NO STELLA NO LIFE 2

Translated by: @garmadoncar

Proofread by: Eliman7

Links:

• Part 1

1

――Ten-thousand and zero.

Having a taste of “death by cutting” for precisely the ten thousandth time, Aldebaran raised his hands, as they had agreed.

Receiving that signal, that which had seemed to be infinite―― no, that was just how it felt to the one on the receiving end, and since he had properly counted it up there was no doubt about it being ten thousand times, but regardless, the torture that had gone on to that extent came to a close.

That had been his expectation.

???: [――Fula.]

Aldebaran: [Wai…]

Hearing an incantation that should have been impossible, his voice that had begun to form the word “wait” could not continue.

The unleashed wind blade mercilessly sliced through Aldebaran’s throat, chest, and waist; falling victim to the circular slash, his body spurted with blood and collapsed upon the meadow of verdant grass.

???: [――――]

In the moment before his decapitated head fell to the ground, he glared at the perpetrator of that act as if he was seeing something utterly unbelievable, and unable to do anything about it, Death came to fruition.

That other party watched over Aldebaran, even bearing a faint smile――,

×　　×　　×

――Ten-thousand and one.

Aldebaran: [This isn’t what we had discussed!!]

The instant he returned, Aldebaran abandoned their agreement and raised his voice so.

Seeing Aldebaran’s fury, the person who had been holding her hands up in front of him―― the beautiful Witch, composed of just the two colors of white and black, ceased movement.

Then, tilting her head in a cunning manner like she had completed all calculations,

Witch: [Judging by your reaction, this would mean that you have finished your ten-thousand and first attempt?]

Aldebaran: [And judging by your phrasing, from the outset, you were never gonna end it on the ten-thousandth time, oi?]

Witch: [Yes, I admit to your conjecture. But then again, from my perspective, I still have yet to enact murder on you even once… as expected, how deeply intriguing.]

Aldebaran: [What is? Your own horrid personality being verified after ending in just the attempt?]

Witch: [There is malice in your phrasing, but that is more or less correct.]

Closing a single eye, the Witch lifted a finger to her lips as she responded. Breathing a long, deep sigh at her attitude that showed no diffidence, Aldebaran somewhat soothed the beast within himself that was clamoring with ire.

The Witch had disregarded their prior agreement, and furthermore, it seemed like she had intended on doing so from the start.

But, as for what the objective of that betrayal had been, he could fathom a guess.

Witch: [By way of my Wind Magic, you have accreted the experience of “death by cutting” ten-thousand times. No matter the phenomenon, if you experience it ten-thousand times, in most cases, it will lose its flavor. Only, if those experiences went too far and you were simply just quelling your own heart, it would be troubling. Hence――]

Aldebaran: [You sliced me up one more time than the agreed upon ten-thousand. By doing that, you would be able to tell whether or not I was able to truly get accustomed to “death by cutting”.]

Witch: [Precisely. Thus, you proved my theory. Congratulations. This completes your hands-on education course on “death by cutting”. ――Although, there is still a long road ahead of us.]

When he realized that she was clapping her hands before her chest, his gaze traced upwards and found her bewitching smile as she spoke.

Regarding whether the Witch felt like she had brought about a sense of accomplishment or not, given that she knew not how to show consideration for the hearts of others, it would have been difficult for regular people to gauge her heart. Thus, it was impossible for Aldebaran.

Witch: [Oya, how fainthearted. Even while spending such a long time with me in this space, you still think of yourself as a regular human?]

Aldebaran: [Rather than fainthearted, it’s a matter of natural distinction, yeah? I don’t have the sorta mentality to thrust someone who’s just escaping a journey of ten-thousand deaths down to the hell of a ten-thousand and first time.]

Witch: [You have a retort for everything. How wretched.]

Aldebaran: [Which one is it!?]

As the Witch shrugged her shoulders in a manner akin to saying “Good grief”, Aldebaran stuck out his tongue.

But, being able to behave in such a manner directly after tasting “death by cutting” ten-thousand and one times, vexingly, was proof of the Witch’s proposition―― that hands-on learning with death would bear dramatic results.

For these ten-thousand instances of “death by cutting”, too, during the double digits it continued without him being able to do a thing; during the triple digits he was thinking of nothing but things to quell his own heart; enough of a faint respite was yielded when he reached the quadruple digits such that he could finally direct his focus to a method of maintaining his mind’s balance.

And now that he had reached ten-thousand times, immediately after he had been decapitated, he maintained composure to the extent that he could clash words with the very person who decapitated him like this.

Likely, there was a fear that this was not stability of the mind, but more accurately, the destruction of the mind, but――,

Witch: [Even supposing that were to be the case, is there a problem?]

Aldebaran: [――――]

Suddenly, the Witch’s words, which seemed like they had seen through his inner thoughts despite the fact that she did not understand the hearts of others, struck him.

The Witch narrowed her black eyes, bordered by her long eyelashes, and while staring fixedly at Aldebaran,

Witch: [Even supposing the equilibrium of your mind were to crumble, your ability to think and your willingness to adapt, that is to say, as long as you do not lose your sense of objective, then there is no doubt that you will complete the purpose of your existence. That is how I judge it, do you possess a differing view?]

Aldebaran: [――. No, it’s as you say… Teacher.]

Witch: [Hm.]

Aldebaran: [I was killed ten thousand times. For me to protect my heart like it’s a shiny, freshly washed, and polished jar would be impossible from the outset. In that case, even if I have to fill the cracks up with glue, it’s fine as long as it’s kept in a state that can hold water until the end.]

Part way through, disregarding the Witch’s displeased reaction at the way she had been referred to, Aldebaran looked down and clasped his palm shut tight, affirming the other party’s words.

Then, opening his clenched hand, he faced back towards the Witch’s face, and,

Aldebaran: [What’s after “death by cutting”? “Death by beating”? Something like “death by crushing”?]

Witch: [Indeed. ――I was thinking of going with “death by burning”, how about it?]

Aldebaran: […Just in case, could I hear your reasoning?]

Witch: [Amidst numerous Deaths, burning to death seems like it would be particularly grueling. “Death by cutting” has proven to us that this first-hand learning is effective. Thus, if we begin with the causes of death that are most fervently painful and work our way down, then that will make it so everything after is no longer scary, correct?]

Speaking in a detached manner, the Witch answered as if it was a good idea, and on the tip of her lifted finger, a flame alighteth.

The flickering flame might have appeared cute, but Aldebaran was aware that it would yield a result far greater, and from here on, he would be made to experience it first hand.

Certainly, since they were looking to the future, preparing for all kinds of causes of death in advance, “death by burning” was an assignment he would inevitably have to go through. But, to propose they start off with the highest ranking, most painful manners of death, was it perhaps revenge for their exchange from just earlier?

Witch: [Do not tell me, you think I am a woman who bears such grudges?]

Aldebaran: [Even if that were the case, it wouldn’t be surprising or anything of the sort!]

Witch: [What a way to put it. That wounded me.]

Even when she said that with a smile, it was not persuasive in the slightest.

Scratching his head as the Witch spoke, Aldebaran began to stretch where he stood. Focused thoughts, clear mind; radio calisthenics did well to calm a wavering heart.

And then――,

Aldebaran: [Same signal as before. Don’t betray me this time.]

Witch: [I shall keep it as a goal to endeavor towards.]

Aldebaran: [Now that’s a statement I can’t ignore… ――Expand Territory, matrix redefinition.]

After his dejection, Aldebaran accessed his Authority―― his own cognition enclosed around the world, intoxicating him with a sense of omnipotence as he bent the laws of reality to his will.

In this moment, the world was divided into a multiplex hierarchy of layers within Aldebaran’s hand――,

Witch: [――Goa.]

For the first time, he comprehended that the scorching flames engulfing his life would even burn away his death throes.

2

Witch: [――Goa.]

During his hands-on learning with all sorts of Death, Aldebaran pondered.

The Witch had by no means proposed such a hellish intensive training menu out of resentment towards Aldebaran. Deep down, this proposal must have truly been the Witch’s way of caring for Aldebaran.

Witch: [――Huma.]

Having mastered all forms of magic in this world, the Witch was nonetheless discontented, producing new forbidden arts, continuing to heighten her own self-studies and understanding of the research of others, and now quite literally executing tens of thousands of deaths.

The utility of the Witch, capable of actualizing the majority of the manners of Death published in the dictionary, could be described as most optimal for realizing this penance―― no, this training that transcended the ordinary.

Witch: [――Dona.]

Of course, amidst the unbearable pain and torment, many a time had he detested the Witch.

It was a shallow interpersonal relationship. In terms of Aldebaran’s life, it was not as though he had made contact with very many people, but as for one towards whom he harbored this much of a variety of emotions, there existed none other save the Witch.

Rage and sorrow, hatred and resentment, fear and disgust, repulsion and fixation, even affection, all such were present.

Witch: [――Jiwald.]

It was a process that would repeat without end, an unsightly one, akin to that of fierce emotions, neither faint nor small on their own, being left to stew jumbled together with many other things in a boiling pot.

To allow that to continue for so long, Aldebaran’s sense of duty alone was by no means the only reason.

To begin with, something like a sense of duty was not even that great of a motive within Aldebaran himself. The sense of objective he had been bequeathed, no matter how far he went, would always be nothing but a borrowed oar.

Witch: [――Minya.]

It was a fool’s errand to venture out into the rapids with an unreliable boat and oar.

Understanding that, for him to keep struggling onwards, though there was a possibility for Aldebaran to force his way past that unreasonability, neither his borrowed sense of duty nor those worn out possibilities were definite motives.

He did not wish to recognize it. But, just as surely, he did wish to be recognized.

――By the Witch, who since his birth, Aldebaran had spent the longest, most pronounced time with.

3

Aldebaran: [Teacher, don’t you ever get fed up?]

Witch: [――? Do I get fed up? With what, exactly?]

Aldebaran: [With what… I mean like, all sorts of things, all sorts. Or you could even say with everything.]

Witch: [Again, that is quite the broad question.]

Languidly sprawled out upon the verdant meadow, above Aldebaran, the Witch laughed.

His limbs spread out without putting any tension in them, Aldebaran had learned first-hand what it meant for one’s body and mind to be expended. Even though it was his own body, there were nothing but unknowns―― no, that was slightly different from the correct expression.

Even though he did know, there were nothing but unknowns. This was a more accurate way to put it.

Witch: […Ah. Was your question just now perhaps venting your own feelings?]

The Witch, having sat herself down in a chair used for tea parties, suddenly peered at him as if having realized something.

Unusual as it was, the Witch seemed to be working through a circuit of consideration or comprehension of others.

Aldebaran: [But, that’s only half-right, half-wrong.]

Witch: [Fifty points, hm. However, there is nothing marked in red, so it is a matter of the points I am missing. An explanation?]

Aldebaran: [The half you got right is that those are my feelings, but the full correct answer involves a notion of “why am I doing this sorta thing?” So, I wanted to ask how it is for you, Teacher.]

Witch: [I see. So rather than getting fed up, it is more about feeling a lack of willpower.]

As she spoke, the Witch crossed her legs, wrapped in a black skirt, and pondered. Watching over that strangely alluring gesture as he laid down, Aldebaran vocalized his impulse.

Aldebaran: [If you just let me have a single lap pillow, my willingness might return.]

Witch: [What a terrifying request to make, you. You ought to be aware just how frail in constitution I am, correct? I shall say this now, but even if you attempt to place your head in my lap, I am confident that I will not be able to stand up for an entire day, let alone several hours.]

Aldebaran: [Don’t wear such a smug grin as you say that sorta thing… I was just asking.]

First of all, his exhaustion was nothing so trivial that doing that would revive his willingness.

To begin with, as far as he understood it, this Witch had told Aldebaran that if she could support him through physical touch, she would help out no matter what it was.

And unfortunately, Aldebaran desired no such things from the Witch.

Ergo――,

Aldebaran: [――――]

Unexpectedly getting out of her chair, the Witch crouched down beside Aldebaran, and caressed his head. Speechless at the sudden occurrence, Aldebaran looked up at the Witch with his eyes widened. The Witch, upside down in his vision, tilted her head at his astonished gaze, and,

Witch: [Oya, did I get it wrong? You do not desire me as a woman. However, if you still request something such as a lap pillow from me, then I had imagined that it would either be consolation or gratitude that you desired, but… ]

Aldebaran: […Don’t try to understand people’s emotions through logic, you Witch.]

Witch: [Regrettably, since I was born as a Witch, it does not seem like I will become anything other than a Witch. So, does your lack of denial mean that I successfully understood your emotions through logic?]

As the Witch questioned him with a slightly odious look on her face, Aldebaran’s lips contorted as he fell silent.

It was aggravating that no matter what he said, even silence itself would serve as an answer, but at the very least, he did not wish to affirm it with his own words due to the feeling of defeat it would cause him.

Witch: [How obstinate you are.]

Without getting exasperated, the Witch left a mutter that failed to comprehend his emotions, but her hand ceased not. It was unclear whether its motion was intended to be consolation or gratitude.

Only, what Aldebaran desired was neither of those things, and even if the Witch who was giving it to him did not know that, it was fine as long as the recipient, Aldebaran, knew.

Witch: [I do not ever get fed up with things.]

Aldebaran: [――. Ah?]

Witch: [Your question from earlier. You asked me if I ever get fed up, correct?]

The Witch’s answer, lagging two steps behind, caused Aldebaran to blink his eyes.

Ultimately, it had just been pillow talk, not something he particularly wanted to discuss in depth. That which would have been fine to forget in the exchange up to this point, he pondered the significance of the Witch answering it here.

Aldebaran: [So then, I shouldn’t give up either?]

Witch: [Albeit, you are free to interpret it as you will. As a matter of fact, from my perception, you lifted your head just before I could lower my hand, the reality is that I did not place my hand upon you. Correct?]

Aldebaran: [――――]

Witch: [Thus, there is no concern of me being troubled. Does that relieve you?]

The question voiced alongside a smile, Aldebaran found himself at a loss for words again.

He did not want to think that he was no match for her. So let it be left as him being no match for her yet. After all, one day, Aldebaran would need to battle against something far greater, and he would need to win.

Indeed, it happened when he became aware of the silent discomfort deep within his chest.

Witch: [――There.]

Suddenly, his head was lifted from where it lay, and underneath it slipped a soft sensation. The Witch had visibly kneeled down on the verdant plain, placing Aldebaran’s head upon her own lap.

The lap pillow that had been rejected a moment prior because it would lead to something bad. Why, had that suddenly――,

Witch: [I was exaggerating. I am a nasty Witch, you know?]

As the Witch triumphed with a single eye closed, Aldebaran sighed and relaxed his shoulders. He would at least put his body weight into his head, and attempt to inflict the greatest extent of damage as he could to the Witch’s legs.

By the Witch who had killed him the most in this world, that amount of revenge ought to be forgiven.

《To be continued》