I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"I've practiced my spear skills enough; I'm going back to worship my statue of the Benevolent King."

“Mr. Suehiro, you are truly devout to your statue of Niou.” Yamada smiled helplessly. “You pray to that statue twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, without fail.”

"My Niou statue is incredibly powerful! Ever since I started worshipping it, I've escaped danger many times under its protection! It's amazing! Yamada, would you like to come and worship with me?"

"Haha, I don't need it."

……

……

In a room at a hotel in Fujisawa-juku—

"...I think I understand the specific reasons now."

"So... Leroy, it was Elodie who begged you to take her to that Ejima Shrine, and you softened and couldn't refuse her, so you and Kinoshita Mai secretly took Elodie away from the inn. Is that right?"

"...Yes, Mr. Angoulême. I bear full responsibility for all the accidents that happened today."

"If I had been firm in my beliefs and refused to join forces with Ms. Kinoshita to sneak the young lady out for a trip, none of these unexpected events would have happened today."

"I am willing to accept any punishment..."

At this moment, Elodie and her maid, Leroy, stood one in front of an old man.

The elderly man was around 70 years old.

He had a carefully trimmed mustache above his chin and lips.

His hair, which wasn't very long, was combed diagonally backward, and both his hair and beard were so white that no other color could be seen.

He was a bit overweight, and even his extremely loose clothes couldn't hide his huge belly, which looked like it could fit two basketballs.

His features are deep-set, especially his two eye sockets, which are so deep that it seems like they could hold two eggs.

His nose was high and straight, with a slightly fleshy tip. A pair of thin-rimmed glasses sat on the bridge of his nose, and behind the lenses were a pair of blue eyes that were glaring at Leroy with eyes full of anger.

Anthony de Angoulême – the name of this old man.

"Grandpa!" Elodie, who had been keeping her hands folded in front of her and her head bowed, suddenly raised her head. "Please don't punish Miss Leroy! These accidents today have nothing to do with Miss Leroy! Nor with Miss Mai!"

"It was because I was playful and wanted to visit the Eshima Shrine, which I had long admired, so I begged Miss Mai and Miss Leroy to take me there!"

"Miss Leroy was coerced by me into secretly taking me away from the inn!"

"I bear the primary responsibility for what happened today!"

"Grandpa, if you want to punish Miss Leroy, punish me first!"

“Miss…” Leroy, standing behind Elodie, raised his head and cast a look at Elodie that was a mixture of gratitude and guilt.

“Elodie…” Anthony looked at his granddaughter with a helpless expression. “Keep quiet. No matter how you defend Leroy, it is an undeniable fact that she did not fulfill the duties of a waitress.”

"Didn't I give this warning several times before leaving Osaka?"

Anthony turned his angry gaze back to Leroy.

"This country does not yet welcome foreigners like us."

"You must not leave the hotel without my permission!"

"Leroy, as Elodie's maid, no matter how much Elodie begs you, you should not take Elodie outside without permission!"

"By doing this, you're essentially putting both Elodie and yourself in danger!"

"You have committed a serious crime of dereliction of duty—I am sure I have not wronged or misunderstood you?"

“Grandpa…” Hearing Anthony’s stern rebuke, Elodie bit her lip.

Just as Elodie was about to say something more to Anthony, Leroy lowered his head again:

"...Yes. I plead guilty."

"It was my negligence that led to Miss's near-accident today."

“Miss.” Leroy looked up and gave Elodie a grateful smile. “Thank you for protecting me.”

“But Mr. Angoulême is not wrong. I do bear an inescapable responsibility for today’s series of accidents.”

"I am willing to accept any punishment."

"Hmph." Looking at Leroy, who sincerely confessed his guilt, Anthony's expression softened slightly. "It's good that you're willing to confess."

"I'll punish you slowly later."

At this point, Anthony seemed to remember something and asked Leroy:

"How is Tachibana Aoto doing now?"

“He is currently receiving treatment from Mr. Kiryu in the next room,” Leroy replied.

"Kiryu..." For some reason, Anthony's lips twitched when he heard the name "Kiryu".

After a long pause, Anthony sighed softly: "Today is a stroke of luck amidst misfortune... Fortunately, two warriors appeared in time and repelled the attackers when Elodie was attacked."

"otherwise……"

At this point, Anthony seemed reluctant to continue and shut his mouth.

“…You all come with me.” Anthony straightened his back a little. “We’re going to see the knight who has done us a great favor.”

*******

*******

New book launch!

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please recommend this book! Please add this book to your favorites!

What is Nioh?

Many readers may be curious: What is Nioh?

Here, I'd like to elaborate on the explanation given by the Bilibili columnist 【Anatolia's Hunchback】:

The meaning of Niou in Japanese is derived from Buddhism. In Buddhist temples, two guardian deities are usually erected in front of the main gate, one with its mouth open and the other with its mouth closed.

The open mouth symbolizes "Ah," which in Buddhism is the first sound uttered when the mouth is open, and is the beginning of all sounds and words; the closed mouth symbolizes "Hum," which is the opposite of "Ah," and is the last sound uttered when the mouth is closed, and is the end of all sounds and words.

In my country, these two Vajra statues are figuratively known as the "Hum and Ha Generals".

In Japan, these two Vajra statues are known as "Nioh".

Therefore, you can understand "Nioh" as a Vajra standing tall, glaring angrily at the mortal world.

Chapter 69 Little Rich Girl - Kinoshita Mai

Fujisawa-juku, a certain inn, in a certain room—

"Alright." Kiryu tied the burlap bandage around Aoto's leg wound into a neat knot and smiled. "The wound isn't deep. After applying my special medicine and resting for about ten days, it will be fully recovered."

Qing Deng stood up from the tatami mat, tiptoed, and stomped around a few times.

When my injured right leg touches the ground, I still feel some pain, but after applying Kiryu's special medicine—a brown ointment—I feel much more comfortable than before the treatment.

"Mr. Kiryu, you also know medicine?"

"Hmm." Kiryu smiled and adjusted the glasses on his nose. "I used to study some medicine in Kyoto."

"You know so many things... You can repair Wu clothing, you can read lips, you can do calligraphy, and now you can even do medicine..."

"Learning all sorts of new and interesting things is my hobby," Kiryu said with a modest smile. "How about it? Don't you think the burlap is tied too tightly?"

"No, no, it's just right."

At this moment, there are four people in this not-too-big-too-small double room—Aoto, Saito, Kiryu, the owner of Senjiya, and Kinoshita Mai.

Saito knelt beside Aoto, his sword always hanging at his right waist, never taken off.

While Kiryu was treating Aoto's leg injury, Kinoshita Mai sat behind Kiryu the whole time, helping him out.

After tiptoeing a few times to make sure the injury wasn't serious, Qingdeng sat back down cross-legged on the ground.

After Qingdeng sat back down on the ground, a faint voice of thanks drifted into his ears.

"Tachibana-kun... thank you so much for today..."

The one who uttered those words of thanks was none other than Kinoshita Mai.

Perhaps because of the presence of Saito, a complete stranger, Kinoshita Mai, who was already afraid of strangers, was extremely nervous and reserved.

Two small hands clasped together rested on her thighs, her chin rested against her collarbone, and her shoulders were tucked in.

Kinoshita Mai, who was already quite petite, now appears even smaller.

"Ah... no need for thanks, I didn't do anything particularly remarkable." Qingdeng raised his hand and scratched the skin on the back of his neck. "Instead of thanking me... let's talk."

"Ms. Kinoshita, I have so many questions I want to ask you..."

“I remember you told me before that you were coming to Fujisawa-suke to pick up a friend of yours.”

"The friend you mentioned...could it be that blonde girl?"

Upon hearing Aoto's question, Kinoshita Mai, who was already quite reserved, became even more flustered.

The hands resting on her legs tightened and loosened repeatedly.

He opened and closed his mouth, stammering for a long time, but couldn't get a coherent answer.

Seeing that Kinoshita Mai was too shy to say a complete sentence, Kiryu, who was sitting in front of her, turned his head and gave Kinoshita Mai a helpless smile: "...Let me say it instead."

"Mr. Orange, the girl you rescued this afternoon is named Elodie de Angoulême, and she is from France."

"As you just asked, this Elodie is a friend of the young master who came all the way to Fujisawa to greet him as a sign of a warm welcome."

"As for the woman dressed in pale yellow Wu clothing, she is a maid named Marie Leroy who is in charge of taking care of Elodie's daily life and meals."

...Elodie de Angoulême?

Upon hearing the name, Qingdeng immediately felt: This name... why does it sound so familiar...?

Qingdeng, whose name sounded strangely familiar, pursed his lips and pondered deeply.

He quickly remembered—wasn't this the French girl that Inogani had told him about before, the one who was said to be very beautiful...?

Compared to the timid and hesitant Kinoshita Mai, Kiryu's behavior was much more natural and poised.