Chapter 74
Everybody is Spinning
Everywhere
Translator : PolterGlast
A heavy, viscous wind
brushed my cheek. It felt as if something sticky was clinging to my whole body.
Even my breath felt hot, and sweat trickled down my cheek at random moments.
(The outside of the
capital... I never get used to it, no matter how many times I go out...)
My feet were
completely covered in cloth, not showing a single bit of skin, as I walked
through the sand. "Ooooi!" someone called out to a man. He was riding
a large, snake-like monster called a Sand Cobra. He must have been taking
travelers around this area. He probably possessed a tamer skill—just like her.
"Hey, mister,
there's nothing beyond here, it's dangerous, you should stop!"
The boy who called
out, offering to take him to the village, was quite the salesman.
"Oh, is that so?
Sorry for bothering you. I'll be fine on the way back, this old man's good at being sturdy."
"...Tch."
"That's a very
clear tongue-click, you know?"
Gahaha, the man
chuckled once and saw the boy off. He stroked his stubbled chin, watching his
back. These were the people of this country he should protect. Well then, the
man turned on his heel and proceeded to the place he was told there was
nothing.
(I have to see it with
my own eyes.)
It had been reported.
However, the location was outside the scope of the World Tree's roots and
branches. He understood that the World Tree's protection was weakening.
Stepping into this place, he was surprised. The place, full of sand and without
a single tree, used to be a much more vibrant place. And look at it now.
Occasionally, withered trunks lay scattered, and dried animal carcasses lay
lifeless inside the crumbling, dry bark.
Since when had it
been? The occurrence of demons had become prominent, and at the same time, the world's
"seasons" had begun to collapse. Even Soleil used to be a slightly
more habitable environment. Still, it must have been much better than Hail
Land, which was snowed in all year round, but there was no point comparing it
to something worse.
He didn't know who had
started it. Demons were beings that withered the World Tree, that's what they
were called. Because demons existed, the country was going wrong.
(Is that really true?)
He had come to know
one girl. If he hadn't known her, he might not have questioned anything.
Zakuri, zakuri, he walked through the sand. Beyond that was a place he himself
had forbidden entry to. --He was stunned.
--How was it?
A familiar voice came
from the magic tool attached to his ear. It was a magic tool called a wireless
device. Even people in distant places could hear each other's voices directly.
If El were here, she might have called it a walkie-talkie, but the man didn't
know that name.
"Veda, it's
beyond my imagination... no, beyond what I heard in the report. This is
terrible."
--Is it that bad,
coming from you...?
"I'm glad I came
to see it myself. I understand clearly. This country has been abandoned by the
gods."
He laughed, even
though it wasn't funny. "A unique skill that allows you to know the
future, was it? What do you say, isn't it too much to ask for your help?"
He shrugged, his tone not revealing how serious he was. There was no reply from
the other end. Well then, the man looked ahead again. He should do everything
he could. If even a little of the past had changed, he wouldn't be here now. He
should be lounging on the sofa as usual if he hadn't known that demon called
El.
This was a chance.
Something he must not let slip away.
***
By the way, I wonder
where the Head Tower is? While pondering that, today I was in dry-wiping mode.
Wiping and wiping and wiping the water that Ichi and the others had scattered.
The rag was pitch black, I wondered why it was so dirty. There were so many
black robes, that I almost thought it would be better to just wipe with those
from the start.
The Head Tower-san was
more important than Veda, and in the game's main story, he was basically on the
top floor of the tower, managing the water sphere membrane, or something like
that, a boss-type old man. But had he ever gone on a long trip somewhere? I
tried to remember once more. I had played the Soleil route several times, but
it still wasn't in my memory. However, I had only played it casually, so I
hadn't saved that often.
In the game, if you
pressed the L button firmly, you would go to the save screen. One of the
features of The Tale of the Land of Five Leaves was that you could save
anywhere, and there were many save slots, so you could go back from anywhere
and enjoy many choices. It wasn't a common format for a simulation RPG, let
alone a visual novel, but it made leveling up easier, and you could also use
the World Tree branches for travel shortcuts, so it somehow worked as a game.
When you save, a leaf
stamp will appear in the save slot, showing the location and the total
playtime. I was lazy and played at a leisurely pace, so I didn't save very
often, but Yuko was probably a serious player in that regard. She saved in
various places.
Due to the
characteristic of the game where pressing a button saved, there were no basic
actions like writing a diary or getting into bed. Perhaps it was the
developers' playfulness, but there were many actions you could take when
saving. The squats that Yuko was currently doing in the corner of my vision
were one of them. ...By the way, saving in a game meant you could quickly load,
but what form would it take now? Every time she squatted, struck a determined
V-sign pose, scribbled, or did a somersault, Yuko seemed to be making a note in
the notebook in her hand. Analog saving seemed like a lot of work.
Ichi and the others
waved their handkerchiefs, seeing Yuko's back disappear in a rolling
somersault. The Saint continued to advance, going straight without wavering,
quite the professional job. Or not.
"Uuuuuuu~~~n."
The city was still bustling
with energy. I have been to various towns and villages so far, but this might
be the most lively. It was probably because people from various leaves came
here. Especially recently, since I told Veda that I needed a lot of soil, the
inside of the walls was covered with mounds of soil, and the work of increasing
it was busy with many people. "I wonder what this is needed for?"
"Who knows? Maybe for repairing the water sphere membrane?" The
muscular guys who usually managed the membrane passed by.
I groaned again,
holding my head. Lotus was next to me, occasionally being called out to by
passersby. Probably his student disciples. What a popular guy. Lotus is the
type of guy who, once you get past his scary face, shows an unexpected
friendliness that makes the gap irresistible. Even though I had found out about
the good points of my Lotus and was on edge, I was wavering between loving the
same bias. I didn't really understand myself.
"Aaaaaaaaah."
"What's been
going on with you since a while ago?"
In the end, I had been
confronting my own feelings for Lotus, but I finally got a comment.
"El, when you
make strange movements, Ichi and the others imitate you. Look at your
feet."
Looking down, the
three Ichi and the others were also holding their heads in the same way,
groaning and rotating their upper bodies. San was doing a perfect grand
pirouette like a ballerina. No, not that far.
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