Atop a Tree That Reaches the Clouds (13)

Even after I began coming and going from the forge, Old Man Gon continued to let me stay at his house as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Rather, whenever I tried to leave because I had stayed too long, he would get angry and tell me not to stand on ceremony.

So during the day I learned the art of smithing—or, conversely, demonstrated my own skills—and at night I drank with Old Man Gon or talked with Mizuyo while watching the moon.

On days I didn't go to the forge, I spent some time joining Old Man Gon in his training starting at noon, and the days passed leisurely and peacefully.

Even so, I was sometimes reminded that this country remained in the midst of a long-running war.

For instance, the weapons and armor made at the forge were transported to Chinju, a town on the front lines.

Those who had finished honing themselves at the dojo went to Chinju to fight.

Conversely, wounded fighters whose bodies could no longer fight sometimes returned from Chinju to this town.

There were far fewer of them, however, than those who went to Chinju to fight.

...Old Man Gon's house was a dojo for a spear school called Rasen Style.

Quite a few young people from here headed to Chinju as well.

One day, as I swung my sword in the courtyard and Old Man Gon swung a stick in place of a spear, a bird came flapping down from above... No, a winged person descended.

The name of this winged person, who had black wings resembling a crow's, was Kotaro.

He was thirteen, if I remember correctly, and although he still seemed almost a child to me, he had already reached the age at which a winged person was considered fully-fledged. The day he would head to Chinju, the frontline town, to fight was probably not far off.

"Yo, Kota."

When Old Man Gon stopped training and called out to him, I stopped as well.

As a member of the winged folk, Kotaro was not exactly a formal disciple of Rasen Style, a spear technique developed to suit the human body.

When twisting their bodies to swing a weapon, the large wings on a winged person's back inevitably got in the way.

Moreover, the winged folk apparently had their own martial arts, since their fighting style centered on throwing spears from the sky, charge attacks that used the momentum of a steep dive, and dogfights in midair.

Even so, some winged people who were passionate about martial arts believed there was something to be learned from human spear techniques, and came to the dojo to study.

Kotaro was one of the most pleasant young men among them, and even when my interest in the winged folk led me to ask him all sorts of questions, he answered me courteously.

"Oh, Gonzo-sama, honored guest Eisa-dono, I apologize for interrupting your training."

Kotaro bowed deeply and said so to us.

That said, he had done nothing wrong.

If a winged person was going to land in the Central Capital, it was only natural to prefer a spacious site.

It wasn't as though a winged person couldn't land in a street or some other cramped place, but if they failed to notice one another, there was a one-in-ten-thousand chance of an accident involving a passerby below.

Important facilities and inns with many winged visitors sometimes had entrances for them on the top floor, but unfortunately this dojo was a spacious, single-story building and had no such facilities.

That was why the courtyard was the most suitable place for Kotaro to land.

Neither Old Man Gon nor I was arrogant enough to complain about such an obvious thing.

"No, we stopped of our own accord. Right, young man?"

More importantly, both Old Man Gon and I had taken a liking to this polite young man.

I nodded at Old Man Gon's words and gave a small wave.

"Much obliged. I, too, am to head to Chinju, so I came to pay my respects to everyone at Rasen Style who has looked after me."

Kotaro raised his head and announced this with lively pride, and I inwardly caught my breath.

...Too soon.

No, I had thought this would happen soon, but even so, it felt far too soon.

"Oh, is that so? Well, that's something to celebrate. Kota, I'm not your teacher, nor am I the head of this place anymore, so I can't give you a celebratory gift. Instead, I'll give you one piece of advice."

But Old Man Gon took it in stride, as though it were the most natural thing in the world, and offered him congratulations.

Ah, was giving a gift to a young person heading to the front a privilege reserved for those close to him?

Perhaps it would be somewhat discourteous for Old Man Gon and me to present him with a gift by going over the heads of his close relatives and teacher.

Perhaps this was one of Fusang's customs and values.

"The first battle is when a winged warrior is most likely to die. They get carried away by pride and the urge to attack. But for us humans who walk the earth, the most dependable winged warriors are those who live long and slay many oni. Kota, become a fine warrior. You've got the makings of one."

At Old Man Gon's words, Kotaro's proud expression grew serious, and he nodded solemnly.

He took the words of those who came before him to heart with such sincerity that he would surely become a fine warrior.

Ah, if only he could make it through his first battle, just as Old Man Gon had said.

I hoped he would.

There was nothing I could do, and I didn't even have any words to offer him.

Kotaro went off to greet the current head of Rasen Style.

Even after seeing him off, I couldn't take my eyes off him, so Old Man Gon poked me with the stick in his hand.

"Hey, young man, don't make a face like that. I don't know how it looks to you, but to us, this is an honor and something to celebrate."

Rather than scolding me, Old Man Gon spoke as though he were trying to reason with me.

Ah, that was probably true.

This, too, was probably the sort of story that could happen anywhere.

On that great grassland, Juyal had already been taking part in battles by the time he was thirteen as well.

Considering the small but definite difference in lifespan between humans and winged folk, Kotaro's first battle shouldn't be considered too soon.

I had only gotten to know him a little; it wasn't something for me to become sentimental over.

I let out a breath and resumed swinging my sword.

I decided that today I would work up more sweat than usual, and then have a drink.

Old Man Gon probably wanted to do the same.