I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

……

Kikyo Mountain, somewhere—

"Hmm...the stars are so beautiful tonight."

Rakshasa stood with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the starry sky.

"Nue, come and see! The weather is great tonight. You can see all the stars in the sky clearly."

Nue, who was wiping the bow fittings, shook his head.

"Lord Rakshasa, I apologize, but I do not know how to appreciate it."

"Tsk! You're just like Ōtakemaru, so unromantic! If Orochi and Shuten-dōji were here, they would have happily brought out sake bottles and joined me in gazing at the stars and drinking heartily."

After speaking, Rakshasa seemed to understand something and softly murmured:

"The west wind ages the waves of Dongting Lake, and overnight the Xiang River Goddess's hair turns white. Drunk, I am unaware that the sky is reflected in the water, and my bed is filled with sweet dreams that press down on the Milky Way."

"Lord Rakshasa, I apologize, I am illiterate and do not understand very well."

"I didn't read it to you!"

After giving Nue a disgruntled look, Rakshasa turned her gaze back to the starry sky above.

"Springtime cherry blossom viewing, summer stargazing, autumn full moon appreciation, winter first snowfall—the ancients were truly right. Ah, though it's winter now, not summer. When summer comes this year, I'll rent a small boat and row along the Kanda River, drinking and stargazing. When the mood strikes, I'll write a haiku or senryu; when the alcohol kicks in, I'll go to sleep and wake up naturally... Hmm, how I can look forward to it!"

"Lord Rakshasa, please forgive my bluntness: indulging in pleasure is a great taboo for us patriots."

"Okay! I understand!"

The Rakshasa lamented as he raised his hands in surrender.

“I don’t spend every day eating, drinking, and having fun. I only relax occasionally—this level of self-entertainment doesn’t count as indulging in pleasure, does it?”

Rakshasa paused for a moment, then let out a long sigh.

"With the entire French government purged of its faction, those who appreciate refined tastes are as rare as morning stars, which truly makes me feel incredibly lonely..."

"After all, we are patriots who oppose the shogunate, not literary figures."

"Okay, I understand!"

The Rakshasa raised his hands again, assuming a gesture of surrender.

"Nue, you're just like my mother. I even suspect that Lord Orochi ordered Shuten-dōji to lend you to me so that you could supervise my lifestyle."

"...Lord Rakshasa, in fact, the reason why Lord Orochi sent me to Kanto was not only to provide you with assistance, but also partly to have me spur you on from the sidelines."

"Oh?"

Although Rakshasa raised an eyebrow, there was no sign of surprise on his face.

"Lord Rakshasa, Lord Orochi is not very satisfied with your recent performance..."

"Not entirely satisfied? Why? Is there anything I haven't done well enough lately?"

"Lord Orochi thinks your efficiency is too slow. The layout in Kanto is related to the success or failure of our great cause of overthrowing the shogunate, and your recent achievements are unremarkable."

"This...sigh, I really hope Lord Orochi can understand my predicament."

Rakshasa shook his head, a bitter smile on his face.

"Kanto was the stronghold of the Edo Shogunate, and the Nanki faction, Hitotsubashi faction, and other forces were deeply entrenched."

"While I am making plans and advancing my projects in the Kanto region, I must remain cautious at all times."

"Our Legal Extermination Party's influence in the Kanto region is not as great as that in the Kansai region."

"If I attract the close attention of the shogunate too early, or offend some troublesome and ruthless people... such as the 'Sword Saint' Otani Seiichiro of the Military Academy, the 'Seven-Foot Warrior' Oishi Susumu, or the 'Strongest in Edo' Chiba Eijiro of the Chiba family, even I would not be able to escape unscathed."

"Unless Ōtakemaru and Shuten-dōji arrive in person, who can suppress Chiba Eijiro and those monsters from the Kōbō-shō?"

"Given the constraints I face everywhere, I believe I've done a decent job and lived up to Lord Orochi's expectations."

As soon as Rakshasa finished speaking, Nue said calmly:

“Lord Rakshasa, I fully understand your predicament. But... you should also know that Lord Orochi doesn’t like to hear people complain.”

"...Of course I know."

Rakshasa lowered his head, beads of cold sweat forming between his delicate brows.

Just as Rakshasa remained silent, Nue quietly continued the conversation:

"Moreover, Lord Orochi may not agree with your complaints."

"In terms of the difficulty of the situation and the complexity of the environment, what place in all of Japan can compare to the Kyoto region where Lord Orochi and Lord Ōtakemaru are personally in charge?"

"The Kyoto Imperial Court, the Osaka tycoon merchants, the powerful clans of western Japan, the followers of Ōshio Heihachirō, the Kyoto Shojidai and Osaka Castle Dai of the shogunate, and that troublesome Gourd House..."

"Moreover, according to the latest intelligence, Ogata Ittosai is now living in seclusion in the Kyoto region."

Rakshasa's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Ogata Ittosai is in the Kyoto region? Is this information reliable?"

"This information was personally gathered by Lord Tamamo-no-Mae, so it should be reliable. However, the exact location of Ogata Ittosai's seclusion is still unknown. Lord Orochi has dispatched a search team to Kyoto, and he specifically ordered Lord Ōtakemaru to lead the team personally."

“Ootakemaru? Heh, this mission is quite suitable for him. If he is lucky enough to find Ogata Ittosai, and then unfortunately clashes with him... the only person who can handle this situation is Ootakemaru.”

"Lord Rasetsu, that's what I think too. However... although Lord Ootakemaru is no ordinary man, he probably isn't a match for Ogata Ittosai right now, is he?"

"Of course. But to escape unscathed from Ogata Ittosai's blade... that's something he should be able to do."

"...That's true."

*******

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It's the end of the month! Readers who still have monthly tickets, please be sure to vote for this book! (Crying leopard head.jpg)

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

Today's chapter reveals a lot of new information about the Law Extermination Party. Those who are interested should be able to deduce what kind of work the three main cadres are doing within the Law Extermination Party.

I've noticed that some readers often confuse "Kanto" with "Eastern Country"... These are not the same geographical concept.

"Kanto" mainly refers to the eight provinces of Kanto, which is the plain area centered on Edo.

"Eastern Country" refers to eastern Japan, specifically the half of Japan east of Sekigahara (a plain in the central part of Japan). It encompasses regions such as Kanto, Oshu, Dewa, and Koshu.

Kanto was the stronghold of the Edo Shogunate, and most of the Kanto region was directly controlled by the Edo Shogunate.

Many readers believe that the Eastern Kingdom was the stronghold of the Edo Shogunate, but that is not the case.

The eastern country... especially the northeastern region has a great many tozama daimyo, such as the Date family (the family of "One-Eyed Dragon" Date Masamune), whose total territory has a value of more than 600,000 koku.

To guard against the various domains in the northeast, the shogunate appointed a powerful daimyo to the northeast region, namely the Aizu Domain, one of the domains most relied upon by the shogunate, mentioned earlier.

The most important mission of the Aizu Domain was to hold sway over the northeast and deter other domains in the region.

In conclusion, the Edo Shogunate did not have absolute power in the eastern country.

However, compared to the western provinces, the Edo shogunate did have a greater influence in the eastern provinces.

Chapter 438 The Disadvantages of Sanako's Overly Large Bear [4200]

Rakshasa was silent for a moment, then smiled calmly:

"If the unparalleled 'Eternal Sword Saint' were willing to join us, what would we have to worry about if Tokugawa were not destroyed?"

"Lord Rakshasa, let's get back to the main topic—in short, Lord Orochi doesn't want to rush you too much, but he still hopes you can put in a little more effort."

"……I see."

Rakshasa withdrew his bitter smile, his expression became solemn, and his tone suddenly became firm, his response as forceful as boiling water suddenly overflowing.

"Even without Lord Orochi's urging, I will burn my life for the sake of punishing the traitors and for our great cause."

Nue gazed thoughtfully at Rakshasa's face.

"...Lord Rakshasa."

"What's wrong now?"

"Because Lord Orochi ordered me not to speak out of turn, what follows is just me talking to myself... Lord Orochi once said: Lord Tamamo-no-Mae is unruly, Lord Shuten-dōji is incompetent in politics, Lord Ōtakemaru only knows how to wield his sword to kill enemies, and as for the other officials, none of them are capable of shouldering heavy responsibilities. They are all purged from top to bottom. Only you are a true all-rounder, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and capable of handling things independently. It is for this reason that Lord Orochi entrusted the important Kanto region to you."

Nue uttered slightly cheesy words, and Rakshasa couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth upon hearing them.

"Ah, Lord Orochi... He truly inspires both fear and awe."

He muttered to himself as he looked up and gazed intently at the starry sky above.

A moment later, a fearless smile appeared on his face.

"Well, even though Lord Orochi is terrifying, I would gladly spend seven lifetimes in the human world to follow him."

"Lord Rakshasa, I apologize, but I am illiterate and do not understand 'Seven Lifetimes in the Human Realm' or anything like that."

"Chatting with you is really tiring!"

[Note: "Seven Rebirths in the Human World" is a famous Japanese allusion. It originates from the words of Kusunoki Masashige, a famous samurai during the Nanboku-cho period. On the verge of defeat and death, Kusunoki Masashige laughed and said, "I wish to be reborn seven times to annihilate the enemy." This means he would be reborn seven times (through seven reincarnations) to fight for his country.]

"Lord Rakshasa! Lord Nue!"

Just then, the voice of a burly man could be heard from afar.

"Oh, it's Pinglin. What's up? Is something the matter?"

"Huff...! Huff...! Huff...!"

The burly man was bent over, his hands supporting his knees, panting heavily.

"We've found Onodera!"

"Oh? So you finally found him... Did you find him in person, or his body?"

"His body has been found! My men found Onodera, mortally wounded, in a cave!"

Rakshasa nodded slightly.

"Well, that's good. Hirabayashi, you finally didn't disappoint me again. What about Onodera's companions? How are they?"

"Uh...they...they...they..."