I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The other six squad leaders had all arrived and taken their seats.

The young man suddenly shouted, "Hey, did you know? I heard that Ju Qingdeng has defiled many women." He then paused deliberately for a moment, waiting for the reactions of those around him. He looked to be around 25 years old, with fair skin like a woman's and fairly regular features.

A short, skinny boy sitting diagonally opposite the young man, with wide eyes, impatiently asked:

"Lord Kimura, what did you say? That Tachibana Aoto defiled a woman? Is it true?"

Kimura Genzo nodded with an air of pride:

"Tsuchida-kun, please be patient."

"I heard all of this from a friend of mine."

"As you all know, the 'three-times' samurai of the Magistrate's Office are lowly in rank but powerful in authority."

"Those who hold the power of law and order over the townspeople of Edo can often bring an individual or even a family to ruin with just a simple word."

"It is said that Ju Qingdeng was a hypocrite who appeared respectable but was actually full of lewd and immoral thoughts."

"He has repeatedly used his position to coerce and entice several women, demanding that they share his bed."

"Forced by Ju Qingdeng's tyranny, those poor, innocent women had no choice but to submit to his humiliation."

"Also, it's said that Ju Qingdeng is particularly picky about his taste."

"He specifically targets women with curvy figures."

"Age doesn't matter, as long as you're voluptuous enough."

"According to reliable sources, the youngest girl who was persecuted by Tachibana Seiden is only 12 years old."

"12 years old?!" Tsuchida Masato exclaimed in astonishment. "That Tachibana Aoto really doesn't discriminate..."

A middle-aged man standing next to the earthen field snorted coldly:

"Ha! It's not surprising at all that that scumbag Tachibana Aoto would do something like this!"

"Oh? Mr. Hisaka, why do you say that? Do you know what Tachibana Aoto has done that is even worse than defiling a woman?"

A round-faced, chubby man sitting at the very back of the west side of the room asked in return.

After hearing the round-faced fat man's question, Hisaka Genzo, whose hair had turned white and was mostly bald, snorted coldly again:

"Kazama-kun, you're right!"

"As far as I know, that Tachibana Seiden has actually done things that are even worse than defiling women!"

"Kazama-kun... no, everyone! You may not know this!"

As he spoke, Hisaka straightened his posture. His voice gradually rose as his spine straightened.

"Ju Qingdeng...that guy is a shameless scoundrel who seeks fame and fortune!"

"He has repeatedly used underhanded methods to claim credit for others' achievements!"

"That's why he was able to get promoted to the right so quickly!"

Hisaka paused, swallowed hard, and moistened his throat, which was dry from speaking loudly.

Just as Hisaka was about to say something more—

"...That's enough. Kimura, Hisaka, you two shut up and stop talking about such stupid things."

Suddenly, a cold, deep male voice filled with contempt rang out.

Kimura and Hisaka's expressions froze instantly.

"...Mizushima Rensaburo."

With a furrowed brow, Kimura turned his head to look at the person who had spoken earlier—Mizushima Ninzaburo, captain of the 4th Division of the Fire Thieves.

What did you mean by what you just said?

"Literal meaning."

Mizushima tilted his head and met Kimura's gaze with a cold and unyielding stare.

"If your ears aren't working well and you can't hear what I'm saying, or if your brain isn't working well and you can't understand what I'm saying, then I'll slowly explain it to you again."

"Stop discussing this stupid topic."

"You haven't said enough, but I've heard enough."

Having said that, Mizushima turned his gaze to Motozo Himaka.

"Hisaka, you said that Tachibana shamelessly stole other people's credit... Do you have any evidence?"

"Uh……"

Perhaps because he hadn't expected Mizushima to ask him such a question, Hisaka hesitated for a moment before stammering:

"I heard this from a friend of mine..."

"Look! This string of words has appeared again!"

As Mizushima interrupted Hisaka, a blatant expression of mockery appeared on his face.

“‘I heard it from a friend of mine,’ ‘it is said,’ ‘it is rumored,’ ‘I heard,’ ‘according to reliable sources’…”

"You two keep repeating the same few words over and over again."

"I only believe what I see with my own eyes."

"Before I have had any personal contact with Ju, I will ignore any praise or criticism of Ju."

Have you ever seen an orange with your own eyes?

Have you spoken to Ju?

Have you ever spent time with Ju in person?

"Do you have any concrete evidence that 'Orange forcibly abducted a woman' or 'Orange forcibly appropriated someone else's achievements'?"

"Isn't it foolish enough to spread rumors and hearsay, without knowing the truth or falsehood, about such topics and such behavior?"

"Has no one ever taught you: 'The words of the wild man from Qidong should not be believed lightly'?"

Mizushima has a loud voice, a strong tone, and clear pronunciation.

A loud voice + a high-pitched tone + clear articulation + aggressive language = an overbearing and powerful aura!

Under Mizushima's barrage of words, Kimura and Hisaka's momentum was completely suppressed.

Kimura, feeling his neck stiffen, gritted his teeth:

"Regarding the matter of 'Ju Qingdeng forcibly abducting women,' I indeed lack conclusive evidence. But as the saying goes, 'flies don't land on eggs without cracks,' so..."

Mizushima interrupted without giving Kimura any face:

"'Flies don't land on eggs without cracks' is a completely unfounded fallacy."

"The person who fabricated such a fallacy deserves to go to the underworld and have his tongue pulled out by Yama, the King of Hell."

"Anyone who can speak can easily make up a hundred rumors about anyone, just by moving their lips."

"'Kimura is a castrated man'—is this also a case of 'flies don't land on eggs without cracks'?"

"What did you say?!"

Kimura's fair face turned a deep red in the blink of an eye.

In just a moment, the air in the council chamber was filled with the strong smell of gunpowder.

Mizushima casually glanced at Kimura, then raised his head, pointing his nose directly at him.

"Kimura-sama! Please calm down!"

Tsuchida, who was as thin as a monkey, quickly got up and came to Kimura's side.

"Mr. Kimura, don't lose your temper because of Mizushima's provocation."

Kazama, whose obese figure caused his chest and belly to jiggle with every step he took, quickly stood up right after Doma and used his "broad" body to block Kimura from falling on Mizushima in the heat of the moment.

Like Kimura, Hisaka glared at Mizushima with wide eyes. However, he hesitated to shout angrily at Mizushima like Kimura did. A hint of fear lingered in his eyes as he looked at Mizushima.

Just as Mizushima and Kimura seemed poised to clash at any moment, two crisp claps suddenly rang out.

"Alright, alright! Let's leave this topic behind. Don't let such trivial matters ruin our harmony!"

A burly man with a kind face walked slowly between Kimura and Mizushima with a smile.

This person is none other than Kanazawa Tadatsugu, the captain of the second squad of the Fire Thieves.

"Lord Kurosawa and Lord Okubo will be here soon, so everyone please calm down."

"If the two lords were to see you arguing here, or even nearly coming to blows, you'd be in deep trouble."

"Tch...!" Kimura smacked his lips loudly, then looked away, no longer wanting to look at Mizushima, trying to avoid seeing him—but before turning his gaze away, he glared at Mizushima a few more times with "reluctance."

Mizushima adopted an attitude of "I'm too lazy to bother with you idiots anymore." He closed his eyes and began to rest.

A crisis of internal strife was averted without a trace thanks to Jinze's mediation.

At that moment, two footsteps entered between them.

The sound came from the outside corridor.

The eyes of everyone in the hall reflexively swept towards the doorway.

Splash...

The hall door, painted in a plain color, was roughly pulled open.

The ones who opened the door were Qingdeng and my grandson, who had finally arrived at the council chamber.

……

……

—Are these people... the squad leaders who were converted from fire-attribute thieves...?

The moment my grandson, who was leading the way, opened the door to the council chamber, Qing Deng cast a sweeping glance into the hall.

What came into view were one unfamiliar face after another—except for the Fourth Division Captain, Mizushima.

From another perspective, Aoto and Mizushima have a special connection.

Before he was transferred to the Right Relocation Bureau for the Thieves, Qing Deng had already met with Mizushima twice.