In the spring, after the end of my training period, it was a beautiful time. I had trained and developed my strength, although I still did not understand the basics of Kaizo, but the amount I possessed had grown greatly. I spent every rest period I had with my brother because I knew that after a while we would not meet again.
I stood before the village gate, looking at the road ahead of me. A road where I could lose my life, a road where everything was unknown. I was not hesitant, but my feelings were mixed: excitement to embark on a new adventure, sadness at parting from my brother, curiosity to know what the secret was. And while I was ready to leave—
"Brother! Wait a little, slow down!"
I turned to see my brother running toward me with all the strength he had.
When he reached me, he hugged me, crying.
"Don't cry, you are not a child, and this is not our final farewell. We will surely meet again," I said this, even though I was not sure if we would meet, but only to reassure him.
"I know, but you are leaving, and that is sad."
"From today, you are the head of the village. Be determined and stand firm."
"Yes," he answered with a smile.
We continued talking for a little while, joking together, then my brother's expression suddenly changed, as if he remembered something.
"Oh, and also, take this."
He handed me the bag he was holding in his hand.
"What is this?" I asked in confusion.
"It is supplies—money and food that the villagers collected for you."
"Impossible for me to accept this! You need it more to complete rebuilding the village," I replied firmly.
Before he could answer, the villagers appeared and said:
"Take it. We have enough, and you need it for your journey. This is a small gift from us for saving us. We will not accept your refusal."
"But—"
"Take it, you really need it," the dagger said, supporting them.
"You too, huh? Fine, I'll accept it."
The eldest of the villagers stepped forward, placed his hand on my shoulder, and said in a calm tone, "You have grown so much. We truly wish you a safe journey."
I smiled and answered, "Thank you."
Then the children of the village ran to me, hugging me while crying, "Brother Itchinaro, we will miss you!"
I smiled, knelt down, and said, "Protect the village in my absence."
They began wiping their tears and replied with determination, "Yes! We will become stronger while you are gone."
I stood up, stepped forward, and continued walking. When I passed through the gate, I turned to my brother, stretched my hand with a tightly clenched fist, and said, "I entrust the protection of the village to you."
He raised his hand too and answered, "Of course. You can trust me. What matters is that you return safely."
I smiled, turned my back, and continued walking. I didn't say anything more—the exchange of looks between us was enough. And so, my journey began.
I walked straight ahead, and suddenly a voice inside me spoke:
"Do you know where you are heading?" It was the dagger.
"Uh, no… actually I'm just walking," I replied hesitantly.
"Idiot! You don't even know your destination, just walking like a fool!" he answered angrily.
"Calm down, I forgot to ask for a map, and I didn't remember," I tried to ease the mood.
"Haah… I knew there was no hope in you. So, what now? Do we go back because of your stupidity?"
"Oh wait, they said they put supplies in the bag. There must be a map among them."
I took off the bag from my shoulder and opened it, searching carefully. As I pushed aside the food and money, I found a small paper. I pulled it out—it was indeed a map.
A wave of happiness filled me. They really had placed a map. I guess it was good I accepted the bag. But it did not cover the entire continent—only a few cities. Among those cities, however, was a large one named Kazanora.
"Well then, the first city in our journey is Kazanora. Let's go!"
It was a week's travel away. It seemed like a long and boring journey, but I endured.
We continued walking along the road shown on the map. Some wolves and beasts crossed our path, but I fought them off and drove them away.
As the sun set, we stopped under a tree. The bag also had sleeping bags—I was thankful we had accepted them.
I lay down, hands behind my head, staring at the stars. The night sky was beautiful, the air was fresh, and the wind carried the leaves with it.
I turned to the dagger and asked, "By the way, what happened to the other legendary weapons?"
He frowned, then replied, "They were seized by the Lords of the Continents. I am the only one they managed to smuggle out."
"By the way, what's your name?" I asked curiously.
"Haven't I told you yet? My name is Arthos."
"Pfft, what a stupid name," I said, teasing him.
"Who are you calling stupid, you idiot?!" he shouted angrily. If he had a face, it would have been red from rage.
"Hahaha, don't be mad, don't be mad, I was just joking, Arthos," I replied, barely able to speak through my laughter.
After that, I continued gazing at the stars until sleep overtook me.
The next morning, I woke up exhausted, unable to move my body. I slowly opened my eyes, supporting myself with my hand, and sat upright. I placed my hand on my head, brushing back my hair, sitting like that for a while until I became aware of my surroundings.
I stood up, took the sleeping bag, and put it back into the bag.
Arthos asked, "Are you ready?"
"Yes, of course!" I replied enthusiastically.
I opened a bottle of water and washed my face.
"Haah, it's hot today," I muttered. Sweat covered my body all over, even though I had just woken up. The heat was unbearable.
I shaded my eyes, looking up at the sky, and nudged the dagger awake.
He groaned as if saying, leave me alone. A little while after waking, he asked me,
"How much longer until we arrive?"
I held the map and answered, "Four days remain."
He sighed and said, "You just follow the map. I'll sleep."
Annoyed, I told him, "Just crawl into the bag and sleep already. Your presence or absence is the same." I said that just to annoy him, but he smirked and replied,
"Hahaha, do you think I'll fall into your trap? No way. Now I'm going to sleep."
That annoyed me even more, but I let it go. I checked the map again. Four days separated me from the first stop of my journey.