Chapter 5 - Preparations

Kei spent the next few weeks exploring the castle, studying, and training. The castle was not like your standard European castle it was plush on the inside it a heating system, wood floors, and was just comfortable. The walls were 70 meters tall and the whole castle spaned 100 meters they were made of stone but the walls inside were covered in a plaster-like material. It had towers on the four corners that were constantly guarded by knights. Kei studied the written language and with Persephone's help he mastered it in two weeks he tried to teach her Japanese but she couldn't learn past kanji. He spent a lot of time training he learned many knife moves, how to cast magic, and how to slightly control his berzerker mode Alexander told him "you need something to focus on to bring you back" Kei used memories of home and could mostly come back but it still was unstable. He became a master of hand to hand even the trained knights couldn't beat him. They went back to Haraku to pick up his armor It was a two-piece suit of the braided iron he put it one and it was surprisingly comfortable "it's waterproof and it's enchanted to act as a heating element" said Haraku Kei and Alexander thanked him and then he started to design his knife. They decided to let him chose the design and he told them to come back in a week. Alexander told Kei that once his weapon was done that he would need to leave the castle to explore dungeons and fight monsters to get experience for when he fights the demon king and that he needs to spend all his time training. Once they got back to the castle Kei had a training session with Persephone, magic was his worst ability but Persephone excelled in it. She taught him how to control his powers he could shoot compressed shots of air and partially fly, he found out when he tried the first time and ran face first into a wall "HAHAHA that was hilarious" Persephone's laughs could be heard all around the castle. They stopped for lunch and Persephone started talking about him leaving " so how long are you going to be gone" " Alexander suggested a five-month journey to the dungeons" Persephone gave a sad look but then realized and changed it "well I guess it's your duty as the hero" she says as she stands up and walks" A week goes by of training Kei has got visibly stronger in his time here, Alexander and him go back to Haraku's and pick up his knife. Its made of a black metal serrated neat the handle, a double-edged triangular type blade 16cm long and a redwood handle 14cm long and a scabbard that is concealed inside his cloak "the blade is made of steel a rare metal here and I added enchantments it should cut through anything you throw at it". To prove his point he swung it was a large rock and cut it cleanly in half. Alexander paid him 2,000 gold for it and thanked him again. Next, they went to get him some supplies food, a tent, sleeping bag, extra clothes, and spare weapons. Once at the castle, Kei had the last shower and meal there for a while. He had Emma cut his hair and he was gonna use it as a kind of time marker for how long he's been gone. He tried to get a goods night sleep for the adventure ahead.