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The Lavender Flowers of Sympathy and Sleep - Episode 2
⭠ last episode | Episode 2 | next episode ⭢
Owen: I hadn’t heard of it either. The only person that’d know about that sort of thing is that gloomy guy, the one that’s obsessed with curses and curse magic.
Mithra: Then, I guess I'll call Faust over. Where do you think he is? The baths?
Owen: Who knows? Hey, hey, don't you have more sweet things in this room?
Mithra: I have some sweet red stuff in a jar. Rutile gave it to me. Now, where did I put it?
Rutile: Oh, if you mean the sugar-pickled red bayberries, it's in that cupboard over there…
Owen: Found it. They look tasty.
Happily, Owen opened the lid to the jar. Mithra didn't even move to stop him.
The two of them looked so comfortable around each other that it made their fight earlier today seem like a phoney act.
Rutile blinked, and it might have been because the atmosphere was getting to him.
A moment later, he straightened his back.
Rutile: Actually… I dropped by because I wanted to apologise to the two of you.
I'm sorry for shouting this afternoon.
Mithra: Oh, that’s right, you were angry about something?
Owen: Now that you mention it, yeah, I was truly hurt because you shouted at me. You were so scary.
Rutile: I'm really sorry I didn’t manage to express my thoughts in a better way.
Actually, I wanted to mention that the tapestry from earlier means a lot to Mitile and Riquet, and…
Mithra & Owen: ……? What tapestry…?
The two of them tilted their heads to the side in unison. They looked so innocently unaware that it started making me restless.
Akira: (Don’t tell me… they don’t even recall the tapestry’s existence?!)
Rutile: It’s a long story… Well, back in the meeting lounge, there was this beautiful embroidered cloth on the table, right?
And then the combined forces of your magic tore it apart. It fell to the floor in tatters, and…
Mithra: Hmmmm. I don't recall a thing.
Owen: Me neither. … Fufu, this squirrel brain-looking thing is yummy.
Mithra: Hey, please don't hoard the entire jar all to yourself. I want some too.
Readily enough, the two of them resumed their usual pace of conversation.
Mitile and Riquet's tears, Rutile's anger — all of it got swept aside like it didn't matter.
I wanted to say something on Rutile's behalf, but I was suddenly overcome by a certain exhaustion, so I was unable to say a single thing to them.
Rutile too, was speechless.
He'd failed, reflected on his mistake, and decided to try again to make things right.
To me, Rutile was being forward-looking and constructive, and he didn't seem to be doing anything wrong. It was all so that we could be united in understanding.
Akira: (But we couldn't have a proper conversation with Mithra and Owen. Does that mean…)
(… Were his efforts doomed from the start?)
(Like, if you fail the first time, you'd never get a second opportunity…)
Just then, Mithra's attention turned towards the door.
Mithra: Faust's here. That saves me the effort of fetching him from the baths.
With a flick of his finger, the door forcefully swung open.
As if dragged by an unseen force, Faust tumbled into the room, clutching a bundle of papers.
Faust: What!
Rutile: Faust san! Are you alright?
Faust: Yes, well, I merely tripped. Mithra, I'm sorry to drop by out of the blue, but you didn't have to drag m—
Mithra: Faust, have a look at this. My divination result is a shining shield.
Faust: Hm? …! You're right, the tea leaves have indeed formed that symbol. How marvellous. It's the first time I've seen one in person.
Mithra: I know, right? It's really marvellous. I’m marvellous.
All of you, pay attention and learn from Faust’s example. This is the right way to respond.
Owen: (eating)
Akira: (He looks super proud of himself… Owen completely ignored him though…)
Faust: … Ahem! Apologies, I have strayed from the topic at hand.
Mithra, I've come to ask you to join this request for aid.
Wonderful timing that you're here with us too, Kenja. I was going to go update you after this, actually.
Akira: Oh, me…? Is it a particularly dangerous request?
Faust: Not quite. It's just that we need an exact number of people to carry out a particular ritual. The request asks for eight of us Sage's Wizards.
Rutile: Eight? That's quite a few. What sort of ritual is it?
Faust: It's Mithra's speciality — an indigenous curse magic ritual.
[ No BGM ]
Faust: This ritual entails escorting the target, giving thanks to it, and then putting it to slumber for sixty-six years and six months through an invocation.
Our target is the Great Raven… once known as the Raven Witch who brought plague to the lands. Whatever happened several hundred years ago, the Great Raven is what became of her.
[ Castle of Maiden's Tears (Past) ]
Maiden of Tears: … So you are the Raven Witch. You hail from Eastern Country, and you have come and settled on my land.
Raven Witch: Y-Yes… I am so very honoured to meet you, my lady.
Maiden of Tears: Do you know why you have been summoned to my castle?
Raven Witch: Y-Y-Yes, I do. I was not the one who had robbed the graves, really I—
Maiden of Tears: Had you been the grave-robber, you would have long since been captured. It is clear then: you do not know why you had been summoned.
Raven Witch: … I-I beg forgivene…
Maiden of Tears: I have heard talk that you gather the corpses of ravens to use for curse magic.
Can this magic of yours rid the wheat fields of maggots?
Raven Witch: Huh? Y… Yes. If I apply an insect-killing invocation…
Maiden of Tears: What about wild dogs and bats? And rats too?
Raven Witch: Yes, those too. I can drive them out of this land…
Maiden of Tears: Very good.
Then from this day onwards, you shall serve me.
Raven Witch: Huh…!? B-But I am… I'm a witch…
Maiden of Tears: Why else would I place you in my servitude? You witches and wizards can subdue the problems where us humans have no solution.
If you serve me, you will have gold and a place to call home. I should think those are things you are noticeably lacking. What say you?
Raven Witch: … M-me? Yes, I am honoured to accept!
Maiden of Tears: Then we have come to an agreement.
Raven Witch: Um… A-as you wish, my lady! I will work myself to the bone to serve you, my lady, to the very bone, for your sake…
Maiden of Tears: You need not work yourself to the bone.
Raven Witch: Oh… My apologies…
Maiden of Tears: But bear this in mind: I want results.
Witch, I want you to be useful. For me. For my people.
[ Present time ]
[ Magical Manor - Main Hall ]
A few days later, the wizards and I gathered in the hall after we had prepared ourselves for the request’s destination.
With us, we had the four wizards in Mithra's room the other day. And…
Chloe: « suispisiva voitingoc » !
Chloe: … There we go! I think everyone's got their new outfits on? Please let me know if anything doesn't fit right, or if there's anything you don't like about it!
Arthur: It's perfect! It's elegant, stylish, and comfy to wear.
Heathcliff: The little sprigs of lavender on the lapel are beautiful. It really makes the blue of the outfit pop…
Figaro: It’d be such a shame if there’s only monsters at the mansion to look at these outfits. These clothes would make anyone the centre of attention at a ball.
Owen: Well, it's not bad. I mean just the outfit.
Rutile: It's gorgeous, Chloe!
Chloe: Ehehe…
Faust: Thanks for providing the outfits on such short notice, Chloe.
I wouldn't have known what to do with a dress code along the lines of 'formal wear that incorporates the lavender flower, befitting those who will escort the Great Raven during the ritual'.
Chloe: It's no problem at all! It's my first time making a set of clothes specifically meant for escorting a monster, so it was really interesting for me!
Rutile told me all about the legend of the Great Raven before I started sketching rough designs. With the legend in mind, the designs were easy to come up with!
Akira: The elderly man that gave us the tapestry came from that land, didn’t he?
Rutile: Yes. Who would have expected a request related to 'The Maiden of Tears and the Great Raven' to arrive at the Magical Manor…
Owen: ‘The Maiden of Tears and the Great Raven’?
Mithra: I've never heard of it. What's the story about?
Akira: (… Man, and it was all woven into the tapestry too. Didn’t anyone tell them about the legend over the last few days? Actually… maybe no one did…)
Rutile: Let's see… In short, it goes like this:
[ No BGM ]
Rutile: This is a story from before the founding of Central Country.
At the beginning of the era's upheaval, there was a lady called the Maiden of Tears that ruled the frontier land—
[ BGM starts ]
—— One day, a witch of misfortune from Eastern Country settled upon the Maiden’s land.
She used the corpses of ravens in her curse magic. The people of that land hated her and called her the Raven Witch.
But the Maiden was different.
Rutile: 'Magic allows a person to perform tasks beyond human capability. Bring her to my castle.'
The Maiden made the Raven Witch one of her retainers. In the beginning, the Raven Witch obeyed the Maiden, serving her with both magic and curse magic.
Rutile: But one day… the witch betrayed her lady.
A plague ravaged the land.
At once, the Maiden of Tears tried to banish the Raven Witch from her land.
But the witch bore a grudge. Her appearance warped into an aberrant creature known as the Great Raven.
The Maiden conducted a ritual to put the Great Raven to sleep, forbade anyone from killing or sealing it away, and ordered future generations to ensure the Great Raven would remain asleep.
Rutile: … Since then, the ritual has been repeated every sixty-six years and six months, and to this day, the Great Raven continues to sleep in the Maiden's castle, or so the legend goes.
Arthur: …… It's a story where humans and wizards worked together and it didn't end well.
Faust: To me, it sounds like a story where humans and wizards tried to take advantage of each other and both were met with failure.
Chloe: B-But the Maiden of Tears was a benevolent soul! She forbade anyone from killing or sealing away the Great Raven.
I think she must have cared deeply to be called the Maiden of Tears.
next episode ⭢
Owen: I hadn’t heard of it either. The only person that’d know about that sort of thing is that gloomy guy, the one that’s obsessed with curses and curse magic.
Mithra: Then, I guess I'll call Faust over. Where do you think he is? The baths?
Owen: Who knows? Hey, hey, don't you have more sweet things in this room?
Mithra: I have some sweet red stuff in a jar. Rutile gave it to me. Now, where did I put it?
Rutile: Oh, if you mean the sugar-pickled red bayberries, it's in that cupboard over there…
Owen: Found it. They look tasty.
Happily, Owen opened the lid to the jar. Mithra didn't even move to stop him.
The two of them looked so comfortable around each other that it made their fight earlier today seem like a phoney act.
Rutile blinked, and it might have been because the atmosphere was getting to him.
A moment later, he straightened his back.
Rutile: Actually… I dropped by because I wanted to apologise to the two of you.
I'm sorry for shouting this afternoon.
Mithra: Oh, that’s right, you were angry about something?
Owen: Now that you mention it, yeah, I was truly hurt because you shouted at me. You were so scary.
Rutile: I'm really sorry I didn’t manage to express my thoughts in a better way.
Actually, I wanted to mention that the tapestry from earlier means a lot to Mitile and Riquet, and…
Mithra & Owen: ……? What tapestry…?
The two of them tilted their heads to the side in unison. They looked so innocently unaware that it started making me restless.
Akira: (Don’t tell me… they don’t even recall the tapestry’s existence?!)
Rutile: It’s a long story… Well, back in the meeting lounge, there was this beautiful embroidered cloth on the table, right?
And then the combined forces of your magic tore it apart. It fell to the floor in tatters, and…
Mithra: Hmmmm. I don't recall a thing.
Owen: Me neither. … Fufu, this squirrel brain-looking thing is yummy.
Mithra: Hey, please don't hoard the entire jar all to yourself. I want some too.
Readily enough, the two of them resumed their usual pace of conversation.
Mitile and Riquet's tears, Rutile's anger — all of it got swept aside like it didn't matter.
I wanted to say something on Rutile's behalf, but I was suddenly overcome by a certain exhaustion, so I was unable to say a single thing to them.
Rutile too, was speechless.
He'd failed, reflected on his mistake, and decided to try again to make things right.
To me, Rutile was being forward-looking and constructive, and he didn't seem to be doing anything wrong. It was all so that we could be united in understanding.
Akira: (But we couldn't have a proper conversation with Mithra and Owen. Does that mean…)
(… Were his efforts doomed from the start?)
(Like, if you fail the first time, you'd never get a second opportunity…)
Just then, Mithra's attention turned towards the door.
Mithra: Faust's here. That saves me the effort of fetching him from the baths.
With a flick of his finger, the door forcefully swung open.
As if dragged by an unseen force, Faust tumbled into the room, clutching a bundle of papers.
Faust: What!
Rutile: Faust san! Are you alright?
Faust: Yes, well, I merely tripped. Mithra, I'm sorry to drop by out of the blue, but you didn't have to drag m—
Mithra: Faust, have a look at this. My divination result is a shining shield.
Faust: Hm? …! You're right, the tea leaves have indeed formed that symbol. How marvellous. It's the first time I've seen one in person.
Mithra: I know, right? It's really marvellous. I’m marvellous.
All of you, pay attention and learn from Faust’s example. This is the right way to respond.
Owen: (eating)
Akira: (He looks super proud of himself… Owen completely ignored him though…)
Faust: … Ahem! Apologies, I have strayed from the topic at hand.
Mithra, I've come to ask you to join this request for aid.
Wonderful timing that you're here with us too, Kenja. I was going to go update you after this, actually.
Akira: Oh, me…? Is it a particularly dangerous request?
Faust: Not quite. It's just that we need an exact number of people to carry out a particular ritual. The request asks for eight of us Sage's Wizards.
Rutile: Eight? That's quite a few. What sort of ritual is it?
Faust: It's Mithra's speciality — an indigenous curse magic ritual.
[ No BGM ]
Faust: This ritual entails escorting the target, giving thanks to it, and then putting it to slumber for sixty-six years and six months through an invocation.
Our target is the Great Raven… once known as the Raven Witch who brought plague to the lands. Whatever happened several hundred years ago, the Great Raven is what became of her.
[ Castle of Maiden's Tears (Past) ]
Maiden of Tears: … So you are the Raven Witch. You hail from Eastern Country, and you have come and settled on my land.
Raven Witch: Y-Yes… I am so very honoured to meet you, my lady.
Maiden of Tears: Do you know why you have been summoned to my castle?
Raven Witch: Y-Y-Yes, I do. I was not the one who had robbed the graves, really I—
Maiden of Tears: Had you been the grave-robber, you would have long since been captured. It is clear then: you do not know why you had been summoned.
Raven Witch: … I-I beg forgivene…
Maiden of Tears: I have heard talk that you gather the corpses of ravens to use for curse magic.
Can this magic of yours rid the wheat fields of maggots?
Raven Witch: Huh? Y… Yes. If I apply an insect-killing invocation…
Maiden of Tears: What about wild dogs and bats? And rats too?
Raven Witch: Yes, those too. I can drive them out of this land…
Maiden of Tears: Very good.
Then from this day onwards, you shall serve me.
Raven Witch: Huh…!? B-But I am… I'm a witch…
Maiden of Tears: Why else would I place you in my servitude? You witches and wizards can subdue the problems where us humans have no solution.
If you serve me, you will have gold and a place to call home. I should think those are things you are noticeably lacking. What say you?
Raven Witch: … M-me? Yes, I am honoured to accept!
Maiden of Tears: Then we have come to an agreement.
Raven Witch: Um… A-as you wish, my lady! I will work myself to the bone to serve you, my lady, to the very bone, for your sake…
Maiden of Tears: You need not work yourself to the bone.
Raven Witch: Oh… My apologies…
Maiden of Tears: But bear this in mind: I want results.
Witch, I want you to be useful. For me. For my people.
[ Present time ]
[ Magical Manor - Main Hall ]
A few days later, the wizards and I gathered in the hall after we had prepared ourselves for the request’s destination.
With us, we had the four wizards in Mithra's room the other day. And…
Chloe: « suispisiva voitingoc » !
Chloe: … There we go! I think everyone's got their new outfits on? Please let me know if anything doesn't fit right, or if there's anything you don't like about it!
Arthur: It's perfect! It's elegant, stylish, and comfy to wear.
Heathcliff: The little sprigs of lavender on the lapel are beautiful. It really makes the blue of the outfit pop…
Figaro: It’d be such a shame if there’s only monsters at the mansion to look at these outfits. These clothes would make anyone the centre of attention at a ball.
Owen: Well, it's not bad. I mean just the outfit.
Rutile: It's gorgeous, Chloe!
Chloe: Ehehe…
Faust: Thanks for providing the outfits on such short notice, Chloe.
I wouldn't have known what to do with a dress code along the lines of 'formal wear that incorporates the lavender flower, befitting those who will escort the Great Raven during the ritual'.
Chloe: It's no problem at all! It's my first time making a set of clothes specifically meant for escorting a monster, so it was really interesting for me!
Rutile told me all about the legend of the Great Raven before I started sketching rough designs. With the legend in mind, the designs were easy to come up with!
Akira: The elderly man that gave us the tapestry came from that land, didn’t he?
Rutile: Yes. Who would have expected a request related to 'The Maiden of Tears and the Great Raven' to arrive at the Magical Manor…
Owen: ‘The Maiden of Tears and the Great Raven’?
Mithra: I've never heard of it. What's the story about?
Akira: (… Man, and it was all woven into the tapestry too. Didn’t anyone tell them about the legend over the last few days? Actually… maybe no one did…)
Rutile: Let's see… In short, it goes like this:
[ No BGM ]
Rutile: This is a story from before the founding of Central Country.
At the beginning of the era's upheaval, there was a lady called the Maiden of Tears that ruled the frontier land—
[ BGM starts ]
—— One day, a witch of misfortune from Eastern Country settled upon the Maiden’s land.
She used the corpses of ravens in her curse magic. The people of that land hated her and called her the Raven Witch.
But the Maiden was different.
Rutile: 'Magic allows a person to perform tasks beyond human capability. Bring her to my castle.'
The Maiden made the Raven Witch one of her retainers. In the beginning, the Raven Witch obeyed the Maiden, serving her with both magic and curse magic.
Rutile: But one day… the witch betrayed her lady.
A plague ravaged the land.
At once, the Maiden of Tears tried to banish the Raven Witch from her land.
But the witch bore a grudge. Her appearance warped into an aberrant creature known as the Great Raven.
The Maiden conducted a ritual to put the Great Raven to sleep, forbade anyone from killing or sealing it away, and ordered future generations to ensure the Great Raven would remain asleep.
Rutile: … Since then, the ritual has been repeated every sixty-six years and six months, and to this day, the Great Raven continues to sleep in the Maiden's castle, or so the legend goes.
Arthur: …… It's a story where humans and wizards worked together and it didn't end well.
Faust: To me, it sounds like a story where humans and wizards tried to take advantage of each other and both were met with failure.
Chloe: B-But the Maiden of Tears was a benevolent soul! She forbade anyone from killing or sealing away the Great Raven.
I think she must have cared deeply to be called the Maiden of Tears.
next episode ⭢