I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

With a wave of his hand, Sakai Kingo immediately put the feudal lords around him into a state of readiness for battle.

"Thief! Release Phoenix House!"

"Aaaaaah! Lord Sakai! Don't shoot the arrow! Don't shoot the arrow! It'll hit me!"

Words like "terrible" and "tricky" are no longer sufficient to describe Nishino's current situation.

Sakai Kingo already considered him a thug who committed violence at night.

In fact, to an uninformed person, Nishino, covered in blood and carrying a katana, was indeed extremely suspicious and hard to trust.

If things go wrong, I could die a horrible and inexplicable death here.

They fought so hard to eliminate the Gensuke Yoshinobu and for the future of the shogunate, yet in the end, they died at the hands of their own people—this is truly a dark comedy.

--what to do……?

Large beads of cold sweat trickled down Nishino's tightly furrowed brow.

Just as Nishino was racking his brains trying to figure out how to break out of his current predicament—

"Huh? What's that voice?"

From the rear of the battle formation, a deep voice that was very familiar to Nishino suddenly rang out.

A large, fat man covered in flabby flesh huffed and puffed as he pushed aside the feudal soldiers blocking his way and stood next to Sakai Kingo.

"Nishino-kun! It really was you!"

Nishino stared wide-eyed at the fat man who had accurately called out his name, his face filled with disbelief.

"Hakui...sir?"

The fat man... who is Nishino's superior and the current magistrate of the North Office: Tadashiro Usui, looked at Nishino with a complicated expression.

Although he didn't say a word, Nishino could guess what he was thinking at that moment.

He must have been quite surprised that his long-lost subordinate had reappeared in such a shocking way.

Nishino glanced at Usui briefly and noticed that his face was flushed.

Considering Usui's close relationship with Sakai Kingo, Nishino speculated that Usui was probably drinking with Sakai Kingo when he heard Phoenix House Yataro's cries for help, and then came out with Sakai Kingo to check the situation.

“西野？”

Sakai Kingo turned his gaze and looked Nishino up and down several times.

"Are you Nishino Hosōjirō from the Hokuban-sō-chō-chō?"

Nishino had accompanied Usui to Sakai Kingo's residence for social occasions a few times, so Sakai Kingo had a slight impression of Nishino.

"It really is you... Nishino Hosojiro! As a government official, why do you knowingly break the law and commit violence and assault?!"

The atmosphere at the scene did not ease at all even though Usui recognized Nishino.

Instead, it became heavier and more enigmatic.

Amidst this tension, the first person to utter a single sentence was Usui.

"Hahaha! It's a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding!"

Usui laughed a few times, then, with his huge belly sticking out, he scurried over to the space between Nishino and Sakai Kingo.

"Lord Sakai! This is a misunderstanding!"

"Misunderstand?"

Kingo Sakai frowned slightly.

"Yes! Here's what happened—I recently assigned Nishino-kun a very urgent task! He was probably in a rush to solve the case, so he accidentally arrested the wrong person!"

As soon as Usui finished speaking, Phoenix House Yataro's eyes widened.

"Arrested the wrong person by mistake?! What a joke! This guy came specifically for me! He even led a group of people into my house! I have ample evidence to prove that this guy premeditated murder! Lord Sakai! Please bring this madman to justice immediately!"

Despite Phoenix House Yataro's reasoned arguments, Usui remained completely unmoved.

"Well... it's probably just a misunderstanding!"

"In short—Nishino-kun, please release them. Since you arrested the wrong person, stop holding on so tightly!"

"Lord Sakai, you too! Quickly tell your men to put away their weapons! If they accidentally fire, it will be a huge problem!"

Usui skillfully smiled apologetically at both sides.

His seemingly harmless smile inexplicably made people feel close to him.

Sakai Kingo glanced at Usui, then at Nishino, pondered for a moment, and then nodded slightly.

"...Alright, if it's a misunderstanding, then it's easier to talk about."

"Sakai-sama?!"

Phoenix House Yataro stared in disbelief.

How could this be a misunderstanding?! It's one thing for the town magistrate of the Hokuban-sho to spout nonsense, but how come even Lord Sakai is talking gibberish?

"Lord Sakai! You..."

Just as Phoenix House was about to say something, Usui rushed to his side.

"Oh my! Lord Phoenix House! It's been so long!"

Usui enthusiastically took Phoenix House Yataro's hand.

"If I remember correctly, the last time we met was at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet six months ago."

"I'm so sorry this time!"

“My subordinate is ignorant and has offended you unintentionally. I beg you to be magnanimous and forgive him this time for my sake.”

When he said "for my sake," Usui emphasized the phrase.

At the same time, a deep light shone in his eyes.

*******

*******

Today's word count is 5200!

The rehabilitation is going smoothly! It shouldn't be long before Leopard is back to its usual update frequency!

It's the end of the month! I'm begging for some monthly votes! (Tearful leopard head.jpg)

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

Chapter 466 Qing Deng Arrives! The Release of "Power"! [5000]

“呃唔……！”

Phoenix House Yataro wore a complicated expression.

Although the Edo Town Magistrate ranked last among the "Three Magistrates" in terms of power and status, he was still the "mayor" of Edo!

No matter how privileged a merchant may be, he is still essentially a businessman who makes a living by buying and selling.

As a businessman whose base was in Edo, Phoenix House Yataro naturally did not want to offend Usui.

Although the Zazashi held a prominent position, he was not so prominent that he could disregard even the Edo Town Magistrate.

Anyone with eyes and a brain can see that Usui is clearly trying to protect his own! He's determined to side with Nishino!

Usui was a well-known shrewd and cunning man in the shogunate's officialdom. He was popular everywhere he went, never offended anyone, and always greeted everyone with a smile, so he was extremely well-liked.

With his extensive network of connections and the power of the "Three Commissioners"... as long as Usui is willing to interfere, even if there is overwhelming evidence of "Nishino breaking into a private residence and intending to kill someone," he has a way to protect Nishino, turning a major incident into a minor one, and a minor one into nothing...

Thinking of this, resentment rose again in Phoenix House Yataro's heart.

He was truly unwilling to let Nishino, who had caused him so much suffering, go unpunished.

If he could, he would love to see Nishino die right now, pierced by a thousand arrows and torn to pieces, in a most miserable and tragic way.

Just as Phoenix House Yataro was caught in a dilemma, Usui suddenly turned around and roared at the servant behind him:

"Hey! What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and help Lord Phoenix House up!"

Samurai of Usui's rank would always be accompanied by a large group of attendants, including those carrying boxes, straw sandals, and spears, whenever he went out.

Upon hearing Bo Jing's order, his attendants dared not delay and hurriedly stepped forward.

Upon seeing this, Nishino immediately shouted:

"Hey, wait a minute..."

However, before he could utter more than a few syllables, Usui rushed to his side and grabbed his shoulder.

"Nishino-kun, what are you up to?"

Usui growled in a low voice that only he and Nishino could hear.

Nishino glanced sideways at Usui's face.

Usui, who usually smiles like a Maitreya Buddha, now showed an unprecedented... at least Nishino had never seen such a serious expression.

“Nishino-kun, listen to me carefully. I don’t know why you’re chasing Phoenix House, but this is the end of it.”

"You see? Sakai Kingo's personal guards are all here."

"They can kill you without even a burial place by simply lifting a finger."

"You can't do anything to Phoenix House anymore."

"While the situation hasn't become irreversible, I can still help you."

“Sakai Kingo has already agreed to give me face and spare your life.”

"If you continue to be so stubborn... then I really can't help you anymore..."

"Please don't do anything foolish..."

At this point, Usui's eyebrows drooped, his facial features relaxed, and his expression became... quite intriguing.

It contains both the frustration of subordinates causing trouble and the sorrow of not wanting to see them die in vain.

Looking at Bo Jing's appearance, Nishino paused, a hint of hesitation flashing across his face.