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sutepriThe chapters are getting longer, and it's psychologically daunting to sit down at the keyboard to start work on a twenty-page block of text. I recently translated a video game worldbook for someone by going roughly four pages a week--that seemed to work out pretty well, so I'm going to give it a try here.
[Content Notes]
[Disclaimer]
Scrapped Princess | Prelude of the Stray Cat Princess | The Scrapped Princess's Casket | Part 2/10
Inside, the castle was not in such disrepair as it had seemed.
Originally built through heavy use of stonework and brick, it was a castle constructed with a view to use in war, and the homes of the people could not possibly compare to this structure's tenacity.
Of course, the interior was worn and faded--or else stained--in places, and it no longer retained even a fragment of its former glory, yet its magnitude, which seemed to make a show of the builders' resources, remained unchanged.
An abandoned castle.
The colossal ruin was far too sturdy, and so the elements continued to assail its corpse.
"Quite a fitting place for the Scrapped Princess, wouldn't you say?"
Big Noise's voice came flowing in from somewhere. It echoed off the stony walls again and again, so of course the direction and even the distance were impossible to guess.
He probably thought a lone girl stood no chance of escaping anyway. It was a frustrating yet accurate conclusion.
Pacifica had learned basic self-defense from her father just in case, but being pursued by a hired killer--and a mage, at that--she could not even shake him off, much less stand against him.
"But you know, Princess, you should be careful. The castle is damaged here and there, so even places you might not expect will crumble."
And before he had finished saying that.
A thunderous roar.
The stone building trembled, and bits of plaster came raining down from the ceiling. The echoes of that destructive report, most likely from an offensive spell, wrapped themselves around Pacifica.
Pacifica involuntarily cried out.
"Kya--!"
"My goodness, are you all right? If you'll just be a good girl and stay still, I'll come to you right away and make you into a darling marionette."
". . ."
Biting her lip and swearing to herself that she would not scream again, Pacifica kept her footsteps as quiet as possible and continued on.
Another explosion.
This time, Pacifica did not allow her voice to escape, and as she walked--taking care not to fall--her thoughts ran in desperate circles.
She had to get away from here somehow and escape to the heart of town. Her enemies were assassins to the core. If she could run to some place where she would be in the public eye, even they would not be able to get their hands on her easily.
But . . . she could not find a way out.
Perhaps to keep wild animals and vagrants from getting in, all the windows were boarded up far more sturdily than was strictly necessary, and while the walls may have been damaged, they were not something the likes of Pacifica could have broken through. As huge as it was, this castle was, so to speak, one big sealed room.
There was one thing that might be called a silver lining: sunlight filtered in through the gaps between the boards, so the inside of the castle was not in perfect darkness. At the very least, it was enough that she could see where she was going if she strained her eyes.
If I can hide somewhere and then slip past him . . .
If she did that, she could quietly retrace her steps to the door she had come in through, which seemed to be the only one there was . . . She considered that course too, but if she were found, it would all be over. Big Noise was not so easygoing that he would let her get away a second time.
And if it came to that . . .
I have to hold out somehow, and keep running around until Shannon-nii and Raquel-nee come for me.
After thinking this as if it were the most obvious thing in the world . . . suddenly, she became uneasy.
Would they really come for her?
From an objective standpoint, as far as Shannon and Raquel were concerned, she was a bad luck charm. In the first place, there was no reason they should have to put their lives on the line, standing by her to the end against a hired killer.
Until then, she had never doubted the connection between herself, her brother, and her sister. No, it could be that she had never allowed herself to think of it.
So that she would not have to acknowledge that her position was as precarious as a house built on sand.
They will come for me . . . won't they?
She was terrified of putting her brother and sister in danger. But it was far, far more terrifying to imagine that she might never see them again. It was unbearably sad, lonely, and heartrending.
Shannon.
Raquel.
Whenever Pacifica was in trouble, they would be at her side to help her before she knew it. Shannon would always act like it was a tremendous bother, but even so, he would help her without fail. Raquel might not have seemed all that dependable, but when trouble arose, she would throw her entire being into protecting Pacifica, without showing the slightest hesitation.
But still.
Why would they do that?
She did not know. She felt they would save her. But she could not come up with any clear reason to do so. It was possible that tomorrow, they could run out of patience with her, could stop loving her.
Even birth parents abandon their children.
Sometimes, they kill their children.
And if that was the case, then there was absolutely no reason for complete strangers to put their lives on the line to protect Pacifica.
Maybe it was all an illusion.
The life they had spent as a family of four--the life they had lived without a second thought, as though it were the most natural thing in the world--had come to an abrupt end that day.
She felt ashamed for pinning her hopes on them.
But still.
But . . . I believe in you. I'm saying I believe in you because I believe in you. If you don't come, I'll bear a grudge against you and haunt your household for seven generations, Shannon-nii and Raquel-nee! I'll stand at your bedsides every night and sing!
Using these jumbled thoughts to keep her mind from drifting back into depressing territory, Pacifica moved on.
Incidentally, she could not carry a tune in a bucket. For the particularly musically inclined Shannon, being forced to listen to her would be quite an interesting form of torture. As for Pacifica, the fact that she was self-aware on this count, and the fact that it would come to mind when she was coming up with threats--would that make her upright? Or brave? Or . . .
Setting that aside for now.
The castle's interior was complex in its construction, but there were not many ways that she could go. If she wanted to keep running, she should not go into any rooms, and some routes were boarded up, rendering them impassable.
In other words, the number of escape routes was naturally limited.
Big Noise must have known that too, so he was probably going out of his way to torment her for his own enjoyment.
If things go on like this . . . Huh?
White light penetrated the corridor of the gloomy castle. It was not a tiny stream of sunlight, like the others that came filtering in through the gaps in the boards.
A way out . . .!
Just as a person drowning at the bottom of a river will seek out the surface without thinking, Pacifica plunged into that light without a second thought.
[Next] [Previous]
[Content Notes]
[Disclaimer]
Scrapped Princess | Prelude of the Stray Cat Princess | The Scrapped Princess's Casket | Part 2/10
Inside, the castle was not in such disrepair as it had seemed.
Originally built through heavy use of stonework and brick, it was a castle constructed with a view to use in war, and the homes of the people could not possibly compare to this structure's tenacity.
Of course, the interior was worn and faded--or else stained--in places, and it no longer retained even a fragment of its former glory, yet its magnitude, which seemed to make a show of the builders' resources, remained unchanged.
An abandoned castle.
The colossal ruin was far too sturdy, and so the elements continued to assail its corpse.
"Quite a fitting place for the Scrapped Princess, wouldn't you say?"
Big Noise's voice came flowing in from somewhere. It echoed off the stony walls again and again, so of course the direction and even the distance were impossible to guess.
He probably thought a lone girl stood no chance of escaping anyway. It was a frustrating yet accurate conclusion.
Pacifica had learned basic self-defense from her father just in case, but being pursued by a hired killer--and a mage, at that--she could not even shake him off, much less stand against him.
"But you know, Princess, you should be careful. The castle is damaged here and there, so even places you might not expect will crumble."
And before he had finished saying that.
A thunderous roar.
The stone building trembled, and bits of plaster came raining down from the ceiling. The echoes of that destructive report, most likely from an offensive spell, wrapped themselves around Pacifica.
Pacifica involuntarily cried out.
"Kya--!"
"My goodness, are you all right? If you'll just be a good girl and stay still, I'll come to you right away and make you into a darling marionette."
". . ."
Biting her lip and swearing to herself that she would not scream again, Pacifica kept her footsteps as quiet as possible and continued on.
Another explosion.
This time, Pacifica did not allow her voice to escape, and as she walked--taking care not to fall--her thoughts ran in desperate circles.
She had to get away from here somehow and escape to the heart of town. Her enemies were assassins to the core. If she could run to some place where she would be in the public eye, even they would not be able to get their hands on her easily.
But . . . she could not find a way out.
Perhaps to keep wild animals and vagrants from getting in, all the windows were boarded up far more sturdily than was strictly necessary, and while the walls may have been damaged, they were not something the likes of Pacifica could have broken through. As huge as it was, this castle was, so to speak, one big sealed room.
There was one thing that might be called a silver lining: sunlight filtered in through the gaps between the boards, so the inside of the castle was not in perfect darkness. At the very least, it was enough that she could see where she was going if she strained her eyes.
If I can hide somewhere and then slip past him . . .
If she did that, she could quietly retrace her steps to the door she had come in through, which seemed to be the only one there was . . . She considered that course too, but if she were found, it would all be over. Big Noise was not so easygoing that he would let her get away a second time.
And if it came to that . . .
I have to hold out somehow, and keep running around until Shannon-nii and Raquel-nee come for me.
After thinking this as if it were the most obvious thing in the world . . . suddenly, she became uneasy.
Would they really come for her?
From an objective standpoint, as far as Shannon and Raquel were concerned, she was a bad luck charm. In the first place, there was no reason they should have to put their lives on the line, standing by her to the end against a hired killer.
Until then, she had never doubted the connection between herself, her brother, and her sister. No, it could be that she had never allowed herself to think of it.
So that she would not have to acknowledge that her position was as precarious as a house built on sand.
They will come for me . . . won't they?
She was terrified of putting her brother and sister in danger. But it was far, far more terrifying to imagine that she might never see them again. It was unbearably sad, lonely, and heartrending.
Shannon.
Raquel.
Whenever Pacifica was in trouble, they would be at her side to help her before she knew it. Shannon would always act like it was a tremendous bother, but even so, he would help her without fail. Raquel might not have seemed all that dependable, but when trouble arose, she would throw her entire being into protecting Pacifica, without showing the slightest hesitation.
But still.
Why would they do that?
She did not know. She felt they would save her. But she could not come up with any clear reason to do so. It was possible that tomorrow, they could run out of patience with her, could stop loving her.
Even birth parents abandon their children.
Sometimes, they kill their children.
And if that was the case, then there was absolutely no reason for complete strangers to put their lives on the line to protect Pacifica.
Maybe it was all an illusion.
The life they had spent as a family of four--the life they had lived without a second thought, as though it were the most natural thing in the world--had come to an abrupt end that day.
She felt ashamed for pinning her hopes on them.
But still.
But . . . I believe in you. I'm saying I believe in you because I believe in you. If you don't come, I'll bear a grudge against you and haunt your household for seven generations, Shannon-nii and Raquel-nee! I'll stand at your bedsides every night and sing!
Using these jumbled thoughts to keep her mind from drifting back into depressing territory, Pacifica moved on.
Incidentally, she could not carry a tune in a bucket. For the particularly musically inclined Shannon, being forced to listen to her would be quite an interesting form of torture. As for Pacifica, the fact that she was self-aware on this count, and the fact that it would come to mind when she was coming up with threats--would that make her upright? Or brave? Or . . .
Setting that aside for now.
The castle's interior was complex in its construction, but there were not many ways that she could go. If she wanted to keep running, she should not go into any rooms, and some routes were boarded up, rendering them impassable.
In other words, the number of escape routes was naturally limited.
Big Noise must have known that too, so he was probably going out of his way to torment her for his own enjoyment.
If things go on like this . . . Huh?
White light penetrated the corridor of the gloomy castle. It was not a tiny stream of sunlight, like the others that came filtering in through the gaps in the boards.
A way out . . .!
Just as a person drowning at the bottom of a river will seek out the surface without thinking, Pacifica plunged into that light without a second thought.
[Next] [Previous]
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no subject
Date: 2010-07-07 04:59 am (UTC)"If you don't come, I'll bear a grudge against you and haunt your household for seven generations, Shannon-nii and Raquel-nee! I'll stand at your bedsides every night and sing!"
So Pacifica :)
Her ordeal starts earlier in the book, doesn't it? What a cliffhanger.
no subject
Date: 2010-07-07 05:04 am (UTC)What a cliffhanger.
It's kind of funny how perfectly that worked out. XD
no subject
Date: 2010-07-07 06:06 am (UTC)I think you're so cool for doing this whatever frequency. I understand translating is a lot of work. I hope you have fun doing it.
no subject
Date: 2010-07-08 03:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-07 12:39 pm (UTC)(in other words, thank you for this translation! I think Big Noise would have made quite the antagonist. darling marionette, indeed XD)
no subject
Date: 2010-07-08 03:45 am (UTC)(He's a creep, huh? I like how he's all overly polite 95% of the time, then completely breaks character and starts talking like a construction worker when he gets pissed off.)