ACE OF FATE

Chapter 18: Departure

Chapter 18: Departure

The day of the departure arrived.

"Sigh... Finished."

Felix ran his fingers through his newly styled hair. "So, how is it?"

"You'll make people's mouths drop open with this!" Kai beamed proudly.

"Your hair was very wavy, so I did the wolf cut in a two-block style," he explained, puffing out his chest with pride.

"That's the name of this hairstyle?" Felix asked incredulously.

"Yes! At least that's what my father called it. Plus, you would have to pay 50 gold coins just for this hairstyle."

"Wow! Then I will pay you as soon as I have the money," Felix promised earnestly.

"No need for that, Sensei. You're my sensei after all," Kai insisted.

"No, no! I won't take that as an excuse. I will pay you once I get the money," Felix insisted firmly.

"Fine, fine! Pay me when you get the money," Kai finally relented with a grin as they returned to the kitchen.

"Gasp... F-Felix?" Ryota exclaimed in shock as they entered.

"How do I look?" Felix asked playfully.

"Suzu! Come here quick!" Ryota shouted, drawing Suzu away from her cooking.

"What is it—" she started but stopped short when she saw Felix. "Felix... is that really you?" she gasped in disbelief.

"Have you always been this good-looking?" Ryota asked as he scrutinized Felix's new look. "I think I never noticed because of your long hair."

"Ahem." Kai coughed loudly to regain their attention.

"I see," Ryota said thoughtfully, catching Kai's cue. "But I think this side has been cut a bit too short." He pointed at Felix's hair with feigned concern.

"WHAT?" Kai shouted in alarm.

"Where? I'm sure I cut it very carefully!" He began circling around Felix like a hawk inspecting its prey.

"Hahahaha! I was just teasing you!" Ryota burst into laughter.

"What?!" Kai pouted dramatically.

"Here, Felix, I have washed your kimono," Ryota said as he handed the garment to Felix.

"Thank you," Felix replied.

Ryota leaned closer to Felix and whispered, "And please be careful."

"Don't worry; I will," Felix assured him.

Then they all headed to the village gate, where Miku and Granny were waiting.

"What took you so long?" Miku asked.

"Wait, are you speaking to me so nicely?" Felix replied, surprised.

"I'm just fulfilling my duty of responsibility to my samurai."

"Let's go then," Felix said as they started heading away from the village door.

"Sensei!" Suddenly, Kai shouted.

Felix turned around to see him waving his hand.

"Come back soon!" Kai screamed at the top of his lungs as Felix waved back.

"It doesn't feel real," Felix thought. "There are people who care about me. If I had still been living in that forest, I think this would have been impossible. So I guess when Miku appeared in that forest, it was a blessing in disguise."

After walking for a bit, they reached a dirt path outside the village.

"Now, regarding how we are going to travel to the administration office: as you know, we can't fly because of the Zor energy timer," she said.

"How could I forget the ability to fly? Even if a person awakens their Zor energy, learning to fly is incredibly difficult, but every noble has to learn how to fly. It's what's expected of us. But my father didn't force me to learn it," Felix thought.

"But when I saw people making fun of him because of me, I wanted to kill— No, I can't think about that now."

"Back then, I was the worst kind of human that ever existed."

"I didn't use my flying ability for the same reason: if people saw me flying, it could cause me trouble. Then there's border control—I can't just walk out of this kingdom like that."

"Hey, what is your speed?" Miku interrupted Felix's thoughts.

"The administrator's office is 1,200 kilometers away. I can reach it in 3.48 nanoseconds at 5% of my speed," Miku explained.

"What?!" Felix exclaimed.

"So when you were fighting me—"

"I wasn't even using 1% of my speed because I was trying to defeat you, not kill you."

"So that was basically walking for her," Felix was shocked.

"Even a rookie samurai can travel at 700,000 times the speed of light."

"So how fast can you travel?" Felix inquired.

"I can travel at 23 million times the speed of light," Miku said proudly.

"I knew she was fast, but this is outrageous! I can only travel at 1 times the speed of light. I guess I need to train more," Felix thought to himself.

"That means Ryota was holding back. When I see him again, I'm going to hit him so hard!"

[Achoo]

Ryota sneezed suddenly. "Dear, I think you caught a cold," Suzu said with concern as she looked at him.

"I am fine! Don't worry," Ryota replied hastily. "But for some reason, I feel like there's someone who wants to kill me."

"Then I guess I should get to the main topic. There are rumors flying around that the shogun might choose the next emperor in this upcoming meeting."

"Yes, there is a possibility," Miku replied.

"But you know that the shogun could also banish the Yotsuba clan, right?"

"What are you getting at?" Miku said, narrowing her eyes.

"I've told you this before: there's an option that can help the Yotsuba clan regain its power and respect. You will just have to marry—"

[Thump]

"Don't finish that sentence or you will lose your head," Miku warned, drawing her katana and pressing it against Minho's neck. He remained composed despite her threat.

"My apologies, Lady Miku," he said firmly.

"This talk is over," Miku said as she got up and left the room.

"Mmm... You're beautiful when you're angry, but by rejecting me, you have brought a fate that won't favor you," he whispered as he went to his desk, opened a drawer, and picked up a tiny scroll.

Then he opened the nearby window.

[Whistle]

A bird swooped in at his call. He secured the scroll to its leg.

"Fly away, birdie."

The creature took off with remarkable speed powered by Zor energy.

"I leave this to you, Niko..." he whispered.

"We are leaving," Miku said to Felix as he stood at the door outside.

"Okay," Felix replied, his face finally returned to normal.

Just then, three girls strolled by them.

"Look at that man," one whispered excitedly.

"Yeah, he is so handsome," another chimed in eagerly.

"But he's already with a girl," remarked the third with a hint of disappointment.

Felix didn't notice their admiration; instead, he caught sight of Miku crouching again.

"Not this again," Felix complained under his breath.

"Just shut up and—"

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" A piercing scream echoed from an alley nearby.

"What was—"

[Fwoosh]

Before Felix could finish his sentence, Miku vanished from sight in an instant.

"At least tell me you're going!" Felix shouted as he sprinted toward the alleyway after her.

He saw Miku's katana dripping with blood and a man's body on the ground.

"Mik—M'lady, what happened?"

"T-Thank you, miss," came a voice from beside her.

Small hands clutched Miku's kimono. It was a little girl wearing old, ragged clothes. She had a burn mark on near her right eye.

"He was a slave trader, so I dealt—"

[CRACK!]

"Aaaahhh!" The little girl screamed as Felix crushed the man's head with such force that it was completely flattened, cracking the ground beneath.

"What are you doing? He was already dead," Miku said to him.

Felix felt he deserved worse, but when his gaze fell on the little girl, memories of her fear began to flash in his mind.

"I—I am sorry," he whispered, lowering his head and stepping back.

"It's okay; you don't need to worry," Miku tried to reassure the little girl.

"Can you tell me your name?" Miku asked gently.

"M-Mei," she stuttered shyly, green wavy hair framing her wide brown eyes filled with uncertainty.

In a daimyō yashiki far from Miku's and Felix's location.

"My lord, the Yotsuba clan has already acquired their passes," an informant reported nervously to his lord seated within a steamy bath chamber obscured by mist.

"Ugh... I guess we wasted our money on those stupid Yotsuba samurai for nothing," the lord replied as he was taking a bath, his face hidden in steam.

"And my lord," continued the informant hesitantly, "she is with a man who has black hair and red eyes."

[THUD]

"That man again!" The lord slammed his fist against the wall beside him in frustration.

"Didn't I send men to gather information on him?" he shouted.

"Y-Yes, but she killed them," the informant said hesitantly.

"That stupid old woman! She was already making my life hell by protecting that girl—and now this red-eyed man!" His teeth ground together in irritation.

"My lord, if it's not too much trouble, should I deal with them?" a woman's voice came from outside the door, only her silhouette visible.

"Do whatever you want, Mirei, but don't come back if you lose."

"You won't be disappointed, my lord," she replied confidently before disappearing into shadows beyond.