Brave Story - Miyuki Miyabe [206]
“The water in the swamp is like an anesthetic…” Wataru began. Then suddenly a little spark ignited deep down inside of him.
The bottles on the cart. The hooded man. The lake water.
—There are counterfeit tears about.
—People have died.
What Wataru knew and what he was seeing suddenly came together. His eyes opened wide. The next moment, the hooded man was hurling the bottle at him.
Wataru moved aside in the nick of time. The man turned to run, heading back toward his udai cart.
“Wait!” Wataru shouted, drawing his Brave’s Sword almost by reflex. When the man heard the sword being drawn, his boots came to a sudden halt on the wet ground. He turned. “Brazen lad, you think you can wave your sword about and threaten me?”
The voice was clearly a man’s, and by his tone, it was clear he wouldn’t hesitate to harm Wataru.
“More than that, I’m taking you in.” Wataru yanked up his shirt sleeve, revealing his armband. “By the authority of the Highlanders!”
The hooded man laughed. “Now this is a surprise! What has the branch fallen to, giving a firewyrm band to the likes of you. Tell me, boy, do you take the band off when your mama sings you to sleep at night? Come now, admit it. You’re lying. That’s no real armband. You’re playing at being a Highlander!”
Wataru didn’t budge. “And you’re gathering water from the swamp and selling it as tears! Well, your medicine is killing people. Do you know exactly what you’ve done?”
The man clapped his hands together and laughed out loud. “I think it’s you that needs to consider your position here, boy.”
Swiftly reaching under his jacket, he pulled something out and pointed it at Wataru.
It was—a gun. It had more curvy parts than any real-world guns Wataru had seen, but its purpose and function were clear.
Wataru took a step back, and the hooded man came a step closer. “Ah, you know what this is? Impressive! Not many people know a magegun by sight. The latest from Arikita. Far better than a sword in any fight. The moment you lifted your blade, I would take you down with the merest twitch of my finger.”
“I know guns,” Wataru replied quietly. It was hard to keep his voice calm with his heart racing wildly.
“Then you’ve saved me a lot of tiresome explanation. Boy, if you value your life, you’ll be quiet and do as you’re told. I’m leaving here now. When I leave, you’ll forget you ever saw me, and you’ll tell no one. You wouldn’t want to waste your life at such a young age and make your mama cry, would you?”
Wataru took a half step to the right. The barrel of the magegun followed him precisely.
“Don’t think you can just turn around and flee. It’s not the kind of thing you can run away from. Look, I’m giving you a chance because you’re just a kid. A stupid one, it seems.”
“I’m no kid, I told you, I’m a Highlander. I have a responsibility to the people of Tearsheaven, and a responsibility to the people whose lives will be taken by your fake tears.”
“Bah!” the hooded man spat. “What’s the point protecting a town like that? The biggest collection of crybabies in history.”
“You don’t know what they’ve been through! You know nothing!”
“You’re wrong there. I know plenty about Tearsheaven. See, I was stuck in that accursed place until just recently.”
The hooded man put a hand on the saddle of his udai. “Sorry, but I’ve got no more time to waste chatting with you.” He then pulled on the reins and made to jump into the saddle. Wataru charged.
Eyes wide, the man brought the magegun around until it was pointed straight at Wataru. He fired.
Bang!
Before Wataru had time to duck, a brilliant flash of light filled his eyes. There was smoke and the zing of metal against metal. Wataru stood unharmed.
“Huh?”
It was just like before. The Brave’s Sword in his hand had moved on its own, slicing from left to right in front of him, knocking the bullet from the magegun out of the air.
Startled, the hooded man glanced down at the revolver in his hand, then lifted the barrel again. “I don’t know