Chapter 88
...Good Luck
Translator : PolterGlast
"...Maybe, if we
fight, everyone will die. The people of Soleil, and the people who came from
Hail Land too."
The atmosphere was
quite different from just a moment ago.
Everyone frowned,
listening intently to Yuko's words. With a gloomy expression, Yuko huddled on
the sofa, looking at her feet, and muttered. Though she couldn't see them, Ichi
and the others were peering at Yuko as if to say, "What's wrong?"
"Die?
Why..."
"So many soldiers
are coming from Hail Land, right...? If Soleil's soldiers and the people from
Hail Land clash, everything will collapse. The land won't be able to withstand
the weight. Many people will die... and then, in the game, we would have
looped, so I don't know anything beyond that."
Was that what she meant
by being in a state where nothing could be done? But I didn't understand what
Yuko was saying.
"Collapse...?"
"Under this
world, roots are spread everywhere, but the roots of Soleil's World Tree are
already tattered, so I don't think they can withstand the weight."
I remembered the
earthquake from just now. And how terrified Veda had looked then. In the game,
it was said that if the Saint didn't activate the World Tree's power, the world
would perish. But there wasn't a specific explanation of how it would perish.
No, I didn't know because I hadn't played up to the hidden route, the true
ending.
"...Soleil is the
oldest of all the leaves. That's why it can use the magic tools that are relics
of the past. Conversely, you could say that its roots are the weakest."
Veda might have known.
In other words, this country was already falling apart.
"...Can't we tell
that to Hail Land?"
Lotus, who had been
listening quietly with his arms crossed, finally asked. Yuko, I, and Nabari-san
all looked surprised. That's right. If the soldiers heard they would die, no
one would willingly advance. But, "I wonder about that," Veda
continued with a bitter expression.
"If it's a matter
of not being able to withstand the weight, they could just advance in small
numbers. There are many ways to do it. It would be best if they realized that a
country on the verge of collapse has lost its original value and withdrew...
but if we're not careful, we could end up just exposing our weaknesses."
That was certainly
true. Even if we stood idly by, Hail Land would come. Trying to fight back
would be suicide. There was nothing we could do. Words failed me.
There was a long
silence. It was Veda who broke it.
"I understand.
What are your concerns? Our discord with Hail Land was obvious from the start.
It's just happening now. --There are plenty of ways to handle this."
***
The people of Kasei
were shaken with anxiety. Following the phenomenon of the
"earthquake," which they had never experienced, came the people of
Hail Land as if drawn by it. Even the merchants couldn't go outside and were
confined within the city.
In Kasei, besides the
people born and raised in Soleil, there were also people from Hail Land, though
far fewer than from other leaves. They were all hiding, confined in buildings,
fearing riots. Veda, of course, had announced that they were unrelated to the
soldiers outside and would not be treated unfairly, but a heavy atmosphere hung
over the city. With just a small trigger, the country could collapse.
And Kasei didn't
possess as many troops Hail Land. They had some defenses, but having too many
soldiers could provoke Hail Land. Instead, they had installed magic tools
throughout the city, supplementing their insufficient military power with these
tools.
An envoy from Hail
Land knocked on Kasei's gate less than a day after our discussion. The letter
they carried contained a scathing criticism, stating that Soleil had
monopolized the existence of the Saint, which should have been shared by the
entire world.
If Soleil were to fall
to Hail Land, Cloudy Country and Leyshan wouldn't remain silent either. The
four countries maintained a delicate balance. Of course, Nabari-san had
immediately contacted Cloudy Country via the World Tree branch, but that
country was embroiled in a conflict between the church and the castle, with two
factions vying for power. With neither side clearly dominant, decisions were
incredibly slow. Leyshan's movements were completely unknown.
Lotus and I, to be
honest, were just outsiders. We couldn't do anything and certainly couldn't
stand at the forefront of the conflict. We rolled around in the given room,
thinking. Whose side should we take?
This was Soleil, after
all. Could it be that simple? In the first place, even if we took sides, the
other side had thousands of soldiers. Lotus aside, I didn't know what I could
do alone.
--The door was knocked
on.
I could hear the sound
of a staff, so I knew who it was before opening it. I checked with Lotus, who
was sitting on a chair in the room, and swallowed hard. It was Veda. However, I
was at a loss for words to say to him, feeling awkward.
It would be easier if
I could just wholeheartedly say I wanted to help Soleil without thinking. But
this time, the enemy wasn't sand scorpions or monsters. It was real humans. If
it meant I might have to take lives instead of protecting them, I certainly
wasn't prepared for that.
Sensing my inability
to say "Please come in" or "What do you need?", Veda said,
glancing at Lotus in the back of the room, "Excuse me, this will be quick,
so here is fine."
"Um,
well..."
"Hail Land seems
to want direct talks first. I will go to the commander, a man named Snow."
"Eh?"
I almost shouted,
"Wait a minute!" Right now, this tower was practically revolving
around Veda. Yet, he was going to go himself. How could that happen.
"If the Lord of
the Main Tower were here, my absence wouldn't be a problem at all. We cannot
let them realize that the Lord of the Main Tower is not here. Besides, there
are unavoidable circumstances that require me to go."
--If it were Ichi and
the others...
They could disappear
and follow him. They would probably do it if I asked. But that would be too
much.
"The slime-kuns
are unnecessary. Please don't worry."
Veda gave a wry smile
as he saw me, my hand on the door, unable to say anything with my lips pressed
together. And upon hearing Veda's words, Ichi and the others were dancing,
saying, "Eh, what? We're totally going with you!" "Leave it to
us!" "Go go go!" I wanted my previous conflicted feelings back,
feeling like I was making them do too much because of my own circumstances.
"I understand
that you are not residents of this country. There are many students who come to
this country from other nations to learn about magic tools, but you are
different from them. We have contracts with the students to temporarily become
residents of this country in exchange for giving them knowledge of magic tools.
Of course, if they do not wish to immigrate, it is not a mandatory
contract."
I had previously heard
a little about how Socius, who was from the same Cloudy Country as me, had
become a resident of this country. When crossing to another leaf, you first
applied for transfer in your own country, and Soleil accepted it. It was
basically a temporary period until graduation, but if you achieved excellent
grades at the tower, you could stay in the country as an engineer. Socius, who
didn't have much attachment to Cloudy Country, could choose either option if
his grades were good, so he seemed to be worried about his future after
graduation.
"Therefore, I
have no requests for you. You are not residents of this country, after all...
Excuse me, I don't have much time, so let's get to the point. El, take
this."
Veda gently removed
the bracelet he always wore on his right wrist. It had intricate patterns and
was something he wore even in the game's character design, so I recognized it.
"Could you please give this to the Lord of the Main Tower? I apologize for
saying I have no requests, but..." When I touched it, it felt like wood. I
had never actually met the Lord of the Main Tower. But well, there was no
problem with just handing it over.
"Um, but, isn't
this a magic tool? Wouldn't it be better to ask someone else than me...?"
There were a wide
variety of magic tools, ranging in value from the cheapest to the most
expensive. There were simple and convenient ones that were abundant in the city
and that anyone could use, and then there were those that specifically chose
their users. At the very least, this was something Veda always kept close to
him. It was undoubtedly valuable, and probably important to him.
Veda's lips slightly
softened. "Please," he said, placing his hand over the bracelet along
with mine. It was then. Ichi and the others jumped out from the back of the
room.
With a
"Uoraaaah!" they spun around, and the illusion skill I had casted on
them was canceled. Veda blinked once at the suddenly appearing slimes, but
since he knew they were there, he didn't seem too surprised.
The three of them went
between Veda and me and started wriggling. Then, they formed a vertical
dumpling, and Ichi, on top, quietly stretched out an arm towards Veda.
"Uh, um, they're saying, 'Put out both hands'," I said, conveying
Ichi's words. Veda complied. Droplets dripped from Ichi's hand as if sliding
off.
Plop, plop. A small
amount of water spilled into Veda's cupped hands.
"Good luck, they
say."
"...Yes."
Clenching his fist
slowly, Veda looked slightly pleased. It was probably Ichi and the others' way
of seeing him off.
I held the bracelet
Veda had given me in one hand and watched Veda's back as he left. Ichi and the
others waved goodbye.
--What in the world
would happen now? Lotus said nothing.
Suddenly, I remembered
something from a long time ago. Being chased out of the village, falling off a
cliff, and looking up blankly at the sky alone.
"...Hey,
Lotus."
"...Hmm?"
"I wonder what I
thought first when I realized this world was the world I knew from the
game."
Even if I asked, he
wouldn't know. Lotus hadn't been there then. I knew. Lotus understood that I
wasn't seeking an answer, so he just said, "Who knows?" That was all.
This world wasn't a game. Because we were here. But this was certainly a story
I knew, and I was living inside it, with so many people.
Veda was going alone
to the soldiers of Hail Land.
But I knew the people
of Hail Land from beyond the screen. They were certainly alive and had an
unyielding purpose.
Yuko simply said she
wanted to go home, and with those words, she said nothing more. She was
probably in the prepared room with Nabari-san right now.
"What did I
think..."
Little by little, I
wound my feelings back. I was younger then, not knowing right from left, just
foolishly moving forward.
***
Shari-shari, the
shakujo rang.
The wind passed
endlessly, licking the dry earth and fluttering the young man's gray robe. The
few drops of water he had held in his hand had completely dried. He walked
alone.
(How strange.)
At this moment, the
only thing he was thinking about was a single girl. A girl with golden hair and
a still somewhat childish face.
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