Genesis Studio
Dowd Campbell was a strange person.
If someone were to ask Riru about him, she’d have nothing more to say other than that.
One could see how strange he was just by seeing what he was doing right now, in the middle of the sea where storms raged and massive waves splashed.
“Pull the side brake there. And turn the wheel to port by thirty degrees.”
“...What is a side brake?”
“You just have to press the button to the left of the helm.”
He acted as if he had been handling Tribal Alliance ships for more than a dozen years.
At first, she was running around, trying to help here and there, but now, she sat quietly with a petulant expression.
“...”
Once again, she confirmed how strange of a person he was.
Not only did he know about the existence of Law Power, something that only a few people in the whole Tribal Alliance could control, he could also handle the boat like a professional. The same boat that was notoriously difficult to even turn the engine on if one hadn’t received formal training.
The more she watched him the more she wondered if the man’s ability had limit at all.
And as she watched him, her mind naturally wandered to a certain question.
‘...What part of me made that kind of guy interested? To the point that he treated me this well?’
She couldn’t understand his intentions.
Everything he did seemed to be planned from start to finish and he made a conscious effort not to engage in meaningless actions.
Nevertheless, for some reason, he…
Had been treating her so well.
Whether it was during her confrontation with Luca or during the emergency situation on the train.
The fact that he treated her so well without any explanations made her bewildered.
‘So annoying.’
She mumbled such words deliberately, but it didn’t really assist her in disliking him.
Frankly, no matter how nicely one put it, Riru and Kasa Garda, people who were both chased out of the Tribal Alliance, were nothing more than a ‘nuisance.’
Although this was the case for any ruler chased out of a position of power, their position was even worse than that since the very person who chased them out with his own two hands was in the position of power now. Anyone with a brain could tell that nothing good would come out of being related to people like them.
Yet, this guy…
With his nonchalant attitude, he kept ‘prioritizing’ her.
In the brief period of time they had spent together, she noticed that…
Whenever she seemed to feel ‘negatively’ about something, he’d intervene and alleviate those feelings.
It was as if he couldn’t stand seeing her angry.
“...”
Considering all that, how could she just obstinately dislike him?
Looking at the current status of Kasa and herself, it wouldn’t be strange for him to evade them like a plague, but instead, he did the opposite…
-Isn't he doing that because he likes you?
-...Stop saying nonsense, Granny.
-It’s not nonsense. Men are all like that. Most of them first express their feelings by being nice without explaining anything.
Suddenly, the conversation she had with Kasa came to her mind.
When she found out that he had approached her while knowing about Kasa’s existence, she was surprised. Adding to that surprise, he even managed to gain Kasa’s recognition and became her disciple. She still didn’t know how did he even manage to do that. Even so…
-That’s why you should respond to him properly. He’s someone you have to seize no matter what.
But, the most surprising thing was the fact that Kasa went to such an extent when she was talking about him.
Kasa wasn’t someone who’d talk behind people’s backs to begin with, and it was even rarer for her to acknowledge other people.
After all, Kasa was a bit… Narrow-minded… No, actually, her narrow-mindedness was on an entirely different dimension compared to other people.
Even Riru, someone who could reduce the students, who were considered the cream of the crop in the Empire, to pulp as long as she could land her punches on them, was only considered as a brawler who had ‘barely passed the level of a novice’ by Kasa.
-Seize? What does that mean?
-Your face is passably decent… Do whatever you need, at any and all costs, to seize a spot besides him. He’s someone worth that much effort.
-...You know… I get that he’s a bit strange, but…
‘Was this really something she should be saying to her own granddaughter?’
She remembered back then she grasped her forehead while giving a response that was filled with such perplexion.
-I’m not sure if he’s as great as what you’re saying, Granny.
Perhaps, a hint of resentment and jealousy were mixed in that response as well.
-You told me that I had only barely passed the level of a novice or whatever and I understand that. But, why did you accept him when he merely claimed that he’d reach the peak of your style in the span of ten days?
The main reason why she trained everyday, from morning to afternoon, suffering while doing so, was because she wished to perfect the Fighting Arts, ‘Stance,’ that Kasa failed to reach.
It was the technique of the Chieftain known as the Fist Saint, the strongest brawler of them all. The compilation of movements that she accumulated for the majority of her life.
A style that could be considered as Kasa’s own life. The collection of all her struggles, efforts and accomplishments.
And there was only one final step remaining before it could be perfected.
At the very least, that was the case from Riru’s perspective.
For Kasa though, she always said in self-deprecation that this one step was a wall that was far taller than anything she had accomplished throughout her life.
-Indeed, I accepted him.
-...
And that was also the reason why Riru couldn’t understand the reason behind her actions.
After all, it was something that Kasa herself claimed that it was difficult to attain. For her to agree to such an unreasonable demand from a dummy who didn’t even recognize the F in Fighting Arts, Riru simply couldn’t get her head around it.
-That guy, he doesn’t know anything; Breathing techniques, flow, form, poomsae1, he doesn’t know anything. Why are you entrusting your lifelong dream of reaching the pinnacle off Fight Arts to someone like—
-That’s not what’s important, Riru.
However, Kasa dismissed her question with just a single sentence.
-Do you know why I wasn’t able to fully complete the Fighting Arts, Riru?
-...Why?
-It’s because no one tried to kill me.
Riru could still vividly recall Kasa's fiery eyes as she said this.
Kasa Garda’s life was a life filled with struggle.
As she knocked down everyone who was standing in her way, she fought to survive, brawled against another opponent whenever a new day arrived…
-Fighting for survival is the most desperate of fights. Before I could reach the peak, before I could think that there was no need for me to fight anymore… There was no longer anyone who’d challenge me to kill me.
But, at one point, there were no more opponents left for her to knock down.
And it was around this period of time that she was first called the Chieftain.
-Even the guy who took my arm and legs would have been quite useful if pruned well… But honestly, that wasn’t even a fight. He was blackmailing me with hostages. I couldn’t do anything but stay docile while my arm and legs got cut off, you know that too, don’t you?
-...
She was talking about her arm and legs flying away as if she had tripped over some jagged stone.
As Riru, who was recalling that night, frowned, Kasa cackled while smoking from her pipe and continued.
-And that guy, Dowd, can complete it. He’s someone who has managed to climb the endless path of struggle all on his own. If he said he was going to achieve it within ten days, there is no doubt that he has his own thoughts and means to do so. And what I did was respect those methods. Of course, I have to make him meet the ‘minimum’ requirements to exhibit it.
‘…Was that absent-minded and foolish-looking guy actually worthy of such tremendous epithets?’
Of course, in certain situations, Riru would also find herself surprised at his reflexes and ability to handle situations. However, the image of Dowd that she remembered was mostly mysterious, strange, or foolish.
That was why it was hard for her to even begin to understand why someone, who was once the leader of a superpower, would give him such a tremendous evaluation.
-Do you want to make a bet?
-A bet?
-It’s not like you dislike that guy either, right?
-...I never said that.
-Do my eyes look like decoration to you, Riru? Am I blind to you? Do you think I couldn’t notice it just because you haven’t said anything?
-...
-Until now, there’s no other men who dared to approach you because they were scared of you. This old woman knows all too well that you don’t have any experience with men. But, if you’re keep trying to deceive me by being in denial, how am I supposed to—
-Ah, Ah Ah, Ah AH AH-! So what is it?! Just tell me what you want to bet on!
-That guy said something daring. About how he wants to become very intimate with you within ten days. And how he wants to go all the way.
-...
She was so taken aback that she couldn’t even respond properly. Her lips twitched.
‘That guy.’
‘Did he really say something like that?’
-I have the feeling that boy can really pull it off.
The annoying smirk on Kasa’s face shimmered before Riru’s eyes.
-Let’s see if that’s going to happen or not. Whether you completely fall for that nobody, according to you, or not.
‘There’s absolutely no chance of that happening’.
‘For sure.’
Riru pursed her lips.
“...So.”
She spoke in a curt voice, fearing that if she continued to think about it, her irritation would rise even further.
“So, what kind of bastard is this Sea King we are trying to find? How powerful of a Demonic Creature is it?”
“Well, strictly speaking, it isn’t a Demonic Creature. Rather, it's closer to… An indigenous being.”
He answered her question as such.
“From now on, it’s better to establish contact in advance. Things will become more comfortable that way.”
“...Comfortable? What are you planning?”
“Just… Something... I have to do it because there’s a guy under the sea who keeps calling for unreasonable things.”
“...”
Riru frowned at his vague answer.
“...It better not be something strange. I have to get a high score.”
Riru replied with a fierce voice.
“The one who scores the highest in the Hunter's Night will gain the right to directly implore the Chieftain himself for one thing. That is what I’m aiming for.”
“Yes. And I have a rough idea on what you’re going to do to the Chieftain.”
“...”
Whatever it was, this bastard always said that he knew all about it.
As Riru frowned once again at such thoughts, Dowd, who was skillfully giving orders to Talion, seemed to have thought of something since a frown had formed on his brows.
“The problem is… Uhh…To meet the king of this sea, we need something like a ‘sacrifice’.”
“Sacrifice?”
“Like a bait to call him. That’s why I was planning to hunt a suitably decent Demonic Creature along the way, but…”
Dowd looked around at the surrounding sea.
But, there was nothing there. Nothing at all.
“...How strange. During the Hunter's Night, there should at least be something swarming around. Why is there nothing?”
He was right.
Normally, during this period of time, the Demonic Creatures would become more active than usual. It was normal for small to medium-sized Demonic Creatures to occasionally pop out. However…
Right now, there was nothing. It was as if someone swept them all away beforehand.
“That foolish face of yours looks amusing. Did you come here to find some prey?”
That remark came so suddenly, prompting the gazes of everyone on the boat to simultaneously turn towards the direction of that voice.
There was a formation made up of several boats. Standing at the head, a man with an enormous figure and a suspicious smile approached.
Riru recognized the face.
“...”
Krun Ger-Do.
The successor for the War Chief of a tribe that respected the Blue Boar of Ger-Do Plateau.
They were bastards who wouldn’t hesitate to jump into major crimes like drugs or human trafficking. She remembered how Kasa had rebuffed and denounced them often.
Due to this, they were the most uncooperative and nitpicky bastards for the Garda clan.
Moreover, now that her status was that of an exile, there was no doubt that they would be even more ruthless in their evil conducts.
“It seems that even Demonic Creatures can detect the scent of an exile incredibly well. Seeing as how nothing is around you, you bitch.”
“...”
‘Such bullshit.’
His deceptive mockery was utterly meaningless. It meant jack. This was probably a scheme that was initiated to ensure that Riru received low scores during the Hunter’s Night. Given how petty these bastards could be, this much was practically a given.
“...Let’s go somewhere else. There’s no reason to face these guys.”
Saying that, she swiftly turned away from him.
Usually, she would’ve obliterated his jaw right there and then.
However, she would only lose if she went against them right now.
The bastard was a candidate to be the next War Chief. Within the Tribal Alliance, an exile like her couldn’t even compare to him when it came to position and authority.
Right now, those who were on that ship were the best warriors of his tribe, the warriors who’d be chosen to be personal escorts of a War Chief.
Prioritizing her own emotion to fight them here would only make her a nuisance to the guys who were with her.
“Are you running away? THE Riru Garda? Ha, HAHA!”
“...”
Riru let out a sigh.
Trying to disperse her wrath with that sigh.
In any case, she realized that the best thing she could do was to just back down. Although she was someone who wasn’t used to suppressing her anger, she was able to come to that conclusion at least.
“As expected of the bitch who couldn’t even protect her own clan! You’re no better than a bug!”
That would’ve been the outcome, if the other guy didn’t say such words.
Riru’s movements came to an abrupt halt.
Rage surged within her. It burned, turning her mind blank. The feeling bubbled up from deep within her chest.
After taking a deep breath and calming her thoughts for a moment, she spoke once again.
“...What did you just say?”
“I still don’t understand what you were thinking when you decided to you set your feet on the Tribal Alliance’s land once again, but you really fuck off before you show an even more pathetic display. There’s no tribe that will welcome a traitorous bitch like—”
In the middle of his speech, Krun suddenly collapsed just like that.
It was probably because someone had violently flipped his chin over with a hook.
“You shouldn’t talk so carelessly just because you have a fat and pierced mouth.”
“...”
“Unless you don’t value your life.”
With a dazed expression, Riru blankly watched Dowd, who had somehow crossed over to Krun’s boat before delivering a punch to his jaw.
‘...Again…!’
‘This guy is doing this kind of shit again.’
‘Why? Why does he keep doing this?’
'Whenever she tried to hold it in… Whenever she barely held it in to avoid being a nuisance…
He got angry in her place, as if to tell her she didn’t need to make such an effort.
How could he do something like this to a bastard who wasn’t even worth fighting with, even at a quick glance…!
-Isn’t he doing that because he likes you?
‘ ...So.’
Riru thought to herself.
There was no way. What reason would he have to ever like someone like her?
If it was a man with this much ability, he would probably think he would be better off with another girl instead of her. It was utter nonsense to think that he wanted her.
-It’s not nonsense. Men are all like that. Most of them first express their feelings by being nice without explaining anything.
However…
Kasa’s words continued to circle inside her mind.
-Let’s see if that’s going to happen or not. Whether you completely fall for that nobody, according to you, or not.
‘There’s absolutely no way! It’s never going to happen!’
She repeated those words to herself.
But…
"..."
If someone were to ask her if she really meant to say those words…
She wouldn’t be able to give them an affirmation.
Footnotes