Nagato Kagutsuchi: The Dawn
Ch. 154 - Mikazuchi City

A sturdy gate with silvery white, city gatekeepers who use complete weapons and an entrance made of iron make Mikazuchi City more visible splendor.

The arrival of warriors from the Fuyumi Clan came to the attention of the city gatekeepers and the lower city residents, the beautiful warriors became a morning meal for the men who saw their arrival.

"Grandmother Emi. I saw someone following us." Nagato said quietly near Emi. Detection range is quite wide, Nagato trying to stay calm seeing the difference is very visible.

"Don't lower your vigilance, you are the only male swordsman of the Fuyumi Clan. You should be able to protect Iris and the others." Emi patted Nagato on the shoulder while checking the body of the young man wearing the white fox mask. Emi was surprised after finding out Nagato's longevity, not how long she turned to look at Litha and Iris.

"It seems that if Nagato is in contact with one of them will be healed.." Emi's inner self feels sorry for Nagato who is still young already has a painful burden of life.

Nagato slowed down in order to walk amidst the crowd of Iris, Litha, Hika and Tika. They walked leisurely towards the inn in the upper city which was close to the residence of the Seifu Nobles in Mikazuchi City.

While walking leisurely, Shirayuki approached the five young warrior representatives from the Fuyumi Clan who were walking together. Shirayuki explained to the five of them about the three biggest colleges in the Kai Empire working under the Seifu Nobles. The three colleges were the Eternal Fire Academy, the Single Blood Bond and the Dragon Sword Sakti.

Shirayuki also explained that one of the largest clans in the western camp had officially become nobles, the clan was the Seifu Clan which was a large clan in the Western Province.

The Seifu clan that supported Emperor Hizen and Satra could easily gain the rights of nobles due to Satra's interference in the government. The caste system in the Western Province is clearly visible in Mikazuhchi City. Residential residences are divided into two, namely the city of the rich, Nobles Seibu and Nobles Seifu. While the lower city is occupied only by poor people whose lives are adequate, the magnificent buildings in the lower city are only seen from the outside.

Slavery in the city of Mikazuchi. Thanks to the help of the largest underground organization in the Ezzo Continent named Spider, many wealthy people in the Kai Empire other than the Northern Province began to like buying slaves. The arrival of foreign influence from outside the Ezzo Continent became a major factor in the change in the original nature of the Kai Empire's inhabitants.

It did not feel like Nagato and the warrior troupe from the Fuyumi Clan had arrived in front of an inn called the Stormy Flower Inn. The magnificent building and the spacious courtyard made Nagato a little worried. Nagato realized that there were people who were always watching them, and that made him always increase his alertness.

Emi ordered a room consisting of only one large room, and in the room there were ten beds. Nagato was ashamed of having to sleep with women, moreover he was not used to sleeping in one room with other women except Litha.

After all the warriors from the Fuyumi Clan entered the room of the inn, Emi came out about to pay the lodging fee. On the way to the place of payment, Emi felt the inn that would be their place to stay overnight as well as the arrival of unexpected guests.

Emi could see some representative young warriors from the ten largest clans in the Kai Empire staying at the Stormy Flower Inn. A wide smile rang on Emi's face which started to wrinkle. It turns out that the Storm Flower Inn is also the arrival of four young warriors who are often referred to by the nickname Ten Genius Young Swordsmen.

"Excuse me..." Emi greeted the innkeeper who was staring at the arrival of the three young warriors from the Akatsuki Clan.

"Eh .. anu ... What's the matter?" The female servant who had a sweet face was nervous to see Emi greeting her.

"How much does the room cost?" Emi approached the female servant and glanced at the little Akatsuki Clan Leader and the Vice Clan Leader Akatsuki.

"Sorry, which clan are you from?" The female servant was awkward and nervous to see Emi's sharp gaze.

"Is my name less famous than my son's?" Emi asked the female servant who asked her. His heart was a little irritated, everyone was very familiar with the beauty and elegance of Shirayuki, whereas not many common people knew Emi's name except the warriors in Kai Empire.

The female servant shook her head slowly, there was a little fear in her mind, because she saw Emi who was staring intently at her.

"I'm sorry I don't know your name" she didn't finish saying, but the maid felt guilty about Emi writing her name on the paper.

"Fuyumi Emi's..." The female servant muttered softly after Emi finished her writing on the paper.

Emi smiled seeing the female servant surprised by her name, there was a feeling of pride in Emi's heart.

"This is my name." Emi smiled gently at the female servant as her right hand picked up some gold coins she had tucked in the white cloth tied around her left waist. "So how much does it cost?" Emi's voice broke the daydream of the female servant who was sculpting.

"Eh .. wait a minute ... Miss Emi." The female servant is nervous to find out that Emi is the mother of Shirayuki.

"Large room with ten beds, plus a meal together in the hall. All twenty-five pieces of gold, Miss Emi." The female waitress of the inn explained the cost of the Fuyumi Clan swordsman staying overnight at the Stormy Flower Inn.

"It's expensive..." Emi muttered softly as she took out twenty-five gold coins and gave them to the innkeeper.

"Thank you very much, Miss Emi. Hope you are comfortable with the service we provide." The female maid of the inn bowed and paid her respects to Emi.

"Yes, you should at least prepare a lot of dinner." Emi walked slowly away from the innkeeper towards the room she had booked.

After returning to the large room of the inn he had booked, it was seen in the room that the happy faces of the four little girls who were representatives of the Fuyumi Clan were playing, while Nagato was lying down and asleep.

Emi enters the room and sits next to Shirayuki while listening to the story of Oichi's last mission.

The beautiful and sweet girl who now looks very mature has officially become Azai's lover. Oichi's words made Nagato who was lying down and asleep instantly reflex awake.

"Azai, he seems to be enjoying life a lot being an imperial warrior." Nagato looked at Oichi who was telling him about his relationship with Azai to Shirayuki.

"I didn't expect you guys to get that far. Congratulations Oichi." Ichiba hugs Oichi while rubbing the belly of the 23-year-old girl.

"You two finally met. Congratulations Oichi." Shirayuki smiled sweetly at Oichi.

"Thank you teacher. Master Shirayuki is very beautiful and kind." Oichi reflex hugged Shirayuki's body because the woman who became his role model smiled sweetly at her. Seeing the attitude of Oichi who hugged Shirayuki casually, Ichiba rebuked Oichi.

"So your attitude is Oichi!" Ichiba scolds Oichi who hugs Shirayuki.

"Hehehe .. sorry." Oichi took off his embrace and gently rubbed his stomach.

Emi only silently looked at the three female warriors whose names were very familiar in the Kuru Empire.

"Oichi..." Emi looked at Oichi meaningfully and glanced at the belly of the girl. "Stay by the rules of the clan. You may love each other, but if you want to remain part of the Fuyumi Clan then you must be willing to live separately, not one house with a man named Azai." Emi reminded the rules of the Fuyumi Clan to Oichi.

"If your son is a boy, then he must live with his father. But if your daughter is a girl, then the child must live with her mother on Maru Island." Emi let out a long sigh considering the rules of the Fuyumi Clan that prevailed long ago. "But if you want to live with your husband and children, then your only option is to leave your marital name Fuyumi and not set foot back on Maru Island or Samui Island." Emi's last words left Oichi speechless for a while, while Iris, Litha, Hika and Tika who were playing also stopped. Nagato gulped before shifting his gaze.

"Yes..."Oichi answered Emi's words in lethargy without the slightest spirit.

"Mom don't be too strict to force Oichi's will." Shirayuki casually looked at Emi.

"This is Shirayuki's absolute rule. You can't interfere, and I'm just reminding you." Emi stared intently at Shirayuki.

"Yes, yeah, sorry." Shirayuki instantly shut up and played her fan.

In that tense atmosphere, two eyes glanced at each other and stared at each other for a few minutes. The two stared at each other with deep meaning.

"I and the Dragon will never be together." Iris was a little sad when she heard Emi's words. His eyes were still staring at Nagato.

"I didn't expect Azai to be a real man." Nagato looked at Iris for a moment before laying down his body remembering Azai who had not seen him for a long time.

Not feeling the time passed, right after sunset and the sky became dark, Emi invited the swordsman from the Fuyumi Clan to bathe together except Nagato.

After taking a bath, Emi told the others to return to wearing the clothes they were wearing to show the identity of the Fuyumi Clan to the others.

Nagato wore a white fox mask because he saw Emi so excited.

***

One day ago, the news of Azai dying had not been spread. On a cliff close to the ocean, there was a battle. The cliffs are in the Kinai Empire. The cliffs called Shikaku Cliffs became the site of a battle between the forces of two generals of the Kai Empire led by Hawk and Matsuri against Brusca and some of the higher-ups of the Spider.

The hiding place of the Demon Worshiping Sect has been found, the arrival of troops from Hawk and Matsuri who intend to help Grandpa Hyogoro, Merlin and the Commander of the Kai Empire named Goro is actually blocked by Brusca and Spider officials. Even a few troops educated from small with life as assassins by Gore kept Hawk and Matsuri's forces blocked for an entire day.

Kuina who was under the troops of Matsuri felt that there was a traitor among her comrades. Plans known only to Hawk, Matsuri, Merlin, Grandpa Hyogoro, Goro, Azai, Serlin and the last person who knew the plan to attack the headquarters of the Demon Worship Sect was himself. Plans that have been prepared carefully, destroyed by the actions of someone.

After a long day of fierce fighting against Brusca who was a member of the Seven Deadly Great Sins and the top Spider for quite a long time, eventually the forces led by Hawk and Matsuri can go directly to the headquarters of the Demon Worshiping Sect.

With the members separated, Kuina is shocked by the absence of Azai who is thought to have died by Serlin and the few soldiers who saw Azai drown in the ocean after falling off a cliff.

The rain that fluttered the battlefield made Kuina's grief accumulate, she who was still shocked to hear Azai's death was again shocked by the death of Grandpa Hyogoro and the defeated Commander Goro fighting against Gore and Brusca.

Hawk regrets failing to stop Brusca helping Gore. Amidst the torrent of rain, a golden eagle flew around Grandpa Hyogoro who was lying on the ground and lifeless. Three unsoaked letters were seen in the pouch of the golden eagle's foot named Kin.

The news of the death of Grandpa Hyogoro, Commander of Goro and Azai had not yet spread because everyone who saw their deaths directly were still in the Kinai Empire.

An incident that would bring the Kai Empire into ruin, and involve the Ezzo Continent in the catastrophe of war made Hawk, Matsuri, Kuina and Serlin stare at Grandpa Hyogoro's lifeless body.

One thing the four of them realized, the death of Grandpa Hyogoro and Azai would leave a deep wound for one's most meritorious son in their lives, nagato is the teacher of Hawk, Matsuri, Kuina and Serlin.

The four of them only hoped that Nagato's mentality was not destroyed because he had to accept the bitter reality back.

After struggling to rise from the bitter reality since the death of his adopted sister named Asha. Fate flowed in a very unexpected direction, a very painful and heartbreaking reality should Nagato return to feeling.

***

Back to Kai Empire. The Storm Flower Inn, Mikazuchi City. The dining hall of the Stormy Flower Inn warmed up slightly due to the large number of young warriors gathered who took part in the Tiger Kai Tournament. The nine warriors from the Fuyumi Clan were the most conspicuous of all, especially the figure of the young man wearing a white fox mask and surrounded by four beautiful girls.