The initial chaos had already died down, the soldiers were busy setting up camp around the city. But before long for soldiers started to gather seeing the procession.
The procession led them to the front of the Chararch. Kinoya kneeled down without much resistance. He put the talwar down beside him. With Riyasu whispered one of the guards tried to move it but all was in vain.
The failed attempts made Riyasu to stomped his foot before reading out the edict and announced the punishments. Some were happy and some were sad but none came forward to protect him.
*Whoop* *whoop*
First one fell, then the second, and it continued without rest until the 17th. The one whipping noticed it first. He hesitated for a moment but continued. By 22nd everybody could see the black smoke oozing off the wounds. They didn't understand what was happening. But that was not the case for the general guards who went with him at that night. Being one, the whipper was more hesitant.
"Don't worry, nothing like that will happen. You can continue." Kinoya spoke in a calm voice, without raising his head. The whipper looked at the captain with questioning eyes. Even after getting the confirmation he was a little hesitant but compiled under the under urges of Riyasu. Soon the only thing left at the place was, kneeled Kinoya with the bloody back.
The city centre became normal again. Nobody cared for Kinoya. All except four. The four he beat up before. They flocked together like a bunch of hyenas.
"Look who we got here?"
"Isn't the mister righteous."
"See Akori, it's the one who stole your first wife from you."
Akori was angered to the extreme. Before joining the military he was satisfied with himself, there was very few in his village who could stand up to him, whether child or adult. But he shared the caves with monsters. One beat him for the cave leadership, one for the best cavalry, and this one almost beat him for a girl. Akori couldn't hold it any longer. He kicked at the head of Kinoya.
Nobody had expected that not even the three other. But what was more surprising that Kinoya grabbed the kick with his bare hand. They instinctively stepped back. His blue flame eye awakened their fear in the heart. Akori, who was unable to control his weight, fell on his butt.
Not many could stay sane after taking so many whiplashes. They had observed the whole ordeal from the crowd, at it surprised them that a 12 years old could take the 50 whiplashes and stayed conscious.
"What do you want?" His voice was hoarse, the eye was blue but there was no change in his demeanour.
"Re-Release my leg." Akori stammered his words out, "You are not a captain anymore."
Kinoya was dumbfounded from the answer, "That is your reason? I may not be a captain, but that doesn't mean I will not protect myself." Even before his words ended he punched at Akori.
"Unhand him," the lieutenant shouted but by one look from Kinoya, the tone changed, "...Captain."
"Don't want to." Kinoya showered more punches on him without hesitation. Akori was facing the blunt edge of Kinoya's pent up anger and there was nothing he could do about it. Neither the lieutenant nor the other two could come forward to help him. Even looking at the pleading eyes of Akori all they could do was avert their gaze.
'You had brought this on yourself. Who told you to kick him? Even if it is wounded a tiger will still be a tiger.'
Without the help of other, all Akori could do was accept his fate. His face turned into an unrecognizable mess with bruises and cuts all over it. Kinoya didn't care, but he was reaching his limit too. He panted on his four as took deep breaths and stood up. His steps weren't steady but as soon as he grabbed the talwar he vanished into thin air with a puff of black smoke.
**********
"Do you know captain how hard it was to find you here?"
"Chanakya?" Kinoya was surprised seeing Chanakya all the way to the top of the Chararch. There were no stairs to climb after all.
"There is no need to be surprised. You have done it, I could do it too."
"But you didn't obey my order."
"But you are not the captain anymore." There was a moment of silence before Kinoya asked again.
"Then what about the girls?"
"Don't worry, the others are there. They didn't know what happened here. By the way captain there was 234 woman, so you own them like 2 gold coins and 34 silver ones."
Kinoya smiled, "Why are still calling me captain?"
"Because I mostly couldn't remember people's name."
"Hi, I am Kinoya Arviga. Nice to meet you." Kinoya introduced himself with a bright smile.
"Kinoya? That is not a good name, captain suits you better. And I know you are going to be captain again in no time as long as tonight's strike is successful. All you need to do is to wait here."
Kinoya smiled and said, "Well about that, I think we need to do something about it."
"Why? They are the one who didn't believe you, beat you, and cast you out. And now you want to save them?"
"Well, I thought about those idiots, believe me, they are real idiots. I really want to beat some sense in them, I really want to beat up the Riyasu and the general of west and everybody. I really want to beat them senseless. You won't believe me…"
"Captain I think you are deviating from the main topic."
Kinoya gave a silly smile, " The point is no matter how much want, I couldn't let all of them die." Kinoya looked at the soldiers in the city centre. "They don't know what is coming for them. Only because their superiors are ignorant I couldn't just let them die. We have to find a way to save them."
Chanakya took a look at him, before turning his head towards the horizon. it was same old sun taking a dive in the horizon. 'Somehow it felt different.' So he thought. His smile didn't miss the eye of Kinoya but Kinoya chose not to speak.
"There was an old kingdom named Roginian country. The Vishnuguptas clan were the chief military advisor of the country, but the increasing number of corruption was polluting the country. And when they pointed it out my great-great-grandfather and his father was assassinated while my great-grandfather with the left and came over to the Kounen mountain range." Chanakya eyes didn't leave the horizon as Kinoya continued to listen.
"There was no empire at that time there was just tribe of current empire family and the other heredity noble families. They saved my great-grandfather. And in return, he helped them to build the empire. As a token of faith, we became nobility but only if you are talking to the military, like me."
Chanakya took a deep breath. For a while, he didn't speak.
"My grandfather served the nation, then my father did it too. But when I was small he committed suicide. That was something that shouldn't have to happen." He sighed, "What is the profit of serving if one couldn't save himself? Why he have to die just to protect the family?"
'That is the story of every nation, no matter how clean a nation appeared there are bound to be some corruption in it.' The empire was around 94 years old, it meant the amount of corruption is less that didn't mean it was void of it. 'But, his dad…' Kinoya could only sigh thinking about it. To begin with, he wasn't any good in those emotional situations, and it didn't look like Chanakya was asking for any sentiment. Kinoya didn't even understand what Chanakya was looking for.
"You sounded depressing, you know."
Chanakya was stunned by the remarks for a moment "Why would you even say that? You don't say that to a person who is smiling."
Kinoya shook his head and said, "You know, depressed people usually have the biggest smile." He smiled, took another look at Chanakya, "Well if that is not a depressed smile then there is nothing to worry. I really don't want to lose a friend again."
Chanakya didn't know how to respond so he continued to stare at the horizon, "Captain, do you know there are sometimes even I don't get you."
Kinoya was all smile but didn't answer. "You know, magic or not, this view is always beautiful." The sea of orange was drowning the sky, the horizon already had taken a bite of the sun. Little clouds were like the fishes in the sky. It was really beautiful. But that didn't attract Chanakya like Kinoya's words.
"What do you mean by 'magic or not'? Where can there be a place where the magic does not exist."
Kinoya was about to say something but he started shouting, "It's magic, magic is the secret. Chanakya you are a genius."
On the other hand, Chanakya was surprised not knowing why he was regarded as a genius, continued to stare at him with a question in mind, 'How, even without a string on his body, that talwar was still sticking to captain's naked back?'