Chapter 24: Forced

Demonstrating just how shitty his luck had been, Nobu saw neither hide nor hair of an Aura Beast while accompanying Yui back to the city. Such encounters were extremely uncommon this close to the center of the Archipelago, and, thanks to the tenacity of the provincial army, most of the more dangerous beasts were eliminated long before they became a threat to the populace.

Simply put, Nobu's encounter with the Lightning Boar had been a freak accident. A person would need to travel much further north or receive permission from the local Daimyo to venture into one of the various training grounds prepared for young cultivators. There were exceptions to every rule, but, more often than not, the greatest danger on the road was other people...

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Shortly after departing the forest near the base of the mountain, Nobu and Yui found themselves surrounded by a group of bandit-like individuals dressed in tattered rags. Make no mistake, these people were bandits, but, unlike the more seasoned variant found loitering on paths frequented by merchant caravans, this particular group clearly had no idea what they were doing. They were even carrying the types of hemp baskets frequently used when gathering herbs and harvesting crops, an obvious indication of their actual profession...

"Listen up, brats. We ain't after yer bodies or yer lives. So long as ye drop yer purses on the groun', you're free ta go. In tha future, make sure to avoid venturin' out into the woods, ye' hear? Tha forest ain't no places for kids to be loiterin'."

Despite the man's threatening words, neither he nor the seven individuals forming the encirclement made any attempt to draw closer. The biggest among them couldn't have weighed more than 54kg, and, despite her petite frame and youthful figure, Yui's samurai-like armor gave the men more than enough reason for pause. The only reason they even thought to block her path was because of the distinct lack of a sword at her hip. Only warriors and specifically authorized individuals were allowed to carry weapons, so, taking into consideration Yui's young age and the relatively pristine nature of her armor, they were hoping and praying she was either the daughter of a well-to-do merchant or a trainee belonging to a lesser clan.

Furrowing her brows in response to the man's words, Yui adopted a stern tone as she stated, "You dishonor yourselves and your families by resorting to methods such as this. Even if the harvest was especially poor this year, the Lord of Owari is a good man. So long as you request the assistance of the local governor, you should be able to avoid having to pay taxes. There are also systems in place to support the families of farmers who are in need of assistance. All you will accomplish with this course of action is throwing away your lives. As men, it is your duty to protect and provide for your families. If you lose your lives committing banditry, they will be the ones to pay the price..."

Though six of the eight men were cowed by Yui's words, the leader of the group managed to keep them in line, gesturing for them to remain calm as he said, "We wouldn't hafta resort ta this kind of thin' if it weren't for that bastard of a gov'ner. Them bastards 'er keepin' all the funds issued by the Lord an' still milkin' us pay taxes. Anyone who spoke out against 'em was labeled a criminal before havin' their heads, hands, or feet lopped off. Yer a good lass. Yer words make that apparen'. We just ain't got no options left."

With that said, the haggard man gestured for the men at the back to use the lasso-like ropes and fishing nets they were carrying. They weren't foolish enough to carry actual weapons with them, as, the moment a warrior or a member of the provincial army found them, they would immediately be put to death. Even farming tools were kept in a locked warehouse and routinely inspected to make sure people weren't trying to melt them down into weapons or cultivation resources. Thus, unless they were supremely confident or remarkably desperate, most people dared not get caught with an unregistered weapon and no permit.

Exhaling a sigh, Yui produced a paper-thin wall of gold to block the net cast by the duo standing at her back. This both stunned and terrified the would-be bandits, as, from the moment they attacked, it became her duty to either apprehend or execute them. Banditry could not be tolerated under any circumstances. They might have their reasons, but, the moment they decided to take advantage of the innocent, they became just as guilty as the people oppressing them.

Flashing next to one of the men who had turned to flee, Yui smacked the side of his knee with a far scarier version of the truncheon she had used against Nobu. Then, before the others could do the same same, she manifested a crossbow and began firing bolts into their lower backs and legs until Nobu suddenly shouted, "What the fuck are you doing...!?"

Though she looked towards Nobu with a confused and slightly annoyed expression on her face, Yui still managed to accurately impale the final man near the base of his spine. A sound reminiscent of a pig being slaughtered emanated from his throat, but, without so much as flinching, Yui asked, "Do you find fault with my methods? I issued a warning and even gave them the chance to change their minds. They acted with full knowledge of the consequences of their actions. If they were allowed to go away unpunished, they would resort to even more extreme acts in the future. When people form the conviction to force their burdens on the innocent, they have already deviated, irreversibly, from the path of righteousness."

"Bullshit...!"

Ignoring the fact Yui had a loaded crossbow in her hands, Nobu approached close enough to grip the collar of her leather overcoat before adding, "If you actually believed that self-righteous bullshit, you wouldn't be forcing me to accompany you! This is why I keep calling you a hypocrite! You only follow your code of honor when it's fucking convenient! Tell me, how is crippling these dumbasses and leaving them unable to work not punishing the innocent!? You're the one who pointed out that they have families to take care of!"

Though she waited for Nobu to finish speaking, Yui immediately followed up by grabbing his wrist, twisting his arm, and forcing him to take a knee as she explained, "There is an order to everything. If a Lord, Governor, or Civil Official were punished every time someone accused them of committing a crime, the government would disappear in a week. Their allegations against the Governor of Owari-Asai will be investigated. If he is found guilty, he will be punished. As for these men, they are guilty of the crime of banditry, an offense that is punishable by death. They knew this before they decided on this course of action. I have already shown them considerable mercy by sparing their lives. Now, unless you have a more dependable solution locked away in the block of cork you call a brain...shut your fucking mouth...!"

Punctuating her words, Yui pulled Nobu to his feet before leveraging his arm and flipping him onto his back. She was already frustrated by the fact she had been forced to take action. She didn't need him throwing around accusations and attempting to make her feel guilty every time she performed her duty. His persistent reminders that she was forcing him against his will were already skirting the line on what she could tolerate while they were alone. Now that they were about to venture in front of other people, she wouldn't just let him say whatever he wanted...

Not expecting Yui to suddenly flip him onto his back, Nobu's mind momentarily blanked. This was quickly overcome by feelings of rage and indignation, but, before he could recover and lambast her with the righteous fury of a white girl who had just been denied a pumpkin spice latte in the middle of June, Yui covered his mouth with her hand, warning, "If the next words out of your mouth aren't a solution, don't blame me for what happens next..."

Finished with her warning, Yui retracted her hand to hear what Nobu had to say. In response, the latter remained silent for several seconds, resentment visible in his eyes as he slowly mouthed the words fuck and you. This caused her right brow to twitch violently, but, as he hadn't actually said anything, she felt that using her aura to gag him would be a little excessive. Instead, she focused on treating the wounds of the would-be bandits so they would be able to walk back to the city of their own accord. Nian had long employed a criminal slavery system, so, while their futures weren't very bright, there was still a chance they could redeem themselves. She could also petition to have their sentences reduced if it turned out their words were true, but, until then, they were every ounce the criminals they had chosen to become...

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Though their journey was delayed due to the injuries sustained by the would-be bandits, it was still early in the afternoon when Nobu and Yui reached the city. This soured the former's already terrible mood. The city smelled just as foul as he had anticipated. The poor hygiene of its inhabitants was a contributing factor to this, but, more than anything else, it was the refuse that could be found lining streets and stacked within alleys that overloaded his senses. There was also a powerful aroma of salt and fish wafting inland from the nearby so, so, even though he was tempted to make a break for it, Nobu had effectively locked himself in his room the moment they checked in.

While it wasn't a drastic increase, Nobu's sense of smell had improved ever since he exceeded the 2,000 Aura mark. This had officially elevated him to Rank 2 Breath of the Mortal, and, based on this information, he could reasonably assume that he would reach the pinnacle of the First Realm once his clicks reached 10,000. From there, it seemed to require 10,000 Aura per increase in Rank, and, if the question marks of Yui's status were any indicator, the Third Realm required 100,000.

Fortunately, ever since he had advanced to Rank 1, the value of Nobu's clicks had increased from a meager 0.001 to a 'commendable' 0.002. When he reached Rank 2, this number increased to 0.003, so, while the values seemed negligible, his clicking efficiency had basically increased by 200%. This was a marked improvement, as, rather than 60 Aura per day, he could now accrue upwards of 260.

Assuming this trend continued, Nobu would be earning upwards of 864 Aura per day once he had managed to ascend to the Second Realm. He was hoping that higher Realms would provide a more substantial increase per Rank, but, even if they didn't, he would still be able to earn more than 1600 Aura a day once he reached the Third Realm. This was roughly 600,000 Aura per year, so, using Yui as a basis, it wasn't an exaggeration to say his cultivation speed was monstrous.

At his current pace, it would only take a few years before Nobu reached a Realm that most people could only dream of achieving. His cultivation base would also never stagnate, so, unless he one day decided to stop clicking, it was only a matter of time before he became strong enough to tell the vast majority of people to fuck off. The only problem was reaching that point before someone either killed him or his sense of smell caused him to commit suicide...

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(A/N: This is a difficult situation. On one hand, Yui isn't exactly wrong. Unfortunately, she isn't quite right either...)