Next Destination: Waturia

The next morning, I woke up refreshed, more so than in any of the past several days. Having made my decision to leave town, I felt relieved that an enormous weight was lifted and that my mom gave her blessing for my journey.

After I changed into some casual clothing, I enjoyed another of my mom's delicious breakfasts. "Hey Mom, I have some errands to do today to prepare for my trip. So, I'll be out until dinner time."

"Sure, Haru. Please have a good day!"

I grabbed the leather package with my father's armor inside and headed out. My first destination was Master Takagi's place, further north up the path from my house.

I stopped in front of Akane's house, thinking whether I should check in on her. But, remembering she had plans for the day, I decided to wait until I returned in the evening, so I continued.

The trek to Master Takagi's took 30 minutes, as he lived on the outskirts of town. Being a trainer of archery, he needed enough space to set up a dojo. The grass fields in the northwestern section satisfied those conditions, so Master Takagi used those to build his home and training grounds.

I always enjoyed the walk when I was still Master Takagi's student. It was a perfect combination of beautiful nature and peaceful cityscape. Akane would sometimes accompany me on my training days, and her presence made the walks even more relaxing.

When I reached the training grounds, I saw Master Takagi praying in front of a shrine by the house's side. His wife passed away 8 years ago, and I always saw him take some time to at least stop by the memorial whenever I visited him for training.

When I was about an arm's length away from Master Takagi, I stood behind him in silence and waited until he was done. This was my usual custom whenever I saw him paying his respects to his wife, and I found no reason to break that tradition today.

After about 5 minutes, Master Takagi stood up but didn't turn to face me. "So… come to see me for some more wisdom, my young disciple, Haru?"

"You always could tell it was me, Master."

"You just need to practice that skill more. If you weren't tied so closely to that priest girl, you'd be even better at it than me."

"H-h-hey! It's not like that between Akane and me!" I started to blush but tried the best I could to regain my composure and control my face's color.

"Sure, just keep telling that to yourself, if it'll make you sleep better at night." Master Takagi then laughed for a long moment, obviously at my expense.

I wasn't sure how much more embarrassment I could take, so I coughed rather loudly to move the conversation.

"Oh, sorry about that," Master Takagi said, turning around to face me. "You always were an easy target. But I see you're not here just for small talk. Sooo… the time's come for you to follow in your father's footsteps?" His eyes pointed towards the package under my right arm.

I felt stunned, so I answered his question with my own. "Wait a minute… you knew my father was an archer this whole time?"

"I guess your old man himself never told you about his life before he met your mother… maybe it was for the best. You'll have a lot to learn out there. The world outside of Kolm can be such a harsh place. You're fortunate you've had it easy here."

"I do feel blessed, that's true," I said. "So, now that you know I'm leaving town, you mentioned before about an archer whose skills eventually surpassed your own. I know I need to get stronger, so where would I find this person?"

Stroking his chin, Master Takagi answered, "Ahhh… you mean Motozen. I hate to admit it, but yes, Motozen did exceed me. And you're right, there's no one else better to help further enhance your abilities. You can find Motozen in Waturia, the walled city to the south of Kolm. It takes 2 weeks by carriage to get there."

"Motozen in Waturia…" I murmured. I never heard of the name before, but if Master Takagi was praising this person, I felt assured I could learn much from this Motozen. Also, I never traveled to Waturia, but I had heard from my mom about the city's grandeur.

"Thank you, Master Takagi," I continued. "I'll make sure to remember the information you just told me. Well, I have much to do in preparing for my journey, so I should get going…"

"Before that," Master Takagi interrupted. "I assume the person you're searching for is worth leaving this town?"

Wow!!! I didn't even hint at or say one word about Maya, and he figured it out? He was right, I needed to practice on my training much more than I thought…

"I guess you could say that…" I replied nervously. "But it looked no one else could help this person, except for me. I feel this noble sense of obligation I just can't ignore."

"Hrmm… I see, then. Just be careful out there. You won't always get the reaction you expect from everyone you help, no matter how valiant your efforts might be…"

"Huh?" What did he mean by that? Everyone I've helped before was so grateful… maybe he was starting to get senile at his old age…

"Well," Master Takagi continued, brushing me away. "Good luck out there, my young disciple. Just make sure you come back safely."

"I will, Master. And thank you for your wisdom, as always."

After I left the training grounds, I headed back towards the residential district. Partway, I took a shortcut that wrapped around the northern part of town. My next destination was the bank, where I would withdraw enough money for the trip.

Because the day was so calm, I decided to walk more slowly, to immerse myself in the town's beauty once more. When I reached the bank, I submitted a withdrawal order of three-quarters of my savings, leaving one quarter behind to have some financial flexibility when I returned.

After I took a bit of time to eat lunch and rest by the fountain, I walked to the carriage dealer on the same side of town as the apothecary. I asked the clerk for a carriage to take me to Waturia first thing in the morning three days from now.

The clerk looked at her notebook and found an available carriage for me. While she prepared the paperwork, she spoke to me about the trip's details. "Just so you know, Waturia is two weeks away by carriage. Halfway during the trip, one week in, there is a town called Machuren. There, you can stock up again on supplies. And I'll make sure you get a very accommodating driver."

"That's good to know, and I appreciate your help." While thanking the clerk, I signed the paperwork and paid for the carriage reservation and usage fees.

I went to the armor shop next, which was pretty close to the apothecary. I had the armorer check if enhancements could be made to my father's armor; I was fortunate he said the necessary work was possible. After he said the improvements could be finished overnight, I left the equipment at the shop.

Seeing the sun beginning to set, I started the walk back to my house. I hadn't bumped into Akane in town all day, so I decided to stop by her place first.

I approached Akane's house and knocked on the door, expecting Akane to answer. But I was surprised to see her mother at the door instead.

"Hello, Mrs. Rainoha," I began. "I thought Akane was going to answer the door. I didn't bump into her in town, so I just wanted to check how her day was."

"Oh, hello, Haru… Actually, Akane wasn't feeling too well, so she stayed in bed the whole day. I don't think she's able to see you right now, so how about you come by again tomorrow?"

"Okay, sure. Tell her I hope she feels better soon then." I left Akane's place and walked back to my house but stopped in the yard before approaching the front door.

That was weird… usually, when Akane was sick, she would still want to talk to me, even if it was for just a quick moment. Maybe she wasn't feeling so well yesterday, but she looked healthful enough...

I resolved to not think about the matter any further. Akane usually healed up quickly, so I felt confident she would be fine within the next day.

Nothing unusual happened during the evening back at home, with the typical fare of dinner and talking with my mom to pass the time.

I had another restful sleep that night and woke up refreshed the next morning again.

After getting dressed and eating breakfast, I left my house, carrying some leather bags to hold the purchases I planned to make.

All of the shops I needed to stop at were on the east side of town, so I headed in that direction. I first visited the weapons shop and purchased some cutting knives and hatchets that would be useful for cutting down wood and hunting animals for food. I then went into the items shop and stocked up on basic survival essentials, such as rope, tent cloth, and poles. Lastly, I entered the apothecary and bought plenty of ointments, salves, and wraps, crucial to recovering from injuries.

After I completed my purchases, I walked to the armor shop to pick up my father's armor. When the armorer showed me the finished product, I couldn't help but be amazed, as the armor had more than just a slight improvement. I thanked and paid the armorer for the work he had done and left the shop with another leather package in tow.

It was quite late in the afternoon when I left the armor shop, so I began walking back to my house. I planned to stay inside all evening at home to finish up my packing. So, feeling concerned for Akane, I decided to stop by her place first.

And like the previous night, Akane's mother answered the door.

"Hello, Mrs. Rainoha. I just wanted to ask if Akane was feeling better and if I could see her."

"Umm, hello, Haru… She hasn't been feeling well again, so she's been in bed all day. She's trying to rest up to be able to go to work tomorrow. So, umm… I don't think she's able to see you right now. Sorry…"

"No, it's alright. I just hope it's nothing serious. Can you give her the message, I'll see her at work?"

"Sure… Have a good night then."

After Akane's mother closed the door, I walked back to the gate in front of my house and stopped. Concern began to creep into my mind.

It's been two days since Akane's been sick, and I haven't been able to talk to her even once. She always would cheer up even just a little if I spoke to her when she fell ill, so why doesn't she want me to see her now?