Spring Never Comes to Stolen Fields - Chapter 0

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Arsène

◈ Spring Never Comes to Stolen Fields ◈

Chapter 0: It Was Summer.

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It was the summer when I was seventeen.

Homeron, the village where I lived, was nothing more than a tiny settlement very far from the capital.

The entire village had fewer than a hundred residents. It was the sort of farming village you could find in any rural area.

And in a small cottage in that small village, there was a happy family.

"Yuwol...! Yuwol...!"

A familiar voice. That drawn-out tone that made it obvious she wasn't happy about something. It had to be her.

"Ah... We had a weekend nap agreement..."

"That's true, but it's three in the afternoon! Get up already!"

Rubbing my eyes, I sat up and scratched at my messy hair.

Celia.

My only friend, and the person I was more grateful to than anyone else in the world.

I'd been an orphan with no one in the world, but thanks to her, I had become a member of this household.

"I'll get up, so could you do something about your voice... Sorry..."

When we were little, we got along well, and she used to listen to me without complaint. But now we were seventeen, at that turbulent age.

I'd changed too, but she'd grown colder than before. For some reason, she also snapped at me much more often.

"You promised you'd go into town with me and help me pick out clothes today! At this rate, the whole day will be over before you get moving!"

Ah... Right. Come to think of it, today was the day I'd agreed to go out with her, even though I hardly ever left the house.

"Wait a little. I'll wash up and be right out."

There was only one reason someone like me, who hated going outside and hated moving around, went along with her.

I liked Celia.

It was only natural. She took after her mother, with fair skin, bright blonde hair, and large eyes. She was beautiful in every way.

When we were children, I had only seen her as a close friend. But once I became a teenage boy, I started seeing her differently, just like any boy my age would.

The way she looked at me with those sulky eyes when I got up. The way she wiped my face whenever I got something on it during meals.

And more than anything, the way she'd held out her hand to me, someone who had been abandoned, and said, "Come with me."

I loved all of it.

Lately, she'd been whining at me in a slightly sharp tone, but even those words, I wanted her to say only to me.

And once we became adults, I hoped that one day I could confess my feelings and build a little house just for us in Homeron.

It might not be a wealthy life, but I wanted to spend every day happily with her there.

Then, as always, lightning struck from a clear sky.

There were only three clothing stores in Homeron.

Two sold clothes for the villagers, while the other occasionally received outdated fashions that had made their way from the capital.

Celia's hobby was finding clothes that were at least wearable among those old fashions.

I always stood in the back, wondering when we could finally go home.

"Yuwol, what do you think of this one?"

"I think it's nice."

"Yuwol, what about this one?"

"I think this one's nice too."

I'd lived in this little village my whole life. There was no way I knew anything about clothes.

And after plenty of experience, I'd reached one conclusion. Saying something was nice ended the shopping trip faster than giving my honest opinion.

"Yeah, that one looks nice too."

I said it out of habit, but apparently she'd caught me saying it without looking.

"Wow, how can you say it looks nice while staring out the window? Our Yuwol must think the weather looks nice~~~ Is that it~~~?"

I could feel my back growing damp with sweat.

"No, of course I looked... I did look. Come on, Celia, you know that. Besides, a beauty like you would look pretty in anything."

I smiled awkwardly and made excuses. She clearly knew I was lying, but she didn't seem to dislike the compliment. The corner of her mouth lifted slightly.

"Then what about this?"

Grinning, she held up a pair of black lace underwear.

She lightly held it against her body, and apparently that was a little too stimulating for my seventeen-year-old self.

I could feel my pupils shaking.

"Uh... Hmm... Uh... It actually looks good...?"

My honest thoughts slipped out before I could stop them.

"Pervert..."

She looked at me with a hint of contempt, then set the underwear down and left the store.

"There was nothing good today either... Haah... I really need to make something of myself and live in the capital someday."

"How are you going to make something of yourself and get all the way to the capital? Hehe."

"I was just saying it. Do you have to put it like that?"

"When you do make it big, make sure you take me with you!"

"What? Of course you're coming with me!"

Celia answered with a smile.

On the hill as we headed home, we came across a very incongruous sight.

Soldiers in white armor. A middle-aged knight in red armor, mounted on a horse and seemingly their commander, blocked our path.

He was clearly a noble or an imperial knight, someone who seemed as though he should never appear in this village.

Celia grabbed my hand.

"Yuwol..."

I squeezed her hand, then moved her behind me.

After taking a breath, I gathered courage I didn't have and asked,

"What is this about?"

The red-armored knight dismounted and stared at me with cold eyes. No, to be precise, he was staring at Celia behind me.

"Are you Celia Aristine?"

As if I didn't exist, he spoke while looking only at Celia.

She nodded. I could feel her hand trembling.

"I asked what this is about...!"

"I have no business with someone as lowly as you. Celia Aristine, this is an imperial decree. You have been named the Hero of this generation. By the will of the Ibellis Empire, you must eradicate the Demon King."

He said something so absurd with such seriousness that the two of us stood there stunned, our eyes meeting.

Celia spoke in confusion.

"M-Me? A Hero...? That can't be right!"

"Are you saying you intend to defy an imperial decree?"

The knight raised an eyebrow as if displeased.

"No! No, that's not it! I just don't have any abilities..."

"Do not worry. The Empire will prepare everything necessary for you to eradicate the Demon King. Like the Heroes before you, you will become the strongest warrior through our training and accomplish your objective."

It was ridiculous.

The Celia I knew had no athletic ability, no talent for magic, and was only good at housework. Taking her away and calling her a Hero made less sense than making me the Hero.

Regardless of what I thought, the knight continued.

"We have already explained everything to your parents. They told us to tell you not to worry and to go. Of course, we have also delivered compensation appropriate to your service."

That couldn't be true. Her parents, the couple who were no different from parents to me, loved Celia more than anyone.

They would never send her away so easily.

As Celia stood there at a loss, he drove the point home.

"If you still refuse after this explanation, your entire family may be slaughtered for defying an imperial decree. What will you do?"

Celia seemed to come to her senses at those words. She glanced at me, then spoke in a calm voice.

"I will do it. I don't understand what being a Hero means, but I will follow the will of the Empire."

"W-What? Celia, wait!"

I couldn't help being shocked that she had agreed without even discussing it properly.

I had no idea what she might go through, yet she had simply agreed to it. My head spun.

"A wise choice. Then we will leave for the capital at once. His Majesty the Emperor is waiting."

The knight was already preparing to leave.

"Could you give me a moment? I would like to say goodbye properly before I go."

He looked displeased, but nodded and told her to make it brief.

Celia pulled me into a patch of bushes a short distance away.

"What are you thinking? Why did you say you'd go right away?"

"If I refuse, you and my family will all die. Those people mean it. Can't you see that?"

"Still..."

As though there wasn't enough time, she cut me off.

"Once I finish what I need to do in the capital, I'll definitely come back. No, even if I haven't finished, I'll come back whenever I get the chance. You can handle being apart for a little while, right?"

I started to object, but after seeing her expression, I fell silent.

Her blue eyes were brimming with tears.

"Then I can wait. But don't get hurt, and make sure you stay healthy."

I pulled her into my arms. I could feel my clothes growing wet with her tears.

"Yuwol, you know... You have to wait for me, okay? Don't go around fooling around with one girl after another just because I'm far away."

"Where would I even find any girls around here?"

She looked at me without a word, brought her face level with mine, and closed her eyes.

Standing on tiptoe, she pressed her lips to mine.

It felt as if my brain had stopped. What had just happened?

But I only had a moment to enjoy the feeling. The soldiers immediately led her away and helped her onto a horse.

"Then we depart."

At the knight's words, the soldiers' procession began to move.