77 77 – Another Talent
“No, Elise. We can’t kill him.” Raymund answered Elise, who was still watching from a distance.
“Hmmm…. Looks like you have a friend…. Or some friends, huh?” The guard noticed that Yua glanced at where Elise was hiding.
Even so, Yua still smiled. “Well, do you really not want to accept my offer, sir?”
“He didn’t even call his friends,” Raymund spoke in a serious tone. “Maybe he has an invisible method of communicating, or he really is confident in his abilities…. Hey, Yua. Listen to me…”
The kunoichi raised an eyebrow when she heard her master’s quick strategy briefing.
“I give up, sir!” Suddenly Yua put her small sword on the ground and raised her hand. “I just strayed into this forest! I parted ways with my team guarding the merchant group!”
Raymund acknowledged that Yua’s acting was quite good. Maybe she’s used to it. After all, she has to maintain the image when she’s still a race driver. She couldn’t show who she really was.
“The trade route is far from here, lady.” The guard raised an eyebrow, approaching Yua, still holding the sword.
“Well, it’s up to you to believe it or not.”.
The guard watched Yua’s body closely, even to the point of circling the woman. He also looked at the kunoichi’s gloves and thigh-length socks.
However, he didn’t show a lecherous expression or anything like that. That guard looked so serious.
“Well, it wouldn’t be wrong to call him one of the best,” Raymund said. “He checks on you whether you keep any other weapons.”
“Give me your hand.” The guard stuffed his katana into the sheath, then pulled out a piece of rope from his clothes.
Yua stuck out her hands in a seductive gesture.
“Cut it out.” The man began to tie the kunoichi’s hands.
However, suddenly, the man’s body stiffened, and his eyes bulged. He lifted his face, looking at Yua, who was still smiling.
And that guard fell with a dart stuck in his hand.
“Good job, Yua.” Raymund clapped.
“Now I see why you asked me to wear this skimpy and thin outfit, sir.” Yua crouched down, making sure the guard was completely unconscious. “People would think I couldn’t keep anything in these clothes.”
“When in reality you can put anything in your body.” Raymund stifled a laugh. He didn’t need to think of more reasons to persuade Yua to keep wearing those clothes.
“As long as it’s not too big.” Yua checked the surroundings, then started dragging the guard’s body into the forest.
“Yeah…. As long as it’s not too big.” Raymund chuckled. “I’m curious, how big is the object that can get inside you? And is there a limit to the type of object?”
***
“This is it.” Yua took a seal with Japanese writing on the back of the guard’s shirt. Mona sniffed it and barked, causing the kunoichi to rub her head.
“Good job, Yua-san.” Taka came carrying the body of the other guard. “I know you are a capable kunoichi.”
Smiling with satisfaction, Yua showed the seal she was carrying.
They then put the seals on the back of their clothes. As initially planned, Elise would be there with her dog, guarding the two guards tied to the tree. Taka said that the people would be unconscious for two days, which was the time they had to use. The guards were no ordinary people. They might have had a method of escape, and that would be dangerous to the mission. They can attack Elise and report that intruders have entered the village.
“No, Elise.” Raymund could read the female warrior’s expression. “Even though Taka won’t see you kill the guards, that doesn’t mean you’re free to do it. We don’t know yet whether releasing the villagers alone will be enough. Maybe, after that, we need to do something more with Taka. We still have to keep that ninja’s trust.”
Also hearing her master’s words, Yua looked at Elise with a smile. The female warrior only responded in silence.
“Let’s go.” Taka signaled. He and Yua then sneaked out of the forest and came to that quiet village. Their first step was to steal clothes from one of the villagers’ houses, so they could mingle with the others.
Having just entered the village, Yua felt incredible goosebumps that made her body stiffen a bit.
“Looks like we just crossed the barrier that separates this place from the outside world.” Taka hissed.
Seeing someone carrying a torch at the end of the village road, they hid behind one of the houses.
Taka peeked out into the street when that person’s footsteps were close enough. The guard, wearing the same clothes as the one Yua was fighting before, stopped in his tracks and looked around.
Taka then pulled his head.
Yua gulped. Her heartbeat crawled up. That man’s face looked so intense.
There was another sound of footsteps, this time coming to Taka and Yua’s hiding place. Taka took the bow on his back, then motioned for Yua to scatter away.
Yua steeled her resolve, then drew her small sword from behind her waist.
The two of them then started to move.
“Hey, don’t run! You thief!!!”
The shout from a distance startled Yua and Taka. The guard approaching them ran the other way towards the source of that scream.
There was also a commotion from a distance, accompanied by a sound that resembled something being beaten.
“Don’t leave the house, or you’ll end up with the same fate as this kid!!!” There was another scream.
“What happened?” Yua whispered in an anxious tone.
“I know how you feel,” Taka answered. “But this is our chance while the guards are distracted.”
Yua opened her mouth, surprised by Taka’s words.
“What’s wrong, Yua?” Raymund asked. “Doesn’t Taka’s words make sense?”
“Oh, sorry.” Yua shook her head. “Let’s continue.”
Taka checked the back door of a house, slid it open, then jumped in, barely making a sound. Meanwhile, Yua had to be extra careful to climb onto the floor.
“The door in the house doesn’t have a lock. Apparently, it was done on purpose so that the guards could easily enter if anything happened.” Raymund made a guess.
Since it was still dark, it took Taka a while to figure out where he was: a kitchen with a clay stove.
“What are you two doing here?” Another man’s voice came from inside the house.