Ponkotsu Chronicles - Chapter 0 Prologue

Prologue

Translator :- kaus_v

Editor :- gayu

What would you do if you got your hands on a magical tool that could make any wish come true?

This is a question that my peers often ask me as a greeting, and the model answer is “money.”

You will look like a fool, if you think about it seriously.

If you think about it for even a moment, you will be laughed out of the room, saying, “There is no way that such a magical tool is present in the world”.

I can assure you that you will be laughed out of the room.

But, what if there really is such an item right in front of me?

I’m sure I would sincerely wish now. Not the usual answers like money, status, or honour.

I would shout out the urgent words from my heart.

‘Take off these cuffs and let me go safely.’

“Walk quickly, you pilferer.”

The policeman in front of me pulled hard on the chain of my handcuffs and I almost fell.

I was thinking about something trivial, and my pace has unintentionally slowed down.

I slumped my shoulders and said in a thin voice, “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I did it, but I feel sorry for myself.”

I was so miserable that I stopped dead in my tracks.

“What? Don’t lie to me, brother. It’s a good idea to take a look at your own personal life. It’s the look of a well-trained man.”

Correct. The other officer, who was following behind me, had a good point.

But he didn’t guess correctly. I’m dressed in heavy cotton trousers, a jacket and sturdy leather boots. If I didn’t know that I was a habitual offender, I’d be an unfit officer.

And of course, my words of remorse were a lie.

If there is any regret, it is that I was caught.

Because of that mistake, I’m now being taken to the streets in a disgraceful way.

I don’t feel ashamed of the curious stares from passers-by, but it’s not nice to be remembered as an ex-convict, so I kept my face turned down.

This is a town near the ruins of Varia.

It’s not a big town, but it’s bustling with people.

Originally, it was just a distribution centre for stolen goods from the ruins of Varia, but in the past few years, it has changed its name to a proper religious town.

The reason for this is that the control over theft has been strengthened.

This is a common story in the world of the rich. It is said that some influential people bought up the entire land around the ruins and started to protect it, but in short, the market price of the excavated artifacts must have skyrocketed to the point where they could expect to make a profit even after spending that much money.

It didn’t matter to me.

I have been scavenging for ruins since I was a child, and I would continue to do so. That’s all.

So even now, I have no intention of giving up easily and being sent to jail.

So, I’ll move on to the escape plan I’ve been working on since the moment I was caught.

“I’m sorry, can I pray for a moment?”

“What?”

I kneeled down on the ground before the officer could give me a reply.

The location is in the centre of the city, in front of the Silver Moon Church, which has many followers.

It was crowded with devout pilgrims.

“Don’t be silly. Just stand up and walk.”

“I am ashamed that I have violated Lord Grey’s teaching by stealing. Please let me pray a little to make up for it.”

“Don’t be silly. Do you think you are in a position to say such a thing?”

“It’s a great way to make sure you’re getting the most out of your time with us.”

But I sat down stubbornly without changing my sneering posture.

“Hey! That’s enough!”

“I’m begging you. Just a little bit of ……”

The officer behind me grabbed me by the collar and tried to throttle me halfway through my clothes, but I held my breath.

In the end, the people around me began to notice the struggle between the guilty man and the police officer who was taking him in.

“Well, well, well. Please calm down. What’s wrong?”

Then, the one I had been waiting for arrived.

The priest of the Silver Moon Church. There’s always at least one of them at the front of the church, giving out wise words to the pilgrims.

I knew that if I was in trouble with the police, they would come immediately. The policeman explained the situation in a clearly troublesome manner.

“No, it’s nothing serious. It’s just we are in the middle of an arrest and he wants to pray.”

“Just a little bit is all I need. Please let me ask Lord Grey for forgiveness.”

“In the event when you’ve got a lot of time, you’ll be able to take a look at the following”

The priest smiled softly and easily.

“There is nothing arrogant in a desire for help. I know you are all very busy, but may I suggest that you give him some opportunity for improvement?”

So, the priest turned towards the statue at the front of the church with faith-filled eyes.

It was a statue of a woman standing with her staff held out to the sky.

Grey Hrab.

She is known as the “Silver Moon of Immortality” and is also an object of faith as a messenger of God, a great hero to whom no one in the world is unaware of.

She has long, flowing hair and a slender body. She has a beauty that could be described as art.

She is said to have been the most powerful among the many sorcerers of the Age of Magic.

And with her mighty power, she saved the world from the danger of destruction a thousand years ago.

“I’m sure the merciful Lord Grey would have given him a helping hand if she were here.”

“I’m sure she would.”

“Mm.”

As the priest interceded, the control officer loosened his grip on the cuffs.

As expected. It’s all thanks to the priest.

“Thank you, sir. I will pray as briefly as I can.”

I clasped my hands together and bent down to pray, my forehead almost touching the ground.

No, I didn’t. I pretended to pray.

The whole thing.

The important thing was to get into this posture. I folded my hands and leaned forward to worship on the ground.

And.

Even if I remained motionless for a while, no one would blame me.

By doing so, I could use the wire I had hidden in my mouth to remove the handcuffs.

With the metallic sound of the pin being removed, I moved.

I kicked the ground and jumped out of the way, shoving the priest backwards towards one of the control officers. As soon as I could, I held the priest.

But he couldn’t withstand the momentum and fell down.

“You!” The other officer shouted angrily and pulled the chain, but all he could catch was a pair of loose handcuffs.

I was already free and running. “Wait! Wait!”

“The criminal in custody has escaped! He’s got a knife! I don’t know what he’ll do.”

“He’s got a knife!”

A sudden shout caused the control officers to stop.

The pilgrims who had gathered in front of the church stood up at once and began to flee everywhere as if they were spiders.

It was me, of course.

I was the one who shouted, just in time to take advantage of the flurry of activity.

I didn’t have a knife. But if I panicked the crowd, then I’m in control of the situation.

“Wait, you, you!”

The wave of people prevented the police from immediately following me. I’m in the same condition, but the crowd made it easier to escape. I’m not sure what to do, but I’m sure I’m not the only one.

It was very easy for me to take advantage and hide in the back alleys.

Once – a thousand years ago – there was magic in the world.

A time when civilization was at the height of its glory.

The footprints left in history by the sorcerers of the past are still passed down as tales of great heroism.

Now, the magic that used to fill the world has dried up, magic wands are mere sticks, and spells and magic circles written on pieces of paper are nothing more than unintelligible graffiti.

Nevertheless, many people still find the romance of heroes in such relics of the past.

That’s why the romance is worth money.

“Damn it. I’ve lost a lot of money.”

Although I had managed to escape, my future was bleak.

First of all, when I was caught, they confiscated almost all of my possessions, from my work tools such as ice axes and hammers to all the money I had.

It would be a hardship for me to go out and sell the stolen goods in the city since the police officers would know my face and appearance.

With a sigh, I returned to the ruins of Varia again, stealthily.

As much as I would like to move to another site, I don’t even have the money to do so now.

It doesn’t matter how stingy your workplace is, you have no choice but to stay until you have enough money to pay for your departure.

But it’s not going to work out that way.

It’s a good idea to have a good idea of what you’re doing.

This Varia site is an important historical site, where Grey Hrab, the “Immortal Silver Moon,” spent her youthful school days. She is still praised as one of the greatest heroes of the magical age.

She is also overwhelmingly popular with the scavengers.

In one of the auctions held in the past, a single scribbled note left by her was reportedly sold for enough money to build a mansion.

It’s because of this market value that the ruins of Varia have been dug up by thieves, searching for Grey’s relics. The site of the magic academy, where Ray was enrolled, was literally dug up, as if a meteorite had fallen on it.

The few unexcavated plots have been sealed off by rich people’s private investigation teams who claimed to be protecting the ruins.

With no proper excavation tools, our hopes for a harvest were slim. I’ve been scavenging through the rubble and excavation debris for a while now, but there’s not a slightest sign of anything of value mixed in.

“What should I do?”

I finally lost my motivation and stopped picking through the rubble.

Even if I were caught and jailed honestly, it would not be guaranteed that I could even have a decent meal without bribe.

Even if I were to wash my feet and look for a regular job, the only jobs available to a poor ex-con like me would be “food that doesn’t kill you” jobs, like being a farmer or a slave miner.

These are not good options. No matter which path I choose, I will always end up on the edge of a cliff.

It is said that a thousand years ago, when magic still existed, civilization was much richer. The city was as bright as daylight even at night. The common people could eat a full meal every day, and everyone could go to school even if they were poor. However, even the richest well will eventually run dry if it is overdrawn. The magic that had brought so much benefit to the world has been depleted long ago.

I suddenly thought of the Holy Statue of Grey Hrab that I had just seen. What kind of a hero saves the world?

Here I am now, starving. Nothing has been saved.

If you want to be merciful and save me, let me pick up a golden relic from heaven right now.

I look up at the sky and sigh again.

I’ll stop. If I keep taking it out on myself, I’ll feel even more empty. Complaining about people from the past won’t get us anywhere. Besides, this kind of criticism is not appropriate for Grey.

I’m not trying to defend her, but I’m familiar with the lore of Grey Hrab because of my profession as a digger of heroic relics.

It is said that she never talked about her accomplishments, and even despised the fact that she could not save many. It was the people around her and the successors who praised her, claiming that she saved the world.

I can’t deny that such a personable attitude smacks of hypocrisy and is annoying.

At that time.

“tch!”

I immediately ran into the shadows of the rubble.

I heard someone’s voice, though it was faint.

I wondered if it was the control officer who was pursuing me. When I was caught earlier, I was accidentally caught from behind during the excavation. I would not make the same mistake twice.

But after a while, as I watched with bated breath, I was struck by a strange feeling.

I know it.

I know this voice.

I don’t know what colour the voice is, and I can’t hear what it’s saying. And yet, all I could recognize was that I “knew” the voice.

And it has a very familiar feel to it.

“…… who are you?”

I whispered, peeking out a little from the shadows. There was no reply.

I have a certain number of business acquaintances, but no one who could be called a good friend. Since I was a child, the only person I’ve really relied on is myself.

And yet, I can’t bring myself to be the least bit alarmed by this voice.

I walked out of the shadows. Like a night castle lured by the light, my feet were naturally drawn to the voice.

Who is it?

I can hear it.

It’s calling me.

Someone I’ve known for a long time.

Before I knew it, I was running towards the direction of the voice.

I was led to the outskirts of the ruins. It was an empty, open space. I knelt on the sand-covered ground, and started digging with my bare hands.

Unless buried alive, there is no way that anyone was under the ground like this.

But the voices are definitely coming from there.

As I continued digging, I felt something touch the tip of my hand. It felt hard. I pulled it out with my brain and found out what it was.

I knew what it was.

A wand.

It was as long as an adult’s fingertip to the elbow. At first glance, it looks like a mere branch, but the handle has been polished to make it more comfortable to hold it.

Before I could even think of what the wand was, a clear voice sounded out of nowhere.

‘Mr. Alan. Please take care of me.’

It was different from the voice I heard earlier.

It was an unknown woman’s voice.

And before I had time to say anything, my vision was engulfed in a white light.

“Whoa?”

My eyes, which had been dazzled by the white light, suddenly regained their colour.

It was only for a moment, but it seemed as if I had lost my senses for an oddly long time.

What the heck was going on? Was it an auditory hallucination and a daydream at the same time? How could I have dug up the ground when a strange voice called me? I don’t think I’ve ever acted in such a nonsensical way before, no matter how bad I’ve been drinking.

“Hmm?”

That’s when I realized.

The place where I am now is no longer the ruins I had seen before.

It wasn’t a ruin weathered into sand and stone. It was a narrow alley surrounded by magnificent buildings. Moreover, at the end of the alley, we could see the main street, where many people were coming and going. It was a scene that could not have happened in a deserted ruin. It’s a completely different place from where I was before.

I pinched my cheek.

I felt the pain, so it was not a dream or a hallucination.

However, there is no way that I could realistically move to a strange place in a moment.

If there was any rational explanation that this situation was not a dream, it would be this.

“No way, this fall…?”

I looked at the wand in my hand. It’s the one that I dug out of the sand in the ruins of Varia guided by a voice.

You can find a lot of things that you can do to make your life easier.

The branching shape resembled the antlers of a deer.

This wand made of the world tree, is exactly like the one that is said to have been used by the immortal Silver Moon Grey. I’ve seen pictures of it in historical documents, and I’ve also seen imitations of it displayed in churches. If this wand had magical powers, that would explain the instant travel. I was astonished that the magic power that was supposed to have been lost to the world was still there, but as expected, the beloved staff of a great hero is an extraordinary gem.

I swallowed my saliva as I held the wand.

Calm down. This is not the time to get carried away.

If the value is too high, it will be difficult to sell it. This is an inevitable part of the outlaw profession of stealing.

But if you bring it to an inferior broker, he will kill you and take it away.

When it comes to Grey’s beloved staff, its value would be unbelievable. It could be worth as much as the budget of a small country. The life of a small man like me is nothing but dust in front of a huge fortune.

In any case, I have to choose my buyer carefully. I mean, where am I?

My heart was beating faster than ever, but in a situation like this it was more important to act calmly.

I tucked the wand into my jacket and walked out to the main street, trying to look as calm as possible.

I was going to find some street signs and try to guess where I was.

My plan was shattered in a second.

As I stepped out onto the main street, my eyes caught sight of a huge tower soaring up in the sky from the city. It was so tall that its top was obscured by clouds.

“Theory…?”

I widen my eyes, my mouth half open.

Such a huge building doesn’t exist anywhere in the world today.

If it ever existed, the only way it could be found was its remains in the form of an image or a painting.

Varia Academy of Magic.

A thousand years ago, a building that was said to be the best institution for training mages in the Age of Magic was right in front of me.

There it was.

ZETROTRANSLATION