Kararagi Shinigami Incident 2

Translated by: @garmadoncar

Proofread by: Cirdan Lunae

Links:

• Part 1

1

――Compared to the Kingdom of Lugunica or the Vollachian Empire, the Kararagi City-States were a nation of lands that could not be described as being blessed with favorable climate.

Of course, it was not as severe as the Holy Kingdom of Gusteko, encased in permafrost as it was; with changes of season that comprised excessive variation in temperature, abnormal weather that seemed to befall them every year, and the likes of plots that proprietized inscrutable characteristics, it had to be said that these lands were rather harsh in their discipline towards those who lived within then.

Thus, for anyone to live in Kararagi, there was need for them to become accustomed to days of hard struggle. That was the polar opposite of a lifestyle that resigned itself to living in a reactionary way, a truly resolute and proactive lifestyle.

That boldness of the people of Kararagi to keep getting back up no matter how much they got trampled and trampled upon; while it might seem that he was biased towards his own people, that was something which Ricardo respected, and loved.

Indeed, the people of Kararagi were strong. They could get back on their feet no matter the adversity.

That was why――,

Ricardo: […I’d end up bein’ unable ta sleep peacefully at night.]

Spilling those words, Ricardo staggered to raise his body, using his great cleaver as a cane.

――Engulfed in the updraft of a tremendous gale, the townscape of Banan, distinguished among even the major cities of Kararagi, had been demolished; buildings were flushed away as if by a great flood, and it had been reduced to a state unbearable to cast eyes upon.

Collapsed in the epicenter of this unprecedented cataclysm of wind, Ricardo’s body was stained with blood; in the sense of how painful it looked, it could have been said that his state rivaled the disastrous sight of the city.

Blades of wind birthed by magic would mercilessly tear through the bestial fur and thick skin of any beastperson. Normally, wind slashes would make many clean slices, painfully sharp but quick to heal. But, these wind cuts in particular differed; the wounds were serrated as if they had been dug into by a rasp, making the pain run proportionately sharper and deeper, dishonorable in the way it made blood pour out without cease.

And, the one who had inflicted such wind slashes upon Ricardo was――,

???: [What~? You’re still going at it, you whelp? You do have guts, I’ll commend you for that. I’m not commending you, though.]

Ricardo: […It’s embarrassin’ ta be gettin’ so much praise. Thank ya, lassie.]

???: [I said I’m not commending you! Damned thief!]

Rage filling her shrill shouts, the sharp-eyed woman stomped her feet violently.

With white hair, white clothing, and golden eyes, at a glance she was nothing more than a beautiful woman―― she was as cute as his own Anastasia was charming, but the fact that she was not as weak a being as she appeared, was evidenced by the wind slashes all over Ricardo’s body, and the fact that she was present in the very center of the cataclysmic tempest devastating Banan.

Ricardo: [Tho’, ever since I been with the Miss, I’ve been plunged into so many scenes of carnage that I even ended up losin’ my right hand.]

Looking down at his right arm, replaced with a hook from the elbow forward, Ricardo took a deep breath.

This lone wolf, known as Ricardo, had been caught by Anastasia, picked up Mimi and the others, and had gone on so far as to even command a group known as the Iron Fang. Since then, he had plunged into many scenes of carnage, both great and small, and even ending up clashing with the White Whale and Sin Archbishops, but――,

Ricardo: [――Lassie, you’re a head above all my opponents up ‘til now.]

In terms of an enigmatic, ominous feeling, he had felt the same thing concerning the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony.

However, compared to Gluttony, of whom one had been killed and one had been captured at the Pleiades Watchtower, the woman before his eyes was fundamentally different in the overwhelming presence she exuded. ――This awe was rooted in instinct.

As if the woman before his eyes appeared as a colossal beast several dozens of times larger than her actual appearance; that was the sort of awe it was.

And, encouraging his awe and vigilance towards that woman――,

???: [――Captain!]

Then, mixed with the howling winds, what struck Ricardo’s eardrums was a familiar voice―― Mimi.

Just as Ricardo, the members of the Iron Fang had hastened to this place as a countermeasure against the cataclysm of wind, and among them was of course Mimi, the vice captain, as well as Hetaro and Tivey. However, right now, their figures were nowhere to be found in Ricardo’s vision. To be more precise, he could not tell if they were anywhere in the scope of his vision.

After all, Mimi and the others were currently engulfed by the tremendously violent tempest kicked up by the woman, and together with Banan’s residents and destroyed cityscape, they were whirled up into the wind vortex swirling in the sky.

Ricardo: [Geez, this ain’t no joke…!]

Swallowed by the eddy of wind, and being hurled up into the sky, were over several hundreds of people.

Fortunately, unlike Ricardo who currently stood directly in the woman’s way, it seemed like the ferocity of the gales was not wounding Mimi and the rest, but supposing the woman were to carelessly undo the maelstrom, it would be impossible to prevent many of those people from falling to their deaths.

The current situation was tantamount to several hundred hostages being taken against Ricardo.

Ricardo: [Even without doin’ this sorta thing, you’re plenty strong, lassie! Quit doin’ things like that!]

Woman: [Hah? By shelving your own weakness, you mean to blame me for being strong? Even though I’m only doing this because you guys are so fragile. I mean, don’t order me around!]

Ricardo: [So yer rage wells up at the end, huh!?]

Her sharp eyes growing ever sharper at Ricardo’s appeal, the woman replied with a shout and an angered expression.

Either way, the woman gave off the impression that she was unable to find a balance between the scale of her power and her use of humanity. That aspect made him recall the poor impression he had gotten when facing off against Sin Archbishops, but there were definitively parts to her that differed from that lot.

This woman was absurd, but she did not seem to be unreasonable.

Ricardo: [Regardless, I tend to falter when it comes to this sorta thing. Startin’ off, negotiations are the Miss’s job, my job’s just ta stand in the back ‘n stare the other party down. “Don’t ask for bread from the appa seller”, ya know?]

Everyone had a job that best suited them, that was the meaning of this Hoshin proverb, but the current situation Ricardo found himself in was unmistakably that of an appa seller who had been requested to bake bread.

Neither negotiating for the release of hostages, nor ignoring the hostages and instead suppressing her by force, were aligned with Ricardo’s principles.

Then, at least he might be able to do a little more if he were to understand the woman’s desires, but――,

Ricardo: [Light Sphere, was it?]

Woman: [――! Yes, that! Give it back! If you would just give that back…!]

Ricardo: [Here’s the thing, I’d also love to do so. ‘N so, if you could just be a lil’ more specific ’bout what that is…]

Woman: [――How shameless! Don’t make me ask again! If you’re protecting a thief, that makes all of you thieves as well!]

Ricardo: [There’s somethin’ seriously wrong with you! This ain’t my fault!]

Correction: he had thought that the woman was not unreasonable a moment ago, but this was indeed a response most unreasonable.

Was he to blame the hot-tempered woman, or the unknown person who had stolen her “Light Sphere”, or perhaps he ought to curse himself, unproficient with words as he was.

After thoroughly troubling over it, Ricardo scratched his head with his hook as he exclaimed “Ah!”,

Ricardo: [I give up, it’s a contest of endurance.]

Saying that, Ricardo plunked his behind back down on the ground after having just stood back up, and sat with his legs crossed.

At Ricardo’s unthinkable decision, the woman was astonished, letting out a “Hah?”. However, perhaps taking it as an insult, her expression immediately returned to a strict one,

Woman: [What is the meaning of this? Are you looking down on me?]

Ricardo: [Might look that way, but I ain’t fool enough to look down on an opponent who can do such grand things. Nonetheless, neither swingin’ at’cha nor havin’ a talk with ya ended up bein’ of any avail, so this’s the only thing I can do.]

Woman: [So your answer to that is to just sit down? Wouldn’t it be better to tuck tail and run away, whelp… no, not a whelp, but a wolf cub? Doesn’t quite roll off the tongue very nicely. Whelp should do fine.]

Ricardo: [Run away? Even when my family’s flyin’ ‘round up there? Ain’t gonna happen, even if it kills me… Also, the fact that I ain’t a whelp is sorta a secret. Don’t go talkin’ ’bout it too loudly, will ya?]

Right after communicating his request, a sudden breeze swept directly past Ricardo’s side, scraping at the right half of his body.

Ricardo: [――――]

From the right side of his cranium, down to his right shoulder and arm, it scraped at him greatly, and the wounds that had been inflicted began to spray with blood.

Even so, Ricardo flinched not, and remained seated in his position. Faced with the obstinance of the bloodstained Ricardo, the stern and beautiful face of the woman emerged with its greatest indignation up to this point.

Woman: [Fine. If you say that is your intention, I’ll teach you this lesson. Even if you come crying about it later, I won’t listen.]

As she spoke, the woman raised up her palm as if to present it to him, and thereupon began to form a tiny tornado.

Its size was nothing compared to the maelstrom that held Mimi and the others afloat overhead, but the fact that it housed the same scale of power within, he understood.

That was to say, the palm had enough power concentrated within it to level a city, and it was now being pointed directly at Ricardo――,

Woman: [Repent the fact that you ever picked a fight with me.]

2

???: [――Are you worried about Ricardo and the rest?]

When a voice spoke to her side profile, Anastasia, who had been gazing out the window, turned to face it. Then, as Julius sat next to her with anguish in his yellow eyes, he looked at her.

Surprisingly, the way his inner feelings ended up showing on his face was the cute aspect of Anastasia’s one and only Knight. Be that as it may, in order to tell him that he was needlessly worried, Anastasia forced a smile,

Anastasia: [Did I make ya uneasy? If that’s so, I’ve still got a long way to go in temperin’ my heart.]

Julius: [No, it is only natural for one’s heart to ache over their family. Even for you, Anastasia-sama, you have no need to avert your eyes from there.]

Anastasia: [Mm~, the way ya phrase “even for you”, does that mean ya think I’m impudent?]

Julius: [――Anastasia-sama.]

Anastasia: [Aye aye, sorry, sorry. It’s a bad habit of mine to always be snappin’ back with a retort.]

At Julius’s quiet call of her name, Anastasia apologized as she slightly shrugged her shoulders.

When her vulnerabilities were struck, she, not wanting her superiority to crumble, would end up taking this sort of attitude. That was undoubtedly evidence that the way of living in the slums of Kararagi was deeply ingrained into her. Those who displayed weakness in that place would end up as prey, and in some cases would even be stripped of their lives.

Always maintaining a composed expression, one ought to make a face that suggested they had an ace up their sleeve. ――That had been a core teaching of Anastasia’s life, as well as the management philosophy that had fostered the Hoshin Company into a major trading juggernaut.

???: [If you keep up that attitude even in front of your family and Knight, who permit your feelings, you will end up unable to smile with your true face in front of anyone, Ana.]

Anastasia: [Oh my, since ya seem to never miss the opportunity for a lecture, ya ain’t a very nice girl, ya know.]

???: [I myself am aware of that, and even somewhat lament it. Thanks to that, I get the feeling that that part of me has also transferred over to you, Ana.]

Anastasia: […Really now, ya’ve always got somethin’ to snap back with.]

With a faint mutter, Anastasia patted the head of Echidna, wrapped around her neck as a scarf.

Then, once again, she pondered what words to use in order to provide an answer to the earnest Julius.

Currently, Anastasia’s group was riding in a dragon carriage, hastening to Kararagi’s Second City, Banan, which was said to be undergoing a cataclysm of wind. Having completed her mission as emissary to the Empire, the plan had originally been for Anastasia to return to Lugunica as soon as possible after finishing her report at the Third City, Ivada.

But, when she found out that a certain land had been subjected to an unprecedented great cataclysm, and that thereupon, the valuable Iron Fang―― Ricardo, Mimi, and the rest had been dispatched, she could not abandon them. Julius’s question, too, concerned how they could not establish communication with Ricardo and the others, who were in the disaster zone.

Of course, she harbored great feelings of concern for Ricardo and everyone else in the area of disaster. But――,

Anastasia: [It was when I was still just a wee thing, before even livin’ together with Mimi ‘n the others.]

Julius: [――――]

Anastasia: [I was picked up by Ricardo, and we were livin’ together. That said, Ricardo was always out workin’ as a mercenary, so he didn’t come home much, ‘n I was also busy helpin’ out at the shop, so I had a similar feelin’ of distance to the place I’d come home to.]

Anastasia suddenly began to speak; however, Julius listened without interrupting. Thankful to his Knightly demeanor, Anastasia continued.

Anastasia: [Each time he’d go out to work, it was a given that we’d be unable to have contact for a few days. But, one time, Ricardo sent me a letter back from where he’d been workin’. Just to say somethin’ like “I’m gonna be out for a bit longer this time~”.]

Julius: [That would mean he was thinking of you, Anastasia-sama.]

Anastasia: [Mm, that’s right… but that time, Ricardo had blundered at his job ‘n sustained a grave wound, ‘n he was on the brink of life ‘n death over at the town he’d been workin’ at.]

Julius: [Of life and death…]

Anastasia: [In such a situation, he’d sent a needless letter so that I wouldn’t worry. Nevertheless, even when I was small, I was a clever one. I immediately thought it was strange, ‘n went rushin’ over to where Ricardo was. Then I searched for the healers ‘n medicine necessary to heal him, ‘n he was saved. Back then, we made a promise.]

Anastasia could clearly remember that time, when her teary-eyed self thrust her finger towards Ricardo, who, sitting up in the bed, had overcome the adversity; she clearly remembered what Ricardo had answered back then.

Anastasia had an outstanding memory. Important promises, her own past failures, she remembered all of it. The past would absolutely never be erased. ――That was not a Hoshin proverb, but an Anastasia proverb.

Anastasia: [Since ya’d only ever use letters ‘n the like to deceive me, don’t write ‘em no more. After all, uncle’s… Ricardo’s safety is somethin’ I’ll always believe in, even without any contact.]

Julius: [――. So then, even now?]

Anastasia: [Yep. Not bein’ able to get in contact is normally rise for concern, but for me ‘n Ricardo, it’s the complete reverse. If he were truly in danger, Mimi ‘n the others would come sayin’ somethin’. For that reason, I’m calm.]

Loosening her lips, Anastasia smiled at her concerned one and only Knight.

There was a deep understanding that this was neither a logical rationale, nor a believable basis, but a tenet founded in emotion.

However, though she was apologetic to her one and only Knight, Julius, within Anastasia, Ricardo was the sole existence she could believe in like that, even without any certain basis or logical rationale.

He was somebody who harbored a bond different to that of the faith Anastasia placed in Julius.

Henceforth――,

Anastasia: [I wouldn’t worry ‘bout Ricardo. If there’s no contact, he ain’t doin’ anythin’ that would sadden me, it’s simply a matter of believin’ in that.]

3

???: [――How irritating.]

Thus, the palm of whirling wind was gripped right before his face, Ricardo released the tension from his body, and sighed.

The small scale storm, which would have been enough to thoroughly blow Ricardo away, delicately vanished in the woman’s clenched fist―― no, that was not all that had happened to the vanished storm.

Ricardo: [I’m beggin’ ya, let ‘em down slowly. If ya mess it up, I wouldn’t be able ta bear the sight.]

Woman: [How noisy. If you’re going to complain about my handling of the wind, you’re four hundred years too early. I mean, don’t order me around. Don’t make me say it again. It’s irritating.]

Becoming annoyed in such a tone, the woman spun her upraised hand around in the air. When she did so, as if responding to her movements, the vigor of the great wind surrounding Banan slowly began to dissipate.

The wreckage of the destroyed buildings, the screaming civilians, and Mimi, whose voice could be heard enjoying herself through the wind, quietly descended back to the ground.

Even so, the wind was still quite speedy, but after talking all that big talk, this was probably her method of neatly letting all these people land.

Having hoped for that, Ricardo stretched his back out, and,

Ricardo: [Ah, even so, that still hurt a lot! Even tho’ I just exchanged my right hand for a hook, I was frettin’ that ya might take away the whole arm from the shoulder down this time!]

Woman: [Don’t speak so loudly! It’s because you were trying to endure in vain. It would have been better if you hadn’t clung to the ground, and instead went flying in the sky with the rest of the bunch. If you had done that, then these meaningless wounds…]

Ricardo: [Ah? What’s that? You’re sorry for woundin’ me?]

Woman: [Like I’d say that! Serves you right! I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it serves you right, though!]

Stomping on the ground, the woman howled in anger as she wielded her troublesome disposition. However, the sense of oppressiveness that had struck Ricardo with awe up until a moment ago, had completely vanished.

Judging by her personality, it seemed like she had overdone things quite a bit in trying to pressure him.

Ricardo: [To that extent, the Light Sphere that was stolen from ya seems like it was quite important.]

Woman: [Like I said! That’s what I’ve been saying this entire time! Hurry up and give it back!]

Ricardo: [‘N like I’ve been sayin’, I’ve got absolutely no clue what that is. ――Name’s Ricardo.]

Appending his name onto the end of his words, Ricardo trained his gaze on the woman’s face. For a moment, she looked puzzled at what had just been told to her, but,

Woman: [I’m… ah, it’s Tia. Let’s go with that name for the time being.]

Ricardo: [Really now, that’s a wonderful name, young lassie Tia. In that case――]

???: [――Captain!! Incredible, that was insane! Are you alive!? Did you die!?]

Thus, the woman who gave her name―― it was a matter of deciding to go with Tia, but she was interrupted by an energetic voice.

At a glance, Mimi, who had descended somewhere quite far away, was furiously sprinting towards them. Behind her could be seen the figures of Hetaro and Tivey as well, and Ricardo laughed a hearty “Har!”.

After a good chuckle, he wiped the blood from his face, and turning back to Tia,

Ricardo: [In that case, shall we have a lil’ chat? Even without tryna scare us with that wind, a simple smile woulda carried the convo further along. ――Tho’ that ain’t a Hoshin proverb, but one of the Miss’s proverbs, ya see.]

《To be continued》