Maeyurai arrived in Yugihanata not long after the end of his encounter with the Winged Lighter. His experience felt like a fever dream, as the anticlimactic death of the Lighter didn't feel satisfying at all—much like his victory against Euri.
Walking around the road, he passed by several people. "The first one I'm going to look for would either be Asagi or Kirsaki. Since they're both in the west, it should be easier to find them both if they're familiar with one another," he muttered under his breath, his eyes locked forward in his path.
"But first," he said, before turning his attention to one of the passersby on his left.
"Hey, mister," called Maeyurai. The unassuming man looked at him. "Do you know where I can find the so-called Asagi or Kirsaki?"
"Huh? Asagi, that red-haired woman?" asked the man, his voice softer than what Maeyurai expected. His long, indigo hair rolled over his shoulders. "And Kirsaki as well? You might be up to something, young archer. Are you going to challenge them?"
"I am," answered Maeyurai.
The man turned his body to face Maeyurai and let out a chuckle. "Haha! This sounds like a joke! An unknown archer, to challenge two known swordsmen in Yugihanata? You must be looking to be shamed!"
Maeyurai's eyes narrowed down on the man's face, and his mouth opened.
But before he could speak, the man continued talking. "You have guts, I'll give you that. You can mostly find Asagi near the 'Ishirao Noodles', where she always eats the spiciest noodles every day. She's quite infamous in that restaurant. As for Kirsaki... Good luck finding her."
Maeyurai paused, surprised by the man's sudden change of tone. "Uh, thanks," he muttered. "I'll be able to find Kirsaki. I have pretty good eyes."
"Okay then," the man replied. "I'll be waiting for the news when you fight those two."
"Sure, you'll hear the news of an unknown archer winning against Kirsaki and Asagi," said Maeyurai confidently with a smirk.
"Haha!" the man laughed. "Whatever you say, archer."
Then, Maeyurai walked off with a wave of his hand. The man reciprocated before going off on his own business.
Ishirao Noodles, that should be easy to find. Since Asagi can often be sighted in the west, Ishirao Noodles should be near the port. I saw several stalls and restaurants back there.
Maeyurai continued walking endlessly until he reached the docks in Yugihanata.
Looking over the horizon, Maeyurai couldn't help but be reminded of his battle against the Stalker and the lingering Leviathan that played around Ahrgo Fischerre.
Maeyurai's eyes twitched in thought, reacting to the disappointing event he had with the Leviathan. To him, it was a very exciting yet fear-inducing experience, which is probably what most people would feel.
Being face-to-face against a creature almost stronger than you—where you cannot ask for help—is a dangerous situation. And the presence of a humongous creature miles ahead of you in terms of power felt really humbling.
His gaze lay upon the dock, where Ahrgo Fischerre once docked. Meeting Espeninza and his crew, as well as the Ahrgo Fischerre, was a very pleasant experience for him as well.
After a good while of reminiscing, Maeyurai turned to his left, his eyes studying the surroundings and searching for possible signs of Ishirao Noodles.
"I wonder what the food tastes like," whispered Maeyurai as he started strolling forward, looking left to right as he observed each building.
A second later, he let out a giggle filled with irony. "I don't have money, though."
Then, his eyes lit up.
"I have an idea."
Not long after, a distinct shop garnered his attention. It was a humble structure that wasn't bigger than your ordinary house. It was like a large version of a stall, around three times bigger, if not twice.
"Ishirao Noodles" was displayed on top of the large sign above the curtain that served as the entrance.
With a silent celebration, Maeyurai rushed forward to approach the settlement.
He pushed aside the curtains and stepped foot inside.
The rich scent of soup roamed the air, where you could almost taste it. The eager customers created a slurping noise each time they ate.
There were several tables and seats inside, but it wasn't as spacious as Maeyurai expected it to be. Though only a quarter of the seats were vacant.
A lot of people eat here, Maeyurai thought to himself as he slowly took in the sight of his surroundings.
Near the counter, there were four nearby tables, where one was fully occupied. Behind the counter was a fairly beautiful girl attending to the customers.
At one of the tables near the counter sat a red-haired woman with countless empty bowls on the table beside her. A clear sign of gluttonous appetite and a clear indication of a particular individual.
The red-haired woman made eye contact with the archer, being Maeyurai. Her gaze was as sharp as a newly forged blade of tungsten, its edge cutting even the toughest steel.
"There she is," said Maeyurai in a fairly reserved tone, enough to keep his voice to himself, but enough that those a meter away could hear.
Most of the consumers around stared at him, their eyes locked on his bow. However, Maeyurai ignored them, already accustomed to the strange stares he's been receiving since his arrival on the island.
There was an awkward silence except for the sounds of ravenous eating that came from a certain table, where Maeyurai's attention was focused on.
Maeyurai approached the table, looking over the side of the piled-up bowls. "Hello?" he called.
"What do you want?" a soft, feminine voice answered in a firm voice. With a gaze like hers, you would expect her voice to be as rough as sandpaper. But no, it was as soft as cotton candy, much like her fluffy red hair that curled down her face like rich strings of ruby.
"Are you Juno Asagi?" asked Maeyurai.
The red-haired woman lifted her chin a little after swallowing the thread of noodles in her mouth and answered, "I am."
Juno Asagi set aside her newly emptied bowl and decided that she was full. "What business may a young archer like you have with me?"
Maeyurai took one step further, now only half a meter apart from her. He reached his hand out and touched her shoulder, a playful smile plastered on his face. "I challenge you to a duel."
A pause. Then a heartbeat, followed by a soft scoff.
"Oh?" scoffed Asagi as she stood up. She was as tall as Maeyurai, if not taller. "No need to bring me anywhere, I love fighting."
Before Maeyurai could even react, Asagi turned her whole body, her hands approaching Maeyurai. With a twitch, Maeyurai took a step back. "How fast!"
Asagi gripped his collar tightly, and he couldn't stop her in time.
Then, she turned once more and thrashed Maeyurai outside of the noodle shop, the curtain entrance flowing backwards as the force pushed them back.
"Crap!" exclaimed Maeyurai as he slid backwards, his feet creating dust smoke on the cobblestone path. "Are all swordsmen in this place ridiculously strong in terms of physicality?!"
At the entrance of Ishirao Noodles came a vibrant, red-haired Asagi, her physique visible in her tight clothing. The way her sleeves and pants hugged her curves, especially her muscles, made it clear that she wasn't someone an archer should deal with up close. Well, an archer should never fight close, after all.
Voices from inside the noodle shop could be heard.
"Asagi's going to engage against someone!"
"A duel?!"
Then, Asagi spoke out in a louder voice, but it was still somewhat soft.
"You're right, haha! Most swordsmen here train harder than anyone else. We are the most dedicated individuals you will ever see in this entire region, only second to the imperial knights in South Kijisagi."
What's with this woman?—Maeyurai thought. Her voice was as smooth as butter, but her body and body expression betray this so well that it both feels natural and strange.
"You sure have pride in your people," replied Maeyurai, slowly rising and taking his bow from his back. "I'm quite proud of my people from Gangumen too, even if I spent only a week with them."
"What can I say? So many people here share a common goal."
Maeyurai stood still, intrigued by the new information. "A common goal?" he asked. "Sounds fascinating. What may this common goal be?"
Asagi paused, then smirked. "To defeat Zhenz Kaienley, The Graceful Swordsman."
"Defeat Kaienley... huh? Sounds like he's fighting people left and right."
"Fighting people?" Asagi said as she continued walking. "You're right, he does have several rivals in this nation. Some seek to defeat him for the sole purpose of revenge, but some seek to kill him out of envy."
"But me?" she continued. "I am part of the former. I was once defeated by him, and I will never let it happen again. Such a humiliating defeat followed by his silent retreat without a single word of celebration or commendation. The sight isn't for the weak-willed."
Asagi looked down for a moment, then continued. "It's like he's looking down on us. But maybe, that's just how I see it."
Asagi lifted her gaze as she stepped forward, now just five meters away from Maeyurai.
Then, Maeyurai said, "I can tell that Kaienley's not looking down on you guys. But... I'm only speaking in my experience with him. My two days being with him don't compare to you people that have already been in Kaienley's presence for years."
"But I assure you," he continued. "I'm sure that Kaienley isn't the type to look down on other people."
"Is that so?" Asagi said.
"I'm sure so," Maeyurai replied, before opening his mouth again. "You love eating at Ishirao Noodles, right? Why don't we make a deal?"
Asagi tilted her head to the right, intrigued by what Maeyurai said. "A deal? What do you propose?"
"Let's duel. You and I, an archer against a swordsman. If I win, you treat me to as many bowls of noodles as I want in Ishirao Noodles. If I lose, you get the right to call yourself stronger than Kaienley."
"Stronger than Kaienley...?" Asagi's gaze sharpened. "You better not be lying to me."
"Yes, you heard that right," smiled Maeyurai with a confident glint. "You see, I may just be a random archer you met just recently, but I'm a General-Level Invoker."
Maeyurai paused momentarily to let Asagi assimilate his words. A second later, he opened his mouth. "I'm as strong as Kaienley," he bluffed once more.
If I say this, she'll definitely want to fight me to make me prove myself, or want to fight me as a way to compare herself to Kaienley.
Either way, it'll be a ticket to her accepting the duel.
Each gentle caress of the wind was like words of approval, like it was on Maeyurai's side.
Curious, Asagi wanted to test out his skills. "So you claim to be as strong as Kaienley? I accept your challenge. But if you appear to be weaker than him... Well, that means you lied to me, which is very disappointing."
"Either way, you can't really reject my challenge, won't you? Fighting an archer should be interesting," Maeyurai replied.
"Well, yes, I do want to see how an archer like you would fight," said Asagi. "I've heard of a certain prodigal archer from Gangumen. It would be a great coincidence if that were you, wouldn't it?"
"Hehe," chuckled Maeyurai, "perhaps it is indeed me."
Without any more to say, Asagi pulled her katana from her scabbard and charged forward.
"I'll ask for your name once I beat you, archer!"