Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash vol. 1

12. Which Way?

They dug a hole in an empty spot halfway up the hill and buried the bones wrapped in a white cloth there. Then, they placed a stone on top that was just large enough that they could still carry it. On the stone, they carved his name. After that, they carved the crescent moon symbol of the volunteer soldiers, painting it red. Trainee or not, he was still a volunteer soldier, and Manato's grave would carry the red crescent he was entitled to. Looking around, they saw other graves with the red crescent, some with the paint beginning to peel away. Many volunteer soldiers slept here on this hill.

Haruhiro looked up to the tower on the hilltop with resentment. He and the others had come out of that tower.

When was that? It must have been less than a month ago, and yet it feels like so much longer. We came out of that tower. Really? I can't see any entrance or exit to it. Where, and how did we come out from it? I don't know. It doesn't matter. Nothing matters anymore.

50 copper at the crematorium, 50 for the burial plot. One silver in total for the burial. A person was dead, and it only cost one silver. Haruhiro had paid it, but he wasn't sure he should have. Manato had been carrying seven silver and 21 copper. They had burned his clothes with him, but they had a number of his possessions like his short staff and backpack left.

What should we do with those? Do we have to do something with them? I don't want to think about it. It's too much of a bother.

Manato's dead. He's really dead. It's been less than a day.

When they brought Manato to the crematorium yesterday, the manager said they were closed for the day and to come back first thing the next morning. Unsure what to do, they had turned back to the temple, where Master Honen offered to take custody of the body until the next morning. However, they couldn't bring themselves to just leave Manato behind. In the end, they had stayed up all night, surrounding Manato's body which had been left in a corner of the temple.

Right. None of us have slept. Maybe I dozed off for a bit, but I haven't slept properly. That's why my thoughts are kind of hazy. Even with all of us sitting here in front of Manato's grave, it's just not sinking in.

Even sitting was too much for Shihoru, who was exhausted from crying. She was leaned over on the ground, somehow supporting her body with both arms. Yume stared up into the cruelly blue sky, looking for birds perhaps. Moguzo had shrunk his big body into a ball, staring into space.

Say something, Ranta. Why have you been quiet all this time? If you don't talk, who will? Fine, whatever. Suit yourself.

Haruhiro tore some grass out of the ground. "It's weird, you know. This is just weird. It is... isn't it? Guys?"

Ranta turned towards Haruhiro, but he said nothing. He looked despondent.

"You know, Manato once said," Haruhiro threw the grass away. "This is like a game. I thought the same thing, but what kind of game? I don't know. But this isn't a game, after all, is it? It's something else. Something's weird here, definitely. This is bullshit... Just bullshit."

What did Haruhiro want to say? What was he trying to say? What time was it now? It was well past noon. Evening might be coming soon. There was a bell in Alterna that chimed once every two hours. Once at 6:00 in the morning, twice at 8:00, three times at 10:00, and so on. How many times had it rung the last time he heard it? He couldn't remember at all.

Ranta slowly rose to his feet. "I'm out of here."

"...Where're you goin'?" Yume asked, but Ranta just gave a short laugh, apparently having given in to despair.

"Does it even matter? Anyway... Just staying here forever isn't going to accomplish anything. We can't do anything for him now."

Even when Yume shouted, "You moron!" at him, Ranta didn't argue back. It wasn't like him at all.