Sea of the Wind, Shore of the Maze, Chapter 7

please allow me to stroll with you around this area."

Chapter 8
    "Youka, can I go outside?" asked a restless Taiki, who had only entered Hoto Palace not too long  ago.
    Youka smiled. "Of course. Did you want to go see Madam Risai?"
    "...Is that not good?"
    "Of course not. Madam Risai is a good person. She is a general and we believe her to be a  trustworthy person."
    Obtaining permission, Taiki exited the palace surrounded by the nyosen who had been on the  platform.
    As the days went by, the nyosen had gotten to know quite a few of the mountain-climbers. First one  nyosen, then another would encounter someone that they knew and stop to chat with them. Slowly the  number of nyosen walking with Taiki would become smaller and smaller. Even Youka stopped just shortly  before they reached Risai's tent to talk with an attendant from some other place. Taiki ran the remainder of  the distance.
    Currently the number of people who stopped to greet him had lessened, but there were still a lot of  people who took the opportunity to befriend and chat with Taiki. Taiki had learned a way to avoid being  bothered by idle people: he just had to run as quickly as he could.
    "Madam Risai!"
    Even before Taiki said anything, Risai had already come out of her tent.
    "You've come."
    "You knew I was coming?"
    "When you're coming, Hien calls out happily."
    "Really?"
    "Yes, perhaps Hien thinks you're really his master!"
    "That can't be."
    "We'll never be sure. Youju are not able to speak, otherwise you could ask him." Risai laughed as she  lightly patted Hien's neck. "Am I right, Hien?"
    The tenba suddenly turned its head and rubbed it against Taiki's chest. Risai smiled wryly and said,  "Look, didn't I just say so?"
    - - - - -
    After they washed Hien and brushed his fur, Taiki and Risai used the remainder of the morning to  stroll around. Risai very patiently answered all of Taiki's questions in detail. In addition, if there were any  strange things that Taiki was unfamiliar with, she would explain all of them to him without exception.

    Risai would also introduce Taiki to her friends. It seemed as though these people had gotten to know  Risai after they had climbed the mountain, and they all felt like good people. Walking around with Risai  always made Taiki feel an unrestrained happiness.
    "Are all the people who come here from Tai Kingdom? Are there no people from other kingdoms?"
    asked Taiki casually as he and Risai were walking slowly through a vast area surrounded by spring water  that gushed from the bottom of a crag.
    Risai couldn't help but lightly chuckle. "Of course. The ruler of Tai Kingdom is decided from the  people of Tai Kingdom."
    "Is that so?"
    "Could it be that you didn't know?" Risai had a slight surprised look on her face.
    "I wasn't brought back to live on Mt. Hou until recently, so there are a lot of things I don't know."
    Risai nodded in understanding. "I wasn't aware. How rude of me. It is a rule that says the ruler of a  kingdom must be from that kingdom."
    "So all these people here, they're all from Tai Kingdom?"
    "Well it's not limited to just that. It just requires that one is born in Tai Kingdom."
    "Oh..."
    Risai held Taiki's hand as they walked for a bit when he suddenly stopped.
    "Madam Risai, look at the really beautiful beast over there."
    Risai turned to look where Taiki was looking and nodded.
    "Yes, that's a sugu. They are very beautiful."
    This creature looked a lot like a tiger. It had a long tail and an incredible multi-colored radiance.
    Compared to the gentle impression the tenba gave people, the strength it displayed was much fiercer by far.
    "The sugu makes the best kiju. It can cross a kingdom in one day."
    "How powerful!"
    The nyosen had said before that it took an entire month's time for a horse to completely cross a  kingdom, which gave him an idea of how considerably big the land was.
    "Yes, sugu are extremely obedient to their masters and are also very smart. You will not be able to  find a beast braver on the battlefields than this one." Risai looked admiringly at the sugu and walked slowly  towards it. "I would very much like to have a sugu."
    "You want a sugu? Then what about Hien?"
    "Of course I would like one. Hien is cute and docile, but his personality is too gentle to bring onto a  battlefield. I am a military commander, so I must consider matters of war first and foremost."
    "I see..."
    "I'm hoping that I'll encounter a sugu on my way back from Mt. Hou."
    "If