Leave a comment

“Don’t get cocky just because you’ve got a pretty face and figure, you shameless wench!”

“Hmph! What’s with you, why do you keep calling Lady Clara charlatan this, overachiever that?!” Coppelia, my companion for the day and unofficial ‘porter’ in a mini skirt maid outfit snapped back, clearly offended on my behalf.

“Hah. What’s wrong with calling an overachiever charlatan just that?”
“Still going on about it, huh? Lady Clara being a showboat is completely off base! Do you even know what it means?”
“As far as I know, it usually refers to someone who achieves success over and above the standard. So, maybe it’s a backhanded compliment?”

I interjected gently, hoping to lighten the tense atmosphere with a bit of trivia.

“As if! How much self-flattery can you manage? Let me put it plainly: I’m saying you’re in over your head as an official shrine maiden, so quit!”

Eliza banged her hands against the window frame, her face contorted in frustration. Despite her scowl, her beauty was undeniable, enough to earn the admiration of at least eight or nine people out of ten. She’s also one of the most talented young shrine maidens around, and she’s well aware of it—usually carrying herself with poise and grace. Right now, though, that image was all but shattered.

“—Oh, really? But in that case, ‘overachiever’ is a misuse. ‘Underachiever’ would be a more fitting word. And while we’re on the subject, ‘charlatan’ originates from ‘to babble,’ implying someone falsely claiming to be capable of certain things. Using both underachiever and charlatan together, while they both mean different things, implies the same thing of a person being unable to meet expectations, whether they were set by others or through boasting. Points deducted.”

As a priestess, my role is to gently instruct, so I kindly explain this to Miss Eliza, hoping she won’t misuse the phrase again. I add a bright, encouraging smile for everyone in the carriage, which causes all the shrine maiden candidates—except Eliza herself—to awkwardly avert their eyes. How curious.

“Is nitpicking like that supposed to make you feel clever? You really are insufferable, aren’t you? From what I’ve heard, you’ve been spreading tales about your purification skills and even single-handedly defeating a dragon. But how much of that is true? Most likely, you just warded off a ghost with a bit of healing magic or took on some overgrown lizard. Listen well: they might call us rivals within the Church, but I absolutely refuse to acknowledge it!”

Eliza grinds her teeth in frustration, practically seething. But—

“Rival? That’s news to me.”

Hearing such unbelievable words, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes. Eliza, momentarily speechless, looked down at me with a steely gaze and said, “…So, I’m nothing to you, am I? Fine. Just you watch—I’ll have you eating those prim and proper words of yours!”

She pointed her perfectly polished fingertip at me, declaring her challenge. I tilted my head slightly.

“…Eating words?”

“How far can your foolishness go, you insufferable woman!?” She was absolutely furious. “Mark my words!!”

Watching Eliza’s carriage depart, Coppelia and I exchanged a look.

“…So, what was she trying to say?” I tilted my head in confusion, while Coppelia puffed herself up in an oddly self-important manner.

“It’s the howling of a sore loser, nothing more. Lady Clara, she isn’t even worth your attention.”

That doesn’t really answer the question. Why is it that no one around me seems capable of having a straightforward conversation?

“Well, at the very least, it’s clear I’m not very welcome in the Holy Land,” I murmured, feeling somewhat disheartened.

To my words, Coppelia shook her head emphatically, as if it were utterly unthinkable.

“It’s merely envy. Really, it’s laughable—a total mana capacity of 7,180 and an A-rank charm? And to think she’s currently the top young shrine maiden candidate! She’s only a third of what you possess, Lady Clara.”

“I don’t believe that a person’s worth is determined by the amount of mana or beauty they possess. Besides, even with one person’s extraordinary abilities, there’s a limit to what they can achieve.” At best, perhaps defeating a common dragon that attacks a village. “Honestly, nothing ever seems to go as one wishes, does it?”

As I began walking again, I sighed, watching the streets and the people moving back and forth.

The whole town seemed slightly restless, and here and there I saw armed adventurers and people who looked suspiciously like… well, thieves.

Although this area was still relatively calm, it was true that each day brought more refugees displaced by skirmishes between neighboring countries, as well as out-of-work mercenaries, filtering into the slums on the outskirts.

A sign of the times, perhaps. Without needing anyone to tell them, people sensed that they were living in a powder keg, just moments away from igniting, and so they carried an air of tension and unease.

After all, I knew what was coming.

From the end of this year through the next, these northern lands would be thrown into upheaval, ultimately giving rise to the Livitium Imperial Kingdom

“Of all things… I had to slip back over thirty years in time…”

Even now, all I can do is sigh at the strange twists of fate that have pulled me along. Behind me, I heard Coppelia’s curious voice.

“Is something troubling you, Lady Clara?”

Lady Clara… right.

“It’s nothing, really… but I’m just not used to being called ‘Clara,’ or even the name ‘Adelheid’ that the head of the church bestowed upon me.”

“???”

Ignoring Coppelia, who tilted her head in confusion, I continued walking, hoping to distract myself from my hunger.

I may never get used to it, but if even someone like me could become a beacon of hope for people in this chaotic era, then perhaps it was time to accept this name with humility.

But still…

“I miss it…”

I whispered softly, gazing in the direction of Tenebrae Nemus in the continent’s central region—the place I could call home in my heart.

Reference:

Adelheid {Clara} (Jill). By the way, “Adelheid” means “noble appearance.”

Height: 165 centimerte, Weight: 49 kilogura (holding onto the 40s through sheer willpower).
HP: 2,210
MP: 21,480
Charm: SS Rank
Feminine Appeal: 95 (with a limit of 100)
Capture Difficulty: Final Boss Level

Eliza Farias {Barbara}

Height: 159 centimerte
Weight: 46 kilogura
HP: 1,150
MP: 7,180
Charm: A Rank
Feminine Appeal: 53 (with a limit of 100)
Capture Difficulty: High-ish

Incidentally, in this world, the average for humans (adult males) is as follows:

HP: 700
MP: 100

Nobles, due to their bloodlines, generally have about twice these stats. Even commoners can increase their stats through training. Defeating monsters does not increase levels here; however, level increases from training or magical tools can ultimately enable one to defeat monsters. In certain cases, one can also ascend to a higher rank (humans may evolve into True Humans, for instance).

Translator’s note:

Sometimes I wonder why you need a translator when you have AI tools… and then the author went and used a proverb that is completely untranslatable. Yes, that part is localized.

Here’s how it actually unfolds:

Barbara calls Clara (Jill) 役不足 (Yaku Busoku) and 馬の骨 (Uma no Hone), while Jill corrects it with 力不足 (Chikara Busoku).

役不足 means “someone with a skill above the given work” but it also means “someone who is out of depth.” It’s colloquial; or a word with opposing meanings. On the other hand, 力不足 means “powerless, inept, inadequate.”

馬の骨 means “somebody with an unclear origin” but it also refers to a nobody (derogatory). Like “You’re a nobody!”

So what actually happens:

Barbara: “What’s wrong with calling a “Yaku Busoku” “Uma no Hone” just that?”
Coppelia: “Still going on about it, huh? Lady Clara being a “Yaku Busoku” is completely off base! Do you even know what it means?”
Jill: “As far as I know, “Yaku Busoku” usually refers to someone who has a skill above their position. So, maybe it’s a backhanded compliment?”
Barbara: “As if! How much self-flattery can you manage? Let me put it plainly: I’m saying you’re in over your head as an official miko, so quit!”
Jill: “—Oh, really? But in that case, ‘Yaku Busoku’ is a misusage. You should technically say ‘Chikara Busoku’ instead. And while we’re on the subject, ‘Uma no Hone’ actually originates from the saying ‘first chicken bones, second horse bones,’ meaning chicken bones are too small to be useful in cooking, while horse bones are too large and hard to dispose of. It’s supposed to refer to someone who’s entirely useless, so I think the terms overlap if you use both of them at once. Points deducted.”

Now try to translate that while also maintaining the nuance and flow of the conversation.

It’s easy to just translate it as such

Barbara: “What’s wrong with calling a useless nobody just that”

But, what do you do for Jill’s comebacks? “Useless” is not colloquial. If Jill says: “As far as I know, Useless means someone useful. So, maybe it’s a backhanded compliment?” Jill would be the dumb dumb here.