"Hey! How can you destroy people's property!"
"It's a special period now. Anyone who dares to obstruct will be arrested. Don't worry, we will compensate you for your losses later!"
The captain of the Shogunate army ignored the villagers' obstruction and quickly headed into the house. However, what greeted him was not the suspect he had imagined hiding inside, but Tanigawa Moe taking care of a pale and pained Ying.
"What... what's wrong with her?"
Upholding humanitarianism, the Shogunate captain did not immediately inquire about the fate of the Vision but first expressed concern for Ying's condition.
"She has a high fever. Don't worry, Shogunate soldier. She doesn't have a Vision. When I checked her body earlier, I removed everything from her, and it's all right there."
"Hmm..."
The Shogunate captain pondered for a moment, then shook his head, refusing.
"I cannot believe your word. Please cooperate with our investigation. Don't worry, we will only take her Vision and will not harm her."
"But... but her fever is so high, and I finally managed to get her to feel a little better. She really can't be tossed around with you anymore. She's not going anywhere anyway. Can't you come back in a few days when she's feeling better?"
"This... then..."
The Shogunate captain frowned. Just as he was about to agree with Tanigawa Moe, a call came from behind him.
A Shogunate soldier ran over from a distance. If one looked closely, they could see a drawing in his hand.
"Hey! Captain! Lord Kujo just issued a notice. There's a fugitive in this area. This is an image of the criminal described by Lord Shogun!"
"Oh?"
The Shogunate captain curiously took the image from the soldier. The moment he opened it, he froze, disbelievingly rubbing his eyes. After confirming it several times, he finally accepted the fact and commanded,
"Take her away!"
"Yes!"
"Wait, ah!"
Upon receiving the captain's order, the Shogunate soldiers outside immediately sprang into action. Tanigawa Moe tried to stop them, but they simply pushed her aside.
As they were taking Ying away, a gust of wind suddenly swept through the house, making it impossible for everyone inside to open their eyes.
"What's going on?!"
"It's a Vision! An Anemo Vision!"
"Not good! Hurry and catch that little girl!"
"No, there's sand in this wind, it's blinding us!"
When the strong wind subsided, all the items that had been flying around the room had returned to their places. Only the Shogunate soldiers, with sand in their eyes, collapsed on the ground in pain. It took a long while for them to recover.
The Shogunate captain immediately looked at the bed. Seeing that Ying, who had been lying there, was gone, he immediately said,
"That little girl escaped! Chase her! Search this entire area!"
"Yes!"
The Shogunate soldiers immediately ran out, leaving Tanigawa Moe standing there in a daze. After a while, she instinctively said,
"Huh? Was that wind she created? But wasn't she still unconscious?"
While both parties were still bewildered, Ying had already been carried to the roof of a house by someone...
"After they left, I carried you back again..."
Having said that, Toray picked up his teacup and calmly took a sip of tea.
"So, you saved me?!"
Ying covered her small mouth with her hand, saying with some surprise.
Toray shook his head.
"It was just a small gesture."
"But it's also fortunate that if I hadn't come here to look for herbs, you would probably have been captured by those Shogunate soldiers by now."
Hearing Toray's words, Ying nodded repeatedly.
"Indeed, thank you so much."
"By the way... you knew I was a wanted criminal back then, didn't you? Why did you still help me?"
"Hmm..."
Hearing Ying's question, Toray thought for a moment and then replied,
"Wanted criminal? I've never heard of any wanted criminal. Besides, I'm not helping a wanted criminal, but my friend (^_^)."
Ying could tell that Toray was playing dumb, or rather, Toray intended for Ying to think of him this way.
"Thank you..."
"Hahaha, if you want to thank someone, go thank the villagers. After all, if they hadn't delayed them, you wouldn't have been able to wait for me to save you (^_^)."
"Alright, your body hasn't fully recovered yet. I can't leave here anytime soon, so I might as well help you with your treatment. So, you can rest here with peace of mind for a while."
Toray dotingly ruffled Ying's hair, then stood up and left the bedroom. This action stunned Ying, and it took her a long time to react.
"Wow... No wonder the heroines in those anime and novels are so easily captured by the male leads. This head-patting move is indeed terrifying..."
"Fortunately, I only have eyes for Lumine (⌒▽⌒)"
Meanwhile, outside the house, Toray stood at the doorway, recalling what had happened afterward.
After he had settled Ying, Toray poked his head out and looked at the Shogunate soldiers still searching from house to house. He couldn't help but chuckle.
"Heh... this scene perfectly describes the saying that the most dangerous place is the safest. With such foolish soldiers and gods in Inazuma, it's no wonder they were easily manipulated by our little scheme..."
Saying that, Toray looked at Ying, who was lying beside him, looking uncomfortable and asleep.
"It seems her fever is quite high... Looks like my candle that weakens the body's immunity worked quite well..."
"Hehehe... Good. With this rescue, she should completely trust me now. But for me, mere trust is far from enough..."
"Lumine... Paimon... Paimo..."
"Hmm?"
Hearing Ying's faint voice, Toray was slightly taken aback and stroked his chin.
"I know the names Lumine and Paimon, the famous Traveler and her pet... But where did this Paimo come from? Could it be another pet she's raised?"
"Tsk... I didn't expect there to be so many people I need to gain the trust of... Oh well, just two pets are not worth mentioning. I only need to gain the trust of that Honorary Knight..."
Paimo Paimon: Are you being polite?!
As Toray stood there muttering, Ying on the bed also came to her senses. She quickly jumped out of bed, tidied her clothes, and walked out of the room.