Nervous, that was the best way to describe the feeling that the young elven maiden was feeling right now as she was seated at the small bench near one of the stores of the small town, they found themselves in right now. When the Ace of Blue Pegasus has declared he would take her in as his student Lily felt so many things at once. An Ace was supposed to be one of the strongest members of the guild, a mage who could turn the entire tide of a battle by his mere presence. Judging from the rumors she heard Manzo was such a person. However, for what purpose did the man decide to take someone like her as his student? It wasn't like she was a prodigy at magic, and she didn't know for sure if she was even a decent combatant. Certainly: she was fast on her feet but that was about the only thing she was good at.

No, to say she was confused was an understatement for sure. But nonetheless, she was happy to have some companionship. Lily had quickly learned she was someone who felt the most comfortable in the presence of other people.

Despite the soft barely audible steps of the man, the elf's ears twitched lightly while she petted the Exceed on her lap gently. "Manzo-senpai?" She began upon confirming his return while she turned to face his direction, her mismatched eyes gazing softly at him. "Are you certain about this? I mean- taking me as your student and going all the way to this foreign country to train me. Surely there are more suitable people in the guild to receive your mentorship."

Even if she sounded worried, there was something about her lively expression that did suggest she was happy despite her concerns.

WC: 300/1200

"I need two sleeping bags, a tent, and cooking supplies." Manzo said as he laid down a large bag of jewels before the shop keep, they found themselves in a small border town between fiore and the sea that led to Joya. This was the first time he had ever taken a student, let alone the reincarnation of a dear friend with amnesia. But in order to protect Lily, he would have to try reinforcing what made Esperia so great. He knew that the prospect of gaining his friend back was something that was farfetched at best.

But he was not so willoing to let her go, or leave this version of her a defenseless lamb in the process. It would take time, time being the operative word. There wasn't much of that left for the two of them in this town. The further away from hargeon they got the more danger they would be in. While lauded as a hero in their home town. He was less than savory to most of the people outside of it. Given that he was known as the man slayer to all those who had heard the story of the Dragon of the South.

Once the shop keep had finished his order, Manzo retrieved the bags from him and walked outside of said shop to meet his traveling companion. He looked upon her with eyes full of nostalgia for what was. When she spoke to him, she raised her concerns about him choosing her. Which caused him to chuckle, in the grand scheme, the more time they spent together, the more she was likely to come to understand her power.

It was his job to ensure that, that happened. "You think too much Lily, I know what I'm doing, trust me."

300/2000

Lily blinked in bewilderment upon hearing these words. It was not often someone told her she thought too much. Was thinking too much about things a bad thing? She merely smiled at him, nodding her head gently in response. "If you say so~ Alisa seems to trust you a lot, and for some reason my heart tells me you're a good person..."

She paused for a bit, a hand raised to her cheek as she pondered for a moment. "It's weird... Despite the fact we only met recently, there is something about you that makes me think: It's fine to trust him, no matter what happens he won't betray that trust."

She realized the words that were just spoken and the earlier message of her mentor and smiled sheepishly as her cheeks and ears flushed slightly reddish in hue. "I guess I'm overthinking again~" She smiled softly as she turned her gaze from Manzo back toward their surroundings. "It seems that unless we travel on foot, the next travel carriage won't be here for another hour~"

She leaned back slightly and pondered a bit more on the events that led them to here. "Still, for a town it is eerily quiet. All the people are hiding indoors mostly, but I can see them observing us. Is that normal in places like this? They seem surprisingly wary and distrustful of travelers."

But that was only part of what bothered the girl. Among the civilians observing them from inside their settlements some of them were armed, and that on its own was usually a cause for concern for her. Weapons were either meant to hurt people, or to protect yourself with. But what was the purpose of their weapons? Only time would reveal the answer to that question!

WC: 300
Total WC: 600/1200

"Yes it is a bit too quiet, I was thinking the same thing. But the real question is, why." He said aloud as he began to survey the area around them. Looking for signs of something amiss. Which wouldn't be too hard to figure out in the grand scheme of it all. Nothing stays hidden from his nose. Or his eyes for very long.

"Let's put our skills of deduction to use for a moment. If we just arrived in this town, and something seems amiss. What are the factors in that." Manzo said as he looked down to the tiny elf maiden. He would put his sherlock cap on for a moment, pulling a cigar from his pocket, placing it to his lips and lighting it.

As he exhaled in the opposite direction of the maiden he would remove it and keep it between his index and middle finger to ash it. "The only things that have changed in this village since we arrived, would be the two of us." He said with a calm smile on his face. Not wanting to cause her any undue stress.

"You being basically a civilian in the magic world, it would not be your presence that caused the shakeup." He said as he placed the cigar back between his lips to take another drag off of it. In his mind there was only one real explanation to this whole ordeal. That was of course, that he had set off the alarms by simply setting foot inside the village.

"So if it isn't you, then that only leaves one option. Someone has come to collect the price on my head." He said with an almost cheerful look on his face. Most would not be happy about that, but not he.

602/2000

Lily was clearly attentively listening to Manzo's deductions. It was true, the only thing that had changed in the village was their presence. However, Lily had no idea who or what would come all the way to Joya to deal with her, so it must had been Manzo's presence that had alerted the people of this village. "Unya~ Is that something to be happy about?" The Exceed mewled in protest to watching Manzo smile, while Lily nodded her head firmly in response. "If that is the case, that might explain why the people observing us nearby are armed Manzo-sensei."

Lily mused softly as one of the nearby doors opened to reveal a man clad in the typical garb of a samurai. His katana was sheathed on his belt, but the question remained for his long. "So the rumors were right. The manslayer did return to Joya... Our sensei will be glad to have your head served to him as a trophy!"

As his exclamation resounded through the air several more warriors appeared, each armed with the same type of katana as the previous one. The Exceed had already jumped off Lily's lap, brandishing his sword while Lily hesitatingly stood up as well, a hand reaching for her dagger.

"It seems they aren't fans of you sensei..." Lily chimed in mild amusement.

WC: 200
Total WC: 800/1200

"Nonsense Lily-san, they are my biggest fans." Manzo said with a reassuring smile on his face as he disrobed from his usual bathrobe attire. Underneath, concealed by magic was his battle garb. A solid black set of armor with leather padding, and chainmail covering his more vulnerable areas. He reached from behind him and put on an orange mask, covering his face.

Upon doing so, a shift in the magic energy in the village shifted. The earth began to quake underneath their feet. A smile on his face underneath, it was time to dispatch the trouble makers and send them back to their mothers with their tails between their legs. Something he relished in.

His hands had not gone for a weapon yet, which seemed to cause a bit of a strange reaction from the men before the party. But it was Manzo sending a very clear message. Come at me with whatever you'd like, you can't kill someone of his caliber with mere weaponry.

"Well come on then, I'm waiting." He said in a taunting tone of voice as he raised his hand in a bring it on motion. Wanting nothing more than reinforce his legend.

803/2000

The man that was taunted by Manzo unleashed a war-cry in response, drawing his katana and lifting it overhead as he ran toward Manzo with a violent overhead slash. Meanwhile some of the other ronin started to circle around the trio, seemingly wanting to block off their escape route. It was a foolish notion obviously, for it seemed none of them were even thinking of escaping. Nyancelot thrust his sword at one of the armed ronin, forcing them to parry the attack with their own blade. However, things suddenly became way more intense when Lily lunged sideways past the man, almost in the blink of an eye and spun around, her dagger plunging into the back of the swordsman. The man let out a cry of pain, swinging his free arm at the girl but she had already taken a step backwards. "Sturdy but slow..." the girl muttered, her words seemingly offending the remaining Ronin as a second one started to approach her from among the crowd. Seems Manzo would still have his hands full dealing with all those enemies surrounding him! But it was a fight he would not have to deal with by his lonesome. If anything, the look in the girl's eyes somehow felt familiar, similar to the soft gaze of amusement an old friend of his used to have whenever she fought.

WC: 200
Total WC: 1000/1200

Three ronin approached him all at once, seeming to cover him from all angles. This did nothing but amuse him, the relic on his face was obviously something they forgot about in their history books. Or perhaps they were simple farm hands conscribed to do this dirty work for their unnamed master. Either way, he felt a bit sorry for them. Shedding the blood of your countryman was nothing something he relished in. But it was necessary in order to protect his companions.

As the ronin closed in on him, he could do nothing but laugh to himself. He did not move, didn't even flinch as they rushed him with their blades drawn. One, two, and three. All three blades piercing through him, or were they? Upon closer inspection they had simply phased through him. Just like that, he had faded from their view. He rematerialized himself behind the three ronin. Tapping one of them on the shoulder. "Boo." He whispered in one of their ears.

The ronin practically jumped straight out of his skin. "What matter of devil work is this?" The other asked while the third one stood there with his mouth open in disbelief. It was all too amusing for him. These morons had seriously not done their homework on the target in question. Manzo was a collector of old and vile blood-soaked artifacts from Joya.

The deadliest of them being on his waist, one that he had not brought into the party yet, mainly because unleashing totsuka was a waist on these small fry. Though he could feel the heat from totsuka starting to rise inside the gourd. His blade demanded the blood of the wicked. It had been sometime since the blade had eaten. So perhaps he would indeed give it a bit of a snack for the moment.

That thought was dashed by another strike on his body from behind. Another of the foolish ronin had tried to stab him in the back, just for his sword to go straight through him, as if he were a ghost. Manzo reached down and took hold of the blade. Pulling it through his body and turning it on the three ronin in front of him. "Well, enough games, can I have this dance?" He asked mockingly.

The other three ronin quickly turn to face him, but in the blink of an eye, Manzo had lopped off all three of their arms. Leaving them bleeding and screaming in a pool of their own blood. He looked over to Lily taking on a Ronin of her own. "Watch your footwork Lily-san. They may be slow but don't get careless."

He called out the command as if he were a general in war time wanting to make sure she had felt out the situation, so he would not have to join her fray and interrupt her learning. It was key for a young warrior to learn on their feet, but he would be an awful teacher if he didn't give her pointers every now and then.

The look on her face reminded him so much Esperia it was almost haunting in a way he did know how to describe other than such.

1341/2000

There was something eerie about it all. Perhaps it was the way her behavior seemed different once she was exposed to combat, but the flustered and timid nature of the girl seemed to had disappeared entirely. Despite the Ronin's best efforts, he found himself incapable of reacting in time to the girl's movements. It was clear Lily employed something of a hit and run tactic in her combat style which complimented her small and lithe frame and her unusual dual wielding of a bow and dagger. The man swept his katana toward her, while Lily dashed backwards away from her foe with unnatural grace. "Aye~ Aye~"

The elven maiden chimed softly as she raised her bow and fired one of its projectiles into the direction of the Ronin's legs. The arrow pierced into the man's leg, pinning him down and immobilizing him, while at the same time a loud thunderclap resounded from the point of impact. It was all Lily needed for a finishing blow, for the girl lunged sideways from the man's weapon-free arm, her dagger slicing into the neck of the man and as she stopped a few steps behind him, the man's body collapsed onto the ground with a loud thud.

A second Ronin approached her, but instead seemingly reconsidered his choice, hesitatingly staggering backwards, his blade falling onto the ground with a loud clatter. It seemed not all of the Ronin had been prepared to deal with such a bloodshed. "Ah... it's over?" The girl whispered softly as she seemingly snapped out of her trance, fumbling for her dagger to put it back into its sheath while she looked worriedly toward Manzo to make sure he was fine. He did seem to had drawn the ire of most of the crowd!

WC: 300
Total WC: 1300/1200 40% discount from relic and ring

The other ronin having seen the display of what was before them, seemingly now a bit more hesitant than they were before. They could not even touch his student, what hope did they have against the manslayer of Joya. Though to be fair, they were fighting a man who had enough war experience and scars to fill a book.

His companion was also the unknowing reincarnation of a god herself. So honestly, not too much fault could be put on them, but at the end of it all, no matter the reason. Joyan swordsmen do not run away, and they were showing their shame. Their lack of discipline is what he found the most disgusting. So, in accordance with the law of the land, regardless of how they viewed him, it was his duty to execute each and every last one of them for their cowardice.

"It brings me no joy to do this." Manzo said as he removed the mask from his face so he could look his kinsman in the eye. The face of the demon they had heard so much about was full of anguish. He truly felt sorrow in his heart for what he was about to do. He walked over to the remaining ronin.

He could hear their knees shake as loudly as he could hear a strike of lightning through the night sky. "While our paths may have us on opposite sides. Please humor me, where do you want your ashes sent?"
These words caught the ronin of guard, one of them called out. "You think we are just going to let you burn us." He exclaimed in confusion.

A single tear fell from the eyes of the man slayer. "No, and that's what makes it so sad." He said as he threw the blade he had taken from one of them to the ground with a loud clank behind it. "I'm sorry brothers, but this is the end for you. But you knew that already. Save a spot for me in the afterlife." He said as he placed his hand on the gourd nestled to his hip.

Popping the cork off of it a hilt began to materialize out of the opening. This caused the group of swordsmen much confusion. "Is that...?" One of them whispered to the other. "How did he get that??" The other shouted. Followed by a command to run for their lives. But it was already too late for that. Manzo snapped his fingers and a vine emerged from the earth, his usual yellow eyes turning a serpent red.

The vine grabbed the remanding combatants and bound them to what looked like a large crucifix. "It's a pity. Lily-san, come here." Manzo said as he grabbed totsuka from the gourd and unsheathed it slowly as he did so. "Tell me Lily-san, do I show them mercy and have them live in disgrace, or do I purify them of their mortal sin and send them to the afterlife?" Manzo asked.

1846/2000

As the fight ended and Manzo had seemingly announced his intention to execute the Ronin, the moment the girl was called she turned toward him, blinking in confusion as Manzo seemingly asked her a question. It was a difficult one, not because of the complexity but because of the morality associated to each choice.

"W-wait, they lost the will to fight, didn't they?" She looked at the terrified Ronin, her gaze sorrowful. Nyancelot averted his gaze, finding no joy in the moral dilemma his master found herself in. However, it was at the same time her lips started to move, that something peculiar happened, something that clearly unsettled the Ronin further. Half of the girl's hair started to slowly grow darker, obsidian in color, the same color Manzo's late friend had, and at the same time Lily's voice resounded with each other.

"Can't we show them mercy Manzo-sensei?"
"They are our enemies Manzo~"

The girl brought a hand to her face, seemingly letting out a soft pained groan as the two voices resounded again at exactly the same time.
"Do we have to kill them?"
"Do we have to spare them?"

It was then, as soon as it had appeared that the girl's hair and presence turned back to normal, making her stagger lightly as the Exceed rushed toward her in a panic.

Her response was something that he had not anticipated. The rebirth was bleeding through, Lily was becoming fragmented, something he did not foresee happening. But it was something that he should have planned for, Lily's new mind couldn't possibly contain every aspect of Esperia, no matter how hard she might try to.

"We will execute half of them." Manzo said as he motioned for Lily to avert her gaze as he readied Totsuka to set them ablaze. But before that he would turn to the half he had chosen not to kill. "You will tell the story of today, and when you do, remember one thing. It was my choice to show mercy, and my choice to change my mind should I see any of your faces again." Manzo replied coldly.

He snapped his fingers and released one half of the ronin, allowing them to escape with their lives. But now came the unsavory part of being the manslayer. As well as wielder of Totsuka, it was time to feed the beast. Manzo stabbed Totsuka in the base of the vine, setting it ablaze he sheathed his blade inside the gourd. Turning to Lily with his back to the blaze.

"It's time to go Lily."

2054/2000