After their fight against Savanth, they all headed back to the king's castle to report it, but Sazoru was still upset about it.
"How are you holding up?" Kazoru tried to comfort Sazoru after he knew that Sazoru wasn't feeling well and was stressed out after the man escaped.
"I'm doing just fine..." He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down, but still thought about it.
[FIRE HEALING MAGIC: SERA E'XORA]
Sazoru's body was coated with flame, and he used his healing magic to heal all of his wounds after the battle.
Meanwhile, Akira tried to buy some new clothes after they gave him money to buy some. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out well... The store near where they fought was destroyed, and so many clothing stores were closed after the evacuation.
After running and running, it took Akira 25 minutes to finally find an open clothes store. He entered and the cashier and the customers looked at him awkwardly, as if he was some kind of perv.
"Nothing to see here," Akira said as he closed his p and walked into the changing room while holding a pair of clothes.
The misunderstanding led them to call the police and make Akira explain to them what happened.
"What took him so long?" Said Kazoru, folding his arms while waiting for half an hour straight.
"He's an interesting kid. Aside from his hobby, he was able to help me. His actions and capability are one of the reasons I should recruit him." Sazoru praised Akira.
"Heh, you should make him a commander!" Kazoru giggled.
"Maybe next time. If he ever joins us and gains high credit, I'll appoint him as a commander!" Sazoru said.
"Yeah, good luck with that. He's not what you think he is, and also, he's a rank D. Isn't that against your requirements too?" Kazoru stated that Akira would refuse his offer, but he also didn't have the requirements to join. Akira did tell his story when they went to the western city.
"Oh? Well, it's fine! For a rank D, I should think of him as a rank B. You also told me before, that he helped you with the exams. And also, could you tell me more about him? " Sazoru was looking so surprised about Akira's rank as only a D, but to validate it, he could be ranked as a B+.
"He's obnoxiously loud, very dumb from what I've heard from a friend (Shura), and a muscle-head. We chatted, though not really as much. I only considered him reliable." Akira's falsehood was spread thanks to Shura for making nicknames and insults.
"Is that so? Well, I don't see much of a big deal. He has to join, or else he'll miss the chance to work with a general. More importantly, I want him to join before the pretty boy and icy face recruit him." Sazoru mentioned his friends.
"Yeah, no. I don't guarantee he'll join us." Kazoru kept it in mind and said to him that Akira wouldn't join any forces.
"Very well... I hope he can change his mind." Sazoru hoped that Akira would one day change his mind.
Akira, on the other hand, finally bought some clothes to wear and bought two spares.
"How the hell does it cost so much? In addition to the spares, the jacket cost 250 Gols, the shirt cost 100 Gols, and the pants cost 113 Gols, for a total of 1,229 Gols if I mentioned them all. In addition to the spares, it would be 3x the price! If I was in my village, regular clothes would cost 23–51 Gols, but in this place, I'll be broke in an instant!" Akira stated, in shock, while reading the receipt.
"Well, I guess it's pretty fancy too. Can't complain about it. And besides, it's a good thing that they gave me money for it." Akira wore a black jacket that matched his jeans and a white t-shirt. Thanks to Sazoru's money, he gave about 6,000 Gols to Akira for free without any debts, which was not so surprising for a well-off family.
After Akira bought his clothes, he straight away headed back to the castle.
"Took you long enough!" Said Kazoru, folding his arms.
"Oi! If it weren't for that fight we had earlier against that black fire mage guy, there would've been a store nearby. So, sorry for the wait!" Akira panted because he was exhausted from searching the clothes store as they waited and chatted for over 45 minutes.
"It's fine. Oh, and also, would like to join my squad?" Sazoru offered.
"No," Akira quickly replied, without hesitation. He declined.
"Wow, no hesitation. Are you not interested in joining me? There's still room for you." Sazoru tried to persuade and interest him.
"No, I'm not interested in joining a general's team, but thank you for the kind offer."
"Well, I did give you my money, so you should join!" Sazoru reasoned why he should join.
"Hey! That's not fair! Were you trying to blackmail me?" Akira stomped the ground and yelled because he thought it was a trap so he could join.
"Hahaha, just kidding. But you sure aren't interested? Last chance..."
"Umm, no, sorry..." Akira declined again.
"How pity. Very well, if you ever changed your mind you are always free to join!" Sazoru tapped Akira's shoulder.
"Ok (though I won't be joining anyone else...)" Akira smiled.
After they chatted, they entered the castle and went on to the 53rd floor using the elevator. However, Akira took the stairs and thought of it as training.
The elevator opened and Akira made it in time. Akira wasn't even exhausted from running up the stairs.
He impressed Sazoru thinking that he had done this before. Sazoru asked why didn't he take the elevator instead.
Akira told him that it was for his missed training. Sazoru nodded and inquired what his goals were and why he trained.
"To become the strongest warrior and surpass the king!" Akira answered proudly about his ambition and was thriving to become the strongest. Akira's words made Sazoru's and Kazoru's eyes widen and their pupils dilated.
"Hahaha, I admire your ambition, but, do you have what it takes to overpower a king? The present king can be counted to be billions and trillions of warriors surpassed. He is stronger than the previous kings before Celesta was built." Sazoru explained that the present king wasn't to be reckoned with for his power. He stated that the king in this region was stronger than all regions combined.
"I'm not sure, but I'll train like hell, even if it means getting stronger!" Just like that, he impressed them with words.
"Well, best of luck on that! Looking forward to your success!" Sazoru wished Akira luck, though he wasn't sure if Akira could do so since he didn't know his ability.
"Yes, sir!"
"Oh, and may I ask, why not achieve the title of king instead of wanting to become stronger?"
"Yeah, being the king is not my style, looking forward to it though, but just not really what I wanted to be. Being the king means protecting the country not all people around the world."
"You're not wrong. I guess being a king does give troublesome work rather than protecting people."
"That's what I mean, I don't think I could handle that much work."
"Ok, let's end this talk and continue to the king's office." They then continued to walk to the hall to meet the king and inform him.
After they were about to reach the king's office, one man and one child were near the king's door.
"Ah, welcome back!" Said the king's assistant, welcoming them as they returned after their fights. Right as he welcomed them, Akira noticed a child with fancy royal clothing. The child was unique in appearance and thought it was a lost child.
A blue-haired child with two unique shapes and colors in his eyes; his right eye had a very shiny pink colored iris, his left was an aquatic blue, resembling the color of the ocean, and each of his pupils was vertically shaped. He was about 142 cm tall and was standing in front of Akira.
"Huh? A child? What's he doing here? Are you lost?" Akira bend down and talked to the young boy as he thought he was lost.
"..." The child's smile tightened as his veins popped while closing his eyes. He seemed to be annoyed by what Akira addressed him "A child".
"Pardon me, but the child you're referring to is the ruler of this city or a king you may. Although he may have a childlike appearance, his powers don't seem to fit with his looks. Don't judge a book by its cover, as the saying goes." The king's assistant answered his question that the child was the king.
"WHAT! THIS CHILD IS THE KING?!" Akira gazed wide-eyed at the king's appearance and was dissatisfied with what he had expected. He was merely a charming young boy, but in his mind, he was a completely attractive, masculine guy who everybody admired.
"Please desist from calling me that, Akira. Although I appreciate that this is your first encounter with me, I kindly ask that you refrain from shouting at me or calling me a child; it's impolite." The king gave a stiff smile.
"I'm sorry, sir." Akira gulped and knelt down, expressing regret for his stupidity. As Akira started bowing, Sazoru and Kazoru knelt before him.
"You all have done a wonderful job! Please come into my office!" The king invited them to his office.
"Yes, sir!" They all said yes and eventually went to the King's office.
His office was full of books, paper sheets, and technology. The office was very organized, but the stack of papers on the desk appeared to indicate that he was busy but took the time for them.
They explained and reported all of the information they had about Savanth, the Morians, and what Sazoru found when he investigated.
After 15 minutes of explanation, the king finally speaks.
"I see, Black Flame magic... According to my knowledge, those are fires from hell only to be achieved by death, and as for the Morians... I'm afraid I do not know of whatsoever." The king didn't know how to answer and unbeknownst by their presence
"But you're the king, shouldn't you face them or know about everything?" Akira inquired.
"Hahaha, you have a point, Akira, but my powers said otherwise. I have limits on what I can do, so please, forgive me for what I can't do because of my limits." The king apologized for what he couldn't control on many factors of his powers.
Akira then went silent and let the king speak.
The King spoke and said sorry to Sazoru for his long-deceased brother being used by Savanth. He planned to assign other generals or squad to track him down, but Sazoru interrupted him and refused "No, sign me in, the other generals excluded. I'll be the one who's going to kill him for using my brother's body!" Sazoru lowered his eyebrows filled with aggression.
"Very well, family matters, can't argue with that. Feel free to have second thoughts if it bothers you." The king accepted his wishes.
The King then stopped speaking and dismissed them all except Akira. They all then left.
Akira inquired why he was here, the king answered he just wanted to say that he had never seen a person whose powers were the same as his. Akira was perplexed and told why.
"You are Immortal, correct?"
"How'd you...?" The King answered and guessed that Akira's main ability was immortality, and he guessed it right. Akira was confused and questioned how he could know his main ability without going to PSD.
"Hahaha... We're quite alike, you and I. Special. And to answer to your question, let's just say I have a Main Ability that allows me to." The king laughed.
Then the king finally went to the point of why he made Akira stay. He tasked him to join Sazoru's squad for the reason of gaining experience as a warrior.
Akira refused and said he wanted to solo, but the king refused his refusal.
The King explained that it was for a trial mission so he didn't have to join permanently, which was quite unspoken unless he had ulterior motives.
The King told him that this was an exclusive type of mission and reasoned this was for gaining experience when on the battlefield or becoming a splendid warrior. He also said Sazoru took a liking to him, however, Sazoru didn't tell him.
Akira said wow and squinted his eyes in confusion. At some point, many fire users were obsessed with Akira.
"Hahaha, if you ever wanted to change your mind, you can always join him. He's one of the strongest generals out there, hopefully, you'll be happy joining him"
"No, and never. I wanted to solo so they can't take the credit from me." Akira explained what was his reason for going solo.
"Ah, so that's why you don't want to. Very well. But still, you have to join him, trials only. End of the story." The king fully stop the whole conversation and ordered him to join. Akira finally accepted it.
The King dismissed Akira and would later inform Sazoru. Akira questioned the king before he left, Akira inquired how did he know his name even though they hadn't met. The king smiled and answered that he knew him before they knew.
Akira didn't understand what he meant and was utterly confused.
The King said never mind and asked him to leave. Akira left and joined Sazoru's squad, and for the first time, he ever joined someone.