【Breaking 1W】

Turning back time to about an hour ago——

Edo, settlement—

The sound of burning and raging flames can be heard.

Climb up the walls and ceiling, and then spit out a large amount of dazzling sparks and acrid black smoke.

Behind it is a burning house.

In front of me is the street illuminated by the moonlight.

Familiar scenery...

It's impossible that I'm not familiar with it. I've been dreaming about this scene repeatedly during this period.

So am I dreaming again... Elodie noticed it immediately even though her consciousness was hazy.

I dreamed about that night and that scene 10 days ago again.

Behind him is the mansion that has been swallowed up by waves of fire; in front of him is the street covered with moonlight gauze; the night above; the world extending towards the skyline... the sky, the ground, everything seems to be covered with clouds.

Layer dark gray.

There is only one place with bright colors and light.

Right in front of him, not far away, was the battlefield of a pair of sixty-seven.

It's on that swordsman.

Following the silver-white bright moonlight, the swordsman swung his sword towards the enemy group in front of him and towards the darkness in front of him.

No hesitation, no fear.

…

"Well..." Elodie groaned and slowly opened her eyes.

What comes into view is the familiar ceiling.

The bright sunlight streamed in from the south-facing window and fell onto the bed, dividing Elodie's bedroom into two.

On one side is a window with orange weak light and half of the room next to the window.

On one side is the wardrobe and door still covered with a thin layer of gray gauze.

The strict education she received since childhood made Elodie not have the habit of staying in bed.

After gently rubbing her sleepy eyes a few times, Elodie nimbly jumped off the bed, put on her slippers, walked slowly to the window, and pushed the closed window open.

The unique fresh wind in the morning blew towards Elodie's face through the open window, blowing away most of the sleepiness in Elodie's mind.

…

"Hey! People in front of you, be careful! The carriage transporting scrap is coming!"

"Damn it, it's so damn hot today."

"One, two, three, get up! One, two, three, get up!"

"Be careful when moving this pillar. This pillar has been burned by fire. It will break if you touch it. Be careful not to get hurt."

…

On the streets of the settlement, workers were rushing back and forth.

After the plot of the anti-barbarian group to destroy the settlement was foiled, the Edo shogunate organized a large number of workers to clean up the burned ruins of the settlement.

Through the unremitting efforts of the workers, most of the buildings damaged by flames in the settlement have been cleared.

The originally row upon row of settlements has now become extremely empty and deserted because only a small part of the buildings are still intact... This place will definitely not be able to return to its former prosperity for a long time to come.

Elodie and her family were very lucky - their mansion was one of the few buildings that escaped the fire.

Their home is intact and they still have a place to live in. They don't have to find another place to live like those whose homes were burned down... This is really a blessing among misfortunes for Elodie and the others.

Elodie slowly raised her gaze, no longer looking at the busy workers on the street, but instead looking up at the cloudless sky.

The warm sunshine hit Elodie's face, making Elodie couldn't help but half-squint her eyes.

Her sapphire-like eyes became even more dazzling under the direct sunlight.

The wind blowing from the distant sky brought more refreshing coolness, and from time to time, the childish cries of early orioles were heard... But Elodie seemed unaware of all this, she stood motionless, watching in a daze.

Sky.

To be more precise, I am looking at a place further away than the sky.

As if looking at the distant world deep in the eyes, there seems to be a special emotion hidden. In other words, it can be described as "longing" or "fascination".

Even though a full 10 days have passed, the scenes of that night are still in front of Elodie's mind.

For these 10 days, I dreamed about that night almost every night.

I dreamed of the figure of the swordsman fighting a powerful enemy alone...

Recalling the scenes that had just appeared in her dreamland, Elodie's eyes swayed slightly... as if she was thinking about something.

In fact, this appearance was Elodie's normal state during this period.

After that night, whenever Elodie was alone, she would show this expression as if she was thinking about something.

A long time passed.

It wasn't until the sunshine that hit Elodie's face was no longer warm, and the orange light slowly revealed the unique heat of summer, that Elodie left the window with small steps and walked towards the desk next to her.

Pulling over a delicate box placed next to the desk.

With a "click" sound, Elodie slowly opened the box... What was inside the box was none other than Elodie's "sword", that is, the wooden stabbing sword.

Stretching out her white and slender fingers, she slowly slid from the tip of the sword to the hilt... Elodie stroked the blade of her beloved sword with gentle movements like wiping away dust.

The eyes that were shaking slightly at first gradually turned into a gaze at this moment.

At this moment, Elodie no longer hesitated.

After 10 days of hesitation and thinking, Elodie finally made a decision.

Elodie took a deep breath and closed the sword box forcefully.

At this time, the sound of the door opening came from behind Elodie.

The maid Leroy held a light yellow kimono for children, opened the door and walked into the room.

"Miss, you woke up really early today." Leroy raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Yeah. It's probably because I went to bed early last night." Elodie came back to her senses, smiled at Leroy, and then looked intently at the light yellow kimono in Leroy's arms.

"Do you want to change clothes now?" Elodie asked.

Leroy nodded: "Yeah. Although it's still a bit early, Master wants to prepare in advance."

"After all, today is the day to visit Mr. Tachibana, so we can't be careless."

…

…

Time returns to the present——

"Move to the right to pay the thieves in the fire?"

Qingden couldn't help but let out a low scream.

Okita and Kubei on the side showed surprised expressions.

"I just received similar rumors." Ushiyama took over the words and glanced at Inoya helplessly, "I haven't decided whether it is true or false."

Inotani shrugged nonchalantly: "I think it's probably true. Tachibana has made such a great contribution this time, so it's really unjustifiable not to move to a very high official position."

"No matter what you say, Tachibana will definitely be moved to the right this time. There is no doubt about it."

"The only difference is where it will be moved and how high it will be moved."

The Huofu Thieves were reorganized as a special security force of the Edo Shogunate, and were part of the security system just like the "Sanchai" of the execution office.

From a grade point of view, the Huo Fu Thief Kai with military nature is naturally one level higher than the "Three Chapters" of the Enforcement Office.

Therefore, if one can move from the "Three Chapters" of the execution center to the right of Huo Fu Thieves Kai, or to another higher official position... then it is indeed a high promotion.

Because they both belong to the public security system, as Inotani Shicai said, if Qingteng is to be transferred to another government office, it is indeed most likely that he will be transferred to the Huo Fu Thieves.

"Tachibana, you can be considered outstanding now."

Inoya's voice paused for a moment, then he turned all his emotions into a long breath, and smiled happily at Qingden.

"Not only did he stand out, he also became more famous in Edo."

"It goes without saying where the Westerners live. Your name, Tachibana, has been spread throughout every city, town, and alley in Edo in the past few days."

"These days, no matter where I go, I can hear someone talking about you."

"The Westerners in the settlement praised you as the 'hero of the settlement' who saved them."
To be continued...