(Image from @ReZero_Official:

https://twitter.com/Rezero_official/status/782547074269052928)

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Translator: Cladvibe(AKA Juan)

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Editor: TranslationChicken

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Black Texts are Juan’s Draft
Red Texts are uncertain passages Juan marked out
Light Blue Texts are parts I’ve edited once
Dark Blue Texts are parts I’ve edited again

Arc 4 Chapter 12 [A Souvenir From The Tea Party] (Live Draft!)

====READ THE FINAL VERSION HERE:====

https://translationchicken.com/2016/12/23/rezero-arc-4-chapter-12-a-souvenir-from-the-te
a-party/

「せっかく用意した空間が砕かれてしまったね。こう乱暴なのは……ミネルヴァあたりじゃな
いかな。​あの子は少しばかり、手が出るのが早いから​」
[Echidona: So the space I worked so hard to prepare was destroyed. Such recklessness… is
just like Minerva. That girl can be a little… too quick to strike]

「少し……？　​即行だったと思ったぞ​。新感覚暴力ツンデレ系癒しロリ巨乳だった。要素詰め
すぎてお腹いっぱいになったよ」
[Subaru: A little...…? I think she got to it almost immediately there. That
new-sensation-violent-large-breasted-healing-type-loli-tsundere. That’s way too many
character-tropes stuck together you know!]

　無事に治った右腕を肩から回して、スバルは正面に佇むエキドナに悪態をつく。
　白髪の少女から感じるプレッシャーの質は変わっていない。それでも、なるほど彼女の目論
見には多少なりの効果があったと思わざるをえまい。
Turning his perfectly healed right shoulder, Subaru started blowing this at Echidona in front of
him.
The sense of pressure coming from the white-haired girl hadn’t changed. But still, her
arrangements had not been entirely without effect on him.

「まぁ、差し向かいでお前と話をするぐらいの気分にはなったよ。確かにさっきの魔女たちに
比べたらお前の方がなんぼか理性的……いや、怠惰の魔女さんだけはやたらと話が通じそう
だったけど」
[Subaru: Well, I think I’m in the mood for a face-to-face conversation now. Compared to the
other Witches, you do seem somewhat more rational…... except Witch of Sloth-san, she may be
talking nonsense, but I think we can understand each other]

「セクメトはボクが言うのもなんだが、魔女の中でもっとも年長で理性的だったからね。た
だ、怒らせたら半端じゃないんだが」
[Echidona: Well Sekhmet, how should I say this... of all the Witches, she is the oldest and the
most rational. But if you make her angry, she won’t leave anything half-way]

「半端じゃないって、怒ると恐いの？」
[Subaru: “Won’t leave anything half-way”... you mean she’s scary when she gets mad?]

「いや、ボクらが束になっても敵わないんだ。たぶん、セクメト以外の魔女五人が結託しても
彼女に勝てなかったと思うよ」
[Echidona: Let’s just say, even if we all teamed up, we’d be no match for her. Even if all the
other five Witches fought together, I don’t think we would be able to win against Sekhmet]

　椅子に座り直し、そう語るエキドナにスバルは疑惑の視線を送る。
　脳裏を過るのは赤紫の髪を伸ばした気だるげな女性だ。態度の節々から生気に欠けた無気力
さの溢れていたあの人物が、魔女の中で抜きん出て強いというのは。
Once again sitting in her chair, Echidona explained this, as Subaru cast her a doubtful glance.
The image of the lazy girl with long, reddish-purple hair flashed in his mind. With that lifeless
attitude, overflowing with inertia, that person was actually the strongest of all the Witches.

「っていうか、さっきから聞いてると、お前って『嫉妬の魔女』をはぶってる感がするよな」
[Subaru: By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask... I get the feeling that you’ve been leaving the
Witch of Envy out]

「――これはひとつ、ボクと話をする上での忠告なんだが」
[Echidona: ――Let me just give you one piece of advice when you’re talking to me]

　一度も名前が出ない魔女のことを思い出してスバルが尋ねると、エキドナは口元に微笑みを
浮かべて指をひとつ立てた。
　その指先を注視するスバルを眺めて、彼女は小首を傾けると、
Remembering the Witch whom Echidona had never once named, Subaru asked her this
question, to which Echidona only smiled as she raised up a single finger.
Subaru stared at her fingertip as she slightly tilted her head,

「ボクは他の魔女たちを友人と思っているし、尊敬に値すると思っている。ボクは色々と欠陥
の多い性格であるしね。長く付き合えた彼女らの存在はボクにとって寄る辺であり、救いだっ
た。だから、ボクは彼女たちの魂をひとつ残らず蒐集している」
[Echidona: I think of the other Witches as my friends, and I think they are deserving of my
respect. I have a personality with many flaws myself, and having them by my side for so long is
an emotional support for me, a salvation. That is why I’ve been gathering up their souls, without
leaving a single one of them behind]

「……ちょっと聞き捨てならない感じがしたんですが、続けて」
[Subaru: ...…I get the feeling like I’ve just heard something that can’t be glossed over, but
please go on]

「その魔女たちを滅ぼしたのが、『嫉妬の魔女』だ。――君は自分の友人をこれ以上ないほど
惨たらしく殺した存在を、笑って口にできるのかな？」
[Echidona: And the one who destroyed these Witches, was the “Witch of Envy”. ――Would you
yourself be able to smile at the entity that brutally murdered your closest friends?]

　微笑みは変わらない。だが、その質が変わった。
　スバルの背筋を怖気が駆け上がり、気付けばスバルは彼女の意見を肯定するように何度も頷
いていた。それを見届け、彼女は「そうだろう」と顎を引き、
Her smile did not change. But its nature had changed.
A surge of fear ran up Subaru’s spine, and by the time he noticed it, he was nodding in
agreement with her words. Seeing this, she said [That is so, isn’t it?] as she pulled in her chin.

「少し、空気が悪くなったね。口直しにお茶のお代わりはどうだい？」
[Echidona: My, it seems like the mood has spoiled a little. How about some tea to get rid of the
bad taste?]

「……ドナ茶をもう一回飲むような勇気はねぇよ。まともなお茶が入らないんなら、ここで飲
食する気はない」
[Subaru: ...…I don’t have the kind of courage to drink that Dona-Tea again. Unless you put
some actual tea in there, then I have no intentions of eating or drinking anything in this place]

「魔女のお茶会に招かれるなんて、ボクの時代では羨望の的だったはずなんだが……やれや
れ、時代と人は変わるものだね」
[Echidona: To be invited to a Witch’s tea party, back in my day, it would’ve been a thing to be
envied….... My my, I guess people do change, along with the times]

　スバルの分まで用意しようとしていたらしく、残念そうなエキドナは自分の分のカップにだ
け茶を継ぎ足すとそれを口に運ぶ。
　彼女の言が正しければお茶の正体は彼女の体液。つまり、自分の生成した体液を自分で飲み
干しているわけで、
As if she had already prepared Subaru’s portion, regretfully, Echidona filled only her own cup,
and raised it to her lips.
If what she said was true, then that tea was actually her own body fluids. Then basically, she
would be drinking bodily fluids that she herself had produced.

「なんか兎とかって、自分のフン食べて永久機関みたいな話聞くよな」
[Subaru: I heard something about rabbits… they eat their own poop and keep going like a
perpetual-motion machine or something]

「それらと一緒にされるのはやや屈辱だが……うん？　それとも今のは遠回しに、大兎につい
ての話でも聞きたいという意思表示かな？」
[Echidona: It is kind of humiliating to be lumped together with them...… isn’t it? Unless, this can
be taken as a roundabout way to tell me you wish to hear about the Great Rabbit?]

「大兎？」
[Subaru: Great Rabbit?]

　首を傾げる。どこかで聞いたことのある単語だ。
　記憶を探るように首を回して、その単語がどこで聞いたものか思い出した。そう、あれは確
かリーファウス街道を駆けるパトラッシュの背の上で、
Subaru tilted his head. It was a word he had heard somewhere before.
Searching within his memories, he remembered where he had heard it. Indeed, it was while he
was riding on the back of a galloping Patrasche, down on Lifaus Highway.

「白鯨と肩を並べるような魔獣……だったっけか。大兎と、黒蛇？」
[Subaru: They are Mabeasts that line up shoulder to shoulder with the White Whale...… correct?
The Great Rabbit, and the Black Serpent?]

「ダフネの負の遺産だね。いずれも彼女も手を焼いていた問題児ばかりだ。黒蛇はともかく、
白鯨と大兎は方々で悪さを働いていると聞くからね」
[Echidona: They’re Daphne’s bad legacy. Even she herself found them a bit too hot to handle.
Setting the Black Serpent aside for now, you have heard of the White Whale and the Great
Rabbit wreaking havoc all over, have you not?]

「ちなみに白鯨だったらこないだ俺の活躍で討ち取ったとこだぜ。俺の活躍で」
[Subaru: By the way since we’re talking about the White Whale, thanks to my efforts, it’s already
been slain. Thanks to my efforts, that is]

　親指を己に向けて、スバルが自慢顔で鼻の穴を膨らませる。と、それを聞いたエキドナは初
めてその黒瞳を驚きに見開き、
Pointing a thumb at himself, Subaru inflated his nostrils with a boastful look on his face. And,
hearing this, for the very first time, Echidona’s black eyes opened wide with surprise.

「へぇ、本当かい。すごいな、それは。君は見たところ、剣の腕も魔法使いとしての才の片鱗
も見えないけど……よほどうまく、周りを動かしたのだろうね」
[Echidona: Ehh, is that so? That is, impressive. Just by your looks, you don’t seem to have an
arm for swords, or a gift for magic…... But you moved those around you quite well indeed]

「単独撃破じゃないのが一瞬で見切られるのもさびしいぜ……！　ひょっとしたら、俺が一人
でズバッとやっつけたのかもしれねぇじゃねぇか」
[Subaru: It’s a pretty depressing feeling when you knew right away that I didn’t defeat it on my
own…...! How do you know I didn’t just launch at it and kill it?]

「白鯨にせよ大兎にせよ、あれを単独で殺し切れる人間がいるとはにわかに考え難いな。ボク
の時代でも、それをやれそうなのはレイドぐらいのものだろう」
[Echidona: Whether it’s the White Whale or the Great Rabbit, it’s hard to imagine that there
could be humans who can slay them single-handedly. In my time, the only one who could’ve
done this was Reid]

　またしても知らない名前が出たことにスバルが眉を上げる。それを見た彼女は「ふむ」とそ
の薄い唇に指を当てて、
Once again, Subaru raised his brows at a name he didn’t know. Noticing this, Echidona let out a
[Hmm] as she brought a finger to her narrow lips.
「この時代には伝わっていないのかな？　彼の功績はけっこうなものだと思ったのだが。少な
くとも、単独で成体含む十二もの龍を切って落とす真似は彼ぐらいにしかできないはずだよ」
[Echidona: Were they not passed on to this Age? I had thought his achievements were quite
remarkable. To put it lightly, he was the only one who could cut down twelve fully-grown
dragons single-handedly]

「んや、俺がちょっととびきり常識というか一般知識に関しての理解が浅いというか。ってい
うか、すごいな、その人。どんだけだよ」
[Subaru: No, well, it’s just that my understanding of common knowledge, or, actually, anything
related to what people normally know, is kind of shallow. That guy sounds pretty incredible
though]

「――レイド・アストレア。『剣聖』の称号を与えられていたはずだけど、今は残っていない
のかな？」
[Echidona: ――Reid Astrea. “Sword Saint” should be the title given to him, but, is it not around
anymore?]

　エキドナの言葉に、スバルの脳裏でがっちりとピースがはまった。
　アストレア――それはラインハルトとヴィルヘルムの家名であり、現役剣聖と剣鬼をそれぞ
れ抱えている筋金入りの剣神に愛された一族だ。
　おそらく、その初代がレイド・アストレアなのだろう。
Listening to Echidona’s words, Subaru’s mind steadily put the pieces together.
Astrea――that was Reinhard and Wilhelm’s family name, a name held by the current Sword
Saint and Sword Demon, the name of the indomitable clan beloved by the Sword-God.
Then, its first generation must have been Reid Astrea.

「おけ、納得した。残ってるよ、剣聖。今が何代目なのかは知らないけど、現役剣聖は俺のダ
チだ。たぶん、お前の知ってるご先祖様に負けないぐらい化け物」
[Subaru: OK, I got it. It’s still around, Sword Saints. I don’t know what generation it is now, but
the current Sword Saint’s my bro. He’s a monster who probably wouldn’t lose to the
ancestor-sama you knew]

「友人にずいぶんな言い方だ……と言いたいところだけど、レイドの常識外れぶりを知ってい
ると君を笑うことができないな。さて、それで大兎の話だったかな？」
[Echidona: That’s quite a way to describe to a friend...… I might say that, but knowing how
unconventional Reid is, I can’t blame you. Anyway, now we’re going to talk about the Great
Rabbit, I suppose?]

「あー、いや。大兎とか黒蛇の情報も興味は尽きないんだが……」
[Subaru: Uhh, nah. It’s not that I’m not interested in the Great Rabbit or the Black Serpent,
but…]
　喋りたがりが知識自慢をしたがっている気配だが、それにストップをかけてスバルは考え
る。聞きたいことは山ほどあるが、それら全てをいっぺんに消化してもスバルの頭がついてい
けない。
　本当に知りたいことだけ抜粋し、それらを詳しく追及する形がいいだろう。
　まず、直近で知りたいことから、
Although it seemed that Echidona had wanted to continue talking and show off her knowledge,
Subaru thought he would put a stop to that. There was a mountain of things that he wanted to
know, but if he were to digest it all at the same time, his brain probably wouldn’t be able to keep
up.
Instead, it might be better to pick out what he really wanted to know, and pursue those topics
thoroughly.
Then, first of the things he wanted to know was,

「えーっと、お前はエキドナ。『強欲の魔女』ですでに故人。ここまではいいよな？」
[Subaru: So uhh, you are Echidona. The deceased Witch of Greed. Is that right so far?]

「最初に確認した通りだね。それで間違いないよ。ここはボクの夢の中であり、帰りたいとき
は一声かけてくれればいい」
[Echidona: I had confirmed that right at the start, hadn’t I? So there’s no mistake about it. This
place is inside my dreams, and if you wish to leave, you just say the word]

「それはご配慮ありがとう。で、とりあえずの質問なんだが……」
[Subaru: I appreciate your consideration. So first off, I do have a question...…]

　顎に手を当てて、白髪の少女をじろじろと眺める。彼女はスバルの不躾な視線を浴びなが
ら、その透き通るような白い頬に手を当てて「なんだい？」と片目をつむった。
Touching a hand to his jaw, he directed his glance at the girl with white hair. And being bathed
in Subaru’s insolent gaze, she raised her hand to her almost transparent white cheeks and said
[What would that be?] as she narrowed one of her eyes.

「最初に確認しておくべきだったと思うんだけど……そもそも、お前のどこが故人なんだよ。
バリバリ日々を謳歌してるじゃねぇか」
[Subaru: I think this is something I really should have confirmed with you at the very beginning
but…... first off, you’re dead where exactly? Aren’t you frolicking about enjoying your days and
being pretty chipper?]

「……ああ、なるほど。確かにその点についてはまったく説明していなかったね。ここまでそ
の点にまるで触れなかった君も君だが、ボクもボクだった」
[Echidona: ...…Ahh, I see. It’s true I hadn’t explained that at all. We forgot to touch on it, haven’t
we? You and me both]

　手を叩き、エキドナは合点がいったとばかりに頷いてみせた。そんな彼女の仕草に同意を示
しつつ、スバルは自分がどうかしていたなと頭を掻く。
　魔女出現のインパクトや、その後のドッキリ魔女たちの同窓会にも驚いていたせいで、そん
な当たり前の質問すら出すのが遅れた。
With a clap of her hand, Echidona nodded as if understanding. As she signaled her agreement
with her gestures, Subaru only scratched his head wondering what had been wrong with him.
With the impact of a Witch showing up, and then participating the Witches’ class-reunion after
that, Subaru had been too shocked to ask such an obvious question until now.

「墓場で幽霊、ってなら別にそれでもいいんだけどよ。さすがにこんだけ干渉されると気のせ
いでしたで済ますのは無理があるっつーか」
[Subaru: Meeting a ghost inside a Tomb, it‘d be good if it was that simple. But after being
meddled with so much, I don’t think I can just pass it off as all being in my head]

「幽霊、というのは否定しないね。肉体を失った精神体であることは事実だ。さて、ボクがこ
うしているのが何故なのかと言われると……そうだね。抑止力のため、というのがもっとも正
確な答えになるだろう」
[Echidona: A ghost, I can’t really deny that. After all, I am a spiritual body that has lost its
physical body. Now, as to why I’m here like this…... well. It is as a counterforce. That would be
the most accurate answer, I suppose]

「抑止力……？　なんの……いや、なにに対するの方が正しいか？」
[Subaru: Counterforce...…? What kind of…... no, actually, maybe “against what” would be a
better question?]

「鋭いね」
[Echidona: You are sharp, aren’t you?]

　スバルの答えに満足そうに頷き、エキドナは小さく拍手してみせる。それから彼女は空を、
作り物の青空を手で示すと、
Nodding contently at Subaru’s reaction, Echidona softly clapped her hands. Then, turning up to
the air, she signed toward the blue artificial sky with a gesture of her hand.

「ボクをこうしてこの地に繋ぎ止めているのはボルカニカ――神龍ボルカニカだ。聞いたこと
ぐらいはあるんじゃないかな？」
[Echidona: The one who bound me to this place was Volcanica. The Divine Dragon Volcanica.
You’ve probably at least heard of him?]

「……確か、ルグニカ王国の王様とかと盟約を交わしてるっていうドラゴンのことだよな。王
選の広間で、そんな名前を聞いた」
[Subaru: …...That would be the Dragon who signed the Pact with the rulers of the Kingdom of
Lugnica, or something, right? I heard that name in the great hall at the Royal Selection]

「そのボルカニカで合っているよ。ボクはその龍の力でこの墓所へ封じられている。ボルカニ
カがそうした理由は君の推察通り、『嫉妬の魔女』への抑止力だ」
[Echidona: Yes, that would be the same Volcanica. By that Dragon’s power, I am sealed here in
this Grave. And the reason Volcanica did this was, as you correctly inferred, to serve as a
counterforce against the “Witch of Envy”]

　穏やかで理知的な眼差しをしているエキドナだが、彼女の口から『嫉妬の魔女』の言葉が紡
がれるたびに、その瞳に険しい感情が刹那だけ走る。
　それだけ、彼女と『嫉妬の魔女』との間に存在する溝が大きいということだろう。
Echidona’s gaze was calm and intellectual, but when the words “Witch of Envy” were weaved
from her lips, for an instant, a dangerous emotion flashed across her pupils.
Perhaps that, was the enormity of the chasm between her and the “Witch of Envy”.

「今も封魔石に封じられる『嫉妬の魔女』だが、彼女の封印は盤石ではない。ボルカニカの寿
命とて永遠ではないし、なにかの拍子に封印が解かれないとも限らない。あれを信奉する存在
も少なからずいるし、天変地異で封魔石の一部だけが破損しないとも言い切れない。――故
に、ボルカニカはボクの存在を残している」
[Echidona: Even now, the “Witch of Envy” is imprisoned in the Sealing Stone, but her seal is not
unbreakable. Nor is Volcanica’s lifespan eternal, and there is no guarantee that the seal won’t
be undone if given the chance. There are also quite a few who believe, that there is no knowing
whether every great change in the heavens and the earth might not be chipping away at the
Sealing Stone. ――That, is why Volcanica left my existence behind]

「『嫉妬の魔女』が復活したとき、それに対抗する戦力として……か」
[Subaru: As a fighting force to oppose the “Witch of Envy”, if ever she is resurrected…...?]

「もっとも、残った魔女がボクではボルカニカの期待に応えられるとは思えないがね。残すな
らセクメトを残すべきだったんだよ。問題はボルカニカ自身がセクメトと軋轢があったことだ
ろうね。タコ殴りにされたことで苦手意識があったらしい」
[Echidona: I was not the Witch that Volcanica had originally expected to leave behind, however.
If there was anyone who should have remained, it should have been Sekhmet. The problem
was that Volcanica himself disputed with Sekhmet. And, it seems after she beat him to a pulp,
he grew rather wary of her]

　軽々しく龍と魔女の間の因縁について笑い飛ばすエキドナだが、それを聞かされたスバルの
方は笑えない。
As if casually gossiping, Echidona lightheartedly glossed over the intertwining fates between the
Dragon and the Witch, but Subaru, who had been listening, did not laugh.

　龍と魔女との溝が人間関係のちょっとしたすれ違いみたいに語られるスケールにも思えな
かったし、そもそも『怠惰の魔女』がドラゴンをタコ殴りにしたという話の方もどこまで信じ
ていいものかわからない。
He didn’t really think the grudge between a Dragon and a Witch could be summed up this way
like interpersonal relationships. And besides, he wasn’t entirely sure to what extent he should be
believing a story about “Witch of Sloth” beating the dragon to a pulp in the first place.

　なんと言っていいのかわからず押し黙るスバル。そんなスバルの前でエキドナは「ともあ
れ」と言葉を継ぎ、
Without knowing what to say, Subaru remained silent. In front of him, Echidona continued with
an [Anyways]

「魔女であるボクと、神龍ボルカニカ。あとは『剣聖』と……賢者か。とりあえずそれだけ揃
えば、仮に『嫉妬の魔女』が復活することがあったとしても対抗できるかもしれない。という
のが、ボルカニカの儚い希望といったところか。ボクがこうして今も死後の恥をさらしている
のにはそんな背景があるのさ」
[Echidona: I myself, the Witch, and the Divine Dragon Volcanica. And the Sword Saint and…...
the Sage? For the time being, even if the “Witch of Envy” were to be resurrected, we should be
able to oppose her. At least, that’s Volcanica’s faint hope. So there, you have the context behind
why I am now in this disgrace, after my death]

「つまり、お前を自縛霊にしてるのはドラゴンってことでいいのか？」
[Subaru: So basically, the one who bound your spirit to this place is the Dragon?]

「正確にはボルカニカの意思をメイザースの術式が繋いでいるというところだ。こうしてここ
に足を運んだ以上、メイザースぐらいは知っているだろう？　あるいはもうこの家名も残って
いないかもしれないが……」
[Echidona: More accurately, it was at Volcanica’s instruction, that the magic of the Mathers
bound me here. If you’ve managed to set foot in here, you must at least know of the Mathers?
Or perhaps that family name is no longer around…...]

「いや、メイザースは残ってるよ。ロズワール・Ｌ・メイザースがこの墓所含めた一帯の領
主。で、俺の雇い主というか保護者というか変態というか……」
[Subaru: No, the Mathers are still around. Roswaal L. Mathers is the lord of these regions where
this tomb is located. And he’s also my employer, or should I say guardian, or should I say a
pervert or something…]

　魔女との関わり合いの根深さに呆れつつ、スバルはロズワールをどう説明したものかと頭を
悩ませる。が、そんなスバルの迷いとは別に、エキドナはその形のいい眉をピクリと震わせ
て、「ロズワール？」と呟くと、
Amazed by the profoundness of that man’s involvement with the Witch, Subaru wondered just
how he should describe Roswaal to her. But, putting Subaru’s uncertainty aside, Echidona’s
finely shaped eyebrows trembled. [Roswall?] she muttered,

「すまないが今、ロズワールと言ったかい？」
[Echidona: I’m sorry, did you just say Roswaal just now?]
「ん？　ああ、そうだよ、ロズワールだ。あれ、知ってる？」
[Subaru: Oh? Ah, yeah. Roswaal. What, you know him?]

「知っていたら、おかしなことになるね。なにせボクは四百年ほど前の存在だ。同じ時代にそ
の人物がいたとしたら、話が少しおかしくなってしまう」
[Echidona: It would be strange, if I knew him. After all, I am an existence from 400 years ago. If
that same person had existed in that same Age, then this conversation would’ve taken an odd
turn indeed]

　彼女の指摘にスバルも同意。唇を尖らせて道化面を思い出すスバルに、エキドナは「そうだ
な」と唇に指を当ててから、
Subaru agreed with her observation. Just when that clown’s face pouting up his lips emerged in
Subaru mind, Echidona said [Now...], as she raised a finger to her lips.

「君の言うロズワールというのは、濃い灰色の髪を長く伸ばした人物だろうか。瞳の色は……
確か黄色だったと思ったが」
[Echidona: The Roswaal you are talking about, does he happen to be a person with long,
dark-gray hair? His eyes would be…... yellow, I think, if I remember correctly]

「――いや、それなら違うな。俺の知ってるロズワールは髪の毛の色が藍色っつーか、俺の履
いてたジーパンそっくりな色っつーか。あと、目の色も違う。あいつ、片目ずつ青と黄色で色
違いの目ぇしてるから」
[Subaru: ――Nah, in that case it’s a different guy. The Roswaal I know has blue hair, or the
same color as my jeans kind of. And his eye color is different. My guy’s eye colors are
mismatched, one is blue and other’s yellow.]

　特徴の違いにスバルは安堵の吐息を漏らし、それからふと考える。
　ロズワールはこの土地、『聖域』の管理について代々引き継いできたものであるとスバルに
話した。それはつまり、この墓所にエキドナを封じるボルカニカとの盟約も引き継いできたと
いうことになるだろう。
　一族が代々継いできた役割。だとすれば、
Relieved that the characteristic are different, Subaru sighed, and suddenly thought of
something.
Roswaal had told Subaru that the management of this land, the “Sanctuary”, had been passed
on for generations. So then, the Pact with Volcanica to seal Echidona here must be passed on
as well.
If this duty was inherited throughout the generations of the clan, then in that case,

「ひょっとすると、ロズワールの名前も襲名式なのかもしれない。たまに女の子が男丸出しの
名前をつけられてる場合、そんな設定の漫画とかよく見るし」
[Subaru: Maybe Roswaal’s name is inherited as well. Occasionally we get girls with really manly
names this way, that happens a lot in Mangas at least]
「ロズワールを継ぐもの、か。だとすると、それはちょっとした悪夢だね」
[Echidona: The inheritor of Roswaal, huh. If that were case, it does sound like something of a
nightmare]

　スバルの推論に納得したように頷き、それからエキドナはいくらかの疲れを覗かせながら肩
をすくめた。らしくない態度にスバルが眉を寄せると、彼女は「いや」と言い、
As if agreeing with Subaru’s theory, Echidona nodded, and shrugged her shoulders showing her
fatigue. Seeing her unusual change in attitude, Subaru furrowed his brows. It was then, she said
[Nothing...],

「ボクの知るロズワールという人物は、少しばかり一途が過ぎる人柄をしていてね。ある目的
のために一生を捧げかねない危うさがあった。仮に彼がボクの死後、なおも変わらないままで
あったなら……」
[Echidona: The Roswaal I knew, was a person with a bit of an overly-obsessive personality. He
was the kind of person who would devote his entire life to fulfill a single purpose, I’m afraid. And
if after my death, he had remained unchanged, then...…]

「自分の一生だけで飽き足らず、一族の時間までそれに捧げてるかもって？」
[Subaru: Not being satisfied with his own life, he would devote even his descendant’s time too?]

「そういうことだよ。いやはや、それは考えただけで恐ろしいことだ」
[Echidona: Exactly as you say. Oh my, just thinking of it is a scary thing]

　その言いようのわりに、エキドナの口元には微笑が浮かんでいる。
　それはまるで、出来の悪い子どもを見守る親のようなものに見えたのはスバルの身間違いだ
ろうか。いずれにせよ、
Even as she said this, Echidona’s lips rose into a smile.
In fact, it was exactly like the gaze of a parent who was watching over their naughty child, but
surely, Subaru thought, he must be mistaken. Anyhow,

「お前が墓所にいる理由と、それを誰がやってるかはわかった。実際のとこどうなのかについ
ては、夢から覚めたあとで現代版のロズワールに問い詰めてやる」
[Subaru: Well now I understand the reason you’re inside this Tomb, and who’s doing it. For the
actual specifics, I’ll ask the modern-version of Roswaal after I wake up from this dream]

「それはご自由に。……それで、他に質問は？」
[Echidona: You are free to do so. …...So then, are there any other questions?]

「もちろんあるぜ。次に聞きたいのは、試練だ。この墓所で行われるって聞いてる試練。それ
の内容を聞かせてほしい。あと、あったら模範解答も教えてくれ」
[Subaru: Of course there’s more. Next thing I want to ask about is, the Trials. I was told there’ll
be Trials taking place inside this Tomb. I’d like to know about its contents. And, if you could also
tell me the right answers too please]

「出題者に問題文と一緒に答えを聞くなんて、無慈悲なことをするね、君」
[Echidona: Asking for the questions and the answers straight from the examiner, how ruthless
you are]

「楽してずるしていただきかしらだよ。ショートカットできるならしない理由がないね。俺は
攻略サイトちら見しながらゲームをプレイする人間だ」
[Subaru: Oh it’s just a little bit of cheating. There’s no reason not to use shortcuts when you can.
I’m the kind of person who likes to play a game while reading the walkthroughs, you know]

　イベント取りこぼして二週目とかが面倒臭いからだ。
　と、そんなプレイヤーとしては雑なスバルの信念は別として、エキドナは考え込むように目
をつむり、きっかり五秒後に瞳を開くと、
Because getting killed and having to do it for a second time would be annoying.
But setting Subaru’s random PLAYER philosophies aside, Echidona closed her eyes as if
sinking deep into thought. Then, it was five seconds later when she opened them again,

「試練、だったね」
[Echidona: The Trials, is it?]

「ああ、そうだ。なんぞ、試されちまうって話じゃねぇか。それをクリアできないと、俺の大
事な女の子が困るんだよ。ホームシックにかかっても『聖域』から出られなくなっちまうん
だ。もちろん、俺もその子置き去りにして帰るなんて選択肢ねぇしな」
[Subaru: Ah, yeah. What kind of Trials is it anyway. If we don’t pass it, my really-important-girl
will be in trouble. She won’t be able to leave the Sanctuary even if she feels homesick. And
obviously, leaving her behind and going home by myself is not an option]

　『聖域』の周囲に張り巡らされている結界のようなもの。それが彼女の出入りを拒むのであ
れば、弾かれないスバルもまた出入りするつもりはない。
　彼女が試練を突破し、二人で一緒にその壁を通り抜ける。
　そのためにできることはなんでもやろう。それがたとえ、
The Barriers that surround the “Sanctuary”, if something like that was blocking her way out, then
Subaru would have no wish to go outside either.
When she passes the Trials, they will go through that wall together.
And he will do whatever it takes to make sure that happens. For instance,

「カンニングであっても！」
[Subaru: Even by cheating!]
「気合いを入れてくれているところ悪いんだが、試練についてはボクは知らないよ。ボクは関
与してない。故に、内容はわからないんだ」
[Echidona: I’m sorry to say this after you got so excited but, I know nothing about the Trial. I am
not involved in it. Therefore, I don’t know it’s contents]

「なんでだよ！」
[Subaru: What!]

　その勢いが即座にせき止められてスバルは絶叫。それを聞き、エキドナは「仕方ないじゃな
いか」と首を横に振り、
Being suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, Subaru let out a yelp. Hearing this, Echidona said
[Well there’s nothing we can do, is there?] as she shook her head from side to side.

「この場所がどこなのか知っているかい？　ボクの墓所だよ？　つまり、この墓所はボクの死
後に作られた場所だ。そして君の語る試練はこの墓所の中で行われるんだろう？　つまり墓所
の試練はボクの死後に作られたものだよ。すでに故人のボクがそうそう干渉できるはずもない
だろう？」
[Echidona: You do know where this place is, don’t you? It is my Tomb, after all? In other words,
this Tomb would have been built after my death. And the Trials you spoke of, they take place
inside the Tomb? Then the Trials within the Tomb must also have been created after I had died.
So there is no way that my deceased self could possibly have had anything to do with it, is
there?]

「こんだけバリバリ会話してて今さらそれで納得できねぇよ！」
[Subaru: There’s no way I can understand that kind of rapid-fire logic!]

「いずれにせよ、出題者はボクじゃない。だから試練については答えられない。むしろボクの
方が試練について聞かせてもらいたいぐらいだよ。その内容、出題傾向、解答者の選別ともち
ろん問題の答えと、好奇心は尽きない」
[Echidona: In any case, I am not the examiner. So I can’t give answers about the Trials. If
anything, it’s me who should ask you about these Trials. Its contents, the types of questions, the
selection of its respondents, and of course, the answers to the questions… my curiosity is
endless]

　瞳を輝かせ、知識欲に瞳を輝かせ始める『強欲の魔女』。
　その欲求に素直な姿にため息をぶつけて、スバルは『試練』に関してのこれ以上は話を引っ
張っても仕方がないと判断。
　そうなると、
In those shining eyes, the pupils of of the “Witch of Greed” began to shine with the thirst for
knowledge.
Sighing at the sight her straightforward desire, Subaru concluded that he would make no
progress speaking with her on the topic of the Trials.
In that case,
「なんかあんまり、俺ってお前に聞きたいことねぇなぁ」
[Subaru: Aww, then I feel like there’s not much else I want to ask you]

「……え？　嘘でしょ？　そんなはずがないよ。だってボク、『強欲の魔女』なんだよ？　世
界中のあらゆる人が、ボクの知識を求めて足を運んできたんだ。そのボクを前にして、自由に
質問を許してるのに聞きたいことがないなんて……」
[Echidona: …...Eh? You’re kidding, right? That’s impossible. But I am the “Witch of Greed”, you
know? From all corners of the world people have come to me, seeking my knowledge. To be in
front of me, with permission to ask anything freely, you say you have nothing you want to ask
me…...?]

「だってお前、故人だから自分の死後に関してはあんまり知識ないんだろ？　俺が聞きたいこ
とって現在進行形なことが多いから、そのあたりに無知な相手に無意味な質問してもなぁ……
」
[Subaru: Well, because you’re already dead and you don’t know much about what’s happened
after you died, right? What I want to know is mostly in the present-progressive-tense, so there’s
no point in asking someone who doesn’t know…...]

「いやいやいや、落ち着こうよ。確かに今どきの世の中には疎いけれど、代わりに昔のことな
らば知らないことはないぐらいだよ。四百年の時間をかけて風化していった、誰の記憶にも
残っていない歴史の数々。それを知れるチャンスじゃないか。先の魔女たちの話もそうだ。も
う、世界中のどこにも記録すら残っていないんじゃないかい」
[Echidona: Nonono, let’s calm down. It is true that I’m unacquainted the present world, but in
exchange, there is almost nothing I do not know about the past. Much has weathered down in
400 years, and no longer remain in anyone’s memory or in history. Isn’t this a chance to know
about them? Just like the conversation with the other Witches earlier. There are things that no
longer remain in any record in the entire world]

「でも俺、あんまり魔女興味ないしな。聞いても全員故人だっていうし、考えることたくさん
あるからその話聞いてもなんだかな……」
[Subaru: But, I don’t have much interest in Witches. Even if I hear about them they’re all already
dead, and there are many things on my mind right now, so that kind of conversation is not
really…]

「ええぇ……」
[Echidona: Eeeeeehhh…...]

　本格的にお暇したい流れに入るスバルを見て、エキドナの方が物足りなさに顔をしかめてい
る。完全に立場が逆転している二人。
　とはいえ、スバルにとっては事実である。過去の魔女たちの悪行やら偉業やらがどれほどの
ものだったのか、興味があるといえばあるがないといえばない。聞いてどうなるものでもな
い、という点を踏まえれば実際あまり興味がない。
　かといって、それ以外にエキドナから聞き出せそうな有用な情報があるかと言われると、
パッと出てこないのだが。
Seeing Subaru really intending to go home, Echidona, left one-sidedly unsatisfied, screwed her
face into a grimace. Their positions have totally reversed.
But even so, as far as Subaru was concerned, it was the truth. The wrongdoings or noble feats
of the Witches of the past, or whatever they were… he didn’t really have an interest in such
things.
Other than that, what kind of useful information he could get out of Echidona, he couldn’t think
of any off the top of his head...

「あ、そういえば一個だけ思い出した」
[Subaru: Oh, now that you mention it, I just thought of one]

「うんうん！　いいよ、そうだよ。そうさ、あるだろうとも。なんでも聞いてくれていいよ。
ボクの答えられることなら答えようじゃないか、さあ！」
[Echidona:Yes yes! Very good, that’s it. I knew it, there are still things. Ask anything you want.
As long as it’s something I can answer, I will answer it. Go ahead!]

　焦らされた分、スバルの質問に対するエキドナの食い付き方が半端ではない。
　魔女だなんて言われていても、根っこのところで人間臭さは消えないものだなと思いつつ、
スバルは『聖域』のことを思い出し、
Already to the point of agitation, Echidona was biting onto Subaru’s question not half-heartedly.
Even if they’re called Witches, at the root, it’s impossible to erase all trace of their humanity.
Thinking this, Subaru remembered something about the “Sanctuary”

「この墓所がある『聖域』の住人なんだが、そいつはここを実験場とか呼んでたんだよ。どう
も『強欲の魔女』の実験場って意味らしいんだが、ハーフ逃がさない結界があることといい、
なんの実験をやってたのかとか……」
[Subaru: The residents of the “Sanctuary” where this Tomb is in, they refer to this place as the
Trial Grounds. No matter how you look at it, “The Witch of Greed’s Experimental Grounds”
sounds pretty important, and then there’s a barrier that doesn’t allow half-bloods to escape,
what kind of experiments are you running here, I was...…]

「言えない」
[Echidona: I can’t say]

「聞かせてもらえたらって……」
[Subaru: hoping I could ask you that…...]

　だが、その質問はばっさりと、表情を消したエキドナに切り捨てられていた。
　その取りつく島もない態度にスバルは思わず押し黙る。そのスバルの反応を見て、エキドナ
は自分の言葉の切れ味に気付いたのか気まずそうな顔をして、
However, with a single stroke, Echidona’s expression vanished as she discarded the question.
At that unapproachable attitude, Subaru couldn’t help but fall silent. Seeing Subaru’s reaction,
Echidona seemed to notice the sharpness of her own words, and made an awkward expression
with her face,

「言い方が悪くてすまない。だが、言えないこともある。ボクはその質問に答えることはでき
ない。言えないんじゃなく、言いたくないんだ」
[Echidona: I apologize for being so rude. But there are also things I cannot say. I can’t answer
that question. It’s not that I cannot say, but that I don’t want to]

「……いい印象の言葉じゃねぇよな、実験場。でも、お前は否定もしない」
[Subaru: ...…The term doesn’t give off a good impression, Experimental Grounds. But you don’t
seem to be denying it]

「そこまでで止まってほしい。ボクは軽蔑されたいわけではないんだ」
[Echidona: I want you to stop there. I do not wish to be held in contempt]

　目を伏せ、エキドナはそれ以上の追及を拒んでいる。
　圧倒的な存在である魔女が、肩を小さくしてスバルにそう懇願したのだ。それを聞いてしま
えば、それ以上の追及は諦めざるをえなかった。
　代わりにスバルの脳裏を過ったのは、
Lowering her eyes, Echidona rejected any further pursuit of the topic.
The Witch with an overwhelming existence, shriveled her shoulders as she asked this of
Subaru. Anyone who heard this, would have no choice but to give up on any further questioning.
Then instead, what passed through Subaru’s mind was,

「そういえばお前の名前……ここにくる前にも聞いたことあった」
[Subaru: Come to think of it, your name…... I had heard it before coming here]

「…………」
[Echidona: ………]

　黙り続けているエキドナ。その彼女の前で、スバルは己の額に触れて記憶を回想する。『強
欲の魔女』エキドナの名前。それは『聖域』にくる以前に、スバルの耳を何度か掠めていた名
前であった。
　中でも、それを一番最初に聞いたのは、
Echidona remained silent. In front of her, Subaru touched his forehead as he reflected on his
memories. The name of Echidona, “The Witch of Greed”. Before coming to the “Sanctuary”, that
name had snatched Subaru’s ears several times.

「パックだ」
[Subaru: From Puck]
　王都を起点としたループの中で、スバルは三度もあの大精霊に殺されている。忌まわしくも
もっとも苦い記憶、巨大化したパックになぶられるように殺された回のことだ。
　あのとき、凍死するペテルギウスとパックの会話の中に、彼女の名前が飛び出したのだ。瀕
死の重態であったスバルの意識は判然としておらず、今ここに至るまで思い出すことができず
にいたが。
In the loops starting from the Capital, Subaru had been killed by that Great Spirit three times.
His most abhorrent and bitter memory was the time the gigantic Puck killed him as he mocked
him.
That time, in Petelgeuse and Puck’s conversation, her name had appeared. On the verge of
death, Subaru’s consciousness had not understood what it meant, and he had not remembered
it until now.

　その記憶を探り出したスバルの呟きを聞きつけ、エキドナは顔を上げた。
Hearing Subaru mutter as he found this memory, Echidona lifted her face.

「パック……？　まさか、それは猫の精霊の……？」
[Echidona: Puck…...? Can’t be... the cat spirit...…?]

「――！？　そう、そうだよ。猫の精霊だ。パック、知ってんのか？」
[Subaru: ――!? Yeah, that’s right. The cat spirit. Do you know Puck?]

「知っているもなにも……彼はここにきているのか？　だとしたら、いったいどこまで彼は思
い出して？」
[Echidona: It’s not whether I know him…... did he come here? If that’s case, just how much does
he remember?]

　思わぬ名前が出たことに驚くエキドナに、スバルの方も予想できない反応を得て驚いてしま
う。彼女は早口にまくし立て、それからすぐに黙り込んでしまう。
　その鬼気迫る態度にスバルがなにも言えずにいると、彼女は考え込むようにさらに瞑目して
熟考。
Echidona seemed shocked to hear this unexpected name, and Subaru was surprised to see this
reaction from her. Echidona, who had been talking non-stop, suddenly fell silent.
Seeing her ominous attitude, Subaru couldn’t say a thing. And Echidona, as if sinking into
thought, closed her eyes in deep contemplation.

　どう言葉を繋ぐべきか、とスバルは視線を上げようとして、
Wondering how would he continue this conversation, Subaru turned up his gaze,

「――ッあ！？」
[Subaru: ――Gaah!?]

　ふいに、腹の底で熱いものが存在を主張することに意識を奪われた。
Suddenly, in the bottom of his stomach a heat asserted its existence, occupying his entire
consciousness.

「……ぉ、あ？」
[Subaru: …uh, ah?]

　すさまじい熱量に胃袋を焼かれる感覚。スバルは呻き声を上げながら腹部に手を当てて、そ
の場でふらふらと足をさまよわせる。
　ふいにわいた苦痛は尋常ではない。腹痛などとは比較対象にならない謎の苦しみに口の端を
涎が伝う。立っていられず、その場に膝をついて、すぐに横倒しになった。
The incredible heat felt as if it would burn through his entrails. Groaning, Subaru held his
stomach, his legs trembled feebly.
The acute, boiling pain was out of the ordinary. A stomach ache was nothing compared this
mysterious agony that made him foam at the mouth. Unable to stand, he fell to his knees, and in
the next moment, dropped to the side.

　そんなスバルを、
Seeing Subaru like this,

「ああ、やっと効いてきたようだね」
[Echidona: Ah, it’s finally taken effect]

　と、冷たい瞳をたたえるエキドナが見下ろしていた。
　彼女はゆっくりと悶えるスバルに歩み寄ると、膝を折って倒れるスバルに顔を近づけ、口を
ぱくぱくとさせているスバルの前髪を払い、
And, admiring the sight with her cold eyes, Echidona gazed down at him.
Slowly, she approached the writhing Subaru, bent down her knees to get closer to his face, and
brushed aside the hair over Subaru’s forehead,

「魔女の茶会に誘われたなら、安易に出されたものを口にしてはいけない。――勉強になった
んじゃないかな」
[Echidona: When you’re invited to a Witch’s tea party, you shouldn’t be putting everything
you’ve been given into your mouth so carelessly. ――You’ve learned a lesson now, haven’t
you?]

「おま、え……まさか、毒でも……」
[Subaru: You, di... you poison me…...?]

「それこそまさか、だよ。言ったろう？　君が飲んだのはボクの体液だ。根本的に人間などと
は存在が異なる、魔女の一部。それを取り込んだんだよ」
[Echidona: Out of the question. I told you, didn’t I? What you drank were my body fluids. A part
of a fundamentally different existence, a part of a Witch. That is what you consumed]
　体液、という単語とその後のやり取りで、その内容を軽視していた事実をスバルは思い知
る。その結果が、こうして苦しみ悶える現状というわけだ。
　目を見開き、スバルはエキドナを睨みつける。先ほどまでの友好的な態度はどこへやら。
いったい、彼女はなにを目的としてこんなことを――、
Body fluids. Subaru realized he had overlooked the significance of that term in the conversation
afterwards. And the consequence, was his current state of agony.
Opening his eyes, he glared at Echidona. All the friendly attitude before had long evaporated.
Just did she want to achieve by doing such a thing――

「誤解しないでほしいんだが、ボクはなにも君に敵意や悪意を持ってこんなことをしているわ
けじゃない。むしろ、ボクは君の存在を好ましく思っている。ボクの一部を飲ませたのも、そ
のためだよ」
[Echidona: I don’t want you to misunderstand, I didn’t do this out of malice or any ill-will towards
you. In fact, I regard your existence quite positively. Letting you drink a part of me is proof of
that]

「わ、かるように、話、せよ……」
[Subaru: Sp…eak so I can… under…stand…...]

「簡単に説明するなら、君の中に眠る魔女因子が馴染みやすくなるように手を加えた……とい
うところだね」
[Echidona: To put it simply, I lent you a hand so the dormant Witch Genes inside you could
assimilate more easily…... or something like that]

「魔女、因子……？」
[Subaru: Witch, Genes…...?]

　なおも尽きぬ熱に焦がされながら、スバルはその単語を必死で繰り返す。
The incessant burning growing in intensity, Subaru used every ounce of his strength to repeat
that word.

　――魔女因子。
　その単語もまた、幾度か耳にしたことのある単語だ。
　あるときはペテルギウスが。そしてまたあるときはベアトリスが口にした単語。
――Witch Genes.
That word too, he had heard several times before.
There was Petelgeuse. And then there was Beatrice.

「『嫉妬の魔女』の使徒を殺しただろう？　その使徒の死に際し、魔女因子は君の中へと滑り
込んだ。……もっとも、君の中にはもっと別のなにかもありそうだが」
[Echidona: You killed an agent of the “Witch of Envy”, didn’t you? With that agent’s death, the
Witch Gene implanted itself inside you…… Although, it seems there is something else inside
you as well]
「それが、馴染んだところで……なに、が」
[Subaru: That thing, when it assimilates…...what’ll happen?]

「さあ、なにが起こるんだろうね。正直なところ、ボクにもわからない。ただ、いつ爆発する
かわからない爆弾を、被害が大きくならないうちに爆発させておいてあげようという心遣い、
のようなものかな。夢の中でそれが済むなら、外に出て爆発しない分だけゆとりが持てるん
じゃないかな」
[Echidona: Indeed, whatever would happen? Honestly, I am not sure myself. But, compared to
having it blow up who knows when, it’s better to detonate it before it causes anything worse, I
think. If we can settle this inside a dream, perhaps it’ll make the undetonated part easier to deal
with once you’re outside]

　あっけらかんと語られて、スバルは意識が飛びそうになる苦しみに視界を明滅させる。だ
が、そんな中でもスバルはゆっくりと腕を持ち上げ、エキドナを指差し、
Listening to that indifferent tone, Subaru’s consciousness felt like it was about to fade, as light
and dark flashed before his eyes in the agonizing pain. But even in this state, Subaru lightly
raised his arm, and pointed toward Echidona,

「今、思ったんだが……」
[Subaru: Just now, I thought of something……]

「うん？」
[Echidona: Hm?]

「お前の、その喋り方……パックに、そっくりだな。あの猫精霊様も、空気も読まずに、のん
びりと、そんな口の利き方をしやがるんだ……」
[Subaru: You… The way you talk…...is, just like Puck. That cat spirit too, doesn’t care about the
mood at all, just goes around with that careless air, just goes on like nothing……]

　絞り出すようなスバルの言葉を聞いて、エキドナは一瞬だけ目をぱちくりさせた。
　そして、それからすぐに顔をくしゃくしゃにし、とびきりの冗談を聞いたようにお腹に手を
当てて爆笑する。
Listening to Subaru’s wrenched out words, for an instant, Echidona blinked in surprise.
Then, with an exaggerated expression, as though she just heard the funniest joke, Echidona
held her stomach as she burst out laughing.

「はは！　ははは！　ああ、なんともまあ、素敵だ！　君はすごいな。本当にそう思うよ。う
ん、うん、ああ、あはははは！　なるほど、ボクがパックと。うんうん、そうだろうね。そう
だろう。当然といえば当然の話だ。彼からすれば、手本になるようなものはボクしかいなかっ
ただろうしね」
[Echidona: Haha! Hahaha! Aaah, that is quite, a good one! You are fascinating. I really think so.
Mmm, mha, aaahahahaha! Is that so, me and Puck? Mmmm, you’re quite right. That would be
only natural, of course. I'm probably the only one who'd take him as something of a role model]

「なに、を――」
[Subaru: What, are y――]

　言っている、と続けようとして、スバルはそれを続けられなかった。
　苦痛が全身を焦がすのに意識が奪われたわけではない。いつまでも続くと思われた苦しみは
わずかに安らいできており、終わりが見え始めていた。
　だが、この苦しみを克服するよりもどうやら、
Though he wanted to continue his sentence, it was no longer something Subaru could do.
The pain had set his entire body ablaze, yet it did not deprive him of his consciousness. It felt as
though it would continue forever, and there would be no respite from this suffering, but, the end
was already nearing.
Although, it was not by overcoming the pain, but rather,

「逢瀬の時間は終わり、のようだね」
[Echidona: The time for our tryst is almost up, it seems]

　徐々に徐々に、スバルの視界の中で世界の輪郭がぼやけていく。
　青々とした空が、緑に覆われた草原の丘が。二人が囲んでいた白いテーブルと椅子が、その
像を結べなくなり始めていた。
Little by little, in Subaru’s eyes the outlines of the world began to blur.
The blue sky, and the little hill in green grass-covered fields. The two of them, and the chairs
around a white table. All those images blended into one, and began to fade.

「お前が終わりに、しようとしなきゃ終わらないんじゃ……」
[Subaru: I thought you said it’ll only end when you want it to end……]

「現実の方の時間が限界に達したんだよ。君の言う、『試練』というやつが始まってしまいそ
うなんだろう。始まってしまうと、墓所の機能は全てそちらへ向けられてしまう。幽霊一人に
構っていられなくなるわけだ」
[Echidona: We have reached the limit of the time in the real world. The “Trials” you mentioned, it
seems they will begin soon. When it does begin, all the functions of this Tomb will be directed
towards it. And it won’t care about the lonely ghost anymore]

　軽い口調で言って、エキドナは倒れ込むスバルの額を指で撫でる。
　抵抗も反応もできないスバルに彼女は笑いかけ、
Saying this in a lighthearted tone, Echidona caressed Subaru’s forehead as he lay on the floor.
Watching him unable to resist, or even react, she laughed.

「さて、魔女のお茶会から帰るんだ。いくらか、差し出してもらおうか」
[Echidona: Now, to return from a Witch’s tea party. What toll would you like to pay?]

「……言っとくが、俺は奇々怪々の無一文だぞ」
[Subaru: …...Just so you know, I’m broke as hell right now]

「お金じゃない。対価は……そうだな。この空間の口外禁止、でどうだろう。同じような契約
を結んでいるようだし、安いものだろう？」
[Echidona: Not money. The price is….... ah yes. You are forbidden to speak of this space to
anyone else, how about that? You seem to already have another contract just like it... it is a
small price to pay, is it not?]

　それはどういう意味で、と問い質す間もない。
　彼女はスバルの額に指を当てたまま、何事か小さな声で呟く。そして、その触れた指先が熱
を持ったかと思えば、じんわりとしたそれはスバルの全身に一瞬で熱を伝えて、不可思議な理
解をスバルに与えた。
　契約の内容と、侵してはならない一方的な約定、その結びつきを。
What is that supposed to mean, there was no time to even ask that question.
Pressing her finger against Subaru’s forehead, she whispered something quietly. Then, sensing
a heat coming from the finger that touched him, in an instant, it spread throughout his entire
body. And, incredibly, Subaru was granted an understanding.
Of the terms of the contract, and what must not be infringed upon: thus, the one-sided
agreement was sealed.

「勝手な、ことを……！」
[Subaru: Doing this, without asking first……!]

「過去の話に、魔女因子の定着。これらの対価にしては安すぎると我ながら思うほどだよ。あ
と、ついでといってはなんだが、ひとつおまけもつけてあげよう」
[Echidona: Our conversation, and consolidating the Witch Genes. Compared to that, I think this
is a very small price to pay. Also, might as well, I will grant you a gift]

　憤慨するスバルを笑い、彼女は触れたままの指先からさらに新たな熱を伝える。
　そして、その熱の結果は――、
Smiling at the indignant Subaru, another wave of heat passed from her finger to his forehead.
And, as a result of this heat――

「君に、墓所の試練を受ける資格を与えよう」
[Echidona: I hereby grant you the qualification to participate in the Trials of this Tomb]

「――！？」
[Subaru: ――!?]
「これがあれば、君も夜の墓所の試練を受けられる。受けるかどうかは君の自由だ。受けない
のもできる。けれど、君は君の大事な女の子の代わりに試練を受けるという選択肢を得た。
――どうするかは、好きにするといい」
[Echidona: With this, you will be able to take the Trials in this Tomb tonight. Whether you wish to
take part is up to you. It is fine if you choose not to. But, if you choose to, you could take the
Trials in place of the girl who is so very important to you. ――What you do with it, you may do
as you like]

　世界の崩落が始まり、足下が少しずつ闇に溶けていく。
　今度こそ本当に世界の終焉が近づいてきていた。
The collapse of the world had begun, and little by little, what lay beneath his feet dissolved into
darkness.
This time, it was truly the end of the world drawing near.

　そして終わっていく世界で、スバルは寝そべったままエキドナを見上げている。
　望まぬ契約を結び、求めていない対価を押しつけ、悪びれもせずにスバルに笑いかけている
少女――ああ、それはまぎれもなく、
And then, in this world that was coming to an end, Subaru, still lying on the ground, looked up at
Echidona.
Sealing a contract he did not wish to sign, extorting from him a price he did not wish to pay, the
girl who was smiling at him without a care in the world――ahh, without a doubt,

「――お前、やっぱり、魔女だぜ」
[Subaru: ――You, really, are a Witch]

「――ああ、そうだとも。ボクは悪い魔法使いなんだぜ？」
[Echidona: ――Ah, but of course. I’m one evil Sorceress, isn’t that right?]

　そんなお決まりのやり取りを最後に、スバルの意識は夢から弾かれる。
　落ちていく、落ちていく。消えていく、消えていく。
With that final farewell, Subaru’s consciousness sprang from the dream.
Falling, and falling. Fading, and fading.

　夢から弾かれて、浮上していく。
　そして、そしてスバルの意識は――魔女の夢から解き放たれた。
Breaking out of the dream, he floated upwards.
Then, after that―― Subaru’s consciousness was released from the Witch’s dreams.

====READ THE FINAL VERSION HERE:====

https://translationchicken.com/2016/12/23/rezero-arc-4-chapter-12-a-souvenir-from-the-te
a-party/