86 – Welcome to Yongjugal (5)
The street in front of the inn “The Place with Delicious Seasoned Chicken” in the Silibun Territory.
From a distance, two knights watched the place filled with numerous people. Simultaneously, they opened their mouths.
“Sister.”
“Kanghae.”
The gazes of the left sword and the right sword intersected. At the end of their vision, there was a man who was called an escaped ninja.
“From now on, you are not ninja trainees, but ninja candidates! The current candidates are nothing more than improperly cooked ingredients! They are like octopus with flour dough and cabbage stuck all over them! I will turn you into takoyaki! For those who don’t know what takoyaki is…”
The voice of a man wearing a black hood on his head and neck echoed through the streets. It was a thunderous voice that made the woman in the front row run away to the back row.
Standing next to the escaped ninja, a woman with blue hair raised her hands and covered her ears. Her expression was calm.
“What would be the winning percentage if we attacked together?”
“Unreasonable talk.”
The older sister, the right sword, lightly tapped her younger sister’s back.
Bang-!
The sound that came was merciless, but at least it was a playful joke to them.
“You’ve never fought against someone with that level of skill.”
The left sword shrugged her shoulders.
“…About 30%. If we’re lucky, 40%.”
“Is that all? Did you calculate it excluding the princess?”
Strictly speaking, Orpheus was no longer a princess, but Kanghae didn’t bother to point that out.
“If we underestimate it, it drops to 20%.”
“I didn’t underestimate it. It feels much lower, so I vomited it out.”
“Accept reality.”
“I can make your hair look really pretty, Unni.”
The two sisters, quietly conversing, were the newly appointed Seven Swordmasters.
Their mission this time was to protect the runaway ninja and maintain public order. On the surface, that was the case, but the real reason was different.
The superhuman who had single-handedly defeated the monsters that sought to dominate the world had begun to gather power.
The recruitment notice stated that they were gathering people to train disciples, but not everyone believed those words.
– Aren’t they trying to build a faction? Of course, we must stop them!
– Where is the guarantee that they won’t incite rebellion? We must not permit it!
– Isn’t it true that the kingdom and the runaway ninja are not officially in a cooperative relationship? I’m worried about this…
– What are the Swordmasters and the Seven Swordmasters doing?
To calm the anxious nobles, they had to at least show a symbolic surveillance.
“Only the old ones are still alive with their mouths.”
The Left Swordmaster quietly clicked her tongue.
Four of the Seven Swordmasters, who were the core of the Swordmaster Association, had lost their lives. Many high-ranking officers who had been tortured were in a cooperative relationship with the Red Whale Matap.
Since there were not just one or two nobles who took advantage of this opportunity to tear them apart, it was inevitable that the power held by the Swordmaster Association would be diminished.
“By the way, how are you doing?”
The younger sister, who had lost interest in surveillance, asked her older sister.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m sleepy. Let’s go home.”
“Just a little longer.”
“Unni, you know.”
The left-handed swordsman pointed his finger at the man in the black robe standing in front of the inn. His eyes were fixed on the location where the sisters were hiding.
“Surveillance or protection is meaningless.”
It was clear that the two Chilgeom Swords sensed their presence as soon as they arrived. The sisters were aware of this too.
“…”
“Go and write a report.”
It was when the left-handed swordsman scratched his head.
“Seasoned chicken.”
“What?”
“Sagaja.”
“Or something like that…”
The two women slowly stood up.
***
Now that the selection of ninja candidates was over, they had to save the ninja village.
It was a time-consuming task as they had to meet several conditions, but luckily, I knew just the right place for the ninja village.
The Neoneo Solitron’s AIOJI mine.
It was the place where I stopped Joseph’s child abuse, who liked ginseng candy, and helped the White Dolphin organization members, including Bianca.
Thanks to Jade’s rebellion, we lost it quickly, but we also took the clone ninja doll from there.
From Noble mtl dot com
Now, that abandoned mine was the perfect place for the new generation ninja village.
“Are you ready?”
It meant whether we had indeed bought the ownership of the AIOJI that the kingdom had.
“…Sure.”
Orpheus showed a lukewarm response and handed me a document. He looked tired, as if he hadn’t slept well.
“Of course, Vin.”
I just answered in his place.
Well, I guess it’s understandable since he’s been going back and forth between Silibon and Neo-Neo-Solitron by himself. It must have been exhausting.
I wanted to go with him, but there was nothing I could do. Someone had to take care of the 50 or so candidates here.
Orpheus was the one who insisted on coming all the way here, even though I just asked him to send a letter. So, it’s not my fault.
“Candidates, board the carriage!”
The candidates who had been watching us closely one by one got on the carriage. It was quite a spectacle to see over ten carriages moving at once.
“You did a great job.”
Before I could say anything, I gently patted Orpheus, who was lying down on the cushion of the carriage, and climbed up onto the carriage.
This way, the candidates can see me through the window too.
“Our goal is the AIOG of Neo-Neo-Solitron! The Ninja Village is there!”
I raised the Ninja Doll high.
That’s right. It’s not just a Ninja Doll, it’s a “Runaway Ninja Doll”.
The Ninja Doll I’ve been using all along was split in half and died after the fight with the Heavenly Demon Monika and that Nouveau-Pierre guy.
There was a time when I lost the Ninja Doll and went to a different dimension because of Nouveau-Pierre’s conspiracy. When I asked if the Ninja Doll was okay, Treebo lied and said it was fine.
Maybe it was to reassure me or something.
This Ninja Doll is a super special one that Treebo brought me, after finding a sword just like the Ninja Doll’s and modifying it specifically for me.
After illegal modifications by the Scrap Robot, it became so heavy that ordinary people couldn’t lift it, but it didn’t pose any problem for me to use.
Performance, well, there’s no need to say anything.
If I had to say one thing, it’s amazing.
“Wow!”
Carriages departing with the cheers of the candidates.
If it wasn’t for being inside the carriage, they would have sent me countless requests for handshakes.
“Heh.”
I shook my head and went back into the carriage. Orpheus, who must have been tired, fell asleep quickly. The problem is that she’s occupying the seat where I should be sitting…
It’s cute how she’s sleeping peacefully, but I still have things to do.
“Hey, that’s my seat.”
I lifted Orpheus, who had invaded my seat. I raised her slumped body up to the backrest and sat down.
The cushion feels really comfortable.
Thump.
Suddenly, Orpheus’s head, which attacked my thigh, catches my eye.
It’s troublesome even though I corrected her posture.
Orpheus’s hair tickles my finger as it sways with the jolting carriage.
“Hmm…”
After making a groaning sound, the intruder buries her face in my thigh.
Her disheveled appearance, different from usual, is amusing, so I decided to watch her a little longer.
“…”
I wonder how much time has passed.
“We’ve arrived!”
“Is this Iowa? It looks like a mine.”
“That’s nonsense. It’s supposed to be a town. How can a mine be a town?”
“Where is the ninja village?”
“Oops.”
The murmurs of the candidates grew louder.
“Wake up.”
Orphe tapped on the forehead, like knocking on their parents’ door.
“Ah…you’re here?”
The sleepyhead stood up and tidied their hair with a vacant expression.
There was no soul in their voice or in their eyes. The ninja candidates must not see them like this.
As my partner, I must only show them a cool appearance.
“You were drooling while you were sleeping.”
“R-really?”
They wiped near their mouth and glanced at my thigh quietly.
“…No way.”
“It’s all dried up.”
“Lies.”
“It’s true.”
Just wake up already.
Clap, clap, clap-!
He stepped outside the carriage after clapping his hands for the still unruly candidates.
“Candidates, fists up!”
“They must be drawing attention. Idiots.”
Ignoring Orpheus, he continued speaking.
“This place is Aioji, the village of our ninjas!”
He pointed at the mine. The entrance looked a bit shabby, probably because it had collapsed, but the inside was spacious enough, so it was fine.
“What?”
“That ruined mine over there?”
“You fool, there must be some fantastic magic installed.”
“I live nearby, and that’s definitely a mine.”
“What?”
“It is. The runaway ninja killed a second-class employee of Matap here.”
“Ew.”
“Who made that disgusting sound?”
There was too much noise. The likes of Lunox or Maximos were quiet, but these mediocre guys were talkative.
“Who said to make noise!!!”
Kwaaah-!
If things continued like this, he had no choice but to load mana and summon the Lion’s Roar.
“Ugh, what a strange energy.”
“I am not human…”
“Indeed, Master…!”
Runeux, who spoke last, was trembling.
After a moment of commotion, I looked around at the quiet ninja trainees.
“You are not brats, but ninja trainees. You must have the appropriate dignity.”
Now was the time to speak.
“This place will be where trainees eat, sleep, relieve themselves, and bathe.”
I pointed to the mine again. This time, there was no noise.
“As you can see, this place is not yet ready to accept us.”
Even I could see that it was a complete mess.
“So, starting today, our task is to… this ninja village… Wait a moment.”
Come to think of it, we haven’t named the ninja village.
Even the corrupt ninja village had a fancy name like “Sagal’s Tail.”
“Ninja Village Aioji… No.”
The name of the village made from the Aioji Mine is Aioji itself. That’s too simple.
There are many people waiting for me to continue speaking, so I don’t have time.
“…Just say any cool word.”
I asked Orphe in a soft voice.
I need cool words like ‘black’, ‘ninja’, ‘machine’, ‘dinosaur’.
But it can’t be Black-Machine-Ninja-Dinosaur Village.
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t say that.”
“You liar.”
“What?”
“Lie using the name of the village.”
They’re still sulking. If they continue like this, I have no choice.
…
The tail of a snake. It means the tail of a snake and a scorpion.
As a third-rate ninja organization that only gathers mediocre scraps, they chose the tail as their symbol, neither the head of a snake nor the head of a scorpion.
My ninja village… should be better than this.
“Dragon.”
Yes. The head of a dragon (yongdu) is better than the tail of a snake (sami).
But as the leader of this village, I am not just an ordinary dragon but a disciple of a great Buddha. I need a more extraordinary brat…
“Dragon Lord.”
Yes. At least they should be of the level called Dragon Lord (Dragon Road) who is known as the owner of dragons.
“Dragon Lord Two.”
Idiot. Should I just use bones instead of a head? The skull that makes up the head is also a bone, so it can be considered the same concept.
“Dragon Lord Skull.”
Good, I’ve decided.
“From today, the candidates will clean the Dragon Lord Skull of the ninja village!”