Chapter 32 – Gjallarhorn Used Ember!

Chapter 32 – Gjallarhorn Used Ember!

Raw link: http://ncode.syosetu.com/n2211cx/33/ (2015/11/30)

Translator: twomorefreethoughts / TpstT (2018/12/03)

Editor 1: Hands of Vecna / Vecna (2018/11/29)

Editor 2: Kei (2020/07/16)

Translation link: https://twomorefreethoughts.wordpress.com/awlba-c032/

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(Author Note)

Gjallarhorn’s moves at a glance

Near

Ember

Overheat

Self-Destruct

Explosion[1]

(Author Note end)

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It was night time.

At the end of what had seemed like a long but short day, I was lying down and turning in bed whilst lost in thought.

Aries had already gone to bed, and Libra, as usual, was standing in the corner of the room.

…She wasn’t even making a single movement, which was making me think that she was a piece of furniture, but I knew that if something were to happen, she would quickly respond.

The best way to solve the problem that this city was facing was to make Merak take action.

However, because Merak occupied the throne as this country’s king, getting in contact with him was difficult.

 

It would be easy to infiltrate and meet him without being detected, but I can’t really call that a very amicable way.

I feel like I sound like a broken record, but basically, I want to stay out of the actual turmoil.

And… as for how to get in contact with him… Really… What should I do?

 

Libra had more or less detected Merak’s life force. However, it did not look like it would be leaving the castle anytime soon.

 

Do something, Sky King. Or do you intend to abandon the title of Sky King and become the Indolent King?

 

“… I’m bac—… did everyone go to sleep already?”

 

Right as I was starting to turn into a useless piece of furniture who could not come up with any good solutions, a certain capable adviser opened the door and nonchalantly came in.

Although it was in a very faint voice, she politely announced her return. Maybe it was what they called uprightness.[2]

There were a lot of things that I wanted to ask Dina. Similarly, Libra also slightly glanced at me to check whether she should pursue her now.

However, I stayed silent and shook my head a little, telling her not to do so.

It was because Aries was asleep right now. I felt that it was not a good enough reason to justify waking him up.

If we wanted to question her, it would have to be done tomorrow.

 

“—and, as such, we will begin the interrogation of the accused.”

“Everything you say will be recorded in my memory, so please don’t try to hide anything and just disclose everything.”

“Eh? Eh?”

 

The next morning.

Libra and I captured Dina, who was still half asleep as she got up from the bed. We escorted her to the table and surrounded her so that she could not escape.

In actuality, I also thought it was about time we dissected the mystery behind Dina.

For a character who was originally a background NPC, she was too competent. Furthermore, she was able to use teleportation magic. It was as if she was just asking people to suspect her.

One explanation was that her presence had truly been so thin that we simply hadn’t noticed her in the past. However, I didn’t think that was the case here.

 

Honestly speaking, her presence is nowhere near thin. It’s actually quite thick.

 

Perhaps she had just changed compared to the past. However, looking at the ‘current’ her, it was hard to imagine that she was that stealthy in the past.

If it was a game, it would be understandable. Yes, if it was a game.

However, this was reality. Other than me, Aries and Libra also existed.

Apparently, Libra’s data had been corrupted. However, it was strange that even Aries had forgotten about her.

 

“Firstly, Dina. The teleportation magic that you use is [X-Gate], correct?”

“Ruphas-sama has informed me that one of its conditions is that it is unusable without consent from the other party. That requirement matches one of the activation conditions of [X-Gate].”

“Ah, yes. That’s correct.”

 

………

Oi, she just casually admitted it.

Or rather, thinking about it now, it wasn’t really something that she needed to hide, nor did she actually try to hide it to begin with.

It’s a rare skill, but it seems like I’ve been brought to this world using that skill, and if I consider the fact that even a young low-level elf could use it…. Well… Uh, the fact that I’m even thinking this deeply about it makes me feel dumb.

 

“And… next question. You, what are you really? It’s faint, but I definitely remember that you were alive 200 years ago, which means that, at the very least, you don’t belong to the human race. Having said that, you don’t seem to possess the characteristic features of an elf, flugel, or a vampire…”

“I’m just a half-elf.”

“…………”

 

… Ahhh, um…… Now that she mentioned it, there were such things as “half” races.

If she was a racially mixed child that had been born between an elf and a human, it would explain why she had both the appearance of a human and the lifespan of an elf.

In the game, players could not make a “half” character…. So this misunderstanding was completely my mistake.[3]

 

“What about all of your diverse skills…?”

“I trained myself to the best of my ability during the past 200 years. So that this time, I don’t become part of the background – so that I don’t become the background!”

“…”

 

It was so important that you had to say it twice. I totally understand, I can sympathise with you.

What should I do? There’s nothing else I can ask anymore.

 

She had completely and easily overcome our interrogation just like that, and Dina seemed somewhat elated by that fact.

I looked at Libra for help, but she just casually made an X mark with both of her arms.

It seemed that this interrogation was my loss. The final verdict was ‘not guilty’.

 

Hmmm, maybe I just thought about it too much?

 

The headache that I had experienced at that time might have just been a normal headache and thus a mere coincidence. It did not seem like there was any special meaning behind it.

 

Not good, this is quite embarrassing for me.

Actually, why don’t I just use [Observing Eye]?

 

I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of or even felt like using that on her until now…. Even I thought it was a bit strange.

  

[Dina]

Level 300

Species: Half-Elf

Class Level:

Acolyte: 100

Priest: 100

Mage: 100

HP: 11 000

SP: 9800

STR (Strength/Attack Power): 650

DEX (Dexterity): 1000

VIT (Vitality): 683

INT (Intelligence): 3850

AGI (Ability/Speed): 900

MND (Mindpower): 2967

LUK (Luck): 643

 

What the hell, this Dina, isn’t she actually quite strong?

She’s not as strong as me or the 12 Heavenly Stars, but she’s at a level where she would be able to fight against the 7 Luminaries on equal footing.

……although I feel like there’s something, something crucial that I’ve overlooked, but…

 

Whilst I was thinking that, Dinaglanced past me to look at the clock that was hanging on the wall. Suddenly, as if a thought had just popped into her head, she raised her voice a little and said as follows.

 

“Ah, that’s right. I just thought about it, but if it is Libra-sama, I can take her anywhere using my teleportation magic.”

“Hm? It’s impossible if it’s me, but it’s fine if it’s Libra?”

“Yes, inorganic objects and items are not included in [X-Gate]’s usage condition. Otherwise, my clothing would come off when I use it. And Libra-sama is a Golem, therefore, when I use X-Gate, I can carry her through.”

 

This meant that the reason I was unable to fulfill the requirement for X-Gate was due to the fact that, somewhere deep down, I did not fully trust Dina or was subconsciously rejecting her.

And the fact that I was doubting her at that moment meant that I did not fully trust her.

Perhaps this was seen as rejecting her and thus I was unable to meet the prerequisite.

 

Damn, it means that if I didn’t doubt her for no reason, I could also teleport with her.

 

“If you want, do you want to test it out right now? Rather than using it for the first time when we really need it, it is probably better to experience it in person a few times first. That way, when we need to use it, the skill can be used efficiently right away.”

“True, Libra, what do you think? I personally think there’s value in testing it out.”

“… I have determined that there is no problem with it. Jupiter is currently not within the surrounding area. As long as he does not possess a way to conveniently determine my exact movements, I believe the probability of him using my absence to his advantage is only around 5%.”

 

I had been previously informed by Libra herself that her maximum detection range could cover a radius as wide as 150km.

This meant that, judging from her statement, at the very least, Jupiter was not within the surrounding 150km.

Therefore, Libra’s statement that he would not be able to make use of her absence and would not appear unless he happened to move at the same time as the teleportation magic was used was reasonable.

 

It should be fine then, there shouldn’t be a problem. Probably.

 

Thinking that, I let them test the teleportation magic.

 

“Ah, that’s right. While we’re at it, since we’ve recently re-acquired some of them, why don’t we go and organize Ruphas-sama’s equipment together? I’m not really sure which weapons are useful or not… I don’t know much about weapons, you see.”

“Understood. Master, may I have about 10 minutes?”

“Ahhh, you may.”

 

The chance that Jupiter would show up within the mere 10 minutes that Libra was gone was very slim, so it shouldn’t come to pass.

As such, with peace of mind, I sent the two of them off. After watching them actually teleport away, I returned to my room to waste some time.

 

I suppose we can start moving after the two of them return.

And then… I guess we can talk about how to get into contact with Merak.

 

After I thought that, after a mere 7 minutes, there were signs of someone attacking the white side of the town, causing a lot of ruckus.

 

Da, what the, for real…..!?

 

*

 

Throughout his life, the Sky King Merak had lived side by side with glory.

Being well-featured was a given for him. He possessed a very powerful innate potential for divine magic, and most importantly of all, he had been born with pure white wings that shone even brighter than light itself.

His father was the king of the flugel race, and his mother was the righteous queen.

He had been blessed with everything he might need the moment he was born. He was at the pinnacle of existence from the very beginning of his life.

A God’s Child of Light that had been born into the royal family – that was what people called him, and he himself did not doubt that he had to stand above others.

He had believed that he was special, he was a child born from a king, and possessed superior innate potential. Thus, it was normal for him to lead the way and guide other people.

He had believed and was sure that he was to save others when they struggled and got lost.

However, it was the route that had been predetermined for him, and was something that he had never gotten a say in.

The fact was, ever since he had been born, he had never had to make a choice by himself.

 

But she was different.

Ruphas Mafahl was different.

 

For a girl with forbidden jet black wings, there was no such thing as glory. She stood in a position that was the polar opposite of his.

A sinister and ominous child. A devil’s child. An abominable and disgusting child. She was called those names as rocks were thrown at her, and because others always scorned her, she was constantly exposed to the contempt of others.

Even her name, Ruphas Mafahl, had been created and given to her in order to degrade and deprive her. It was a name that had been created by combining the names of two evil devils: Halphas and Malphas.[4]

In truth, she most likely had a family name, a real name, but she was never permitted to call herself that.

 

Yet, despite all of that, she did not let herself become downtrodden. Instead, she used it as nourishment to proceed forward.[5]

She turned the whole world into her enemy before crushing them. She mocked the entirety of the flugel race who were crying in their tiny settlement, calling them small and insignificant.

She indiscriminately waged war against various countries around the world, and ironically, the way she conquered them matched her devilish nicknames, causing everyone to fear and think of her as if she truly was the child of a devil.

 

But to Merak, she shone ever so brightly.

The throne that Merak sat on had been given to him. It was not something that he had won through his own power like hers was.

Merak’s subjects were people who had been there since the beginning. They were not like her loyal retainers who had followed her out of their own free wills.

Merak’s life had been predetermined from the very beginning. It was not like the way of life that she had chosen for herself.

One who possesses and one who doesn’t. White and Black. Light and Darkness.

Without a doubt, Merak had been raised in the environment that had been more favourable.

However, when you looked at what was under the lid, she sat on the one true throne, and had already climbed to a position where she had become an existence that not even the demon race could touch. Before he realised it, he was looking up to her.[6]

Could he achieve what she had?

To be born with black wings, to be exposed to a harsh environment, and yet flip everything around and climb to such a point, could he do something like that?

… Impossible, there was not a single chance that he could do it.

The very definition of “a ruler” was her.

Whatever the circumstances, however harsh the conditions, she would be the one to take hold of absolute power and reign supreme. That was what it meant to be a real ruler, a true king.

As a consequence, even now, Merak was pondering.

From the day he had struck down Ruphas, he had been questioning himself every day.

And without the slightest bit of doubt, he always reached the same answer.

 

—I am… not qualified to be a king….

 

“Your majesty, that is why you should show your power as a Hero to make the despicable mixed wings quiet down!”

“No, more than that, we should just exile them.”

“The citizens’ stress is also heightening. This is happening because you are strangely lenient towards them!”

 

Merak was thinking whilst people looked at and chirped around him.

These people stressed the importance of the whiteness of their wings. However, that was the old way of thinking.

If they maintained that mentality, then the flugel race was bound to degenerate sometime in the future.

To begin with, the population of the flugel race was low, and the number of children born whose wings were a mixed colour was quite high.

In a place where there was an abundance of mana, the occurrence rate was very high. Perhaps that meant the amount of mana in the air turned their wings black.

 

If the colour of the wings are determined before a flugel is born based on the abundance and quality of the mana, perhaps it indicates that… maybe having black wings is superior in terms of quality?

Is it possible that even the fact that the wings of a flugel are usually white is due to how flugels usually live on mountaintops, which have little mana in the surrounding environment?

 

That had been Merak’s train of thought recently.

And if this line of thought was correct, it would mean that not only was the flugel race holding themselves back, they had been trying to reverse the beneficial evolution that they had been gifted with.

To begin with, although these guys had been chirping as if they were superior, the original inhabitants of this country were the mixed-winged flugels.

Originally, the country of Gjallarhorn had been established by Merak for the sake of the mixed-winged flugels who had lost their homes due to the persecution they had suffered. It was a way for him to atone for the sin he had committed towards Ruphas by betraying her.

Ironically, however, these guys had been, in turn, chased out by one of Ruphas’ subordinates: one of the 12 Heavenly Stars, Parthenos the [Maiden].

As a result, Merak had accepted them as there were no alternatives, but soon afterwards, these guys started asserting their power, and started throwing rocks at flugels who had mixed-coloured wings.

 

There isn’t a single difference compared to before.

 

If anything, the ones growing arrogant and impudent were these guys. The mixed-winged flugels were the real victims.

Thus, Merak should have told them off. He should’ve told them to be reasonable and shut up.

However, Merak also happened to be able to sympathise with the white-winged flugels.

It was a tradition that had been passed down for many years, a form of common sense. It was impossible to tell them to just suddenly change that. Thus, it was reasonable to think that he should at least respect their point.

The current situation was the result of him being continually indecisive.

The dissatisfaction of both the black and the white sides had just been building up. Their respect towards Merak had been lost, and it had reached a point where it wasn’t strange for what had been built-up to explode at any time.

 

I am… incompetent…

 

This was always the end result, the answer that he reached whenever he asked himself that question.

It always ended with him self-deprecating.

Today alone, however, merely reaching that answer was not the end of it.

The price of continually pushing off this issue. The time to pay the price of that debt had arrived.

 

One corner of the White town had exploded.

The moment that he received that report, he knew and learnt that it had finally reached the stage where a civil war could no longer be stopped.

 

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(Author Note)

 

[Negative points about the 7 Heroes]

 

Megrez

Was actually a competent Wise King.

Regardless of what was said about it, his country was actually well developed, to the point where it was Midgard’s most magically developed country.

He created the Guardian Deity Levia and magic engines, implemented various infrastructures to teach anyone about pretty much anything with open arms, and was well respected by his citizens.

However, he condemned himself very heavily and could no longer bear the praise that he received, and ended up retiring from his position of king.

He had chosen to retire and pass his legacy on to the next generation.

After that, the humans who sat on the throne as king were taken in by the power of the position and claimed “I’m the king so I’m great!” and thus turned into idiots. This eventually led to their relatives and children also claiming “I’m a noble so I’m great!”, resulting in the creation of generations of idiots. Finally, it reached the point where it could not be helped.

He had a long life, so he should have continued occupying the throne as king, but…

He was often called incompetent, but he was by no means actually incompetent.

If anything, the biggest problem was that he stepped down from his position as king.

 

Merak

Even among the 7 Heroes, he was the most gentle.

As a consequence, he was not suited to be a king.

Due to his indecisiveness, he would never state things clearly, and was always led on by others around him.

An introvert with non-existent leadership skills.

 

Benetnash

An unknown.

Possesses high military might. However, she completely ignored all emergency requests from Merak and Megrez and shows absolutely no intention of communicating or helping other countries.

As a “king”, she is better than the other 2. Her country is currently thriving.

 

Deceased Alioth

Nose Pasta

 

(Author Note end)

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[1] Ember: “https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Ember_(move)”.

Overheat: “https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Overheat_(move)”.

Self-Destruct: “https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Self-Destruct_(move)”.

Explosion: “https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Explosion_(move)”.

[2] Japan has a lot of courtesy phrases that are used by everyone living there, from primary schoolers to businessmen. In this chapter, Dina was coming back from the outside world and was trying to say “Tadaima” (informal) or “Tadaima-omodorininarimashita/kaettekimashita” (formal) but it was cut off after the first few syllables because she saw that everyone was already asleep or going to sleep. Oftentimes, these phrases are said even if no one else is there or listening, hence Ruphas saying that she was being courteous. For anyone interested, the 4 below are common phrases off the top of my head

Ittekimasu / Itterashyai: used right before going out. Ittekimasu is used by the person going out, and the Itterashai is used by the person staying behind. Their literal meaning is “I’m going now” / “Please go”. “I’m going now” is self-explanatory, but “please go” can be taken to mean “please go and come back”, “off you go”, “take care” or “have a nice day” or something along those lines.

Tadaima (Tadaimakaettekimashita) / Okaerinasai: literally means “I’m back” / “welcome back”. I think both are fairly self-explanatory.

Ojamashimasu / Ojamashimashita: used when someone enters another’s house or another’s room, temple, etc. Sometimes used by students when they enter another’s classroom too, but it’s probably not too common. Literally means “I’m intruding” / “I have intruded”.

Itadakimasu: Probably the most common and well-known (internationally) of these phrases along with the next one. This one is used before having a meal. It literally means “I’m devouring/receiving” but in a very humble context. It is used to signify that you are about to receive a meal (when given by another) and also to mean that you are going to receive the gift of life.

Gochisousamadeshita: Similar to the one above, this one is used after the meal. Literally means “I have devoured” or “thank you for the meal” but in a humble way.

[3] I translated “half” quite lightly above, but “half” actually has a bit more to it than just being born from two different races in a fantasy/game setting. Japan is quite homogenised in terms of race, but I don’t want a racism war in comment section (though this chapter in itself is just asking for it…) so I wrote it lightly, but in Japan, there are certain views about foreigners and the phrase “ハーフ” (literally meaning Half) is used when a child is half Japanese and half foreigner. It’s probably not as bad in recent years… But that’s all I’m going to say.

[4] Halphas (ハルファス) + Malphas (マルファス) = Ruphas Mafahl (ルファス・マファール)

[5] Play on a word in the raw, used nourishment but means a source of encouragement.

[6] So… It’s not really “one true throne” in the raw but there are many ways to say “king” in Japanese (IMO). The most straightforward is the actual word for “king”, or “王” (Ou). That’s the word used to describe the actual king and the actual position of the king. An example would be like England’s queen.

Throughout this whole series, the word for “king”  that’s used to describe Ruphas is “覇王” (Haou). Oftentimes “haou” is used in literature and sometimes by academics because usually, one who is a “haou” doesn’t have to be an actual king. Furthermore, “haou” is often connected to something negative because it’s often a title given to someone who rules by fear, by conquering or after much bloodshed. The word “覇” alone can already mean “ruler” or “king”, which was what was used for that part of footnote 3, as it didn’t have the “ou” part. But in this context, it means the throne, but because the author distinguished the seat of “ha” from “ouza”, I wrote it as “one true throne”.

Explaining in the context of popular anime/manga;

Consider One Piece. Readers would be familiar with “Haki” (one’s willpower/spirit) and “Haou-shoku no Haki”. Both of the “Ha” in the 2nd one uses the word “覇”. The readers would know it as “Conqueror’s Haki” or “King’s Haki” but it literally means “Colour of The Supreme Ruler’s Spirit”. Anyways, getting back to the explanation, the position of the Pirate King itself is not an official position of “king” of a country, yet it is an existence that is at the pinnacle, a Supreme Ruler who rules the sea, freedom and all pirates. In a way, to get to the position of the Pirate King, you have to have a very strong will and be able to fight your way up there, as well as being acknowledged by others.

It’s something that a person earns by themselves and only gets because others acknowledge that they occupy that specific position, yet it is not an actual position of a king (though it could be).

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