Oisho wasted no time running along. He vividly recalled just how oppressively one-sided he was beaten. If not for the Mistress of the Pavillion then he would’ve very likely disappeared from the face of the world by now.
Traversing Pioneer City with his current capabilities was child’s play, letting him arrive within a short amount of time. Jumping from one rooftop to another, he saw a small commotion occurring below.
An entire crowd was watching a pair standing around waiting for something. From their eyes, they were just clearly inviting trouble for no reason when they could’ve just run away. Some watched on with malicious intent while others were just curious as to what would happen.
The reputation of the Secret Pavilion was clear to everyone but as to how they would handle such offenders wasn’t something they were able to witness themselves. Until now that is.
“Nue, behave yourself, alright? If Helena hears about this then she’ll get very mad.” Cain crossed his arms, wanting to ensure that Nue didn’t do anything too absurd.
“Hmph!” Nue puffed her cheeks and looked away. As she was ruminating on how she should escape his grasp to have fun on her own, Oisho’s figure finally appeared in the corner of her eye. She mischievously grinned and pointed at him. “Him.”
“Eh? What are you talking about… oh… oh no…” Cain was expecting some lower-ranking officer to deal with them not one of the bigshots. Cain immediately lost all his nerve and started panicking. Where was that old man he hired when he needed him the most?
~~~
From a very distant place, Miyamoto was carefully teaching Sval about the Way of the Sword. His growth was monstrous to the point that even Miyamoto had slight hope that Sval would be able to pursue heights that he could only dream of. Of course, that would be too far in the future to be relevant right now.
Sval was repeating the same basic strike over and over again, honing his skills to the point of instinct and muscle memory. He was taking his time slowly repeating the same movement over and over again with no deviation from each one. As great and powerful as he was, no one could ever ignore the basics of foundation.
“Keep repeating the stance. I need to leave for the time being.” Miyamoto felt something call for him. It wasn’t a power that had invited him nor was it something divine, it was merely a sixth sense he had developed.
“Where are you going?” Sval didn’t call Miyamoto his master, he didn’t need to. As long as they both knew their positions, it was more than enough.
“There’s someone interfering with something they shouldn’t have.” Miyamoto sighed, not even providing an explanation before promptly leaving. Sval didn’t even look away, completely focusing on improving his fundamentals. The road was long, he needed to start walking down it right now if he didn’t want to be left behind.
He was going to play his part. A deal was a deal after all.
~~~
“H-Hey t-there.” Cain was mentally falling apart right about now. He was very scared of Oisho. As a person who had more than enough ‘power’ to threaten them, Cain wanted nothing more than to leave right now.
Oisho was also currently terrified due to another person, Nue. She was eying daggers straight into his soul, exerting pressure that no normal person would be able to handle. She wanted him to get straight to the point so that she could get what she wanted.
“Greetings. I believe this is the second time we’ve met, correct?” Oisho tried to ease the conversation into a more amicable direction. He didn’t inherently hold any ill will towards the pair but a mistake was a mistake. He wasn’t going to shirk away from his responsibility.
The second time we’ve met… is there something he means by that? Is he saying that since this is the second time we’ve met and I’m still troubling him? Three strikes and I’m out? Or will he just end it right now?! Cain wanted nothing more than to leave. The morally good decision wasn’t worth anything if he was dead.
“I think so…” Cain was meek, slowly making his way off.
“Let’s leave!” Nue tried dragging Cain further to no avail. “Go!” She pointed towards the exit with a one-track mind. Compared to a collared puppet, food was more important.
She then pointed at Oisho, “Deal with everything here!”
“Nue! You can’t be like that!” Cain immediately looked at Oisho’s expression, trying to gauge whether he was mad or not. “She’s just a little childish, don’t mind her. We’ll just be on our merry way then.”
A crumbled piece of paper was thrown at Cain’s head from within the crowd.
“You’re not going anywhere! Sir Oisho, this savage had the audacity to enslave another person! Please show him that he can’t do that in this city!” A ‘righteous hearted’ man shouted with all his might.
Seeing someone take the lead, a few other people with malicious intents piled on. With such a just cause behind them, there was no reason for them to shy away from seeing Cain get penalized.
“Eh? But Nue’s not-” Cain wanted to clear up the misconception but the chain he was holding wasn’t doing him any favors. It looked really bad on his part.
Despite wanting to further explain himself, the crowd did not give him an opportunity to do so. A series of materials were getting thrown at Cain, showing how displeased the crowd was. It was evident that they wouldn’t be calmed unless Cain paid the appropriate price.
Oisho immediately understood the situation. The greed behind these people was evident. Even Oisho had to admit that Nue really was a divine beauty but fortunately, he had already seen her true nature. A sadistic monster like her could only be leashed by someone even greater.
Nue had wanted to make a move but Cain firmly gripped Nue’s arm. If he ever loses his grip then this plaza would immediately turn into a river of blood. The bloodlust brewing inside Nue started to make Cain panic even more.
One of the spectators started to grip a tiny dagger. Among the numerous items getting thrown at Cain, he inserted his Rank 3 mana into his weapon and threw it at Cain’s heart. Due to the numerous items reaching Cain, he was confident that no one would ever find out it came from him.
As his dagger flew through the air, Nue’s eyes glared at the incoming projectile. As the dagger flew in the air, its previously breakneck speed quickly stopped. The person who had done so was exactly Oisho.
He was merely trying to figure out the best way to appease both sides. On one hand, he had to uphold the reputation of the Secret Pavilion. If the citizens were to ever fear that Pioneer City was untrustable there would be devastating consequences. Yet on the other, the pair was akin to a sword of unknown affiliation. They could either bring them to salvation or to ruin.
“You.” Oisho might not be able to exert any pressure on Cain and Nue but he was more than capable of suppressing a Rank 3. “According to the rules of this place, you have maliciously acted out. By the authority given to me by the Mistress of the Pavilion, I sentence you to the death penalty.”
“Huh?” The Rank 3 that had been eying Nue’s appearance didn’t even realize just what kind of mistake he had made until the very end. This sudden motion immediately silenced the crowd.
Oisho reached his hand out and brought that specific Rank 3 for everyone to see. He didn’t even go through the proper channels that a normal death inmate would normally undergo and quietly dissipated into dust. His body flickered like a flame, turning into dust. Not a single essence of him remained.
Weighing the two options before him, Oisho had decided to act in the interests of the current situation. There would be no Pioneer City to defend if Cain and Nue were to be angered. Yet this didn’t mean that Oisho could just sweep everything away with brute strength.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
“You all claim that this young lady here is a slave. Do you have evidence to back up your claims?” Oisho was putting up a front. It didn’t matter what kind of excuse Cain was to give now, even if there really was a seal, he would simply chalk it up to be an unrelated tattoo.
The crowd all looked at each other. It was common for slaves to have a slave seal marked on them. As for evidence, the only thing they saw were the chains binding Nue and nothing else. No one could definitively speak out.
“Her slave seal might not be obvious but if we were to look inside her clothes then-” One of the people within the crowd wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. Before he even finished speaking, Oisho handled it.
“Wanting to strip a lady of her clothes in the middle of the city. Death penalty.” Oisho said as a matter of fact. His stance was clear for everyone to see. Despite how overboard his actions were, they also made complete sense.
“From my observation, this young lady here is not a slave. If you want to go against my word then complain to the city hall. I’ll take my leave now.” Oisho swiftly turned his back. This was the least he could do lest he faced dire consequences.
Cain was slightly taken aback when Oisho started killing people but his actions were completely justified. One wanted to take another’s life so he was in the wrong. The other… it was obvious that a few other people in the crowd were similarly angered.
“... Are we free to go?” Cain meekly raised his hand.
“Yes.” Oisho didn’t dare turn his head and continued on his own. This should be enough to appease Nue at the very least. “Guards, round everyone up, clear the area.”
“You hear that? Let’s go!” Nue pushed Cain away, wanting to partake in the delicious meal in the outside world. Her hunger was growing by the second.
Cain also wanted nothing more than to leave. He was pressured by how dominating Oisho had been. “Nue, promise me you won’t make any more trouble?”
“Mmm. No promise.” Nue tilted her head and hummed before rejecting Cain’s words.
“If you promise, I’ll make you something tasty later.”
“Deal. I promise.”
Thus the deal had been struck. It had been a while since Cain had left so he decided to prepare a little bit. He grabbed Nue’s hair, pulling her back. She wanted to run off and have fun immediately but Cain knew better than to let a living catastrophe like Nue be.
“When we’re out here, you have to remember that we’ve gotten very weak. By some unknown reason that I had no control over.” Cain stared directly into Nue’s eyes. She was nodding along but it was clear that her gaze wasn’t even looking at him but instead of a monster that had just escaped the first floor.
Cain took out a pair of black gloves from his pocket and made Nue wear them. These pair of black gloves were made out of a highly durable silk cloth. It wasn’t to the point of indestructibility but not a single Rank 15 and below could ever dream of tearing it apart. “Remember, you have to behave or I’m confiscating them. If you make a lot of trouble then I’ll tell Helena.”
Nue shrinked back like a scared cat.
“And we don’t want to let Helena know, do we?”
Nue ferociously shook her head.
“Alright, have fun.” Cain let go of Nue. As soon as he did, Nue wasted no time blending into the shadows, eying the gigantic lizard that had escaped.
“Kekekeke, foolish humans, I a Rank 6-” The giant lizard had spikes covering its body had its neck immediately severed without any ability to fight back. Nue’s fingertips had strings attached to them. Looking at the cleanly sliced neck of this unnamed giant lizard was a singular thread of imperceptible thickness.
Nue’s eyes widened to excitement and raised both of her hands. They were positioned as if she were a conductor as she raised and lowered her hands, slicing and cutting apart this giant lizard as she wished. She properly minced and diced her meal, as she was told was proper manners.
Nue wanted nothing more than to open her mouth and consume everything before her but Cain’s voice echoed out.
“We have to cook it first. Remember Nue, if you don’t want Helena to know then you better behave.” Cain’s reminder seemed to fall on deaf ears. Seeing that she was getting more stubborn, Cain decided to increase the severity of the punishment. “I’m taking away those gloves if you don’t listen!”
Nue felt a shiver get sent down her spine. She might have only received them but she had fondly grown attached to them like her own children. “Don’t take Lefi and Reti. My children.” She hugged herself, afraid of what Cain, the devil would do.
“Then behave properly already! What would you do if someone saw you acting bad?”
Nue clapped her fingers together as a lightbulb lit up in her empty head. “No witnesses-”
Bonk. Cain slapped Nue’s head causing a slight bump to appear on her head. “No, try again.”
“Hmm… Aha! Silence them-” Another bop smacked Nue in the head before she started tearing up. If it was anyone else, they would immediately apologize but not Cain. He had been fooled too many times before. Seeing that Cain wasn’t letting up, Nue wracked her brains even more.
“Brain too dizzy. Need food- Hoh.” Nue wanted to reach out to the sizzling piece of meat that Cain was cooking up before he took it away from her grasp. “Monster.” A singular tear flew down Nue’s face as she looked away from the cruelty of it all.
“You are not getting a single piece until you answer properly. If you don’t then… I guess you’re not getting any. I remember Helena saying she wanted a grand feast. This just seems like good enough quality for what she wants. You know how much of a glutton both of you are. She just might eat everything here.”
“But… But Nue hunted…”
“And if Nue hunts, she must also…” Cain was trying to guide her to an acceptable answer.
“Nue must also… not look weird.” Nue tried her best, he rubbed her hair and made it a mess. Cain took out the sizzling piece of meat he was cooking up and served it up to her. She wasted no time eating away.
“Good job.” Cain then took out seasonings from his spatial ring. He started dressing a piece of meat with such an exotic technique that the piece of meat that was satiating her appetite was slowly becoming obscure. Nue was still drooling but she wasn’t drooling over the half-eaten slab of meat in her mouth but the one that Cain was cooking up.
The skill Ambrosial Master was no joke. Anything that Cain cooked was fit to the taste of gods. No wonder Helena was so hooked on Cain’s meals.
“Hmm? Aren’t you satisfied with that?” Cain was luring Nue into a trap, a very obvious trap that even someone as uncaring as she was bound to notice. It was just that the trap was just too damn tempting.
“Cain, state conditions. Nue will be a better guard from now on. Be a better person.” The sheer determination on her face was enough to send people into trusting her wholeheartedly. Too bad Cain was all far too clear that this was simply a face that Nue would make to get what she wanted.
“If you promise to not do anything weird while we’re out here then I’ll cook the rest for you.”
“Deal. Nue always keeps her promise.”
And thus the two of them hunted and cooked monsters that roamed the area.
~~~
Within an undisclosed location in Pioneer City, the Mistress of the Pavilion was reading the reports that had just been handed to her. A few matters relating to the well-being of the city which was getting better by the day, problematic issues that she was going to root out once she gets the chance, and to seek out those abnormal entities that had graced the world with their presence.
As she was confirming some details with her recent findings, a great surge of power appeared before her. The space that she had so comfortably hidden herself in was broken into so easily. The very person who intruded into her private area was none other than Nensho Miyamoto, an abnormal entity.
“Why if it isn’t Sir Miyamoto? To what do I owe the pleasure? I heard you’ve recently gotten Dominion’s guild master to become your disciple. He’s a tough nut to crack. I’m quite surprised that you’ve actually managed to do it.” The Mistress of the Pavilion nonchalantly flipped over the documents on her hands.
“It’s obvious why I’m here, right?” Miyamoto unleashed his Lower Rank 10 sword, pristine and ordinary. The power it held, however, was beyond what should be contained within. The space that the Mistress of the Pavilion had created was shifting back into reality.
“We’ve already learned our lesson. Besides, we made it quite easy for you. We’ll handle him while he’s here. So instead of just trying to figure out what the world has to offer, why don’t you join hands with me and handle the next wave together?” The Mistress of the Pavilion’s hands were reached out, awaiting Miyamoto’s confirmation.
“A little girl like you wants to handle the next wave? You talk like you’ve seen what the rest of the world has to offer. I may have failed on my obligation but that doesn’t mean that I’ll let it stain my word.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, I’m not as brazen as to force you beneath me. Instead, how about we act as partners? We’ll act as if we are under you and you… help me out in other ways, so to speak.”
“It all depends on what your conditions are. It is true that I still have not properly accumulated my forces.”
“I’ll get straight to the point then. The first wave, us, are the weakest returnees. Heh, that’s what everyone thinks. I very well know that this information is false. I know a handful of people that are merely sealed, like you and me.”
Miyamoto didn’t bother acting since this was obvious to someone of his caliber.
“It’s obvious what the next wave would be. The majority of these returnees do not understand the next step in getting stronger. It is a foundational way of gaining strength. Though that’s not particularly correct for people like you.”
Miyamoto finished her train of thought for her. “The second wave would be… the rise of Mana Cultivation Techniques. The mandatory requirement for reaching Rank 11 and beyond. Then what are you proposing?”
“I may not be the most talented nor am I the most strategic. I’m simply an opportunist. And being such, why must I let the gold mine beneath my feet be given to others?” The Mistress of the Pavilion smiled. She was certain that Miyamoto would agree to such a proposition.
“Exploring the dungeon floors.” Miyamoto understood the value hiding beneath his feet. “The era of mana cultivation and dungeon exploration. A headstart? And what will you so graciously offer me.”
“Oisho, one of my prized talents. I’ll give him to you. A Rank 7 has the strength of a Rank 9.”
“You can’t possibly think that he is so valuable that I would give you a hand. So what else?” Miyamoto felt that despite how feeble she seemed, the unfathomable depths of her eyes made him feel… threatened.
A blurry glass fragment appeared in the Mistress of the Pavilion’s hand. “A fragment of truth.” She simply smiled and said no more.
“Truth Seekers are akin to a moth drawn to a flame. If so, then I’ll happily burn into oblivion. I accept, you old hag.” Miyamoto accepted her offer. He needed to build his foundation as soon as possible. Although the Mistress of the Pavilion was by no means an ungodly monster, she was neither a foe he wanted to face against. She was simply, a person that came from a 5th Phase world.