Akatsuki Translations

A tale from the past.

“So, you would bestow this upon me,【Faranan】-sama?”

《Indeed.》

The first generation Luckbird, once a mere traveling merchant, was, by a twist of fate, bestowed a holy relic, the 【Blazing Sword】 by the fire spirit Faranan he had chanced upon. The first Luckbird held the beautifully crafted longsword, engraved with the vivid motif of flames, with both hands.

《It is a token of my gratitude for your aid.》-Faranan

“I merely offered a prayer.” -Luckbird

《The spread of malicious teachings weakened my power. Your prayer aided me.》-Faranan

At that time, due to the unsettling emergence of dungeons, dubious faiths that doubted the spirits were on the rise.

It was later discovered to be the scheme of heretics, and until they were eradicated, the power of the spirits had been waning due to their machinations. The first Luckbird’s prayer had, by sheer coincidence, aided one of the elemental spirits.

However, it was almost entirely accidental, and being gifted such a formidable item for mere chance was perplexing for Luckbird.

The tremendous pulsation of fiery magical power transmitted from the hilt he gripped. Receiving the overwhelming wave of power, which no human hand could ever produce, he addressed the majestic and beautiful spirit, cloaked in white flames.

“I am but a merchant.” -Luckbird

《It seems so.》-Faranan

“I cannot wield such a sword.” -Luckbird

The first Luckbird was genuinely distressed. After all, he was a humble merchant. He had no skills in swordplay or combat. Perhaps, at best, he might use it to defend himself against bandits or monsters. But clearly, this sword was excessive.

Yet, he couldn’t simply sell a gift from a spirit.

In short, it was problematic to be so casually given such an item.

《You need not use it; simply having it will suffice. It will aid you when the time comes.》-Faranan

“You mean in the future… By the way, do you have an idea when?” -Luckbird

《Maybe in 10 years, or 50, or 200 years.》-Faranan

“That’s… vague.” -Luckbird

Naturally, the time scale of spirits differed from that of humans. Though he was a beastperson, he wasn’t a long-lived species like the elves or dwarves. However, it seemed the spirit understood that distinction.

《It is a sword destined to tear apart fate, saving you or your descendants from an “inevitable end” that will one day come.》-Faranan

Even if the sword were to be lost along the way.

That was the story of how the first Luckbird came to be entrusted with the holy relic. He went on to succeed as a merchant, and the 【Blazing Sword】 became a symbol of the Luckbird lineage, leading them to prosperity as a treasured heirloom.

However, the Blazing Sword had no blessings for business success, and the First Luckbird intentionally never told his children of its true meaning. If they saw it as a charm for business prosperity and found solace in it, he believed that was fine.

And so, time flowed on…

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“—Ah!” -Rose

Rose Luckbird awoke.

The sleep spell cast on her by Diz had been lifted. Her previously hazy consciousness rapidly cleared. She sat up and was rendered speechless by the surrounding scene.

The horrifying laboratory created by the necromancer was nowhere to be found. It had completely collapsed, leaving no trace behind. All that remained were ruins, fallen walls, and pillars that stood erect without a ceiling to support them. Looking up, she saw a starry sky beyond the thinning barrier of the collapsing fortress.

What… happened?

She noticed the magic circle at her feet was fading, probably due to the magical stones depleting. She could now step out of the magic circle.

“Where has Diz gone…? And…” -Rose

Where was that terrifying monster?

She looked around, staggering slightly. Since there wasn’t much to search, she gazed outside through the remains of the crumbled wall — and then she saw it.

The monster, now several times larger than when she first saw it, spread its sinister wings.

Facing this monster was a golden warrior, Diz.

—

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In the sky above the Fortress of Canaan

『ＧＵＧＥＧＧＥＧＥＧＧＥＧＥＧＧＥＧＧＥＧＧＥ！！！！』

The young dragon, now grown to about 5 meters tall and even more ferocious, flapped its grotesque wings and roared, laughing with its long, menacing fangs meant solely for impaling its prey.

It wasn’t laughing out of joy. Its mind hadn’t caught up with its rapid growth and transformation. It laughed not because it was happy but because it knew nothing else but to mock its imminent foe.

While sneering, it extended its tongue. Compared to its smaller form, its grotesquely enlarged tongue lashed out, ready to devour.

“【Ultimate Destruction, Adamas, Thunder Speed, Combine all Magics into Mine Blade】” -Diz

In opposition, the golden knight clad in an armor of scarlet, Diz, swung her crimson sword.

The wicked gluttony and the blade of crimson clashed, generating a dull metallic noise. The dissonant sound dominated the space and kept echoing, indicating a balanced battle.

But,

『ＧＵＧＥＧＥＧＥＧＥ！！！』

Gradually, the balance started to tilt. within the darkness, the number of scarlet sword flashes becomes increasingly apparent. The repulsion of the repugnant gluttony’s tongue gradually occurs more often.

And in the gap between these attacks, she soared forward.

『ＧＩ！？』

《Nhii! 》

She grabbed the base of the beast’s tongue. The grasped tongue morphed, and several sharp spikes emerged, piercing her hand. Akane screamed in surprise, but Diz, holding onto the tongue, swung her sword.

“【Demon Sever】” -Diz

A flash dashed forth, and the long tongue of the dragon was severed

『ＧＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡ！！！』

The tongue was torn off. Simultaneously, immediate regeneration began. But she didn’t let this opportunity slip. Using flight magic, she rushed in, raising her sword above.

“【Starfall】” -Diz

『ＧＩ！？』

Space distorted. The force binding humans to the earth surged tenfold. The dragon, which had been fluttering in the air, was suddenly slammed to the ground. But that wasn’t all; the dragon’s body seemed to be crushed by the force.

『Ｇ……！』

The dragon tried to escape, but it soon realized it was trapped by a powerful gravitational cage. Understanding this, it “changed its attack strategy”.

『ＳＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩ！！！！』

The surrounding treants suddenly moved in unison, stretching their hands towards the golden figure. Not only the trees on the surface, but roots from all over the fortress rushed at Diz.

“It predated on the treants?” -Diz

It seemed that when it was slammed to the ground, it had consumed all the treants that had surfaced in an instant. Black tentacles, blessed with the power of Gluttony, emerged from the roots and lunged at Diz from all directions.

《Diz! What’ll you do? 》-Akane

“Prepare the ‘Authority’.” -Diz

《You’re using that?! On the fly?! 》-Akane

“I am. I’ll release 70% of the armor. Use it.” -Diz

The scarlet armor shimmered and wavered. Akane’s body was drawn from the palm of her hand, hovering above Diz. Although her slender, defenseless body was exposed, Diz, without faltering, aimed her hand at the hovering Akane.

“【Authority of Red Rust・ Degradating Creation, Activate】” -Diz

The treants closed in, possessing the authority of ​【Gluttony】, a power that could consume anything with a single touch.

Diz stood firm. Meanwhile, Akane changed forms multiple times. The power of the Red Rust spirit, a power that humans could never achieve, a force that transcends reason, was unleashed.

“【Imitation・Blazing Sword】” -Diz

The flame sword, once bestowed to the first Luckbird by one of the four great spirits, materialized.

“【×5】” -Diz

Five of these sacred relics materialized around Diz.

“【Blaze Activation】” -Diz

『ＺＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩ？！？！！』

The five sacred relics released a blinding white flame in the midst of the moonless night, the treants suddenly ignited in a blaze. The sacred flames, imbued with the authority of spirits, harmed no humans, burning only malicious entities. It was a one-sided annihilation.

『ＧＥＥＥＥＥＥＥＥＥＥＥＥＥＥＥＥＥＥ！！！！』

“【Soul Annihilation・ Quintet Funeral】” -Diz

Then, the dragon, still pinned to the ground by Diz, was pierced by five sacred swords,

『ＧＥ――――――――――――――』

And its very soul was incinerated.

It screamed, writhed, and let out bizarre noises, trying to escape. It attempted to resist by stretching out its tongue, but it never reached Diz and was consumed by the flames. Its murky eyes, which had been glaring hatefully at Diz, were also burned without reflecting her image.

『―――――――――…………　　　　　　』

The manifestation of calamity that had surfaced on the earth vanished without a trace.

The decree of the Wise Heavenly King was fulfilled.

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“…What was that?” -Ur

Ur could only stare in shock at the unfolding battle before him.

He understood up to the point when Diz and the dragon-like creature appeared. After that, Ur couldn’t even approach to help Diz. In the sky, the ebony dragon writhed, and crimson flashes crossed paths repeatedly. Hordes of treants gathered, yet Diz repelled them all.

What the hell was that?

The title of ‘moneylender’s daughter’ seemed to have flown somewhere far away.

She, Diz, is a part of the “top tier” of this Isralia continent.

In the battle with Glen, a former gold-ranked adventurer, Ur had touched a fraction of the continent’s strongest power. But Glen had retired from the front lines.

Her power, that truly was――――

“Ur-sama.” -Shizuku

“…Shizuku?” -Ur

Shizuku spoke up.

Turning to her, being carried by Locke, she was intently staring at Diz. She continued to gaze at Diz as she watched the dragon’s body crumble in the inferno created by Akane.

“I must become like her.” -Shizuku

She whispered her resolution.

“Yeah…right… Me too.” -Ur

Ur nodded in agreement. What they were aiming for, the pinnacle of adventurers known as gold rank, meant becoming “like her”, Ur realized. They couldn’t just watch and admire from afar. They had to aim for it.

The flames gradually faded. The treants, the undead soldiers, and even the remnants of Canaan Fortress were gone.

Then, holding the presumably evacuated Rose, Diz descended from the sky. Landing lightly through flight magic, Diz gently placed Rose on the ground, took a deep breath, and…

“…Mmm.” -Diz

She suddenly fell backward.

“Whoa… Hey! Diz?!” -Ur

“Diz-sama?” -Shizuku

『Oi, don’t move while on my back. 』-Locke

Rose quickly lifted her, and Shizuku, struggling from Locke’s back, and of course, Ur, all rushed over. As Diz collapsed, half of Akane’s armor came off, leaving her half-exposed. She glared at the sky.

Was she injured? No, she was covered in wounds, but…

“…You see I,” -Diz

Suddenly, Diz began to speak.

“It was my first vacation in a real long time. It was just a short break during the journey, but it was a vacation. I thought I could finally rest since I’ve been so busy lately.” -Diz

“Okay, and?” -Ur

Ur urged for the continuation of the conversation.

There was something familiar in the way she spoke. She sounded like a disgruntled drunkard who had been drowning their sorrows in alcohol, now thoroughly intoxicated.

“So…” -Diz

Taking a deep breath, she screamed.

“IIIIIIIIIIIIMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM TIIIIIIIIIIIREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!” -Diz

She yelled so loudly it made one want to cover their ears. Following this outburst, she collapsed onto her back, exhausted and weary, still whimpering like a tired child. Ur watched in silence, knowing that when things reached this point, there was nothing to do but let the other person vent until they found their calm again. It was futile to interject, Ur understood this well.

After her outburst, she grumpily said,

“…I’m going to sleep. Don’t wake me up.” -Diz

And she fell asleep instantly. Whether it was her sleep technique or sheer exhaustion, she began to softly snore.

《Sleepy?》-Akane

“…Heeey, Diz?” -Ur

He tried calling her. She didn’t move an inch. Despite being on a pile of sand, gravel, and rubble, with the burning treants in the background, she was sound asleep.

“She looks content.” -Shizuku

“But who the hell is going to carry her?” -Ur

『I’m carrying my master, so there’s only you. It’s a treat, carrying a half-naked beauty, HAHA. 』-Locke

“Akane, become a cloak.” -Ur

《I’m tired too. I’m sleeping.》-Akane

“…There ain’t a change of clothes in this pile of rubble.” -Ur

Ur sighed, an air of melancholy enveloping him, yet Diz continued to sleep, undisturbed. Her face, idiotically peaceful in slumber, betrayed no sign of the ferocious warrior who had engaged in such a brutal battle. There was no stirring, no awakening from her, only an uninterrupted, deep sleep.

In the time that followed…

The hostages, protected by a magical barrier, successfully united with Ur and his comrades. (In consideration of the hostages, they had Locke wear a helmet, disguising him so he wouldn’t be recognized as an undead soldier.)

Although they had successfully defeated the bandits, their current location outside the city remained a perilous zone, fraught with unknown threats from monsters at any time, any place. The present situation was dire, with numerous injured individuals, and many who could not fight in the first place. Consequently, they had to spend the night there.

The barrier around the Fortress of Canaan was already on the brink of collapse, and the fear of a monster attack loomed. However, just as the effects of the barrier faded, Dāru and Sūru, charged into the fortress, fortuitously arriving beneath where Ur and his team were located.

They fetched reserve healing potions and other supplies from the carriage, administering treatment to their own and tending to the wounded while maintaining a vigilant watch. And then, dawn broke.

“…So dazzling, like the Sun God himself.” -Ur

『What a fine sunrise. 』-Locke

“I thought you’d melt and die if you were exposed to the morning sun.” -Ur

As the sun ascended, the hostages, exhausted and lulled into slumber, awoke with a sigh of relief. This was true for both Nina and Laura. Diz, still deep in slumber alongside Akane, continued to be guarded vigilantly by Dāru and Sūru.

And then, just as the sun began to rise, the Knights of Aruto rushed to their aid.

A familiar magician conveyed the abrupt change of situation to the knights, who seemingly hastened toward them, disregarding the perils, even before the sun had fully risen. Capturing the bandits who had fled from the fortress along the way, and guided by the familiar, they arrived straight to where Ur and the others were, immediately providing protection.

Thus, Ur and his team’s quest, which began with the assault of the Island-Eating Turtle, was deemed a success.

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Diz is indeed extremely impressive