Chapter 274: Chapter 118: Calm Before the Storm

The setting sun has already disappeared behind the rooftops, and the sky begins to take on the colors of dusk. Under the afterglow of the sunset, the edges of the clouds are lined with a deep, dark red, appearing heavy and menacing.

Aoto’s patrol area for tonight is located in the northwest corner of Edo, a district he is quite familiar with as it is part of his routine patrol route.

Under the veil of twilight, the "Three Times" from both the South and North Patrols weave through the streets and alleys of Edo, drawing the frequent attention of passersby.

Onlookers anxiously speculate: Has something major happened again, prompting the deployment of so many "Three Times" officials...?

...

...

At this moment——

Inside a certain room at the Foreign Language Research Institute in Edo——

Katsu Rintarō straightened up from the desk laden with books, yawning widely as he stretched.

"Ha... Ah... Hm?"

Halfway through his yawn, his remaining sigh turned into one of surprise.

"It’s dark already..." He muttered to himself while looking at the encroaching darkness outside the nearby window. "Haha... No wonder it seemed so dim since just now."

After a bit of self-deprecating humor, Katsu Rintarō took out a box of Western matches from his pocket, expertly striking one to light it with a "snap."

"Umegorō! Umegorō!" he called out repeatedly while using the match to light the candlestick beside him.

The echo of his calling had hardly faded when a series of hurried footsteps could be heard from outside the room.

Swish—a young man slid the door open with one knee on the ground.

"Mr. Katsu, what are your orders?"

"Go buy me a bowl of soba with tempura," Katsu Rintarō said, tossing a small pouch of coins to the young man. "Also, get two red bean buns while you’re at it."

"Mr. Katsu, do you plan on working late here again tonight?"

"Yes," Katsu Rintarō glanced at the pile of manuscripts in front of him. "The Dutch medical book I’m working on translating is almost finished."

"I want to finalize the last bits of it tonight."

"...Mr. Katsu, shouldn’t you take a little break?"

Umegorō advised with a frown, his voice laced with concern for Katsu Rintarō’s health.

"You taught artillery at the Military Academy this morning, lectured the Marquis of Fukui at noon, and returned to the Foreign Language Research Institute to translate books in the afternoon..."

"You’ve been working all day, and for the sake of your health, I believe it’s time for a rest."

"No worries, no worries," Katsu Rintarō waved his hand dismissively as soon as Umegorō finished speaking. "I’m in my prime; such a workload doesn’t tire me."

"Just quickly fetch the soba and buns for me. The sooner you get my dinner, the sooner I can rest."

The Foreign Language Research Institute—established by the Edo Shogunate in 1856 for the specific purpose of translating Western books and teaching Western knowledge, it gathered a plethora of talents well-versed in Western subjects or languages.

Katsu Rintarō currently held two positions, serving simultaneously as the Head of the Foreign Language Research Institute and a Professor of Cannonry at the Military Academy.

Though juggling two jobs made him very busy, Katsu Rintarō actually enjoyed being so occupied.

Whether it was teaching artillery or translating those Western books, these were tasks he found very engaging.

Moreover, both roles provided him with a strong sense of honor.

Thinking of how the work he was doing was of extraordinary significance, contributing his efforts to the future of the country, filled Katsu Rintarō with energy.

Translating foreign books has been Katsu Rintarō’s forte for a long time. Six years ago, when he first stepped into the political world and started to emerge, his first official position was "Special Advisor for Foreign Translations," responsible for translating Western books.

Since the Shogunate’s current pool of translators was insufficient, lacking those of high caliber, even now as the top leader of the Foreign Language Research Institute, Katsu Rintarō, a pioneer with deep Western Studies expertise, had to frequently step in personally to translate challenging books like medical and military texts.

After instructing Umegorō to hurry and get his dinner, Katsu Rintarō buried himself back in the book-laden desk, focusing again on the medical book translation at hand.

Seeing Katsu Rintarō unwilling to heed his advice and insisting on continuing to work, Umegorō let out a silent sigh, tucked away the coin pouch Katsu Rintarō had just tossed him, and closed the door behind him.

In the room, the only sound left was the brush tip writing on paper.

...

...

About two hours later——

Tonight was a cloudy night.

A crescent moon hung high behind thin clouds, and with the veil of the clouds, the moonlight drifted softly like a faint haze, quietly flowing through the streets of Edo.

Lifting his eyes to the sky—it was nearly 11 PM now.

This time was certainly late at night by 21st-century standards, let alone in this ancient society.

By now, the only shops still open were the kind catering to nighttime business like the izakaya, and the only people seen wandering the streets were the drunkards and nightingales.

So-called "nightingales" were streetwalkers.

In a city the size of Edo with a population in the millions, there was no shortage of nightingales who exchanged their flesh for a meal.