Noritsugu swallowed hard, the suffocating silence of the grand banquet pressing against his ears.
He looked around, remembering where he was. He was an elite heir of House Yamaguchi, surrounded by his wealthy peers, his powerful father, and the strongest martial artists in the clan.
He couldn't look unsightly here.
Mustering every ounce of his pride, Noritsugu straightened his spine, puffed out his chest, riled up his fighting spirit, and opened his mouth to speak against Merun.
"Y—"
But the words never formed.
Suddenly, the light in the pavilion seemed to warp and darken, focusing entirely on him.
An invisible spike of pure killing intent pierced straight through Noritsugu's chest.
His heart violently seized, gripped by a primal terror.
Merun's gaze stared straight into his soul.
The first time he had used this pressure, it had been during combat in order to freeze his opponent in place. He had still been an amateur at controlling his ki... but now, especially after his Zenkai boost, his ki control is incomparably stronger.
Noritsugu's muscles locked instantly. He was entirely paralyzed, his breath trapped in his throat as his eyes widened in sheer panic.
Before the young heir could once again collapse from the psychological pressure, Merun stepped forward with a warm, casual smile, reaching out to firmly grip Noritsugu by the arm—a seemingly friendly, supportive gesture to the crowd.
"Lord Yamaguchi," Merun began, his voice bright and perfectly conversational as he looked toward the older noble. "I've been thinking. I might actually be willing to spare a few pieces of my Senior-grade ore for my old friend here... but I do have some favors to ask."
Noriyori Yamaguchi blinked, his venomous demeanor momentarily faltering.
"Oh? Favors?"
"Yes," Merun chuckled, giving Noritsugu's paralyzed arm a light, brotherly squeeze. "The first favor is that my good friend Noritsugu here will be trained by me. He will become my personal pupil."
Noritsugu paled even further.
FATHER, DO NOT AGREE!
He screamed the words in his head, yet his mouth refused to move.
Inwardly, Noriyori was ecstatic, though a heavy layer of skepticism remained.
Sure, Moretsuna was a powerful Martial Senior, and Noritsugu clearly had much to learn after his recent "defeat"... but Moretsuna was still peasant-born. In Noriyori's eyes, the boy's tournament victory had been entirely due to Senior Sakuma's eccentric forfeit, not genuine, unquestionable supremacy.
But before the head of House Yamaguchi could voice his skepticism or politely refuse, the surrounding elites began to murmur. Hushed whispers rippled through the pavilion.
"Did you hear that? To think House Yamaguchi is already securing ties with the Grand Champion..."
"Listen well. That is what true authority gets you. Even the Yamaguchi heir is already close enough to Moretsuna to be offered personal tutelage. Why don't you do the same?"
"And remember, Lord Hideyoshi himself calls Moretsuna his brother. To have Moretsuna train your son means having the Toyotomis friendship by proxy."
Hearing the heavy praise from his peers, Noriyori's chest swelled.
If his son became the personal student of the man who had been acknowledged by Sakuma, and is a man that the Toyotomi heir openly championed—it would elevate House Yamaguchi's social and political standing within Kinzoku.
As for what this peasant-born wanted in return, Noriyori figured the boy was simply starstruck by high nobility and trying to curry favor with a prominent house.
He's peasant-born, Noriyori reasoned internally. He is ultimately harmless and easily manipulated.
"I agree," Noriyori said, a patronizing smile returning to his face. "House Yamaguchi would be honored to—"
"Ah, one more thing," Merun smoothly cut him off.
Noriyori kept his smile wide, assuming the elites were still hanging on every word.
"Of course, Champion Moretsuna. House Yamaguchi is a generous house and a loyal ally to those we treasure and respect. What is your final favor?"
Merun's smile didn't fade, but his eyes turned completely cold.
He took a single, deliberate step forward, towering over the noble head.
"Please apologize to my dearest parents," Merun said, his voice dropping into a calm, resonant tone as he pointed to the side. "Budo Furutsu and Nashi Furutsu."
The pavilion fell into dead, breathless silence.
Budo and Nashi suddenly felt the suffocating spotlight of the entire room pivot onto them. Panic flitted across their faces, utterly shocked that Merun had so easily, proudly, and publicly revealed their relationship before the entire high nobility.
"Mer—Moretsuna!" Budo whispered frantically, his voice tight. "It's okay! We don't need his apology!"
Noriyori's face stiffened, a flash of intense humiliation crossing his features before he quickly tried to pivot and save face.
He looked exclusively at Merun, pointedly ignoring the two dressed in simple clothes.
"Exactly! I did not know you were their child, Moretsuna. I must apologize to you for any perceived disrespect. It was a simple misunderstanding between warriors."
A thick, violent vein visibly throbbed against Merun's forehead.
This fucking bastard.
Yet Merun kept his anger in check. His sharp smile remained perfectly fixed, his tone exquisitely polite while carrying a dangerous undertone that made the hairs on the back of Noriyori's neck stand up.
"Ah, I see. Then let's clear up this misunderstanding, shall we?" Merun said, his voice echoing through the quiet hall. "I am truly glad House Yamaguchi is so generous. You see, my father was exiled from the clan and left heavily disabled... and yet, despite the crushing weight of that injustice, he and my mother raised us to be kind, powerful... and incredibly forgiving."
Merun leaned in just a fraction closer, the pressure in the air thickening by the second.
"Which is exactly why my sisters and I are standing here today, and why I am as powerful as I am now. So, as a new family friend, Lord Noriyori... please tell me. How exactly does your noble house plan to repay those countless days my family was forced to sleep just to avoid the agonizing feeling of hunger? Because I have a feeling it was a misunderstanding between you and my father that resulted in all that."
The question hit Noriyori like a physical blow.
Cold sweat instantly broke out down his spine.
It's true—he was the noble who had Budo exiled and disabled in the first place.
What the!? This kid wasn't an uneducated country brat!
If this were anywhere else, Noriyori would have ordered his guards to execute him for such insolence—but right now, he was trapped.
His own son stood there paralyzed like a broken doll, the entire elite crowd was judging his character, and he had already publicly declared that he wished to become close allies with the new champion.
To refuse now would mean admitting before the entire clan that House Yamaguchi was petty, cruel, and utterly lacking in credibility.
"I... I see," Noriyori stammered, his face turning an ugly shade of red.
Forced into a corner, he turned toward Budo and Nashi.
His spine stiffened as he offered a tight, shallow, deeply reluctant bow.
"I apologize."
Budo and Nashi stood frozen in shock.
A high-ranking noble house head had just bowed to them.
To commoners, nobles were impossibly distant. Not only did they possess superior martial strength through bloodlines and resources, but they were also highly educated.
It had become second nature for people like Budo and Nashi to think of themselves as ants before nobles...
What more, the noble was a Martial Senior!
But to Merun, this wasn't enough. His eyes narrowed, his grip tightening on Noritsugu's arm.
He was fully prepared to press the bastard further—to demand he bend his proud knee and apologize properly—but from the corner of his eye, he caught Hideyoshi making a subtle gesture with his hand.
Stop. You've already won the exchange. Don't get too greedy.
Merun let out a quiet internal sigh, heeding his brother's advice.
"I truly appreciate this, Lord Noriyori," Merun said, reaching out to grasp Noriyori's hand in a formal shake.
He squeezed just a little hard, but it still nearly crushing the noble's bones within his palm.
Even as a Martial Senior himself, the older noble slightly winced, but his immense pride refused to show he was affected.
"Likewise," Noriyori said, pulling his bruised hand back the moment Merun released him. "Let this be the start of our families' friendship."
Noriyori leaned forward and whispered so weakly that only Merun could hear it, "Well played."
Merun laughed loudly, the heavy tension instantly evaporating from the banquet.
He turned his gaze toward the sweating, trembling youth beside him.
"You heard that, Noritsugu? Or should I say... student?!"
The exact moment Merun fully withdrew the killing intent from his body, Noritsugu's knees completely gave out.
He collapsed flat onto his back with a loud, ungraceful thud.
Gasping wildly for air as though he had just been dragged from the depths of the ocean, the young heir scrambled backward on his hands and knees. Without saying a word, he leaped to his feet and bolted through the pavilion entrance, utterly terrified of the monster in the white cape.
Noriyori was left standing entirely alone, his eyes closed in utter humiliation as his son's disgraceful retreat muddied the dignity of House Yamaguchi.
Noriyori sighed audibly, his voice completely hollow as he desperately tried to smooth over the disaster. "Please beat my son into shape. If you will excuse me."
Without waiting for a response, the head of House Yamaguchi turned on his heel and slowly walked after his fleeing son.
Merun stood beside his parents, laughing heartily as he waved toward the retreating nobles.
"See you soon!"
Once the vipers had completely disappeared from sight, Merun turned back toward Budo and Nashi.
The dangerous sharpness vanished from his posture, replaced by a warm, unwavering devotion.
He grabbed both of his parents by the shoulders, pulling them close.
"This is all for you," Merun whispered softly. "Everything I do."
Tears pricked Nashi's eyes as she smiled beautifully, placing a gentle hand over his.
Beside her, Budo's chest swelled with an unshakable sense of pride.
"Thank you, my son," Budo said softly.
Merun smiled, his eyes crinkling with genuine happiness.
Then, a sudden, familiar rumble echoed loudly from deep within his stomach.
Fuck, how much more did he need to eat?!
Merun blinked.
His dramatic, heroic expression instantly collapsed into one of urgent panic as he scanned the grand hall, causing the surrounding nobles to grow visibly anxious over what the champion might do next.
"...This is a banquet, right?" Merun asked, his eyes finally landing on the heavily laden buffet tables containing rare dishes. "Let's eat!"
"HELL YEAH, LET'S EAT!" a booming voice roared back from across the hall.
A familiar martial artist slammed his fist onto a nearby table, his face splitting into a wide, toothy grin. Before the stiff nobles could even process the sudden breach of etiquette, a dozen other burly, like-minded men—martial artists who clearly spent their lives sweating in the battlefield, who looked really off wearing formal martial attire—threw their hands in the air, joining the shout in unison.
Merun's eyes lit up at the familiar face.
"KATSUI! IT'S BEEN AWHILE!"
Breaking away from the suffocating noble atmosphere, he strode right past the anxious nobles and walked straight into the middle of the boisterous pack, catching Katsui Shibata's arm in a powerful, thunderous clasp.
CLAP
"How'd you get so powerful so fast?!", Katsui growled jokingly.
"I'm built different." Merun said as a matter-of-factly.
He then shamelessly threw his arms over the broad shoulders of the burly fighters on either side of him, grinning like a madman.
For the first time all evening, he felt like he had truly found his people.
———
The moment Noriyori stepped out of the grand pavilion and into the night, his forced smile vanished instantly.
His face contorted into a mask of pure, unadulterated venom, his breathing heavy as he looked at his trembling hands.
We were played, Noriyori thought, a sudden, sharp spike of paranoia piercing his mind.
Was this... was this all planned?
A peasant? An uneducated country bumpkin who just happened to have the potential to best Sakuma? A complete lie. The boy's backstory was too clean, his public rise too perfectly orchestrated.
The fight may have been a farce as well...
No peasant-born country brat should possesses that level of intelligence nor talent!
It's a deep-cover operation, Noriyori's mind spun into wild, frantic calculations. The Budo's exile years ago... have I been setup? Did a shadow faction clan breed this boy in secret to build a flawless hero from the dirt?
And now, he... he could be faking an engagement to Inyen Iaiashin to solidify the alliance...
By demanding custody of Noritsugu as a "pupil," the boy had taken a high-profile hostage! He had muddied House Yamaguchi's reputation and secured a leash around their heir, all while smiling for the crowd.
"Moretsuna..." Noriyori whispered into the dark, his teeth grinding as cold sweat broke out on his neck. "Who the hell are you really?"