Hiroshi looked at Wisteria with a blank face. Now that he thought about it, he had never really planned out how to kill the Ardors in the first place. They must be strong if they were ruling the world, and he had only just picked up a sword for the first time.
Although Hiroshi didn't like the idea of having a mentor, he knew that he had to understand the art of combat and defense, as if he ran out of manna, he would become useless. He never answered Wisteria's question.
"You're not from this world, are you?"
Wisteria puzzled, putting her finger on her chin in a childish manner.
"What makes you say that?" Hiroshi barked back. He didn't want to tell anyone. The last time he did, he was almost killed by the villagers in the previous settlement.
"Well, firstly, your clothes are nothing like I have ever seen before and secondly, you haven't heard of the Great Encounter Battle Tournament! Everyone knows about that!" Wisteria giggled to herself.
"Well, yes, you're right, I don't know anything about this world at all. Can you please…I mean, tell me about this Great Battle whatchamacallit."
Wisteria exposed a big smile and sat down beside Hiroshi and told him all about it.
The Great Encounter Battle Tournament was set up by the government of Acebia over one hundred years ago, during a huge war between both themselves and Titania. Originally used as a system to find the strongest warriors in the country, it did at assisting Acebia get on equal footing with their near rivals. However, as a recent ceasefire was called, for the first time since it was established, the tournament would be used as a fun show, where people from all over the lands would come to watch.
Not only that, but the winner of the Tournament would get a year's worth of mentoring from the greatest sword bearer during the war. He was the one and only Tsuyoshi Kage. He was often rumored to take on whole squads of soldiers on, all by himself, and come out without a scratch.
"You should enter! Then you can get stronger and actually have a chance at beating the Ardors!" Wisteria finished her sentence, out of breath.
"Damn, the way she always is out of breath because she speaks to fast is adorable," Hiroshi thought to himself.
"I can still hear your thoughts, dude, don't be so weird," Kuro-Yami sighed.
"Stop listening in then!" Hiroshi yelled out, without thinking.
"W-What are you talking about, Hiroshi?" Wisteria stuttered, taken slightly aback by Hiroshi's instant outburst.
"Oh, nothing! Just got a weird flashback is all," he laughed it off. "And you shut it, Kuro-Yami!"
"Fine by me," the demon in his head retorted. The friendship developing between Hiroshi and Wisteria was happening too fast for his liking.
"Um, okay, well, what do you think?" Wisteria asked, hoping for a response.
Hiroshi began to consider his options. It sounded very tempting. If he won, he could get that much stronger, making his dream of having a selfless world closer to reality.
However, if he lost, he would be known as a disgrace. A loser that couldn't win the Tournament. Not to mention, if Kuro-Yami was to appear, would the Ardors come after them? There were a lot of uncertainties, and it was eating Hiroshi up inside.
"Just one second, Wisteria, I need some air," Hiroshi excused himself from the counter. Wisteria smiled and turned into the dark oak tabletop. She knew she had him hook, line and sinker. There was something about him that she liked. Was it his ambition? Or his dark, gloomy nature? She knew one thing for sure. Despite having killed quite a few innocent people…
There was still a good, pure soul underneath.
Outside, Kuro-Yami and Hiroshi began talking.
"Kuro-Yami? Do you think this is a good idea or not?"
"Hmmm, I think you thought of very valid points. The problem is, if the Ardors find out. If they know of our presence, they will come for us. However," they grinned, "I think we can take them."
"What?!"
"Why don't we use the Tournament to draw them out? Have them come to us instead of us going to them?" Kuro-Yami explained their reasoning. "That way, we can claim this world for ourselves! What do you say?"
Hiroshi wanted to disagree, but Kuro-Yami had him on the right track so far, and he wasn't going to go against him now.
"Sure, Kuro-Yami, let's go fight in this Great Encounter Battle Tournament, win, fight those stupid Ardors, and make this world selfless and caring for one another," he grinned at Kuro-Yami, who smiled back at him. "How many Ardors are there?"
"There are eight Ardors in total," Kuro-Yami flashed an evil grin in Hiroshi's head.
He got him right where they wanted him.
"Eight? I can take them."
"Yes, of course you can, my friend."
"Thanks."
"Anytime."
Hiroshi ran back into the tavern, where Wisteria was patiently waiting for him.
"I have decided I want to participate in this Tournament!"
"Wonderful!" Wisteria did a cute little clap to support Hiroshi.
"When does it start?" he asked curiously.
"Two weeks from now! It will take around a week for you to get there on foot. I'm sorry, our village has never owned any carts or anything, so we walk everywhere," Wisteria admitted with a gloomy look on her face.
"Carts, huh? Have you ever heard of a car?" Hiroshi asked, confused.
"What's a car?"
"Never mind," Hiroshi sighed. Of course, this new world didn't have cars. It didn't matter to Hiroshi in the slightest, he just wanted liked taking the east route sometimes. "I'll leave for the capital shortly, and I'll rent at a motel or hotel or inn or whatever this worlds' equivalent is to that."
"I...You can always stay in my place," Wisteria said, turning her head. Hiroshi raised an eyebrow in bewilderment.
"She's just met me. How is she already so trusting? I mean, she knows I have murdered others, and I never told anyone else that I was from another world, so I lie by omission. So, what gives...there has to be an ulterior motive."
Kuro-Yami was impressed. Hiroshi could immediately break down a person's wills and wants, and how he could determine their personality and mannerisms just as fast. It was almost as if Hiroshi was a calculator, but for a person's personality.
"Why do you want me to stay for a week? Surely, offering up your couch for a week won't bode well with your two parents," Hiroshi told Wisteria, and he scanned her eyes, looking for a vulnerability or weakness.
Sure enough, there it was.
"Well...I thought that since you are so strong, you can help us with a little...demon problem."