A/N – This is Bonus Chapter 1, will be posting Bonus chapter 2 and 3 as well by tomorrow and day after, plus the usual Wednesday update. Thank you molleyficent, JuBR, Gofa, Patricia, Vic, Ko–fi Supporter, Unseelifae and Jwel for your kind support and encouraging words. I am very grateful that my story is supported by so many people. Also, thanks to the people in the comment section for their enthusiastic comments and love, and to all those ghost readers out there who are always eager to read my work!
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When it was time to leave, Ruzen’s master came to pick him up. The two did not talk, both not knowing where to start or where to finish. Thankfully the King did not see them off, or else things would have been even more awkward between the two.
Ruzen breathed in the fresh air as he looked around the mill. He was back, but it did not feel as if anything had changed. Looking at the stream and the greens, everything was still the same.
Even his master was talking normally as he would, and didn’t ask him anything specifically. One would think that his master was shrewd and sharp, trying not to burden his disciple or maybe he had an ulterior motive, but the reality was that his master was too awkward when it came to discussing things with Ruzen, and so to avoid the embarrassment, he stayed away from dangerous topics.
Ruzen knew the man was doing it purposefully, so he also did not share his story. He wanted his master to come forward himself and ask, because if Ruzen and his King were going to play house in the future, it was essential to let his master accept the concept however foreign and weird it was.
“I will think it through, your course is pending, start with practicing technique 23 more often.” Master He’Da directed, placing a beautiful leather bound book in front, letting Ruzen see the contents. “You are going to participate, as you have decided, so you need to know more about it.”
“Is it a very important competition?”
“Not really,” He’Da didn’t think it was that big, since very less participated in it and all it symbolized was a debut stage for new Cursed ones and those from foreign provinces. “But it will be significant for you since you can attract others from your performance. The King will accept your qualification but the rest would point out problems, so it is better to come out glorious on that stage to avoid questions. This way if someone finds you good enough, they will surely talk about it with the King. Since, I have heard that the King is sick. It is floating everywhere.”
Ruzen wasn’t surprised that such round about method was his best choice, because really, if he was voted as a figure head by the majority, no one would question him, but if he suddenly came into existence as the King’s Keeper, with no qualification, no background, everyone would flip.
“Still master, won’t people know that I am not part of them? Everyone has a source right? I wasn’t born in Manjo. I am surely a foreigner. How are those even selected?”
Master He’Da chuckled, “What foreigner? To be a foreigner you need to be a part of other provinces and continents, but right now you are new, you were directly brought in by our troops so you became a part of us… somewhat. Also, nobody will question you, since there are already rumors that a cursed one had accompanied a group of King’s men when they came back, so with a little manipulation, you will be accepted much easier if you behave as if you are taking a refuge here since you have nowhere to go. We have a lot of them, some even stay illegally and overtime become a part of Manjo.”
“I don’t understand… I heard that the security here doesn’t just lets anyone in,” Ruzen muttered with a furrow. Weren’t those staying illegally ever get caught?
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Master He’Da shrugged, “That is also true, but many of those staying illegally are brought in by those living in Manjo, they either let them in in the name of familial labor or as a special racial division. All kinds of things happen and sometimes certain things are overlooked on purpose. Because no place can thrive if it really gets closed off, the key to development is letting in others and giving them a certain degree of freedom. If something bad happens, then these brought in people are monitored, they face trial and well my disciple,” the master smiled coldly, “in extreme cases they are even exiled and punished.”
Eehfc rtevvfgfv jcv cb ibcufg atbeuta bo la lc lcafgfra, la kjr jmaejiis j nfgs mgefi wfatbv bo vfnfibqwfca, “Vb, ktja cbk wjrafg, ktfc lr atf mbwqfalalbc?”
Zjrafg Lf’Gj tewwfv, atbeutaoeiis, tlr rtjgq fsfr vlwwlcu klat uelia, “P rtbeiv tjnf ajeuta sbe wbgf, P gfjiis jw cba atja ubbv klat atlr afjmtlcu atlcu. Qfii, ktja tjr qjrrfv tjr qjrrfv, P yfilfnf kf cffv ab kbgx beg yfra ecali cfza wbcat, atf mbwqfalalbc yfulcr cfza rfjrbc, ktlmt lr cba atja ojg jkjs. Qf jirb cffv yeoofg alwf ab ifa sbe gfnlrf jcv qgjmalmf.”
Ruzen nodded, he was actually, feeling a bit excited.
~~
One month passed rather quickly and Ruzen learned a few more things which he didn’t even think was possible. He wasn’t that good, but his strength and abilities had taken a leap for sure. His sense of smell, taste, light, everything had upgraded in the short amount of time, it actually left him giddy.
Although the King didn’t come to see him, Ruzen regularly saw little pouches sitting by his bedside whenever he woke up. The little pouches were all empty except for some ash like dust sitting in the middle. When he asked more about it, his master was deeply moved when he told him its true value.
It was herb ash, and they were rarely available, not because they were rare, but because those who worked with herbs generally kept the ashes for themselves and never sold them. Those who did, they sold them at a very sky high price. These herbs were the remains of failed medicinal pills, which were very hard to make. These ashes could revitalize an almost dead person back to his glorious days, so one could understand how important it was.
“Is this a cheat?” Ruzen couldn’t help but ask, looking at the ash pouch with reverence.
“It is more than just a cheat, it is the envy of many and the greed of immortal and mortal alike. If you ever chose to use it, remember not to share it.”
Ruzen had taken his master’s warning to heart and did not discuss it further, but instead stored the pouches in his master’s magical drawer, that was kind of a separate dimensional space for storing valuables. Since he did not have one himself, it was better to exploit his master’s who was always muttering under his breath that the king was so forgetful, he should have at least sent the disciple some storage rings.
Ruzen had an inkling that the master himself would have given him one if he didn’t think it was good to wait for the King to reveal his big surprise. Maybe the storage ring would be given at the end?
And like He’Da had prophesized, the King really did send Ruzen a very dainty looking, beautiful… earring, which was a long light weight stone piece, hung from a flat metal hook. It was not very visible because it was black and merged with his black hair most often, but in strong day light, and when one focused on it, they could clearly see the intricate carvings on the stone that were very difficult to do by hand or even a machine. It was a single ear piece, but because Ruzen had to wear it, he had to get his left ear pierced.
The hurt was real, but the pierced hole had healed within a day under Master He’Da’s intensive care and Ruzen was able to wear it very easily.
With great deal of honesty and sincerity, He’Da took out all the 31 pouches he had in his drawer and threw them at Ruzen who in return threw them into his dimension. The earring was a separate space called ‘dimension’ where if one wished, they could get anything, nonliving, to enter it and stay there for an infinite time. With just a little mental probe, the stored goods could be called back and forth from the space at will. It was a very common tradition, which Ruzen didn’t find so hard to digest. The earring was special since it was given by the King, but his master believed it did not exhibit anything peculiar, thus it was not really rare.
It did not disappoint Ruzen, he knew the King had done so much for him, so getting spoiled by such things would only leave a bad impression. He liked the earring, and although he had to do a piercing, it was still a beautiful gift. It wasn’t feminine at all, neither very sturdy. It was a really thoughtful piece of delicate jewelry.
And the thought counted.
“Are you ready?” Master He’Da called out, dragging Ruzen out of his thoughts.
“Yes!” Both Ruzen and his master were wearing a set of matching uniforms, it was something like a Chinese Hanfu, but at the same time it was not eye catchy, instead, it just added a little flare to their figures. Since his master was older, he chose to wear a more subtle color of grey and white, while Ruzen was forced to wear a baby blue and white coloration, that almost made Ruzen appear childish. His pale milky skin, the perky lips and sharp chin, although not very delicate or arrogant, it held a hint of modesty which was not really there in young people.
Ruzen felt his hair with a hint of embarrassment, it was combed and styled with great care, giving him a smart look. But the problem was the dangling hair clip which tied some part of his hair backwards. This addition wasn’t his master’s advice, but something he himself wanted to do. He once had seen a famous actor picking up the same style, and it was very fashionable, so Ruzen had been awkward in wearing it, like what would others think. So he did it once, but only at home, so now when he got the chance, he did not hesitate in taking it up.
His master was a bit astonished when he saw the disciple do something strange with his hair, but in the end it turned out good, so he didn’t mention it. The clip was just a cheap ornament, but it was blue, so it was good enough. Both master and disciple weren’t great at getting dressed for occasions, so the end result was satisfactory to them.
“Vixen would drop us at the edge of Manjo, we will walk our way towards the registration office.”
“What about your disguise?” Ruzen worried, since last time his master had picked it up for caution.
“I will disguise myself later before we land at the border of Manjo, don’t worry about it.”
“Alright.”
Taking hold of Ruzen’s hand, the master felt the restlessness, he was positive that his disciple was nervous, but he didn’t think that his words would do anything good for him, so he kept quiet. It was better to stay next to him then just blabber out something inappropriate.
Calling in the Vixen, Ruzen and He’Da departed, the scenery changing again and making Ruzen frightful. He saw the little expanse of Ki’Ya’s farm where he visited not long ago. But because of the competition, they did not visit her again. He kind of missed her smiles, but he was more stressed about the competition and his stomach felt a little queasy. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do there, even if he had done his best last month, he wasn’t confident at it.
It was natural to be scared of something foreign, but Ruzen’s mood wasn’t very bright.
It took them three days to reach the edge of Manjo, and Ruzen was already worn out, his dress was not so beautiful now, with all the folds and creases, but it would still pass. His master assured him that he would make it new enough to last long when they landed again. So for the entire duration of their travel, even with a faster ride, it took them a longer time to reach Manjo due to all the restrictions. There were solid barriers placed around the city which He’Da explained as a security addition to avoid suspicious activity during the competition.
The barrier actually was an arrangement of illusions which confused the Vixen and hence they lost their way several times.
They even had to land for eating, sleeping and other necessary things when it was time. So the unavoidable things managed to slow them down. They did not see any settlement on the way, so everything had to be done in a natural environment. Even the food they ate was reserved grains, and fruits, so one could imagine how rough their travel was.
“Master, it would have been better if I didn’t wear this… dress, before the completion that is. Maybe I could have changed it later.”
“When? We are going to enter the Manjo’s border, and we will head straight for registration, when were you thinking you could stop for a change? We can’t let people see you in rags.”
Ruzen rolled his eyes, the clothes he generally wore, sorry, the ‘rags’ he wore were also not bad, but his master always found them an eyesore, one would wonder how important it was to dress well.
Well-dressed men were smarter, for sure, that he knew, but wasn’t it odd how his master always focused on his getup the most? “Master,” yawn~ “I can see something ahead, is that Manjo?”
There were dusts of solid forms far ahead on the horizon, with taller shapes and modern structures. He could see the difference in landscape around it, the trees were less dense and the hills were dotted with inorganic development.
“Yes that is Manjo’s border, get ready, we are going to land soon.”
Thank you for the chapter😊❤❤
Thanks so much!!!!
😂😂😂“Playing house” Sweet, how they both avoid the topic. 🤣 The King sure is working hard and giving Ruzen all those sweet trinkets to make sure he will be fine. 🎁 Can imagine how young and handsome Ruzen would look like all dressed up. 😍
❤❤❤
Yay!!!!! Thanks for the bonus chapters!!!
Haha playing house.. what a description. Ruzens dress is cute. The king is pretty thoughful.
Thanks for the chapter!
how exciting!
thanks for the chapter <3
I’m excited for the competition hehe
Thank you for the chapter <33
Thank you for this chapter, it was great as always.