Chapter 10 (1/2)

This is the 10th and final chapter of the fantasy novel ”The Rainlands” (雨の国) by Haruka Asahi (朝陽遥) which I a from japanese with the author's permission It is about a ical conflict with the indigenous customs there

You can see a synopsis and table of contents with other chapters referencedYou can find the original japanese text for this chapterBecause the original story ischapters, I have broken it up into shorter ones, and this chapter coinal chapter 4,

It’s been a great journey translating this work and very rewarding to have made it to the end I may write another post about this story, possibly with soet them)

While this completes the translation of this work, I recently discovered there are are several other stories set in the same universe written by the same author, and I think the end of this story indirectly connects to one of the any of those others translated, please like this story or leave a comment

”The Rainlands”by Haruka Asahi:Chapter 10

As soon as Yakt's health returned, we departed the village

I got the sense that his reason for going with me was never disclosed publicly But even so, I think there was an unspoken understanding aers While it would be a lie to say we didn't receive cold stares froree of respect But those who had pesteredtheir faces

Despite all that, I still received the sa to Yakt's needs in silence Several tiaunt hand in encouragement

On a ht drizzle, we stepped outside, leaving the cave It was a lonely departure with no one to see us off

Yakt turned back towards the cave entrance and looked up athim for the first tiirl's-a lucid amber

I nodded back at hi him onwards His thin, bony palm had a familiar warmth to it

I had given Yakt a bare minimum of supplies to carry, but they still seee compared to his tiny, emaciated body

We travelled for soround, until around the ti cave entrance beca the path Yakt whispered the word sister under his breath

It was her

”Yakt”

She spoke her brother's nae of tears, her voice had a pure, transparent beauty to it, just like when I'd heard it outside before

Yakt hesitated slightly, then suddenly-as if propelled by an explosive force-ran to his sister

For ato each other's bodies

I had the i the caves except on clear days The cave tunnels were narrow and, around this ti After so undetected, sheti drenched in the process

But it aled to reach this place without the others finding out

On that night when I had ended up at the boys' cells deep inside the le person had repriuiding me towards the cells Furthermore, the second time I had sneaked into that tunnel, nobody ca the sound of rain and ould help muffle the sound, isn't it odd that nobody heard soh that shred of fish Ian had tossed aould have surely been rank the next day, nobody had noticed it and raised a fuss…

Where these things not expressions of the villagers' compassion?

Or perhaps, it was all sinorance in order to follow their customs

I never found out the truth Nor do I think I will ever return to that place again

The bodies of the two siblings finally separated and they nodded in unison Yakt tookas his sister kneeled on a hard rock surface, head hung low

We walked silently through a landscape of gray, the distant greenery blurred by , low-pitched cry

I wondered how this boy felt about being exiled froe of asking him, but each time I sed my words