Akatsuki Translations

Ur was preparing for the conquest of the dragon-devoured Uuga. Repeatedly negotiating with the Great Eagle of Dawn, he hoarded consumables, especially food, based on the information obtained from Jain of the【White Serpent】. Meanwhile, he also checked the damage in the temporary city.

《Doesn’t seem to be any problem? 》-Akane

“Surprisingly, it’s pretty calm.” -Ur

Ur was accompanied by his sister whose work with Diz had come to a temporary halt. Despite the initial chaos caused by the dragon attack, the situation in the temporary city had calmed down significantly after a day. Originally, outside of the temporary temple, the place was mostly made up of basic tents, making recovery easier.

Still, some Nameless had fled, but a significant number remained. In addition, there was…

“【Guldin of Stone, Lift the Earth】.” -Kalkara

The repair work was being carried out by the 【Priest of Stone】 Kalkara.

Announcing the name of her spirit, Kalkara simultaneously caused the earth to rise, repairing the broken barriers and creating new dwellings for the remaining residents. No need for quarrying stones – the processed and completed structures simply emerged from the ground.

“Amazing…” -Ur

《Incre~~dible. 》-Akane

Ur and Akane, his sister, could only express their amazement in simple terms.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” -Ur

《Really… 》-Akane

“What are you muttering to yourself?” -Kalkara

As Ur and Akane chatted leisurely, Kalkara approached them. She didn’t notice Akane, who was in the form of a necklace hanging around Ur’s neck. Ur faced her calmly and bowed deeply.

“Thank you, Kalkara-sama. I was just observing the power of the spirit.” -Ur

“Focus on your work. What do you think Echelle-sama hired you for?” -Kalkara

“I’ve mostly finished today’s tasks. I just wanted to get a grasp of the situation in this temporary city before heading out for the conquest.” -Ur

As Ur mentioned “conquest,” Kalkara visibly grimaced, clearly still not accepting Echelle’s decision to join them in the dungeon.

“Echelle-sama’s decision to go to the dungeon is her own choice.” -Kalkara

Ur was met with a fierce glare at his words, prompting him and Akane to whisper to each other.

《…Sca~ry. 》-Akane

“Don’t ever go outside, Akane.” -Ur

While Ur (and Akane) whispered as Kalkara glared at him, she continued her work. The sight of someone single-handedly carrying on construction tasks that would normally require numerous hands and a significant amount of time is truly overwhelming. With that power, she continued to repair the buildings and defenses destroyed by the dragon. But what was even more remarkable was the “freedom” of the repairs.

“Excuse me, Priestess, may I speak with you?”

A Nameless, who had chosen not to flee the temporary city and continued to assist Kalkara in her restoration efforts, approached her with a deep bow. Kalkara momentarily paused her work to turn her attention to him.

“Raise your head. What do you need?” -Kalkara

“The recent chaos has caused a building to collapse. The ground has become soft.” -Nameless

“Where is it?” -Kalkara

“Over here. We also need a foundation for reinforcing the surroundings.” -Nameless

Guided to the location, Kalkara moves and, upon inspection, suddenly raises one hand. Instantly, the ground shifts. Upright stones, as if processed, replace the soft soil.

“The foundation is over there.” -Kalkara

Raising her hand again, a platform emerges where she directs. It conforms to the desired location, shape, and form.

This isn’t like magic.

Magic is predefined. Various spells are researched and created, and when a problem arises, a pre-constructed spell is applied. Therefore, there’s almost no spell “made for that specific time, place, and problem.” Creating a spell for just one issue is the epitome of inefficiency.

But Kalkara is doing just “that.”

“The reinforcement is complete. I’ve also leveled the ground, which had somewhat sunk.” -Kalkara

“Ohhh. Thank you so much, Priestess.” -Nameless

“I’ve expanded the platform. Continue your work.” -Kalkara

Kalkara utilizes the power of the stone spirit to adapt to each situation. She spreads stone-like cobblestones on the ground for reinforcement, creates staircase-like stones for footing, extends defensive walls to prepare for monsters, and even generates supporting pillars to sustain them.

If it were just magic, each of these would require different spells and intricate adjustments. Kalkara bypasses all these steps.

“The power of spirits is… how to say it… ‘capable of anything,’ isn’t it?” -Ur

“Of course. There are limitations, however.” -Kalkara

Kalkara adds, hearing Ur’s comment.

“Limitations?” -Ur

“Like the magical power used in magic, energy is needed to handle the blessing of spirits.” -Kalkara

“Ah, the power of the 【prayers】 from the city residents and attendants.” -Ur

“Without it, the power will be exhausted.” -Kalkara

In simple terms, special magical power is generated when prayers are offered to the spirits seems to be a good way to think of it. The city residents accumulate this power by visiting the temple and offering prayers.

“So, one can’t use this power alone?” -Ur

“It can be used, but the magical power will deplete quickly. There are limits to how much prayer-generated 【magical power】 an individual can produce to handle the spirits’ 【blessings】.” -Kalkara

“Limitations” -Ur

“If there were a proper temple here, I could have wielded the blessing of the 【Stone Spirit】more freely. That makeshift temple doesn’t fulfill the role of a storehouse for prayers.” -Kalkara

The prayers from the attendants are directly transferred to Kalkara, but the vessel that is the priestess Kalkara has its limits. She can’t “store” the energy, significantly reducing efficiency.

“It’s like… priests aren’t omnipotent after all. The lack of a temple must be a big factor.” -Ur

If there were a proper temple, she could use a power more versatile than magic, inexhaustibly. The power of a priest within the city is overwhelming. But here, it’s different, which is why Echelle was so focused on the existence of the Gran attendant, Griffin.

“Ultimately, we’re just borrowing the power of the spirits as 【blessings】, so naturally. It’s impossible for a human body to handle all that power. Especially for someone like me, a fifth-ranked Nuu.” -Kalkara

“I see… So, would it be different for a Shinra priest?” -Ur

That was a question of curiosity, but Kalkara’s eyes sharpened. It wasn’t anger, nor was she looking directly at Ur. The emotion in her eyes was awe.

“…The Shinra have high affinity with spirits. The amount of prayer is overwhelming, but more importantly, the strength of the blessings they receive is different. It’s on a completely different level compared to someone like me.” -Kalkara

“…Specifically, what are they capable of?” -Ur

“Natural disasters.” -Kalkara

A very concise and clear explanation.

“As for our country, Gradol, a first-ranked Shinra could turn this entire land into a mountain range in an instant.” -Kalkara

“Wow.” -Ur

“Of course, since they are human, there’s a limit to magical power storage, but a Shinra has a direct connection, a path, to their temple. So, within their territory, they have almost inexhaustible power.” -Kalkara

“… Honestly, I can’t even imagine that.” -Ur

“You don’t need to. It’s irrelevant to you. Instead, if you’re willing to help, I’d like you to offer your prayers as well.” -Kalkara

Kalkara glares at Ur.

Indeed, according to her explanation, she can only store the prayers of the 【attendants】 in her own vessel, making it inefficient. She’s exhausted again after the recent repairs.

“If the prayers of a Nameless are okay.” -Ur

Ur nods and clasps his hands together. Although the prayers of a Nameless might not be very powerful, they should contribute somewhat. However, as he does so, Kalkara looks puzzled.

“…Is something wrong?” -Ur

“Are you… truly praying earnestly?” -Kalkara

“There’s no reason for me to fake it here.” -Kalkara

“Then why are your prayers so… even for a Nameless, there are limits…” -Kalkara

As Ur looked puzzled at her strange way of speaking, she seemed to be probing for the unfamiliar sensation she had noticed, circling around Ur, then staring intently at his right hand.

“What’s that? On your hand.” -Kalkara

“Oh, this? Didn’t Echelle-sama tell you?” -Ur

She was glaring at his right arm, wrapped in a black bandage. Ur slightly unwrapped it, revealing a skin tone vastly different from his own, a hard, ominous, inhuman black hand.

“I was recently cursed by a dragon.” -Ur

“Please, stay away from me.” -Kalkara

“That’s harsh.” -Ur

Kalkara cringed with an expression as if she was looking at something filthy, which doubly hurt Ur. Naturally, a curse is not something anyone would be happy to see, but Kalkara’s aversion was quite blatant. She stepped back two, three steps, pointing at Ur’s right hand with a face of horror.

“…Spirits hate dragons.” -Kalkara

“Spirits do?” -Ur

“Through blessings, the aversion is transmitted, so please, hide it.” -Kalkara

After rewrapping the bandage, Kalkara sighed in relief. Ur wondered if it made that much of a difference, then Akane, hanging around his neck, whispered softly.

《Nii-tan, you shouldn’t take off the ‘bandage’, okay? 》-Akane

“Is that so?” -Ur

《I’ll stay away from you if you do. 》-Akane

“I’ll cry.” -Ur

Ur carefully rewrapped his right arm with the black bandage, and Kalkara then focused on the bandage.

“That bandage…” -Kalkara

“It was woven by someone called the Witch of Weaving.” -Ur

“The City of Sin, Lust’s… I see, you’ve splurged on something quite substantial.” -Kalkara

Ur was truly scared to think about how much the bandage cost.

“Heeeeey, Kalkara-sama!”

Another voice called out. Coming from the direction of the temporary temple, waving his hand, was the man Ur had recently become acquainted with.

“Kalan-san, right? Hello.” -Ur

“Oh! Yo, adventurer. We meet again, huh?” -Kalan

Kalan, the attendant they met at the temporary temple, waved and greeted. Ur returned the greeting, but it seemed Kalan’s business was not with Ur, but with Kalkara. He approached her.

“What do you need?” -Kalkara

“There’s a bit of a commotion at the temple. Some bugs were found in the food. They want all the stored food checked to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” -Kalan

“Tell them not to ask for the impossible.” -Kalkara

“It’s impossible for someone like me to say that to them. Please understand, Kalkara-sama.” -Kalan

Kalkara sighed deeply and turned back to instruct the Nameless workers helping her in a clear voice.

“In the meantime, continue with the repairs as best as you can. Once you’re done, you can disband for the day.” -Kalkara

With that command, scattered responses returned. Then, she and Kalan headed towards the temporary temple.

“It looks tough…” -Ur

《Nii-tan, should you help? 》-Akane

“I’ll pass. It doesn’t look fun at all… but,” -Ur

《What’s up? 》-Akane

“There are quite a few Nameless staying behind.” -Ur

After Kalkara left, Ur gazed over the site of the city, destroyed by the dragon, and noticed something intriguing. The Nameless were busily engaged in wall construction. Without the power of spirits like Kalkara, they had to rely on physical labor, following the scaffolding she provided, assembling materials in a concerted effort to repair the damage.

《They’re all working hard, aren’t they? 》-Akane

“Yeah, they are. Even without Kalkara.” -Ur

And these individuals were diligently working without any overseers cracking the whip. If they were reluctant, they would slack off even knowing it’s necessary work. If no one was watching, the atmosphere would naturally slacken. However, there was none of that in their demeanor.

Their motivation seemed high. Just the fact that they stayed behind to maintain this place after the dragon incident is surprising.

“Oi~~ you guys, don’t slack off… Oh, aren’t you the one Echelle called?”

A dwarf, probably managing the place in Kalkara’s absence, mistook them for workers. He seemed aware of Ur’s identity. Ur acknowledged him with a nod.

“Just observing for a bit.” -Ur

“Oh, well, as long as you’re not in the way, do whatever you like.” -Dwarf

He scrutinized Ur’s face. It was blatantly suspicious. If he was a Nameless dwarf, he must be familiar with adventurers. Or maybe that familiarity was exactly why.

“Not often do Nameless wanderers get to see the work of a priest.” -Dwarf

“Yeah, that’s true. It’s my first time seeing it up close too.” -Ur

The dwarf laughed heartily. Ur, attempting to ease the tension with casual talk, felt slightly relieved. He then broached a subject he had been pondering.

“However, the Nameless are pretty diligent with their work. And fewer of them fled than I expected.” -Ur

To the statement, the dwarf nodded.

“We owe a debt of gratitude to Echelle-sama.” -Dwarf

“A debt?” -Ur

It was an unexpected response.

---

(This isn’t relevant to the translation, but I thought I’d include it)

Author’s Note:

Thank you for your attention!

I have been posting twice on weekends so far, but I plan to slow down to once a day to allow those who read later to catch up!

I apologize to everyone who has been looking forward to the posts that the pace will slow down, but I would appreciate your understanding.

I will continue to do my best to make it enjoyable! If you don’t mind, please continue to support me in the future!