Chapter 174: The Tradition of Yamaok Village
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"............Uh, ah......?"
As Gonpeter regained consciousness and opened his squinting eyes, the first thing that came into view was the deep blue sky and beautiful white clouds drifting across it.
(Is this heaven? Did I......die......)
With his mind still hazy, he vaguely thought that as he tried to rise from his supine position, but a sharp pain shot through his chest.
"Ugh......!?"
"You're awake, Gonpeter. Don't move recklessly......you probably have some broken bones."
Turning just his face toward the voice, he saw Sabrown sitting on a small boulder, gazing at Gonpeter with a drained expression.
Struggling to look around, this was not some lofty place like heaven, but Okachan's rocky area.
Jagged, thorn-like boulders jutted toward the sky here and there.
It seemed he had simply lost consciousness.
"......!! What happened to that girl Emi!? And Okachan!? Ugh......!"
"Don't panic, don't panic......here, I'll help you get up slowly....."
Gonpeter's sleepy mind fully awakened, immediately concerned about his benefactor's safety.
Sabrown gently assisted the hunter, supporting his back as he helped him sit up.
As the now upright Gonpeter's vision expanded beyond what his lying position allowed, the devastation he witnessed made his heart sink.
Especially the area around the stage-like rock exhibited an appearance so gruesome it was difficult to put into words.
Blood was everywhere.
Beneath the beautiful blue sky stretched a hellish, ghastly scene.
"......She died, huh?"
"Yeah, she died."
Seeing that scene, Gonpeter's shoulders slumped.
"......Eaten, was she?"
"Yeah, eaten."
It was a feeling of his chest being constricted.
In the end, he had been one of the people who resigned themselves to offering Emi as a sacrificial victim.
And yet, what was the point of regretting it now?
Still, his thoughts went numb.
The guilt of having his benefactor killed nearly crushed Gonpeter......
"Ah, don't misunderstand? The one who died was Okachan. Okachan......Okachan was the one eaten."
"Huh!?"
Hearing Sabrown's following words, Gonpeter let out a dumbfounded cry.
"After you got blown away and knocked out......that sacrificial girl Emi woke up. And she started fighting Okachan. Before I knew it, Okachan had been battered and was lying there weakly, her neck snapped dead."
"Before you.....knew it, you say?"
"It happened too fast, I couldn't make out what was going on. Just dragging you out of there so you wouldn't get caught up in it was all I could manage."
"I...see......I'm sorry about that then. Thank you. So......where did Emi go?"
"No idea. She devoured even that dragon's massive body, leaving not a single bone behind, then......jumped off somewhere toward the west."
"......Jeez, what even was that......"
"......I don't really get it either......"
For a while, the two simply sat in silence at that spot.
"......In the end,"
Gonpeter was the one who muttered words again first.
"Just who or what was that girl Emi......"
"Hah? Are you the one asking that? You're the one who brought her here, aren't you?"
"Well yeah, but......I thought she was human. I even said so myself......but......"
"Haha, like a human could beat a dragon to death barehanded?"
"............Yeah."
"With that much power and ferocity. Honestly, I think she must have been......"
After speaking that far, Sabrown fell silent.
Then after a brief contemplation, he looked Gonpeter straight in the eye and said:
"No, it doesn't matter what that girl's true nature was, Gonpeter."
"What do you mean?"
"What's important, Gonpeter, is......how we pass down the tale of that girl."
"Pass.....down the tale?"
"Our guardian dragon has died."
Hearing those words, Gonpeter's heart pounded heavily.
"From now on, we have no draconic protection. No matter what attacks us, we must fend it off ourselves."
"............"
"Hunger, cold, monsters. Dealing with it all falls to us."
"......I see, that.....will be harsh."
"It will be harsh. But Gonpeter......precisely because the future ahead is so harsh, some were granted the chance to live......Oyukipa doesn't have to die!!"
Sabrown's words gradually grew stronger and louder.
Gonpeter saw a light in Sabrown's eyes.
It was the brilliant light of resolve shining within those eyes rimmed by dark circles.
The strength to live.
Hope for the future!
"The one who guided us to a future where Oyukipa lives couldn't possibly be some monster! She was a guide to the future. A symbol of liberation from old traditions and freedom!!"
Watching Sabrown passionately speak, Gonpeter gave a wry smile.
It seemed his close friend had fully regained his usual spirit.
"Sabrown, what you're saying is a bit too profound. The other villagers, and I too, likely won't be able to understand."
"Then for now, we can just say she was a messenger from the gods or something."
Sabrown laughed.
Then suddenly tearing up, he turned west and bowed his head.
"Thank you, thank you......thank you, Emi!! Ugh, sniff......I know! I know how over-the-top I'm being! But......but!!"
And shouting loudly while sobbing, he cried out!
"Thank you!! For giving Oyukipa a future, thank youuuu!!!"
"............"
Even as his chest ached, Gonpeter managed to bow his head toward the westward direction where no one was present.
The two remained like that for a long while.
Goh! An especially strong wind blew up along the slope, scattering the pale pinkish dragon scales embedded in the rocks.
The dragon scales fluttered through the air like a shower of cherry blossoms celebrating a new journey before being absorbed into the deep blue sky and vanishing.
And thus a new tradition was born in Yamaok Village.
It was the tale of the battle between the mother dragon and the free young girl.
A tale of gratitude for the past and resolve for the future.