Mysterious Travelers

Zenith collapsed onto the floor, overcome by exhaustion. A day later, he awoke and inquired, "Where am I?"

"We're back at the house," Kurogane replied.

Zenith then asked, "Did we manage to defeat him?"

"No, he got away, but we'll beat him if he appears again," Kurogane assured.

"Thank you for saving my life," Zenith expressed his gratitude.

"There's no need to thank me for that; I'm certain you would do the same for me," Kurogane responded.

Zenith remained silent, prompting Kurogane to add, "Don't even think about practicing in the next few days. If I catch you picking up a katana before I say so, I'll kick you out."

"Okay," Zenith acquiesced, then rested for a few hours. 'Your body has regained all its stamina,' Abyss remarked.

"Already?" Zenith asked.

'Yes, but that doesn't mean you're completely healthy. It's going to take a few more days. I'll let you know when that happens,' Abyss explained.

"Okay," Zenith replied, but he couldn't resist getting up and decided to check his stats.

Level -9

Legacy: ???

Bloodline: ???

Affinity: ???

skills- Katana mastery (level three)

stats-

Health- 50/120

strength – 20-8

agility- 32-10

stamina- 26

Zenith was stunned by the significant improvement he had gained. "Abyss, see? I told you it was worth it."

'You almost died if Kurogane didn't come,' Abyss replied.

"Yeah, but I didn't die," Zenith nonchalantly responded.

'You don't get it, do you? This isn't only your life, okay? I am in you too. If you die, I am also dead. I may act like I don't care, but can you at least put some thought into the people around you?' Abyss yelled.

"I didn't know. I am sorry, okay?" Zenith apologized.

No response came. Before Zenith could plead further, Kurogane returned and said, "You're still awake. You should get some rest."

"I'm not tired," Zenith replied.

Kurogane suggested, "How about we go out for a walk to stretch your legs?"

"Okay," Zenith agreed, unable to refuse the offer as Kurogane had saved his life. They exited the house and strolled along.

As they walked, a pristine wagon came to a stop in front of them. An old man with white hair, sporting a mustache and clad in a well-fitted black suit, leaned on the wagon's side. He inquired, "Do you know of any inns nearby?"

"There aren't any inns in this area, and the town is currently not allowing people due to some inner disputes," Kurogane responded.

The man asked, concerned, "So there's nowhere for us to rest?"

"If you want, I have a spare room," Kurogane offered.

The man gratefully replied, "That will be very helpful."

"No problem," Kurogane assured. The man then asked, "Would you like to get in the wagon to show us the directions?"

"Okay, Zenith, go and sit in the back. I'll tell them the directions," Kurogane instructed.

"Okay," Zenith said and opened the door, only to find a girl with short brown hair and hazel eyes inside. "Hello," the girl greeted, sitting in the fresh and inviting interior of the new wagon.

Zenith replied, "Hello, my name is Zenith."

"Mine is Alexa," Alexa said.

Zenith took a seat opposite her and asked, "What brings you here?"

"Nothing, I thought I would just see the outskirts a bit," Alexa replied.

Zenith nodded, saying, "Oh, I see."

"How is life around here?" Alexa inquired.

"I don't live here," Zenith began to explain, but Kurogane interjected, "He's my cousin, living here for a few months for training."

Alexa asked, intrigued, "What are you training?"

"I am trying to get better at the katana," Zenith replied.

"Nice," Alexa said approvingly.

Right then, they reached the house. All of them exited the wagon and went inside. Kurogane showed them around the house and they all sat down for dinner and ate.

When night fell, the old man spoke up, "I'll sleep in the wagon. The young lady, you may sleep here."

Alexa said, "William, you can sleep here too; there is more than enough space."

"Young lady, I appreciate the offer, but I will have to decline," William politely refused.

Zenith chimed in, "You can sleep in my room."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to be an inconvenience to you," William questioned.

"It is fine," Zenith reassured him.

"Okay," William agreed.

Both of them headed to Zenith's room and slept on the spacious mat, large enough to accommodate both of them. The next day, Zenith woke up earlier than usual due to William's loud snoring throughout the night. Annoyed, Zenith got up and went outside to see Alexa.

"Good morning, Alexa," Zenith greeted her.

"Good morning, Zenith. You're quite an early bird," Alexa observed.

Zenith replied, "Guess I am."

"What do you usually do in the morning?" Alexa inquired.

Zenith explained, "I recently got injured, so I can't train until it heals."

"Oh, is that so?" Alexa remarked.

Zenith then asked, "What do you usually do?"

"I usually read," Alexa replied.

"Really, I have a book. Do you want to read it?" Zenith offered.

"Sure," Alexa said.

Zenith silently went into the room, fetched the book, and brought it out. "This is the book I use to learn katana fighting patterns," he explained.

"Oh, cool! Let's read it," Alexa said.

Zenith then suggested, "Before that, I have an idea."

"What is it?" Alexa inquired.

"Let's make breakfast for Kurogane and Mr. William," Zenith proposed.

"Okay," Alexa agreed and tied her hair up, putting on an apron.

Zenith asked, "What do you want to make?"

Alexa looked at the pantry and said, "Let's make meatloaf."

"Yeah," Zenith agreed.

Zenith took out the ingredients, and Alexa mixed them all, shaping the meatloaf. While Zenith prepped the oven, both of them collaborated to cook, timing it as best as they could before taking it out. The aroma of their morning creation wafted through the house, promising a hearty breakfast for Kurogane and Mr. William.

"Finally, it's done," Alexia said.

"Let's eat the leftovers first so it doesn't go to waste, and we can save the meatloaf for them," Zenith suggested.

"Okay," Alexa replied and began eating the leftover food from the night before. Afterward, they both sat down to read the book. About an hour later, Kurogane got up and saw Zenith and Alexa sitting together, engrossed in their reading.

"I'm going to make breakfast," Kurogane announced.

Zenith said, "Already done. It's on the table."

"Oh, thanks," Kurogane expressed his gratitude and took a bite. However, his facial expression changed drastically. 'What kind of trash food is this? How atrocious is this food? At this point, I would eat spoiled food than this,' he thought to himself.

"Can you tell who made this?" Kurogane asked.

Zenith responded, "Both of us. How is it?"

"It's good. Have you tasted it?" Kurogane inquired.

"We ate the leftovers that were there. We thought you should have the fresh food," Alexia explained.

"Oh, how thoughtful," Kurogane said, though he thought, 'Thoughtful my ass. They ate all the good food and left me with this trash. No, trash would be too high of praise for this.'

Zenith asked, "Can I train today?"

"It has only been two days since you got injured. Just rest for today," Kurogane advised.

"Okay," Zenith agreed.

"How about we explore the forest?" Alexa suggested. "Since you don't have anything to do."

Zenith asked, "Is that okay?"

"Yeah, but don't get lost. I don't want to search for both of you," Kurogane warned.

"Okay," Zenith assured.