Kino no Tabi:Volume7 Chapter1

“A Troublesome Land” —Leave Only Footsteps!—

A motorrad (Note: A two-wheeled vehicle. Only to note that it cannot fly) was parked beside a stream. The motorrad, piled with traveling luggage on top and on both sides of its rear wheel, was propped on its center stand.

It was a small stream, narrow enough for a child to jump across. It created a slight depression on the flat earth.

It was a meadow flanked by mountains.

On the north and south sides were bare and scraggy mountain ranges, meandering alongside each other. There were small patches of white snow left on their peaks.

A wide and flat terrain was interposed between these mountain ranges. The stretch of green cover produced by various trees and grass occurred along with the grayish color of the mountains.

The rider was sitting on the grass opposite the motorrad. Both legs placed in front, hands stretched out behind, her eyes were looking up at the sky — to the warm spring sun and numerous clouds flowing on a backdrop of blue sky.

The rider was around her mid-teens. She had short black hair and a fearless expression on her face. She was wearing a black jacket fastened with a wide belt on the waist. On her right thigh was a holster for a revolver-type hand persuader (Note: A persuader is a gun. In this case, a pistol). Behind her waist, there was another one — an automatic-type.

“What a pain…,” the rider said, lowering her gaze.

“Well what now, Kino? Have you come up with anything?” The motorrad from behind asked. The rider called Kino shook her head and answered.

“Nope —— none at all.”

“That won’t do,” the motorrad said.

Kino stood up, a somewhat disappointed look lingering on her face. Some blades of grass fell down as she lightly brushed off her bottom.

“I suppose so, Hermes. But for the meantime…,” Kino said as she approached the motorrad called Hermes, opening the box on one side of his rear wheel. She took out something that resembled a ball of long, coiled rope.

“What are you going to do?” Hermes asked. Kino lightly wore the hat placed on top of the carrier and moved towards the two nearest trees.

“Until I have thought of a good idea——”

“Until then?”

“I’ll sleep.”

“Huh?”

Kino uncoiled the ball of rope she was carrying. It was a simple net hammock made from rope. She skillfully tied it on the branches of the two trees and let it hang in the air. Then she removed the holstered persuader behind her waist.

“……”

Kino looked at it in silence for a while. The square-barreled persuader was almost bare though it was installed in its holster. Kino called this ‘Woodsman’.

She then placed Woodsman along with its holster in the belt in front of her stomach.

“The weather is warm and great. It’s perfect for an afternoon nap.”

Kino sat at the center of the hammock, placed her legs and upper body in it, and lay down, careful not to tip over. The hammock swayed a little and eventually settled down.

“I’ll be counting on you,” Kino instructed Hermes and placed her hat on top of her forehead.

“Good grief. What to do now?” Hermes mumbled and sighed while looking at Kino, who soon fell asleep.

—

A small puddle of stagnant water formed in one part of the stream. The blue sky was reflected a little at its center.

The water quietly trembled. Tiny ripples were born, gathering at the center of the puddle. The blue sky in it quivered.

“Kino!” Hermes shouted. Kino’s body slipped from the hammock, but she used her hands to fall in a safe position and lay on top of the grass. Her hat fell by her side.

“What is it?” Kino asked Hermes in a soft voice while she lay down, quickly surveying her surroundings. Hermes spoke with his usual tone,

“The ground. It’s shaking isn’t it?”

“The ground?” Kino seemed doubtful and was silent for a few seconds, and then she tilted her head.

“Maybe I don’t feel it yet,” Kino picked up her hat and stood up. Dust and leaves lightly fell from her body. With her right hand on her waist persuader, she asked Hermes, “An earthquake, perhaps?”

“No. The tremors are really weak, but gets stronger little by little.”

“Then…” Kino tilted her head.

“It’s simple. This means that something is slowly approaching,” Hermes said nonchalantly. Kino looked sideways to the east and to the west, and only saw the unchanging scenery.

“What do you mean by … ‘something’?” Kino asked.

“I don’t know,” Hermes answered.

—

After a while, the answer to this question came.

“It does shake. Even I can see it clearly now,” Kino said while looking at the ripples on the puddle.

As Kino spoke, Hermes called out to her and urged her to look at the forest in the eastern side.

Kino turned around and stood up. Then they saw ‘it’.

—

‘It’ was a country.

Like any other country, this one was surrounded by round and tall gray walls. Other than the wall not having seams on its material, there was nothing strange about its appearance.

Except that this country…

“It’s coming towards us.”

…was moving.

Kino stared, stupefied, at the country that suddenly appeared amidst the scenery in the east.

Beyond the trees, the top of the walls went in and out of view. It was slowly but steadily drawing near. In other words, it was going towards Kino’s direction. The tremors were becoming stronger.

“The mystery’s solved,” Hermes said.

“No doubt… Well, what is that thing?” Kino asked, her eyes wide open.

“A country, isn’t it obvious?” Hermes answered, not sounding the least bit shocked. “If you keep on daydreaming, you’ll get run over.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

The moving country proceeded straight ahead. A low rumble like the howling of wind could be heard. Kino hurriedly removed the hammock, rolled it up and put it away in the luggage box. She put on her hat, strapped on her goggles, went astride Hermes, and started the engine.

Kino launched Hermes. She rode through the meadows and tried to go around to the right of the advancing country. She stopped just beside the anticipated route of the country.

Kino observed the country, which has gotten much closer.

It was surrounded by circular walls and had a guard post just like any other country. It was not so big; one can probably go across it in one leisurely afternoon walk. But this country was moving. It approached Kino and Hermes with a low rumble reminiscent of distant thunder.

Kino, whose angle of view was gradually getting higher, spoke with a slightly loud voice, “Amazing… the country is moving. It’s my first time to see something like this.”

“Same here,” Hermes agreed and added, “What are we going to do, Kino? Are you giving it a thumbs-up?”

Kino looked at Hermes. “That may be a good idea…”

“But, you can get attacked all of a sudden.”

“It’s a gamble, huh…? Well, a gamble it is. I wasn’t able to come up with anything anyway.”

And so Kino revealed herself a little from the shadow of a shaking tree and waved her hands, trying to get the country’s attention.

The moving country approached even more, mowing down the trees in its path.

Underneath the walls was a thick foundation. Further below were things that looked like gigantic caterpillars, as wide as a house, and installed with countless centipede legs. The legs tread on the ground and slowly turned. The upturned tree trunks rolled beneath the caterpillar, getting pulverized in the process.

The moving country obstructed the sky. The spring sun that was slightly inclined to the north was hidden from view, and Kino was covered in shadow.

“It’s like seeing a mountain move,” Hermes muttered.

Amidst the increasing noise and tremors,

“Are you a traveler?” a man’s voice reached Kino and Hermes. It sounded as if it came from somewhere nearby, so Kino looked around her in surprise.

“Oh, I’m speaking from inside the country. It’s just that you can hear it as if it’s coming from nearby. —— If you’re a traveler, do you want to enter the country?”

Kino waved her hands once more.

“Okay, then please wait for a while.”

So said the voice. The noise and tremors quietened for a while. Kino and Hermes looked ahead, and one last loud noise was heard before the country came to a stop.

—

Kino and Hermes were in front of a door. The gate, which served as the entrance to the country, opened before them and became a slope. Because it was thick and massive, the top of the door sank into the ground. Beyond it was a passage; a hill road climbing into the country.

A small car appeared, descending the hill road. It ran accompanied only with the gentle hum of its motor, with a lone man riding inside. He was wearing a white shirt and necktie with a light green work jacket on top. The man in his forties looked like a good-natured person in all respects.

“Hello, traveler. I am this country’s immigration inspector. I am also the tour guide, police officer, and so on. In our country, government workers are given a variety of posts, you see,” the man said as he stopped the car in front of Kino and Hermes. Kino and Hermes introduced themselves as travelers.

“Um, is this thing… a country after all? Where is it headed?” Kino asked, and the guide nodded.

“Yes, indeed. Inside, my brethren are living in peace. We are constantly migrating. Right now, we are going along these plains towards the west.”

As usual, Kino asked for permission to stay in the country for rest and recreation.

The guide readily consented, saying that guests are always welcome to their country.

“Well, how many days are you planning to stay with us?”

Kino dropped Hermes a glance and then faced the guide.

“We would like to stay for five to ten days.”

—

“And that over there is the nuclear power reactor. The large quantity of steam the reactor produces moves the generator, and the electric power generated moves the country and also serves as our energy supply.”

The guide said, pointing towards the enormous equipment beyond a thick glass pane. Kino was seated in the passenger seat while Hermes was riding on the car’s loading platform. The car was parked on a wide road, surrounded with a glass-walled interior. The minute vibrations accompanied with low hums continued.

The guide pointed to a group of monitors installed above the glass panes. Shown in the monitors were people working beside the gigantic equipment, completely covered with full-body clothing.

“That machine works on its own, and the people here have almost nothing left to do. We only have to observe. The fuel placed in this container is guaranteed to last for several hundred years, so we don’t even need spares. The important thing is to maintain and clean the caterpillars and the engines. Now, let’s proceed.”

The car moved quietly. While they were riding, Kino spoke. “Since when did everyone start living here?”

“You’re asking for the country’s history, eh? The truth is we don’t fully understand as well. As to whether someone found this migration apparatus and chose to live here instead of in a country, or whether our ancestors lived in it since ages past; we could no longer remember. It’s a mystery, but we really don’t mind not knowing about it.”

“Do you really have to move around all the time? Can’t you settle down once you found some good land?” Hermes asked. The guide gave him two reasons as to why they should be constantly on the move.

“First, there’s the question of the nuclear power reactor. Once stopped, restarting it will take some time. If we stop moving for a long amount of time, the excess amount of temperature and energy will accumulate. To protect ourselves against this, we spend the energy by making the caterpillar be constantly on the move. For instance, letting it move at about the speed of a walking person.”

“I see,”

“Uh-huh,”

Kino and Hermes interjected. The guide gave a merry laugh.

“The other reason is the same as a traveler’s —— to see a variety of sceneries; sceneries that change. We have grown fond of this, so we continue to migrate. In other words, all of our citizens are travelers.”

“I see… that’s a good thing. Is your route decided?”

“No. We continue to roam around this enormous continent. Occasionally, we would be on a desert or a prairie, and at times, we would be running along a dangerous slope, prepared for the inconvenience it will give us. We rarely come across the same place twice, and even if we did, it will probably not be within anyone’s lifetime. We will probably never settle in a single place for eternity.”

—

The car carrying Kino and Hermes went along the path inside the country. The car rode towards the country’s center on a road that was only wide enough to allow two vehicles to pass each other. There were intersections and traffic lights here and there.

The car ascended a switchback hill road. After this climb, the square light of the exit could be seen just straight ahead. The car came out and the sky was revealed.

It was the country’s top floor. Underneath the blue sky was a green space encircled by low walls. It was a huge park, complete with soil, grass lawns, and forests. Some of the trees were so large that their ages must easily exceed a hundred years. There was even a river and a small lake.

Like any other park, this one was filled with people strolling, exercising, or taking an afternoon nap on the lawn, or enjoying a boat ride in the lake.

“This top floor is the only place where we can enjoy the sunlight. It has become the residents’ place for relaxation. It’s like our courtyard. To be fair to everyone, all of us, including our president, live in the lower floors. However, the president lives by the side where there is a view of the streets.”

“I see.”

The car then followed the hill road and climbed to a road leading to the top of the wall. As it is, the top of the wall served as a road. It was rather narrow, bordered left and right with nothing but sturdy yet low railings. From the left side, the country’s greenery, and from the right, the earth’s greenery could be seen way, way below.

“You’d better not look if you’re afraid of heights,” Hermes said.

When the car exited to the eastern walls, that is, opposite to where the country is headed,

“Wow!”

“Amazing!”

Kino and Hermes raised their voices in awe. On the ground at the eastern side were traces of the country’s movement.

The enormous caterpillars dug out the ground, treading on and crushing each tree and flowering plant underneath, exposing the bare earth. The wide brown line between the mountain ranges stretched, and faded until it can no longer be seen.

“I suppose this much is expected,” the guide said with a rather bitter look on his face.

“It really pains me that we had to leave such enormous traces on the face of Mother Nature for the sake of our enjoyment. I’m sure it’s a nuisance. But if man were to walk, he had to leave footprints. We have come to the conclusion that this much is inevitable, and I only wish that strong, new blooms be born over this earth once more.”

—

It was a small but clean room.

There was a bed, a western-style dresser which now displayed Kino’s coat, a folding chair and desk. Everything was fixed securely.

There were no windows in the room; it was completely enclosed with walls. In one wall, a big monitor was installed. Half of it displayed the morning scenery, and the other half displayed darkness, indicating the current time of the day.

Hermes was parked right beside the entrance, occupying half of the free space. He was propped on his side stand and fixed with a belt so he would not fall. There was not a single speck of dust in the room.

Kino came out of a door beside the room. She was wearing a pair of blue pajamas with ‘Room No. 41’ printed above the chest. She briskly wiped her wet hair with a towel, hung it on her neck, and sat on the bed.

Kino spoke. “Without a doubt, this is the first time I’ve seen a country with so much hot water I can use.”

“Since that water is being recycled, I bet it will end up as your drinking water tomorrow,” Hermes teased.

“I couldn’t care less. It’s still better than drinking muddy river water filtered with a cloth.”

“I guess so. By the way, what’s up with those pajamas?”

“They’re for guests. I went ahead and borrowed one. There were also lots of towels.”

Just as Hermes interjected, the room shook as if there was a weak earthquake.

“I wonder if it can climb over rocks, too. —— Ah, it stopped. Do you think it’s broken?”

“It only moves this much. Amazing, huh?”

Kino hung the towel on the wall and took out Woodsman hidden underneath her pillow. She extracted it once from its holster and looked at it. Then she put it back to its hiding place.

“Do you think things would work out?”

“Who knows? We’ll know in four or five days. —— I’m going to sleep.”

Kino rolled on the bed and wrapped herself with the thin blanket.

“Oh, Kino——”

“Let’s leave chatting for tomorrow. Good night,” she said to Hermes, and then, “Um…, ‘turn off’ ‘all lights’.”

The lights in the room and the monitor turned off.

“A clean bed… white sheets…”

In the darkness, Kino murmured and soon fell asleep.

—

The next morning.

Kino got up and turned on the lights and the monitor. The monitor now displayed the outdoor scenery — the forest and the southern mountain range bathed with the morning glow.

Hermes spoke as she got up from bed, “Good morning, Kino.”

“… That’s rare, Hermes. Good morning.”

Kino headed to the bathroom, Hermes speaking to her back.

“I wasn’t able to say it last night——”

Kino disappeared into the bathroom…

“Wha…!”

… and let out a surprised voice from inside.

“If you sleep without drying your hair completely, it will look terrible the next morning.”

—

“What about work?”

“Nothing. ‘The machine already works wonderfully by itself, and even if there’s any work, we wouldn’t let a guest do it,’ he said a little angrily, and added, ‘More than that, you should go sightseeing or relaxing.’”

Kino and Hermes stood idly under the blue sky. Kino pushed Hermes until the entrance to the park and propped him on his stand. Kino was clad in her jacket, but she was not wearing her hat or goggles. She also removed her persuaders along with their holsters.

“It’s so comfortable, isn’t it? Don’t you feel like taking an afternoon nap?” asked Hermes, who was not loaded with luggage today.

“That may be a good idea.”

Kino pushed Hermes and entered the park.

The sunbathing residents talked to Kino when they saw her. Everyone heard of Kino and Hermes’ arrival in the news last night. They thanked her for coming, and admired her for being able to travel alone on a single vehicle.

Kino borrowed a deck chair and spent time leisurely looking at the sky. At lunchtime, she climbed up to the marketplace at the center of the park and heartily ate lunch made from farm-grown vegetables and chicken.

After lunch, Kino observed a group of ten-year-olds assembled at the entrance to the park. Tens of children gathered, carrying toolboxes with them. They were led to the inside of the walls.

She asked a nearby resident what it was about.

“Oh, they will be creating a mural as commemoration for this year’s group of graduating schoolchildren.”

“A mural?”

“That’s right. Everyone will paint a big picture while riding a gondola suspended from the wall.”

Then the resident urged her to see it, as it was supposedly an interesting sight.

“What are we going to do, Kino?”

“We’re free anyway and I’m interested.”

“Okay. If we’re going to ride on top of the walls, we don’t have to ride on a car.”

Kino started Hermes’ engine and climbed the hill road towards the road on top of the wall. The wind was rather strong.

A large crane vehicle was parked on the north side of the wall. With two cranes, an oblong gondola could be lowered along the guide rails stuck on the wall. Beside it, the children were lined up, wearing helmet and lifelines, happily yet somewhat nervously receiving their instructions.

Kino asked the teachers permission to observe, and stopped Hermes as much as she can at the edge of the road. So that he wouldn’t fall, Kino tied and fixed him on the railings, and tied the lifeline she borrowed beside it.

The children rode the gondola, and it was slowly lowered down. They started to daub paint on the gray walls with big brushes. They carefully traced after a draft that was already drawn on the wall.

“I can’t see what they’re drawing from here.”

And so, the teachers showed Kino and Hermes a monitor. The image painted was a huge snow-peaked mountain range with a tropical rainforest and a group of wild animals before it. It was a huge picture; one would wonder whether the animals were drawn life-size. It was almost complete. Only a small draft drawn at the bottom was left.

“After discussing among themselves, all of the pupils will draw the scene that left them the deepest impression. This scene was a land we passed by four years ago. It was a really beautiful and memorable place. Everyone would climb up the walls and gaze tirelessly at it. It will be completed in a few days. By the way, when I was a child, we painted the picture of a huge crater we found in the wilderness.”

“What are you going to do with this picture after its completion?”

“First we will take a picture, and then we will varnish it. It will adorn the wall for five hundred days — until the graduation of the next batch of students.”

“I see.”

Kino leisurely sat across Hermes and watched the picture being drawn.

—

It soon became dark, and the evening sun set in the direction they were headed.

Kino and Hermes viewed the sun setting between the mountain ranges through the monitor in their room.

—

The next day, that is, the morning of the third day since they entered the country.

Kino woke up at dawn. The sky reflected in the monitor was dull and slightly cloudy, foretelling the rain that will fall at any time. Hermes seemed like he was enjoying as he changed channels.

[The work on the mural will be postponed for today.]

So said the announcement about the previous day’s mural.

[It seemed that even the traveler was really interested in it.]

“I didn’t notice.”

“Well, well.”

A big, blurry image of Kino and Hermes gazing at the work on the mural was shown.

Kino proceeded with her usual light exercises. Then she practiced with her persuaders and started their maintenance afterwards. She disassembled the revolver ‘Canon’ and the automatic Woodsman, applied oil, loaded them with bullets, and returned them to their holsters.

Then she took out the disassembled rifle-type persuader tied on the cover of her bag. After the maintenance and operation check of its two parts,

“Are you going to use that?”

“Who knows?” was her answer to Hermes’ question. She carefully wiped the lens of the scope, disassembled it again and returned it to the bag.

—

After taking a shower, Kino pushed Hermes along and headed to the restaurant. She first went out to the corridor and out to the streets. On the streets, she exchanged greetings with the people headed towards their workplace.

Upon securing Hermes beside a desk, Kino received her breakfast of vegetables. All the plates were made deeper than usual, and can be screwed into the trays. Moreover, the trays were fixed on the tables.

Having found Kino, the guide who was also the inspector, the police officer, and so on, asked permission to sit in front of Kino. He asked about Kino’s impression of the country, to which Kino answered with all honesty. The guide laughed cheerfully.

After finishing her after meal tea, and when Kino was about to stand up, an alarm went off in the dining hall. It was a high-pitched sound painful to the ears. The red light on the wall started to rotate.

“What is it?”

“A fire?”

“Go to your work posts. Don’t trip from panic,” the police (aka guide, inspector, etc.) ordered the people around him, and then turned to answer Kino and Hermes’ questions.

“This alarm means that a nearby country was detected along our route. I will be going to my post as an ambassador…. Do you want to observe?”

—

The alarm changed into slow music, and an announcement instructing the commoners to go to their rooms flowed out.

Riding the man’s car, Kino and Hermes arrived in a room with ‘Driving Command Post’ written on it, and entered. Inside was a space similar to a ship’s bridge, with a number of people seated on their seats in front of control boards. In front, several large monitors were lined up.

Among the seated people wearing the same jackets, there was a middle-aged woman sitting in a comfortable chair. She saw the man who was now serving as an ambassador, and spoke to him with a laid-back tone.

“So you’ve come. We’ll be counting on you. —— Oh, miss traveler. Hello there. I am this country’s president. Please, enjoy your observation.

Kino returned a bow. She sat in the seat offered to her, and was told to fasten her seatbelt. Hermes was secured beside her.

Kino and Hermes’ gaze fell into the group of monitors lined up before them. A number of them were displaying the situation outside the country. There were also some displaying the mural. And at the center, on a big monitor similar to a movie screen, the scenery right ahead was displayed.

Spread below the cloudy sky was the same scenery as two days before, a forest between two mountain ranges. And beyond this forest was a country.

“This again… of all things,” the man said in surprise.

“Quite worrying, isn’t it?” the president said.

Its wall was made of stones put together. There was nothing unusual about it. However, it was not circular. It stretched across on a straight line — one end extended up to the northern mountain while the other end extended to the south. It was like a dam, completely obstructing the plain.

“It’s a ‘blockade’, huh?” the man said. Slowly, the walls inside the screen became closer.

The monitor zoomed in, and they saw soldiers lining up cannons above the walls in a state of panic. A directing arrow pointed at it on top of the terminal screen. The man took a microphone in his hand. He asked to have a discussion with their representative through the wireless.

Eventually, a radio correspondence mixed with noise began. A man, who claimed to be the general of the other side asked, ‘What in the world are you?!’

“We are a country in constant migration,” the ambassador explained simply. “We have a request of you. Since we are traveling due west, we would like permission to go across your country.”

—

The person on the other end of the line was at a loss for words, and then replied that they could not possibly allow such a thing.

“I knew it,” Hermes muttered.

“But you see, your country is completely blocking off the plain with your walls. With that, our country has no place to go through,” the man said.

‘This is a territory our country expanded into with great effort over a long period of time. A foreign country does not have any right to complain against it. If you get any closer, you will be violating our territorial rights and we will commence attack,’ the reply came.

“We have no intention of fighting a pointless war with you. We only want to pass through. Please tell us which part of your country will be all right for us to traverse.”

‘How can we allow something like that!’ the angry reply was heard.

“Prepare the dome. Set up two cameras. One to the rear left, and one within the country,” the man gave out instructions to the people sitting before him.

The small monitor displayed the road on top of the wall. Its center split, from which several armored panels resembling fingernails slowly appeared. The panels built a huge dome together with the top of the wall.

‘I see. We do not wish to fight a pointless battle either, but if that is your intention, you leave us no choice but to resolve this situation using the military power we have for defending ourselves,’ came the response from the wireless. After that, a war was officially proclaimed, and soon, the lined up cannons on the wall spouted flames all at once.

“What a troublesome bunch…,” the man muttered, and soon, the monitor reflected the walls and the dome being hit by the shells. It was covered with the explosion’s flame and smoke which soon cleared away. The wall as well as the dome was only slightly burned, and no sound or tremor even reached the command post.

Amidst being struck by cannon fire without restraint, the moving country continued to get closer to the walls.

“It’s about time. Please prepare the cameras.”

At the man’s orders, one part of the wall opened, from which two spheres were sent flying out. Like two gigantic soccer balls, the black and white spheres pulled a wire and drew a parabolic trajectory.

One fell inside the forest, while the other one went over the walls of the other country and fell inside. It crushed a wooden hut into pieces, rebounded, and fell on top of a field.

The images captured by the spherical cameras were displayed in the monitor.

The first one reflected the image of the whole country as seen from the rear left as it slowly approached the walls ahead while being bombarded with cannon fire.

The other one displayed the scenes inside the country before them: the interior of the tall walls, the soldiers transporting the cannon shells, the western walls which could be dimly seen from afar. To the north, a town crowded with stone houses and buildings could be seen. Other than this, almost the whole expanse of the country was comprised of plains and fields.

After a while, a rush of soldiers headed to the camera, attacking it with rifle fire and grenade blasts. As a result, the image flickered and shook.

“Your excellency, it seems that we can pass through the fields. We wouldn’t have to stomp on so many houses,” the man said to the woman who was leisurely drinking tea in her chair.

“That’s great then. Let’s do that,” the president said without a care. The man pushed the microphone’s call button.

“Now then, we will pass through the rural area at the southern side of your country. Since we will increase our speed, I believe it wouldn’t take half a day. Please rest assured.”

‘We won’t allow you to do such a thing. Even without our cannons, our staunch walls will protect us,’ came the reply. Ignoring this, the man gave out orders to the people seated before him.

“Cut down the walls. There at the left side, at the area where no cannons are lined up would be good.”

“Roger,” they replied. A ray of light appeared in the monitor. The bright yellow light fired from the moving country and extended straight towards the walls.

“……”

“It’s a high-energy laser. It’s similar to Woodsman’s laser sight,” Hermes gave an explanation to Kino who was staring in surprise.

The laser hit, then ran from the top to the bottom of the wall. Then it moved to the left, then upwards. It cut through the stone wall as if it was paper.

‘W-what did you just do?!’

At the same time as the general’s impatient voice, the cut-off portion of the wall slowly collapsed to the front. During its fall, the stones at the top crumbled down and simultaneously collapsed to the ground like building blocks. Dust fluttered about.

“We have made ourselves a path.”

“Then let us pass through.”

So went the conversation between the man and the president. The moving country paused once and then started to move to the left. This was captured by the rear left camera. Amidst the tireless attacks of the cannon, the massive country covered with black smoke headed precisely towards the hole that it opened, then began to proceed straight ahead once more.

‘What a despicable thing to do! More importantly, if you were to cross our country, shouldn’t you pay a price for it?’ came the response from the wireless.

“Even if you say that… there’s nothing our country can give you. I’m truly sorry. To not cause you further trouble, we will leave immediately,” the man answered.

The wires were coiled to retrieve the two cameras, and then the moving country trampled on the mountain of rubble which used to be the wall, and entered the hole it opened for itself. It was only wide enough, without even allowing a single car to fit in the gaps on both sides.

After passing through the walls, the moving country started to traverse the country. The bombardments have stopped, and only the soldiers looking up with dumbstruck faces were displayed in the monitor.

The moving country violently ran through the distinct green line of fields in the spacious country. It dug its caterpillar legs into the ground and slightly increased its speed to that of a running person.

There was a house straight ahead. It was a large house, and on its side was a silo built for storing harvested crops.

“Ah, there’s a house.”

At the same time as the man’s remark, the general’s voice was heard, ‘There’s a house ahead! Stop advancing!’

“General, it’s really rude of us, but please tell the people in the house to evacuate since it’s dangerous.”

The country did not slow down. A truck arrived beside the house, and soldiers rushed in. They took out several people. Among them, there was an old woman who refused to get on the truck. She turned to the moving country and shouted something hysterically. She threw stones that didn’t reach their mark, and sat down in protest.

“How troublesome,” the man said towards the awe-inspiring figure of the woman who remained seated in place.

“It’s dangerous. Please move out of the way. You will get run over. Please move.”

The woman did not budge, and the moving country drew nearer. This time, the man directed his words to the soldiers.

“Soldiers over there. It is your duty to protect your citizens. Please help this person.”

Eventually, a number of soldiers carried off the woman to the truck. The truck ran off in a hurry. At the same time, the soldiers fired their persuaders from the windows of the truck.

The moving country trampled on the farm family’s silo, storehouse, main house, garage, and a large tree one after the other. After a while, they passed without a single jolt. In the rear monitor, the remains of the structures could no longer be distinguished.

“It seems we have passed through without much incident. That’s a good thing,” the man said as he sat leisurely in his chair and drank the mug of tea handed to him. Kino also accepted hers and drank.

‘To destroy the land we are blessed with in such a manner. Do you not consider the trouble, harm, and sorrow you cause the people of countries you step on? Do you not have that minimum consideration a human should be capable of?’

In reaction to the general’s words, Hermes asked Kino in a whisper, “They say such a thing, but what do you think?”

“… Let’s pretend we didn’t hear that,” Kino answered.

“I suppose you’re right.”

—

When the western wall was already clearly displayed at the center of the monitor, the man relaxing in his chair was called out by the people sitting in front.

“It seems like small missiles are being fired towards the side of the walls to where the mural is located. The Board of Education and the parents are asking us to deal with it.”

“Eh?”

The man got up and looked at the terminal screen. There was a large, damaged portion on the mountain part of the mural located at the wall on the right side. Another monitor reflected small four-wheel drives pulling platforms carrying pairs of small, anti-tank missiles. From there, the missiles, pulling their guide wires and trailed with black smoke, leapt straight towards the mural. After a small explosion, the lower part of the mural was burned off.

“So it was on purpose. What a cruel harassment. The children will be very sad. —— Shall we attack the vehicle with the laser?” the man asked the president. The president pondered for a moment, then asked the man,

“Can’t we just destroy their launchers?”

“That will be impossible. It is too strong. What shall we do?”

“We don’t want to have any more casualties. We’ll just have to explain to the children afterwards,” the president said, and the man turned to the front with a disappointed face.

“What about shooting them with a persuader?” Kino asked, and the man turned around.

“You mean sniping? That makes sense, but there is no one in our country who can do such a feat.”

“If it’s all right with you, allow me to do it,” Kino said.

—

“But it’s very dangerous.”

“I will be fine as long as I don’t get hit by cannons.”

“You don’t have to go this far, Miss Kino.”

“It’s my gratitude to you for letting me ride, and also for the sake of the children.”

The man and Kino exchanged words. The two were on the road on top of the wall with the mural, within the interior of the dome armor. The car they have ridden up to this place was beside them.

Kino, clad in her black jacket and hat, was carrying the already assembled automatic rifle Flute. She slapped a magazine containing nine rounds inside the rifle, and loaded the first shot.

“It looks like they’re yet to attack. The platforms containing the missiles are following the vehicles. It seems like they will have to stop first before attacking.”

The man showed Kino the monitor he was holding. The four-wheel drives rode in a queue, lined up horizontally, then stopped. The soldiers rotated each pair of missile launchers on the vehicle platforms to the outside, targeting the mural.

“Please open it,” Kino said, and the man pushed a switch on the monitor. A small door made for people to pass through slid open. From there, Kino held Flute between her arms, and crept above the road. The man sent her a lifeline from behind.

A weak wind blew from outside. Kino crawled to the edge of the wall as much as she could, and slowly exposed a bit of Flute’s barrel through the gap between the railings.

“Miss Kino. It looks like they’re going to fire soon.”

The man’s voice was heard from behind. Kino remained prostrate, aiming below. Through the scope, she saw a soldier peeking from a launcher placed beside the vehicle. Kino released the safety.

Shrill gunshots were heard in succession.

And at that moment, the soldier at the side of the vehicle took his eyes off the equipment in surprise. The huge lens of the equipment was shot out and destroyed.

Kino destroyed the lined up launchers one after another. However,

“!”

The last one was able to fire missiles before she destroyed it. Along with a black smoke, it drew closer to the mural below her. Kino got up.

She exposed her body in a half-rising posture. The monitor zoomed in on her form carrying Flute. There was no sound, but the tremor from the recoil, as well as the empty cartridges being ejected indicated that Kino was rapid-firing the rifle. And in another monitor, two missiles flying towards the mural exploded in mid-air.

—

Taking a good look from the sky, one would see two walls parallel to each other stretched between two mountains. Within the borders was a country.

Far south from the center populated with many buildings was an expanse of green fields. Over there was a perfectly straight and wide brown line. At its tip was an enormous dome, slowly proceeding ahead.

The western wall was cut down with a laser, and slowly crumbled down.

—

The moving country trampled on the remains of the wall. The man took the microphone.

“We have successfully passed through. We are truly sorry for making such a ruckus.”

‘We demand your apology and remuneration for the walls, houses, vehicles, and fields you destroyed. Our country has every right to ask for this. Cease your movement and respond to our negotiations,’ the general’s voice was trembling in anger.

“No matter what the reason is, the one who commenced the war earlier was you, and since we haven’t lost, we have no reason to give you any compensation. We will probably never come to this land a second time. We do not hold a grudge against you, and wish that many plants will grow once more over this land, and that you spend the rest of your lives in peace. That is all, and goodbye,” the man said calmly, and cut off the correspondence.

—

The next day.

That is, the morning of the fourth day since Kino entered the country.

The country, with the rising sun behind them, once more proceeded at a speed of a walking person. The dome could no longer be seen. The mountain range at the southern side was already gone, and an endless prairie continued to the west and south. Thin streaks of clouds were floating high in the clear sky.

“If it only takes that much power, then I suppose it’s a simple thing for you to destroy, subjugate, and take control of foreign countries,” Kino said. She was wearing her black jacket, hat, and holsters on her right thigh and back. Her goggles were hanging down her neck. Hermes beside her was piled up with all her luggage. They were on the road inside the country.

“Well, it sure looks that way, but——” The guide (aka ambassador, inspector, etc.) said. Behind him was a car.

“We do not wish for such a life. We are still sufficiently happy. It’s not like we’re starving. If we do that, we would turn the whole world into our enemies — a foolish thing to do. But what you have witnessed yesterday is a rare thing. Not so much as destroying countries, we often tread on streets, demolish dikes, and dig up graves.”

“Even so, you would still continue your migration?” Hermes asked, and the man nodded.

“Yes. We have decided that such things are inevitable. No matter what kind of human or country, its existence will bring trouble to other people or countries to some extent.”

—

“Thank you for having us. We would have stayed longer, but since it was decided that you will be taking the southern route, it can’t be helped. It’s quite regrettable.”

“There’s one last thing I would like to tell you,” the man began. “Miss Kino. Though it may come off as rude, please allow me to say this. Don’t you want to become a citizen of this country, to stay and travel with us? We would gladly welcome you.”

“It’s a real pity, but we would like to continue traveling on our own,” Kino said decisively. The man, as if he was expecting it, smiled gently.

“I see. Please take care.”

Kino expressed her thanks for the fuel, ammunition, and portable rations. The man conveyed to her the children’s appreciation for what she has done.

An announcement stated that they will be stopping soon. The country stopped moving and the door slowly opened.

Kino once more exchanged words of thanks and parting with the man. Then she descended down the door without starting Hermes’ engine. When she has landed on the ground and looked back, the door was already closing, gradually hiding the man’s waving figure from view.

Kino started Hermes’ engine. Along with its rumble, she slowly began to run westward.

The country moved and turned ninety degrees to the south. When Kino looked back, there, above the slightly damaged mural, the helmet-wearing children were lined up, waving their hands.

—

A motorrad was running due west on a level prairie.

The boisterous sound of its engine reverberated, scaring away birds.

“It’s been a long time.”

“Yeah. Just as I thought, I still preferred this way.”

Hermes and Kino said.

“That was an interesting country. And such a nuisance, too.”

“Which one are you referring to?” Kino asked with a smile.

“Both of them, I suppose. That ‘blockade country’ obstructed the plains on purpose so that they could extort money and goods from everyone who wanted to go through.”

“It was too high a price. If only they asked for anything other than Woodsman, like labor or something, I would have gladly complied just so I could pass through.”

“I wonder… Right about now, they must be repairing that wall desperately.”

“Maybe,” Kino said while laughing, then muttered casually, “I wonder where that country will go to from now on…”

“Who knows? But there’s one thing I can say for sure.”

“… What?” Kino asked, and Hermes immediately answered.

“For several hundred days, your image posing with a rifle will decorate their mural.”

“Isn’t that’s a bit… embarrassing?”

“A nuisance?” Hermes asked.

“Not to that extent, I suppose,” Kino answered.

Translator’s Notes

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