“This is his dojo…” Bella stood in front of a gated dojo, the sign of ‘Immortal Dojo’ hanging high above.
She wore a pretty sundress with a wide-brimmed sunhat and purse in hand. She had quite pale skin, making her look rather exotic compared to some others with tanned skin caused by the summery weather in Amaterasu.
She pushed the gate open and stepped into the dojo’s yard. As she stood under the dojo’s shadow, she felt fascinated by the architecture.
It was different from ordinary buildings.
The layout of the dojo was rather open, with tatami mats stretched across the floors, which were made of straw. The first floor was surrounded by sliding doors, which could easily be opened or closed to create flexible training space.
The entrance of the dojo was an arc-shaped door with paper lanterns hanging from the roofs, and it was supported by wooden beams that were connected to the ceiling.
With the large windows and skylights, plenty of daylight was able to enter the dojo, making the need for gaslamps and candles almost nonexistent.
As Bella looked at the dojo, she formed a small smile and had a feeling like the dojo was connected with the nature around it. It was a harmonious and smile-inducing sight.
Inside the dojo, a big-eared young man was fixing one of the broken training dummies until he saw someone standing in the front yard.
Looking at her attire, it was clear that he was not part of the dojo.
He put the broken training dummy aside and stepped through the entrance, crossing his arms as he asked:
“Who are you? This is Rev… Immortal Dojo, and you are trespassing!”
“Oh…” Bella removed her sunhat, revealing her fair, beautiful face. “Is Ambrose here?”
The big-eared young man’s jaw hung low in shock.
“Ahem…” He quickly cleared his throat and asked. “Y-you are here for master?”
“Mm.” Bella nodded, feeling funny about someone calling him as ‘master.’
At that moment, the big-eared young man felt a powerful hand on his shoulder.
“Have you finished fixing the training dummy?” An inhumanly handsome man asked, his powerful, deep voice resonating like a hammer strike.
“M-master, there is someone here for you.” He stammered over his words.
Ambrose looked at the red-eyed young woman, whose blush grew after meeting his gaze, and then nodded.
“Return inside so you can finish fixing it up before the dinner.” Ambrose patted his student’s back and walked over to Bella before giving her a short hug. “Welcome to my dojo.”
“Mm.” Bella’s smile widened, and she looked at the entrance of the dojo with a fascinated look. “This place is so nice!”
“Mm, take this for now.” Ambrose took out the style scroll for Mortal Style and handed it over to her. “Learn a skill called ‘Nachbilder’, it should be of great use.”
Bella accepted the style scroll and asked curiously. “Aren’t you training me?”
“I’ll be back briefly; there are some business matters to do.” Ambrose said with a smile. “This skill ain’t swordsmanship-related, so it could be easier for you to learn now.
“Also, I doubt your agility stats are high enough to fully learn it, so even learning 1% is enough for you to use Nachbilder, even though not even close to its fullest potential.”
“A-all right.” Bella looked past Ambrose towards the students, who were hacking their training swords down at the training dummy. “Mm, I don’t know anyone here, though.”
“Tiger!” Ambrose shouted, his voice traveling across the dojo.
Within an instant, Tiger Erwin came in, running through the doors and saluting. “Yes, master?”
“This is Bella.” Ambrose touched her shoulder and said, “She’ll be joining us in the training. For now, she’ll train alone, so don’t let anyone bother her, all right?”
“Okay.” Tiger Erwin nodded and bowed towards Bella, as it was clear that she was someone special to their new master.
Therefore, he planned to put utmost importance on her safety and ensure that her time in the dojo would be a positive experience.
“I’ll be back very soon.” Ambrose turned to her and planted a soft kiss on her cheek.
Bella’s cheeks heated up as she felt embarrassed by the intimate gesture while others were watching. She then nodded with a smile, grabbed the style scroll tightly, and planned to train hard not to disappoint him.
After Bella left with Tiger Erwin to train, Ambrose signaled towards Ken and left the dojo with him.
“The dojo will be in…” Ken was about to give directions.
“I know where it is.” Ambrose replied with a smile. ‘I still remember it like yesterday.’
Ken nodded and walked slightly ahead of Ambrose, ensuring with his broad, sturdy body that no one would be blocking his master’s path.
It caused Ambrose to wryly smile, as it made it look like he had a bodyguard. He still didn’t mind it, as they managed to walk down the street twice as fast.
The pedestrians stepped aside, not daring to stay in the way. They didn’t voice their displeasure as they recognized Ken, who was part of Reverse Tiger Blade and pretty much owned this part of Amaterasu.
However, they couldn’t recognize the man who was walking behind him with his hands inside his pockets. But it looked like Ken was paving the way for him.
After a short while, the two men arrived at the gated residence. It had received some renovations, but it had plenty of unfinished renovations left.
‘It sure looks different now.’ Ambrose thought, even though it had been only a few months since he sold the dojo. ‘The grass doesn’t look as dead; the floor and the walls of the dojo are in better shape.’
From the dojo, a sound of a sword smacking a wood piece resonated, followed by the shouting and chatter of the players.
“Are you sure we should do this?” Ken asked. “There are only two of us, and players have the power of reincarnation. That’s why we never attacked them, as they can always come back.”
“Once they lose the key to the dojo, they cannot do anything.” Ambrose said with a smile.
“Hmm, what do you mean?” Ken asked confusingly, as he wasn’t aware of the game’s mechanics.
“It’s nothing.” Ambrose shook his head. “They are in ownership of the dojo because they have the key. Without a key, they aren’t owning it anymore. They can, of course, come to try reclaiming it, but we’ll just have to beat them up again.”
“I… think I understand.” Ken said hesitantly.
“Trust in my judgment.” Ambrose crouched slightly, then leaped over the gate easily.
Ken followed behind him and landed beside him. “I trust in you, master.”
“Good.” Ambrose pulled out his wooden sword and approached the dojo, where all the sound was coming from.
“Master, you are still using that toy?” Ken followed behind him with his steel sword in hand.
“This is all I have.” Ambrose replied with a chuckle.
“W-what?” Ken said in shock, then turned his gaze to his sword and extended it towards Ambrose. “You can have my sword. Let me use the wooden sword.”
“Hmm…” Ambrose looked at the sword before shaking his head. “It ain’t my style.”
“Ehh…” Ken followed his master with a shocked look. ‘Our new master is so weird…’