God of Knight

Chapter 12 - Footsteps in the Storehouse

The next morning, Mei and Hiyori returned to the Eagle Eye Sect. Mei kept asking where Kazan was because she couldn’t find him.

She left without saying goodbye to him. Kazan deliberately stayed in his room, unwilling to deal with a child.

“Here are your supplies for a month, and starting tomorrow, Daigo’ll accompany you. Do you have any objections?” said Kenzou.

Kazan nodded. Kenzou’s absence would leave him time to practice his breathing without the teacher watching.

Kazan’s reading lessons would use books Takao brought to his room.

Takao would teach him for less than half a day, leaving him on his own for the rest of the time.

That would leave time for breathing practice and for finding medicines to strengthen his small body.

Daigo would only come at night and sleep in Kazan’s room to keep him company.

“In that case, I’m going to go see Takao, so just wait here for a moment!” said Kenzou, and then he left Kazan behind.

“This kid is way too cold and quiet!” thought Kenzou as he turned around and watched Kazan walk into the house.

Kenzou’s house was now Kazan’s home, and he would look after it while his teacher was away on the mission.

Once inside his room, Kazan took out the Rain Dew Pills given to him by Koumei.

Kazan placed four pills in a bowl, then searched the kitchen for tools, including a small wooden mortar.

He hoped to find some magical herbs there as well, but found only ordinary cooking spices.

“No magical plants at all?” Kazan searched the last shelf, then returned to his room.

“If this pill alone isn’t enough to help with my training, I’ll have to go out and look for other magical plants—who knows, maybe there are rare plants at the foot of Mount Thousand Flowers!” Kazan muttered.

He looked out at the sect’s gate.

“But how can I get out? I can’t very well tell the disciples guarding the main gate that I just want to go for a walk, can I?” Kazan thought.

The gate guards would ask where a child intended to go and who had given him permission.

“Young Master! Are you in there?” Kenzou’s voice came from outside.

“Yes, Master…!” Kazan replied, hiding the bowl containing his pills.

Kenzou entered just as Kazan finished hiding his pills.

“Master!” Kazan greeted him, pretending to be calm as if he weren’t hiding anything.

“Young Master, this is Takao Renshi-sensei. Tomorrow, he’ll teach you to read and write!” said Kenzou.

“Greetings, Takao-sensei!” said Kazan, bowing.

Takao, who was now 31 years old, smiled gently.

“This child is still very young but knows his manners! Mr. Haruki is very lucky to have such a good, polite son!” said Takao.

Kazan kept his gaze lowered.

“If I hadn’t shrunk, you’d be the one being polite to me!” thought Kazan.

“These are the books you’ll be studying tomorrow morning. Keep them here; I’ll be back then!” Takao handed over several books, each containing a few pages.

He turned a page between his fingers. These thin paper books came from Tharondel, where people had learned to make and bind them.

These paper books were a recent arrival in the kingdom. The older texts Kazan remembered were tied wooden strips or thick animal-hide scrolls; he still found himself turning the light pages too carefully.

He traced the line of writing on the paper, remembering the narrow columns of the wooden texts.

“Take good care of them, Young Master!” said Kenzou, then he walked out with Takao.

“Thank you for being willing to teach him!” said Kenzou.

“What are you talking about, Senior? It’s my job here to teach every new student, though I’ll admit this time the student I’ll be teaching is the youngest,” replied Takao.

Kenzou and Takao talked as they walked out, while Kazan placed the books on the table.

***

Two mornings later, on the day fixed for the caravan, Kenzou left before Kazan woke.

Kenzou simply left a note on Kazan’s bedside table stating that he had already left.

Takao would surely read the note and pass on its message to Kazan.

Kazan read it before Takao arrived, then put it back exactly where Kenzou had left it.

After sunrise, Takao came for another lesson. Kazan stumbled over letters he already knew and waited for the teacher to correct him.

He asked small questions and deliberately forgot a few characters. Each patient explanation helped preserve his disguise.

Takao taught there for nearly half a day, and then he left at noon.

“My chance.” Kazan waited for Takao’s footsteps to fade, then crossed to the bed.

He retrieved the bowl, set it on the table, and ground the four Rain Dew Pills to powder.

He stashed the bowl back under the bed and then left.

Daigo would not return until night. Kazan listened once more at the door before slipping out.

Kazan crept toward the building—a resource storage warehouse belonging to the Golden Lion Sect.

Two disciples stood at the entrance. A low ventilation opening beside the stacked supplies was just wide enough for Kazan’s small body; he squeezed through while their attention stayed on the door.

“Turns out there’s an advantage to having a small body after all!” Kazan thought, smiling.

He crouched behind a basket and listened. No footsteps approached from inside.

Kazan checked every basket, big and small, and one by one, he found the items he needed.

“Hundred-Year-Old Black Ginseng! This is very useful for increasing my Black Blood Cells, boosting my stamina, and easing my breathing! I have to take three roots for my future supply.”

He tucked away the three roots and moved on to the next basket.

“Blood Orchid! Oh, and these are purple potatoes—where did this sect get these two items? I’d better take them and keep them until I form my first Circle of Ki,” Kazan said as he stowed everything inside his clothes.

He returned the baskets to their places and brushed away the fragments he had dislodged.

Once everything was in order, Kazan headed for the exit. He was about to check on the two guards outside when the door suddenly swung open.

With no time to reach the ventilation opening, Kazan slipped beneath a pile of sacks.

“Did I just hear a noise coming from this room?” one of them said.

“Maybe it was just a mouse! Besides, we’ve been standing right in front of the door this whole time—do you really think anyone would’ve come in without us noticing?”

“You’re absolutely right. Besides, this place still looks neat and clean. Let’s get out of here!”

Boots stopped only a few steps away. He held his breath.