And so, the three youths returned to their village, reported their mission's completion to their instructor, and then began their daily training.
"Keep your sword steady! Never lose sight of your target's vital point—but don't forget to watch the rest of their body! Always be aware of your surroundings in battle! Whether against dangerous beasts or foreign tribes, your enemy will always be cunning!"
The burly man in the headscarf shouted as he watched them train.
"Ieyasu! You're swinging too hard! Learn from Tatsumi!"
"Yes, sir!"
Sweating heavily, Ieyasu had already taken off his shirt, swinging his sword bare-chested.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Meanwhile, the clear sound of hammering came from inside a nearby house—it was Tatsumi.
The crisp sound of metal striking echoed as sparks flew.
Having already completed his swordsmanship training, he was now working on forging his own weapon.
Using the bit of knowledge he remembered from his previous life, combined with the Empire's thousand-year-old blacksmithing methods, Tatsumi was creating his own blade.
Their instructor, Yuzu, was a mysterious man—without a doubt.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
As the hammering finished, Tatsumi plunged the glowing red blade into a vat of dangerous-beast blood.
Sizzle~~!!
Thick smoke rose as the sword began to take shape.
It resembled a standard Imperial longsword, but Tatsumi had mixed in rare ores found only near the border.
The forging method—tempering weapons in beast blood—was one Yuzu himself had taught.
His own bits of extra knowledge gave the unfinished sword a faint, unpredictable potential.
Just as he was waiting for the blade to cool, Yuzu pulled aside the curtain and entered.
"Still working on your 'special' sword, Tatsumi?"
Looking at the silvery reflection from the sword embryo, Yuzu smiled faintly.
"Yeah..." Tatsumi nodded.
"You've always been the calmest among the three. Seeing you persist like this... I think your parents would be proud."
After saying that, Yuzu picked up the coat draped over the chair, slung it over his shoulder, and prepared to head out.
"I'm going to check the traps and perimeter lines. Make sure those two don't slack off."
"Understood, Instructor Yuzu!"
The boy nodded, watching the instructor leave.
---
Imperial Calendar — Year 1023, Autumn.
Days passed one after another, and the village's situation grew increasingly dangerous.
When the three turned thirteen, the village experienced its first death by starvation—an old man who couldn't survive the poor harvest and heavy taxes.
Because of this, the villagers gathered in the village chief's home to discuss what to do next.
"Haka, the old man who lived on the edge of the village, starved to death... He gave all his food to the younger ones in his family."
A young man wearing a hat spoke, adding another layer of clothing as autumn's chill deepened.
"How tragic..."
A girl cried on the table, and the young man's wife sat beside her, gently comforting her.
"What should we do now, Chief..."
The village chief rubbed his temples helplessly.
"Ah... it's all because this year's harvest was so poor... Have we angered the gods somehow..."
Creak—
The wooden door opened, and Yuzu, wearing his headscarf, stepped in.
"Old Haka's body has been buried, Chief... As for food, I checked every household. With what's left in storage and what we can get from hunting dangerous beasts, we might barely make it through this winter..."
He took a drag of his cigarette before snuffing it out, his expression grim.
Since coming to this village, he'd treated it as his home, doing everything he could to help. The villagers were kind people, and seeing one of them die hit him hard.
That old man used to drink with him, setting traps together. To think he'd die like that so suddenly...
Now Yuzu had to train the youths, hunt, guard against bandits or tribal raids, and constantly check traps and the perimeter. Even with the help of the three talented kids, it was getting hard to manage.
"Ah..."
He sighed, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
"As winter approaches, merchants will stop coming to even the nearest city... And since there are fewer dangerous beasts in winter, every household should prepare as best as they can."
With tariffs rising, merchants didn't just avoid the nearby city—they avoided the entire region.
For traders, the amount of tax they had to pay on the road couldn't be earned back from poor villagers like these. It was laughable.
"I see..."
The village chief muttered.
Hearing Yuzu's report, the room fell silent.
"How about... we use this winter to leave for the Capital?"
Seeing everyone's despair, Tatsumi knew they couldn't keep living like this.
Even though they had some savings, there was no food left to buy.
With winter near, their remote Village was facing impossible odds. The mountain roads would soon be blocked with snow. To transport food, they'd need to pass through checkpoints and pay taxes they couldn't afford, while prices would skyrocket due to the poor harvest.
Even though Tatsumi had spent years training, the little money he'd managed to earn couldn't solve this crisis.
"Yeah! I, Lord Ieyasu, will show my true strength and make our village prosper again!!"
The boy puffed up his chest proudly.
"Just leave it to us three, Chief! We'll go on a journey to train and also help lighten the village's burden. With three fewer mouths to feed, everyone else can eat more!"
Sayo gave Ieyasu a disdainful glance but joined in, easing the tension in the room.
Looking at the determination on their faces, the adults couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Especially the village chief—he had no choice but to accept reality.
"Really now..."
He looked at the three youths—strong, handsome, and no less capable than their parents had been.
When they were nine, Tatsumi, the de facto leader of the trio, had already told him about wanting to leave the village.
Back then, the chief had managed to hold him back, but now the arrow was drawn—it had to be released.
"Then it's up to you, Tatsumi, Sayo, Ieyasu!"