The Elder laughed benignly when he noticed Leona starting up at him with charming eyes.
And it seems like this little one is going to join our family. Is that right?
Can I really live here? asked Leona.
We have plenty of empty rooms, untilled land, and not enough hands to go around. It would be our pleasure.
Woooow.
Leonas eyes shot open in surprise at having been accepted so easily. Children often proved to be hangers-on in communal societies, so they were often not welcomed. There were many places with powerful leaders who were known to ban childbirth because new mouths ate into the food supply.
Leona had her hands bunched into fists as she nodded her head. She knew what it was like out in the wild. She wouldnt have to steal anymore; nor would she have to worry every time she saw a pair of sparkling eyes in the darkness.
That was enough to get Leona choked up.
Ill do my best, sir.
I guess Ill have to prepare a feast for our new family member.
The Elder looked at Zin and added,
Why dont you stay here as well? We could really use a hunter, and we would gladly welcome a skilled one such as yourself, at any price.
Sir, Zin may not be much to look at, but hes an amazing hunter. Im proof of that whispered Leona with a serious look on her face. Zin nodded.
You know as well as I do, sir, if you really spent time at a Nest explained Zin.
Oh, yeah, thats right. Too bad said the Elder, with a tinge of regret. He didnt bring the topic up again.
Dont hold a hunter down.
A hunter who doesnt wander isnt a hunter at all. Hunters dont stop. They keep moving. They are bound to roam the wilderness toward whatever destination theyre hired to reach.
Hunters have principles and beliefs, even if theres really no reason to have such things. The Elder nodded his head, as if he had been reminded of something.
When he looked back towards Zin, the look in his eyes had changed. His tone of voice had changed as well.
A hunter who keeps the commandments. Im in the presence of a noble man.
Im of the belief that there needs to be at least one fundamentalist in the world responded Zin as he added a laugh.
Nevertheless, stay a few days before you strike out. Its not like we cant afford to share here.
Thank you, but I must get going immediately replied Zin.
A bitter smile spread across Zins face as he added,
Dont stay too long in a nice place.
The reason? You get complacent. Its hard to get your feet moving again. Thats why hunters pass through nice places all the more quickly. The things that hunters have to look out for the most are good people and good towns, along with comfort and peace. A hunters biggest enemy isnt a monster; rather, its the desire to be content and places that make them content. Hunters cannot exist if they cannot walk on.
Leona didnt exactly understand what they were talking about, but she did manage to extract the main idea from the pairs conversation.
Get going. May you never find your way back to this town.
The farewell to a departing hunter.
May I never return.
The farewell from a departing hunter.
I want to stay in a place that doesnt need hunters.
I want this town to remain as a place that doesnt need hunters.
Zin left the room with the Elder, having taken his payment and exchanged farewells. The Elder didnt follow him, but Leona soon caught up with Zin.
Youre leaving right away?
Yeah.
What? Thats kind of messed up.
What do you mean messed up?
Nothing, I just mean you can stay a bit then go, cant you? Why are you in such a rush?
Leona was just scratching her cheek, overcome by the feeling that she couldnt bring herself to talk. Shed found a new, safe town with tall walls to live in. All thanks to Zin bringing her here. But ultimately, Zin, as a hunter, had to leave.
Even if youre a hunter, youre still a person. Cant you rest a bit?
Leona moved and bit her lips, as if she had something to say but couldnt bring herself to say it.
Zin looked at this little girl, and several thoughts came across his mind.
They were memories, illusions, recollections and ruminations.
They were all of lifes moments, that turn and turn in your mind and remain as regret.
If I have placed any weight on the importance of staying somewhere, I wouldnt have lived as a hunter said Zin.
.......
You are a really talented kid.
Thats a compliment, right?
Yes, Zin continued, emphasizing the last part,
The happiest moments in this god-forsaken world are when you dont have to use a talent at all.
Ever since arriving in Ard Point and taking the job, Zin had felt emotions he hadnt experienced in a very long time. He was currently feeling the acute pain of having to depart from those emotions.
This place is safe. You wont have to use your talent here, and you wont be so unlucky, either.
Leona was in a way a violent person. If she were able to use that violent energy to farm rather than murder and survive in the wilderness, she would enjoy a pretty decent life.
It was only a few days. At best four days - in which time he had fought and returned. Nevertheless, human connection forms all too easily.
Sometimes people end up hating other people. Ultimately, however, people desperately need other people.
Leona was staring at Zin with a stern expression.
You use way too many hard words, mister. She added,
Youre just hard to understand she stuttered, but managed to continue,
Cant you just stay with me and teach me those words?
Leonas mind was a fog. Whatever caused it - some thing, some event - was unknown. But it was a fog. Maybe it was because she was a stray with nothing where her heart should have been, and had finally felt something after connecting with someone for the first time.
As if she finally realized that the thing she had been feeling up to now was loneliness.
As if she was afraid of loneliness, now that she had seen what not being lonely was like.
Zin shook his head.
Hard words arent really necessary to make it in this world.
Zin added one more thing as he turned to leave,
Ignore those words and just go on living.
Leona didnt cry. They werent close enough for that. She just felt it was too bad - too bad that they couldnt talk a little bit more.
Thats all she was thinking.
Zin raised his hand as he turned and headed for the prison walls. Leona mumbled as she watched Zin disappear,
What an amateur.
Hunters always end up showing their backs to people.
They disappear, leaving only that vision of their back.
They never look back.
Go to hell! I hope you fall and break your leg! shouted Leona after Zin.
Zin left Ard Point without saying goodbye to Beck Gu. Its not that he had a pressing urge to leave. Its just that when a job is over, theres nothing left for a hunter in a town. Hunters seek jobs. Staying in a town without a job isnt in the rules.
His mission was to find another place with another problem, solve it, get the chips, and extend his life a little bit further. Zin finally stopped when he was well into the mountains, Ard Point having disappeared from view.
He realized that he was rushing. He could rest for a day then go. Keeping the commandments is only a issue of conviction.
Just like Leona had said - hes human. Its okay if he rests.
Zin had passed through a deep, dark valley of time passed. Its not that hed never met good, thoughtful people before.
And its not that hed never seen a town of good, thoughtful people, either.
Rather, the reason he was hurrying was because he had met and seen those kinds of people and towns time and time again.
Hunters must live alone. They have no colleagues, no friends. Hunters who dont live alone die quickly. That isnt an issue of commandments, thats an issue of survival.
Beck Gu would go on living as a competent guard. He certainly isnt erudite, but hes bright. With that brightness, hell be able to maintain the safety of Ard Point as well as anyone else could.
The Elder is magnanimous and values the safety of his people enough to spend 300 chips to protect the town. While hes a bit old, as long as hes alive Ard Point will be peaceful, even if it doesnt prosper.
Leona was one of the most exceptional people Zin had ever met.
All I can say about her is that shes a bit strange.
He was able to explain Beck Gu and the Elder, but Leona refused to be easily defined. It was enough if her strong points, which may sometimes appear to be weaknesses, could be of use to her in Ard Point. Hunters dont stick around.
If you provide chips, a hunter will find a home for a homeless man. If you demand revenge, a hunter will slaughter a monster. Once everything is resolved, they move on.
Collect chips, make a weapon, kill a monster, get more chips. Lather, rinse, repeat. Hunters exist within an inexpressible irony, roaming the wilderness in search of their end.
Unless they have finally met their end, hunters keep moving.
Zin was acutely aware of the power of time. The heart is fickle and moves on quickly.
Love chips instead.
Hunters have picked up tons of maxims along the way of their existence. Protecting something is harder than hunting. Or, embracing something other than yourself inevitably brings suffering.
Ultimately however, hunters dont live by maxims, just like other people.
As the pain of things you cant protect piles up, hunters realize the only way to live without pain is to close their hearts. Hunters who have been around the longest have hearts harder than rock, that dont bend to anything.
Hmmmm..
Zin realized something as he looked around. There was a sign with directions in front of him.
North, south, east west.
Zin had come from the east. He had to choose either to go north, south, east or west. He didnt know which way he had to go, however. Walk south and you reach the end of the Peninsula; turn around and you would eventually reach the Continent.
I guess I have to turn around.
Theres no reason to stay on the Peninsula. Itd been a while since hed arrived, and the Peninsula was pretty quiet. It seemed clear that Zin wouldnt find what he was looking for in that quiet.
Should I pass through the Continent and head to southeast Asia? Hmmmm, yeah why not.
The journey would easily last a year, as he stopped here and there to take jobs, get chips, extend his life. A world thats already collapsed cant go to shit again, and Zin planned to move leisurely, if not slowly. He had over 400 days left. Death was still far off.
Ill have to visit Ragnarligion. Its been too long.
Zin picked up the pace. He walked quickly, thinking what he would do when he arrived at his still far-off destination.
Zin walked for two days straight without sleeping. Its not like he even had a reason - he just kept walking.
.....
Zin finally realized he was in a quite strange situation.
.....Ive been walking north-west.
In his effort to focus only on walking and not on useless thoughts, Zin had failed to realize that he was walking in a different direction than his original course, due north. Zin fixed his direction and began walking again. He blamed his misdirection on trying too hard to avoid useless thoughts, although its not like he was being bombarded with countless random thoughts.
Was he having this kind of trouble because he had experienced true humanity for the first time in a while?
A bitter smile crawled over Zins face as this thought occurred to him. A bit of uneasiness started to rise from a small corner of his heart.
I feel like Im forgetting something
The feeling that hed forgotten something gravely important wouldnt leave him alone. He couldnt put his finger on what that something was, however. The feeling had been constantly pestering him ever since he left Ard Point.
Just like when you have an itch you just cant scratch - it was that kind of frustration. He couldnt shake the feeling that hed forgotten something and come this far. Zin stopped suddenly and muttered gravely,
Is it dementia?
Unlike the normal Zin, there was fear in his voice.