"Oh... you have someone backing you, too? Tell me, who is it?"
Perhaps the guard had recovered from the earlier shock, or perhaps Orochi and Kaido had given him courage. The terror actually vanished from his face, and he straightened his back.
Not daring to meet Kuta's eyes, he stared at his face and declared proudly, "We have Kaido behind us!"
"Since you came from outside, you must know who Kaido is."
"Oh... Kaido..."
Kuta put on a frightened expression and exclaimed, "You mean the Kaido who reigns over the New World? Kaido of the Four Emperors?"
"I'm so scared!"
"Now you know fear! If you're scared, hurry up and apologize to our shogun, Lord Orochi. You've spoiled his fun!"
"Apologize?"
"That's right! Apologize. If Lord Orochi is pleased, he might forgive you and spare you a stint in prison."
"Enough."
Seeing that the guard was about to continue, Fukurokuju, standing behind him, could no longer bear it. He stopped him with a shout. "Can't you tell he's just mocking you?"
After that, he ignored the guard and asked Kuta gravely, "May I ask what brings you here?"
The stronger someone was, the more clearly they could sense how extraordinary Kuta and his companions were. The helplessness he had felt earlier, as though he had been dragged into another world, still left him
shaken.
In all these years, he had only ever felt such terror from one person: Kaido.
Although Kaido backed them, the man before him had come here and shown no reaction upon hearing Kaido's name, apart from a trace of mockery. That made his heart sink.
Someone of this caliber clearly hadn't come to watch their festivities or share a drink.
"What brings me here?"
Without so much as glancing at the guard beside him, whose face