The Seirei Gensouki Spirit Chronicles
Chapter 5 Chapter 2

“No, Sayo. You tried to take action for Rio's sake before you even thought of yourself. I'm not like that.” Ruri shook her head.

“I-That's not true—”

“Wait a minute, you two,” cut Rio, feeling that the conversation will turn to a quarrel. Ruri and Sayo looked at Rio at the same time.

“Akar the problem is my lack of consideration. I was so angry; I couldn't see my surroundings and ended up scaring the two of you. Therefore it is I who should apologize,” Rio said with a guilty expression.

“That's not true!”

“That's not true at all!” Ruri and Sayo's strong objections overlapped each other, as if they had planned them beforehand. Rio's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, before he laughed amusedly.

“...Ha ha.”

“A-What's funny?” Ruri and Sayo exchanged looks timidly.

“How about a handshake?” Said Rio, suddenly offering his right hand to the girls.

“Hah? Shake hands?”

“Handshake reconciliation. We all have things we refuse to give up, but I want to meet you halfway. So, let's move on. That way, with this, everything will return to normal,” Rio said, leaving Ruri and Sayo who were both blinking blankly.

“Y-Yes. Thank you, and sorry. Sorry, Rio ...” Ruri came to her senses with gasps and shook Rio's hand.

“Sayo also. Can we shake hands?” After shaking hands with Ruri, Rio turned his head towards Sayo, who was still standing there in a daze.

“Hah?! … Ah, i-yes! J-If it's okay with you! ”

Sayo rubbed her hands onto her clothes and offered her right hand to Rio in panic. Rio grinned faintly and shook his hand, making Sayo immediately freeze with a reddened face, while Ruri noticed the two of them with a pleasant smile on her face.

“... Take this, both of you. They are amulets for good health and ward off evil. ” After Rio let go of Sayo's hand, Ruri offered them the same talisman she gave to Hayate.

“Thank you very much. I'll appreciate it. ”

“T-Thank you, Ruri!” Rio and Sayo thankfully received the talisman.

“Yes. Let's go for a walk together again when you get back.

” Advice Ruri.

“Ya, please,” Rio instantly agreed with a smile.

“Oke, good-bye. Sayo, make sure you stay by Rio's side. He will protect you at all costs. ”

“Hah? O-OK ..” Sayo lowered her head in shame.

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“Alright! It seems like master Hayate's group is ready. Time to go!” the leader of the trading forces, dola, shouted.

“Alright, then we'll go. Let's go, Sayo. ”

“Y-Yes!” Rio started walking, Sayo followed.

After the other villagers said their goodbyes, Rio and Sayo boarded the horse carriage towards the capital. Yuba, Ruri, and the other villagers all saw them off as the train finally departed from the village, walking down the road towards the capital in a noisy voice.

There was a risk of being attacked by bandits or wild animals while on the road, but a dozen villagers were all relatively prepared for the condition. Thankfully, their journey was smooth, and they stopped at the next village at noon.Hayate's group would split up here, but some members of his army will remain with the villagers to escort the criminals to the capital.

“Mr Hayate, thank you for everything you have done,” call Rio and bow. He got off the horse carriage he had been riding in to give his farewell word to Hayate. Hayate got off the horse with one smooth move before cheerfully responding to Rio.

“No, I also owe you, Mr. Rio. Let's sit down and talk again when the opportunity arises. I would love to fight with you too, if possible. If you are visiting the capital on another occasion, please stop by my house. I'll be happy to help you if need be.”

.

“Thank you very much. I plan to leave the village in the end, but I will make sure to stop by before I leave the kingdom. ”

“Iya. Be careful too, Mr. Hayate. ” Rio and Hayate exchanged light words and a strong handshake, then nodded at each other before parting ways.

After that, the road to the capital continued peacefully, and the group walked down the road as the autumn wind blew around them. A few days later, Rio and the others arrived at the capital.

◇◇◇

Rio has arrived at the capital of Karasuki Kingdom. A huge structure loomed in the middle of the capital, its architecture resembling a Japanese-style palace. The walls of the equally large castle stretched around him. As one might expect from the capital, the city surrounding the castle was vast and scattered, with a population of tens of thousands of people.

With almost no chance to visit the capital, most of the villagers would soon get lost. However, Rio's group was led directly by Dola and Hayate's aides to their destination: the inn they would use during their stay. Needless to say that Hayate's maid knew where to go, and Dola seemed to have visited the capital several times before.

.

Their lodge is a shared accommodation facility managed by the kingdom that can accommodate several dozen guests at a time. Itinerant merchants and villagers selling their own products, such as the Rio group, could use the inn without interruption, so there was a fair demand for them. And since they rented the place, they had to cook and wash themselves during their stay. Finally, the group secured the inn and stopped their carriage.

“Good. We'll stay here as long as we stay, so make sure you remember the location, and don't get lost there. Make sure you're accompanied by someone who's been to the capital before when you came out,”

dola said in a joking tone. Beside the main road, the small road was really like a labyrinth, so his words were not completely rejected as a joke. The younger villagers laughed as they nodded, but the older ones encouraged them.

“No laughingstock,” they say. Dola smiled wryly as she looked at the interaction.

“Good. Now, I'll be out for a while, so I'll hand the stuff over to you. Rio, can you come with me? And .. Shin, you too. ”

“Ya sure.” Summoned by Dola, Rio and Shin walked after her. After they walked for a while, Dola explained the reason she called them.

“We will have Mr. Hayate's subordinates accompany us to bring Gon's group to the internment camp. It's possible that they need some sort of witness statement, but I'd rather not bring Sayo, if possible. I'm sorry Rio, but I want you to come. And you too, Shin, as Sayo's brother. Is that okay? ”

“If it's just that, then I don't mind at all. Please let me see everything until the end.” Rio's expression stiffened as he nodded firmly.

“Well, I must see the last moments of the rotten bastard who attacked Sayo,” Shin also agreed with a hateful expression.

So, the three of them met with Hayate's maid, who had waited a short distance. Next to them was a carriage with Gon and the others.

“Good. Sorry to keep you waiting,” Dola told aide Hayate.

“No, we don't mind – this is our job. However, the exile camp was quite far from here. We want to leave immediately so we can arrive before sunset. ” Under the guidance of Hayate's aides, the group heads to the internment camp. With their aim like that, the atmosphere was rather gloomy and silent. After walking for about thirty minutes, they finally arrived at their destination.

Located near the center of the capital is the area where the buildings of the royal civil service office are clustered. As soon as they stopped in front of one very large and sturdy-looking building, a security guard approached them. He asked about their affairs, and officer Hayate explained their situation. Thanks to that, the process went smoothly and several officials and guards were called out of the building to free Gon and the others from the carriage.

“Out!”

.

As soon as the door opened, a guard issued an order to Gon and the others inside. Knowing they would be executed immediately if they tried to escape here, Gon's group obediently got out from inside the carriage. Their hands were tied, severely restricting their movements.

“... Eek!” As Gon saw Rio among the crowd, he instinctively tried to retreat in fear. However, a guard nearby used the tip of his spear to hit his head.

“Do not move!”

“Gah!” The impact was strong enough for Gon to lose his balance and fall. He was stifled where he lay face down, the chain collar snapping at his neck.

“S-Dial. Fuck this...” Gon's voice was pitiful as his body trembled.

Beside him, the people who had helped Gon unanimously denied their involvement and claimed that they had been deceived as the guards nonchalantly flicked the collar around their necks, one after another. Rio watched, emotionlessly.

“Bring them away – we will now perform the necessary procedures. Follow us, please,” one official told Rio and the others before heading inside. The guards pulled the chain attached to the prisoner's neck and entered the building with familiar steps.

“We also have to go.”

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