Akatsuki Translations

The “Nameless Orphanage” in the City of Sin, Proudia

Apparently, when it was first built long ago, the orphanage did have a name. However, as time passed, it was gradually forgotten. Besides the Temple’s land management officials, no one bothered to use its name, and so it was lost. Moreover, many of the children living in this orphanage were orphans of Nameless adventurers, resulting in the derogatory term “Nameless Orphanage” sticking.

If one were to rummage through the mountain of city management documents buried in the 【Spiral Library】 beneath the temple, 【True Babel】, they might find a name or two. But there wasn’t anyone eccentric enough to go looking for it. Even the priest in charge was taciturn and never mentioned it, so in the end, no one knew.

Ur and his companions were invited into an especially aged guest room within this orphanage and served tea. They all stared suspiciously at the tea they were given. Among them, Shizuku spoke up.

“Ur-sama, what is this?” she asked.

“It’s tea,” Ur replied.

“It’s quite colorful, isn’t it?” Shizuku observed.

“Yeah. Pretty, right?” Ur said.

“That’s not a typical observation about tea, is it?” Shizuku remarked.

The liquid in the cups was, as Ur said, colorful. Even magical potions wouldn’t be this flashy. Then, Diz chimed in with an explanation.

“Shizuku, when you drink this, you should turn off your sense of taste, pinch your nose, and down it in one go,” Diz advised. “If you feel something solid catch in your throat, that’s a winner.”

“What would be winning?” Shizuku asked.

“An insect,” Diz replied.

“An insect,” Shizuku repeated.

Shizuku tried to peer into the tea, but the liquid maintained such a strong viscosity that it lacked any transparency. Ur and Akane sat with pained expressions. Even Diz, who was rarely fazed by anything, wore a bitter face as if cursing his own carelessness.

“…You’re still serving this to guests? The mysterious liquid X masquerading as tea,” Ur muttered.

“I forgot this was still being served. Or maybe I’d erased it from my memory…?” Diz wondered.

《Gramps, I hate this!!》 Akane, in her fairy form, whined in front of the small cup prepared for her.

Normally, Ur would reprimand such a reaction to something offered out of kindness, but this time, he agreed with her opinion. Not just Akane, but probably no one except Zain himself would claim to like this.

Zain, sitting across from them, glared at the shouting Akane and said, “Don’t be picky. Drink it properly.”

《This isn’t in the realm of being picky!?》 Akane protested.

“It’s a special blend that will help balance your spirit-bound body. It’ll make you feel better,” Zain insisted.

《It might, but still!!》 Akane argued.

Akane’s protests fell on deaf ears. Beside her, Shizuku asked Ur, “Does Akane-sama drink this too?”

“Well, it was the old man who first discovered that Akane could gain magical power from drinks,” Ur explained. “He brews stuff she can drink. And this works for both Akane and humans.”

The children living in this orphanage, even if Nameless, were exempted from accommodation fees. However, medical expenses were separate. The reality was that illnesses and injuries could be quite fatal.

But the children who drank this tea never got sick. Once, when a vicious infectious disease mixed with curse-type magic spread through Proudia, forcing healers to run desperately around the city, this orphanage remained completely unaffected.

It could be called a terrifyingly effective and wonderful preventive medicine.

Except for the drawback of the torture it causes on one’s tastebuds.

“There was a time when a merchant’s child from the city became an orphan after a robbery and ended up here,” Ur continued. “Well, it seems they grew up spoiled and so they caused a lot of trouble.”

“Oh my,” Shizuku responded.

“Then they were given this for three meals a day and quieted down in one day,” Ur finished.

“A one-hit knockout, isn’t it?” Shizuku commented.

“Yeah, a knockout indeed…” Ur sighed heavily and grasped his cup. Akane looked at Ur in shock.

《Nii-tan, you’ll die!?》 she exclaimed.

“Will Ur-sama die?” Shizuku asked, concerned.

“…It’s been 10 years. Maybe if I drink it now, it’ll be fine,” Ur mused.

He had heard that taste buds were more sensitive in childhood and dulled with age, making the bitterness of medicine and alcohol more tolerable. Things that terrified you as a child might turn out to be not so bad when you look at them again as an adult. That’s what he hoped for, anyway. Ur prayed inwardly for this to be true.

Even if they were to reminisce about old times, the old man before them wore an expression that said he wouldn’t budge an inch unless they drank this. If so, it was best to get the troublesome part over with quickly.

“…Well then, here goes—!” Ur declared.

“I forgot to mention, I’ve recently added a new medicinal herb to the brew. The effects are extraordinary,” Zain added just as Ur took a sip.

Ur froze in the position of having drained the cup, and after a moment, he slumped forward onto the table.

“He died, didn’t he?” Shizuku observed.

《NIIIIII-TAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!?》 Akane cried out.

“A noble sacrifice…” Diz murmured, patting Ur’s motionless back and offering a silent prayer. Then he faced the liquid sitting before him.

“This Liquid X was already brutal, but for some reason it’s been getting stronger every year… If it’s going to be strengthened, I wish they’d improve the taste instead,” Diz commented.

“I have,” Zain replied.

Diz’s eyes widened at Zain’s words. “…Really?”

“Yes. The children were being too noisy, so for those who absolutely couldn’t drink it, I’ve added flavoring,” Zain explained.

Saying this, he dropped a liquid from what looked like an alchemical glass vial into the colorful tea in front of Diz. Even being generous, what he was doing looked like a suspicious magical experiment.

Soon, a blue-purple smoke rose from the liquid.

“Is that poison gas?” Shizuku asked.

“Surely not…” Diz replied uncertainly.

“Don’t worry. It becomes harmless after 10 seconds,” Zain assured them.

“So it really was poison gas,” Shizuku concluded, sounding impressed.

Diz and Akane returned to their grave expressions.

《What are we drinking…?》 Akane wondered.

“I don’t know… I really don’t know. It’s said to have effects similar to a variant of the elixir of life, so alchemists have come to him for teachings, but they left unable to reproduce it,” Diz explained.

“They only look at surface phenomena and reactions, so they can’t grasp the subtleties of the magical herbs,” Zain said.

“Is it what you’d call craftsmanship?” Shizuku asked.

“It’s nothing so grand. The ones who came lacked guts. They gave up after drinking 100 cups,” Zain replied.

“They certainly tried their best, it seems…” Diz remarked.

While Shizuku was casually praising his technique, the liquid in front of Diz and Akane wasn’t getting any less. As the smoke cleared, Diz gripped her cup and braced herself.

《Are you going for it, Diz!?》 Akane exclaimed.

“I am one of the Seven Heavens after all. What kind of representative of the Sun God would I be if I feared for my life?” Diz declared.

“A battle staking your pride, isn’t it?” Shizuku commented, sounding impressed.

Like Ur, Diz downed it in one go.

“By the way, this time I added sourness, sweetness, and bitterness,” Zain added.

《Vomit?》 Akane asked.

Diz froze. A few seconds later, she slumped onto the table just like Ur. The Hero, servant of the world’s most powerful, the Wise Heavenly King, had fallen.

《DIZZZZ!!!》 Akane cried out.

“She died, didn’t she?” Shizuku observed.

The body count in the orphanage, a place meant to nurture children, had increased.

The remaining Akane fluttered about anxiously between Diz and Ur. But looking closely, she was sneakily checking the position of the windows. It seemed she was trying to escape.

Whether he noticed this or not was unclear, but Zain glared at Akane and said, “Akane, you’ve gotten fat.”

《Nyaa!?》 Akane jumped in surprise.

It was unclear whether “getting fat” was an appropriate term for Akane, who could freely change her form, but Akane’s reaction could be translated as “How did you know?”

《I-I have nothing to do with this! I can become big or small!》 Akane protested.

“Your soul has gotten fat. You’re being spoiled because more people who can know your true identity have increased,” Zain stated.

This was also spot on. There were now quite a few people who knew Akane’s true identity. At least all the guild members belonging to 【The Walkers】 knew, including Echelle, as it couldn’t be hidden from them.

To the 【White Serpent】 as well as the 【Nameless】 and 【Servants】 living in Uuga, she was passed off as a “special familiar”, but Jain probably understood the situation to some extent. He just didn’t want to get involved because it was troublesome.

As a result, more people recognized her, and Akane was quite pampered by a fair number of people. Shizuku had witnessed her being treated to juice by the women of the 【White Serpent】’s magic corps when the Great Eagle of Dawn came.

“The excess of the soul affects the body. It’s not yet, but soon your movements will become sluggish,” Zain warned.

《Ugh!!》 Akane groaned.

“Drink it quickly, you’ll lose weight,” Zain ordered.

“Will drinking it make you lose weight?” Shizuku asked.

“It will,” Zain confirmed.

Zain uttered this phrase, reminiscent of a fraudulent merchant deceiving beauty-conscious women, with a straight face. Akane, trembling while holding the cup, widened her eyes and then downed the small cup in one go.

“If you continue to consume it regularly and exercise properly, you’ll lose weight,” Zain stated.

《…》 Akane was speechless.

Akane, who had been floating in her fairy form, crashed down, losing her shape and spreading across the table like a slime, apparently dead.

“A complete massacre, isn’t it?” Shizuku observed.

“You drink it too,” Zain ordered.

“Very well, I shall,” Shizuku nodded and smoothly sipped from her cup. After drinking it all in one breath, she gave a small nod and smiled as if understanding something.

“This is quite something,” she said.

Then, still smiling, she slumped onto the table. All four of them were now dead.

“What dramatic people,” Zain muttered.

Saying this, Zain drank the tea he had poured for himself. Then he calmly stood up, collected the discarded cups, and began to clean up.

                    ◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

Back in the guest room of the Nameless Orphanage

“…The chronic growing pains from excessive magic intake have disappeared,” Ur noted.

“Same here. The flow of magic through my body has improved,” Shizuku added.

“…The pain that remained after being stirred up at the end is gone. And I had tried all kinds of healing potions,” Diz remarked.

《My body feels so light…》 Akane chimed in.

Having come back to life, Ur and the others were amazed at the improvement in their physical conditions.

Everyone’s health was remarkably good. For Ur, even the dull pain that had remained in his core after being defeated by Ikaza at the Adventurers’ Guild earlier had completely disappeared. It was an incredible effect.

“Drinking it just once in a while has limited effects. Drink it regularly,” Zain said in a hoarse voice as he returned after cleaning up the cups.

Indeed, it was clear from the recovery effects they had just experienced that it would be better to do so. However, everyone present refrained from nodding in agreement, undoubtedly due to the hellish taste that had knocked them unconscious.

“We don’t have many opportunities to return to Proudia…” Ur began.

“Then I’ll teach you how to brew it. It’s possible to substitute various magical herbs even away from Proudia,” Zain offered.

“…But even Proudia’s alchemists couldn’t reproduce it, right?” Diz asked skeptically.

“They just lack years of experiencing the medicinal effects and the selection based on that experience. Especially you, Ur and Diz, I taught you herb selection techniques when you were young. You’ll pick it up quickly,” Zain explained.

Ur and Diz fell silent with funeral-like expressions. Akane looked similarly gloomy.

Only Shizuku, who remained calm, suddenly realized something from his words.

“So, do the children from this orphanage go to gather herbs?” she inquired.

“Yes, there are no monsters even outside the city around Proudia. I have them collect in the woods just outside the city. They should return before sunset,” Zain confirmed.

“Don’t any guardians go with them?” Shizuku asked.

“The older ones take on that role. Fundamentally, these are Nameless children who will eventually have to leave here and wander outside the city. It would be troublesome if they couldn’t handle this much on their own,” Zain stated firmly.

His words were harsh, but they showed consideration for the children’s future. That aspect hadn’t changed since the old days.

“…When traveling outside the city, being able to distinguish what’s edible and what’s not can be a matter of life and death,” Ur sighed, raising his face.

He turned back to face the old man, his caretaker from childhood, and bowed his head.

“Well, it’s been a while, Gramps. I’m glad to see you’re doing well,” Ur said.

“That’s my line. I never expected you to become an adventurer,” Zain replied.

“It wasn’t by choice,” Ur said with a wry smile.

Zain sighed as if understanding something from looking at Ur’s face.

“Then it’s related to Akane. Did Urgan die?” he asked.

“Suddenly, from injury and illness. And he left Akane as collateral for a debt, which Diz bought,” Ur explained.

“I did buy it,” Diz confirmed.

《I was bought~》 Akane added.

A brother and sister sold off as collateral for a debt, and the woman who bought them, all sitting in the same chair. It was a bizarre situation, but Zain didn’t even raise an eyebrow.

“I suppose his body was disposed of by the knights and there was no funeral. I’ll send him off in the communal grave,” Zain offered.

“That’s not necessary,” Ur declined.

“Your mother is sleeping in the same place. Pay your respects when you feel like it,” Zain said.

《Mom?》 Akane asked.

“…If I feel like it,” Ur nodded reluctantly at Zain’s words.

The fact that he didn’t force them to pay respects to their dead parents was typical of this old man. He understood that the children who ended up here might not necessarily have received love from their parents.

“So, do you have any other business here?” Zain asked.

“We just came to check if you or the orphanage had kicked the bucket by accident. Speaking of which, is this place really okay?” Ur replied.

《It’s super run-down, ya know?》 Akane chimed in, backing up Ur’s words.

Indeed, the dilapidated state of the orphanage had worsened even more since Ur had left. Even the guest room where Ur was sitting felt somewhat cold, as if there was a draft coming from somewhere. It seemed like it could collapse at any moment.

“There’s money. We just don’t use it because it’s not necessary,” Zain stated.

“You’re lying,” Ur immediately denied.

If there was money, surely they would do something about this haunted house-like state, Ur thought. However…

“Actually, that’s not a lie,” Diz interjected, contradicting Ur’s words.

“You know about this, Diz? No, it’s clear you know something,” Ur said.

Diz’s behavior since coming here suggested that she knew as much about Zain as Ur did, if not more. While Ur had stayed at this orphanage, it wasn’t continuous. He had left at times, and there was certainly a possibility that she had started being cared for here after he left Proudia 10 years ago.

But there was also the question of why a future member of the Seven Heavens would be under the care of an orphanage.

As if to answer Ur’s questions, Diz bowed respectfully to Zain.

“It’s been a long time, predecessor. I’m glad to see you’re in good health,” Diz said.

“It’s been a year and a half since we last met, Diz. It seems you’re still wielding that immature ‘Magic Severance’. Your training is lacking,” Zain replied.

“I’ll continue to work hard,” Diz responded.

Zain sharply and briefly reprimanded Diz’s greeting. Diz nodded without arguing.

Ur, who had been listening to this exchange, was frozen for a while, unable to understand the meaning of their conversation. When he finally grasped it, he tilted his head significantly.

“…Huh?”

The foster parent, called “predecessor” by the 【Hero】, observed Diz’s greeting with disdain.