A nation, like a person, will one day rot and fall. When evil spirits in human form roam unchecked, if the heavens cannot punish them, our assassins shall bring them justice in the dark.
Imperial Calendar – Year 1010, Winter.
"An unknown ceiling… an unknown place… and I'm kind of hungry…"
A baby opened his clear eyes and had such a thought.
He couldn't speak yet, but that didn't stop him from crying out, "Ah, ah, ah!"
"Hm? Tatsumi is awake… are you hungry? Mama will feed you right away…"
A woman, busy with work, turned quickly to the cradle where the baby lay.
The man sitting in the living room heard the sound, put down the sword he was polishing, and walked over with a cheerful smile.
"Oh! Our little man looks hungry!"
Tiny hands reached toward the air, and the baby showed a smile uglier than a cry as the adults leaned over him.
"Ahhhh!"
Looking at the smiling faces of his parents, the child's round eyes darted around, observing everything.
"Dear, move aside. I'm feeding Tatsumi now."
"Eh? It's not like I haven't seen it before…"
The woman's expression went cold.
"Alright, alright, I'm going. Just don't catch a cold."
The man took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders before leaving.
"I'll go handle the week's hunt and check the storage!"
Meanwhile, our protagonist faced a serious, life-threatening issue.
A problem of survival itself!
From his baby clothes, a lump of slime popped out, and the boy's mind screamed with questions:
Should I eat it? Can I? If I don't, will I starve?!
"Well, it's a matter of life and death… God will forgive me… right?"
After resolving himself, the baby closed his big eyes and placed his tiny hands on the round slime.
Then, baby Tatsumi began sucking it hard.
After his strange meal, he fell asleep in bliss.
---
'Honestly, I didn't even stay up that long. Maybe quantity became quality?'
'I usually only sleep at 3 or 4 a.m.… didn't think that would cause a transmigration.'
A conflicted expression crossed the baby's face, but soon relaxed, as if he had accepted it.
'Still, better than getting hit by a truck… at least it didn't hurt.'
As Tatsumi thought this, his parents approached the cradle.
"Tatsumi, today Dad and Mom are going to sell our recent goods. If we're lucky, we'll live comfortably this year!"
The young woman smiled brightly as she looked at her child.
"Sleep~ sleep~ my cute baby~"
Listening to his mother hum a lullaby, Tatsumi slowly closed his eyes.
These were his parents in this life.
Judging by their words, the baby could barely make out his name—Ta-zi-mi. Although the name matched that of a village boy from his memories, he didn't really believe he'd become that Tatsumi. Maybe it was just someone with the same name.
When he was first born, he had already taken a few hits.
Having no idea what was happening, he had thought he'd just woken up from a nap and shouted inwardly:
"Ahhh! [Who hit me!!]"
When the baby finally cried for the first time, everyone around laughed.
"Looks like our village has another strong man in the making! Hahaha!"
The village chief, a bearded man nearing fifty, stroked his chin and smiled approvingly at the couple.
"Yes, I believe our child will grow into a fine man!"
Tatsumi's mother, lying weakly on the bed, smiled warmly at her baby.
"Tatsumi… I'm your mother…"
Holding her child tenderly, she closed her eyes.
Hearing the cry, others from outside entered the house.
"So cute… I wonder whether Tatsumi or Ieyasu will win my Sayo's heart in the future."
A long-haired woman smiled at her daughter, a small baby who looked around curiously.
"Of course it'll be my Ieyasu!"
The man beside her proudly pounded his chest.
"Isn't it too early to talk about that?"
"Huh?! I think Tatsumi and Ieyasu are both good! You got a problem with that?"
"Uh… no…"
Sayo's father clearly didn't like the topic but, since it was his wife who started it, he swallowed his frustration—planning to get even later that night.
"Haha, I'm glad you all get along so well," the village chief said with a smile.
"Of course, we all grew up under your care!"
"Yeah, yeah!" "The chief used to be so strict!"
Looking at the children he'd raised, the chief asked,
"So, how's the harvest this year?"
Everyone cheerfully discussed the season's yield and hunting results, saying that after selling the goods this winter, they would help build a big new house together.
And thus, a flag was set.
Meanwhile, our protagonist slept soundly.
And so began the legendary life of the boy named Tatsumi.
---
Imperial Calendar – Year 1011, Spring.
Lying in his cradle, baby Tatsumi welcomed two new roommates.
"They are…"
An old man gently cradled the crying infants by his side. Tatsumi wasn't surprised.
From his observation, his parents were key members of the village—the backbone.
Through their stories, he had slowly begun to understand the world after surviving the long winter.
He also learned that in spring, they would sell the supplies they'd gathered over the year for a good profit.