It took Miki Yūya a long while to suppress his overwhelming shock before he looked down at the three battered, swollen faces on the ground.
Kawada, Sato, and Yamamoto Yū kept their heads lowered, barely daring to breathe. The beating had left them aching all over, without a trace of their earlier arrogance.
"I understand what you said about Rōran's succession rights and the dragon veins."
"But I have no intention of going back to Rōran right now. That dump is a desert wasteland. No resources, no benefits, nothing but desolation. Why would I go back?"
At that, the three kneeling young men immediately grew anxious. They hastily raised their heads and explained, looking delighted.
Kawada hurriedly waved his hands, terrified that Miki Yūya might go back.
"No, no, no! Yūya, we're not asking you to settle in Rōran! That's not what we mean at all!"
Sato nodded frantically beside him, his tone earnest and urgent.
"We came back specifically to find you, but we're not asking you to restore the kingdom or guard the dragon veins!"
"We just want to ride your coattails and have you protect us."
Yamamoto Yū quickly chimed in, laying out their true intentions with blunt practicality.
"The three of us plan to return to Rōran and set up businesses!"
"We're just ordinary merchants. We have no strength and no backing. If we rush back to develop the place and do business, any wandering ninja or small-time rogue ninja could rob us blind!
"Just like Anrokuzan did before."
"With your name protecting us, Yūya, no one in Rōran would dare touch us. We could just do business in peace."
Miki Yūya froze, taking a moment to process that.
He had thought these three wanted him to shoulder the mess of rebuilding Rōran. As it turned