Act 3 prologue - translation (pt. 1)
TN: I tired not to add too many slangs and use fancier word structures not to make it anachronistic (as if anyone cared about that in this game atp); sometimes however… slangs or modern phrasing cant be avoided because it’s the character personality,, Also, the prologue isn't split into parts, I'm the one breaking it up because it genuinely is SO long to TL
If life is a fairy tale, then what happens after the “happy end”—
“And they lived happily ever after.”
But everyone knows that’s something that can only exist in fiction.
Good and evil, life and death, love and hate, happiness and sadness—
These are all things that can come crumbling down any moment.
It all happened one day, some time after I embraced darkness and became a fairy tale keeper.
I had my first day off in a while after finishing working on a particularly long report.
In the morning, a lavish breakfast party was held in Crown Castle’s dining hall for Vogel and Crown.
On the table laid Victor’s homemade beef Wellington, pies and finger sandwiches,
seasonal fruits, trifles… and an abundance of other mouthwatering, sparkling dishes lined up across it.
Kate: Quite the luxury today…!
Victor: Since everyone has been hard at work day and night, a celebration was in order; I ended up going all out.
Liam: There’s also so many kinds of alcohol. Kate-chan, what would you like?
Kate: I’ll start with some champagne, please.
Liam: Okayy, I’ll bring it right away. Please, have a seat.
Roger: Ah, since I’m your doctor let me remind you that drinking during the day is bad for your health.
Roger: That said, Al, gimme a mug.
Alfons: What a contradictory mess. Go get it yourself.
Elbert: Since it’s close, should I get it for you?
Alfons: Elbert, indulge him one time and it will be the end for you.
Victor: Now, now, behave and eat… up.
Victor: Oh, Harrison, where do you think you’re sneaking off to? I won’t let you leave until you eat.
Harrison: …too strong-
Kate: Ahah, you’re choking him, Victor.
Harrison: Hey, don’t just stand there and laugh! Help me out a little. Ugh, seriously…
Liam: Oh but Harry, it (the food) does smell really nice.
???: Truly, this scent’s enough to make one hungry~
Liam: Right, right? Victor, you’re such a bad man, trying to lure us in with this scent, first thing in the morning!
Liam: Eh?
???: Hm?
Kate: (W…WHO!?)
A mysterious man bearing a suspicious smile suddenly joined the conversation as if it was the world’s most natural thing.
He wore a flamboyant chinoiserie-style coat,
And, unflinching at the newfound attention, he tilted his head as yet another smile resurfaced on his face.
With each shift of his body, the ornaments on him jingled.
Victor: Well, hello, Euren. Long time no see.
Euren: Hello there~! I figured everyone had probably started missing me, so I came back to the UK!
Alfons: Yet another visit out of the blue, I see.
Liam: It’s unusual for you to drop by the castle so early in the morning! You’re usually busy with shady business in the city at night.
Kate: (So they know him… I almost got a heart attack)
William: Kate, this man works as an international broker.
Euren: My name is Euren~ Pleased to make your acquaitance! I can arrange anything to meet with my customer’s needs!
Euren: From gorgeous carpets hailing from foreign lands to… people and information.
William: Me and Victor have been working together with him for a while; he is one of our informants.
Kate: So… he… about Crown…?
William: Yes, he does know. He also knows about cursed individuals.
William: Also, he’s a frequent participant in Liam and Alfons’ nightly escapades, or so I’ve heard.
William: And lastly—
Ellis: Oh, there’s an unusual customer.
Jude: ….urk.
Euren: AHH—!
William: Him and Jude attended the same public school.
Euren: Isn’t that Jude-senpai~! Hey there, have you been well~?
Jude: Think I’m having some hallucinations so i need to go t’a hospital. Bye.
Euren: Ahh, still as cold as ever~<3 That’s Jude-senpai for you<3
Jude: Feckin’ disgusting. Should just bite his tongue and drop dead, this shitehawk.
Kate: …they have a complex relationship, I suppose?
Alfons: The colder Euren-san is treated, the more he’s set ablaze.
Liam: If Jude was kinder they wouldn’t have much to do with each other at all…
Euren: Please, don’t glare at me like that. Does me being 0.3 inches taller than you still bother you this much?
Euren: Your attitude is so big it more than makes up for your height, so it’s no issue at all! Right?
Jude: Should I just cut yer ankles to be about 3 inches shorter then?
Alfons: At this rate, it’s hopeless.
(TN: he’s referring to what Liam said)
Victor: So, Euren, what brings you here today?
Euren: Well, but of course, it’s to meet the much-talked-about “fairy tale keeper”.
Euren: You’re the famous girl, right? You know, I’ve been thinking since earlier…
Euren: Mhmh… you’re my type! Us meeting must be fate!
Kate: Wha
Euren: DOYOUHAVEABOYFRIEND? WHATSYOURTYPEINMEN?? IHEVMONEYTOSPAREANDIMNOTAFRAIDOFTHROWINGITATMYGIRLFRIEND
(TN: “Do you have a boyfriend? What’s your type in men?? I have money to spare and I’m not afraid of throwing it at my girlfriend” he says everything SO quickly because he’s rapid firing Kate w questions)
Kate: WH- ERM…?!
Roger: Hey, stop pestering her.
Roger: Just let the little lady be, my stomach has been roaring for a while now.
Euren: Oh, is that so? Sorry, sorry, I didn’t notice at all.
Grateful for Roger’s help, I quickly moved to put some distance between Euren and I.
I observed from afar as he immediately latched off onto another Crown member.
Lord Elbert, who had been sitting next to me, gave me a worried look.
Elbert: …are you okay?
Kate: Yes, just slightly overwhelmed, that’s all. Are you also acquainted with that man, Lord Elbert?
Elbert: Yes. I often spot him at auctions of foreign antiques and works of art.
Alfons: Although they often target the same objects, so he’s quite the fierce rival.
Nica: Guten Tag, Crown and the Robin~ Oh, wait?
Ring: …him. The informant?
The duo had arrived late: Nica blinked at him, whereas Ring put his guard up.
Darius: Why would a member of Libra be here?
Darius frowned, openly showcasing his distaste.
(”Libra”…?)
Victor: I apologise, it was a surprise visit.
Euren: I am so very sorry. I won’t be a bother to any of you at all, just think of me as a tiny speck of dust in the corner! Okay?
Darius: But dust shouldn’t be able to talk, is it?
Euren: Of course you would notice that! The Chief is as precise as ever today, too~
Nica: This level of flattery is almost refreshing.
Emma: You also know him?
Ring: Nica sometimes exchanges information with him.
Kate: (Euren-san seems to be quite the popular one)
Victor: Well then, since an unexpected guest has decided to join us as well, let the party begin!
Victor’s words turned the atmosphere in the room back into a relaxed one.
When the party was in full swing—
Euren: So tell me, Kate-chan? Won’t you go on a date with me sometime? I’m the type of guy to go an extra mile for girls, you know?
Jude: More like the “clingy-as-hell” type.
It was then when Euren, who had been wandering around bothering everyone here and there, decided to come onto me again.
—And the number of unexpected visitors was increased by one.
Euren: Hey, I’m being serious. Kate-chan, are you free this weeke—
???: Slow.
Euren: OUCH!!??
Kate: AHHH??!!
Suddenly, a fist appeared from right behind Euren and hardly smashed into his head.
Euren: OUCH~! YOU JUST GAVE MY SKULL A DEPRESSED FRACTURE!!
???: Don’t care. If that’s so then perish.
A man with a menacing glint in his eyes and with the appearance of one who is clearly not an honest citizen appeared from behind Euren, skyrocketing the tension levels in the room.
Kate: (Euren’s acquaitance? But to treat him so roughly is just…)
???: …What are you looking at?
Whilst I pondered, he glared at me; suddenly, an instinctive sense of danger, like a predator was standing in front of me, gripped me from within.
Kate: (Anyone would end up looking at you in a situation like this!!)
But I couldn’t say it out loud.
Not when his eyes still held that murderous intent. Nor when he carried such a scary looking gun with him.
NOR when I could clearly sense the presence of weapons underneath that large, thick coat.
I guess you could say that ever since I had become fairy tale keeper, my intuition had grown to be finer. And right now, that intuition was telling me to keep quiet.
Victor: Hi Zane! How’s it going with you? I cannot believe you made it here as well!
Kate: EH!? YOU KNOW HIM TOO?
Alfons: Oh, could he be the infamous one?
Elbert: The one Victor invited to join Crown but flatly refused him…?
Kate: (So that means he must be cursed, too!)
Roger: He should be a talented hitman, I think. I’ve seen him at underground boxing tournaments before.
Liam: What’s about this underground boxing thing? Is it related to illegal gambling?
Ring: He’s simply standing there, and yet you can tell he’s no ordinary person. This guy… he’s strong.
Victor: Perhaps he’s finally made up his mind to join Crown?
Zane: …
This Zane guy glared at Victor, wordlessly raising his middle finger at him.
Kate: (H-HOW DARES HE RAISE HIS MIDDLE FINGER AT VICTOR…)
Victor: Same as ever, I see.
Euren: Come on Zane, you need to suck it up to the big powers if you want to get some advantages in life!
Zane: Hah? I don’t give a fuck about your pathetic philosophy. Let’s go.
Then, Zane proceeded to grab Euren by the scruff of the neck and dragged him away.
Euren: I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR CONTINUED PATRONAGE~~~! KATE-CHAN, I WON’T GIVE UP JUST YET~~~~~~!!!!!!
I watched as the man got taken away, his businessman smile unfaltering despite everything.
Kate: (Zane-san to Euren-san must be…)
I thought I had my facts straight regarding Crown and Vogel…
But it seemed as if there was still much unkown darkness before me.
— Later —
Victor: Kate, come here a second, would you.
After the party ended, everyone left the dining room in small groups. That’s when Victor called out to me.
Victor: I’d like to talk to you for a bit, if that is okay with you?
Kate: …Yes.
I had an inkling he wanted to speak about today’s visitors, so I nodded.
But then, someone unexpected stepped forward to speak.
Darius: I would like to join you as well.
Victor: …
Darius: I think I may possess some information that would prove to be beneficial to you, too.
— Victor’s office —
Victor: There exists an international organisation composed solely of cursed individuals.
Victor: It is not the case of a government-affiliated organisation, like Crown.
Victor: Nor is it a State-backed research organisastion aimed at involving the cursed with the militaary either, like Vogel.
Victor: They’re outlaws, free from any State influence.
Victor: —Their name is Libra.
Kate: (Libra…)
Kate: What do these people do, exactly?
Victor: “The cursed are, typically, considered as criminals or mentally unwell individuals, and they represent a risk factor for society.”
Victor: These were William’s words. Do you remember them?
Kate: Yes, certainly.
Victor: Libra is a group of cursed who are also outcasts in society.
Victor: Apparently, the group is based on a give-and-take principle, where cooperation is aimed at achieving mutual benefit.
Victor: They take care of charity work for cursed people, such as solving problems and helping provide life support.
Victor: I hear they also help mediating disputes that arise from the use of curses.
Victor: Though, not all of them engage in that kind of activity; some are simply on the receiving end.
Victor: In fact, it seems like there are quite a few members who only maintain their membership to gain access to consults in cases of emergency.
(TN: I am a bit unsure of this sentence that Victor says here?)
Kate: Euren-san and Zane-san are members, right?
Victor: That’s exactly it. You’re quick to the uptake.
Victor: Its main headquarters are located in France, but it has offices all over the world.
Victor: They have never interfered much with us here, since the UK already has Crown. However…
Victor glanced at Darius’ face, then looked at me and began to speak.
Victor: Allegedly, their leader is currently here in the UK.
Kate: Why I wonder…? Perhaps the cursed here are undergoing some specific trouble and are looking for help?
Kate: (If such were the case, Victor would know about it all, though…)
Victor: We’re still trying to assess their purpose.
Victor: It’s just that… if it is true that in this world there is no absolute evil, then there cannot be any such thing as absolute good.
Victor: We possess some information that hints at Libra having an ulterior motive.
Kate: (What could that be…?)
Darius: Just come clean, won’t you.
Kate: …!
Darius: Behind the scenes, it is said that it is an organisation dedicated to monitoring and killing the cursed.
Kate: (What…??)
Kate: …that’s the total opposite of what Victor has said just now.
Darius: I’ll explain it clearly, since you seem to have such a peace-filled mind.
Darius: Those who plot evil things often approach others with a kind face, you know?
Kate: (If it’s him saying this, I definitely believe him…)
Darius: It’s not unheard nor uncommon for individuals afflicted by curses to die mysterious deaths or end up killed after encurring someone’s wrath.
Darius: If it truly is Libra orchestrating this, then this is a matter most unpleasant.
Kate: (I can’t form much of an opinion, as this is all second-hand information, but…)
Kate: (They do not seem to be easy to deal with, given their contradictory reputation.)
Victor: Until we are able to truly understand what their objective is, please do stay vigilant, alright?
Kate: …I understand.
Leaving Victor’s office, I reflected back upon today’s encounter.
If it is true that they’re targeting the cursed, then Libra members must be dealt with exercing caution.
But from what I’ve seen today, everyone in Crown and Vogel seem to be inolved with them on an indiviudal level.
Kate: (I, too, wish to be able to confront them one on one)
After all, holding a broad perspective makes you miss the important details.
Such is what I have come to realise during my time as fairy tale keeper.
—The incident that occured, happened that very night.