Nagato Kagutsuchi: The Dawn
Ch. 12 - Our Nobles
The six of them had finished their breakfast and were preparing - ready to continue their journey.
"Grandfather, where is your hiding place?" Azai asked Grandpa Hyogoro because he felt that the place they were going to was always something that they did not want such as a robbery and yesterday the fire that devoured the City of Roshima.
"In the Hidden Forest." replied Grandpa Hyogoro with a faint smile and with his habit of stroking his chin. Hyogoro's grandfather looked at the sky as if his residence was a place full of meaning for him.
"I lived alone in the forest for decades only Pandu's students and good friends knew about the place!" Hyogoro's grandfather tried to explain his residence to Nagato and the others but it made Nagato and the others feel sorry for Hyogoro's Grandpa.
Because of chasing time so as not to get involved with troublesome things, Grandpa Hyogoro invited Nagato and the others to immediately continue the journey. Nagato walked beside Grandpa Hyogoro and his left hand held his sword sheath.
"You seem to be used to it now!" Grandpa Hyogoro patted Nagato's shoulder.
"I just wanted to see with my own eyes, a place protected by my late father, was far from what I imagined!" nagato's voice sounded so calm and clear as he frowned Nagato was annoyed that on his way to hide he always saw the events that made him recall his hatred buried in the bottom of his heart even Azai, who was his, Kuina and Serlin also did not expect the Kai Empire to be such a terrifying place.
"Tatsugoro used to come back here a lot to see what's going on here, right?" said Serlin slowly walking beside Kuina.
"Yes, uncle spied on a suspicious group in Kai Empire, so they didn't move freely." Kuina answered Serlin's words.
"So, therefore Tatsugoro is rarely in our hiding place." Serlin muttered softly and thought of something. Litha who listened to the words of the two girls who were beside her, made her become curious about the conversation, but the figure that made her most curious was Nagato.
After half a day Nagato and the others had not yet reached the city that Grandpa Hyogoro said, so Nagato and the others began to doubt Grandpa Hyogoro's words.
"Why?" Hyogoro's grandfather turned to look at the five of them who were staring at him then he laughed softly.
"Hahaha, if we run without rest then we will arrive in that city with half a day, forgive me for saying this morning!" Grandpa Hyogoro bowed slowly then laughed back while scratching his non-itchy head.
Nagato and the others went back on their way, passing through some forests and small hills, Nagato leisurely strolling while enjoying the scenery.
After traveling for almost a full day, it was getting dark, then they intended to spend the night in a flat place beside a small river.
"We spend the night here or we continue our journey?" Hyogoro's grandfather asked the five of them.
"Rest first the cake, slowly - slowly we get to the destination." replied Serlin as he walked towards the river to wash his face.
Shortly thereafter Grandpa Hyogoro called the others to split the task, some were looking for food, and some were looking for dry wood.
Kuina, Nagato and Litha were looking for dry wood while Grandpa Hyogoro and Azai were looking for groceries.
Serlin who had finished washing his face had not found Nagato and the others at the place earlier.
"Where are they?" Serlin looked confused because in front of him there was only their luggage but they had somehow gone where. Then Serlin went to bathe in the river as his body was covered in sweat.
Kuina watched Nagato and Litha from behind, the girl smilingly looking at Nagato who remained indifferent towards Litha even though she actually seemed to care a little. Then Nagato gathered the dry wood and the branches of the trees that fell on the ground.
"It turns out there's also a lot of dry wood and tree branches here?" Litha tried to melt the atmosphere while glancing at Nagato who was squatting beside her.
"Yes" Nagato replied briefly as he picked up some dry wood and twigs in large numbers then he returned.
Kuina walked over to Litha as the little girl continued to look at Nagato's back which was getting away from her eyes.
"Nagato, has never had a peer with him so he may be confused as to what kind of behavior, from childhood he is like that." Kuina chuckled at Nagato's demeanor, then she smiled gently at Litha.
"So I was his first friend?" inner Litha, the little girl smiled and her face flushed slightly.
"That's enough too." Kuina stood up and brought Litha back. They both returned and there saw Serlin who had wet hair and Nagato who was crafting dry wood to make a campfire.
"Serlin, your fire magic" said Nagato softly, then Serlin burned the wood and warmed his body. After the fire burned the dry wood that Nagato had arranged and then he went to the river, because Nagato also wanted to take a bath to wash his entire sultry and sweaty body.
It was getting dark as the sun slowly set and the cool night breeze started to feel on their skin.
Before long Azai and Grandpa Hyogoro appear carrying a forest chicken and a deer that has been cut and cleaned.
When night falls, the night sky looks so bright, the stars began to be seen in the night sky that stretched over there making a long journey that exhausting as if not in vain with the view under the starry sky.
They burned the meat, before long Nagato came while squeezing a bit of wet hair to make his good looks more visible.
The six of them ate their meals while staring at the sky filled with stars.
Although everything was painful for both Nagato and Litha but they both had to keep moving forward and keep going forward.
Nagato and the others continue on and on the way Litha tries to talk to Nagato, but after seeing Nagato's cold face the little girl undoes her intentions.
Hyogoro's grandfather chatted with Azai in front, while Nagato and Litha walked side by side in front of Serlin and Kuina.
Hyogoro's grandfather did not seem to intend to pass through the shortcut to the city, he walked towards the road that usually passed by merchants and caravans.
The road looks so broad but no one passes through it.
The five of them followed Grandpa Hyogoro, the street was surrounded by trees along the road so this place looked cool to walk because the heat of the sun was blocked by the trees on their right left.
Litha glanced at Nagato who was walking beside her, the little girl let out a long sigh of not being able to get Nagato to speak, after she was sure that she had seen Nagato's face again.
"Your name is Nagato, isn't it?" The little girl asked the name of the young man she already knew, her face red in embarrassment.
"Yes, my name is Nagato." Answer Nagato briefly as he continued walking.
"Your name is Novelitha, isn't it?" Nagato asked back but this time he threw his face aside because he himself did not expect it to be this difficult to talk to his age.
"Is that my name?" Litha smiled sweetly at Nagato then the little girl slightly approached Nagato out of curiosity with the look on her face.
While Serlin and Kuina chuckled at the conversation between Litha and Nagato in front of her.
"Just this time I saw the person who was chatting just asking for names?" serlin whispered softly in Kuina's ear.
"Stupid, don't bother them!" Kuina chuckled as she covered her mouth with her right hand.
Then Litha looked at the sky, the little girl smiled meaningfully and looked at Nagato back.
"My mother is from the Azbec Kingdom, my father is from the Kai Empire and the one who gave me the name Novelitha is my mother." Litha explained to Nagato, then the young man looked at Litha with a sharp eye.
Nagato was silent because he also did not believe in the name of a coincidence.
"My mother is also from the Azbec Kingdom." Nagato's voice sounded cold in Litha's ear and Nagato's smile made her misplaced.
"My real name is Kagu-" Nagato stopped talking as he felt an aura of murderous lust behind the hill they were about to cross.
Litha looked curious, but seeing the look on Nagato's face turning cold and looking alert, the little girl approached Nagato.
"Front there, there seems to be a battle!" Hyogoro's grandfather pointed at the hill they were about to cross, then he stepped quickly followed by Azai from behind.
"Let's hurry too." Nagato clasped Litha's hand, yet the little girl asked, she had been taken away by Nagato.
Serlin and Kuina then followed Nagato and Litha dark behind them through the hillside ramp.
After arriving above they saw the streets below, there were some robbers and warriors who were fighting.
"That horse-drawn carriage?" Litha pointed at the horse carriage that looked luxurious and there seemed to be an important person in the carriage.
"Do you know that?" Nagato asked Litha, the little girl nodded slowly.
"See the flag ..it is the emblem of Our Nobles!" Litha pointed at the flag on the horse-drawn carriage.
"flags?" Nagato stared intently and saw that the robbers were no ordinary robbers. The emblem of the light green wind symbol that reads Kitakaze is seen on the luxurious train Nagato is looking at.
Serlin and Kuina ran towards the battle because they saw that the swordsman guarding our Nobles had been wiped out by the robbers. Nagato pulled Litha's hand after the two girls who ran in front of him.
"Sounds we're late?!" azai said seeing the robbers had managed to finish off the swordsmen guarding the nobility.
The robbers ran towards the horse-drawn carriage, they stomped on the corpses of the dead warriors.
"Clean." Hyogoro's grandfather was breathing and his eyes were staring at the robber in front of him.
"Sun Punch!" Hyogoro's grandfather hit the ground and made a crack of the ground around him, seeing the powerful blow shattered greatly making the robbers who were attacking the nobles become wary.
Hyogoro's grandfather took a breath and before long the look on his face changed, from his mouth a hissing sound was heard.
"Ces .. ces .. ces .. ces .. ces." Grandpa Hyogoro's mouth hiss made the air around him hot even dozens of robbers could feel the heat.