Kino no Tabi:Volume7 Chapter4

“A Winter Tale” —D—

It was a small room.

At its center was a single wooden bed. There was no way two such beds would fit in the room.

A painting was hanging from the low, light brown wall. It was bordered in such a way that made it look like a large window. It depicted an angel with fluttering white wings amidst a scenery of blue sky and animals feeding on the grass of a green prairie.

There was not a single real window in this room. It was being faintly illuminated by a dim light bulb suspended from the ceiling.

A human was lying on the bed.

It was a middle-aged woman. She was covered in a thick blanket of a light green color, and her head was sunk into a big pillow. Her eyes were open and looking straight ahead, but there was nothing she was gazing at in particular. Her slow, thin breaths escaped from her lifelessly opened mouth.

There were five people around the bed.

Four of them were two men and two women who were wearing the same clothes. They were clad in no other color but white from head to toe — white aprons, white caps, and white masks. They were standing on both sides of the bed.

The fifth was a young person wearing a black jacket. Perhaps around mid-teens, she had a fearless face framed with short black hair. She was standing at the foot of the bed with a big cloth bag hanging down from her left hand.

The four in white gazed towards the person in the bed and began to chat. There was no reply, but as if there was, they continued the dialogue meant for five people.

It was talk about the past. It was a recollection of the things the five of them shared and enjoyed together. Occasionally, the four would laugh merrily.

The person dressed in the black jacket looked on and stood quietly without saying anything. It’s as if she were looking at a distant and alien world.

The conversation continued at length. As the four broke into a fit of laughter, a faint smile slowly formed on the feeble mouth of the person on the bed who was only strong enough to breath.

One of the four noticed this, and quickly called the attention of the other three with a gesture. The four peered at the face of the bedridden woman.

The person in black inserted her right hand inside the cloth bag. With her left hand, she separated the cloth bag from a smaller bag, and let it fall to the floor without a sound. The form of the object she was grasping with her right hand was gradually revealed.

It was a long and narrow black mass of plastic and metal.

She lifted it up. It sent forth a thin red light which stopped precisely into a tiny dot on the bedridden woman’s breast.

The four in white did not pay heed.

—

A low explosive sound echoed in the tiny room. Three times in succession. Three dry, metallic sounds were heard right after.

The person the four were watching intently suddenly trembled as if hit by a small amount of electric shock. The person’s head rose a little from the pillow, and as if it lost strength, sank back into the pillow once more. Her eyes were still slightly open, but her thin respiration came to a stop. Slowly but steadily, a dark red stain appeared on the portion of the blanket where the chest was located. It didn’t spread out any further.

The person in black was gripping the hand persuader (Note: A gun. In this case a pistol) with both hands. It was a 9mm automatic with a built-in safety in the trigger. It was attached with a laser sight and a cylindrical suppressor (restrains the sound of the gunfire). Three empty cartridges rolled on the floor.

The four turned around.

One pair of eyes between the white mask and cap glared at the person holding the persuader.

“[Heretic, what a thing to do!]” The man said with a soft voice.

“[I killed because I wanted to kill.]” The person in black answered in a similarly soft voice.

“[Heretic, leave this place.]”

“[That I shall do.]”

After the short interchange, the person in black returned the persuader in the bag. She laid her hands on the door behind her and pushed it open.

One of the four gently closed the eyelids of the deceased, and then called out to the person in black who was about to go out.

“Thank you. …Thank you very much.”

Without answering the voice heavy with emotion, the person clad in black quietly disappeared from the room.

—

There was a gate.

The country was surrounded by high walls made out of gigantic rocks put together. There was only a single enormous door made of steel. It was tightly shut.

There was an expanse of forest just outside the country. It was a forest dense with tall and slender conifers.

It was covered with snow as deep as a child is tall. The ground was completely invisible. Amidst the damp atmosphere, the low clouds created a sky of a greyish shade.

A corridor began beside the closed gate. Its tall, gabled roof continued straight into the forest. It was laid out with stone paving, and on both sides were sturdy fences to keep out the snow. The weir-like corridor was sandwiched between the piles of snow fended off by the roof.

There was a small door for people to pass through beside the massive gate. Stones were affixed on the door, making it indistinguishable. Soon this door opened inwards with a gentle creaking sound.

The person in black came out from the door holding a bag. On her right thigh was a holster that was not there before. Inside it was a high caliber revolver.

Two guards followed her from behind. The guards were holding long spears in their hands, and they were wearing military uniforms adorned with ceremonial ornaments.

The guards stood on both sides of the door. The gazes underneath their decorated helmets were sharp. As the person in black looked back, the guards tapped the stone floor by their feet with their spears, creating a solid sound.

“[Heretic, murderer of our brethren, leave this country at once!]” One of the guards spoke in a stern and loud voice.

The person in black placed the bag containing the persuader by the guard’s feet. She spoke with no visible change in her expression.

“[I understand. I will leave this country right away.]”

Then she straightened up and turned away from the guards. She took a step towards the corridor inside the forest. The thin layer of snow crunched beneath her footsteps.

The guards remained standing on attention, but their stiff expressions crumbled down. One of them called out to the person in black with a tone of familiarity.

“We will send them later, as always.”

The person did not look back, and answered.

“I understand. Please leave it at the usual place.”

“Roger, Miss Kino. Thank you very much.”

The guard positioned his spear in front of his body.

—

The person in black called Kino slowly proceeded through the corridor. On both sides, there were pillars lined up in regular intervals, and the gentle snowdrifts beyond.

The sky became dimmer, and rain began to fall as if some unknown omen. The damp and heavy snow was strewn all at once. It fell endlessly without making the slightest sound.

Kino stopped in her tracks and looked left and right.

The snow falling in the space between the snowdrift and roof of the corridor gave off a sensation; one of being drowned in a continuously rising world.

“……”

After looking for a while, Kino eventually faced forward and continued her walk along the corridor.

Behind Kino, the angry peals of bells were heard from the country.

—

At the end of the corridor was a lone building.

It was a big building standing in isolation inside the forest. It was sturdily built out of stone and lumber. The corridor was connected to the entrance of the big, chimneyed, box-shaped building. Beyond, there was a long and narrow hallway lined up with rooms. Thick snow has accumulated on the roof, and a number of icicles were hanging down from it.

Kino brushed off the snow at her feet as she stepped up the high entrance. She opened the sliding door and entered the building.

There was a big living room immediately upon entry. The furniture was uniform and there were fireplaces and wood stoves on both ends of the room. The forest scenery could be seen beyond a large glass window. The snow continued to fall in the pale darkness.

Kino continued to the interior of the corridor and entered the first room. An electric light lit up as she pushed open a switch at the side.

Inside the room was a bed, a desk, a chair, and a small dresser, above which was a big traveling bag. Warm curtains were closed over a window. A motorrad (Note: A two-wheeled vehicle. Only to note that it cannot fly) was parked in one corner of the room.

“Ah, good morning,” said the motorrad, though the sun was about to set.

“Good morning, Hermes.”

“Welcome home. How’s work?” the motorrad called Hermes asked Kino.

“There were three people,” answered Kino.

“That’s a lot. That’s why you were late.”

“Yeah——”

—

The next morning, Kino woke up at dawn.

Snow was still falling down vehemently. The sky was a dark gray. Other than the forest scenery, only the snow lashing in different directions could be viewed beyond the window.

She used the empty living room for her light exercises. Kino practiced her quick draw with ‘Canon’ and performed its maintenance afterwards.

Kino took a shower using the warm water drawn from inside the country and changed her clothes.

On one side of the building was a firewood shed. There was also a big stone box beside it. Kino opened it and took out some potatoes, onions, and sausages stored inside.

She hewed enough firewood to burn in the kitchen stove. Then she recklessly placed a frying pan above the flames, tossed the chopped ingredients inside it all at once and brought it to a boil. She ate half of it for breakfast.

She boiled water in a small cup, and drank her tea.

The sun has risen way above the clouds, and it has become a bit brighter outside. Snow was still falling.

Kino came back to the room and pushed Hermes into the living room. She set him up on his center stand beside the window.

“Ah, Kino. The bell?” Hermes asked.

“There’s none today,” Kino answered.

—

Firewood was burning in the fireplace, and it has become warmer indoors.

Kino took off her jacket and sat on a chair in the living room wearing her shirt. On the desk, various sizes of knives were lined up neatly along with a small bottle containing oil, and a sharpening stone.

“Done. I don’t have anything else to do for today,” Kino said.

“You have free time, eh. What about a round of shiritori?” Hermes suggested. Snow was still falling beyond the slightly cloudy windows.

Kino made a bitter face. “I will lose because you use weird words…”

“Eh? But, there really is a dish called ‘Susannas’.”

“…… Maybe I should have my lunch…”

Kino arranged the knives and put them in the pouches and the bag.

Kino took the covered frying pan beside the window. She thrust it into the fireplace as it is.

She ate the warmed food, washed the frying pan with melted snow, and hung it back in its place.

While Kino was drinking her after meal tea, she heard footsteps by the entrance, and then there were several knocks on the door.

“Oh, how rare. We have guests,” Hermes said, and Kino stood up.

“Just like us.”

—

“This must be it, there’s no doubt. ——Well, there’s nothing else in this forest anyway.”

It was a man in his forties. His face and chin was covered with beard, and his hair down his back was tied together messily. He was wearing winter clothes and a wool hat. He was carrying a big luggage on his back, and was walking on top of the snow using handmade wooden snow shoes.

“I’m a traveler. My name is Dis. I was told by the guards to come here. It’s nice to meet you.”

“I’m Kino. This here is my partner, Hermes.”

“Hello there.”

The man called Dis set down his luggage by the entrance, and remarked at the exquisiteness of the place. He removed the snow shoes outside, took off his winter clothing, and emerged in his sweater.

Kino offered him a seat. Dis thanked her, sat down, and gave a big sigh of relief. Then he told her that he was traveling with a horse when it collapsed in the snow, and he ended up getting caught in a terrible snowstorm. He managed to arrive in the country that morning.

And then he spoke to Kino. “I was quite surprised to see someone as young as you on a journey.”

“Someone like me?”

“Well, please don’t be offended. But for someone to go about exiling himself from his homeland and wander about on a journey — there must be ‘a certain reason’. To put it bluntly, most travelers are people who are no longer needed in their homelands, for one reason or another. I have nothing to hide, I am one such person. And there’s really no need to cross-examine each other. Let’s just get along,” Dis said cheerfully. Kino lightly nodded without changing her expression.

“You see, I came here without the least bit of an idea about this country. It’s fun that way though. After the entry procedures, I wasn’t surprised at all when they told me I had to earn my keep if I wanted to stay here until spring; in fact it’s quite the opposite. When they realized that I didn’t know a thing, they only told me to come here and ask you for the details. If I work, I would be able to stay here, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Not to boast, but I have a skill that is popular in any kind of country; something that would earn me money anywhere I go. I’ll probably get rich soon.”

“I see. But——” Kino continued, “In this country, what we will be doing will not need that much skill.”

Dis was slightly taken aback. “Is that so…? Well, what are we going to do then?” he asked Kino.

Kino remained expressionless as she answered the question.

“We will be killing people from this country.”

—

Kino explained everything to Dis, with Hermes butting in at times.

Because of a peculiar religion, ‘medical treatment’ was unknown in this country.

According to their doctrine, it was unforgivable for a person to perform some process on another person’s body. It was their God’s will. All humans have their place in nature; therefore, humans have to live in nature the same way as animals, and rely on their own bodies’ capacity to heal. Other than giving birth naturally, humans also have to die naturally. Any form of medical treatment or surgical operation done by other people are all artificial, and hence, evil. It’s the best-known way for the soul to be denied passage to heaven.

No person can intervene with an injury or illness. The body should heal on its own. The only thing the people around could do is to confine the patient and give him food and water when he asks for it.

Whether it’s a light injury or illness, or something serious, it is only natural to leave it as is and wait for the results. Because of this, almost all of the people in this country experience pain until they finally die ‘naturally’.

And in time, requests to put out of misery the people who were beyond hope appeared. However, their countrymen could not kill them. It’s considered murder — a one-way ticket to hell.

There was only one way to reach heaven without dying naturally. A doctrine in use during times of war states that a person killed by a heretic would go to heaven without question.

In short, it’s a ‘trip to Mars’. ‘Martyrdom?’ ——Yeah, that’s it.

A long, long time ago, they asked a traveler who was staying in the country to do this for them. The traveler accepted and killed the patient. As punishment, he was banished outside the country—— and received a reward from the family of the person he killed.

Eventually, the private requests were managed by the government. They built a place ‘outside the country’ for travelers to stay in, and upon accomplishing the requests, they will have to ‘leave the country’ as punishment. They will be promised a reward of food and other things, but they were especially prohibited to reenter the country after all is over.

To prevent them from residing permanently, the longest a heretic could stay was ninety days, or one season. There were people who stay for just one day and leave immediately, and there were also those who stay up until the last moment. During winters with particularly heavy snowfall, it’s either no one comes, or someone would stay until spring.

And then, Kino told him that she has already spent thirty days, and plans to stay until the snow was light enough to ride on.

—

Dis did not say a word. He listened to the explanation, all the while having a sullen expression on his face.

After narrating these circumstances, Kino then gave a simple explanation of the building they’re now in. It has many rooms in its interior, and it has electricity, water, and their daily supply of food and firewood. It will be the joint property of the people living in it. However, the euthanasia requests will have to be equally shared between them, and will be handled alternately. Those were the conditions.

“For the killing itself, they will be lending us a persuader and bullets at the gates. After the job is done, we will be treated like ‘heretics’, but there will be no problems as long as we answer properly.”

And then Hermes asked, “Okay, any questions?”

“I have.” At last, Dis opened his mouth to speak.

“So far, among the people you have ‘euthanized’, were there some… no, was there even one who could have been saved by the medical technology in the country you were born in?”

Kino pondered for a while and answered, “Probably.”

“If that’s the case…, then what you have been doing could be considered as ‘murder’, right?”

“I guess so.”

“Is murder… legal in your country?”

“Who knows? I don’t really understand perfectly how ‘the world of adults’ work.”

“……”

“Do you have any other questions? If none, then that’s it.”

“……. It’s murder. I can’t do something like that.”

“Is that so?”

“……”

Hermes questioned Dis, who was still glaring at Kino.

“Mister, you said it yourself, haven’t you? You went on a journey because you were driven out of your country for ‘a certain reason’. Until this day, have you no ‘experience’ in killing a person, not even once?”

Dis was surprised for a moment and his expression became dark. Then he shook his head.

“No…. I do have.”

“If that’s the case——” Kino spoke. “Then there’s no need for me to keep you here. There’s no reason for that.”

—

Evening.

Dis was sitting on the bed inside the room he had chosen. A small lamp was attached on the ceiling. A small leather briefcase was placed on top of the table. Beside it were the paper pack remains of his portable rations.

Outside the window, snow was falling soundlessly in the dark.

“What on earth… I shouldn’t have come to this kind of country…,” Dis muttered. He slowly shifted his gaze to the leather briefcase.

“What on earth… What in the world…”

He continued to mutter words nobody could hear.

—

Kino was in her own room, sitting on top of her bed. A small lamp was attached on the ceiling, its reflection distorted on Hermes’ tank. The curtains were closed.

“‘It’s not something I would like to do, and I think it’s wrong,’…eh?” Kino muttered.

“Kino is Kino. Instead of worrying about that, you should plan what you would do once spring comes,” Hermes answered.

“Spring—— it’s still far off.”

—

Morning.

Color has returned slightly to the snowy forest by the end of the night. The gray color has turned into a brighter shade of light blue. The white snow and the green leaves, as well as the row of brown tree trunks appeared once more.

Kino came out to the living room from the corridor, opened the window and looked outside.

It has stopped snowing but the sky remained cloudy. The snow accumulated in the forest has become even thicker. There were no sound of chirping birds; only the sound of snow falling from the trees could be heard from time to time.

In this cold weather, Kino began to move her body. After her warm-up exercise, she practiced her quick draw.

She took a shower and changed her clothes. She slung Canon on her waist belt, and wore her black jacket on top of her white shirt. She tapped Hermes awake and set him up beside a chair in the living room.

Like the previous day, she made the same amount of the same kind of food.

Dis came to the living room just when Kino was having her after meal tea.

Kino was slightly surprised, and Hermes spoke.

“Who are you?”

Dis shaved off all of his beard, and carefully cut his hair short. He looked rather young.

Dis still had his gloomy expression from the night before. He exchanged morning greetings with Kino and Hermes and sat in a chair.

“You did that by yourself?” Kino asked.

Dis said ‘yes’ and gave a small nod.

“You’re so good at it, I’m quite jealous.”

Dis did not answer. Kino pointed out to the frying pan in the kitchen. She told him that he could have the food she cooked for herself, and he doesn’t have to wash the frying pan afterwards.

Right then, they heard the bells tolling from the country. It resounded madly; the peals overlapped with one another.

“That bell is a signal to let the citizens know that ‘a heretic is going to attack’.”

Dis silently turned to the kitchen and reheated the contents of the frying pan, and then he returned to his seat.

“You’ll have to be warned before eating that.”

“……”

Dis looked at Kino once and then looked at the frying pan’s contents. Then he started to eat the food that Kino prepared.

“This is the daily menu. What will you have for today?”

“How was it?”

Kino and Hermes asked almost at the exact same time. Dis did not answer and continued to eat in silence.

He ate all of it and put the frying pan and fork aside. Dis looked at Kino. He was staring at her with the same sullen look he had the previous night. At last he spoke,

“I’ll go today.”

“I’ll go today, without complains,” he repeated as he stood up and disappeared into his room. Soon after, he came out wearing his hat and winter clothing. He was carrying a small leather briefcase.

“And I’ll make sure you won’t have to go starting tomorrow,” Dis said.

Kino slowly stood up from her chair. “What do you mean?”

“If there’s a way to save a person, I will save him.”

“How in the world?” Hermes asked from behind.

“Of course, by medical treatment.”

“Even if by some miracle you do happen to ‘persuade’ them, there are no doctors in this country. They might have never heard of ‘medical treatment’ either,” Kino said.

Dis nodded. “That may be true.”

“What are you going to do? Phone a doctor from some far-away place?” Hermes said, and this time, Dis slowly shook his head.

“There’s no need for that. ——There’s a doctor right here.”

Dis opened wide the bag for Kino and Hermes to see. First there were scalpels and files neatly lined up, along with a stethoscope and syringes. In the interior of the bag, there was a case containing various medical tools.

“……. I thought you were a barber.”

“That was a surprise.”

Kino and Hermes said. Dis nodded several times and closed the bag.

“I was a doctor. Haven’t I told you? ‘I have a skill that is popular in any kind of country.’”

“I see.”

“I get it.”

“I worked in the hospitals in the countries where I have dropped by. I learned things, and sometimes, taught them.”

“Okay, but why?” Hermes asked.

Dis smiled bitterly, “‘No reason’, I guess.”

“A ‘deal’ between Kino and you?”

“Hahaha,” Dis continued to laugh bitterly. And then,

“Then let me tell you — why I was deemed useless in my home country. It’s a pretty ridiculous story considering our situation here. To put it simply, ‘I was a doctor. I killed my patients on purpose because there was nothing that could have saved them.’”

“That means, you…,” Kino hesitated.

“That means you performed euthanasia,” Hermes blurted out.

“I told you that I have ‘experience’, haven’t I?”

“I see.”

Kino remained silent, waiting for Hermes’ words.

“In short that was the ‘certain reason’ you were talking of. Am I wrong?”

“Yes, exactly. I don’t mean to brag, but the medical field is rather advanced in my home country. I didn’t know it back when I was still there, but now that I think about it, ours was really much more advanced. I learned a lot of things there. But, even so, there are always patients who are ‘beyond hope’. No treatment or medicine could heal them, and all we can do is to ease their agony. But there was a limit to that too. I never thought that we doctors were lacking in terms of competency. But at those times, we were completely powerless.”

“And so, there were people who wanted to be put out of misery,” Hermes said.

“Yes. Those who can’t be healed with our current medical technology. Those whose pain can no longer be relieved. Such patients willfully desire a peaceful death… to end their suffering, to remain recognizable even with their broken bodies and mind, to be surrounded by the things and the people that they love, to ‘embark on their journey’ with a smile and an elegant farewell speech.”

“Like the people of the country closest to us?” Kino asked.

“Like the people of the country closest to us,” Dis answered, and continued, “But that is illegal in our country. There are various reasons, but at the end of the day, it all comes home to one conclusion: ‘No matter what the state of the patient is, no matter how many people wish for it, a doctor who performs euthanasia is a murderer.’”

“And you did it.”

“Yeah. But until I have decided, it wasn’t as easy as worrying ‘how much salt and pepper were sprinkled in my food’. I worried for several years.”

“Then, what happened?”

“I continued to live this double life for so many years. One side gives life, the other takes it. It’s ironic how I received gratitude for both. Then one day, I was suddenly arrested by the police.”

“Then, then?”

“The whole country was shocked with the number of people I have killed. Euthanasia became the talk of the town, but nothing has changed for me. I thought I would be given a life sentence at best, and death penalty otherwise. I have no idea what would happen to me, but I prepared myself for the worst. ——When I heard that I would be banished, I was oblivious of what was happening for a moment. It was like that.”

“I see. Now I get it. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Dis moved his gaze from Hermes to Kino.

“I’m sorry for bothering you with such a long story. I should be going now. I plan to do as much as I could. If it’s acceptable for them to have their countrymen killed by a heretic, then I will do it. But, I will do it using my own methods. My hands might slip, and treat a wound accidentally. Also I might mix a lethal medicine with one that is effective for a person’s illness. If as a result, the person recovers from it, then it is by his own body’s capacity, and I am not to blame.”

Kino asked, “I don’t know whether these people would buy that excuse without any objections. Even so, are you still going to do it?”

“Yes.”

“‘Do or die’, right?”

“Life is like that. The decisions made by the living become a choice between ‘life and death’. They’re related. Until now, I have let other people decide for me. From now on, I’ll decide for myself. Last night, I was thinking of what I should do. In the end, it’s not a question of ‘what I should do’ but of ‘what I want to do’.”

“I see…. What if I ‘persuade’ you to stop?”

Dis understood in an instant. “Ah, I see, so it’s like that——. If I succeed, then you won’t be able to stay here. In other words, you will lose your ‘job’ and ‘a place to stay’.”

“That’s right. Maybe I’d stop you even if I had to kill you. If it’s in order to live, maybe I wouldn’t hesitate.”

Kino glanced at Canon on her right thigh and placed her hand on her right waist.

“Is that a .44 caliber revolver? That’s a scary thing you have there. If you shoot me, I might die.”

“Yeah.”

“Even so I will still go,” Dis answered. He held his bag with his right hand, and tapped his chest with his left fist.

“When you shoot, please fire three at once to my heart. ——Don’t make me suffer,” were the words he left with a smile as he headed towards the entrance. He opened the door. The moment he went out of the building,

“I am wishing that the bells will not have to toll,” Kino said. Dis didn’t turn around, and only his voice returned.

“People can’t be saved with that ‘wish’.”

“I know.”

“Too bad.”

“Yeah, too bad.”

Dis began to walk, and his back became smaller as he advanced. The hand on Kino’s waist dropped until the holster.

Dis suddenly turned around. He faced Kino with a smile, and spoke with a loud voice. “Oh yeah, I forgot to say one thing!”

“What is it?”

“The food you cooked earlier. It was so delicious! Thank you. —— Bye.”

“……”

Shock was painted on Kino’s face. Without saying anything, she waited until his figure vanished from sight, and closed the door.

—

Noon passed by.

The snow has stopped falling.

The wind blew away the clouds and slowly, the blue sky became visible.

—

Evening came.

Red rays of light escaped from the gaps between the remaining clouds.

On the desk inside the living room, Kino disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled the automatic type she called ‘Woodsman’.

When she was finished, Kino lifted her face. Beyond the windows, water was continually dripping from the icicles.

The sound of footsteps was heard, and someone knocked at the door. The sound awoke the sleeping Hermes.

“We have guests.”

Kino holstered Woodsman and stood up.

“Miss Kino. Are you there?” came a voice. It was familiar.

“Oh, it’s just the guards,” Hermes said. Kino opened the entrance and invited the guards inside. One of the guards was carrying a wooden box. The other one was not carrying anything.

“Miss Kino, we have sad news for you,” the guard who always saw Kino off began.

“What would that be?”

The guard remained standing at attention, and proceeded with the news.

“[The heretic who entered our country today was in firm isolation after causing harm to our brethren who were fighting against their illnesses. It was the man who came here yesterday.]”

“……”

“Uh-huh, and then?”

“[The harm he inflicted upon our brethren was not serious, and our brethren soon recovered after demonstrating the strong natural healing powers of our kind. But we cannot possibly pardon this man’s actions, and so we restrained him. To never let such a thing happen again, he is to be punished, and we demand him to apologize to our brethren who are currently battling their afflictions. He was grateful for our lenient treatment, and accepted his punishment wholeheartedly. He wouldn’t come back to this place for a while. It is so that he wouldn’t exact the same harm again. If he were to do the same foolish thing once more, he will have to undergo this divine retribution for eternity.]”

“I see. What a troublesome guy.”

“True, true.”

“[Indeed. We have no inkling as to what goes on in his mind. As for you Miss Kino, we will have to restrict your entry and actions in the country until that man is reformed. From now on, we will not hand you a persuader when you come into the country.]”

“I understand.”

“[And lastly, though that man was a foolish criminal, we guaranteed him his living necessities, and will give him what we have in stock out of kindness. When we told him that, he brazenly declared: ‘I don’t eat much, so please give half to any other heretic under your care.]’”

“……”

“[We cannot consume what this criminal heretic has touched. But, the precious food given to us by God and nature cannot be thrown away as declared in our doctrine, and so we decided to dispose of them here. We will bring them every day, to you, and to all other people who would ask leave to reside in this place.]”

Then the other guard presented the wooden box he was holding. He opened the lid. Inside were the usual ingredients.

“[This is all we have to say! We are here to collect the criminal heretic’s belongings. Do you have a message you would like to convey to him?]”

“Yes. There’s just one thing,” Kino said with a smile.

“Go ahead.”

“I am sorry for making you eat that stuff. For some reason, you are the first one to say that it was delicious with a smile on your face.”

“What?” the guard’s stiff expression crumbled down.

From behind Kino, Hermes spoke with an amused tone,

“Master almost died from it, though.”

“That time I thought she was shot or something.”

The two guards looked at each other.

“[We’ll tell him exactly as you said it.]”

“Please do.”

And then the two guards carefully carried off all of Dis’ luggage and left the building.

—

The evening sun stained the world a bright red, and soon descended. The snow from the roof fell all at once with a loud sound.

Though it has become dark, the bell tolled once more in the country.

—

Evening.

Kino was in her own room, sitting on top of her bed. A small lamp was attached on the ceiling, its reflection distorted on Hermes’ tank.

Kino’s luggage was laid out on top of the bed.

Kino carefully put in order her folded shirts, hats, gloves, and other small accessories, and put them inside the bag.

After this, she closed the bag. She took the cup on top of the desk and slowly drank her tea, which has become a little cold.

“Say Kino, what will you do once spring comes?” Hermes asked, and Kino answered,

“Spring eh. Let’s see… Again——”

Translator’s Notes

Back to Chapter 3

Return to Main Page

Forward to Chapter 5