"Hasegawa-sama."

Imai, who noticed that Hasegawa's expression was different, asked Hasegawa urgently.

"What's wrong? What did the shogunate's reply say? ”

“…… The shogunate's instructions were—" Hasegawa sighed lightly, "Take Ogata Yoshise and Kyuro Mamiya to Kii." They are not to be physically harmed, including torture, until they are sent to Kii. ”

With that, Hasegawa handed the scroll in his hand to Imai.

After receiving the scroll from Hasegawa's hand and hearing Hasegawa's words, Imai's face immediately appeared anxious.

Unfolding the scroll and reading every word on the scroll at a rapid pace, Imai screamed:

"Why?! Why?! Why send it to Kii?! 'Executioner One Knife Zhai' is just that, why did even Kyuro Manomiya send it to Kii?! ”

"I finally caught the colleague of the 'Buddha enemy', and I couldn't even torture him, so I sent Mamiya Jiuro away like this?!"

Because in such a special period as now, without receiving instructions from the shogunate, the people who were reformed by the fire thieves did not dare to touch the palace at all, so for more than a month, the palace was only locked in a prison and temporarily detained, just like Ogata.

Imai has been waiting for a reply from the shogunate for more than a month.

Waiting to receive instructions from the shogunate to "dispose of it yourself".

As long as they have this instruction from the shogunate, they will be able to use all kinds of torture methods on the body of Mamiya Kuro one by one.

He continued to torture until the palace spit out all the information related to the "Buddha enemy".

And now the shogunate's fluttering order has made Imai's plan come to naught.

Not only was there no way to use any torture on the palace, but he had to be taken to Kii along with Ogata Yossei.

“…… This was an order of the shogunate. Hasegawa said in a deep voice, "Since this is an order from the shogunate, then we have no choice but to obey it." ”

"Start preparing for the road now."

"'Enemy of the Buddha'...... I should have left the Tatsuno Domain. ”

"We've been in this Tatsuno Domain for too long, and no matter if the 'Buddha Enemy' is still in the Tatsuno Domain, we don't have the cost to waste time in this place anymore."

"That's the end of this mission."

"Although I didn't catch the 'Buddha enemy', but I caught the companions of the 'Buddha enemy', and it wasn't nothing."

"Now is the time to get ready to hit the road. We'll leave tomorrow. ”

"Escort Ogata Yise and Kyuro Mamiya to Kii along the way."

"Then we'll go back to Edo!"

As soon as Hasegawa's words fell, Imai said in a loud voice:

"Hasegawa-sama! What are you talking about? 'Not for nothing'? If we hadn't been able to get useful information out of the mouth of Kuro Mamiya, our trip to Kansai would have been in vain! ”

"Hasegawa-sama, I really don't understand!"

"What the hell is going on over there in Kii? Why do you want to concentrate all the felons in the country in Kii? ”

Imai is a high-ranking person who has been reformed by the fire robbers, so he naturally knows that since last autumn, the shogunate has begun to issue orders to the shogunate's prefectures and feudal domains: all felons will be escorted to Kii.

Because of this order of the shogunate, the prisoners who had committed serious crimes in their prison were all taken away and sent to Kii.

Imai has always been puzzled and annoyed by this inexplicable order of the shogunate.

Because many of the felons who were dragged to Kii were important prisoners who still had a lot of value.

As the officials of the fire pay thieves, they still have a lot of information to get out of the mouths of these prisoners.

As a result, because of this order of the shogunate, all these prisoners who still have a lot of value were sent to Kii, and they have not returned.

Imai wondered what was going on on Kii's side and why so many felons were sent to this place.

However - the shogunate was very secretive on this issue.

According to Imai's inquiry, let alone him, some high-ranking officials in the shogunate don't know what happened to Kii.

“…… Imai. Hasegawa said in a deep voice, "Don't be so curious. ”

"Hasegawa-sama ......!" Imai gritted his teeth, "You probably know what's going on over there in Kii, right?" Every time you hear that a prisoner is going to be taken to Kii, your expression is quite strange! ”

"Hasegawa-sama, could you please tell me - what happened to Kii?"

"Why do you want to concentrate all the felons in the country indiscriminately in Kii?"

"As a member of the commander of the Firepay Thieves, I should be qualified to know the answer to this question!"

“…… I do know what's going on over there. ”

Hasegawa said softly.

"But I didn't expect it...... The situation on Kii's side is already critical......"

"Even such an important prisoner like Kyuro Mamiya has to be sent to Kii......"

"More than a month ago, when I sent a letter to the shogunate to ask for instructions on how to deal with it, I clearly wrote that Kyuro Mamiya was an important criminal for us Hofu thieves."

"I thought it would ...... An important criminal like Kuro Mamiya, who has a lot of information, will be left to us to deal with the thieves on our own, and will not be conscripted to the Kii front...... Didn't expect ......"

"Kii Front?!" Imai exclaimed, "Hasegawa-sama, Kii...... Is there a war? ”

“…… It's not a war. But...... The accident that happened in Kii was about as serious as the war. ”

Speaking of this, Hasegawa let out a long sigh.

"Okay, Imai, I'll tell you what's going on over there in Kii."

"I don't know much about the current situation on Kii's side."

"Imai, do you believe in the theory of ghosts and gods?"

"Huh?" Imai looked at Hasegawa with a confused expression.

Although I don't understand why Hasegawa brought up this topic that has nothing to do with Kii for no reason, Imai immediately replied:

"Lord Hasegawa, since I joined the Fire Pay Thieves, I no longer believe in any gods, Buddhas and ghosts."

"I didn't believe in any ghosts and gods before." Speaking of this, a wry smile appeared on Hasegawa's face, "But...... What happened on a certain island in Kii shook my lifelong faith. ”

"Hasegawa-sama." Imai asked Hasegawa in a half-joking tone, "Could it be that there are youkai like the Nine-Tailed Fox and the Yaki Orochi on one of Kii's islands?" ”

Hasegawa shook his head slightly.

"Nope."

"What are these monsters such as the nine-tailed fox and the Yaqi snake? Mobilize a thousand iron cannons to fire a few salvos, and kill as many monsters as you like the nine-tailed fox and the Yaqi Orochi. ”

"The monsters that appeared on that island in Kii...... It's much more terrifying than the nine-tailed fox and the eight-tailed snake......"

Hasegawa raised his head and looked directly at Imai.

Then he said word by word:

Kii...... There are 'undead people' who can't be killed no matter how you kill them! ”