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May Love Echo Where Snow Falls - Episode 4
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Rutile: Look, everyone! Isn't that deer particularly well done?
Akira: Hm? ...... Wow!
Rutile's finger pointed at a very beautiful deer sculpture.
It stood in the middle of the Garden of Ice, and its great horns and sleek body easily captured our attention upon first glance.
It was regal and beautiful, and definitely a work of art.
Murr: Wooaahh, what an excellent piece of work! Does it whinny? Does it go meow?
Mithra: Doesn't matter anyhow. More importantly, it looks like it doesn't have much flavour. It's not worth eating.
Rustica: It's beautiful... Its energetic pose makes it look like it's about to come to life. If it does, it may just be my bride that I have been searching for.
Nero: So you're all here...... Wait. Stop right there, Groom san. Put that birdcage away.
Rustica: Why must I?
Murr: I wonderrrr why!
Akira: Rustica. That's a snow sculpture, not your — brrrrrr!
Suddenly, cold winds whipped up around us. We heard the beating of wings.
Snow: It seems like it has made its appearance sooner rather than later.
Akira: ......!
I braced myself when I realised what Snow's words meant: the fiend was here.
I looked up, and saw a strange creature with its wings spread wide. I'd never seen anything like it before.
Akira: The head of a deer, and the body of a bird...?
A head with large horns. A set of strong legs. It was just like what a deer would have.
However, its body was bird-like. It was huge.
I grew nervous, because it clearly wasn't just any creature.
Lennox: Kenja sama, Rutile. Just in case, please stand behind me.
Akira & Rutile: O-okay!
Rutile: It's a creature I've never seen before. What is it?
Murr was looking at the flying creature with a curious glint in his eyes.
Murr: I think it's probably a fantastic beast called a peryton!
Akira: Peryton? Isn't that the creature from the song Rustica played?
Rustica: It seems so. But that peryton has visited the same lands over and over again, and so its journey must have come to an end.
Is the Town of Ice perhaps its hometown?
Snow: Ohoho. That couldn't possibly be.
The legend passed down via The Traveller Peryton on the Journey of Love says that the Peryton is the wandering spirit of a traveller.
But as you may have inferred, the one before us is nothing but a fiend.
In the distant past, they used to attack in flocks. We have fought them off countless times.
Mithra: I remember seeing them before, but it was so long ago, I forgot the details.
Murr: There were no recorded sightings of them for so long, they were said to have gone extinct.
But — seeing how one has just shown up, it was probably revived in the aftermath of the < Great Calamity >!
Murr and I were both looking upon the same sky, but my reaction couldn't have been further from his — his voice brimmed with excitement; I swallowed nervously.
Akira: (A fiend from long ago that should be extinct... and it attacks humans?)
The peryton watched us in silence, great wings flapping against the backdrop of the cold grey sky.
Its ominous presence told us just how unnatural its existence was. I felt like I understood why the town residents had locked themselves away in their homes.
Nero: Okay, I gotta admit, we might be right next to the town under you and your twin's protection, but the way it keeps staring over here is giving me the creeps.
Snow: Umu. It is indeed an ominous presence… but I do not sense hostility from it.
That said, we can't just leave it be. Let's come up with a plan to drive it away...
Mithra: What is there to be indecisive about? We can cut things short by shooting it out of the sky.
Mithra: « arsim »
Mithra said his spell-word, and a low rumbling sound came from the sculptures.
They vibrated, and started to fracture.
Nero: Wai-....... Oi......!
[ Shatter! ]
The next thing we knew, all the sculptures had shattered.
Then, the shards of ice gathered and clumped together, joining themselves into a completely different form.
Akira: ...... That’s amazing...
The icy shards formed a giant spear.
The spear, tipped with a beautiful, large blade of ice, took aim at the peryton from behind Mithra.
Nero: Ugh… You’ve gotta be kidding me...
Murr: Ahaha! All the sculptures are gone!
Nothing remained around us except a wide expanse of snow. It was empty, and so very lonely.
Snow: Mithra! What on earth are you doing!
The townspeople's effort and hard work are now all for naught!
Mithra: You said to drive it away. You did not say to not destroy anything.
Rutile: But before we came here, Snow sama did say to protect the sculptures, and to see them to completion...!
Nero: Jeez. We're going to break our backs remaking them from scratch......
[ Squawk! ]
Akira: .........!
Suddenly, the peryton cried aloud, and then swooped down upon us with ferocity.
Lennox: ...... (grunt)
Lennox stood firmly in front of myself and Rutile to put himself in between us and harm's way.
Over his shoulder, I could see that the peryton was being repelled by the twins' barrier.
But the peryton did not give up. It dove, again and again.
Snow: A futile effort. Our barrier will not break.
The peryton's descent was blocked by an electrical surge of light, and each time it made impact, sparks flew.
Yet it remained undeterred.
It slammed its body over and over against the barrier. It let out anguished, maddened cries.
Murr: What a murderous peryton!
Mithra: It is very angry.
Rutile: But, what caused it to suddenly...... Ah...!
... Its wing...
Each time it struck the barrier, its feathers were shorn off. They were golden feathers, beautiful but damaged.
Watching it damage itself in its attempt to get to us was painful and worrying at the same time.
Akira: (We're here to drive it away, and yet......)
Suddenly, my vision was blocked by someone's hand over my eyes.
Nero: It's sudden, but I'm sorry. I think it's better if you didn't watch.
It was Nero.
Nero: At the rate it's going, it'll perish without us having to do anything. It'll resolve in time.
Akira: ... Nero…
I felt something gently land on my head. it was probably a feather. And then, someone plucked it off me.
I heard the sound of someone taking a deep breath.
Rustica: So magnificent...... What a gorgeous feather this is.
Akira: Huh....?
Nero: ......! O-oi, Groom san!
In a panic, Nero removed his hand. I saw Rustica kick off for the skies.
In no time at all, he stood before the rampaging peryton.
Gently, he extended his right hand, and smiled warmly at it. It was almost as if he were Prince Charming, who had come for his princess.
Rustica: Hello there. Are you, perhaps, my bride?
The peryton let out a shrill cry and soared higher, as if to snub Rustica's offered hand.
— or so I thought, but then it spun and tucked its wings in, and made a beeline for Rustica at an alarming speed.
Rustica: Fufu, what a bold declaration of love.
The peryton's charges were like giant arrows raining down upon Rustica, but he dodged them all nimbly.
To the peryton, they were like bull and matador.
As for Rustica, he carried himself with such elegance that it was like they had been dancing all night at a ball.
Rustica: « amorest viesse »
Akira: No......!
It was when the peryton dove for Rustica a fourth time.
The peryton disappeared — right into Rustica's birdcage.
Rustica: ...... I have finally found you, my bride......
Rustica cradled his birdcage, enraptured. It was if he were embracing his beloved.
Still holding the birdcage to his chest, he made his descent, back to all of us — who were completely stunned.
There was now a cute bird locked up inside his birdcage.
Episode 5 ⭢
Rutile: Look, everyone! Isn't that deer particularly well done?
Akira: Hm? ...... Wow!
Rutile's finger pointed at a very beautiful deer sculpture.
It stood in the middle of the Garden of Ice, and its great horns and sleek body easily captured our attention upon first glance.
It was regal and beautiful, and definitely a work of art.
Murr: Wooaahh, what an excellent piece of work! Does it whinny? Does it go meow?
Mithra: Doesn't matter anyhow. More importantly, it looks like it doesn't have much flavour. It's not worth eating.
Rustica: It's beautiful... Its energetic pose makes it look like it's about to come to life. If it does, it may just be my bride that I have been searching for.
Nero: So you're all here...... Wait. Stop right there, Groom san. Put that birdcage away.
Rustica: Why must I?
Murr: I wonderrrr why!
Akira: Rustica. That's a snow sculpture, not your — brrrrrr!
Suddenly, cold winds whipped up around us. We heard the beating of wings.
Snow: It seems like it has made its appearance sooner rather than later.
Akira: ......!
I braced myself when I realised what Snow's words meant: the fiend was here.
I looked up, and saw a strange creature with its wings spread wide. I'd never seen anything like it before.
Akira: The head of a deer, and the body of a bird...?
A head with large horns. A set of strong legs. It was just like what a deer would have.
However, its body was bird-like. It was huge.
I grew nervous, because it clearly wasn't just any creature.
Lennox: Kenja sama, Rutile. Just in case, please stand behind me.
Akira & Rutile: O-okay!
Rutile: It's a creature I've never seen before. What is it?
Murr was looking at the flying creature with a curious glint in his eyes.
Murr: I think it's probably a fantastic beast called a peryton!
Akira: Peryton? Isn't that the creature from the song Rustica played?
Rustica: It seems so. But that peryton has visited the same lands over and over again, and so its journey must have come to an end.
Is the Town of Ice perhaps its hometown?
Snow: Ohoho. That couldn't possibly be.
The legend passed down via The Traveller Peryton on the Journey of Love says that the Peryton is the wandering spirit of a traveller.
But as you may have inferred, the one before us is nothing but a fiend.
In the distant past, they used to attack in flocks. We have fought them off countless times.
Mithra: I remember seeing them before, but it was so long ago, I forgot the details.
Murr: There were no recorded sightings of them for so long, they were said to have gone extinct.
But — seeing how one has just shown up, it was probably revived in the aftermath of the < Great Calamity >!
Murr and I were both looking upon the same sky, but my reaction couldn't have been further from his — his voice brimmed with excitement; I swallowed nervously.
Akira: (A fiend from long ago that should be extinct... and it attacks humans?)
The peryton watched us in silence, great wings flapping against the backdrop of the cold grey sky.
Its ominous presence told us just how unnatural its existence was. I felt like I understood why the town residents had locked themselves away in their homes.
Nero: Okay, I gotta admit, we might be right next to the town under you and your twin's protection, but the way it keeps staring over here is giving me the creeps.
Snow: Umu. It is indeed an ominous presence… but I do not sense hostility from it.
That said, we can't just leave it be. Let's come up with a plan to drive it away...
Mithra: What is there to be indecisive about? We can cut things short by shooting it out of the sky.
Mithra: « arsim »
Mithra said his spell-word, and a low rumbling sound came from the sculptures.
They vibrated, and started to fracture.
Nero: Wai-....... Oi......!
[ Shatter! ]
The next thing we knew, all the sculptures had shattered.
Then, the shards of ice gathered and clumped together, joining themselves into a completely different form.
Akira: ...... That’s amazing...
The icy shards formed a giant spear.
The spear, tipped with a beautiful, large blade of ice, took aim at the peryton from behind Mithra.
Nero: Ugh… You’ve gotta be kidding me...
Murr: Ahaha! All the sculptures are gone!
Nothing remained around us except a wide expanse of snow. It was empty, and so very lonely.
Snow: Mithra! What on earth are you doing!
The townspeople's effort and hard work are now all for naught!
Mithra: You said to drive it away. You did not say to not destroy anything.
Rutile: But before we came here, Snow sama did say to protect the sculptures, and to see them to completion...!
Nero: Jeez. We're going to break our backs remaking them from scratch......
[ Squawk! ]
Akira: .........!
Suddenly, the peryton cried aloud, and then swooped down upon us with ferocity.
Lennox: ...... (grunt)
Lennox stood firmly in front of myself and Rutile to put himself in between us and harm's way.
Over his shoulder, I could see that the peryton was being repelled by the twins' barrier.
But the peryton did not give up. It dove, again and again.
Snow: A futile effort. Our barrier will not break.
The peryton's descent was blocked by an electrical surge of light, and each time it made impact, sparks flew.
Yet it remained undeterred.
It slammed its body over and over against the barrier. It let out anguished, maddened cries.
Murr: What a murderous peryton!
Mithra: It is very angry.
Rutile: But, what caused it to suddenly...... Ah...!
... Its wing...
Each time it struck the barrier, its feathers were shorn off. They were golden feathers, beautiful but damaged.
Watching it damage itself in its attempt to get to us was painful and worrying at the same time.
Akira: (We're here to drive it away, and yet......)
Suddenly, my vision was blocked by someone's hand over my eyes.
Nero: It's sudden, but I'm sorry. I think it's better if you didn't watch.
It was Nero.
Nero: At the rate it's going, it'll perish without us having to do anything. It'll resolve in time.
Akira: ... Nero…
I felt something gently land on my head. it was probably a feather. And then, someone plucked it off me.
I heard the sound of someone taking a deep breath.
Rustica: So magnificent...... What a gorgeous feather this is.
Akira: Huh....?
Nero: ......! O-oi, Groom san!
In a panic, Nero removed his hand. I saw Rustica kick off for the skies.
In no time at all, he stood before the rampaging peryton.
Gently, he extended his right hand, and smiled warmly at it. It was almost as if he were Prince Charming, who had come for his princess.
Rustica: Hello there. Are you, perhaps, my bride?
The peryton let out a shrill cry and soared higher, as if to snub Rustica's offered hand.
— or so I thought, but then it spun and tucked its wings in, and made a beeline for Rustica at an alarming speed.
Rustica: Fufu, what a bold declaration of love.
The peryton's charges were like giant arrows raining down upon Rustica, but he dodged them all nimbly.
To the peryton, they were like bull and matador.
As for Rustica, he carried himself with such elegance that it was like they had been dancing all night at a ball.
Rustica: « amorest viesse »
Akira: No......!
It was when the peryton dove for Rustica a fourth time.
The peryton disappeared — right into Rustica's birdcage.
Rustica: ...... I have finally found you, my bride......
Rustica cradled his birdcage, enraptured. It was if he were embracing his beloved.
Still holding the birdcage to his chest, he made his descent, back to all of us — who were completely stunned.
There was now a cute bird locked up inside his birdcage.
Episode 5 ⭢