Kino no Tabi:Volume14 Chapter10

“A Righteous Land” — WAR = We Are Right! —

A motorrad (note: a two-wheeled vehicle, only to mean that it doesn’t fly) was parked on a road inside a thick forest.

Two black boxes were attached on both sides of its rear wheel, the carrier on top of which was piled with a suitcase and a sleeping bag. It was propped on its center stand, with its silver tank reflecting the greenery.

The motorrad was inside the forest which was in the midst of summer.

It was a region with a climate that wraps up and nearly erases all traces of green with snow once winter comes around. But now that it was summer, the trees competed in showing off bright hues of green at every opportunity. Insects flied about and the birds raised a clamor as they basked under the light of the noon sun streaming through the leaves.

The road was paved, its surface made of flat stones carefully pieced together with almost no gaps in between. It was wide enough for trucks to casually pass each other by.

Perhaps a result of regular repairs, even though it seemed to have seen quite a number of years, it had little bumps and hollows, and no weeds invading its tiny crevices. The road drew a perfectly straight gray line among the green of the leaves and branches.

“Not yet? Not yet?”

The motorrad muttered to itself with a tune. There was nobody around to answer.

A bird with light-green feathers perched on top of the motorrad’s handle to rest its wings.

“Hey, my handle’s no toilet, you hear?” The motorrad spoke to the bird, but received no reply.

After several moments, the bird flew away. Almost simultaneously, footsteps were heard from the forest, and soon the motorrad’s owner emerged, bathed by the sunbeams that filtered through the trees.

It was a youth around mid-teens, wearing a white shirt and a black vest fastened at the hips with a wide belt. A hat topped her short black hair and silver-framed goggles dangled down her neck.

From her hip hung a holster containing a revolver-type persuader (note: a persuader is a gun; in this case, a pistol). Behind her hips, another one, this time a thin automatic, was mounted with its grip held up.

“Welcome back, Kino,” the motorrad greeted.

“I’m back, Hermes,” the rider called Kino crossed over to the pavement from the wooded area, and stood beside the motorrad she had just called by name.

Kino fished out a metallic flask from one of the boxes beside Hermes’ rear wheel.

It was a canteen of crude workmanship, not unlike the type used by soldiers. It contained the water she boiled during the day, now completely tepid. She guzzled two mouthfuls of the liquid.

“So, found anything?” Hermes inquired.

“Nope, nothing.”

Kino returned the canteen into the box as she answered.

She removed her hat and wiped the sweat off her face with the sleeves of her shirt.

“Is it really around here? The country we’re looking for?” Hermes asked again.

“That’s what I’ve heard... It was supposed to be in this basin.”

Kino let her eyes wander as she replied. A poor view of the forest and no other manmade thing in sight except for the road, beyond which, only the ridge of a mountain vaguely visible from a distance.

“It’s not like a country could just up and walk on its own...”

Kino tilted her head, and Hermes replied in agreement.

“And supposing it could move, or destroyed one way or another, there should at least be some walls or ruins left.”

“True. —It’s just that something’s been bothering me.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“This place we’ve been searching for... I’ve heard about it from countries quite a long way from here. And it’s pretty old info too; the story probably has gone around for more than a century. Word was, there’s a country in this basin with technology much more advanced compared to its neighbors.”

“Okay, then?”

“But as we got closer to this region, all news about it vanished. Remember the country we just left? And the one before it? In both places, every soul, including the guards, claimed that they have never heard of any country like that around here.”

“Hmm, that is strange.”

“Sure is. And this road is just as odd. It connects with the neighboring countries, but...”

Kino looked down and lightly tapped the stones with her boots.

“Of course. A road as nice as this has no business lying around here if there’s no country nearby,” Hermes continued.

Kino looked up. “But this road winds way up to those mountains.”

“So if we continue to go along this path, we’ll soon be out of this basin, unless somewhere along the way we find some intersection. And that would be utterly unnecessary in the middle of the wild.”

“Urgh...,” Kino let out a tiny groan. “It’s not entirely impossible that the info was wrong, but it just doesn’t sit right with me. That’s why I’m still searching.”

“And now we’re stuck looking for something so big. I wish people would leave things right where they should be.”

“You can say that again. Just like you Hermes. You’re exactly where I left you last night.”

“Well it’s the fruit of my arduous training.”

“That’s news to me.”

“Well anyway, something you deliberately go looking for don’t show up until it is found, Kino. Maybe we should stop? Then it might finally appear.”

Kino showed Hermes a smile. “Maybe. —But, let’s just go a bit further.”

Kino went astride Hermes, booted the kick starter and brought the engine to life.

—

While they ran comfortably along the road, Kino directed her watchful gaze towards the scenery around her.

The loud roars of the engine accompanied them, yet the birds remained unperturbed and did not fly away. The colorful birds resting on a tree branch looked down at the passing motorrad and traveler.

“Quite a rich forest, huh,” Hermes remarked.

“I wonder if I can eat that bird?” Kino muttered.

And after proceeding like this for a while,

“Halt! There’s something to our right!”

To this Kino hit the brakes and turned her eyes to the right.

“.... Where?”

There was only the green of trees, branches, and grass, and a red bird with a long tail flying across the landscape, which was not as glorious as the scenery they’ve been enjoying for a while.

“Look at the ground. It’s not very obvious, but just a bit ahead, there’s a dense hump, see?” Hermes said.

Kino focused her gaze, and indeed spotted the part with a slight, gently-sloping bulge. It was about as big as a car, and no trees grew at its top.

“Huh?”

“Get it? Let’s take a look.”

As they moved forward, Kino changed Hermes’ direction and made a little dash into the forested area towards the bulge. Then she alighted from Hermes, crouched and observed the ground.

“...”

Grass and earth, occasionally squirming insects, and nothing else.

“Dig it up a bit.”

“Okay.”

Complying with Hermes’ suggestion, Kino took out a small foldable shovel from the box.

She pierced the ground just where the bulge began, and started to dig.

“What will you do if you find gold, Kino?”

“I’ll take as much as I can load on you, Hermes.”

“Knew you’d say that.”

Kino toiled away, the warm and humid air in the forest causing her to sweat profusely. And as she lost count of how many times she wiped it off, the hole grew deeper.

And when Kino was knee-deep into the hole she was digging,

*Clang*

A dull clunk resounded as the shovel’s tip was repelled by something.

“Bingo! It’s the gold!”

Following Hermes’ delighted exclaim, Kino, with an equally joyful expression, dug hastily, shoved the earth out of the way, and brushed off the insects. And there she found—

“.... Concrete.”

Kino said, dejection clear to be seen on her face. Before her, there was only dull gray concrete covered in dirt.

“Well that’s amazing. It’s exactly what I imagined it to be.”

Hermes said, not sounding the least bit disappointed. Kino asked in return,

“Imagined? You got a guess what this is, Hermes?”

“Yep,” Hermes readily answered, and went on, “It’s a tochka, Kino.”

“By ‘tochka’... do you mean those used by armies for defense?”

“Yeah. It’s sometimes called a ‘bunker’ or a ‘pillbox’. Usually shaped like an upturned bowl, it’s dug in a certain way to withstand enemy shelling, and is made of solid concrete to avoid getting blown away by a big bad wolf. It also has small loopholes from which the enemy could be fired at with persuaders or something.”

“An upturned bowl... I see. So one of those was completely buried here... But what do you mean by a big bad wolf?” Kino tilted her head as she asked, and Hermes gave her a short answer.

“It’s a fairy tale.”

—

Kino and Hermes chatted in front of the tochka.

“So this means there must really be a country here.”

“Right. The info you got was correct Kino. There’s no need to make something like this if there’s no country. I’ve been seeing traces of similar structures for a while now. This area must have been used as a defensive line long ago.”

“Defense, huh... But whose side? Was it used to protect the country from outsiders? Or did outsiders use it to protect themselves from this country?”

“Who knows? If you unearth it completely, maybe we’d be able to tell from the direction the holes open. Wanna try?”

“I’ll pass. —We’re not here to conduct a research about a war. But,”

“But?”

“Let’s go deeper in. Maybe we’ll find something.”

“Roger.”

Kino launched Hermes off, and made their way into the forest in no particular hurry.

She rode slowly over the damp earth, careful not to let Hermes’ tires sink.

“This forest is also weird as can be,” Hermes said.

“In what way?” asked Kino.

“It’s a lush forest concentrated within a basin, see?”

“Now that you mention it.”

“I have a feeling this forest was grown by people. When humans are involved, it is not uncommon to observe disparities in natural landscapes.”

“People? Then perhaps there’s really a country...”

“Maybe, maybe not. —But I’ve just seen something interesting. Look in front of you.”

Kino strained her eyes to see, and up ahead beyond the gaps of the leaves and the branches,

“Eh?”

She saw something so blue it was as if she was looking at the sky itself.

—

Kino and Hermes exited the forest, and came to a lakeshore.

“Wow...”

“Pretty, ain’t it?”

There they stood before a pool of water, some tens of kilometers across.

Where the forest terminated abruptly, a short field of grass began and continued as it is to the edge of the lake, which spread soundlessly over the area, filled to the brim with water.

The lakeshore that stretched left and right traced beautiful arcs, describing an enormous circle. Where the arcs overlapped each other, in other words, at the opposite side of the shore far, far away, there was mist.

The water reflected the sky like a glass, and the ripples on its surface revealed the occasional wind’s path. Nearby, a big fish leaped up and made a splash.

“How come a lake this big was not visible from the mountain pass...?”

Still atop Hermes, Kino expressed her mixed surprise and amazement.

“We entered from the back of the mountain ridge up north. Then we’ve been in the shadow of the forest the entire time.”

“Well never mind that. This is such a beautiful scenery... Even if we don’t find the country we’ve been aiming for, I’m already satisfied.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Why don’t we camp out here tonight? There’s fish, and I can spend the afternoon fishing.”

“Would be nice if you can do it gracefully. —But first,” Hermes dropped his tone.

“Hmm? First what?”

“Let’s speak to that mister over there. To your left, please.”

“!”

Kino turned her head in panic.

To the left side of the lakeshore, quite a distance away, a man stood in blank amazement.

—

The man looked around seventy.

Hermes called him ‘mister’, but it was actually an old man.

Nonetheless, the old man’s back was straight and his posture was firm.

He wore over his thin body a light shirt topped with a multi-pocketed vest commonly used by those who go fishing. Instead of a hat, his head was wrapped with a bandana. A bag hung from his shoulder.

At first the man, who apparently had also arrived from the forest, observed Kino and Hermes with a befuddled look, but after a while he lifted his right arm and waved.

Kino waved back in return to show that she meant no harm.

The man disappeared into the forest, and soon came out, pulling by its reins a horse. The man nimbly mounted the fine black steed, and galloped along the shore towards Kino and Hermes.

Kino got off Hermes and propped him on his center stand.

The approaching man’s horse was saddled with travel luggage, but it was not too enormous or loaded.

“If he’s not hiding any more than that, he must have come from a country quite close by.”

Kino nodded to Hermes’ observation.

Handling the reins brightly, the man stopped the horse right in front of Kino and Hermes. Then he immediately jumped off the saddle, deftly for his age.

“Good day, traveler! Motorrad!”

The man spoke with an expression of combined surprise, delight, and excitement, accentuating even more the wrinkles that already stood out from his face.

Kino answered. “Hello. We weren’t expecting we’d meet anyone in a place like this.”

“Same here.”

“That’s not surprising! But, I’m glad! This is also the first time I’ve met a person here!”

Kino probed the ecstatic old man without a moments delay.

“We’ve come to these parts looking for a technologically-advanced country after hearing rumors about it. We pulled out of the road and entered the forest. Eventually we found this lake, but still there’s no country to be seen anywhere.”

The man’s expression darkened, slowly and silently. “Is that so?”

Hermes went on, “If you know anything, please enlighten us.”

“Oh, why would you think I know something?” the man asked with a grin.

“From the way you reacted just now,” Hermes readily replied.

The man’s eyes widened, and with a smile, he heaved a sigh.

“I’ll tell you. But it’s quite a long story. Why don’t we take a seat?”

——

There was a motorrad, a horse and two humans on the shores of a lake.

The horse chewed on some grass nearby, while the motorrad stood motionlessly on its center stand.

The humans sat on top of the grass, looking at the lake and holding their own cups of tea.

“Let’s see... where should I start...?”

The man spoke, looking not at Kino, but at the lake. His eyes were narrowed, their dark brown pupils reflecting the lake that mirrored the sky.

Not having followed his words, Hermes chimed in.

“Gramps, are you an archaeologist?”

“No I’m not, do I look like one now...? Well anyway, you were right. There was a country like that around here.”

“Uh-huh. And it used to be right here on this lake?”

“It was. Right on top of this lake...”

Listening to the exchange, Kino moved her gaze from the man to the lake. The wide, wide pool remained there as still as ever.

Hermes inquired further.

“And how many years ago was that?”

“Forty-two years ago.”

The man’s quick reply brought surprise to Kino’s face.

“You sure know a lot.”

“Well, sort of.”

“Then, let’s hear some more. What kind of country and how advanced was it?”

Hermes’ questioning loosened the man’s tongue.

“It stood out considerably in terms of technology. So much that it’s incomparable to its neighbors. They developed their own technology, or otherwise improved on the knowledge brought to them from foreign countries.” The man was only able to say this much before a cloud settled over his eyes. “Except... it was an outrageous country, a terrifying country...”

The man took a sip from his cup, and without saying any more about the country, asked Kino instead.

“Have you any idea what it is that countries with relatively advanced technology compared to their neighbors aim for? What it is they are inclined to do?”

After a few seconds, Kino answered, “They use their superior weapons to threaten or wage offensives against other countries, right?”

“Yeah. That’s what they do all right. One boasts how strong they are and bother others about it.”

The man nodded. Yes, that’s right.”

“So—,” Kino began. “This very aggressive country attacked its neighbors with their powerful army? Is that it?”

The man answered. “No, that’s not the case. The country that used to be in this place was extremely pacifist. And that’s why they attacked their neighbors.”

“What?” “Eh?”

Kino and Hermes answered together.

“You may not believe it, but everything I’m going to tell you is the truth,” the man said.

—

“The country that used to stand here revered peace. Its people was set on the belief that peace takes precedence above all else—it was their country’s guiding principle. Their citizens were thoroughly educated to regard war as an unconditionally evil deed. Their constitution prohibited war, and they vowed to never get involved in a war no matter what. They believed this, even though not a single one of them has ever experienced the horrors of war in the past.”

“And then?” “After that...?”

“The country continued to live like that for centuries. In spite of their superior technology, they never diverted it to the development of weapons, or attacking other countries. In fact, they had good relations with their neighbors.”

“Mm-hmm. So things were going great.”

“The neighboring countries probably don’t want to be attacked by such an advanced country in the first place.”

“But forty-five years ago... an event completely changed the fate of that country. It was a very tiny spark, and at the time, no one probably considered it so remarkable to even call it an ‘event’. But now that I speak of it, it was most certainly very important, a turning point in their history.”

“Well that’s how history usually is! At least for the ones involved.”

“So what happened?”

“A song was written.”

“Whaaat?”

“A song?”

“Yes a song. —Actually it was a poem first. After being given a melody, it turned into a hymn that exploded in popularity over the entire country.”

“What kind of song was it?”

“It would save us time if you read the poem for yourselves. It’s right here.”

—

The man produced a steel plate from his bag.

About as big as a magazine, it consisted of not one, but several thin sheets of metal on top of each other, bound together by a ring through a little hole pierced in one of its corners.

“This plate was installed in every corner of the country’s capital. The poem was carved over a number of metal sheets.”

Though it was over forty-two years in age, it looked like something freshly dispatched from the factory, with its silver shining without speck or stain. The man handed it over to Kino.

“Thanks.”

Kino took the plate and carried it before her face, where Hermes could also see it. Large, closely packed letters were carved beautifully and with stunning precision on the plate.

“Laser-engraved. As expected,” Hermes commented.

Kino and Hermes read the letters.

First there was the title at the very top: “The Song of Peace”.

And then it was followed by the lyrics.

Verse I

We shall never condone war.
We do not acknowledge it, and never will.
This beautiful world has no need for war, or arms, or warriors.

Those who accept war, and refuse to lay down their arms for eternity,
Those who tolerate it, disguised by the filthy name, ‘necessary evil’ —
Are irrevocable fiends.

They slaughter their own kind, yet call themselves man.
And claim, ‘A battle for justice’, ‘A worthwhile sacrifice’.

There is no righteousness to be had in war.
There is no such thing as an indispensable fight.

—

Kino finished reading the first sheet.

“Can I turn the page?” She asked Hermes.

“Sure go ahead.”

—

Verse II

All fighting is evil, all battles pointless.
Oh fools, haven’t you considered what you gain from shunning war?
Lives spared, and efforts well-spent—even a witless soul can tell as much.

Oh you who fashion weapons and you who merrily embrace them.
Do you not realize that nothing is borne of strife?
Or do you refuse to see the truth, as long as you alone are safe?

The girl whose arms were torn away by a bomb,
The boy who lost his legs to a landmine,
The thousands of infants turned into orphans.
Do you not hear their cries?
Or have you gone deaf to their laments, as long as you alone are safe?

War is inexcusable. It should never be allowed.
‘It may have been a tragedy, but it saved more lives.’ so they say.
Will those words reach the dead children, or comfort their grieving mothers?

—

“Uh-huh. Quite a crude poem... the author did not even bother with rhymes,” Hermes commented, and the man answered indifferently,

“That’s only natural. Its author has never written a poem in his entire life. It was composed at the spur of the moment, only out of boredom.”

“...”

Still silent, Kino narrowed her eyes; Hermes paid no mind, and went on,

“I see, I see. Kino, next sheet.”

—

Verse III

Oh soldiers, the leaders who sent you in the frontlines, where are they?
There, safe and sound, far from the battlefield that will be your grave.
If wars were indeed worth undertaking, why is the first step forward not theirs?

Oh soldiers, with those persuaders, you kill someone else.
But will you aim at your friend? Send a bullet to your father?
Because those unsightly weapons in your hands,
Exist to kill somebody’s father, to murder somebody’s friend.

Why don’t you aim at the one who gave you the order,
And ask, ‘Why do I have to pull this trigger,’
‘When you, I, and they—are fellow human beings?’

All those who accept war are irrevocable fiends.
And we who cherish peace, will only abide by this truth!

—

“Um, is it going to continue with this kind of tone 'til the end?” Hermes asked vapidly.

“It’s getting tiring, eh...?”

Kino glanced sideways at Hermes.

The man spoke. “Don’t worry. The fourth sheet’s up next. That’s where the problem begins.”

—

Verse IV

So we lovers of peace are as one.
To stomp on those who approve of war!
To erase them from the face of the earth,
And obliterate conflict in this world,
So that peace may reign once more.

Hand in hand, we stand against them, we lovers of peace.
Allured by a folly called war, immune to human reasoning;
These excuse for humans, nay, beings more akin to beasts!

And so let us kill, and bring them destruction!
They who uphold war, they who cause strife,
Let us annihilate them, lovers of peace!

Come!

—

“…”

“…”

Kino and Hermes fell mute for a good five seconds after they finished reading the sheet.

Then Kino spoke first, her tone glum.

“These guys... are pretty extreme, huh?”

“And quite frank too,” Hermes added, amused.

Kino turned over another sheet.

—

Verse V

Come!
Kill the soldiers!
Kill their supporters!
Kill their admirers!
Kill their spawns who’re fed by blood-stained hands!
For parent and offspring are murderers alike!

Kill all of them!
As long as they live,
This world will not be rid of war.

Gather them ‘round, and burn them up!
And the world will emerge beautiful from their ashes.
A world without war, a world brimming with peace,
That ideal world will spread from beneath their corpses.

—

“…”

Kino wordlessly turned the fifth sheet, and found herself staring at the first one.

“It’s finished?”

“Yes,” the man answered Hermes. And then,

“That’s the song that became so popular in this country long ago. It was matched with a pleasant tune, and practically became the country’s anthem. The citizens were crazy about it. They felt the song just put into words the country’s wishes and the very reason for it and its people’s existence.”

“But isn’t this— Never mind. There’s no point arguing about it now, anyway!” Hermes said gleefully. Kino sighed as she returned the plate to the man.

“I understand what you mean. So— something terrible happened?”

The man nodded as he took back the plates.

“Yes, it was most dreadful indeed. Ushered by this song, the citizens of this country, the ‘lovers of peace’, became determined to slaughter the ‘enemies of peace’. It was truly unfortunate that they had the drive to carry out their vision, and began to work towards it. An even bigger misfortune was that they were very much capable of doing so.”

“Yes, the power of science! So, they were able to build an army in no time?”

“That’s correct. Of course, since they hated armies, they did not call it an ‘army’. At the time, they called themselves names like ‘Peace Corps’ or ‘Dream Builders’.”

“But in reality…?” Kino asked, and the man nodded once more.

“Yes. They were no different from any regular army. They used superior rapid-fire persuaders, and long-ranged cannons and tough tanks… And they trained hard for the sake of making their dream a reality.”

“And then? What happened to this country?”

“I believe you’ve guessed already. —Yes, in high spirits, they headed out of the country to ‘bring about world peace’. They marched to their nearest neighbor and aimed their cannons to its walls, demanding that they instantly disband their military forces. Of course in their minds, it was all ‘for peace’ and ‘to avoid wars from bringing forth any more tragedy’.”

“Who would interpret it that way?”

“Yes, of course their message didn’t come across like that. The sudden threat threw their neighbor into panic, who quickly dispatched a messenger to another country to seek for assistance. But that messenger will have nowhere to return to.”

Without showing any hint of emotion, the man continued to speak of the country’s history.

“Having not responded to the demand within the time limit, that country was rained down on by concentrated fire. It didn’t take the whole night to destroy it. Those who resisted, those who surrendered, even the injured ones and the women and the children, were all slaughtered. They were ‘supporters of war’ and ‘harmful pests’ that wouldn’t be of any use alive. It mattered little whether they resisted or not.”

“...”

“Oh dear.”

“Believing that they had made the world a little bit more peaceful with the destruction of one country, they returned triumphantly to their home, and started to look for their next target. At this point, there was only one way for their neighboring countries to avoid getting annihilated by this stronger foe. Any guesses?”

“Yes. —To form an alliance and surround this country from all sides.”

“Well, there’s not much they can do other than that.”

“Correct. These countries were by no means friendly with each other, and have even fought in the past for varied reasons. But they decided to join forces just for this occasion. And the approach they chose to solve the tight spot they were in was war. The peace-loving country was enraged. They could not comprehend why they should be attacked, when all they sought was peace. And concluding that their enemies were mere fools who wish to get in the way of achieving world peace, they resisted. They were overwhelmingly outnumbered by the allied countries, who surrounded them in this basin, but their weapons were far more superior.”

“There must have been quite a show of firepower then.”

“Yes. The allies fought desperately. And the number of casualties from their side was tenfold that of their opponent. If they lagged even a little in providing replacements and supplies, they would have lost.”

“But we know that they won in the end, so the ‘war-loving allies’ must have had tricks up their sleeves,” Hermes jested with a hint of sarcasm, which the man didn’t seem to notice as he replied,

“I’m sure you can imagine how desperate the allies must have been. The battle in this basin continued to intensify, the allies advancing at the speed of a turtle, digging trenches in the ground and enduring violent bombings.”

“Then those tochkas buried in the forest should have been used that time. So they belonged to the allies.”

When Kino said this, the man’s eyes turned to dinner plates and expressed his awe.

“You saw those? Yes that’s correct. The soldiers from this country wore reinforced armor that was developed during the war. It helped their movements, and could even repel bullets. Moreover, their weapons were large and powerful. The allies had no choice but to wait for the slightest opportunity to dig trenches. It turned out to be a test of endurance for them.”

“How heroic. But all along, the people of this country believed that everything was for the sake of peace?”

“They probably did not doubt it for even a second. They believed that there couldn’t be an act more supreme than to offer your life in pursuit of peace. They viewed the fatalities on their side as ‘a necessary but priceless sacrifice’, and regarded with utter hostility the soldiers of the allies, who were coming to murder their brethren.”

“So, what happened in the end? Also—” Kino pointed at the lake before them. “How did it turn to this?”

With his gaze fixed on the lake, the man answered.

“In spite of themselves, the country eventually succumbed to the overwhelming number of their opponents. Their walls were surrounded and aimed at by cannons, and the allies offered them the option to surrender.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And then?”

“They refused. The reply from them was, ‘Better be slaughtered, than surrender to inhuman savages who favored war! With our pride as human beings in our hearts, we shall never give up fighting for peace to our dying breaths!’ They say the commander of the allies who received this reply wrote in his report: ‘Every single person who heard this could not decide whether to laugh or to get angry.’” The man looked up at the sky and gazed at its blueness, which though identical with the lake’s, was empty. He sucked in air, and continued,

“There was nothing that can be done about it. After bombarding the interior of the country, they tore down the walls, rushed in, and killed everyone who resisted. That means they had to kill everyone. Every single person in that country, from the elderly to the women, not to mention children, took up arms and fought back, to defeat those who get in the way of world peace. The soldiers from the allies who had no choice but to kill children that were the same age as their own later suffered deep trauma from the experience. There were some who never recovered.”

“Hmm. But they did solve their problem. The world didn’t get any peaceful though!” The man nodded to Hermes’ words without showing any signs of emotion.

“Indeed, what’s settled is settled. Anyway, it still took two years. —There was one final thing they had to do.”

“To seal away that country’s technology?” Kino asked, and the man affirmed.

“But didn’t they desire to gain that knowledge for themselves? The one who obtains it will become powerful. They could have at least claimed the spoils of war.”

“If it were an ordinary war, that’s probably what would have happened. The winning side would ask a large sum for reparations and would take the technology for themselves.”

“What’s the reason they did not do that?” Kino asked.

“Ironically, after having fought so hard, the countries came to abhor war. They did not wish for another country to get their hands on this knowledge and have the tragedy repeat itself. So everyone relinquished their claims to it. It was a most reasonable decision. And finally, they decided to pretend that none of it happened—”

“By blowing up the country! Kaboom!”

“Yes. After cremating all of the bodies, they destroyed everything—the walls, the houses, the weapons, the blueprints. When everything was turned to rubble, they dug a deep hole and packed it with as much explosives as they could, and detonated them all. It took them one year to gather enough explosives for the task. The blast shook the ground and carved an enormous hole, wiping off this country from the map. The basin turned into a wasteland, and the allies then planted trees to hide all traces of what happened here. They laid out new roads so that no traveler would ever come upon the lake.”

“I see, I see. Now that solves all of the mysteries!”

“And it became taboo for the neighboring countries to mention a word about the country that once existed here? It’s no wonder everyone claimed they knew nothing about it.”

The man shrugged. “There’s no way they’re telling you. Everyone wanted to forget. Not a word was mentioned in their school’s history lessons. And they did not tell their children about it. The truth will be taken to the grave along with those who remembered it. All they wanted was to believe that it never happened. They didn’t want try and understand what led those people to do something so incomprehensible.”

“I see. With this, we finally learned everything about the mystery of this lake, and the mysterious country that was once on it. —All’s well that ends well.”

Hermes was about to end the story. However,

“I have one more question.”

Kino asked, looking straight into the man’s eyes.

“How come you know so much about all this?”

“...”

The man reciprocated Kino’s gaze with his creased eyes.

“Why do you think? —I’m sure you already have an answer to that,” he asked in return.

Kino answered.

“It’s because you were from this country.”

—

A powerful breeze made the leaves and branches in the forest rustle, then swept gently through the lake.

The man glared at Kino with an expression of amusement.

“Why do you think so?”

“I had to make a few assumptions,” Kino began. “But first, it was because you talked about everything so conclusively. It didn’t sound like you’ve only heard about if from someone else.”

“Is that all?”

“No. —You also seem to know way too many details. I doubt the allies, or the first country to be destroyed, would have known about the song.”

“Hm... But that evidence is still weak. Maybe you’re only baiting me to tell you the answer?”

“There’s that too.”

“Honest, eh?” The man grinned.

“So what’s the truth?” Hermes asked.

“That’s correct. I was once part of the country that stood here. I know all about that song, and the plates were among the things I’ve brought with me when I left the country.”

“Wow! Then isn’t that amazing? You’re the one and only survivor of this country!” Hermes exclaimed.

“I guess you can say that.”

Kino nodded in satisfaction. “But I couldn’t imagine it. How you came to be the only one to break free from that country’s ‘thinking’, and how you managed to escape and survive in the end. You’re hiding a secret aren’t you?”

“Digging deep when it comes to talk of survival eh? As you’d expect from a traveler. Fine, I’ll tell you. At the height of the song’s popularity, I woke up from my frenzy. As a result, I became the ‘crazy’ one. I began to dread the idea of staying in that country, and wished to escape someday. When the allies surrounded the walls, I pretended to be out for reconnaissance, and surrendered.”

“Oh I see. So you were hidden and protected by the allies as an informant!”

“Yes. I sold my country. A traitor who deserted his country at the most critical time.”

The man’s words were self-deprecating, but his expression did not show any signs of it. Just like Hermes, who spoke out again with his usual tone,

“That’s that. So were you the only one who did, or rather, could do that?”

“Yes, only me.”

“Why...?”

It was not a question for the man, but to herself as Kino muttered. She contemplated about it for a while, and for a long moment, there was only silence under the clear blue sky.

“Ah! It can’t be...”

Kino finally realized something, and raised her voice in surprise. The man’s expression was imperturbable as he wordlessly gazed at the blue lake.

“Kino what did you find out? Is this guy over here actually dead? Are we talking to a ghost?”

Ignoring Hermes’ inventive idea, Kino turned to the man.

“It was you? The one who wrote that poem?”

—

“That’s right.”

The man had affirmed, as he had plenty of times already.

I was the one who created this poem. Back when I was young and still lived in this country.”

“What a shock!” Hermes said, sounding genuinely surprised. “If I were a human, I’d have jumped high enough to reach the clouds!”

Hermes’ additional comment got no reaction from the two humans.

After a few seconds, Hermes asked, “Er, so why? How did you, the originator of all this, escaped?”

“Exactly because I was the originator.”

“Back when you wrote the poem— you believed it too, didn’t you?” Kino asked.

“Yes. I sincerely felt that way. Ever since I was a child, the idea that wars are absolutely evil had been drilled into my head. Wars should never be given the slightest nod. Why? Because it shouldn’t be, and that’s that. It was the kind of education that did not allow you to question or think about things. Education is a truly fearsome thing. If need be, you can use it to convince everyone that white is black, and black is white.”

“Yes. I know how difficult it is to go against that,” Kino said, seeing someone else’s face in her mind’s eye. Someone not there.

“My... You seem to have recollections of your own. Well, I won’t press you about those,” the man said, looking at Kino.

“So mister, what happened to you?” Hermes urged on.

“Like I said, I truly believed it. They were wrong—the people from countries that do not condemn war, and continue to preserve their armies. I deemed them as psychos, madmen who only bring destruction to their fellow men. I can’t be wrong about them.—One day, I made a slight mistake at work. On impulse, I vented my anger on those fools who could not let go of war. That poem contained my honest thoughts, which I only scribbled down during a time when I was brimming with emotions. I remember that evening very clearly. The moon shined so beautifully that night.”

“And then?” “What happened next?”

“The next day, I sent the little piece I wrote to a government-run newspaper. Since I’ve gone and took the trouble to write it down, why not have it acknowledged, even if it’s only in the reader’s corner of the newspaper? It would certainly make me happy, and I can boast to my friends about it. At least that how I felt at the time.”

The man spoke indifferently, his emotions still indiscernible.

“The next day, I was surrounded by journalists. And not long after that, I was hailed as a genius poet— Honestly, I felt proud and elated back then. The poem became a song in no time, and thrived all over the country. This plate was installed in every corner, and with each passing day, the people became more and more passionate, and united in spirit. But in the middle of this craze, I gradually calmed down, and regained my senses bit by bit. As to what point and what caused it to happen, I no longer know.”

The man gently shook his head.

“But soon… I harbored a desire to detach myself from the people whose hearts I have stirred. It’s not that I changed my principles and now consider war to be something necessary, and I still felt there are merits to subjugating countries that commit war… But I was tormented by an unexplainable chill, and time passed without me being able to bring myself to share these thoughts to anyone. And in the end, it’s just as I told you before… I became the ‘crazy’ one. But I hid it as best as I could, and determined not to stay any longer, I escaped from my country. —That is all I have to say.”

“I see…. Thank you for telling us everything.”

Kino politely thanked the man, but he only shook his hands and claimed that there was nothing she should thank him for.

“Hey, you said you became ‘crazy’, but why didn’t you consider to promote change from within? Since you’re the one who wrote the song, don’t you have at least the right to speak out your mind?” Hermes asked without holding back.

“Let’ see. If I disagreed with what the country was doing, my status as a respected poet would only serve to lighten my punishment from death penalty to life imprisonment.”

“Wha—, that’s no good. It’s a great thing you didn’t talk.” Hermes changed his stand in a flash.

“…”

Kino caught the slight chuckle that the man let out after hearing Hermes’ words.

With his mouth still shaped in a faint smile, the man turned to the lake and spoke,

“I have thrown away my past, and lived in a nearby country. Even though a long time has passed since everything came to an end, even now, I come here from time to time, and gaze idly at this lake. Here where I once made a mistake. I have lived like this ever since I became aware of that.”

The man punctuated, and while he gazed at both the sky and the lake,

“In pursuit of ‘righteousness’, people lose sight of everything else. Even the good things and those one could not go on living without. Nothing but tragedy will be born when you forget that.”

“I see. Thank you very much.”

“You’re very welcome. But—”

“I will not tell this story to others.”

The man smiled at Kino’s words.

“If so, that would be a great help. This is the first and last time I have ever told anyone about my country, you see.”

—

After a few moments passed, the man said to Kino,

“At first I thought you were one of them…”

“Huh?” “Hm?”

While Kino and Hermes mulled over the meaning of the man’s words, they heard the sound of an engine from afar. It was coming from the forest, and soon, a four wheel drive emerged from among the trees, quite a distance from where they were seated. It was headed towards the lake shore, so furiously that it nearly fell into the lake.

Three men were aboard the four wheel drive. Driving it was a man around fifty years of age. At the passenger seat was an old man who looked past eighty, and the rear seat was occupied by someone still quite young, only around twenty.

The man stood up beside Kino.

“These men are my guests,” he said to Kino, and walked away.

The man and the four wheel drive approached each other, and eventually, both stopped.

Kino and Hermes watched everything from a short distance.

Kino could not hear their voices, but she could make out that a conversation was taking place between the man and the old man in the four wheel drive.

After the conversation that lasted for tens of seconds, the two men seemed to have come to an understanding, and nodded at each other silently.

The old man walked towards the lake. He stood at its edge, and with his back still turned from the four wheel drive, he gazed at the blue sky and lake.

The old man in the passenger seat of the four wheel drive stood up. The youth seated behind handed him a rifle, and shot the man Kino and Hermes were talking to just a moment ago from behind.

The persuader fire reached Kino’s ears.

The man, his chest pierced through by a large bullet, collapsed into the lake and sent up a huge spray of water.

And he never moved again.

—

“Good day. Travelers, I presume?”

The four wheel drive stopped in front of Kino and Hermes. The middle-aged man seated in its driver’s seat greeted them with a smile.

The old man seated in the passenger seat held no expression, like that of a visionary, while the young man seated behind him showed a face wracked with tension.

“That’s right,” Kino affirmed.

“It seems you have talked to that man… Can I ask what it is you were talking about?”

“He told us about the country that used to be here. And that you were his ‘guests’.”

“I see… so he told you as well… Honestly, I would have preferred it if the story didn’t reach any more ears. But it’s not like I can force you, so you can just think of this as a request.”

“I understand,” Kino answered, and Hermes followed it with a question.

“Mister, were you out for revenge or something?”

The man answered. “I am merely a driver. This son of mine behind me, just like you travelers, is merely a witness. The only one who did this—and had wanted to do this— is my father here beside me.”

“…”

After several seconds of silence, Kino turned to the old man.

“You must be the messenger from the country that was first destroyed, am I right?”

The old man did not even move a muscle. In contrast, his grandson’s eyes widened in surprise. The old man’s son answered calmly, his expression the same as before.

“That’s correct. For that man and father, today is the day the war ended. For them, it was never ‘a war that did not happen’.”

“Oh, I see,” Hermes answered.

“So long, travelers.”

With these words, the four wheel drive drove away, and disappeared into the woods.

—

The surface of the lake, blue from the sky it reflected, was smooth except for the corpse of the man that floated on it.

Being rocked by the waves, his body slowly but steadily drifted to the center of the lake.

Kino finished up her cup of tea, then approached the horse that has lost its master. She removed its reins.

“You’re free now. Go off wherever you please, without worries.”

Lastly, Kino whispered these words to the horse before returning to where Hermes stood, and started his engine.

Translator’s Notes

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