Gardens

"Um... I guess the only way to do that is by catching him red-handed. But how? We don't know if the guy you're talking about is used to behave that bad, and our word is worthless. We're just two rookies who have been in Goldhaven for a few days," Enatsu commented, touching his beard. "I'm sure we'll find a way, but for now, I'm afraid we'll have to wait."

"We could send an anonymous letter to the Emperor, but then we risk putting Sui in trouble. Grr! Dang it! We should never have let him run away that day. Who knows how many other innocent girls he can rape" Yoichi silently roared, clenching his fists in anger.

"What matters is that the Princess is safe in the palace now. Let's think about completing our quest," the merchant continued. In his eyes, the reflection of the reward promised by Hyobe, the mysterious man they met in the Ambershire inn.

Enatsu seems to be more focused on the mission than on the villain issue. I don't want to sound like the paladin of justice of the situation, but the very idea that Bunjiro walks the streets of Goldhaven undisturbed makes me sick, Yoichi thought. In front of him, Shioko kept walking resolutely.

For a moment, the young tamer thought of telling her that story too. After a few seconds, he changed his mind. Telling such a delicate thing to a person he couldn't easily communicate with wasn't a wise move.

After leaving the Tamer District and passing the Old Bazaar, the three Nightblades warriors followed the main road. The Royal Road, which connected every point of the city to the imperial palace, ran around the walls of the central square.

A large signpost appeared on the side of the road.

'Dragonfall Square – left arrow

Neverstorm Gardens – right arrow

South Gates – forward arrow'

The name of each place was followed by an arrow indicating its direction. When Yoichi read 'Dragonfall Square', he remembered Ryutaro's story. In that sacred place, according to legend, Therion would have fallen from the sky.

The Dragon King of Lumya had met its death right there, in the centre of the capital of Tentochu. Yoichi had never known a dragon, but he thought that such a supreme and intelligent being would never fight in the skies of Tentochu by chance.

It was as if, since ancient times, the two factions represented two sides of the same coin. Kamakiri and Tentochu, evil and good, the Yin and the Yang.

The magical world in which he was reborn was not just made up of battles for supremacy and hard training. The real power of a tamer was his sense of ethics, his spirit. Only by knowing Lumya's endless and bleed secrets it was possible to ascend.

After passing the information cartel, the two rookies followed Shioko to the right, toward the Neverstorm Gardens. As the sun lazily began its descent into the afternoon, all three of them arrived at the entrance to one of the capital's most beautiful and quaint neighbourhoods.

A stone arch identical to that of the Tamer District opened onto a huge expanse of lush vegetation. From the first moment they set foot inside the green district, Yoichi and Enatsu felt a sense of peace and freshness.

The sound of water in the background, the singing of birds among the exotic trees scattered here and there. Goldhaven's largest gardens gave the two adventurers a kind of Bronzeforest's vibes.

As big as the other neighbourhoods, the Neverstorm Gardens were teeming with natural elements, letting their visitors forget they were inside a city.

On the inner surface of the walls, thin roots and shrubs of all sorts climbed overbearingly, creeping forcefully into the heavy white stone boulders. That place was a demonstration of the strength of nature against that of men.

Hundreds of people walked along the main road, unpaved and devoid of architectural elements. Plants of non-native species were carefully planted near each other, releasing an explosion of colours with their flowers.

In that peaceful chaos, the city and nature seemed to coexist harmoniously, as if they had reached a compromise. Scattered here and there, small wooden shops offered food and drinks to visitors, as well as unique souvenirs from the capital.

The only building structures were square wooden huts, the windows of which were beautified with fragrant flowers.

Continuing to walk enchanted by the view, the adventurers followed the road and entered the trees. Meanwhile, the noise of the water that assisted their entrance became increasingly intense.

"Wait a minute... it must absolutely see this," Yoichi whispered, speaking in the third person. The young tamer stopped, drawing the gaze of his companion, while Shioko kept on walking.

"Ildriss!" he exclaimed, summoning Kenji. The little dragon was fired from his chest, impacting the ground and coming to life. Incredibly, the strong burning in the young tamer's chest had subsided, allowing him to remain standing.

By contracting his abdominal and chest muscles, Yoichi had managed to summon his Oracle for the first time without bending over the pain.

"Screeek!" Kenji rejoiced.

"Look where we are, bud. It's cool, isn't it?" Yoichi asked.

Kenji confirmed, screeking and jumping on his leather bag. Walking next to Enatsu, Yoichi began to follow the road again, while Sora fluttered happily through the trees.

The dirt road branched out in several directions, remotely emulating the shape of the branches of a tree. Hundreds of families strolled happily with their children, showing them the exotic birds and insects that populated that place. In addition to them, many other people had chosen to enjoy the warmth of the sun, lying on large expanses of grass.

"At this rate, it'll take us a week" Shioko scoffed, turning her gaze towards her guildmates. Reprimanding them, the experienced tamer ordered them to speed up the pace.

Finally, almost an hour after they left the Nightblades tower, the three adventurers reached their destination.

The vegetation opened abruptly into a circular clearing at the foot of a breathtaking waterfall. The water flowed forcefully from a mountain a few tens of meters high, feeding a small lake.

In front of the lake, a large wooden structure lined three wide fences full of horses. The city stable, despite being part of the common services offered to the inhabitants of the capital, seemed an enchanted place.