KENSHI
"What did I tell you about your form? You're still too open, Gresa," I lectured while watching my younger sister's swordmanship.
I never anticipated training her for this. If she hadn't begged me to teach her how to wield a sword, we wouldn't be in this situation right now. Actually, I refused her request at first. A young lady like her should be taught about elegance and modesty to be a wonderful woman, just like my mother.
But she insisted, and she never stopped asking for it, that the only way to stop her was to fulfill her wish. That was why we were here now, in a place where Father used to train me. This clearance was once covered in green grass, but after years of being used as a training ground, bald patches of exposed soil were evident.
"Am I not doing it?" Gresa complained.
"I won't be commenting about it if you are," I replied.
"Seriously?"
"Stop and do a fighting stance," I commanded, which she followed. I walked close to her until I reached her spot. I made a few adjustments to her hands, feet, and posture. "Always remember that not all enemies are dumb and stupid. You might encounter someone someday who will use your flaws to defeat you. So, it's important to reduce any opening that the enemy might use against you."
"Why is it hard to be a swordsman?" she mumbled.
This was my chance to convince her to give up becoming a swordsman and be my beautiful and pristine young sister instead.
"If I were you, I'd give up."
She aggressively shook her head in disapproval. "No. It's been only three days. I can't give up just yet. I want to continue. I'll surpass both you and father."
I smiled not because of her determination but because of the thing she said. "Surpassing me would take you years. Probably ten. While it would take you a hundred to surpass Father." I knew it was just an exaggeration. I just wanted her to reconsider all of this.
"Then so be it. Hundreds. Thousands. No matter how long it takes, I will surpass you both."
This girl sure was determined. I admired her for that.
"Well, you can't surpass them just by training alone. You have to fill your stomach as well to have a healthy body," a woman's voice interjected, getting the attention of me and my younger sister. It was Mother, and she brought with her a tray of food and drinks, which I was certain that she had made. Beside her was Kenshiro, carrying her favorite stuffed animal and a folded blanket.
"A picnic! Yey!" Gresa celebrated.
"Kenshiro, give the blanket to Brother Kenshi," Mother instructed.
I approached Kenshiro, who then handed me the blanket he was carrying. I unfolded it, held both corners, and spread it to the ground. After removing some annoying creases and imperfections, Mother then stepped on it and placed the tray of food and juice at the center. Not long after, all of us were resting while filling our stomachs with the food Mother made.
"How was your training, Gresa?" Mother inquired.
"Still getting a hang of it," Gresa replied before munching on the sandwich in her hand.
"Are you really okay with it, Mother?" I asked her. This was not the first time that I asked her this, but I still couldn't grasp the thought that she allowed this to her only daughter.
"I know what you're doing, Brother Kenshi," Gresa threatened while glaring at me with suspicious eyes.
"That's what she wants. Who am I to forbid her?"
"You're her mother," I pointed out. "I mean, aren't you feeling sad that your only daughter, whom you hoped to be like you, is not trying to be like you?"
"What I feel is not important, Kenshi. Gresa has her own life. She gets to choose what she wants to do about it. I'm just here to support her. Besides, having two swordsmen in the family is kind of reassuring. I would rather choose that over some tea party and dress-ups."
"Exactly, Mother," Gresa strongly agreed, followed by a prideful sip of her glass of juice. "I hope the other has the same mind as you."
"Well, if that's really what she wants, I hope she's ready. Being a swordsman is not for the weak, especially not for those who complain a lot."
"Are you underestimating me?"
"No. I'm challenging you."
"Okay, that's enough. Anyway, Kenshi, how's the search for Daku's aid?"
Upon mention of Daku's name, the once heated and tense atmosphere we had earlier suddenly shifted to a gloomy and heavy air. This was because of the bitter truth that my search was fruitless as usual.
"Still no leads," I answered briefly. "Though I'm still looking for a clue in the library."
"I have also asked someone to do some gathering, but until now, there's no news from him. I bet he's still searching just like you."
"Thank you, Mother."
"You really cared for him, do you? You have the same eyes your father once had when he saw you crying about your exile. He had this urge to do something just to help me end the sorrow I felt. Tell me, Kenshi, what is Daku to you?"
I had to admit that I had never expected Mother to ask such a question. What is really Daku to me?"
"He was my savior, and I'm not only referring to what happened during the siege. I haven't told you about this, but I almost died before. I was severely wounded and bleeding so badly. And with my curse, ordinary healing magic and healing potions were ineffective..." I narrated to them how I met Daku for the first time and how his unmatched healing magic kept me alive to this day. "Daku gave me a chance. He made me feel normal despite my curse. With him by my side, I can be the swordsman that I was trained to be. I don't have to worry about getting hurt because I know he'll be there to heal me. It may sound like I'm using him, but I'm really grateful to have him. Now, it's time to pay him back for all the help he gave me."
"Father said the same thing about Mother," Kenshiro mumbled. "I think you love him, Brother Kenshi, because Father loved Mother."
Strangely, my eyes widened, and something inside me got triggered.
"No way, Kenshiro! Brother Kenshi and Mister Daku are both boys!"
"Now, Gresa, it's not nice to say such a thing. Love knows no boundaries. If your Brother Kenshi loves Mister Daku, then it's not a bad thing. Right, Kenshi?" Mother asked, which caught me off guard. I was too focused on figuring out why I reacted in such a way earlier that my head somehow forgot the present.
"Uhh... yeah!" I rubbed Kenshiro's head and smiled. "Maybe I do love Mister Daku, Kenshiro."
***
"Do we really have to hold the meeting in here?" Grosi grumbled as he rested in one of the chairs.
We were here at the conference hall of His Majesty's castle. The King called for a meeting with me and Grosi to talk about Daku's situation. I could say that he owed his life to Daku that who bothered to set up this meeting.
The gigantic door we once passed through earlier opened with a thundering noise, and coming out of it was the King, and behind was the Pillars of Thorn. Grosi and I immediately stood and bowed to show our respect and remained standing before the King ordered us to sit.
With the recent attack, it was not a surprise for the King to have this exhausted and worn-out aura. I could tell from him that ruling a kingdom was not easy. He could have just ignored the complaints and petitions of his people and enjoyed himself with the luxury his title holds, but that would be harboring hatred and loathing from his people, which would eventually kill him. So, to avoid that, he fulfilled his role and endured the burden brought by it.
As for the Pillar of Thorns, they have a diverse expression. Marika had proven herself as the kindest among them by beaming a smile at me along with a conservative wave. There were some who showed annoyance and probably thought that doing this was just a waste of their time, while others showed no emotions at all.
"Sorry for making you wait. My kingdom requires me."
"You don't have to apologize for it, Your Highness."
"Thank you, Kenshi. To you as well, Mster Grosi. Let's get straight to the topic. The reason I called you two here is because I want to know if there is any progress on helping Daku regain his old self on your end."
"I have paid some men to do the searching for a lead on my behalf since I have a shop to take care of. However, none of them found even a tiny bit of information. How about you, Kenshi?" Grosi called.
"The same goes for me, Your Highness. I'm still scanning through the codex and tomes in the library, but found nothing."
"Looks like we all have the same problem. Even my skilled investigators came back fruitless," said the King. "Marika, how was Daku?"
Marika sat straight upon hearing her name and became more attentive than earlier now that everyone's attention fell onto her.
"Daku is doing well, at least physically. Thanks to Kana and Shiro for taking care of him. He is starting to be responsive when called. And I can still feel his magic."
"I just don't get it," Kasuke suddenly interjected. "Why are we worrying ourselves about someone like him? He's not that special. In fact, he's just a healer. Why does he have to be specially treated this way?"
Unconsciously, both of my hands turned into fists under the table while my blood boiled in pure anger.
"Let me remind you, Kasuke, His Majesty is with us," Suzune threatened.
"Daku helped during the siege, Kasuke," Marika pointed out.
"He's not just the one who helped. If that's your reasoning, then everyone who fought during the siege should be specially treated as well."
"Are you jealous that Daku is receiving this much attention and you are not, even though you helped as well?" Suzune stoically implied, which intensified the rage Kasuke already had.
"Daku didn't just help," an unfamiliar voice echoed, which originated from one of the Pillars known to be quiet. He rarely speaks, and when he does, it speaks volumes. It was Asano. "He saved the entire kingdom. He's the one who discovered that the King's crown is an artifact that is slowly killing His Majesty. He healed several soldiers during the siege more than any mage, even Marika, in one go, which helped the kingdom fight off the corrupted beings. He fought Hirako, the Harbinger of the God of Darkness, and defeated him, suspending the Dark Order's plan of reviving Dolum, and bought us some time to prepare for such a time."
Kasuke hissed out of both defeat and annoyance. I bet he felt ashamed and humbled.
I should give my thanks to Asano later, because if he hadn't interjected, Kasuke would have found my fists on his face.
The meeting proceeded after that heated conversation, and our subject was Hirako himself. According to Suzune, they were trying to juice him for any valuable information regarding the Dark Order. Even though Hirako has been defeated, we still couldn't say that the Dark Order was no longer a threat because as long as there were members roaming around freely, the organization would remain standing.
So basically, we have two main issues facing right now: one is Daku, and the other is the Dark Order.
Let's just hope that Daku got better before the Dark Order started to move again, because truth be told, we need Daku to actually defeat them, especially with the Evil Remnant.
I wonder if Jihar had some information that I could buy.