"Flowing Light Sword Saint, please, take a seat quickly."
Kasuga Izuminokami Yasutsuna, seated in the main position, his eyes lit up as he stood up and greeted him warmly.
Although Kasuga Castle was still weaker than Okuragi Takatora's forces, as a daimyo, Kasuga Izuminokami Yasutsuna's attitude already showed great solemnity.
Kobayashi Itsuki walked towards him, and near the seat below him, the Nohara Family was also present.
"Teacher Kobayashi, over here."
Ohara Nanako looked at Kobayashi Itsuki, who had changed into new clothes, a faint hint of admiration flashing in her eyes.
She wondered if it was her imagination.
Before, what attracted her most about Kobayashi Itsuki was his talent.
As the first person to see his new work, Ohara Nanako knew very well how talented this young man in front of her was.
But now, after personally witnessing Kobayashi Itsuki endure a war, a brutal slaughter...
The current Kobayashi Itsuki, in her eyes, possessed a more dangerous aura.
Or rather, the scent of a strong person.
Thinking of the sword light and shadows Kobayashi Itsuki had unleashed on the battlefield earlier, Ohara Nanako's heart couldn't help but race.
Admiration for strength, worship of the strong.
This is universal everywhere, especially in a male-dominated society like Japan.
Especially since Kobayashi Itsuki was not the kind of man who had only temper and no ability, but one with genuine skill and substance.
Sitting down next to Ohara Nanako, this position was directly below Kasuga Izuminokami Yasutsuna, showing the importance placed on him.
"Your Excellency, Sword Saint, thank you for your assistance. Matabei has already told me that without you, it would have been difficult to eliminate Okuragi Takatora so easily."
Saying this, Kasuga Izuminokami Yasutsuna clapped his hands, and a maidservant nearby lightly stepped forward, holding a wooden box.
She knelt gracefully before Kobayashi Itsuki's table, placed the box down, and then pushed it towards him.
"This is a small token of our gratitude from Kasuga Castle."
Kobayashi Itsuki looked at the wooden box in front of him, reached out, took it, and opened it directly.
As the wooden box opened, a golden gleam immediately appeared before Kobayashi Itsuki's eyes.
Looking at the neatly arranged gold ingots inside, Kobayashi Itsuki closed the lid and smiled slightly at Kasuga Izuminokami Yasutsuna.
"Lord, you are too kind. This achievement does not belong solely to me. Without the help of all the soldiers, sharing the pressure, I would not have been able to achieve this."
"Hahahaha, Your Excellency, Sword Saint, you are too modest..."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the celebration banquet began.
Having fought for so long, Kobayashi Itsuki was genuinely hungry.
He began to feast without reservation.
Amidst the clinking of cups, Kobayashi Itsuki ate and drank his fill.
He then began to converse with others.
Kobayashi Itsuki wasn't very interested in conversation; his main goal was to collect treasure chests.
Whether it was the elders of Kasuga Castle, some generals, or the attending maidservants, Kobayashi Itsuki didn't miss a single one, asking all of them for their names.
Because of his performance on the battlefield, the treasure chests provided by these people were basically green at a minimum.
Occasionally, some who greatly admired strength, like some maidservants, could even provide some blue treasure chests.
Listening to the continuous stream of notification sounds, Kobayashi Itsuki's heart was exceptionally pleased.
[Ding, you have met Matsushita Tesha. Current relationship is White.]
[Congratulations, Host, you have received 1 White Treasure Chest.]
[Ding, Matsushita Tesha's favorability has increased. You have received 1 green treasure chest.]
[Ding, you have met Haruyo Ueno. Current relationship is White.]
[Congratulations, Host, you have received 1 White Treasure Chest.]
[Ding, Haruyo Ueno's favorability has increased. You have received 1 green treasure chest.]
[Ding, you have met Mukai Miko. Current relationship is White.]
[Congratulations, Host, you have received 1 White Treasure Chest.]
[Ding, Mukai Miko's favorability has increased. You have received 1 green treasure chest.]
[Ding, Mukai Miko's favorability has increased. You have received 1 blue treasure chest.]
...Amidst the system's notification sounds, Kobayashi Itsuki looked at Ijiri Matabei Yoshitoshi, who was happily chatting with his colleagues not far away, and Kasuga Ren, who was sitting beside Kasuga Izuminokami Yasutsuna, secretly observing him.
Kobayashi Itsuki felt a bit emotional.
Although he couldn't guarantee that Ijiri Matabei Yoshitoshi had truly escaped his fated death, at least for now, things were good.
'I hope this time there will be a good ending.'
Not long after, the banquet finally ended.
It was already late at night.
Kasuga Castle's great victory allowed everyone, whose spirits had been suppressed and filled with worry, to release their emotions to the fullest.
Now, in the spacious hall, countless people were drunk.
Kobayashi Itsuki, however, didn't feel much; he had always had little interest in alcohol.
Nohara Hiroshi, on the other hand, was already completely drunk, sloshing around with Ijiri Matabei Yoshitoshi, arm in arm, muttering something unintelligible in a corner.
"Kobayashi-kun, regarding the profits from Okuragi Takatora, my father has already arranged for people to tally them."
"They should be tallied by tonight."
Just as he was about to help Nohara Hiroshi and Ijiri Matabei Yoshitoshi back to rest, Kasuga Ren proactively stepped forward and politely said.
"That would be a bother. If nothing unexpected happens, we should be preparing to leave tomorrow."
Kobayashi Itsuki nodded politely and said to Kasuga Ren.
Judging from the time Nohara Shinnosuke disappeared before, the Warring States Period and their modern time are basically synchronized, meaning a 1:1 ratio.
They had been here for two days, which meant they had been missing in modern times for two days.
Being missing for these two days was not good for Kobayashi Itsuki's work, nor for Nohara Hiroshi or Ohara Nanako.
Kobayashi Itsuki could even imagine how frantic Ohara Nanako's father would be upon discovering his daughter had been missing for two days.
So they definitely had to go back tomorrow.
Although Kobayashi Itsuki also wanted to stay here longer and collect as many treasure chests as possible, the real world was, after all, the most important.
Moreover, he didn't dare to try letting Nohara Shinnosuke and the others go back first while he stayed behind alone for a while.
If he left Nohara Shinnosuke, the important protagonist, and got stuck in this world, then he would truly be finished.
"Tomorrow?"
Kasuga Ren was a little surprised to hear Kobayashi Itsuki's words, but after looking at Shin-chan, who was already asleep in Ohara Nanako's arms, she nodded and smiled.
"I understand. Everything will be sorted out tonight."
"That would be a bother."
Bidding farewell to Kasuga Ren, Kobayashi Itsuki, Ohara Nanako, and the others headed towards Ijiri Matabei Yoshitoshi's house.
Back home, Nohara Hiroshi and Ijiri Matabei Yoshitoshi were already sleeping like dead pigs.
Kobayashi Itsuki even wondered if Ijiri Matabei Yoshitoshi, whom he had so painstakingly saved, might accidentally be drunk to death by Nohara Hiroshi.