Ken yo, kaku katariki – 1
剣よ、かく語りき～剣と魔法の異世界に転生したのに実は文明が現代レベルだった件
(Ken yo, kaku katariki ~ Ken to mahō no isekai ni tensei shita noni jitsu wa bunmei ga gendai reberu datta ken)
Sword, Speak Thus – That Time I was Reincarnated into a World of Sword and Sorcery, but the Civilization was at the Modern Level
Author: 山形くじら2号 (Yamagata Kujira 2-gou)
Prologue – The Old Man and I, and Days of the Sword
1 – Death, Punishment and Reincarnation
The stillness was ruled by the hammering sounds of rain.
Red bled into the water, little by little, spreading… It was signaling my own death. Though, it did not feel real, I had no choice but to accept it.
Before I knew it, that pain that had been so strong, was gone.
There was only a throbbing, dull ache, and the sensation of my body becoming cold to its very core.
But though it was cold, I could not help but feel drowsy.
Ah, so this is death.
I had read about it in book, seen it in movies. That vague concept was permeating through me.
What a shit life that had been.
There had not been a single thing that held my interest. Life was hazy. I worked, and complained on social media, even though it didn’t benefit me at all.
When I was younger, I thought I could be something greater. However, nothing like that happened at all. My girlfriend had betrayed me, and none of my friendships were ever deep.
I didn’t know why I was even living. It was a pointless life.
And so I didn’t resist the idea of death.
However, that it would happen like this… Being stabbed by a phantom slasher. I didn’t think it would be in such an unusual way.
(Ah, damn it.)
If I could be reborn again.
…At the very least, I would not live in this awful way.
I closed my eyes.
And then, I died.
…The stillness was ruled by the hammering sounds of rain.
The droplets of water hit my body, and I felt the pain.
At the same time, I heard the voice of a crying baby.
My eyes cracked open, and I saw that I was in a forest.
Strange. I was in Tokyo a moment ago. Not in some forest like this.
Has someone carried me here? Was it the slasher?
“…a baby.”
Suddenly, out of nowhere, there was an old man in front of me.
Hey, old man! Stop looking and help me!
I couldn’t help but shout in my mind, and then felt embarrassed.
Had I not just accepted death a moment ago? Ahh…so I really didn’t want to die after all.
“…If this is the Gods’ will…”
The old man reached out and picked me up.
He was wearing a hooded cape, and his arms were much harder than I expected. Wait, what kind of old man is able to pick up a grown man so easily…?
No, that’s not it.
It was then that I realized it for the first time.
My body had shrunk.
“That I should make amends for my sins… Twin Gods.”
The old man let out a deep sigh and stood up.
My body was hidden below the cape, protecting me from the biting rain.
Was I alive? Or was I dead?
Ah, I’m tired.
So terribly…tired…
Interesting, hope it has good action.
Thanks for the chapter. Not enough to evaluate yet.
I agree. We won’t know until we read more.
Thanks for translating, Jawbrie. ^_^