In the night, there was no town, no house, and no place to stop. The road was empty, cold, and the sky was started to rain.

Koji looked around in a panic, "I need to find a place to hide from the rain."

He rushed his horse forward, hoping to find at least a tall enough tree with a thick enough bush to hide under. The empty grass field didn’t give him what he wanted.

But Fate had other plans.

Koji saw a small abandoned shrine in this middle of nowhere.

"Let’s hope it has a whole roof."

Koji rushed inside the temple courtyard. The place was abandoned for a long time with dried leaves covered the once layered brick ground.

But it had an intact ceiling alright.

"Stay out here, Aka." Koji the horse left outside and entered the shrine.

His horse was young and healthy. It would prefer standing outside the rain more than squeeze into an enclosed space like the temple so Koji left it outside.

Koji stomped the ground a little bit to check. "Good enough. Let’s make some fire."

Within a few minutes, he was able to get a pretty good fire going. He gathered a bunch of dried hay and leaves within the shrine to make a bed for himself.

"Yell if someone shows up okay, Aka?" Kojo shouted toward his horse then lay down. He fainted almost immediately because of how tired he was.

The horse replied with a neigh. It seemed to be enjoying the rain.

A few hours passed by and Koji heard Aka’s noise. He grabbed his sword and stood up immediately.

There was someone approaching the Shrine.

"Woah, there! I’m just a traveler as you. No need to panic."

A large man wearing a thick rain coat approaching the building.

Aka sighed. If it was a lot of men, he would be a little concern.

’The moon is very high right now. It’s midnight already.’

"May I join you?"

"Of course." Koji nodded. He didn’t do it out of polite. In a place with no shelter like this, rejecting the stranger might lead to unwanted consequence. Being polite could mitigation all those risks.

The large man took off his hay raincoat, revealing a large man with visible large chest muscle.

"Kento." The large man said.

"Koji." The young man nodded.

"Traveler, are you?"

Koji nodded.

Kento sat down in the opposite of Koji and warmed himself by the fire. He took out a few dried meats that usually prepared for long journey.

"Want some?" Kento reached his hand out.

Koji shook his head. "It’s alright. I just ate."

It’s not a good idea to accept things from stranger.

"Your loss." Kento shrugged and continued to eat.

They stayed like that for a few more minutes when another group approached.

"This place occupied?"

"Just an abandoned temple." Kento answered.

"May if we enter?"

Kento looked over to Koji.

"As you say, it’s abandoned. They can do whatever they like." Koji said.

"My friend said you can come in!"

The third group were three older men. They carried their own swords.

This group wasn’t as friendly as Kento and sat down on a section faraway from Koji and Kento.

They didn’t talk much either. Their behavior actually made Koji much more relax. That’s how travelers should be. Especial in this chaotic Jado Kingdom.

The fourth group arrived. This time, everyone was surprised.

"Big brothers! Can we enter?"

Three beautiful women in silk clothing were caught within the rain.

A swordsman in the other group laughed and said, "Come in, little sisters! Don’t get yourself wet."

Koji frowned deeper. This abandoned Shrine suddenly became so crowded. Something was bound to happen.

Kento scooched over to Koji’s side. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"Something’s wrong. I’ll watch your back if something happens, will you watch mine?"

Koji nodded grimly. Two of them were the only singular individual here. They were the weakest.

One more traveler arrived in the Shrine. She was also one individual like Koji and Kento. A white-haired girl with a bamboo hat. The hat had a thick black fabric circling around the rim, concealing the girl’s face.

She looked around, taking everything in, before approaching Koji’s group.

"A room for more?"

The two men nodded.

Silence spread between the three of them. On the other hand, the swordsman group and the women group were starting to tease each other.

The beauty women took their outer coats out to try and dry it out, revealing more skin. Their skins were perfectly smooth and white.

"Oh yeah, baby! Take some more off!" One of the swordsmen said.

"You like it? Maybe I should take it all off for you?" A woman said.

The swordsmen all heated up from hearing that.

One of the women turned toward Koji’s group. "Aren’t you going to join us? Come on now! The more the merrier!"

"Hmm." The white-haired girl hadn’t spoken a word since she arrived here.

Suddenly, she stood up.

"Koji the Rider. May I borrow your sword?"

"Wait! How did you know?" Koji widened his eyes.

The white-haired girl reached her hand out. The black fabric split gently, revealing her face to him.

He froze for a few seconds because of that face.

’So... So beautiful.’

A different kind of beauty compared to the other women. Natural and ethereal at the same time.

Kento laughed, "You are in love!"

Koji snapped back and stared at Kento.

"I’m sorry, stranger. I don’t know you. So I can’t give you my sword." Koji politely declined.

Suddenly, a thick red aura blasted out from within the white-haired girl. Her speed exploded tenfold.

Carter grabbed Koji’s sword before he could react. The maiden rushed at one of the women and thrust at her abdomen.

The blade went through. Blood splashed out. But it didn’t go through all the way.

’Tch. Without the Swordsmanship Skill, I am very bad.’

He wasn’t that bad. But he was extremely bad compared to Zeneros Blackburn.

Carter retreated the blade and connected with the usual decapitation slash he used to do as the Eldritch Knight. He managed to cut her head off this time.

<+10 Prime Coins>

<Current Prime Coins>: 904

The swordsmen stood up and withdrew their blades.

"What are you doing, you crazy woman?!"

They shut up when the human head on the ground turned into the head of a fox.