Akatsuki Translations

Seven days had passed since the unofficial and unrecognized disaster response meeting. The sky was clear. A pleasant breeze caressed the skin. Before their eyes lay the undulating green of the wheat fields. It was a typical rural scene at the transition from spring to summer.

It was a scene an impressionist painter would yearn to capture, so peaceful one could stretch and relax. But my feelings were different.

“So, this is a field of bread,” said the apprentice priestess standing next to me. Her fair face was free of sweat. Silver-blue hair slightly peeked out from under her hood. Her noticeably worn deep blue dress was unfashionable. But, the effort to conceal only betrayed her inner qualities. Ah, I see, those who have it, even when they hide it, emit a different charm.

It made her even more approachable, almost drawing one in… Is this what fantasy RPGs mean when village girls seem cute?

“Please refrain from making such comments, Alfina-sama,” I quietly cautioned her, as if we were not in France of the impressionists but rather heading towards a revolution.

“Is that so? But Ricardo, you should call me Fina.” -Alfina

“Even as a pseudonym, that’s a bit too… Alright, F, Fina.” -Ricardo

“Yes, Fina it is.” -Alfina

“Al” fina smiled brightly. Her unusually high spirits might be due to traveler’s high. I heard during the rough carriage ride from Berthold that she had never opened the windows of the luxurious carriage from the royal capital to Berthold.

“A-anyway, first, we’ll try to persua- or rather, greet the village chief, so…” -Ricardo

Four days ago, as planned, I headed towards Leiria Village, blending in with a caravan. Staying overnight in Berthold was also part of the plan. Meeting up with Jacob and his group of five exclusive adventurers for Vinder was scheduled. As expected of professionals, their punctuality reassured me.

The following morning, hosting the envoy of the Archduchess at the inn was all according to plan.

Power does not adhere to the schedules of small merchants, or rather, it doesn’t even acknowledge their existence. My journey had now included taking along an apprentice priestess from Berthold Cathedral. The noble reason was to visit the orphans of the village.

The Archduchess suggested giving Alfina a break, and the king, wanting to keep his adopted daughter away because of the prophecy, agreed. What about Claudia? She was called away by her parents. Always unreliable when needed most.

I regretted leaving Mia in the capital for another investigation.

I was about to say we needed to provide our own carriage due to the amount of luggage. Jacob misunderstood and moved the luggage to the roof, seating the apprentice priestess next to me. I almost warned him, “If anything happens, you’re out of a job, or worse, dead,” but managed to hold back.

Thanks to that, I spent two hours in a not-so-spacious carriage with the academy’s most beautiful girl. By the time we reached our destination, my already fragile sense of self-preservation was in tatters.

“Ricardo-niichan, it’s been a while.”

“Ahhh, Mia’s not with you, but there’s another girl.”

Crossing the square to the village chief’s house, gathered children began their innocent blasphemy. Wait, you guys, careless words and actions could lead to death. At least don’t drag me into it.

I entered the village chief’s house as if shaking off the noisy children.

“Is this Ricardo… *cough* Well if it isn’t Ricardo?” -Village Chief

“Village chief, long time no see. How’s the watermill?” -Ricardo

I responded with a full smile to the slender middle-aged man. In a village with almost no outsiders coming in, even an attempt at acting should be considered good enough.

“Yes, it’s working very well indeed.” -Village Chief

“That’s good to hear. Just remember not to overburden it too much, or its lifespan will shorten. Please give it some rest occasionally.” -Ricardo

“Yes, that sounds like a good idea.” -Village Chief

I signaled him to keep the beekeeping a secret and introduced Alfina, or rather “Fina,” as an apprentice priestess. I told him not to mind us showing her around the village. Alfina seemed like she wanted to say something, probably a warning. She looked dismayed when she saw the village chief’s daughter’s belt.

Of course, I suggested increasing food storage. I left the discussion of evacuation plans to Jacob and his team. It’s only preparatory preparations since we can only leak minimal information.

First and foremost, we must confirm if Alfina’s vision and this village truly match.

I took Alfina to the boundary between the wheat field and the pasture. Lush wheat fields. Cows grazing on grass. A slowly turning watermill. The surrounding scenery remains peaceful as ever. The distant forest with bright red leaves in early summer is eerie, but for the villagers living here, it’s a scene they’ve been born to.

Could it be filled to the brim with monsters now?

Alfina stopped dead in her tracks. Her beautiful face tensed up in an instant, a stark contrast to her smile at the clover on the side of the road just moments ago. The priestess princess closed her eyes, tightly clutching her hands.

“There’s no mistake. The prophecy I saw pertains to this village.” -Alfina

Alfina opened her eyes and said clearly.

I need to regroup. Even if the kingdom doesn’t act, we need to prepare enough to evacuate the villagers to within Berthold’s city walls.

But first, we have to ensure we don’t end up having to abandon the village.

“I’ll go collect the samples.” -Ricardo

“The sample will be the red-leaved tree, right? Are we going into the forest?” -Alfina

“No, in places near Rubel Wald like this village, they’re scattered around… Look.” -Ricardo

Alfina looked uneasy at the mention of Rubel Wald. I pointed out the red trees around the village. They probably manage to live off the magic veins even at a distance due to their deep roots. The wood, valuable in this world, is left uncut due to superstition. The village chief said they were already red when he came of age, indicating their considerable age.

By the way, in this village, peat fulfills the fuel needs.

Now, the notably large trees are two, one to the west and one to the east. To the west, there’s a clover field. We should minimize the risk of exposing the beekeeping secret. After all, bringing Alfina here was unplanned.

I glanced at Alfina. Her expression was serious, a complete turnaround from when she arrived in the village. Naturally, she’s not here for play.

“Ricardo-kun?” -Alfina

“A-ah, yes…” -Ricardo

It was worth bringing her along. Confirming firsthand information is significant. If the prophecy is true, she will be recognized as someone who tried to save the village…

No, I’ve fulfilled her wish to see the clover flowers. After all, I should have settled any obligation when I gave her the bookmark.

“We’ll take the sample from that tree on the hill.” -Ricardo

The “hill” was more of a gentle rise with a red tree growing on top. Behind it, the land dips slightly with a stream flowing through the center, possibly the site of an ancient lake.

I gestured to Alfina, who had silently followed me, to come closer as we reached the trunk.

“Ricardo-kun, what are you… Wow!” -Alfina

Alfina clasped her hands together as if in prayer, gazing down at the scene below. A carpet of red made up of flowers. Clover fields. To me, it’s a mountain of treasure that produces copper, not golden, honey.

But for someone who has never left the stone enclosures of the capital, it must be a rare sight. Perhaps, for me, with my past life’s Japanese perspective, this scene strikes a deeper chord than the Western-style gardens of the royal capital.

I averted my gaze from her face, which had regained its age-appropriate smile. She has played her part; now, she can enjoy the sightseeing.

“…Alright, time for some manual labor.” -Ricardo

I muttered as I took out tools from a leather bag. From the side, it looked like a T-shaped metal rod. The vertical rod was hollow, with grooves cut into the exterior of the tip. The horizontal rod was wrapped in non-slip fabric.

I faced the large tree, pressing the tube against the trunk as if aiming a machine gun. I adjusted the angle towards what seemed to be the center. The pointed tip slightly penetrated the hard bark. Gripping the T’s horizontal rod with both hands, I twisted my arms.

With a grinding sound, the tube slowly, slowly sank into the trunk. I silently urged it to stay level. As an economics student, I had never done anything like dendrochronology.

My mentor often said, “Economics is the physics of individuals, the chemistry between people, and the biology of society as a living organism.” Thanks to that, our seminars involved reading papers that could be considered classics from various fields.

My biceps began to cramp. Just as I was about to wipe the sweat from my forehead, a white hand from behind covered mine.

“I’m sorry. I should help too.” -Alfina

She whispered close to my ear, and her slender arms, which seemed to have never held anything heavier than a fork, touched mine. Another kind of sweat ran down my back. I’m thankful she’s wearing a voluminous priestess gown that seems to reach down to her hands. I wondered if the thick fabric was hot, but if she had been in lighter clothing, my sweat would have been the bigger issue.

Trying not to be too conscious of my sweet-smelling helper, I rotated my arms mindlessly. I felt something soft brush against the tip of my elbow a few times, but it must have been my imagination. If it wasn’t, it would be far too dangerous for various reasons.

“…I think this is enough.” -Ricardo

At some point, the white line I had made as a reference had disappeared into the trunk. Although physically the assistance wasn’t much help, mentally, it seemed to have a considerable effect.

“Um, I know this is late, but what were we doing?” -Alfina

“Please watch.” -Ricardo

I inserted a thin iron rod into the tube, pushing out a sample about the size of a straw. Beautiful horizontal stripes lined up. It seems we were able to drill almost horizontally towards the center.

“There are patterns on the wood. Is this something special?” -Alfina

Alfina looked puzzled. She must know about tree rings. Even in a culture dominated by stone, wood is still used. There are forests around isolated mountains that are not surrounded by red ones.

“Trees stop growing in winter and grow in summer. These stripes are the marks of that growth difference. In other words, the dark and thin parts represent winter, and the light and wide parts represent spring to summer. Let’s see… Although this year’s portion is incomplete, we can roughly distinguish records of about fifty years, on an annual basis.” -Ricardo

In my original world, data on climate change could be obtained by measuring the width of tree rings or carbon isotopes. Here, the prediction is that records of magic power are left.

“Such a method… Amazing, this should definitely…” -Alfina

“Praise is for when it works out. There are many hurdles to clear, like data accuracy and standardization.” -Ricardo

“But I’m sure you’ll manage, Ricardo-kun. You’re truly amazing. Really.” -Alfina

“I just provided the knowledge I knew at the request of Fina.” -Ricardo

Alfina looked at me with eyes full of genuine admiration. That’s an overestimation. I’m not the one who thought of the original method. Besides, I have a vested interest in protecting this village.

And it was Alfina who bravely shared the prophecy, despite having only risks to herself. I believe in properly acknowledging the risks taken.

“But you were the only one who listened to me.” -Alfina

“Well, that was also because of a mutual misunderstanding, wasn’t it?” -Ricardo

“Yes, that’s right…” -Alfina

Alfina clasped her hands in front of her chest tightly. She stared intently at the landscape beyond the hill. What now?

“And, I will never forget today.” -Alfina

“Eh!?” -Ricardo

“This scenery, Ricardo-kun. The red trees were growing even closer than this.” -Alfina

Alfina was holding my hand. Her smile was as if she had been gifted a precious gem. This girl worries me because she’s too easily pleased. Perhaps the reason she acts like a female knight is because of this temperament.

Also, the so-called Archduchess of Berthold should be more cautious. Sweet flowers easily attract insects.

“Well, anyway. We’ve finished what we came to do. Let’s hope for the best with the chief librarian.” -Ricardo

I said this to Alfina, who didn’t seem to want to let go of my hand.