The Pale-Colored Traveler
1. The Pale-Colored Traveler
The Fallen, Strangers, Visitors, Wanderers of Time.
There are many other names.
Those so called are people who came not from this world, but from another. They possessed knowledge unknown to anyone, extraordinary power and magic, and the ability to annihilate a single nation with only a handful of people.
Do not involve yourself with them.
That was the decree issued by every nation.
Those Fallen—for the sake of convenience, let us call them the Fallen—must be reported to the state as soon as they are found. Under the guise of protection, they are captured and placed under government surveillance until the day they die.
And why is that?
As previously mentioned, because the power they possessed was simply too great.
In truth, about two hundred years ago, several nations were brought to the brink of ruin by those who had fallen into this world.
The reasons they took such actions were utterly childish and foolish.
Just—
They wanted to test their strength and see how far they could go.
Just—
They were looked down upon, so they decided to teach them a lesson.
Just—
For a bit of amusement.
Just— just, just...!
For the sake of such selfish desires, numerous nations were sacrificed, and the lives of countless people were stolen.
The common agreement established among the nations regarding the Fallen since then is this: "Do not involve yourself with them; report them as soon as they are found, and apprehend them without delay."
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Zuhar, on the eastern edge of the Tritiana continent—the town of Lete, located in its frontier. It sits at the tip of a protruding peninsula, surrounded by sea, with moderately steep mountains towering behind it. Consequently, sea routes are the primary means of transportation.
At the harbor, where cargo for shipment was piled high, a traveler with long white hair loosely tied at the nape of his neck and pale grey eyes narrowed against the salt breeze was also waiting for a ship to arrive, relying on that primary means of transport.
"Sensei, you're much earlier than usual this time. Planning to head back already?"
A familiar stevedore called out to the traveler as he gazed vacantly at the sea. The man addressed as "Sensei" turned around, his brow furrowing with a troubled expression.
"Zilba-san... I told you, please call me Tori, not Sensei, didn't I?"
"Then, Tori-Sensei."
"No, that's not what I meant..."
As the traveler—Tori—lowered his brow even further, the stevedore let out a boisterous laugh.
"No matter what I call you, Sensei is Sensei. You saved this town. If it weren't for you, every resident here would be dead."
"That's an exaggeration... I only shared the treatment method. If anyone 'saved' the town, it was the doctors."
"That's separate. Besides, doctors are called Sensei from the start, so there's no mistake in calling you Sensei for sharing the treatment."
"What kind of logic is that... I simply had the knowledge."
"That's enough."
"Hmm..."
Tori groaned. No matter what he said, the man was not going to back down.
The reason was that about ten years ago, an epidemic had spread through this town. It was a disease that had occurred several times in the distant past, but in this country, where diplomacy was sparse, it had become an unknown plague. The government had dispatched the military and ordered the town to be sealed off. In short, they had abandoned it.
At the time, Tori happened to have urgent business in this town.
Thus, he had forced his way in, bringing with him the treatment method, the medicine, and a doctor acquaintance. While he couldn't save everyone, he led the majority of the residents to a full recovery.
The result of that was the current situation.
Whenever Tori visited every few years, the townspeople would call him "Sensei" and try to lavish him with hospitality. To avoid this, he usually tried to finish his business as quickly as possible and make a swift exit.
"Oh, by the way, unfortunately, no ships are coming today, Tori-Sensei."
"Eh?"
"A national fleet is entering the harbor, so other ships have been ordered to wait offshore."
"What? A national ship? Why?"
"Sensei... you've been cooped up in the ruins since you arrived again, haven't you? Otherwise, I'd think you'd heard the rumors."
Being looked at as if he were a pitiful child, Tori let out a light cough. Since visiting the ruins was his primary purpose, staying there wasn't wrong. However, because the residents wanted to entertain him, their goals were completely misaligned.
"So, why is a national ship here?"
When Tori steered the conversation back, the man frowned and spoke.
"About six months ago, an old woman who lived on the outskirts of town passed away. It was just old age, but..."
The story began in a way that seemed to have absolutely nothing to do with the government or a fleet.
The old woman had lost her child a long time ago, and since then, she had avoided interacting with the other residents as much as possible, living a secluded life with her husband.
Her husband had passed away two years ago, and now the old woman had followed. Since they had no surviving relatives or kin, the townspeople had been discussing what to do with the house where the couple had lived.
"But after that, shadows began to be spotted frequently in that vacant house. —Oh, and of course, it's not just burglars."
Given the suspenseful way he put it, Tori wondered if this was some kind of occult story, but he couldn't imagine the government moving for such a thing. Still, he suspected this was the core of the matter. Tori prompted him to continue with a look.
"Some people didn't just see them; they actually encountered them. And the culprit who had broken into that house..."
"...was...?"
"They think it might be a 'Fallen'."
"—What!"
In the greatest shock he had experienced in recent memory, Tori's pale grey eyes flew wide open.
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