Kirito quietly left the forest, his fluid footsteps carrying him back to the sprawling mansion where his adoptive father lived. Stepping into the house, he immediately changed out of his blood-stained night garb, neatly donning the elegant, refined daily attire of a tax official.
He called out loudly toward the living room: "Father? I have an important matter I wish to report to you."
Hearing his voice, his adoptive father stepped out to open the door, gesturing for Kirito to sit together at the traditional tea table in the main hall. He picked up the teapot to fill two cups, then arched an eyebrow to ask: "At this late hour of the night, what on earth is the matter that brings you to me with such a solemn expression?"
Kirito took a deep breath, intentionally putting on a melancholic expression and letting out a despondent sigh: "Alas... The thing is, I have a major request I need your help with."
His father took a sip of hot tea and nodded:
"Go ahead and speak, I’m listening."
Kirito pointed straight at his chest, his tone resolute: "I want to go far away for a while to venture out into the world. During this time, I would trouble you to continue managing the tax collection duties for me. Just assign someone trustworthy to disguise themselves as me, and you’ll easily fool the others."
Hearing this, his father instantly knitted his brows tightly, slamming the teacup down onto the table: "What nonsense are you talking about? The realm’s situation nowadays is plagued by war and chaos everywhere; if you venture out on your own without an accompanying guard unit, you’ll easily lose your life out there without anyone knowing."
Kirito spoke in a low voice, manifesting an unyielding stance: "The samurai warriors of today always pride themselves on bushido spirit, preferring death over submission, knowing no fear whatsoever. I too want to live such a life. After all, a person only lives once; why must we keep our feet chained to a single spot? At least we must go out and make something happen with our own hands, right?"
His adoptive father reached out to massage his forehead, sighing heavily at his son’s stubbornness: "Back in my youth, I also had wild, arrogant thoughts just like you. But upon growing up and experiencing enough ups and downs, I realized the world out there is immensely cruel. The fearlessness of a samurai is real, but..."
He raised his eyes to look at Kirito, his voice regretful:
"They are even willing to commit ritualistic belly-slitting seppuku upon capture simply out of absolute terror of the brutal tortures waiting behind. Listen to me, staying right here in Hian Castle is the safest choice."
Kirito shook his head decisively, springing up abruptly from his chair. He looked straight into his adoptive father’s eyes, speaking in a calm yet weighty tone: "I have thought it through and made my decision. Furthermore, my younger brother is already fifteen years old this year, fully capable of shouldering the burden; on the other hand, I am merely an adopted child taken in, and holding onto too much authority and stipends bestowed by you all this time is actually no longer appropriate."
Finished speaking, Kirito whirled around and strode toward the door without glancing back even once:
"Farewell, father."
After all, this adoptive father had treated him very thoughtfully and kindly up to now, but the path he chose did not belong to this peaceful refuge.
The adoptive father sat stunned for a moment, his eyes widening as he watched the youth’s resolute silhouette. Just as Kirito stepped past the porch, he couldn’t help but hastily chase after him all the way to the door, calling out with a choked voice:
"You foolish brat... no matter what happens, you will forever remain my son!"
Kirito paused his stride for a beat. He offered a faint smile, nodding slightly in lieu of a farewell greeting before continuing straight ahead into the darkness.
If he were truly a youth born and raised in this feudal world, perhaps he would have chosen to settle down safely. Yet, the soul lurking deep within this body was an reincarnated individual carrying the pragmatic mindset of the modern era, so he absolutely refused to bind his life within those narrow confines.
Returning to his private room, Kirito quickly changed into his familiar pitch-black night attire, gathered his equipment, and quietly slipped away from the sprawling Hian Castle.
As the first rays of the new day began to shine down, Kirito had already moved to the perilous swamp region at the border.
According to gathered intelligence, General Akaza currently controlled a total of six vital castles, among which the castle right in this swamp area served as the outpost located closest to Hian Castle, commonly referred to by locals as Swamp Castle.
Hidden right behind Swamp Castle was the strategic seaport region—housing another wealthy trading castle that he was forced to cross to proceed with the next step of his plan.
Hiding behind dense bushes, Kirito observed the terrain and stealthily infiltrated Swamp Castle with extreme ease. Due to its unique geographical structure, this castle had only a single path leading to the main gate via a long wooden bridge spanning deep waters. Seizing this weakness, Kirito bypassed the main route, skillfully clinging to the wooden beams beneath the castle’s foundation and exploiting the guard’s lax negligence to successfully sneak inside.
Initially, he had fleetingly considered lingering a few days to find a way to approach and enjoy the beauty of Swamp Castle lord’s wife to see if she was gorgeous. Yet, reason pulled him back in time, reminding him to prioritize the grand objective, so Kirito quickly cast aside personal desires to focus entirely on the mission. Just like that, he successfully bypassed Swamp Castle without leaving a single trace.
Leaving the swamp, Kirito continued traveling to the next castle carrying a rustic name: Sea Fish Castle — situated right next to the bustling commercial gulf.
Having grasped the blueprint and detailed info ahead of time from interrogating the assassin the day before, Kirito didn’t spend too much time searching for a hiding spot. He rented a small, discreet inn room located quietly in the town quarter, resting with peace of mind and waiting until nightfall descended before taking action.
In the afternoon, while having dinner at a roadside tavern to scout the situation, Kirito ordered a few local specialties. Since this was the kingdom’s largest region specializing in seafood catching and trading, dishes prepared from fish were exceedingly abundant. He leisurely relished the fresh, delicious plate of sushi laid out before him, savoring the rich flavor spreading across his palate.
Right at that moment, the tavern door suddenly burst open, and a noisy group of people stepped inside. Occupying the central position was a young maiden wearing a neat leather armor, her hand gripping firmly onto a formidable, long spear. She possessed cascading pitch-black hair waving softly, accentuating an exquisitely sharp yet strikingly cold, untamed face.
Kirito calmly sat eating, his eyes glancing over to observe the strange group scattering to various tables to order food and drinks.
Curious, he turned to the neighboring table, lowering his voice to ask a man sitting enjoying wine: "My friend, who are those people who just walked in?"
The man shrank back, whispering a cautious reply: "Keep your voice down! That’s the leader of the notorious looting gang rampaging across this region. Rumor has it they have massive backing from an immensely powerful figure pulling strings behind the scenes, specializing in taking dirty jobs. They’re extremely cruel and cold-blooded, having beaten countless people to death already."
Hearing this, Kirito muttered in silent astonishment, internally evaluating the combat capability of the young female leader to see how strong her actual prowess really was.
Finishing his meal, Kirito stood up to go up to his inn room, checking all concealed weapons and equipment prepared for tonight’s nighttime raid.
As dusk began to fall, he quietly slipped outside to survey the field around the seaport area to memorize safe retreat routes in case of detection.
According to what had been investigated, Kirito’s core destination lay deep within the steep small mountain range right next to the major port. There existed a hidden cave system disguised with extreme meticulousness, serving as the massive treasury used to store all reserved provisions, military supplies, and essential weapons fueling all the castles under this faction’s control.
That vital treasury area was guarded by an elite force of soldiers day and night with extreme security. However, because it was tucked away right behind a desolate small forest with few passersby, aside from high-ranking insiders, very few outsiders knew its precise location.