Ex-hero Tale

“この村の最高の展望台を見つけたようだね。”

(“I see you found the best lookout for this village.”)

“そうみたいです。”

(“I seem like I have.”)

I turned around to see the view the old man was talking about and saw a beautiful scene.

The sun painted the sky as it slowly faded from view. The sound of the family’s laughter echoed throughout the land, and the flowers colored the ground with purple and red. The green mountain reminded me of my Tsuki parents' town, and the heat reminded me of summer back in the day.

“「ほら、私は自分の長い人生について考えるためにここに来たんだ。 私は1944年に生まれ、この世界に送られたのはまだ16歳の時だった。

ここは地獄だった。 今で言うところの人間と魔族の最初の戦争の真っ只中に放り込まれた。

私は彼らの英雄として召喚され、魔王を倒すよう命じられた。

私はその通りにした。

そして、私を助けてくれる集団を作った。」”

(“You know, I come up here to ponder my long life. I was born in 1944 and was only 16 when I was sent to this world.

This land was hell.I was dropped right in the middle of the first human and demon war they call it nowadays. I was summoned to be the hero of their people and told to dispose of the Demon King.

That’s what I did.

I built a group that would help me.”)

The sun heats my skin uncovered by clothing. It felt like my skin was getting slow-cooked, but the feeling was relaxing.

“「確か最初に見つけたのは世界最高のレンジャーだった。背が高く、青白く、痩せこけたエルフだった。美しい金髪は月光にも太陽の光にもキラキラと輝いていた。

次は、この地で最強の戦士で、強力な斧で天を割るほどだった。そして、とびきりの鍛冶屋でもあった。

そして最後に、このすべての頭脳だ。彼女はいつも私たちの金銭管理をしていて、魔王軍の心臓部を突く術を知っていた。まさに世界最高の戦略家だった。 それに、彼女は当時、かなりの美人だった。」”

(“Let’s see, if I remember correctly, the first I found was the best ranger in the world; he was a tall, pale, and skinny elf. He had beautiful golden hair that glimmered in both moonlight and sunlight.

The second was the strongest warrior in the land, who could split the heavens with his mighty axe—and he was also one hell of a blacksmith.

And finally, the brains of all this. She always kept track of our money and knew how to strike the heart of the demon lord's army. The best damn strategist the world ever knew.

And she was also quite the beauty back in the day.”)

The old man slapped his knee after saying that and let out a bit of a laugh.

“私たちはあの頃、懸命に戦いました。そして、悪魔の国へと足を踏み入れた時、悪魔がなぜあんなに激しく戦ったのかが分かりました。

彼らは悪魔と呼ばれていましたが、邪悪ではありませんでした。戦争は、誰であれ、何であれ、触れるものすべてを奪い去ります。父も息子も兄弟も夫も失った家族もいました。 皆、骨が見えるほど痩せ細り、死体が通りに並んでいました。 あなたはまだ幼かったと思いますが、戦後の荒廃は今でも覚えています。

私は幼すぎて、それが何を意味するのかを完全に理解することはできませんでしたが、心の奥底では吐き気がする思いでした。

あなたの故郷があんな風になっているのを目の当たりにし、後にその理由を知るとは… まあ、決して良い気分ではありませんでした。”

(“We fought hard those days, and when we pushed into the demon's land, we realized why the demon fought as hard as they did.

They may have been called demons, but they weren’t evil. There were families without fathers, sons, brothers, or husbands because war takes from everything it touches, no matter who they are or what it is. They all were so skinny you could see the bones, and corpses lined the streets.

I know you too young but I can still remember the destruction after the war. I was too young to fully comprehend what it all meant, but within my soul I had a sickened feeling.

Witnessing your homeland like that and later learning why…

Well it not a good feeling I can tell you that.”)

The old man took out a pipe out of his pocket. He struck a match and took a long smoke from his pipe, and I took a drag from my flask.

“「私は英雄などではなかった。ほとんど何も知らない土地と、強制的に巻き込まれた戦争のために、操り人形のように殺戮を繰り広げていた。

たとえ今の私が知っていることを知っていたとしても、何が変わっただろうか。

魔王のもとにたどり着いた。彼は普通の男のように見えた。彼は暗く充血した目をしていた。彼は まるで王ではなく、貧乏人のようだった。他の者たちと同じように痩せ細り、病弱だった。 戦争という病に冒された…人類が長く患ってきた病だ。それは時と場所を問わず、どこにいても我々につきまとう。 常に我々の息子たちを刈り取るのだ。”

(“I was no hero; I was a puppet killing for a land I knew little of and a war I was forced into.

Even if I knew what I know today, what would have changed?

We made it to the Demon King, and he looked like a normal man. He had dark, bloodshot eyes, as if he were a pauper instead of a king. Skinny like the rest and sickened. Sickened by the disease of war… man’s longest-held disease. The thing follows us everywhere no matter the time, no matter the place. Always reaping our boys.)

A breeze road through our surroundings.

Helping the old man be silent for a bit.

The wind finished, and he continued.

“The King raised his head and gave a faint smile.

“So you must be the hero's party. You have destroyed the plans I had made and destroyed my most powerful commanders. And now you’re here for my head. I know my name will be scorned for the evils I have done, but I did it all for my people. We had nothing and would have died with nothing. At least I tried.”

The king stood staring at each of us and said, “I am ready for death, oh brave hero. Because in the end, we are both doing what we must to help save our country.”

He switched back to Japanese.

“私は震える手で剣を抜き、一撃で彼の首をきれいに切り落としました。この光景には勝利のようなものはなく、むしろ一人の男性に対するプレッシャーの解放のようなものでした。

さて、私たちが家に帰ると、人々は英雄のように私たちを応援しました。

その後、第二次人魔戦争が起こりましたが、私たちはこの町を作ったので避けました。もともとは王国から離れるためだったのですが、安全な場所を必要とする人々がますますここに来ました。」”

(“I drew my sword with shaking hands, and with one great blow, I cut his head off clean. There was nothing triumphant about the scene, more like a release of pressure for a single man.

Well, when we got back home, the people cheered for us like heroes.

Later on, the second Human and Demon War happened, but we avoided it because we made this town. It originally was to get away from the kingdom, but more and more people who needed a safe place came here.”)

The old man stared at the horizon.

Stared at the setting sun with his one eye.

“「騒音のことはすみません。でも、過去について思いつくまま語りたくなったのです。何かしらお役に立てればと思います。」”

(”I’m sorry for all the rumblings, but I felt like pontificating about the past. I hope I’ll help you somehow.”)

He sat on the rock next to me with his legs crossed and his cane across his lap.

Smoking his pipe.

We sat there in silence and warmth, watching over the land that this man paid for with his blood and sweat.

“It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.” ― Voltaire