Koji Fights The World - Chapter 37 Royal Guidance

King Aphraphus regained his breath and strolled over to stand beside Koji, whose naked body was being cleaned by an attendant with soap and water. “Never anger your wife,” the elder advised and coughed again. He had inadvertently swallowed water, and some of it went into his lungs.

“Are you okay, Sire?” the young man asked with concern. He realized that Daethix and her mother shared similar temperaments; Koji shuddered at the thought.

“I’m fine,” the king replied. “My wife went easy on me,” he added ruefully.

Koji’s brows arched at this statement. He didn’t dare to ask what Queen Herecia dished out as hard punishment.

Aphraphus noticed his son-in-law’s concerned look. “A happy wife makes a happy home,” he quoted. “This is especially true when your wife rules a kingdom,” the king added and grinned. He didn’t mind being humiliated by his wife in front of Koji because this incident served as a warning to his son-in-law on how Koji should handle Daethix.

Koji nodded solemnly. When the servant girl finished washing his body and invited him to the table for a massage, Koji shook his head. “Hand me a towel.”

The attendant quickly obeyed, and Koji wrapped the item around his waist. The two men stepped into the pool and sat together, leaning their backs against the wall.

As they relaxed and enjoyed the soothing water, King Aphraphus said, “Look at your menu report and check your Body Refinement.”

Koji obeyed and saw the following: “Body Refinement Tier 5 (8/10)”. He read the line out loud. “I improved the skill by three points,” he noted with amazement. Koji couldn’t believe how much he benefited from spending two hours training with a Master!

The king laughed jovially. “Excellent, Koji! My training method might seem unorthodox to you, but it is effective! We’ll turn your body as hard as iron before you know it!” he promised.

“Thank you, Sire!” Koji bowed.

The father-in-law’s face abruptly turned solemn. “Unfortunately, my time is limited, and I can’t spend every night exchanging blows with you. I will set up a Body Refinement instructor to train you on my behalf starting tomorrow. The training sessions will take place after dinner and lasts two hours.”

The eager pupil nodded his agreement with the schedule. Koji preferred to do some light exercise after dinner and burn up some calories. Thus, he gladly welcomed his father-in-law’s proposal.

“What will you do during the day?” the king inquired.

“I will practice the soft path of Saber,” Koji answered. “In particular, I need to train to fight with my offhand,” he added.

King Aphraphus’ thick brows rose. He couldn’t understand why Koji would train his offhand. “Do you plan to become a dual-wielder?” he asked.

Koji tilted his head. “I’m not sure yet. My instinct tells me that my grace with the saber requires proficiency in either hand,” he answered. “I had a vision of sword dancing,” he added.

“But sword dancing is for women!” the king protested and clenched his fists. He was shocked by the direction which Koji planned to take with his saber training!

“Is it?” the son-in-law asked rhetorically with a neutral expression.

Aphraphus sighed. “You will find your enlightenment in the saber, and your path will differ significantly from mine. Do what you must, Koji!” he conceded and patted the young man’s shoulder lightly. Koji was a martial art prodigy, and King Aphraphus didn’t wish to impede his son-in-law’s progress by forcing Koji to change his style of fighting.

Koji gave him a palm-over-fist bow. The young man closed his eyes and spent more time soaking in the relaxing water before bidding the king a pleasant evening. When Koji returned to his room, he removed his clothing and checked his torso. To his delight, the young man discovered that his body suffered no bruised at all! True to his word, his father-in-law held back his power tremendously. Also, the attendant at the bathhouse used a special medicinal soap. And the water in the pool held restorative abilities to help Koji recuperate from his harsh training session.

Koji couldn’t help but marvel at all the benefits he gained as a member of the Royal Family. He received customized training which changed daily to conform to his needs. Afterward, he received healthy and nutritious meals (much better than the cheap, junk fast food and instant noodles that constituted a poor college student’s main fare) and even bathed in a luxurious bathhouse.

Of course, Koji understood there was an enormous price for this pampering–grow in power and eventually take over the throne as the future king of Nephosia. A tremendous responsibility foisted on his young shoulders, and Koji wasn’t sure what to make of it. This situation wasn’t like starting a business in the garage and losing a few bucks if the startup goes sour. From his understanding of country politics, the Kingdom of Nephosia had both external and internal enemies. And the king helped the lamian queen navigate through these treacherous waters to ensure the continued existence of the kingdom and her people.

“One day at a time, Koji!” he said aloud and took a deep breath. The young man sat on his bed and cultivated until dawn.

At daybreak, Koji opened his eyes and enjoyed the music of nature–the croaking of frogs, fish splashing in the pond, and birds happily chirping from rooftops. The night spent cultivating helped Koji to renew his spirit and determination. He rolled off his bed, dressed, washed his face, and exited his bedroom.

Koji stretched his limbs and then started shadow boxing. He danced in the hallway and avoided the servants scurrying past him. After his half-hour workout, he returned to his room to retrieve his saber. Koji entered the private courtyard in the back of the palace and started swinging the weapon with his left hand. He performed the eight angles of attack and practiced one hundred swings for each angle.

During his practice, he noticed that Prince Heretrios had entered to observe Koji. The young man continued his practice swings until he completed eight hundred in total. Finally, Koji stopped moving and sat cross-legged on the ground to regain his breath.

“Wow, I didn’t think you would swing the saber eight hundred times with your offhand. Are you certain this is necessary?” the prince asked. Prince Heretrios couldn’t believe it!

“Yes,” Koji huffed while still catching his breath. He remembered his conversation with the king last night after dinner, and Koji realized that Prince Heretrios practiced the hard style of saber, too.

“What did my father teach you yesterday?” Heretrios asked. He realized it couldn’t be a new saber technique. Not until Koji stabilized his style first.

“Body temperament,” Koji huffed.

“Wha~,” the prince became startled. “You traded punches with my dad last night?” he asked incredulously.

“Yup,” Koji nodded.

“And your body feels okay this morning?” Heretrios asked while staring at the young man’s body.

“Yes. Is there something wrong?” Koji asked while looking at his brother-in-law.

“I went through the same training, and my body couldn’t move for an entire day,” Heretrios recalled and shuddered at the memory. His father’s fists felt like sledgehammers, and his blows were painful to the point where his son coughed up blood.

“I assure you that I’m perfectly fine,” Koji smiled. He pulled up his shirt. “Here, take a look!” he invited.

Heretrios looked at Koji’s chest and saw no bruises or purple marks. “That’s amazing,” he said. The prince pulled out his pocket watch and winced. “Koji, you need to get up now. Take a bath. You don’t want to appear all sweaty before my parents in the banquet hall for breakfast,” he advised.

Koji hopped to his feet. “Okay!” He grabbed his saber and left the small courtyard. On his way to the bathhouse, he waved to draw a servant’s attention. “Bring me a fresh set of clothing and drop it off at the bathhouse,” he ordered.

“Yes, Prince Consort!” the attendant replied with a respectful bow.

Koji soon entered the bathhouse and, with the able assistance of a servant, cleaned up quickly. The servant girl he had encountered in the hallway brought a change of clothing and helped Koji to put them on. He hurried back to the banquet hall and discovered that he was the last person to arrive. Koji sat in his chair quietly while under the collective stare of the Royal Family.

“How are you feeling this morning?” Queen Herecia asked gently. Under her interrogation of her foolish husband, the queen learned that the king spent two hours trading body blows with her son-in-law. Queen Herecia didn’t appreciate how practitioners tempered their bodies. Indeed, it seemed barbaric to her. But so long as Koji could tolerate it, she wouldn’t intervene and stop the training.

“I’m fine. Thank you for your concern, mother-in-law,” Koji answered politely with a gentle shy which melted the lamia’s heart.

The queen made a rash decision. “After breakfast, come to my garden and listen to my music. It will soothe your body,” Herecia invited. Even though the ruler had many things to do, Queen Herecia wanted to ensure her precious son-in-law wholly recovered from King Aphraphus’ harsh training.

“Okay, I will,” Koji promised and bowed respectfully.

The rest of the Royal Family became stunned. The children knew how busy their mother was in handling the daily affairs of the kingdom. But she was willing to set her responsibilities aside for Koji. Thus, they believed that Queen Herecia viewed Koji as her real flesh-and-blood. This realization made them happy and envious at the same time.

Unaware of the significance of Queen Herecia’s invitation, Koji ate his rice porridge with fishballs like a starving beast.