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The Lavender Flowers of Sympathy and Sleep - Episode 7
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Arthur: I wanted to say... Thank you for allowing us to read the memoir as part of the ritual.
Faust: It’s nothing worth thanking me for. I agreed to work with the group’s preferences. Nothing more.
Arthur: That’s… Well, I know this may be insensitive of me to say, but……
You have lived far longer than I have. I’ve no doubt that your experiences must have taught you that it’s best to leave your hopes behind.
Faust: ………
Arthur: Despite that, you said you would give us your full support in our pursuit of hope.
That made me really happy.
Faust: I…… see.
Arthur: Yet, at the same time, I find myself worrying about you. Figaro sama said it loud and clear — magic comes from the heart.
If the changes to the ritual gives rise to conflict in your heart, then I'd like to help you in any way I can…
Faust: ………
Faust: You’re not wrong. I do not believe in hope. This world is far more cruel than anything you young wizards can imagine.
Hearts at odds with each other will never beat to the same rhythm.
When a heart is wounded and frozen in time by its own hate, it can never be healed.
Arthur: ………
Faust: But… I am also armed with the wisdom that comes with longevity.
Arthur: ... And what does that wisdom say?
Faust: There is a mysterious strength wielded by the young folk like yourself and your cohort.
You have the courage to forge a path forward, faithfully towards your goal. It is a power that can overcome the impossible and give birth to miracles.
I am certain that come tomorrow, all of you will achieve a feat contrary to my expectations — you will call forth a miracle from the Maiden and the Great Raven.
Arthur: ………
Faust: … Arthur, thank you for coming out this late at night to check on me. You’re a kind soul.
Arthur: … I should say the same to you. Thank you, Faust.
There’ll be a miracle tomorrow for you to witness, we’ll make sure of it.
Faust: Of course. … Now, run along, off to bed with you. You have to be ready for tomorrow. You’ve barely been able to keep your eyes open.
Arthur: Ahaha, you knew all along? You saw right through me. I suppose I’ll have to retire for the night.
Good night, Faust.
Faust: Rest well, Arthur.
Sweet dreams.
[ Castle of Maiden’s Tears - Bedchamber ]
[ The door opens. ]
Owen: ………
[ Owen approaches the bed. ]
Owen: « cur…
[ Chloe comes running. ]
Chloe: Owen!? Wh— Hold it, hold it right there…!
Owen: … Tch. Naturally, the annoyingly noisy one has to make an appearance.
Chloe: Y-You have your magical tool out. What were you up to? Was the Great Raven causing trouble, or something like that?
Owen: Nope. I’m going to have my dog eat the Great Raven before the ritual begins.
Chloe: You’re going to feed the Great Raven to your dog?! Why would you…
Owen: That’s my line. Everyone’s lost their minds. The ritual was obnoxious enough as is, and now you’ve all had the genius idea of making it even more warped than it already is.
What are you all even thinking?
Chloe: That’s because… it’s for the Maiden and the Raven Witch. The way they left so many things unsaid is really sad.
Above all, I want to make sure these words reach the Raven Witch: ‘You know, the Maiden has believed in you all this time,’ and ‘She was always on your side.’
To face the world with no one at your side… It’s a miserable feeling… so miserable that it makes you want to disappear. … It’s painful.
Owen: ………
… So, Chloe. Are you on my side?
Chloe: Huh…?
Owen: Answer me?
Chloe: Umm… Yeah, I’m on your side. We’re both Sage’s Wizards together.
Owen: Thank you.
Then, promise me?
Promise me that no matter what, you’ll be on my side.
[ Chloe’s smile fades. ]
Chloe: ………
Owen: Ahaha. See? You couldn’t.
Words mean nothing. I like talking, so I know that all too well.
Like how you’re lying, everyone lies. Everyone knows that words don’t have to be true.
Chloe: I wasn’t ly……
Owen: I can say that I love you from the bottom of my heart. I can also tell you to die, because I hate you with all my heart.
Which would you choose to believe, Chloe? Which one do you think is how I truly feel?
Chloe: I… I don’t know…
Owen: It makes no difference which one you choose. I’ll always answer, ‘Wrong, the other one is the truth.’
That’s why even if the Great Raven could understand words, the words read aloud from that memoir mean nothing.
Chloe: That’s…
………
[ Chloe CG ]
Owen: ………
Don’t grab my hand without warning. Do you want to die, Chloe?
Chloe: … H-Here… Doesn’t this feel warm?
Owen: What?
Chloe: When Rustica does this for me, my chest is filled with warmth.
It feels like it’s telling me, ‘This person believes in me. This person will always be on my side.’
Even if there’s no promise to bind it.
Owen: ………
Chloe: … Honestly, I… I can’t say for sure if the contents of the memoir will get through to the Great Raven.
But I think that this feeling of warmth will transcend even words.
You feel it too… don’t you, Owen? It’s something that’s beyond words, beyond lies…
Owen: That’s…
………
Owen: ……… Tch, let go of me!
Chloe: Whoa!
[ Owen vanishes. ]
Chloe: Oh…! … He disappeared……
Owen……
[ Castle of Maiden’s Tears - Open Skies (Night) ]
Owen: ………
I felt no such thing.
I never will.
[ Castle of Maiden’s Tears - Office ]
Rutile: ………
‘This is all my fault.’
‘At least once, I should have shown her my appreciation of her. I should have communicated how thankful I was to her.’
Rutile: Phew… It’s so difficult to get my tongue around this,* but I’ve got to be able to read it out smoothly.
[ Mithra enters the office. ]
Mithra: Oh, there you are. What are you doing here.
Rutile: Oh, it's you, Mithra san. I’m rehearsing the memoir reading for tomorrow.
Were you by any chance looking for me?
Mithra: Obviously, yes. I couldn’t sense your presence from the room you were supposed to be in.
Hurry up and return to your room.
Rutile: I appreciate your concern, but I’d like to stay a little longer.
I want to purify the Great Raven with tomorrow’s ritual. In order to do that, I want to thoroughly read through the contents of these memoirs one more time.
Mithra: ………
Rutile: Mithra san?
Mithra: … Then, how about I perform the Blindfold of Bygones**?
Rutile: What are you talking about…?
Mithra: It’s an ancient purification ritual. Whatever all-consuming anger and sorrow that besets the target’s soul will be released, by making the target forget about it.
I can certainly purify the Great Raven with this ritual.
Though, it requires an extremely rare focus, takes far too much time and effort, and is more trouble than it’s worth.
Rutile: … You’ll still do it for me even though it’s a troublesome ritual? Mithra san, I thought you hated trouble.
Mithra: But if I did the ritual, you won’t have to read the memoirs aloud tomorrow.
You won’t be exposed to danger, and you won’t need to stay up all night.
Rutile: ………
… Thank you very much, Mithra san. It makes me really happy to know that you thought up this plan for my sake.
But I’d like for this idea of yours to be a last resort in case everything fails to go as planned tomorrow.
Mithra: What? How about no. The ritual I’m talking about has no chance of failure.
Why is it so important to you to perform a ritual that might fail? Do you dislike my ritual?
Rutile: Not at all! As I said, just the fact that you spent time thinking of an alternative for my sake makes me really happy.
But still, as long as there’s a chance of it working out, I’d really like to try purifying the Great Raven by communicating the Maiden’s thoughts and feelings to it.
Mithra: Please stop daydreaming. I’m going above and beyond to offer to do my ritual for you, you know.
Rutile: Mithr—
Mithra: This has happened again and again. You are always like this. You never listen to anything I say. It’s just like that time I gave you a mana stone.
That was an extraordinary mana stone that I offered you two. It was not an everyday gift, but you refused to eat it!
Mitile listened to what I said, and did you see what happened? He grew stronger!
Rutile: THAT’S—!! …… (breathes) …
… I’m sorry. I was about to make the same mistake as before…
I’ll… try to sort out my feelings and put them into words, so please… just give me a moment…
Mithra: Why should I.
Rutile: … Please, Mithra san…
Mithra: ………
Rutile: ………
Rutile: … That time with Mitile and the mana stone … Mitile and I are not the same person.
Mitile’s willpower far exceeds mine. He dreams of becoming stronger, and that dream of his blazes more brilliantly than anyone else’s … I think he probably takes after Mother.
When Mitile considered our different perspectives and thought it over, he chose to take the stone. He wasn’t just ‘listening’ to you.
Just like him, I considered your words, and I came to a different conclusion. I decided I didn’t want to eat the stone.
It’s not that I didn’t want to listen to you, and I didn’t want to make you angry either.
Mithra: ………
Rutile: And this time, when it comes to this ritual… I really am happy that you suggested an alternative, Mithra san.
But even so, I choose to believe that the relationship between the Maiden and the Great Raven can be fixed with words.
I think the Maiden and I are similar… We couldn’t put our thoughts into words, and our words into sentences. We made someone angry, and then we felt regret…
Because of that… I want to communicate the Maiden’s feelings aloud with words as they should’ve been, and that’s how we’ll purify the Great Raven.
Mithra: ………
Rutile: … Did you get any of that?
Mithra: … Not really…
………
… I… I don’t want you to die on me.
Rutile: … I know that. If I die, you’ll have broken your promise, and…
Mithra: That’s not it.
Rutile: Huh?
Mithra: Well, that is it, but… it feels like it’s not that either.
Rutile: ……? What do you mean?
Mithra: …… Never mind.
Rutile: I… I’d like to hear you out.
Mithra: Even if you say that, I won’t be able to put it into words.
(sigh) …… You’re really someone who enjoys thinking about difficult things.
Rutile: … Ahaha… but I’d always thought that I was no good at thinking things through.
Mithra: ………
* As Rutile noted, the memoirs are supposed to be quite antiquated. We declined to use to archaic English because 1. accessibility, and 2. the Japanese wasn't archaic either.
** lit. 'the 'the blindfold of forgiving and forgetting'
next episode ⭢
Arthur: I wanted to say... Thank you for allowing us to read the memoir as part of the ritual.
Faust: It’s nothing worth thanking me for. I agreed to work with the group’s preferences. Nothing more.
Arthur: That’s… Well, I know this may be insensitive of me to say, but……
You have lived far longer than I have. I’ve no doubt that your experiences must have taught you that it’s best to leave your hopes behind.
Faust: ………
Arthur: Despite that, you said you would give us your full support in our pursuit of hope.
That made me really happy.
Faust: I…… see.
Arthur: Yet, at the same time, I find myself worrying about you. Figaro sama said it loud and clear — magic comes from the heart.
If the changes to the ritual gives rise to conflict in your heart, then I'd like to help you in any way I can…
Faust: ………
Faust: You’re not wrong. I do not believe in hope. This world is far more cruel than anything you young wizards can imagine.
Hearts at odds with each other will never beat to the same rhythm.
When a heart is wounded and frozen in time by its own hate, it can never be healed.
Arthur: ………
Faust: But… I am also armed with the wisdom that comes with longevity.
Arthur: ... And what does that wisdom say?
Faust: There is a mysterious strength wielded by the young folk like yourself and your cohort.
You have the courage to forge a path forward, faithfully towards your goal. It is a power that can overcome the impossible and give birth to miracles.
I am certain that come tomorrow, all of you will achieve a feat contrary to my expectations — you will call forth a miracle from the Maiden and the Great Raven.
Arthur: ………
Faust: … Arthur, thank you for coming out this late at night to check on me. You’re a kind soul.
Arthur: … I should say the same to you. Thank you, Faust.
There’ll be a miracle tomorrow for you to witness, we’ll make sure of it.
Faust: Of course. … Now, run along, off to bed with you. You have to be ready for tomorrow. You’ve barely been able to keep your eyes open.
Arthur: Ahaha, you knew all along? You saw right through me. I suppose I’ll have to retire for the night.
Good night, Faust.
Faust: Rest well, Arthur.
Sweet dreams.
[ Castle of Maiden’s Tears - Bedchamber ]
[ The door opens. ]
Owen: ………
[ Owen approaches the bed. ]
Owen: « cur…
[ Chloe comes running. ]
Chloe: Owen!? Wh— Hold it, hold it right there…!
Owen: … Tch. Naturally, the annoyingly noisy one has to make an appearance.
Chloe: Y-You have your magical tool out. What were you up to? Was the Great Raven causing trouble, or something like that?
Owen: Nope. I’m going to have my dog eat the Great Raven before the ritual begins.
Chloe: You’re going to feed the Great Raven to your dog?! Why would you…
Owen: That’s my line. Everyone’s lost their minds. The ritual was obnoxious enough as is, and now you’ve all had the genius idea of making it even more warped than it already is.
What are you all even thinking?
Chloe: That’s because… it’s for the Maiden and the Raven Witch. The way they left so many things unsaid is really sad.
Above all, I want to make sure these words reach the Raven Witch: ‘You know, the Maiden has believed in you all this time,’ and ‘She was always on your side.’
To face the world with no one at your side… It’s a miserable feeling… so miserable that it makes you want to disappear. … It’s painful.
Owen: ………
… So, Chloe. Are you on my side?
Chloe: Huh…?
Owen: Answer me?
Chloe: Umm… Yeah, I’m on your side. We’re both Sage’s Wizards together.
Owen: Thank you.
Then, promise me?
Promise me that no matter what, you’ll be on my side.
[ Chloe’s smile fades. ]
Chloe: ………
Owen: Ahaha. See? You couldn’t.
Words mean nothing. I like talking, so I know that all too well.
Like how you’re lying, everyone lies. Everyone knows that words don’t have to be true.
Chloe: I wasn’t ly……
Owen: I can say that I love you from the bottom of my heart. I can also tell you to die, because I hate you with all my heart.
Which would you choose to believe, Chloe? Which one do you think is how I truly feel?
Chloe: I… I don’t know…
Owen: It makes no difference which one you choose. I’ll always answer, ‘Wrong, the other one is the truth.’
That’s why even if the Great Raven could understand words, the words read aloud from that memoir mean nothing.
Chloe: That’s…
………
[ Chloe CG ]
Owen: ………
Don’t grab my hand without warning. Do you want to die, Chloe?
Chloe: … H-Here… Doesn’t this feel warm?
Owen: What?
Chloe: When Rustica does this for me, my chest is filled with warmth.
It feels like it’s telling me, ‘This person believes in me. This person will always be on my side.’
Even if there’s no promise to bind it.
Owen: ………
Chloe: … Honestly, I… I can’t say for sure if the contents of the memoir will get through to the Great Raven.
But I think that this feeling of warmth will transcend even words.
You feel it too… don’t you, Owen? It’s something that’s beyond words, beyond lies…
Owen: That’s…
………
Owen: ……… Tch, let go of me!
Chloe: Whoa!
[ Owen vanishes. ]
Chloe: Oh…! … He disappeared……
Owen……
[ Castle of Maiden’s Tears - Open Skies (Night) ]
Owen: ………
I felt no such thing.
I never will.
[ Castle of Maiden’s Tears - Office ]
Rutile: ………
‘This is all my fault.’
‘At least once, I should have shown her my appreciation of her. I should have communicated how thankful I was to her.’
Rutile: Phew… It’s so difficult to get my tongue around this,* but I’ve got to be able to read it out smoothly.
[ Mithra enters the office. ]
Mithra: Oh, there you are. What are you doing here.
Rutile: Oh, it's you, Mithra san. I’m rehearsing the memoir reading for tomorrow.
Were you by any chance looking for me?
Mithra: Obviously, yes. I couldn’t sense your presence from the room you were supposed to be in.
Hurry up and return to your room.
Rutile: I appreciate your concern, but I’d like to stay a little longer.
I want to purify the Great Raven with tomorrow’s ritual. In order to do that, I want to thoroughly read through the contents of these memoirs one more time.
Mithra: ………
Rutile: Mithra san?
Mithra: … Then, how about I perform the Blindfold of Bygones**?
Rutile: What are you talking about…?
Mithra: It’s an ancient purification ritual. Whatever all-consuming anger and sorrow that besets the target’s soul will be released, by making the target forget about it.
I can certainly purify the Great Raven with this ritual.
Though, it requires an extremely rare focus, takes far too much time and effort, and is more trouble than it’s worth.
Rutile: … You’ll still do it for me even though it’s a troublesome ritual? Mithra san, I thought you hated trouble.
Mithra: But if I did the ritual, you won’t have to read the memoirs aloud tomorrow.
You won’t be exposed to danger, and you won’t need to stay up all night.
Rutile: ………
… Thank you very much, Mithra san. It makes me really happy to know that you thought up this plan for my sake.
But I’d like for this idea of yours to be a last resort in case everything fails to go as planned tomorrow.
Mithra: What? How about no. The ritual I’m talking about has no chance of failure.
Why is it so important to you to perform a ritual that might fail? Do you dislike my ritual?
Rutile: Not at all! As I said, just the fact that you spent time thinking of an alternative for my sake makes me really happy.
But still, as long as there’s a chance of it working out, I’d really like to try purifying the Great Raven by communicating the Maiden’s thoughts and feelings to it.
Mithra: Please stop daydreaming. I’m going above and beyond to offer to do my ritual for you, you know.
Rutile: Mithr—
Mithra: This has happened again and again. You are always like this. You never listen to anything I say. It’s just like that time I gave you a mana stone.
That was an extraordinary mana stone that I offered you two. It was not an everyday gift, but you refused to eat it!
Mitile listened to what I said, and did you see what happened? He grew stronger!
Rutile: THAT’S—!! …… (breathes) …
… I’m sorry. I was about to make the same mistake as before…
I’ll… try to sort out my feelings and put them into words, so please… just give me a moment…
Mithra: Why should I.
Rutile: … Please, Mithra san…
Mithra: ………
Rutile: ………
Rutile: … That time with Mitile and the mana stone … Mitile and I are not the same person.
Mitile’s willpower far exceeds mine. He dreams of becoming stronger, and that dream of his blazes more brilliantly than anyone else’s … I think he probably takes after Mother.
When Mitile considered our different perspectives and thought it over, he chose to take the stone. He wasn’t just ‘listening’ to you.
Just like him, I considered your words, and I came to a different conclusion. I decided I didn’t want to eat the stone.
It’s not that I didn’t want to listen to you, and I didn’t want to make you angry either.
Mithra: ………
Rutile: And this time, when it comes to this ritual… I really am happy that you suggested an alternative, Mithra san.
But even so, I choose to believe that the relationship between the Maiden and the Great Raven can be fixed with words.
I think the Maiden and I are similar… We couldn’t put our thoughts into words, and our words into sentences. We made someone angry, and then we felt regret…
Because of that… I want to communicate the Maiden’s feelings aloud with words as they should’ve been, and that’s how we’ll purify the Great Raven.
Mithra: ………
Rutile: … Did you get any of that?
Mithra: … Not really…
………
… I… I don’t want you to die on me.
Rutile: … I know that. If I die, you’ll have broken your promise, and…
Mithra: That’s not it.
Rutile: Huh?
Mithra: Well, that is it, but… it feels like it’s not that either.
Rutile: ……? What do you mean?
Mithra: …… Never mind.
Rutile: I… I’d like to hear you out.
Mithra: Even if you say that, I won’t be able to put it into words.
(sigh) …… You’re really someone who enjoys thinking about difficult things.
Rutile: … Ahaha… but I’d always thought that I was no good at thinking things through.
Mithra: ………
* As Rutile noted, the memoirs are supposed to be quite antiquated. We declined to use to archaic English because 1. accessibility, and 2. the Japanese wasn't archaic either.
** lit. 'the 'the blindfold of forgiving and forgetting'
next episode ⭢