The sun was dipping in and out of the mountains as their carriage came to a stop. The coachman knocked on the window while ruggedly saying, "We are here." As Ryu and Megami exited, he tiredly started to stretch while she relievingly said, "Finally!" Their driver quickly left without saying a word as they watched him disappear around the first corner in the street. She confusingly shrugged her shoulders brushing it off, but Ryu had his suspicions as he said, "It was because of me." She rolled her eyes as she started to walk away while saying, "You are being paranoid." As they approached the inner gate to the castle, they noticed two people coming toward them on the other side. Ryu's jaw almost hit the floor at the sight of Akudoi and Taikutsu together. As soon as they saw them, they both hurriedly sprinted over while saying, "Ryu!?" They quickly crowded around him while glancing around as Akudoi anxiously said, "What are you doing?" Ryu was confused about what was going on and Megami was no better watching them trying to hide him. He finally pushed them away briefly escaping their grasp as he swiftly held his hands up for them to stop while saying, "Why are you two being weird?"
Taikutsu frustratingly sighed before saying, "We are trying to make sure no one sees you. There has been a lot of nasty rumors going around about you for the past few weeks. Where have you been?" Ryu slapped his knee as he looked over at Megami and said, "I told you something was off." She stomped her foot while crossing her arms clearly irritated as she snappily said, "I don't think that's what is important right now." Akudoi slapped his own face and slowly dragged his hand off of it before saying, "How do you not know about your own rumors? Word of you being a demon in disguise is the hottest topic in the entire kingdom right now." Megami was in shock as she sharply gasped while covering her mouth with her hand as Ryu loudly said, "What!?" Taikutsu and Akudoi both simultaneously shushed him as they pushed him inside the castle walls. Megami closely followed as she whispered yelled at them, "We were aware some people were suspicious of Ryu in Unemi, but we didn't know the word had spread across the kingdom. What has the prince said?"
They came to a sudden stop right outside of the entrance to the fortress as Akudoi quickly went to check if the coast was clear for them to enter. He slowly eased the door open to assess the situation as Taikutsu quietly said, "Tensai has tried to shut them down, but he is in the same boat as you. The people's political beliefs are a double-edged sword. If he forces to hard to stop the rumors, it only adds to the merit of them but not quashing them also sows seeds of distrust." Akudoi waved for them to come as they swiftly made their way through the castle to the First Prince's chambers. Taikutsu lightly knocked on the door as they anxiously waited for someone to open it. Almost a minute went by before they heard Tensai's voice as he said, "Come in." As they entered, they looked around confused about where the prince was as Baka came out from behind the dressing screen in the corner to the left of the door. He quickly ran over and hugged Ryu while excitedly saying, "I'm so glad you are back!" Tensai came out from behind the curtains and smiled as well as he said, "Ah, what a lovely surprise. It is good to see you again Ryu." He paused for a moment as he gestured to the sofas in the middle of the room near the balcony and said, "Let's all take a seat. We have a lot of catching up to do."
As everyone settled in, Tensai decided to be the first to speak as he asked Ryu and Megami, "What took you two so long to get back to the capital?" Everybody looked at Ryu as he awkwardly started rubbing the back of his head while saying, "I was still recovering from the battle. My magic was stuck at zero for over a week. I had to practice my mana control day in and day out to suppress the dark energy inside me." The first prince leaned back in his seat as he gestured with one arm at Akudoi and Taikutsu as he said, "Have these two told you about the rumors going around?" Ryu nodded while saying, "Only snippets of them though. How bad is it?" Tensai's expression was grim as he said, "It is not looking good. At this rate, a revolt could be brewing amongst the people. I believe we have some powerful enemies plotting against us, and we are already caught in their crosshairs." Megami was confused on what other rumors were going around as she said, "What propaganda is being spread around besides Ryu being a demon in disguise?"
Baka frustratingly interjected as he angrily said, "They are saying the prince is working with the demons, and that he sent you to Unemi to kill the former hero Jinsoku because he knew about the arrangement. The scumbags have even stooped as low to say that Tensai had his own parents assassinated, so he could assume control of the kingdom." Ryu smashed his fist into the coffee table as he jumped up and furiously said, "This ludicrous! How can they believe such slander without proof?" Taikutsu found the moment perfect to interject as he questioningly asked, "Did you actually kill Jinsoku then?" Ryu's other eye turned red as he snappily said, "I did. I had no choice. They had changed him into a demon. Do you think I wanted to?" Megami quickly grabbed his hand while saying, "You need to calm down. You can't allow yourself to be overwhelmed with your negative emotions so easily." Taikutsu was a blur as he stood up and grabbed Ryu by the neck while coldly saying, "I knew I shouldn't have believed your fabricated story when we first met in the guild hall. You demons love to manipulate the truth to cover your own asses."
Everyone was stunned as they tried to process why Taikutsu had decided to suddenly attack Ryu. Baka quickly said, "Uncle, he isn't a…" Before he could finish speaking Taikutsu's face was smashed into the table completely destroying it. His arm was twisted behind his back as Ryu stood above him with his foot planted on his spine as he held him by his wrist. His hair was completely black now as he angrily said, "Jinsoku was like a brother to me. I would never have betrayed him!" Megami shot to her feet as she commandingly said, "Ryu, control yourself right this moment!" Before he could say anything, Taikutsu's body became super elastic as he whipped his free arm backwards at him. His hand hardened into steel as it slammed into Ryu's face knocking him into Megami. They both tumbled to the floor as Taikutsu got back up. Akudoi and Baka quickly grabbed him as they tried to restrain him from fighting with Ryu. Tensai swiftly got between them as he loudly said, "Enough!"
As Ryu got up off of the ground, Tensai continued, "We must be united together if we are to fight our true enemies." Taikutsu shoved Baka away as he pointed at the prince and angrily said, "You defending a demon isn't helping anything. We need to separate ourselves from him before they reveal their proof to the people." Ryu frustratingly threw his hands up in the air while saying, "I am not one of them Taikutsu." He paused as he ruffled his hair before continuing, "They clearly thought this plan out though so whatever they have fabricated as evidence is probably very incriminating." Tensai nodded as he said, "Exactly which means we need to prepare ourselves for what is coming. Since we do not when they are going to reveal their hand, we must do our best to appeal to the people that we are on their side." Taikutsu yanked his arm away from Akudoi as he said, "The people are nothing but sheep, and they are scared of him. It is going to take a miracle to change his public image before the evidence comes out against him."
The door suddenly started to creak open as Ryu quickly concentrated on calming down, so he could look normal again before the mysterious person on the other side could see him. As Chinmoku's adorable face came into sight, Baka sighed in relief while the prince shook his head. Ryu opened his eyes as his hair changed back and slapped his own forehead as he saw her. She was confused upon seeing everyone as she said, "Ryu? Megami? When did you guys get back?" Megami awkwardly smiled as she said, "We just got in this afternoon. Can you please hurry up and close the door." She nodded as she stepped in and shut the door behind herself as Tensai cleared his throat before continuing, "I think I have a plan to try to fix the people's perception of him."
He paused as he looked at Ryu and said, "Starting tomorrow you are no longer on protection duty. I am reassigning you to assist all citizens that have an issue in Shinjitsu no matter how small." He turned to Akudoi and Taikutsu as he continued, "You two will use your connections around here to figure out who the rats are scheming against us." He glanced at Baka before looking at Megami and Chinmoku as he said, "You three will continue to protect me as usual. I fear my death could be a part of their plan." He paused as he walked over to the door before saying, "Any objections?" No one spoke, so the prince pulled the door open as he said, "Then everyone have a good night and be safe." As they all shuffled out of his room and awkwardly stood in the hallway, Ryu decided to turn to Taikutsu. He stared into his eyes as he painfully said, "Jinsoku forced me to stop him before he hurt more of the people he cared about in this world. Killing him mentally torments me every day. I promise you I am not a demon, and that I will get my revenge on the accursed who turned him."
The air suddenly became hard to breathe in as everyone anxiously awaited to see what Taikutsu was going to do. He stared intently at Ryu as they both refused to look away. The tension felt like it could be cut with a butter knife as several suspenseful seconds went by before he sighed and lightly smacked Ryu on his arm while saying, "I'm sorry kid. I shouldn't have doubted you. You better make sure the bastard responsible for his death is shown the same courtesy back." Ryu nodded as Taikutsu smiled before turning to walk away. He grabbed Akudoi's arm and started to pull him along with him while waving goodbye with his other hand. Baka happily grinned as he wrapped his arm around Ryu's side while saying, "I am so relieved you and my uncle are cool again." Megami clapped her hands together before turning around while saying, "Let's hurry up and get back to the lodge. I am hungry and exhausted after all of that."
They quickly followed her out of the castle and into the city streets. It did not take them long to get back to the Calming Inn as Megami burst through the doors and fell to her knees. Tears of happiness were streaming down her face as she blissfully said, "How I have missed you luxury." Brisa had been walking by when they had exploded through the entrance. As soon as she recognized Megami, she ran over to them. She fell to her knees and hugged her on the floor while happily saying, "I am so glad you are back girl." As they cried together, Ryu rolled his eyes while Baka shook his head before they both continued past them to their rooms. They both said goodnight to each other before closing their doors as they settled in. Ryu tiredly yawned as he jumped onto his bed. He quickly dozed off from being comfortable for the first night in a week.
The next morning, he arrived at the gate to the city right as the sunlight rose over the horizon. He tried to ask the guards stationed there if there was anything they needed assistance with, but every one of them refused to look him in the eyes. They gave him short answers like 'no' or 'I don't know' before telling him to move along. Ryu sighed to himself as he started down the street hoping to find someone that would need his help. He went shop to shop trying to see if any of the owners needed any type of work done in their stores. Nobody wanted him around their property though in fear of losing business even though he was offering his services for free. The sun was high in the sky as he left another establishment that refused any type of assistance from him. As he rounded the street corner, a man with dark green pants and a matching hooded shirt pushed past him while gruffly saying, "Get out of the way!"
His face was covered with a black cloth mask as Ryu watched him run away just as a woman came out of a store a little way further up the street. As he looked back at her she frantically said, "Thief! Where did he go!?" He pointed down the way he had just came as he said, "He went that way. Let me get him for you." Ryu quickly casted Shadow Bind. A dark tendril shot across the ground toward the man. He was about two blocks away when it grabbed his ankle stopping him dead in his tracks. His face smacked into the cobblestone from being tripped as he slowly started to get dragged back by Ryu's magic. The man was confused as he angrily said, "What the heck is this!?" He managed to flip over as he tried to break the hold the shadow had on him. He continued to thrash around until he came to a stop in front of Ryu who leaned down and intimidatingly said, "I believe you have something that is not yours. You can give it back the easy way or the hard way."
The man instantly recognized the tattoo on Ryu's arm. As his mask fell down, his face turned pale, and he quickly got on his knees while nervously saying, "You are right. I am sorry. Here take it back just please don't hurt me." As he finished speaking, he emptied his pockets that were filled with the stolen jewelry from the store. Ryu released his spell as he said, "Smart decision. Now beat it before I get the guards." The man bowed in appreciation before quickly getting to his feet and sprinting away. As Ryu turned to the woman, she took a step back in fear. Her voice was trembling as she said, "Please take it. I don't want any trouble." Ryu sighed as he shook his head before saying, "This jewelry is yours. I was just stopping your thief. I am part of the heroes army miss." She hesitantly nodded and remained frozen for a few seconds waiting to see what Ryu was going to do. He motioned for her to grab her merchandise, but she freaked out when he raised his hand and ran back into her store.
He pushed his hair back in frustration while murmuring to himself, "Great." He quickly knelt down and picked up the jewelry off of the street. As he stood back up, he noticed a mail slot on the front door of her shop. He swiftly dumped them inside the opening before continuing on his way. He could feel all the nervous eyes staring at him through the windows of the buildings on the street as he hurriedly turned the corner to get on a different corridor. As he made his way past a pub on his right, he heard a familiar voice say, "Ryu?" He stopped and turned around to see Nibui sitting at one of the outdoor tables reading a menu. He smiled as he waved at her and said, "Hi, Nibui." She motioned for him to take a seat while saying, "Come take a load off with me and get something to eat." His stomach grumbled as he nodded and walked over to her. As he sat down, she happily said, "I am glad to see you are back. I heard the fight in Unemi was rough on you." Before he could respond, the waiter came over to them and nervously said, "I must respectfully ask you to leave sir."
Nibui's short temper got the best of her as she slammed her hand down on the table and said, "This gentleman is a hero who has killed several demons to protect this kingdom, and you want to kick him out?" The server was a scrawny teenager who was clearly scared just standing next to Ryu. Her sudden outburst caused him to leap backwards and yelp in fear. The owner quickly came over and gruffly said, "What is going on over here?" The man was much older and bigger in stature compared to their waiter. He had to be in his forties judging from the various noticeable grey hairs. He stood a few inches taller than Ryu and was beefier than toned. Nibui swiftly stood up and put her finger in his chest while angrily saying, "Your server here was rudely asking my companion here to leave." He was visibly annoyed with her being so aggressive as he said, "That is correct. Your friend here is bad for business. He has some nasty rumors circulating around about him." She grabbed the man by his face as she threateningly said, "I promise you pissing me off is worse for business then him being here."
Ryu quickly stood up while apologetically saying, "I am sorry for causing a commotion at your restaurant sir." He paused for a moment as he turned to Nibui before continuing, "Please stop hassling him for me. It is okay. I wasn't hungry anyways." She reluctantly tsked as she pushed the owners face away and said, "Whatever. This place is a dump anyways. We can get something to eat back at the guild." Almost everyone in the area had stopped what they were doing and were anxiously watching the two of them. The nervous silence blanketed the entire street as they started to walk away. A pen being dropped would have echoed off of the walls from how quite it was as he pulled his hood up to hide his face in shame. Nibui was oblivious as she continued to stomp her way down the corridor in frustration. As they turned the corner, he was relieved to finally be out of everyone's gaze.
Only a couple of minutes passed before they were back at the guild hall. As they made their way inside, she finally exploded, "You shouldn't put up with people treating you like that Ryu! You are a good person, and they are treating you like a villain just because of some stupid rumors." Taikutsu was at the counter with his feet up and his hands behind his head as they walked over to him. Ryu remained silent as Nibui continued, "I just want to punch every single one of them for being such idiots." Taikutsu smirked before rhetorically saying, "I like your approach. If they are going to fear him, he might as well use violence to control them." She shoved his feet off of the counter while saying, "Your such an ass. I am going to go make us something to eat." He grinned to himself as he watched her head to the back while Ryu sat down at one of the tables and put his head down. As she disappeared, Taikutsu sighed to himself as he looked over at Ryu. He felt bad for him as he said, "Perk up kid. It only takes one new rumor about you doing something good to sweep through the streets of Shinjitsu to change the people's opinion of you."
Ryu's head remained down, and his voice was muffled as he said, "There is no issues plaguing the capital besides me though." Taikutsu tsked several times insinuating that there was something else troubling the people as he leaned back in his chair. Ryu quickly looked up and pointed at him while saying, "What do you know?" Taikutsu pointed at himself acting as if he was confused as he said, "Me? I don't know what you are talking about." Ryu shook his head while saying, "You can't play dumb with me. If you know something that will help me, you gotta tell me." Taikutsu started laughing at being demanded to do something which only annoyed Ryu more as he continued, "This is serious Taikutsu." Nibui's loud voice suddenly cut through his chuckling as she yelled from the kitchen, "I hope you guys are ready for lunch."
His face turned pale as he quickly tried to make a break for the door. Ryu got up from his table and swiftly jumped in front of him crouching low with his arms spread wide. Taikutsu tried to run past him but was unsuccessful as Ryu pushed him backwards. He was clearly annoyed as he whispered yelled at him, "Get out of my way kid." Ryu shook his head no while saying, "You haven't told me what you know yet." Taikutsu glanced back at the kitchen as he tried to decide what he wanted to do. As he looked back at Ryu, he frustratingly said, "You have no idea what awaits you when she comes out of there. We both should be fleeing from this place." Ryu grinned figuring he had him cornered as he said, "Whatever it is, we will experience it together." Taikutsu pushed his hair back as he sighed and said, "Fine." He quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a wadded piece of paper out. He pushed it into Ryu's chest and swiftly took off right before Nibui came out of the kitchen.
She was holding three bowls of what appeared to be some type of soup as she happily said, "Time for a proper meal." As she looked around the room, she disappointedly continued, "Where is Taikutsu?" Ryu pointed to the exit while pretending to be innocent as he said, "He just bolted out of here as soon as he heard you were cooking him a meal. He was murmuring to himself 'not again', whatever that means." She angrily sat the bowls down on the table while saying, "That degenerate! I slave away for his lazy ass, and this is how he treats me." Ryu walked over and put his hand on her arm while sympathetically saying, "Let's not let him ruin our lunch together. I am starving." She smiled as she said, "You are right. I can punish him later. Right now, it is time to enjoy a bowl of tomato soup with my real friend." They both sat down and Nibui instantly started digging in as Ryu wondered to himself why Taikutsu was so scared of her cooking. The food smelled awesome as he picked his spoon up and took a sip of his soup. His tongue and throat instantly felt dry as a hot burning sensation flooded his brain. His face turned red as sweat started to drip off of his chin as he tried to say, "What is in this?" He instead struggled to say just one word as he dryly said, "Hot."
She stopped and nodded while saying, "You think so? I love spicy foods. This is my version of tomato soup. It has four different peppers in it, and I cooked it in chili oil to make the heat last longer. Its good isn't it." He painfully smiled as tears streamed down in his face before taking another bite. His mouth was numb by the time he finished his bowl, and his stomach felt like it had lava inside it as he tried to hide his agony. As she got up, Ryu quickly followed while saying, "I hate to dine and dash, but I feel a sudden renewed conviction to conquer the hearts of the people." She smiled as she said, "That is fantastic. Anytime you are feeling down again, just come see me. I can always make time to cook a meal for a friend." He was starting to feel nauseous as he closed his eyes and doubled over. As his uneasiness passed, he straightened up relieved it look like he was bowing as he said, "Thank you Nibui. Till next time." He half-heartedly waved goodbye as he left the guild.
The sun was slowly beginning its departure over the horizon as he stumbled down the street cursing Taikutsu's name in his head. His vision was blurry, and his entire body felt on fire as he exited the city gates. By the time he made it back to the inn, the crescent moon was starting to come into view in the distance. He slowly made his way inside and to his room. He was slightly relieved that he did not run into any of his friends as he shut the door. The walls were spinning as he sat down on the bed and started doing his breathing exercises to stay calm. As everything settled down, he finally took the note out of his pocket that Taikutsu had given him earlier. Before he could read it, his stomach fiercely rumbled. He quickly rushed to the bathroom leaving the paper behind. Several painful minutes later, he emerged from the restroom and flopped back down on his bed.
He stared at the roof for a little bit before rolling over and grabbing the letter again. As he read it, his curiosity continued to grow till he saw the end and sat up in astonishment. The paper was not a note at all. It was actually a flyer for an unground fight card happening tomorrow night, but it did not have a location for where it was being held. The craziest part was the fact that it had demons matched against humans. Ryu now understood why Taikutsu gave it to him as soon as he saw the main event, Hakushiki vs Greater Demon Taira. He suddenly doubled over again from stomach pain as he quickly made his way back to the bathroom. He would be on and off the toilet for several more hours as he tried to rest between each wave of pain. The next morning, he was still asleep when someone started knocking on his door super loud, "Bang! Bang! Bang!" The noise scared him awake as he fell out of his bed onto the floor. He slowly blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight flooding into his room.
As he got to his feet, Brisa was letting herself into the room since she had not heard a response. She was humming to herself when she suddenly squeaked, and her body became stiff. Her face was bright red as she stared at Ryu standing in nothing, but his boxer briefs. His hair was a mess as he pushed it back while turning around to get the door. He instantly froze when he locked eyes with Brisa as they stared at each other for several seconds before he grabbed the blanket from the bed in embarrassment. He quickly hid his body while awkwardly saying, "What are you doing in here?" She closed her eyes and turned her back to him before saying, "I was coming to clean your room while you were out for the day." He sighed as he said, "Just stay there for a second, and I will get out of your way."
He dropped his comforter and started to get dressed as Brisa said, "You are normally gone by this time sir. Why did you not answer when I knocked?" As he sat down to put his shoes on, he said, "I didn't sleep very well last night, and your banging scared me awake. I fell onto the floor and wasn't aware I had a timer to answer before you would come in." She nodded while apologetically saying, "I am sorry." As he stood up, he turned toward her while kindly saying, "It's not a big deal so don't worry about it. You are good to look again. I am dressed now." She exhaled in relief as she turned around and opened her eyes. Her face was still a little red as he smiled and started to walk past her. He stopped at the door and looked back while politely saying, "Thank you for cleaning my room every day." She grinned and nodded before he continued down the hallway. As he thought about what had just happened, he was kind of relieved that she had woken him up. He needed to discuss the contents of the flyer with the first prince as soon as possible.
Ten minutes had barely passed as he hustled across the city to the castle. He was anxious as he made his way inside the gate to the fortress. As he entered through the front door of the place, his mind turned to food as his stomach rumbled. He was hoping he had not missed the prince's breakfast, so he could get something to eat as they discussed things. He did not see Tensai in his gazebo, so that hopefully meant he was in his room. It was a short walk to his chambers as Ryu started to knock on the door. It suddenly swung open as Megami said, "Yes." As soon as she recognized him, she smiled and embraced him while saying, "Ryu! I am so glad to see you." Her embrace was soft and warm causing him to suddenly feel tired as he rested his head against hers. Almost a minute passed, and they were still in each other arms because she refused to push him away. She was excited to be this close to him as she happily smiled to herself. The prince finally cleared his throat and broke the silence as he said, "Please come take a seat you two. What are you doing here Ryu?"
He stood back up and yawned as he walked over to the couch while saying, "I am sorry your majesty. I didn't sleep well last night." He paused as he sat down while Megami closed the door and cheerily followed. As she plopped down next to him, he continued, "I have something to show you." He took the flyer out and passed it to Tensai while saying, "Taikutsu gave this to me." As the prince finished reading it, he slammed the paper down on the table while quickly standing up. He remained silent as he held his chin and paced back and forth in front of them. Megami decided she wanted to know what was going on since nobody was saying anything, so she grabbed the flyer. She was completely stunned when she realized it was an illegal fight card with a vice-captain on it.
Ryu finally broke the silence as he said, "What do you think Tensai?" The prince abruptly stopped and sighed as he pushed his hair back while saying, "It isn't what you think." Ryu was confused as he said, "I think Hakushiki is involved with an evil underground organization that is strongly connected to demons." Tensai quickly walked around the couch and sat back down before defensively saying, "Hakushiki would never work with them." Ryu threw his hands up in the air while leaning back in frustration as he said, "Why are you defending him?" The prince remained silent as he looked at him before turning his head away. As he stared out past the balcony at the sky, Megami sat the flyer back down on the table while gently saying, "Your majesty, please tell us why you trust him, so we can try to do the same."
Tensai glanced at her out of the side of his eye before nodding and saying, "Hakushiki used to live in the Kingdom of Yohei in a small village far to the west near the border of Shimo. He was the last born of six children in his family. His four older brothers worked with his father farming and hunting while his lone sister helped his mother around the house. When he was seven years old, a harsh winter descended upon their town and badly damaged their crops resulting in a terrible harvest." He paused as he got up and walked over to the balcony.
As he leaned on the edge, he stared out at the mountains before continuing, "Everything has a set value in Yohei, and nothing is done for free. When the heroes army came for their payment for protecting the village, the people were unable to pay. They were just struggling to survive with the food they had, so they were abandoned to defend themselves from any attacks. A week went by without them around and nothing happened till the middle of a moonless night. Several demons suddenly assaulted their town brutally murdering anyone who resisted them. Hakushiki's father and brothers attempted to fight back but were savagely torn apart right in front of him. He was frozen in fear on the ground as a demon turned its attention to him, but his mother quickly acted and attacked the devil. Her bravery allowed his sister to grab him and run away, but he watched over her shoulder as his mom got her head ripped off of her body and thrown to the side. She had managed to buy his sister enough time though to get back to their house and hide him in a small area dug out underneath it by a local dog. She only had a brief moment to cover up the area before a demon came around the corner. He had to watch as it dragged her back to the center of town where they were holding other villagers captive. He was forced to listen to her and everyone else's screams of agony in the darkness as they were turned one by one."
As Ryu glanced over at Megami, she was sobbing from the horrible story of Hakushiki's childhood. He was not faring much better than her as he listened to the prince tell the tale. He could never have guessed such a terrible tragedy had occurred to the vice-captain by the way he acted. As the prince walked back over to them, He sat back down on the couch again before continuing, "Hakushiki was discovered several days later by mercenaries passing through. They quickly enslaved him leading to several years of beatings, torment, and hard labor for him. He was sold many times as the people of Yohei treated him like nothing more than a piece of cattle. Eventually, he ended up with an organization that staged illegal fights across the Empire. He learned his skills from the warriors that were on the payroll there till he was strong enough to start participating in the bouts himself. He quickly started beating any opponents that challenged him in the ring. He eventually became successful enough that he was able to buy his own freedom back and pursue his goal of killing demons. He moved here because he believed heroes should do what's right instead of looking out for themselves, but he did not fully leave his old life behind. When he learned the organization that once owned him was staging fights with demons on their cards, he chose to go back and participate."
As the prince finished, Ryu quickly wiped his eyes as Megami continued to sob next to him while saying, "The poor vice-captain." He nodded in somber agreeance as he cleared his throat and said, "There is no way I cannot believe you after hearing that tragic tale. I no longer think he is the rat amongst us, but this card could still hold answers for us about who is though, so I will scout it out tonight." Tensai leaned back in his seat while saying, "Hmm. I believe that is a good idea, but it will be extremely dangerous though. I have been trying to hunt this organization down for a few months now, and I have little to no information on who is truly at the top of their group, where they are getting their demons from, or how they move so freely through the Empire." Megami loudly blew her nose as he finished before turning to Ryu with tears still in her eyes as she said, "You can't go alone. If they capture you…" As she trailed off, he gently put his hand on her cheek as he calmly said, "I will be careful, I promise."
The prince swiftly got up and patted Ryu on the arm while excitedly saying, "This has been great progress in our effort to get ahead of whatever scheme we are caught in. Go get some rest and prepare yourself for your mission later tonight. I will have one of my elite scouts in the army bring you one of their outfits to change into, so you can stealthily infiltrate the party. They will also provide you Hakushiki's location, so you can follow him to the event." He nodded as he looked back at Megami and held up his pinky finger while saying, "I will be okay so make sure you keep the prince safe." She smiled as she stood up and hugged him before saying, "I know. You owe me a date though for all the worrying I am going to do for you tonight." He laughed as he said, "For sure." He quickly made his way to the door and waved goodbye before exiting back to the hallway. As he made his way out to the courtyard, he looked up at the sun. It was almost high in the sky at this point as he hurriedly navigated back through the castle corridors.
He was not going to have much time to rest, but anything would help as he yawned while pushing the doors to the fortress open. He swiftly made his way back to the inn as he pondered on what to expect later tonight. As he entered his room, he knew for certain anybody that was there that held a position of power would be at the top of his list to investigate first. As he plopped down on his bed, he quickly drifted off to sleep. In a few hours, the scout from the army would show up with his outfit for the night, but in the meantime, he would continue to snooze to make up for the lack of sleep he had the night before after losing his battle with the spicy food from Nibui's cooking.