To celebrate my newfound freedom, I've decided to release a translation of the side story that came with abec's new art book. This side story continues the story of Chromatic Colors, the side story that came with abec's first art book and which was translated by Defan; however, the story is set in the 32/33 alternative Alicization timeline (a.k.a. the cakeverse or crabverse), so it kinda falls into the domain of our projects. It's set in-between part 1 and part 2 of If You Were Here, three weeks after Raios and Humbert get mauled by a giant crab (that scene definitely deserves an OVA tbh). I won't spoil the plot, but a certain character makes a second appearance...
Finally, a standard thank you to all of those who contributed to the SAO Scans project for helping us get the raws.
Any feedback is appreciated.
-Gsimenas
Credits
Raws: SAO ScansTranslation: Gsimenas
Editing: Gsimenas
Proofreading: JengKay
Translation (choice/nuance) comments:
- In his first sentence, Kirito uses choppy grammar. Basically, he tacked on an additional word (needed more than one word for them in the translation itself though) after the sentence has already ended. To account for this, I separated the tacked-on word with semicolons to maintain his not-so-coherent sentence structure.
- There were a whole lot of new names dumped into this story when Kirito started naming all the other Elite Disciples:
#3 is Wegin Sorby (ウェーギン・ソルビー, Uēgin Sorubī). The name sounds like funny pronunciation of the English word "wagon" (the "a" being pronounced like the "a" in "warehouse").
#4 is Elcar Marscal (エルカル・マースカル, Erukaru Māsukaru). Just tried coming up with something that worked phonetically with him.
#5 and #6 are Eugeo and Kirito respectively, so nothing new here
#7 is Sohmmelier (ソーメリエ, Sōmerie). Seems to be a play on the word sommelier (ソムリエ in Japanese), so I basically took the word "sommelier" and tweaked the spelling a bit to match the slightly different pronunciation. Even Google thinks that ソーメリエ is a misspelling of ソムリエ...
#8 only got the first syllable
#9-10 got skipped
#11 is Phinea Swert (フィニア・スヴェール, Finia Suvēru). フィニア sounded like a feminine version of the name Phineas, while Google offered me "Swert" and "Abbaye de Saint-Sever" when I looked up スヴェール, so I decided to go with the former. Note that the "t" is silent. - Tiese uses the word "sempai" in plural to refer to both Eugeo and Kirito, but I'm against using "sempais". Also, before anyone asks, I use "sempai" instead of "senpai" because an "n" before a "p" kana is pronounced as an "m" rather than an "n". I.e., I'm going with an actual phonetical version, rather the Hepburn romanisation.
- In one instance, Kirito used そんで (sonde), a colloquial version of それで (sore de). I account for this by shortening "and" to "an'"
- I've decided to use Yen Press translations for some of the names and terms, but I'm still using the fan translation versions for others (e.g., Shtolienen, valet etc.)
- Itallics mark text that was written in katakana English (I only highlighted the cases where the author uses both English and actual Japanese equivalents for the same thing, or when I needed to emphasise that an English word is used there).
- Furigana text should be read as follows: description of what the term/name means.
- Single quotation marks (') are quotes that weren't in the original text but were added for the convenience of English speakers to mark implied quotations. I used it mostly to separate Kirito's internal monologue from his narration, as well as mark sound effects and so on. Actual dialogue lines or quotations (with 「」 punctuation marks) within a narration line are indicated with the usual double (") quotation marks.
Prismatic Colors
This artbook contains a newly-written short story by the author of SAO, Kawahara Reki. The story is set during the 《Alicization Arc》, at the point when Kirito and Eugeo were Elite Disciples. Those who have read the 1st installment of the art book might recognise a "certain character"……?
"Say, Kirito……. are you sure we don't need to visit Raios and Humbert at the hospital?"
Eugeo brought that up all of a sudden as he was cleaning the table with a wet dishcloth, prompting me to frown as a result.
"I don't think we do; not really…… not like those guys are expecting it; definitely not."
I responded before returning to cleaning the tea utensils, but Eugeo's anxious expression didn't subside.
"Though, Raios is the top seat, while Humbert is the second seat, you know. Being the fifth and sixth-ranked disciples, if we didn't visit them even once, don't you think that it would encourage them to return to taking jabs at us when they get back to the academy?"
It seemed that Eugeo was just worried about the trouble the Raios duo would cause for us when they were discharged, rather than actually being concerned about their welfare, but even that much concern was wasted on them.
Three weeks have already passed since those two were bitten by a poisonous crab and hospitalised as a result. It seems that there was no danger to their life, but they're not having much luck with recovering from their leg paralysis; as I recall the rumours, they would be discharged from the hospital after——
"……Didn't they say that it'd take a year for them to recover? You and I will have already graduated by then. As if we should care what they say behind our backs at that point."
"Though, they could be discharged early, y'know? In fact, this morning the third-ranker Wegin and the fourth-ranker Elcar said they've already visited the Raios duo at the hospital. That's why it's been bothering me."
"Muh……"
The third-ranker Elite Disciple Wegin Sorby and the fourth-ranker Elcar Marscal were two prime examples of 《fledgling sons from a highborn family》; unlike the Raios duo, they didn't take jabs at us, nor did they set up pranks against us, but it's not like we were particularly close to them either.
"……Well, those guys do come from high-class noble families. Aren't they just obligated to pay them a visit because of some familial relationship or something?"
"If you're going there, I have to note that you and I should be the only Elite Disciples who don't come from a noble family, Kirito. So, wouldn't everyone aside from us be going to the hospital?"
"Wha? We can't actually be the only ones who aren't nobles……"
Although I tried arguing back there, I honestly don't actually fully remember the faces and names of all ten of our colleagues living in the Elite Disciple dormitory yet.
"Ehm, the fifth-ranked disciple is you, the sixth-ranker is me, the seventh-ranker is Sohmmelier, the eighth-ranker is Shu……"
Although I had to borrow Eugeo's help on this, I somehow managed to name the disciples up to the tenth-ranker, when…
"Ah, they're working again!"
A voice rang out in the spacious living room, prompting us to turn to its source at the same time.
Having stepped out through the door leading to Eugeo's bedroom was a girl with long, red hair hanging on her back. It was Primary Trainee Tiese Shtolienen, the girl who served as Eugeo's valet.
"Sempai, cleaning is my and Ronye's job! You two need not do a thing!"
After exchanging a glance and a faint wry smile with my partner, I once again looked at Tiese.
"I do kinda get that, but I just can't feel at ease then……"
When I said that,
"Ever since we left our village, we've always taken care of our things by ourselves, so we feel guilty when we just watch you work."
Eugeo came to my support. In reality, it was mostly Eugeo looking after me back then, but even a guy like me can't help but think that it's wrong to just lie on the sofa with my legs outstretched while making the girls do all the work. Even if that is a Swordcraft Academy tradition.
"Then, let us just finish cleaning this one at the very least…… that's all I'm asking."
As I raised our teapot while making a plea for a compromise, my valet, Primary Trainee Ronye Arabel, managed to sneak up on me and snatch it away from my grasp before I even noticed her.
"No can do, Sempai, cleaning is part of our training as valet trainees as well!"
"……To think you'd manage to catch me by surprise; you've sure become quite capable, Ronye."
Even as I struck a pose of resignation, I vowed in my heart, 'I'll be sure to help you out with the cleaning tomorrow, when you're not looking, as well……', before looking at Eugeo.
"So, what were we talking about?"
"We were trying to see if you could name all of the Elite Disciples, Kirito. Come on, you've got two to go."
"Oh…… ehm, the eleventh-ranked disciple is…… Phinea! An' the twelfth-ranker is…… ah, eh, uh～～～～ ……"
Despite my valiant efforts to jog my memory, I just couldn't recall that final name. Doesn't that make it seem like I'm looking down on that twelfth-ranker? In order to prove that I am not a snob like the Raios duo, who'd boast about their rank at every single opportunity, I continued my groans in an attempt to recall the disciple's name, but I couldn't even recall if the first kana in the disciple's name was from the a-column, or the ka-column, or even further down the kana syllabary, thus I extremely reluctantly chose to give up and once again raised my hands.
"No dice, I can't remember! Who is the twelfth-ranker, again?"
"Haha, well I'd say you did put in enough effort into it, at least compared to your usual, Kirito. The twelfth-ranker is……"
Since Eugeo's words suddenly came to an end at that point, I peered into his face. My partner's gaze wandered about aimlessly for a few moments, until he eventually muttered in a faint voice.
"Huh…… that's weird, ehm, the twelfth-ranker is……"
"Don't tell me that even you can't remember it, Eugeo-kun?
After uttering that with a big grin on my face, I subconsciously turned to the two valet trainees. Just then, I noticed that both Tiese and Ronye were, likewise, standing stock still, holding a broom and a duster in hand respectively.
"Wha…… So you two don't know their name either, Tiese and Ronye?"
"Oh, no…… we have, of course, memorised the names of all the esteemed Elite Disciples…… or at least we should have."
As Tiese responded equivocally, Ronye beside her also gave a pronounced tilt of her head.
"And here I was sure I had also committed them to memory on the day I was called to become a valet……"
"…………"
'The heck's goin' on here', I tilted my head in puzzlement as well. 'Are you telling me that anything related to the twelfth-ranked Elite Disciple and nothing else was erased from the memories of Eugeo and the others…… or perhaps from all the pupils at the Swordcraft Academy, or maybe even from all the residents of the Human Empire?'
'That's just absurd' is what I wanted to believe, but I couldn't just leave the matter alone like that. With my hands placed on my knees, I stood up, shouting "Alright!" in the process.
"In that case, let's go check it out!"
"Huh……?"
Grabbing the astounded Eugeo's left arm firmly, I forced him to stand up.
"The twelfth-ranker-san should be inside this very dorm, shouldn't they? Getting a good look at their face should jog our memory. Ronye and Tiese, we leave the rest of the cleaning to you!"
Prattling on, I pulled my partner out of the room.
The Elite Disciple of the North Centoria Swordcraft Academy dorm was a circular building that looked like a small theatre; a dining room and training hall were located on the first floor, while the second and third floors were made up of living rooms for the pupils. The room for me and Eugeo was located on the third floor, thus I ran down the stairs to the second floor to reach the room that the eleventh- and twelfth-rankers should be sharing.
"Hey, Kirito, are you seriously going to knock?"
"Do you really think we can turn back now after coming this far?"
'What am I going to do if the twelfth-ranked pupil is someone like Raios……', I couldn't help being plagued by thoughts like that, but the eleventh-ranker Phinea Swert, at the very least, was a gentle and quiet swordswoman, thus we probably wouldn't end up just being thrown out the door. Resolving myself, I knocked twice on the bulky door.
After a full five seconds, "Come in", we heard a faint female voice from inside. 'Guess that's Phinea', with that thought, I uttered "Excuse us" in chorus with Eugeo, before opening the door.
The interior design of the shared living room was identical to ours, though I could feel a faint sweet aroma in theirs. And some strange scent too. 'Wonder where's that scent coming from……', frowning with that thought in mind, I went around the front partitioning screen. That very moment,
"Uwah."
Eugeo let out a short shout. I myself was about to grab the scabbard of my sword with my left hand at that very moment, but I wasn't even armed with my sword in the first place. The source of our surprise was an enormous dog lying on the floor. Its bushy fur was white with a slight tinge of gray, its ears were as long as a pair of short wings, while a largish bell hung from its collar. Its blue eyes showed no sign of hostility at the present moment.
When I raised my gaze up, I found a slender woman in an Elite Disciple uniform standing beyond it. It wasn't Phinea. She had her cofil-tea-with-plenty-of-milk-poured-in-coloured hair done into a ponytail and she was wearing glasses, which were a rare sight in Underworld. Her refined facial features could be found both among the people of the western empire, as well as the eastern empire. Actually…… I feel like I've seen her before, or maybe not……
"……Who would you be?"
Hearing that near-monotonous question, I straightened up in fluster.
"Oh…… p-please excuse us. I am Elite Disciple Kirito and this is Elite Disciple Eugeo."
When we both gave a knight's salute at the same time, the woman returned the greeting with a slight bow.
"I am Ceba and this little one is Droolie."
'……Yodare-san? That sure is a rather unique name for a dog, actually, that sure doesn't sound like a name that an Underworlder would use…….', after spending a few moments with such thoughts in mind, I recalled that the dog's name wasn't why we were here.
Ceba. I've definitely——never heard of it before. But is that even possible? Seeing as she was an Elite Disciple like me, I should have lived together with this woman at the Primary Trainee dorm for a year, not to mention that I should have seen her face during the examination matches, and perhaps I had even crossed swords with her.
At my side, Eugeo was standing stock still in a daze. It seems that even my partner didn't remember Ceba. This was getting fishier and fishier.
However, Ceba herself showed no concern for our bewilderment, and asked another question in the same tone.
"So, what brings you here?"
"Oh, ehm…… umm, we have already exchanged greetings with Phinea-dono when we were appointed as Elite Disciples, but we have yet to do so with you, Ceba-dono, you see……"
"Hmmh. How courteous of you to go out of your way so much for that. Will you be having some tea?"
"Oh, no no, don't mind us. Ehm, I hope we get along well……"
A lot of things weren't making sense here, but deciding that we had achieved the goal of our visit at the very least, I held out my right hand. After exchanging a short handshake with me, she did one with Eugeo too.
Suddenly, I felt that the aforementioned strange scent became the slightest bit stronger. When I reflexively took a look at my right hand, I noticed that something small and blue was stuck to my index finger. I brought my hand under my nose and took a sniff of the scent. Seemed like pine resin…… wait no, this was paint. It was the scent of oil paint.
That very moment.
I was struck with a sensation that felt as if something had cracked inside my head. I looked over Ceba's face again, then looked below at Yodare-san, before once again returning my gaze to Ceba.
"……Ah…… you're the one from back then!? The one who fought with us against the hidden boss on the Fifth Floor of New Aincrad……"
Once I blurted all of that out, I panicked that I messed up there. Those were all terms that Eugeo has never heard of before. Thinking of how to weasel myself out of this, I looked at my partner, only to become even more shocked.
As if having turned into a sculpture, Eugeo was standing utterly still. And it wasn't just Eugeo. Even the steam rising up from the teacup on the table, as well as the small bird flying in the evening sky outside the window had stopped still; the only ones still moving in the world were me, Ceba, and Yodare-san——
"Oh my, seems like that jogged some memories."
As Ceba shrugged her shoulders, I took a step close towards her.
"As if I can forget about all that…… or so I'd like to say, but I had completely forgotten about it until just moments ago. What's going on here!?"
"I am going around worlds where my art has yet to exist. When the art that I must paint is done, I disappear from the world and from the memories of those I've met as well. Though on very rare occasions, I do end up meeting the same people again."
"Going around worlds……? Are you referring to VRMMO worlds? How did you manage to dive into Underworld?"
"How about we just leave it at that. Think of me as a being similar to light dispersed by a prism…… One moment, I shine on one world in the seven prismatic colours, but once the angle of the prism changes the next moment, I start shining on a different world instead."
Upon saying something enigmatic, Ceba pointed to the door behind me.
"Now then, it's about time for you to leave. Once you step out through that door, you will forget all about me again."
"……At least answer me this one thing before I go."
I posed a question to the mysterious girl.
"In ALO, you painted on the largest canvas that existed in that world…… on the guild flag, right. What are you planning to paint on here?"
Once I said that, a faint smile found its way on Ceba's face as she looked out the window. When I followed her gaze, beyond the treetops I saw the chalk-white Central Cathedral, glittering in a vivid orange due to the setting sun.
The End
Graffiti art on Underworld's Central Cathedral, sounds about right...cakeverse/crabverse indeed
ReplyDeleteSo...... Ceba's a god...? I can buy that.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. Thanks for the translations! appreciate ur work!!
ReplyDelete