The kingdom is split into eight regions. These regions are called lands or better yet fiefs. Each fief is guided and ruled by an overarching family belonging to a group of families, The Eight Great Land Families. At the center of the kingdom is another section of land that does not fall under these eight families. It is under the royal family and the rulers of the kingdom. These eight families all fall under the royal family and aid in its rule. Over both normal people and Harmatia.
As of now Lozo is in one of these lands. A major player in the stability and peace in the kingdom. Its name is…
***
"Yes. I'd like you to join my family and serve the kingdom under it."
Lozo looked baffled. The sudden request and their nonchalant mannerism like they brushed his previous attempts on the nurse's life.
"You seem a little confuse. I'll explain a little more."
Dok began.
"The kingdom is divided into eight fiefs. Each fief has a major ruling family called the Sen. In the fief there are other sub families and clans that aid the Sen families or in ruling the fief and maintaining peace in itself and its border."
"My family, The Himo family, is one of those subfamilies" Dok paused for a while," Or rather was one of them."
He shook his head and continued with his explanation.
"And the current fief we are in is called Shoheki. The land of the First wall." He concluded the explanation.
*The Himo family in the land of Shoheki*
"This brings me back to my request. Will you join and serve under my family, Lozo?" Dok asked.
'What's all this talk about lands and fief families. My main aim to get out of here. So why aren't they stopping me?'
Dok's question was easy for Lozo.
"No!" there was no question about it.
"I told you two already, my aim is to escape and not join some family just because you asked me to." Lozo lashed.
This entire time Kisharu was a silent observe. He watched Dok bow to the unknown kid, explain the kingdom structure and still get rejected in his request. It was sad. Especially for Dok whose time, nowadays, meant life or death to someone in the hospital wards. And yet he was wasting his time explaining politics to a kid who had already made up his mind.
"By the way you talk, you seem not to be familiar with what it means to been an Harmatia. Especially to the real world." Kisharu interrupted the two.
Lozo was about to respond but was stopped.
"Stop I already know your answer. But you fail to understand that the world system out there has been held for decades and when it comes to snuffing out Harmatia it is ruthless. More so rogue Harmatia. In the real world anywhere you go you'll be followed by a rule. A rule that haunts even the powerful Saints. "
"The term freedom, the thing you so much want to achieve, does not exist for a hamartia. Even by kingdom laws you cannot be free. The moment you step out of that gate you'll be categorized as a rogue and the society deals with Harmatia that are rogue."
"What…"
"What he means is that, in the kingdom, by law, Harmatia are forbidden to have such a thing called freedom. You cannot access lodging or even own land. Walking freely on a street is considered a crime not unless you have a leash on. I think you understand it already. In the case of rogue Harmatia even your right to live is revoked and if that happens then even a night's rest will be hesitant pardon."
Lozo's stance had eased but was subconsciously still on guard given his tight grip on the hair-pin. He stood, eyes staring down. In his head the visceral image of the night came aching through his memory. The flames, the smoke, the crying children and Hinari…
"Was that why? Was that the reason old man Ji had to die? Because Harmatia are nothing more than lap dogs!" he screamed lashing his arms in fury.
"We understand your anger. We are Harmatia too."
"That's why we are offering you this. An easier way to get stronger without the societal backlash. By joining a sub-family or a clan your freedom is reinstated relative to it. You are given the right to do whatever you want to do as long as you serve under one of those families."
Even though they couldn't see the tears, Lozo was crying. His hands covered his eyes soaking up all of them.
"So, what is going to be?" Kisharu asked.
"Servitude or Slavery?"
Suddenly a loud bang diluted and redirected the attention in the room. It was the sound of a door being flung open and another person joining into the Hearth room.
"Dok!" a voice called from one of the corridors.
The voice was hasty and weighed by a heavy breathing.
"Come quick. The number just increased."
Dok's eyes shifted to the corridor. He turned to Kisharu and nodded. He fished his hands out of his coat and walked hurriedly to the corridor where the voice echoed from. On the final step into the corridor he stopped and looked at Lozo.
"Think about it. I know you are smart enough to understand." He said before disappearing into the corridor.
"Tsk!" Lozo clicked.
***
The sun was setting and its golden rays were illuminating the halls that Lozo used to live in. The shadows of the window panes were plastered onto the wall with an orange patch in where the glass was. The halls themselves were cold. Maybe because there was no one else there but him or because his bare feet splashing in the water he had just poured on the tiled floor. You see Lozo had graduated from being a patient.
He was now a janitor. A prisoner janitor.
Right after the encounter in the hearth room Lozo's status as a prisoner patient took a dramatic turn. He was barely done processing the information and how he would fit it into his plans when he felt a hand grasp his arm. Hard I might add.
The force pulled Lozo out the hearth room and back to the hall in which he had been held and into a janitor's closet.
"Take this and take those back to your bed." Kisharu said throwing Lozo a pair of old deep blue overall and a smudged shirt, a smelly smudged shirt. He then pointed to some cleaning tools, a mop, bucket and a wall of detergents and told him.
"The day is almost over and most of these rooms are dirty. Clean them." Kisharu ordered.
"What! why?"
"You are a janitor now. Now hurry up and get to scrubbing… the hall too looks dirty," he said before walking away.
"Also, one final thing. You have two days before Mora gets here. That's how long you have to find with an answer."
"You should realize what Dok is trying to do is to help you not have to fight an entire village just to move one step up to your goal. Think about it."
"Smarter is better than harder." Kisharu said before walking away and out of the hall.
And that's how Lozo found himself scrubbing puke and droppings, brown droppings, off the floor of the hospital wards. It was gruesome as it sounded making Lozo wonder which was better.
Fighting an entire village or cleaning someone's Sh*t up?