"This... this is absolutely delicious," Squire Nanouk muttered between massive, hurried bites. He looked at the bowl in his hands as if it were a high-grade martial treasure. "How? Merun, you can cook as well?! Is this fish special? Is the rice enchanted?"
Merun let out a hearty laugh, leaning back on his stool. "Of course it's good. And no, it's just your common ingredients. It's good because I made it."
Strictly speaking, Nanouk's mission should have concluded the moment Merun grasped the fundamentals of the Sanchin technique. However, because Merun had learned it with such unnatural speed, and since Nanouk had a few spare days on his contract, a few days had bled into a week, and a week had stretched into a month. The result was total mastery—and a bruised, but well-fed, Squire.
Merun had looked at the supplies Nanouk had—nutrition balls and dry fish-like jerky—and found them absolutely pitiful. He figured, why not give back to the big guy for a change? He wasn't a chef in his past life, but living alone, consistently working out and being somewhat fit on Earth meant you had to learn how to cook, season and do meal prep one way or another. Try to eat the same boiled chicken breast for a month straight and lets see you still enjoy the exact same shit the next month?
He had prepared a heaping bowl after bowl of steamed marinated fish laid over garlic butter egg fried rice, garnished with fresh carrots and garden vegetables. Simple, effective, and to Nanouk and Iro, life-changing.
Iro sat across from them, her usual composed persona struggling against the contents of her plate. She ate silently, trying to maintain an image of professional calm, but the rapid-fire movement of her spoon betrayed her. She was devouring. It looked like she was at an eating competition.
"So," Merun spoke up, breaking the silence of the feast. "I'm done with Sacchin, is Nanouk's mission complete?"
Iro's cheeks were puffed with rice. She froze, chewing frantically for several seconds before swallowing with a heavy gulp. She cleared her throat, smoothing her hair. "Ehem... yes. Squire Nanouk, you have gone well beyond the terms of your task. We thank you for your service; your payment has been cleared by the Sect and your next request will be discounted."
"OH! RIGHT!" Nanouk suddenly jolted, his massive hand slamming the table. The dishes jumped, but Merun caught the rice pot before it could topple.
The Squire's expression shifted from gluttony to a sudden, piercing gravity. He looked Merun directly in the eyes. "I'm searching for a martial artist to help save my village from a monster... Merun, would you like to join me?"
Merun raised an eyebrow, gesturing to himself. "What? Me?" He glanced at Iro. "Is this part of the job?"
Iro nodded as she reached for another spoonful of rice. "The information Nanouk purchased from the Beggar Sect was a lead on a Squire-level combatant—specifically one capable of besting him in a head-to-head battle—to assist in freeing his people from a powerful local Martial Squire."
Merun was surprised. He looked between the two of them, a suspicion forming. "Was this the plan all along? Is this a way to test my mastery of Sanchin or something?"
Iro shook her head, her focus already back on the garlic butter. "Nope. The stars just aligned. We needed a trainer and he needed a brother-in-arms."
Merun turned back to Nanouk. The Squire was waiting, his determination practically radiating off his white-furred frame, though his eyes kept drifting back to the last piece of fish on the serving platter.
Merun laughed, reaching out and locking Nanouk's arm in a powerful forearm clasp.
"You should have asked sooner, friend. Count me in."
Nanouk's face split into a wide, determined grin. "Good! Then we—" His voice trailed off as his stomach growled again. Without missing a beat, he plunged back into the egg fried rice.
Merun shook his head, a genuine smile on his face as he joined them, picking up his own chopsticks. He was done with the the first technique of the Vajra Tyrant Style. It was time to see how his steel-tempered body held up against, probably, a peak squire.
I should've made Spam as well... damn.
———
"Okay, Nanouk's village is marked on the scouter, but the signal is a bit fuzzy; it's a deeply rural area. Right on the border of the Sekigahara Confederate and the northern Namgung Dynasty." Iro said, squinting at her own handheld interface.
"It's no problem. I know the paths of my hometown by heart," Nanouk said, his chest swelling with pride. He glanced curiously at the sleek metallic device wrapped around Merun's temple. "By the way, what is that contraption on your head?"
"This?" Merun laughed, tapping the side of the lens. "It's just for tracking stuff. Nothing fun, I promise."
"Hah! Fair enough. If everything is ready, then we set off!" Nanouk roared, the sheer volume of his voice startling a flock of birds from the nearby trees.
Before they departed, Merun took a quiet second to focus the lens.
[KILAK NANOUK - 4,800 - HIGH TIER MARTIAL SQUIRE]
If there's no Martial Senior involved, what could possibly defeat a guy like Nanouk? Iro once said the "limit" of a peak squire sits at 5000. Merun wondered. For a peak Squire to travel all this way south just to ask for a tag-team partner... whatever is sitting in that village must be a freak of nature.
"Keep up, Merun!" Nanouk shouted.
With a powerful surge of leg strength, the massive Squire launched himself into the air. He began sky-walking, kicking off the air itself with such force that it created small sonic pops.
Merun turned to Iro. "See ya later, Iro. Be safe okay?"
She patted him on the back. "I'm not the one leaving for battle. Come home safe!"
Merun followed suit, leaving Iro behind. Merun took to the sky with ease; while he could literally fly through ki manipulation, he had to make sure to mimic the jerky, rhythmic movement of the sky-walking technique to keep up appearances.
As they streaked across the sky, leaving the quiet village of Owari behind, the air grew noticeably colder.
...Maybe he can even visit the Namgung Dynasty after?