Baka-Tsuki - User contributions [en]

Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei

2013-12-17T01:28:44Z

Shirofune:

[[Image:MKnR v01 cover.jpg|200px|thumb|Cover for Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei Vol 1]]
'''''Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei''''' (魔法科高校の劣等生), ''literally "The Poor Performing Student of a Magic High School"'', and also known officially as "The Irregular at Magic High School", is a Japanese light novel series written by Satou Tsutomu (佐島勤), with illustrations by Ishida Kana (石田可奈), published by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCII_Media_Works ASCII Media Works] under their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dengeki_Bunko Dengeki Bunko] label. The novel began as a web novel serialization in "[http://syosetu.com/ Let's Become a Novelist]" on October 12, 2008. It then became the second web novel after "[[Sword Art Online]]", to be commercialized and published by Dengeki in July 2011. An animé adaptation by Madhouse Studios was announced on October 6, 2013.

'''''Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei''''' is also available in the following languages:
*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei ~Russian Version~|Русский (Russian)]]
*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei (Français)|Français (French)]]
*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei ~ (Spanish)|Español (Spanish)]]
*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei (Italiano)|Italiano (Italian)]]
*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei (tiếng Việt)|Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)]]
*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei Bahasa_Indonesia|Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)]]
*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei ~Brazilian Portuguese~|Português (Brazilian Portuguese)]]
*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei PL|Polski (Polish)]]

====Other Interesting Facts====

As of July 2011, the web novel has received over 30 million page views.

As of December 2011, the web novel has received over 50 million page views.

The web novel, including the Gaiden (side stories), have been taken down at the end of 2011.

The Dengeki published volumes were edited, supplemented with more text on some occasions, and overall improved over the web versions.

The web novel consisted of only 6 web chapters written covering the First Year arc, and the author has already planned for a total of 15 web chapters to cover the entire three years of Magic High School. As of August 2011, web chapter 1 has been been compiled into volumes 1 and 2, and as of December 2011, web chapter 2 has been compiled into volumes 3 and 4. The author expects the series to be compiled into a total of 20 to 25 volumes (ie. if Dengeki allows him to finish the series) <nowiki>[SOURCE: Author's tweet on 6-Nov-2011, #dengeki_mahouka]</nowiki>

Volume 5 will include a special chapter that has never been released on the web.

This series debuted in "This Light Novel is Amazing 2012" rankings at the rank of 29.

Volumes 1 and 2, published in July and August 2011 respectively, made it into the top 50 sales ranking on Oricon for the year 2011 (to be precise, from 22-Nov-2010 to 20-Nov-2011), at the ranks of 36 (99,047) and 42 (88,743) respectively.

==Story Synopsis==

Magic.

Is a product of neither legends nor fairy tales, but instead has become a technology of reality since a time unknown to people.

Supernatural power became a technology systematized through magic, while magic became a technical skill. A "Supernatural Power User" became a "Magic Technician".

Magic Technicians (in short, Magicians) are nurtured through Magic High Schools and Universities.

This is a story about:

A defective elder brother low achiever, who is lousy at magic but is an honors student.

A perfect, flawless younger sister high achiever, who is good at everything.

After both siblings entered a Magic High School,

The stage of daily turbulence was unveiled——.

==Translation & Editing==
'''Expect Translations to be done in a random order'''
===[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Registration Page|Registration]]===

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first notify a supervisor beforehand via the forum.

'''Translators are asked to [[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Registration Page|register]] for chapters they want to work on'''

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the format guidelines and maintain the same terminology used. Editors are to check the standard if possible. Both translators and editors are required to participate actively in the forum in project standards.'''

*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Guidelines|Project Specific Terminology and Guidelines]] (contains spoilers)

===Feedback===
'''Discuss this series in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=69 forums]'''

'''If you find any part of the translation weird or doesn't completely make sense, tell us in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=5647 Translation Check Thread]'''

'''If you appreciate the Translator's effort, thank them in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=5669 Staff Appreciation Thread]'''

==Updates==
{{:Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Updates}}

Older updates can be found on the [[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Updates|Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei Updates page]]

==The ''Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei'' series by Satou Tsutomu==

'''You can find the E-book version of the volumes [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=5502 here].'''

:*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Characters|Characters]]
:*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Glossary|Glossary]]

===Volume 1 - Enrollment Chapter (I) ([[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 1|Full Text]])===

::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 1 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 1 Preamble|Magic High Schools are——]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 1 Chapter 0|Chapter 0]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 1 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 1 Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 1 Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 1 Afterword|Afterword]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 1 The Late Great Favorite|The Late Great Favorite]]

 

===Volume 2 - Enrollment Chapter (II) ([[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 2|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 2 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 2 Preamble|Casting Assistant Device]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 2 Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 2 Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 2 Chapter 8|Chapter 8]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 2 Chapter 9|Chapter 9]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 2 Chapter 10|Chapter 10]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 2 Chapter 11|Chapter 11]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 2 Chapter 12|Chapter 12]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 2 Afterword|Afterword]]

 

===Volume 3 - Nine Schools Competition Chapter (I) ([[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 3|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 3 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 3 Chapter 0|Chapter 0]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 3 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 3 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 3 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 3 Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 3 Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 3 Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 3 Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 3 Afterword|Afterword]]

 

===Volume 4 - Nine Schools Competition Chapter (II) ([[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 4|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 4 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 4 Preamble|Preamble]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 4 Chapter 8|Chapter 8]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 4 Chapter 9|Chapter 9]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 4 Chapter 10|Chapter 10]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 4 Chapter 11|Chapter 11]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 4 Chapter 12|Chapter 12]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 4 Chapter 13|Chapter 13]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 4 Chapter 14|Chapter 14]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 4 Afterword|Afterword]]

 

===Volume 5 - Summer Holiday Chapter ([[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 5|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 5 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 5 Summer break|Summer Break]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 5 The honour student's supplementary lesson|The Honour Student's Supplementary Lesson]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 5 Amelia in Wonderland|Amelia in Wonderland]] (17%)
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 5 Friendship, trust and the dubious lolicon|Friendship, Trust and the Dubious Lolicon]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 5 Memories of summer|Memories of Summer]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 5 Presidential elections and the queen|Presidential Elections and the Queen]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 5 Afterword|Afterword]]

 

===Volume 6 - Yokohama Disturbance Chapter (I) ([[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 6|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 6 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 6 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 6 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 6 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 6 Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 6 Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 6 Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 6 Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 6 Afterword|Afterword]]

 

===Volume 7 - Yokohama Disturbance Chapter (II) ([[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 7|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 7 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 7 Chapter 8|Chapter 8]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 7 Chapter 9|Chapter 9]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 7 Chapter 10|Chapter 10]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 7 Chapter 11|Chapter 11]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 7 Chapter 12|Chapter 12]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 7 Chapter 13|Chapter 13]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 7 Afterword|Afterword]]

 

===Volume 8 - Reminiscence Chapter ([[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei: Volume 8 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Chapter 8|Chapter 8]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Chapter 9|Chapter 9]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Chapter 10|Chapter 10]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Chapter 11|Chapter 11]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Chapter 12|Chapter 12]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Chapter 13|Chapter 13]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Chapter 14|Chapter 14]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Chapter 15|Chapter 15]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Chapter 16|Chapter 16]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Chapter 17|Chapter 17]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Chapter 18|Chapter 18]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Untouchable — The Nightmare of 2062|Untouchable — The Nightmare of 2062]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 8 Afterword|Afterword]]
 

===Volume 9 - Visitor Chapter (I) ([[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 9|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 9 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 9 Chapter 0|Chapter 0]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 9 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 9 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 9 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 9 Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 9 Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 9 Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 9 Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 9 Afterword|Afterword]]
 

===Volume 10 - Visitor Chapter (II) ([[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 10|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 10 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 10 Chapter 8|Chapter 8]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 10 Chapter 9|Chapter 9]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 10 Chapter 10|Chapter 10]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 10 Chapter 11|Chapter 11]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 10 Chapter 12|Chapter 12]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 10 Afterword|Afterword]]
 

===Volume 11 - Visitor Chapter (III) ([[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 11|Full Text]])===
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 11 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 11 Chapter 13|Chapter 13]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 11 Chapter 14|Chapter 14]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 11 Chapter 15|Chapter 15]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 11 Chapter 16|Chapter 16]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 11 Chapter 17|Chapter 17]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 11 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 11 The Ojou-sama's Magnificent(?) Day Off|The Ojou-sama's Magnificent Day Off]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 11 Afterword|Afterword]]
 

===Volume 12 - Double Seven Chapter===
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Introduction|Introduction]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Prologue|Prologue]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Chapter 8|Chapter 8]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Chapter 9|Chapter 9]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Chapter 10|Chapter 10]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Chapter 11|Chapter 11]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Chapter 12|Chapter 12]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Chapter 13|Chapter 13]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Chapter 14|Chapter 14]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Chapter 15|Chapter 15]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Chapter 16|Chapter 16]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
::*[[Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei:Volume 12 Afterword|Afterword]]

==''Dengeki Bunko Magazine:'' Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei Ninendo ==
Ninendo started appearing in Dengeki Bunko MAGAZINE (starting in Volume 28) before being published in a collected novel form. Tatsuya, Miyuki and their friends are now in their Sophomore year.
::*[[Magazine Ninedo Illustrations|Magazine Illustrations]]
 

==The ''Gaiden: Mahouka Koukou no Shounen Shoujo'' series by Sato Tsutomu==

==Project Staff==

*Project Administrator:
*Project Supervisor: [[user:larethian|larethian]]

===Translators===

'''Active'''
*[[User:Dreyakis|Dreyakis]]
*[[User:Sashiko|Sashiko]]
*[[User:Setsuna86|Setsuna86]]

'''Inactive'''
*[[User:Seitsuki|Seitsuki]] (Wake me up when Miyuki sends)

'''Retired'''
*[[User:larethian|larethian]]

===Translation Checker===
*[[User:larethian|larethian]] (TLC-ing leisurely)

===Editors===
'''Active'''
*[[User:Arczyx|Arczyx]]
*[[User:ColdFront|ColdFront]]
*[[User:Zeru|Zeru]]
*[[User:Genesis|Genesis]]
*[[User:Nukie|nukie]]
'''Inactive'''
*[[User:Hanse|Hanse]]
*[[User:Wakusie|Wakusie]]
*[[User:Chancs|Chancs]]
*[[User:Cliff|Cliff]]
*[[User:Baconzzz|Baconzzz]]
*[[User:Shirofune|Shirofune]]

All editors that speak English proficiently are welcomed.

==Series Overview==
*魔法科高校の劣等生（1）入学編<上> (July 10, 2011 ISBN 978-4048705974)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（2）入学編<下> (August 10, 2011 ISBN 978-4048705981)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（3）九校戦編<上> (November 10, 2011 ISBN 978-4048709989)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（4）九校戦編<下> (December 10, 2011 ISBN 978-4048709996)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（5）夏休み編＋１ (April 10, 2012 ISBN 978-4-04-886522-7)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（6）横浜騒乱編〈上〉 (July 10, 2012 ISBN 978-4-04-886700-9)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（7）横浜騒乱編〈下〉 (September 10, 2012 ISBN 978-4-04-886701-6)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（8）追憶編 (December 10, 2012 ISBN 978-4-04-891158-0)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（9）来訪者編<上> (March 10, 2013 ISBN 978-4-04-891423-9)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（10）来訪者編<中> (June 7, 2013 ISBN 978-4-04-891609-7)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（11）来訪者編<下> (August 10, 2013 ISBN 978-4-04-891610-3)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（12）ダブルセブン編 (October 10, 2013 ISBN 978-4-04-866003-7)
*魔法科高校の劣等生（13）「二学年度の部」九校戦編 (2014)

[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Genre - Action]]

Talk:Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei

2013-12-17T00:28:17Z

Shirofune: /* Editing */

== General ==
I'd like to take a chance to thank you guys at baka-tsuki for translating all these novels I can't understand japense at all and after reading a number of your translations i've ended up going out and buying them when they are released so i wanted to say thanks for letting us all read the works when they come out, thanks again-soulwave

Just want to say thank you to [[User:Dreyakis|Dreyakis]] for translating so much of Mahouka. Because of him, this has been one of the best experiences I had with baka-tsuki. Keep up the good work, and may you never get bored. ^_^ --[[User:EZ-Jay|Tortex]] ([[User talk:EZ-Jay|talk]]) 18:20, 22 January 2013 (CST)

Best place to post would probably be on the forum topic. I'll link you to it in a min.--[[User:Gohankuten|Gohankuten]] ([[User talk:Gohankuten|talk]]) 20:30, 6 December 2012 (CST) http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=4664

Guys I'm still dependent on my parents and i cant donate or know other language like japanese to translate. But I just wish to say thanks for translating this novel. I have been looking forward for it and check it every other day :D - ChiAji

Hey, so I just read the first two chapters of the anime and I found it awesome. Is there a translator for this right now? - Desodus

Atm there isnt--[[User:J112|J112]] 19:22, 21 January 2012 (CST)

How do you read anime? -[[User:Pryun|Pryun]] 19:27, 21 January 2012 (CST)

Maybe the two chapter of this manga...

Whoops, sorry, I meant to say manga.--[[User:Desodus|Desodus]] 18:43, 13 February 2012 (CST)

Any update on this being updated? From what I've read of the novel and the manga, this seems like a pretty awesome series, and I need moar :D --[[User:Vaane|Vaane]] 18:33, 1 April 2012 (CDT)

Uhh seriously why do people ask? The last update was on the 19th, and from the registration page people are working on other parts. The more you ask the more people don't feel like doing it :( --[[User:Lighthalzen|Lighthalzen]] 21:39, 1 April 2012 (CDT)

The reason I asked was that some of the chapters (namely Chapter 3) have no translator registered, and I was wondering whether there was anyone who was translating and hadn't put their name down. But I can understand the feeling of being annoyed at asking for updates, so forget I asked :P --[[User:Vaane|Vaane]] 10:58, 3 April 2012 (CDT)

Actually, the latest revision was on March 31st (in terms of actually adding translations); Seitsuki added some more to chapter 6, if memory serves. I also hope people will eventually get to translating this. --[[User:CrimsonLord|CrimsonLord]] 17:17, 3 April 2012 (CDT)

When are teaser projects allowed to be moved to the main section? Could really use some more exposure to get more people on board translating. I'm sure the recent manga releases have helped drum up some excitement for the series.

Are the translators doing it by the volumes as they come out on sale, or from online readers? Because the fifth volume just went on sale this month, but on this Japanese reading site, there are 6 volumes online.--[[User:Desodus|Desodus]] 22:04, 18 April 2012 (CDT)

There are 6 volume release online cause the web version is longer than the published one, the published one is the compilation of the web version I just can't remember how they are allocated I think its like this v1-2 of the web version is v1 of the published one, and the total number of web version that will be released is around 12 I think? --[[User:Serice|Serice]]

---

http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=4664#p120782

''Originally Posted by Baka-Tsuki''
:'''The web novel consisted of only 6 web chapters written covering the First Year arc, and the author has already planned for a total of 15 web chapters to cover the entire three years of Magic High School. As of August 2011, web chapter 1 has been been compiled into volumes 1 and 2, and as of December 2011, web chapter 2 has been compiled into volumes 3 and 4.''' The author expects the series to be compiled into a total of 20 to 25 volumes (ie. if Dengeki allows him to finish the series) [SOURCE: Author's tweet on 6-Nov-2011, #dengeki_mahouka]
:'''Volume 5 will be a special chapter that has never been released on the web.'''

http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=4664&start=135#p143960

http://forums.animesuki.com/showpost.php?p=4110854&postcount=561

--[[User:Larethian|larethian]] 22:53, 18 April 2012 (CDT)

---

Interesting... very interesting... I think it would be a good idea to hurry and complete the teaser chapters and then promote this into an official project. Because of the manga version, people over at Batoto are taking an interest as well. And there are many comments mentioning Baka-Tsuki and wishing it was an official project here. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 15:40, 26 April 2012 (CDT)

This has enough content to become a project, but the problem is, no one wants to list himself as an active translator, I'll give another few weeks before I check back with suarhnir on her progress. I'm glad enough she agreed to take over the manga from me, so I don't want to give her 'pressure', if possible. --[[User:Larethian|larethian]] 20:13, 26 April 2012 (CDT)

Moreover, this project is really hard and time-consuming to translate. It seems to me that even suarhnir who is majoring in Japanese in university (not studying it as an elective mind you) is taking more time than she had expected. --[[User:Larethian|larethian]] 20:19, 26 April 2012 (CDT)

Query: Does Baka-Tsuki accept Chinese-English translations for this series?

I believe the good folk at lightnovel.cn are much farther in advance in terms of translations, but theirs is (obviously) only in Chinese and their work alone. I do not read Japanese at all, but I am confident in my own Chinese-English translations. Would Baka-Tsuki accept my possible contribution if I converted the Chinese translations into English? This is, of course, under the assumption that the translators from lightnovel.cn give the go ahead. --[[User:Dreyakis|Dreyakis]] 22:59, 02 July 2012

I think that as long as you follow registration procedure for the chapters (to avoid overlapping), you can go ahead. People want to see the translation of this great series. If there is any mistake people that can check japanese raw can edit it after. [[User:Xenocross|Xenocross]] 01:14, 3 July 2012 (CDT)

The art really similar to aquarion evol, are they drawn by the same person?

It would be great if somebody could translate the rest of chapter 2 or at least for the time being offer some kind of summary. Iin this kind of consistent story it is almost imposible to read the rest if you don´t know what happens in the previous chapter.--[[User:KaprJarda|KaprJarda]] ([[User talk:KaprJarda|talk]]) 16:35, 10 September 2012 (CDT)

Yeah. I know the feeling. I wanted to read the whole thing but now that there is a gap in the middle I've lost the desire to read further. Someone finish c2's translation including the japanese text in the middle. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 18:30, 10 September 2012 (CDT)

Let's be patient, the last update was only one week ago, the translator is working on it. Everyone has real life commitments. [[User:Zakashi|Zakashi]] ([[User talk:Zakashi|talk]]) 18:38, 10 September 2012 (CDT)

Yeah, I just notice this too. I thought there wasn´t anybody working to translate it, since it was in this state for months. I didn´t read the history till after writing my comment. So lets hope the rest gets translation as soon as possible.--[[User:KaprJarda|KaprJarda]] ([[User talk:KaprJarda|talk]]) 23:54, 10 September 2012 (CDT)

Ooh, found an interesting AMV/MAD of this, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ01QsdHers [[User:Zeru|Zeru]] ([[User talk:Zeru|talk]]) 06:25, 6 September 2013 (CDT)

This illustration here is missing from the chapter http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=File:MKnR_v01_131.jpg [[User:Arczyx|Arczyx]] ([[User talk:Arczyx|talk]]) 07:28, 26 September 2012 (CDT)

== Volume 1 The late great favorite ==

What is this? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 10:19, 26 September 2012 (CDT)

Additional commentary by Kawahara Reki (SAO/AW author). [[User:Seitsuki|Seit]] ([[User talk:Seitsuki|talk]]) 06:29, 27 September 2012 (CDT)

== Editing ==

I'm just wondering but what are the requirements for being an editor?

There are no requirements. Just edit.(btw you should sign your comments)--[[User:KaprJarda|KaprJarda]] ([[User talk:KaprJarda|talk]]) 05:54, 27 September 2012 (CDT)

Also you have to be a dedicated one. Once you write your name under the editor's list, it is expected that much. --[[User:Chancs|Chancs]] ([[User talk:Chancs|talk]]) 06:08, 27 September 2012 (CDT)

So i'll have to make an account as well? And sign like how you all sign with the name, date and time?

Using this : <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> [[User:Arczyx|Arczyx]] ([[User talk:Arczyx|talk]]) 11:46, 1 October 2012 (CDT)

Simply click on the "pencil" in the edit toolbar and you will have your signature as per the settings. --[[User:Chancs|Chancs]] ([[User talk:Chancs|talk]]) 14:02, 1 October 2012 (CDT)

OK, thanks --[[User:Cliff|Cliff]] ([[User talk:Cliff|talk]]) 15:28, 1 October 2012 (CDT)

Trivial thing but shoud it not be Arc or Part instead of Chapter in ex Volume 1 - Enrollment Chapter (I) --[[User:Medisuena|Medisuena]] ([[User talk:Medisuena|talk]])

Would it be fine if I begin editing? I would be able to put in some time each day. --[[User:Shirofune|Shirofune]]

== Novel illustrations ==

Umm... is it ok if i level the b&w ilustrations? i mean make the black black, and the white white. it's annoying that everything is grey. also crop them where there is a need. ..::[[User:Gradient|Gradient]]::.. 08:18, 9 November 2012 (CST)

Why not give one image a level and give a link to it? I can understand your desire to level things, but I think the gray color suits a light novel. It's a bit too different from manga which has less reliance on shading, so it may not look right if you do it improperly. Then again, I have very limited experience as an editor, and I have no idea what it is you can do, so I guess that may seem a bit condescending of me. Well, if the quality is good, I doubt people would mind it much, but give us a sample so someone doesn't decide they dislike it and re-uploads the picture and gets rid of your hard work -- [[User:EnigmaticAxiom|EnigmaticAxiom]] - [[User_talk:EnigmaticAxiom|Talk]] - 09:40, 09 November 2012 (CST)

it looks like this with the leveling i think it's better but it's up to you ..::[[User:Gradient|Gradient]]::.. 12:35, 9 November 2012 (CST)

I personally think it looks better as well. May as well see what the others think of it. If they don't bother, you can post on the forum to get their opinion (since they might not look here), or I can bring their attention to it if you don't have a forum account. -- [[User:EnigmaticAxiom|EnigmaticAxiom]] - [[User_talk:EnigmaticAxiom|Talk]] - 13:20, 09 November 2012 (CST)

Please do bring this to the forum. If needed i can provide more leveled images. Also it's not realy that big of a work. It's like 5 minutes and a volume worth of images are croped and leveled. <Please post a link to the thread here so i can look at what's going on as well> ..::[[User:Gradient|Gradient]]::.. 13:56, 9 November 2012 (CST)

forget it i registered and made a post in the general thread. ..::[[User:Gradient|Gradient]]::.. 14:51, 9 November 2012 (CST)

well i started uploading them since arczyx in the forum said that they looked closer to the truth, and someone asked me for them to put in the pdf. so volume 1 is up, more coming. these two images have become useless so i'm deleting them. ..::[[User:Gradient|Gradient]]::.. 08:48, 16 November 2012 (CST)

i put up vol 3 and 4 leveled, the rest looks OK so i wont fiddle with them ..::[[User:Gradient|Gradient]]::.. 10:40, 10 December 2012 (CST)

== Missing Chapter ==

Isn't the "Late Great Favorite" a chapter in volume 1 missing, i mean i get why sometimes Afterwords aren't translated as they are just the authors thoughts but does the chapter missing in volume 1 have some kind of plot implication?

If you checked the forum thread you would find out its just some comments from Kawahara Reki(author of Accel World/Sword Art Online) and doesn't contain anything vital to the story.--[[User:Gohankuten|Gohankuten]] ([[User talk:Gohankuten|talk]]) 20:58, 2 December 2012 (CST)

So which brave soul will be translating chapter 16 come do it for your country

== Helping with translating ==
Hello, I really have not idea if this is the correct place or not but here goes: I would like to help, I do not read the Japanese Language very well but, I would like to try to help with the translating. English is my first language and this is my first time ever on a site like this. I enjoy reading Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei so, I want to help get it out faster for everyone. Dec. 6, 2012 username: sqyde
Thanks and if this is the wrong place to post this, sorry.

Try translating 5 pages first. You can post your translations in the Mahouka forum. --[[User:Larethian|larethian]] ([[User talk:Larethian|talk]]) 03:35, 7 December 2012 (CST)

== Volume 4 ==

Is volume 4 fully translated? I was wondering because aside from the Preamble it also doesn't have a "full text" so i was wondering if some little edits were required or if translators were waiting for Preamble to be done before the full text went up. --Black Swordsman825

It's a wiki you know, you're free to set it up when it's appropriate (I've done volume 4 now). Also, from what I understand the preamble is the blue page and the character info/glossary of term pages you can see in the illustrations, therefore it isn't really that important since it (the events/timetable of events) is explained in detail within the storyline anyways.--[[User:Drowzycow|Drowzycow]] ([[User talk:Drowzycow|talk]]) 19:57, 22 December 2012 (CST)

== Volume 5 ==
Hi guys, as I am currently trying to translate the afterwords, I found out that volume 5 does not seem to have one? Can anyone help me confirm this with the Japanese raws? From all the Chinese sites that I go to there aren't any that have include in an afterword for volume 5. Thanks! [[User:Royaloyalz|Royaloyalz]] ([[User talk:Royaloyalz|talk]]) 10:36, 7 February 2013 (CST)

Well I actually checked the raws myself, and have realised that there is actually an afterword for volume 5 as well. However, as it seems like the Chinese translation sites that I went to do not have them, I can only hope that some Japanese to English translator would be kind enough to help translate it for us. -- [[User:Royaloyalz|Royaloyalz]] ([[User talk:Royaloyalz|talk]]) 18:05, 14 February 2013 (CST)

Can anyone link or send me the raw for volume 5? I want to read the machine translation of the 3 middle chapters. Seeing as how it's all character development, I'd like to know more before moving on with the story. --[[User:Mufarasu|Mufarasu]] ([[User talk:Mufarasu|talk]]) 16:19, 25 February 2013 (CST)

Hey guys. I don't know if this was already asked or not, but why are the 3 middle chapters of volume 5 not translated? Just wondering because I like to read thing in order. --[[User:Casary|Casary]] ([[User talk:Casary|talk]]) 22:28, 9 March 2013 (CST)

It completely depends upon if I translator picks up the chapter, as translators are allowed to choose single chapters. Skipping Volume 5 wouldn't affect the story as there "Side Stories" to the main plot :3. Although i would also like them translated.

Oh, I see. They aren't named chapter X or anything. Ok, thanks. A bit of OCD, I guess. --[[User:Casary|Casary]] ([[User talk:Casary|talk]]) 00:35, 12 March 2013 (CDT)

I've been waiting like a year, Please finish the last bits of volume 5 so I can continue reading this series , I know its side stories but it got a number volume so I cant skip it --[[User:Godoffire|Godoffire]] ([[User talk:Godoffire|talk]]) 20:30, 28 November 2013 (CST)

There is only one story in volume 5 that has even the slightly effect on the story, and it's already been translated. The rest can be skipped which is why their not translated. Your missing out on a damn epic story if your still hang up in Volume 5 side stories.

Chronology is the most important thing, And a series with Side Story Volumes with numbers demands that they be read, Its not Toaru where the Sidestories are Outside of the numbering and can be skipped --[[User:Godoffire|Godoffire]] ([[User talk:Godoffire|talk]]) 11:03, 29 November 2013 (CST)

You most likely will be waiting for awhile then. Most of the translators are focused on getting the main storyline caught up with the released novels. Only when that is done will they maybe consider working on vol 5. --[[User:Bilagaana|Bilagaana]] ([[User talk:Bilagaana|talk]]) 14:49, 29 November 2013 (CST)

== Inconsistent terminology ==

Some chapters use "Public Moral Committee", others "Public Morals Committee" (I prefer the latter). Also "Club Management Group" vs "Club Activities Group".

i think "Public Morals Committee" and "Club Management Group" souds better. Also please do sign your post with <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> ..::[[User:Gradient|Gradient]]::.. 14:13, 1 February 2013 (CST)

== Volume 7 ==

As I stated at the discussion page of chapter 9, I think "electrons" should be "protons" (check the concept of nuclear fusion).--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 14:38, 14 February 2013 (CST)

I just had to say this, was anyone else thinking that Tatsuya made a Gundam when they kept mentioning the mobile suit he developed? That picture with the tank didn't help either. I just kept seeing everything turn into a mecha battle lol. Anyone else or am I the only one who got brainwashed like that by the Gundam franchise? --[[User:Mufarasu|Mufarasu]] ([[User talk:Mufarasu|talk]]) 15:10, 11 March 2013 (CDT)

well i was also thinking the same thing at that mobile suit that he developed, but it turns out that it was something like a fullbody armor with all kinds of resistance something. while reading the last few chapters of volume 7 it feels like something like this. IS(Infinite Stratos) vs Gundams in my imagination. [[User:James Gobilzkame|V33]] 15:21, 11 March 2013 (CDT)

arent the pictures from page 225 and 313 showing what the mobile suit look like? --[[User:Syfer|Syfer]] ([[User talk:Syfer|talk]]) 15:31, 11 March 2013 (CDT)

I would think the cover page would have shown you what to expect, as it is already there in full (black) color. If anything it just looks like a all black pilot suit...
In any case, the 'mobile' or 'mobility' suit is basically your flying armor, except since its technomagical its more logical having the 'flight capacity' CAD module as the whole suit, instead of wings or a broomstick. It does show something more practical compared to what more contemporary fiction shows.
And yes, I was also hoping for mecha to appear since the cover had a pilot suit... laughed when the pilot suit Was the whole thing.--[[User:Gabgrave|Gabgrave]] ([[User talk:Gabgrave|talk]]) 04:41, 12 March 2013 (CDT)

== Thank you ==

I just wanted to take a moment to say thanks to all of those who's work brings us this project. So thank you.

I just wanted to take a moment to say thanks to all of those who's work brings us this project. So thank you. --[[User:Mathes|Mathes]] ([[User talk:Mathes|talk]]) 02:37, 25 March 2013 (CDT)

I tried reading auto-translated Chinese translations, one already translated here for testing and it's even worse than I expected. Seriously, thank you for taking the time to do this, I love this novel and my only regret is not being able to help with the translation myself. --[[User:EZ-Jay|Tortex]] ([[User talk:EZ-Jay|talk]]) 16:40, 18 April 2013 (CDT)

== Latest Update List ==

I just want to ask permission to edit the last entry on the latest update list (or you guys could edit it for me, that would be really great), just a minor one 'Vokume 8' to 'Volume 8'. Thanks a lot. - [[User:SkyZenith|SkyZenith]] ([[User talk:SkyZenith|talk]]) 5:47, 30 May 2013 (CDT)
:Hmm.. I don't need to keep up with CDT time do I? Not that hard, but I am proud living down under. - [[User:SkyZenith|SkyZenith]] ([[User talk:SkyZenith|talk]]) 20:50 30 May 2013 (EAST)
::Done (I accept any responsibility if I've crossed any lines); from my experience so far, no one seems to mind if 99.9% certainty spelling/grammar careless errors are discreetly corrected, even if the corrector is not formally registered for a project. (As a general mode of operation, I mark the edit as a minor edit and leave a brief description of the change(/its reasoning) in the summary. For more ambiguous things, if I note something in Discussion and enough time passes without a reply or a change, I change it just in case (and keep watch to see if someone has a reason to change it back).) -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 06:12, 30 May 2013 (CDT)
::|
::Edit: By the way, how did you change your signature? *curiosity* I have my time zone set to 'Asia/Tokyo', and I see 'Recent changes' and History pages with times consistent with that, but my signature is still CDT. I don't mind leaving it like that, since it presumably helps others compare my writing times to others' with litle confusion (and since I can check the History if I forget), but I don't see a way to change it in 'My preferences' and would like to learn about such a way if it exists (out of a desire to know those things I as yet do not). -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 06:18, 30 May 2013 (CDT)

::I am but an unregistered user here at BT, so unfortunately I don't have any signatures or anything of that sort. So yeah I really can't talk about it. But if you are talking about the time thing on the last part, is it safe to assume that it's all been preset? Cause I do it manually just for the formalities.

::Hmm... I do see some grammatical errors every now and then, but my thinking is that the translator probably made it that way willingly. Glad to be of help though. - [[User:SkyZenith|SkyZenith]] ([[User talk:SkyZenith|talk]]) 21:38 30 May 2013 (EAST)
:::Ahh. Manual writing out? Though it won't include your chosen name, four consecutive tildes should still automatically make a signature which makes it easier to match what you say with an entry in a Discussion's History. (One option would be to first write your chosen name manually, then leave the formal signature to the tildes.)
:::|
:::There are cases where characters have distinct/characteristic speaking styles, but there are also glaring cases where normal fallibility is far more plausible than intention (as with spelling errors). To be on the safe side, best to change only things that one can feel nearly certain about (and that no one has objected to in the past). -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 17:22, 30 May 2013 (CDT)

:::I didn't know you can do that with tildes.. Thanks for the info. I was just copying whatever I could here at the discussion page since I am not really a user, so do expect me to make a few beginner-like commands.
:::On a side note, does the tildes only match the CDT time zone? I'm quite intrigued. SkyZenith 20:19, 1 June 2013 (EAST)
::::So it seems! (The CDT-matching.) That's why I in turn was intrigued when it looked as though you had a way to make them give a non-CDT time zone. Rather than taking my word for it, I suggest you try the four tildes at least once to confirm to yourself(/your brain) that it functions (and if something goes wrong, to find out why and correct the source). (Essentially, it should be ~ ~ ~ ~ without the three spaces.) -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 01:19, 2 June 2013 (CDT)

::::Incidentally, this is what it looks like when not logged in. (Posting now with a hyphen and four tildes after having logged out.) -[[Special:Contributions/180.43.16.157|180.43.16.157]] 01:21, 2 June 2013 (CDT)

::::...We probably have gone off-topic now huh. Sorry for that. Yeah since I plan to visit BT every now and then in the first place, I just made an account. Hope to be of help! - [[User:SkyZenith|SkyZenith]] ([[User talk:SkyZenith|talk]]) 08:59, 2 June 2013 (CDT)
::::This actually looks cool, but alas it's in CDT.

I added some missing materials in Mahouka, that's all for now. Pui Pui have to wait (some more)--[[User:Superduperelectromagnetictops|Superduperelectro]] ([[User talk:Superduperelectromagnetictops|talk]]) 00:31, 17 June 2013 (CDT)

== Dengeki Bunko Magazine: Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei Ninendo ==

I have a question
is the "Dengeki Bunko Magazine: Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei Ninendo" that you uploaded it's Magazine Illustrations - is the double seven arc? and when it will be release in a light novel version- what will be it's arc number or it's volumes numbers ?

:It's the double 7 arc, so starts covering the events in the Tatsuya's second year. From memory, those chapters should start after this arc is complete; I think it'll end up being started as volume 13. Maybe 12 depending on how volume 11 goes.. --[[User:Drowzycow|Drowzycow]] ([[User talk:Drowzycow|talk]]) 08:37, 26 June 2013 (CDT)

== DVD Drama ==
Hey, did you know mahouka no Rettousei audio dvd drama comes with a special story (at leas, it seems to me a "story") If you are interested in raws, just tell me [[User:TerryBoom|TerryBoom]] ([[User talk:TerryBoom|talk]])

== Anime ==
IT HAS BEGUN, IT HAS BLOODY BEGUN. *SQUEELL!* http://mahouka.jp

:Nothing to be happy about. They will probably make another failed adaptation like SAO. Just look at previous works of the director or what Madhouse did to Kaminai. The worst thing is that we can expect americans buying licence for novels after the anime, and B-T dropping the project. Another title I'll never come to finish.--[[User:Antanaru|Antanaru]] ([[User talk:Antanaru|talk]]) 14:29, 7 October 2013 (CDT)

Failed apadation? How so. If you would care to electorate. [[User:All Nighter94|All Night]] ([[User talk:All Nighter94|talk]]) 11:24, 8 October 2013 (CDT)
:Sorry for the late reply. Well, how should I put it to keep it short... Let's say butchered character design was enough to completely put me off. Then we have the overall feeling (or atmosphere) and some plot points. I can say the same about Kikou Shoujo... for that matter. I'm quite enjoying the novel but anime is unwatachable for said reasons. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind minor changes but when anime feels and looks like something completely different than the original, just with the same names, something is wrong.

:I don't want to go into a lengthy discussion about quality of LN adaptations so let me just sum it up like this: I don't care about the anime as long as I can read the rest of the story. Of course without waiting years for some US company to catch up with B-T and then dropping the thing.--[[User:Antanaru|Antanaru]] ([[User talk:Antanaru|talk]]) 12:55, 17 October 2013 (CDT)

Don't you mean "elaborate"? i'm pretty sure that's the correct word... not to be a pain, just for clarification purposes. considering that "electorate" means a collective of individuals who gather to vote for governmental purposes, like the senate and such? (Edit: author = Tintexan24)

I had trouble watching the PV on the website, but was able to view it at youtube watch?v=RiuznXhx4_Q . The art style is a little worryingly simplistic (reminiscent of Vocaloid visual quality?), but I have no complaints regarding the two main characters and look forward to seeing what is done with it.
 | 
In recent season, 'Campione!' is my freshest memory of an anime adaptation which did not adequately succeed, but it was nevertheless enjoyable to watch. No matter what, there will always be dissatisfaction with how much ends up not adapted from a novel, but I (aside from a certain incorrect error message) was thoroughly satisfied by the SAO anime adaptation.
 | 
...It would be a deep shame to not be able to keep reading new Rettousei volumes, but on the other hand most main climaxes have already taken place. Granted, I would be deeply interested in reading about Miyuki taking over the Yotsuba family, or about Miyuki and Tatsuya's super-babies, but if the translation was shut down I would hopefully be able to focus on the wonderful volumes that have been translated thus far and be happy (and grateful) that I had a chance to read them.
 | 
Horrible-quality animation comes around every once in a while, but most anime adaptations these days are quite good. An anime of a beloved series is something to be interested in, to be curious about, and definitely something to be happy about. (Though unrelated, the studio is completely different from the one behind the SAO adaptation.) If (in the worst case scenario) the visual quality in fact turns out to make it painfully unwatchable, one can always minimise the window and listen to it like an audio book. In any case, it would take some quite serious mangling for one to not be able to get happiness from this anime, and mangling of that level is rare indeed (though admittedly not unwitnessed). -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 18:18, 7 October 2013 (CDT)

I was referring to the fact he said failed SAO adaption. Although I will agree with you on the "Campione" adaptation.

Just have to wait and see. A lot of the adaptations don't quite work... they seem to shift the IP to target pubescent males at the expense of story. I'm just not a big fan of GRATUITOUS fan-service. It has its place, but overall I prefer "plot" to be measured in chapters rather than cup-size. [[User:Grimjakk|Grimjakk]] ([[User talk:Grimjakk|talk]]) 13:29, 8 October 2013 (CDT)

I feel like we'll be better served if someone takes the project off zwabbit's hands. He hasn't made any progress and having his name there prevents anyone else from picking it up.

:You have it the other way around, the regular translators don't seem to be interested on taking on the two very side character side stories, so we are lucky to even have zwabbit's irregular updates. If zwabbit truely has disappeared, the only translators who might be up for it are Dreyakis/Sashiko and they probably won't jump on it until after volume 12 (if volume 13 comes out before then you won't even see them jump on it until after that...)--[[Special:Contributions/31.50.26.71|31.50.26.71]] 05:12, 12 November 2013 (CST)

== Volume 12 ==

Is it just me or is volume 12 the start of the second year for them? [[User:Oddmoonlight|Oddmoonlight]] ([[User talk:Oddmoonlight|talk]]) 11:52, 18 November 2013 (CST)

It is the start of the second year. In the epilogue of vol 11 its written that the first year ended [[User:Syfer|Syfer]] ([[User talk:Syfer|talk]]) 12:08, 18 November 2013 (CST)

I asked just to be sure it's not a side story or the likes. If it is the second year it would explain some of the illustrations of it. Poor Tatsuya will have to deal with his new kouhai... [[User:Oddmoonlight|Oddmoonlight]] ([[User talk:Oddmoonlight|talk]]) 01:39, 19 November 2013 (CST)

: Pfffft, seriously, it's the other way round. Poor Kouhai LOL --[[User:Larethian|larethian]] ([[User talk:Larethian|talk]]) 09:06, 24 November 2013 (CST)

I wonder who the new boy is ? maybe a member of the 10 master clans like mayumi and katsuto ?
http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User_talk:Ashwathdragon 24 NOVEMBER 2013

: I doubt that since there are only Saegusa, Juumonji and Yotsuba around the first high [[User:Syfer|Syfer]] ([[User talk:Syfer|talk]]) 12:08, 24 November 2013 (CST)

: From what i heard the boy has the number 7 in his name.. [[User:James Gobilzkame|V33]] 12:46, 24 November 2013 (CST)

: mayumi doesnt have a little brother, so it might be one of those other 16 or 18 families [[User:Syfer|Syfer]] ([[User talk:Syfer|talk]]) 12:56, 24 November 2013 (CST)

: Did you guys read the last chapter in volume 11 The Ojou-sama's Magnificent Day Off? I think you can get an answer to some of the new characters there... [[User:Oddmoonlight|Oddmoonlight]] ([[User talk:Oddmoonlight|talk]]) 13:08, 24 November 2013 (CST)

: the new guy is called shippō takuma and the girls are the saegusa twins kasumi and izumi [[User:Syfer|Syfer]] ([[User talk:Syfer|talk]]) 13:56, 24 November 2013 (CST)

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2 Chapter1

2013-08-09T15:02:22Z

Shirofune:

{{Incomplete|percentage=55}}
==Chapter 1: Endless Battle==
=== Part 1 ===
Upon finding that Kaiser had been imprisoned, Fedom Aulin jumped up. Kaiser Islan was a noble who once served as a member of the Imperial council.

One week earlier. According to an assessment by Mephius' emperor, Guhl Mephius, the Dragon God shrine would be relocated and undergo a large-scale reconstruction. The shrine built 200 years ago to worship the Dragon God, would be placed in the basement under the imperial capital Solon's renowned [Black Tower]. It would be moved towards to the vicinity of the palace, and made into a marvelous structure.

Of the sudden comments, a good number of nobles graciously offered flattery, but Kaiser alone had directly expressed his feelings of opposition. The amount of gold and people required made it far from being precedent. Now was the time to fix the relations between Mephius, Garbera and Ende, though of course, the situation wasn't all that optimistic. To start with, in the festivals dedicated to the Dragon God that are already held several times a year, practically none of the people even showed up, in other words it had become a thing of the past.

"There should be more critical issues at hand. Forgive my insolence, but please reconsider."

"Is that so," was all the emperor said. And then the talk was over.

Kaiser was well into his mid-fifties, and held a long standing relation with the emperor. And with that, no one paid the conflict another thought. But, five days later, Kaiser had heard through one of his evening parties, that the king's political measures had been formally reproached. "Recently, his majesty passes over whatever he says without warning," he grieved to the close friends he had invited over while he was drunk.

Normally, this would not have warranted any special course of action, but this time in particular, the emperor for some unknown reason entered into a fit of rage and declared, "Those are the thoughts of a rebel!" All of a sudden Kaiser's residence was surrounded by troops, and with that he was arrested. "I'm acting without notice"<ref>The king's retort, imitating the statement Kaiser blurted out that led to his arrest</ref> — and Kaiser's own actions had unexpectedly become evidence against him.

Unease soon spread within Solon on whether his majesty planned on executing Kaiser. Three days and nights passed. Kaiser was located underground, put in a prison unfit for a noble, and not allowed a single meeting with his family.

Fedom had jumped, in response to being struck by a seemingly mixture of shock and dread – he had personally voiced his opinion to the king having seen an opportunity to hasten peace negotiations with Garbera – and there was something else; something completely different. His chest filled with a feeling of delight nearing excitement.

''It might be my turn at last''

Emperor Guhl Mephius would once more put his plan of strengthening his own authority into action, and after earning the hostility of his surroundings, was when Fedom would put his own plan into practice, and the testimony of that day draws closer. That is, in support of Prince Gil Mephius, the foundation of a new political power will be formed within the empire. It was a large ambition. If he could just bring to light even a little of those inner feelings, regardless of whether it was the same as Kaiser's—no, at this rate his stern eyes would doubtlessly expose him. And at that,

"Lord Fedom."

Down the Main Palace's hallway as he greeted Zaat Quark, ''I met a troublesome fellow,'' he thought.

"Have you heard of Lord Kaiser's circumstances?"

"Immediately so"

"Just what is his majesty planning? This has gone too far for a joke. You must tell me your thoughts. I will take it with me to my grave."

Fedom responded vaguely as he passed by Zaat who displayed signs of labored breathing. Zaat Quark was head of the so-called anti-imperial faction. Of course, it's not as if he walked around with a sign hanging on him stating what he was. Like Fedom, he followed a similar train of thought, and in remonstration before the emperor who was so insistent on fighting to the bitter end, helped in convincing him to promote peace negotiations. He also held the title as a member of the Founding Imperial Council and it became evident that there was no way they would harbour positive sentiments towards the man who was emperor in name only.

In this sense, Zaat considered Fedom as a comrade. Or at least, he ''should'' have.

"There haven't been many incidents that have become too serious, though it seems to have had the opposite effects. For this reason, our intentions are to spread idle chatter of this 'joke', which will instead become truth. This is a secretive matter. You know fully well of the king's temperament."

"How are you so calm? This is treason against the king. And did you know? Just the other day, the king met with a messenger from Ende and—"

"Pardon me. I have some matters to attend to."

"Lord Fedom," Zaat knitted his deep black eyebrows, "This isn't like you. Worrying over the country's future in earnest to this extent, you're even prepared to face his majesty's judgement. Surely, the affair regarding Lord Kaiser hasn't left you losing your wits.

"Mind your words, friend." Fedom fixed a sharp glare at Zaat. Age-wise, Fedom was 10 years older. 

"How rude of me. But lately, you've been acting strange." ''Strange'', probably referred to how he was recently sticking to Prince Gil Mephius all the time. Leaving the still insistent Zaat, Fedom hurried along. For Fedom who should have been on the very same anti-imperial faction, there was no other way but for him to seemingly change his allegiance.

''That damned Zaat, curses! Making a face as if he knows everything, he plans to test me, eh?''

To start with, Fedom never held any good will towards Zaat. There were plenty of competent intellectuals around, but for Fedom's knowledge alone, many big-shots had clearly come to him for favours. In the case of the peace talks, after unfastening a historical document, [That country's precedent was so and so] [According to former traditions, this and that should be done], and one by one brought out old information that left the others quite dumbfounded.

''To be treated as a coward. of all things!''

Far from it, Fedom had crossed a far more dangerous line in voicing his concerns to the emperor than Zaat ever had. In terms of risks alone, his plan was immeasurably more dangerous. And this plan was finally about to enter the stage where it could be implemented. Thinking about it left him lost in thought, but 

"What's wrong?" Orba asked, staring at Fedom as he gave off a creepy expression.

"While wondering why you suddenly went quiet, your complexion turned blue, then red. You seem ''very'' sick." 

"Shut your mouth," Fedom cursed out in embarassment. They were in the prince's room within the Main Palace. For the time being, he received ‘’get-well presents’’ from feigning injuries, though Fedom behaved slovenly in spite of this. 

"That aside, what about you? If you keep going out to check on the current situation, you won't be able able to recover. You don't have all the time in the world. Dinn, how do you explain this sorry state?
Precisely because the finally time drew nearer, he must not be impatient with Prince Gil's ''education'' to guarantee success. He aimed the brunt of his frustrations towards Dinn, the page in charge of his education.

"Oh, ''please'' do so," Gil Mephius grumbled.

After letting out everything he wanted to say, Fedom immediately left. Gil gave a big yawn, having read through all of the Mephian history books spread out on the table without rest until a short while ago.

"Its as if I was a new sword-slave about to enter the fray in the arena for the first time all over again. Those guys generally don't get a chance to appear a second time though."

"In any case, Fedom-sama was right to scold you," Dinn said as he placed down a full remaining cup of tea. "If you would only try harder. Then you could take on the prince's appearance in public without putting him to shame, and yet, at this rate two, three, even ten years wouldn't be enough."

"Table manners, the study of Mephian culture, memorizing the names of successive generations of emperors and their accomplishs by heart, and spending one hour a day standing in front of a mirror correcting my posture and smile; these are things I might not use in my whole life. What's the point in continuing this?"

"All of it is necessary."

"I'm fed up with learning the old geezer's face and name. Anyway, bring the military writings over. You can place them next to those records of recent battles."

He lay his body down on the couch, whilst pretending not to hear Dinn's reproaches. Just now, Fedom seemed to be irritated for some reason, but for Gil ---the gladiator Orba also formerly known as the Iron Tiger --- his pent up emotions were no smaller in size than Fedom's.

He had been picked up by Fedom to act as a body double, but Orba never had any intention of only doing as he was told from the start. Even if he had to make use of this position, he would accomplish his goal:
To get revenge on the people that took everything from him. And to search for all the things he had lost.

He had finally reached the point where, with his own hands, he could bring himself closer to the many goals he held that couldn't be granted with the status of sword-slave. But the situation had reached a stand-still.

"Today, another twenty meeting requests had to be turned down. It is Rodloom-sama's fifth time by request of Ineli-sama and for Baton-sama---if you remember his name, one of the prince's best friends---he has come twice. One month of valuable time has already passed since your first campaign, and it will only seem more and more unusual."

For this one month, Fedom had confined Orba within the prince's room. Under the pretext that the mental strain from his first campaign and reality of the circumstances over the several days had caused his physical condition to crumble, he was not allowed to participate in official business and prohibited from having personal meetings with the large number of people who sought to get closer to him. During this time he devoted himself to Orba's education in making him more prince-like, no matter how little, as part of his plan.

But within that month, Orba naturally also had to build up his knowledge, and at least master manners. He was forced to endlessly repeat these activities. Unable to search for his mother, brother, and Alice's whereabouts, he only spent his time on meaningless extravgance that served to only test his patience to its limits.

"Because Fedom-sama isn't aware of the current situation here, he's convinced that he settled everything with the words "Refuse the meetings," but he really needs to put himself in the position of the one refusing. Even though I went through great lengths to make the prince presentable after the first campaign, now I have to deal with this." Dean grumbled his complaints, but suddenly faltered. 

"Are you a ''fool''?" Orba interrupted. "If i'm still struck with horror from my first campaign. then they will wonder what the Prince-sama was doing when the battle took place, finding he did not abide by decree to go into battle, only to be shaking in his boots.

"W-Would you like to go for a stroll?"

"That was something I thought up. Isn't it fine, the former prince was this kind of person. Instead, this would clear us of suspicions."

''The problem is,''

While joking around, Orba thought of another matter. When Fedom had come just moments ago, he never addressed his claims. 

''of the two, which is the real 'fool''' 

A body double would normally only act the role during essential times. There should be no need to set up a double especially when the palace was normal. Fedom had subsequently claimed it was because there risks of assassination even in the capital city of Solon, which should have been a sufficient explanation, but Orba obviously didn't buy it.

And also. 

When the battle at Zaim Fortress had ended, Fedom accidentally let out that no one else knew of the fact the prince had been substituted for a body double. On that account, Fedom might be the only one involved in this plan he set up. If that were to be true, even the resilient Orba---who was beside death's door during his two years as a sword-slave---couldn't possibly not have felt the ice-cold chills.

No one else knowing would imply that Fedom must be deceiving all of the Mephians, himself excluded. Orba also couldn't allow himself to take a break no matter what. Because it was a problem that his life hanged on.

"Mephius' founding festival is approaching. It is a festival that gathers the whole country together. If you do not show make an appearance here, things will take a bad turn. Just when will Fedom-sama..."

At that moment, the bell was rung. Dinn responded by leaving. Beyond the door, a voice could be heard from a small room facing the corridor. It sounded Ineli. Immediately after Emperor Guhl had lost his wife, he married a second wife and her daughter, Ineli, became Gil's younger stepsister.

Once the heated discussion ended, Dinn returned. He gave off a face of total exhaustion.

"That person ranks as the most difficult."

"What happened?"

"The usual 'Let's go hang out' invitation with your various close friends and 'Instead of being holed up in that room with that of weak body his, he needs some recreational activity' remark."

"I see," Orba said, somewhat occupied with other thoughts. "Back then, what did Gowen say to you?"

"Eh? Oh, he asked whether we could go together to General Syan's<ref>General Rogue Saian, as referenced in V1C7. I can't get DBZ out of my head when i see Saian, so I'm going with Syan until official romanization is decided.</ref> residence after receiving his invitation."

"Then let's head over to where Ineli and the group is. Let's finish these two tasks in one go. Pass the message to her for me."

"But Fedom-sama wants to..."

"It's better if I learn some faces up close . Lets go with this ruse: left with a nasty temper due to his bad shape, especially if it's within his own home no one will think much of it if the Prince acts a differently. If it's just for a bit, it'll work.

Orba by no means had any intentions of becoming the same as the flustered Dinn. He refused to take no action. No matter how big, essentially, in this one room no different from a prison, he passed days on end, and crushed any impatience and insecurities he held.

‘’This also counts as a battle. Completely becoming the prince will bring me one step closer in searching for Alice and my family,'' he murmured to persuade himself.

And within Solon was one other person, unable to dispel her growing irritation.

"How about this dress? How does it compare to the previous white and vivid one? Aah, but I wonder if the second dress might be better since it is a Mephian one. But then the tiara I brought from my own country won't match. I'll have to ask the maids here, and show my appreciation later."

"Uh huh."

In a room lying deep within the women's chamber, compared to the briskly working about Theresia, Vileena offered not even the slightest of movements. As a guest from Garbera, the fourteen year-old princess played around with the dresses and tried on multiple ornaments. Upon witnessing this sight, even the enemies of her parents would scowl at their own reflected appearance.

"Honestly, if it were the Garberan royal court, it wouldn't matter how famous the designer was. On behalf of the princess, upon sending out an official notice of her provisional needs, a pile of dresses would appear in her room without waiting a week. Though that is something the daughters of aristocrats and nobles scorn to their amusement. 

"Right."

"Solon, being far from any sea trading base, holds few numbers of fine quality cloth. Even though it's my first set of tailored clothes, if I had known three months ago that an advance order was necessary, I would have taken measures before the wedding."

"Is that so."

"At this rate, if you were to become any more skillful at being dependent on others, there is a chance you might be no different from the queen, in other words your stepmother. You are begging to show off your tiara and clothes. To become a bride is to enter your partner's family. To become a harmonious couple, such endeavors are needed. ....Aah, but if I remember correctly, the current queen is the second wife. She probably holds no strong feelings for a son's bride, because she has not borne a son to inherit the position of prince."

Yes, and Vileena's form once more stood across the mirror. Theresia glared at her, and before long decided to take a ''deep'' breath.

"Vileena-sama!!"

"Eek!"

With a startled jump, Vileena instantly came to a halt. "Shouting in a person's ear like that..."

"If didn't use this volume of voice, then the current princess would not have heard me," Theresia puffed up her chest. "The princess is choosing clothes to wear at the founding festival, as if it's someone else's problem. Generally, women pick their clothes and make do with even the least bit suitable earrings and bracelets should they even have them, and then worriedly fuss over other significant matters. Anticipating for their fated partner, or possibly realizing their insecurities, indulge in their own worries. " 

"On that matter, I have complete faith in you. If that is of your opinion."

"Oh my, I am humbly delighted to receive such a generous praise...and? What are you really thinking? Will you share them with me? Are you thinking about how you haven't rode in an air carrier recently, or how you want to fly in the sky. Or if it's not riding that you want to do, then how you could pass time doing maintenance, or maybe miss the smell of oil. Ah! It must be about why the prince hasn't come to visit you."

"That last one was completely uncalled for!"

Vileena scowled, but could not conceal the smile on her mouth. Theresia had always been a formidable foe. In a straight battle of wits, she would immediately get caught in her pace. And then with a shrug,
"Well, since his return from his first campaign, he's shut himself in his room the whole time, the frail prince is somewhat like a princess."

"It has already been a month since, and he hasn't allowed anyone to see his face. For a maiden in love, it is a somewhat long time..."

[[Image:Rakuin no Monshou v02 025.jpg|thumb]]
"Anyhow!" Vileena forcefully interrupted, "I'm not hiding anything. I'm annoyed. How much longer will these awkward times continue. The scheduled day of the wedding has not been decided at all, and my range of activities has been restricted the entire time. I'll be frank. This is not the least bit fun!"

"Haaa"

With that assertion, Theresia had no clue on what to do. But she also planned to grasp her words. Whether or not Garbera still held any influence on it, the marriage ceremony had been postponed indefinitely. There were considerably few places Vileena could freely roam, and day after day her growing irritation only worsened.

Originally even within her Garberan homelands, she was an energetically active princess who would not be found in the same place after the hour was up. Spending whole days living her life doing everything within a small portion of the women's chambers was something she completely could not agree with. She would occasionally show up for tea and dinner parties after receiving an invitation from the noblewomen, but would experience nothing but agony as she put on the guise of a smiing face.

"The prince too, appears to have entirely forgotten that his fiancee is here. But during times like these, isn't there also that? He could exchange letters and then pass the message on to the chamberlain, right?"

"It is often used in stories. Secretly accompanying the letter would be a love poem."

"Even the receiver would naturally becoming increasingly irritated if he were unable to meaning behind the message. And to add to the problems, there is unrest within Mephius no matter how you look at it. The emperor refuses to offer an explanation for his judgement of Islan, who appears to have been imprisoned. There is nothing to gain from doing this in Garbera. His retainers, however, neither challenge nor protest, only taking sneak peeks at his countenance and taking care not to face his wrath."

''It's exactly as she said,'' Theresia thought in her head. She usually did not make such an understanding statement based on rumours alone, but the Theresia who knew her so long kept silent.

"If the retainers cannot give counsel due to fear, then the prince himself should act as an intermediary for the retainers. He may find admonition disagreeable, but if it were Gil, his own son and successor, the emperor would be willing to lend an ear."

"Truly."

"And yet, he has not outstripped his poor physical condition nor be cured of the illness he received from the front. If he cares about his country's future, he should even be crawling forward. If it were my grandfather, he would hurl scoldings at you if you didn't have enough guts."

"Speaking of which, you want to hold a discussion with the prince, right? If that's the case, " Theresia said with a clap, "how should we go about the get-well present?"

"Get-well present?"

As a matter of fact, Theresia had been waiting for the right timing to broach the topic. There was no way Vileena didn't even consider the thought, but it was hard to say she would personally go to see her fiance, who had neglected her for so long.

"Come now, the princess was going to ensnare the prince right? To get him to fall madly in love with you, a certain degree of preparation will be needed. For this to happen, with this Theresia whom you've fully placed your trust, will to the best of her abilities, make you Mephius' most beautful woman!"

Theresia immediately began selecting clothes for the soon-to-be faltering husband.

===Part 2===
"What do you think of the matter regarding His Highness Gil?"

"What do you mean?" Ineli tilted her small head.

"You already know what I'm talking about," the one speaking said with a pout. He was Baton Cadmus.

"Even now I still can't believe it. For ''that'' crown prince Gil to acheive merits on his first campaign. "

Fastened to horses on the top of a hill, the youths waiting for Prince Gil neared their twenties and were all sons coming from a house of distinguished nobles. Even though this was true, none of them held the right as the oldest son to succeed their family. Baton too, was the third son of the Cadmus House and already turned 19, but spent everyday roaming about doing nothing.

The boys nodded in unison.

"That's true. Looks like theres quite a few rumours too."

"Rumours?"

"He was sent on his first campaign for the time being to be adorned with merits to appear more suitable as a successor, for one. To have actually acheived victory from battle, has left that side greatly devastated, and the escorting General Oubary seems to be lamenting over this." 

"Isn't it a bit late? His Majesty the Emperor has already publicly denounced His Highness as ''useless'', you know."

"Because it is now. The Mephius imperial family has no other appropriate male heir. If Ineli were to be married and get a husband, then things were be a different matter."

"Sorry about that," Ineli stuck out her tongue. "Well, the brother I know can't be connected to the one actively participating in the battlefield as I've heard."

"That's why, let's test it out," Baton smiled with a broad grin.

"Baton, whenever you get these thoughts, nothing good comes out of it."

"It'll be fine. No one's going to get hurt. I just want to see how things play out. Will that prince who bravely took part in the battlefield, when entangled with your neighbourhood thug, maintain his composure or not."

"I guess," Ineli purposely opened her mouth in the shape of a 0.<ref>Shape if self-explanatory, but could also think 本当 in Japanese. Or the word "whole"</ref> "Really, you have such a ''great'' personality, Cadmus-sama!"

"Shh! Here they come."

The guards accompanying Prince Gil Mephius came into view along the hill's ridgeline. Everyone courteously gave their salutations. "Ah," Gil slovenly nodded back. He looked partially pale. It was more than justified for one bedridden and bearing the mental fatigue from the battlefield.

"It has been a while, your Highness. Now then everyone, salute Mephius' new hero" Baton said jokingly, causing everyone laugh. Gil kept a frowning face. The guards were sent back, and Gil got on horseback.

Orba joined with everyone else and they slowly rode off. Although not even half an hour had passed since the departure from the palace, going through the trouble to suggest riding on horseback was typical of Ineli. "The weather finally turned nice too," the remark came from the side. There were five another people accompanying her. According to the information Dinn had investigated beforehand, they were all sons of distinguished nobles, and had been aquaitances with the prince since he was a child.

For Orba, his first exposure to sunlight in the month felt great. The wind gently brushed across his face, and the fragrance that drifted from the palace flower gardens wasn't too bad either. But he never lowered his guard. While maintaining a frown filled with displeasure, Orba carefully paid attention to their conversation. He needed to grasp their personality and confirm what kind of power relation he held with them.

''These guys haven't been in a real fight.''

"Could you cheer up a bit?" Ineli popped up from behind said with a smile. He was riding together with her. Her surprisingly slender arms wrapped around his waist.

"I really shouldn't have come." Orba averted her eyes. "I wanted to sleep for one more day."

"That won't do. If the prince had not received invited, then even we wouldn't be forced to meet with that boorish Rogue," The one who elatedly stuck out his tongue was Troya Hergei. Projecting himself from below the stomach of his mounted horse that left it as something to be pitied, was the young boy Baton Cadmus. In a bored tone, he began, 

"What. Rogue's place again?

"That's right. Have you always had such a close relationship with him?"

"He supported me during my first campaign. He would endlessly tell me war stories. There was one time he had to accompany me."

"Oh? Support in battle, you say. No less expected of the future successor to the Mephius Empire, it seems that you cannot stay as the children that we are. Support and the like, with all due respect, those are unthinkable words you just spoke. Could it be that you've slowly outgrown those playful times with us?"

Only a year older than the prince---and and consequently two years older than Orba---Baton talking while assuming an air of superiority was, frankly, a mood dampener. He held a prominent physique, but his speech and mannerisms clearly showed he was nothing more than a child at heart.

''That damned scumbag of a noble''

It wasn't only Baton, but all of the other boys looked down on Prince Gil as well. To be hanging out with such a company of friends would mean Gil was either brain-dead or had a very capable personality.

Before long, they commanded a view of the [Black Tower] that stood in the heart of Solon to the left, as thunder rang across the hillside, they finally arrived at Rogue Syan's mansion. 

Rogue opened the gates, and greeted everyone with a smile across his face.

"Oh, if it isn't the prince. I'm sorry for troubling you to come here. You're in good health, I hope. After all, the prince is still young. You eat to your heart's content to replenish your vigour, drink until your blood turns hot, and fend off all sorts of illnesses in a moment's notice."

The aged but hearty Rogue was already in the yard grilling meat, and laying out several types of wine. Before his arrival, Gowen exchanged grins with Orba in anticipation. Once the head supervisor, he now served as a commanding officer of the crown prince's Imperial Guards. They had hit it off in the previous campaign, as veterans of battle, and since then, have been on good terms.

"Oh?"

The neighboring Hou Ran had caught Baton's attention. Her skin shone a brilliant ebony under the bask of the sun.

"If this race of people isn't a rare sight in Solon. Whose guest is she?"

"She's my foster daughter. Hou Ran is also an acting officer in the Imperial Guards."

Gowen replied to the impolite Baton's question with a slight change in expression. After the battle at Zaim Fortress, she was not permitted to enter the Imperial Guards' living quarters. So Orba had given her another house, and made her live under Gowen's adoption.

Baton never stopped his curious stares. During this predicament, Hou Ran completely disregarded the boys' conversation. It really was Ran-like of her, and Orba could barely contain himself.

Rogue's wife came out, leading a small child by the hand and offered her greetings.

"This is Mephius' prince. Romus, aren't you also going to greet him?" Rogue urged the child.

He was a boy about twelve, thirteen years old, and possessed an atmosphere similar to Dinn's that differed him from an outspoken boy, and a mouth that only let out slight mumbles. He quickly sank back behind Rogue.

"That's a cute grandson you have there"

"Not at all! He's a good-for-nothing son."

And with just that outburst, Ineli refrained herself from voicing any further impressions. Rogue's wife certainly seemed far younger than he was.

"The only trait he has inherited is that cowardice of mine. Even now, he is afraid to go out in the company of others. It makes me wonder if he will be able to safely elevate himself in conducting with adult affairs."

The founding festival would be held next week. Of course, various events and ceremonies were arranged, and amongst them would be a coming-of-age ceremony for the sons of nobles and distinguished families. And also, was an event unimaginable to any other country: public riding on a dragon's back. The ceremony used baby dragons barely several months old, but whose fangs were more than enough to bite through an adult in his prime and kill him. In the past, victims would pop up in this same way every year.

Unlike the past, it was rarely held at present. Once every few years, the Syan Household, bearing a lineage of military commanders, would hold an event to show off their prided sons. But this time, Rogue surely intended to participate himself.

"Could I ask your highness to give up on this master of his house? Such a ceremony is entirely impossible for Romus. All he will remember is the atrocious scene that will unfold."

"Stop it. You dont' need to grace this crown prince with your household circumstances. Don't worry, he'll train hard for this day. Right, Romus?"

Romus offered neither assent nor dissent, only gazing up at his father in faintheartedness, unable to decide whether he was more afraid of the dragon or of angering his father.

Rogue had borrowed a young dragon from the army's military training camp for Romus to practice and get accustomed to.

"One day, I feel he will want to enter a training school to become a Winged Dragon Officer. But first, Romus must be able to exude his noble spirit before large crowds.

A winged dragon—literally a dragon with wings, was however, an existence found only in the southern volcanic islands of the planet.

Referred to as winged dragon officers in Mephius, these hundred or more qualified leaders were selected and tasked with the usage of flying vessels, namely Dragon Ships. <ref>Literally, Dragonstone Ships, or a flying ship made of dragonstone. It is a Mephian equivalent to an Air Carrier.</ref> Rogue Syan himself was a winged dragon officer and held the authority to take command of entire fleets.

"Now, if you're done with your meal then go take care of the dragons, Romus. You need all the practice you can."

Romus once again gave a conventional farewell in response to his father's words and took his leave.

Orba and the others remained seated, as the servants of the Syan househould cut the meat and vegetables into pieces, and prepared the wine. Orba refused the wine with a hand gesture. He never had a strong tolerance for alcohol, and who knew what he might let out in a drunken stupor. During the course of their meal, Rogue told stories of the battlefield. He had to answer to Orba's safety above all. His other comrades were of little interest to him.

"We aren't exactly interested in your story." Baton bluntly pointed out. The only one who showed interest was surprisingly, the female Ineli. She listened intently to the circumstances revolving around the battle in excitement.

"Princess, I can see you hold the spirit of a warrior." Rogue said brimming with delight. "I wish my own son would be like that."

The story eventually reached the point where thanks to the prince's quick wittedness, they were able to march into the fortress where several strong warriors lay in wait. And then Ineli suddenly clapped her hands as she remembered something.

"That's right. I've always been meaning to hear about it if I ever met brother. The one who defeated Ryucrown was a gladiator, wasn't it? I was really surprised when I heard his name. Brother, do you remember him? You know, that Iron Tiger Orba!

Orba, who was doing nothing more than drinking tea at the moment, entered into a choking fit.

"You saw it at Ba Roux, right? The one who saved me from that Sozos dragon!"

"Y-Yeah."

"Did you know he became a member of your Imperial Guards? If that's the case, then couldn't you let me meet him one time?"

"What's going to happen when you meet the supposed gladiator?" 

Not minding Baton's grimace,

"I never thanked him for that time he saved me from the dragon. And I wanted to talk with the one who personally exchanged blows with General Ryucrown. Just what kind of gentleman was General Ryucrown, and how skilled was he was with a sword? Doesn't thinking about it leave you trembling in excitement? I'm so close to the person who practically experienced the scene that would leave its mark in history!

Ineli continued to be engrossed in her talk. Without realizing she had made Orba's expression darken,

"Ahh, if only Ryucrown had been captured, Orba would once more be one-on-one fights in the arena. And if the battle at the fortress could redone, had Orba managed to take the head of Ryucrown, even the festivals would bustling at their peak---"

Boom! Orba had slammed his cup onto the table, causing Ineli's voice to taper off. Orba was trembling. And everyone's attention quickly turned towards him.

"Prince."

The one who leaned his body forward was Gowen. Tea was poured into Orba's empty cup. The surrounding eyes stayed fixed on Orba, urging him not to be so emotional. Orba drew back his chin and gave a nod.

Facing Ineli, "You will soon," he said hoping to smooth things out.

"Really?"

"But assuming you do meet him, he's really not an interesting person. He also has no proper etiquette. All he'll do is leave you with unpleasant thoughts."

"Well, that's acceptable. I'm rather lenient with that. I don't expect the different people of this world to adopt a similar behavior. You can't chat in the same language with your dragon after years of tending to its needs, can you?

Orba made an effort to prevent his feelings of discomfort from showing on his face. The incident with Hou Ran suddenly weighed on his mind. He did not want to make cause undue trouble to the girl who told him of the dragon's 'voice' in the conversation, but she was clearly not present as usual.

While everyone was having a pleasant chat, Baton took the opportunity to leave his seat. Orba noticed that, as he was walked, his eyes darted around restlessy, as if he was searching for someone.

==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>
</noinclude>

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| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume2_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Talk:Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter5

2013-08-05T20:32:47Z

Shirofune:

== Part 1 ==
I'll start out by opening two things for discussion. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]] ([[User talk:Dohma|talk]]) 07:32, 23 July 2013 (CDT)

'''Orba, not losing out in being irritated...''' (オルバも負けず苛立っていたのは) 
I can’t find a good English equivalent. What it means is that Orba didn’t lose from Fedom in being irritated. Is there a better way to put this?

'''“Theresia, how old did you become?”''' (テレジアは、いくつになったのだったか？) 
I first thought it was to be supposed Theresia's birthday or something, but it's a more polite way of saying 'how old are you?'. Basically 'how old have you become (over the years)'. If someone has a better way of saying it like this, please tell me.

:For the first, I would suggest "Orba, no less irritated"; also, as an incidental note, that would be 'didn't lose to Fedom in being irritated' rather than 'didn't lose from Fedom in being irritated'. For the second, I suspect "How old are you now?" is slightly better than 'How old are you?', as it preserves the 'acknowledgement of the other having been a different age at a previous meeting', whereas 'How old are you?' is more appropriate when meeting someone for the first time. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 08:04, 23 July 2013 (CDT)

Those are great suggestions Multipartite.[[User:Tasear|Tasear]] ([[User talk:Tasear|talk]]))

* I agree, thanks. I edited the text by your suggestions. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]] ([[User talk:Dohma|talk]]) 09:18, 29 July 2013 (CDT)

I guess I should post the responses to your inlines here from now on. And what better way to take a break from translating than to edit! Well, Chapter 2 is......slowly coming along. --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]] ([[User talk:Detalz|talk]]) 20:43, 30 July 2013 (CDT) 
'''Thinking it was surely important for people to look at oneself, something seemed to trouble her heart.''' Raw: 振り返ればあれは確かに本人たちにとっては大事だったのだと思える悩みに胸を焦がす、美しい少女の姿。
*振り返る is a conjugated verb meaning 'to turn around, to turn one's head'. Here's a rough translation from my part, "It was apparent to anyone who so much as turned around that she was worriedly longed for something precious to her; it was the form of a beautiful girl." (Note: You might have moved 'beautiful girl' part to the previous sentence.)
:* Yeah, I split the sentence in two and moved the 'beautiful girl' part up front because that was what the beginning of the sentence refers to. I combined the sentences again and used your suggestion. Thanks. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

''“Well… when you reach the latter half of your forties, you eventually stop counting. Then it’s natural to look forward to continue on at that age forever.”''
*There's nothing wrong here, but consider using 'normal' in place of 'natural' for certain instances of 当然. It might be me, but the author overuses it more than necessary.
:* No you're right, the author uses other terms a lot too (I actually just think it's the difference between Japanese and English) that will sound strained if you keep translating them 'correctly'. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

'''“As for tomorrow, you’ll do anything I say even if it’s a depressing play. Don’t let me receive a scolding because of you before the first battle – after that you can get carried away and do whatever you want. So, I’m going! You’ll be occupied, don’t you think?”'''
*Pretty sure it's Orba, and not Fedom speaking. That's why you're so confused. I recommend "Scoot scoot. You're a busy man, right?" for the last two sentences.
:* I was actually unsure whether it was Orba or Fedom saying this sentence. The second sentence puzzled me, so I opted for Fedom. However, Orba being the one speaking makes more sense and I somehow made it work. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

Sorry to bother everyone. "But when his eyes made contact with flagship’s captain" This is what the original reads. I believe that it should read "But when his eyes made contact with the flagship’s captain" because the word "flagship" isn't the name of the ship it needs the definite article "the". Please correct me if I'm wrong. - [[User:shirofune|shirofune]]
*Don't worry about bothering us. Discussions of revisions are welcome, and you're free to post them here is you're unsure. You were right, and it was probably just a typo on Dohma's part. Thanks for fixing it. --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]] ([[User talk:Detalz|talk]]) 19:33, 31 July 2013 (CDT)

== Part 2 ==

There's some expressions in this chapter which I could use a little help on suggestions. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]] ([[User talk:Dohma|talk]]) 15:25, 2 August 2013 (CDT)

*「おお、'''あいわかり申した'''」 'Ahh, I understand'
:It's actually much more polite, like 'duly understood'. But the latter feels a bit strange in this context, because Fedom is higher in rank than the one he speaks to. Leaving it like this could also just be fine. It's just that Fedom speaks rather politely when talking with certain people, and rather impolitely when talking to others - especially Orba.
:*"Ahh, your words have been received," is the only other possible phrase I can think of. It is a litte indirect, but can be considered more polite. My guess for his being polite, is because Oubary carries a message from the emperor, and to be rude to a messenger is to insult the person who sent it. --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]]

:*About the "Ahh, I understand" bit, I believe it is natural that Fedom is polite because Oubary is also in the same room within earshot. It would arouse suspicion if Fedom were impolite because at that time Orba was still pretending to be the prince. Please correct me if I'm wrong because I don't know a word of Japanese. ~[[user:shirofune|shirofune]]

*「'''頼む'''」 'Leave it to me'
:It's a rather free translation. It could mean 'leave it to me', 'count on me', 'rely on me' or anything in this regard. I'm assuming it's Oubary saying this, but it could also be Orba I suppose (then it would be 'I'll rely on you'). However, in that case I suspect it would have been よろしく instead, and it wouldn't have been on a separate line.
:*I think Orba is one who says it. The reason for the different line is probably because of a pause between "Yeah..." and "I'll leave it to you." Also, Orba speaks this way because he knows he has to act the role of the prince just as Fedom wants to, in the presence of others. If it were Oubary speaking, 任せる would have been much more appropriate. I can't actually imagine a person of lower rank saying 頼む to one of higher rank. --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]]

*'''勝ち残り''' 'taking the leftover fights'
:Also see the reference note. It’s a term for someone who wins by laying low and then take the finishing blow when necessary, like a kill-stealer. Suggestions for a nice English idiom or expression are welcome.
:*I actually like it the way it is. The only idioms I can think of remotely close to this are "taking the easy way out" and "reaping other's rewards". --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]]

*'''へそを曲げられて'''も、のちのち厄介だ 'It’ll be troublesome in the future, if I get him angry.'
:Literally 'to bend someone’s bellybutton', which means ‘to make someone angry/irritated’. Does anyone have a nice English idiom for this? Because just leaving it like this doesn't really give much credit to the original in my opinion. I considered 'ruffle one's feathers' but that seems a little too mild in this case.
:*You could consider "get on his bad side" or "get under his skin." --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]]

<hr>

Talk:Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter5

2013-08-03T01:29:03Z

Shirofune: /* Part 2 */

== Part 1 ==
I'll start out by opening two things for discussion. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]] ([[User talk:Dohma|talk]]) 07:32, 23 July 2013 (CDT)

'''Orba, not losing out in being irritated...''' (オルバも負けず苛立っていたのは) 
I can’t find a good English equivalent. What it means is that Orba didn’t lose from Fedom in being irritated. Is there a better way to put this?

'''“Theresia, how old did you become?”''' (テレジアは、いくつになったのだったか？) 
I first thought it was to be supposed Theresia's birthday or something, but it's a more polite way of saying 'how old are you?'. Basically 'how old have you become (over the years)'. If someone has a better way of saying it like this, please tell me.

:For the first, I would suggest "Orba, no less irritated"; also, as an incidental note, that would be 'didn't lose to Fedom in being irritated' rather than 'didn't lose from Fedom in being irritated'. For the second, I suspect "How old are you now?" is slightly better than 'How old are you?', as it preserves the 'acknowledgement of the other having been a different age at a previous meeting', whereas 'How old are you?' is more appropriate when meeting someone for the first time. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 08:04, 23 July 2013 (CDT)

Those are great suggestions Multipartite.[[User:Tasear|Tasear]] ([[User talk:Tasear|talk]]))

* I agree, thanks. I edited the text by your suggestions. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]] ([[User talk:Dohma|talk]]) 09:18, 29 July 2013 (CDT)

I guess I should post the responses to your inlines here from now on. And what better way to take a break from translating than to edit! Well, Chapter 2 is......slowly coming along. --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]] ([[User talk:Detalz|talk]]) 20:43, 30 July 2013 (CDT) 
'''Thinking it was surely important for people to look at oneself, something seemed to trouble her heart.''' Raw: 振り返ればあれは確かに本人たちにとっては大事だったのだと思える悩みに胸を焦がす、美しい少女の姿。
*振り返る is a conjugated verb meaning 'to turn around, to turn one's head'. Here's a rough translation from my part, "It was apparent to anyone who so much as turned around that she was worriedly longed for something precious to her; it was the form of a beautiful girl." (Note: You might have moved 'beautiful girl' part to the previous sentence.)
:* Yeah, I split the sentence in two and moved the 'beautiful girl' part up front because that was what the beginning of the sentence refers to. I combined the sentences again and used your suggestion. Thanks. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

''“Well… when you reach the latter half of your forties, you eventually stop counting. Then it’s natural to look forward to continue on at that age forever.”''
*There's nothing wrong here, but consider using 'normal' in place of 'natural' for certain instances of 当然. It might be me, but the author overuses it more than necessary.
:* No you're right, the author uses other terms a lot too (I actually just think it's the difference between Japanese and English) that will sound strained if you keep translating them 'correctly'. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

'''“As for tomorrow, you’ll do anything I say even if it’s a depressing play. Don’t let me receive a scolding because of you before the first battle – after that you can get carried away and do whatever you want. So, I’m going! You’ll be occupied, don’t you think?”'''
*Pretty sure it's Orba, and not Fedom speaking. That's why you're so confused. I recommend "Scoot scoot. You're a busy man, right?" for the last two sentences.
:* I was actually unsure whether it was Orba or Fedom saying this sentence. The second sentence puzzled me, so I opted for Fedom. However, Orba being the one speaking makes more sense and I somehow made it work. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

Sorry to bother everyone. "But when his eyes made contact with flagship’s captain" This is what the original reads. I believe that it should read "But when his eyes made contact with the flagship’s captain" because the word "flagship" isn't the name of the ship it needs the definite article "the". Please correct me if I'm wrong. - [[User:shirofune|shirofune]]
*Don't worry about bothering us. Discussions of revisions are welcome, and you're free to post them here is you're unsure. You were right, and it was probably just a typo on Dohma's part. Thanks for fixing it. --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]] ([[User talk:Detalz|talk]]) 19:33, 31 July 2013 (CDT)

== Part 2 ==

There's some expressions in this chapter which I could use a little help on suggestions. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]] ([[User talk:Dohma|talk]]) 15:25, 2 August 2013 (CDT)

*「おお、'''あいわかり申した'''」 'Ahh, I understand'
:It's actually much more polite, like 'duly understood'. But the latter feels a bit strange in this context, because Fedom is higher in rank than the one he speaks to. Leaving it like this could also just be fine. It's just that Fedom speaks rather politely when talking with certain people, and rather impolitely when talking to others - especially Orba.

*「'''頼む'''」 'Leave it to me'
:It's a rather free translation. It could mean 'leave it to me', 'count on me', 'rely on me' or anything in this regard. I'm assuming it's Oubary saying this, but it could also be Orba I suppose (then it would be 'I'll rely on you'). However, in that case I suspect it would have been よろしく instead, and it wouldn't have been on a separate line.

*'''勝ち残り''' 'taking the leftover fights'
:Also see the reference note. It’s a term for someone who wins by laying low and then take the finishing blow when necessary, like a kill-stealer. Suggestions for a nice English idiom or expression are welcome.

*'''へそを曲げられて'''も、のちのち厄介だ 'It’ll be troublesome in the future, if I get him angry.'
:Literally 'to bend someone’s bellybutton', which means ‘to make someone angry/irritated’. Does anyone have a nice English idiom for this? Because just leaving it like this doesn't really give much credit to the original in my opinion. I considered 'ruffle one's feathers' but that seems a little too mild in this case.

<hr>

About the "Ahh, I understand" bit, I believe it is natural that Fedom is polite because Oubary is also in the same room within earshot. It would arouse suspicion if Fedom were impolite because at that time Orba was still pretending to be the prince. Please correct me if I'm wrong because I don't know a word of Japanese. ~[[user:shirofune|shirofune]]

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter5

2013-07-31T20:36:20Z

Shirofune: /* Part 1 */

{{Incomplete|percentage=40}}
==Chapter 5: Princess Vileena==
=== Part 1 ===

Zaim was known for being an impregnable fortress. To the north, steep cliffs touched the border of Ende, and to the south an unobstructed view of plains spread out. If Mephius actually wanted to cross the border and invade, Zaim Fortress was considered to be their biggest hurdle.

Ryucown had made it surrender in the blink of an eye and turned it into his own stronghold. It could be he had the help of traitors, but it could also be that the people at Zaim Fortress never intended to turn their blades toward Ryucown, because he was a Garberan to begin with.

And besides…

''Maybe he secretly got assistance from the Principality of Ende.''

This assumption was shared by both Mephius and Garbera. If not, he wouldn’t last on any supplies like food, water, and ammunition. And for Ende, right now, they’d conveniently split the Garberan territory in two. In that way, it was good that Ryucown’s tactics hadn’t forcibly placed neighbouring villages under his control, or he would’ve received the enmity of its people.

“Our current Garbera has lost sight of adhering to pride above all!” Ryucown shouted with a loud voice. “Even if we bear the shame of a traitor for the moment, we inherit Garbera’s true pride. Disloyalty shames a knight, but we cannot stay devoted to obeying any senseless ruler. We must consider once again for what cause we should spill our blue blood. Do not mind bearing shame. We will open this fort’s gates and welcome all true knights that dedicate their bodies only for true loyalty.”

Ryucown cut off the heads of all the messengers, not even depending on the counsel from his own home country Garbera. And not only that. He also conducted a surprise attack with his airship on an advance party marching to recapture the fort, before taking flight again.

Within the Garberan royal court, it was the firm opinion that they should quickly send in a whole army to make Zaim surrender in order to protect the royal family’s dignity. But what they feared most of all was that Ende would participate in the war.

At the moment they were still keeping quiet, but if the Principality of Ende publicly admitted to having a collaborative relationship with Ryucown, it was feared Zaim Fortress would become a stronghold for Ende when they challenged Garbera. And with Garbera throwing aside an alliance with them, Ende also had a just cause to do so.

Hence, Garbera had no qualms against Mephius’s request.

Namely, they allowed the Mephian army to cross the Garbera’s national border, making it possible for them to line up formations and attack Zaim Fortress from the west .

It was about a week after the surprise attack at Seirin Valley.

As time went flying by, the situation was also littered with various apprehensions. The Mephian group led by Prince Gil immediately started heading for Idoro. It lay closest to the borders of Ende and Garbera, and was a fortress city that had often been at the forefront during the war with Garbera.

A group of sword slaves from the Tarkas Group was also forced to travel along the journey. Their weapons and dragons confiscated, and moving at a distance while being surrounded by military guards, they were no doubt suffering from stress regarding the dispiriting anxiety for their future. However, thanks to Gowen’s skilfulness, they quietly obeyed for the time being.

Although it might have been the same day-to-day feeling for those living under Tarkas, the situation was more complicated than that because of the Garberran party. In any case, because the ceremony had been interrupted, the marriage between Prince Gil and Princess Vileena had not been concluded. However, wilfully going back home at this point would be a disgrace for the both of them.

“I will go to Idoro as well,” Vileena had told her own country’s delegation, and had gone travelling along to Idoro with Theresia.
For the Mephian side it also gave them the impression they were keeping her as a hostage, but, naturally, Vileena herself had already taken that all into account.

The army moved while the goods were carried by dragon carts. The cavalry, and the dragonriders atop the small-sized dragons guarded all directions, while in the centre, surrounded by the soldiers on foot, the imperial and royal family members moved in coaches.

“I suppose this will be Prince Gil’s first battle,” Orba said, with Fedom siting opposite him inside the coach.

“But am I not the one behind the scenes? Aren’t you being much too overprotective, no matter how you look at it?”

“Shut it,” Fedom called back, irritated. “There’s no need for someone like you to learn the imperial family’s methods of raising a good emperor. You should just do as you’re told.”

“So I’m to command when I’m told, order friends to die when I’m told, and kill the enemy when I’m told?”

“That would be splendid.”

Orba, no less irritated, still felt the traces from his quarrel with Vileena.

“Now stop talking. We don’t know who could be listening.”

And that was the ulterior motive Fedom had. Originally, the written letters had urged him to return to his homeland, Birac. Simon alone had been assigned to be the prince’s support. However, Simon knew the prince’s nature very well. So, because he suspected there were concerns about the prince being a fake at the current campaign, other ‘support’ was necessary.

''At most…''

If the prince did do an outstanding job here, this time nobles would turn up believing the prince held unifying qualities. If Fedom was able to gather up those people and have them back the prince, it might be possible to create a completely new political power in the next era.
Besides, the Prince Gil in question was the same as a puppet that did anything Fedom told him to. On behalf of the corrupted imperial family, he himself could advocate supremacy in these current troubles times – just thinking of it, made Fedom’s heart pound with boyish excitement as blood rushed to his head.

Meanwhile,

“Prince.”

Simon Rodloom, who called from outside of the coach, naturally had his misgivings.

“What is it?” Fedom’s face appeared instead.

Simon, who had gone to the battlefield himself in his younger days, was, to be expected, skilful with handling his horse. Matching the coach’s speed, he tried to peek inside. The prince was resting his cheek against the window on the opposite side.

“These past few days, I’ve hardly seen your face. Although I do hope you’re not doing that to bear the shock received from what happened at Seirin Valley. It might also place a gap on the tale of your first battle. So—”

“The prince is in good health,” Fedom said smiling. “Even now, we were exchanging several views and opinions concerning the capture of Zaim Fortress. Later on, we’d also like to listen to your views on the matter, Master Simon. Oh… Your Highness, is it a little too bright? Please forgive me.”

Fedom acted as if the prince had talked to him and quickly closed the carriage’s curtains.

''That is strange.''

Spurring on his horse, Simon rubbed his chin. Fedom’s sudden intimacy and the prince’s change of heart in these last few days… It wouldn’t be such a miracle if the prince he knew so well, experiencing such an uproar during the ceremony, had lost himself amongst the public. However, from what he’d heard, it seemed the prince had given orders to the knights, and held the enemy at bay before they could kidnap Vileena. Although, as a substitute guardian, he was supposed to be pleased with the prince’s growth, this was far from being human, and he couldn’t simply accept it.

''Be that as it may, I haven’t seen the boy for three days.''

And, at a distance of fifty metres behind, Vileena and Thersia were rocking about in a similarly heavily escorted coach.

The whole time, Vileena had been silent. She was lost in thought, as she looked out at the scenery flying by outside the window. Theresia had her eyes fixed on the side of her mistress’ face.

At a glance, she was a beautiful girl in her puberty and whatnot, even if she was now grown up. Thinking it was surely important for people to look at oneself, something seemed to trouble her heart.  The eyelashes covering her eyes were dark, and the bridge of her nose was a thin line. Her petal-like lips were slightly wet, and her skin nearly crystalline white.

In case an honest boy around the same age saw the girl staring off into the distance from her carriage’s window, on his way home from work on the farm, he’d be inexplicably bound only with a single glance. But looking at himself, after having gone through some hundred nights passionately yearning for her despite the issue of social differences, he would eventually marry some village girl and get children. But even if he’d be reading a book by the fireplace surrounded by grandchildren, undoubtedly, he would never be able to forget that one pubertal afterimage of only a single glance until the day he died…

Theresia, quite touched by her own fabrications, gently wiped away a tear with her hand. This was youth. And, when a voice called out “Theresia”, she looked up as if nothing had happened.

“Yes, what is it, your highness?”

“Theresia, how old are you now?”

“Well… when you reach the latter half of your forties, you eventually stop counting. Then it’s natural to look forward to continue on at that age forever.” 

“I see,” Vileena said, as she rested her chin in her hand. “That’s quite convenient.”

“Of course, in the meantime, there were various encounters and farewells. Also many men. Speaking about love, there have also been several marriage proposals.”

“I would love to hear about that someday,” Vileena said with a little smile.

“Don’t say someday, but right now. It’s obvious your highness can use this little as a reference.”

“I didn’t say I wanted to hear such things. Cease your suspicious behaviour.”

With an angry frown, Vileena turned away.

''Oh my…''

Although Theresia thought she was cute, that naturally didn’t come out of her mouth. But it was worth teasing her. So, because she would otherwise be bored daydreaming again, her slightly mischievous side came to surface.

“This Prince Gil has one utterly curious side to him, doesn’t he?” Theresia said, feigning ignorance. She didn’t seem to notice Vileena glaring her way, either.

“I really haven’t decided what to think of him,” she continued. “Strangely enough, he has the attitude of someone who knows the world, but unbecoming of royal family he – how to say this correctly – sometimes still seems to speak like a child. Oddly, it’s something I worry about. Whether or not he will become a good husband, I’m certain he’s not the type that would fit into the Garberan court, right?”

“I guess he’s just a fool. Judging from all the rumours I’ve heard, it’s not such a big surprise,” Vileena said curtly. “As an enemy, he’s manageable. But it’s true I have to know a lot more details. They say that, in a battle, intelligence is everything, or so grandfather told me.”

“A battle?”

“Yes, a battle so that no more blood will be shed.”

In the days after their arrival at Idoro, Orba did not change for the better. There was hardly anything he could do until the reinforcements arrived from the capital. With his own country still negotiating with the Garberan side, no more than coming to conclude matters, there was nothing he could decide on without permission.

The fortress of Idoro was known to be strong, although it was a little less daunting than Zaim. The ramparts surrounding the urban areas around the fort were laid out in several layers, making it look like a maze. Walking around there in a sightseeing mood, Orba currently had to bring a lot of people along with him.

With his head thinking about the campaign, he was reminded of the skirmishes between the groups he experienced during his childhood, and that he had no more than the knowledge gained from things like hero stories. In any case, even though Orba had to continue being a body double, not for Mephius’ or the crown prince’s sake, but for his own sake, the state of both his head and feet were truly unsteady.

There were also other worries.

One evening, when he walked through the city, he saw that a crowd had formed. On the other side, sword-slaves were being made to walk, hauled off by around ten guardsmen. Their destination was Idoro’s detention facilities.

Despite Ryucown’s treason having come to the surface, and having cleared away the doubts that they were directly involved in the event, this was no excuse for Tarkas having been used for the prince’s assassination, and it seemed to have taken form in having the ownership of his slaves taken away. To make matters worse, the lord of Idoro was known to be the possessor of an extremely cruel disposition toward slaves.

“Lately there’s been rumours that, in order to raise the troop’s morale, all slaves are going to have their heads cut off in front of the soldiers,” Dinn further explained, shuddering.

The gladiators weren’t close friends. On the contrary, even though they’d shared their meals, they also had the kind of relationship that there would be no doubt or hesitation if they were instructed to kill each other on the next day.

But foremost, Orba’s anger was at the nobles who controlled lives and destinies as they wished, so that they truly were not treated the same as the people surrounding them.

“Personal guards under direct command?”

Orba had heard about it at the morning of their third day stay. Dinn had carelessly slipped his tongue while he was helping out with breakfast.

The imperial family, who were authorized to command the army, were able to directly choose their personal guard. The possibility to be chosen as part of the imperial guard was popular among the sons of nobles, with the exception of the eldest sons who would have lose their right of inheritance, but it was also possible to choose people not from such a status, and even give them the position of officer. Prince Gil was given that authority at the age of fifteen, but Dinn said he had not specially employed it.

That evening, Orba left for the detention camp, passing many staircases, for the multiplexed structural arrangement of this fortress was made so to keep the whole of public eye at a distance. A hundred gladiators were tucked away in a cramped room. They looked left and right in confusion at the prince’s sudden appearance, which he thought wouldn’t be so strange if Kain hadn’t been working on an escape plan for the night, and laughed inwardly. Even now, he was cunningly working with dexterous fingers, attempting to escape.

“What!? Are you serious, Orba!?”

Gowen unintentionally raised his voice, before Shique blocked his mouth.

“Yeah, I’m serious.”

“What made you think of something so brash?” Shique, as expected of him, spoke in a hushed voice, but his face looked shocked. “If this is true, don’t you think the people around you will be more suspicious of your true identity.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve been collecting information about the prince. He’s just a huge idiot, and doesn’t even listen to other people’s advice. Actually, this is just the kind of thing such a dim-witted prince would do. I’m thrilled you want to save yourselves, but I’d like to make the gladiators my own personal guards.”

Because the investigation was still going on, Tarkas himself was left in the building, but all of the remaining gladiators were made into Gil Mephius’ personal guards. The company-employed blacksmith who carried out the armour’s repairs, and the girl entrusted in taking care of the dragons, Hou Ran, were also granted the status of Imperial Guard.

One official paper, marked with a sign in the prince’s handwriting, as he was taught by Dinn in these past few days, fully sufficed.
When Fedom found out afterwards, he was obviously in a fit of anger. However, Orba made a face as if to say ‘is something the matter?’.

“Well, now I’ve already done it. When the real prince replaces me in the future, he can undo it or expel them if he wants to. Until then – let’s see – we’re okay on horses and dragons, but could you prepare weapons and armour for them? The ones from the company are all just second-hands. I also want several guns exclusive to the Imperial Guard.”

“Bastard! Mind you – I will remember all of this! Don’t do any more unnecessary things. You can’t even breathe freely without having my direct permission. Don’t forget that your life fully rests on how I feel about you.”

“That feeling’s mutual.”

“What did you say!?”

Despite Dinn anxiously fidgeting around between the two of them, Orba gave Fedom a sharp look.

“You should’ve understood that, right? But fine… I also don’t want to drive myself into a corner any more than necessary. I’ll leave my selfishness up to this extent. Instead, I’ll ask you for the equipment.”

“You mongrel…”

Fedom’s anger, seemingly about to faint anytime soon, also directing his glare at Dinn, and Orba was about to dismiss the grand noble from his room.

“As for tomorrow, you’ll do anything I say even if it’s a depressing play. Don’t let me receive a scolding because of you before the first battle – after that you can get carried away and do whatever you want. So, I’m going! You’ll be occupied, don’t you think?”


''Interesting…''

After driving Fedom out, with now Dinn’s scolding going in one ear and out the other, Orba had this thought for the first time since coming into this situation.

In any case, he was the crown prince. While there were many inconveniences, as a commoner he could act as he pleased and do what he liked. Placing gladiators directly under his control as soldiers for instance, although looking back, he couldn’t honestly say that he’d saved from the nobles. But there was also his intention in wanting to know how much was he able to do, and for how long his self-proclaimed owner, Fedom, would permit this pet dog’s ‘biting habits’.

''Even if I find out, I suppose I should be a little bit more careful.''

If Fedom directly saw Orba as a dangerous person, he would probably lose all of this small freedom he currently had. Perhaps even his life. And if that was over, there would’ve been no use to playing those antics.

Two days later, the expeditionary forces arrived from the capital. It had been decided Prince Gil would lead the troops.

Two dragonstone air carriers, 50 dragoons, 150 horsemen, and 500 foot soldiers – a considerable amount to be entrusted to a supreme commander on his first campaign.

The populace packed together at the main street as the troops came striding in, and Orba was looking down at them from the castle balcony. As the airships flew in the sky, the clattering of armour sounded, and a forest of spears and rifles formed in a line, it felt exactly like a scene from the historical novels or heroic tales he’d feasted on during his childhood.

Entranced by that gallant display, Orba’s eyes were gleaming like that of a boy. If seen by his companions from his time as a gladiator, he was certain that they wouldn’t be able to believe he was the same person, and not just because he no longer had a mask.

After that, doing as Fedom told him to, Orba went out to meet them at the castle square. But when his eyes made contact with the flagship’s captain, who had become a great general of long service, at the centre of his troops, the joy and excitement from his childhood vanished at once.

=== Part 2 ===

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| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
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</noinclude>

Talk:Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter5

2013-07-31T16:42:45Z

Shirofune:

I'll start out by opening two things for discussion. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]] ([[User talk:Dohma|talk]]) 07:32, 23 July 2013 (CDT)

'''Orba, not losing out in being irritated...''' (オルバも負けず苛立っていたのは) 
I can’t find a good English equivalent. What it means is that Orba didn’t lose from Fedom in being irritated. Is there a better way to put this?

'''“Theresia, how old did you become?”''' (テレジアは、いくつになったのだったか？) 
I first thought it was to be supposed Theresia's birthday or something, but it's a more polite way of saying 'how old are you?'. Basically 'how old have you become (over the years)'. If someone has a better way of saying it like this, please tell me.

:For the first, I would suggest "Orba, no less irritated"; also, as an incidental note, that would be 'didn't lose to Fedom in being irritated' rather than 'didn't lose from Fedom in being irritated'. For the second, I suspect "How old are you now?" is slightly better than 'How old are you?', as it preserves the 'acknowledgement of the other having been a different age at a previous meeting', whereas 'How old are you?' is more appropriate when meeting someone for the first time. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 08:04, 23 July 2013 (CDT)

Those are great suggestions Multipartite.[[User:Tasear|Tasear]] ([[User talk:Tasear|talk]]))

* I agree, thanks. I edited the text by your suggestions. --[[User:Dohma|Dohma]] ([[User talk:Dohma|talk]]) 09:18, 29 July 2013 (CDT)

I guess I should post the responses to your inlines here from now on. And what better way to take a break from translating than to edit! Well, Chapter 2 is......slowly coming along. --[[User:Detalz|Detalz]] ([[User talk:Detalz|talk]]) 20:43, 30 July 2013 (CDT) 
'''Thinking it was surely important for people to look at oneself, something seemed to trouble her heart.''' Raw: 振り返ればあれは確かに本人たちにとっては大事だったのだと思える悩みに胸を焦がす、美しい少女の姿。
*振り返る is a conjugated verb meaning 'to turn around, to turn one's head'. Here's a rough translation from my part, "It was apparent to anyone who so much as turned around that she was worriedly longed for something precious to her; it was the form of a beautiful girl." (Note: You might have moved 'beautiful girl' part to the previous sentence.)

''“Well… when you reach the latter half of your forties, you eventually stop counting. Then it’s natural to look forward to continue on at that age forever.”''
*There's nothing wrong here, but consider using 'normal' in place of 'natural' for certain instances of 当然. It might be me, but the author overuses it more than necessary.

'''“As for tomorrow, you’ll do anything I say even if it’s a depressing play. Don’t let me receive a scolding because of you before the first battle – after that you can get carried away and do whatever you want. So, I’m going! You’ll be occupied, don’t you think?”'''
*Pretty sure it's Orba, and not Fedom speaking. That's why you're so confused. I recommend "Scoot scoot. You're a busy man, right?" for the last two sentences.

Sorry to bother everyone. "But when his eyes made contact with flagship’s captain" This is what the original reads. I believe that it should read "But when his eyes made contact with the flagship’s captain" because the word "flagship" isn't the name of the ship it needs the definite article "the". Please correct me if I'm wrong. - [[User:shirofune|shirofune]]

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter4

2013-06-20T13:30:48Z

Shirofune: /* Part 3 */

{{Incomplete|percentage=81}}
== Chapter 4: At Seirin Valley ==

=== Part 1 ===

As far as Simon Rodloom was concerned, Fedom, the Lord of Birac, showed no signs of a change of heart.

Despite the council having become a more nominal existence due to strengthening of the Imperial household’s authority, Simon was still a leading aristocrat. He grasped the movements of the other nobles to some extent, their principles and claims, and also intended to understand their situation.

According to Simon’s insights, Fedom was clearly one of the anti-imperial faction.

He had persuaded the emperor, who actually wanted to continue the war with Garbera, and as the leader of the group promoting the peace negotiations, he had built up support for himself amongst the Imperial Court. Although, for a leader, his slight wisdom was partly insufficient, he was much better compared to the other group of corrupted nobles.

However, that Fedom was definitely acting strange. Since last night’s party – no, ever since they headed out for Seirin Valley – he had for some reason been sticking close to Prince Gil, just like a wet nurse poking her nose into people’s business here and there.

''Did he say he’d educate the prince, just to raise him into a puppet doing his will?''

That thought passed through his mind, but wasn’t it a little too late to take such actions now?

Incidentally, it was also related to the prince himself. As far as he knew, Prince Gil and Fedom should have hardly exchanged any words. When the prince hung around with his young friends, Simon had always heard him call the man ‘that manipulative wannabe swine’ behind his back.

How come he seemed to generously accept Fedom’s sudden intimacy or – even worse – seemed to rely on him?

Aside from making sure by meeting with the prince in private, there was a lot of work left for Simon. A delegation from the Principality of Ende had also rushed in for congratulations, although it was unusual that they decided to only a week ago. At first, there had also been talks of Ende and Garbera forming a bond by engaging royal partners, but it had probably been just one of the many things Ende and Garbera had in mind. Simon was pressed to welcome them.

But somewhere else,

“That ungrateful bastard, Orba!”

It was Tarkas, rudely snorting and prowling about in the room.

Even if he’d come over so abruptly, when he thought of the Mephius’ nobleman Fedom’s sudden visit, why had he bought Orba without asking for consent?

“The one who raised him was me! Shit, he was just about to earn his pay as a working swordsman, when of all things he had to be snatched away by some noble…!”

“We do not understand it either, though.”

He had summoned Shique, Gowen and Gilliam, his main swordsmen, at a private room inside the cliffs, established for Tarkas’s use. They were here because he had to change the pairings of the competition due to Orba’s sudden departure.

“So why was it decided that Orba had to suddenly be pulled out? Although that kid may be a good swordsman, he was the so-called spearhead of the games to celebrate the wedding. If he simply wanted to purchase Orba for his abilities, I think they should’ve made him participate in the fights.”

“I would also like to know – that shithead!” Tarkas said. “Even though he was bought by a noble, he could've at least offered himself up for the last battle as a favour. That son of a bitch!”

“Maybe it’s because we were supposed to kill each other. I’ll surely celebrate his new life, but I can’t get used to this feeling, and I’m bothered about him leaving without a single word.”

“Oh, Gilliam. Does even a man like you get lonely when one of his acquaintances leaves?”

“Shut it, Shique! I just regret that I haven’t settled things with that guy!”

“Well, it can’t be helped that he isn’t here. Let’s consider making some exciting pairings,” Gowen said in order to calm everyone down.

Naturally, he also felt a bit strange lately.

He had no time to figure out what had happened. He had to take a look at the condition of the newcomers Tarkas had bought, and because this was different from the usual procedure, he also had to review every single swordsman.

However, something that faintly weighed on Gowen’s mind was whether Orba, who had been looking forward to a future even when his mind and body got beaten down, was now living in that very same future.

While people were busily moving about around him, former gladiator Orba seemed to have time to spare, being practically left on his own.
Being tasked as a body double was fine, but he couldn’t talk unless Fedom whispered the words to him, like ventriloquism.

''It’s strange...''

These nobles had snatched away his brother to be a soldier. Not only had they abandoned their village but, of all things, the nobility had aimed its blades at its own citizens and had taken Alice away, causing him to fall into a life of slavery and making him wear that mask.

It might be because of a whim of fate, but none other than one of those Mephian nobles suddenly plucked Orba out of his life of slavery and ordered him to become a substitute for one of leading figures in the imperial family.

Theft, extortion and illegal gun trading – having lived off sipping water from the gutter, he couldn’t help but think he was a laughingstock for the crown prince. Although the fact that he still didn’t know what another day might bring was similar to being a slave.

However – being on the other side of those black plastered streets – perhaps now he could expect to find one spot, yes, just one spot of light. When he becomes the prince’s body double, he’ll have the opportunity to come in contact with leading figures, other than Fedom of course. It wouldn’t be so strange to find the one who burned down his village – General Oubary – among them.

Although Orba had been hit on his head back then and had only seen him for a moment with a dazed glance, for all those two years he’d been a sword-slave, he hadn’t forgotten his face for even a day. Even now it vividly came back to him in his mind.

“Gil-sama.”

''If we meet again.''

''I wonder what I should do then.''

The boy swordsman, who had his mask removed, continued sinking in ceaseless thoughts. He would think of a way to give the guy the most miserable death possible, as long as it was conceivable in this world. Besides, if he was able to meet up with Oubary, he could trace back the lines to the time he got separated from Alice and his mother. Also, although he himself did not expect too much of it – for he couldn’t wish for the unimaginable over and over again and virtually hope for a miracle – if he found other people recruited as soldiers by Oubary, they might know something about his brother Roan’s whereabouts.

“Gil-sama, Prince. Prince Gil!”

“Eh?”

Being spoken to in such a firm voice, Orba looked to his side.

Princess Vileena was sitting at a distance not too far from him. She was in front of the altar, at the place where the valley was at its deepest, looking out over the area. Only Vileena and Orba were sitting in chairs, with a stalwart group of soldiers surroundings them, while at the front of the altar, priests were chanting hymns of prayer and blessing.

“What is it you’re thinking of?”

“Nothing,” Orba replied curtly.

It wasn’t possible for Fedom to be around him during the ceremony, so he’d told him to ‘say nothing’ in the meantime. Turning his face forward, he pretended to be concentrating on the ceremony.

“That’s a lie,” Vileena decided, also in a curt manner.

''What…? A lie?''

The timing was so excellent that Orba couldn’t ignore it, and he again gave the princess of the Kingdom of Garbera a glance.

She was again wearing a dress, but a different one from yesterday’s party, and she wore an informal tiara on her head. This close, it surprised him. Although she seemed like only a little girl the first time they met face to face, when she turned aside with a serious look every once in a while, she looked really mature.

He wondered if it was because of her clear-cut features, although Orba thought her face looked much like a doll’s. At the moment, except for being from a different birth, she seemed almost the same as Orba. Only moving when told to, and only speaking when told to by someone else.

Indeed, when he thought about it, that was what this wedding was all about. Even though she was only fourteen years old, in contrast to her true wishes, she has to become the wife of a man she only first met yesterday, and was of a former enemy country to boot. Although he couldn’t get himself to feel sympathy for someone like her, who was born in a royal family, she seemed to have various hardships of her own as well.

''So, it’s the same for everyone.''

He suddenly remembered that voice.

''– Nobody knows what kind of person he’ll be. Everybody longs for a world they don’t know, and pursue a meaning in life for which they’ve been born – even if he’s a priest, or royalty.''

''It was just like Roan said'', Orba groaned deep inside.

“You really ''are'' lost in thought.”

When she once again spoke to him out of the blue, Orba impolitely replied with the words,

“So what?”

Vileena chuckled.

“For quite a while, I thought you had frightening eyes at times, but now you seem to smile, thinking of something pleasant. Please tell me, you who are about to become my husband – what is it that troubles you on such a fine day, and what on earth is this matter you can’t help but remember?”

The ceremony went on. They had grilled a dragon they just killed this morning, and while they scattered the bones across the base of the valley, the priests chanted their prayers. They called for the souls of the dragons that once ruled this planet to protect the country’s prosperity.

“Could it be that the Ryuujin, if they come back, may not necessarily give this place their blessings?”

Back when humankind landed on this planet, the dragons only roamed the fields and thought of nothing but filling their stomachs, in short, they had degenerated to being on the same level as beasts.

However, they excavated the ruins of enormous cities and artefacts of unknown purpose here and there on the planet, and there also seemed to be traces of a magical civilization that possibly used some form of ''ether''<ref>It's called 'ether', but the author uses the characters for 'Elementary' and 'Magic'</ref>. Humankind was able to wield their first ‘magic’, Zodias, after a while, and this blessing of wisdom was said to have all been obtained from these dragons’ ruins. It was believed that the ancient dragons formed the intelligent body that once governed this planet, probably thousands of years before humankind ultimately arrived.

The custom to call those dragons of old ‘Dragon Gods’ or ‘Ryuujin’ was particularly Mephian, and there was a time it was the religious faith in all of the country. Although it’s now a mere shadow of its former self, for important rituals like these, the priest who presided over the ceremony was selected and summoned from one of the tribes of nomads living in the area near the Mephian border, where the roots of the Ryuujin Faith lay.

“Like I said, it’s nothing.”

Again, Orba briefly ended the conversation.

He had received a brief explanation from the page, Dinn, concerning the history of the Ryuujin Faith, but naturally he didn’t feel too strongly about it. So, he wasn’t able to tell whether Vileena had been joking or not.

''If the real prince’s and this girl’s relations grows awkward after this, I won’t be taking responsibility for it, Fedom-sama.''

On the other hand, Vileena finally gave a sigh, getting lost in her own thoughts. For Garbera, the dragons having a civilization equal to or greater than that of the humans in the past was viewed upon as nothing more than a ‘dragon god’ legend. Therefore she could not experience this ceremony as something sacred. And although she had gotten carelessly and completely bored, when she glanced at the person next to her, Prince Gil – the one who would become her husband when this ceremony was finally over – she couldn’t help but be distracted. So, to slightly stave off her boredom, she tried to tease him a little. But, possibly revealing his ‘true character’, although she tried her best to look like a lady, the prince was genuinely blunt. Not only that, his brief way of talking really got on her nerves.

She wondered if it was because he was embarrassed. During last night’s party, she hadn’t caught wind of his behaviour being resentful against women either. But when she thought he might be a bit like Ryucown, Vileena felt offended by herself. There was no way the bravest general of Garbera resembled someone who was rumoured to be a complete ‘retard’ here in Mephius.

''In any case, this is the same thing as war. To fool the enemy, I have to keep up the pace in this place.''

Vileena maintained her smile, pretending not to be offended. She hoped the prince would fall madly in love with her. However, if he had some sort of love affair with a distant girl, well, she didn’t know whether or not it would be the result. Anyway, it wouldn’t be a problem if she kept smiling.

''Grandfather also told me that he loved my smiling face above all. So in that case, I shouldn’t be mistaken.''

The priests’ tedious prayers would be over soon, and then the sword-slave battles would finally take place.

It was said to be part of the ceremony that, when the dragon bones have turned to ash and are poured over the ground, the lifeblood of men is given. Nevertheless, what they did was hardly any different from your everyday gladiator battles. The only difference was that the introductory remarks were slightly more formal than usual. The arena, a levelled ground at the bottom of the valley with only some pillars staked into the earth, was even simpler than the usual.

There, the gladiators were standing in rows to the east and west sides. Orba recognized Tarkas, Gowen, and a lot of other faces he knew, and an unusually boyish smile appeared on his face.

''I doubt those guys would even imagine I’m right here.''

Although Tarkas was probably furious about him having left so suddenly, exactly because it happened so soon, it wouldn’t occur to him that he’d be looking down from such a high position.

Vileena, on the other hand, despite having been informed of this earlier, was looking on with gloomy thoughts about slaves having to kill each other hereafter. There was no slavery in Garbera, which was the main reason they spoke ill of Mephius as a country of barbarians.

''Unsatisfied with the war, have they wilfully made a show of looking down on slaves and forcing them to kill each other?''

When the divination was over, the first group of people stepped forward. The movements of the gladiators were somewhat awkward, but perhaps it was because of the unfamiliar environment up until the end of the first round, namely, until the loser was turned into a sprawled corpse on the ground.

In Garbera and Ende, with restrictions on slave companies active in the entertainment industry, there wasn’t an opportunity to see a gladiator fight. So, although the envoys had been prejudiced at first, and although it looked like they might have been enraged as the sound of clashing swords ran about, before long, they ended up bending over the stands, clenching their fists tight, giving cheers along with the people of Mephius, and started giving their applause.

Vileena soon got sick of it. Then, thinking of His Lordship, she again peeked to her side. When she saw a huge, grinning smile on his face, Vileena again felt a renewed disappointment appear. No matter how she looked at it, he clearly enjoyed seeing them kill each other from the bottom of his heart. She had assumed that he would like it, but not to this extent.

Suddenly, she was no longer able to restrain her feelings. The once disdainful feelings for her partner had turned into emotional disgust. It all happened so sudden, and she herself was actually quite perplexed. She was again reminded of how she, until just now, had to constantly try to subdue her emotions. Even though she was the princess of a country who had said she would give priority to her own nation before herself, she was only fourteen years old.

''I can’t, I can’t!''

Vileena strongly clutched her fists in her lap.

''This, too, is a battle. This, too, is a trail, Vileena. My body was given a push in the back and sent forward. I can’t let my spirit lose its strength like this.''

Shique stepped forward at the arena. The cheers concentrated on this unique gladiator, with a decadent white-painted face. Looking at his opponent, however… Orba raised his eyebrows.

''He’s…''

For some reason, it was one of the newcomers Tarkas had hired in his good mood. Taking Shique’s skills into consideration, it was obvious this opponent wasn’t suitably matched. Even if he was able to liven up the battle, Tarkas had struck a bad deal. This would be over in an instant.

Shique readied his trademark dual swords. Both were single-bladed swords of middle length. The newcomer nervously stood ready on the other side. This would be over within the blink of an eye – or so Orba thought at the time.

But while he thought this, he heard a loud rumbling through the ground, which practically shook violently under his feet. During that lapse in time, a dense cloud of dust swelled up on the other side of the arena.

Those soldiers who looked up at the dust, towards whatever it was, were the first to fall victim. Although they’d gathered around the arena carrying spears and guns, they also hadn’t expected such a sudden occurrence, and were crushed to death underneath a dragon’s forelegs. As soon as the clots of blood painted the ground bright red, a scaled dragon, tinged with slime here and there, emerged from the cloud of dust. The huge-shaped mass was basically stepping forward.

It was a large-type dragon, Sozos. Chains were supposed to be tie to its feet and naturally it should have also be locked up in a cage, but the dragon had become a freed creature, and even more of them appeared all at once.

“Wh-Whaahh!!”

One soldier, stunned by the death of his colleagues, fired his readied gun. The moment he removed his aim, a sharp claw about three times his height swung down on his body and he immediately splattered into a heap of flesh on the ground. Then the other soldiers who were near him, shrieked like women, dropped their guns, and started running away. Their screams and shouts began to sound much like the rumbling in the ground.

“W-What, what’s going on?”

“Why are the dragons on a rampage?”

A large number of people started bellowing at each other underneath their tents. The dragons that were to be used by the gladiators had broken through their cages and were rampaging about. There were some people who picked up swords and guns and headed for the guards, some who ran as fast as they could, and some who spread instructions to their subordinates – mixed in with a lot of other people.

Orba stood up from his chair. For a moment he couldn’t see Shique’s figure from under the cover of the dust cloud. Then one of the gladiators, the one who was the next to go, got kicked hard by a Baian. And another, someone from the Tarkas Group who tried to recklessly lunge at their bellies, got trampled under a Sozos.

Then, he spotted a single, small silhouette among those dragons. It was Hou Ran. She was probably running around in tears trying to stop the dragons. There were several times when she barely escaped being kicked around by the dragons’ legs.

''Lend me a gun.''

Orba came close to shouting those words and taking a rifle from one of the guards. However, he was interrupted halfway as he suddenly he felt a sharp pain at a certain spot on his forehead.

“Ah!”

Guided by impulse and not by reason, Orba quickly concealed his body under the table. Something was flying overhead, high in the sky, at a great speed. Someone with the intent to kill. As it took form, he had a feeling that it was aiming for the ground.

''A sniper!''

Blended in with the sound of the dragon’s feet, the raised screams of the people, and the angry voices, was most definitely the sound of a rifle’s gunshot that rattled his eardrums.

=== Part 2 ===

In the blink of an eye, the arena down below was covered in a cloud of dust. Seeing the turmoil in front of her, which was much like a battlefield, Vileena jumped out of her seat.

Able to see the the rampaging dragons and the many people falling victim to them, her eyes were reflexively trying to look for an airship. If she could cut in from the sky, she might be able to draw the dragons’ attention. There certainly had to be an old-type scouting ship among the number of crafts in the Mephian defence force.

“Hey, you, don’t come any further!”

“How rude, out of all the people that came here, just who – wahh!”

A disturbance occurred among the guards who were standing in an organized line. It wasn’t because of the dragons’ disturbance. There was a man who was running away, aiming straight for them, and although two soldiers tried to hold him back, they were cut down in no time.

''Who the—!?''

She meant to speak, but a lump of saliva got caught in her throat. Getting a glimpse of the bloodied sword, she recognized him for the man that should have been fighting in the arena just now. The Garberan princess barely dodged a single blow swung down from the side. However, tripping over the hem of her long dress, she fell down.

The other guards, distracted by the rampaging dragons, were moving about all over the place. Vileena nimbly rolled over on the ground and snatched a gun from the waist of a soldier who’d been cut down. Sparks jumped out before her. The steel blade had dug into the ground but, within a short interval, he swung it down again.

Vileena’s vision was fixed on the point of the sword, as if she just fallen to the brink of the dark shadow of death. Then, suddenly, a single sword came down from the side, stopping the blow.

“Your opponent is me.”

The words came from behind the man – it was the gladiator who had been fighting him a while ago. His red lips formed into a mysterious smile.

“As soon as the dragons appeared, you headed straight this way. Who are you?”

“Bastard!”

The man shouted in a hoarse voice, without releasing his grip, he rotated his body and pulled out a dagger from his waist. With a movement quick enough to stir up a wind, he aimed for the gladiator’s chest. However, that gladiator – Shique – tilted his shoulders. He swept aside the dagger with his other sword, and thrust his first sword into the man’s chest.

When the man collapsed in front of her with a surprised look in his eyes, Vileena heaved a sigh.

''An assassin…''

It felt like cold hands had taken a hold on her heart. And then, suddenly realizing the situation, she looked over at Prince Gil’s side. He was jumbled together with several other people, hiding under a table. Only his face peeped out, quietly observing the state of his surroundings. Although his safety was most definitely important, it couldn’t be helped that her sense of disappointment in him only grew. When his fiancée had been attacked just now, this man had been quivering all by himself.

Then Vileena accidentally got startled, because Gil looked her way. There was not a hint of fear in his eyes, rather…

“Princess, get over here and lie down,” Gil – although, it was of course actually Orba – suddenly said.

He half-forcingly pulled at a bewildered Vileena’s arm and, after he made her lie down on her stomach like him, called out Shique’s name.
The gladiator froze over with genuine surprise. Seeing him so flabbergasted, Orba was driven by the urge to make a joke, despite the current situation.

“I’m a fan of yours,” he said. He then immediately gave a serious look. “The dragons are only a diversion. There must be a sniper aiming for us here. Find out where he is.”

“Ha, hahah...”

Suddenly being spoken to in person by the prince of his country, although he was basically given an order, even baffled Shique. Orba, however, continued without concern anyway.

“Also inform Gowen to let anyone who can fight lend a hand.”

Shique started running, quick to come to action, although he turned his head every now and then. He started running past the dragons that were going mad with blood and devouring several people. While making sure to guard his back, Orba peeked out from under the table. And immediately drew back in again. He repeated the movement several times, until a gunshot also reached Vileena’s ears for the first time.

''A lure?''

She realized that thought with a flash. He’d purposely exposed his body like that to invite the enemy’s gunfire, so that the gladiator named Shique could learn of the enemy’s position. This prince – just what was his true face?

A Sozos climbed up through the mayhem in the valley and was approaching their location.

“Your Highness, Princess! This way!”

Two men rushed in among the guards. Finally someone who acted in the right state of mind had come for them. Orba also decided it was a good time to leave. He stood up and led Vileena by the hand. She didn’t go against him and followed suit.

Orba was running. Maybe he had expected something like this to happen, because he had to act as a double. But right now, he didn’t have the time to think of that. Although he was worried about the safety of the gladiators, Orba decided that, considering that the gunshots had ceased, they were probably all right.

Orba and Vileena, holding each other’s hands, looked over their shoulders several times, as they rushed into a cave underneath the cliffs, led by the soldiers.

“Get into this hidden passage for now. It leads to the other side of the cliffs.”

When the soldier struck one of the pillars in the cave with his fist, the side of the steep cliff wall rotated, opening a space where only one person could pass.

“Go, hurry,” they urged the princess on.

The moment Vileena’s body was pushed inside, the wall somehow rotated again behind her.

“Huh?”

She raised her voice and turned her back when there was only darkness in front of her. There wasn’t a single lamp inside the cave, and although she looked for a switch, she couldn’t find it in the hidden passage. Furthermore, she heard voices on the other side of the wall in some kind of argument.

Surely the enemy hadn’t planned an ambush? – she soon thought.

“Princess Vileena!”

A voice called out to her from behind. Again there were two soldiers in armour, and came from the other side of the passage carrying lamps. However, they weren’t dressed in Mephian gear.

“Princess, make haste over here. A ship is coming to pick you up.”

“Ship? What do you mean by ship?”

“It’s a ship that has come to take you away from these savage lands, to a place more suitable for someone of your noble lineage.”

“You guys…”

While the Vileena was struck with a certain foreboding feeling, something like a gunshot roared from the other side of the thick wall.

It was in the instant Vileena entered the hidden passage.

“Hey, what’s going on!?”

Several soldiers who seemed to be guarding the inside of the cliffs came their way. Then one of the soldiers who had guided Orba quickly struck the pillar again, leaving Vileena alone in the passage she’d entered.

“''We'' don’t know either. But it’s going well.”

As he spoke, he pulled and fired a gun from his back.

Almost at the same time as the guard up front collapsed with a spray of blood, the other soldier was about to lunge into their flanks with a drawn sword. Without having the time to accept the sudden challenge, one soldier, and yet another one, got cut down.

Orba was standing with his back against the wall, watching over this sudden bewildering development. This didn’t look like some internal discord. With the thought that Vileena was in the hidden passage all alone, it was likely that the soldiers who had guided Orba here were involved with the dragon rampage and the sniping.

Orba gently leaned over, and took a sword from a fallen soldier. He concealed it behind his back for the time being, as the battle before him ended.

“Worthless,” the soldier who’d fired the gun said and turned around to face Orba. “What should we do with the prince here?”

“Let’s keep him hostage. Get over here, you!”

The soldier holding the sword held out his hand. It was the same hand that belonged to the one who, due to the element of surprise, had killed six soldiers in an instant. Not wearing a helmet, his face was beaming with haughtiness.

“W-Who… are you people?”

Trembling, Orba edged sideways with his back against the wall. The two had sneers on their faces, covered with their victims’ blood.

“Hmph, I didn’t know the prince of the Great Imperial Dynasty was this pathetic. After all, he can’t do a thing without his many retainers by his side.”

“A guy like this would become the Vileena-sama’s husband? Ridiculous. He’d sully Garbera’s prestigious blood. Now, Prince Halfwit of Mephius, come!”

Orba screamed and ran away from the man’s outstretched arm.

“I don’t have time to play. Now, if you don’t come quickly.”

As the soldier chased after him with mocking laughter, Orba promptly turned around, and cut him right up front with the sword he’d been hiding. Leaving a trail of blood and an accompanying scream, he jumped over his fallen opponent and quickly stabbed at shoulder of the flustered man holding the gun.

“B-Bastard.”

He drove the pommel of his sword into the man’s face who collapsed on his knees and he fainted.

Then, from the opposite side of the cave, other guardsmen from Mephius showed up. They’d probably caught the sounds of the disturbance. Orba quickly explained to them the circumstances – and ordered them to bind up the unconscious enemies.
After that, he urged them to open up the hidden passage, but it took him quite some time and effort because the soldier in charge wasn’t there.

''I hate enemies who stay hidden and gather knowledge.''

Time was precious. Without fully knowing the reason behind his impatience, Orba privately clicked his tongue.

Several minutes after Vileena had disappeared into the hidden passage, they finally opened the door.

The first thing Orba heard was the sound of men and a woman struggling with each other.

As expected, if he could say so, men were holding Vileena on both sides and trying to drag her along through the narrow cave passage.

“Unhand me, you insolents!”

Vileena’s voice left the trail of an echo throughout the narrow cave. The Mephian guardsmen set out ahead of Orba.

“Who’s there? Where are you taking the princess?”

“Stupid Mephian savages! Don’t you get it!?”

As the enemy soldier answered back, he pulled out a pistol. The Mephian soldier was about to counter-attack immediately, but,

“Wait, you’ll hit the princess!”

Orba took command as he tried to lay low. In that instant, suddenly something unbelievable occurred.

Having lost her restraints on one side from the man holding the gun, Vileena lightly jumped up and raised one foot from her dress. Taking in the brunt of the force from her foot, the gun dropped from the soldier’s hand. Quickly recovering from his initial shock, Orba made a quick decision.

“Now—! Don’t use guns, charge!”

In response to Orba’s orders, the soldiers armed themselves with swords and spears and rushed into the other party.

Although one of them showed signs of fighting back, in the blink of an eye he was overwhelmed by the Mephian force.

“Draw back, draw back!”

Eventually they commenced their escape, leaving the princess in place.

The Mephian soldiers raised cries of war and chased after them, but it was a narrow cave after all. One Garberan soldier came to a halt and started rapidly firing at them, making them lose their joint effort as they had to take cover here and there. Providing cover for his allies thus, when his bullets inevitably ran out, he removed a knife from his pocket, jabbed it into his own neck, and finished himself off.

Orba hadn’t witnessed these details to the very end. The rest was an issue between Mephius and Garbera, where he himself was unrelated. Aside from that, the safety of the people he knew weighed on his mind and he followed the road all the way back through the cave.

When he came back, the disturbance had settled a bit. The dragons were lying with their long necks on the ground, or leaning against the huge slopes in the valley, spewing out blood. They had sunk beneath the gunfire of the sword-slaves, including Gowen, and the artillery the Mephian soldiers had brought out. Having played quite an active role, Gilliam and Shique’s swords were wet with vast amounts of blood, and their muscles heaved along with rough breaths.

However, the strained look didn’t leave their faces, rather, their looks were coated with a preparedness for death. This was hardly surprising, because the guns the Mephian soldiers had set up were currently pointing in the direction of the sword-slaves.

“What’s the meaning of this, Tarkas!?” a red-faced Fedom berated Tarkas.

The dragons suddenly going on a rampage had been brought along by the Tarkas Group, and several people had witnessed some of the sword-slaves pointing their swords at Gil and Vileena. Although Tarkas had a pale face and desperately told him he ‘didn’t know either’, Fedom didn’t have the ears to hear it. If he would have had a gun in his hands, he would’ve likely used it to shoot Tarkas on the spot.

Most of the sword-slaves were forced to disarm themselves, and had to cross both arms over their heads. However, there was confusion on the faces of even the guards pointing their guns. After all, the ones who’d fought back against the dragons first were none other than those slaves.

Still shrouded with dust, the smell of earth and gunfire abundant, there was confusion in the air.

“Wait!”

Orba stepped forward. The surprised soldiers holding the guns made way. Fedom glanced over at Orba and twisted the corners of his mouth.

“What? When you butt in like this—”

“Who are you speaking to? Don’t you recognize me, Fedom?”

Shutting his mouth with a start, Fedom gave him a disgruntled look. Seeing such a thing for the first time, Tarkas snickered.

“This man may be involved in a country-wide conspiracy. Maybe someone took advantage of him, right? I believe that the Mephians who hired these people without knowing a thing are also responsible. But we can’t say who. If I see anyone shift his responsibility and execute even one of of these sword-slaves without permission, I will have his head – I’ll take it off with my— ''our'' sword!”<ref>Orba actually corrects himself, using 余 (''yo''), a more dignified way of saying 'I', instead of his usual おれ (''ore''). Seeing as there's no better way to translate this correctly in English, the majestic plural is used here instead.</ref>

“I agree.”

Turning around, Orba raised his eyebrows in surprise. Vileena came walking up to them. She seemed to be wavering a little, but if you take in account the mayhem from a little while ago, you could say she was carrying herself rather firmly.

“Ah, princess!”

Her maid Theresia rushed over to her, probably having been worried about her all this time, and Vileena greeted her with a thin smile.

“Even though it was a gladiator that aimed for my life, the one that rescued me was the gladiator over there. We won’t be able to come to a simple conclusion with the current circumstances, will we?”

Although her dress was covered with sand, her face bore countless beads of sweat, and her braided hair had become frayed here and there, her pupils were filled with a clear purpose.

''Straight after such a commotion…''

Instead of being panicked, she was analysing things calmly. Until some time ago, he’d only seen this girl as a puppet, but it was only after she was injured and knocked about, that it roused his flesh and blood, and Orba actually felt that she was a person with the same beliefs as he had.

“Besides,” the foreign princess suddenly cast down her eyes and gnashed her teeth. “They were probably our Garbera’s— General Ryucown’s subordinates.”

That evening, Orba was in a single room inside the cliffs. It was the same room he’d spent his time in yesterday, as it was made appropriate for the Imperial Family to stay in.

While he didn’t grasp the full story behind the situation, they had judged it too dangerous to go back to a city in Mephian territory with only themselves for now. With their military power currently forming a line of defence in the valley, they were waiting for reinforcements to arrive from the city.

Of course, several people from Garbera, including Vileena, and the delegation from Ende were being confined in the valley as well. At any rate, the atmosphere had gotten complicated.

The moment the Mephian soldiers, who had chased the enemy down the hidden passage, had slipped out to the valley on the other side, they’d witnessed a dragonstone ship flying up into the air. It was a high-speed cruiser that could carry about ten people, and it had probably been waiting on the other side of the cliffs until just a while earlier. So they might have been planning to take Vileena?

Vileena had said these were ‘Ryucown’s actions’.

Ryucown was a great warrior from Garbera. Even Orba knew his name. It seemed only obvious to claim that this chain of disturbances was plotted by Garbera.

''However…''

Orba started thinking it over. If that ''had'' been Garbera’s doing, there were too many unnatural aspects.

“Gil-sama? Gil-sama!”

He was a little late to react to the voice calling out to him. The page, Dinn, had just placed several wine bottles and three glasses on the table. It was these items that told Orba everything.

“You’re still a little late in noticing, aren’t you?”

“I’ve never been called by that name, you know?” Orba said, shrugging his shoulders. “Names aside, the ‘sama’ doesn’t sit well either. It’s awkward. You don’t have to overdo it when there’s no one else around.”

“No. Anyone can keep an eye out, and you never know who’s straining his ears. Besides, I’m not such a skilled person either. So I’m not confident I can change my behaviour when it really matters if I don’t regularly keep calling you Prince Gil. You too. If you don’t get used to it – if you don’t constantly behave like a prince should – you might expose yourself when push comes to shove.”

The still twelve, thirteen-year-old boy answered, puffing up with a noble’s pride.

“Get used to it, huh?” Orba said, as he noticed the full-scale window that reached from the floor to the ceiling.

Because the curtains were drawn, he couldn’t look out over the valley. While the balcony was packed with soldiers on guard, because the balcony itself protruded directly from the cliff, he didn’t have to worry that they could hear their conversation.

That was when he remembered, and Orba smiled, thinking back. When Tarkas had been accused by Fedom, he’d offered some timely help, and afterwards, Tarkas had bowed over to him in gratitude many times over. He would never forget that hapless, tear-filled face for the rest of his life.

“Seeing the number of glasses, who are the guests coming over?”

Just when he was about to answer, the soldier guarding the other side of the door informed them he had visitors.

“Let them in.”

Being flanked by two soldiers on the left and right, two people came in that Orba had ordered to call over some time ago.

Entering quite timidly, probably due to surprise and nervousness, were the person in charge of training sword-slaves, Gowen, and the gladiator, Shique.

=== Part 3 ===

“Thank you for coming.”

Speaking up first, Orba acknowledged the two as they came into the room. Although he displayed a princely thin smile, naturally, in his heart, he couldn’t help but find their unusually abashed behaviour amusing. The normally fearless Gowen fumbled muttered words of greeting out of his mouth, which he could barely hear, and Shique kept staring around in wonder.

He realized that, most likely, they’d been like this ever since receiving an ‘invitation from the prince’, and Orba had a hard time to resist bursting out laughing any time soon.

Dinn was also equally surprised. He had thought either Fedom or another prominent Mephian figure would come in.

“Wait – what’s the meaning of this? I can’t have you invite gladiators without permission. If Fedom-sama finds out—”

“''I’m'' the prince, right? Can’t I do as I please? Or am I not allowed to talk with somebody without your approval?”

As he brought up again their earlier conversation about behaving like a prince at all times, Dinn couldn’t give a reply. By Orba’s command, he helplessly poured wine into their glasses, and treated the two visitors to a drink.

“These guys have worked well as sword-slaves. If it wasn’t for their efforts, I might not have been able to pick up this cup. We should hail them as national heroes!”

He raised his hand to put glasses together, the two nervously joined in. Enjoying his companions’ reactions, Orba slightly sipped his drink. It was essentially not so strong.

Because ‘Prince Gil’ didn’t quite seem to go onto the main subject, even though everybody grew more uncomfortable, Shique finally broke the ice. It looked like he unexpectedly had more guts that Gowen in this kind of situation.

“Although I thought it strange that you spoke to me earlier back then, how come you are f-familiar with our names?”

“You said you’re a fan,” Gowen said. “B-But I haven’t fought in the arena myself these past several years. Even back when I was a gladiator, I don’t recall having fights to be remembered so much. So, really, where Your Highness learned the name of someone like me…”


“Really, I’ve known,” Orba said, purposely grimacing. “Is it something so inconvenient that I know your names? Or does an outrageous thing, like a prince indulging himself in gladiator fights, go against your conscience?”

“N-No, never!”

“No, never mind. Drop it. I’ll give the instructions later.”

Although he didn’t know what these instructions were, Gowen’s face stiffened and Shique frantically took a step forward.

“Please forgive us, Your Highness. We are but lowly gladiators. We’re not used to a place like this, let alone know the proper etiquette when talking to people of royalty. We barely even know one language… If we have in some way offended you…”

Orba kept staring at the flustered Shique with cold eyes, but then,

“Kuh…”

Finally, he couldn’t bear it any longer and sputtered a laugh. He took another shot, and then Orba started clutching his stomach, laughing loudly. The two stared blankly at him.

Dinn turned pale, and kept rebuking him, saying “Prince, Prince!”. However Orba said, “Who’s this prince!?”, wiping the tears from his face and laughing once more.

“You still haven’t found out, Gowen? This is so unlike you! So you’re quicker with the sword than with words?”

Taking a smallsword hanging on the wall, he thrust it out right in front of Gowen’s eyes.

“Although I haven’t used it in the arena many times, it was you who taught me the basics of using a smallsword. Show refinement in your posture, strain your upper arms, but keep it supple from the elbow down – isn’t that so?”

He lightly thrust out the tip of his sword in a dance, performing his steps around Gowen. Shique then raised his voice in surprise. Orba gave him a wink, with a smirk on his face.

“Could it be – no, but – although his voice is quite similar… n-no, but…”

Orba took one step forward, aiming for Shique, who couldn’t seem to reach a decision. Shique easily moved his face away from the sword’s tip, swinging through the air. He took a step back on reflex.

“Will you allow me to scar your face? So it’ll become a bond between me and you?” Orba said, grinning.
Instead of Shique, who was moving his white throat, gulping up and down, Gowen raised his voice.


“Orba!?” he shouted recklessly.

The two sat at the table, taking in the shock, and it looked like not all doubts had been completely cleared away. They listened in astonishment as Orba explained how things had gotten this way. No one interrupted him in the meantime, and Dinn continued serving the three at the table with a half-sulky attitude.

“Hrm,” Gowen grunted. “I’ve been alive for many years and haven’t heard such an odd thing. But, without the mask, your face really does resemble the prince’s. Honestly, I already thought he was quite young, but didn’t think it was this much.”

“I thought about the same,” Shique said, having completely reverted back to his normal attitude. “Better yet, aren’t you more of a handsome man like this?”

Gowen shook his head.

“But is it all right to be so open about this with us? Isn’t this a state secret?”

“It isn’t,” Orba quickly said. “However, if I pretend to be a prince all on my own, I won’t have any breathing space, right? I thought at least you’d be able to keep your mouths shut.”

“Ohh?”

“What’s with those eyes?”

Receiving a squinted look from Shique, Orba uncomfortably turned his head to the side.

“Well, never mind. You’ll get used to my face.”

“No, that’s not it. Orba, it’s not that the mask’s been removed. Something in the atmosphere has changed, you know?”

“The atmosphere?”

“The gladiator in you, somehow, seems to have been crushed by something ‘invisible’ to the eye, yet your eyes seem to constantly be shining. While, among the gladiators who are mostly ruffians, you were apparently seen as some sort of dangerous person. You gave ‘em the chills. Now, however, even if there’s no reason for it, part of you seems to have completely lightened up.”

“Though, posing as the crown prince, I seem to carry this country’s weight on my back? You’re taking Mephius rather lightly.”

“Even so,” Shique said with a puzzling smile.


Strangely feeling like he was being treated like a child, Orba started to get a little irritated.

“Anyhow,” Gowen interjected. “If you’ve been trained as a body double before the wedding, does that mean they already expected a surprise attack like today on Mephius?”

Shique also turned serious and shook his head.

“That seems a little bit too strange, right? All of the Mephian soldiers were taken by surprise and were hardly able to deal with it. If the prince… I mean, Orba, hadn’t given those orders, we would’ve stayed in the confusion too, and both the prince and the princess could have been killed by the sniper, right?”

As expected from a swordsman with this much experience, he took a good look at the situation. Orba held out the wine bottle to Gowen, who had drained his cup.

“Ah.”

Raising his voice, Gowen gave a forced smile. He still was a little uneasy about this situation.

“Weren’t there any signs that Tarkas knew something?”

“N-Nah. He seems to persist that he didn’t know or was aware, but… that man isn’t the type to put on a false show. I fear it’s likely that he truly doesn’t know anything at all.”

“But the ones who were about to kill Princess Vileena, and shoot the two of you, were the newcomers that Tarkas had brought in. If I’d at least kept one of them alive…”

Shique curled his red lips. But he couldn’t have expected to arrest his opponents in the middle of the melee. There was only the one swordsman whom Orba had hit unconscious and tied up. Right now he was being interrogated, or possibly in the midst of torture.

“And Hou Ran? She’s so good at handling the dragons, if it’s her, she should know something about that rampage.”

“They say they’re questioning her about the drugs. Although it seemed that she let one of the newcomers take care of the dragons, it has credibility. But I’ve gotten a better opinion of Tarkas. Because she comes from a tribe of the Ryuujin Faith, and yet came to like handling the dragons, she was the number one person to doubt. And even though the provincial council finds it to be obvious that she applied the drugs, he continues to keep sticking up for Hou Ran.”

“So, when it comes to it, Tarkas can be an good guy?”

“According to Tarkas, after he was to be the presenting gladiatorial group, he was approached by a merchant who offered considerable financial support. Apparently, he’d jumped in without a second though, because the Tarkas Group could then somehow carry that load on its own. He claims he had to take in those ‘newcomers’ as a trade-off.”

“So ''that'' guy’s pulling the strings? But if he had to lay out a lot of money only for those newcomers, he must likely be on a short list of names here in Mephius, right?”

“That’s…” Gowen said, having regained his usual calmness. “If only it were so. Whether it’s a true or not, the person will always be an existence coming from Tarkas’s mouth. Nevertheless, you could say it was a bold cooperation, but there’s no clear evidence to catch him by the tail. It’s fruitless anyway. This obviously won’t be any ordinary foe. You can conclude that something of a larger scale is behind this.”

“For example, the Garbera Kingdom?” Shique asked.

“I believe there’s no doubt Garbera’s involved.”

Orba chose his words carefully.

The soldiers he’d personally faced in the hidden passage, clearly held feelings of love and respect for Princess Vileena. However, that was also why it was such a baffling issue. According to Shique, it was likely that not only Orba, but also the princess, was about to be killed back then. There’s no question that those people, who had been planning to help the princess get back home, would try to get her killed.
Gowen cocked his head in thought.

“It’s not entirely unlikely that Ende was about to exact revenge on Mephius and Garbera either. They too, could bear a grudge for the alliance they once wanted to form with Garbera, being called of all. Most of all, if these two countries become allies, Ende would be the first to get into danger.”

“Aren’t you jumping to conclusions now? If that’s the case, instead, it’s like virtually giving us a justification to attack Ende.”

“You’re right,” Orba agreed. “Especially if both royals get killed, the momentum will be terrible. Until yesterday, Mephius and Garbera were mutual enemies, but then they will join hands for a firmer cooperation to thrust the sword of revenge at Ende.”

“Oh. Such a princely speech, huh?”

“Shut it.”

Then the atmosphere was again about to become strained, as it suddenly grew noisy near the room’s entrance.

It looked like the palace guards had prevented it when someone was about to enter the room. In an instant, Gowen and the rest prepared themselves, as if a enemy was about to break in.

“I’m sorry. Will you please go back to your rooms?”

Hearing the guards’ polite words, Orba spoke up without batting an eyelid.

“Dinn, let them in.”

“Prince. On your own accord, again…”

“It’s okay. If you want, you can go ahead and reveal my social status.”

“If I do, you will be hanged!” he said in complaint, although it was the same for all who were already inside.
Dinn sighed and obeyed his orders. And although Dinn felt gloomy when he gave them permission to enter the room, he took a startled step back when the door opened.

Watching the ones who entered, Gowen and the rest hurriedly sat up straight as well, and stood up from their seats. Although had about expected this, Orba, too, was inwardly surprised.

Crossing her hands before her waist, walking gracefully, but showing a firm pace, was Princess Vileena of the Kingdom of Garbera. Behind her, her chief attendant Theresia followed suit. Although both their expressions were stiff, the colour of readiness and determination shone through.

“Ahh, even though she’s supposed to never enter the other’s chambers before marriage. Although I do understand this is a disgraceful act for a Garberran lady, this has somehow turned into a unforeseen situation. Please forgive us for our rudeness, Prince Gil.”

It seemed that the first to show her determination, was Theresia.

In any case, because the ceremony had been interrupted halfway, Gil and Vileena were still weren’t officially a married couple. Orba again took on the mask of a prince and offered them a seat, but Vileena remained standing stock-still.

“Please, have a listen, and pay no heed to my impoliteness.”

The first thing she said, Vileena said with the look of a soldier challenged with war. It was due to her errand, the subject, and, most of all, due to her expectations. Vileena charged that this matter was never an incident directed by her country, and that Garbera didn’t feel inclined to stir up trouble with Mephius once more.

“But,” Orba interrupted his adversary. “Is this Ryucown not someone from Garbera?”

When his name was spoken, she cast down her eyes for a moment. She tightly chewed on her lip, and immediately regained her composure. The scowling look that she gave, seemed to consider Orba as an enemy.

“Yes. Now that this has happened – it’s too late. When my country will also be informed of this incident, Ryucown will be stripped of his knighthood, and lose his Garberran nationality.”

“So this was as scheme by Ryucown alone?”

“It only seems most likely. Those soldiers who tried to take me away also used Ryucown’s name. And right now, there’s only one person in Garbera who has the strength to attack Mephius like this.”

“Ryucown?”

“Indeed.”

“What kind of person is he?”

The black pupils in her bright and beautiful eyes opened wide. Orba’s tone of voice was mild, and she hadn’t been prepared for him asking her such an unexpected thing.

“Of course, he is famous enough that his name is known even in our Mephius, but we know nothing of his true nature. Have you happened to meet him, your highness?”

“Yes… I have.”

Ryucown’s lineage came from a powerful family of an area which had recently become Garberran territory and, in the generation after his grandfather, had officially become a retainer to the House of Garbera. However, Ryucown’s father lost part of his territory due to a skirmish with an equally powerful family, and the family was forced to practically live the life of commoners. Most of the noble families that play a central figure in Garbera, have supported the country constructed around the royal family for generations up until today, standing firm against any outside oppression.

When Ryucown was ten, he served as a knight commanding a single unit. After getting his first military feat at the age of thirteen, and having many more successes up to the age of twenty, they said he was simply not able to get out from his rank as a knight apprentice.

The status of ‘knight’ was not a familiar term in Mephius, so it was easier to explain it like being a noble among warriors. In Garbera, all the people that led the army beneath the king, were knights. Although not all nobles were knights, a commoner couldn’t ever be one. Ryucown too, because of the earlier ‘generations’-issue, was considered an outside connection and didn’t seem to be able to become a knight so easily.

And then, the story traced back to five years ago.

===References and Translation Notes===
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| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
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User:Shirofune

2013-06-19T01:35:47Z

Shirofune:

Hi, I'm from New York. I love reading light novels and have gone through many works on this site.

I am currently an editor for Rakuin no Monshou and hopefully I'll be able to contribute to other works as well.

User:Shirofune

2013-06-18T21:02:34Z

Shirofune:

Hi, I'm from New York. I love reading light novels and have gone through many works on this site.
I am currently an editor for Rakuin no Monshou.

Rakuin no Monshou

2013-06-18T21:00:43Z

Shirofune: /* Editors */

[[File:Rakuin no Monshou v01 cover.jpg|thumb|300px|The cover art of volume 1]]
Rakuin no Monshou (烙印の紋章), "Emblem of the Branded", is a light novel series written by Tomonori Sugihara (杉原智則) and illustrated by 3. The series is published by ASCII Media Works under the Dengeki Bunko label and is completed with 12 volumes.

==Story Synopsis==
The countries of Mephius and Garbera have been waging a war for ten years and are trying to put an end to this long fight through a political marriage between the two royal families. Orba, who was driven from his home because of the war and was forced to become a gladiator, looks exactly like the crown prince of Mephius, and it has been decided he will be substituting him during the wedding ceremony. On the other hand, Vileena, the princess of Garbera, has secretly decided to ensnare the crown prince for her own country’s interests.

=== Other Information Sources ===

Warning: This may contain spoilers.
[http://www.baka-tsuki.org/blog/?p=373 BT Blog]

==Translation==

=== [[Rakuin no Monshou:Registration Page|Registration]] ===
Translators are asked to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Registration Page|register]] for chapters they want to work on.

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Rakuin no Monshou:Guidelines|Project-Specific Guidelines: Format, Names, and Terminology]]

=== Feedback ===
If you enjoyed the translation, why don't you tell us in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5101&p=173234#p173234 Feedback Thread]

== Updates ==
* Apr 24, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 3 completed
* Mar 14, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 2 completed
* Feb 12, 2013 - Volume 1 Chapter 1 completed
* Jan 24, 2013 - Volume 1 Prologue completed
* Jan 24, 2013 - Initiated as Teaser Project

==Rakuin no Monshou==

===Volume 1: The Dragon Roars at the Star of Twilight===
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Prologue|Prologue]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1: Iron and Blood]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2: Two Boys]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3: A New Mask]]
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4: At Seirin Valley]] (56%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter5|Chapter 5:]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter6|Chapter 6:]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Chapter7|Chapter 7:]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Epilogue|Epilogue]] (0%)
:* [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]] (0%)

===Volume 2===
===Volume 3===
===Volume 4===
===Volume 5===
===Volume 6===
===Volume 7===
===Volume 8===
===Volume 9===
===Volume 10===
===Volume 11-1===
===Volume 11-2===

==Project Staff==
* Project Administrator:
* Project Supervisor:

==== Translators ====
:*[[User:Dohma|Dohma]]

==== Editors ====
:*[[user:Tasear|Tasear]]
:*[[User:Kiydon|Kiydon]]
:*[[user:Shirofune|Shirofune]]

==Series Overview==
烙印の紋章たそがれの星に竜は吠える (10-05-2008, ISBN 978-4-04-867063-0) 
烙印の紋章II 陰謀の都を竜は駆ける (10-11-2008,ISBN 978-4-04-867347-1) 
烙印の紋章III 竜の翼に天は翳ろう (10-04-2009,ISBN 978-40-4-867767-7) 
烙印の紋章IV 竜よ、復讐の爪牙を振るえ (10-08-2009,ISBN 978-40-4-867942-8) 
烙印の紋章V そして竜は荒野に降り立つ (10-03-2010,ISBN 978-40-4-868398-2) 
烙印の紋章VI いにしえの宮に竜はめざめる (10-07-2010,ISBN 978-40-4-868653-2) 
烙印の紋章 VII　愚者たちの挽歌よ、竜に届け (10-12-2010,ISBN 978-4-04-870135-8) 
烙印の紋章 VIII　竜は獅子を喰らいて転生す (10-04-2011,ISBN 978-4-04-870424-3) 
烙印の紋章 IX 征野に竜の慟哭吹きすさぶ (10-09-2011,ISBN 978-4-04-870808-1) 
烙印の紋章 X 竜の雌伏を風は嘆いて (07-01-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886248-6) 
烙印の紋章 XI あかつきの空を竜は翔ける（上） (08-06-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886248-6) 
烙印の紋章 XI あかつきの空を竜は翔ける（下） (10-10-2012,ISBN 978-4-04-886983-6) 

[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]

User talk:Dohma

2013-06-18T15:57:50Z

Shirofune:

== Rakuin no Monshou ==

Thanks for creating the page and selecting this series for your learning. I have done some minor reformatting to the project page. The rest is very good.--[[User:Chancs|Chancs]] ([[User talk:Chancs|talk]]) 00:42, 25 January 2013 (CST)

I really want to read this novel from ages ago, but noone translate it. Thank you very much! [[User:Xenocross|Xenocross]] ([[User talk:Xenocross|talk]]) 23:29, 24 January 2013 (CST)

Thanks a Bunch bro, for picking up this series. I really can't thank you enough. I've been wanting to read this LN since I first found it one year ago. And now that you are here I'm really looking forward to your translations. Wish you best of luck. XD --[[User:Naavi|Naavi]] ([[User talk:Naavi|talk]]) 00:20, 25 January 2013 (CST)

Thank you for picking up this project! I've waited for so long to read Rakuin :3 [[User:ClavelSangrante|ClavelSangrante]] ([[User talk:ClavelSangrante|talk]])

No problem regarding the comments I gave you. I'm going to proofread things a bit if I get around to it -- just tell me when I'm getting to aggressive. All in all, I have to say: good work. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] ([[User talk:EusthEnoptEron|talk]]) 19:16, 26 January 2013 (CST)

Thx for picking up the project, I will make sure to keep up with your latest updates ^^ [[User:LoliDragon|LoliDragon]] ([[User talk:LoliDragon|talk]])Tuesday, 12 February 2013, 10:29:09 CST

Hi, I have noticed that you are using the word: "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rink rink]" where I think it should be ring. I have changed it, but if you think that is not correct, you can revert the changes.[[User:LoliDragon|LoliDragon]] ([[User talk:LoliDragon|talk]]) 24 January 2013,16:39 CST

Thank you for translating Rakuin no Monshou! keep up the great work! Mumalkatar

Thank you.. great reading so far :) ...
This novel is so great THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH FOR TRANSLATING

Thank for appeasing my hungry with such interesting series. Of course I love all series with royalty.#Waves: ClavelSangrate I see that we are always looking or working on the same series. I have taken the liberty to become an editor of this fine series. [[User:Tasear|Tasear]]

Love this story. Please continue to do a awesome job. -Travis

So far so good. Thank you for translating!

It is very good. Thank you for translating:)

Great job really like your translations! And thank you for picking up the project i hope to see more soon!

I really like this series! Thanks for taking the time to translate it. I'm interested in becoming an editor for this series, though I'm still figuring out how to, since I have never actually used Baka-Tsuki before. -[[User:Kiydon|Kiydon]]

Thanks for your hard work!

I love the story so far and would like to contribute by becoming an editor. This is also my first time using Baka-Tsuki but I'll get good at it. English was my first language and I'm proficient at it -[[User: Shirofune|Shirofune]]

User talk:Shirofune

2013-06-18T15:55:24Z

Shirofune: Created page with "If you want to message me, just leave something here."

If you want to message me, just leave something here.

User:Shirofune

2013-06-18T15:49:28Z

Shirofune: Created page with "Hi, I'm from New York. I love reading light novels and am willing to become an editor."

Hi, I'm from New York. I love reading light novels and am willing to become an editor.