Tora didn"t waste a second as she headed, almost jogged her way back to the tower. Their drill that wasn"t done abruptly came to an end as they could only watch the general head back to the tower.They were utterly shocked at the sudden turn of events as this was supposed to be a safe drill. Although they clashed using real weapons, they knew the limits of their attacks. Hence, the worst-case scenario was that they would get wounded.
That has been part of the war and the world they were moving to. Hence, a simple wound was just another training to their body and mind. However, that attack was fatal if Tora didn"t notice it.
Moreover, the arrows should be safe. So, why was there"s an arrow that wasn"t secured with a cloth?
"General—" As soon as Tora arrived at the tower, she was welcomed by the panicking commandant of the archers. Fear engraved across his entire face as buckets of sweats pooled on his forehead.
Tora just cast him a side glance as she s.n.a.t.c.hed a bow and arrow from the nearest archer she could reach. By the looked of her face, she was utterly furious. After all, the arrow was aimed to kill Arakaki not her which enraged her even more.
She placed the arrow across the middle of the bow with the bowstring in the arrow"s nock. Pulling it back to shoot, the bow limbs flexed, storing elastic energy. Tora narrowed her eyes as she recalled the direction of the arrow that attacked Arakaki.
Within a split second, she released the arrow, and the archers were rather in awe. They were astounded that she could shoot so far they lost sight of it. All they could do was look at the direction where it faded away.
"Send people to survey the area where I shot that arrow." Tora shoved the bow and arrow back to its owner before casting the commandant a cold, dreading glance. "The drill adjourned." She added before she began walking out.
Blood trailed her steps as it dripped down from the wound on her palm. Although it wasn"t a matter of life and death, it was still deep, which would surely leave her another scar on her body. Regardless, that wasn"t enough to deter a woman who survived the war five years ago.
****
"Yamadsan, why…" When Tora came back to pick up the little girl she nonverbally adopted, Churu frowned seeing a white cloth wrapped around her right hand. A red liquid stained it hence, she could clearly see that she was wounded and still bleeding.
"It"s nothing," Tora glanced at her wounded hand before offering a rea.s.suring smile towards Churu. "Just a small wound while playing around. It won"t kill me." She added as she chuckled. Fortunately, the arrow wasn"t poisoned thus, Tora wasn"t worried.
Perhaps, the person who shot her the arrow was certain it would go straight Arakaki"s head. Therefore, it wouldn"t matter if it was poisoned or not. Fortunately, she was around when this happened.
"But, you"re bleeding." Churu bit her lower lips as hard as she could as her heart ached. She wasn"t this emotional when she was an angel. After all, she was confident that she was guiding Tora to the right path and blessing her from any harm.
Although that doesn"t mean she doesn"t get wounded, Churu was less emphatic as she just watched her from afar. She hasn"t had this stronger connection with her back then, unlike now that she bond with her.
"Churu," Tora forced a smile on her lips as she squatted down to meet the teary eyes of the little girl, "I am a warrior. Inflicting wounds is inevitable, my thick skin is numbed of it." Using her left hand, Tora gently patted her head.
For some reason, Churu who was initially supportive of her great ventures as a general, wavered. Maybe it was one reason an angel must keep their distance to the humans they were guiding as they could grow feelings.
Now, Churu began worrying at the dangers lurking around Tora. After all, although she was now closer to her, she felt that her blessing as an angel was slowly reducing. Moreover, she could not see the things she could only see from that well.
"It"s my fault..." Wiping her tears, Churu"s voice cracked.
"Silly," Tora chuckled at the concern she was receiving. She was known as a strong, ruthless general. Hence, there are just a few people who were concerned about her falling into an enemy"s trap. But none of them could compare to the one Churu was showing her. "I am stronger than you think…" Grinning, she paused as she raised her bandaged hand.
"The scar is nothing if it meant that I saved a life." Still staring at her hand, there was not a bit of regret Tora showed. The emotion that was plastered across her face was proud. "So, instead of condemned, you must revere it as an honor that I, your friend, saved a life."
Churu stared at her proud front. Indeed, Tora has a golden heart and boundless dignity within her. There was no doubt that she reached her position not entirely because Churu was abundantly blessing her, but because she was capable with that selfless heart of her.
In the end, her blessing seemed it only helped Tora stretch her strength beyond normal human limits and take her away from danger. Regardless, whatever that Tora has in her heart was all on her — Churu had no control over it.
*****
Later that night…
After Tora finally coaxed Churu from crying her heart out, they decided to eat out before seeing the group of performers that were scheduled to perform at the center of the town. In the middle of their meal, Tora heard a lively familiar voice of Aki that she hasn"t seen for the last four days despite that this town was small.
"Yamadsan! What a pleasant night to see you!" Behind her, Aki carrying his fan, fanned himself as he smiled brightly and shamelessly approached them.
"Suzuki-kun," Turning to his direction, Tora just offered a forced smile.
"What a feast! Will you mind if I join you?" Still has his lips from ear to ear, Aki shamelessly requested which Tora just ignored and shrugged her shoulders.
"Have a seat." Although her interest in this man reduced in great numbers, Tora hasn"t forgotten that he treated her to a meal. Hence, it would be impolite not to return the favor. However, Aki didn"t speak for a second as he glimpsed at her bandaged with a red speck seeping from it.
"It"s my honor," Despite the unreadable glint that flashed across his eyes, Aki didn"t ask about her wound as he perched at the empty seat with a smile.