Ryukishi was already awake by the time many had considered it as "morning". Like before, he had been busy training and conditioning himself to reach peak fitness. Before the rigorous training began, he had already been training albeit at a much more leisurely and relaxed pace. Before, he could only do 2 hours of training. Now, he could do at least 3 and a half, 4 if he felt good on that day. For him, it was significant enough to say that he was ready for this journey.
As he was practicing hand-to-hand combat, Hiroshi dropped by to speak.
"Yo, Sensei."
"Ah, Hiroshi. What brings you here."
"Just wanted to see you one last time. You are leaving today right?"
"Yep. Today's the day."
"I see…"
Hiroshi felt sad. He had only seen his Sensei for about a week. He only got to duel with him once, and only train with him a few more times after that. Ryukishi noticed the sadness in Hiroshi's face.
"Come on Hiroshi, why the long face?"
"Who said I was sad?"
"No one. You looked like you were."
"I'm that easy to read?!"
Hiroshi didn't think his face would express his emotions that well. He sighed at the realization of it
"Well, guess I can't lie to you. Yea, I am sad. Sad because I've only seen you for about a week since I came back. I wanted to spend more time with you. It's just not fair…"
Ryukishi smiled. After all these years, Hiroshi still cares about him as much as he did before he left. To think this was the kid who said he'd never step foot in the dojo ever again on his first day still amazes him.
"Now now… Once this mission is over, we can talk about all the great things that happened during my journey to Enden. I might even bring you a few souvenirs along the way…"
Ryukishi began grinning. He knew Hiroshi loved gifts.
"Really? Then promise me two things."
"Okay. What are they?"
"One, you have to give me a rice cracker from Enden. There's one store I hear that has amazing rice crackers."
Ryukishi started laughing. His intuition was right. Hiroshi couldn't wait to ask him about the snacks.
"HAHAHA! I KNEW IT!"
"Come on, I'm not done yet!"
"Okay then, what's the second one?"
Hiroshi took a deep breath.
"Two, is to promise me that you'll come back to Kaimino. Alive."
Ryukishi stopped laughing. Those words hit him. Looks like Hiroshi realized at some point along the way, that this journey may be a bit dangerous, even for his Sensei.
"Listen, Sensei. I know that you're famous for being unstoppable in these parts. But it's been years since you've last fought, hasn't it? Who knows how many stronger people or factions there are over there. You haven't left our territory in ages. None of us have. We have no idea what it looks like over there. So please, do your best to survive. And make it back here safely."
"I get what you mean. I haven't let my legacy get to my head. It's been years since I've last fought, yes. But I've been training consistently. I've kept my body as fit as it can be. I've polished my sword as much as I could these past 20 years, hoping I'd get a chance like this. You know exactly why I would take this job. That being said, as much as I want to accomplish my own goals during this trip, I also have to finish what Rivia wants from me before that. Once all that's over, I will return. You have my word Hiroshi. It's a promise."
Ryukishi extended his hand out to Hiroshi, just as he did last night. Hiroshi, once again accepted the handshake.
"We've shook on it now, okay? Don't make this the last time we do it."
"I promise Hiroshi. I never go back on promises. You know that."
"Then in that case, I have nothing more to say Sensei. It's almost time, isn't it? Ari asked me to let you know that Han is waiting for you in the main section of the castle. She also specifically mentioned to be on time."
"How long do I have left?"
"I'd say you have enough time to get there without being in a rush. So, take in the views of this village one last time. As someone who regretted not doing it before leaving for a while, I insist."
"Alright then. I guess I could do that. After all, it is my last day here."
"Yea. Goodbye Sensei. And, thank you for everything."
"Come on Hiroshi, stop being so dramatic. You make it sound like this is the last time I'll see you. I'll be back. Don't worry about it."
"I sure hope you do."
The 2 of them part ways once again for a long time. Hiroshi makes his way back to his house, while Ryukishi begins walking down the steps into the village.
He decided to listen to Hiroshi's words and take in the views of the village as they pass by.
First, was the financial area. This was where all the shopkeepers, merchants and manufacturers were situated. This is where Gwangjeon is its most unsanitary, with papers, metal bits and even some ceramic pieces lying on the floor. Due to the dire financial situation in Kaimino, Emperor Han hasn't been able to launch a cleaning program as there isn't enough money to sufficiently pay the cleaners.
"This place always smelled horrible, but man am I gonna miss it."
Ryukishi remembered that the Blacksmith said his armor would finish today. He walked over to the Blacksmith and asked if his armor was done. The man said yes and showed him his new set of armor.
It was a work of art. Colored with a beautiful red dye, it looked like it had scales covering him from head-to-toe. Not only that, it was made of individual pieces that connected together so he could move easier. It wasn't just beautiful artistically; it was also beautiful mechanically.
Ryukishi tried on the armor and it fit like a glove. It was perfect for him. He could move and stretch further than before. It didn't feel too heavy either. It was just perfect. He thanked the Blacksmith and then left for the castle.
Up next was the civilian area. This was where most of the people reside. The place smells a lot better as it's quite far away from the financial area. Not to mention this is where the famed incense store is. In addition to this there's also the famous Sangashira Park, where all the children go to play. Even now there are a few kids there. Some of which are Ryukishi's pupils.
"Ah Ryukishi-Sensei!" Jinbei shouted from across the park.
"Oh. Jinbei. I see you're having fun."
"Yea! Lots of fun!"
"Alright then, enjoy your time at the park. I have to go somewhere."
"Okay. Bye Sensei!"
Jinbei waved goodbye, and Ryukishi made his way towards the emperor's castle.
Finally, he made it to the main area. This is where the emperor's castle is, along with the military barracks full of soldiers, medics who are constantly busy and the food hall that never fails to make amazing food thanks to chef Anri. All of these are situated in the centre as they are the most important buildings in the kingdom.
Ryukishi makes his way to the gate. He greets the guards and shows them a letter. This letter was given to him by Ari so that he's allowed to enter the castle. After a minute or so, the guard finishes reading and opens the gates. Inside, he sees things that he hadn't seen for 2 decades alongside a few things that were different. For one, the bricks look new. Must've done a renovation recently. Another thing he noticed was when he walked inside the castle. The layout had changed.
"One hell of a renovation huh?" he thought to himself.
The guards showed him the way to the main section of the castle. The now proudly titled "Emperor's Hall". He hadn't stepped inside of this place in years. Last time he did it was right before the war. Now, he's here for a much more different situation.
The doors to the Emperor's Hall open, they're so heavy you could've sworn a gust of wind had hit whoever was unfortunate to be on the other side of the two doors. Fortunately, there was no one beside the door. However, there were three important people waiting for him at the throne.
"Ah. Yamamoto. You're here. I knew the Blacksmith wouldn't let you down. He made you a fine work of art."
Han was ecstatic. He never thought in his wildest dreams he'd be assigning missions to 'The Blood Dragon'.
"Emperor. It is an honor to be called upon by you."
Ryukishi kneels down to him.
"No, please I'm very flattered. It is an honor to have you here."
Ari started to giggle. Even Hana couldn't control herself. Seeing Han try to stop himself from becoming a fan-boy was too much.
"What's so funny? These are serious matters?" Han replied.
"Oh, we know. We'll tell you later." Ari's ribs began to hurt from how much she was giggling.
Ryukishi, blind to all of this was still kneeling.
"Um. Yamamoto, you can stand now."
"Yes, Emperor."
Ryukishi stood up from the kneel.
"As I'm sure you're aware that the details of this mission are unfortunately, confidential. We can only talk about the logistics of the journey itself. Which is why from here, Ari will take over and go through it all one last time."
Ari moved up to the front with her papers and asked Ryukishi to come towards the table infront of the emperor.
"Now I know I told you this a few days ago, but let's make sure we go through this one more time. Oh wait, she's not here."
"Who?" Ryukishi replied. He thought everyone involved in the mission was present at the Emperor's Hall.
Just as he said it, the doors to the hall were blown open. At the centre of this explosion was a young woman wearing an elegant dress that, while beautiful wasn't too inconvenient for a fight or anything else. The style of this dress was more alarming. Ryukishi hadn't seen anything like it in the kingdom. He was shocked at the display in front of him.
The woman was panting. She must've rushed to make it here on time. Her red hair was covering her face. She then rose back up to a regular form and began speaking.
"Hah… hah… I'm not late, am I?"