Chapter 87
Hail Land
Translator : PolterGlast
"It's too
hot."
The young man, barely
over twenty, muttered the words with irritation. His skin was so pale it seemed
out of place in Soleil, and he had buttoned his military uniform tightly up to
his neck. Perhaps because he was wearing such thick fabric, he had an almost
feminine slenderness. Long bangs hid half of his well-defined face.
He had taken a ship,
crossed the sea. And the moment he stepped onto land, this was the result. The
man irritably ran a hand through his bangs. His country, after all, was
shrouded in snow year-round. It was probably a sentiment shared by the many
soldiers who had crossed the sea with him. A stifling atmosphere hung in the
air.
However, the man
standing next to him, wearing black glasses, grinned.
"Snow-sama, if
you wear such sweltering clothes, it's no wonder."
The one called Snow
glared at the man, but the man with the black glasses didn't seem to mind it at
all, cheerfully touching the rims of his own glasses. His attire was much
lighter than Snow's. If El saw him, she might comment, "That guy's got a
serious year-round summer vibe going on with that aloha shirt!"
Snow didn't like this
man very much. Rather, he disliked him. He could even say he loathed him. Why
had the king allowed him to come along? He understood the reasoning, but he
didn't agree with it.
"...And what's
with those ridiculous glasses?"
"Eh? They're
cool, right? They're called sunglasses. Since we're going to the year-round
summer of Soleil, I put in a request to the engineers in Hail Land, and they
made them for me in a rush."
"That's not what
I'm asking."
He had asked why he
was wearing such foolish things, but it seemed to go right over the man's head.
"However, it's
not just the sunglasses that were made in a rush. To head out before even
sending a message with a World Tree branch, that's quite the surprise
attack."
"...It's not
something that just came up yesterday. I let them know a little bit beforehand.
Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to escape the scrutiny from the other
leaves."
Snow's tone became
irritated as he ripped open the buttons at his neck and then threw off his
jacket. One of the soldiers standing nearby hurriedly caught the dark blue
uniform.
"We can't afford
to have the remaining two leaves team up against us because of this. --Cloudy
Country and Leyshan. Before those two join forces, I'll knock them down."
"Hahha."
The man with the black
glasses cheerfully clapped his hands. "...Are you making fun of me?"
"Hie, no way! I just thought it was wonderful!" The man made a
strange noise and shook his head.
"Wonderful,
that's the spirit. You see, there's something I absolutely can't stand. The
fact that 'that guy' is in the center of this world, it's unbearable."
Behind his cheerful
words lay a palpable darkness. Of course, Snow had no interest in the man's
nonsense and wasn't even listening anymore. The man himself was aware of this.
So, this was just a soliloquy.
"That's why I'll
easily cooperate with anything. Pride can go to hell. Please, by all means,
take down this country. Will Leyshan or Cloudy Country be next? Let's get all
the countries."
That would make it
easier to kill "that guy," the man said with a smile, slightly
adjusting his sunglasses. His messy, waist-length hair swayed. The man slightly
lifted his black glasses—sunglasses. He wanted to see this country with his own
eyes.
He narrowed his
"red" eyes.
"Now, how should
we attack?"
***
"The culprit is
Shangraaa!!!"
Yuko, clutching her
head and collapsing, drew the gazes of many, including Lotus and me, who
thought, "Seriously, what's with her?" Nabari was already dead.
As soon as Veda
learned that Hail Land had attacked, he sent messengers to many soldiers. The
word "earthquake"—which didn't exist in this country, so it was just
a temporary name—had caused damage that needed to be assessed, and the first
half of the day was spent confirming the situation throughout the capital.
Fortunately, the
entire capital was protected by magic tools centered around the tower to
prevent collapse, so there was no damage.
The soldiers of Hail
Land hadn't yet reached a place where they could be seen directly. Magic tools
installed on the coast as a precaution indicated the presence of intruders.
Since they were excellent devices that even sent images, the national emblem on
the ships revealed that they were Hail Land's warships. They didn't seem to be
attacking immediately, but there was no telling how long that would last.
Before they
unilaterally came at us, there must be an explanation. Before that, Lotus, I,
Veda, and even Nabari and Yuko were gathered in a room in the magic tower to
grasp the current situation.
Or rather, to be
honest, it was a meeting to try and get information out of Yuko, who definitely
knew something. And that was the opening.
"The culprit is
Shangraaa!!!"
Since no one reacted,
Yuko shouted a second time. "Shangra? Who was that again?" I racked
my brain to remember. "...Wasn't he the way-too-enthusiastic demon
character from Hail Land?" "That's him!!!" Only Yuko and I understood,
while everyone else around us had "what the heck?" faces. Ichi and
the others, who were still invisible, were of course there too, wiggling their
arms and saying, "Way-way? Waaaaay?"
"There's
definitely an event where Hail Land attacks Soleil! Shangra manipulates the
king and brings Snow-kun, the Hail Land character who looks great with a
whip!"
Veda had a blank face,
overwhelmed by the amount of information.
Yuko-san, please cut
it down a bit.
"But that should
have been much later... it's not supposed to be this early, it's so, so
strange..."
Yuko's voice grew
softer and softer.
I understood why Yuko
had said "why" when she heard that Hail Land had attacked. I had
thought it was a slightly odd nuance. It wasn't just a surprise at why they had
come, but a different kind of surprise. It seemed she knew they were coming,
but it was unexpected.
But was there such a
route? I knew Shangra. Hail Land was the hardest route, and defeating him was
much more difficult than Eldorado. After all, he was a character whose
abilities were unknown, and no attack worked on him. The goal wasn't to defeat
him, but to survive for a certain number of turns, with the protagonist's party
remaining alive being the victory condition in many events. All you could do
was allocate everything to defense. Since I was the type to play without
looking at strategy, I thought it was a scam when I realized it.
That Shangra, in the
grand finale event, would join hands with the Saint and become one of the
bridges connecting all the countries. There were various complicated situations
in the demon countries, so all of humanity would join forces to defeat the
demon lord, his enemy. The enemy of my enemy is my enemy. That's not how the
saying goes.
I hadn't thought
deeply about it when I was playing, but in the end, it was a stepping stone to
gaining control of the demon countries, so I felt empty when I realized that
the trigger for people joining forces was still desire. Just then, Yuko had
claimed, "This is the hidden route!!" Hidden route?
"...El, please
explain. Her words are too difficult for me to understand."
The reason why I was
here became clear. I was Yuko's translator. It was too complicated. However, I
was indeed the only one in this place who could understand Yuko's claims.
"...Yuko, no, the
Saint-sama, has the ability to see the future with higher probability than me,
but there are several patterns, and she can't tell which one it will be. Those
patterns are called routes, and 'hidden' means we've entered a pattern that had
a lower probability of occurring."
"...I see."
Nabari and Lotus also
nodded. What was this situation?
This room was probably
a place normally used to entertain guests. As if trying to escape reality, Yuko
began repeatedly bumping on the luxurious sofa. Ichi and the others, saying
they would help, also started jumping on it, probably bouncing more than she
imagined. "This sofa bounces so much, isn't it weird?" It wasn't the
sofa that was bouncing...
"Yuko, don't run
away from reality. Is this hidden route the God route you mentioned before?
Does Hail Land attack even in The Tale of the Land of Five Leaves?"
People other than
Lotus, who didn't know the circumstances of the Land of Five Leaves, tilted
their heads, but this wasn't the time to worry about it. It was what Yuko had
told me when I was summoned onto the wall after the mud dumpling operation.
When one cleared all the routes, a new choice would appear. If you chose that
option, the hidden route, the true ending, would begin. Had Yuko unknowingly chosen
that option, or had the story gone awry because of the intrusion of foreign
elements like me and Yuko?
(I remember...)
It was the same in
Cloudy Country. Because I existed, the arrival of the story was accelerated.
Realizing that I hadn't made any progress, I clenched my fist tightly. This
time, even more people might be involved.
"...That's right.
Hail Land attacks, and then it becomes hopeless, and the protagonist and
everyone else can't do anything, that's right, that's it!"
Startled by her own
words, Yuko looked up and clapped her hands. "We can just loop! Before
Hail Land comes!" If you reached the hidden route, the Saint could carry
over her memories and rewind to the saved point. That's why Yuko had been doing
strange things all over the place.
"The water of
foresight! You have it, right? Give it to me, quickly!"
"Uh,
that..."
"You said you'd
give it to me!"
Did I say that? I
traced back my own memories. I had nodded unintentionally when she asked me to
return it, but thinking about it again, I hesitated. "Uh, um..." The
water that overflowed from the Mirror of Foresight had been collected in a
bottle and placed in my room, but that was the story until before. Yesterday,
after hearing Yuko's story, I felt uneasy leaving it there, so I put it in my
bag on my back.
Seeing me look around
restlessly, Yuko's eyes shone sharply. "It's hereeee!!!"
"Hieee!" The bottle was quickly pulled out of my bag. Before I could
even be surprised that she could move like that, "Heiyaaaaah!!!" I
had thought it when she threw the cat too, but Yuko's shoulders were
surprisingly good. Is pitching a special skill for a heroine in an otome game?
Before I could even interject, the bottle was violently slammed against the
wall, making a high-pitched sound and ending its original purpose.
The beautifully
stretched cloth became soaked, and water dripped onto the floor. There was a
long silence. Yuko remained frozen in her pitching stance. And then I felt a
terrifying coldness. It was Veda. His anger was releasing cold air, rapidly
lowering our body temperatures.
"W-why, why,
nothing's happening...!!?"
"Shall I blow her
away?"
"Veda-sama, your
anger is most justified! I apologize, our Saint apologizes!"
"High Priest
Nabari, I am merely going to blow her away."
"That's not something
you can just say 'merely' about, Veda!!!"
"Calm down,
easy," Nabari and I alone were obviously not strong enough, so our Lotus
was putting Veda in a rear chokehold. Ichi and the others were skillfully
absorbing the scattered water and filling it into spare bottles instead of the
broken ones. Yuko had finally become useless. It was only natural. She had been
acting so high-handedly because she thought there was a redo called a loop. Now
that she knew that wasn't possible, Yuko couldn't do anything anymore.
"...The reason
Hail Land attacked Soleil is one. Originally, they had their sights set on the
land of this country."
Veda, who had finally
regained his composure, spoke, probably to calm himself down as well. He told
us what he knew. Unlike Lotus and me, who couldn't readily understand the words
"aiming for the land," Nabari seemed to immediately grasp the
meaning. "The difference in our countries' environments, then," Veda
nodded.
Little by little, I
began to understand.
--Cloudy, always cloudy,
a country without a sun. Soleil, a country of eternal summer, Leyshan, where
endless rain continues, Hail Land, living with freezing cold.
Each leaf had a
different climate, which was a simple way to put it, but Hail Land was
overwhelmingly the most difficult environment for people to live in. Certainly,
Soleil also seemed to be facing a serious water shortage in recent years, but
even so, Soleil had magic tools. As the oldest country, it could use the oldest
powers.
The power of the World
Tree was gradually diminishing, and the climates of each country were becoming
even more pronounced, which was the same everywhere. Hail Land, which was
originally an environment that could hardly be called suitable for human
habitation, was probably even worse. In the game, at this point, the Saint
should already be active, revitalizing the World Tree's power with her prayers.
So the disrupted seasons should have been gradually returning to normal. But
Yuko, with her low faith and level, couldn't use prayers. The people of Hail
Land had run out of options.
"B-but to
suddenly attack like this..."
"It is because
she is in this country, and has been for so long."
"She"
referred to Yuko. "The summoning and existence of the Saint should be a
matter shared by all the leaves. I always thought that if Soleil held it
exclusively, it would become an easy target. That is why we openly informed
each country." So Yuko had been staying in this country for too long. I
understood why Veda had made a bitter face when he told us the conditions for
Yuko being in this country. If they had been hiding the fact that the Saint was
here, it could have immediately become a reason to attack.
What he had said
earlier in the World Tree Chamber, "something Yuko cannot possibly bear
alone," must have been this. Finally, a declaration of war had arrived
from Hail Land. A punishment for Soleil, which was monopolizing the hope of the
world, the Saint.
"If handing her
over will end this, we will hand her over as many times as necessary."
Yuko, who had become
as small as the kitten she had brought, trembled. Nabari gently spread one hand
as if to protect Yuko. No matter how much hardship he had endured, he had come
from Cloudy Country to protect Yuko. Seeing this, Veda only let out a light
sigh. Of course, he had no intention of doing such a thing.
"...Even if we
hand her over, it would probably mean nothing in reality. They are aiming for
Soleil, a land easier to live in than Hail Land, and the magic tools. n order
to remove the seeds of this conflict, rather than closing the country off and
letting frustration grow, we have widely opened our doors, including accepting
refugees from other countries... well, it was the future that was to
come."
So that was also a
reason why Soleil was so welcoming to students from other leaves. I had thought
it was simply to resolve the labor shortage. I felt anew that this world wasn't
a game. Reality wasn't just one perspective, and looking at it from multiple
angles would reveal different forms.
"Ah! But, in the capital
of Kasei, there's the water sphere membrane, right! That doesn't let criminals
through, does it!? So if we stay inside the city, we're safe... right?"
Come to think of it,
when we entered the city, Lotus had Seirou-san (though I didn't know his name
at the time) explain to us how to get to Kasei. It would only be a temporary
measure, but I felt a sigh of relief. Just then, Veda quietly shook his head.
"...Generally, we
do not disclose the conditions, but the water sphere membrane only blocks those
who have 'killed someone.' While it may not be everyone, there are many in the
military who have never stained their own hands. If only those individuals
attack, there will be no problem. They will probably realize this soon as well.
It will shorten the lifespan of the magic tools, but we can transform it into a
more powerful membrane that repels those with malicious intent..."
"Then, so, that's
it!"
"Only the Lord of
the Main Tower can perform the transformation of the magic tools. The Lord of
the Main Tower has still not returned. We cannot even communicate with
him."
That was truly a
situation where we were helpless. Silence fell, and no one could say anything.
Even as we were doing this, time was ticking away. Of course, Soleil, knowing
this was a future that would eventually come, had probably made preparations to
resist. When I reached the conclusion that we had no choice but to fight, I
felt a violent tremor in the pit of my stomach. I wondered what it was, and
then an obvious emotion came to mind.
I was so scared.
Just as I thought
something had fallen on my head with a plop, it was Lotus's palm. It was big
and reassuring. He still had the same difficult expression as always and seemed
unchanged, but he was trying to understand even the things that were
incomprehensible to him, like otome games and stories. Ichi and the others were
the same.
When I realized this
and suddenly felt a sense of lightness, Yuko, who had been curled up on the
sofa without moving a muscle, dropped a very small word.
"...Maybe, if we
fight, everyone will die. The people of Soleil, and the people who came from
Hail Land too."
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
Swagaraga
[Gold]
B random
DavidA
Nepheos
ShitaiNoKootoRyuu
[Silver]
Creris
Fred A.
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Geral Aponso
Matthew Fraser
Anton Lim
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
