Book 1: Chapter 8: (3)
Fuck, running half a kilometer sure is tough. I knew I should’ve just used the car.
Out of breath, Matoba had arrived at the side of the temple. He held his shotgun in both hands, Tilarna’s longsword slung across his back in its scabbard. The clattering sound it made as he moved may be annoying, but it couldn’t be helped.
Sneaking around the back of a parked minivan, he spotted a Semanian man standing guard before him. Matoba whistled. The man turned around.
「!?」
「Police. You know what to do, dontcha?」
With a shotgun pointed at his face, the man immediately dropped his machine gun and raised his hands up in the air. As he got closer to him, Matoba knocked him down to the ground. Bringing his knee against his back, he was about to handcuff him when he suddenly heard the sound of gunfire coming from the temple.
「!」
SMGs on full-auto. And a whole bunch of them too. Shit is hitting the fan, and fast.
「Shit.」
He dashed straight to the temple, leaving his captive behind. Out of the corner of his eye, he could spot a number of Elbajhi’s men coughing violently as they ran to their cars. Though he wanted to stop their inevitable escape, he didn’t have any time to waste arresting the lot of them. As long as they remained unaware of his presence, he would ignore theirs.
Matoba headed for the thick cloud of smoke covering the entrance. Inside, the remnants of Elbajhi’s men were cursing at one another.
（Hey, doesn’t putting out the fire come first!?）
（Who cares! It’s useless anyway!）
Nothing would come about dilly-dallying. Matoba stepped foot into the temple. The darkness notwithstanding, the smoke had gotten progressively worse in the hallway.
Immediately to his side, someone shouted out through the deluge of smoke.
「Hey, wait! One of ‘em Dorini’s up to something!」
He didn’t even get the chance to flash his badge. They shot at him without a word. Ducking down, Matoba saw the pillar behind him get blasted to smithereens from an endless barrage of gunfire.
「Police! Throw away your weapons at once!」
「Ignore him! Keep on firing!」
A bevy of submachine guns were fired at him. Matoba hid under the shade of the pillar, staving off the rain of bullets headed his way.
He readied his shotgun, firing at the shadows in his field of vision. Nine pellets hit a man right in the middle of his chest. Its power could not be compared to that of a pistol. Without even raising a scream, the man was blown away by the force of the weapon.
「Well, it is what it is⸺」
Matoba muttered as he deftly replaced the magazine with his trained hands.
「Your fault for making me waste my time with one of your buddies.」
Matoba swiftly drew his shotgun once more, firing it in rapid succession.
She could hear the fierce gunfight unfolding above ground. Something had clearly happened. And yet, Tilarna merely ignored it and continued on down. It appeared as though the source of the fire was just up ahead, coming from the underground mausoleum. Her eyes stung. Trapped in a narrow passageway with all this smoke, it was a miracle she could even breathe.
Reaching the end of the corridor, she finally arrived at the catacombs.
Countless statues lined the halls of the mausoleum. Flames were scattered here and there, obscuring the light. Illuminated by the blaze, the shadows of the statues appeared to sway back and forth, almost as if life had been breathed into them. Legends tell of a group of deities and the demigods who served them. It was said that they would watch over the souls of the dead for all eternity.
（They brought the fairy to such a place. Just what exactly are they planning?）
As she advanced through the flames, Tilarna came face to face with two of Elbajhi’s lackeys. She swiftly knocked one to the ground before sending the other to join his friend.
The branii¹ was steadily getting stronger. Still alive. Just beyond, she was still alive.
Passing by idols and sarcophagi, Tilarna finally arrived at the ‘Chamber of Everlasting Spring’. It was the resting place of members of the ancient house that once ruled over this land. Normally, this chamber would be filled to the brim with the polished statues of ancient warriors. In their stead, rows upon rows of Dorini machinery lined the room. Linen sheets were scattered across the floor. Metal parts lay in one corner of the room. Removing the sheets revealed various boxes underneath. Several layers of cloth had covered their contents. These containers most likely held the fruits of their labour ⸺ Fairy Dust.
On the left side of the room lay a clear, glass box. Inside, there was⸺.
「Quenishba²……」
Within the transparent casing, one could see the ingredients of the drug floating on some type of liquid. The body parts of fairies. Arms. Legs. Heads. Even their organs……
It was a wretched sight. Suppressing the urge to vomit, Tilarna broke into a coughing fit.
「Hey, I’m the one you should feel sorry for. All these goods, gone to waste……」
A voice. Slowly coming out from under the shadow of the machinery, a man made his appearance known to her. It was none other than Elbajhi himself. His right arm sloppily hung onto his Krége³. His left held onto some sort of device outfitted with a glass cylinder. She could spot a small silhouette fluttering from within. There was a fairy inside that cylinder.
「It took us quite a while, y’know? Making all this『Fairy Dust』cost us a pretty penny. And taking into account inflation rates, let’s just say these materials ain’t just for show. We were about to get out a brand-new product too. You know how much that cost? Hundreds of thousands of dollars. We worked damn hard to get that money. And it’s all gone up in smoke thanks to this FUCKING FIRE! You the one who started it?」
「I know not.」
「Thought so. Well, I’ve got someone in mind…… You seen Zelada anywhere? Y’know, that mildita⁴ in red?」
「I know not. More importantly, what exactly is that device? What are you planning to do with that fairy?」
「This thing? It’s a prototype. For a『Spirit Bomb』, that is.」
「Spirit Bomb?」
「It’s supposed to be a device that amplifies the effect of the fairy’s rahtena⁵, spreading it across a larger radius. We arranged a catalytic inscription we found in the Book of Niba, constructing an『Amplification Pathway』in this very device. By bombarding the fairies with microwaves, we were able to extract rahtena to…… Well, talking to you about this won’t make much difference, would it? Anyway, if one were to use this, they’d be able to turn people in their surroundings into mindless ‘corpses’ ⸺ much like those『Fairy Dust』 addicts. This stuff was gonna sell like hotcakes to the Dorini…… 」
Heaving a deep sigh, Elbajhi clapped his hands together.
「Well, there ain’t no helping it. It’s time for me to leave. Mind moving aside, little missy?」
「You intend to play the fool with me?」
Holding back her unbridled rage, Tilarna said.
「So that’s how it’s gonna be, huh?」
「Unforgivable. As far back as time immemorial, the Fairies have been considered sacred existences by our people. For a knave such as you to…… IS TEARING THEM FROM LIMB TO LIMB NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU?!」
「Hey, hey, don’t be so mad. They make good cash. Ain’t that enough for a reason?」
Elbajhi chuckled, satisfied.
「It’s been over ten years since I’ve stepped foot into the Leto Dorini⁶. You know all about that…… right? I was raised just like you. Another scion of a stereotypical military household. Swordsmanship, horsemanship, archery. Etiquette and mildi⁷, you name it. Boring as all hell. Eventually, I would’ve gotten with a dull bitch, made a kid, and served the kingdom. Then, the incompetent trash we call royalty would send me to die in another one of their damned wars. An honorable death, they say. Bullshit. No matter how much I struggled, nothing would have changed.」
「…………」
「It’s different over here. There’s stuff like the American Dream and all that. Work hard enough, and you’ll get rewarded. Science is fucking amazing. Newton mechanics, the Theory of Relativity, quantum mechanics, complex systems. The latest in psychophysics and divine geometry. If they just looked closely, they’d be able to see a faint trace of our mildi in their studies as well. Brand new horizons! Do you really think the royal family and their team of rotting magicians can offer me the same level of excitement? And there’s this thing called rock. It’s a type of music. I’m a huge fan of Nirvana! Know ‘em? And there’s more. Cars, suits, women, video games. We wouldn’t even come close even after a hundred generations. Yet, in exchange for that, they invented money. These motherfucking Dorini don’t have a shred of pride. As long as you’ve got money, you can buy practically anything.」
「Money, money, money, huh?」
Tilarna mumbled sullenly.
「The same as the man-eating devils of Obiza, yes? It seems that you no longer care to call yourself Semani.」
「Aah. You’re the same as those idiots, aren’tcha Tilarna-chan? What a shame.」
Dragging his longsword, Elbajhi took a step towards the flames.
「……So? You planning to stop me with that wooden stick of yours? I held back on you before, y’know? Don’t be stupid.」
「Zeyaja⁸.」
「That so?」
Taking another step, Elbajhi laughed as he assumed a stance with his sword.
「I ain’t gonna be pulling any punches this time around.」
He made his next move in an instant. Drawing his blade from its scabbard, Elbajhi drew closer in an instant. The power of his strikes was even greater than before. Leaping back, Tilarna barely managed to avoid the point of his blade, adopting a stance with her makeshift weapon.
「Give up! It’s useless!」
Elbajhi swept his sword sideways in an attempt to mow her down. Lowering herself so as to reflexively block his incoming attack, Tilarna’s stick was cleanly severed, becoming a mere two-thirds of its original length.
「C’mon, c’mon! Dance some more, little princess!」
He struck again. And again.
She was afforded no mercy. Worse still, there was nary a chance for a counterattack. The edge of his sword glimmered in the light. Split in two, the piece of wood she held was nothing less than garbage. His assault continued on, ripping her cheap-looking dress to shreds. Her fair, white skin was exposed for all to see.
「Try a little harder, why don’t you!? Lemme have at those boobs!」
「…………kuh!」
I cannot win. Elbajhi is far too powerful. A shortsword and a stick would not suffice. The enemy was about ready to finish her off. She took a deep breath, coming to terms with her impending demise.
No, I must not give up here! At this rate⸺.
「TILAAARNA!!!」
Another voice called out to her.
That was all it took for her to realize their identity.
She spotted a man out of the corner of her eye. That crude, odious excuse for a Dorini. Kei Matoba held her sheathed krége aloft, throwing it towards her. Though she remained unaware of the circumstances, he had somehow been able to uncover the whereabouts of this hideout, journeying all the way here to rescue her.
「…………!」
The Krége drew a parabola as it rotated in the air.
Stepping aside to avoid another one of Elbajhi’s strikes, Tilarna firmly grabbed onto the longsword spinning towards her. Rolling safely onto the ground, she promptly drew the blade from its scabbard. Its silver body gleaming alight, a single swing of the Krége blew away the surrounding flames from its mere impact.
「Hoh!?」
As she kneeled on the ground, Tilarna held her blade aloft. Seeing that, Elbajhi smirked.
「That stance. That krége. You follow the Vredeni style, missy?」
「Did I not say it before? I have no obligation to tell you anything!」
「Hmm, interesting……」
Taking a lowered stance with his sword, Elbajhi slowly walked towards the thick of the fray.
「Need some help?」
Matoba asked.
「No need!」
For her to wield the blade she had once forsook, nothing could be more disgraceful as a knight. Or so the disciplined part of her heart shouted. At the same time, another part, one that beheld her thirst for battle, said this as it jumped for joy.
This blade that accompanied you through life and death. From a young age, you have felt its weight in your hands. The blade that you could finally swing without the slightest hint of hesitation. ‘Tis equal to your own life. As long as it is in your hands…
Nothing shall ever get in your way!
「⸺This man shall be mine to slay!」
「OK, have at ‘em.」
「Daash na zanna⁹!」
Expressing words of gratitude, Tilarna kicked off of the ground.
「HAHAHA!」
Suddenly opening his eyes wide, Elbajhi closed the distance in an instant. He let out a flurry of strikes, to which Tilarna defended herself with the most minimal of movements.
She lightly jumped into the air. Much like a top, Tilarna released a whirlwind of attacks against her enemy.
Elbajhi tried to evade. But it was much too slow. Tilarna’s blade dug into his torso. The attack was shallow; it barely grazed the edge of his skin. And yet, this was the first time she had successfully landed a blow on him. Landing to the ground, Tilarna positioned her sword against her head. It blocked the incoming attack aimed straight at her forehead. She followed up with a low sweep of her blade. Elbajhi leapt back, building up momentum for another attack. Right. Left. Above. She parried every strike magnificently.
「You bitch……」
The tables having turned on him, Elbajhi groaned. Tilarna did not say a single word.
Her master’s words echoed in her mind.
One must not give their opponent cause for rest.
Faster. Sharper.
Think of your krége as an extension of your fingertips. Think of them as your wings. Be as graceful as a crane. As fierce as a falcon. Feel the wind. Entrust your body to the flow of the rahtena.
Let your blade become a gale.
It shall guide your path to victory!
「Khh……!」
There were cuts all over Elbajhi’s right arm. They were still much too shallow.
His feet had been crushed. Yet, it was still not enough.
In that case⸺.
「Fuh!」
Tilarna bounded high up in the air, delivering a swift blow to the crown of his head. Elbajhi tilted his head, narrowly escaping death. However, the krége did not stop at his shoulders, slicing down through the center of his chest.
「Ghahak…………!」
An inhuman cry escaped his lips.
As Tilarna retrieved her sword and stepped back, Elbajhi fell down to his knees, collapsing onto the cold, hard floor. A fresh pool of blood leaked out of his wounds.
「Before you meet your demise, I shall tell you.」
Heaving a deep sigh, Tilarna continued.
「The name of my master is Galarda Vredeni. None other than the strongest swordsman in the whole of the Farbanian Kingdom. Do tell that to the demons you meet in the underworld.」
「……Go to hell.」
And with that, Elbajhi ceased to breathe.
Translator’s Notes:
- The Farbanian word for ‘scent/odor.'
- The Farbanian word for ‘awful.’ Used in this context to mean something along the lines of ‘How terrible…’
- The Farbanian word for ‘longsword.’
- The Farbanian word for ‘magician.'
- A form of magical energy that can be sensed by the Semani.
- Earth; lit. ‘The world of the Dorini’.
- The Farbanian word for ‘magic.'
- The Farbanian word for ‘Shut up.’
- The Farbanian phrase for ‘thank you.'
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