“K… Kenji… aargh!” Yoichi uttered, using the little air in his lungs. His Nekage seemed to suffer a lot, and with its feline paws, it pressed on its scaled chest.

With a slight twist of his torso, Yoichi lay down with his eyes turned upwards, believing that in that way, he would be able to relieve the severe pain. ​​

Before he could perform any other action, blood writing appeared on the ceiling of the room.

‘Train a demon or die forever: 12 hours left.’

What?! Only twelve hours?! How much did I sleep?! He thought, frightened. His heart began to beat forcefully, irregularly. Each beat seemed to be powerful enough to break through his rib cage.

“Aaargh… stop it! Please! I can’t take it anymore!” he murmured to the extreme of his strengths. Unable to shake, with his hand pressed on his chest, Yoichi began to cry.

Suddenly, for no apparent reason, the severe pain disappeared.

*anf*anf* – Yoichi breathed heavily, getting out of bed. The young tamer touched his chest and legs, not believing that he could move again. Before his eyes, Kenji also seemed to be back to normal.

His frightened red eyes crossed its master’s gaze as if they wanted to communicate something to him. Yoichi’s hearing, which until a moment earlier was totally stuffed due to the whistle in his head caused by that excruciating pain, finally succeeded to pick up the external sounds.

“Tweet, tweet!” Sora chirped again, waking Enatsu.

The merchant opened his eyes, moving his arms on the soft bed. The two adventurers had slept longer than expected precisely because of that mattress, so comfortable that it held their tired bodies after the time.

“Ohi… Yoichi” Enatsu whispered, his eyes still sticky. “What’s that face? You seem to have seen death in person,” he yawned.

“What is the easiest demon to catch?” Yoichi asked, looking out the window.

“Eh? Good morning to you too!” the merchant exclaimed, sitting on the bed and scratching his head. “I can’t give you an answer now, off the bat… I should think about it and…”

“If it weren’t urgent, I wouldn’t have asked you that way. Don’t you think?” Yoichi coldly insisted, glaring at his friend. Enatsu sensed the intense tension and stood up, worried.

“I will never understand why you are in such a hurry… okay, so… if I remember correctly, the Bronzeforest is home to bucks of wild Inoshumas” he answered, lifting his cloak off the ground and scrolling away the dust. “The Inoshuma is a peaceful demon, very close to a horse, but equipped with long fangs… like those of wild boars, to be clear…” Enatsu continued, trying to access the archive of his mind despite having just woken up.

“What’s the fastest way to get to the Bronzeforest? The same gates we came from, right?” Yoichi inquired, beginning to get dressed.

“Um, no. We came from Ambershire, entering through the Main Gates, the entrance west of Goldhaven. The quickest way to get to Bronzeforest is through the North Gates, passing next to the Tamer District walls,” Enatsu explained. “So you decided you didn’t want to meet the Nightblades guild master anymore?”

“No, on the contrary,” Yoichi countered. “I don’t want to introduce myself to him with just my Oracle. I’m sure owning more than one demon will increase my credibility. Remember, Enatsu… with the imperial symbol, I should be able to access any guild and… I think the first impression is the most important one,” he replied promptly, inventing a credible excuse on the spot.

“Mmh… well, Inoshumas are not excellent fighters but can be used as mounts. Entering the Tamer District riding a mighty Inoshuma could enrich your rag farmer-look, admittedly,” Enatsu thought out loud, touching his beard. “No offence, Yoichi.”

“No offence. I look like a farmer because I’m dressed like one of them, but imagine if they saw me riding, with my dagger in my belt and a good deal of self-esteem. All these elements would only increase my credibility, right?”

“Yes, that’s probably the case, ” Enatsu commented with a suspicious air. The young merchant did not believe Yoichi’s words within himself, but he knew that capturing an Inoshuma was a relatively simple, risk-free thing.

“There is no time to waste then. Let’s go to the North Gates and look for one of those demons, come on!” Yoichi dictated, clenching his fist to instil courage on his friend.

The two adventurers got dressed and recovered all their scattered things on the floor of the old room. Enatsu looked at the bed, touching it for one last time and greeting it as an old friend.

“I will miss you, magnificent bed with proverbial softness” he whispered with his eyes closed as if he uttered the words of a sacred rite.

“Haha… I’m sure you will sleep on other beds like these if you keep travelling with me. Remember that if we came in here, in this little joint’s best room, it’s only thanks to Princess Sui. You didn’t even want to save her,” Yoichi commented, walking out the door.

“What? And who was the guy who started running with a torch in his hand to help you? Do you know him, by any chance?” Enatsu replied, jokingly referring to Sui’s rescue.

Upon arriving on the ground floor of the White Rose, the two adventurers noticed that the main room was deserted. The old innkeeper was not there, as he had announced that night.

Yoichi placed the golden key on the wooden counter, taking one last look at that strange but cosy place.

“Goodbye and thank you!” he mumbled, though no one but Enatsu could hear his words.

The late morning sun was already shining high in the sky, illuminating the charming Goldhaven neighbourhood. Colourful flowers and plants of all kinds adorned the corners of the palaces and the balconies of white stone.

“This city becomes more beautiful every day. Living here would be a dream, don’t you think?” Enatsu said. The merchant followed his friend and breathed that clean air with his lungs.

“It wouldn’t hurt, it’s true. But when I’ll help Sui escape the Imperial Palace, it may not be the best solution,” Yoichi chuckled, thinking intensely about his promise.