Volume 3 Chapter 5 The Great Villain Of The World, Reuniting With Master Raikou I
We were guided to the inn where Master Raikou was staying.
The inn was in a rundown area, away from the main street.
Maybe it was to hide from the Jinkyo Tribe.
The two of them were being chased by the Jinkyo Tribe.
Toushun is in Aika Country's territory, but it's close to Jinkyo Tribe land. There's a chance their allies could be nearby.
So, Master must have chosen a place that wouldn't attract attention.
As we followed the guide, Touri-san and I entered the back room──
"Oh, if it isn't Tenhou! Long time no see!"
Master Raikou was sitting in a chair in the room.
"I didn't need to send a letter, did I? But why are you here?"
"...Master."
Master Raikou's tone was the same as always.
But her face looked pale.
The Master, who usually jumped around freely with 'Five Divine Steps,' now looked tired, slumped in the chair.
There was a bandage wrapped around her left leg.
It really seemed like she had been shot with an arrow.
I could see the wound through the gap in the bandage.
Dark red drops were flowing from it, falling into a basin at her feet.
"Sorry for surprising you."
Noticing my gaze, Master scratched her head shyly.
"There were a lot of things that happened on the way here. Since you're with Suuki-kun and Reki-kun, I assume you've heard the situation from them?"
"Y-yes. Just a little bit, though."
That was all I could manage to reply.
I couldn't find my voice in front of my injured master.
"...Master, you saved the two of them, right?"
"Yeah. I saw the kids being chased by the cavalry, and my body just moved on its own. I managed to take down the cavalry, but... there was a martial artist using throwing knives. While I was dealing with him, an archer targeted Suuki-kun. I was going to knock away the throwing knives and arrows to help her, but..."
What surprised Master was that the archer was a powerful martial artist.
After knocking away the first arrow, Master got hit in the leg by the second arrow that flew just above the ground.
"The first arrow was probably meant to distract me. On top of that, the throwing knives were coming from both sides. Because I was focused on the first arrow and the two throwing knives, I couldn't dodge the arrow at my feet."
Master Raikou said this with a wry smile.
'Throwing knives' are like the throwing knives in this world.
When you become a master, you can bring back the thrown knives like a boomerang and keep throwing them repeatedly. Some even throw multiple knives at once to block their opponent's escape.
So, Master faced both a powerful throwing knife user and an archer at the same time.
And she did it while protecting 2 kids.
Master was knocking away arrows and throwing knives. She was also dodging the hidden arrows. So, the arrows that should have hit her only grazed her leg.
Moreover, while Master was injured, she managed to escape with Suuki Taiga and Reki Soukaku. Those 2 didn't have a single scratch. Master perfectly protected them.
She's really amazing... my master.
"I managed to escape to Toushun, but I struggled to remove the poison from the arrow... and now I can't move. I guess I've gotten careless since I've been away from real battles."
"I don't think that's true..."
In fact, she's way too strong.
If it were me, I would have been killed the moment I met the Flying Knife Wielder.
"But, Master, did you show yourself to a doctor?"
"I'm fine. I'm using 'ki' to expel the poison."
Master touched the bandaged leg.
"The enemy knows I was hit by a poisoned arrow. If the enemy has infiltrated Toushun... calling a doctor might reveal the locations of Suuki and Reki. Don't worry, though. I know how to remove the poison. This will be over soon──."
"Excuse me."
Suddenly, Touri-san stepped forward.
She knelt on the floor and leaned close to Master Raikou's wound.
"...Who are you?"
"It's been a while. I'm Gen Touri. I'm the daughter of Gen Shuuyoku, Master Raikou's junior disciple."
"Touri-kun!? You've grown up. But... you have a meridian injury..."
Master Raikou looked back and forth between me and Touri-san.
"I see! It's the effect of Tenhou's── that 'ki.' As expected of my junior disciple's younger sister. I didn't think of that..."
"More importantly, Raikou-sama."
"What is it, Touri-kun?"
"I'll go call my mother right now. Please get treated."
Touri-san stared at Master Raikou with a strong gaze.
"This poison can't be removed just with 'ki' energy. It will stay in the body. I will call Mother, so please receive treatment!"
"You're being dramatic. I can at least get rid of the poison myself, Master Gyoun──."
"This poison is special."
Touri-san interrupts Master Raikou's words.
"This poison is made by mixing several poisonous plants. The only poisons that can be removed with 'ki' are weak ones. The main poison will remain in the body. It gradually seeps deep into the body... it's a very nasty poison."
"...Is that so?"
"We need to start proper treatment right away. If we don't, Raikou-sama might... lose the ability to move in about 5 to ten years."
"────Huh?"
For a moment, I couldn't believe my ears.
Master Raikou's body might stop moving? In ten years?
Does such a poison really exist?
Could it be... that this is the reason Master Raikou disappears in the game?
Master Raikou is the strongest character in the game 'History of Swordmaster.'
But in the middle of the game, she leaves without any warning.
She leaves behind the words, 'From here on, my hands can't reach.'
I thought that meant 'I'll leave it to the young heroes from now on'... but is that not it? Is the poison she just received going to harm my master's body in ten years?
Of course, the game's Master didn't help Suuki and Reki.
The two came to Aika Country because Zeng Taiga became a tyrant.
And the reason Zeng Taiga became a tyrant was that I and Shouou cut off one of his arms.
In the game, Zeng Taiga doesn't actually lose an arm.
Suki and Reki probably lived normally as members of the Jinkyo Tribe.
Master Raikou in the game might have been traveling in the north for a different reason.
There, she got close to the Jinkyo Tribe's land and, for some reason, got hit by a poisoned arrow, and that poison probably stayed in her body.
Because of that poison, did Master Raikou leave the battlefield partway?
But what happened to Master Raikou after she left?
"...No, no, that's an exaggeration, Touri-kun."
The current Master Raikou is fine.
Her complexion is bad, but she's waving her hand with a bright expression.
She's laughing, saying that this poison is nothing to worry about.
Seeing that face, I──
"Please, Master Raikou! Get treated by Shuu-sensei!!"
Before I knew it, I was bowing down and rubbing my head on the floor.
"My disciple Kou Tenhou is begging you!! Please, do as Touri-san says!!"
"T-Tenhou!? What's gotten into you all of a sudden!?"
"Please!! Get treated by Shuu-sensei, Master!!"
"...Tenhou."
"Your life is at stake, Master!! So please, get treated!!"
"Okay, okay, I got it!!"
Master Raikou seemed flustered,
"I'll do as you say! I'll receive treatment from my little sister disciple──Yokumai (little sister disciple)! So lift your head, Tenhou."
"Thank you very much. Then, Touri-san!"
"Y-yes. I'll hurry and bring Mother!"
Touri-san rushed out of the inn.
A little over ten minutes later, Shuu-sensei arrived in a hurry and examined Master Raikou's wounds.
"...Sister disciple."
"What is it, Yokumai?"
"What were you planning to do after you expelled the poison by yourself?"
"I was planning to send Suuki-kun and Reki-kun to Hokurin."
"...That's reckless. It's no wonder Touri and Tenhou are worried."
She let out a long sigh, sounding exasperated.
"Just as Touri diagnosed, this is a special poison. It's made of 90% weak poison and 10% strong poison. The weak poison hides the strong poison. That's why you thought it was just a weak poison, sister disciple."
"...I do have some knowledge about poison, you know."
"To see through the components of this poison, you need medical knowledge. In fact, martial artists with knowledge of poison are more likely to misjudge its strength. This poison can be called a 'martial artist killer' poison."
Strong martial artists can control their 'ki' and expel poison from their bodies.
This poison targets those with such abilities.
Since it's a weak poison, they think there's no need to call a doctor──so the martial artist tries to expel the poison themselves.
They can get rid of the weak poison, but the main, deadly poison remains in their body.
Over time, it damages important parts of their body.
──That was Shuu-sensei's analysis.
So, Shuu-sensei called this poison 'Martial Artist Killer.'
Of course, it seems that Shuu-sensei can detoxify it.
"...I didn't notice."
Master Raikou slumped her shoulders.
"I still have a long way to go. To misjudge the components of the poison."
"It can't be helped. This is my first time seeing this poison too."
Saying that, Shuu-sensei began preparing the treatment.
"You should thank Tenhou and Touri. If you had left it untreated, in a few years, you would have started feeling pain in your heart. Or, you might have lost the ability to move before you even felt the pain."
"...Ah, I see."
"I'm glad Tenhou and Touri were here. I'm also... grateful to be here myself. Really."
"Yeah. And... I guess I was overconfident."
Master Raikou sighed.
Shuu-sensei was inserting needles into Master's leg.
By doing this, it weakens the flow of 'ki' in her body, preventing the poison from spreading during treatment.
"Getting hurt and making my little sister disciple worry... I'm so embarrassed."
"If you were an ordinary martial artist, you would have been unable to move the moment you got poisoned."
Shuu-sensei smiled wryly.
"The fact that you managed to escape to town in this condition is proof that you're extraordinary."
"Hey, Yokumai."
"What is it, big sister disciple?"
"Can you stop using honorifics?"
"Stop it. My senior disciple is Master Gyoun's top disciple, and I'm the second disciple. For the memories with that person, I want to keep the hierarchy intact."
"...If that's the case, there's no helping it."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
Master Raikou and Shuu-sensei. Even though they trained at different times, they are both disciples of Master Gyoun.
There must be a relationship I don't understand.
It's refreshing to see the shy Master Raikou and the polite Shuu-sensei.
"Master Raikou. Shuu-sensei."
I called out to them.
"I'd like to hear about the Jinkyo Tribe's situation from Suuki-san and Reki-san, if that's okay?"
"Oh, right. That is important."
"I want to hear it too. No, senior disciple, please don't move. I will continue the treatment."
"Touri also wants to know what happened with Raikou-sama and the others."
Master Raikou and Shuu-sensei replied, and Touri-san nodded.
The 4 of them turned their gazes toward Suuki Taiga and Reki Soukaku, who looked tense.
Then, the two exchanged glances.
"I'm the bodyguard. The official messenger is the young lady──Suuki Taiga-sama."
"I will talk about the current situation of the Jinkyo Tribe."
With that, after awkwardly clasping hands, Suuki Taiga began to speak.
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