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Published at 31st of January 2021 12:55:48 PM


Chapter 84

Curiosity killed the cat .

That gaze immediately turned towards Chiffon who was behind .

“Madeleine is calling”

“Onee-chan is? …Ah, oh no! I forgot to make my report! I’m sorry Itokkun . I’ve got to go meet my sister!”

Completely forgetting the earlier happenings, she panickedly flailed . She probably remembered some work she had to do .

“Lu-san, thank you very much!”

After saying so with a smile, she quickly ran off in the opposite direction with small steps .

I wonder why Chiffon uses a nickname with him . More so if she’s part of the fourth knight squad, she should be calling her superiors Captain or Vice-captain . Or is it, are they close enough to ignore that gap . There’s no end to thinking about it . There’s no end but, I can’t help but be curious .

Whatever it is, Chiffon has left this place . Currently, there are only 2 people . There were other people nearby, but within this space there were just 2 . With a very awkward atmosphere . Or am I the only one washed away like this .

Getting curious, I steal a peak to my side .

…Ah, please calm down . My heart . Stop beating so hard, at such an age .

…Alright, at least say my thanks!

“Um, thank you very much”

“It’s nothing”

A curt reply for my words which I gathered courage to say .

That’s right, he probably saved me because Chiffon was with me .

…Un, I’m tired of it so let’s just take the lead . And regardless of what I’m told, I’ll just play dumb .  

No matter how you look, I look like a guy, and being oddly conscious here would be weird . It’s best to just maintain minimal contact as Chiffon’s partner . By the way, the setting shall be a slightly timid, naive young boy .

“Lu-san, right . Thank you for the other day as well”

“The other day?”

He might not get it if I just say the soul controller incident, and I fall deep into thought thinking about what happened, ending up not even twitching . Was there someone like this? His eyes seemed to be asking .

“My appearance was different then so you may not recognise me, but, Vito-san, was it? I had her appearance at the time . Probably because I was in a soul state, I was a little confused and had a rude attitude, my apologies for that .

After saying that much, he seems to have finally remembered . That I was the unyielding girl spirit whose character was going haywire .

Lu-san nodded slightly .

“I see . ”

Again, he said so without much interest .

Even then, his gaze did not move . If you have no interest, it’s fine if you don’t stare at me that much . As if searching for something inside, those dully shining black eyes pierce me .

Deep and deeper in my chest, I felt as if I was being completely seen through, and got a little scared . I looked away from that unbearable gaze . In place of that, people dressed in dazzling clothes while happily dancing entered my view .

Oh yeah, I haven’t seen Touka and his friends . They were supposed to be the stars of this ball, where it’d be fine if they were openly introduced, but for the last few hours I’ve been here, I haven’t even caught a glimpse of the shadows .  

But Touka said he won’t participate, and not being able to see my younger brother’s applauded figure, is slightly disappointing– just as I thought so, my arm was grabbed .

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“Eh?”

As I turned back around in surprise, the one that grabbed my arm was the right arm of Lu-san who was standing before me . His hand was thin and pale for a man’s, and the feeling of his palm transferred through the cloth .

Did I do something I wonder, but all I remember doing was turning my gaze away .

Exactly why did you grab my arm?

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“That”

He released my arm, and his slender index pointed directly at my face . I tilt my head, puzzled, as his hand came closer and touched the area around my eyes . Shocked, I tried to retreat one step back, before noticing the unusual state I was in .

My view was, blurred .

It was strange that I had not noticed till now, but tears that were held back were pouring out of both eyes . I hurriedly use my the hem of my clothes to wipe them away, but the overflowing tears ignored my will and wouldn’t stop .

“Wh, why…?”

How funny .

I don’t know what this means .

My eyes and emotions don’t even feel like crying .

Even so, the tears do not stop .

Right now, am I not the one that’s crying?

Then who?

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…It’s obvious . Its her, Vito .

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Once I realised it, a horrible pain assaulted my chest, and a sadness that could drive me crazy couldn’t be held back .

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My breaths were short and fast . Even breathing was difficult, as I grabbed my chest with my hand as I slouched over .

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I somehow managed to remain standing with this suddenly faint body by pushing on my two feet .

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Just what, is happening to me?

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“Calm down”

A low voice whispered in my ear . My body trembled in response to the voice which sounded as if it directly resonated in my head . Much less than calm down, I can’t remain composed at all . Rather, it’s getting worse .

Biting my lips, I swallow the sobs deep into my throat . It feels like it’ll become sore, but I strangle it down tightly .  

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The hand gently stretched out on the crown of my head, drew me in . I was stunned when my face was pulled towards his shoulder, but the hand that was on my head then wrapped around my back, rubbing it . As if cradling a child, those hands were gentle .

I want to entrust my whole weight to him, and have him indulge me, without having to think about other things . Hugging me tightly, smiling, laughing— but, I can’t do that .

Stuffing Vito’s feelings away, I wipe the last of my calmed tears away with my sleeve, and released myself . Taking a step back and looking up, a Lu-san with a softer gaze than earlier was looking down at me .

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“I, I’m sorry, I suddenly lost my composure”

It is technically our first time meeting .

Lu-san responded with eyes cast down .

“The one who should apologise, is me . If I stay too close to me, this will, occasionally happen”

…What do you mean?

Even when I looked up with a questioning gaze, he did not answer . Only the ever-unchanging face, was there . His diverted gaze just floated around .

I’m sure he can’t just disregard me since I’m Chiffon’s partner . That’s why he cared about me who suddenly started to cry . That, is all to it . But that means, I’m at least being considered as one of Chiffon’s companions . …Why, does it bother me so much . It doesn’t matter anymore, we have no relation anymore, isn’t that what I decided for myself .  

Even then, contrary to my feelings, her feelings are overflowing from her memories, and it wasn’t stopping .

Back when it looked like I was about to be killed on Mt Vizannu, when I drank his blood in the back alley, even when I had Vito’s appearance, I just don’t know . What you, are thinking about .

What are you thinking, feeling, when you took action, I can’t understand them, at all .

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Is it ‘my’ fault that your left arm doesn’t move?

Why do you have such an expression?

What happened, to Rozsan?

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Since then— what happened?

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I have so many things to ask . The number of questions I want to throw at you are countless . But if I say them, it’s all over . Me, as a human, would end . I, don’t want that . I’m not Vito . I’m not a dragon either, just a human . You’d probably not accept it even if I say I used to be Vito, and would just be disillusioned . Not saying anything, is for both our sakes . I will live as a human and die a human . I don’t need, my dragon self… . I don’t need it .

Still, my want to know, called curiosity, was unsuppressable .

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“May I ask a rather, impolite, question”

By the time I noticed, I had already spoken .

Silence meaning consent .

I lick my dry lips and ask .

“You, ‘who’ are you?”

“…who knows”

I wonder who, those dark eyes looked into the distance . That gaze was not fixed on anything, and simply looking into space . I recognise this gesture . It’s when he’s thinking about something . He looks blank, but his head is full of thoughts going round .

“ ‘One-winged Swordsman’, ‘Chiffon’s acquaintance’, ‘A knight of the Alvina Kingdom’, just which is the real you?”

It’s better to not get involved . It’d be better for me as well, to just cleanly forget everything instead . Yet why, my words do not stop .

“Why?”

Why are you asking that?

“It’s just, out of curiosity”

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“Curiosity kills cats, too”

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His mouth distorted, and he smiled nihilistically . [1] It was the smallest change of expression, but that cold, pitiful smile pierced my heart .

You can’t take a step further into my territory . You won’t be able to .

After all, to him, my pathetic human self has so little value, it’d be enough to clean up with just a cold smile .  

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…Ah, let’s just stop it .

My feelings have changed to become darker .

“Is that so… I’m sorry for asking such a strange thing . Well then, it’s about time I–”

Go and pick Chiffon . I froze as I tried to say that . When I turned back and saw what entered my sight, my eyes went wide enough for me to say this .

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W h a t   t h e   h e c k   i s   t h i s .

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I thought I had vanished .

Why didn’t I notice it until now, no, I just thought it was a large black sculpture . Black is the trending colour, and this hall also had black decorations in various places . I was so swept away by the heat of the ball, that I never looked all the way there .  

It’s just, a sculpture . It was .

It’s just, a decoration . It was .

Once you notice it, the presence standing before you will overwhelm you . Behind the stage at the centre of the hall, in front of the stained glass, the figure that was enshrined there .

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That was undoubtedly,— the figure of the black dragon .

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As if petrified, the scales were dull, and they had no luster at all . Most people would believe it if you told them that it is a full-sized sculpture . But, I can tell .

This is, ‘me’ .

A firm body and strong skeleton . A head with only three horns, and sharp fangs peeking out of the mouth . It may look like a fearsome dragon, but to me, that appearance is nostalgic and lovely to me .

It’s my first time looking up at my own body from an objective view . It was so big and scary… but was also a charming dragon . I don’t particularly like dragons, but there is something about them which fascinates people .

However, there is no sign of a soul . It is not alive, it’s just an inorganic object .

I thought I was blown to bits from the impact, is it possible that this is Lord Cleric’s work? If it’s that person, I feel like he could do it .

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Swish, I turn to look beside me, to find Lu-san looking up at it .

His mouth moved slightly and seemed to be muttering something, but I couldn’t hear it .

I’m glad I wasn’t able to hear it .

I feel like I might just thoughtlessly reply .

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This is no good . If I’m next to this person, who knows when I might spill . And yet wanting to remain by his side, is not because of my own feelings but Vito’s memories… Argh! How complicated! Just give up and accept Vito you say? There’s no way I can do that!! I am Itoka . A girl without exceptional features, who loves to eat and sleep! I don’t know someone like Vito!

Ah, I feel ill .

Just as I intended to tell him that it is about time I leave to pick Chiffon, GShan!, a loud noise accompanied by the broken glass and screams could be heard .

“Eh?”

A small glass had broken, it was not such a cute sound . Shocked, I looked in the direction the noise came from, to see the moment when the stained glass behind the black dragon was magnificently broken and the glass fragments were falling . The shards flew out in a wide radius, preventing people from reacting promptly . The shards were so huge that it’d be no surprise if they got a severe injury from carelessness .

As they fell, my head momentarily went completely white, before my arm was suddenly grabbed and my body pulled back . Right in front of me, a huge glass shared fell, shattering on the ground and scattered .  

“It’s dangerous”

It was Lu-san . My body was stuck close to his back . It seems he saved me from a dangerous situation .

I opened my mouth to say my thanks, but it was interrupted by the loud voice of the uninvited visitors .

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“Hahahahaha!! Wahahaha h-ack ah- cough ahem… A pleasant evening! Everyone !!”

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…You, choked didn’t you .

The one who broke through the stained glass and appeared in the hall, was a man wearing a dark mantle and an ugly mask which surrounded his eyes . It’s just like the Phantom, no, the Eccentric of Opera .  

The hall which was chaotic due to his grand appearance, immediately turned silent . They were stunned by this eccentric, is not what happened . They were dumbfounded at the ‘creature’ he was riding .

The body which was illuminated by the Chandelier’s lights looked pink, but it was more accurate to say it was close to purple . It was much smaller than the black dragon, but it was undeniably a dragon . Anyone with a decent sense would be able to tell that, that figure which does not belong to any other species was the sacred beast, the Earth Dragon . To add,  it was the same colour as the Earth Dragon that appeared with the Hero from 300 years ago .  

Bewildered by their all too sudden appearance, the hall stirred .

Without caring about the mood, the masked man took an imposing stance on the Earth Dragon and said .

“My apologises for disturbing you while you were having fun, but give me a portion of your time!”

The heck, so it was a command .

More like, no matter how I think about it, isn’t that Honoknii?! This eccentricity, there’s no doubt about it!

Just what on earth were you thinking when you appeared in such a conspicuous way! It’s far too troublesome!!

This idiot brother surveyed the dazed surroundings and ecstatically brought a joyful smile to his face . So you just wanted to stand out huh… ?! Since long before, he always imitated heroes and always took action to get people’s attention . Whereas I was this close to getting seriously hurt!

Fortunately, there wasn’t anyone who fell prey to the glass shards . But it’d be great if you could think a little more before acting .

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“Ni-niichan?! Why are you here!”

A familiar voice echoes in the quiet space .

This voice, I’m sure . Touka!

I tried to look for that figure, to find that Touka was closer than I thought . He was right in front of the idiot Honoknii, next to me . Naoki, Yuu and Riya were there too .

Wow, he glows in formal attire as I thought . As expected of my younger brother . It’s different from the usual all-black character, he transformed into a gentlemanly young man . He’d look good in a white based outfit too . To be able to see such a cool image, it makes me glad I came to the ball— it’s not the time to be casually enjoying things!!

Although he was dressed oddly, Touka was able to recognise his older brother from his voice and pretentious demeanour . I can’t believe it, his face seemed to say as he held his head .

“It’s been a long time! My beloved little brother!! Now, let’s act out the reunion of us brothers once more!!”

He spread wide his two arms, what an overreaction . Hana was probably going along with Honoknii, as she raised a growl . They are staging it too much .

“Answer the question”

The one who bluntly cut-off such a brother, was as expected, Touka .

“Uh, umu . …It’d be fine for you to play along a little . Onii-tan iz lonely” [2]

“That method of entry was too much . What are you thinking!”

Aren’t you embarrassed! He said with a bright red face . By the way, I’m also so ashamed by my brother’s behaviour and can’t even look him in the eye . You’d get full marks as an entertainer, but do those kinds of things as a sideshow or somewhere else . Who is going to pay for the broken stained glass .

“Eh? But isn’t it cool? A mysterious person! A masked mystery suddenly appears! It even got high-pitched cheers so I’m satisfied!”

Those weren’t cheers, they were shrieks .

But this brother was happy with it so hoi, he took off the mask to show it . Beneath the mask, was an extremely refreshing smile . If he shows such a refreshing smile, how could anyone hate him… No wait, so that wasn’t for hiding your face . It was just a prop for this show .

“It wasn’t cheers! They were screams! Answer me seriously!”

As expected of Touka . We had the same thoughts .


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“I got it, I got it . Don’t yell like that . It’s been a while since I’ve come to this world, let me enjoy it a little”

He lightly jumped off Hana and stood on the stage . Touka was just nicely right in front of him, as he looked down at him . There was a road made by human-walls between them, as they just looked straight at each other .

By this time, they already had serious expressions . It’s rare for my older brother to have such an expression, and it only appeared when there was a really serious problem .

Touka, who noticed the sudden change in the air, shut his mouth . Feeling the unnatural atmosphere, the surroundings also went quiet . It was a strange scene, where even with this many people, not a single one dared to make a noise . And the one who created this, of course includes my brother, but also the presence of the purple-coloured Earth Dragon .

“I came here to bring you back to our original world . But, the situation has changed”

“What do you mean, situation”

Hold up . That’s something I also want to hear . Back when we split up in our world, you said you’d definitely come back with Touka . Was that a lie?

“Beautiful priestess Riya, please forgive my rudeness from earlier . When I learned that this world has once again been beset with a crisis, I changed my mind”

I found Riya next to Touka, the one my brother was greeting respectfully .  

“I will be going to assist in my own ways . I’m not as powerful as I used to be, but I’d at least be able to help you out with my limited power . How about it? I don’t think it’s a bad deal”

“Eh?! Ah, um, I am”

“Help out you say, what are you thinking Niichan”

“Exactly as it means . I’ve been observing your actions the past few days, but just like I used to, your desire to protect this world grows stronger day by day . As expected, you can’t go against your blood”

What do you mean blood . It sounds like you added it to dramatize your story, but blood has nothing to do with it . That’s because my family is a very ordinary family . Just, my older brother is beyond common sense, while Touka and I got caught up in it .

“…Is it true, that niichan used to be the hero?”

You’d have no choice but to believe it after seeing the Earth Dragon .

“Oh, so you knew . That’s right, and by the way, this is Hana”

“Eh?! Seriously?!”

Hana was so lovely and cute . You have become so reliable, I feel lonely . For Hana who I thought was a cat to be a dragon, I never imagined such a thing . Naoki and Yuu, who knew Hana’s cat figure, were also surprised .

“How about it?”

Why not make me one of comrades too, he said .

Touka was stuck in thought for a while .

“Of course, I’m thankful for Niichan’s offer but, …is it true?”

“It’s for my cute little brother . I’ll support with all my strength . Because that’s the very least atonement, I can do for you”

…Even with that said, you aren’t going to bring Touka back? What are you calling atonement . If you have made such a resolve, then hurry and bring Touka back already . Back to our safe, and peaceful world . Isn’t that what atonement would be? Helping him with saving the world? The heck is that . What an unlaughable joke .

I promised you, didn’t I . I’d definitely bring Touka and the rest back . So just wait .

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Honestly, I don’t get my older brother .

Touka too, to be overcome by a strange sense of duty, to save the world, will you be able to pull off such a huge task? Because you’re a hero? A brave? [3]

How can you accept these so easily?

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I don’t know . I don’t know, but I want to understand them . Because we’re siblings .

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Still, — I want you to explain, this situation .

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“Great! Then it’s settled! From today on, I am also—”

“Wait a minute”

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The voice which stopped my brother’s words, emanated from my throat .

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Translation Notes:
[1] Nihilism is a line of thought which believe in nothing, have no loyalties, and no purpose other than, perhaps, an impulse to destroy . (I googled it) You can think of it as an empty or broken smile .
[2] ‘Nii’ refers to and older brother, ‘Tan’ another suffix when referring to other people, similar to ‘Chan’ but somewhat cuter? Anyways this is Honoka trying to speak cutely . For the Kpop-loving kids out there, it’s basically aegyo .
[3] Actually both translations mean Hero, but English is boring and only has so many ways of saying hero

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