Where to next?

"What are we going to do toady Shin?" Ken asked as he stretched his body getting ready to train.

"Pack your things and the tent." Shin started packing his things and sliding them into his shelt without turning his head.

"Are we shifting our location, Shin?" Izumi squinted her eyes as she inquired their next step.

"Yes. We are going to the nearby town of Kalben. It's roughly 250 miles from here." With this statement, Shin completed packing his things and putting them into his shelt.

"Are we going to train there like we did the last time in the fort?" A chill ran down Izumi's spine while she started packing as fast as she could seeing that Shin concluded his packing.

"No. We are going there for something more important." Shin had a serious look on his face as he stared at the flickering grass.

Ken looked at Izumi after sneaking a peek at Shin's serious face asking slowly, "What do you think?"

"Don't look at me. I can never say what he is thinking." Izumi said casually as she continued her packing.

"Same here." Ken said as he continued packing his stuff.

The trio sped into the forest at a decent speed of 50mph towards the east. Throughout the journey, Shin had a serious look on his face and this bugged Izumi and Ken to no end. The trio maintained about the same speed till they reached the town and the sun ended up right above their head by the time they reached Kalben.

"Ken, Izumi, let's go have a bite, I am sure you both are starving." Shin walked slowly as he strolled by the busy town.

"About time, brother Shin." Ken's eyes wandered trying to find a nice hotel but were immediately drawn towards Shin as he said, "I know a good place."

The town wasn't very small and was at least 6-8 square miles in area. It had a lot of hotels and shops on every street and seemed very busy during the day. Shin strode through the crowd as he knew exactly where to go and how to go there.

"And here's the place we are going to eat and stay for a few days. Hopefully only for one day." Shin stood outside an old hotel as his face turned grimmer.

"Here? It looks pretty old to me." Ken rose an eyebrow as he sounded his opinion.

"Yup. We are going to stay here and it's not an option, it's a necessity."

"Follow me." Shin walked carefully towards the entrance as he ordered the two behind him.

'Two fried rice for table-5.'

'Bill for table-2, boss.'

"Woah. Business seems to be booming here alright. Why so?" Izumi looked around the place as she asked.

"This place has some special dishes whose recipes were passed down for a long time." Shin sat down before an open table as his eyes wandered apparently searching for someone.

"What would you like to have?" A seemingly young girl in her early twenties approached Shin with a cheerful face from the behind as he was lost in his thoughts and searching.

"Three specials please." Shin looked at the waiter as she sped towards the kitchen to put up the order.

"Izumi, Ken, do you see that girl? She is our target. We are here for her." Shin's face remained serious as he stared at the kitchen's door.

"What!? What did she do!?" Izumi asked suddenly as she looked at Shin.

"Let me clear up the misunderstanding. We are not here to take her down, we are here to recruit her." Shin sipped some water from the drinking glass before him.

"Recruit?" Izumi and Ken narrowed their eyes as they stared at Shin.

"She is kind of an old friend, but not exactly. It's going to be hard to convince her."

"Hard? She seems like a good person, just tell her the situation the world is in right now." Izumi suggested as she looked at the waiter.

"By the way, you said you were friends. Then why didn't she recognize you, Shin?" Ken asked as he glanced at Shin.

"She never saw my face. You know that only a few saw my face till now, don't you?"

"She never saw you, but you are friends? I don't know how that worked. So, what's the plan?" Izumi sighed as she tilted her head back towards Shin while she inquired their next step.

"Let's take a room in this Inn and try to talk to her alone." Shin's face seemed grim as he said those words.

"I don't know why you are so serious about it, but after she knows that you are still alive, it will lighten the mood. Let's take that opportunity to persuade her." Izumi said nonchalantly as Ken eyed the special dishes they ordered coming their way.

"Here you go, three specials. Enjoy your meal!" The waiter placed the dishes on the table with a bright smile which made Ken's heart beat faster. The waiter had brown straight long hair and black eyes with a fair complexion.

The dish was made of steamed rice, curry, fried chicken, eggs and a lot more ingredients which made it difficult to guess all the ingredients used. Ken held his chopsticks and dug in immediately while Izumi was much well mannered. While the two were eating, Shin was thinking of ways to control the upcoming storm.

"Why are you even set on recruiting her Shin?" Ken asked with a mouth stuffed with rice.

"Which one of you knows how to heal a flesh wound let alone a deathly wound?"

"..." Ken and Izumi kept silent as they understood why she was being recruited.

"She is one of the best healers throughout the world. Give her what she asks for and she can most likely heal you to full health within a day irrespective of what you are diagnosed of. Her skills are next to only her highness Eshima." Shin adjusted his hoodie trying to hide his face better.

"Next to her highness!? Why haven't I ever heard of someone so great? What is her name?" Izumi poked further after hearing Shin's statement.

"Diana."