“You set that guy up to fight me, didn’t you? You knew he was gonna make it to the semi-finals,” I questioned Peter.

  He invited us to dinner at his place. Guess we won’t be eating that fancy dinner that I had paid for today. That’s not to say the dinner that Peter provided wasn’t fancy, but that meal is just on a whole different level.

  “Nope, I never met that guy in my entire life. He almost took you out, didn’t he? That was one of the longest fights I’ve ever seen so far. How rare to see you being that cautious against an opponent,” he replied.

  “Aw, c’mon. There is no way you wouldn’t know a half-naked man that can fight like that. His dual-wielding skills were ridiculously top-notch. I don’t believe you didn’t have a hand in setting up that fight. Not to mention that he’s powerful, extremely powerful that I didn’t even think that I could actually beat him. It felt like he was holding back and letting me win.” I frowned.

  “But I didn’t. I give you my word that I never knew the man. It was purely coincidental that he became the finalist. Who would have thought that he was hiding his true nature? Only you could have forced him to fight that seriously,” he shrugged.

  “And what about his resurrection skill, which is tied to the statue? What’s up with that?” I asked him with squinting eyes.

  “No idea. He was truly a mysterious person with no affiliation to this city. A true outsider, unlike a certain someone,” he glanced at me with a lifted eyebrow.

  “I find it hard to believe that you wouldn’t know a thing about him. If there’s anything that you excel at, it’s information gathering,” I said.

  “Ah, but this person had eluded me. Almost like he doesn’t belong here. But now that I’ve seen him, he had certainly caught my attention,” he smiled.

  “Right, aside from that, since when did you start being fashionable? What’s with that earring of yours?” he continued.

  “Oh, this? It’s actually an earring of constitution. There’s no way I’m wearing jewellery just for the heck of it. You know I’m not that kind of person,” I told him.

  “Which is why I asked. Not to mention it was only on one side,” he chuckled.

  “Alright, that’s enough chit-chat. It’s unheard that the two of you would come to this shores unannounced. What brings you here and your task? I doubt you’re here for sightseeing with Daisy, otherwise you would had reached out to me sooner,” he continued.

  I glanced around my surroundings, and Peter seemed to understand the gist of it. He whispered something to Mr Wick, which made him snap his fingers loudly. All of the people surrounding us got up and started leaving. Mr Wick bowed to Peter and left the room as well. Now, it was just the four of us here.

  “Sensei, whatever answer you give us, I’ll take it. Tell me, is this letter really from you?” I asked while handing him the folded letter.

  He opened it and studied its content. Not a moment later, he started chuckling and eventually burst into laughter. It seems as though it was something amusing to him when Rose and I were showing him a serious look. Should we take it as a fake letter judging from his response?

  “First off, where did you get this from?” he asked as he continued chuckling.

  “We found it inside the Church of Imperatrix,” I told him.

  “You found it? No, I don’t believe that. There is no way he would just leave this lying around. You probably raided the church and stole this letter from them,” he replied with a serious tone.

  “Sensei, based on your statement, it would seem that you’re aware of this letter’s existence. Are you really the sender?” I glared at him.

  Rose gripped my hand under the table. Was she expecting the worst? Or is she afraid to know the truth? Depending on his reply, I will do what it takes to ensure my family's safety, no matter the cost.

  “I’m sensing hostility from both of you. Let me be clear that I’m not the one behind these monster attacks nor am I involved in them. However, I am the one who sent out this letter,” he sighed.

  “Why? Why did you send out such a letter when you’re not related to these attacks? Why are you willing to tarnish your own name when it is not true?" I asked him for an answer.

  He swirled the drink in his cup as he thought of the proper response. I glanced at Rose, and she continued to grip my hand from under the table without turning my way. I guess she was dissatisfied with his answer and awaited a better explanation. The two of us braced ourselves for his reply.

  "When did the monster attacks start for the West? About half a year ago? It’s not even a year, but I’m sure you are feeling the effects of it. The fear that we’ll not be able to hold out, the fear that hiding inside the city’s walls doesn’t even protect you. And the fear that all your men will die and there’s nothing you can do about it,” he explained with a sour face.

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  Rose and I kept quiet. Or more like, there was nothing for us to say. I moved my fingers as she continued to grip my hand, and she responded the same. Years of marriage had taught me that sometimes, we don’t even need to talk to share our feelings with each other. Just a simple gesture, and you’re able to understand what your partner is feeling.

  “The attacks started here, about two years ago. Very much earlier than in the West. Since then, their attacks have been relentless, unforgiving, and brutal. A lot of my soldiers gave their lives defending this city, and it may only be a matter of time before our… my city falls,” he clenched his fist.

  “Are you being serious? The city is still in pristine shape. It doesn’t even appear that any attacks have taken place. Nor do the people living here cower in fear. How is that possible? And why didn’t you contact us about this? We could have helped,” I asked him.

  “All the attacks took place in odd locations. They had found ways to infiltrate the city and mostly attack soldiers. They had never once attacked from the front or through the gates, preferring to use hit-and-run tactics exclusively. It is their unpredictable nature that is causing me so much trouble in protecting this city. And regarding your question, it was pointless to ask for either of your help when I could not even figure out who or what is behind these attacks,” he sighed.

  “So that letter is for…”

  “A scare tactic, or bait. I only sent out these letters to individuals that I had my suspicions about. But so far I had not gotten any reply. How strange that these few individuals hadn’t sought me out, whether they were the actual culprit or otherwise. It would seem as though they know who or what is causing these attacks,” he explained.

  Both Rose and I breathed a sigh of relief. We were glad that Peter was not the reason for these attacks. What will we even do if he had really joined the dark side? I cannot bear the thought of fighting against my sensei when he had taught me so much in fighting techniques or life experiences.

  “You two really thought that I was the one behind these attacks. Such little faith you have in me,” he chuckled.

  “No. Believe me when I say that we tried to find discrepancies in that letter to prove that the letter was fake. If we had not believed you, we wouldn’t have given you a chance to explain in such a manner. It is because we trust you and that you deserved to explain things to us,” I pointed out to him.

  “If I had really been the one causing the attacks, what would you have chosen? Kill me? Or sacrifice both cities to spare my life?” he asked with a grin.

  “That would be obvious; we would have joined you and destroyed the cities together,” I said.

  Rose showed me a confused and surprised look. She was definitely conflicted by my answer. I have my reasons for choosing such a path if he really had been the mastermind behind these monsters.

  “Oh ho, a rather interesting but wrong choice of answer. You should kill me, Zen. Without a doubt, should I turn for the worse. You cannot and will not protect me, even though I am your teacher. You have to follow the teachings that I have taught you. Protect the innocent and defend the vulnerable, such as your child here, for they are our future,” he explained as he gave Daisy a pet on the head.

  “My reasoning is that if I joined you, I was hoping that you’d spare my family. I know very well that I cannot defeat you, so dying pointlessly and leaving my family alone is just foolish,” I told him.

  “Nonsense, the three of you are capable of defeating me. There is a limit to how many youngsters I can fight against. And besides, none of you have reached your limits yet. There is still much for the three of you to grow,” he smiled.

  “Um… I’m sorry? The three of us? Are you referring to Daisy? How do you even know how strong she is when we didn’t even teach her how to fight?” I asked with a confused and speechless look.

  “I meant you, Rose, and my current pupil. The three of you are capable fighters that will be stronger than me in the future. I’m certain one of you will be my successor eventually. I look forward to that very day,” he smiled.

  “Who’s your pupil anyway? We do not know anyone with a nickname called “Elemental Ice Queen”. Are you sure you did not mistake her for someone we don’t know?” I scratched my head.

  “Oh, I’m sure. You’ll be meeting her tomorrow, don’t worry. And do wear your disguises. She had not seen any of the tournament matches today and I am certain she will be surprised to see both of you tomorrow. There were barely any contestants that could match her newfound strength so she had been holding back her powers. I’m certain you will be able to make her realise that she still has much to learn despite the powers that she had obtained thus far,” he turned towards Rose.

  “M… me? You want me to fight her seriously?” asked Rose.

  “Please do. I doubt Zen will fight her seriously in the first place. I’ll be counting on you,” he smiled.

  “Ahem, let us get back on topic. How about Rose and I do some covert operations and search where these monsters are coming from? It won’t be easy, but we’ve got to try something at the very least. It is hard to tail them in the West because they always run into the forest immediately. But out here, there’s nowhere for them to hide,” I explained.

  “You can try. I’ve tried to follow them myself, but once they know someone is following them, all of them will split up in different directions. These monsters are sentient and cunning. Either you’re able to follow them but have the need to slay the beast, a dead end, or you end up with nothing. I’m really curious who is controlling them, as these are not typical common behaviours for a leaderless pack. Come here, I’ll show you the general location of where I suspect they might be. You can do your own scouting from these findings. Oh, bring my pupil along too,” he chuckled.

  “Oh my gosh, who is she?! I’m not bringing someone that I’m not familiar with on such an important mission. Spill it out, who is it?” I demanded an answer, but he laughed it off.

  I don’t understand why is he refusing to let us know the identity of his pupil. Fine, I’ll beat your pupil’s ass tomorrow since you want to be so vague about it.

  ***

  We made it back to our room, where I decided to hit the sack after taking a bath. I am dead tired from fighting against that strong opponent today. I guess there won’t be any happy time since there’s a chance that Rose has to fight too. She was combing her hair while seated in front of a mirror. She looks beautiful as she slowly straightens out her hair. When she noticed that I was watching her, she fixed her hair behind her ear, exposing it for me to see. She knew that I had a thing for ears when girls do this. It is something feminine that only girls can pull off, and despite the action, it actually shows very little skin; just the action alone is enough to get my heart racing.

  “You know, don’t you? Who the pupil is,” I asked her.

  “I have my suspicions, but it is merely a hope more than anything else. She doesn’t really like coming to this continent as it is far from the elven forest,” she answered.

  “Yeah, we always wondered where she went. It would be great if it’s really her,” I sighed.

  “What are you going to do, if it’s her?” she asked.

  “What do you mean? I’ll have to spar with her. Can’t expect me to roll over without trying. I am curious to see how much she has grown,” I answered with a confused look.

  “I meant after. It’s your chance to make sure she doesn’t disappear on you again. And by grown I hope you’re referring to her strength,” she squinted at me.

  “Rose, we’ve been through this. I’m not taking her as my second wife. Think about Daisy. What would she feel if her father suddenly brought in another woman into the family? I would lose all dignity as her father and betray her. No way, I don’t want Daisy to hate me. And besides, for all we know, she might already be married by now,” I replied firmly.

  “Well, then Daisy will have to stick to me instead. Haha. Oh, don’t worry. Daisy won’t hate you or anything since I've already given you my permission. You do what you want with it,” she smiled.

  "Rose… why do you still insist that I make Lily my wife? What is going through your head? Is it not good enough that it’s just the three of us together? Do you need some tension in our family to make things interesting?" I asked her with a sigh.

  "Zen… Onii-chan. You know full well what I’m thinking about. We owe it to Lily, the both of us. She brought you back from the dead, she's travelling alone and no longer lives in the city. We always wondered where she went or what happened to her. I know you think about her all the time, you don't have to lie to me when I worry about her as well. You know this, Zen. I know you do," she placed her hand on my cheek.

  I sighed and held her hand. What she said is true. She really understands me so well. But I don't feel that making her my second wife is the right thing to do despite our worries. Am I being stubborn for following my principles? Am I just being foolish and not considering both of their feelings? Perhaps I am. But I will know more if I see her tomorrow. All this worrying when we don’t even know if it’s her in the first place.

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