Amy sat on a sofa while reading a book. After renovating his house and installing all those appliances, she rarely had time to talk to him let alone rest. She didn't eat with him either. It is due to precaution against the eating law. She rests in her tent while eating the food she brought alone. Suddenly, she heard a loud yelp outside which got her running to where he is. Amy nearly hissed after seeing Ryota accidentally cut his face with a knife trying to style his beard. Unamused, she healed the cut on his face.
"I thought you are a master, yet you harm yourself so carelessly. Are you sure you could teach me?" she asked doubtfully.
"Mistakes are made." he said, "It's been a while since I used a knife to shave."
Amy is close enough to get a proper look at him as he carefully uses the knife to shave. He already trims his hair too. He has a manly build with many handsome features. He has a wild appearance, a healthy glow on his face yet he looks tired, but he pulls off his downward look quite well. She almost blushed at his appearance. He is far too good looking than she thought. She has seen many people, but they were never her type. He is the first person that checks out most of it.
"Why are you living out here like this? You don't seem like a woodcutter or a hunter." She asked.
He stared at her as he finishes up his shave. He is surprisingly good at it, "What makes you think s?. I got weapons and an axe."
"The way you styled yourself is too refined and yes I'm including the cut. If you are a woodcutter or a hunter, you would've woken up at the height of dawn and get to work so you can sell. Besides when we met, I thought you were a beggar."
He had a puzzled look then laughed. "You're right." he answered, "As you can see, I'm living in exile."
Amy is confused, "Exiled for what?"
"Even in small islands like mine compared to the large continent, there are power struggles."
Her eyes burrowed at his scars, "Are you a banished official or a soldier?"
"General," he answered, "Well, I used to be. My title is taken away by my rivals before my banishment sentence. Someone else took my place as general."
"General? You are at war?"
"The neighboring Kingdom of Shou may be smaller than Ran but they have more resources that the mainland wants."
"So, you're fighting for resources?"
"Trade routes and ships. They created ships large and powerful enough to traverse the storm separating our lands. This country may seem rich, but underlying secrets are bound to come out eventually. They are getting quite desperate."
Amy had a look of realization which he noticed. "Don't worry about your ship. Unless you have eaten the food here, they won't confiscate the ship. If the mainland finds out, then they might declare war on us. Islanders are afraid of the might of the Grand Continent as much as they admire them."
Amy continued to watch the port from the distance. If anything happens to the ship, she'll know.
"Your post as general doesn't sound like an easygoing task. Replacing a general is not an easy decision. Are you confident that the guy who replaced you would do a better job?"
He scoffed in a mocking tone, "Not at all. I know the guy well enough. He doesn't know how to lead an army. I don't think he even knows how to fight. He probably thinks he's safe behind the front lines and away from the conflict but when you're general, you're responsible for the wellbeing of your army as well as plan battle strategies every night. If he messes up even a little, he will end up worse than me. Besides, the soldiers he's in control over are loyal to me. They will not respect him. No, they don't respect him at all."
Amy sighed, "Corruption and conflict no matter how far." she groaned.
"I'm not surprised that countries from the mainland are facing the same issues. But everyone who lives on the islands do not think so. They think of the Grand Continent as some mystifying land with lots of resources, infinite food, convenience, new experiences and people living with contentment." He says then shrugged nonchalantly. "But there is no way we would know anything. The storm separating our lands do not allow us to see for ourselves."
Amy nodded in understanding, the way to the Grand continent is dangerous and with the stories they heard romanticizes the Grand Continent.
"You saw a handful of my collection," he said while clearing everything up, "I'll show you the rest." He got up and led Amy to the woods.
He showed her a hidden entrance hidden by trees and moss where the weapons are hidden. There are many different varieties of them that she couldn't recognize in many different shapes and sizes.
"So," he grabbed a pair of sai, "where do you want to start off with?"
*
Lisa is bored out of her mind. Everyone else is enjoying herself. Lance is going to talk to some officials along with Wyatt. The interns didn't come along as they were advised not to. Manny and Kate are looking for romantic outings. She suspects that they are not gonna spend their newfound wealth as they will take it back to the mainland. Norman is doing his own thing. He doesn't need her right now. As for Amy, she has been awfully quiet and didn't discuss her whereabouts until she told everyone that she will spend some time training. She is a good tracker, and this place isn't big enough to hide. She looked for Norman so that she could watch over him.
*
Amy looked at the weapons in her hands. This is the third set. She charged at him and is blocked quite easily by a pair of tonfas. Whatever doubt she had of him before dissipates. His skills are real and so are the weapons. She examined each one of them before using them and she is enjoying it.
"You are quite the weapons specialist." he says in observation after showing her its use.
"Of course, where I'm from, people often find a weapon they specialize in and use it. Nobles, commoners alike both learn how to fight in case they are conscripted when there is a war."
"Is your country militaristic?"
"Not exactly, but it is the norm as we always prepare for a fight although there has been peace for so long that most of the nobles become lazy after their training and schooling is finished so they neglect their training entirely. Even if there is a war, they could buy their way out by having someone else take their place. So, they are as pretentious as any other noble. Only a few nobles are actually active. I specialized in a staff or spear than a sword, but I got used to using all sorts of weapons."
"How about this? After lunch, you can accompany me to a nearby fighting match. They are quite popular here. You might learn a thing or two."
Amy nods approvingly before packing everything up. There are a few characters that appeared in the story that are from the islands although they are mostly from Shou rather than Ran. Despite the description of Ran as magnificent. They also paint Ran in a bad light but that is because they are enemies, but they never truly specify why they don't like them. The audience just knows that the two nations don't like each other. That is all they need to know.