The Story of Hero Among Heroes ~The Founding Chronicles of Arestia - Chapter 133 – Conquering the North part 4 ~Murakumo and Shiranui~

There were many barbarians outside Fort Troia now… Because that’s where the forces of the Wind tribe were stationed.

Safe to say that the Wind tribe is at the crossroads of fate here.

[I’m against this! I’m sorry to say this, but there is no way we would submit to the inlanders.]

One of Batu’s subordinates, Mukasa barked out loud. Mukasa was Batu’s troop leader, known for his fearlessness. His skill at equestrian and fierceness during battle had earned him the nickname of [Greedy Wolf].

Another one of Batu’s subordinates, Batoru, didn’t say anything in response. In contrast to Mukasa, Batoru was more adept in commanding his troops to strike the enemy’s weak point silently. Therefore, the northern barbarians called him [Serene Goshawk].

All due to his penchant of attacking silently and not letting his prey escape so easily.

The two had followed Batu since young ages, fighting together through numerous battlefields. Their friendship was mutual, to the point that they could be frank with each other.

Batoru finally spoke.

[But the fact remained that they rescued the women and children of our tribe. We will lose our pride as the Wind tribe if we don’t at least reward them.]

[But! They are the inlanders! There is no way I’ll get along with those weak inlanders!]

Hearing Mukasa’s complaint, Batu also spoke up.

[…..but we lost to those so-called weak inlanders.]

[….Batu-sama, we didn’t. It was Shu who lost…]

[Still, he’s the strongest man in our troop. I couldn’t even match up to him. And yet, that very man was defeated.]

Mukasa silently nodded to Batu’s words.

[Even if we kept fighting, we would still be annihilated in the end. We have my father’s timely arrival to thank for us being alive now.]

[ […………….] ]

Afterward Batu looked around.

[By the way, where is Shu?]

[Now that you mention it… I haven’t seen him myself.]

[I haven’t seen him since yesterday…]

Both Batoru and Mukasa shook their heads.

Batu came to recall the time he last saw Shu the other day.

How disappointed Shu was after he lost that single fight.

[How is it possible that man could use Murakumo style… I need to find out why.]

Batu found it unusual to see Shu having that kind of determined look on his face.

[Hopefully he doesn’t do something strange…]

Thinking back… Batu realized that he probably knew very little about this foreigner.

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◆

Ares, Sigurd, and Shion were observing the Wind tribe stationed below.

Many eyes looked back at them, but they proceeded to continue what they did. Ares simply smiled at this.

[……it’s the same as when I visited the dwarves and then the Aryans… I’ve long gotten used to this kind of gaze…]

[Then please do this by yourself next time. I’m not used to it.]

It was Sigurd who responded to Shion’s complaint.

[You… I didn’t know that you are this surprisingly delicate for a man…?]

[Surprisingly delicate?]

[……if Shion is delicate, then the entire human race are jellies.]

Shion was about to reply back to Ares’ quip.

But Ares was quicker in changing the topic.

[They are calmer than I expected. Most likely it’s all thanks to Batu.]

Sigurd quickly corrected Ares.

[No. I think it’s because they have seen Ares-sama’s valor. Warriors tend to follow the stronger fighter after all.]

At that point, Sigurd caught a movement at the corner of his eyes and turned to that direction.

[But, that guy I fought wasn’t really all about strength though.]

Ares also turned to the same direction.

[Well, if you have something to talk about, why don’t you come over and talk about it?]

Hearing Ares’ offer, the man emerged from his hiding spot.

[So you found out.]

[About that… You didn’t even try to hide your presence at all, did you?]

When Ares said so… The man in question, Shu, laughed in return.

[So, what do you need of me?]

Shu’s face turned serious before he began talking about why he was there.

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◆

[I hailed from a powerful clan of Yashima, the Shiranui, which serves the Murakumo clan.]

After a proper introduction, Shu started to explain about himself.

[The Murakumo is the most prestigious warrior clan in Yashima. And the Shiranui serves directly under the head of this clan.]

Shu spoke with a nostalgic tone as he looked to the distance.

The Murakumo clan was known for their overwhelming strength in Yashima. Especially those who are a direct bloodline to the original founder 『Murakumo』whose valor equaled thousands of men. However, following the passage of time, their power thinned out. And the reason for that was:

[They never had a male heir.]

Shu explained.

[With no male heir, those who share Murakumo direct bloodline dwindled. For that reason they’ve been led by women for generations… Sakura Murakumo-sama being the current clan head. However, the neighboring countries that we previously thought as our allies turned out to be parts of the anti-Murakumo faction… They attacked us en-masse.]

[It’s a fairly common story actually. And… the result is just as expected, isn’t it?]

[Yes… Each one of the Murakumo clan’s vassals were strong in their own right. Sakura-sama herself was a formidable fighter. All of us fought bitterly alongside Sakura-sama…but in the end, we lost to the opponent’s sheer numbers…]

Shu spoke with regret in his voice.

[The remaining vassals then regrouped to consult their next step. Some of the lower ranked vassal clans demanded Sakura-sama to surrender. They believed that the opposition would set them free if we surrendered not only our military forces, but also the Murakumo bloodline. However, Murakumo bloodline carries both the symbol of sovereignty and power. It must not be misused. Therefore we couldn’t hand it over so easily. For as long as the bloodline remains… the Murakumo can rise again. That’s why I persuaded Sakura-sama, who wished to fight the battle till the last drop of her blood, to join me escape, where all of us will personally protect and keep her hidden.]

Ares frowned upon hearing this.

[……is that really the best outcome?]

[What do you mean?]

[No, I just think that, it’s probably not what both the princess and the people… would actually want.]

[Our people wanted the Murakumo to rise again. That’s why I chose to hide Sakura-sama! Princess also believes that one day the Murakumo will revive!]

Shu got overly excited in the end…. But he quickly regained his calm.

[Pardon me. I got a little excited there.]

[It’s okay. As an outsider, I don’t have the right to say anything anyway. And then?]

[Afterward, at Sakura-sama’s behest, I travelled to this continent. We will be found eventually if we keep staying in Yashima. I do not know myself how long the other vassals can keep Sakura-sama hidden. So we decided to abandon the land and revive the Murakumo elsewhere. My goal in travelling to this continent was to find a safe place for Sakura-sama.]

At that point, Shu turned to Ares.

[And I have done just that. All that is left is to find an answer to one question.]

[I think I know where this is going.]

Ares replied with a laugh. Ignoring that, Shu spoke up the first question that crossed his mind.

[Tell me, why can you use the secret Murakumo style that only a member of the Murakumo clan could use?]

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The vassal clans of the Murakumo clan trained their members in Murakumo style martial arts from a young age.

『Murakumo Style.』

The style was known as the strongest martial art in Yashima.

The Murakumo style was an ancient martial art meant to enable one person to fight against many, founded by the first of Murakumo, and perfected by the Murakumo clan’s fourth head. Even among the valorous Murakumo, the fourth generation head was a one of a kind genius. Alone, he’s a match for thousands, and it’s not even an exaggeration.

Not only was he valorous, but he also had a brilliant mind capable of systemizing the Murakumo style and made it available for many others to learn. Those who served under the Murakumo were required to train in this martial art style from their early years, as only the strongest were allowed to become the direct vassal of the Murakumo clan head.

However… Murakumo style was only made available for the Murakumo clan and its vassals, and otherwise remained a secret to the outsiders.

And both Ares and Shu were capable of wielding this supposedly secret style. Shu was imitating his predecessor’s technique to the best he could…therefore it is mostly incomplete.

But this man standing before him…

[You were able to execute a perfect 『Ryu no Hokou』. How is that possible?]

Hearing Shu’s question, Ares noticed that Shion and Sigurd were also giving him a look. The two seemed to be equally curious about the answer.

Ares chuckled in return, then faced Shu once more before he explained.

[I have memories of three great people dwelling inside me.]

Shu was skeptical about this, thus he stared at Sigurd for confirmation. But Sigurd and Shion nodded affirmatively in response.

[One was a wiseman, Gilbert Goraye, who was also known as the King of Alchemists. The second was a great king, Leon Arcadia.]

Ares observed Shu’s reaction before continuing.

[And lastly…a sword saint under the alias Shinn Oldeus.]

[Shinn…?]

When that name was uttered, Shu’s expression immediately changed.

[Shinn Oldeus… He was a hero who took down countless demonkins, including the demon king himself. But he only took on the name Oldeus soon after that.]

That was a first for Sigurd and Shion. Shinn Oldeus was a well known hero in the continent, but what Ares told them now was something that nobody else might know.

Ares then continued.

[He… changed his name… so that he never forgot the name of his best friend that he was forced to kill by his own hands.]

Ares then looked to the sky with a distant gaze.

Shu became apprehensive.

[Do not tell me…his original name was…]

[Yes, as you might’ve already guessed.]

Ares then continued with a smile.

[Shinn Oldeus original name was… Shinn Murakumo. Surely you recognized this name, yes? After all, he was the fourth head of Murakumo clan.]