“Innocia, is this your house?” Aliester asked as he surveyed the strange structure.
Unlike the castle that they lived in, the houses in this realm looked different. They had seen box like houses made of concrete and with triangular roof. There were other houses that were two storey tall, but this house in particular was unique.
This one was mainly made of wood. The roof was shaped differently and the structure was very different from the houses that they are used to. It was huge but not as huge as the castle back at their realm.
“Sorry, it is not a castle.” The girl apologized as she led them inside the gate. “I cannot afford to build a castle here and this is the only home my foster parent can afford.”
She slid the door open and let the men took off their footwear. “Please put your shoes here. We cannot bring them upstairs. It is considered impolite in this culture.” She explained when the men just looked at her.
However, before they can enter the door towards the next room, Aliester stepped on something and an arrow swiftly flew towards him. Innocia was quick to act. She managed to catch the arrow and broke it in half.
“Are you sure this is your house?” Daxton asked as he got ready for another attack headed their way.
“Yes. This is where I live.” The girl replied. ”Only I forgot that my mistress kept a couple of traps for me.”
“Traps?”
“Why would she do that?”
Conrad and Blaze asked simultaneously.
Before Innocia could answer, the floor board gave way when she stepped.
“Innocia!” Aliester shouted as he tried to grab his younger cousin but the only thing he caught was air.
Since Aliester was not able to grab her in time, Innocia threw a thin string which attached itself to a wooden beam. She swung herself and landed perfectly to the other side. Then the girl pressed a button. In an instant the floorboard went back into place.
“I am really sorry about this.” She apologized as she made sure that the others can pass through the hallway safely. “These are part of my training.”
“Training? For what?” Daxton asked while keeping his guard up. “Surely these types of drills are not for knights.”
“I aim to be a Shinobi.” She replied as she stopped a few more knives from hitting her companions.
“Shinobi?”
“Yes. A shinobi. It is a person who works in the darkness or in short a shadow.”
“Sorry. I don’t think I understand.”
The girl stopped before turning towards them to explain. “We do not have such a term in our realm. But if I compare, the closest thing to being a shinobi would be an assassin.”
“You aim to be an assassin?” the wizard asked in disbelief. “You are a princess and yet you wanted to do such a filthy work.”
But before Innocia could explain further, the door slid open and a woman emerged. “Okaerinasai, Datura-chan!”
“Tadaima, Kuroe-san!” the girl greeted back.
“Looks like you managed to pass through my traps this time. You are improving.“ Kuroe complimented. “However, I am a bit puzzled since I can hear several footsteps approaching.”
Kuroe looked behind the younger girl and narrowed her eyes at the males who are gawking at her.
Innocia could not blame them. Kuroe looked like a deity with her alabaster skin, long flowing black locks and almond shaped brown eyes.
“Karera wa anata no tomodachi desu ka?? Cosplayers? ” she asked as she eyed their unusual clothing filled with dried blood stains. One of them was carrying an unsheathed sword.
“Hai desu, Boku wa tomodachi desu. Cosplaying suki da.” the girl replied while naming her companions.
“Hajimemashite!” the woman greeted. “Watashi wa Haru Kuroe.”
The males just stared awkwardly at her.
“They are foreigners.” Innocia explained.
“Oh. Hello!” Kuroe tried once again in English. “My name is Kuroe. Please make yourselves at home.”
To show respect, the men took turns kissing her hand which surprised Kuroe.
“They are funny. Make yourselves at home, gentlemen.” She said before taking her suitcase. “Datura, I will be out for a while. You know what to do. Do not set the place on fire like the last time you cook.”
When the woman left, the princess and her companions were left on their own.
“Innocia, that lady Kuroe, who is she?” Blaze could not help but ask.
“Interested?” Aliester teased.
The wizard blushed as he answered. “Of course not. I am just curious. There is something in her that unsettles me.”
“She was the one who found me when I came into this realm five years ago. She accepted me without delving too much into my past. Aside from providing me a home, she also taught me things in order to survive.”
Just then the phone rang which made the boys jump. Daxton drew his sword and pointed it at the ringing device.
“Monster!” the knight shouted as he tried to protect the others.
“Easy there, tiger.” Innocia made the knight lower his weapon. “It is just a phone.”
She made her way near the device and answered it. “Moshi moshi! Hai”
After talking, she put the phone down and explained. “This is a phone. In this realm, people use this to communicate to others who are in long distances.
“Daxton you may put your sword away. No one will hurt you here.”
The knight sheathed his sword and Innocia took it.
“Speaking of sword-what was that sword you were carrying?” Aliester asked as he let the girl keep their weapons.
“That was a katana.” She replied. Then with her right hand raised, she muttered. “Materialize.”
A sheathed sword appeared before her. She handed it to her cousin.
“It is light weight.” The duke’s son muttered as he inspected the sword. When he drew it out, he noticed that it has a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip.
“Careful, it is sharp.” Innocia warned. “That blade is designed to cut people in half. But nowadays, they are mainly for ceremonies and decorations.”
“Why?”
“Wartime has been over for many decades in this realm. So they don’t need these weapons. Plus, with modern technology, there are more advanced weapons that were made.”
After explaining about the katana, Innocia had to tell them about the other things that caught their curiosity. Most items were foreign to them and hence, they asked questions every now and then.
Innocia shook her head. These guys were behaving like she did when she first came into this realm. Taking note of the time, she called their attention. “It is already seven. You need to freshen up. We need to talk about your problem.”
Innocia led them to a huge bath, which had steam rising from the water. “Get rid of your clothing-I’ll find some clean clothes in the dojo.”
When they took off their upper garments, Innocia noticed the awkward protrusion on Conrad’s shoulder. “Blaze better fix his majesty’s shoulder before it could get worse.” She reminded the wizard before she left them to bathe on their own.
After fixing Conrad’s shoulder, the males entered the bath.
“Hot bath!” Conrad relaxed as he submerged in the hot water. “perfect for my aching muscles.”
“I can’t believe that I could have this luxury after such a long time.” Daxton muttered.
“Glad we found the princess.”
“Only problem is to convince her to come back home.”
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