새벽녘의 사수 슌란/6권

Chapter 6: Thus Spoke a Woodland Wanderer
Nestled in the northeastern corner of the Zemurian continent loomed Mount Whitecrown. Its body played mother to a richly unique culture and ecosystem—but though loved deeply by the people who made her their home, she was not merciful in turn. The many mysteries and phenomena she held, seen as events worthy of worship for some while mere fables worthy of dismissal for others, made life very difficult indeed; but still, they continued to live on in her embrace, accepting that this was and would always be her way.
There were those who insisted there was a connection between the stories of the mountain and the mysterious disappearance of the greatest Matagi who ever lived, Kiiun Olkis. It was on this day that Chunlan was about to come face to face with the truth behind this long-sung tale through a threat looming in the shadows—all while discovering something more about himself than he ever thought possible.
And all through the words of someone who came from somewhere far away.
'So that weird little thing is called the Cylinder of the Frozen Sky? I've never actually seen an artifact before.'
As the sun set, Mount Whitecrown wailed as wind and snow kicked up to bid these new invaders unwelcome. They had to move quickly, which is why the three of them—Chunlan, Sayu, and Dau—now huddled around a campfire in a small cave, the blizzard raging on just arges away. Dau, who had lost his fur coat during their lively encounter, had taken to piling liberal amounts of wood into the fire.
According to the two foreigners, the Cylinder of the Frozen Sky was capable of adjusting the concentration of moisture in the air or even controlling the weather within a certain radius. That made quick work of the mystery of how she was able to create fog from seemingly nothing or banish snowstorms with a flicker of light.
'And it's also how you were able to cause an avalanche that huge?' Chunlan asked, though he knew the answer already.
'Yeah. I concentrated its power into bolts and adjusted the moisture of the snow where the bolts landed. If you know how it works, it links up well enough with weapons.'
'Oh, 'well enough'! You make it sound like it's not something beyond belief. I almost still don't believe it!' Chunlan's surprise wasn't just at the artifact, but at the series of events that had occured in unbelievable succession. The whole day had succeeded in astounding him utterly, from the nomadic tribe responsible for this artifact in hand to the man who hunted them with an expression of malicious thrill.
And how did this girl seem to know so much about the world—so much he didn't know? He had never experienced the things she seemed so indifferent to in all his years on the mountain, and with that in mind, he further wondered if these were the kinds of things his old friends who left the village were now experiencing on their journeys.
Realizing how little he knew about the outside world startled him in one sense, but in another, it left him curious for more revelations.
Dau gave a warm laugh as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders to pull her in as he had done before. 'Ain't she somethin' else? Doesn't matter how bad a situation gets—she can always think up a way out.'
'Dau, we've talked about this,' Sayu whined as she shrugged him off.
Even this small interplay between the two that had no doubt happened countless times before felt like something that had come from another world entirely. Their every word, their every interaction, served to overwhelm Chunlan, making him realize just how small his existence truly was, dwarfing his spirit more than even the mountain that rose high above them.
But his loyalty to the mountain remained even in this bizarre, enlightening befuddlement. He was a Matagi, and through that, the weight of the situation was twice so, inspiring him to rise to action and stop the incoming threat from encroaching upon his small word further.
'It's still hard to wrap my head around it all, but are you planning to get that 'part' you mentioned back from Raiju?'
Chunlan pushed the discussion forward, not just to cover the erupting conflict within but to provide himself some direction. He needed to know precisely where to go in order to discover the role he would have to play in the reality unfolding before him.
'Yeah,' confirmed Sayu. 'It needs to be complete so we can offer it at the shrine. And once it's complete, it should give us the power we need to take down the Oni for good.'
She went on to say that they had known the part needed was on Mount Whitecrown, but until she saw it, she was unaware that it had fused with indigenous life. Yet that changed nothing, for they had retrieve it—fused or free.
This new direction failed to anchor him as he hoped. He met a fated, beastly rival he hadn't seen in years, only due to the influence of outsiders who revealed to him what gave the beast its legendary status. It was nothing he could have possibly predicted. It came with the strange sensation, one he wouldn't quite be able to put into words if prompted, that his past had run off without him, morphing and distorting under the watchful eyes of others till it was no longer a narrative to call his own, even if he had to be the one to confront it in the present.
He continued on. It was all he could do. 'Right. That Oni is an entirely different problem...'
With Raiju, at least there was a tangible connection, distorted as it was now, that cemented these implausible circumstances in reality. The Oni, though, made him feel as though he had been thrust right back into the realm of fantasy.
They could not afford to let that monster of a man remain the dominant party between them. Taking up his rifle, Chunlan wordlessly stepped away from the fire, turning toward the entrance of which there was only a swirling vortex of night sky and icy snow.
'Where are you headed off to all of a sudden?' Dau stood and reached out to Chunlan, gripping his shoulder to stop him in his tracks.
'I can't let the Oni kill Raiju...so I need to hunt it down before he rises from the snow. It would be a disaster if he snatched that part before we could get it.'
When he turned to answer them, he was met with two unexpected expressions—expressions one normally wouldn't present in the face of someone readying themselves for a fight to the death.
They were smiling.'
Unexpected though they were, he found comfort in that being their natural reaction.
Dau answered. 'Well, then we're all in the same boat. Wouldn't hurt to bring along someone like me if you're open to having a partner help you race the Oni to the finish line. I tell you, I got a mean kick!'
'And since Raiju has a part of the artifact inside it, we both should know our way around it,' Sayu added. 'I doubt either of us would slow you down.'
Both of them were right. There was no good reason for Chunlan to be so possessive over this hunt—and there was no greater recipe for seeing to its success than cooperating with two who may know the beast better than he ever thought he did.
'I don't doubt that,' Chunlan responded. 'But the king of the thunder and I have a history.'
Why was he being so stubborn about this? Group hunts were a Matagi tradition, so they were more than familiar to him—but here he was, impatiently eager to rush ahead on his own. A part of him was embarrassed by his confusion when their reactions were among the few things in this moment rooted in coherence.
'Why do you want to go alone?' Sayu asked.
'How come nothing seems to shake you?' Chunlan responded with a question of his own. Again, he hoped their answer would anchor him in some way—push him in a right, sound direction that would help him feel with the ease they did.
Sayu answered without hesistation. 'Because my goal has an end with meaning. Not just to our people as a whole, but to me as a person. So all that's left to do is achieve it.'
'Makes sense.' It didn't. He didn't know anything about what truly drove her or what gave this mission of hers such meaning that it drowned out all hesitation. But he could, at least—however invisible, however, intangible it was—feel a foundational strength in her answer that brought him comfort.
Dau sought to comfort him in another way. 'Don't think too hard about it. Sayu's an unusual one—even I have trouble understanding her sometimes. For now, let's just boil it down to us wanting to have your back in a fight. That good enough?'
Between the talk, Dau had retrieved some things to prepare for heading back out before returning to Chunlan's side to clap him encouragingly on the shoulder.
'Yeah. Good enough for now.'
At the time, Chunlan was still unaware that the very thing causing his heart to hesitate was also calling up a memory buried deep within.

To Be Continued

第６回　《森の遊人》はかく語りき
　ゼムリア大陸北東部の一角、白笠嶽地域。独自の地域文化と生態系を育んできたこの地には、当の住人達にとっても度し難く、しかし同時にその存在に対して一種の諦念とも受容とも取れる扱いの下放置されてきた謎や伝承が、いくつか散在していた。ある者はそれを純朴に信じ、ある者は御伽噺(おとぎばなし)と冷笑する。今では、最強の《マタギ》たるギウン・オルギスが謎の失踪を遂げた事に無理矢理関連付けて語る者すらいた。
そしてこの日、青年はそうした謎の一つにして新たなる脅威――そして自身の因縁である存在の真実の一端を、目の当たりにしつつあった。外界からの使者がもたらした言葉によって。「《凝空(ぎょうくう)の筒》……それがその摩訶不思議な代物の名か。
古代遺物(アーティファクト)……噂程度には聞いた事があるが……」
　　　　日が完全に沈むと同時に、外界の者を阻まんとするかの如き吹雪の牙を剥いた白笠嶽。その中腹に位置する小さな洞窟に灯りが燈されていた。吹雪を逃れ、焚火を囲むのはシュンランとサユ、そしてダウの三人。羽織っていた毛皮を喪失したダウが率先して薪をくべていた。
《凝空の筒》――それが、二人の明かした“筒”の正体であった。曰く、空気中の水分凝結に自在に干渉し、局所的ながら天候の制御すら可能な機能を秘めた古代遺物。確かにそれならば霧の発生や吹雪の緩和にも説明が付く。
　　　「となると、あんなに簡単に雪崩が起きたのも……？」
　　　「そう、矢を中継器にして雪と地面の湿り気を調節した。
上手く使い慣れれば、武器と連動させられるっぽくて便利」
「相変わらずしれっととんでもない事を……」
シュンランの驚きは、今直面している古代遺物の能力に対するものだけに留まらなかった。古代遺物を運ぶ流浪の民に、それを狙う者達。その中で独自の知恵を発揮する一人の少女。全て、白笠嶽にいたままでは本来知り得なかった事だ。
果たして山を捨てた幼馴染達は、各々の行く先で何を見ているのか。山の外に広がる世界について、自分が無知である事を実感すると共に、好奇心を刺激される。
　　「ハハハ！　凄ぇだろうちの妹はよ。
毎度の様に、どんなものでも応用法を思いつくんだぜ！」　「……ダウ兄、何度も同じ事言わせないでね？」
誇らしげにサユの肩を抱くダウと、それを払いのけるサユ。
　二人が幾度も繰り返してきたであろうこんな光景でさえも、自分とは違う世界を渡り歩く中で醸成されたものなのだ。
そう思うとシュンランは、山と比較するよりもなお自分が矮小な存在であると改めて感じた。
それでも自分は、《マタギ》として今より外界の脅威に対峙せねばならない。その重さは今のシュンランを強く戒めるも、反面その奥に燻るものを煽り立てる。
　　　「随分と話が大きくなってきたな……
君達は《雷獣》が持つ片割れも取りに行くのか」
シュンランは自身の中にある葛藤を覆い隠すと共に新たな道標を探るべく、話の続きを促す。目の前にある現実の中で自分は如何に振る舞うべきか。それを知りたかった。
「うん、《ホコラ》に納めるからには完全体にしておきたい。
それに完全体なら《鬼》に打ち勝つための鍵にもなるし」　
――それにも関わらず、いざ片割れがあると言われる白笠嶽に来てみれば、件の古代遺物は土着の魔獣と融合しているという想定外の事態に陥り、今に至るという。
　　　「……」
シュンランは現実感を喪失しつつあった。因縁の相手と時を隔てた再会をしたかと思えば、その正体を異邦の旅人から告げられたのだ。それは自らが過去に置き去ったものが形を得て、忘れられまいと手を伸ばしてきているかのようで。
　　　「それにしても、《鬼》か……」
しかしそんな縁すらも壊し尽くし、全てを夢の果てに帰そうとする存在、《鬼》。その殺意が、彼を戦いに駆り立てる。　
――先を越される訳にはいかない。
シュンランは猟銃を手に取り、静かに焚火を囲う輪から外れた。洞窟唯一の開口部からは覗くのは白い吹雪と闇夜の織り成す渦のみだ。
　　「おいおい、いきなりどうしたってんだよ」
ダウがシュンランの肩を掴む。振り返ると、ダウとサユがシュンランに向ける表情は、彼が想像していたそれとは全く違っていた。
　　「《雷獣》をあんな奴に狩られる訳にはいかないんでね……　
奴が復活する前に、一刻も早く《雷獣》を狩らねば。
その片割れとやらの横取りならしない。待っていてくれ」　
　予想だにしていなかった二人の顔。それは、笑みであった。おおよそ独りで死地に赴く者に向ける笑みではない。それにも関わらず、そこには如何なる矛盾も発見できなかった。
　　　「へっ、その《雷獣》とやらを《鬼》と競うんなら、
おれ達とやる事は全く同じじゃねぇか。
おれは足にゃ自信ある。急ぐ仕事なら損はさせないぜ？」　「……それに、相手も古代遺物を持っている。
片割れと知識を持ってるわたし達がいて損は無いはず」
二人の言っている事は至極当然の事でしかない。シュンランが獲物を独り占めする意味が無い以上、共通の目的を持つ二人と協力する事は自然な選択だ。
　　「だが……《雷獣》は俺が……」
　《雷獣》との決着をつけるために他者の力を拒む理由は無い。むしろ《マタギ》は本来は集団猟も伝統とするものだ。しかし何かを焦り、シュンランは一人で飛び出そうとしていた。そして、二人の当然過ぎる反応にも困惑していた。
　　　「……どうして一人で行こうとしたの？」
　　　「……どうして君達はそんなにも迷いが無いんだ？」
故にシュンランは、問いに問いを返した。そこに自らを戒める命題への道標を求めてか。
　　　「説明するのは初めてだけど……わたし達の営みは、空虚じゃなかった。少なくとも、わたしはそれを確信出来てからは一族のだけじゃない、自分の目標を持てたからかな」
対してサユは、問答にも迷いを見せなかった。ただ彼女の抱く一つの命題、それが確かに“そこに在る”のみであった。　「そうか……」
彼女を正確に導く目標について、シュンランは何も知らない。だがこの一答を以てすら、自分の目に映らぬもの――或いは映してこなかったものがそこに生きている事。それだけは確かに伝わった。
　　　「まあ変に難しく捉えるなよ。
サユはおれらン中でも特殊さ、ぶっちゃけおれもわからん。
とにかく、おれ達とあんたは仲間。今はそれで良くねぇか？」
いつの間にか再出発の支度を済ませていたダウがシュンランの肩を叩いて、吹雪の中に踏み出す。
　　　「ああ……そうだな。今は……」
　シュンランは気づいていなかった。自らを惑わしていたものが自身の中で、もう一つの想いを呼び覚まそうとしている事に。
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