In the morning of the next day, when Ichinaro woke up, he got out of his blue bed and opened the window. The breeze was gentle, and the city was full of life. He felt a sense of peace… the same feeling that used to accompany him before the tragedy in his village.
While he was immersed in this feeling, an annoying voice interrupted him: "Strange that you woke up early on your own… that's a noticeable development."
Arthos was mocking him.
Ichinaro replied with annoyance: "No one asked for your opinion, you stupid dagger."
If Arthos had a physical body, his veins would have bulged from anger. Then he said sharply: "Well, you spoiled child… it doesn't matter what you think. Now it's time for training."
Ichinaro smiled slightly and said: "You're right… I'll start now."
He began his training immediately; more than a hundred push-ups, and nearly the same amount of squats, in addition to abdominal exercises. His body moved in a tiring rhythm, but his determination did not waver.
After that, he sat for a while, meditating and focusing on gathering and developing his energy.
When he finished, he was breathing heavily, and sweat was pouring from his body. He wiped his face with his hand, then stood up and said: "I'll go take a shower now."
He headed to the inn's bath. The water was warm, so he sat for a while, enjoying the calm.
After a short time, he finished bathing, got dressed, and went out.
Ichinaro went to explore the city; he hadn't seen anything of it yet, since shortly after arriving, he had rented a room.
He wandered through the city like a small child seeing the world for the first time. Everything amazed him, even the simplest things, even if they existed in his village. Just being in another city in the outside world was enough to erase that image from his mind.
Arthos didn't want to speak and left him to enjoy himself.
Ichinaro moved between food stalls, ordering from them. He took grilled meat skewers and a sandwich, eating them with enjoyment as he walked through the city.
Then he went to see the public areas. There were massive buildings, and a huge statue in the center of a man holding a sword. There were seats for gatherings, people could feed pigeons, and there was a beautiful fountain shaped like a mermaid.
Ichinaro was astonished by what he saw. He didn't know that the world was full of such things… things he had never even imagined. He felt overwhelming joy, and his eyes widened with a bright sparkle.
While wandering, he passed by a cart loaded with goods, covered with a large gray cloth, when he heard a voice: "Work well, slave, and don't you dare slack off!"
The one pulling the cart was a fair-skinned man with a medium build. It was clear his body was trained, yet he was being abused. His hair was bright crimson, and he wore a faded white robe wrapped around his body. He looked exhausted and burdened.
As for the one inside the cart, he was insulting him and was about to strike him.
Ichinaro saw this and felt disgust toward the one in the cart, and his chest filled with anger. He was about to intervene, but Arthos stopped him, saying: "Stop. What do you think you're doing? Don't get us involved in things that don't concern us. Do you think you can do whatever you want whenever you want just because your values tell you so? The world doesn't move according to your desires. If it doesn't concern you, don't interfere."
Ichinaro replied, his face showing sympathy: "But he's being humiliated… I can't stand that. Someone has to stop him."
Arthos interrupted him, anger clear in his voice: "I said don't interfere. It's none of your business."
Ichinaro lowered his head, clenched his fist, and bit his lip, while his eyes shone with a mix of sadness and anger.
He tried to ignore it and continue on his way…
But suddenly, the man inside the cart pulled out a tool that made a sharp sound and raised it to strike the slave while shouting—
The sound suddenly stopped.
"My God… didn't I tell you not to interfere?"
Ichinaro had grabbed the tool with his hand. He looked with eyes burning with anger and said: "Stop that."
"Can't you see he's working hard? Instead of appreciating his effort, you do this? You bastard."
The owner of the cart responded loudly, anger clear on his face: "And what is it to you, boy? Get out of my way immediately!"
Ichinaro's face darkened. He didn't respond with words; instead, he charged his hand with Kaizo and clenched his fist. He wasn't that strong yet, but he pressed on the tool until he shattered it. His hand was injured, full of wounds and bleeding, but he didn't care.
He looked at the man again and said: "If you don't stop… I'll break your nose."
Sweat began pouring from the man, fear creeping into his heart. With broken breaths and a trembling voice, he shouted: "Guards! Come quickly!"
Within moments, Ichinaro heard footsteps. He turned to see a group of guards—five of them—approaching. When they arrived, they calmly asked: "What happened?"
The man quickly replied: "This brat interfered in my work, broke my tool, and was about to attack me!"
The guards turned to Ichinaro and asked: "Is this true?"
Ichinaro answered, still holding hope that the guards would stand for justice: "No. That man was beating the slave with a tool that tears his skin. It was excessive abuse, so I stopped him."
But the guards showed no reaction and said: "This man is the owner of the slave. He has the right to do as he pleases. This does not concern you. Do not interfere again, or we will consider it a crime and punish you."
Two of the guards stepped forward, crossing their spears in an X shape, pushing Ichinaro back.
He tried to resist, shouting from the depths of his heart: "What crime?! He's torturing him! Even if he owns him, does that give him the right to treat lives like nothing?! Are you really guards?! Stop!"
Suddenly, a tired but firm voice interrupted: "That's enough… you've done enough. Stop."
Ichinaro's eyes widened in shock. He raised his head and looked at the slave… his eyes seemed to say: "I can endure all this… don't worry."
Ichinaro lost his will to resist. His body went limp, but the shock remained on his face… until he left the place.
On his way back to the inn, he wasn't thinking about anything. His mind was empty… he walked like a corpse moving on the earth.
When he entered his room, he moved with heavy steps until he reached the bed and threw himself onto it. He didn't feel comfort, even with the softness of the bed. Something was weighing on him.
He kept staring at the ceiling, thinking: "Was what I did right?"
It was the first time he saw the world from a different perspective. He felt as if his values were just childish naivety, and that the world did not recognize them… he even began to doubt them.
But in the middle of his thoughts, a voice interrupted him: "Don't worry… what you did was right. Don't burden yourself."
Arthos was trying to comfort him.
Ichinaro took a deep breath and said: "Weren't you the one who stopped me? Yet I insisted…"
Arthos replied: "Since you know you insisted, that's good. But the mistake wasn't in your intention—it was in this world. This world is ruled by power and interests. If you don't have the power to change it, you have no right to act."
Then he continued: "And that slave… he was strong, but completely obedient. Maybe something forced him—his family, his children. If you had gone further, you might have caused a disaster."
Ichinaro was shocked and said sadly: "I almost destroyed his life because of my stubbornness…"
Arthos said: "What's done is done. Your sorrow won't change anything. Learn from it."
Ichinaro didn't reply… he remained silent, lost in thought… until sleep took him.