Seirei no Moribito

He gave up trying so hard to find a way to talk, and I asked him over the lunch I had brought.

"Hey, Leo is the eldest son of a harbor town mayor... you said he was mistaken, right?

"Yeah. Me and my parents were incompatible everywhere. Ifried and I signed a deal to hang up and we got off the hook with my parents and we came here... what's wrong with that?

I exhale a sigh of relief in my heart and speak thoughtfully to his serene expression of refusal.

"... I don't know the face of my own parents, and the warmth of my family... do you say it? I don't know... Leo said he didn't get it from his parents even though they were there... so there's nothing sad about that?

to my interrupting question, which I didn't think I could successfully pass on myself,

"Hmmm... if I were my only child, maybe I would have been more of a person with no interest or interest in someone else... because in my case, I had a brother. My brother understood me, so I was able to separate him from my parents... Is that what it's like?

He gazed at the distance,

"... there were times when I was a little sad, but I didn't want my parents to admit it or anything like that. Either that or I think it was against my brother."

"Your brother respected Leo, too, didn't he?

"I admired him and thought he was different from me... but he was a good brother. You can say it yourself, but not for as long as I want."

Laughing lightly and quickly finishing his meal, he greeted him hand in hand,

"By the way, why are you suddenly talking about that?

... Honestly, there's no reason. It's just...

"... there have been a lot of“ tributes ”promptings lately, and all the villagers look scared, but... only this dojo wants me to stay unrelated to such disturbances, I just wanted you to laugh all the time and think so."

So that everyone can be happy… if they can, don't let him be a "tribute” etc. All the time, so I can laugh with the kids in this dojo. All the while, may this routine continue.

Not knowing such a small wish of mine, he laughed again, and stood up loudly to take the wooden knife and make a bare gesture, and he looked around.

With a slightly thoughtful look,

"... the Spirit is making a scene"

He muttered quietly at the reaction of a small, tiny spirit that existed there but could not be seen by anyone.

He laughs down the wooden knife and asks the micro spirits there. To him who loved and loved the Spirit. The microspirits manifested themselves by solidifying and emitting a pale light, showing only fantastic sights around him.

"What's up, guys?... Yeah, in the square... are you making a scene? So... well, that's... yeah, I'm fine. I'll go find out for myself. Thanks for letting me know, guys."

To his gratitude, the slight Spirit emitted a stronger glow, disappearing to blend into the air.

I waited for the conversation between him and the microspirits to end before

"What's going on?

"Everybody says there's a villager in the square. Revelation......? They're gathered around it, screaming something."

- Revelation. On that word, this morning's events passed my head,

"... me, I'm coming to see"

Wait, I'm coming with you.

Hold me still trying to jump out, he takes another wooden knife and speaks to the children.

"Everybody, me and Laura are coming to the square. Never leave the dojo!

The kids, who were eating lunch around the trees, raised their faces as to what was going on, but honestly shook their necks vertically at his words.

"Let's go!

Keeping the children safe, he ran out to the square to lead me.

"In a week's time, we will dedicate the head of this village as a tribute."

There was a "revelation” on the plank of a tree that said so on only one bulletin board set up in the hall of the village.

What I talked to the village chief about this morning... yeah, the word "protector” said to me, "witch”, no doubt every word.

When I saw the revelation, I blued my face, and he supported me where I fell by accident,

"… As Cheng Cheng, the“ Guardian "has hit the gap we're considering how to deal with first."

I groaned so slightly that I rushed to look for the village chief.

He sees this revelation in the villagers' outing, and there were a lot of faces around him that he saw, but he didn't see a long woman in it.... Apparently, the village chief is not here.

But there's nothing I can do where the village chief was. Everyone knew that the village chief would be the next “tribute”.

"... what would I do... if I had responded sooner..."

to me waving my entire body as well as my voice, he lays his hands on top of the

"... yeah. Maybe... this is how the Protector was meant to react. Laura tried to move, and this happened so that it could happen."

"... Leo..."

He gave me a reassuring grin just to look at, and he stared straight ahead.

I didn't miss reading the letters written in Revelation, and a voice so low that I couldn't hear it next door murmured something.

I didn't know what he was thinking, but still...,

"... cowardly"

The accidentally leaking low voice blew out my confusion in an instant.

I know that his serenity and tenderness towards everyone comes only because of the solid distinction between enemies and allies. So now we know that the words that weave animosity are directed at the Protector and the Spirit Tree.... Even though I knew that, my shoulder jumped without time to hold it down.

Because the word cowardice seemed to accurately describe the acts I have been doing.

It's my job... to be a witch, so I can't help it. With that excuse, the words were pressed down like lead, as if you were disputing me for just devoting important people without doing anything.

Repeat all the excuses, I should have been able to do something, but I didn't have to do anything... I gave Niña my life. Never once did he say it was wrong, but... I always thought he despised me deep down.

That's why I reacted unconsciously to his voice.

The word is, is that hostility directed against me, the "witch”?... I thought about asking him again and again once. But every time I got scared, I couldn't ask... hey, is that something against me?

Naturally he couldn't have noticed my doubts that I had asked him in my heart, and he didn't seem to have noticed my anomalies either.

"... Guys, can I do you a favor?

With a gentle voice that he had just struck and changed, he called upon the slight spirits that would be present around him to be precise.

The lights lit for a moment in a small, really small and unnatural place,

"… I want you to find out what the" protector ”looks like and what the village chief looks like. Can you please?... Yeah, thanks, guys"

The tiny, slight Spirit responds and disappears so small that you can't tell if you haven't tried to be careful.

He still gave me a harsh look, but shook his head and spoke to me.

"Well, it seems like I can't stay here any longer, so I have to go back to the dojo and deal with the kids. What about Laura?

Nothing has changed his attitude.

"... I..."

I didn't know what to do.

Should I tell everyone the truth as a "witch" or… should I personally disagree with the village chief's “tribute”?

I don't know, I don't know what to do.

There was no such thing as my weak voice leaking.

"Laura! What the hell is this?

That's what one of the villagers who noticed my appearance called for, and more and more other villagers who were watching the revelation gathered around me.

"Is that true? I can't believe the mayor is the next“ tribute ”!

"Uh..."

"How could the mayor be a" tribute ”! I would have just given it to you a week ago!

"Oh, um... I am"

I don't even know what to say anymore. I guess my appearance seemed like an indelible attitude to the villagers. One after another, the villagers begin to raise their voices against me.

"In the first place, how can we live if we dedicate the village chief!

"Yes! The truth is, offering a“ witch "to dinner under the moon for generations would never have threatened our lives!

"How did this happen! Is this what you set up!?"

The dissatisfaction and distrust of the villagers who had to sacrifice their families until now, hidden in the depths of their hearts… all of that exploded by the fire of the village chief's next “tribute”.

"I don't even know if she's really the princess of the witch, because I believed the mayor said it was for us to live in peace!

"You look fine and make my family a" tribute, "you demon!

"All I need is for you to be a" tribute ”instead of the mayor!

The malice of the villagers, who had nothing to stop and never thought about stopping again, focused on me, and I didn't know what to do anymore.

Yeah... their malice is legitimate. It's all my fault... because I didn't do anything... Niña became a "tribute”, until the village chief next...

Such guilt came in, and a clear Shizuku poured out of my eyes. I meditated my eyes reflexively, desperately trying to endure them, but I couldn't stop them.

I just had to endure. Truth is, I want my ears blocked and crouched in right now. I don't want to hear everyone's voice, I want to run away... I thought so. But this is what happened to me... so I endured desperately.

But the voices unleashed among such successive curses that

"- Everybody, calm down!

Not the voice that shelters me, not the voice that blames me.

Rin's spread of his voice saved me as a result of the villagers' malice.

He speaks up and makes his point so that everyone can hear him.

"Sure, there are too many people here who have been making" contributions ”lately... that's what I think too. But I don't know if I like Laura or if she's a" tribute, "or if she's a" witch "or not, but I don't think we deserve to blame Laura for pushing Laura into that position and sticking to protecting ourselves."

so that he may forgive or convince,

"As long as we continue to rely on the" Spirit Tree, "the fact that someone will be sacrificed will remain the same. Then the actions we have to take will be limited."

"... but! As long as there's a" witch, "our lives are..."

"How can you not know that I shouldn't think about it? The power of the Spirit Tree is great. But that's why they're gonna kill us all, even against them."

Soon, the forgiving voice had turned into a voice with menacing force.

"Then we just have to accept the fact that someone has to sacrifice and not try to push the blame on others and put each and every one of them in a position of“ witch ”ready"

"There's no way you can do that!

"So you're saying you can't benefit from the Spirit anymore and starve to death?

Only, the villagers who defied him seemed to thoroughly let them lose their will to war, and those who disputed him were ambushed by the blade of truth.

But...

"... I thought it was someone else, and there's room for this!

His atmosphere changed when that voice, raised by someone, echoed in the square.

Turning off his expression, he turns his insulting eyes and returns his words to the villagers who let out his voice.

"... you don't mind trying to be a" tribute ”to the rest of it?... you used to invite people from the outside to be a" tribute ", like you used to do to me? That's what fools do."

"... but if we don't... ugh!

"Is that why you think that's a legitimate means?

Voices disputing him had disappeared as if they had not come from the beginning.

And as if to ask each and every one of them, this is how he ended up closing.

"... I'm the same person who doesn't want to die. But think again about the sacrifices that have become commonplace in this world where sacrifices thrive."

And he pulled my hand, still weeping, behind the square.