Part 19: Mana and Misunderstandings

Anna and Flay are still at it.



Nurhahaha! I dare you to catch me if you can!
…They’re at it again.
So energetic, both of ‘em.
So, I just thought of this but… I wonder which one of them is stronger.
I’d assume… Flaya?
But he’s always running away…
In a serious duel, Anna might be stronger…

Flay disagreed, but I still think she could take him.



Wahh! Since when were you…? Wait, where’s Anna?
I lost her somewhere. More importantly, I’ll make this clear.
I am not running away. I pretend to run but in fact, I’m training Anna!
Oh… Impressive, Flay.
You sound all calm but… Your uniform is sliced in the back, you know?
Indeed, it was quite a hairpin turn. …Next one might be dangerous.
Might be what…?
Flay! Engaarrrde!
Ah, that’s it for our conversation! Tah!
Stop right there!
He literally has his life on the line…
I still don’t understand why he needs to do that…

We also did a little bit of alchemy.



We didn’t have much to do, though.

Video- “Roxis 1”

Watch Us Fail

We took a break. Well, most of us did.



And then, this is the medicine I made…
What is that? Poison?
No! It looks bad but it’s good for your health!
……
Oh…
Hey, you don’t believe me! Fine then, Vayne, try this out for me.
What? Me? …Will I be okay?
Of course you will! I only used a little bit of dangerous ingredients.
But you did use them…
……
If you call yourself a man, you’d drink it.
Yeah. It’s not that bad being a ghost.
What’s that supposed to mean…?

Roxis decided he’d had enough.



Oh, sorry…
It’s only a little bit. And plus, it’s after school.
Roxis, why don’t you come talk with us, too?
No thanks. I have no time to waste with useless banter.
But it’s pretty fun, talking like this.
…Hmph.
Hey, where are you going?
To the Library. I can’t concentrate here with all the noise.
What’s his problem?
He won’t talk to us at all.
Geez! Why did you invite a guy like that?
Heh heh heh. Well, it’s a man’s intuition, I guess.
I don’t understand.
But, you’re right. It’s no fun like this. Vayne, go do something about it.
Why me…?
It’ll be more interesting that way. You can’t refuse my orders.
Oh my, that’s a big responsibility.
Yeah… But…
But?
I’m glad since I don’t have to drink Jess’ medicine…

I looked around at the library for a bit, but didn’t find Roxis. I decided to ask around, and quickly found out he’d left.



When I tracked him down, he was talking with a strange Mana.



Damn it… Once more…
It’s useless, no matter how many times you try. Such a persistent man.
Why is it useless!? Am I not skilled enough?
You still don’t get it. It’s impossible to pact against a Mana’s will.
Then why do you refuse to make a pact with me!?
I’m picky about the looks. I don’t like slender guys like you.
Th-that’s your reason…?
Oh…
How long have you been standing there…?
Um… Sorry.
Ts…
Ahh…

Roxis ran off, leaving me with the Mana.



Yeah… Um, and you are?
I am the Mana of Light.
I see. Roxis doesn’t have a Mana…
Tell me about it. And thanks to that, he follows me around like that.
Why don’t you want to make a contract with him?
It’s fun to mess with him.
That’s it? Sounds like someone I know…
A handsome boy looks to me with eyes of agony. Nothing brings more joy.
I don’t quite understand, but will you please make a contract with him?
Why do you worry about him so much?
Umm… I’m hoping he’ll stop hating me.
Hmm… You look like an interesting man. Fine. But under certain conditions.
Really?
You’re an alchemist, too. So bring me a Plosion and I’ll think about it.
A Plosion…?
Alright. I’ll do my best.

I returned to the workshop and quickly produced a Plosion. When I returned with it, though, Roxis returned as well.



What are you doing here?
Oh um, well…
What’s that in your hand?
A Man asked me to…
If you bring that, he promised to make a contract with me, right?
You heard? Then…
What were you thinking?
Huh…?
Sympathy? Pity? Or are you just looking down on me and enjoying it?
No, I just wanted to…
A guy with skill is so different. That attitude. Do you know how bad—
I won’t take your charity. It’s just a Mana… I’ll make a contract myself!
Roxis…?
Oh hoh hoh hoh.

It turned out the Mana of Light was just playing with me.



I assumed you liked to get beat.
Who would like that? Anyway, you knew this would happen?
Just as I expected. Great entertainment for the eye. Thanks, kid.
Um, here… I made it but, about that promise with Roxis’ pact…
Oh, did I ever promise? Though I did say I would think about it…
But…
To begin with, it is wrong for an outsider to butt into a Mana’s contract.
So all I did was make Roxis even more mad… Now what do I do?

He won’t talk to me at all now. I have no idea how to fix this…

Video- “Anna 1”

Watch The Fear

Today we had a bit of a near death experience.



Oh, sorry. It’s mine.
Please put it away. Hey! There’s more crumbs…
Oh, I was just about to clean that up!
*sigh * …Huh? Where’s the lab equipment? I just had it right here.
Oh, I’m using it for my experiment… Can I borrow it until it’s done?
Please make sure you put it back when you’re done.
I know.
Damn! The situation is critical…
Why are you hiding?
Don’t you get it? The Flay Cave is being taken over by a Freshman!
You’re the one who brought her here. And I think she’s good and studious.
How dare you!? Traitor… I’ve got to do something about this. Hmm…

Some of the others brought up to Anna that she was being a bit… harsh.



Yes? What is it?
You see… We know you’re working hard and all, we really do, but…
You’re going a little overboard, kinda, don’tcha think?
What…?
It’s just kind of suffocating, you know.
I can’t concentrate with the nagging.
But… no…
Why…? I was doing this for everyone, for this workshop, and…
*gasp * Could this be the Freshman bullying I’ve always heard about!?
Oh no! I thought everyone but Flay was a good person.
I don’t want to be hazed… Oh no! I’m surrounded!
Um, so Anna…

We’re still not sure why, but Anna kind of freaked out at that point.



What?
If you come any closer… I will cut you.
Wh-what’s wrong with you all of a sudden…?
Though I may be young, I’ve received mastership from my father…
It may be many against one, but I won’t go down that easily.
What are you saying…? Just calm down.
I warned you once not to get close. There won’t be a second time…
What? W-wait a minute…
She’s lost it… We must first listen to her demands…
They’re looking away! Now’s my chance!
Anna!
Hahaa, this is… a very amusing turn of events!
This isn’t the time to get excited. We need to go after her…
Maybe we should just leave her for a bit. She’s kinda scary…
It’s much more quiet without her, too.
B-but, we should at least deal with this misunderstanding…

This especially seemed important when Pamela decided to inject her own brand of optimism.



Assassinate? What the!?
Hehehe. Just be careful on those moonless nights.
Strangely enough, I can believe it…
Hmph, if she wants to, then I say, “Bring it!” That’s also what I want.
Especially since she already hates Flaya.
What!?
Yeah… Our first meeting was, you know…
What if you get slashed the moment you walk out…
…Y-you guys! Our comrade just ran out, why aren’t you going after her!?
Whoa, so easy!
Well, either way, we can’t just leave her alone…
After her, now! Don’t fall behind!

We started together at the Campus Grounds.



I didn’t think she was the type to lose control like that…
Seriously speaking… it may be dangerous unless we find her soon.
Let’s split up… But she is panicked. Don’t engage her on your own.

I’m pretty sure Nikki’s not so glad that we decided to split up.



Nikki! What happened? Could it be…
It’s alright, she’s still breathing…
Was it Anna?
And Nikki’s pretty strong, too… It seems the panic has made her stronger.
It’s like a crying kid who gets really strong…
Cute metaphor, but close enough. Don’t let your guard down. She’s serious.

Pamela had enlisted some other students to try and help bring Anna down.



So? Did you find her?
Um, we found her, but…
But…?
I got other students to come help me catch her.
…But, like, all 10 of them got seriously beaten down.
And now we have civilian casualties…
It seems like Anna thinks I’m out to get her.
If that’s true… she might not even listen to us when we find her.
Hmm… we can worry about that after we catch her.

Roxis had been waiting at the Campus Grounds, meanwhile, hoping she’d come by.



Oh, Roxis. What do you mean by dangerous?
I set a trap. It’s the best way to catch a panicked opponent.
To capture Anna…?
I set gunpowder in the snare. It’ll weaken the enemy upon catching it.
Ha, a convenient trap.
Th-that’s no good! We have to disarm it right now…
I don’t mind disarming it… But then you better take the responsibility.
Responsibility…?
For catching Anna and convincing her. You’re gonna do all that, right?
A-all of it?
I’ll clear this trap. I leave the rest to you.
It feels like he just forced everything on me…
I need to learn how to make that trap later…

I think Roxis just wanted an excuse not to have to help. Anyway, we ran into Anna near the workshop.



Anna! Wait!
After her!
Okay!

She’d run up to the roof, where we cornered her.



We have you cornered. You have nowhere else to go, so give up!
Flay, I think you’re doing this wrong.
Um, Anna… I think you misunderstood something but uh…
Don’t come! If I’m caught and tortured, I’d rather bite my tongue and…
What!? Don’t be hasty!
Vayne! You’re backing off. Hold firm!
B-but what should I…
Do your best! Um… I’ll gather your ashes!
I don’t think that’s the right thing to say… But, okay, I’m going in…
I said, don’t come any closer!
Calm down, Anna. See, I don’t have any weapons.
The cat.
Huh? Oh, uh yeah. Sulpher, can you wait here, too?
…Just don’t die.
I-I’ll do my best…

Once I’d proved I wasn’t armed, she at least was willing to listen to me.



Grr…
Why are you so cautious?
None of us hate you or want to hurt you in any way.
It’s just, we had so much freedom until now, so naturally we complained…
……
So, okay? Don’t do this anymore…
I understand what you say. But I need to make sure if this is true or not.
Make sure? How?
You are already within my sword’s range!
Vayne!
The blade… is right up against my neck…
Amazing control…
Didn’t even try to dodge? I see, I guess you aren’t lying then.
Okay, sure. Though it was more like I couldn’t dodge than I didn’t…
Which means… It was all my misunderstanding…?

When Anna realized that, she couldn’t stop apologizing. At least it’s been dealt with…



I’m so easily lost in my own world and so I…
If you understand, then can you at least put your sword away?
Ahh! I think I remember beating Nikki up pretty badly…
Oh no, oh no, oh no!
Ummm… Y-yay? At least we resolved this issue.
Seriously, with our lives on the line… Huh, I have a little cut on my neck!
Ahhh! Vayne, blood!
Anna, huh… Heh heh heh. If I can deal with her, it shall be interesting…

We managed to create a few new types of armor out of the weird things we’ve found.





Flay wasn’t satisfied with them, though, and wanted something really impractical.



Oh, no. I didn’t make it for myself. Do you want to wear it?
I’ve vowed to only wear red or gold armor.
Oh, I see. Then maybe I will wear it…
Not so fast, my inconsiderate comrade.
This is when you’re supposed to say, “Then I’ll make gold armor!”
But, gold is so expensive…
Money is not the issue here! I’m talking about spirit, and generosity!
…Fine. When I get some gold, I’ll think about it…
Hahaa! I look forward to it!
System Message: Item: Gold Mail can now be made.

Anyway, we headed back to the workshop after that.

Video- “Pamela 2”

See? Scary!

Pamela came storming in to the workshop after us.



Oh, Pamela.
You don’t sound very panicked, but… What’s the matter?
The Library’s been taken over by a bad monster and everyone seems happy!
…Uh? I don’t quite get it…
It’s been taken over, but they’re happy?
We have to get it back, no matter what it takes!
But, if everyone’s happy, isn’t that good?
You’ll understand when you see it. Come on, hurry!
Wha!? Okay, don’t pull me.

The library seemed pretty calm.



Is there really a monster here?
There was! I saw it!
Uh, let’s just ask everyone, then.
Kevin: Monster? I haven’t seen any recently… Why, is something going on?
Melissa: The Library’s been taken over by a monster? What stupid dream did you have?
Dorongo: Today is so peaceful! Oh, so peaceful, and lovely.

And everything we saw seemed to confirm this.



It’s completely peaceful.
Maybe it really was just your imagination.
There really was one!
Well, I don’t see it now.
Seeing this situation…
How horrible. No one believes me! Ah, hey!

Pamela saw something and chased after it.



There it is! Wait!
Pamela?
Let’s go after her!

We caught up with Pamela as she confronted the monster.



Monster: Nrah… This library belongs to me! I’ll never give it back!
Vayne, hurry up and get rid of him!
Uh, but, shouldn’t we listen to his side?
Monster: You guys are with her!? Then I’ll take you all down together!!
W-wait!

The monster was all talk, really.



It never stood a chance.



Yay! Now, get out!
Monster: N-no… If this woman returns, the Library will once again become…
What? You lost already. Stop being so persistent.

However, it turned out the people really were happy the monster was here.



Oh, hey.
Don’t bother us!
Kevin: This monster organizes all the books every night… All by himself.
Back when Pamela was in charge, the books were all over the place…
Melissa: That’s not all. Mr. Monster cleaned up the trash and stuff, too!
Dorongo: He scolded the loud people and kicked them out… Pamela just joined them…
Uh, hmm?
Pamela…
I-I used to work hard, too! It’s just lately, I’ve been kind of busy…
Monster: That woman’s return will mark another era of horror in the Library… Grh…
Kevin: Hey! Hang in there!
Melissa: You guys… How horrible…
I feel like we’re the bad guys now…
Um… I just remembered I have something important to do, so tah tah.

And then Pamela ran off. I didn’t even know a ghost COULD run, but she did…



Pamela!
Ahem… We also…
Melissa: You guys gotta stay here and take care of Mr. Monster!
Yes ma’am…
Pamela! Just you wait!