Translated and edited by MissQ and other other members of FPT

The Newcomer

Author’s Note: Due to the print publication of this novel, the source story will be deleted today September 9th at 11:55PM.

The process will be detailed in the activity report.

Thank you for reading and hopefully enjoying this novel!

*

*

–––It does stink after all.

Izumi washed away the greeny bubbles she had formed in the shower.

The pulverized soap contained in the vase she had traded with Prince Hinoki, confined inside a tower in Yohk'Zai, had a foul stench.

Every now and then, she would be unable to stand the grassy smell floating in the air. Or rather than grassy, it was like the smell of mashed weed, or maybe like the green moss that appears in water tanks during summer reeks. Just thinking that this had been man-made left a deep mark on her, in a certain sense.

But to make matters worse, this soap's bad points didn't end there. It was also bad forming foam, and more than often, would remain like jelly.

In any case, it is said that good medicine tastes bitter, and that soap was most probably produced without any additives. Thinking like that, Izumi decided to try using it, but....

"Even if this would be the best thing in the world for my skin, my sanity can't handle it!"

She heaved a deep sigh, and started scrubbing it off under the shower.

In the end, Izumi washed herself with the usual soap, and entered the bath.

That soap, the one she liked the most throughout the years, wasn't bad. While it wasn't bad, she missed the soft, smooth soap she had received from the prince of Jebas.

That soap, hand-made by the prince himself, was in his own words, a marvelous bathing experience.

Normally Izumi needed to use a moisturizer from the start of fall until early summer for her dry skin, but she didn't need to use one the day she tried that soap.

Though, she was able to use it only once...

But she didn't only regret losing the soap, for instance the bathing salts, which hadn't been used a single time by her.

Izumi joined her hands and scooped up some water. She sighed as she watched the water dripping down between her fingers.

If she had used those bathing salts, just what kind of wonderful smell would this water have?

–––I can't give up on it after all.

Izumi stared blankly into space.

And proceeded to glare at the dark skinned man she imagined floating there.

All that happened had been his fault for harboring those boring aspirations.

If it came to this, she only needed the prince of Jebas to be able to travel the world freely!

To do that, it was indispensable for the world beyond the window to be in peace.

For Prince Hinoki's sake, for the sake of all the people who were being victims of Karasu's ambitions, and for her own sake too...

–––Let's do it, peace for the world!

She clenched her fists as she renewed her determination

Then, she suddenly noticed.

Her connection to that world wouldn't be cut as long as there was a certain someone there who would need this mid-summer parched water tank reeking soap.

After hearing the tense situation that world was in, Izumi went to meet the real Huuron first, and checked Karasu's real identity. Then, she met with Prince Hinoki, and asked for his will.

Who should she go meet next then?

Maybe she should go meet with Roten and Yuataree to have a fine conversation with them?

Or maybe go explain what was happening to Princess Aqua, and tell her that her brother is coming back?

Actually, didn't Sunayu's Queen, Hitow, talk highly of her fiance, King Cornou from Tohji? Maybe it'd be a good idea to stop there and ask for their assistance too.

And since the underground water currents worried her too, she wanted to meet with Mira again.

Her resolve to crush Karasu's ambitions and help all the countries affected by them was set, but she still wasn't sure where to start.

In the first place, who on earth would like that mid-summer parched water tank stinking soap?

Then again, she had always been worried about a dispute starting between Yohk'Zai and Triht anytime soon.

Thinking about that again, she remembered the ruler of Triht, Setsugen.

When she met him in the mountains, Setsugen gave the impression of a reserved and honest lad.

Though later she found out he was quite popular...

But for him to wage a war with Yohk'Zai was a bit hard to imagine.

In the first place, he wouldn't have a chance to win if that happened.

Izumi continued thinking as she folded her arms inside the bathtub.

Then it occurred to her, first she needed to buy time while there was no war.

If a war were to happen, the scars left by it in the form of resent would remain for a long time. Only distancing the peaceful world Izumi wished for far, far away.

But then again, what could she do to buy more time?

Just how far did the preparations for war go on both sides, and where were they planning on carrying it out?

"Hmm...."

Izumi groaned. Normally she would clear her mind of any thoughts, and either stare blankly at the steam, or read a book she had brought to the bathroom.

–––I'm the only one who could create any advantage I guess.

If they could get Yohk'Zai inside the snowy mountains, they would probably have trouble against small guerrilla armies.

–––Wait, that's not exactly defensive tactics...

In the first place, since Triht needed fire stones, they had no other chance but to go fight for them.

But it was hard to imagine they would be able to fight to their fullest in a terrain they were not used to, like the desert.

So, if for example, they were to form an alliance with people used to the desert, they might have a better chance.

"...huh?"

Izumi accidentally let her voice out.

When she met Setsugen inside the mountains, he was on his way to meet with the Kak'Kenah tribe, or so she had been told by the old baldie who was trying to capture Princess Yunoha.

But then when Setsugen heard that Teo Keh had probably already met with Huuron, he said he didn't have any business in Zaharya anymore.

Then, that would mean that...

"Everything makes sense now."

Izumi dropped her head.

How could it be? Not only Karasu, but Setsugen too, both were thinking of carrying out something dangerous when they met with Izumi.

The people she met beyond the window were not only weak people in trouble.

Izumi noticed her own naiveness.

Maybe in the case of Setsugen there were certain circumstances beyond his own control...

But still, no matter what the reason, that is in no way an acceptable excuse to involve normal people in a war.

Then again, why did he think the Kak'Kenah tribe would accept to join forces with Triht?

On top of that, the brother of the tribe chief had been bribed by Yukama, and was prepared to poison Setsugen's drink at a banquet. Taking that into consideration, it seemed there were internal problems in the Kak'Kenah tribe too.

When she thought that far, she faintly heard a person's voice.

After listening a bit more attently, she noticed it was a male voice.

A groaning….and rude voice, the kind that would seem to be used to curse.

–––Err...

Izumi was worried. If the window really connected to the person she was wanted to, who was she thinking about this time?

While she hesitated, the voice continued speaking without a moment's rest.

"Dammit" "Screw this" "Goddammit!"

The person on the other side of the window seemed quite annoyed and impatient.

She didn't know with whom the window connected, but there was nothing she could do about that. Standing up, she opened the window.

"Oh, a new face."

The person standing outside the window was someone she had never seen before. He seemed to be in his twenties, and his long hair was tied with a red string. His exposed musculous arm was of the same brown hue as the desert habitants.

But the place where this man was, wasn't the desert but a rocky area.

Many rocks of various sizes were tumbling around, and the man was sitting on top of one of them.

"Ah?"

The man shot a dubious glance at Izumi and...

"ah?.....Whoaaa."

He stood up screaming.

Immediately falling backwards and landing seated on the ground.

Izumi looked at the man worried, palling by the thought he may have dislocated his back out of the shock.

His bare left arm was buried inside the rocks from the wrist upwards.

At least, it seemed he hadn't dislocated his back, but he couldn't stand because his arm was trapped inside the rocks.

"That hurts..."

He painfully started massaging his left shoulder.

Then proceeded to glare at Izumi.

"Hey, necromancer. Don't you know it's cowardly to sneak up on people when they can't move!"

Izumi was worried his arm might be getting crushed under the rocks, but the man seemed to be plenty energetic.

"Well no, I wasn't exactly trying to do that. ...by the way, you can't pull your arm out?"

"You can tell only by looking. Damn, what did I get myself into."

The man forcefully kicked the rock covering his arm. After a while, many small rocks fell all around them.

Izumi stuck her head out the window startled. And soon, turned pale again.

The place where he was was a steep slope, and many rocks were piled up far above them. The way it stood there, seemingly about to fall in any moment screamed danger.

Actually, some of it might have just finished falling down, seeing how the ground was showered in rocks.

"Were you trapped by the falling rocks? Or actually, if you kick the rocks like that, won't that cause more of them to fall from above?!"

"What do you want me to do? Just sit here like a duck and wait 'till I starve to death?"

The man continued kicking the rock.

"W-wait! Stop!"

If he continued like that, Izumi would also get dragged into a rock avalanche.

Izumi hastily stood up from the bathtub and went to pick up the vase with the mid-summer water tank soap.

"Hey, look at this! I'll give you this!"

"Ahh? Aren't those buffles? They smell as awful as ever huh."

Apparently this man knew of this soap.

"So? What do you want me to do with this?"

Izumi scooped up some water in a bucket, and put the mid-summer water tank soap–––buffle powder in it. After a while, the water was slippery.

"Soak your arm in this, and then let it flow through the gap between the rocks."

The man finally seemed to understand how the buffle could be used.

He soaked his arm while he grimaced at the smell.

Finally he inclined the bucket, and let the water flow through the rocks. He took a deep breath.

"Huff."

Mustering all the force he could, he pulled his arm.

Once again, rocks fell around.

"I'm telling you to stop! Please stay quiet for a while! Else I'll close the window and go away alone!"

"Shut up you sorcerer. Do you think I can do something else when I'm trapped like this?"

Saying so, the man yanked his arm again, and one third time.

Izumi's heart raced as she watched him.

But in the end, it didn't seem like his arm would move a single inch.

"Dammit, I can't pull it out."

Izumi prepared another bucket of water mixed with buffle and handed it over to the man. Then she peeked over to the rock.

Seemingly not in pain, he probably wasn't wounded. There was probably a vacuum on the other side of the rock.

After looking closer, there was also a small gap around his arm.

There was in fact...a gap.

"...Umm. Just in case but...maybe you are clenching your fist?"

Izumi asked him in a monotone voice.

"..."

He seemed surprised for a second, then fell silent. A while after that he looked away from Izumi...

In the following seconds, the man's arm came out of the rock without problems.

–––He's an idiot. He's definitely an idiot.

"It's- It's not what you think. There was a reason for that, I tell you."

He probably noticed he was being taken for an idiot by Izumi.

Flustered, he started explaining himself.

"I was holding a bag with gunpowder! That's really valuable so, if possible, I wanted to take it home with me."

"...Hmmm."

She couldn't avoid giving him an indifferent look.

Well, at least she was glad he could free his arm. Thinking of telling him something along those lines, she caught on to something weird.

"Tell me. That gunpowder, what did you want to use it for?"

Izumi asked him while glancing at the rock scattered around them.

Gunpowder, falling rocks, and the stupidity of the man. For once, this time, if she thought of all the possibilities...

The man answered while averting his eyes.

"Yeah, that's right, you guessed right, I was blowing the rock up! I got caught between the rock avalanche I caused myself. Do you have a problem with that?!"

He turned on the offense immediately.

She let an exasperated sigh out.

"Why, why did you want to do something like that… Are you going to start building something?"

He tried moving his hand around a bit to make sure everything was alright.

"No. I was destroying a road. The road that goes down to my village from Pirenia."

"Huh? Pirenia?"

She had heard that name before, but she couldn't remember where.

"Where was...Pirenia again?"

"It's a mountain between Triht and Zaharya. Hmm, sorcerers are more ignorant than I thought."

"Ah, right, yeah. I heard that from Sentoor. Pirenia huh."

The dense knight Sentoor had said the mountain hut Setsugen was in, was located in Pirenia.

She heaved a sigh of relief after successfully remembering.

"....What?!"

She unconsciously shrieked, and pulled herself forward.

"Whoa"

For some reason, the man jumped back.

"Pirenia from Triht?! Why? Why did you destroy the road, Ah! Maybe, maybe you are a spy from Yohk'Zai?"

There was no doubt, the tanned skin he had was a special trait from the inhabitants of the desert. He probably came to block the road under Huuron's orders.

"Who are you calling a spy from Yohk'Zai?"

The man frowned in disgust as he pointed at Izumi.

"Though in the first place, for you to show those so boldly, do you even have decency?"

Izumi glanced to where he was pointing, in other words...her own chest.

"...Ahh, mmmm, *cough*"

She cleared her throat.

Then she yelled "Wait there for a sec!" and dashed over to the dressing room.

She returned to the bathroom after hurriedly wrapping a towel around herself.

The man was carelessly waiting for her, his arm resting on the window frame. 

"Seriously, you lack something called decency...."

He shook his head in pity after seeing her clothed with only a bath towel.

"Shut up already! I don't care if someone thinks I'm indecent anyways. In the first place. Who are you? You aren't someone from Yohk'Zai? Why did you destroy the road?"

Izumi shot one question after another.

"I'm the brother of Cho'Shaw, the chief of the Kak'Kenah tribe. My name is Goemon. You could say I'm from Yohk'Zai, but not at the same time..."

He was speaking with a half closed mouth, so his enunciation wasn't the best, but now wasn't the time to pay attention to that.

"Then...you...are the person who was bribed by Yukama, and tried to poison Setsugen, that brother of the Kak'Kenah tribe chief?"

After she said that, the man–––Goemon's whole body sprung back. He reached out for his hip, to the dagger he carried there.

"Just who are you?"

He spoke with a strained tone. Izumi waved her hands around flustered.

"It-It's not what you think. I'm not a spy or something. I'm not even someone from Triht or Yohk'Zai!"

However, Goemon was still wary.

"Then you are a rebel against me then!"

Izumi trembled hearing him roar in anger. She tilted her head a while later.

"No, just think calmly for a moment. A rebel wouldn't want to work for you, but I even helped you out."

Goemon stood still for a few seconds, "You have a point there" he said, and moved his hand away from the dagger.

Izumi heaved a sigh of relief.

"Umm, I want to ask a lot of stuff, but if you mind that I won't ask as much. The only thing I really want to know is, why did you destroy the road?"

Goemon bit his lips. Then he finally spoke.

"To protect the people of Triht from being attacked by Yohk'Zai."

Izumi blinked a few times.

"Could it be that the reason you accepted to help Yukama and poison Setsugen was the same?"

"Exactly"

Goemon looked straight at Izumi's eyes, then continued talking without a rest.

"That bastard Setsugen. He wanted to use my village as a base to attack Yohk'Zai. And my brother joined hands with him… He's so wrong about doing that! How long has it been since we were independized from Yohk'Zai? Only twenty damn years! Twenty years since we were held captive by Yohk'Zai, twenty years since we had to battle, twenty years since we had plowed all our ravaged fields again… Yes, maybe we did get confined to a smaller area, but my mom, all the women in the village, everyone was so happy. But now, he...he wants to throw all the Kak'Kenah tribe out to fight again?! What does he think of all that we had to go through before..."

Goemon sat desperately there, hugging his legs.

"...I know. I know I hadn't been born yet when the battle with Yohk'Zai happened, but my brother was already twenty years old. He succeeded mom after witnessing my dad be killed in battle, or so I was told. I understand why my brother and relatives hold a grudge with Yohk'Zai. But, what could they possibly accomplish this late!"

Izumi remained silent. She couldn't find words to tell him.

It wasn't just a discussion on whether the people who enjoyed their current life or the ones who resented their past lives were wrong, either.

Only–––

"The only thing I want is peace for the world."

Izumi mumbled in a sigh. No matter in which world, it's impossible to separate black from white, good from evil. It's impossible to grant the wishes of each and every person.

Goemon raised his head and looked at Izumi.

"How long will it take for the people of Triht to restore the road you destroyed?"

"One month or less..."

"That would be more than enough. Can you stand for a moment"

Izumi stretched her hand to Goemon. He timidly took it, and forcefully stood up.

"I'll fulfill your wish."

"What?"

Goemon raised his eyebrows.

"I'm saying I'll stop the conflict between Yohk'Zai and Triht. If the two countries don't attack each other, your brother won't do anything either right?"

"Ah, yeah…."

The man nodded. Izumi smiled at him and said,

"In any case, I'll need something as an advance payment. That string tied around your hair, that should be enough!"

(The End)

Back Index