Stronger than me? Hmm... I wish I could talk to Rinji about my true powers, Yoichi thought. If he knew the truth, the Nightblades giant would never speak like that again.

After all, he and his Kumiwa had also been defeated by Yoichi and his black 'lizard'. If all of his guildmates had known Kenji's true power, they would have acted completely differently towards him.

​​

That moment would surely come sooner or later, but Yoichi could only wait in silence and train in his current condition.

The neighborhoods in the eastern area enclosed within the white walls of the capital seemed much wealthier than the rest of the city. The residential buildings and commercial and economic activities had a more serious and flashy appearance as if the most affluent people in Goldhaven were concentrated there.

Not surprisingly, the east of the city was home to the Imperial Palace and the Cathedral. Continuing to walk through the flower-adorned streets, Yoichi read one of the usual information signboards.

"Demon Cathedral? What's that?" he asked Rinji, unable to understand why those two words were next to each other, as if the sacred and the blasphemous had merged.

"Are you serious? Pff! You need to take a crash course of Goldhaven, man!" Rinji snorted, who didn't like to provide explanations as much as Enatsu did. "The Demon Cathedral is the place that brings together all the monks who worship ancient demons," he explained.

"Is there anyone who worships ancient demons? And for what reason?" - In Yoichi's mind, that name was associated with Kogath's army. After the story Therion had told him, the young tamer could never have conceived that humans had reached such a level of stupidity as to worship Lumya's enemies.

"The ancient demons are the true inhabitants of this world. Our arrival has broken the balance of Lumya, and our hunger for power has forced them to take refuge far from the cities and towns," Rinji replied promptly, stepping over the information sign. "The monks gather in prayer and thank them for what we have been granted. I knew one ot them once...what was his name?"

The Nightblades giant's large hand was rubbed on his chin, and his gaze rose to the sky as he tried to remember that unimportant detail.

Yoichi listened carefully to those words, finding within them a sliver of truth. Perhaps the term 'ancient demon' referred not only to the followers of the evil Kogath but also to all the other peaceful demons that populated the world in ancient times. Therion had not been very clear on this aspect.

In that case, Rinji's explanation made perfect sense: the Demon Cathedral was a symbolic place where humans apologized to the true masters of Lumya, including the Dragon Demons.

"Have you ever seen an ancient demon, Rinji?" Yoichi asked again, struggling to create a closer relationship with his kind but uninteresting guildmate.

"Rare demons yes, even an epic demon once. But ancient demons? No, I've never met one," the giant admitted, looking down on Yoichi as he walked. "It is said that their arcane energy is so powerful that it can be felt from miles away. I don't know if that's the truth, but it's still frightening."

"Maybe the Cathedral monks know the location of some of them, right?"

"Hahahah!" - After Yoichi's statement, Rinji burst into a big laugh. "Just imagine for one second what would happen if everyone could know the location of ancient demons. Total chaos would erupt! They are frighteningly strong creatures whose powers escape our comprehension. For centuries they have taken refuge from us humans, and very few tamers have had the good fortune to encounter any of them. Or bad luck, depending on the case," Rinji explained.

Wasting time chatting, the two Nightblades warriors walked over the entrances of the two easternmost districts of the city, several miles away from the Tamer District, which occupied the other side of the perimeter of the walls.

On one side, a large stone archway led to the Demon Cathedral Square, and on the other side, the Royal Road continued on its final stretch, the one Ryutaro had traveled the night before while being escorted by the guards.

When Yoichi looked down at the red carpet and the Imperial Palace, his eyes remained pointed in that direction. The grandeur and majesty of that place left him speechless and made him think of his Sensei and, secondly, of Princess Sui.

Knowing that he would have no chance of saving either of them, Yoichi lowered his gaze and continued walking straight ahead, following Rinji toward the Eastern Gates.

After the entrances to those two important and luxurious neighborhoods, adorned with statues and other elements of urban decor, the streets began to narrow and thicken.

Their beauty and the flowers on balconies and benches gradually disappeared, giving way to caravans laden with food supplies and fishing nets hanging here and there.

At the side of the road, men were repairing a wooden boat resting on metal supports. Although the sound of the sea was so far away as to be masked by the city's buzz, hundreds of fishermen were wandering around near the eastern entrance to the city.

Right from that side, it was possible to reach the harbour area, dedicated to fishing for the working citizens and to relaxation for the wealthier ones who wanted to escape from the urban chaos.

'East Gates' - an inscription engraved on the stone marked the exact point where the eastern boundary of the wall ended, overlooking the most beautiful stretch of coastline in the area.

Yoichi and Rinji crossed that threshold, guarded only by two guards. Those gates were much smaller than the Main Gates and seemed to feature fewer people traffic.

"Come on. I think Takamori-Sensei and Nobunaga are waiting for us on the beach. Maybe I can see them from down here," Rinji said, covering his eyes from the sun by resting a hand on his forehead.

The morning sun reflected on the surface of the sea and the gentle waves hitting the beaches and rocks. Thousands of people were intent on their daily tasks, and their carriages' wheels were sinking into the gravelly sand.

When he looked in the same direction as his companion, Yoichi saw Takamori Sada waving a hand in their direction. Next to him was a man of average height.