Rise Of Royal Phantoms And Qixi Festival

Episode 23

We shuffled off the training ground, a strange mix of excitement and apprehension buzzing around us. The elite guards, their numbers considerably larger, swaggered towards their designated hall with a boisterous camaraderie. My stomach tightened as I watched them go, a flicker of doubt momentarily clouding my newfound resolve.

Suddenly, Renji and Wan materialized beside me, their expressions uncharacteristically serious.  They both cleared their throats, a nervous tremor evident in their voices.

"𝑻𝒐𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒐," Renji began, his usual bravado replaced by a tentative awkwardness, "𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒊𝒛𝒆."  Wan nodded vigorously, his face flushed.

My surprise must have been evident, because Renji continued, "𝑾𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆…𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍, 𝒋𝒆𝒓𝒌𝒔. 𝑬𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒅𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒙𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒔."  He winced as if the word left a bad taste in his mouth.  "𝑾𝒆…𝒘𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖."  Wan added, his voice barely a whisper.

Their words hung in the air, a stark contrast to the usual taunts and jeers I'd come to expect from them.  A wave of memories washed over me – the taunts, the shoves, the deliberate exclusion.  Anger, hot and immediate, threatened to rise within me.

But then, I remembered the choice I'd just made.  The path of a spy wasn't just about physical prowess and cunning; it demanded a level of emotional control, an ability to read people and situations.  Perhaps, beneath the bravado and bullying, there was something else at play here.

Taking a deep breath, I met their gazes head-on.  "𝑳𝒐𝒐𝒌," I said, my voice surprisingly calm, "𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒈𝒆.  𝑾𝒆'𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒘, 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕?"  A tentative smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

Renji and Wan exchanged another look, relief washing over their faces.  "𝑹𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕!" Renji exclaimed, a hint of his usual bravado returning.  He clapped me on the shoulder, a little too hard.  "𝑳𝒆𝒕'𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒈𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒇 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆, 𝒆𝒉 𝑾𝒂𝒏?"

Wan chuckled nervously, but a flicker of newfound camaraderie sparked in his eyes.  "𝒀𝒆𝒂𝒉," he agreed, "𝒍𝒆𝒕'𝒔 𝒅𝒐 𝒊𝒕."

With that, we fell back in step with the other aspiring spies, the tension broken, replaced by a sense of cautious camaraderie. The path ahead was uncertain, but at least I wouldn't be walking it alone.

♤♤♤♤♤♤

Bidding farewell to Renji and Wan as their paths diverged towards their respective residences, I felt a sliver of newfound camaraderie settle in my stomach. The day had been momentous, the weight of choosing my future as a spy pressing heavily upon me. As I walked towards my haven, the chosen sword hung heavy at my side.

Glancing down at its gleaming surface, a surge of pride welled up within me. It was a tangible symbol of the grueling month I'd endured, a month that had sculpted every male trainee into a formidable figure, including myself.

Reaching my quarters, I wasted no time in securing the sword with pride on the designated wall. The memories of sweat, steel, and exhaustion washed over me, a testament to the journey that had led me here.

Unbuckling my armor, I welcomed the cool embrace of a steaming bath.  Soaking my aching muscles, I let the water wash away the day's tension.

Dressed in a warm white robe for bed, a pang of longing struck me. It had been far too long since I'd seen Rimuru.  Deciding to bridge the gap, I reached for paper and brush, eager to share the day's events.  My pen danced across the page, detailing the choice I'd made, the unexpected camaraderie with Renji and Wan, and the quiet anticipation for what lay ahead.  Just as I finished the last line, a soft rapping on my door startled me.

Tucking the unfinished letter hastily under my sleeve, I approached the door with a cautious curiosity. Throwing the door open, Steward Kael's warm smile greeted me.  He extended a steaming cup, the fragrant aroma of herbal tea wafting upwards.

"𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝑲𝒂𝒆𝒍," I said with a polite smile, declining the offered drink. "𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈."

With a knowing glint in his eyes, Kael gestured towards the moonlit sky beyond the doorway. "𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓, 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒆? 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒔 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒐𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒊𝒏?"  His voice held a gentle invitation.

Intrigued, I hesitated for a moment.  A conversation with Kael was always enlightening, and the prospect of escaping the confines of my room held a certain appeal.  With a nod of agreement, I stepped out onto the balcony, the cool night air washing over me.

The moon cast a silvery glow upon the training grounds, a silent testament to the journey I had just begun.  What secrets did Steward Kael hold tonight?  Standing beneath the vast expanse of the moonlit sky, I was eager to find out.