Chapter 7: A Troubling Wind |
Makomo stood on the slope of the gorge, dressed in a clean, neat kimono adorned with a cherry blossom pattern. Her black hair cascaded down to her shoulders, and her blue eyes sparkled with energy.
The girl took a deep breath, glancing out of the corner of her eye at the world beyond the gorge, and resolutely left the place where she had spent nearly six years of her life.
'I'm off...' Makomo whispered, looking back down into the deep ravine where a cluster of tidy houses stood, somehow miraculously maintaining their pristine appearance even after six years.
Then, she broke into a bright smile and began humming a little tune, nimbly running across the hills and through dense forests until a familiar settlement she had left six years ago finally came into view.
Over the years, the village had only grown poorer, yet people still hurried about much as they had before. Though these were troubled times, the population decline wasn't particularly sharp due to a lack of education and low population density.
Many families simply couldn't afford to raise children, yet they were born nonetheless because of a complete lack of knowledge and protection. This was why the streets were so full of homeless orphans, and why child trafficking even took place.
At the sight of the familiar settlement, a wave of memories washed over Makomo, and her slender hand moved instinctively to her bare waist.
'I need to forge a sword...' It went without saying that a sword was the first priority for a swordswoman without one.
Yeruashi had left Makomo entirely to her own devices.
This was because he had decided not to spoil the commendable habit of relying only on herself, a lesson Makomo had learned on the harsh streets.
However, he did have to provide her with food and clothes during her training. While strangers didn't wander into the gorge, God forbid the girl developed the bad habit of wandering around naked from such a young age...
Soon, Makomo entered the settlement and, after walking through several streets, finally found a smithy.
"Hey there, miss! What can I do for you?" The half-naked owner of the smithy gave his well-dressed visitor a wide grin, flexing his impressive, sweat-glistening muscles.
In this era, ordinary poor folk couldn't even afford neat clothing, let alone colorful fabrics and fine embroidery.
"I need a sword," Makomo said, looking at the man with a smile.
For the last six years, the girl had only interacted with Yeruashi, and even then only occasionally. However, she possessed a naturally fearless spirit, and her mastery of the blade gave her confidence, so strangers didn't intimidate her in the slightest.
"I see. What kind of sword does the lady desire? I can forge anything. For materials, I have ordinary iron, pure steel, and the very best—Lapis Ore. But using that will be quite expensive!" The blacksmith spread his arms and grinned, presenting several materials for the sword.
In response, Makomo tilted her head and pulled a chunk of gold ore from her pocket. It was no smaller than a man's fist, something she had 'accidentally' stumbled upon in the gorge during her six years of training.
"What is this enough for?" the girl asked.
"Well, that's... an enormous sum," the man said in surprise, reaching out to take the shimmering piece of gold.
The experienced blacksmith only needed to feel its weight in his palm to determine the approximate gold content. "Hmm, this is more than enough to forge a sword from Lapis Ore. You'll even have change left over—quite a lot of change, about 150 silver coins."
The old Makomo would have been overjoyed at the mention of such a vast sum, which an ordinary family couldn't spend even in several years, but the current Makomo simply smiled. "Then let's go with the Lapis Ore."
Wealth meant nothing in the eyes of a true master of the blade!
"It's a deal!" the man agreed immediately.
The girl's calm response only confirmed his suspicion that she came from a wealthy family.
Moreover, the blacksmith was a sharp man and understood that he shouldn't ask questions about the origin of the gold ore.
"Here is your change. Come back for the sword in about five days," the blacksmith said, tucking the gold ore away and producing the silver coins.
Makomo took the change, gave a wave of her hand, and left the smithy.
"Ah, what a lady..." the blacksmith sighed, watching the carefree girl's back with a look of concern.
He had just handed over the equivalent of a year's income, yet the girl hadn't even bothered to count the coins, as if it were mere pocket change. The more he thought about it, the less he was inclined to have any dishonest ideas. He soon dismissed any lingering thoughts and set about the honest work of forging the sword.
Exactly five days later.
Makomo finally became the owner of a real sword.
The Lapis Ore blade turned out to be heavier than the girl had expected, but swinging it still presented no difficulty.
It was also worth noting that the Lapis Ore blade cast mesmerizing blue reflections.
'I'll need time to get used to this; it's nothing like my wooden sword...' Makomo whispered thoughtfully, swinging the lapis blade a couple of times and looking down at the edge.
What would it be like to wield a real sword made of top-tier ore when she had previously cut through steel with a mere wooden stick? Her swordsmanship and attack power would undoubtedly reach a new level, but she needed to adjust to the weight of a true blade first...
Pondering this, the girl leisurely left the smithy and soon entered the courtyard of a small house on the outskirts of the settlement.
Makomo had rented it while waiting for the sword to be finished. She had actually thought about buying it, since she certainly had enough money. But after hesitating a bit, she decided she should tighten her belt, as she simply didn't know where to get more money once her purse ran empty.
'According to Teacher, there's barely a handful of people in the whole world stronger than me, but... is my sword really that powerful?' Makomo whispered softly in the middle of the small courtyard, gently stroking the shimmering blade of the lapis sword.
The young swordswoman certainly believed in her own strength, but that unimaginable strike from her teacher had left a lasting mark on her confidence.
On the other hand, her teacher himself had given that assessment of her power, and there was no reason for him to lie.
She so badly wanted to test her strength against a worthy opponent...
Forget it.
First, she had to master the feel of a real sword.
Makomo shook her head, dismissed the unnecessary thoughts, and began training with her new blade.
Another five days flew by unnoticed, during which she grew accustomed to the lapis sword and even began to slowly grasp the deeper essence of swordsmanship, finding her own understanding of the way of the blade.
It was worth noting that during her training sessions, she completely shut herself off from the world, sometimes not even noticing the transition from day to night.
As the sky darkened and only the dim moon illuminated the dilapidated houses on the edge of the settlement, the young swordswoman continued to methodically swing her sword in the courtyard of one of them.
Time passed in a blur. But then, the girl suddenly stopped, casting a frown at the night sky.
"A troubling wind is blowing today..." she whispered.
Makomo's mastery of the blade had reached the Breath of All Things, allowing her to 'hear' the unsettling atmosphere of the night.
Her unease only grew because the source of this anxiety was hidden from her somewhere in the darkness.
The young swordswoman had never felt anything like it before.
And then.
It hit her like a bolt of lightning.
"The smell... the smell of blood!" The girl's eyes snapped shut and then narrowed sharply as she cast a wary glance toward the settlement.