"You there! Stop!" a man yelled in a hoarse voice.
The traveler wearing a large conical hat halted mid-step.
Four men approached him, each of differing builds. Three wielded rusted farm tools, while one—noticeably well-built—carried a curved scimitar at his side.
"You know, teet landt are dangerout," one said, clearly missing several front teeth.
"Keep your mouth shut, remember? Anyway, yes," another added, grinning. "We spend all day protecting the village. We don't do it for free, though."
The man in the conical hat smiled. "Is that so? How much for your protection?"
The men glanced at one another, then at their leader.
"Erm… twenty-five bronze coins should cover our services," the leader said.
The traveler nodded pleasantly, reached into his dougi, and counted out the coins into his palm. "Here you go. Thank you for your service."
One peasant immediately snatched the coins, prompting the other two to jump him, muttering aggressively about fair shares.
The man in the conical hat turned to leave—
—only to be stopped by a large hand gripping his shoulder.
"Wait a minute," the leader said smoothly. "Why in such a hurry?"
The other three froze and turned back.
"You see," the leader continued, "it's difficult fighting off bandits without proper weapons." He gestured vaguely at the rusted farming tools. "So… how about this? Leave that wrapped weapon on your back. Think of it as an investment."
"With your weapon," he added, flashing a wide smile, "we can better protect the great people of Mino."
"After that, you're free to go."
The others' eyes lingered greedily on the long bundle strapped across the traveler's back.
The man hesitated, then sighed with an empathetic expression. "You make a fair point. How can you stop bandits with just those tools?"
He slowly unwrapped the cloth binding the weapon.
All four men tensed.
Revealed was an exquisite spear—red wood inlaid with golden grooves, twisted as though forged by flowing liquid metal. A vibrant crimson tassel fluttered beneath the blade. The spearhead itself was enormous, closer in size to a greatsword than a traditional point.
It was closer to a masterpiece of art than a mere weapon.
He held it horizontally with both hands, offering it forward.
"This is my prized weapon," he said apologetically. "I'm not sure I have permission to give it away, but the rules never said anything about lending."
He smiled, thoroughly pleased with himself. He was lucky he could skirt the rules like that.
The bandits froze solid.
"W–well… ith you intith," one said, greedily reaching a hand out for the shaft.
He never touched it.
His head snapped violently to the side, and he collapsed like a sack of stones onto the dirt.
"…Why did you knock him out?" the man in the conical hat asked calmly.
The other two stared at their leader in pure horror.
"Ah," the leader stammered quickly, "there was a bug on his face. He told me he's deathly afraid of them."
"I didn't see a bug," the man said, tilting his head toward the others. "Did you?"
The leader shot his crew a murderous glare.
"Y–yes! I saw it fly right by!" one squeaked.
"You definitely killed it! He tells us about that fear all the time!"
The traveler nodded in understanding. "I see. What good friends you are!"
"Here, take back the coins," the leader said, hastily forcing a smile.
"Huh? Why?" the man asked, confused.
The leader elbowed the two men beside him. "Well… business has been good lately. Taking this feels like excess. A man need only take what he needs," he declared righteously.
"Ah," the traveler chuckled. "Very wise."
"What about the weapon?" he added. "Do you still need it?"
"Definitely not!" The leader swallowed hard. "Actually… now that I think about it, we have spare weapons back in the village."
"Truly?"
"Truly."
The traveler sighed with relief and carefully rewrapped his weapon, slipping the coins back into his pouch. "Then I wish you gentlemen good luck," he said cheerfully. "And to your fallen comrade, a safe recovery!"
He waved and strolled down the road.
"We will! Take care!" the leader bowed deeply, staying bent at the waist.
Once the man disappeared past the tree line, one of the men whispered, "Big bro… he's gone. You can stop bowing."
The leader collapsed onto his knees, drenched in cold sweat, gasping frantically for air.
"BIG BRO!"
"You idiots," he rasped, his voice shaking violently. "T-That was a noble heir."
One peasant dropped flat onto his backside as the weight of the realization hit him.
"So what?" another muttered. "Doesn't that mean he had money... and that weapon..."
"Maybe if we chase him—"
"Shut the fuck up," Nakamura barked, his eyes wide with sheer panic and fury. "Don't do anything stupid."
"Okay... it's just a shame, you know?" the man whispered. "...I have to go somewhere," he added, greed creeping back into his eyes as he turned.
Before he could even take a single step—
SLICE.
His vision split diagonally. One half of his torso slid cleanly away from the other. He dropped dead before his body hit the dirt.
"Big bro!" the last surviving man screamed, stumbling backward. "Why??? Why'd you kill him?!"
Nakamura wiped his bloodied saber, his hands still trembling out of control. "That bastard wanted an early grave, and he was gonna drag us down with him. I just gave him what he wanted."
The last man nodded rapidly in terror.
"Listen well," Nakamura growled, grabbing the man by his collar. "That man... is famous. He's basically the crown prince of the fucking Kinzoku Clan. Get it through your thick skull, you twit. Never, ever mention this encounter to anyone."
He lowered his voice to a lethal whisper. "That is, unless you want to be split in half."
———
I must make a mental note of this, the traveler in the conical hat thought to himself as he walked.
Four brave men protecting the roads of Mino... in desperate need of proper weapons and coin.
Good.
He lightly slapped his own forehead. "That memory's not going anywhere!" He chuckled to himself.
Escaping home had been such a brilliant idea. If he hadn't snuck out, he never would have witnessed such selfless bravery with his own eyes—heroes who asked for mere pocket change after spending days warding off evil!
He believed deeply in the inherent goodness of human nature, just as his mother had taught him in her bedtime stories. He remembered those tender moments fondly.
However, their time together had been short and abrupt.
She was only a peasant, and after a brief period during his childhood, she had been banished from clan lands. He was an illegitimate child himself, but his ridiculous martial potential at a young age had kept him safe within the clan's walls.
Most in his position would rage or rebel. But he had been raised believing the world was kind—almost too kind. He was certain she was living peacefully somewhere, farming beneath open skies.
Now that he was strong enough to fend for himself, it was finally time to find her. She was somewhere in this territory.
I wonder what kind of stories she'll tell when we meet again? Surely she has a mountain of tales from our time apart!
———
"Uh… can you describe her again, Lord Toyotomi?"
"No problem! She's beautiful," Toyotomi said brightly. "She smells of tulips, sings well... though she usually laughs afterward because she thinks it's silly. And she makes excellent tea."
"…"
The village chief stared back in stunned silence. Why on earth would a prestigious noble come all this way to look for a random peasant?
Hideyoshi Toyotomi was one of the premier heirs closest to the Kinzoku main lineage. Rumors claimed that even as an illegitimate child, he had mastered exclusive bloodline martial arts, and was being groomed to inherit leadership of the entire Kinzoku Clan.
Wielder of the Dragonfang Naginata. A kind-hearted, terrifying prodigy.
"Well… what does she actually look like?" the chief pressed carefully.
"Ah, my apologies!" Toyotomi laughed warmly, then slowly fell quiet. "…I don't quite remember."
He tapped his chin. "…Brown... no, orange hair," he said suddenly. "Definitely orange."
"There's only one woman like that around these parts," the chief said cautiously. "But she's far too young to be your mother."
"I see…" Toyotomi sighed. Not Owari either…
A sharp knock sounded at the door.
"Budō, you idiot! I have an important guest in here!" Chief Oya barked.
"Oh! My deepest apologies, Old Man Oya!" Budō bowed rapidly, turning to leave.
"No need," Toyotomi said gently, waving a hand. "Please, do come in."