Sea of Golden Sand: Chapter 7

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Retranslation

How to cause a Lemurian to obtain true power

Go wrestle with giant waves on the surface of the ocean

Go dive into the deepest crevices of the straits in search of pearls

Go find another romantic soul, fall in love with each other

Then, when she gives you the purest of kisses, dig out her heart with your own hands

A pure and flawless heart watered with love, this is the best faith humans can offer to Lemurians

—Lemuria Ruins Stone Tablet Fragment #0065

<<Lemuria - Tome of the Sea God>>

Half a month later

Lately the weather hasn’t been good, visitors to the suburban relay station who come to chat and drink tea have grown fewer as well.

Wearing the low-profile outfit that Rafayel gave me, and wearing an ordinary outer robe to hide myself, I sit in a corner quietly.

Patron 1: Lately the wind has been too strong, look at the sand dunes outside the city, they’ve all been blown shorter a bit.

Patron 2: I also heard something under the sand has been .

Patron 1: That’s not surprising, our royal city can also be considered a , otherwise why would the only source of water be here?

Rafayel returns to my side and tosses a bulging full waterskin to me. He has another one at his own waist.

MC: This time, are we going to a very distant place?

Rafayel: It should be considered a…

Rafayel: Place you want to go.

MC: I want to go there? Where?

At this time, another Lemurian dressed the same way as Rafayel walks towards us. He also has an ordinary unassuming outer robe on, but it’s possible to tell that among Lemurians his build can be considered sturdy. He puts one of the camel tethers into Rafayel’s hand, and then turns and stands before me.

Amund: …

MC: ?

His attitude can’t be called amiable, and his gaze judges me unflinchingly. If eyes could also shoot secret weapons, I fear I’d already be .

MC: Rafayel, he…

Amund: You call the Sea God directly by name?

MC: …?!

His gaze moves downwards and stops above my left breast, as if he wants to glare a hole there.

Just as I fear this person is about to give me a hard time, he suddenly takes a step back, and before me he sharply plunges his head downwards and bows deeply.

MC: He—why is he greeting me?

This sudden deep bow out of nowhere startles me so much that I leap up and hide behind Rafayel’s body.

Rafayel: … the one he’s greeting isn’t you, don’t be nervous.

Amund: Hmph.

When he straightens, that person gives me a glare and then leaves.

MC: …

Lemurian ways are really hard to understand.

After the Lemurian called Amund leads the camels over, we get on our way.

People say, the planet Philos has over a hundred thousand miles of golden sand, and after you traverse these hundred thousand miles, there is the next hundred thousand miles to go.

Amund takes on the role of guide, leading the way from far in front of us.

There are only two camels. I wrap my arms around Rafayel’s waist and sit behind him.

MC: Rafayel, Amund calls you the Sea God, is that because of all the Lemurians you are the strongest one?

Rafayel: … That would be called the War God.

MC: But in the stories of Lemuria I know, the Sea God died a long time ago—

MC: Sorry, to put it in your words it’s a “deep sleep”.

MC: So, how could there still be a Sea God now…

Rafayel: Then do you know how the Sea God died in the first place?

MC: ?

Rafayel turns his head slightly towards me.

Rafayel: Humans tricked him of his heart.

MC: …

MC: But, if you’re the Sea God…

I press my palm to Rafayel’s chest.

Rafayel: What are you doing?

MC: Seeing if you really don’t have a pulse.

Rafayel pulls my hand away and wraps it in his own palm.

Rafayel: … don’t randomly touch.

In this way this journey progresses for an unknown distance. When we near a stretch of enormous sand dunes, the camels seem to sense something, and no matter what, they are unwilling to go forward another step, so we can only dismount and walk.

Amund has long disappeared, only leaving behind markers for us along the way.

Rafayel is responsible for leading me, but walking on desert sand is much harder than I imagined it to be. I take one step and slide two steps, but he walks ahead of me as if on level ground.

MC: … walking so quickly, and not waiting for me, and on top of that, doesn’t even say a sentence.

MC: When we get back, I’ll definitely think of a way to turn you into a little sun-dried fish!

Rafayel: I can hear you.

I simply sit down where I am, squinting my eyes as I size up Rafayel, who walks in front of me.

MC: You’re intentionally walking so quickly, are you thinking that when I can’t keep up, you’ll leave me behind halfway through the journey?

Rafayel: Sitting on the top of sand dunes under this kind of sun, in no time you’ll become a little sun-dried human.

Rafayel: Come here.

MC: Can’t get up, can’t go there…

Rafayel: .

MC: !

I immediately spring up and get beside Rafayel, and then just as immediately realize something’s not right.

MC: What, there isn’t this sort of animal, right? You’re just scaring me.

Rafayel smoothly takes my hand.

Rafayel: Step where I’ve walked, walk on the sand mountain’s .

MC: Oh…

I dutifully step in Rafayel’s footsteps, and follow behind him.

The sand under my feet has been compacted already, and indeed it is much easier.

MC: Rafayel, how much longer do we have to walk?

Rafayel hears me and half turns his head, then furrows his brows as he looks at me.

Rafayel: What are you doing twisting your body as you walk?

MC: … it’s too sunny, I’m borrowing shade from your shadow.

Rafayel: …

He turns back, pours the water he’s carrying with him on my hood, and tugs on the hood’s straps gently with a pull and a push. Instantly, it’s cooler and more shaded.

Rafayel: Would you like me to hold an umbrella for you too?

It seems like the place we want to go to is pretty far. When night falls, we temporarily rest in a place sheltered from the wind.

Next to the burning , I sit, hugging my knees.

Before me the dry black flame doesn’t flicker, only burns upwards silently, just like the person who lit it.

No life, no warmth, and .

Rafayel: Amund won’t be back for a while yet, if you’re tired then sleep a while first.

Since coming to the vicinity of this sand dune, Rafayel’s words have become fewer, and his entire being seems to be weighted down with worries.

I vaguely feel the atmosphere of this outing isn’t quite the same as that of the previous two times.

MC: Rafayel, I’m a bit cold.

The way he looks, I don’t know how to approach him, so I can only make this kind of clumsy excuse.

Rafayel shifts a little closer, and covers me with a blanket.

MC: The surroundings are so quiet… can you sing me a song? I haven’t heard before.

Rafayel: …

MC: Rafayel?

Rafayel: .

MC: … Didn’t you say before, we’ve long formed a bond between us? But you seem to not listen to me one bit.

Rafayel: Bonds can also change.

MC: Then tell me something about yourself.

Rafayel: There’s about me worth saying.

MC: You can just talk about anything interesting that happened in your life, since I haven’t experienced any of it…

Rafayel: Does meeting an unreasonable person like you count as interesting?

MC: So many people in this world like to talk reasonably. I‘m going against the flow, so of course I’m interesting.

MC: However I know everything that happened after meeting me, so tell me something I don’t know.

Rafayel: …

MC: Like that sort of thing that you’re very familiar with but I’m not familiar with at all.

Rafayel: For example, a story about a rogue assassinating someone?

I’ve already guessed early on that Rafayel is a rogue, so listening to him bring it up now, there’s not much of a surprise.

MC: So then, why do Lemurians want to kill people? Is it for revenge?

Rafayel: …

Rafayel: Actually we all know, revenge doesn’t truly mean anything.

Rafayel: The oceans have already been dried up for thirty thousand years. What Lemurians really want to do is only one thing.

MC: …

MC: To go home?

Rafayel: … Mmhmm.

Rafayel: Awaken the sea, and return to our homeland.

The desert at night really is very cold. After resting, we set on our way again.

Just as I’m about to become frozen, Rafayel finally drags my exhausted body and pulls me up to the peak of the sand mountain.

Rafayel: We’ve arrived.

Tonight’s moonlight is pure and bright, and the visibility is exceptionally good. At the bottom of the sand mountain, the sand dunes that rise and fall before my eyes are a stretch of silvery white, just like the layer after layer of waves in my dream.

Among the waves, a patch of building ruins of uneven heights can vaguely be made out.

MC: … This is?!

Rafayel: “The Island of Song.”

MC: (The Island of Song… a very familiar name…)

MC: Rafayel, I feel like… I seem to have been to this place before…

It seems like among the ruins there’s something that is drawing me in deeply. Without waiting for Rafayel to react, I start straight down the sand mountain, running swiftly towards that stretch of leftover walls and broken tiles.

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