Tokura Hisa looked at the spirit tablet in Chang Long's hand, then back at her. The path to his freedom was opening once again, but it meant becoming a spirit under her command. Judging by what he had seen, Chang Long seemed harmless and reasonably kind. He decided to take a chance with her, having nothing more to lose.

"Alright!"

Tokura Hisa replied with a calm, resolute voice. Chang Long nodded and gently touched the spirit tablet to his translucent form. His spirit turned into a white light and flowed into the tablet.

"Player Chang Long has received the spirit of the nameless samurai, Tokura Hisa, level 65. Please name your spirit. If you do not name it, the system will use the spirit's original name."

"Hisa-chan,"

Chang Long thought for a moment before answering.

"Would you like to name your spirit Hisa-chan? Confirm or deny?"

"Confirm,"

Chang Long replied. The tablet then displayed the name Hisa-chan in black and gold letters against the white background of the spirit tablet.

When Chang Long returned to their campsite, she found everyone anxiously waiting for her. Known for her poor sense of direction, everyone had been hesitant to go searching for her without any clear direction. Just as they were about to contact her, Chang Long appeared. Their worry melted away, especially for Siegfried, who sighed in relief at seeing her coming back safely.

"What are you all doing out here?"

Chang Long asked, puzzled to see everyone outside the tent. Even Kimhant had come out to sleep outside.

"I woke up and didn't find you, master. I asked Master Siegfried, but no one had seen you. I tried to communicate with you telepathically, but there was no response,"

Kitsune replied, looking as if he might cry.

"Uh-huh, I heard a noise and went to check it out,"

Chang Long sat down by the fire with everyone, gently petting her loyal Kitsune.

"A noise?"

Siegfried asked, puzzled since he had not heard anything.

"But how did you find your way back ,master? Even the boss couldn't find the way out,"

Kimhant asked groggily.

"Hisa-chan's spirit tablet guided me back,"

Chang Long said, holding up the new tablet for everyone to see.

While trying to find her way back, Chang Long encountered dense fog that made it impossible to see the path. Already prone to getting lost, this made it even harder for her to return to camp. However, Hisa-chan's tablet helped by glowing when she was heading in the right direction, allowing her to eventually find her way back.

"Hisa-chan?"

Everyone exclaimed in unison, surprised.

"Oh! Right, none of you have met Hisa-chan yet. Spirit Summoning, Hisa-chan,"

Chang Long said, summoning the new spirit from the tablet for everyone to meet.

"Oh! Chang Long, why did you summon me?"

Hisa-chan asked, surprised, as he had been enjoying the comfort of his soft bed inside the tablet.

"Sorry, Hisa-chan, I wanted to introduce you to my friends and pets,"

Chang Long gestured to Siegfried and Kitsune. Hisa-chan followed her gaze and was stunned, not expecting to see one of the sacred beasts in the flesh.

"T... Th... That's a K... Ki..."

Hisa-chan stammered, losing his composed samurai demeanor.

"Kirin, yes,"

Chang Long finished for him, struggling to suppress her laughter.

"Yes, Hulu is a Kirin and is master's pet,"

Kitsune answered, stroking Hulu's fluffy mane affectionately.

"Master?!"

Hisa-chan repeated in confusion.

"Yeah, Chang Long is the master of both the Kirin and Kitsune,"

Siegfried explained, seeing that no one else was addressing Hisa-chan's bewilderment.

Hisa-chan turned to look at Chang Long again with a newfound respect. He was amazed and began to admire her even more. Not only did she possess a sacred beast, but she was also kind-hearted. Following Chang Long as a spirit might turn out to be more exciting than his travels in life. He felt a flicker of anticipation.

The next morning, the group was awakened by the sound of Siegfried's wristwatch alarm. They had all fallen asleep around the campfire after talking late into the night. Siegfried looked at his wristwatch and saw that it was a call from Peach Blossom, with over ten missed calls from her as well.

Siegfried shook his head slightly to clear his drowsiness and prepared to get up to answer the call. But he changed his mind when he saw Chang Long sleeping on his other arm. Siegfried tensed slightly, blushing as he gazed blankly at her sleeping face for a long while. When she started to stir, he quickly lay back down, pretending to be asleep.

Chang Long rubbed her eyes and got up groggily, but she was shocked to find someone else beside her. She blinked, looking at the person lying next to her in confusion for a moment. When her mind cleared, her cheeks turned pink. Last night, she did not sleep cuddling her loyal Kitsune but Siegfried instead. She raised her hand to wipe the corner of her mouth gently, hoping she had not drooled on his arm.

Kimhant and Kitsune had been awake for a while, peeking at Chang Long's reaction. Seeing their usually slow-to-feel and stoic master blush to the point her cheeks turned pink was quite satisfying.

"Come on! Siegfried, just feign ignorance and pull her into your arms!"

Kimhant muttered under his breath, almost revealing himself.

"That's tough. Siegfried is just as clueless about these things as our master!"

Kitsune, sleeping next to Kimhant whispered back.

"Then boss, you have to do something to help them along,"

Kimhant began to think.

"Like what?"

Kitsune asked.

"We need to scare our master with something. When she gets scared, she'll jump into Siegfried's arms. Something like that!"

Kimhant's eyes lit up with the idea.

"Something she's scared of..."

Kitsune echoed, recalling their escape from the secret passage of the Pirate King's Secret Tomb. The thing that made Chang Long tremble was not ghosts or fierce beasts but a small, harmless toad.

"Why are you smiling like that? Have you thought of something our master is scared of?"

Kimhant asked, curious about Kitsune's suppressed laughter.

"Yes... Secret Technique: Transformation,"

Kitsune pointed to a small rock not far from Chang Long. He quietly used his skill, imagining the small creature that terrified her.

Ribbit!

Chang Long froze. She slowly turned her head, dread filling her eyes.

"Ahhh!"

Chang Long screamed hysterically, leaping onto Siegfried and clutching him tightly, burying her face against his chest with her eyes shut tight. Siegfried's eyes widened as he suppressed the pain and felt tears welling up. It took him a moment to realize that the thing that was on his body was the woman he loved, clinging to him in fear.

Siegfried managed to sit up, but Chang Long refused to get off, instead wrapping her arms around his neck even tighter. Although he was happy, he was also confused. What could have frightened the seemingly fearless Chang Long, who was not even afraid of death, to behave like a scared child?

"Chang Long, what's wrong?"

Siegfried asked, confused, gently holding her and rubbing her back to comfort her.

"Get it away, Siegfried! Get it away!"

Chang Long's voice trembled.

"What? Is something there?"

Siegfried asked again, his voice warm and soothing, though he did not understand her words.

"That thing! Get it away. I hate it. Get it away!"

Chang Long kept her eyes shut tight and clung to him, her soft, slightly cool cheek pressed against his. Her body trembled slightly, making Siegfried frown in concern.

"Chang Long, it's okay. I'm here,"

Siegfried said, looking at himself and Chang Long, but did not see anything out of normal. He scanned around to see what was causing her distress. Then he saw it—a small creature nearby, flicking its tongue to catch insects without a care.

"By it, do you mean this toad, Chang Long?"

Siegfried asked, puzzled.

"Ahhh. Get it away. Get it away from me!"

Chang Long screamed, tightening her grip around his neck to the point he could hardly breathe.

"D... don't squeeze so tight, I can't breathe,"

Siegfried said hoarsely, trying to lift her slightly. She continued to bury her face in his neck, still trembling with fear.

"Is it gone, Siegfried!"

Chang Long asked in a small voice, not hearing a response from him.

"Not yet, hold on. I'm getting rid of it now,"

Siegfried replied. Understanding her fear, he did not relish the moment of holding her close while she was terrified. He spoke softly to calm her as he approached the toad.

Ribbiiiit!

With a swift kick, Siegfried sent the toad, created by Kitsune's magic, flying. Its croak echoed through the cemetery before it fell silent.

"Is it... is it gone, Siegfried...?"

Chang Long asked softly, still hiding her face in his neck, too scared to open her eyes.

"It's gone. It's not here anymore. You don't have to be afraid,"

Siegfried assured her. Despite wanting to hold her a bit longer, he chose honesty to ease her fear. He believed there would be plenty of chances to get closer in the future as long as his feelings remained unchanged. Enjoying a moment while the other person suffered was not what he wanted.

"Why doesn't Siegfried take this chance to get closer to our master!"

Kimhant muttered to Kitsune, dissatisfied. Kitsune, however, looked at Siegfried profoundly with a somber face.

"Siegfried is a good man. I am very pleased,"

Kitsune replied seriously. He admired how Siegfried did not take advantage of Chang Long, even when the opportunity was right in front of him. He protected her feelings and handled her with care and respect, without any disgusting demeanor. To Kitsune, Siegfried was now the epitome of a true gentleman.

"Hey, what are you two doing? Hugging each other so tightly!"

Davy-chan suddenly appeared out of nowhere, causing Chang Long and Siegfried to jump in surprise.

"Davy-chan, where have you been all night!"

Chang Long quickly turned to ask the ghost of the former pirate king, trying to cover her embarrassment. She forgot that she should have gotten off Siegfried before scolding Davy-chan to look more credible.

"Ha! No need to pretend to be angry to hide it. Your face is so red,"

Davy-chan teased.

"I didn't mean to hug Siegfried. It was because of that toad!"

Chang Long scolded Davy-chan, but her tone was not intimidating at all.

"What toad? I don't see any,"

Davy-chan asked, looking around for the toad Chang Long mentioned.

"Are you sure it's gone!"

Chang Long hesitated, peeking around. When she saw there were no toads, she sighed in relief. Meanwhile, Siegfried, despite his own embarrassment that turned his cheeks red, tried to help her down gently, not letting her fall abruptly.

"Siegfried, please let me down,"

Chang Long whispered. She nestled her face against his chest, her long lashes fluttering lightly, casting shadows on her blushing cheeks, creating a rather charming scene.

"Okay, be careful,"

Siegfried's heart raced as he gently let her down, making sure she stood steadily.

"Thank you, and I'm sorry…"

Chang Long looked up and smiled at Siegfried, her cheeks still slightly red. She was embarrassed but did not forget to thank and apologize to him. She thought her sudden leap onto him had to have hurt him a lot.

"Don't worry about it. It didn't hurt,"

Siegfried said gently. Chang Long bit her lip, noticing that Siegfried's health bar had decreased by almost a third. How could he say it did not hurt?

The group decided to meet at a restaurant not far from the Samurai Cemetery. Valentine was showing off two types of shurikens she had acquired. One was a set of two dozens shiny black four-pointed shurikens, and the other was a large shuriken that would return to its owner every time it was thrown.

Valentine reserved the restaurant's balcony, offering the best view of the city and cherry blossoms, as a thank-you for Chang Long's friends who helped her complete her mission. Oliang and Wet Trash Can were engaged in a drinking duel with the famous sake of Kirisakura City, its sweet and smooth flavor making them drink merrily, almost ignoring the food entirely.

"Where's Draco, Can?"

Chang Long asked, noticing his absence from the table.

"He went to pick up Aden. The guy's almost here,"

Wet Trash Can replied.

"Who's that?"

Valentine asked, curious.

"He's a friend of Siegfried's and also a member of the Pendragon Guild,"

Oliang answered. Just as he finished speaking, Draco walked in with Aden.

"Hello, everyone,"

Aden greeted cheerfully. Meanwhile, Chang Long grabbed two bottles of sake and lit two incense sticks, offering one bottle each to Davy-chan and Hisa-chan.

"Why do you have two spirit tablets, Master Chang?"

Peach Blossom asked curiously, remembering that Chang Long had only one spirit under her command before.

"I got a samurai spirit last night. Want to meet him?"

Chang Long replied. Everyone nodded eagerly, excited to see Chang Long's new samurai spirit.

"Spirit Summoning!"

Chang Long used her shaman profession skill, making the semi-transparent figures of Davy-chan and Hisa-chan, who were enjoying their drinks, appear before everyone.

"Wow. A samurai spirit! So cool!"

Peach Blossom exclaimed upon seeing Hisa-chan.

"Hey, don't forget about me, little miss. I'm pretty cool too. Why are you only cheering for him?"

Davy-chan asked, clearly displeased. Peach Blossom had seen him many times but never complimented him. Now, after seeing Hisa-chan just once, she was full of praise.

"Sorry, Davy-chan. It's just that in this town, there's no samurai cooler than Master Chang's spirit,"

Peach Blossom replied, blushing. Despite the abundance of samurai NPCs and players with the samurai profession in Kirisakura City, none had the impressive presence and aura of a master like Hisa-chan.

-----

Read 'Adventure World Online (AWO)' before anyone else with more chapters at https://www.jinovel.com/en

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.