An Old Country Bumpkin Stares Them Down

“Sensei, you really are strong, aren’t you?”

She spoke as casually as if she were heading out for a stroll.

The scenery around us was hardly peaceful anymore, though. And the new clothes I’d gone to the trouble of buying were in a terrible state, spattered with blood. They’d cost a lot, too. I wonder if this will come out in the wash.

“Well... if this is all I’m up against.”

Even an old man like me had handled that many without much trouble. That should tell you all you need to know about their skill. They really did seem to have brought nothing but numbers.

As I spoke, I swung my sword to shake off the blood.

It was a little too sharp a blade to use against a familiar face. Though it wasn’t certain we’d have to fight yet, an unpleasant premonition still crept through my mind.

“Why... did you let the assassins through?”

In the end, those were the words that came out.

What did I hope to accomplish by asking? Did I want Rose to deny it plainly? The circumstantial evidence alone made her involvement obvious...