the wound healing?"

Since they came to visit Aoto, Arima and the others naturally focused on Aoto's health.

"Mr. Hokuto just examined my wounds and said they're healing very well." Qing Deng smiled slightly and then repeated to the three Arima men what Hokuto had said when he changed his dressings.

Not wanting to dwell too long on the topic of his injury, Qingdeng briefly outlined his current physical condition and then steered the conversation in another direction.

"Lord Arima, you've come at the perfect time," Seito said in a half-joking tone. "Here at Jin'i-do, there's nothing to do but lie down and sleep. I'm getting really bored right now. Have you heard any interesting news from the Magistrate's Office lately?"

“There really is.” As soon as Qing Deng finished speaking, Zhu Gu picked up the conversation with a grin, “We just received a rumor today, the truth of which is unknown.”

"It seems you'll be reassigned to the Fire Thief Division."

*******

*******

The enthusiasm for voting yesterday was incredibly high... It once again far exceeded my target for monthly votes.

To thank everyone for their strong support, the author has decided to lower today's monthly ticket target again. The current monthly ticket count is 2613. If we can reach 2660 tickets today, the author will continue with a massive update of 1+ words tomorrow.

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

The author plans to officially launch the "Second Annual Character Popularity Vote" tomorrow. Readers who wish to participate can join the book's QQ group.

I'm recommending a friend's book!

The Devil Must Die.

A post-apocalyptic harem novel with multiple female protagonists; interested readers can check it out!

Chapter 189 Elodie: "Mr. Orange! Please take me as your apprentice!"

Rewind time to about an hour earlier—

Edo, a place of residence

You can hear the sound of flames burning and raging.

It climbs up walls and ceilings, then spews out large amounts of dazzling sparks and acrid black smoke.

Behind them are burning houses.

Before them lay a street bathed in moonlight.

Familiar scenery...

It's impossible for me not to be familiar with it; I've been dreaming about this scene repeatedly lately.

So, was I dreaming again...? Even though Elodie was half-conscious, she immediately realized it.

I dreamt again of that night 10 days ago, of that scene.

Behind him, the mansion was engulfed by flames; in front of him, the street was draped in a veil of moonlight; above him, the night sky; the world stretching to the horizon... The sky, the ground, everything looked shrouded in a dark gray.

Only one place had vibrant colors and light.

Right in front of me, not far away, was that battlefield where one against sixty-seven.

It was on the swordsman's body.

Under the silvery moonlight, the swordsman swung his sword at the enemy horde before him and at the darkness before him.

Without hesitation, without fear.

……

"Hmm..." Elodie murmured softly, slowly opening her eyes.

What came into view was the familiar ceiling.

Bright sunlight streamed in through the south-facing window, falling onto the bed and dividing Elodie's bedroom in two.

On one side is a window bathed in a dim orange light, and half of the room is next to the window.

On one side are the wardrobe and the door, still draped in a thin layer of gray gauze.

The strict upbringing she received from a young age prevented Elodie from developing the habit of sleeping in.

After gently rubbing her sleepy eyes a few times, Elodie nimbly jumped out of bed, slipped on her slippers, walked slowly to the window, and forcefully pushed open the tightly closed window.

The fresh morning breeze, unique to Elodie, rushed in through the open window, dispelling most of the drowsiness that had been lingering in her mind.

……

"Hey! Watch out, you guys up ahead! The scrap metal carts are coming!"

"Damn, it's fucking hot today."

"One, two, three, rise! One, two, three, rise!"

"Be careful when moving this pillar. It's been burned by fire and will break if you touch it. Be careful not to get hurt."

……

On the streets of the settlement, laborers bustled about.

After the plot of the Exile Group to destroy the settlement was thwarted, the Edo Shogunate organized a large number of laborers to clean up the ruins of the settlement that had been burned down.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of the laborers, most of the buildings in the settlement that had been destroyed by the fire have been cleared.

The once densely packed settlement is now incredibly empty and desolate because only a small portion of the buildings remain intact... For a long time to come, this place will certainly not be able to regain its former prosperity.

Elodie and her family were very lucky—their house was one of the few buildings that escaped the fire.

Their home was intact, and they still had a place to live, unlike those whose homes were burned down who had to find alternative accommodations... This was a stroke of good luck for Elodie and her family.

Elodie slowly raised her gaze, no longer looking at the busy laborers on the street, but instead looking up at the cloudless sky.

The warm sunlight shone on Elodie's face, causing her to squint her eyes.

Her sapphire-like eyes shone even brighter and more captivating in the direct sunlight.

A breeze from the distant horizon brought a refreshing coolness, and the tender chirping of early nightingales drifted through the air... But Elodie seemed oblivious to all of this; she stood motionless, gazing at the sky in a daze.

To be more precise, it's looking at a place that's farther away than the sky.

Like eyes gazing into the distance, seemingly concealing some special emotion. In other words, it could be described as "longing" or "yearning".

Even though ten days have passed, Elodie still vividly remembers those scenes from that night.

For the past 10 days, I've dreamed about that night almost every night.

I dreamt of that swordsman's figure, fighting alone against a powerful enemy...

Recalling the scenes that had just appeared in her dreams, Elodie's eyes flickered slightly... as if she were pondering something.

In fact, this was Elodie's usual appearance during this period.

Ever since that night, whenever Elodie is alone, she wears this expression as if she is deep in thought.

A long time passed.

Only when the sunlight on Elodie's face was no longer warm, and the orange light slowly brought the unique heat of summer, did Elodie take small, quick steps away from the window, walk to the desk beside her, and pull over an exquisite box placed on the desk.

With a click, Elodie slowly opened the box... Inside was Elodie's "sword," the wooden rapier.

She stretched out her delicate, white fingers and slid them little by little from the tip of the sword to the hilt... Elodie stroked the blade of her beloved sword with a gentle motion, as if wiping away dust.

The gaze that had been slightly wavering gradually became fixed at this moment.

At that moment, Elodie no longer hesitated.

After 10 days of hesitation and deliberation, Elodie finally made a decision.

Elodie took a deep breath and slammed the sword case shut.

Just then, Elodie heard the sound of a door opening behind her.

The maid, Leroy, carrying a pale yellow women's kimono meant for children, pushed open the door and gracefully entered the room.

“Miss, you woke up very early today.” Leroy raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Hmm. It's probably because I went to bed early last night." Elodie snapped out of her reverie, smiled slightly at Leroy, and then looked intently at the pale yellow kimono in Leroy's arms.

"Shall we change now?" Elodie asked.

Leroy nodded: "Yes. Although it's still a bit early, the master wants to prepare in advance."

"After all, today is the day we're going to visit Mr. Tachibana, so we can't be careless."

……

……

Let's go back to the present—

"Moved to the right to the place where thieves and robbers changed their lives?"

Qingdeng couldn't help but let out a low cry of surprise.

Okita and Kyubei, who were standing nearby, both showed expressions of surprise.

"We've only heard similar rumors," Niu Shan chimed in, glancing helplessly at Zhu Gu. "Whether it's true or not, there's no conclusion yet."

Inugaya shrugged dismissively: "I think it's mostly true. Tachibana has done such a great service this time, it would be really unreasonable not to promote him to a very high official position."

"Anyway, no matter what, Ju will definitely be demoted to the right this time, there's no doubt about that."

"It's just a matter of where they'll be moved to and how high up they'll be moved to."

The fire-fighting thieves were reorganized into a special security force of the Edo Shogunate, belonging to the same security system as the "Sanji" of the Magistrate's Office.

In terms of rank, the fire-fighting thieves with military characteristics are naturally one grade higher than the "three-times" of the magistrate's office.

Therefore, if one could be promoted from the position of "Three Returns" of the Imperial Enforcement Office to a higher position such as "Fire Attendant" or "Thief's Assistant"... that would indeed be considered a promotion.

Because they both belong to the public security system, it is indeed true, as Inoya just said, that if Seito were to be transferred to another government office, he would most likely be transferred to the Fire and Thieves Office.

"Ju, you've finally made something of yourself."

Inugaya paused for a moment, then let out a long breath, releasing a mixture of emotions, and gave Aoto a relieved smile.

"Not only did he rise to prominence, but he also became even more famous in Edo."

"It goes without saying where Westerners reside. Your name, Tachibana, has already spread throughout every town and street of Edo in the past few days."