Chapter 130:  Knight and Samurai

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Province of Harima, Nihon

March 5th, 1620

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*click*

Miyamoto Musashi was shaken from her thoughtful state by a clicking sound that she heard. She looked at the origin of it and saw that her opponent, Joan, had just sheathed her sword.

"Good fight, Miyamoto Musashi. You have the potential to reach the peak."

Joan said to her opponent. And she really meant it. The young woman was what some would call a genius of the sword. At her actual state, she would clean the ground with the best swordsmen of Europe. That is, the ones that were not involved with the supernatural world and, maybe, most of the Pendragon ones.

"Thank you for your guidance, Lady Joan."

Miyamoto Musashi said while bowing at an almost ninety degrees angle.

"No problem and just Joan is ok."

Joan said to the young swordswoman and then walked to Erik's side. Miyamoto Musashi nodded her head at that.

"Then, please, call me Musashi."

Musashi replied to Joan, who smiled back at her. The young swordswoman seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then managed to gather her courage.

"Joan, what is the peak of the sword?"

Musashi asked Joan. It was a complicated question to answer that could change from person to person.

"I don't know Musashi. I admit that I am very good with a sword in hands, but I am far away from reaching the peak."

Joan replied after a moment of looking at Musashi's eyes.

"Then who is at the peak right now?"

Musashi asked again. Joan stood in silence while thinking of different names, but none called to her as the 'peak' of the sword.

"Actually, I have no idea."

Joan replied truthfully while cocking her head to the side. She then looked at Erik.

"Do you know something, Erik?"

Joan asked Erik, who shook his head.

"No. The Pendragon family back at home used to have very good swordsmen. But they decayed a lot because of their huge pride. Right now, I would say that you are the best sword user around, dear."

Erik replied to Joan with a smile on his face. The woman smiled back at him before replying.

"And yet you win every spar that we have during our training."

Joan replied to Erik while still smiling. It was true. At every training session that they fought using swords, Joan would not land one hit on Erik. Her husband would dodge or parry every swing from her.

"That's only because my strength and reflex are higher than yours. In terms of skills, while using a sword, you surpassed decades ago."

Erik replied to Joan, who smiled more truthfully at him. Musashi and her father listened to the trade coming from the couple in silence. But Musashi, different from her father who was much more restrained, couldn't hold herself and asked away after they finished.

"Decades? But Joan doesn't look much older than me?!"

Musashi commented in an asking tone. Joan giggled at that.

"Oh, thank you, Musashi. In truth, I am over two hundred years old."

Joan replied, shocking Musashi and her father.

"How…?"

Musashi managed to say after some time, after looking from Joan to Erik, and back to Joan.

"The answer is a complicated one, Musashi. But I will let you know that the world is a much bigger place than you imagine."

Joan replied while smiling mysteriously at Musashi. Erik smiled too at that reply. He then put his hand inside his clothes and, from there, retrieved a piece of paper. With a flick of his hand, Erik threw the piece o paper into the air and, magically, it slowly floated naturally until it was in front of Musashi, who snatched it from the air with a quick movement of her hand. She looked at the paper curiously and saw a circle drawn on it with some strange symbols that she had never seen before. Musashi then looked at Erik as if asking what was the piece of paper for.

"Think carefully if you want to know the truth of the world, because it is an irreversible decision that will change your life. If after thinking about it you still want to know, rip that piece of paper in half and we will come back to talk again."

Erik said to the young woman, who nodded her head in understanding.

"Well, it was very good to know you, Miyamoto Musashi. We will be going now."

Erik said again and turned to walk away from the clearing. Joan waved goodbye to Musashi and soon followed Erik, leaving only Musashi and her father alone in the small woods' clearing. Both stood in silence, with Musashi looking thoughtful to the piece of paper in her hand, and her father giving her daughter the time that she needed to think. Musashi then raised her head and looked at her father. She had a confused look on her face.

"What do I do, father?"

She asked her father. To Musashi, that man always had the answers to everything, but this time, the answer was not something that she expected. The middle-aged man let out a sigh before replying.

*sigh*

"Unfortunately, Musashi, that is something that I don't know the answer for. The only thing that I know is that this choice is only yours to make and I will support you in anything that you choose to do."

The father replied to the daughter in a sagely way. He then turned and slowly walked back to the dojo, leaving a thoughtful Musashi behind, who was still looking at the piece of paper in her hand with thousands of thoughts.

–

It had taken two weeks for Musashi to think things thoroughly and rip the piece of paper in half. She, maybe, expected something magical to happen when she had done it, but when nothing happened she sighed and went to bed. The next day, as soon as she walked to her training place, she saw something that certainly was not there the day before. In the middle of the clearing was a round table that had five chairs around it, with four of them already occupied. Musashi recognized two of the four people. They were Erik Ravenclaw and Joan.

"Ah, Musashi. Good Morning. Care to join us for some tea?"

Erik said when the young swordswoman approached the table. He had a jovial smile on his face and gestured to the empty chair that was by Joan's side. Musashi walked to the empty chair and slowly sat on it. She then looked around the table, which was full of things that she had never seen before, and then at Erik.

"Good morning. I thought that you would not come."

Musashi said and observed with wide eyes as a ceramic pot started to float by itself in front of her and served some hot beverage that she imagined was tea in the cup in front of her. Erik chuckled at her comment.

"Did you want to receive visits during the middle of the night?"

Erik asked Musashi, who looked away from him making the other three women on the table giggle. And it was just now that she paid more attention to the two new faces. Both were beautiful women that had occidental features on their faces. One had yellow hair, while the other had black hair, and both were slowly eating their fill from the various items on the table.

"Ah, let me introduce you to the two new people on the table. The black-haired one that is devouring all the cookies is Serafall Leviathan, my second wife. And the blond one by her side, who is holding herself from doing the same with the muffins is Leona Da Vinci, Serafall's assistant, and bishop."

Erik said, making both said women stop and throw a weak glare in his direction. He just chuckled at that while Joan giggled happily at Erik's introduction.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Miyamoto Musashi."

Musashi said while giving both women a bow.

"Now, don't let the tea go cold. Relax and listen while we tell you some things."

Erik said to Musashi. What followed was almost two hours of them explaining the true nature of the world, that is the existence of the supernatural, and answering questions that the young swordswoman had. That she was shocked was an understatement. Musashi had just been told that, basically, every being that she had ever been told about in bedtime stories were real. That and much, much more. It didn't help too that she was having tea with two humans who were centuries old and two Devils, one of whom was one of the four governors for their race.

"Excuse me if I am being ungrateful or something like that, Erik, but why are you telling me all of this?"

Musashi asked the man. Erik smiled at her and then looked at Serafall.

"Do you want to answer this question?"

Erik asked his wife, who nodded her head and put down the cup of tea that she had in her hands.

"Because I want to invite you to join my peerage, Musashi-chan. I want you to become my knight."

Serafall said while looking at Musashi's eyes. The young swordswoman was shocked by the invitation. In truth, she already had some vague idea about it since they had explained that Leona Da Vinci used to be a normal human, just like she was, before being reincarnated with the use of a Bishop Evil Piece.

"You want me to become your knight? You mean, like a samurai?"

Musashi asked Serafall twice. She had always dreamed about being a samurai. It was one of the things that drove her to practice the sword. But the reality was a cruel one in the society that she lived in. No feudal lord would ever accept a woman to their services, meaning that she would neves become a samurai. Knowing that Musashi focused solely on her path of the sword. But now, Serafall's invitation shook her to the core and awakened the flames of hope for her childhood dream. Serafall nodded her head in confirmation of Musashi's question. She knew that for Japanese people, entering a peerage could be seen as one becoming a samurai with the King assuming the role of the feudal lord.

Musashi was again shocked by Serafall's confirmation and promptly jumped at the opportunity.

"Yes! I want to be your samurai, Serafall-dono!"

Musashi said eagerly. Serafall smiled happily at that while the other three started to clap their hands.

"Congratulations, Sera. You just got a very strong knight, I mean, samurai."

Erik said to Serafall, who smiled happily back at him.

"We just need to talk with Amaterasu and clear with her that we are not poaching her people."

Erik said again, knowing very well that Amaterasu probably already knew about this. And that was exactly the clue that the goddess used to appear in the middle of a flash of solar light.

"You know very well my position about Devils getting peerage members from my people, Erik. If they agree to it of their free will, I have nothing against it."

Said the goddess that appeared out of nowhere.

"Amaterasu! How good to see you."

Erik said and got up from his seat to greet the goddess.

"Indeed, Erik. It had been so many years since I last saw you."

Amaterasu said while offering her hand to Erik, who took it and gave it a small kiss, like a proper English gentleman.

"Yes, it has. But I can't say the same for the girls. From what I know, you are a constant to their monthly tea parties. I hope that the snack that I prepare for them is of your liking?"

Erik said and asked the chief goddess. Amaterasu looked at the things on the table and back to Erik.

"Yes. They are delicious as ever, Erik."

The chief goddess said while smiling.

"Thank you for your compliments, Amaterasu. Care to join us?"

Erik said, thanking Amaterasu for the compliment and inviting her to eat something with them while waving his hand and making an additional chair and tea set appear on the table. Amaterasu smiled at that.

"I would love to."

Amaterasu replied and took a seat on the recently conjured chair.

Musashi, who had been 'forgotten' with the arrival of Amaterasu, was looking at the trade with wide-open eyes. Right there, in front of her, was the supreme goddess of her country, Amaterasu. And she was talking so amicable to Erik. It was only when Amaterasu took her seat that Musashi woke up from her stupor.

"Amaterasu-dono!"

Musashi said and immediately got up from her seat and prostrated herself to the goddess side. The goddess smiled at that late reaction from the young woman.

"Miyamoto Musashi, go back to your seat, child. I want to eat some snacks right now."

The goddess said while having a mental debate of what to eat first from the things that were on the table. Musashi quickly got up and took her seat again on the table. It took some time, but the group soon dived into an amicable conversation again with Amaterasu asking Erik what he was doing during all these years that they had not seen each other.

At the end of the morning, after everyone had talked and caught up, Amaterasu asked Musashi if she really wanted to become a Devil and serve Serafall. The young woman confirmed her choice to the goddess and received her blessing, saying that her lands would always be her home independently of her race and that they would probably see each other again very soon.

After Amaterasu left back to her Palace in Takamagahara, Erik and the girls left too, leaving Musashi to give the news to her father. They would come for her in two days.

Two days later, Miyamoto Musashi received the Knight Evil Piece and became part of Serafall Leviathan's peerage, initiating her service as her liege/king's samurai/knight.

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A/N: Sorry, guys. I put the wrong 'launch' date on the auto-publish function.