Chapter 11: The Min-ji Village

The two had come a long way from Min-hyuk. After bidding Bonnie and Rose farewell and manoeuvring through the morning, midday had come and both Joel and Toshirou found themselves closer to their place of destination.

They strolled along a dusty roughed up road. With the sun at its highest, combined with the dry weather, the atmosphere was becoming unbearable for young Joel. But having been through similar situations to this, his tolerance for this kind of condition was very high. Despite this, the battle against the weather was still uncomfortable, after all, he was merely an ordinary boy of eleven years.

Sensing his discomfort, Toshirou stopped by the roadside and wore his cloak on the boy. It shielded him from the heat and blocked away the scorching sun from his skin.

"To-Toshirou-nii?"

"Don't argue, just wear it."

He didn't leave any room for argument as he immediately continued walking.

Despite the cloak being bigger than his small body, he held it tightly and ran up to Toshirou's side, matching his pace with his.

"Endure it a while, we'll soon arrive," Toshirou said.

Joel simply felt blessed for being able to meet and stand beside a person like Toshirou.

...

"Is this the place?"

"Hai, we're entering the borders of the Min-ji village."

The area was surrounded by thick forests, different kinds of trees and vegetation were grown around the outskirts of the village, a stark contrast to the dry and dusty weather surrounding the borders and the path Toshirou and Joel had just come from. Different plantations and farms were evident at various locations on the borders.

Peasants and farmers were seen tilling the soil, women with their little children carried baskets, plucking fruits and vegetables from the trees and the earth. At a glance, one could tell that the village was fruitful and abundant in crops.

"Hey, Miss?"

Toshirou walked up to one of the women present and requested her attention. The beautiful woman looked up from her work at Toshirou with a startled expression.

"Oh, how can I help you, Mister?" She asked.

"I'm here to see your Feudal lord, based on a quest issued by your village, Min-ji."

She had a questioning look on her face before realization dawned on her.

"Oh my, pardon my rudeness Adventurer-san."

She stopped working, took up the amount of produce she had gathered into her basket, and beckoned on Toshirou and Joel to follow her. Walking through a path cleared of all grass and green vegetation, she led them to a huge wooden gate with the emblem of a spiral on it.

She knocked on the gate twice in steady succession which elicited a voice from within the gates.

"Who knocks at the eastern entrance of Min-ji?"

"I am Sung-nim, wife of Yeong-ji. I come with two gentlemen with the request sent out by my lords." The beautiful woman said.

The gate opened steadily, revealing a beautiful and vast land. A mixture of green vegetation and brown wooden constructs filled the entire village. Trees of different types; Oak, Pine, Cedar, Teak, were arranged orderly and in conscious patterns.

A man appeared from behind the gates, clad in a black kimono with something that resembled a sword in its scabbard strapped to his left side.

As soon as he saw the woman, he lowered his head in respect to the female.

"Welcome, Lady Sung-nim." He said.

'Lady?'

Toshirou chose to keep his assumptions to himself. Sooner or later, he would clarify his suspicions.

"Thank you, Kim."

"Are these the Adventurers fulfilling our request?"

"Indeed. I would like to personally take them to the palace, if you may?"

"By all means please go right ahead, my Lady."

Getting affirmation, she nodded to the two boys and they followed her on the neatly trimmed patch of fresh green grasses.

"Could I get your names, Adventurers?" The pretty woman asked as they walked.

"Joel Belshazzar, Miss," Joel replied.

"Aosaki Toshirou."

"I see, those are quite rare names." She said with a small smile.

They strolled along the path, passing different houses and buildings. From time to time, some of the villagers would greet the woman and she would wave and give them a smile in response.

'She must be a very big influence in the community, though, I have a sneaking suspicion that she is the wife of the Feudal lord. It's the only possible explanation.'

"Your village doesn't look like it's under siege or something. I expected it to be more or less a wasteland, but from what I've seen, this is nothing of the sort."

Sung-nim gave him her attention and a thoughtful look washed over her. She placed a loose strand of her smooth brown hair behind her ear and her pale blue eyes looked downcast.

"That's simply because our land is blessed, Aosaki-san. I believe it's far more complex than what it seems on the surface, but his lordship would be able to explain things better than I." She said.

"Is that so? Sorry, but that doesn't still allay my fears."

Joel looked up at Toshirou. 'Is Toshirou-nii no longer trying to hide his suspicions?'

Sung-nim gave a small chuckle and gazed up at Toshirou.

"You seem like a difficult man, Aosaki-san. But in a way, it makes you somewhat endearing. I can assure you that my community means well in requesting your assistance. I only hope you do not turn your ears away from our pleas." Sung-nim said.

Turning his gaze away from her, he replied, "Duty first, sentiments after."

"I see. We've arrived."

They stood before a magnificent building. It reminded Toshirou of the houses of feudal Japan, with the four edges of the roof that were pointed upwards and the outward ancient appearance of a massive bungalow with two smaller ones stacked on top of each other having something like a platform with pointed edges connecting them.

At the gate of the palace, two men dressed in black kimonos, just like the previous gatekeeper - Kim, bowed their heads at the sight of Sung-nim.

"Welcome, Lady Sung-nim."

"Thank you. Is my lord in?"

"Yes, he is, my lady."

"These two gentlemen are the adventurers requested by my lords. I would like to take them to him." She said.

"Of course, Lady Sung-nim."

The two warriors opened the gate directly to the palace. The gateway revealed a massive and spacious room. Different shades of brown adorned the floor and walls of the room. Wood carved sculptures were hung on the walls, antiques made of clay forged with iron lay on pedestals. Five of these antiques were arranged on each side leading to a staircase further inside the palace with four steps. The antiques on the pedestals were arranged in this order; a stylized sky blue water jug with a flowery design, a wooden cubic box with holes on all six sides that stood on its edges on top a purple linen cushion, a large two-handled cup with the inscriptions of fire element on it, a large diamond-shaped crystal - a ruby lay on a purple linen cushion, and an odd plain ceramic vase with three different flowers put in it - a rose, magnolia and a sunflower.

The four steps leading from the ground to a higher floor. Seven seats were arranged around a round table on the higher floor. The seats were made of fine mahogany wood and cushioned with purple linen material. Underneath the linen was a material that was not foam but as soft as it, that provided a soft and pleasant feeling to the touch. The round table was painted a light chocolate colour and was made from cedar.

A throne beautified with silver stones was seated at the head - or what was considered the head of the round table The air in the palace was refreshing. A mixture of fresh wood and flowery scents filled the atmosphere. Toshirou couldn't help but admire the interior design of the palace.

On the seven seats, seven old men were seated, each of them with hair ranging from grey to white and varying lengths of beards. Despite being elderly, some of them looked younger than others and seemed to have the vigour of youth in their body.

The seat of the throne was filled by a middle-aged man. His appearance was unlike the elders. He wore a crown of silver with blue diamonds embedded around it, he wore a dark long-flowing robe with sleeves that stopped some ways below his elbow. Trinkets, bangles and rings made of gold adorned his wrists and fingers. A pendant, connected with a thin silver line hung around his neck.

His hair wasn't black, but dark nonetheless. It stuck out from the front, under the crown and a short ponytail reached the back of his neck. His limestone eyes seemed to see everything and his smile came across as warm and friendly. Although the man was middle-aged, it was obvious that he once was and still is a very handsome man.

Sung-nim lowered her head in respect to this higher authority that was greater than her title of 'Lady'.

"As long as His Majesty lives, may my lords continue to guide us in all wisdom and knowledge. It's a beautiful day to celebrate, my lord. The adventurers from Thaimes have heard our pleas and have come to fulfil the request sent out by my lords."

"Don't be so formal, Lady Sung-nim. You have proven yourself time and time again." One of the old men said to her.

"And you 'are' my wife, Sung-nim." The man on the throne spoke.

"Thank you for your compliments. It is an honour." She replied respectfully.

"If I may, I would like to introduce these two men; Aosaki Toshirou-san and Joel Belshazzar-kun. They are the ones who will partake in our request."

Joel and Toshirou stepped forward, with Joel bowing his head just as Sung-nim had done. Toshirou on the other hand stood upright. Cocky as it may seem, he would only lower his head to those who truly deserved it. It didn't matter whether they were royalty or not, only people truly worthy should be at the head.

"M-my name is Joel Belshazzar. It's an honour to meet you, Sir!"

"Aosaki Toshirou, nice to meet you."

"I see." The man on the throne said. "I am the Feudal lord of the Min-ji village, Yeong-ji Choi. It's an honour to have this encounter with you, brave adventurers."

"I do not like the blue-haired one." One of the elders said, stroking his long white beard and squinting his eyes at Toshirou, the wrinkles around his eyes crinkling as he did so. "The purple-haired boy seems plenty fine to me."

The little air of respect Toshirou had for the elders dropped in a second.

"The feeling is mutual, old man. Your king, however, seems 'plenty' fine to me."

A moment of silence presented itself into their midst... before the elders fully registered what he had just said.

"How dare you?!!!"

"Insolent child!!!"

"Apologize so your life would be spared!!!"

"Quit your yapping, you old geezers. It's shocking how you can afford to criticize the one who is assisting you. You should be more grateful you know."

'Toshirou-nii doesn't spare anyone his tongue.' Joel sighed.

"And does a mere child dare to advise an elder?" An old grey-haired man asked

"Advice is not limited by age. To whom wisdom is bestowed, interpretation is required. It does not matter how much older you are than I, no rule states the younger cannot chastise the older if he goes astray." Toshirou replied.

All eyes were on him. The Feudal lord, Yeong-ji, Sung-nim, Joel, and the several attendants present, all gazed upon him. The seven elders marvelled at the words that came out of his mouth.

"Young man, Aosaki was it? I apologize on behalf of my elders. It was truly unwise to speak of you so. But I would not lie, for someone quite young, your words exude much wisdom. This is not a criticism, it is a compliment." The Feudal lord, Yeong-ji said with a smile.

"Is that right? Then I appreciate it, Yeong-ji-san."

'Toshirou-nii can be such a child sometimes.' Joel smiled to himself.

Some of the elders looked at the Feudal lord in disbelief at him apologizing on their behalf. In their mind, they did and said nothing wrong enough to warrant an apology. They wanted to speak against the Feudal lord but did not do so, they recognized the wisdom in the words of Toshirou. Even if they did not like the boy, they acknowledged the fact that he was not like any other adventurer.

"Could we get down to business?" The Feudal lord said.

The elders nodded and Toshirou's attention was on him.

"Aosaki Toshirou-kun, the slip of the request?"

Toshirou removed a piece of paper from his back pocket and opened it in front of all who were present.

"I see. Aosaki Toshirou-kun, our village is in great peril. On the surface, it might not seem so but on the inside, we suffer terribly at the hands of others." Feudal lord, Yeong-ji said.

"So what exactly do you need me to do?" Toshirou leaned to the side and placed a hand on the sword by his waist.

He knew that what the Feudal lord said was true. Coming to the palace with Sung-nim, he had seen numerous people who were homeless, orphanages and burnt farmlands, others destroyed to the point of no retrieval. All this was within the village. Whoever had done this, had purposely left the outside to prevent arousal of suspicions and unnecessary interference from third parties. For them to be so meticulous, was confirmation enough for Toshirou to know they weren't amateurs.

"Aosaki Toshirou-kun, we the people of Min-ji, request that you eliminate our neighbouring village, Min-ae, to stop our oppression."

An eerie stillness came over the entire palace.

"What did you say?"

"... Aosaki Toshirou-kun, please destroy the Min-ae village and its people. It's the only way to secure our safety."

Joel's head tilted downwards and his hair covered his eyes. He grits his teeth in anger at their request.

"Do you know what you're asking?! You're asking us - no, him, to kill off an entire village because of some beef that you have?!! Even though we have our differences, do you think adventurers are murderers?!!!"

Toshirou stared at Joel in surprise at his outburst. Joel had always been mild-mannered, for at least as long as he had known him. It wasn't in his personality to get angry or loud. Heck, he didn't even shout or scream when he was at death's door!

"Young man," One of the elders said. "There are many things that happen which are not known to the normal people. As our king said earlier, there's much more underneath the surface than what is implied. We know the implications of what we ask, but do note, we do not ask of this because we want to. It is simply the only solution possible."

"The only solution possible? How can you say that with a straight face? These are people just like us with flesh and a human heart, and you're asking for their death in cold blood? That's just cruel."

"Yes, it is. But it's just one price to pay for the safety of our people."

"Don't say that, there has to be another way. Couldn't we negotiate, or come to a truce?"

"I'm afraid we can't, Young Joel." The elder said.

"But-"

"That's enough, Joel." Toshirou interrupted.

Joel kept quiet immediately though he was still upset about the whole arrangement.

"You got my money ready?" Toshirou asked.

"What do you mean?" Yeong-ji replied.

"Do you have the reward money?"

"Ahhh... Indeed we do."

"Then we guarantee you that the work is done," Toshirou said.

Joel looked up at Toshirou with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

"T-Toshirou-nii?"

"Give us a week, plus accommodations, and consider the quest done." He said.

"Very well. Sung-nim?" Yeong-ji replied.

"Y-Yes my lord." For the first time since their conversation began did Sung-nim speak.

"Give Aosaki-kun one of our finest rooms to dwell in, and give him a maid to serve him."

She bowed her head.

"As you wish, my lord."

"That's good and all but before I leave, I have to get information on this other village, Min-ae."

"Of course. What would you like to know?" Yeong-ji asked.

"Why exactly is Min-ae raiding your village. What do you have that they want? And what is your history with them?"

"Hmmm... Those are good questions, Young lad." An elder said. With a short grey beard and small beady eyes, he gazed at Toshirou, eyeball to eyeball, and addressed him.

"We, the people of Min-ji, have something valuable in our possession which the village of Min-ae would like to acquire."

Toshirou raised an eyebrow.

"And that is...?"

"Thessalonica." The elder said.

Thessalonica? The hell is that?

"No... No way."

Toshirou looked down at Joel with an inquisitive expression etched onto his face.

"What is it, Joel?"

"Thessalonica. That's..."

"I see you're quite the knowledgeable one, Young Joel." The elder said. "What you think of is indeed correct. We have one of the three artefacts given to mankind by the Hosts."

Toshirou was a bit confused about what was happening.

'What exactly is going on here? Three artefacts, the hosts? Looks I've hit the jackpot.'

"What is Thessalonica?" Toshirou asked.

"Thessalonica is one of the three artefacts bestowed upon humanity by the Hosts. It is an ancient object that holds a tremendous amount of power, almost equivalent to that of an angel."

"Equivalent to the power... of an angel?"

"Indeed. The three artefacts, Thessalonica, Corinthia, and Colossia, have the ability to forge weapons out of the essence of all life. Just like the blacksmith forges a weapon using iron, so does one use divine energy to create a weapon of his soul. It is said, that one can achieve angelhood by wielding a divine weapon."

'A weapon out of divine energy? With that I could, I just could...'

Toshirou lowered his eyes, with his hair covering them and let out a smirk.

"How amusing. And you're telling me that this Min-ae village is constantly attacking because they want this artefact, Thessalonica."

"That is correct." Yeong-ji nodded.

"But if this artefact is as important as you say it is, then why isn't the rest of the world trying to get it from you."

"Because it has not been made known to the public," Yeong-ji replied.

"Then how does Min-ae know about it?"

"Your inquisitiveness knows no bounds. Jung-hoon?"

One of the attendants came forward out of nowhere and knelt on one knee towards the Feudal lord.

"Bring the girl."

"Yes, Sire."

'Now what are these people up to?'

It wasn't up to ten minutes that the same attendant come back - this time with a girl of not more than fifteen years in tow.

The girl was chained, her wrists and ankles were bound together by shackles. She was dressed in rags, her dark pink hair was unkempt and stained with dirt all over. Her hair stuck out downwards in a wild manner, pointing to all directions.

The attendant, Jung-hoon, pulled her towards them using the chain connected to the shackle around her neck.

He brought her and stood before their company.

"Here, my lord."

"Leave her. You may go." Yeong-ji dismissed him. Taking a bow, Jung-hoon exited their presence leaving the girl behind.

As if not registering her surroundings, the girl looked up at the people around her. Her red eyes landed on Toshirou. Her stare was so dead that Toshirou hardly thought she was a human being. Something about her made his blood boil in rage, but he steeled himself and kept on his calm and cool demeanour.

"Speak up child and tell these men your name." An elder said.

With her gaze still fixed on Toshirou, she said with a hoarse voice. "Huijin, Raynell Huijin."

"Young lad, the questions you desire can be answered by the lass. Your curiosity can be satisfied, as well as other needs." The elder said.

Pissed at this statement, Toshirou walked up to the girl, gazing down on her with expressionless eyes and turned to the elder who had spoken.

"You've got some nerve bringing a slave to me," Toshirou said to the elder.

"She's not just a slave. She's a spoil of war acquired from the Min-ae village."

"I'm surprised you can talk of a human being as an object. You people disgust me as the minute goes by."

"Watch your tongue, Aosaki Toshirou!"

Toshirou scoffed.

"You finally said my name. But it doesn't matter." He looked over at Sung-nim. He could easily tell she wasn't comfortable with what was occurring.

"That'll be all. As I said earlier, let accommodations be prepared for us. I'm taking the girl with me."

"Toshirou-nii, are you really going to do this?" Joel asked in sadness.

"You're still a kid, you wouldn't understand. But make no mistake, I'll determine what I should do."

'Toshirou-nii truly is kind.'

Joel wiped his tears and the corners of his lips quirked up in a smile.

"Aosaki Toshirou-kun," Yeong-ji said. "If you find another way to end this conflict, please do. I also would like to avoid unnecessary bloodshed."

"My lord, what are you saying?!!" The elders protested.

"My elders, Byung-hun, Byung-hoon, Byung-ho, Byung-woo, Byung-joon, Byung-nim, and Byung-Chul. I presume you have noticed this man is different. Let us leave him to his devices. The end result will still be the same - the safety of the people." The Feudal lord addressed the elders by name, making them quiet and still themselves.

Leaving no room for any arguments, Toshirou turned his attention to the girl bound with chains.

"You said your name is Huijin. I am Toshirou. Be sure to remember that name, it is the name of the man who ended your misery."

He took the sword from his back and slashed the girl in an instant.

It was a double-edged broadsword, almost as tall as Toshirou. A letter 'C' was carved into the edges of both sides and the hilt was pitch black with the shape of wings - the wings of a Slavor.

They all stood up in shock including the elders and the Feudal lord. Joel's eyes widened as he witnessed the attack dished out by Toshirou.

"You killed her?!!"

"Toshirou-nii, what did you do? Please... no."

"She's not dead," Toshirou said.

The clanking sound of metal was heard as her chains dropped to the ground. The shackles on her wrists, ankles and neck, split in half and fell with a loud thud on the wooden floor.

The girl's eyes were wide open in shock. She couldn't believe it, none of it. She dropped to the floor as her legs gave out on her. She brought up her hands close to her face and stared at it with mild fascination.

"I'll tell you again. My name's Toshirou, Aosaki Toshirou, and you've just been set free. In return, you'll provide me with everything I need. Do you consent to this proposal?"

She didn't say anything. She simply stared directly into his eyes, with his not backing out in the slightest. She looked downwards and up again at Toshirou's face.

"I... just realized..." She said slowly. "... you have.... a beautiful face. So pure... and yet, so much sorrow."

The words coming out of her mouth resonated with a soft rhythm. She had a beautiful voice.

'This girl.'

"I'll ask you one last time. I have released you, in return, to provide everything I need. Do you accept this proposal?"

She looked down again in silence before bringing up her face and gazing up at Toshirou.

"Yes... I do."