My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 122: Chapter 82: Let the Name of Tachibana Aoto Be Known to All!

”It was supposed to be a very safe journey, but we encountered such a thing...” Aoto said softly, ”Mr. Angoulême and Miss Angoulême are really unlucky.”

”Indeed.” Oomura sighed, ”I feel so bad for Mr. Angoulême.”

”Mr. Angoulême is probably the most good-natured of all the barbarians I’ve met.”

”Since arriving in Japan, he has always conducted business properly, never doing anything detestable.”

”And yet, they almost got killed by a gang of ’Anti-foreigner Faction’ thugs...”

Although a detailed count wasn’t made, during the ”Snowy Night Chaos,” at least 60 enemies were slayed by Aoto and the others.

Including our own casualties, there were over seventy corpses and scattered limbs in that small place...

Even if it were seventy animal bodies, the scene would be horrifying; let alone over seventy human corpses...

While the battle was still ongoing, with tense nerves, facing such a bloody scene wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.

But once the battle was over, the discomfort of seeing the field filled with corpses immediately surged up...

Anthony and Elodie, the grandfather-granddaughter duo, felt the most discomfort.

After all, the former is merely a businessman who’s never seen such bloodshed, and the latter is just a 12-year-old girl.

In these past days, this grandfather-granddaughter pair mostly stayed in their room, looking gloomy every day.

Elodie, usually so cheerful, Aoto had hardly seen her smile these days.

To comfort Elodie, Mukiwa had been accompanying her, eating and living together with the child.

Aoto guessed that Mukiwa was surely in Elodie’s room right now, still striving to lift Elodie’s spirits.

After discussing Anthony’s current situation, Aoto started chatting idly with Kiryu, who seemed quite free as well, and Oomura.

After chatting for a while, Oomura asked how Aoto’s injuries were healing.

Upon hearing Aoto’s response of ”The injuries have healed very well, and I’m in great condition,” Oomura’s eyes lit up:

”So—Mr. Tachibana, since you’re in good form now, have you recalled anything about how you commanded us to victory that night?”

—Ugh, here we go again... asking me this again...

Sighing silently in his heart, Aoto smiled wryly:

”Mr. Oomura, it doesn’t matter how many times you ask.”

”That night, I really just led and strategized based on ’feeling’.”

”If you want me to articulately explain the process, I truly can’t.”

Oomura had always been very curious: how did Aoto know that arranging defenses in that way could block the ’Anti-foreigner Faction’s attack six days ago?

To solve this puzzle, Oomura had been asking Aoto daily, ”How exactly did you do it?”

No matter how many times he asked, Aoto’s response was always the same: based on feeling.

Aoto truly wasn’t deceiving or bluffing Oomura.

That night, he did indeed command based on feeling...

He suddenly possessed a panoramic view he’s still not sure how he got, saw bizarre ”Qi Streams,” and could suddenly discern everyone’s strengths and weaknesses on the battlefield...

Once he acquired these strange abilities, strategies just popped into his head one after another.

Upon seeing the enemy disorganized and chaotic, relying on momentum to fight, he suddenly thought of the tactic of ”solidifying the line, depleting the enemy’s momentum before directly striking the ’main array,’ taking out Yamada, crushing the enemy’s morale in one go.”

The entire battle was won based on ”feeling”... asking Aoto to specifically elucidate how he micromanaged that night, he truly couldn’t say...

Upon hearing Aoto again respond with ”based on feeling,” a trace of unwillingness appeared on Oomura’s face.

Just as he was about to press on with another question—

”Tachibana.”

Saito’s voice, accompanied by the slightly rough sound of a sliding door, rang out together.

”Ah, Saito, you’re back.” Aoto turned to look at Saito, who had returned from the restroom.

Saito, also wrapped in several bandages, glanced at Kiryu and Oomura in the room, then said to Aoto seriously:

”Tachibana, the large contingent from the Edo Magistrate’s Office has come to support us.”

Aoto was taken aback, then quickly stood up, ”They’re finally here...”

...

...

Aoto swiftly changed his clothes, donned his Magistrate’s Office seal cage, and rushed to the first floor of the post station.

Upon exiting the post station, Aoto saw a large group of people gathered outside the gate, drawing the attention of passerby.

Considering the manpower the Magistrate’s Office could muster... this truly was a legitimately large group.

Carriages, six.

Mounted samurai, four.

Forty ashigaru who could only walk.

Adding in some other attendants... the entire party numbered close to a hundred people.

Seeing this unexpectedly large party in front of him, Aoto couldn’t help but show surprise on his face.

And at this moment, a voice deeply familiar to Aoto rang out from beside him:

”Mr. Tachibana!”

”Lord Arima?”

Following the voice—Arima, whom he’d not seen in over ten days, was riding a chestnut horse and quickly approaching Aoto, with the ”Spear Holder” helping Arima carry a long spear, and the ”Box Carrier” carrying his luggage catching up swiftly.