Violet Evergarden Chapter 10

Violet Evergarden Chapter 10

Violet Evergaden: Chapter 10Please feel free to message me about possible corrections. If you can, support the creators by buying the official releases .

Translator Note: Here’s a warning beforehand to avoid confusion
– this chapter was written with POV switch for some reason. The narration swings from first to third person within every one or two chapter intervals. I honestly thought about translating it all in third person, but that felt like lying to the readers, so I left it as it is in the original work.

The DemiG.o.d and the Auto-Memories Doll

On that
day, the sky was overcast since morning, white clouds blending with pitch
darkness. Rain struck the land as the Sun set, thunders rumbling, in a weather
stormy enough to shake even windows protected by iron bars.

“It’s
become cold, hasn’t it?”

Although it
was the beginning of autumn, the temperature had still been warm as of late.
Perhaps due to it abruptly going down, the nun whom I had been reading
scriptures aloud with stood up and started preparing the fireplace that had
been unused since spring.

I dropped
my gaze to the scriptures we were halfway through with, and then scanned the
room. A bed with a canopy. A gold-frame painting of mythological G.o.ds. An antique
mirror stand. A deep shadow was cast over all of them. The atmosphere was somewhat
grim.

“Hey…” As
staying silent was dreadful, I tried calling out to the nun, yet was
interrupted by a booming thunder. The sound was deafening enough to crack the soil.
It sent chills through my entire body from within the silk robes I wore.

The
navy-blue fabrics with golden embroidery of said robes were suitable for the
austerity of a G.o.d’s child, but did not match me. The same went for the circlet
of the Sun being enveloped by the Moon that rested on my head, that room,
everything…

I stood up
from my chair and walked to the nun’s side.

“Everything
is fine, Lady Lux. This region has always been often hit by lightning, so there
are lightning rods installed around the Utopia. Besides, even if it were to
strike us, nothing would happen to you, Lady Lux. Your honorable body will be
safe until the Day of Guidance four days from now.”

At the
words that came with a light smile, I could only laugh bitterly. That was
because I was unable to deem them either good or bad, as they were simply
neutral words of comfort.

“Excuse
me.” the voice of another nun came from outside the room. It was most likely
the one in charge of the administrative management and security of the Utopia.

“Is
anything the matter, Lisbon?”

“This rain
caused the nearby river to flood. Crossing the bridge over to the harbor side
in these circ.u.mstances is unmanageable…”

“We have
stored enough supplies to survive through even the winter. There should be no
issues, right?”

“No, it is
not that… Since the crossing has become impossible, a traveler who was
wandering this land has come seeking shelter in this Utopia. She asked if she could
stay until the storm calmed… There is no way we could treat a lost child with
disdain. It was all right to welcome her into the gates, but… that
traveler…”

Seeing as
the eyes of the reporting nun shone in delight, I concluded that something had
happened. “Is she a ‘demiG.o.d’ like me?” after asking, my heart started racing
from fear mixed with joy and sorrow mixed with antic.i.p.ation, so violently that
it ached.

“We have
not conducted any probation, so I cannot affirm it, but… her figure is the
splitting image of the G.o.ddess of combat, Garnet Spear. She is exactly as
described in the scriptures.”

“Rainy days
are ominous, so isn’t someone that comes by in times like these a mere human
instead of a ‘demiG.o.d’? I believe I should recommend she departs to the lower
world immediately after the tempest settles.”

My voice
might have been stiff. Although I was praised and worshipped as a ‘demiG.o.d’ in
that utopia, I did not have communication skills. However, I thought I had to
do what I could for the sake of that traveler.

The two
nuns looked at one another.

“Either
way, let’s welcome the traveler. She must be freezing in this rain.”

“I-I want
to meet this person as well.”

“We’ll let
you greet her after you arrange yourself. Please, Lady Lux, be at ease.”

With that,
the nuns left me in the room and took their leave in a haste. As the door was
latched, it did not budge even as I pushed it.

“Hey, open
up. Isn’t there anyone here?”

I could not
hear the sounds of people in the corridors. I sighed grievously. As I had
nothing else to do, I took a peek at the window. I did not have a panoramic
view due to the window bars, but I could perfectly see the front gates.

“Ah.” My
eyes reflected the figure of a traveler standing outside without any rain gear.

There was a
fair distance from the room I was in to the ground. I kept observing her warily
while believing that there was no way she would perceive my stare, yet she
promptly moved her neck to look straight at me. It seemed my breathing would
stop. The fact that my gaze had been noticed was frightening, but more than anything,
the reason was that I could tell, even from far away, that the beauty of that
traveler was a gift from G.o.d.

That was
the first meeting between I, Lux Sibyl, and Violet Evergarden.

That
isolated island contained something mysterious. The name of said island
surrounded by sea and separated from other continents was Chevalier. There were
about a hundred islanders in it.

As it was,
the island was blessed with natural resources, and there was no contact with
the outside world except for pa.s.sing ships. The main characteristics of
Chevalier were the waterfalls and ponds found throughout its territory. And among
them, the most prominent was the great waterfall on the peak of an abysmal mountain
in the center of the island. The maximum drop distance was of about a hundred
meters, and there was no one who could float up if swallowed by the plunge
basin.

Aside from the
great waterfall, there was one more peculiarity in the island of water and
greenery named Chevalier: a bizarre fortress erected by stacking irregular
stones on top of one another. It was said that such spire devoid of uniformity,
which artistic architecture had been created with the intention of not being
labeled as either Oriental or Occidental, had suddenly started being built by a
lunatic. In reality, no one knew whether that was true or not. Until a few decades
before, it was a secretive building, left untouched as it was. One day, after a
group that had purchased a corner of the island suddenly migrated to it at once,
the community already living in that island started calling them “Cult House”, while
the fortress’s inhabitants themselves called it “Utopia”.

Sister
Lisbon, who had received the task of guiding the traveler that had wandered
into the Utopia, was fixatedly staring at the entrance of a s.p.a.cious porch that
served as the Utopia’s front gate. What she was observing was not the state of
the storm outside but the female traveler as she undid her slovenly hair. Its golden
strands were glossy from absorbing rainwater. Her complex braids delated its real
length.

In her hands
covered by black gloves was a heavy-looking trolley bag. Under the Prussian-blue
jacket that she took off was a snow-white ribbon-tie dress. Perhaps due to
being so wet, it stuck to her bodyline perfectly, and even those of the same
s.e.x would have trouble averting their eyes from the sight.

The woman
was a beautiful person with a somber gaze, and her figure, softly wet from the
rain, happened to look as pure and l.u.s.trous as a fairy. However, she was
enveloped in a somewhat outlandish atmosphere. Despite her fragile appearance, a
bottomless, raw strength was present somewhere within her.

“I will be
in your care.” Although the woman’s voice was by no means loud, in such a quiet
place, it resounded more exquisitely than it usually would.

Lisbon led
the woman to a room used whenever there were visitors. She sat on said room’s
sofa by a marble table. Maybe because of the current season, or because building
was made of stones, the air in the room felt cold.

“I am the
administrator of the management of this ‘Utopia’. My name is Lisbon. We of Utopia
welcome you, who were once lost.”

The outer
corner of her eyes full of wrinkles and creases, Lisbon was clad in black robes
along with a white wimple, which was what everyone of that place used as hood. It
was a default nun outfit that often could be found anywhere in the world. Except
the clothing of the Utopia’s nuns had the crest of a serpent being skewed by a
large sword embroidered in the chest area.

“Pleased to
make your acquaintance. My name is Violet Evergarden. I am grateful for this
favor. As soon as crossing the bridge becomes possible, I shall take my leave.”

Although
Violet had not said the word ‘cold’ even once, her skin was clearly blue. Being
considerate, Lisbon put more firewood into the fireplace.

“Thank you
very much. May I dry my bag?”

There were
probably very important things in it for her to prioritize it over her own
clothes. When opening the bag, Violet took out a book wrapped in several cloths
and handkerchiefs. Upon a closer look, it seemed to be a book-shaped accessory
case. There were letters inside it. A sigh leaked from Violet’s lips.

“Are these
important letters?” Lisbon asked, and Violet choppily spoke about her
circ.u.mstances.

She was an Auto-Memories
Doll, and had come to the island on request. The work had already been done. Along
with writing the customer’s letter, she had also accepted to deliver it, and
though all she had to do was meet with the postman to entrust the letter to
him, she had been caught by the storm.

“So you are
from a postal agency. Our Utopia is an ally of people, no matter who they are.
Now, it is all right for you to dry your bag, but should you not warm up your
body as well?”

As a white
towel that had been prepared for her was placed over her head, Violet looked
like a bride with a veil. Once she was given nun clothes as a replacement and finished
changing into them, she was finally soothed into a state of being able to talk
in detail.

Lisbon resumed
the conversation simply, “Since we have become acquainted, let me talk about us
as well. We of Utopia are an organization that reverences every G.o.d whose name is
cited in worldwide mythology.”

The vigor
of the rain outside seemed to increase, and a thunder could be heard in the
distance.

“The main
purpose of Utopia’s activities is to further the diffusion and worshipping of
worldwide mythology, and what we dedicate most of our strength to is the preservation
of ‘demiG.o.ds’. Miss Violet, do you know about demiG.o.ds?”

Violet
mutely shook her head.

For a
second, as if cutting the room in half, a flash of lightning filled it with
white brightness and soon disappeared. At the intensity of the noise, Lisbon
wound up putting herself on guard a little, but the Auto-Memories Doll in front
of her merely directed her eyes towards the window as if not seeing anything
out of ordinary. As seen from the side, her orbs twinkled. Lisbon coughed,
making her gaze return to where it was before.

“A demiG.o.d is
a child born between deity and a human. In our scriptures, there’s a famous
legend about a demiG.o.d. Love happened between a G.o.d and a person… look here.”
Lisbon opened a huge, old and familiar book that had been left on the table. It
seemed to be one with many religious paintings. Turning over countless pages,
she stopped at half of its length. “Let’s read the first section… ‘The
G.o.ddess of knowledge, Roses, descended from the Heavens to watch over the
development of people’s civilization, and slipped onto the Earth in the form of
a young human woman. She could not afford to let her ident.i.ty ever be
discovered. However, when Roses was changing from her human form to her G.o.ddess
one in order to go back to the skies, she was seen by a traveler. The man swore
not to reveal it to anyone, but asked to spend a night with Roses in return.
Roses accepted that wish and returned to the Heavens at dawn, yet not even a
year pa.s.sed before she reappeared in front of the man. It was because their
child, a demiG.o.d, had been born. Roses had a husband back in Heaven, and
fearing his jealousy, she entrusted the child to the man. The demiG.o.d left
behind inherited Roses’s rare intellectual power, but was murdered after
earning the envy of people who drowned in self-conceit and carried pomp to the
extreme. Earnestly, Roses simply awaited for her child to pa.s.s by the gates that
led to both Heaven and the Underworld…’” Lisbon’s pale finger showed the
ill.u.s.tration on that page. “These heterochromatic eyes. One side is red, the
other is golden… and long, lavender-grey hair, as if a single drop of purple
had been poured onto silver. This is the remarkable appearance of the G.o.ddess
of knowledge, Roses. She’s said to have taught words to humanity when it had just
been born.”

“Is that
the beginning of demiG.o.ds?”

“It’s not
just this. Worldwide mythology is true, and demiG.o.ds are real as well. The
greatest proof is the demiG.o.d of G.o.ddess Roses, Lady Lux, who lives in this
Utopia.”

By her own
experience, Lisbon was used to rebuff and sneers when saying such things, but
Violet did neither.

“Why
couldn’t Roses let humans know that she was a G.o.ddess?” she simply asked a
genuine question that had come to her.

Lisbon
smiled satisfactorily. “Good point. Since the past, G.o.ds and beings that
possessed the gift of preeminence were glorified by people and their existences
were feared, but at the same time, they were objects of reliability. Moreover,
the power of being glorified attracts envy. That was the case of Roses’s child.
Other than in this legend, she left behind several other children of men.”
After saying that, Lisbon turned the pages again. “However, the eventual
results of that were not positive… In reality, Roses was not supposed to let
go of her children. DemiG.o.ds are unique both in the Heavens and on Earth.
However, in the world of humans, the power they inherit from the G.o.ds stands
out. For their sake, it’s better for them to dwell in the Heavens. That is why,
when we find a demiG.o.d, we hide and protect them from society. Until it comes
the day of returning them to Heaven… This is off-topic, but Miss Violet, was
your name taken from the flower G.o.ddess Violet?”

“Yes, it
seems so.” Perhaps because she recalled memories of the parent who had named
her, Violet averted her eyes.

“Still, as
I thought… you really do keenly resemble the G.o.ddess of combat, Garnet
Spear.” With a gentle sc.r.a.ping sound, Lisbon pushed the scripture in front of
Violet and opened it.

Displayed there
was a G.o.ddess in white armor holding a sword. With her golden hair flowing
free, she was staring into the distance. Her eyes were blue and stunning. She
definitely was very similar to Violet.

“This ill.u.s.tration
is a religious portrait made by a famous painter, and it is said to be his best
masterpiece. Garnet Spear is loved by many sorts of artists, and her image was
given numerous forms. Here in Utopia, there’s a room decorated with artworks of
worldwide mythology G.o.ds; allow me to take you there tomorrow. I will tell you
the anecdote of Garnet Spear later as well. Miss Violet. There are other things
I want to tell and ask you about. That’s right, if you please, shall I give you
a cameo of Garnet Spear as a sign of our closure?” Standing up from her seat
once, Lisbon pulled something out of the room’s chest and soon came back. “I
believe it is suitable for you to have this. It’s a cameo brooch made of white
agate by one of the Utopia’s nuns. This is a selling item exported to the
continent to pay for the expenses of our activities.” Fitting in the palm of
her hand was an oval-shaped object with the figure of the G.o.ddess sculpted on a
white agate stone.

Grasping
the emerald brooch attached to her robe, Violet said, “I… already have this.”

“Even if you
don’t put it on, you can leave it at hand.”

“No. I do
not wish to have any brooches besides this one.”

Her
att.i.tude could be considered stubborn. Lisbon retained her smile, but inwardly
clicked her tongue.

——No need to hurry. First, show affection,
preach our teachings and let it sink in.

Lisbon’s
gaze had become not that of a nun who served the G.o.ds, but that of a hunter.

One day
pa.s.sed after that person appeared before my eyes during a thunderstorm. The
rain continued intensely pouring outside, so going outdoors seemed very
unlikely. After morning prayer had ended, as I was told that I was supposed to
eat at the indoor garden instead of my imprisonment room, I had to think a bit
about what to do. That was because I had exchanged conversations with other demiG.o.d
candidates up until then.

——Just the usual scheme.

The demeanor
of a demiG.o.d living in a utopia was something wanted from me.

“Lady Lux,
this is Miss Violet, who works for a postal company. Because of this bad
weather, she is relying on the Utopia.”

The one whom
I had observed amidst those lightning bolts was far more fine-looking as seen
in person at close range. Violet Evergarden. She had a quiet beauty that did
not disappoint.

There was
no fountain in the indoor garden, but the gra.s.s and flowers arranged in bowls were
put close together so as to stage a small forest, creating a pure atmosphere.
The place was often used for entertaining people who came from the outside
world to the Utopia. It was open and cozy, making the Utopia naturally more
comfortable.

“This is
the demiG.o.d whom we are currently protecting in this Utopia, Lady Lux Sibyl. We
found Lady Lux about seven years ago… When we heard rumors about her
appearance and went to where she was, we saw that she was the splitting image
of the G.o.ddess of knowledge, Roses, as you can tell. On top of that, Lady Lux
was an orphan and did not know her origins… she did not know her father, either.
Most likely, she fell to the Earth after being birthed by the G.o.ddess Roses for
some reason. It’s unfortunate…”

“She really…
has the same looks as the ill.u.s.tration.”

“You, too,
are similar to Garnet Spear.” I replied, and Violet just nodded
expressionlessly, seeming neither happy nor upset.

Both of us
resembled G.o.ds.

“This is
truly a wonderful thing, you two.”

The place was
mostly a collection of fake plants. We had breakfast together on the seats set
in the garden and had a harmless and inoffensive chitchat. I nonchalantly
talked about how life in the Utopia was superb. Violet seemed not to be
interested. Her att.i.tude implied that she was more concerned about the sounds
of the heavy rain outside.

I did not
know much about the work of Auto-Memories Dolls, so I was surprised to hear
that it consisted of women traveling alone around the world as amanuenses. They
had to care for the letters of their clients above anything. I came to
understand that as she always had her bag with her.

——Incredible. I can’t… do the same at all.

I could not
set a single foot out of the Utopia.

At first, I
did not intend to take the conversation too far, but upon second thought, it
had been a long time since I had last chatted with a woman close to my age, so
the pace of the talk wound up accidentally quickening on my end.

“Miss
Violet, what do you do on holidays?”

“I stay on
standby. I wait for the next job.”

“You surely
live in a big city, right? I admire those who are able to see various shops.
You go outside often, so do you like staying home better after all?”

“I do not
particularly like or dislike it. If I have a goal, I go outside.”

“Such as
hanging out with a friend?”

It was
strange. The more we talked, the more I wanted to know about her.

“I do not
have friends.”

“Is that
so?”

“Yes.”

Her manner
of speech was curt, but I contrastingly got a good feeling from it. Saying
things honestly was always better than hiding lies and keeping up a caring
façade.

“Hum, but I
also don’t have any, so it’s okay.”

“Is this
something that must be confirmed?”

“Eh?”

“You said
that it was ‘okay’…”

“R-Right.
It’s weird to say that it’s okay, isn’t it?”

Pondering
on whether I had spoiled the mood, I was feeling regretful, but Violet denied
that. “No. That is not it. I had been wondering if this was not actually the
case. To tell the truth, my superior was also worried about it…” Violet
nodded with a serious face, as if there was something she really had to think
about.

“Is that
so?”

“Yes, he
said something similar to your question, Lady Lux. It seems it is ‘normal’ to
have friends. I do not understand the concept of ‘normal’ very well… I am not
troubled by not having any, and I do not know how to make one.”

“Do you
have meals with people from your workplace or stuff like that?”

“Sometimes,
yes.”

“How about
starting from there? For instance, having a talk like this one…”

“Will we
become friends if we talk?”

“I wonder…”

“This is
very difficult.”

“It is…”

“Yes,
things that others… do naturally are very difficult for me.”

“I totally
understand.”

Violet
started slowly but surely asking me questions as well, about what I did during
the day, if I could see colors the same way with both of my eyes even with them
being heterochromatic, and what I did on holidays, just as I had asked her. I
answered those only in the way I could.

“Lady Lux,
do you not go outside?”

“No.”

“So you are
always here?”

“Yes, until
now, and from now on.”

“Is that
the mission bestowed upon you, Lady Lux?”

“It might
be better like this. After all, demiG.o.ds are not supposed to descend to human
lands.”

“I was…
told a little about the mythology. It is because you might become involved with
unfortunate happenings.”

“Yes.”

“Lady Lux,
were you unfortunate when you were outside?”

“I was poor
and alone… it’s true that I needed protection.”

“This is
not a land of humans but there are many humans here. Even so, is there anything
preventing the effects of misfortune?”

The
breathing of the people in the place – myself and the nuns serving us – halted
seamlessly. Her way of inquiring did not seem to be that of someone who was
digging for some sort of information.

“I…
wonder.”

“You do not
know?” A simple question. An innocent line of thought.

“No,
that… that… Miss Violet. Why… do you… ask?”

Sometimes,
things like that were the beginning of a turmoil that would cast discord over
peaceful moments.

“No, I
apologize if it is something challenging to answer. I was merely thinking that
you did not have to force yourself to stay here if you were ill-fated here as
well.”

It was a
situation that I, who only spent my days thinking about when scary times would be
over, just as I was waiting for that storm to end, could not cope with.

“Am… I…
forcing… myself?” while speaking, I could not help but be curious about the
stare of the nun by my side. I could feel a pressure from her gaze that threateningly
seemed to order me to “not say anything unnecessary”.

“I was told
you could not leave here for the rest of your life. But you talked about your
admiration for cities…”

“That’s
right… I indeed said that. However… in any case, it’s impossible.”

“What is?”

“I cannot
leave this place.”

“Why?”

“It’s not allowed.
Since I’m a demiG.o.d…”

“Not
allowed by whom?”

“Eh?”

“Who does
not allow it?”

“That’s…”

——Aah, no good.

“Lady Lux
is a worshipped demiG.o.d. Is there anyone above you here?”

——Don’t expose it.

“The fact
that I can’t go out even though I want to is… because…”

——Don’t say any more than that.

“Because…”

The sound
of palms clapping ensued. I looked at the nun in fear. Having forcefully
stopped our conversation, she had a cheerful smile on.

“Lady Lux,
Miss Violet, it has become cold here. Shall we move to somewhere else?”

As the talk
was interrupted, Violet’s lips suggested she had something to say, but she
silently complied. It was because I was begging with my eyes. She was gradually
realizing that place’s ambiguity.

——Hurry and escape. Once the nun turned around, I said so without
voicing it. I wondered if she understood. I hoped so. If it was now, she could
still make it.

Yes, I was
confined in that place.

I proposed
to the nun, “Sister, can’t we show her the premises…? Like, the room with the
images of the G.o.ds, and other things. She must be bored only waiting for the
weather to clear up.”

“That… is
not open to the public.”

“Still, I
want to show it to her. I want to see it as well. See, since I don’t have much
time…”

The nun’s
mouth seemed to be about to muster rejection, yet she wound up giving
permission, “That’s right. You will only stay on Earth for a little while
longer. Surely, there are other nuns who wish to see Lady Lux. Miss Violet was
summoned to see Lisbon after we are done, so she will have to take her leave
halfway, but until then…”

I knew that
nun had a soft side to her. She had always taken care of me ever since I had
been brought there. She probably had a bit of affection towards me. I was
grateful for that, but at the same time, extremely afraid of it.

“When I
think about how the time we have to talk like this is coming to an end, I feel
very lonely.”

Afraid of
how much all the people there valued me.

“Well,
then, shall I show you around without further ado?”

Led by the
nun, the four of us went around the Utopia. Its management mostly consisted of support
from an investor whom we called the ‘owner’. I never met them, but they were clearly
filthy rich.

All kinds
of religious paintings and busts of G.o.ds adorned the corridors. We had an
indoor church where luxuriously colorful stained gla.s.s shone overhead, a
library crammed with old and new books, and a large public bath made of marble.

The amount
of working nuns was not only a dozen. Just everyone being able to eat every day
already cost money. Given the maintenance cost of the building, our budget likely
escalated.

“Here is
the last stop. We invited an artisan to make these. It’s the room of the G.o.ds’
sculptures.”

A serene
world awaited beyond the heavy door that was opened. I had only visited it in a
few occasions, but no matter how many times I looked at it, I had a feeling of heaviness.
A variety of statues were placed disorderly in the room, and water murmurings could
be heard as a number of small waterways ran through the ground. Glittering
gla.s.s beads spread beautifully inside them. From the ceiling, plants called ‘dark
vines’, which were said to grow well even where the sunlight did not hit,
extended their branches around the walls and the ground, creating a fantastic
atmosphere.

“My, so the
preparations have been completed? Lady Lux, I will excuse myself for a little
bit.” The nun beckoned another member of the Utopia’s personnel from the
entrance in-between the statues of the G.o.ds and left our side.

——Now’s the time. I thought as I grasped Violet’s arm and pulled
it.

“Lady Lux,
hum… what were you trying to say earlier?”

“This way.
I will show you Garnet Spear’s sculpture.” While saying so, I had a different
objective. As we walked towards the statue of Garnet Spear fighting against a
giant snake, I asked, “Miss Violet, have the Utopia’s Sisters asked you
anything?”

Her line of
sight shifted from me to the statue as she answered, “Yes, I was questioned
about my origins… and upbringing. I have been told to not talk much about
myself, so I did not say anything other than that I was an orphan… and an
ex-soldier.”

I frowned.
What a situation. That gorgeous girl who resembled Garnet Spear did not have
parents. She was the exact kind of ‘demiG.o.d’ that the Utopia sought.

“Miss
Violet. Listen well. The Sisters say this Utopia’s goal is to protect and
venerate demiG.o.ds, but that is wrong. It’s true… that I was saved from being
raised in an orphanage and from poverty after being taken in by them… but at
the same time, my life is being targeted.”


Perhaps
because my tone was hard to hear, Violet finally peeled her eyes off the
sculpture. “What do you mean? Please tell me about this in detail.”

That was
when I heard the nun calling for us. Hiding in-between the statues, I resumed
the discussion, “The Utopia’s objective is the safeguarding of demiG.o.ds. But
the main goal is returning them to the Heavens, where the G.o.ds reside. Most
demiG.o.d legends end with them being destroyed in the land of men because of
their powers. The Utopia resents this and attempts to guide them to the
Heavens… but the method for that is murder. This is a facility of a homicidal
group in which people tainted with a twisted form of thinking gather.”


Violet
blinked piercingly. “In summary, Lady Lux is fated to be killed?”

“It’s been
decided that I will be returned to Heaven on the morning of the next day of
full moon, three days from now. It will be my birthday. The demiG.o.ds kept here
are raised waiting for the day they become fourteen years old. In general, it
is said in the continent that fourteen-year-olds are adults, so the Utopia’s
ideal is that our childhood should be lived in the human world, and our adulthood
in the Heavens. However, if a demiG.o.d who is older than fourteen is taken in,
they are killed within no more than ten days. Up until now, I have seen several
adult demiG.o.d candidates, who either were brought here, lost or visiting, be
slaughtered by them. You are in danger too. The Utopia is targeting you as a
demiG.o.d as well.”

“Me…?”

“I told you
that the Utopia was a group of people with twisted thinking, didn’t I? To tell
the truth, we don’t need to have some sort of amazing power; just having the
looks is enough. I myself am not that smart. I don’t know why I was born with
an appearance like this, but I’ve heard that there is an ethnic group with the
same hair and eyes in a country far from here. I’m sure that’s my ancestry.
Also, one more thing that is essential to decide if someone is a demiG.o.d is if
they either are orphans or don’t have one parent. It’s because that makes it
easy to pretend they’re from the demiG.o.d legends. On top of that, Miss Violet,
not only do you resemble Garnet Spear, but you are also a former soldier. From
the Utopia’s viewpoint, this is like saying ‘please kill me’.” I went on hastily,
as though to stir up the sense of dread.

Still,
perhaps not having any fear at all towards the Utopia’s truth, Violet
dispa.s.sionately interjected, “Is that so?”

“Miss
Violet, don’t ‘is that so’ me and just run away. You said Sister Lisbon had
called you, right? You must not go. They will most certainly give you some medicine
to restrain your body.”

“How would
they kill me?” she carefreely asked about the method of her own murder.

“You’d be
put on a small boat that would sail along the course of Chevalier’s biggest
waterfall and drop down from it. Right now, there are plenty of openings for
you to escape. Please run away.” As if appealing, I shook her arms. A
mechanical creak resounded from them.

She was a
person with automated parts and as charming as a doll. I really could think of
someone like her as a demiG.o.d. For an instant, I was almost similar to the
people of Utopia for having that sort of reasoning, and became afraid of
myself.

As I slowly
let go of Violet’s arms, she firmly held my hands. “Thank you for your
kindness. I will do as you warned and leave this place as soon as possible.
Lady Lux, allow me to a.s.sist you with your own escape as well.”

Did she
really understand what sort of circ.u.mstances she was currently in? I could not
read her as she was expressionless, but at any rate, she seemed willing to
flee. As I was relieved, I could not a.s.sent with my head to the help she had
offered me.

“Lady Lux?”

I stopped
moving halfway to a smile. I was unable to properly muster my voice out of my
throat. My blood pressure rapidly lowered and the muscles of my back went cold.
That was a creeping sensation of alarm one would feel when committing an
enormous failure. It began to take over my body. What was I so scared of? Being
saved by someone was a dream I had had for many years.

——What’s wrong with me?

Even so, I
was unable to grab onto the hand stretched towards me.

——I have to say it. I have to say, “please do
that”.

If I stayed
there, I would die a painful underwater death within three days. That was a
definite truth. The nuns that treated me so gently now, too, would forget about
me once I was gone and find a new demiG.o.d to worship. After all, theirs was a
false affection. In reality, I was not loved by anyone. I was not cherished by
anyone. There was nothing good in that place. I could not trust anybody.
Everything was scary. Still…

“Lady Lux,
do you not wish to leave here?”

——I… I… just realized that I’m scared of
venturing into the outside world.

“That…
that’s not it…”

No, I had
actually realized it a long time before.

“Do you not
wish to run away?”

I knew. I
knew.

“Are
people… supposed to fear death?”

That was it.
I did not want to die. But…

“I don’t
want to… die.”

…but to
me, living was as frightening as dying. Yes, frightening.

Ever since
I had been brought there from the orphanage when I was seven years old, I was
always a caged bird. I received education, but I only knew what was in the
scriptures. I also could not craft like the nuns. If I went into the outside
world just like that, how was I supposed to live? Other girls my age surely knew
all kinds of things, and had family, friends and a place to belong. Yet I had
nothing. I was no more than a cowardly child continuously immersed in despair
within the darkness I was confined, who had been watching other people die without
being able to intervene. No, I could not even be considered a child anymore. I
was nothing. Once someone as useless as me stepped outside, what should I do?
Was it not clear that I would die a dog’s death? If that was the case, then the
invitation of demise given to me by that forced fate…

——…would be much better. As I thought so, my voice did not
come out.

“Lady Lux!”
Upon being called stridently, my body shook in surprise.

The nun was
observing us from the side of Garnet Spear’s statue. It might be that she had
heard our exchange. No, she definitely had. Actual rage and scorn were now
seeping out of her usually placid face.

I swiftly
pushed the nun away. “Run!”

As I shouted,
Violet reached her arm out to me again. “Lady Lux, your hand.”

Her figure
was just like that of a knight. I had always, always imagined such a scene. A handsome,
n.o.ble prince – someone that magnificent would come to save me from the Utopia
of hopelessness.

Nevertheless,
while suppressing the nun, I shook my head. “Please go! I… I cannot live in
the outside world! Please! Hurry and go!”

Violet
attempted to hold onto me and take me by force, but I shook her off.

——I really… can’t.

I chose
death in the last minute.

——I’m scared. Living is… scarier.

I was
stupid. It was a stupid choice. However, being alive was especially arduous for
me.

——I have always been shallowly breathing right
beside death.

That
environment had already allowed me to cogitate dying, and I had grown used to it.
All I could think about was that I could hardly wait for the day to come.

——Living is… scarier.

It was much
harsher to live in the world of humans, being used, lied to, and acc.u.mulating
sad memories.

“I will die
here! That’s what I want to do! I can’t live… in the outside world at this
point! I’ll die like this… in this place… so go!”

It could be
that I had become insane. While I had said that the people of Utopia were
crazy, it might be that the craziest and most broken one was myself.

After standing
on the spot for a few seconds, Violet turned her back to me. And then,
suddenly, she destroyed the stained gla.s.s window between the statues with one
arm. She certainly planned to escape from there. Rain and wind, along with a
large amount of leaves and flowers that had been ripped off the trees burst in.

“Don’t run
away! You’re a demiG.o.d! Under our control…!” the nun yelled.

Now I was
the one being pushed. But even so, I did not lose to her. I grabbed her foot
with one hand and clung to it. “Run!” I desperately endured being kicked.

Violet
stood by the window frame, strongly holding her bag to her side. The height
from there to the ground was one that could ensure an escape if one did not
fail in landing.

——Now, go!

I thought
she would surely not turn back. However, her neck snapped towards my direction,
and she offered her hand once more. “Lady Lux.” It was as if her eyes said
“come, let’s escape this place together”.

If I took
that hand, maybe I could have a future.

——Aah, this storm, her, death, everything.

I was sorry
for the person with those strong eyes that made me think of these things.

——They’re all mixing up in my head and are too
noisy; I don’t want them.

Since I was
tired of even so much as thinking.

“Go.” I
whispered that single word.

“If you
ever need help, call my name.” Saying nothing but that, she jumped out of the
window.

The nun let
out a sharp scream. After being cussed by her as she got up, I was. .h.i.t on the
cheek and fell on the spot. Looking at her distorted face, I scoffed.

——See, the world really is terrifying.

That was
why dying was easier.

The morning
after the downpour had stopped was beautiful. Trees and gra.s.s covered in dew
left a characteristic after-rain odor. The Sun enclosed the world with a light unlike
that of the sunset. That very morning Sun caused the continuous drizzle to
sparkle. The birthday and funeral of a girl, who was worshiped by a certain religious
organization of a certain isolated island, was greeted with such a fine day.

“Lady Lux,
please go soundly.”

With a gun
pointed at her, Lux had her wrists tied and was put on a small boat filled with
flowers. The “soundly” that Lisbon had said was not directed at the one who was
about to die. Lux’s face had clear evidence that she had received beating. Her
mouth was swollen purple, the corner of her eye injured. Perhaps because she
had not been granted any rest, her head staggered and her vision was out of
focus.

As Lux
remained silent even with such an exhausted face, Lisbon laughed. “Lady Lux,
you were the most easily manageable and submissive demiG.o.d I’ve ever seen. We
have not forgiven you for helping that Auto-Memories Doll escape, but… we
will stop blaming you, as you are about to go on a journey to the Heavens. Any
last words?”

Lux looked
up at Lisbon blankly. That world had such a stunning scenery, so how come the
people living in it were so ugly? As if sensing Lux’s feelings, a distorted
smile appeared on Lisbon’s lips.

“How long
will you continue doing this?”

“Always.
For… ever.”

“What’s the
meaning of it?”

“You are
asking that now?” Lisbon snorted as if making fun of her. “We wish to protect
this world, which the G.o.ds have created. You’ve listened to the legends of
demiG.o.ds several times, right? They are disparate both in Heavens and on Earth.
You are disparate. An existence like that is… strange. It’s strange, right?”

Even while
being questioned, Lux could not respond to being labeled with the word
“strange”.

“Your
existence itself is strange. What’s with those eyes and hair? They’re not
‘normal’. If disparate ones are not disposed of, they might cause trouble.”

“I
haven’t… done… anything.”

“Even if
you haven’t done anything yet, you eventually might. Your existence is a
bother. To put it simply, we are… afraid of those like you. That is why we
worship, respect and kill you.”

They could
not stand those who were not like them, who were not similar to them.

Lux finally
understood the reason why the people of that organization a.s.sembled. Self-love
that had gone too far. Not identifying with another person made them uneasy.
Therefore, they would kill them. It was a perverse belief, but for them, that
was overlooked as ‘normal’.

——And the craziest one here is me, for thinking
that being killed by these people was best.

The gun was
aimed at the circlet on Lux’s head.

“You were
actually supposed to die by drowning, but the Sister who used to take care of
you begged for mercy. We shall let you die with a gunshot. Because dying
suffocated… is terrible. Then, farewell, Lady Lux. We deliver this to you in
your last moments: the chorus number 320.” Lisbon gave a signal behind her
back.

As she did
so, the other nuns, who were lined up and had been watching the two of them,
begun to sing a requiem. Even though they were attempting a collective murder,
their singing voices were beautiful.

“Our G.o.ds
in Heaven…”

She would
be killed once the song was over.

In order to
dilute her fear of death, Lux muttered the words that she had been made to
memorize over and over from the scriptures, “I am your child, I am you flesh
and blood, I am your tears…”

The sound
of the water echoing from under the boat was the sound of the tomb that she
would soon flow into.

“Have pity,
have pity, have pity on me.” The roots of her teeth trembled unevenly. “Pity
me, G.o.d.” Hers was a crying voice. Lux steadily shed tears at the fear of her
unstoppable journey towards death.

Although
she had chosen death, the fact that it was frightening to welcome it did not
change. Although living was scarier, the agony awaiting her was unbearable.

“G.o.d…
G.o.d… Lady Roses…”

Lux’s body
would probably be carried by the river and drop from the great waterfall. Her
corpse would float along with the flowers, fall into the basin and be swallowed
by it. Her whole being would be invaded by water and sink. Just by imagining
it, she felt like fainting. Rather, it would be wonderful if she could faint
now.

“G.o.d…
Lady Roses… Lady Roses…” Lux repeatedly called for the name of the G.o.ddess
that was said to be her mother. “Lady Roses… Lady Roses…” Many times,
instead of reciting spells to eliminate her fear. “Lady Roses… Lady Roses… Lady
Roses…”

——Mom, you gave birth to and abandoned me only
to act like you have anything to do with it afterwards?

“Lady
Roses…”

——What even was my life?

“Lady… Roses… ugh… uh, ah, ugh…”

——When I was little, even though I was poor,
even though I was an orphan, I wouldn’t have chosen death by my own will. Why
did things turn out like this?

“Lady…
Roses… uuh…” She called for her even while hiccupping. “Uuh… uh…
Rose…” That was how she was spending her last moments. “Uah—aaah… uuugh…”
With her mouth still open. “Vi…” With the will of someone who still earned
for air. “Vi… o…” She called for her G.o.d of salvation, who set apart her
fears. “Vi… o… let…!” Lux shouted naturally.

“If you ever need help, call my name.”

The name of
the only person who had ever truly attempted to save her in her life.

“Violet!
Violet, Violet! Help me! I don’t want to die!”

Was that
wish a trigger for something? A scream rose during the requiem. Lisbon suddenly
fell down. Lux’s eyes could see someone strike Lisbon from behind. As she was
hit on the head, Lisbon wound up letting go of the cords that kept the small
boat in place, and so it begun to be carried by the current. Yet the cords were
immediately held back and the boat stopped.

“Eh?”

The nun who
had committed such misconduct stood flat-faced.

“Eh, eh?”

Holding onto
the cords of the boat, the nun stretched her arms towards Lux to forcibly pull
her back to land. She pushed Lux behind her back protectively, and the small
boat was carried by the stream as if it were n.o.body’s business.

Everyone was
stunned. Their mouths were agape to a ludicrous extent.

“I have
been…”

For the one
who had destroyed the ritual to appear from that place’s interior was something
unconceivable. It was impossible.

“…waiting
for you…”

Yet she who
had done so…

“…to call
my name, Lady Lux.”

…exposed
her face as she took off her white wimple.

“Vi…
olet!”

It was the
only person who had risked herself to truly help Lux in her life. She was an
odd Auto-Memories Doll.

Before
anyone realized it, Violet was holding the gun that had been in Lisbon’s hands.
With no mercy, she shot at the nuns’ feet. Earth flew up as if exploding.

“Open the
path. If anyone intends to interfere, I warn that you will not come out of this
with only a bruise.”

Without
moving from the spot, the nuns looked at each other.

“Fight
back, my fellows who serve the G.o.ds!” Lying on the ground and enduring the
pain, Lisbon yelled.

The nuns
gathered together and responded to her brave call. They all took knives and
pistols from within their robes and headed towards the two.

“Forgive
me, but I will have to treat you a little roughly.” Violet took Lux into her
arms. With the possible difficulty of handling her, Violet put Lux under her
arm and broke into run.

The nuns
came in their direction as though to clash with them. With the impulse she
earned from the run, Violet leaped and kicked several of them as if toppling
domino pieces.

Being
treated as luggage, Lux let out an offbeat scream. Violet thrust her to the end
of the path she had opened, turning again towards the enemies. With a broad
swing, she threw the gun that had run out of ammo at an opponent who held Lux
at gunpoint, hitting her on the face and causing her to pa.s.s out. She then
dashed upwards by kicking the stomach of someone who rushed towards her with a
knife, performing a somersault. Stealing two guns from a fallen foe, and while
shooting with both, she took control of the surroundings. In spite of the
overwhelming disadvantage of one person versus many, Violet had the upper hand
in that unfolding battlefield.

Shuddering,
Lux shrank back. Violet, who noticed an enemy attempting to attack Lux again, immediately
jumped. Coiling her body around the nun like a snake, she tangled her legs
around the other’s neck and applied weight to them, turning her over. She then downed
her fist onto the nun’s face.

——She’s… overwhelming.

Lux’s eyes
were glued to the way she fought.

Violet
declared uncharacteristically loudly to the fallen nuns staring at her, “My
arms are prosthetics of Estark Inc. They can easily crush your bodies. Those
who are ready for it, please do step forth.” Her courageous figure as she
opened one hand before her chest, then balled a fist with her palm letting out
a screech, was the one of a beautiful fighter.

The nuns
ogled her frame as if seeing the G.o.ddess of combat, Garnet Spear, whom they had
revered no small amount of times.

As she was
able to get up somehow despite her bleeding head, Lisbon shouted, “What are you
doing? Seize her! You can return her to the Heavens right here… I will allow
it. We cannot let such a monster loose on this land.”

“Are
demiG.o.ds monsters?”

She
promptly answered Violet’s question, “That’s right. Monsters like you… aren’t
supposed to be on Earth. Halves who are neither people nor G.o.ds… your powers
will surely bring us tragedy! You… you are a great example! Where did you…
learn to fight like this?! Just how many people have you killed…? The likes
of you were not supposed to be born. You heretics!” Lisbon’s eyes were
bloodshot, and saliva bubbled from her lips, which used to form a gentle smile.

There were
nuns with shocked expressions at her utterances, but the ones who agreed with
and nodded at her strongly gripped their weapons again.

Violet
simply retorted Lisbon’s curses, “I see. I might really be a demiG.o.d, by the
looks of it. If that is the case, I can confirm many of these things.” With her
tone that had a sweet ring to it becoming icy, she continued, “Indeed, there
might be no helping it if an imitation of human being such as myself were
killed with the pretense of being returned to Heaven. But Lady Lux is
different. She is… merely a girl who went through frightening experiences.”
There was no hesitation in her actions or words. “You might be satisfied if I
said ‘please take me’. However, I am now a domesticated monster. I cannot
afford to be killed so easily. I am forbidden to fight unnecessary battles, but…
my Lord once told me” she removed her black gloves, displaying her artificial
arms, “to ‘live’.” Violet instantly rushed towards Lisbon, this time throwing a
punch at her stomach.

Lisbon flew
a long distance. Her body fell into the river and the other nuns went for her
aid in an extreme hurry, as it seemed she would be carried away by the current.

Just a
swing from one of her fists was enough to send someone soaring through the air
like a doll. Upon witnessing that fact, those who had taken back their weapons
let go of them at once.

“Challengers,
come forward. I, Violet Evergarden, shall take you on.” The beautiful woman
standing calmly amidst of so much violence was lurid and bewitching.

In the end,
no one attempted to go against her after that, and so, Lux and Violet walked
their way out of the place.

“That was
scary… that was scary…”

“You were
scared? But now, you are safe.”

Somewhere
away from the river, as Lux’s restraints were removed, she burst into tears.
The horror she had gone through just a little while before suddenly reoccurred
to her.

Halfway
crossing the woods that went in the direction of the island’s harbor on
Violet’s lead, they stopped to take Violet’s precious bag, which had been very
carefully suspended on a tree branch. Did she have confidence that they would
be able to come so far, Lux asked herself while crying.

“Hadn’t you
run away?”

“In the
end, the rain did not stop, so I was camping in a cave I had found. I was…
thinking all the while in there… about what Lady Lux had said.”

“Me…?”

“That
you… could not live in the outside world.”

She had
indeed said so.

“I will die here! That’s what I want to do! I
can’t live… in the outside world at this point! I’ll die like this… in this
place… so go!”

It had been
one truth from the peak of her limits.

“Although I
am a little different, I, too… had always been living in only one world. I
was used by a certain person and did not know any other way of life besides it.
That world had its circ.u.mstances, and we were set apart… so I became
separated from my Lord. Even though a kind person attempted to teach me a new
lifestyle, at first, I resisted it. If I ceased to be myself… no, if I ceased
to be an ‘a.s.set’, I thought that the person who had needed me until then would
no longer want me.”

The two
girls walked. The path ahead was testing. It was coated in mud, damp with gra.s.s
condensation, and all they could count on were their own feet. However, they
went on without ever turning back.

“I believed
that Lady Lux was the same as me. That if you chose a new path, you would be troubled
as to what you should do at that point, in that different trajectory…? Perhaps
you were thinking, ‘Am I wanted in that place? If I am not, it is not worth
anything’. Or ‘If I am not wanted there, I must be an unnecessary existence’.
That is… extremely…” She was probably at loss on what term to use. Her
p.r.o.nunciation was that of someone who was borrowing the words of another, “It
is extremely… ‘scary’.”

It was
incredibly strange for that young woman to be scared of something, Lux thought.

——I mean, she’s so strong and pretty. She
seems… invincible.

Yet she was
the same as Lux herself. She was slightly afraid of living.

“But, Miss
Violet, you did not stop, right?”

She was
afraid, but had chosen to live.

“Yes, I was
ordered to live, and… I felt I had many things to reflect on. There was truly
so much I did not know. The many words that person had taught me… and said to
me, such as ‘I lo’…” she trailed off. Violet grabbed the emerald brooch on
her chest to ease her hammering heartbeats. “I started to think… that I…
wanted to learn about and understand the words I had been told, of a feeling
that is foreign to me. So, Lady Lux, your way of thinking might change. You
can… die anytime. When the time you wish to do so comes, no one can stop you.
That is why, I was wondering if it was not all right… for you to know a
little more about the outside world until then… and so I meddled. I
apologize. I will take the responsibility. We can still cross over in this
condition. Lady Lux, if you do not have a destination, please just come with
me. I will not do anything harmful.” Violet stretched her hand out to Lux, who
walked a few steps behind her.

This time,
Lux did not hesitate. The mechanical arm was cold and hard, but for some
reason, it felt warm to her.

Violet’s robes
were covered in dirt and her hair was disheveled. There was nothing in her that
made her seem like she was wearing a knight in shiny armor, but to Lux, her
figure overlapped with Garnet Spear’s.

“I am
forever indebted to you for rushing to my aid.”

As Lux
spoke with a runny nose, Violet asked back, “What are you saying? Lady Lux,
were you not the one who saved me first? I am grateful to you for having
courage and warning me.”

As Lux was
both shocked and happy to have someone’s grat.i.tude despite being how she was,
she cried once again.

——I guess will… live a little more after all.

She
immediately fixed her way of thinking right then.

What
happened afterwards was that I was taken by Violet to her workplace, the CH
Postal Service, and started living there. At first, I was only in charge of
phone calls, but within a year, I simultaneously became the president’s
personal secretary, leading a restless everyday life.

President
Hodgins was someone I could respect, for he kindly – and sometimes strictly –
took care of a girl like me, of unknown background and who had come from an
obscure religious organization. However, I came to understand that he was a
person with a quirk or two.

The only
things that changed in me ever since I arrived there were that I got a haircut
and replaced my circlet for a berretta. And I became a little closer to Violet,
to the point we became able to talk to each other without honorifics.

She
continued on rushing about as a stardom of Auto-Memories Dolls. Her appearance
did not change much. Maybe all that was different was the frilly umbrella added
to her standard outfit?

Being able
to meet with the much-requested Violet was quite difficult, but she returned
regularly to the office, and during those times, I would invite her for tea. Seated
at the terrace of a nearby café facing the city’s main street, we would report
our recent situations to one another while observing the traffic. My stories
were mostly about our unprecedented boss, but Violet would talk about the
various countries she had dragged her feet around and the people she had met in
them. The feelings of a writer who lived surrounded by beautiful mountains
towards his beloved daughter. The letters to the future from a mother who lived
in an old-fashioned household on a slightly elevated hill. The sad last moments
of a youth who was returned to his hometown in the countryside. The pa.s.sionate determination
of a young astronomer whom she had met in a city of starry skies.

Swinging
from joy to sorrow at her narrations, I would sometimes cry, sometimes laugh. We
surely looked like just two female friends when chatting so peacefully. No one
should be able to tell that we were the former live sacrifice of a religious organization
and an ex-soldier.

It was not
as if I had forgotten my past, but I had no intention of continuing to engage
in it. After all, the me who was a demiG.o.d of Roses had died back then, and the
current me was an employee of a postal company.

Those who
die do not come back. Physical bodies, time and values can never be retrieved.
My feelings of embracing the thirst for death remained firmly rooted within me,
but they had fallen to the bottom of a deep, deep sleep. “Don’t wake up yet”, I
would tell them every morning.

There were
days when I would think that living really was hard, but during those times, I
would close my eyes and strongly reminisce to that instant in which my minimum
and maximum intermingled. That I was going to perish in a small boat meant as a
coffin, decorated with flowers. That I had cried in it about how I did not want
to die. That someone had saved me. That her artificial arm had reached out to
me.

Violet
Evergarden, the friend that I was proud of having.