WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Order
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Chapter 162: The Wise and the Foolish (3)
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Irsa had thought she was used to difficult situations. Like thread following a needle, Irsa had always been there whenever Scaldrina went on one of her reckless escapades.
But this was the first time she had faced people's hatred.
It wasn't as though they had never been in a similar situation before. This was simply the first time it had lasted for months.
Until now, each crisis had ended before people's spirits broke. They had only been grateful to Scaldrina and Irsa. The two of them only needed to overcome the enemies before them, supported by the cheers at their backs.
But this time was different.
'The people behind us are more of a burden than the demon in front of us.'
Irsa thought that perhaps it wasn't a lie that hateful stares and pointing fingers could kill someone.
* * *
Today's battle had somehow come to an end.
When they fought the horde of demonic beasts, people stayed away, so only Scaldrina and the corpses were near Irsa.
With her slightly greasy hair tied back tightly, Scaldrina sat on the ground and waited for Irsa's treatment.
A long gash ran from Scaldrina's side to her knee. In some places, white bone showed through the wound.
Irsa thought,
'I don't want to heal her.'
It wasn't that she wanted Scaldrina to suffer for a long time. She wanted to show the people what Scaldrina looked like, to show them what Scaldrina was enduring for their sake.
...Hoo.
Still, Irsa let out a short sigh and healed Scaldrina.
She knew Scaldrina wouldn't want that, and she could guess that even if they showed the wounds, people would find all kinds of ridiculous reasons to blame them.
The outcome was already decided. People driven into a corner would blame Scaldrina and Irsa. Only the circumstances and their reasons would differ.
With her head lowered, Irsa treated Scaldrina's wounds and asked,
"Sis. What do you want to do here?"
"I don't know. I'm not sure."
Irsa looked up. Scaldrina's face was grimy from being unable to wash.
There was a small puddle in the basin, but there was barely enough water to drink. They couldn't use it to wash themselves. Irsa and Scaldrina could only wipe themselves down on the occasional rainy day.
Neither of them smelled very good.
Yet Scaldrina's smile remained bright, as though she didn't have a care in the world.
Irsa avoided her gaze.
"Sis, I know you stayed because you couldn't let people die. But we don't have a solution either. If we just keep holding out like this... maybe it really isn't much different from trapping them here until they die, like they say."
"Irsa, I can't decide people's fates. I can't say, 'I'll save you people over here, so follow me, while you people over there should just die here.'"
"Whether it's sooner or later, we'll have to make a choice."
"I wonder. Do we really have to?"
Irsa felt as if she couldn't breathe. Scaldrina looked as though she intended to remain here forever.
"So you're just going to hold out until the end?"
"If a better way doesn't come along, I suppose so. If we keep standing firm, an unexpected opportunity might come our way, don't you think?"
"I don't think that's a good plan."
"Irsa. You taught me this."
"I never said anything like that."
"You never said it. But you did teach me. You showed me when you were seven."
As always, the treatment ended quickly.
Scaldrina leaned back against the wall in a more comfortable position.
"When you don't know what to do, when you can't see any hope, the only thing you can do is hold on without giving in to despair. If you sit on the ruins of your collapsed home and keep eating half-rotten turnips, eventually an opportunity will come. Isn't that right?"
Scaldrina smiled.
* * *
Autumn passed, and now the end of winter was in sight.
Surviving the harsh northeastern winter in a basin with little firewood wasn't easy.
More people died from the cold, or took their own lives, than died from hunger. The number of people, once close to eight hundred, had fallen to less than half.
The weak died, and only the tenacious and vicious survived.
That also meant the hostility toward Scaldrina and Irsa had intensified further.
"You filthy murderers! Let me out of here!"
They weren't asking for the path to be cleared. They were demanding to be escorted somewhere safe.
As similar demands repeated without end, Irsa eventually approached the people behind Scaldrina's back and made an offer.
"Ten people. I can leave with at most ten people. I can't guarantee everyone will reach the destination alive... But if you want me to leave with even ten people, come to an agreement. If you can agree among yourselves, I'll try to persuade Sis."
Irsa realized too late that it was a bad offer.
Being able to leave with ten people meant everyone except those ten would have to prepare to sacrifice themselves. Irsa's proposal divided the people into several groups.
Those who were in relatively good condition and seemed capable of leaving and reaching their destination.
Those who lacked the strength to endure the journey but had no intention of yielding their place.
Those who knew they couldn't survive the journey, and knew they would have to remain here...
The people who couldn't leave wanted Scaldrina and Irsa to stay in the basin.
They wanted them to keep blocking that entrance until they died. It wasn't because they held hope like Scaldrina did. They simply couldn't bear the thought of only a few people surviving in good health.
Perhaps because of the brutal conditions, everyone was filled with bitterness, regardless of age or gender.
The situation grew even more chaotic.
Some demanded to leave, while others cried out for them to stay.
No agreement could be reached. After the conflict reached a fever pitch, someone was even murdered.
That, too, became Scaldrina and Irsa's fault.
Watching the people curse her, Irsa let out a deep sigh.
'...What exactly am I supposed to do?'
The people weren't the only problem. In Irsa's eyes, Scaldrina was now in the greatest danger.
"Sis. Are you all right?"
Scaldrina answered her worried question with confidence.
"I'm perfectly fine!"
Her wounds appeared and were healed over and over. But Scaldrina's equipment couldn't be repaired.
Her armor was dented and torn in places. Her blade was badly chipped, to the point that it was hard to tell whether it was cutting or tearing. Blue-green and reddish rust bloomed across her shield.
Yet Scaldrina's mind was in even greater danger.
'She can't keep this up much longer.'
As far as Irsa could tell, Scaldrina had passed her psychological breaking point months ago.
She only managed to sleep once every few days, and even when she closed her eyes, sleep didn't come easily. Instead, she looked dazed even when awake. At times, she seemed to be seeing things.
Irsa made up her mind.
'I have to decide who to take and get out of here somehow. If I can't select them discreetly, then leaving with Sis alone would still be right. We've done enough.'
Before Irsa could put that plan into action, at the very end of winter, the thing she feared most happened.
* * *
"The divine power..."
The divine power that had sustained Scaldrina, the Blind Guardian's divine power, was cut off.
'The Blind Guardian has abandoned Sis.'
It was fortunate the divine power vanished near the end of the battle. If it had disappeared even a little earlier, Scaldrina would certainly have died.
No god would endlessly grant divine power for meaningless battles that could produce no result.
Still, Irsa didn't resent the Blind Guardian. Another god would have withdrawn their divine power far sooner. The Blind Guardian had waited until the battle was nearly over, so Irsa should have been offering prayers of thanks.
"That was really dangerous this time. Don't you think?"
Scaldrina smiled bitterly.
Then, for the first time, her smile faded.
Leaning against the rock wall, Scaldrina stared blankly into empty space.
Irsa sat beside her, then spread her arms and held Scaldrina tightly. If she didn't, it felt as though Scaldrina might disappear somewhere forever.
Scaldrina murmured,
"...Irsa. Is it all over?"
"It won't be. A miracle will come."
Their earlier conversation repeated itself in a similar way. But this time, Irsa was the one speaking of miracles in Scaldrina's place.
"Irsa. A miracle is a miracle because it doesn't always come."
It wasn't as if Scaldrina had never been anxious. If anything, she must have been more anxious than anyone. She would have known best that she had reached her limit, and that the people had reached theirs.
Irsa had to say something. She spoke the thought that came to her mind.
"Sis. Maybe this is part of the Blind Guardian's plan too."
"A plan? Taking away divine power?"
"If the Blind Guardian meant to take it away because it was too precious to waste, then they should have done it much earlier. Don't you think?"
Even as she spoke, Irsa thought it sounded fairly convincing.
Her thoughts raced, more ideas forming and taking shape.
"The Blind Guardian symbolizes long waiting. Maybe withdrawing their divine power means the time of waiting is over. Maybe it means it's no longer time to remain still, but time to move forward."
"..."
Scaldrina didn't answer.
But Irsa grabbed her arm and forced her to stand.
It wasn't time to collapse yet. No, that time had passed long ago, but Irsa didn't want to see Scaldrina collapse.
"Let's go. Maybe something has happened."
"Mm."
Scaldrina reluctantly began to walk.
The two passed through the narrow passage and stepped outside the basin for the first time in a long while.
The basin's entrance was a gentle slope, slightly higher than the surrounding ground.
Thanks to that, they could see quite far, as if looking down from a hill.
Before, all they had seen was the desolate northeastern land, white because the snow had not melted.
But now the snow had melted in patches, leaving the ground mottled. White still remained across the thawing earth.
And something far more important stood upon it.
"That's..."
Before them was an enormous Ashen Horde.
Demonic beasts, wild animals, humans... Those who had died once marched together.
At the center of the horde stood a figure in a long robe dragging across the ground.
The figure wasn't particularly large. Yet something pale rose around it, like dawn mist gathered into a solid mass.
The rising mist did not easily disperse.
Wherever the long robe passed, a new Ashen Horde was born.
There couldn't be two demons that looked like that.
'The One Who Walks on Graves.'
The One Who Walks on Graves was passing before the basin.
Irsa felt as though someone had gripped her heart.
She stepped back instinctively. She didn't know whether they would remain before the basin or move on elsewhere. Only one thing was certain.
They had to get away now.
"Sis."
Why did I bring Sis here?
Regretting it, Irsa pulled at Scaldrina's hand.
But Scaldrina didn't retreat. She stood still.
The dazed look in her eyes had cleared.
"You were right, Irsa. The time to move forward has come."
Strength had returned to Scaldrina's voice.
But Irsa shook her head.
"Sis, don't say something so ridiculous. How could you possibly do anything against that horde alone?"
"Are you saying we should give up?"
"Of course."
"That's what I wanted to hear, Irsa."
Scaldrina smiled.
"The wise can accomplish what the foolish cannot."
Just moments ago, when Scaldrina had collapsed, wise Irsa showed her a possibility Scaldrina had failed to see.
"But the foolish can accomplish what the wise have given up on."
And now, Scaldrina intended to take the path Irsa had abandoned.
Scaldrina gripped her sword hilt.
She intended to charge into that horde alone.
The thread-thin possibility lay only upon that gray land.
Irsa shook her head and gave a hollow laugh.
As always, she knew she couldn't stop Scaldrina.
'Maybe it was all decided the day I first met Sis.'
Irsa had no intention of sending Scaldrina alone.
So she gripped Scaldrina's left hand tightly.
Then she prayed softly.
God of Thread and Bottle. Please watch over us foolish ones one more time.
Footnotes:
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