[If You Wish It] Part 6

With this release, we've officially finished up with the If You Wish It story. But while its predecessor If You Wish It ended open-endedly with some closure at the very least, If You Wish It ends with a cliffhanger just when a certain character from Alicization War of Underworld makes her grand debut... and since the second half of Alicization WoU got delayed by three months, we'll need to wait more than half a year for a continuation... damn you, Corona... However, we do have a short cakeline side story that came with abec's second art book that we can work on in the meantime.

Oh, and since some people prefer reading the entire story in one go, I have compiled the entire translation into a full text version for your reading pleasure.

Any feedback is always welcome.

-Gsimenas

Credits

Raws: Celest
Translation: Gsimenas
Editing: Gsimenas
Proofreading: JengKay


Translation (choice/nuance) comments:

• Almost all instances of the word "dragon" use the word 飛竜 (hiryuu, "flying dragon") in the original text. I omitted the "flying" part because a non-flying dragon would just be a lizard or something in the West. And the anime sure portrays the UW dragons as regular Westernish dragons, rather than a wyvern or something, so I'm not sure what the "flying" bit is supposed to achieve. One instance uses the actual English word "dragon", so that specific instance is indicated in itallics.
• The Dark Territory has quite a few synonyms in this story. The official term is ダークテリトリー (Ingurisshu for "Dark Territory"), but it's also called 闇の国 (yami no kuni, "country of darkness") and 暗黒界 (ankokukai, "darkness world"). So, I translated ダークテリトリー as "Dark Territory" with itallics to indicate that it's an English term, 闇の国 as "Land of Darkness" and 暗黒界 as "Darkness Realm".
• Aside from instances where actual system commands are recited, Sacred Arts elements are almost always referred to with Japanese expressions (kanji), rather than English words. Since the Japanese kanji terms aren't as sophisticated as the English variants, I translated the element names literally when they are mentioned in actual Japanese. For example, the "cryogenic" element is called the "freezing element" (凍素) outside of commands.
• With Quinella, Kirito's speech fluctuates from purely casual, to tacking on a polite copula at the very end as an afterthought, to proper polite tone. To account for this, I added "ma'am"s at the end of the sentence to indicate that he's trying to be polite (but usually only as an afterthought), I used slang and contractions to indicate a casual tone, and avoided contractions + used more formal words to indicate an actual polite tone.
• I decided to omit/localise honorifics used with titles (e.g., Supreme Priest-san and Supreme Priest-sama), unless the titles were used to call out to the person themselves, because it doesn't sound awfully good when the person is not part of the conversation themselves.
• During Alice's conversation with Lipia, both of them start using fancy expressions. I assume that it's supposed to indicate fancy knight etiquette/speech or something. To account for this, I replaced "you"s with "thou"s and used some fancy/archaic words here and there.

Markup explanation:

• 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).
• Ｆｕｌｌ－ｗｉｄｔｈ text indicates non-Japanese text that was written in the Latin/English alphabet, rather than katakana. Basically, what you see is exactly how it's written in the raw.
• Comic sans indicates emphasis added by myself when I needed to stress something to get the meaning across properly.
• 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.

Part 5

Index

TBA

How did you enjoy this side story?

— Gsimenas (@gsimenas) April 23, 2020

6

Turns out there was no need to keep my eyes peeled for Mount Shunca. After all, it was a mass of rocks that shot up to seven or eight hundred metres smack dab in the middle of a flatland, sticking out like a sore thumb on the same level as the Tokyo Skytree.

Convinced that this had to be our destination for sure, I gently shook Administrator awake. Having taken back the reins from me, the Supreme Priest had Yukiori ascend along the rock face and dive straight through a gigantic gate constructed at its peak without any hesitation.

The same peculiar sensation I had when I was teleported to the Great Library Room from the rose garden assailed me again, a rainbow light engulfing my vision; when I subconsciously opened my closed eyelids the next moment, I found that we were no longer at Mount Shunca. Standing in our way in front of us was a gigantic mountain mass that hadn't been there just seconds ago. The pure white mountain range that seemed to pierce the heavens was undoubtedly the 《End Mountains》 that encircled the Human Empire, the same ones that I had seen up-close from Rulid Village. As the time now was past three o'clock in the afternoon, the light from now-more-yellowish Solus caused the ridgeline to sparkle.

Though, there was one single difference from the mountain range in the north. A deep ravine was carved out of the mountain surface straight ahead of us as if a gigantic god had sawed it out, dividing the mountain range that was two thousand or so metres higher than the surrounding area into two.

Upon sending a fleeting glance to Alice behind us, the Supreme Priest had Yukiori plunge straight into the ravine. The moment sunlight was obstructed by the perpendicular cliff, a chill engulfed my entire body. Even I, as inept in the Arts as I was, have started getting the hang of feeling the state of the local spatial Sacred Power with my skin recently; yet, the supply of Sacred Power in this ravine was surprisingly low. Although some resources themselves had accumulated there over the course of many, many years, it'd probably take a humongous amount of time for it to charge up again if all of them were used up.

The two dragons slowly advanced through the hundred-or-so-metre-wide ravine. As the cliffs at our sides grew taller, our vicinity rapidly grew dimmer. Yet, what appeared tens of seconds later gave off such a prominent presence even within the darkness that it was bizarre.

An unfathomably gigantic——gate. Scale-wise, it rivaled the Central Cathedral.

The gray gate jutting out from the bottom of the ravine probably extended to a thousand metre height. I couldn't even tell whether it was made of stone or metal. It was so exceedingly big that it threw my perception of distance out of whack and I shrank into myself in fear that we'd end up crashing into it if we got any closer, yet the Supreme Priest continued having Yukiori move on nevertheless.

When her dainty hands finally pulled on the reins, my entire field of vision was covered up entirely by the gray structure. Even when I raised my head, I couldn't see through to its top because of a thin haze that covered it.

"So this…… is the 《Great Eastern Gate》……"

When I muttered this in a hoarse voice, Administrator responded without hiding her irritation.

"That's right. The curtain that protects the Human Empire, yet will cause a war."

"A curtain……? It looks far too sturdy for what you cal-……"

"Take a good look at its surface."

Upon being told this, I strained my eyes towards the great gate towering in the darkness. That very moment, I let out a small gulp.

Numerous cracks were running like a mesh along the gray surface. As I stared at it dumbfounded, one of the cracks spread out with a loud noise, making contact with another crack. Small fragments poured down from a dumper truck-sized lump that was encircled by a triangular crack; even now it seemed like it could fall off the gate itself at any moment.

Just then, Administrator extended her right hand. Although you normally can't possibly make more than five elements with one hand, she managed to create about twenty metal elements on her hand in one go, and without any incantation to boot. When the gray dots of light flew off and soaked into the crack, the lump that was about to fall off stopped vibrating.

"……Is that how… you continued mending this hugeass gate, ma'am? All this time ever since last summer……?"

"That's right. Honestly, it's like trying to cool off a hot stone with a few drops of water…… The decline of the Great Gate's Life is so fast that I can't possibly keep up with it by simply adhering metal elements to it, yet if I were to use a large scale rite, I'd end up exhausting all the Sacred Power in this ravine. Even delaying the process like this is only going to work for another half a year at best."

"…………"

I could only gnaw at my lips.

The Supreme Priest Administrator had mentioned this during last week's tea party. That the reason why she had suspended her Mechanical Sword Soldier Project whatsit and continued mending the Great Eastern Gate… was because she bet on the potential that I had shown with Eugeo. Her "Find a way to do something about the Dark Territory invasion" remark wasn't just a mere joke. The Supreme Priest was seriously thinking that we might possibly find a way to save the world. Just like how we created the shortcake or the cheesecake.

"……What if… this gate were to break down…… what would happen then……?"

"I'll show you."

Upon muttering this, the Supreme Priest pulled Yukiori's reins. The silver dragon who didn't lose its gleam even in this darkness cried out a short "Kururu", before flapping its elegant wings. Its large body rose up perpendicularly as if it were a ＶＴＯＬ aircraft. Slightly below, Alice's Amayori followed suit.

As I looked at the gray wall flowing in front of me, I suddenly felt as if I spotted some kind of text in the Latin alphabet carved into it. However, I didn't have enough time to read it before it disappeared below us, giving way to the top of the Great Gate. I do believe that it'd be impossible for both man and beast to climb all the way up here, but it seemed that numerous sharp steel barbs were set up at the upper edge. About ten metres above them, Administrator had her dragon hover in place.

"…………"

Without a single word, I fixed my gaze beyond the gate——at the desolate scenery of the Dark Territory that I actually laid eyes on for the first time.

I can see why it's called the Land of Darkness. The ground was as black as coal ash; the sparsely growing trees were twisted as if in agony; not a single watering hole could be found—— and the sky was as red as blood, even though there should have still been some time till the evening. Compared to this spectacle, even GGO's wasteland maps could still be regarded as being filled with natural life.

The phrase 'world of death' crossed my mind; however, I was forced to immediately revise that notion. Far beyond the short ravine that extended to the opposite side of the Great Gate, there were several lights swaying on a plateau that was slightly higher than the surrounding ground. Bonfires…… someone had set up camp over there.

"……What are those fires for……?"

"The Dark Territory's advance forces, obviously. They're observing how this gate crumbles away bit by bit. Once its collapse is at hand, the entire flatland you see there will probably be filled up entirely by the grand army of the five races of the Darkness Realm."

"Five races…… as I recall, those were goblins, orcs, ogres, giants, and……"

"Humans. People of the Dark Realm."

As Administrator answered as quietly as a mutter, her voice seemed to have such a cold ring to it that it gave me the shivers. Is she angry……? Towards the army of darkness……? Or perhaps……

At that moment.

"Esteemed Supreme Priest! Something is coming!"

Alice's voice rang out sharply. When I strained my eyes in panic, I saw several black dots coming towards us in the deep red sky. Bit by bit they became bigger, finally taking form. Black wings and long tails……

"D-dragons? The Dark Territory has dragon knights too?"

"Of course they do. They're dark knights. The main force of the army of darkness, who have crossed swords with the Integrity Knights for hundreds of years. If they've noticed my presence and are now coming to take my head, they sure underestimate me, huh."

As the Supreme Priest declared this, Alice's shout overlapped with her words.

"I shall make short work of them, thus I would like to humbly ask you to stand back, Supreme Priest-sama!"

As Alice was about to have Amayori charge ahead with Eugeo still riding on its back the moment she shouted this, Administrator quickly thrust out her right hand to stop her.

"That will not be necessary, Alice-chan. I have to make an example here by eradicating them in a single attack so great that it causes the advance troops behind them to scurry away as well, letting them know what befalls those who dare approach the Human Empire."

Her right hand moved to her left hip, slowly unsheathing a rapier. She turned the mirror-silver blade, sparkling like a mirror, towards the dragons closing in on us at high speed.

The dragons closing in on us numbered four. When I strained my eyes, it seemed that there was indeed a human riding atop the dragon in the vanguard. So that's a dark knight——that is, a human living in the Dark Territory, huh. While I did have an interest in finding out what kind of beings they were exactly, it didn't seem I'd get the chance to get a close look at them.

Administrator's rapier bellowed, 'Buuuun……', as it was wreathed in white light. While it wasn't all that flashy as a phenomenon, I could feel with my bare skin just how tremendous the energy contained within the sword was. The light gathered at the tip of the rapier, condensing and letting out a shrill, high-frequency noise. If this were to be fired out, it would cause the evaporation of both the four approaching dragons and their riders without even leaving a corpse behi-……

"…………!?"

That instant, my eyes shot up wide as I shouted out reflexively.

"H-hold it! Stop, stop!"

It's unclear whether my English there got through to her, but the Supreme Priest jolted her rapier upwards, before giving me a stern look.

"What exactly is your problem, Thirty-three?"

"I would like to ask you to take a closer look; only the one in the lead is an actual dragon, while the three in the back look somehow different!"

"Huh?"

Frowning, Administrator turned her gaze to the four approaching silhouettes and immediately said the following.

"Oh my, you're right. The three in the back appear to be large minions. Though, that changes nothing about them being enemies."

Cardinal had spoken of the term 'minion' during last week's tea party. It seems that they were likewise winged creatures, but their necks weren't as long as those of dragons, while their taloned limbs just dangled down languidly. They looked more like gargoyles than dragons.

However, that wasn't the problem.

"Wait, look, doesn't it seem like the dragon in the lead is being chased, ma'am?"

"Hmn? Mnn, that may be true, but like I care. I'm going to kill them in the end anyways, after all."

"W-wait wait wait, aren't you interested in why they're being chased though, ma'am?"

"They probably just snagged someone's snack or something."

"That's not the impression I'm getting here, ma'am. Can't we save the killing for after we find out the reason behind what's going on, ma'am?"

"You sure are a pain in the ass……"

Even as she continued giving the biggest frown she could, Administrator still made a slight change to the angle of her rapier.

"Then I'll only take down the minions in the back."

"Y-yes please"

"Eih"

With her not-all-that-pumped shout, a pure white laser was discharged from the tip of the rapier. It instantly split into three, forming large arcs before piercing the winged monsters chasing the black dragon.

'Pigyaaaa!', a faint scream could be heard. The three monsters called minions fell down one after another, scattering black blood in the sky in their wake, until they disappeared from our sight.

The pursued dragon's speed went down. It wobbled in the sky, looking like it could crash down at any moment. It seemed that the rider atop the saddle was arduously trying to rein in the dragon, but they just couldn't get it to stabilise its flight.

"Sigh…… if that dark knight comes pouncing on us after all this, be sure to take responsibility for it and defeat them yourself."

Upon giving this order to me, Administrator once again hoisted her rapier.

Light element energy was what shot out of it this time as well. Yet rather than producing another super-powered laser, it instead formed a ribbon-shaped mist. The white ribbons gently flowed through the sky, enveloping the black dragon that had closed in by another two hundred metres by then.

Having probably had its Life healed up by the Supreme Priest's healing Arts, the dragon's wing flaps regained their strength. It increased its speed, heading straight for us. I could already make out the details of the knight riding on its back. Their entire body was enveloped in a purplish-black helmet and armour and I couldn't see their face.

Alice's Amayori flew in front of Yukiori. 'Jarin', with a noise the girl pulled out her golden sword. Despite witnessing its radiance, the dark knight did not stop their advance.

Eventually, once the black dragon closed in to a point right in front of us on the other side of the Great Eastern Gate, it finally switched over to hovering mode. As if trying to indicate they had no intention to fight, the knight in its saddle hoisted their open right arm, before shouting.

"Pray tell me, do I have the pleasure of happening upon an Integrity Knight of the Axiom Church!"

At that voice that sounded muffled due to the helmet, Alice responded sonorously.

"Indeed thou have! For what purpose do thou approach this Great Gate, guarded by us Integrity Knights!"

Just then the dark knight placed their hands on their helmet and pulled it off their head without hesitation. Her long, purplish-black hair streamed out. A woman……?

As I gazed in wondernment, the knight's coquettish husky voice rang out.

"I am the eleventh-ranked Dark Knight, one who is known as Lipia Zancale! I have come to this land bearing a decree from my lord! I would like to seek an audience with the Commander of the Integrity Knights!"

(To be continued)

Part 5

Index

TBA