The world of Type-Moon starts with saving Altria!

Kiyono Hachiro's voice rang out, pulling Okita Souji back to the chaotic reality.

Ten minutes later.

Somewhere in Mibu Village.

Kiyono Hachiro, who was out of breath, supported himself on his knees and looked very embarrassed.

The fan in his hand had already become unsightly because of his hasty escape, and he himself was sweating all over.

No matter how you look at it, he can't be associated with the high-spirited "young master" from before.

"You country bumpkins!"

After barely recovering, Kiyono Hachiro began to make a noise in extreme dissatisfaction.

"There's something wrong with your brain!"

"You just arrived here and you're already having this kind of conflict with others? Do you want to die?!"

"But what we did wasn't a bad thing!"

Kondo Isami hit back at Kiyono Hachiro without any hesitation.

"He ate without paying, and now he blames us for stopping him?"

"This……"

For a moment, Kiyono Hachiro was unable to refute Kondo Isami's words.

Eager to make amends, he quickly turned his attention to Ian.

"Forget it, I won't argue with you guys for now - let's find a place to stay first!"

"Really... We could have left in a carriage today, but we had to make such a fuss!"

[Under the guidance of Kiyono Hachiro, you have arrived deeper into Mibu Village.]

[The people here didn't give up on hosting you because of your injuries—they seemed to be used to it.]

[Of course, this could also be due to the work of Seino Hachiro.]

[But no matter what the situation is, treatment is the most important thing for you at this moment.]

Inside a house somewhere in Mibu Village.

Souji Okita wrapped the last roll of gauze for Ian, and then said with some concern.

"The wound has been treated - it won't hurt that much, right?"

"Um……"

Ian's hand gently stroked Okita Souji's head, and there was a hint of smile in his eyes.

"It seems that your bandaging skills have improved a lot, Okita... I don't feel any pain at all now."

"It doesn't hurt your head!"

Kondo Isami knocked Ian on the head unhappily, and then spoke angrily.

"Are you mentally ill? Why would you risk your life in such a suicidal way against that guy named Yamanami Keisuke?"

"Because that's the only way to break his Beichen Ittoryu."

"What if your idea is wrong?"

"If I'm wrong, I'll die. If I'm right, I'll die."

Ian looked at Kondo Isami with a bit more determination in his eyes.

"Then I'd rather swing my sword before facing death—at least that way, I won't be unworthy of my identity as a swordsman."

"I know you're worried about me, Xiaoyong."

"But if you were in my shoes and saw such an opportunity, you wouldn't hesitate, right?"

"This……"

Kondo Isami really had no way to refute Ian's words.

Because she knew that if she switched roles with him, she would indeed make almost the same choice.

"You little brats!"

Kiyono Hachiro's impatient voice came again.

At this moment, he no longer smoked or fanned himself.

"Could you please discuss this with me before you do anything? What should I do now?! My plans are all messed up!"

"I'm sorry, Master Eight."

Ian Tu got up and apologized.

"But as a swordsman, there are always things I must do. I... cannot go against what my master taught me."

"I can only say, I'm really sorry."

"I also have a responsibility..."

Okita Souji also apologized.

"I should have...issued that challenge on behalf of Sasuke."

"..."

Seeing his two companions apologizing, Kondo Isamiya muttered something.

"I don't think I have any responsibility, but... I am indeed sorry."

"..."

Kiyono Hachiro has seen many stubborn people, but this is the first time he has seen someone apologize as soon as they were told.

At this moment, he felt like he was punching cotton, with no place to use his strength.

"You guys...I, eh..."

Kiyono Hachiro sat down and sighed one after another.

"He's truly an inexperienced person. He really doesn't consider the consequences of his actions at all."

"..."

Looking at Hachiro Kiyono's sighing appearance, Ian realized that this street duel had caused him considerable trouble.

"so--"

"What are those people anyway?"

"Even you, Master Ba, are so worried—could it be some evil force?"

"If it's really a dark and evil force, it would be easy to deal with!"

Kiyono Hachiro hammered the wooden floor next to him, leaving a small mark on it.

"The problem is, they can't be categorized as any kind of group, Hijikata!"

"Can't determine the nature of it?"

Hearing this rather strange description, Okita Souji naturally became concerned.

"How can we not define them? Aren't they just a group of swordsmen and warriors like us?"

"Then you are thinking wrong."

As Kiyono Hachiro was talking, he probably couldn't calm down, so he stood up again and started explaining to the large group of people in front of him with gestures and excitement.

"You guys...do you remember what I asked of you when we first got on board?!"

"Do you want to let everyone know?"

Kondo Isami poked his head out from behind Ian and said this.

"Correct!"

"That's the thing—"

"With this, it's like telling others that you are so-and-so's disciple."

Having said this, Kiyono Hachiro paused.

"Of course, with so many people teaching in Japan, it's impossible for everyone to know me. But no matter what, at least I'm well-known outside of Japan."

"..."

Souji Okita was silent for a while, and then suddenly realized what Seino Hachiro meant.

"That is to say—"

"If there's a secret, then even if something happens outside, we can always find the source, right?"

"Yes."

Kiyono Hachiro nodded.

"Okita, you already understand what's going on."

"Mianxu Jiechuan is like telling others who see this: 'This is someone's disciple. If anything happens, you can come back to me.'"

"So this thing is not so easy to get. If you take it, it means that the person who gave it to you has great trust in you."

"..."

"..."

"..."

At this moment, the trio had a deeper understanding of Kiyono Hachiro's words.

"So, if we duel with Menxu Kaiden, it's actually like a duel between two sects, right?"

Kondo Isami summed it up in one sentence.

"Yes."

Kiyono Hachiro nodded.

"So you understand how outrageous what Hijikata just did was, right?"

"But I still don't understand..."

"What's there to be afraid of?"

Okita Souji held Kaga Kiyomitsu who was beside him.

"Swordsmanship exchanges are something that happen all the time, right? Even if there are some dangers, isn't that normal?"

"Some?"

"Are you sure it's just a few?"

Kiyono Hachiro sighed helplessly.

"So I said you don't realize the danger of doing this."

“And there hasn’t been enough exposure to Kyoto.”

"right--"

"If it's just a duel between sects, it's fine." Kiyono Hachiro frowned, "But what if... it's not?"

"Do you remember what I said at the beginning?"

"These people cannot be simply defined as a certain group. Just like you are from Aoba City, they come from all over Japan."

"Edo, Qichuan and other places are where they come from."

"Do you think... all of these people have actually obtained proof of the 'Menkyō Kaiden'? Of course not!" Kiyono Hachiro asked himself, answering his own question. "Most of them are just small-time thugs who gathered together temporarily!"

"If something really happens, you won't be able to find anyone. If pushed to the limit, they'll just die. But what about you? Have you ever thought about how long that old Kondo will take to train you?"

"Besides, these people don't follow any principles when they do things. You..."

Kiyono Hachiro seemed to be hesitant to speak, but the other three people present had already fully understood the deeper meaning of his words.

not worth it.

It's not that I'm worried about losing, but I simply feel it's not worth it.