The Heavenly Knight

Chapter 13 - Secret Growth

The next morning, Aoi Mei and Kenzou Hiyori returned to the Eagle Eye Sect. Aoi Mei asked repeatedly about Shinra Kazan’s whereabouts because she couldn’t see him.

In the end, Aoi Mei returned to the Eagle Eye Sect without saying goodbye to Shinra Kazan, while Shinra Kazan himself deliberately stayed in his room because he didn’t want the hassle of dealing with a child.

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

Shinra Kazan simply nodded; in truth, this was the opportunity he’d been waiting for most—to practice his breathing with no one watching over him.

Shinra Kazan would only learn to read from books that Takao Renshi would bring to Shinra Kazan’s room.

Takao Renshi would teach Shinra Kazan for less than half a day, and for the rest of the time, Shinra Kazan would be on his own.

Shinra Kazan would use this time alone to practice his breathing techniques and to search for potions that could accelerate his growth.

Daigo Renji will only come at night and will sleep in Shinra Kazan’s room so that Shinra Kazan won’t be alone at night.

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

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

Now Kenzou Arata’s house had become Shinra Kazan’s home; while Kenzou Arata was away on his mission, Shinra Kazan would be the one to look after it.

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

Shinra Kazan placed four of the pills in a bowl, then went to the kitchen to look for some tools, such as a small wooden mortar, and also checked a few spots in the kitchen.

Shinra Kazan hoped to find some additional magical spices in the kitchen, but after a while, he had found nothing other than ordinary cooking spices.

“Does Kenzou Arata not have any magical plants in stock at all?” Shinra Kazan wondered to himself as he sighed, 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 the Thousand Flowers Mountain!” Shinra Kazan muttered.

Shinra Kazan glanced out the window, and his face fell again. “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?” Shinra Kazan thought to himself.

Shinra Kazan knew that every sect always had strict rules.

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

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

Kenzou Arata entered just as Shinra Kazan finished hiding his pills. “Master!” Shinra 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 how to read and write!” said Kenzou Arata.

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

Takao Renshi, who was now 31 years old, smiled gently. “This child is still very young but knows his manners! Mr. Haruki Enjou is very lucky to have a son as good and as polite as this Young Master!” said Takao Renshi.

Shinra Kazan remained silent, but his heart spoke otherwise: “If I hadn’t shrunk, you’d be the one being polite to me!” thought Shinra Kazan.

“All right, these are the books you’ll be studying tomorrow morning, so just keep them here because I’ll be back tomorrow morning!” said Takao Renshi as he handed over several books, each containing a few pages.

These books actually originated from the Kingdom of Tharondel; it was they who invented paper and bound it into books.

In the past, such books didn’t exist at all; even the ancient, original manuscripts from the old kingdom were scrolls made from several wooden rods tied together, while others were thick sheets made from animal hide.

One could write on each thin wooden rod as one pleased, whether to record knowledge or religious teachings.

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

"Thank you for being willing to teach him!" said Kenzou Arata.

"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 Renshi.

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

***

Kenzou Arata left very early in the morning; he didn’t say goodbye to Shinra Kazan because Shinra Kazan wasn’t awake yet.

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

Takao Renshi would surely read that note so that he could pass on the written message to Shinra Kazan.

Kenzou Arata didn’t know that Shinra Kazan had read the letter himself, and even Takao Renshi would never have believed that Shinra Kazan could actually read and write.

Takao Renshi arrived after the sun had risen higher; he began teaching Shinra Kazan every letter in the book, and Shinra Kazan, like a naive child, followed everything Takao Renshi taught him.

Shinra Kazan pretended not to understand and asked about trivial details; he even pretended to forget some letters—all to avoid arousing suspicion.

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

“This is my chance!” said Shinra Kazan, and then he hurried to his room.

Shinra Kazan took out the bowl containing the Rain Dew Pills again and placed it on the table, then ground them into a fine powder using a wooden pestle.

Once the pills were finely ground, Shinra Kazan stashed them back under the bed and then left.

Since Daigo Renji was only home at night, Shinra Kazan had more freedom because no one would see him.