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The Lavender Flowers of Sympathy and Sleep - Episode 9
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Heathcliff: ‘Please, come with me.’
In Chloe’s stead, Heathcliff gently took the Great Raven’s hand.
Befitting a nobleman of his pedigree, Heathcliff led the Great Raven up the stairs like the most perfect of gentlemen.
He led it up to where Faust waited.
Faust’s sharp, inquiring gaze seemed to analyse every detail of the procession, and for the briefest of moments his gaze flickered to look over Heathcliff’s shoulder.
[ Faust CG ]
Faust: ‘… It shall be my pleasure to be your guide. Have you found the utmost enjoyment from seeing the castle and its sights?’
Gallantly, he tossed the hem of his cloak, effortlessly moving into a perfect bow to greet the Great Raven.
Faust’s smile reached his eyes, and his entire face was lit up with a small but beautiful smile.
He was the spitting image of a jovial, good-natured young man.
Faust appeared bright-eyed and kind, like soft sunshine in a lush green field.
I couldn’t help but imagine him in the past.
I imagined a time when he was much younger than he was now, when his heart was still naive, when he strove earnestly towards a brighter future.
This was a Faust that was still a Central wizard. Perhaps in those youthful days, this is what he looked like.
Faust: ‘It is almost time for you to rest. Please come with me.’
[ Castle of Maiden’s Tears - Bedchamber ]
The final stop took us back to the sleeping chambers where we had started. As instructed by the ritual, all the wizards that had taken part were already there, standing neatly along the wall.
One wizard stood in the middle of the room: Rutile.
Akira: (Wait… The Maiden didn’t follow us in?)
The moment I stepped into the Great Raven’s sleeping chamber, I heard the frantic sound of clacking heels behind me. It sounded like it was pacing back and forth, from the right to the left to the right, again and again.
I stopped mid-step, right in the doorway. Figaro glanced at me and shook his head as he pointedly turned his gaze to indicate the incense burner and glyphs.
Akira: (I guess she can’t enter because the ritual preparation has filled this entire room with its magic. That means she’s never been able to see the ritual through to its end…)
The other wizards glanced at me too, urging me with their gazes to enter the room. I did, taking my spot in the corner of the sleeping chamber.
My heart went out to the Maiden, who continued to desperately pace outside the sleeping chamber.
This was the Maiden who was said to ’shed neither tears nor blood,’ who had cast aside all her logic, all rationality of decision-making, as she frantically tried to search for a way to enter the room.
All for the sake of her friend.
Rutile: ‘Welcome back. This way, please.’
Rutile escorted the Great Raven over to the bed as if he were handling a particularly precious treasure, while the rest of the wizards watched on.
He was as kind as ever with his bold and bright countenance, but he carried himself with more respect and elegance than usual in his movements.
There was a nervous anticipation in his eyes, but there was also a fragile hope.
The Great Raven: ………
The Great Raven was silent. Its blank gaze remained unchanging.
In the same daze as before, it allowed itself to be led to the bed. It laid down again.
Perhaps the effects of the ritual had started to take hold. The Great Raven began to nod off.
Rutile: ………
Akira: (That should be the cue for the final step, where the line ’Good night and sleep well, until your heart finds peace,’ is said and then the ritual concludes.)
(But today…)
Rutile squeezed his eyes shut, and then he opened them again.
He wore a smile reminiscent of a warm embrace and opened up the book of memoirs.
[ Rutile CG ]
Rutile: Yolanda san…
There is something we must tell you.
The Great Raven: …!
The sleepiness that had overtaken the Great Raven’s gaze was gone in a flash. Its eyes snapped open.
A malevolent darkness filled the chamber.
The Great Raven sprung to its feet.
Rutile: Woah…!
[ Flash! ]
Chloe: Rutile!?
I had no idea what just happened.
I vaguely knew that there had been the glint of talons slashing at Rutile, a blinding flash of light, and then a loud cracking noise.
By the time I got ahold of myself, there were fragments of seashells spraying like shrapnel, and in the middle of it all was a writhing and shrieking Great Raven.
Petrified, Rutile stared at the scene that unfolded before him.
Figaro: Rutile, are you alright?
Rutile: Y-Yes! I was wearing Mithra san’s amulet, and it protected me…
Mithra: It’s an amulet that creates a barrier that counters any malevolence. I think that raven thing won’t be able to move for a while now.
Chloe: W-What a relief…! Who would have expected the Great Raven to attack Rutile once we strayed from the original procedure…
Arthur: It could be because of the imperfect ritual and the Calamity’s influence. I can sense the magical power of the Great Raven growing by the moment…
Mithra: The presence it’s giving off feels like it’s going to be more trouble the more time passes.
Rutile, if the Great Raven attacks you a second time, I will kill that brute.
Rutile: ………
Rutile’s bottom lip trembled at how ruthless Mithra sounded.
He gripped the book of memoirs tightly as he focused his attention on the crazed Great Raven.
Yet, Mithra still stared at Rutile’s determined side profile with a question in his gaze.
Mithra: Why are you just standing there without doing anything…?
Didn’t you want to read the memoirs and make the Great Raven remember the Maiden before I killed it?
Come on, if that’s what you wanted to do, hurry up and get it done.
Rutile: That’s right… You’re right. I can’t give up now, not when there’s still a window of opportunity.
Thank you very much, Mithra san. I’m going to get this done!
Once again, Rutile opened up the collection of memoirs.
The green of his eyes reminded me of the great grassy plains of Southern Country that could weather even the harshest storms.
Rutile set his eyes on the Great Raven with nothing but frank sincerity in his gaze.
Rutile: Yolanda san. I will now read you, what the Maiden of Tears put down in words.
Please listen to them.
Rutile: …… ‘The people have marched upon my doors with a demand.’
‘They wish for me to exile the Raven Witch who spreads the plague.’
The Great Raven: (cawing) ɢᴀᴀᴀ, ᴀᴀ!
ᴀᴀᴀAAAA…!
Heathcliff: D-Did it understand what it was told? That… Great Raven……?
Arthur: I wonder… If those pained cries are from having past memories rekindled within it…
With their magical tools at the ready, Heathcliff and Arthur whispered to each other without once letting their guard down.
Nervously, Chloe glanced over his shoulder at Owen.
Chloe: O-Owen? Can you tell what the Great Raven is saying?
Owen: It’s not saying anything. It’s already forgotten what words are and more besides. It hasn’t changed one bit since we stepped into the castle.
It hasn’t felt any of that warmth or other nonsense at all.
Chloe: … That’s…
Owen: Haha… The fun’s just getting started, Chloe. Let’s see how it goes when Rutile tries to communicate this warmth thing to the Great Raven.
Chloe: ………
Rutile: ‘I summoned the Raven Witch. I wanted to hide her at my family’s mansion until the turmoil passed.’
‘But she’ ——
Figaro: Rutile, be careful. The amulet’s effects will expire soon.
No sooner than the last syllable fell from Figaro’s lips, the Great Raven’s writhing came to an end.
It swiped the mattress away with its sharp talons and immediately dropped into an aggressive stance.
Then with alarming agility it sprung into the air.
[ Screech! ]
Its talons glinted dangerously as it homed in on Rutile from above.
A cold light started to glow from Mithra’s magical tool.
Owen laughed softly and placed a finger on the latch of his suitcase.
From the side, I could see Rutile’s expression, upset by his own failure, as he frantically continued his reading of the memoirs.
Mithra: « arsi——
Faust: « satilliqunart mullcreed »
A dazzlingly white beam of pure light shot straight at the Great Raven right before the mouth of Mithra’s skull creaked open.
As if stopped by an unseen force, the Great Raven froze mid-swoop. It struggled in midair.
With his trusty and powerful mirror held up high, Faust calmly looked at Rutile.
Faust: Continue. It shall not harm you until you have read through the very last line. I will make sure of it.
There is no need to give up just yet.
Rutile: T-Thank you so much!
Figaro: Count me in, Faust. Rutile, you can leave the Great Raven to us.
Arthur: Chloe, Heathcliff, with me! Let’s support Faust too!
One after another, the young wizards and Figaro chanted their spell-words aloud. Rutile continued his desperate effort to read the memoirs.
With his suitcase still in hand, Owen shrugged and then sneered.
Owen: You’re still at it? You sure love this clown show. Even though you know full well that in the end, that thing’s going to be kille——
Rutile: ’This is all my fault.’
The Great Raven: ………!
Suddenly, the Great Raven stopped struggling. Its movements ceased.
Its head twisted into an impossible angle. Its vacant gaze swivelled around and finally stopped when it fell upon the area just inside the room, next to the doorway.
Standing there was the noblewoman in blue.
Chloe: No way…! That’s the Maiden of Tears!?
Heathcliff: The ritual includes a barrier, so it ought to be impossible for anything besides us to get inside… Just how…
The Great Raven: ɢᴀᴀʜʜ, ᴀᴀ……
Aᴀ…
Owen: ………
… ‘My lady’…?
Rutile: —— ‘At least once, I should have shown her my appreciation of her. I should have communicated how thankful I was to her.’
‘I should have said to her that I am so grateful to have her as the witch who serves me. Instead, I only wrote down words on parchment.’
With great effort, the Maiden dragged herself towards the Great Raven.
Her ghostly body started to flicker, and it grew paler and fainter. Perhaps it was because she had forcibly breached the barrier, but it looked like she was about to fade for good.
next episode ⭢
Heathcliff: ‘Please, come with me.’
In Chloe’s stead, Heathcliff gently took the Great Raven’s hand.
Befitting a nobleman of his pedigree, Heathcliff led the Great Raven up the stairs like the most perfect of gentlemen.
He led it up to where Faust waited.
Faust’s sharp, inquiring gaze seemed to analyse every detail of the procession, and for the briefest of moments his gaze flickered to look over Heathcliff’s shoulder.
[ Faust CG ]
Faust: ‘… It shall be my pleasure to be your guide. Have you found the utmost enjoyment from seeing the castle and its sights?’
Gallantly, he tossed the hem of his cloak, effortlessly moving into a perfect bow to greet the Great Raven.
Faust’s smile reached his eyes, and his entire face was lit up with a small but beautiful smile.
He was the spitting image of a jovial, good-natured young man.
Faust appeared bright-eyed and kind, like soft sunshine in a lush green field.
I couldn’t help but imagine him in the past.
I imagined a time when he was much younger than he was now, when his heart was still naive, when he strove earnestly towards a brighter future.
This was a Faust that was still a Central wizard. Perhaps in those youthful days, this is what he looked like.
Faust: ‘It is almost time for you to rest. Please come with me.’
[ Castle of Maiden’s Tears - Bedchamber ]
The final stop took us back to the sleeping chambers where we had started. As instructed by the ritual, all the wizards that had taken part were already there, standing neatly along the wall.
One wizard stood in the middle of the room: Rutile.
Akira: (Wait… The Maiden didn’t follow us in?)
The moment I stepped into the Great Raven’s sleeping chamber, I heard the frantic sound of clacking heels behind me. It sounded like it was pacing back and forth, from the right to the left to the right, again and again.
I stopped mid-step, right in the doorway. Figaro glanced at me and shook his head as he pointedly turned his gaze to indicate the incense burner and glyphs.
Akira: (I guess she can’t enter because the ritual preparation has filled this entire room with its magic. That means she’s never been able to see the ritual through to its end…)
The other wizards glanced at me too, urging me with their gazes to enter the room. I did, taking my spot in the corner of the sleeping chamber.
My heart went out to the Maiden, who continued to desperately pace outside the sleeping chamber.
This was the Maiden who was said to ’shed neither tears nor blood,’ who had cast aside all her logic, all rationality of decision-making, as she frantically tried to search for a way to enter the room.
All for the sake of her friend.
Rutile: ‘Welcome back. This way, please.’
Rutile escorted the Great Raven over to the bed as if he were handling a particularly precious treasure, while the rest of the wizards watched on.
He was as kind as ever with his bold and bright countenance, but he carried himself with more respect and elegance than usual in his movements.
There was a nervous anticipation in his eyes, but there was also a fragile hope.
The Great Raven: ………
The Great Raven was silent. Its blank gaze remained unchanging.
In the same daze as before, it allowed itself to be led to the bed. It laid down again.
Perhaps the effects of the ritual had started to take hold. The Great Raven began to nod off.
Rutile: ………
Akira: (That should be the cue for the final step, where the line ’Good night and sleep well, until your heart finds peace,’ is said and then the ritual concludes.)
(But today…)
Rutile squeezed his eyes shut, and then he opened them again.
He wore a smile reminiscent of a warm embrace and opened up the book of memoirs.
[ Rutile CG ]
Rutile: Yolanda san…
There is something we must tell you.
The Great Raven: …!
The sleepiness that had overtaken the Great Raven’s gaze was gone in a flash. Its eyes snapped open.
A malevolent darkness filled the chamber.
The Great Raven sprung to its feet.
Rutile: Woah…!
[ Flash! ]
Chloe: Rutile!?
I had no idea what just happened.
I vaguely knew that there had been the glint of talons slashing at Rutile, a blinding flash of light, and then a loud cracking noise.
By the time I got ahold of myself, there were fragments of seashells spraying like shrapnel, and in the middle of it all was a writhing and shrieking Great Raven.
Petrified, Rutile stared at the scene that unfolded before him.
Figaro: Rutile, are you alright?
Rutile: Y-Yes! I was wearing Mithra san’s amulet, and it protected me…
Mithra: It’s an amulet that creates a barrier that counters any malevolence. I think that raven thing won’t be able to move for a while now.
Chloe: W-What a relief…! Who would have expected the Great Raven to attack Rutile once we strayed from the original procedure…
Arthur: It could be because of the imperfect ritual and the Calamity’s influence. I can sense the magical power of the Great Raven growing by the moment…
Mithra: The presence it’s giving off feels like it’s going to be more trouble the more time passes.
Rutile, if the Great Raven attacks you a second time, I will kill that brute.
Rutile: ………
Rutile’s bottom lip trembled at how ruthless Mithra sounded.
He gripped the book of memoirs tightly as he focused his attention on the crazed Great Raven.
Yet, Mithra still stared at Rutile’s determined side profile with a question in his gaze.
Mithra: Why are you just standing there without doing anything…?
Didn’t you want to read the memoirs and make the Great Raven remember the Maiden before I killed it?
Come on, if that’s what you wanted to do, hurry up and get it done.
Rutile: That’s right… You’re right. I can’t give up now, not when there’s still a window of opportunity.
Thank you very much, Mithra san. I’m going to get this done!
Once again, Rutile opened up the collection of memoirs.
The green of his eyes reminded me of the great grassy plains of Southern Country that could weather even the harshest storms.
Rutile set his eyes on the Great Raven with nothing but frank sincerity in his gaze.
Rutile: Yolanda san. I will now read you, what the Maiden of Tears put down in words.
Please listen to them.
Rutile: …… ‘The people have marched upon my doors with a demand.’
‘They wish for me to exile the Raven Witch who spreads the plague.’
The Great Raven: (cawing) ɢᴀᴀᴀ, ᴀᴀ!
ᴀᴀᴀAAAA…!
Heathcliff: D-Did it understand what it was told? That… Great Raven……?
Arthur: I wonder… If those pained cries are from having past memories rekindled within it…
With their magical tools at the ready, Heathcliff and Arthur whispered to each other without once letting their guard down.
Nervously, Chloe glanced over his shoulder at Owen.
Chloe: O-Owen? Can you tell what the Great Raven is saying?
Owen: It’s not saying anything. It’s already forgotten what words are and more besides. It hasn’t changed one bit since we stepped into the castle.
It hasn’t felt any of that warmth or other nonsense at all.
Chloe: … That’s…
Owen: Haha… The fun’s just getting started, Chloe. Let’s see how it goes when Rutile tries to communicate this warmth thing to the Great Raven.
Chloe: ………
Rutile: ‘I summoned the Raven Witch. I wanted to hide her at my family’s mansion until the turmoil passed.’
‘But she’ ——
Figaro: Rutile, be careful. The amulet’s effects will expire soon.
No sooner than the last syllable fell from Figaro’s lips, the Great Raven’s writhing came to an end.
It swiped the mattress away with its sharp talons and immediately dropped into an aggressive stance.
Then with alarming agility it sprung into the air.
[ Screech! ]
Its talons glinted dangerously as it homed in on Rutile from above.
A cold light started to glow from Mithra’s magical tool.
Owen laughed softly and placed a finger on the latch of his suitcase.
From the side, I could see Rutile’s expression, upset by his own failure, as he frantically continued his reading of the memoirs.
Mithra: « arsi——
Faust: « satilliqunart mullcreed »
A dazzlingly white beam of pure light shot straight at the Great Raven right before the mouth of Mithra’s skull creaked open.
As if stopped by an unseen force, the Great Raven froze mid-swoop. It struggled in midair.
With his trusty and powerful mirror held up high, Faust calmly looked at Rutile.
Faust: Continue. It shall not harm you until you have read through the very last line. I will make sure of it.
There is no need to give up just yet.
Rutile: T-Thank you so much!
Figaro: Count me in, Faust. Rutile, you can leave the Great Raven to us.
Arthur: Chloe, Heathcliff, with me! Let’s support Faust too!
One after another, the young wizards and Figaro chanted their spell-words aloud. Rutile continued his desperate effort to read the memoirs.
With his suitcase still in hand, Owen shrugged and then sneered.
Owen: You’re still at it? You sure love this clown show. Even though you know full well that in the end, that thing’s going to be kille——
Rutile: ’This is all my fault.’
The Great Raven: ………!
Suddenly, the Great Raven stopped struggling. Its movements ceased.
Its head twisted into an impossible angle. Its vacant gaze swivelled around and finally stopped when it fell upon the area just inside the room, next to the doorway.
Standing there was the noblewoman in blue.
Chloe: No way…! That’s the Maiden of Tears!?
Heathcliff: The ritual includes a barrier, so it ought to be impossible for anything besides us to get inside… Just how…
The Great Raven: ɢᴀᴀʜʜ, ᴀᴀ……
Aᴀ…
Owen: ………
… ‘My lady’…?
Rutile: —— ‘At least once, I should have shown her my appreciation of her. I should have communicated how thankful I was to her.’
‘I should have said to her that I am so grateful to have her as the witch who serves me. Instead, I only wrote down words on parchment.’
With great effort, the Maiden dragged herself towards the Great Raven.
Her ghostly body started to flicker, and it grew paler and fainter. Perhaps it was because she had forcibly breached the barrier, but it looked like she was about to fade for good.
next episode ⭢