Chapter 91 - 8-5
Alf Cedar felt he was making progress in conversing with the Kosa people in just a few days. While he was far from proficient, he could manage simple conversations.
Alf possessed a memory that surpassed ordinary people, but more than that, the language of the Kosa people was simple. The basics to be memorized were about ten, even counting meticulously, and not much different from the Enagamo language.
—People all over the world might be speaking the Kosa language before long.
The one who taught him the language was a Kosa youth named Sadel. They met in Koroi, a great metropolis of the south.
Alf had borrowed money from a church of the Roma faith, the Saint Saisha Church of Koroi.
The Saint Saisha Church had a famous mural. It was a mural depicting the figure of Roma, the prophet of salvation, leaving his hometown behind. Alf stood still before the painting.
—It's just like me.
Alf had also departed from his hometown of Siddim and had come to a foreign land where watchtowers stood like a dream. Like the man in the painting, he had set out on his journey with a stiff face, staring straight ahead.
Even so,
"The paintings of the south are too amazing. I've never seen anything like this."
"I know not from which countryside you hail, but in terms of the development of civilization, nothing surpasses Koroi," said a dark-skinned priest. "More importantly, is this amount sufficient for the sum I am lending you?"
The scroll given to him by the Bishop of Siddim had exerted its effect immediately.
Alf expressed his gratitude with a smile and headed straight for a tavern. Sadel was there. They spoke in the Enagamo language. Sadel was a friendly man.
In exchange for treating him to drinks, Sadel agreed to help him with his language studies.
"What are Kosa girls like?"
After a few days had passed, Alf asked while moderately drunk.
"And what are northern women like?"
"I'll tell you. A little, moderately? No, I'll tell you a lot. Their skin is snow-white."
"And their bodies?"
"I wouldn't know. I've never seen one."
"What, how sloppy," Sadel said with a pitying look. "I've held eastern women and hopped between the brothels of the south. Well, in terms of sex appeal and physical quality, there may be none who can rival the women of Koroi!"
—May be none!
Thinking that was going too far, Alf was drawn in.
"But you know, it's only when you're away that you realize the goodness of your hometown. After all, I prefer Kosa women. Their skin is white, with a luster like a thin mix of gold. Their taste is like honey."
Their breasts are large. The areolae are wide and swollen, and the pigmentation is light. The waist is tapered, and the firmness of the buttocks is enough to bring tears of emotion.
"And the state of that place."
A gentle delicacy that invites one to the boundary of mystery, combined with a snake-like tightening—Kosa women keep a soft, moist creature in their lower abdomen.
Furthermore, while they are virtuous hard-workers by day, they are apparently passionate and greedy in the bedroom. It is said they cast aside all modesty and lose themselves.
Alf, excited as if groaning, spoke without thinking.
"I want to live... I want to live in Kosa."
It was an envy that made him writhe.
After coming to Koroi, Alf had been cursed by a trio of sorcerers. It was a curse where the faces of all women in this world appeared as the faces of the sorcerer old men.
"You can just come," Sadel said. "Just become a Kosa person. If you become a Kosa person, women are a dime a dozen."
"No way. Really?"
"I'll take you. I'm returning to Kandasyata soon anyway."
"I'll go! Definitely, immediately!"
Alf jumped for joy.
In the first place, why had he learned the language of the Kosa people? To go to Kandasyata. The three sorcerers were there.
He would dispose of all three sorcerers.
Alf's curse should be lifted then.
He was now infinitely close to achieving his goal.
If he closed his eyes, he could see the wind of the grasslands. He could see a beautiful girl with fluttering black hair. The girl and Alf would sink into the grass naked, and Alf's virginity would undoubtedly scatter beautifully like a shooting star.
Alf Cedar became a man on horseback along with Sadel.
It was his first time riding a horse.
At first, the horse did not move at all. Even when it walked, it was a pace that clearly showed it was reluctant. In fact, it stopped immediately.
"Horses have eyes on the sides, right?" Sadel taught him. "They can see Alf. Whether they should obey orders or ignore them, these guys can tell just by looking."
"If they're that clever, maybe I'll leave it to the horse."
Alf placed his hand on the horse's neck and chanted a spell in his mind.
After a while, the horse suddenly began to run and started chasing Sadel, who was already waiting far ahead. Alf had let the horse choose whether to stay still in that spot forever or to start moving and return to his hometown.
He intended to wait forever until the horse lifted its feet of its own accord.
Kosa horses were powerful. Their speed was heartless and violent. Even so, since Alf had decided to leave it to the horse, he was not afraid. As long as Alf was not seized by fear and remained in a free state of mind, the horse would likely remain free as well. A horse that had become free would undoubtedly proceed along the correct path instinctively.
Conversely, if Alf became afraid or stopped trusting the horse, the horse would also fear Alf and likely throw him off.
"What, you've suddenly improved."
Sadel praised Alf with a radiant smile.
He seemed to find it interesting when someone handled a horse well.
"I'm no good at all," Alf said. "But this horse seems to have gotten used to my handling."
Passing through a town called Attaik, Sadel took a northerly course.
From here, it was the true grasslands.
Sadel said there was no need to worry because they weren't traveling through a completely uninhabited wilderness.
"Along the way, we'll go to nomadic lands and have them take care of our meals and bedding."
Sadel claimed that everything—when, where, and what kind of clans were staying in the nomadic lands—was all in his head.
Alf felt relieved from the bottom of his heart.
There was something absolute about the scenery of the grasslands. This might have been similar to the feeling of the vast, boundless sea he had seen on his ship voyage. It was too wide, too grand, and thus left one without a place to lean. It was a vast and beautiful grassland. It felt as if that beauty did not allow room for humans to live. Put simply, there was only grass, and no food could be found.
This was a land for animals that eat grass.
The only ones who could live in such a place would be people who had become animals forming a symbiotic relationship with horses—namely, the Kosa people.
From what he could see, there were no paths in the grasslands, yet Sadel proceeded without hesitation.
The first night after entering the grasslands, they camped in the open. They lit a campfire and ate the meat they had brought.
"If you're going to become a Kosa person, learn the songs."
Sadel recited a poem.
'Rain clouds, come quickly
The rain clouds do not move from that mountain
In the end, Father has died
Upon my back as I lie weeping
The rain wets me'
"What's with that sad story?"
"Who knows. I don't know, but there's a song like that."
The second day was the same. He learned words from Sadel.
The third night was also camping in the open. While it was warm under the bright sunlight during the day, the grasslands at night became cool enough to be chilly.
"Strange," Sadel tilted his head on the fourth day. "Did I take the wrong path? We should have arrived at the nomadic lands by now."
"Sadel, this might be my fault."
"Why?"
"There are old men who don't want me to get close to Kandasyata. The trio of sorcerer old men. Those old men might have summoned monsters."
"Monsters? What are you talking about?"
"Things like that exist. I didn't mention it, but I know because I'm a mage. Monsters are making us lose our way. They're calling us toward a wrong direction."
"A mage, huh," Sadel laughed. "Interesting, but I can't believe it unless you show me evidence."
"I don't know if this counts as evidence, but it seems there's a monster around there. Look, the horses are pricking their ears."
In the direction the horses were pointing their tube-like ears, there was a small thicket.
"No, Alf. That's just a shadow."
"You might just be made to think so. Wait, I'll try to look with concentration—"
When Alf tried to unify his spirit, Sadel had already taken up his bow. Rotating the arrow with his fingers and nocking it happened simultaneously with drawing the bow.
The released arrow hit something.
What had been nothing more than a shadow in the thicket quickly gained color, increased in mass, and revealed its form. It was a giant size that easily exceeded the height of a horse. It was a monster of a shape that couldn't be described in a single word. If forced, perhaps it was a giant caterpillar that had turned its inside and outside inside out.
Its body was long with connected segments, and at its base were countless hairs. Each of those hairs moved quickly like a snake's tongue, moving the entire body. No eyes could be discerned, and there was no part that could be identified as a face. It was a milky-white body like a maggot.
Alf's horse obediently kept its distance from the monster.
Sadel's horse was different.
Controlled by Sadel, it approached the monster. Alf was surprised. For the Kosa people, a horse is not a friend. It is not even a relationship of master and slave. It is a relationship between a living tool and a tool. It is like a part made of flesh. They have an understanding to supplement what the other's body lacks. It looked as if those two bodies had connected and made a decision.
"Sadel, stop!" Alf shouted.
"Alf, stay back!"
Sadel had already drawn his bow and arrow to the limit.
That arrow pierced the white skin once more.
The monster trembled finely, then suddenly leaped.
After contracting its body, it jumped with a spring-like force and attacked Sadel.
"Ah."
Those were Sadel's last words. The joints between the segments of the monster's body split open, and a mouth appeared. Saw-like teeth split Sadel's body in two.
At this moment, Alf felt fear. He wasn't afraid of the monster, but he feared the sight of a person being blown apart into a large amount of blood and chunks of flesh before his eyes.
Alf's horse reared up, throwing Alf off and fleeing.
It couldn't be helped. Alf had simply let the horse do as it wanted; he had no skill in controlling a horse.
Sadel's horse also fled. However, Sadel's horse stopped a short distance away and made a small circle on the spot. Perhaps it was confirming Sadel's death; after that, it fled.
Alf, as expected, became infuriated.
"Hey, you old men." Alf was certain these words would reach the old men. "Isn't this too cruel, hey? Aren't the Kosa people your comrades?"
Rubbing his lower back, which he had hurt from the fall, Alf stood up.
"I see. So that's how you do things. Then, I won't hold back either."
The milky-white monster convulsed the hairs on its underside, pivoted, and charged at Alf.
When Alf spat on the ground, the monster was repelled as if hitting an invisible wall just before it reached him.
The one who taught him how to make this ill-mannered barrier was Dancour-sensei of Argis.
—If you aren't afraid, you can do anything.
The one who taught him that was One-Eyed Zarko.
'I used a wicked spell once,' Zarko had said. 'That was when I lost an eye. Alf, do not fear even if you encounter a wicked spell. If you aren't afraid, the one who will suffer is the one who used the wicked spell.'
Alf shook off the fear he felt at Sadel's death.
It was as Zarko said. The monster recoiled in fear.
Alf interlaced his fingers to form a sign. Without taking his eyes off the monster, he chanted a spell and approached. The milky-white monster thrashed as if its head were being held down. Every time its giant body slammed into the ground, a roar shook the air, and he felt the vibration in the soles of his feet.
Alf stopped humming the spell. The struggling monster became quiet as if exhausted and let out a low cry of "muuu, muuu."
Releasing the sign and lowering his arm, he approached the monster.
The milky-white body was expanding and contracting. Its breathing was rough. When he touched the skin, it was wet with fluids flowing from the arrow wound.
Shifting his gaze from his slime-covered hand to the monster, he saw the monster smiling, showing its saw-like teeth. Suddenly doubling its length, the monster stretched upward. It opened its huge mouth and attacked. Alf's body was completely inside the monster's mouth, from the head down.
Just before the monster closed its jaws and began to masticate Alf, Alf finished chanting the spell.
The monster had its own barrier. It was a barrier set by the old men. Alf's spell passed through that barrier, but it wasn't enough to deliver the finishing blow to the monster. However, it was a different story once inside the monster. The old men's barrier merely vaguely surrounded the monster's exterior. The interior was defenseless.
The milky-white monster scattered with a sound like tearing cloth.
Chunks of meat flew, and a rain of body fluids poured down.
—This is good.
While dripping with slime, Alf thought. This was how he had wanted to exterminate it.
The old men were probably screaming by now.
The one who screamed was Persa.
His right eyeball had burst and flown away.
Manam gasped.
"Hoe?"
The one who made that sound was Nezumo.
As expected of one of the Three Sages who had undergone training, Persa groaned, but he did not roll around in pain. While pressing his eye with his palm, he endured the pain.
Manam laid Persa down on the spot and called for a young Kosa attendant named Binga. He hurriedly prepared water and a clean cloth, wiped the blood, and pressed the wound. By the time the bleeding stopped and the bandage was wrapped, it was beginning to get dark outside.
"Curse them."
Persa spoke while Binga helped him remove his blood-stained clothes.
"Manam, listen. That bastard Nahal Bass is apparently having Kirikiri lead troops to pursue the Great King. Is that right, Binga?"
Binga nodded.
"Manam, follow the rear of that march. Take Nezumo and go to Siddim."
"And leave you like this? That is impossible."
"I will finish off the brat."
Manam turned toward Binga. "That is all for here. Could you prepare a meal? Sorry."
Watching Binga leave the tent, Manam lowered his voice.
"You were able to kill the Kosa person who was guiding Alf, right? Then that is enough. Kandasyata is wide. Alf will have no choice but to die in the wilderness."
"The brat will come. He will. He is a mage with a core. Manam, let me do it. Even if I cannot kill him, I will show that I can stall him."
"Unless the three of us combine our strength, we likely cannot kill that lad."
"I will stake my life. Manam, I leave Nezumo to you. Please fulfill our dream."
Manam glanced at Nezumo.
Nezumo was drooling from his open mouth, his gaze wandering in the air.
Because his spiritual hand had been bitten by Alf, Nezumo had developed a high fever and had fallen into critical condition for a time. Thanks to the sleepless nursing of Manam and Persa, he recovered, but the one who returned was not the previous Nezumo. The high fever must have been the trigger. Nezumo had suddenly declined. He had become senile. Now he could only speak in incoherent mumbles. It was unclear if he was even listening. Even if he were, it was unclear if he understood.
His magical sharpness seemed unchanged from before. In fact, Manam initially thought it had become even more keen than before.
He had fixed the malfunction of the Great King's lower body in the blink of an eye.
To make his body capable of sexual intercourse, the Great King visited the three old men's tent every night.
Nezumo, mumbling happily, would stroke the Great King's head.
"Wrong-ing."
—It's wrong.
That is likely what he wanted to say. Perceiving the distortion of the Great King's body as a mistake, he corrected it with magic.
That treatment, which should have taken dozens of days, showed effects in about ten days.
'Amazing, Nezumo. Have you increased your power more than before?'
When the Great King, having finished the treatment, left the tent, Manam looked back at Nezumo.
Nezumo had an exhausted face and was breathing heavily. He looked as if he had shrunken a size.
With that, Manam understood. It wasn't that Nezumo's magical power had increased. The Great King's head was sucking away Nezumo's magical power with a powerful suction. It was not clear how he was doing it. It might have been a spontaneous occurrence caused by the weakening of Nezumo's will.
Soon after, the Great King's phallus was corrected to a size capable of intercourse, though it remained large. The ugliness, which had been like a club covered in lumps, changed into a gentlemanly form that stood straight and sleek.
'Let us call it a break here,' the Great King seemed satisfied. 'I wish to go see the state of Siddim. Old gentlemen, I am not a Geraha who forgets this debt. If there is anything you want me to do, tell me anything. Anything at all. I shall grant it for you.'
There was a somewhat challenging ring to the Great King's tone.
Manam, Persa, and even the dazed Nezumo were overwhelmed by his majesty and prostrated themselves.
Perhaps due to the effect of sucking away Nezumo's magical power, the Great King had an aura as if he were wearing a halo. His attitude was full of confidence. His skin emitted a leather-like luster, and he had a vitality that pierced the eyes of the old men. His countenance was as hideous as ever, but the ugly parts and the ugly parts harmonized, exuding a unique dignity.
—To Siddim.
The Great King departed.
—We also, to Siddim.
Manam thought. He knew they must go. The Great King's far-reaching plan was supposed to stumble in Siddim. Manam knew the cause and had already taken measures.
He had turned a youth named Ness di Syllabus into a senile person. But he had to prepare for other unforeseen circumstances.
'I shall grant it for you, whatever it may be.'
Though it took time, he had finally made the Great King say that much.
This world-spanning empire, which would soon be completed, would not belong to Geraha Wolf. It would belong to the three old men. He had to make him acknowledge that it existed because of the three old men.
"Go, Manam. I beg you."
Persa said.
"Do you intend to leave me alone?"
"Zarko is in Siddim. You cannot deal with Zarko and Alf at once. If someone must stop that brat, it should be me."
"Persa. You've spoken enough. I shall think about it a bit. Please sleep."
Manam covered Persa with a blanket and went outside the tent. For a while, he walked around the surroundings alone without purpose.
It was something that required no thought.
The Three Sages had set out to achieve the most valuable thing of all.
For a purpose for which any sacrifice could be justified.
—To rule this world with flawless peace.
If positions changed, even Manam would willingly offer his life. All three had started this with that resolve. If one could not abandon a comrade for the sake of the goal, that in itself would be a betrayal of the comrade.
—Rain clouds, come quickly. The rain clouds do not move from that mountain...
Alf hummed it and noticed that Sadel's pronunciation was there.
Alf's excellent memory was accurately reproducing Sadel's pronunciation. Alf felt that Sadel remained in his tongue and throat.
—When I speak the language of the Kosa people, Sadel is here.
He thought he would fulfill his revenge with the small part Sadel had left behind.
From Sadel's luggage, Alf took water, food, and the dagger as a memento.
Since he had no horse, he was now truly all alone. He had only his own feet. With that, he had to face this great grassland.
He didn't even have a clue as to which direction he should go. First, water. Humans die from a lack of water. If he continued walking without changing direction, he would surely hit a river someday.
Two days passed without him finding a river.
—Rain clouds. Quickly.
He was afraid to drink the water in the leather pouch. Yet, he couldn't help but drink. If he didn't drink water, his feet would stop. It wasn't a matter of effort. Purely because of the lack of water, the muscles stopped moving.
He even chewed grass that seemed to have a lot of moisture in his mouth. He sucked out only the moisture and did not swallow the grass fibers. If he ate something strange and upset his stomach, he didn't know what would happen to his internal organs if he didn't have enough moisture in his body to cause diarrhea.
On the third day, Alf saw a shadow of salvation.
An animal was following Alf. It was a whitish, four-legged beast.
—Silver Fox.
The Silver Fox was Alf's guardian animal. It was also his epithet. Silver Fox Alf Cedar tried to read a magical metaphor from the suddenly appeared fox. He was sure his guardian animal held something to escape this predicament. He thought so, but it was a complete misunderstanding.
Looking closely, the one following him was a gray wolf.
It was simple; Alf was the prey. The wolf was just following, waiting for the prey to weaken.
From the look of it, it wasn't with a pack. It was likely a lone wolf, a young male who couldn't enter a pack. That meant it had no territory, and if he wasn't careful, it would follow him indefinitely.
I mustn't be afraid, Alf told himself.
—If you aren't afraid, you can do anything.
Alf walked persistently. Every time he felt like looking back, he calmed his feelings.
If he didn't keep his mind empty, he couldn't respond to the speed of the wolf's attack. Human intelligence is advanced. However, it is slow. He had to become a fool. He had to become a beast. Alf, who had been trained by Zarko in the forest, knew that was the trick to protecting oneself from fierce beasts. If a human could become completely a fool, they could exhibit a speed capable of opposing the wild.
Suddenly, he noticed he had entered a field full of flowers from a field of sharply pointed grass. The same flowers were growing in clusters. The vegetation had changed before he knew it.
It was like a flower garden, with white flowers filling as far as the eye could see.
In front of Alf was a large rabbit.
It was eating grass, its mouth moving finely. Alf chanted a small spell. Small animals like rabbits are easily affected by magic. The rabbit stiffened its body and cried "kyu kyu."
Alf caught the rabbit carelessly. With Sadel's dagger, he tore the skin of the neck and first squeezed and drank the blood. He thought about starting a fire to grill the meat, but he couldn't endure it. When he peeled the skin with the dagger, he bit into it. He tore off a mouthful of raw meat and chewed for a long time. He didn't think it tasted particularly good, but he gained the conviction that it seemed safe.
For the second mouthful, he similarly chewed the meat over time.
After stuffing his cheeks with a third mouthful of meat, Alf stood up and threw the remaining half of the rabbit meat on the spot.
He would let the wolf be satisfied with this remaining meat and ask it to leave. After walking a bit and looking back, the gray wolf was, as expected, devouring the rabbit.
After walking for several hours, he fortunately found another rabbit.
Alf caught it the same way as before and peeled the skin. Looking back, the wolf was sitting in a closer position than before, watching Alf. It seemed to have started relying on Alf. Alf laughed for the first time in a while.
"If you eat me, you'll be all alone again."
After warning the wolf, he butchered the rabbit. This time, instead of stuffing himself with raw meat, he shaved off the edible parts with the dagger and wrapped the meat in cloth. He left the rest on the spot.
As it began to get dark, he lit a fire using a shrub he had carried along with his luggage. He pierced the meat with the iron skewer he brought and grilled it.
The wolf lay down at a distance where the light of the campfire barely reached, resting its chin on its crossed front legs. Since it was watching him with glowing eyes, Alf reluctantly threw a piece or two of meat.
"If you're still here tomorrow morning, I'll cast magic on you for sure."
After finishing his meal, Alf lay down and closed his eyes.
He wondered if the change in vegetation from the pointed grass grassland to the flower field was related to water. Alf hoped that a river might be close.
The next morning, the wolf was gone. It must have been filled with the rabbit meat.
Alf packed his luggage and began to walk.
Shortly after starting, he encountered another rabbit twitching its small nose.
He felt bad about it, but it was a plump rabbit. He chanted a spell to bind it and strangled the rabbit that was crying "kun kun."
He caught the flowing blood in his palm and sipped it. He decided not to butcher it on the spot, but to tie it by the ears to his luggage and carry it.
As he tried to start walking again, he noticed.
Yesterday's gray wolf was ahead. It was staring at him.
It seemed to have returned after sensing that it might get a share.
Just as he thought, the wolf moved forward a bit, stopped, and looked back at Alf. It had a face that seemed to say, "Follow me."
—No way!
Alf followed.
—No way, no way!
He moved his feet, careful not to expect too much. He felt that if his expectations were betrayed, his spirit would break.
Eventually, a silver streak running through the grassland became visible.
It was countless rivulets. Small streams formed a mesh, descended the slope, were gathered into a wide, shallow valley, and merged into a thick, flowing river.
"Well done, Black-Ears!"
Alf ran as if collapsing. The rushing sound of the river was pleasant to the ears. He dropped his luggage and plunged his head into a rivulet to drink water.
Because he drank water forgetting to breathe, he felt breathless when he lifted his head from the river.
He immediately took the leather pouch from his luggage and filled it with water.
Additionally, he divided the rabbit meat in half and threw it toward the wolf.
The gray wolf with black ears approached timidly. As soon as it took the meat Alf threw, it hurriedly moved away.
After catching his breath and looking far away, there were several moving shadows there.
Counting them, there were four. They were shadows of riders. They must be Kosa people. They were coming toward where Alf was.
Alf felt lazy, so he didn't stand up.
He was immediately surrounded by four men on horseback. One of the riders was an old man. He had white bandages wrapped around his face. Perhaps because he had performed strenuous exercise, there were spots of blood staining the bandages.
"Old man, your name?" Alf stood up slowly.
"Persa."
"Everyone. I have come to settle a score with Persa," Alf said in the Kosa language. "I have no intention of harming you all."
All the Kosa people were bearded, and three of them were in their prime. One answered.
"Persa-dono is a guest of the Great King. We acknowledge the duel, but we cannot help but assist him."
"I advise you that you should not do that. That Persa there cruelly killed an innocent, good youth. He was your friend and comrade. A Kosa youth. Sadel of the Danhungi clan of the Kutai tribe. This is the evidence."
Alf held up the dagger and showed it to each person. Afterward, he threw the dagger at the feet of the prime man's horse.
"What are you saying?" one of the prime men said, looking down at the dagger. "Persa-dono has been with us the whole time. How could he kill a man in a distant place? Was it not you who killed that man named Sadel and stole his luggage?"
Rain clouds, come quickly. The rain clouds do not move from that mountain—.
Alf sang.
"It is a song Sadel taught me. I am indebted to Sadel. Why would I point a blade at him? Sadel is also not a man to be killed by me. However, he could not withstand the wicked sorcery cast from a distance. He lost to that sorcerer Persa over there."
"But—"
Alf stopped the bearded prime men from speaking further with a loud voice.
"Persa also robbed my close friend Ness di Syllabus of his reason, and robbed me of the opportunity for my long-cherished first experience with a woman. After various evil deeds, the fact that he is here is the greatest evidence. I have explained myself! I ask Persa, what is the cause of that great injury to your eye? I am the mage Alf; I will not let lies pass!"
"I understand. That's enough."
Persa dismounted the horse with surprisingly brisk movements.
The old man looked around at the Kosa people and spoke.
"I am sorry for having you come this far with me, but no interference is necessary. Please limit yourselves to witnessing the outcome of the duel. Magical power will likely dwell more strongly in the side with justice. Alf."
"What."
Persa, while pressing his eye, sat cross-legged on the spot.
"First, know what the three of us have continued to see. The revelation we received from the stars is not the future of this world. It is the history of other worlds, countries we have never seen or heard of, in some unknown place. Originally, it is a history unrelated to this world. And yet, the history of other worlds we saw is too similar to the history of this world. It is a similarity that cannot be ignored. First, look."
Though it should have been broad daylight, Alf was instantly enveloped in a confused night.
Though he was surprised, he did not panic. It was not a dangerous spell.
What unfolded there was a history of war. Ancient warriors wearing armor like overlapping scales. People fighting while astride horses, chariots, and elephants. Phalanxes, flying javelins.
Those things were projected as images in the darkness.
'The first attempt at world unification began with the sword of this man.'
Persa's voice came from the darkness.
In the image, a youth with a sharp face was gazing somewhere far away with lively eyes.
'The stars attract and fix the memories of people by their weight.'
—Impossible.
Alf wanted to shout, but no voice came out.
'Look, it is the age of cavalry. These men built an unprecedented great empire in a single generation.'
Alf looked down at the sight of countless cavalry galloping across the great grasslands in groups.
'They resemble the Kosa. A truly brave and noble figure. But they are not Kosa. This empire will split in a mere hundred years. Kosa will not become so. For we shall not allow it.'
—How!
Alf wanted to say.
'How? Look at this. The age of cavalry continues. In the time of this man, gunpowder is used. This is around the time when the people of this world begin to become foolish. This man rose through the chaos of conspiracies aiming to change the political system. He is a hero of evil born from an impious riot that reversed the relationship between master and servant.'
A small man wearing a large hat was leading soldiers. The gunpowder Persa mentioned seemed to be long tube-like weapons that occasionally emitted smoke.
'Yes. Everything changes from this gunpowder. Look at this vehicle. When it comes to this, even we don't quite understand, but there is an iron box with thin tubes mounted on it.'
It wasn't wheels like a cart. Something with an iron lid, moving by rotating bands like rolled blinds on both sides, was running, kicking up dust. They were heading somewhere, forming a line like the tip of a bow arrow.
'This is where gunpowder leads. Look.'
The thin tube of the iron vehicle spat fire. Then, an explosion occurred in the distance.
'In this age, ships are also iron. Do you understand this? You can see a bird heading toward the iron ship. This bird also seems to be made of iron.'
Indeed, he saw something fluttering toward the ship.
However, because of the smoke the ship raised, he couldn't tell what was what.
As Alf squinted his eyes, the image suddenly vanished.
'We studied these memories that the stars bring little by little. Through that, we understood to some extent. Something called science will develop, Alf. Along with gunpowder, fufu. Steam and lightning are the secrets. As you know, magic always has unpredictable results. We mages have no choice but to entrust everything to magic and believe that magic itself will bring us the best result.'
The figure of Persa sitting cross-legged faintly blurred into the darkness.
Persa's mouth was not moving, but the voice could be heard.
'But science is different. It deals with phenomena that always produce the same result—if you do this, this happens. By combining and stacking results from one result to another, it tries to derive the desired result. We shall first suppress that science.'
—Suppress? Why?
'Well, listen. We will not allow people to develop science. As we know, magic is a noble thing that conforms to the laws of nature, but science is different. Science is something where the same result is reached whether a fool does it or a clever person does it. Entrusting the giant power of science to fools is danger itself. We cannot expose people to that danger. The result of allowing the development of science in a disorderly manner is the iron box and iron bird you saw. When things like that clash, humans are just flattened. People die in droves.'
—Even if you say that, people are dying in wars even now. Besides, isn't science also a human karma?
'Indeed. It is human karma. Complete suppression is likely impossible. Therefore, we shall lead the development. It is enough if only we monopolize science and operate it moderately. We will not let the commoners touch it. We will not give power to the commoners. If power is given, disloyal fellows aiming to change the political system will appear. If a perverse inversion, a paradoxical situation where commoners choose their own king from among themselves, were to occur... it would be the end of the world.'
—Old man, you're wrong. By human karma, I mean both you and I are humans, right? In the end, since there are only humans, that attempt is useless.
'We are not the same humans, Alf. There are superior ones and foolish ones.'
—Since we're humans anyway, it's not that big a difference.
Alf stood up. He thought the conversation was over.
'Wait, wait. Believe in Geraha Wolf, just wait a moment. A shitty brat like you, to this Persa-sama—'
—I agree that magic is a noble thing. Let's see the result, old man.
Alf chanted a spell.
When he noticed, the darkness had cleared.
At Alf's feet, Persa lay fallen with one eye wide open.
The Kosa people dismounted in silence and tied Persa's corpse to a horse.
"Is that wolf yours?"
Before leaving, one of the Kosa people asked.
Alf shook his head.
"We will take responsibility for delivering this dagger to the family. If your business is done, go home quickly. Next time you come to Kandasyata, I won't let you off easy."
Alf nodded.
His business was not yet done. He had only cleaned up one person.
—Rain clouds, come quickly. The rain clouds do not move from that mountain—.
Alf hummed, noticing that Sadel's pronunciation was there.
Alf's excellent memory was accurately reproducing Sadel's pronunciation. Alf felt that Sadel remained in his tongue and throat.
—When I speak the language of the Kosa people, Sadel is here.
He thought he would fulfill his revenge with the small part Sadel had left behind.
From Sadel's luggage, Alf took water, food, and the dagger as a memento.
Since he had no horse, he was now truly all alone. He had only his own feet. With that, he had to face this great grassland.
He didn't even have a clue as to which direction he should go. First, water. Humans die from a lack of water. If he continued walking without changing direction, he would surely hit a river someday.
Two days passed without him finding a river.
—Rain clouds. Quickly.
He was afraid to drink the water in the leather pouch. Yet, he couldn't help but drink. If he didn't drink water, his feet would stop. It wasn't a matter of effort. Purely because of the lack of water, the muscles stopped moving.
He even chewed grass that seemed to have a lot of moisture in his mouth. He sucked out only the moisture and did not swallow the grass fibers. If he ate something strange and upset his stomach, he didn't know what would happen to his internal organs if he didn't have enough moisture in his body to cause diarrhea.
On the third day, Alf saw a shadow of salvation.
An animal was following Alf. It was a whitish, four-legged beast.
—Silver Fox.
The Silver Fox was Alf's guardian animal. It was also his epithet. Silver Fox Alf Cedar tried to read a magical metaphor from the suddenly appeared fox. He was sure his guardian animal held something to escape this predicament. He thought so, but it was a complete misunderstanding.
Looking closely, the one following him was a gray wolf.
It was simple; Alf was the prey. The wolf was just following, waiting for the prey to weaken.
From the look of it, it wasn't with a pack. It was likely a lone wolf, a young male who couldn't enter a pack. That meant it had no territory, and if he wasn't careful, it would follow him indefinitely.
I mustn't be afraid, Alf told himself.
—If you aren't afraid, you can do anything.
Alf walked persistently. Every time he felt like looking back, he calmed his feelings.
If he didn't keep his mind empty, he couldn't respond to the speed of the wolf's attack. Human intelligence is advanced. However, it is slow. He had to become a fool. He had to become a beast. Alf, who had been trained by Zarko in the forest, knew that was the trick to protecting oneself from fierce beasts. If a human could become completely a fool, they could exhibit a speed capable of opposing the wild.
Suddenly, he noticed he had entered a field full of flowers from a field of sharply pointed grass. The same flowers were growing in clusters. The vegetation had changed before he knew it.
It was like a flower garden, with white flowers filling as far as the eye could see.
In front of Alf was a large rabbit.
It was eating grass, its mouth moving finely. Alf chanted a small spell. Small animals like rabbits are easily affected by magic. The rabbit stiffened its body and cried "kyu kyu."
Alf caught the rabbit carelessly. With Sadel's dagger, he tore the skin of the neck and first squeezed and drank the blood. He thought about starting a fire to grill the meat, but he couldn't endure it. When he peeled the skin with the dagger, he bit into it. He tore off a mouthful of raw meat and chewed for a long time. He didn't think it tasted particularly good, but he gained the conviction that it seemed safe.
For the second mouthful, he similarly chewed the meat over time.
After stuffing his cheeks with a third mouthful of meat, Alf stood up and threw the remaining half of the rabbit meat on the spot. He would let the wolf be satisfied with this remaining meat and ask it to leave. After walking a bit and looking back, the gray wolf was, as expected, devouring the rabbit.
After walking for several hours, he fortunately found another rabbit.
Alf caught it the same way as before and peeled the skin. Looking back, the wolf was sitting in a closer position than before, watching Alf. It seemed to have started relying on Alf. Alf laughed for the first time in a while.
"If you eat me, you'll be all alone again."
After warning the wolf, he butchered the rabbit. This time, instead of stuffing himself with raw meat, he shaved off the edible parts with the dagger and wrapped the meat in cloth. He left the rest on the spot.
As it began to get dark, he lit a fire using a shrub he had carried along with his luggage. He pierced the meat with the iron skewer he brought and grilled it.
The wolf lay down at a distance where the light of the campfire barely reached, resting its chin on its crossed front legs. Since it was watching him with glowing eyes, Alf reluctantly threw a piece or two of meat.
"If you're still here tomorrow morning, I'll cast magic on you for sure."
After finishing his meal, Alf lay down and closed his eyes.
He wondered if the change in vegetation from the pointed grass grassland to the flower field was related to water. He hoped that a river might be close.
The next morning, the wolf was gone. It must have been filled with the rabbit meat.
Alf packed his luggage and began to walk.
Shortly after starting, he encountered another rabbit twitching its small nose.
He felt bad about it, but it was a plump rabbit. He chanted a spell to bind it and strangled the rabbit that was crying "kun kun."
He caught the flowing blood in his palm and sipped it. He decided not to butcher it on the spot, but to tie it by the ears to his luggage and carry it.
As he tried to start walking again, he noticed.
Yesterday's gray wolf was ahead. It was staring at him.
It seemed to have returned after sensing that it might get a share.
Just as he thought, the wolf moved forward a bit, stopped, and looked back at Alf. It had a face that seemed to say, "Follow me."
—No way!
Alf followed.
—No way, no way!
He moved his feet, careful not to expect too much. He felt that if his expectations were betrayed, his spirit would break.
Eventually, a silver streak running through the grassland became visible.
It was countless rivulets. Small streams formed a mesh, descended the slope, were gathered into a wide, shallow valley, and merged into a thick, flowing river.
"Well done, Black-Ears!"
Alf ran as if collapsing. The rushing sound of the river was pleasant to the ears. He dropped his luggage and plunged his head into a rivulet to drink water.
Because he drank water forgetting to breathe, he felt breathless when he lifted his head from the river.
He immediately took the leather pouch from his luggage and filled it with water.
Additionally, he divided the rabbit meat in half and threw it toward the wolf.
The gray wolf with black ears approached timidly. As soon as it took the meat Alf threw, it hurriedly moved away.
After catching his breath and looking far away, there were several moving shadows there.
Counting them, there were four. They were shadows of riders. They must be Kosa people. They were coming toward where Alf was.
Alf felt lazy, so he didn't stand up.
He was immediately surrounded by four men on horseback. One of the riders was an old man. He had white bandages wrapped around his face. Perhaps because he had performed strenuous exercise, there were spots of blood staining the bandages.
"Old man, your name?" Alf stood up slowly.
"Persa."
"Everyone. I have come to settle a score with Persa," Alf said in the Kosa language. "I have no intention of harming you all."
All the Kosa people were bearded, and three of them were in their prime. One answered.
"Persa-dono is a guest of the Great King. We acknowledge the duel, but we cannot help but assist him."
"I advise you that you should not do that. That Persa there cruelly killed an innocent, good youth. He was your friend and comrade. A Kosa youth. Sadel of the Danhungi clan of the Kutai tribe. This is the evidence."
Alf held up the dagger and showed it to each person. Afterward, he threw the dagger at the feet of the prime man's horse.
"What are you saying?" one of the prime men said, looking down at the dagger. "Persa-dono has been with us the whole time. How could he kill a man in a distant place? Was it not you who killed that man named Sadel and stole his luggage?"
Rain clouds, come quickly. The rain clouds do not move from that mountain—.
Alf sang.
"It is a song Sadel taught me. I am indebted to Sadel. Why would I point a blade at him? Sadel is also not a man to be killed by me. However, he could not withstand the wicked sorcery cast from a distance. He lost to that sorcerer Persa over there."
"But—"
Alf stopped the bearded prime men from speaking further with a loud voice.
"Persa also robbed my close friend Ness di Syllabus of his reason, and robbed me of the opportunity for my long-cherished first experience with a woman. After various evil deeds, the fact that he is here is the greatest evidence. I have explained myself! I ask Persa, what is the cause of that great injury to your eye? I am the mage Alf; I will not let lies pass!"
"I understand. That's enough."
Persa dismounted the horse with surprisingly brisk movements.
The old man looked around at the Kosa people and spoke.
"I am sorry for having you come this far with me, but no interference is necessary. Please limit yourselves to witnessing the outcome of the duel. Magical power will likely dwell more strongly in the side with justice. Alf."
"What."
Persa, while pressing his eye, sat cross-legged on the spot.
"First, know what the three of us have continued to see. The revelation we received from the stars is not the future of this world. It is the history of other worlds, countries we have never seen or heard of, in some unknown place. Originally, it is a history unrelated to this world. And yet, the history of other worlds we saw is too similar to the history of this world. It is a similarity that cannot be ignored. First, look."
Though it should have been broad daylight, Alf was instantly enveloped in a confused night.
Though he was surprised, he did not panic. It was not a dangerous spell.
What unfolded there was a history of war. Ancient warriors wearing armor like overlapping scales. People fighting while astride horses, chariots, and elephants. Phalanxes, flying javelins.
Those things were projected as images in the darkness.
'The first attempt at world unification began with the sword of this man.'
Persa's voice came from the darkness.
In the image, a youth with a sharp face was gazing somewhere far away with lively eyes.
'The stars attract and fix the memories of people by their weight.'
—Impossible.
Alf wanted to shout, but no voice came out.
'Look, it is the age of cavalry. These men built an unprecedented great empire in a single generation.'
Alf looked down at the sight of countless cavalry galloping across the great grasslands in groups.
'They resemble the Kosa. A truly brave and noble figure. But they are not Kosa. This empire will split in a mere hundred years. Kosa will not become so. For we shall not allow it.'
—How!
Alf wanted to say.
'How? Look at this. The age of cavalry continues. In the time of this man, gunpowder is used. This is around the time when the people of this world begin to become foolish. This man rose through the chaos of conspiracies aiming to change the political system. He is a hero of evil born from an impious riot that reversed the relationship between master and servant.'
A small man wearing a large hat was leading soldiers. The gunpowder Persa mentioned seemed to be long tube-like weapons that occasionally emitted smoke.
'Yes. Everything changes from this gunpowder. Look at this vehicle. When it comes to this, even we don't quite understand, but there is an iron box with thin tubes mounted on it.'
It wasn't wheels like a cart. Something with an iron lid, moving by rotating bands like rolled blinds on both sides, was running, kicking up dust. They were heading somewhere, forming a line like the tip of a bow arrow.
'This is where gunpowder leads. Look.'
The thin tube of the iron vehicle spat fire. Then, an explosion occurred in the distance.
'In this age, ships are also iron. Do you understand this? You can see a bird heading toward the iron ship. This bird also seems to be made of iron.'
Indeed, he saw something fluttering toward the ship.
However, because of the smoke the ship raised, he couldn't tell what was what.
As Alf squinted his eyes, the image suddenly vanished.
'We studied these memories that the stars bring little by little. Through that, we understood to some extent. Something called science will develop, Alf. Along with gunpowder, fufu. Steam and lightning are the secrets. As you know, magic always has unpredictable results. We mages have no choice but to entrust everything to magic and believe that magic itself will bring us the best result.'
The figure of Persa sitting cross-legged faintly blurred into the darkness.
Persa's mouth was not moving, but the voice could be heard.
'But science is different. It deals with phenomena that always produce the same result—if you do this, this happens. By combining and stacking results from one result to another, it tries to derive the desired result. We shall first suppress that science.'
—Suppress? Why?
'Well, listen. We will not allow people to develop science. As we know, magic is a noble thing that conforms to the laws of nature, but science is different. Science is something where the same result is reached whether a fool does it or a clever person does it. Entrusting the giant power of science to fools is danger itself. We cannot expose people to that danger. The result of allowing the development of science in a disorderly manner is the iron box and iron bird you saw. When things like that clash, humans are just flattened. People die in droves.'
—Even if you say that, people are dying in wars even now. Besides, isn't science also a human karma?
'Indeed. It is human karma. Complete suppression is likely impossible. Therefore, we shall lead the development. It is enough if only we monopolize science and operate it moderately. We will not let the commoners touch it. We will not give power to the commoners. If power is given, disloyal fellows aiming to change the political system will appear. If a perverse inversion, a paradoxical situation where commoners choose their own king from among themselves, were to occur... it would be the end of the world.'
—Old man, you're wrong. By human karma, I mean both you and I are humans, right? In the end, since there are only humans, that attempt is useless.
'We are not the same humans, Alf. There are superior ones and foolish ones.'
—Since we're humans anyway, it's not that big a difference.
Alf stood up. He thought the conversation was over.
'Wait, wait. Believe in Geraha Wolf, just wait a moment. A shitty brat like you, to this Persa-sama—'
—I agree that magic is a noble thing. Let's see the result, old man.
Alf chanted a spell.
When he noticed, the darkness had cleared.
At Alf's feet, Persa lay fallen with one eye wide open.
The Kosa people dismounted in silence and tied Persa's corpse to a horse.
"Is that wolf yours?"
Before leaving, one of the Kosa people asked.
Alf shook his head.
"We will take responsibility for delivering this dagger to the family. If your business is done, go home quickly. Next time you come to Kandasyata, I won't let you off easy."
Alf nodded.
His business was not yet done. He had only cleaned up one person.