kscans

CHAPTER 8 PATARAPOZA – Episode 8 The Captive Island

1

Bard Rowen… Bard Rowen…

Lead-colored clouds swirl, covering the sky.

Bard Rowen… Bard Rowen…

It’s low. The sky is low. The thick, soup-like clouds seem about to descend to the ground, unable to bear their own weight.

Bard Rowen… Bard Rowen…

A voice can be heard. A low, somber voice.

Bard Rowen… Bard Rowen…

Unlike before, it’s not a voice that sneaks into the cracks of his ears during a half asleep state. It’s a voice that clearly resonates in his ears even as he’s awake and riding his horse.

Bard Rowen… Bard Rowen…

It seems like a voice delivered from somewhere in the world, yet also like a voice echoing from all directions simultaneously.

Bard Rowen… Bard Rowen…

Neither Karz nor Seto, who were riding beside him, can hear this voice. Only Bard can hear it. The voice resonates so loudly and continuously that it’s even difficult for him to converse with Karz and Seto.

Bard Rowen… Bard Rowen…

The group’s progress is slow. The air clings to them. Sticky. And the wind blows. From right to left, left to right. From front to back, back to front. Crushing down, blowing up. The weight of the blowing wind shackles the horses’ legs.

Bard Rowen… Bard Rowen…

As he wipes away the sticky sweat, Bard ponders.

Bard Rowen… Bard Rowen…

Is this strange state of the sky and wind confined to just this place?

Bard Rowen… Bard Rowen…

Or is it like this all over the world?

Bard Rowen… Bard Rowen…

It has awakened. Is that so? Were its previous calls just like the vague murmurings of someone just waking up?

Bard Rowen… Bard Rowen…

It’s calling for him. It’s addressing him. What does he want to do? He’s no longer afraid of it. He doesn’t want to run away. He wants to dialogue with it. He wants to know what it’s thinking. He wants to know what it knows.

Bard Rowen… Bard Rowen…

If that’s the case.

Bard Rowen… Bard Rowen…

Bard stopped and dismounted. He took Yana’s bracelet out of his luggage. He handed it to Seto and ordered him to move a thousand paces away. When Seto did so, the voice resonated louder than ever before.

“There you are”

And then the voice stopped.

2

They decided to camp at that spot. Although it was still early, they were tired. Besides, if they were to receive an envoy from Patarapoza, it would be better to be far from any houses. Here, the horizon stretched as far as the eye could see, with hardly any grass or trees growing. They set up camp in a depression in the ground that could serve as a windbreak, gathering what little dead wood they could find. They struck flint against steel to ignite the tinder, transferred the spark to cotton, and burned finely split dead wood. They set the dead wood alight and placed a green flame stone on it. They filled a pot with water and heated it over the fire, tearing up dried meat and adding it to the water. Once the dried meat softened and the water became salty, it was ready. They divided the soup into each person’s bowl.

It’s warm. As the warmth of the soup spreads through his stomach, it feels like his tense body is relaxing. Drowsiness begins to overtake him. Bard informs the other two and wraps himself in his cloak to sleep. The two will probably eat something more as this meal won’t be enough for them. What Bard needs now is sleep. He hoped for a deep, quiet sleep, but thought that might not be possible. However, thankfully, he slept soundly until dawn without any dreams. He entrusted Yana’s bracelet to Karz. Bard no longer needs this bracelet.

The sky is still leaden. But. What’s that? In one corner of the eastern sky, a gap has formed in the clouds. Light is shining through. In that light. Something is flying towards them. Bard watched it intently. It grows larger and larger.

It’s a dragonoid. A dragonoid riding a flying dragon. A dragonoid riding a flying dragon is approaching. (t/n: 飛竜, hiryu, literally means flying dragon. dragon is usually called doragon, wyvern is waiban, ryu is classic japanese dragon, like Shenlong. but since this is a western fantasy themed novel, this is a western dragon.)

The flying dragon, gliding silently, raised its body in front of Bard and his companions and beat the air with its wings. Then, after flapping its wings vigorously, it landed softly.

The wind kicked up a fierce cloud of sand, blowing away the remains of their modest campfire. The sand blew against the three humans and three horses. Seto, awakened by the disturbance, was flustered. Karz was already standing, unshaken by the blowing wind. Bard tightly closed his eyelids to endure the sandstorm. As the flying dragon folded its wings and lowered its head to the ground, a dragonoid descended.

It was Chichiruarchichi.

3

With angular, awkward movements, Chichiruarchichi approached.

“Bard Rowen”

The dragonoid’s voice was already difficult to understand, but speaking as if tracing each sound one by one, Bard couldn’t comprehend what was said for a moment.

“Come with this dragonoid”

This “dragonoid” is a strange way of putting it. He must be referring to himself. No, that’s right. Right now, the dragon tribe chief’s daughter is being controlled by Patarapoza. That explains her odd movements and way of speaking. Bard called out to Chichiruarchichi, saying he understood and to wait a moment, then carefully adjusted his attire. He attached the ancient sword to his waist and wrapped his cloak around his body. Thinking his own cloak wasn’t enough, he also borrowed Seto’s cloak. He wrapped it tightly around his body and tied it with a string. He securely tied a hood on his head and covered his nose with cloth. He had Karz help him with his preparations, but suddenly he wondered how he would return. He’ll just see what happens when the time comes. Besides, he might not need to worry about coming back at all. With Karz’s help, he mounted the dragon’s neck. Chichiruarchichi mounted behind him, and they were about to depart. Hurriedly stopping them, he ordered Karz to tie Chichiruarchichi and him together securely with a rope. The dragon began to take off.

“Karz. Seto. Return to Fyuzarion and wait!”

Did those words reach the two of them?

4

This time there were no breaks along the way. That was for the best. Conversely, if they had taken time, Bard’s physical and mental strength might not have held out. The dragon flew at an unforgiving speed. The scenery below rushed past at a terrifying pace. It was over in an instant until they crossed the Great Barrier. Come to think of it, they had departed from the royal capital previously, so naturally this time the distance was shorter. After entering Yug, buffeted by fierce winds, Bard began to doze off.

Suddenly, he noticed something below. Something that wasn’t water. The dragon was circling above it. What was this sickly reddish mass? Ah, it was the Captive Island. The island where Patarapoza lived. They said he couldn’t leave this place. Of course, this had to be where they would bring Bard. Even so, it was a strange island. Without grass or trees, only a slimy, pale red rocky terrain continued. There were bumpy undulations, but it was all melted and fluid like the sap of a Coinenshiri tree heated to high temperatures. The island was much larger than he had thought. But where on this slippery island could they possibly land? Wouldn’t their feet slip and make it impossible to stand? Or would their bodies sink into that sticky surface? As he was thinking such things, the dragon suddenly left the Captive Island. It was heading towards Isteria. When it landed on a sandy beach with a view of the Captive Island, Chichiruarchichi lowered Bard from the dragon. The rope that had bound them was easily torn apart by Chichiruarchichi. She also tore off the strings that had tied the cloak to Bard’s body. Thoroughly exhausted and chilled from the long flight, Bard couldn’t move his body well and collapsed onto the sandy beach. He felt the wind. When he finally managed to turn his body face up, Chichiruarchichi and the dragon were already gone.

What was the meaning of this? Was he supposed to spend another night here? At that moment, words echoed in Bard’s head.

“We finally meet, Bard Rowen”

It was an enormous voice. A voice that conveyed overwhelming power. Just hearing this voice made him acutely aware that the other party was an entity beyond fighting or resisting. Bard tried to respond, but his mouth was frozen and wouldn’t move properly. So he muttered in his mind.

—I apologize for my unseemly appearance.

There was a reply to that inner muttering.

“I don’t mind your appearance”
“But what kind of appearance is it?”

—I’m lying on the sandy beach.

“Oh?”
“Did the dragon girl do something rude?”

—That’s not quite it, but this journey was a bit much for my aged body.

“I’m very sorry about that”
“Is there anything you need?”
“I can have the dragonoids bring it”

—No. There’s no cure for old age, is there? I should be able to move after a while.

“No”
“There is a cure for old age”
“I have a proposal about that now”
“By the way, do you have the spirit sword with you now?”

—I do.

“I see”
“Could you release just a little bit of its power?”
“If it’s too difficult, later is fine”

—Stavros!

In response to Bard’s mental call, the ancient sword surely responded. A warm heat transmitted from around his left hip. Probably now the ancient sword was emitting a blue-green phosphorescence.

“Ah!”
“Wonderful!”
“What a strong and clear power”
“This is exactly what I’ve been waiting for all this time”
“Now then, Bard Rowen”
“I have a proposal for you”

5

“But before that”
“There are a few things I’d like to confirm”
“These are necessary as a premise for us to understand and trust each other”

—Ask away. I have things I want to ask you as well.

“Excellent”
“First, let’s confirm your background”
“You were born in the frontier, became a knight of Pakula”
“After growing old, you left your master’s house and set out on a wandering journey”
“And you obtained the spirit sword at a general store in a nameless village on the frontier”

—That’s right.

“Hmm. Splendid”
“Is this what they call fate?”
“And you synchronized with the spirit sword and became able to draw out its power, albeit slightly”

—That seems to be the case.

“I could sense that too, albeit faintly”
“But the sensation was so slight”
“I thought it might be my imagination”
“You drew out the spirit sword’s power multiple times, didn’t you?”

—Yes. I slew demonic beasts. Several times over the course of days.

“That’s right. So, I thought it might not be my imagination”
“That a wielder of the spirit sword might have appeared”
“In any case, the demonic beast invasion I had prepared with the Manuno was coming together”
“I thought that this time I might finally obtain a proper wielder and spirit sword”

—You spent about 60 or 70 years preparing, didn’t you?

“Oh!”
“How do you know that? Ah, did you hear it from the Manuno?”
“Now then, at that time in the Kingdom of Parzam, your disciple became king”
“You accepted the king’s request and headed to Lordvan Castle to command the defense against the demonic beasts”

—Did you know about me from back then?

“I certainly did”
“However, I didn’t have the idea to connect knowledge about you with the whereabouts of the spirit sword”
“Now then, you released the power of the spirit sword against the oncoming demonic beasts and escaped the crisis”
“Is that correct?”

—That’s correct.

“I see”
“So that’s how it was”
“At that time I was falling asleep, so I couldn’t take my time to confirm it”
“There were other urgent matters to attend to as well”
“But I’m glad”
“I had planned to continue the great demonic beast invasions once every hundred or two hundred years”
“I never expected to find it on the very first attempt”
“I’m lucky. Fortune has finally smiled upon me”

—You were planning to repeat such a thing many times?

“Of course”
“The relay device had been found too”
“All that was left was the final spirit sword and its wielder”
“I was prepared to do it as many times as necessary until they were found”

—Even if countless humans died?

“Hmm?”
“Ah, humans”
“To me, they only have meaning as beings that might produce a wielder of the spirit sword”
“So if their numbers decreased too much, I would have postponed the next invasion”

—What?!

“Ah, I apologize”
“That must be an infuriating set of values from your perspective”
“But there’s no problem”
“If you become the supreme ruler of this planet, you can do as you see fit”
“By the way, there are a few more things I’d like to ask”

6

“Since I woke up… Ah, did you know that I had been sleeping?”

—I heard that you are awake for about 20 years, then sleep for 10 to 15 years. And that you fell asleep right after the great demonic beast invasion.

“Who on earth did you hear that from?”
“Well, that can wait”
“When I woke up, to my surprise, the dragonoid Echidorkiye I had placed at the relay base in Fyuza was dead”
“When I checked with the automatons, it turned out that someone had completed the Cave of Trials, and one of their names was Bard Rowen”
“How did you learn about the Cave of Trials?”

—I heard it from the dragon chief Popolbarpopo.

“…I see. So that’s how it was”
“You came to the dragon island. While I was asleep”

—That’s right.

“How on earth did you manage to come?”
“Without wings, no less”

—Some of the dragonoids, whom the chief called rebels, descended on the Parzam royal palace and demanded that the spirit sword and its wielder be handed over. They attacked with over a hundred of their number, but were defeated and fell from the sky. When the chief’s daughter tried to take back those defeated dragonoids, I pressed her to explain these matters. As a result, Chichiruarchichi brought several humans to the dragon chief. You should ask the chief for details.

“Of course, I will do that”
“No, there may no longer be any need for that”
“If this discussion goes well”
“We can blow the dragon island to pieces if we want”
“You humans would feel safer that way too, wouldn’t you?”
“But I see. So Chichiruarchichi knew your face”
“That’s why she approached you without hesitation when I sent her to pick you up. I understand now”

—Didn’t you see me through Chichiruarchichi’s eyes? Or did you not know my face?

“I stand corrected”
“You realized that I was controlling the dragon girl at that time”
“I see. You are no ordinary man”
“Ah, to be honest about the situation”
“I have no eyes. So I cannot see things”
“Even when I control other creatures, I cannot borrow their eyes”
“I can read words that float to the surface of the mind, but I cannot read memories stored deep in the heart”
“Incidentally, I have no ears or nose either”
“I have no mouth, so this method of speaking with the mind is the only option”

—What? Then do you have no body?

“I do have a body. A large body”
“You should be able to see it from your position”

—See it, you say? But above the Captive Island, there’s no one… Wait! Are you the Captive Island itself?

“Oh. You have flexible thinking”
“Even the dragonoids who have been dealing with me for hundreds of years haven’t realized that”
“But that’s correct”
“Originally I was sealed inside this island”
“But I gradually grew larger, and now I’ve become the island itself as you see”
“I’m still growing little by little, absorbing the fish that swim by”

7

“However, I wish you hadn’t attempted something as dangerous as challenging the Cave of Trials”
“Well, in any case, congratulations on completing it”
“Now then”
“Why did you kill the dragonoid Echidorkiye?”
“What was Echidorkiye trying to do to you?”

—Echidorkiye told me to activate the demon sword and call out to the relay device to summon the legacy of “the First Human”. And to kill you. He said that after killing you, the legacy would be mine until I died, but after my death it would belong to the dragonoids.

“I see”
“I knew that would happen, that’s why I confined him there”
“But I never expected you to go there on your own. And to complete the Cave of Trials, no less”
“So why did you reject Echidorkiye’s proposal?”

—There were several lies in his words, and I couldn’t trust him. For example, he said he didn’t know the form or size of the legacy, but then said it was a metal mass larger than a castle. I couldn’t believe the words of someone who told such lies. He said anyone could command the summoned legacy, but the spirit sword wielder’s commands would take priority. But I couldn’t believe that either, and there was no guarantee he wouldn’t kill me or control my mind after summoning it.

“I see. I see”
“Splendid, Bard Rowen”
“Your thinking is remarkably clear”
“Compared to that, Echidorkiye was foolish”
“Building trust requires not telling lies above all else”
“But thanks to that, I was saved from destruction”
“Let me tell you”
“The command priority for the summoned object is not given preference to the spirit sword wielder”
“The order of command priority is determined according to the order inscribed within the object”
“The spirit sword has no function there”
“Now, that object is set to not accept any commands”
“And is hidden in some unknown location, probably in the depths of Yug or beyond the sky”
“The spirit sword has the power to remove that command-blocking seal”
“To remove the seal, you just need to give some kind of command with the spirit sword”
“For example, a command like ‘Come here’”
“In other words, if someone uses the spirit sword to summon it, I can command it with the highest priority”

8

“Now, I have one more question”
“You have Yana’s bracelet, don’t you?”

—Yes.

“Where did you obtain it?”

—The queen of Manuno gave it to me as thanks for freeing her from your… no, Echidorkiye’s spell.

“So the Manuno did have it after all”
“If I had known that, I would have taken it from her”
“You’re not wearing the bracelet now”
“Where did you put it?”

—It seemed like it would interfere with talking to you. I entrusted it to my son.

“Oh”
“Even so, that bracelet also had a function to interfere with the detection of the spirit sword”
“Did the Manuno know about that too?”

—I only heard that if I had that bracelet, I would be safe from mind control.

“A coincidence, then. But to include such a function, what a nasty fellow”

—Who are you referring to?

“Hmm?”
“Ah. The one who made the bracelet”
“The villain whom humans call King Jean and dragonoids call the First Human”

—You seem to hate him quite a bit.

“How could I not hate him?”
“He’s the one who confined me here and took away my freedom”
“He’s the man who took everything from me”
“But that’s enough about that now. Really, it’s enough”
“I don’t care about Jean anymore”
“There are others I want to take revenge on”
“I have lived on for the sake of revenge”

—Who are these people you want to take revenge on?

“Hmm”
“Before I answer that question”
“I have a proposal”

—What is it?

“I want to connect your mind and my mind”

—Aren’t we already connected?

“This is merely speaking and listening from the outside”
“Even if we connect our minds, I can only read words that float to the surface of thought”
“But I can tell whether those are lies or truth”
“It’s a very effective means”
“For having a sincere discussion”

—Why don’t you just do it without asking permission?

“That would lose your trust”
“If I let you slip away, I don’t know how many more decades or centuries I would have to wait”
“There might never be another opportunity”
“I absolutely do not want to lose your trust”

—Hmm. It seems the conversation won’t progress unless I accept. I have nothing to lose anyway. Go ahead and do it.

“Nothing to lose, you say”
“I see”
“You came here prepared to die”
“Indeed”
“You are truly a splendid man”
“Very well, I will connect”

At that moment, a sharp pain ran through Bard’s head, and his field of vision shook violently.