The Heavenly Knight

Chapter 3 - New Life

“What’s that noise? Why is it so noisy? Am I already in the afterlife?”

Shinra Kazan could faintly hear distant laughter and conversation.

A faint green curtain became visible as Shinra Kazan slowly opened his eyes.

“Do beds like these exist in the afterlife as well?” Looking around, Shinra Kazan wondered.

Shortly afterward, he heard a door open. Shinra Kazan, who was still lying down, turned his head and saw a beautiful woman in her late twenties enter, carrying something in her hand.

Shinra Kazan looked at the woman’s luxurious red dress, which featured a floral pattern at the bottom; it looked like the garment worn by wealthy nobles.

“Is that what they call an angel? Why do her face and body look just like an ordinary human’s?” Shinra Kazan wondered to himself.

“You’ve finally come to your senses. I figured you’d take a while to realize! Son, what’s your name?” with a gentle smile, the woman asked, setting down a ceramic basin that nobles typically possessed.

The woman took a cloth and placed it in a basin filled with warm water; she wrung it out, and it was clear she intended to wipe Shinra Kazan’s body.

“Son? Why is she calling me ‘son’?” Shinra Kazan raised his hand and saw that his palm had shrunk to the size of a child’s.

“What’s happening to me?” Shinra Kazan saw palms as small as those of a 4- or 5-year-old child, and this startled him.

It turned out his legs were also short, with small calves and tiny toes.

“What the heck is this? Am I in heaven, or have I reincarnated again?” Shinra Kazan felt frustrated; he didn’t understand what was happening to him, so he clutched his head.

The woman who had been about to wipe Shinra Kazan’s body changed her mind and tried to calm him down as he seemed confused.

“Calm down! You’re in a safe place now! The four people who wanted to harm you are all dead, so you don’t need to be afraid anymore!” said the woman.

The woman’s explanation caused Shinra Kazan to fall silent.

“Impossible! So I’m not dead yet? I haven’t reincarnated either? Why is my body so diminutive?” Bewilderment continued to mount for Shinra Kazan.

Should Shinra Kazan’s suspicion prove true, the four individuals would be his fellow disciples: The Bloodthirsty Demon, The Death Reaper Demon, The Demon Fang, and The Mad Demon.

Upon trying to sense his own Ki, Shinra Kazan realized it was no longer present.

“Haruki Enjou! Come here quickly and bring Healer Jinbei along,” the woman yelled.

Upon looking towards the door, he saw two men come in–one who looked like a doctor and another man who was about thirty-five years old.

Shinra Kazan’s eyes widened and his body trembled as he recognized the man. Haruki Enjou was a key figure among the officials in the Tsukigawa Kingdom.

Despite receiving the assignment from two officials, the assassination attempt was unsuccessful because the Golden Lion Sect, a minor faction within the Free Sect, protected Haruki Enjou.

Even though the Golden Lion Sect is small, it boasts a knight capable of matching him at his peak.

Naturally, his fight while masked against a Golden Lion Knight caught the eye of numerous soldiers and fellow Knights, compelling Shinra Kazan to withdraw for his own safety.

Shinra Kazan’s failure in his mission began then, creating a divide with his peers. For months, they engaged in a tense dispute. Shinra Kazan’s betrayal ultimately disappointed his fellow disciples.

Although that wasn’t the issue that caused the conflict between him and his three fellow students, it all began with his failure to kill Haruki Enjou.

“He still looks frightened and in shock!” the woman explained to the physician who had come with Haruki Enjou.

The doctor checked Shinra Kazan’s wrist to feel his pulse and found that it was racing.

“This is only natural, Mr. Haruki; he’s still traumatized, so he’ll always remember what happened to him!” said the doctor.

“Will this take a long time?” asked Haruki Enjou.

“Not really! Once he can walk, he will forget his troubles if he gets enough rest and you take him for a walk to see new things,” the doctor said, indicating the medicine on the table.

“Don’t forget to give him that sedative so he can rest again quickly. Remember, administer the powdered medicine only once daily, and only that!” said the doctor.

“Thank you so much, Doctor Jinbei!” said the woman.

“Mrs. Haruki, there’s no need to thank me like that—it’s my duty as a doctor! Well then, I’ll take my leave now!” said Doctor Jinbei.

Haruki Enjou handed Doctor Jinbei two five-silver coins, and then Doctor Jinbei left Shinra Kazan’s room.

Haruki Enjou immediately approached Shinra Kazan, who was still staring at her with a look of confusion and fear.

“Relax, son. We are good people. You were discovered naked near the body of The Mad Demon, clad in the Demon's armor mask,” Haruki Enjou stated.

Shinra Kazan swallowed hard. He realized he wasn’t actually dead or reincarnated—instead, his body had shrunk while he was unconscious.

Shinra Kazan remembered he had drunk the liquid Aira had given him, and he thought that the liquid had something to do with his body shrinking.

But that wasn’t what made Shinra Kazan swallow hard.

“I don’t have a single piece of cloth on my body!” Shinra Kazan pondered.

Despite his small stature, his mind and spirit were those of an elder. Haruki Enjou and his wife should have referred to him as “Father” or “Grandfather” rather than “son.”

“I have to start all over again!” Shinra Kazan thought to himself as he lay down after Haruki Enjou’s wife finished giving him the medicine from the healer Jinbei.

Seeing that Shinra Kazan was closing his eyes, Haruki Enjou and his wife quietly left and closed the door gently so the sound of the door wouldn’t disturb Shinra Kazan.

But in reality, Shinra Kazan wasn’t asleep; the medicine prescribed by Doctor Jinbei had absolutely no effect on him, so he was just pretending to sleep.

After Haruki Enjou and his wife had left, Shinra Kazan opened his eyes again; he sat up and looked over his entire body.

Shinra Kazan got up and stood on his bed; he still couldn’t believe that his body had turned back into that of a helpless child.

“My arms and legs are such a burden!” said Shinra Kazan. Then he got down and walked toward the rather tall window.

Shinra Kazan struggled to climb onto the wooden chair in front of the window; his small legs made it very difficult for him to climb, but in the end, he got up.

Shinra Kazan’s face had regained its childhood appearance. Although he was glad his face had healed, he felt unhappy because he had lost his powers.

“I must be patient for two or three more years before I can recommence my training from scratch,” Shinra Kazan grumbled, then he rose and went back to his bed.

It seemed impossible for him to train right now; with his bones having reverted to a very young state, it would certainly be highly risky if he forced himself to train.

Now Shinra Kazan felt the gods had given him another chance at life so that he could correct his mistakes and atone for all his sins by doing what he believed to be right.