I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"...Miya-kun".

Ogata, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.

"Since you chose to take that 'Ren-ou' as your disciple... that means in your eyes, that young man is a dragon among men, one in a million... Am I right?"

“…You could say that.” Kiryu agreed.

At that moment, a strange smile appeared on Ogata's lips.

"Mamiya-kun, do you have wooden or bamboo swords in your shop? I'd like to borrow one."

*******

*******

W-What?! Goro Komaki's true form is actually the Eternal Sword Saint, Ogata Hayate! This is truly astonishing! (Dull reading.jpg)

Considering the explosive plot twist in this chapter, please vote for this book with a monthly ticket! (Leopard crying.jpg)

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets!

So, does anyone know what Qingdeng wrote on the paper?

Chapter 265 "Peerless Sword" and "Sword of the Living" [6200]

Qingdeng left suddenly, but returned quickly as well.

In a short while, he returned to the banquet hall and to his seat with a perfectly normal expression.

Not long after Aoto returned, Kiryu and the others also returned one after another.

The parents of the three girls left their seats almost simultaneously, and then returned almost simultaneously.

First, Okita Hikaru and his wife said they were going to say hello to Sato Hikogoro and others they knew, and then they returned to Aoto and the others... As soon as Okita Hikaru returned, he glared at the drunken and unconscious Souji with a terrible look of annoyance.

Okita Hikaru dislikes drinking and hates drunkards the most. Souji's behavior of drinking excessively in public to the point of passing out is completely dancing across Okita Hikaru's bottom line.

Once Souji wakes up, she'll probably be in trouble... Aoto thought to himself.

Immediately afterward, Chiba Jutaro, who had claimed to have gone outside to get some fresh air and sober up, returned.

The last to return to their seats were the three elders: Kiryu and Komaki.

When the parents returned, Kinoshita Mai and Sanako no longer dared to "fight openly and secretly" in front of them, and both obediently buried their heads in their food.

The faint smell of gunpowder that had been lingering in the air vanished with a roar.

After that, nothing noteworthy happened at Qingdeng's table. Everyone quietly enjoyed the delicious food and lively banquet atmosphere, occasionally glancing up to chat.

But I don't know if it's just Qingdeng's imagination.

He always felt that... the Old Mutant couple's attitude towards him had undergone a rather subtle change after they returned to their seats.

Atachi's attitude towards him seemed to have become much colder.

It's not that she suddenly gave Qingdeng a sour look or spoke ill of him.

Because her seat was very close to Qingdeng's, Qingdeng often made eye contact with her.

Previously, whenever Atachi made eye contact with Aoto, she would politely smile slightly, her eyes full of laughter.

Now, when she makes eye contact with Aoto, Atachi still smiles at him... but both the smile on her face and the smile in her eyes have become much stiffer.

There's a feeling that I don't want to smile at Qingdeng, but I have to force a smile out of politeness...

On the contrary, it was Komaki Goro.

His attitude toward Aoto changed in stark contrast to that of Atachi—he suddenly became a little more enthusiastic.

He frequently and proactively brought up topics to chat with Qingdeng.

The topics of conversation were all ordinary family matters, with the main focus on swordsmanship.

such as:

When did you start practicing swordsmanship?

Have you obtained the full license yet?

Do you plan to learn other sword techniques in addition to practicing Tennen Rishin-ryu?

All of these things.

Out of an inexplicable sense of familiarity with Goro Komaki, and because Goro Komaki was a very talkative person, Aoto was happy to chat with this refined old man.

Through his conversation with Goro Komaki, Aoto also gained a lot of understanding of this middle-aged man.

Goro Komaki is actually older than he appears. He says he is 45 years old this year. His wife, Atachi, is two years younger than him, and is 43 years old this year.

The couple's initial motivation for opening a wagashi (Japanese sweets) shop in Kyoto was that they were both very interested in making sweets.

Before long, in a rather haphazard way, a wagashi (Japanese sweets) shop was built in Kyoto, and the business was quite good.

"I once learned a little swordsmanship."

Goro Komaki raised his glass, sipped his drink, and spoke without changing his expression.

"I have a basic understanding of swordsmanship. Although I haven't achieved anything great in swordsmanship, I've always been very interested in it."

"Mr. Ju, your swordsmanship is so superb. I wonder if you currently have any ideals or goals in the path of swordsmanship?"

"Have you ever dreamed of becoming a renowned swordsman?"

"Or perhaps we should go even further and become the 'unrivaled under heaven' who is invincible in the same era?"

"Do you aspire to become a 'Saint' swordsman like Nobutsuna Kamiizumi, Bokuden Tsukahara, Genichi Kinoshita, or Hayate Ogata?"

"Or... challenge yourself to achieve what countless martial artists dream of: become the 'Peerless for a Thousand Years' who surpasses all previous, present, and future generations, whether it's for hundreds or thousands of years to come?"

After listening to the series of questions posed by Komaki Goro, Aoto couldn't help but secretly click his tongue in amazement.

The question that Goro Komaki asked is quite broad...

And the questions they asked were increasingly outrageous... Great swordsman, unparalleled in the world, sword saint, peerless for a thousand years...

Qing Deng had never seriously considered whether he had any goals or aspirations in the path of swordsmanship.

This question coincides with the distress that Qing Deng had been experiencing recently: with the Extermination Group already destroyed and the sword of Damocles hanging over his head gone, what should he do in the future?

"..." Qing Deng remained silent, deep in thought. The wine glass he was about to raise paused.

Goro Komu is not in a hurry.

He ate and drank as usual, quietly waiting for Qingdeng to think and answer.

After a while, Qingdeng quietly placed the wine glass in his hand back on his knee.

"...Mr. Komaki, I'm ashamed to say that my answer might disappoint you."

Qing Deng smiled calmly, then said slowly and deliberately:

"Although I am very interested in martial arts, I have never thought about becoming a great swordsman, an unparalleled master, a sword saint, or an unparalleled master for a thousand years."

"Let alone 'wanting to become,' I've never even thought about those words in my daily life."

"I just want to quietly hone my martial arts skills at my own pace."

"If I had to say what my goal is... it would be to strive to become stronger."

"Strong enough to protect all the important people around me."

The guests, including Miyagawa Otogoro, became increasingly boisterous, turning the entire banquet hall into a noisy mess.

Because the scene was very noisy, only the two people involved, Aoto and Komaki Goro, could clearly hear their conversation.

Goro Komaki put down his chopsticks and looked directly into Aoto's eyes, listening attentively to what Aoto had to say.

Looking back, I realize that without realizing it, I have already made some very important relatives and friends.

As Qingdeng spoke, he tilted his head back, raised his gaze, and looked around.

Old servants Kyubei, Kondo, Hijikata, Saito, Nagakura, Harada, Kiryu, Kinoshita Mai, Sanako, Souji... Aoto's gaze swept across the faces of them, who were sitting in different positions.

"The current state of this country and this world is far from peaceful."

"All sorts of chaotic upheavals followed one after another."

"It may sound arrogant to say this... but I still want to do everything I can to protect all the important people within the reach of my sword."

At this point, Qingdeng paused for a moment.

Then, he switched to a half-joking tone.

"That's why I've always wanted to learn how to use a musket."

As Qingdeng raised his hand to make a trigger-pulling motion, he continued:

"Compared to the edge of a sword... the muzzle of a gun seems to protect a wider area."

"Hahaha."

Komaki Goro seemed amused by Aoto's words, and after chuckling a few times, he crossed his hands and put them into the wide sleeves of his haori.

"So, you chose the 'Living Man Sword'..."

"The Living Man's Sword?"

Aoto cast a questioning look at Komaki Goro.

"A friend of mine who is quite knowledgeable in swordsmanship once told me: There are two kinds of swords in this world—"

Goro Komaki smiled calmly, then held up two fingers.

"The peerless sword that can sever everything in the world"

"A sword that only slays those who deserve to be slain, those who wish to be slain."

"Clearly, based on your previous answer, you are referring to 'living people' rather than 'peerless'."

Goro Komaki slowly lowered his raised finger, then adopted a posture as if he wanted to carefully appreciate a work of art, and softly repeated a sentence that Aoto had just said:

"To protect all the important people within the reach of the sword..."

"Hahaha, what a great ideal!"

Having said that, Komaki Goro stretched out his hands from inside his haori sleeves—and in his right palm appeared a fountain pen and a small booklet.