Chapter 39: Chapter 39: A Warrior’s Place
Echigo Province – Western Border, Year 9 of Tenbun (1540 AD)
The battle was over.
The last echoes of steel had faded into silence.
The enemy was gone.
The snow-covered ground was littered with bodies, both friend and foe.
And standing among them—
He realized something.
He was still standing.
Not as a survivor.Not as a runaway.Not as someone else's blade.
But as a warrior who had chosen this fight.
And that—
That meant everything.
The warriors of Echigo watched him.
They did not speak at first.
But their gazes had changed.
When he first arrived, they had seen him as a ghost.
A nameless blade, a stray sword from Kai.
But now—
Now they saw a fellow warrior.
One who had fought beside them.One who had bled for them.
And in war—
That was all that mattered.
"Not bad."
The voice came from Sakai Nobuhisa.
The older warrior wiped blood from his blade, smirking.
"You fight well. Almost like a proper soldier."
The warrior exhaled slowly.
"Almost?"
Sakai chuckled.
"Earned respect is one thing."
"But true belonging? That takes time."
His smirk faded slightly, replaced by something more serious.
"Still… today was a good start."
It was not praise.
It was not empty flattery.
It was recognition.
And for a man who had once been seen only as a tool—
That was worth more than any title.
The Road Back
The wounded were gathered.
The dead were laid to rest.
And as the sun began to set over the western border—
The warriors of Echigo turned toward home.
Kasugayama Castle awaited.
And now—
So did he.
For the first time, the road ahead did not feel uncertain.
Because for the first time—
He knew where he stood.
Not as a stray sword.
Not as a nameless shadow.
But as a warrior of Echigo.
And step by step—
He would prove it to the world.
[Fated Death: Erased.] You have earned the respect of your comrades. You have taken your place among the warriors of Echigo. Your past no longer defines you—your actions do.
The war is far from over.
But this time, you fight with something worth protecting.