With a dry sound, the wooden sword rolled to the ground.

　I stared at my empty hand, stunned.

　The referee's voice is strangely distant, saying, "Until then.

　It was a match that had to be won.

　But he lost it perfectly. He was knocked off his wooden sword in just one round.



　At the age of thirteen - a test for a student of Genso Itto Ryu, who has reached adulthood.

　The opponent is the dragon tusk soldier. He is a skeleton swordsman created by magic.

　He is not a weak opponent. On the contrary, they are an opponent that even regular Imperial soldiers and full-fledged adventurers would struggle against in a one-on-one battle. As an opponent for a freshly grown boy and girl to fight, it could be said to be out of the norm.

　However, there is no one here to question that.

　It was only natural for anyone who studied the Illusionary Itto Style to be able to defeat an opponent of this caliber. In fact, the other seven had all won.



　Only one of them lost.

　All the effort they have put in to get to this day. All the years, all the efforts that had been accumulated over the years, since birth, had come to nothing.

　As I nodded wordlessly, my father's voice wandered in from above me.

　His voice was heavy, cold and dry.



It was heavy, cold, and dry.

Yes, Father!

The Mitsurugi family is a warrior family whose ancestors were swordsmen who defeated the demon gods 300 years ago. The Itto-ryu is the sword of destruction that the founder devised to protect his life. It is the sword that protects people from dragons, giants and demons. This is why our family has been asked by the emperor to protect the gate. You know this, don't you?

I know what I'm doing!

It is the duty of every person born into the house of the Mitsurugi to inherit the sword of their ancestors. And it is your duty to pass the sword on to the next generation. Those who fail to do these two things are not qualified to cross the threshold of our family.

Father...

As you have failed to go beyond the test, you are not qualified to learn the Itto-ryu style. And if you have not mastered the Itto-ryu, you are not qualified to succeed to the swords family. You are hereby disinherited from my family as of today. From this point forward, you are not allowed to call yourself a swordsman. Pack your bags today, and leave this island tomorrow. There is no need for weaklings in this land.


　His tone of voice was so nonchalant that you wouldn't think he was telling his own son to be exiled.

　The face of my father, the seventeenth swordsman, Mitsurugi Shikibu, showed no signs of conflict. He was looking at me as if he were looking at a stone on the road.

　To a father who has devoted his life to the sword, a person without swordsmanship, even if he is his son, would be nothing more than dust.

　........I knew that.

　Ever since I can remember, I've had this look on me. Even the most insensitive of children will sprout insight.

　I've been trying to get my father's approval for as long as I can remember.

　But in the end, it was never going to happen.

　No matter what I say here, it won't change my father's mind. Crying, screaming, getting down on his knees, and begging for mercy would not do him any good.



　This is not just about my father. His students and his younger brothers and sisters on his left and right looked at him coldly.

　Mockery, contempt, pity, and indifference....

　It's just as my father just said. The curse of the Demon God, which was sealed by the Sword Sage, continues to invade this world through the Demon Gate.

　The level of demons and monsters that roam this island is incomparable to those on the continent, but this is because of the demon gate.

　Onigashima, as the people call it.

　To those who live in such a place, being weak is in itself a sin and an evil.

　Weak people who can only drag others down should quickly leave the island - that was the consensus of all those present here.




　I left the dojo as if to escape and packed my bags in my room, crying.

　Then the next morning, I left the house at the time the sunrise appeared in the eastern sky. To be exact, I was kicked out.


This is my room from today. You need to get the hell out of here. Yeah, that's right. I'm the trueborn son of the sword, and this is my room. It's all under your father's direction.


　That said, it was his younger brother, Mitsurugi Laguna, who smiled thinly.

　Even though he is my brother, this one has black hair, and the other one has blond hair. As can be seen from the difference in appearance, they are brothers from different mothers.

　They are the same age, 13. Unfortunately, even their birthdays were the same.

　In terms of sword talent, Laguna was without a doubt the better swordsman. In physique and brains.

　Laguna's mother was the daughter of a great imperial nobleman, so Laguna was superior in terms of bloodline, but even so, being the son of a legitimate wife, the position of heir to the swords family was rolled over to us.

　I know that Laguna was not amused by this. I know that Laguna wasn't amused by it, and he didn't even try to hide it from me.

　Again, Laguna stared at me with hatred and contempt in his blue eyes.


''Hmph, finally, I'm free from the pain of calling an incompetent person like you my brother. Sora, even though you are your father's son, you are still an inexperienced person who has yet to even reach the rank of Shinseo. You bring shame to the swordsman's family. Don't ever let me see that face again. Rest assured, I will fulfill my duty as a trueborn son. I'll even take care of your permitted marriage, Ayaka.

Laguna, you...!

Ha, you look like you're about to punch me in the face. That's fine, you can hit me if you want. But if you do, I'll just hit you back.　Don't think that you, who couldn't get a handle on the Dragon Fang Soldiers, can beat me - Shinsoo Excitation!


　The moment he shouted loudly, a sword appeared in Laguna's hand. A magnificent two-handed sword, shining golden.

　How many times have I seen this shine? Every time I look at it, I am reminded of the overwhelming difference between Laguna and myself.

　Because this sword is another Laguna.



　Human beings have another you in their heart, deep in their soul. This is called homo sapiens or anima.

　The secret of Itto-ryu is to be aware of, control, and embody this anima. This is called mind-dressing, and Laguna had mastered it at the age of only thirteen.

　Laguna was not alone. The same was true for Ayaka, his fiancee, and all of the other five classmates had mastered the mind-suit.


　This was a rare occurrence in the history of the Illusionary Itto School.

　Talent calling for talent, clashing with each other, and growing by polishing each other.

　This was the golden generation. That's what people around them called them.

　With the exception of one person who hadn't yet reached his heart.


''Hm, your legs are shaking. You haven't even pulled out your sword yet.　Kuhn, well, that's okay. Any more and you will be a bully to the weak. The Illusionary Itto-Ryu is a sword of destruction and a sword of protection. You have to be kind to the weak as a legitimate son of the swordsman's family and be kind to the weak. Here, let me give you this.


　With that, Laguna threw three gold coins on the ground.

　It's a lot of money that can easily live for three months.


I'd say pick it up now - I'd say pick it up, but I'm sure you have a lot of pride. You can't do that in front of me like a beggar, can you?　Don't worry, I'll be gone here. After I'm gone, please pick up the money that fell slowly, my dear brother. Hahahahahaha!


　After a big laugh, Laguna walked away in a big gait

　He clenched his fists and stared at its back, but his mouth and feet didn't move as if they were frozen.

　In the meantime, Laguna's figure has disappeared behind the gate.



　After no one is gone, he looks at the ground softly.

　The three gold coins Laguna had released glowed dully in the morning sun's light coming in from the east.