Volume 4 Chapter 10 The Great Villain Of The World, Receiving Advice From Touri
──Tenhou's Perspective──
This is the lodging in Toukaku of Eastern Town.
Ryougen-kun arranged this place for us.
It's a decent size, and there are rooms for both me and Touri.
There are also 2 servants living here, taking care of the housework.
Touri helps with cooking too. With her around, my health management is perfect.
The environment for working in Toukaku is set.
All I have to do now is fulfill my role as the Defense Vice Captain──
"...I can't believe Heki Nei-san's sister and her husband are dead."
During the day, Heki Nei-san showed me around the town.
That's when I got to hear about his situation.
Heki Nei-san's sister and her husband were traveling merchants, and they were killed by bandits a few years ago. It happened while they were on a journey.
They left behind only one daughter. She was taken in by Heki Nei-san.
The criminals haven't been caught.
Heki Nei-san said that an investigation was done, but they couldn't find the bandits' hideout.
Since then, similar incidents haven't happened.
It seems that merchants and caravans haven't been attacked so far.
After the incident, Heki Nei-san suggested to Captain Ri Kai to increase the number of soldiers patrolling the roads.
Captain Ri Kai accepted the suggestion and increased the number of soldiers for a while.
But it seems that didn't last long.
"...The profile of Heki Nei from 'History of Swordmaster' says, 'A few years after losing his sister and her husband, he was in despair over the rotten Aika Country.'."
I thought if I could save Heki Nei-san's sister and her husband, I could stop him from becoming an enemy.
But the incident had already happened.
So, does that mean... it's certain that Heki Nei-san will become an enemy?
Or is something going to happen that will make him despair over Aika Country...?
"...Still, I have to do something."
The past can't be changed.
I can only do what I can now.
First, I need to improve the work environment.
I want to be ready to act quickly if a similar incident happens again.
If I can catch some outlaws or bandits, I might find clues about Heki Nei-san's sister and her husband.
Also... I've been worried about how bad the place is.
The building is falling apart and has a lot of wear and tear.
Even though there's a stable, there are no horses.
The weapons and armor are all damaged.
It seems like Heki Nei-san and the others aren't being treated well.
I should start by fixing that.
Asking Ri Kai-san for improvements... is probably impossible.
Heki Nei-san must have talked about the need for improvements too.
The fact that things haven't gotten better means there's some reason for it.
Plus, I can't just demand things from the captain of the defense since I just got here.
"Alright. I'll figure it out myself."
Sure... I was supposed to get a reward for stopping the fight with the Jinkyo Tribe.
I should use that.
If I ask Ryougen-kun, he should be able to arrange it for me.
I'm the leader of the 'Six-Person Unit.'
So, it shouldn't be a problem for me to get equipment for my subordinates.
In the end, it will also help Aika Country.
And then... I'm also worried about Heki Nei-san's niece.
Her parents were killed by bandits, just like Seirei.
She must be hurting just as much as Seirei.
I remember Seirei's face when she was just taken in by the Kou family.
At that time, Seirei looked lost, dazed, and it seemed like she had forgotten how to cry.
If Heki Nei-san's niece is feeling the same way... I can't just leave her alone.
It's possible that Heki Nei-san joined the hero army because of her niece.
I should think about taking care of her too.
"I can have Seirei's pigeon deliver the letter."
When I was leaving Hokurin, Seirei gave me her usual pigeon.
I'll have that pigeon deliver the letter.
Seirei also said, "Please send me a letter."
"Don't forget, okay?" "I want one every day!" "If possible, I want 4 times a day!"
I can't really do every day or 4 times a day, though. That would be too much for the pigeon.
"On the letter to Seirei, I wrote, 'Please deliver the enclosed letter to His Royal Highness the King's younger brother through my older brother...'."
I started writing letters to Seirei and Ryougen-kun.
This is about all I can do right now.
After this, I need to focus on my work at Toukaku.
I also have to do patrols at Toukaku starting tomorrow.
I must not overlook even the smallest incidents.
What I do here will connect to the future──
"Tenhou-sama, would you like to take a break?"
──As I was thinking about this, I heard Touri's voice from outside the door.
"I've made some tea. If you'd like."
"Thank you, Touri-san. I'll be right there."
I folded the letter and headed to the living room.
"Tenhou-sama, why are you working so hard?"
While pouring the tea, Touri suddenly asked.
The tea smelled great from the cup.
It's supposed to be the tea that Shuu-sensei taught me, which helps balance energy.
When I tried it... yeah. It's delicious.
I feel my body warming up and relaxing. Touri really knows how to make it.
"Why am I working so hard, you ask?"
After putting down the cup, I looked at Touri's face.
Touri looked a bit worried.
"Since you returned from the northern lands, you immediately started working at Toukaku. Even today, you've been in your room since you got back. You're really working hard."
"I'm General Skybear Kou Eishin's child."
I thought for a moment before saying,
"If I slack off, I will tarnish my father's name. Besides, the work from His Majesty the King is important. I can't take it lightly."
"Is that all?"
"...Um."
Touri was staring at me intently.
"I would like to report to Tenhou-sama."
"Yes."
"Touri is the daughter of a traveling doctor. Touri has knowledge of medicine. Touri has also learned about the flow and movement of 'ki.' Touri can use the Pressure Point Technique to manipulate 'ki.'."
"Oh, yes. I know."
"'Ki' is deeply connected to a person's heart. Touri has developed the ability to sense the flow of 'ki' from a person's complexion and skin. That's why Touri can tell when someone is overdoing it, anxious, or stressed."
"What do you think of me right now, Touri-san?"
"It seems like you are putting too much pressure on yourself."
...Putting too much pressure, huh.
That might be true.
There have been a lot of things happening with the Jinkyo Tribe.
They were really aggressive.
They targeted Crown Prince Rouen.
They invaded the Bokou Tribe.
They even used assassins to crush the moderates.
I had been moving around to counter them.
That feeling hasn't gone away.
So──
"Touri feels like Tenhou-sama is moving forward with big strides, leaning in. But I'm worried that this might make you lose your breath halfway..."
"Thank you, Touri-san."
"Tenhou-sama?"
"I might have been feeling the same way as when I was dealing with the Jinkyo Tribe. They were always moving around a lot. To respond to that, we had to move quickly too. So... I was always on edge."
I drank the tea that Touri made for me.
Then, I took a deep breath.
I exhaled slowly to calm my 'ki.'
"But my job from now on is the defense of Toukaku."
I nodded at Touri and replied.
"That's not a short-term battle; it's something that takes a long time. If I stay tense the whole time, I might snap eventually. What you mean, Touri-san, is that, right?"
"Y-yes! That's it!"
Touri exclaimed.
Then, with a look of admiration,
"Tenhou-sama is impressive."
"Is that so?"
"You really listen to Touri's opinions."
"Isn't it natural for me to listen to your opinions, Touri-san?"
"Huh?"
"Touri-san is my comrade and Shuu-sensei's daughter. It's only natural to value my comrades and listen to the opinions of Shuu-sensei's daughter."
"B-but, Tenhou-sama has the position of Vice Captain of Toukaku's defense..."
"To me, status isn't that important."
My goal is to avoid the 'Kou Tenhou Destruction End.' It's to prevent the collapse of Aika Country and to uncover the true identity of the Golden Feather Syndicate.
I only took the position of Vice Captain of Toukaku's defense because I thought it would help with that.
If Kou Tenhou hadn't burned Toukaku in the game 'History of Swordmaster,' I would have turned down the Vice Captain position. I would have said something like, "I'm too inexperienced for this" or "I need to retreat due to illness."
For me, the position of Vice Captain is just a tool.
But... I can't talk to Touri about the 'Kou Tenhou Destruction ending.'
To put it simply──
"I'm working for everyone's happiness."
I looked straight at Touri and said.
"What's important to me is making the people around me happy. Status is just a means to that end. That's all it is."
"For the happiness of the people around you... is that right?"
"Yes."
"Tenhou-sama, may I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"Does the 'people around you' that you mentioned include... me, Touri?"
"Of course."
Touri doesn't appear in the game 'History of Swordmaster.'
It's probably because she received the 'Four Fiends' technique, Kyuuki, when she was little. In the game world, there was no way to heal that.
But in this world, Touri is doing well.
By doing the 'Heaven-Earth Guidance Technique' with her, my 'ki' got stronger. Thanks to that, we were able to stop the Jinkyo Tribe's invasion.
The healthy Touri opened the path to avoid the 'Kou Tenhou Destruction ending.'
I want her to be happy.
So──
"It's only natural for me to wish for Touri-san's happiness."
"......"
"Touri-san is by my side and helps me with my work. It's only right to wish for the happiness of someone like that. I want Touri-san to be happy, and I want to make her happy. It's like I'm working for that."
"........."
"Um, Touri-san?"
"N-nothing! I just got a little 'ki' disturbed."
Touri mumbles while looking down.
"Ah, um, Tenhou-sama."
"Yes, Touri-san?"
"Touri also wishes for Tenhou-sama's happiness."
Touri looked straight at me and said that.
"I'm willing to do anything for Tenhou-sama's happiness. If there's anything you want me to do... just let me know!"
"Then, can you help me practice the Pressure Point Technique?"
"...Are we practicing the Pressure Point Technique?"
"Can you teach me? Just something simple, please."
"That's fine, but... why do you want to learn?"
"So I can neutralize dangerous people without hurting them."
My job is to guard and defend the town.
It includes not just driving away enemies but also cracking down on criminals.
In this line of work, information is very important.
But if I kill someone or seriously injure them, I can't get any information.
However, with the Pressure Point Technique, I can neutralize someone without hurting them.
In modern terms, it's like a safe arrest technique.
This should help me in my future work.
"I want to get better at both 'Five Divine Swordsmanship' for facing strong enemies and the Pressure Point Technique──'Finger Control Art'──to neutralize and capture criminals. So, please teach me, Touri-san."
"Okay! I understand."
Touri nodded and clasped her hands.
"On behalf of my mother, I will teach you the 'Finger Control Art,' Tenhou-sama. But... I don't have many techniques I can use."
"That's fine. I can't remember a lot either."
"Understood. Let's get started right away."
And so, I began my training in the Pressure Point Technique with Touri.
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