Sword of the Beast Page #2

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Silence! Other clans are not my concern.

As long as I'm counselor, I won't stand for it.

Return to your quarters!

We refuse!

Next you'll order us to commit harakiri.

We won't wait around to lose our lives.

We'll take yours instead.

What?

That was our original plan anyway.

Help!

Father!

When I recall that day,

I see Gennosuke as just a beast

to be drawn and quartered.

Butchery is what he deserves.

But he's a samurai. He must die like one.

Daizaburo,

don't forget that when we're married,

you'll inherit a fortune of 3,500 koku.

How can you fail

to share my hatred for our enemy?

I find that most vexing.

Master Katori, any word where Gennosuke went?

"Packhorse" has his men searching,

combing every nook and cranny.

He won't escape that easily.

Hardly anyone ever comes here.

Take a nap if you like.

There's a bounty on my head. Don't you want it?

A measly bounty like that? Who cares?

I'm aiming for a mountain of riches!

A mountain?

Take a look at this.

Gold dust?

I was bathing a horse in the river

when a prospector's body floated by.

He had this pouch on him.

There's been gold in Koshu for a long time,

so it's no surprise he found gold up there.

So you'll prospect on the mountain?

A man can't spend his entire life

scrubbing horses in a dump like this.

But Mount Shirane belongs to the shogunate.

The penalty for poaching there is decapitation.

A man can't do great things if he's afraid.

How about it? Let's team up

and strike it rich together.

Me?

The thing is, the man carrying this pouch

was sliced open from shoulder to waist.

There are clearly some

very dangerous people upriver

after that gold.

So you're hiding me because you need a bodyguard.

If you put it that way -

Just leave it all to me.

Let's sneak away when things quiet down.

If you'll be running for the rest of your life,

you'll need some coin to keep you going.

Running for the rest of my life?

Any luck?

Nah.

Nothing?

But we'll find some soon, right?

There's no gold around here.

Let's go further up.

Quick, hide!

We've got some nasty company.

Those patrols come by once

every three months at most.

We'll be safe once they pass.

Maybe we should keep them in sight.

We don't want to bump into them unexpectedly.

Yeah, you're right.

Okay, let's go.

Whose hut is that?

- That's a logger's rest lodge.

- Is it in use now?

No, logging here ended last year.

- But somebody's there.

- No, that's imposs...

Stumbling already? It's still early.

Wait. Somebody's coming.

What are you doing here?

You're panning for gold, aren't you?

You can be executed for that!

- I know.

- What?

You dare resist?

Officers have been killed. That means trouble.

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