The Hosuo Clan

A tall young man called out to them as we were walking down the mountain to return to the village. Asa was the name of the lanky, docile man. He stood up from his work in the field, holding a hoe.

"What exactly is it, Asa? We won't have any food if you stand there." I scoffed at him and ignored him.

Horio gave him a pat on the back. Their personalities were polar opposites, but they clearly got along.

"Hey guys!" he exclaimed.

"It's not like that. It was so noisy in the village. I think something happened."

"We'll find out soon enough." said Ishida

"However, what if bandits attack?" But I had a question. Bandit clans attacked the village on a regular basis. The villagers collaborated to defend themselves in their own unique way. When confronted with a large group of bandits, they would obediently hand over their money to avoid unnecessary casualties; however, if the bandits were few in number, the villagers would quickly reverse the situation and reclaim their belongings instead.

"Wow, that's a lot of noise, eh?" Yes, it could be a festival. Festivals are always enjoyable, right?" Horio

"There's no way a festival would happen this time of year, no matter what." Looking at Ishida, I said, "I'm as optimistic as ever."

Festivals are enjoyable, right? There will be plenty of delicious treats to eat. There will be drums and flutes, and it will be fascinating. I practiced a lot, so I'm pretty good at..." Yuzuriha demonstrated her dance moves.

"This is not the time for your optimistic interpretations."

"Look at the flames billowing into the sky!" exclaimed Ishida as he abruptly came to a halt.

"Oi, what?!?" exclaimed Horio as he turned and his eyes widened.

Horio and Asa's faces darkened. From the direction of the Village, black smoke rose. There were no bandit clans in the area who would resort to arson because it would reduce their future earnings; however, a new band could be passing through.

"What should we do? Hey, Horio, which direction should we take?" Asa stated, " "Don't mess with me! You can't just abandon our people, you moron!" Asa was swatted in the back of the head by Horio.

Naturally, Ishida felt the same way. He had no plans to sacrifice his family. Even if it meant going alone, either of them would have tried to help.

"Okay, it's about time we went back. Your words indicate that you have good intentions."

"Shinji, are you there? You could be killed if those bandits are violent "said Yuzuriha as she pushed me

"You don't need to be concerned; I'll be fine. I'll simply kill anything that gets in my way. Otherwise, things would spiral out of control." I mentioned pulling out the dagger.

My smiling face let out a short laugh as she grasped the dagger on my back in her right hand. Asa was rendered speechless by the sight. He couldn't believe what he was witnessing. Only if the bandits in question were normal could a group of peasant farmers and hunters take on an organized bandit group.

"Is this child seriously going to fight them? She appears to be oblivious to the distinction between humans and animals "said a terrified Asa

Humans do not think like animals and are therefore not as easily hunted. He'd never killed anyone before, but Ishida knew that.

To top it all off, despite my proficiency with a bow, I chose to use a dagger, the proficiency of which had never been confirmed. While my hidden power made me indestructible, it hadn't ever come in handy during a hunt, and overcoming such a difficult situation wasn't a joke.

"Shinji. We don't yet know who we're up against. We cannot allow this to escalate. You may be able to die recklessly out there, but those of us with families simply cannot participate at this time."

"OK, I get it." I laughed.

"Oh really?" Horio inquired.

"I see what you mean." In a military salute, I curled my right hand into a fist in front of my chest. I exaggerated the movement in a joking manner, but then my back straightened out and my expression became solemn. I no longer appeared to be a hunter, but rather a professional soldier.

"... Am I doing it correctly?" Asa wondered.

"Should I do it as well?" Horio and Asa mimicked me while making eye contact.

Even without pointing it out, the differences were obvious.

"Why don't we all just have a good time? Just leave if you're going to say something stupid."

Ishida then shrugged his shoulders and began walking towards the village.

When they arrived in the village, they saw many men with red cloths wrapped around their arms. There was no evidence of looting, and the sound of screams was completely absent. The usual flag was hanging at a different angle from the elder's house, which towered over the village.

They didn't understand why the flag had changed to two red diagonal lines on a white background.

"Horio, you're safe!" exclaimed his mother as she ran away.

"Uh, yeah, but what's the big deal?" Horio said as he looked around.

"I have no idea either. Suddenly, there were a slew of them."

Horio had confirmed his mother's safety, but Ishida was still looking for his only living relative. When his gaze met the one he sought, they rushed to each other.

"Onii-chan!" yelled a girl

"Aiko! They didn't do anything to you did they?" Ishida and Yuzuriha checking on her

"No, but it was scary." she said

"It's all right now. Onee-San and Onii-chan is here."said Yuzuriha

Ishida hugged Aiko, who finally showed a smiling face.

"You seem so happy that I'm a little jealous. Hey, can you create families without getting married?" Yuzuriha asked something ridiculous as she pulled out her memo.She closed in on the defenseless face, but was waved away by a hand.

"Wait. What's the situation? It's nice you're happy and all, but this might be seriously bad." I said as before we were scared to death but now everything is okay

"Yup. After all, the village has been occupied by unknown people." Horio understood and nodded emphatically.

"Behave yourself if you understand!" Ishida left the nonsense to the others and went off to observe the bandit-like men who had arrived in the village. Each of them wore a red cloth around his arm and was armed with spears, swords, and other weapons. Their clothes were soiled, and they lacked cohesion. They were also disproportionately mixed and appeared to foster a broader range of demographics than the typical roaming bands of ruffians.

"But who are these people? They appear to be distinct from raiders." Horio stated, "

"They appear to be a bit jumbled. Look at that guy with the bamboo broom. Do you believe he's going to use it as a weapon?" I quickly pointed out.

"If you're that loud, we'll stand out," Yuzuriha said.

"No one heard, and we haven't been seen yet," Asa explained.

"It's still a problem even if the odds of them noticing are 10,000 to one," Horio said.

"I suppose so." I mentioned checking on them.

While this was going on, one of the men in the group took a step forward. His figure was larger than the others, and his equipment was of higher quality. He had the demeanor of a seasoned mercenary rather than that of a bandit. He could be identified at a glance. The raucous crowd fell silent the moment he called for it. The man who represented them looked around and spoke in a deep, resonant voice.

"We are the army of the Hosuo Circle; we are the ones who rose up in opposition to the Waka Clan and his oppressive regime!"

Eh, the Hosuo Circle's army?" The man nodded as the village elder asked while bowing.

"You are correct. They call me Hoh, and I command the army of the Hosuo Circle. We've shed a lot of blood up to this point. We wrap a red cloth around our right arms to remind ourselves of this. We carve our red wheels from the flags of our enemies, and we crave the ability to pass judgment on those we oppose!"

"I-I see..." the elder said.

"Our Hosuo Circle army's goal is to sweep down from the east and capture the Amida king, and we do nothing less than work towards that goal every day. Our efforts are evidence of the heinous tyranny. Our exploits should have reached the Emperor's attention by now! When that happens, the maggots in charge will get their due."

Unlike the arrogant, assertive Hoh, the village elder was perplexed. If what he said was true, the secluded village had nothing to do with it.

Ishida had the impression he could see where this was going, but he remained silent. He kept his eyes peeled in case something like this happened. In the meantime, I had my eyes closed. My body tottered from time to time, giving Ishida the impression that I was sleeping. He wanted me to be more cautious, but remained silent so as not to cause a commotion. Aiko was holding Yuzuriha up from behind with both hands. Ishida's younger sister was smitten with the carefree Yuzuriha.

"What do you intend to do with this village? Despite our hospitality, our supplies are meager "interrogate the elder

"Such extortion is unthinkable among brothers. If we did such things, we'd be no better than the people we're fighting. We have only one request. We simply ask that those who agree with us come forward and join our cause. Anyone can help, because without it, we wouldn't be able to change anything. We will accept those who are willing to take up their swords, because now is their time!"

"In essence, you want us to take up arms in rebellion against the Amida."

Hoh sharply stated, to the concerned elder's further wrinkling brow, "Simply put, yes. However, we have no plans to oppose His Imperial Majesty or the empire as a whole. Our only goal is to remove the parasites from Amida's leadership. Never will our noble cause be interpreted as treason!"

The soldiers spread out in preparation for looting if they were refused. Despite the rebel leader's promise not to kill anyone, there was a strong emphasis on how others had generously supplied them. Rebellion, on the other hand, was still a serious crime. If the village provided support and the rebellion failed, they would almost certainly meet a tragic end. The elder paused for a moment before succumbing with a helpless expression. "I comprehend. Please be kind to our children who will be participating."

"I'm thankful. Our mission is to go forth in opposition to wrongdoing and to live our lives for the betterment of the people. Elder, we will make certain that our decision is correct!" Before mounting his horse, Hoh exclaimed.

With those ominous words, the cavalry advanced, and the rest of the Hosuo Circle army marched in a haphazard formation. They had only been the rebel army's vanguard, and the remaining corps would arrive later. Maintaining order was becoming impossible with so many people arriving. While Ishida was contemplating such thoughts, the elder trudged back to the villagers, his shoulders hunched.

"Everyone, as you may have heard, I will not compel you to comply. Unfortunately, there will be more soldiers passing through."

"What!? What could they possibly fix, rebellion is a serious issue! If we lose our employees, we will lose " "Even so, if we had not allowed this, our village would have been destroyed. Is there anyone who could have chosen better?" said the wise man

"What if we secretly informed the military, Elder?" ishida inquired.

"There's no way they'd miss it. They may pretend not to know, but they do. If we did that, we'd be dead by the time help arrived from the south. I didn't have a choice. I understand that survival will be difficult, but we must survive." The elder lowered his head with a quivering voice. There were no dissenting voices.

Even in the current situation, their village was not one that the national army would attempt to protect; instead, they would most likely wait and see what happened. It was true that the people were resentful of the enemies' rule. There are bound to be a few who want to make things better by joining the revolt. If the army enlisted soldiers from fellow northerners who were also poor, they would not have a strong desire to destroy the rebellion, but would rather see the rebels as a mouthpiece for their own complaints.

The elder, who had made his decision, and those who agreed with him gathered and spoke in a flurry. They were debating who should accompany the rebels. The participants' attention began to shift to Ishida and the hunters, and then to Asa and the farmers. Ten people were called in total. Of course, Ii was also chosen. It was customary at the time to offer up strangers and second sons.

"Could everyone please listen for a moment?" I polled everyone.

"What?" Horio asked.

I made a serious face at them all and said, "Uh, well, I say it'd be better if you gathered your families and fled to somewhere safe."

"I concur with him. Why aren't we allowed to tell others to flee with their families? Do we have to join the Hosuo Circle's army?"

Asa cocked his head in interest. The others were looking perplexed as well. It was only natural that they would band together in order to save the village. It was also absurd to expect them to fight for an army that had separated them from their families.

"... what does that mean?" Horio wondered.

Without assistance, neither Asa nor Horio's mother could defend themselves.

Yes, and I have a feeling that at this rate, once we've left the remaining troops " I wait. That kind of insane thing could never happen!" Horio stated

Horio might have yelled, but I didn't care what he had to say.

"Even if the Army of the Hosuo Circle has stated it, they are disorganized. They resemble roving bandits rather than a well-organized military force."

"But," the elder objected, "you might just pillage anyway." "Asa stated

"In order that you don't regret anything, I recommend fleeing with your loved ones. Not that I'm forcing you or anything…"

As I spoke, she grabbed Aiko's hand and began to walk.

"Hey! What are you doing with Aiko!?" Ishida began to shout, and I smiled gently at him.

"Aiko's my friend, so I'll protect her. Right?"

"Thank you Shinji-chan!"

"Yup. Ah, do you want to read book together? It always has a new story in it, so you'd better prepare for whatever kind of story we'll discover."

"I do! Make sure you're ready too, okay!" said Aiko "Hey, stop! Don't just do things like that!"said Ishida

While standing there Ishida was hesitant. Taking his sister despite usually not thinking much, Shinji's words did hold some truth. He was unsure of what to do.

Damn, what do I do!?

"That's a pretty amusing face, Ishida. Looks like you just ate something sour. Hey, it's fine if I laugh right?"

Ihad a habit of asking permission to do things after she had started, and this time was no different.

Ishida was so frustrated he simply shouted, "Shut up! I'm thinking so stop!"

"Okay, I get it." I smiled

I saluted in perfect form once more, but the smile on my face had not faded. It was as if I couldn't comprehend the gravity of the situation. He found himself unable to reach a decision. He needed to shift his attention away from my antics and back to the task at hand.

Following the highway south would take them from the village to the district that was located halfway between the northern and southern regions. The area was large enough that the rebel army couldn't possibly cover it all.

"Okay, I guess I'll go speak with the elder. What Shinji is saying may not be impossible, I believe "Ishida stated

"True, we won't know what will happen, eh? That Hoh's guy's story is also suspicious. For the time being, we cannot put our trust in him." Horio stated

"Is that the case? He seemed like a hard worker to me." "Life isn't so simple that you can tell what's good and bad just by looking," I praised myself. Horio brushed those words aside as meaningless, and Ishida agreed.

Hoh claimed to be frantically fighting the tyranny, but this appeared to be a sham. They didn't appear desperate, and their previous actions had not been ones that the poor would readily support.

"However, this has most likely occurred in the surrounding villages. What should we do now?" Asa's big body was trembling. Despite his imposing stature, Asa possessed less spirit than most. Ishida recognized Asa's limitations and offered some advice. He was the type who felt compelled to assist those he knew.

"For the time being, we'll seek refuge in the mountains. If we stay at the hunting shack, we won't have to worry about food. We should be able to make it for a while."

"That's it! You're so smart Ishida. I'll get my dad and mum now!" said Yuzuriha running

"I will too." said Horio while I stayed with Ishida and Aiko

with Several others followed after the gangly Asa.