Volume 8 Chapter 2 Part 5 (2/2)
”.”
”Sir s.h.i.+n. Please, do reward their loyalty. That is all I wanted to say.”
As he stated these words, Kankurou stopped swinging his sword.
s.h.i.+n followed suit and stopped his sword arm as well. This unexpected truth had left his expression sour.
”Let us conclude the match here.”
”Yes, let us. You have really surprised me though. I had never heard of any of this before.”
”I doubt anyone would realize it, without being aware as I was.but rather than that, I shall keep your ident.i.ty hidden for now. Revealing it could cause unneeded trouble. You have no intention of openly stating it, do you? ”
”Yes, it would be a great help if you did so.”
s.h.i.+n headed towards Tadahisa while talking with Kankurou. He was feeling conflicted within.
They received words of praise from Tadahisa for their battle, then s.h.i.+n left the Kujou house.
Karin, who was walking next to him, spoke first.
”Sir s.h.i.+n, during the battle you were talking about something with sir Kankurou, weren't you?”
”Yes, wellI thought I had seen the katana at his waist somewhere before. But I was wrong.”
”What katana did you think it was?”
”The Ripple Blade, a katana with the effect of extending the range of its slashes. Sir Kankurou said that it was its enhanced version. I was really surprisedwhat did he say its name was? Maybe Black Moon?”
s.h.i.+n had no intention of talking about his conversation with Kankurou, so he decided to talk about his katana while avoiding the subject.
”They say that no other katana in Hinomoto can surpa.s.s it. It is indeed a sword among swords, some even call it a divine blade. Lord Kankurou said that the legendary Dark Blacksmith forged it, but because of that, there have also been troubles.”
”Trouble you say? Yesterday I heard about some succession problem, is that related maybe?”
”Lord Kankurou said that he should soon hand it down to the next generationthey say that the greatest sword arm in Hinomoto will inherit it. Of course, lord Kankurou excluded.”
Karin added that the t.i.tle ”Hinomoto's Brave Ten” is given to the best katana users of Hinomoto. s.h.i.+n had heard this term from Kankurou before.
Among those awarded with the t.i.tle, their position was designed with the term 1st seat, 2nd seat, and so forth. Currently, Kankurou was the 1st seat, while Karin was 3rd seat.
”Hinomoto's Brave Ten” was a t.i.tle given to those excelling in the use of the katana, so there were lower members of the Brave Ten that were more powerful than their superiors, if total fighting prowess was considered.
The separation between higher and lower members was around seat 5. But even among them, Kankurou was a special case.
”He is famous for episodes of bravery such as charging by himself into an enemy battalion and cutting down 1000 enemies for example. From his silhouette wielding the black-sheathed white katana Black Moon, some call him the 'White Haired Sword Demon'.”
”White Haired Sword Demon, huh”
Once one becomes famous, such nicknames cannot be avoided apparently.
s.h.i.+n, whose nickname of ”Dark Blacksmith” had spread far and wide, could understand.
”Who is the favored candidate at present?”
”The 2nd to 4th seats are evenly matched for now. As defeating someone carrying a seat would let you make your name known, I have been challenged several times.”
Karin looked at the sky, as if she was remembering a distant memory, and sighed. It was a rather troublesome situation for her it seems.
As the news of her return to Hinomoto spread, such duels would probably increase once again.
As the two arrived at the Saegusa house while talking, something flew towards s.h.i.+n.
”Kuu!!!”
”Whoa there, what's wrong Yuzuha?”
What had flown toward s.h.i.+n's chest was Yuzuha in fox mode. Her fur was wet for some reason.
”Oh my, that's no good little Yuzuha. I have to wash you-oh, lady Karin, Lord s.h.i.+n. Welcome back.”
Chiyo came out of the residence after Yuzuha, carrying a brush.
”What were you doing Chiyo? This poor thing is all scared.”
”My, I was just giving it a bath.”
”What are those suspicious hand movements?”
Chiyo replied, surprised and hurt to be accused, but Karin looked with worry and voiced her concern.
The fingers of the hand not holding the brush were repeatedly bending then extending again, at very high speed.
s.h.i.+n also agreed that hands didn't move like that when giving baths.
”(The hands, the haaaands!)”
”Calm down Yuzuha. Well, I'll do the rest. These things should be done by the one she is bound to via the contract after all.”
s.h.i.+n made his proposal while calming down the almost weeping Yuzuha. He felt things could turn ugly if he let Chiyo handle it.
”Oh no!!”
”Chiyowhy do you look so desperate.”
Chiyo looked thoroughly disappointed, and Karin talked to her with a tired sigh. Judging from Karin's expression, s.h.i.+n imagined that similar episodes had happened before too, and laughed wryly.
While s.h.i.+n and the others were engaged in this small commotion, in the Kujou residence all va.s.sals except Karin were a.s.sembled.
”Thus, Kankurou. I trust you will explain why you requested a duel with that man.”
Tadahisa's aura was not as peaceful as when he met s.h.i.+n, but was instead strongly intimidating.
In a way, Tadahisa's daughter Haruna owed her life to s.h.i.+n, and Kankurou had challenged him to a duel in that situation. Anyone other than Kankurou would have been thrown out of the residence.
”Yes. There was something I absolutely had to confirm. I am deeply thankful for your permission.”
Kankurou replied to Tadahisa in his usual calm and collected tone.
He had made such a proposal out of confidence; s.h.i.+n would not be angry over something like that, as Kankurou well knew.
”Both his appearance and aura closely resembled a friend of my late Lord Jinkurou, so I suspected he might be that very friendand I was right.”
”A friend of your former lordjudging from how he fought, that is not surprising.”
Tadahisa included, all va.s.sals present nodded.
Many of those who witnessed the battle watched s.h.i.+n with a bitter expression as he not only parried, but even easily beat back Kankurou's attacks.
Even among the experienced ranks of the Kujou house, few could take Kankurou from the front in training. The speed at which s.h.i.+n and Kankurou crossed swords exceeded their abilities.
”He is quite a unique young man, at that level of skirmish it is still possible to talk. This and another reason, a more important one.”
”And what would that be?”
”That young man will definitely serve no one. If anyone among those present here was thinking of putting him in his service, it is not advisable to use coercion. In the worst case, all of Hinomoto could crumble.”
Kankurou's words caused surprise in all present, because of how great the consequences could be. Some of them looked jaded, thinking that it was some bad joke.
Even if his sword arm was on par with Kankurou, it was overly exaggerated to put him above the whole country of Hinomoto others thought.
”.I do not think you would joke in a situation like this.”
”Lord Tadahisa, you have met Schnee Raizar and Girard Estaria in the past, yes?”
”I have, before becoming head of the clan.”
”You do know how powerful they are, do you not?”
”I have been witness to a battle where Schnee Raizar partic.i.p.ated. Her annihilation of a swarm of monsters by herself was truly impressive, even terrifying. I do believe her power surpa.s.ses human ability. It is certainly not folly to think that she could take down an entire country.”
Maybe because he was recalling that past episode, Tadahisa's already strict expression had become even more bitter. He had been witness to Schnee destroying a whole swarm of monsters without receiving a single wound.
”Sir s.h.i.+n's power is on the same levelno, even superior to theirs. I might have some advantage over him with the use of the sword, if he fought with all his means there would be no way of stopping him. If he fought seriously, simply stalling him for a few minutes would be a great success.”
”You would go so far?”
”Without a doubt. Lord Tadahisa, you know of the High Human legends, yes? The vast majority of those legends as they are narrated today is true. As they say, the world before the Dusk was populated with warriors so powerful it was uncomparable to the world now. In the same way, sir s.h.i.+n cannot be contained in our current parameters and common sense. Lost skills, hidden artsI doubt he knows only 10 or 20 of those. Fortunately, his personality would not let him draw the sword unless something really serious happened; as long as we treat him normally, there is no concern of provoking his anger.”
The words of Kankurou, the man considered Hinomoto's strongest even before the Dusk, were nothing to laugh at. His expression did not contain the slightest hint that he could have been joking.
For a while, no one spoke a word.
No one could take the situation lightly after hearing such serious words from the 1st seat of Hinomoto's Brave Ten.
s.h.i.+n was not to be touched. This conclusion was already set in stone.
At the same time that s.h.i.+n's party arrived in Kujou territory, in a certain residence, two men and one woman were talking.
The higher seats were occupied by a large Type Bear and a beautiful woman emanating a certain decadent atmosphere.
The other man, clad in black robes, was kneeling before them, his head down.
”So you failed. They shouldn't have had high defenses against magic thoughdid they have some countermeasure?”
”No, but a man was traveling with them as well. It appears that he detected the danger.”
The man clad in black reported on what had happened.
”Who was that?”
”An adventurer called s.h.i.+n. He is becoming more known recently for greatly damaging a swarm of monsters that attacked a city in the mainland. He is a Returned Ancestor, without a doubt. ”
Rumors of s.h.i.+n's feats in Balmel were spreading wider than he thought. Information regarding powerful ones spread without their knowledge, as always.
”I tried observing him while blending into crowds, but he is surely dangerous. His appearance is that of a good-natured man, but the stench of blood lays heavy upon him. He is closer to us.”
The man in ninja clothes slightly trembled as he spoke. His unique senses as an inhabitant of underground society had made him feel how dangerous s.h.i.+n can be via his smell.
”Oh my, the great Kai, the Rokuhara's number one man, fears some adventurer?”
The woman next to the man sitting in the higher seat spoke in his place. As she slightly turned her neck sideways, her long white hair and animal ears rustled.
Behind the woman, six white furred tails, extending from her behind, were moving gently.
”If I am allowed to stake my life on the line, I shall take him.”
”Do not fret, it is still not the right time to use your life. If we cannot eliminate the successors of the Kujou house, it is all meaningless.”
With a chilling tone, the man sitting on the higher seat curbed the words of the man called Kai.
His body, 2 times larger than the average Type Bear, and the scars carved on it, reinforced his intimidating aura even more.
Kai bowed even more deeply after hearing his words.
”Tamamo. Can't your techniques do anything? If they enter the castle, we cannot act easily.”
”Lord Juugo, I will gladly lend you my power.”
Tamamo showed a bewitching smile while leaning coyly towards the man. Her smile had charming properties, and was influencing both Juugo's and Kai's thoughts, little by little.
If she hadn't, they would never think that her 6-tailed appearance, impossible for a Type Fox, was normal.
”Heh, after the death of their precious daughter, the Kujou house won't be able to keep their peace. The sister is not long to this world either, right?”
”Yes, the illness will surely claim Kujou Haruna's life very soon. I would have loved to eliminate the first born brother too, but regretfully there are no chances of getting close to him.”
”Let's start from the closest targets. Hinomoto cannot stand divided forever.”
Juugo's eyes began to sparkle with something resembling madness.
Tamamo and Kai both noticed, but said nothing.
Sparks of fire began to smolder within Hinomoto