새벽녘의 사수 슌란/8권

Chapter 8: In the Depths of His Memories
'Listen, Chunlan. Before we go after Raiju, there's something I want to say,' began the young boy's father. 'We Matagi follow the ways of our people. In doing that, we respect this mountain and stand watch over it for its beasts. Do you know why we do that?'
It was not the first time he asked that. In fact, he had asked this countless times—but never had he asked it while they were on the way to slay a beast when even Kiiun Olkis had failed.
Rather than ask why his father, the current chief in the legendary hunter's absence, would bring it up now, Chunlan repeated his usual answer. His father never asked anything without a reason, so the answer would come with time. 'The blessings of the mountain are the blessings of Aidios. We protect them so as to show out thanks to Her.'
'That's right. We believe this, and we aren't wrong for it—but I think we have a greater purpose than even that answer. I want you to ponder what that is as we hunt Raiju.'
'So, what? Does the old answer mean you've been full of it all this time?'
His father laughed. 'Sorry, Chunlan. I meant to save this conversation for after you'd become a man, but here you are, hunting Raiju with me. It makes for a fine opportunity.'
The lesson continued as they ascended the mountain and were soon near the midpoint of Mount Whitecrown--an area where bears were known to live. No one knew where Raiju made its nest, so their only option in tracking it was to go to where it was last seen and hope there were tracks to follow.
'We are able to see tomorrow because we take the lives of other creatures. These creatures are no different. They fight to survive, and sometimes, that means hunting us as we hunt them. Even Raiju, as it casts its monstrous shadow over the whole of this mountain, is no exception.'
'Right,' Chunlan responded pensively.
'After twenty years of hunting with Kiiun Olkis, I came to a realization: we are on equal footing with the beasts. We may not be able to see eye to eye with them, but we understand that we face life as they do.'
'We face...life? Okay, so what does that mean?'
Chunlan was familiar with the concept of giving thanks to life and taking it, but there was something abstract about the concept of 'facing' it. He was also not the best at wrapping his mind around the philosophical, preferring straightforward paths with simple, direct answers. Anything that strayed beyond that risked him getting lost in his own thoughts. 'I don't think there's a singular answer to that question. The journey to try and find your own answer is as important as the answer itself. Without the journey, life cannot be faced. It would be meaningless.'
'Meaningless?'
'That's right. Face life. Accept it. Your struggles will reveal guideposts on your journey that only you can see.'
Young Chunlan thought about the obstacles on the path that made his life. At the same time, he considered the lives of others who had chosen different paths, wondering what their answers came to be through it all. Had those who left the village run away from the ways of their people, or had they chosen to leave after finding something that gave their lives meaning? But was there meaning in becoming poachers or trophy hunters for nobility?
He doubted it.
'This is going over my head,' he finally admitted.
'Knowing that is a victory in itself. Pride blinds us from our correct path.'
A gentle expression sat on his father's face. There were moments when he was deeply stern, but for now, as he presented his son a question even those twice and thrice his age would wrestle with, he presented his softest side.
'What does this have to do with Raiju?' Chunlan asked.
'I'm sure you already know this, but the hunt for Raiju is a dangerous one.'
The sound of their footfalls on the snow halted. Chunlan's father used the pause to give his son time to consider the reason behind their talk.
'What I'm saying is that we might end up as the ones being hunted this time,' he continues. 'The risk of us losing our lives are higher than any normal hunt—perhaps the odds are even against us. Do you understand what could happen, Chunlan?'
He nodded in response. He understood well, but he didn't want to put it into words.
'Accept the reality, even if this hunt doesn't end the way we want it to. I thought this might be my last chance to tell you that.'
In his short life, he had come to have a very simple dream: hunt Raiju with his father, protect the mountain, and surpass Kiiun. It was a way he could show the other vagabond youths his age that there was meaning in the path they had not chosen.
So how did this new course of thought his father proposed fit into this dream? Was it a new one that deviated entirely, failing to fit the curated mold of the path he chose to walk?
The answer did not matter. It was not long until Chunlan lost it all—his dream and his father. What he found among the broken pieces of his life that came afterward was not any true answer to his father's question, but rather a realization that he, indeed, could not accept reality, leaving only a festering hatred in his heart.
The rising sun stained the snow atop Mount Whitecrown with a subtle gold, and the lone Matagi and two Woodland Wanderers carried more than their weight in supplies as they continued to heave and climb. The blizzard itself has blown over, but strong gusts continued to persist, bringing with it sheets of snow in what may as well have been the same thing. Each sheet reflected the morning glow, making them feel as though they were being assailed by brilliant motes of pure light.
As planned, they arrived at the summit just as dawn was breaking. Their speed was aided by the fact that Woodland Wanderers were light on their feet even when weighed down by seemingly endless amounts of gear. Now that they were dressed properly for the weather, they could tackle the cold with a speed that put even a local to shame.
They still knew nothing about Raiju's location beyond it being somewhere within the vicinity. It was unclear whether they should first scout the place out, planning their next move carefully, or if they should strike as soon as they caught sight of the beast. Chunlan and Sayu continued to discuss options as they moved.
No matter how he tried, Chunlan could not calm himself down. It had nothing to do with doubt in his or his companion's abilities—it was that the yet-to-be-seen foe they were hunting had the kind of strength that made even the most thorough of plans seem insufficient.
'We're finally going to have the last part... It's been divided for so long.'
'Right?' Dau chimed in agreement with Sayu's musings. 'And if things go smooth enough, we might even finish up that bastard who keeps tailing us. We'll finally be able to face all the people he killed.'
'I'm kind of exicted to see what it does when it's complete. The Blade of the Thunder Heavens sure makes it sound like it will be impressive to me.'
'Well,' began Chunlan wryly, 'the Oni will be the perfect test subject once you find out, won't he?'
Neither Sayu nor Dau were particularly distracted by the suggestion. They remained focused, their eyes looking straight ahead, with no immediate dangers on their mind to stand in the way of their goal. In Sayu's case, retrieving the last part for the cylindrical artifact was not optimism, but the next step that was simply going to be.
The Wooodland Wanderers and the values they acquired from their tight-knit environment fascinated him. On the surface, their traditions were simple; they patrolled the eastern side of the continent, retrieved artifacts, and passed them along to the Septian Church. And yet each cycle of this journey was riddled with value and supplemented by countless customs that had long been passed down from generation to generation.
Even as Sayu and Dau made slight deviations from their people's path, they balanced it by continuing to respect and adhere to their many traditions and values they had long loved and accepted.
What did he value? As he observed them, Chunlan thought back to the days when his father was still alive—when he had a simple, pure goal. When he had that goal, he never felt a moment's resistance against the ways of the Matagi.
'What do I have now...?' he wondered aloud. His purpose was shattered, leaving behind a constant feeling of questioning the nature of life itself in a puzzle he was no closer to solving now as he was then.
The only thing sustaining Chunlan through his days was that it was natural for the body to breathe, eat, and sleep. Meeting these two was an outlier to his daily routine, and one that sparked something in him he had not felt in a long, long time. Could these strangers who possessed what he lacked lead him to reunite with that feeling of having a purpose in life?
'Look out!' Dau shout snapped Chunlan back to his senses. In that same instant, he felt a light jolt and something impacting his body.
'Dau!' cried Sayu.
Dau had shoved both Chunlan and Sayu aside and, a heartbeat later, lightning flashed in an explosion near him. Something struck the youth like an invisible wall, throwing him to the ground, and smoke rose from his skin as convulsions coursed through his body.
It was the worst possible outcome among their discussed options: Raiju had attacked first.
'Dau! Are you all right?!'
'Yeah... I'm glad you're okay, Sayu,' Dau croacked. 'My body's numb, but Granny Haku's charm is nothing to sniff at. I think I can even stand.'
Sayu realized and vocalized that the paint he had covering his body was a ward that must have been an insulating resin. After confirming that Dau was well and calm, Chunlan retrieved his binoculars.
'Sorry, Dau. I let my guard down,' he said.
'Don't worry about it. Even if you noticed, you might not've been able to dodge it. Just focus on finding it!'
He wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. He knew if the king of thunder could see them, they could see it as well. 'There!'
He found his longtime nemesis. It was a fitting throne for the conqueror of the land and wielder of lightning through its very claws. At the highest peak of Mount Whitecrown, looking down at them, was Raiju.
To Be Continued

第８回　記憶の果てから
「シュンラン、《雷獣》に挑む前に今一度覚えておけ。
俺達《マタギ》が獣にも敬意を払い、山を守る事。
そのためにしきたりも守る事。その意味は何だ？」
その日、少年は傍らの父の口から今まで何度も経た問答が投げかけられたことに少々面食らった。今よりあの伝説たる先代《頭領(スカリ)》ギウン・オルギスですら狩りきれなかった《雷獣》に挑むというのに。
　　「山の恵みは女神の恵み。それを守り、感謝するためでは？　
そのために先人達の……」
少年は幾度も繰り返してきた答えを返す。何故今改めてと問返しはしない。姿を消した生ける伝説から《頭領》を継いだ父の言葉が無為であった事は無かった。
　　　「その通りだ、皆がそう思うし、間違いではない。
だが俺はそれよりも重要な事があると思う。
《雷獣》に挑むにあたって、お前にも考えて欲しくてな」　「そんな事が？　父さん、今まで勿体ぶってたのか？」
　　　「はは、すまんな。お前が一人前になったら改めてと思ってい
たが、いつの間にかお前も共に《雷獣》に挑むまでに
なっていた訳だ。それに……この狩りは丁度いいしな」
二人はその間も山道を歩み続ける。羆(ひぐま)の生息域から少し離れた白笠嶽の中腹だ。未だに棲み処も不明な《雷獣》を狩るのであれば、目撃地に直行し痕跡を追う他無かった。
　　「――良いかシュンラン、俺達の生業は獣の命を頂く戦いだ。
それは獣も同じだ。生きるために抵抗し、時に人を狩る。　
　山を脅かす《雷獣》も例外じゃない」
　　「うん……」
　　「故に俺達は山にいる間、獣と対等と言えると思わないか？　
だが、人間である以上、常に獣と対等ではいられない。
故に俺達は常に命と向き合い続けねばならん。
ギウンさんと共に二十年狩りをして、
それが真理と思うに至ったのだ」
　　「命と向き合う……？」
「感謝する」でも「頂く」でもなく「向き合う」。あまりにも抽象的で広い意味を内包する表現だ。正直なところ、少年にはやや苦手な類の話だ。
　　　「その心は？」
　少年は真っすぐに歩める道を、答えが見える道を好いていた。ただ、同時に彼とて単純ではない。更なる迷いを抱える可能性、それ自体を危惧しているのだ。
　　「決まった答えなど無い。それを探す道自体が重要なのだ。　
命を無意味にしないためにな」
　　　「無意味にしないため……」
　　　「そうだ、向き合い続け、受け入れ続けろ。
その相克こそが当人にしか見えぬ道標となるのだ」
少年は自らの生きる道にある重いモノを思い出す。そして同時に、他の道を選んだ者達の存在を想起した。彼らは、この命題をどう見ていたのだろうか。この戒から逃れたのか、はたまた新たな価値を見つけた末の選択だったのか……少なくとも密猟をする輩やスポーツハンティングをする貴族などにはその重みを見る目があるとは思えない。
　　　「……俺には難しいな」
　　　「それが自覚できるなら良い。見失うのは、いつも驕る者さ」
父が向ける表情は柔和だった。時に厳しい顔も見せる彼は、息子に葛藤を与える時にこそ優しく我が子を包んだ。
　　「それにしても……
どうして《雷獣》に挑むにあたっての話がそれなの？」
　　「――言うまでも無いが、《雷獣》に挑むのは
俺達を以てしても危険極まりない」
雪を踏む音が止む。少年は父が歩みを止めた事に気づくために、どういう訳か少しの時間を要した。
「つまり、俺達もヤツに狩られる側に回りかねない……
いつも以上に対等な――いや、不利な中で命を賭けるのだ。
それが何を意味するかわかるかシュンラン？」
少年は静かに頷いた。言葉で応じるのは怖い。
　　「生きるための戦いの末に望まぬ結果に至ろうとも……
その時こそ、本質から目を逸らすな。
その事をお前に伝えられる、最後の機会と思ってな」
少年はこれまで、ただ一つの夢を目指してきた。父と共に　《雷獣》を狩って山を守り、ギウンを越える。そして同世代の者達と同様の選択をしなかった事の意味を証明する。そのためにひたすら修行を積んできたのだ。
だが、父は新たな命題を提示した。少年に新たなゴールを与えるためか、それとも他に意図があるのか。
いずれにせよ、少年は失う事となった。目標を、夢を、そして父を。
シュンラン・アイゼンが打ち砕かれたものの中から拾い上げられたのは、この事実に向き合うべきは怨恨ではないという事、それだけで止まっていた。
朝日が白笠嶽上層部の雪を黄金(こがね)色に染め上げる。一人の《マタギ》と二人の《森の遊人》は、小屋で確保した大量の物資を背に、金色に輝く山道を登り続ける。猛吹雪こそ収まったが、山特有の吹きおろし風は強めだ。斜面を覆う新雪を輝きのまま巻き上げる。登る者達の目には、あたかも光の粒子が自分達目がけて殺到するかにも見える光景であった。
予定通り、ほぼ夜明けと同時に山頂付近に辿り着くことが出来たと言える状況だ。これだけの装備を担いでなお、その速度を衰えさせる事の無い《森の遊人》の健脚あっての事だ。防寒着を手に入れた今、彼らは最早《マタギ》以上にこの山を征し得るかも知れない。
肝心の《雷獣》の巣穴は未だに山頂付近という事以外わかっていない。偵察を重ねるべきか、見つけ次第の急襲を仕掛けるべきか。一応、ケース別の作戦をサユとシュンランで検討してはいる。だが、シュンランの胸はざわついていた。自信が無い訳でも、サユを信用できない訳でもなく。ただ、如何に策を詰めようと、終着の見えぬ相手が《雷獣》なのだ。
「遂にこの時が……片割れに至るまで長かったけど」
　　「だな、上手くいけばあのねちっこい野郎ともおさらばだ。　
やられちまった他の支族の連中にもやっと顔向けできるぜ」「それに、完全体の古代遺物も楽しみ。
《震天の雷剣》……名前は意味深だけど、どんな力が……」「その実験台があの変な耳野郎になる訳か。
ハハ、なかなかの皮肉じゃねぇか」
しかしサユとダウはシュンランと対極に振る舞っていた。二人は、ただ前を向く事を疑わない。サユであれば、決して単に楽観するだけという事は無いだろう。だが、二人はこの時点で既に来るべき脅威のその先を見据えているのだ。
そしてそれを支えるのは、自らの中で確固たる価値観を、原動力を醸成させている事なのだろう。
　　　「《森の遊人》か……」
《森の遊人》……七耀教会との盟約に基づく使命を守りながら、大陸東部を巡回する民。彼らには、彼らの受け継ぎ、守ってきた掟と営みがあるだろう。サユとダウはそれらに縛られるのではなく、自らの見出したものと調和させているのだ。
　　「価値……価値か……」
二人を見てシュンランは、父と共に狩りをしていた頃を想起した。あの頃の自分には、目標があった。純粋だった。だから《マタギ》である事に迷いも不満も無かった。
　　　「――俺には何が……」
だがシュンランの目標は、未解の命題のみを残して砕け散った。惰性と慣性。今のシュンランは、それに寄りかかっている。
しかし――もし、自分に無いものを持つ二人との出会いが、潰えたはずの目標の一片との再会が、自分にもたらされた導きであるとするならば――
　　　「危ねぇ、二人共！」
ダウの叫びが、シュンランを現実に呼び戻す。それは同時に軽い痛みと衝撃を伴っていた。
　　「……ダウ兄っ！」
シュンランとサユは二人纏めてダウに突き飛ばされていた。直後、ダウの至近に雷光が爆ぜる。
　　「ぐっ……痛ってぇぇえええ！　何だこりゃ！」
不可視の壁に弾かれるように倒れるダウ。体表から微かに煙を燻(くすぶ)らせ、痙攣(けいれん)している。
――ぬかった。自らを縛る過去を想起するあまり、警戒を疎かにした自分の落ち度だ。あろうことか《雷獣》の先制攻撃を許してしまうとは。
　　　「ダウ兄、大丈夫！？」
　　　「ああ……お前も無事でよかったぜサユ。
体中が痺れるが、ハク婆のまじないも馬鹿にならねぇもんだ。
何とか立てそうだぜ……」
　　　「あー……そのペイント、雷除けのおまじないだったっけ。　
確か、絶縁体の樹脂だったはず」
ダウが一命をとりとめた事がわかり胸を撫で下ろしつつ、シュンランはすぐさま双眼鏡を構えた。
「すまない……俺が気を抜いたばかりに」
　　　「気にすんな……気づいてても避けられたとは限らねぇ。
今の内に敵を見つけてくれ……！」
二度と同じ過ちは犯すまい、奴にこちらが見えている今こそ、こちらも奴の姿を捉えるチャンスだ。
　　　「――いた……！」
早くもシュンランは、宿敵の姿を視界に収めた。
そこはまさしく雷を操る者に、そして外なる王たる者としての玉座に最も相応しい一点。
――《雷獣》は、白笠嶽の頂そのものから全てを見下ろしていた。
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