Translated by: @garmadoncar
Proofread by: Cirdan Lunae
Links:
※Spoilers for Volume 38 (Arc 8 Phase 5). Please read after finishing the main volume.
1
???: [Seriously, I’m reaaally grateful, Anastasia-san.]
Receiving thanks from Emilia, who wore a smile from ear to ear, Anastasia closed one of her eyes.
She had already unwillfully grown fully accustomed to Emilia’s smile, but it was difficult to determine what exactly this gratitude was for. That was because she was the kind of girl to express sentiments of gratitude whenever given the chance, and it was not strange in the slightest for her to say thanks during something as simple as the exchange of a morning greeting.
Anastasia: [If ya happen to be talkin’ ‘bout the battle that happened at this here town, I don’t think it was just me, but thanks to everyone… thanks to Otto-kun ‘n the people of the Empire.]
When it came to the main topic of conversation, it would have probably been the now-concluded disturbance of the Empire.
――Right off the heels of the Vollachian Empire’s internal turmoil, they were plunged into a great war against the Great Disaster, which spearheaded hosts of undead; somehow, it was concluded before it could threaten the demise of the entire world.
Having remained in the Fortified City of Garkla, Anastasia had occupied the command center, and was proud of her satisfactory work in serving as one of the tacticians commanding the counter-siege battle.
Anastasia: [That bein’ said, ain’t nobody knows how things woulda turned out if not for that supportive fire from Natsuki-kun. ‘N tho’ I ain’t gonna admit it, that thing from the princess also helped us out a whole ton.]
Emilia: [Ah, the Soul Marriage Technique, right? Thanks to Priscilla, everybody reaaally surged with power.]
Anastasia: [Sayin’ it again, but I ain’t gonna admit it.]
At Emilia’s unmalicious reply, Anastasia gave a wry smile.
The two powers that had saved the Fortified City from its predicament―― those were the magic from Subaru and Beatrice that had blasted the star away, and Priscilla’s Soul Marriage Technique, which granted fighting strength to all citizens of the Empire. Without the former, the city would have suffered immense damages, and without the latter, it was uncertain whether or not they would have been able to push back the hosts of undead.
Nevertheless, it was due to her role that she was unable to simply accept it as a good contribution.
Anastasia: [‘N that’s also why I can’t just go carelessly acceptin’ Emilia-san’s words of thanks either, but…]
Emilia: [Is that so? But, I think the fact that we were able to properly converge with Subaru, and that it seems like we’ll all return to the Kingdom together like this, it’s all thanks to the contributions of Anastasia-san and Julius… that’s why, I’m saying thank you.]
Anastasia: [Ah, so you’re speakin’ on that sorta scale…]
Hearing the specifics of Emilia’s gratitude, Anastasia caught on to the sense of magnitude.
They had gotten involved during the time of an unprecedented emergency within the Empire. Nevertheless, it seemed Emilia’s utmost priority had always remained the same.
To the end, Emilia’s number one had been to bring the disappeared Subaru home safely.
Anastasia: [For ya to be doin’ this much for him, Emilia-san, Natsuki-kun’s quite the lucky fella.]
Emilia: [Not at all, if it’s a matter of having something done for oneself, then I’m the one who’s always, always been getting helped out by Subaru. I’m still in the middle of returning the favor… besides…]
Anastasia: [Besides?]
Emilia: [I think it would be reaaally good to do something and return that favor, but Subaru told me that it’s fine since he wants us to walk side-by-side without keeping count of such things.]
As Emilia smiled about their relationship not being one built upon borrowing and lending, Anastasia took a good long look at her. Receiving that gaze, Emilia slightly tilted her head. ――Her statement seemed to be lacking in awareness.
Anastasia: [Lemme set ya straight, it’s also gotta be quite tough on Natsuki-kun.]
Emilia: [Yes, indeed. Subaru always works reaaally hard, so when we get back to the Kingdom, I want him to take his mind off things and rest for a while. I was also thinking of suggesting to him to do so.]
Anastasia: [Ain’t what I meant, but… woah there.]
Curling her lips into a smile at Emilia’s interpretation, Anastasia placed her hand to her neck for some reason or another, and recalled that the sensation that ought to be there―― Echidna, was not present.
Emilia: [Anastasia-san’s Echidna, she’s together with Beatrice and the others right about now, right?]
Anastasia: [Yepyep. They said that one of the First-Class Generals of the Empire ended up combinin’ with a Great Spirit… seems like they’re discussin’ things, includin’ whether or not it’d be possible to separate ’em.]
Emilia: […I see. The two of them are reliable, so it would be nice if they could provide some valuable ideas.]
A Vollachian General with whom Anastasia had no acquaintance, her name was Arakiya, was it?
She had thought her to be an outrageous existence when first hearing the characteristics of the Spirit Eater; but, that outrageousness was far greater than Anastasia could have ever imagined.
The Empire would have lost considerable military strength during this Great Disaster, but there was also a possibility that the fruits of the conflict more than compensated for that. Caution must be taken as to not underestimate their future movements.
Indeed, amidst the fortress filled with the fervor of victory, Anastasia partook in calm deliberation, and,
Anastasia: […Emilia-san? What’cha doin’ with yer hand?]
Suddenly, Emilia reached out her finger and touched Anastasia’s forehead. As Anastasia gave a skeptical look to that action of unknown intentions, Emilia softly said, “Wrinkles”,
Emilia: [Wrinkles were forming on your brow, so I wanted to get rid of them. After a great deal of trouble, now is the time for everyone to feel happy that we won.]
Anastasia: [Hey now, sorry for worryin’ ya. But ya see, ya can’t just do that sorta thing all of a sudden. If ya weren’t Emilia-san, I woulda been about to make ya pay a fee.]
Emilia: [Does that mean since it’s me, I can rub your brow until all the wrinkles are gone? In that case…]
Anastasia: [Hey, enough! Stop it stop it! I can handle the wrinkles on my own!]
Rejecting Emilia’s hand as she vigorously asserted herself, Anastasia stroked her forehead with her own hand.
While giving a sigh in response to Emilia’s slightly disappointed demeanor, Anastasia, doing as Emilia said, once again gazed over the Fortified City, enraptured in the fervor of victory as it was. Within the Fortified City, left with several scars from the conflict, despite still being the day upon which the fierce battle had ended, the signs of people working were still unceasing, even during these late night hours.
Anastasia: [To gain a keen understandin’ of the Empire’s internal state like this, I can’t help but think of it as a profit. ――Emilia-san, there’s somethin’ I don’t wanna just leave on vague terms, so I gotta say this, but…]
Emilia: [――? What is it?]
Standing side by side as they gazed at the scenery outside the window together, Emilia then turned and peered at Anastasia’s visage. Imagining how Emilia’s expression might contort, Anastasia felt a slight reluctance, but she then felt disgust at herself for feeling such reluctance, and hence continued.
Anastasia: [From the Pleiades Watchtower to here, I’ve gotten along quite nicely with y’all, Emilia-san. But, our ambitions oppose each other. Once we return to the Kingdom, I’m gonna have to make that clear to ya again.]
Emilia: [――――]
Anastasia: [Makin’ that easy-to-read face again…]
As Emilia’s amethyst eyes wavered with a lonely expression, Anastasia shrugged her shoulders.
Emilia’s capacity for compassion and magnanimity was more dangerous than it was an advantage. What was worse, was that when Emilia made this face, Anastasia felt unable to compose herself.
To begin with, Anastasia was self-aware of her lenience when it came to those she held close.
To compensate for that, she had always intended to view others unsparingly before they became close to her, but due to their fellowship here, she was aware that Emilia was in the process of inadvertently stepping one of her feet into that domain.
That was precisely why――,
Anastasia: [We agreed on this before, didn’t we now? Any story ’bout us becomin’ friends or whatever, will be after the Royal Selection is over.]
Emilia: […Can’t we do it a little sooner?]
Anastasia: [Emilia-san, you’ve gotten real cheeky, haven’t ya?]
Her phrasing was polite, yet her words were sufficiently persistent.
Anastasia slowly shook her head, and Emilia took a small breath. But, she immediately clenched both her hands into fists, and,
Emilia: [Got it. Anastasia-san is stubborn. I won’t say anything more than this.]
Anastasia: […Ain’t that somewhat like the phrasin’ of a girl who’s given up?]
Emilia: [Just like how Anastasia-san thinks she wants to do this, I have feelings of wanting to do that, so that makes us even.]
At Emilia’s stout-hearted and constructive response, Anastasia blinked her eyes.
Regarding this, it was as Emilia had said, and Anastasia could not come up with any words to argue.
On the other hand, considering that she thought it depressing that she would have no choice but to have this same conversation with Emilia again――,
Anastasia: [Quite the troublin’ affair.]
And, since she bore no ill will either, Anastasia was of mixed feelings.
Whether or not she knew how Anastasia felt deep down, though she likely did not know, Emilia continued her words with “Moreover”,
Emilia: [While I want to become friends with Anastasia-san, I also want to do so with Priscilla.]
Anastasia: [That’s… um, ya know? I guess you’re free to think as ya please, but…]
Emilia: [In Vollachia, Subaru and Abel got along reaaally well, didn’t they? I understand that it was also because Subaru is good at getting along with people, but… but, I can’t just give up because Subaru is good at it while I’m not.]
Anastasia: […Well, I guess there ain’t no doubtin’ that Natsuki-kun ‘n the Emperor are good pals.]
As Emilia chose her words with determination, Anastasia evaluated Subaru and Vincent’s relationship from a third-party perspective. However, it seemed like the friendship that Anastasia imagined was of a completely different luminosity to what Emilia was imagining.
Anyhow――,
Emilia: [Right now, Crusch-san is in a terrible state, but I want her body to heal, and for her to get her memories back. Then, I’ll start to get along with Priscilla, and I’ll be friends with Anastasia. With Felt-chan, I have confidence that I’ll be able to get along well with her.]
Anastasia: [Don’t make me yer friend so stealthily… but, ya seem to be plannin’ somethin’ incredible, ain’t’cha now?]
The Royal Candidates, all of unique dispositions; the idea of making friends with all of one’s competitors, was probably an idea better off discarded as reckless rather than incredible.
But at those thoughts of Anastasia’s, Emilia smiled with confidence.
Emilia: [You know, I realized something amazing. For some reason, the current me gets reaaally happy when something good happens to Anastasia-san.]
Anastasia: [――. Thanks?]
Emilia: [Yes. So then, I thought this. All of us are doing our best to become the next Monarch, but in the end only one of us will actually win… but, if I was friends with everyone like I am with Anastasia-san, then more so than the frustrated feelings of losing, the feelings of congratulations would be way bigger!]
Anastasia: […Don’t make me yer friend so stealthily.]
And, the reason that her rejection was weaker than earlier, originated in her pure surprise.
Emilia’s way of thinking, her ideas were all things that Anastasia could not come up with, and each time, the things she said caused her to feel a fresh sense of surprise. ――The same went for this instance.
Anastasia: [That might be a darn wonderful idea, but who’s to say, ya know?]
Emilia: [Right?]
Anastasia: [But, ain’t that a bit of a weak attitude? Ain’t ya basically sayin’ that ya wanna reduce yer depressin’ feelings for when ya lose, Emilia-san?]
Concentrating all of one’s strength on winning, without even considering the prospect of defeat―― such idealism was not something that Anastasia partook in. So long as there were prospects of both victory and defeat, one must put in maximum effort in order to win while also making appropriate preparations for a potential loss. However, while that was Anastasia’s way of thinking, it felt a little bit uncharacteristic for Emilia to utilize such a manner of thinking herself.
At those words of Anastasia’s, Emilia reacted with a look of puzzlement,
Emilia: [Is it a weak attitude? I was just thinking that when I become the Monarch, I’d like for Anastasia-san and everyone else to cheer me on…]
Anastasia: [――――]
Emilia: [Anastasia-san?]
Emilia declared that without any fervor whatsoever, and this time, Anastasia was left speechless. Before Emilia as she blinked her eyes, Anastasia placed her hand over her forehead.
And then――,
Anastasia: [Ahahahahahahaha!]
And, even if it was disgraceful, she opened her mouth and erupted with laughter.
In front of Anastasia’s burst of laughter, Emilia darted her eyes about in confusion, perhaps wondering about just who in the world had caused this explosive uproar.
Truly, it was an outrageous proposition.
Anastasia: [Really now, to think that rather than yerself, ya’d be worried ‘bout us after defeatin’ us, you’re quite the big shot now, ain’t’cha?]
Emilia: [Eh… ah! I see, that’s right, I’m sorry. My feelings of refusing to lose are reaaally huge, so just now, I said something very disrespectful…]
Anastasia: [My, I’m quite hurt. It seems our promise to be friends after the Royal Selection might be goin’ down the drain with this here.]
Emilia: [T-that’s no good! Anastasia-san, if you don’t keep your promises, you’ll end up becoming Subaru!]
Anastasia: [What sorta threat is that s’possed to be? Tho’, it’s the scariest one I’ve heard up till now.]
From the stories she had heard thus far, she knew that Subaru was a serial promise-breaker, but Subaru should really rethink his way of life given how instantly a connection was drawn between it and him within Emilia.
In any case, she had certainly received Emilia’s unconscious declaration of war.
Moreover――,
Anastasia: [If ya say ya wanna get along well~ with the princess, Emilia-san, then ya better do yer darn best. Unfortunately, I ain’t got no compatibility with the princess, so it’d be quite a challenge.]
Emilia: [Eh, is that so? But, I was so sure that you two might get along since you’re pretty similar.]
Anastasia: [Tho’ I’m a bit skeptical of why ya’d think that. Generally, if I got along with her, I wouldn’t have refrained from callin’ just the princess to Pristella.]
Emilia: [I see… that’s it! The next time we all get together, let’s invite Priscilla as well!]
Anastasia: [Emilia-san, the goal there wasn’t merely to just have everyone gettin’ together… ahh~.]
Emilia’s eyes sparkled as if she had thought that she had devised a brilliant plan, but then immediately looked at Anastasia with an uneasy expression. The half-elf unfairly asked “No good?” with innocent eyes, to which Anastasia heaved a sigh.
Anastasia: [As expected of Emilia-san, ya might just really be a Witch.]
Emilia: [Ah, geez, don’t say such perverse things. I don’t mind, but if you call other people Witches, they’ll get reaaally mad at you.]
Anastasia: [Ya ain’t gotta tell me, I wouldn’t say it to anyone but ya, Emilia-san, that sorta thing.]
Because she had ended up saying that, Anastasia lamented her rare slip of the tongue. But sure enough, Emilia was smiling in delight at those words.
Emilia: [Pristella’s in a rough spot right now, so it would probably be difficult for everyone to gather… We’ve come all the way to Vollachia, so how about we all go to Kararagi or something next time?]
Anastasia: [I ain’t reluctant to show y’all ‘round, but if Emilia-san met with Kararagi’s merchants, Natsuki-kun’d probably end up dyin’ of exhaustion. Besides, Reinhard-kun from Felt-san’s Camp can’t be brought outta the Kingdom.]
Emilia: [Ah, that’s right. It would be a pity if only Reinhard needed to stay home, and since Felt-chan would also be reaaally lonely, that’s a no-go.]
Regarding the relationship between Felt and Reinhard, Anastasia held a slightly different point of view from Emilia’s, but the conclusion would be the same, so she did not delve deeply into it.
And, thereupon――,
???: [――Huh, Emilia-tan and Anastasia-san, what are you guys doing here?]
Greeted in such a manner, Emilia and Anastasia turned around, and in the entrance of the dining hall in which the two had been speaking, was the figure of Subaru, who had returned to an appearance and voice befitting his age.
However, he was not alone, and the person accompanying him was quite surprising.
???: [What, the half-devil and the she-fox both present without their attendants… despite being in the Empire, ‘tis quite the act of recklessness, is it not?]
Seeing the figure of Priscilla boldly advancing towards them as she placed her red folding fan over her lips, Anastasia made a bitter face, and Emilia’s face suddenly lit up.
They had reactions of opposite extremes; however, seeing Emilia’s reaction in the corner of her eye, Anastasia thought to herself.
As someone who would one day become Emilia’s friend as per her grand ambitions, maybe for just a little bit―― so she thought.
Emilia: [Just now, Anastasia-san and I were talking about you, Priscilla.]
Priscilla: [Hoh, talking about mineself, were you? I am talking about you. Are you two perhaps taking advantage of this situation in which the Empire has lost power, scheming to fill up even the smallest bags with money?]
Anastasia: [Emilia-san, I really might be unable to go along with yer plans from earlier.]
She had tried to meet Emilia half way, but Priscilla’s attitude had put a damper on her spirits. Then, seeing Anastasia’s reaction, Emilia got flustered with a “Wait, wait”. Then, as the distressed Emilia searched for her next words, Anastasia and Priscilla suddenly met eyes.
Anastasia: [――――]
Irises of pale-turquoise crossed irises of crimson, mutual gazes pregnant with intent clashed, and Anastasia thought.
No matter how much time Emilia put in, her vision of a future where all the Royal Candidates got along with each other would likely never take shape.
However, even if those intentions were never brought to complete fruition――,
Anastasia: [Princess, I think I’ll still be arguin’ with yer esteemed self like this no matter how many years pass.]
Priscilla: [Curiously, I am of the exact same opinion, she-fox.]
Anastasia anticipated that the relationship constructed by glaring at each other like this would be an amusing one indeed.
《END》
Thanks for the translations.
I’m drowning in a river of tears :((((
Yo I’m a fox yo
Yeah she’ll not gonna met priscilla anymore
🙁