"Father Shoan!" "Don't worry." "I think we are safe at this distance." "Listen, Kotaro." "You have to go on alone from here." "What?" "If something happens along the way, sell this for money." "What about you?" "I have to make sure that everyone at the temple is safe." "Go to Akaike Province and head for the Mangaku Monastery in Shirato." "Brother Zekkai will help you there." "But..." "Hurry and go!" "Hurry!" "Our feudal domain is beyond that mountain ridge." "Once we pass over the mountain ridge, we shall reach our territory." "The footing ahead is bad, so we'll go by foot." "How is it?" "Got it!" "Finally, I'm in luck." "Put me in, too!" "You idiot!" "It's midday." "You drink too much." "Boss!" "We have booty!" "What's happen—" "Arrows!" "Tuyi, Huochou, watch the crates!" "Shoot!" "Shoot!" "Luolang can handle a mere handful of them alone." "Ouch!" "Ouch!" "Ouch!" "Ouch!" "It hurts!" "Damn you!" "The crates are safe." "Are there no better warriors in this country?" "Akaike Province" "Akaike (Red Lake) Feudal Domain:" "A fictional small province facing the Sea of Japan." "Within the province lies Lake Akaike." "Hey!" "You filthy dog, give it back!" "Damn you!" "I'm gonna beat you to death!" "Wait!" "Tobimaru, we'll have a feast tonight." "Just a moment." "After dinner, let's leave this village." "Okay?" "Who are you?" "No one dubious." "Get out!" ""Get out," you say?" "Is this your home?" "That's right!" "This is our home." "We were here long before you came." "Well, I'll be your tenant here." "Tobimaru, let's go!" "Does something smell like fish?" "Tobimaru!" "I'm chilled to the bone." "The weather should calm down in an hour." "The weather sure is cold." "Morokoshi (Cathay):" "This was the term the Japanese used to refer to the countries and peoples of China and Korea in medieval times." "The modern term for China, "Chuugoku," did not exist before the 20th century." "And we have to run errands for Cathay." "I'm getting sick of it." "Inviting those mysterious strangers into the castle..." "What could our lord be thinking?" "Our lord must have some plan." "Speaking of "mysterious" things, what they are building at Fort Shishine..." "Ah!" "You mean that eerie altar thing?" "I hear they surveyed the terrain, verified the orientation, and decided to build it at Fort Shishine." "They insisted on using cypress wood for the timber, and binding the timber with tree bark instead of nails, as well as making other fastidious demands, or so I gathered." "What are they doing in that ancient fort?" "There's no way we can fathom Cathay's thinking." "Smells nice." "It's our fish." "Just to let you know, we don't have any fish to spare." "You haven't been living here long." "With smoke coming out like that, you must be using fresh timber." "You didn't have time to dry it first." "No one asked for your advice!" "Be careful." "It's hot." "Thanks for the food." "Suit yourself!" "I wasn't talking to you." "I was talking to the dog." "Yeah, I did see a boy I've never seen before running by." "Alone?" "Actually, he had a dog." "When did you see him?" "It might have been this morning." "Where?" "My memory has been terrible lately." "You must try to remember!" "Even if you say so..." "Do you recall?" "I didn't think there was anyone in that temple." "Tobimaru, run!" "We are the lord's men." "Don't interfere!" "Don't you think you're being a bit rough on the kid?" "Move!" "You!" "Don't you understand what I am saying?" "Don't draw it." "Don't play dumb!" "Sorry, but I don't intend to get involved any further." "Tobimaru!" "Tobimaru!" "Tobimaru..." "It's poisonous." "An amateur won't know what to do." "If you can take him to a medicine man..." "Where's the medicine man?" "Ask the people in the village." "If I go there again, I'll be captured." "Then, you'll have to ride to another town." "I can't ride." "Then, good luck nursing the dog." "I guess the dead won't be needing this." "Are you just going to leave?" "Do you think I can stay in such a dangerous place for long?" "It's your fault!" "Tobimaru's dying because of you." "He saved your life, and you're leaving him to die?" "Ungrateful!" "I'm the one who saved you." "We're even." "If you really want to stay alive, don't rely on others." "Wait!" "Here's the deal!" "If you save Tobimaru and take us to the Mangaku Monastery in Shirato," "I'll give you this!" "You can sell it for ten taels of gold!" "Ten taels?" "That's right, ten taels of gold." "It doesn't look cheap." "Of course not." "I'm neither a liar nor a bottom-shuffler." "Don't get too close." "It won't be good for me if I give it to you and you run away with it." "If you take us there, I'll give it to you." "What do you say?" "Shirato?" "It's a bit far." "Don't you want ten taels of gold?" "Let me see." "Don't you want it?" "Don't you want it?" "!" "Is Tobimaru all right?" "Is the town far?" "Answer me!" "I'm your boss." "The dog's in pain, but he's breathing." "It'll be a while before we get to town." "Hurry up!" "The horse will get exhausted." "Besides, even if there's a medicine man in town," "I am not sure if he will treat the dog." "Hey, why are they after you?" "You hired me, so you should be able to tell me." "If Tobimaru dies, it'll be your fault!" "I won't give you the gemstone." "I'll never forgive you!" "I'll curse you 'til I die!" "What a fussy boss." "Please dispatch more workers to finish the project as soon as possible." "He wishes to send in more workers to hasten the construction." "Understood." "They've paid us 2,000 taels of gold already." "On top of that, they are going to pay 200 taels of gold for labor and construction allowances." "It seems like what they are doing makes no profit at all." "I'm sure they have their reasons to rush things, but even if we ask, they will not tell us." "It probably has something to do with the kid they're searching for." "Still, the more they keep it a secret, the more we want to know." "Indeed." "As they are officials of the Ming Empire, they are difficult to deal with." "Go bury this somewhere." "The odd design is attracting too much attention." "You should've pinched the samurai's horse." "I just took the best one." "Bury it yourself!" "Bring me the horse after you've hidden the saddle." "Don't dawdle or you'll get lost." "Damn it." "I've done what I can, but this is the first time I have treated an animal." "Tobimaru!" "Will he be okay?" "The wound isn't bad, but the poison got into his body." "Anyhow, the medicine man said to make sure he drinks water and doesn't move." "Water?" "It'll cleanse the poison." "Shit!" "It's no use." "His body is too weak." "Put Tobimaru down." "Put him down, I said!" "Who saw the killer?" "Unfortunately, one of our men accompanying them returned to inform the others and did not see any of it." "I see." "What is the meaning of this?" "They must be having a festival." "If it gets cold, then put on some steam." "It's cozy that way." "Thanks for the help." "I've got your money, so I don't mind." "There's a hot spring just a short walk from here." "Feel free to use it." "I overslept." "How's the puppy?" "Where are you going?" "I'm going into town to get a saddle." "Are you making an excuse so you can run away?" "If I did that, I'd have done all this work for nothing." "Is that him?" "The blond-haired monster?" "Yeah, it looks like he's a guest at our lord's castle." "And I hear his eyes are blue!" "Is that true?" "Yeah." "If we put that blue-eye guy in a circus, we could make money hand over fist." "But he might eat you up before that." "Oh, yeah!" "This one should be fine." "Is this from Owatari?" "It was brought in by peasants who went on a hunt for runaway samurai." "Are you bothered by the emblem of a fallen feudal domain?" "Not really." "Don't let it bother you." "Jinhai and Tusi haven't returned from yesterday's search." "They are both skilled in their own ways." "I doubt anything could have happened to those two." "Nevertheless," "I didn't expect to expend so much effort on capturing a single child." "Hopeless." "We only have four days left." "He'll eventually show up at the monastery." "But if we miss the next full moon, we'll have to spend another year in this country." "I'm sick of this country already." "If our mission is to seek out the elixir of immortality, there is no other way." "Elixir of immortality." "I can only think of it as one big joke." "Lord Luolang, you don't take our medicine." "Is it because you do not believe in it?" "That's not the issue." "At least the medicine you guys take works." "I can't say the same for the elixir." "That's something I, too, am not sure about." "Then, if it works, why don't you use our medicine?" "It's pointless." "What happened?" "I just feel like having a bit of fun." "Why won't you draw your sword?" "Is your sword only for decoration?" "Lord Luolang!" "What is it?" "Jinhai and Tusi have been killed." "It was just getting interesting." "You sure are late." "Really?" "Weren't you looking for someone to sell me off to?" "Who'd buy a twisted kid like you?" "Don't play dumb!" "Weren't you trying to find out why they are looking for me?" "I bet you were asking all around town!" "Kid, give me a break." "Don't call me "kid." I'm Kotaro!" "What are you hiding?" "It took me some time to find someone who would sell me a saddle." "That sounds like a plausible lie." "What do I have to say to make you believe me?" "Who trusts a man motivated by money?" "Whoever is motivated by money shall fall because of it." "If you say so, shall we go our separate ways?" "If you do that, you'll have done all this work for nothing." "Tobimaru!" "Tobimaru!" "Don't rush it." "Drink slowly." "The medicine man gave me this." ""When he starts drinking water, put this in it."" ""It tastes really bad, so he'll probably give a fight."" "I'll make dinner." "Hold on." "I'm going to give you the medicine." "The armor and sword are Tusi's, but the corpse is someone else." "Tusi has an old scar down to the bone on his right arm." "There was no scar on the charred corpse?" "Besides that, there were a few other points that didn't add up." "305,Judging by the state of the blood clots, the first ones to die were Jinhai and two local samurai." "Jinhai died after receiving a single blow to his Adam's apple." "It must have been someone quite skilled." "Judging by the wounds on the rest of the corpses, it seems Tusi killed them." "Jinhai's hair was cut." "It appears that Tusi was the one who took the hair of the deceased." "Are you saying that they were attacked by the samurai of this feudal domain?" "Most likely." "Then, what have they done to Tusi?" "Since they made it seem like he died, he must be alive somewhere." "This spells trouble." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry for what happened before." "I lost my temper." "We both did." "Don't worry about it." "I'm a little impatient." "From now on, don't make me wait too long." "That's..." "It sounds like it's from the Hisago Pavilion." "I heard that our guests are giving a demonstration of their gifts from Cathay." "It sounds eerie." "I sense an ill omen." ",What kind of charm is that?" "It stops you from drawing your sword." "Well, it's like a prayer." "What kind of prayer?" "It's a secret." "What a show-off." "Good boy." "You're really nice to horses." "What's so good about keeping horses in a good mood?" "There are lots of reasons." "Like getting stuck trying to hide the saddle." "You will understand if you learn to ride." "It feels good to ride a horse." "When you have a nice horse galloping at full speed..." "How to put it?" "Yeah." "It feels like flying." "Flying?" "That ain't a bad sensation." "You feel a nice wind on your chest." "And when that happens, you really feel a bit more free than you are right now." "Really?" "Does it really feel like you're flying?" "True or not, it's something you have to find out yourself." "It's because you're swaying your knees." "It's not my fault." "This horse is rough!" "How's he rough?" "He's extremely tame." "Look at his groin." "He's been neutered." "It's to make him gentle." "What do you say?" "Giving up already?" "It doesn't seem that they suspect us." "Don't let your guard down." "You're too cautious." "Any results?" "He is a very tough man to crack." "No matter how we torture him, he doesn't move even an eyebrow." "Where should I?" "Oh!" "I can't believe it!" "What do you think, Shogen?" "Even though we do not speak the same tongue, we are all human." "I can't believe that someone can sense no pain, even if he is right in front of my eyes." "Lord!" "Please leave the interrogation to me." "Yes, you are dependable." "Itadori Shogen, I'm leaving this to you." "Interrogate him about Cathay's motives." "Then we can negotiate directly with the Ming emperor." "Oh, Mr. Samurai." "You are up early." "You too, grandpa." "I was thinking about going to town today." "It would be great if I could sell these for a fortune." "I wish I could grow a money tree instead of these." "Are you cooking cow dung?" "I am boiling the berries down." "If they simmer a bit more, the smell will go away." "Are you trying to poison me to steal my gemstone?" "Good grief." "He is crafty." "I'll give you twenty mon for all of it." "How about a little bit more?" "No." "If you don't like it, go and find another buyer." "What does it say?" "The lord is looking for a kid with a dog." "There will be a reward for whoever finds the boy." "A kid with a dog?" "There are thousands of them around here." "Don't waste your time on this!" "Hey!" "These strangers think they can just walk around inside the castle." "I—I've lost." "This is nowhere near your skill with the bow." "Next!" "Yes!" "Sorry." "It slipped out of my sweaty hand." "Care to join us?" "It's no fun just being a spectator." "Care to sweat it out?" "Oh, yes." "That's too bad." "Wooden sword!" "Excuse me." "guess they're out." ""Thanks for the hospitality"" "What does it say?" "If you want to stay alive, you'd better learn how to read and write." "Your back's slumping." "I didn't tell you to arch back." "You're nagging me." "If I don't tell you when you're awful, you'll never get any better." "421,I will get better straight away if you teach me properly." "The weather's so nice." "I can't imagine that someone could beat you up." "With whom did you have a match?" "He came from the Ming Empire." "He has large eyes and is over six feet in stature." "Wow, like a demon." "He might be even scarier than a demon." "He's the second person I've met with that level of skill." "The second?" "The first one was an old acquaintance of mine." "When we both served the Owatari domain, we competed for merits on the battlefield." "But after a certain victorious battle, he disappeared." "Seems he got sick of war." "Then, he was a kind man." "He had no guts." "He's a fool, after all, for throwing away his god-given talent." "So, how will you use your god-given talent instead?" "That's obvious." "I'll use it to climb higher and get more power." "It almost sounds like you want to rule the world." "I have no intention of limiting my desire according to my stature." "I, for one, shall extend my stature to the size of my desire." "That is a lot of scars!" "I got these in battle." "Which feudal province did you serve?" "There's no point in telling you." "They were all annihilated and don't exist anymore." "You don't serve any feudal lords now?" "No." "I got sick of it." "Oh, yeah." "I still haven't asked your name." "As a samurai, you must have a grand name." "Ginger." "Yeah, that's an interesting name." "Nameless Red Devil." "What?" "Don't tease me." "I wasn't teasing you." "I am Nameless because I have no name." "To move from province to province," "I had to change a lot of things besides my name." "Pass me that bamboo tube." "It's a concoction of berries." "This should last for about ten days." "Nanban (barbarian from the south):" "This term took on a new meaning when Portuguese explorer Fernão Mendes Pinto became the first European to arrive in Japan in 1542." "Are you a Barbarian from the South?" "Who knows?" "Even I am not sure." "I was told that I was rescued from a shipwreck." "I was the only survivor." "There were those who hated me, but since I learned this trick, those problems have gone away." "My life is far better now than when I was in service." "What's wrong?" "If you stand there, you'll catch a cold." "You are awfully quiet." "Did my hair color scare you?" "I wasn't scared at all." "I've seen foreigners many times before." "It's just that I was a bit surprised." "Does this feel good, puppy?" "We have company." "Pretend you haven't noticed anything, and talk about something." "About what?" "Still, I'm surprised you've really seen foreigners many times before." "Where did you see them?" "Tell me." "Within the Ming Empire." "I was there until two years ago." "Were you living by yourself?" "I was with my dad and Tobimaru." "And your mother?" "I was told that she died soon after giving birth to me." "Your dad?" "When I was six, he joined my mom." "How did you come back without parents?" "When I was about to be sold off by a slave trader," "I was rescued by a monk who had come to Ming to study." "And he brought me back here on a boat with him." "When I got here, I stayed at his temple." "Why did you leave that temple?" "The temple was sacked." "Let go!" "I said, let go!" "Are you Akaike's men?" "No, no, no, not at all!" "We're just common thieves who happened to be around." "Just thieves!" "Tobimaru, let him go." "Please forgive us!" "Please forgive us!" "Beat it!" "Thank you!" "Well then..." "Wait." "Leave all your money behind." "Money?" "No, we don't even have a penny." "Come on." "Believe me." "If we had money, we wouldn't be thieving." "Nice ring." "Silly thieves." "Even fools make good company." "I am thinking of speeding up to make up for our lost time." "Can the dog manage?" "Yeah." "I will tell you if he falls behind." "Hang on tight." "Don't fall off." "Yeah." "It really does feel like flying." "It's not bad!" "The Ming Dynasty in China lasted from 1368-1644." "This story takes place in the mid-16th century, when guns were about to become commonplace in Japan." "No matter how many years it takes for Bailuan to return and present himself in the court again, the Emperor will then be most pleased that" "Between 1521-1567, Ming China was under the rule of its 11th emperor, Emperor Jiajing." "Bailuan will have the source of immortality in his hands." "Yueshen and Shuichen are heading to the monastery tonight, as planned." "Huochou will be in charge of finalizing the altar." "Everyone else, find the child and prepare for our departure from the castle." "The altar is ready in time, but the rest of the plan is in complete shambles." "I really cannot face the Emperor like this." "Perhaps we should consider a backup plan if we do not get the child in time." "If we miss the next full moon in two days, there won't be another chance for a year." "In that time, war may break out, this feudal domain may fall, and we may stand to lose everything." "So then..." "Even if we delay the ceremony a few days, they will not know." "Are you suggesting that we should submit a false report to the Emperor?" "I don't believe that the essence of the blood will change." "Watch your tongue!" "Or else, we report that we found the child within Ming." "Then, we only have to build the altar within our country." "If it is within Ming, even if we have to wait for one or two years—" "That's enough!" "I'll go out and inspect our escape route." "What a fool." "Above all else, to speak of deceiving the Emperor!" "No matter how skilled he is, he is still a barbaric westerner after all." "Xirong (Ch." "Xirong;" "Jp." "Seijuu):" "A derogatory term used by ancient Chinese to refer to barbarians living in territory west of China." "There's no way I can convince you to not hand him over?" "We cannot defy them any more without jeopardizing our order." "But, this is against the spirit of the Buddha—" "You fool!" "We have to protect our order before anything else." "Be grateful that you are alive!" "Please wait!" "Let go!" "That voice?" "It suddenly started two hours ago." "So in the end, you did not get the reward?" "Far from it." "The samurai accused me of lying." "I thought that he was going to kill me." "I told you to be careful with things that sound too good to be true." "I think it will snow tomorrow." "Huh?" "What are you saying?" "It's so sunny." "Look." "Even though the western sky is a bit cloudy, you can still see Lake Akaike clearly." "That's the sign that it's going to snow." "I want the medicine!" "He's told us everything." "Give me the medicine!" "Medicine!" "Give it to me, quickly!" "What is this?" "This is what he carries with him." "Medicine!" "This is what he's like when the medicine wears off." "Put him to rest." "Elixir of immortality?" "According to the Cathay we captured, they're searching for the raw ingredients to make the elixir of immortality." "Immortality?" "This is the advice the most trusted eunuch gave to the Ming emperor." "Are you saying that this is how it started?" "Yes, sir." "Towards the end of his life, Emperor Jiajing was obsessed with immortality and sent his Taoist priests to collect ingredients to create medicine to prolong his life." "If you follow the oracle of a certain Taoist wizard, you can live forever." "By taking the lifeblood of a child foretold of once every hundred years, you can create the elixir of immortality." "The emperor believes this and ordered his men to find the child." "So, the pursuers crossed the sea?" "The altar at the fortress is equipped with a mechanism that marks the time." "This is all for the sake of gathering blood according to the oracle." "nce every hundred years?" "But what if such immortality really exists?" "Who cares?" "What's important is that this child is worth more than ten thousand taels of gold." "What should we do now?" "As if I need to tell you." "First, find the child, then get rid of those Cathay people here." "But they're the only ones who know the identity of the child." "And they've been snooping around the province without escorts since yesterday." "I've already taken the necessary steps." "Besides, they can't speak our tongue." "They are going to come crying at my feet, unable to do a thing." "No matter what they try to do, this is our domain." "Are you feeling lonely because Luolang is not around?" "You're almost like a wife who has lost her husband." "Don't make fun of me!" "I just look sad because I don't have my hawk at my side." "You hide it well." "If we fail tomorrow, we shall have to stay in this country for another year." "Are you still upset after arguing with Bailuan yesterday?" "It's not worth it." "What I am concerned about is the one who killed Jinhai." "How typical." "You care more about a strong opponent than the Emperor's order." "It's just like you." "I follow the Emperor's command, even if it is a suggestion coming from a dubious Taoist wizard or a eunuch." "Right now, the lord's men are keeping an eye on them." "From tomorrow forward, I shall be in charge of them." "I'm going to keep them busy." "I shall look forward to it." "Is the princess playing her zither?" "Give up those high hopes." "First and foremost, you should set your desire according to your stature." "Wait, Lord Itadori!" "Hey." "You're really good with the sword as well." "What about it?" "It would be great if you taught me not only how to ride, but how to use a sword." "What'll you do after mastering it?" "What will I do?" "Isn't it useful for survival?" "I can rely on my sword." "Rely on it?" "I also used to think like that when I was a kid." "What about now?" "You were having nightmares." "You've been awake?" "I can't sleep like this." "How true." "Hey, shall I tell you a way to avoid nightmares?" "You just cuddle your loved ones and think happy thoughts." "That's what I've been doing all this time." "Lord Bailuan." "Are you having trouble sleeping?" "I was doing some thinking." "Fengwu." "If you could live forever, what would you do?" "Hmm..." "My desire is simply to be strong, even if I live for a short time." "You are young." "I've lived long." "No matter when I die, I will have lived a good, long life." "But..." "Strangely, the longer I live, the more I want to live longer." "We've been searching for the elixir under the Emperor's orders for a long time." "Even though I know that it will not be something for my own use, somewhere deep down, I feel I have been searching for my own benefit." "I didn't think that Shirato's Mangaku Monastery was so magnificent." "As promised." "By the way, back then, I said that you could sell it for ten taels of gold." "Actually..." "That's what I figured." "Huh?" "It's the kind of thing you'd think of." "Well, I should get at least five taels of gold." "Well..." "O—One tael?" "It's not a bad wage." "It's definitely a good deal." "What a kid." "Don't call me "kid."" "Kotaro?" "Kotaro!" "Father Shoan." "Father Shoan!" "Father Shoan, you're safe!" "I was worried." "The most important thing is that you are safe." "I'm so glad." "Maybe, if I came here, I would be able to see you." "So I thought." "Let me take you to Brother Zekkai." "Nameless!" "See ya, kid!" "If you ever want a name, come and see me!" "I'll think of a good name for you!" "Father Shoan?" "It took you so long." "Father Zekkai?" "We've been waiting for a long time." "Today, we finally meet." "Let go!" "Let me go!" "I said, let me go!" "You tricked me, you bastard!" "Let me go!" "Damn it!" "Don't kill him." "It'll be easier to carry him if he keeps quiet." "Let's go." "They are here." "Hold the arrows." "Go!" "I shall go ahead." "Call for reinforcements!" "What should we do about informing Lord Itadori?" "Bastard!" "So, where should we go?" "Hurry." "Who are you?" "Where did they take the child?" "Don't tell him!" "Don't say any—" "Answer me." "Answer me!" "Tonight..." "In ancient Japan, a single day is divided into 12 hours, not 24 hours." "The "ninth hour at night" corresponds to midnight." "It was also known as the hour of the rat." "It looks like they are going to kill him tonight at midnight and take his blood." "For what purpose?" "I don't know." "Where?" "I don't know." "I just don't know!" "They don't trust us." "They have no qualms about killing us once we are of no value to them." "You handed him over knowing they were going to kill him?" "I wanted to save him." "It was Brother Zekkai who decided to hand him over, not me!" "In the end, you abandoned him!" "That's right." "You are right." "Like you said, I abandoned that child." "They threatened to kill us, and I didn't want to die, so I abandoned that child." "But if you had been in my place, you would've done the same thing!" "Am I wrong?" "I can't imagine that you would defy orders to follow your conscience!" "Can you?" "Am I right?" "Can you do it?" "You talk with such superiority, but can you save that child?" "You can't." "Will you, even if it means your own death?" "You too..." "You too, after all, are the same as me!" "Being less than even a dog, you are not worthy of wearing a monk's robe." "What color?" "It's yellow and red." "They got him in time." "Yellow means they have the child." "What's red?" "It means that the people of this castle have betrayed us." "Call Luolang now." "Please wait!" "Wait, sir!" "Please wait!" "What business do you have?" "I don't mind." "Let them in." "So, you guys are coming to cry in front of me." "Well, what brings you here today?" "We are under attack!" "They took our lord!" "The Cathay made their move!" "Reinforcements!" "Call for reinforcements!" "Why did they attack without my order?" "Our lord's order was to get the child as soon as possible." "I'm in command here!" "Where's the child?" "He doesn't seem to know." "I have a good idea of where." "He's likely to be at Fort Shishine." "What should we do with this monk?" "He's a traitor who conspired with Ming." "Dispatch him to Hell." "Yes, sir." "That's..." "I gathered that he, as this man's disciple, committed suicide while his master was unconscious." "I see." "For now, we're returning to the castle." "The rest of you, wait here for orders." "Urgent message!" "Urgent message!" "The lord?" "Just when we dropped our guard against the Cathay, they stormed in." "What about Isogai and Fuchinobe?" "Unfortunately, they were killed." "You just sat and watched them take the lord away?" "They threatened to kill us." "We couldn't do a thing!" "Why did you not pursue them immediately?" "They poisoned our swift horses." "All that remained were work horses!" "We dispatched the Wataoki and Kawashi regiments toward the fort." "No matter how swiftly they move, they won't reach there before night!" "You dispatched the Wataoki and Kawashi regiments?" "Yes, sir." "Lord Itadori, you are the only surviving retainer right now." "The princess said that you, sir, should take command." "I am following her instructions." "Jurota." "Fetch me horses, armor, and helmets." "One set for each of us." "Understood." "We're changing plans." "All of you, return to the castle." "Jurota and I will head for Fort Shishine." "While we buy time, Lord Bailuan will cross the border." "He did give us some trouble." "We just need to endure a bit more." "If we hold out, we can say farewell to this country." "That's right." "We can finally go home." "I guess this is yours." "The guy who chased us at the Mangaku Monastery was carrying this." "What happened to him?" "You should have been no match for him." "Him?" "He's no longer in this world." "Even though your master is not around, you'd better not think about biting me!" "Are you afraid of me?" "Are you pretending that you don't understand, or are you too afraid to speak?" "Everyone dies eventually." "No one can live forever." "Just enjoy the time you have left." "If you're going to kill me, kill me now." "Patience." "I have something to ask you." "When you were taken from the temple, it seems there was a man trying to rescue you." "Is he your friend?" "I don't know." "Tell me the truth." "I don't have any friends!" "It seems that you are not willing to answer my questions." "Let me tell you." "That man has already been killed by my subordinates." "Jurota!" "You know this area pretty well." "There's a shortcut, but I am not sure if the horses can endure it." "I don't care if they break their legs." "Hurry!" "Can you see it?" "When this hand points to the sky, your soul will leave your body." "Only the blood that runs through your body will live forever, for the Emperor." "This is the utmost honor." "Are you worried?" "No." "Don't worry." "Shogen might have been a Ronin once, but I hear that he is the most trusted and loyal retainer of our lord." "I am sure he will rescue our lord." "Can you do it?" "You are like a father to us in the Wataoki and Kawashi regiments." "I believe that there is no need to worry." "I'm counting on you!" "Please leave it to me!" "Jurota." "It's Jurota!" "Look!" "Lord Itadori is here as well!" "Lord Itadori!" "We've been waiting for you!" "What should we do?" "Use the feudal lord as a shield to buy us time." "There are only two hours left until the ritual, though." "Our lord!" "Our lord!" "What a terrible sight!" "Shogen!" "Is that you, Shogen?" "So, we can't attack." "What does Lord Itadori plan to do?" "Jurota." "Shoge—" "Do not panic!" "Listen." "It's time for you to make up your minds." "Will you follow me, or will you follow the dead lord?" "If you follow me, you can have any reward!" "You bastard!" "I will follow Lord Itadori!" "What do you say?" "I'll follow Lord Itadori, too!" "M—Me, too." "I'll follow Lord Itadori!" "And me!" "I will, too!" "We shall now bring Fort Shishine down." "What?" "It's not like our Emperor." "For them, a king is nothing more than a chieftain." "It seems that he was not fit to be taken as a hostage." "The Age of Samurai:" "The age of "Warring States" (Sengoku Jidai) in Japan when all that counted was one's own skill." "Even fathers and sons would fight on opposing sides of the battlefield." "So, this is the Age of Samurai." "I'm leaving the ritual to Huochou." "Get down there and fight them off!" "Arrows!" "Shit." "Damn it." "Back!" "Advance!" "Advance!" "I'll be going first." "Charge!" "Lord Itadori!" "After we've taken their heads," "I have a request!" "If you are talking about the princess, she is already yours." "Got you!" "You!" "That's what you deserve!" "Arrows!" "Aim well!" "Split into two groups!" "Yes!" "Don't back down!" "Now's the time!" "Charge in before they can push out!" "Move back!" "You guys go fight someone else." "This guy's my prey!" "I wouldn't try if I were you." "I am a spear-wielder, after all." "It won't go like before!" "Let me deal with you guys." "I don't understand your attitude at all." "It's just sentimentality." "Isn't this the world we are in?" "Our lord overthrew his master and became the ruler of this domain." "This was all thanks to your hard work." "In all honesty," "I envy you." "Do it quickly, you coward!" "It's time." "Tobimaru!" "Kotaro!" "Brat!" "Move!" "Move!" "Tobimaru!" "What's wrong?" "What's wrong?" "You can't feel anything?" "Try stabbing me through the heart with your blade!" "Come on!" "Hurry up and get back here." "Huochou is dead!" "I've taken care of the rest of them!" "Tobimaru!" "Let's go." "Someone interrupted the ritual." "We missed the chance." "What do you plan to do?" "It's obvious." "We'll take back the child and wait, whether it takes ten years or a hundred years!" "Leave it to me!" "Seriously..." "This thing is tall." "I knew it!" "I heard you!" "You called for me." "Damn it, you're late!" "I told you I don't have much patience." "Making me wait like this..." "All right, let's go." "Don't dawdle." "I know." "I wasn't talking to you." "I was talking to Tobimaru." "Get back!" "Nameless!" "991,Where's my sword?" "Where's my sword?" "Nameless!" "Lord Luolang..." "My sword..." "Lord Luolang..." "To have killed both Shuishen and Fengwu..." "You're an impressive man." "Luolang!" "You're in the way." "Move aside!" "Damn it!" "This is the end for you." "You bastard!" "Are you out of your mind?" "I can see it clearly." "Right now, I am glad that I came to this country." "For the first time, I believe that I have found a worthy opponent." "I have to thank you for taking me here." "You rotten barbarian!" "Luolang!" "You tried to outsmart the Emperor and keep the elixir for yourself." "You crafty fellow." "Someone with no sense of honor like you is not worthy of taking the elixir." "The elixir should be used on someone like me, a man full of virtue—" "Haven't you lived long enough?" "What happened?" "The foreigner killed his comrade." "There's only one left." "We met before." "Nameless!" "Take this." "Use medicine." "Pain goes away." "I don't need it." "Having pain makes me feel alive." "That's great." "That's really great." "I like you more and more." "Nameless!" "This is the first time" "I've been stabbed." "This sensation of pain feels very exquisite." "You got pretty good." "Somehow, it feels like walking on clouds." "Don't flatter me." "Are your wounds all right?" "Yeah." "Even that gemstone came in handy." "Didn't it?" "Oh, my." "What a boss." "Can you see the town yet?" "Not yet." "I'm sure we're almost there!" "Hey." "Hey?" "After you get better, let's cross the sea and leave this country." "There won't be anyone bothered by your hair color in foreign lands." "Foreign lands?" "It's not a bad idea." "But how are we going to earn our keep?" "We can be thieves, bodyguards, or whatever." "We can even be pirates." "You are the craftiest kid in the world." "Don't fall off." "Hang on tight!" "All right." "Let's go!"