Kino no Tabi:Volume13 Chapter3

“An Unlawful Land” —Just Imagine It!—

There was a road inside a forest.

Broadleaf trees were aimlessly scattered about, more than half of which made a boisterous display of autumn foliage of green, red, yellow and all colors in between. The forest floor was just as vibrant with the blanket of leaves spread over it.

The late autumn sky was high and clear, with only a few cirrocumulus clouds visible in it. The air was fairly chilly, as winter was beginning to show its presence.

This simple road was a single unbroken path, made by uprooting the plants and compacting the earth, but it was wide and had a solid surface. The road was even since the forest itself was situated on a level land.

The road stretched out straight ahead without any bends or curves.

And on this road, a truck with five trailer units was running at a leisurely pace.

It was a heavy-duty canopy truck with a long hood that seemed like a protruding nose, giving it quite a unique appearance.

A man in his prime gripped the steering wheel on its left-hand driver’s seat.

The roof on the passenger side was open, and a man holding a rifle-type persuader protruded his upper body from there to keep watch. He was wearing overalls and a warm-looking jacket with plenty of pockets.

The truck proceeded on the road with a rumble, with its five units separated from each other uniformly.

From the first up to the fourth truck, the canopy-covered platforms contained almost nothing. There was only a box of food and a tank of water, as well as a can of fuel in one corner.

The fifth one contained Hermes, tied firmly with a rope so that he wouldn’t fall over.

And two humans, seated on folding benches at both sides of the truck opposite each other.

One of them was a stern-faced man past his fifties, the leader of the units. He wore an exquisite leather jacket on top of his overalls.

The other one was Kino in her usual black jacket, with ‘Canon’ and ‘Woodsman’ hanging from her waist.

Also, ‘Flute’ was on her lap, placed in such a way so that it could be fired immediately once the safety is removed. There was also a bag containing spare magazines ready at her feet.

“We’ll arrive in the country in a while,” the leader said while looking at the forest from the back of the platform.

Hermes asked, “Mister, do you know how far we’ve gone just by looking at the forest?”

The leader answered with a laugh. “I know. That’s because I’ve passed through this road tens of times already. I have memorized how the trees looked like.”

“That’s amazing. It’s the way of a pro, huh?”

The leader shifted his gaze from Hermes to Kino,

“You’re a real help for accepting this escort job, Kino.”

“Don’t mention it. This also helps me save food and fuel,” Kino answered.

“It’s a bit boring for me though,” Hermes commented.

“I’m really looking forward to this country. I’m sure I’ll have lots of fun.”

“Hmm? In what way?” Hermes asked with interest.

“So you must be sleeping again during the explanation, Hermes,” Kino said.

The explanation served as the answer to the question.

“It’s a country with citizens that have amazing talent in literature, and as a result, it churns out a lot of masterpiece novels. The country’s literacy level is very high, and all of its citizens are readers. The country practically overflows with books. We go over there once a year to purchase books. We buy five truckloads of brand new and used books, and sell them to other countries.”

“Oh, books.”

Hermes answered, his tone can’t be any more indicative of boredom.

——

“W-what did you say?!”

The leader cried out.

They were in a plaza created from a clearing amidst the forest, just in front of the country’s gates. The five cars of the parked truck were neatly lined up, in front of which the leader, Kino, Hermes, as well as the country’s immigration officer, a lady in her thirties wearing a business suit, stood.

The officer displayed a momentary frown at the leader’s outburst, then answered in a business-like tone. “It’s just as I have mentioned earlier. Since we can’t let you buy books, it is pointless for you to enter the country. Well, if you need to refill fuel and food supplies, we can give you permission to enter only for that purpose. How is that?”

“But to say that we can no longer buy books… I have been in this business for more than twenty years already. Just what came about this year for something like this to happen?”

“As you don’t seem to be aware, I’ll explain it to you. —Four months ago, our country exercised an all-out regulation on works of literature that are ‘illegal’ in accordance to our laws. In short, it’s now against the law.”

Kino and Hermes quietly listened to the conversation of the leader and the officer.

“What’s that about? Kindly explain so that even an old guy like me can understand.”

“I see. Then let me explain it once more,” the officer said somewhat proudly, and continued, “For example, in your country, ‘murder’ and ‘theft’ are illegal deeds, I suppose?”

“Well of course. Is there even a country where murder is not illegal?”

“In one country Kino visi—”

“—visited, it’s not illegal,” Hermes tried to say, but was stopped when Kino hit his tank.

The officer continued. “Laws differ among lands, but just as in most countries, ours also have activities that are deemed illegal. The major ones are murder, arson, theft, rape, assault, battery, fraud, bribery, affray, illegal possession of weapons, and so on. Minor ones include underage drinking and smoking, indecent behavior, molestation, public disturbance, etc. Is this point still clear?”

“Yeah.”

“Then that makes things easier. —In our country, it is now illegal to write about all activities that are against the law in real life. Also from now on, the production, circulation, importation and sale of such books that are already in print are prohibited. As mere possession of these books is forbidden, everyone who owns them is to promptly surrender their copies.”

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

“…?”

The leader and Hermes mumbled while Kino knitted her brows together.

The officer continued the lecture-like explanation. “A simple example would be…a mystery novel.”

“Oh! This country’s mystery novels are quite popular! In particular, the ‘Bus Timetable Trick Series’ and ‘NEET Detective Series’ would sell well in any country,” the leader said.

“These books have also been very popular in our country for a long time. However, they are illegal from now on. That’s because in most mystery novels, a murder case would occur every time, and the murderer would be portrayed.”

“Well that’s obvious…”

“We cannot allow stuff like murder to be depicted in books.”

“Then, what happened to ‘No Escaping Heaven’s Punishment!’ —that thrilling action novel where the righteous protagonist deals with villains who cleverly escape the nets of justice?”

“Prohibited. To be exact, the part about ‘cleverly escaping’ is not considered illegal, but it’s a gray zone that leans more towards black. But more importantly, the main characters’ actions involve openly using methods such as peeping, coercion, stealing, and violence.”

“Then what about the story where a young man races on public roads with his mini cargo truck, ‘Less Brake More Speed’?”

“Over-speeding, reckless driving, right-of-way violation, illegal remodeling, noise—, too many reasons.”

“What about the story about the shoplifter who underwent rehabilitation and eventually became a lawyer, ‘Objection! That Time’s Right Hand’?”

“I also read it. It was a very moving story, but it is not allowed to write about shoplifting. This is only my opinion but, I don’t like the idea of calling such a deed ‘shoplifting’, which makes it sound lighter. It should be called ‘theft’.”

“Then what about the saga about the lives of mafia men and their families, ‘The Melancholy of a Godparent’?”

“You should know the answer to that, right? Mafia activity in itself is illegal. There’s no need for an explanation.”

“Then what about novels based on real-life events? ‘Our Raid’, whose motif was based on the incident where young men attacked a cash transport vehicle was popular wasn’t it?”

“Indeed, it was even referenced in our country’s middle school textbooks, but do you not realize that attacking a cash transport vehicle is illegal?”

“Then what about the fantasy world masterpiece, ‘The Magical Sword Epic’ series?”

“Just because it’s a fantasy world, it doesn’t mean that we can allow whatever was written in it. If we are to make such an exception, it will create loopholes in the law. If they are to write ‘This story is not set in the real world’ at the beginning, then they can write whatever they want.”

“So in the end, you’re saying it won’t do either.”

“Naturally. The scene of a monk suffering sexual abuse from a priest was out of the question. But other than that, the female friend of the main character makes a living pickpocketing, and the depiction of the lifestyle of the pirates during the pirate extermination episode wouldn’t pass either.”

“What of the historical masterpieces? For instance, ‘The Tale of a Certain Family’ that was written several hundreds of years ago in this country?”

“It is admittedly a masterpiece. However, it involved beating young girls, kidnapping children, adultery, murder fueled by jealousy, rape, and lots of other problematic scenes, so it was not approved.”

“Then even the modern-day masterpiece ‘Badudu’?”

“It has been said a lot already, but this work is a universally accepted masterpiece.”

Kino who was listening to the officer asked Hermes in a small voice. “What does ‘universal’ mean?”

“It means it’s known far and wide.”

“Thanks,” Kino answered then turned her attention back to the officer.

“While it was praised as such, there was a scene where the main character got a young lady pregnant and abandoned the mother and the child upon claiming that it was a mistake. Would you consider the actions of the main character acceptable?”

“If you say so, but what about the erotic novels? This country’s erotica are very well-written and have such thrilling build-ups that they have become really popular. They’re for men and women alike.”

“Don’t worry. Erotic novels and other novels depicting sexual intercourse, by itself, are not prohibited.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

“But there are several conditions.”

“… Like?”

“First, I believe there’s no need to explain why acts not between men and women, coercion, and rape are not allowed. Moreover, intercourse involving parties below eighteen years of age are prohibited. The only things permissible are intercourse between lovers above eighteen years of age, or a married couple. For instance, even if the parties involved are in love with each other, acts involving fourteen-year-old girls and boys are prohibited. The only exception is when the woman is a married sixteen-year-old. Sixteen years is the age of consent in this country, you see. When writing an erotic novel, the time period the characters belong to should not be mentioned. The depiction of the sexual act shall always include the character’s age before the name. For example, “23-year-old A embraced 21-year-old B…” Also, in the middle of the act, if any offensive words were used, even once, then it will be considered rape. There shall never be a moment where love will be diminished during the act.”

When the officer finished her robotic explanation,

“…”

Hermes asked a question in place of the leader who turned mute with a grimace on his face.

“Then what about novels with righteous self-defense in them?”

“They won’t do.”

“Eh, why? Righteous self-defense and emergency escape are not against the law, you know.”

“We know that, of course. However, if a character uses righteous self-defense in a novel, then that means that he will be able to kill someone right? In short, it will be allowing the portrayal of ‘threat’ and ‘attempted murder’.”

“Oh my.”

At last free from the questions of the leader, Hermes and the silent Kino, the officer spoke, “Is everything clear? What we want you to understand is that we didn’t outlaw every single book there is. Novels that did not show a single illegal act, those that include comrades with firm friendships, strong bonds between parents and their children, pure love between a man and a woman, flawless and peaceful human lives, a bright future free from worries—there are many novels that have these qualities, you know.”

“We know that. But see here…that stuff have very little thrill in them. They’re often extremely boring, so they wouldn’t sell. Anyhow, they would be things only fit for children.” The leader’s words sounded much like a complaint.

“That’s what I’m telling you from the start. It would be pointless even if you enter the country,” the officer declared with finality. “Moreover, our country is currently busy with the collection of illegal books. The publishing sector is in the middle of reorganization, and is not in any position to take care of foreign trade.”

The leader quickly asked the officer, “I forgot to ask the most important question! What’s the reason for this outrageous law? What is it for?”

The officer promptly replied, “That’s one strange question. It’s really very simple. It is to reduce the crimes in this country, even if only a little. People are being influenced by the crimes that they read about, and are encouraged to try them out themselves. It is to prevent something like that from happening. It is to protect this country’s public order, to make a cheerful society where people can live safely.”

“What? But aren’t those stuff only in the novels? Aren’t they all just make-believe?”

“That’s what makes it more dangerous! Because it’s ‘just a story’, the readers reach a conclusion that the acts portrayed in them are not illegal. They become numb from this poison. If they see a main character who is an assassin kill people stylishly and evade arrest, the reader will think, ‘Oh, killing people is cool!’ If they see a main character completing a heist magnificently, the reader would think, ‘Who cares if he took something that belongs to someone else!’”

“The only ones who would interpret it that way are children. If adults make sure that they are in places that can’t be reached by children, then everything will be fine.”

“If you acknowledge that these things can influence children, then you should accept the fact that they can influence adults as well. Unfortunately, most of the crimes in this world are committed by adults. You are an adult yourself, so you must understand right? ‘Because adults have already matured, they will never be influenced by anything and commit mistakes’—if such an illusion were true, then there will be no need for laws in the first place! Can’t you imagine it? There is no altering the fact that humans, be it children or adults, are imperfect beings!”

The officer then calmed her stormy breathing, and continued. “That was rude of me. Even in our country, there are people who are against this law. They gathered their voices and said this: ‘Even if there are people who are influenced and commit crimes, it is not the novels, but evil, to blame. Most people enjoy the novels as fiction, and would not confuse it with reality. And reading, regardless of what is written, makes life productive.’”

“Oho, and then?” the leader interjected happily.

“But interestingly, they were silenced when the ones in favor of the law said this: ‘Then if you became victims of a murder influenced by books, can you go back to life? Can you return the smiling faces of your bereaved family?’” the officer declared.

“…”

Having been overwhelmed, the leader fell silent.

“As they’re not capable of such a thing, the opposition had nothing to say. And so, to protect the irreplaceable lives of human beings, this law was passed. Owing to the imaginary world of novels, we have overlooked a lot of unlawful deeds up to now, but that savage era is now over! We will continue to grow each day! Now, how about getting permission to enter and get acquainted with our reformed country?” the officer asked.

Kino and Hermes waited without answering. The leader scratched his head, then asked, “So after four months, has the number of crimes in this country decreased even a bit?”

The officer quickly answered, “No. There was no change.”

The leader chuckled like a child, “Then it’s not too effective, huh?”

“No. You’re mistaken there.”

“Oh?”

“If we left things as it is, the effect of the illegal books on crime would definitely increase. During the four months, the fact that there was no increase or decrease in the crime rate can only mean that our law was effective.”

“Okay…,” the leader only muttered while looking at the officer who declared this with brimming confidence.

The leader took a long breath, and finally, “I have one last question.”

“Sure, anything.”

“What has become of the authors who wrote the outlawed books?”

“They have opposed the law desperately, as it was their means of livelihood. But such selfish desires cannot triumph over the safety of the people, and as the law pushed through, I believe they have already given up. There are also those who have picked up the pen and diverted their talents to writing lawful works.”

“Are there any who left the country?”

“There may be, but the emigration bureau doesn’t really know. You see, we don’t question them one by one about their reasons for leaving.”

“There must be a lot who committed suicide?”

“It seems that there are some who did, but again we don’t know to what extent. In the first place, authors typically have noticeable eccentricities, so it’s not really strange for them to kill themselves even before.”

“Dear me…”

The leader looked at Kino once more, “Either way, it seems that the country I used to know has already vanished. I am really sorry, Kino.”

“Don’t worry. There are plenty of countries I have been to that transformed abruptly. And I’m not really that disappointed.”

“I see. It’s the way of a pro traveler, huh?” the leader said, and faced the officer. “It would be pointless for us to enter the country. We’ll be—”

The leader stopped in the middle of his speech.

“Hey, what’s that?”

What the leader pointed at was the neat row of mini dump trucks that appeared on top of the tall walls. The platforms tilted and started to drop some objects outside the country.

Those were numerous boxes that fell and crashed on the ground, their contents scattering. The contents were,

“You’re throwing away the books?”

Just as the leader said, those were numerous books packed inside cardboard boxes.

“Yes. Finally, we have finished the recovery operations, and have begun throwing away the books today. Incinerating the books inside the country would cause pollution, so we decided to just throw them away outside the country between the walls and the forest. As it’s not a good thing in terms of defense, we are throwing them away first, and when we have collected a substantial amount, the army is to dispose of the books with a bulldozer and—”

“Is there a law forbidding people from taking items that were thrown away from the country?”

“Eh? There’s none but…”

The leader grinned as he heard the answer, turned around and whistled. Then he made a fierce dash towards the books.

The ten men who had been resting near the trucks chased after their leader in confusion.

Kino turned to the officer, “If you’ll excuse us. We’ll also go and take a look.” So she said, and pushed Hermes towards the pile of books.

The inspector who was left by herself,

“Good grief… Will you tell me clearly whether you would come in or not?”

Let out a slight curse.

—

As Kino and Hermes approached,

“This is a mountain of treasure!” the leader was crying out in joy before the books.

There were books damaged from the impact of falling. However, with the books below acting as some sort of cushion, most of them remained intact.

Another pile of books fell down beside one pile. While taking care not to step on them,

“You guys! Load up the clean ones! Fill up the trucks as much as possible! Leave those in cardboard boxes as is! Collect all the books in a series as much as possible!”

The leader let fly authoritative instructions, and the ten men promptly got to work.

So that she wouldn’t get in their way, Kino stopped Hermes a bit ways off the mountain of books. Then she picked up a book that dropped nearby.

Its title was, ‘The Milk Delivery Serial Murders’. And on top of its cover, there was a piece of paper with the following words written on it: ‘Contains a murder scene.’

After showing it to Hermes, Kino picked up another book.

It was entitled, ‘Anika’s Adventures’. The paper placed on top of it read, ‘There are scenes with a girl stealing a plane and some boys attacking people with guns.’

“If Kino’s travels were a novel, it will definitely never be published in this country, huh,” Hermes gleefully remarked.

“That’s right, I guess,” Kino agreed.

The leader approached Kino, who handed him the two books.

“There’s no more need to pay for these books! We’ll make huge profit! However…we no longer have any business in this country. I have grown fond of it though…”

The leader said, half in joy and half in sadness. And then,

“We’ll immediately retrieve the books and take them to our country. You can do what you want, Kino. I’m sorry we couldn’t be of help. Bye.” Leaving these words, he returned to work.

Kino first looked at the men who were proceeding with their work in earnest,

“…”

Then she looked back once at the officer who had been left alone and waiting.

“Now, what to do?” The moment Kino muttered this, she noticed a book by her feet.

It was one of the books that one of the book-collecting men have considered unnecessary, and had been thrown away. Kino took a few steps and picked it up.

The title was— ‘A Tale Predicting the Future ~To the Children of Tomorrow: Your Dreams will Definitely Come True~’

The paper on it read— ‘In a past scene, there were children being beat up, scolded, and have their beloved possessions taken by adults.’”

“Just as the inspector told us earlier…”

“Hm? What are you talking about, Kino?”

“Didn’t that person say it? —‘Can’t you imagine it? There is no altering the fact that humans, be it children or adults, are imperfect beings!’”

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