I Formed the Strongest Swordsman Group

Chapter 71: Peerless Sword-Drawing Technique

Since his granddaughter had nearly encountered danger at Fujisawa-shuku, Anthony no longer had the heart to stay in this unlucky place.

As soon as dawn broke the next day, Anthony hurriedly directed his caravan to leave Fujisawa-shuku and continue their journey relocating to Edo.

Anthony's caravan wasn't particularly large.

Between carriages for passengers and those transporting luggage... the total number came to just eight vehicles.

The various carriages formed a single-file procession moving along the flat main road of Tōkaidō.

The thirty-six guards led by Komuro dispersed to protect the caravan from all directions.

Except for Komuro, none of the other guards had the privilege of riding horses, so they had to escort the moving caravan on foot. The carriage procession consequently had to match pace with the guards, moving forward at a speed barely faster than walking.

At this moment, inside one of these eight carriages—

"Truly a wealthy family's carriage..." Aoto murmured to himself with amusement, "There's practically no sense of bumpiness at all."

The carriage that Aoto and Saitō were riding in must have employed some special manufacturing technique, as it possessed excellent shock absorption functionality. The ride was remarkably smooth with almost no sensation of jolting.The slash wound on Aoto's right leg, while not serious, would require at least two days of rest before he could think about walking normally again.

Since Aoto's leg injury was ultimately sustained while saving his granddaughter and her friend, Anthony—feeling quite guilty about Aoto's injury upon learning his situation—generously offered: since they were heading to Edo anyway, why not invite Aoto to ride back with them directly?

Facing Anthony's invitation, Aoto only pondered briefly before readily accepting.

The reason was simple—Aoto could only think of benefit after benefit to riding Anthony's "free ride" back to Edo, with no downsides whatsoever.

If he refused Anthony's offer, Aoto would inevitably have to lie low in Fujisawa-shuku for several days before being able to make the return journey to Edo on foot.

The possibility existed that those radical Expel the Barbarians faction members targeting Aoto's head might learn he was injured and, while he recuperated in Fujisawa-shuku, sneak into the post station to assassinate him.

Based on currently known information about those fanatics, it was basically confirmed: these madmen possessed considerable intelligence gathering or tracking capabilities.

Their every "Divine Punishment" attempt against Aoto so far had coincidentally occurred when he went to sparsely populated areas—the best evidence of their intelligence or tracking abilities.

Considering all this, while currently injured, returning quickly to Edo where he had support from people like Arima was the superior strategy rather than staying in unfamiliar Fujisawa-shuku.

Beyond this primary reason, Aoto accepted the ride because traveling by carriage was more comfortable, and going back with Anthony's group was safer.

Sitting comfortably inside a carriage versus exhausting himself walking on foot—which was easier required no explanation.

So far, while those so-called "Expel the Barbarians activists" shouted their anti-foreigner slogans to the heavens, the number of Westerners actually killed by them remained remarkably low.

The Japanese killed by them, however, were considerably more numerous, their total likely exceeding the Western victims by at least tenfold.

Moreover, the few Westerners they did kill were mostly attacked when they were inadvertently caught alone unexpectedly.

"Expel the Barbarians activists" attacking Westerners protected by large numbers of samurai—no such precedent existed.

Returning to Edo with a large group like Anthony's eliminated concern about being attacked by "Expel the Barbarians activists" during the return journey.

Aoto truly couldn't think of any reason to refuse Anthony's offer.

After Aoto readily agreed, Anthony cleared out one carriage previously used for luggage for Aoto and Saitō to ride in—precisely the vehicle they were currently occupying.

Today's weather was quite pleasant.

The temperature wasn't too cold, with gentle sunlight and a soft breeze.

Aoto slightly opened the window, allowing fresh outside air to flow into the compartment before leaning his head against the window frame, carefully observing the scenery outside.

"...You seem to be in quite good spirits," Saitō, sitting across from Aoto, unusually initiated conversation first.

"Hm? Yes, my mood is indeed quite good right now," Aoto replied, his gaze not moving from the scenery outside the window as he faintly curved his lips upward.

The case that should have been his to solve was cracked by the "Cat Thief"... Aoto had originally thought this "trip to Fujisawa-shuku" would be a completely losing business trip.

Unexpectedly—such is the unpredictability of worldly affairs.

Though his leg suffered a minor injury, the gains he obtained made Aoto's return journey truly deserving of being called "returning fully laden with rewards."

To express gratitude for Aoto and Saitō saving his granddaughter, Anthony very generously gave each of them a reward of 80 ryō of gold!

80 ryō of gold... even for an official like Aoto working at the Magistrate's Office with a handsome salary, this was no small fortune.

The heavy weight of these 80 ryō obtained from Anthony now rested quietly within Aoto's robes.

Such a substantial sum was undoubtedly timely assistance for Aoto's current financial constraints, instantly making his circumstances much more comfortable.

The two major "mountains" currently weighing on Aoto's shoulders: personal safety threats from the "radical Expel the Barbarians faction," and financial pressure from the yakuza—the latter's burden instantly felt much lighter.

It seems my luck is starting to change—Aoto couldn't help thinking this.

As this thought crossed his mind, the smile on Aoto's face grew slightly richer.

Moreover, the few Westerners they did kill were mostly attacked when they were carelessly caught alone unexpectedly.

......

Elodie had originally been sharing a carriage with her grandfather... that is, Anthony.

But now that her dear friend Kinoshita Mai had arrived, to ride together with Mai, Elodie very naturally "kicked" Anthony out of the carriage, making him find another vehicle to sit in.

And so—"evicted" by his granddaughter, Anthony could only share a carriage with another elder: Kiryu.

Rumble... rumble... rumble...

The sound of turning wheels continuously flowed into the carriage occupied by Kiryu and Anthony, where the atmosphere had been deathly silent since earlier.

Kiryu, sitting with legs crossed and containing a faint smile, overlapped his hands resting on his legs, eyes observing his nose, nose observing his heart.

Anthony, sitting across from him, had been narrowing his eyes, glaring angrily at Kiryu.

"...Kiryu, don't you think you owe me an explanation?"

"Explanation for what?" Kiryu smiled as he counter-questioned Anthony.

"Yesterday, how could Mai possibly have taken Elodie away from the inn right under your nose?" Anthony's voice suddenly raised several degrees. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

"Aside from you intentionally letting them leave, I can't think of any other reason how they could have slipped away under your watch!"

Looking at the angry Anthony before him, the smile on Kiryu's face grew slightly richer.

He raised a hand to adjust the glasses on his nose bridge.

"Ha... as expected, I couldn't possibly fool someone like you who knows me inside out..."

"Yes, you're quite right. Yesterday, I indeed turned a blind eye to the young master and others sneaking out from the inn."

"Why?" Anthony pressed his hands against his legs, leaning his upper body slightly toward Kiryu as he rapidly questioned, "Why intentionally let Elodie and the others leave the inn?!"

"No particularly special reason," Kiryu said mildly. "It was just... wanting to give the young master a chance to happily play around with her only friend after such a long time apart."

"You should also understand how close the young master is with your granddaughter, right?"

"Three months ago, after learning your whole family was moving to Edo, the young master often couldn't sleep from excitement, eagerly looking forward to seeing Elodie sooner."

"Two dear friends who are still children reuniting after long separation, yet only able to stay cooped up in the inn with nowhere to go play—I felt that was somewhat cruel."

"So yesterday, I intentionally let them leave the inn to play outside for a while."

After hearing Kiryu's explanation, Anthony showed an expression of anger rising from nowhere.

"Let them out to play for a while? Kiryu, do you realize that because you intentionally let Mai and Elodie slip out from the inn, they nearly had an accident yesterday!"

"An accident?" The smile on Kiryu's face slowly transformed into a meaningful one. "Anthony, you worry too much about that."

"I'm not a fool either."

"Letting the still quite immature young master take Elodie out alone to play in this unfamiliar place—I wouldn't be stupid enough to do something like that."

"Rest assured."

"After turning a blind eye to the young master and others sneaking out yesterday, I secretly followed behind them the whole time, protecting them from the shadows."

Having said this, Kiryu raised his hand and untied a long, large cloth bundle placed beside him.

This large cloth bundle contained only two items: a brown cloak and a katana.

If Aoto were here now, seeing this brown cloak would surely find it quite familiar.

Because this brown cloak was precisely the same one worn by that "cloaked figure" he accidentally encountered at Enoshima Shrine who inadvertently knocked over the shrine maiden...

"I noticed long ago that a group of people had been secretly following the young master and Elodie."

"I originally planned to reveal myself immediately once these rōnin began causing trouble, to repel them."

"But who could have expected—Aoto-kun's unexpected appearance changed things."

"This works fine too. Aoto-kun's sudden appearance actually helped me out, defeating those rōnin bothering the young master and saving me considerable effort."

After quietly listening to Kiryu's explanation, Anthony's expression improved slightly.

"...Hmph." He snorted heavily before crossing his arms and leaning back against the seat behind him. "That's more like it!"

"If you'd really just simply let Elodie and the others leave the inn yesterday without secretly following to protect them, then I'd truly suspect Kiryu, have you grown too old, with your mind gone soft?!"

"Though I am advanced in years, my body remains quite healthy," Kiryu shrugged.

Anthony, with arms tightly crossed before him, slowly turned his gaze to the other item in that large cloth bundle alongside the brown cloak: that katana.

This was an ancient sword with considerable curvature, its scabbard and hilt both black and purple interwoven, emanating an antique aura.

But now that her dear friend Kinoshita Mai had arrived, to ride together with Mai, Elodie very naturally "kicked" Anthony out of the carriage, making him find another vehicle to sit in.

"Kiryu... you still haven't found someone to inherit your legacy?"

"No." Kiryu smiled freely. "Quite regrettable, but my sword drawing technique may truly be lost to time."

Anthony's eyes widened slightly in astonishment: "Hey... is that really alright?"

"If your peerless sword drawing technique gets lost... wouldn't that be far too regrettable?"

"...Let things follow their natural course." Kiryu lowered his head, looking at this purple-and-black ancient sword beside him, then gently stroked the blade with movements as tender as caressing his own child. "I used to grow anxious too, worried about my skills being lost."

"But now, I've gained perspective."

"If by the time my life reaches its conclusion I still haven't found a suitable successor, then it means my technique is fated to remain unpassed."

"Leave everything to fate."

"If fortunate enough to find a successor before my life ends, that would naturally be best."

"If I lack such luck... then I'm willing to accept that outcome too."

Anthony frowned: "...This country has so many people, there's certainly no shortage of those with extraordinary talent in swordsmanship, right? Can't you find even one person with sufficient outstanding talent capable of inheriting your sword drawing technique?"

"Hm..." Kiryu closed his eyes, gently shaking his head. "When selecting a successor, I don't just look at swordsmanship talent alone."

"Not just swordsmanship talent? Then what else do you look for?"

"How should I put this..." Kiryu smiled as he opened his eyes to look out the window. "As you just said, this world never lacks those exceptional talents with extraordinary swordsmanship gifts."

"So besides possessing outstanding swordsmanship talent, I hope my successor can also have some... more interesting abilities."

"'More interesting abilities'? What do you mean...?"

"Hahaha." Kiryu laughed heartily. "I don't really know how to explain it to you either. Anyway, my successor absolutely must be 'interesting' enough!"

"...You great sword masters' way of thinking is truly difficult to comprehend." Anthony emitted an impatient sigh.