Every time I hear the sound of a caravan's bell, I vividly remember.
The back that gradually fades away.
The important existence that was lost in front of my eyes.
They always cast a dark shadow in my heart.
I'm still unable to find the storehouse for the hatred that gushes out relentlessly.
Zaku. Zaku. Zaku. Zaku. Dry sounds echo.
The soil at the bottom of the old well is terribly hard. Even if you pierce it with a shovel, even if you firmly break into with your left foot, you can only dig little by little.
With the bandana hanging down behind me, I wipe the sweat off my forehead. The tiny palm of my hand was already covered in blisters and drenched in blood.
"Nagi-sama! Are you alright?"
The voice coming from above my head echoed, reverberating throughout the tube. When I lifted my face a bit, I saw the figure of person through the circular light.
Clasping onto the rust covered shovel, I gently raised my left hand and replied.
"I'm gonna dig a bit more!"
Today is the third day of work. This is the fifth well to be dug up. Quite a bit of fatigue has been accumulating in my shoulders and arms.
Nevertheless, I continued digging.
Please, please, let it be this time.
At last, the hole was about my waist deep. I crouched down inside it and touched the ground.
Yet, the hole was dry to the point of being cruel.
Beat, beat, my heart jumped.
I didn't give up, lowering my body and pressing my ear directly against the ground. But I heard nothing resembling a nearby water vein.
The sweat along my temple fell to the dry ground and made blotch. Feeling my body grow heavier immediately, I cowered in place for a bit.
This wasn't the place either. Were there even any wells left?
Using my shovel as a cane, I slowly stood up. Leaning on the cold stone wall, I pulled on the old nylon rope connected to my harness.
"……You can pull me up."
The words I released above were frailer than I thought.
Even so, my intentions were transmitted properly, the rope tightened right away, and my body was quickly pulled up.
Kii. Kii. The unpleasant sound of the pulley scraping assaulted my ears.
Crawling out of the old well, my vision was painted in white. I promptly shut my eyes.
As I did so, I was lightly help up and dropped on the ground.
"Nagi-sama……"
The 2 manservants of the town stared at me with awaiting expressions.
Exposed to the intense sunlight, I felt somewhat uneasy. On the other hand, the sweat oozing from my body was cold with shame.
The waterways of the old era collapsed, and it was already the seventh day since it became impossible to draw water from the nearby flowing river and bring it to the town reservoir.
This year's dry season was already harsher than usual, the river water was drastically reduced, and we about at the point where our water reserves were getting low.
At this rate, running out of water was only a matter of time. Thus, I proposed digging up old wells, but⸺
When my shoulders dropped and shook my head, one of the men spoke out in a cheerful voice.
"Right, so how 'bout we take a break around here? I'll go next time. We can't just have Nagi-sama do all the work."
The other man swiftly put away the pulley and spoke.
"While Nagi-sama was inside the well, the sandstorm seems to have stopped. Look, even from here you see the [Tower of Hope] clearly."
He pointed out in front of us.
Far beyond this town of rubble and the desolate earth.
In the middle far-stretching desert lied a silver steel tower.
It, which seemed to look about as long as my pinky, repelled the mighty sunlight and stood, piercing through the deep blue sky.
The steel tower known as the [Tower of Hope] was the Earth's final, unusable shuttle launch pad.
For us living humans, there was no longer any way to escape from this planet and its harsh environment. Since the last flight to the Moon Colony left ten years ago, the tower was left in the desert.
As soon as I recognized that figure, dark feelings brewed in my heart.
⸺[Tower of Hope] my ass. That's the tower of traitors.
"Nagi-sama?"
Hearing that voice, I was taken aback.
Around that time, the sound of the bell echoed from the town square.
"It's already noon?"
"Nagi-sama, I'm sure Nami-sama is waiting for you."
"……Yeah, you're right."
Urged by the two of them, I turned my back to the tower.