89 – Welcome to Yongjugal (8)
[Oculius, a creature with many similarities to Earth’s ducks and beavers…]
Tribor looked at Oculius and muttered strange words.
“What nonsense. Where on Earth are these things?”
Did he lose his mind while hibernating in a rock crevice?
Even I, who traveled the world looking for the Ninja Village, have no memory of seeing such a creature. It’s absurd that a robot from outer space is talking about Earth’s living beings.
“Kim Sung-hoon, the ancient warrior, told me himself.”
“There’s no animal called a duck or beaver on Earth. That kid is just weird.”
People with mental illness often see illusions or have bizarre delusions.
“…Let’s assume that’s true. Robin, what about that girl?”
Tribor’s gaze was on Heidi.
Come to think of it, there was a setting that this guy could see souls.
“I know too. Don’t worry and go make a smithy.”
They looked around at the students who had cleared away the debris and become ninjas.
“I have a question, Master.”
From Noble mtl dot com
Lunox raised his hand like a student who wanted to ask his teacher a question.
“Permission granted.”
“What does ‘nin-nin’ mean?”
Now is the time to explain. Now that these guys are official ninjas and not just candidates, they have the right to know.
I didn’t explain this separately, but once someone becomes a ninja, they can never ‘desert’ unless they become a fugitive ninja.
For a ninja running away from their mission, there is only ‘death’.
That means, if they came here just for fun or to fool around.
For the sake of maintaining the security of the perfect ninja village and world peace, I have no choice but to personally kill them.
Coming into the ninja village is free, but when you leave, it’s death.
*Breadth*
I laughed at the crazy comedian.
“…?”
Joker… I’m always keeping an eye on you. Remember that always.
“You can think of it as the basic communication of all ninjas. Heidi, what do you say after you finish eating?”
“…I ate well?”
“That’s right. It may not seem important. It’s just something you say out of obligation or habit.”
“No. It’s to express that I ate deliciously to the person who treated me to the meal…”
“Quiet!”
The cheeky Joker was talking back from somewhere.
“The word ‘Nin-Nin’ we use is for when we need it. It’s used to give a simple answer to someone’s question or to affirm their statement. There are many other uses, but it would be too long to explain them all, so find out on your own.”
Even though it’s a phrase used when I don’t feel like talking, saying it out loud like that would ruin the style, so I kept it a secret.
“And when you launch a surprise attack on the enemy or deliver a decisive blow, you must shout ‘Wazabat!'”
“Nin-Nin.”
Quick learner Lunnocks immediately put it to use, and Maximus took out a piece of paper and wrote down my words.
“…’Wazabat!’ is it? Understood.”
Hook, who is slightly slower, seemed to ponder the meaning of the words and nodded slowly.
“Isn’t it strange? We should keep a surprise attack a secret, so why shout loudly? The same goes for delivering a decisive blow. It would be better to do it quietly, as if hiding a hidden card…”
“Enough. I can’t stand your nonsense anymore.”
This time, Lunnocks interrupted Joker’s words.
“It’s to disorient the enemy. Even calm and skilled warriors often struggle to respond to sudden actions from their opponents. In a fight against an opponent with similar skills, this can be a secret weapon. Don’t question the teachings of the Master.”
“He’s right. Those who have fought on the battlefield for a long time often have remarkable skills in perceiving their opponent’s movements. Some can even see the slightest muscle twitch. If we can catch their attention, even for a moment, by shouting, our chances of winning will increase. It’s a clever method, Master Ninja.”
Maximus quickly accepted Lunnocks’ words.
“-That’s right.”
I was about to explain that it was just a battle cry, but their words seemed more convincing, so I quickly agreed.
“Heh.”
Orpheus suddenly covered his mouth and let out a small laugh. I wondered if he was not feeling well.
“That’s the end of today’s lesson. We still have a lot to do.”
We have to set up the tents, procure food supplies, build toilets, well, there’s a damn lot to do.
It wouldn’t be too late to do combat training afterwards.
“Hey, are you going to sleep here?! Really? It’s not good for your health-“
“Miss, please don’t disturb us and be quiet, okay? You’re not the only one here.”
Hook, with a murderous expression on his face, tightly grabbed Jocker’s shoulder, shaking him.
“Just call me ‘Nin’. Got it?”
His expression was as if he could stab a knife into his belly at any moment.
“Yes…”
Jocker, intimidated by Hook and the other ninjas’ stares, was defeated.
In a village where people have five eyes, the only yokai is unwelcome.
“[You don’t have to sleep here.]”
Treebo, standing quietly like a statue, spoke up.
“What? We can’t sleep outside.”
Even though Yongjugal is a remote place, if they start living outside the cave, it will inevitably attract a lot of attention.
It is most desirable to conduct combat training and solve daily rituals inside the cave.
It’s a bit suffocating to always be in a dark place, so wouldn’t it be enough to occasionally let them see the sunlight?
[It seems we haven’t reached the end of the cave yet. Follow me.]
The tin can robot took heavy steps.
***
“Wow.”
I could only marvel in awe.
The end of Yongjugol, guided by Treebo, was not a dead end blocked by rocks.
There were two openings big enough for adult men to enter.
Sunlight coming through the openings didn’t seem like a dimensional portal.
“Follow me.”
Without sensing anything particular, I ran ahead hastily.
After about ten steps, the scenery in front of me suddenly transformed.
“Nin-nin.”
At the end of the cave was a breathtakingly beautiful natural environment, rivaling that of New Zealand.
A pristine ecosystem untouched by human hands.
“Wow… It’s incredibly vast, isn’t it?”
“There are trees, grass. Oh, isn’t that a rabbit?”
“And there seems to be a lake over there?”
The ninjas looked around, their eyes darting.
“It’s a hole the miners dug. It seems like it’s used as an emergency exit.”
“Nin-nin.”
I remember hearing voices of people talking about escape routes when the cave collapsed about 30% during the battle at the Aioji mine.
“The mine entrance was collapsed. It seems like Arachne also flowed in this direction.”
It’s a plausible guess.
To become a partner of a runaway ninja like this, you have to not only do miscellaneous tasks but also use your head.
Because he’s always a busy runaway ninja, he needs a high-performance partner, not a girlfriend.
“From now on, this place is Yongjugal, and the cave is the training ground.”
I thought it could be used like a real village, so I allowed it for now.
Just like the tail of a fox, if you don’t see the sunlight and only eat caterpillars, the Yongjugal ninjas might suffer from baldness like bald instructors or have stunted growth like stunted plants.
I don’t want to create mutant deformed ninjas.
“In the cave, we’ll do combat training, and in Yongjugal, we’ll have leisure time.”
“Nin-nin!”
“Ew.”
I ordered them to set up my tent first.
“We’ll take care of it.”
“Leave it to us. This guy and I are good at this kind of thing.”
Some ninjas with decent hand skills took out various things from their bags and quickly made them.
“Great.”
Except for the four who passed the special selection, all the ninjas are mana users. But that doesn’t mean they’re all combat personnel.
There were ninjas with blacksmithing skills like these ninjas, and there were those who were skilled in gathering or collecting things.
Heidi didn’t clean the cave alone. It was possible because there were people with various skills who swept and cleaned the floor, removed fallen rocks, and did a thorough cleaning.
As a ninja “village,” not a ninja “combat organization,” it’s better to have a variety of occupations.
If there are any lacking occupations, we can recruit them from outside later. It would be nice to kidnap a small-time crook with light offenses and use him as a lifelong laborer.
It would be great to tie them up and raise them in the cave along with livestock.
“For the next three days, we’ll focus on adapting to Yongjugal and tidying up. Make sure everything is neat and tasteful. Let’s get to work!”
After finishing the last command, Orphe and I entered the tent together. I noticed a folding bed and quickly lay down.
“You say to do it on our own…but I don’t think I can. Can I give you a few instructions?”
“That’s fine.”
In response to my answer, Orphe sat at the end of the bed, slightly unbalanced. The bed creaked, as if its balance had been disrupted.
“Two people can sleep on it.”
Feeling sorry for sleeping on the floor, I decided to make some room. It wasn’t awkward since we had shared a bed at home.
Of course, we didn’t sleep close together. We kept a reasonable distance.
Sometimes, Orphe would complain about being cold and snuggle up. But I would politely push them away, explaining that I have a warm body.
Those with a Taeyumin constitution would understand, but it’s hard to tolerate heat even if you don’t mind the cold.
After pushing them away, Orphe seemed to become strangely gloomy or quiet because of the cold. I even covered them with a blanket, so why did their mood change?
“Nin-nin.”
Of course, everything I said so far was just a joke.
As a politically correct ninja, I can’t mess with Orphe, who is underage.
There may be an opportunity in the future, but not now.
“Um, should I…?”
Orphe cautiously lay down next to the bed. Their movements were as careful as a cat trying to climb onto a stove.
“I’ll do some meditation.”
I closed my eyes and brought my hands together. As distractions faded away, my body began to feel lethargic, almost as if I could see the face of Buddha.
…Should I teach helicopter swordsmanship to Lunox? They seem like they would use it well.