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Chapter 42: The Spring of Amukam

42話　アムカムの春

Thank you for your patience. Chapter 2 starts now.

お待たせしております。2章スタートです。

For the time being, I will be posting the completed parts daily.

とりあえず、今書き上がっている分を連日で上げてまいります。

If you would like, please accompany me again.

宜しければ、またお付き合い下さいませ。

 

A gentle sunlight that feels the arrival of spring.

春の訪れを感じる穏やかな日差し。

The new greenery peeking out with the melting snow and the chirping of birds were heralding the end of winter.

雪解けと共に顔を覗かせる新緑と、鳥のさえずりも冬の終わりを告げていた。

 

It is now the blue moon of the second month.

今は2の蒼月。

Having passed the harsh cold of the red moon of the first month, it is the time when the winds begin to carry a gentle atmosphere.

一年の内、尤も寒さの厳しい1の紅月を過ぎ、風も穏やかな気配を運び始める時期だ。

 

The winter in Amukam is unexpectedly severe.

アムカムの冬は存外に厳しい。

Typically, the snow melt must wait for the red moon of the second month, but this year, most of the snow had already transformed into the flow of the river.

例年であれば雪解けは2の紅月を待たねばならないが、今年は既に大方の雪は川の流れへとその姿を変えていた。

 

Here in Coop Town, the gateway to Amukam County, there is no longer any white snow indicating winter except in the shadows that do not see the sun all day long.

アムカム郡の玄関口である此処コープタウンにも、その石畳の上には一日中陽の当たらぬ物陰以外、冬を示す雪の白さを見る事は無い。

 

Coop Town is the gateway and terminal town of Amukam County.

コープタウンはアムカム郡の玄関口でありターミナルタウンだ。

Those who have business in the villages of Amukam County must first stop by this town.

アムカム郡の村々へ用向きのある者は、まずこの町へ立ち寄らなくてはならない。

Additionally, those heading to the center from the villages will first take the stagecoach from here to Dekkenbel.

また村々から中央を目指す者は、此処からまず駅馬車でデケンベルへと向かう事になる。

 

Coop Town is a small town with a total population of about 3,000.

此処コープタウンは総人口3千人程の小さな町だ。

The town, built around the stagecoach stop, features beautifully arranged cobblestones, spreading out in a grid pattern centered around the main street that leads south from the stop.

駅馬車の停車場を中心に作られた町並みは、端正に並べられた石畳が美しく、その停車場から南へ抜ける大通りを中心に碁盤状に広がっている。

Most of the buildings are half-timbered, with beautiful white plaster walls creating a picturesque streetscape.

建物の殆どは半木骨造で作られ、白い漆喰の壁が美しい街並みを作っていた。

 

Buildings facing the main street are mostly shops dealing in Amukam-produced goods and wholesalers.

大通りに面した建物は、殆どがアムカム産の商品を扱う商店で卸業者だ。

The main street sees not only stagecoaches but also many carts used by such shops for transportation.

大通りは駅馬車だけではなく、この様な商店が輸送に使う馬車の行き来も多い。

One street in from the main street, the road is too narrow for carts to pass.

その大通りから一本入れば馬車は通れぬ道巾だ。

There is a lot of foot traffic, with countless retail stalls lining the streets, creating a bustling market atmosphere.

人の往来も多く小売の露店が無数に並び、所狭しとマーケットが広がり賑わいを見せていた。

 

Coop Town is also a commercial area where more people come and go than its population suggests.

コープタウンは、その人口数以上に多くの人が行き交う商業地でもあるのだ。

 

Where there are many people, troubles inevitably arise, and unsavory characters also emerge in due course.

人が多ければ必然的にトラブルも発生するし、良からぬ輩も順当に湧いてくる。

In this country, the knights maintain public order.

この国では治安維持は騎士団が執り行っている。

However, there are no knights stationed in small regional cities like Coop Town.

しかしコープタウンの様な地方の小都市に正騎士は在留していない。

Instead, soldiers known as guards are stationed to handle people’s troubles and maintain order.

その代り兵卒である衛士達が駐在し、人々のトラブル対処に当り秩序を保っていた。

 

Thanks to the guards’ efforts, the crime rate in Coop Town is extremely low.

衛士達の務めもあり、コープタウンの犯罪率は極めて低い。

This is due to the presence of the guards and the fact that the locals fully understand the strength of the residents of Amukam.

それは衛士達の存在と共に、この地方の者達が皆、アムカムの住人の力を十分に理解しているからだ。

There are hardly any foolish individuals who would act out openly here.

表だって愚かな真似をする者など、まず此処には居ない。

However, it does not mean that there are no lawless individuals at all.

しかし無法な者が皆無と云う訳でもない。

Most of those who cause disturbances are outsiders who do not understand Amukam.

ただ、騒ぎを起こす者の殆どは、アムカムを理解していない余所者達なのだ。

 

 

 

 

Here too, there were outsiders who had flowed in from elsewhere, unaware of Amukam.

此処にもまた、アムカムを知らぬ余所から流れて来た者達が居た。

 

They were originally illegal immigrants. They did not choose honest jobs and did not hesitate to steal from others to make a living.

彼らは元は不法入国者だ。真面な職を選ばず、食い扶持の為に他者から奪う事を躊躇わない。

It was a dump where such people gathered.

ソレはそんな達が寄り集まった掃き溜めだった。

They had eventually become bandits, a collective threat to the people.

彼らは何時しか賊徒となり、集団で民を脅かす存在になっていた。

 

Having flowed in from an eastern city, they initially thought they could easily exploit the northern country folk with minimal violence, as they always had.

東の都市から流れて来た彼らは最初、北の田舎者など僅かな暴力で何時もの様に簡単に搾取できると考えていた。

However, they did not understand the strength of the northern people.

だが、彼らは北方の民の力を理解していなかったのだ。

 

It was still a bright afternoon.

まだ陽も高い昼下がり。

As they entered the town, the first place they set their sights on was a clothing store.

町に入り、彼らが最初に目を付けたのは一軒の洋品店だった。

In front of the store were high-quality items that were rarely seen in the city they came from, carelessly displayed.

店先には、自分達が居た都市では滅多にお目に掛れない、質の高い品物が無造作に並んでいる。

Inside the store were only two young girls, barely twenty years old.

店内に居るのは、まだ二十歳になるかならないかの年若い娘が二人だけだ。

 

In their eyes, this appeared to be the perfect prey.

彼らの眼に、それは絶好の獲物に映った。

 

This was a back street with few people around.

此処は人目の少ない裏通りだ。

With this number, they could invade without resistance.

この人数で押し入れば抵抗させることなく蹂躙出来る。

With such high-end goods displayed, the store’s safe must surely contain enough cash to satisfy them.

これだけの高級品が並んでいるのだ、店の金庫には自分達を満足させられるだけの現金が有って良いはずだ。

If time allowed, they might even have the luxury of enjoying the girls.

時間が許すなら、この娘たちで楽しむ余裕もあるかもしれない。

No, they could just take them away and enjoy them fully before selling them.

いや、そのまま連れ去って愉しみ尽くしてから売れば良い。

 

They inflated such convenient imaginations and entered the store with lewd smiles on their faces.

彼らはそんな都合の良い想像を膨らませ、野卑な笑いを浮かべながら店内へと入って行った。

 

The abnormality came suddenly.

異変は唐突だった。

As a seemingly timid girl approached for customer service, one of the men pointed a knife at her and made a crude threat.

接客の為に近寄って来た大人しそうな娘に、男たちの一人が手に持ったナイフを向け、粗野な脅しをかけた瞬間。

In that instant, the man collapsed to the ground.

その男がその場に崩れ落ちた。

 

何が起きたか分らなかった、見る間に8人いた仲間の半数が取り押さえられたのだ。

Those who lost consciousness in an instant were fortunate.

一瞬で意識を狩られた者は幸運だった。

Some were rendered unable to chew for life, some had their arms grotesquely twisted, and some would never again set foot on the ground.

ある者は一生モノを咀嚼する事を出来なくされ、ある者は腕を歪に折り曲げられ、ある者は二度と大地を踏む事が叶わなくなった。

That brutality was carried out by just two young female clerks.

その暴虐を、たった二人の年若い女性店員が行ったのだ。

Those who could not comprehend the situation were successively knocked down by them.

その状況を理解出来なかった者は、次々と彼女達に薙ぎ倒された。

Only those with quick crisis detection abilities managed to escape from the scene.

逸速く危機察知能力が働いた者のみ、その場から逃げ去る事が出来たのだ。

 

 

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They did not know how they had escaped.

何処をどう逃げたのかは分らない。

When they realized it, they were left with just the two of them.

気が付けば彼らは二人だけになっていた。

They desperately suppressed their ragged breathing and hid in an alley.

彼らは荒れる呼吸を必死に抑え、路地裏に身を潜めていた。

 

“What the hell?! What is going on here?!”

「何だよ？！どういう事だよコレはよ？！」

“I don’t know! What the hell was that?! Did you see it?!”

「知らねェよっ！何なんだよアレ？！お前見えてたか？！」

“I don’t get it… Wasn’t that guy’s lower leg in a weird shape?!”

「分らねェ…アイツ、膝から下が変な形になってなかったか？！」

“How many places was that arm bent at?”

「あの腕…一体何か所で曲がってた？」

 

The two recalled the scene, their faces smeared with unkempt beards that hadn’t been groomed for days turning pale, feeling a chill run up their spines.

二人は現場を思い出し、幾日も手入れをしていない無精髭に塗れた顔を青くして、薄ら寒い震えが背筋を上がって来るのを感じていた。

 

“This can’t be possible! Are the store clerks in the north all crazy?!”

「あり得無ェだろコレ！北の住人は店員までどうかしてんのか？！」

“Damn it! It’s because there were knights in Dekkenbel! It all started from there! It all went wrong from there! The boss got caught, and we all got scattered! Why did we end up trying to escape to this backwater?! Damn it!”

「チックショウ！デケンベルに騎士団なんかが居やがったからだ！あそこからだ！あそこからおかしく成りやがった！あそこでお頭が捕まって、皆バラバラになっちまったからだ！何でこんな田舎に逃げようなんて事になったんだ？！クソッ！」

“Who was the idiot who suggested we break into that store?! What are we going to do now?! This place is dangerous too! We need to get out of here fast!!”

「誰だよ！あんな店に押し入ろうとか言い出したヤツは？！どうすんだよ！ココもヤベェぞ！トットとずらから無ェと！！」

“So where the hell are we supposed to escape to?! Damn it! It’s that idiot who thoughtlessly brandished a knife!”

「だからドコに逃げろってんだよ？！クソッ！あの馬鹿が何も考えずナイフなんか突き付けやがったからだ！」

 

The two continued their meaningless argument.

二人はそんな意味の無い言い争いを続けていた。

Blaming each other for what happened, they endlessly repeated their self-centered excuses, insisting they were blameless.

アレのせいだ誰のせいだと、自分達には何の非も無いと、自分本位な言い草を延々と繰り返していく。

 

Suddenly, both of them stopped moving.

そんな二人が突然ピタリと動きを止めた。

They noticed a shadow approaching the small street adjacent to the alley where they were hiding.

今、彼らが潜む路地裏に接する小さな通りに、人影が近付く事に気が付いたのだ。

It could be the guards pursuing them…

それは二人を追う衛士達かもしれない……。

The two held their breath in fear and peeked out into the street.

2人は恐れを抱き、息を潜めて通りを覗った。

However, what appeared was not the guards they feared.

しかしそこに現れたのは、彼らが恐れる衛士達では無かった。

 

It was a girl holding a large basket with both hands.

それは、両手で大きな籠を抱えた少女だった。

She was probably around 12 or 13 years old, a petite girl wrapped in a thick cloak, with her head covered by a hood.

恐らく12～3歳だろう、小柄な少女が厚手の外套を纏い、頭までフードで覆い歩いている。

Even from this distance, it was clear that the fabric of the cloak was of good quality.

ここからでも、外套の生地が質の良い物である事が判る。

This suggested that the girl lived in a wealthy environment.

それは少女が豊かな環境の元に生活している事を窺わせた。

Her rosy skin peeking out from under the hood, along with her well-shaped nose and mouth, easily hinted at her beauty.

フードから覗く血色の好い肌、形の良い鼻先や口元が、少女の器量の良さも容易に想像させる。

 

The two exchanged lewd grins once again.

ニヤリ、と再び野卑た薄笑いを二人が浮かべた。

 

“That’s a rich kid. What should we do? Hey.”

「ありゃ金持ちのガキだな。どうするよ？オイ」

“Hehe, she looks like a girl from a good family… I could handle her alone! Sounds good, right? Hehe.”

「ひへへ、良いトコのお嬢ちゃんみたいだしな…アレならオレ一人でも十分だぜ！良いんじゃ無ェか？へへっ」

“If we strip her, she should fetch a decent amount of money… She must have enough cash! She could also serve as a hostage while we escape!”

「着てる物ひん剥けばそれなりの金になりそうだな…金も十分持ってんだろ！逃げる間の人質にもなりそうだしな！」

“And we could have some fun with that stripped girl until we get away! Hehe.”

「それに逃げ切るまで、ひん剥いたあのガキ使って遊んでも良さそうだ！ひへへ」

“What? You like that kind of girl?”

「何だぁ？お前あんなガキが好みか？」

“Huh? She’s definitely useful! If you’re not going to do it, I’ll handle it myself!”

「あ？十分使えんだろ！お前ェがやら無ェならオレ一人でヤルけどよ！」

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it! After everything we’ve been through, I deserve a little comfort!”

「やら無いとは言ってねぇ！大体ここまで散々な目にあって来たんだ。ちったぁ慰めて貰ってもバチは当たんねよ！」

“Hehe! Then it’s settled!”

「ひへへっ！なら決まりだ！」

 

With such self-centered reasoning, the two deepened their vulgar smiles.

そんな自己中心的な論理で2人は更に卑俗な笑みを深めて行った。

And once they confirmed that the girl had turned her back, they quickly dashed out from the alley.

そして少女が背中を見せたのを確認し、素早く路地裏から飛び出した。

 

What they had to do was simple.

やる事は簡単だ。

Subdue her by force, silence her with a knife, bind her with the rag they had, and carry her away.

力ずくで抑え込み、ナイフを突き付け黙らせ、持っているボロ布で拘束してそのまま運び去れば良い。

With such a haphazard and sloppy plan in mind, the two ran towards the girl.

そんな行き当たりバッタリで杜撰な計画を描き、二人は少女に向かい走り出す。

One of the men expertly twirled the knife in his right hand and reached out with his left hand to cover the girl’s mouth from behind.

一人の男が右手の中のナイフを手慣れた様にクルリと回し、後ろから少女の口を押え様と左手を伸ばして行った。

 

Just as that hand was about to touch the girl, her figure vanished from sight.

その手が少女に触れ様とした時、その姿が視界から掻き消えた。

In the next moment, the man felt his body floating in the air.

次の瞬間、男は自分の身体が宙に浮いている事を感じた。

Suddenly, his vision showed the sky.

唐突に視界が空を映す。

At the same time, something flew into his body.

同時に何かが自分の身体に飛び込んで来た。

It struck him hard in the solar plexus, causing the contents of his stomach to rise to his throat.

ソレは勢いも殺さず鳩尾に減り込み、男の喉元に内容物が上がって来る。

Immediately after, he received a strong impact to his face and lost consciousness.

直後、顔面に強い衝撃を受け、そのまま意識を手放した。

 

 

 

 

Two filthy men lay in an unnatural position, piled up against the wall of a back street where snow still remained.

薄汚れた男が二人、まだ雪の残る裏通りの壁際に不自然な姿勢で折り重なっていた。

The men had crashed into a high stack of wooden boxes piled against the wall, causing the bottles of liquor packed inside to shatter spectacularly.

男たちは高く壁に積み上げられた木箱の山に飛び込み、箱と共に中に詰まっていた酒瓶も盛大に割り飛び散らせていた。

Due to the loud noise, many people began to peek into the deserted street, some opening windows to see what was happening.

かなり派手な音を上げて居た為、何事か？と人通りの無かった道を覗き込む者、窓を開けて顔を出す者が数多く現れた。

 

The gaze of the people was directed at a girl holding a large basket with both hands, looking down at the two men.

人々の視線の先には、両手に大きな籠を抱え、二人の男を見下ろしている少女が居た。

 

The girl shook her head while still holding the basket and skillfully lowered her hood.

少女は籠を抱えたまま頭を揺すり、覆っていたフードを器用に降ろした。

The red hair that spilled from the hood sparkled in the light. Freed from the confines of the hood, her hair, gathered in pigtails, bounced as if bursting.

フードから零れた赤い髪が光を受けて煌めく。押えられていたフードから解放され、ピックテールに纏められた髪が弾ける様に揺れた。

Her flame-like hair shimmered in the light, scattering a ruby-like brilliance, and the overflowing sparkle dissolved into the atmosphere.

焔の様な髪は光に透けてルビーの如き輝きを振り撒き、溢れた煌めきは大気に溶け消える。

 

Her cobalt green eyes, clear like the sea, blinked.

澄んだ海の様なコバルトグリーンの瞳が瞬いた。

Those large eyes, seemingly overflowing with light, shone brightly.

零れる様に大きな瞳は輝きを湛え、光が溢れているようだ。

 

 

In the shadowy back alley, only one corner was illuminated by dancing light.

陽の影る裏路地に、その片隅にだけ光りが舞っていた。

 

 

The people peering into the back alley could not take their eyes off that scene.

裏通りを覗き込む人々は其処から目が離せなくなっていた。

They simply stared at it in a daze.

唯々、呆けた様にそれを見続けた。

 

That corner where the light danced.

その光が舞う一角を。

The girl who tilted her head in wonder, looking down at the men.

不思議そうに小首を傾げ、男たちを見下ろす少女を。

 

Suzie Cloud, with her ruby-like hair sparkling.

紅玉の髪を煌めかせるスージィ・クラウドを。

 

Thank you for reading.

お読み頂き、ありがとうございました。

 

Enticed by the spring sunshine…

春の日差しに誘われて…。

Next time: “The Details of Coop Town”

次回「コープタウンの細事」

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