Chapter 44 Night Under the Moonlight
"Yes, those were wonderful moments," Kanae replied in a tone filled with comfort and joy, feeling KE's words touch her heart tenderly. He had always been her protector, a shadow shielding her from the world's darkness, guarding her from harm. He was always there behind her, supporting and endorsing.
She often felt shy to ask more of him, as his generosity and kindness were boundless, making her hesitant to ask for anything, fearing to be a burden.
"I wonder, what do you think about moving the entire hidden blacksmith village to the capital?" KE asked with a hint of seriousness, thinking about the villages gradually fading away, soon to become part of larger cities.
This village was Kanae and Shinobu's second birthplace after the events of their parents' murder by demons and their adoption by the old man. This place was filled with their precious childhood memories.
Of course, there were important reasons why KE devised this plan. First, the village held historical value that couldn't be measured in money - if stolen or copied, it would not hurt KE but would greatly annoy him.
Secondly, there was a danger looming over the village - a group intent on exterminating its inhabitants in search of a mysterious metal from the star-studded heaven.
But KE was certain they were after something bigger - the arts of weapon forging and making of animated puppets.
KE didn't know how these organizations discovered the village and its secrets, but he was sure there was a good reason behind it.
When he shared his thoughts with Kanae, she too sank into deep thought. "KE, has Uncle Tetsuya agreed? If so, that's good. Nippon is now a peaceful country, and there are no more wars against demons. I will cultivate Etheora and protect the capital with the others, and I'll help you."
"There's no need for your help as long as you're happy," KE said with a tender smile, holding her hand and kissing it softly. "Come on, let's go. I'm really hungry, I hope Jiji's wife's cooking is good."
Kanae's cheeks blushed at his sudden kiss, but she nodded in agreement.
As they spoke, Hinatsuru and her sisters watched them from a distance, listening to every word.
Suddenly, Raizel appeared behind them and said, "It's unethical to eavesdrop."
"Kyaaaa," the three sisters jumped and hugged each other.
"Raizel-sama, why did you startle us?" Suma glared at Raizel, her expression turning wild like a cat's.
Raizel remained silent, continuing to look at the (young) girls.
His silence made them nervous, and they could only resort to their secret strength, apologizing to Raizel-sama.
Raizel finally nodded, causing the three sisters to sigh in relief. "I sensed feelings from you similar to many of KE's loved ones."
"F-feelings from us?" Hinatsuru sweated, but then she remembered how Kanae had described Raizel.
She relaxed a bit but didn't lower her guard. "Don't worry, I'm not interested in you at all, but I wanted to see if you pose a threat to my friend KE."
Raizel had been thinking a lot about these matters and saw that he could trust them for his dear friend's daughter.
"It seems I have to wait until the end of the month to take KE with me there," Raizel whispered inaudibly, looking at the three girls.
"If you want to get close to KE, you must become very strong," advised Raizel, lighting up the eyes of Hinatsuru and her sisters with determination.
Hinatsuru and her sisters bowed to Raizel. "Thank you for the advice, Raisel-sama."
Raizel nodded and went to catch up with KE, as he had smelled the food.
"Really, Tetsuya-san, why didn't you tell me we had such important guests?" Tetsuya scratched his head, feeling guilty, but he had forgotten due to KE's presence, which shouldn't be treated merely as a guest's.
After he explained who KE was, Yoko was shocked and started to bring out her highest level of cooking skills because of him.
To her, KE was not only the future ruler of their country but also possibly Kanae's and her other daughters' husband. (Author: Hehe😏)
"Aunt Yoko, we apologize for bothering you," KE apologized sincerely, changing Yoko's perception of him greatly.
(A great, wise man and future ruler, and most importantly, not arrogant towards the weak, I must talk to the girls.) "No, no, you didn't bother me with your visit. It's an honor to sit and eat with you," Yoko replied with a warm smile.
The place was lively as both KE and Raizel ate a lot.
Raizel enjoyed every bite, though his face remained expressionless.
(Raizel, you should sleep at night, your injury hasn't healed yet, and you need to rest.) Raizel stopped eating as soon as he heard KE's voice in his mind and nodded, then continued what he was doing.
Everyone noticed the strange behaviors of KE and Raizel, not understanding anything, but Kanae did. "KE, when will you start your plan? Is it tomorrow?"
KE was drinking sake while thinking. "Kanae, I'll look into it tomorrow, and then I'll start working."
"Right, how was your life here? You or Shinobu never told me anything about this place." Kanae thought about it, and it was true - neither she nor Shinobu had mentioned their life in the hidden blacksmith village or their adoption by Tetsuya.
"Let me think…" Kanae began talking about her old stories with Shinobu and how their life was after their parents were killed by demons. "It was really awful at first; we didn't talk for weeks because of fear and shock."
Kanae's eyes were sad, but the sadness disappeared when she looked at KE. "Then, Aunt Yoko started talking to us and trying to make us enjoy ourselves."
As she recalled past events with Yoko, she started laughing. "Wait, don't laugh, it was a mistake at first, but how would I know that Shinobu was scared of cats?"
"What, mom, are you saying Shinobu was scared of cats? Why didn't you tell me this?" Suma was very upset. Shinobu had bullied her a lot when she was little, and now she finally found something to defeat her with, but unfortunately, she wasn't there.
"Cough, Suma, do you think I didn't know about your little acts when you wanted to put diarrhea medicine in at seven?" Suma's complexion paled, and she started sweating, knowing she was finished. It seemed her mother would give her a very long lecture.
"Hahahahahah," everyone laughed at her expression, even Raizel smiled.
After a while, everyone finished eating and drinking and returned to their rooms.
In a bedroom overlooking the blooming sakura garden, the dim moonlight spread through the windows, touching the edges of a silky kimono that wrapped Kanae's body softly.
This kimono, This kimono, with its intermingling colors like calm sea waves, swayed gently with every movement.
Standing in front of the mirror, she watched her reflection with wide eyes, almost in disbelief.
Kanae had never worn anything like this, something that carried the essence of tradition with a touch of modernity.
She looked like a character from an old love story, yet with a heart beating in the modern era.
With hesitant steps, she approached KE's room, the man to whom she wanted to give the most important thing in her life.
Unleash!
KE created a normal formation just in case someone attacked the village.
"Well, it seems I have finished, now it's time to sleep, but the night is truly beautiful, clear, and perfect with the sakura trees, too bad I'm alone." Just when he was about to sleep, "Knock!" someone knocked on the door.
"…Come in," KE, exhausted from the day's events, just wanted to sleep for a couple of hours before starting work. "Click!" The door opened gently and closed quickly.
When KE wanted to see who it was, he relaxed because it was Kanae who entered. "Kanae, why have you come? Do you have questions about the Cosmic Laws or the Etheora Refining Technique?"
Their eyes met in a tender silence. "Do I… look beautiful?" Kanae asked in a soft voice.
(Damn, now I'm not sleepy at all with these beautiful and enticing clothes, especially Kanae) His mind was a mess, but KE smiled outwardly, his eyes reflecting the stars. "You are like the moon on a clear night, radiant and enchanting." His simple words drew curtains of shyness across her face.
KE quickly moved behind Kanae and lifted her. "K-kya," a soft and alluring sound escaped her cherry lips.
She was so nervous and scared that she forgot she was no longer an ordinary person and hugged KE's neck. "Cough, Kanae, today you are my wife, and I am your husband, as I told you before, even if the sky falls, I will hold it for you."
Hearing what KE said, Kanae relaxed. "Hmm," she nodded.
Unleash!
KE created another formation, but this one only prevented sound from escaping, meaning even if a mountain exploded here, no sound of the explosion would be heard.
Thus, as the moon guarded the sky, they spent the night in their own world.
(Author: No R18 from now on, but there is R18 imagination 😂 you imagine it yourself, I withdraw my hand from here 🫡)
With the dawn, the first rays of the sun shyly crept through the curtains.
The chirping of birds filled the air with their delicate melodies, heralding a new day.
KE was awake the whole time, staring at Kanae's tired face, but her smile and the satisfaction on her face gave her away.
"It seems the sun has risen," KE saw that morning had come and got out of bed. "Well, it's time to work."
KE kissed Kanae's forehead and went to the bathroom.