“That’s for being such a brat!” Yuri saw what Kei had done and heard what he said to the crown prince of Seiryoku. His newly found brother had just knocked off Kamiki Ryunosuke for the nth time by hitting his nape since the start of their journey back to Matsudera.

Eyeing the unconscious prince whose legs and arms bound, he remarked, “I start worrying that you will kill him next time.”

Kei plopped down beside Ryunosuke, shrugging, “Not to the extent of killing, but hurting... who knows. We just need to make sure he is alive. Ryosuke allowed us to do anything to him.”

Yuri heaved a sigh and resumed eating the cooked wild rabbit in his hand. Kei grabbed the last piece of meat.

“Oi, that’s for him. You’ve got your share,” he reprimanded.

Once again Kei shrugged his words off, “He said he didn’t want to eat, didn’t he? It’s not good to waste food.”

He heaved another sigh. No point in arguing with Kei. That lad was the kind of person with my-pace attitude that he would not listen to anyone.

It had been almost ten days since they departed from the capital. They had been waiting for running the mission once they received the message. Preparation immediately was started and they received other information about the prince’s companions in the hunting. He did not know whether it was overconfidence or the prince was just a blockheaded, but the prince only brought a squad of twenty guards with him.

Eleven people with him included, they were waiting in the forest on the north direction of the capital, away from the city. They intended to attack when the caravan was resting and putting their guard down, but the head guard of the prince seemed sensing their presence and alerted his men. Not taking greater risk by waiting longer, he instructed to swiftly carry out the mission. Shinobi-s versus soldiers. The confrontation was fierce. Yet, with their speed and Kei’s unbelievable skills, they soon got the upper hand. He lost half of his team, but the prince’s was left alone, bleeding. One of the prince’s guards had succeeded to escape, but Kei suggested him to just let it and prioritized to stop the bleeding of the prince.

Departing from the forest only with five people, he ordered two of his men to obscure their trail so the reinforcement squad from the palace would not catch up with them. He, Kei, and one more person continued the journey back to Matsudera. Kei piggybacked the unconscious prince most of the time since he was the only one unscathed. He himself had wound on his left shoulder and the other member was tasked for scouting.

The prince regained consciousness after a day of their trip, demanding to know who they were, what their intention, and so on. They did not pay any heed to the prince’s questions. The prince refused to eat or drink for the first two days, but eventually yielded to his body need and started eating in the third day. Soon after the prince finished, he fell unconscious. Of course, because they put sedative in the drink and food. The prince stayed unconscious for a full day. Since that, the prince hardly ate or drank as he suspected they would drug him again, and he was not wrong because they indeed thought to put the prince to sleep if he was not cooperative. Yet, whenever the prince started getting to their nerves by being so noisy or gave them a hard time, Kei would immediately shut the prince up by knocking him off like what he did just now.

“How is your shoulder?” Kei asked after finishing the meat quickly.

“It’s healing.”

“Good. It’s your turn on guard, right? I’m going to take a nap,” Kei said with his carefree style he had started to get use to.

He sighed and said with helpless tone, “As you wish, Aniki.”

Kei chuckled and ruffled his hair briefly before leaping to the tree above Ryunosuke and took a place on a comfortable branch. He pouted in annoyance as always, yet to be honest he started to enjoy the gesture. Oh, and about the endearment, too. Somehow he could not stop from calling him Aniki even when they were not in disguise anymore, but then he shrugged it off. Kei was indeed his older brother after all.

Shifting his gaze to the prince who was lying down on the ground, he felt pity emerged in him. They treated him so badly, truthfully. Yet, every time the pity appeared it would be quickly overshadowed by the rage he had toward Ryunosuke. Because of Ryunosuke, Ryosuke and Mirai had to suffer… people in Hakumei had to live in fear. This kind of treatment was still too nice for him.

Ryosuke would use the prince to make a deal with Seiryoku. The crown prince would be their hostage for demanding Seiryoku to retreat from their border, cut their alliance with Okamoto, and pull the mercenaries back to their country. Just one thing he remembered Ryosuke said about the plan…

“I’m wondering why King Arata send Ryunosuke here to the mid of danger. Why not sent his other sons other than the crown prince?” Ryosuke paused before sighing and concluding. “I guess once we have him, we will know soon, how much Ryunosuke means to the king of Seiryoku.”

A rustle of leaves alerted him. He sensed a new presence nearby. It was not his scouting man. Before him, Kei landed smoothly without causing any noise and signed him to keep silent. Kei felt it too apparently. They took out their weapons, ready to strike. He pressed his body to a tree while Kei did the same on the tree across him.

Silence.

A sound of light steps could be heard. It was too faint to be heard by untrained ears. Fortunately, they had the best ability in hearing. The sound got nearer and nearer to their place.

Kei gave a sign to strike once they spotted the intruder. Soon, a shadow emerged from the woods before them.

Now!

They lurched forward together with a high speed, intending to ambush and paralyze the intruder, but when the sunrays fell on the figure they had to halt abruptly.

“Chill!” The intruder bellowed and raised his hands before his chest, each holding a dagger.

The intruder was a middle age man they knew so well. The man smiled knowingly.

“Father!” He and Kei exclaimed in sync.

The old man, General Chinen Juudai, grinned at them, “Hello, my sons.”

**********

It was the morning Mirai and Hikaru would depart to Matsudera. General Shida was with Hikaru and Yuto, waiting at the camp’s gate for Mirai and Ryosuke. While waiting, he replayed the occurrence last night.

It was midnight when Ryosuke summoned him. He came to Ryosuke’s cottage with unexplainable anxiety. He had an assumption that the reason Ryosuke could not wait till morning to summon him had something to do with Takaki’s offer; and he sensed it would not be so good.

Reaching the place, he saw Yuto stood outside.

“Ryosuke has waited inside, General,” Yuto greeted.

He raised a brow, “You’re not going?” Because Yuto was Ryosuke’s right hand, it was unusual for him not to be involved in a discussion.

“Ryosuke doesn’t allow me. I’m guarding your meeting,” a deep sadness and curiosity could be seen on Yuto’s face.

“Fine,” he lastly said then entered the chamber.

Once he was inside, Ryosuke beckoned him to his work desk. Ryosuke’s face was contorted with strong determination and some expressions he could not name, reminding him of Shohei when he made the decision of forming the secret chain.

Taking a seat, he asked, “What is so urgent, Ryosuke?”

“I need your advice, General,” Ryosuke answered.

“I’ll tell you this because you’re the First Aid of the secret chain, also because my late father had trusted you that I hope you’ll help me, too, in running my plans,” Ryosuke started. “I have decided to take Takaki’s offer to create a new world in Hakumei.”

He somehow had seen this coming. He just could not fathom how Ryosuke finally took the decision even though he knew the consequences.

“You and Yuto will be the only between my minions know about this, but more than that, you will be the only one I will share my plans to,” Ryosuke added.

He felt honored yet anxious at the same time.

“So, you’re planning to trim down the privileges of all the nobles?” he inquired. “Your decision will turn their supports against you, Ryosuke.”

“Will it include you, too?” Ryosuke shortly returned the question.

Words were difficult to find.

“Will you turn against me, too, General?”

At this, he was at loss. It was because the expression Ryosuke showed him was genuinely sad and expectant, as though a child asking his parent’s approval.

“I won’t mind not living in luxury, Ryosuke.”

“It’s not just about luxury,” Ryosuke replied. “It’s more than t down the privileges or improving the lower classes welfare.”

“So what is it?” he asked confusedly.

Ryosuke took a second before answering, “To make it simple, one of my