Kino no Tabi:Volume13 Prologue

“A Tale of this World・b” —It Happens・b—

And Kino saw.

Over the horizon beyond the savannah, a billowing cloud of dust that was not there just moments before appeared.

Right before them, the sandy veil grew bigger and higher. Underneath it were numerous dark squirming shadows.

“What’s that?”

Kino readied ‘Flute’ and through its scope, peeked down at the horizon from the hill where she presently stood. After a while, she finally realized what was going on.

What brought forth the vast cloud of dust were huge animals in a flock enormous enough to bury the earth out of sight. These animals possessed big and bulky bodies supported by four robust legs—herbivores with an ashen hue.

“Those must be rhinoceros that inhabit this area. They’re likely in the middle of a mass migration in pursuit of water,” Hermes explained.

They couldn’t tell how many thousands or tens of thousands of the grey rhinoceros there were, only that they advanced over the earth with such force and close formation that their movement seemed like the flow of a muddy stream.

“Ah...,” Kino uttered, Flute still trained forward.

Up ahead the flock was a fawn stretched out on the ground with blood oozing from its leg, and a mother deer not far from its side.

“Hermes, if I rush there right this minute, will I reach that fawn on time?” Kino turned to Hermes and asked.

“If it’s just getting there, it’s definitely possible. However, there’s barely enough time to load the fawn on my carrier and return here. Just one slip and it’s over,” Hermes answered immediately. The resonating noises from the ground became even louder.

“I won’t do it,” Kino decided.

“A wise move. It’s better to stay here until that flock completely passes through.”

As she listened to Hermes, Kino peeked through the scope once more. The mother deer, having realized that something was amiss, hurriedly ran away.

The fallen fawn raised its neck feebly and followed its fleeing mother with its eyes. The mother did not look back. It ran at full speed and soon disappeared from the scope’s field of view.

The abandoned fawn desperately tried to stand up, but that only made its leg bleed even more. There was nothing it could do.

Before long, the flock came along with the loud rumble of the ground and the rising cloud of dust.

“...”

With Kino and Hermes bearing witness from the top of the hill—

“A magnificent view, isn’t it?”

—the muddy stream continued its leftward course.

And mercilessly engulfed the trembling fawn. It vanished from sight.

It required a long time before the stream passed through and the blanket of dust lifted completely.

Kino sat with her feet thrown before her, waiting. With the ground’s tremor felt through her feet and bottom, and the rumbling sounds reaching her ears, she waited.

When the flock has left, and the last sound and tremor has vanished, and when the wind has borne the dust away with it, and when at last, everything has settled down, Kino positioned Flute once again.

And within the scope’s field—

“...”

—there was no longer a fawn on the place where it has fallen.

In its place were finely broken up pieces of meat scattered in a fairly wide area, indistinguishable from its original form.

“It has become ground meat. What now?” Hermes asked.

Kino carried Flute on her shoulders and stood up.

“I’ll do this.”

She took out the clay-like portable rations from the bag beside Hermes’ rear wheel.

Kino remained standing as she nibbled at her food, her eyes fixed on the ground.

Within a moment, vultures gathered and swept down upon the scene and started to eat the meat scattered on the ground.

More vultures circled lower to eat, and even more dove down to partake with the feast. They busied themselves with the meal, not allowing their ever-increasing comrades to take away their share.

“It’s awful. Really awful,” Kino muttered while she ate.

Upon which Hermes replied, “It always happens, Kino.”

“Hmm?”

“It always happens, in this world.”

“... You bet.”

Kino muttered as she struggled to eat her meal.

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