Chapter III.V (3.5) - Kyonaka City

Taroe greeted them outside the building and escorted them up to Aoi’s family’s home. After Kizu voiced his surprise, Aoi mentioned to Kizu that the Elites usually sent someone to accompany her whenever she traveled through the city. But the more Kizu saw of Kyonaka, the more he struggled to understand why.

Not a spec of dirt was to be found in the city streets. None of the traditional buildings stood taller than three stories and most had a manicured flower garden out front. The sakura trees that lined the street were beginning to bud, but he spotted no fallen leaves or sticks.

Almost every woman they saw wore a colorful kimono, even the children, a fact that Anata gleefully pointed out to him. The only true noise they passed by came from the gentle twang of string instruments being played in inns and restaurants. People spoke softly to one another, never raising their voices. Instead of the loud noises of humans that dominated the streets in Daitoshi, Kizu heard birds singing overhead and the babbling sound of a creek that ran adjacent to their path. Some people bowed in respect to Aoi and Taroe as they passed, but mostly people just quietly continued on with their daily tasks.

He thought this might be the safest place he’d ever been in his entire life.

But instead of relaxing him, it made Kizu uneasy. He kept glancing up at the roofs and into the clean alleyways they passed, expecting to spot something more sinister. Not even a stray cat. After walking for about half an hour, he realized he never spotted a constable or guard. The entire city appeared to run smoothly without any need of surveillance.

“It only looks that way,” Taroe said, when Kizu voiced his observation. “There’s a complex network of divinations strung throughout the city. It relies on several unique artifacts obtained in dungeon delves, but through it constables and Elites can monitor public spaces without being physically present.”

“They’re always watching?” Basil asked.

“No,” Aoi cut in. “There are a couple diviners set up and only certain actions or keywords trigger their attention. Words like necromancy.” She made a hand gesture at the air and scowled at nothing. “That’s right, Yuke, I’m talking about you! Get off my back and go swallow a jar of kori tapeworm larvae. At least if they ate your frontal lobe and lobotomized you, you might be able to actually gain some empathy. I know actual corpses with more of a soul.”

Kizu glanced over to Taroe, but the Elite didn’t step in while Aoi continued to insult the unseen watcher. But he noticed Kizu’s look.

“Yuke likely saw it was the princess, noticed me standing next to her, and unfocused on us,” Taroe said. “I doubt he heard a single other word that she spoke.”

Aoi continued her tirade as they walked on.

As they crossed a bridge, Kizu noticed steam rising from the stream below. Not hot enough to boil the water, but enough to be visible in the cool spring air.

On the other side of the bridge, buildings were replaced by a bamboo forest. They passed by a worker patrolling through the forest and raking up leaves and loading them into a small cart. She bowed deeply to them as they passed. Kizu’s stomach twisted with discomfort at the openly subservient gesture.

“Am I supposed to bow to your family?” Kizu asked Aoi. In Hon, there was an entire philosophical structure behind bowing that Kizu very vaguely recalled from his childhood.

“Probably. Technically, you should bow to me every time you speak. It’s an arrestable offense to acknowledge me without proper respect.”

Kizu let a silence stretch, waiting for Taroe to confirm or correct the statement. It took a long moment, but Kizu eventually got what he wanted from the Elite.

“A law that hasn’t been enforced for a hundred years. Emperor Kotei Sasaki IX ended the Emperor’s absolute authority when he established Hon’s parliament.”

“We still have more than enough power,” Aoi cut in. “If I wanted to, I could still put pressure on the law and have you arrested. I won’t, because I’m a benevolent friend. But you’re deeply in my debt.”

Kizu rolled his eyes.

“You should bow,” Sophia said. “Aoi’s being dramatic, but it’s the proper etiquette. And if you see the Emperor, kneel and keep your face glued to the floor.”

Kizu looked to Anata, making certain she was listening to the instructions. She met his eyes and nodded.

“You probably won’t see him,” Aoi said dismissively. “I mean, other than at the festival. He’s a paranoid recluse. I think he’s terrified of anything outside his palace’s walls.”

“Do not speak ill of Emperor Kotei Honzo.” Taroe’s eyes focused on her and his tone was cold.

Aoi waved him off, but didn’t press the topic. Instead, Sophia redirected the princess’ attention, asking her questions about the bamboo forest’s history. Kizu listened with more interest than perhaps Aoi’s bored tone implied the topic warranted as she explained how the plant originated in southeastern Hon and had been imported back when the nation had been split into dozens of warring kingdoms. That part didn’t interest him as much as the elemental spells used to grow the plants. At this altitude, the bamboo would normally never take root properly, but the Royal Family had elementalists routinely restore the nutrients to the soil every few months, creating a magically fertilized garden that was designed to counter the cooler weather patterns.

Kizu hypothesized about how he might be able to use a similar method aboard Owl’s Respite. He intended to create a garden and brewing lab in the hull. Of course, that would have to wait until after he started the ship’s repairs. But he quickly took out a notebook from his pack and started sketching down ideas before he could lose his train of thought.

Taroe eyed him as he wrote, but said nothing, simply scratching at his beard and evicting dozens of fleas. Kizu made a face as the insects sprang from the Elite over to Anata. Kizu opened his mouth, but the complaint died in his throat as he saw Mort snatch up the bug and crunch it between his teeth. Kizu refocused on the garden design, listening to Aoi speak and watching his footing out of the corner of his eye.

When he finally finished his notes, a massive palace loomed over them. Several guards at the palace gate greeted Aoi warmly and began to demand that everyone give up their packs for a thorough examination, until Taroe overrode their orders.

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When returning back to his parent’s home after his rescue from the Hon Basin, Kizu had thought their mansion opulent and unnecessarily spacious. The palace put that in a completely different perspective.

The interior was completely spotless. It blended Hon’s traditional style with that of the World Dungeon entrance ruins. White marble staircases traced either end of the front entry leading up to a balcony. Doors spotted the walls, with the most grand being a double door beneath the balcony.

The doors above them burst open and a young man leaped from the balcony. His plaid cloak billowed out, enchantments slowing his fall slightly. But not so slow as to give Aoi time to dodge. He collapsed into the surprised princess, laughing and hugging her close as they tumbled onto the ground.

“Welcome home, sister!”

“Get off, Shiroi!” Aoi said, attempting to pry her brother away. After a minute of him holding her, arms pinned to her sides, she turned her glare away from him and looked to the others for help. Kizu quickly averted his eyes, not wanting to get involved. As did the rest of them, save for Anata and Mort, who both looked like they wanted to join in.

Several wooden mannequins approached from doors to either side of them. Their appearance distracted Aoi’s brother enough for his sister to weasel out of his grasp. She stood, smoothed out her academy uniform, and glared down at the prince as the mannequins surrounded the party.

“Glad to have you all here,” the prince said, standing and extending his arms out in welcome. “Sorry if I surprised you. My name is Shiroi. Any friends of Aoi’s are friends of mine. Now, our father set everything up for you. These golems will act as your own private servants for your stay here. But if you need anything, always feel welcome to ask me as well.”

Unlike the seemingly mass produced James golems or the inhuman servants that had handed out drinks on the trip over to the city, these mannequins were each entirely unique to one another. Even the materials seemed to differ. A porcelain doll with the appearance of a child approached Anata and offered to escort her to her room, while a gentleman stone statue approached Kizu. Despite being rock solid, his mustache and eyes still seemed alive as he spoke.

“Please, Master Kaga, your rooms have been arranged. Please follow me.”

Anata clung to Kizu’s arm, staring wide-eyed at the doll in front of her.

“I apologize if I unnerve you,” it said in a child’s soft voice. “I was designed to put children at ease, if that’s not the case, I can surely find a replacement.”

Taroe frowned and scratched his beard again as his eyes flickered from Kizu to Anata.

“That’s not the problem. My daughter is very attached to her assigned protector.”

“Understood, Elite Taroe.” The stone statue bowed to him. “We will prepare a second futon for her in his chambers so he can watch over her.”

“Yeah, that will work,” he said. “Thanks, Ishi.”

“Word of your new appointment just reached the general public this morning,” the statue, Ishi, said. “If I might be so bold, I wish to congratulate you. You will be missed.”

Taroe grunted and walked off.

Only a moment later, the rest of them left with their golem escorts. Sophia followed after an origami woman. Aoi trailed after her, her older brother having draped an arm over her shoulder and asking her about her semester.

Basil’s golem, a scarecrow, walked alongside Ishi and the porcelain doll that led Kizu and Anata through the castle. The golems pointed at different rooms as they passed, informing them of important places like bathrooms. They also gave them a brief history of the palace. Kizu listened as they told them about how the palace was built on top of the ruins of an ancient civilization. The exact dates had been lost to time, but it was hypothesized the palace’s foundation was at least two thousand years old. Unlike the Emperor’s Palace which had been built only a few hundred years ago after the formation of the Hon Empire. This palace was thought to be one of the oldest buildings in Hon.

The scarecrow golem escorted Basil into a room across the hallway from Kizu and Anata’s. They said their goodbyes and walked in. Kizu took in his room, with its tatami flooring and a massive plush futon and a smaller one off to the side. Two futons. They adjusted the room to meet their needs incredibly fast. Kizu marveled at what must be an elaborate divination enchantment engraved in each of the golems to allow them to instantly communicate with one another. He could only imagine the complexity of such an enchantment built into an already complicated enchanted being. And he saw no other way that there would already be a second futon here after departing the entry hall only minutes earlier…unless the golems just brought them to a different room with multiple futons spread across the tatami. Actually, that seemed far more likely.

He shook his head and set down his things on the big futon while Anata collapsed down onto her own. She sighed in relief as she sank into the soft blankets.

Kizu watched his niece, she looked exhausted. It was easy to forget, since she never complained, but Anata still didn’t have the muscle mass of a normal child. Despite months of nutritional food from the academy’s cafeteria, she was still malnourished. He felt an irrational spike of anger at her father. Her entire life was so unfair and undeserved. Abused, kidnapped, attempted assassinations.

“Is there anything else we can assist you with?” Ishi asked. He ignored Mort as the monkey climbed up his side and used his head as a springboard to reach the chandeleur above the futon.

“Dinner won’t be for several more hours,” the porcelain doll added. “Perhaps I can interest you in a light snack?”

Anata perked up and looked at the golem with a piercing gaze.

“Yes, that sounds great,” Kizu said. “Speaking of dinner, who will be there tonight? And is there any sort of dress code?”

“Very attentive of you, Master Kizu,” Ishi praised. “The entirety of Kotei Aoi’s intermediate family will be in attendance. Along with her grandmother. By all accounts, they’re looking forward to meeting you.

“As for dress code, you’ll find a score of outfits suited for the occasion in your closets. They’ve been organized based on the formality of the event. I would recommend choosing from the section that begins two thirds to the right. That is the more formal wear. The most formal being the furthest to the right.”

With that, the golems dismissed themselves.

Kizu made his way over to the closet, curious about their selection. Two racks of clothing were there, one stylized for Anata and the other for himself. He picked up a random black yukata and threw it on over his academy jacket. He started in surprise as the clothing shifted and fit itself to him. Using his spellsense, he quickly realized all of the outfits were enchanted to fit perfectly to his body. Out of curiosity, he tried putting on one of the child-sized gloves hanging on Anata’s rack. It stretched itself but still couldn’t adjust itself to cover the entirety of his palm. So the enchantments had limitations. Still, he found it incredibly neat.

“You have any idea what you want to wear tonight?” Kizu asked Anata while he shuffled through his own options.

Anata crossed the tatami over to him and her eyes widened at the variety of options before her.

She quickly locked in on a kimono that was mostly black with a diagonal strip of vibrant color crossing from hip to shoulder.

Kizu decided to go with something to match her. He kept the black yukata, though he removed his academy uniform before putting it back on. However, he was quickly stumped by the cloth belt. He tied it in a basic knot around his waist. But then he scowled at his mirror-self. The belt looked off.

It didn’t help that when he tried tying it a second time, Mort stole the cloth belt and started dragging it around the room, much to Anata’s delight. When Kizu finally reclaimed the cloth, he was relieved to find it without any bite punctures.

When the porcelain golem returned with their food, it quickly assisted both himself and Anata with the proper knots and explained the traditional importance of tying an obi belt properly. Kizu untied his own and retied it a few times to memorize the method. But he didn’t even bother trying to learn Anata’s complex obi. It balanced out her kimono’s color scheme extremely well and looked gorgeous, but it would take more than a few minutes to learn that bow-like knot.

After a few hours of snacking, resting, and reading, he and Anata were escorted down to the palace’s dining room.

As they entered, a dozen different people turned towards him. The occupants kneeled on cushions facing the low long table. Then they all stood as one and bowed deeply in his direction.

“Finally!” the man at the head of the table declared, spreading his arms out palms open. “The guest of honor!”