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精霊の守り人
The Spirit Guardian
序章：皇子救出
Prologue: The rescue of the prince
バルサが鳥影橋を渡っていたとき、皇族の行列が、ちょうど一本上流の、山影橋にさしかかっていたことが、バルサの運命を変えた。
The timing changed Balsa’s fate when, just as she was crossing the Torikage bridge, right upstream the royal procession approached the Yamakage bridge.
鳥影橋は平民用の粗末な吊り橋で、ところどころ板が腐りおちて、隙間から青弓川の流れが見える。ふだんでもあまり気持ちのよい光景ではないが、今日は、ここのところ秋の長雨がつづいたせいで川の水かさがふえ、茶色くにごった水が白く泡だちながら、さかまいて流れていて、とくにおそろしい光景だった。
The Torikage bridge was a shabby public suspension bridge, with rotting planks here and there, and cracks where the flowing of the Blue Bow river was visible. Normally nothing of interest could be seen from there, but on that day it was a dreadful sight as the long autumn rains continued and raised the river to where browning water formed white bubbles as it rapidly flowed.
すりきれた旅衣をまとい、頭陀袋をみじかめの手槍（短槍）にひっかけてかついだバルサは、しかし、眉ひとつ動かさずに、ゆらゆらゆれる鳥影橋を渡りはじめた。
Sporting worn out travel clothes, Balsa had her carry-all hanging on her rather short javelin, which rested on her shoulder. But her eyebrows stirred as she began to cross the wobbly and swaying Torikage bridge.
バルサは今年三十。さして大柄ではないが、筋肉のひきしまった柔軟な身体つきをしけている。長いあぶらっけのない黒髪をうなじでたばね、化粧ひとつしていない顔は日に焼けて、すでに小じわが見える。
Balsa, being 30, was not very large but had a muscular, flexible, lean-framed body. She had long dry black hair bundled at the nape of her neck, with not even a speck of makeup on her sunburned face, which already showed wrinkles.
しかし、バルサをひと目見た人は、まず、その目にひきつけられるだろう。その黒い瞳にはおどろくほど強い精気があった。がっしりとした顎とその目を見れば、バルサが容易に手玉には撮れぬ女であることがわかるはずですだ。ーそして、武術の心得のある者が見れば、その手ごわさにも気づくだろう。
But a person looking at Balsa at first would be fascinated. In those dark eyes there was a surprising unusual vitality. If you looked at that tough chin and her eyes, You would instantly see that she was not one that could be controlled with ease. And upon seeing that she is a person proficient in the martial arts, you would surely find her to be formidable.
バルサは、風にたよりなくゆれる橋をすたすたと渡りながら、ちらりと上流を見た。
Balsa, while forlorning the wind which swayed the bridge as she briskly crossed it, for an instant looked upstream.
そびえたつ山の肌を、まっ赤に色づいた紅葉があざやかにそめている。その紅葉の下を、金の止め金を光らせた牛が一台、二十人ほどの従者に守られながら進んでいくのが、小さく見えた。
The surface of the mountains towered over, changed to a deep red, dyed the bright colors of autumn. Under those autumn colors the metal fasteners of one of the oxen glittered while about twenty on guard servants were proceeding at their own will, barely visible.
西日の中で、牛車にかけられた錦と金具が、ピカリ、ピカリと日をはじいて進でいく。牛車の先につけられた赤い旗が、乗る者の身分をしめしていた。
（第二王子の行列か。〈山の離宮〉から都へ帰るとちゅうだね。）
Under the setting sun, the metal fixings to the brocade on the oxcarts flickered into her eyes as they continued on their way. The head cart had attached to it a red flag that symbolized the status of the rider.
(This is the second prince’s procession. It should be noted that they were returning to the city from the mountain palace.)
バルサは、立ちどまてその行列をながめた。これだけ離れてれば、土下座をしなくとも罪にはなるまい。それに、ちょうど日は西にかたむいて背後から照っている。逆光の中では、バルサの姿など点にも見えないだろう。山陰の紅葉の下の行列は絵のように美しかった。
Balsa stopped and looked at that procession. From this distance, it probably wasn’t a crime not to kneel. Also the sun, inclining towards the west, was shining from behind. It seemed that with this kind of backlighting Balsa’s image would be as visible as a dot. Under the autumn colors of the mountain recess, the procession had the beauty of a painting.
バルサは、この国の生まれではない。それに、けっして忘れることのできぬある理由から、王とか帝とかいう者たちへの尊敬の念は、ほとんどもっていなかった。ただ、まるで一幅の絵のような、一瞬の美しさに見とれていただけだった。
Balsa was not born in this country, and so by no means should we forget that she didn’t carry much of a sense of respect for people like kings and emperors. Nevertheless, for being quite entirely like a painted scroll, for an instant she was fascinated just by the beauty of it.
が、つぎの瞬間思わぬことがおきた。頑丈につくられている皇家専用の山影橋の中ほどまで牛車ががさしかかったとき、突然、牛があばれはじめたのだ。ハミをひいていた従者の手をふりきり、牛は背を弓なりにして、前に、うしろに、蹄を蹴あげ、角をふりたて、あばれくるいながら暴走した。従者たちが止める間もなく、牛車が大きくふりまわされるかたらで横転し、中から小さな人影が宙に飛ばされるのが見えた。
But, in the next moment, an unforeseeable thing happened. The oxen pulling the royal family’s personal oxcart for the royal family, which to a degree had up until that moment approached the center of the Yamakage bridge in a sturdy fashion, all of the sudden began to act enraged, having pulled its bit letting loose the driver’s hands from the reins, the ox arched its back kicking up its hooves to the front and back, waving it’s horns running a rampage in enraged confusion. There being no time for the driver to stop, the oxcart toppled over in a wide swing, and from the center of it Balsa could see the small figure of a person fly out into space.
人影が手足をばたばたさせながら谷川に落ちていく……と、思ったときには、バルサは荷をおき、上衣をぬいで、短槍の石突の金具に、懐からだした巻縄の先端の金具をカチリとつなぐと、短槍をビュッと岸に投げていた。短槍は一直線に岸にとび、深ぶかと岩のあいだの地面に突きささった。三、四人の従者が皇子を川にとびこんだのを目のはしにとらえながら、バルサは縄をもって、濁流に身をおどらせた。
The figure’s hands and feet waved wildly while it fell into the mountain river. On consideration, Balsa Dropped her baggage, took off her tunic attached to the metal fixings on the butt of her javelin the head fixings with a clink and after fastening a rope from her pocket to it threw it with a whoosh to shore. The Javelin flew to shore in a straight line, stabbing into the earth deep between the rocks. While three or four attendants watched the prince plunge into the river, Balsa, holding onto the rope, danced her position in the muddy stream.
石畳にたたきつけられたような衝撃がきた。つかのま息がつまり、意識が遠くなった。バルサは濁流に激しくもまれながら、縄をたぐって、いったん手近の岩にのぼった。ぬれてまといつく髪をかきあげて、じっと目をこらすと、小さな赤いものが流れてくるのが見えた。ひらひらと、その赤いものからときおり手が見えては、沈んでいる。
（気絶していておくれ。たのむから、気絶していておくれよ。）
バルサは念じて、見当をつけると、ふたたび激流にとびこんだ。流れにさらって泳ぎながら、ちょうど流されて達する地点に皇子の身体がくるよう、ぐいぐい水をかいていく。身を切るような冷たい水だった。ゴボゴボッと耳の奥で水音が鳴った。にごった水流の中で、かろうじて皇子の衣の赤い色だけが見えた。
のばした手の中を、皇子の衣のはしがすりぬけた。
（しまった！）
She heard a crash like something slapping onto stone pavement. At that moment her breathing was obstructed, and he was moving unconsciously. While furiously jostling in the muddy stream, she pulled on the rope, and immediately climbed up the nearest rock. She pulled her hair back with wet hands, and motionless, concentrating her eyes she saw a small red object flowing towards her. That red thing, which was flickering with a person’s hand appearing here and there, was sinking. Before it’s too late, faint, for god’s sake, faint! Balsa, anxiously, adjusted her estimates and again plunged into the rapids.
While being swept away in the current, she paddled continuously taking the flow until she reached the exact spot where it seemed the prince’s body would come. The water was piercing cold, and she could hear the gurgling of water in her ears. In the confusion of the water current, she could just barely pick out the red color of the prince’s clothing. The ends of the prince’s clothes slipped through her extended hand. Damn it!
ほぞをかんだ瞬間、奇妙なことがおきた。まばたきする間ほどの、ほんの一瞬、バルサは、身体がふわっと軽くなるのを感じた。あれほど荒れくるっていた水の荒れが止まり、音さえも消え去り、どこまでも透きとおった青い空間の中で静止している。皇子の姿だけが、くっきりと見えた。なにがおきたのかわからぬままに、バルサは、ふたたび赤い衣に手をのばした。
つかんだ、と思ったとたん、手がらぎれそうな衝撃がきた。たったいまのふしぎな一瞬は夢にすぎなかったのか、激しい水流が、ふたりの身体を木の葉のようにもてあそんだ。
The moment they made contact a curious thing happened. In the blink of an eye, merely an instant, Balsa’s body felt like it was gently floating, to the degree that the tempest disorder of the water had stopped, even sound had disappeared, everything became transparent into an act of stillness in blue space. Only the prince’s figure was distinctly visible to her. Whatever had awoken in her she didn’t know as she once more extended her hand to the red clothes. Just when she thought she had a hold of him, The shock of succeeding hit her. Was that a miracle from a dream just now? In the violent rapids their two bodies seemed to play like the leaves of trees.
渾身の力をこめてバルサは皇子の身体をひきよせ、その帯に縄の金具をかませた。凍りそうな水の中で、かじかんだ手で、それだけのことができたのは奇跡に近かった。バルサははまず、自分が縄をたどって岸まで泳いだ。身体がばらばらになりそうに疲れていたが、それから、ぐいっぐいっと縄をたぐって、ぐったりと動かない皇子の身体をひっぱりよせた。
ひきあげた皇子の顔は、まっ青だ。まだ、十一、ニ歳ほどだろう。ありがたいことに、念じたとおり、落ちた衝撃で気絶したらしい。腹が水ぶくれしていなかった。バルサは活を入れ、蘇生術をほどこした。やがて、咳こむ音とともに、皇子の呼吸が回復した。
Using all of the strength in her body, Balsa pulled the prince’s body toward her, and fixed the rope to his sash. In the freezing water, her hands going numb with cold, it was a small miracle she was able to do just that. Balsa first followed the rope as she swam to shore. Her body was loose with exhaustion, and so she forcefully pulled on the rope, pulled the prince’s motionless and completely exhausted body toward her. The prince’s face, having been lifted up, was a deep blue, still of eleven or twelve years. Thankfully, as she had been anxiously hoping, in the impact of his fall he seemed to have fainted. His stomach wasn’t blistering. In order to restore his life Balsa began to resuscitate him. Before long, with a cough, the prince recovered his breathing.
やれやれ。どうやら命は救えたみたいだね。）
バルサは、ため息をついた。だが、いまの彼女には知りようもなかったが、これは、すべてのはじまりにすぎなかったのである。
Well, seems like I was able to save his life, now doesn’t it. Balsa let out a sigh. She didn’t know it but, this was only just the beginning.
１：逃亡のはじまり
1: The Beginning of escape
残っていた酒の最後の一滴を飲みほして、バルサは満足げにため息をついた。
（しかし、おどろいたね。）
After finishing the last drop of sake, Balsa let out a satisfied, yet astonished sigh.
ここは、都のにノ宮の館だ。第二皇子の命を救ったとはいえ、バルサは平民以下の異邦人である。よくても報奨金をさずけるので、今夜の宿を考えるようにいわれて、それで皇子の行列とは別れたのである。
She was at the palace house. Had she not saved the Second Prince’s life she would merely be less than a peasant as a foreigner, and she intended to take the the reward money and mentioned to the prince’s procession that she was thinking of retiring at an inn overnight and so desired to separate from them.
ところが、安宿におちついたバルサのもとにやってきた使いは、報奨金をそこで渡すのではなく、第二皇子の母君である二ノ妃の館で接待のあとに渡したいといってきたのだ。
However, though she originally intended on staying at a cheap hotel, the reward was not to be given on the road, but it was said to be handed over at the dining hall of the second consort’s palace, by the mother of the second Prince.
それで舞いあがるほど、バルサは世間知らずではなかった。皇家やら皇族やらが下じもの者にやさしくふるまうときには、かならず裏がある。やっかいなことにかかわってしまったな、と思ったが、この状況で、お招きをことわったりしたら、無礼なふるまいとして、それこそやっかいなことになるだろう。しかたなくいわれるままに招かれたバルサだったが、二ノ妃の歓待は、じつに真心のこもったものだった。
While there did seem to be a degree of merriment there, Balsa chose not to partake in the ignorant ways of the world. For such things as imperial houses and imperial families, as a lower class person easily being able to occasionally conduct oneself is always an underlying necessity. She thought it was a bit of a nuisance to come anyway, but under the circumstances, turning down an invitation would be too rude, which would become an even bigger nuisance. And so the fact that Balsa was reluctant to do as she should and accept, upon the warm invitation from the Second Consort, she pushed those feelings deep within her.
この〈新ヨゴ皇国〉では、神の子孫であるという帝は三人の妃を娶る。はじめに皇子を産んだ妃が一ノ妃となり、第二皇子を産んだ妃が二ノ妃になる。いまこの国の皇子はあの第二皇子までで、三ノ妃はまだ皇子を産んでいない、という話は聞いていたが、しょせんは雲の上の人びとの話であり、バルサはそれ以上くわしいことは知らなかった。
In this “New Yogo Empire” The emperor, who is the grandchild of the son of the gods, takes three wives as consorts. The consort who gives birth to the first prince becomes the First Consort, and the Second Consort is made when the second prince was born. Balsa had heard that at present there were only two princes, as the third consort had yet to give birth to a prince, but the details were as unknown to Balsa as the talk of the people above the clouds.
二ノ妃はよほど皇子を愛しているのだろう。館のもっとも〈下ノ間〉であるとはいえ、大きな火鉢に火が炊かれた部屋にバルサは招かれ、これまで一度も口にしたことのないような、ご馳走をだされたのである。
It seemed the Second Consort loved the prince very much. The house was certainly not low class. Balsa was invited into the room where on a large Hibachi flames were cooking. Until then it was like she had never eaten before, and feeling so she ate to her heart’s content.
この国では、皇族の目を下賤の者が見たら、それだけで目がつぶれるといわれている。皇族神の子孫であり、その目には神力がやどる。そういう力は意識せずとも水が低きに流れるように流れるので、受ける力のない下賤の者がふれれば、傷つくというのである。
だから、招かれたとはいえ、妃ご自身が姿を見せることはなかったが、第二皇子の侍従長が心からの感謝をのべてくれた。
It is said in this country, that anyone of low birth that makes eye contact with the royal family will become blind. The royal family, being grandchildren of the sons of gods, have eyes which are bestowed with the power of gods. That power, being akin to how water flows to low ground, flows unconsciously, and if touched by those who do not have the power to receive it, will cause injury.
And so, when invited into the palace, she was not greeted by the Second Consort, but the Second Prince’s Grand Chamberlain expressed their gratitude from the heart.
バルサは、ご馳走と美しい色ガラスの杯につがれた美酒をたのしんだ。毒殺の危険は考えなかった。なにかの事情があって自分の口をふさぎたい、というような物騷なことであったとしたら、わざわざ人前で宮に招くことはない。むしろ、あの安宿に刺客を放って、物盗りにでも見せかけたほうが、ずっとかんたんだからだ。
Balsa took her feast and then had fun with the high-grade sake inside the beautiful colored glass cups. She took no consideration to the risk of poisoning. But something in the situation put a stop her throat, like a case that something disturbing was happening; it wasn’t that it especially isn’t a thing for the public to be invited to the royal palace, but rather that if while at the cheap hotel an assassin was let loose, or how much easier it would have been to come across a thief there.
からりと油で揚げられ、かむとジュッとうまい肉汁がでる鳥やら、牛の乳からつくられた複雑なうま味のある汁物やらを充分にたのしんだバルサが、侍従長に、
「堪能いたしました。ーわたしのような下賤の者には身にあまる食事でした。」
と、頭をさげると、上品に白い髭をととのえている侍従長が、うなずいた。
「なんの、皇子さまのお命の代償としては、この程度ではとてもつくせぬ。お妃さまより、今宵はこちらで一夜、ごゆるりと泊まられるように伝えよと、申しつかっておりまする。」
With the clatter or the oil boiling, a complex broth was skillfully made from the additions of chicken and cows milk for a charming soup which was plenty joyful for Balsa, who said to the Grand Chamberlain, “How satisfying this is! This meal is simply too great for people of low birth like me.” To which the Grand Chamberlain Lowered his head to nod and elegantly adjusted his white beard.
“What, for the life of the Prince, this degree of compensation is very much inexhaustive. Tonight the Consort would like you to leisurely enjoy your stay here and be totally immersed in this lifestyle for a night.”
バルサは、かすかに眉をひそめた。
「いえ、そこまであまえては、かえって申しわけございません。ご馳走をいただいただけで、じゅうぶん感謝しております、と、お伝えください。」
To this Balsa faintly furrowed her brow,
“Oh no I couldn’t take advantage of you that way, simply eating this would be plenty.”
「いや、いや。」
“No, no.”
侍従長は、かたくなるな、というように、近よってバルサの肩をたたいた。
ふいに、耳もとに早口の無声音がささやかれた。
「ーあなたを見込んで、どうしてもお願いしたきことがござる。おたのみ申す。泊まってくだされ。」
The Grand Chamberlain, in a calmly manner, came close to Balsa and patted her on the shoulders. Suddenly he hurriedly and noiselessly whispered into her ear:
“We’ve been expecting you; we will fulfill whatever request you have, but I beg of you, please stay the night here.”
侍従長の声は、すぐにふつうにもどった。
「この館の場は、まさに極楽。一生の思い出にゆっくりとつかられるがよろしかろう。」
バルサは頭をさげ、その申し出を受けるしかなかった。
His voice then returned to normal.
"This place is quite heavenly. I hope during your stay you can rest easy and foster good memories."
Balsa lowered her head, she felt there was no choice but to indulge in the courtesy.
