"Ah..."
Mifune let out a long sigh. As things stood, there was little he could do to help.
Master Iinaka had also been taken away by the general, supposedly for secret protection.
But how could he not recognize it as imprisonment?
He recalled the last thing Master Iinaka had told him: find a woman wearing the Evil Ghost Mask.
But where exactly was this woman wearing the Evil Ghost Mask?
Master Iinaka had said she would appear in Iron City, but a year had passed without any sign of her there.
Just then, the innkeeper's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Your sake is here, gentlemen!"
Carrying two jars of sake, the innkeeper carefully approached from across the room.
"Whew..."
Only after setting both jars on the table did the innkeeper wipe away her sweat.
"That will be fifty ryo, gentlemen."
"All right, I'll pay!"
The black-haired samurai beside him promptly pulled several banknotes from his waist and handed them over.
Mifune made no attempt to stop his companion. This was their custom; whenever they drank together, they took turns paying.
The black-haired samurai was named He Liu, a comrade he had rescued during a mission a few years ago. They had weathered countless hardships together and could now be called friends who had faced life and death together.
"Ah, thank you, sir..."
The innkeeper happily accepted the money, wiped away her sweat again, and turned to get back to work.
Just then, He Liu called out to stop her.
"By the way, you have quite a lot of guests at your inn today. Would you mind if I asked you a question?"
At his words, the innkeeper paused, stopping after only a few steps.
She turned around, looking increasingly troubled.
"Ah, sir, I really don't have time today."
"If you want