The king of a poor country wanted money for his coffers, so he imposed an "existence tax" on his people. Well, what was the result?

This is a short story in the style of a fairy tale.

"What is a human being?" This is what Utsuro, a sixteen-year-old boy, has been thinking about in his hidden village deep in the mountains. Abandoned by his parents, Utsuro and another boy of the same age and condition, Akuta, are raised by the assassin, Kyogetsu Nigarashi, and lead a harsh bu...