Uzziah turned out to be a well-mannered lad with a penchant for discipline. He used the honorifics correctly, showed proper deference to the preceptors, and exhibited every trait of a gracious host.

The boy had alert, inky eyes and pitch-black braided hair. The young Yamazaki was about Kento’s height, darker in complexion, and looked much more weathered. He had an air of maturity around him that made others do his bidding.

As the group proceeded towards the main edifice of the floating house, Uzziah ordered the attendants around, sending one for refreshments and another to fetch his mother, Midori Yamazaki.

He tasked a tall, muscular man named Shufuku to remove barnacles from the canoes and clean and repair them wherever necessary. Illumi-Masaki-Nadeko’s canoe, particularly, needed special attention. Plenty of lamia entrails were spattered against the wood. It smelled like an unclean butcher shop.

In other words, Uzziah was mature for his age. The citadel-bred youngsters, in contrast, were barely ever courteous to their preceptors or elders. They always had the annoying tendency to gossip and interrupt each other. As they had been raised in palatial quarters, the tribal settlement was a rural experience for them.

Hajime and Yuuta had already begun teasing Megumin, saying that the house was likely to sink because she had boarded it. Nadeko and Masaki had started their tattle, with Illumi sandwiched between them. Shigeo had begun a discourse on the Wajin tribe settlement, about how the houses were constructed with shelter-kitsu to withstand harsh elements of nature.

Uzziah: “I would like to appeal to our revered guests that they maintain decorum in the Yamazaki house. Here, peace is the virtue above all.”

The group quieted themselves, embarrassed. They remained glib, regardless, and carried on their conversations through whispers. Yuuki and Keiji could barely keep themselves from smirking at the comical scene.

Kento had been silent all along. Before the party had set out on the journey, Senju had apprised his son that a visit to the Yamazaki house was scheduled. Therefore, the arrival was not a surprise for him.

Kento remembered meeting Uzziah several times during the ages of six to ten. He specifically recalled the time when they were ten years old. They had attended the grand carnival during the Goddess Festival that year. They had almost become friends.

However, many years later, Uzziah looked and sounded different. The jolly kid who used to love apple candies had turned into a stern, glacial teenager.

Uzziah had pretended not to recognize him.

Or had he forgotten Kento? What did he go through in all these years that made him so aloof?

The path led to a wide shoji door, six feet tall and equally wide. It slid open to reveal traditional interiors with minimal furniture. Members of the house went about their chores, occasionally stopping to pay courtesy to the preceptors from the Daigaku and to Lieutenant Yorokobi.

Midori Yamazaki, Hakaku’s wife and Uzziah’s mother, received the party inside. She had a dusky complexion and a pleasant face, with braided hair cinched into a large bun.

Midori greeted the older warriors with affection and fawned over the children with motherly love. She offered them food and refreshments brought by an attendant. Uzziah took his leave, asserting that he had to join a foraging party.

They were allowed some time to rest before being summoned by the lord of the house.

Lord Hakaku’s reading room was an inner sanctum of the main building. It was the only room in the entire structure painted opaque, with glass panels to insulate sound. While the room had no windows, a segment of the roof had been made of tinted glass to illuminate the room. A steep staircase rose from a corner, leading up to a private terrace, which could be used for lounging and surveillance.

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Inside the room, tribal art and craft adorned the walls. Stacks of books were neatly arranged on low tables with seat cushions on the floor for study.

Chief Strategist-Economist Hakaku Yamazaki was perched opposite one of these tables, strewn over with a plethora of documents- reports, maps, inventory lists, and registers. He examined them with a magnifying glass. As the party entered, he gracefully left his seat and welcomed them.

Hakako: “Yuuki, Keiji- you are gladly received. Young residents of the citadel, you are also welcome to my humble abode.”

The party bowed in deference and presented their credentials, which he accepted and acknowledged.

Keiji, as a senior preceptor, enjoyed the rank of a Commander. In contrast, Yuuki had a position equivalent to Vice-Commander. Both ranks were higher than Lieutenant Yorokobi, who was two levels below the Vice Commander. Hakaku, as Chief Strategist, was the same rank as a kin-lord or a War General.

In his early forties, Lord Hakaku was almost the same age as Overlord Senju. He had a luxuriant, impeccably black beard covering most of his face. His clothes looked home-stitched and rustic.

It was known to all that Hakaku was very close to the Overlord. Despite being born into different kin, the two had first crossed paths as child prodigies. They started off as rivals in the then Legacy Trials and later became comrades in the Legacy Unit. They had fought as allies in the Zenmetsu war as War Generals.

During the said war, the six village-nations were divided as follows:

Karasuma + Karamishi + Karakori

and

Karamohi + Karayama + Karasuki.

Thus, there were two opposing warring factions.

After the war, in which Karasuma and allies were triumphant, Hakaku was due to be the next kin-lord of the Yamazaki-kin. But he had committed a taboo with Midori of the Wajin tribe, one of their allies.

Fighting together on the fringe of the continent, Hakaku and Midori had saved each other’s lives more than once. They had found solace in each other’s arms. On their way back, Midori had found herself with child.

The couple had approached a local sharin priest immediately and gotten married. The then kin-lord of Yamazaki-kin, Hakaku’s father, Saburou Yamazaki, had rejected Midori as a daughter-in-law. As a punishment for violating kin laws, he had banished his son from the citadel. Marrying outside the warrior kin was a taboo then.

Saburou had made his younger son, Baraku, the heir.

Hakaku had retreated to the Wajin tribe settlement with his bride. Midori’s community had accepted him with open arms. Over time, owing to his wisdom and skills, they had constituted him as an elder of the tribe. He had contributed substantially to the development of the community since then.

When Senju Mikashita had become the Overlord, he had appointed Hakaku as Chief Strategist and Economist. Thereafter, the golden age of Karasuma was set into motion.

Hakaku lived a day’s travel away from Karasuma. He teleported to the citadel whenever necessary to overcome the distance and time through the seiton technique.

After the guests took their seats, an attendant served some dandelion tea.

Yuuki: “Lord Hakaku, do the tribals work for you in exchange for pay?”

Hakaku: “You are speaking of the attendants, I presume? Some of them have pledged themselves to my service. Others are in-laws. There is no distinction of blood in the Wajin tribe. The ones you declare as family become your family.”

There were testimonial nods of approval all around.

Hakaku’s attention went to Kento.

Hakaku: “Kento, my dear boy. I have seen you around on the Mikashita grounds. Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to speak with you over the past year. I feel guilty about the oversight.”

Kento: “I understand, Uncle. You and Father are busy in the village’s administration.”

Hakaku: “How considerate of you. But I give you my word that the next time I visit the Mikashita estate, I will certainly spend some time with you. (To Keiji) I received the news of the lamia attack and would like to hear in detail how the events unfolded. If what you say is true, then the lives of sailors passing through that route are in imminent danger. We must act quickly. Besides, the Overlord has sent me a confidential message through an elemental bird. He wants me to convey a salient piece of information to you. We will proceed with the topics. First, let us excuse your students.”