After a few days-long train ride, they got off the train and were at the Nippon Mountain train station.
They walked through the town. People around them looked at them curiously. A demonic lion, a black-haired human with an expression that just made him look superior, a black-haired girl with eyes like a gorgon's, any who looked into her eyes froze with fear and a member of the Redfox family. An unknown member of the city's noble family.
The town had simplistic Japanese architecture, paper walls, wooden roofs, etc.
They walked through the town to the mountain itself since the main house of the Redfox family was up there.
They climbed a long flight of stairs consisting of over seven thousand stairs. These stairs surrounded the entire mountain, and as they walked up, they could see further.
They could see that this mountain was at the center of the somewhat big island, surrounded by an ocean that storms all year round. To the south, there was a large den of sea serpents. To the north, there was a medium size den of dragons. To the east, there was nothing but ocean, and to the west, they could see the outline of another continent.
They reached the top of the stairs and saw large gates with beastmen guarding them. They held short, small weapons that looked like crossbows with no strings.
As they stepped closer, the guards pointed their weapons at the group.
"Who are you?!"
One of the guards asked. He looked like a bear with brown fur and even a bear head.
Beastmen can be placed on a scale that shows how close they are to being beasts. For example, Shu may have the tail, ears, teeth, fur, and eyes of a fox, but aside from these things, he looks fully human. He is hairier than the average human, but that's where the difference stops.
This guard looks as if a bear were to walk on two and has arms that allow him to hold things properly. He is closer to being a beast than to a man.
They were about to introduce themselves when they heard a voice from behind.
"This is why I told you to wait for me!"
It was Akainari and his unit.
"Akainari-sama! We were waiting for you. Are they your guests?"
All the guards bowed their heads as they saw the armored young man.
"Yes, they are."
At the sound of Akainari's words, the bear bowed down and slammed his head to the ground with force.
"Please forgive my impudence, benevolent guests!"
"Please lift your head. It can't be helped. You were only doing your job."
Shu said awkwardly. He felt uncomfortable at the thought of someone bowing to him. The guard lifted his head, and his eyes were full of tears of admiration towards Shu.
This guard worked for the Redfox family his whole life. And so, he effortlessly noticed Akainari's impatient expression. He knew this strict young fellow probably had things he wanted to discuss with the lord.
He wiped his tears and coughed twice to clear his throat.
"What are you waiting for?! We need to let them in!"
The other guards complied quickly and opened the gates.
As they followed Akainari inside, the guard looked at them with admiration.
He was a bit loud, but aside from that, he didn't have many faults as a guard.
********
After they entered the castle, Akainari whispered in the ear of one of the maids. The maid ran off, and after a short wait, she was back with two other servants.
"Good to meet you, dear guests. Please follow Aoi and Hina."
The first maid said with a slight bow of the head.
Both Aoi and Hina looked almost identical to each other and were polite. If their kimonos didn't have different colors, these two young ladies with black hair and brown eyes would have nothing to differentiate them. Hina wore a yellow kimono, and Aoi wore a blue kimono.
"Akainari-sama, you and your guest, please follow me."
When she mentioned the guest, she gestured to Shu.
How she and Akainari looked at each other made Shu think that there must be something between them that is more than just a servant and noble relationship.
As they followed the maid, Akainari noticed Shu glancing at him and the maid constantly and thought he should explain before there would be a misunderstanding.
"This maid is called Yua. She is a descendant of one of the families that served us since the beastmen massacre, so we grew together in this house."
It seemed he tried to sell that they were only childhood friends, and Shu wasn't buying that. Yua didn't appear to like it either since her lips twitched at his words.
"Why do you look so down?"
Akainari noticed her foul mood and asked.
This made her angry, and she tried to punch him. He caught her punch effortlessly and held her hand for a second too long.
"Let go, stupid!"
She yelled and pulled away her hand.
They kept going, and both Akainari and Yua were angry at themselves. She pushed away his advances again. He must hate her! And he made her angry again. She must hate him!
For some reason, the sight of these two young beastmen seemed familiar to Shu.
They reached a door at the end of a long hallway, and Yua knocked on the door.
"Let them in!"
The voice of an old man was heard from the other side.
She opened the door, and as Shu and Akainari walked in, she mouthed, "Good luck."
********
The room's floor was covered with a tatami mat. An old Redfox family member was sitting in the room.
The old beastman looked very similar to Shu but way older. So his fur had gotten lighter in color due to his old age. He also had a beard and a mustache.
"Akainari, who is this?"
The old beastman asked.
"All I know is that he is a member of the family. I met him on the way here."
Akainari answered and bowed on the floor.
"You! Whose child are you? Who are you?"
The old beastman asked Shu.
"I am Shual Adom from the demon god's realm. George Adom raised me under the guidance of the demon god."
Shu answered.
"The demon god?!"
The old beastman seemed to know what that meant and who were Shu's parents.
"Akainari, you just brought back the last direct descendent of the family. This is the child I gave to the Yokai god."
Akainari was shaken. He had no clue, and it didn't seem Shu had a clue either.
"Shual, will you please stay here with us?"
The old beastman asked with tears in his eyes.
Shu figured even if he didn't want to. Mary would probably want to stay.
"Yes, at least for a short time."
Shu answered.
"Would you like to receive the family's ancestral sword?"
The old beastman asked.
"Great elder! I have been trying to become worthy of this sword for years, and now you are giving it to him?!"
Akainari could not believe what he was hearing.
"If you want, you can ask Shual for a match. Whoever wins receives the sword."
The old beastman said.
"There's no need. I don't use swords."
Shu tried to avoid a fight. But the other two weren't having it.
"You will have a duel right now. You can use anything you want. No killing."
The old beastman said.
Shu and Akainari stood at three meters, facing each other.
Akainari held his shield in one hand and an Ōkatana in the other. Shu was barehanded, but he refused when they offered him to use one of the many weapons placed on the wall.
"Hajimeru!"
The old beastman said.
And the fight was on.