I Was a Swordsman in Ancient Japan

"You all wear these 7 pieces of chain mail tomorrow." Cang Yong caressed the chain mail closest to him, "It will definitely come in handy."

"The specifics of how to act tomorrow will not be known until the scene. So——Ichiro, after the seven of you launch an assault, you will be the commander in chief."

"When to start the attack, who will be the main attack, who will be the auxiliary attack - these things are all up to you to decide."

"Yes!" Ichiro echoed loudly.

As for Cang Yong, when he said this, he paused for a while.

After a while, he quietly said again:

"It is now approaching the end of September. According to my lord's habit of never going hunting in autumn and winter, his hunting tomorrow will be his last hunting this year."

"So it's our only chance this year..."

"So...tomorrow...is the day that will decide the future of us...and the Hirose Domain."

"I hope everyone will work together."

"I also wish everyone... prosperous martial arts."

...

...

Ogata never expected that he would suffer from insomnia tonight.

Maybe it's because I'm excited, or maybe it's because I'm nervous.

Or... simply because Shiro's snoring is too loud.

Ogata usually found that Shiro was a very nervous person.

But Ogata didn't expect Shiro's nerves to be so stretched. The night before the decisive battle, he slept more soundly than usual and snored louder than usual.

Feeling that he really couldn't sleep, Ogata lifted the quilt and tiptoed out of the room.

The patriots all slept in the same room. In order not to affect the sleep of others, Ogata deliberately kept the sound of footsteps and breathing to the minimum.

Ogata thought of taking a casual walk outside the room to relax.

In order to conceal the existence of Ogata and others,

Cang Yong drew a "circle" with the living room of the patriots as the center, and did not allow any attendant in the mansion to enter this "circle", and at the same time did not allow Ogata and others to leave this "circle".

The only people who can freely enter and exit this "circle" are Cang Yong and Fei Yuan.

Because of the limited range of activities, Ogata can't just walk around casually.

In the end, Ogata decided to go to the place he was most familiar with these days - the dojo.

There is a relatively large window in the dojo, and the window is facing the sky.

Ogata's purpose was to go to the dojo to see the night sky, and also to breathe the fresh air outside the window.

After opening the paper sliding door of the dojo, Ogata was surprised to find that there were people in the dojo.

And... an acquaintance of Ogata.

"Master..." Looking at Cang Yong who was holding a wooden knife in his hand, Ogata raised his eyebrows, "Why are you here? Could it be that you came here to watch the night sky to relax because you couldn't sleep?"

While talking, Ogata pouted his lips towards the big window of the dojo.

"I really can't sleep." Cang Yong smiled bitterly, "But——I didn't come to see the night sky."

"Anyway, I can't fall asleep anyway, so I just thought about practicing swords."

"Master..." Ogata cast a helpless look at Cang Yong, "The more you practice, the more hyperactive you will be, and the more you practice, the less you will be able to fall asleep."

After all, Ogata walked straight towards the window, and then sat cross-legged by the window, looking at the stars in the night sky outside the window.

"My lord... Actually... Ever since you called me into the house and asked me if I wanted to be an 'executioner', I have always thought you are very strange."

Now there are only Ogata and Kurangaga, there are no other outsiders.

Therefore——Ogata decided to bury the things and questions that he has buried in his mind these days, and he has always wanted to tell Cang Yong, but he has never had a chance to say them, and to clarify and ask Cang Yong clearly tonight.

"Strange? What is it referring to?"

"My lord, you plan to assassinate Matsudaira Gennai."

"But for the person you intend to assassinate, you are still called 'lord'."

"It's like saying honorifics to your father-killing enemy who is about to be killed. It's quite weird."

"My lord, why do you still insist on calling Matsudaira Gennai 'Master'? Calling this kind of thing, if you change it with your heart, it can still be corrected, right?"

After hearing this question from Ogata, Kurangaga's lips pursed.

Afterwards, Cang Yong silently put the wooden knife in his hand back on the knife holder, and then walked beside Ogata, sitting side by side with Ogata.

"Yeah..." Cang Yong smiled wryly, "I... also feel that I am very contradictory..."

"Obviously I wish Matsudaira Gennai would die right now..."

"But the mouth always uses honorific titles for him..."

"The determination to help righteousness, combined with... the idea of ​​'loyalty' that I have always adhered to since I can remember, created...the contradictory and weird appearance I have now..."

"My lord..." Ogata said softly, "You are also a very remarkable person... In this era, there are almost no people like you who are willing to kill the lord you serve for the sake of righteousness. ..."

"Heh..." The corner of Cang Yong's mouth twitched, revealing an ugly smile, "I too... after you struggled unimaginably, I finally made up my mind to support righteousness..."

"After Matsudaira Gennai became the new lord of my domain, and his brutal nature was exposed, I told myself countless times in my heart."

"'I am a warrior, I must be loyal to my lord, no matter what absurd things my lord has done, I must not be unfaithful to him'."

"I have to say this sentence countless times in my mind every day..."

"Only in this way can I ignore the atrocities committed by Matsudaira Gennai with peace of mind."

"Until... probably around the middle of this year... I saw the lord hack a poor little girl to death..."

"That poor little girl did nothing wrong, but accidentally ran into Matsudaira Gennai's car, and was cut into two by Matsudaira Gennai's subordinates, and then was thrown on the side of the road like garbage. ..."

"I happened to be there at the time..."

"I can't describe how I felt when I saw the tragic death of this little girl..."

"I only remember clearly - a voice sounded very loudly in my mind: I can't take it anymore."

Cang Yong pulled out the knife stuck in his waist.

Click.

Then pull open the sheath and slowly pull the blade out of the sheath.

The cold light reflected from the unsheathed blade just covered Cang Yong's pupils, illuminating the rays of light in Cang Yong's pupils.

"At that moment... I finally woke up..."

"I'm a samurai, but I'm also a man."

"When the sky is falling apart, there must be a few men who stand up."

"If you succumb to the darkness and don't dedicate yourself to the righteousness of Kuangfu, you will be a man for nothing!"

"Ogata-kun, let me tell you the truth."

"When I decided to assassinate the lord, I decided - I launched this assassination as a man. In the end, I will end it as a warrior."

"Whether the assassination is successful or unsuccessful. I will apologize by cutting open my stomach."

"Assassinating the lord is for the righteousness of the world. Opening his stomach and apologizing is for the morality of the warrior."

"Use the blood of my belly to cleanse my unclean soul for betraying the lord."

After all, Cang Yong slowly inserted the knife back into the scabbard, making the cold light that had covered his eyes gradually fade away.