2
In a tangible sense, Mirula was an almost empty stopover town.
The town wasn’t especially small in size, but it didn’t hold a candle to any notable cities. There were no special attractions or buildings, and because of its proximity to the Dunes, there were no tourists, either.
The sign declaring it the easternmost town in the world didn’t really have a purpose to serve in the end, and there wasn’t anything to see but a desolate townscape.
“…Visitors? …In the middle of a sandstorm? Welcome in.”
Pushing open the door and entering the shop, they were greeted by the owner at the bar polishing glasses. It wasn’t a particularly welcoming tone, but that wasn’t too shocking.
If a bunch of sandy guests happened to stop in in the middle of the sand time, it was only natural to be a little bit bitter.
“ ”
They had made a point of brushing off all they could before going inside, but they had been doused in sand. That was the price for ignoring the person at the inn and going out during the sand time.
I’m sorry for making this guy pay the price for our stupidity.
“What’ll you have?”
“Milk, cold, please.”
“Milk, warm, please.”
Sitting down at the bar to order, Subaru could see the owner’s gruff face screw up.
Ignoring his reaction, the two of them let out a long sigh and removed the cloth covering their mouths so they could properly breathe for the first time in a while.
“Haah, that really hits the spot. But going out during the sand time is seriously risky business.”
“Mm-hmm. You were standing downwind from me, but my mouth is still really dusty.”
Subaru grimaced a bit and nodded as Emilia stuck out her cute tongue.
She was wearing a white robe over her head, and her beautiful face and silver hair were almost entirely hidden. Subaru had joked that if such a beautiful girl appeared in such a rural town, the people there might have a heart attack from the difference in sensibilities—but in truth, considering her position, hiding her identity was the considerate thing to do.
Though covering her head and mouth in this case wasn’t just to avoid trouble. It was also to protect from the winds blowing from the dunes to the east that were filled with sand.
“Doesn’t look like you’re doing so hot at the moment. Not much business during the sand time?”
Sliding the hood he was wearing off his head, Subaru looked around the empty tavern. The gruff owner grunted in response as he set down the ordered milk.
The cold one was Subaru’s order, and the warm was Emilia’s.
“It’s not like anyone from the outside ever comes here. Opening this place during the day, and during the sand time at that, is basically just a hobby of mine. Not like I expected to actually get any customers.”
“I see. So then, since we’re outsiders and customers, that makes us VIPs, right?”
“And then you had to go and order milk at a tavern. Here you go, little lady.”
“Ooh, thank you.”
Emilia took the warmed milk and held the mug in her hands for a moment. Subaru glanced at her blowing on the milk to cool it a bit as the owner glared over the counter at him.
“So? What are you two doing all the way out in Mirula during the sand time?”
“Thanks for asking. The guy at the inn tried to stop us, but I wanted to test the sand time, as sort of a trial run. The real deal won’t be anything compared to this after all, right?”
“The real deal, huh? And that would be…”
“Obviously crossing the Auguria Dunes.”
The owner fell silent as Subaru held up his finger and declared that confidently. Then he slowly looked back and forth between the two of them and rubbed his forehead.
“I don’t know what sort of joke you’re playing at, but if you’re thinking of going out there like it’s some sort of fun escapade, then you should turn back now. You’re only gonna get yourselves killed.”
“Whoa, whoa, what are you talking about? Do we look like we’re here messing around? You say something, too, Emilia-tan.”
“Haah, haaah, hot…eh? What? Sorry, I wasn’t listening.”
“See, isn’t that seriously E M T?”
“I’m tellin’ you this for your own good. Go home now before you wind up dead.”
The owner’s trust dropped even more after watching their exchange.
But there was no denying he wasn’t saying it maliciously. They knew the danger of the Auguria Dunes already from previous reviews, but—
“We don’t really have a choice to turn back, unfortunately. Since forward’s our only path, we want to at least choose the safest possible way forward we can. You can understand that, right?”
“You’re the ones who don’t understand. You listening? There’s nothing that can be done for those dunes. They’re swarming with demon beasts and overflowing with the witch’s miasma, and no matter what you do, it’s impossible to ever get any closer to that tower in the distance.”
Getting annoyed at Subaru’s casual attitude, the owner explained in detail the menace of the dunes. Pointing out the window that was closed against the sandstorm, his lips curled.
“There’s no end to reckless fools like you. But there’s no one who’s reached the Sage’s tower in the middle of that sea of sand. If you’re lucky, you’ll make it back alive, but most of them are still out there buried in the sand.”
“ ”
“That tower was built four hundred years ago, and in all this time, there’s been no end to the people damn fool enough to set out for it, but there hasn’t been a one who ever claimed to actually reach it. Even the Sword Saint couldn’t do it.”
Reinhard’s failure had apparently left a broader mark than expected.
The owner may have intended that as his trump card, but unfortunately for him, they already knew about that and were still resolute about going anyway.
“And leading a girl into that hell…”
“Sorry. You’re reeeally worried about us.”
Subaru was struggling with how to respond to the owner’s earnest and entirely reasonable point when Emilia broke in. The owner’s eyes widened as she started with a gentle apology.
“We’re not regulars or anything of the sort, but you still told us so much. Thank you.”
“No, sorry for being such a nag about it. But I didn’t make any of that up. It’s always youngsters like you two, every time.”
“Are there really that many people who want to meet the Sage?”
“I imagine most of them just want the claim to fame that comes with saying they met the Sage. There are probably some who want to learn something from the Sage, but…all that cockamamie talk’s pretty dubious in the first place.”
The owner shrugged and shook his head in disgust.
He was probably telling the truth about having seen dozens of people recklessly try to reach the Pleiades Watchtower. He was a nicer guy than his face let on probably, because he seemed embarrassed over how he reacted.
“Do you mean even if we reach the tower, we might not be able to meet the Sage?”
“I’ve never heard anything about anyone reaching it. And if you believe the rumor, the Sage is still at the top of the tower looking out over the dunes, delivering a righteous judgment upon all villains, but…there’s also demon beasts and the miasma. I can’t imagine those dunes are anything other than a trap for hunting prey.”
“A lure for hunting prey…”
Emilia gasped slightly. The owner nodded and then turned toward the window.
“Don’t move around outside during the sand time and avoid demon beasts as much as possible. But even then, you still can’t avoid the miasma. The biggest obstacle for clearing the dunes is that thick miasma.”
“I can’t really picture what exactly that miasma even is, honestly.”
Subaru cocked his head.
He had heard the word plenty of times, and it wasn’t like he couldn’t get some idea from the definition. Basically it was an atmosphere that had a negative influence on the body. Or at least something like that.
Maybe sort of like a poison gas?
“Um, Subaru, miasma is the word for mana that has been polluted by something bad. Mana is invisible, but it’s still everywhere, right?”
“Eh? So miasma is mana?”
Subaru was shocked to find from Emilia’s description that it was something much more immediately at hand than he was expecting.
But still, the description of polluted mana didn’t really help him visualize it, either.
I guess it’s partly because I’m a modern-day Japanese guy, but I can’t really figure out this description of invisible mana.
“Ordinarily, mana doesn’t have any color, right? Miasma, mana polluted by something bad, is really not good for your body. But your gate naturally absorbs mana, so…”
“So you can’t stop from absorbing mana, just like you can’t just walk around without ever breathing.”
“The little lady’s right. And the miasma out there is the densest it gets anywhere in the world. If your gate keeps taking it in, your heart and body will be swallowed up in the pollution.”
“What happens then? Do you get sick—or go crazy or something?”
“The story goes that it eats away at your heart and body. The truth is… Well, I can’t really deny it.”
He shook his head at that and didn’t explain it any further.
But it was clear on his face. He had seen someone die from miasma pollution. And it was because he had experienced that that he was concerned for them from the depths of his heart and was warning them as adamantly as he was.
“If you can live your life without going there, then that’s for the best. You…”
“Thanks for the milk. And thanks for the story, too.”
Emilia finished her milk, but she shook her head at his warning.
Seeing that, the owner sighed in resignation. The reason he had spoken with them about the dunes even though he had not wanted to at first was because he had hoped to change their minds.
But unfortunately, they wouldn’t change their minds on that point.
“That should cover the bill. Subaru, let’s go.”
“Hmm, yeah. Thanks for the help.”
Leaving the silver coin she fished out on the counter, Emilia tugged Subaru’s sleeve. It was far too much for just two cups of milk, but it was also a tip for the information he had given them and the concern he had shown.
“—It’s just the past year or so now, but people have started to see a bird flying around over the dunes.”
“ ”
As they put back on their robes and prepared to go out into the sandstorm, there was a voice from behind them. Turning around, the owner had his back to them and was polishing the glasses and talking as if to himself.
“From the folks who saw it, they said it looked like the bird was flying toward the tower. So if you ever get lost in the dunes, look for a bird. If you’re lucky, maybe it will guide you to the tower.”
“Old man…”
“Hmph. If you’re out there and have nothing better to rely on, your luck is already the worst it can be.”
Subaru and Emilia lowered their heads and went back outside.
The sandstorm was dying down, and there was at least a little bit of visibility in the sea of brown clouding their vision. It was about time for them to return to the inn and meet back up with the others.
“The owner back there, it seems he lost a leg.”
“…I didn’t notice…”
“I don’t know how he lost it, but…but I imagine I can guess where.”
Emilia’s purple eyes were filled with sorrow. Subaru nodded.
The owner had been awfully kind trying to plead with a couple of reckless travelers he had never met before about how dangerous the dunes were. If that was a warning from his own personal experience, then that would make them awfully ungrateful.
“—The Pleiades Watchtower.”
Her mellifluous voice suddenly spoke the tower’s name.
Looking up, Subaru turned his gaze to the eastern side of the town, to the tower that could be seen from the tavern and from the swirling, sandy streets—the tower that was hanging ominously over everything.
It was an enormous tower that had been visible from the road even before they arrived in Mirula.
It almost seemed to reach the heavens.
No matter how fierce the sandstorm in the desert down below, how could you possibly lose sight of it?
But Reinhard and the owner of the bar had both said how difficult it was and how reckless it was to try.
“The shady Sage’s tower, huh…”
On the edges of his vision, the tower whose top he couldn’t see seemed to waver in the sand.
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