Akatsuki Translations

On the rooftop of Ur’s home…

“Mmm, the night breeze feels so good,” Black said, stretching contentedly. “In Sloth, the wind hardly ever blows like this.”

“Don’t people die from gas buildup in those deep pit cities?” Ur asked.

“Of course, there are purification relics installed for those who can’t survive in the gas,” Black replied, leaning against the railing.

The view from here was still better than other cities, especially compared to the tall buildings common in residential areas. Uuga was probably the only place with both safety and the leisure to enjoy the scenery from one’s dwelling.

That was why Ur quite liked the view here, but unfortunately, with the current intruder, he wasn’t in the mood to enjoy it.

“I don’t know what you want, but we both drank a ton. I think it’s best to come back another day,” Ur said.

“As if a measly amount of alcohol like that could get a Nameless like you drunk,” Black scoffed.

“Nameless?”

“What, you don’t know? The Nameless are more or less resistant to getting drunk. Because we have less connection to spirits, we’re disliked by the【Spirit of Alcohol, Bacchus】,” Black explained.

Come to think of it, many people around Ur since childhood had high alcohol tolerance. There were many like that among adventurers too. While being used to drinking was certainly a factor, this was the first time Ur had heard of this other reason.

“Well, it’s not cost-effective since we can’t get drunk easily, and it doesn’t make our organs stronger, so binge drinking just ruins the body. There’s no upside at all!” Black laughed.

“I don’t particularly like getting drunk anyway, so it doesn’t matter,” Ur shrugged.

One trivial mystery about his own constitution had been solved, but it didn’t really change anything. If this was all Black came to talk about, Ur really wished he would leave soon, but it seemed Black still had more to say.

“Besides, there’s another reason you’re resistant to alcohol,” Black continued.

“Another reason?”

“Surely you’re aware that you’re hated by spirits?”  Black’s gaze fell on Ur’s right arm, wrapped in the Black Stasis Wrap[1] concealing the dragon’s curse.

Ur reflexively hid his arm. The dragon’s curse was generally an abhorred relic. Moreover, it had come to light that Ur’s right arm now harbored the curse that had killed even a Shinra, the king of a City of Sin.

It was too conspicuous to hide completely, but not something to flaunt either, especially not to the man in front of him.

“Don’t be so wary. I’m telling you, I’m not here with any ill intentions this time. Rare, I know,” Black said.

“Then what do you want?” Ur asked.

“I came to give you some advice. As your senior.”

“Senior? As a veteran gold-rank adventurer?”

“Not that. This.” Black abruptly raised his left arm and rolled up his sleeve. Underneath, instead of the pitch-black fur typical of beastperson, it was covered in distorted black dragon scales.

“Advice from a senior in 【dragonification】. It’s worth hearing out, don’t you think?” Black grinned.

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Ur closed the rooftop door and leaned his back against it. It seemed this was not a conversation he wanted others to overhear, and one that required his full attention.

Seeing Ur’s actions, Black laughed, lowered his arm, and began to speak. “First off, 【dragonification】 is not a curse.”

“…Diz called it a curse,” Ur countered.

“There are hardly any precedents, after all. Even the 【Hero】 would probably diagnose it as such,” Black acknowledged.

Indeed, Diz had said there were too few precedents to make a judgment. It was an unknown condition that even she had trouble assessing. That was precisely why they had resorted to covering it entirely with the 【Black Stasis Wrap】.

“But when it comes to dragons, I have more experience,” Black asserted.

“Diz likely wouldn’t dispute that, but then why did my arm become like this?” Ur asked.

“It’s the dragon’s 【self-preservation mechanism】. You were chosen as a vessel,” Black explained.

It took Ur a while to comprehend the meaning. “What does that mean…?”

“You killed a Sin Dragon, right? Even if it was just a part of it,” Black prompted.

Ur recalled the event. To assist Diz, Ur had played a role in defeating the Sin Dragon. While they couldn’t completely kill the dragon, they had pierced and burned its flesh and severed its head. That much was certain.

Ignoring Ur’s question, Black continued his explanation in a methodical manner, like a scholar reading a report. “When a dragon’s activity ceases, it transfers some of its functions to a suitable vessel to preserve them. It’s like a dragon’s instinct.”

“Normally, they do this with monsters or other dragons. Cases of doing it to humans are nearly non-existent. From a dragon’s perspective, humans are targets for slaughter. They wouldn’t think to entrust a part of themselves to an opponent they intend to kill, right?”

That’s why, even among the likes of gold-ranks and the Seven Heavens throughout history who could kill dragons, there were almost no cases of dragonification, barring exceptions, Black laughed.

Ur tried to process the information he had just heard. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand what was being said. However, his head started to spin. He couldn’t believe he was at the center of a story on such an incomprehensible scale. It felt like he was listening to someone else’s story.

But the distortion of Ur’s right arm was an undeniable reality.

“…I get that I ended up like this because of my terrible luck. So, what happens now?” Ur asked.

“Being chosen as a dragon’s vessel means you’ve been entrusted with its role in its stead. A vessel to devour negative emotions. Of course, your body will continue to change to fulfill that role,” Black pointed at Ur and said with amusement, “You will eventually become a dragon.”

“Damn it all.”

For Ur, this was not a pleasant conversation at all. He had felt a glimmer of hope at the words that it wasn’t a curse, but this was even worse than when he was told he had been cursed.

“Hahaha, don’t make such a face like you’re about to die. I might just laugh,” Black cackled.

“Your personality is truly the worst,” Ur retorted.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine,” Black reassured him.

Black, who kept laughing while pointing at Ur’s despairing face, was simply the worst. Ur wanted to lash out and ask what part of being told he would eventually become the world’s enemy was supposed to be reassuring. But Black just kept laughing and then said, “Even your sister is having fun, right?”

“…What did you say?” Ur asked, seeking clarification, but Black only laughed in response, clearly unwilling to answer.

“It’s not all bad, you know? You’ll become sturdier, and your body will heal faster. Killing monsters and devouring their magical power is already part of the process of becoming a monster. This is just a more specialized version of that,” Black said nonchalantly.

“I don’t think it’s something I can just accept like that…” Ur muttered.

“If you want to stop the dragonification, keep that 【Black Stasis Wrap】 tightly bound. It can suppress direct magical power absorption to some extent. The optimal solution would be to also suppress your body’s magical power absorption, but… that’s impossible, right?” Black asked.

“…I can’t stop being an adventurer right now,” Ur admitted.

“It’s a difficult situation. You have my sympathies,” Black said with another hearty laugh. His personality was truly the worst.

“Thanks for the advice. In the end, I just learned that I’m in for a terrible fate that I can’t escape, but at least I can steel myself for it now,” Ur said sarcastically.

“You could show a bit more gratitude, you know?” Black suggested.

“…So, are you satisfied after mocking me? If so, let’s call it a night,” Ur said, ready to end the conversation.

“Hey, hey, calm down. There’s one more thing,” Black interjected.

“There’s more?” Ur asked, exasperated. He already felt quite full of information, and if he had to cram in any more, he might just throw up all the snacks in his stomach. His drunkenness had completely vanished. He just wanted this to end quickly.

“Shizuku. Is that silver one your girl?” Black inquired.

“Contractually, yes,” Ur confirmed.

“Contract?”

“A verbal agreement,” Ur clarified.

It was a contract Shizuku had made to gain Ur’s forgiveness for acting on her own and completely disregarding his will in the Dungeon of Sin, Greed. Months had passed, and Ur was certain she had more than made up for it since then, but she still stubbornly adhered to it.

Aside from that arrangement, Ur and Shizuku’s relationship was that of colleagues who had been in the same training class at the Adventurers’ Guild and had been partnered together ever since. Nothing more, nothing less.

“Then, I have a favor to ask,” Black said.

“What is it?” Ur asked.

“Give me that woman,” Black requested.

“I refuse,” Ur immediately rejected the proposal.

Black snapped at the instant refusal. “Why not?!”

“It’s human trafficking, isn’t it???” Ur retorted. Anyone who wouldn’t refuse had a twisted sense of ethics. Despite everything that had happened recently, Ur wasn’t so far gone as to easily hand over someone’s life.

“Well, I think it would be better for both of you,” Black suggested.

“I’m not comfortable with you proposing human trafficking like it’s some kind of arranged marriage,” Ur objected.

“But you know, you’re, well, you know?” Black laughed. He placed his hand on Ur’s shoulder and whispered, “That woman is more than you can handle, no matter how you look at it, right?”

Ur looked at Black, who was laughing. It wasn’t a frivolous laugh. It was a mocking laughter, as if he was peering into Ur’s mind.

“I don’t understand what you mean,” Ur said.

“There’s no way you don’t understand. You must realize it too. That is an outsider,” Black insisted, clearly referring to Shizuku. He pointed her out as if she were not human, but some unknown entity.

“It’s not just her appearance. It’s her abilities. It’s her personality. Normally, it’s absolutely impossible to deviate that far from common sense. That woman is strange—”

Unlike you, someone ordinary, Black implied.

Ur didn’t argue. What Black said was correct. She was indeed abnormal. Different from himself.

It wasn’t that she was exceptionally superior. If that were the case, it would probably apply more to Diz. She was a fearsome powerhouse, but when observed closely, it was clear that everything about her was grounded, achieved through effort.

But Shizuku was different. It wasn’t like that. She was something else entirely.

“…So what if she’s strange?” Ur asked.

“It’ll drive you mad,” Black warned.

“What will?”

“Your fate will go awry. You’ll be dragged into that woman’s fate,” Black explained.

Fate.

It sounded almost like a joke for Black to use such an uncertain word, but even though the corners of his mouth were turned up, his eyes weren’t laughing at all.

“It’s not about superficial things like her being a temple maiden of an evil spirit cult or having anti-dragon techniques. It’s a more fundamental issue. At this rate, you’ll be torn apart by that woman’s fate,” Black emphasized.

“……” Ur remained silent.

“You’re already halfway there. Look at where you’re standing now, rookie. A few months ago, you were just a 【Nameless】. What are you doing now?” Black questioned.

Ur was standing atop an unprecedented mobile city created by a heretical cult. He was at the epicenter of astonishing events that shook the world. It was an impossibly unbelievable situation.

Normally, no matter how lucky or unlucky one was, things wouldn’t turn out like this.

So why did it happen? There were various reasons. Ur had made many choices and decisions along the way. He was confident that he had chosen all of them himself. However, before making those choices, before standing at the crossroads that forced those choices upon him—it was Shizuku.

“Right now, you can still stand. But what about the future? I’ll say it clearly, that woman’s fate won’t end in a place like this. Will you be safe as it progresses further?” Black asked.

Ur had been thinking all along that it was too much for him.

It wasn’t just a matter of feeling the weight of his blessings. More vaguely, he felt that he couldn’t support everything surrounding him. Somewhere, at some point, it would fall apart. He had that premonition.

And now, it had been clearly verbalized. Put into words.

“I told you earlier. This is for both of your sakes. That woman doesn’t want you to end up in pieces and die, right? And I’m sure you don’t want to die either,” Black said.

“……” Ur remained silent.

“Let her go. Even if you hope for happiness with your spirit-bound sister, that woman is too much of a burden,” Black advised.

His words were infuriatingly kind. So much so that one could be fooled into thinking he was sincerely concerned about Ur. Moreover, even if his concern stemmed from a sinister motive, it was also true that his words touched upon a certain truth.

Therefore, Ur didn’t respond thoughtlessly. He closed his eyes and carefully chose his words.

Brushing off Black’s hand, Ur faced him and spoke. “I refuse.”

“You’ll die,” Black warned.

“Don’t underestimate me. I’ve already made up my mind,” Ur declared.

He planted his feet firmly and glared at Black, recognizing this as a battle.

He was convinced that if he were to falter and run away at this moment, he might lose everything at this crossroads.

“You don’t mind dying because of that woman?” Black asked.

“Because of that woman? Don’t be ridiculous,” Ur retorted.

In the dark of night, Black’s figure with his jet-black fur fluttering seemed much larger than his actual size. It appeared to be the embodiment of Ur’s own fears and anxieties. That’s why he absolutely couldn’t back down.

“Why should I let Shizuku bear the responsibility for my fate?” Ur questioned.

When he made the contract with her, it was something Ur himself had decided.

“If I die, it will be due to my own choices, decisions, and responsibility,” he asserted.

Saving his sister, reaching out to Shizuku—it was all his own ego.

“Everything is mine,” Ur declared.

That’s why he wouldn’t regret it. He wouldn’t hesitate on this path now. He wouldn’t fear her. Even if death awaited him at the end, or if a fate worse than death was in store, he would never turn a blind eye to the fact that he had chosen this path himself.

“You’re not wanted here. Crawl back into your hole, old timer,” Ur said firmly.

The anxiety that had been lurking in the depths of his subconscious was dispelled.

The confrontational Black suddenly dropped his mysterious demeanor and burst into laughter as if a dam had broken.

“Hahahahaha! You’re really interesting, Little Ur,” Black cackled.

“I don’t find it funny, Black,” Ur retorted.

“I find it hilarious. No, no, I take back what I said earlier,” Black said.

“Earlier?” Ur tilted his head in confusion.

Black pointed at Ur with an amused expression. “You’re not ordinary.”

“…I feel like I’m being terribly insulted,” Ur muttered.

“Seriously, I can’t believe I said something so crude. Rather than meddling with guys like you, it’s definitely more entertaining to poke at them from the outside!” Black exclaimed.

Ur felt like he was still being incredibly rude.

As Ur glared at him, Black noticed and laughed again.

“My bad, my bad. Then, as a service, if there’s anything you want to ask, go ahead. Anything is fine. If it’s something I can answer, I’ll tell you,” Black offered, spreading his arms wide. “I’ll even give you her three sizes if you want.”

For a moment, Ur considered actually asking for Shizuku’s three sizes just to end this conversation, but he had endured Black’s conversational theatrics up to this point. Now that he had come this far, it wouldn’t hurt to be greedy and try to gain something.

However, Ur pondered for a bit on what to ask. If he were to ask something on too large a scale, he felt that he would only receive a vague answer, which wouldn’t be of any benefit. On the other hand, if he were to ask about something trivial when given the rare opportunity to question this enigmatic man, it would be meaningless.

After thinking it over, a question suddenly came to mind.

“As a practical matter, do you think Gradol, do you think we, can maintain this 【Dragon-Devoured Uuga】? I want to hear your personal opinion,” Ur asked.

Perhaps Black had anticipated that question. Without any surprise or hesitation, he declared in a single sentence.

“—It’s impossible.”

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Ur’s Residence, Bedroom

“…I’m exhausted,” Ur muttered, his shoulders slumping. Why did he have to be so utterly drained just from having a drinking party?

“I should just go to bed early today—” he started to say.

“Ur-sama,” a voice suddenly spoke from the shadows of the bedroom, where no magical lamp was lit.

“Whoa!!” Ur jumped at the unexpected voice that wasn’t his own. However, upon listening more closely, it was a familiar voice.

“Shizuku?” he asked.

“Yes,” she confirmed.

“What is this? Is breaking into other people’s homes the current trend…?” Ur groaned. It was an unpleasant trend.

Shizuku didn’t respond. Wondering what was going on, Ur noticed that she gently grasped his hand. As he tilted his head at her behavior, Shizuku took a step closer.

“Ur-sama,” she said.

“What is it?” he asked, but received no reply. She was simply close to him. He thought he might be able to read her expression, but her face was completely blank, making it impossible to discern anything… or so he thought, but there was something familiar about her expression that seemed to have been stripped of everything.

Considering who he had been talking to earlier, her expression, and the way she grasped his hand and wouldn’t let go, as if clinging to him, Ur racked his exhausted brain and formed the words.

“…I have no intention of handing you over to Black, you know,” he reassured her.

“Is that so?” Shizuku asked.

“That’s right,” Ur confirmed.

“I see…” She slowly lowered her face and fell silent, seemingly relieved.

When had she infiltrated this house? When had she sensed Black’s presence? How long had she been silently waiting for Ur? There were many things he wanted to point out, but it seemed she had been anxious. Anxious enough for her cultivated saintly facade to fall away, revealing her true self.

She was probably feeling relieved now. However, she still showed no sign of letting go of his hand.

“Shizuku, I’m tired today,” Ur said.

“Yes,” she acknowledged.

“I want to sleep,” he added.

“Yes,” she replied, still not releasing his hand.

“I’m going to bed…” Ur sighed.

“Yes,” Shizuku responded.

As Ur crawled into bed, Shizuku followed suit. He silently went to sleep with her there. He felt a warm presence snuggled against his back, but perhaps due to his extreme fatigue, he soon drifted off to sleep.

TL Note(s)

[1] Was previously “black sleep band”