Chapter 285: A Letter To Anatoly
"Battousai-sama."
Sitting beside Bai Luo, Teppei appeared somewhat tense.
Bai Luo had told him before not to address him as "sensei" or "master," and Teppei kept this in mind at all times, never daring to overstep.
"I've read the letter you sent earlier."
Without showing any emotion, Bai Luo gathered the stones from the board as he spoke to Teppei.
"…I must have embarrassed myself."
Ever since sending that letter, Teppei had regretted it a little.
He felt his words had come off as boastful, something that might leave a poor impression on Lord Battousai.
But when he sensed the man's gaze on him, he realized he was mistaken.
Because that intense, burning look made him think—just for a moment—that Battousai might actually take him in as a disciple.
"Gorou-san, I'd like to borrow Teppei for a while. I trust that won't be an issue?"
After finishing with the board, Bai Luo looked toward Gorou.
Things were different now—Teppei was officially part of the camp, with a position of his own.
If he were leaving, even temporarily, it was only proper to inform Gorou.
"Please do as you wish, Lord Battousai. After all, he was brought here by you."
To say that he was willing to let Teppei go would be a lie. But if the one making the request was Battousai, Gorou couldn't bring himself to refuse.
Perhaps Lord Battousai planned to take Teppei for special training?
Maybe the Teppei who returned next time would bring Gorou a pleasant surprise.
"Then I shall be presumptuous."
Under the lamplight, a faint, mysterious smile tugged at the corner of Bai Luo's lips.
. . .
Early the next morning, Teppei followed Bai Luo as they departed the camp and headed toward Watatsumi Island.
Thanks to the efforts of the Watatsumi Army, a new route had been opened between Yashiori Island and Watatsumi Island.
They no longer had to navigate the dangerous reef-filled waters, and their travel speed had greatly increased.
Yet as Teppei sat on the fishing boat, he watched the man rowing and couldn't help feeling puzzled.
"Young man, something the matter?"
The fisherman pressed down on the straw hat covering his head as he spoke.
Because of the rain, most fishermen wore these hats—nothing unusual about it.
"It's nothing."
Teppei nodded politely and looked away.
But the confusion in his eyes did not fade in the slightest.
Because… this fisherman was far too strange.
Having spent so much time in the military camp, his perception and courage had improved enormously.
So rather than staring at the unchanging sky and sea, he focused his attention on the fisherman before him.
And the more he observed, the more wrong things seemed.
Whether it was his posture or the force and rhythm of his rowing, nothing resembled an ordinary fisherman.
Especially that upright, perfectly straight stance.
When Teppei first arrived at the camp, the officers spent considerable effort correcting their posture.
Yet this fisherman stood more naturally—and more perfectly—than even trained soldiers.
Rather than a fisherman, Teppei increasingly felt he was looking at a… soldier.
And not Watatsumi Army.
Not even a regular Shogunate soldier.
But someone trained to a far higher standard.
However, seeing that Lord Battousai showed no reaction whatsoever, Teppei chose not to probe further.
But after noticing the oddities, Teppei kept his hand resting on the Hakuen Michimitsu Amenoma, never once letting go.
Unlike the chatty old fisherman he'd met before, this one dropped them off at Watatsumi Island without saying a single word, then quietly rowed back toward Yashiori Island.
"Battousai-sama?"
Watching the fisherman's departing silhouette, Teppei tentatively called out to Bai Luo.
He was certain that Lord Battousai must have noticed something strange about that man as well.
"Don't worry. He's one of ours."
Bai Luo waved dismissively, utterly unconcerned, then hugged the Reverse Blade Sword in his arms and began heading toward Bourou Village.
What Teppei didn't know was that many places on Watatsumi Island had been quietly replaced with Fatui personnel.
Even the "new sea route" had actually been opened with the help of advanced Fatui equipment.
The fisherman earlier was one of the Fatui soldiers.
Even though he'd tried hard to act like an ordinary fisherman, long-ingrained habits still caused him to slip here and there.
After all, on this continent, the only people whose discipline could compete with Fatui soldiers were probably Liyue's Millelith.
The closer they got to Bourou Village, the more shocked Teppei felt.
He keenly noticed that among the guards stationed at every checkpoint, while there were still some of his former colleagues from Watatsumi Island, the majority were unfamiliar soldiers—men who resembled that fisherman in bearing and behavior.
It was no exaggeration to say that compared to these mysterious soldiers, the Sangonomiya troops looked utterly inferior—like they were being crushed in every aspect.
At every checkpoint, the ones standing under the sun checking travel permits were these mysterious soldiers.
Meanwhile, the Watatsumi natives hid lazily in the shade, avoiding work.
Until at last… they arrived at Bourou Village.
"Is… this really Bourou Village?"
Teppei could hardly believe his eyes as he looked upon the vibrant settlement before him.
He was certain that when he left, this place had been nothing more than a simple fishing village.
Even though his comrades had written letters saying Bourou Village had undergone tremendous changes… this level of change was far beyond what human hands could accomplish.
It was nothing short of divine work.
"Teppei-nii-chan!"
Mirai, who was—as always—waiting at the village entrance for her "big brother," lit up the moment she spotted Teppei.
Although they weren't related by blood, thanks to Lingling, she and Teppei had developed a close bond.
More importantly, whenever Teppei returned from the military camp, there was a chance he might bring news about her real brother.
"Mirai, this is something your brother asked me to bring back for you."
Affectionately ruffling her hair, Teppei carefully took out an item wrapped in oiled paper.
Lately, the Watatsumi Army seemed to have received assistance from some mysterious benefactor—even their meals had greatly improved.
Every meal now included meat.
Takahashi felt sure that Bourou Village didn't enjoy such good conditions.
So when he heard Teppei was returning home, he had deliberately saved some poultry from his own meals and asked Teppei to bring it to her.
"Mm…"
But when Mirai saw the meat in Teppei's hands, she didn't show the hungry, longing look he expected.
"Teppei-nii-chan, we have lots of this kind of meat in the village now. Next time you go back, be sure to tell my brother to keep it and eat it himself. Sveta-nee-chan gave everyone sooo much food and clothes!"
Mirai knew exactly where this poultry came from. Still, she happily accepted the food her brother had sent.
"Sveta?"
The foreign name—one that clearly didn't sound Inazuman—caught Teppei's attention.
Could she be the mysterious benefactor?
While Teppei was preoccupied trying to guess who Sveta was, Bai Luo stood nearby, staring with a very strange expression at… something that he wasn't even sure could still be called a "letter."
Because calling it a letter felt wrong—it was far too thick.
It was practically the size of a small book.
And calling it a book also didn't feel quite right…
But this document, signed with Childe's name, technically was a letter.
It was just… what kind of madness had Childe fallen into?
It was only supposed to be a letter—did he really need to write dozens of pages?
And the title written in bold, murderous strokes: "To Anatoly".
Hiss—
Do I really need to read this?
. . . . .
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