Shadows of Motar

The sun was high above, shining through the forest as we continued our journey. Gravendor was no longer in sight. I could see that Rin was getting tired of walking, but even so, she didn’t complain or ask to rest. She kept pushing forward with all her strength.

“Do you want to rest for a bit, Rin?”

Rin shook her head.

“I can still walk.”

“Haha, you really are a strong kid. But I’m tired already, so let’s rest, okay?”

Rin pouted. She knew I was only pretending so that she could take a break.

“…Fine.”

We sat under a large tree, its leafy shade shielding us from the blazing sun. I set my bag down and stretched out my legs. The breeze brushing against my skin felt refreshing after walking for so long.

I opened the bag to see what was inside. The first thing I noticed were two apples on top. I pulled them out and handed one to Rin. Below them were various tools: rope, a small knife, a compass, some clothes, a thick cloth, and a strange box the size of my palm. I had no idea what it was for.

I glanced at Rin, her cheeks puffed up as she munched on the apple.

“Rin, do you know what this box is?”

She shook her head.

It didn’t seem to be a common tool in this world. Could Garban have made it himself? I studied the box more closely. Something about it felt familiar. I found a small button, and when I pressed it, the box produced something unexpected. I was stunned.

“Oh my god… This is a lighter!”

“A lighter?”

From the look in her eyes, Rin clearly didn’t understand what I meant.

“Yes. If I strike this against a rough surface, then…”

*Fwoosh!*

A small flame burst forth.

“Wahhh!”

Rin’s eyes sparkled in amazement at the object. Well, I felt the same. Garban was truly remarkable, creating something like this in such a seemingly old-fashioned world. No wonder he was known as one of the greatest blacksmiths of his time.

“With this, I won’t have to waste time making a fire at night anymore.”

Rin looked at me with curiosity, though she seemed hesitant to ask.

“What is it, Rin?”

“Um… Is it true that Rei came from another world?”

Ah, right. She had overheard when Garban mentioned it. Well, there was no harm in telling her.

“Yes. I came from a planet called Earth.”

“Wahhh! What’s a planet?”

Eeeh… I had forgotten that despite acting tough, Rin was still just a child.

“A planet is like the world we’re standing on now. A place where people live.”

Rin thought for a moment, then looked back at me.

“What is the planet you came from like?”

“Hmm… How should I explain it… In my world, there are many buildings so tall they look like towers.”

“Wahhh!”

“And the carriages there don’t need horses to pull them. They move with something called an engine.”

“Wahhh!”

“And we can talk to people even if they are very far away.”

“Wahhh!”

Seeing her eyes light up with wonder as she listened to my stories made me happy too. It was a relief to be able to share a bit about my world with someone here.

“Amazing! Rei’s world sounds incredible!”

“Yeah, I think so too. But…”

“But what?”

“Haha, never mind. I just think we should get going before it gets dark.”

“…Alright.”

I noticed a hint of disappointment on Rin’s face. But what could I do? I couldn’t tell her the painful truth about my past back on Earth.

I packed up our things, and together we continued through the forest. I unfolded the small map Garban had given me. If we kept going, we should reach Motar Village after passing through these woods.

After some time walking, I spotted a boy, around twelve years old, with bowl-cut black hair. He was crouched down, setting up a bear trap in the middle of the path, then covering it with leaves. But since there weren’t any bears in this area, his target was clearly not an animal, but humans.

I whispered to Rin,

“Rin, stay here for a moment.”

She nodded.

I carefully approached the boy and stood behind him.

“What are you doing?”

He didn’t look back, continuing with his task.

“Can’t you see? I’m setting up a trap.”

He suddenly froze. Sweat began to run down his face. It seemed he had just realized someone was behind him.

“AAAAAAHH!!!”

As he tried to run, I struck him and tied his hands and legs with rope as he fell. I disabled the trap and stored it in my bag.

“Rin, come here!”

Rin ran over, looking confused at the sight of the boy tied up.

“This kid was trying to hurt people. He’s a bad kid.”

Rin frowned, her brows furrowed as she stared at him.

“Bad kid.”

“N-no, you’ve got it wrong! Let me go!”

He struggled against the ropes, trying to break free.

“Do you want me to hit you again?”

He immediately went quiet and obedient.

“Good. Now tell me, how many people have you robbed with this trap?”

“I didn’t rob anyone!”

I clenched my fist.

“Oh, so you didn’t rob anyone, huh…”

“N-no, that’s not it! Please, just listen to me!”

Rin looked at me and gave a small nod.

“…Fine. What do you want to say?”

“I’m from Motar Village.”

“So that village is a den of thieves?”

“No! We’re not thieves! At least… we weren’t. Our village was just like any other, until a mountain bandit came down and took over.”

“…”

“I had no choice but to set the trap. If I didn’t, he would have killed me. He’s cruel. Many of the elders in the village died because they refused his orders. He even killed a baby just because its crying annoyed him. He’s a monster! We’re powerless! Please, you have to understand!”

Tears streamed down his face. It didn’t seem like he was lying. Why were scum like this everywhere? His words stirred up old memories in me, making my blood boil.

I untied the ropes.

“T-thank you, sir.”

“Forget it. What’s your name?”

“My name is Meno.”

“Meno!”

“Y-yes?!”

“Tell me everything you know about the bastard who rules your village.”