Koori no Mamono no Monogatari by Shiho Sugiura
Translations by Sumeragi, April 2002

Legend
words - thoughts/unspoken
(name) - someone else speaking in person's thoughts
<words> - actions
[words] - side dialogue in small print
[arrow - words] - an author's comment arrow at speaker
{words} - my comments

Volume 2, pp 81-120

Pg 81
Pg 82

Ishuca
It was already about midnight by that time
Blood and I
Went a short distance from the village to a hill
---And so

Pg 83

<There's a gathering of demons, celebrating Blood's return>

Arrow
Dancing

Ishuca
What is this outcome…?
[Got some sake]

Blood
…

Arrow
Singing

Blood
Nei!
What is with this stupid uproar!
[Idiocy]

Nei
Everyone is happy to see you
Leader

Pg 84

Nei
Please keep us company

Blood
Sake!

Nei
Yes, yes
[Please, since there is plenty]

Demons
Leader!
He is alive!!
Leader
Leader looks very healthy!

Blood
Give me a break and stop calling me by that title!!
[Am I a mountain bandit]

Demons
Since Leader is our leader
We can't call you by name
Leader

Nei
Such is the fate of the strongest demon
[To be called that]

Pg 85

Ishuca
…Blood is…the strongest?

Demons
Y-y-y-y-y-you idiot!!
Don't call him by name [are you cheeky?]
How can you speak so recklessly [especially with Leader next to you]
You don't know!?

Ishuca
I'm clueless in our acquaintance
[Tell me]

Demon
…How…how adorable…
Fine, drink up

Ishuca
[Why drink]
Ah, thank you

Demon
He isn't a "strong" person, our leader

Pg 86

Demon
Long ago, when priests came hunting demons
Leader was the only one to not get a single wound

Ishuca
Heh--- That's strong---

Demon
Strong, cunning
Beautiful
Leader of the North

Pg 87

Demon
Hair that shone
Like the rays of the moon

Ishuca
Ah ~~~
I know ~~~
Wasn't he beautiful---the longhaired Blood---

Demon
Na? Na? [Ne---]

Arrows
They're drunk

Demon
Unhesitating
Unmerciful
One by one

Pg 88

Demon
He'd slay humans

Ishuca
…Eh?

Demon
With the name of "Blood" (Gushing Blood)
His whole body would be stained with splattered blood

Pg 89

Demon
With such an appearance, he killed those priests
That was a great sight

Pg 90

Blood
Damn. Ishuca moved [when did he]
Well, since it's him, I doubt he could go far…

Ishuca
…It's not right to kill people!

Demons
…What?

Ishuca
You mustn't kill people!

Pg 91

Demons
What
What is he saying
What's with him
Even though a demon

Ishuca
You can't!
Because there would be sad people!
(Woman) He'll die, my child
(Woman) He'll die

Demons
Sad?
Sad?
---Is he an idiot, this guy?
Is he a demon?
He's worthless
Get rid of him
Kill him
Let's kill him

Pg 92

<Before they attack, Blood holds Ishuca close with one arm and raises his other in warning>

Blood
Don't lay a hand on him!

Demons
But Leader, he's

Blood
…You would touch something of mine?

Demons
…No…

<Pulling Ishuca by the collar of his shirt…>

Blood
Ishuca! Come!

Ishuca
!

Pg 93

Blood
…

Ishuca
[What---]
[Blood---]
[Wait---]

Nei
Leader?

<The twosome leaves the party to talk alone>

Blood
Why are you so reckless!
A weak person shouldn't pick fights with demons! [Idiot!]

Ishuca
…I wasn't really trying to pick a fight
[Hmph]

Blood
Is…he dunk?
["Hmph"?]
[His eyes are fixed]

Ishuca
I only said the truth!
It's not right to kill people!

Pg 94

Ishuca
That mother from before
She was probably very sad
You mustn't
Kill people…

Blood
…I mustn't… …is it?

Ishuca
You can't
If someone important to you died, wouldn't you be sad?

Blood
…
…"Someone important"?

Pg 95

Ishuca
Promise me!
That you won't kill anymore!

Blood
"Promise"…?
Like a "business dealing"?

Ishuca
It's not a business deal
It's an issue with feelings…

Blood
What happens if the "promise" is broken?

Ishuca
Broken?
I guess…you'd only be betraying the person?

Blood
You?

Ishuca
…Uhn

Pg 96

Blood
Then…
Since I won't betray you
I'll "promise"

Ishuca
Then promise
That you won't kill anymore

<Ishuca passes out>

Pg 97

<Blood carries his drunken boy>

Blood
Guess he had too much sake
[So, he is weak to sake…]
Like this, we should return to the inn
[No, those guys should calm down]
(Ishuca) It's not right to kill people!
(Ishuca) If an important person died, wouldn't you be sad?

Pg 98

<They are back at the inn, Ishuca tucked into bed while Blood is thinking about Ishuca's words>

Blood
--- Just the other day
Near Wild's house
When I thought he may have been eaten by demons
For a moment
The blood throughout my body ran hot
What if at that time
He had truly been eaten---?
…
…That's no joke!
Even only imagining it, it's intolerable
!
…Ah, I see

Pg 99

Blood
The people I've killed up to this point
If they had been
"An important person" to someone
---Is that what it is
I've done…
Some…bad things…

Pg 100

<Kissing the sleeping Ishuca's hand, he says…>

Blood
Since…
I won't kill anymore
It's a "promise"
I won't
Betray you

Pg 101

<Blood hears footsteps outside and opens the window to see who it is>

Blood
!
Nei
What business do you have

Nei
…Forgive me
Wouldn't you accept our company a bit longer
…Everyone
Thinking you wouldn't come back
Is worried…

Blood
…I understand
Go ahead of me
---Speaking of which

Pg 102

Blood
(Man) Those threads can't be touched
(Man) and can't be removed
(Man) Those with the threads wrapped on them
(Man) Will become just skin and bone as they die
(Man) From their life force being drained out of them
---Perhaps
There is
A demon somewhere with threads that can be passed through and drains life force
Those thread aren't substantial
Being such…could the demon himself also be insubstantial
…Does such a demon exist?
I haven't seen it in the northern realms, anyhow
[Well, since I couldn't go anywhere]
I'll try asking Nei
!

Pg 103

Blood
While I'm not here, he could be targeted
Shall I erect a barrier

<Blood creates a magical barrier in the inn room>

Blood
Alright
Only I can enter [Arrow - the inn lady can't enter]
[Fu-fuhn]
[The door after me]
[What would she do here]

<Blood runs into Nei on the way to the demon campground>

Nei
Leader

Pg 104

Blood
What, you waited
Nei, the small village down below

Nei
…About the corpses?

Blood
It wasn't your work

Nei
E-eh…we didn't do it
We have only been waiting

Pg 105

Blood
---"been waiting"?

Nei
But, there's no longer a need now
…We thought you were surely dead
Being caught…by the high priest
We thought you wouldn't return home alive
In reality…you were given back to us alive

Pg 106

Nei
Everyone is really happy
Our waiting was fruitful
Again, you will probably join us?
Leader

Blood
…
I'm no longer the leader
I didn't return here to be with you guys

Pg 107

Nei
Then why come here…

Blood
I have a contract to fulfill

Nei
Then, when you finish that
You can't accept coming back to us?
We can't think of another leader for us except you
[Besides, we don't know when the priests may return again]

Blood
I can't go with you
I will always be with him

Nei
"Him"?

Blood
That guy from before
Since I promised him

Nei
"Promise"?
If it's a "dealing" between demons…

Pg 108

Blood
Since he's actually a human

Nei
Eh!?
--- A-ah, then…has he brought him along as food

Blood
In body and personality
---Of course
He still thinks he is a zombie---
[As if there are living corpses]

Nei
He is smiling
If he is human
He is rather reckless
[He was trying to pick a fight earlier]

Blood
More so, he is an idiot--- [An airhead]
He's amusing to watch

Pg 109

Nei
Gaining the guy's trust
Enjoying it
In the end, he'll eat him
He's changed to be playing around
And so, what kind of "promise" did you make

Blood
"I'll longer kill humans"

Pg 110

Nei
---This is
A terrible joke
…Leader?

Blood
Such I promised
I will not betray him

Nei
What…
What is he saying?
With such a tender look

Blood
And so, I can't go with you guys
[Since I won't break the promise]

Pg 111

Nei
---Is he serious?
…Then, if that human
Wasn't around, would it be okay

Blood
That isn't a question
If you plan to lay a hand on him,
I'll kill you right here

Nei
Are you serious?
Leader
…I…

Pg 112

Nei
I won't…do anything
If that human
Knew the truth
Surely, you would come back

Blood
What?

Nei
You are already breaking your "promise"

Pg 113

<Back at the inn, Ishuca wakes up>

Ishuca
…Wha?
[Isn't this the room]
Huh? There are holes in my memory [Uh---n]
Ah, that's right, I had sake…
[So Blood brought me here]
(Ishuca) Promise me!
A-ah…I got a bit drunk
But

Pg 114

Ishuca
I didn't say anything wrong
You can't…kill humans
However
…He promised!
Blood will
No longer kill
Since he gave me a promise---
I believe him

Pg 115

<There is a sound>

Ishuca
---The window?
?

<A transparent hand comes through the now opened window that had been sealed>

Pg 116

<A demon with flowing long hair enters the room>

Ishuca
Golden
Threads

Pg 117

Ishuca
Truly like the rays of the moon---

<Back to Blood and Nei>

Nei
---You saw that village, right?

Pg 118

Nei
The one who killed the people of that village was you

Blood
…I did?

Pg 119

Nei
And the next target is
This village
The other you will

Pg 120

Nei
Kill the people of this village

<At the inn, Ishuca has been speechless from the site of his visitor. The golden hair slowly wraps around his neck, and then both vanish from the room>

Continue on to Part 4, Volume 2

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