“Thank you for coming, Hideyoshi. What brings you in today?”
“Your Majesty, with all due respect, I’m here to represent countless villagers waiting outside the castle as we speak!”
After bowing down and doing the necessary greeting, the middle-aged man wasted no time and cut directly into the heart of the matter he was here for.
He got up on his feet before continuing, “We are all deeply concerned about having a Hyking take refuge within our precious clan! Please consider our pleas and reject his request!”
“...”
“Your Majesty, I’m sure you are well aware of the dangers that come with harboring such an individual among us!”
“Hideyoshi, we have already confirmed that the boy doesn’t have a Hyking birthmark.” Hachi narrowed his brows as he immediately tried to stop the crafty old man from escalating the situation.
“With all due respect, Commander Hachi, but that in itself does not matter anymore.” Hideyoshi, on the other hand, was naturally prepared for such a rebuttal.
“What?”
“The fear of the villagers is clear! At this point, even if they all saw it for themselves they might not believe it! The actions the boy took, the calamity he brought upon us, those are much bigger concerns than the simple act of confirming if he has a birthmark on him!” Hideyoshi kept piling on, driving his point home, “I beg you, Your Majesty! You cannot accept him into our dearest home!”
You miserable litte shit… Hachi bit his lip and controlled his emotions from exploding.
It was rare for the Commander of the Royal Guards to get this upset with someone, but when it came to the deceitful and cunning Hideyoshi, he barely had any patience.
This wouldn’t be the first, or the last time, this old man pestered the Shadow Queen day and night about something until he got his way.
Hah! Take that and know your place! Hideyoshi noticed the glare on him and scoffed inwardly at the Commander.
“Enough!” Taiga bellowed, then sat on her throne and crossed her legs again.
“...”
Everyone watched the Shadow Queen sigh in exasperation, then rest her chin on the back of her right hand, “It seems this isn’t something I can recklessly decide in one day. I need to take more time to carefully consider both sides.”
“But, Your Majesty! What would we do with the boy until then?! At the very least, please imprison him-”
“Hideyoshi. I have heard your and the villagers’ concerns. For the time being, my decision stands until I have deliberated over everything some more.”
“...” Hideyoshi clenched his fist and prepared himself to rebuttal once more.
Lawkey had grown all too tired of this charade by now. He wanted to stay in the village to train, yes, but he would rather not have the headache of people constantly berating him left and right.
Then he felt a pat on his head, his new mentor smiling down at him.
Heh, I guess it’s going to be a long day…
And right he was. It wasn’t until hours of debating and discussion later that Taiga finally ended the meeting with the pretense of letting the injured rest and heal for now.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“You may all leave.” She said, turning her back to everyone.
They bowed, and made their way out. Yes, even Hideyoshi with his scowl evident on his face.
“...”
Stepping out of the throne room, Lawkey took one last glance toward the sliding door that had emitted the ominous aura when he first came in.
Just you wait! Once I’m stronger… Once I’m ready, I’ll be back for you no matter what! He declared in his mind, hoping his message can be transmitted somehow.
Then, ignoring Hideyoshi beside them, the two injured quickly received their swords from Kenzo. Lawkey made sure to inspect it for any scratches, before making their way beyond the Kage Castle.
For now at least, Lawkey had received the permission of the Shadow Queen to stay in the clan for the time being.
He had learned much from this audience with her, despite how long it dragged on for.
He looked up to the sky that was barely visible from deep within the ravine, but he couldn’t find the moon.
Still, he couldn’t deny that part of him was excited to start training, to improve his skills and get stronger.
He quickly caught up next to his mentor, a big grin plastered on his face.
**👑**
Back in the Kage Castle, in a particular room.
“That kid…”
Taiga entered the hidden room within her castle, feeling the slight aura radiating from the concealed object within.
Shadows were swirling uncontrollably like they were demanding to be released out of their prison. Taiga had never seen them act up like this ever before.
She wondered why today of all days a sudden change like this would occur.
The image of the insolent boy glaring up at her flashed through her mind.
There were many things she hadn’t expected to come across today. But most of all, the fact that the boy sensed the hidden room on his own was the most surprising.
The Shadow Queen simply couldn’t ignore what he blurted out either.
“Those emerald green eyes…”
She took another step forward to get a better look, getting closer to the pressure radiating out of the dangerous concealed object within.
“Was he able to sense you? Or were you the one who called out to him? I wonder…”
Taiga stood there for a while, her thoughts racing through everything that had occurred on that day.
However, no matter how long she thought things through, she couldn’t come up with a reasonable conclusion.
Or perhaps, she simply didn’t want to believe the hypothesis she was coming to.
That’s just impossible…
Isn’t it?
**👑**
“Woahh! It’s fixed already?!”
Lawkey stood amazed in front of the ancient gate that was supposed to be shattered into small pieces.
And yet, there it stood in front of him, stronger than ever. Seeing it up close now, he could finally tell how tall it really was.
It towered over him, the sides of it were red, while the middle, which he guessed must be the door part, were light purple. It seemed to be made of wood, but it didn’t look like the weak kind, or the cheap kind, at that.
As he took a look around, remembering all the damaged locations from the fight with Kerberos, he noticed how clean and spot on everything was. Even the collapsed tower and the half destroyed bell structure were perfectly fixed and standing tall once more.
Having the chance to study the surroundings more properly this time, instead of being under constant tension from a life or death encounter, he could finally notice an unusual door-like structure that stood between two buildings.
The odd thing about it was that it didn’t seem to be attached to any building at all, and stood alone, its doors seemingly leading simply to an empty spot on both sides. There was some kind of key logo that he could swear he had seen many times before, but he quickly moved his eyes back to the gate before he could recall where.
“It really was all fixed in a matter of days…”
“Yes, thanks to the Keymen’s help, it fortunately got restored quickly.” Munisai finally answered him from behind, having given him enough time to take it all in.
“Keymen?”
“That’s right.” Munisai turned around and took a step away, still being supported by his crutch. He adjusted his sword on his waist as he began walking ahead, “Now, you don’t have to feel responsible anymore, kid.”
Munisai had managed to glimpse the few moments Lawkey spaced out, or seemed down whenever the topic of the damage was brought up.
He had made sure to bring him to the entrance of the Kage village again to show him the current progress on the gate. He hoped that after seeing it, the boy would be able to move forward, and clear his head before his training begins.
But that didn’t mean Lawkey was about to admit anything…
“I wasn’t feeling responsible! Don’t just assume things, old man!” He shot back at his new mentor.
“Sure, sure. Let’s just get back for now.”
“Don’t ignore what I said! Hey!”
“...”
Munisai kept walking away from the newly built gate, reflexively forcing Lawkey to follow him. Like a duckling following its mother, if you will.
While Munisai felt the glares directed their way from all around them, Lawkey kept following him without worry. The Sword Saint had decided to quickly retreat back home before things escalated, he had achieved what they had come here for anyway.
But just then…
“?!”
Two blood-red eyes penetrated through the boy’s senses.
Lawkey suddenly turned around, his hand immediately found its place on his sword handle. He darted his eyes left and right, trying to find the source of his unease.
He had felt it.
A bloodthirsty killing intent aimed directly at him.
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Special Illustration:
image [https://i.imgur.com/pQnS9s2.jpeg]
image [https://i.imgur.com/KQmIY8F.png]