April had passed and it had become quite warm, but a chilly air still flowed through the mountains.

  Sara walked through the mountains accompanied by Loki and Shera.

  The scents of soil, water, leaves, bark, flowers, and various other aromas mingled in the cool air and drifted about.

  The wolves were surely picking up many more scents.

  The stone monuments were placed with the spring mountain as the southern starting point, continuing north, southeast, west, northeast, and southwest.

  Only the east and northwest remained.

  The first time she entered the mountains, she could not grasp the distance to the next monument, she lost her sense of direction in the mountains, and above all, encounters with wild animals plagued her, so she could only find two in a year.

  At that time, supplies like food and water ran out, forcing her to return repeatedly to the spring mountain as a base, and each time she had to start over from the beginning—an inefficient method.

  The big change came when she began walking with Loki and Shera.

  For example, when she was unsure whether to climb a ridge or follow a stream, she would leave a piece of clothing with her scent at the fork.

  Then, when returning, they would follow the scent with their noses.

  However, it could also attract other beasts, so caution was needed, but they taught her that too.

  They would bite her clothes and pull to say “don’t go.”

  She met them during one of her later mountain trips, when she had grown accustomed to it, in the middle of the night.

  She had slept without properly handling her menstrual blood, and it had attracted beasts.

  It seemed a pack of wolves and a bear had encountered each other there.

  They began fighting over the prey.

  The sounds of animals thrashing about and cries woke her, and she realized she was in danger.

  Sara grabbed her belongings and weapons, hurriedly descended to the stream, immersed herself in the water, and washed the blood from her body.

  Then she let the blood-stained cloth flow away in the stream and wrapped a new one.

  While erasing her scent in the stream, she waited for them to leave.

  The sound of animals crashing through the bushes near the stream was heard, and the wolves appeared toward the stream.

  A large animal chased them, breaking branches.

  The wolves lightly leaped over the stream and went on, but the bear had trouble crossing the stream and gave up chasing the wolves.

  Sara hid in the shadow of a rock in the stream for a while.

  The only light was from the moon.

  At that moment, she saw two wolf pups on the bank of the stream.

  Their white fur was illuminated by the moonlight, and occasionally their round eyes sparkled.

  It seemed they were afraid of the water and were in trouble.

  They might have been separated from the pack.

  They tried to cross to the other side along the rocks, but they were frightened and turned back, looking troubled.

  Unfortunately, a bear appeared from the bushes there.

  The small wolves’ tails were stuck flat to their bellies.

  They were terrified.

  The bear was growling.

  Sara gripped her spear tightly and slowly emerged from the shadow of the rock.

  The bear spotted her.

  It was big.

  It might be eight shaku (about 2.4 m) long.

  Sara felt around near her feet for a place where the butt of the spear could be firmly fixed.

  She would fix the spear against the rock and impale the bear.

  She could never win in strength or speed.

  In the mountains, the power of a single human was limited.

  She might not even be a match for a single wolf.

  Sara found a depression in the rock where the reaction force could be fully utilized.

  She firmly inserted the butt of the spear there, adjusted so the spear pointed at the bear at the proper angle, and lowered her stance.

  She threw a stone at the bear.

  The bear, irritated, let out a growl.

  After throwing several times, one hit near the forehead.

  The bear charged.

  It looked like a huge rock wriggling toward her.

  The bear’s eyes gleamed in the moonlight.

  And when it seemed about to overwhelm her, there was a heavy “thud” sound, followed by a loud, unpleasant crunch like bones breaking, and the bear’s movement suddenly stopped.

  The spear had pierced the bear’s lower jaw, gone through the spine, and the tip protruded from its back.

  The bear’s face had reached five sun in front of Sara’s eyes.

  The bear’s still-warm blood soaked Sara’s face.

  And then the bear collapsed onto the ground.

  It was dead.

  Sara slowly pulled out the spear, and the smell of blood filled the area.

  She wiped her face with stream water and washed the spear.

  The small wolf pups were still there.

  Suddenly she was overcome by trembling.

  There was cold, but it was a strange trembling that was not from that.

  Sara took dried meat from her bag with trembling hands, cut it with her short sword, and threw the pieces in front of the small wolves.

  She cut off another piece and put it in her mouth.

  It tasted of salt, herbs, and smoke.

  She decided to return to the spring mountain once.

  The trembling did not stop.

  Sara descended the stream, relying on the moon and the pole star.

  The small wolf pups slowly followed behind her.

  Had they eaten the dried meat?

  She didn’t know, but from that day, Loki and Shera became Sara’s companions.

  The southwest monument was carved from a large rock on the ridge.

  This place had been the final destination of her previous trip.

  The hole was stuffed with clothing so that if she came close, they would tell her.

  The monument said this:

  ––––– A single decisive strike is the same as the roll of dice

  Know that it is inferior even to a finger cut –––––

  It meant not to jump in recklessly.

  The previous one was this:

  ––––– Win by moving people –––––

  ––––– Know that the sword can cut

  Do not think to cut –––––

  They were all words her master had repeatedly taught her.

  In the end, the important things had already been taught.

  The next was the east, it seemed.

  Sara took a chunk of dried meat from her bag and gave it to Loki and Shera.

  Then she headed east.

  Loki always walked in front, and Sara walked behind Shera.

  It was always Loki who detected anomalies.

  Shera would tell Sara.

  At first she could not understand what they wanted to say, but now she somehow understood.

  When the sun tilted, she lit a fire near a stream with a good view.

  Beasts came too, but it was a good place to erase and scatter scents.

  Recently she had also prepared tools for repelling them.

  Powdered chili peppers and small stones wrapped in hemp cloth and tied with string at the mouth.

  When thrown at a beast’s nose, the string would come undone and the powder would scatter.

  If inhaled, it would cause terrible suffering.

  She had to be careful so that Loki and Shera did not inhale it, but the effect was immediate.

  Most of the time they would run away.

  Since various animals came to the waterside, it could also be used for hunting.

  She set traps along the way and caught small animals.

  She roasted them and ate them.

  After letting them cool a little, Loki and Shera ate them properly.

  If there was no catch, they ate dried meat.

  At night, while making sure the fire did not go out, she slept snuggled with the wolves, covered by a blanket.

  In the morning, when the sun rose, she got up and walked again.

  That was how she had toured the monuments.

  One night.

  The distant howl of a wolf came from not far away.

  Loki and Shera reacted to the sound, pricking up their ears.

  When the sound died down, only the sound of the stream continued endlessly.

  After a while there was a rustling sound, and Loki stood up.

  Shera also stood up.

  Seeing that, Sara gripped her spear and crouched low.

  It seemed to be close.

  She took a burning branch from the campfire.

  When she held it up to illuminate the area, she occasionally saw a pair of glowing eyes.

  It was a pack of wolves.

  Sara had her back to the stream.

  There were more than ten.

  The wolves, Loki, and Shera threatened but did not attack.

  At that moment, one wolf from the pack walked forward and approached Loki.

  The wolf was sniffing.

  It was sniffing Loki’s scent.

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  Loki was also sniffing the wolf’s scent.

  And they occasionally made short sounds or exhaled through their noses.

  Shera also approached and they sniffed each other the same way.

  And small sounds and nasal breaths continued many times.

  Then Loki and the wolf pressed their foreheads together.

  They might be talking about something.

  For a while, the two pressed their foreheads together and seemed to be talking in small voices.

  Then one wolf left Loki and came in front of Sara.

  He kept an appropriate distance.

  It was probably his range.

  Sara quietly gazed at the wolf’s appearance.

  She felt no hostility from him.

  Sara slowly moved her spear behind her and quietly set it down.

  Sara knelt and stared steadily into the wolf’s eyes.

  Then he made a small sound, returned to the pack, and disappeared into the bushes.

  And his companions followed him and disappeared into the bushes.

  Loki and Shera watched them.

  After a while, the distant howl of a wolf was heard again.

  Many wolves were howling.

  At that moment, unusually, Loki also howled.

  It was a long, distant howl.

  There was a lonely resonance, as if regretting parting.

  A thin crescent moon quietly looked down on it.

  That night too, Sara slept snuggled with the two wolves.

  The eastern monument was also on the ridge.

  ––––– Do not fear death but keep it by your side

  Desperation leads to death –––––

  It was a heavy phrase.

  Those who fear death and struggle to keep it away will eventually make mistakes in judgment and die.

  That was probably what it meant.

  The time of death is when one dies, but the way of dying can be chosen.

  It meant to live with in mind how to draw the curtain on one’s own life.

  It was an important mindset for one who lives by the martial way.

  Sara was aware that she had faced enemies and the fear within herself many times.

  However, she had never specifically thought about death.

  Sara peered into the hole of the monument.

  The hole pointed northwest.

  The last one.

  Sara headed northwest.

  However, along the way, the words of the monument would not leave her head.

  Thinking it was dangerous to walk the mountains in this state, she decided to rest a little early.

  She lit a fire in the shadow of rocks on the mountainside.

  She took pheasant meat from her bag.

  She had caught it several days ago, roasted it well, rubbed in salt, and smoked it over the campfire.

  When she nibbled a little, it had not spoiled.

  She put it back on the fire to warm it, then cut it with her short sword and gave it to the wolves.

  She also put a little in her own stomach.

  She took dried soybeans from her bag and nibbled them.

  Since they seemed uninterested in beans, she had them all to herself.

  The sun set, and the starry sky spread out.

  Sara always carried her sword.

  The scabbard was carved with the Rondo mark of nine circles, and the circles were filled in with white paint.

  The nine stars shining in the northern sky.

  Perhaps from the time they called themselves Rona people, they had wandered various places in search of iron.

  The northern star was the pole star.

  It pointed the direction even in the darkness of night.

  The pole star was not one, but shifted to another star over a very long time.

  Sometimes it was not there.

  The ancestors of the Rondo must have learned that during their long journey.

  That was why they cherished the pole star and the eight stars around it.

  If one knew those stars, one could tell north no matter where one was.

  Sara thought their ancestors must have traveled while gazing at the stars like this.

  Sara slowly drew her sword.

  Loki and Shera seemed surprised and lifted their bodies, but she stroked their backs to say it was all right.

  When she held it up to the campfire, the small iron crystals on the surface of the blade sparkled.

  The hamon looked like a river of light meandering.

  The words of the monument crossed her mind again.

  Keep death by your side.

  But she did not understand death.

  The time one experiences it is the end.

  She did not know what to do.

  Her master was no longer there.

  She had to think for herself and come to terms with it.

  Sara sheathed the sword, held it to her chest, and looked up at the sky.

  The countless stars simply twinkled quietly.

  Finally, the end of this journey was coming into view.

  There should be a monument on the ridge of this mountain.

  It was mysterious.

  Trees, paper, even iron eventually decay and crumble like clods of earth.

  But rocks crumble much more slowly, little by little over vast time.

  She did not know when these monuments were made, but they were probably erected to convey to future Rondo people.

  There must have been some wish.

  Perhaps they left them for future generations in case skills or culture were lost.

  And why did they leave them in such a place?

  Sara thought it might not be about skills.

  The last monument stood on the mountainside.

  ––––– The journey is training of the heart

  Remove the kojiri and follow the stones –––––

  She did not understand what “remove the kojiri” meant, but Sara took the sword from her waist and looked at the scabbard.

  It was black metal fittings made by patinating red copper.

  “Remove” probably meant to pry this off.

  Sara gripped the kojiri and pulled with all her might, and surprisingly it came off easily.

  It was a wonder it had not come off until now.

  It might have been lightly fixed with lacquer or something.

  When she looked at the removed kojiri, there were several holes on the back side.

  That was all.

  Sara put it in her bosom, then sheathed the sword at her waist.

  At that moment, she saw a small stone at the base of the monument.

  It was a round, mountain-shaped stone with circles lined up at the top.

  It was covered in moss, but it was unmistakably the taiji pattern.

  The stones were embedded at equal intervals from the monument’s location down the gentle slope.

  Sara followed the stones and descended the slope.

  After a while there was a monument.

  It was close to the foot of the mountain, and the area was somewhat open and leveled.

  Upon closer look, it was not soil but stones paved.

  The monument was not like the previous ones but used a natural rock as is.

  At the top was carved the taiji pattern, and below it were characters she had never seen.

  Since the pattern was there, it must be related to Rondo.

  Further below were characters she could read.

  Made steel from the remains out of love

  Knowing death, left the technique

  Wishing to appear again after death

  That was what was written.

  The only story that matched this poem was the legend of the Five Heavenly Swords.

  “Appear again after death…”

  The one who left the technique was the master smith Loki.

  Was this Loki’s will?

  Was this monument the final destination?

  Sara thoroughly examined the monument.

  When she went around to the back, she noticed that the stone pavement at her feet continued to the mountain slope.

  The slope in this area had no trees and was covered with low plants and vines.

  The overall shape was a very beautiful symmetrical bulge.

  There are no perfectly symmetrical things in nature.

  This had been made into a mountain shape by human hands.

  Sara approached the slope and cleared away the vines clinging thickly.

  Then, in the depths, a cavity was visible, but it was dark and hard to see.

  The wolves sat and watched Sara’s actions.

  Sara gathered dead wood and lit a fire.

  Then she wrapped hemp string around the end of a long branch, tied it, transferred the fire to it, cleared the vines again, and advanced deeper.

  It was a passage.

  The walls were made of uneven rocks piled up, but there were almost no gaps between the rocks, piled with precision.

  The ceiling was a single large rock placed on top.

  At the back was an iron plate fitted in.

  Strangely, this iron had no rust.

  There was a slightly sour smell she had never smelled before.

  In the middle was an elliptical depression, with several thin rods protruding.

  Sara took the kojiri from her bosom and looked at the back; there were several holes.

  The protrusions were eight, arranged in two vertical rows of four.

  It was probably a key.

  Moreover, it had directionality.

  Sara looked closely at the outside of the kojiri.

  On the side, there was a single taiji pattern in relief.

  This must be the top, Sara thought.

  She inserted the back of the kojiri into the groove so that the taiji pattern was on top, and there was a “thud” sound of something falling inside.

  Something seemed to have come undone.

  Sara pushed the iron plate, but it did not budge.

  She put her hand on the protruding kojiri and pulled it to the left; it moved with a grinding sound.

  Deeper inside was another iron plate, with a groove carved in it, and below the groove was a gap where a metal plate was inserted.

  This might be what fell.

  She put her hand on the groove and tried pulling the inner iron plate to the left, but it did not move.

  This time she pushed it to the right, and the metal stuck in the gap was pushed deeper, making a “clank” sound as it opened.

  It was a strangely mechanized door.

  Sara held the flame into the depths of the door, and inside was a room made of rocks neatly piled up.

  It was a narrow room about four tatami mats long.

  On the back wall were carved characters, but like the monument outside, they were characters she could not read.

  And in front of that were two small boxes and five long, narrow boxes.

  The boxes were quite damaged, but seemed to have not lost their function yet.

  Sara set the torch against the wall, then opened one of the boxes.

  Because it was badly damaged, she opened it gently.

  Inside were discolored cloth and rusted metal.

  The shape was very similar to a Rondo spear.

  Next to the spearhead was a thin rod.

  Probably a broken tang.

  Sara opened the long boxes one by one.

  A pair of kodachi, a spear, a short sword, and something more like a sword than a spear, stored together with a long tang.

  All were already rusted, and she could not imagine their appearance when made.

  Sara carefully closed the lids.

  She picked up a small box and opened it; inside was another less corroded box.

  Opening that again, a very small, undamaged box appeared.

  When she opened it, inside were human bones in the shape of a seated person.

  Sara felt apologetic and carefully closed the box, returning it to its original state.

  The other box also contained another box, and when she opened that, there were several layers of oil-stained paper folded, and from within appeared something wrapped in parchment.

  When she carefully opened it, inside appeared something bound with string, several layers of slightly yellowed paper.

  On it were written characters very similar to those on the wall.

  Sara thought this might be the secret tradition and considered taking it back.

  At that moment, a certain phrase crossed her mind.

  Made steel from the remains out of love

  Knowing death, left the technique

  Wishing to appear again after death

  “I see… this is a grave…”

  Sara thought so.

  Human bones and five weapons—this was probably the bones of the master smith Loki and five of the seven weapons born from his wife Shera’s body.

  They were things that should not be touched carelessly.

  Sara felt apologetic, returned the manuscript to the box as well, carefully wrapped it, and closed the lid.

  She did not know what was written in this manuscript.

  Because it was written in characters she could not read.

  And the weapons were still missing two.

  ––––– Wishing to appear again after death –––––

  It meant that Shera’s body was not yet complete.

  Collecting these.

  Was that the duty of those who reached this place?

  Sara felt her shoulders grow a little heavier.

  The flickering flame of the torch illuminated this small room unsteadily, giving the feeling of being inside the belly of a living creature.

  Sara knelt, closed her eyes, and pressed her hands together.

  Then Sara took the torch and firmly closed the iron door, then went outside.

  The mountain air felt refreshingly clean.

  Sara turned back and looked at the grave once more.

  She might come here again someday.

  Sara removed one piece of her clothing, tore it, bundled it, and tied it tightly to the monument.

  Then she descended the mountain with Loki and Shera.

  When she returned to the village, Sara unpacked her load, lit the fire in the hearth, and first decided to wash off the grime of the journey.

  She cut a large chunk of dried deer meat for Loki and Shera and let them eat slowly.

  It was thanks for working hard.

  She drew water from the spring, hung a large pot over the fire, and poured the boiled hot water into a wooden bath tub.

  The scent of wood rose softly with the heat and felt pleasant.

  She made it hot and adjusted with bucket water.

  Because she had only bathed in water for about a month, she smelled a little.

  She hesitated to meet people in such a state.

  The bath felt good.

  Both mind and body warmed.

  Her body, stiffened from walking the mountains constantly, seemed to loosen.

  She combed her long hair with a comb.

  Had they finished the dried meat? Loki appeared in front of the bath area.

  When he saw Sara, he went somewhere.

  When she got out of the bath, the wolves were sleeping soundly in front of the hearth.

  She would let them rest well.

  Sara took clothes from the chest and put them on, then headed to the forge where her brother was.

  The sky was burning red, and stars faintly sparkled in the eastern sky.

  Her brother had finished work and was drinking tea on the veranda.

  “You’re back. How was it?”

  Her brother smiled.

  “Yeah. That place was Loki and Shera’s grave.”

  Aram looked a little surprised and looked at Sara.

  “You reached it?”

  “Yeah. There were seven boxes. One had bones, the large boxes had five weapons, and another box had paper with characters I couldn’t read.”

  Aram slowly stood up, stood in front of Sara, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

  “You did well. You’re splendid. Come with me.”

  With that, her brother slowly descended the mountain.

  Her brother still dragged his left leg when walking.

  It probably would not heal.

  In the war, the tendon on the outside of his left knee had been cut.

  She thought the gods had returned her brother to her.

  Sara ran to her brother’s side, slipped under his left armpit, and put her arm around his shoulder.

  Her brother smiled.

  Her brother stopped in front of the shrine.

  There was a residence beside the worship hall, where the miko’s family lived.

  The miko lineage was passed down through the female line.

  The head was a woman with no husband.

  They only received seed.

  The miko lived there with her three daughters.

  The next miko would be chosen from among them.

  She did not know the criteria, but they had mysterious powers.

  When Sara and Aram passed under the shrine’s barrier pillar and climbed the stairs, the miko was standing at the top.

  “Is that you, Sara?”

  It was a gentle voice.

  “Yes, it is.”

  “You entered the mausoleum, didn’t you?”

  Sara stopped in surprise.

  “…Yes… I’m sorry.”

  “It’s all right. That is your role. Come with me.”

  With that, the miko walked ahead.

  “I’ll wait here. From here you go alone.”

  Aram said that and sat on a bench beside the worship hall.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be here.”

  Sara nodded and followed the miko.

  The miko crossed in front of the worship hall and headed toward the forest in the back.

  In the forest was a small shrine, and the miko opened the door and waited for Sara.

  Sara removed her footwear, climbed the stairs, and entered the shrine.

  The miko closed the door and sat in the back.

  Candles were lit in the room.

  Sara sat in front of the miko.

  “You can relax your legs. Do you take care of that sword?”

  Suddenly asked about the sword, she was puzzled for a moment.

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Then, remove the fittings and show me.”

  With that, the miko handed Sara a wooden box.

  The wooden box contained a mallet, a pillow made by wrapping cloth, oil, and so on.

  Sara drew the scabbard, placed it in front of her, removed the mekugi from the hilt and placed it on the floor.

  She placed a piece of wood on the pommel and tapped it several times with the mallet; the blade rose, she gripped the habaki and removed the hilt.

  Then she removed the seppa and tsuba, placed a pillow on the kissaki side, and laid the blade on the floor.

  Then the miko took the candle stand, placed it near the tang, and sat beside Sara.

  “Can you see this?”

  The miko pointed near the end of the tang.

  There, a taiji pattern was carved with a chisel.

  “You can see that there is a notch here where this pattern is inserted, right?”

  Sara nodded.

  When she first maintained this sword, she had found it strange that only that part had a discontinuous shape.

  “This is a technique often used when shortening a blade.”

  Shortening is a technique to make the blade shorter by cutting off the tang side and correcting it.

  “This sword was originally a large tachi exceeding three shaku. The hilt alone was one shaku two sun.”

  Sara was so surprised she let out a sound.

  “This tachi had been treasured more than anything by the swordsmiths since before they moved here. About three hundred years ago, the master of the forge accidentally broke it. The man was terribly depressed and took his own life before passing on all his techniques to his disciple.”

  Sara listened quietly.

  “Even though there was no need to worry so much, the man could not forgive himself. Then, the man’s senior disciple shortened the broken sword, and this is the blade that was made.”

  “…I didn’t know.”

  “Of course you didn’t. Only successive mikos and the disciples of the swordsmith who corrected this sword know about it. Including what kind of sword this is.”

  Sara looked at the miko with a start.

  “You already understand, don’t you? This sword is one of the seven weapons forged by the master smith Loki—the large tachi.”

  Sara was so surprised she could not speak.

  Of the two weapons not stored in the mausoleum, one had been in her hands all along.

  That meant the only one whose whereabouts were unknown was the sword.

  “The mausoleum has the remains of three people. The bones of the master smith Loki are only the throat bone, the decayed weapons made from his wife Shera’s body, and the record of her revenge left by Loki’s younger sister Sui.”

  Sara asked in surprise.

  “Revenge?”

  “Yes. All the curses surrounding the Five Heavenly Swords are the result of the grand revenge she set in motion, which became a legend.”

  “Is that what was written in that bundle of paper? Is the content also passed down?”

  Sara asked rather excitedly.

  The miko smiled at her as if to calm her and placed a hand on Sara’s shoulder.

  “Yes. It has all been passed down orally. For several hundred years after moving to this land, the reading and writing of eastern characters were also transmitted. But that too eventually fell into disuse, and the people of old thought that the grave must not disappear from memory someday, so they erected those monuments.”

  Sara nodded.

  “You are one of the few people who have reached that place. You are probably the first to open that door again since it was last closed long ago.”

  Sara widened her eyes in surprise.

  “No one went?”

  “Going alone must have been exhausting, right?”

  The miko smiled as if to comfort her.

  “I had the wolves with me, so…”

  The miko nodded.

  “Everyone probably stopped going midway. It was a very troublesome mechanism. The successor at the time the monuments were erected wrote the inscriptions, I hear.”

  At that moment, there was a knocking sound on the shrine, and a small, cute voice said.

  “I brought tea.”

  With that, a child miko appeared carrying a tray, opened the door, advanced smoothly, placed it beside the miko in the back, bowed, and withdrew.

  The miko poured tea from the teapot into a teacup and handed it to Sara.

  Then she poured into another teacup and brought it to her own lips.

  “Now, are you interested in the third woman who sleeps in that mausoleum?”

  “…Yes. Please tell me.”

  Sara answered clearly.

  Hearing that, the miko nodded and smiled.

  Then she slowly began to speak.

  The spring night was still a little chilly, and Sara felt her skin strangely prickling.