#shining force novel translation

[claire-starsword]

Child, listen well to these words.

The twilight of the gods' era was a long time ago. It began when the gods decided to create new gods with their own hands.

The Ashen Gods combed through their own knowledge, and created the Light Gods. However, this very filtered knowledge was what also made it possible for Dark Gods to be created.

At last, a war broke out between the Light and Dark Gods. The Ashen Gods fought too, on both sides.

At the end of this long, long conflict, the Light Gods used their power to seal the Dark Gods in pillars of this world. Because they were not capable of destroying them.

To seal the Dark Gods, who would later be also called Demon Kings, the Light Gods used up all of their power. As the price for putting the Dark Gods in a deep slumber, they too had to fall asleep.

Most of the Ashen Gods perished in the war as well.

The few remaining ones began to plan for the future. The future of their children, of the children of the Light Gods, and of the children of the Dark Gods… In short, the future of all that lived on in the world.

After a thousand years, power would return to the Light and Dark Gods who slumbered. Once they opened their eyes from their long sleep, they would once again fan the flames of war. And the Ashen Gods knew they would be no more in that age.

The Ashen Gods kept watch over the lands where the Light Gods slumbered, and where the Dark Gods had been sealed. They built towns there, which grew into countries.

To pass on their knowledge, the Ashen Gods wrote many Manuals, books containing their secrets. In these books brimming with light were recorded the way to unleash the legacy of the gods, and how to seal it as well.

And, to protect the Manuals, and properly instruct those who came to seek them, the Ashen Gods created a new form of life.

They created the noble race of the Sacred Dragons. They created us.

To protect the manuals is the Sacred Dragons' one and only duty. For a thousand years, they have done it well. Everything was for the sake of this duty, and the duty was everything to them.

However, there was but a single problem. At that time, the race had no children. Looking back at it now, it sounds very strange, but back then, they did not know the concept of children. They didn't even think of unions between men and women. It was natural after all, since they had been given birth by the hands of the Ashen Gods. They never knew a mother or father.

Their numbers would decline as the years went by, and nothing could increase them in return.

For Dragonia, country of Sacred Dragons in East Rune, that was a serious problem. As things were, their tribe would face extinction. They began to harbor this primal fear for the first time.

That's when they appeared. The humans of Rudo Village.

They worshiped the Sacred Dragons as children of the gods, with blind devotion. Our race was confused at first, but came to accept them. It quickly became clear that they had no evil intentions, and also, the dragons did not worry over anything besides their duty, so they thought nothing of it.

The people of the village learned much from the dragon tribe, and the dragons too learned much from them.

Finally, after almost a millennium, the first child of the tribe was born.

The dragon child had a completely white body, and was named Bleu. His birth brought great happiness, and also a final hope.

Years later, he became the last Sacred Dragon.

Bleu's first adventure was exactly a thousand years after the Ashen Gods had created the Sacred Dragons.

In order to break the seal on Dark Dragon, a man named Darksol stole a Manual. Bleu became a member of the Shining Force fighting against the demon army, and left Dragonia. That's a tale full of honorable deeds.

Thanks to Bleu and the other heroes of the Shining Force, Darksol and the resurrected Dark Dragon were defeated in the end. However, during the war, the Manual was lost, and could not be returned to the dragons' hands.

Bleu and the other members of the Shining Force went separate ways. He returned alone to Dragonia, and lived a quiet life there for ten years.

And then one day…

From beyond the ocean, a new adventure called out to him. A great adventure, to decide the fate of our Sacred Dragon blood…

Shining Force

Bloodline of the Sacred Dragons

To Chapter 1>

Translation notes:

I took some liberties with the gods' titles. The text refers to them as White (白き), Black (黒き) and Gray (灰色) Gods. However, 黒き is already the term used in Dark Dragon's name (and the reading Dark Dragon is not just a localization, but used in the JP text as well), and everything in this series is a light vs. darkness thing, so I felt it flowed better to call them Light and Dark Gods. And with that it felt right to give a similar flair to the gray as well, so I went with Ashen which fits well for a ruined civilization. Also, the kanji for ash is in the color name already.

Sign. The Manual. You might remember that I once boldly proclaimed that the game's wording, 秘伝の書, is more accurately translated as Book of Secrets (like in the GBA localization) than Manual of the Ancients (like in the Mega Drive localization). I even brought up this very novel as reasoning (for no good reason now that I look back at it). Come this book, and... "Manual" is given as the actual reading, even though the kanji used is the same. So yeah! This is why we don't make assumptions based on books we didn't read! I'll be sticking to Manual from here on.

And finally, let me stop pretending this is a regular thing to toss on your dash without introduction. Welcome to what I believe is the first ever translation of Shining Force - Bloodline of the Sacred Dragons, the official novel written by Sami Shinozaki and illustrated by SUEZEN, Shining Force 2's character designer. These scans were given to me on the same day the encyclopedia scans were. It was like it was my birthday or something. I was so busy with everything I didn't even have to celebrate here, and then I thought, what if I really don't tease or announce this in any way? What if I just drop it on them? And yeah, I hope you enjoyed the surprise, I'm absolutely full of joy to finally read and share this. And eternal thanks to the person who offered the scans in the first place.

All translation posts will be tagged as #shining force novel translation. Also please note, this is a rough translation as I don't have full scans yet and thus haven't read the full book, this might get updated as I get more context.

Also, the pages were scanned with only a phone camera, so I did some editing to smooth over some stuff and enhance contrast. You might notice the smell of digital print but don't worry about it, the contents are unchanged. I made a folder with more versions of the pics, as well as other illustration scans I've found across the internet.

[Update Feb 10: there are now scans in better quality, so I've updated the post, but my original folder remains. I'll be using both sources as I see fit.]

Now let's get to some initial stuff I skipped for the sake of surprise, such as, you know, the cover.

After that war, Bleu lived alone in Dragonia. But his destiny as a Sacred Dragon calls him to the battlefield once more. A survivor of a shipwreck, Camallia, washes up in the shores of the harbor, claiming to be seeking the Manual of Secrets to save the Sacred Dragons of Parmecia. Searching for the Manual, Bleu and his friends are off to adventure! Monsters come to attack them from the distant land of Parmecia. What is their true goal… A new Shining Force is born, running across the two continents of Rune and Parmecia. An original side story.

The map of Rune is cool, but has nothing of note. While all locations from the game are pictured, only a few are labelled: Dragonia and Rudo Village in East Rune, and Rindo, Manarina, Bustoke, Pao Plains and Uranbatol in West Rune.

The map of Parmecia depicts only the southwest part. While the kingdoms of Granseal and Galam can be seen in Grans Island, the only label there is for the land itself, Ground Seal. Mt. Volcano is also labelled, along with Hassan at the southern coast, and finally, the triangle of mountains to the west, Fire Dragon's Tail. It seems it is not yet known as Devil's Tail. It also has a big volcano on it.

Worth noting, this map is quite squished to fit all of this in a single page. In the actual game, the path to Devil's Tail looks a bit longer, and the same goes for the distance between Grans and the mainland. Devil's Tail also has no sign of a volcano in the actual game, and has some desert ground within the mountains instead.

Also, there is a town here in the western coast of the mainland, but this is many years before SF2, so it can't possibly be New Granseal.

Finally, let us finish with the preview of what's to come.

Chapter index:

An Old Tale.......................................................................7

Chapter 1: The white Sacred Dragon of Dragonia...19

Chapter 2: Chasing the Manual... ....................64

Chapter 3: Wind and Light crossing the plains......136

Chapter 4: Sacred Continent.....................................191

Chapter 5: Origin of the Light...................................245

Chapter 6: Bloodline of the Sacred Dragons.........330

Long, Long Ago...........................................................338

Afterword......................................................................339

#shining series #shining force #shining force 2 #sf bleu #sf karin #shining force novel translation #bloodline of the sacred dragons #:) #anyway i wanted to post this as soon i got home today and then immediately a power outage happened #but it didn't last that long i just got stuck at the title of chapter 5 for some hours #i think it's a pretty rare kanji??? anyway take that one with a big grain of salt #also. not gonna lie i felt the spirit of shinzo abe memes through all of this #i don't have high hopes for this romance really #i am staring at chapter 3 with powerful longing though #the moment karna pops up i'll become so wonderfully obnoxious

[yuurei20]

Short translation from Twisted Wonderland: the first novel

The Unbirthday Party

"‘Yuu-chan, we’ve been waiting for you!’

‘Oh, Cater-senpai—thank you for the gift!’ Yuuya points to his chest. The present he received via Ace and Deuce was a ribbon.

It is larger than the palm of his hand, alternating in the colors red and black. In the center is a heart-shaped brooch with a crown, shining bright. It is an adorable design, clearly crafted to match the Heartslabyul dorm uniform.

Yuuya wears it as a corsage on his uniform jacket, adding a touch of elegance to his all-black uniform.

'It suits you so well, Yuu-chan! What do you think? It's pretty cute, right? A masterpiece from your big bro ♪’

‘Yes, I really like it. And Grim is delighted.'

Instead of his usual striped ribbon, Grim’s magestone now dangles from a ribbon that matches Yuuya’s corsage, tied about his neck in a bow with a heart-shaped brooch on one end. Cater wastes no time getting a picture of the two in their matching ribbons.

‘Nyahaha! I've got another outfit now. Lookin’ cool, right?’

‘Sure does! Gri-chan looks great, too!’

‘Heh, I’m a great mage, so I can make anything look good,’ Grim boasts, shaking his head repeatedly as he flaunts his ribbon.

He has been like this ever since they set out from Ramshackle Dorm.

Yuuya thanks Cater once again—this time on behalf of Grim, for the ribbon that has so pleased him—and Cater smiles even brighter.

‘The crown part adds a special touch, right? Since we invited you to the Unbirthday Party I thought it'd be nice to give you both something that could be worn for a special occasion, so I went to Riddle-kun about it.’

‘What! Riddle-senpai? And then…what did he say?’

'He said, 'That’s a good idea,’ and even complimented Cay-kun’s sense of style ♪’

Yuuya never could have imagined Riddle approving of the gift, and Ace and Deuce look surprised as well.

Someone comes running from the edge of the venue, drowning out the murmurs of the crowd.

‘Our leader! The Crimson Sovereign!’

A white rabbit beastperson, standing beside a large arch, blows a trumpet.

In response to the resounding call, everyone stands up straight.

‘Behold, Housewarden Riddle arrives!’

‘All hail Housewarden Riddle!’

Amidst a swelling of applause and cheers, Riddle and Trey appear. Riddle may be somewhat thinner than before, but his steps are firm. It seems that the reports of his recovery were true.

However, unlike his dignified demeanor of before, he appears restless. He does not seem concerned about the eyes of the students upon him, but he keeps glancing from table to table.

‘…is he worrying about everything being prepared according to the Queen of Hearts' rules?’ Deuce whispers, and Ace frowns.

‘Ugh, seriously? Is he still hung up on all that?’

‘Now, now, change doesn’t happen all at once,’ Cater pats their shoulders. ‘But we missed painting a few of the roses this morning, and he forgave us for it—he even painted them with us. The strictness is still a problem, but his seriousness is one of Riddle-kun's good points, right? I know it, everyone knows it, and we just hope he will change at his own pace.’

Is Trey saying something similar?

Trey whispers in Riddle’s ear, and Riddle smiles in relief.

‘Well then, once again!,’ Cater declares. He must have figured out that the party would never start if no one were to take the lead, and cheerfully lifts his glass. ‘In celebration of no birthday in particular—?’ Cater and Trey look to Riddle, who swallows nervously.

Though he seems somewhat nervous, his voice rings out as clear as ever: ‘Cheers!’

The sound of glasses clinking can be heard all around.

‘Happy unbirthday!’

‘Happy unbirthday!’

Cheers of celebration echo beneath the clear sky. And it is not forced merriment, but sincere well-wishing that fills the air. The voices are warm and cheerful, inspiring sudden smiles in all who have gathered.

Grim does not stop eating for a moment, not even as Yuuya joins Ace and Deuce in making their way towards Riddle, taking Grim along.

‘…Yuu and Grim. You came, then,” Riddle says.

‘Yes. Well, for today, I…’

Thank you? Congratulations? Get well soon?

Uncertain of what to say, Yuuya looks to Grim for help. A slice of cake held fast between both front paws, Grim is wholly immersed in devouring it where he stands at Yuuya’s feet. Not having thought that Grim would simply ignore Riddle in favor of his food, Yuuya is taken aback.

‘Sorry,’ Yuuya moves to try and interrupt Grim, but before he has a chance, Riddle lets out a sigh.

‘Grim, you really shouldn't be so gluttonous,’ Riddle says, moving behind Grim and crouching down.

‘Here—it is to be worn like this. There is no point to your ribbon if you do not tie it properly.’

‘Thank you.’ Yuuya says, and Deuce mutters, ‘Our Housewarden, straightening Grim's ribbon…’

Yuuya is just as surprised. Riddle himself, going so far as to kneel for Grim.

And Grim's complete lack of interest only adds to the peculiarity of Riddle's meticulousness.

‘So, about that apology tart—how’d it turn out?’ Ace asks."

#twstnovel #twst translations #twisted wonderland #Kuroki Yuuya #Riddle Rosehearts

[wildflower-otome]

[Translation] Clover no Kuni no Alice Light Novel ~Promise Red~ - Chapter 4

ACT 4 - Taking a breather, ash-coloured love

It was busy.

In the multi-coloured shop interior, a conspicuous-looking woman was currently drawing a lot of attention. However, the customers were only quickly glancing at her before looking away, none were staring fixedly at her. It was as if they were subconsciously trying to shoo away a person they were unable to ignore, as if they were confused at her presence.

‘This one, oh, and this one as well…..ah, and this one too.’

One after the other, although she was as relaxed as if she were buying up bargains at an open air market, the items she held were various jewel encrusted knick-knacks, high quality goods and dresses made of expensive silk. Even though her shopping basket was already overflowing with shoes and bags—exactly how much it would all cost was an easy guess.

‘Hey, Vivaldi…..haven’t you already bought enough?’

‘What are you talking about? This is just the first store, is it not? We are still far from being done.’

‘Huh…?’

‘We have heard that just over there, they sell cute accessories that you might like. A maid that went out shopping in the town not long ago told us about them. If you say that you have tired of this store, let us go there next.’

As she grabbed the girl’s arm in a firm grip and pulled her along with her, the Queen’s face was shining.

It was a cute, girlish expression that was unlike the one Vivaldi had when she was at the red castle. It was one of the facial expressions that could be glimpsed on the Queen whenever it was just her and Alice.

‘We prefer going on girls’ shopping trips. Men are only good for carrying bags. When we are with you, we can shop without feeling irritated.’

‘Vivaldi.’

‘Fufufu, come here, Alice.’

The sleeves of her black suit and the lace on the hat she wore on her head swayed.

Right now, Vivaldi truly seemed happy. When Alice saw that she just genuinely enjoyed being with her, it made her happy too.

‘Alice, you have been doing nothing but look up until now. There must be something you want as well, right? It is good timing, we shall buy it for you as a present.’

‘Eh…..no, don’t let it bother you. I didn’t necessarily come with you because there was something I wanted.’

And more than that, just watching Vivaldi throw so many items into her basket without a care felt like enough for her. She did not at all feel as if she wanted to buy anything herself.

‘You need not hold back. To turn down the gift of a Queen is against the law, you know?’

Her face as she gave a broad smile, was more that of a girl her own age, rather than that of a haughty Queen, she seemed at ease. 

However, for some reason, that made her happy.

When she was with the Queen, who was smiling calmly and in a good mood, being cornered by Ace in Clover Tower not long ago seemed like nothing more than a bad dream.

‘—Ace, what are you doing there?’

‘-!’

In the deserted hallway, a dignified voice accustomed to giving orders echoed out.

 It made the Knight who had backed Alice against the wall pout in disappointment.

‘Majesty. It’s an abuse of authority to meddle in an employee’s romance.’

‘What are you talking about? By the look of things, it only seems as if you are forcing her.’

As Alice, whose chin was still being held in place, glanced for a moment in the voice’s direction, a lone beautiful woman wearing black clothes and holding a scepter stood there. Even if she wasn’t wearing red clothes or a crown, there was no mistaking who it was.

The Queen of Hearts pointed the end of her scepter at Ace and spoke matter-of-factly.

‘How long do you plan on staying like that? A man that does not know when to give up is simply unsightly. Let her go this instant.’

‘…..You’re going to be putting me out of business, saying stuff all knight-like like that, your Majesty. Hahaha, that could be a problem.’

It appeared that Ace did not intend to ignore the golden gleam immediately in front of his eyes. Taking his hands off Alice in a flash, he made a show of raising them both into the air, as if to say he had no intention of fighting back.

As Alice breathed a sigh of relief as her arms were finally freed, the Knight all of a sudden brought his face close to hers again.

‘A-Ace!’

‘Don’t be so defensive, that hurts my feelings. Do I look like the desperate kind of guy that would keep going even with an audience? Although I’m sure there are some people that would find it a turn-on…..’

Seeing the man grinning with a smile as empty as usual, she wondered why she had been so unwary. She seemed about to involuntarily back away from him, but her back was still against the wall. There was nowhere she could run.

‘Well, no big deal. Come have some fun with me again next time, Alice.’

Leaving those words behind, the Knight jauntily turned his back. The direction the long legs headed in was the complete opposite of where Vivaldi was standing.

Watching as the red shadow gradually grew further away, at last Alice was feeling truly exhausted.

‘Wh-What was that all about…..Oh?’

As she sank to the floor with no strength left in her body and grumbled, high heels clicked against the floor as the scent of roses drew nearer.

‘Good grief, he really is a good-for-nothing…..well, I suppose in the end all men are, but even then that one in particular is a nuisance.’

‘Vivaldi.’

When she looked up, a Queen stood there tapping her scepter against the palm of her own hand.

She had the same way of appearing irritated that the man who was her employer did. Although it wasn’t the exact same scent, the two of them both smelled of flowers as well.

Despite not looking alike and being longtime enemies, when it came to things like this, they were terribly similar. Perhaps they were alike in nature due to both being territory leaders.

‘You as well, Alice. Just as we thought you were doing nothing but chase after White, now we find you involved with Ace. Even though you are in our Castle at last, we have not been able to have you to ourselves.’

‘Huh?’

A beautiful manicured hand was held out to the exhausted girl to help her up.

The owner of the hand, a charming smile on her face, whispered to Alice.

‘Did we not drive away that scoundrel for you? The Queen herself helped you out when you were in trouble. So of course, you must be feeling grateful towards us. You are a clever girl, surely you would not do anything to displease us?’

‘…..…..’

As she made her supposition, the Queen’s eyes maintained their sternness. For all she made no outright declaration, her eyes were intimidating.

If you turn us down, we will have your head, you know?

That was the kind of unspoken threat they held. Alice had no right to refuse.

As she stood up with her assistance, Vivaldi kept a tight grip on her hand and began to walk.

‘Fufufu…..now then, where shall we go first? Perhaps it might be fun to go on a girl’s shopping trip.’

Thus, half by force, Alice was taken from Clover Tower and was now in the middle of shopping with Vivaldi.

‘Ah, that was fun. Let us take a break somewhere nearby, Alice.’

‘R-Right. We’ve spent a lot of time walking around after all.’

Starting with the high class boutique they had first entered, they had also been to an antique shop, a specialty plushie store…..etc etc. If she had continued to carry all the goods herself as she bought them, she likely would have become unable to move after just the first shop for sure, but as she had asked for them to be taken to the Castle as she went along, right now the Queen was not carrying anything that resembled a shopping bag.

Normally a person would have used up a great deal of energy buying so much, but Vivaldi didn’t seem to be the least bit tired.

‘What are you talking about? We still need to go back after this. After we enjoy our tea, we must go around and see the rest.’

‘Eh? There’s still more to see?’

As she thought of all that Vivaldi had just bought, Alice’s face twitched for a moment. It had probably been enough to completely fill a small house. To say that she was only half done after all that, the sensibilities of a Queen were something to be feared indeed.

‘We have heard that there is a café nearby that serves delicious tea. We had been thinking of going there with you, it will be the perfect place to take a breather.’

Tugging on Alice’s hand as she walked, the place Vivaldi was headed appeared to be close by to the green tower. Just as she was thinking that it couldn’t be, seeing the Queen lead her from the main street to an alley a small distance away, she became sure of it.

‘By any chance, do you mean the cafe that serves a special type of assam tea just ahead?’

‘What, do you know it? We had only just heard about it a short time ago.’

Vivaldi’s eyes had widened in surprise, but soon after she pouted as if displeased.

‘Yes, not so long ago…..an acquaintance told me about it.’

The taste of the tea at the specialty cafe she had visited with Blood was still fresh in her memory.

‘Hmph. The person that told you so unnecessarily…..the Hatter, was it?’

A sharp and shining gaze pierced Alice. From within the beautiful eyes, a flickering dangerous aura could be glimpsed.

Turning her eyes slightly away from them, Alice played dumb.

‘No, that is-…..it wasn’t necessarily Blood who told me.’

‘Is that so? To deceive a Queen means death, you know?’

‘I’m sorry.’

However in the end, after being smiled at so thoroughly intimidatingly, she immediately raised the white flag. Alice did not have the strength to go against the Queen.

Gingerly looking up at Vivaldi’s face just above hers, she tilted her head.

‘Blood is a real tea fanatic after all. He brought me here during the first Assembly. That’s all.’

‘Hmph…..to think he’d work fast only when it came to something like this.’

Despite sounding discontented as she spoke, the Queen continued to walk towards her destination. Vivaldi loved tea at the same level that the Hatter did, so it appeared that from her point of view, to ignore the cafe would only be a cause for irritation.

Arriving at the cafe as they talked, perhaps by coincidence, or maybe having sensed the Queen’s mood, there were no other customers there but the two of them. Bowing their head after having noticed Alice, who had already been there twice, the cafe owner led them to a table inside.

After ordering enough of the cafe’s specialty tea for two, Vivaldi began to speak as if she had just remembered something.

‘By the way, Alice. How did you end up mixed up with Ace in the first place? He may be a hopeless good-for-nothing man, but we had thought he was not the type to lash out without a reason?’

‘I don’t understand it myself….. He was saying all this stuff about me only caring about Peter, but I’ve barely even talked to Peter since coming to Heart Castle.’

It was true she had been perplexed by the White Rabbit when he had suddenly put distance between them, but still she hadn’t expected Ace to say such a thing.

‘Speaking of which, I did have a feeling that Ace seemed different these days….. has he ever been in as bad a mood as this before?’

He always had a cold-seeming smile on his face. That hadn’t changed, but somehow or other, there were many more times when the aura he had about him felt more frightening than it had before.

Seeming bored, Vivaldi answered Alice’s question.

‘That is none of our concern. We do not have the patience to notice every little thing about men who were already broken to begin with. After all, if one were to concern oneself with such a person without thinking, in his case it would only end in more trouble for you.’

‘That does sound about right.’

To have even his own superior say this of him, that had to be Ace for you.

‘Moreover, Ace is not the only one behaving strangely.’

‘….So you think Peter’s been acting weird too, Vivaldi?’

It is possible for those who are strongly drawn to each other to dream the same dream.

The words the dream demon lying on his side had said to her came back into her mind.

Perhaps the Queen was also aware of the White Rabbit's current state of mind, that he had come to want to know more about Alice.

However, at the girl’s words, her face had scrunched up in obvious disgust.

‘Do not say something so absurd. We do not care at all about White. The one we are concerned about is you, Alice.’

‘Me?’

‘Indeed. Not to borrow Ace’s words, but when it comes to you recently, you always have your gaze fixed on White…..has that Rabbit done something to you?’

If he has done something strange to you, just say the word. We shall cut off his head.

As the Queen continued with her dangerous sounding offer, Alice eyes widened, and her cheeks reddened.

‘Was I really staring at Peter that much?’

‘Yes. We would not call it being absentminded, but before we realise it, you are always looking in White’s direction.’

‘…..…..’

‘What, do not tell us you did not realise?’

No, I didn’t realise at all.

Feeling as if she were making that confession inside her mind, the red queen shrugged her shoulders as if exasperated.

‘In that case you cannot say Ace was completely incorrect then.’

‘But, I just don’t get Peter at all.’ The White Rabbit who had previously said over and over that he loved Alice. Peter, who had always only chased after Alice. That he no longer came near her was just too strange.

As if predicting Alice’s mood, two cups of tea were carried to the table. The tea at this café was served in a pot. As a special type of service, the first cup of tea was usually poured by the shop owner themself.

Perhaps sensing something from the quiet atmosphere, the shop owner poured the tea without saying anything before returning to the counter.

The two cups of tea on the table were waiting to be carried towards their lips.

‘We do not care about either Ace or White. What happens to foolish men is none of our concern.’

She was not wearing her crown or her usual extravagant dress.

However, she was unmistakably—a Queen. She possessed the power to lead and had the loftiness of one who ruled over others.

But all the same, Vivaldi had a soft expression on her face as she gazed at Alice, holding the cup of tea in her hand.

‘That broken knight may be another matter, but at the very least, surely you know White better than us.’

So saying, the Queen put her lips to her teacup.

‘…..That can’t be true. Right now, I don’t understand a single thing about him.’

The gentle scent of the tea softly rose from her cup, drawing closer to Alice’s face.

Even so her arms still stayed slightly crossed together under the table. The green eyes were still downcast, not looking at the amber coloured tea.

‘For causing you to make a face like that, we want to cut off that great idiot’s head.’

‘V-Vivaldi!‘

‘But disposing of White would be a bother.’

In contrast to her violent sounding words, what the girl saw as she looked up with a start was a sweet smile.

The red lipstick wearing lips were curved as if in amusement.

‘All men are fools. It is not the duty of a Queen to put an end to each and every one of such worthless beings. Is it not more worthwhile to enjoy drinking tea together with you like this?’

The red painted nails gently flicked at Alice’s cup.

A cool sound echoed from the porcelain, sliding into her ears.

‘When you are having a tea party with us, you will entertain us, and not think of anything unnecessary.’

A gentle smile. It was the face a slightly older woman would show to a junior. It wasn’t the face of a Queen with which she smiled kindly at Alice, covering over her doubts.

‘…..You’re right, the tea will get cold at this rate.’

It was a strange thing, even though she wasn’t like the older sister that was waiting for her in her original world, she felt the same sort of presence from Vivaldi.  

The beautiful amethyst eyes gently watched over Alice as she likewise took up her cup of tea.

***

During the Assembly period, no matter who the role holder was, they had to remain close by to Clover Tower. Because in this time warped world, there was no telling when the next meeting would be.

In other words, if one wanted to get hold of someone who didn’t like to venture outside, it was unexpectedly easy to accomplish.

Visiting his room and grabbing hold of the person who appeared, Alice gave a broad smile.

‘Let’s go on an outing together, Peter.’

‘A-Alice? What is this all of a sudden?’

The girl maintained her smile as Peter’s eyes widened as if surprised.

‘There’s no deep meaning to it. I just thought that I’d like to go out for a little while with you, Peter. Obviously, if you’re busy we can go some other time, but how about it?’

‘Busy-! It’s not possible I would ever turn down an invitation from you! Even if the Castle were to fall into disaster, if you wish it, I would accompany you anywhere!’

A wry smile on her face as the White Rabbit showed his eagerness by hurriedly rushing out, they began to walk towards the town together.

Ever since the time period she had gotten mixed up with Ace and talked with Vivaldi, she had been thinking.

Nightmare had said that what Peter had been wanting to know was Alice’s heart. But for all that he said he wanted to know, he only grew further away, and did not try to get any closer to her.

If Peter truly did want to know her, perhaps his questions would be resolved by them spending time together. And if that happened, their presently stiff and awkward relationship might return to how it used to be.

That said, during the Assembly period they couldn’t go too far. At most, they could go for a stroll around the area close to Clover Tower, but even then that seemed like a much better option than continuing on with their current unstable relationship.

 ‘Where shall we go, Alice?’

‘Let’s see…..how about going shopping together? Apparently there are a lot of unusual stores not far from Clover Tower.’

‘Yes, of course! I’ll carry all the bags no matter how many, so please, don’t hold back and tell me whatever it is that you want, Alice!’

‘I don’t think I’ll be buying that much though.’

Since she had been here shopping with Vivaldi recently, she was rather well informed as to which were the best shops in this town. She knew exactly which shops there were, and in which areas they were located.

‘Going out on a date together…..This is a date, isn’t it, Alice!’

‘That’s right. I’d be disappointed if you said that it wasn’t.’

‘I would never, no matter what-! It’s been a while since we’ve been on a date with just the two of us, hasn’t it…..Ah, and to think you would be the one to invite me!’

Raising his voice as if overcome with emotion, perhaps from an excess of happiness, Peter’s white cheeks were slightly flushed with a light shade of crimson.

Seeing his face look like that, he did not at all seem to be the same White Rabbit in the dream, yearning for something beyond his reach.

His white ears upright as he smiled, Peter only looked at Alice. He didn’t appear to have any intention of looking at the nearby stores.

‘What would you like, Alice?’

‘I didn’t really have anything in mind, but maybe I’ll buy an accessory or something like that.’

Even as she spoke, there really wasn’t anything she wanted to buy. This had only been a pretext to go out with him somewhere after all.

However, taking Alice’s words at face value, the White Rabbit energetically nodded his head and at last looking around him, raised his voice like a child.

‘Accessories, is it…..Ah, Alice, what about that jewel? It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Ah, although of course it is no match for your beauty, it does look as if it would suit your green eyes.’

With a shining gaze, the White Rabbit pointed to jewels laid out on display at the front of the store.

But Alice shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. Without even looking at the price, she knew that it was the type of finery that did not suit her.

‘Even if I did get something like that, I’d have no use for it. I’m working as a maid at Hatter Mansion, and I don’t wear jewels.’

‘That you’re doing something like that is odd to begin with. You, working as a maid…..why not take this as an opportunity to quit? If you were to continue to stay at Heart Castle, I would not make you work. I promise you a life of complete freedom!’

‘How many times do I need to tell you, I don’t plan on quitting my job…..-Hey, Peter, what do you think you’re buying-! Stop right there-!‘

This was not the last time they had the same frustrating conversation.

‘Alice, Alice. What do you think about these earrings instead?’

‘Like I said, I can’t wear something like that-‘

‘Then, Alice. What about this ring here? It’s quite small, so I think it would suit your slender fingers.’

‘I wouldn’t be able to do any scrubbing or washing wearing something like that.’

For some reason, the things Peter kept recommending were only clearly expensive items made of precious metals. Naturally they were all far beyond Alice’s salary, and on top of that, things she didn’t need.

‘Why do you keep recommending me nothing but jewellery? Do you know someone in the jewellery business or something?’

While knowing that was likely not the case, she asked him.

And, just as she thought he would, the White Rabbit stared at Alice with widened red eyes and shook his head.

‘There’s no such person…..I just heard that all women like such things.’

‘You do get some pretty extreme ideas.’

Alice was a girl of an appropriate age. She wouldn’t say that she was completely uninterested in jewels, but that was a different matter from actually wanting to own some.

Now that she thought about it, Peter had only been recommending things to Alice just now, and showed no sign of wanting something for himself.

Whenever he saw something she might like, he called Alice over straight away and tried to buy it for her. Again and again.

‘Hey Peter, is there nothing that you want?’

‘Something I want?’

‘Yeah…..like-’

While pointing at a necktie-wearing mannequin in the shop window, Alice tilted her head.

The tie was made of red fabric and decorated with black embroidery, a rather fashionable item.

‘Something like this necktie, is there nothing that you’d like to wear?’

‘Something I want…..is it. No, I do not need anything.’

As the youth spoke decisively and without a hint of hesitation, Alice continued.

‘You say that, but really there must be something you want, right?’

If, as the dream demon had said, he truly wished to know Alice’s heart, he must likewise have things that he wanted.

All the same, Peter smiled quietly at Alice’s question and simply shook his head as he had before.

‘No. There is nothing that I need.’

He continued to smile softly as his red eyes narrowed.

It was the same sort of behaviour as someone looking at the sun. With a gaze as if seeing something bright and sacred—the White Rabbit looked at her.

‘You’re here by my side. I don’t need anything more than that.’

‘Peter.’

‘So long as you are here, I do not need anything. You alone are everything to me.’

‘…..…..’

Depending on how she took it, there was likely no better confession of love than this.

She should probably be blushing with happiness.

However, instead of rejoicing, Alice’s face stiffened instead.

‘As long as I’m here, that’s enough for you?’

‘Yes. If you are happy, that is enough for me.’

‘I…see.’

Just as I thought, Peter doesn’t want my heart at all.

If he had been the dream demon he would have been able to hear that voice in her heart.

Still not noticing that Alice’s eyes had widened, the White Rabbit continued in a rapture.

‘Indeed! Because I love you, so long as you, my beloved, are happy, that is enough for me.’

The red eyes looked as if they were dreaming an un-waking dream. But dreams were more vague than reality. And not only that, because they were such uncertain things, they were not necessarily connected to reality.

Peter said that he loved Alice. He said that he wanted Alice to be happy.

Nevertheless—he was not at all thinking about how she felt at being told such things.

He didn’t want anything of her. He wasn’t thinking at all about what he wanted to be to Alice.

‘I’m happy just being able to be with you. Because I love you.’

‘…..…..’

He loved her, and he wanted her to be happy, but even so, this way of caring for her didn’t make her happy.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. Something like this wasn’t love after all. She had never felt such bitterness even at the end of her first love.

As to be expected, as Alice continued to remain silent, the White Rabbit, noticing that something was wrong, peered at her face. His concerned gaze looked to be brimming with almost overflowing affection, and that was likely not just her being self-conceited.

It was just that those feelings were only one-sided.

Peter looked uncertainly at the girl who had stopped walking before she had realised it.

‘Alice, is something wrong? Are you tired? Or is there-…..’

‘Peter. Um-’

She didn’t know what she was about to say.

But faster than Alice could finish speaking, something hit her.

Despite being hit, unlike the attacks from before, it wasn’t a dangerous form of impact. Because she had stopped in the middle of a busy street, a passing man whose name she did not know had simply bumped into Alice’s shoulder.

If it had only been the two of them there, she probably would have just let it go as something insignificant.

However, unfortunately, the person with her—was the germaphobic Rabbit, who more than anyone else could not forgive anything dirty.

Instantly the red eyes narrowed. They did not grow softer as they had just before. They changed from the light of a living being to the inhuman glint of gemstones.

‘…..Die.’

‘Wha—Peter!’

Facing towards the roleless man who was walking away with his back to them, Peter suddenly fired. His usual golden watch was now in the form of a dangerous gun.

‘Guah-!’

With a scream, the man collapsed to the ground. The people around him moved away in a panic, some pausing to see what was going on, but no one intervened to stop him.

‘Wait, Peter! What do you think you’re doing-?!’

He was a Rabbit that would mercilessly shoot maids and soldiers alike, but it wasn’t in his personality to shoot indiscriminately. Alice panickedly tried to stop him, but without turning back towards her, he held his gun at the ready.

Before him was a single roleless man, cowering on the ground and holding his arm.

‘That faceless dirtied you. An unpardonable sin. The Mouse from before escaped, but this time I will be sure to put an end to this one.’

‘Dirtied me…..what are you talking about? He just bumped into me a little!’

Even now the red eyes had a dangerous look about them, as if he were about to start shooting again at any moment.

Right now Peter was every bit the role holder, someone whom even Alice found frightening.

‘To dirty you with germs…..is unforgivable.’

‘I-I told you to stop it-!’

She clung tighter to the hand that held the gun, but the look in the White Rabbit’s eyes remained unchanged.

A cold, gemstone-like red.

Even though back when she had been attacked by enemies of the Hatter Family, the red he had shown Alice when he had protected her hadn’t been this cold.

‘I-I’m the one that got bumped into, and I’m saying it’s fine-! Don’t do anything worse than this-!’

‘Alice.’

Still holding onto the White Rabbit’s arm as if to stop any further protests, Alice made him walk on. Peter was still carrying his gun, but did not try to shake her off.

They left the main street and entered a small pathway where there were fewer people.

It was then that the girl at last let go of the young man’s arm and opened her mouth to speak.

‘Don’t do things like that. It’s not out of the ordinary to bump into someone on the street.’

‘Not out of the ordinary? Do you mean to say there are still other faceless that have put germs on you out there? I cannot let this pass, I must find them and finish them once and for all-’

‘…..-’

Hearing Peter speak, his eyes still cold, Alice bit her lip.

She wondered why he just wouldn’t get it. And to the same extent, she felt frustrated at not being able to see his heart. They were so close, but their feelings never got through to each other.

She had never envied the dream demon’s ability as much as she did right now.

‘Stop it, don’t do something like that.’

‘You said the same thing before when I shot that Mouse, Alice. You are too kind…..Surely what happens to the likes of a faceless is not something you need concern yourself over.’

‘-’

She didn’t want him to say such things.

Ah, why wouldn’t he understand how Alice felt.

‘You don’t really love me, do you?’

She musn’t say it. She shouldn’t even be thinking it, but her mouth moved on its own.

The uncertainty and doubts that she had always felt. Her emotions began to spill out. Even though there was a voice somewhere in her more rational mind that said she needed to stop, she was unable to do so.

The White Rabbit’s eyes had widened at Alice’s words, and he shook his head from side to side again and again. His white hair swayed in her line of vision.

‘What are you saying, Alice! More than anyone, I-’

‘I don’t understand a single thing you say-!!’

Having coming out with it, when she returned to herself with a start—the red before her eyes had changed.

The gaze that had been so cold just a moment ago was now twisted with sadness.

Instinctively, she could tell.

She knew these eyes. It was the look a person had on their face when they had been hurt by words they hadn’t expected to hear.

She had seen them before in the past when she had hurt someone.

‘…..?’

I hurt someone in the past? Who had she hurt?

She tilted her head, puzzled at the feeling of unease in her chest, but it was swallowed up into the whirlpool of her emotions and disappeared.

‘Alice, I…..truly do-’

‘-’

Before Peter could finish saying the words he was desperately searching for, Alice turned her back on the White Rabbit and began to run.

‘Alice!’

‘Don’t follow me! If you do, I’ll hate you-!’

With those words as the final blow, she could tell that though he had been about to, he was now bewildered as to whether to follow her or not.

Even though it was Alice who was bewildered at his acting this way.

Despite not caring how she felt, he had stepped back from her just hearing that she would hate him.

She didn’t understand what it was that he wanted with her.

Alice had invited him out, wanting to return to their previous relationship…..but it frustrated her that he didn’t realise that.

‘You’re an idiot, Peter…..-’

He loved cleanliness, and only saw Alice, but was unable to understand a single thing of what she wanted to say, and nonetheless was only kind at odd moments.

She musn't depend on him, yet each time she seemed about to, it only made her more anxious.

Even though she was frantically running, she herself didn’t know where to go.

When she had run at Heart Castle, she had had Peter as her end goal. But right now, there was nowhere that she wanted to go—

—Open the door—

‘Huh?’

Even Alice didn’t know how she had been running down the deserted path.

But the voice that had whispered to her had definitely been a familiar one.

Perhaps because she had been running for quite some time, while feeling her heart beat erratically, she looked around her…..and realised she was no longer in the middle of town.

A dense forest of green trees. Here and there they were decorated with various arrow signs.

She hadn’t visited the Forest since that time she had met Pierce and then had Peter take her hand. The Forest of Doors.

‘Wh-Why…..I was near Clover Tower, but now I’m in the Forest?’

Since the move there had been times when she had come out to places she hadn’t expected to. Still, the place she was in had surely never shifted as suddenly as this before.

The time period perhaps having changed before she had realised it, the sky that had been blue just a moment ago was now faintly tinged with orange.

And, before her eyes was the single door that she had also faced down back then.

She was alone. Again, she was standing in this place, alone.

‘…..…..’

She must not touch it. Because what would await her when she turned the knob and opened it was something no one could predict.

All the same, as if they were magnets drawn together—her hand was stuck to the knob and she couldn’t let go of it.

If I open the door, I won’t be able to return here. Even though she knew that.

—Open the door—

—Let’s go to the place you most want to go—

—You must go to the place where you belong—

The whispering, enticing voice continued to echo inside her head.

And the longer she listened to it, the more Alice’s grip on the knob tightened.

‘But…..’

The White Rabbit who said he was happy just having Alice there.

The White Rabbit who could not forgive someone simply for dirtying Alice.

But.

The kind and cruel Peter—who never tried to draw near to Alice’s heart.

‘Even if I were to remain in this world, if Peter-…..still won’t understand-’

Alice, I love you.

I’m happy just having you here.

—I want to be with you forever.—

If there was nothing there on the other side of those kind words—then she didn’t need that kindness.

‘…..…..’

The door knob slowly turned. And, after turning it as far as it would go, she stopped.

Just as the girl’s hand pulled on the door in front of her, the sound of its creaking hinges entering her ears-

‘Alice!’

‘-’

Hearing a voice that was like a scream, the girl’s hand stopped moving.

There was a voice at her back. Even without turning around, she could imagine the figure of the man standing there.

For some reason, without closing the distance between them, the White Rabbit was calling out to Alice from far away.

‘I beg of you, please don’t open the door.’

‘Peter.’

‘I don’t care how much you hate me…! Even if you never forgive me…..Please, let go of the door-!’

‘…..…..’

‘I beg you…..You are the only one I do not want opening the door!’

Just like when she had been about to open the door at Clover Tower, the same voice stopped Alice.

An imploring, pleading voice—the kind you’d direct towards someone important to you, someone you loved.

Just as the voice wanted, in the same way she had back then, Alice let go of the door.

Even though she had thought she wouldn’t be led astray, because this voice existed.

‘Peter…..But-’

Right now it was this voice leading her astray.

‘Alice, please, don’t disappear from this world.’

The voice of the White Rabbit who did not desire Alice’s heart, was wishing for her to stay.

‘…..Peter.’

She had a feeling that the same thing would keep happening. Peter surely did not understand how Alice felt.

But even so.

She couldn’t shake free of this voice. Because to Alice, the White Rabbit was someone whom she was unable to cut out of her life.

The strength went out of the hand that was gripping the door knob. As the palm of her hand left it, the door closed on its own—and then-

‘Alice.’

From behind, a soft warmth enveloped the girl’s back.

Feeling him tremble, Alice could feel through her body that he had been frightened.

‘Why…..are you trembling?’

‘There’s no way I can remain calm…..knowing that you might have disappeared.’

He hugged her tightly.

Despite his strong hold, strangely it did not feel painful or unpleasant.

All the same, there was a part of Alice that felt unsatisfied.

‘It’s enough just to have you here in this world. I want to make you happy in this world…..’

‘Peter.’

‘So please don’t go somewhere I cannot reach you.’

‘…..…..’

Don’t say something so sad.

Alice had a feeling that she became terribly selfish whenever she was with Peter.

When Alice fell in love, she thought that she would want the other person to love her back. She would want to become someone irreplaceable to them. That was what she thought.

All the more because there was nobody for you but them, that would be what you would wish.

‘You wouldn’t mind, even if I hated you, Peter? Even if I didn’t love you?’

‘Yes…..I love you enough for the two of us. That is why, it is enough for me, to just be together.’

‘…..…..’

‘I love you. You are more important to me than anyone.’

‘Then, you-’

Must be lonely. You must be sad.

Don’t be satisfied with only that.

Although that was what she thought, Alice couldn’t say it.

Because then it would be like—she was telling Peter that she wanted him to want her.

‘As long as I can be with you, that is enough.’

‘Peter.’

‘I love you, Alice.’

A small and profound warmth was lit inside her chest. It felt pleasant, and made her feel bashful.

She didn’t know what to do.

‘…..…..’

Her heart was pounding. The beating of her heart leading her astray, she was more drawn in by Peter than she had been by the door.

‘I love you. I don’t care if you hate me, or hold a grudge against me. If you are happy, that is all I need.’

If you fell in love, you would want the other person to want you back. To Alice’s mind, that was only a given.

Then, why did she think that she didn’t want Peter to be satisfied with just her happiness?

As she suddenly hit upon the reason, her eyes widened.

This was impossible. It had to be some kind of miracle, or perhaps the worst of nightmares.

Alice was in love with Peter.

However, when she thought about it that way, she had a feeling it all made sense.

The meaning of the mysterious words master and servant had spoken at the Tower.

The reason she hadn’t liked it when she’d heard there was someone whose heart Peter wanted to know.

If Alice liked Peter as more than just a friend, it was only natural.

‘Alice, I love you.’

‘Peter…..’

When she turned her head to the side for just a moment, she could see the face of the White Rabbit ecstatically embracing her.

Right now, the red eyes that Alice could not forget were hidden by his white bangs and were not visible.

I love you. I like you.

The words that she had thought nothing of up until now—made her heart beat faster.

Even though she had thought that she would never fall in love again.

She could no longer deny the emotion that was in her heart.

#hnkna #translation #heart no kuni no alice #alice in the country of clover #peter white #alice liddell

[itsuki-minamy]

"K - RETURN OF KINGS" (Novel)

CHAPTER 8: FLOWERS THAT BLOOM IN THE DESPAIR

* List of Chapters

Translation: Naru-kun Raws: Ridia

Once upon a time there was a clan called "Cathedral".

The total number of clan members was actually several thousand. With an entire city in southern Kanto as its territory, the clan, which idealized mutual benefit and mutual aid, functioned as a semi-independent country under the reign of the "Golden King" Kokujoji Daikaku.

The ruler of that kingdom was Otori Seigo. The "Grey King" responsible for "Protection".

Otori, who was an anonymous official, took the fact that he was chosen as "King" as some sort of revelation. God gave him that power to reach out to the less fortunate and protect the persecuted.

That's how he interpreted it.

Nobody gets hurt, nobody suffers. A cathedral guarded by the "King" chosen by God.

The sanctuary collapsed in a single day.

++++++++++

Looking towards the dark hole, Otori muttered in a hollow voice.

"Kagutsu... what the hell did you do...?"

There is no answer for that anymore. In that hypocenter, the place where the center of "Cathedral" once stood, that man lost his life, and more than that, he dropped something even more sinister.

The "Sword of Damocles".

As if following Kagutsu's bottomless destructive impulse, the sword pierced through the heart of "Cathedral". The largest recorded "Kingdom Burst" burned and killed everything within, turning it into a deep, dark pit.

Until just a day ago, there were countless people there. There were countless families. There were countless smiles, happiness, the warmth of snuggling and holding hands.

Now there is nothing.

Cold sea water began to flow into the huge hole. Someday this place will become a bay. Swallowing countless corpses and whole souls, sinking their pain of death and regret to the bottom.

Otori could only stare dumbfounded at the remains of his ideal.

He finally got to his feet and turned around.

The cities that stretched out at the foot of the Kanto plain had turned into piles of rubble.

When the "Sword of Damocles" fell, the hypocenter turned into a huge hole. However, the destruction caused by Kagutsu's death did not stop there. A deadly shock wave spread out and swept through the city on the edge. Very few civilians would have survived the furious explosion.

There must be some still alive, even if only a few.

Believing that, Otori began to walk.

There were many things that were people.

There was a girl who had her limbs torn off. There was a boy who lost his mind. There was a mother and baby who had miraculously retained their original form, but had died.

Otori could only walk through seemingly endless time, seemingly endless hell.

"If someone is alive, please answer! Is there anyone...? Is there no one here...?"

Otori's voice echoed in vain. He really knew.

What he wanted to save was not "someone", but himself.

"Please... someone answer...!"

Otori didn't notice that his desperate face was wet with tears. The "King", whose salvation was once sought by hundreds of thousands of people, is now seeking those who seek salvation. Because he knew that saving someone would be his own salvation.

At that time, if he could save even one person from now on, surely, his power would have meaning.

He suddenly came into view.

A lonely child lying in the cracks under the collapsed building.

"Hey, stay strong! Are you alive?"

Shouting, Otori ran down from the pile of rubble and clung to the building. As a "King" with supernatural powers, he put all of his strength into it and raised a building that seemed to weigh tens of tons. Above Otori's head, a shining "Sword of Damocles" appeared.

"Guh...!"

Gritting his teeth, Otori shook the rubble of the building with such force that his feet sank into the ground.

A boy appeared below.

A sharp piece of rock pierced his small back.

Otori knelt down on the spot.

"Not good... Even a child like this... Is this the ideal ending I was looking for? What is the meaning of the power of the "King" who can't save even a child?"

With trembling fingers, Otori touched the necklace. The symbol of the God he once prayed to.

But that feeling was not accompanied by any emotion. Faith, reverence, nothing. What he felt at his fingertips was nothing more than inorganic metal.

Otori realized that his faith had disappeared from within him. There is no God. Even if they are not interested in themselves. Neither God-given power nor God himself could save anyone.

Biting his lip, Otori looked down at the boy's tragic corpse.

The corpse suddenly began to glow.

"......?!"

Otori widened his eyes. The glow from him was green. So this boy is a survivor of the Green Clan?

That was what he thought, but he soon realized that this was not the case.

"Coronation". This is the phenomenon when a person becomes a "King".

He thoughtfully looked up. It was exactly what Otori expected.

"The green "Sword of Damocles"...?!"

Otori looked back at the boy. In the green glow, the dead boy was slowly opening his eyes.

He had no doubt. This boy is neither a member of the Green Clan nor a corpse.

A new "Green King" was about to be born.

++++++++++

Five swords floated in the night sky.

Their presence, which seemed to press down on the white moon, was beyond majestic to the point of being comical. If all those swords fall, the world will probably end. Fushimi never imagined that he would witness something like a Hollywood movie called "World in Crisis".

Enomoto leaned out from the command car and muttered anxiously.

"What's wrong, Fushimi-san? A fifth "Sword of Damocles"... wasn't that four kings?"

It wasn't Enomoto he clucked at. This situation, by itself...

"This is not good. What is the result of the observation?"

"Compared to the beginning, it is more stable. However, there is still interference on the top floor..."

He looked inside the vehicle. Observations made by Anna's supernatural network were displayed as they were on the screen. The green glow that had dominated most of the building now seemed to give way to a gray mist.

Enomoto asked as he pointed to the last one to show up.

"What color is that...?"

"It's not gold or colorless, so there's only one left. I didn't expect it."

Silver. Golden. Red. Blue. Green. Colorless. The rest of the color is "Gray", as is the fog that surrounds the observation point.

"Oh, the green disappears!"

"Weismann's deviation from the Fifth King is rapidly declining!"

At the same time as Enomoto, the vehicle staff gave a report. A noise ran through the green Damocles, and disappeared like lightning that ran and disappeared for a moment. Looking at him, Fushimi asked a question inside the vehicle.

"What is the Weismann deviation of the new King?"

"He still maintains a high number! This... perhaps it can exceed the Captain's Weismann deviation...!"

Thinking of what he saw, Fushimi leaned over the command vehicle and took a deep breath.

The "newcomer" is full of energy, but the "Red Queen" has been exhausted from fighting Hisui Nagare, and the "Blue King" is cracked. Everything will depend on how long the last one, the "Silver King", can hold out.

"Damn. It's troublesome..."

Muttering, Fushimi began to simulate the future in his head.

++++++++++

At first glance, he was a middle-aged man who was unkempt.

His hair was disheveled and stubbled, and his worn cassock was wrinkled, as if it hadn't been ironed. With a loose, sloppy mouth and carefree gaze, it's hard to imagine that he was ruling a single kingdom.

But still...

Munakata had accurately measured the strength of the man in front of him.

"The biggest and worst case of the overthrow of royal power that occurred at the end of the last century, the Kagutsu Incident. The Sixth King, the "Grey King", who was believed to have died as collateral damage..."

As he muttered, Munakata put strength into the hand that held the saber.

The ability of the "Grey King", which has been silent for many years, could possibly surpass itself.

"I have to say that I was very surprised that this man survived and became the mastermind behind the Green Clan."

Iwafune shrugged and smiled, as if he could see Munakata's heart.

"No, Munakata. The man named Otori Seigo certainly died at that time."

Even so, his eyes weren't smiling.

"What's in front of you now is Iwafune Tenkei, a flightless chicken who lives in "Jungle" and acts as the father of the "Green King" Hisui Nagare. It doesn't seem like much of a mastermind, I'm just an old man."

This time it was Munakata's turn to laugh.

Munakata certainly sensed this as he fixed his gaze on Iwafune.

"A misty Sanctum that possesses the attribute of "absolute protection"... while displaying your power like this, it's easy to tell that you're a simple man."

Mist rolled from under his feet.

Slowly, but at a certain speed, the mist thickened. Enveloping Hisui Nagare, who was lying on the ground, his figure gradually faded away. It would be useless to swing the saber. Fog cannot be cut or traversed.

When he muttered to himself that this was the "Green King's" trump card, he heard a laugh coming from somewhere.

"I win. Reisi Munakata."

Hisui Nagare, who should have been at Munakata's feet, suddenly found himself on Iwafune's shoulders.

Munakata's eyes narrowed. As he did so, the mist continued to thicken. The mysterious voices of Neko and Kuro echoed from somewhere.

"Nya? This feels a little weird!"

"This is...!"

Their voices were coming from different places, not from the direction they should have been.

Information about the "Grey King" was sparse even in the database. Munakata doesn't even know the details and principle of his "absolute protection" ability.

However, he was able to predict to some extent from Hisui Nagare's recovery move just now and the gap between the two's voices.

That is to say...

"Not good! Don't stop!"

Anna created wings of fire again. The flames that turned into spinning swords were shot towards Iwafune in quick succession.

All of that was blocked by a wall of mist.

"......!"

From the other side of the dense mist, a muzzle with a dull glow appeared. He is standing upright, facing Anna. Anna took a deep breath, stiffened.

"Anna!"

Shiro jumped in front of her.

He placed a special field on the closed Japanese umbrella, and the fired bullets were repelled one by one. The ricocheting bullet flew in another direction, brushing past Kuro and Neko. The bullet must have been imbued with supernatural power, and a huge hole was blown in the wall where the bullet landed, and he was able to see the night sky beyond.

From beyond the mist, Iwafune's voice echoed out.

"Haha, that's right, "Silver King". You must take care of the princess!"

Shiro didn't care. He looked up and yelled.

"Kuro! Take care of Neko! Get away from there!"

"Huh?! No, Shiro! Wagahai will be with you!"

Kuro held the body of Neko who was about to reach him. Despite his anguished expression, he remained loyal to his master's orders. He held onto Neko and flew away from the mist.

The fog thickened even more.

Neither Kuro nor Neko nor Munakata nor Iwafune could be seen. Shiro deployed his supernatural field and protected Anna from the mist.

"Anna. Are you okay?"

Anna nodded helplessly. However, her face had lost all blood and her breathing was shallow. It was too much force. It was only natural, since she single-handedly waged the battle with Hisui Nagare.

"More than me, Reisi..."

Shiro gritted his teeth and deployed the supernatural field at maximum output.

There was an answer. With all the power of the "Silver King" that governs "immutability", it seemed that that mist could be partially nullified.

However, if he did, the "Grey King" could target Anna.

Anna seemed like she could no longer move. If he hits him with his attack, he won't be able to stay still. He didn't want to think that Otori Seigo, who once professed compassion, would target the children, but is now Iwafune Tenkei. He had no idea what to do.

Besides, someone could die in front of him.

That alone was unacceptable.

"Yashiro...!"

Anna let out a guilty voice. However, Shiro slowly shook his head and began to deploy his supernatural field for defense.

"...Munakata-san."

Shiro couldn't do anything but whisper "I'm sorry" and pray for their safety.

++++++++++

"Heavenly Wolf" absorbed the blue supernatural power and glowed brightly. Raising his saber, which glowed brightly even in the gray mist, Munakata swung his sword on top and slashed straight at Iwafune's head.

However, what was ahead was the steel Iwafune was holding, the barrel of a revolver. That itself must be a supernatural power control mechanism, the barrel glowed dully and stopped the blue blade.

Two lights, blue and gray, scattered like small sparks. Munakata frowned and Iwafune smiled and aimed his revolver without releasing the pressure.

The barrel was positioned perfectly against Munakata's forehead.

If he had slowed down for a second, there would be a hole in Munakata's forehead. Still in a low stance, Munakata had his saber at his side. Furthermore, if it had been a moment earlier, Iwafune's stomach would have been cut open.

At this time, Iwafune had already jumped into the distance.

A thick mist soon enveloped his body. Munakata fired a slashing attack with the supernatural power he put into his saber. The flying blue sword arrived where Iwafune should have been and was deflected.

As expected, Iwafune's voice rang out at the same time.

"Hey, where are you aiming?"

A shot rang out along with a mocking voice. Annoyingly, they came from different directions. Although the place he emitted from should be the same.

As he fired bullets, Munakata did not try to find Iwafune's location. He knew that it would be useless to do so.

Iwafune's "absolute protection" ability is shrouded in mystery.

It's probably a spatial warp ability.

In the gray mist, Iwafune twists the world itself. By distorting space, light, sound and all kinds of energy are transferred from where they should be to another.

Shiro, Anna, Kuro, Neko and Hisui Nagare. The person who should have been there is not there and the person who should not have been there is. Munakata's slash attack was deflected instead of being blocked. If they were doing it right, they would never make it to Iwafune.

It is possible to break through with such "absolute protection" and "order"!

As he pondered, Munakata opened his mouth to fire a sighting shot.

"Are you attacking by hiding in the mist? It's a petty way of fighting, befitting a man who lost his clan, changed his name, and survived only by hiding in the ground."

"I don't care what you say. I've already given up pride. It doesn't hurt or sting."

A voice came directly from above.

A voice resounding from a blatantly abnormal place, either because he knew his hands were exposed or because he didn't care that he knew.

"The Gray Clan "Cathedral", at its peak, was a powerful clan that wielded power second only to the Gold Clan "Tokijikuin". The one who led "Cathedral" was the "Grey King" Seigo Otori. Possessed of strength and virtue, it is said to be a masterpiece that was widely admired not only by clansmen, but also by the general public."

"Haha. That's why it's not such a splendid thing."

The voice came from right behind Munakata.

When he reflexively turned around, he could see a shadowy figure walking away. Despite that, the sound of footsteps could still be heard from behind.

Obviously, he was making fun of him.

Munakata raised his voice.

"Fourteen years ago, I led the clansmen in an attempt to prevent Genji Kagutsu's Sword of Damocles from falling, but I was unable to stop it and the clan was wiped out. It was an unprecedented catastrophe with 700,000 dead, including civilians."

The footsteps stopped.

Around the same time, Munakata fully expanded his supernatural field. In an instant, the randomly twisted world was reconfigured under "order", and Iwafune peered through the mist.

"So you left your old self back then with the people you couldn't save then!"

Missing no chance, Munakata fired a blue slash from his saber.

The straight cut, however, was distorted and deflected by the dense fog that had gathered in front of Iwafune. Leaving only a smile on his face, Iwafune hid behind the wall of mist again.

"Well, let's see. After all, it's an old story."

"Why did you decide to join Hisui Nagare and appear on stage at this time?"

A shot rang out instead of an answer. One shot from directly above, one from behind, and one from the side. Munakata blocked them all with his saber.

He didn't feel any hostility or killing intent. Everything lay beyond a vague mist.

It seems that only words can be delivered to each other.

"If the world proposed by Hisui Nagare were to come true, society would fall into chaos and there would undoubtedly be many victims. I don't think it's your idea to go along with such a barbaric act to save humanity and create an ideal paradise. Did the Kagutsu incident make you so depressed?"

"Ideal paradise, huh."

Iwafune's voice was mocking.

"The "King" does not have the power to create such a thing. Both you and I are being rolled on this stubborn "Slate". Except for "that guy" who is trying to "roll" the "Slate"."

Iwafune was laughing beyond the thick gray mist.

Recklessly empty. As if to say that the gray world where nothing can arrive is the place where the "King" arrives.

As if he denied it, Munakata swung his saber again.

++++++++++

Anna let out a shaky breath.

The battle between the two "Kings" airs like an earth-shaking clash. She was too weak to bear it. Shiro stretched out his arms to support the unsteady Anna.

"Anna, are you okay? Are you cold?"

Anna nodded slightly and closed her eyes.

"What a cold mist... is this the depth of this person's despair...?"

The responsiveness of her, the power to see through, which she further enhanced by becoming a "King", she could clearly see through him.

A man in a cassock grins hollowly beyond the mist. He has a hole in his chest. A big, wide, dark hole that swallows everything.

Unlike Hisui Nagare, there was nothing in the hole. He can't feel any pulse of energy, any longing for the future. However, he is filled with cold despair.

Hugging Anna's shoulders to keep her warm, Shiro muttered pitifully.

"The "Grey King", Seigo Otori. I heard from the lieutenant that he was a pacifist who hated conflict, but when it came time to fight, his force stood shoulder to shoulder with the "Blue King" Habari Jin and the "Red King" Genji Kagutsu. Munakata-san..."

"Yashiro. From now on, take care of Reisi..."

Anna pleaded. She didn't want to be a nuisance. She herself is a "King". She is no longer just an existence that leans on someone.

Suddenly, a stray bullet flew out from beyond the mist. Shattered debris fell on the two who avoided it at a dangerous point. Shiro quickly opened his umbrella to protect Anna from the pouring rain.

Shiro said in a reluctant but firm tone.

"No. I can't leave you alone now."

Anna clenched her fists in frustration. She hated her helplessness.

That person would surely rise up and face any situation. Seeing Munakata struggling, she must have laughed a bit and punched the mist with her fist.

After all, she couldn't be like Mikoto.

That was so frustrating and lonely.

And, beyond the mist, he saw something that glowed. It wasn't a supernatural power, it was an ultimate brilliance of matter. The heavy hanging cables gleamed in the light.

At the same time, a strange sound echoed in Shiro and Anna's ears. They soon realized it was the sound of approaching helicopter rotors, tearing through the air.

Shiro looked up and yelled.

"Damn! The rooftop!"

++++++++++

Iwafune walked through the mist.

He fired a gun as he walked. The revolver's barrel, which has a long, hollow frame, was broken to expose the barrel, into which the bullets are loaded one by one.

Iwafune didn't even see Munakata's slashing attack. The mist that gathered semi-automatically distorted the supernatural energy and deflected it upwards. The "absolute protection" mist deflects almost all attacks and nothing can reach Iwafune.

After loading the bullets and folding the barrel, Iwafune smiled wryly.

Almost everything was ready.

Iwafune casually held his gun and pulled the trigger. Roar and shock. Munakata, who was beyond the mist, repelled the bullet. Before he could confirm that, Iwafune opened his mouth.

"Hundreds of thousands of ordinary people, unable to do anything, were shocked and died. If each of us has power, we can't just face death without resistance. You can resist with your own responsibility. That's the kind of world that Nagare It's about to explode."

The objection came back with a cutting attack.

"What nonsense! Humans who have suddenly acquired power beyond their control will simply show their power and kill each other, a foolish and chaotic world will come. Society needs order and someone to run it. A world of order and intelligence is a beautiful ideal world."

Sweet precision. Not even covered by mist. Iwafune dodged it by tilting his face.

"Haha. It smells blue, absolutely. Wow, just the "Blue King"?"

Iwafune pulled the trigger while he smiled.

"Hey, Munakata. You've never seen hell, right?"

Another chance. Munakata took it.

"You've never walked through hell, right?"

One more shot. Munakata dodged.

"The reason you can't do that is because you have power. That's because you're a "King". If you were just a human being, and it fell on you or someone you care about, you'd think, "Why me?", "I want power"."

Iwafune walked as he fired his gun. A misty world with dark eyes.

The former Iwafune would have agreed with what Munakata said. That's because Iwafune was the "King". Because he believed himself to be omnipotent.

But no, the "King" is not omnipotent.

Iwafune, or rather, the "kings" who lived at that time, realized this. A monster named Kagutsu Genji taught them that they were nothing more than super-humans.

You cannot make wishes come true, you cannot protect anything, you cannot save anyone.

"The reason why you really believe that you can create an ideal world with your own power is because you are a young man, Munakata, and you haven't experienced any setbacks yet."

So, Iwafune walked slowly and appeared in front of Munakata.

Munakata's eyes widened in surprise, but before he could flash his saber, the hilt of the revolver he held in his inverted hand sank into his belly.

"Only for the "Blue King"?"

"What...?!"

Groaning, Munakata staggered back a few steps. It would have been easy to take him down by stabbing more, but Iwafune didn't do that and raised his hand.

"Ah, it's a bit crazy."

He folded the revolver up again and began to load the bullets.

Munakata was looking at that relaxed state of mind with frustration.

"Don't try too hard, young man. This is the advice of an old man. If you set your ideals too high, you'll also get frustrated, right?"

"I have no intention of engaging in useless talk!", Munakata shouted.

A full blow with a saber, but he was still blocked by a gray wall. Iwafune walked away from Munakata,

"Resuming hide and seek, I won't let you use that move so easily!"

He could feel Munakata's superpower swell.

He was surprised. The gray mist was neutralized by the supernatural field focused on Munakata. Correcting the twisted world to what it should be, it was as if "order" was glowing, but...

Iwafune prepared a revolver loaded with bullets.

"Don't overdo it. Are you feeling better?"

He was no longer going to hide in the mist. because there was no need for it.

"It's useless to use all your strength against a weak opponent. It's high tide here too."

The gray mist accumulated in the muzzle of the revolver. All the skills that were used only for defense until now were converted to attacks. Contradictions like attacking with "absolute protection" are nice, but if a shield is hit with full force, it can become a deadly weapon to beat people to death.

The exhausted Munakata did not have the strength to withstand all of Iwafune's might.

It was something they both knew. Both Iwafune and Munakata are a kind of "King". They could imagine what would happen from here on out.

Despite that, there was no despair in Munakata's eyes.

He looked calmly and intellectually at his impending defeat, his frustration, and Iwafune.

As if to say it would never break.

Iwafune smiled and pulled the trigger.

A bullet with a high output supernatural ability was fired in a straight line.

Munakata reacted to that. The saber, which also glowed with extraordinary power, turned around and caught it with his blade. But no bullets were fired. As he distorted the physical phenomena around him, he continued to advance until all of his supernatural energy was used up.

Munakata's saber broke at the same time that supernatural power was exhausted.

Half of the saber and the spent bullet fell to the ground at the same time.

"......"

Iwafune shrugged and met Munakata's eyes.

What was floating in the night sky looking up from the hole was exactly what Hisui Nagare had planned. And beyond that, the shining blue "Sword of Damocles" loomed.

The sword of the "King", which was defeated in tatters and looked like it could break at any moment.

++++++++++

He thought he was asleep for a while.

Beneath his closed eyelids, Nagare sensed several things. The sound of helicopter rotors hitting the air. The smell of gunpowder and dust that tickled his nose. The night wind blew through his hair and he felt the presence he had been yearning for all this time.

Source of eccentricity. An original miracle. God's pedestal that allows people to evolve to the next stage.

"The Dresden Slate."

A familiar voice sounded in his ear.

"Ok, Munakata! The fact that I went out with you and acted like a little chanbara was just to buy time to get this guy out."

Nagare slightly opened his eyes and looked to the side of him.

The familiar stubble looked down with a beaming smile.

It was thanks to him that he was able to sleep. Nagare thought so. Nagare's "trump card", the "Grey King", but also a member of the "Jungle" clan, the human Iwafune Tenkei, who is also like a father.

Nagare trusted Iwafune so much that he could leave everything else to him and go to sleep.

"...Iwa-san."

When he called out to Iwafune in a weak voice, he met Nagare's eyes. With a smile, he laid him down and lay back cross-legged.

"Oh, Nagare. You did it."

"Yes. I understand. Thank you."

As he felt the coldness of the "Dresden Slate" on his cheeks, Nagare certainly laughed as well.

They finally achieved "Jungle's" cherished wish to seize the "Dresden Slate" which had been kept secret by the "Golden King".

Beneath the helicopter's rotor in the sky, swaying on a "Slate" suspended from cables, Iwafune gazed out at the bright lights of the city. Taking a can of beer from his pocket in his cassock, he opened the lid and held it lightly.

"Merry Christmas. This is a present from Iwa-san to you who have been a good boy for nine years. It's too big to put in a sock."

As he said that happily, Iwafune took a sip of his beer.

Nagare, who was looking at him, said to Iwa.

"Iwa-san. I want to drink too. Give me a sip."

"Eh?"

Iwafune frowned curiously, but quickly smiled.

"Well, it's good that you remember the taste of sake, Nagare. Here you go."

He put beer on Nagare's lips and tilted him. The bursting carbonic acid touched Nagare's tongue.

"How is it? What do you think?"

"...Bitter and bad. It's incomprehensible."

Iwafune laughed again at Nagare's scowl.

"It's a boring impression if you use it as a reason for victory."

"Yes. After all, this one suits me better."

Nagare looked down at the "Dresden Slate". It could be seen that the energy consumed was quickly recovered. That was probably due to direct contact with the "Dresden Slate". If they manage to deepen their analysis and fully connect with the "Slate", there will be nothing on earth that can stop them.

The glorious future that he had glimpsed was instantly erased by Nagare.

"Besides, we haven't won yet. They will try to get it back. Now it's our turn to defend."

"Ha. Then leave it to me, it's my job to protect you."

Suddenly, Iwafune frowned as if he had bitten into something sour.

He raised the beer to his mouth to wash it down and smiled distantly.

"If it's about you, I can protect you."

Iwafune looked down. As if he was afraid that Nagare would see his eyes.

Nagare nodded. Iwafune is similar to Nagare, but he is actually a bit different. Nagare lost everything, but Iwafune lost something to protect.

But this is not a fight to recover what was lost.

It's a battle to grab a new dream.

Iwafune looked at Nagare. The light that shone in those eyes. Laughing, he raised the beer can again and looked at the helicopter hovering overhead.

"...By the way, how should I scale this?"

++++++++++

"Communications restored! No fog effect in sight!"

"The Weismann deviation is rapidly decreasing! It's vertical below!"

Fushimi narrowed his eyes as he listened to the reports from the command car.

"...That kind of thing you can tell just by looking at it."

He muttered in a voice only he can hear and breathed out softly.

There was no sword in heaven anymore.

When the tide receded, the five "Swords of Damocles" disappeared one after another. First green, then blue, then gray, silver, and red, they all disappeared as if they were holding their spears.

The battle of the "Kings" was over.

He didn't even need to hear about the outcome of victory or loss. The helicopter that flew away was undoubtedly the "Dresden Slate". The sound of the receding helicopter rotor was like the triumphant voice of a conqueror.

They had lost.

Then Fushimi thought: "I have to find out how much we lost."

"Isn't the monitor recovered yet?! Make sure the Captain is safe!"

As he gave the order to the command vehicle, Enomoto's panicked voice returned.

"Yes! I will send staff to the "Slate Room" immediately!"

"The ban on electronic communication has been lifted! Contact the air traffic control room in Suzugaya and request that that helicopter, which flew away from Mihashira Tower, be tracked down!"

"I understand!"

At that time, a report from another member surfaced.

"We received a call from Vice Commander Awashima!"

"Contact me with her."

After telling him briefly, Awashima's voice echoed over the radio near his ear.

"This is Awashima speaking. We have now reached the "Slate Room", and have confirmed the safety of the Captain and the other "Kings"." There is wear, but there is no threat to life."

"...Is that so."

It seems that the other side is also sweeter than he expected. If that was his intention, they could have taken Munakata's life. The reason why he didn't do that was to avoid the charge of Munakata's second dance, by killing the "King". Is it because he decided that he shouldn't take on that burden, even if it left him worrying about his future?

Or does it mean that now that they have obtained the "Slate", they don't even have to worry about it?

With a click of his tongue, Fushimi reported the situation to Awashima.

"I've done everything I can to fix it. I've restored electronic communication, so I'll leave the rest to the Vice Commander. I'll be in charge of tracking the helicopter."

"...Ah. I understand."

After saying that, Awashima hung up.

Awashima's voice was filled with equal parts relief and regret. She was relieved that Munakata was safe, but she had nothing to do with it. She regretted that.

He almost laughed. But he shouldn't have laughed. This is what a clansman should be, an ideal subject. Thinking of the "King", wishing for his safety and trying to grant that sentence.

He wondered if that was so.

He doesn't know. What he was about to do from now on was undoubtedly Munakata's orders, but he was not thinking of Munakata.

Because he worked. He will do it because it is worth doing.

"You should get insurance."

Fushimi snorted.

++++++++++

Then dawn came.

Awashima returned to the ground floor and squinted into the dazzling morning sun. She was exhausted from running all night, but she didn't allow herself the luxury of sleep. She still she had to lead "Scepter 4".

"Prioritize getting the wounded out! Are there any wounded still inside the tower?"

"There are some people we can't get in touch with! Rescue teams are currently searching!"

"There is a risk of internal collapse. The rescue team must work with caution!"

There was a lot to do. It doesn't matter if it's a war or not, someone has to deal with the consequences, win or lose.

Awashima ordered herself to do it.

Busy on her feet and working, however, Awashima refused to look at that corner.

A man sat in a transport vehicle.

Reisi Munakata.

The "Blue King", the Boss of "Scepter 4". Originally, he should be the one standing in the front. Under his orders, Awashima rushed through the post-processing. This is how it should have been.

However, after the battle was over, Munakata didn't even try to say a single word.

Since he was able to stand on his own two feet and go down there, there shouldn't be any abnormalities in his body. First of all, she should feel relieved.

But what about his heart?

Doesn't that tattered blue sword mean Munakata's ideals have been shattered?

"Vice Commander. A report from Suzugaya."

Suddenly, Akiyama's voice rang out and Awashima snapped back to reality.

"What happened to that helicopter?"

"That said, the fog seems to interfere not only with visual observation but also with radar, making it impossible to track."

"I see... Anyway, continue the search with all your might."

"Yes."

With a wave, he left the scene. As expected, Akiyama and Benzai didn't show any problem even in that situation. Accepting the fact of defeat as it is, they began to move towards the next thing.

Awashima bit her lip and caught herself. She thought that she should do that too. Like a tireless precision machine, she has to do what she has to do.

"Information team, hurry up and analyze the footage! Consolidate the reports with Fushimi! The squad that suppressed the "Jungle" riots will continue to interrogate and investigate."

Awashima gave instructions one after another as she chided the withering feelings.

++++++++++

Standing in the hallway, a sense of defeat filled Shiro's heart.

There is a huge hole in the center of the floor. What has been there for a long time no longer exists. A miraculous relic that he himself discovered and was protected by Kokujoji, the "Dresden Slate".

That was stolen.

(Sorry. Lieutenant.), Shiro thought.

He closed his eyes in silence and apologized in his heart to his old friend who was no longer in this world. He knew that no matter how much he apologized, he would not be forgiven, but he felt that if he didn't, he would shrink away from his apology.

Suddenly, he heard two voices behind him.

"Shiro... are you alright?"

"Shiro, what are you going to do now?"

Kuro and Neko, the only two members of Shiro's clan.

Shiro helplessly turned around and laughed. Or he pretended to laugh.

"Haha... I don't know what to do. Actually, I'm lost too. I didn't think I had a joker like that. It was my mistake."

The "Grey King" Iwafune Tenkei.

He even hoped that Nagare had a trump card. However, it was beyond Shiro and Munakata's imagination that the true identity was the "King" himself. Iwafune, who is believed to have been killed in the Kagutsu incident, was on Hisui Nagare's side. No, judging from the relationship between the two, Iwafune himself may have been the one who raised Nagare.

With a soft smile, Shiro shrugged.

"I suppose one of Hisui Nagare's mysterious backgrounds has been revealed. The price was quite high, but..."

"Don't say unreliable things, Shiro."

Kuro encouraged him and stepped forward.

"There's no time to be depressed. Of course, you're going to get the "Slate" back, right?"

"Get it back, huh?"

Shiro's voice in response resembled a sigh.

"The Lieutenant risked his life for more than half a century to keep it under control, and after his death, Munakata took over and controlled the power of the "Slate". But now, it's only a matter of time before that power is released to the world."

"What will happen if he does? Will they all be naked?"

At Neko's simple question, Shiro involuntarily broke out. Kuro made his eyes triangular and he grabbed Neko's head.

"Idiot. We're serious."

"Boo. I was trying to cheer Shiro up."

Neko puffed out her cheeks and tried to resist. With a kind look, he watched the two of them playing like cat and dog.

Kusanagi and Anna approached Shiro.

"Shiro-san. Let's go out now. There are wounded here too."

"Ah... yes. Thanks for your hard work."

Somewhat awkwardly, Shiro bowed to Kusanagi. Kusanagi doesn't blame Shiro for his attitude, but he is the one who planned this strategy and led them. He was definitely responsible for them.

Then he realized that Anna was staring at him. The "King's" gaze, which possessed great reaction ability, seemed to see through the hesitation within him.

"It's not over yet. There must be more we can do. We're not giving up."

Facing Anna, who said that in a low voice, Shiro also gave her a small reply.

"Yes, that's right. There is still a way..."

Anna nodded and then turned on her heel. Kusanagi also lightly waved her hand and left the "Slate Room" with her.

After dismissing him, Shiro turned around and looked at Neko.

"......? What's wrong, Shiro?"

Neko blinked curiously. Her innocent expression felt painful at that moment. He thought about how to start it and how to avoid scaring Neko, but still he couldn't help but mention her name.

"Hey, Neko. That thing Hisui Nagare said about..."

Neko was surprised.

Neko's shoulders trembled. Fear appeared in her wide-open eyes, and her gaze gave Shiro pain.

But it was a pain he had to face. Until now, Shiro has never had the purpose of facing Neko. Regardless of her identity or her origins, he thought that Neko should just be Neko.

But he won't do that anymore.

If he doesn't face her properly, he probably can't face Hisui Nagare.

"He said your name, right? If I remember correctly..."

"No!!!"

With a bursting voice, Neko cried.

Kuro looked at Neko in surprise. Neko also flinched at her own loud voice.

Then Neko smiled awkwardly.

"W-Wagahai is a cat! I don't have a name!"

Perhaps those words are not true.

But she wasn't acting either. Shiro sensed in Neko's behavior something akin to an obsession, like, "It must be like this".

It's as if they've been imbued with the words, ''It doesn't matter who it is.''

"Neko."

As Shiro gently approached, Neko jumped back like a wounded animal and kept her distance from him.

It was unprecedented. For Neko, the place next to Shiro was supposed to be the safest place. But now she looks at him with fear as if she is looking at a monster.

"...No."

"Neko, tell me..."

"No way!!"

With a high pitched voice, Neko disappeared.

Ability to manipulate recognition. It would have been easy for Shiro, the "King", to nullify Neko's supernatural powers, but he didn't. It won't work if she doesn't come out of her own free will, instead of ripping off the lid.

"Neko. I'm on your side, so tell me what you're afraid of."

Unanswered. Or maybe she wasn't there anymore. Even so, Shiro continued to raise his voice.

"I'll never give up on you! So please let me talk! Anytime, I want to face it with you!"

Again, there was no response.

He breathed out silently and lowered his head, then Kuro called out to him.

"What's up, Shiro?"

Shiro looked up and shook his head weakly.

"Neko has always acted strangely. She was scared about something and she woke up in the middle of the night."

"...Oh."

"Maybe Neko is afraid of Hisui Nagare. To be more exact, "something", he knows who Neko really is, I guess."

"Oh, really...?"

Kuro frowned curiously.

Perhaps that feeling was beyond Kuro's understanding. Yatogami Kuro is Yatogami Kuro and has never been anything else. He wonders if she remembers exactly where she was born and how she spent her time.

But Neko is not like that.

"To us, Neko has always just been Neko. She's a mysterious girl who claims to be a cat. But that's not true. Neko must have a common name. She must have a proper first and last name. There must have been people who called her that way, and a home that was built for them."

"That's right."

"Do you think she remembers that?"

Shiro looked directly at Kuro and asked.

Kuro spent more time with Neko than with Shiro. For a year, Kuro and Neko had been looking for Shiro. During that time, Kuro should have been watching Neko in her way. Shiro wanted to know the results.

"...I don't understand."

Finally, Kuro shook his head.

"I never heard from her about her home or her family. I've heard about what she used to do, but only when she roamed around like a real wild cat."

"Yes. I thought the reason she didn't talk about her house was that she just didn't want to. But maybe Neko doesn't really remember who she is."

Kuro's doubts seemed to deepen.

"But that is..."

"Yes. Of course, if that's the case, Neko's attitude is strange. Normally, people who don't know about their past want to know about it. Just like me."

What came back vividly in his mind was that rainy day when he returned home with Kuro and Neko.

The family home that should have been, the family that should have been, no longer existed. There was a public facility, a dome-shaped playground.

Shiro still remembers the feeling of losing his feet at that time. The fear of being confronted with the fact that a person named Isana Yashiro does not exist anywhere.

That's why Shiro knows about Neko's abnormalities. There's no way someone who knows nothing about himself could behave so innocently.

"It's impossible if it's true, but we know the solution."

As if he realized something, Kuro took a deep breath.

"No way, is it the ability to manipulate recognition?"

"That's right. For some reason, Neko wanted to seal her past even from herself. She then applied her recognition manipulation ability to herself. She believes that she is a cat, and her past as a human doesn't exist."

"What a stupid thing..."

Shiro nodded without objection to Kuro's reluctant words.

"Of course, it's just speculation. I don't have any evidence to back it up, and I don't think I'll ever find anything like that. But that would explain why Neko freaked out at the name "Ameno Miyabi"."

Kuro pondered with a difficult expression and then looked at Shiro hesitantly.

"Shiro. Since this is about you, you're probably seriously thinking of Neko when you say that. But if that's the case, is it alright if we carelessly intervene?"

"......"

"If Neko sealed her past, there must be a reason for doing so. But would touching and exposing that past of hers really do her any good?"

He didn't know that.

But one thing was sure.

"Hisui Nagare will surely do that."

Why the "Green King" who is obsessed with Neko is also hiding in the darkness of lack of information. But sooner or later he will come into contact with Neko. This is how he would try to dig her up as "Ameno Miyabi".

He never doubts his purpose. Why did Neko want to seal her past?

"We also have a difficult decision to make. Either we face Neko's past, or if she's like this, I can't go with her in a fight with Hisui Nagare."

Kuro clenched his fist in frustration. Neko is Kuro's partner, no, Shiro's. That will never change.

But is it really right to take a wounded comrade to the battlefield? The decision had not yet been made.

"Anyway, I have to talk to Neko. And then everything will start."

Kuro also nodded slightly at Shiro, who spoke gravely.

++++++++++

The voices of "Scepter 4" could be heard from far away.

Even under those circumstances, they were active. Or should it be say that it is precisely because of that situation? "Scepter 4" is a so-called "government office", and there is work to be done no matter what. Post-processing, contact with various places and the work to be done are varied.

Yata was a bit envious.

Yata cast a bored look towards his "Homura" comrades.

At the entrance to Mihashira Tower, some leaned against the wall, others sat on the ground, simply maintaining an oppressive silence without making eye contact.

It was exactly the atmosphere of the team when they lost in a fight.

Bando broke the silence with a careless voice.

"Ah. After being heavily used by the "Silver King", and in the end the strategy failed."

Akagi responded with a wry smile.

"If you say that, you'll lose your mind, San-chan."

"That's right. We are also responsible for not being able to stop the "Green King"."

"I wonder what will happen from now on..."

"Well, for now, aren't you glad you weren't badly hurt?"

Yata listened with a touch of irritation as each of them said what he wanted. However, it was not enough to stop them. Until now, they have been fighting "Jungle". However, if results were not forthcoming, one would be tempted to complain.

Kamamoto uttered a single question.

"If the green guys get their hands on the "Slate," what do you think will happen? Yata-san..."

Yata scratched his head and spoke in a dismissive tone.

"...Come on. Something terrible is going to happen."

The "Silver King". Isana Yashiro's explanation was not fully understood by Yata and the other members of "Homura". The Kusanagi area would be different, but in any case, all he knew was that an "evil thing" would happen.

All humans would become psychic. He could not imagine such a world. He has exchanged silly jokes about whether the lady who works at the fish shop he goes to will also become a supernatural being, or whether she will be able to keep the fish fresh by blowing cold air from her hands, but...

Of course, he knew that it wasn't that carefree. The whole world will fall into chaos. The number of psychic criminals will increase explosively and many people will die in unnecessary conflicts. He knew it in his head, but he couldn't imagine it.

Yata suddenly looked up.

In the morning glow, someone approached him.

Looking at that person's face, Yata noticed that his eyebrows were wrinkling.

"...Saru."

Fushimi Saruhiko looked at the crouching "Homura" members and his face did not show any emotion. It would have been a lie if he said that he didn't take offense at the stone look at the side of the road, but now Fushimi was in a joint fight. After hesitating over what to say, what came out of his mouth were boring words.

"Good job."

Fushimi laughed. It was his kind of smirk.

"If you make a big deal about an alliance and play a ridiculous matchup and then lose, you can't even look at it."

He was blown away by the way he said it. Yata looked at Fushimi,

"Don't put it that way. We all fight with all our might, right?"

"I'm going to do my best, huh? It's a loser's idea to be satisfied even if you don't get results if you work hard."

"That is...!"

The members of "Homura" became irritated and turned their eyes towards Fushimi with a thirst for blood. Yata also shook his fist and raised an angry voice.

"Don't say that, since you were only typing on your computer in the vehicle! By the way, wouldn't it be better if your "King" had won against the "Grey King"?"

Fushimi looked at Yata coldly.

He couldn't help but keep his mouth shut because he remembered Awashima's pained expression. It is true that he does not like the "Blue King", but what would the clansman think about it? If it was him, if Anna or Suoh were to be torn apart, he would beat them up without hesitation.

Such consideration for Yata, but Fushimi...

"Exactly. I'm disappointed too."

He politely ignored it.

Passing by Yata, who was surprised, Fushimi walked away. Yata unintentionally turned around and yelled at his back.

"Hey, it's your "King" we're talking about! Aren't you going to fight for him?!"

Fushimi ignored him and walked quickly, suddenly stopping.

"Hey."

From a distance, Fushimi turned his head and looked at Yata.

"Finally, it could get interesting. Come after me, okay?"

His slight smile seemed different from the nihilistic ones he used to have.

Yata recognized that face. A long time ago. when they were just kids.

It was the look on his face when he spoke of his ambition to turn the world upside down like no one had ever done before.

"Saruhiko...?"

Confused, he called out to him, but Fushimi doesn't answer. He looked ahead and kept going. As if to say that this is the correct path.

Turning his back, Yata felt a strange noise in his chest.

++++++++++

A painful bandage was wrapped around Munakata's back.

It was a scar from the battle with the "Grey King". Hidaka Akira had never seen Munakata so hurt before or after. He thought that the "King" was invincible. Never bad, never hurt, never shaken... that's what Hidaka saw from Munakata, and also from the other members of the Special Forces.

But not.

The "King" is never invincible. If he fights another "King", he may get hurt or lose. Just like Munakata today.

Still, Munakata remained calm. At least that's how he appeared from the outside. He pulled the uniform over the bandages and muttered to himself.

"To think that the "Grey King" was still alive... Furthermore, it was unexpected that he was attached to Hisui Nagare."

Hidaka felt a sense of relief at his calm tone. It seemed as if the usual attitude or defeat had no effect on Munakata. Despite having the "Slate" stolen, he wondered if he would be able to return to his daily work without incident.

"Unexpected? Yes, I agree. It's a mistake that could have been avoided."

There was something that cut through Hidaka's naive expectations.

Fushimi.

With his back against the rear door of the transport vehicle, he nodded.

"It's clearly the fault of you and Isana Yashiro, the "Kings", who didn't suspect the shadow of the "Grey King". I can't believe that the "King" is completely oblivious to the existence of another "King" because he is simply obsessed with the struggles for the "Slate"."

Hidaka looked at Fushimi with a frozen face. In a situation like that, what would he do? He wondered, but Fushimi Saruhiko was originally that kind of person. Exceptionally good, but nothing to wear you down. It seems that it does not change even if the "King" is the opponent.

"If you're only here to criticize something that can't be helped by saying it now, take a step back. I'm tired."

There was obvious irritation in his voice.

Hidaka was in shock inside. Because he was far from the Munakata that he knew. Always calm and motivated, no matter what difficulties come his way, he can blow them away without hesitation as much as a gentle breeze. That was Hidaka, no, it was the appearance of the "Blue King" that everyone imagined in "Scepter 4".

He collapsed.

Fushimi cast a disdainful look at Munakata.

"Aren't you going to give me any instructions from now on?"

"Isana Yashiro will think ahead. Follow his instructions. I'm a loser, so I'll refrain from doing it for a while."

It was a flirtatious comment. Fushimi pushed away from the back door, glared at Munakata with obvious anger, and said abusively.

"Why are you in a bad mood, why did you get beaten in a one-on-one fight? The "Golden King" is dead, all the bulges over your eyes are now out of sight, and the world is about to get away with it yours, but the troublesome old man is still alive. I'm sure you'll hate him too."

Munakata slowly turned to look at Fushimi.

There was a silent anger in his eyes.

Hidaka swallowed. Although the gaze was not directed at him, he couldn't help but want to prostrate himself and beg for forgiveness. What's more, the "King's" anger had a cold pressure.

"Do you feel better with this result? You must have been dissatisfied with this alliance in the first place. Were you going to wait and see if the strategy failed?"

But Saruhiko Fushimi was not an ordinary clansman like Akira Hidaka. Looking back at his anger, he slammed his hands against the rear bumper.

"By the way, I was thinking you were going to lose!"

Unable to remain silent, Hidaka raised a voice to stop him.

"Fushimi-san, you're saying too much...!"

Fushimi looked at Hidaka. Immediately, Hidaka was speechless and withdrew. Without even laughing at him, Fushimi turned to the inside of the vehicle and said in a rather calm voice.

"...If you say you'll leave me here, I'll quit."

"Then resign. If you have any complaints about me, just leave. You were originally a traitor, right?"

"......!"

Fushimi's expression froze. Munakata continued, as if to laugh at that reaction.

"If you don't like it, resign immediately. You've always been that kind of person. This is how you can't follow any "King" from the bottom of your heart, but you can't get out of the gears of the "Slate", and you're wandering in a narrow range. You're just a small object."

Fushimi drew his saber.

There was no chance of anyone stopping him. Fushimi slammed his saber against the back door in one smooth motion and ripped off his "Scepter 4" uniform jacket. Fushimi had already turned on his heel and started walking when the saber struck his fluttering jacket.

"Fushimi-san!"

Hidaka called out to him. But Fushimi's back spoke louder than his face. No one's words or intentions reached him, he only felt a firm rejection.

Giving up on trying to stop Fushimi from escaping, Hidaka insisted on Munakata instead.

"Captain, shouldn't we stop him?!"

"Leave him alone."

Hidaka felt an indescribable unease at Munakata's spitting tone.

Fushimi is certainly a person who converted from "Homura". He was also dissatisfied with the alliance this time, and his rhetoric to the defeated Munakata would never have been reasonable.

But still, was Munakata the type of person he would call others "traitors"?

Even Hidaka could have guessed that if he said that to Fushimi now, he would be furious. He didn't think Munakata didn't understand that. That could be because Munakata thinks that Fushimi should leave, or...

Was the wound Munakata received so deep that he couldn't even think of such a thing?

It was an irreverent idea. Hidaka shook his head and dismissed it. Still, he couldn't shake off the anxiety that rose like a black cloud.

++++++++++

There was a languid atmosphere in the HOMRA bar.

The members of "Homura" who had returned to their base were speaking less than usual, and the voices of those they were arguing with were also low pitched. It could be that they were exhausted from fighting all night, but more than anything, the reality of defeat weighed heavily on them.

Yata, lying on the couch, felt bitterness in the environment.

But, at the same time, he was certainly there to accept it. In the past, Yata wouldn't have been able to bear the fact that he had "lost" and would have gone out and attacked something, but now he feels that it can't be helped.

Of course, he hadn't given up. The "Chabudai Alliance" lost to "Jungle". But that doesn't mean it's all over. There is always a "next". Even if he fell down once, he still had the strength to get up. Yata was convinced of that.

He thinks he's changed a bit.

Before, he did not think about the "next". Yata only had "now", and he was glad not to think about the future. He just ran and hit everything he could get his hands on. Or get hit. He will win or lose, in the end someone would have done something for him. Kusanagi, Totsuka or Suoh Mikoto.

There is no substitute for him now. Yata knows. Anna is the "Red King", but she is not the type to lead people. Similarly, Kusanagi can organize well, but he's not good at inspiring people.

It's his job to do that. Run ahead of others, and have everyone follow. That is the form of the current "Homura".

Yata's role has changed.

What has changed the most is that Yata himself understands that.

"...I wonder if it's always like this."

No one heard the leaked words. They were chatting quietly about the events of the day and the appearance of the "Grey King".

Like Yata, Fushimi was now an executive of "Scepter 4".

Yata knew exactly what role Fushimi had played in that operation. He ended up saying things like "You were just typing on your computer", but if it wasn't for that guy's support, the "Jungle" Clansman would have killed them in no time. Mishakuji Yukari and Gojou Sukuna are stronger than them.

Fushimi has established a strong position in "Scepter 4" to the extent that he can be entrusted with such an important role. Probably to the point that no other person can replace him.

The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't understand it.

What Fushimi said when he walked past him, just before leaving Mihashira Tower.

(Finally, it could get interesting. Come after me, okay?)

It was incomprehensible. they lost. Whatever happens from now on, he doesn't think it's going to be fun. Also, what does that "come after me" mean? So it's like...

At that moment, he heard an incoming call from behind the counter.

"Hi, Seri-chan. What's up? Are you calling to discuss our next moves?"

Kusanagi, who had answered the PDA, let out a calm voice. He was talking about cooperation with "Scepter 4"? Yata gave Kusanagi a vague look.

"Hmm? Fushimi? No, he's not here, but... what about Fushimi?"

The name that came up took his breath away.

Holding down the earpiece of the PDA, Kusanagi looked at Yata.

"Yata, you are not in contact with Fushimi, are you?"

Confused, Yata shook his head.

"Are you fucking with me? What did he do?"

"I don't like it... It seems they lost contact with him after he left after arguing with "Scepter 4"."

He stood up without thinking.

Kusanagi resumed their conversation on the PDA with a worried look on his face. Yata left the HOMRA bar without hesitation. Kamamoto was yelling Yata's name behind him, but he didn't hear it either. Feeling the winter chill on his cheeks, he frantically pulled his PDA and called Fushimi's contact number.

No matter how many times he called, there was no sign of Fushimi picking up.

"Saruhiko...!"

As he called out his name, Yata couldn't comprehend the emotions welling up inside him. A tingling fever that is neither impatience nor anxiety nor anger. He tried to get rid of his doubts, but it doesn't work. Fushimi's words held him back.

Come after me.

Is he not about to leave the place where he is now? So he's not trying to go somewhere deadlier? What if Fushimi, who was disappointed in his "King", Munakata, was able to escape from "Scepter 4"? So where will he go next?

"You cannot do that!"

Yata yelled at his own thoughts.

Fushimi left "Homura" because it was the right thing for him. Yata doesn't approve of this, but he doesn't doubt that Fushimi holds his own convictions. He believes that he is not the type of person who would switch affiliations over and over again just because he lost or was at a disadvantage.

Believe in him, he should have.

"It is not like this."

His soliloquy that fell on the asphalt while he lowered his gaze rang in Yata's ears.

++++++++++

Fushimi walks the streets at night.

The breath exhaled from him is white, and there are a lot of people. Now that he thinks about it, today is December 25, Christmas day. Fushimi snorted sarcastically as he walked past lovers snuggling together and families laughing as they held hands with their children.

No one here knows that until recently a deadly battle for the fate of humanity was being waged. Or maybe it was just an illusion. The fate of more than 7 billion people was being contested by only a few dozen supernatural beings.

But it is true.

Before long, all 7 billion human beings will become psychic.

The greatest upheaval in human history will occur. Many people will die. Laughing here and now, children, fathers, mothers, lovers and friends, how many will survive?

Fushimi stopped thinking like that.

He couldn't help but think about it. Even at that very moment, somewhere in the world there is a war and people are dying in vain. The happiness of the "here and now" only exists in the "here and now". Even if it eventually breaks, it is what it is.

Fushimi turned his back on that happiness and headed to a deserted park.

At that moment he rang a bell in his chest.

He clucked asking if he was still there and pulled it out. Awashima and other members of "Scepter 4", blocking all incoming calls, but it seems something was missing.

Fushimi narrowed his eyes when he saw the person that was calling on the screen.

Yata Misaki.

Contorting a cheek, Fushimi cut the call short.

He would add him to his block list as well. As he did so, Fushimi started walking again. He left the hustle and bustle and wandered into a deserted park.

Munakata's voice echoed in his mind.

(You were originally a traitor, right?)

Fushimi laughed, thinking that it was normal to say such a thing.

Traitor. That must be true. He discarded "Homura" and ran to "Scepter 4". There are many within and without the clan who call him a traitor. However, he never thought that "King" himself would say that.

He didn't know if those words were Munakata's true feelings. Or he could say that he was just telling the truth. What if Munakata said that after properly understanding what it meant?

Fushimi stared at the PDA screen with stagnant eyes.

"Then I will become a traitor..."

A green glow reflected off his glasses. Fushimi logged into his account for the first time in several years by touching the "Jungle" mark on the PDA screen.

#k #k project #k stories #reisi munakata #homra #yata misaki #scepter 4 #fushimi saruhiko #k rok #isana yashiro #yatogami kuro #neko #silver clan #awashima seri #kusanagi izumo #kushina anna #kamamoto rikyo #mishakuji yukari #jungle #gojou sukuna #hisui nagare #iwafune tenkei

[lutiaslayton]

Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva

ＰＡＲＴ　０５

〚ＦＩＲＳＴ〛〚ＰＲＥＶ〛〚ＮＥＸＴ〛

Disclaimer: This is a fan-translation for the Japan-exclusive novellisation of the movie Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva. The original novel was written by Aya Matsui under the supervision of Akihiro Hino, and belongs to Level-5.

This translation only aims to be a pleasant read for non-Japanese fans, nothing more: I made a few deliberate changes while translating in order to get the writing style closer to what is usually found in English fanfictions, as the Japanese storytelling can sometimes be different than what we are used to.

＊ The Legend of Ambrosia

Long ago, there was a kingdom ruled by a beautiful queen who loved music.

Because of her intelligence, her determination, her courageous actions, and her angelic voice… The Queen was truly adored by her subjects.

Every day, the Queen would sing for her people. Songs of happiness and joy…

♪

In this beautiful kingdom Life shines forth I shall keep your days bright With my warmth I will sing about this joy So it can be shared with you May this happiness Last forever

The people obtained free love from their Queen, and swore respect and loyalty to her in return; but these happy times could not last forever.

One day, the Queen fell gravely ill.

The people of the kingdom desperately tried to produce various medicines to cure her illness. All the doctors, scientists and priests of the kingdom were assembled, and joined forces to save her; alas, their elixir would not be completed in time.

One night, the queen used all her remaining strength to sing a final message to the people of her kingdom:

♪

We will meet again one day So do not grieve This is but the departure Of a fleeting life

The people of the kingdom wept, and responded by sending her off in song. In Ambrosia, it was believed that the most precious way to convey feelings to each other was through music.

♪

Why are you leaving us? This life will only stay with you

Eventually, the Queen died. In an ironic twist of fate, the cure was completed shortly afterwards: the elixir of immortality.

The people of the kingdom were deeply saddened by their Queen’s death. If only they had succeeded in completing it just a little earlier…

Using their newly completed elixir of immortality, they then decided to all gain immortality themselves, so they could wait until the day the Queen would be reborn.

♪

We will meet again one day

With all the love and adoration that they had for her, they kept the queen’s message in mind.

♪

Beyond a thousand nights Dreaming of the day when we can meet again We shall sing this song Only for you Our devoted tears are endless As we keep thinking of you We shall now Go to sleep…

The legend says that even now, somewhere in this world… The immortal kingdom of Ambrosia, which loved and was equally loved by its Queen, is still waiting for the day when her spirit will return.

The professor completed his retelling of the legend with these words:

“The truth behind the kingdom of Ambrosia remains a puzzle to this day, Luke.”

　⇚　　　　　　　⇛

#professor layton #layton's book club #eternal diva #eternal diva novel #professor layton and the eternal diva #translation

[bright-eyed]

.

I hate how any person who makes the case that people should try reading more complex or deep poetry or fiction always gets strangers popping out of the woodwork to call them snobs or say that they should be happy people are reading poetry and fiction at all even if it’s the more “accessible” kind built for entertainment. It’s very depressing to me how we’re still unable to talk about art without immediately getting shut down by accusations of snobbery. Are we still not at a level of depth as a society that we are able to talk about how some art is different from other art and they serve different functions and accomplish different goals? Hello?

Also it’s like… people who are making this case are sometimes writers or poets themselves who have genuine concerns about having to cater their work to a mass audience and simplify their art (their translation of their thoughts, beliefs, and most intimate experiences of the world) to cater to whatever consumer trends, which has always been something that artists of all kinds have hated and chafed against because it hurts and feels like the world is forcing them to conform in perhaps the one place where they have been able to express themselves freely.

And if it’s not a writer who’s making this case, it’s an enthusiast or a reader or someone who makes writing a big part of their lives and is genuinely really into it and knowledgeable about it. These people have a harder case to make because they can’t say “well I’m a writer and the skill and complexity I put into my work should be appreciated for what it is and I think it’s harmful to expect my work to entertain when it’s firstly an expression of self; I shouldn’t be forced to conform/etc.” As a reader, you’re arguing with other “readers” about why they should read differently, which is basically asking for a fight. People who identify as readers do notttt like to be told that what they read isn’t “enough” which makes sense because people generally get defensive when their identities get called into question like that. There’s also the problem of: as a reader you can’t argue on the merits of different ways of writing so much as the merits of different ways of experiencing writing, which is more obviously subjective, and a lot of the time people who don’t read “deep” stuff don’t even know what you’re talking about because they’ve never experienced it. Which is another reason to make the case… like it’s sad to see that there are people who don’t know what you’re talking about when you’re trying to relate a transcendent or revolutionary experience you had reading a novel or a poem, and not only that but scoff at the idea of reading that thing because it’s too “cerebral” or “boring” (ouch)

It’s impossible to explain to anyone really how sometimes the words are built different, and they can arrange themselves in such a way so as to tear you apart and make you whole again, or shine a light into a dark corner of your past, or touch your soul in a place your soul has never been touched, etc. I think it’s just something you have to experience, but I think once you do you can see why someone would argue that not all reading is created equal and that it’s sad that there are people who identify as readers who have never experienced the feeling that comes with certain types of reading, who might have blocked themselves out of it because they read the same way they watch netflix or play app games — for the dopamine. And it’s not even to say that reading for fun or pleasure is always bad, because it’s nice to read many different types of things, but the playing field is not even; “snobs” are reading Montaigne and the occasional ya fantasy when they get the itch, and “readers” are telling you Montaigne is a boring old windbag and you think you’re better for reading him but you’re not. And obv the hypocrisy is never addressed…

And we don’t always do this with some other types of art. We do it with music, but we don’t do it with traditional art so much. Maybe because people are less likely to identify as “art appreciators” and looking at art often requires going to a museum and standing silently in front of a painting, or reading art histories that some people consider pretty boring, which may prevent certain types of people from even caring about the argument, but you’re allowed to talk about how cartoons are different from, like, Caravaggio without immediately being hit with accusations of snobbery. Maybe this is also because the mechanisms for making art more entertaining have changed the face of it so much that it’s more evident (cartoons just look different than paintings). And because of that you can recognize that cartoon artists and animators are good at what they do in their own right but that what they embarked on is essentially a different project, an art that is expressed and experienced differently fundamentally. But I guess because all books look the same, as in are all just pages filled with words, the mechanisms are way less obvious. But they are there! Just like they are with music, even if untrained ears probably can’t tell the difference and many of us are just listening to whatever song makes us feel good in the moment, not looking to be transformed. Words are like musical notes except there’s like millions of them and they’re all a different sound and shape and color and texture, and the orchestra they create is both resonant and impossible to hear.

Anyway, what I meant to say is that we should be able to talk about books as part of a larger consumerist framework, and it shouldn’t be considered snobbery to ask for art to be above consumer trends. It also shouldn’t be too much to ask that people participate deeply in the art they claim to love, and to not claim to love it if they won’t appreciate the full range of its power. Also words can be very beautiful thanks for coming to my ted talk i have to go to work now

#meant to write like 3 sentences still can’t do that apparently #kennapost

[mistbow]

Decided to quickly translate this excerpt from the novel. One of my favorite novel-exclusive scenes.

As the shining moon hung in the sky, Sorey and Mikleo were walking together through the streets of Pendrago.

They would leave this town tomorrow, so they decided to explore for a bit before that.

“Who would have thought that the search for Maotelus would coincide with the trials of Shepherd.”

Sorey crossed his arms behind his head. Okay, so they decided to look for Maotelus, that’s fine, but the problem is where to go.

However, a clue came from an unexpected person. It was the explorer, Mayvin. When they consulted with him, who appeared by chance, about the whereabouts of Maotelus, he suggested the shrines dedicated to the Five Lords other than Maotelus. He said that the power of the Five Lords resides in those four shrines. The location of those shrines that Mayvin told happened to coincide with the locations indicated by the map of the mural paintings in Tintagel Ruins.

“We can search for Maotelus, undertake the Shepherd’s trials, and even see the shrines of the Five Lords; it’s like killing three birds with one stone!”

Sorey said with a smile on his face. However, Mikleo knew, exactly because he had known him for a long time already, that Sorey was forcing that smile. Mikleo sighed.

“I’ve been thinking about this, but....”

Sorey listened carefully without saying anything, wondering what Mikleo was about to say.

“I have found my own answer to your concerns.”

“My concerns?”

“Yes. You were worried about Cardinal Forton; worried if having a strong wish would give birth to malevolence. On top of that, because of your strong desire, you were wondering if someday you would give birth to malevolence.”

Mikleo could hear the sound of Sorey gulping. Eventually, as if sighing, Sorey spoke. “So you noticed....”

“There’s no way I wouldn’t notice.”

Mikleo glared at him lightly with a sideways glance, and to that, Sorey chuckled a bit.

“When I was in Elysia, I was aware that malevolence was a dangerous thing, but now that I’m out in the world of humans, I come to realize that it’s not that simple. Human society and malevolence are inseparable, even if we try to separate them. Living in such a world means that everyone has the potential to be tainted.”

Sorey looked over the town. Although Forton’s influence is gone, malevolence still remains. The people of this town were giving birth to malevolence without them realizing it.

“I might give birth to malevolence too.”

“You won’t.”

Without a moment's delay, Mikleo answered. Sorey frowned.

“...How can you be so sure about that? I have a dream that I really want to fulfill——and in that respect, aren’t my feelings the same as Cardinal Forton’s? She was giving birth to malevolence because of that.”

“You’re different from her. You’re not alone.”

Mikleo made it very clear.

“An unwavering will is needed to make dreams come true. But because of how strong it is, our vision narrows and our hearts become numb to the pain of others——but that's only because we are alone. Because we try to fulfill our dreams alone, we lose sight of the world around us.”

Mikleo said, grabbing both of Sorey’s shoulders, as if to remind him.

“Your dream is also my dream. If you are about to go out of control, I'll punch you to wake you up. Or you can’t trust me?”

Sorey shook his head without hesitation, and Mikleo laughed a bit at his vigor.

“That’s why I know for sure that you will never be caught by malevolence, ever.”

Sorey’s face softened.

“Your punches hurt, you know that?”

“Of course, so they will wake you up soon enough. That’s why you just have to keep going and keep believing in yourself.”

And then leave the rest to me. To Mikleo’s strong gaze, Sorey smiled.

“...Thanks, Mikleo.”

The cheerfulness returned in Sorey’s voice. When his childhood friend finally showed him an untainted smile, Mikleo was convinced he had conveyed what he thought to him.

“Someday we'll make our dream come true.”

The dream of a society where humans and seraphim can live together.

To this, Sorey and Mikleo bumped fists and giggled at each other.

#tales of #tales of zestiria #mino translates #i would translate the entire novel but do i have the time and energy for that

[lopsonminolta]

Reflections on Twofold

Well, I’ve been meaning to write my thoughts on the recently-released visual novel Twofold for a week now, so here they are. I’m not very good at analyzing media in general, but I’m gonna try my best here. Note: major spoilers ahead.

I obviously am a bit biased: I love the game. I love how it shines a light on all the beauty and love that can be found in the mundane, and how it shows us how happiness can be found in spite of the grief and loss we all experience. It also shows us how these things can change you as a person, and how you can grow from it all in a healthy manner.

Olive is a perfect canvas for Caprice and Millie, and they find both of the girls at a time when they clearly yearned for change. Caprice motivates Olive to find new ways to express themself, and Millie works with Olive to understand how to express themself in a more structured manner. Both impart in them a kind of boldness that young adults often lack, and is ultimately what pushes them and the others through the plot. Olive already had all of the ingredients to become a strong, dedicated, and loving person, all they needed was that final bit of love that both girls offer to them.

I really like how both routes go about showing this. In Caprice’s, there’s a focus on exploring new ways of expressing oneself. While that in and of itself is great, the route does show us how far one can get by just doing that over and over again without going in-depth into any of them. This is very much obvious when it comes to Caprice, who, when faced with her incapacity to deal with the main plot point, tries to cope by adopting yet more ways to express herself, like dying her hair blue. She knows enough to paint a picture of the situation, but can never nail the details down as perfectly shown by her asking Eileen to paint Adelaide’s portrait. And Olive, who’s been thrown into the middle of this abruptly, who’s relationship with Caprice is still in its early stages, who’s still trying to come to grips with who they’ve become thanks to the experiences of the semester, struggles to find ways to help Caprice to nail these down.

Millie’s route, (which was my favorite one), is an excellent mirror to Caprice’s. She asks for organization, structure, focus from Olive, and they quickly rise to the task. Olive and Caprice often feel like a “duo of individuals” who help one another grow in parallel, but Olive and Millie are a team and they grow as one unit. All the lessons learned from the writing club translate into a dialectic that guides them towards truly understanding the main plot point, breaking it down, and identifying/executing solutions to them. Millie got the details right, but could never get a full picture, and Olive coming in with a fresh perspective and giving her the opportunity and room to see that perspective was all she needed to finally break away from the rut she was stuck in.

Caprice’s route is jovial, lighthearted at times, and deals with the sort of emotional struggles that a younger person may find themselves with due to a sheer lack of life experiences; Millie’s route is more mature and portrays an earnest attempt of a young adult finally reclaiming that last bit of agency that so often eludes such folks. Caprice’s route, populated by people who love her, forces others to understand her better and spurs them into action; Millie’s route, who often shows her in hostile environments, be it due to animosities or misunderstandings, forces her to take initiative and have her attempt to talk things out in a way that encompasses all of those involved in the main plot point. Both are sad in their own way: the girls feel alienated from those around her, and when you pick one of the girls, you can’t help but feel sad for the other, doubly so after playing both routes.

I really appreciate that the game goes out of its way to never paint anyone in particular as a villain. This is, after all, a story about grief. It doesn’t even represent grief itself as bad. Indeed, it’s shown as a way to overcome certain obstacles—a painful one for sure, but a necessary one sometimes. Caprice and Millie’s parents fail to handle their situation appropriately, yes, but they’re genuinely good and likable people, their actions don’t stem from parental incompetence or lack of emotional intelligence… They’re grieving too, just like Millie is, and they’re not sure how to talk about it with the two girls. It’s frustrating that they put the burden of dealing with this situation onto Caprice; they failed to take into account that Caprice is still young and lacked the emotional intelligence to handle it all correctly. That’s on them for sure, but they immediately relent as soon as they’re called out or are put in a position where they know that the right thing to do is to do things themselves. It’s frustrating that they took so long to process all of this, to the point where it started affecting their own kids, but grief demands time and active effort, and they were both single parents just trying to find happiness after suffering such a tremendous blow…

Being young and in grief is never a healthy combination. Being young and already being asked to let go is sad. Being young and being forced into developing the emotional intelligence to navigate a cruel world and a tough situation is heartbreaking. Twofold cuts through all of this with beautiful language, with a grounded understanding of love and relationships, and it tries to show that if you let love in and you give love in return, things might just turn out alright in the end.

While Twofold does most things right, I do feel like there’s a few things that it could’ve done better. It’s a bit odd that everyone knows that Olive is non-binary, even people who’ve just met them. It felt too transparent, unrealistic even. As a non-binary person myself, I’ve essentially given up on telling people my pronouns as the likely outcome of that would be them getting it wrong, so seeing things working out like they do for Olive with zero effort felt like the game was unintentionally downplaying that facet of a lot of non-binary people’s lives.

Another thing that I feel could’ve been done better is making Darren’s transness more explicit during his introduction. I get that Darren himself would’ve been apprehensive about telling Olive outright that he’d transitioned seeing as he hadn’t seen Olive in a while and barely knew them, but still, when it comes to things like this, I do think that breaking immersion is justifiable.

There’s also a distinct lack of involvement from August in Millie’s route. While it does go hand in hand with Olive and Millie assuming agency over their lives, it’s still a rather noticeable absence, and I do feel like both of them would have benefited from talking to her.

Finally, I feel like Olive’s arc mostly wraps up once the semester’s grades are published. I wish there was more growth and participation from Olive in Act 3, I wish they’d been given more chances to reflect on their own past, too, on their family. I understand why that didn’t materialize, though: as a small team, you can only accomplish so much, and priority was given to Millie and Caprice.

Before I sign off, I need to give a quick mention to Perfect Circle, the game’s epilogue. It is one of the most heartfelt and heartbreaking things I’ve read in a long time. Though it portrays an unimaginably bleak situation, it out of all other parts of the game tries its best to show beauty in life regardless of circumstances. The visuals of it make that especially clear, and all I can say is that it’s easily one of the biggest payoffs I’ve ever experienced in a story.

I wish nothing but the best for this game and its team. Prost!! The game is out there, may it bring happiness to many people besides me.

#twofold #twofold spoilers #ramblings #my ramblings

[four-loose-screws]

FE7 Novelization Translation - Chapter 11 Section 2

If you would like to start from the beginning, read a missed part, etc., click here!

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———————————

Chapter 11: Four-Fanged Offense (Section 2)

The town's atmosphere, previously joyous as the people prepared for the upcoming ceremony, had changed to one of complete chaos.

All manner of weapons were being used, from sword and axe to magic and bows, and the battlefield had expanded to the edges of town. Any attempts now to tell either army not to cause any chaos would be in vain.

As Eliwood fought the Black Fang while being very careful to avoid hurting the townspeople, he noticed something strange.

'...They're trying not to get the townspeople involved either?!'

Those clad in black were refraining from attacking any of the locals, as regular citizens would not be associated with Eliwood. They also avoided casting any spells or shooting any arrows that had a chance at catching one of them in the crossfire; and even when slashing away with their weapons, they made sure none of the people were in range before acting.

Their way of fighting was so fair and just that it was unthinkable they could be Nergal's underlings, and it shocked Eliwood.

"Hey! Are you Eliwood?" 

A man's voice rang loud and clear in his ears. 

He laughed fearlessly and glared at Eliwood. 

From both his bold demeanor and appearance, Eliwood knew very well that he was no ordinary man. "...Are you this group's commander?"

"The name's Linus. Not that my name is something you'll need to remember when you'll be dead soon!"

"...In that case, there's something I want to ask you. I've been told the Black Fang is a group with strong convictions. …So why are you siding with a man like Nergal?”

Linus looked like he was thinking about Eliwood’s words, but only for a moment. He quickly drew his silver blade, shining in the sunlight. "...Nergal? That creepy guy Sonia introduced to our Father? I've got nothin' to do with him! I just carry out my orders!"

"And you haven't doubted whether those orders are right, even once?"

"Doubted? What is there to doubt? My father and brother's decisions could never be wrong!!"

"That's exactly why I…"

"Quit messin' with me!" Linus shouted to stop Eliwood from continuing the conversation any further. "I don't need Brother's help for this. In the name of the Fang, I will execute judgment!" That was the last thing he said before ferociously lunging at Eliwood. 

Eliwood himself also decided that there was no more room for conversation, and immediately fought back.

"Take this!" Linus put all of his strength into a single swing of his blade. 

In comparison to a standard, lighter sword made out of steel, his silver blade was much heavier, but he swung it with ease, fighting as if he was mad. Even Eliwood, who did not know his title, got the impression that he fought like a mad dog.

But Eliwood was not the kind of person to be put under pressure by such a fighting style.

“Haa!”

With a battle cry, in the blink of an eye, he brandished his rapier and cut a shallow wound into Linus' nondominant arm. 

Linus licked it and flashed a violent smile across his face. "Not bad. You're the second person to ever hurt me head on!"

The first was of course Lloyd.

"But I won't let you do it ever again!!"

He started his ferocious assault once again, forcing Eliwood to go on the defensive. 

Linus swung his blade down, thrust it in front of him, and ran forward to stab Eliwood with it. Eliwood either dodged or blocked each and every attack. To an observer, it looked like he was struggling, but the reality was quite the opposite.

"Dammit… Stop messin’ around with me!” Linus yelled in frustration as he continued his onslaught. He was actually becoming very angry. It irritated him that no matter how many times he attacked, he could not land a decent hit.

That was what Eliwood was waiting for.

The frustration built up inside of him would create an opening. When that happened, Eliwood would have his opportunity to claim victory.

"Eat this!" Linus raised his sword over his head and put all of his strength into swinging it down on Eliwood’s head. 

But instead his attack only sliced through thin air, and became lodged in the cobblestone laid out through the street.

"I-I failed?!"

As Linus shouted, Eliwood did not let the opening go to waste, thrusting his rapier in a blow intended to stab its sharp tip through Linus' throat.

However…

"Grrraaaaah!!"

Linus poured every ounce of strength in his body into pulling his sword out of the cobblestone. The force sent chunks of stone and dirt flying into the air, blinding Eliwood, and making him hesitate for a moment in his attack. For Linus, just that one moment was plenty.

He jumped back to put some distance between them, taking a moment to catch his breath and fix his stance.

"That was close. You're makin' this pretty fun!" He said with a fearless smile on his face. 

However, to Eliwood, this was not a time to be smiling.

After being on the offensive for so long and failing to take advantage of the opening his enemy created when impatient, he could not use that same tactic again. And Linus was a dangerous foe for him to fight head on. Both his strength and stamina were far superior to Eliwood's. With the opportunity he'd waited for gone to waste, now Eliwood was the one getting frustrated. 

Meanwhile, Linus, on the other hand, was enjoying their fight so much he could hardly contain himself. "It's been a while since I've found prey with this much fight in them! I'll be the one to take you down myself!"

“You won't have the chance!"

“Huh?”

Eliwood whirled around towards the source of the voice that had suddenly cut in between their fight from behind, and there saw the blade of an axe swinging down towards Linus' face. 

Linus swiftly blocked that attack with his blade, but the man - Hector - stood up and followed up with a second and third attack.

“I won't let you kill him!" Hector swung Wolf Beil and shouted.

“Alright, if you wanna die, then I’ll take you out first!” Linus raised his blade and roared.

They matched each other in both stamina and strength. Their head-on fight could only be described with one word: ferocious. 

Axe and blade clashed viciously, and their overflowing energy sent sparks flying. At its start, their grand battle overwhelmed all who saw it, but over time, it was Hector who became overwhelmed.

When two opponents are matched in strength, stamina, and skill, then superiority is determined by the difference in their weapons. In comparison to swords, axes have a shorter reach and smaller turn radius. Of course, victory against Hector would not be determined simply by what his foe was holding, but if his foe was just as strong as him or stronger, then that was a different story. The more equal they were in strength, the slighter the margin in the outcome would be.

“Hiiii-yaaaaaah!” With a thunderous battle cry, Linus unleashed a powerful attack.

Hector tried to block it with his axe, but in the end was pushed back. With the dry sound of scraping metal echoing into the air, Hector lost his grip on Wolf Beil, and it rotated through the air before finally lodging into the cobblestone.

“That was fun. But this is the end for you!” Linus shouted and swung his blade into the air.

But oddly, Hector, though he had lost his weapon, was smiling calmly. By the time Linus realized how strange it was, it was too late. At some point, Eliwood had gotten behind him, and was aiming the tip of his sword at Linus' back.

"Dammit, were you two plannin' this from the beginnin'?!" Linus said in regret as he threw his weapon on the ground. 

One foe was closing in on him from the front, and the other was taking him from behind. Linus thought that they had him completely trapped, but that wasn't really their intention. Hector had seen his best friend in trouble and saved him, and Eliwood had searched for an opportunity to help Hector once he was cornered again. They were in true harmony with each other.

From the very beginning, this fight had never been a one-on-one duel, but one where they risked their lives together. Linus did not think of Eliwood as a cheat, but was ashamed of himself for focusing so much on the enemy in front of him that he neglected to watch his back.

“L-Linus!”

“Don't come over here!" Linus barked at one of his men, who was coming his way to help him. "They're my prey! All of you get out of here! Now!"

"But…!"

"Shut up! Have you forgotten the laws of the Fang?!" 

Though it was obvious by the expressions on their faces that his words pained them, they slowly retreated.

To maintain their structure as an organization, the Black Fang had several rules. One that Linus’ followers could not betray was “Your superiors’ orders are absolute.”

After seeing that every last one of his followers were gone, Linus turned his head to look at Eliwood, who had the tip of his rapier positioned right up against his back.

“...I’ve lost. Brother was right. You guys are strong…” He said, expressing how deeply impressed he was, then took both of his hands off his blade, still lodged in the ground.

With that act, they could no longer sense any will to fight from him, and Eliwood relaxed.

He was too soft.

“But that doesn’t mean I’m gonna die like this, without anything to show for it!!” The moment Eliwood let his guard down, Linus moved with unbelievable speed for someone so giant. 

He swiftly pulled away from Eliwood’s rapier, then immediately whirled around and wrapped his thick arms around Eliwood’s neck. “I’m takin’ you with me!!”

Crushing his enemy’s neck bones was nothing for Linus.

Like a large snake strangling its prey, Linus’ arms slowly began to move.

Though Eliwood knew that he was staring death in the face, his expression did not change.

“...Do as you wish.”

“...I’m sorry, what?!" At Eliwood’s unexpected response, Linus’ arms stopped moving.

“...I noticed something while we were fighting. All of you… were careful not to get the townspeople involved.”

“Of course! Our target was always just you!” Linus said with pride. 

Eliwood looked at him and continued,

"We don't think the Black Fang is an evil group. …Why do we have to fight?"

"That's because you're the bad guys… Dammit!" Linus clicked his tongue, loosened his grip on Eliwood, and let him go. 

"I don't get it either! Sonia told Father you're evil, and he trusts her, so he gave us this order!" Linus shouted, getting everything that had built up inside him off his chest. His expression was a complex combination of both and pain and confusion.

He was visibly wavering and questioning everything he had trusted.

"Sonia? She's…"

"...I'm gonna leave for now. Once I get the details straight about you, I'll be back." Linus did not answer the question Eliwood began to ask, instead leaving the conversation at that before walking off.

ー

#fire emblem #fe7 #fire emblem 7 #the blazing sword #the blazing blade #eliwood #hector #lyn #lyndis #gba #game boy advance #nintendo #japan #japanese #translation #novel #light novel #fe7 novelization translation

[mask131]

French fantasy: The five "Great Old Ones"

A follow-up to the "Children of Orpheus and Melusine" post

Here are the five “pioneers” of fantasy in French literature, according to A. F. Ruaud: Michel Grimaud’s Malakansâr ; Francis Berthelot’s Kanaor ; Isabelle Hausser’s Célubée ;  Michel Pagel’s Les Flammes de la nuit ; dans Jean-Marc Ligny’s La Mort peut danser.

(And here I will translate Ruaud’s text, not just recap it) [Edit: The translation might be rough, I was tired when doing it]

I)

More than a novel, Malakansâr (1980) is a journey, a long quest of absolute. It is does not have a mystico-religious conception of the world, but it rather offers a meditation about interiority and personal evolution. To do so, the tale is willingly contemplative in tone. The settings, sumptuously described, are extremely important, the rhythm is of a slowness matching the low technology level of this world, and it all invites to “turn upon oneself”. It is not a static text however: there are adventures and twists, new discoveries and dangers keep appearing on the path of our three heroes. But we are not in an actual adventure novel: far from the generic attempts of many fantasy beginners, Michel Grimaud, an old man of literature, finds back the alchemy practiced by authors such as Jean Giono, and uses it to make his tale as poetic as original.

Silo le Do has always been a carefree boy refusing conventions: young man of upper class, he is born in the town of Sétil, that claims itself the “city of science” but that in truth is all about bourgeoisie and commerce. Silo disdains as much his parents, born in the prejudice of high society, as his companions, coming from the sordid depths of the city. One evening, a double-revelation completely flips his life over, and changes radically the orientation of his existence: at first, he hears a song in a tavern, the testimony of a poetess recalling the vision of a fabulous city, built by gods and unreachable to mankind. Malakansâr! A legend that Silo finds himself full of desire for. It was the first revelation ; then, as he reaches adulthood, his family rejects him, exhausted by his misbehavior. Disgusted with everything and completely lost, Silo escapes the city with for sole company the beautiful slave Mowo, that had just been offered to Silo as a gift.

Meanwhile, Glévian is a young fisherman living in the enormous swamps of the One Hundred Thousand Lands. For him, the “revelation” will come from a small statue discovered in the entrails of a water-wolf. A small statue made of white stone – a material unknown in his land, a material surrounded by legends, a material worth a fortune. Rather than sell the statue and thus making a career for himself, Glévian starts a quest in search of the model the statue was carved after. Glévian and Silo will encounter each other, of course, and three travelers will have to overcome their prejudice, their racial and social differences, in order to go to travel, from the continent of the Evening Lands to the one of the Morning Lands, in order to, maybe, one day, reach their dream.

This novel exists outside of the norms and outside of its era – it fakes a simplicity, and has an admirable lyricism. Malakansâr only has one flaw: the desire to ultimately bring itself back into the cradle of science-fiction, by giving a very unsatisfying conclusion annihilating the marvelous. But it doesn’t care in the end, since before this forced conclusion, it is the seduction of the magic and wonders that fully rules, helped by an admirable stylistic work – rarely the language will be as celebrated as in this work.

II)

A great stylistic care can also be found in Francis Berthelot’s Khanaor (1983). It is a shining, shimmering fable about a society learning harmony. Khanaro, an Atlantis-like island spared from the Christian dogma, is filled with wonders that also come from outside of the Anglo-Saxon tradition: Berthelot’s work rather finds its roots among Juline Gracq, André Pieyre, Mandiargues or Frédérick Tristan.

An official recap of the story goes as such: “Because the rivers are drying up, the wizard-queen of Aquimeur, Mervine, must sacrifice the wizards of Ardamance. Because the collectors of lava-snow of Ardamance are taking his country hostage, Leuthiag, the king of Goldèbe, must ally himself to Mervine. Because the people fear her, Mervine tries to kill Norenn, who was just trying to heal those around her. Sigrid, her grand-daughter, Kurt, the plant-charmer, Raïleh, Judith, l’Ancerf, Orchale and her father – they will all be absorbed against their will by this ruthless fate, under the pen of Francis Berthelot. But soon despair fades away… Will Khanaor be saved?”

III)

Célubée (1986), under-titled “Novel of legendary times”, was the first novel published by Isabelle Hausser, which afterward never returned to the lands of fantasy, as if she had stumbled upon them by accident. Presented as a tale dictated to a scribe by a young woman, the servant of a princess, this enormous novel is not a historical fiction like so many others: if there are strong reminiscences of Antiquity, this Kingdom and this City with very neutral names do not evoke any clear historical era. Coelia’s tale is interwoven with another one, told by the poet Anticléridès, a tale at first about his past life, then about the life of another country, far older than the Kingdom, the titular Célubée, and we do not know if the poet actually invented this other land, or if he truly dug it up from unreadable archives. The reality of the second tale gains more solidity page after day, and the maybe-myth of Célubée slowly invades the reality of the Kingdom.

A meditation upon myths and power, this novel is also an entertaining double-adventure tale; as well as a strange research upon the links that two legends can form between each other. A fascinating and mind-turning embedding of tales, Célubée uses its shining prose to modernize the charms of a classic such as Basile’s Tale of Tales.

When Hausser talked of her work in the year 2000, she said: “By writing Célubée, fifteen years ago, I wanted to write an imaginary story about the creation of the world and of human society. Having read novels since I was a child, I wanted to write the book I wished I could have read every night before going to sleep. […] Célubée is a bit like those mythical animals, halfway between beast and man, disturbing and comforting at the same time.”

IV)

Coming from the science-fiction’s seraglio (unlike the previous authors), and published in a collection of train station literature (“Le Fleuve Noir – Anticipation”, which is the most famous synonym of “popular s-f”), Michel Pagel, who doesn’t like categories, overcame stereotypes. He offered, with his Les Flammes de la Nuit (The Flames of the Night) (originally published in four volumes, then re-edited and rewritten into one integral novel) a work of the literature of the marvelous, that thinks about itself and that, without denying its belonging to the adventure literature, manages to renew itself by examining its own archetypes.

The world of Fuinör is a strange one: superficially, it looks like a fairytale kingdom, straight out of the clichés carried by a Cinderella cartoon. Everything is there: the castle, the knights, an enchanter that evokes Merlin, the good fairies that gather around the princess’ cradle… But it is all a façade, beneath which lies all the perversions of a frozen myth. It is a sclerotic world, built on unfairness and arbitrary. Fairies are the guardians of an established order – but is it a good order, or a bad order? Things are more nuanced than they appear at first… Rowena, catalyst of the change, will fight against prejudices, commit blasphemy upon blasphemy, all until she is exiled to the Land of Madness – and this is when her true quest beings.

One probably needed to be a hardy fool to publish such a novel in such an era (1986), but it was also needed for the author to have culture, intuition and talent. All in all, thirty years later, The Flames of the night still impose themselves as a mature success, that did not gain any wrinkle. Afterward, Pagel did another very beautiful journey throughout the lands of fantasy, with his historical novel “Le roi d’août” (The King of August, 2002), where he offers a mythological reading of the life of the king Philippe-Auguste.

V)

Another “hardy fool” of this time was Jean-Marc Ligny who, in 1994, brutally left the science-fiction genre, of which he was a familiar, just for the time of a novel, a novel written in a style of fantasy that we couldn’t identify at the time, but that we can recognize today as “urban fantasy”. The science-fiction world of the time held quite a grudge against him at the time, and was filled with extremely harsh and dry judgements for his “La Mort peut danser” (Death can dance). However, in present days, we see very easily that it is not a mediocre novel as critics described upon its release – it is a remarkable and original work, a dark and seducing novel. Between the Ireland of 1181, in the middle of the Anglo-Normand invasion, and the one of 1981, split by nationalist tensions and terrorist attacks, the narration wanders among Celtic legends. Bran and Alyz, avant-garde musicians, find themselves plunged (thanks to Alyz’s graceful voice) into a strange synergy beyond time itself, and are forced to accomplish the prophecy of a trio of crows…

VI)

I’ll stop the translation here to return to a “recap” mode.

Ruaud explains that, after those five pioneers, oasis of wonders and marvels in the desert of science and technology, “foolish” pioneers that tried to resurrect fantasy in decades dominated by snobbish critics and science-fiction authors, we would have to wait for the 1990s for fantasy to truly appear as such in France. It was when the “locks were burst open” and France knew a flow of “warriors and fairies”. Ruaud explains that this might be because the authors of the 90s had been, as children, part of the wave of role-playing games, as well as the audience of the boom of the American fantasy. Anyway, young authors suddenly appeared, in an editing world which had a brand new generation of literary directors, and it was a heaven-sent union.

The true formation of the French fantasy is tied to the Mnémos edition which, pioneer of the fantasy edition, published in small formats the new names of French fantasy: David Calvo, Fabrice Collin, Mathieu Gaborit, Pierre Grimbert and Laurent Kloetzer. They were not a “school”, but a generation, that soon became famous – and opened the way for even more authors afterward. The “Mnémos generation” opened a rift within the wall, and now fantasy has been flooding French literature.

Ruaud concludes by mentioning the three names who, for him, are already forming the “references” of French fantasy – Pierre Dubois, Mathieu Gaborit, and Jean-Philippe Jaworski.

#fantasy #fantasy literature #fantasy novels #foreign fantasy #french fantasy #french literature #french things #france

[claire-starsword]

Bloodline of the Sacred Dragons - Chapter 2-8 & 2-9

A small twig cracked in the campfire.

The sun had already set, and the dark of the night spread around them.

"This is the Manual…"

Bleu had opened the ebony box, and stared at the Manual inside. It was a bunch of semi-transparent slabs, set atop the felt covering the box.

He furrowed his brows slightly at the dread he felt coming from the artifact. It seemed he was the only one feeling such pressure from those crystals, due to being a Sacred Dragon.

The moment he extended his fingers towards it, he felt a shock, as if his soul had been gripped tight, so he pulled away in panic. He shuddered, feeling like his soul could be crushed if he did touch it like that.

He felt that it was not meant to be held. But it felt different from something sacred.

"What's wrong," Karin asked, getting the wrong idea from how he acted, "if you can't take it out, I'll do it."

"Right, thanks," he gave the box to her.

As their hands touched, Karin instinctively noticed his fear. She gave a suspicious glance to the Manual. Its crystal sheets shined beautifully, and she couldn't see anything else to it. She took it out of the box with ease, and held it against the light of the fire.

"How is this called a book?" Zylo asked, tilting his head at the object.

It was more comparable to stone slates than a book. The three rectangular crystal slabs shone in all the colors of the rainbow as they reflected the light in a diffuse way. Maybe that was due to an irregular composition, or due to some unseen pattern carved in them. No one could figure out the exact reason. The only thing clear to all of them was that it was in no way a regular book.

"It looks like my crystals, but the shape and size aren't the same," Randolf said, taking a crystal piece from his pocket for comparison. The Manual was larger than a person's two hands placed together, while his piece was slightly bigger than a nail. It was absurd trying to compare them at all.

"Maybe the crystals and the Manual are pieces of the same material. Even if not, I think they were both created by the ancient gods in similar ways."

Krin had her face almost glued to the Manual, inspecting its surface, clear of any writings, as if about to lick the thing.

"If that's the case, then the Manual might be a key to activate something. Yes. That's likely. Very likely."

Pushing against Krin, Tyrin glued his nose on the Manual.

"Wait, don't put your face all over it. Krin, you too, stop that already."

Looking at how they were troubling Karin, Randolf took the two shameless researchers by the collar and dragged them away from her.

"It is a key, of course. The Manual was one of the keys used to wake Dark Dragon. That said, I wonder if the three sheets are all the same. Or if they're meant for different things," Diane mumbled, as she recalled the times where she fought alongside Bleu and Zylo. Her younger sister, the mage Wendy, was sat by her side.

"They might be different. In Parmecia, there's nothing like Dark Dragon. The Sacred Dragons only need the Manual to stabilize the Power of the Earth going out of control," Camallia answered the elf girl after a while.

"As a key, any door it can close, it can also open. Isn't that true, Krin of Rudo Village?"

"Yes, it's as you say, king of Bustoke. As I've told you in the past, the Manual is a double edged sword with the magical power to both seal and release," she gave everyone the same description she had once found within old records.

"A thing this dangerous must be resealed by us, mages of Manarina, as fast as possible, in the temple of Dragonia."

Camallia turned with a harsh glare to Tyrin at his words.

"Then, what about the Sacred Dragons of Parmecia? What about me and the mission I've come to the land for?"

"No matter the case, you don't have the right to take something of Rune to another land."

"…How close-minded. As a mage seeking the golden rule of this world, is this how you deal with such matters?"

"I like to believe we act with wisdom," Tyrin frowned, offended.

"Being wise by yourself in your own little world, is there any meaning to that?" Camallia retorted, not taking a single step back.

Sitting next to Karin, Randolf made a face as if saying "what a big mess this is".

"I'm in agreement with Camallia on this matter. We shouldn't abandon people in need."

Karna joined the conversation with an unusually serious face. No matter what anyone said, she was an exemplary priest.

"In the end, priests are too focused on their doctrine. They should look upon matters objectively like us, mages."

Tyrin gave a look to Krin and Wendy, seeking agreement from them.

"That's right. So speaking objectively, we should let Bleu decide what to do next with this Manual."

Krin's suggestion was not at all what Tyrin expected.

Everyone stared at Bleu, who had been quiet with a troubled face, and at the Manual in Karin's hands.

"You're unlucky, huh, Bleu? To get this troublesome thing pushed on you," Diane said without any sympathy or attempt to comfort him.

"That's not it, Diane," Zylo corrected her. "It is not being pushed on him. He's being trusted to deal with it. As a Sacred Dragon, the Manual is his heritage."

Bleu raised his head to look at Zylo.

'What should I do?' This plea for help was on the tip of his tongue.

Zylo saw through him, and stopped him before the words could come out.

"You have to decide it by yourself. It is your responsibility. No one can push their will onto you."

Bleu was troubled. But, no matter how much he fretted about it, he couldn't find an answer, a light on the end of that deep tunnel.

As a Sacred Dragon, should he seal to Manual to protect it, as per their ancient duty? Or should he risk it in the journey to Parmecia to save his kind? Or maybe destroying it right there was the correct choice.

After all, what did it mean to be a Sacred Dragon? Bleu couldn't even figure that out. Should a Sacred Dragon be someone capable of making these heavy choices? Of standing above the people and deciding everything?

The determination he had found before to cross to Parmecia had crumbled once he got here.

He felt that deciding things by himself was very risky.

If the Manual was stolen by monsters, destruction would befall the world. The only way to perfectly avoid that was to abandon his kind.

The truth is, it was possible to save the Sacred Dragons and then seal the Manual after that. However, that would require something from him. He would have to protect the Manual from all the devils…

Bleu had not found enough confidence in himself to do so.

Without help from the others, he hadn't even been able to protect Karin.

"Bleu…"

Karin understood his pain so much it hurt.

"Don't decide this as what a Sacred Dragon should do, but as yourself. Because before being a dragon, you are Bleu. I believe in you."

Zylo nodded deeply at Karin's words.

"I also trust you, that's why I'm leaving it all in your hands. You should trust your allies more as well. The reason one hero was able to seal Dark Dragon in the past is because he had many people by his side. By himself, he wouldn't have been able to do anything. When many people join forces, their power shine brighter. That is why we became known as the Shining Force."

Diane agreed with him.

Bleu looked back fondly at the times he fought alongside those two. Besides them there was Gort, and Alef, and so many other companions. And now too, he found himself surrounded by many allies. Finally, he thought back on the Silver Dragon's deep blue eyes. More people had been waiting for him far too long, beyond the ocean.

"That's right, if you put your faith in people, you can also ask them for help. You should rely on others, us, more often."

Krin's words hit the mark. Yes, to not rely on others was the same as not trusting them.

"Let's go to Uranbatol…" he declared, "we'll defeat the beasts in the coast, and cross the ocean to Parmecia."

Some breathed in relief, some nodded in silence, some made troubled faces, there were all kinds of conflicted reactions. But no one objected. The way ahead had been decided.

Tyrin still raised another small issue, but was reassured once Zylo told him he'd send a messenger to Otrant to communicate the situation.

"We'll return to Bustoke tomorrow. We came here pursuing the devils that had suddenly invaded, and ended up too far from our country. We cannot leave it empty like in the past. We also have to escort back the injured party from Manarina that we rescued."

Hearing that from Zylo, Krin knocked her hands together in realization.

"Being pursued by the forces of Bustoke, the devils hastened their pace. That's why we encountered them sooner than we expected."

"In the end, it turned out well for us. But, we can't let our guard down yet. We will search the region for monsters before heading back, but it might be difficult to get them out of hiding. Until you reach the Pao Plains, take Wendy with you for more protection."

The lively elf girl introduced herself to the group.

"Let's place a simple seal on the Manual to protect it along the way."

By her suggestion, the three mages prepared to seal the ebony box with the Manual.

The seal of Coeurl van Coeur.

It was classified as a simple seal. However, its strength could be increased depending on the materials used. The greatest one was dragon blood. In that case, it could also be called the Dragon Blood Crystal seal.

With Camallia and everyone else watching, the sealing ritual began.

Wendy took several drops of blood from Bleu, and inscribed the seal on the ebony box. She, Krin and Tyrin created enchanted chains with the Sacred Dragon blood, wrapping them around the box.

"With this, this box cannot be opened until it receives your blood again. Someone could still get to the Manual by destroying the box, but they'd be risking destroying the Manual itself with an attack like that."

Three blood stains marked the box, shining like small garnets. Wendy picked the box up and gave it to Bleu.

Feeding more twigs to the bonfire, the group heading to Pao Plains went to sleep.

"Will it be okay, letting just them go ahead?" Diane asked Zylo when switch night-watch turns with him. "I'm wondering about that devil, the one the priest called Ziduur."

"He was wounded, so he shouldn't strike again too soon. In the off chance he does, Wendy will be with them so there isn't much need to worry. Or, maybe you're itching to go with them too?" Zylo laughed knowingly.

"Oh, who knows?" She played dumb.

"We left Stetra and old Kokichi taking care of Bustoke, but we can't leave the country for any longer than this. Besides, if they didn't ask for our help, we shouldn't interfere. They have made their own decisions and will see them through by themselves. This is Bleu's journey, not ours. It's frustrating, but we don't have a reason to be in this new Shining Force this time. Besides, you still have a lot of things to do back in Bustoke."

"Please go a little easy on me, Lord Zylo."

Excusing herself gently, she left back to her own spot.

***9***

Bleu woke up in the middle of the night, and looked over all his companions sleeping around him.

They all had very different views, yet had placed their trust in him. He had to protect them.

Camallia had said it once. Sacred Dragons are the ultimate guardians.

In that case, what should he protect? It shouldn't be just the Manual, like his race had done so far.

But the Manual was back now.

Bleu took a look at Karin's face, sound asleep under his wing.

It should be his responsibility to protect her. But, if one day he had to choose between the two…

As a Sacred Dragon, and as Bleu, which one would he pick?

The black of the box in Karin's hands was as frightening to him as the darkness of the night.

Translation notes:

As far as I can tell, "Golden Rule" as it's written in Camallia's line refers to the ethical principle of treating others as one wishes to be treated. But the way she says mages seek this rule of the world makes it feel more like some natural principle. I feel like I might be missing something in that conversation, but after days mulling it over I couldn't figure anything out, so i stuck as close as possible to the literal wording.

Karna uses the very formal pronoun "watakushi" when supporting Camallia, something she didn't even in the last time she got serious and formal about her convictions (before entering the dwarves' passage). She's really putting as much weight as she can on her decision here.

Again, the novel avoids using Max's name. I felt it didn't flow too bad here though since he's used as kind of an example only, so i kept the wording this time.

Would a japanese translation truly be complete without discussing the word 仲間 (nakama)? Of course not. If you have never read a shonen manga before, first of all good for you, and second, nakama is a very loose word that can refer to people in the same group, activity, or even just some category, like family or such. This means Bleu uses the same word to refer to his old allies, his current ones, and the dragons of Parmecia, since they are fellows of the same race. I could not find a way to keep the same wording so that paragraph is not as fun, but hopefully the meaning still came across.

I don't know why the author highlights Alef and Gort of all people. Alef and Torasu are some of the first members to join the force after Bleu, so that might be it, but I see no connection between him and Gort. I legit wonder if the author meant Torasu instead. But that's just speculation on a very short line.

The seal name. Boy was this a headache. "Couer" is "heart" in french, which makes sense for a blood based seal. Meanwhile, Couerl is... the name of a cat-like SF species, also used in Final Fantasy and the inspiration for D&D's Displacer Beasts. That, doesn't sound like it should be here, but I could not find another reading for that katakana, and maybe it's just meant to be similar words?? god knows what the "van" is doing here too, i'm been wrestling this name for two days, i'm just tired at this point, it's phoneme soup.

Stetra is the medicine expert that makes Lunar Dew for Zylo in the game. I think the english version doesn't name him, so now you know.

Kokichi being mentioned here contradicts the guide book epilogue where he went to live in Rindo instead. Between this and Earnest it's clear the novel did not consider that guide book for anything.

#shining series #shining force #shining force 2 #shining force novel translation #bloodline of the sacred dragons #sf bleu #again. what a great lesson he has just learned. really good. don't look at the page count #sf karin #i knew her lines from the video summaries and boy. what a contrast from game karin #back then i wondered if it was legit character growth or just the writer ignoring her kid self for the sake of a perfect love interest #i honestly don't have a clear opinion on this yet! #the novel does not acknowledge the way she cared about him 'acting like a real dragon' as a kid. i miss that a bit #but she has grown since chapter 1 #she was forced to reevaluate her relationship with him. to stop seeing him as someone she has to guide into growing right #and the sacred dragon thing is now no longer the thing tying him to rudo but something tying him to the manual and another land #so i feel it makes sense. she is trying to be better for him while also feeling a little desperately clingy #it is a pain though that she basically no characterization beyond him though #her sister has been around for two whole chapters and we don't really get much of their relationship #karna is also growing attached to her and it's not reciprocal and we don't even get anything from this lack of reciprocity #sfbotsd camallia #sf2 tyrin piper #facts and logic guy is not a surprising characterization but boy is it an unpleasant one #sf2 karna twiggy #only person with morals in this disaster #sf2 randolf dongo #sf krin #sf zylo #sf diane #she's so funny. so absolutely merciless. 'lol you're stuck with this dumb artifact that sucks lol' #i legit already headcanoned her as bad with people's feelings so that was great to read

[lastdaydreamer]

Beware The Villainess

“A refreshing, unique villainess who’s been dropped in the world of a novel, only to overthrow it all! The reason why? She couldn’t just stand by and watch the female lead be manipulated by all four shitty male leads. The story of a pragmatic villainess who intends to throw out all the jackasses, the friendly heroine who is equally miffed at said idiots, and a wolf that only yearns for her!”Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Shoujo Type: Manhwa Released: 2020

General: 3/5 stars for story, art and concept

For me: 4/5 stars until chapter 72ish then 3/5

Recommended for people who like fashion, full casts of attractive characters, fantasy, romance and strong FL

The villainess stories have been popping up all over lately and are already becoming a bit cliche in the same way most isekai are.

You typically have a goodie goodie replace someone who is supposed to be a villain in a story. They usually have a pretty strong motivation to be good so that they can avoid some terrible fate that they are aware of because they entered the world with prior knowledge of the characters.

I like the idea of the villains taking the main stage and self aware MC but there are the same tropes are reused each time for these:

The main character is brought into a wealthy and privileged home where they ignore all the rules that define their class, adhering to them only when it’s convenient for the story. (like refusing to follow rules until their rebelliousness would make certain events and plot points not happen. Like going to a ball they don’t want to attend or wearing outfits that they fought against wearing even though they already have ruined reputations for not wearing those outfits originally and would gain nothing from wearing them after the fact)

Having a small band of over powered outcast friends

All the characters being in love with the MC but the MC somehow not noticing at all because she’s too focused on fighting the plot or just ditsy.

The MC not knowing when she likes/loves someone because she’s never been in a relationship and so somehow that translate to not knowing when you like someone....somehow.

The characters not communicating vital information with each other that would help avoid easy misunderstanding.

These types of things aren’t a complete deal breaker because I liked most of the manga. But it started to drag on for me towards the end. It lost it’s edge for me at the kidnapping. And I forced myself to finish it after that out of curiosity.

Where it shined:

The comedy, art and the FL are a breath of fresh air! You will find yourself cheering for Melissa pretty early on. She’s hilarious and the faces they have her make are flawless. I had plenty of chuckles at her reactions.

The art was beautiful and the outfits was to die for. If I could tailor those outfits, I would. Anyone looking for inspiration should flip through this one to check them out!

Yona. She is the maid who is everything. She puts up with none of the bullshit without extra pay and refuses to get caught up in the mindless devotion all the other characters have towards the FL. Her attitude is endearing and I felt like the story would have been even better if she had been given more of a spotlight.

I loved the role reversals! It was so exciting seeing Melissa being so gallant! It gave me Revolutionary Girl Utena vibes but better because the outfits were so hot. I was obsessed with her strength and declarations towards her both Nine and Yuri. It was refreshing to see the men be emotional and delicate. The female prince and the male princess energy gave me life.

Beware, there will be spoilers but the heavy spoilers are at the end of this post. Tread lightly.

Where it fell flat for me

Yuri baiting. I love GL stories and I thought that Yuri had a chance with Melissa. I was sad to see her feelings being completely ignored. I was hoping that if they didn’t work out that maybe another girl might step in but that never happened and Yuri just kinda ended up loving Melissa from a distance. I thought it was shitty that the plot said that Melissa was fighting the story for Yuri’s sake but Yuri became an after thought. I would have liked some romantic tension between them or for them to acknowledge that they were both aware that they were in a story. Never happened.

OP besties trope is tired. It wasn’t really clear to me what awakening meant for the werewolves but having Nine awaken and suddenly being a match for his brother was nonsense to me. If he had become emotionally stronger instead of just getting a random power up, I would have respected it more. Standing up to his brother would have been a more powerful moment without it. Yuri is already supposed to be a super powerful magician and healer. It sucks that she was healer in general when every other character seemed to have flashier powers but even then she was OP which made her conveniently able to fill in any gaps in the story using her powers. I think that would have been more impactful if she wasn’t OP but instead her abilities were a result of her having memories from her past life. She remembered all the magic she learned and it accumulated into her having a surplus of magical knowledge and training. Yona was perfect as she was. She didn’t have any crazy powers or unreasonable hidden strength.

I didn’t like when the story started to get hypocritical and typical. Melissa gripped me because she was ready to fuck up the MLs for being shitty but she never gave them the chance to change. The reader watches them grow from her actions towards them but she wrote them all off even then. The only one who couldn’t be redeemed was Peacock because he was a monster. Watching the other boys trying to be better and seeing her continue to write them off stung a little. Especially since she was able to sympathize with the original Melissa even though that version of her never really changed, she just basically decided that dying and letting the new Melissa have her body was for the best since no one loved her. Melissa said that people didn’t get to be shitty just because they had a sad life but she only let that rule apply to the MLs.

I really wanted her to build a relationship with them but all she did was bully them into submission. Nine’s twin deserved it but after a while, I wanted her to have something other than just aggression. Carrot and stick style is more interesting to me than just stick after stick. It’s something that I see in teen novels a lot that I always hated. There’s always just OP characters or some ex machinga plot armor that protects them from the consequences of using your influence to crush someone else into submission. They make a point of gaining power only to use it in the same exact way that it was used against them. At someone point, OP aggression and bravado was all she used. Even in the final showdown with the god of the book world. I don’t even understand how she won.

Disclaimer: She doesn’t owe them shit and isn’t  responsible for their mental/emotional/physical well being. I just don’t like someone using abuse to counter abuse. It’s funny and well deserved at first but when they are trying to grow, they should be given the space to do that without the constant berating. Like she hated that her brother didn’t acknowledge her but when he kept trying to, she’d attack him. If he’s building the bridge that you acted like you wanted, then stop trying to burn it down!

Which brings me to the unanswered questions that took me out of the story. How did she beat the god? Why was she in that world? When she finally dies, won’t the story start over with the original cast and the original problems? Why does Yuri have any memories of her past lifetimes in the book when no other character does? If Yona is the one that god loves, then why does the god stay with Yuri for most of the story? Did the real Melissa just die or is she aware of current Melissa’s actions?

That last question made me really sad and opened my mind to how shitty it must be for all the villainess characters in this genre who lose their entire identity to some random person who usually ends up getting everything they wanted but couldn’t have because they were who they were made to be. It’s tragic and cruel in nature. I felt bad for original Melissa who had to realize that no one loved her and never would. They would only love the person who stole her body and life without every knowing that she was gone. Having her cheer on her body snatcher made it even sadder to me. I would love to read a comic that really dug into that.

SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO DON’T WANT TO READ IT BUT WANT TO KNOW HOW IT ENDS. SOME MATURE THEMES

For sure this manga has a happy ending. Melissa ends up becoming the duke (yes Duke) and becomes a popular celebrity and hero to all. She marries her werewolf companion, Nine, who has a big dick(the writer made this canon not me!) They have a child who isn’t there’s by blood but who they love dearly. They can’t have kids because they are different species so this is a nice alternative. She was noble’s child who was unwanted for not important reasons and kinda just tossed in one of the many epilogue stories.

Yuri falls in love with Melissa but Melissa never notices this. Yona and Nine do but they never bring it up to her. Nine because he’s jealous, Yona because she can’t be bothered.

We find out that Yona was going to be a Saint because she was “loved by god” but she didn’t want to take the position because she knew it was basically just her being a prisoner to the church her entire life. She meets Yuri for the first time her and gives her one of the two sacred crystals balls she found in the church. This allows them to stay in contact with each other, which they do for years even though Yona is very standoffish towards Yuri. A wizard who cares about the acting Saint wants to free them both but the ancient Saint refuses. He helps Yona escape and they stay together for a few years until he finally goes back for the Saint. She asks the wizard to kill her and he does which gets him arrested and stripped of his magic. All the money Yona has been gathering is to get him out of jail. We don’t know his ultimate fate since we never see her get him out or even tell her story to Melissa who could probably help.

(this really made me love Yona even more. She is the only character who is resolved to solve her issues on her own, but I still feel sorry that the person she cares about is in jail and how hard she has to work for his sake)

The MLs all end up with their destinies altered. The prince dude still become emperor, the werewolf ends up co-leader with Nine’s twin brother(the brother was supposed to die in the fight against Melissa but Melissa stopped Nine from killing him. I was hoping they would end up a couple -sigh-). Peacock gets out of jail but becomes a nonentity. Melissa’s brother stops being a stalker and just kinda does it job in-between mourning his gun.

They all are better people at the end (except Peacock).

The other couple is a female knight who teaches Melissa how to swordfight and Yuri’s older brother, who is also a high class magician. They are also a role reversed couple and are very very very cute. They end up getting married at the end of the manga. 

#beware the villainess #review #manhwa #manga

[shinraapologist]

light novel reread, vol. 1 ch. 9

this is a HUGE chapter, not necessarily length wise, but in plot and relevance and personal interest. i have a lot to say about it.

this is the first instance in the series of narita playing with nonlinear storytelling. i have my gripes about narita, but his writing is incredible. the way he weaves narratives together to form one cohesive story is absolutely masterful. the complexity he works with amazes me. i love the amount of absurdity and fun he allows into his prose and his plots while still not being afraid to go dark with his subject matter, without ever going so dark that it ever feels too voyeuristic (altho that could be the target audience of teen/young adults) (ya disease even). narita is a huge influence to my own writing style.

neither namie or seiji are done any justice in the anime. i love the anime dearly, but on my second more in depth read of the novels (so far) i cant help but notice how much was lost in the animation. something i think frequently, and will likely bring up again later in the series, is that i think the anime deserves a reboot. my proposed drrr reboot would be four seasons (24 or so eps each) following the 3 light novels to a season format of the 2010 release. (for anyone who hasnt read the novels, season one covers the events of volumes one to three while x2 follows volumes four to thirteen; it does break the season into three with the shou/ten/ketsu format, but theres just way too much to cover well in 36 episodes.) i absolutely love the pacing and charm of the 2010 release, to be honest.

i love this passage about shooter and celty. its something else that doesnt quite translate to the anime. in one of the later authors notes of the series, when the 2010 release was announced, narita mentioned that either he or a fan expressed concern over the novels translating well to an animated format. while i do love the anime and think it's a decent (and even at times incredible) adaption of the source, i think drrr truly shines in its original format.

theyre best friends, your honor.

shizaya shippers.... you guys know they got forced to go on sushi dates right? like i dont tend to see many shizaya posts or actively seek them out so i have no idea if this is common knowledge but its driving me insane. they canonically got forced to go on sushi dates. and get threatened by simon.

theres just so much to say. theres so little to say because it says itself. if anyone could truly understand celty besides shinra, its shizuo. two monsters, both struggling with their own desire to fit in with others. i absolutely adore shizuo, nearly as much as i love celty and shinra, and now that he's added to the story you're gonna have to hear me say a lot about him.

(mikas in pajamas because she broke out of the yagiri lab earlier, shes barely recovered from surgery probably) this is how celtys face is described in the novel.

seiji stabbed shizuo in the ass by the way

theyre best friends, your honor. every time you see shizuo slap his face in the anime, hes drunk as fuck.

shinra, about to lie blatantly to celty: im not honest, sincere, or wise. but you are! love you babe <3 celty: wait you like me?

the only thing really stopping celty from wanting to be with shinra right now is her insecurities. something i love about their relationship is that celty knows shinras full of shit, and she doesnt tolerate it, while at the same time never genuinely seeming particularly bothered by it. the times we see her most agitated with him, its because he's either pushing a subject he knows he shouldnt or because she's overwhelmed or flustered by his abysmal flirting. she knows hes a lying morally bankrupt little asshole and shes like. but wait. i dont have a head how could you even like me

celty, while being plagued by the deeply human emotions of anxiety and self doubt, still isn't sure whether she truly feels emotions. she's so horribly self unaware. i love her.

celty has such a pleasing character arc coming to accept herself and her emotions. theres a scene in sh where celty has a very celty-esque little anxiety meltdown and startles a few characters, but mizuchi, the protagonist, is described as "long since having to come to terms with how truly human celty was".

i guess i had a lot to say about this chapter because i have a lot to say about shinra and celty (and shizuo) at any given moment. so far, this has been my favorite chapter of volume one.

#drrr #light novel reread #i WILL be revisiting a ton of these points when i come back for nonbinary/autistic celty meta #i think this is the first one of these i did while violently high #si let me know if this makes no sense or if i need ot do them all like this

[mornyavie]

“Turning Darkness into Light“ is a good book!

Hi everyone! I’m here to tell you to go read a book because it was very very good and I felt compelled to share. That book is Turning Darkness into Light, by Marie Brennan. It’s nominally an entry in the series The Memoirs of Lady Trent, but while the previous books are also great and would offer some helpful context and easter eggs, it’s a time-skip forward from the rest of the series and stands on its own just fine (I haven’t read the entire series myself).

Listen, ok. Listen. Have you ever watched Indiana Jones and thought “gee, for an archaeologist he sure doesn’t care much about the context of the artifacts he discovers?” Have you ever watched an adventure movie and scoffed as the heroes flawlessly translate ancient texts into completely sensible modern poetry? Do you have wish-fulfillment fantasies about going back and transcribing the Cotton Vitellius manuscripts before the fire? Do you fucking hate every memory of the Victorian antiques trade? Do you think period novels would be better with dragons?

Then have I got the book for you!

I am not exaggerating in the slightest when I say that this book had me on the edge of my seat with my tension and anticipation, and also that the main plot is the characters’ efforts to preserve and translate an ancient epic. Marie Brennan studied folklore and anthropology, and while her interest in these things have been clear in recent works, they shine through in this one. She has put tremendous care into every aspect of the ancient society she portrays - from odd-seeming poetic devices to inscrutable idioms to common scribal errors in the language, I can genuinely only compare her work to Tolkien’s, in detail if not in scale. The process of preservation and translation is given the same care, as the characters are frustrated by damaged tablets, unfamiliar metaphors, and hapax legomena.

Also it’s a book about the explosive political tensions that mount as recently-encountered dragon people begin establishing their first embassy with pseudo-Victorian England.

The act of translation that occupies the main force of the novel matters, as human and dragon work together to discover the history of their species, in metaphor if not in fact, and it is genuinely, really thrilling. Also there’s some explosions and a few mild cases of breaking and entering.

But mostly it’s about translation.

When Lord Gleinheigh recruits Audrey to decipher a series of ancient tablets holding the secrets of the ancient Draconean civilization, she has no idea that her research will plunge her into an intricate conspiracy, one meant to incite rebellion and invoke war. Alongside her dearest childhood friend and fellow archeologist Kudshayn, she must find proof of the conspiracy before it’s too late.

#books #sff #book reviews #recommendations #turning darkness into light #marie brennan

[itsuki-minamy]

"K - RETURN OF KINGS" (Novel)

CHAPTER 11: MEETING

* List of Chapters

Translation: Naru-kun Raws: Ridia

The students were the first to react to the column of light.

At that time, it was just after school in Gakuenjima. After a long class, several students begin to stretch their wings. Some people go to club activities, others start talking about playing, and others prepare to go home. How they enjoy their freedom varies from person to person.

Among them, Sota Mishina was forced to do housework.

"Why the hell should I do something like this...?"

While he muttered to himself, he carried the many materials that the teacher had given him and headed to the warehouse. It was on the way that he noticed a column of light.

"What's that?"

The students around the glowing green light pillar were also buzzing around, some holding their tan PDAs and trying to take pictures. Mishina would have done the same if he had free time, but unfortunately he was full of luggage. He then approached the window and tried to look closer.

At that moment, the window exploded.

"Wah?!"

He couldn't help but fall on my butt and the materials were scattered throughout the hallway. As if he was fleeing from danger, Mishina began to back away with his butt pressed to the ground. As the window suddenly burst, he thought something had been thrown from outside.

But it was different. The force that broke the window came from the inside, not the outside.

Mishina realized that that power resided in his own hands. He looked in horror at his hand, which was emitting a mysterious light.

"Mishina, are you okay?!"

His classmate Inaba ran towards him. Mishina tried to ask for help.

"Kyaaaah!"

Inaba's hands also emitted red light.

"What?!"

The red light burned Mishina's bangs and spread to the nearby curtains. As the curtains burst into flames, screams could be heard from the surrounding area. No, not only that. The surrounding students also emitted light, causing confusion everywhere.

"W-what is this?!"

"Oh, I don't know either!"

Mishina was screaming against the wall and Inaba was no longer trying to get closer. Mishina's hand and Inaba's hand were each enveloped in a different color of light. If that is a source of danger, approaching someone would put them and others at risk.

"What is happen...?!"

Mishina cautiously stood up and looked out the window; His eyes widened.

He could see the school building, the club building, and the playground from the window, and he saw flashes of light and columns of smoke rising.

Unsure of his feet, Mishina put his hand against the window. His hands were shining. Mishina swallowed, seeing that as proof that the world had changed forever.

+++++++++++

"That is...!"

Kukuri Yukizome ran out of the school building and gasped at the sight.

Gakuenjima was in an uproar. The students were running and the teachers were trying to guide them. However, the teachers were unable to control their power, which contributed to the chaos. Exposed to the red light, wooden benches caught fire and streetlights hit by green lightning short-circuited and exploded. An unbridled power attacked the people, making them flee in terror.

Kukuri recognized that scene.

"It's like that time a year ago..."

A year ago, the school occupation incident. The school was occupied by a mysterious group and the students, including Kukuri, were trapped by them. Kukuri remembered that the group at that time had certainly used similar powers.

However, Kukuri immediately denied it.

"No, it's different. Back then, those people were using strange powers. But now, it seems that everyone in the school has been taken over by strange powers..."

Kukuri tried to remember in detail what happened a year ago. Perhaps because of the shocking experience of being held hostage, her memories of him were only hazy.

What he remembers are his eyes.

Two wet, glaring eyes looked at Kikuri from the darkness. However, she felt as if dozens of people were staring at her. Exposed to that gaze, Kukuri was too scared to move. Like a pitiful rabbit thrown before a fox, she could only stare at him, trembling, as her eyes closed in...

The next thing she knew, Kuro was holding her back.

With his help, Kukuri evacuated to a safe place without knowing why. However, the fear and anxiety did not disappear. She was afraid of not knowing. Like a child afraid of the dark, Kukuri could only tremble along with her classmates.

That fear has returned for the first time in a year. Kukuri bit her lip and placed her hand on her swaying chest.

Her hand began to glow.

Like that time a mysterious force took over her.

An instinctive fear welled up from the depths of her memory. Kukuri closed her eyes and screamed, trying to push her hand away from him.

"No!"

"Kukuri!"

Someone screamed and grabbed Kukuri's hand.

The glow on her hands gradually weakened and disappeared. Kukuri watched, blinking. Her own hand and Shiro's hand holding her.

"Hey, good. We're on time."

"Shiro-kun...? Kuro-kun and Wagahai-chan too."

The person who was smiling gently was a boy named Isana Yashiro, whom she had met just a month ago. Kuro and Neko are there too. She didn't know how it worked, but she realized that he had stopped her from losing control and lowered her head in panic.

"Thank you, Shiro-kun."

"No, it's fine. I would prefer that..."

When he was about to say that, Shiro shook his head with a smile on his face.

Seeing that smile, Kukuri felt a strange feeling.

She has not had a long relationship with Shiro. She can't even count the number of conversations they've had.

However, she felt that something like this had happened before. Kukuri was attacked by "something", but Shiro rescued her. Even though it shouldn't have happened and even though she doesn't remember it, she felt that Shiro had always helped her.

When she was about to confirm that, Kuro opened his mouth.

"Kukuri. I have a favor to ask of you."

Kukuri asked again with wide eyes.

"Huh, me?"

"Ah. It's something only you can do."

Kuro's expression was very serious and Neko nodded her head. Kukuri looked around her. Although her own power has diminished, the chaos continues and it is unclear how much damage it has caused. She didn't think that she, a mere student, could do anything in this situation.

But...

She constantly received help from Kuro, Neko and Shiro. If there is anything Kukuri can do for them, she will do it.

Kukuri nodded and said resolutely.

"...Yes. Tell me what I can do!"

+++++++++++

And then the light went out.

The column of light that penetrated from the underground to the heavens suddenly disappeared without warning. In the blink of an eye, the light particles dissolved into the air, leaving only silence as if nothing had happened.

"It has disappeared...?"

"No."

Hisui Nagare leaned forward and responded to someone's murmur.

"This is the true form and true brilliance of the "Dresden Slate", the treasure that creates the "King". What a joy. I am moved."

His tone was calm, but it was obvious to everyone that Nagare was excited. His cheeks are cheerful and his eyes shine. It was a natural reaction since a lifelong wish had come true. Just as Nagare had said, the "Slate" was glowing.

In contrast to when the pillars of light roared, the current "Slate" shines with a calm light, like the surface of a lake reflecting moonlight. Although the intensity of the liberation is no longer present, the brilliance of it is imbued with an intangible divinity.

Mishakuji put his hand on his cheek and murmured dreamily.

"Light that transforms the world. How beautiful..."

"Hey, Nagare, will this become a new world from now on?"

Nagare shook his head at Sukuna's question.

"It's not going to change now. It's already changed."

"Already changed?"

Iwafune crossed his arms. The way he looks at the ''Slate'' is filled with an unchanging sense of resignation.

"The "Dresden Slate" is a device that allows all humans to evolve into kings like us. It was originally awakened by the "Silver King", but the stubborn elder of the "Golden King" suppressed its functions. Until now, this thing has been operating in safe mode."

"However, there is no longer anything that can stop the "Slate". With the "Slate" regaining its full power, all of humanity has evolved and the possibility of becoming a "King "has opened up."

"There is a possibility for all humanity..."

Sukuna gasped as he considered the meaning of those words.

"Okay, we're outside now."

Fushimi followed him and muttered to himself.

"...It's probably a disaster."

He has run the simulation many times. When people have power that cannot be regulated, they will fear it and use it because they are afraid. To protect himself, to satisfy his own desires. Unspeakable chaos and riots ensue. It is impossible for the powers that be to suppress it.

Countless people will die.

He recognizes it as the pain of childbirth.

"Yes. When previously powerless people gain supernatural powers, the existing order will be overturned and a new world will be born. A world where they can shape their own destiny."

"...A world where you can resist unreasonable death."

Iwafune's expression was dark. Only he knows Hisui Nagare's estimation. He realized that there is a world beyond the enormous sacrifices and mountain climbs.

Then, Nagare nodded silently.

"Affirmative."

Sukuna tilted his head, but immediately smiled confidently.

"Hmm... In other words, my future opponent is a king like Nagare. Great, my arms are ringing! The stronger the enemy, the more rewarding it will be to defeat him!"

Mishakuji suddenly laughed. He shifted his gaze towards the "Slate" and opened his arms as if to welcome it.

"A new world created by kings who compete with each other. A paradise will come for the fittest. We will become the flowers that bloom in that world."

Nagare stared at the Mishakuji. Iwafune and Nagare were not the only ones who suffered an unreasonable death. Does Mishakuji remember his past, or is he not the kind of person who gets caught up in those things? Even Nagare's brain could not measure it.

One thing was for sure, he was looking forward to that world.

That's good. It doesn't matter what dreams he has, as long as his goal is the same, there is no problem. The members there were like-minded people. At least, for now.

And Fushimi turned on his heel. Walking away in the opposite direction from the hiding place.

"...What a stupid thing."

Nagare didn't miss what he muttered. Nagare continued thinking as he watched Fushimi's back retreat.

+++++++++++

Prime Minister's Office.

It is said to be the most important place in the country, where the Prime Minister, the leader of Japan, holds office. For more than half a century since the end of the war, numerous management operations have been carried out in that room. Although there is a knot in the eye, the Cabinet Office still has the ultimate authority and has been able to deal with various situations.

However, all Prime Minister Kanichi Samukawa could do now was listen to the news on television.

"Now, I would like to inform you about the news regarding the increase in incidents related to unique abilities. Incidents related to unique abilities have been occurring frequently since the beginning of this year, but the number of incidents has increased explosively since around noon today. Taking the situation seriously, the government asks citizens to refrain from going out. Similar phenomena are also occurring in countries around the world."

"Please change the channel."

While he was muttering, the secretary hurriedly operated the remote control. However, when she changed the channel, all the broadcast stations, even those that were broadcasting anime even during the state of emergency, were covering this incident in a big way, which only added to Samukawa's stress.

Samukawa asked, drumming his fingers on the desk impatiently.

"Have you heard from "Jungle"?"

"Not yet."

"That's strange! I never heard that such a big disaster would occur! If this continues, it will become a diplomatic matter!"

"Even if you ask me, I don't know."

The secretary frowned in confusion. She was a woman in her twenties with beautiful eyebrows, but her biggest flaw was that she couldn't respond flexibly. Samukawa regretted his mistake in choosing that person and said that he did not choose her because of her appearance.

At that moment, his feet trembled and a roar echoed from somewhere.

"What?! What's going on?!"

As Samukawa looked around in a panic, a corner of the wall surrounding his office disappeared, as if it had been cut away, and began to reflect the scenery outside.

"This...! I can see through the wall!"

"Eh?"

The secretary was increasingly confused. Of course, since the Prime Minister suddenly started mumbling something strange.

However, Samukawa himself understood what had happened to him. That's a phenomenon that has been happening frequently since "Jungle", who suddenly awakened to supernatural powers one day, stole the "Slate" for ordinary humans. That's what happened to Samukawa.

However, that is not an immediate problem. The real problem was the view beyond the transparent wall.

The Strains that were emitting an unearthly glow were arriving in droves. They are destroying the main gate, knocking down the SP, shouting angrily and raising their fists, and are about to rush towards the official residence.

"There's a disturbance at my official residence! Come on, gakk!"

Samukawa turned his bright golden eyes towards the secretary and growled involuntarily. Her clothes were transparent and the lines of the secretary's body were clearly visible.

The reason why he couldn't help but look away was not because Samukawa was a gentleman, but because he was shy. The disturbance is a much more serious problem than the female body in front of him.

"No, someone protect me! Please call Munakata-kun!"

"But Prime Minister, you fired Reisi Munakata..."

"Oh, it's true!"

At the same time, he put his head in his hands, there was a loud knock on the office door, causing him to tremble.

Samukawa crouched under the desk. Crouched and trembling, he cried out in regret.

"Munakata-kun! It was my fault! Please help me!"

+++++++++++

Iwafune, who was lying on the couch, asked Nagare while he was playing with his PDA.

"Somehow, we have received a request for help from the Prime Minister's Office. What are we going to do about it?"

Nagare didn't even turn around. He replied casually as he looked at the glowing "Slate".

"At this stage, the importance of the existing national power has become extremely low. There is no need for us to help. We will ignore them."

"I understand."

Iwafune turned off the PDA and threw it away. Then, he stared at Nagare's back, standing in front of the "Slate".

Hisui Nagare had already been released from the straitjacket.

By connecting to the "Slate", he was able to gain almost unlimited abilities. Even without the straitjacket that traps supernatural powers inside him, Nagare can continue to "alter" his own death.

He can live.

From Iwafune's point of view, Nagare was just doing the obvious. It is natural for a living being to fight to survive.

Iwafune took a deep breath and muttered.

"That was long."

Nagare also responded without turning around.

"Affirmative. We had to hide for a long time to escape the pursuit of the "Golden King"."

"At that time, it even gave me chills. I never thought you would fight with the golden old man. And you were beaten."

"Kokujoji Daikaku was immature to get so nervous just because a child was jumping, even though he was an old man. I thought I was going to die. I regret that."

Iwafune laughed again at Nagare's words, which seemed to hit him from the bottom of his heart. Actually, in terms of insanity, Hisui Nagare is by far the best. At that time, no King would have even imagined that he would "challenge the great enlightenment of the country".

"Well, that's over now. The "Golden King" is dead and the "Slate" is ours."

"This isn't over yet."

Nagare said, interrupting Iwafune. Iwafune frowned suspiciously and saw several holograms appear above Nagare's head. Among the images of the Red, Blue, and Silver clans, there was one image that caught his attention.

Reisi Munakata.

The "Blue King", dressed in civilian clothes, walked calmly with a single man on his back.

Nagare muttered.

"This time it's the opposite of what happened a month ago. It's our turn to defend and their turn to attack."

"Looks like that guy hasn't learned the lesson."

After laughing at the irony, Iwafune suddenly had an idea.

"Is that why they closed the connecting passages besides the Yomito Gate?"

"Yes. At the same time, we are removing the civilians from around Yomito Gate and gathering the U-Ranks into this "secret base". This is an exceptional process, but we will maintain this system until everything is finished."

The clan members probably won't be able to fight the "King" too much. Furthermore, he recognized the man Munakata brought with him. The "Zenjo Demon". It is the pocket sword of the previous "Blue King" Habari Jin, and is also the man who killed Habari. Although he is a member of a clan, he is supposed to have power comparable to that of a "King".

Iwafune opened his mouth as he thought.

"So, you're assuming they'll even infiltrate the "secret base"?"

"However, the possibility of them reaching me and the "Slate" is not zero. But..."

Before Iwafune's eyes, his power increased.

A visibly green aura overflowed from Nagare's body. With that, Nagare slowly stood up from his wheelchair. He looked at the image above his head and smiled fearlessly.

"As long as I am connected to the "Slate", there is no time limit for me. It is infinite. There is no chance they can defeat me. It is zero."

Then, Nagare looked at Iwafune again.

"Therefore, it makes no sense to place two "Kings" in this place. Iwa-san, please welcome the "Blue King"."

"Huh? Is that what you expected too?"

"Possibilities always exist."

Iwafune took a deep breath and stood up.

He was thinking that he had finished everything he had to do and was just waiting to see what was left, but it seems that won't be the case. Well, if he thinks about it, although the threat still exists, there is no way Nagare will allow the "King", who has the greatest strength, to be idle. Iwafune stopped suddenly as he turned on his heel, wondering if this was his last task.

"If you have the power of that "Slate", you can release your "alteration" power to its full potential, right?"

When he said it, he wanted it to be something happy. The power of Negare that is directly connected to the "Slate" is as powerful as has never been seen before. It will probably surpass even Kokujoji Daikaku in its heyday.

Iwafune said laughing.

"So, could it be possible to change things in the past? For example, Iwa-san's losing horse racing ticket quickly turns into a winning ticket, and other things..."

It was just supposed to be a casual comment.

However, at that moment, what flashed through Iwafune's mind was a scene of ruins.

Kagutsu Genji. The "King" of violence. Hundreds of thousands of deaths were born as a result of that rampage. There are no signs of life in the completely destroyed city, and Iwafune is the only one walking in its midst. No matter who he calls, there is no voice that comes back. The people who loved him, the people he protected, disappeared from this world.

The "Slate" awakened all humanity to turn them into "Kings". They have gained the power to transcend cause and effect and distort phenomena.

If he used that power, he wondered if he could make that never happen.

That tragedy. That destruction. Even now, from this moment on, he could start again.

"I'm sorry. Iwa-san."

Nagare's words cut off Iwafune's delusions.

"Why do you apologize?"

"I can't do that. Not even I can change the past."

"......"

Seeing Nagare's apologetic expression, Iwafune felt ashamed and mocked himself.

"Well, that's true. There's no way there could be a story that good."

He shrugged. Although it was a joke, Iwafune was still ashamed of himself. He was ashamed that Nagare had seen past his selfish dreams.

They can't change what happened before. And he remembered that it was because of that tragedy that they are there today.

"I believe that working constantly and diligently is the shortest path to happiness. I'm leaving."

"Yes, take care."

Iwafune thought silently as he walked towards the exit of the "secret base".

(That's right. Changing the past and starting over isn't convenient, right?)

Nagare is looking at the "Slate". However, what he is really seeing is not a relic of the past. That is the future they are about to enter.

He will make all humans "kings" and push humanity to the next stage. For that reason Nagare died and for that reason he was revived. The new world that is about to begin is one in which he deserves to breathe.

(Your power is the power to change the present and change the future. So go ahead and remake this world, this giant toy box, however you want, Nagare.)

Smiling slightly, Iwafune left the "secret base".

"Please calm down and try calmly! You will be surprised to see that strange power suddenly appear, but it can be controlled!"

Kukuri, who was standing on the stage, issued a loud loudspeaker.

At first, the voice was so low that she was easily drowned out by the confusion caused by the supernatural powers. The students became frightened and ran away from fear because of the anxiety that an unknown power was coming from none other than themselves.

Still, Kukuri was unfazed and continued to encourage the others.

"Remember what happened a year ago. When this school was attacked. Just like that person who saved us back then!"

Meanwhile, students began to appear and responded to Kukuri's voice.

Like burned disaster victims, they began to gather around Kukuri. Their bodys emitted a supernatural light of red, blue and green.

Kukuri jumped off the stage and touched the bright red arm of the student in front. The student cowered in fear, but when Kukuri emitted a silver-white supernatural light, the red light was enveloped by her and disappeared.

"Uh... this..."

"It's okay. Calm down."

Kukuri smiled at the student, as if to reassure her. She was still confused for a moment, but then nodded slightly and crouched down, cradling her arms.

The surrounding students gasped when they saw that. They were scared and confused, but they found a ray of hope in what they had just seen.

Taking advantage of that opportunity, Kukuri once again turned on the speaker and raised her voice.

"This power is not to destroy anything! It is to protect ourselves! So please...!"

"A year ago..."

"Now that I think about it, there was someone who helped me back then..."

"What resides in us now is the same power that those people had! So please do not be afraid! You can control this yourselves! Once you have calmed down, tell the others that it is okay and they can control it!"

Little by little, people began to gather around Kukuri.

Although each of them emanated supernatural powers, they desperately tried to control it. Some crouched on the ground, while others held hands to prevent their powers from getting out of control.

The light of supernatural power was weakening. In proportion to that, their confusion decreased. The fear and anxiety had not completely disappeared. The students were still scared.

Even so, she could no longer find anything that was falling into chaotic chaos or reckless behavior. Reflecting the anxiety of disaster victims, they began to discover what they could do.

With a sigh of relief, Kukuri lowered the speaker.

(This is fine, Shiro-kun. Kuro-kun. Wagahai-chan.)

Supernatural powers have not disappeared. If another agitation occurs, their fear will return. If that happens, she will simply raise her voice again. She will share with everyone what she was taught and her willingness to face chaos.

(I do what I can only do. That's why...!)

With determination in her heart, Kukuri turned her eyes towards the sky.

In the distance, she could see an airship flying away from Gakuenjima.

+++++++++++

There was no one left around Yomito.

There was no one on the streets, neither in the offices nor in the shops. It was certainly a big problem for "Jungle" to be able to evacuate so quickly without resorting to public authority. Or perhaps he was already linked to public authority? Munakata thought so and denied it himself.

They are not interested in power. They can use it, but they will not consume it.

With that in mind, Munakata moved forward slowly.

Several members of the "Jungle" clan had already set up a blockade at the Yomito intersection. The words "KEEP OUT" written in large letters on the yellow tape made him laugh. It's like being a police officer.

The members of the Green Clan noticed Munakata's appearance and began to secretly whisper.

"Hey, in formation."

"Ah. Yes, according to the information."

Members of the ''Jungle'' clan emerge from the buildings around the intersection. All of them were armed with firearms. In normal times, that would be unlikely.

In that case, Munakata thought. It must be war time now. This is a war that ''Jungle'' wages against humanity.

Suddenly, a voice rang from behind.

"It seems that this is definitely the base of "Jungle"."

Munakata didn't look back. A sword demon following him like a shadow, Gouki Zenjo, responded as he looked ahead.

"Yes. That bright light was there for 15 minutes and 30 seconds. It's hard to miss."

"There are many enemies. Should I take the initiative?"

Zenjo, who belonged to the Blue Clan of the previous generation and waged a war against the demonic "Purgatory", would not be able to face an armed group of that caliber. If he was thinking about the future, he should have conserved his strength as much as possible.

Still, Munakata shook his head.

"No, it's okay. It's not your job to expose yourself."

"So, the boss himself?"

Munakata smiled calmly at those words.

"I'm not the boss anymore. I'm just a king."

Then, Munakata and Zenjo touched the "KEEP OUT" tape.

With just that, the tape was cut soundlessly and fell to the ground.

At the same time, the tension between the members of the "Jungle" clan suddenly increased. The muzzle of a gun pointed at Munakata and a cry of alarm rang out.

"They have crossed the blockade line. Activate Protocol A!"

"Shoot! You'll get points just by attacking!"

The flashes from the mouths flashed all at once, dyeing Munakata's vision white. Despite the countless killing attempts directed at him and the deadly white light, Munakata's smile never disappeared.

+++++++++++

The battlefield was not just outside. The information processing room inside the "Scepter 4" camp had also become a kind of battlefield.

Since the "Pillar of Light" was erected, the number of emergency calls to "Scepter 4" from various parties has increased dramatically. Supernatural crimes are under the jurisdiction of "Scepter 4", and they are probably simply following the rule of leaving all problems related to the supernatural to "Scepter 4", but as a result, their lines of communication with the outside world were about to explode.

"The number of incidents caused by supernatural powers is increasing dramatically! It's as if the entire nation has become Strains!"

"It seems that some cases have turned into riots! Although it is not confirmed, there is also information that the Prime Minister's official residence was attacked."

Enomoto and Kamo, who were in charge of information processing, gave a report that sounded almost like a shout. The only devices that were connected to the outside world, such as PDAs, received notifications as frequently as once every two seconds. Fuse, who was also in a hurry to process the report, shouted in frustration.

"Vice Commander! Does this mean we still have to wait?"

Awashima bit her lip. Fuse's words were reasonable. What is "Scepter 4" used for if they don't protect people from supernatural powers?

But...

"...We can't move now that we've been ordered to stay still."

The order was an order. "Scepter 4" is a security organization and is permitted by law to use force. If the law does not allow them to act, they cannot act.

"But! If things continue like this, there's no point in us being here!"

"Fuse. Right now, all we can do is gather information."

Benzai stopped Fuse as he clenched his fist in frustration. All members shared the regret of not being able to take necessary action when necessary.

Akiyama looked up from his computer and asked.

"You still can't contact the Captain?"

"...Yes."

Awashima frowned and shook her head.

After being removed from his position as chief, Munakata disappeared. In the absence of the boss, Awashima, the deputy boss, must take over. Similar situations have happened before, so there was no problem in itself.

The problem was that there was no "King".

Beyond the boundaries of their organization, they were a single clan. The "King" who was supposed to watch over the big picture and show them where to go is now nowhere to be found. That's the real problem.

Awashima must now decide her own actions. In the midst of this chaos, they must decide what to do or not do without depending on the King.

(Is it really possible for me to do something like that?)

When Awashima asked himself that question, Domyoji spoke.

"Vice Commander! Look at this."

"What's happen?"

"I was monitoring the area around the "pillar of light" that had risen in the direction of Yomito, and this image appeared...!"

The members, including Awashima, ran towards the PC. Everyone gasped when they saw the person reflected there.

"Captain?!! And Zenjo-san too!"

Reisi Munakata and Gouki Zenjo.

They both wear unmistakable "Scepter 4" uniforms. With slow steps, they advanced forward without hesitation. In front of them was a group armed with firearms.

Enomoto said with a groan.

"These guys... they're the Green Clan! It's so unreasonable for just two of us to invade the enemy camp!"

"The Green Clan... I didn't expect Fushimi-san to be among them..."

"Call me an idiot! But why only Zenjo-san...?"

The members of "Scepter 4" began to make noise upon seeing the absent boss on the other side of the monitor. However, Awashima did not hear that. She closed her eyes tightly and muttered in a low voice.

"Captain...!"

Various emotions came and went in Awashima's chest. Most of it was painted a color called "repentance".

Munakata is probably risking his life by staying there. Waiting nearby was none other than Zenjo, a former member of "Scepter 4".

What that meant was that Awashima wasn't right for the role.

"Guh...!"

What she feels is not resentment, it is her own insufficiency.

Having lost their "King", they find themselves in a state of confusion. She doesn't know what to do and all she can do is gather information. That's why Munakata chose Zenjo. That man will not hesitate. He acts first, he decides what is needed and when it is needed.

Then...

Awashima opened her eyes. There was no longer any conflict there. She looked at the noisy members, exuding strong determination.

"I give up on "Scepter 4"."

The room fell silent as if it had been hit by water.

At that critical moment, no one could think that Awashima was upset. Awashima's eyes clearly reflected her determination.

"As long as I am a member of "Scepter 4", I cannot leave this camp. I cannot involve them in violating orders. I may be narrow-minded, but that is my limit. But..."

As she spoke calmly about her determination, Awashima took out her saber, complete with its sheath, and placed it on the desk. That's because now that she is a private citizen she can't use that saber that a public servant gave her.

"Even so, I want to be the right-hand man of the "Blue King", Reisi Munakata. Even if I am no longer a public figure, I will serve at his side and do whatever is necessary. That is my role."

"Vice Commander..."

Benzai murmured, and Awashima looked directly at Akiyama next to her.

"I'm sorry, Akiyama. From now on, you will take command of "Scepter 4". I'm leaving."

Akiyama, who is calm and collected and has military experience, is the coordinator of the "Special Task Force". If you leave it to him, he will be able to deal with any unexpected situation appropriately. It may seem irresponsible, but that was all Awashima could do at that moment.

"I understand."

Akiyama nodded silently and turned to look at the members of "Scepter 4".

"As you heard. From now on, I will be in charge of commanding "Scepter 4". As acting commander, I will give orders."

He then spoke with a cheerful voice.

"Now we will go to the headquarters of the Green "Jungle" clan, the culprit of all this, and try to calm this situation down!"

"What?!"

Looking at Awashima, who was upset, Akiyama gave orders one after another and finally looked at her.

"During operations, the protection of civilians must be given top priority and the greatest possible adaptations must be made."

"Yes!"

"I understand!"

It seems like Awashima is the only one panicking. The other members are all smiling and starting to move energetically. They contacted several locations and steadily moved forward with preparations for shipping. As if to alleviate the frustration of not being able to move, even if they wanted to.

Awashima slammed the desk and raised her voice.

"You idiots! Were you listening to me?! This is a violation of orders..."

"No, you are no longer Vice Commander... Awashima-san."

It was Benzai who interrupted her words. With a smile on his face, he took the saber that Awashima had just placed there and held it out to her.

"You are now a civilian. You are subject to our protection. Yes, that's it. In case of an emergency, we will lend you self-defense equipment under the authority of "Scepter 4". Okay, Akiyama?"

"Ah. As acting commander of "Scepter 4", I give permission."

A slight smile appeared on Akiyama's lips. When she looked around her, she saw that everyone (Kamo, Domyoji, Enomoto, Fuse, Goto and Hidaka) were laughing and looking at Awashima. Their eyes told the same story.

(We will not let you go alone. We are also members of the Blue Clan.)

"You guys..."

They murmured quietly, the same smile appearing on Awashima's lips.

The absence of the "King". The awakening of the "Slate". Despite the confusion occurring one after another, they were still able to find an answer. The "Blue King". Just like Reisi Munakata did, it is important to chart your own path and move forward without hesitation.

Even so...

They would control the sword with the sword, because their cause is pure.

"Okay, let's go."

Akiyama nodded and gave orders to his soldiers.

"Scepter 4, go ahead!"

"Yes!"

And then they started moving. To put an end to that chaos and see their King again. Grasping the saber in their hands, "Scepter 4" began to regain its meaning.

+++++++++++

The bullets flew like a storm.

Most of the bullets are 9mm Parabellum bullets fired from small-caliber submachine guns and their lethality is low. However, it is powerful enough to penetrate a person's skin and bite into their flesh, and if shot with dozens of muzzles, an average person would fall to the ground in seconds.

Munakata continued walking calmly under the bombardment.

Just before hitting Munakata, the bullet broke into pieces and scattered into the air. Upon touching the supernatural field developed by Munakata, it is decomposed and transmuted by the enormous Weismann deviation that the "King" possesses, and disperses into pieces of paper.

It was like confetti celebrating the royal path of Munakata.

Of course, that's already been included in "Jungle". The failure of "Emerald" has already made it clear that the "King" does not have normal firearms.

His salvo is nothing more than a blinding one. The real target was behind Munakata, on the roof of a 70-meter-high building.

"Jungle". The U-Rank "Hawk Eyes" was kneeling on the roof, patiently waiting for an opportunity. What he has is a plasma cannon that was specially lent to him by the "Green King". An electronic sight made with cutting-edge technology points at the top back of Munakata's head, distorting his "Hawk-Eyes" mouth.

"His movements are predictable...! This plasma bullet is a condensed version of the same power as "Raiko no Jutsu". If it hits directly, it will be able to take down even the "Blue King"!"

The reticles that had been shaking came together and turned green. The plasma cannon roared as it absorbed all the electricity in the building and "Hawk Eyes" pulled the trigger.

A straight line of lightning shot out from the rooftop.

Normally, even the "King" would not have been able to avoid the plasma bullets that were impossible to predict or see with the naked eye. His supernatural ability transcends physical phenomena, but he cannot see the future. You can't react to things you can't feel, that's a fact.

However, there was someone there who made it possible.

Gouki Zenjo.

The saber that was released by the super reaction waved at the same time as the plasma hit. The green arc discharge and blue aura collided, scattering sparks of ultra-high temperatures.

The plasma bullet was the first to lose energy.

With all its energy sublimated, the bullet disappeared, leaving only the smell of burning ions. Zenjo sheathed his saber and bowed as if nothing had happened.

"I did something shameful."

"I could have saved you a lot of trouble if you had done nothing."

"It's a joke."

As Munakata said, Zenjo's role was not that of a bodyguard. It is nothing more than a safety valve, an automatic device to prevent the worst from happening.

Decapitate Munakata before his "sword" falls. That is Zenjo's sole and absolute mission.

The members of the Green Clan were visibly uneasy as Munakata advanced without stopping in the slightest. Some of them began to retreat, fearful, with weapons in their hands.

"Fuck no! We can't even stop him!"

"Calm down! Anyway, the door can only be opened from the inside. No matter how big the "Blue King" is, he won't be able to break through on his own!"

Hearing that voice, Munakata smiled softly.

That's how it is. Even if Munakata knows the location, he can't open the door. There was no other option but to force a breakthrough, but if they used so much energy, they would have no energy left to fight the "Kings" who were waiting for them.

Munakata stopped at the intersection and pushed up his glasses. "Jungle" only threatened from afar, and his attacks had already ceased.

"Now, all that's left is..."

He already made his move. It only remains to be seen if it came into force. All Munakata could do now was wait.

+++++++++++

In the southwestern part of the outer "secret base" area, there is a bathroom for employees who once worked at that water storage facility. Only two days ago they discovered that place, which was cleverly hidden behind multiple barricades and protective sheets.

It is not known what they call that place. It doesn't seem like a necessary room for the "Green King", who controls everything electronically. However, at least that room is a control room that controls access to the "secret base", and the electronic map and surveillance camera that were called in reveal that Munakata is just around the corner.

At this moment, Fushimi Saruhiko's PDA is connected to the control panel of the control room with multiple cables. The process indicator is at 95%. He managed to evade Nagare's attention and pass through multiple layers of security to finally get there. The long work will soon be finished.

(Oh, really?)

Fushimi smiled sarcastically at the question that suddenly came to mind.

He remembered a dinosaur made of pixel art. He was also attacking a pixel art building. An animation he created himself suddenly showed behavior that should be impossible. A man made of pixel art that he didn't remember making appeared and chased away the dinosaur. He looked at him and warned him that he could see everything.

That was quite a horror. Although it wasn't exactly traumatic, he left a strong impression on Fushimi.

It's been a long time and he's grown. However, his opponent is the "Green King", who rules the network. He figured he could see that too. After knowing everything, he won't let them swim? Is he nothing more than a monkey dancing on Buddha's palm?

As he thought about those questions, "Process Completed" appeared on the screen with surprising ease.

Fushimi looked unimpressed. He simply touched confirm and that's it. All that's left now is to quickly escape from there.

"Hello, Saruhiko. As expected, you work quickly. I'm impressed."

"......!"

His eyes widened and he was surprised, but somewhere in his head he was still thinking, "I knew it." The chair creaked and he turned around.

Kotosaka stayed on the shelf. However, Fushimi knows that it is not Kotosaka. Hisui Nagare, who was on the other side, spoke to Fushimi with a voice that showed no emotion.

"I know your purpose. You intend to invite the "Blue King"."

"If you already know, kill me immediately."

Fushimi said that, but Kotosaka bowed his head.

"There's no need for that. There's no reason to do that."

"Eh...?"

"Until you complete that task, you are not a traitor. Rankers have the right to walk freely within the "secret base", and private battles between Rankers are not particularly restricted."

Nagare snorted and wrinkled one of his cheeks ironically.

"The moment I finish, I will become a traitor and they will kill me."

"It's helpful for you to understand quickly. If I may add, even if the door opens, the "Blue King" won't be able to get that far. You'll just die for no reason. It's the death of a dog."

"Are you threatening me?"

"It's an invitation. Saruhiko. I'm really inviting you right now. You've managed to sneak past me and get to the point of opening the door."

Fushimi looked at Kotosaka in silence, while Nagare spoke matter-of-factly.

"It was obvious to everyone that you were the informant of "Scepter 4". Of course, I knew it too. However, you left no evidence of that and even fought with your friends. You fought your way to Ranker."

"Using a loophole in the rules."

"That's wonderful. Congratulations, Saruhiko. I set up that loophole on purpose, but you're the first user to use it so successfully. You have the ability to see the essence of things and use them to your advantage."

"......"

Maybe he was expressing his true feelings.

Although he had many strategies, Hisui Nagare had a completely transparent personality. He doesn't lie and he always does what he says he's going to do. So what he said now is also true.

Nagare values Fushimi very much. If he changed his mind now, he would still be treated as a Ranker.

"Your nature is more compatible with "Jungle", which values free will, not with "Homura" or "Scepter 4". That's why I invite you. Please become a member of the "Jungle" clan."

Fushimi let out a long sigh.

At least he's grown since then. He had assumed they would see it, but besides that, he wouldn't let them grab his tail. No, the current situation was exactly what he meant by "being grabbed by the tail".

He threw away the knife and said in a low voice.

"It's true. If I stay here I won't have to mix with idiots or be carried away by my boss's unreasonable orders."

"Affirmative."

"The trend is towards "Jungle". Don't commit suicide by hanging on to a sinking ship."

"That's right."

Then, Fushimi said:

"Hey, "Green King". Are the clan members motivated by interests?"

Kotosaka blinked rapidly. Although Fushimi asked a question, he continued without waiting for a response.

"That's probably the case with the people who are playing hardball at the top. They go with those who are likely to win and stay away from those who are likely to lose. That's true. Nobody wants to be a loser."

With dull eyes, Fushimi looked at Kotosaka and Nagare beyond.

"But what about the people around you? Did they become members of your clan because they thought you were going to win?"

"......"

"You're smart, so you know what I'm trying to say. The answer has already been decided."

Fushimi touched the PDA and declared.

"I refuse."

The console flashed green and the four letters "OPEN" appeared. The hidden door at the Yomito intersection began to open with a loud sound.

Kotosaka, who was looking at that with an emotionless gaze, muttered to himself.

"What a pity."

With that, Kotosaka left the room, flapping his wings and shouting.

"Kuwah! You're dead! Dead!"

There was a figure entering the room, confusing Kotosaka. He is short in stature and holds a long cane. A green leaf resembling a crescent moon appeared at the tip.

With a cruel smile on his face, Sukuna brandished his sickle.

"If we're not friends anymore... then I can kill you!"

Fushimi threw the knife from his pocket at a speed that was invisible to Sukuna, who jumped and threw the crescent-shaped blade at him.

+++++++++++

The crossing opened with a heavy noise.

The pedestrian crossings extending in all directions began to slide diagonally and the steel doors below also opened. The members of the "Jungle" clan occupying the intersection fled in panic, and voices of confusion were heard among them, one after another.

"Who was the idiot?! The door is open! What's going on?!"

"Did something happen downstairs?! What are the executives doing?!"

"No, wait! That's it!"

One of them pointed to the corner of the open door, towards the stairs that led to the basement.

A man dressed in a cassock walked slowly towards the ground.

"Jungle". Senior J-Rank executive and "Gray King", Tenkei Iwafune.

Iwafune landed on the ground, looked around and muttered in shock.

"Wow, it really opened up. Nagare's ability to read ahead is really terrifying."

Zenjo was the first to react when Iwafune scratched his head. Munakata stopped Zenjo, who was about to take a step forward, grabbing the hilt of his saber with one hand.

"There is no need to interfere. Please concentrate on your work."

"Yes."

Iwafune then turned to the two of them. A slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Hello, Munakata. And there's a familiar face behind you. Habari Jin's right-hand man, Gouki Zenjo."

"...The "Gray King", Otori Seigo. It's been 14 years."

Gouki Zenjo and Tenkei Iwafune were old acquaintances. In the abominable "Kagutsu Incident" that occurred 14 years ago, they were from different clans, but they had the same goal. Stop the worst "King", Kagutsu Genji. To do this, both Zenjo and Iwafune risked their lives to fight.

And they failed.

Ironically, they did not lose their lives. But they lost something much more important than that.

Zenjo to his own "King".

Iwafune to his own ideals.

For a brief moment, the two exchanged glances. Were the feelings they had at that moment the same? There was probably no doubt that they could see at least a little bit of their current selves in each other's images.

Iwafune opened his mouth.

"You're getting old, man."

Zenjo responded calmly.

"You are withered."

"No difference."

Iwafune shook his shoulders and laughed, then his expression suddenly stiffened.

In an instant, the aura of a “King” was released from him.

The aura became a reality in the sky. A dull gray "Sword of Damocles." A thick fog appeared out of nowhere, enveloping the gate at the intersection and Munakata himself.

Iwafune, already obscured by fog and unable to see him clearly, declared in a low voice.

"No matter how many people come, we won't let them pass through here. This time, we won't stop, we won't take shortcuts, or we won't buy time."

Munakata narrowed his eyes and took a step forward.

A month ago, that night, Munakata was defeated by Iwafune.

Munakata's saber was shattered by Iwafune's bullets, which were fired freely from beyond the space-distorting defense created by the fog. Munakata's order could not correct the thick fog.

There is nothing different about Munakata today than back then.

In fact, you could say it has weakened. The defects of the "Sword of Damocles" have spread greatly, and "Scepter 4" who have always followed him are tied to the country and cannot move. Strategy, equipment, chances of winning. None of the items that Munakata had always possessed until now were present.

Still, he had to keep going.

The "Blue King" protects "order". He protects people from confusion and destruction caused by supernatural powers. That's why he carries a sword. No matter how things change, even if he has no allies and no chance of winning, Munakata will never waver from his current position.

Even so...

"We will fight with sword in hand, because our cause is pure."

At this moment, a roar echoed from behind.

Munakata did not look back. However, he had predicted their true identity. In a place unknown to him, it was in his imagination that they would be moving, and he had already realized that "that thing" that had been under the control of "Tokijikuin" had disappeared for several days.

"What...?!"

Iwafune's eyes widened and he braced himself. However, no matter which "King" is, he won't be able to do anything about it.

"Schattenreich".

A gigantic airship owned by Adolf K. Weismann that bears the name "Land of Shadows". It was rapidly approaching the intersection, overcoming all aviation laws and physical obstacles. Without slowing down, the "Schattenreich" landed upside down, bouncing several times. It drove over the intersection, scattering dust and chunks of asphalt, and stopped about 50 meters later.

Iwafune looked back at the gigantic airship that had just passed by him with a surprised expression, and then immediately smiled and turned to Munakata.

"...I see. If you concentrate the mist on yourself, you won't be able to avoid such a large mass. That's not fair, Munakata. Don't go out and buy a decoy yourself."

Munakata laughed and grabbed the hilt of his saber.

"It seems that you have misunderstood something. It has nothing to do with me. I am your main opponent."

"Ha, anyone is fine. My role is to greet you."

That's how it is. Either one was fine. The current Munakata is simply the "Blue King". He also didn't think about the "Alliance of the Three Kings". He exists for the sole purpose of adhering to his beliefs and defeating his enemies.

Munakata made a loud statement as he gently pulled out his saber from his waist.

"Munakata, ready."

#k #k project #k stories #reisi munakata #homra #scepter 4 #fushimi saruhiko #yashiro isana #yatogami kuro #neko #silver clan #yata misaki #zenjo gouki #seri awashima #iwafune tenkei #sukuna gojo #hisui nagare #kotosaka #mishakuji yukari #jungle

[ourflagmeansroleplay]

CW for s//xual ass//ult, among other unpleasant topics

So we actually know a great deal about Anne's early life. Like, an almost SURPRISING amount, given that the majority of what we know of pirates comes from a combination of self-aggrandizing tales and A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates (Cap. Charles Johnson). I'm trying to take a large number of my cues for Anne from history, especially since I'd like to write a novel about her. You know that idea we have of the wild and free child from modest origins with a fiery tongue and a penchant for mischief? It's quite literally Anne.

Anne was born from an affair between her relatively-well-to-do father and the family maid; this affair tore the family apart, prompting William Cormac's wife to leave him. He would never go on to marry her mother, but he did take a shining to the young girl, and arranged for her to live with him...as a boy. Which she did not identify as. Eventually the truth is discovered and William, Anne, and maid/mother Mary move to--get this!--Charleston, South Carolina. From fucking County Cork, Ireland.

After the move, Anne begins displaying a "fierce and courageous temper, which in this case can be directly translated to murdered another girl and also beat a suitor half to death when he tried to r*pe her. (We stan a violent queen.) She gained a reputation for galivanting around with the wrong sorts, if you catch my drift, but is ultimately only disowned when she marries a poor sailor, James Bonny.

(JB is a professional snitch who turns in pirates and takes bounties on doing so, btw.)

So the thing is, this wild child doesn't change her ways. She's still a violent galivanting free spirit taking randos to bed, including--you guessed it!--old Calico Jack himself. History says they fell in love and Anne ran off with him; one way or another, Anne Bonny winds up a crewman on The William. (Here's another fun fact: Stede's brilliant plan to fake his own death on OFMD may actually have been inspired by Anne, who reportedly mangled a dressmaker's mannequin, smeared it with fake blood, and stood above it wielding an axe to scare the French into an easy surrender.)

Now women, of course, aren't really "allowed" at sea, even in the context of piracy, so Anne would go on to do what a lot of badass bitches have to: forcible silencing of the opposition. In Anne's case, this was a knife to the heart of one such nay-sayer. "Allegedly." Anne goes on to live her life mostly unbothered as a woman onboard The William, serving as both wife and work-wife to Jack.

--As you can maybe imagine, I fuck with about 70% of that.

Sexuality and sexual liberation being what it was at the time, I sincerely doubt Anne experienced much of it, especially much by way of choice. For the purposes of this blog and maybe my novel, JB exaggerated his wife's affairs in order to further villainize her. I do think she met Jack and became a bit star-struck by him and followed him out to sea, and I think early on she may have loved him...but I think the cycle of men using and abusing her continued. Especially if she had half as many affairs as history accuses her of at the time, I really doubt Jack would've been interested in marrying her, but I don't doubt for a moment that he led her on. I don't think they ever actually "got married" so much as they acted in the capacity of husband and wife, sometimes sharing a bed, etc. I think Anne grew discontent with being treated as lower than Jack, as some novelty for him to show off, and I think she took that discontent out on anyone stupid enough to challenge her, including the crewmate she stabbed to death ("allegedly") and literally anyone who engaged The William and her crew.

I also think--and history finally starts agreeing with me here--that Anne didn't find happiness until she met Mary Read, whom history insists was a woman who was forced to dress up as a man but whom I very strongly feel was either gender-fluid or non-binary and just getting CIS-washed because they were less known than Bonny, who actually WAS forced to pretend to be a man for large chunks of her life. I have to admit that Str8 Historians really crack me the fuck up when they insist that Anne Bonny tried to "seduce" Mary (sure, Jan) and that Mary's response was "love to but can't, I also have boobies" before showing said boobies as proof, instead of, like...y'know, Mary being in a dangerous situation and having half an ally in this woman aboard a fucking pirate ship and being like "yo bish, me too!". (Mary, at their core, was a survivalist, having first been dressed as a boy when they were a child in order to keep money coming in for their family and later switching between both identities as it suited them.) So Anne and Mary strike up an affair so torrid, Jack gets jealous and goes to kill Mary for touching his wife...only to discover Mary has boobies and doing the Str8 thing of "oh lol, they're just gals bein' pals, kay."

For the sake of this blog--and, again, my maybe-novel--it was at this point in time that Jack Really Fucked Up. Threatening to kill Mary, aka the first real friend (and probable lover) that Anne had ever had, drove the wedge between them. Mary and Anne would abandon ship without Jack's blessing, going on the run together and being badass bitches.

With all that said and understood, the Anne on this blog is a broken woman who believes herself to be without an identity--a drifter, an outcast, a creature of anger and spite, and not one capable of loving or being loved outside of the choice few like Mary, and maybe not even by them. Sex was never consensual for Anne; like many women of her day, it was a duty to be borne, particularly when one was married and/or in love. She can't picture herself living a life of plenty because she can't even picture herself living a life of enough, seeing piracy as the only viable expression of who she really is.

Historically, Anne Bonny went down swinging. Jonathan Barnett, a loyal navyman of the British crown, attacked The William during one drunken night. Calico Jack Rackham was an absolute fuck who surrendered almost immediately upon being attacked and his men stayed down in the hold while the British boarded. His "WOMEN," meanwhile, were having none of that shit. Bonny, Read, and a crewman Read had taken on as a lover fought the British damned near single-handedly. At one point during the battle, Bonny famously called into the hold "If there’s a man among ye, ye’ll come up and fight like the man ye are to be!" Nobody came. Bonny fired once into the hold, killing a crewman. Ultimately, the battle was lost and the entirety of The William were taken ashore and executed for crimes against the crown. Rackham's last request was to see Anne one last time (she says to his face "If you had fought like a man, you need not have been hang’d like a dog," effectively ending that relationship), and ten days later Anne and Mary are granted a short pardon from fucking dying because they're both pregnant. They are, of course, hung shortly after delivering the babies.

#↬ anne bonny #content tag tba #↬ m. read #↬ lore #↬ history