Volume 2 The Executioner Chapter 114: Escape
"The elder of the family."
Xuan An turned his head and spoke to Cang Yong behind him.
"Ogata-kun's injuries have healed very well."
"It's so good that I even wonder if the Ogata army has taken some magic pill."
"When I treated Ogata-kun for the injuries he sustained during the Shinto Festival, his recovery speed was not that amazing."
"If nothing unexpected happens, Ogata-kun should be able to recover soon."
"Okay." Cang Yong nodded gently, "Xuan An...thank you for your hard work."
After saying this, Cang Yong bowed solemnly to Xuan An.
…
…
After sending Xuan'an away, Cangyong also let Feiyuan leave temporarily.
Only himself and Ogata were left alone in the room.
"Ogata-kun..." Looking at the wounded Ogata, Kuranaga sighed, "Thank you for your hard work..."
After saying "thank you for your hard work" to Ogata——
"thank you."
Then he thanked Ogata.
"Master, there's no need to say these words." Ogata smiled, "I didn't risk my life to swing the sword just to get your gratitude."
"By the way, how is Gennai Matsudaira?"
"...After I couldn't wait for you to come back, and couldn't wait for the lord and his men to leave the Wild Boar Forest, I asked Fei Yuan to go into the Wild Boar Forest to look for you."
" However ... Fei Yuan found you who had fainted from your injuries, and... your lord who had been stabbed hundreds of times and died tragically beside you."
"When Feiyuan dragged the lord's body to me... To be honest, I didn't recognize at first that this huge piece of meat with so many holes in it was the lord..."
"I see..." Ogata said softly, "If that's the case... then I'm relieved."
"...Ogata-kun."
Kuranaga looked at Ogata with complicated eyes.
Then--
"...Please... forgive me."
Suddenly he apologized to Ogata.
"I no longer have the ability to protect you."
"When your wounds are healed, you can leave Hirose Domain."
"If you continue to stay in Hirose Domain, it will only be a matter of time before the shogunate finds out that you are the murderer who assassinated the lord and arrests you."
"The shogunate will never let me off as the mastermind behind this."
"We will also not let you off the hook for personally wielding the sword and beheading the lord and all his guards."
"While the shogunate still doesn't know that the daimyo of Hirose Domain was assassinated by you, you should leave Hirose Domain as soon as possible and run as far away as possible."
"Family elder..." Ogata said softly, "Matsudaira Gennai and his guards are all dead. There is not a single one left alive... Even so, can the people of the shogunate find out that I killed Matsudaira Gennai?"
Hearing Ogata's question, Kuranaga sighed softly.
"Ogata-kun..."
"The Shogunate's capabilities... are beyond our imagination..."
"If a daimyo of a domain is assassinated... and a daimyo close to the domain is assassinated, the shogunate will definitely not sit idly by."
"With the shogunate's ability, it would be easy for them to find out who is behind this..."
"Let's not talk about anything else... the shogunate can easily find out with just a flick of their fingers that a merchant has recently sold me several sets of chain mail and many good swords..."
"Then just move your fingers and you will find out that before the lord was assassinated, he had wiped out the entire Sakakibara Sword Hall, leaving only you alive."
"And you happen to be a samurai whose swordsmanship far exceeds that of an ordinary person."
"You automatically become the biggest suspect."
"Ogata-kun, think about what would happen if you stayed in the Hirose Domain..."
"You will be regarded as the biggest suspect by the shogunate, arrested, and tortured..."
"So you can't stay in Hirose Domain anymore..."
"From now on, there is still a long time until the shogunate sends people to Hirose Domain to investigate."
"Ogata-kun, you should take advantage of this time to recover from your injuries, and then leave the Hirose Domain as far away as possible."
"The world is big. As long as we escape from the Hirose Domain, Ogata-kun might still have a chance to survive..."
After listening quietly to Kuranaga's words, Ogata did not show any strange expression on his face.
"So... I have to become a ronin and travel the world..."
Not only did he not show any strange expression, but there was even a hint of smile on Ogata's face.
"Just be a ronin if you want to be a ronin ."
"There are benefits to being a ronin. You don't have to do the boring job of a warehouse officer anymore."
"My Lord, allow me to ask you one more question - now that Matsudaira Gennai is dead, what will happen to the Hirose Domain in the future?"
"Right now, the shogun is busy with the elders in reforming the shogunate," Kuranaga said softly. "He is in a very busy state. He has no time to devote too much energy to anything other than reform."
"Plus, the Tenmei Great Famine has just passed, and the world has finally regained some stability. In order to continue to maintain this rare stability, the shogunate has been deliberately reducing the number of ronin in recent years."
"In the past, if the lord was killed, the domain would often be abolished, and all the retainers in the domain would certainly be punished by being demoted to ronin."
"Now the shogunate is focusing on the reform of the shogunate and maintaining the stability of the country. It is no longer possible to withdraw our Hirose Domain directly as before."
"So the Hirose Domain will definitely be retained by the shogunate, and those innocent retainers in the domain will not be in any danger."
"The lord has a cousin. The shogunate should make the lord's cousin the new daimyo of Hirose Domain."
"The lord's cousin is a humble and polite man. If he becomes the new daimyo of Hirose Domain, the Hirose Domain may usher in a new atmosphere."
After listening to Kuranaga's words quietly, Ogata sighed:
"Will it not harm innocent people? That's good..."
Having said this, Ogata suddenly paused.
After a long pause, Ogata continued:
"My Lord, I have a request."
"Please say."
"I have two friends in Hirose Domain, and they run an izakaya."
"I worked as a security guard in that pub for a while."
"After I leave Hirose Domain and the shogunate sends people to investigate, I am worried that my two friends will be troubled by the shogunate because of their friendship with me."
"Besides—I have a big grudge against some people from Ishikawa Sword Hall."
"After I leave Hirose Domain, I'm worried that those guys will take advantage of my absence to vent their hatred and anger on my two friends."
"So - can you help me think of a way to protect my two friends?"
After hearing Ogata's request, Kuranaga was silent for a while, then said:
"No problem. I'll ask some friends in the vassal state for help later."
"All of my friends hold high positions in the domain."
"I asked them to help look after the pub you mentioned."
"Although the people in the shogunate are generally arrogant, they are not so arrogant as to not even give face to some high-ranking officials in the domain."
"In order to give face to my friends, the people from the shogunate will certainly still question your two friends, but they will not be too rude to them."
"Out of respect for my friends, I might even be extremely polite."
"At the same time, with the care of my friends, you don't have to worry about the people from Ishikawa Sword Hall looking for trouble with your two friends."
"Among my friends, there happens to be one who is in charge of all the people who share the same power and mind within the domain."
"I asked him to set up a Tsujiban in front of your friend's izakaya. This way, the people from Ishikawa Sword Hall will not dare to trouble your two friends again."
"Thank you very much." Ogata gave Asakura Naga a grateful smile.
However, the grateful smile on Ogata's face did not last long and it disappeared again.
Ogata put away his smile and looked at Kuranaga seriously, then said seriously:
"Master, there is one more thing I hope you can promise me."
"Please say."
Ogata's serious look made Kuranaga unable to help but become serious as well. He sat upright and waited for Ogata's next words.
"When my injuries are healed enough for me to move freely, please give me enough money, two good swords, and some clothes."
"I don't want to wander around in rags."
Hearing Ogata's words, which were spoken in a joking tone, Kuranaga was slightly stunned.
Then he laughed heartily a few times.
"Okay! No problem! I'll do my best to get you the best knife and clothes!"
…
…
One month later——
Hirose Domain, Nagaya——
"Ah Fu! Go clear the dishes from that table!"
"good!"
"Ahh...it's such a busy day today, Ah Fu, we both have to work harder today!"
"Um!"
Although it is daytime now, the business of Liuwu is unexpectedly good today.
Normally, the Liuwu usually only has more guests at night, but today, it is very rare that there are quite a lot of guests during the day.
Although the distance was a bit far, Ogata could still barely hear the voices of Asaki and Fuku.
At this time, Ogata was hiding under a big tree not far from the Ryukyuya. Under the cover of the tree trunk, he silently looked at the Ryukyuya where people were constantly coming and going.
"Ogata-kun."
Kuranaga, who was standing behind Ogata, asked Ogata.
"Are you really not going to go in and take a look at those two? If you don't take this opportunity to go in... you may never have the chance to come back and see them again."
“…No need.”
The corners of Ogata's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile.
"After meeting them, they would always pester me, asking me what I had been doing during this period of time, and then where I was going next."
"I'm not good at dealing with this kind of sad atmosphere."
"Besides... my current status doesn't make it suitable for me to have any contact with them anymore."
"If I go to see them now, I might even cause them trouble."
Ogata raised his hand and pressed down the hat on his head.
"… Elder, let's go."
After saying that, Ogata turned around first and walked slowly away from the big tree not far from the stream house without any hesitation.
Kuranaga looked at Ogata who had turned around and left, unwilling to enter the Ryukaya, sighed softly, and then led Tobisaur to follow.
