Kino no Tabi:Volume5 Chapter5

Chapter 5: “Land of Heroes” ~Seven Heroes~

The sun has only risen halfway through when the travelers arrived at the gate. The sky is clear and sunny and the wind was cold.

The traveler was riding a Motorad (Note: A motorcycle. Only means that it cannot fly in the sky). A box is mounted on both sides of the rear wheel, and on top of which a big bag is strapped.

The driver is wearing a brown coat, the long hem of which is rolled up to her thighs. She’s wearing a hat with flaps covering her ears, eye goggles, and a bandana wrapped around her face for protection from the cold.

In the guard post outside the gates, the traveler introduced herself.

“Hello. I am Kino. This is my partner, Hermes. We hope to stay for three days.”

The guard politely asked some questions, and after identifying Kino as a traveler and the Motorad called Hermes, they were issued an entry permit.

The guard asked if she has something like a Persuader (Note: a gun), and Kino replied with a nod.

“Are Persuaders not allowed?” asked Kino,

“Not at all. It’s the other way around,” the guard answered with a smile.

Kino finally entered the country after passing through the white walls. Inside, the land was flat and spacious. As expected, the roads and building sites are also wide, and there are many one-story buildings. There are also many new buildings.

While waiting and reading the map she got, the guide came riding a small car. It was a kind-looking elderly man. After some welcoming speech, Kino was led to the hotel by car. They passed through a wide and crowded street, and headed towards the central part of the country.

Upon arrival at the hotel, the guide talked more about the country.

This country grew from the merger of two countries 17 years ago. Until then, the land here now was just a territory of a tiny kingdom. On the other hand, far beyond the mountains, there was a democratic country with a very high population density.

One day the king lost his mind, and as a small country all we could possibly do is to cooperate with the other country. The other country which was having trouble with their small land received our offer. By becoming a democratic country, where everyone has the right to equality, we peacefully integrated with them, and the king was sent to stay in a hospital.

In this country, all people between ages 18-50 are required to register as soldiers for the marines. They are trained on a regular basis, and weapons are stored in every house in case they are summoned to fight in times of war. For that reason, shooting has become a very popular national sport in this country.

“I see.” Kino recalled the words muttered by the guard.

From noon, Kino and Hermes went around the country. Kino went shopping on foot for items needed for Hermes' maintenance.

Near the walls, there was a sign saying ‘Public Shooting Range’. Upon looking closely, an immense ground was laid out for it. As if in response, the manager came out and said that the facility is closed just for the day due to maintenance.

Kino introduced herself, and asked if she can practice shooting.

“Then, by all means please come tomorrow. You are free to use the facility as much as you want, and if it’s not too much trouble, please do teach us some things,” the manager answered with shining eyes.

---

The second day.

As usual, Kino got up at the crack of dawn to perform light body exercises and to practice drawing out her Persuaders.

“…………”

She stopped and thought for a while.

---

After eating, Kino slapped Hermes awake, and headed to the shooting range. In the shooting range, a lot of people had gathered early in the morning, from commoners to groups of people wearing military uniforms.

When Kino came, the manager she met the day before delightfully introduced her to everyone. She was asked to tell everyone how with her Persuader, she was able to protect herself on her own during her travels. Everyone thought this amazing and excitedly asked her to teach them various things.

“Don't show off too much, as if you're good in this sort of thing, ok?” said Hermes.

In the shooting range, various shooting equipment, from point-blank to ultra-long-distance ones are available. For each one a convenient device is attached - an automatically moving target and a screen which can show the target from a distance.

In the annex of the facility, target dolls, women holding babies, and children with knives can be seen coming out from the windows and side corridors.

While a large number of people are observing, Kino borrowed some of the facilities. She carried out her shooting practice with ‘Cannon’ and her other automatic-style hand persuader ‘Woodsman’.

She was applauded every time she hits something, and Kino murmured. “Well, it's not that easy…”

“Master told you, hasn’t she? Keep your presence of mind in any kind of situation," said Hermes.

---

“Kino-san, it seems that you don't carry a rifle.” The manager asked Kino while having dinner in the dining room. Kino shook her head.

“Aren’t you worried that you don’t have a long-ranged weapon?”

Kino replied that surely, there are times when she felt like having one, but the thought of carrying a long rifle on Hermes is absolutely impossible.

The manager seemed glad to hear it, “I have exactly what you are looking for”.

“Thank you for waiting. Here it is.”, he sounded like a salesman.

After the meal, the manager put on top of the table a box containing a rifle.

The rifle is divided into two portions. The first half consists of a black metal frame with a prominently long cylinder attached on its side. The second half consists of the wooden stock and a sniper’s scope.

“It was made to be disassembled for easy carrying, this automatic rifle’s silencer. It was developed only recently in our country, to clear up problems in accuracy and strength. The provisions for our military has just started.”

The manager suggested Kino to try it. Kino assembled the rifle according to an illustrated manual laying beside her.

---

“How is it? What do you think?”

Kino said the handling isn’t bad and it seems very easy to use.

“Won’t you try shooting? Try it and please tell us what you think,” the manager said.

Kino headed to the shooting range, and tried shooting with the borrowed rifle. She tried aiming on a far target using the scope placed on the cushion on top of the desk.

Each time she shoots and hits the black center of the target, the crowd behind her breaks into applause.

“Are you used to it yet?” “I’m already familiar with it.” Hermes asked, and Kino answered with a shot. Cheers arose.

After several shots, she was met with a barrage of questions.

There was a person who asked her who taught her how to shoot, “I’m sorry. I can’t tell you that,” Kino answered.

Another person asked her what kind of excellent facilities she practiced in, “In the forest……” Kino answered.

Another person asked her to teach him how to improve his skills. “………. But I don’t like recollecting painful experiences…….” Kino answered.

---

Noon.

Kino and Hermes and the manager were around a table in the dining room while having dessert.

“Wow, Kino-san is so wonderful. Everyone was surprised. All of a sudden everyone is so motivated."

“Well, she has to live up to her reputation. It’s nice to see Kino get praised once in a while.” Hermes said.

---

“The more we train our shooting skills, the more strengthens our country’s defense. And as a result we can better protect our peace and safety.”

“Does this country have potential enemies?” Kino asked.

The manager answered, seemingly embarrassed.

“That is…… The truth is in this country - even before the merger of the two countries, this country has never been at war. Apparently, there are no offensive countries nearby. Hence, I have no idea how we will be able to fight, since even the marines have never shot anything other than paper and dolls. The training is so that they will not fail when that time comes, and individual skill is already something to be proud of but……”

Kino spoke. “Peace is a very good thing to have. I think that in times of emergency, we will see the result of their training. I’m sure everyone can fight better than they think they can."

“Oh. I’m glad to hear those words. From here on, we will work even harder in our training.”

“That’s the spirit. As they say, ‘If you are prepared, you don't need ukulele ’," said Hermes.

“Huh?” The manager gave them a questioning look.

“Hermes…… Are you doing that on purpose?”

“Doing what?”

---

Evening.

The manager told Kino, that if she wants to, and if it will not interfere with her journey, he doesn’t mind her having the rifle. They want their country’s excellent Persuader to be of use in her journey.

Kino gave it a little thought, and politely said thanks upon accepting the offer. Kino asked for the name of the rifle.

“Name…… Oh, nothing in particular. We call it by its abbreviation, ‘National Disassembly-type Rifle No. 52”.

“That’s long.”

“Later, I will think of some name for it,” said Kino.

---

The third day.

During the morning, Kino went sightseeing around the country.

In the center, a palace from the kingdom era was still left standing. Its surroundings have become a public park. Kino asked about the building.

“Not bad. It’s like this every time everywhere. The king must have been scowled by the public for using tremendous amount of money to build such a luxurious palace. And after he was removed from his position, it was made into a park. ‘Attempting to save a splendid building’, like they say. During the king’s reign, that’s not something worth praising,” Hermes said sarcastically.

In one corner of the park, there’s a big black stone. The stone was like a wall. Kino passed in front of it. Human figures are engraved on the stone. Young men, smiling, are aligned side by side.

“Excuse me. Is this a monument of some sort?” Kino asked a person who happened to pass by.

The man of about fifty years gave a big nod. “Oh, yes it is. This is a monument for heroes.”

“Heroes, is it?”

“Ah. For people like me who came here from the country beyond, it was an unforgettable event. Long before the merger, that was about thirty years ago. In the country where I was born, the population has grown too much that it was so cramped. But the walls cannot be extended further, so we sent out an expedition to look for new settlements. Twelve pairs in every direction.”

“Uh huh. And then?” (said Hermes)

“And then, we recruited young men and formed a seven-man team to send out. They were supposed to come back after half a year, even if there is no good land to be found. But just after they left, eleven of the pairs sent out earlier returned.”

“I see. Then, these people are?”

“These seven, not a single one came back even after 10 years. The team proceeded to the most dangerous mountain route. Probably, they met with some sort of accident. In the country, we felt sorry for them, and erected a monument for them. And engraved on it was their appearance at the time of their departure. A long time has passed. After the merger with this country has been made, most of the buildings in our country remained the same after moving; only this stone was painstakingly transferred here, so that we will never forget their heroic deeds. This story is even written in our school textbooks.”

Kino looked at the monument again. They were young and brawny men, with carefree smiles. They were carrying old-fashioned rifles, and hanging above their chests were pendants with the same design.

It was a small round pendant, with a star design.

The man spoke. “That’s right. I think you should visit our old country. To the west, just ahead beyond two big mountain ranges there is a basin. Even now, the country should still be there. The walls, the buildings, were left just as they were. We can never go back there again because this place is our country now, you see. But Ms. Traveler, if you somehow come to visit the housing complex, you might find the old buildings where many people once lived interesting. Identical buildings are aligned side by side; the inner courtyard was always filled with many people, and as a child I played there often. It’s so nostalgic.”

“Is that so? I think I’ll go there and see.”

She thanked the man and after he left, Kino looked at the characters carved in the monument.

Underneath their smiles, there was a sentence.

‘――Even if our heroes do not come back, they will always be alive in our hearts――’