"The king and his family-- or should I say, his treasures-- were hidden in the back of a truck that was headed outside the country. He was found rather quickly. Ha ha ha, well of course. Anyone would be suspicious if they saw a person buried in a pile of jewels and vegetables. And so the revolution succeeded with very few sacrifices."

"Now that's amazing. What's next? What happened after that?"

Hermes asked, as if urging the speaker on.

"After that, we started our new way of life, and our new way to manage our country, by creating a completely new government system. One with policies not dictated by a specific person, but agreed upon and enforced by all. 'Never again shall a single person rule the nation. The nation belongs to all.' If someone were to have an idea, it would be made known to everyone, then there would be an investigation to measure how many approve of it. If it was approved by the majority, then the method would be put into use. The first thing we decided on was what we would do with the king whom we've captured."

"What was the verdict?"

Kino asked. The man narrowed his eyes,

"Results of the vote were ninety-eight percent in favor of execution. The king, his followers, and their families."

"As I thought."

Hermes mumbled.

"The royal family were hanged up and dropped. We thought that the age of fear and despair was over at last... After that, it was busy work. Everyone agreed upon numerous things. First up was the constitution. The initial clause stated that the nation belonged to everyone, and all administration would take place by majority rule. Then, the tax system. Police. National defense. Judgement by law. It was so much fun when we were deciding on the educational system. Deciding on which kind of training we should give to the children, who carry the nation's future on their shoulders... Ahh, it was so much fun..."

The man then closed his eyes. He nodded to himself several times, then opened his eyes again and looked at Kino.

Kino leaned slightly forward.

"What happened after that?"

The man opened his canteen and took several drinks. He then let out a single, long breath.

"Everything went well for a while... Then one day, suddenly came those people who said the most ridiculous thing. Their proposal went like this: 'It takes too much time to get a direct vote from everyone. How about we vote to select someone as a leader, then entrust him or her with management of the country for a number of years?'"

"That proposal... did it go through?"

"As if! That'd be plain madness, nothing else to say about it. If we went with it, then what if the chosen leader turned out to be a madman? If we give all the power to one person, who'd be the one to stop him when he runs wild? Those who proposed it were probably meaning to bring back the absolute presence of a 'king' to the country, so that they could have special privileges in life under the king's patronage. A despicable thought. Naturally, it didn't go through, opposed by the majority."

"So that's it..."

"But we also came to the decision that the possession of such treacherous thoughts was in itself a danger to the country's future. All of them were charged with treason against the nation."

Kino glanced at Hermes, then asked the man,

"Where did that end up?"

"The majority deemed them guilty."

"And?"

Hermes asked.

"The death penalty. Death penalty for all of them."

"...The traditional way, tied and dropped, family included...?"

As the answer Kino's question,

"Oh, yes. A fitting end for those who go against the nation."

The man spat those words out. But soon enough, he produced an expression of loneliness, then went on,

"But you see, it's unfortunate that those who oppose the nation didn't stop showing up. One time, came those who said the death penalty system should be abolished. How outrageous. If we got rid of the death penalty, we would have no choice but to leave traitors alive until who-knows-when. Those who would say such a thing were deemed traitors. And so, all of them later received the death penalty by vote. Another time, came those who were against our new tax system. They complained that their tax rates were too high for them to pay, and said that they're not paying. They were objecting to what's been decided by the majority rule. What arrogance, only caring about their own well-being. Of course, we couldn't let that past us. They were executed."

"......"

"Running a country sure is a lot of trouble."

Hermes said. The man nimbly raised his index finger,

"It sure was. But if we don't keep a firm grip, mistakes would be made. If we end up with something we can't fix, then it'll be too late."

"What happened next?"

Kino asked.

"Hm. We tried our best to make this country a splendid one, in a way or another... But still, those who oppose the nation never stopped popping up. Even ones who used to so firmly hold the same beliefs as all of us, rose in our opposition, trying to lead the country down the wrong direction. It ached my heart, to have to execute old comrades. However, I never let my personal feelings drive me away from what must be done. Absolutely not."

"And so, the graves eventually ran out?"

"I'm afraid it's as you said. Fortunately, we had the former palace, which was turned into the central park. We began using the rear garden, which we had initially planned to use as farmland. Those who disagreed were executed."

"Up to now, how many executions were there?"

The man thought over Kino's question for a while.

"Who knows? If it's from the kings' time, then it's too many to count."

"No, no. Just from the new government's formation is fine."

"Oh. Thirteen-thousand, sixty-four times."

The man answered promptly.

"What kind of vote decided the last one?"

"The last one... was exactly a year ago. By that time, the country's population consisted of me, my beloved wife, and an unmarried man who'd been a long time friend of mine. The three of us intended to hang on and support the country. But one day, that man announced that he was leaving the country. We tried again and again to persuade him against going. But that bastard's wicked determination was solid. To abandon your country-- to abandon your duty-- we couldn't forgive that. As result of the vote, two against one, it was decided that the bastard would receive the death penalty."

"Your wife... is she still here?"

The man slowly stretched his neck.

"No, not anymore... It's been about half a year. She died of sickness. A common cold. I'm not a doctor, so I couldn't do anything... Ahhh... Damn it... Damn it all..."

Before long, the man quietly burst into tears.

===

"Thank you for telling us your story. We now understand a lot more."

To the man who was sobbing with his face flat on the table, Kino bowed lightly, then said while standing up from the chair,

"Hermes, it's about time."

With that, the man raised his head.

"I'm... I'm the only one left in this country. I'm so lonely..."

"......"

"However, to do the right thing, there are times when a person must stand firm against hardships. This country must overcome the times of difficulty."

Finally dried off his tears, the man made a proposal to Kino and Hermes.

"You two! Please, please become this country's residents. Then let's restore this country together. Everyone here are honored citizens. Come on, won't you agree...?"

Kino and Hermes gave their replies almost at the same time.

"No, thank you." "No way."

For a moment, the man produced an expression of sadness, and of betrayed expectations.

"I... I see. If the two of you are saying that, then it can't be helped. Th-- then..."

The man gave it a little thought, then asked,

"It wouldn't hurt for you two to delay your leave for about a year. How about it?"

"That's out of the question." "I'm with Kino."

"You two... Please, stay for another week. You could use anything here however you'd like."

"I'll decline the offer." "No need."

"Th-- three more days... How about we eat the finest meals together here?"

"Uh-- ...No, no thank you." "We shall depart before Kino reconsiders."

"If you stay in this country, I'm willing to serve you for a while as a loyal slave."

"I'll have to refuse." "I don't swing that way."

--GONK!

Kino struck Hermes' tank. Then frowned and waved the stinging hand.

"It's about time for us to leave. Sorry about your requests, but we can't accept any of them. Still, we offer our deepest gratitude for letting us hear your story."

Kino bowed lightly once more.

"Just another day! Please, stay in this country just for one more day. Then I can tell you more about how wonderful this country is. Please..."

"We can't afford to do so. We've already stayed for three days."

Kino said just that, then turned to Hermes.

"I don't really get it either, but it is what it is. Sorry 'bout that, mister."

The man looked like he was about to burst out crying once again. Then, he seemed to want to say something, but his mouth only flapped about.

"Let's go."

As Kino said that and got on Hermes, the man reached into his bag, pulling out a hand persuader. A break action revolver frame with juxtaposed cylinders, one capable of sixteen consecutive shots.

Although he pulled it out, that was all he did with it. He did not point it at Kino's back, nor did he place his index and middle fingers on its heavy trigger.

"So, you plan on threatening us now?"

Kino turned back, only in line of sight, to the man, asking him with a detached voice, while the right hand silently reached for the thigh holster.

For a moment, the man looked down at his persuader, the one held in both his hands. Then, in a struggle, he shook his head repeatedly.

"No, no... I can't, I can't, I can't! If I use it, then I'll be the same as that fool of a king and his followers. It's wrong to use violence to force your thinking on others! It's wrong! A fool's solution! I can't! ...That's right, everything must be chosen by desire of the majority. The paths we take must be peacefully decided by the consensus. It is the only way, so that the fatal mistakes of our past would not recur! Isn't that right?"

Listlessly, the man lowered his persuader. As he broke it open, it was apparent that not one bullet had been loaded.

Kino turned around, smiled only slightly, then said,

"Are you sure about asking us that? What if Hermes and I said 'That's not right. You're mistaken,' then what would you do about it?"

Taken aback, the man dropped his persuader to the ground. Simultaneously with the resonance of a crack, the man's face turned pale; he trembled so hard that his teeth rattled.

Shortly after, he squeezed out all the courage in his being, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"G-- Go away! P-- p-- people like you can g-- go away for all I care! Disappear! Get out of th-th-th-- this country! Be gone! And never come back again!"

"We'll do just that." "Sure thing."

Kino got on Hermes and started the engine.

The noisy engine roared.

"Let's run for it."

Kino whispered, then took off with Hermes.

While on the run, the words that Hermes uttered were,

"Farewell, Your Majesty."

The man never heard it.

===

The man watched as the motorrad ran off, until he could not see it any longer. In his hand was his persuader, fully loaded just now. He gripped it tight, ready to fire at any time.

The man screamed,

"You bastards! I swear... If you come back, I'll shoot! I'll kill you!"

He continued to glare in the motorrad's direction, even though it was long out of sight.

The travelers never returned.

===

The motorrad ran down the meadow path for a while, then came to a stop. Kino, goggles taken off, looked at what laid ahead: a fork in the road.

Stepping away from Hermes, Kino confirmed their orientations with a compass. One road headed due west-southwest, the other west-northwest; both stretched endlessly. Nothing but the horizon could be seen beyond the vast grassland.

"Which way should we go?"

Hermes asked. Kino looked at the map, one that was self-drawn by hand and marked with only the most important routes, then mumbled with curiosity,

"Strange... There was supposed to be only one road."

"Who told you that?"

"That merchant from a while back. You know, the one who brought along pandas and kangaroos."

As Kino said so, Hermes poked back in a playful tone,

"Aha, looks like you've been fooled. You're such a sucker, Kino."

"No, no, the directions were all matched up until now. Heading west from that last country, we should come across a lake with purple water, and then we should reach a large city-state. One of these two have got to be right."

Having said that, Kino took another look at the roads.

"The right, I guess. It's wide." "The left, probably. The dirt is harder."

Kino and Hermes said, both at the same time.

"......" "......"

And fell silent, both at the same time.

A short while later, Kino spoke up,

"Got it. Let's go left."

"Huh--?"

"What do you mean, 'huh'?"

Hermes answered the question frankly,

"It's because you decided on a road so quickly this time, Kino. Normally you'd dither about until you get hungry. What kind of wind blew to turn you over a new beef?"

"...New leaf?"

"Yeah, that."

Having said that, Hermes fell silent for a moment, then,

"Well?"

'Hrm...' Kino groaned.

"Well, sticking around here will diminish our supplies, so I thought it'd be best to just go with one. Besides, it's hot. And you'd rather be running, wouldn't you, Hermes?"

"That's true... But what if it turned out to be the wrong way?"

Hermes said, feeling quite uneasy. Kino gazed into the distance.

"Let's see... If we don't find a lake after running for a while, or if the road changed its direction along the way, then we'll come back here. We'll ask for directions if we're lucky to meet someone."

"Don't knock it 'till you've tried it, I see. Idea approved. Let's go with it."

With Hermes saying that, Kino affirmed the agreement, put away the map and compass, strapped on the goggles, and mounted on Hermes.

Kino then took off with Hermes. Down the right path.

"Ah? Ahh!! Kino--! You tricked me!"

Hermes screamed.

"That's not true. I didn't mean to trick you. Don't knock it 'till you've tried it, right? So it doesn't matter which one we try first, does it?"

"Now that's no fair! That's still no reason to go right!"

Disregarding Hermes' justified protests, Kino accelerated even further.