KENSHI
The meeting ended with a heavy atmosphere. The King and the Pillars left the conference hall first before Grosi and me. The stroll out of the castle was quiet for none of us had anything to talk about. Or perhaps we were both shy to start a conversation, so we decided to just shut up and focus on getting out of the palace.
The air between us was awkward and uncomfortable, and I had to endure it until the two of us reached the palace gate. That was when Grosi spoke, inquiring about my future plans for the rest of the day. I told him about going to Jihar, hoping to get some valuable information. I was not expecting him to offer me some doquis to add to my money in case I fell short.
"Don't forget to tell me once you get something." That was what he demanded in exchange for the money he gave me. In fact, the amount of doquis that he gave was too much for his demand. But I did not argue with him anymore about it. Instead, I thought of returning the extra only if there was.
Trudging towards Jihar's shop felt lonely. It felt like yesterday when Daku and I took the same path in search of gate passes that would help us find Kana. The robe we once used to conceal our identity and avoid suspicious eyes somehow became like a dream of yesterday, as if it only happened as a product of my imagination.
"Kenshi!" A woman's voice caught my ear, pivoting my body to face the source of it.
It was Shino, briskly walking towards me, and behind her were Keiro, Riko, and Arano. I was not surprised to see Keiro's annoyed and irritated look as if seeing me was the worst thing that had happened to him today. Riko and Arano, on the other hand, gave the opposite expression, as a slight smile was evident on their face.
"Shino," I mumbled when the woman reached me.
"It's nice to see you in your best condition. How are you?" she asked.
"Better than ever. Thank you for healing me."
"It's nothing. And besides, it was a collective effort," she bashfully reasoned out. But then, her smile vanished and shifted into a frown. "How's Daku? We want to visit him, but I don't think we are welcome in the shop. We kind of started sourly, and Mister Grosi probably remembered us."
I told them about Daku, and their faces showed a bit of both shock and sorrow. Even Keiro failed to hide his worry and concern about Daku.
"Right now, we are searching for a lead on how to bring him back to his usual self," I ended.
"We'll help," Shino offered without hesitation, and Riko and Arano nodded their head in agreement. Meanwhile, Keiro remained silent and diverted his attention somewhere.
"Thanks. It'll be appreciated."
The four departed after bidding their farewells, while I proceeded to my original plan. The loneliness I felt earlier diminished as I realized that I was not alone at all. I bet Daku would blush if he found out that a lot of people were caring for him.
It didn't take that long for me to arrive at Jihar's shop. Nothing changed, and strangely, not even an inch was destroyed by the siege. No signs of being fixed or mended. Did he somehow put a protective magic on his shop?
I shrugged that thought off my mind and pushed the shop's door to shove it open, releasing the sound of the door's bell. If the exterior remained as before, so was the inside of it. The arrangement was the same as last time.
"Oh! It's Kenshi!" I quickly looked ahead of me, where the counter was, and saw Oanya, energetically waving while wearing his widest smile. I approached him and started looking for Jihar. "Looking for Jihar?"
"Yes. I was hoping to buy something," I replied.
"What is it, Kenshi?" a man's voice echoed from the room behind the counter. A silhouette of a man was projected on the fabric that served as a door of the room, before it vanished when Jihar finally revealed himself.
"It's for Daku," I said. I told him about Daku's situation and the reason behind my visit. I also told him the amount of doquis I was willing to pay him.
"Hmm..." Jihar's only response. Jihar was known as the best merchant in the kingdom. He was so good at his job that before someone could say anything they wanted, Jihar had already thought about it. So, to get such an expression from him was making me worry. "I really wish I could help Daku, but I can't think of something that will fix him. I'm sorry, Kenshi, but there are still things that I don't have my hands on."
My heart sank as I heard those words from Jihar. Jihar was my last beacon of hope for Daku's recovery because of his vast source of information, and now that he couldn't help Daku as well, what will I do next? It was like reaching a dead end that I had nowhere else to go but to trace back the path that I once took and reach the starting line instead of a finish line.
"Don't worry, Mister Kenshi. I'll try asking in the black market. If there's one place that knows about forbidden stuff like the Rupture Magic, it's the black market," Oanya offered, rekindling the last bit of hope I had in me.
"Thank you, Oanya. I promise to compensate you well for your service."
"Don't bother. Just think of it as a gift from me. I mean, he basically saved this kingdom, and I'm one of the residents of this kingdom, so he kinda saved me, too. Seeing him back to his usual self will serve as payment." Oanya beamed another wide smile for the second time. His smile was so contagious that I smiled a bit as well.
***
We were once again in the conference hall to discuss the information I got from Oanya. Honestly, I could start the journey without everyone noticing. But then I remembered that everyone was doing their job to help, and it would be selfish of me if I kept this information to myself. They deserve to know.
"Begin, Kenshi," the King ordered.
"Yes, Your Highness," I replied. I looked at everyone who was looking at me as well, and for some reason, I felt nervous. They couldn't blame me. This was my first time talking in front of people. To remove any bit of anxiety in me, I cleared my throat before speaking, "A friend of mine found a lead on how to help Daku regain his old self. This man is a known showman in Aste City because of his ingenious way of using human emotions to tailor his show to the audience's liking. If he's knowledgeable about the concept of emotions, maybe he could help Daku in bringing back his emotions."
"That's indeed great, but isn't that a bit suspicious?" Asano commented, shifting everyone's attention from me to him. His sinister grin entailed a hidden agenda behind it. "All of us couldn't even find anything, and we have already searched the entire kingdom, except for one place."
What is he up to now?
"Are you implying that Kenshi went to the black market to get some help?" Marika implied.
"I'm not the one who said it. You did," Arano reasoned out.
"Tell us, Kenshi. Where did you get that information?" the King inquired.
There was no point hiding it from them.
"Arano is right. I got this lead from the black market. Are you going to arrest me now?"
"Normally, yes," Arano replied.
"That wouldn't be the case for now," Suzune interjected, earning a scowl from Arano. "We are desperate to fix Daku as soon as possible. If collaborating with the black market will make it happen, so be it."
"Are you even listening to yourself, Suzune? Among all of us, you hated the black market more than anything else, and yet you want to associate yourself with it? Is this okay to you, Your Highness?" Arano furiously asked.
"Suzune is right, Arano. We need Daku back before Dolum's revival," the King declared, making me and Grosi look at each other, both of us wearing a clueless face.
"Wait a minute. Dolum's revival?" Grosi asked.
It was Suzune who spoke, "Hirako finally talked, and according to him, the Dark Order is still on their way to revive Dolum. We all know that they need the artifacts to revive him, so there is a high chance of another siege happening. We need Daku's purifying abilities to defeat the Dark Order wielders."
"We don't need him, Suzune! We are the Pillars of Thorn! We are the strongest forces this kingdom has!"
"We are indeed the strongest in this kingdom, but we are nothing compared to the Dark Order wielders," Suzune confessed. "I can say it because I fought one, and it almost killed me. They became monsters the moment they used their orbs or crystals. So if you happen to find one, it is best not to engage in a fight with them."
For the first time, I saw an emotion in Suzune's eyes that I never expected to see. The Pillars of Thorns were the bravest and courageous fighters in this kingdom, especially Suzune. She was not the captain for nothing. But right now, she showed a horrified face as if she remembered something traumatic. That was when I realized that these people, even though the strongest, could be vulnerable as well, especially when faced with something monstrous.
Marika comforted Suzune while Arano went quiet. The entire room was filled with a deafening silence as if sound didn't exist in this place.
Thankfully, the King muttered, breaking the awkward silence, "Kenshi, this is a race against time and against the Dark Order. We need Daku," the King favored.