The 171st day of the Otherworld Summoning [Assassins] Part 4:

As the voices echoing in the tent subsided, an old man landed at the entrance of the tent.
Was he on top of the tent?
It's true that there's nothing you can't get on if you get on the pillar that supports the tent, but the lightness of the body is a big deal.

''Ryoma-sama........''

I whispered as Sarla and Laura quickly flanked me.

'Good. Stay put.

Ryoma whispered back to them in a whispered voice and gave a small nod to Lionne and the others, ordering them to stand by.

(Well, an assassin's clan.......let's see what they have to say.

If they were going to take him by surprise, or even if there was one more assassin in the current situation, there was no need to panic.
Ryouma could afford to be curious.

Sakuya's gaze pierced the old man's face.
It must have been someone who was so unexpected.
Her face was drawn with surprise.

''Grandfather....why are you here...''

Those words escaped from Sakuya's mouth.

White hair and white beard.
Deep wrinkles and scars were etched across the face of the old man, who wore black clothes and black shoes just like Sakuya, telling the story of his harsh life.
And in his left hand, he held a cane that was bent in a slight arc.



The old man ignored Sakuya's question and glanced quickly around him.

I'm surprised enough," he said.　After all, this is a visit from an uninvited guest.

Ryoma smiled back at him, but if he looked at the reactions of the people around him, the old man didn't seem to be surprised by them.

(Great man.

The old man was more than a little surprised.
If the top management was at ease, the subordinates would not be upset.
That meant that his subordinates were completely under the control of the young Mikoshiba Ryoma.

''Hmph!　Anyway the only thing I want to hear from you is, why don't you kill that girl?　What good would come from keeping alive an assassin who was sent to kill you? And why aren't you trying to catch me?　

'Oh, you understand that, which is why the old man appeared in this tent, don't you?　

Ryouma answers with a grin.
If I only wanted to help Sakuya, I wouldn't have called out to him.
The old man's appearance is proof that he has abandoned his hostility towards Ryoma.

You have the ability to judge the situation..... Are you a citizen of Hinomoto?　

The old man asked back to Ryoma.
There was an unshakable force of will in his eyes that did not allow any lies.
The word "Hinomoto" is an old word meaning "Japan".
In other words, the people of Hinomoto means the Japanese people.
However, modern people do not use such a word in their daily life, and if they do, it is only in historical novels.
If they do use it, it's usually in a historical novel.

Yes, that's right. That's right, I'm what you call a Hinomoto man.

Ryoma nodded at the old man's words and in his mind, he drew an answer from the old man's words.



I had heard that the people of Hinomoto have been forgetting their war and becoming cowards of late, but I had no idea there was still someone like you, a warrior of your caliber. ...It's amazing.

With that, the old man turns to Sakuya.

'Sakuya, stand up and take off your clothes.'

'What? ...here...?　

Sakuya's complexion changes at the words to the old man.
Even though she is an assassin, she is a woman.
She did stand up on the spot, but there was some hesitation in taking off her clothes.
Well, unless you are a person with special tastes, there is no one who wouldn't hesitate to get naked in the presence of multiple people.

''Darn it!　

clatter

At the same time as the old man's words, a silver light flooded from the staff for a moment, and then it was sucked back into the original staff.
Seeing this, Ryoma's eyes glowed sharply.
Ryoma's eyes caught the old man's right hand pulling out the blade planted in the staff in a split second and slashing up Sakuya's kimono from the lower level.

'Ho........iai? That's a great skill. To cut off only your clothes without damaging your skin........

As if in response to Ryoma's words, the clothes Sakuya was wearing slowly moved away from side to side.
The old man smiled at Ryoma's words and began to check Sakuya's body with his eyes.
The old man's hand touched Sakuya's shoulder.

The old man's hand touched Sakuya's shoulder. And the small size of this blow mark is not just a fist...........

Ryoma silently thrust out his fist in response to the old man's question.



The old man muttered as he looked at the shape of the protruding fist.

''Yes. It's called a single fist.

Nodding at Ryoma's answer, the old man touched Sakuya's abdomen.

''Ouch!　

Sakuya's face contorts in pain.

"Hmm. This is a fist strike..... You change your fist clenching depending on what you're aiming at. There is a similar technique in our family that is used to block breathing, isn't it?　

Yeah.

Ryoma nodded at the old man's question.

''Sakuya's level ... you could have killed him at any time ... you're not that good.''

When he said that, the old man sighed deeply.
No one could tell if it was a lament for Sakuya's ability or an admiration for Ryoma's skills.

Hit the nail on the head.
It's easy to say, but it's difficult to do that in a real battlefield without a clear difference in ability between the two.
It's not the same as the eye or the golden target, which are vital points that can lead to serious injuries even if you hit them lightly, but the blows to the shoulder and diaphragm require a certain amount of power and a precise angle to be effective.
It's not just a matter of hitting them.
And the fact that the top-notch assassin Sakuya was able to accurately strike through Sakuya's vital point in the darkness, even if it was a surprise strike, accurately represents the skill of the person known as Mikoshiba Ryoma.

"It was a surprise attack. You don't know what will happen if you fight it head on.

Fool. What kind of assassin fights in the front door?　

Ryoma couldn't help but laugh at the old man's words.
Because the old man's words were right on the money.

''That's true too... oops, for now, I'm sorry for Sakuya-san, so here you go.

Ryoma said and grabbed a blanket from the bed and handed it to Sakuya.

''A ... thank you.''

No, no, it's an eye sore for me, too.

Hearing Ryoma's words, Sakuya quickly covered her breasts with her hands.
He remembered that his jacket had been ripped open and his chest had been ripped off.

''Hm. You don't know anything about women, do you?　

It's not that I don't know. Ma! I guess that's the bare minimum of courtesy for a woman.

Ryoma responds to the old man's words with a shrug of his shoulders.
Although Ryoma is a womanizer, he has no taste for rudely looking at a woman's naked body, at least not with her clothes cut off.
Even if it's just the two of you in a private room, it's even more so when there are people around you.
Well, I didn't know if that consideration was natural in this world or not, but Ryoma didn't think of forcing himself to deviate from his common sense unless his life was in danger.


The first thing to do is to ask a few questions.

Ryoma changed the subject.
He couldn't stay answering the old man's questions forever.
We still don't even know who this old man is and why he showed up.

I don't mind but you're expecting most of the answers, aren't you?　What are you asking me now?

The old man answered Ryojin's question.

''Well, there's a difference between expectations and reality.''

The old man pondered over Ryoma's words.

''I see........you are very cautious.......well, when you lead an army, it's only natural........good. You will have your answer.

'Well, first of all, I have to ask, are you and your family descended from a man who was summoned a long time ago?　

Well, it is said that the first group of men were summoned to this world some 500 years ago.

The old man answers Ryouma's question simply.

''Five hundred years...?　Guys? Does that mean you're not alone?　

Ryoma noticed some unexpected words in the old man's answer.

'Yes, our ancestors were summoned out of the village.

The whole village...?　

The old man nodded at Ryoma's words.

''Well I heard it was a small village of about 20 people...''

According to the legend, their ancestors were summoned while they were sleeping at home under the covers.
Well, since the flow of time is the same between the earth and the earth underneath, it is possible that a nighttime summoning ceremony would be conducted.

If so, is it possible for an entire village to be summoned now?

As far as Ryoma knew, he didn't remember hearing of such a bizarre phenomenon.
Information is flying around the world today.
If an entire village disappeared, there is no way it wouldn't come up in the news.

You're not the only one. The catalyst needed for this is now so rare and expensive that even a country of that magnitude can barely summon a few people a year.

(Which means.........I'm very unlucky.......)

A few people a year in one country.
I don't know how many countries there are in the world, but it's something like two to three hundred people a year.
Ryoma never thought of himself as a lucky person, but hearing the old man's words, he couldn't help but curse his own lack of luck.

''I see... then why are you still an assassin now?　

I was recalled 500 years ago.
I'm glad to hear that.
But if he was recalled 500 years ago, why is he now an assassin in the family business?
What exactly does it mean to be a clan-based assassin in the first place?
Ryoma wanted to make sure that was the case.

"My family is in turmoil.

Everyone except Ryoma and Sakuya were listening to the old man's words with a puzzled look on their faces.
Ranpa is a specific occupation, also known as Souha or grass.
It is also called by various other names, but the most famous and familiar name would be this one.
A ninja.
That's right, Sakuya's family was a clan of ninjas.

Indeed, if ninja are summoned to the land of war, Earth, it is impossible to say that they do not use the technology.
They have survived for 500 years by honing their own fighting skills.
I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of your time in the city.

I'm not sure I'm going to be able to tell you what school you are from.　

"Well, wild waves are wild waves. You steal, you steal, you kill. That's all.

It is true that the names of the schools are meaningless.
It may be necessary if you want to spread it to other people, but if it is only passed down through the family, there is no need to have a name to distinguish it from other people's techniques.

By the way, do you know the names of the regions where your ancestors lived?　

I don't know the name of the place. It's just that he lived in the mountains near a large lake.

The old man answered Ryoma's question honestly.
Because it was information that was not worth hiding.

(Lake........Lake Biwa? So that means you're from Iga or Koga...)

Well, it's a famous ninja village.
It's quite possible that this is the case.

........what do you mean?　

This is Ryoma's last question.
And the answer to this question is unpredictable even for Ryoma.
Japanese ninjas either live in a specific area and seek out employers if necessary, or serve a specific master.
In the war-torn land of Earth, there were plenty of powerful people who wanted their power.
And now they are wandering for five hundred years.
If you don't have a special reason to think about it, this is an unthinkable situation.

Hmmm, this is something we cannot discuss with outsiders. It's against the family code.

The old man's face twisted meaningfully.

'Well, I beg your pardon.'

When Ryoma heard the old man's answer, he bowed his head honestly.

''Ho ... you're not interested?''

The old man asks him to investigate, perhaps because Ryoma's attitude is too simple.

I'm not interested in finding out other people's secrets. .... and it is said that curiosity kills the cat.

As human beings, it is an instinct to be interested in other people's secrets.
It is only natural that the more they are hidden, the more intrigued we become with them.
However, there are good reasons why secrets are hidden from us.
There are secrets that may not be important to others, but are more important than life to you.

(I can't bear to have my life threatened by knowing something unnecessary.......)

There was no need to take unnecessary risks in this world where life was so lightly valued.
That was what Ryouma thought.

'Great restraint.......good I like it!　My name is Gen-o, Iga-saki Gen-o. Henceforth, you may take care of me.

After? .........?

Ryouma was puzzled by Yan'o's words.
It was too sudden.

''What? What are you talking about? You saved Sakuya because you wanted him to be your friend, didn't you? Then I, your grandfather, will join you!　

Gen-Oh looked pleased with himself.
Because he had been frowning up until now, when he smiled, he looked like a good-natured old man.

''Grandfather...?''

Sakuya asked fearfully.

'What are you complaining about, Sakuya? Having failed in his mission, you should be dead. But he was saved by Mikoshiba-dono. Will you be punished for using it for him?

Gen-oh called Ryojin as Goshiba-dono.
It seems that the fact that he has improved in rank from the young man, you, means that he definitely wants to serve Ryojin.

''Eh ... no ... yes.''

Sakuya also realized the firmness of Gen'o's determination and couldn't help but nod.

''You don't mind, do you? "Mikoshiba-dono.

Ryojin pondered on Gen-Oh's question.
It was true that if he was Japanese, he was going to help him.
It is also true that he wanted to make good use of Sakuya's assassin's ability.
But because of the sudden arrival of Gen'o, the story begins to have an extraordinary ending.

(What's going on?　(e.g. "I'll be back")

It could be said to be a crossover for Ryouma.
Other than the Laura Saara sisters, they are only allied with each other.
You can still personally trust the mercenary corps of Lyonne and Volz, but as far as the knights are concerned, they can betray you at any time.
The only reason they follow Ryojin's command is because Princess Lupis recognizes Ryojin's command.
If Princess Lupis gives up on Liang Zhen, the knights will instantly ignore Liang Zhen's command.

So for a skillful person to join Ryojin's ranks is a welcome thing in itself.
But.........
What's the rush ... the guys who came to kill me?

Liang Zhen's gaze pierced into Gen-Oh.
Sparks flew between the two sides.

''Fine.''

Ryoma made up his mind.
I want people who can use them.
(I want people who can do intelligence.......the question is whether the information these guys bring is correct or not.......no......that's up to my judgment.

Then I will serve you and my granddaughter Sakuya. My Lord.

Gen-Oh urged Sakuya to bow to Ryojin.