Part 2
The 49th Name Translation Part 2
Here is the second part of my translation of "The 49th Name," the second story in D. Gray-man Reverse 2 by Kizaki Kaya. I apologize for being so slow.
As before, if anyone has comments, questions, or critique about my translation, please let me know! Thanks to the people who caught typos on the last one.
A Thousand Tragedies
The 49th Name part 1
The 49th Name part 2
Flustered, Doug grabbed the bars of the gate and called, “Uh…please wait a moment!”
“Colette! Do we have guests?” At that moment, a young man emerged from the mansion and headed their way.
“Master Serge.” The girl, whom he’d called Colette, looked at the young man in surprise.
Serge—then he must be this house’s only son. Rabi observed the tall young man closely. He couldn’t have been much past twenty. He had curly blond hair and sky-blue eyes. His cheeks were smooth and white, like a girl’s. In his finely tailored tailcoat, he looked like a young nobleman. Even the gracefulness of the composed way he walked toward them showed his good upbringing.
Doug looked at Serge with a nervous expression. He was probably desperate to keep them from being turned away at the gate this time.
“I was watching from the second-story window…I wondered if perhaps…” Serge turned his eyes to Rabi’s chest. “It is the Rose Cross! Are you gentlemen from the Black Order?”
Doug, looking relieved, nodded. “Yes, we are. We came by in hopes of being allowed to speak with Master Jerome, you see…”
“Did you now! However, I’m afraid my father is not feeling well…but I will speak with you if you’d like.”
At this unprompted offer, Doug nodded. “We would, thank you!”
“Colette, open the gate.”
Prompted by Serge, the still expressionless Colette unlocked the gate.
“I’ll show the guests in, so you go on ahead and prepare the tea,” said Serge.
“Yes, sir.” Colette nodded in consent and hurried for the mansion.
“I’m sorry. She’s quite an unfriendly girl.”
“But she’s what, only ten? Why take such a young girl as a maid?” Rabi asked, following Serge to the mansion.
Serge gave a wry smile at his blunt question. “Last year, her father, who sews at a factory in Paris, fell sick. He was also badly in debt, and as we had subcontracted to him before, we couldn’t stand idly by. We lent him money. As he had no chance of paying us back, his only daughter Colette came to work as our maid.”
“I see…”
It wasn’t unusual for children to work if their household was in those straits. In Paris and other large cities, poverty and the problems accompanying it were currently increasing. Some held that the conditions of poverty were more severe in the cities than in the farming villages. Harsh working conditions pressured the family budget, and no few homes had been destroyed. The gap between the poor and wealthy classes like the aristocracy and bourgeoisie grew ever wider.
“But she’s so young, it must be difficult for her…” A shadow crossed Doug’s face. His heart must be aching in sympathy for the unfortunate girl. Doug was a superb Finder, but he was easily swayed by emotion.
Honestly, he’s so naïve.
That was his strength, and his weakness.
“Ouch!” Rabi felt a small pain in his butt and turned around. The Bookman, an acupuncture needle in his hand, was looking at him with a frightening expression.
“What was that for, Panda?”
“The conversation went off course when you butted in. Keep your mouth shut for awhile,” whispered the Bookman quietly.
Doug deftly continued the conversation and began probing for information in place of Rabi, who reluctantly kept his mouth shut. “But to pay the debt to the sewing factory on another’s behalf, your father must be a very thoughtful individual.”
Serge smiled, pleased. “Yes…I respect him. After my mother passed away, no end of worried callers came to pay a visit to my father. Unfortunately, he has been bedridden due to illness. Come in.” Serge opened the mansion door for them.
An open space spread before the three visitors. It was clear that no expense had been spared for the entryway. Countless portraits decorated the walls. The candlesticks and other decorations were all of fine craftsmanship.
However, the floor was dusty, the interior dimly lit. There was only one maid for such a large mansion, and she couldn’t manage to clean everything.
Rabi sensed a bleakness to the mansion that at first sight had seemed blessed.
“Please, this way…”
The drawing room to which Serge showed them was also spacious. Treading the soft carpet, the three of them took their seats on the velvet sofa.
Colette promptly brought in tea. Arranged on the snow-white tablecloth was fine china with a pattern of climbing roses.
“Ooh, thanks. That smells good.” Rabi tried speaking to her, but Colette remained silent.
Doug watched Colette silently completing her tasks, looking as if he wanted to speak to her. He was probably recalling what he’d heard about her life.
The Bookman looked at Doug, urging him to act. Doug noticed his gaze and hurriedly composed his expression. It seemed that, as before, the role of asking questions would fall to Doug.
Doug, his good humor renewed, cleared his throat slightly and faced Serge with a calm smile. “I apologize for our visiting so suddenly. We’re from the Black Order, and at present we’re investigating the mysterious “Statue of the Dawn Goddess” we recently heard was in this town. We hoped to speak with Mr. Jerome, a figure of local prominence.”
“Statue of the Dawn Goddess…oh yes, we did receive a visitor. A suspicious fellow who was a traveling fortune-teller or some such.” Serge grimaced, as if to say he’d been revolted.
“You met with the fortune-teller? What was he like?”
“He wore a black hood low over his eyes, so I couldn’t see his face very well. However, I could tell he was a strongly built man in the prime of his life. I carelessly invited him inside because at first he said he’d come to offer his condolences. But once I began listening to him closely, he started saying something questionable about how you could bring the dead back to life if you pray to the goddess statue. He must have gotten wind of my mother’s passing away. The likes of these swindlers truly have sharp ears.” Serge’s white cheeks became visibly red with anger. It seemed he was prone to excitement in temperament. “What do they think a person’s death is? How could they make a business of that!?”
“You didn’t believe him, then.”
At Doug’s words, Serge’s sky-blue eyes widened in mortification. “Of course not. Did he think he was a god, saying the dead could be brought back to life? He seemed suspicious from the moment I saw him. He wore a black hooded cloak that hid his entire body and face, and he was accompanied by an eerie bat. He was like the specter of Death.”
Doug and his companions looked at each other. A suspicious fortune-teller—could it be that man?
Traveling the world far and wide, continuing to create grotesque toys, and trying to lead the world to destruction—the Millennium Earl?
“Did you hear where the Statue of the Dawn Goddess is located?”
“No, I didn’t, because I turned him out,” Serge said with finality.
“So you don’t know where it is, and haven’t gone to see it?”
“No! That’s what I’m saying!” Serge set his cup down violently, with a thump. Tea splashed out, and brown stains appeared, spotting the tablecloth. “I’m sorry. I became flustered.”
“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
At Doug’s words, Serge looked down. His long eyelashes trembled, and he pressed his lips tightly together. He seemed to be fighting back tears.
“My mother was a kind person…she always had a smile. She passed away a month ago, but when I think of her death I still feel a tightness in my chest…how pathetic I must be.”
“No, not at—“
Serge slowly shook his head. His golden curls swayed. “Just when I have to be strong. It was a shock to my father, and he’s stayed shut up in his room. It seems to be more a problem of the mind than the body. A physician said the only thing we can do right now is leave him be, so I’m considering convalescence at our summer home.” Serge sighted.
“By the way, what are you doing now, Serge?”
A note of bewilderment appeared on Serge’s face, as if Doug had asked him something unexpected. “Me? I’m currently training to take over my father’s business.”
So you aren’t at home often?” asked Doug.
“That’s right. Sometimes I look over documents at home, but …I’m often out of the house.” When talking about himself, Serge, was inarticulate.
Rabi observed Serge intently. Either he didn’t much want to talk to outsiders, or there were details he found it difficult to talk about.
In the tavern, the townsfolk had talked about him as if he were a prodigal son living a debauched life. Right now, he seemed like a young man who cared for his father and applied himself to his work. Which was his true self?
“Master Serge.” Colette quietly approached Serge. “The Baron Lebrun is here wishing to meet with the master.”
“Again? My father remains unwell. Turn him away!”
“Yes, sir…” Colette nodded with a gloomy expression and left the room.
Serge, not hiding his ill temper, irritably clutched the arms of his chair. “I apologize for raising my voice. Since my father became unwell, there’s been no end to the people coming saying they want to buy the diamond. The must think that they can seize their chance now, while my father’s weak. They’re like vultures.”
“Um…what diamond is this?”
Taken aback, Serge looked at Doug. “Excuse me, I expect visitors who aren’t from the area wouldn’t know about it. I was referring to the diamond pendant passed down from generation to generation in the Dreselle family.” Serge rose and stood before the fireplace.
Above the fireplace hung a portrait. With even the fine details drawn in, it was so lifelike it looked as if it would start moving at any moment. A notable artist must have drawn it.
The portrait depicted a man in his prime with sky-blue eyes that shone with a strong light. He wore a tailcoat and sported a brown mustache. It could have been his highly imposing figure that put Rabi in mind of an unmoving rock.
“This is a portrait of my father Jerome.”
So they were, unexpectedly, able to see Jerome. The jewel shining silver at his lapel drew Rabi’s eye.
“He’s wearing the diamond pendant at his breast,” said Serge.
“That’s an amazing pendant. How many carats is it?” Rabi looked at Serge. Perhaps it was his nature as an apprentice chronicler, but he couldn’t help being interested in numbers.
Serge swelled out his chest with a hint of pride. “It’s nearly 300 carats.”
“That is amazing,” said Doug in an impressed tone.
“It’s true that diamonds of this size are rare…but if it were merely a diamond, it wouldn’t be coveted this much. This pendant is known as “The Diamond of Good Fortune.” Apparently the business affairs of the Dreselle family kept improving steadily after obtaining the diamond.”
“A diamond that brings happiness and wealth….Will you be the next to inherit it, Serge?”
“Yes, I will. Since I’m the only son.” Serge became absorbed in staring at the diamond depicted in the portrait.
So the diamond, a treasure with great property value said to bring good fortune, was supposed to become Serge’s, and that was why he was so high-strung.
“I apologize for such dull and boastful talk.” Serge came back to the sofa and stared at the tabletop. “Oh, there’s no more tea. Colette!” he yelled in the direction of the door.
“You don’t have any servants besides that Colette girl?” asked Rabi. Judging by the scale of the mansion, it would need at least five or six servants.
The Bookman glared at Rabi, but didn’t say anything this time. Either he’d given up, or Rabi hadn’t digressed from the main subject.
“No, not at present. My father started losing his temper, and one after another the servants took time off…”
“Does that mean that Colette is Jerome’s favorite?” asked Rabi.
“That’s right. My father pitied her in her misfortune and came to care for her.”
“I’m sure your mother treated Colette with affection as well,” said Doug nonchalantly. He must have recalled the rumors that Colette had changed after the wife’s death. There was not a zero possibility that she was an Akuma.
“Yes, she did.”
“Then your mother’s death must have been a shock to her as well.”
“Yes. But as you saw, well, she’s a brave child, and didn’t break down.”
“Really…” Doug looked at Rabi as if to check his reaction. Rabi nodded slightly.
They’d come to a good stopping point for now.
Doug, giving a friendly smile, stood up. “Thank you for speaking with us despite being so busy. We’re staying in town to investigate, so we may visit you if something comes up again.”
“I see. If something does come up, I shall try to inform you…where are you staying?”
“We haven’t chosen tonight’s lodging yet. I’ll come tomorrow to let you know where we’re staying.”
“I see. I may be out, in which case please leave a message with Colette.”
“I will. Please excuse us.” Strongly declining Serge’s offer to see them to the gate, the three of them left the mansion behind them.
Once they were outside, Rabi stretched. “In the tavern, Serge was called an idiot son, but when we met with him he seemed relatively decent.”
“I wonder…” murmured Doug.
“You don’t think so?”
“Weeell, his eyes bother me.”
“His eyes?”
“They say the eyes are the mirror of the soul. Without a doubt it’s the eyes where people’s true feelings show through the most. I can tell a person’s mental state by looking at their eyes.”
“That reminds me, you said that before…”
When Rabi had just entered the Order, no matter how hard Rabi tried to speak to Doug, he refused to look at Rabi’s face, as if Rabi were annoying him.
When Rabi persisted despite this, Doug told him clearly, “Your eyes are like glass. You interact with people only as reflections, without showing your true heart at all. I can’t imagine having a proper conversation with someone like that.”
Even that dispute was now a pleasant memory.
“Serge’s eyes were like clouded glass.” Becoming one of the Finders charged with investigation and information gathering must have honed his innate abilities, but Doug’s keen bowers of discernment were astonishing.
“So you mean Serge was lying?”
“No…but he wanted to hide something for certain. He was friendly, but his gaze drifted insecurely here and there. Although there’s a possibility that it wasn’t because we’re from the Black Order, but simply because he was wary of sudden visitors.”
“Now that you mention it, he did seem pretty emotionally unstable. Besides which, he said his father was shut in the house. That’s different from the rumor in the tavern.”
“The staggering about at night could have been sleepwalking. Serge could be unaware of it because he’s sleeping at night,” said Doug.
“How about Colette?”
“She’s completely closed off her heart…but I don’t know yet whether or not that’s because of her cruel childhood.”
“Man, at this point everyone’s suspicious.” All aspects of the case lacked conclusive evidence. A sigh escaped Rabi.
“That’s true. If we could meet with Mister Jerome, we might find out more. Also, I’d sure like to hear what Colette has to say. As a maid, she might possess some secret information about the mansion.”
“Well, speak of the devil,” said Rabi. He turned his eyes towards the gate. Colette had indeed just come outside. When she noticed them, she stopped short. She must have thought they’d already left.
“Hey. Thanks for the delicious tea earlier.” Smiling so as not to frighten her, Doug approached her.
But Colette was looking at them like a guard dog that’s seen a thief.
At any rate, it seemed she didn’t have a favorable impression of them. Rabi was tempted to let out a sigh.
Not giving up, Doug spoke to Colette. “Do you mind if we speak with you for a moment?”
“…It’s a bad time. I have to go shopping.”
“We would like you to cooperate with our investigation so we can solve this case. Please.”
“I’m in a hurry.”
Rabi intently watched Colette, who was shaking her head stubbornly. She may be unfriendly, but she was such a small girl who seemed to be harmless. She had a conflicted expression, but inside she might be sticking out her tongue. Wearing human skin and living like a normal human, then suddenly baring its fangs—that was the terror of Akuma.
I’ll find out right here. Rabi quietly took hold of the hammer hanging at his belt. The hammer looked like a small mallet, but in an instant its handle lengthened and its head grew.
Colette gaped up at Rabi, who was suddenly holding a large hammer.
“Rabi!? What are you doing?”
Rabi flashed a grin toward the flustered Doug. “I’m clearing up whether or not she’s an Akuma.”
At this point, the most suspicious was Jerome Dreselle. But there was a fair possibility that Colette, stubbornly refusing to cooperate, was also an Akuma. They had to find out if she was at once.
Doug cried out in what was nearly a scream. “Rabi, stop!”
Squish.
There was a dull sound, and the hammer sank into the earth. It was only a few inches away from Colette’s feet.
“Oh. You’re human.” Rabi pulled the hammer out of the earth and regarded Colette, who was frozen on the spot and trembling.
He heard Doug let out a deep breath beside him.
Rabi said, “Sorry to scare you. I thought it’d be faster if I did that and checked if—”
A sudden blow to the back of the head sent Rabi pitching forward.
“Ouch! What are you doing!?” Rabi turned around, clutching his head, to see Doug standing with his fist clenched, and expression of indignant rage on his face.
“How could you do such a thing to such a small girl!”
“I never intended to hit Colette in the fist place! I just wanted to check if she’s an Akuma.”
“There are other ways of doing that! You’re too much!”
At that moment, Rabi caught another, ominous sound.
It seemed Doug had heard it too, for still grasping Rabi’s lapels he turned to look at Colette with trepidation.
Colette was clutching her skirt, tears running down her face as she sobbed.
“Aaaugh! You made her cry!”
Perhaps in reaction to Doug’s words, Colette began to wail. “Waaah!”
“Gah! What should we do, old man!?” Rabi sought help from his master, the Bookman. At some point the Bookman had drifted a number of meters away and was looking off in another direction as if to show he had nothing to do with them.
(Insert Art)
“Doooug!” When Rabi turned back, he saw Doug kneeling in front of Colette.
“I’m sorry I let him surprise you. I won’t ever let him do that again.” Doug took a handkerchief from his pocket and softly dabbed at the huge tears running down Colette’s cheeks.
“I’m really sorry, Colette!” Rabi put his palms together fervently.
Still sobbing and sniffling, Colette looked at Doug. Her terror made her look her age, like the young girl she was.
Doug continued carefully wiping Colette’s face. “I’m sorry we scared you. We won’t do anything that bothers you again, so is it all right if we accompany you while you do your shopping?”
“Why?” Colette asked in bewilderment.
“We’d at least like to carry your things for you as an apology. How’s that?”
Colette was staring at Doug, sniffling, but eventually she nodded. “…That’s fine.”
“Great! Man, for a moment there I was worried.” Rabi wiped the sweat off his forehead. Good thing he’d left things to Doug. Children often liked Doug, possibly because they saw through to his good-hearted, loving nature.
At that moment, Rabi felt a gaze as cold as ice. Colette pointed a finger at Rabi as if training a gun on him. “But I hate him. I hate that person with the eyepatch!” There was force behind her words.
“What!? That’s mean, Colette! Look, I’m sorry! When we arrive in town, I’ll buy you anything you like, so forgive me!”
Colette pointedly turned her face away despite his heartfelt entreaty. Rabi put his hands together and peeked at her face in trepidation. “Will you forgive me?”
“No!”
“What!?” Rabi cried in despair.
The 49th Name - Lavi - D.Gray-Man
Part 2
The 49th Name Translation Part 2
Here is the second part of my translation of "The 49th Name," the second story in D. Gray-man Reverse 2 by Kizaki Kaya. I apologize for being so slow.
As before, if anyone has comments, questions, or critique about my translation, please let me know! Thanks to the people who caught typos on the last one.
A Thousand Tragedies
The 49th Name part 1
The 49th Name part 2
The 49th Name Translation Part 2
Here is the second part of my translation of "The 49th Name," the second story in D. Gray-man Reverse 2 by Kizaki Kaya. I apologize for being so slow.
As before, if anyone has comments, questions, or critique about my translation, please let me know! Thanks to the people who caught typos on the last one.
A Thousand Tragedies
The 49th Name part 1
The 49th Name part 2