The Heavenly Knight

Chapter 7 - The Adventure Begins

“Young Master Haruki! Are you hungry?” asked Kenzou Arata, while Shinra Kazan simply nodded quietly.

“We’ll stop for a bite to eat at that shop up ahead in a moment!” said Kenzou Arata, then he quickened his horse’s pace.

They were still within the city limits of Kasen, so a few buildings were still visible, but this was the outskirts of the city; soon they would leave Kasen behind and enter a small forest.

Kenzou Arata quickly dismounted and then helped Shinra Kazan down from his white horse before tying the horse’s reins to the designated spot.

“Welcome, gentlemen. Please come in!” said a waiter who greeted them with a warm smile.

Kenzou Arata, his two students, and Shinra Kazan immediately entered and sat down in the empty seats at a square table.

“Gentlemen, what would you like to order?” asked the server who had welcomed them earlier.

“We’ll all have rice with mild vegetables, plus grilled meat—and everything for four people!” said Kenzou Arata.

“Is there anything else, sir? Perhaps you’d like to order a drink or some sake and a small snack?” the waiter asked again.

Kenzou Arata swallowed hard; he wanted to order some sake, but he was with Shinra Kazan at the moment.

“Just bring us some hot tea with a little snack!” said Kenzou Arata, glancing at Kanezawa Mitsunari and Daigo Renji, who actually wanted to order sake.

The waiter immediately left Kenzou Arata to prepare their order.

“This tavern isn’t very crowded!” said Daigo Renji.

“That’s right. When we stopped by here yesterday, it was pretty crowded, but now it’s quieter!” Kanezawa Mitsunari chimed in.

“No matter where you go, business isn’t always bustling—sometimes there are few customers!” said Kenzou Arata.

“Here’s your order of hot tea and snacks, sir. Please enjoy them while you wait for your main course!” said the waitress.

“Thank you, Miss!” said Kenzou Arata, and then he ate some of the light snacks.

Shinra Kazan also ate some snacks in front of him, then took a sip of hot tea.

While they were still waiting for the main course to arrive, a fat, potbellied old man holding a pitcher of drink in his hand walked into the tavern.

“Miss, I’d like to buy some rice wine—please pour it into this jar!” said the old man.

Kenzou Arata initially noticed the old man but didn’t recognize him, so he went back to enjoying his snack.

Shortly afterward, their primary orders arrived, and they all began eating right away.

“Young Master, eat plenty because we’ll be entering a small forest soon. If we hurry, we’ll make it to Tsukihara Village, but if not, we’ll have to spend the night in the forest!” said Kanezawa Mitsunari.

Kenzou Arata only glanced over briefly before calmly returning to his meal. But just as he was enjoying his food, the Old Man spoke again—this time, however, he wasn’t speaking to the servant, but to Shinra Kazan.

“Are you really just a little kid, like you look?”

Shinra Kazan felt surprised;

Kenzou Arata immediately realized that the old man was no ordinary person.

“Sorry, Grandpa, he’s just a kid, and this boy is my student!” Kenzou Arata replied.

Shinra Kazan immediately knelt down, bowed to the old man, and spoke to him.

“Greetings! My name is Shinra Kazan!”

“Shinra Kazan…? Hmm…! Ah, never mind. I thought you were an old demon in disguise! Maybe it’s the alcohol—my vision’s a little blurry,” said the old man, then turned and walked toward the door.

Shinra Kazan breathed a sigh of relief because the old man didn’t suspect him at all.

“Just forget what I said earlier, little demon—finish your meal!” said the old man.

“That old man is so strange!” said Daigo Renji.

“Did you recognize him, Sensei?” Kanezawa Mitsunari asked, but Kenzou Arata simply shook his head.

“Hurry and finish your meals, and we’ll leave as soon as possible so we don’t get caught in the forest after dark!” said Kenzou Arata.

The four of them went back to eating so they could leave soon, since they still had a long journey ahead of them.

***

“We’ll be passing through the forest soon—remember to always stay alert!” said Kenzou Arata.

If he hadn’t brought Shinra Kazan along, he probably wouldn’t have given Kanezawa Mitsunari and Daigo Renji that warning.

For a while, there were indeed no problems whatsoever, so they could continue their journey with no interference from anyone.

However, as they ventured deeper into the forest, they could hear a fight near where they were.

“Sensei…!?” Daigo Renji turned to look at Kenzou Arata.

“Stay together!” said Kenzou Arata, and then they walked toward the source of the sound.

When they arrived, they found two people fighting, and two others lying on the ground; both of the latter appeared to be in critical condition.

Not that which made their eyes widen, but the person fighting—a man wearing a short-sleeved shirt and wielding a sword similar to those typically carried by the Knights of the Fengrui Kingdom—who was battling the old man Kenzou Arata’s group had met at the tavern.

“He’s a bandit who often operates around these woods, but why does that bandit have a Knight’s sword from the Kingdom of Fengrui?” asked Kanezawa Mitsunari.

“It’s possible he robbed those merchants from Fengrui, and maybe he took their swords!” replied Daigo Renji.

Kenzou Arata and Shinra Kazan paid no attention to the man wielding the sword; they were both more interested in the old man who was his opponent.

Although he wasn’t using any weapons, the old man was extremely skilled at dodging attacks while counterattacking with unpredictable strikes.

“That’s the Drunken God Technique!” thought Shinra Kazan.

“So that old man is Koumei Hisen, the Drunken God!” muttered Kenzou Arata.

“You stinky old geezer! I won’t let you live!” said the mugger, whose appearance was already a mess.

“What…? I can’t hear you—speak up, young man!” said Koumei Hisen, hiccupping as his body teetered on the brink of falling but somehow stayed upright.

The Begal Knight wanted to curse; he realized that Koumei Hisen was just toying with him on purpose.

“I’ll get you back someday!” said the Begal Knight, then he left, abandoning his two wounded companions.

“Young man, why are you running away? Come on, let’s play some more!” said Koumei Hisen.

After the Begal leader disappeared, it turned out that Koumei Hisen could stand normally, as if he weren’t drunk at all.

“Are you guys just here to watch me, or do you want to help me tie up these two?” said Koumei Hisen.

Kenzou Arata and the others immediately approached Koumei Hisen. Only Kenzou Arata and Shinra Kazan knew Koumei Hisen’s identity, while Kanezawa Mitsunari and Daigo Renji did not recognize him at all.

“Please forgive us for not recognizing you, Senior Koumei. My name is Kenzou Arata of the Golden Lion, and these are the disciples of our sect,” said Kenzou Arata.

“Kenzou Arata from the Golden Lion Sect! In that case, you must be a disciple of Masaki Raikou of the Golden Fangs,” said Koumei Hisen.

“That’s correct, Senior. Master is both our teacher and the leader of our sect,” said Kenzou Arata.

Kanezawa Mitsunari and Daigo Renji tied up two severely wounded knights. Koumei Hisen had previously given them pills to alleviate their internal injuries, preventing their deaths.

It’s very difficult to meet Koumei Hisen; he moves around so often that only the lucky few gets to meet him.