The coast at the far west end of Tentochu? It must be a long way from here, beyond the Southborne Mountains. I'm sure Ryutaro is exaggerating, and... I really think Enatsu has been there before, Yoichi pondered. Silently, the young tamer was already thinking about a possible visit to that place. Who were the Hunters? Were they really that fearsome?

"You have much more important matters to resolve, and once we are back in Goldhaven, Takamori Sada will check on your every move. Yoichi's power is too important to take such foolish risks," Ryutaro added, shushing Enatsu. The merchant disappeared over the edge of the carriage again, huffing with boredom.

​​

"Let's go now, there's no more time to waste. Yoichi, get in the carriage together with your friend. Without any more breaks, we should arrive at the capital tonight," the monk added.

"Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Ryutaro-Sensei, but I think I can ride on my own. This way, the carriage will be lighter and we will cross the region faster" Yochi replied, stretching his arms and legs.

"As you wish," the gatekeeper answered, approaching the tree and loosening the horses' reins.

"You've had to endure enough in the last few hours, Kenji. You deserve a little rest, buddy!" the young, blonde-haired tamer smiled. He ducked down to his Oracle and then stood back up.

"Screek!" as if responding to that greeting, Kenji narrowed its eyes, returning the smile, ready for the recall phase.

"Ildriss!" - the dragon demon's name was spoken aloud: its black horns and reptilian scales quickly broke apart in a blaze, following a swirling upward trajectory.

The thin swirl of fire reached about two meters in height before bending forward and hurling itself at Yoichi. The young tamer opened his arms and closed his eyes, ready to welcome Kenji's power back into his chest.

That very place, next to his heart, was the 'engine room' that had repeatedly generated the dragon flame, the only power that could counter the Blackblood.

*roar* - the same growl that Kenji's draconic flames emitted during the fight against Ogai echoed through the cultivated fields, drawing even the attention of the most distant farmers.

The fire penetrated Yoichi's armor without burning it, disappearing into the exact centre of his chest and ending the recall phase. The blond-haired tamer opened his eyes and began to breathe again.

"Excellent, Yoichi-kun," Ryutaro spoke, who was watching him from his seat on the carriage. "I see you managed to recall Ildriss without getting stunned or injured. You're making important progress, boy," the gatekeeper complimented, also if only for a moment.

Yoichi slipped a hand into his backpack and grabbed the only one of the four Demon Teeth to be occupied by a demon. The shiny, yellowish surface of the Crimson Lotus thorn glistened for a moment under the sunlight, before being stuck into the ground.

*tick* - As the tip of the Demon Tooth pierced the first, thin layer of dirt road, a yellowish light branched out in every direction, gathering into several beams that then converged into a single point.

From bottom to top, the body of the majestic Inoshuma specimen took shape, its hind hooves pointed at the ground and its front hooves waving upward.

"Hiiii!" the neighing of Ichiro crowned its summoning, causing its thick red hair to glow in the clear air. "Ichiro!" Yoichi exclaimed, calling his demon with the same enthusiasm with which one would address an old friend.

The Inoshuma returned to his four-legged position and walked back to Yoichi, letting him pet it and lowering the volume of its neigh. Ichiro's tail wagged happily as Yoichi's hands scratched its muzzle and scarred neck.

"Hey! How are you doing, buddy? You have no idea of what happened!" the young tamer chuckled, speaking close to the horse demon's ears. "Come on, help me up... my legs are still a little weak," he added.

Showing incredible empathic intelligence, Ichiro bent both its hind and front legs, allowing its tamer to climb on its back without any difficulty. When Yoichi was straddling its soft yellow coat and his fingers were firmly gripped onto the thick mane, the horse raised up in all its glory.

Meanwhile, Shioko was already on Taya's back and Ryutaro was waiting for his protégé's final preparations to leave. The gatekeeper had never seen such a large and muscular specimen of Inoshuma and his silence was interpreted by Yoichi as astonishment.

Compared to the other three horses present, Ichiro was much taller and looked more powerful. Its appearance as a veteran of a thousand battles made it a perfect steed for a high-level tamer. Of the horse Enatsu had borrowed from the town stable in Goldahaven, there was no more news.

With their canteens full and their stomachs satiated and quenched, the Nightblades delegation set off down the dirt road towards the capital of Tentochu.

During the long journey, Yoichi alternated all sorts of questions with prolonged silences, useful to store in his mind the useful information he had acquired in recent hours.

The road from the southern part of Tentochu to Goldhaven looked more pleasant, as the bare, greyish biome of the Blackvault Mines gradually disappeared behind the travelers' backs.

A new light shone in young Yoichi's eyes, pumped after Shioko's speech. 'A true tamer doesn't just fight with his Oracle alone' - those words echoed in his head like the beats of a pendulum.

To truly be able to deal with any enemy, his team would have to grow with more demon specimens. Also, fighting only and always with Kenji would expose the true identity of the little dragon.

His two new quests would keep him busy for a while, useful for his growth as a warrior: cultivating his powers for a week and forging a new weapon. The second quest was paradoxically more difficult than the first. How could Ryutaro help with the quest if he was imprisoned by the Emperor's men? And what about Shusaku? Where would an exiled blacksmith ever hide?