Jiji’s home was a farming village, far from the city with the tower and the walls around it. There was nothing to indicate the line where the village ended and the rest of the world began. Leaving the hut on the outskirts, Jiji and Gil made their way into the expanse of rugged, rock-strewn grassland that lay in the direction opposite their village.
The sole road was for delivering offerings of crops to the tower. Everywhere else beyond the village was just that: somewhere else. Jiji followed behind Gil in silence, treading the trackless ground through a place that wasn’t home. At the top of a gradual slope, he stopped and glanced back. The village already looked so small there below them in the distance.
“The guide that’s helping us─what’s he like?” Jiji asked, trying to cover up the sudden loneliness he felt at leaving behind the only home he had ever known.
“Said he was a priest,” came Gil’s curt reply.
“What’s a priest?”
“Someone who explains the gods’ teachings, I guess.”
“Gods… You mean the Exinov?”
“Apparently not.”
“Did the priest come from the Forbidden Land?”
“Says so, yeah.”
“You could have told me all this earlier.”
“…I was planning on leaving you behind.”
Jiji was shocked. Gil had been like a brother to him, but suddenly he felt so distant.
“W…Why?”
“Because I don’t want to regret doing this.”
“What’s that mean? Then, why did you decide to bring me along in the end?”
“You’ve got the priest to thank for that, too.” Gil sighed and stopped, then turned to Jiji with a pained expression. “He said if I’m gonna regret doing this either way, I should at least do what I think is right. Might be that you’d have been happier staying in the village. Apparently it doesn’t hurt a bit to have your mana drawn, if you believe what the Exinov say.”
“Right… I guess it might hurt if we get killed once we reach the free district…”
“If we don’t get killed, though, and we really get to be free there…I know I would regret having left you behind. Same as I would regret dragging you along to face a painful death.”
So that’s it, huh? Jiji felt relieved. “Don’t worry. I won’t ever regret coming with you.”
Jiji picked up the pace a little to walk by Gil’s side. They kept on until sunset, when suddenly a forest spread out on the valley floor below them. He hadn’t realized they’d climbed so high.
Gil looked around, and pointed down at the valley. “There it is. Do you see the lake?”
“Uh huh.”
“That’s where we’re meeting.”
+++
There were far more people gathered on the lakeshore than the one or two dozen Jiji had expected─the crowd looked like it might be a hundred strong.
“W-Wow… Everyone here’s going to the free district?”
“Seems like it, yeah… Oh, Father!”
Gil took off running, so Jiji followed suit, catching the attention of the man standing beneath a tree surrounded by an excited throng. His hair was a strange shade of jade green, and─perhaps he couldn’t see?─he wore a blindfold and held a cane in one hand.
“Ah, Gil. I’m glad to see you made it safely.”
“Yeah, no problems. And there should be eight more coming from our village… But, look at all these people! Did you get all of them here on your own, Father?”
“Hmm… Perhaps it was inevitable that they find their way to this place…” With a shrug the priest turned his unseeing eyes on Jiji where he stood behind Gil. “Aha, and this is the boy?”
“Jiji, yes.”
“H-How did you know…?”
“Because you came with Gil, and I don’t recognize you.”
“No, I mean, if you can’t see, how…?”
The priest laughed lightly and tapped his ear.
Does that mean he can tell just from my voice?
Then Gil noticed someone tugging at the hem of the priest’s robe: a child who came up no higher than the man’s waist, with a deep cowl obscuring their face.
“What is it?”
“The wizard carriages are almost here.”
Gil and Jiji glanced around.
“Um, Father. Wizard carriages…?” Gil asked.
“To bring us to the free district. It’s a little far to go on foot,” replied the priest as the hooded child dragged him away.
“This is…a little different than I imagined it… Didn’t think there would be so many people, and I definitely didn’t think we’d be going by wizard carriage.”
They had thought they were embarking on a dangerous journey, but were starting to suspect the free district was much bigger than they’d imagined─and might actually be powerful enough to take on the Exinov.
Ten large wizard carriages pulled up, each with space for at least a dozen people. They were driven by Ignas aligned with the ethos of the free district─just as the Nurabehn were abused by all, the Ignas were never permitted so much as a word against the Exinov. The priest had, in a few brief words, explained that there were some Ignas who wanted to change all that.
They set off for the free district that very day.
“So our new life starts now, huh?” said Jiji.
“Yeah.” Gil nodded. “All the crops we grow, we can keep for ourselves.”
“And we won’t need to live in fear of our mana being drawn at any moment… Won’t need to be scared of our children being taken away,” broke in another Nurabehn riding in their carriage.
Along the way, the Nurabehn talked of many things: they talked about the past, and about what was to come. There was only one among them who didn’t say a word. He was young, with strange bluish-purple eyes, and he sat staring down at his lap like he was about to keel over and die at any moment.
“Are you…feeling okay?” asked Jiji.
The boy glanced at him for just a moment. “I’m not good with carriages.”
“Well, we have been riding for hours now without a break… I’ve got some water, you want some?”
The young man gratefully accepted the canteen Jiji held out and took a swig. “Thanks. That’s better.”
“Be nice if we could tell the driver someone in here isn’t feeling well…”
These wizard carriages were designed with a cockpit that pulled the body of the truck behind it, and were mostly used for transporting baggage. As a consequence, all the passengers could do was lay out some cloth and sit or lie on the floor. It wasn’t exactly what you’d call a pleasant ride. There were no complaints, however─just the fact that they were going by carriage instead of having to walk brought tears to the passengers’ eyes. Everyone understood that disregarding comfort and employing large cargo carriages was the most efficient way of transporting as many Nurabehn as possible to the free district.
“What’s your name?”
“Saybil.”
“I’m Jiji, and that’s Gil. He’s like my big brother. Do you have any friends or family?”
“Ah, well…” Saybil cocked his head, looking a little uncomfortable. “None here…I guess.”
“I see… So you’re on your own.”
Saybil started to say something, then fell silent.
We’re heading to the free district, far from our homes. I’ll bet he’s had to leave a lot behind. Jiji didn’t pry any further and started telling Saybil all about himself instead, hoping the conversation would take the young man’s mind off his motion sickness.
The situation, however, began to take a turn for the worse. The windowless carriage afforded its occupants no view of the world outside, but enough time had passed that night could very well have turned to morning by now. Everyone had brought provisions for the journey at the urging of the priest, so water and food weren’t a problem─but there was no toilet. After some discussion, the issue was settled with a few pots the passengers had brought along, and everyone did their business in the corner─but with no windows, the carriage soon filled with an awful stench.
Finally, some of the passengers began beating on the walls and shouting, “Please, can’t we stop just for a minute?!” But the carriage simply continued onward.
Seeing the lack of response, Saybil placed a hand lightly on the carriage wall. He tapped a few times with his finger, and where he tapped, small holes appeared, letting fresh air pour in. He opened holes all around the carriage, then returned to his seat and balled himself back up, hugging his knees close.
“H…How did you do that?” asked Gil.
“Those spots were old and worn, so I just tapped on them a little─I suspect the other carriages have some holes in them, too. Chewed through by mice, probably,” Saybil replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
It was only much later that the wizard carriages finally came to a stop. The doors were thrown open to let the passengers out, and they found themselves at their destination: the free district.