Tatakau Shisho Vol 1 Chapter 4

A BOMB, A LIBRARIAN, AND THE EVER-LAUGHING WITCH – PART 1

February 1, 2016Tgurneu

It was morning.

Colio spent the entire previous day in his room.

He didn’t know about the third bombing incident or about the fact that Hamyuts was heading towards the town.

He was sitting on his bed and staring at the wall.

Colio was only thinking about one thing – Calico Princess.

He didn’t even know her name. He couldn’t call her by her name.

Thinking about this made his heart ache. Her name. Even such a small thing seemed so important for Colio that he was prepared to risk his life for it.

“…Ever-Laughing Witch.”

Thus she was called. Both in the first and second Books, she was referred to as a witch.

But he didn’t want to call her this way. She barely had a normal smile, let alone an “Ever-Laughing” one, so why was she called that?

In the first place, why was she a witch? She gave medicine for children; didn’t that mean she was a splendid woman?

Colio continued praising her in his heart.

But no matter how much he would praise her, she wouldn’t rejoice.

Because she was already dead.

“…It hurts.”

He murmured.

Thinking this far, Colio realized – what am I?

Aren’t I a bomb?

Can a bomb even love? Can a bomb seek happiness?

Since a bomb can’t look for love or happiness, what are these feelings?

Colio kept thinking.

His thoughts kept going around and around and seemed to lead nowhere.

After more than a day, Hamyuts’ propeller plane reached the skies of Toatt Mining Town. The air started becoming turbid, so the plane’s windows were getting foggy.

“We really need to do something about the dirty air here.”

Hamyuts looked outside through the window.

Toatt Mining Town was built at Hamyuts’s expense as a place to mine out new Books from.

In order to dig through the hard ground, they set up a coal power reactor and advanced mechanized drilling facilities. As a result they were able to dig out valuable ancient Books, but in exchange the smoke from the coal reactor covered up the town.

“Wouldn’t some wind clean it up?”

Mattalast said. Because there wasn’t much wind blowing around the area of the Toatt mines, the air was stagnant.

Maybe if there was some wind, the air would become slightly cleaner.

“But we can’t use that as a solution.”

“That’s true.”

“I want to do something about it, but I don’t have much money.”

While speaking about this, Hamyuts opened the c.o.c.kpit’s window. Wind started rus.h.i.+ng in, vigorously blowing Hamyuts’ hair.

“We’ve talked about this before, but Mirepo is just our contact. She needs to hide in the Toatt Mountains because we can’t send her out.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Mattalast, team up with the town’s sheriff. Consult the railway company officials. List up all people who came to Toatt Mining Town within the last three months and match them with the headquarters’ records.”

“Understood.”

“All other people are to be contacted through Mirepo. There’s no need for her to purposely come all the way to Toatt Mining Town.”

The two nodded. Hamyuts’s instructions were always concise.

“Well then, good luck.”

“Director, be careful.”

“You too.”

After these small exchanges, Hamyuts jumped out of the window. Falling headlong, she lightly rotated her body and landed with a huge trace on the ground.

The airplane was going away. Mattalast threw the luggage from the c.o.c.kpit, and Hamyuts caught it.

“Well then…”

Hamyuts got off in the middle of the mountains area. She could overlook the mines and the town from uphill. The gra.s.s and ground around the area Hamyuts landed were torn away due to the impact. Hamyuts could feel the moles running away with her Sensory Threads.

The town was two kilometers away. The view was good and there weren’t many obstacles, so the conditions were good.

“It’s time to begin. I should hurry.”

Saying this, Hamyuts released Sensory Threads from her body. Two millions of them came out and rode the faint updraft.

The invisible Sensory Threads spread far and went into the town.

The feel of the stagnant air in the Toatt mines was transmitted through them.

Information was sent to Hamyuts’s brain from those Sensory Threads. The feel of Toatt Mining Town’s soil, of houses, of people’s skins. The vibration, quality and contents of sounds. The feel of the town’s landscape and people.

She tried sorting the information sent from the two million Sensory Threads to find what she wanted.

“…Kill Hamyuts Meseta.”

She felt the voice of a man who muttered this.

She felt a paper with “Kill Hamyuts Meseta” written on it.

A woman concealing a knife.

A man with a bomb inside his body.

A woman with a bomb inside her body.

People that kept on whispering “Kill Hamyuts Meseta”.

Hamyuts was receiving their numbers and whereabouts.

There was a bunkhouse near the mines. The manager called towards three people who were carrying piled up soil.

“Hey. You newcomers aren’t coming for a meal?”

“…”

The three miners who were in the midst of working slowly raised their faces.

“A meal, a meal. If you won’t eat you can’t work.”

“…Let’s eat.”

“Right.”

Those three seemed quite creepy to the other men. They always stayed together and never took off their clothes. They never spoke about their origins or anything else. They didn’t know if they were brothers or friends.

The three kept talking in whispers.

“Let’s kill Hamyuts Meseta.”

“Right, we’ll kill Hamyuts Meseta.”

It was near the entrance of the downtown.

Beggars raised their voices towards people crossing the road. Some of them tried appealing by talking about their plights, some were showing off their young children, and some were singing heartbreaking songs.

Among those, there was one beggar who didn’t do anything.

Facing downwards, he was just murmuring to himself.

“Kill Hamyuts Meseta. Kill Hamyuts Meseta.”

There was a new house abandoned decades ago that n.o.body bought.

Inside this supposedly empty house there were numerous women. They were sitting on the ground, their hair unkempt and their clothes dirty. The women clearly had their spirits broken.

“Kill Hamyuts.”

“Kill Hamyuts Meseta.”

The women murmured this while drooling.

There were people who finished moving to a house and holed themselves inside without even greeting their neighbors.

This four-people family sat around their only furniture which was a table.

“Kill Hamyuts Meseta.”

“Kill Hamyuts Meseta.”

They continually muttered.

The Sensory Threads were Hamyuts’s specialty in Magic, and the best sort of ability to support her. This ability allowed her to discharge tactile, auditory and visual sensors from her body.

She created invisible and intangible threads using her Magic power and sent them flying. And through these threads she could perceive the shape, color and sounds of everything they touched.

That by itself wasn’t a difficult or special ability. But as for the amount and length of the threads, none could compete with Hamyuts.

The threads could reach up to fifty kilometers. Their numbers could surpa.s.s ten billion. It wasn’t very difficult for Hamyuts to completely wrap up this town with her Sensory Threads.

“…Okay. Is this all?”

In less than an hour, Hamyuts completely grasped the locations of all enemies within a radius of five kilometers.

“So I guess I’ll get to it.”

Saying this, Hamyuts took a weapon out of her back pocket.

At a first glance, that weapon seemed to be mere string.

Its length was a bit more than Hamyuts’ height. And on its middle, a small pocket made of cloth was attached.

That weapon was commonly known as a sling.

It was a weapon older than guns, Magic or bows. It was a weapon used by men shortly after they were created by the Overseer of the Beginning and the End, when they weren’t much different than monkeys. By swinging up stones with a string, they could use centrifugal force to hurl them.

Of course, this wasn’t a mere sling.

The string was made by twisting together a woman’s hair in a unique way, producing a divine wire with the methods introduced by the Future G.o.d Orntorra during ancient times. The cloth pocket was made in a similar manner from the skin of an ancient dragon discovered inside an iceberg.

It was a sling said to be difficult to destroy just like the G.o.ds’ Memorial Weapons.

It had four types of “bullets”. There were polyhedral b.a.l.l.s for general purposes, disk shaped b.a.l.l.s for long range and round b.a.l.l.s for close range rapid fire. She could also use plain stones picked up from the ground.

The maximum speed of the bullets fired from her slingshot could reach above five times the speed of sound. Her maximum range was thirty five kilometers. She had a 100% hit rate on stationary targets at the range of twenty five kilometers.

Other than G.o.d, no one was better at sniping from a distance than Hamyuts.

“Hamyu…”

The man who was grumbling to himself fell without warning towards the beggar sitting close to him.

The beggar, after being dumbed for a little while, raised a terrified scream.

Half of the back of the man’s head had been blown away. His brain fluids poured out like some rich sauce.

Hamyuts was swinging the string above her head. The polyhedral sniping bullet in the leather exceeded the speed of sound in the interval of five seconds. And she shot it after exactly six seconds.

Without checking if the ball hit, she loaded another one. In another six seconds she accelerated and shot it.

A wall was broken through. A heart had been penetrated from the back. Iron gravel struck the ground.

With a gaping hole opened in the center of her chest, the body of a woman fell forward.

“…Ah?”

“…Ahhh…”

Seeing the collapsed woman, the other women around raised a cry that sounded like a dog grunting.

“Uhh…”

“Uahh…”

The women who had their spirits broken continued muttering.

The next shot punched through the head of another woman. She fell to the ground as if her strings were cut off.

And after six more seconds, the third shot penetrated through the last two remaining women.

Hamyuts did not stop.

Acceleration. Shot. Reload. This process was repeated sixteen times without rest.

The Sensory Threads transmitted the feel of the faraway bombs that were shot by Hamyuts.

All of the b.a.l.l.s. .h.i.t without a hitch. And all targets were instantly killed.

For Hamyuts, shooting a defenseless target within the range of five kilometers was as simple as grabbing an apple from a table.

“…Well, that was easy.”

Hamyuts said frankly. And she released her Sensory Threads again.

The battle had just started.

“…Calico Princess…”

Colio murmured this name who knows how many times. He rolled over on his bed, touching the Book so he could see Calico Princess again.

He didn’t know that in addition to him, twenty one other bombs were sent to Toatt Mining Town in order to kill Hamyuts. He only knew about Relia and Hyoue, and didn’t know Relia had already died.

He didn’t know that the sixteen remaining bombs were sniped and easily defeated by Hamyuts.

Colio was also unaware of the fact that just now, the invisible and intangible Sensory Threads carefully checked the bomb inside his chest and the Book on top of his bed.

He was just lying on his bed in silence.

While he didn’t know anything, the situation was rapidly changing.

“Come out, Cigal Crukessa-kun.”

Hamyuts stretched her Sensory Threads again.

She was exploring the entire town while searching for unusual people.

She was looking for someone who would make a move now that she crushed all bombs.

Someone who would try to contact the bombs while acting unnaturally;

Someone who would receive an urgent message;

Someone who would come near her;

She was carefully searching for those.

Time had pa.s.sed. The sun that was high in the sky started sinking towards the horizon.

The Sensory Threads enveloping the town gradually become sluggish.

Hamyuts felt a headache.

She returned the fully spread Sensory Threads to her body.

Her Sensory Threads weren’t almighty. If released for long periods of time, her head wouldn’t be able to grasp all of the information. It would become muddled. Hamyuts took a long breath and waited for her brain to recover.

In her first search, she wasn’t able to feel the presence of Cigal Crukessa.

She was only able to sense his expendable p.a.w.ns, the bombs.

Even for Hamyuts, consistently monitoring more than 5000 people to look for her enemy was impossible.

“Well then, he’s quite something…”

Hamyuts muttered so, recognizing her enemy was troublesome.

Taking her luggage, Hamyuts carefully went down the mountains while still maintaining her Sensory Threads.

For Hamyuts, who was a sniper, heading into town was dangerous.

But still, there was a place she had to go to.

I don’t know if it’s a trap or not, but I have to try and make contact – Hamyuts thought.

She went into town, mixing herself with pa.s.sersby.

Hamyuts was headed towards a cheap inn at the end of the main road.

In this town, there was probably one bomb left.

Hamyuts didn’t kill him. It wasn’t become she wanted to question him and get information. It was because that bomb was holding a Book.

Her Sensory Threads couldn’t read Books, but they could feel the person’s soul inside. Hamyuts knew the feel of that Book.

There was no mistake. There was no other owner of that unprecedented magic power other than that woman.

Hamyuts set her foot inside the lobby of the cheap inn.

“h.e.l.lo there. Hamyuts Meseta has some small errands here.”

Hearing that unbelievable name, the innkeeper opened her mouth wide in amazement.

“By H-Hamyuts, you mean…”

“Yes. I’m Hamyuts Meseta.”

Hamyuts flashed a grin towards the innkeeper whose mouth was flapping open and close.

“I need to kill one of your lodgers.”

The innkeeper’s mouth was open to the extent it looked like it would fall apart.

“You don’t mind, right?”

The innkeeper shook her head vertically numerous times.

Hamyuts’s name was so widely known that it caused that kind of horrified reaction. Even notoriety was something useful.

Following the innkeeper, Hamyuts went to the second floor.

“It’s here.”

She was pointing at a room.

“Can you call him out?”

The innkeeper knocked on the door.

“Colio Tonies-san. Are you there?”

Hearing the innkeeper’s call, Hamyuts thought to herself ‘Eh, so that’s his name’.

“I don’t need to eat.”

The dry response came with the gloomy voice of a boy.

“You have a visitor.”

Hamyuts had already spread the barrier of Sensory Threads around. She grasped the situation around the inn almost perfectly. There was nothing strange about the innkeeper. Within a radius of one hundred meters, there were no armed people except Colio Tonies who had a single kitchen knife. She only had to be vigilant about Colio’s bomb. That much wasn’t enough to make Hamyuts afraid.

Nevertheless, Hamyuts didn’t discount the possibility of a trap yet. She kept calm on the surface, but maximized her vigilance and tension.

She could feel Colio Tonies clattering as he ran up to door with her Sensory Threads.

“Relia? Did you come back? Or is it Ia? Ia Mira?”

Hamyuts suddenly opened the door. It b.u.mped into Colio’s nose and he fell.

“Oops, sorry.”

Saying this, she entered the room.

The innkeeper ran away.

“…Who are you?”

Colio said while holding his nose. He didn’t seem to be lying.

He seemed surprised by the unknown visitor.

“Really? You don’t know my face?”

He had a puzzled expression.

“Aren’t you a bomb?”

Hearing these words, Colio’s face was contorted with shock. Hamyuts grinned.

“If you don’t know I’ll tell you. I’m Hamyuts Meseta. Nice to meet you.”

“…Aa, aah…”

It seemed like Colio couldn’t move.

“Were you expecting a scarier person?”

Hamyuts said while grinning.

 

A BOMB, A LIBRARIAN, AND THE EVER-LAUGHING WITCH – PART 2

February 4, 2016Tgurneu

Colio who fell to the floor couldn’t move. His legs froze. His mind became blank.

“Kill Hamyuts Meseta.”

“Kill Hamyuts Meseta.”

Those words were bubbling inside his consciousness.

In front of his eyes was Hamyuts Meseta. Colio existed to kill her.

However, his fingers that should have crushed the vacuum tube were just trembling next to his body.

“Were you expecting a scarier person?”

Hamyuts said.

Colio thought about moving his fingers.

Why won’t they move? Why are his fingers trembling and his legs paralyzed?

Was it because Hamyuts was scary? Or was it because he never practiced reaching his bomb?

Move.

Move your fingers and activate the bomb. You’re a bomb.

Kill Hamyuts Meseta. Kill Hamyuts Meseta.

Colio could feel his mind being full to the brim with those words.

“Well then… I have a question. Where’s Cigal Crukessa?”

“I don’t know…”

Why are you answering? Colio scolded himself. More importantly, activate the bomb and kill Hamyuts.

But, if he’ll die he won’t be able to…

Be able to…

“Or it can’t be that you’re actually Cigal Crukessa?”

Hamyuts asked.

“No. I don’t know him.”

Colio asked himself- why? He shouldn’t hesitate like this…

Shouldn’t hesitate…

“So, Colio-kun. Where’s Cigal?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you know how Cigal looks?”

“No.”

“You haven’t met him?”

“…No.”

“Well then.”

Hamyuts seemed to be surprised. She scratched the tip of her nose, and then said the following words.

“By the way, Colio-kun. Aren’t you supposed to kill me?”

“…”

“Haha. I see. So that’s how you are.”

Her wide smile seemed terrifying to Colio instead of calming.

His heart kept shouting loudly to kill Hamyuts. However, his body just wouldn’t listen. It ignored the battle instructions and just trembled uselessly.

Probably wondering about Colio’s fear, Hamyuts got near his face while being defenseless.

At a distance he could feel her breath on his face, Hamyuts said,

“Well, let’s calmly get to business. Colio-kun. Show me s.h.i.+ron’s Book.”

“Book?”

“You know. You have it, right?”

Hamyuts smiled.

“Show me s.h.i.+ron Booyacornish’s Book.”

“…s.h.i.+ron?”

Colio asked. It was an unfamiliar name. But he had a feeling he knew who it belonged to.

“Here it is.”

Hamyuts went a step forward. And within a touching distance, she said,

“I’m confiscating it.”

It was strange.

Those words recovered his composure.

Strong feelings of not wanting to lose that Book rose within Colio.

His scared body retained its functions. His hand reflexively went to his chest. He forcefully made his fist touch the vacuum tube on top of his clothes.

“…Oh?”

Hamyuts saw Colio’s change. The dreadfulness hidden behind her smile increased.

“I won’t give it.”

“Oh my.”

“If you’ll try to take it, I’ll explode together with you.”

“Together? Double suicide?”

“I don’t mind whatever it is. I won’t give you that Book.”

Hamyuts stared at Colio.

“You sure are rebellious. If you do that, you’ll make your big sister here very sad. Just don’t call me an aunty instead because of my age.”

Hamyuts was fooling around. Colio returned a determined glare.

“No. I won’t give it up.”

“So show it to me. Just showing it should be fine.”

“…I won’t give it up.”

Colio shook his head. Hamyuts’s smile started looking angry little by little.

“What are you thinking?”

“…I’m…”

While thinking of an answer, Colio started slightly questioning himself. Hamyuts decided that was enough for her. No, maybe she didn’t need any opening in the first place.

In a second, she secured both of his hands. His body was turned around and she twisted his arms and elbows above his back. Until the moment he raised his voice due to the pain, Colio couldn’t understand what was happening.

“…I’ll break them.”

Hamyuts said.

“…I won’t give it up.”

Colio answered. Hamyuts spoke in a slightly troubled tone.

“What are you thinking? Do you want the Dragon Pneumonia to spread?”

He clenched his teeth due to the pain in his wrists. He was already accustomed to pain. More importantly, some determination from an unknown origin was moving his body.

“I don’t know. I don’t know about that thing. I won’t give you this girl’s Book!”

“…Hmph.”

At that moment, just when he thought his hands became free, his neck was turned around. It seemed a large rope was wrapped around it.

When he thought he felt it tightening, Colio’s consciousness sank into darkness.

“Boy. Wake up.”

He heard Hamyuts’s voice. Colio had been laid on the bed. Hamyuts was on the next bed – probably the one used by Hyoue – and peeked at his face.

“Hey. I don’t understand the situation at all. Did Cigal give you that Book?”

Hamyuts said. She held Calico Princess’s Book in her gloved left hand. She probably already checked its contents.

“…Give it back!”

“Can’t do. I need to store it at my Library.”

“I don’t care about that. Give it back.”

Hamyuts shrugged as if saying ‘Oh dear’.

“Well then, if you’ll answer my question, I’ll consider it a bit. Also, you can’t use your bomb. Before you’ll even move your fingers I’ll break your head.”

It didn’t seem to be an exaggeration.

From the feeling of her grabbing his wrist, he couldn’t think of her as human. Colio could also not perceive her speed. Before he could break the vacuum tube, Hamyuts would probably crush his skull.

Hamyuts Meseta was the world’s strongest person. Colio could feel her might with his whole body.

“…I bought the Book from an illegal Book seller. He put up his store in some back alley.”

“Wow!”

Hamyuts raised a wild voice.

“Well then, wow. I can’t believe it. Is that actually true?”

Colio nodded.

“So, do you know about Cigal Crukessa? Or about Dragon Pneumonia?”

“…I only know a bit about Crukessa.”

“What is it?”

“I once heard that name. I don’t know much else.”

“And do you know about Dragon Pneumonia?”

Colio shook his head.

“Nothing?”

Colio nodded. Hamyuts seemed troubled.

“That’s quite the coincidence. But is that really it? You have s.h.i.+ron Booyacornish’s Book after all.”

“s.h.i.+ron…”

He wasn’t sure, but that was probably her name. That name seemed to fit her. It didn’t feel out of place. Calico Princess was, without doubt, s.h.i.+ron Booyacornish. Finding out the name that he wanted to know so much, Colio started instinctively smiling.

“It’s scary when you suddenly smile like that.”

“…s.h.i.+ron Booyacornish. So that was her name.”

“Did you by any chance not know who she was?”

Colio nodded.

“I feel like the situation is beyond my expectations…”

Saying this, Hamyuts suddenly rose up and went near the window.

“Hey, shall we go outside?”

As soon as she said that, Hamyuts got out through the window.

“Huh?”

Colio ran and poked his face through the window, looking down.

“C’mon.”

He heard Hamyuts’s voice coming from above. Grabbed by his collar, Colio’s body was lifted. She lightly picked him up using only three of her fingers.

He was flung onto the creaking wooden roof.

“The view here is really bad.”

Hamyuts said. Colio didn’t feel intimidated from her like just before. She might have become less vigilant towards him.

“I wonder if you’ve fallen in love with her.”

He was surprised that she suddenly guessed this. But he didn’t know if it was true.

“Hmph.”

Despite not answering anything, she could understand by his expression. She snickered while looking at his face.

But suddenly, Hamyuts turned terrifying eyes towards the distance. Although her facial expression hadn’t changed, she turned from a meek and ordinary woman into a fiendish warrior.

“…H-Hamyuts Meseta.”

“You may call me Hammy-san.”

Her tone was light, but she emanated a quiet intimidating feel. Her mouth was like that of a docile wild beast but her face had some anxiousness to it. His instincts made him want to scream, as if teaching him the overwhelming differences between them.

After about fifteen seconds, Hamyuts seemed to lose her tension.

“Probably just my imagination. For a moment there I thought someone was coming. Well, never mind.”

He couldn’t understand at all.

“Hamyuts Meseta. I want you to tell me about her. Who was s.h.i.+ron?”

“I don’t see any need to tell you.”

“Please. I want you to tell me… I have to know about her no matter what.”

Hamyuts thought for a while.

“…Fine. I’ll talk. But what should I… oh.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, I know what. I’ll tell you. That woman’s name was s.h.i.+ron Booyacornish.

She was mostly known as the Ever-Laughing Witch.”

“…”

“Around 250 years ago, there was a widespread disease known as Dragon Pneumonia.”

“Is that even relevant?”

“At that time, s.h.i.+ron Booyacornish was called a savior. She was honored by the t.i.tle of Ever-Laughing Saint.

But, it was only for about a year.”

“Just a year?”

Hamyuts started narrating s.h.i.+ron Booyacornish’s story with a slow tone.

In 1923, during the naval a.s.sault operation, Hamyuts found the fragment of a Book. Management of Books was her duty. She immediately recovered that fragment.

The owner of the Book was named s.h.i.+ron Booyacornish. Her alias was the Ever-Laughing Witch. Even now, it was one of the most hated names in the world.

She had strange hair, like the fur of a tortoisesh.e.l.l cat.

She had a calm and n.o.ble face.

She wielded the invincible Shlam.u.f.fen.

Contrary to her terrible doings, she was a beautiful, lovely girl.

The era she lived in was around 280 years ago.

One day, at the Rona Kingdom, the fossil of a large crystal was found. Trapped inside it was the corpse of an ancient dragon.

It was valuable. The king loved it very much, and the fossil crystal became a national treasure.

But that was the beginning of the catastrophe signaling the downfall of the country.

First, the king died. After that the queen died, and following her all of their sons. One after another, the royal family died from illness as if decreed by the heavens.

Their symptoms were all the same.

A cough without any phlegm, the rapid decrease of body temperature, paralysis of the digestive system, and strange black bruises on the throat. Every medicine had the opposite effects from what was normal, and no matter how robust the patients’ bodies were, there were no signs of any natural healing. People were scared. That disease was supposed to be only a legend that became a mere fairy tale.

They called the disease Dragon Pneumonia.

It was a disease created from nothingness by Past G.o.d Bantorra during the end of the Paradise Era in order to defeat an evil dragon.

The illness was born from Bantorra, the governor of death, so its killing power was tremendous. The evil dragon was wiped out in an instant. However, as it was too strong, it started baring its fangs towards the people and the G.o.ds as well. The G.o.ds sealed the disease and sent the pathogen beyond the skies. As a consequence of his sin, the Past G.o.d was sealed inside the ground.

The pathogens of Dragon Pneumonia were supposedly gone from this world. However, that dragon was trapped inside the crystal while still carrying the disease.

Shortly after decimating the royalty, Dragon Pneumonia spread into the world. It was the G.o.d’s disease. It spread frighteningly fast.

People started panicking. Dragon Pneumonia carriers were either isolated or mercilessly killed.

After half a year, about a twelfth of the population died, and the disease spread to a fifth of the world.

It was then that she had appeared from somewhere.

Her name was s.h.i.+ron Booyacornish.

She was a peculiar woman who had a powerful magical affinity and a strange colored hair; a strange woman who never stopped smiling cheerfully for an instant.

s.h.i.+ron gave medicine to those who suffered from Dragon Pneumonia. Everyone doubted her sanity. People shouldn’t have had any cure for the disease created by a G.o.d.

But the cure was real. The sick that were administered this drug made a full recovery in a matter of days.

When people asked where the medicine came from,

“From a thousand years in the future.”

Is what s.h.i.+ron answered.

Her prediction ability was absolute and unprecedented. Until then there was not even a person who could see a hundred years ahead, and she already exceeded that by a tenfold.

s.h.i.+ron said that in a thousand years men would become able to change the immunity system itself using the power of science.

Using that technology, creating a wonder drug for Dragon Pneumonia was simple.

n.o.body could understand the scientific principles behind it, but the fact that the wonder drug existed was easy to understand.

s.h.i.+ron built her own pharmaceutical factory, and began making and selling the drug.

The ingredients were not known in the present.

Although the medicine was quite expensive, it wasn’t what most people worried about. All of the rich people began buying it, and those who were good hearted also gave it to the poor.

The kings, the n.o.bles, the priests, the Armed Librarians, all praised and revered her as a saint.

They gave her all kinds of gifts and prestigious t.i.tles.

s.h.i.+ron was named the Ever-Laughing Saint.

The fragment of the Book depicting the s.h.i.+ron of that time was left on the boat of the Indulging G.o.d Cult.

Hamyuts had already read it.

A wide room about as large as a dance hall was cluttered. On the walls, memos were firmly attached and on the floor were bundles of paper. Inside the bottles lined on the shelves were insects and other small animals that were still alive and wriggling while immersed in chemicals.

s.h.i.+ron was wearing simple white clothes and looked at the inside of a flask.

A strange smile appeared on her face. It was a gentle and lovely smile but it somehow didn’t make one feel at ease.

“…It’s stable.”

“Yes.”

Said a bald middle-aged man that could be seen next to her. He looked like a composed man with some status.

“Until now, we could only make about one every ten minutes, but with this method, our work efficiency can be five hundred times more than that.”

s.h.i.+ron returned the flask to the holder and plugged it. And then she took various items from the shelves and arranged them on the desk.

“Then I’ll make 1000 portions for today.”

The bald man then talked to her.

“Ever-Laughing Saint. I have said this countless times, but if you will give me the formula, I can also make the cure. I ask you to rest. Lately, you have been sleeping at neither day nor night.”

“…No. It is fine. You will be too busy helping me.”

“That is not good, you mustn’t be so rash, it is a waste.”

The bald man insisted.

“I appreciate your sentiments.”

s.h.i.+ron replied coldly. The bald man tried pressing her more.

“I cannot allow this. Do you not understand? If something were to happen to you, the world might come to its end.”

“I’m fine. Your lives are more important.”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

The bald man tried begging.

“I implore you. Please give us the formula.”

“I ask your pardon. It is troubling.”

“We are the ones troubled! Please give it to me!”

s.h.i.+ron stopped her hand that put medicines on the scales and pointed with one finger at a notebook on the floor.

“Look inside of that.”

“Oh!”

The man immediately took the notebook.

“I will copy this down! Let me burrow it for a while.”

He walked away with heavy steps.

When the bald man was gone, s.h.i.+ron’s smile immediately vanished.

“Oh dear, that won’t do.”

At that moment, a voice resounded from empty air. The voice spoke towards s.h.i.+ron.

“Wyzaf.”

“I told you. The remedy is an absolute secret. Those who know of it must die.”

The Magician Wyzaf appeared. s.h.i.+ron replied to him,

“I am aware of that. The book is a fake.”

“What!”

Wyzaf made a forced loud cry and hit his forehead while laughing.

“What a terrible misunderstanding.”

“…Wha-”

The tweezers fell from s.h.i.+ron’s hands.

“It can’t be!”

“It was because I was careless.”

“Baron!”

Without listening to Wyzaf’s words, s.h.i.+ron started running. But, Wyzaf who was stalking her like a shadow whispered to her.

“It is useless. He was erased.”

“No…”

s.h.i.+ron, who was about to open the door, stopped.

“It seems you did not foresee this conclusion.”

“This is…”

s.h.i.+ron stood and covered her face.

“In your habit of looking a thousand years forward, you became distant to what is nearby. That is your nature.”

With the voice of laughter, Wyzaf’s voice grew distant.

Incidentally, the man killed was the Chancellor of the Great Yubeon Kingdom of the time.

 

A BOMB, A LIBRARIAN, AND THE EVER-LAUGHING WITCH – PART 3

February 7, 2016Tgurneu

A year after this, s.h.i.+ron’s fame suddenly reversed.

Her trial began abruptly. Most of those listening first cried that it was impossible.

s.h.i.+ron’s charges were the attempted destruction of the world. More specifically, her waiting for Dragon Pneumonia to infect far and wide and letting a total of a million people die.

She knew the method to make the cure far before Dragon Pneumonia spread around the world. But on top of having monopolized the formula, she refrained from selling it and waited for the number of sick to grow so the price would be high.

The people were furious. Everyone had lost family members or acquaintances. If s.h.i.+ron would have sold the medicine from the beginning, most would have been saved. The people’s anger wanted some form of outlet.

There was no reason to deny the death penalty. The trial concluded in a mere hour. Within the angry roar of the populace, neither the defendant nor the prosecutor could be heard.

Hearing the judge declare capital punishment, the people cried with joy.

After two hours, s.h.i.+ron got into the guillotine.

From the trial up to the execution, she hadn’t tried to resist at all.

Her neck, still dripping with blood, was pierced by a spear and paraded in the public square. The headless body, stripped of clothes, was thrown into a camp of violent criminals and shamed even further.

The enormous fortune she had built up was confiscated by the state. A war even occurred while attempting to confiscate that money made by selling medicine, which according to some accounts was more than three decades of the national budget.

Strangely, all doc.u.ments that described the making of the wonder cure for Dragon Pneumonia completely vanished afterwards. Furthermore, all those who knew of it were erased, and their Books were erased as well.

Even now, the ident.i.ty of the criminals was not known. But it was almost certainly done by the Indulging G.o.d Cult.

The Book of the time of that trial had been stored on their s.h.i.+p.

“In other words, s.h.i.+ron-dono… does that mean you deceived us?”

“Exactly, Chancellor Feelea.”

s.h.i.+ron said.

She was wearing not a dress, but men’s clothing and a leather jacket. They were clothes that ignored looks and went for functionality instead – probably her battle attire. She stood straight, aligning her heels together.

In the dim room, while lit by a seven-branched candlestick, s.h.i.+ron was talking with the man.

He was an elderly man who wore the white clothes of a Chancellor over his black priest’s garbs.

The man held his face with both of his hands, gazing up to the heavens.

“Oh G.o.d… This is too much for me…”

“Chancellor Feelea. This is an urgent matter. Wyzaf already knows of my betrayal. In a short while we’re going to be surrounded by soldiers.”

“But s.h.i.+ron-dono, I…”

“We have to go the King to publicize the facts. Come, quickly.”

The Chancellor said,

“…When this is revealed to the public, what will happen to me?”

“I do not know.”

“Please tell me this is a lie, s.h.i.+ron-dono. If they found out I greeted you… those terrifying Indulging G.o.d Cult people will…”

“You need not mention the Indulging G.o.d Cult.”

“That is true, but…”

“Anyway, we don’t have time. As long as I have Shlam.u.f.fen I will not lose, but this doesn’t hold for the King and the other people. Once they target them instead of me, it will be hard to defend them.”

“I understand. Someone, prepare a carriage!”

He rang the bell, but there was no one to answer. He tried once again, but n.o.body came.

“Is there no-one here? Where did they go?”

The Chancellor tried going outside, but was stopped by s.h.i.+ron. She swung Shlam.u.f.fen to the right and stuck it next to the door.

“Chancellor Feelea. It seems they made their first move.”

“What…”

“I will protect you. Let us escape.”

“F-fine.”

Chancellor Feelea hurriedly grabbed a spear that rested on the wall and took his jacket off.

“I will go on ahead.”

“I will fight too. I may look like this, but I was once young.”

“There is no need.”

“But by yourself…”

“My Magic Blade Shlam.u.f.fen cannot be defeated.”

s.h.i.+ron wielded the sword. Shlam.u.f.fen made a sound that sounded like laughter. The air around s.h.i.+ron started crackling.

“Defile, Shlam.u.f.fen.”

s.h.i.+ron ordered and the sword loudly laughed.

At that moment, a strange line ran through the air. It was as if invisible birds flew away at extremely high speeds, or perhaps a giant without any form scratched at the air – the line was without any color or shape.

The line began madly tearing through the walls and ceiling.

People started screaming. There were already enemy soldiers outside the room.

There were the screams of people who were thrown around like trash.

A few dozen people were killed this way.

However, the number of soldiers waiting outside was ten times of that.

s.h.i.+ron shouted towards them,

“Retreat. No person can win against the Magic Blade Shlam.u.f.fen!”

This was already proven to not be mere bravado. The remaining soldiers were seized by fear and couldn’t move.

“…Go ahead. Aren’t your lives cheap anyway?”

A voice came from behind. Whether the soldiers heard it or not, they desperately charged forward.

“….tch.”

Shlam.u.f.fen was swung. Once again some soldiers fell like puppets that had their strings cut. However, they didn’t stop. Even those whose chests were slashed used their spears as a crutch to walk forward.

“…s.h.i.+ron-dono.”

Chancellor Feelea spoke from behind. He held a spear with his trembling hands. He became frightened of the tragedy occurring outside as well as the smell of flesh and blood.

“Do not come out!”

“…But…”

“You are the only one who can judge me!”

s.h.i.+ron wielded her blade for the third time. The blade’s line dancing in the air accurately took out the lives of even more soldiers than before.

The soldiers who saw it was impossible to come near used their bows.

Hundreds of arrows clashed with the blade’s line that was like a wall and fell apart.

“Bows will not reach her. You must thrust with your spears.”

In accordance to the voice coming from the behind, the soldiers brandished their spears.

“The one to judge you will not be that manservant behind you, Ever-Laughing Princess. It will be me.”

A voice echoed from empty air. That voice belonged to the Magician Wyzaf.

“Silence, Wyzaf.”

“Die, s.h.i.+ron.”

s.h.i.+ron wielded her sword in the direction of the voice without any hesitation.

With blood endlessly pouring on the ground, the battle was just heating up.

Some time had pa.s.sed.

“I’m your lawyer, Executive Official Rowme. Pleased to meet you.”

“Pleased to meet you. I’m s.h.i.+ron Booyacornish.”

She sat on a shabby wooden chair while wearing a thin robe and introduced herself to a man.

Her long hair that was colored like a calico cat looked like it hadn’t been taken care of for a long time.

Her bare feet that were covered by dirt seemed to have received a slight frostbite from the cold stone room’s floor.

She was a prisoner.

“…I believe you are aware of this, but in six more days a trial will be held with the King, the Chancellor, the People’s Representative, the Priesthood and the Armed Librarians.

Compared to all of those, I will be your only ally.”

“Thank you very much. I apologize for you having to go through this hard work.”

“That is fine. I protect the legitimacy of the state’s trial system.”

Executive Rowme said with a solemn face.

“I must a.s.sert that I have no idea how you can escape capital punishment. At one point, there were also those who believed in your innocence. However, due to the evidence you have submitted yourself their numbers are almost entirely gone.”

“Right.”

“You must be fairly represented in the trial.”

“Right.”

Executive Rowme appeared to be a fair and serious person. s.h.i.+ron seemed to think that was not bad at all.

“In order to reduce your penalty, you must surrender. And you have to first mention you destroyed that repulsive Indulging G.o.d Cult and their chief Wyzaf.”

“…Right.”

“Also, there’s the fact that without you the world would have been destroyed. During the evaluation, even they will have to listen for a bit to those that want to reduce their penalty.”

“I see.”

“You must make a thorough appeal. You have that right and I have the ability.”

“Executive Rowme-dono. It is a rude question, but did you lose any one you know?”

“…”

Executive Rowme’s couldn’t answer.

“You haven’t.”

“Only people I knew by appearance.”

“Even if we explain everything with logic, the people’s anger will not subside. Rather, it will just increase further. That would be dangerous.”

“…”

“This is enough. Executive Rowme. I am already contented.”

“Do you intend to die?”

“I intend to be judged.”

“…But why. You are… you said you were contented.”

“I thank you, but it is unavoidable.”

s.h.i.+ron’s expression was weirdly calm, and she didn’t look as if she was afraid of her impending death at all.

Hamyuts found the two fragments of s.h.i.+ron’s Books together with the terrorists’ memoirs. According to them, there had been a third fragment. Following that, the following sentences were written:

“One of the Saint’s Books was left for Cigal Crukessa. Because it is unnecessary for us, we gave it to him free of charge. He will gain some profit using the cure for Dragon Pneumonia.

Money is just the means for us, but it seems to be the goal for Cigal. He will probably do anything for it.”

And, on their horrifying s.h.i.+p, there were people infected with Dragon Pneumonia sealed inside crystals. Also, there was some evidence that a hole had been dug through the crystals recently.

The Armed Librarians immediately acted.

Hamyuts ordered dispatching her subordinates to various places to look for clues about Cigal Crukessa.

Hamyuts explained s.h.i.+ron’s story. Finally, she added,

“By the way, do you know about the sword s.h.i.+ron used?”

“I don’t.”

“You really don’t know a lot, huh. Well, there’s merit to teaching someone like that.

So, that sword is called the Ever-Laughing Magic Blade, Shlam.u.f.fen.

It was used by the killer Angels as a weapon, and the sword attacks or defends by its own volition.

The sword’s attacks are said to transcend cause and effect – it separates the cause of “cutting” from the effect of “being cut”. That’s probably a bit difficult to understand. Simply put, it involuntarily cuts whatever draws near, and involuntarily blocks any attack. It’s amazing.

But on the other hand, since that function doesn’t work when the blade is not extracted, it’s weak against surprise attacks.

It’s a mixed blessing.

s.h.i.+ron-chan found it sealed at some lake’s bottom and used it, but since she died the sword’s whereabouts are unknown. Are you interested?”

“…Not at all.”

Colio honestly answered. He was only interested in s.h.i.+ron herself, so the sword she had been using didn’t hold any meaning while being separated from her.

“Hmph. Oh well.”

With that, it seems the story about s.h.i.+ron ended.

She spoke a lot, but since it was in an orderly manner it was easy to understand.

“What are you going to do now?”

“You don’t have to worry about that. I will figure out something.”

“Not that. I’m talking about her Book.”

Hamyuts scratched her head, looking troubled.

“Well, we’ll take care of that little by little.”

And she immediately changed the topic.

“By the way, I feel sorry for you, Colio-kun. You’ve fallen in love with that girl.

But you can’t kiss her and you can’t go on dates.”

She said mildly. It was clearly not a pitying tone of voice.

“According to one account, s.h.i.+ron was threatened by someone. It was thought to be false, but according to the Books you and those guys had, it looks like it’s the truth. Seems like s.h.i.+ron-chan was following that Wyzaf guy’s orders.”

Hamyuts kept scratching her head.

“But even then, it’s hard to think of her as doing nothing wrong. s.h.i.+ron holds the responsibility for over a million people dying. It sucks that she’s called the Ever-Laughing Witch but she had it coming.”

“…That’s wrong.”

Colio murmured.

“It’s not. s.h.i.+ron definitely was a part of the Indulging G- oops, I shouldn’t say anything about that.”

“?”

“Sorry, I messed up. s.h.i.+ron definitely cooperated with Wyzaf, whether or not she wanted to. It’s not that she was unrelated to those events. I do think it’s a pity, but that’s irrelevant. No matter how much I pity her, she had to be punished for her crimes.”

Colio reb.u.t.ted her.

“…That’s wrong. There were no crimes. That girl did nothing wrong.”

“You sure are stubborn, lover boy. If you’re too insistent you’re going to be hated.”

“That’s not it… she did nothing wrong. Even if no matter how many hundreds of thousands died, that doesn’t matter at all.”

A vein popped in Hamyuts’s temple. Her jesting tone disappeared.

“Oh? Colio-kun, did she really do nothing wrong?”

“It’s because those who died weren’t humans, they just pretended to.”

“What do you mean by that, lover boy?”

Hamyuts asked, and Colio explained.

“Humans are splendid beings. No one has the right to hurt or grieve humans, and they live without hurting or grieving anyone.

But in practice there are those that are hurt or become hated. While they appear human, those people aren’t human at all.

Humans are precious, but their imitators aren’t.

Killing or hating humans is unforgivable, but nothing matters when it comes to fake humans.”

Colio said. Hamyuts was quietly listening to him. Colio found it eerie how she, who had been talking senselessly just a little ago, was silent now.

“Did you think of that?”

“…No. I was taught this.”

“Don’t you think that’s strange?”

“I don’t see any problem with that.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m a bomb.”

This time, his words already failed him somewhat, but Colio didn’t notice it.

Hamyuts messily scratched her head.

“Hmm, I really hate that.”

Hamyuts stood up, swaying.

Slowly balling her hand into a fist, she punched Colio in the face. Colio felt as if his bones were twisted by that blow. Blood dripping from his nose colored the lower part of his face.

“Stupid. Just because I was a bit nice you lowered your guard?”

Her tone radically changed. Hamyuts grabbed Colio’s collar and lifted him high.

“This is my real nature. Do you understand?”

Hamyuts’s smile changed. From a peaceful smile that looked like someone basking in the sun, it became the smile of a cat playing with the inner organs of a still-living mouse.

“Brat. I planned on killing you, but I changed my mind. I’m going to let you live.”

After saying this, Hamyuts struck his face with her head. She kept holding him with one hand and repeatedly hit him as if hammering a nail.

Hamyuts’s forehead was as hard as steel. Colio felt his brain numb with each blow, and he withstood it while clenching his teeth.

“So you won’t even scream, huh. You sure are as strong as an adult.”

She left Colio’s body.

“I just want to say that it’s not that I’m angry. If I was angry you would have become minced meat covered in s.h.i.+t.”

Colio who was lying face down raised his head towards Hamyuts.

“But the only thing I love about guys like you is how you’re so pa.s.sionate and reckless.

So, I’ll ask again. Is s.h.i.+ron-chan a splendid human and all of the others that aren’t human might just as well die?”

“Right.”

“So, you might just as well die, too.”

“Right.”

“Fine then. I’ll do you a very kind favor.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll make you carefully think about humans.”

Saying this, Hamyuts pressed down on Colio’s face with the force of a vise. She didn’t even think of him as an opponent of the same league. It was as if a giant had trampled him.

“Don’t move. If you move I’ll break off one of your ribs. If you scream I’ll gouge out an eye.”

Hamyuts pressed one leg on Colio’s arms and the second on his stomach. He couldn’t move.

She slowly opened his s.h.i.+rt.

A devilish hand crept on his now bare chest.

She reached directly inside his body, and he struggled with pain. Hamyuts looked at this state from above.

“Mm, ugh, gwahhhh, ahhh, ahhh!”

Colio cried. Hamyuts on top of him didn’t move an inch.

“How horrible. It’s such a simple structure. This is a really sloppy job.”

While digging up the stone as if it was inside b.u.t.ter, Hamyuts examined the connection of the copper wires.

“How about this?”

Some spark ignited inside the chest and smoke rose from it. She forcefully pulled her hand out accompanied by sizzling sounds.

Hamyuts held a vacuum tube between her fingers.

As she flicked it away with her index finger, a small blue flame momentarily appeared and vanished.

“I think that’s it. Now the bomb can’t be used. You’re not a bomb anymore. You’re human.”

Ignoring Colio who was left drooling while collapsed, Hamyuts stood up. Her tone returned to normal.

“See ya, boy. If you live we’ll meet again.”

Hamyuts headed to the opposite side of the roof and prepared jumping off.

Even while lying down stunned, Colio summoned up his voice.

“…Wait, wait.”

Hamyuts turned around.

“Relia… is Relia still alive?”

“I don’t know who Relia is, but you’re the only bomb left alive in this town. No, that’s wrong. There aren’t any more bombs.”

“…I see.”

“See ya.”

Hamyuts jumped from the top of the roof. He couldn’t see her anymore.

“Oh no.”

After getting far enough that she couldn’t see Colio’s inn anymore, Hamyuts stopped.

“I ended up talking about delicate things related to the Indulging G.o.d Cult.”

Because she planned on killing him, she didn’t mind. She should have killed him now. But turning back now would be troublesome. Besides, she had already said she would let him live.

“…I’ll seal his memories later.”

Saying this, Hamyuts started walking.

Hamyuts had the bad habit of putting off simple work when she had a major job ahead of her.

Colio was sitting stunned inside his room. He felt stinging pain in his chest accompanied by nausea.

But, the emptiness caused by the loss of his bomb was filled with emotions.

You’re not a bomb. You’re a human.

Relia would have probably been pleased to hear this, Colio thought.

No, maybe he wouldn’t have been pleased. After all, he lived as a human from the very start.

He didn’t become a bomb in the first place.

Colio caressed the bomb inside his gouged chest. Now that it lost the vacuum tube that was its core, it was nothing but a burden.

“…Am I human?”

Colio muttered.

And then, he understood.

Why did he think he was a bomb? He believed that humans were beings without any pain or sorrow.

Colio didn’t want to become human.

As long as he was a bomb, he wasn’t afraid of anything. By just thinking “because I’m a bomb” he would dispel any suffering and even the fear of death.

Because he was going to die anyway, nothing mattered to him.

But now that he was human, the pain of having no goal and the loneliness of n.o.body loving him weighed heavily on Colio.

He didn’t have any hopes, freedom, or happiness.

It felt as if his legs were going to crumble apart.

He had neither future nor past. He had no place to go to and nothing important to him.

It was emptiness that ruled Colio.

He only had memories left.

Only the memories of s.h.i.+ron’s Book.

There were the sounds of someone coming and knocking on the door from outside. It was the innkeeper.

“Can I talk to you?”

“…”

“Since the modern world is dangerous, I don’t really want to get involved in strange matters.”

“…”

“So, umm, honestly I’d like for you to get out.”

“…”

Without saying anything, Colio started packing.

He didn’t have any place to go to.