Spring Never Comes to Stolen Fields - Chapter 1

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Arsène

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Spring Never Comes to Stolen Fields ◈

Chapter 1: Stolen Fields

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That was the first corpse I had ever seen.

They weren't my parents, but they had treated an orphan like me as though I were their own child.

Whenever Celia and I bickered, they would smile and tell us to get along.

Just this morning, they had seen us off and told us to be careful. Now, their heads had been severed from their bodies.

I threw up everything I had eaten that day.

"Why...? Why would they...?"

Why would anyone harm innocent people in a village with nothing to offer?

That red-armored knight had even said they had been properly compensated.

It had to be them. No one in this village had either the reason or the ability to commit something so horrible.

They were the only unknown factor today.

"No... This isn't the time. I need to tell someone...!"

Coming to my senses, I ran down the forest path toward the village.

I had to warn everyone about this horror and get Celia back from those lunatics.

When I emerged from the forest, I saw hell on earth for the first time.

The village buildings were burning, and the bodies of residents lay scattered through the streets as if they had just been murdered.

Their blood hadn't even dried yet.

The sunset and the overwhelming stench of blood made my head spin.

I ran between the burning buildings, searching for survivors.

"Hello! Is anyone there?! Hello!"

Tears blurred my vision. I wished this was all a dream.

Without thinking, I ran toward the village chief's house at the center of town.

That was when I came face-to-face with a silhouette.

Looking closer, I realized it wasn't human.

Amid the blazing buildings, she wore a black dress and held a black parasol despite the sun still being up.

"Every human in this area should be dead. Did you come from outside?"

Even in this hellish scene, she spoke to me in a calm voice.

I knew what she was.

A member of the race that had nearly driven humanity to extinction a thousand years ago.

She was undoubtedly a demon. Her red eyes, unlike anything a human could have, proved it.

Then she turned to look at me.

Long black hair, skin even paler than Celia's, and red eyes that stood out against it. I was left speechless.

Ah... I'm dead.

I was going to become one of the corpses lying in the street.

"P-Please spare me..."

My face was already a mess from crying as I collapsed to the ground.

I still had to save Celia... I hadn't even buried my parents yet...

Every regret I had rushed through my mind.

"I did nothing, boy."

"...What?"

She looked down at me with pity in her eyes.

"Do you wish to know who did this?"

Still on my knees, I nodded.

She folded the parasol in her hand and lightly tapped it against the ground.

"Earth's Memory, unto you."

The scene changed at once, showing the village before it had burned.

Judging by the village clock tower, it was just after Celia and I had left.

Though Celia had already departed, the red-armored knight and his soldiers had remained in the village for some reason.

I could hear their conversation.

"Captain. We have confirmed that the Hero has left the area."

The knight nodded and ordered them to begin.

"Do not leave a single person alive. There must be no survivors. More than anything, it is important to plant hatred for demons in the Hero's heart."

"Yes!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers began a ruthless massacre.

The bakery woman who would sometimes give us an extra loaf of bread, the owner of the clothing store we had visited earlier that day, the village chief with his greedy streak...

Even the children Celia and I often played with were all killed by the soldiers.

I couldn't speak. My whole body trembled.

Once they appeared to have finished, they gathered in the center of the village again.

"You're certain there are no survivors?"

"Yes!"

"Good. Burn the village. I'll finish the final task before joining you."

As fires rose all around them, the knight took a piece of parchment from his robes.

The moment he placed his hand on it, an ominous energy engulfed the area.

Dense black Demonic Energy tainted the earth, and something inhuman appeared from the magic circle on the ground.

"A human dares summon me? You must have been prepared for the consequences when you called me."

It was the voice of the woman who had spoken to me.

The knight flinched, then took a deep breath before answering.

"I require nothing of you, demon. Simply return to where you came from once the summoning time ends."

She looked confused.

"You dragged me all the way from the Demon World for such a trivial reason?"

The knight looked slightly flustered but answered boldly.

"That's right, demon! It is enough that you were here!"

"Hmm. The humans have already done all their dirty work, and now you intend to blame it on me. Well, I don't care."

The knight looked satisfied with her answer and turned his back.

Then...

"But my reputation would suffer if the human who summoned me was this pathetic."

In that instant, the knight's entire body exploded.

Blood poured through the gaps in his red armor.

He died on the spot without even being able to react.

That was where the magic ended.

"That's what happened, boy. Unfortunately, my summoning time hasn't ended yet, so I'm bound here."

She yawned as if bored.

I, on the other hand, couldn't contain the emotions swirling inside me. My entire body shook.

Anger toward the knight and soldiers. Fear of the demon before me. Worry for Celia. My mind was a mess.

Still, fortunately, the demon before me didn't seem particularly interested in killing me.

I gathered every last bit of courage and spoke to her, despite how bored she looked.

"Um... Miss Demon...?"

She had been staring blankly into the flames, but she glanced at me.

"What is it?"

I knew that if I offended her in the slightest, someone like me would turn to dust in an instant.

"Could you... take me as your disciple?"

She looked at me with indifferent eyes.

"What can you give me?"

"Information about the next Hero."

A spark appeared in her lifeless eyes.

"You? How would you know that?"

"I was... family to her."

She studied me with interest, then extended a hand toward me.

"It appears you aren't lying. But why would someone close to the Hero seek teachings from a demon like me?"

I clenched my fists and answered.

"I'll stop her... I'll stop her from becoming the Hero! I won't let this Empire have its way...!"

Turning toward the burning village, I gritted my teeth.

"I want revenge! I want to pass judgment on those who committed such atrocities against my family, against my people...!"

She smiled broadly, as if she found it amusing.

"Interesting. Very interesting. The Hero's family becoming one of the demons... I'm sure even the Demon King will find it interesting."

The smile on her face was both beautiful and chilling.

"All right. I'll take you with me, and I'll accept you as my disciple. But understand that it will never be an easy path."

I already knew that if anyone discovered I was alive, I would be hunted down and killed.

And I truly wanted revenge. I truly wanted to take Celia back.

I had never wanted anything so desperately in my life.

"I'll do anything... Anything!"

I slammed my forehead against the ground until it bled.

"Boy. What is your name?"

"...Yuwol."

"From today onward, you will be reborn. Your name will be... Sirius. I will call you Sirius."

Sirius...

Since I could no longer live under my old name anyway, I thought it wasn't a bad way to make a new start.

No matter what happened, I would endure.

If I could see Celia again. If I could have my revenge on them.

"My name is Amelia. I am the demon who will become your master, the second-in-command of the Demon World. I lead the noble demons who bow to no one but the Demon King."

Second-in-command of the Demon World. It was a rank so lofty that my jaw dropped.

I had already sensed her strength when she erased the red-armored knight, who had looked exceptionally powerful for a human, without lifting a finger. Still, I had never imagined she held such a position.

Seeing my shock at her overwhelming status, she gestured to me.

"Sirius. Come here."

She spun her folded parasol in a circle, and a massive door appeared before us.

"The summoning time is over. We're returning to the Demon World. Now, I'll ask you one last time."

She looked at me as though asking if I had any regrets.

"Can you swear that you'll do anything?"

I knew.

If I entered the service of the Demon King's second-in-command, the enemy of the Hero...

Perhaps, no, most likely, a day would come when I had to stand against Celia.

But there was no other choice.

"Yes, Master Amelia."

She grinned and held out her hand.