"Good morning, Takatsuki-dono."
Hearing the greeting from behind him, Takatsuki stopped his movements and turned around.
"Sagiri, good morning. Waking up so early... are you here for morning exercise?"
The one greeting him was precisely the somewhat upright and rigid female samurai he had met yesterday.
Sagiri merely shook her head.
"I couldn't sleep well. This island is strange everywhere, and... the Elixir of Life is also fake."
Sagiri had something on her mind.
Clearly, everyone had actually noticed this.
They just hadn't said it out loud.
"Are you worried about Gabimaru?"
After a slight thought, Takatsuki asked.
As far as he knew, the condemned prisoners assigned to these Yamada Asaemon executors were chosen by themselves.
Qualified condemned prisoners were selected through recommendations, and those who recommended them would also accompany their recommended condemned prisoners to the island.
This matter was not without benefits for the members of Yamada Asaemon. After returning from the island, their rank would be elevated, so many people regarded this as a channel for their promotion.
And this mechanism...
Takatsuki thought of many possibilities: if their relatives or friends became criminals for some reason, would these executors want to use this method to exempt them from their crimes?
Sagiri, in front of him, was slightly silent and did not answer.
Lightly pursing her lips, after some thought, Sagiri still expressed her thoughts.
"Gabimaru, he wants to use this to clear his name and reunite with his wife."
He has a wife, and you're still getting involved?
Takatsuki gave Sagiri a strange look, and that undisguised gaze was naturally noticed by Sagiri.
"It's not what you think; I just… admire him."
Admire?
"He has a clear goal, and everything he does is for those he cherishes, so I still hope he can achieve his wish."
Longing?
Looking at Sagiri, Takatsuki probably understood something. This young girl was clearly a bit lost herself. In the male-dominated culture of Japan, and as a samurai, it's easy to imagine how much negation and exclusion she had faced. Gabimaru, as a criminal, must have experienced some commonalities in his encounters.
Empathy, that's probably the situation.
"You're worried that if he doesn't find the Elixir of Life, he won't be absolved of his crimes?"
Looking at Sagiri, who nodded, Takatsuki said indifferently, "Then just escape."
"Huh?"
Takatsuki looked at the lush green mountains around them: "On this island, countless people have died here, not just criminals, but also you executioners. When you are outside, you don't have to follow orders. If you go back and report that these criminals have died, will the Shogunate hold you accountable? After all, you can't disregard your own safety to bring back corpses, can you?"
"Speaking of which, if the criminals you are responsible for die, how do you prove they're dead?"
Sagiri subconsciously replied, "We will cut off the criminal's hair and bring it back as proof."
"No! How can you do such a thing? This is against the rules!"
Sagiri quickly realized what Takatsuki meant: he was telling her to let the criminals escape and falsely report their deaths.
This was a very rebellious act for a Yamada Asaemon.
"You are too rigid. Rules are for others to see, not to constrain yourself. Otherwise, between rules and emotions, you always have to abandon one. If you can clearly abandon your personal feelings and completely adhere to the rules, then why are you so conflicted?"
"Hmm…"
Sagiri was speechless.
Indeed, her rationality kept telling her that this was wrong, that she shouldn't do it, that she should treat Gabimaru as a criminal, and that the rope on his hands shouldn't even be untied.
All of these had already been overturned.
She couldn't ignore Gabimaru's fate, and after understanding each other, she even relaxed her demands on Gabimaru. Although Gabimaru didn't show anything, she felt that they were now relying on and understanding each other, especially since Gabimaru had saved her many times when they encountered danger before.
According to the rules, the death of an executioner would actually give those criminals more freedom.
"Gabimaru should be a ninja, right? No one is better at hiding than a ninja. If what you say is true, then Gabimaru only needs to live in anonymity from now on and not commit crimes, and there will be no possibility of him being discovered, right?"
Takatsuki patiently persuaded, "So follow your heart. In front of outsiders, you follow the rules of the Yamada family, and within yourself, you make yourself feel comfortable. Is there anything bad about that?"
"I…"
"Mr. Takatsuki, please don't make things difficult for Sagiri anymore."
As the two were talking, a male voice suddenly interrupted.
"Lord Shion!"
Sagiri was a little flustered because Shion had heard her conversation with Takatsuki.
"Is there something wrong with what I said? Shion, you, Tenza, and Nurugai, would you really handle things strictly and execute that child?"
Although his eyes were tightly closed, the change in his expression was very obvious.
"That is… the sorrow of the era. I remember all the names on the criminal roster. Sagiri, do you think Gabimaru, who has killed so many people, is worth you doing this?"
Shion saw that Takatsuki was difficult to deal with and turned directly to Sagiri.
"Hey, hey, Shion, don't be a hypocrite here. You have your values, and Sagiri has her own understanding. From the results, what you and Sagiri have done is similar, isn't it?"
"…"
Sagiri also looked at Shion.
But Shion was speechless. After all, as Takatsuki said, no matter how he tried to hide it with words, he was actively helping criminals, and he hadn't considered what to do after leaving the island.
Because his only thought was to leave the island.
"The situation where you are is still relatively backward. A person only needs to change their name and appearance, and they basically can't be found again. If you think letting a criminal go is a rebellious act, then rebel and escape with them. Of course, I don't recommend this situation, after all, the Yamada family, as you say, has a fairly high status."
"If you need help with changing your appearance, I can help a little. I do know some techniques for helping people with plastic surgery."
It's a joke. Takatsuki could create a person on the spot. This island is full of life-force materials, plus his LV7 Life Creation, simply changing appearances is too easy.
However, this suggestion made the two of them conflicted.
"Please help me, sir!"
A third person's voice suddenly broke the brief silence.