Swordsman Without Friends
The story of the woman who was considered lowly.

The drizzling rain that fell along with the arrival of the twilight of the day made a young man dressed in dark clothes forced to pull himself to the edge of the road that was covered with trees.at first only a small drizzle, just a small drizzle, but the longer the rain becomes more dense. foliage and tree trunks are no longer able to withstand the rainfall until it begins to make the young man wet.

With a dragging step a rod of iron along almost half a spear and the handle was wrapped in black cloth, the young man turned the shelter under the roof of the house of one of the villagers whose front was made into a kind of stall.he had to move a bit far to get there. although this young man was actually capable of lightning speed, but he was unwilling to do so.

Almost half of his body had been wet with rain.The young man was crouched in the front corner of the stall.although the drops of heavy rain mixed with wind still slightly hit him, but here it is still more comfortable and dry.from inside the food stall was smelled the aroma of savory fried food freshly lifted from the dish.

With a bit lazy this young man got up and stood in front of the door of a quiet stall.The owner of the stall is a woman forties who still look ayu. in the help of a girl he prepared a hand for visitors. Initially the woman thought the young man a beggar who asked for food until he told his son to give two pieces of fried cassava.

But the shop owner's mother and son were surprised when the young man handed over three pieces of copper money for payment - a rather excessive amount for two pieces of fried cassava. because a piece of copper alone was more than enough, the young man did not eat inside the stall, but sat back down crouching to the outside corner.

Without being asked by the sweet girl of four dozen years, he gave two pieces of boiled sweet potato and a glass of bamboo wedang ginger body warmers to the young man who only nodded and smiled at a glance. a cold and cynical thin smile, as if he was always looking down on anything and reluctant to get along with others.

However, the young girl of the shop owner's child was silently watching the young man in black. somehow the pale face was cold, a thin and cynical smile, and, and the look of his eyes sharp but without any feeling it even makes him interested.The mother who saw his daughter's behavior is just a head bobble. he now knows that his son has grown up in adolescence and began to be interested in the opposite sex. it's just, why must with a vagrant.?

The young man had finished his meal.The drink glass was also empty. Today it has been a week since he seized all the property of the visitors of the entertainment house owned by the manager Sentot Bhirawa, who was the owner of the entertainment house, they also freed all the comfort women they had forcibly worked to serve the striped-nose men.

The limp homeless man named Pranacitra was pensive, from the description of the poor woman who he first helped from the torment of his customers who were drunk in front of the big entertainment house at that time, the young man knew that the girl named Parmita, who was also the aunt of the mute boy Aji Pradana, had committed suicide when he wanted to be taken on board a rich merchant ship that had bought him.

''I knew him from the first time he was brought to the place of Ki Sentot Bhirawa.he often told me about his family who was destroyed by the invasion of bad people. although Parmita reportedly came from the neighborhood of one famous silat college in the land of Sunda, but she herself was just a gentle girl who was virtuous. absolutely do not know the hard martial arts..'' said the former comfort woman while holding Aji Pradana, at that time they were on a pedati pulled by two cows.

All comfort women who have been freely given just a provision of money and jewelry spoils by Pranacitra before they are delivered to their place of origin. it took two days to book a freight escort service business that was able to deliver the women who numbered more than twenty people, he said, of course with the expensive payment of the robbery of the cripple Pranacitra.

Coincidentally there is a goods escort service association called 'Red Garuda' which has only been standing for a few months and is stopping in the village after returning from delivering customer orders. as a new escort service, of course, it takes a lot of capital and a good name to grow and be trusted by people, let alone the payment provided by the customer is quite large, so that the customer is quite large, then obviously the leader named Ki Wikalpa immediately supported him.

''I have no one left in the world, after my husband died came a woman who gave me food aid. Next she offered me a job to be a housemaid at her employer's place. but apparently the woman is an accomplice Ki Sentot Bhirawa as well as pimps pimp where the bastard entertainment.in short I became a slave to the striped men..'' the beautiful young woman kept telling stories.

Pranacitra has often heard grim stories like this, but heard from the victim himself, without feeling his heart was sliced. ''Over the past few weeks my body has continued to weaken, but the rascals do not want to know and continue to force me. If I refuse, the grievous torment will be met. I fell unconscious almost two days after a day and a night I was forced to serve fifteen men, can you imagine how much suffering I was going through.?''

"It's just a story of boredom, for the three years I was in the devil's house, I've twice forced them to abort my womb.." Pranacitra was silent, everything felt ironic.People easily accused all the women who peddle the body is a dirty woman, despicable, trash society that can not get a decent life.maybe it has a point, there is a truth, but whether the men who became their customers were also saints.

In this world it seems that no woman has the intention to become a prostitute, but sometimes they are forced to do something they never really wanted. if these women are called despicable and sinful, then what about those who have taken their lives.?

''The last few days I have been desperate to leave however I may, though I must die I will still do. Apparently the power to hear my prayer, you came to help us all., I said., thank you is certainly not enough, how should I pay for all your kindness.?'' said the woman lowered her head half in whispers while stroking the black hair of Aji Pradana sleeping on her lap.

''You are a traveler in the martial world, maybe there are many things that you have to solve out there. We both do not want to be your burden. During his life Parmita was always kind to everyone. I will take care of Parwita's late niece, Aji Pradana, with all my heart as my respect and gratitude to her..''

That was the last word that came out from the lips of the former comfort woman as they decided to part ways. Aji Pradana had a chance to cry but no sound came out, the boy was quite stoic. With the spoils Pranacitra bought a small house on the outskirts of the village close to the small river. the villagers were not many and lived very simply. The rest of the money was deliberately distributed to the villagers so that they also took care of Aji Pradana and the woman he just knew named Rahayuning.

''It is getting dark today, if it is allowed later tonight I want to sleep on the terrace of your shop Nyi.'' said Pranacitra to the woman who owns the food stall who wants to close the stall. that day it rained quite hard and long.the customer who came was only three people.the woman just nodded.His daughter came out carrying a mat that was outdated. ''You better use this old mat as your bed..''

Pranacitra received the gift of the sweet girl.The mother only glanced at a glance, without talking she went inside at the follow-up of her child.but before the young man had asked for directions to Mount Merapi. The mother and son pointed in one direction, ''Mount Merapi although it is still very far away but can be seen from here.it's just that cloudy clouds and darkness block the eyes..''

The stall is closed, the owner has also entered the house to rest. The rain still flushes the earth even though it is just a drizzle. bone-chilling cold air blows along with the arrival of night darkness. the limp young man sat on a butut mat giving the shop owner's child girl while leaning back against the wall of the stall's wooden board.

A pair of eyes as sharp as a dagger glared sharply in the direction pointed at the woman who owned the stall, as if he was able to penetrate the depth of the night. mount Merapi is not visible, but, but he knew that right now his eyes were staring there, even though he was waiting for the death threat, but this pale limp would still come. ''Hopefully there is an interesting game waiting on the mountain.I hope also this time no one else likes to interfere with business.

That morning the sweet girl the shop owner's son woke up a little slowly.In his house he only lived three with his mother and grandmother.The girl's father used to be a duchy soldier. she had died two years ago when she helped eradicate a gang of robbers.From her grandmother who cooked in the kitchen, the girl got word that her mother had already opened her stall.

He remembered the strange young man who slept on the porch of his stall. with a cheerful smile the girl ran forward. Inside the stall looked quiet even though the dishes had been arranged. when he came out, his mother was standing staring at a sheet of butut mat that became the bed of the homeless young man last night.

The girl was also stunned to see dozens of pieces of copper and silver coins were on the mat, there was also a line of black writing using charcoal firewood. ''Some thanks for the warm bed mats. Hopefully this stall more and more customers.as well as her beautiful friendly daughter will get a good and responsible soul mate..''

''We cannot judge a person only from the outside.'' muttered the woman who owns the shop. her son just kept silent, this morning they got a fortune quite a lot from the unknown young man, he said, but somehow the girl also felt like she had lost something from her heart.

*****

Asalamualaikum., healthy greetings always for all of us.🙏, this chapter is rather light, the contents are only stories of former comfort women and the haughty limp who hitchhiker.maybe because of the beginning of the fast, it is just a story of the former comfort woman and the haughty limp who hitchhiker, author males makes a sadistic" 😅.

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Happy fasting Ramadan, may this holy month bring blessings of goodness to all of us. Amens.

Wasalamualaik.🙏