Rise Of Royal Phantoms And Qixi Festival

Episode 17

A wave of relief washed over me as I limped back to my haven. The training ground's clamor faded behind me, replaced by the comforting quiet of the palace gardens. Stepping past the doorway, I made my way towards the small tree, a sense of pride welling up within me.
Despite the throbbing pain in my jaw and legs, a smile stretched across my face.

The little tree, my silent companion, had grown another two inches since I last saw it. Its leaves, once parched and lifeless, now held a hint of green, a testament to the care I had bestowed upon it.  It was a symbol of perseverance, a reminder that even the smallest spark of life could flourish with a little nurturing.

Leaning against the rough bark, I allowed myself a moment of reflection. The day's events swirled through my mind – the suffocating darkness of the maze, the sting of the dagger, the unexpected surge of power within the wooden sword. It had been a trial by fire, and I had emerged, bruised but not broken.

Suddenly, a soft shuffling sound from within my haven broke the silence. My hand instinctively flew to the practice sword at my side, adrenaline coursing through me.  Before I could react, the door creaked open, revealing a figure clad in shadow.

My training kicked in. With a burst of movement, I lunged forward, pinning the figure against the door with a cry of surprise escaping my lips. My arm pressed against their chest, the wooden sword hovering dangerously close.

"𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖?" I barked, adrenaline pumping.  "𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏?"

As the figure fumbled with something in their hand, a flash of light revealed a familiar face.  "𝑻𝒐𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒐? 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒎𝒆, 𝑹𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒓𝒖!" she exclaimed, her voice muffled by a cloth mask.

Relief flooded me, so intense that it momentarily robbed me of breath.  I loosened my grip, surprised by the strength I had exerted in the heat of the moment.  My throbbing jaw served as a harsh reminder of the day's events.

"𝑹𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒓𝒖?" I asked, still slightly bewildered.  "𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆?"

She quickly removed the mask, her face etched with concern.  "𝑰 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒙𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒆," she explained, her voice soft.  "𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈."

Her eyes landed on the injuries on my face and legs, her brow furrowing in worry.  "𝑳𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆," she said, her voice gentle.

However, before she could move any further, she seemed to remember something. A mischievous glint entered her eyes, and she quickly darted towards my cot.  With a flourish, she produced a hand-made black cloak, its edges adorned with intricate embroidery and a hint of a flurry design at the shoulder level.

"𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖," she said, her voice filled with a playful pride.  "𝑰 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇."

I took the cloak, examining the intricate embroidery with a grateful smile.  "𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑹𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒓𝒖," I said, my voice sincere.  "𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍."

She beamed, but before I could ask about the cloak's design, a sudden urgency seemed to take hold of her.  "𝑰... 𝑰 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒈𝒐," she stammered, her voice barely a whisper.  With a hasty goodbye, she scurried out of my haven, leaving me alone with the mysterious cloak.

I carefully folded it and placed it on my cot, a warm feeling blossoming in my chest.  My first day out of the training ground had been filled with surprises, and Rimuru's unexpected visit was just the latest.  As I began to clean my injuries, a thought lingered in my mind – the strange, beautiful cloak designed by rimuru.

  Perhaps, when I saw her next, I could properly appreciate her hand work.  For now, however, the exhaustion of the day finally caught up to me.  With a contented sigh, I settled down on my cot, the image of the flourishing tree and the mysterious cloak swirling in my dreams.