Chapter 10

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Hi! It"s currently 5am. I can"t even believe I"m still awake. Good thing it"s Sunday!

Anyway, I actually had a hard time picturing the place they"re in. The only thing described in any real detail is the ground and how big and round the place is and that there are fences. Then all of a sudden there"s walls and doors and it"s like, yeah... Even the picture (yes, there"s a picture this chapter XD) doesn"t have anything drawn in the background. In that respect, it"s a bit confusing because it"s obviously different than the anime version. Ah well.

Well anyway, let"s get started~

Chapter 10

After walking straight through the afternoon, our destination at the end of our little parade was a round facility surrounded by a low fence. It’s cloudy so I can’t see the position of the sun, but it was getting close to evening.
      Near the entrance, there is a rock with a short poem chiseled into it with angular and complicated letters.
      s.h.i.+maron ya, ah, s.h.i.+maron ya s.h.i.+maron ya~
      … Well Bashou has sure come a long way. (1)
      If you compared the arena in Van der Veer to a stadium, this place would be a spot for Farm practice. The size is about the same, but there is a huge difference in the time and money spent on the equipment here. Unlike a stadium where all eyes are focused inwards, there aren’t any seats or gates. The wide, oval premises are where something bloodthirsty occurs so it’s dry and dusty and little clouds of sand are blowing around. (2)
      If I kick aside the small, beadlike clumps of dirt sprinkled across the ground, there is bedrock just beneath the surface. I kick at the ground with my heel and give my opinion as a gra.s.s-lot athlete.
      “This was a bad choice; it’s almost completely rock. If you did sliding practice here, you’d chafe all the way up to your stomach.”
      There are bunches of spectators between the gaps in the fence. I wonder if there’s going to be a really interesting event. What do we do if they make us put on a fighting exhibition? Some bad memories replay in my mind.
      When all the prisoners are forced out onto the grounds, I hear commotion from the people in the gaps of the fences. It appears the spectators aren’t here for entertainment or healing, but intend to observe the spectacle about to unfold before their eyes with bated breath.
That means what’s waiting for us is definitely nothing good.
      There were men dressed in priestly garbs close to the walls at regular intervals. I have no idea what they looked like because they have their hoods pulled down over their eyes. I couldn’t figure out just what they were there for even though I’m a catcher whose eyesight can a.n.a.lyze the infield and outfield at the same time. They’re standing there without swords, spears, or arrows. Is there a meaning to that?
      “… You think maybe they’re baseball mascots? Like Maron and Roman?”
      “If each one of them has a different role, it’s one h.e.l.l of a mascot family.”
      Flynn has wrapped her arms around her body and is s.h.i.+vering from the cold. Her cheeks that she finally got a little tan are now paled and she looks ill. Noticing that I was peering at her, she gave a forced smile.
      “I’m fine.”
      “No, it’s alright. Even I’ve had the shakes for a while and my head is unbearably heavy.”
      Actually, a strange sound has been reverberating in my head ever since I caught sight of this place. It’s completely different from a ringing in the ears or even that woman’s voice. It’s a noise like a few thousand bees buzzing around inside my brain. My head is ridiculously heavy and sluggish and the unease in my heart won’t calm.
      “I definitely caught a cold. I really want to get out of here as soon as possible and take a nice warm bath.”
      “Yeah,” Flynn answered.
      Even though it’s cold and the prisoners are in thin clothes, if they walk fast enough they can heat themselves up. On the other hand, we’re in wet leather coats. The more we’re buffeted with the wind, the colder and heavier the coats become and our body heat is just whisked away. Not being able to just watch us suffer, Josak took all of our coats off along the way, but our clothes were stained green from that water all the way down to our underwear so it didn’t do much. It was especially severe in Flynn’s case. Cold is the greatest enemy of girls. Even though we’re in the middle of over a hundred people, it’s still hard to dodge the wind.
      “Have I told you?”
      We stepped closer to each other in order to share even a little bit of warmth. T-Zou squeezed in between us and even though she isn’t dry yet, she’s warm.
      “About the large bath in my castle? It’s really awesome. It’s a private bath, you know? Or maybe it’s a pool. It’s really huge. You should come use it sometime. There are a lot of pretty people there so maybe the water is like, ‘pretty people water’ or something. It’s about as long as from here to that old guy over there. That one who started mumbling something to himself.”
      The bees in my head abruptly step up their activity. I stagger a bit.
      “What’s wrong, Captain? Hey, wha-”
      “s.h.i.+buya!”
      “No, I’m fine. I’ve just got a headache and my ears are ringing. This year’s cold is the worst. It’s not even the flu.”
      Josak silently lends me his shoulder. This part of him is very similar to Lord Weller.
      The angry shouts of the prisoners suddenly get louder. Conversely, the spectators get quieter.   The simple wooden doors open and an extravagant carriage with a yellow and light-blue coat of arms enters. Five or six soldiers enter right after it and the man on the horse at the end of the line is someone I recognize.
      He’s got the s.h.i.+maron soldier’s official beard and hairstyle. He has gaunt cheeks and, for lack of a better word, narrow eyes. Because of that, the overall impression you get from him is that he’s a shrewd, lethal weapon rather than a strong and fearless man. The man who looks like he’d even smell cold if you got close enough to him gets off of his horse with precise and efficient movements and turns toward us. The nickname I’ve given him is Cropped Ponytail. Abbreviated cutely: Cropped Pony.
      Nigel Wise Maxine. He’s the pet dog of the magazine centerfold Lord Saralegi, the king of Small s.h.i.+maron (According to Flynn Gilbit).
      “… Maxine…”
      There’s no hiding the low tremble in Flynn’s voice. I see. So it’s just like Adalbert said. He won’t die from falling down a few floors. With a wave of his mantle, he gives a command with his hand to his saluting subordinates.
      “At ease.”
      Even though he’s only around thirty, his voice is already rough and he’s intentionally speaking in a way that will intimidate those around him.
      “Now, everyone, I have some good news to begin with.”
      The buzzing in my ears gets even worse.
      “As you all know, these people are all those who fought against us, Small s.h.i.+maron, in the last war. If they are still soldiers at heart, then they are living in daily anguish at the cruel fate of being reduced to mere captives.”
      No thanks to you. With the noise and my headache, I’m getting really p.i.s.sed off. I look around to see how everyone else is faring, but no one seems to be troubled by this at all. Is it only me?
      “However, even though they’ve spent their days engaging in manual labor, I’m sure they’ve heard that not just Small s.h.i.+maron, but all of the areas that regard the s.h.i.+maron countries their suzerain are uniting for a holy war against the demons. As you have been shouldering a part of this endeavor, this is very good news for you.”
      Josak’s awesome biceps move and support my shoulders. After hearing the speaker’s words, my knees started to give way.
      “After many years of exploration, His Majesty Saralegi of Small s.h.i.+maron has finally gotten hold of what we’ve been searching for. This is a blessing from G.o.d! We humans shall wield this great power and vigilantly rule over the continent, no, the world and break through these dark ages! This is the weapon that will defeat the evil demons! This is a holy power that has been bestowed upon us by G.o.d! Our hegemony has been promised and we can prevent this world from becoming steeped in evil.”
      Demons are evil!? These guys are trying to take over the world!? Anger wells in the bottom of my stomach at these groundless statements. But if I lose my temper here, it’s guaranteed that I’ll cause harm not only to myself, but to everyone here. In order to keep my cool, I endure my headache and the buzzing in my ears and start to count sheep in my head. One sheep, two sheep… the sheep are dead silent and are going along with this ridiculous speech. Even though we’ve all been unfairly arrested, as soon as he claimed that demons were evil, even the prisoners started listening with rapt attention.
      Why does everyone believe that!? Have any of you been to The Great Demon Kingdom? Have you ever spoken with a demon child? Have any of you spoken with me, the king of the demons, about the fate of this world!?
      “That’s unfortunate,” Muraken mutters with a frown to no one in particular. “It’s really unfortunate. But it’s inevitable.”
      “Murata?”
      “… This is reality, s.h.i.+buya. Peace and equality is difficult.”
      “What are you saying, all of a sudden..?”
      A gentle yet resigned expression appeared on my friend’s face.
      “They’ll be betrayed again and again. From this point on, many times over. Each time, they’ll shed blood and they’ll be hurt. The one who’ll be shedding blood won’t be the king. The citizens will suffer hundreds, thousands of times worse. Rather than G.o.d or luck, stopping that from happening depends on the abilities of the rulers of the countries.”
      He’s smart so he probably knows a bit about international problems and social climates. Even if we were talking about problems on Earth, I’d only be able to give meaningless, absentminded responses. But if Ken Murata, who shouldn’t know anything, can look at the spectators listening to Maxine’s fervent speech and start asking questions about this world… then I need to open my mind. Like he saw right through my thoughts, he asked me a question.
      “s.h.i.+buya, you’ll probably be hurt over and over again. It’ll be so painful you’ll want to die. If you don’t act cautiously and daringly, you might actually lose your life. You might lose a lot of what you hold dear and become wracked with regret. Knowing that, will you do it? Can you keep going on like this without stopping?”
      “… Yeah.”
      At some point he must have taken his contacts out because when I turn to face him, both of his eyes are black. I had the strange feeling that I had just met a friend from a really long time ago in a foreign land.
      The answer to that question was obvious. Murata was also partially aware of that.
      “… Yeah, I’ll do it. It’ll probably be hard, though.”
      I’ll probably lose my dear things and bleed and cry.
      “Like I thought.”
      Murata looks down and lightly kicks the dry ground before giving a short laugh and lifting his head.
      “I thought this would happen.”
      “Since when!? Since when did you think this would happen? And more importantly, Murata, what are you saying all of a sudden? You actually gave me a serious response.”
      Ignoring my confused mutterings, Murata continues his calm speech.
      “We went on a journey together in the past, right? Wandering about in a dry land. We were being led around by someone just like now. You probably don’t remember, though. It was a cloudy evening, just like this. The guardian that brought you leaned against a rock next to a cactus and searched for the sun hiding behind the clouds. The sun wouldn’t s.h.i.+ne down forever so he lifted you above his head and held you out to the western sky and said this:

      May you become the sun.

      “… My guardian heard that and was overjoyed. He held me up in the opposite direction and said, ‘May you become the moon.’ Seriously, he’s really into anime and always causing trouble so that was probably some old Gundam-”
      “Wait wait wait wait wait, hold up, you… When the h.e.l.l was that!? It’s rude to ask someone’s age, but Murata, how old are you?”
      He gives me an answer for the first time.
      “What are you talking about? Ken Murata is sixteen.”
      “I’m really concerned about how you said that…”

      Maxine conspicuously raises his voice and the bees in my head increase by ten thousand. Are they reacting to Cropped Pony’s voice? Or is there some other reason?
      “Probably, yeah probably. I think those guys standing there like monks are sending out some sort of radio waves,” said Murata.
      “R-radio waves?”
      “Thought waves then. Kind of like telepathy. According to Professor Ueda’s ‘Come at me, Paranormal Phenomenon,’ it’s a sort of hypnotism using low voices. If it was just hypnotism, then I’d ‘come at them,’ but magic and the occult are an entirely different matter, actually.”
      It’s a Gettysburg Address via Nigel Wise Maxine. A government of s.h.i.+maron by s.h.i.+maron and for s.h.i.+maron. And power. (3)
      “And on this wonderful day that the object that will promise us happiness and eternal hegemony, The End of the Land, has become our kingdom’s great fortune, our benevolent King Saralegi of Small s.h.i.+maron has granted you all amnesty! You will no longer be prisoners! You’ll be able to bring honor and dignity back to your souls after suffering defeat and humiliation as soldiers.”
      “Is he trying to be Gihren Zabi or something?” Murata asks. (4)
      I have no idea who you’re talking about. How does he relate to Abraham Lincoln?
      After hearing ‘amnesty,’ the prisoners liven up, but the spectators simply sigh sadly.
      “But for proud soldiers, I don’t believe that it should be so easy to lift your spirits. Luckily, there is a duty you robust, muscular and brave men can perform that will redeem you. We want you to display your strength in there to your heart’s content.”
      Flynn brought a hand to her mouth. Her gaze is drawn to the carriage. A cylindrical object that looks like the case to a musical instrument and an object like a small wooden casket are cautiously removed from it. All eight sides and twelve edges are bordered with rusted metal and the box has deteriorated from moisture damage. You can’t even make out any of the engravings.
      “… Why does… Small s.h.i.+maron have a box..?”
      “What? Flynn, is that The End of the Wind that you were talking about!?”
      “No,” Murata says loathsomely in a severe voice that I’d never heard from him before. “That’s The End of the Land. It’s not The End of the Wind. There are four things in this world that must never be touched… two of those have… they’ve already fallen into human hands..?”
      “Huh? But I heard that the bigger one got their hands on Panty-ra’s Box, not the smaller s.h.i.+maron. Why is there another one here? Are they really that easy to get a hold of?” (5)
      “It’s not easy.”
      Flynn had a look on her face that looked like she was going to start chewing on her thumb’s fingernail.
      “Numerous countries have been competing and searching for them for decades. They weren’t quickly found. But for them to fall into people’s possession one after another… I thought only Big s.h.i.+maron had a box and key.”
      Her words were quickly swept away by Maxine.
      “Fortunately, we have obtained the key to open the box. Now we need to make it known just how tremendous the power it has is and throw the feral demons into the very bottom of despair. Gentlemen, we wish for you to prove that no matter what sort of brave hero fights back they are no match for this power. Lord Saralegi will be pleased!”
      “Are you telling us to be subjects in an experiment!? Us, the soldiers our fathers raised!?”
      With shouts bordering on shrieks, the prisoners are suddenly thrown into unease.
      There’s no way that anyone besides Anissina would be able to say something so cruel. However, this human from Small s.h.i.+maron, Maxine, will probably flip any switch he needs. Even if he knows it to be cruel. Without feeling bad, worrying, or even smiling, he’ll do it with his light brown eyes emotionless.
      Nigel Wise Maxine continued speaking without changing his expression at all with his confused sacrifices before him.
      “Give your lives for Small s.h.i.+maron.”
      “Wait!”
      I’d drank the herb tea my mother recommended to cure my short temper. I patiently listened to a CD and went to sleep. I’ve even tried counting to ten before exploding. However, in practice and with an outrageous scene before me, I could only wait three seconds. The bees made a bad decision to live in my head. I shake off Josak’s hand and step out into the front row of the group.
      “That’s enough, Mr. Maxine! You think you can just go on and on about your own country if people shut up and listen!? If that really really is the horrible ‘box’ then shouldn’t you know that you should never touch it!?”
      The man tilts his head slightly and looks at me like I’m a weird animal.
      “I was thinking I’d seen you before… It was at the Gilbit Estate. My thanks for how you treated me. My injuries haven’t quite healed yet.”
      Ah, well I’m sorry for that. But that’s off topic.
      “Oh, is that Gilbit’s wife next to you? No, there’s no way.”
      Throwing a sidelong glance at Flynn who flinches and is at a loss for words, Cropped Pony keeps on talking. He wasn’t acting especially triumphant, but naturally, he wasn’t really angry either. That’s what’s really irritating about him.
      “Flynn Gilbit was a determined lady who took the place of her husband in an unwomanly way. Even though it was hidden under a mask, her real face was even more n.o.ble and beautiful. There’s no way that the filthy girl in front of me is the Lady of Caloria.”
      “… It doesn’t matter who I am.”
      Contrary to Maxine’s words, I feel like she’s at her most ladylike right now. Even with wet and disorderly platinum blond hair and modest work clothes made for men. Even with her entire body soaked with that green river water. I like Flynn Gilbit now much more than when she was wearing that mask and pretending to be her husband.
      “I don’t care how you see me! But Maxine, the war hasn’t even started yet. Don’t open the box on a whim. And using fellow humans to test it on? There’s no way you’ll be forgiven for something so horrible.”
      “What’s that got to do with a little girl? No, even if you were the indomitable Lady of Caloria, you have no authority to dictate the methods of Small s.h.i.+maron. In any case, Gilbit is a place that has disregarded its suzerain state and engaged in criminal activity with Big s.h.i.+maron.”
      “I won’t make excuses for that. I believed that was for the best, after all. But if you also know of the dangers of the boxes, then you should not carelessly test it in a place with innocent bystanders!”
      “Then as per the advice of the village girl, we will have the spectators removed. But, you have no right to interfere with these prisoners carrying out their duty. They are prisoners of our country and have forfeited their rights of their own volition by committing crimes.”
      “They’re your country’s people, aren’t they!?”
      I’m not s.e.xist but I can’t just let a girl do all the fighting.
      “You know, I just can’t understand anything when it comes to your country’s brutality and it p.i.s.ses me off, Maxine! Even if they were soldiers from an enemy country you’re going to treat them like this after the war is over!? There’s something wrong with the way you people think. Are you just going to completely ignore human rights and humane treatment!? We can’t take part in this experiment! Let us go home already!”
      “Go home?”
      Cropped Pony’s dark beard and thin lips twisted slightly. He smiled.
      “Black eyes and black hair, I don’t know why a rare Twin Black demon like yourself is here, but… Then, nameless demon, use that magic from before and try to stop me. If you put on a display of that terrible magic, it would be easy to rip off one of my arms.”
      Rip off an arm. A left arm severed and falling to the floor, Lord Weller’s words of apology that I shouldn’t have been able to hear. The events of that day are brought back like they happened yesterday and all the blood flowing in my body speeds up. My heartbeat is about to double.
      Nigel Wise Maxine holds the cylinder that looks like a music case and has a soldier pull out the contents. The young soldier holds the near half-burned and black object high.
      “… Just like this.”
      And I saw that.

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(1)    Mats...o...b..shou was a famous poet in the Edo period. Yuuri is being a sarcastic little punk here :)
(2)    This is actually baseball related… I had to research this because I had no idea what it was, but the Farm is apparently what j.a.pan’s Minor League is called. The More You Knowミ☆
(3)    For the non-Americans (and quite possibly for many of the Americans as well ^-^;; ), The Gettysburg Address is a speech that Abraham Lincoln gave during the Civil War where he proclaimed that the war was not only just a struggle between the Union and the Confederacy, but also a war for human equality. The part of the speech (kinda) referenced here is "...that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
(4)    Gihren Zabi is a character from Gundam. He was one of the heads of the Princ.i.p.ality of Zeon and he was the one who gave the speech that (possibly) created the ‘Sieg Zeon!’ salute. Anyway, he’s compared to Adolf Hitler a lot, even in the show.
(5)    Panty-ra’s Box is a reference (kind of) to a joke in novel 5. I mentioned it in my post about stuff that got left out of the German version. Basically, when Conrad and Günter were telling Yuuri about The End of the Wind, Yuuri tried to compare it to Pandora’s Box and apparently forgot what it was really called. ^-^

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