The desert sun glared down onto the group, causing them to sweat profusely. After walking for a while, the group saw something that they could rejoice about.
âIs thatâŠan Oasis?â (Hiiro)
He thought it was an illusion, however, as Liliynâs group looked in that direction as well, Hiiro felt relieved. At the same time, their stomachs growled. Since they had walked for a long time, their constitution had been weakened as well. As it was almost lunch time, their stomachs let out a thunderous warning.
âThat placeâŠresidenceâ (Kamui)
Kamui pointed at the Oasis. It seemed like theyâll be able to take a break soon
The was an area covered in greenery about the size of Tokyo Dome (about 1,240,000 m3). They were also able to see a pond there as well. Beside the pond, there was a single governing building that looked like a mongolian yurt.
(Itâs my first time seeing a yurtâŠitâs bigger than I expected.) (Hiiro)
A yurt was a round tent supported by two pillars at the center. The frame radiated out from the center of the yurt to form the roof. A thick sheet made out of wool was then draped over the framework to form the roof and the walls.
The yurt was about 4-6 meters in diameter. There were also several pieces of furniture nearby just like a dwelling place.
âAh, Kamui, itâs Kamuiâ (Child A)
âItâs trueâ (Child B)
âKamui, Kamuiâ (Other Children)
Several children left the yurt, and ran towards Kamui. Kamui lowered his body and hugged each of them one after another.
(He is adored by the children, huh.) (Hiiro)
Looking at the scene before him, Hiiro felt nostalgic. When he was at the orphanage, as Hiiro was the oldest person among them, he was entrusted in taking care of the younger children. Even though he was doing it unwillingly, he smiled wryly as he remembered the innocent smile of the younger children.
âAh, hey, hey, Kamui Kamui! Who are those people?â (Child C)
When one of the children asked an adult woman near Kamui turned to look at him with caution.
âHey, lower your head and ask.â (Adult women)
âEhEh~. but Mama, Kamui Kamui said he is fine with this!â (Child C)
âThat is right!â (Child B)
âKamui Kamui is Kamui Kamui!â (Child A)
All the children talked back to the adults. The adults responded with a hopeless shrug. The person with topknot hair that had returned beforehand emerged.
ââŠ..Chief.â (Person with topknot hair)
If you look closely, there was another person near him. He was an old man, who had so much wrinkles that you could feel the number of years he had lived. Furthermore, both his eyes were closed. There were burn marks on the top of his eyes, which may be the reason why he could no longer open them. Furthermore, he had a prosthetic right leg.
âGrampsâŠwill you listen?â (Kamui)
âUn, yes Iâll hear itâ (Gramps)
After the old man responded, he slowly approach Hiiro and his group. It was clear that his eyes were not open, yet, he was staring at Hiiro.
Then, he just glanced over Liliynâs group and simply confirmed their presence. Hiiro noticed that the old man furrowed his brows when he looked at Liliyn. He then faced Hiiro one more time. Hiiro stared back at him without knitting his eyebrows.
ââŠâŠI see, what an interesting group of people.â (Old man)
He even smiled further, increasing the number of wrinkles on his face.
âRight, Kamui, I heard most of it from Jinwu, but after seeing it, are you still going to proceed?â (Old man)
âAt that timeâŠI will stop itâŠlife⊠life on the lineâ (Kamui)
The old man laughed happily and said.
âHohohoho, that is impossible.â (Old man)
âEhâŠwhy?â (Kamui)
He was surprised by the response, and put on a puzzled expression.
âKamui, you are strong. You are strong enough not to lose to those older than you, butâŠâ (Old man)
He turned to look at Liliyn with a his eyes closed smiling.
âThat is something else.â (Old man)
ââŠâŠThat?â (Kamui)
Kamui moved his gaze toward Liliyn in the same way as the old man. Liliyn crossed her arms and opened her mouth.
âThat was a bit rough, rightâŠSivan?â (Liliyn)
Not only Hiiro, but also Silva and Shamoe was surprised by her response. For Liliyn to know someone that even Silva didnât know, it must be a very old friend. From that response, Hiiro also knew why Sivan had looked anxiously at Liliyn.
âYou know herâŠâŠgramps?â (Kamui)
âYes, I didnât expect to meet her again in this place.â (Sivan)
âSame here. For you to still be alive, you must be really stubborn, huh.â (Liliyn)
âHoh hoh hoh, to be greeted in such a manner.â (Sivan)
âHey, you are acquaintances right?â (Hiiro)
They responded to Hiiro by nodding and saying âAhâ
âOnce upon a time, for a little bit. You sure have put on a lot of years.â (Liliyn)
âDo you have any idea how many years have passed since then? Well, you have no idea because you look just like before.â (Sivan)
âImpressive, how do you know?â (Liliyn)
âI knew from your voice and atmosphere. When I lost my sight, I became sensitive to those things.â (Sivan)
ââŠâŠWhat happened to your eyes and legs?â (Liliyn)
Liliyn put on a serious expression while looking at him
ââŠâŠIf it is possible, I donât want you to know.â (Sivan)
âWas it from the monster in the⊠desert?â (Liliyn)
âThatâs right.â (Sivan)
âA person likeâŠyou?â (Liliyn)
âHoh hoh, it is harder to win when you get older. Unlike you.â (Sivan)
âFu~n, itâs only in your case, you received those wounds from protecting someone, right?â (Liliyn)
âGrampsâŠâŠâ (Kamui)
Sivan tried to stop him from interjecting, yet, Kamui interrupted him and continued.
âGrampsâŠâŠprotected meâŠâŠthat was all. I wasâŠtoo weakâŠthat was allâ (Kamui)
At that moment, his expressionless face changed as he raised his eyebrows in a painful expression. From that, they were able to identify the cause of those wounds. When he was fighting the demon, Kamui was targeted so Sivan jumped in to protect him. They were not sure what the demon did after, however, because of that, Sivan had lost his eyes and right leg.
âKamui, my boy. As a chief, you had an obligation to protect the family. I was once the chief as well. Right now, you are the chief of this clan. As a chief, you shouldnât put on such a sad face.â (Sivan)
Even though Sivan cannot see him, he seem to be able to feel Kamuiâs pain.
âStay vigilant and resolute, and become a reliable manâ (Sivan)
âUnâŠI understandâŠsorry.â (Kamui)
âThen, donât apologize so easily eitherâ (Sivan)
Sivan shrugged in amazement.
âSivan, what is the identity of the demon of the desert? Why didnât you take part? If itâs strong thenâŠwait, no, even if it was an SSS Rank, you would still be able to defeat it if you tried. Donât tell me that itâs using some sort of trick. Tell me the real reason.â (Liliyn)
Her words surprised those around them. Of course, Hiiro was surprised as well. The story wasnât the real reason and, like everyone else, he simply looked at Liliyn.
Most members of the Ashura Clan stared at Liliyn vigilantly. Yet, Liliyn completely ignored their stares.
ââŠ.As usual, you canât hide it, can you? You are just as annoying as before, Loli-baba.â (Sivan)
âFu~n, why donât you suffocate to death in ladies underwear like you dreamed about, you old bastard.â (Liliyn)
They stared at each other as they felt explosive sparks being exchanged between them. Everyone around them swallowed uncomfortably. Hiiro and Silva stood silently and observed the scene before them.
(That said, for the Aka-loli to say whatever she wants around that weak old man.) (Hiiro)
Some people would think suffocating in a womenâs underwear is something to enjoy, but to Hiiro it was something sad; very, very, sad.
They were stuck in that position for sometime, then they separated and laughed faintly.
âHoh Hoh Hohâ (Sivan)
âKukukuâ (Liliyn)
When the dark mood suddenly dispersed, everyone around them grew surprised.
âCome with me, guests. I have something to show you allâ (Sivan)
Sivan walked in a certain direction, scraping his leg along the sand. As expected, Hiiro and the group followed behind him soon after.