Akatsuki Translations

――Kalkara.

――Yes, Echelle-sama.

Whenever Kalkara reflected on her memories with Echelle from their time in the Caraleigh household, her heart would fill with bitterness. She despised herself for always being prepared to slit the throat of the girl who innocently clung to her for support.

However, recently, things had improved slightly. Perhaps it was because there was no longer a need for betrayal, and she had reconciled with Echelle. Kalkara knew it was selfish, and no matter how much Echelle forgave her, she should never forgive herself.

Still, she was glad that she could now look back on her memories with Echelle without feeling tainted.

――Hey, look at this! It’s a dress, Echelle exclaimed.

What day had that been? It was probably one of those times when they had fled from Echelle’s brothers, who were throwing stones at them for fun. They had hidden in one of the many rooms in the vast Caraleigh mansion. It was a storage-like room.

The dress stored there was tailored for a child. It likely belonged to one of Echelle’s sisters and had been discarded after being worn once or twice. Echelle spread out the abandoned dress to show it off.

Though she never said it aloud, her eyes were filled with envy.

The tattered clothes Echelle wore now were painful to look at. They were far from suitable for the eldest daughter of the highest-ranking family in the city. It had been a long time since she had worn a dress.

――Echelle-sama, why don’t you try it on? Kalkara suggested gently, sensing Echelle’s unspoken desire.

――Is… is that okay? Echelle asked hesitantly.

――No one will notice, Kalkara assured her.

The room was quite dusty. The servants probably rarely entered this place. If Echelle were to wear an old dress tucked away in such a place, surely no one would notice.

Of course, Kalkara didn’t say this out loud. Instead, she helped the excited Echelle change into the dress. Since it wasn’t made for her, it didn’t fit perfectly in some places, but Kalkara used ribbons and accessories that had been stored with the dress to conceal the imperfections and make Echelle look beautiful.

――Amazing! Kalkara, this is amazing! Echelle exclaimed.

――It suits you, Echelle-sama, Kalkara praised with a smile.

As Echelle jumped around with joy, Kalkara smiled and admired her. For once, Kalkara was genuinely happy. These moments when Echelle could be so overjoyed in this vast mansion were truly precious.

Echelle twirled and danced. The white dress and the accessories she wore sparkled in the light. Kalkara continued to watch her with a smile, when suddenly, she noticed something.

A mirror. There was a mirror.

This storage room had a mirror. A large one. But it was strange. There were no mirrors in the Caraleigh mansion. Mirrors were symbols of evil spirits. That’s why there had been no mirrors in this mansion since before Echelle was born. If one were to be left in plain sight, the servants responsible would lose their heads. Even the servants weren’t allowed to possess them.

So why was there a mirror here?

Ignoring Kalkara’s puzzlement, Echelle continued to jump and dance. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating Echelle and reflecting off her image in the mirror.

Echelle’s reflection in the large full-length mirror danced just like her, of course. The movements were exactly the same, but there was one difference in appearance.

It was black. She was wearing a black dress.

A jet-black dress. A veil covering her face. The face barely visible through it was undoubtedly Echelle’s. Only the dress she wore was strange. Was it an optical illusion?

――Hey, did you see? Kalkara, Echelle asked.

――…Yes, of course, Echelle-sam-

Echelle smiled at Kalkara. Momentarily dazed, Kalkara reflexively smiled back at her, and then her gaze finally turned to the mirror behind Echelle.

Echelle was smiling towards Kalkara. The mirror was behind her. Naturally, from Kalkara’s perspective, the mirror should have shown herself and Echelle’s back.

However, the Echelle in the mirror, wearing the black dress, was facing this way.

Kalkara’s eyes widened, unable to make a sound. The Echelle in the mirror was smiling just like the real Echelle. But no, her smile wasn’t as innocent. She didn’t look at Kalkara with eyes that seemed to draw her in just by looking.

And the Echelle in the mirror, ignoring the real Echelle, said to Kalkara:

――Won’t you give it to me?

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Spiral Library, 73rd Underground Floor, Former Cathedral

“Ah!” Kalkara woke up with a start.

She felt like she had a terrifying dream. She was drenched in sweat. She exhaled deeply. Her throat hurt, probably from sleeping in such a dusty place. She wanted water.

“Oh? So you were the first to wake up,” a voice said.

However, all her discomfort vanished when she saw the【Heavenly Demon】 Greylei looking down at her observantly. Her blood instantly boiled, and she sprang up.

“You!” Kalkara shouted.

“How rude. And here I saved you when you were suffering from magic exhaustion,” Greylei replied.

Of course, I’m also the cause of that exhaustion! Greylei added, laughing.

Kalkara didn’t stop glaring at him. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that it would be strange not to be angry after nearly being killed.

“Why did you do this? Is Echelle-sama safe?” Kalkara demanded.

“She’s sleeping behind you,” Greylei answered.

Surprised, Kalkara turned around. Sure enough, Echelle was lying on the ground. Next to her was Eckstein, also asleep. It seemed the three of them had been neatly arranged to sleep side by side.

“Echelle-sama!” Kalkara called out.

“Mmm…” Echelle stirred slightly but didn’t wake up. However, she didn’t appear to be unconscious, just in a deep sleep. There were no visible injuries. The neighboring Eckstein was also breathing. Everyone was safe.

“Well, you were lucky. Especially you and Eckstein were on the verge of death from magic exhaustion. You should be grateful to me,” Greylei said smugly.

“…Did you also defeat that Hexlord Spider?” Kalkara asked, glaring at him. She was determined not to show any gratitude. At that time, they had been completely cornered. If there was a reason they were saved, it had to be either the Seven Heavens’ Greylei or—

“Me? Of course not! Why would I do such a thing?” Greylei exclaimed.

“…Then what happened?” Kalkara pressed.

“Look,” Greylei said, pointing behind himself.

Kalkara raised her body and slowly looked behind him.

“This Hexlord Spider had been the guardian here for a long time. Since it was almost incarnated, its corpse remains,” Greylei explained.

“…” Kalkara trembled and staggered.

The Hexlord Spider was dead. However, the traces of its corpse were far from ordinary.

If it had been cut apart, that would have been an understandable way to die. But this was different. Its body had been “gouged out” in all directions. It was a bizarre corpse, as if a giant with unnaturally sharp claws had scraped the Hexlord Spider’s body.

Normally, one wouldn’t understand why this had happened, but Kalkara had an idea.

It was the power that Echelle had unleashed during the fight with Aesula, when she manifested the mirror spirit. It was the power of 【Usurpation】 caused by the rampaging spirit. The image of Aesula writhing in pain as parts of his body simply disappeared—it was exactly the same. Which meant—

“…Did…..Echelle-sama.. do… this?” Kalkara asked, her voice trembling.

“Yes, it was magnificent. She thoroughly crushed the Hexlord Spider that was about to kill you one-sidedly. Though, she probably doesn’t remember it at all,” Greylei replied.

Even when Kalkara turned back, Echelle was still asleep. She showed no signs of waking up. She was even smiling, mumbling something in her sleep, seemingly unaware of the situation.

“Did you do this just to see her power?” Kalkara accused.

“It’s rare to come across a child of an evil spirit who hasn’t been killed or self-destructed by that age. It was intriguing, but it exceeded my expectations. You’ve done well to keep her alive, monitor,” Greylei said, sounding genuinely impressed.

Kalkara felt murderous intent rising at his words, but she knew that even if she tried to attack him, she would end up scattered like the monsters that had assaulted this man. She struggled to contain her anger.

“Now, now, don’t be so angry. I’m reluctantly the manager here. I can’t just give away the forbidden books I’ve been storing with considerable effort for free,” Greylei said.

Saying this, he tossed a book to Kalkara. It was a completely black book, cover and all. The moment she touched it, she could feel it was imbued with magical power, so it was undoubtedly some kind of grimoire, but at first glance, she couldn’t discern any information from it.

“This is…” Kalkara began.

“It’s a research compendium on knowledge about evil spirits, and also a magical tool for utilizing the power of evil spirits themselves. The creator died, unable to handle the power of the evil spirits,” Greylei explained.

“So it’s a defective product, isn’t it?” Kalkara retorted.

“I can guarantee its function in suppressing excessive spirit power. Though it might not be enough to suppress her power! Kahaha!” Greylei laughed.

Kalkara thought about throwing it at Greylei’s face, thinking she didn’t need such a thing, but she knew that this was indeed necessary for Echelle right now. Reluctantly, she couldn’t let go of it.

And another irritating fact was that the man before her understood evil spirits far better than Kalkara did. So…

“If it’s a reward, may I have one more thing?” Kalkara asked.

“Oh? What is it?” Greylei inquired.

“Echelle-sama… the 【Mirror Spirit】… why is it so powerful?” Kalkara asked.

The grotesque corpse of the Hexlord Spider before her had confirmed her suspicions.

Echelle’s power was indeed abnormal. It’s common for spirit power to exceed human common sense, but Echelle’s power surpassed even spirit common sense. There was no way she could effortlessly unleash such absurd power without any connection to the temple.

There had to be something. And it was far too dangerous to let her continue to wield her power without knowing what that something was.

“Hmm? Well, since you ask, I’ll answer… but the reasons are complex,” Greylei said.

“Complex?” Kalkara echoed.

“The issues of 【Evil Spirits】, the 【Mirror Spirit】, and 【Echelle Loine Raleigh】 are all intertwined. It’s quite a rare case,” Greylei mused.

“Let me explain one by one,” Greylei said as he paced around the ancient cathedral, his footsteps echoing. He looked almost like a magic instructor.

“First, the 【Evil Spirits】. As a premise, how do you perceive evil spirits?” Greylei asked.

“Spirits collectively deemed evil by the temple,” Kalkara answered.

“What’s with that considerate way of speaking? You’re a part of the priesthood, you should understand, right?” Greylei pressed.

“…” Kalkara remained silent.

“They are ‘spirits collectively deemed inconvenient to humanity’! Good or evil, it’s all just human convenience!” Greylei declared.

Kalkara affirmed with her silence. What he said was correct.

At the same time, she understood why this man was so despised by the temple. He casually stated things that were taboo within the temple, things that would get one arrested by the Sun Knights if spoken aloud.

“When the ‘Creator’ made this world, truly dangerous spirits were discarded. They were flicked away from the 【Astral Sea】[1] where spirits dwell. Even fundamental negative thoughts were set to be cast into the abyss,” Greylei continued.

However…

“God’s maintenance was imperfect. The world fell into chaos with the appearance of dungeons after the 【Age of Arcadia】. As humanity as a whole lost its sense of security, new ‘inconvenient spirits’ were born. These are the evil spirits,” Greylei explained.

Greylei, who had blasphemously declared God, the Sun God Zeuradia, as “imperfect,” continued:

“As in the case of the Spirit of Expansion, ideological correction is attempted when possible, but when that’s difficult, its manager 【Heavenly Prayer】 expels them from the 【Astral Sea】, the dwelling place of spirits, and priests are forbidden from praying to these spirits.”

“…What I want to know is about Echelle-sama,” Kalkara interjected.

“Well, listen! I’ve just gotten into the mood!” Greylei dismissed Kalkara’s protest and continued.

“Evil spirits expelled from the 【Astral Sea】 are cut off from the Temple’s magical supply. They can no longer receive power even if prayed to directly. Inevitably, they either weaken and become 【Eggs】, or survive meagerly on prayers from a few believers. Now then, about the 【Mirror Spirit】—”

Greylei glanced at the fallen Echelle. Kalkara moved to shield her. Greylei laughed at this sight.

“The 【Mirror Spirit】 is different from normal evil spirits. Do you know why?” Greylei asked Kalkara.

It was irritating to play along with this man’s imitation of a lesson, but Kalkara knew the conversation wouldn’t progress if she didn’t answer. And Kalkara already knew the answer.

The special situation of the Mirror Spirit was obvious to anyone’s eyes.

“…It’s about the notorious 【Usurpation】, isn’t it?” Kalkara replied.

“Indeed. I’m glad to have such an excellent student,” Greylei said with a smirk.

A spirit distorted by later-added superstitions. Greylei claimed that the Mirror Spirit was special.

“Originally, the Mirror Spirit wasn’t an evil spirit. That’s natural, isn’t it? After all, a mirror is just an inanimate object. It’s a rare case where the vice of 【Usurpation】 was later added by the hands of the priests!”

Normally, if eerie superstitions spread in a city, the Temple would immediately correct them. That was one of the Temple’s roles. But mirrors were an exception. The Temple itself had turned the fear of “stealing the sun” into a solid, fearful belief.

“Moreover, mirrors are everyday items. They had already spread too much. They were too intertwined with daily life to be forgotten as ‘unnecessary’ like usual evil spirits. Even if they were removed from within the Temple, it was counterproductive.”

Even if they were purged from the Temple, the priests couldn’t forget the omnipresent mirrors in the city and continued to fear them. Rather, distancing themselves from mirrors blurred their true nature, accelerating superstitions.

“In a sense, it was inevitable that the Mirror’s favored one would be born from the Caraleigh family,” Greylei mused.

“…What did you say?” Kalkara asked, shocked.

“Even before the favored one was born, the Caraleigh family, being Shinras, probably feared mirrors excessively. They feared, trembled, and loathed. That girl is the fruition of the Shinras’ fearful prayers.”

Kalkara felt blood rushing to her head. Not anger towards Greylei, but towards the now-extinct Caraleigh family, who had brought this upon themselves.

They had tormented and cursed Echelle endlessly. Whenever the slightest misfortune occurred, they blamed it on her existence. But was it true that she was favored by the Mirror Spirit simply because they feared mirrors excessively? Was it all their own doing?

If so, it was far too pitiful for her.

“No matter how much God tries to cast malice into the Abyss, not everything can be eliminated. The malice that spilled over unnecessarily strengthened the mirrors — and if that were all, it would have been fine…”

“…Are you saying there’s something more?” Kalkara asked.

Greylei merely shrugged in response.

“Kahaha!! Sorry, but I lack sufficient verification regarding ‘that.’ I’m not the type to speak knowingly about information without certainty.”

“You bastard…” Kalkara felt murderous intent rising towards Greylei, who spoke so freely. But he showed no sign of remorse.

“Such foul language! Well, originally, I should be the one showing respect to you, who holds an official rank, so I suppose I’m the one at fault!! Kahaha!!”

“…I don’t care anymore,” Kalkara sighed, slumping to the ground.

She was tired. The information was too heavy to process. She had endured it because she knew it was for Echelle’s sake, but she felt like forgetting everything she had just heard.

In the end, apart from the grimoire she received, all she gained was anxiety. The only consolation was that Echelle was safe, but otherwise, she just wanted to go home quickly.

“Thank you for the information. So, how can we return?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll send you back. My business is done,” Greylei replied.

His footsteps echoed with a clack. Then, white light gathered around Kalkara and the others, soon enveloping Kalkara’s vision in white. The transfer was about to begin.

“Let me ask one last thing,” Greylei’s voice reached through the light. Kalkara thought about ignoring it but sighed and asked:

“What is it?”

“What will you do yourself?”

In the light, Greylei’s gaze pierced straight through Kalkara. Eyes that seemed to see through everything. Eyes searching for food for the monster of his own curiosity.

“That girl harbors the potential to become a great calamity, ‘as many priests believe,’ regardless of her own wishes. And if that happens…”

Then, there would be no turning back.

“It would be the birth of a 【True Child of an Evil Spirit】. What do you intend to do then?”

“If that’s what she wishes, I’ll help her. What of it?” Kalkara replied, meeting his curious gaze straight on. Much of his talk had confused and disoriented her, but on this one point, nothing had changed. Therefore, she didn’t hesitate in her answer.

To aid her wishes and guide her to happiness. Her existence was solely for that purpose.

There was no time to see how Greylei reacted to Kalkara’s answer. Soon after, their bodies were engulfed by the transfer magic, and Greylei’s figure vanished from view. But his final words reached Kalkara’s ears:

“Then you must overcome the 【Sun-Devouring Ceremony】. Entertain me to your heart’s content.”

Kalkara’s retort of “No thanks” disappeared into the void.

Thus, Echelle and Kalkara vanished from the underground space.

Left behind were Greylei and one more person.

“Now then…” Greylei peered down at Eckstein, who was lying on the ground with closed eyes, and spoke.

“You were awake, weren’t you, Eckstein?”

“…Greylei-san. Please don’t do anything too dangerous.”

At these words, Eckstein raised his body.

He didn’t look well. It was natural, given that he had been pushed to his limits in the previous battle and had even run out of magical power. He had indeed lost consciousness.

He had just regained consciousness, but it had happened even earlier than Kalkara’s awakening.

“No matter what becomes of Uuga, their existence will be necessary. Do you understand that we can’t afford to lose them?” Eckstein asked.

Greylei replied, “I don’t know. I’m not uninterested in that big familiar, but it’s low priority. If you offer them up, I’ll take a look, but the child of evil spirits is far more intriguing.”

“Thanks to that, we’re desperate here,” Eckstein sighed heavily. Seeing his reaction, Greylei chuckled.

“You must be pleased if the Envy Central Workshop folks stumble because of this, right?” Greylei teased.

Eckstein retorted, “I wish you’d understand it’s not that simple.”

“It doesn’t seem more important than the pursuit of magic,” Greylei mused.

“It’s tough when your boss doesn’t understand your work!” Eckstein complained.

“Kahaha!!” Greylei laughed.

Eckstein didn’t mince words even with the member of the【Seven Heavens】 who controlled his organization. Greylei didn’t seem to mind his attitude. If Gloria, Eckstein’s direct superior, saw this scene, she would be shocked.

But this was the nature of their relationship. For better or worse, they had strangely hit it off from the moment they met.

“So, did you gain anything from pretending to be asleep and listening to that woman’s conversation?” Greylei inquired.

Eckstein replied, “Listening to her conversation has nothing to do with Envy. It was purely personal curiosity.”

“Oh? It’s rare to see you being so serious. Did you see what you wanted to see?”

When asked, Eckstein smiled, both happily and a little sadly. “I saw that strange talents are still gathering around my friend, just like in the old days.”

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City of Sin Proudia, Babel Street

“Really… what a library tour this turned out to be,” Kalkara muttered, carrying Echelle on her back as they headed home.

It was already twilight, and the city’s residents were offering prayers to the sun that had completed its daily duty before heading home. Kalkara, too, offered a prayer to the Sun God as she made her way to their lodgings in Proudia.

Carrying the sleeping girl reminded her of old times. She often used to carry Echelle to bed after she had cried herself to sleep. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant memory, but it was an important one.

“Kalkara…” Echelle mumbled.

“Echelle-sama, are you awake?” Kalkara asked.

As she spoke, Echelle woke up. Kalkara tried to set her down to check if she was alright, but Echelle hugged Kalkara tightly from behind.

“Echelle-sama?”

There was no reply to her question. Echelle’s grip on Kalkara was a bit strong. This gesture was familiar too. She was enduring some pain. And Kalkara could guess the reason.

“…Am I dangerous?” Echelle asked quietly.

“…Did you hear our conversation?” Kalkara inquired.

“Just the end,” Echelle admitted.

It seemed she had missed the crucial parts, but apparently heard the most ominous bit. Kalkara had wondered why the 【Heavenly Demon】 had asked such a question just before the teleportation, but he must have noticed that Echelle had woken up.

He really was an insufferably mischievous man.

“My duty remains unchanged. I intend to stay by your side always,” Kalkara reassured her.

“Mm…” Echelle nodded against Kalkara’s back. But she still seemed troubled. Kalkara searched for words.

“…However, this is just speculation without much basis,” Kalkara began hesitantly.

“Hm?” Echelle sounded puzzled at the vague start. Even Kalkara, who was saying it, wasn’t entirely sure if this would be proper consolation.

But she knew what Echelle needed most right now.

“I think that even if you were to stray significantly from your path, you wouldn’t be alone,” Kalkara said.

She remembered the time when it was just the two of them, enduring in a world full of enemies. Echelle must be afraid of becoming an outcast, rejected by those around her.

But surely, that wouldn’t happen.

“…Why is that?” Echelle asked.

“Because there are many people around you who are likely to stray even further from their paths than you,” Kalkara explained.

“Eh…”

For better or worse, the place where she was now was full of people who were just as unorthodox as her. Even if she were to become the embodiment of a 【Child of an Evil Spirit】, when such a situation arose, it didn’t seem at all like she would be the only one straying from the path.

“That man” was the type who, if Echelle were to stumble and fall into the Abyss, would leap into the Abyss without hesitation.

That’s why Echelle had grown fond of him.

“…That’s a terrible thing to say,” Echelle murmured.

“Yes, it truly is,” Kalkara agreed.

“But I see… I see…” Echelle mused.

“Yes, that’s right,” Kalkara affirmed.

It really was a terrible thing to say. But it was what would comfort her the most. Echelle hugged Kalkara one last time before jumping off her back and standing on her own feet.

“Kalkara. There’s not much time left until the promised day, but I want to practice controlling the spirit’s power, even if just a little,” Echelle declared.

“Yes, of course. As you wish, Echelle-sama,” Kalkara responded.

The two walked side by side, heading home. They looked like a pair of close sisters.

TL Note(s)

[1] Changed “Star Ocean” to “Astral Sea”