“So…… the job at the village this time went well, then?”
“Yes……”
“Yes……”
Inside the Village Chief’s house, Aoi, Irias, and Verdi were made to sit in seiza (kneeling position) and reflect on their actions. Even though the work went smoothly this time too, they were getting a huge scolding from the Village Chief for using dangerous magic.
If a forest fire were to occur, they would have to abandon the village, and if the flames of a fire stood out, the village’s secrecy would thin, and it would attract attention. Being scolded was inevitable.
“Aoi, Verdi, you two have always been up to nothing but mischief since long ago……. You are adults, so settle down a little.”
“Yes……”
“Yes……”
“Irias, you are supposed to be the restrainer for these guys, aren’t you? Don’t always get pushed around by these two.”
“I-I don’t recall ever becoming the restrainer for these two……”
“Answer me.”
“Yes……”
It was Irias who always got dragged around by the two and drew the short straw.
“Well, it seems you completed the work without complaint. You all have difficult personalities, but your abilities are excellent. Handling a full-fledged job at that young age.”
“Hehe……”
“You’re making me blush……”
“W-wait a minute, please! I-I am normal……! Grouping me with Aoi and Verdi as having a difficult personality, I think that is wrong……!”
“Collective responsibility.”
“T-terrible……”
Irias slumped her shoulders in defeat. Because she was childhood friends with Aoi and Verdi, she had been made to take the losing role many times. Aoi and Verdi on either side of her patted Irias’s head as if to comfort her, but being comforted by the two root causes of the problem didn’t make her happy.
“So? Did you hear any concerning stories in the village?”
“Ah, y-yes, something big……”
The Village Chief sought information. This village was a closed village; just living normally, information from the outside did not come in. When going out to a village to work, obtaining information such as the recent state of the country and the situation in the surrounding regions was an important duty for those who went outside.
“Just the other day, the King of this country passed away, and the throne was succeeded by his eldest son, Gresdley. It is the birth of Gresdley VII.”
“Gresdley, huh. If I recall correctly, he……”
“Yes, in recent years he has been putting effort into inquisitions and witch hunts, and is considered a person who is running out of control.”
Hearing that, the Village Chief furrowed his brows.
“There are no concrete movements yet, but apparently, he has publicly stated that he will increase the number of inquisitors and strengthen their authority. Voices of worry are beginning to rise among the public that even innocent ordinary citizens might get dragged into it.”
Irias explained what she had heard.
Throughout history, witch hunts and inquisitions had been conducted in various parts of the world, resulting in many victims. Most of them were people unrelated to magic, and many people had been executed on false charges.
However, a small number among them included real mages.
Those who hid in places different from this village and lived quietly were flushed out by witch hunts and purged by the church. Therefore, mages were originally a rare existence, but their numbers had been reduced even further.
Strictly speaking, inquisitions and witch hunts are different types of things, but the flow of the times viewed them as almost identical, and the man who became the new King intended to pour his efforts into both.
“Pouring efforts into witch hunts, is it……. A nasty individual has become King……”
“It goes without saying, but the magic generally imagined by the public and the magic we use are completely different things. However, that does not matter to inquisitors. We should be careful of future movements.”
Real magic is only to the extent of viewing the flow of spirits and fate, and doing divination. The magic imagined by the world and real magic were vastly divergent.
“We can’t even summon demons or anything, though……”
“In the end, witch hunts are a rampage caused by falsehood born of mass hysteria. Logic does not apply.”
Suffering caused by disease, famine, and war demanded cruel sacrifices from the people.
“Hrmm……”
“…………”
The Village Chief stroked his beard, leaned his body, and let out a small breath. Irias asked anxiously.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
“Could it be, are you thinking about things like leaving this village? Village Chief?”
“Hrmm…… I am considering that as well, but……”
The Village Chief answered slowly while deep in thought.
“Realistically speaking, that too seems difficult, you see. Even if we fled outside the country, it’s not like there would be a convenient place to hide ourselves well, and it wouldn’t necessarily be completely safe either, you know.”
“……I hear the damage from the witch hunts is spreading beyond the country’s borders as well.”
“Besides, this village hasn’t been found by outsiders for a thousand years. Rather, going outside would have a higher possibility of encountering danger, you see.”
“That’s true.”
“Also……if we were to leave the village and flee abroad, we’d have to abandon the elderly. They don’t have the stamina to walk long distances anymore, you know……”
“…………”
Saying this, the village chief rubs his own legs. The elderly he speaks of, of course, included himself.
“Besides……”
“…………”
The village chief suddenly looks out the window. Following his gaze, the three of them also look at the scenery outside this room.
“We cannot abandon Shinju-sama (Divine Tree)……”
“Shinju-sama……”
Outside the window stands an enormous, enormous tree. Its trunk is thick, twisting imposingly, with branches and leaves stretching high toward the heavens. It sits majestically in the center of the village, and though over a thousand years old, it still flourishes with vibrant life force, displaying the strength of life itself.
It was a great tree revered and worshipped as the divine tree in this village.
“The village’s history is Shinju-sama’s history. For a thousand years, it has continued to watch over this small, small magical village. We cannot possibly abandon this one now and move to another land.”
“…………”
“However……”
The village chief continues.
“Even so, above all else, the lives of the young must come first. If there’s a prospect of relocating, we’ll relocate the village. To do that, we must first search for land where we can hide.”
“……Is that alright? Village chief?”
“It’s fine. For the sake of the children’s lives, Shinju-sama would forgive us.”
The village chief smiles gently and looks at the three before him. They feel a ticklish sensation in their chests. Then the village chief slowly turns his face toward the divine tree again.
“We elderly cannot manage it. We can no longer walk far, and we’ve lived long with Shinju-sama. Just sixty years……compared to Shinju-sama’s life, it’s fragile, but still, we can no longer part from Shinju-sama.”
“…………”
Hearing those words, the three had no choice but to fall silent. Abandoning this village meant they would also have to abandon the village chief and the elderly.
They knew how deeply the elderly of this village revered Shinju-sama. The longer one lived, the more impossible it became to abandon what one had long venerated.
“……The Church is cornering the mages, is it……?”
“……Even though we’re believers of the same religion.”
Though the Church labeled witches as evil heretics, this village had worshipped the same religion as the people living in this country and lived under unchanging customs. In fact, because they dealt with the mysteries of magic, mages tended to be more devout than ordinary people.
The devout being viewed as heretics. It was an ironic story.
“For now, we’ll watch the situation. Even if we end up having to abandon this village in the worst case, winter is coming soon. In the end, we cannot move right now.”
“That’s true.”
“Well, we’ve talked only about anxious matters, but this village hasn’t been found by outsiders for nearly a thousand years. As long as we stay inside here, it should be almost safe.”
“……Yes.”
Aoi nods at the village chief’s words. However, it was somewhat awkward.
“I hope so……”
As if the anxiety in her heart was seeping out, Aoi murmured softly.
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
BUY THE SOURCE MATERIAL TO SUPPORT THE AUTHOR !!!
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated. Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 2-10 additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
