Bokura no Kiseki: chapter 116 [translation]
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Translation: Nanami
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Author: Natsuo Kumeta
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Bokura no Kiseki
Comic ZERO-SUM
Issue: December 2021
Chapter 115
Page 1
[ What was Kikuchi’s goal?! ]
“You are definitely innocent! I believe that!”
Nishina: Like hell you could!
Page 2
Bokura no Kiseki
#116
Natsuo Kumeta
Page 3
SFX: drip
Moston (quote chapter 0): “In a leaf like this one, in flowers, in stones, in water, in the air..."
Page 4
Moston: "there are holy spirits which reside in this world."
Moston: "We make a contract with them in order to borrow their powers."
Moston: "That power is what we call "magic"."
Minami: Those holy spirits, as omnipresent as they are,
Minami: would they normally relay orders, bind a person and manipulate them to carry out their will?
Ootomo: They would not-
Ootomo: is what my past self, Carlo, would answer.
Ootomo: What about you, Yamada?
Page 5
Yamada: I would say the same.
Yamada: “Lucas is struggling against the holy spirits”...
Yamada: This phrase itself doesn’t sound plausible to me.
Yamada: To begin with, the “oracles” bestowed upon the priests…
Yamada: were all about the forthcoming famine or plague,
Yamada: or something like fortune-telling advice toward the kings and lords,
Yamada: or guidance to the Church on how to improve the lives of their believers… There were all things of such nature.
Yamada: Nonetheless, Lucas is of higher rank, so he would obviously know about things we do not.
Nanaura: …what do you mean by “rank”...
Page 6
Nanaura: …I’m sorry to admit that in the presence of all you clergymen, but you know, neither praying nor studying is my strong force… (so don’t give me that look)
Teshimano: To be honest, I don’t really get it either.
Hiroki: Me too. Please enlighten us, Ootomo-sensei?
Ootomo: “Rank”... is a position in the inner hierarchy of the Church.
Ootomo: The highest rank is the Pope, next is Cardinal, then Archbishop, and Bishop.
Ootomo: Below are pastors and priests without any rank.
Page 7
Yamada: Then again, even among unranked priests there was a strict hierarchy.
Yamada: Those higher in this hierarchy were assigned to special duties or covert operations under direct orders of the papacy…
Yamada: just like Lucas, Carlo or me.
Yamada: The three of us who knew about the assault on the castle… right?
Minami: That hierarchy… Ranks were dependent on one’s level of “aptitude”... right? (alt: aptitude/aptness/suitability - I need to choose one of those and stick to it…)
Minami (in thoughts): Ootomo…
SFX: nod
Ootomo: The only and sole the most important duty to the Church…
Ootomo: was to listen to the voice of the god - “the oracles”.
Page 8
Ootomo: As we discussed earlier… receiving an oracle puts a great burden on a person,
Ootomo: therefore the Church is always looking for people who have that “aptitude”
Ootomo: so they can be recruited.
Ootomo: In order to withstand an oracle, priests are continuously training, so receiving one won’t break them down so easily.
Hiroki: So it means Lucas' aptitude was extraordinary?
Hiroki: Actually, what precisely is “aptitude”?
Ootomo: It is “Affinity level toward the holy spirits and the magic”.
Ootomo: It affects the level of how much one is exhausted after using magic.
Ootomo: It is the proficiency at being able to sense the presence of the holy spirits.
Ootomo: It is something unrelated to one’s bloodline or environment they grow up in.
Page 9
Ootomo: It is indeed a very special power.
Ootomo: It is bestowed by god himself, precisely.
Zeze: The power to hear the voice of god, bestowed from the god himself…
Zeze: Literally so-called child of god… huh.
Nanaura: (ha…)
Nanaura: So when the magic is used somewhere nearby…
Nanaura: and priests are like “Oh!” and they seem to sense it…
Nanaura: Is it also because they have that “aptitude”?! (like some sensor…)
Maki: Yeah.
Page 10
Yamada: Those with a low aptitude are living their lives as monks, putting all their endeavors into training.
Yamada: They go on missionary pilgrimages or they devote themselves into running the monastery.
Yamada: Most of the “unranked priests” are living out their lives like this.
Yamada: On the other hand, those who have high aptitude…
Yamada: are assigned to important posts and carry out “classified” jobs.
Teshimano: If they are such valuable human resources, why are they tasked with dangerous jobs that could cost them their lives?
Yamada: It’s just a line of work.
Teshimano: I see…
Minami: Then, the three others, who weren’t aware of the raid…
Minami: Jared, Lily and Sydney…
Minami: were their aptitudes low?
Yamada: No.
Page 11
Yamada: (or more like) all of the priests present in the princess’ castle had high aptitudes.
Minami: But they weren’t given “classified” tasks, huh?
Yamada: Yes. Priest duties weren’t only about backstage stuff...
Yamada: Carrying out “public” tasks was also crucial…
Yamada: just like Lily and the rest were doing… um…
Yamada: To put it bluntly…
Yamada: They had an attitude, they were outstanding, and on top of that…
Yamada: they had good tempers and pleasant personalities.
Yamada: They liked looking after others, they were friendly and devoted to the point of self-sacrificing…
Yamada: Such priests were essential in representing the “public” face of the Church, upholding the Church’s good reputation and nurturing commoners faith.
Yamada: That was the duty of that trio.
Teshimano: … (was it a compliment or…?)
Page 12
Teshimano: (ah!) Then, does it mean-
Zeze: (if that’s so) So if we reverse your description-
Teshimano: OI.
Yamada: (well) Patty, Lucas and Carlo… were aloof… our attitudes were lacking… we were egoistic… and haughty… if that’s what you wanted to hear…
Hiroki: You were just cut for different things, right?
Yamada: (well…) that’s right, in many aspects.
Yamada: Young priests with high aptitude are raised as either former or latter, based on the decision of their instructor priest in charge of them.
Yamada: They are shown a glimpse of the Church’s darker side and based on how they deal with that their suitability is evaluated.
Page 13
(quote chapter 24)
Allen: The pastor passed away. Our treatment could not save him. Got it?
Allen: Your response?
Kid: Daddy! Daddy!!
Allen: There's no choice but to improvise. There are also times when we have to give up.
Carlo: Even if it means death?
Allen: That's right.
Carlo: I understand now.
Carlo: Uh, eh, guu…
Ootomo: So everything was evaluated…
Yamada: To me, it seemed that Carlo was right in the gap between the “public” and “classified” divisions.
Yamada: Your partner during the pilgrimage was Allen Helland, right?
Yamada: I do wonder what made him choose this over that.
Page 15
Zeze: Allen Helland…?
Zeze: Wasn’t it that guy, whom Eugene saw from time to time, since his childhood, in the royal castle?
Watanabe: Allen Helland?!
Watanabe: The one with red hair?!
Ootomo: Did you know him?
Watanabe: Yes, I did. (haha) Who would’ve guessed that he was Carlo’s pilgrimage partner!
Watanabe: He helped me out quite a lot after I (Ashley) was stripped down from knighthood…
Page 16
Watanabe: The Church provided me with a job and my family with a roof over their heads. It was Allen who assisted me.
(quote chapter 90)
“That’s all I have, Allen.”
“That’s all that is left.”
“That's plenty you still have there, Ashley-kun.”
“So grab onto it, understand?”
Ootomo: He was mainly in the charge of social welfare affairs.
Ootomo: He also visited monasteries to audit them in case of any possible mistreatment or abuse.
Midou: I’ve heard he originally was a knight of Moswick? (you mentioned it once ago)
Zeze: Hee-
Page 17
Yamada: Allen Helland changed his occupation from a knight to a priest.
Yamada: Not long after that, he gained high rank.
Yamada: That too is just proof he was blessed with high “aptitude”.
Zeze: “Aptitude”... huh?
Zeze: If that relief written all over Lucas’s face was reflecting his true feelings,
Zeze: then in how much despair he was, when he realized that he is still a priest in this life too?
(quote chapter 59, in old language)
"Just for what reason did I..."
“Even though I did everything I had to do!”
“What a farce this is!”
Zeze: One cannot even start to comprehend their own feelings.
Page 18
Zeze: “Is it still a continuation?” in sad dejection.
(quote chapter 1)
Moto: “Alright, we'll aim to win the class match! And tomorrow morning, we, year 1 class 4 will do our best!”
“Yeahh--!”
Kikuchi: Nishina? Are you going back to the classroom?
Nishina: Yeah, I left my jersey there so I’m going to pick it up.”
Kikuchi: I see. See you tomorrow then!
Nishina: …weird. Somehow I feel…
Page 19
Nishina: ...not good…
Nishina: And then, I… aimed my magic at those two…
Nishina: I have to hurry up! And put a distance…!
Nishina: Did I… defeat these two pursuers…?
Nishina: Pursuers…?
Nishina: That’s not it, it’s an old memory from my childhood…
Nishina: No, wait a second! Where am I now?!
Minami: KAMIOKA!
Nishina: I… (ore) I am… (watashi)
Page 20
[ Lucas Erlanger. ]
[ …no. ]
[ Nishina Mizuki. ]
[ and yet ]
[ I am a priest… ]
Nishina: Are you fucking kidding me?! What the fuck…
Nishina: There are magic traces…
Nishina: Are there others? Reincarnated ones?
Nishina: Earthquake?
Nishina: Recently there’s many of them-
Page 21
[ They exist… ]
[ In this world too… ]
Holy spirits of god.
SFX: shiver
Nishina: The same chills as when I witnessed an oracle back then…
Kikuchi: Nishina!
Page 22
Kikuchi: Did you hear? The back of the mountain had collapsed!
(you saw that?)
(sounds dangerous!)
(uwa)
Teacher: Everyone is to gather at the main gate and head home for today!
Teacher: Bicycle parking lot is prohibited from entering!
Teacher: Students who came by bicycle are to leave them and go back without!
Teacher: Please absolutely do not approach the windows in building C!
Kikuchi: That means I have to go on foot to the station… wanna go together?
Nishina: Okay.
Kikuchi: What about your glasses?
Nishina: My eyesight is not so horrific, so I don’t have to wear them all the time…
Kikuchi: Ah, I see. Then again, where’s your jersey?
Nishina: I was so startled by the earthquake…
Nishina: that I came down in a hurry, without taking it…
Kikuchi: You sure it’s fine?
Nishina: Yeah.
Page 23
Nishina: Let’s go home.
Nishina: I would not forget such to and fro… usually.
Nishina: Kikuchi with such great confidence
Nishina: fabricated my alibi.
Meguro: Kikuchi is lying…
Meguro: Nah, could it be that I’m just misunderstanding it?
Meguro: Because hey, what could Kikuchi gain by lying about this?
Meguro: No, no, don’t get lost in your thoughts, myself!
Meguro: I should contact Minami right away!
SFX: bzzz bzzz
Page 24
[ Incoming call: Kikuchi Kou ]
Meguro: It seems I shouldn’t have lost my focus even for that one moment…
[ Moment hesitance inviting confusion… ]
End of chapter 116
Propositions for two sides of the Church (ura/omote)
public / undercover or offstage
bright / dark
outside / inside
outer / inner
light / shadow
official / backstage