I stood and faced the man who’d just accused me of treachery. He was a head taller than me, and his dark eyes betrayed no fear.
“My tongue will do whatever it wants,” I said.
“Not if it’s cut from your mouth.”
“How dare you threaten me?”
“How dare you threaten the emperor?”
“I never threatened the emperor.”
A girl approached. She was short and petite, and her white shirt and skirt were almost entirely see-through. She had delicate skin, white hair, and carried an aura of fragility.
She opened her hand. A whip materialized in it, made entirely of water.
“Is this man causing you trouble, Master?”
The blond man turned to her. “Shut your mouth, you cretin. Do you think someone so base could ever cause me trouble?”
“I am sorry, Master.”
“If I needed a weapon, I would conjure it myself. And if I need you, I will call for you.”
“Yes, Master. Please forgive me.” The girl glared at me. Then she slinked away and stood several paces back. She had such mesmerizing gray eyes.
Ayla rose and stood behind me. She whispered in my ear, “Look at the crest on his collar. He works for the prince.”
The crest on his collar featured a curved sword beneath three moons.
“So you’re one of the prince’s goons.” I gave him my best snicker. “Good. I was hoping to meet one of you.”
“’Goons?’ You will watch your words when addressing an esteemed minister.”
“There’s nothing esteemed about you. You denigrated a woman who obviously cares for you. You intruded upon a couple happily having dinner and discussing their dreams.”
“Dreams that would see the emperor replaced with you. I’ll not allow such talk in my presence.”
All the diners in the cave were staring our way. So were the servers, who seemed unwilling to intervene.
“Let’s take this outside,” I said.
“All right with me.”
We walked outside the dining cave and onto a tree-lined pathway. Ayla followed at my back. The blond-haired man’s gray-eyed servant followed him, though kept several paces behind.
Perhaps I could try a more conciliatory tone to defuse things. After all, we were trying to enjoy our time at this onsen, and violence would disrupt that.
“My name is Remy,” I said. “Perhaps we got off on the wrong start.”
“I piss on your name. You’ll come with me and face justice for your words.”
“Justice for mere words? I was only telling my lovely lady my most fanciful dreams. Obviously I could never make them a reality. I’m sure you understanding what dreams are to a man?”
“I couldn’t care less. I can tell you’re a foreigner to this world. That makes you dangerous. A dangerous man with dangerous words.”
“And what about you? Can you wield the power of water, like her?”
He chuckled. “I don’t owe you any answers. You don’t want to make things difficult. I’m taking you to the prince.”
“The only place I’m going is back in that cave to finish my dinner. I dare you to try and take me anywhere else.”
I conjured my wind hammer. The blond-haired man stepped back.
“Master Saran,” the petite, gray-eyed young woman said as she stepped forward. “Please be care—”
He backhanded her. She cried out and fell on her behind. That got my blood boiling. How dare he hit her?
“What did I just say, Tara? I don’t need you to do anything but wash my feet and clean up after me.”
“You’re a real piece of shit,” I said. “I was willing to let you walk away. But now… now I’m going to fuck you up.”
“Hmph. You’re really deluded, aren’t you? Think you can defeat me and the entire empire?”
“No one gets in my way. And no one hits a woman in my presence.”
“Think what I just did to her is bad? Her life is worth less than an insect’s. I can do whatever I want to her and her cursed kind. There is no law forbidding it.”
“There will be, once I take the throne.”
“There it is.” Saran conjured a water whip. “Spouting treachery in the open. I’ll have to lash you unconscious. Then I’ll drag you to prison. Oh, and I’ll enslave your lovely green-haired wench.”
Ayla conjured her wind hammer, too. I turned to her. “Let me handle this.”
She shook her head. “No way. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I won’t let this asshole hurt you.”
I got on the balls of my feet, ready to dash toward Saran and send him flying. Then footsteps sounded on the pathway, and another man appeared, walking past Tara and coming to Saran’s side.
He was dark-haired but garbed in similar brocade, with these gold-specked pointy shoes that resembled my own, but obviously of better material.
“Saran, have you forgotten who owns this resort?” he said. “If you start a fight here, it’ll scare off his best customers. Then I’ll never hear the end of it.”
Saran turned to him. “Leric, would you really let treachery go unpunished?”
“This is not the time nor place to punish treachery.” Leric glared at me. “We’ll find this cretin out there in the wilds. And when we do, he’ll get his due, and so will the creatures in his harem.”
Saran sighed in disappointment. His water whip disappeared as he made a fist.
“It’s your lucky day,” he said. “Take your woman and get out. I’ll give you a day’s head start. But tomorrow, once I’m happy and full and have checked out from this fine establishment, I’ll be hunting you.”
I shook my head. “The thing is, Saran, I don’t actually care what the other customers here think. I’m not letting you walk away with her.” I pointed at Tara, who was looking right at me.
He chuckled. “You’re not letting me walk away? What kind of joke is this?”
“You’re obviously not soulbonded to her since she’s a curseborn, yet you’re able to draw power from her. I bet that means what you’re using to do that isn’t as permanent as a soulbond.”
Ayla whispered in my ear, “Look at his ring. The one with the sapphire. It’s what allows him to draw power from nearby water elementals.”
The sapphire ring was on his left ring finger. All I had to do was cut it off. I could freeze him with an Ice Blast, then use my ice katana to do the deed.
I conjured an Ice Blast and palmed it toward Saran. Leric jumped in the way and held his palm out. My Ice Blast crashed into a black forcefield that projected from Leric’s hand.
He gestured for Saran to walk away.
“You must’ve paid a lot for your night here,” Leric said. “I’ll give you a few hours to calm yourself in the hot spring. Then you will leave here and never return. With your loose tongue, you’ve made some powerful enemies. You will assuredly come to regret it.”
“No, Leric, you’re the one who’ll suffer regret. You don’t know me. You haven’t even assessed what I’m capable of. That makes you just as much a fool as your friend. I will remake this world. You still have time to get on my good side. The sooner you do it, the better it will be for you.”
I’d said enough. And I wasn’t just going to let Saran walk away to wherever he could abuse Tara. He’d said he would be hunting me. No. I’d be hunting him. I’d make it my mission to cut off that ring finger and free Tara.
I stood and faced the man who’d just accused me of treachery. He was a head taller than me, and his dark eyes betrayed no fear.
“My tongue will do whatever it wants,” I said.
“Not if it’s cut from your mouth.”
“How dare you threaten me?”
“How dare you threaten the emperor?”
“I never threatened the emperor.”
A girl approached. She was short and petite, and her white shirt and skirt were almost entirely see-through. She had delicate skin, white hair, and carried an aura of fragility.
She opened her hand. A whip materialized in it, made entirely of water.
“Is this man causing you trouble, Master?”
The blond man turned to her. “Shut your mouth, you cretin. Do you think someone so base could ever cause me trouble?”
“I am sorry, Master.”
“If I needed a weapon, I would conjure it myself. And if I need you, I will call for you.”
“Yes, Master. Please forgive me.” The girl glared at me. Then she slinked away and stood several paces back. She had such mesmerizing gray eyes.
Ayla rose and stood behind me. She whispered in my ear, “Look at the crest on his collar. He works for the prince.”
The crest on his collar featured a curved sword beneath three moons.
“So you’re one of the prince’s goons.” I gave him my best snicker. “Good. I was hoping to meet one of you.”
“’Goons?’ You will watch your words when addressing an esteemed minister.”
“There’s nothing esteemed about you. You denigrated a woman who obviously cares for you. You intruded upon a couple happily having dinner and discussing their dreams.”
“Dreams that would see the emperor replaced with you. I’ll not allow such talk in my presence.”
All the diners in the cave were staring our way. So were the servers, who seemed unwilling to intervene.
“Let’s take this outside,” I said.
“All right with me.”
We walked outside the dining cave and onto a tree-lined pathway. Ayla followed at my back. The blond-haired man’s gray-eyed servant followed him, though kept several paces behind.
Perhaps I could try a more conciliatory tone to defuse things. After all, we were trying to enjoy our time at this onsen, and violence would disrupt that.
“My name is Remy,” I said. “Perhaps we got off on the wrong start.”
“I piss on your name. You’ll come with me and face justice for your words.”
“Justice for mere words? I was only telling my lovely lady my most fanciful dreams. Obviously I could never make them a reality. I’m sure you understanding what dreams are to a man?”
“I couldn’t care less. I can tell you’re a foreigner to this world. That makes you dangerous. A dangerous man with dangerous words.”
“And what about you? Can you wield the power of water, like her?”
He chuckled. “I don’t owe you any answers. You don’t want to make things difficult. I’m taking you to the prince.”
“The only place I’m going is back in that cave to finish my dinner. I dare you to try and take me anywhere else.”
I conjured my wind hammer. The blond-haired man stepped back.
“Master Saran,” the petite, gray-eyed young woman said as she stepped forward. “Please be care—”
He backhanded her. She cried out and fell on her behind. That got my blood boiling. How dare he hit her?
“What did I just say, Tara? I don’t need you to do anything but wash my feet and clean up after me.”
“You’re a real piece of shit,” I said. “I was willing to let you walk away. But now… now I’m going to fuck you up.”
“Hmph. You’re really deluded, aren’t you? Think you can defeat me and the entire empire?”
“No one gets in my way. And no one hits a woman in my presence.”
“Think what I just did to her is bad? Her life is worth less than an insect’s. I can do whatever I want to her and her cursed kind. There is no law forbidding it.”
“There will be, once I take the throne.”
“There it is.” Saran conjured a water whip. “Spouting treachery in the open. I’ll have to lash you unconscious. Then I’ll drag you to prison. Oh, and I’ll enslave your lovely green-haired wench.”
Ayla conjured her wind hammer, too. I turned to her. “Let me handle this.”
She shook her head. “No way. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I won’t let this asshole hurt you.”
I got on the balls of my feet, ready to dash toward Saran and send him flying. Then footsteps sounded on the pathway, and another man appeared, walking past Tara and coming to Saran’s side.
He was dark-haired but garbed in similar brocade, with these gold-specked pointy shoes that resembled my own, but obviously of better material.
“Saran, have you forgotten who owns this resort?” he said. “If you start a fight here, it’ll scare off his best customers. Then I’ll never hear the end of it.”
Saran turned to him. “Leric, would you really let treachery go unpunished?”
“This is not the time nor place to punish treachery.” Leric glared at me. “We’ll find this cretin out there in the wilds. And when we do, he’ll get his due, and so will the creatures in his harem.”
Saran sighed in disappointment. His water whip disappeared as he made a fist.
“It’s your lucky day,” he said. “Take your woman and get out. I’ll give you a day’s head start. But tomorrow, once I’m happy and full and have checked out from this fine establishment, I’ll be hunting you.”
I shook my head. “The thing is, Saran, I don’t actually care what the other customers here think. I’m not letting you walk away with her.” I pointed at Tara, who was looking right at me.
He chuckled. “You’re not letting me walk away? What kind of joke is this?”
“You’re obviously not soulbonded to her since she’s a curseborn, yet you’re able to draw power from her. I bet that means what you’re using to do that isn’t as permanent as a soulbond.”
Ayla whispered in my ear, “Look at his ring. The one with the sapphire. It’s what allows him to draw power from nearby water elementals.”
The sapphire ring was on his left ring finger. All I had to do was cut it off. I could freeze him with an Ice Blast, then use my ice katana to do the deed.
I conjured an Ice Blast and palmed it toward Saran. Leric jumped in the way and held his palm out. My Ice Blast crashed into a black forcefield that projected from Leric’s hand.
He gestured for Saran to walk away.
“You must’ve paid a lot for your night here,” Leric said. “I’ll give you a few hours to calm yourself in the hot spring. Then you will leave here and never return. With your loose tongue, you’ve made some powerful enemies. You will assuredly come to regret it.”
“No, Leric, you’re the one who’ll suffer regret. You don’t know me. You haven’t even assessed what I’m capable of. That makes you just as much a fool as your friend. I will remake this world. You still have time to get on my good side. The sooner you do it, the better it will be for you.”
I’d said enough. And I wasn’t just going to let Saran walk away to wherever he could abuse Tara. He’d said he would be hunting me. No. I’d be hunting him. I’d make it my mission to cut off that ring finger and free Tara.
