Chapter 70: Nasty Surprise (1/2)

”What happened to him? How did it end up here?” Enatsu interrupted, who was passionate about stories like that.

”Shinzo Nishiyama, the emperor who now rules the nation of Tentochu, accused Ryutaro of corrupting his father's mind with his fiendish thoughts, forcing him to provoke a war and leading him to death. Angered, the Emperor decided to exile him outside the nation's borders, but his mother, Empress Yoko, did not allow him.”

As Takamori kept narrating, the gatekeeper opened the arena door. Behind it, dozens and dozens of warriors waited for his consent to enter the training area.

”Knowing that he could not contend with the will of his mother and his late father, Shinzo chose to confine Ryutaro within these four walls, thus making him the keeper of the sacred Dojo and the arena. From that day on, he decided to cover his face forever, to erase his memory from the inhabitants of the capital, honoring the will of Tatsui's family” concluded Takamori.

”But... was it true what Shinzo insinuated? Is Ryutaro really a wicked man?” Yoichi asked.

”I only had to look at him and I could feel the sense of anguish he carries on his shoulders” Enatsu added, supporting his friend's thesis.

”No one knows. What is known is that Ryutaro has always had a great influence on the Emperor's father. He played the most important role to aspire to and I am sure the Imperial Family has no secrets for him. However, he is no longer the valiant warrior he once was, but his wisdom and knowledge should not be underestimated,” the guild leader remarked.

Those words made Yoichi reason. When he first met him at dawn, even Kenji had growled at that man. Within him, hatred and resentment towards the Emperor had grown to such a point that they turned into pure wickedness. Ryutaro oozed his dark feelings out of his body.

What am I supposed to do now? Being trained by a legendary warrior like him would only benefit me. Besides, if I will be able to go back to the Nightblades headquarter whenever I please, I wouldn't abandon my friend Enatsu. But Kenji... why does Kenji growl every time he looks at him? Yoichi wondered, referring to the gatekeeper.

”I think I'll take that offer,” the young tamer affirmed with conviction. Enatsu looked at him puzzled, waiting for a worthy explanation. ”I'm going to give it a try, and if I consider his meditation techniques risky or unsafe, I'll never set foot in that Dojo again,” he explained.

”That sounds like a good answer, Yoichi. I'm sure...”

”Look who I found! Takamori, what an unexpected surprise!” a voice-over interrupted, breaking the speech between the Sensei and his pupil.

Takamori's gaze darkened as soon as the recognizable timbre of that voice reached his ears. Hiding a rictus of loathing beneath his mustache, the Nightblades guild chief turned to the man who had just greeted him.

”Yozo-sama, it's a pleasure to meet you again,” he spoke, with a false smile printed on his lips and his head slightly bent forward.