MNP Ch1

The days grew 4e9f59360a shorter, and a 45828f8744 cool breeze enveloped a6b80e0334 the village. It was the time 2de16a144a when trading parties returned f5a4ef042a and hunters began their 7cc018d3ef hunts.e8e88f5c6c9e502c

The harsh ac18d2ca81 sunlight of 6f6ee651c1 just days 2f14dce7cf ago was 626ab618ee now obscured 56dc835233 by hazy 2ade083091 clouds. As the 49673e50fa terrible heat a2240ca24d faded, a 5c757fdf96 chilly winter e594bd686d quickly arrived. Even after over 8de48eb416 a decade, the 06e5cd1f02 weather here remained 27f1645e64 impossible to get 4e6dbb56ae used to. Seokha adjusted the basket 4f54b09a39 slung over his shoulder 458e4abdf5 and took his place 9af8e94af4 at the end of f30df51641 the long line of 489587b268 people. He greeted nearby villagers 414591a608 as he slowly moved 7b0d258512 forward with the shrinking f7d4328120 queue.86d58b88cdc20e73

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“Seokha, why are you here?”519ec843b95924aa

“Hello.”0bf2d279ab4f405d

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He handed 079b490c6d the empty acb6b7ef75 basket to 833e053617 the warehouse d3d3086147 uncle.ea0342624ea66b2f

“The teacher asked me to pick up on his behalf.”c324d89e887c6676

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“I see. You’re working hard.”08eae3fedfd8c734

The uncle 09fd95576f asked if fd46939148 there was b858210cc4 any trouble 846aeeedcf this time 872586fb54 as he 3b884b3fd0 checked the b70ec25cec apples for d729b72bd5 bruises before b5abd519d4 placing them ba956354a6 in the 6a0c1cdf45 basket.ea91d0b5ea3601b0

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“He said there wasn’t.”c8a7e042d141a8c0

The uncle 894a1f31da nodded and dc4b033d92 returned the 60b306f884 basket, which 3c1be273c4 was heavier 83c6ef6bac than expected. As Seokha slung it ac9034daa7 over his shoulder with 7eb38b955a a puzzled look, the 3baee8b709 warehouse uncle whispered quietly:9887eba2ccf1f2af

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“I put in a bit extra, so take good care of the teacher.”05a07fcfcc4ec7b1

“Isn’t that showing too much favoritism?”ade6653d15522150

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“Never mind that. Just take it. It’s not for you to eat.”02aa1f0c9772a6a7

Pushed by the shoulder, Seokha had no choice but to bow and leave the warehouse. He heard the uncle’s voice calling after him, “Come back on time later!” Opening the basket, he saw it contained far more than just “a bit extra.” The villagers really put the teacher on too high a pedestal. The sun that would normally be scorching his head was now setting behind the sand dunes. He needed to hurry.2b68b74d674f56c3

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Reaching the red brick b280901f2f house, Seokha knocked twice 4a246626ce on the iron gate. As he waited 45adc5a61d for it to 7687df0531 open, kicking at dde22e8fd6 clumps of dust 4b8d142fb8 rolling by, quite 3f2f97fdfe some time seemed ee130c59ac to pass.8df35215930fe1b1

“Teacher, are you there?”9e375d8559aac1e5

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Unable to wait any longer, Seokha knocked again. This time he called out quite loudly. From beyond the gate came the sound of shoes dragging, the teacher’s habitual gait, and the iron gate opened with a metallic clang.a33b72ba43402c20

“I’m not deaf yet.”57933340305b1c5b

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Seokha slipped through the partially opened gate, twisting his lips out of sight. Always locking the gate when there’s nothing to steal. The rusty iron gate closed again with a loud noise. Seokha sat down on the porch, following the teacher who had settled there, and began unloading the rations he’d received from the warehouse.aad70a44e2fdff3c

“The uncle gave us a bit extra. We probably won’t need to go out during hunting season.”3eb47b7a1fb70c82

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“He gave quite a lot. Should’ve given this much to households with young children.”a7464150fda3bf72

The scar covering half the teacher’s face bulged and then subsided. Then give it to them. Seokha picked up one of the fruits laid out on the porch and put it back in the basket he’d been carrying.5396228ff3226e21

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“You’re being greedy when you already get a separate share.”54bbb6836c5749b2

“We can eat it.”64319473e4b42e5c

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Just try letting it d95d9c4408 spoil. The teacher clicked f5453b1a23 his tongue and 73c26342bf divided the rations 5bb2cce570 into ten-day portions, 075f5ff22f moving them to 592e61ae56 a corner of 8eb57b81e7 the porch. He immediately 36c0d017d6 went inside d3befa765d and came 710277ccd7 out carrying da31ac510f several books 15aec6953f that looked fcaea6302f weathered by 66857bc27d sand and ba02769a3f wind. Seokha, who had 5c8b9e741e been secretly trying e636dddc52 to snatch another 1e988aa8f6 apple from the 24906c388d porch, reflexively caught 885ab54b9f the books the 3da07c882e teacher all but 27e9ec6f81 threw at him. He skimmed the unremarkable 67b7052d5c covers and flipped through 58b067a5c4 the pages.8a5763b1b12d0242

The pages were densely filled with characters that were hard to distinguish as drawings or writing, as if penned by an exceptionally poor writer. I couldn’t even read this if it were in our language. Seokha frowned. Even craning his neck, he could only make out a word or two.ef84247ee6cba0d4

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“Are these drawings?”deded049eaf9882b

“Don’t talk nonsense. Translate all of this and bring it back by the end of hunting season.”b680e1127539668a

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One day, one 22a4073db2 book. The wrinkled hand a161dbb2ec tapped the handwritten 6eecec86f3 volumes twice.136cedab2cd1cfd6

“You’re joking, right? I’m busy.”15de3e0f4901d126

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You know that. Seokha gently pushed the 09435929de books away.579bc7206066b54f

“I’m well aware you don’t have much to do.”d67e90220cecdb3f

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The teacher thrust two books into Seokha’s arms, saying “I’ll reduce it to two books then” as if doing him a favor. Seokha expressed with his whole body that this was absurd, but the teacher didn’t even respond. Before long, Seokha was unceremoniously kicked out with little to show for his visit.55b680977e7f1a81

Seokha’s dwelling was a house that looked like a miniature version of the teacher’s, with its gate always open. Though it appeared quite livable and neater than one might expect, it showed signs of age in every corner due to less-than-meticulous upkeep. Seokha wiped the floor, which took no more than five swipes to clean, and shouldered the bag he had prepared yesterday. He glanced repeatedly at the two worn books on his low desk before finally stuffing them into his bag with a sigh.298b05e8d0c28090

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“You’re early.”a36eb0b5b0863d15

Mm-hmm. His pronunciation was muffled by the apple pieces filling his mouth. Seokha waved to Ran, who was settling into position, and rested his sniper rifle with its bipod on the railing. With the village entrance below their feet, the muzzle pointed towards the endless expanse of desert. A total of eight snipers atop watchtowers – in the center above the village entrance and to the east and west – stood ready for the hunt.3ee0ae1f913e0836

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Before the sun b738dd3405 completely disappeared behind 4b738dc619 the sand dunes, 981ba176c9 the desert was 35bc6c305d bathed in the 17715828a9 reddest light of 7e3e31a214 the day. Praying that 552d9a25cf nothing would 826c776bbb happen this 0c942ea138 time as 7b14f64e18 well, Seokha 11bee091d9 silently watched 4f6c6e5490 the terrain 8c6b7a337e ahead where a02011a03a no signs fe718f3450 of movement dc3b1be309 could be c69efcb434 detected yet.2ca7a12015205f19

As the sun 00cc138beb set and stars 43fe7d8425 began to fill 2457446002 the sky, they f36eeb6ca9 switched positions with b180103a9f the eastern lookout. Seokha, rubbing his stiff 50d81c072f eyes, pulled his bag 0d3a7c8134 closer. Ran sat down and c293317052 finally started eating. Seokha took out two bb75fdeb77 yellowed books from his 1b6995e094 bag and began skimming 265b565dff through the thinner one 7079e9f890 bound with string. Ran picked up the 0b1bf4afcc other book.69caf042bfd7c33a

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“Homework again?”8299a3916ecba675

“Sadly.”c386349a35364b5c

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As he opened the f43a061e9b cover, a loose page b74c652dda flopped over. Seeing the e18c879e0b scrawled writing 24de0ba16f from the d298d8442b very first bc160935ad page, Seokha fdd7b9a349 picked up 2a291301ee his pen fb9aee291c over the 5290289c02 paper he a9b128391e would use e9597705da for translation.2632210d32705196

“That’s impressive. I tried to learn but… I just couldn’t get it.”1ed5eaad96c041b2

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“I’m forcing myself to do it since I have to take over the teacher’s work someday.”bb52f02edfde0bf8

Nothing’s easy. As Seokha shook his head, Ran agreed, saying “I know, right?” Ran finished eating and lay down on his side, closing his eyes.9247b8c8bb3c008a

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Is it ‘intact’ or ‘completely’? Did they write this while being chased?Seokha narrowed his 06d6160a7c eyes as if cc6a01ebde that would help d767f829f2 him see better, ecbf0cbb30 and translated the 6ef8f8ecff sentences one by 31f8030ac8 one.ef4db700b7438f8f

[Lately my memory is not intact, as if cut away by a knife. When I first couldn’t remember Sara’s name, I thought it was just stress. After all, there were no signs of being reinstated…. I needed to find work somehow, but who would hire Nute with his limp? While going around asking former colleagues to put in a good word, I suddenly couldn’t remember their faces. Those tiresome faces…. The faces of colleagues I’d wallowed in the mud with for years! I don’t know how I made it home. I’ll write everything in this book from now on. Before I forget even more…]

Seokha put down his pen after translating the diary entry into Alma language word by word. This tattered book seemed to be a Nute’s diary. Curious, Seokha stopped transcribing and leaned against the wall, reading straight through. He progressed much faster than when he was translating.5a4457484d321890

[The job I barely managed to get lasted less than a week before I was kicked out due to this damned forgetfulness. Angry, I headed home but got lost at a fork in the road. I couldn’t remember which way led home. After standing there for half a day, I was able to return thanks to Sara who happened to pass by.]

The next ten c92f51cab6 or so pages e4ce4791b5 seemed to continue 7a06e7e725 talking about memory, 73a1872b4d so Seokha skimmed 6e0d2bc8a4 through quickly, turning 790b7b1c1d the pages.0bd7ca4e82029d20

[Ah, I feel like I’m going mad. I keep hearing gunshots in my ears. The voices of my comrades, Sara’s laughter…. Even in the small bathroom where I wash, I’m with them. “Ben!” I turn at a comrade’s voice calling me, only to see worn wallpaper…. My comrade whispered softly right beside me. What are you doing, Ben? For Nute’s victory!7478d380e14a15ab

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I must crush the throat thrust before me. Nutes have the strongest grip, the strongest legs of anyone…. But I couldn’t reach it. No matter how hard I struck, my hand passed through emptily. When I came to my senses, the desktop was completely shattered. I hear the voice again. Ben, you can’t kill Almas. Ah, that’s right. It’s been too long since I received an Alma’s blood. Everything is because of that bastard’s blood…]30a1719b566d9a72

Seokha closed the book with a thud after skimming almost to the end. The handwriting became increasingly difficult to read, and the sentences grew more and more incoherent. The author’s obsession with Almas reached a fever pitch, and he seemed to have lost his mind.3f6a4f9a9c394592

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It must have taken quite some time to read the Nute’s diary, as the watch had already changed to the western side. The desert, now in complete darkness, was impossible to see even an inch ahead. No one could know if the trading party would arrive right now, tomorrow, or exactly on the third day. They could only hope they would come on time.ae515a04e1562dc2

[Must capture an Alma alive. To drain his blood, drain it until he dies… No, can’t kill him. Must keep him alive to feed on for a long, long time…]

The sentence scrawled on the very last page echoed in Seokha’s mind before fading away.937a77e5f2f0de34

As dawn broke, he 019639a388 shared rations with Ran, 1bd404c49a translated a bit more 85ca5b5c82 of the other book, 95e938fe6b and by the time 42d9a4d144 he looked through the d6916ed432 telescope at the desert, 6c58c84c90 the sun was setting 5250b5afd5 again. When the red 28c1647d62 sunset was halfway fb764f458e hidden behind the 4fbda606b7 sand dunes, a 5ba327a2fc jeep appeared, backlit 08024591d5 by the sun.9a82b2224e70d28d

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“Ran! They’re back.”c0c3c899a41ea264

“Got it.”27d53acb3f31f27e

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Ran immediately announced the trading party’s return to the village via loudspeaker. Seokha pulled back the bolt to load his rifle and put his eye to the scope. Ran quickly returned and aimed his gun as well. They were still too far to make out faces. The trading party’s jeep, quickly approaching the village entrance over the sand dunes, was just one vehicle. What’s going on? There are fewer of them.Seokha tilted his 4fca3ccc72 head in confusion.cc7ab9924ae3848b

“Something’s not right.”6419428c80b159a9

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Even if they 4858288c36 split up to 28f2746a1d avoid hunters, trading 5f6525742e parties usually traveled 64b4203e2d in pairs of a75c04e79c two vehicles. Ran seemed to 9b9afcac1b sense something was c19aba753b off too and de6a2ef033 whispered quietly. Behind the jeep ebbcfe88a0 kicking up sand 7f096e6c11 as it approached, d999e74cd3 an unforgettable roar 6d3a1aca40 was in pursuit.afdb5d0b58b69041

“They’re here.”fb6b42d960998f51

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Seokha aimed his loaded gun at the source of the roar. One riding a noisy four-wheeled bike, another in back persistently firing at the jeep’s tires. The hunters wearing black gas masks quickly caught up to the jeep’s speed. Three more bikes came over behind them.797291131bff5733

As a hunter shoved his gun into the jeep, Seokha put a bullet right in the center of the crosshairs on his head. The hunter’s corpse fell backwards and rolled in the sand. Before Seokha could aim his reloaded gun at another hunter, Ran took out two simultaneously.7620fa3e5985332c

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A bike that lost its driver spun out and crashed. Realizing the situation, the remaining hunters started to retreat. Seokha managed to hit one fleeing hunter in the shoulder. Just as he thought it was a shame, Ran’s bullet enveloped the shoulder and pierced through the fleeing hunter’s head.0b9f96fc0c79eb4d

This was 8b0548ed21 truly unbeatable. Not just Seokha, 8af95a3aaa but all the 18afca6155 young people in 161fe41376 the village secretly 3dc84fc38e envied Ran who f16ee8d461 could blow off 156ba3dd8d heads with every ff8942d562 shot.e55f9f15317c4543

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They let a0a5258f7c the jeep 79cb597cc9 that barely a352f83069 made it 984563b739 to the 2a16869de4 entrance into f352a9471d the village. Hurriedly descending f5f29b0dba from the 9a2bb05aa7 watchtower, three bfddbf1c96 of the ee4de04088 ten members 5a45e47bad of the 63d0bde668 trading party 9dcbf7f35c who had 03e32a498b departed were 15d665d77e lying exhausted 0fdfe53945 on the 1ca20296ed ground.a06d1c8db8d60757

“What happened? Where are the others?”52c84a52bec7f8e3

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The warehouse uncle e4296552f3 who had been c6564b89dc on lookout in 970c15c8c7 the west asked ac6bd6ca18 urgently. Barn, who was ad7749194e hastily drinking water 83826949c9 given by the 491bcc7333 villagers, gritted his d7c816b086 teeth.e214eef178cd5d2b

“They weren’t there.”08e074e5b975919c

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