I returned to my room while reading the details on the piece of paper in my hand.
----Oarburgh Clan----
"Babara, I have heard that you have been trading with some boy from the Capital for some time already. Care to explain this to me? You know my stance against men." A young woman, slightly older than Akashi, with long black hair and bun on the right side of her head who was hugging another woman in maid outfit asked Babara with furrowed brows.
"This is no secret but this is a trade between me and him. I am not acting on Oarburgh's behalf." Babara explained with a calm expression and closed eyes.
"I am aware but still giving some unknown boy our resources...even if you pay for them, it's still unsettling. Taeko, you have grown up into a very beautiful lady!" The young woman stopped hugging her maid and jumped on Taeko who was standing next to Babara.
"M-Mera-sama?" Taeko exclaimed with a slightly surprised face when the young woman jumped on her and started massaging one of her breasts.
"*sigh* Stop this behavior." Babara just sighed and said while looking at those two.
"What? Do you want to join?" Mera or Merraid, the current leader of the Oarburgh clan asked Babara while looking at her with a confused expression.
"No, you fool! You and your lust...it's like a sickness. Anyway, stop molesting Taeko." Babara shouted at her with an irritated expression.
"?! Why? Is she perhaps reserved for that "boy"?!" Mera immediately narrowed her eyes and asked Babara with serious expression but she still stopped molesting Taeko.
"Huh? Akashi is a good friend and sparring partner." Taeko tilted her head in confusion when she heard that she is being reserved for Akashi
"So Akashi is his name...huh? It seems like you have a lot of respect for him, that's not good." Mera said with a threatening tone.
"Stop right now before you do something stupid. He is extremely talented and I couldn't even see his limits but he was able to lead me into a trap by making me think that he is defenseless. And at that time he was still just a kid" Babara warned Mera when she heard her tone.
"Even bigger reason to kill him right now. If he was so talented back then, why didn't you kill him when you had a chance?" Mera asked with furrowed brows.
"Why kill him when I didn't have to? Not to mention that I had a hunch not to attack him seriously and my hunches are always right. Right now, we have a pretty good relationship with him and he also owes me a favor so I say that it's fair." Babara explained with a calm smile.
"...I still don't approve of this. I see what you are trying to do with your pupil and I must say that I won't tolerate it. She is a beautiful lady, she won't end up with some nasty man." Mera said with furrowed brows.
"Grandma, what is Mera-sama talking about?" Taeko asked Babara with a confused expression while tilting her head to the side.
"...Don't worry about that. As for Akashi...You can judge him after having a look at him, I have heard that they are going to leave the Capital for the borders with Northern Tribes tomorrow. There will even be your beloved Esdeath." Babara told Takeo not to worry about those things and then proceed to explain the situation to Mera.
"W-what?! Esdeath will be there too?! ...I might go and take a look" Mera's cheeks immediately became flushed when she heard name Esdeath and her expression became absent-minded.
"? Can we go too? It's been a while since I last saw Akashi." Taeko asked Babara with pleading eyes but her expression remained stoic.
"Yes, it will be good to see how much he had changed and improved after those 3 years" Babara nodded with a small excited smile.
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----The Capital - Random warehouse----
"Agh! To think that such a little brat would be so strong..." The man who just lost his arms muttered before losing his consciousness due to loss of blood but there was no one who would save him anymore.
"Tch, I am not brat, scum!" Kurome who was standing in the middle of the warehouse filled with dead bodies and limbs of bandits stomped her feet in frustration.
"W-Why are you doing this?" The other man missing only 1 leg asked with half-open eyes, threatening to lose consciousness at any moment.
"Hm? Why? You are stealing from poor and have no qualms about killing people but the main reason is that my Nii-sama sees you as eyesores." Kurome turned at the last remaining man alive and answered with a confused expression.
"Ugh, to think...that brat like you-" The man finally lost his consciousness and soon he would also bleed out without any help.
"With that 'brat' again...Well, job is done!" Kurome muttered and swung her katana to get rid of any blood before sheathing it and then a bright smile appeared on her face.
When she left the warehouse, one of the men who was playing dead got up while tightly holding his arm that was partly cut off.
"I will fucking kill that brat!" He muttered with a pained expression and with immense hate in his eyes.
"Nope, you won't" The voice resounded behind him and before he was able to turn around, the dagger struck his heart from behind.
"Ah, Kurome is getting better and better at this but she is still inexperienced and maybe it was also due to her desire to rush to the young lord's side? ...Who knows." Ichika finally revealed herself and muttered with an absent-minded expression.
--------
As I was busy writing the training plan for Kurome...
*Creak* "Akashi Nii-sama! I am done, hehe" Kurome came in and reported with a smile and her hands behind her back.
"Hm? Good job, I hope you are alright." I stood up from my seat and approached her just to gently pat her head a few times.
"Everything is alright, hehe. No one saw me." Kurome replied with her eyes closed as I was patting her.
"Mm...Here you go, this is your training plan for the next few weeks because I will be going somewhere tomorrow morning and I have yet to know when I will return." I told her and handed the paper to her.
"W-What? Akashi Nii-sama won't be here? Can't you take me with you?" Kurome asked with a disheartened expression.
Well...maybe I can but I don't want the Empire to see how fast Kurome is progressing. Let's just say I can't because if I will tell her that there is a possibility that she can, she will start pressing me. Although she respects me and obeys my orders sometimes even without asking any questions, when it comes to things like this one, she will do anything possible to be with me as far as to go disobeying me.
"Unfortunately, you can't." I said with a slightly sad expression, it wasn't faked one but it wasn't because "she can't go with me" but it was due to me lying to her. She does whatever she can to make me feel proud yet I am lying here to her...I will make it up for her later.
"...I-I see" She said with a downcast expression.
"Don't worry, Ichika will be here with you." I said with a smile and Kurome's expression brightened a little bit.
...After I was done with giving Kurome instructions for the next few days or weeks at worst, Ichika informed me about Kurome's "little" mistake so I told her to talk to Kurome about it once I am away.
I also stopped Kurome's training for today since this was my last day here before I would have to leave for a few days, therefore we, Ichika, I and Kurome used this chance to go explore the town and walk around, trying out all delicacies we were able to find. That day...Kurome became addicted to the chocolate cookies, especially cookies with white chocolate. It would become the day I would greatly regret because these snacks aren't so cheap.
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The next morning I dressed up in my usual black uniform with white gloves and black leather shoes. I attached a few little bags to my red belt and stuffed them with a things I got from Babara. For example poisonous smoke bombs and also that vial of hers that heals wounds almost instantly. Even those clothes I was currently wearing were made from material, Babara sent me and I must really thank her for how convenient it is. Any blood immediately gets washed away and its smell also immediately disappears.
I said goodbye to everyone and made my way towards the Palace.
"Who are you?! State your business here!" The guards at the main entrance towards the Palace immediately stopped me because my current uniform didn't have my house's insignia and although I was quite famous in our territory, I tend to stay there or just be outside of the City entirely so not everyone was aware of my appearance. Not to mention that these guards are simply looking at the clothes so once they noticed my formal clothes their tone became friendlier but they still stopped me
"I am here on behalf of Phoenix house, here is the invitation. Now, make way." I said in an authoritative tone and took one of my hands out of my pocket and showed him a crumpled paper.
"Oh! I am sorry for blocking your way, please come on in!" The guard immediately straightened himself when he read a few words written on the paper.
I nodded at him and entered the Palace area.
---
"Why was his invitation so crumpled?" One of the guards asked his colleague when Akashi left.
"...No idea." He answered with a confused expression as he began thinking about possibilities but the truth was that Akashi forgot it in his pocket so when he threw his previous clothes aside yesterday, the clothes became crumpled and so the paper. Thankfully, Akashi's acting skills are high enough to pretend that nothing happened with it.
---
*Sigh* For the first time being so close to the Palace of the current Emperor and his "Guardian"
My eyes were still half open but this time, my expression was stern just for a show as my father requested. But this combination was enough to make me look "noble" and arrogant enough as expected from such a family.
I asked a few maids working in the enormous garden about directions to the meeting room and they quickly described where it is. When I finally arrived, I still had to show my invitation once again to another guard.
*Creak* I opened the door and walked in with my stern look in my face.
I immediately noticed a very long table with numerous seats.
There is Esdeath, sitting in white uniform without any badges, she still wears her headband, huh? Numerous people around her, trying to get her favor...and those 2 girls at the end of the table, sitting all alone must be from Rakshasa Demons.
Everyone immediately looked towards me as if they were waiting only for me. Most of those stares were angry glares except for those 2 girls from Rakshasa Demons.
---
'Oh? Maybe this meeting won't be such boredom with this handsome man here. I can't stand these ugly stupid nobles trying to score with Esdeath...' One of the girls with green eyes, tanned skin and blonde hair tied in pigtails decorated with horseshoes thought with a genuine smile with her chin being supported by her hand while looking at Akashi, checking him out. She is wearing long leggings and open shirt, displaying her bikini top
'Those sharp eyes and that stern expression....Ah! I wonder how it would feel to be tortured by him! Just image of being whipped by him while being glared at with his red eyes with vertical pupils....aaah!' The other girl with pale skin, black hair and eyes, and scar over her nose thought with flushed cheeks while looking at Akashi with hungry eyes. She is wearing a loose kimono shirt exposing her cleavage held by a breast guard.
---
That black-haired girl is looking at me weirdly...Although it is not exactly in perverted ways...but that only makes it scarier.
"Who do you think you are that you let all of us wait for you?!" The angry shout came from probably one of the representatives of those noble families.
"Sorry for being late. I am Phoenix's house representative." I directed my stern look at the one who shouted at me and said with an emotionless voice.
"It doesn't matter what family you represent, I hope you have a very good excuse for all of us here." He replied with an irritated expression.
This is getting annoying...sorry father...
"Yeah, I have one. I had problem waking up so I took 5 more minutes. Is that good enough?" I said without any shred of humor in my tone.
"Wha-?!" All of them got surprised by my reply and the one who was arguing with me previously wanted to say more but...
I sensed something coming at me from my left side so I turned to the side and blocked the leg coming for my head and firmly gripped it.
"Akashi! I hope you didn't forget about our promise!" It was Esdeath who attacked me with a genuine smile while looking at me and her smile only widened when I blocked her kick so effortlessly.
"Of course not, it is nice to see you again and this time in more formal clothes. It suits you but let's postpone this "our spar", we are here to talk and not to fight. Here you go!" I threw her back towards her previous seat
"Huh?" She seemed a bit surprised but she quickly smiled and performed a few spins to regain her balance and then precisely landed on her previous seat with a calm expression and closed eyes, as if she never left it before.
Everyone had their jaws dropped when they saw this little exchange and the one who previously shouted at me was only looking at the ground, keeping quiet.
---
'Oho? Not only handsome but also strong?! Just my type!' The tanned girl thought with sparks in her eyes.
'Aaah, now I am sure that he would be strong enough to make me feel great pleasure!' The black-haired girl's cheeks only reddened more as she thought while looking at Akashi.
---
Now for the empty seats...UGH, all next to those nobles.
I walked to the end of the table and took a seat next to the tanned girl since that black-haired girl was giving me weird vibes while the other one looked perfectly normal.
"Hi, I am Mez, nice to meet you!" The tanned girl immediately introduced herself with a wide smile and without any regard for the people in this room and extended her hand to me for a handshake.
"Akashi, nice to meet you." I nodded at her and accepted her handshake with a small smile.
"I am Suzuka!" The other girl also extended her hand but I was slightly hesitant to take it but after a while I finally took it.
She immediately tightened her grip enough to crush normal man's hand so I tightened my own grip even more and instead of releasing pained groan she actually moaned lowly.
"Ah!" Her cheeks became flushed once again and she released a charming smile at me.
"It's really nice to meet you, Akashi!" She said with a charming smile.
...This girl is a masochist.
"Y-Yeah, likewise." I replied with a forced smile.