Hearing Ikari's question, Himiru just smiled and didn't say anything. He instead grab his cup of tea and take a sip. While doing so, he reached his other hand inside his black robe and grab some money.
Putting back his cup of tea on the table, he put the money in front of Ikari. He then looked at Ikari's curious eyes and said: "There's no point of you knowing that at this time."
"Split the money and pay all the foods that you've eat. Used the rest to rent a room above. You need to take a rest." Himiru then leaned back to his chair and closed his eyes, meditating.
Ikari's looked at the old man who had just close its eyes. He was about to opened his mouth to say 'why' but stop. Because he remembered a similar thing the old man say to him at the Heiwa town.
'It's pointless for you to know more with your current strength.' He repeated a words that the old man had say to him in his mind.
In order for one to know more, one's must have a sufficient strength to back them up. With the demons existence in this world, strength is top priority.
If an average person would know such valuable information, it's not a good thing for them. Instead, their life might be ruin or even feel insecure around them, because they're weak and have no strength to back them up.
Thingking of this, Ikari nodded his head in understanding. He got up from his seat and grab the money on the table. He then walked toward the counter to pay and rent a room for him to rest.
Arriving at the counter, he set his sight at the beautiful women in her mid twenties standing behind. Looking at her, he couldn't help but admire her natural beauty.
"Good evening young man, enjoyed the meals?" The women said in a charming tone with a smile.
Mesmerized by this charming voice, Ikari instinctively react and said: "Yeah it's good. I'm here to pay the bill and rent a room above." He then put the money on the table in her front.
"Yes." The women respond with a smile. She then grab a key under the table and put it above. "Here's a key for a room above." She said.
Ikari looked at the key on the table and realize. He then slightly shakes his head and clear his mind.
Looking at the women in front, he hesitantly grabbed the key and left towards a stair leading above the Inn.
Arriving at the second floor of the Inn, he looked at the number of the key and looked for a room with the same number. After a while, he find his room and opened it with his key.
Getting inside the room, he light up a lamp on the table to brighten up the room. He looked around around the room with satisfaction. The room is not to big nor small, just perfect for a night.
He then walked toward a window of the room and opened it for fresh air to come inside. Looking outside, the many lights that came out from residential houses of the village creat an amazing scene.
Admiring the view for while, Ikari then turned his body around and walked toward the table inside the room.
Arriving in front of the table, he untied his belt and stripped his gray robe with many small spots of dry blood from his body. He put the robe on top of the table and stand in place.
Standing there, Ikari looked at his bare upper body. With the light of the lamp, one could see a dark bruise at his abdomen. This is a bruise he got from taking a heavy punch of the demon back at the town.
He rubbed the bruise with his hand and a slight pain course through him. He stopped his rubbing and turned off the lamp. He then turned his body toward the bed.
Arriving at the bed, he slowly laid back and look at the ceiling. After a while, he took a long deep breath through his nose and slowly close his eyes. Taking a rest with his upper body exposed to cold air.
.....
The next day, the sun shines high above the village. The light from the outside brightly lit up one of the room above the Inn.
Inside the room, Ikari whose laying down on his bed slowly opened his eyes. After a while, he slowly sat up and stared outside through the opened window of the room.
Looking outside, he realized that the time is almost closed at noon. He then got up from his bed and stand at the side, cracking his body's a little.
"Ahh... That's a good sleep." Ikari said after doing some stretching on his body.
Satisfied, he then walked toward the table where his gray robe at. He grab his robe from the table and covered his bare upper body.
Tying up the robe with a belt, he then patted the both sides of his waist. After doing so, he take a small deep breath with his eyes close to feel comfortable.
He opened his eyes and noticed his long messy hair covering his line of sight. He raised both of his hand and fixed his messy hair.
After a while, his hair flowed straight to his shoulder, looking good.
After tidying up his whole person, he grabbed the key on the table and walked toward the door. Arriving in front of the door, he opened it and walked outside, closing it behind.
When he's out of his room, he caught a sight of a girl standing beside the door of his room. The girl's hands is in front of her abdomen. Probably one of the servant of the Inn.
'A servant?' Ikari is confused why a servant is standing beside the door of his room.
The girl also noticed the appearance of Ikari at the sound of the door opening. She raised her head and couldn't help but blush at the sight of a hansome youth in front, whose also looking at her.
"Why are you standing here, are you waiting for someone?" Ikari suddenly ask after looking at the girl for a while and noticed a folded paper between her hands.
Face with this sudden inquiry, the girl blush even more and shyly look away.
"A- A letter from the old man with you last night had left behind." She stammered while handing the folded paper, eyes wandered around.
"Why, did he left?" Ikari ask, looking at the reddened face of the girl. He was confused why the old man would left behind a letter when they're just apart by one night. Nothing less, he took the folded paper from the girl's hand.
Meanwhile, feeling that the paper left her hand, the girl suddenly ran past Ikari's and go downstairs, couldn't handle to stand around him anymore.
Ikari looked at the running girl with strange gaze in his eyes. He didn't know what had happened for her to suddenly ran away.
"How strange." Ikari said, rubbing his chin with his hand and holding the folded paper in his other hand.
Staring at the place where the servant girl disappear in his sight, he shook his head and cast his gaze away. He set his sight at the folded paper and now did he noticed that there's a seal on it.
Driven by curiosity, he break the seal and opened the letter the old man left behind. Curious of what was written inside.
Opening the letter, what inside is a couple of money folded alongside the letter. He kept the money inside his robe and read the letter.
"Good morning, should I say.
Straight to the point, I'll giving you a direction.
Northwest from this village, there's a mountainous region filled with dark clouds all year around. If you've reach the place, I'll tell you in detail if you want to know why so.
I'll giving you two days. Reached the place I told you in two days.
Followed the river so you don't get lost on your way.
Now, show me how dedicated you are of becoming stronger."
Ikari read the letter outloud for him to hear, mimicking the old man's tone. However, the more he read the letter, the more puzzled he become.
"What is this, some sort of mission?" Ikari asked himself after recovering from his puzzlement.
"Although I understand why doing such thing can expressed my dedication to a high degree... sighs" Ikari sighs in defeat, accepting such ridiculous task.
He folded the letter back and put it inside his robe where he kept the money. He then take a deep breath and looked at the staircase leading below the Inn.
He take a step and walked toward the staircase going down below. Arriving below the Inn, he looked around where many tables sat inside.
Time at noon this day, quite a few people are occupying the many tables inside, eating their lunch.
He turned his gaze and looked at the counter where he sees a figure of a women sitting on her seat, looking at the book. It's the women who gave him the key last night.
He already find her beautiful last night. However, with the light of the day, he find her natural beauty even more dazzling. Looking at this women, his heart fluttered a little for the first time.
He walked toward the counter and stand there for a while, staring at the women. Looking closely, she had a long black hair tune with purple that stopped a her waist. Coupled with the mature aura that one could feel from her, one couldn't simply resist her charm.
The women sense that their's a person looking way longer at her. She cast her gaze away from the book in her hands and raised her head, looking at the youth standing across the counter.
"Yes?" She asked with a smile. Not minding how the youth is looking at her longer than anyone else.
Ikari snapped out of his daze at the women's word. Realizing that he'd fall again of this women charm, he immediately grab the key from inside his robe and put it at the table in front of her.
"I'm giving this back." Putting the key at the table, Ikari then turned his body and walked out of the Inn, not taking anymore glance at the women.
The women smiled at the youth's actions, not minding it. She turned her gaze back at the book in her hand, not taking the key on the table.
Outside, Ikari walked toward northwest as the old man told him on the letter.
Along the way, Ikari buy a small gourd of water using the money the old man give to him and tied it on his waist.
Walking out of the village, he see a small mountain up a head and climb it's top. Arriving at the top of the mountain, he stand there and looked at the horizon.
What he sees make his mind blank for moment. As what his eyes could see, the dark clouds that the old man talked about is so far away. He could only see it because he was at the top of the small mountain. Looking at the far away dark clouds, he was not sure if he could reach it in two days.
"How vicious." Ikari said with a grim look on his eyes.
Nothing less, he steeled his heart and mind and take a deep breath. He then take several steps and ran fast toward the black cloud far away.