Seirei Gensouki ~Konna Sekai de Deaeta Kimi ni~ (LN) - Volume 3 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Turmoil 

Several more months passed since Rio began his stay in the village. The harvest season for upland rice had just begun, and it was the busiest time of the entire year. At this time of year, even the hunters — who normally went hunting in the mornings — helped in the fields instead. 

Of course, Rio was no exception. 

At the moment, he was swinging his hoe with all his might as he plowed the field. The monotony of the activity had caused calluses to develop on both his hands. They had cropped up in areas that differed from the ones that appeared when he used his sword. However, in his life as Amakawa Haruto, he had helped on his family farm throughout all of elementary and middle school, so Rio was used to the actions required to plow the rice fields. The farmers of the village were in awe of him. 

A faint feeling of grief would occasionally pass through him at the thought of his father and grandparents, but as he continued to work, he felt strangely at peace. 

Then, after work had progressed past a certain point... 

“Hey, it’s time for a break! Lunch is served — everyone gather around!” Ruri yelled loudly so that all the working men would stop. 

The villagers usually had two meals a day — once in the morning and once at night — but during opportunities like this, the whole village would gather to have lunch together. Working all morning would naturally cause them to feel hungry, so all the men unanimously headed toward the village square where food was being distributed. 

“Here’s your miso soup and pickled vegetables. You can take up to two onigiri per person. Also, Rio provided the salt, so make sure you all thank him!” Ruri informed the villagers that were lined up to receive food as she set the tables. All the women and family men wore pleasant smiles as they thanked Rio, who was nearby. 

“Hey. Make sure you all thank Rio, too.” The younger men tried to take the food gloomily and silently, but Ruri pouted her lips and reprimanded them. Sayo nodded in agreement from where she was setting the table beside Ruri. 

The boys clicked their tongues and murmured a word of thanks to Rio, then hurriedly moved away and gathered in a group amongst themselves and filled their stomachs with onigiri. Their eyes widened in surprise at the taste when they realized how generously the salt was used. 

“Well... I guess it’s better than in the past. They can at least say thank you, now. Sorry, Rio.” Ruri sighed in exasperation and apologized with a bitter smile as she looked at Rio beside her. He wasn’t moving to join the herds of people, but was waiting until the crowds had dispersed. 

“It’s all right,” Rio said, giving a brief shake of his head. 

“Okay, we should eat too before it gets cold. Everyone’s waiting, too,” Ruri suggested. 

A small distance away, a group of girls were calling for Ruri. 

“Okay. Then I will—” 

“U-Umm! Sir Rio, would you like to eat with us? You wouldn’t be intruding at all!” 

Rio had been looking around and thinking of joining a group of the elderly and older married couples, when Sayo stopped him in a fluster. 

“Good idea — I’m starving. Let’s hurry,” Ruri agreed, and quickly moved toward the gathering of girls. Rio was apprehensive about being the only man in a group of the village’s young girls, fearing he would be antagonized further by the younger men of the village. However, Sayo was meekly waiting beside him to move together, so he couldn’t broach the idea of eating with anyone else in this situation. 

Nonetheless, villagers who were older and married, like Dola and Ume, were sitting right next to the girls, so Rio reconsidered his thoughts and decided there was no need to concern himself. 

“All right. Let’s go, Sayo.” 

“Okay!” Sayo nodded happily. 

Rio started to walk toward where the girls were with Sayo trotting along behind him. 

Meanwhile, Ruri had already reached the others, and called for Rio in a joking tone. “Hurry up, you two!” she said, and the other girls joined in. 

“That’s right — we’re tired of waiting already!” 

“It’s not fair for Sayo to hog Sir Rio all to herself!” 

And so on. They began to crowd around Rio and talk noisily. 

“Hello, everyone. Haven’t you eaten yet?” Rio asked, noticing that the girls had yet to touch their own food. 

“We were waiting for you. We can’t let Sayo monopolize Sir Rio all to herself, after all,” one smart girl said, shooting Sayo a playful look. 

“I see. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, then. Please allow me to join you.” Rio bowed apologetically and sat down at an empty place. 

“I-I’m not monopolizing him! I just thought the food would taste better if we ate all together, so I was waiting for Sir Rio... Umm...” 

Sayo had frozen in shock for a moment, but the embarrassment eventually welled up and caused her to object with a bright red face. 

“All right, all right. Basically, Sayo wanted to eat with her Sir Rio no matter what. Got it.” The girl who had been teasing Sayo nodded in mock understanding. 

“N-No! It’s not like that! ...Ah, no, that’s not it... it’s not that I don’t want to eat with Sir Rio...” Sayo had reflexively denied it, but she hurriedly attempted to take back her words and explain herself to Rio. 

“It’s all right. I understand.” Unsure of how to react, Rio simply forced a smile on his face. 

In the meantime, the girls were watching Sayo’s flustered disposition with pleased smiles. 

“Now now, everyone. Go easy on her. Sayo’s nearly reached her limit,” Ruri said to the girls exasperatedly. 

Sayo glared at all of the girls with a resentful look in her teary eyes. Yet, despite her gaze, she seemed more like a small, cornered animal, so there was no impact behind her expression. If anything, it just caused others to feel more protective of her. 

It was almost adorable enough to make everyone want to tease her even more... 

“Fine. Well, she’s not the only one who wants to eat lunch with Sir Rio. We all do,” the cheerful girl who had been teasing Sayo said innocently. The other girls nodded along in agreement. 

“Thank you... I’m glad to hear that. But may I ask you to stop calling me ‘Sir Rio’? I’m not in any superior position deserving of that title, so it makes me feel rather awkward,” Rio said why a shy grin. 

“Eeeh? But ‘Sir Rio’ kind of gives off this high class aura.” 

“Yup, yup. It’s like you were raised differently compared to the other men in this village.” 

“Right? As soon as you mention ‘Sir Rio’ to them, they get grumpy. How gross.” 

“It’s hard to think of them as men, too.” 

“Ahaha, don’t compare them! Sir Rio doesn’t deserve that dishonor.” 

“You’re right. I’m sorry, Sir Rio.” 

And so on — the girls continued to chatter energetically and noisily. Their conversation moved from one topic to the next, until they had completely forgotten about teasing Sayo and about Rio’s request. It seemed as though he’d have to endure being referred to as “Sir Rio” for a little while longer. His shoulders slumped. 

Although, Rio really wasn’t one to talk, either, having been told by the girls many times he did not need to speak so politely around them. Perhaps this had leveled the playing field. 

A bit further away from Rio and the girls, Dola and Ume were sitting together sipping at their tea, having finished their meals. Both were smiling pleasantly, watching Rio and the noisy girls talk excitedly amongst themselves. 

“Hahaha, as expected of Rio’s good looks. It’s like looking at my old self.” 

“Are you saying Rio’s like your old self? Don’t kid yourself.” Ume flatly rejected Dola’s statement. 

“Hey, now. What makes you say that? I’m being completely serious here.” 

“I absolutely do not recall ever marrying a man that gorgeous. It’s rude to even consider comparing Rio to you. What a joke, am I right?” 

“Wha— Hey! What are you saying to your own husband?!” 

“You’re complete opposites in both appearance and personality, and you were nowhere near that mature when you were young. I’d say you weren’t much different from the young boys that are jealous of Rio right now. Overflowing with brute strength, but with no knowledge of how to hunt properly.” 

“Geh... You just keep running your mouth. W-Well, he has been traveling the world at his young age, after all. He must have gone through quite a few hardships himself. I admit, I may not have been as accomplished as him when I was young...” Unable to refute Ume’s words, Dola swallowed his words reluctantly and nodded. 

“So you do realize it! Ah, but now that you mention it, there was another man in our village who was like Rio, too — and it wasn’t you, of course.” Ume said, looking up at the sky in the distance. 

“Huh? Since when was there someone in our villa... Aah, that guy, huh?” Dola was about to deny there being another similar man, when he suddenly seemed to remember something. His expression turned faintly unpleasant, but nostalgic all the same. 

“Even though you could never win against him, you were burning with a sense of rivalry. Just like Shin does right now.” Ume cackled with laughter. 

“Shut up. You were rejected by that guy, too. He said he was leaving the village to become a soldier.” 

“All the girls my age confessed to him at the time. None of them succeeded, of course.” 

“Figures. He wasn’t the type to settle for a woman from some country town like this,” Dola said, nodding with a beaming smile. 

“Oh? It seems you have quite a high opinion of Zen after all.” 

“Hmph. Shut up.” 

“I wonder what he’s up to right now... Do you think he has a child yet?” 

“Who knows. If he did...” Dola shook his head unhappily and bit his tongue out of a sense of discomfort. 

“If he did?” Ume urged him to continue with a doubtful look. 

“...If he did, then the kid would probably be around the age of the young folks in this village. That, or younger. Either way, that man isn’t coming back. There’s no point in thinking about it,” Dola answered bluntly. 

“Well, I suppose you’re right.” Ume nodded a bit sadly. 

One week later, when the bustle of the village harvests had finally settled down... 

Rio was making his way home after finishing his work for the day when he ran into Yuba on the road, just before sunset. 

“Ah, Rio. Perfect timing. I had something I wanted to ask of you. Let’s discuss it as we walk home,” Yuba said once they were within speaking distance, prompting them to resume their journey home together. 

“So, what did you want to discuss?” Rio spoke up first. 

“Yes...” Yuba nodded, before beginning to speak. “Whenever the rice harvesting season comes to an end, the kingdom dispatches a tax officer. Once they get here, they officially decide the amount of rice to pay for the annual land tax and we distribute the rest among our food supplies. Anything that’s leftover is taken to the capital to be sold. You know all this already, yes?” 

“Yes, I’ve been told about it.” 

“Good, that makes this simpler. We’re in the middle of deciding who shall be on the transportation squad, and I was thinking of asking you to escort them, since you have experience traveling alone. It’s rare that anything’ll happen, but I can’t say for sure that it won’t be dangerous. Are you up for the task?” Yuba asked cautiously. 

“Sure, I don’t mind. I’d be happy to,” Rio immediately consented with a nod. 

“That would be a great help. Sorry for troubling you.” Yuba smiled broadly, relieved of her anxieties. 

“It’s no big deal. Something like this is no problem at all.” Rio smiled faintly, giving a small shrug of his shoulders. 

“Thanks to you, life in this village has gotten so much better. All the villagers are very grateful to you. You’ve taught us how to create useful tools and use new techniques in our farming. At this rate, next year’s harvest will be huge, so you’ve truly been such a big help.” 

“I don’t think anything has changed that dramatically, but your harvest rates should stabilize more than they did before.” The corner of Rio’s mouth curled up into a small grin. 

“I look forward to it.” Yuba smiled pleasantly. 

Then, as they neared the village chief’s house... “Take that back, asshole!” someone yelled loudly. It was coming from the direction of the house. 

Rio and Yuba looked at each other. 

“Is there a fight?” Yuba murmured suspiciously. 

“I’m going to see what’s going on.” Rio prepared to jog ahead to the chief’s house first. 

“Wait up, I’ll go too.” Yuba called Rio back, following him at a faster pace than usual. Thus, the two of them swiftly headed down the road toward the village chief’s house. 

A few moments before Yuba and Rio arrived at the house, right outside, two groups of men were glaring at each other. One group was composed of the youths of the village — including Shin — while the other was a group of young men that Rio was unfamiliar with. 

The village boys were winning in terms of numbers, but the opposing side had one person that was particularly large; he looked like he’d be quite formidable in a fist fight. Furthermore, hidden behind the youths of the village — as though they were being protected by them — were several village girls (including Sayo and Ruri) in light clothing. 

It was possible that they were on their way to the bathhouse next to the village chief’s house, or they had just come out. 

“Who the hell do you think you are, Gon, walking around like you own this place?! You even had the nerve to march straight into the bathhouse,” Shin said, glaring hatefully at the giant named Gon. 

“Huh? I came to visit the village chief as a guest. There was a shed I didn’t recognize just sitting there, so I went to investigate it. Since when did you even make a bathhouse? But, I see, so that was why...” 

Understanding the situation, Gon directed a lecherous gaze toward the girls in their light clothing. The men surrounding him also had their gazes fixed on the girls as they smiled creepily. 

“Don’t look at them with your disgusting eyes!” Shin yelled. 

“Why not? It’s not hurting anyone. Who cares if we look — or is your woman among them?” Gon laughed at him condescendingly. 

“My little sister is!” 

“Oh? You have a little sister? Which one?” Gon inspected the group of girls closely. Sayo’s frame shook with a start. 

“Sayo, hide behind me,” Ruri whispered, hiding Sayo behind her back, but Gon seemed to have gotten a clear view of her already. 

“She’s still a brat, but she’s a pretty thing, ain’t she? Why don’t you introduce us, dear brother in law?” he said, grinning. 

“Fuck you!” Shin raged, moments away from hitting Gon. 

“Hold on, Shin! Don’t!” Ruri ran forward in a hurry, grabbing his arm to stop him. 

“L-Let me go, Ruri! This asshole won’t stop until I teach him a lesson!” 

“You can’t just let him stir you up so easily! It’d be a huge problem if you punched him over something as small as this! No matter how rotten he is, he’s still the son of another village chief. You don’t want to cause Sayo any trouble, right?!” 

“Guh...” Shin relented weakly, his face flushed with frustration. 

Gon let out a disappointed sigh and tried to provoke him further. “Aww, you don’t have to hold back just because I’m the son of another village chief, you know?” 

Shin, however, kept his head down and stood his ground. 

“Tch, coward.” Gon clicked his tongue, unamused. He fixed his attention from Shin to Ruri instead. “Well, whatever. Ruri, you’ve grown into a quite a beauty... I almost didn’t recognize you, there.” 

“Yeah, right. So, what did you want with our village?” Ruri asked, easily brushing away Gon’s nonsense. 

“Let me stay at your place. We were on our way to the capital to sell our village’s products when our cargo carriage broke down. It’ll take all of tomorrow to repair.” 

“I understand wanting to repair your broken-down carriage, but why do you need to stay at our place to do that?” 

“Because I’m a guest of your village, and the son of another village chief? I’d expect an appropriate reception.” 

“Then we’ll lend you one of our guest cabins, so you can stay there instead. Unfortunately, we don’t have any spare rooms in our house to lend to you.” Ruri shook her head curtly and refused Gon’s demands. 

“Hey, now. You shouldn’t treat your potential future husband so coldly, you know?” 

“...H-Huh? Don’t spout such ridiculous nonsense! How disgusting!” Ruri held herself steadily, but Gon’s words made her body tremble. 

“Oi, Ruri?! What does he mean?! Are you getting married to this bastard?!” Shin asked her in a panic. 

“I have no idea what he’s going on about! Why would I marry someone like that?!” Ruri replied, as though it was her first time hearing this. 

“Didn’t you know? The only heir of your village chief right now is Ruri. Which means... according to tradition, Ruri will be the next village chief. But since you have to get married and govern the village with your husband, you can’t stay unmarried as a village chief. That’s why I’m offering myself up as Ruri’s husband,” Gon said brazenly, with no trace of any shame. 

“That’s bullshit! You can’t just decide that by yourself!” Shin, who had been out of the line of fire for a while, was unable to listen any further to Gon’s excessive statements and yelled out loudly. 

“I’m not deciding, I’m offering. And it should be my freedom to offer myself up, no? Outsiders like you have no right to protest.” 

“As a member of the village, I won’t allow it!” Shin yelled, and the boys around him echoed their agreement. 

“That’s right!” 

“Hah? None of you even have a claim on Ruri. What is this, collective jealousy? What a bunch of pussies.” Gon let out a mocking sigh. 

“Take that back, asshole!” Unable to bear it any further, Shin took a swing at Gon. 

“Let’s follow Shin!” the other boys yelled, breathing harshly through their noses. They’d lost their tempers, too. 

“Ah, hold it, all of you! Shin! Stop right there!” Ruri tried to stop them, but her voice no longer reached their ears. 

“Ha! Now it’s finally getting interesting. Come at me: I’ll show you how much more powerful I am!” 

“Shut your mouth, you bastard!” Unaffected by their difference of stature — he was at least 20 centimeters shorter in height — Shin sprung forward. His fist was on a collision course with Gon’s face, but Gon easily grabbed the incoming punch. He looked down at Shin with a surprised expression. 

“Oi. You use spirit arts, don’t you? Is this the best you can do when you’ve strengthened yourself?” He didn’t look like he was feeling any resistance from the fist at all. 

“W-What the hell did you say?!” Shin became worked up and put more strength into his captured fist, but his arm didn’t even budge, despite the fact that he was using spirit arts to strengthen his body. 

“You’re not even worth fighting,” Gon muttered under his breath, extending his other hand to simply grab Shin by the neck. He then lifted Shin’s body into the air as though it weighed nothing. 

“Wha— Guh... Gah...!” Shin struggled in pain. He tried to tear Gon’s arm away from him, but he couldn’t even make it budge. 

“S-Shin! S-Stop! Stop it, please!” Seeing her brother in pain made Sayo run forward in a panic. Her voice was shrill and her body was shaking slightly. When her eyes met Gon’s, she timidly directed her gaze downward to avoid eye contact. 

“Ah? Well, if you absolutely insist, then I wouldn’t be against keeping him like this, I suppose...” Pleased with himself, Gon huffed through his nose and looked down at her triumphantly. 

“That’s enough! What are you all doing?!” Yuba’s voice suddenly echoed over everything; she had finally arrived after hearing the commotion, with Rio in tow beside her. Gon clicked his tongue quietly and looked at Yuba. 

“Hey. It’s been a while, Old Lady Yuba. Sorry for the commotion — we were just bickering when this guy here suddenly tried to punch me,” he replied, gaze fixed on Shin, who he still had by the neck. 

“If you’re sorry, then release him. I don’t care if you’re the son of another chief — any more fights in my village and I’ll make you leave. No ifs, ands, or buts,” Yuba said bluntly, locking her sharp glare on Gon. 

“...All right, all right. I wasn’t interested in puny punks like him anyway.” Gon released the hand he had around Shin’s neck. 

“Koff, koff... Ugh...” Shin’s body collapsed, folding over in a coughing fit. 

“Are you okay, Shin?!” 

Sayo supported Shin’s body in a panic. She placed her hands around his throat and cast a healing spirit art to soothe the pain. Several seconds later, Shin was able to breathe normally again. 

“Y-You bastard...” he glared at Gon. 

“Ha! You need your precious little sister to protect you? How pathetic,” Gon sneered triumphantly. 

“Stop it, you two! Shin, get out of here and cool your head,” Yuba scolded. 

“Guh...” Shin held back his words and hung his head in frustration. Sayo supported her brother by the shoulder and helped him move toward the back. 

“C-Come on, Shin, let’s go.” 

“I’ll help you, Sayo.” Ruri approached them and helped Sayo support her brother’s body up from the other side. 

After Shin had retreated, Yuba spoke to Gon, trying to settle the situation at hand. “So, why have you come calling today? Don’t tell me you’re here just to pick fights.” 

“We were just on our way to the capital to sell our village’s products and decided to drop by, since our horse-drawn cargo carriage unfortunately broke down. I came to visit you, the village chief, to ask for permission to stay in the village in the meantime.” 

“And how did that end up causing a fight?” 

“...That new shed over there piqued my interest. When we approached it, the boys from your village appeared and yelled at us. Which... then turned to this,” Gon answered, shrugging his shoulders. 

“Granny, we were all bathing at the time. One of the girls noticed they were approaching the bathhouse and screamed...” Ruri explained. 

“I see. So Gon and the others were mistaken for peeping toms and ruffians.” Yuba nodded in understanding. 

Gon denied the accusation without delay. “Just so you know, we weren’t aware that the shed was for bathing. I was just curious about the impressive little shed that wasn’t here last time.” 

“Well, I’ll accept the fact you didn’t know what the shed was for. However, that does not excuse the fact that you trespassed onto someone else’s property to conduct your own investigation, uninvited.” Yuba analyzed the situation calmly. 

Rio agreed with Yuba. Thinking there was no need for him to step forward, he had been watching silently from the sidelines. 

“Tch. Well, I guess that part was my fault.” 

Gon expressed remorse with a click of his tongue. He seemed to find Yuba’s control of the situation difficult to deal with, but he wasn’t about to take it lying down. 

“You know,” he began. “Those guys were probably trying to peep on the women’s bath for real, don’t you think? Why else would they run into us so conveniently in front of the chief’s house? Am I right, Shin?” He set his eyes on Shin’s group with a grin. 

“W-Wha?! N-No! We only came running because we heard Gon’s group had appeared in the village and were heading for the chief’s house! And Sayo said she was going to bathe!” Shin denied the accusation in a panic; he seemed to have recovered enough to speak, at least. The other boys also echoed their agreement after their shock wore off. 

Yuba heaved a tired sigh. “All right, I understand now. Is there anything else anyone would like to add?” She asked everyone present. 

No one spoke up. 

“Then, this matter ends here. Gon, I apologize for how Shin’s misunderstanding caused the situation to grow out of hand. However, your actions were too rash and violent. I’ll allow you to stay in a guest cabin on the outskirts of the village, but you are forbidden from going out needlessly. Got it?” Yuba gave her ruling in a tone that didn’t allow for any further objections. 

“Fine, whatever. Later, Old Lady Yuba.” 

Gon gave an exaggerated sigh and started walking away, with his group of followers hurrying after his departing back. They made their way down the road Rio and Yuba had just come up from. 

Hm? Was there someone like this in the village before? 

As he walked, Gon noticed that there was someone unfamiliar standing next to Yuba — Rio. He narrowed his eyes and inspected the boy’s face. Rio returned his look with a cool stare, watching to see if Gon would try and start something else. 

Hmph. With a refined face like that, he’s probably another pansy. I don’t like the look of him. 

Seeing the way Rio stared back at him without hesitation made Gon furrow his brow slightly. But his expression immediately changed to a wicked smirk, as though he had suddenly come up with a fantastic idea. 

Gon had been walking with his shoulders squared, but he suddenly directed his attention away from his destination. He feigned carelessness as he veered off-course and crashed into Rio at the last minute. Their upper bodies collided with each other. 

“Oops, my mista—?!” 

Gon, who exceeded Rio in both height and weight, recoiled as though he had walked into a wall. The unexpected impact made him stumble to regain his footing, and he widened his eyes in utter shock. 

“A-Are you all right, Mister Gon? What happened?” One of the men walking behind Gon asked with surprise in his eyes. He couldn’t see what had happened from behind. 

“Uh? Ah...” Gon was still a little dazed. He looked between his body and Rio’s in comparison, unable to comprehend what had occurred. 

“I see that your muscles are quite toned, but it seems your long journey has made you weary. The sun will be setting soon; may I suggest you retire to your lodgings to rest?” Rio said eloquently, giving an insincere smile with no emotion behind it at all. 

“...Tch. Let’s go, everyone.” 

Gon seemed to sense there was something strange about Rio, but convinced himself that it was just his imagination. That was how confident he was in his own physical strength. 

With his followers in tow, Gon departed for real this time. 

Once their party were completely out of sight, the young men and women of the village immediately relaxed all of their tension at once, and heaved a collective sigh of relief. 

“Good grief. All this unnecessary ruckus,” Yuba sighed in exasperation. 

“G-Granny. Shin and the others were just trying to protect us. So, umm, don’t blame them too much, okay?” Ruri tried to defend them in a hurry. 

“I know that, of course. I figured the one that caused the commotion was probably that wild child. After his parents gave up on him, he never received any proper discipline, and only uses his craftiness to get by, so he’s quite the troublemaker. That being said, these boys were also at fault for getting worked up so easily.” Yuba glared at Shin and the others. 

“Ugh...” 

After being rash enough to land the first blow, not to mention being beaten on top of that, Shin and the others were left feeling guilty and unable to object to Yuba. 

“For now, I want each and every one of you to go home without any more fuss. I forbade them from going out, but don’t let down your guard. Inform the others in your neighborhood, too. And make sure you let me know immediately if anything unusual occurs,” Yuba instructed, making everyone exchange glances before they agreed timidly. 

After a while, the girls returned to the bathhouse to finish changing, then came back out. With their preparations complete, everyone started to move about and make their way home. 

However, two people remained frozen where they stood. It was Shin and Sayo. Sayo still seemed frightened after the events from before, as her body was still faintly trembling. 

“What’s the matter? You two should get home too,” Yuba said. 

“...Hey, Gran. I have a request. Could you please let Sayo stay at your place tonight? As you know, it’s just us living in our house, and I made a fool of myself earlier. Our place isn’t that far from where those guys are staying, so she’s probably feeling anxious too, so... She’d feel better if she stayed with Ruri and Gran and... him... I think.” Shin frowned in embarrassment as he bowed his head at Yuba. He snuck a glance at Rio for a second, but immediately tore his eyes away again. 

Yuba seemed to be struck by this, as her eyes widened slightly. “Oh? What’s this? It’s strange to see such an admirable attitude coming from you, even if it is for Sayo’s sake. Did getting beaten up become a good lesson for you?” She laughed heartily at Shin. 

“S-Shut up! I got too fired up before and caused some trouble, but that’s not it! Are you going to let her stay or what?!” Shin objected, blushing bright red. 

“Sure, I don’t mind. You’re right, after all. Sayo, stay at our place tonight.” Yuba gave her permission and looked at Sayo, who was standing very still in fear. 

“Huh? Ah... Is it really okay?” Sayo asked in a daze. 

“It’s fine. Judging by your state, you would’ve been too scared to sleep alone anyway. Sleep with Ruri tonight. ...Oh, or did you want to sleep with Rio instead?” Yuba asked cheekily and nodded with a wry smile. 

“...I-I’m fine! I’ll sleep with Ruri!” Sayo flushed, shaking her head furiously. She seemed a little bit more like her usual self. 

“Is that so? Then, all right. As for you, Shin — you can stay here tonight, too. Gon may be harboring a grudge toward you in particular.” 

“I... Fine, then. Thanks.” Shin hesitated for a moment, but nodded obediently in the end. 

“Okay, we’ll need two more plates set for dinner tonight! Let’s get cooking, shall we?” Yuba said, trying to brighten the mood, before going inside the house in high spirits. 

“Right. Let’s go, everyone,” Ruri said, looking at the other three. 

“I’ll help cook the rice!” Sayo offered eagerly. 

“I have some business to attend to first, so please return without me,” Rio said, voicing his intention to stay outside. 

“Huh? Business?” Ruri asked in confusion. 

“I’d like to set up some security measures, just in case.” 

“Hmm? Then, uuh... please do?” 

“Yes, leave it to me.” 

Ruri didn’t seem to understand, but Rio gave her a strained smile and nodded. 

“Okay, then. We don’t want to get in your way, so we’ll head in first. You too, Shin.” 

“...Yeah.” 

Shin looked like he wanted to say something more to Rio, but walked away hesitantly at Ruri’s call. 

That night, just as the villagers were having their supper, Gon and his followers were having drinks in the cabin that had been lent to them. Spread out on the floor before them was their dinner, along with various preserved side dishes; it was all bland, with no seasoning at all. 

“It sure is boring around here, boss. Nothing interesting at all, just like our village,” a man of small stature said as he poured Gon’s drink for him. 

“Well, the operation starts tomorrow at midnight. We have to lay low until then, especially since we now have a good reason to stay inside.” Gon chugged the poured alcohol with a grin. 

“Haha. You’re amazing, boss. By causing a commotion in the beginning and laying low afterward, those idiots will lower their guard. It’s downright wicked,” The small man sitting next to Gon said. 

“Well, it’s all so that I can have my way with Ruri, after all.” 

“Haha! Ruri’s a beauty, but I think Shin’s little sister looked like quite the catch, too.” 

“Hear, hear! I see you’re quite the hedonist, huh? Well, her face wasn’t bad, and the fact that she’s that bastard’s little sister makes it all the better. I suppose she’d be a good second priority after Ruri.” Gon heartily carved a perverted grin on his face. 

“Let me have a taste of her too, boss.” 

“Sure — if you’re OK with my leftovers.” 

“All right!” As soon as Gon gave his permission, his followers cheered vigorously. 

All the men present were considered questionable in the village they came from. The group consisted of second sons or lower — those who would never inherit their family businesses — that had banded together to follow the beat of their own drums. At the head of the group was their leader, Gon. 

Gon was the son of their village chief, but like the others, he was a second son and had been raised as a spare ever since childhood. However, Gon was unable to sit back quietly and accept his role as a secondary human like the others. 

Perhaps it was due to his education, or perhaps it was because he was still raised somewhat lovingly as a village chief’s son, but his personality developed into a clever and spoiled one as he grew up. 

Gon’s body was well-built, he had a considerable amount of physical strength, and had the talent for spirit arts. His specialty was the spirit arts for physical ability and physical body enhancement — the worst possible combination. Since he was ten years old, none of the adult villagers could stand up to him, which made others treat Gon as an outcast. 

Now, he was eighteen. At some point along the way, Gon started to gather second sons like him on his side, establishing his own power in the village. As of late, his influence in the village had grown so strong that not even the village chief could touch him. Even when he caused trouble, it was difficult to punish him. 

Under normal circumstances, there was no way a group of hooligans like Gon would be selected for the trade squad going to the capital; however, the villagers were unable to refuse the demands of Gon’s gang, ultimately allowing them the role of escorting the goods. They hadn’t even noticed what the gang had been secretly plotting behind their backs... 

Recently, the villagers had been trying to persuade Gon’s gang into joining the kingdom’s army, but Gon knew they were just trying to tactfully chase them out of the village. Because of that, Gon devised a plan for them to leave on their own terms. 

However, the world wasn’t so easy to live in that they could spontaneously leave their village with nothing but their group. They needed to secure their relocation destination in advance, along with food, clothes, and shelter. 

That was when Yuba’s village caught Gon’s eye. If he became Ruri’s husband, then he would become a legitimate village chief. 

Yuba’s village neighbored Gon’s village, allowing them to interact fairly often, so Gon knew that Ruri was Yuba’s one and only heir. It was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity that had fallen into his lap. 

Most importantly, Ruri’s appearance was Gon’s type to a T. 

Regardless, it was clear that if he went about his plan head-on, Ruri would reject him. The fact that Gon decided to try a more subtle approach without hesitation showed how twisted he truly was. 

“We went through all that trouble of smashing the carriage, too. Better take our time repairing it tomorrow.” Gon grinned with joy at the thought of tomorrow night. 

The next morning arrived without incident, despite the fact that uninvited company had arrived the day before. So far, Gon and his gang had kept their promise, avoiding contact with the villagers and focusing on the repairs of their horse carriage. Since that was the case, the villagers cast Gon out of the forefront of their minds. 

Although they had passed the peak of the harvest season, there was still plenty of work for all the villagers to do; they had to start preparing large amounts of food to be preserved for the winter, and products had to be prepared to be taken to the capital, too. Because of this, the villagers had been bustling about energetically since early in the morning. By the time noon had passed, they had completely forgotten their wariness for Gon’s group. As the sun slowly began to set, they wrapped up their work for the day and headed home. 

Rio finished the work allocated to him rather early today as well, so he headed back home ahead of anyone else. Yuba was already home, so the two of them decided to rest for a short while before going about making supper. Then, just as the tea was poured, someone knocked on the front door. 

“Is Lady Yuba present?” they called. 

“I’ll see who it is.” 

“Thank you.” 

Rio hurriedly stood up after urging Yuba to stay seated and moved toward the front door. He opened the door to see Ume standing there. 

“Good evening, Ume. Can I help you?” 

“Rio. Sir Hayate has arrived, so I’m here to inform Lady Yuba.” Ume must have rushed over, as she was slightly out of breath. 

“I’ve heard. I shall go meet him right away — is he at the storehouse already?” Yuba asked. 

“Yes, along with his subordinates. I’ve told him to make himself at home in the spare guest cabins.” 

“I see. Good job, Ume.” Yuba nodded, pleased. She changed into her outdoor shoes on the clay floor and moved to leave the house, but paused and turned back to Rio. 

“Ah, that’s right. Rio — sorry to ask this of you, but could you add five to six more servings to tonight’s dinner? We’ll probably have some people join us for a meal tonight. I may call one of the village girls over to help,” Yuba requested. 

“I understand... Leave it to me. Would it be better if the meal was a bit more extravagant? If so, I could go and hunt something right now...” 

“Ooh, could I ask that of you? That would be great — thank you. And you can help yourself to the vegetable garden if you run low on ingredients.” Yuba smiled cheerfully, thanking Rio for his willingness to help. 

Then, with Rio seeing her off, she left at a quick-footed pace, while Rio quickly cleaned up the tea set and headed out to the mountain to hunt. Since he was short on time, he decided to use the spirit arts he usually refrained from using when he hunted. 

Rio kicked off the ground at the foot of the mountain and rose into the air with his wind spirit arts, arriving at the hunting grounds in the blink of an eye. If the villagers had witnessed that, their eyes would’ve grown to the size of saucers, and their jaws would’ve dropped to the ground. 

After spotting a Lenou bird flying through the air with his enhanced vision, Rio closed in on it from above and beheaded it in one swing of his sword. Catching its body by the legs, he went about draining the blood while he hovered midair. 

One down. 

Lenou birds were wary creatures that didn’t typically flock together, but they were much easier to hunt in the air when their guard was down. With that in mind, Rio immediately spotted his next prey flying a little ways off from his current location, and quickly set off after it. 

His hunt continued to progress smoothly after that, and he was able to finish it all — including cleanup — before the sun had fully set. 

After wrapping up the carriage repairs early and dumping the rest on their underlings and the villagers that had accompanied them, Gon’s gang were drinking away in the cabin that had been lent to them before the sun had even set. 

Suddenly, the door to the cabin slammed open. All the gazes in the room shifted toward the door to see a boy in his teens standing there, panting. 

“Hah... Hah...” 

“Oh, what’s up? Has the carriage been repaired already?” A drunk Gon inquired heartily. 

The boy was an underling of Gon’s gang and was often used to run errands for them, as he was the youngest of the group. He had been tasked with the supervision of the villagers repairing the carriage and helping out on Gon’s behalf. 

“Ah, boss! This is bad! The tax officer is here in the village!” The boy yelled, causing the men around Gon to stir noisily. 

Tax officers were special government officials. They were dispatched by the capital during harvest season to every village to collect taxes based on the amount of crops that were harvested. It was an official position that was given only to the most trusted people in the kingdom, and those who took on the role were masters in both literary and military arts. Calculations were required in order to conduct harvest inspections, and the officers had to have the strength to protect the collected tax from various dangers on the road. But, most importantly, they had to be people that wouldn’t abuse their privileges. 

“...So what?” Gon asked in a sobered voice. He seemed to be aggravated that the mood of their drinking party had been ruined. 

“N-No, it’s just, won’t the tax officer be staying at the village chief’s place? Even we can’t go up against a kingdom official. Maybe we should hold off on the boss’ plan...” the boy answered in a shrill voice. 

“That doesn’t matter,” Gon replied unhappily and brought a cup filled with alcohol to his mouth. 

The other men exchanged glances. 

“But, boss. The tax officers are rumored to be really strong, aren’t they? There was once a guy who suppressed the uprising of a whole village single-handedly,” one of the men said hesitantly. 

“Oh? Are you calling me weak?” Gon glared. 

“No, of course not!” The man shook his head in a fluster. 

“Besides, we’re going to head over once everyone’s asleep. Since it’s Old Lady Yuba we’re talking about, there’ll probably be alcohol involved. Even if it’s a tax officer, warrior, or just a peasant, once they’re drunk and asleep, they’ll be defenseless.” 

“Well, that’s true... I-I guess you’re right.” Overpowered by Gon’s brimming self-confidence, the men regained their nerves. 

“Obviously. It’s no different to what we’ve done before. Once our night crawling attempt is successful, Ruri will give up and accept her fate. If she protests, we’ll just threaten her. Really, if we wanted to make sure it goes off without a hitch, we could just kidnap her and bring her with us. That might make things easier, too, no?” Gon said with a lecherous grin. 

Led on by his words, the other men chuckled with sinister laughter. 

Rio hurried home after his hunt, but no one else had returned yet, so he decided to wash off the scent of blood from his body first. 

The main dish tonight would be Lenou; after washing up and mulling over various dish combinations for the menu, Rio headed toward the kitchen and finally got to work prepping ingredients. Before long, an enticing aroma wafted through the living room. 

That was when Yuba came home, accompanied by a group of men, Ruri, and Sayo. The front entrance immediately became livelier. 

“Welcome home,” Rio called out to Yuba and the others from the kitchen, which was located on the right side of the clay floor. 

“We’re back. It smells especially good today.” Yuba smiled broadly at Rio, returning his greeting. 

“Yeah, it smells great! What are you cooking, Rio?” 

“Let me help you, Sir Rio!” 

Ruri and Sayo hurried into the kitchen to help. 

“Indeed, this is quite the wonderful aroma... Lady Yuba, was that boy always a member of this village?” A young gentleman asked, peering into the kitchen from the clay floor and looking at Rio as he spoke. 

“That is Rio, the son of an old acquaintance of mine. He’s staying in our village right now,” Yuba said. Rio left the stove to Ruri and Sayo for the moment as he ducked out onto the clay floor to greet their guest. 

“Good evening. My name is Rio — pleased to make your acquaintance.” 

“Hello. My name is Saga Hayate, and I am the tax officer visiting this village. Behind me are my aides. It is nice to meet you.” 

“Same here.” 

Rio and the gentleman named Hayate exchanged their greetings. Despite Hayate’s stiff features, he was a pleasant young man with a refreshing aura about him. He had a splendid single-edged straight blade at his waist and wore an outfit similar to a finely-designed samurai outfit. 

Age-wise, he seemed to be a few years Rio’s senior. 

For the record, it was custom in the Yagumo region to name yourself from your family name first, making Saga his family name and Hayate his first name. 

Rio and Hayate bowed at each other, each examining the other young man’s center of gravity and posture. They secretly determined that the other was no ordinary person. 

“Now, let’s not stand around all day. Everyone, please come up to the living room and have a seat. Dinner will be ready soon.” Yuba stepped up into the living and urged Hayate’s party to follow. 

“Thank you. We shall gratefully accept your offer.” Hayate bowed deeply and removed his footwear before stepping up into the living room. 

“I shall return to the kitchen for now. Please excuse me, Yuba.” 

“Yes, please do.” Yuba acknowledged Rio as he returned to the kitchen. 

At the same time, Ruri came out of the kitchen into the living room. 

“Here you go, everyone. Thank you for your hard work today.” Ruri smiled in a friendly manner as she poured tea for Hayate and the others. 

“R-Right. Much obliged, Lady Ruri.” Hayate’s stiff attitude from earlier flipped completely as he offered Ruri his thanks; he had a strange awkwardness to his movements. He didn’t even attempt to make eye contact with Ruri, apparently feeling shy. Rio watched, the change in Hayate taking him by surprise. 

“Ruri, you can stay here and keep everyone company,” Yuba ordered, putting Ruri in charge of giving the visitors a warm reception. Ruri had a bright and friendly personality, so she was perfect for the job. Yuba also had to remain with the visitors, which naturally left the cooking to Rio and Sayo. 

Rio returned to the kitchen to resume cooking, and turned to Sayo. “Sorry for making you help so much, Sayo. Will Shin be okay for his meal today?” he asked with a guilty look. 

“Yes. My brother will be eating dinner at Dola and Ume’s place tonight. It happens quite often when important visitors come, so please don’t let it bother you,” Sayo said happily, shaking her head. 

“Did something good happen?” Rio inquired about Sayo’s good mood. 

“Huh? Why do you ask?” 

“It’s just that you look happy.” 

Sayo tilted her head in confusion for a moment before she came to a realization. 

“...Ah,” she grinned shyly, before hesitantly asking Rio: “...Is it that obvious?” 

“Yes.” Rio nodded, making Sayo flush red. 

“Umm, it’s a secret.” 

“I see... Then I shall not pry any further.” Rio’s lips tugged upward in a bright smile. As long as Sayo was happy, he was glad. 

“...Okay.” A conflicted expression flickered over Sayo’s face for a moment, but she nodded in assent. 

“I’m sure everyone is hungry by now, so let’s hurry with the preparations.” 

Sayo nodded at Rio’s suggestion. “Okay. But... I kind of want to take time to enjoy cooking together, too,” she mumbled under her breath. 

Rio had already moved away, so the latter half of her sentence did not reach him. 

Less than an hour later, all of the cooking had been completed, and the table was set for dinner. 

“This is quite the extravagant meal. I wasn’t expecting to be treated to your precious stockpile of meat... And this isn’t preserved meat either. It must have been exhausting to prepare enough for this many people. You have my sincere thanks.” Hayate’s eyes widened at the sight of all the dishes lining the table. 

As a tax officer traveling through many different villages, he had been treated to numerous meals in each village chief’s home, but they rarely ever served meat so generously like this. His attendants were all buzzing happily, too. 

“Rio is a very accomplished hunter. He’s quite multi-talented, and has been a huge help in our village.” Ruri praised Rio with pride. 

“Oh? So Lord Rio not only prepared the food, but hunted the meat himself as well? While my party can hunt, when it comes to cooking, the most we can do is grill the meat and prepare simple campfire foods. Being able to do all this as a young man is most impressive.” Hayate praised Rio in awe along with Ruri. The “campfire foods” he spoke of were the food supplies they used during their field operations. 

“I traveled alone for some time, so I picked up the skill naturally. I was in charge of the main dish, but Sayo made all the other side dishes. Please eat up before they cool,” Rio said, looking at Sayo, prompting all the male attendants to liven up. 

“Ooh, a woman’s cooking!” 

Sayo ducked her head in embarrassment. Rio smiled wryly, and Hayate scolded his aides in shame. “Quiet down, all of you. Now, we shall dig in immediately. You have my deepest gratitude for your exceptional hospitality.” Hayate cleared his throat and sat up straight. 

Yuba took that as a sign. “Then, let us eat,” she said, and everyone began their meal. 

“If I may so inquire, Lord Rio, what kind of meat dish is this? I can tell it some sort of avian meat, but I am not familiar with the scent. The aroma is most appetizing, I must say,” Hayate asked, having picked up a slice of the meat between his chopsticks and brought it to his nose to smell. 

“This recipe is one that I acquired during my travels through foreign countries, which involved grilling the meat with herbs. The somewhat-unique aroma is characteristic to that recipe, but the main ingredient is the Lenou bird.” 

“I see... The Lenou bird, hm? Ah, this is indeed... how shall I put this... delicious!” 

Hayate swallowed his drool and placed the slice of meat in his mouth. The instant he bit down, the juicy flavor of the meat — with its perfectly complimentary seasoning — exploded in his mouth, making his eyes widen. 

Seeing his reaction, the aides reached for the herb-grilled meat in a hurry, groaning in unison at the delicious taste on their tongues. They gobbled down their rice with it. 

“How did you create such a wondrous taste?” Hayate asked with great interest. 

“The main seasoning is salt and pepper, but I’ve also used some special herbs and oil that aren’t native to this area for flavor. The secret ingredient is a little bit of honey,” Rio explained. 

“Ooh, you used pepper? Such a valuable ingredient... Was it really okay to use all these ingredients that are not native to our kingdom?” Hayate responded in surprise with a tinge of remorse. 

“That’s all right. It’d be pointless to hold on to it forever, anyway. I decided to use it when I heard that an important guest was visiting the village.” 

Salt was harvested in certain kingdoms with temperate climates across both the Yagumo and Strahl regions, so while it was pricey, it wasn’t impossible to obtain. While Rio had all the ingredients he could ever want preserved in the Time-Space Cache, he wasn’t foolish enough to openly reveal that, so he made up a lie that was suitable for the situation. 

Well, that wasn’t the only reason. If he could use this opportunity to gain their guests’ favor, it might benefit the village if anything were to happen in the future. It appeared that everything was going exactly as Rio had planned, as Hayate seemed to be revising his evaluation of Rio in a positive way. 

“Umm, is pepper an expensive ingredient?” Ruri asked, still unsure of the value of the item. 

“Well, it’s not as big of a deal in the areas where it is produced, but it isn’t cheap to purchase in our kingdom. The last time I saw it in the markets of the capital, it went for ten times the price of salt,” Hayate replied thoughtfully. 

“Huh?!” 

“Fweh?!” 

Ruri and Sayo’s eyes widened in shock. While Yuba hadn’t made any noise, her eyes had widened by a fraction, too. 

Rio had used pepper in his dishes for Yuba and Ruri several times before, but he had never disclosed the value of the seasoning. It wasn’t the kind of item the villagers would have any interest in during their lifetimes, so it was only natural that Ruri and the others were unaware of its worth. 

“Rio, have you been using something that expensive on us the whole time?! You should have said so!” Ruri yelled in flabbergasted shock. 

“...Erm, didn’t I say I had a lot less pepper than salt?” 

“Y-You may have mentioned that, but you never said it was so expensive! Ugh...” 

“Umm, I purchased it in one of the production areas, so it wasn’t that expensive.” 

“E-Even so. If it was such a valuable item, you could have kept it for yourself...” 

“I said there was no point in holding onto it forever, didn’t I? Don’t worry about it, really. Come on, let’s eat dinner before it gets cold.” Rio shook his head with a wry smile. 

Thus, they settled down and resumed their meal. Eventually, the village’s specialty brew was served, turning the scene into a lively commotion. By the time Rio and Sayo prepared additional side dishes for the drinks, the male attendants were already flushed red with liquor. 

“You all are going to feel it tomorrow if you drink too much now,” Hayate, their superior, said with a sigh. 

“Haha — we know, Sir Hayate,” the aides replied with a strained laugh. 

At the moment, the conversation was split between Yuba and the male attendants in one group, and Rio, Ruri, Sayo, and Hayate in another group. 

“Are you not going to have even a single cup, Lord Hayate?” Rio asked. 

“It is not that I do not want to, it is simply that I try to refrain from drinking when out on a job,” Hayate replied stoically. 

“I see,” Rio replied with admiration. 

“Ruri and Sayo aside, why are you not drinking, Lord Rio? There is no need to hold back just because we are here.” Hayate asked Rio the same question. 

“I have my daily training to do after this, so I’m practicing self-restraint for today.” 

“Oh, so you are studying some form of martial arts. I had surmised as much from the way you held yourself.” 

“Yes. It’s just a hobby, though.” 

“Hahaha. There is no need to be modest about it. You have traveled around the world at such a young age — I am sure you have considerable skill. Would you tell me a few tales from your travels? I rarely ever have the chance to leave the kingdom and travel elsewhere myself,” Hayate said with a soft laugh. 

“It may not be very interesting to you,” Rio warned him in advance, nodding. 

Hayate went ahead and began to question Rio about his journey. Ruri and Sayo listened intently for the most part, occasionally interrupting with their own questions for Rio. He answered their questions with as much as he was comfortable revealing; eventually, they asked about his parents’ hometown, which he named as the Karasuki Kingdom. 

“So, your parents were born in this country. Then, it’s possible that you were named after the person who appeared in the legends of our kingdom.” Hayate nodded in understanding. 

“Aah, you mean the legend of Ryuo the Hero? That sure brings back memories. My father used to tell me about it,” Ruri said nostalgically, the story in question immediately coming to mind. 

“Is it a famous story?” Rio cocked his head and asked Sayo, who sat beside him. 

“Yes. All of the villagers hear about it when they’re children.” Sayo nodded. 

“What kind of legend is it?” 

“Let me see. If I recall correctly...” Hayate began to relay the story.

Once upon a time, over a thousand years ago (before the kingdom of Karasuki had been formed), evil beings ran rampant all over the land, threatening the livelihood of the people. They devastated the land, leaving a huge trail of death and despair in their wake. That was when the hero, who the people would later call Ryuo, appeared. 

Ryuo was a strong, kind, and exceptional person. He was able to single-handedly take on and defeat the evil beings that the people of the time were helpless against. He shared his food with anyone on the brink of starving to death, and would heal anyone’s severe injuries in the blink of an eye. 

It was said that he also taught spirit arts to the people of the Yagumo region, back when there were barely any users at all. 

People from all over flocked to these lands to rely on Ryuo. They placed him on a pedestal as their hero, and it was only a matter of time before a new kingdom was established around them. 

However, Ryuo was only one man, and there was a limit to what he could do alone. 

No matter how many evil beings he defeated, they continued to spawn out of nowhere. At the same time, surges of poverty-stricken citizens that had heard the rumors came calling, seeking his salvation. Despite this, Ryuo continued fighting without rest, and continued to act as a savior without respite. He continued saving without rest. Because he was so strong and so kind, he alone remained the perfect hero for the people. 

No matter how much he suffered, Ryuo maintained the image of a completely flawless hero... until a time where there were mass casualties. 

One day, Ryuo declared that he had located the place where the evil beings were spawning from. His plan was to head there immediately in order to eliminate them, but no one else was capable of standing and fighting alongside him. So, accompanied by only one travel companion, Ryuo departed for the place where the evil beings originated from, leaving the people behind to wait for his return. 

That was when tragedy occurred. 

While Ryuo was away, hordes of evil beings ambushed the humans in full force. Those that faced the evil beings did so with their armies, but without Ryuo fighting alongside them, their death toll only continued to climb higher and higher. By the time Ryuo had returned, the lands were thoroughly ravaged by the war that had broken out in his absence. 

Ryuo used his mighty strength to annihilate the advancing evil beings in an instant, but once the war was over, someone spoke up. 

Why? 

Why didn’t you come to save us sooner? 

Why did you leave us here to die? 

Although Ryuo apologized for his late arrival, someone else insisted: 

The dead won’t return. 

The dead won’t rest in peace just because you apologized. 

Of course, it’s not like we haven’t had any casualties until now... 

However, there had never been a single battle that brought about as many deaths as this one, and the people’s expectations had been betrayed. The discontent that had built up during the war amongst the people grew as a collective mass, and exploded all at once. 

While there were some within that mass that tried to calm the others, there was no way for the voice of the few to reach through to the rioting mob. 

Ryuo did not fulfill his duty as a hero — the people saw him guilty of that sin — but he bowed his head before them and accepted their criticisms at face value. 

As a result, Ryuo declared himself unfit for the title of king, and renounced himself from the throne. 

The new dynasty began shortly after — the antecedent to the current Kingdom of Karasuki. 

Life continued peacefully henceforth, with no further attacks from the evil beings. Once an extended period of time had passed with no conflicts, the people finally realized that Ryuo had destroyed the origins of the evil beings, precisely as he said he would. 

Thus, the people started pondering out loud in recollection. Where might Ryuo be at this moment? they wondered, but by that point, Ryuo had already disappeared from the land. 

“The threat of evil beings attacking this land has diminished, but they still exist. I must eliminate the dangers that remain,” he had told a select few people before leaving the kingdom. 

The king publicly announced the truth to the people: an admission that they had committed an unforgivable crime in driving Ryuo away, which prompted the people to reflect. 

After time had passed, they would speak of the legends of Ryuo, passing his stories down from one generation to the next. They acknowledged their faults, and prayed that one day, their hero would return.

Once Hayate had finished his story, he let out a small sigh. 

“I do not know if this folk tale truly happened or not. I do not even know if this Ryuo truly existed. However, I believe the story is one that should be passed on. There is much that can be learned from it,” he said. 

“I always felt sorry for the king in that story and cried over him when I was little. It still makes me feel a little gloomy, even now,” Ruri murmured with a helpless smile. 

“I think I cried the first time I heard it, too...” added Sayo. “But the Great Ryuo from the story sounds lovely.” 

“His name really is similar to Rio’s, after all,” Ruri teased. 

“T-That’s not the reason why!” Sayo said, blushing. 

“Ahaha,” Ruri laughed. “But, if Rio’s parents really did name him after this story, I wonder what kind of meaning they wanted to put behind it. Did they want him to become someone like Ryuo?” Ruri said, pondering to herself. 

“...Who knows?” Rio said with a soft, somewhat fond smile. 

The four of them continued to chat for a while longer. 

“Here you are, Sir Hayate. Please have some tea.” Ruri poured some tea and offered it to Hayate beside her. 

“Ah, right. Thank you,” When Ruri’s body approached his, Hayate offered his gratitude. He took a sip of his tea before expressing his strong impression of the taste. “It is delicious.” 

“You don’t need to exaggerate. It’s just the cheap stuff the villagers drink.” 

“No, that is not true at all. Lady Ruri poured this tea. Your average tea cannot compare.” 

“Ahaha. You flatter me.” Ruri perceived Hayate’s words as a compliment, and laughed in amusement. 

What a fascinating person, Rio thought as he watched their antics with a smile. 

While Hayate could be a bit blunt and awkward, he was an honest and genuine person. He was the 18-year-old heir to one of the kingdom’s advanced martial arts families. Despite wearing the mantle of his family lineage, he never used his position to domineer over others. He normally carried himself with dignity, but when it came to Ruri, his reactions seemed somewhat innocent and naive. Rio’s impression of Hayate was quite favorable. 

On the other hand, Ruri was already a girl of marriageable age and favored highly by many of the male villagers. Even as her cousin, Rio found her to be charming. He hoped she would marry someone who didn’t have any baggage, but Ruri herself never brought it up, and therefore did not seem interested. 

Along came Hayate — a young man with a highly promising future, who already seemed to have fallen for Ruri. Of course, while the final decision of marriage was ultimately up to the two of them, Hayate certainly had no shortcomings as a candidate to become Ruri’s husband. 

With that thought, Rio nonchalantly struck up a conversation with Sayo beside him, hoping to give Ruri and Hayate the space to speak to each other alone. Sayo seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Rio, springing enthusiastically at the chance to talk to Rio. 

Thus, time passed in the blink of an eye. 

“If we chat any longer than this, we will all be exhausted come morning. Let us end the party now,” Hayate suggested. He had been thoroughly enjoying his conversation with Ruri, but at the same time, he knew when to back off. 

“Yes, let’s. Sayo, you should stay over tonight. It’s already late, so you can sleep with me.” Ruri said, deciding that Sayo would sleep over; there was no need to inform Shin, as he already knew that there was a chance of this happening. 

They quickly cleaned everything up and retired to their beds, with the exception of Rio, who went to complete his training practice. 

Rio swung his sword under the cover of night in the garden of the village chief’s house. His breaths came out harshly, his body emitting heat as a white steam rose from his skin. After attentively swinging his sword for several minutes, he took a deep breath and returned his sword to its sheath. 

“Phew...” 

It was already late into the night, so he decided to wrap up and immediately headed toward the bathhouse nearby. However... 

“Hm?” Rio froze on the spot, feeling a presence hidden in the darkness. 

He turned his eyes toward the direction of the presence; at the same time, he manipulated the wind with his spirit arts, blowing a light breeze in the same direction. 

Wind-related spirit arts were also good for detecting essence, as a high level wind spirit arts user was capable of releasing wind embedded with a faint amount of their own essence. This tactic allowing the wind to detect the essence of anything it touched. 

Rio couldn’t visually confirm someone’s figure due to the darkness, but he could detect the slight amount of essence coming from what was most likely a person walking down the road in front of the village chief’s house. 

Is someone walking around at this time? 

It was late enough for most villagers to be asleep already, but not late enough to say there couldn’t possibly be anyone out and about at this time. 

There was only one essence reaction, and its owner was getting further and further from the village chief’s home. 

...Well, whatever. 

If it wasn’t getting any closer, then there was no need to pay it any more attention. Rio picked up the towel he left next to him and wiped his sweat away. 

With Gon’s group of outsiders staying in the village, Rio had secretly set up sorcery barriers yesterday that could detect intruders around the village chief’s house. If anyone entered the grounds, he would know immediately. Specifically, if a living being with a certain amount of essence crossed the barrier, the spirit stone being used as the source of essence for the barrier would react by giving off a huge amount of light and heat. The efficacy of the barrier could be toggled at will, and the barrier would fail to activate if the spirit stone was carried outside of the barrier. 

Since many people were always going in and out during the day, Rio kept the barrier off during the daylight hours and activated its effect at night. 

At the moment, the spirit stone core of the barrier was silent. 

After Rio washed the sweat from his body and cleaned himself in the bath, he retired to his room and fell asleep. 

Not long after Rio fell asleep, in a small cabin on the outskirts of the village... 

“Let’s get going,” Gon said in an impatient tone. 

About an hour ago, he had sent one of his underlings to scope out the village chief’s house in advance. The underling had reported hearing someone in the garden, so they had waited on standby until now. 

Thanks to that, restlessness was pent up within him. Unable to withstand those hasty feelings any longer, Gon jumped to his feet and left the cabin with several other men. 

Although their vision was impaired by the darkness, they quietly and carefully made their way to the village chief’s house. Not a single villager was awake at this time of night, making silence dominate the air surrounding the village. 

When they arrived before the village chief’s house, with practiced movements, Gon made his way around the side of the house and removed the wooden sliding window attached to the side of a particular room. He had visited Yuba’s house numerous times before while accompanying his parents, so he knew where Ruri’s room was located. He also knew that the sliding door was the easiest point of entry. 

The wooden sliding door was supported by a stick on the inside, but that stick had no effect if the entire door was removed, though there was nothing he could do about the moderately-loud clunking sound that it made. 

Gon handed the removed sliding door to one of his followers and swiftly snuck into the room. Barely a minute had passed since they entered the property. 

Hm? There’s two of them? 

He froze at the sight of two girls sleeping on two mats spread out before him. 

Tch, why are there two of them? Ruri and... Who’s this? I’ve seen this face somewh— Ooh, it’s Shin’s sister! 

The unexpected turn of events made Gon click his tongue. He approached the two figures to get a better look at their faces in the dark. He immediately identified one of them as his target, Ruri, and belatedly realized that the other one was Sayo. A wide grin spread across Gon’s face. 

“Mm... Is someone there?” Ruri stirred from where she lay next to Sayo. She had probably been awakened by the sounds from before, and the presence of someone in the room. 

“Tch,” Gon clicked his tongue again. He leaned over her body and smothered her mouth. 

“Mmgh?!” 

Naturally, that anomaly made Ruri’s eyes snap open. 

“Quiet. If you make a fuss, I’ll make you regret it,” Gon threatened right in Ruri’s face. With those words, she realized who the intruder was. 

Gon. 

“Mmm! Mm, mmrgh!” Unwilling to yield to Gon’s demand, Ruri started to kick and struggle. 

“Hey, I told you not to move—” Gon tried to threaten her further, but this time, Sayo woke up. 

“...Ruri? Huh? U-Umm, wha—” 

Shit— With that spur-of-the-moment thought, Gon brought his fist down next to Ruri’s pinned face with great force. Thump. It made a blunt noise that echoed, making Ruri and Sayo flinch with their entire bodies. 

“Listen up!” 

Gon spoke to them in a quiet but intimidating whisper. He grabbed Ruri by the collar and swung his fist at her face, stopping moments before it made contact. 

“If you keep fussing, the next one goes to your face. Got it?” he continued. 

Overwhelmed by his intensity, Ruri stopped resisting. 

“Hmph,” Gon huffed in satisfaction. “And that goes for you, too,” he said, grabbing Sayo closer by the collar. 

“A-Ah... Uh...” 

“Do you hear me? Nod your heads.” The violent approach had Sayo in tears as Gon continued to pressure them menacingly. Sayo almost reflexively nodded her head, but... 

“W-Wha— You— Gah?!” 

The yells of one of Gon’s followers could be heard from outside the sliding door. At the same time, the sound of something heavy being thrown rang out. 

“What is happening, Lord Rio?! Wha— You there, what do you think you are doing?!” 

Hayate’s voice could be heard further away, which meant that the one who defeated Gon’s follower just now was probably Rio. He had detected an abnormality in the spirit stone core of the sorcery barrier and came running. 

“Shit, we gotta run!” the voices of the men outside were saying. Everything had become noisy all at once. 

“Hold it! You will not escape!” 

Hayate chased after the man who fled into the night. 

“Fuck, they found us! How— Gwah?!” Gon was visibly aggravated at the turn of events, when a dazzling light shone into the room from outside, making everything before him turn to a pure white. 

Rio had blinded Gon’s vision, having stuck his left hand out and shone a light into the room with spirit arts. Once he saw the sight of Gon clutching Sayo by the collar and Ruri’s disorderly clothes, he spoke to Gon in an icy cold voice. 

“...What are you doing?” he asked. 

“Kuh, fuck you!” Gon hurriedly released his grip on Sayo’s collar and broke into a run toward the door outside. He intended on forcibly knocking Rio away from where he stood before the doorway, but... 

“Gah! Hah?!” 

Rio easily sent him flying, his back hitting the ground with a loud slam. He didn’t even have time to brace himself for the landing, placing a huge amount of pressure on his chest and knocking the breath out of his lungs. 

“...Why are you running? I asked what you were doing. Answer me.” 

Rio’s face was completely void of expression as he looked down at Gon, who was gasping for breath. “Hah... Hah... Hh...” 

“What’s wrong? Answer me. What were you trying to do?” 

“Hahn... Hh...” Gon wheezed through his mouth, desperately seeking oxygen. 

“Oi, hurry up and answer me. You want to breathe, don’t you?” Rio roughly grabbed Gon by the collar. Tightening his grip around his neck, Rio intentionally made it even harder for Gon to breathe. 

“Hah... Ahh... Night... crawling... R-Rape...” 

In a desperate attempt to be saved, Gon unthinkingly gasped out the words “night crawling” and “rape.” His voice was so strained, it was difficult to make out the sounds clearly, but that hardly mattered. Rio knew the answer before he even asked. 

“Oh, really.” He nodded noncommittally, then swung at Gon’s face with all his strength. 

“Gah! Agh!” Gon groaned in pain. 

“...I’m not done yet.” Rio’s fist drove into Gon’s face once more. 

He didn’t hesitate for a moment; there was even some killing intent behind his punch. It was hard to believe these were the actions of someone who once felt a sense of reluctance about killing someone who had tried to kill him first. The moment Rio laid his eyes on the scene of Gon assaulting both Ruri and Sayo, his head was filled with a flashback of the last time he saw his mother. 

He would never forget it. 

The sight of Ayame being toyed with by men in order to protect her powerless 5-year-old son... 

Before he knew it, Rio was taking out his emotions on Gon, his body moving of its own accord. 

There was no holding back the endless hatred flowing out of him. Something had snapped inside of him — he had completely lost his mind. 

“...Ah, ah, ah...” 

Gon pleaded for his life through wheezing gasps, but Rio didn’t let up on his punches for even a second. 

He wouldn’t let him fall unconscious. 

He wouldn’t give him an easy death. 

He would never forgive him, no matter what. 

Only after hurting him to the limits of pain that his body could endure would he kill him. 

That was the only thing in Rio’s mind as he moved his fist with just the right amount of control. He couldn’t see anything else around himself, but his rage that bordered on insanity engulfed those watching on. 

Ruri’s body simply trembled, whereas Sayo cried for Rio to stop. Hayate stood stock still in a daze. 

“What’s going on?!” Awakened by the commotion, Yuba and Hayate’s aides came running out of the front door with torches in hand. Thanks to that, Hayate finally snapped out of his stupor. 

“N-No! Enough, Lord Rio! He will die if you hit him any more!” he said, trying to stop Rio in a panic. 

He’ll die? 

Of course he would, Rio was trying to kill him, after all. Spurred on by Hayate’s words, Rio straddled Gon’s body and moved to punch him even more, but Hayate grabbed Rio’s fist before it made contact. He glanced at Ruri and Sayo huddling together. 

“Wait, Lord Rio! I understand how you feel, but you are frightening the girls. This man will face retribution in due time, but we must hear his testimony too. So, please. Won’t you stay your hand?” he pleaded strongly. 

Rio finally came to his senses and looked at the two inside the room. His eyes made contact with Ruri, who immediately turned her face away, while Sayo was looking at Rio with terrible sadness in her eyes. That was when Rio finally let his fist fall limp. 

Still, an indescribable rage continued to swirl around inside his chest. He couldn’t bear to look at Gon’s face any longer, otherwise he really would kill him. 

“Gah... Hah... Hah...” 

Rio let go of Gon’s collar and slammed the back of his head against the ground — hard. Gon’s face was so swollen already that he couldn’t feel any more pain from the impact. His breath came out in ragged gasps, and it was difficult to tell whether he was still conscious or not. 

Rio let out a heavy sigh filled with all his irritation toward Gon; he didn’t feel even a shred of guilt looking at his state. He calmly wondered if he was such a cold-hearted person, as if he were a third-party spectator looking in on the situation. 

“Is that... Gon?” Yuba approached fearfully, hovering the torch in her hand over to clearly reveal Gon’s face. 

“Yes. He was caught red-handed trying to assault Lady Ruri and Lady Sayo. Please take care of them.” 

Hayate gave Yuba a brief explanation before directing her toward the girls. 

“...I understand.” Yuba nodded with a solemn expression and went over to the girls inside the room. 

“All of you, split up. One group will go and apprehend the accomplices that have been knocked out outside, while the other group will head to the cabin where their fellow travelers are staying and investigate the situation there,” Hayate directed his attendants, who nodded and swiftly followed their orders. 

Next, Hayate began to cast a healing spirit art on Gon’s wounded face. He summoned a faint healing light in his hand and brought it close to Gon’s face. The rate of recovery was clearly slow, though; Hayate perhaps did not specialize in healing spirit arts, or he could have been weakening the healing effect on purpose. Rio was capable of performing a much stronger level of healing spirit art, but he chose to stand there and watch in silence. 

Eventually, Gon recovered up to a certain point, and groaned. “Uh, uugh...” 

“Hey, are you awake?” Hayate said to Gon. 

“I-It... Ith hur... hurths... Help... me...” Gon was moving his mouth desperately. 

“...Lord Hayate. Allow me to handle the healing. I specialize in healing spirit arts, so I can heal him until he can speak properly.” 

No one knew what Rio was thinking as he made such an offer to Hayate. Without waiting for Hayate’s agreement, he came right up to them and placed a hand against Gon’s face to cast the spirit art. 

“Oh... This is...” Hayate muttered, seeing the swelling on Gon’s face fade away. 

For a moment, he feared Rio would kill Gon on the spot, but seeing the healing being carried out exactly as stated made him give Rio the benefit of the doubt. Roughly ten seconds passed until Gon’s face had recovered enough for him to open his eyes. Rio stopped his healing spirit arts and gave Gon a direct order. 

“Hey, wake up. You can speak now, right?” 

“E-Eek! You!” Gon peeled open his swollen eyes, only to spot Rio’s face and react in shock. He tried to gather his strength and yell, but the pain made his face pull into a tight grimace. 

“Watch how you speak. Who do you think healed you? Do you want me to undo what I just did?” Rio said coldly, making Gon gulp in pure fear. His hostility toward Rio had completely quieted and his gaze wandered in search of help. 

“Lord Rio...” Unable to meet Gon’s eyes, Hayate called Rio’s name. 

“Lord Hayate. How will this be dealt with?” Rio inquired with a cold voice. 

“...Though it was unsuccessful, attempted rape is still a felony. He was caught in the act with myself, a government official, as witness. No one would complain if he was cut down right here and now. Or, you could seek punishment from the kingdom, in which case he would either be sentenced to the death penalty, or forced into penal slavery. He does have ties to this village, though, so the final decision is up to the affected parties or Lady Yuba,” Hayate replied, looking at Ruri and Sayo. 

“Is that so...” Rio responded with a frown, but immediately took on the emotionless mask on his face as he looked down at Gon with an icy glare. 

“That’s how it is. You’ll behave until everything is settled, won’t you?” 

“Eek...” Gon trembled with a start. 

“Answer me.” 

“I-I got it! Ah, n-no, I understand! I’ll behave!” Rio’s faint irritation made Gon answer in fear. 

It seems like the hypnosis is working. Rio turned an examining gaze toward Gon. 

He had cast a spirit art of hypnosis on Gon as he was healing him before. While the effects of hypnosis arts weren’t permanent, they were often used for immoral purposes, so the spirit folk village had treated them as forbidden arts, depending on the intention of the use and the matter of the suggestion. 

This time, the hypnosis Rio had cast leaned toward those forbidden arts. He had planted the suggestion that Gon should fear him. 

Rio had never cast any hypnosis arts until now, but he didn’t hesitate to use it on Gon. Even if it went against his own morals, he wanted to thoroughly crush Gon’s mind. 

Gon had taken a severe beating at Rio’s hands already, so the effects of the hypnosis took hold easily. It was even possible for the effects to linger after the hypnosis wore off. 

Rio’s face twisted with a sour expression as he tore his gaze away from Gon. Then, he looked around at everyone standing and offered a word of apology. 

“...Please accept my deepest apologies for losing my composure so dreadfully. It must have been quite unsightly, especially for Ruri and Sayo...” 

“N-No, not at all. It’s all right.” 

“T-Thank you very much, Sir Rio!” 

Ruri shook her head hesitantly while Sayo thanked Rio in a shrill voice. 

“...No, I have done nothing to be thanked for. I did something that hurt you two even more than you were already.” 

“It’s okay, Rio. We’re fine, really...” Ruri answered worriedly because of the regretful expression on Rio’s face. She really wanted to ask how he was doing himself, but for some reason, she felt as though she shouldn’t. 

“Sorry, I’m feeling a little tired. May I leave the rest to you?” Rio averted his gaze from Ruri and Sayo guiltily, turning toward Yuba and Hayate instead. He felt as though he shouldn’t remain at the scene any longer. 

“Sure, we can talk properly later. Leave this to us for now. Thank you.” Yuba nodded with a gentle smile. Hayate also met Rio’s eyes and nodded with force. 

“...Thank you very much. Then, if you’d please excuse me.” With those words, Rio turned on his heel. He went around to the front and entered the house. 

“Ah...” Sayo was about to follow after Rio when Ruri’s hand stopped her. Her shoulders slumped as she wondered in a daze if it was really okay to leave things like this, but Ruri simply shook her head. There was no way to know the answer to that. 

Rio returned to his room and lay on his sleeping mat, looking up at the ceiling. His face twisted on the verge of tears as he reflected on himself and how shameful his actions really were. 

After behaving so violently — as though he had been the victim — and making the scene more chaotic, then scaring Ruri and Sayo, he was the first to run away. 

He probably had a terrible image now, having made them accommodate his needs. In the end, he had most likely caused a huge amount of trouble. 

“How pathetic,” Rio muttered to himself, then gritted his teeth and came to a decision. 

Tomorrow would be the start of a new day. He might never return to his old self, but he would endeavor toward doing just that — on the outside, at least. That way, they would be able to return to those peaceful days once more. 

For the whole night, Rio remained curled up on his futon, body trembling from his self-loathing.