Sougo's life

Guided by Mika's instructions, Sougo found himself stepping into the modest yet costly hotel. Bearing four steamed meat buns in his grasp, two earmarked for himself and the remaining for Kimaru, he ventured further into the establishment. He finally laid eyes on Kimaru, who was perched on the bed, engrossed in a book, her lips moving silently as she grappled with the words and phrases.

Kimaru appeared remarkably cleaner than their prior encounter. A veil of grime and tattered clothing had given way to a neat appearance, her face lightly swollen and dabbed with a greenish ointment, a testament to Mika's care.

The creak of the door, as Sougo pushed it open, drew Kimaru's attention. She registered his presence without fear or surprise, recognizing him as the companion of Mika, her savior from the aristocrats that had cruelly crushed her meat buns underfoot.

"You are Mika's friend, aren't you? I'm Kimaru. He sent you, didn't he? What's your name... sir...?" Kimaru inquired, a warm smile playing on her lips.

Without mirroring her smile, Sougo made himself comfortable next to Kimaru, setting the meat buns atop a drawer.

"I am Ryoutomei Sougo," he responded curtly.

"Wow, that's a cool name... I like it..." Kimaru's eyes sparkled with delight upon hearing Sougo's exotic name.

"Does you have work?" Kimaru tilted her head in curiosity.

"Work? Yes, I had one previously. You could say I'm a veteran, or a retiree," Sougo replied casually.

"What's a veteran? Is it like, pepol who love veggies?" Kimaru attempted to decipher the unfamiliar term.

"A veteran is someone with a lot of experience in a particular field, like wars or any other job they've undertaken," Sougo explained patiently, choosing simple words for clarity.

He then picked up a meat bun, handing the remaining three to Kimaru. He didn't touch the other two, his appetite not piqued. As he glanced at Kimaru, his eyes fell on a pendant she was wearing, resembling a locket similar to his own. He tenderly brushed his golden locket, a memento of lost loved ones, as he noted the parallel between them.

"May I take a closer look at your necklace for a moment?" Sougo asked Kimaru.

Without any hesitation, Kimaru handed it over to Sougo. He opened the locket to reveal a photograph of Kimaru enveloped in the embrace of her parents, a snapshot of happier times before the aristocratic takeover.

The trio's radiant smiles stirred memories of his own blissful days with his wife and daughter.

"Is something wrong, Mister Sougo? You seem sad..." Kimaru moved closer to Sougo, her concern evident.

"It's nothing." Sougo handed her necklace back.

"My turn. Give me necklace." Kimaru was also intrigued by Sougo's necklace that looked a lot similar to hers.

Sougo handed it to her without concern about what might happen. Kimaru opened it and saw his beautiful wife and a cute daughter with him. Kimaru was astonished that she gasped at how wonderful they looked together.

"You have good family. They look so nice." Kimaru smiled with her mouth open. Sougo's family was wonderful to her just like hers. Little she did know, they were dead long ago in Sougo's world.

Sougo's necklace was handed back as Kimaru asked for his story. Sougo just patted her head that she was too young to understand. Sougo sighed while remembering such good times he had with his family before taking the job as a samurai.

He couldn't bear to remember his wife and daughter's fate that day when they were burned by his enemies. Each time he looked at his necklace, it gave him horrible nightmares that he wished to escape. Knowing it was impossible to change the past, he now had the chance to join his family again back when a mysterious figure told him that his family had too sent to this world.

Kimaru heard the story with awe and sorrow. Kimaru turned his gaze to the floor after hearing Sougo tell his story.

"I hope you will meet them someday, mister. I'm sure of it. Like my father always told me, "There's no achievement without effort" Yes, something like that." Kimaru tried her best to encourage Sougo.

Sougo, still in his stoic form, nodded.

Meanwhile, Mika was guarding the house of Toragol with Toragol by his side laughing with joy, in contrast to Mika who looked at him repulsively.

"Such a joyous day indeed! Hahahahaha!" Toragol with the nobles was laughing without a care in the world. So arrogant that they didn't have any self-awareness of any danger lurking.

"Allow me to introduce you to my new bodyguard, Mika was it? Yes, Mika. I tell you, he's gifted." Toragol patted Mika's shoulder.

Mika swallowed the hate and changed with a smile.

"Pleasure to meet you all" Mika bowed with respect.

"Such a disciplined young man, your parents taught you well with those manners." They didn't bow, but they showed him respect and compliments.

"Unlike those sewer rats, ohohoho~," Said the nobles while laughing at the commoners.

"According to plan. Manners, languages, stance, and tones are all traits that nobles seek to see. I can't even comprehend such complexity of the higher-ups, they even have books about manners for damn sake." Mika spoke in his heart, easily confused by the book that explained the manners of nobles which he read back in his childhood.

"And as a matter of fact, he's fifteen, this is why he's short. But he is a prodigy, a worthy fit in our ranks at such a young age." Toragol smirked with proudness as he patted Mika's head.

"Oh, how envious of me." said the nobles.

To gain Toragol's trust, Mika had to endure such behavior of his facade. Mika seemed bothered that either Toragol was ignorant or vigilant.

After speaking with the nobles, Toragol entered his room and commanded that Mika stay in front of the door, prohibiting him from entering.

As Toragol entered, Mika smirked. Using the power of his syyon, he placed his finger against the door. By sending electric currents surrounding the interior of the room, heightened his senses.

As Toragol strode in, a sly grin spread across Mika's face. Drawing upon the potent force of his syyon, he pressed his finger against the door, infusing the room with crackling currents that sharpened his senses.

Toragol hummed merrily, making his way to his desk. With a deliberate motion, he retrieved something hidden within, a mysterious object that emitted an unmistakable sound of thick parchment. Although Mika couldn't see it, he could sense its enigmatic presence. And then, without warning, it materialized—an iron.

Intriguingly, Toragol ventured to the farthest corner of the chamber, descending into a crouch. Suddenly, a surge of electricity crackled through the air.

"Ouch! By the abominable gods, what sorcery is this?" Toragol cried out, jolted by a powerful shock as his hand grazed the wall. Reacting swiftly, Mika diminished the intensity of his electrical onslaught, sparing Toragol from further torment..

Incredulity laced his self-berating words, "Hard to fathom that I allowed such gutter rats to instill fear in me. Without Mika, I'd be a ghost by now." His voice was a low growl, a promise to make those commoners pay with a lesson etched in pain and fear.

Mika, hidden in the shadows, exhaled a sigh of relief. He remained unseen, a silent observer, trying to decipher the twisted machinations of Toragol.

With a creaking echo, Toragol unveiled a hidden vault, the fluttering of papers whispered through the room. Mika, attuned to these small sounds, surmised the papers were small in size. Larger papers would have made a louder rustle, given their flatness and thickness.

Through narrowed eyes, Mika watched as Toragol concealed a veritable fortune, a puzzling act given his already considerable wealth. Toragol's use for that cash was still a mystery.

As Toragol rose to his feet, a scoff slipped from his lips. "Those spineless government puppets believe they can make me a governor by having me play by their rules? They're easier to manipulate than they think."

Mika's mind whirred in confusion, his suspicions leaning towards bribery. He could almost see the malicious smirk on Toragol's face, savoring the knowledge that the government's wealth was now a weapon in his hands, used to dominate the town and crush the impoverished.

It perplexed Mika, the inherent hatred between the aristocrats and the peasantry - as if those born to wealth and luxury were innately cruel and despicable. If Toragol continued to govern, the poor, including Kimaru, would be subject to a life of unimaginable suffering.

Deciding to share his findings with the more seasoned Roznok, Mika withdrew his surveillance. He had amassed enough information to raise alarm, even if the full picture was yet to form.

Exiting his room, Toragol's smile greeted Mika, who returned it with a mask of friendliness. "Tell me, Mika, what is your lineage? Do you hail from a prominent family, a powerful clan, or are you without such ties?" Toragol inquired.

Mika recalled the knowledge he had gathered. In this land, 247 renowned families existed, forming a ludicrously large extended family. However, four stood out prominently in the region. The Luminous, the zenith of wealth in Zenric, renowned for economic prowess. The Bhrata Mahamakmur, the prosperous jewel of Akyashan, the sandy domain. The Rukharumah, the epitome of affluence in Ikithar, the windy realm. The Meliesto, the wealthiest among Rehsya, the region of flames.

With a faint smile, Mika brushed a hand through his hair, "Well, as you might guess from my hair, I am a Luminous. I've journeyed from Zenric, a land renowned for its traders and commerce. However, I've run out of the means to continue my entrepreneurial endeavors."

Toragol's eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint. "Ah, a promising lad! You've landed in the right place. As my premier and most formidable bodyguard, you'll be compensated generously." He gave Mika's shoulder a paternal pat as if he were his own progeny.

Mika, though inwardly repulsed, maintained his cordial facade. "I appreciate your kind words," he responded, all the while rejecting the thought of Toragol's tainted money.

"I see, well, I—" Toragol was interrupted mid-sentence as a breathless guard rushed towards him, urgency etched on his face.

"*Pant* Sir, dire news... Your two sons are missing. We've searched everywhere, questioned everyone, but found no trace."

Toragol's face blanched. "Preposterous! Were they playing outside?"

"The logbooks show no recorded departures. If they'd left, it would've been noted."

"Find them at once! Mika, my lad, consider this your first assignment - find my boys!" Toragol's understanding of a bodyguard's role seemed skewed. He quickly followed the guard out, leaving Mika alone in the room.

Mika, unconcerned with Toragol's woes, used this sudden solitude to communicate with Roznok before slipping out of Toragol's mansion.