What exactly did this person call me over for? This question kept circling in Aoto's mind.
However, despite his confusion, Aoto didn't remain dumbfounded for too long.
The Tairō Ii had already dismissed him, so Aoto had no other option but to comply.
Aoto bowed, responded with a "Yes," then picked up his Ghost-Slaying Treasure Sword and left the room, feeling slightly dazed.
After watching Aoto's figure disappear, Ii Naosuke smiled faintly.
Then... he reached into his robe and pulled out a small booklet, about the size of a palm and half a finger thick.
A nearby attendant, seeing Ii Naosuke take out the booklet, instinctively unstrapped a small brush with a tip soaked in ink and a bamboo tube filled with clean water from his belt.
Ii Naosuke took the brush handed by the attendant, dipped the brush tip into the bamboo tube to moisten the dried ink, then opened the small booklet. He turned to a still blank page and, with a flourish, wrote three Chinese characters—
