Chapter 80 Another Party!!!

"TO OUR NEW, UP AND COMING BLACKSMITH! CHEERS!"

After saying his toast with a raised cup of sake, Kajima congratulated Azi for his recent success. While they had already celebrated the news of Azi's workshop, today's dinner had an excessive amount of people which made it seem more like a party.

So, following the flow, everyone raised their cups of sake and drank it down with festive expressions. Moments before the start of the impromptu party, Azi was given a large pouch from Kajima. When it was dropped into his hands, he was stunned by the weight and the number of silver and bronze coins that were contained.

He knew that Ben and Bail were going to give him a share of the sold blood steel weapons, but he was not expecting such a large amount, this was due to how he was not kept in the loop about the business side of Bail's work which was quite secretive.

While surprised, he was also somewhat relieved and excited as he could do so much more with this amount of money.

But for now, Azi took his mind off of his work and enjoyed the present moment.

Off to the side, Yashimu whispered to Shizu about his suspicions about Jerome's dealings and prompted her to not inform Azi which she did not take kindly to.

But her brother placated her before she could make her opinion known.

"I know what you are going to say, but do you really expect Azi to deal with nobles and the national politics right now. It's only been a month and he is still afflicted by his amnesia."

Shizu grimaced as she recalled the recent time that Azi had a noticeable headache or signs of discomfort whenever she attempted to probe about this life past.

She could not deny it, Azi had an issue with his memories and emotions, knowing how he could sometimes be emotional, she agreed to Yashimu's suggestions.

She would tell him in time, but for now she would leave him in the dark about the more confidential topics about Kujyuri's nobles and politics.

On a cheerier note, Azi was currently chatting with the group of 4 younger brothers. For the first time, Azi was able to meet and know the names of all Shizu's siblings.

(Author's note: I'm not naming them. Call them what you want Lol)

After getting introductions finished, the 4 brothers asked him about how he met their elder sister which made Azi laugh wryly as he had to regale them of the somewhat violent first encounter, he had with Shizu who had first poured a bucket of water on him to wake him and then punched him in the face when he disrespected Ozen.

While Azi thought that his boy meets girl event seemed more violent than sweet, he felt that it was fitting due to how he knew of Shizu's naturally "violent" personality.

The 4 brothers were wowed as they were more impressed by Azi's sturdiness, they had sparred with Shizu in the past as a form of training but quickly gave up on trying to keep up. They had always got knocked out by the first punch she would eventually land which left them unconscious for hours.

This made training with Shizu inefficient as they learned very little. But Azi cut in as he added his opinion.

"Even though Shizu can be rough on people, she is a really good combat teacher. As long as I brace myself, I can take a few of her punches."

The 4 brother's eyes widened like saucers as they looked at Azi as if he were a ghost or spirit. Their amazement was through the roof and continued to rise as Azi continued to describe the training he would usually endure under Shizu's tutelage.

"Besides my morning routine of running and practice swings, when Shizu has time from her work we spar in the nearby clearing. We both use fortifying magic to simulate a real battle which tends to cause a few craters to form and few trees to be broken."

Azi then described how there was a time that they fought for a few hours without realizing that it was already getting late which made Kajima pissed at how much noise they were making during the night.

He then regaled them of the victory he gained over Shizu when they were drunk.

At some point, Azi realized that all 4 brothers were stunned silent and were seemingly inattentive to his words.

"Um hey you alright?"

Azi raised his hand over his head and snapped his fingers in front of the group of 4 brothers which got their attention. But they stiffened up when they heard Azi continue to speak as he offered to spar with them one day.

The 4 brothers gave each other a knowing look which prompted the eldest to speak on behalf of them all.

"We will think about it. If you'll excuse us, we need to grab some more food."

"Alright, I'll go talk with Shizu. If you want to talk again just call me over."

With that the group of 4 scurred off in retreat like scared animals, they hid their horrified expression as to not sour the party's festive atmosphere. They swore in their hearts to never cross the new monstrous warrior that Shizu was making.

*****

Meanwhile, many of the occupants of the party had not noticed that Nosuri and Ougi were no longer in the house. They had slipped away under orders given out by Shizu in secret.

Nearby Kajima's house was the marked off area for the site of Azi's workshop and approaching it were a group of 6 hooded men with black coats. Their faces were covered, and they had a few hidden tools stored away in their sleeves.

As they approached the marked off area that was bordered by a temporary wooden fence that could be easily pulled out of the ground, they valeted over it and began to dig at the ground.

After digging a substantial number of small holes, the men began to hide the bags.. As two of the 6 men kept a lookout, the 4 other men continued to work.

Unbeknownst to them, a blue and white blur was approaching them. The noise from the heavy winds this night masked the sound of the approaching figure and as the blur's attire blended well with the dark night.

With two quick blows, two men were knocked out and fell without a peep reaching their nearby allies who were working to hide the bags in the holes.

As a man turned his body to move to grab another bag, the cloth of his sleeve was pinned to the ground of some solidly packed snow which was as hard as ice that night. He attempted to warn his compatriots but when he looked over, he was stunned to see them unconscious and slumped over on the ground with arrows pinning them down by the cloth of attire.

He soon joined them as he felt his consciousness slip away when he felt a pressure on his neck.

With all six men now neutralized without a single drop of blood being spilled, the figure of a pair could now be seen standing over their now unconscious bodies.

One wore a blue and white military uniform while the other was wearing a fur coat.

"Achoo". The figure with the fur coat sneezed in a girly tone and turned to the other person besides her.

"Get some rope Ougi. I want to finish this quickly, it's too cold tonight."

Following his sister's command, Ougi began to tie the men up and the two were then on their way to turn the offending 6 men into the village jail.

Nosuri sniffed the air and grimaced as she pinched her nostrils.

"What is in these bags, they smell horrible?"

"I am not sure Sister, but now is not the time for questions. We must fulfill our orders."

While they could have brought the hooded man and bags to Shizu and Yashimu, they were instructed by Shizu to turn in any suspicious men that approached the build site for Azi's house. This was ordered by Shizu, as she had a hunch when she heard from Kajima and Yashimu about the warning they received from Ben and Bail.

She preempted the possible attempt of sabotage from Jerome's associates by ordering the pair of mercenaries to use their skills to great effect.

Yes, both Nosuri and Ougi were skilled hunters, but not only hunted monsters. They could easily track and eliminate animals as well, and the fellow human was no exception.

After finishing up their work, the pair snuck back into Kajima's house without anyone ever noticing that they left. They had a few drinks of alcohol to help warm themselves up and relaxed after a day of good work.

Later on, Jerome had to stealthily pay for the 6 men's freedom from the prison as he needed to ensure that no one caught on to his plans. But he would come to see that his efforts were wasted but that would come at a later time.

On the other hand, Azi and the rest continued their merry party. Some could guess at Jerome's machination, while others were blissfully unaware..... for now.