kscans

CHAPTER 6 FYUZARION – Episode 4 The Twin Rainbows (Part 1)

t/n: Last chapter for 2023. I heard a new person would come next year so hopefully with less works, i can finish this series. yes 7th arc, 8th arc, and final arc. then a few side story. I wish everyone a happy new year. May 2024 bring prosperity and happiness to the world.

1

Geriadra is a peculiar plant. Its seeds are also known as devil’s seeds. When they burst, the powder they scatter is actually tiny insect eggs that devour and grow inside the human body. The insects that find a host release numerous eggs, which can devastate villages and even an entire country. Bard once nearly died after inhaling Geriadra powder, but was saved by a mysterious elderly apothecary.

Crushing and consuming the seeds of Goliosa, another rare plant, can kill the eggs that have entered the body. Both Geriadra and Goliosa are rarely found. Whenever Geriadra flourishes, Goliosa also thrives. Currently, the Goliosa covers a small hill, indicating a corresponding abundance of Geriadra.

Bard felt a tingling sensation all over his body. A chilling sensation surrounds him, as if a thousand insects were squirming inside him. The sight before him was terrifying beyond words.

“Boss*! Karz! Chew on this. Chew it thoroughly, crush it, then swallow it. Hurry!” (t/n: as usual, he called Bard as Danna. usually mean boss or master. since this is a casual situation, boss is more suitable. when in the company of other noble, he usually call him danna->master)

Jurchaga held out Goliosa seeds in her hands. Bard reached out and grabbed a handful, then chewed on them, finding them extremely bitter and pungent. Normally, only the contents of the seeds should be extracted and ingested. But there was no time for that now. Karz did the same. Jurchaga also fed Goliosa seeds to Yueitan and Satra, and the two horses obediently consumed them. Jurchaga then took more Goliosa seeds and fed them to Yueitan and Satra again. He also put a seed in his own mouth and began to chew.

Bard found it strange. He was certain that Geriadra only targeted humans. Upon mentioning this, Jurchaga looked surprised.

“Huh? Is that so? Hey, boss. How do you know about Geriadra?”

To Bard, it was more surprising that Jurchaga knew about it. He recounted how he had inhaled Geriadra powder and nearly died, and was saved by an elderly woman.

“I see. You too, boss. I was attacked by it. My mother and everyone in the village too. I was saved by Zariya, but the others died. They died, and eggs came out of their bodies.”

Jurchaga’s words trailed off as he focused on something in the distance.

“Children. Two of them.”

Karz spoke. Jurchaga dashed off, followed by Karz on Satra. Yueitan also galloped after them.

“There they are.”

Two children at the edge of the forest. One was a little over ten years old, and the other was slightly younger. The two children noticed the approaching horses and adults and seemed frightened. Jurchaga ran to them to reassure them.

“Dad, mom, and everyone in the village. They’re all lying down, sleeping.”

“Things like insect eggs came out of them.”

“Granny said to run away.”

Jurchaga took out Goliosa seeds from his bag and tried to feed them to the children. The children said they had already eaten them. Bard asked when they had eaten them.

“Just a while ago. Granny crushed them and told us to eat.”

“They were bitter.”

It seemed they were knowledgeable. That was a relief. When Bard had inhaled the powder and fallen ill, he had lost consciousness. After that, he was given Goliosa seeds by the old woman, which had saved his life. Since they had ingested the seeds before collapsing from the effects of the powder, the children should be fine.

At that moment, a strong wind began to blow. The scent carried by the wind was that of something burning. A fire had broken out beyond the forest. Of course. The only way to eradicate Geriadra was to burn its underground stems with a fierce fire. Someone who knew this must have started the fire.

An even stronger wind blew in. The crackling of burning trees could be heard. The fire god, Garlogo, despised the wind god, Sosierra. He held a grudge against him and when the wind blew, the fire raged.

“This is bad. With this wind…”

“The wind is blowing. The fire will reach here soon. We have to escape. Boss, Karz, take the children.”

The children must have realized that Jurchaga was trying to help them. They were quietly lifted onto the horses’ backs. The fire was approaching. The wind grew stronger.

Bard held a child in his left arm and guided Yueitan with the reins in his right hand. Karz did the same. Jurchaga ran alongside the two horses without falling behind. They ran north. If they ran west, they would reach the Ova River. However, the riverbank was overgrown with vegetation, so the fire would likely catch up. The east was dense with trees. So they ran in the direction they had come from. If they reached the swamp, the fire would have difficulty spreading.

But…

The wind grew stronger, and the fire raged into the sky. Even the best horses couldn’t run fast through the trees and grass. Sparks from the fire landed on them. Was there no escape? Was this their fate? If that was their fate…

“I would not submit to such fate!”

Bard involuntarily let out a loud roar. Yueitan picked up its pace. Suddenly, lightning streaked across the sky, and thunder* resounded. The entire area was enveloped in heavy rain. The water god, Aether=Lutha, was the sister of the fire god, Garlogo. She had descended to calm her brother. In the presence of the gentle Aether=Lutha, the unruly Garlogo had no choice but to behave. The fire subsided with a hiss. (t/n: the original words is heaven’s drum)

Bard and the others took shelter under the trees and finally had a chance to rest. It had been a fierce fire. It was probably intentionally started, but they likely hadn’t expected it to spread so quickly and widely. Those inside wouldn’t have survived. The fact that no adults accompanied the children and they were left to escape on their own indicated the severity of the situation. This area was teeming with dangerous beasts and insects. Creatures that were neither beast nor insect also attacked people. The swamp itself was perilous. The fact that the two children were left there showed how dire the situation had been. After giving them food and water, the children fell asleep.

2

Three days later, Bard and the others slowly made their way through the burnt forest. The light rain continued to fall. The scent of charred wood hung in the air, and the surroundings were shrouded in smoke and mist from the rain. The two children insisted on going to see their home. The two children, Quinta and Seto, were not siblings, but they were very close.

“But Yuguru, Nuva, and Miya. Granny will surely find them.”

“Yuguru and Miya are girls. We have to protect them.”

The person referred to as “granny” was not their grandmother, but was called that by everyone. It seemed that this “granny” and Quinta and Seto had gone to check on some vegetables they had planted a little away from the village. When they returned, they found the villagers gathered. A traveler had arrived and collapsed. Upon seeing the collapsed traveler, “granny” went into a frenzy. She demanded that the man be piled with wood and immediately burned. She urged everyone to abandon the village and flee far away. But no one paid attention to her. “Granny” ran out of the village. She ran at a speed that belied her age, searching for something. Quinta and Seto, who were fond of “granny,” followed her. Both of them were very good at running. After running around for a while, “granny” found a certain plant and fed its seeds to the two children, and then returned to the village with a bag full of those seeds. The village was in a terrible state. Many people were lying on the ground. Some had things like insect eggs spewing out of their bodies. Those who hadn’t collapsed were in a panic. “Granny” tried to feed the seeds to the villagers, but no one listened. While she was doing that, more and more people collapsed. Then a fire broke out. Houses began to burn one after another. “Granny” tried to get Quinta and Seto to escape. The two children said they would bring Yuguru, Nuva, and Miya. The five of them were very close. “Granny” said she would search for the three of them, so they should escape as far as possible. The two children obeyed “granny” because she seemed so desperate.

Summing up the story from Quinta and Seto, that seemed to be the case. The two children believed that “granny” was protecting Yuguru, Nuva, and Miya, so they felt they had to go find them. It was impossible for them to survive in that fire. Even if bodies were found, they would be in a gruesome state. They didn’t want to show that to the kids if possible. But no matter how much they tried to convince themselves, they couldn’t give up on returning to the village. “We finally found our village,” their parents used to say. After three days, the heat had subsided enough for them to finally venture towards where the village should have been.

3

In a clearing at the southern edge of the forest, the remnants of the village were visible. Just like the trees in the forest, the village’s appearance was faintly preserved due to the rain. However, the houses had burned down and collapsed, washed away by the torrential rain, leaving only a faint trace in the drizzle. Nothing but silence.

Amidst the charred remains, there was something unexpected. A small hut had survived the devastation. Despite its dilapidated state, this hut stood resolute while everything else had been burned and washed away. It was a terribly crude shelter, but for the two children, it was a beacon of hope.

“Yuguru! Nuva! Miyaaaaaaaa!”

In response to Quinta and Seto’s cries that resembled desperate screams, three children emerged from the hut. Covered in soot, mud, and tatters, they were full of energy. Bard was more captivated by the surviving hut than the running children.

How was this possible? Despite everything around being scorched and lost, this hut stood alone as if nothing had happened. How had the hut and the children managed to protect themselves amidst the inferno? At that moment, a memory stirred within Bard, but it didn’t take a clear form.

Quinta and Seto jumped off the horse and ran towards the hut. The five children embraced each other, rejoicing in each other’s safety. Jurchaga watched the children with a smile for a while before running towards the hut. Bard also led Yueitan towards the hut. Jurchaga entered the hut and exclaimed in surprise, “Zariya!” Bard dismounted and entered the hut. An elderly woman was laying there. Bard exclaimed. Bard recognized the old woman. It was undoubtedly the same old woman who had once saved Bard from dying and imparted knowledge of medicinal herbs.