Split (1)

train · 6.32k rows

src stringlengths 30 104k	trg stringlengths 50 235k	meta dict
「あの、鏡を見せてもらえませんか?」「ただいま。レイナ、すぐに鏡をお持ちして」メリッサに頼むと、レイナというその可愛いメイドさんが鏡を持ってきてくれた。「どうぞ、ごらんください」レイナが持ってくれている鏡を覗き込むと、顔中包帯でぐるぐる巻きにされた男が映っている。鏡の中に映った顔は、僕とは似ても似つかぬ顔だった。見事な金髪に青い目、ちょっと生意気そうな、でも整った顔立ち。どれも僕が書いた「勇者転生」の悪役カルロ=ド=メリチ辺境伯の特徴にぴったりだ。やはり僕はカルロとしてここにいるらしい。「イテッ」急に右頬が痛みが走って手で押さえると、ピカールが気の毒そうに言う。「落馬の際に道に石の角が刺さり、怪我をなさっておいででした。縫いましたが残念ながら傷跡は残るだろうという医者の見立てでございます」カルロの右頬には大きな傷があるという設定だったけど、この落馬が原因だったのか。作者ともあろうものがそこまで細かな設定はしていなかったから知らなかった。戦いで付いた傷かと思ってたからちょっとカッコ悪いな。「端正なお顔立ちに傷が残ってしまわれるなんて。お気の毒でなりませんわ」メリッサが涙を浮かべて僕を見ている。そう、カルロはいい男、美男子なのだ。行動は傍若無人でわがまま放題、乱暴狼藉は働くが顔はいいし腕もたつから女の子にはモテる。もちろん最後は女の子たちにも見向きもされなくなっていく(予定)のだが。しかしメリッサは本当にいい人だ。「えっと、今って何年なのかな?」試しにピカールに聞いてみた。「旧暦の194年でございます」そんなことも分からなくなったのか、という顔でピカールは気の毒そうに答えてくれた。勇者がこの世界に転生してカルロに出会うのが旧暦199年だから、その5年前という事か。 5年後のカルロは27歳の設定だから今は22歳、現実の僕と同い年という事になる。だからここへ飛ばされたのかな。「なんで『旧暦』って言うんだっけ」「およそ200年前のでも実はこれは間違いだ。僕が勇者が魔王を倒して新しい国を建てた年を「新暦元年」として、その前を「旧暦」にしただけだ。だからこの世界の人は何故「旧」なのかを知らずに旧暦という言葉を使っていることになる。本当の理由を知っているのは僕だけだと思うとちょっと嬉しい。なんせ僕は作者さまだからな。そこまで考えて、僕はそんなのんきな状況ではないという事に気が付いた。自分が書いた小説の中に作者が転生するなんて、これは異常事態だ。作者だからチート能力があったりするのかと思ってベッドの木の柵を思い切り握ってみたけど別に壊れはしなかったし、レイナちゃんのメイド服が透けないか凝視してみたけど何も見えなかった。もう元の世界に帰れないのかもしれない、そう考えると急に胸が苦しくなった。きっとみんな心配しているだろう。そりゃあ別に現実世界に彼女が居たり親友が居たりした訳じゃない。会社でだってお荷物扱いで仲のいい同僚もいない。あ、でも僕と違って出来のいい弟がいるから大丈夫か。あれ? そう考えたら意外と僕が居なくても大丈夫なのかな。それこそが本当の悲劇だよ。「ちょっにしておいてくれないか」なんだか寂しい気持ちになってそう言うとメリッサが頭を下げた。「かしこまりました。お飲み物はここに置いておきます。なにかご用の際はベルでお呼び下さい」みんなが出て行って一人になって考える。でもきっと悲しんでくれる人たちは大勢いる。それは「勇者転生」の読者のみなさんだ。「作家になっちゃおう」という投稿サイトの中でそれまで鳴かず飛ばずの底辺作者だった僕が、「勇者転生」という小説のおかげでみんなに喜んでもらえた。いいね!が一つ押されるたび、お気に入り登録が一つ増えるたびにそれは僕の生きる活力になっていた。カルロに人気が集まり、その悪役っぷりに賛否両論の感想が送られてくると、次は何をさせようか書いている僕もワクワクしたんだ。まさか初めての書籍化がされた発売日当日に事故にあい、小説の世界に飛ばされてしまうなんて。しかもまだ小説は終わっていない。未完のままだ。まだまだ考えていたネタがたくさんあった。カルロにやらせたいことが色々あったんだ。もうそれも更新できない。これからが面白くなるはずだったのに。そんなことを考えていると涙が出てきた。僕はもう小説を書けない。「勇者転生」を完結させる事は出来ないんだ。これからの展開はもう考えてあった。カルロはそれまでの行いから仲間に次々と裏切られる。そのことで人間不信に陥ったカルロは、魔王の甘言に乗せられ、魔王の手先となってしまう。それでますます勇者への妨害はエスカレートし、様々な罠をしかけたり嫌がらせをしたりする。でも結局は勇者と直接対決して負けてしまうんだ。そこでカルロは初めて心を入れ替えて勇者に従うようになり、勇者と力を合わせて魔王を倒す。勇者はカルロの婚約者だった王女と結ばれで新たな国を建てる。カルロはその重臣として国づくりを手伝っていくことになるんだ。僕は自分が作ったプロットを思い出しながら、それがもう世に出ることはないのだと考えていた。初めて認められた僕の作品。生まれて初めて大勢の人に褒められ、喜んでもらえたものだったのに。それが中途半端な状態で終わってしまうなんて辛すぎる。泣いている場合じゃないよね。物語の作者として、僕がやるべきことは何だろう。僕が創り出したこの世界の物語を、自分自身でエンディングへ持っていく。それこそが僕にやれるたった一つの事であり、僕がここにいる理由じゃないのかな? この世界は僕が作った。この世界がこれからどうなっているのか知っているのは僕だけだ。僕はこの世界の原作者であり、プロデューサーであり、監督であり、同時に悪役カルロ=ド=メリチ辺境伯を演ずる役者でもある。悪役カルロ=ド=メリチ辺境伯としての役割を全うし、より面白くより感動的な物語を作ろう。勇者が転生し、カルロと出会うまで5年ある。その間に最高の舞台を作り上げよう。まずはそのために魅力的な悪役にならなくては。僕はこの世界で生きていく覚悟を決めた。たった今この瞬間から僕は悪役、カルロ=ド=メリチ辺境伯だ。りっぱな悪役になってやる!	“Ehm, could you show me that mirror?” “At once. Reina, bring the mirror over immediately.” After Melissa-san asked her the pretty maid Reina brought over a mirror. “Please have a look” When I looked into the mirror Reina was holding a man wrapped up in bandages looked back at me. The face in the mirror was completely different from my original face. Blue eyes, brilliant blonde hair and a face with slightly impertinent but gentle features. It perfectly aligns with the features I wrote for the villain Margrave Carlo de Medici in my novel “Yuusha Tensei”. Like I thought, I became Carlo. “Ouch” When suddenly pain ran through my right cheek I put my hand on it, it seems like Pikaru felt sorry for me. “You got injured when you hit a stone after falling off the horse you were riding. It got stitched but unfortunately the doctors said that the scar will remain for the rest of your life.” Even though I was the one who included the setting of Carlo having a big scar on the right cheek, but was it caused by this fall from a horse? Because me, the author, didn’t specify the reasons, I didn’t know about this. I thought it was wound from a fight but it turned out like this. “To think a scar would remain on that handsome face. It’s such a shame.” Melissa was shedding tears while looking at me. That’s right, Carlo is a good-looking, handsome man. His behavior was arrogant, selfish and unreasonably violent but because of his face and his strength he was really popular with the girls. Of course, no girl will look is way anymore in the end (planned). However, Melissa is a really good person. “Ehm, what year is it now?” I asked Pikaru as a test. “It is th year of the old calendar” Pikaru answered my question with an apologetic face, because of my seemingly lost knowledge. The hero reincarnates into this world and meets Carlo in the th year of the lunar calendar, that would be years from now, huh? Carlo will be 7 in 5 years so he is 22, like the real me, right now. I wonder if that’s why I got put here. “Why do you call it “the old calendar”?” “Because it’s an old calendar we use since the ancient times approximately 200 years ago.” But, that’s actually wrong. After the hero defeated the Demon king and established a new country it was “the first year of the solar calendar”, before that the “old calendar” was used. So the people of this world use the lunar calendar without knowing why it’s “old”. I’m a little happy thinking that I’m the only person who knows the actual reason. I’m the author after all. Thinking that far, I noticed that this situation isn’t so simple. This abnormal situation of an author reincarnating into the novel he himself wrote. I thought that I might have some cheat ability because I’m the author and all, but when I grasped the wooden fence of the bed it didn’t particularly break and when I stared at Reina I wasn’t able to see through her maid uniform either. When I thought that I might not be able to return to my original world I suddenly felt a pang of pain in my chest. I bet everyone is really worried. In reality, it’s not like I had a girlfriend or a close friend, though. Even in my company, I wasn’t particularly close to my co-workers. The only one left to worry about be would be my mother. Ah, but there’s my bright younger brother who’s successful unlike me so it should be fine. Huh? Unexpectedly even if I’m not there everything would be fine, right? It’s a true tragedy. “Will you leave me alone for a little?” Feeling somewhat lonely I asked them to leave. To that, Melissa lowered her head. “Certainly. I leave your drink here. Ring the bell if there is anything you need.” After everyone left and I was alone I started to think. I think there certainly are people who would grieve. Especially the readers of “Yuusha Tensei”. I, who posted my novel to free novel posting sites in order to “become a writer”, was never able to gain any popularity until I was able to make the readers happy with “Yuusha Tensei”. Every time someone gave me a “good” rating or someone added me to their favorites it gave me the motivation to push on. When Carlo gained popularity and people commented the pros and cons of him as a villain I was also excited about what to write next. Indeed, I got into an accident on the day the first volume was released and I reincarnated into the novel’s world. Besides, the novel hasn’t been finished yet. It will remain unfinished. There was still a lot of material I thought about including. There was still a lot of things I wanted to make Carlo do. Now I can’t update it anymore either. I wanted to make it even more interesting in the future. As I thought about such things I started to cry. I can’t write my novel anymore. I’m not able to write an ending for “Yuusha Tensei”. I already planned out the future development. Carlo will get betrayed by his friends of the same party one after another. Then Carlo, who fell into misanthropy because of this, is cheated into becoming the Demon king’s subordinate with flattery. So his conflict with the hero escalates more and more using various traps to annoys him. But after he directly confronts the hero he loses in the end. Then for the first time, Carlo had a change of heart and starts to follow the hero adding his power to his forces leading to the Demon king’s defeat. The Hero together with the princess, who was Carlo’s fiancée, those two build a new country. Carlo was going to help in the creation of the country as a cabinet member. While I thought about the plot I made I realized again that it will never reach the world. My first approved work. For the first time in my life, I got praised by such a large number of people and was able to please them. Isn’t it too sad that it had to end midway? I can’t cry right now. What should I, as the author of the story, do? I’ll take the story of this world towards its ending myself. That’s the only thing I’m able to do and isn’t that the reason for why I was sent here? I made this world. I’m the only one who knows what’s going to happen in this world from now on. I’m the author, producer, the supervisor and the actor playing the villain Margrave Carlo de Medici at the same time. I’ll play the role of the villain Carlo de Medici and will create an even more impressive, more interesting story. There are still five years until the hero reincarnates and meets Carlo. Meanwhile, I shall set up the best stage. First of all, I have to become an attractive villain. I’m ready to live in this world. From this moment on I am just the villain Carlo de Medici. I’ll become an excellent villain!	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 1, "inserted_lines_src": 3, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
アメリカ経済の負債が現在 6,000 億ドルを越えているという単純な事実を考えてみたい。米国は、主にアジアの成長経済国、とりわけ中国から毎年 19 億ドルの融資を受けなければ機能しないのである。	Consider the simple fact that the American economy is now more than $600 billion in debt. The United States cannot function without being able to borrow $1.9 billion dollars each and every day of the year, mainly from the emerging economies of Asia, and China above all.	{ "source": "news_commentary", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
このあと私の音楽を聴いていただくつもりですがそのなかで私がどのように「退屈」を創造と革新のための活性剤として使用したかについてまた私の常日頃からの根本的な疑問を「退屈」がどのように変化させて行ったかということを伝えることができればいいと願っていますそしてまたこの退屈というものによって私が作曲家という伝統的な役割から一歩踏み出すことになったそのいきさつもお話したいと思いますそれではピアノの楽曲の一部分から始めることと致しましょうはい私の曲でしたいえいえ嘘です — (拍手) あどうもいや私の曲じゃないです実はベートーベンの作品ですね即ちここでの私の役割は作曲者ではない私は解釈者として機能しました解釈して表現したのですだから音楽作品の通訳というところですかね? しかしここで疑問です「これは音楽なのか?」ここであえてこの疑問を口にするのはもちろんこれがどのような観点からしても音楽作品であるということは周知のことですがなぜ今持ち出したかというとこの質問を覚えておいて欲しいからですこの後もこのプレゼン中にリフのように繰り返し出てくるからですさてベートーベンの音楽を聴いていただきましたが私の問題はというとちょっと退屈だってあいや — 言っちゃったベートーベンですよなんてこと言うの聴きすぎちゃったんですかね子供の頃ずっと練習してうんざりしたからかな・・・なのでこれに手を加え何か別の形でできないかとより自分らしいものにしたいと思いましたこんな感じで始め ― 次はこう置き換え― メロディーは即興でこうやってみましょう ― こんな感じで ― あどうも (拍手) このようなことをやってみようと思ったのですが必ずしもベートーヴェンの作品を超えるものではありません実際超えてないと思ってますが大事なのはより興味深いものになったということです頭の中でベートーベンの楽譜が鳴り続ける間どう弾くかをその場で決めなくてはいけないしどのように変化させていくかを考え出さなくてはいけない非常に面白いですこれは私にとっては努力の必要な作業ですが自分を中心として考えられることや私の顔がまた出てくるとこなんかがまさに唯我論的と言えるでしょうしかしいくら努力のいる興味深いものであってもすぐまた退屈してしまうんですねつまりピアノにっていうことですねこのお馴染みの楽器では実際にはかなり限られた音域しか鍵盤上で演奏できません普通の状態ではということですよ火か何かを放ったりすると話は別ですがちょっと退屈になってきたんでやがて他の楽器に手を染めまた飽きてくるそして最終的には今日持ってきたような自分自身の楽器をデザインし製作するに至りましたそれでは少し披露いたしましょうどのような音になるでしょうかいいドア押さえが必要です持っている櫛は全部ここに使いましたすべてこの楽器に組み込まれてます何でもできますよ例えばバイオリンの弓で演奏もできます箸は要らないなこのような音が出ますエレクトロニクスを使うと劇的に音を変えることもできますこうやったりこんな感じですねさてこの楽器がどんな音を出すか今お聞きいただいたわけですが面白いでしょう? これで私の役割に発明家が加わるわけですそしてこの楽器を「ネズミ銃」と名付けました私は素敵なことに世界最高のネズミ銃演奏者となりましたいいですか (拍手) つまりこのことで光栄なことに発明者という別の役割が加わりました先ほども申し上げましたが私は世界最大級のナルシシズムと独我論を持ち合わせますがここに適度の自己中心主義も加わりましたそこの何人かはビンゴ!って思ったでしょとにかくこれは楽しい役割です先ほど世界最高と申しましたが残念ながら同時に世界最悪のネズミ銃演奏者でもあり終身職を持っていない時にはずいぶん気にしましたが過去のことでもうそのことは言いませんまだ心の中では泣いていますが傷は癒えてませんとにかく私が言いたいことは私はこういった複数の仕事に従事していますが今日ご覧いただいたように実際には孤独な作業ですなので当然他人と交流したいと言う気持ちが沸いてきますそんなときは他人のために作曲できるのが有難いですね時にはソリストとして個人の方や時にはオーケストラ全体のために曲を書いてきましたがまあこの創造的役割がおそらく私のプロとして最もよく知られた能力でしょう私が作曲家として書いた楽譜はこのようであったりまたこのようであったりしますがすべては手書きで大変な作業ですこういった譜面の作成には時間がかかり今手がけている曲はなんと長さ180 ページに及びます私の生活はこの作業に追われ思わず髪を掻きむしりますたくさんあってよかったまたもや退屈でうんざりする作業ですこの記譜法に退屈しているだけじゃなく実際にもっと面白くしたいという思いからこのようなもう1つのプロジェクトを展開しましたこれは「記譜の形而上学」と名付けられた楽譜の一部です全幅22メートルの楽譜でありクレイジーな象形文字記譜の一群ですここにズームインしてみましょうご覧くださいかなり詳細でしょうフレンチカーブの直線エッジは全て製図用のテンプレートを用いまたはフリーハンドで描きましたこの22 メートルは実際に分割され 1.8メートルのパネル全12枚がカンター芸術センター博物館ロビーのバルコニーまわりに展示されましたその後1年間この作品は博物館に展示されビジュアルアートとして鑑賞されましたこれらの写真でご覧いただけるようにほぼ毎週金曜日の正午から1 時まで限定で様々な演奏者がこの奇妙で未定義の絵文字グリフを解釈演奏しましたこれは私にとって本当にエクサイティングな経験でしたもちろん音楽的にも満足でしたがもっと重要なことは別の役割を与えられたこと特に嬉しかったのは博物館に作品を展示されたビジュアルアーティストとなったことです画面は全部埋めます心配しないで私は多才ですからまあ一部の方はきっと「どうせ素人仕事」と言うでしょうし確かにそうでしょうもちろん私には視覚芸術のバックグラウンドもないですしなんの訓練も受けていませんがクリエイティブな欲求から作曲の延長となる何かを作り上げてみたかったのですそしてまたこの質問です「これは音楽なのか?」つまりここには従来の表記法はありません同様にこの作品にも暗黙の批判があるでしょうこの作品「S-tog 」はコペンハーゲンに住んでいたときにコペンハーゲンの地下鉄マップから作りました全ての駅を音楽的要因に置き換え演奏家はストップウォッチと同期し時刻表に刻まれた時間に応じ演奏しますこれが実際に何かを応用したり何かを真似しながら音楽の表記をする事例です別の応用例がこれです腕時計を転用した楽譜です独自の文字盤を作成し組み立てさせました演奏家はこの楽譜に従い演奏するのです秒針が様々な記号を通過するたびにそれに従って演奏しますこういう風に別のものから転用し実現できた一例ですこの 2 つの仕事において私は廃品回収者の役割です地下鉄マップではある意味泥棒とも言え腕時計の場合はまたデザイナーとも言えるかも知れません繰り返し言いますが私はこれが面白いのですさてご覧いただくもうひとつの役割は芸術パフォーマーです一風変わった演劇的な作品で私も演じることがありますこれからご覧いただくクリップは「エコラリア」と呼ばれる作品ですが類まれなるパフォーマーのブライアン・マクウォーターが演じます音を出すものににご注目くださいさて苦笑いが聞こえましたがドリルの音がキーンとしすぎたようですね抑揚に問題があったようですでは別のクリップも見てみましょう騒乱は続きますがここには皆様おなじみのクラリネットやトランペットフルートやヴァイオリンがありませんさらに珍しい風変わりな楽器編成がご覧になれます演奏者なしの3人の指揮者「トレン」ですこれは手話でとげとげしい言い争いをする2 人を実際に目撃した経験から思いつきました会話のデシベルは皆無でしたが情緒的心理的に実に騒々しい経験でした今ご覧いただいたようにまったく従来の楽器を使わず指揮者だらけという状態ではまたこの疑問が生じます「これは音楽なのか?」次は私もまじめに取り組みました「オーケストラのための協奏曲」と題しましょうここでは皆様おなじみの楽器がたくさん出てきます申し訳ないタイトルが違いましたこれでは面白くないのでここにスペースを入れこうしましょうそして続きを見てみましょうねフラワーデザイナーが華を添えますよね? 少なくともそれほど退屈でなくなりました続きますこういった演劇的要素から別の役割が浮上してきました劇作家とも言えるのではないでしょうか元々オーケストラ曲を書きましたよねでもこれが違うものになったフラワーデザイナーが入ることによって再び私たちが従来慣れ親しんだ音楽の存在論が脅かされますそれでは本日ご覧いただく最後の作品ですこれは「失語症」と呼ばれる作品です音に手の動きを振り付けたものですがこれによりまた別の振付師と言う最後の役割が引き出されます作品の譜面はこんな感じですこれによりパフォーマーである私が様々な手のジェスチャーを特定の時間に行いボーカルサンプルのみで構成されたオーディオテープと同期します素晴らしい歌手を起用しコンピューターで音声を録音しましたがその声を無数の方法で歪ませサウンドトラックにしたものをお聞きいただきますでは「失語症」の一部を実演したいと思いますいいですか? この作品がどのようなものかお聴きいただきました (拍手) 確かに奇妙な作品ですねこれは音楽なのか? ここで結論付けたいと思います私は「この質問が間違いだ」と結論します重要な問題ではないのです重要なのは「これは面白いか?」ということです私はこれを問い続けたい「音楽かどうか」ではなくしようとしていることの定義は関係ない自分の創造性を大事にし単純に面白いと思える方向を目指しどのような曲作りするべきなのかという既成の概念やパラダイムにとらわれたくありませんこのことが実際に私を様々な役割に駆り立ててきました基本的な質問はどの程度まで変えることができるのでしょうかそうですね少し付け加えると本日皆様に観ていただいた私の心理的欠陥強度の強迫行動や妄想的行動などいろいろな要素がみられますがこれを葛藤自己嫌悪と呼ぶか普通に言われる統合失調症の一種とするか解離性同一性障害ということでしょうかとにかくこのような危険性はあるにしろ皆さんが自分の仕事の中での役割を職業上の定義から少しまたは大きく超えてみてはどうかと提案したいと思いますどうもありがとうございました (拍手) (拍手)	And I'm going to share my music with you, but I hope that I'm going to do so in a way that tells a story, tells a story about how I used boredom as a catalyst for creativity and invention, and how boredom actually forced me to change the fundamental question that I was asking in my discipline, and how boredom also, in a sense, pushed me towards taking on roles beyond the sort of most traditional, narrow definition of a composer. What I'd like to do today is to start with an excerpt of a piece of music at the piano. Okay, I wrote that. No, it's not — Oh, why thank you. No, no, I didn't write that. In fact, that was a piece by Beethoven, and so I was not functioning as a composer. Just now I was functioning in the role of the interpreter, and there I am, interpreter. So, an interpreter of what? Of a piece of music, right? But we can ask the question, "But is it music?" And I say this rhetorically, because of course by just about any standard we would have to concede that this is, of course, a piece of music, but I put this here now because, because we're going to return to this question. It's going to be a kind of a refrain as we go through the presentation. So here we have this piece of music by Beethoven, and my problem with it is, it's boring. I mean, you — I'm just like, a hush, huh -- It's like -- It's Beethoven, how can you say that? No, well, I don't know, it's very familiar to me. I had to practice it as a kid, and I'm really sick of it. So -- I would, so what I might like to try to do is to change it, to transform it in some ways, to personalize it, so I might take the opening, like this idea -- and then I might substitute -- and then I might improvise on that melody that goes forward from there -- So that might be the kind of thing -- Why thank you. That would be the kind of thing that I would do, and it's not necessarily better than the Beethoven. In fact, I think it's not better than it. The thing is -- -- it's more interesting to me. It's less boring for me. to think about what decisions I'm going to make on the fly as that Beethoven text is running in time through my head and I'm trying to figure out what kinds of transformations I'm going to make to it. So this is an engaging enterprise for me, and I've really leaned into that first person pronoun thing there, and now my face appears twice, so I think we can agree that this is a fundamentally solipsistic enterprise. But it's an engaging one, and it's interesting to me for a while, but then I get bored with it, and by it, I actually mean, the piano, because it becomes, it's this familiar instrument, it's timbral range is actually pretty compressed, at least when you play on the keyboard, and if you're not doing things like listening to it after you've lit it on fire or something like that, you know. It gets a little bit boring, and so pretty soon I go through other instruments, they become familiar, and eventually I find myself designing and constructing my own instrument, and I brought one with me today, and I thought I would play a little bit on it for you so you can hear what it sounds like. You gotta have doorstops, that's important. I've got combs. They're the only combs that I own. They're all mounted on my instruments. I can actually do all sorts of things. I can play with a violin bow. I don't have to use the chopsticks. So we have this sound. And with a bank of live electronics, I can change the sounds radically. Like that, and like this. And so forth. So this gives you a little bit of an idea of the sound world of this instrument, which I think is quite interesting and it puts me in the role of the inventor, and the nice thing about — This instrument is called the Mouseketeer ... and the cool thing about it is I'm the world's greatest Mouseketeer player. Okay? So in that regard, this is one of the things, this is one of the privileges of being, and here's another role, the inventor, and by the way, when I told you that I'm the world's greatest, if you're keeping score, we've had narcissism and solipsism and now a healthy dose of egocentricism. I know some of you are just, you know, bingo! Or, I don't know. Anyway, so this is also a really enjoyable role. and it was this distinction that I was most worried about when I was on that prior side of the tenure divide. I'm glad I'm past that. We're not going to go into that. I'm crying on the inside. There are still scars. Anyway, but I guess my point is that all of these enterprises are engaging to me in their multiplicity, but as I've presented them to you today, they're actually solitary enterprises, and so pretty soon I want to commune with other people, and so I'm delighted that in fact I get to compose works for them. I get to write, sometimes for soloists and I get to work with one person, sometimes full orchestras, and I work with a lot of people, and this is probably the capacity, the role creatively for which I'm probably best known professionally. Now, some of my scores as a composer look like this, and others look like this, and some look like this, and I make all of these by hand, and it's really tedious. It takes a long, long time to make these scores, and right now I'm working on a piece that's 180 pages in length, and it's just a big chunk of my life, and I'm just pulling out hair. I have a lot of it, and that's a good thing I suppose. So this gets really boring and really tiresome for me, so after a while the process of notating is not only boring, but I actually want the notation to be more interesting, and so that's pushed me to do other projects like this one. This is an excerpt from a score called "The Metaphysics of Notation." The full score is 72 feet wide. It's a bunch of crazy pictographic notation. Let's zoom in on one section of it right here. You can see it's rather detailed. I do all of this with drafting templates, with straight edges, with French curves, and by freehand, and the 72 feet was actually split into 12 six-foot-wide panels that were installed around the Cantor Arts Center Museum lobby balcony, and it appeared for one year in the museum, and during that year, it was experienced as visual art most of the week, except, as you can see in these pictures, on Fridays, from noon til one, and only during that time, various performers came and interpreted these strange and undefined pictographic glyphs. Now this was a really exciting experience for me. It was gratifying musically, but I think the more important thing is it was exciting because I got to take on another role, especially given that it appeared in a museum, and that is as visual artist. We're going to fill up the whole thing, don't worry. I am multitudes. So one of the things is that, I mean, some people would say, like, "Oh, you're being a dilettante," and maybe that's true. I can understand how, I mean, because I don't have a pedigree in visual art and I don't have any training, but it's just something that I wanted to do as an extension of my composition, as an extension of a kind of creative impulse. I can understand the question, though. "But is it music?" I mean, there's not any traditional notation. I can also understand that sort of implicit criticism in this piece, "S-tog," which I made when I was living in Copenhagen. I took the Copenhagen subway map and I renamed all the stations to abstract musical provocations, and the players, who are synchronized with stopwatches, follow the timetables, which are listed in minutes past the hour. So this is a case of actually adapting something, or maybe stealing something, and then turning it into a musical notation. Another adaptation would be this piece. I took the idea of the wristwatch, and I turned it into a musical score. I made my own faces, and had a company fabricate them, and the players follow these scores. They follow the second hands, and as they pass over the various symbols, the players respond musically. Here's another example from another piece, and then its realization. So in these two capacities, I've been scavenger, in the sense of taking, like, the subway map, right, or thief maybe, and I've also been designer, And once again, this is, for me, interesting. Another role that I like to take on is that of the performance artist. Some of my pieces have these kind of weird theatric elements, and I often perform them. I want to show you a clip from a piece called "Echolalia." This is actually being performed by Brian McWhorter, who is an extraordinary performer. Let's watch a little bit of this, and please notice the instrumentation. Okay, I hear you were laughing nervously because you too could hear that the drill was a little bit sharp, the intonation was a little questionable. Let's watch just another clip. You can see the mayhem continues, and there's, you know, there were no clarinets and trumpets and flutes and violins. Here's a piece that has an even more unusual, more peculiar instrumentation. This is "Tlön," for three conductors and no players. This was based on the experience of actually watching two people having a virulent argument in sign language, which produced no decibels to speak of, but affectively, psychologically, was a very loud experience. So, yeah, I get it, with, like, the weird appliances and then the total absence of conventional instruments and this glut of conductors, people might, you know, wonder, yeah, "Is this music?" But let's move on to a piece where clearly I'm behaving myself, and that is my "Concerto for Orchestra." You're going to notice a lot of conventional instruments in this clip. This, in fact, is not the title of this piece. I was a bit mischievous. In fact, to make it more interesting, I put a space right in here, and this is the actual title of the piece. Let's continue with that same excerpt. It's better with a florist, right? Or at least it's less boring. Let's watch a couple more clips. So with all these theatric elements, this pushes me in another role, and that would be, possibly, the dramaturge. I was playing nice. I had to write the orchestra bits, right? Okay? But then there was this other stuff, right? There was the florist, and I can understand that, once again, we're putting pressure on the ontology of music as we know it conventionally, but let's look at one last piece today I'm going to share with you. This is going to be a piece called "Aphasia," and it's for hand gestures synchronized to sound, and this invites yet another role, and final one I'll share with you, which is that of the choreographer. And the score for the piece looks like this, and it instructs me, the performer, to make various hand gestures at very specific times synchronized with an audio tape, and that audio tape is made up exclusively of vocal samples. I recorded an awesome singer, and I took the sound of his voice in my computer, and I warped it in countless ways to come up with the soundtrack that you're about to hear. And I'll perform just an excerpt of "Aphasia" for you here. Okay? So that gives you a little taste of that piece. Yeah, okay, that's kind of weird stuff. Is it music? Here's how I want to conclude. I've decided, ultimately, that this is the wrong question, that this is not the important question. The important question is, "Is it interesting?" And I follow this question, not worrying about "Is it music?" -- not worrying about the definition of the thing that I'm making. I allow my creativity to push me in directions that are simply interesting to me, and I don't worry about the likeness of the result to some notion, some paradigm, of what music composition is supposed to be, and that has actually urged me, in a sense, to take on a whole bunch of different roles, to what extent might you change the fundamental question in your discipline, and, okay, I'm going to put one extra little footnote in here, because, like, I realized I mentioned some psychological defects earlier, and we also, along the way, had a fair amount of obsessive behavior, and there was some delusional behavior and things like that, and here I think we could say that this is an argument for self-loathing and a kind of schizophrenia, and I really mean dissociative identity disorder, okay. Anyway, despite those perils, I would urge you to think about the possibility that you might take on roles in your own work, whether they are neighboring or far-flung from your professional definition. And with that, I thank you very much.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
この最後の構成部分は主として修辞的である。すでにアメリカにいるメキシコ人が自ら、新しいビザ交付を忍耐強く待つために、例えばサカテカスの町へ戻るとは想像し難い。ジョージ・W・ブッシュ大統領は、ほぼちょうど５年前、グァナファトにヴィセンテ・フォックス大統領を訪問し、メキシコとの移住協定への尽力を約束して以来、この問題を回避し続けてきた。	This last component is largely rhetoric; it is hard to imagine any Mexican already in the US voluntarily returning to, say, Zacatecas to wait patiently in line for a new visa. President George W. Bush has been skirting the question ever since he committed himself to an immigration agreement with Mexico when he visited President Vicente Fox in Guanajuato almost exactly five years ago.	{ "source": "news_commentary", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
パスワードの話題を良く耳にします多くの人がパスワードの事にもどかしさを感じています自分が覚えることの出来るそれでいて誰も思いつかないとても良いパスワードをひとつ考えるだけでも十分大変なのに百の異なるシステムのアカウントを持ち各システムごとに異なるパスワードを持たなければならないとどうでしょう? 大変ですよねカーネギーメロン大学ではかつて簡単にパスワードを覚えれるようになっていましたパスワードを覚えれるようになっていました 2009年までのパスワードに必要な条件は最低1文字を使ったパスワードを持つことでした簡単でしょでも大学はこれを変更し 2009年の終わりに新しいポリシーになることを発表しました新しいポリシーの条件はパスワードが最低8文字であること大文字小文字を含むこと数字記号を含むこと同じ文字を3回以上使用しないことそして辞書にある単語ではないことでしたさてこの新しいポリシーが実施された時私の同僚や友人大勢の人々が私の所にやってきてこう言いました「これこそ本当に使えない何故こんなことをするんだ止められなかったのかい?」そして私はこう言いました「あのね尋ねてくれなかったの」ただ私は興味を持ったのでコンピュータシステムの担当の方になぜこの新しいポリシーを導入することになったのか聞きに行くことにしましたそして彼らは大学がコンソーシアムに入り加盟条件のひとつが新しい条件を満たすパスワードの強化だったと教えてくれましたパスワードが大きなエントロピーを有するという条件ですさてエントロピーとは分かりにくい単語ですね基本的にパスワードのセキュリティーの強さを測る単語ですですが問題はエントロピーを測る標準規格が無いことです米国標準技術局にはエントロピーを測定するための経験則を使った一連のガイドラインがありますですがそれらは具体的ではありませんガイドラインが経験側だけである理由は彼らがパスワードの十分なデータを持っていないからです彼らがパスワードの十分なデータを持っていないからです実際レポートにはこう記されています「残念ながら特定の規則の下で選択されたパスワードのデータを多く持っておりません NISTはユーザーが実際選択したパスワードのデータをより多く取得したいのですがシステム管理者は当然の事ながら他者にパスワードデータを公表するのに消極的です」これが問題なのですが私たち研究グループはそれを良い機会と捉えました「なるほど質の良いパスワードデータが必要とされているおそらく私達でデータを集めてこの分野の水準を高めることが出来るだろう」とそこで私達が最初にしたことはチョコレートバーを買ってきてキャンパスを歩き回り学生や教員たちと話をしたことでしたそして彼らのパスワードに関する情報を尋ねましたもちろん「パスワードを教えて下さい」とは言いませんただパスワードについて質問したのですどの位の長さか? 数字を含むか? 記号を含むか? 先週新しいパスワードを作らないといけないのをめんどくさいと思ったか? こうして学生教員職員 470人から結果を得ることができこうして学生教員職員 470人から結果を得ることができ新しいポリシーは実際うっとうしく思われていること事を確認しました新しいポリシーは実際うっとうしく思われていること事を確認しましたしかし同時に新しいパスワード規定をより安全と感じたと言った人もいることが分かりました多くの人がパスワードを書き残すべきではないと理解していて調査対象の13%の人だけがそうしていていましたしかしながら不安なことに 80%の人がパスワードを使い回していると答えたのです実はこちらの方がパスワードを書き残すより危険なのですなぜならハッカーの攻撃を受けやすくするからですですのでもしどうしても必要なのであれば書き残してください使い回さないでください私達はまた面白い事を発見しましたそれはパスワードで使われる記号についてです CMUでは 32種類の記号が使用可能ですがご覧の通りほとんどの人がごく限られた記号を使用していますですので実際はシンボルを使用することでのパスワードの強化はあまり得られませんこれは本当に興味深い調査でした私達は 470人のデータを得たわけですが世の中全体から見るとそんなに多くのデータではありませんですのでどこで追加のパスワードデータを見つける事が出来るか探し始めましたそして世の中にはパスワードを盗む人達が大勢いて彼らは盗んだパスワードをよくインターネット上に公開している事が分かりましたそこから私たちは盗まれたパスワードにアクセスすることが出来ましたただこれらは研究には理想的ではありませんなぜならこれらのパスワードがどこから来たのかまたどの様なポリシーの下に作られたのか分からないからですですので私達はもっと出所のはっきりしたデータが欲しかったのですそこで私達が出来るのは研究用に人々にパスワードを作ってもらうことでした研究用に人々にパスワードを作ってもらうことでしたそこでアマゾンメカニカルタークというサービスを使いましたこれは一分から数分一時間単位で出来る小さな仕事を投稿し 1¢10¢ 数$ を支払いタスクを実行してもらうサービスです報酬はアマゾンを経由して支払います私達はルールに従ったパスワードを作って調査に答えてもらうのに 50¢ほど支払いましたそしてまたお金を払って2日後戻ってきてもらい作ったパスワードでログインし他の調査に答えてもらいましたこれで 5千個のパスワードを集めましたまたいくつかの異なるポリシーの下でパスワードを作って貰いました人によってはベーシック8 と呼ばれるとてもやさしいポリシーで最低8文字のパスワードを作ることがルールというものでしたある人はとても難解なポリシーを与えられましたこれは CMUのポリシーととても似ていて最低8文字でなければならず大文字小文字数字そして記号を含み辞書の検査に通らなければなりません非常に多くの調査の中試みたポリシーを一つ上げるとベーシック16と呼ばれるもので満たさなければならない条件は最低16文字であるというだけですこうして 5千のパスワードを獲得しはるかに詳細な情報を得ることができました再び私達はパスワードにほんの少しの種類の記号しか使われていない事を知りましたまた私達は作られたパスワードのセキュリティーの高さを知りたかったのですがご存知の通りパスワードの性能を測る良い基準がありませんですのでハッカーが使うクラッキングツールを使い又は研究資料から得られる情報を使い又は研究資料から得られる情報を使いどの程度の時間でパスワードを解読できるかを測定の基準にすることにしましたさてハッカーがどのようにパスワードを解読するか少しお教えしましょう彼らは全てのパスワードが暗号化されたハッシュと呼ばれるパスワードファイルを盗みパスワードを推測しそれに対してハッシュ関数を実行しその結果が彼らが盗んだパスワードリストのハッシュと一致するか調べるのです馬鹿なハッカーは全てのパスワードを順番に試していきます AAAAA から始まり AAAABを次に試すようにこの作業は実際誰かが使っていそうなパスワードに辿り着くまでにすごい時間を費やします一方賢いハッカーはもっと賢い方法をとります彼らは盗んだパスワードの一覧からよく使われているとされているパスワードを調べます最初にそれらを推測するのです "password" を推測することから始め "I love you" や "monkey"や "12345678" などを推測するわけですなぜなら皆が使っている可能性が高いパスワードがあるからです実際にあなた方のうち何人かはこれらのパスワードを使っているでしょうさてご説明したテストを収集した5千のパスワードで実行してセキュリティーの強度をチェックしたところ長いパスワードは実際安全性が高いことそして複雑なパスワードも安全性が高いことが分かりましたしかしながら調査データを見ると人々は複雑なパスワードに苛立ちを感じていることがわかりましたそして長いパスワードの方がより使いやすく場合によっては複雑なパスワードより安全性が高い事がわかりましたこれはパスワードに記号や数字を入れたり複雑な事をお願いするよりもただ長いパスワードを作るようにお願いした方が良いかもしれないという事を意味していますただここで問題があります人によってはそんなに安全性の高くない長いパスワードを使っていた事ですハッカーが簡単に推測できる長いパスワードを作ることもできてしまうので長いパスワードを作ることもできてしまうので長いというだけではダメなのです何か追加の条件が必要なのです現在私達が継続している研究のひとつはどのような追加条件を付け加えると簡単に覚えられてタイプできる安全性の高いパスワードを作れるかです安全性の高いパスワードを作る事のできる他の手段としてパスワードメーターがありますここにいくつかの例を上げますパスワードを作成するときインターネットでこれらを見たことがあるかもしれません私達はこれらのパスワードメーターが実際機能しているか調査することにしましたメーターは安全性の高いパスワードを作るのを助けているのかそうであればどのメーターが良いのか? 私達は色々なパスワードメーターをテストしました異なる大きさ形色メーターの横の言葉が違うものウサギが踊るメーターさえもテストしました良いパスワードであればあるほどウサギのダンスが早くなりますこれは結構面白かったかったですよ調査の結果パスワードメータは機能しているという事が分かりましたほとんどのパスワードメーターは有効ですウサギが踊るメータも効果的でしたしかし最も効果的なパスワードメーターはメーターがOKをだすまでパスワードを考える努力を強制するというものでしたパスワードを考える努力を強制するというものでした今日インターネット上にあるパスワードメーターのほとんどは優しすぎるのですパスワードメーターのほとんどは優しすぎるのですメーターは OKを早く出しすぎているので OKサインを出す前にもう少し待つように設定されていたらより良いパスワードになっていたことでしょう良いパスワードを作るもうひとつの方法はパス’ワード’の変わりにパス’フレーズ’を使うことですこれは 2年前の xkcd の漫画ですこの漫画家はパスフレーズを使うことを推薦していますそして2行目を見ていただくと漫画家はこう言っています「correct horse battery staple」は (正解馬バッテリーホッチキス) とても安全性の高いパスフレーズでそしてとても覚えやすいものだと実際あなたはすでに覚えたでしょうと彼は言っていますそこで私達はこれが本当かどうか研究することにしました実際私がパスワードの研究をしていると話した人皆が実際私がパスワードの研究をしていると話した人皆がこの漫画の事を指摘しました「おー xkcdの漫画見たことある? 正解馬バッテリーホッチキス」そこで実際どうなのか調査しましたそこで実際どうなのか調査しました調査には再びメカニカルタークを使いコンピュータにパスフレーズのランダムな単語を選択させましたこうした理由は人間はランダムに単語を選ぶのが苦手だからです人にこれをお願いするとそんなにランダムではない単語を選んでしまうのです私達はいくつか違う条件を試しましたひとつはコンピュータに辞書の中から良く使われる英単語を選択させるようにしましたこの様なフレーズです "try there three come" 私達はこれを見てこう言いました「うむこれはあまり覚えやすそうにないな」とそこで私達はスピーチの特定の部分の単語を使うことを試みましたすなわち名詞‐動詞‐形容詞‐名詞というような何か文章のようなもので以下の様なパスフレーズです "plan builds sure power" や "end determines red drug" ですこれらは覚えやすそうで人々にもう少し好まれそうに見えました私達はこれらをパスワードと比較したかったのでコンピュータにランダムなパスワードを選択させましたこれらはとても短いですがご覧の通り覚えやすそうには見えません次に私達は発音できるパスワードというものを試すことにしましたコンピュータがランダムな音節を選択しそれを発音可能になるように組み立てますそれを発音可能になるように組み立てます "tufritive" や "vadasabi"ように発音しやすいようなものにするのですこれらがコンピュータによって作られたランダムなパスワードですこの研究で発見したことは驚いたことにパスフレーズはそんなに良いものではないということでした人々はランダムなパスワードよりもパスフレーズを覚えることに関してそんなに長けてはいなかったのですなぜならパスフレーズは長く入力に時間が掛かるのでタイプする時に間違ってしまうからですですのでパスフレーズの圧勝というわけにはいきませんでした xkcd ファンの皆さんごめんなさい一方私達は発音可能なパスワードが驚くほど上手く機能していることが分かったので意外に上手く機能していることが分かったのでこの方法をさらに機能的にすることが出来るかもう少し研究をすることにしました私達が行なったいくつかの研究の中での問題のひとつは私達が行なったいくつかの研究の中での問題のひとつはこれら研究全てでメカニカルタークが使われていてこれら研究全てでメカニカルタークが使われていて実際のパスワードではないことですメカニカルタークで作ったものかコンピュータが研究用に作った物なのです私達は一般の方々が実際本当のパスワードで同じような行動を取るか知りたいと思いましたそこで私達はカーネギーメロンの情報セキュリティーオフィスに学校皆のパスワードを調査できないか尋ねました予想通り彼らは私達に見せることを少し躊躇していましたが何とか彼らと共にあるシステムを成立させました大学の生徒教員職員 2万5千個のパスワードを鍵をかけた部屋にあるロックされたコンピュータに入れインターネットから遮断した上でパスワードを解析する為に私達が書いたコードを彼らに実行してもらいました彼らは私達のコードを検閲しコードを実行しましたですので私達は実際に誰のパスワードも見ていません研究から面白い結果を得ました後ろにいるテッパーの学生にはとても興味深いものだと思いますコンピュータサイエンス学部に属している学生が作ったパスワードは経営学部の学生のものより 1.8倍安全性が高いことが分かりました私達はまたとても興味深い人口学的情報もたくさん得ることができました他に発見した興味深いことはメカニカルタークで作成されたパスワードとカーネギーメロンのパスワードを比較したときそれらはとても似ていたことですこれは研究方法を実証する助けとなりメカニカルタークを使ってパスワードを集める事は研究に正当な方法であることを示していましたこれは良いニュースでしたさて去年私が大学の芸術学部で研究休暇を取った時の事をお話して終わりにしたいと思います私がやった事のひとつはたくさんのキルトを作った事ですここにあるキルトも作りました「セキュリティーブランケット」といいます (笑) このキルトにはRockYou サイトから盗まれたパスワードのうち最も頻度の高い千個のパスワードが縫いこまれていますそしてパスワードの大きさは盗まれたデータセットの中に現れる頻度に比例しています私はこれらの単語のワードクラウドを作り千個全ての単語を見直し大体のテーマ別のカテゴリーに分類しました大体のテーマ別のカテゴリーに分類しました時としてどのカテゴリーに属すか判断するのが難しい物もありましたそして私はそれらを色分けしましたこれらが難しかった例のいくつかです例えば "justin" これはユーザーの名前でしょうか彼氏又は息子の名前でしょうか? ジャスティンビーバーのファンかもしれませんあるいは "princess" ニックネームでしょうか? ディズニープリンセスのファンでしょうか? ひょっとしたら猫の名前かもしれません「Iloveyou」は色々な言語でよく見受けられましたパスワードには愛が込められているのです注意深く見ているとみだらな言葉が使われているのも見受けられますでも憎しみよりもはるかに多くの愛の言葉がパスワードに使われていることはとても興味深いことですそして動物多くの動物の名前が使われています「monkey」 (サル)は最もよく使われる動物で全体の人気パスワードの中でも14位に入ります私はこれをとても興味深く思い「なぜサルがこんなにも人気なのか?」と疑問に思いましたですので最後の研究に "monkey" とパスワードに入れた人を探しなぜサルをパスワードに入れたのか尋ねることにしましたそして分かったことは -今のところ「サル」の単語を使ったと思われる人を17人を見つけました- 約1/3の人はペットに“サル"と名付けた約1/3の人はペットに“サル"と名付けた又は “サル" というあだ名の友達がいるということでしたそして他の約1/3はサルが好きで可愛いいと思っている言っていました彼は本当に可愛いですね結局のところ私達はパスワードを作るとき入力するのがとても簡単なものありがちなパターン "password"という単語やあるいはアカウント名を連想するものなど脆弱なものを選んでしまうのですもしくは私達を幸せにしてくれるものを思い浮かべそれをもとにパスワードを作りますこういったパスワードは覚えやすくて入力するのも楽しいのですが同時に簡単に破られてしまいます同時に簡単に破られてしまいますですので TED Talksの多くはとても感動的で私達に素敵で幸せな事を考えさせてくれますがパスワードを作るときは他の事を考えて作るようにしてくださいありがとうございました	A lot of people are frustrated with passwords, and it's bad enough when you have to have one really good password but nobody else is going to be able to guess. But what do you do when you have accounts on a hundred different systems and you're supposed to have a unique password for each of these systems? It's tough. At Carnegie Mellon, they used to make it actually pretty easy for us to remember our passwords. The password requirement up through 2009 was just that you had to have a password with at least one character. Pretty easy. But then they changed things, and at the end of 2009, they announced that we were going to have a new policy, and this new policy required passwords that were at least eight characters long, with an uppercase letter, lowercase letter, a digit, a symbol, you couldn't use the same character more than three times, and it wasn't allowed to be in a dictionary. Now, when they implemented this new policy, a lot of people, my colleagues and friends, came up to me and they said, "Wow, now that's really unusable. Why are they doing this to us, and why didn't you stop them?" And I said, "Well, you know what? They didn't ask me." But I got curious, and I decided to go talk to the people in charge of our computer systems and find out what led them to introduce this new policy, and they said that the university had joined a consortium of universities, and one of the requirements of membership was that we had to have stronger passwords that complied with some new requirements, and these requirements were that our passwords had to have a lot of entropy. Now entropy is a complicated term, but basically it measures the strength of passwords. But the thing is, there isn't actually a standard measure of entropy. Now, the National Institute of Standards and Technology has a set of guidelines which have some rules of thumb for measuring entropy, but they don't have anything too specific, and the reason they only have rules of thumb is it turns out they don't actually have any good data on passwords. In fact, their report states, "Unfortunately, we do not have much data on the passwords users choose under particular rules. NIST would like to obtain more data on the passwords users actually choose, but system administrators are understandably reluctant to reveal password data to others." So this is a problem, but our research group looked at it as an opportunity. We said, "Well, there's a need for good password data. Maybe we can collect some good password data and actually advance the state of the art here. So the first thing we did is, we got a bag of candy bars and we walked around campus and talked to students, faculty and staff, and asked them for information about their passwords. Now we didn't say, "Give us your password." No, we just asked them about their password. How long is it? Does it have a digit? Does it have a symbol? And were you annoyed at having to create a new one last week? So we got results from 470 students, faculty and staff, and indeed we confirmed that the new policy was very annoying, but we also found that people said they felt more secure with these new passwords. We found that most people knew they were not supposed to write their password down, and only 13 percent of them did, but disturbingly, 80 percent of people said they were reusing their password. Now, this is actually more dangerous than writing your password down, because it makes you much more susceptible to attackers. So if you have to, write your passwords down, but don't reuse them. We also found some interesting things about the symbols people use in passwords. So CMU allows 32 possible symbols, but as you can see, there's only a small number that most people are using, so we're not actually getting very much strength from the symbols in our passwords. So this was a really interesting study, and now we had data from 470 people, but in the scheme of things, that's really not very much password data, and so we looked around to see where could we find additional password data? So it turns out there are a lot of people going around stealing passwords, and they often go and post these passwords on the Internet. So we were able to get access to some of these stolen password sets. This is still not really ideal for research, though, because it's not entirely clear where all of these passwords came from, or exactly what policies were in effect when people created these passwords. So we wanted to find some better source of data. So we decided that one thing we could do is we could do a study and have people actually create passwords for our study. So we used a service called Amazon Mechanical Turk, and this is a service where you can post a small job online that takes a minute, and pay people, a penny, ten cents, a few dollars, to do a task for you, and then you pay them through Amazon.com. So we paid people about 50 cents to create a password following our rules and answering a survey, and then we paid them again to come back two days later and log in using their password and answering another survey. So we did this, and we collected 5,000 passwords, and we gave people a bunch of different policies to create passwords with. So some people had a pretty easy policy, we call it Basic8, and here the only rule was that your password had to have at least eight characters. Then some people had a much harder policy, and this was very similar to the CMU policy, that it had to have eight characters including uppercase, lowercase, digit, symbol, and pass a dictionary check. And one of the other policies we tried, and there were a whole bunch more, but one of the ones we tried was called Basic16, and the only requirement here was that your password had to have at least 16 characters. All right, so now we had 5,000 passwords, and so we had much more detailed information. Again we see that there's only a small number of symbols that people are actually using in their passwords. We also wanted to get an idea of how strong the passwords were that people were creating, but as you may recall, there isn't a good measure of password strength. So what we decided to do was to see how long it would take to crack these passwords using the best cracking tools that the bad guys are using, or that we could find information about in the research literature. So to give you an idea of how bad guys go about cracking passwords, they will steal a password file that will have all of the passwords in kind of a scrambled form, called a hash, and so what they'll do is they'll make a guess as to what a password is, run it through a hashing function, and see whether it matches the passwords they have on their stolen password list. So a dumb attacker will try every password in order. They'll start with AAAAA and move on to AAAAB, and this is going to take a really long time before they get any passwords that people are really likely to actually have. A smart attacker, on the other hand, does something much more clever. They look at the passwords that are known to be popular from these stolen password sets, and they guess those first. So they're going to start by guessing "password," and then they'll guess "I love you," and "monkey," because these are the passwords that are most likely for people to have. In fact, some of you probably have these passwords. So what we found by running all of these 5,000 passwords we collected through these tests to see how strong they were, we found that the long passwords were actually pretty strong, and the complex passwords were pretty strong too. However, when we looked at the survey data, we saw that people were really frustrated by the very complex passwords, and the long passwords were a lot more usable, and in some cases, they were actually even stronger than the complex passwords. So this suggests that, to put all these symbols and numbers and crazy things into their passwords, we might be better off just telling people to have long passwords. Now here's the problem, though: Some people had long passwords that actually weren't very strong. You can make long passwords that are still the sort of thing that an attacker could easily guess. So we need to do more than just say long passwords. There has to be some additional requirements, and some of our ongoing research is looking at what additional requirements we should add to make for stronger passwords that also are going to be easy for people to remember and type. Another approach to getting people to have stronger passwords is to use a password meter. Here are some examples. You may have seen these on the Internet when you were creating passwords. We decided to do a study to find out whether these password meters actually work. Do they actually help people have stronger passwords, and if so, which ones are better? So we tested password meters that were different sizes, shapes, colors, different words next to them, and we even tested one that was a dancing bunny. As you type a better password, the bunny dances faster and faster. So this was pretty fun. What we found was that password meters do work. Most of the password meters were actually effective, and the dancing bunny was very effective too, but the password meters that were the most effective were the ones that made you work harder before they gave you that thumbs up and said you were doing a good job, and in fact we found that most of the password meters on the Internet today are too soft. They tell you you're doing a good job too early, and if they would just wait a little bit before giving you that positive feedback, you probably would have better passwords. Now another approach to better passwords, perhaps, is to use pass phrases instead of passwords. So this was an xkcd cartoon from a couple of years ago, and the cartoonist suggests that we should all use pass phrases, and if you look at the second row of this cartoon, you can see the cartoonist is suggesting that the pass phrase "correct horse battery staple" would be a very strong pass phrase and something really easy to remember. He says, in fact, you've already remembered it. And so we decided to do a research study to find out whether this was true or not. In fact, everybody who I talk to, who I mention I'm doing password research, they point out this cartoon. "Oh, have you seen it? That xkcd. Correct horse battery staple." So we did the research study to see what would actually happen. So in our study, we used Mechanical Turk again, and we had the computer pick the random words in the pass phrase. Now the reason we did this is that humans are not very good at picking random words. If we asked a human to do it, they would pick things that were not very random. So we tried a few different conditions. In one condition, the computer picked from a dictionary of the very common words in the English language, and so you'd get pass phrases like "try there three come." And we looked at that, and we said, "Well, that doesn't really seem very memorable." So then we tried picking words that came from specific parts of speech, so how about noun-verb-adjective-noun. That comes up with something that's sort of sentence-like. So you can get a pass phrase like "plan builds sure power" or "end determines red drug." And these seemed a little bit more memorable, and maybe people would like those a little bit better. We wanted to compare them with passwords, and so we had the computer pick random passwords, and these were nice and short, but as you can see, they don't really look very memorable. And then we decided to try something called a pronounceable password. So here the computer picks random syllables and puts them together so you have something sort of pronounceable, like "tufritvi" and "vadasabi." That one kind of rolls off your tongue. So these were random passwords that were generated by our computer. So what we found in this study was that, surprisingly, pass phrases were not actually all that good. People were not really better at remembering the pass phrases than these random passwords, and because the pass phrases are longer, they took longer to type and people made more errors while typing them in. So it's not really a clear win for pass phrases. Sorry, all of you xkcd fans. On the other hand, we did find that pronounceable passwords worked surprisingly well, and so we actually are doing some more research to see if we can make that approach work even better. So one of the problems with some of the studies that we've done is that because they're all done using Mechanical Turk, these are not people's real passwords. They're the passwords that they created or the computer created for them for our study. would actually behave the same way with their real passwords. So we talked to the information security office at Carnegie Mellon and asked them if we could have everybody's real passwords. Not surprisingly, they were a little bit reluctant to share them with us, but we were actually able to work out a system with them where they put all of the real passwords for 25,000 CMU students, faculty and staff, into a locked computer in a locked room, not connected to the Internet, and they ran code on it that we wrote to analyze these passwords. They audited our code. They ran the code. And so we never actually saw anybody's password. We got some interesting results, and those of you Tepper students in the back will be very interested in this. So we found that the passwords created by people affiliated with the school of computer science were actually 1.8 times stronger than those affiliated with the business school. We have lots of other really interesting demographic information as well. The other interesting thing that we found is that when we compared the Carnegie Mellon passwords to the Mechanical Turk-generated passwords, there was actually a lot of similarities, and so this helped validate our research method and show that actually, collecting passwords using these Mechanical Turk studies is actually a valid way to study passwords. So that was good news. Okay, I want to close by talking about some insights I gained while on sabbatical last year in the Carnegie Mellon art school. One of the things that I did is I made a number of quilts, and I made this quilt here. It's called "Security Blanket." And this quilt has the 1,000 most frequent passwords stolen from the RockYou website. And the size of the passwords is proportional to how frequently they appeared in the stolen dataset. And what I did is I created this word cloud, and I went through all 1,000 words, and I categorized them into loose thematic categories. And it was, in some cases, it was kind of difficult to figure out what category they should be in, and then I color-coded them. So here are some examples of the difficulty. So "justin." Is that the name of the user, their boyfriend, their son? Maybe they're a Justin Bieber fan. Or "princess." Is that a nickname? Are they Disney princess fans? Or maybe that's the name of their cat. "Iloveyou" appears many times in many different languages. There's a lot of love in these passwords. If you look carefully, you'll see there's also but it was really interesting to me to see that there's a lot more love than hate in these passwords. And there are animals, a lot of animals, and "monkey" is the most common animal and the 14th most popular password overall. And this was really curious to me, and I wondered, "Why are monkeys so popular?" And so in our last password study, any time we detected somebody creating a password with the word "monkey" in it, we asked them why they had a monkey in their password. And what we found out -- we found 17 people so far, I think, who have the word "monkey" -- We found out about a third of them said they have a pet named "monkey" or a friend whose nickname is "monkey," and about a third of them said that they just like monkeys and monkeys are really cute. And that guy is really cute. So it seems that at the end of the day, when we make passwords, we either make something that's really easy to type, a common pattern, or things that remind us of the word password or the account that we've created the password for, or whatever. Or we think about things that make us happy, and we create our password And while this makes typing and remembering your password more fun, it also makes it a lot easier to guess your password. So I know a lot of these TED Talks are inspirational and they make you think about nice, happy things, but when you're creating your password, try to think about something else. Thank you.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
部屋に戻った俺たちは、フィニアから買い物の途中で起こったことを聞いた。以前であった酔っ払いに絡まれ、路地に連れ込まれた挙句、怪しげな薬で人外魔境な存在に変身され襲われたというのだ。もしこれが別の町で聞いた話なら『またまた、ご冗談を』と笑い飛ばしていたことだろう。「その薬が、レメク親子が取り扱ってるやつなのかな?」「それはどうかわかりませんが、あの力はもはや人の限界を超えたモノかと。単純な破壊力だけならライエル様にも匹敵するかもしれません」「うへぇ」ライエルの剛腕は、仲間だった俺が最もよく知っている。奴は本能的に最適解を引き当てる戦闘術のギフトを持ってはいるが、攻撃力を底上げするような能力は持っていない。そこでタフネスのギフトを最大限活用し、普通の人間なら倒れてもおかしくない修練を積み上げて会得したのが、あの身体能力だ。その鍛え上げた肉体は、家宝の聖剣の威力も相まって、天下無双と言える殺傷力を奴に与えていた。それに匹敵するとなると、もはや人の域を越えている。俺もフル強化してようやく上回れるかというほどである。「でもでも、それをデンさんがこう、ビシーッでやっつけちゃったんですよ! すっごく強かったです」「へぇ、デンが、ねぇ?」少しばかり興奮気味なフィニアの態度に、俺はデンに対して嫉妬めいた感情を覚えていた。なんというか、今まで一途に俺を思ってくれていた彼女が、他所の男に目を向けることが非常に気に入らない。「そんなに強いなら、一度手合わせしてみる?」「無理です。死にますからやめてください」「なんで? フィニアの話からすると、結構いい勝負になるんじゃない?」「私の力はしょせん付け焼刃にすぎません。基礎の身体能力と、ハスタール様よりご教授願った身体強化魔法と格闘術が少々。それではとてもニコル様の相手などできません」「そうかな?」デンはオーガから上位の個体へと進化している。その身体能力は、小柄になったとはいえ以前より劣るものではない。むしろ無駄な肉を削ぎ落とし、最大効率で力を発揮できる肉体になっている。この辺は武器の進化と同じで、最初は無駄の多い効率の悪い大きさを。続いて威力を求め大型化。やがて最大効率を発揮できる大きさへと小型化していくという流れがある。モンスターもこれに関しては同じで、オーガの時は無駄な大きさと大きさに見合わぬ程度の強さしかもっていなかった。これがハイオーガ、オーガジェネラルなどに進化していくと、身体はどんどん大きく、腕力も強くなっていく。そこへきて、身体強化魔法だの、格闘術だのを会得しているのであれば、いい勝負ができそうなものだが。「ニコル様の戦闘術は、鍛え上げ、研ぎ澄ませてきた物です。数年齧った程度の私では、とてもとても......」「そう? まあ、気が進まないなら無理にとは言わないけど」それより今はフィニアの話だ。話が逸れてしまったが、その薬の出所を調べたいところだった。しかし、相手はすでに死亡しており、死体もすでに街の衛士が回収していることだろう。「できるなら、その小瓶を調べてみたかったな」「人目が集まってきておりましたので、失念しておりました。申し訳ありません」「いや、変に注目が集まるよりはよかったよ。でもそ組、ただの復讐だといいんだけど」「それにしてはタイミングよく薬を入手したものだという疑惑は残りますわ」「効果も危険すぎます。完全に理性を失っていたようですし、あんな物が市街に広がっていたら、大混乱になるはずです」レティーナとフィニアが矢継ぎ早に疑問を提示する。確かに男たちに絡まれてから、しばらくの時間は経っているが、それほど長いという時間でもない。その短期間に危険な薬を入手したというのは、レティーナの言う通りタイミングが良すぎる気がする。それに効果もだ。人として崩壊してしまうような薬が出回っては、最低限の街の治安すら維持できない。どんな薬かは知らないが、服用量を間違った時点でモンスター化してしまったら、街中にモンスターを飼うような状態になってしまう。「そいつらだけが、特別効果のキツイ薬を持たされたって可能性もあるか?」「流通者がわざわざ?」「あの時はレティーナやわたしの顔も見られてるからね。狙うとしたら、そういう手もあるかもしれない」「まあ、ニコルさんがそういうなら、そうかもしれませんわね」レティーナはそう納得してくれたが、正直言って発言した俺ですら半信半疑ではある。そもそも、カインが積極的にこちらを狙うような敵対行動は、まだ取っていないはずだ。室内を調べはしたが、それが俺だと特定されるようなヘマはしていない。先ほどはフィニアとデンの二人の所在が分からず、焦って混乱したが、ことさら彼女たちが狙われるような理由はないはずなのだ。「こちらが目をつけられる何かがあった、ということなのかな?」「だとすれば、今後は警戒せねばなりませんわね」「うん。フィニアとデンも気を付けて。あとミシェルちゃんたちにも警告しないと」「では私が行ってまいりましょう」俺の言葉を受けて、デンが立ち上がる。しかしそれを手で制して、再び席に座らせた。「落ち着いて。さっきも言ったように、警戒しなきゃいけないのにデン単独で動いてどうするの」「それは......」「むしろここは隠密行動に適したわたしが行くべきでしょ」俺が隠密のギフトを使った場合、学生程度では捕捉することはできない。つまり部屋を抜け出したことすら悟られず、外に出ることができる。ましてや今の俺には幻覚を纏う指輪もある。別人に成りすましておけば、狙われる可能性も少ないだろう。「しかしニコル様お一人では――」「元々単独行動は得意だし。それはデンも知っているでしょ?」彼はハスタール神の元にいた。つまり白いの――破戒神も近くにいたわけで、俺の転生前の姿については、すでに聞き及んでいる。なのでレイドとしての能力は、デンも承知しているはずだった。「はい、それはもう。ですがやはり」「心配性だね。まあわからないでもないけど。じゃあ、今度みんなで行くことにしよう」「それなら、安心ですね」すでに入寮してしばらくの時が立つ。生活必需品が足りなくて買い出しに行くという口実はもう使えない。だが、それならそれでやりようがある。椅子の足の一本でも折っておけば、修理の名目で外に出ることができる。もちろんその荷物を持ち出すための労働力として、使用人を連れ出すのも、不自然ではない。こうして俺たちは、再び街に繰り出すことになったのだった。	When we returned to the room, Finia told us what happened during their shopping. How they got involved with the drunkards from before, brought into an alley, and were attacked by a monstrous being after one of the men devoured a strange drug. If I heard it in any other town, I would’ve laughed it off as a joke. But anything could happen in this city. “Is that the drug the Lamech family is dealing in?” “I’m not sure about that, but his strength was already beyond that of a human. In pure destructive power, he could even match up to Lord Lyell.” “Woah.” Being his comrade, I knew very well how strong Lyell was. He held the Gift of Combat Tactics which allowed him to instinctively make the best move in any situation, but he didn’t have any Gift that boosted his attack power. The reason behind his abilities was that he utilized the Gift of Toughness to the extreme, and trained to the point that a normal human would’ve long collapsed. His forged body, coupled with the heirloom Holy Sword’s power, granted him an unrivaled level of lethality. If someone matched up to him, that someone would no longer be human. It would be at a level where I’m not sure I’d be able to exceed even with full strengthening. “But then, Den went booom, and took him down with one move! He was super strong!” “Huh, Den, really?” Seeing Finia’s somewhat excited attitude, I felt a little jealous towards Den. It’s like, she was always focused entirely on me, so I really didn’t like her looking at other men. “If you’re that strong, would you like to have a match?” “That would be impossible. I will die so please stop.” “Why? If what Finia said is true, it should be a decent match, right?” “My power is something superficial. It is dependent on my basic physical abilities and the strengthening magic and hand-to-hand combat that Lord Hastur taught me. That will not allow me to take you on at all, Lady Nicole.” “Is that so?” Den had evolved into a superior species from an Ogre. His physical abilities were by no means inferior to what they used to be, even if his body grew smaller. Rather, with his excess flesh gone, his body could now output the power with the highest efficiency. He was like weapons in that regard. At first, they tended to be bulky and full of inefficiency. Then they would be adjusted to a big size that offered power. And finally, they would narrow to a size that offered the highest efficiency. Monsters were similar to that. When one was an Ogre, they had an unnecessarily big size and power that did not fit their size. As they evolved into a High Ogre, Ogre General, and so on, their body grew larger and stronger. However, when they reached an Ogre Lord, their body instead grew smaller, which apparently allowed them to output their power with the highest efficiency. Adding body strengthening magic and hand-to-hand combat to that should’ve made him a good opponent for me. “Lady Nicole’s power combat skills have been forged and polished for years. I who only dabbled in it for a few years could not possibly...” “Really? Well, if you aren’t willing I’m not going to force you.” Anyway, what Finia said matters more now. We digressed, but I wanted to investigate where that medicine came from. But they were already dead, and the guards probably already recovered their corpses too. “If possible, I wanted to investigate the said drug bottle.” “There were too many eyes on us, so I forgot to retrieve it. My apologies.” “No, it’s better than drawing too much attention towards you two. Still, I wish those three were simply doing this for revenge.” “It would be far too convenient for them to obtain that drug at such a timing.” “The effects of it are also too dangerous. He seemed to have completely lost his reason. If something like that spread in the city, it would lead to an uproar.” Letina and Finia presented their respective takes. Certainly, some time had passed since they made a move on us, but it hasn’t been that long ago. Obtaining a dangerous drug in such a short time felt far too convenient as Letina said. There’s also its effect too. If a medicine that destroyed someone’s humanity spread around, we couldn’t even guarantee the city’s safety. I didn’t know what kind of drug it was, but if overdose leads to getting turned into a monster, it will be like keeping monsters inside the city. “Is there a possibility that only those men were given drugs with such drastic effects?” “You mean the distributor did it intentionally?” “Letina and my face were seen back then too. If they were aiming at us, making that move seems likely.” “Yeah, if you say that, Nicole, it might be the case.” Letina was convinced, but honestly, even I was only half-convinced in my own statement. In the first place, Cain still hadn’t taken a clearly antagonistic attitude towards us so far. I checked his room, but I didn’t make any blunder that would reveal my identity. Earlier I couldn’t think clearly because I didn’t know Finia and Den’s whereabouts, but thinking back, there was no reason to deliberately target them. “Could it be that something happened that had him zero in on us?” “If that’s the case, we have to be extra careful from now on.” “Yeah. You should be careful too, Finia, Den. We should warn Michelle and Cloud too.” “Then I shall go and tell them.” Den stood up at my words. But I grabbed his hand and made him sit. “Calm down. As I already said, we have to be careful, so I can’t have you acting alone.” “But...” “I who excels in covert operations should be the one to go instead.” If I used my Stealth Gift, some students would be unable to detect me. In other words, as long as it wasn’t revealed that I left my room, I could head outside. Not to mention, I had my illusion ring on me too now. If I just assumed a different appearance, the possibility of being targeted would be negligible. “But Lady Nicole, going alone would be—” “I excel at independent actions. You should know that too, Den.” He was at God Hastur’s side. In other words, he was also near Whitey—the God of Destruction, so he should have heard of my life before reincarnating. As such, he should be well aware of my ability as Reid. “Yes, of course. But still.” “You really are a worrywart. I do get it though. Then let’s all go together later.” “That would put me at ease.” It has been quite some time since I moved into the dormitory. The excuse that I needed daily necessities would no longer work to slip out. But I still had my ways to deal with it. If I just break one leg of a chair, I could slip out under the pretext of doing repairs on it. And naturally, taking my servant along to carry the luggage wouldn’t be unnatural either. Like that, we decided to head out to the city once again.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 0, "inserted_lines_src": 2, "inserted_lines_trg": 1 }
ティルラちゃんは最後までついて行きたそうにしていたが、眠気が限界らしく舟を漕ぎ始めたのでライラさんが部屋まで連れて行った。セバスチャンさんは馬車の用意、クレアさんは出かける用意をしに自室へ、俺も部屋に戻って来たけど(ようやく客間と部屋の間を案内無しで行き来出来るくらいには覚えた)、持ち物なんて無いから準備する事も無いんだよなぁ。とりあえず移動中や街でどうなるかわからないから、トイレだけは済ませておこう。約1時間後、玄関ホールに俺とレオ、クレアさんとセバスチャンさんが集まる。見送りのためか、10人くらいの執事とメイドさんが並んでいる。皆が集まった頃になって、玄関を開けて鎧を着た人入って来た。俺がこの屋敷に来た時、門にいた人達だと思う。「セバスチャン殿、馬車等の準備は全て整いました」「ご苦労様です。タクミさん、こちらのお二人は今日の護衛を任せる者達です」「タクミです。よろしくお願いします」「フィリップと申します。リーベルト家の護衛兵士長を務めさせて頂いております。本日はクレアお嬢様とタクミ様の護衛を任されました」「ヨハンナと申します。リーベルト家の護衛兵士を務めさせて頂いております。同じく本日は護衛として同行させて頂きます」フィリップさんとヨハンナさんが揃って礼をする。それに合わせて俺もよろしくと礼を返しておいた。そういえば、今日は門の前で見た時に持っていた槍を持っていないな......屋敷の中だからかもしれないが。なんとなく疑問に思ってセバスチャンさんに聞いてみると。「今は屋敷の中というのもありますが、本日は街での護衛になります。槍のような長い得物より、剣の方が扱いやすいのです」人や建物がある街中で槍だと何かが邪魔する可能性があるのか。無理じゃないんだろうけど、剣の方が小回りが利くのかもしれない、そういう事くらいはなんとなくわかる。「それじゃあタクミさん、行きましょうか」「はい」クレアさんに促されて俺は外に向かって動こうとした......。「「「お嬢様、タクミ様、行ってらっしゃいませ。ご無事のお帰りをお待ちしております!」」」動こうとしたんだけど、後ろから10人程の使用人達に声を上げたのに驚いたな。いやー、さすがにこの人数が一糸乱れぬ動きで礼をして、声を合わせるのは壮観だなぁ。改めて、教育の行き届いた使用人達のいるこの屋敷を見て、クレアさんって上流階級なんだろうなぁと考えながら外に出る。屋敷の外には、門までの間の道に初めて見る馬車とそれに繋がれた馬2頭と......繋がれていない馬が2頭いた。「これが馬車......」想像してたのは色んな映像や写真で見る幌馬車。けど今目の前にあるのは、想像していた物よりも小さい。人が2人~3人乗れるくらいの大きさの荷台と、御者台がある。形は......何と言ったらいいんだろう......荷台の方は日本の観光地にある二輪の人力車に似ている。その人力車の人が引っ張る場所を、座れる場所にした御者台を付けてそこに2輪で合計4輪そこから馬を繋いで引っ張る馬車、といった造りになってるのか。物珍しそうに眺めてると、荷台の下に引き出しのような物を見つけた。きっとそこが手荷物なんかを入れるスペースなんだと思う。「タクミ様、どうぞお乗り下さい」「あ、はい」セバスチャンさんに促されて俺はその馬車に乗る。俺が座った後にクレアさんが乗って横へ座る。ちょっと距離が近くてドキッとしたのはクレアさんには内緒だぞ! 鼓動を落ち着かせるために視線をずらすと、繋がれてない馬の方にフィリップさんとヨハンナさんが騎乗していた。成る程、護衛の人達は馬車とは別に馬で横や後ろに付くんだな。「それでは、出発致します。はっ!」セバスチャンさんが御者台に乗って声を掛け、手綱を握って馬を走らせた。これからこの世界の街に行くのか......どんな所なんだろう......。イメージでは中世ヨーロッパみたいな感じだが、それなら石畳や石造りの家があるのかな? 屋敷は石造りだけど、大理石っぽい物だったからただただ豪華な建物という感じで、異世界という感覚はほとんど無い。細かい部分でやっぱ違うんだなぁ、と思う所はあるけどな。少しだけワクワクしながら、馬車に揺られて街へ向かった。「そう言えば、昨日話してたギフトの事なんですけど」「街に行くので、俺が本当にギフトっていう能力を持ってるのか調べるのかなぁと思いまして」「そうですね......セバスチャン、どうするの?」「はい。必要な物を買い揃えた後、ギフトの有無を調べるのがよろしいかと思います。既に先方には伝えてありますので」「そう。ならタクミさん、ギフトを持っているかを調べる事にしましょう」「わかりました」馬車に揺られながらの会話。思っていたよりも揺れないのは、馬車が良いのか、それとも考えていたよりちゃんと道が舗装されてるのか......。見た限り、馬車が走っている道は砂利道だ。日本の道路のようにアスファルトで舗装されてるわけじゃない。多分、馬車が良いんだろうなと結論付けた。ちなみにレオは、馬車と並走してる護衛さん達が乗った馬と一緒に走ってる。意外だったのは、馬がレオを怖がらなかった事。馬は臆病だから、ちょっとした刺激だとか驚かせたりだとか、あと怖そうな生き物から逃げると聞いた事があるけど、しっかり教育されてるのかもしれない。でも、クレアさんが森に馬に乗って来たけど、オークが出た時に逃げてしまったって言ってたな......。レオが馬に対して怖がらないように何かしたのかもしれない。出発前に、レオが馬の顔をしきりに舐めたり頬を摺り寄せたりしてたから、それかもしれないがな。『神からの贈り物』と呼ばれる能力らしい。アニメや漫画で、異世界に行った人がもらえるチート能力とやらに似てるものなのかもしれない。この世界に俺以外の人が日本から来て、その時にもらえた能力を使っていたらギフトと呼ばれた、なんて理由だったりするのかもな。まぁ、実際はどうかわからないけども。馬車に揺られながらギフトとは何なのかという疑問について考えていた。	While Tilura continued to look like she wanted to come with us until the end, her drowsiness finally caught up with her, and she fell asleep. And so Ms. Lyra had to carry her back to her room. Sebastian went to have the carriage prepared, and Ms. Claire went to her room to prepare for the trip. I had also returned to my room(I was finally able to find it without a guide), but as I had no belongings, there wasn’t really a need to get ready. Still, I decided to use the bathroom, as I didn’t know what would happen while traveling or in the town. Nearly an hour later, I, Leo, Ms. Claire and Sebastian gathered at the entrance hall. About ten butlers and maids were lined up at the entrance in order to see us off. Once we were all there, the door opened and two armored people stepped in. They were likely the people who had been guarding the gate when I first came here. “Mr. Sebastian, the carriage is read.” “Thank you. Mr. Takumi, these are the two guards who will be accompanying you.” “I’m Takumi. Thank you.” “I am Phillip. I am captain of the guards for the Liebert house. And I’ve been charged with protecting you and Lady Claire today.” “I am Johanna. I am a guard for the Liebert house. And I too have been charged with protecting you.” Phillip and Johanna bowed together. I bowed back after thanking them. Now that I thought about it, they weren’t holding the spears that I had seen them with yesterday... Perhaps it was because they were inside the mansion now. As I wondered about this, I decided to ask Sebastian. “While they do not carry them inside the house, it is also because they will be escorts in the town. It will be much easier to carry swords than long weapons like spears.” “I see. I understand now.” Besides, they would get in the way of others and might be awkward inside of buildings. While it may be possible, swords would be easier to use in tight spaces. Even I could understand that. “Now then, shall we go, Mr. Takumi?” “Yes.” Ms. Claire said, and so I was about to walk outside... “Have a good day, Lady Claire, Mr. Takumi. Please return safely!” I was about to move, and then those words came out of the mouths of ten servants all at once. Woah. It was rather amazing that so many people could synchronize their voices and bow like that. This mansion really did have servants that were well trained. It showed how much of an upper class lady Ms. Claire was. It was with such thoughts that I stepped outside. Outside, I looked down the road that led to the gates, and saw that there was now a carriage and two horses attached to it, and two horses that were not. “So this is a carriage...” I had been thinking about the kind with a roof, that I often saw in pictures and videos. But the one in front of me was a lot smaller. About two or three passengers could ride in the back, and then there was the driver’s seat. It was shaped like a...how could I describe it...it reminded me of those two-wheeled rickshaws that you see in tourist areas in Japan. Only there was a driver’s seat instead of handles for the person to hold, and there were four wheels instead of two. And then it was attached to the horses so that they could pull it. As I looked at it with a curious expression, I saw that there was something like a drawer underneath the passenger seat. I suppose that was where you could put your luggage. “Mr. Takumi, please get inside.” “Ah, right.” Said Mr. Sebastian, and so I got into the carriage. Ms. Claire climbed in after and sat down next to me. While I did get a little nervous at the proximity, I made sure that she didn’t notice! I looked away until my heart calmed down, and saw that Phillip and Johanna had mounted their horses. I see. So they would ride separately to the side or behind us. “And off we go. Ha!” Said Sebastian as he held the reins and made the horses trot. So I was headed to a town in this world...I wonder what it will be like... I imagined something like a medieval European town, so I suppose all of the houses will be made of stone or bricks? The mansion was made of stone. But it was marble, and had the look of a luxurious building, and was not other worldly. Though, there were small details that reminded me that this was another world. And so it was with a feeling of excitement that I rocked in the carriage as it headed towards the town. “Now that I think about it, the Gifts that we talked about yesterday...” “Yes, what about them?” “Since we are going to town, I thought that we could find out if I really have this ability.” “Indeed... Sebsastian, what do you think?” “Yes. After you have finished shopping, I think we should go and look into it. I’ve already told the others.” “I see. Then we will find out if you have the Gift, Mr. Takumi.” We talked in the swaying carriage. Though, it didn’t sway as much as I thought it would. Was it because it was a good carriage? Or was it that the roads were nicely maintained... From what I could see, the roads were made of gravel. It wasn’t asphalt like the roads in Japan. I decided to assume that it was the carriage. By the way, Leo was riding alongside the carriage with the horses that the guards rode on. What I found surprising was that the horses weren’t afraid of Leo. I had heard that horses scared easily, and were prone to being surprised or would run away if they encountered a frightening animal. But these horses may have been trained properly. But then again, Ms. Claire had rode a horse to the forest, and she said that it ran away at the sight of an orc... Perhaps there was something about Leo that put the horses at ease. Before departure, Leo had licked the face of one horse and rubbed against its cheek. So maybe that was why. It was an ability that was supposed to be a ‘gift from god.’ And so I thought that it must be similar to the cheat abilities that characters always got in cartoons and comics. Perhaps someone else from Japan had come to this world in the past, and they acquired an ability and called it a ‘gift.’ Well, who knows what the reason was. And so I sat in the rocking carriage and wondered about what these Gifts were.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 1, "inserted_lines_src": 3, "inserted_lines_trg": 2 }
「想像できないほど奇妙な」という一節は有名な生物学者J.B.S.ホールデンのものです。「宇宙は我々が想像しているよりも奇妙なのはもちろんのこと、... ...我々の想像する能力を越えて奇妙なのではないだろうか」「おそらく、どんな哲学が夢見た、そして夢見れるものよりも奇妙なものが天や地にはあるだろう」とホールデンは言っています物理学者リチャード=ファインマンは、量子論により実測結果を予測することを「北アメリカ大陸の幅を髪の毛一本分の誤差範囲内で特定するぐらい正確だ」と例えていますこのことから、量子論はある意味で真実だと言えるでしょうしかし、この正確な予測のために必要な仮定はとても不可解なものなのですファインマン彼自身このように言っています「もしも量子力学を理解できたと思ったならば... ...それは量子力学を理解できていない証拠だ」あまりにも奇妙なので、物理学者はいろいろな逆説的な解釈をしなければならないほどですこの場で講演することになっているデイヴィッド=ドイッチェは著書「世界の究極理論は存在するか」で量子力学の「多世界解釈」を容認していますなぜなら「多世界解釈」について言えるのは、悪くても途方もなく無駄が多いことだけだからですこの解釈では、無数の、そして急速に増加する宇宙が並行して存在すると主張しますしかしそれらは量子力学の実験を通した小さな覗き窓からしか互いの存在を検知できませんファインマンの話は以上です生物学者ルイス=ウォルパートは現代物理学の奇妙な点は極端な例の一端に過ぎないと信じています科学はテクノロジーと違い常識を裏切ります彼が指摘するには、あなたがコップ一杯の水を飲むごとにオリバー=クロムウェルの膀胱を通過した分子を少なくともひとつは吸収するだろうというのですこれは初歩の確率の問題に過ぎません一杯のコップに含まれるの水の分子の数は世界中にあるコップや膀胱の数よりも遥かに多いのですもちろん、クロムウェルや膀胱が特別なのではありませんあなたが今まさに呼吸したのは背の高いソテツの木の左側の3番目のイグアナドンの右の肺を通過した窒素原子です「想像できないほど奇妙な」我々は、どうして想像することができるのでしょうかどんなことまでを想像できるのでしょうかこの宇宙には、我々より高度な知能には理解できるけれども我々の理解を越えるようなことがあるでしょうか? それとも我々の理解を越えるだけでなくどんなに高等な知能であっても理解できないようなことが存在するのでしょうか科学の歴史は突拍子もない考えの連続ですそれぞれの次の世代ではより奇妙さを増してゆく宇宙と折り合いを付けなければなりません現代の我々は、太陽が地球を回るのではなく地球が自転するという考えに慣れてますそれがどんな精神的な大革命だったか想像が難しいですが大地が広大で静止しており太陽は小さくて動きまわるというのがとても明白に思えますしかしこの主題に対するウィトゲンシュタインの見解を思い起こすとよいでしょう「なぜ、地球が自転するより ...太陽が地球を回る方が自然だと ...みんな言うのだろう」と彼が尋ねると友人はこう答えました「そりゃもちろん太陽の方が回っているように見えるからさ」「ではもし地球が自転しているとしたら ...どう見えただろうね」とウィトゲンシュタインは切り返しました岩やクリスタルのように明らかに固いものが直感を裏切ってほとんど空っぽの空間から出来ていると科学は我々に教えてくれました原子核は野球場の中央にいるハエだという説明がありますその隣りにある原子は隣りの野球場に相当しますですから、どんなに固く頑丈な岩であってもほとんどが空っぽの空間からできていて粒子はとてもまばらにしか存在しませんではなぜ、岩は固いように感じられるのでしょうか進化生物学者として、私の説明はこうです我々の脳は、体が活動するサイズと速度にあわせて生存できるように進化してきました原子の世界で生きるようには進化しなかったのですもししていたら、我々の脳は岩をほとんどからっぽの空間と認識したでしょう岩が固く、手では貫けないように感じるのはまさに岩石や手のような物体は互いに貫くことがないからですですから、我々がいる中くらいのサイズの世界を生きてゆく上で我々の脳が「固い」とか「貫けない」といった概念を生み出すのは便利なことなのです反対に大きなスケールのことを考えると、我々の祖先は宇宙空間を光速に近い速度で移動する必要はありませんでしたもし必要だったら、アインシュタインを理解するのも簡単だったでしょう我々が活動し進化してきたこの中くらいの大きさの世界を「中ほどの国」と名付けたいと思います。指輪物語の「中つ国」とは... ...関係ありません。「中ほどの国」です我々はこの「中ほどの国」で進化してきましたそしてそのことが我々の想像力を制約します兎が「中ほどの国」の物体が動くような「中ほど」の速度で動いていて別の「中ほどの国」の物体である岩がぶつかったら失神する、と直感で簡単に想像できますアルバート=スタブルバイン三世のことを紹介しましょう彼は1983年に陸軍情報部少将でした彼はヴァージニア州アーリントンでオフィスの壁を睨んで決断しましたなんと、彼は隣りのオフィスへ行くというのです彼は立ち上がって机を背にします彼は考えました「原子はほとんどが空っぽの空間でできている」彼は歩き始めました「私は何でできている? 原子だ」彼は歩調を早めて小走りになりました「壁は何でできている?原子だ」「私がやるべきことは、空っぽの空間を合せるだけだ」そして少将は、鼻を壁に強くぶつけたのです 16000人の兵士を率いるスタブルバイン少将はどうしても壁を通り抜けられずに困惑していました彼はこの能力がいつの日か一般的な軍事手段になると信じていましたそんなことが本当にできるなら誰も軍を馬鹿にはしないでしょうこれはプレイボーイで読んだ記事なのですが私にはこれが真実だと信じる理由があります実は私の記事もそこに載っていたのでプレイボーイを読んでいたんです「中ほどの国」で学んだ人間の直感では空気抵抗がなければ重い物体と軽い物体は同時に落下するというガリレオの教えは信じるのが難しいものですそれは「中ほどの国」では空気抵抗は常に存在するからです我々が真空中で進化したなら、同時だと思うでしょうまた我々がバクテリアだったとしたら常に分子の熱運動に常に揺さぶられているので違う予想でしょうしかし「中ほどの国」の住人はブラウン運動を感じるには大きすぎますそしてまた我々の生活は重力によって支配されています一方、表面張力のことはあまり気にしません小さな虫ではこの優先順序は逆です写真の左、スティーブ=グランドは ...右はダグラス=アダムズですが... スティーブ=グランドは著書「創造: 生とその作成」のなかで我々の物質への先入観を肯定的に捉えています我々は固い、実体をもったものだけが真の「物」だと考えがちです真空中の電磁気の揺らぎによる波などは実在とは思えません 18世紀の人々は、波には波を伝える物質、エーテルが必要だと考えていましたしかし我々にとって物質という概念が分かりやすいのは物質を想定することが生存に便利であるような「中ほどの国」で進化したからに過ぎないのですグランドにとっては渦巻も岩と同じくらいに実在のものなのですタンザニアの砂漠、オル=ドニョ=レンガイ火山のふもとに火山灰でできた砂丘がありますなんとその砂丘は丸ごと移動します砂漠を横切って砂丘がそっくり西の方角へ年間およそ17メートルの速度で移動するこの砂丘は「バルハン」と言われています砂丘は三日月の形を保ったまま、ツノの方向へと移動します風が砂をなだらかな斜面に沿って吹き上げてそして砂は砂丘の頂上を越えて反対側つまり三日月の凹の側へとすべり落ちるのですそして全体として三日月形の砂丘が移動しますスティーブ=グランドは、我々も永続するものではなくて波のようなものだと言います「子供時代のことを考えて下さい」「何かはっきりした記憶」「そこにいるかのように鮮明な、映像、感触...」 ...あるいは匂い」「実際、あなたはその時代、そこにいたのですから」「だから記憶があるのですよね?」「衝撃でしょうが、実は違うのです」「あなたの体を構成する原子はひとつとして... ...その記憶の時代のものとは同じではありません」「物質は移動しながら少しの間だけあなたを構成します」「ですから、あなたの実体とあなたを構成する物質は... ...関係ないのです」「この重要な事実に、毛が逆立たないのならば... ...もう一度、読み返して下さい」つまり「現実に」という言葉は、軽々しく使うべきではないのですもしもニュートリノが脳を持っていたならニュートリノの大きさの祖先から進化したのですから岩なんてほとんどからっぽだ、と言うことでしょう我々の脳は、岩を通り抜けられない、中ほどの大きさの祖先から進化したのです生存をする上で脳が必要とすることは何であれ「現実」です違った種は違った世界に住んでいるのですからそこには受け入れがたい様々な現実が存在するのです我々が見ている現実世界は、ありのままの世界ではありません現実世界に対処しやすいように調整され構成された感覚データによる世界のモデルなのですモデルの性質はどんな動物かによって変わります飛ぶ動物は、歩き、登り、あるいは泳ぐ動物とは違った種類のモデルが必要です猿の頭脳は枝や幹からなる三次元の世界をシミュレートするソフトウェアを持っていることでしょうモグラが世界をモデル化するソフトウェアは地下の生活に適合しているでしょうエドウィン=アボット著「平面世界の住人」のようにアメンボは池の水面に暮らしているので三次元のソフトウェアは不要でしょう私は、コウモリは耳で色を見れるのではないかと思っていますコウモリは、日中に飛ぶツバメのような鳥と同じように虫を捕まえるために三次元空間を飛びまわるのでコウモリの世界のモデルは空を飛ぶ鳥のモデルと非常に似ているに違いありませんコウモリが暗闇で音の反響を使って現状をモデルに入力し一方でツバメが光を使っているのは状況に応じた違いにすぎませんさらに、ツバメや人間が赤や青などの色によって波長の長短を区別するのと同じようにコウモリは感じた色あいを音響的に「ふわふわした」とか「滑らかな」など表面の質感を区別するために使っていると思います赤が長い波長であることに特別な意味はありません重要なのは、モデルの性質が知覚の種別で決まるのではなくそれがどう使われるかで決まるということですホールデンは、ニオイが重要な役割を果す動物の世界についても意見を持っていました極めて濃度の低いよく似た脂肪酸、カプリル酸とカプロン酸を犬は区別することができますその違いは、見てのとおり一方は炭素原子がひとつ余計に多いだけですホールデンの推測では、人間がピアノの弦の長さをその音程によって感じられるのと同じように犬もニオイによって脂肪酸の分子量を感じられるだろう、というのです実はカプリン酸というもうひとつの似た脂肪酸があります違いは炭素原子がふたつ多いだけです我々が過去に聞いたことのあるトランペットの音よりもひとつ高い音程の音を想像できるのと同じようにカプリン酸に出会ったことがない犬でも簡単にそのニオイを想像できるでしょうもしかしたらコウモリのときの議論と同じように犬やサイのような嗅覚中心の動物はニオイで色を感じるかもしれません。我々が進化して本能的に扱えるようになった「中ほどの国」での大きさや速度の範囲は種々の色として見える光の波長域に少し似て狭いと言えるでしょうその外側の波長は特別な測定器を使わないと我々には見ることができません奇妙に思える微小、巨大な、または超高速の世界に対し我々が普通だと判断する「中ほどの国」というのは狭い範囲の現実でしかないのです確率についても似たようなことが言えますどんなことも、全く不可能ではありません奇跡的な出来事というのは、極めて確率が低いだけなのです大理石の彫像も、それを構成する原子があちこちへ振動してるのですからもしかしたら手を振ることがあるかもしれませんしかし原子の数は非常に多く、それぞれバラバラの方向に動いているので「中ほどの国」で我々が見る大理石は岩のように動かないのですしかし、彫像の手を構成する原子が偶然、同時に同じように繰り返し動いたらどうでしょう我々に向って手を振ることがあるかも知れませんもちろんそんな確率は非常に低くその数字を書いたとしたら宇宙の始まりから現在までゼロを書き続けたとしてもまだ足りないくらいです「中ほどの国」での進化した我々は寿命が短いので非常に可能性が低い事象をうまく扱えません広大な天文学的な空間と地質学的な時間の中では「中ほどの国」では不可能に思えることさえも不可避かも知れないのですそのひとつの例として惑星の数を数えてみましょうどれほどの惑星がこの宇宙にあるのかわかりませんが 10の20乗すなわち1000億の10億個くらいだと推測されていますそこから生命がどれくらいの確率で存在するか推測ができますそして先程取り上げた電磁波の波長のスペクトルのように確率のスペクトルの中のどこが傑出しているか考えることができますもしも生命が惑星ひとつに一回づつ生まれたら生命はとてもありふれていることになります恒星ひとつにつき、あるいは銀河につき一回かもしれないしもしかしたら宇宙全体で一回だけ、つまりここにいる私達かも知れませんその中には、カエルが王子様に変身するような魔法が起きる可能性も含まれるでしょうもしも生命が発生した惑星が全宇宙でひとつだけならその惑星とはこうして話をしている我々がいる地球のことですですから生命の誕生が100億の10億倍くらいめずらしい科学的現象だろうと推測するのも妥当なことですしかし私は生命はありふれていると思うのでそれが正しい考え方とは思えませんありふれてるとは言っても、残念なことですが、異なる生命同士がお互いに出会うことがない程度には稀かも知れません「想像できないほど奇妙な」ことをどう解釈すれば良いのでしょう原理的に想像することができないことなのかそれとも単に「中ほどの国」で進化した我々の脳の限界を越えているだけなのでしょうか? 訓練すれば「中ほどの国」の思考を抜け出して数学的だけではなく直感的に極微小な、または巨大な世界を理解できるのでしょうか? 私には全く分かりませんもしかすると小さな子供のころから例えば量子論の世界をコンピュータゲームで遊ぶことが理解の助けになるかも知れませんボールが二つのスリットを同時に通り抜けるような奇妙なことが起きる量子力学の世界をコンピュータで「中ほどの国」の大きさに拡大して親しみやすくするのですスクリーン上の物体がローレンツ収縮を起すような相対論的なコンピュータゲームでは相対論的考え方を我々に... 子供たちに身に付けさせられるかも知れません最後に「中ほどの国」のアイデアを我々をお互いの認知について当てはめてみましょう今日の科学者の大半は、精神を機械論的にとらえています脳の配線やホルモンによって、我々がどんな存在であるかが決まると言うのですそして神経構造や生理化学が異なれば個性も異なると言いますしかし、我々科学者は矛盾しています例えば、幼児殺害犯のような異常行動をする人間に対し「この部品は故障してるから修理が必要だ」というような反応はしません我々は、たとえ私のように極端な人間機械論者であっても「この怪物め、地獄へ落ちろ」という反応をしますあるいはもっと悪いことに復讐が引き金となって、いま世界中で見るようにエスカレートしてゆく復讐の連鎖が発生するかも知れませんつまり、研究者として考える場合は人をコンピュータや車のような複雑な機械として扱いますしかし人間の立場へ戻るとまるでコメディ「フォルティ=タワーズ」のバシル=フォルティのように夕食会の日に車が動かないとひっぱたいてお仕置きをするのです我々が車やコンピュータのようなものを擬人化するのは猿が樹上の世界で、モグラは地下の世界でそしてアメンボが表面張力が支配する世界で生きているのと同じように、我々が社会的な世界で生きているからです我々は人々の海を泳いでいるのです「中ほどの国」の社会的なバージョンです我々は進化によって優秀な心理学者となり他者の行動を推測できるようになりました人々を機械のように扱うのは科学的、生理学的には正しいかも知れませんしかし、それは人の次の行動を推測するには非常に時間の無駄なのです快楽と苦痛、欲望と意図を持ち、罪と罰の対象になる目的を追い掛けるエージェントとして人々をモデル化する方が合理的な方法です擬人化して意図を持ったものとして扱うことが人々をモデル化する非常に成功した方法だったのでしばしば同じモデル化の手法をバシル=フォルティが車にしたようにあるいは何百万もの人々が信じている天の意思のように、不適切なものにまでその手法を適用してしまうのも不思議ではありません宇宙が我々が想像できることを越えて奇妙だとして、それは更新世の時代にアフリカで生き抜くために必要なことだけを想像できるように自然淘汰されたからでしょうか? それとも、我々の脳は訓練によって進化の囲いを抜け出せるほど柔軟で拡張可能なのでしょうか? あるいは、最後に、どんなに神のように万能な存在も想像できないほどに我々の宇宙は奇妙なのでしょうか? ご静聴ありがとうございました	"Queerer than we can suppose" comes from J.B.S. Haldane, the famous biologist, who said, "Now, my own suspicion is that the universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose. I suspect that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of, or can be dreamed of, in any philosophy." Richard Feynman compared the accuracy of quantum theories -- experimental predictions -- to specifying the width of North America to within one hair's breadth of accuracy. This means that quantum theory has got to be, in some sense, true. Yet the assumptions that quantum theory needs to make in order to deliver those predictions are so mysterious that even Feynman himself was moved to remark, "If you think you understand quantum theory, you don't understand quantum theory." It's so queer that physicists resort to one or another paradoxical interpretation of it. David Deutsch, who's talking here, in "The Fabric of Reality," embraces the many-worlds interpretation of quantum theory, because the worst that you can say about it is that it's preposterously wasteful. It postulates a vast and rapidly growing number of universes existing in parallel, mutually undetectable, except through the narrow porthole of quantum mechanical experiments. And that's Richard Feynman. The biologist Lewis Wolpert believes that the queerness of modern physics is just an extreme example. Science, as opposed to technology, does violence to common sense. Every time you drink a glass of water, he points out, the odds are that you will imbibe at least one molecule that passed through the bladder of Oliver Cromwell. It's just elementary probability theory. The number of molecules per glassful is hugely greater than the number of glassfuls, or bladdersful, in the world. And of course, there's nothing special about Cromwell or bladders -- you have just breathed in a nitrogen atom that passed through the right lung of the third iguanodon to the left of the tall cycad tree. "Queerer than we can suppose." What is it that makes us capable of supposing anything, and does this tell us anything about what we can suppose? Are there things about the universe that will be forever beyond our grasp, but not beyond the grasp of some superior intelligence? Are there things about the universe that are, in principle, ungraspable by any mind, however superior? The history of science has been one long series of violent brainstorms, as successive generations have come to terms with increasing levels of queerness in the universe. We're now so used to the idea that the Earth spins, rather than the Sun moves across the sky, it's hard for us to realize what a shattering mental revolution that must have been. After all, it seems obvious that the Earth is large and motionless, the Sun, small and mobile. But it's worth recalling Wittgenstein's remark on the subject: "Tell me," he asked a friend, "why do people always say it was natural for man to assume that the Sun went 'round the Earth, rather than that the Earth was rotating?" And his friend replied, "Well, obviously, because it just looks as though the Sun is going round the Earth." Wittgenstein replied, "Well, what would it have looked like if it had looked as though the Earth was rotating?" Science has taught us, against all intuition, that apparently solid things, like crystals and rocks, are really almost entirely composed of empty space. And the familiar illustration is the nucleus of an atom is a fly in the middle of a sports stadium, and the next atom is in the next sports stadium. So it would seem the hardest, solidest, densest rock is really almost entirely empty space, broken only by tiny particles so widely spaced they shouldn't count. Why, then, do rocks look and feel solid and hard and impenetrable? As an evolutionary biologist, I'd say this: our brains have evolved to help us survive within the orders of magnitude, of size and speed which our bodies operate at. We never evolved to navigate in the world of atoms. If we had, our brains probably would perceive rocks as full of empty space. Rocks feel hard and impenetrable to our hands, precisely because objects like rocks and hands cannot penetrate each other. It's therefore useful for our brains to construct notions like "solidity" and "impenetrability," because such notions help us to navigate our bodies through the middle-sized world in which we have to navigate. Moving to the other end of the scale, our ancestors never had to navigate through the cosmos at speeds close to the speed of light. If they had, our brains would be much better at understanding Einstein. I want to give the name "Middle World" to the medium-scaled environment in which we've evolved the ability to take act -- nothing to do with "Middle Earth" -- We are evolved denizens of Middle World, and that limits what we are capable of imagining. We find it intuitively easy to grasp ideas like, when a rabbit moves at the sort of medium velocity at which rabbits and other Middle World objects move, and hits another Middle World object like a rock, it knocks itself out. May I introduce Major General Albert Stubblebine III, commander of military intelligence in 1983. "...[He] stared at his wall in Arlington, Virginia, and decided to do it. As frightening as the prospect was, he was going into the next office. He stood up and moved out from behind his desk. 'What is the atom mostly made of?' he thought, 'Space.' He started walking. 'What am I mostly made of? Atoms.' He quickened his pace, almost to a jog now. 'What is the wall mostly made of?' 'Atoms!' All I have to do is merge the spaces. Then, General Stubblebine banged his nose hard on the wall of his office. Stubblebine, who commanded 16,000 soldiers, was confounded by his continual failure to walk through the wall. He has no doubt that this ability will one day be a common tool in the military arsenal. Who would screw around with an army that could do that?" That's from an article in Playboy, which I was reading the other day. I have every reason to think it's true; I was reading Playboy because I, myself, had an article in it. Unaided human intuition, schooled in Middle World, a heavy object and a light object, air friction aside, would hit the ground at the same instant. And that's because in Middle World, air friction is always there. If we'd evolved in a vacuum, we would expect them to hit the ground simultaneously. If we were bacteria, constantly buffeted by thermal movements of molecules, it would be different. But we Middle-Worlders are too big to notice Brownian motion. In the same way, our lives are dominated by gravity, but are almost oblivious to the force of surface tension. A small insect would reverse these priorities. Steve Grand -- he's the one on the left, Douglas Adams is on the right. Steve Grand, in his book, "Creation: Life and How to Make It," is positively scathing about our preoccupation with matter itself. We have this tendency to think that only solid, material things are really things at all. Waves of electromagnetic fluctuation in a vacuum seem unreal. Victorians thought the waves had to be waves in some material medium: the ether. But we find real matter comforting only because we've evolved to survive in Middle World, where matter is a useful fiction. A whirlpool, for Steve Grand, is a thing with just as much reality as a rock. In a desert plain in Tanzania, in the shadow of the volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai, there's a dune made of volcanic ash. The beautiful thing is that it moves bodily. It's what's technically known as a "barchan," and the entire dune walks across the desert in a westerly direction at a speed of about 17 meters per year. It retains its crescent shape and moves in the direction of the horns. What happens is that the wind blows the sand up the shallow slope on the other side, and then, as each sand grain hits the top of the ridge, it cascades down on the inside of the crescent, and so the whole horn-shaped dune moves. Steve Grand points out that you and I are, ourselves, more like a wave than a permanent thing. to think of an experience from your childhood, something you remember clearly, something you can see, feel, maybe even smell, as if you were really there. After all, you really were there at the time, weren't you? How else would you remember it? But here is the bombshell: You weren't there. Not a single atom that is in your body today was there when that event took place. Matter flows from place to place and momentarily comes together to be you. Whatever you are, therefore, you are not the stuff of which you are made. If that doesn't make the hair stand up on the back of your neck, read it again until it does, because it is important. So "really" isn't a word that we should use with simple confidence. If a neutrino had a brain, which it evolved in neutrino-sized ancestors, it would say that rocks really do consist of empty space. We have brains that evolved in medium-sized ancestors which couldn't walk through rocks. "Really," for an animal, is whatever its brain needs it to be in order to assist its survival. And because different species live in different worlds, there will be a discomforting variety of "reallys." What we see of the real world is not the unvarnished world, but a model of the world, regulated and adjusted by sense data, but constructed so it's useful for dealing with the real world. The nature of the model depends on the kind of animal we are. A flying animal needs a different kind of model from a walking, climbing or swimming animal. A monkey's brain must have software capable of simulating a three-dimensional world of branches and trunks. A mole's software for constructing models of its world will be customized for underground use. A water strider's brain doesn't need 3D software at all, since it lives on the surface of the pond, in an Edwin Abbott flatland. I've speculated that bats may see color with their ears. The world model that a bat needs in order to navigate through three dimensions catching insects must be pretty similar to the world model that any flying bird -- a day-flying bird like a swallow -- needs to perform the same kind of tasks. The fact that the bat uses echoes in pitch darkness to input the current variables to its model, while the swallow uses light, is incidental. Bats, I've even suggested, use perceived hues, such as red and blue, as labels, internal labels, for some useful aspect of echoes -- perhaps the acoustic texture of surfaces, furry or smooth and so on -- in the same way as swallows or indeed, we, use those perceived hues -- redness and blueness, etc. -- to label long and short wavelengths of light. There's nothing inherent about red that makes it long wavelength. The point is that the nature of the model is governed by how it is to be used, rather than by the sensory modality involved. J.B.S. Haldane himself had something to say about animals whose world is dominated by smell. Dogs can distinguish two very similar fatty acids, extremely diluted: caprylic acid and caproic acid. The only difference, you see, is that one has an extra pair of carbon atoms in the chain. Haldane guesses that a dog would probably be able to place the acids in the order of their molecular weights by their smells, just as a man could place a number of piano wires in the order of their lengths by means of their notes. Now, there's another fatty acid, capric acid, which is just like the other two, except that it has two more carbon atoms. A dog that had never met capric acid would, perhaps, have no more trouble imagining its smell than we would have trouble imagining a trumpet, say, playing one note higher than we've heard a trumpet play before. Perhaps dogs and rhinos and other smell-oriented animals smell in color. And the argument would be exactly the same as for the bats. Middle World -- the range of sizes and speeds which we have evolved to feel intuitively comfortable with -- is a bit like the narrow range of the electromagnetic spectrum that we see as light of various colors. We're blind to all frequencies outside that, unless we use instruments to help us. Middle World is the narrow range of reality which we judge to be normal, as opposed to the queerness of the very small, the very large and the very fast. We could make a similar scale of improbabilities; nothing is totally impossible. Miracles are just events that are extremely improbable. A marble statue could wave its hand at us; the atoms that make up its crystalline structure are all vibrating back and forth anyway. Because there are so many of them, and because there's no agreement among them in their preferred direction of movement, the marble, as we see it in Middle World, stays rock steady. But the atoms in the hand could all just happen to move the same way at the same time, and again and again. In this case, the hand would move, and we'd see it waving at us in Middle World. The odds against it, of course, are so great that if you set out writing zeros at the time of the origin of the universe, you still would not have written enough zeros to this day. Evolution in Middle World has not equipped us to handle very improbable events; we don't live long enough. In the vastness of astronomical space and geological time, that which seems impossible in Middle World might turn out to be inevitable. One way to think about that is by counting planets. We don't know how many planets there are in the universe, but a good estimate is about 10 to the 20, or 100 billion billion. And that gives us a nice way to express our estimate of life's improbability. We could make some sort of landmark points along a spectrum of improbability, which might look like the electromagnetic spectrum we just looked at. If life has arisen only once on any -- life could originate once per planet, could be extremely common or it could originate once per star or once per galaxy or maybe only once in the entire universe, And somewhere up there would be the chance that a frog would turn into a prince, and similar magical things like that. If life has arisen on only one planet in the entire universe, that planet has to be our planet, because here we are talking about it. And that means that if we want to avail ourselves of it, we're allowed to postulate chemical events in the origin of life which have a probability as low as one in 100 billion billion. I don't think we shall have to avail ourselves of that, because I suspect that life is quite common in the universe. And when I say quite common, it could still be so rare that no one island of life ever encounters another, which is a sad thought. How shall we interpret "queerer than we can suppose?" Queerer than can in principle be supposed, or just queerer than we can suppose, given the limitations of our brain's evolutionary apprenticeship in Middle World? Could we, by training and practice, emancipate ourselves from Middle World and achieve some sort of intuitive as well as mathematical understanding of the very small and the very large? I genuinely don't know the answer. I wonder whether we might help ourselves to understand, say, quantum theory, if we brought up children to play computer games beginning in early childhood, which had a make-believe world of balls going through two slits on a screen, a world in which the strange goings-on of quantum mechanics were enlarged by the computer's make-believe, so that they became familiar on the Middle-World scale of the stream. And similarly, a relativistic computer game, in which objects on the screen manifest the Lorentz contraction, and so on, to try to get ourselves -- to get children into the way of thinking about it. I want to end by applying the idea of Middle World to our perceptions of each other. Most scientists today subscribe to a mechanistic view of the mind: we're the way we are because our brains are wired up as they are, our hormones are the way they are. if our neuro-anatomy and our physiological chemistry were different. But we scientists are inconsistent. If we were consistent, our response to a misbehaving person, like a child-murderer, should be something like: this unit has a faulty component; it needs repairing. That's not what we say. What we say -- and I include the most austerely mechanistic among us, which is probably me -- what we say is, "Vile monster, prison is too good for you." Or worse, we seek revenge, in all probability thereby triggering the next phase in an escalating cycle of counter-revenge, which we see, of course, all over the world today. In short, when we're thinking like academics, we regard people as elaborate and complicated machines, like computers or cars. But when we revert to being human, we behave more like Basil Fawlty, who, we remember, thrashed his car to teach it a lesson, when it wouldn't start on "Gourmet Night." The reason we personify things like cars and computers is that just as monkeys live in an arboreal world and moles live in an underground world and water striders live in a surface tension-dominated flatland, we live in a social world. We swim through a sea of people -- a social version of Middle World. We are evolved to second-guess the behavior of others by becoming brilliant, intuitive psychologists. Treating people as machines may be scientifically and philosophically accurate, but it's a cumbersome waste of time if you want to guess what this person is going to do next. The economically useful way to model a person is to treat him as a purposeful, goal-seeking agent with pleasures and pains, desires and intentions, guilt, blame-worthiness. Personification and the imputing of intentional purpose is such a brilliantly successful way to model humans, it's hardly surprising the same modeling software often seizes control when we're trying to think about entities for which it's not appropriate, like Basil Fawlty with his car or like millions of deluded people, with the universe as a whole. If the universe is queerer than we can suppose, is it just because we've been naturally selected to suppose only what we needed to suppose in order to survive in the Pleistocene of Africa? Or are our brains so versatile and expandable that we can train ourselves to break out of the box of our evolution? Or finally, are there some things in the universe so queer that no philosophy of beings, however godlike, could dream them? Thank you very much.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
「おお! なるほど......いや、それってちょっと無理やり過ぎないか?」自信満々な顔で自論を展開したアスタードに呆れた視線を送り、メルクはチュリセ帝国の博士が提唱した理論は理解できる。理論が提唱された当時は、まだそれほど浸透しておらずエステルトであった頃にしても良く分かっていなかった。が、生き物であれば誰しもが持っている魔力が自分を倒した相手に生命力として吸収されるというのは、これまでの経験で何となく感じ取ることができていた。しかし、だ。に落ちない。神話や伝説ではないのだから、むしろアスタードに対して、「何言ってんだ、こいつ?」的な視線を向けてしまうのも無理からぬことだと思う。「な、なんですか、その眼は?」フードで顔を隠していた時は妙な不気味さがあって威圧感もあったが、若い女顔にしか見えない現状では何とも気の抜ける表情だ。メルクは肩を「なーに。自信満々に穴だらけの推測を語ってくるから、さすがは大賢者様だと思ってな」「ぐっ......まったく、最初に言ったでしょう? あくまでも僕の推論だと。確証もないし根拠もないと。けれどそれ可能性が高いのだと言うことは納得してください。生命力が増えたからこそ、長命種であるエルフに転生したと考えられるのです」「......そんなもんかねぇ? まぁ、どんな理由があろうと俺がエルフの娘に転生した事実は変わらないんだ。もともと真相が判明することなんて期待しちゃいない」アスタードが随分と推しているその説は、どう「それより、お前はこんなところで何してるんだ? フォナン伯爵がどうとか言っていたが――変な事に首突っ込んでるんじゃないだろうな?」「失礼な。僕はただ、とある方と共同でとある事に関して研究しているだけで、表情は変わらないがメルクの視線から逃れるように顔を背けたアスタード。メルクは彼に近づき、その両頬に手を添えて無理やりこちらを向かせ問い詰める。「......あの、その顔でそういうことするのやめません? 女の子に迫られているようで――」「女みたいな顔して何言ってやがる。大体、聖女一筋のお前はどんな美女に迫られても顔色一つ変えなかっただろうが」「そうなんですけど......まぁいいです。君なら信頼できますし」アスタードは自分の頬に添えられていたメルクの手を外させると、小さく頷き話を始めた。「先ほど『強者の理』について話しましたね? 人や魔物は倒した相手の魔力を生命力として吸収する――と。なら、他者を倒さずとも魔力を得る方法があれば容易に生命力を増大できると思いませんか?」「――魔石か?」「察しがいいですね。そうです、我々は魔石から生命力を吸収できるのではないかと考えたんです」アスタードが頷くと同時層の岩壁から魔石を採取していた一体の『鬼人』が、籠を背負って走って来た。そしての前で背負っていた籠を下す。中には採取されたばかりの無数の魔石が入っていた。「迷宮で生成される魔石には、魔力が籠められています。魔石の種類によって性質や秘められている魔力量は異なりますが、主に魔法使いが魔法の媒体として用いますね」「ああ。もしくは装飾品としても重宝されているな。特殊な効果を持った魔石をアクセサリーとして身に着け、いざという時に使う。熟練の冒険者が良くやっていた」「ええ、そうですね。今では通信用の魔石なども一部では実用化されていますし、その用途は多岐にわたるかと」我が意を得たりとばかりに腕を組むアスタードに、メルクは首を傾げた。「それで? 魔石から力を得る研究ってのは進んでいるのか? そもそも力を得てどうするんだ? 悪用するつもりじゃないだろうな?」「エステルト。僕がそんなことをする人間に思えますか?」「いや、お前の事だからそんな下らないことは考えていないと思うが――お前の共同研究者ってのが気になるな。信用できるのか?」かつての仲間が良いように利用されていると言うのは愉快な話ではない。大賢者と呼ばれる程度には研究熱心で、魔法や魔導に関して並々ならない熱意を持っているからこそ、アスタードが他者に使われている可能性は十分にある――メルクはそう考えたのだ......彼はちょっと抜けている部分もあることだし。しかしアスタードは、メルクのこの疑問を一笑に付した。「ええ、信用できます。そもそも彼は、元々魔石から力を得るために研究をしてきたわけじゃない。災害が発生するその原因を究明しようとしていたところ、その可能性に思い至ったのです」「災害の原因究明? なんの災害だ? どんな災害の研究をしてたら「魔石から生命力を増大できる」だなんて考えに至るんだ?」「おや、分かりませんか?」優位に立てて嬉しいのか、あるいは先ほど揶揄ったことに対する意趣返しなのか、隠し切れないニヤニヤ顔が非常に「分からねぇーよ」投げやりに呟いたメルクに、アスタードは大袈裟に首を横に振る。鬱陶しい。「やれやれ......いいですか? その災害は数世紀間隔にて発生し、時には国すら滅ぼすこともある。多くの犠牲を出し、最近では十数年前に起こりました――分かりませんか?」「ええ、そうです。僕の共同研究者が研究していた災害とは――「『』の出現」ですよ」アスタードが笑みを潜めて言うそれは、たしかに災害と呼べる事象であった。	“Oh! I see now... But doesn’t it all feel a little too surreal?” Merc gave Astard, who asserted his own point with a confident expression on his face, a puzzled look and expressed exactly what she thought without sugarcoating her words. The theory presented by the Chulice Empire’s Dr. seemed reasonable. The theory had not been broadly acknowledged when it was initially introduced, and Merc had not fully grasped it even during her time as Estert. Nonetheless, she was able to recall the sensation of her vanquished opponents’ Mana being transferred to her as Life Force based on her own experiences. However... The unexpected notions about the soul and how it had wandered till her reincarnation were still difficult for her to swallow. Given that this was not a myth or fable; it was fair that Merc cast Astard a skeptical glance. “W-What’s with that look?” Astard frowned bitterly at Merc after catching her gaze. When Astard was wearing a hood over his face, his visage appeared unusually terrifying and intimidating, but now that he looked like a young girl, it didn’t have the same effect. Merc shrugged her shoulders and averted her gaze. “So what? I just thought, ‘That’s the Great Sage for you,’ since you spoke so confidently about theories that are full of holes.” “Good grief... Didn’t I mention at the start that this was only a hypothesis and that I couldn’t prove it or provide evidence? I’d like you to understand, however, that that is the most likely scenario. It’s because your Life Force increased that you reincarnated as an elf, which is known to have long lifespans.” “Is that really the case? Whatever the case may be, the fact that I was reincarnated as an elf girl won’t change. In the first place, I never hoped to expose the truth.” Merc was skeptical of the hypothesis that Astard was so enthusiastic about, regardless of how much he favored it. Nonetheless, this was a chanced reunion. “Apart from that, just what are you doing here? You mentioned someone named Count Fonan... You haven’t gotten yourself involved in anything suspicious, have you?” “How rude. I’m only conducting study on a certain topic in partnership with a certain individual; I’m not doing anything wrong...” Astard averted his eyes to avoid Merc’s, but his expression remained unchanged. Merc approached him and pressed her palms against both of Astard’s cheeks, forcing him to turn around so she could ask him a question. “Please don’t do this with that face of yours. It’s weird to be approached by a girl like this...” “Look at you flapping your mouth, even though you have a girl’s face! To begin with, because you only have eyes for the Saintess, you don’t give a damn no matter how many gorgeous ladies approach you.” “I guess you’re right... Fine then. If it’s you I think I can trust you.” Astard took Merc’s hands off his cheeks, gave a slight nod, and started speaking. “Just now I explained the Principle of the Strong to you. The thing where people or Magic Beasts can absorb the Mana of those they defeat as Life Force. If that’s the case, don’t you think it’d be easier to increase one’s Life Force if there was a means to get magical power without having to defeat others?” “... Magic Stones?” “Correct. My companion and I believed that Magic Stones might be used to gain Life Force.” A Gai who had been gathering Magic Stones from the rock walls on the fifth level came racing with a basket on his back at the same moment as Astard nodded his head. It then placed the basket in front of them. Inside were a plethora of recently obtained Magic Stones. They were gleaming and glistening, like gems of various colors and sizes. “The Magic Stones inside the Dungeons are imbued with magic power. Although the nature and amount of magic power housed in each variety of stone varies, they are mostly employed as a conduit for magic by magicians.” “I know. They are also useful as ornaments. There are occasions when you might want to carry a Magic Stone with a specific effect as an accessory and utilize it when needed. Experienced adventurers used to do this often.” “That is correct. There are even Transmission Magic Stones that have been put to practical use and have a plethora of applications today.” “So? Is your research on extracting power from Magic Stone doing well? In the first place, what are you going to do with that power? You’re not going to abuse it, are you?” “Estert. Do you really view me as that sort of person?” “No. I’m sure you wouldn’t do something like that... Your partner, on the other hand... Can he be trusted?” Hearing that one of her former companions was being led around by the nose was unpleasant for Merc. It was inconceivable that Astard was being exploited by others since he was such a brilliant researcher to the point of being nicknamed the Great Sage and had a strong interest in magic and sorcery. Astard, on the other hand, merely shrugged off Merc’s concerns. “He can. To begin with, he isn’t conducting this research in order to get power from the Magic Stones. He only thought of it when he was attempting to figure out what had caused the calamity.” “What caused the calamity? Which calamity are you talking about? The research of which calamity would lead to the conclusion that Magic Stones can increase Life Force?” “Oh my! Is it really so difficult to figure out?” Whether he was pleased to have the upper hand or it was a comeback to Merc’s earlier mockery, Astard’s grin, which he couldn’t suppress, was quite off-putting. “It is.” As Merc mumbled nonchalantly, Astard shook his head exaggeratedly. “Good grief... Listen closely then. This calamity occurs every few centuries or so, and it can even wipe out entire kingdoms. It has claimed many lives, and the most recent one took place around a dozen years ago. Do you still don’t know what I’m talking about?” “I don... Wait... You can’t possibly mean...” “That is correct. The calamity that my friend was investigating is the emergence of the Falgaro.” Astard, with a smirk on his face, was referring to an occurrence that could easily be classified as a tragedy.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 1, "inserted_lines_src": 21, "inserted_lines_trg": 5 }
「それではまず互いに名乗ると致しましょうか。私が人間代表の鴨河宗太郎と申します。」初老の男性が椅子から立ち上がり、僕らに向かって頭を下げてくる。「『凍てつく銀の雪翁』様代理。≪雪翁の騎士≫金栄ユウと申します。」続いて銀色の鎧。恐らくは≪凍銀鎧≫を身に纏った色白白髪の青年が挨拶をする。「『籠る桜火の竜君』様代理。桜火人ミチルと申します。」桜色の髪の毛をした妙齢の女性が立ち上がり、同じような挨拶をする。「『百獣纏う狐姫』様代理。≪狐姫の侍女≫不知火イナホです。」金色の髪に狐耳を生やした狐人の女性が礼儀正しく挨拶をする。「『蝕む黒の霧王』様代理。≪解析者≫矢払チリトです。」最後に僕が立ち上がり挨拶をする。挨拶をするまでは明らかに年若い僕をなめる目が周囲からいくつかしていたが名乗りを上げた時点でそれは無くなった。どうやら、≪解析者≫という称号は予想以上に知られているらしい。「ゴホン。それでは、只今より第3回日本人魔会議を始めます。」そして、鴨河さんが咳払いしてから会議の開催を宣言した。クロキリさんが何者かにボロボロになるまで戦って敗れ、イチコさんが忽然と行方知れずになってから9年と少しが経った。イチコさんの行方はイズミちゃんにホウキ姉さん、狐人の不知火ムギさん、それにリョウお嬢様が懸命に探しているが、その痕跡すら見つかっていない。ただ、この9年の間にうちの国の中だけでも色々な変化があった。箇条書きで上げるならこんなところ。・霧王+人間と雪翁の間で起きた戦いが終結。(ちなみに雪翁の配下が南下してきたのは雪翁が行動を一切縛っていなかったのが原因だったそうだ。) ・『籠る桜火の竜君』の引きこもり脱却(という名の霧王、狐姫、雪翁王による引きずり出し) ・日本の国土に居た4人の魔王の間で大規模攻勢禁止の条約を締結。・四魔王の眷属の人数が大幅増加。(と言っても人間に比べたらまだまだ少ないけど) ・狐姫が長距離転移陣を利用して大陸の『白を塗す糖王』との貿易を開始。・日本人魔会議が開催。この国全体に関わるような事はここで話し合うようになった。・スキルを利用した社会制度の導入による食糧などの安定供給で、ここまでがこの国の中の事で、大陸の方ではこんな事になっている。・国際連合の解体。人間の国は最大でも都市国家レベルの規模にまで縮小。・魔王が治める国同士の戦争による大規模な混乱。・それに伴う各種問題の発生。・勇者を名乗る人物が現れては消えるの繰り返し(恐らくは自称レベルだから名乗った瞬間に潰されてる。) ・数体の魔王の討伐(確か鬼王、辛王含めて10人くらいの魔王が狩られたと思う) ・一部人間集落での正人間教会の台頭(ちゃんとした奴である) まあ、早い話が世界は科学中心の世界からスキル中心の世界に移り変わりつつあるわけで、この会議の予測では後50年もすれば前文明の技術の大半は失われて、スキルによって代用される。という事になっている。まあ、この9年の間にスキルに関する研究がだいぶ進んで、親子や兄弟間では相似なスキルが発現し易いことが分かったり、同じ魔王の眷属同士の子は生まれながら眷属として産まれ、違う魔王の眷属との間の子や人間との間の子はランダムに両親どちらかの種族になることが判明したりもしたけどね。ちなみに眷属の出生率は普通の人間に比べて低いし、魔王は子供を作れないもしくは異常に出来る可能性が低いらしい。 ...。うん。魔王に関してはクロキリさんがソースです。あの魔王はまったくね...。真面目に修行をしたり仕事をしたりしているかと思えば突然女遊びに走ったりもするからね...。ああそうだ。後、眷属になるとレベルに応じて歳を取るスピードが遅くなるみたいだね。具体的には1/(自分のレベル)になるみたい。おかげで高校一年生で眷属化した僕は未だに肉体的には20歳以下だったりする。と、この9年ちょっとの間に起きた話についてはここまでにしておいてそろそろ会議に集中しようか。『以上が今回の日本人魔会議での結論です。』「法律などは現状維持で、俺は海と空の魔王に注意せよ。か。まあいつも通りだな。」俺は『白霧と黒沼の森』でチリトからの報告を受けていた。と言っても報告の中身はいつも通りの「何もありませんでした。」なんだがな。まあ、日本人魔会議は実質形だけのもので、実際にあの会議の中で今まで決まったことなんて魔王同士の大規模侵攻の禁止ぐらいだからな。さて、この9年間で当たり前のように俺のレベルも上がっている。おかげでステータスはこんな感じになった。 -------------- Name:クロキリ(蝕む黒霧の王) Class:魔王 Race:蝕む黒霧の王 HP:2020/2020 ↑110 MP:2330/2330 ↑120 SP:2260/2260 ↑120 Status 筋力 40 器用 55 敏捷 57 ↑1 感知 45 知力 64 ↑1 精神 74 ↑1 幸運 10 Skill ≪迷宮創生≫≪魔性創生≫≪蝕む黒の霧≫≪循環≫≪霧爆≫≪幻惑の霧≫ New!≪尖水柱≫ Title ≪蝕む黒霧の王≫≪白霧の奇襲者≫≪霧人達の主≫≪外を見た魔王≫≪鬼殺し≫≪魔王を討ちし者≫≪奇跡を騙るもの≫≪霧人達の王≫≪扇動者≫≪甘い毒の言葉使い≫≪霧の粛清者≫ New!≪魔神と遭遇せし者≫ New!≪日ノ本の統治者≫ New!≪魔神に反旗を翻す者≫ etc. さて、いつも通りに紹介していくとだ。 ≫だが、これは水の柱を地面から勢いよく出現させることにより、敵を攻撃する水属性魔法のスキルである。その勢いは並の鉄板程度なら余裕で貫けるほどである。で、このスキル最大の特徴は魔力を水に変換して放つために例え近くに水源が無くても使用可能という点である。つまり、例え周囲に水がない状況という俺にとって最悪の状態で戦いになっても≪尖水柱≫→水発生→≪霧爆≫→霧発生という流れで一時的になら問題なく戦えるようになるのである。さて、称号の方だが目立った新しい称号は3つ。ただ、≪魔神と遭遇せし者≫≪魔神に反旗を翻す者≫に関してはそのままなので割愛。で、≪日ノ本の統治者≫に関してはあれだろうな。最近この国に対して色々やっているからだろうな。人攫いで口減らししたり、軍に霧人をやって対海の魔王とで共同戦線張らせたり、『白霧と黒沼の森』第3階層を使った人間達のレベル上げとかな。で、本当は他にも色々あるわけだけど...、うん。そこはスルーで。数が多すぎて語る気になれない。まっ、俺個人の事としてはこんなところで、次はダンジョンについてだな...	————– “Well then, let us first identify ourselves to each other. I am Kamogawa Sotaro, the human representative.” The elderly man rose from his chair and bowed to us. “Representative of the ‘Frozen Silver Snow Sage’. My name is Kanae Yuu, ≪Knight of the Snow Sage≫.” Following that, he was greeted by a young man with a pale complexion and white hair clad in silver armor, most likely the ≪Frozen Silver Armor≫. “Representative of the ‘Dragon Sovereign of the Caged Cherry Blossom Flame’. My name is Yae Michiru, a Sakurahijin.” A strangely aged woman with cherry-blonde hair stood up and offered a similar greeting. “Representative of the ‘Hundred Beast Clad Fox Princess’. I am Shiranui Inaho, the ≪Fox Princess’ Attendant≫.” With golden hair and fox ears, the Kitsunejin woman politely expressed her greetings. “Representative of the ‘King of the Devouring Black Mist’. My name is Yaharai Chirito, the ≪Analyst≫.” Finally, I got up and delivered my greeting. Until I announced my greeting, there were a few eyes around me that were clearly mocking my young age, but that ceased to be the case when I introduced myself. Apparently, the title ≪Analyst≫ was more well-known than I expected. “Ahem. Now then, let us initiate the third meeting of the Japanese Demon Conference.” Kamogawa then cleared his throat with a single cough before declaring the meeting to be in session. Slightly more than nine years have passed since Ichiko vanished into thin air after Kurokiri was defeated by someone who battled him until he was utterly tattered. Although Ichiko’s whereabouts have been sought by Izumi, Houki, the Kitsunejin Shiranui Mugi, and even Lady Ryo, not a trace of Ichiko had been discovered. However, there had been several developments in our country during the last nine years. Here’s what I’d say if I had to list them in bullet points: ・The battle that erupted between the Mist King + Humans and the Snow Sage was concluded. (Incidentally, the reason why Snow Sage’s subordinates marched southward was that the Snow Sage himself had not placed any restrictions on their conduct.) ・The seclusion of Dragon Sovereign of the Caged Cherry Blossom Flame was undone. (i.e., dragged out by the three Demon Kings: the Mist King, the Fox Princess, and the Snow Sage). ・A pact was reached between the four Demon Kings who were on the land of Japan, prohibiting them from launching a large-scale siege. ・The number of the Four Demon Kings’ kin has substantially augmented (Though their number is still less than that of human beings). ・The Fox Princess began to conduct trade with the “Sugar King of White Smearing” on the continent by using Long-distance Transportation. ・A meeting of Japanese demons has been held. The affairs of the country as a whole are now discussed here. ・The implementation of a societal system utilizing skills to ensure a stable supply of food and other necessities. And so far, this was what was occurring in this country, while on the continent, this was what has transpired: ・The dismantling of the United Nations. The human countries have shrunk to the level of city-states at most. ・The war between the countries reigned by the Demon Kings has led to chaos on a grand scale. ・As a result, all sorts of problems have arisen. ・Figures claiming to be heroes repeatedly appear and disappear (presumably because they are at the level of self-proclaimed heroes, they are crushed the moment they claim to call themselves such). ・The number of Demon Kings who have been exterminated (I believe about Demon Kings were hunted down, including the Ogre King and the Spice King). ・The rise of the Church of the Righteousness in some human settlements (they’re a decent fellow this time). Well, to put it plainly, the world was shifting from a science-centered world to a skill-centered world, and according to the prediction of this conference, within the next years, the majority of the technologies of the former civilization will be obsolete, and skills will replace them. Over the last nine years, research on skills had progressed remarkably, and it had been ascertained that parent-child and sibling relationships tended to develop similar skills. It was also discovered that children between kin of the same Demon King were born as kin, while children between kin of different Demon Kings or humans were randomly born to one of the parents’ races. While on the subject, the birth rate of kin was lower than that of normal humans, and Demon Kings were reported to be either unable of producing offspring or exceptionally unlikely to do so. ...Yeah. Regarding the Demon King, the source for this is Kurokiri-san. That Demon King is seriously... When you think he’s earnestly training and engaging in work, all of a sudden he starts womanizing.... Yes, that’s right. Also, it seems that when you become a kin, your aging speed slows down according to your level. To be specific, it seems to be /(your level). Thanks to this, having been transformed into a kin in my first year of high school, I am still physically less than 20 years old. So, that’s all I have to say about what has unfolded over the past 9 years or so; let’s concentrate on the conference now, shall we? “With that, the Japanese Demon Conference’s meeting draws to an end.” “The laws, and so forth, remain as they are, and I will watch out for the Demon Kings of the sea and the sky. Well, it’s the same as usual.” I was in the “White Mist and Black Swamp Forest” with a report from Chirito, but the contents of the report were the same as usual: “Nothing happened”. Well, the Japanese Demon Conference was nothing more than a mere formality, and the only thing that has actually been settled in the conference to date was the prohibition of large-scale invasions between Demon Kings. Now, my level had elevated over the past nine years as a matter of course. Thanks to that, my status was now like this. Name: Kurokiri (King of the Devouring Black Mist) Class: Demon King Hp:2020/2020 ↑110 Mp:2330/2330 ↑120 Sp:2260/2260 ↑120 Status Strength 40 Dexterity 55 Agility 57 ↑1 Perception 45 Intellect 64↑1 Spirit 74↑1 Luck 10 Skill ≪Dungeon Create≫, ≪Monster Create≫, ≪Devouring Black Mist≫, ≪Circulation≫, ≪Mist Plosion≫, ≪Bewitching Mist≫, New! ≪Sharp Aqua Pillar≫ Title ≪King of the Devouring Black Mist≫, ≪White Mist of Ambush≫, ≪Lord of the Kirijin≫, ≪The Demon King Who Has Looked Outside≫, ≪Demon Slayer≫, ≪The One Who Vanquished the Demon King≫, ≪Miracle Deceiver≫, ≪King of the Kirijin≫, ≪Agitator≫, ≪Wordsmith of Sweet Poison≫, ≪Purger of the Mist≫, New! ≪The One Who Encountered the God of Calamity≫, New! ≪Ruler of Japan≫, New! ≪The One Who Revolts Against the God of Calamity≫ etc. Now, moving on to the introductions as usual. First and foremost, ≪Sharp Aqua Pillar≫ was a water-attribute magic skill that attacked adversaries by summoning a ferocious pillar of water from the ground. The momentum was so tremendous that it can pierce an ordinary steel plate with ease. The greatest advantage of this skill was that it can be employed even if no water source was available nearby since it converted magic power into water before releasing it. In other words, even if I had to engage in a battle under the worst-case scenario where the surroundings were devoid of water, I will be able to fight without any problems, even if only temporarily, through the process of ≪Sharp Aqua Pillar≫ → Water generation → ≪Mist Plosion≫ → Mist generation. Regarding the title of ≪Ruler of Japan≫, I supposed it was due to the wide range of activities I had recently undertaken for this country. Like abducting people to cut down on the number of mouths to feed, sending Kirijin to the army to have a joint fight against the Demon Kings of the sea, and lifting the level of humans by utilizing the third level of “White Mist and Black Swamp Forest”. And the truth is, there’s a lot more to it than that... but yeah. Let’s ignore that. There are simply too many to list. Well, that was about it for me personally, next I should move on to the dungeon...	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 2, "inserted_lines_src": 4, "inserted_lines_trg": 11 }
「経済活動や制度が類似する国々で貯蓄行動が大いに異なるのは何故か」「経済活動や制度が類似する国々で貯蓄行動が大いに異なるのは何故か」聡明な経済学者たちが一生をかけ答えを追求してきましたその甲斐あって議論は大きく前進してきましたし多くのことが明らかになりました今日ご紹介するのは私が研究している新たな仮説と言語の構造と貯蓄傾向の関連性についての言語の構造と貯蓄傾向の関連性についての驚くほど大きな新発見です貯蓄率や言語について簡単に説明した後その関連性を紐解いていきますまずは OECD 経済協力開発機構の ― 加盟国について考えてみましょう OECD諸国は概して裕福な先進工業国と言えるでしょう OECD諸国は概して裕福な先進工業国と言えるでしょうまた OECDに加盟する以上民主主義や自由市場 ― 自由貿易に取り組むという意思を表明していますこうした共通点はありますが貯蓄傾向は大きく異なっていますこのグラフの左の方をご覧いただくと多くのOECD諸国では毎年 GDPの4分の1以上を貯蓄しています 3分の1以上を貯蓄に回している国もあります反対側を見ていくと右端はギリシャですここ25年以上ギリシャの貯蓄率は辛うじてGDPの10%を越える程度で推移してますもちろんアメリカとイギリスがそのすぐ隣にいることも見逃せませんさてこうした貯蓄率における違いに言語が関係している可能性があるのでしょうか言語間には根本的な相違があり ― その相違点について言語学者や認知科学者が研究を重ねてきましたこのことが後で貯蓄の話に関連してきますお気づきかと思いますが私は中国人ですアメリカの中西部で育ちました幼少期にあることに気付いたんです中国語で家族のことを話そうとするとそもそも思考の段階から英語とは違うのだということです具体的な例を挙げますね例えば皆さんを私の「おじ」に紹介するとしましょう英語では "uncle" で問題ありませんねしかしこれが中国語だとそう簡単には済みません情報が足りないのです中国語では「おじ」に膨大な情報を付与しなければ何を言っているか伝わらないのです「おじ」と言ってもそれが母方なのか父方なのか血縁なのか姻戚なのか父方であれば父の兄なのか弟なのかこれらは全て中国語では無視できない必須項目です中国語で正確に話そうとするとこのような事を考えざるを得ないのです私はこういうことで延々と楽しめる子でしたが今日経済学者として私が心をつかまれるのは「時」についても言語間で同様の相違があるという点です例えば英語を話す場合には文法に違いが出ます過去なら "It rained yesterday" 現在ならば "It is raining now" 未来は "It will rain tomorrow" 英語では事象のタイミングについて情報が不可欠ですいつ言うかによって未来形に変える必要が出てくるのです "It rain tomorrow" は英語では許されませんところが中国語ではそれでいいのです英語では奇妙でも中国語なら大丈夫です過去でも現在でも未来でも "It rain" と言って構いませんつまり中国語には英語のような時制の区切りがないのですつまり中国語には英語のような時制の区切りがないのです英語と中国語の関係が特別に薄いせいでしょうか? 英語と中国語の関係が特別に薄いせいでしょうか? 違いますご存じのとおり英語はゲルマン語派ですが実は英語には例外的な特徴がありますゲルマン語派で時制があるのは英語だけです英語以外のゲルマン語派では明日の雨について "Morgen regnet es" つまり ― 明日の雨について "Morgen regnet es" つまり ― "It rain tomorrow" と言って差し支えありません行動経済学者である私はある面白い仮説を思いつきました「時」についての捉え方や言語的な制約がいつの間にか行動傾向にも影響しているのではないか? 英語には未来形がありますから皆さんが英語で将来について話す場合には皆さんが英語で将来について話す場合には文法的に現在から切り離す必要があり直感的に遠いものと見なしますその遠いものという感覚が英語を使うたびに現在と将来を切り離していくとすると将来というものは現在から遠く離れたものに感じられ貯蓄する気が薄れます未来形のない言語では現在と未来が一体化しています日頃から現在と未来を同一視していると貯蓄する気になりやすいのですこれは突飛な理論ですが私は大学教授なのでこれも仕事のうちです実際に理論を検証する方法を考え言語学の文献を当たりました面白いことに世界には未来形のない言語を話す地域が固まって存在しているのです北欧のこの地域の言語には未来の概念がありません面白いことにデータを見ていくと未来の概念のない言語を話す人々と高額の貯蓄を持つ人々がほぼ一致することがわかりましたヒントはこれです先程のOECDのグラフに戻りましょう貯蓄率の高い国は体系的に左に寄っています貯蓄率の高い国は体系的に左に寄っています未来形のある言語を話す国と比べるとこうです平均差を求めてみると貯蓄率の違いは年間でGDPの5%ずつなので 25年経てば国の資産に莫大な影響を与えることになります何か関係ありそうな気配ですが国ごとの違いというのは内容が多岐に渡りますから一概には言えませんそこで私がここ1年研究してきたことをご紹介します経済学者の持てるありとあらゆるデータを駆使し経済学者の持てるありとあらゆるデータを駆使し国ごとの違いを極力排除して相関関係はないと証明したいのですが結論から言って相関を認めざるを得ません検証過程を説明しましょうたとえば世界中から大量のデータを集めます「欧州における健康・加齢・退職の調査」を見るとヨーロッパの退職者世帯はこのような調査に対し ― 非常に忍耐強いことがわかります退職してベルギーに家を構えたとします誰かが訪ねてきて「すみません持ち株の明細を見せてもらえませんか? お宅の価格をご存じですか? 教えてもらえます? 10メートル以上の廊下はありますか? その廊下をあなたが何秒で歩くか計ってもいいですか? 利き手でこの装置を思いっきり握ってもらえますか? 握力を測りますからこのチューブに息を吹き込んでください肺活量を測ります」調査は一日以上を続きますさらにUSAIDによるアフリカの途上国の ― 「人口保健調査」も資料に加えますたとえばナイジェリアの農村部の世帯のHIV感染状況まで調べているような資料です「世界価値観調査」も使えます世界のあらゆる国で何百万もの世帯の政治的見解や ― ラッキーなことに貯蓄行動まで調べてある資料ですそうしたデータを全て組み合わせるとこうなりますご覧の9カ国では ― 未来形のある言語とない言語その両方が使われています未来形のある言語とない言語その両方が使われていますここから評価が可能な条件について類似するデータを組み合わせて統計分析のためにペアを作ります条件を揃えた上で言語と貯蓄率の間に関連性があるかどうか調べるというわけですコントロールできる特性は生まれ育った国性別や年齢などの属性各国の基準で見た所得レベル学歴や家族構成の詳細です欧州では結婚の形態だけで 6種類もありますからさらに宗教によって細分化しました世界には72の宗教分類がありますから非常に細かくなりますね世帯ごとの属性は全部で14億種類に分類されますここでは特性が類似する世帯を抽出し比較した内容だけを抜粋してお話しますほとんど思考実験のようなものです言語以外の属性が全て共通する ― ブリュッセル在住の2世帯で一方はフレミッシュ語他方はフランス語あるいはナイジェリアの農村部の2世帯で一方はハウサ語他方はイボ語という具合ですこのように細かく条件を絞り込んで分析した場合未来形のない言語話者の方が貯蓄が多いか? その通り任意の年に「貯蓄した」と回答する確率は未来形のない言語を話す人の方が 30%高いのです累積効果も見られます未来形のない言語を話す人々は退職までに所得を継続的に貯蓄し退職時点での貯蓄は 25%多くなっていますさらに掘り下げてみましょうせっかく健康に関するデータが手元にありますから貯蓄のことを念頭において健康面でどうしているかたとえば喫煙について見てみましょう喫煙はある意味マイナスの貯蓄です貯蓄は「将来の喜び」と引き換えの「現在の苦しみ」喫煙は逆です「将来の苦しみ」に変わる「現在の喜び」それなら効果も逆になりそうですよね実際その通りでした未来形のない言語を話す人はそうでない人と比べどの時期においても約20~24% 喫煙率が低く退職までに肥満になる確率も 13~17%低く最近のセックスでコンドームを使った割合は21%高いという結果でした最近のセックスでコンドームを使った割合は21%高いという結果でしたこうした数値的な差は枚挙に暇がありません強い統計的効果なくして貯蓄行動なしと言っても過言ではないでしょう言語学者で経済学者でもあるイェール大学の仲間と共に言語を使うたび将来の捉え方に知らず知らずのうちに影響を及ぼす ― その仕組みを解明すべく本格的に研究を始めました最終的な目標としては小さな効果の積み重ねが意思決定を変える仕組みを解明し皆さんがより意識的に貯蓄に励み将来に向け有効な投資ができるよう役に立つツールを提供したいと考えていますありがとうございました	And that is, why is it that countries with seemingly similar economies and institutions can display radically different savings behavior? Now, many brilliant economists have spent their entire lives working on this question, and as a field we've made a tremendous amount of headway and we understand a lot about this. What I'm here to talk with you about today is an intriguing new hypothesis and some surprisingly powerful new findings that I've been working on about the link between the structure of the language you speak and how you find yourself with the propensity to save. Let me tell you a little bit about savings rates, a little bit about language, and then I'll draw that connection. Let's start by thinking about the member countries of the OECD, or the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development. OECD countries, by and large, you should think about these as the richest, most industrialized countries in the world. And by joining the OECD, they were affirming a common commitment to democracy, open markets and free trade. Despite all of these similarities, we see huge differences in savings behavior. So all the way over on the left of this graph, what you see is many OECD countries saving over a quarter of their GDP every year, and some OECD countries saving over a third of their GDP per year. Holding down the right flank of the OECD, all the way on the other side, is Greece. And what you can see is that over the last 25 years, Greece has barely managed to save more than 10 percent of their GDP. It should be noted, of course, that the United States and the U.K. are the next in line. Now that we see these huge differences in savings rates, how is it possible that language might have something to do with these differences? Let me tell you a little bit about how languages fundamentally differ. Linguists and cognitive scientists have been exploring this question for many years now. And then I'll draw the connection between these two behaviors. Many of you have probably already noticed that I'm Chinese. I grew up in the Midwest of the United States. And something I realized quite early on was that the Chinese language forced me to speak about and -- in fact, more fundamentally than that -- ever so slightly forced me to think about family in very different ways. Now, how might that be? Let me give you an example. Suppose I were talking with you and I was introducing you to my uncle. You understood exactly what I just said in English. If we were speaking Mandarin Chinese with each other, though, I wouldn't have that luxury. I wouldn't have been able to convey so little information. instead of just telling you, "This is my uncle," is to tell you a tremendous amount of additional information. My language would force me to tell you whether or not this was an uncle on my mother's side or my father's side, whether this was an uncle by marriage or by birth, and if this man was my father's brother, whether he was older than or younger than my father. All of this information is obligatory. Chinese doesn't let me ignore it. And in fact, if I want to speak correctly, Chinese forces me to constantly think about it. Now, that fascinated me endlessly as a child, but what fascinates me even more today as an economist is that some of these same differences carry through to how languages speak about time. So for example, if I'm speaking in English, I have to speak grammatically differently if I'm talking about past rain, "It rained yesterday," current rain, "It is raining now," or future rain, "It will rain tomorrow." Notice that English requires a lot more information with respect to the timing of events. Why? Because I have to consider that and I have to modify what I'm saying to say, "It will rain," or "It's going to rain." It's simply not permissible in English to say, "It rain tomorrow." In contrast to that, that's almost exactly what you would say in Chinese. A Chinese speaker can basically say something that sounds very strange to an English speaker's ears. They can say, "Yesterday it rain," "Now it rain," "Tomorrow it rain." In some deep sense, Chinese doesn't divide up the time spectrum in the same way that English forces us to constantly do in order to speak correctly. Is this difference in languages only between very, very distantly related languages, like English and Chinese? Actually, no. So many of you know, in this room, that English is a Germanic language. What you may not have realized is that English is actually an outlier. It is the only Germanic language that requires this. For example, most other Germanic language speakers feel completely comfortable talking about rain tomorrow by saying, "Morgen regnet es," quite literally to an English ear, "It rain tomorrow." This led me, as a behavioral economist, to an intriguing hypothesis. Could how you speak about time, could how your language forces you to think about time, affect your propensity to behave across time? You speak English, a futured language. And what that means is that every time you discuss the future, or any kind of a future event, grammatically you're forced to cleave that from the present and treat it as if it's something viscerally different. Now suppose that that visceral difference makes you subtly dissociate the future from the present every time you speak. If that's true and it makes the future feel like something more distant and more different from the present, that's going to make it harder to save. If, on the other hand, you speak a futureless language, the present and the future, you speak about them identically. If that subtly nudges you to feel about them identically, that's going to make it easier to save. Now this is a fanciful theory. I'm a professor, I get paid to have fanciful theories. But how would you actually go about testing such a theory? Well, what I did with that was to access the linguistics literature. And interestingly enough, there are pockets of futureless language speakers situated all over the world. This is a pocket of futureless language speakers in Northern Europe. Interestingly enough, when you start to crank the data, these pockets of futureless language speakers all around the world turn out to be, by and large, some of the world's best savers. Just to give you a hint of that, let's look back at that OECD graph that we were talking about. What you see is that these bars are systematically taller and systematically shifted to the left compared to these bars which are the members of the OECD that speak futured languages. What is the average difference here? Five percentage points of your GDP saved per year. Over 25 years that has huge long-run effects on the wealth of your nation. Now while these findings are suggestive, countries can be different in so many different ways that it's very, very difficult sometimes to account for all of these possible differences. What I'm going to show you, though, is something that I've been engaging in for a year, which is trying to gather all of the largest datasets that we have access to as economists, and I'm going to try and strip away all of those possible differences, hoping to get this relationship to break. And just in summary, no matter how far I push this, I can't get it to break. Let me show you how far you can do that. One way to imagine that is I gather large datasets from around the world. So for example, there is the Survey of Health, [Aging] and Retirement in Europe. From this dataset you actually learn that retired European families are extremely patient with survey takers. So imagine that you're a retired household in Belgium and someone comes to your front door. "Excuse me, would you mind if I peruse your stock portfolio? Do you happen to know how much your house is worth? Do you mind telling me? Would you happen to have a hallway that's more than 10 meters long? If you do, would you mind if I timed how long it took you to walk down that hallway? Would you mind squeezing as hard as you can, in your dominant hand, this device so I can measure your grip strength? How about blowing into this tube so I can measure your lung capacity?" The survey takes over a day. collected by USAID in developing countries in Africa, for example, which that survey actually can go so far as to directly measure the HIV status of families living in, for example, rural Nigeria. Combine that with a world value survey, which measures the political opinions and, fortunately for me, the savings behaviors of millions of families in hundreds of countries around the world. Take all of that data, combine it, and this map is what you get. What you find is nine countries around the world that have significant native populations which speak both futureless and futured languages. And what I'm going to do is form statistical matched pairs between families that are nearly identical on every dimension that I can measure, and then I'm going to explore whether or not the link between language and savings holds even after controlling for all of these levels. What are the characteristics we can control for? Well I'm going to match families on country of birth and residence, the demographics -- what sex, their age -- their income level within their own country, their educational achievement, a lot about their family structure. It turns out there are six different ways to be married in Europe. And most granularly, I break them down by religion where there are 72 categories of religions in the world -- so an extreme level of granularity. There are 1.4 billion different ways that a family can find itself. Now effectively everything I'm going to tell you from now on is only comparing these basically nearly identical families. It's getting as close as possible to the thought experiment of finding two families both of whom live in Brussels who are identical on every single one of these dimensions, but one of whom speaks Flemish and one of whom speaks French; or two families that live in a rural district in Nigeria, one of whom speaks Hausa and one of whom speaks Igbo. Now even after all of this granular level of control, do futureless language speakers seem to save more? Yes, futureless language speakers, even after this level of control, are 30 percent more likely to report having saved in any given year. Does this have cumulative effects? Yes, by the time they retire, futureless language speakers, holding constant their income, are going to retire with 25 percent more in savings. Can we push this data even further? Yes, because I just told you, we actually collect a lot of health data as economists. Now how can we think about health behaviors to think about savings? Well, think about smoking, for example. Smoking is in some deep sense negative savings. If savings is current pain in exchange for future pleasure, smoking is just the opposite. It's current pleasure in exchange for future pain. What we should expect then is the opposite effect. And that's exactly what we find. Futureless language speakers are 20 to 24 percent less likely to be smoking at any given point in time compared to identical families, to be obese by the time they retire, and they're going to report being 21 percent more likely to have used a condom in their last sexual encounter. I could go on and on with the list of differences that you can find. It's almost impossible not to find a savings behavior for which this strong effect isn't present. My linguistics and economics colleagues at Yale and I are just starting to do this work and really explore and understand the ways that these subtle nudges cause us to think more or less about the future every single time we speak. Ultimately, the goal, once we understand how these subtle effects can change our decision making, we want to be able to provide people tools so that they can consciously make themselves better savers and more conscious investors in their own future. Thank you very much.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
しばらく歩いて石材店に到着した。建築業者向けのお店であって、個人相手に販売しているわけではなさそうだ。だが、セルリスは堂々と入って行く。「はい、どうされましたか?」身なりのいいセルリスを見て、貴族か大商家の令嬢だと判断したのだろう。丁寧に応対されている。俺はガルヴに言い含める。「ガルヴ。ここで待っていてくれ」「ミルカはガルヴを見ていてくれ」「任せておくれ!」そして、俺はゲルベルガを抱いたまま、ルッチラに店の中に入った。セルリスは店員と交渉を始めていた。「すこし、家の壁を補修したくて、石材を売って欲しいの」「そうでしたか。どのくらいご入用でしょうか?」「どのくらいなのかしら?」セルリスがこちらを見てくる。「この大きさのもあれば大丈夫かな」「ということなのよ!」「素材はどのようなものを御所望ですか?」「そうだな......」俺は下水道の壁と同じ石材と、通路内側用の石材を選んだ。下水道側と通路内側で構造にした方がいいだろう。特に何の問題もなく、注文することができた。代金も無事支払う万ラックぐらいした。結構な値段だ。あとで、エリックに支払ってもらおう。「どちらに届ければよろしいのでしょうか?」「持って帰ります」「この量ですよ?」「魔法の鞄がありますから」そういって、石材をどんどん詰めていく。エリックのくれた魔法の鞄は最高級品だった。大きめの倉庫程度の内容量がある。その上、いくら入れても重さは変わらない。加えて状態不変の効果もかかっているのだ。買ったらめちゃくちゃ高いだろう。一千万ラック、いやもっとするに違いない。あとで、エリックには改めてお礼を言っておこう。無事買い物を済ませて、石材店を後にする。店の外では、ミルカがガルヴの背に乗っていた。「うーぅー」ガルヴはめちゃくちゃ唸っていた。格下だと思っているミルカに背の上に乗られたので怒っているのかもしれない。ミルカとガルヴの相性はよくないのかもしれない。あとで対策を考えなければならないだろう。「ミルカ。背中に乗るのはやめてやれ」それから、鍛冶屋に向かう。エリックの部屋に繋がる扉を作るための金属を手に入れるためだ。「おれは掃除用具を買ってくるよ!」「おう、一人で大丈夫か?」ミルカには掃除用具を買えるぐらいのお金を渡しておく。一方、俺たちは鍛冶屋に到着する。適した金属の塊は見つからなかったが、代わりに大きな盾を見つけることができた。人が二人ぐらい余裕で入れそうない巨大な盾だ。要人警護のための大盾だろう。扉の代わりにするにはぴったりだ。「お目が高いですね。その盾に目をつけるとは! 熟練の鍛冶師が鍛え上げたミスリル製ですからね!」「素晴らしい」「お値段も勉強させていただきますよ! なんと三百万ラックです」だが、手持ちがないので、冒険者ギルドに走って、お金を引き出した。十年前の財産を使えるようにしてくれたので、冒険者カードで引き出せるのだ。買い物を無事済ませてから帰宅することにする。セルリスが心配そうにつぶやく。「ミルカはちゃんと買えたかしらね」「そりゃ買えるだろう。ずっと一人で王都で暮らしてきたんだからな」「それもそうね」掃除用具を売っている店の方へとみんなで向かう。すると、裏路地の方から、なにやら争う声が聞こえてきた。表通りの方には、余程耳がよくないと聞こえない程度の声だ。俺はゲルベルガをルッチラに任せると、声のする方へと走った。「離しやがれ!」「うるせえ! やっと見つけたぞクソガキが!」「勝手に逃げやがって、ゆるさねぇからな!」ミルカがガラの悪い大人たち三人に絡まれているのが遠くに見えた。「じいちゃんの家を没収したくせに、まだ金をとろうってのかい!」「はあ? あんなボロ屋でてめえのじじいの借金がちゃらになるわけねーだろうが!」「そんなこと知らないよ! おれは払わなくていいって偉い人も言ってたし!」「法律とか関係ねえんだよ!」「じじいの借金は、孫のお前が払うのが人の道だろうが!」「残念でしたー! おれは金なんて持ってないよ!」ミルカは強気に応対している。早く助けたほうがいいだろう。俺は急いだ。「ガルヴ、手は出すなよ」一応、横を走るガルヴに言っておく。「てめーが買い物しているのを俺たちは見てるんだよ!」「結構金もっているみたいじゃねーか」「これはおれの金じゃないよ」「それが俺たちに何の関係があるんだ?」俺は黙って、ミルカとチンピラの間に入った。「なんだ、てめえ?」「その子の保護者だ」「保護者? じゃあ、お前が借金を肩代わりしてくれるってことか?」「お前は馬鹿なのか?」俺は少し腹が立っていたので、あえて煽るような言葉遣いで返す。法すら守らず、借金を支払う義務のない子供にたかるチンピラどもは許せない。「ミルカには借金を支払う義務はない」「そうか。こっちも馬鹿なお前が理解しまいが知ったことではない」「てめえ、俺たちを舐めてるのか?」「こんな子供にたかったところで、大した金は回収できないだろ。頭大丈夫か?」「このガキは磨けば光りそうだからよ。娼館に売り飛ばすんだよ!」ミルカが「ひっ」と怯えたような声を出した。「奴隷売買は禁じられているはずだが?」「他国になら売り飛ばせるだろうが。お前も奴隷になって鉱山で働くか? それが嫌なら、そのガキをこっちによこせ」「強情な野郎だ。痛めつけてやれ」リーダー格っぽい奴がそういうと、チンピラ二人が襲い掛かってきた。とても遅い。あえて数発殴られておく。ダメージを食らっている演技までした。正当防衛を主張するためだ。裏路地の住人たちがこちらをうかがうように見ているのだ。ゲルベルガに被害が行かないようにだけ注意する。「ロックさん、いいから早く逃げておくれ!」ミルカが泣きそうな顔で叫んでいた。なんかミルカには悪いことをした気がする。魔法を使っているところは見せたが、ミルカにはその高度さはわからなかったのだろう。だから、俺のことをそんなに強くない金持ちだと思っているに違いない。「ガハハ! 調子乗っているから痛い目を見るんだ!」チンピラのリーダー格はご機嫌に笑う。もう充分だろう。一人目の顔面にこぶしを叩き込む。鼻血がものすごい勢いで流れる。どうやら鼻の骨が折れたようだ。二人目は顎を下から蹴り上げた。前歯が数本飛んだ。そして、驚いているリーダー格の男のみぞおちに拳を叩き込む。「うげええ」リーダー格の男は口から汚い嘔吐物をまきちらして、うずくまった。	After walking for some time, we arrived at the store that sold the building materials. It was a shop for people in the construction industry, and it seemed like it might not sell to private customers. However, Serulis marched boldly inside. “Yes, what is it?” They must have seen how well dressed Serulis was and judged her to be a noble or the daughter of a great merchant. And so she was received with politeness. I said to Grulf, “Grulf. Wait right here.” “Milka, you watch over Grulf.” “Leave it to me!” And so I walked into the store while still holding Gerbera, and Luchila followed me. Serulis was negotiating with the clerk. “I wish to repair the walls of my house. Can you sell me the materials?” “I see. And how much will you need?” “How much indeed...?” Serulis looked over to me. “Thirty of this size should be enough.” “And what materials do you desire?” “Yes...” And so I chose materials that were the same as the sewer walls and some other materials for the inner passage. It would be best to have two layers of protection. We were able to place the order without much issue. The payment also went smoothly. It was about , rucks. Quite expensive. I’ll have Eric reimburse me later. “And where shall these materials be delivered?” “I will take them with me.” “All of it?” “I have a magic bag.” So saying, I tossed all of the stone materials into my bag. The magic bag that Eric had given me was of the best quality. It had the capacity of a large warehouse. On top of that, the weight of it did not change at all. Even more, it kept the contents in the exact same condition. It would probably be very expensive to buy. million rucks. No, probably even more. I think I would have to thank Eric again for it. And so we finished our shopping here and left the store. Outside of the store, Milka was riding on Grulf’s back. Grulf was growling. He was probably really angry that Milka, who he considered an inferior, was on his back. Perhaps Milka and Grulf were just a very bad match. I might have to think of a way of handling this later. “Milka. Please spare him that.” “Alright.” And then we headed for the blacksmith. I wanted to buy some metal to make a door for Eric’s room. “I’m going to go and buy the cleaning tools!” “Ah, are you alright going on alone?” And so I gave her enough money to buy the necessary tools. And then we arrived at the smithy. I wasn’t able to find any appropriate chunk of metal, but instead, I was able to find a large shield. The rectangular shield was huge enough to hide two people behind it. It was probably used to protect important people. So it was perfect to use as a door. “You have a good eye to choose this shield! It is made of mithril and was created by a veteran blacksmith!” “Wonderful.” “And I shall give you a discount as well! An unbelievable 3 million rucks.” “Indeed!” However, I did not have enough with me, so I ran over to the Adventurer’s guild and withdrew some money. I was now able to withdraw from my funds 10 years ago with my Adventurer’s card. After finishing our shopping, we decided to return to the house. Serulis sounded worried as she muttered, “I wonder if Milka was able to buy everything.” “I’m sure she was. She lived alone in the capital all this time.” “That’s true.” And so we all headed towards the store that sold the cleaning supplies. When we arrived, we heard what sounded like an argument happening in the back road. It was loud enough that we could hear it from where we were. I handed Gerberga to Luchila and ran in the direction of the voice. “Let go of me!” “Shut up! We finally found you, you little brat!” “Running away like that. I won’t forgive you!” I could see that three unsavory-looking adults had surrounded her. “You already took grandpa’s house, and now you want even more money!” “What? As if that shack would be enough to pay your grandfather’s debts!” “I don’t know anything about that! And those important people said I didn’t have to pay!” “This has nothing to do with the law!” “It is only right, that as his grandchild, you should pay off his debts!” “Well, too bad! I don’t have any money!” Milka was holding her own quite well. But I had to help her quickly. And so I rushed forward. “Grulf, don’t attack them.” I said as Grulf ran next to me. “We’ve seen you out shopping!” “It looks like you have plenty of money to me.” “This isn’t my money.” “And what is that to us?” Without saying a word, I got in between Milka and the thugs. “What, who are you?” “This child’s guardian.” “Guardian? Does that mean you are going to pay off her debts?” “Are you an idiot?” I had been made quite irritated by now, and so I replied in a way that was purposely enraging. I couldn’t exactly forgive these thugs who disregarded the law and attacked a child who had no legal responsibility to pay off any debts. “Milka has no responsibility to pay anything.” “I see. Well, it means nothing to me whether an idiot like you understands it or not.” “Why, you! Are you mocking us?” “I can’t imagine you expected to recover much money by surrounding a child. Are you alright in the head?” “This brat seems like she might polish up nicely. We were going to sell her to a brothel!” Milka let out a terrified groan. “And yet, isn’t the slave trade abolished?” “We would have sold her to another country, of course. Perhaps you would like to become a slave too, and work at the mines? If you wouldn’t like that, hand over the brat.” “He’s a stubborn one. Show him some pain.” The one who was probably the leader said. And then the two others attacked. They were so very slow. But I allowed them to get in a few punches. I even pretended to take some damage. Of course, this was so I could claim that I was acting in self-defense. The people on the streets were now looking in our direction. I was only careful that Gerberga was not hurt in any way. “Mister Locke, leave me and run!” Milka shouted with an expression that was on the verge of tears. I felt like I had done something bad to her then. I had shown her my magic, but she had not understood how advanced it was. And so she must see me as a rich man who was not particularly strong. “Gahaha! This is what you get for stepping out of your lane!” The leader said with a very pleased laugh. I had quite enough now. And so I slammed a fist into the face of the first attacker. Blood ran from his nose in a furious rush. I think the bone must have broken. To the second attacker, I gave an upward kick into his jaw. Several of his front teeth went flying. And to the shocked leader, I gave a great punch to the stomach with my fist. “Ugghhhaah...” A torrent of foul vomit poured from his mouth as he fell to the floor.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 6, "inserted_lines_src": 4, "inserted_lines_trg": 4 }
とりあえずマクスウェルと、今後の予定を取り決めた後は、先日の事件について話し合う事になった。「そういやあのクソ貴族はどうなった?」「警備は万全なはずじゃった。魔術的な監視網を構築しておいたわけではないが、衛兵達が厳重に見張っておったはずなのじゃ」「それなのに、なぜ殺された? 何時? 犯人は?」マクスウェルに矢継ぎ早に問い詰める。どうやら昨夜の宵の口、監視の交代の隙を突かれて殺害されたらしい。「今の状況で怪しいのは......お主じゃな」「なんでそうなる!?」「動機は無視して、『監視を掻い潜れる者』と想定した場合、真っ先にお主が思い浮かんだだけじゃよ」「俺に動機はないだろ。それにその時間はフィニアと一緒に風呂に入っていた」「ほぅ? 相変わらず仲良くやっているようで何よりじゃな。で、感触は?」「聞くな!?」不味い。いや、フィニア達と風呂に入っているのは、マクスウェルも知っている事ではあるのだが。とにかく話を戻す。このままでは際限なく話が脱線するから。「そもそも捕らえたのは俺だぞ。殺す気なら、あの時にさっさとやっている」「そうじゃな。つまり犯人の目星は全く付いておらん」いつもの事なので、マクスウェルも咎めるような真似はしない。俺の探索は荒らした後もきちんと片付けるので、掃除の必要はないからだ。むしろ、大雑把なこの爺さんの部屋が逆に片付くくらいである。書棚の分厚い百科事典の裏に、珍しいビスケットを発見。ゴマを練り込んで香ばしく焼き上げた、街の有名店の品だ。この爺さんは、まるでリスが冬備えをするかのように、食い物を隠し持つ性癖がある。もっとも視線を逸らせて言っていたので、怪しいところではある。「勝手に荒らしておいて何を言うか。まったく......」持ち込んだ弁当を理事長室の机に広げ、その脇にデザートとしてビスケットを完備。「交代の隙で、多少監視の目が緩んだのは否定できん。ワシはエリオットとプリシラに付きっきりじゃったし、牢獄の警備についていた者も、ワシらと比べるのは酷というモノじゃ」「そりゃ......なぁ」唐突に警備体制が変わったため、逆に隙ができるという事は、よくある。それをこなせる者の心当たりを考え、真っ先に俺を思い浮かべるのは、マクスウェルならば仕方ない。俺が現役の時代、敵やモンスターの目を堂々と掻い潜る場面を、何度も目にしているのだから。「つまり俺並の隠密能力を持つ誰かってことか」「数はかなり限られそうじゃな。今裏社会に詳しい連中から情報を集めている所じゃ。一般人としては精一杯の警備だったと、ワシは判断しておるよ。むしろ、手早く暗殺者を送り込んだ相手の方が一枚上手だったという事かも知れん」「ってことは、逃げた仮面の男の正体も......?」「わからずじまいじゃなぁ」タルカシールが捕縛されたその日のうちに刺客を送り込んできている所から見て、子飼いの暗殺者の可能性もある。「なら、仮面の男はこの街に詳しい奴って事になるな」「そうじゃな。それと貴族。タルカシールの奴は権威主義の塊じゃ。自身に近付く平民など許すはずがない」「この街にある程度住んでいて、そこそこの位を持つ貴族か。しかし、それだけじゃ到底絞り切れない」「まあ、少しずつ包囲網を絞っていってやるわい。逃がしはせんて」「そう願うね」肩を竦めて見せるマクスウェル。結局、仮面の男には見事に逃げ切られたようだった。	After we settled on our plans from now on, I decided to talk to Maxwell about the other day’s events. First I decided to ask about Count Tarkashire who we managed to capture. “Reminds me, what happened to that s̲h̲i̲t̲h̲e̲a̲d̲ noble?” “Well...” Maxwell started unusually hesitantly. And no wonder, as it turned out that someone had assassinated him on the same night of the capture. “He was supposed to be under perfect security. I hadn’t put up any magical surveillance network there, but the guards were strictly watching over him.” “Then, how did he get killed? Or when exactly? And what about the culprit?” “At present, the most suspicious of all would be... You.” “How come!?” “Setting aside the objective, the first one to pop my mind when I heard about someone that could slip through the defenses was you.” “I had no motive, though. Besides, during that time I was in the bath with Finia.” “Oh? Looks like you are getting along as always. So, how did it feel to the touch?” “Don’t ask that!!!” That was a blunder on my part. No, well, he was already aware that I was getting into the bath together with Cortina and Finia. Finia’s weren’t that big but they were quite sof-... No, nevermind. Returning to the topic, since this would derail from it too much. “I was the one that caught him, in the first place. If I wanted to kill him, I’d have done it then and there.” “Indeed. Hence we aren’t aware of the culprit’s objective.” I gave a brief comment about his unusual blunder and went to rummage through his office. It was the usual thing so he didn’t try to stop me. After doing my search I properly tidied after myself, so there would be no need to clean up. Rather, it would end up being more put in order after I was done, given how crude he was at dealing with his things. I discovered rare biscuits behind the thick encyclopedia on the bookshelf. They were products from a famous shop, full of fragrance, baked after mixing sesame into the dough. This old man had a nature to hide food here, like a squirrel preparing for winter. He said he gained this habit of stocking up tasty things back when he was still royalty and could only eat poison-tested food. He said that without looking me in the eye, so I had some suspicions about how honest he was being. “You have some nerve to say that after laying waste to this place. Good grief...” I placed the lunchbox I brought with me on his desk and these biscuits next to them as a dessert. After pouring me some tea, Maxwell continued. “I cannot deny that the monitoring eyes were a bit lax during the shift switch. I was busy attending to Elliot and Priscilla, and it would be a little unreasonable to evaluate the prison guards with the same criteria as in our time.” Since the security system underwent sudden changes, it was actually natural for there to appear gaps in defenses. Still, there were enough of them mobilized to make up for those gaps, yet someone managed to slip through them. I couldn’t blame Maxwell that I was the first one to pop up in his mind after thinking about the possible candidates. After all, he had seen me slip through the enemies and monsters many times back in our active days. “In other words, it should be someone with the same level of Stealth skills as I.” “That limits the number of individuals quite a bit. I am currently trying to gather information from people connected to the underworld. I judged that they did the best they could at defending as ordinary people. The assassin was probably simply one step above them.” “That means, the identity of the masked man from before is also...” “Still undiscovered, yes.” Judging by the fact that they managed to assassinate him on the same day, it might have been someone trained from childhood. Having such networks should have taken a long time. “Then, the masked man would have to be someone knowledgeable about this town.” “Indeed. And a noble. Tarkashire is the very personification of authoritarianism. He wouldn’t allow commoners near him.” “Someone who lives here considerably long and is of quite a high social standing, huh. But we can’t narrow it down with just that.” “Well, I will slowly tighten the encircling net. I will not let them go.” “I hope so.” Maxwell shrugged his shoulders. In the end, the masked man managed to make a good escape.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 0, "inserted_lines_src": 13, "inserted_lines_trg": 4 }
ラモントはパリとクレモン・フェランのどちらの住民も、「金に貪欲であること」を軽蔑する傾向があることを発見した。しかし、クレモントワ（クレモンの住民）が、「質素、実用主義、勤勉、決断力」を評価した一方で、パリジャンは「見栄えとすぐれた才気」をより強調した。彼女は「多くの点で、クレモン人はパリ人よりもフージャース（米、中央西部のインディアナ州住民の呼名）に近い」と結論付けた。彼女の証言はパリに比べクレモン・フェランには小企業を立ち上げるための素質があるということを示唆している。	But the Clermontois valued “simplicity, pragmatism, hard work, and resolve,” while the Parisians put more stress on “pizzazz and brilliance.” She concluded that, “In many respects the Clermontois are closer to the Hoosiers (as the residents of the US mid-Western state of Indiana are called) than to the Parisians.”	{ "source": "news_commentary", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
王都に向かって帰る途中。ニアが尋ねてきた。「ロックさんは、どうして魔導士であることを隠されているのですか?」「そうだなー。色々と事情があるのだが」「あ、変なこと聞いてごめんなさい。冒険者同士あまり事情を詮索するなって姉上にも言われていたのに」「ニア。そうでありますよ」シアがニアを窘める。俺はニアの頭を撫でた。「シアの言うとおりだから、気を付けるべきではある」「ごめんなさい」「だが、別に今回に関しては大丈夫だ。どうせバレるし、近いうちに話すつもりだったしな」ニアは首をかしげていた。「その、例のラックさんっていうとあの通貨単位の?」「す、すごいです!」ニアの目が輝く。「英雄ラックにお会いできるなんて! 光栄です!」「了解です! 命に代えてでも秘密はお守りします」「いや、命に代えなくてもいい」シアも命に代えても秘密を守るみたいなことを言っていた。だが、そこまでして守る秘密ではない。「絶対に命の方が大事だからな。それは肝に銘じてくれ」「わかりました」ニアはうんうんと頷いていた。そんなニアに、名前を隠している理由を説明する。大公であることがばれたら、政治闘争に巻き込まれかねないとかそういうことだ。「名前を隠している理由はわかりましたけど、どうして魔導士であることも隠しているんですか?」「冒険者ランクですか?」ニアに冒険者ランクを偽装していることについて説明する。魔導士として登録すると、Sランク魔導士と表記されてしまう。「Sランクの魔導士なんて、ラックさんぐらいしかいないからばれちゃいますね」「実は魔導士というのも正確ではなくてな」「そうなのですか?」「大賢者にして、我々の救世主、偉大なる最高魔導士のSランクなんだ」「そうなんだ」そんなことを話していると、セルリスがぽつりと言った。「うちのパパがごめんなさい」「いや、ゴランのせいってわけでもない」もちろんゴランのせいでもあるのだが、主犯はエリックだろう。「だから、俺は冒険者ランクも上げたくないんだ。ランクを上げるときには色々調べられるからな」「なるほど。了解しました!」ニアは賢い少女のようで、事情を理解してくれたようだ。「ロックさん。ミルカちゃんにも言った方がいいんじゃないかしら」ミルカには凄腕の冒険者だとは言ってあるし、国王と友達というのも伝えてある。だが、ラック本人だとは言っていない。「ミルカを信用していないというわけではなくてな。余計なことを知らせると、それだけミルカの危険が増える気もするからな」「考えすぎじゃないかしら」「そうだな。考えすぎかもしれない」それに、ミルカは賢い。近いうちにばれるだろう。ならば、告げたほうがいいのかもしれない。「帰ったら、ミルカにも話してみよう」セルリスは笑顔でそう言った。可愛がっているミルカが寂しい思いをするのではと心配していたのかもしれない。帰りは特に何事もなく、平穏なまま王都についた。帰り道でもシアはニアに冒険のいろはを教える。シアは面倒見のいい教師のようだ。冒険者ギルドに任務達成を報告し、魔石を提出してから自宅へと戻った。屋敷に入ると、ミルカが出迎えてくれる。「ロックさん、お帰りなさいだぞ。それにみんなもおかえりだぞ」「ただいま」俺に続いて皆がただいまと言っていると、ミルカが言う。「ロックさんに来客だぞ」「来客? エリックか?」「違うぞ」俺は皆と別れて応接室に入る。そこにはシアとニアの父がいた。シアたちの父は俺が入室すると即座に立ち上がって頭を下げた。傍らには杖が置いてあった。移動する際には杖を使っているのだろう。立つことはできても、しんどいに違いない。「これは、ダントンどの。ああ、ご無理なさらず、どうかおかけください」会釈するとシアたちの父は、姿勢を正して頭を下げようとした。慌てて椅子をすすめて、着席させてから俺も座る。そして、改めて頭を下げた。「ハイロード討伐の論功行賞のとき以来ですね」ちなみにシアとニアの父の名前はダントンというのだ。論功行賞の後、雑談しているときに教えてもらった。「ロックどの。娘たちがいつもお世話になっております」「いえ。こちらこそ大変お世話になっております。お怪我はよろしいのですか?」「はい。おかげさまで。日常生活を送る分には問題ありません」論功行賞のとき、ダントンは右手巾で吊るしていた。今はそれはない。右手は治ったのだろう。お茶を運んできたミルカに、シアたちを呼んでもらった。すぐにシアとニアがやってくる。「ち、父上! 急にどうしたでありますか?」「娘がお世話になっているんだ。父としてご挨拶に出向くのは当然だろう」「それはそうかもしれないでありますが......」ダントンは心配そうに言う。「シアがたびたびお世話になっているとは聞いていて、近いうちにご挨拶にと思っていたのですが」「いえいえ! こちらも色々と調査任務などで協力していただいておりますし」「そういって頂けると......。ですが、この度はシアに加えてニアまで......。本当にご迷惑ではありませんか?」「いえ、全く迷惑ではないです。お気になさらないでください」俺がそういうと、ダントンはほっとしたようだった。	As we headed back towards the royal capital, Nia asked me a question. “Mister Locke, why do you hide the fact that you are a Sorcerer?” “Well, it’s a little complicated.” “Oh, I’m sorry for asking such a strange question. My sister said that I shouldn’t pry into the affairs of other Adventurers.” “Nia. That’s exactly right. Shia said admonishingly. I patted Nia on the head. “Shia is right, so you should be careful.” “I’m sorry.” “Though, in this case, I do not mind. I was going to tell you anyway, since you would just learn about it eventually.” Nia tilted her head to the side. “You mean the Ruck from our money?” “Yes, that’s right.” “Oh, that’s amazing!” Nia’s eyes sparkled. “It’s an honor to meet the hero Ruck!” “Understood! I won’t tell anyone even if my life depended on it.” “Uh, no. You don’t have to go that far.” Shia had said much the same thing when I told her. But it wasn’t that important of a secret. “Your life is a lot more important. You should remember that.” “Understood.” Nia nodded eagerly. And so I explained to her the reason that I kept my name secret. I said that being known as a Grand Duke would put me at risk of getting involved in a political power struggle. “I now understand why you hide your name, but why do you hide that you’re a Sorcerer?” “Your Adventurer’s rank?” And so I told Nia that I was faking my rank as an Adventurer. If I registered as a Sorcerer, it would show that I was an S-Rank. “I see. After all, there is no other S-Rank Sorcerer but you, Mister Ruck.” “Actually, I’m not just a Sorcerer, to be precise.” “Is that so?” “By full job is Great Philosopher, Our Saviour, The Great High Sorcerer, S Rank.” “Exactly.” As we talked like this, Serulis suddenly blurted, “I’m so sorry that daddy did that to you.” “No, it’s not really Goran’s fault.” Well, it was in a way, but it was mostly Eric’s fault. “That’s why I don’t want to raise my rank. They do a lot of research on you when raising your rank.” “Oh. I understand it now!” Nia seemed like a smart girl, and so she understood my situation. “Mister Locke. Don’t you think you should tell this to Milka as well?” Milka knew I was a talented Adventurer and that I was a friend of the king. But she didn’t know that I was Ruck himself. “It’s not that I don’t trust Milka. But the more she knows, the more danger she will in.” “I think you are overthinking it.” “Maybe. Maybe I am thinking too much.” Besides, Milka was smart. She would figure it out sooner or later. Then it would be better for me to tell her myself. “I think I will tell her once we get back.” Serulis said with a smile. She liked Milka and was perhaps worried that she would feel left out. The road home was peaceful and uneventful. On the way, Shia continued to teach Nia about being an Adventurer. She was a very caring teacher. After arriving in the city, we went to the guild to report that we had finished the quest and then submitted the magical stones before going home. Milka greeted us when we arrived at the mansion. “Mister Locke, welcome home. And welcome back to the rest of you as well.” “Hello.” The others all greeted her, then Milka said, “Mister Locke, you have a guest.” “A guest? Is it Eric?” “No.” And so I left the others and went to the drawing room. Shia and Nia’s father was there. He quickly stood up and bowed when I entered the room. There was a cane right next to him that he likely used when walking. Even if he could stand, it was probably not easy. “Ah, Chief Danton. Please don’t tire yourself. Have a seat.” I said in greeting. Shia’s father stood upright then and tried to lower his head. And so I quickly made him take a seat and sat down myself. Then he bowed once again. “I haven’t seen you since the ceremony after the High Lord hunt.” Shia and Nia’s father was called Danton. I had learned this when I last talked to him. “Ah, Locke. It seems that you have been helping my daughters.” “No, if anything, they have been helping me. But how are your wounds?” “Thank you. I am feeling much better now. At least, I have no trouble in the day to day tasks.” During the award ceremony, Danton’s right arm had been in a sling. But he didn’t have one now. His arm must have healed. As Milka went to prepare some tea, she called for Shia and Nia. They came immediately. “Fa-father! Why have you come so suddenly?” “It is only normal for a father to visit someone who is helping his daughters.” “That may be, but...” Danton looked worried. “I had heard that you were helping Shia, and so I always meant to visit you eventually.” “Oh, it’s nothing! In fact, she has helped me greatly on my investigations.” “Thank you for saying that... However, now that Nia is here as well... Are you sure that they are not being a nuisance?” “No, not at all. You must not worry about that.” I said, much to Danton’s relief.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 10, "inserted_lines_src": 1, "inserted_lines_trg": 2 }
これらの例は、一国の経済的恩恵の決定において、国内の努力が何物にも勝って重要であるということを示している。米国市場がメキシコに与えたすべての機会は、特にペソの為替相場における実質評価の再開に失敗した点、および幅の狭い貿易活動で蓄積した生産余剰を他の経済に拡張できなかった点といった、国内の政治的過ちから逃れることはできなかった。	What these examples show is that domestic efforts trump everything else in determining a country’s economic fortunes. All the opportunities that the US market presented to Mexico could not offset the consequences of policy mistakes at home, especially the failure to reverse the real appreciation of the peso’s exchange rate and the inability to extend the productivity gains achieved in a narrow range of export activities to the rest of the economy.	{ "source": "news_commentary", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
僕の質問にキャザー・リズは固まる。ヘンリもデュークも黙って、彼女が発する言葉を待つ。彼女の本音を聞きたい。恋をしてただデュークに好かれたかったのも、自分の稀有な能力を活かして平和をもたらしたかったのもきっと両方事実だろう。けど、僕らはエスパーじゃない。人間の心の底に抱えている重荷なんて分からない。「......私は、欲張りだから、デュークのお嫁さんになって世界を平和にしたかったわ。でもね」彼女はそこ吸置く。「デュークが必須だった。彼が王子じゃなくても私は彼に惚れているもの。言い方が悪いけど、私は死ぬほどしんどい思いをしたことがない。平民で生まれ、一生パン屋を営んでいても良かった。自分にこんな特別な能力がなくてもよかった。自分のいた世界が幸せだったからこの世の中に不公平だって感じたことなんてなかったわ」「じゃあ、どうして世界を平和にしたいなんて思ったの?」「それが私の役目だと思ったから。聖女である私に課せられた使命だと思った。だから、平等を唱え、貧困村を無くすのがベストだと思ったのよ。でも、実際行動には移さなかった。それほど熱心にこの世界を変えたいなんて本当は思っていなかったのかもね」淡々と話すキャザー・リズを見て、人間らしさを感じた。今まで気味悪く感じていたが、少しだけ彼女に近付けた気がする。「けど、よくよく考えてみれば、私が必死に頑張ってきたのも全部デュークが中心だったのかも。彼に見てもらいたかったから。私は他とは違うって思って欲しかったからかもね......。アリシアちゃんの言う通り、私はこの世の仕組みが全て平等で出来てないことに恩恵を受けていたわ」「努力する動機なんていうのは不純で良いんだよ。僕もアリシアの為だけに頑張ってるわけだし」キャザー・リズを少し慰める。これは彼女の魅惑の魔法をかけられているわけじゃない。本心からそう思った。純粋無垢だけじゃなかった聖女に向けての小さな嬉しさだ。「私は自分のことだけで精一杯だったの。いつも余裕があって、行動力があって、何よりデュークに好かれているアリシアちゃんが憎かった。だから、私は彼女と正反対であろうと思った。アリシアちゃんは邪魔でしかなかったの。彼女と友達になりたいなんて思ったことはないわよ」リズはもうどこか諦めた様子で本音を全て吐き出す。自暴自棄になりつつある彼女を僕らは黙って見つめる。ずっと色々な感情をため込んでいて苦しかったのだろう。聖女は憎しみを表に出さない。嫌な感情を自分の心の中に閉まっておくしかないのだ。「沢山の人に愛されても肝心の男はちっとも私の方を見ないし、アリシアちゃんは死んだなんて言われるし! 私は平凡なパン屋の娘よ! 貴族の世界なんて全く知らなかったの。誰もルールなんて教えてくれない!」「リズ、すまなかった」デュークの落ち着いた声にキャザー・リズは再び瞳に涙を浮かべる。「貴方には一番謝ってほしくないわよ」彼女の震えた声が静かに部屋に響いた。	Liz Cather stiffened at my question. Both Henry and Duke remained silent, waiting for her to speak. I’d also like to know what she really thinks. I ‘m sure she just wanted to fall in love with Duke and be liked by him, and that she wanted to use her rare ability to bring peace to the world. But we were not mind readers. We cannot possibly know about the burdens that people carry deep in their hearts. “...I wanted to be Duke’s wife and bring peace to the world because I was greedy. But you know what?” She paused for a moment to take a breath. “Duke is important. I’d be in love with him even if he wasn’t a prince. I hate to say it, but I’ve never had a hard time when I felt like I was dying. I was born a commoner and could have run a bakery for the rest of my life. I could have been happy without having these special abilities. I was happy with the world I was in, and I never felt that this world was unfair to me.” “Then why did you want to make the world peaceful?” “Because I thought it was my role. I thought it was my mission as a saint. So I decided to advocate for equality and the abolition of impoverished villages. But I didn’t act on it. Maybe I didn’t really want to change the world that passionately..” Watching Liz Cather speak so openly made her appear more human. I had always been creeped out by her, but now I felt a little more at ease with her. “But now that I think about it, it’s possible that everything I’ve worked so hard for has been centered on Duke. I wanted him to see me. Perhaps it was because I wanted him to think I was different... Just like Alicia had said, I benefited from the fact that not everything in the world is created equal.” “It’s okay to have impure motives when you are putting in your efforts. I’m only working hard for Alicia’s sake.” I consoled Liz Cather a little. This was not her casting a spell or charm on me. I really mean it. It was a small joy for the saintly woman, who was far from being perfect and innocent. “I was so full of myself. I hated Alicia-chan,who always seemed to have plenty of time and energy and, above all, was liked by Duke. I wanted to be the opposite of her, and Alicia was simply getting in the way. I never wanted to be friends with her.” Liz was now somewhat resigned and let all her true feelings out. We watched her in silence as she became more and more desperate. She must have been in a lot of pain because she had been suppressing so many emotions for so long. The saint never showed her hatred. She could only keep her bad feelings bottled up inside her heart. “Many people love me, but no man ever looks at me, and now they say Alicia might have died because of me! I am an ordinary baker’s daughter! I didn’t know anything about the aristocratic world. No one told me what they do!” “Liz, I’m sorry.” Duke’s calm voice brought tears to Liz Cather’s eyes again. “You are the last person I would want to hear an apology from.” Her trembling voice echoed quietly in the room.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 0, "inserted_lines_src": 1, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
1回? 2回? それとも17回? それに何に対して“awesome”と言ったか覚えていますか? 覚えていないと思いますなぜなら結局この言葉を誤って使っているからです今夜皆さんに提案するのは “awesome”という言葉に本来の“awe” の意味を取り戻すべきだということですこの前屋外のカフェで食事をとりましたするとテーブルに来たウェイトレスに「以前来られました?」と聞かれました私が「ええ来ましたよ」と答えると彼女は“Awesome”と返してきたのですこのとき私は内心こう思いました「本当かな? この店にまた来たのは “awesome”? それとも単に『また来てくれて良かった』と言いたかったのかな?」また先日同僚の一人にこう頼まれました「このファイルをPDF形式で保存して」と私が「ええいいわよ」と答えると彼は“awesome”と言ったのですまじめに考えてファイルをPDF形式で保存するのは awesomeでしょうか? 悲しいことに “awesome”という言葉があまりにも使われすぎて今や “great”(素晴らしい)や “thank you”の代わりになっていますウェブスター辞典では “awesome”の定義を「感嘆と敬意の混じった恐れや威厳あるものに触れたときに抱く感情」としていますさてそう考えるならクイズノス・サブのサンドイッチは awesomeだった? 駐車場はどうだった? awesomeだった? この前の試合は? あれawesomeだった? 答えはノーノーそしてノーですサンドイッチはおいしいでしょうし駐車場は近くにあるのでしょうしその試合は楽勝なのでしょうでもすべてがawesomeだとは限りません極めてありふれたことに対して “awesome”だと表現するとこの言葉が本来持っている力を奪うことになるのです例えばこの本の著者はこう書いています「雪の日は“awesome”だズボンのポケットにあったお金も“awesome”だ」うーんいやこれは違いますね語彙が乏しいこの人に対してはハードルを上げる必要がありますね言い換えればすべてを所有するとどんなものも無価値になります例えば消火ホースから水を飲むようなものまさにこのおバカさんがやってるとおりです何もかもが“awesome”ならば山も谷もないものごとのメリハリがなくなりますでは皆さん本当に“awesome”なことをこれから10個挙げますよ想像してみてください荷物を全部背負って引きずりながら帰らなければならないとしますそれを家まで転がして行けるならその方が楽じゃないですか? そう私なら車輪を発明しようと思います車輪ですよ皆さん車輪はawesomeですか? そうですよねええ車輪はawesomeです! 次にギザの大ピラミッドです約4千年前に建てられた― 高さでは世界有数の建造物です異常に大きな墓石を建てるためにファラオは奴隷に何百万個もの石をこの場所まで運ばせましたピラミッドはawesomeですか? そうですピラミッドはawesomeですグランドキャニオンどうでしょう約8千万年をかけて作られた地形ですグランドキャニオンはawesomeですか? はいグランドキャニオンもそうです次はルイ・ダゲールが1829年に発明した写真です皆さんついさっきスマートフォンをサッと取り出して “awesome”なサンドイッチの写真を撮りましたよね心当たりありますよね写真を撮るのって昔より簡単になりましたよねヨウ化銀を塗った銅板を感光させていた頃に比べればほらどうでしょう写真はawesomeですか? そうです写真はawesomeですそれに 1944年6月6日のDデイ連合軍のノルマンディー侵攻です世界史上最大規模の上陸作戦でした Dデイはawesomeでしたか? そうです awesomeでしたところで今日何か食べましたか? 食べました? それならばミツバチに感謝しないといけませんミツバチが花に授粉してくれなけれぱ作物は育ちませんからねすると私たちは皆死んでしまいますよねそのくらいすごいんですよでも仮に花が立ち上がって別の花とセックスできればそれには負けますがそんな花が実在すれば awesomeですけどねハチはawesomeです次は月着陸です! さあ出ましたよ! アポロ11号です「言うまでもない」って? ライト兄弟がキティホークから飛び立った66年後にニール・アームストロングは 38万4400キロメートルの彼方に到達しましたちょうど地球から月までの距離ですねこれは人間にとっての小さな一歩であり awesomeで偉大な飛躍です! まさに awesomeでしたそして 1969年のウッドストック・フェスティバルロックンロールの歴史を変えたと『ローリングストーン』誌が評したイベントですチケットは当時わずか24ドルだったのですが今ではダサいTシャツすら買えませんジミ・ヘンドリックスが演奏したアメリカ国歌「星条旗」はイベントを象徴する名演でしたウッドストックはawesomeでしたか? ええ awesomeでしたお次はサメ! 食物連鎖の頂点にいる生物ですサメはあごの中に何列もの歯を蓄えていてベルトコンベアのように新しい歯が前に移動してくるんです死ぬまでに3万本歯を失うサメもいます awesomeなものは恐怖をかきたてますよね? まったくそのとおりサメはawesomeです! 最後にインターネット誕生したのは1982年です瞬く間に普及して世界的に通信手段の主流となりました今夜この後今使ったパワーポイントをネット上にアップしますそしたらシベリアにいる酔っぱらいのおじさんもこのくだらないプレゼンを全部見られるんですよインターネットはawesomeですそしてお待ちかねの私のプレゼンをほめたい人「awesomeだった」と言いたくてたまらない人もいるでしょう時間を節約してさしあげます awesomeではないけど本当の話をしました楽しんでいただけたら幸いですそしてこれまでの私の聴衆の中で皆さんが一番新しいお客様ですありがとうございましたおやすみなさい	Once? Twice? Seventeen times? Do you remember what you were describing when you used the word? No, I didn't think so, because it's come down to this, people: You're using the word incorrectly, and tonight I hope to show you how to put the "awe" back in "awesome." Recently, I was dining at an outdoor cafe, and the server came up to our table, and asked us if we had dined there before, and I said, "Yes, yes, we have." And she said, "Awesome." And I thought, "Really? Awesome or just merely good that we decided to visit your restaurant again?" The other day, one of my coworkers asked me if I could save that file as a PDF, and I said, "Well, of course," and he said, "Awesome." Seriously, can saving anything as a PDF be awesome? Sadly, the frequent overuse of the word "awesome" has now replaced words like "great" and "thank you." So Webster's dictionary defines the word "awesome" as fear mingled with admiration or reverence, a feeling produced by something majestic. Now, with that in mind, was your Quiznos sandwich awesome? How about that parking space? Was that awesome? Or that game the other day? Was that awesome? The answer is no, no and no. A sandwich can be delicious, that parking space can be nearby, and that game can be a blowout, but not everything can be awesome. So when you use the word "awesome" to describe the most mundane of things, you're taking away the very power of the word. This author says, "Snowy days or finding money in your pants is awesome." Um, no, it is not, and we need to raise the bar for this poor schmuck. So in other words, if you have everything, you value nothing. It's a lot like drinking from a firehose like this jackass right here. There's no dynamic, there's no highs or lows, if everything is awesome. Ladies and gentlemen, here are 10 things that are truly awesome. Imagine, if you will, having to schlep everything on your back. Wouldn't this be easier for me if I could roll this home? Yes, so I think I'll invent the wheel. The wheel, ladies and gentlemen. Is the wheel awesome? Say it with me. Yes, the wheel is awesome! The Great Pyramids were the tallest man-made structure in the world for 4,000 years. Pharaoh had his slaves move millions of blocks just to this site to erect a big freaking headstone. Were the Great Pyramids awesome? Yes, the pyramids were awesome. The Grand Canyon. Come on. It's almost 80 million years old. Is the Grand Canyon awesome? Yes, the Grand Canyon is. Louis Daguerre invented photography in 1829, and earlier today, when you whipped out your smartphone and you took a shot of your awesome sandwich, and you know who you are — — wasn't that easier than exposing the image to copper plates coated with iodized silver? I mean, come on. Is photography awesome? Yes, photography is awesome. D-Day, June 6, 1944, the Allied invasion of Normandy, the largest amphibious invasion in world history. Was D-Day awesome? Yes, it was awesome. Did you eat food today? Did you eat? Then you can thank the honeybee, that's the one, because if crops aren't pollinated, we can't grow food, and then we're all going to die. It's just like that. But it's not like a flower can just get up and have sex with another flower, although that would be awesome. Bees are awesome. Are you kidding me? Landing on the moon! Come on! Apollo 11. Are you kidding me? Sixty-six years after the Wright Brothers took off from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Neil Armstrong was 240,000 miles away. That's like from here to the moon. That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for awesome! You're damn right, it was. Woodstock, 1969: Rolling Stone Magazine said this changed the history of rock and roll. Tickets were only 24 dollars back then. You can't even buy a freaking t-shirt for that now. Jimi Hendrix's version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" was the most iconic. Was Woodstock awesome? Yes, it was awesome. Sharks! They're at the top of the food chain. Sharks have multiple rows of teeth that grow in their jaw and they move forward like a conveyor belt. Some sharks can lose 30,000 teeth in their lifetime. Does awesome inspire fear? Oh, hell yeah, sharks are awesome! The Internet was born in 1982 and it instantly took over global communication, and later tonight, when all these PowerPoints are uplifted to the Internet so that a guy in Siberia can get drunk and watch this crap, the Internet is awesome. And finally, finally some of you can't wait to come up and tell me how awesome my PowerPoint was. I will save you the time. It was not awesome, but it was true, and I hope it was entertaining, and out of all the audiences I've ever had, y'all are the most recent. Thank you and good night.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
突然ユアがセイヤの膝の上に座り、セイヤの腕で自分を抱きしめたことに、クラスメイトたちが固まる。そんな中最初に動けたのはアルナだった。アルナは驚いた表情でセイヤに聞く。「セッ、セイヤ君って、ユアさんと知り合いなの!?」とぼけようにも、もう遅い。そう悟ったセイヤは、自分がユアの家で居候になっていることを素直に話そうとする。しかし、セイヤがアルナの質問に答えようとする前に、セイヤの膝の上に座るユアが特大の爆弾を落とした。「セイヤは私の婚約者......」「............えっ?」ユアの爆弾発言にフリーズするアルナ。その顔はユアが言ってことを全く理解できていないように思える。そして周りのクラスメイトたちは、ただでさえ固まっていたというのに、さらなる衝撃で、まったく動く気配もない。セイヤはそんなクラスメイトたちを放置して、ユアに文句を言う。「ユア」「セイヤ酷い......」セイヤがユアに文句を言おうとしたが、その前にユアのほうから不満を言われる。セイヤはそんなユアに言い返した。「いや、ユアこそなんていう爆弾発言してくれるんだ」「爆弾発言?」「婚約者についてだよ。ライガーに言うなって朝言われただろ」思い出した! と言うような顔をするユアに、セイヤが不満を言う。「おかげで楽しい学園生活が終わりを告げた......」「大丈夫......セイヤは私がいれば楽しい」「そうだな......」胃が痛くなるような思いで、答えるセイヤ。そして婚約者には敵わないなと思うセイヤであった。そんな時、膝の上に座るユアが、セイヤに頭を撫でて欲しいアピールをする。なのでセイヤは上目遣いでアピールをするユアの頭を撫でた。セイヤに頭を撫でられたユアは、とても気持ちよさそうに目を細め、リラックスしたようにセイヤに身を預ける。そんなユアに対し、セイヤは仕方ないと思いながら、頭を撫で続けた。そしてセイヤがユアの頭を撫でていると、クラスメイトたちのフリーズがやっと解ける。その目はセイヤのことを、何者なのだ? と物語っていた。クラスメイトたちはセイヤとユアの関係を見て、好奇心の目を向ける生徒がほとんどだったが、一部の生徒は違うまなざしでセイヤを見ている。それは先ほどまで言い争いをしていた、ユア様親衛隊とユア様ファンクラブだ。この二つのグループから、殺気のこもった視線がセイヤに向けられる。向けられる殺気にセイヤは居心地の悪さを感じるが、ダリス大峡谷の魔獣に比べれば、彼らの殺気はなんともない。そこで二時間目始業のチャイムがなった。クラスメイトたちは強制的に解散される。どこか消化不良と言った顔で、自分の席に着くクラスメイトたち。自分の席に戻ったユアは、周りの親衛隊たちから事情を聴かれてるが、素っ気ない態度をとっている。クラスメイトの好奇心の目はユアだけでなく、当然セイヤにも向けられる。その視線はもちろん、お隣さんや前の人たちも同じだ。「セイヤ君、どういうこと?」「お前......婚約者って......」そんなことを聞いてくるアルナとグレン。コニーはなぜか、いまだフリーズしていた。セイヤは二人の質問に答えたいが、どう答えていいか分からずに困ってしまう。説明するには長い時間がかかり、中には言えない内容が満載だ。なので、白を切ることを選択する。「言った通りじゃないのか?」「そ、そうだけど」「それにしても驚いたぜ」「学園時代の魔法師の婚約ってそんな珍しいか?」「珍しくはないけど......」セイヤの言う通り、魔法学園時代からの婚約は珍しいわけでもない。魔法師は一族同士の交流の場などで、小さい頃からいろいろな人に出会う。当然その中には同年代で気の合うもの、合わないもの、魔法の感覚が似ている者などがいる。もし本人たちが望めば、当主の名の下、婚約をすることが許されている。婚約した場合、その二人は結婚後、どちらかの家に属さなければならないのだが、その時はたいてい家柄の高い家に属すのが、二人のためと言われている。たとえば、セイヤとユアの場合、セイヤが初級魔法師一族、ユアが特級魔法師一族なので、結婚後は特級魔法師一族であるアルーニャ家に属すことになる。「確かに普通だけど、相手はユアさんよ?」「そうだぜ。この学園では女神様扱いだぜ。そんな女の婚約者ってお前......」そんな言葉に「こいつ何者?」と言った目をするアルナとグレン。セイヤはそんな二人に対し、適当な態度を取りながら、二時間目の座学の先生はまだかと待っていた。とっくにチャイムが鳴っているのに来ない教師。早く授業が始まらないと永遠にクラスメイトの好奇心の目に晒されることになってしまう。先ほど、セイヤのことを可愛いという視線で見ていた一部の女子たちは、今は唖然としていた。そしてファンクラブの少年たちは、ずっとセイヤを殺気のこもったまなざしで睨んでいる。そんな中、やっと次の座学の教師が来て、二時間目の座学が始まる。二時間目が始まり、セイヤはやっと終わったと安心していた。しかしセイヤは知らなかった。次の中休みに、更なる問題が、青髪の幼女によってもたらされると。	Seeing Yua walking up to Seiya, sitting on his lap, hugging herself with his arm, the classmates became paralyzed. Aruna was the first one to start moving. With a surprised expression, she asked. 「Se-seiya-kun and Yua-san’s know each other!?」 It’s too late to play a fool now. So Seiya decided to tell everyone that he is staying at her house. But before Seiya managed to do so, Yua, sitting on his lap, dropped a sudden bomb. 「Seiya is my fiancé.......」「............Eh?」 Aruna was stunned at Yua’s statement. Judging by her face, she didn’t seem to understand anything. And the surrounding classmates, although already surprised, completely froze. Seiya ignored them and complained to Yua. 「Yua – 」「Seiya is a bully......」 Seiya tried to complain, but Yua was the first one to do so... Facing such a Yua, he retorted. 「No, you just made quite an explosive declaration」「Explosive declaration?」「It is about fiancé. In the morning, Raiga explicitly told us to not tell anyone」 I remembered! Facing her enlightened face, Seiya expresses his dissatisfaction. 「Thanks to you, my fun school life came to an end.......」「It’s fine.......You can have fun with me......」「That’s right......」 Seiya answered with a depressed face. It was the first time he thought that his fiancée was such an amazing person. There, Yua, sitting on his lap, made a seductive appeal. But in the face of her appeal, Seiya just dispiritedly patted her head. She received Seiya’s patting and made a happy expression, then she relaxed and entrusted her back to him. At this moment Seiya completely gave up and continued to pat her head. And while Seiya was stroking Yua’s head, the classmates finally woke up. Their eyes seemed to ask just who the hell he was. [] Classmates saw the relationship between Seiya and Yua and most of the students looked at them curiously, but some students were watching with a different emotion. That is, Yua-sama’s royal guard and Yua-sama’s fan club, that were fighting just a minute ago. From these two groups, a lot of bloodthirsty stares were directed his way. Seiya felt slightly uncomfortable facing their bloodlust, but compared to the magical beasts in the Great Dalis Canyon, it was like a spring breeze. Then, a chime for the second period rang, and classmates were forced to disperse. Everyone returned to their seats with somewhat weird facial expressions. The royal guard immediately tried to question Yua upon returning, but she assumed a dismissive attitude. Curious eyes were directed not only at Yua, but also at Seiya. Of course, his neighbors included. 「Seiya-kun, what was that?」「You.......fiancé........」 Aruna and Glenn pressed Seiya for an explanation, but Connie was still frozen for some reason. Seiya wanted to give them the answer, but he had a hard time picking the right words. It takes a long time to explain, and his explanation involves a lot of secrets. So he decided to tell the abridged version. 「Oh, I see」「Even so, that was a big surprise」「Is it rare for a student to have a marriage agreement?」「Well, it’s not that uncommon....」 It wasn’t a rare occurrence to have a marriage agreement while being a student. Magician families are often interacting with each other, and they meet a lot of people since a young age. Among them, some are matching each other, while others aren’t. If they want it, they might be allowed to engage with each other. After the engagement, the two people will belong to one family, usually to the one with higher status. For example, in their case, Seiya is an elementary magician, while Yua is from a special magician family, so after the marriage, he will belong to the Arunia family. 「Then isn’t it fine? 」「It is certainly normal, but this is Yua-san we are talking about」「That’s right. She is treated like a goddess in this school. And you are her fiancé.... 」 []「Well, a lot happened and that’s how it ended up」 Aruna and Glenn’s eyes were saying「Who is this guy? 」. And Seiya was calmly waiting for the start of the nd lesson. Although the chime rang, the teacher still wasn’t here. And until he came, Seiya was subjected to a variety of venomous and curious stares. Some girls who thought of him as cute in the beginning were completely stunned right now. And the boys of the fan club were trying to kill him with their stares. In the meantime, the teacher finally came and the second lesson started. The second hour began, and Seiya finally relaxed. But Seiya didn’t know. During the next break time, a certain blue-haired beautiful little girl will bring him a new headache.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 1, "inserted_lines_src": 2, "inserted_lines_trg": 1 }
その費用は他を圧倒していますアフリカでは死因第1 位の心血管疾患が完全に無視されていますこの状況が正しいはずはなく正していく必要があります国民の健康状態は国の発展と共に改善します毎年心血管疾患で亡くなる人が1700万人心臓発作と脳卒中を発症する方は3200万人に上りますこ数値のほとんどが途上国に由来しその大部分がアフリカ人です世界の心血管疾患が西欧ではなく発展途上国で起こっていますしかし資源の90%は西欧諸国にあります危ないのは誰でしょう?あなたたちみたいな人です心配するべきはアフリカの人だけではありませんアフリカに行く必要がある人は皆この嘆かわしい状況に配慮すべきです将来について考えてみましたか? もしアフリカで寝る前に胸の痛み・息切れ・発汗を感じたらどうしますか? 心臓発作ですよどうしますか? 飛行機でアメリカ・ドイツ・ヨーロッパへ帰りますか? 治療しなければ24時間以内に死ぬ確率は50%ですこれが現在の人口分布です左がアメリカ右がアフリカのものですアメリカには1000万人を超える年代がいくつもありますナイジェリアでは50歳のころから人数が激減します平均寿命は47歳と言われていますたくさんの方が幼児期に病気で亡くなりますがそれだけでなく45歳や50歳を目前にして亡くなる人が後を絶ちません一番働き盛りの時期ですよアフリカ発展のために働くべき年齢ですがその年齢まで到達できていないんです貧困の連鎖を生む最悪のシナリオは両親の死です両親を確保できずにアフリカの子供たちの安全を保証することは不可能ですこの場合の危険要因は何でしょう? よく知られたものですが時間がないので参考までに列挙しておきます高血圧・糖尿病・肥満・運動不足が挙げられますここタンザニアでは高血圧の人の割合は30%ですこのうち20%が治療を受けます適切な治療を受けている人は1 %にも達しません高血圧だけでも適切に治療すればアフリカ全土で年間25万人が救われますすごいことですよ治療は簡単ですモーリシャス島の状況を見てください 8 年の短期間ですがHIV・マラリアの治療は全て改善されましたマラリアやHIVの時と同じミスをすることは許されません 8 年の短期間で非伝染病がアフリカでの死因筆頭にのし上がります覚えておいてくださいこのような状況では治療ができませんこれが典型的なアフリカの病院でエリート達は当てになりません彼れは治療が必要なら米国・ドイツ・英国へ飛んでいきます信じられません海外からの支援だけでも間に合いませんこれが現状です各国は塞ぎ込んでいるんです 9.11テロ後アメリカは対処すべき問題を山のように抱えていますですから資金は国内の問題解決に割かれていますアフリカの問題はアメリカの責任ではなく私たちの責任です自分の問題は自分で対処しなくてはいけません支援があるにこしたことはありませんが期待はしていません悪化するアフリカの医療・医療研究に関する指標には新たな見解が必要ですこれまでの手法で対処することはできません効果がないなら代替策が必要ですその解決策をお話しします中には達成の難しいものもあります数年前に考え始めました「問題は認知されているが解決策は誰も知らないだ」本当に必要なことに資金投入する必要があると考えています発展途上国への無償資金援助として皆さん資金を出す準備は出来ていますしかし「持続的な投資です」と言うと皆興味がなくなりますすると資金調達ができません私はアメリカで医療ビジネスをしてきました米国医療の中心テネシー州ナッシュビルに住んでいますがここでの医療ベンチャーの資金調達はかなり楽ですしかし「ナイジェリアで...」と口にするとみんな逃げてしまいます大きな間違いですここにいる皆さんの中でアフリカを支援したい方は持続的発展と思って投資して下さいでは私たちの仕事を少し理解してもらうためにハートインスティチュートの1 日をお見せしてから詳しい説明をしていきます私たちの提供する高品質の治療は世界最高品質のものにもひけをとりません途上国の環境でも実現可能なんです現在は米国・カナダ・英国でライセンスを取得した25名と共に作業していますバンダービルトでもクリーブランドクリニックでもアメリカのどこでもやっていく技術を持っていますしコストは従来の約10%ですみます米国でも同じ方式を取り入れるべきなのです (拍手) さらに私たちの方針は支払い能力がない方の治療を拒否しないことです全ての人を治療します (拍手) 所持金が1 ドル 2 ドル?関係ありませんこの手法の実現方法を紹介しますまず適切な設備の選択を心がけていますモジュラー・ユニットです多機能ユニットにはモジュール部品が使用されており修理が簡単です耐久性のない機器は採用しません研修には力を注いでおりこのプロセスが途絶えないよう心がけています私たちはすぐに死にますが問題は無くなりませんそこで次の世代にもこれを引き継いでもらいます自分たちの行動には責任を持ちます放射性医薬品をセットでは買いません製造環境を整えてこれを自分たちで製造することでコストダウンを図りますアメリカの放射性医薬品1 セットは 250ドルかかりますこれを独自に製造すれば費用はわずか2 ドルで済みます (拍手) 国家間の貧富の差を埋める唯一の方法は教育と技術の利用ですここで話をしている問題は国の発展と共に全て解決するでしょう技術はすぐれた平衡装置ですどのようにこれを実現しましょう? 証明済みですがセルフケアは経済的ですこれを利用することで農村部のセンターでも賢く専門知識を運用することができるのでセンター設立が可能となりました既にカリブ海に3 つを構えていて現在4 つ目の計画段階ですアフリカ進出も決まっており 2008-09のオープンを目指して西アフリカ・ハートインスティチュートのプロジェクトを数ヶ月後に開始することになっています他のセンターも計画していますこのモデルはあらゆる病気に対応できます全てのユニットすべてのセンターをスイッチングハブ経由で中央サーバーに接続します画像はレビューステーションで一括管理しますこの遠隔治療の著作権は私たちにありますが興味のある方には私たちの研究の成果をご紹介しますしお役に立ててもらえると思います遠隔治療プラットフォームではクリック一つで世界中のどこからでも専門医へアクセスできるように心がけています手順をお見せしますここはハートインスティチュートです医師はどこからでもログインができます「ログインしてジョーンズのカルテを見て欲しいのどうかしら? とここからスイスへ電話を入れることもできますシステムから情報を取得してよりよい治療を患者に提供しているので患者の移動は不要です患者が専門医不足によって不安を感じることもありません私たちは電子医療記録システムも採用していますアメリカの技術は素晴らしいですがこの電子カルテがある病院はわずか20%だけです彼らは贅沢をつくしますナッシュビルにないものは2 時間かけてバーミンガムまで探しに行きクリーブランドになければシンシナティに行きます私たちにそんな金銭的贅沢はできません自分たちでどうにかしなくてはいけませんこれを実現するためには医療費を削減します次にこれを農村部のセンターでも利用可能な状態にしますこうして皆が必要な治療を受けることができます頼るべきは技術だけではないのです解決策のひとつとして予防を強調したいと思いますしかしできることを伝えていく必要があります高額な治療を迫っても支払い能力がなければあきらめて帰ってしまいます患者はまず生きていなくてはいけません運動は最も簡単で効果的な予防法なのでお勧めします毎年3 月と4 月にグループ制のウォーキングチャレンジを実施しています最も減量に成功したグループには賞があります万歩計の計測が最長のグループにも賞を与えますこの活動は定期的に行っています子供も連れてくるよう喚起していますこうして幼少時から問題意識を芽生えさせます問題を認識すれば継続的に対策をとるようになりますこの活動を通じて特別訓練を終え専門知識を持った医師をジャマイカだけで100人は輩出してきました死ぬ可能性のあった貧しい患者を1000人以上診てきましたそのうち4 人の房室は完全に詰まっており心臓病学的には死が目前まで迫っていました無料でペースメーカーを提供しましたペースメーカーがなければ死んでいたでしょう救えて良かったですジャマイカから治療を受けにマイアミやアトランタに行く必要がなくなり間接的にジャマイカの医療コストを500万ドル削減したことになります多くの命を救えていたら幸いです今年末までに貧困者介護費用として100万ドルの寄付を見込んでいます最初の4 ヶ月で34万ドルの寄付金が集まりました月に平均で8万5000ドルです政府はこんなことはしません政府は医療以外にも資金が必要ですが私たちは違います「どうやったの?」と尋ねられますが全てご紹介したとおりですカリビアン・ハートインスティチュートの設立以来以前はマイアミに治療を受けに行っていた少なくとも4000人のジャマイカ人が「やめた」と回答していますマイアミに行くには8 - 10倍もの費用がかかってしまいます今では浮いた医療費を家庭内で消費できるので皆喜んでいます 1 人の患者が支払いをしてくれると支払い能力のない患者を少なくとも 4 人診ることができます (拍手) この手法は持続可能であるべきですこのため研修はとても重要になります改善を目指して私たちはジャマイカ工科大学と提携しました私は今ここで働いています生体医用工学プログラムを創設し現地で設備の修理工を育てていくつもりです設備の老朽化問題を心配する必要がありません心エコー検査や心診断用超音波の研修を目的とした補助医療技術研修プログラムも開講予定ですこういった新しいプログラムが研修生のモチベーションを高めています彼らは医療画像の学士号やその他の資格を取得できるのです研修生たちにとってこれはどういうことなのか、聞いてみましょうジェイソン: ジェイソンです西インド諸島大学付属病院の集中治療室で麻酔を担当する専門臨床研修医です 2006年にここに来てから選択科目で麻酔と集中治療のプログラムを受講しましたハートインスティチュートには3 ヶ月いました同僚の間でもここでの研修の有用性について不満の声は聞かれませんし心エコー検査やその使用はとりわけますます関心を集めてきているようですシャロン:私はカリビアン・ハートインスティチュートの心エコー検査士として 2 年間働いています研修はここで受けました当機関がジャマイカに導入した心臓病学の研修は心臓病の診断において大いに役立っていますアーネスト:つまり途上国での治療提供は可能であり持続的なのです誰もが利用することができます「貧しい人は最良の治療を受けれない?」誰が決めたんだ? いつ医師は神になったんだ? 私の仕事は運命なんて関係なく誰もが最良の医療サービスを享受できる環境を整えることなんです先ほど紹介した通り次はナイジェリアのポートハーコートに西アフリカハート・インスティチュートを設立します西アフリカには他にもセンターを設置する予定です透析治療など他の分野にも同システムを導入していきます興味のある方には私たちの経験をお話ししたりみなさんへのアドバイスも進んでお引き受けしますこうしてアフリカの医療の実態を変えていくことができるのです今こそ私たちを支援してきたアフリカを支援する時なのです私はそうします同志の方は歓迎いたしますありがとうございました	There's no comparison at all. In Africa -- where it is a major killer -- it is totally ignored. And that situation cannot be right. We must do something about it. A health status of a nation parallels development of that nation. 17 million people die every year from heart disease. 32 million heart attacks and strokes occur. Most of this is in developing countries, and the majority is in Africa. 85 percent of global disease burden for cardiovascular disease is in developing countries -- not in the West -- and yet 90 percent of the resources are in the West. Who is at risk? People like you. It's not just the Africans that should be concerned about that. All friends of Africa, that will have reason to be in Africa at some point in time, should be very concerned about this deplorable situation. Has anyone here wondered what will happen if you go back to your room at night, and you start getting chest pains, shortness of breath, sweating? You're having a heart attack. What are you going to do? Will you fly back to the U.S., Germany, Europe? No, you will die. 50 percent will die within 24 hours, if not treated. This is what's going on. In a look at the map of the U.S. -- the graph here, 10 million people here, 10 million here. By the time you get to 50, it's almost no one left in Nigeria -- life expectancy is 47. It's not because some people don't survive childhood illnesses -- they do -- but they do not survive after the time that they reach about 45 years old and 50 years old. And those are the times they're most productive. Those are the times that they should be contributing The best way to spiral into a cycle of poverty is to kill the parents. If you cannot secure the parents, you cannot guarantee the security of the African child. What are the risk factors? It's very well known. I'm not going to spend a lot of time on those. These are just for information: hypertension, diabetes, obesity, lack of exercise. The usual suspects. Right here in Tanzania, 30 percent of individuals have hypertension. 20 percent are getting treated. Only less than one percent are adequately treated. If we can treat hypertension alone in Africa, we'll save 250,000 lives a year. That's quite significant! Easy to treat. Look at the situation in Mauritius. In eight short years -- we're here talking about HIV, malaria, which is all good. We cannot make the mistakes we've made with malaria and HIV. In eight short years, non-communicable diseases will become the leading causes of death in Africa. That is something to keep in mind. We can't deal with it with situations like this. This is a typical African hospital. We can't depend on the elites -- they go to USA, Germany, U.K. for treatment. Unbelievable. You can't depend on foreign aid alone. Here is the situation: countries are turning inwards. Post-9/11, [the] United States has had a lot of trouble to deal with, their own internal issues. So, they spend their money trying to fix those problems. You can't rightly -- it's not their responsibility, it is my responsibility. I have to take care of my own problems. If they help, that's good! But that is not my expectation. These worsening indices of health care or health studies in Africa demand a new look. We cannot keep on doing things the way we've always done them. If they have not worked, we have to look for alternative solutions. I'm here to talk to you about solutions. This has been -- what has been a difficult sign to some of us. Several years ago, we started thinking about it. Everyone knows the problem. No one knows what the solutions are. We decided that we needed to put our money where our mouth is. Everyone is ready to throw in money, in terms of free money aid to developing countries. Talk about sustainable investment, no one is interested. You can't raise money. I have done businesses in healthcare in the United States -- I live in Nashville, Tennessee, health care capital of America. [It's] very easy to raise money for health-care ventures. But start telling them, you know, we're going to try to do it in Nigeria -- everyone runs away. That is totally wrong. Those of you in the audience here, if you want to help Africa, invest money in sustainable development. Let me lead you through a day in the life of the Heart Institute, so you get a glimpse of what we do, and I'll talk a little bit more about it. What we have done is to show that high-quality health care, comparable to the best anywhere in the world, can be done in a developing country environment. We have 25 positions right now -- all of them trained, board certified in the USA, Canada or Britain. We have every modality that can be done in Vanderbilt, Cleveland Clinic -- everywhere in the U.S. -- and we do it for about 10 percent of the cost that you will need to do those things in the United States. Additionally, we have a policy that no one is ever turned away because of ability to pay. We take care of everyone. Whether you have one dollar, two dollars -- it doesn't matter. And I will tell you how we're able to do it. We make sure that we select our equipment properly. We go for modular units. Units that have multi-modality functions have modular components. Easy to repair, and because of that, we do not take things that are not durable and cannot last. We emphasize training, and we make sure that this process is regenerative. Very soon we will all be dead and gone, but the problems will stay, unless we have people taking over from where we stopped. We made sure that we produced some things ourselves. We do not buy unit doses of radiopharmaceuticals. We get the generators from the companies. We manufacture them in-house, ourselves. That keeps the costs down. So, for a radiopharmaceutical in the U.S. -- that you'll get a unit dose for 250 dollars -- when we're finished manufacturing it in-house, we come at a price of about two dollars. We recognize that the only way to bridge the gap between the rich and poor countries is through education and technology. All these problems we're talking about -- if we bring development, they will all disappear. Technology is a great equalizer. How do we make it work? It's been proved: self-care is cost-effective. It extends opportunity to the rural centers, and we can use expertise in a very smart way. This is the way our centers are set up. We currently have three locations in the Caribbean, and we're planning a fourth one. And we have now decided to go into Africa. We will be doing the West African Heart Institute in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. That project will be starting within the next few months. We hope to open in 2008-09. And we will do other centers. This model can be adapted to every disease process. All the units, all the centers, are linked through a switched hub to a central server, and all the images are populated to review stations. And we designed this telemedicine solution. It's proprietary to us, and we are happy to share what we have learned with anyone who is interested in doing it. You can still be profitable. We make sure that the telemedicine platform gives access to expert medical specialists anywhere in the world, just by a click of the button. I'll lead you through, to see how this happens. This is at the Heart Institute. The doctors from anywhere can log in. I can call you in Switzerland and say, "Listen, go into our system. Look at Mrs. Jones. Look at the study, tell me what you think." They'll give me that information, and we'll make the care of the patient better. The patient doesn't have to travel. He doesn't have to experience the anxiety of not knowing We also use [an] electronic medical record system. I'm happy to say that the things we have implemented -- 80 percent of U.S. practices do not have them, and yet the technology is there. But you know, they have that luxury. Because if you can't get it in Nashville, you can travel to Birmingham, two hours away, and you'll get it. If you can't get it in Cleveland, you can go to Cincinnati. We don't have that luxury, so we have to make it happen. When we do it, we will put the cost of care down. And we'll extend it to the rural centers and make it affordable. And everyone will get the care they deserve. It cannot just be technology, we recognize that. Prevention must be part of the solution -- we emphasize that. But, you know, you have to tell people what can be done. It's not possible to tell people to do what is going to be expensive, and they go home and can't do it. They need to be alive, they need to feed. We recommend exercise as the most effective, simple, easy thing to do. We have had walks every year -- every March, April. We form people into groups and make them go into challenges. Which group loses the most weight, we give them prizes. Which groups record more walking distance by pedometer, we give them prizes. We do this constantly. We encourage them to bring children. That way we start exposing the children from very early on, on what these issues are. Because once they learn it, they will stay with it. In doing this we have created at least 100 skilled jobs in Jamaica alone, and these are physicians with expertise and special training. We have taken care of over 1,000 indigent patients that could have died, including four free pacemakers in patients with complete heart block. For those that understand cardiology, complete heart block means certain death. If you don't get this pacemaker, you will be dead. So we are pleased with that. Indirectly, we have saved the government of Jamaica five million dollars from people that would have gone to Miami or Atlanta for care. And we've hopefully saved a lot of lives. By the end of this year, we would have contributed over one million dollars in indigent care. In the first four months, it's been 340,000 dollars, averaging 85,000 dollars a month. The government will not do that, because they have competing needs. They need to put resources elsewhere. But we can still do it. People say, "How can you do that?" This is how we can do that. At least 4,000 rich Jamaicans that were heading to Miami for treatment have self-confessed that they did not go to Miami because of the Heart Institute of the Caribbean. And, if they went to Miami, they will spend significantly more -- eight to 10 times more. And they feel happy spending it at home, getting the same quality of care. And for that money -- for every one patient that has the money to pay, it gives us an opportunity to take care of at least four people that do not have the resources to pay. For this to work, this progress must be sustainable. So, we emphasize training. Training is critical. We have gone further: we have formed a relationship with the University of Technology, Jamaica, where I now have an appointment. And we are starting a biomedical engineering program, so that we will train people locally, who can repair that equipment. That way we're not going to deal with obsolescence and all those kinds of issues. We're also starting ancillary health-care technology training programs -- training people in echocardiography, cardiac ultrasound, those kinds of things. Now, with that kind of training, it gives people motivation. Because now they will get a bachelors degree in medical imaging and all that kind of stuff. In the process, I want you to just hear from the trainees themselves what it has meant for them. Dr. Jason Topping: My name is Jason Topping. I'm a senior resident in anesthesia in intensive care at the University Hospital of the West Indies. I came to the Heart Institute in 2006, as part of my elective in my anesthesia and intensive care program. I spent three months at the Heart Institute. There's been no doubt around my colleagues about the utility of the training I received here, and I think there's been an increased interest now in -- particularly in echocardiography and its use in our setting. Sharon Lazarus: I am an echocardiographer at the Heart Institute of the Caribbean, since the past two years. I received training at this institution. that the Heart Institute of the Caribbean has introduced in Jamaica is very important in terms of diagnosing cardiac diseases. Ernest Madu: The lesson in this is that it can be done, and it can be sustained, and you can make it possible for everyone. Who are we to decide that poor people cannot get the best care? When have you been appointed to play God? It is not my decision. My job is to make sure that every person, no matter what fate has assigned to you, will have the opportunity to get the best quality health care in life. Next stop is West African Heart Institute, that we are going to be doing in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, as I said before. We will do other centers across West Africa. We will extend the same system into other areas, like dialysis treatment. And anyone who is interested in doing it in any health care situation, we will be happy to assist you and tell you how we've done it, and how you can do it. If we do this, we can change the face of health care in Africa. Africa has been good to us; it is time for us to give back to Africa. I am going. Those who want to come, I welcome you to come along with me. Thank you.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
2度目だけど見慣れた感のあるギルド長の部屋には、応接セットを挟んでコラードギルド長と、25歳くらいの冒険者らしい革鎧をつけた男性がいて先に座っていた。難しい顔をしていたコラードギルド長だが、部屋に入ってきたボクとガルテ副ギルド長をみて、少しだけ緊張を解いた。「――よかった、これで全員揃いましたね」今回は必要ないと思われたのか護衛の姿は見えないので、全員といっても4人だけだけど......なんだろう? いまから「取りあえず座ってください。少々込み入った話になりますが――」を淹れ――こういう気配りはガルテ副ギルド長にはできそうにないし、これも適材適所なのかなぁ?――ボクの席の前に置くと、続いて執務机の上に置いてあった大き目の紙(ゲームと違って紙の普及率はけっこう高くて、羊皮紙なんて過去の遺物らしい)を机の上に広げた。広げた紙はこの街を中心とした周辺の地図みたいだった。かなり簡略化されている上に地形の縮尺や位置がズレてたりするのは、測量の技術が未発達なのか、それとも軍事機密ってやつでわざとこうしているのか、そのあたりはわからないけど、まあ大筋では間違ってないかなぁ。に飛んでもらったので、ほとんどGPS並みの地図が頭の中で展開されてるんだけどさ。とはいえ、わざわざ手の内は明かす必要は無いので、見かけ上は興味深そうに地図を眺めることにした。「先に紹介しておきますが、こちらの冒険者は当ギルドに所属するCランク冒険者のフランコ氏です、冒険者グループ『アストラ』のリーダーです・・・いえ、リーダーでした」ギルド長のその紹介に、フランコって人の顔が悔しげにゆがんだ。よく見れば鎧のところどころには真新しい、爪で引っ掻いたような傷があちこちにあり、見える肌や顔の部分部分の皮膚の色が違うのは、治癒魔法で治したばかりの傷跡なんだろう。「フランコさん、こちらのお嬢さんは・・・現在、当市に滞在中のやんごとなき身分の姫君です。非常時ということで、この場に同席をお願いしました」当たり障りの無いその紹介に、フランコは胡散臭そうな目でボクを見ながら無言のまま、義務的にほんの気持ち頭を下げた。けど、ボクの方は見えなかったフリをしてガン無視した。だって挨拶とか礼儀とかって、それを受ける気のある相手にしないと無駄だもんね。無駄なことはしてもしかたないじゃない。そんなボクらの非友好的雰囲気に軽くため息をつきながら、コラードギルド長は話の矛先をボクのほうへ向けてきた。「ところでお嬢さんは『暴走』プロレスの技以外には知らないなぁ。首を傾げると、予想していたのかコラードギルド長は続けた。「この大森林で時たま――平均で15年に1度、短い時には数ヶ月で起こった記録もある、魔物たちの集団移動現象です」そういって地図の一点、アーラ市から北北東にずいぶんと離れた場所、ほぼ地図の端にある、木を示すマークで覆われた地点を示す。実際にはこれより角度が7度ほど東寄りで、距離も森の外れまでこの地図より30kmほど近いんだけどね。「ふぅん、原因はわかってるの?」「ええ、大体のところは。――主な理由は3つですね。一番多い理由は食糧不足によるもので、森の食物が不足したか、逆に魔物たちが増えすぎてあふれたか。目が森の中での権力闘争によるもので、破れた勢力が放逐され周辺の村などを襲うもの、まあどちらも所詮は烏合の衆なので、こちらもある程度まとまった数で戦えば、問題なく倒せる規模なのですが。問題なの目の理由、森の中に魔物たちを統率する個体が発生した場合です」「統率者? よーするにフィールドボスみたいなものかなぁ」「なんだそりゃ? 統率者っていうのは群れ単位ではなく、森全体をまとめ上げられるほど進化した魔物、つまりは『』が元凶だったんだが、野郎は地下から伸ばした根っ子で一度に100人からの冒険者の血を吸ってたしな」「へえ、それを倒したの? よく倒せたねえ」「まあ元が木の化物だからな。本体の動きはのろいし、火にも弱いってんで、ありったけの火薬と魔術師の火の魔法、精霊使いなんかも協力して、遠距離から根っ子とかチマチマ削っていって、最後はAランク全員で本体を叩いて燃やしてどうにか、な」「ふぅん、まあ常道だね。ひょっとしてフィールドボス級なら、「お前なぁ、Sランクなんて言ったら世界に何人いると思ってんだ?! 呼び寄せるだけで、どれだけ時間と金が掛かると思ってやがる!?」あ、いるんだSランク! これはちょっと楽しみだねぇ。「――ですが、今度の相手はそうした弱点がない上、機動力もあるため厄介この上ありません」忌々しげにコラードギルド長が舌打ちする。あー、やっぱし。この話の流れからして、新たな『「事の起こりは1ヶ月ほど前、大森林に隣接する開拓村からの連絡が、一切途絶えたところから始まります」もともと辺境なので最初はあまり気にしないでいたみたいだけど、隣村から出立した行商人も戻らなくなり、なにかおかしいという話が周辺の村に広がりだした。そのうち周辺の村からも連絡が途絶えるようになり、さすがにギルドも重い腰を上げてこのフランコがリーダーを務める『アストラ』を始め、3組の冒険者グループに現地調査を依頼したらしい。その結果がこれ。フランコ以外、全滅。「・・・地獄だった。必死に逃げても仲間たちは次々にモンスターに追いつかれ、生きたままフランコが死んだ目をして、当時の状況をポツリポツリと語る。「モンスターの数は数千匹、ひょっとすると万に迫るかも知れん。その中心になってたのは、ガルテ副ギルド長の補足に、じゃあ文字通りの鬼ごっこだったんだねえ、という感想が浮かんだけれど、さすがに不謹慎なので口には出さなかった。「それで私にどうしろと?」ハッキリ言ってボクには関係ない話だよね。今日にもこの街を出立するつもりだったんだから。その言葉に、居心地悪そうに視線を交差させるギルドのお偉いさん二人。「・・・ご意見をお聞かせ願えませんか。貴女ならこの状況でどうされるか」コラードギルド長に訊かれ、ボクは「ふむ――」と顎の下に拳を当てて思案してみた。「話し合いをしてみるとか?」「バカを言うな! 化物と話が通じるわけがないだろう!!」途端血走った目でフランコが絶叫した。えーそうかなぁ。それだけの大群を統率するんだから、ある程度知能はあると思うし、言葉が通じるなら話し合いが第一だと思うけどなぁ。「無理だろう。あいつらには人間なんざ餌にしか見えん。実際、被害にあった村では老人から赤子まで、骨のひとかけらすら残らず食い尽くされている」ガルテ副ギルド長もにべも無く首を振る。う~~ん、ボクみたいに話の通じる吸血姫も居るんだし、やるまえから諦めるのはどーかと思うけど。てか、ちょっとシミュレーションしてみよう。・・・ごめん。話し合いとか無理。試食感覚で食べられるわ。「じゃあ数には数で、こういう時のための軍隊なんだから、軍隊を要請して倒してもらえば?」「無論、国へ支援の要請はしていますが、軍というものは簡単に右から左へ移動できるものではありません。議会の承認を経て、各地に散らばる部隊を集め、編成から出立まで最低でも数週間は掛かります。到底間に合わないでしょう」うわー、めんどくさー。王国なんだから王様の鶴の一声で動かせばいいじゃない。「じゃあ、その軍隊がくるまで篭城して持ちこたえるしかないんじゃないの?」「それも無理ですね、この街は自由都市の名の通り、申し訳程度の城壁しかない街なので」「それじゃあ諦めて全員で逃げれば?」「――貴様っ、さっきからふざけてるのか! 俺たちの仲間がこの街を守るためにどれほど犠牲になったのか!!」激高したフランコが掴みかからんばかりの勢いで立ち上がり、慌てて止めようとしたガルテ副ギルド長ともども、ボクの目を見て息を呑み、そのまま腰を抜かしたようにソファーに沈んだ。「......ふざけてる? ふざけてるのかって言いたいのは私の方だね。、そんな場所にどうして開拓村なんて作ったんだい? 定期的に落石する崖や、氾濫する川の中州に家を建てるようなもんじゃないか。 ――いや、どうしてもそうせざるを得ない理由があるんなら、最低限、毎日定期的に見回り、防御壁を作るとかしておくものだろう? 君たちはなにかしたのかい? いや、できる最善を尽くしたと胸を張っていたんだろうね。こいつら他人の命をなんだと思ってるんだろう。「・・・おっしゃる通りです、すべては私の不明とするところです。ですが、アーラ市の冒険者ギルド長として、私にはこの街を守る義務と責任があります。この際はっきり言います、どうか貴女のお力をお貸しください」苦渋の表情で頭を下げるコラードギルド長だが、ボクの怒りは収まらない――というか完全にキレていた。「それで私になんの見返りがあるのかな? 金銀財宝なら腐るほどある。地位も必要ない。お前たちがありがたがる名誉もいらない。――では、なにを差し出せるんだい?」「......私の首一つで済むのでしたら差し上げます。どうかこの地に生きる人々をお守りください!」こ・い・つ・は~~~~っ!!! ボクがなんで怒ってるのか全然わかっていない。そんな簡単に命を差し出すとか、どんだけ価値が低いんだ!! 「・・・それは私人ではなく、アーラ市の代表者、冒険者ギルド長としての言葉か?」「はい」迷い無く頷くその姿にボクの覚悟は決まった。薔薇の罪人刹那、立ち上がったボクの右手に、漆黒でなおかつ半ば透き通った刀身の長剣――ボクの愛剣『目を剥く3人を無視して、ボクは剣先をコラードギルド長に向けた。なる唯一の主にして、神祖とうたわれし者っ! この私に貴様ごときの細首ひとつが釣り合うと思ったか? それとも情に訴えればなびくと? 私も甘く見られたものよ」「選ぶが良い。私が守るは我が臣民のみ! ならばこの街、人、命をこの剣の下に差し出すがよい。ならば全身全霊を持って守り抜こう。しかしそれができぬのであれば、それはすなわちこの剣を向けるべき相手。どうなろうと知ったことではないな」「........................」苦悶の表情を浮かべていたコラードだが、弱弱しく首を横に振った。「できません。この街は自由都市、たとえ貴女様が神であろうともその下につけません」「そうか」高揚していた気持ちも一気に冷めた。というか正気に戻った。・・・なんか勢いですごい恥ずかしい中ニ病じみた台詞を喋った気がするけど、きっと気のせいだろう、うん。心の黒歴史フォルダに入れて二度と解凍しないことにしよう。『姫のご厚情を無にするとは愚かな』が胸の奥で嘲笑を漏らすけど、や~め~て~、蒸し返さないでっ! と、そこへ慌てたノックの音とともにギルド職員が飛び込んできた。「た、大変です! ここから2日ほどの距離に、信じられない規模のモンスターの大群が!!」フランコの方は・・・ありゃ、完全に白目剥いてるわ(きっと仲間が死んだショックで心労が溜まってたんだろうねぇ)。「逃げる時間もなさそうだねえ。まあこの地のモンスターと冒険者の力も見たいので、高みの見物とさせてもらうわ」じゃあねー、と手を振って部屋から出た。	It’s only my second time, but I’m already familiar with the guild master’s room. On both sides of the sofa, sit the guild master, Collard, and a roughly -year-old male adventurer with leather armor before him. Collard had a stiff face, but seeing me enter the room after Gald, his tension loosened a little. “Excellent, with this everyone is present.” The two guards who were at the door before weren’t there... it seems they were considered to be unnecessary for now since he said everyone was present. However, it’s just four people here...I wonder why? The atmosphere here means we probably aren’t going to play mahjong though. “Please sit for now. I have a bit of a complicated story to tell―” While saying so Collard left his seat and sincerely poured a pot of black tea into the arranged cup and placed the cup in front of me (This kind of solicitude is something that Gald lacks, is this what it means to be the right man for the job?). After that, he spread out a biggish paper (Unlike the game, the prevalence of paper is quite high, and parchment is apparently a relic of the past) that was placed on top of the office desk. It looked like the laid out paper was a map of the surrounding environment which played an important role for this town. It was quite a simple map and on top of that the terrain scale and the location was a bit off. Maybe the measurement technique was underdeveloped, or it was on purpose because the real details were a military secret, I don’t really know about those circumstances but well, as an outline, the map wasn’t wrong. Although for me, I have the player essential skill ‘Automatic Mapping’ (The skill draws in a m radius centering at the spot the player was at. The skill couldn’t be used on some dungeons and the like), before I came to Alra city, Tengai easily flew me around the area, the map was built up in my head almost like a GPS. Nonetheless, it is unnecessary to reveal what my hand is, so I pretended to view that map with great interest. “To introduce him first, this here is Frank, a C-rank adventurer belonging to this guild, and he is the leader of the adventurer group ‘Astor’...no, he was the leader.” While he was being introduced by the guild master, this person whose name is Frank showed a face that was twisted in regret. If I take a good look at his armor, there are fresh claw marks all over it, and the visible parts of his face and skin have unusual color. Seems like scars that were just cured by healing magic. “Frank, this young lady here is... an esteemed lady who is currently staying in this city. Since right now we have a crisis, I asked her to be present here.” On that harmless and inoffensive introduction, Frank remained silent and stared at me suspiciously. He bowed his head just because of the sense of obligation, however I pretended to not see him and ignored him. After all, what’s the point of a greeting and etiquette if there is no feeling attached to it? That’s useless right? It’s pointless doing something which serves no meaning. While sighing because of the unfriendly atmosphere between Frank and I, Collard conveyed the main point of why he brought me here. “By the way, does the young lady know of a phenomenon called a stampede Ah... I don’t know any stampede other than a pro wrestling technique. Perhaps he already anticipated it, seeing me tilt my head in confusion, Collard continued on, “Occasionally in this great forest, the mass migration of monsters is a phenomenon that has been recorded to occur on average once every years, and in some short periods of time, within a few months.” Saying so he pointed on the map, at the spot north-east of Alra. At approximately the edge of the map, there was a spot shown that was covered by a tree mark indicator. Although the angle was practically times more eastern and the distance to the tip of the forest was 30km more than this map showed. “Hmmmn, is the cause known?” “Yes, for the general cause there are 3 main reasons: The first reason is because of food shortage. There is a lack of food in the forest, and the population of monsters increases too much which causes overflowing. The second reason is because of the power struggle within the forest. The losing powers are kicked out of the forest and attack villages or other things they find. Well either of those two would surely be a disorganized mob, even if there was a fight against a large number, it’s on a scale that wouldn’t pose a problem. But the problem is the third reason, a case where there springs forth an individual who leads the monsters within the forest.” “Leader? In short, something like a field boss is it?” “What’s that? The leader is not simply leading a bunch of followers, it’s a demon that evolved to the extent of uniting the whole forest together, in other words that fellow is the ‘King’. In that situation there would be various kinds of monsters, but every last of them is still the same; they possess a monstrous strength. Actually when I was young, the reason the stampede occurred was because of the ‘Treant King’. That b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲ grew roots from underground and sucked 100 adventurers of their blood at the same time.” Gald reminiscing his past. “Hee? You defeated that? That’s a great kill.” “Well, it was originally a wooden monster. Its movements are slow and it is vulnerable to fire, so we used all the gunpowder we could get our hands on, the sorcerer’s fire magic and the spirit users to chip away at its roots from a distance, and in the end, all the A-ranks beat and burn it to a crisp, somehow.” “Hmm, well that’s the proper way of defeating it. At any rate if it’s a field boss class, I think maybe you should leave it to someone who could defeat it solo, or the legendary S rank adventurer.” “How many S-rank adventurers do you think there are in the world? How much time and money do you think it would take just to call them up?” Frank angrily rebuked me. Oh, the S-rank really exists! Looks like this will be a bit more fun. “However, the opponent right now doesn’t have such a weakness, on top of that they have mobility, making this tricky to deal with.” Collard clicked his tongue irritably. Ah~ so it was like that. From the flow of this conversation, the ‘stampede’ would occur when a new ‘King’ is born. “This problem began about 1 week ago, it started when contact from the pioneering village adjacent to the forest completely stopped.” By nature, the remote region wouldn’t be given attention at first, but when the peddler who departed from the neighboring village also didn’t come back, some odd stories spread around the village. Before long it escalated to communication from the nearby villages getting cut off, and as expected even the guild got their lazy butts in gear and dispatched three groups of adventurers starting with Frank who worked in the Astor group to do the field investigation. The result was this: everyone except Frank was annihilated. “...It was hell. Even running desperately my comrades got overtaken one by one by those monsters, they were greedily eaten alive... I was miraculously able to escape from them...” Frank’s eyes lost their spirit; he narrated bit by bit the situation at that time. “The monsters number in the thousands, perhaps it might be approaching tens of thousands. It’s said that the ogre was in the center, I dare to say it’s the ‘Ogre King’ now.” From the supplementary that Gald gave, it’s literally the game of tag, is it? That’s the impression which came to my mind, but I won’t say it out loud since that would be imprudent. Or rather I should be saying... “So, what am I here for?” To say it bluntly, I don’t have anything to do with this discussion. Even today I was planning to leave this town. My words made both these two guild higher-ups cross their gazes uncomfortably. “...We want to ask for your opinion about this matter. As for your advice, what should we do?” Hearing Collard plead, I made a “Hrmm...” sound while holding my jaw with my fist and tried to give it some thought. “Maybe try having a discussion with them?” “Don’t say something stupid! There’s no way we can communicate with that monster!!” Just now Frank shouted with bloodshot eyes. Eeh- I wonder about that. There is someone who is leading those huge crowds, so there should be a certain amount of intelligence making it possible to communicate with them. So the first thing that comes to my mind is to have a discussion. “I guess it can’t be done. For those guys, human beings are seen as food. Actually, at the village that had been destroyed, from old men to babies, they were all eaten down to every last piece of bones.” Even Gald curtly shook his head. Hmmmm, they were communicating with me even though I’m a vampire princess. I doubt these guys have already given up before they try it. Or perhaps, let’s just try to simulate it first. My followers (monsters) will attack the human town. An envoy comes along with a white flag raised. What was that? A human. Then let’s have a little taste. ...Sorry, discussion is impossible. It’s edible just by the sampling taste. “Well why not fight numbers with numbers, there are military forces for times like this after all, how about calling the forces to defeat them?” “Of course, we called for aid from the country, but something like an army can’t move from one area to another so easily. It happens through parliament approval, gathering the unit that’s scattered in various places, and then organizing it till its departure. At worst it takes several weeks, so it’s not the best for a time like this, is it?” Uwaah~, so troublesome~. Shouldn’t a voice from the king be enough to move them since this is a kingdom? In my own place I don’t need to give a shout, let alone rally the army, even a certain ramen shopkeeper is always fully motivated to go into a battle. “Then, there is no choice but to hold out in siege until those armed forces come, right?” “That’s also impossible, like how the town was named a free city, it has nothing but a miserable amount of wall.” “In that case shouldn’t everyone just abandon this city and escape?” “―You b̲i̲t̲c̲h̲, all this time you’re just messing around! How many of our comrades sacrificed their lives to protect this city!!?” Frank rose from his seat and was just about to grab me, together with Gald who was trying to stop him in panic, Frank saw my eyes and gasped. He sank down on the sofa as if he had just lost their backbones. “...Mess around you say? I’m the one who should say that. How many times in a row did this Stampede occur? And why the hell did you guys make those pioneering villages there? Isn’t that just like building a house on a cliff or a river side where there’s always falling rocks and flooding at fixed intervals? –Nah, if you had to do it for a reason, at least, shouldn’t you patrol that place everyday and make a defensive wall? Did you guys even do anything? No, the best you guys can do is puff your chest with pride heh.” I could feel the flame of rage rising from the pits of my stomach. What do these people think of other people’s lives? “...It just as you say, everything that happened is my own incompetentness. However, as Alra City’s adventurer guild master, it’s my duty and responsibility to protect this town. To speak honestly, just this once, please lend us your power.” Collard bowed down to me with a bitter face, however my anger wasn’t settled –Or perhaps I should say it was out of control. “Then what sort of reward for me do you have? I have countless gold and silver coins. Social status isn’t even necessary for me. I don’t need your honor or gratitude. ―So, what could you present to me?” “...If my only neck could ease you I will offer you this neck of mine. Somehow, please help everyone that lives in this town!” T-H-I-S G-U-Y~~~~!!! I absolutely have no idea why I was mad. Maybe because he presented his life that easily, what low value!! “...You say that not as an individual, but as the representative of this city, the adventurer guild master?” “Yes.” His figure that nodded without any hesitation decided my resolution. “‘Sinner of Rose (Gilles de Rais)’!” Instantly, rising on my right hand, was a jet black and yet semi transparent blade of my beloved sword, ‘Sinner of Rose (Gilles de Rais)’, I proceeded to grab it. Ignoring the three people who had their eyes wide open, I pointed the edge of my sword towards Collard. “Collard! Hereby I declare myself once again. My name is Hiyuki. The one and only immortal ruler of the eternal kingdom ‘Imperial Crimson’, and one who was praised as the ancestor of god! Do you think one puny neck such as yours will be enough for me? Or are you trying to arouse my sympathy and sway me? I’m not one to be taken lightly!” “Choose well. What I protect are my subjects! Should you choose to submit this town, all its people and their lives under this sword. Then I will protect them to the end. However if you cannot do that, this sword will turn against you. Anything that happens will not be any of my concern.” “......” Collard expressed an anguished face, but then he frailly shakes his head. “We can’t. This town is a free city, we can’t turn ourselves under you. Even if you are a being who is possibly a god.” “Is that so?” My incited emotion cools down with a gulp. Or precisely, my sanity returned. ...I feel that I made, with all my power, a terribly embarrassing chuunibyou speech, but it’s just my imagination right? That’s right. Let’s just put this into my inner dark history folder that I won’t open again. 『So foolish to waste the princess’ favor!』 Tengai vents his sneering from within my chest, but please stop, don’t bring that up again! Then, a guild staff barged in together with a panicked knocking sound. “I-It’s terrible! About 2 days distance from here, there’s an unbelievable swarm of monsters!!” Hearing those words, both Collard and Gald regained their vitality. On Frank’s side...Oh my, his skin completely turned white (He must have been in a state of shock from his friends’ death, surely). I put away ‘Gilles de Rais’ and faced towards the door that was left open. “Seems there’s not even time to escape. Well I want to see the strength of the monsters in this land and the adventurers; hence, I shall be the spectator.” See you thenー, I wave my hand and leave.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 1, "inserted_lines_src": 46, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
相談を終えた後、ケーテが俺たちを送ってくれることになった。ケーテの家は王都からかなり遠い。「ラックたちは、泊っていけばどうであろうか?」そのあと、ヴァンパイアたちを退治して、後片付けもした。ドアの修理もして、相談もした。もう、真夜中、夜明けまで数時間といったところだろう。「申し出はありがたいが......」「そうだな。泊まって帰ったら、色々と心配をかけるからな」俺はともかく、エリックは国王でゴランはギルドのグランドマスターだ。伝言もせずに外しては大ごとになりかねない。「そうか、残念である。我が送っていこうぞ」「ケーテ助かる。ありがとう」「気にするでない!」ケーテは機嫌よく羽をバタバタさせていた。俺たちがケーテの背に乗ると、すぐに飛び上がって一気に加速する。「徒歩。馬でも一日かってところか」「替え馬を用意できれば短縮できるが......」「我なら三時間程度である」やはり、ケーテはとても速い。俺はケーテの背の上から話しかける。「人に変化するのって難しいのか?」「いや、そうでもないのである」「そうか。これから王都に来るときは人の姿で頼むぞ」「わかっておる」それを聞いていたエリックが言う。「遺跡保護委員会も作ったことだし、臨時のものではなく正式な身分証明書を発行しよう」ケーテは嬉しそうだ。「身分証があれば、いつでもロックの家に遊びに行けるのである」「いつでも遊びに来ていいし、通話の腕輪を使っていつでも連絡してくれてもいい」「うむうむ、わかったのである!」ケーテはご機嫌に飛び続け、あっという間に王都近くに到着する。王都の民が怯えないよう、少し離れた場所に降り立つ。「さて......。人の姿になるとするか」俺たちがその背から降りると、ケーテは人型になる。当然、全裸だ。そして恥ずかしがることもなく、服を着ていく。「折角だし、ロックの家に行こうではないか」「それはいいが......。宮殿を空けておいていいのか?」「かまわぬのだ。年単位で空けるのも普通であるぞ」竜族の時間感覚は人とはだいぶ違うようだ。ゴランを先頭に王都に入る。ゴランの従者というていで何とか衛兵は誤魔化した。「あまりこういうのはよくないのだがな......」「とはいえ、王であることを明かすわけにはいかないだろう」「うむう。ケーテと同じく俺のための身分証も作っておくべきか......」エリックは少し考えこんでいた。東の空が少し赤くなり始めたころ、俺の屋敷に到着した。こんな時間だというのに、みんなが出迎えてくれる。「何事もなかったか?」「はい、平和でありました」少し眠そうなニアが笑顔でそう言った。その後、シアにセルリス、俺の徒弟たちとフィリーを連れて居間に行く。ゲルベルガさまとガルヴもついて来てくれた。俺は全員に経緯を説明する。説明を終えた後、魔法の鞄から装置を取り出す。「フィリー、これを見てくれ」「む?」「例のゴミ箱だ」「これは、見事な機械なのだ」「この装置で魔装機械を作ることは可能か?」「可能だろう。だが、材料をあつめるのが難しそうだ」魔装機械をこちら側の戦力としてそろえるのは難しいとのことだ。「昏き者どもがこれ以上魔装機械を増やせないのならそれでいい」エリックは満足そうにうなずいた。ひとまず昏き者どもの戦力増強を防げたと判断していいだろう。「問題は、「それに至高の王も、無視できねーな」エリックとゴランの懸念はわかる。「それも大事だが、王国内に入り込んでいる昏き者どもに通じている者に関する情報はないのか?」「すまぬ。まだわからぬ」「枢密院が総力を挙げて調べているのだがな......」「冒険者ギルドの方でも、まだつかみ切れてねーな」それを聞いていたケーテは自分の尻尾を体の前に持ってくる。尻尾を両手で撫でながら言う。「ふむぅ。人族は大変なのであるなー」「だが、竜族はそんなに複雑ではないのである。頼りにしてくれてよいのである」ふふんとケーテはどや顔をした。そのとき、ミルカがぴょんと立ち上がる。「そうだ、お茶を入れてくるぞ!」「私も手伝います!」「あ、ぼくも!」ミルカとニア、ルッチラが台所に走って行った。徒弟たちは、働き者だ。ゲルベルガさまは俺のひざの上に乗る。「ゲルベルガさま。お疲れ様です」「可愛いのである」ケーテもゲルベルガさまが気に入ったらしい。俺の隣に来て撫で始めた。ガルヴはどうしているのだろう。ふと気になって、探してみると、部屋の隅っこにいた。「ガルヴ。おいで」「まだ、ケーテが怖いのか?」「がう!」怖くないというかのように、俺とケーテの近くまで歩いてきた。俺はそんなガルヴを撫でてやった。「ガルヴも可愛いのである!」ケーテもガルヴを撫で始めた。途端にガルヴは、びくりとした。やはり怖いのかもしれない。「ガルヴ。ケーテは怖くないぞ」「そうである。我は怖くないのであるぞ」そういって、ケーテはガルヴを抱きかかえた。人型でも竜。力はものすごく強いらしい。ガルヴは驚いたようだ。ガルヴはまだ子狼だが、馬に近いぐらい大きい。抱きかかえられたことが滅多にないのだろう。ガルヴは抱きかかえられたのが嬉しいようだ。尻尾を振っている。仲良くなれたようでよかった。「ケーテ、とりあえず帰るにしても、一旦眠ってからにした方がいい」「少し眠いから、助かるのだが......。よいのであるか?」「嬉しいのである!」ケーテの背中からはえた小さな羽がパタパタ動いた。気にしていなかったが、ケーテは人型になっても羽があるらしい。ケーテの尻尾もひくひく動いている。本当はばしんばしんと床を叩きたいのだろう。人の家だから遠慮しているのだ。とても行儀のよい竜である。「お茶を持ってきたぞー」「お菓子も持ってきましたー」ミルカ、ニア、ルッチラがお茶とお菓子を持ってきてくれた。そのお茶とお菓子をケーテは飲んで食べた。「うまいのである! さすがロックの屋敷であるな! 腹が減っては眠れないのである」	After we finished talking, Kathe agree to take us back. Her house was quite far from the capital. “But why don’t you just stay here for the night?” The vampires were all dead and we had cleaned the place up. The door was fixed and we had a good discussion. It was now midnight, and the sun would rise in a few hours. “I’m grateful for the offer, but...” “Yes. A lot of people will be worried if we stay any longer.” It was one thing for me to stay, but Eric was the king. And Goran was grand master of the guild. They couldn’t stay without so much as a message. “I see. That is too bad. I shall take you back then.” “Thank you, Kathe.” “Don’t mention it!” Kathe flapped her wings happily. She rose into the air as soon as we were on her back, then she shot forward at a great speed. “Three days by foot. One or two days by horse.” “It wouldn’t take that long if you could change horses on the way...” “I can arrive in three hours.” Yes, Kathe was very fast. I talked to her from on top of her back. “Is it difficult to turn human?” “No, not exactly.” “I see. Well, you should turn human whenever you visit the city.” Eric listened to us and said, “As we have established the new Ancient Ruins Protection Committee, I think it will be necessary to issue you an official identification card and not a temporary one.” Kathe seemed very pleased. “I will be able to visit Locke whenever I want with that card.” “You can visit whenever you like. And you can contact me with the bracelet.” “Yes, yes. I know!” Kathe flew happily. And we arrived in the capital in no time. She landed a short distance from the city, so that people would not be scared. “Now... I should turn back into a human.” Kathe turned into a human after we got off of her back. While she was naked, she put on her clothes without a look of embarrassment. “I think I’ll go to Locke’s house since I’m in the neighborhood.” “I don’t mind... But don’t you have to go to your palace?” “It’s fine. I sometimes leave it for a whole year.” “I see.” Time was very different for dragons. Goran entered through the gates first. He told the guards that they were with him, and no questions were asked. “Though, I shouldn’t really be doing things like this...” “Still, Eric can’t tell them that he’s the king.” “Hmm. Perhaps I should have an identification card made for myself as well...” Eric thought. It was just as the east sky was starting to become red that we arrived at my mansion. In spite of the time, everyone came out to greet us. “Was everything fine?” “Yes, it was peaceful.” Nia said with a sleepy smile. After that, I took Shia, Serulis, my apprentices and Philly to the drawing room. Lord Gerberga and Grulf were also there. I explained to them everything that had happened. When that was finished, I took the machine out of the magic bag. “Philly, please look at this.” “Hmm?” “It’s the famous trash can.” “Ah, this is a fine piece of machinery.” “So you think it could make those automated magic machines?” “It should be possible. However, I think that it would be difficult to gather the materials.” We would not be able to make some machines of our own then. “I don’t mind, as long as the dark ones don’t get anymore of them.” Eric said with a satisfied nod. At least we had prevented them from getting any stronger. “The problem is the Evil Dragons.” “And the most high king. We can’t forget that.” Eric and Goran said. “That is important too. But do you have any information on the dark ones who have infiltrated the kingdom?” “I’m sorry. We don’t have anything yet.” “The privy council is doing everything that they can...” “We haven’t found anything at the Adventurers Guild either.” Kathe listened to this as she hugged her tail. She patted it with both hands and then said, “Hmm. You humans sure have it rough.” “But things are not so complicated for us. You can count on me.” Kathe chuckled smugly. Just then, Milka jumped to her feet. “I know! I shall put on some tea!” “I will help you!’ “Uh, me too!” Milka, Nia and Luchila dashed off to the kitchen. My apprentices were hard workers. Lord Gerberga hopped onto my lap. “Hello, Lord Gerberga.” “He is so cute.” Kathe seemed to have taken to him as well. She started to pet him from the side. What was Grulf doing now? I suddenly wondered and searched him. He was in the corner of the room. “Grulf. Come over here.” “Are you still afraid of Kathe?” “Groof!” He barked, then approached us as if to prove that he was not afraid of her. And so I petted him. “You are quite cute too, Grulf!” Kathe said as she petted him. Grulf tensed up immediately. I guess he really was scared. “Grulf. You don’t need to be scared of her.” “Exactly. I am not scary at all.” So saying, she picked Grulf up off of the floor. Even as a human, she was incredibly strong. Grulf barked with surprise. While he was still a puppy, he was almost the size of a horse. He did not have much experience when it came to being picked up. But Grulf seemed to be rather happy about being carried. His tail wagged. I guess they were friends now. “Kathe, you should probably sleep here before going home.” “I am rather tired...I think I will... But, are you sure?” “I am glad to hear it!” The small wings on Kathe’s back began to flap in the air. I hadn’t really noticed it until now, but she had wings even when in human form. Her tail was also moving. She was probably fighting the urge to start bashing the floor. But this wasn’t her house, so she had some restraint. She was a very polite dragon. “I brought the tea!” “And I brought the sweets.” Milka, Nia and Luchila came into the room with the trays. Kathe drank all the tea and ate the cakes. “It’s delicious! I would expect no less of your house, Locke! I would not have been able to sleep if I was hungry.”	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 11, "inserted_lines_src": 4, "inserted_lines_trg": 2 }
「おはようございます。今朝の朝食は、パンとチーズ、スクランブルドエッグ、オーク肉の燻製、サラダです。パンにはお好みでジャムをつけてくださいね」我が家のシェフ、ペーリス自慢の朝食だ。ペーリスの勉強熱心ぶりは、驚くべきものがある。既に料理のスキルは俺をはるかに超えている。彼女のスキルをさらに伸ばすため、近いうち、帝都に連れて行こうかと思っている。一応、彼女には人に見える結界を張ってあるが、種族の関係でずんぐりむっくりな体のため、人が彼女を見るとかなり太った人に見えるらしい。一応王女なのだが・・・俺の結界スキルはまだまだ改善の余地があるようだ。ちなみにジェネハは、馬に見えるように結界を張ってある。馬小屋に住んでいるので、必然的にそうなってしまった。「いってらっしゃいませー」ペーリスに見送られて、出勤する。商売の方は相変わらず順調だ。最近はペーリスにお使いを頼まれるのだが、その種類が実に多い。買い物をしているとすぐ、夜になる。お陰でこのところ、あのビーフシチューの美味しいホテルのレストランに行けずじまいだ。店に到着し、カウンターの前に座る。俺の到着を待ちかねたかのように、商人と冒険者が数名入ってくる。ちゃっちゃと注文を処理しているところに、宰相閣下の使いがやってきた。今すぐ宮城に来いという。取りあえず店を閉め、宮城に向かう。俺の到着を待ちかねたように、宰相閣下が入ってくる。目の下にクマができている。「すまぬな、呼び出して。貴殿に頼みたいことがあるのだ」「また皇族の警護ですか?」「まあ、そんなところだ。とある皇族を、帝都の国境付近まで警護してほしい」「国境付近というと、アーシリアですか?それともベルガンダですか?」「どこでもいい、とにかく帝都の国境まで案内し、帝都から出ていくのを見届けて欲しいのだ」なんだか随分ざっくりとした依頼である。「いやなに、半月ほど前、チルの村で猫人族の王子と姫を保護してな。自らを勇者と名乗り、大魔王討伐をしていると宣言したのだ。それなりの装備をしておったので、取りあえず「ピャオ国から使者が来て、王子一行の国外追放と装備品の受け取りに来たのだが、随分と暴れてな。ピャオの使者と最悪の事態だ。死人が出なかったことが幸いだな。「王子一行は取り押さえて、装備品は没収したのだが、運悪くその場を収めたのが、第一皇女のリコレット様だったのだ。大人しくしておればよかったのだが、よりにもよってリコレット様に暴言を吐きおってな」「・・・リコレット様に向かって、「父親の権威がなければなにもできないバカ女」と言い放ったのだ」はい、死刑確定ですね。「今は牢に繋いでいる。仕方がなかろう、我が帝国の姫君が冒涜されたのだ。リコレット様のお怒りも相当でな。先ほどまで「首を刎ねよ」の一点張りだ。宥めるのに苦労したわ。取りあえず我が帝国としても、この一行を国外に追放することにしたのだが、帝都内で騒ぎを起こされても困る。さりとて、兵を護衛に付けて国境付近まで連れていくのは憚られるのだ」馬車か何かに乗せて、国境付近まで乗せていけばいいんじゃねぇのか? 「・・・リコレット様に対しても暴言を吐くのだ。当然、他の重臣や侍女たちにも言いたい放題だ。そんな者を兵士が警護すると思うか?最悪、我が国の兵に斬られかねん」斬られればいいじゃないか? 「そうなると今度は帝国の評価が落ちるのだ。帝国の兵がピャオ国の王族を斬ったとなれば、それを口実に近隣諸国がどのような動きに出るのかもわからん」「そんなに面倒くさい奴らなら、闇から闇に葬ればいいのではないのですか?」「闇から闇というのは、明るみに出ていない時にするものだ。すでにピャオ国の王子が勇者を名乗って大魔王討伐に出ているという事実は、白日の下に晒されているのだ。とにかく穏便に、この国を出てもらうしかあるまい。そこで、皇族の警護の実績がある貴殿に頼むのだ。どこでも構わん、とにかくあの者どもを帝国国境に捨ててきてくれ」・・・最後に本音が出てますね。なるほど、基本的に俺のスキルは低く見せている。結界師にその身を保護させながら国境まで奴らを運ぶ。奴らに俺が斬られる心配もないだろうし、俺が奴らを殺す可能性も低い。苦しいお立場、お察しします。俺にヤル気は全くない。しかし、宰相閣下たっての頼みである。イヤとは言えない。取りあえず馬車は貸してくれるということなので、バカ猫たちを馬車ごと分厚い結界に閉じ込めて、国境付近で捨ててくることにしよう。また、さすがに着の身着のままで国境に放置するのはいかがなものかということで、馬車に食料等を詰め込み、馬車ごと国境付近に捨ててきて構わないとの宰相閣下のお話である。「それにしても、バカな王族ですね」「いや、よくある話だ」よくある!?この世界の王族はバカばっかりか?確かにジュカ王国の国王もかなりのバカだったが。「王族は、行儀作法などは厳しく身につけさせられるが、世間一般の常識などはほとんど教えられない。その方面に過剰に疎いことがむしろ、自慢の一つにすらなるのだ」ははぁ。だからあんなバカ猫みたいなものが出来上がるのだと。取りあえず、バカ猫どものところに向かうことにする。部屋を出ると、若い貴婦人がこちらに向かってくるのが見えた。そのまま素通りするかと思いきや、その女性は俺の前で立ち止まり、じっと俺を見つめる。「何か?」「これ、リノス殿、リコレット第一皇女殿下である」宰相閣下が慌てて俺に声をかける。ほう、この人が噂の皇女様か。見たところかなり賢そうな雰囲気だ。俺は慌てて膝をつく「これは、知らぬことでご無礼を致しました」「あなたが噂の結界師ですか。私はリコレットと申します。そのような態度は無用ですわ」無用と言われてもなぁ、と俺が戸惑っていると「貴方は皇帝陛下の家臣でも、ましてや私の家臣でもありません。そこにいるグレモント宰相の家臣でもないのでしょう?私は貴方に何も施しをしておりませんから、そのような態度をとる必要はない、と申しているのです。他の王族はいざ知らず、私に対してはそのような態度は不要ですわ」と言い捨ててさっさと行ってしまった。「まあ、ああいうお方なのだ。我々とは根本的に考え方が違うのだよ」宰相閣下と別れ、俺は兵士に案内されて牢屋のある地下室に向かう。リコレット皇女の考え方は、ある意味で間違ってはいない。しかし、あの考えは帝国の体制を根本から否定するものだ。国内が動乱の時代であればまだしも、完全に帝国としての体制が成り立っている現在では、皇女の考え方は異端とされるだろう。非常に聡明な女性であることは認めるが、生まれてくるのが少し、早かったようだ。そんなことを考えながら歩いていると、ほどなく牢屋のある地下室にたどり着いた。バカ猫の王子と王女は、ご丁寧に個室をあてがわれている。その上、それぞれの従者も一緒に入っている。身の回りの世話をする者も一緒にいるのだ。牢獄にしては、なかなかの好待遇と言っていい。従者たちは迷惑この上ないだろうが。「よー久しぶり。元気にしてたか?」「あっ、お前はあの時の無礼者!何だ、この城の者だったのか。早く僕をここから出しておくれよ。大魔王は待ってはくれないんだぞ!揃いも揃ってバカばっかりだ!」「・・・上手な自己紹介だな。とりあえず、お前ら全員国外追放だそうだ。俺が国境まで捨てに行く。早速行くぞ!」「追放?どうして私と兄様ばっかりこんな目にあうのじゃ!」「お前らが今置かれている境遇は全て、お前ら自身が作り出したものだ。お前らの考え方、行動がこういう状況を作り出しているのだ」バカが牢から出される。以前は剣を装備していたが、現在は丸腰であり、服も薄汚れたものを着ている。一見すれば王族とは思えないだろう。そんな俺たちの後ろを、一人のフードをかぶった男が通り過ぎる。何気なくその男に注目していると、男は俺のすぐ近くの牢屋の前で立ち止まり、看守にカギを開けてもらい、その中に入った。そこに捕らえられている男に、俺は見覚えがあった。ヒーデータ帝国子、ヒーデータ・シュア・セアリアスだ。	「Good morning. Today’s breakfast is bread, cheese, scrambled eggs, smoked meat, and salad. There is also jam for those who wish to put it on their bread」 Our chef’s prided breakfast. Peris’ desire for knowledge is surprising. Her cooking skills have already exceeded me. I am thinking of bringing her to the capital to further broaden her horizons. I cast an appearance-changing barrier on her, but due to her build, she looked like a fat human. She is still a princess though......it seems that my barrier skill still has some room for improvement. By the way, I made Jeneha look like a horse. She lives in the stables, so it happened naturally. 「Have a nice day」 Peris sent me off and I headed for my store. The business flowed as smoothly as ever. Recently, Peris often asks me to buy some things, but the quantity is rather impressive. It takes me until night to finish buying everything. However, thanks to that, I can have the beef stew like in that hotel. I arrived at my store and manned the counter. A few merchants and adventurers were already there as if they were waiting for me to arrive. While I was dealing with customers, a messenger from the prime minister arrived. He told me to head for the royal castle right away. Closing the store for now, I went to the royal palace. As if waiting for my arrival, the prime minister came immediately. He had dark circles under his eyes. 「I apologize for suddenly summoning you. I have a favor to ask of you」「Guarding the royalty again?」「Something like that. I want you to escort a certain royalty to the empire’s border」「You mean, the border with Ashiria? Or Belganda? 」「Any one works. I just want you to escort the royalty out of the capital and towards the border」 Quite the request you have here. 「Well, about half a month ago we discovered the royalty of the cat tribe in the Chill village. He declared himself as a hero who will defeat the Great Demon King. He had some nice gear, so I decided to contact the Piao Kingdom first. They said that he did it on his own volition. Moreover, his gear was stolen from the national treasury. The Piao King was enraged and decided to exile him」「A messenger came from the Piao Kingdom to report his exile and take away the treasured gear, but that guy went on a rampage. He wounded the messenger and several attendants」 That is the worst. Fortunately, there were no fatalities. 「He was restrained and deprived of his gear, but regretfully, he bumped into the first princess Ricolette. Everything would have been fine as long as he restrained himself a bit, but he insulted Ricolette-sama」「.....He said「Idiotic princess, who is absolutely useless without her father’s authority」」 Yeah, death penalty confirmed. 「Now, he is in prison. Can’t help it, he did insult the princess. Ricolette-sama is very angry too. She is saying「behead him」since a while ago. I have a hard time calming her down. For now, we decided to exile them from our empire, but we can’t let them create a mess in the capital. That’s why we need someone to guide them out of our territory」 Can’t you put them in a carriage and let a soldier drive it? 「......He insulted Ricolette-sama. Of course, he also did that to the maids, attendants, and ministers. Do you think we can leave this mission to a simple soldier? In the worst case, the very same soldier will cut him down」 Isn’t if fine to cut him down? 「In that case, it will affect out empire’s reputation. We can’t predict the movements of the neighboring countries if that ever happens.」「If they are this troublesome, can’t we just quietly dispose of them?」「Such things should be done before the commotion. Everyone already knows the fact that he proclaimed himself a hero, who will defeat the Great Demon King. Anyway, we just need to escort him out of our country. Therefore, I ask you, with your experience of protecting the royalty. I don’t care where, just throw them out of the empire」 .......Your real intentions surfaced in the end. I see. I prefer to hide most of my skills on purpose. As a barrier master, I can successfully deliver them to the border. The possibility of them killing me and me killing them is also low. It’s hard to be me. I can’t produce any motivation at all. However, it is a request from the prime minister. I can’t just say no. For now, it seems that he will lend me a carriage, so let’s use a barrier to confine them inside until we reach the border. As expected, he couldn’t just ditch them outside the border, so he stuffed the carriage with food and water. He said that he didn’t mind sacrificing every single carriage as long as they successfully leave. 「That being said, such an idiotic royalty」「No, that happens rather often」 Rather often?! Is every royalty in this world an idiot? Come to think about it, the king of the Juka Kingdom was an idiot too. 「They are well-mannered and educated, but no one informs them of the common sense of the general public. Rather than take an initiative to learn that, they become prideful」 Waha. That’s where people like those idiotic cats come from. For now, I went to the place where those cats were. As I left the room, I saw a young lady walking in my direction. Just when I thought that she would pass by me, she stopped and looked at me. 「Is there something?」「This, Rinos-dono, is the First Princess Ricolette」 The prime minister said to me in a hurry. Hoh, is this person the rumored princess? She looks intelligent. I hurriedly knelt. 「I unintentionally offended Your Highness」「Are you the rumored barrier master? My name is Ricolette. This kind of attitude isn’t required」 Even though she said that there was no need, I didn’t budge. 「You are neither my nor the emperor’s vassal. You are the retainer of the prime minister Guremont, am I right? I don’t have the right to directly command you, so there is no need for you to be so formal. I don’t know about the others, but you don’t need to do it before me」 She said her piece and left just like that. 「Well, she’s such a person. Her thinking pattern is fundamentally different from ours」 I parted with the prime minister and followed a soldier to the underground prison to see the cats. Ricolette’s ideas aren’t wrong from a certain standpoint. However, it goes against the established traditions. It might work in the turbulent times, but in the already established empire, such thinking might even be treated as a heresy. She seemed like an intelligent woman, but she was born too early. While I was thinking about such things, we reached the basement. Idiot prince and idiot princess were assigned to the separate cells. Each had their own servant accompanying him/her. Therefore, the people, who take care of their needs, were placed in the same cells as them. They are treated rather nicely, for a jail. Can’t say the same for their servants though. 「Yo, long time no see. Are you doing well? 」「Ah, you are that offender! You were from this castle all this time. Hurry up and get me out of here. The Great Demon King won’t wait for anyone! I’m surrounded by idiots! 」「.....As noisy as always. Anyway, you have been banished from the empire. I’m going to throw you out once we reach the border. Let’s not waste any time! 」「Banished? Why is it always me and my brother!?」「Your plight was caused by your own actions. Your words, your actions have created this situation」 I took out the four cats out of the prison. He was equipped with fancy gear before, but now he is unarmed and wearing dirty clothes. There was no trace of royalty left. A man in a hood passed behind us. When I spared some attention on him, he stood before a certain cell, asked a guard to open it and entered inside. I had a memory about the person inside that cell. Third prince of the Hideta Empire, Hideta Shua Serias.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 2, "inserted_lines_src": 3, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
北朝鮮からの挑戦と取引するには、三つのオプション—軍事力の脅威、経済制裁の現実、そして外交の回復—の融合が必要だろう。これは容易ではないが、もう一方の選択肢—自暴自棄で、敵意に満ち、核武装し孤立した北朝鮮—は全ての者に警報を鳴らすのだから、追い求める価値はある。	It will take a blend of the three options – the threat of military force, the reality of economic sanctions, and the resumption of diplomacy —to deal with North Korea’s challenge. This will not be easy, but it is worth pursuing, because the alternative—a desperate, hostile, nuclear-armed, and isolated North Korea—should alarm everyone.	{ "source": "news_commentary", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
ミウッチャ・プラダの驚くような話を聞きました彼女はパリの古着屋に友達と行きバレンシアガのジャケットを見つけましたプラダはそれがとても気に入り裏返して縫い目を見たり作りを調べました友達が「もう買えば」と言うと「買うけどレプリカも作るわ」と言ったのです皆さんの中に学者の方がいたら「それは盗作だ」と思うでしょうでもファッションに詳しい者からするとこれは明らかなプラダの才能であり移り変わるファッションの中から寸分も変える必要がない最新の今風なジャケットを見つけることができるということですまたこのようなことをするのは法に反するかもと思うかもしれません実は法にはふれないのですファッション業界では知的財産保護はほとんど存在しません商標保護はありますが著作権保護はなく特許保護と言えるようなものもありません実際にあるのは商標保護だけなのですつまりここにいる誰かの服をどれでもいいのでコピーして自分のデザインとして売ってもかまわないのですコピーできない唯一のものはその衣料品についている商標ラベルだけなのですこれがいたるところにロゴが散りばめられた商品を見かける理由の1つですロゴをコピーできない為デザイン自体をコピーすることが複製品デザイナーにとって困難になるのですでもサンティー・アリーに行くとありますねキャナル・ストリートにもたまにはこういうのも面白いですね? どうしてこうなるのかファッション業界に著作権保護がない理由は何かと言うとだいぶ前に裁判所が服飾は著作権保護を認めるには実用的すぎると判決したからです私たちの服の重要な構成部分が少数のデザイナーに所有されるのは避けたかったのですそうなると誰かが所有しているという理由で袖や襟にも許可が必要になるからですでも実用的すぎる?皆さんもファッションをそう捉えますか? これはヴィヴィアン・ウェストウッドですが答えはノーですバカバカしすぎる不必要すぎるというところでしょうかさて所有権なしではイノベーションする意欲も出ないという著作権を支えるロジックをご存知の皆様はファッション業界の決定的な成功と経済的な成功にとても驚くかもしれません私が今日主張したいのはファッション業界に著作権の保護がなかったからこそファッションデザイナー達はかえって体を覆うだけのものという実用本位のデザインを芸術と呼べるものに高めることができたということですこの業界には著作権の保護がないためとてもオープンでクリエイティヴな創造性の環境があります彫刻家や写真家映画監督やミュージシャンといったファッションデザイナーはどの同業者のデザインを見本としてもかまいませんファッション史上のあらゆる服飾からどのような要素を選んで自分のデザインに組み込んでもいいのですまた時代のトレンドから何かをアレンジすることでも知られますこれは映画「アバター」の衣装に影響を受けているのではと思いますほんの少しかもしれませんが衣装の著作権も取る事ができませんちなみにファッションデザイナーはクリエイティブ産業のなかでも特に考えられる素材はなんでも利用するほうですこのウェディングドレスは実は先割れスプーンでできていますこのドレスはアルミニウムでできていますこのドレスを着た人が歩くと風鈴のような音が実際するそうです言ってみればコピー文化なのですがその不思議な影響の1つにトレンドの創造があります流行は魔法のようですがどうやって起きるのでしょう? それは人々がコピーし合うのが合法だからですファッション業界頂点の少数の人間が私達が何を着るか決めているようなものだと信じている人もいますでもそういった高級デザイナーも含めてどんなレベルのデザイナーに聞いても答えは同じで主にインスピレーション得るのは自分なりにいろいろ組み合わせたスタイルをしている一般の人がいる街の中なのですここで実際にクリエイティブな着想を得ているのですつまりこの業界はトップダウン型でありボトムアップ型でもありますさてファッション業界に著作権保護が無いことで最も恩恵を受けてきたのはおそらくファストファッションの大手でしょう彼らは高級デザインを模倣し安く売ることで有名ですそして多くの訴訟に直面してきましたがデザイナー側が勝つことは通常ありませんこれ以上の知的財産保護は必要ないと裁判所は繰り返し何度も言っていますこのような模造品を見ると高級ブランドの経営はどう成り立っているのかと思わせます 200ドルで買えるものになぜ1000ドル払うのか? 私達が数年前にここU.S.Cで会議を開いた1つの理由がこれでした会議の題名は「共に語ろう:ファッションと創造性の所有」私たちはトム・フォードを招きまさにその質問をしました彼の答えはこれですちなみに彼はグッチの主要デザイナーとして仕事を成功させたばかりですトム・フォード:多くの調査の結果いやそれほどでなく極めて単純な調査の結果我々の顧客層は模倣品を買う顧客層とは違うと分かりました考えられますかサンティー・アリーにいる人々はグッチで買い物をしないんです全く違う客層なのですそしてご存じのように模倣品がオリジナルの高級品と同じであることは決してなく少なくとも素材はいつも安価なものですでも安物であっても実際には魅力的な要素を持つことがあり消えそうなトレンドをいくらか延命させることもあります模倣にも多くの長所があるのですその1つで多くの文化批評家が指摘しているのが私たちには今かつて無かった幅広い範囲のデザインの選択肢があるということですこれは主にファストファッション産業のおかげですこれはいい事です私たちには沢山の選択肢が必要です好むと好まざるに関わらずファッションは自分の個性を表現するのですファストファッションにより世界のトレンドは以前よりも急速に確立されるようになりましたこれは実際トレンドを仕掛ける人にはうれしいことですトレンドが確立していれば商品が売れるからですファッションに敏感な人たちは最先端にいたいと考えています皆と同じ服など着たくはないのですそれでできる限り早く次のトレンドに乗ろうとしますそうですおしゃれな人たちに休みはありません誰もが絶賛する素晴らしいアイデアを出すため毎シーズンデザイナーは奮闘しなければなりませんそして実はこれは結果的にはとてもいいことなのです今ではもちろん創造のプロセスに対する模倣の文化が与える影響は様々なものがあります靴デザイナーとして大成功しているスチュワート・ワイツマンは彼の真似をする人に対して文句を言ってきましたでも私が読んだあるインタビューで彼はやり方を考え直すことになったと言っていました真似するのが難しい新しいアイデアと商品を創り出す必要があったのですそして彼は鉄かチタンで作らなければならないウェッジヒールのボウデンを生み出しました現にこれを安価な材料で作ると二つに割れてしまいます彼に少し工夫をさせたわけですこれで思い出したのがジャズの偉人チャーリー・パーカーですこんな逸話をご存じでしょうか彼がビバップを創作した理由の1つは白人のミュージシャンにはまず真似出来ないだろうと思ったからだそうです真似するのが難しすぎるようにしようとしたのですファッションデザイナーたちが常にやっていることですブランドを反映する特徴的な外見や美意識を演出しようとしているのです模倣されても誰にでも分かりますランウェイでそのスタイルは既に発表されていてそのコンセプトはまとまったものだからです私はこのガリアーノが大好きです話を続けましょうコメディの世界と似ているとも言えます皆さんがご存じかどうか知りませんがジョークも著作権で保護されませんとても面白い名文句があっても誰でも盗用し合うことができますでも今では違った種類のコメディがありますファッションデザイナーと同じようにキャラクターや独自のスタイルを展開しファッションデザイナーのデザインと同じように彼らのジョークはその設定の中でのみ面白いのです例えば誰かがラリー・デイヴィッドのジョークを盗んでもそれほど面白くありませんその他にファッションデザイナーたちが模倣の文化の中で生き残るためにやっているのは自分自身を模倣することです自分のデザインを模倣するのですファストファッションの大手と提携し全く別の客層つまりサンティー・アリーの人々にも商品を売る手段を見つけていますファッションデザイナーによっては「ファッションデザイナーを尊重しないのはアメリカだけで他の国では芸術的なデザインに対して保護が存在する」と言う人もいますでも他の二つの世界的大市場を見てみるとそこにある保護は実際は効果が無いと分かります例えば3番目に大きな市場である日本では服飾を保護するデザインの法律がありますが新規性の基準が非常に高くこれまでなかった服飾で全く比類のものであると証明しなければなりませんファッションデザイナーが取得することがほとんどないアメリカの特許の新規性基準と同じようなものです逆にEUでは新規性の基準はとても低く誰が何を登録してもかまいませんファストファッション産業のメッカで大勢の高級デザイナーもいますが一般的に服飾は登録されず訴訟もそれほど多くありませんこれは新規性の基準が低すぎるからなのです誰かのドレスを持ってきて裾を3インチ短くしたものを EUで新しい独自のデザインとして登録できるのですこれでは模倣デザイナーを阻止できません実際に登録内容を見てみると EUにおける多くの登録はほとんど同じデザインのナイキのTシャツですでもダイアン・ボン・フルステンバーグは諦めませんでしたアメリカファッションデザイナー協議会の議長である彼女は協議会メンバーにファッションデザインでも著作権保護を獲得するつもりだと言っています小売業者はこの考えを受け流していますこの法案が進展するとは思いません海賊版のデザインなのか単なる世界のトレンドの一部なのか見分けるのはあまりに難しいと分かっているからですそれぞれのスタイルを誰が所有するのか? これは難しい質問です何人もの弁護士と裁判所での長い時間が必要ですそれはあまりに高くつくと小売業者は判断したのですご存じの通り著作権による保護が無いのはファッション業界だけではありません他にも著作権保護がない産業は多くあります例えば食品業界ですレシピの著作権をとることはできませんレシピは指示を集めた事実だからですまた比類のない独創的な料理でもその外観や雰囲気の著作権はとれません自動車も同様ですどれほど風変わりでもかっこよくても外観のデザインの著作権はとれません実用的なものだからというのが理由です家具も同様です実用的すぎです手品のトリックもレシピのように一連の指示だと思います著作権保護はありません髪型にも著作権保護はありませんオープンソースのソフトウェアに関しては著作権保護は無い方がいいと決めていますそのほうがより革新的になると考えたのですデータベースの著作権を取るのも非常に難しいですタトゥーアーティストは著作権を欲しませんかっこよくないからデザインは共有しますジョークにも著作権保護はありません花火ゲームのルール香水の匂いにもないですこれらの産業のいくつかは小規模なように見えるかもしれませがこれが低・知的所有権産業つまり著作権保護が非常に少ない産業の総売上ですそしてこれが映画と書籍の総売上です (拍手) すごい差です (拍手) だからファッション業界の人と話をしたら「しーっ実はお互いのデザインを盗み合うことができるなんて誰にも言わないで恥ずかしいから」という感じですでもいいですかこれは革新的です先ほどの売上げがとても少なかった産業を含むその他の多くの産業が考える必要があるかもしれないモデルなのですなぜなら現在多くの著作権保護がある産業はあたかも何の保護もないような状況にいるからですどうしていいのか分からない状態です著作権保護のない産業が非常に多く存在すると知ったとき著作権の原則とは具体的には何なんだろうと思いました全体像が見たくても弁護士は提供してくれないので自分で作りました著作権法の論理には 2項対立したような基準が主に2つあります本当はもっと複雑ですがこのような感じですまずそれは芸術的なものか? そうなら保護されるに値しますそれは実用的なものか? その場合保護されるに値しませんこの二択は難しくはっきりしませんもう1つはそれはアイデアか? それは自由社会の中で、自由に広まるべきものか? その場合保護はありませんそれともそれは誰かが創った物理的に固定されたアイデアの表現で作者は一定の期間所有して収入を得ることを許されるべきか? 問題はデジタルテクノロジーによってこの「物理的に固定された表現」と「アイデアの概念」を区別する基準が無くなってしまったことです最近では私達は本は書棚にあるものと認識していませんし音楽を手にとれる物体だとも思っていませんデジタルファイルなのです私達の頭のなかで物理的な実体とは結びつきませんまたこれらは簡単にコピーして送信できる為実際には物理的な物体というよりもアイデアのように私たちの文化において行き渡っていますさて創造性と所有について話すとき概念的な問題は本当に難しくなりますそしてこの対応は弁護士だけに任せておくべきではありません弁護士は頭が切れます私のボーイフレンドも弁護士でいい人です彼は頭が良いです聡明ですでも徹底的に話し合いどのようなデジタル世界の所有権のモデルが最も革新をもたらすか検討するのは異分野の人々からなるチームによって行なわれるべきですそして私の意見としては今後クリエイティヴ産業のモデルを探し始める場所としてファッション産業は最適だと思うのですこの調査プロジェクトについてもっと知りたい方は私たちのウェブサイトReadyToShare.orgに来てくださいこのプレゼンテーションをおしゃれにしてくれたべロニカ・ジュリキに心から感謝しますどうもありがとう	She goes to this vintage store in Paris with a friend of hers. She's rooting around, she finds this one jacket by Balenciaga -- she loves it. She's turning it inside out. She's looking at the seams. She's looking at the construction. Her friend says, "Buy it already." She said, "I'll buy it, but I'm also going to replicate it." Now, the academics in this audience may think, "Well, that sounds like plagiarism." But to a fashionista, what it really is is a sign of Prada's genius: that she can root through the history of fashion and pick the one jacket that doesn't need to be changed by one iota, and to be current and to be now. You might also be asking whether it's possible that this is illegal for her to do this. Well, it turns out that it's actually not illegal. In the fashion industry, there's very little intellectual property protection. They have trademark protection, but no copyright protection and no patent protection to speak of. All they have, really, is trademark protection, and so it means that anybody could copy any garment on any person in this room and sell it as their own design. The only thing that they can't copy is the actual trademark label within that piece of apparel. That's one reason that you see logos splattered all over these products. It's because it's a lot harder for knock-off artists to knock off these designs because they can't knock off the logo. But if you go to Santee Alley, yeah. Well, yeah. Canal Street, I know. And sometimes these are fun, right? Now, the reason for this, the reason that the fashion industry doesn't have any copyright protection is because the courts decided long ago that apparel is too utilitarian to qualify for copyright protection. They didn't want a handful of designers owning the seminal building blocks of our clothing. And then everybody else would have to license this cuff or this sleeve But too utilitarian? I mean is that the way you think of fashion? This is Vivienne Westwood. No! We think of it as maybe too silly, too unnecessary. Now, those of you who are familiar with the logic behind copyright protection -- which is that without ownership, there is no incentive to innovate -- might be really surprised by both the critical success of the fashion industry and the economic success of this industry. What I'm going to argue today is that because there's no copyright protection fashion designers have actually been able to elevate utilitarian design, things to cover our naked bodies, into something that we consider art. Because there's no copyright protection there's a very open and creative ecology of creativity. who are sculptors or photographers or filmmakers or musicians, fashion designers can sample from all their peers' designs. They can take any element from any garment from the history of fashion and incorporate it into their own design. They're also notorious for riffing off of the zeitgeist. And here, I suspect, they were influenced by the costumes in Avatar. Maybe just a little. Can't copyright a costume either. Now, fashion designers have the broadest palette imaginable in this creative industry. This wedding dress here is actually made of sporks, and this dress is actually made of aluminum. I've heard this dress actually sort of sounds like wind chimes as they walk through. So, one of the magical side effects of having a culture of copying, which is really what it is, is the establishment of trends. People think this is a magical thing. How does it happen? Well, it's because it's legal for people to copy one another. there are a few people at the top of the fashion food chain who sort of dictate to us what we're all going to wear, but if you talk to any designer at any level, including these high-end designers, they always say their main inspiration comes from the street: where people like you and me remix and match our own fashion looks. And that's where they really get a lot of their creative inspiration, so it's both a top-down and a bottom-up kind of industry. Now, the fast fashion giants have probably benefited the most from the lack of copyright protection in the fashion industry. They are notorious for knocking off high-end designs and selling them at very low prices. And they've been faced with a lot of lawsuits, but those lawsuits are usually not won by fashion designers. The courts have said over and over again, "You don't need When you look at copies like this, you wonder: How do the luxury high-end brands remain in business? If you can get it for 200 bucks, why pay a thousand? Well, that's one reason we had a conference here at USC a few years ago. We invited Tom Ford to come -- the conference was called, "Ready to Share: Fashion and the Ownership of Creativity" -- and we asked him exactly this question. Here's what he had to say. He had just come off a successful stint as the lead designer at Gucci, in case you didn't know. Tom Ford: And we found after much research that -- actually not much research, quite simple research -- that the counterfeit customer was not our customer. Johanna Blakley: Imagine that. The people on Santee Alley are not the ones who shop at Gucci. This is a very different demographic. And, you know, a knock-off is never the same as an original high-end design, at least in terms of the materials; they're always made of cheaper materials. But even sometimes a cheaper version can actually have some charming aspects, can breathe a little extra life into a dying trend. There's lots of virtues of copying. One that a lot of cultural critics have pointed to is that we now have a much broader palette of design choices to choose from than we ever have before, and this is mainly because of the fast fashion industry, actually. And this is a good thing. We need lots of options. Fashion, whether you like it or not, helps you project who you are to the world. Because of fast fashion, global trends actually get established much more quickly than they used to. And this, actually, is good news to trendsetters; they want trends to be set so that they can move product. they want to stay ahead of the curve. They don't want to be wearing what everybody else is wearing. And so, they want to move on to the next trend as soon as possible. I tell you, there is no rest for the fashionable. Every season, these designers have to struggle to come up with the new fabulous idea that everybody's going to love. And this, let me tell you, is very good for the bottom line. Now of course, there's a bunch of effects that this culture of copying has on the creative process. And Stuart Weitzman is a very successful shoe designer. He has complained a lot about people copying him, but in one interview I read, he said it has really forced him to up his game. He had to come up with new ideas, new things that would be hard to copy. He came up with this Bowden-wedge heel that has to be made out of steel or titanium; if you make it from some sort of cheaper material, it'll actually crack in two. It forced him to be a little more innovative. And that actually reminded me of jazz great, Charlie Parker. I don't know if you've heard this anecdote, but I have. He said that one of the reasons he invented bebop was that he was pretty sure that white musicians wouldn't be able to replicate the sound. He wanted to make it too difficult to copy, and that's what fashion designers are doing all the time. They're trying to put together a signature look, an aesthetic that reflects who they are. When people knock it off, everybody knows because they've put that look out on the runway, and it's a coherent aesthetic. I love these Gallianos. Okay, we'll move on. This is not unlike the world of comedy. I don't know if you know that jokes also can't be copyright protected. So when one-liners were really popular, everybody stole them from one another. But now, we have a different kind of comic. They develop a persona, a signature style, much like fashion designers. And their jokes, much like the fashion designs by a fashion designer, really only work within that aesthetic. If somebody steals a joke from Larry David, for instance, it's not as funny. Now, the other thing that fashion designers have done to survive in this culture of copying is they've learned how to copy themselves. They knock themselves off. They make deals with the fast fashion giants to a whole new demographic: the Santee Alley demographic. Now, some fashion designers will say, "It's only in the United States that we don't have any respect. In other countries there is protection for our artful designs." But if you take a look at the two other biggest markets in the world, it turns out that the protection that's offered is really ineffectual. In Japan, for instance, which I think is the third largest market, they have a design law; it protects apparel, but the novelty standard is so high, you have to prove that your garment has never existed before, it's totally unique. And that's sort of like the novelty standard for a U.S. patent, rarely get here in the states. In the European Union, they went in the other direction. Very low novelty standard, anybody can register anything. But even though it's the home of the fast fashion industry and you have a lot of luxury designers there, they don't register their garments, generally, and there's not a lot of litigation. It turns out it's because the novelty standard is too low. A person can come in and take somebody else's gown, cut off three inches from the bottom, go to the E.U. and register it as a new, original design. So, that does not stop the knock-off artists. If you look at the registry, actually, a lot of the registered things in the E.U. are Nike T-shirts But this has not stopped Diane von Furstenberg. She is the head of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and she has told her constituency that she is going to get copyright protection for fashion designs. The retailers have kind of quashed this notion though. I don't think the legislation is going anywhere, because they realized it is so hard to tell the difference between a pirated design and something that's just part of a global trend. Who owns a look? That is a very difficult question to answer. It takes lots of lawyers and lots of court time, and the retailers decided that would be way too expensive. You know, it's not just the fashion industry that doesn't have copyright protection. There's a bunch of other industries that don't have copyright protection, including the food industry. You cannot copyright a recipe because it's a set of instructions, it's fact, and you cannot copyright the look and feel of even the most unique dish. Same with automobiles. It doesn't matter how wacky they look or how cool they look, you cannot copyright the sculptural design. It's a utilitarian article, that's why. Same with furniture, it's too utilitarian. Magic tricks, I think they're instructions, sort of like recipes: no copyright protection. Hairdos, no copyright protection. Open source software, these guys decided they didn't want copyright protection. They thought it'd be more innovative without it. It's really hard to get copyright for databases. Tattoo artists, they don't want it; it's not cool. They share their designs. Jokes, no copyright protection. Fireworks displays, the rules of games, the smell of perfume: no. And some of these industries may seem sort of marginal to you, but these are the gross sales for low I.P. industries, industries with very little copyright protection, and there's the gross sales of films and books. It ain't pretty. So you talk to people in the fashion industry and they're like, "Shhh! we can actually steal from each other's designs. It's embarrassing." But you know what? It's revolutionary, and it's a model that a lot of other industries -- like the ones we just saw with the really small bars -- they might have to think about this. Because right now, those industries with a lot of copyright protection where it's as if they don't have any protection, and they don't know what to do. When I found out that there are a whole bunch of industries that didn't have copyright protection, I thought, "What exactly is the underlying logic? I want a picture." And the lawyers do not provide a picture, so I made one. These are the two main sort of binary oppositions within the logic of copyright law. It is more complex than this, but this will do. First: Is something an artistic object? Then it deserves protection. Is it a utilitarian object? Then no, it does not deserve protection. This is a difficult, unstable binary. The other one is: Is it an idea? Is it something that needs to freely circulate in a free society? No protection. Or is it a physically fixed expression of an idea: something that somebody made and they deserve to own it for a while and make money from it? The problem is that digital technology has completely subverted the logic of this physically fixed, expression versus idea concept. Nowadays, we don't really recognize a book as something that sits on our shelf or music as something that is a physical object that we can hold. It's a digital file. It is barely tethered to any sort of physical reality in our minds. And these things, because we can copy and transmit them so easily, actually circulate within our culture a lot more like ideas than like physically instantiated objects. Now, the conceptual issues are truly profound when you talk about creativity and ownership and, let me tell you, we don't want to leave this just to lawyers to figure out. They're smart. I'm with one. He's my boyfriend, he's okay. He's smart, he's smart. But you want an interdisciplinary team of people hashing this out, trying to figure out: What is the kind of ownership model, in a digital world, that's going to lead to the most innovation? And my suggestion is that fashion might be a really good place to start looking for a model for creative industries in the future. If you want more information about this research project, please visit our website: it's ReadyToShare.org. And I really want to thank Veronica Jauriqui for making this very fashionable presentation. Thank you so much.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
試験の後で教室から出るといつも先生が「ちょっとお前試験はどうだった?」って聞くんです満面の笑みで「ばっちりです」と答えましたでも私はどうして人は「真実を言え」と言いながら本当の事を言うと嫌がるのか理解できませんでした学校生活はこうやって過ぎていきましたがその生活にも馴染むことができずにいましたそれでよく夜になると眠りにつくまで未知の存在に助けを求めましたそれはどういう訳か両親が祭壇に祭っていた神様を信じることができなかったからですもちろん友達の家では違う神様を祭っていたからということもありましただから「それなら未知の存在に助けを求めよう」と思ったんですすると人生のあらゆる場面で救いの手が現れ始めたんです兄弟は絵の描き方を教えてくれましたそして私が8年生[中学2年] 13歳くらいの時にアルバイトを始めましたプトゥという看板画家の所でですやがて学校も私を支援し始めました「この子は勉強はできないが絵のコンテストに参加させよう」という具合にですちょっとした特技でなんとかやっていけたのですそれで学校で自分の居場所も見つけられました参加したあるコンテストで賞をとり小さなトランジスタラジオを貰いましたでも家に着くまで待てなかったので電車の中で大きな音で聞いたんですインドで電車に乗ると車内でラジオを聴く人をよく見かけます携帯電話で聴く人もいます当時私は13歳でしたただラジオを聴いていただけなんですが偶然隣に座っていた人がいたんですがそこに3人並んで座っている様に隣にいたっていうだけです彼が「そのラジオはどこで買ったんだ? 値段は?」と尋ねたので「美術のコンテストの賞品なんです」と言ったら彼は「私は美大で教えているんだが私が思うに君は芸術学校で学んだほうがいい学校をやめて美大に来なさい」って言うんですなぜこの話をしているかというともしかしたら隣リ合わせた人が人生を変えてしまうかもしれないからですそういったことに意識を向けているかどうかで決まってきますその出来事があったからこそ私は二浪しても美大に入学した訳ですそして今も問い続けているのが作品やアートで自分が何をしたいのかということでこうして皆さんの前にいるという訳です過去を振り返るとあの時の出来事とそして今過去10年から15年間ほとんどの作品は 3つの事柄を軸に展開していきましたでもそれは意図的ではなかったんです自分の過去の話から始めた理由は「自分が自分である要素は何か?」と考えた時その人の過去だと思うからですそういうわけでそれで過去を振り返った時過去を理解するにはその跡をたどるしかないと考える訳です過去に戻ることはできませんからそれが遺跡や音楽絵画や文章でも何でもそうですがそれはその時点の形跡ですそしてそれを模索することに私は夢中になりましたこの考えに沿って作品を創っていましたが形跡とは何かという探索ではなく形跡を捕らえることを始めましたいくつかの作品をお見せしますこれは『Self In Progress 進化する自身』という作品で正にこの体にいたという跡ですその過程で一番興味深かったことはこの彫刻はただ単に私自身の跡だということです 3次元の写真のようでもありますここにはパフォーマンスの要素彫刻の要素そして自分をごく近くに感じるという要素がありますいわば未来への化石ですその後徐々に形跡を捕らえる為に様々な方法を探索し始めました先ほど言ったようにその型を取る過程は実にいい経験でした私たちは普段歩いたり手や体を動かす自由がありますがそれが固まった途端 1ミリも動けなくなり― 何せ石膏ですから石膏を流し込む時は液体ですが 20分もすれば石の様に硬くなりますこれは親指の指紋の跡です意識しようとしまいとどんな行動でも私たちは跡を残しますそこで「指紋や足跡などの― 人間としての跡を留めよう」と考えましたこれは火の跡ですこれは太陽の跡です形跡をとらえる時にいつも考えていた事があります物が何かに触れた時だけ跡は残るのだろうか? 他の方法で捕らえられないだろうか? この作品はただ単にレンズの焦点距離があって反対側にあるものを映しているだけですそれは紙をその焦点距離に置いただけですそれはエッチングプリントでしたが太陽の光からその像をとらえたのですこの作品は『Dawn to Dawn 夜明けから夜明け』ですここでは3メートルの紙にココナッツのロープを置き燃やしましたこの線を作るのに24時間程かかりました火が紙を浸食する箇所が作品となりましたディテールはこんな感じです軌跡は存在しますがそれを理解するためには認識と前後関係が重要な役割を果たします私たちはその実体を理解しているのかそれとも自分達の思い込みを理解しようとしているのか? 次に認識について考えたいと思いますなぜなら形跡は存在しますがそれを理解する時にあなた自身が重要な役割を果たすからです例えば何でもない出来事なんですがバンガロールからマイソールへ向かう途中道を渡る牛を見た方はどのくらいいますか? 手を挙げてくださいある物事の原因に関する意見を求めれば皆それぞれに解釈します例えば学校の先生は「反対側へ渡るため」と答えるでしょう牛が道路を渡っていた理由についてです答えは人それぞれ違うでしょう例えばハリー・ポッターなら「大いなる善のために」と言うでしょうマーティン・ルーサー・キングなら「その動機を問われることなく全ての牛が自由に道路を渡る世界が来るだろう」と言うでしょうモーセが現れて同じ牛が道路を歩いているのを見たならば間違いなくこう言うでしょう「神が天から降りてその牛にこう告げた汝は道を渡るがよい― すると牛は道路を渡り holy cow と歓びに満ち溢れた」フロイトならばこう言うでしょう「憂慮している事自体があなたの性的な不安を表している」アインシュタインに聞いたならば「牛が道路を渡るのか牛の足元の道路が動いているのかは何を基準にするかによる」と言うでしょうブッダが同じ牛を見たならこう言うでしょう「この質問自体が牛であるという自己の本質を否定している」私達の目に映るものは普段考えていることを投影しているだけに過ぎませんほとんどの場合その実体を見ていないのです個人の認識に左右されているのですそして前後関係これは一体何なのか? この小さな紙切れを見せるだけで十分かもしれません本当は意義は存在しないと私は考えています私達が創る物の意味は存在しないのですそれは頭の中で創り出されるのですこの紙を見てくださいここが幅でこっちが長さだと言うでしょう私達はこう学校で教わっていますしかし真ん中で紙を破ると― こっちの幅は変えてないのにその意味が変わりますですから我々が意味として捉えるものはそこには存在しませんそれは反対側にあるのです闇と光善と悪長短というのも― 意味など現実には存在しないのですただ人間の性質として現実を認識するためにそのような意味を見出すように訓練されてきただけなのですこれはその頃の作品でほとんどの作品はこんな感じでこの作品は『Light Makes Dark 光が創る闇』と言いますランプを使って捕えていますランプは光だけではなく暗闇も作り出しているのですこれはその事を探求している作品ですこれは『Limit Out リミットアウト』と言います人間の視覚や聴覚または触覚にいかに限界があるかを表しています私達は本当に見えているのだろうか? これは真のネガで壁にある15センチ程の深さのくぼみなんですがむしろ壁から突出しているように見えるんです壁は皮のように ― これが第一の皮そしてこれが第二の皮そしてそれが第三それぞれが意味を構成するそしてギャラリーの壁を引っ張っているだけです『Inward Out 内面のあらわれ』」といいます等身大の私の型で 20センチ程度のくぼみですクリエイターとの製作過程でいつも疑問に思ったことがありましたここから認識に対する問いかけに移行しますが鳥が飛んでいるのを見る度にこう思うのですがその裏に何かあるのか何らかの形跡があるのだろうか人間だから見えないのだろうか? そういう概念をビジュアルアートとして捕らえる方法はないのだろうか? その方法は見つかりませんでしたでもその解決策が浮かびましたそれは6~7ヶ月間ほど活動せずにいた後でしたトイレで芳香剤を取り替えていた時に固形の物質が蒸気に変わるやつですオドニルって言うんですがこれがその材質で作った作品ですこの彫刻を作るまでの過程が面白かったんですこのオドニルという芳香剤を製造するバルサラという会社にこんな手紙を送ったんです「拝啓私は芸術家で同封は私の作品集ですこの彫刻を作る支援をお願いできませんか?」返事は来ませんでしたそれで考えたのが「中小企業の経営支援課にお願いしたらどうだろう」それでこう言ったんです「芳香剤の会社を始めたいんですが」そうしたら「そうですかこれがプロジェクトの企画書の料金で全ての詳細をお送りします」という返事が来ました最終的には彼らに話したんですが実はそれは起業ということではなく作品を作るためなんですが私の展示会に来て下さい」とお願いしましたそうしたら来てくれたんですこの作品はデリーにあるデヴィ・アート基金の作品ですインドでは美術作品について語る人は皆無です美術作品の価値の話ばかりなのですこれを3,000ルピーで買って 2ヶ月で3万ルピーの値打になるとかそういうたくらみが行われてきたのですがコレクターの中には価値が下がるかもしれない作品を収集する者もいますこれはアヌパムのコレクションですが最終的には彼には何も残らないのです蒸発してしまうのですからこれが数週間後の様子ですそしてこれが数ヵ月後です先入観を揺るがすことが本題なのです「あぁ肖像ですね」と誰かが言っても数ヶ月後には肖像でなくなっているかもしれませんこれは固体だ思われるかもしれませんがいずれは蒸発し固体では無くなりますこれを理解できないと言うかも知れませんがそれも正しくはありませんなぜなら本当は同じギャラリーまたは美術館に漂っている空気の中にあるので皆それを吸っているわけですからでもそれに気づかないでいるだけですこの作品を制作していた時に私の両親がそれを見てこう言ったんです「どうしていつもネガティブな物を扱うんだ?」ってそれで「どういう意味?」って聞いたら「光が闇を生み今度は蒸発してしまう物だ死を連想させると思わないのか」って言うんですそうじゃないと私は思っています小さな固体に詰まっているものが蒸発した瞬間に全体と一体化するっていうことなんですでも母は「でも何だか気に入らない」「彫刻家として無から何かを創り出すことはできないの?」って言うんで「それは不可能だ」って言ったんですそれは彫刻を創るということは塵を集めることによってできることなのですまたは彫刻を壊して塵を手に入れるかですでも無から塵を創ることは不可能なのですそれでこの作品は母のために制作しました『Emerging Angel 天使の光臨』と言う作品ですこれは1日目ですこれはあるひとつの物体が違う物体に変わっていく様子を表しているだけですこれはその同じ彫刻で数日後の様子ですこれは15日から20日後の様子ですガラスの箱と木材の間の小さな隙間を通って空気がこの像の下を通って違う物を創るわけですこの作品で私は確信しました蒸発していく像が私に確信を与えてくれたのです目に見えないものを捕らえる様々な可能性があるんじゃないかと思ったわけです今ご覧の作品は『Shadow Foreshadow 先見の影』といいます私が言いたいのは人間は影や光は見えていないということなのです光の源は見えます私達は光の反射を見ているだけでその物自体が見えるわけではないのですだから夜空は闇に見えても実際はいつも光に満ちているのですでも光が月に反射すれば見える暗室でも同じことなのです小さな塵の粒子が光を反射した時私達は光の存在に気づくのですだから本当は私達には闇も光も見えていないのです引力も電流も見えませんそれで最近ある模索を始めたのですそのさらなる探求は彫刻によっていかにこの物体とあそことの空間を表現するかなのですビジュアル・アーティストとしてこれとあれは見えていても実際にその空間をどう彫刻するかは別の問題ですこれを彫刻で表現する場合 2つの観点がありますこの表面が物体として現れていますもう一方の表面もその床の部分として現れていますこの作品は投影の実験ですダンボールの箱とその影です 2つ目は目に見える世界に見えないものを投入した瞬間に目に見えるものの性質を持つようになりますそして影を作るそれでそれを彫刻しようと思った訳ですそしてそれもまた物体になるまた光を当てそして3つ目は見えている物はただ影の影の影ですでもその時点で影が無くなるのですそれで「あ、これで完成だ」と思ったんですディテールはご覧のとおりこれは『Gravity 引力』という作品ですこれは『Breath 呼吸』といいますギャラリーの壁に穴を2つ開けましたこれはみせかけの壁なんですが 3立方メートル程度のものですこの穴があることで空気が行き来するその現象が起こっている場所は見えていますがその現象は目に見えないままということなのですタルワー・ギャラリーでの『Invisible 見えない物』という展示会の作品ですこれは『Kaayam カーヤン』という作品ですこれがそのディテールです私が言いたいのは私達の感覚には限りがあって何でも見聞きできる訳ではないということです私達は「空気を触っている」とは感じませんが風のように速くなれば感じられることが出来ます私達の現実を構成する物は全て限りある感覚を通して存在するのです私が求めていることはこういった作品を象徴や兆候として使えないかということなのですそしてその本質を見極めるためにはその先に進まなくてはなりません壁の向こう側には論理的でないものや目には見えないものもありますなぜなら人が歩くとき足跡が残りますでもその足跡を全体から切り離して解析しようとすればその意義を見失ってしまいますそれは本当の過程はその足跡の間にあるからなのです足跡はあくまで時間の経過に過ぎないのですありがとうございました	It's like after every exam, when I walk out, the teacher would say, "Hey, come. How did you do?" I would say with a great smile, "I will definitely pass." And I didn't understand why, in one hand they say, "Speak the truth," in the other hand, when you say the truth, they hated you. So it went on like that, and I didn't know where else to find myself. So I remember those nights I used to go to sleep with asking help from [the] Unknown because, for some reason, I couldn't believe what my father and mother hanged in the Puja room as a god, because my friend's family had something else as a god. So I thought, "I guess I'll pray to [the] Unknown and ask help," and started getting help from everywhere, each and every corner of my life at that time. My brothers started giving me a few tips about drawing and painting. Then, when I was in eighth standard around 13 years old, I started working in a part-time job in one of the signboard artists called Putu. And then school also started supporting me. "Oh, he's bad at studies, but let him send to the drawing competitions." So it was good to survive with that little tool that I found to find my own place in school. And one of those competitions, I just won a small, little transistor Philips radio. And I didn't have the patience to wait until I reached home. So I just switched on in the train, loudly. If you travel in Indian trains, you can see people listening to radio and, you know, even from their mobiles. So at that time -- and I was 13 -- and I was listening to just radio, and someone happened to sit next to me, like these three people are sitting here. You know, like just adjacent to me. He just started asking, "Where did you buy the radio? How much is it?" I said, "It's a prize from [an] art competition." And he said, "Oh, I teach at a college of arts. I think you should study in a school of art. You just quit school and come there." So, why I'm telling you this, you know, maybe, you know, whoever is sitting next to you can change your whole life -- it's possible. It is that we need we need to be open and fine-tuned. So that's what made me enter [the] college of arts after three attempts and just continue to inquire what I really want to do with art work, or art and finally I'm here in front of you. When I look back, you know, on what happened between that time and now here -- the last 10/15 years -- I can see that most of the works revolve around three subjects, but it was not intentional. And I just start out with a trace because I was thinking, "What really makes us?" -- you know, it's actually [the] past, what makes a person. So I was thinking, but when you look at the past, the way to understand the past is only by the traces available, because we cannot go back [to] the past. It can be ruins, or it can be music, or it can be painting or drawing or writing, whatever it is. But it is just a kind of trace of that time. And that fascinated me, to explore that territory. So I was working on the line, but instead of working about traces, I started capturing traces. So here are some of the works I would like to show you. So this is called "Self In Progress." It's just a trace of being in this body. So here, what happened then, you know -- what I really enjoyed the most is that this sculpture is nothing but a trace of myself. It's almost like a 3D photograph. So there is an element of performance, and there is an element of sculpture, and there is an element of feeling one's self, so close to one's self. So it's almost like fossils for the future. And then moved slowly to explore the other possibilities of capturing traces. So this is what I was talking about, while molding, it's such a great experience, because we have freedom of like walking, or moving my hand or, moving around in the space, but the moment this becomes solid, when you cannot move even an inch, because this is plaster of Paris, so the moment you pour it it's like liquid; but after 20 minutes, it's almost like a hard stone. So this is capturing the trace of a thumbprint because, knowingly or unknowingly, whatever we do, you know, we leave our traces here. So I just thought, "I'm going to capture thumbprint, footprint, or whatever traces we leave as humans." This is the trace of fire, this is the trace of sun. Because when I was capturing traces, you know, this thought comes to me always: is it, only when the object touches the thing and it leaves the trace, or is there other ways to capture it?" So this work is nothing but like -- because of the focal length of the lens, it just shows what is on the other side. So I just put the paper on the focal length, which was an etching print, then I got the portrait of [the] sun from sunlight. This is called "Dawn to Dawn." What I did here, I just put like 10 feet [of] paper then put a coconut rope, and just burnt it. So it took about 24 hours to get this line. So wherever the fire is eating the paper, that's what becomes the work -- detail. Even though we have traces when we try to understand them, the perception and context play a major role to understand it. So do we really understand what it is, or are we trying to get what we think it is? Then move towards questioning the perception because, even though there are traces, when you try to understand them, you know you play a major role. So like let's say even a simple act. How many of you saw a cow crossing in India while you were coming from Bangalore to Mysore? Can you just raise the hand? If you just ask an opinion of how, everyone can interpret it. Like, let's say, if a schoolteacher says, she'll simply say, "To get to the other side." Why the cow was crossing the road, you know. The answer can be so different if Potter said it. He would say, "For the greater good." Martin Luther King would say, "I imagine a world where all cows will be free to cross the road, without having their motives called into question." Imagine Moses comes now, and he sees the same cow walking around the street. He would definitely say, "God came down from heaven, and he said unto the cow, 'Thou shalt cross the road.' And cow crossed the road, and there was much rejoicing as a holy cow." Freud would say, "The fact that you're at all concerned reveals your underlying sexual insecurity." If we ask Einstein, he would say, "Whether the cow crossed the road, or the road moved underneath the cow, depends on your frame of reference." Or Buddha -- if he saw the same cow, he would say, "Asking this question denies your own nature [as a] cow." So, what we see is just what we think often, and most of the time, we don't see what it is. It just all depends on one's perception. And context, what is really context? You know, I could just show you this little piece of paper. Because I always think meaning doesn't really exist. The meaning of what we create in this world doesn't exist. It's just created by the mind. If you look at this piece of paper, this is the breadth and this is called length. This is how we've been taught in school. But if you tear it in the middle -- now, I didn't touch this breadth, but still, the meaning of this changes. So what we conceive as a meaning is always not there; it's on the other side, even when we say dark, light, good, bad, tall, short -- all meaning it doesn't exist in reality. It's just that being a human, the way we train to perceive the reality creates this meaning. So this work from this period is mostly like -- you know, this is a work called "Light Makes Dark." It's just captured through from the lamp. So the lamp is not just giving a light, it's also giving a darkness. So this is a work of art, which is just trying to explore that. This is called "Limit Out." This shows how limited our eye or hearing sense or touch -- do we really see? This is an exact negative. It's about six inches deep in the wall, but it just appears like it's coming out of the wall. You know the wall is almost like -- this is the first skin, and this is the second, and there's a third, and each creates a meaning. And we're just pulling the wall off the gallery. Again, "Inward Out." It's a full-figure cast from myself. It's about eight inches deep. When I was doing that, I always wondered since I've worked with creators -- and now you know, I've moved to questioning the perception -- whenever I see the bird flying in the sky, it just makes me feel like: is there anything behind, are there any traces up there, which as a human, we don't see them? Is there any way to capture the thought into visual art? I couldn't find it. But a solution arrived after being quiet and not working for about six, seven months, in the restroom, when I was changing the air freshener that goes from solid substance to vapor. It's called Odonil. This is the work I made out of that material. The process to get to make the sculpture was interesting, who produces that air freshener called Odonil, saying, "Dear Sir, I am an artist. This is my catalogue. Will you help me to make this sculpture?" They never wrote back to me. Then I thought, "I will go to the Small Scale Industries Facilitating Unit and ask help." So I told them, "I'd like to start an air freshener company." They said, "Of course. This is the fee for the project report, and we will give you all the details," and they gave. Finally, I went back to them and said, "It's not for starting the company, it's just to make my own work. Please come for the show." And they did. And this work is in the Devi Art Foundation in Delhi. In India, nobody really talks about works of art; they always talk about the appreciation of art. You buy this for 3,000 rupees, it'll become 30,000 in two months. This is the craft that was going on, but there are a few collectors who also collect art which can depreciate. And this was collected by Anupam -- which is like, finally in the end, he will not have anything, because it will evaporate. So this is after a few weeks, this is after a few months. It's just all about questioning the preconceptions. So if someone says, "Oh, I see the portrait," it may not be the portrait after a few months. And if they say it's solid, it will not be solid, it will evaporate. And if they say they don't get it, that's also not true, because it's in the air. It's in the same gallery or in the same museum. So they inhaled it, but they are not aware of it. While I was doing that work, my mom and my dad, they were looking at it and they said, "Why do you deal with negative subjects all the time?" And I was like, "What do you mean?" "Light makes dark and now evaporating self. Don't you think it remained something about death," they said. "Of course not. For me," I'm thinking, "this is tucked in some small solid, but the moment it evaporates, it's merged with the whole." But she said, "No. Still, I don't like it. Can you make something from nothing as a sculptor?" I said, "No, mom. It can't be. Because we can create a sculpture by gathering dust together, or we can break the sculpture and get the dust, but there is nowhere that we can bring dust into the universe." So, I did this work for her. It's called "Emerging Angel." This is the first day -- it just gives the appearance that one is becoming the other. So, the same sculpture after a few days. This is after 15/20 days. between the glass box and the wood, the air goes underneath the sculpture and creates the other one. This gave me a greater faith. That evaporating sculpture gave me a greater faith that maybe there is many more possibilities to capture [the] invisible. So what you see now is called "Shadow Foreshadow." And what I'd like to tell you is we don't see shadow, and we don't see light too; we see the source of the light. We see where it's bouncing, but we don't see [them] as they exist. You know, that's why the night sky, we see the sky as dark, but it's filled with light all the time. When it's bounced on the moon, we see it. The same thing in the darkroom. The little dust particle will again, reflect the light, and we realize the existence of light. So we don't see dark, we don't see light, we don't see gravity, we don't see electricity. So, I just started doing this work to inquire further about how to sculpt the space between this object and there. Because, as a visual artist, if I'm seeing this and I'm seeing that -- but how to sculpt this, you know? If we sculpt this, this has two reference points. The skin of this is also representing this. And skin at the other end also represents the floor. I did this as an experiment of casting the shadow. So this is a corrugated box and its shadow. Then the second one -- the moment you bring any invisible into the visible world it will have all the characteristics of the visible existence. So that produced a shadow. Then I thought, okay, let me sculpt that. Then, again, that becomes an object. Again, throwing light, then the third one. So what you see is nothing but shadow of a shadow of a shadow. And then again, at that point, there is no shadow. I thought, "Oh, good. Work is finished." You can see the detail. This is called "Gravity." It's called "Breath." It's just two holes on the gallery wall. It's a false wall, which contains like 110 cubic feet. So that hole actually makes the air come out and go in. So where it's happening, we can see, but what is happening will remain invisible only. This is from the show called "Invisible," at Talwar Gallery. This is called "Kaayam." Detail. And what I'd like to tell you, our senses are so limited -- we cannot hear everything, we cannot see everything. We don't feel, "I am touching the air," but if the breeze is a little more faster, then I can feel it. So all of our construction of reality is through these limited senses. So my request was like, is there any way to use all this as just a symbol or a sign? And to really get to the point, we should move beyond, you know, go to the other side of the wall, like illogic, like are invisible. Because when we see someone walks, we see the footprint. But if we're just cutting that footprint from the whole thing and trying to analyze it, you will miss the point because the actual journey happens between those footprints, and the footprints are nothing but passing time. Thank you.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
翌日まで眠りこけたミトロフは、さっさとベッドを追い出されてしまった。施療院にはひっきりなしに病人がやってくる。健康な人間の居場所はないのだった。朝まで付きっきりだったカヌレと連れ立って、退院したミトロフがしたことは、屋台での買い食いだった。ミトロフがいちばん堪えたのは施療院での清貧的な食事である。量は少なく、味付けはうすく、美味いとか不味いとかの範疇にすらない。栄養を補給するためだけの飲食物を、ミトロフは食事とは思わない。治癒の魔法によって傷は直っていても、身体の芯に残った違和感や痛みはある。さっさと宿に戻ってひと休みするべきところを無視して、ミトロフは屋台を巡った。ミトロフにとっては、食うことこそが何よりの治療なのである。腹は常に鳴りっぱなし。肉と香辛料が風に吹かれてミトロフを撫でる。よだれがあふれ、鼻がクンクンと動く。ミトロフはふらふらと吸い寄せられては注文し、受け取るやいなやかぶりつく。甘辛く煮込んだ刻み肉と野菜を混ぜ込み、穀物を潰して練った生地で包んだもので頬張り。ヨーグルトソースを何度も塗り込んだ熱々の串焼き肉を噛み、溢れた肉汁で唇をやけどをして。新鮮なフルーツでそれを冷やしながら、木腕に盛られる麺料理に向かっていく。そんなミトロフについて回りながら、カヌレは微笑んでいる。食欲とは元気の証である。料理を愛好するカヌレは、ミトロフの食いっぷりの良さが好きだった。できることなら衛生面でも食材の質でも不安の残る屋台飯ではなく、自分が食事を用意できればいいのだが......場所も設備もないことが口惜しい。ミトロフが満足いくまで市場で買い食いをしてから安宿に戻ってくると、やけに静かなのに気づいた。階段を上がり、自分の部屋に向かう廊下をたどれば、誰も彼もが部屋から顔を出して、通路の先を覗いている。いつも安酒の瓶を離さずに陽気に歌っている歯抜けの老人でさえ、初めて自分の足を発見した赤子のように目を丸くして座り込んでいた。自分の部屋の前に、巨体がひっくり返っていた。先週、ここに入ってきたばかりの新米冒険者だが、その体格と気性の荒さで遠巻きにされていた男だ。なんだってぼくの部屋の前で......と近づいていけば、巨体の陰にその姿を見つけた。身体は外套で隠れているが、その容貌が露わになっているというだけで、どんな美術品よりも人の目を惹きつけてしまう。ミトロフたちの足音を聞きつけて、グラシエは目を開けた。頬に流れた髪をたおやかに長耳に掛け、わずかに微笑んだ。「すっかり元気を取り戻したようじゃの」「すまない、待たせたか?」「ほんの少しじゃよ。先ほど施療院に行ってきたのじゃが、すでに退院したと言われての。われの方が先に着いたということは、帰りの市場で食うのに夢中になっておったのじゃろ」揶揄うような言い方と笑う目に、ミトロフは姿勢を正して咳払いをした。ほんのりと頬が赤いのは、ミトロフにだって女の子を前に張りたい見栄というものがある。「身体の調子を確かめるのに少し散歩を、な。いや、ちょっとくらいは、まあ、食事もしたが」グラシエが小さく笑い、ミトロフの後ろではカヌレもくすくすと笑う。これは分が悪いと、ミトロフは話題を進めることにした。都合が悪ければさっさと逃げるのが貴族の戦い方なのである。「教会でなにかあったのか? 昨日、子どもらに呼び出されたと聞いたが」グラシエがわざわざ自分の宿にまで来るほどだ。厄介な揉め事でも起きたのかといくらか身構えるが、グラシエは首を振って否定した。慌てた様子や焦りはなく、力の抜けた諦めのようにも思える。「見てもらうほうが早かろう。われは、どうしたら良いものか分からぬ」「それは構わないが......わかった、今から行こう」カヌレを連れて踵を返すと、扉から顔を覗かせた冒険者たちと目があった。老若あって、男は多く、女は少ない。新人冒険者は多いが、宿賃の安さで居座っている馴染みの冒険者も多く、ミトロフとは顔馴染みだ。そんな奴らが漏れなくにんまりと笑みを浮かべている。目を細め、ほほう......と口を隠している。「なにか言いたげだな」ミトロフが威嚇するように睨むが、15歳の少年の背伸びにしか思われず、歳だけ重ねた大人たちは微笑みを浮かべている。誰かが口笛を吹いた。「ミトロフ、この者たちは知り合いかえ? すまぬ、あまりに下品な輩が触れようとしてきたのでな、のしてしまったのじゃが......」「気にしないでいい。行こう」ミトロフはため息をついて廊下を進む。すれ違いざまに揶揄う声がかけられるが、ミトロフはすっかり無視を決め込んだ。それでも頬が熱くなるのは怒りではなく、年相応の気恥ずかしさによるものである。気になってふと振り返れば、グラシエは気にした風でもなくミトロフを見返して首を傾げた。窓からの陽光にきらきらと輝きを返す白銀の髪は、そ一本を月の女神が紡いだ絹糸のようにすら思えた。エルフは妖精族とも呼ばれ、その美貌を讃える詩に曲にと溢れかえり、どんな偉人でも一度はエルフに心を奪われると謳われる。この世界の美を象徴する......そんな言葉は芸術家特有の誇大な表現だと、ミトロフも思っていた。しかしこうしてグラシエを前にすれば、どんな芸術家にすら留めることのできない完璧な美の瞬間が存在するのだと知った。「なんじゃ?」「––––いや、なんでもない。行こう」ミトロフはつんと前を向き、胸を張って歩いた。背後でグラシエとカヌレが世間話を交わす声に、少しばかり聞き耳を立てたりなどしてしまう。ふたりはずいぶんと仲を深めているようで、ミトロフは会話に参加する機会も見つけられないまま教会に辿り着いた。礼拝堂の出入り口に集まっていた子どもたちが気付き、駆け寄ってくる。「ミトロフだ! ミトロフ! なんとかしてくれよ! 先生の絵が取られちゃうんだよ!」コウがミトロフの腹を叩き、礼拝堂を示した。「天井画のことか?」「うん。うえにばーってかいてある、おっきなえだよ」と、片目を隠した少女が答え、ミトロフの裾を引いて歩き出す。ミトロフはなすがままに進み、出入り口から中を覗いた。並んでいた長椅子はすっかり脇にどけられ、中央には天井まで届く足場が立っていた。木を組み合わせたそれは立派なものである。今も何人と男たちが歩き回っているが、揺らぎもしない。ミトロフは男たちを一目見て、その素性に予想がついた。一番上に立ち、天井画に触れるほどに顔を近づけているのは鑑定人だ。隣に立っているのはおそらく美術商だろう。どちらも身なり良く、ミトロフが実家で見かけたことのある男たちと雰囲気が似ている。貴族や豪商などの金持ちに、価値ある美術品を手配する人間だ。足場の奥、聖像の前にサフランが立っていた。手を後ろに首を仰け反らせて天井画を見上げている。ミトロフは少女たちにここで待つようにと告げて、礼拝堂の中に入った。「いまは立ち入り禁止だぞ」すぐに声をかけてきた男は足場屋のようである。作業着の諸肌を脱ぎ、束にした角材を肩に抱えている。「それがどうかしたのか?」ミトロフはあえて尊大な調子で言う。他人が自分の行動に口を挟むなど信じられない! と全身で語る雰囲気といい、ちょいと顎をそらして下目がちに人を見る目つきといい、今のミトロフはどこから見ても平民が侮蔑する嫌味な貴族だった。男は片眉をあげる。ああ、自分たちの作った足場の上で高尚なお仕事に励んでいる奴らのお仲間か、と当たりをつけた。だったら関わるだけ損をするだけとばかりに口をつぐみ、作業に戻っていく。足場の隙間に苦労して腹を押し込みながら、ミトロフはサフランのところまで辿り着いた。隣に並び、同じように天井画を見上げる。以前こうしたのは、気持ちいい夜のことだった。奥からは子どもたちの賑やかな声が届き、一灯に照らされて揺らめく天井の聖者たちの姿は、厳かな安らぎをたたえていた。今では昼間だというのに部屋中にランタンがかけられ、不躾なほどに照らしあげられ、果たして信仰心を持ったこともあるのか知れない男たちが、金算用の目つきでその絵を舐め上げている。「––––教会には、窓が多いでしょう。それは昼の日差しを充分に採り入れるためなのです。かつて教会とは貧しいものでしたから、蝋燭の一灯すら惜しむ。天井画も、ステンドグラスも、昼の日差しを受けていちばん美しく見えるように作られています。油火でこんなに明るくされては、もったいない」見上げた視線をそらさずにサフランが言った。ミトロフは横目で彼の姿を見た。その目元にどんな感情が浮かんでいるのかを確かめたかったが、ミトロフもの歳を重ねた男の内心を見抜くことなどできるはずもなかった。「これが、あなたの答えだったのか」サフランは視線を下げ、ミトロフと顔を見合わせた。「ええ。最初から予想はついていました。地上げだなんだと理由をつけながらも、目をつけられたのはこの天井画だと、ね」「––––これは、グレイメェルの絵だろう。老年から名を知られるようになった遅咲きの巨匠だ。若いころの作品は散逸......たまにどこぞの貴族の蔵から見つかっては、大変な値段がついている」「ミトロフさんには鑑定の知識が?」「いや、あそこにサインが入っている」「............」「線がのたくったように見えるだろうが、あれでグレイメェルと読むんだ。同じサインを前にも見たことがある」かつて貴族の子息が集まったのは、侯爵家の茶会だった。そこで次期侯爵の少年に自慢げに見せられたのが、大広間に飾られたグレイメェルの絵画であり、そこで長々と講釈を聞かされた記憶がある。「あなたは、この絵の価値を知らずにいたのか?」「素晴らしい絵だと分かっていました。他人にとってどれほどの価値があるのかは関係ありません。私にとっては、どんな絵よりも素晴らしい。人生をかけるだけの価値があった」「それを、売ってしまうのか。それとも差し出すのか」「とある貴族の方に、売ります」「マフィアが報復に来るだろう」「人は自分の影を指さして、自分とは別の存在だとは言わないものです」その一言で充分に、ミトロフは物事を理解した。貴族と言えど、すべての家が歴史あるものではない。金で爵位を買える時代でもある。そして貴族が常に表舞台に立っているわけでもない。舞台で貴族という役を演じ、その舞台裏ではまた別の配役をこなしていることもある。それを非難することは、ミトロフにはできない。欲しいものがあれば手に入れる。それは権力を持つ者の傲慢であると同時に、権利でもある。ミトロフとてそうする。己にできる限りの行動を起こすだろう。権力者はその行動の規模をどこまでも大きくする力があるというだけの話である。「絵を渡すだけで話は解決するのか?」そこまで物分かりが良い相手だろうか、とミトロフは不安を伝えた。「話をつけてくれた子がいまして。信頼できます」「マフィアと話を?」ミトロフは眉をひそめ、ハッと気づいた。「あの、兄ィと呼ばれていた......」サフランは苦笑する。「あの子は、私が初めて引き取った子なのです」「......”浄火”の話の」「ええ、その子です。ずいぶんと前にここを飛び出してそれきりだったのですが......久しぶりに、元気な顔を見られた。この絵を渡す代わりにこの教会に手出しはしないという話で、うまくまとめてくれたのですよ」ははは、と明るく笑う顔には屈託がない。それは成長した息子と再会した親の顔であるように見えた。「本当に、良いのか?」あの夜、サフランが語って聞かせてくれた想いを、ミトロフは忘れていない。ひとつの絵に魅入られ、人生をまで変えた思い入れである。それを失うことの意味は、決して軽いものではない。「良いんです。この絵が私の手には負えなくなり、また別の場所に赴く時が来たということでしょう。独り占めできなくなるのは残念ですが......今の私には、もっと見守りたいものがあります」笑いかけるサフランの顔は軽やかだった。ミトロフの肩越しに視線を向ける。振り返ると、出入り口に子どもたちが集まり、サフランを見ている。「あの子たちは可能性です。未来につながっている。時を止めた絵をいつまでも見上げるより、ずっと楽しい」そうか、とミトロフは頷いた。そうかもしれないな、と。それに、とサフランはミトロフの耳元で声をひそめた。「このように専門家と商人を挟みましたからね。しっかりとお金を頂くつもりです。お金はいくらあっても見飽きませんからね」司祭らしからぬ物言いに、ミトロフはたまらず噴き出した。	The next day, Mitrof, who had slept deeply until the morning, was quickly kicked out of bed. Sick people were constantly coming to the clinic, and there was no room for healthy individuals. After receiving his discharge from the hospital, Mitrof and Canule went straight to a food stand to satisfy his cravings. The most difficult thing for Mitrof was the frugal and tasteless meals at the recovery facility. The portions were small, the flavor was weak, and the food was neither delicious nor bad. Mitrof didn’t consider the nourishing substances he was given as meals. There were still aches and discomforts in his body even though the magic of recovery had healed him. Nevertheless, Mitrof ignored the need to rest at the inn and instead toured various food stalls. For Mitrof, eating was the best medicine. His stomach growled relentlessly. The smell of meat and spices wafted his way, and drool streamed down his chin while his nose twitched. Mitrof swayed over and ordered as soon as he received his food, devouring it in no time. Mixing the diced meat and vegetables that were cooked in a sweet and spicy sauce, Mitrof savored the two bites he had taken after wrapping them in dough kneaded with mashed grains. Biting into the hot skewered meat coated with yogurt sauce, the overflowing juices burned his lips. As he cooled his tongue with fresh fruit, he made his way towards the noodle dish served on a wooden tray. Canule smiled as she followed Mitrof around like this. To her, a healthy appetite was a sign of vitality. As someone who enjoyed cooking, Canule liked Mitrof’s good eating habits. If only she could prepare their meals herself, with good quality ingredients and hygienic conditions, instead of relying on the questionable street stalls. It was regrettable that they lacked the space and facilities. When Mitrof returned to the cheap inn after eating his fill at the market, he noticed an unusual silence. Usually, someone would be shouting or there would be chaotic sounds upon entering the inn, but today it was as quiet as a cemetery during the new moon. As he ascended the stairs and followed the hallway leading to his room, Mitrof noticed that everyone was peering out from their rooms as if watching something interesting. Even the old toothless man who always sang cheerfully while holding onto his cheap liquor bottle was sitting with his eyes wide open, as if he had just discovered his own feet for the first time. With a furrowed brow, Mitrof found the cause of the disturbance. A newly recruited adventurer who came in last week was lying on his back in front of Mitrof’s room. Despite his intimidating size and rough temperament, he had been shunned from a distance. ‘What happened in front of my room?’ Mitrof approached the giant, discovering a figure behind the man’s massive body. Leaning her back against the door, the woman had her arms crossed and was slightly bowing her head. Her body was covered with a coat, but even if her appearance were exposed, she would undoubtedly attract more attention than any work of art. Upon hearing Mitrof’s footsteps, Grace opened her eyes and elegantly brushed her hair away from her cheeks, revealing her long ears. Then, she smiled faintly. “It seems you have completely recovered.” “I’m sorry for making you wait.” “Just a little bit. I went to the hospital earlier, but they said you had already been discharged—you seem too busy dreaming about what to eat at the market on your way back, so I got here before you.” Mitrof cleared his throat and straightened his posture at Grace’s teasing tone and smiling eyes. The slight redness of his cheeks indicates that even Mitrof has a certain vanity that he wants to show in front of the girls. “I just took a little walk to check on my condition—well, I had some food, too.” Grace chuckled softly, and Canule giggled behind Mitrof. Feeling that the conversation was not to his advantage, Mitrof decided to move on. It was the noble’s way to run away when things got inconvenient. “Did something happen at the church? I heard you were called out by the children yesterday.” Grace even went to the trouble of coming to his lodgings. He was a bit nervous, wondering if there was some kind of troublesome trouble, but Grace shook her head in denial. It seemed more like a resigned acceptance than anything else. “It would be faster if I showed you—I’m not sure what to do.” “That’s fine, but... Alright, let’s go now.” As he turned around with Canule, he met the gazes of adventurers peeking through the door. They were of all ages, but mostly men and a few women. There were many new adventurers, but also familiar ones who stayed at the inn due to the low lodging fee. Mitrof was familiar with them. They all smiled widely, squinting, covering their mouths. “It looks like they want to say something.” Mitrof glared at them intently, trying to intimidate them, but they were just adults smiling at the -year-old boy. Someone whistled. “Mitrof, do you know these people? I apologize for that, some vulgar guy tried to touch me, but I got rid of him...” “Don’t worry about it—let’s go.” Mitrof sighed and walked down the hallway. As he passes by people making fun of him, Mitrof ignores them completely. Even so, his cheeks weren’t red with anger but with embarrassment that was typical of his age. When she turned back, Grace tilted her head back to look at Mitrof without seeming to care. Her silvery hair, which reflected the sunlight from the window, even seemed like strands of silk spun by the moon goddess. Elves are also known as “fairy folk,” and poems and songs praising their beauty overflow. It is said that any great person will fall in love with an elf at least once. Mitrof also thought that such words that symbolize the beauty of this world were an exaggeration unique to artists. However, facing Grace like this, he realized that there was a moment of perfect beauty that even the greatest artists could not capture. “What’s wrong?” “——Oh, it’s nothing. Let’s go.” Mitrof straightened up and walked confidently. He couldn’t help but listen slightly to the conversation between Grace and Canule, who seemed to have become quite close. As the two of them continued to converse, Mitrof couldn’t find an opportunity to participate and made his way to the church. The children who had gathered at the entrance to the chapel noticed Mitrof and ran towards him. “It’s Mitrof! Mitrof! You have to do something! They’re taking Sensei’s paintings!” Kou patted Mitrof’s stomach and pointed towards the chapel. “Are you talking about the ceiling painting?” “Yeah—It’s a big one painted right up there.” The girl with one eye covered replied, pulling on Mitrof’s sleeve and walking ahead. Mitrof followed silently and peered into the entrance from the doorway. The benches that were lined up had been cleared to the side, and scaffolding that reached the ceiling stood in the center. It was a splendid structure made of wood. Several men were walking around on it without any wobble or trembling. At the sight of the men, Mitrof had his suspicions about their identities. The appraiser, who was standing at the top, had his face so close to the ceiling painting that he was almost touching it. Next to him was probably an art dealer. Both of them looked refined and resembled the men Mitrof had seen before at his parents’ house. They were people who arranged valuable art pieces for the wealthy, such as aristocrats and high-ranking merchants. In the back of the scaffolding, Saffron was standing in front of the holy image. He had his hands behind his back and was looking up at the ceiling painting. Mitrof told the girls to wait here and entered the chapel. “It’s restricted to entering at the moment.” The man who approached Mitrof was likely a scaffolder. He had removed his work clothes, carried a bundle of timber on his shoulder. “What about it?” Mitrof replied in a deliberately haughty tone. He couldn’t believe that others would have the audacity to intervene in his actions. and the way he looks at people with a downcast gaze, Mitrof today is a sarcastic aristocrat whom commoners despise. The man raised an eyebrow. ‘Oh, he must be one of those people who works on the scaffolding and tries to do a high-class job.’ He gave up trying to communicate and went back to work, thinking that it was only a waste of time to be involved with them. Pushing his belly into the gaps between the scaffolding, Mitrof managed to reach Saffron. He stood next to him, looking up at the ceiling painting in the same way. Previously, this was a pleasurable experience on a calm night. The joyful voices of children could be heard from the back, and the figures of the saints on the ceiling, flickering in the light of a single lamp, embodied solemn tranquility. Even though it was daytime, lanterns were hung all over the room, shining offensively on the painting. Men, who might have once had faith, were now scrutinizing it with a calculating gaze. “——The church has many windows because it is designed to let in the daytime sun. Churches used to be poor places, so they were sparing with even a single candle. Ceiling paintings, stained glass windows—everything was made to look its most beautiful in the daytime—It’s a waste to light up such things with oil lamps.” Saffron spoke without looking away from the painting. Mitrof took a sideways glance at him, wanting to confirm what emotion was on his face. However, there was no way Mitrof could see into the inner thoughts of a man three times older than him. “So, is this your answer?” Saffron lowered his gaze and looked at Mitrof’s face. “Yes—I had a hunch from the beginning—”they” made an excuse about the land, but they had their eyes on this ceiling painting all along.” “——This is probably Graymel’s painting. He’s a late-blooming master who became famous in his old age. His early works are scattered...Occasionally, they are found in the storerooms of aristocrats, and they are worth a lot.” “Mitrof-san, do you have knowledge of appraisal?” “No, but there is a signature on it.” “...” “The lines may seem squiggly, but it reads ‘Graymel.’ I’ve seen the same signature before.” Once, there was a gathering of noble children at the Marquis’ tea party. There, he remembered being shown a Graymel painting displayed in the grand hall and listening to a long explanation. “Were you unaware of the value of this painting?” “I knew it was a great painting—it doesn’t matter how much it’s worth to others. To me, it’s more wonderful than any other painting—It was worth putting my life on the line for.” “Will you sell it or offer it to someone?” “Sold to a certain nobleman.” “The Mafia will come for retaliation.” “People do not point at their own shadow and say that it is a separate existence.” With just those words, Mitrof understood the situation well enough. Not all noble families have a long history, and there are times when titles can be purchased with money. Not all nobles are always in the spotlight; they may play the role of nobility on stage and fulfill different roles behind the scenes. Mitrof cannot criticize that. If you want something, you can get it. It is both the arrogance of those in power and their right to do so. Mitrof is no different; he will do everything in his power. Those in power have the ability to make the scale of their actions as large as they want. “You think just by handing over the painting, the problem will be solved?” Mitrof expressed his concern, wondering if the other side was really that understanding. “A kid helped me out—I can trust him.” “You’re talking to the Mafia?” Mitrof frowned and suddenly realized something. “Um, he used to call me older brother...” Saffron smiled bitterly. “That child was the first one I took in.” “The one from the ‘purifying fire’ story?” “Yes, that one. He ran away from here a long time ago and disappeared. It’s been a while, but I finally saw his face again. He promised they would not lay their hands on this church in exchange for me giving them this painting, and it all worked out smoothly.” Saffron’s bright smile was not forced. It was the expression of a parent reunited with their grown-up child. “Are you really okay with this?” Mitrof had not forgotten the feelings that Saffron had shared with him that night. His life had changed as a result of the attachment he had grown after falling in love with one painting. Losing it would not be easy. “It’s fine. This painting has become too difficult for me to handle, and it’s time for it to go somewhere else—it’s a shame that I can’t keep it to myself, but... there are other things I want to watch over more now.” Saffron’s smile was carefree, and he looked beyond Mitrof’s shoulder towards the entrance, where a group of children had gathered in the distance, watching him. “Those children are the future—they hold endless possibilities. It’s much more enjoyable than endlessly looking up at a painting.” Mitrof nodded. It might indeed be true. Furthermore, Saffron whispered in Mitrof’s ear. “This is why we are sandwiched between experts and merchants—I’m going to get my money’s worth; you can never have enough money, you know.” With such an un-priestly remark, Mitrof could not resist bursting into laughter.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 0, "inserted_lines_src": 3, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
あなたはアフリカの小さな道をドライブしているところです車を走らせ脇道を見てみるとこのようなものが目に映るのです墓地です車を停めて外に出て写真を撮るのですその後町へ行き一体ここで何が起っているのか尋ねます人々は渋々といった感じでこう答えるのですここ一帯は最近エイズが流行っているのだと HIVは他の病気と異なり恥辱であるため人々はなかなか話そうとせず関わることを恐れているのです本日お話しさせていただく内容は HIVについて死についてそして恥辱についてですこれは医学的な話でありそれ以上に社会的な話ですこれは世界のHIV感染率を表した地図です見ておわかりになるようにアフリカが歪な感染率を示しています今日世界中で 3,300万人のHIV感染者がいますその内の3分の2に当たる 2,200万人がサハラ以南アフリカで生活をしています貧しい国では HIVに感染した妊婦が 140万人いるのですその内の90%がサハラ以南アフリカで生活をしていますこれに関して年間の出産数とHIVに感染した母親について話してみましょうアメリカでは毎年7,000人のHIVに感染した母親が出産していますしかしより小さな国のルワンダでは 8,000人のHIVに感染した母親が出産しているのですそして南アフリカのヨハネスブルグ郊外にあるバラナワス病院では毎年 8,000人のHIVに感染した母親が出産しているのです病院一つで一カ国に匹敵する数ですこれが氷山の一角であることを示すために南アフリカ全体と比較すると驚愕するでしょうなぜなら南アフリカでは毎年30万人のHIV感染者が出産をしているからですでは PMTCTについて話させてください PMTCTは HIV母子感染予防法の略語で一般の多くの方は母親がHIV感染者であれば子供も感染しているという誤解があると思いますが実際にはそうではないのです環境が整っている国では現在持ちえるすべての検診と治療によって HIVに感染して生まれてくる子供の割合は 2%以下に抑えることができるのですしかし環境が整わない国では検診と治療が欠いているため実に40%の子供たちがHIVに感染して生まれてくるのです 40%と2%の違いはとても大きなものですそれではPMTCTについて詳しく話をしていこうと思いますこれらの予防策は子供を感染から守るための母親へ検診と薬の提供を行うもので子供をその後も生きて育てられるように薬を提供しているつまり母親が参加すれば検診が受けられ妊娠中出産中に赤ちゃんへの感染を防ぐ薬が与えられ子育てとより安全な性行為に関するガイドラインを得られるのですすべてを網羅したサービスで効果をあげていますアメリカでは 1990年代中頃にこの治療法が確立されてから HIVに感染して生まれる子供の数は 80%の減少を示しました HIVに感染して生まれてくる子供の数はアメリカでは毎年100人未満ですしかし依然として世界中では毎年40万人を超える赤ちゃんが生まれつきHIVに感染して生まれてくるのですこれはつまり毎日1,100人もの赤ちゃんがHIVに感染して生まれてくる計算になります各地域で見てみればアメリカからは1人未満ヨーロッパからは平均で1人アジア圏から 100人そして毎日 1000人もの赤ちゃんがアフリカからということになりますもう一度この地図をみてみるとアフリカの異常な感染率が見て取れるでしょうそれではもう一枚の地図をご覧いただけますでしょうかアフリカは医者の数についても不均等な割合なのですこの矢印のところがアフリカです看護士についても同様な事が言え事実サハラ以南アフリカでは世界疾病の24%を占めている一方で世界のたったの3%の医療従事者しかいないのですこれはつまり医者看護士ともに各患者を十分に見るだけの時間が足りていないのです忙しい病院の看護士は 1日に 50人から100人の患者を看るために一人当たりの患者に対してたったの数分しか与えられていないのですそれではPMTCTプログラムについて見てみましょう 2001年には HIV検診と結果説明薬であるネビラピンの処方服用方法の説明育児法についての相談赤ちゃんの検診を数分のうちに行わなくてはならず単に簡易検診を行い 1回分の薬が渡されていただけでした幸運にも、2001年からは新たな治療法と検査法が確立されより便利になったのですがそれでも看護士が全く足りておらず依然として看護士が数分で行わなくてはならない検査がありました全く不可能で全く機能していないのですもっとよい医療提供法を探る必要があるのですこれはアフリカの産婦人科病院の写真です妊婦や子供連れの母親たちが治療のためにきているのですが知る限りでは検診と投薬のみが行われているだけで十分ではありませんでした投薬だけが治療ではないのです明らかに医者と看護士に人々に正しい方法を教えるだけの時間と技能が欠けていたのです私は医師です彼らにすべき事を教え私のガイドラインに従うよう求めました私はハーバードを卒業した医者なのですしかし現実は患者にコンドームを使用して安全な性行為を行うよう助言しても彼女たちには交際においてその権利がないのです一体どういう事なのでしょう毎日薬を服用するようにと言っても家庭の誰も彼女の病気について知らないため全く助言に効力はないのですもっと違ったやり方が必要になってきました手頃で利用しやすく物差しとなるような方法でどこでもできるような方法が必要になったのですでは一つあるストーリーを紹介させてくださいまた旅に出てみましょう想像してみてくださいあなたがアフリカの若い女性で病院へ検査を受けに行ったとしますそこであなたは妊娠を知り喜びますしかしもう一つの検査であなたはHIVに感染している事が分かり落胆するのです看護士はあなたをある部屋へ連れて行きあなたに検診の事 HIVの事受けられる治療法や自分自身と赤ちゃんの世話の仕方について告げられるでしょうがあなたの耳には何も入ってきませんただ聞こえるのは死を待つだけで赤ちゃんも死んでしまうという事だけです病院から出ても行く当てを見つけられず誰に相談してよいのかもわからないのですなぜなら事実 HIVが恥辱的でもしパートナーや家族の誰かに相談しようものなら手助けもなく見捨てられるようなものなのですこれが今日アフリカで直面している実話ですしかしここで可能な解決案とよいお知らせを話しましょう先ほどの話を少し変えてみます先ほどと同様に検査の後看護士があなたをある部屋へと連れて行きますドアを開くとその部屋には母親と赤ちゃんがいます彼女たちは座って話をして音楽を聴きお茶をのんでサンドウィッチを食べたりしています部屋に入ると女性が来てこう言うのです「マザーズ2マザーズへようこそどうぞ座ってくださいここは安全です私たちみんなHIV感染者なんですきっとあなたは大丈夫死なないわそして赤ちゃんはきっと感染していないわ」と私たちは母親たちを地域社会の重要な財産と見なしています男性は家庭に参加できないことがたびたびあるため母親が子育てと家庭を担っているのですマザーズ2マザーズは HIV感染した女性に医療提供者としての協力を求めています HIV感染者で PMTCTプログラムを受けた母親たちに戻って来てもらい医療チームとして医者看護士のそばで一緒に働いてもらうのですメンターマザーと呼んでいるのですが彼女たちは自分たちがそうだったように妊娠中の母親たちがHIV感染者でありサポートと知識が必要である事を認識させ検診の手伝いを行ったり薬の正しい服用の仕方自分のケアの仕方や子供の世話の仕方を教えているのですもしあなたが手術を必要とするなら一番腕のいい医者にお願いしたいでしょ? しかしもし手術が人生にどのような影響を与えるのかを知りたいなら既にその手術を受けた誰かの保証がほしいものです患者は自分の経験をよく知っており経験を他の患者と共有ができますこれが単なる投薬を超えた医療ケアなのです私たちと働いてくれる母親たちは彼女たち自身の住んでいる地域で雇われ、医者や看護士のような医療チームのメンバーとして給与も支給されます彼女たちの銀行口座も開き直接給与が支払われるのですこのお金は守られているため男性たちに奪われる事はありません彼女たちは2,3週間の厳しい課程で知識とトレーニングを積んでおり医師と看護士も共に訓練を受けていますしかし訓練は一回限りで新しい新薬やガイドラインを知らない人が多いのです私たちのメンターマザー達は毎年再トレーニングを受けています医者や看護士たちは彼女たちを専門家と見なしています想像してみてください元患者だった彼女たちが自分の担当医やケアをしている他の患者たちにアドバイスをしているところを私の団体には 3つの目標があります 1つ目は母子間感染を防ぐ事 2つ目は母親の健康を保ち子供も生存させ孤児を作らない事そして3つ目もっとも重要な事かもしれませんが女性の権利拡大の方法を見つけ彼女たちが恥辱と闘えるようになり HIVに感染していようとも前向きに生産的に生きてもらう事どうやったら達成できるのか? 大切な事なことは一人ずつ患者を診て一人ずつ知識を与え一人ずつサポートし自分のケアの仕方を教えていくことも大切ですがそれ以上にパートナーを病院に同伴してもらう事でしょうアフリカでは男性を育児に引き込む事がとても難しく男性は妊娠ケアにほとんど関わらないのですしかしルワンダには子供の父親が同伴でなければ母親は一人で病院へ行けないという法例があります法律で決まっているのです子供の父親と母親は一緒に病院で相談をし検診を行い一緒にその結果を受け取るのです恥辱をなくすためにとても重要な事ことで公表することは予防の中心になるのですもし公表されなかったらどうやってコンドームをつけて安全な性行為ができるでしょうか? 患者は家族友人のサポートが必要で定期的な治療を行けるためにも家族友人に公表する事はとても大切なのです私たちは団体でも行動しており私がレクチャーするのとは異なり彼女たち自身が一緒に集まりメンターマザーのサポートとガイドのもとで個人の経験をお互いに共有し合っていますこの経験の共有を通じて自分自身のケアの仕方や薬の服用の仕方を学びあっておりそこには社会奉仕女性の社会参加がありますもし家族の考え方を変える事ができれば地域社会の考え方を変える事ができ地域社会の考え方を変える事ができれば国の女性への考え方や HIVへの国家としての方針を変える事ができるのです最難関はいかに恥辱を無くすかです HIVには薬や検診がありますがしかしどのようにすれば恥辱を無くせるのでしょうか? 大切な事はやはり公表する事なのです数年前メンターマザーがやって来てこんなストーリーを教えてくれました彼女はある患者に自分がHIV感染者である事を家族に打ち明けたいからついて来てほしいと言われました一人で打ち明けるのは怖いので一緒に来てほしいと言うのですその患者は家に帰り「私はHIVに感染している」と母親兄弟に打ち明けたのです家族全員黙ってしまいましたしかし彼女の兄が立ち上がり「僕も言わなきゃいけない事がある僕も感染しているずっと告白するのが怖かった」と言いましたその後姉が立ち上がり「私も感染している恥ずかしくて言えなかった」と答えたのですそして弟も立ち上がり「僕も感染者なんだ家族に捨てられると思っていた」と答えたのですもう結論はお分かりだと思いますが最後の妹が立ち上がり「私も感染者でみんなに嫌われると思った」と答えそこにいるすべての家族がはじめて一つになれはじめて自分たちの経験を共有し互いに助け合う事ができるようになったのです「彼女たちは泣きながら恐れながら私のところへやってきます私も自分自身がHIV感染者ですが子供は非感染者である事を伝えていますそして彼女たちも健康な子供を育てられると答えています私自身が希望の証なのですアフリカにはお見せした通り医者と看護士が極端に少なくヘルスケアシステムが危機的状況であることを覚えておいてくださいどんなに検診や薬があっても提供者が不足しており患者に提供できていないのですタスクシフトに関して話してみましょうタスクシフトはもともと提供者からヘルスケアサービスを受ける時に他の提供者が代わりにサービスを提供するというものです具体的には医者が看護士に仕事を与えることですしかしアフリカでは実際には医者以上に看護士が少なくヘルスケアの新たな枠組みを構築する必要がありましたどのようにヘルスケアシステムを構築するのか? そこでヘルスケアシステムを医者看護士メンターマザーとして再定義し看護士が行っている薬の服用法副作用をメンターマザーに説明してもらうようにしました育児法家族計画避妊法の患者への説明から看護士だけでは時間的余裕のない事をメンターマザーに担ってもらうのです母子感染予防について話を戻すと妊婦と子供の健康への橋渡しとなるプログラムは世界中で増えていますそして私たちの組織は女性にそのようなプログラムへの参加を呼びかけています出産が終わればケアが終わるのではなく母子の健康を継続して看ていく事で彼らの健康的ですばらしい人生を生きてもらうのです私たちの組織は3つのレベルで働きかけます 1つ目は患者レベルで HIV感染から子供を守り母親が健康に育児ができるようにする事 2つ目は地域社会レベルで女性の権利を拡大し地域のリーダーに育てる事で地域社会の考え方を変える事です HIVへの姿勢を変える必要がありアフリカの女性への考え方を変える必要がありますこれらはどうしてもやらなくてはいけませんそしてヘルスケアシステムを再構築しより強固なヘルスケアサービスを確立しなくてはいけません現在は壊れてしまっており現在のやり方では全く動かないでしょうまた人々の行動を変えようとする医者看護士には十分なスキルや時間が足りていないのですしかしメンターマザーにはそのスキルと時間がありますメンターマザーにヘルスケアシステムの再構築に協力してもらえば再構築はできる事なのですこのプログラムは 2001年に南アフリカのケープタウンから始まりましたそのときアイデアがふと浮かんだのですスティーブンジョンソン氏のとても貴重なスピーチを聞いた翌日の事でしたそのとき私はシャワーを浴びていましたもちろん一人でですが現在このプログラムは9カ国で実施されており 670のプログラムが存在しひと月に23万人の患者を看ており 1,600人のメンターマザーが働いています昨年は 30万人のHIV感染妊婦と母親に参加してもらえましたこれは世界のHIV感染妊婦の実に20%にあたります世界の20%ですこのプログラムの際立った特徴はとてもシンプルな事です HIVに感染した母親が HIV感染者のケアをする元患者が現患者を看病する雇用を通じて彼女たちの権利拡大を目指し恥辱をなくしていくのです「希望がありますいつの日か HIVとエイズに打ち勝つという希望があります患者は自分自身のHIVの状態を知らなくてはいけません HIVに感染していない人は予防法を知らなくてはけません感染してしまった人は治療法を知らなくてはいけません HIVに感染している妊婦は子供が感染しないように PMTCTサービスを受けなくてはいけません各自がHIVとの闘いに貢献すればすべて可能な事です複雑な問題にはシンプルな解決法を母親をケアする母親達発想の転換をご清聴ありがとうございました	And you stop, and you get out of your car and you take a picture. And you go into the town, and you inquire, "What's going on here?" and people are initially reluctant to tell you. And then someone says, "These are the recent AIDS deaths in our community." HIV isn't like other medical conditions; it's stigmatizing. People are reluctant to talk about it -- there's a fear associated with it. And I'm going to talk about HIV today, about the deaths, about the stigma. It's a medical story, but more than that, it's a social story. This map depicts the global distribution of HIV. And as you can see, Africa has a disproportionate share of the infection. There are 33 million people living with HIV in the world today. Of these, two-thirds, 22 million are living in sub-Saharan Africa. There are 1.4 million pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries living with HIV and of these, 90 percent are in sub-Saharan Africa. We talk about things in relative terms. And I'm going to talk about annual pregnancies and HIV-positive mothers. The United States -- a large country -- each year, 7,000 mothers with HIV who give birth to a child. But you go to Rwanda -- a very small country -- 8,000 mothers with HIV who are pregnant. And then you go to Baragwanath Hospital, outside of Johannesburg in South Africa, and 8,000 HIV-positive pregnant women giving birth -- a hospital the same as a country. And to realize that this is just the tip of an iceberg everything here to South Africa, it just pales, because in South Africa, each year 300,000 mothers with HIV give birth to children. So we talk about PMTCT, and we refer to PMTCT, prevention of mother to child transmission. I think there's an assumption amongst most people in the public that if a mother is HIV-positive, she's going to infect her child. The reality is really, very different. In resource-rich countries, with all the tests and treatment we currently have, less than two percent of babies are born HIV-positive -- 98 percent of babies are born HIV-negative. And yet, the reality in resource-poor countries, in the absence of tests and treatment, 40 percent -- 40 percent of children are infected -- 40 percent versus two percent -- an enormous difference. So these programs -- and I'm going to refer to PMTCT though my talk -- these prevention programs, to prevent them from infecting their babies, and also the medicines we give to mothers to keep them healthy and alive to raise their children. So it's the test a mother gets when she comes in. It's the drugs she receives to protect the baby that's inside the uterus and during delivery. It's the guidance she gets around infant feeding It's an entire package of services, and it works. So in the United States, since the advent of treatment in the middle of the 1990s, in the number of HIV-infected children. Less than 100 babies are born with HIV each year in the United States and yet, still, over 400,000 children are born every year in the world today with HIV. What does that mean? It means 1,100 children infected each day -- 1,100 children each day, infected with HIV. And where do they come from? Well, less than one comes from the United States. One, on average, comes from Europe. 100 come from Asia and the Pacific. And each day, a thousand babies -- a thousand babies are born each day with HIV in Africa. So again, I look at the globe here and the disproportionate share of HIV in Africa. And let's look at another map. And here, again, we see Africa has a disproportionate share of the numbers of doctors. That thin sliver you see here, that's Africa. And it's the same with nurses. The truth is sub-Saharan Africa has 24 percent of the global disease burden and yet only three percent of the world's health care workers. That means doctors and nurses simply don't have the time to take care of patients. A nurse in a busy clinic will see 50 to 100 patients in a day, which leaves her just minutes per patient -- minutes per patient. And so when we look at these PMTCT programs, what does it mean? Well, back in 2001, when there was just a simple test and a single dose of a drug, a nurse, in the course of her few minutes with a patient, would have to counsel for the HIV test, perform the HIV test, explain the results, dispense a single dose of the drug, Nevirapine, and test the baby -- in minutes. Well, fortunately since 2001, we've got new treatments, new tests, and we're far more successful, but we don't have any more nurses. And so these are the tests a nurse now has to do in those same few minutes. It's not possible -- it doesn't work. And so we need to find better ways of providing care. This is a picture of a maternal health clinic in Africa -- mothers coming, pregnant and with their babies. These women are here for care, but we know that just doing a test, just giving someone a drug, it's not enough. Meds don't equal medical care. Doctors and nurses, frankly, don't have the time or skills to tell people what to do in ways they understand. I'm a doctor -- I tell people things to do, and I expect them to follow my guidance -- because I'm a doctor; I went to Harvard -- but the reality is, if I tell a patient, "You should have safer sex. You should always use a condom," and yet, in her relationship, she's not empowered -- what's going to happen? If I tell her to take her medicines every day and yet, no one in the household knows about her illness, so it's just not going to work. And so we need to do more, we need to do it differently, we need to do it in ways that are affordable and accessible and can be taken to scale, which means it can be done everywhere. So, I want to tell you a story -- I want to take you on a little trip. Imagine yourself, if you can, you're a young woman in Africa, you're going to the hospital or clinic. You go in for a test and you find out that you're pregnant, and you're delighted. And then they give you another test and they tell you you're HIV-positive, and you're devastated. And the nurse takes you into a room, and she tells you about the tests and how to take care of yourself and your baby, and you hear none of it. All you're hearing is, "I'm going to die, and my baby is going to die." And then you're out on the street, and you don't know where to go. And you don't know who you can talk to, because the truth is, HIV is so stigmatizing that if you partner, your family, anyone in your home, without any means of support. And this -- this is the face and story of HIV in Africa today. But we're here to talk about possible solutions and some good news. And I want to change the story a little bit. Take the same mother, and the nurse, after she gives her her test, takes her to a room. The door opens and there's a room full of mothers, mothers with babies, and they're sitting, and they're talking, they're listening. They're drinking tea, they're having sandwiches. And she goes inside, and woman comes up to her and says, "Welcome to mothers2mothers. Have a seat. You're safe here. We're all HIV-positive. You're going to be okay. You're going to live. Your baby is going to be HIV-negative." We view mothers as a community's single greatest resource. Mothers take care of the children, take care of the home. So often the men are gone. They're working, or they're not part of the household. Our organization, mothers2mothers, enlists women with HIV as care providers. We bring mothers who have HIV, who've been through these PMTCT programs in the very facilities, to come back and work side by side with doctors and nurses as part of the health care team. These mothers, we call them mentor mothers, are able to engage women who, just like themselves, pregnant with babies, have found out about being HIV-positive, who need support and education. And they support them around the diagnosis and educate them about how to take their medicines, how to take care of themselves, how to take care of their babies. Consider: if you needed surgery, you would want the best possible technical surgeon, right? But if you wanted to understand what that surgery would do to your life, you'd like to engage someone, someone who's had the procedure. Patients are experts on their own experience, and they can share that experience with others. This is the medical care that goes beyond just medicines. So the mothers who work for us, they come from the communities in which they work. They're hired -- they're paid as professional members of the health care teams, just like doctors and nurses. And we open bank accounts for them and they're paid directly into the accounts, because their money's protected; the men can't take it away from them. They go through two to three weeks of rigorous curriculum-based education, training. Now, doctors and nurses -- they too get trained. But so often, they only get trained once, so they're not aware of new medicines, new guidelines as they come out. Our mentor mothers get trained every single year and retrained. And so doctors and nurses -- they look up to them as experts. Imagine that: a woman, a former patient, being able to educate her doctor for the first time and educate the other patients that she's taking care of. Our organization has three goals. The first, to prevent mother-to-child transmission. The second: keep mothers healthy, keep mothers alive, keep the children alive -- no more orphans. And the third, and maybe the most grand, is to find ways to empower women, enable them to fight the stigma and to live positive and productive lives with HIV. So how do we do it? Well, maybe the most important engagement is the one-to-one, seeing patients one-to-one, educating them, supporting them, explaining how they can take care of themselves. We go beyond that; we try to bring in the husbands, the partners. In Africa, it's very, very hard to engage men. Men are not frequently part of pregnancy care. But in Rwanda, in one country, that a woman can't come for care unless she brings the father of the baby with her -- that's the rule. And so the father and the mother, together, go through the counseling and the testing. The father and the mother, together, they get the results. And this is so important in breaking through the stigma. Disclosure is so central to prevention. How do you have safer sex, how do you use a condom regularly if there hasn't been disclosure? Disclosure is so important to treatment, because again, people need the support of family members and friends to take their medicines regularly. We also work in groups. Now the groups, it's not like me lecturing, but what happens is women, they come together -- under the support and guidance of our mentor mothers -- they come together, and they share their personal experiences. And it's through the sharing that people get tactics of how to take care of themselves, how to disclose how to take medicines. And then there's the community outreach, engaging women in their communities. If we can change the way households believe and think, we can change the way communities believe and think. And if we can change enough communities, we can change national attitudes. We can change national attitudes to women and national attitudes to HIV. The hardest barrier really is around stigma reduction. We have the medicines, we have the tests, but how do you reduce the stigma? And it's important about disclosure. So, a couple years ago, one of the mentor mothers came back, and she told me a story. She had been asked by one of the clients to go to the home of the client, because the client wanted to tell the mother and her brothers and sisters about her HIV status, and she was afraid to go by herself. And so the mentor mother went along with. And the patient walked into the house and said to her mother and siblings, "I have something to tell you. I'm HIV-positive." And everybody was quiet. And then her oldest brother stood up and said, "I too have something to tell you. I'm HIV-positive. I've been afraid to tell everybody." And then this older sister stood up and said, "I too am living with the virus, and I've been ashamed." And then her younger brother stood up and said, "I'm also positive. I thought you were going to throw me out of the family." And you see where this is going. The last sister stood up and said, "I'm also positive. I thought you were going to hate me." And there they were, all of them together for the first time being able to share this experience for the first time and to support each other for the first time. Female Narrator: Women come to us, and they are crying and scared. I tell them my story, that I am HIV-positive, but my child is HIV-negative. I tell them, "You are going to make it, and you will raise a healthy baby." I am proof that there is hope. Mitchell Besser: Remember the images I showed you of how few doctors and nurses there are in Africa. And it is a crisis in health care systems. Even as we have more tests and more drugs, we can't reach people; we don't have enough providers. So we talk in terms of what we call task-shifting. Task-shifting is traditionally when you take health care services from one provider and have another provider do it. Typically, it's a doctor giving a job to a nurse. And the issue in Africa is that there are fewer nurses, really than doctors, and so we need to find new paradigm for health care. How do you build a better health care system? We've chosen to redefine the health care system as a doctor, a nurse and a mentor mother. And so what nurses do is that they ask the mentor mothers to explain how to take the drugs, the side effects. They delegate education about infant feeding, family planning, safer sex, actions that nurses simple just don't have time for. So we go back to the prevention of mother to child transmission. as the bridge to comprehensive maternal and child health. And our organization helps women across that bridge. The care doesn't stop when the baby's born -- we deal with the ongoing health of the mother and baby, ensuring that they live healthy, successful lives. Our organization works on three levels. The first, at the patient level -- mothers and babies keeping babies from getting HIV, keeping mothers healthy to raise them. The second, communities -- empowering women. They become leaders within their communities. They change the way communities think -- we need to change attitudes to HIV. We need to change attitudes to women in Africa. We have to do that. And then rework the level of the health care systems, building stronger health care systems. Our health care systems are broken. They're not going to work the way they're currently designed. And so doctors and nurses who need to try to change people's behaviors don't have the skills, don't have the time -- our mentor mothers do. And so in redefining the health care teams by bringing the mentor mothers in, we can do that. I started the program in Capetown, South Africa back in 2001. It was at that point, just the spark of an idea. Referencing Steven Johnson's very lovely speech yesterday on where ideas come from, I was in the shower at the time -- I was alone. The program is now working in nine countries, we have 670 program sites, we're seeing about 230,000 women every month, we're employing 1,600 mentor mothers, and last year, they enrolled 300,000 HIV-positive pregnant women and mothers. That is 20 percent of the global HIV-positive pregnant women -- 20 percent of the world. What's extraordinary is how simple the premise is. Mothers with HIV caring for mothers with HIV. Past patients taking care of present patients. And empowerment through employment -- reducing stigma. Female Narrator: There is hope, hope that one day we shall win this fight against HIV and AIDS. Each person must know their HIV status. Those who are HIV-negative must know how to stay negative. Those who are HIV-infected must know how to take care of themselves. HIV-positive pregnant women must get PMTCT services in order to have HIV-negative babies. All of this is possible, if we each contribute to this fight. MB: Simple solutions to complex problems. Mothers caring for mothers. It's transformational. Thank you.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
「アンハイムでのツェアフェルト子爵のやりようには問題がございます。ぜひとも、詳しく調査を」「解っておる」法務で部局長級の地位にいる子爵がしばらくそう主張していたが、王も宰相もそれに直接の言質を与えずにその場を下がらせる。退出後の会議室には何とも言えぬ空気が広がった。典礼大臣でありヴェルナーの父でもあるインゴが頭を下げる。「愚息がご迷惑をおかけしております」「かまわぬ。部局長が器に相応しい地位であることが分かったというだけの事」国王マクシミリアンが特に感情を浮かべずにそう応じ、他の同席者も頷いた。宰相であるファルケンシュタインが冷静に応じる。「中堅貴族にいささか人材不足がございますな」「少し政務を増やし様子を見るとしようか。それでよろしゅうございますか、陛下」「よかろう。多くの貴族に役目を振り分けられるように」王太子ヒュベルトゥスの提案に王も軽く頷き指示をだした。それでこの件は終わりである。本人のあずかり知らぬところであるが、ヴェルナーの評価基準のような扱いをされていた。まだ若いヴェルナーをどのように扱うつもりであるか、という観点でヴァイン王国の上層部は中堅貴族たちを採点していたのである。現在の大臣級貴族たちから見れば、ヴェルナーの扱いはどのように「使う」か、という一点での判断になる。もし目的が一致できるのであれば同僚として扱うか、部下としてその才幹を振るえるように手配をする。一致できないのであれば、どうやって取り込むか、あるいは自分たちと利害関係の異なる職務で全体として国のためになるよう働かせるかを考える。最悪、宮廷内で敵対する立場になったとしたら、別の政敵と噛み合わせて双方を疲弊させる。国の重鎮である人間から見れば、優秀であればあるほどどう使うか、どのように自分と国の利益に結び付くかを考えて人事を行う。またそう考えられなければ大国の大臣など務まらない。まずその意味で、先ほどの部局長にしても、アンハイムへの転属を望んだ貴族の振る舞いも、現時点では落第という評価に成らざるを得ない。将来的には彼らの多くは逆に自分たちが地方転属という形になることも大いにありえる。一方でそれらの貴族たちの再教育も同時に考えねばならないのが大臣たちの立場だ。人材は多くなければならない。不慮の事故や病気で失われることはありえる。家を維持することが貴族の権利なら、国を維持するために多くの人材を育てるのは大臣級貴族のいわば義務であり、義務を軽んじる人間はこの場にはいなかった。またそのような人物を大臣として任命している王の目も優れていると評してもよい。実のところ、ヴェルナー本人も気が付いていたように、ヴァイン王国としてはアンハイム領の失陥さえも可能性の一つとして考慮に入れていた。アンハイムが敵中に落ちても別の形で挽回すればよいと考えていたのである。魔軍の強大さを理解している国家首脳はアンハイムを失った場合の計画も立てており、時間をある程度かければその後の回復は可能だと判断しているが、ヴェルナーを失うことはむしろ今後の勇者との関係上望ましくはない。を複数預けているのである。あえて断じるのであれば、すべてを守ることはできない以上、どこを守りどこを切り捨てるかを判断するのが政治であるとさえ言えた。唯一、認識のずれがある部分は、ヴェルナーがこの後王王都襲撃イベントを知っているのに対し、王や大臣たちはそれを知らなかった事であろう。四天王襲撃時に魔将と作戦になる危険性を考えたヴェルナーは逃げる気も負ける気もなく、アンハイムで確実に魔将を斃すことを前提に行動している。一方で王都襲撃が確実に起きるとは誰にも言うこともできないため、黙々と魔将対策をこなしているように見えてしまう。それが国に対する忠誠心の高さと見えているのは皮肉というべきかもしれない。軽く王太子が笑う。「しかし面白い手を打ったものだ。あの工作員を使うとはな」「対象が勇者殿のご家族であったとは言え、拉致未遂犯ですからな」未遂なので匙加減一つでどうとでも扱うことができる。極端なことを言えば、ラフェドがマゼルの家族に謝罪し、家族の側がそれを受け入れれば国としてはそれ以上口を挟む必要はなくなる。無論、勇者の家族を狙ったと厳しく罰することも可能だ。「戦いに勝てば敵国の人間ですら使いこなしたと評価される。負ければ罪人一人ぐらいの問題など気にしてはいられぬ。それでいながらこの登用は貴族社会に対しての牽制になる。子爵は存外食えぬの」「陛下も随分とご機嫌が良いようで」「駆け引きができるのは良いことだ」内務大臣であるアウデンリート伯爵の問いに王はそう応じた。性格上、駆け引きができない人間というのは確かにいる。そのような性格の人間に国の中枢を任せるのは難しい。これは能力というより適性の問題である。ヴェルナーに対する評価が上がったとまではいわないが、合否で言えば合の評価を継続すると言ってよいだろう。この世界、王は独裁者ではないし絶対権力者でもない。仮に貴族の過半数が「魔王と戦える勇者は危険であるから排除せよ」と言い出した場合、王室としてはそれを考慮する、少なくとも考慮する格好を見せる必要が生じてしまう。どれほど勇者が国の看板としての価値があるとしても、である。勇者と言う強力な個人はそのように貴族たちが一方に流れる危険性も内包していたが、その流れを乱しているのがヴェルナーの存在であった。二人が親友と言っていい関係であることはよく知られている。もし勇者を排除するような真似をしたら、最悪の場合にヴェルナーが他国へ亡命するかもしれない、となると国として大きな人的資源の喪失である。大臣の子息で伯爵家嫡子の亡命など国にとって恥であるし、他国にあの才能を用いられたらその国が強大化する危険性もある。勇者への過剰な警戒感があったとしても隠さざるを得ない。また逆に、ヴェルナーを排除した場合、国やそれを主導した貴族を勇者が敵視する危険性があるとなると、それも簡単に実行に移すわけにはいかない。既に魔将二人と四天王一人を斃せるだけの戦闘力がある相手であることはわかっているのだから、一貴族家が単独で敵対して戦闘状態にでもなればまず間違いなくその本人の命はないだろう。ヴェルナーを消す、という選択肢は恐ろしくて取れない。王家もこの状況を利用している。王は勇者に期待し、その立場を庇う姿勢をしばしば示す。一方、王太子はヴェルナーを評価し、かつ将来を嘱望している事を態度で示している。二人が別々に、どちらか片方に肩入れをしているのだ。このため、親友である二人が協力して反旗を翻したらどうするのか、と思っても口は出せない。その意見を口に出した途端、「王と王太子、二人揃って人を見る目が節穴」と評しているのと同じことになってしまう。そうなるとさすがに王宮に本人の居所がなくなるだろう。己の立場も考えれば自然とその考えを捨てるしかないのだ。ただその結果、別の人物が本人の意思と無関係に重要人物となってしまっていることも事実であるのだが。「ところでツェアフェルト伯爵、勇者の妹はどうか」「は、その件で実は陛下にご相談が」インゴが表情を変えずに口を開き、最近の問題について説明する。話を聴き終え、王が憮然とした表情を浮かべた。「一貴族家でどうにかなる問題ではないゆえ卿が気にせずともよい。それ以外はどうか」「今のところ、国家として動く必要があることはございませぬ」王が頷く。代わって王太子が口を開いた。「魔軍の動きは」「西方国境の方に小集団がおりましたが現地の兵力で鎮圧した模様。他には変わった報告はありません」「引き続き警戒を。外務の者は他国の動向や情報収集を怠るな」「はっ」「次に......」魔物の出没はヴェルナーのいる地域だけではない。そのため、他の地域で何か問題があった場合は迅速に各地の状況を調査し必要に応じて兵を動かさなければならない。国内の難民や魔軍の被害にあった者たちへの対応もある。また、人類最大の敵は魔軍ではあるが、魔軍との戦いで消耗したところで他国が手を出してこないという保証もない。考えることはいくらでもある。御前会議はしばらくの間、続くことになった。	“I am concerned about the repercussions of the actions that Viscount Welner has taken in Anheim. Please investigate the Viscount Welner.” The Viscount, who was also one of the department heads in the Ministry of Justice, claimed such in front of the Prime Minister and the King, but both of them dropped the Viscount’s claim without giving any direct comment. After the viscount exited the room, an indescribable atmosphere rose in the room. Then, Ingo, Welner’s father, and the Minister of Ceremonies said with a bow. “I apologize for the trouble that my son has caused.” “No need. With this, we now know that giving him (viscount who just complained) the position of the mere department head is fitting.” The King, Maximilian, responded with no particular emotion and the people in the room nodded. The Prime Minister, Falkenstein, then started to speak. “It seems like there is a bit of a shortage of excellent people among the middle-ranked officials.” “Let us increase their governmental work a little and see how things will develop. Will that be fine, Your Majesty?” “Very well. Arrange it so that the works could be divided among many nobles.” The King nodded at the Crown Prince’s suggestion, and he then gave the order. With this, one matter was over. Without him knowing, Welner was being treated as an assessment tool on how middle-ranked officials would react when facing a young yet excellent noble. The kingdom’s ministers treated people based on their use. If the ministers judged a person to be of great value and of the same interest, they would treat him like a colleague or arrange so that the person could become their subordinate. If that person didn’t have the same interest as them, the ministers would then think about how to make use of this person despite their conflicting interests or think of the way they could use this person for the country’s interest despite being in a perhaps different faction than themselves. In the worst case, if this particular person were hostile to them in the court, the ministers would make arrangements, so this person would fight their political opponent until both of them exhaust themselves. As ministers, they needed to think of the way that would benefit the country the most. Nobles who had the mindset of dragging down their rivals without thinking if the rivals could benefit the country would never be able to become a minister. At most, these kinds of nobles were only fit to be middle-ranked officers. Because of that, the department head of the Minister of Justice, along with the nobles who had pushed Welner to be sent to Anheim, had long been branded as failures and in the near future, most of them would most likely be transferred to another region. At the same time, ministers must also think of ways to re-educate these nobles. After all, having many excellent human resources was a must for a country. It was possible for one of the government officials to suddenly die because of a sickness or an accident. Without sufficient human resources, who would be able to replace them? That was why it was the duty of the ministers to train excellent human resources, just like how protecting their house’s lineage was a right of a noble. None of the ministers in this room would take that duty lightly. It could also be said that successfully appointing only excellent ministers with this kind of thinking meant that the King’s eyes for talent were quite impressive. As a matter of fact, Welner’s thought was right. The Bain Kingdom had also included the possibility that Welner would fail in defending Anheim. The upper echelons of the kingdom had also judged that it was possible to retake Anheim in case Welner failed to defend it. They had also made some preparations for that. But even though the kingdom could bear losing Anheim, they couldn’t bear losing Welner, who was an important connection to the hero. That was why the Crown Prince had given Welner several Skywalks. For a politician, the skill to judge what to protect and what to discard when it was impossible to protect everything was important. The one thing that Welner knew but others didn’t know was the fact that one of the Four Heavenly Kings would attack the capital. This knowledge was what made Welner’s thoughts and the upper echelons of the kingdom’s thoughts differ. Welner knew that if he left Gezarius alive, there was a possibility that the capital would have to handle the attack of Demon Generals and a Heavenly King at once; that was why Welner had no intention of losing or retreating. Unfortunately, Welner couldn’t tell anyone about the fact that the capital would get attacked. As such, the arrangements that Welner made to kill Gezarius was seen as loyalty toward the kingdom by the upper echelons of the kingdom. It was quite ironic. Then, the Crown Prince laughed lightly. “It was quite interesting for him to use that spy.” “Well, technically, what he did was still just an attempted kidnapping, after all.” What Rafed did was still just an attempted kidnapping, so Rafed could be dealt with in any way. Technically, if Rafed just apologized to the hero’s family and the hero’s family accepted it, the kingdom would no longer intervene in this matter. Of course, Rafed would still be punished for targeting a hero’s family. “For the sake of winning, the Viscount will even use his enemy. Even if the Viscount loses this battle, he will just be losing a criminal, so it will not be a problem. In addition, his action also served as a warning to the nobles. The viscount is quite cunning.” “Your Majesty, you seem to be in a good mood.” “Willing to negotiate is a good thing.” The King replied to the Minister of Internal Affair, Count Audendried’s words. It would be difficult to entrust an important position in the country to someone unwilling to negotiate. Even the case of a noble making negotiation with the Bain Kingdom wasn’t something rare. This ‘willingness’ was more of a matter of aptitude rather than personality. Although the King couldn’t say that his evaluation of Welner had improved, at the very least, the King had judged that Welner was a person worthy of a further evaluation of his capability. The King in this world wasn’t some dictator who held absolute authority. If more than half of the nobles suggested to the King that the hero was a dangerous existence who needed to be eliminated, even though the hero was a valuable asset to the country, the King still needed to consider the noble’s suggestion or at least pretend to consider it. Normally, what would happen after the appearance of someone as powerful as the hero was a flood of suggestions to eliminate him for the sake of the country, but Welner’s existence prevented things from developing that way. It was a well-known fact that the hero and Welner were close friends. If the kingdom made a move on Mazell, in a worst-case scenario, Welner might emigrate from the country. Losing someone as talented as Welner would be a major loss to the country. It would be a slap on the country’s face if they lost someone who was a son of a minister and the next Count. Not to mention, other countries might become more powerful if they used Welner’s talent. As such, even if some felt that the hero was dangerous, they must hide that feeling. On the other hand, there was a risk of the hero becoming hostile if the country eliminated Welner. Making an enemy of someone strong enough to kill Demon Generals and a Heavenly King was quite terrifying. Frankly, even an entire noble house would lose if they wage a war against the hero. For the country, the option of eliminating Mazell was truly terrifying, so none had the courage to attempt it. The royal family had also taken advantage of the current situation. The King showed an attitude of having a high hope for the hero and took a stance of supporting him. The Crown Prince, on the other hand, showed an attitude of appreciating Welner and having high hopes for Welner’s future. Due to that, no one could suggest what if the two cooperated and turned into enemies of the kingdom. After all, offering such a suggestion was the same as blatantly saying both His Highness and His Majesty were poor judges of character. Such a person would immediately lose his position in the court and all of the court’s officials knew this, so no one dared to offer this sort of suggestion. All of these circumstances led to a certain someone becoming an important figure in the country, regardless of his true intentions. “Incidentally, how is the hero’s sister, Count Zeavert?” “Ah, I had wanted to consult with Your Majesty about that matter.” Without changing his expression, Ingo started to speak and the content of Ingo’s words made the King astonished. “It is not a matter that a noble house will be able to solve, so no need to feel ashamed. Do you have anything else to consult?” “At this moment, there is nothing that I will need the power of the country to solve.” The King nodded. Then, it was the Crown Prince’s turn to speak. “How is the demon army’s movement?” “There is a small demon group on the western border. Our military is currently taking care of them. Other than that, there is no unusual movement from the demon army.” “Keep being vigilant. Do not forget to also keep an eye on other countries’ movements.” “Yes, sir.” “Understood.” “Next...” The demons didn’t only appear in Anheim. Every time demons appeared in other regions, the kingdom needed to swiftly deal with them and, if necessary, the kingdom would send a military force. The kingdom also needed to deal with the matter of refugees. In addition, even though the humans’ greatest enemy was the demons, there was no guarantee that other countries would not make any move while the Bain Kingdom was busy with the demons, so there were plenty of things that needed to be talked about in the meeting. The royal conference continues....	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 1, "inserted_lines_src": 10, "inserted_lines_trg": 4 }
そこで、自由主義体制の三本目の柱：市民社会が力を発揮する。多数の市民団体や活動が、自由主義体制の最も強力な柱なのである。彼らは、国からの統制はうけるが、管理は受けず、自由に見解や、さらには多様な所感を公的に表示することができる。活発な市民社会は法規則が破られたときに力を結集する。そして、民主主義の多数派が偏狭な傾向を見せていないかチェックすることもできる。	A plurality of civic associations and activities – regulated but not controlled by the state, and free to express its views and even to demonstrate its (diverse) sentiments publicly – is the most powerful pillar of a liberal order. A vibrant civil society will mobilize when the rule of law is violated, and it can also check the illiberal inclinations of democratic majorities.	{ "source": "news_commentary", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
ジニーは依頼票の文字を読み取ったようだ。ここから掲示板までそれなりに距離があるというのに目がよい。流石は優秀な狩人なだけはある。「ゴブリン退治か。受注しよう」アリオがそう言うと、ジニーは真剣な表情でうなずいた。「そうだね、お兄ちゃん。今は他の冒険者たちもほとんどいないし」「じゃあ、俺も手伝おう」「いいんですか?」「ああ、ゴブリン退治はなるべくやることにしているからな」「ロックが協力してくれるなら、百人力だよ」アリオはほっとした様子で言う。ゴブリン退治をアリオとジニーでやるのは少し怖かったのかもしれない。怖くとも、力のない村人のために危険を冒してでも戦う。それは、なかなかできることではない。「俺はこのまま出かけるが、ガルヴとゲルベルガさまは家に帰るか?」「ガウ!」「コゥ!」ガルヴもゲルベルガさまに来たそうな顔をしている。少し不安は残る。ゲルベルガさまは問題ない。疲れれば俺の懐に入っていればいいからだ。だが、ガルヴは......。大丈夫だろうか。それほど激しくはなかったとはいえ、今は散歩の後だ。ガルヴが疲れきって動けなくなったら......。「......いざとなれば俺が背負えばいいか」「がう?」俺はきょとんとしているガルヴの頭を撫でた。「アリオ、受注の旨を伝えてきてくれ。俺は家に連絡しておく」「わかった。任せてくれ!」アリオとジニーがゴブリン退治クエを受注するためカウンターへと走る。そして、俺はギルドの建物から出ると、通話の腕輪を通じてケーテに話しかけた。「ケーテ。もう屋敷についたか?」『む? ああ、ついたのである! タマは水を飲んだ後フィリーの研究室に走っていったのである』「それは良かった。ケーテ、シアとセルリスに伝言を頼む」『なんであるかー?』「ゴブリン退治のクエを受注したから、このまま行ってくる」『えっ? すぐに帰ると言っていたのだ』「すまない。だが、困っている人もいるし。いま俺にやれることは特にないからな」爆弾対策は、錬金術の天才フィリーが今頑張っている。王宮内に潜んでいる敵を探すのはエリック率いる枢密院の仕事だ。その他、昏き者の遺跡の調査などはゴラン率いる冒険者ギルドが全力を尽くしている。俺はその結果を待っているところだ。敵が誰なのか、そしてどこにいるのか判明すれば討伐できるのだが。今は何もできることはない。「ということで、伝言を頼む」『ちょっと待つのである。具体的に依頼先はどこの村か詳しく教えるのである?』「別に構わないが、その詳細な情報は必要なのか?」『当たり前である。緊急時、知ってないと初動が遅れてしまうのであるぞ?』確かにケーテの言うとおりだ。俺がゴブリン退治をしている間に、緊急で何かが起こる可能性はある。その場合、ケーテに迎えに来てもらうことになるかもしれない。「確かに何か緊急の出来事が起きてから、細かく所在地を説明するのは時間の無駄だな」俺は依頼先の村の所在地を細かくケーテに説明する。その後、改めてシアかセルリスへの伝言を頼んでおいた。ケーテは伝言はしっかり伝えてくれるだろう。「一応言っておくが、シアとかニアとかセルリスには休養が必要だからな?」ゴブリン退治と聞けば、セルリス、シア、ニアたちも来たがるかもしれない。だが、セルリスもシアもニアも、昨日激しく戦い、今日も朝から訓練をしていた。彼女たちには休息が必要だ。無理しては身体を壊してしまうかもしれないのだ。『わかっているのである。そこらへんは任せておくがよいのである』ケーテは力強く請け負ってくれた。これで無理をしてシアたちが、俺たちのゴブリン退治についてくることは無いだろう。その後、俺は通話を切ってギルドの建物へと戻る。すると、ちょうどアリオたちが受注を終えたところだった。受付嬢もアリオ、ジニー、俺で受注すると聞いて納得してくれたらしい。「Fランクでも三人なら、大丈夫だと思いますが......」「ああ、任せておいてくれ」「ですが、本当に気を付けてくださいね?」心配してくれている受付嬢から依頼の詳細を聞いて、俺たちは出発する。歩きながらジニーが言う。「依頼元の村まで、徒歩で三時間ぐらいですから、順調にいけば日帰りで行けそうですね」往復間。ゴブリン退治に三時間な間だ。今はお昼前なので、順調にいけば日没後ぐらいには王都に戻れるかもしれない。「そうだな。そうなればいいな」そういいながら、俺はガルヴをちらりと見た。やはりガルヴには泊まりはきついかもしれない。「やっぱり日帰りの方が気が楽ですよね」「前回のゴブリン退治は二泊三日だったもんな」アリオもそんなことを言う。前回のゴブリン退治では、シアと出会い、ゴブリンロードやヴァンパイアロードと遭遇した。「またゴブリンロードに出会ったら......」「そう簡単にゴブリンロードには出会わないさ」ジニーが少し心配そうにしていたので、俺は笑いながらそう言っておいた。「今度はドラゴンに出会ったりしてな!」「それはないと思う」アリオがおどけたように言って、ジニーが笑顔で否定する。アリオなりに妹ジニーの緊張をほぐそうとしたのだろう。そうして、和気あいあいとした雰囲気で、俺たちは進んでいった。	Ginny had read the request sheet. But we were quite far from the quest board, so she must have good eyes. It was no wonder that they were such good hunters. “Goblin hunting? Alright, let’s accept it.” Said Ario, and Ginny nodded with a serious expression. “Yes, brother. Right now, there are hardly any other Adventurers here.” “Then I will help you.” “Are you sure?” “Aye. I try to hunt goblins as much as I can.” “If you’re going to help us, Mr. Locke, it will be like having the strength of a hundred people.” Ario said in a relieved voice. Perhaps he was a little scared by the thought of hunting goblins with just Ginny. But even if he was afraid, he was going to brave the danger in order to save the helpless villagers. That was quite a brave thing to do. “Well, I’m going to go directly from here. Do you want to go home, Grulf and Lord Gerberga?” “Grau!” Grulf and Lord Gerberga looked like they wanted to go. But I was a little worried. There was no problem with Lord Gerberga. If he became tired, he could just rest in my jacket. But Grulf... Would he be okay? While it hadn’t been particularly strenuous exercise, we had still been on a walk. What if he became too tired to move... “...I suppose if it came to it, I could just carry you.” “Groof?” Grulf looked at me with a puzzled expression, and so I patted him on the head. “Ario, go tell them that you’ll accept the quest. I’m going to contact the people at my house.” “Understood. Leave it to me!” And so Ario and Ginny ran to the counter in order to accept the goblin hunting quest. I then left the guild building and used my communication bracelet in order to contact Kathe. “Kathe. Have you arrived at the mansion yet?” ‘Huh? Ah, yes, I have! Tama drank some water and then ran off to Philly’s laboratory.’ “That’s good. Kathe, I need you to give a message to Shia and Serulis.” ‘What is it?’ “I accepted a goblin hunting quest, and will go directly from here.” ‘What? But you said you were coming straight back.’ “I’m sorry. But there are people who need my help. And there isn’t anything that I can do over there.” Philly, the genius alchemist was dealing with the bomb. And Eric and his privy council were dealing with the search for the enemies hiding in the palace. Aside from that, Goran and the Adventurers Guild were doing everything that they could do to investigate the ruins of the dark ones. And I was just waiting for the results. Once I knew who the enemy was and where they were, then I could defeat them. But there was nothing that I could do currently. “And so I need you to pass on that message.” ‘Now wait one moment. Can you tell me which village the request is coming from?’ “I don’t mind telling you, but do you really need that information?” ‘Of course, I do. What if there is an emergency, and I do not know? It will slow us down, won’t it?’ Indeed, Kathe was right about that. It was possible that something would happen while I was hunting the goblins. In that case, Kathe might have to come and pick me up. “Yes, it would be a waste of time if I had to give you details about my location if there was an emergency.” And so I told Kathe the details about the village that we were headed in. After that, I reminded her to pass on the message to Shia and Serulis. I was sure that she would tell them. “And just to remind you, Shia, Nia and Serulis need to rest, all right?” If they heard that I was going to hunt goblins, then they might want to come too. However, they had fought in a harsh battle yesterday, and had been training since morning today. And so they required rest. They could fall ill if they pushed themselves too hard. ‘I know that. Just leave it all to me.’ Kathe sounded very reliable as she accepted responsibility. Now I wouldn’t have to worry about them trying to come with us to hunt the goblins. After that, I switched off the connection and returned to the guild building. It was just as Ario had finished accepting the quest. Apparently, the receptionist was quite pleased to learn that all three of us would be taking it on. “With three F rankers, there shouldn’t be a problem...” “Aye, leave it to us.” “But please be careful, all right?” And so we listened to her explain the details of the request and then we set off. As we walked, Ginny said, “As it’s a three hour walk to the village, we should be able to return today if everything goes well.” A six hour round trip. So it would be nine whole hours if we could finish hunting the goblins in three hours. As it was just a little before midday, we might be back in the royal capital near sun down. “Yes. I hope it works out like that.” I said as I glanced over to Grulf. Staying out tonight be a little too much for Grulf. “It really is nice when you can return on the same day.” “Yes, the last time we hunted goblins, it took us three days and two nights.” Said Ario. On my last time hunting goblins, I had met Shia and encountered a Goblin Lord and a Vampire Lord. “What if there is another Goblin Lord...” “They don’t just pop up anywhere.” As Ginny had sounded a little worried, I laughed and tried to reassure her. “Maybe we’ll meet a dragon instead!” “I doubt that.” Ario started to joke, and Ginny denied it with a laugh. Ario was trying to make his younger sister less nervous. And so it was in this peaceful atmosphere that we went on our way.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 1, "inserted_lines_src": 0, "inserted_lines_trg": 1 }
見るものが変わったり記憶さえも変わってしまいますこの映画のためにサターンVロケットの打ち上げシーンを再現するなんて難しいことをやることになってそんなことを提案したのは私だったのでちょっと心配になってこんな実験をすることにしましたここにいるような大勢の方々に試写会場に来てもらってこの記録映像を見てもらいました鑑賞後何が記憶に残ったかどんなものが心に残ったか映画のために何を再現しどこをどれくらい似せてつくるべきか理解するためですこれが皆に見てもらった映像です実験の結果解ったことはこういう特別な映像ですしこのような話を映画化するということでそこには既にある種の想いだとか我々にとってこの打ち上げが持つ意味の集団的な記憶なんかがあったということですこれを見てもらった直後に訊いてみましたどう思ったかとか記憶に残った場面を訊くと実際見たものとは違っていましたカメラが頭上を動いていったとかいろいろです別のシーンを組み合わせていたりとかなぜでしょうほんの数分前にいったい何を見ていたのかなぜでしょうほんの数分前にいったい何を見ていたのかなんでそんなでたらめな答えになるのでしょう? これで解ったのは皆が実際に見たものではなく皆の記憶に残ったことを再現すべきだという事ですこれが実験の結果をもとに我々が作った打ち上げの映像です基本的に皆の感想をもとにいろいろなシーンを組み合わせいろいろなものを集めて実際に見たものではなく皆が見たと覚えている意識の合成です実際に見たものではなく皆が見たと覚えている意識の合成ですこれが『アボロ13』用に作った映像ですつまりここでご覧になっているのはいろいろな人私も含んだいろんな人の記憶をまとめて実物を必要に応じてちょっと変えたものです実物を必要に応じてちょっと変えたものですすべてを短焦点レンズで撮影したのでごく近くで見ていることになりますが望遠レンズで撮ったような構図にして距離を感じさせていますつまりこの場面では誰も実際には見たはずがないものを思い出させるようにしているわけですそしてかつて感動したときに感動したものそのものを見せようとしていますヒューストンこちらはオデッセイまた会えてよかった自分が拍手してもらっている気持ちになります駐車場でこのシーンを撮っているんですがこんなブリキ缶でロケット打ち上げを再現しようとしているわけです消火器と炎を使いレンズの前にワックスを撒いて氷のかけらに見せかけているのですですからさっきの映像が本物に見えたとしたら皆さんを感動させたものはまったくのニセ物でそれを考えると凄いなと思うんですまったくのニセ物でそれを考えると凄いなと思うんですこのシーンは映画のクライマックスですがこういうものを作るためには模型をヘリコプターから放り出し撮影するだけでいいんです実際そうしたんですこれが私二流カメラマンです私のカメラワークが真実味を引き出したともいえますロケットの落ちるのを追いなんとかフレームに収めようと必死になっているのがここでは効果的だったのかもしれませんその後こんなことがありました NASAから元宇宙飛行士でアポロ15号の乗員でもあった方に私のやっている事が科学的に正しいか確認するために来てもらいましたきっとチェックしなきゃまずいと思った人がいたんでしょうね私にはよく解りませんがそう思ったみたいですとにかく私達の英雄である宇宙飛行士が来たというのでみんな興奮して私も私の撮ったシーンはなかなか上手く出来てるなんて自慢したりしてたんです皆も出来栄えになんとなく自信があり彼を連れてきてやっているものを見せ確認して太鼓判を押してもらおうと思っていたわけです確認して太鼓判を押してもらおうと思っていたわけですそこで我々の作っている映像を幾つかみせて期待通りの反応を待ってまあそういう具合だったわけですそれでこの二つのカットを見せたところ彼の口から出た言葉は「こりゃ間違っとるよ」そうなんだそんな答えを夢見ていましたよ私の方を向いてこう言うんです「君ロケットはそんな風に設計しないんだよ発射台のアームが離れながらロケットが上がっていくなんて絶対いけない発射台のアームが離れながらロケットが上がっていくなんて絶対いけないひどい事故になるだろうがロケットはそんな風に設計しないんだよ」そう言って私を見るんでこんな風に答えましたお気付きか知りませんが駐車場を舞台にアメリカが誇るシーンを再現したのはこの私なんです消火器を使ってですが返す言葉もありませんあなたは皆のヒーロー宇宙飛行士でかたや私はニュージャージの一般人です他の映像もお見せしますから思ったことを聞かせてくださいすると今度は私の期待通りに近い反応が返ってきました見せたのはこれ実際の記録映画です彼が乗ってたアポロ15号の彼のミッションの映像ですこれを見せた時の彼の反応はおもしろいものでした「これも間違っとるよ」何が起こったのかというと私の予想では彼の記憶が事実とは違ってたんです彼の記憶にあるのは100% 安全な発射台システムと 100%安全なロケットの打ち上げです一番安い値段で入札した会社に作らせた推力10万ポンドのロケットに乗っていたらそう思いたくもなりますうまくいく様願っていたんでしょうね (拍手) だから都合のいいように記憶していた監督のロン・ハワードがバズ・オルドリンに偶然会ったんですが彼は映画とは無関係だったのでこれが作り物だとは知らず彼は映画とは無関係だったのでこれが作り物だとは知らずこう言ったそうですご覧くださいバズ・オルドリンがやってきてこう言うんだ「あの発射のシーン見せてもらったよ見たことない映像もあったけどいったいどこにしまってあったんだ?」だから「いやあれは探してきたんじゃなくて全てうちで作ったものなんだ」って言ったら彼は「ほんとに?なかなかいいね今度借りてもいいかな」だって「もちろんです」彼は本当に偉大なアメリカ人だと思います彼は本当に偉大なアメリカ人だと思います次は『タイタニック』です皆さんご存知ないかもしれませんがこの映画はハッピーエンドではありませんこの映画はハッピーエンドではありません実は監督のジェームズ・キャメロンは本物のタイタニック号を撮影したんです作り物かなんて疑う余地をなくしたわけです映像は本物なんですからミールという深海探査艇でもぐってミール2機で沈んでいる船まで行ってこの心に残る映像を撮影したわけです美しいだけでなくいろいろな感情を呼び起こす映像ですが何もかもレンズに収めることは不可能で映画として仕上げるためにそのギャップを埋めるのが私の役目でこれが結構大変なんですそのギャップを埋めるのが私の役目でこれが結構大変なんです本物の映像と作った映像とを交互に組み合わせるのでひどいシーンになったら私の責任ですこれが本物の映像これだけ見ても迫力があって感動しますまずこれを見て何か感じ取って頂きたいそれからこれを初めて見た時の私自身の反応をお話しますそれからこれを初めて見た時の私自身の反応をお話します私が感じたのはこの船のよみがえった姿を見たいという感情です私が感じたのはこの船のよみがえった姿を見たいという感情です自然とこの船を見たくなるこの豪華な船の輝かしい姿を見たいのです同時にきらびやかさを失ったあるがままを見たい気もしますそこで後でご覧にいれるような視覚効果が頭に浮かんだわけです私にとってはこれがこの映画の核心でそれがこの映画の仕事をやりたかった理由でありこれからお見せするこんなシーンを作った理由ですもうひとつ私が面白いと思ったのは見たときに心を本当に動かすものは何かということです舞台裏をちょっとお見せしましょう私の作った映像は実は大勢のスタッフが船をひっくり返したりしているだけで探査艇のミールは実は小さなフットボールくらいの大きさで煙の中で撮ったものですキャメロンは5 km の深海に潜って私はスタジオから5 km 先のガレージでこのシーンを撮りましたでも私の映像もキャメロンの映像と同じような感情を引き起こし同じような忘れられない質を持っていますここで非常に興味深いのは人間というものは一度目の前にあるものが本物だと信じると何もかもその目で見てしまい実は作り物で見せかけているだけなのにそうとは感じなくなってしまうのですこれはとっても興味深いことですそれを利用して次にお見せする映像効果を作ったわけです魔法のようなシーンの移行なんですが私が意図したのは見ている側に移行のタイミングを決めてもらうことだったのですそうすれば見ている人にとって自然な形になり私の解釈を押し付けているのではなく皆さんの見たいものを見せることになりますちょとこの先のところなんですが--- ご覧のように潜水艇が画面に二つあったら私の撮ったシーンですカメラがどこにあるかによるわけですキャメロンのには一隻しか映っていませんもう一隻から撮しているのでこのシーンは私のかキャメロンのか忘れましたがキャメロンのだということにしておきましょう褒められるとうれしいでしょうから (笑) それではタイタニックの移行をお見せしましょうこれが先程お話した私のやりたかったこと魔法のように船の状態を変化させることですこのシーンをご覧ください (音楽) (音楽) ここで意図したのは皆さんの目の前で溶けるように変わることですタイタニックは二度と日の光を見ることはありませんでしたここでしたのは基本的にまた試写会をして私自身どこを見ているか皆がどこを見ているか記録したのですもちろん船首にいる二人を見ていますがある時点から周りを少しづつ変化させてある時点から周りを少しづつ変化させて少しづつ錆びた難破船にしたわけです毎日繰り返しこのシーンを見ていつ二人から目が離れ周りのものに気が付き始めるかを見つけ目が移った瞬間のコマを記録して目が移った瞬間に二人を消し始めるのですするといつ変わり始めたのかいつ終わったのかがわからないするといつ変わり始めたのかいつ終わったのかがわからないもう一度お見せしますこれは我々の頭が自然にする事を利用したのです見ている人の目がそれた瞬間何かが変化するのですスカーフを残したのは二人の魂が難破船に残っているような霊的なものを感じるようにしたかったからです二人は今でもそこに埋もれているのですなんてね今思いついた事ですが (笑) その後私も日の光を見ることはありませんでしたこの映画にはひどく時間がかかったので (笑) 『ヒューゴの不思議な発明』これがまた面白い映画で映画の魔法が題材になっています残像という脳の錯覚をうまく利用したのが映画なんです私の手がけたものの一例ですが_ サーシャ・バロン・コーエンはとても頭のいい役者でコメディアンですバスター・キートンがやったようなドタバタ喜劇に敬意を払いバスター・キートンがやったようなドタバタ喜劇に敬意を払い足の補助器具が動く列車に引っかかってしまう演技を計画したんですとても危険で普通でもやれるものではないのですが特にこの映画ではとても危険で普通でもやれるものではないのですが特にこの映画では列車がセットの中しっかり納まっているのでとても動かす事なんてできないのですちょっとシーンを見てみましょうセルゲイ・エイゼンシュテインの考えたトリックを使ったものですカメラを動いているものと一緒に移動させれば静止しているものが動いて見えます反対に動いているものは止まって見えますこの場面では列車や全く動いていません動いているのは床なんですこれがそのシーンそこに小さく見えるのはテストの映像これが映画に使われるものです面白いのは映画自体へのオマージュがこういう巧妙なトリックから出ていることです私が考えたとは言えないのが残念です言いたくても言えません 1910年頃に発明されたものですから監督のスコセッシに言ったのですがこういうトリックは本当に上手くいったものを見て初めて解るんですこの計画をスコセッシに説明するとこんな質問が返ってきました「ちょっと待って車輪のついているものこれが動かないんだって?」 (拍手) 「車輪のないのが動くのかね」そのとおり次に最後になりますが-- ところでスコセッシはこの講演見ないですよね? ここにいない人でも見れるんでしょうか-- 次にお見せしたいのはワンカットで見せるテクニックですこれはストーリーを伝えるエレガントな方法です特に誰かの移動を追っているときその移動がその人物の性格を簡潔に表現しているときなどに有効です『グッドフェローズ』のシーンの様なものを作りたかったんですあれは非常に上手くできたシーンですマーティン・スコセッシの映画で主人公のヘンリー・ヒルがギャングの一員として感じるものをクラブ・コパカバーナ内を歩き特別扱いを受ける様子で表しています彼は彼の世界の支配者でヒューゴにもそれを感じてもらうためこのシーンを撮りました (音楽) これがヒューゴです (音楽) カメラを彼と一緒に動かせばこの少年の感じ取るものを感じることが出来ると考えたのです彼は彼の世界の支配者なのです彼の世界は実は舞台裏この駅構内の隠れた迷路の様な場所で彼しか行き来することができませんこれが彼にとっては日常のことなのだと伝わるようにワンカットで撮ることが大切なのですこの映画は3Dで撮っているということは大きなクレーンにぶら下がった巨大なカメラを使うことになりますそこでいかにもステディカムで撮ったような映像を再現することになりました『グッドフェローズ』のあれと似た感覚を思い起こさせるシーンを作るんです『グッドフェローズ』のあれと似た感覚を思い起こさせるシーンを作るんですこれを実際に撮った時の様子をごらん頂きます 5つのセットに分かれていて 5回に分けて撮影しました役者も二人います左のシーンが終わり右のシーンが続きます少年も映画の主役のエイサ・バターフィールドから代役に切り替わっています少年も映画の主役のエイサ・バターフィールドから代役に切り替わっていますいわゆるスタントとは違いますこの凄い装備はこのために作られましたいわゆるスタントとは違いますこの凄い装備はこのために作られましたこれは3番目のセットこの中に入るのですがこのシーンの最後のところはステディカムを使っていますがその他は全てクレーンなどに乗せたカメラで撮っています先ほど言ったとおり 5つのセット、二人の子役バラバラな時に撮ったものを一回で撮ったようにつなげたわけです良かったかなと思うのはこのシーンが今までやった仕事の中で一番高い評価を受けているという点です撮り終えたときには誇りのようなものも感じましたそんな誇りなんて本当は感じるべきではないと思うのですがちょっと自慢げに友達に「ねえこれが一番評価されてるやつなんだよ「ねえこれが一番評価されてるやつなんだよどうしてだと思う?」って訊いたんです「君がやったなんて誰も知らないからさ」そんな答えが返ってきました「君がやったなんて誰も知らないからさ」そんな答えが返ってきましたではここまでですご清聴ありがとうございました (拍手) (拍手)	And as an experiment, because I dauntingly create a task for myself of recreating a Saturn V launch for this particular movie, because I put it out there, I felt a little nervous about it, so I need to do an experiment and bring a group of people like this in a projection room and play this stock footage, and when I played this stock footage, I simply wanted to find out what people remembered, what was memorable about it? What should I actually try to replicate? What should I try to emulate to some degree? So this is the footage that I was showing everybody. And what I discovered is, because of the nature of the footage and the fact that we're doing this film, there was an emotion that was built into it and our collective memories of what this launch meant to us and all these various things. When I showed it, and I asked, immediately after the screening was over, what they thought of it, what was your memorable shots, they changed them. They were -- had camera moves on them. They had all kinds of things. Shots were combined, and I was just really curious, I mean, what the hell were you looking at just a few minutes ago and how come, how'd you come up with this sort of description? And what I discovered is, what I should do is not actually replicate what they saw, is replicate what they remembered. So this is our footage of the launch, based on, basically, taking notes, asking people what they thought, and then the combination of all the different shots and all the different things put together created their sort of collective consciousness of what they remembered it looked like, but not what it really looked like. So this is what we created for "Apollo 13." So literally what you're seeing now is the confluence of a bunch of different people, a bunch of different memories, including my own, of taking a little bit of liberty with the subject matter. I basically shot everything with short lenses, which means that you're very close to the action, but framed it very similarly to the long lens shots which gives you a sense of distance, so I was basically was setting up something that would remind you of something you haven't really quite seen before. And then I'm going to show you exactly what it is that you were reacting to when you were reacting to it. Tom Hanks: Hello, Houston, this is Odyssey. It's good to see you again. Rob Legato: I pretend they're clapping for me. So now I'm in a parking lot. Basically it's a tin can, and I'm basically recreating the launch with fire extinguishers, fire, I have wax that I threw in front of the lens to look like ice, and so basically if you believed any of the stuff that I just showed you, what you were reacting to, what you're emoting to, is something that's a total falsehood, and I found that really kind of fascinating. And in this particular case, this is the climax of the movie, and, you know, the weight of achieving it was simply take a model, throw it out of a helicopter, and shoot it. And that's simply what I did. That's me shooting, and I'm a fairly mediocre operator, so I got that nice sense of verisimilitude, of a kind of, you know, following the rocket all the way down, and giving that little sort of edge, I was desperately trying to keep it in frame. So then I come up to the next thing. We had a NASA consultant who was actually an astronaut, who was actually on some of the missions, of Apollo 15, and he was there to basically double check my science. And, I guess somebody thought they needed to do that. I don't know why, but they thought they did. So we were, he's a hero, he's an astronaut, and we're all sort of excited, and, you know, I gave myself the liberty of saying, you know, some of the shots I did didn't really suck that bad. And so maybe, you know, we were feeling kind of a little good about it, so I brought him in here, and he needed to really check and see what we were doing, and basically give us our A plus report card, and so I showed him some shots we were working on, and waiting for the reaction that you hope for, which is what I got. So I showed him these two shots, and then he basically told me what he thought. Okay. It's what you dream about. So what I got from him is, he turned to me and said, "You would never, ever design a rocket like that. You would never have a rocket go up while the gantry arms are going out. Can you imagine the tragedy that could possibly happen with that? You would never, ever design a rocket like that." And he was looking at me. It's like, Yeah, I don't know if you noticed, but I'm the guy out in the parking lot recreating one of America's finest moments with fire extinguishers. And I'm not going to argue with you. You're an astronaut, a hero, and I'm from New Jersey, so -- I'm just going to show you some footage. I'm just going to show you some footage, and tell me what you think. And then I did kind of get the reaction I was hoping for. So I showed him this, and this is actual footage that he was on. This is Apollo 15. This was his mission. So I showed him this, and the reaction I got was interesting. So, and what happened was, I mean, what I sort of intuned in that is that he remembered it differently. He remembered that was a perfectly safe sort of gantry system, perfectly safe rocket launch, because he's sitting in a rocket that has, like, a hundred thousand pounds of thrust, built by the lowest bidder. He was hoping it was going to work out okay. So he twisted his memory around. Now, Ron Howard ran into Buzz Aldrin, who was not on the movie, so he had no idea that we were faking any of this footage, and he just responded as he would respond, and I'll run this. Ron Howard: Buzz Aldrin came up to me and said, "Hey, that launch footage, I saw some shots I'd never seen before. Did you guys, what vault did you find that stuff in?" And I said, "Well, no vault, Buzz, we generated all that from scratch." And he said, "Huh, that's pretty good. Can we use it?" RL: I think he's a great American. So, "Titanic" was, if you don't know the story, doesn't end well. Jim Cameron actually photographed the real Titanic. So he basically set up, or basically shattered the suspension of disbelief, because what he photographed was the real thing, a Mir sub going down, or actually two Mir subs going down to the real wreck, and he created this very haunting footage. It's really beautiful, and it conjures up all these various different emotions, but he couldn't photograph everything, and to tell the story, I had to fill in the gaps, which is now rather daunting, because now I have to recreate back to back what really happened and I had, I'm the only one who could really blow it at that point. So this is the footage he photographed, and it was pretty moving and pretty awe-inspiring. So I'm going to just let it run, so you kind of absorb this sort of thing, and I'll describe my sort of reactions when I was looking at it for the very first time. I got the feeling that my brain wanted to basically see it come back to life. I automatically wanted to see this ship, this magnificent ship, basically in all its glory, and conversely, I wanted to see it not in all its glory, basically go back to what it looks like. So I conjured up an effect that I'm later going to show you what I tried to do, which is kind of the heart of the movie, for me, and so that's why I wanted to do the movie, that's why I wanted to create the sort of things I created. And I'll show you, you know, another thing that I found interesting is what we really were emoting to when you take a look at it. So here's the behind the scenes, a couple of little shots here. So, when you saw my footage, you were seeing this: basically, a bunch of guys flipping a ship upside down, and the little Mir subs are actually about the size of small footballs, and shot in smoke. Jim went three miles went down, and I went about three miles away from the studio and photographed this in a garage. And so, but what you're emoting to, or what you're looking at, had the same feeling, the same haunting quality, that Jim's footage had, so I found it so fascinating that our brains sort of, once you believe something's real, you transfer everything that you feel about it, this quality you have, and it's totally artificial. It's totally make-believe, yet it's not to you, and I found that that was a very interesting thing to explore and use, and it caused me to create the next effect that I'll show you, which is this sort of magic transition, and all I was really attempting to do is basically have the audience cue the effect, so it became a seamless experience for them, that I wasn't showing you my sort of interpretation, I was showing you what you wanted to see. And the very next shot, right after this -- So you can see what I was doing. So basically, if there's two subs in the same shot, I shot it, because where's the camera coming from? And when Jim shot it, it was only one sub, because he was photographing from the other, and I don't remember if I did this or Jim did this. I'll give it to Jim, because he could use the pat on the back. Okay. So now the Titanic transition. So this is what I was referring to where I wanted to basically magically transplant from one state of the Titanic to the other. So I'll just play the shot once. And what I was hoping for is that it just melts in front of you. Gloria Stuart: That was the last time Titanic ever saw daylight. RL: So, what I did is basically I had another screening room experience where I was basically tracking where I was looking, or where we were looking, and of course you're looking at the two people on the bow of the ship, and then at some point, I'm changing the periphery of the shot, I'm changing, it's becoming the rusted wreck, and then I would run it every day, and then I would find exactly the moment that I stopped looking at them and start noticing the rest of it, and the moment my eye shifted, we just marked it to the frame. The moment my eye shifted, I immediately started to change them, so now somehow you missed where it started and where it stopped. And so I'll just show it one more time. And it's literally done by using what our brains naturally do for us, which is, as soon as you shift your attention, something changes, and then I left the little scarf going, because it really wanted to be a ghostly shot, really wanted to feel like they were still on the wreck, essentially. That's where they were buried forever. Or something like that. I just made that up. It was, incidentally, the last time I ever saw daylight. It was a long film to work on. Now, "Hugo" was another interesting movie, because the movie itself is about film illusions. It's about how our brain is tricked into seeing a persistence of vision that creates a motion picture, and one of the things I had to do is, we — Sasha Baron Cohen is a very clever, very smart guy, comedian, wanted to basically do an homage to the kind of the Buster Keaton sort of slapstick things, and he wanted his leg brace to get caught on a moving train. Very dangerous, very impossible to do, and particularly on our stage, because there literally is no way to actually move this train, because it fits so snugly into our set. So let me show you the scene, and then I basically used the trick that was identified by Sergei Eisenstein, which is, if you have a camera that's moving with a moving object, what is not moving appears to be moving, and what is moving appears to be stopped, so what you're actually seeing now is the train is not moving at all, and what is actually moving is the floor. So this is the shot. That's a little video of what you're looking at there, which is our little test, so that's actually what you're seeing, and I thought it was sort of an interesting thing, because it was, part of the homage of the movie itself is coming up with this sort of genius trick which I can't take credit for. I'd love to but I can't, because it was invented like in 1910 or something like that, is I told Marty, and it's kind of one of those mind things that it's really hard to really get until you actually see it work, and I said, you know, what I was going to do, and he said, "So, let me see if I can get this straight. The thing with the wheels? That doesn't move." "And the thing without the wheels, that moves." Precisely. Brings me to the next, and final -- Marty's not going to see this, is he? This isn't viewed outside of -- The next illustration is something that, there's like all one shot theory. It's a very elegant way of telling a story, especially if you're following somebody on a journey, and that journey basically tells something about their personality in a very concise way, and what we wanted to do based on the shot in "Goodfellas," which is one of the great shots ever, a Martin Scorsese film, of basically following Henry Hill through what it feels like to be a gangster walk going through the Copacabana and being treated in a special way. He was the master of his universe, and we wanted Hugo to feel the same way, so we created this shot. That's Hugo. And we felt that if we could basically move the camera with him, we would feel what it feels like to be this boy who is basically the master of his universe, and his universe is, you know, behind the scenes in the bowels of this particular train station that only he can actually navigate through this is his normal, everyday sort of life, so the idea of doing it as one shot was very important, and of course, in shooting in 3D, which is basically it's a huge camera that's hanging off of a giant stick, so to recreate a steadycam shot was the task, and make it feel kind of like what the reaction you got when you saw the "Goodfellas" shot. So what you're now going to see is how we actually did it. It's actually five separate sets shot at five different times with two different boys. The one on the left is where the shot ends, and the shot on the right is where it takes over, and now we switch boys, so it went from Asa Butterfield, who's the star of the show, to his stand-in. I wouldn't say his stunt double. There's a crazy rig that we built for this. And so this is, and now this is set number three we're into, and then we're going to go into, basically the very last moment of the shot is actually the steadycam shot. Everything else was shot on cranes and various things like that, and it literally was done over five different sets, two different boys, different times, and it all had to feel like it was all one shot, and what was sort of great for me was it was probably the best-reviewed shot I've ever worked on, and, you know, I was kind of proud of it when I was done, which is, you should never really be proud of stuff, I guess. So I was kind of proud of it, and I went to a friend of mine, and said, "You know, this is, you know, kind of the best-reviewed shot I've ever worked on. What do you think was the reason?" And he said, "Because no one knows you had anything to do with it." So, all I can say is, thank you, and that's my presentation for you.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
朝方、意識を取り戻した俺は、まず同じく疲労してぐったりと寝入っているコルティナとフィニアを蹴り起こした。男になった彼女たちの姿は嫌いではないが、やはり彼女たちはこの姿でないと違和感がある。「お前ら、よくも好き放題ヤッてくれたな?」「ぴゃ!?」「あ、あの、これはつい......」怒りに青筋を立てて仁王立ちしようとした俺をしり目に、コルティナは左右を見回した後、服を拾ってダッシュで逃げだした。おそらくはこの状況に際して混乱し、まずは撤退して状況を落ち着けることを選択したのだろう。そしてフィニアは完全に動揺し、その場で正座をして謝罪し始める。「申し訳ありません、ニコル様! 長年の夢が叶うと聞いてつい反射的に」「男になるのが?」「いえ、ニコル様を襲えるのが」「もっとダメだ!?」まぁ、俺もこれまで彼女たちに酷いことをしてきている。ここで厳しく追及するのは筋違いなのかもしれない。それでも素直に謝罪したフィニアならまだ許せる。「フィニアはもういいよ、謝罪を受け入れる。でもコルティナは許さん」「え、あの、私としてはの仲が悪くなるのは......」「フィニアの気持ちは嬉しいけどね。でも無理やりはいけない。俺が言うことじゃないかもしれないけど」「うう......」いつもなら俺たちの仲を取り成してくれるフィニアだが、この状況では発言力は強くない。「とりあえず服を着替えよ? その恰好じゃ、俺の方が襲いそうだ」フィニアは女の身体に戻っていて、裸のまま正座していた。「そ、そうですね! お手伝いします」「いや、自分の服を着て! お願いだから!?」そんな彼女に服を着せ、自分の身支度も整え、俺はややよたつく足取りで部屋を出たのだった。「あら、おはよう、レイド。満足した?」部屋を出て食堂へ向かうと、そこではマリアが食事の用意をしていた。「意外と絶倫なのね。ライエル譲りなのかしら」「そういう意味じゃないし! もう」「フフ、ごめんなさいね。どうもあなたの中身がレイドだと知ったら、対応に困っちゃって」「その気持ちはわかるけど。俺......わたしも微妙に話しにくいし」「私に対しては『俺』でも『わたし』でも、どっちでもいいわよ? あなたはニコルであり、レイドでもあるんだから」「そう言ってくれると助かる。それよりコルティナは?」「さっき服を抱えて裏口から飛び出してったわ。はしたないわね」そういう問題ではないと思うが、この辺りの鷹揚さはマリアの持ち味だ。先ほどは反射的に逃げ出したのだろうが、きっと彼女も、今頃は反省しているはずなのだから。「そう言えばみんなは?」「ミシェルちゃんは久しぶりに村の家に戻ってるわ。まだ残してたから」「そうなんだ。それは......なんだかいいね」戻れる家があるというのは、誰にとってもありがたい物だ。まで住んでいたとは言え、この村は彼女の生まれた故郷である。「クラウド君もそっちに泊まっているわよ?」「なんだって!?」最近怪しいあの二人が、親のいない状況で二人っきりとか、危険で仕方ない。どうしてあのクラウドを野放しにしたのかと、マリアを小一時間問い詰めたい。「どうして猛獣の前に上等な餌を放置するような真似を?」「酷い言われようね。あなたが言っても説得力が無いわよ」「こっちは餌にされた方! いや、ミシェルちゃんも同じだけど」「大丈夫よ。クラウド君ってヘタレだから」「マリアにまでこの評価か......それはそれで、哀れな」とはいえ、だからこそミシェルちゃんも安全ということになるだろう。俺は腰の痛みを訴えてきたため、食堂の椅子に腰掛ける。「そう言えばミシェルちゃんたち、凄かったらしいわよ」「ほら、ストラールでの防衛線で! あの魔神も仕留めたらしいのよ」「三体!?」ライエルとマリアのコンビですら、二体で苦戦していた。街の外壁という防御設備があったとしても、それは称賛に値する戦果だ。「クラウド君があの双剣の魔神を防ぎ切り、遠距離からミシェルちゃんの精密射撃で」「うわぁ、ミシェルちゃんの腕前、どんどん人間離れしてくるなぁ」「クラウド君も褒めてあげなさいよ。彼がいなかったらどれだけの人が死んだか、わからなかったのよ」「それはもちろん知ってるけど、あいつすぐ調子に乗るから、なんかヤだ」「そんなつまらないことで膨れない。その仕草を見てると、あなたもすっかり女の子なのね」「ぐっ......言わないで」しかし肉体的影響を受けて、かなり女性に寄ってきていることは、否定し辛い。ましてや生まれてから近く女をやっているのだから、全く影響がない方がおかしい。幼い頃からマリアやフィニアから、女性としてのふるまいを叩き込まれてきたし、少々女性的な仕草が出ても許してもらいたいものだ。「それより、あなたたちはこれからどうするの?」「どうするって?」「ミシェルちゃんから聞いたわ。ストラールの人たちにも正体バレたのでしょう?」「あー、そう言えばそうだった」あの時、錯乱したフィニアの言葉で、俺の正体は知れ渡ってしまっている。おそらくストラールには即日、そして周辺には数日で知れ渡るだろう。そうなると、ニコルとして冒険者を続けるのは難しいかもしれない。「もう、みっともない声を上げないの。ほら頭を抱えないで」頭を抱え、髪をぐしゃぐしゃに掻き乱して、テーブルに突っ伏す。そんな俺をマリアは窘めるが、その表情はどこか楽しそうだ。「なんだか楽しそうだね?」「それはもう。ニコルのことは微妙だけど、レイドの無事が確認できたのだから、嬉しくないはずがないわ」さすがに邪険には扱えず、しかしどう返事していいかわからず、どこかぞんざいな感じに返事してしまった。しかしマリアの指摘ももっともで、今からストラールの街に帰っても、もみくちゃにされてしまう可能性がある。いちいち説明するのも面倒だし、ストラールの街をしばらく離れるのもいいだろう。それと同時に、この状況ならどこに行っても同じ対応をされそうなので、ストラールを離れる必要性も低くなっている。「んー、どうしようかな?」「この村でしばらく様子を見る?」「それも騒動になりそうだなぁ」「そうねぇ。私たちの娘がレイドだったなんて、村の人も反応に困りそうよね」「まぁ、困った時はマクスウェル頼みだよな」「そうね、マクスウェル頼みよね」「面倒ごとはあいつに押し付けとけばなんとかなる」「これまでも、なんとかなったしね」それにラウムなら、テレポートで自由に往復できるし、コルティナの家もある。ミシェルちゃんの両親もいるので、彼女の精神の安定にも役立つだろう。貴族の動向が心配だが、テレポートであちこちに飛び回れる俺たちを捕捉するのは難しいはずだ。「じゃあ、一度アイツん所に顔出してみる」「そうね。よろしく伝えといて」そう言って俺は、ホットミルクを一気に呷り、熱さに舌を焼いて悶えたのだった。	Once I regained my consciousness early in the morning, I woke up Cortina and Finia, who were fatigued and weary, with a kick. They did treat me terribly, but I guess I reaped what I sowed. As they jumped up from their sleep, I confirmed that they had returned to their normal selves, making me relieved. I didn’t exactly hate their male forms, but I felt uncomfortable unless they looked like this. “You two really did as you pleased with me, huh?” “Pya?!” “U-Um, I just...” Seeing me standing in a daunting pose with veins bulging from anger, Cortina looked around, then picked up her clothes and made a run for it. She probably got flustered by the situation and chose to flee until things calmed down. It was quite a Cortina-like decision, never accepting defeat. Finia on the other hand looked shaken and she prostrated on the ground in apology. “My apologies Lady Nicole! When I heard my long-desired wish would come true, I acted on reflex!” “You mean, becoming a man?” “No, attacking Lady Nicole.” “It was even worse than I imagined!!” Well, I’ve treated them quite terribly too so far. I guess it wouldn’t be right to scold her too much. Anyway, I could still forgive Finia who apologized properly. “Fine, I’ll accept your apology, Finia. But I’m not forgiving Cortina.” “Huh, um, it would sadden me if your relationship worsened...” “I’m happy that you feel that way. But forcing it like that isn’t an option. Not that I’m one to talk but still.” “Ugh...” She was usually the one mediating between us, but she didn’t have much persuasiveness in this situation. “For the time being, change your clothes maybe? I think I’d end up attacking you if you remain like that.” Finia, now in a female form, was sitting on the floor naked. Her slender limbs were too tempting even for me. “O-Oh yes! Let me help you.” “No, I mean yourself! Please, just get dressed!” It was quite like her to worry about me first. Once I got her dressed and dressed myself too, I left the room with slightly giddy steps. “Oh, good morning, Reid. Are you satisfied?” When I headed to the dining hall, Maria was there preparing breakfast. She dropped a ******* bomb on me as she saw my face. “You’re surprisingly matchless. Did it pass down from Lyell?” “I didn’t mean that! Agh.” “Haha, sorry. I wasn’t sure how to react now that I know you’re Reid.” “I know what you mean... Even I find it hard to talk.” “You can use either male or female tone with me, okay? You’re both Reid and Nicole, after all.” “Well, thanks for that. But more importantly, where’s Cortina.” “I saw her rush out of the back door while holding her clothes earlier. She’s so immodest.” That wasn’t the problem here, but I guess this was Maria’s broad-mindedness for you. I’ll be sure to lecture Cortina later. She fled by reflex earlier, but I’m sure she’s reflecting on it too. “Actually, where’s everyone?” “Michelle returned to her village home after so long. It was still around.” “Oh, that... sounds nice.” Everyone felt good knowing they had a home to return to. Though she only lived here until she was seven, this village was still the place she was born in. It was heartening for her house to still be left behind. “Cloud is also staying there.” “What?!” Those two have been acting fishy lately, so leaving them alone with no parents seemed like a bad idea. I really wanted to complain to Maria for leaving Cloud to his own devices. Actually, let’s do just that. “Why did you leave a delicious bait before a wild beast?” “That’s a terrible way of putting it. And you’re not the one to talk.” “I was the bait here! I mean, Michelle’s the same.” “It’s alright. Cloud is quite a wuss.” “So even you’re seeing him that way... I kinda feel sorry for him.” He was really sloppy for even Maria’s evaluation to be like that. But I guess that would contribute to Michelle’s safety now. My back was hurting so I sat down on the chair in the dining hall. Maria prepared hot milk for me and told me the details about them. “Speaking of which, Michelle and Cloud seem to have done a splendid job.” “I mean, during the defense of Stollar! They apparently took down three of those Devils.” “Three?!” Lyell and Maria’s combo had a hard time against two of those. Even if they had the outer wall as a defensive mechanism, that achievement was still praiseworthy. “Cloud defended against those Twin-Bladed Devil attacks, while Michelle accurately sniped them from a distance.” “Wow, Michelle’s skill is crossing the human domain more and more.” “Praise Cloud too. Without him, there would’ve been countless deaths.” “I know that, but he gets carried away so I kinda don’t want to.” “Don’t get sulky over something so trivial. Seeing you like that, I really see you as a girl.” “Ugh... Don’t say it.” My mind was basically still that of a man’s. But it was hard to deny that it was being influenced by my body and approaching a woman’s. I’ve spent nearly sixteen years of my life as a girl after being reborn, so it would’ve been stranger if that wasn’t the case. Maria and Finia had been drilling lady manners in me since an early age too, so I wanted them to close an eye when I acted like a girl. “More importantly, what do you plan to do after this?” “What do you mean?” “I heard it from Michelle. Your identity got revealed to the Stollar residents, right?” “Oh, right, now that you mention it.” Back then, Finia’s panic made my identity well-known. I’m sure it got spread through Stollar the same day, and would spread all around in the next few. If so, continuing to work as an Adventurer as Nicole might be difficult. “Don’t let out such a pathetic voice. Stop holding your head.” I held my head and ruffled my hair as I plopped over on the table. Maria was rebuking me, but she seemed somewhat amused. “You seem to be having fun, huh?” “Well, of course. I’m still feeling conflicted about Nicole, but I now know that Reid is fine, so it’s natural that I’m happy.” I couldn’t be acting hard-headedly, but I didn’t know how to react, resulting in a somewhat sloppy response. Still, Maria’s point was valid. If I return to Stollar now I’ll just get mobbed. It would be a pain to explain things to every person I meet, so perhaps staying away from that city was the best choice. Then again, it would be the same situation wherever I went, so that lowered the necessity to leave Stollar. “Hmm, what do I do...” “What about staying here in this village for the time being?” “That would get things noisy too.” “True. The villagers would find it hard to react knowing my daughter was Reid all along.” “Well, Maxwell is the guy when troubled.” “Yes, Maxwell is the guy.” “If I push every problem on him he’ll do something about it.” “Things worked out until now, after all.” Plus, I could make trips to Raum as I pleased with Teleport, and there was Cortina’s house too. Michelle’s parents were also there, so they would serve as her mental support. I was worried about the nobles, but they’d have a hard time catching us if we teleported around. “Then I guess I’ll drop by his place for the time being.” “Alright, tell him hi from me.” Saying that, I downed the hot milk in one go, only to end up burning my tongue and writhing in pain.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 5, "inserted_lines_src": 12, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
集会が引けたあと長いこと膝まずき聖水に両手を浸し胸で十字を切った私の小さな身体は木製の信徒席の至るところで疑問符のように沈んでいたイエスに「私を直して」と乞うたのにその返事が返って来なかった時私の罪は焼焦げ舌の上の砂糖のように私の口は溶けて鎮まるという希望を胸に沈黙を友にしたのだでも恥辱はあと味として尾を引いたそして私に高潔さを再教育する中で私がどんなものにでもなれるのだという奇跡を母が教えてくれ「よし、男の子になるぞ!」と決めたのだ「よし、男の子になるぞ!」と決めたのだそれは可愛げのあるもので野球帽を頭に歯抜けの笑顔や擦り剝けた膝小僧をイケてるファッションとし私の野心に残されたものとかくれんぼをした他の子供たちが遊べないゲームの私は勝者だった私は解剖学の謎で訊かれても答えられない疑問でぎこちない男の子と痛々しい女の子の綱渡りをしながらも 12歳にもなると男の子らしさはもはや可愛げのあるものではなかったスカートからのぞいていた私の膝小僧を懐かしむ感傷的なおばさんは私のような振る舞いは決して一家に「夫」をもたらさない― つまり異性との結婚と出産のために私が存在することを思い出させそんな彼らの矢継ぎ早の侮辱を私はグッと堪えたのだ当然私はクローゼットから出ることはなかったでも学校の子供たちは否応なくこじ開けてきた聞いたことのない名前で呼ばれもした「レズビアン」でも私はバービーというよりケンで女の子というよりは男の子だった自分の身体は嫌いだったけど有るがままにさせておける程愛しあたかも家のように扱っているのだ家がバラバラになる時は退去したりせずその中で快適に過ごせるよう努力するだろうゲストを招待できるように綺麗にして皆が立てるくらいに床を十分に強くするだろうでも母は私が消え行くモノに自らをなぞらえていると恐れている母の耳に鳴り響いていたのはマヤ・ホールリラ・アルコーンブレイク・ブルッキングトン母は私がひっそりと命を絶ち界隈でのお悔やみの話題となれ果てるのを恐れている母はこう責め立てた「お前は大霊廟に変わり果て歩く棺となりニュースの見出しがお前のアイデンティティを見世物にしブルース・ジェンナーのように噂されるその身体で生きることの無慈悲さは公平性を期すためのページのただの注記扱いなのに」と生身の人間というよりも幽霊だから私たちは人間とはみなされないのだ人々は私のジェンダー表現は企みで否応なく罠にかけようとしていると恐れ私の身体は彼らの目や手に晒されそのいかがわしさを貪ってしまえば気に食わないものは全て吐き出すのだろう彼らは私をクローゼットに押し戻して他の骸骨たちと並べ上げるのだ私は最高の人寄せになるだろう人々を棺に誘い出し墓石の綴りを誤植するのがどれ程たやすいことか? そして人々は未だ考えるだろうなぜ生き絶えだえの少年達がいるのかと彼らは高校の廊下から消え去り瞬く間にSNSで話題の標的にされありふれたクラスの討論が最後の審判の日になることを恐れている今や来るべき潮流は親よりもトランスジェンダーの子供たちを受入れることだトランスジェンダーの遺書があふれ私たちの身体が罪についての教訓だと気づきその身体を愛する方法を学ぶまで一体どれ程の時間が掛かるのかこの全ての魂や憐れみを神が救わなかったように私の血がキリストの足を洗うワインではないように私の祈りは今や咽喉につかえているのだ多分私は最後には直るのかそれともどうでもよくなるのかあるいは神は私の祈りを終に聞いて下さったのだありがとうございました	I was kneeling long after the congregation was on its feet, dip both hands into holy water, trace the trinity across my chest, my tiny body drooping like a question mark all over the wooden pew. I asked Jesus to fix me, and when he did not answer I befriended silence in the hopes that my sin would burn and salve my mouth would dissolve like sugar on tongue, but shame lingered as an aftertaste. And in an attempt to reintroduce me to sanctity, my mother told me of the miracle I was, said I could grow up to be anything I want. I decided to be a boy. It was cute. I had snapback, toothless grin, used skinned knees as street cred, played hide and seek with what was left of my goal. The winner to a game the other kids couldn't play, I was the mystery of an anatomy, a question asked but not answered, tightroping between awkward boy and apologetic girl, and when I turned 12, the boy phase wasn't deemed cute anymore. It was met with nostalgic aunts who missed seeing my knees in the shadow of skirts, who reminded me that my kind of attitude would never bring a husband home, that I exist for heterosexual marriage and child-bearing. And I swallowed their insults along with their slurs. Naturally, I did not come out of the closet. The kids at my school opened it without my permission. Called me by a name I did not recognize, said "lesbian," but I was more boy than girl, more Ken than Barbie. It had nothing to do with hating my body, I just love it enough to let it go, I treat it like a house, and when your house is falling apart, you do not evacuate, you make it comfortable enough to house all your insides, you make it pretty enough to invite guests over, you make the floorboards strong enough to stand on. My mother fears I have named myself after fading things. As she counts the echoes left behind by Mya Hall, Leelah Alcorn, Blake Brockington. She fears that I'll die without a whisper, that I'll turn into "what a shame" conversations at the bus stop. She claims I have turned myself into a mausoleum, that I am a walking casket, news headlines have turned my identity into a spectacle, Bruce Jenner on everyone's lips while the brutality of living in this body becomes an asterisk at the bottom of equality pages. No one ever thinks of us as human because we are more ghost than flesh, because people fear that my gender expression is a trick, that it exists to be perverse, that it ensnares them without their consent, that my body is a feast for their eyes and hands and once they have fed off my queer, They'll put me back into the closet, hang me with all the other skeletons. I will be the best attraction. Can you see how easy it is to talk people into coffins, to misspell their names on gravestones. And people still wonder why there are boys rotting, they go away in high school hallways they are afraid of becoming another hashtag in a second afraid of classroom discussions becoming like judgment day and now oncoming traffic is embracing more transgender children than parents. I wonder how long it will be before the trans suicide notes start to feel redundant, before we realize that our bodies become lessons about sin way before we learn how to love them. Like God didn't save all this breath and mercy, like my blood is not the wine that washed over Jesus' feet. My prayers are now getting stuck in my throat. Maybe I am finally fixed, maybe I just don't care, maybe God finally listened to my prayers. Thank you.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
入隊した理由は率直に言うと大学が滅茶苦茶に高くてそれを軍が支援してくれたからでしたまた私が入隊したのはそれが自分の知っていることだったからうまくやれると思っていたことだからでした軍人の家の出身ではありませんし軍人の子供でもありません私の家族は誰も入隊したことはありません初めて軍を知ったのは 13歳の時士官学校へ入れられた時でした母は私が8歳の頃から士官学校へ入れるぞと私を脅していたのです私は問題児で母はいつもこう言っていました「しっかりしないとアンタを士官学校へ入れるからね」私はこう返すのでした「お母さんもっとがんばるよ」そして私が9歳の時から母はパンフレットを見せ始めました冗談ではないことを見せようとしたんですねパンフレットを見て私は言います「分かったお母さん本気なのは分かったからこれからもっとしっかりやるよ」 10 歳 11 歳になり私の素行は悪くなり続けました 10 歳前には成績も仮及第で素行面でも警告を受け初めて手錠をかけられたのは 11 歳のときでしたそして私が 13 歳の時母がこう言いました「これ以上耐えられない士官学校へ入れるからね」私は母を見てこう返しました「お母さん怒っているのはわかるよこれから頑張るからさ」「いいえもう来週から入るのよ」と言われましたこうした経緯で私は軍というものに出会いました母は良いアイデアだと思っていたのですそれには心底反対しなければなりませんなぜなら私がそこへ行き始めて実際最初の 4 日で既に学校から 5 回逃げていたからです学校の周りに 5 つ大きな黒いゲートがあり教官が目を離す度に私はとにかくそのゲートから出ていくのですここにいたくなければいつでも去って良いという教官が勧める通りにですですので私は言います「そういうことならぜひとも帰りたいです」一度も成功しませんでした私は逃げようとし続けましたただ最終的にはしばらくそこで過ごした後その士官学校で最初の一年が過ぎる頃には自分が成長していることに気付きましたこの学校で学んだこと身に付けた規律や上下関係はそれまで私が知らなかったものでしたそれは私が何か大きなものの一部チームの一員であること皆にとって自分の存在が意味あるのだと感じリーダーシップがただの言葉だけのものでなく実際本当に全体の経験において核を成すものだと知りましたそしてついに高校を卒業する頃になると自分が何をしたいか考え始めましたおそらく他の大勢の学生同様それがどういうことなのか何をしたいのか分かりませんでした私は自分が尊敬し憧れる人たちのことを考えましたたくさん考えました特にそれまでの人生で出会った私が憧れた人たちのことを考えました彼らは皆アメリカ合衆国の制服を着てましただから私にとっては先程の問いも答えも本当に簡単になりました何をしたいかという問いにはすぐにこう答えが出ました私は軍の士官になろうかなと軍は手順通り私を訓練しました私が入隊したのは戦争に行きたかったからではないと言いましたが実は私が入隊した 1996 年には特別何も起こっていない頃で危険だと感じたことはありませんでした母の元へ行って― 最初入隊した時私は 17 歳だったので入隊するには親の許可が必要だったのです― 必要書類を母に渡しました母は軍を士官学校と同じようなものだと捉えていました「これまでこの子にとって良かったのだしこのまま続けさせましょう」という感じです母は自分がサインしている書類が自分の息子を士官として登録するものとは想像だにしていません私は入隊手続きを進めますその段になっても私が考えていたのはやったぜたまに週末とか 2 週間集中訓練があるくらいだろうといった感じですそして入隊から 3〜4 年母があの書類にサインしてから 3 〜4年後世界の全てが変わりました 9.11 後私が選択した道は全く別のものに変わっていました入隊したのは戦うためではありませんでしたが軍の一員となっていたので戦うことこそまさに私の任務でした私は自分が率いることになる部下たちのことをたくさん考えました 9.11 のすぐ後 3 週間後のことになりますが私は海外へ向かう飛行機に乗っていましたただし軍と一緒ではありません海外の学校へ行く奨学金を得たからでした私は奨学金で海外へ行きそこで勉強し生活することになります行き先はイギリスでとても良い経験でしたただ同時に私と一緒に訓練を受けてきた者たちはずっと一緒に訓練をこなしてきて戦争に備えてきた仲間たちは実際に戦争へ赴くところでしたその時彼らはほとんど誰も知らず訓練を受けてきた我々自身も地図で場所すら示せないような所へ身を投じようとしていました私は大学院の修士課程で 2 年を過ごしアメリカ合衆国ができる数百年も前に建てられたオックスフォードの建物で机に向かって教師とフェルディナンド大公の暗殺やその第一世界大戦開戦への影響を話し合っていた間も私の心と頭はずっと部下たちのこと考えていました彼らはケブラーを身に着け防弾チョッキを手にとって真っ暗闇でどう着替えるかどうマシンガンを整備するか把握しようとしているところですそれが新たな現実でした大学院を終えて復隊しアフガニスタンへ出動しようとする頃には初戦闘もまだの私に対して部下の中には二度目三度目の出動という隊員がいました初めて部隊で出動した時のことを覚えています軍で戦闘任務に出る時には皆互いの肩を確認しますそこに記章が付いているからですですので他の隊員と出会うときまず握手を交わしそれから相手の肩を見ます相手がどこのあるいはどの部隊に参加したのか知りたいからですその時の隊員で肩章無しは私だけでした視線を感じる度肩が灼けるようでしたただ部下と話す機会なのでなぜ入隊したのか尋ねます私の場合は大学が高かったからです多くの部下たちは全く別の理由を持っています義務感で入隊した者怒りを抱えており何かしたいと入隊した者家族から重要なことだからと言われて入隊した者何らかの形で復讐を望んで入隊した者皆が皆様々な異なる理由を抱えていましたそうした者たちが皆海を越え紛争で戦っていました私にとって驚きだったのがずっと完璧には理解できなかったある常套句を耳にし始めたことです 9.11 直後から皆が使い始めたのを耳にしているでしょう「任務ご苦労様」私もただそれに倣う感じで部下たちに同じことを言い始めました自分で任務に出る前のことです意味なんて考えていませんでしたただこう言うのが正しく聞こえたのですこう言うのが海外で従軍した者に掛ける正しい言葉だと思えたからです「任務ご苦労様」ただ私はこの言葉に関する背景も分からずそしてそれが受け取る者にとってどんな意味を持つのかも分かりませんでした初めてアフガニスタンから戻った時私は紛争から生きて帰れればそれで危険は全てお終いだと思っていました紛争地域から戻ることができればあれを切り抜けられて良かったとサッと額を拭うような感覚で終われると思っていました大勢の人にとっては例え家に帰ることができても戦争は続いているのだということを理解せずに我々の心の中で続いているのです我々の記憶の中で続いているのです我々の感情の中で続いているのです許してください我々が人混みに紛れるのを嫌っても許してください我々は完全灯火管制下で一週間過ごします我々は白色光を使ってはいけないのですなぜなら白色光は数キロ先からも見つけられますそれに対して弱い緑や弱い青の光ならば遠くからは見つかりませんだから許してくださいそのような完全灯火管制下から一週間後タイムズスクエアのど真ん中に帰っても我々は適応するのが難しいのです許してください家族の元に帰ったとき自分抜きで暮らしていたところへいざ戻ってきたところで「日常」という感覚に身を落ち着けるのは難しいのですなぜなら「日常」はもう変わってしまったから帰った時のことを覚えています私は皆と話したかった皆に私が経験してきたことを聞いて欲しかった私の所に来て聞いて欲しかった「何をしたの?」と私の所に来て言って欲しかった「どんな感じだった?食べ物はどうだった?」「どんな経験をしたの? どんな風に過ごしてきたの?」ですが私が聞かれた唯一の質問は「誰か人を撃った?」でしたそして人々が聞きに来たのはせいぜいそれだけでしたなぜならばそこには何か言ったことで傷付けたりあるいは何か引き金を引いてしまうかもという恐れや気遣いがあるからですならばいっそ共通の態度として何も言わないとなりますこれが問題なのは我々の働きが知られてもいないもしくは気にも掛けられないと感じられてしまうことです「任務ご苦労様」これで終わりです私がもっと理解したかったのはその背景でありどうして「任務ご苦労様」では十分でないかということです我々の周りには実際男女 260万人ものイラクやアフガニスタン帰りの退役軍人がいますその人のことは分かることもありますし分からないこともありますただあの感覚が共通の体験が共通の絆があります我々は知っています我々の人生であの体験あの一章は閉じたかもしれませんがまだ終わってはないのです我々は「任務ご苦労様」について考えます人々に聞かれます「ではあなたにとってはどういう意味なのか」私にとっては我々の物語を知ることです我々が何者なのかを聞くことですこれほどに多くの人たちが持つ強さ我々の仲間の強さを知りそして我々の任務がどれだけの意味を持つのかを知ることです「任務ご苦労様」とは我々が帰ってきて制服を脱いだからといって我々の任務があっさりと終わったわけではないことを知ることです実際にはまだまだ膨大なものを捧げられますし与えられます例えば我々の友人テイラーウルエラ彼はイラクで足を失いますが二つ大きな夢を持っていました一つは兵士になることもう一つは野球選手になることです彼はイラクで足を失います国に戻って足を無くしてしまったから二つ目の夢はおしまいだと考えるよりは野球選手になる夢を実現させようと考え VET Sports なるグループを立ち上げます今では国中の退役軍人と共に治療の一環としてスポーツを楽しむグループとなりました例えばタミーダックワース彼女はヘリのパイロットでした彼女のヘリは操縦するのに両手と両足が必要です彼女のヘリは撃たれなんとか操縦しようとしますがヘリは彼女の指示彼女の命令に反応しません安全に着陸させようとしますがそのヘリは安全着陸しませんその理由は彼女の足が出している命令にヘリが反応しないからであってそれは彼女の足が吹き飛ばされていたからです彼女はなんとか生き延びます救護兵が彼女の命を救ったのですその後彼女は家で治療を受けますが気づくのです「私の仕事はまだ終わっていない」そして今は声を使ってイリノイ州の議員として働き退役軍人の問題を含む様々な問題のために声を上げています我々が入隊したのは我々が代表するこの国を愛しているからです我々が入隊したのは理念を信じており我々の隣人を信じているからです我々がただ望むのは「任務ご苦労様」がただの引用句以上のものになるべきということです「任務ご苦労様」の意味がただ単純に任務として進み出た兵士たちに対する心からの言葉であって欲しいのですそれは我々にとって意味のある言葉になります今だけでも戦闘時だけでもなく最後の車両が帰還したずっと後最後の銃撃が終わったずっと後にもです以上が私が任務を共にする仲間そして私が誇りに思う仲間ですご静聴ご苦労様です	I didn't come from a military family. I'm not a military brat. No one in my family ever had joined the military at all, and how I first got introduced to the military was when I was 13 years old and I got sent away to military school, because my mother had been threatening me with this idea of military school ever since I was eight years old. I had some issues when I was coming up, and my mother would always tell me, she's like, "You know, if you don't get this together, I'm going to send you to military school." And I'd look at her, and I'd say, "Mommy, I'll work harder." And then when I was nine years old, she started giving me brochures to show me she wasn't playing around, so I'd look at the brochures, and I'm like, "Okay, Mommy, I can see you're serious, and I'll work harder." And then when I was 10 and 11, my behavior just kept on getting worse. I was on academic and disciplinary probation before I hit double digits, and I first felt handcuffs on my wrists when I was 11 years old. And so when I was 13 years old, my mother came up to me, and she was like, "I'm not going to do this anymore. I'm going to send you to military school." And I looked at her, and I said, "Mommy, I can see you're upset, and I'm going to work harder." And she was like, "No, you're going next week." And that was how I first got introduced to this whole idea of the military, because she thought this was a good idea. I had to disagree with her wholeheartedly when I first showed up there, because literally in the first four days, I had already run away five times from this school. They had these big black gates that surrounded the school, and every time they would turn their backs, I would just simply run out of the black gates and take them up on their offer that if we don't want to be there, we can leave at any time. So I just said, "Well, if that's the case, then I'd like to leave." And it never worked. And I kept on getting lost. But then eventually, after staying there for a little while, and after the end of that first year I realized that I actually was growing up. I realized the things that I enjoyed about this school and the thing that I enjoyed about the structure was something that I'd never found before: the fact that I finally felt like I was part of something bigger, part of a team, and it actually mattered to people that I was there, the fact that leadership wasn't just a punchline there, but that it was a real, actually core part of the entire experience. And so when it was time for me to actually finish up high school, I started thinking about what I wanted to do, and just like probably most students, had no idea what that meant or what I wanted to do. And I thought about the people who I respected and admired. I thought about a lot of the people, in particular a lot of the men, in my life who I looked up to. They all happened to wear the uniform of the United States of America, so for me, the question and the answer really became pretty easy. The question of what I wanted to do was filled in very quickly with saying, I guess I'll be an Army officer. So the Army then went through this process and they trained me up, and when I say I didn't join the Army because I wanted to go to war, the truth is, I joined in 1996. There really wasn't a whole lot going on. I didn't ever feel like I was in danger. When I went to my mom, I first joined the Army when I was 17 years old, so I literally needed parental permission to join the Army, so I kind of gave the paperwork to my mom, and she just assumed it was kind of like military school. She was like, "Well, it was good for him before, so I guess I'll just let him keep doing it," having no idea that the paperwork that she was signing was actually signing her son up to become an Army officer. And I went through the process, and again the whole time still just thinking, this is great, maybe I'll serve on a weekend, or two weeks during the year, do drill, and then a couple years after I signed up, a couple years after my mother signed those papers, the whole world changed. And after 9/11, there was an entirely new context about the occupation that I chose. When I first joined, I never joined to fight, but now that I was in, this is exactly what was now going to happen. And I thought about so much about the soldiers who I eventually had to end up leading. I remember when we first, right after 9/11, three weeks after 9/11, I was on a plane heading overseas, but I wasn't heading overseas with the military, I was heading overseas because I got a scholarship to go overseas. I received the scholarship to go overseas and to go study and live overseas, and I was living in England and that was interesting, but at the same time, the same people who I was training with, the same soldiers that I went through all my training with, and we prepared for war, they were now actually heading over to it. They were now about to find themselves the vast majority of people, the vast majority of us as we were training, couldn't even point out on a map. I spent a couple years finishing graduate school, and the whole entire time while I'm sitting there in buildings at Oxford before the United States was even founded, and I'm sitting there talking to dons about the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, and how that influenced the start of World War I, where the entire time my heart and my head were on my soldiers who were now throwing on Kevlars and grabbing their flak vests and figuring out how exactly do I change around or how exactly do I clean a machine gun That was the new reality. By the time I finished that up and I rejoined my military unit and we were getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan, there were soldiers in my unit who were now on their second and third deployments before I even had my first. I remember walking out with my unit for the first time, and when you join the Army and you go through a combat tour, everyone looks at your shoulder, because on your shoulder is your combat patch. And so immediately as you meet people, you shake their hand, and then your eyes go to their shoulder, because you want to see where did they serve, or what unit did they serve with? And I was the only person walking around with a bare shoulder, and it burned every time someone stared at it. But you get a chance to talk to your soldiers, and you ask them why did they sign up. I signed up because college was expensive. A lot of my soldiers signed up for completely different reasons. They signed up because of a sense of obligation. They signed up because they were angry and they wanted to do something about it. They signed up because their family said this was important. They signed up because they wanted some form of revenge. They signed for a whole collection of different reasons. And now we all found ourselves overseas fighting in these conflicts. And what was amazing to me was that I very naively started hearing this statement that I never fully understood, because right after 9/11, you start hearing this idea where people come up to you and they say, "Well, thank you for your service." And I just kind of followed in and started saying the same things to all my soldiers. This is even before I deployed. But I really had no idea what that even meant. I just said it because it sounded right. I said it because it sounded like the right thing to say to people who had served overseas. "Thank you for your service." But I had no idea what the context was or what that even, what it even meant to the people who heard it. When I first came back from Afghanistan, I thought that if you make it back from conflict, then the dangers were all over. I thought that if you made it back from a conflict zone that somehow you could kind of wipe the sweat off your brow and say, "Whew, I'm glad I dodged that one," without understanding that for so many people, as they come back home, the war keeps going. It keeps playing out in all of our minds. It plays out in all of our memories. It plays out in all of our emotions. Please forgive us if we don't like being in big crowds. Please forgive us when we spend one week in a place that has 100 percent light discipline, because you're not allowed to walk around with white lights, because if anything has a white light, it can be seen from miles away, versus if you use little green or little blue lights, they cannot be seen from far away. So please forgive us if out of nowhere, we go from having 100 percent light discipline to then a week later being back in the middle of Times Square, and we have a difficult time adjusting to that. Please forgive us when you transition back to a family who has completely been maneuvering without you, and now when you come back, it's not that easy to fall back into a sense of normality, because the whole normal has changed. I remember when I came back, I wanted to talk to people. I wanted people to ask me about my experiences. I wanted people to come up to me and tell me, "What did you do?" I wanted people to come up to me and tell me, "What was it like? What was the food like? What was the experience like? How are you doing?" And the only questions I got from people was, "Did you shoot anybody?" And those were the ones who were even curious enough to say anything. Because sometimes there's this fear and there's this apprehension that if I say anything, I'm afraid I'll offend, or I'm afraid I'll trigger something, so the common default is just saying nothing. The problem with that is then it feels like your service was not even acknowledged, like no one even cared. "Thank you for your service," and we move on. What I wanted to better understand was what's behind that, and why "thank you for your service" isn't enough. The fact is, we have literally 2.6 million men and women who are veterans of Iraq or Afghanistan who are all amongst us. Sometimes we know who they are, sometimes we don't, but there is that feeling, the shared experience, the shared bond where we know that that experience and that chapter of our life, while it might be closed, it's still not over. We think about "thank you for your service," and people say, "So what does 'thank you for your service' mean to you?" Well, "Thank you for your service" means to me, it means acknowledging our stories, asking us who we are, understanding the strength that so many people, so many people who we serve with, have, and why that service means so much. "Thank you for your service" means acknowledging the fact that just because we've now come home and we've taken off the uniform does not mean our larger service to this country is somehow over. The fact is, there's still a tremendous amount that can be offered and can be given. When I look at people like our friend Taylor Urruela, who in Iraq loses his leg, had two big dreams in his life. One was to be a soldier. The other was to be a baseball player. He loses his leg in Iraq. He comes back and instead of deciding that, well, now since I've lost my leg, that second dream is over, he decides that he still has that dream of playing baseball, and he starts this group called VETSports, which now works with veterans all over the country and uses sports as a way of healing. People like Tammy Duckworth, who was a helicopter pilot and with the helicopter that she was flying, you need to use both your hands and also your legs to steer, and her helicopter gets hit, and she's trying to steer the chopper, but the chopper's not reacting to her instructions and to her commands. She's trying to land the chopper safely, but the chopper doesn't land safely, and the reason it's not landing safely is because it's not responding to the commands that her legs are giving because her legs were blown off. She barely survives. Medics come and they save her life, but then as she's doing her recuperation back at home, she realizes that, "My job's still not done." And now she uses her voice as a Congresswoman from Illinois to fight and advocate for a collection of issues to include veterans issues. We signed up because we love this country we represent. We signed up because we believe in the idea and we believe in the people to our left and to our right. And the only thing we then ask is that "thank you for your service" needs to be more than just a quote break, that "thank you for your service" means honestly digging in to the people who have stepped up simply because they were asked to, and what that means for us not just now, not just during combat operations, but long after the last vehicle has left and after the last shot has been taken. These are the people who I served with, and these are the people who I honor. So thank you for your service.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
最近になったシェリル・シルバーライト男爵は、貴族でありながらメイドだった。働いているのは王宮。しかし、王族に直接仕えているのではない。この国の『王女殿下のメイド』をしている『公爵家の娘のメイド』という、とても悲しいポジションだった。なにせ王女殿下のお世話をするには、それなりの身分の娘でなければ務まらない。そして、それなりの身分の娘であるから、やはりメイドが欲しい。ならば、シェリルもシルバーライト男爵家の家督を継いだ者としてメイドが欲しい......が、残念ながらシェリルの下っ端だった。自分の世話は、自分でやるのだ。家もないので、王宮の隅っこの小さな部屋を借りて暮らしている。王家のパーティーで余った食材などをもらえるので、それなりに快適な暮らしだ。しかし、貴族らしさはどこにもない。シルバーライト男爵家はこれでも、昔は領地を持っていたのだ。いや、正確には今でもある。しかし地下水脈が枯渇し、井戸が涸れてしまった。もともと雨が少ない土地だったので、あっという間に人が住めないほど乾燥し、荒野になってしまった。地図上ではシルバーライト男爵領となっているその土地は、こ年ほど誰も住んでいない。ただ廃村と廃教会があるだけだ。一昨年に亡くなった父は、結局、一度も自分の領地を見ることなく一生を終えた。そして家督を受け継いだシェリルも、おそらく領地を見ることはないだろう。『王女殿下のメイドをしている公爵家の娘』の機嫌を損ねないよう、家事を行なう日々だ。こうして王宮で働いているから、何となく貴族である気分を味わえている。しかし、気分だけだ。いっそのこと、実家に帰ってしまった平民の母を追いかけるべきかもしれない。母の実家は猟師だった。そうだ。私も猟師になろう――なんてことを考えていた、ある日。同僚の下っ端メイドたちと世間話をしていると、妙な噂話が出てきた。「ねえねえシェリル。知ってる? あんたのとこの領地の話」「え、何の話ですか? 私の領地がどうしたというのです?」「ああ、その様子だと知らないみたいね。いや、私も人から聞いただけなんだけど......シルバーライト男爵領って荒野じゃない?」「はい。この目で見たことはありませんけど......二百年ほど前に地下水脈が涸れ、雨もほとんど降らず、無人の荒野になっているはずです」「でしょ? なのにさ。旅人が近道だからってシルバーライト男爵領を横切ろうとしたら、なんか湖とか草原とかが広がっていたんだって」「え、え? 湖? 草原? そんな、まさか。それでしたら私、今すぐにでも再開拓しますよ」「だよねー。いやぁ、噂話ってアテにならないよねー」その日の井戸端会議はそれで終了し、それぞれの仕事に戻った。シェリルは初め、たんなる噂話としか考えていなかった。だが、次第に「もしかして本当なのでは?」と思うようになった。なにせ、シルバーライト男爵領などという忘れ去られた土地に関して、嘘の噂をわざわざ流す理由がない。誰の利益にもならない。だからこそ、信憑性が出てくる。シェリルは、現地に行って自分の目で確かめたくなった。そうして悶々とした日々を送っていると、今度は別のメイドからも同じ噂話を聞かされた。その瞬間、シェリルは決意した。「お暇を頂きたいのですが――」そう言ってメイドを辞めたシェリルは、ささやかな貯金で旅の支度をして、王都を出立する。目指すは自分の領地。もし噂が本当なら、自分は本当の貴族になれる。嘘だったら......そのときは母の実家に転がり込もう。いずれにせよ、あのまま王宮に残っていても、未来はないのだから。そし後。シェリルはようやく、シルバーライト男爵領にほど近い場所まで辿り着いた。初めての旅だというのに、よく迷子にならなかったと我ながら感心した。もっとも、それだけ、この国の街道が整備されている証拠だ。分かれ道には必ず立て札があり、それさえ見ていれば、迷子になる心配はなかった。とはいえ、街道が整備されているのはここまでだ。見捨てられた土地であるシルバーライト男爵領へ通じる街道は、この二百年、全く整備されていない。おそらく、道があったという痕跡すら残っていないだろう。「ええっと......この大きな木を右に......ですよね?」シェリルの目の前には、草原にそびえる一本の大木があった。地図を見る限り、ここから右に行けば、シルバーライト男爵領に通じているらしい。一応、そこには立て札があり、地図を裏付けることが書いてあった。が、立て札があっても道はない。いや、よく見ると、草の下に石畳が残っていた。この石畳を辿っていけば、シェリルの領地があるのだろう。「よし......行きますよ!」シェリルは二百年前まで道だった場所を歩き始める。いつか、この草むらが消え、荒野が現れるはずだ。それこそが、シルバーライト男爵領。あと半日も歩けば、到着する。「......おかしいです。草むらがどこまでも続いています......荒野などどこにもありません......」心細くて、シェリルは独り言が増えてきた。美しくすらある草原がどこまでも広がっている。おかしい。旅人の噂が本当だったとしても、草原は湖の周りにしかなかったはずだ。しかし、これでは、地平線の彼方まで緑に覆われてしまったことになる。もしや、どこかで道を間違えたのだろうか。だが、足下の草の下には、石畳がある。ここで正しいはずだ。せっかくここまで来たのだから、石畳が消えるまで進んでみようと、シェリルは歩く。やがて、森が見えてきた。隣には美しい湖があった。なだらかな丘もあり、その上には古びた教会が建っている。「まさか、ここが、シルバーライト男爵領............?」あの丘も、教会も、シェリルは見覚えがある。先祖代々伝わる風景画に描かれていたものと同じだ。しかし、湖などなかった。森もなかった。ここには小さな村と、ささやかな畑があったはずだ。やはり道を間違えたのか。いや、ならばあの丘と教会もないだろう。一体、いつからこんな緑豊かな場所になったのか。シェリルは訳も分からず、湖へと歩み寄る。信じがたいほど透明度が高い。底まで見えてしまう。「......村が、沈んでいますね」原因はわからない。だが、これでハッキリした。突如として地下水脈が復活し、地上に水が噴き出して湖となり、そして植物が育ち、草原と森が広がったのだ。「こ、これなら人が住めます......この光景を見せれば、誰だって開拓の費用を貸してくれるに違いありません!」シェリルは興奮して大声を出した。心臓がバクバクする。夢を見ているのではないかと疑い、頬をつねってみる。痛い。これは現実だ。凄い! 「やりました! やりましたよぉ!」と、叫んだ瞬間。湖の反対側で、バシャッと水しぶきが上がった。見れば、小さな女の子が裸で泳いでいた。遠くなのでよく分からないが、十歳くらいだろうか。銀色の髪を腰まで伸ばしている。輝くような白い肌。人相が分からないのに、神々しいほど美しいと思ってしまった。向こうもシェリルに気づいたらしく、こちらをジッと見つめてきた。そして、シェリル以上の大声で叫ぶ。「うわあっ、人間だぁぁぁぁアッ! 逃げろぉぉぉぉぉおっ!」「ぷにー」少女が叫ぶと同時に、湖から大きなスライムが飛び出した。そして少女はスライムに飛び乗り、丘の上へと走らせた。「え、そんな、人の顔を見るなりいきなり......ちょっと待ってください!」シェリルも走る。あの少女が何者か知らないが、もしかしたら、この場所がこうなってしまった理由を知っているかもしれない。「にしても......あの子、わたくしを見て『人間だ』と......まるで自分は人間ではないとでも言いたげな......まさか、そんな」この世界には、人間とそっくりな生き物がいる。エルフやドワーフといった種族だ。少女はその類いなのだろうか。シェリルは疑問を抱きながら、丘へ向かって走った。	Baroness Sheryl Silverlight, who recently turned eighteen, was a maid, despite being a noble. Her workplace was the royal palace. However, it wasn’t like she served the royal family directly. She was『Maid of the Duke’s House』working as『Maid of Her Highness the Princess』, quite a sad position. After all, a girl of a certain status had the right to attend to the princess. And all people of a certain status want their own maids. In that case, Sheryl Silverlight, who inherited the title of baroness, wanted a maid too.......but, regretfully, she was the first from the bottom. She had to take care of herself by herself. Since she didn’t have a house to call her own, she borrowed a small room in a corner of the royal palace. She was able to get some leftover ingredients after the royal family’s parties, so her life wasn’t that bad. However, there was nothing noble to it. But even like that, the Silverlight family had a land to call its own in the past. No, to be precise, she still has it. However, the underground water currents disappeared and the well dried up. It wasn’t a land rich in rains in the first place, so, before everyone noticed, the lands dried up to the extent of being unsuitable for living and turned barren. Judging by the map, the territory of Baroness Silverlight was uninhabited for the last hundred years. There was only an abandoned village and an abandoned church there. Her recently deceased father didn’t even get to see his own territory before he died. And Sheryl, who inherited the family, doesn’t have much of a chance to see her own territory either. 『Maid of Her Highness the Princess, Daughter of the Duke’s House』she lived her days doing housework. Working in the royal palace like that, she could sometimes get a feeling of being a noble. But only the feeling. Perhaps if would be better for her to chase after her commoner mother, who returned home. Her mother’s home was a home of hunters. That’s right. Let’s become a hunter too–on a certain day when she thought about that. She heard a strange rumor as she listened to a conversation of other maids. 「Hey, Sheryl, do you know? All the talk about your territory」「Eh, what are you talking about? What’s happened to my territory? 」「Ah, it seems that you don’t know. No, I only heard it from people myself.........the Silverlight Barony is supposed to be a wilderness, right? 」「Yes. I didn’t see it with my own eyes but......the underground water source has dried up about two hundred years ago and, without much rains, it supposedly turned into an uninhabited wilderness」「Right? Even so. A traveler took a shortcut through the Silverlight Barony and talked about a lake and grassland or something」「Eeh? A lake? Grassland? No way. If it’s true, I can repopulate my lands right now」「Right~. The rumors shouldn’t be counted on」 After that, the meeting near the well came to an end and everyone went to do their own work. At first, Sheryl only treated that as a simple rumor. However, with time she ended up thinking「What if it’s true? 」more often. After all, there was no reason to spread false rumors about the forgotten lands of the Silverlight Barony. It won’t bring any profit. That’s why it was trustworthy. Sheryl wanted to confirm that with her own eyes. As she spent her days unable to reach a decision, she heard the same rumor from another maid. At that time, Sheryl resolved herself. 「I’d like to take some time off–」 Having said that, Sheryl quit her job as a maid, gathered her humble savings and departed from the royal capital. Her destination was her own territory. If the rumors are true, I can become a real noble. If they aren’t.......I’ll go to the mother’s home. Either way, I don’t have any future prospects on the royal palace. Five days later. Sheryl was quite close to the Silverlight Barony She admired herself quite a bit for not getting lost on the way. It was a proof of proper roads maintenance. Every fork had a sign, as long as you look at it, you won’t be able to get lost. That being said, the proper roads ended here. The highway leading to the Silverlight Barony wasn’t maintained for the last two hundred years. Most likely, there was nothing resembling the roads there. 「Etto.......right of this big tree.....right? 」 There was a sole big three in the middle of the grassland before Sheryl. According to the map, right of this tree was the Silverlight Barony. There was supposed to be a signboard here. But even if there was a signboard, there was no road. No, looking closely, she noticed some cobblestones below the grass. Perhaps Sheryl’s territory was at the end of this cobblestone trail. 「All right....let’s go! 」 Sheryl walked where there was supposed to be a road two hundred years ago. Eventually, the grass is supposed to disappear to be replaced by the wilderness. This is the Silverlight Barony. I will reach it after half a day. 「......Strange. How far does the grassland reach........I don’t see the wilderness anywhere」 She felt lonely and the times she talked to herself increased. How far does this beautiful grassland stretch? Weird. Even if the rumor is true, the grassland is supposed to encircle the lake. Despite that, the grassland stretched beyond the horizon. Maybe, I wandered off the right path somewhere. However, there were cobblestones below the grass. This is supposed to be the right way. Since I came all the way here, let’s walk until the cobblestones end. Eventually, she saw a forest. There was a beautiful lake next to it. There was also a hill with an old church on top. 「Is this the Silverlight Barony?」 That hill and that church, Sheryl had a recollection of them. They looked the same as in the old painting passed down in her family from one generation to another. However, there was no lake, there was no forest. There was supposed to be only a small village with a small field. Did I wander of somewhere after all, no, there wouldn’t have been this church and the hill. Just when did this land become like this? Failing to understand anything, Sheryl walked towards the lake. It was clear to an unbelievable degree. She could see that far. 「......The village has sunk」 The reason wasn’t known to her. However, she could guess. The underground water source suddenly revived, overflowed into the lake, and gave birth to the grasslands and the forest. 「P-People can live here.....Anyone who sees it would be glad to sponsor the development! 」 Sheryl shouted in excitement. Her heart was beating loudly. Trying to verify that it wasn’t her dreaming, she pinched her own cheek. It hurts. This is the reality. Amazing! 「I did it! I did it! 」 The moment she shouted that. On the other side of the lake, there was a splash. Looking closely, there was a small nude girl swimming in the lake. Her exact age was unknown but it should be about years. Silver hair stretching to her waist. Shiny white skin. Even though she couldn’t see her looks, she could only see her as a god-like beauty. It seems that she noticed Sheryl too and was staring back. And she screamed even louder than Sheryl. 「Uwaaa, a humaaaaaaan! Run awaaaaaay! 」「Puni」 At the same time as the girl screamed, a big slime jumped out of the lake. The girl climbed on the slime and they ran towards the church. 「Eh, you just looked at my face.......please wait! 」 Sheryl too started running. Sheryl didn’t know who that girl was but, perhaps, she knew the reason behind all of those changes. 「That being said......that girl called me『human』 when she saw me......almost as if she wasn’t a human herself......no way, could it be」 In this world, there were beings with human appearance. Races like elves or dwarfs. I wonder if the girl is one of them. Sheryl ran towards the hill while having her doubts.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 1, "inserted_lines_src": 0, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
アメリカでは 67秒に1人の割合でアルツハイマー病の診断が下されていますアルツハイマー病患者は 2050年までに3倍に増えるとされ高齢化社会において彼らの介護をすることは大きな社会問題となりつつあります私の家族はアルツハイマー病患者を介護するという苦労を実際に味わいました 3世代が同居する家に育った私にとって祖父はとても身近な存在でした 4歳の時祖父と私が日本で公園を散歩していると祖父が突然いなくなりましたこれまでの人生で最も恐ろしい思いをした瞬間でありこのときに初めて私たち家族は祖父がアルツハイマー病であることを知らされましたこの12年間で祖父の症状はどんどん悪化し祖父の徘徊は家族にとって特に大きなストレスになりました祖父の介護を主に担っている叔母は祖父から目を離さないよう夜中に起きていようと苦労しそれでも度々祖父がベッドから脱け出すのを止められませんでした私は祖父の身の安全とともに叔母の健康がとても気にかかるようになりました家族の抱える問題に役立つような解決法を色々と探しましたが見つかりませんでしたそれから 2年後のある夜私が世話をしているときに祖父がベッドから出ようとするのを見ました祖父が床に足をついた瞬間に足のかかとに圧力センサーをつけたらどうだろう?と思いましたベッドを出て床に足をつけば圧力センサーが体重による圧力の増加を感知して介護者のスマートフォンに警告音を無線送信するのですそうすれば叔母は祖父の徘徊を心配せずに夜にもっとよく眠れるかもしれませんではこの靴下のデモンストレーションを行います靴下をはいたモデルに出てきてもらえますか? ありがとうさて患者が床に足をつくと― 警告音が介護者のスマートフォンに送信されますありがとう ( 拍手 ) 靴下モデルの方ありがとうさてこれが初期のデザインの設計図ですセンサーに関する技術を生み出したいという思いは長い間センサーと科学技術が好きであることが発端かもしれません 6歳の時家族で親しくしているあるお年寄りが風呂場で転倒し重いけがを負ったことがありました私は自分の祖父母のことが心配になりスマート風呂システムを構築することにしました運動センサーを風呂場のタイルに内蔵しお年寄りの患者が風呂場で転倒するのを感知するのです当時はたった6歳で幼稚園も卒業していなかったのでこのアイディアを現実にするための資金も道具も持っていませんでしたがそれでもこの研究体験によってお年寄りのためにセンサーを使いたいという願いは強固になりましたセンサー技術によってお年寄りの生活の質を高めることができると考えています計画を立ててみると 3つの困難に直面する事がわかりました 1つ目はセンサーの構築 2つ目は回路の設計そして 3つ目はスマホ用アプリのコード化ですこれによって実現するのが当初考えていたよりもずっと難しいとわかりましたまず患者の足底に楽につけられるような薄くて柔軟な装着可能なセンサーを作らなければなりませんでしたより広範な研究とゴムのような様々な素材を試した結果ゴムは足底に快適に装着するには厚すぎることがわかったのでフィルムセンサーを圧力を感知する導電性インク分子で印刷することにしました圧力がかかると分子間の導電性が高まりますそれにより電気抵抗を測定することで圧力を測定する回路を設計できました次に装着可能なワイヤレス回路を設計しなければなりませんでしたがワイヤレス信号通信には大量の電力と重くてかさばる電池が必要ですありがたいことに Bluetoothの低エネルギー技術を知りましたごく少量の電力しか消費せずコイン大の電池で動くものですこれによってシステムが夜中に電池切れになることが防げます最後に介護者のスマホを遠隔モニターに変えられる― アプリのコード化をしなければなりませんでしたこのために JavaやXCodeをさらに勉強し Blutoothの低エネルギーデバイスのためのコード化を YouTubeのビデオや色々なテキストを使って学びましたこれらの要素を組み合わせて 2つのプロトタイプを作りました 1つはセンサーが靴下に内蔵されているものもう1つは患者の足底に触れるものなら何にでも接着できる再装着可能なセンサー部品です今から1年ほど前にデバイスを祖父に試用してもらい 100%の成功率で 900回以上もの祖父の徘徊を感知しました昨夏このデバイスをカリフォルニアのいくつかの居住介護施設でベータテストすることができ現在デバイスを商品化できるものに改善できるようにフィードバックを組み込んでいるところです多くの患者さんにデバイスを試してもらうことで夜寝るときに靴下を履かない人のための解決法を見つけなければならないということがわかりました多くの患者さんによって集められたセンサーのデータは介護の改善のために役立つほかもしかしたらアルツハイマー病の治療にもつながるかもしれませんたとえば現在は患者の夜間徘徊の頻度と日中の活動や食事内容との相互関係を調べています決して忘れられないのは私のデバイスが初めて祖父が夜に徘徊するのを感知したときのことですその瞬間生活をより良いものへと変えることのできる科学技術の力に心を打たれました幸せにそして健康に人々が生きられる世界を思い描いていますどうもありがとうございました	Every 67 seconds, someone in the United States is diagnosed with Alzheimer's. As the number of Alzheimer's patients triples by the year 2050, caring for them, as well as the rest of the aging population, will become an overwhelming societal challenge. My family has experienced firsthand the struggles of caring for an Alzheimer's patient. Growing up in a family with three generations, I've always been very close to my grandfather. When I was four years old, my grandfather and I were walking in a park in Japan when he suddenly got lost. It was one of the scariest moments I've ever experienced in my life, and it was also the first instance that informed us that my grandfather had Alzheimer's disease. Over the past 12 years, his condition got worse and worse, and his wandering in particular caused my family a lot of stress. My aunt, his primary caregiver, really struggled to stay awake at night to keep an eye on him, and even then often failed to catch him leaving the bed. I became really concerned about my aunt's well-being as well as my grandfather's safety. I searched extensively for a solution that could help my family's problems, but couldn't find one. Then, one night about two years ago, I was looking after my grandfather and I saw him stepping out of the bed. The moment his foot landed on the floor, I thought, why don't I put a pressure sensor on the heel of his foot? Once he stepped onto the floor and out of the bed, the pressure sensor would detect an increase in pressure caused by body weight and then wirelessly send an audible alert to the caregiver's smartphone. That way, my aunt could sleep much better at night without having to worry about my grandfather's wandering. So now I'd like to perform a demonstration of this sock. Could I please have my sock model on the stage? Great. So once the patient steps onto the floor -- -- an alert is sent to the caregiver's smartphone. Thank you. Thank you, sock model. So this is a drawing of my preliminary design. My desire to create a sensor-based technology perhaps stemmed from my lifelong love for sensors and technology. When I was six years old, an elderly family friend fell down in the bathroom and suffered severe injuries. I became concerned about my own grandparents and decided to invent a smart bathroom system. Motion sensors would be installed inside the tiles of bathroom floors to detect the falls of elderly patients whenever they fell down in the bathroom. Since I was only six years old at the time and I hadn't graduated from kindergarten yet, I didn't have the necessary resources and tools to translate my idea into reality, but nonetheless, my research experience really implanted in me a firm desire to use sensors to help the elderly people. I really believe that sensors can improve the quality of life of the elderly. When I laid out my plan, I realized that I faced three main challenges: first, creating a sensor; second, designing a circuit; and third, coding a smartphone app. This made me realize that my project was actually much harder to realize than I initially had thought it to be. First, I had to create a wearable sensor that was thin and flexible enough to be worn comfortably on the bottom of the patient's foot. After extensive research and testing of different materials like rubber, which I realized was too thick to be worn snugly on the bottom of the foot, I decided to print a film sensor with electrically conductive pressure-sensitive ink particles. Once pressure is applied, the connectivity between the particles increases. Therefore, I could design a circuit that would measure pressure by measuring electrical resistance. Next, I had to design a wearable wireless circuit, but wireless signal transmission consumes lots of power and requires heavy, bulky batteries. Thankfully, I was able to find out about the Bluetooth low energy technology, which consumes very little power and can be driven by a coin-sized battery. This prevented the system from dying in the middle of the night. Lastly, I had to code a smartphone app that would essentially transform the care-giver's smartphone into a remote monitor. For this, I had to expand upon my knowledge of coding with Java and XCode and I also had to learn about how to code for Bluetooth low energy devices by watching YouTube tutorials and reading various textbooks. Integrating these components, I was able to successfully create two prototypes, one in which the sensor is embedded inside a sock, and another that's a re-attachable sensor assembly that can be adhered anywhere that makes contact with the bottom of the patient's foot. I've tested the device on my grandfather for about a year now, and it's had a 100 percent success rate in detecting the over 900 known cases of his wandering. Last summer, I was able to beta test my device at several residential care facilities in California, and I'm currently incorporating the feedback to further improve the device into a marketable product. Testing the device on a number of patients made me realize that I needed to invent solutions for people who didn't want to wear socks to sleep at night. So sensor data, collected on a vast number of patients, can be useful for improving patient care and also leading to a cure for the disease, possibly. For example, I'm currently examining correlations between the frequency of a patient's nightly wandering and his or her daily activities and diet. One thing I'll never forget is when my device first caught my grandfather's wandering out of bed at night. At that moment, I was really struck by the power of technology to change lives for the better. People living happily and healthfully -- that's the world that I imagine. Thank you very much.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
ヒィィィイヒィィィイヒィヒィィィィィィ!!! ヒヒが複数の大火球を放つ。近距離、遠距離ともに火力が出せる良いボスモンスターだ。完成度が高くて隙がない。そう、強敵ほど向こうから隙を晒してはくれない。だから、こっちで隙を作らせてもらう! クールタイムを終えた奥義を即発動。【ホーリースプラッシュ】で大火球を消火する。周囲に水蒸気が発生し、俺とガー坊の姿を隠す......。さあ、ここからだ! 「ガー坊! オイルショット!」機神風穴で手に入れた素材アイテム『機械油』を使うことで獲得した新スキル。ガー坊と分身たちが口から茶色いオイルを吐き出す。ロボットたちがギャグでやるような光景だが、このゲームにおいては立派な戦闘スキルだ。なんといっても、このオイルはぬるぬるしていてよく滑る......! 足に付着すればまともに立つことは出来ない。つまり、走ったり跳んだりして俺との距離を詰めることが出来なくなる! そうなればこちらは遠くか的に攻撃することが可能になるというわけだ! ただ、これだとこのスキルは強すぎるので、ちゃんと弱点も存在している。まず、このオイルは速乾性だ。数秒で乾いて滑らなくなる。ダメージも発生しない。完全に妨害専用のスキルだ。そして、空を飛べる敵には無力。接地しなければ滑ることもないからな......。まあ、こうして事実を列挙すると穴の多い作戦に思えるが、案外そうでもないのだ。速乾性ならば分身と協力して常にオイルを浴びせまくればいい。さらにオイルは発火するので、浴びている敵に対する火属性攻撃の威力が上がる。主力スキルである【バーニングアロー】の火力を底上げできるのだ。空を飛べる敵には無力と言っても、そもそも弓矢が空を飛ぶ相手に強い。オイルを恐れて空を飛ぶ相手には特効を乗せた矢を撃ち込んでやろう。ふふふ......完ぺきとは言わないが、いろいろと噛み合った作戦だ。この作戦を『オイルパニック作戦』と名付けよう......! さあ、水蒸気を隠れ蓑にしたことによりヒヒにオイルを当てることに成功した。ここからヒヒは滑り続ける。俺はそれを遠く離れた位置から狙い撃てば......。ヒィィィィィィーーーーーーーーー!!? 「......あれぇ!?」』が大炎上してるんだけど......!? ガー坊たちがスキルか奥義で追撃したからこうなったのか......? いや、違う! これはヒヒの怒りの炎がオイルに引火したんだ! いまにも発火しそうなほど怒っていたヒヒに、トドメの油を注いでしまったんだ! 要するに......半分自爆! 新戦法を試すまでもなくボスがま、まあ、この戦法はいろんな敵に試してみる予定だったし、気にすることはない。それより、敵の火属性スキルにあえて【オイルショット】を撃ち込んで暴発させるみたいな使い方も出来ると学べたのが大きい。スキルの応用を知ることもまた成長だ。「さて、ヒヒのドロップアイテムは...... ゆらゆら揺らめく真っ赤な毛をアイテムボックスにしまい、再生薬作りに必要な最後の素材『ボーンボーンキノコ』を探す。いくら強い敵を倒しても、この素材を手に入れられなかったら今回の冒険は失敗だからな。群れのボスを倒した今、ヒヒたちは出現すらしなくなった。この隙にさっさと見つけて、帰還したいものだが......。「......あ! これか! 案外小さくて、赤いんだなぁ」真紅のハート型キノコが樹木の近くに生えているのを発見した。これが『ボーンボーンキノコ』で間違いなさそうだ。でも、1つじゃ足りないからもっと集めないといけない。何か生えている場所に法則性はないだろうか......。「......ん? さっきボーンボーンキノコが近くに生えていた木は、葉っぱが何枚か熱で燃えていた。でも、こっちの木の葉っぱは燃えそうなほど赤いけど、実際に燃えているわけじゃない。より熱い木の近くにボーンボーンキノコは生えるのでは......?」俺の推理は当たった。木の葉の全体が燃えているようなとんでもない木の下には、いくつもの『ボーンボーンキノコ』が生えていた。 1つ1つ手で採取し、アイテムボックスにしまっていく。よし、これで再生薬を作るための材料はすべて揃った。後は職人さんに再生薬を作ってもらって、それ以降は再生薬が店売りされる。店売りの再生薬は割高らしいが、こっちはお金が余ってるから気にしない。とにかく、やることはやったのでこの暑苦しくてうるさい......生命力にあふれる密林を抜けよう......! 「いこう、ガー坊......。もともと海に住んでたお前にこの暑さは辛いだろうなぁ......。もう帰るからな......」「ガァー! ガァー!」オーシャンスフィア】を発動し、俺をその中にすっぽりと収めた。発動したばかりの【Bオーシャンスフィア】の水は非常に冷たく、気分がスッキリする。さらにこの状態のガー坊は地上を4足歩行するよりも速い。俺が上に乗って移動すれば、涼しく素早く密林を抜けられるというわけだ。冒険の最中は地面に生えているキノコや植物を探す必要があったのであえて使わなかった。なので、俺もすっかりこの移動方法を忘れていた。「ありがとうガー坊。本当に助かる!」ガー坊の背に乗って、俺は灼熱の密林を後にした。そろそろウーさんに依頼していた3つの風雲装備の進化と強化が完了するし、最強パーティ決定戦に向けた準備は着々と整いつつある!	Hiiiiiiiiii-hiiiiiiiiiiii-hiiiiii!!! The baboon unleashed multiple great fireballs. This was a strong boss monster who could launch strong attacks at both close and long range. It was so quick and didn’t leave an opening. Yes, the strongest enemies always had a tight guard. And so I had to make the opening myself! I activated the charge attack as soon as the cooldown was finished. Holy Splash put out the great fireballs. Steam rose around and hid both Garbow and me... Now, here was my chance! “Garbow! Oil Shot!” It was a new skill that was acquired through using a material item from the Machine God Windhole that was called ‘Machine Oil.’ It made Garbow and his clones spit out a brown oil. It looked like something robots would do as a joke, but in this game, it was a proper combat skill. After all, this oil made things very slippery...! If it got on your legs, you would not be able to stand. In other words, it would not be able to run or jump or come any closer to me! So it will be possible for me to keep my distance and unleash my one-sided attacks! However, if that was it, then this skill would be overpowered. And so there were weaknesses as well. First, the oil dried very quickly. It wouldn’t be slippery after a few seconds. It also didn’t deal any damage. It was just an obstruction skill. And it was also useless against flying enemies. Because they wouldn’t slip if they didn’t land... Well, after saying all of that like this, it sounded like it wasn’t that great of a plan after all. But it was not the case. If the oil dried quickly, then the clones just needed to work together to spit oil on it constantly. Furthermore, as the oil was flammable, that meant that fire attacks would do more damage. I could make one of my main skills, Burning Arrow, have even greater firepower. And even though it was useless against flying enemies, that wasn’t a big deal for an archer like me. If an enemy took to the air in order to avoid the oil, I could just shoot it down. Hehehe.... While not perfect, the plan worked well in different ways. I think I will call it the Oil Panic Plan...! Now, after hiding in the steam, I succeeded in hitting the baboon with oil. From here, the baboon continued to slip. And so I just needed to target from a distance and... Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii...!!? “...Huh!?” But before I could attack it, the baboon was erupting into flames...!? Was it because Garbow and his clones had launched follow up attacks...? No, it wasn’t that! It was the baboon’s rage that caused the oil to light up! The baboon was so angry that it was going to ignite, and the oil just sped up the process! So...it was almost self-destruction! I wasn’t even able to test out my new strategy... Well, I intended on testing it out on different enemies anyway, so I suppose it didn’t matter. More importantly, I learned that it could be effective to use Oil Shot if the enemy had fire type skills. Learning how to use skills was part of growth. “Now, the baboon’s drop item is... Hellfire Ragefur. That’s some sweltering fur...” I put away the item that was flaming red fur, and searched for the last material that I needed to make a regeneration potion, the ‘Bonbon Mushroom.’ No matter how many strong enemies I defeated, this adventure would be a failure if I didn’t get the materials that I needed. Now that I had killed the boss, the normal baboons stopped appearing. And so I wanted to find it now and leave... “...Ah! There it is! It’s very small and red.” I found a red, heart-shaped mushroom growing near a tree. Yes, this must be the Bonbon Mushroom. However, one wasn’t enough, and so I needed to find more of them. I wonder if there were any rules for what places they grew in... “...Hmm? The tree that was near the Bonbon Mushroom had several leaves that were burning. While the other trees had fiery red leaves, they weren’t actually burning. So there must be something different about this tree...” It turned out that I was right. I was able to find other trees that had leaves that looked like they were on fire, and there were mushrooms at the bottom. I picked them and put them in my item box. Alright, now I had all of the materials I needed to make the regeneration potion. Now I just need a craftsman to make it, and then I will be able to purchase them at stores. While it was apparently expensive to buy them, I had plenty of money, so I didn’t mind. In any case, I had finished what I came here to do, so it was time to get out of this hot and loud...lively forest...! “Let’s go, Garbow... I’m sure you don’t like this heat, since you originally lived in the sea... Let’s go back...” “Gar! Gar!” Garbow activated B Ocean Sphere so that it enveloped me. It was very cool inside, and I felt quite refreshed. Furthermore, Garbow was faster like this than when walking on four legs on the ground. And so if I rode on top of him, we could stay cool while making our way through the forest quickly. I hadn’t used it in the beginning, as there was a need to look at the ground and search for plants and mushrooms. And so I had forgotten all about being able to move like this. “Thanks, Garbow. This is a great help!” I got onto Garbow’s back and we left the scorching forest behind us. The three Windcloud items I gave to Mr. Yu would be finished soon. My preparations for the party tournament were going smoothly!	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 2, "inserted_lines_src": 5, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
イスラエルによる、ガザ地区の 21 のすべておよび西岸地区の 4 つの入植地からの単独撤退は、パレスチナ人の新しい現実を生んだ。この状況の変化に対してパレスチナ人が選択する対応は、最終的に彼らが独立国家を獲得できるかどうかを決定しうるものである。すなわちこの歴史的瞬間は、パレスチナ人にとって絶好の機会となりうる。または、アバエバン (Abba Eban) の言葉を借りれば、再び機会を逃す機会とも言える。パレスチナ人の反応は、主にパレスチナの中核政治が、解放後のガザにおける権力の大部分を占有することが予想されるパレスチナのイスラム主義運動の拡大する勢力と、いかに渡り合うかにかかっている。武装勢力はイスラエルに対する戦いを開始するのであろうか、またはパレスチナ自治政府は攻撃に対抗または制裁措置を取るのであろうか。アッバスパレスチナ自治政府議長が統治する非宗教的運動ファタハにしても、イスラム主義ハマスにしても、解放後をどのように引き継ぐかについてどの程度理解できているのであろうか。	How the Palestinians respond depends largely on how the Palestinian body politic deals with the growing power of Palestinian Islamic movements, which undoubtedly expect a significant share of power in post-withdrawal Gaza. Will armed groups resume their fight against Israel, or will the Palestinian Authority act to defuse or combat the attacks?	{ "source": "news_commentary", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
生徒達が身長や体重を測っては、次の測定に向かっていく。体重測定の列に並びながら、俺は手元にあるファイルに記入された数値を見て、こっそり溜息を吐いた。「......背、あんまり伸びてない」「ニコルさんは小さいですものね」「小さい言うな」そういうレティーナのファイルを覗き込むと、俺より十センチ以上も背が高い。彼女はクラスでも特に背が高い方だから、俺と並ぶと非常に大人っぽく......というか歳より上に見える。逆に俺は、まるで人形のような印象を受けるだろう。しかしここまで体格の伸びが悪いとなると、精密検査で異常がある方がありがたいかもしれない。マリアには悪いが、天然でこれというのは、少々将来性に不安がある。隣に立つレティーナは歳にしては背が高いので、俺と並んで立つとこちらが見上げないといけない。結構......いや、かなり癪に障る。今日は放課後にようやく精密検査の準備が整う。俺だ、ここに来なければならない。「せめてコルティナくらいの身長は欲しい。マリアまでとは言わないから」「なにおぅ!」コルティナは猫人族なので、人間の平均値よりは少し背が低い。マリアは華奢な体格だが身長は平均的だ。肉付きも悪くはないが、やはり細さの方が目を引く感じである。ライエルの体格の良さは、言うまでもない。長身で、それでいて暑苦しくならない程度の筋肉を併せ持つ。その子であるにも関わらず、俺の身長はそのそれよりも低くなりそうだ。「まて、レティ!」皮肉をぶっ放したレティーナを追いかけるべく、俺は列を離れた。しかしその俺の脇に手を差し込んで持ち上げた人物がいる。言うまでもなく、担任のコルティナだ。「こらー、ちゃんと並んでないとダメでしょ」「でも、レティが」「言い訳しないの。ほら」俺は人形のように抱え上げられながら、体重計に乗せられる。そこに出てきた数値は、やはり平均的児童よりも少ない。「ハァ......」「おかしいわねぇ。家でもご飯たくさん出してるのに」「たくさん出されても食べられないから」この身体の胃袋は非常に小さい。トースト半分でお腹になってしまう。活動に必要な最小限の食事しかとれないかのように、限界値が低い。「うーん、食が細いとは聞いていたけど、ここまで太らないとは」「太る言うな」俺は拳をコルティナの腹に叩き付けるが、全く効いた風な素振りを見せなかった。個人的にはドスッという感じだったのだが、実際はぽこんという間の抜けた音しか鳴らなかった。そして放課後。俺は再び、医務室に訪れていた。俺の他には付き添いのコルティナと、隣の学舎からミシェルちゃんが来ている。後、オマケでレティーナ。扉を開いて中に入ると、そこには様々な測定器具が配置されていた。恐らく身体測定を終えた後、大急ぎで準備を整えたと思われる。「いらっしゃい。それじゃさっそく始めましょうか」俺の顔を見るなり、女医は注射器を取り上げてニタリと笑って見せた。少し大きめの注射器をわざとらしく見せつけてくる。それにミシェルちゃんは一歩引いた。「うん」ミシェルちゃんの反応に満足そうな笑顔を返す女医に、俺はじっとりとした視線を向けた。「普通の子はこれを見ると、少しは怖がるんだけど......あなたは平気なのね?」「痛いのはわりと慣れてるし」「それは感心だけど、実はよくない事なのよ?」痛みは生命の危機を知らせる重要な信号だ。それを無視する事に慣れるという事は、命の危険に無頓着になると同義である。前世の俺はそれに慣れていた。その結果があの暴走......魔神との対決という結果を招いたのかもしれない。溜息を吐く俺の手を取り、女医は手早くアルコールを塗り付け、ぶすりと注射器を刺した。こちらが俯いた隙を突いて、滑らかな手付きで採血する。「あうっ」「油断大敵ね。じっとしておいてね」それから俺はいくつかの検査を受けた。血液検査に魔力検査。果ては視力測定まで。その結果を受けて、女医は考え込んでしまった。「うん、だいたいわかって来たわね」「たぶん、魔力蓄過症」「魔力蓄過症?」博識なコルティナですら、聞いた事が無いようだった。文字からすると、魔力を貯め込みすぎる症状か? 「これは魔力を体内に貯め込みすぎてしまう症状よ。内包量の限界を超えて貯め込んじゃうのが原因」俺は女医の言葉の先を促す。この貧弱体質の原因が分かるとあって、俺も気が急いていた。「本来、魔力の内包量と解放力はそれなりにバランスが取れているものなの。それなのに、あなたはそれが取れていない」「子供の頃には稀に起きる症状なんだけど、成長と共に解放力は成長して、症状は緩和されいずれは消える」「ふん、ふん!」「ところがあなたの場合、その差が大きすぎて、成長するまで持たないのよ。結果意識を失うまで貯め込んでしまい、気絶中にそれをゆっくりと放出する事でバランスを取っているの」「ふむ、ふむ?」「なにこの子、かわいい。頂戴」「ダメ」拳を握り締めて話を聞きいる俺に、女医は唐突に方向転換した。俺の頭を抱え込む女医にコルティナは迷いなくNOを突き付ける。「それはともかく、このままだと危ないのよ」「危ないって? 気絶して解放しきれるのでしょう?」「命の危険はないわ。気を失っている間の放出量は、平時のそれより大きいから」「なら......」「でも、それも限度があるの。貴方の場合は解放力の成長よりも内包量の方が伸びが高い。このままだと一日中気絶なんて状態になりかねない」「そんな......」まだ幼いうちだから、これで済んでいる。このまま悪化すれば、事態は悪くなる一方だ。「なおせるの?」「治せない事は無いわ。要は解放力さえ大きくなればいいのよ」彼女も魔法に挫折した身だ。解放力の小ささという問題の大きさは、十全に理解している。「本来なら訓練か成長でしかそれを伸ばす事はできない。だけど、特効薬が一つだけ存在するのよ」「え?」女医はそう言うと、ニッコリと人の悪い笑みを浮かべたのだった。	After finishing up their height or weight measurements, the students moved on to the next one. While in line for the weight measurement, I looked at the file in my hands to check the height measurements and secretly heaved a sigh. “...I haven’t grown much.” “Nicole is pretty tiny.” “Don’t call me tiny!” Peeking at the file in Letina’s hand, I noticed she’s cm taller than me. She’s pretty tall in our class, so when lined up alongside me, she seems very mature, older than her age at least. Conversely, I just give off the sense of being a doll. Well, I’d be grateful if the thorough examination revealed that my poor growth up to this point was a result of some underlying problem. It wouldn’t have been Maria’s fault, but naturally, this still makes me uneasy about the future. Standing next to Letina, who is tall for our age, I have to crane my neck up. This is fine.... not, it seriously grates on my nerves. Everything should be ready for the full checkup after school today. It can’t be helped that I have to come here twice. “I hope I can at least grow as tall as Cortina, it’s probably asking too much to reach Maria.” “What was that!?” As a cat person, Cortina was slightly shorter than the average person. Maria had a dainty physique, but her stature was pretty average. She’s filled out fine while at the same time being eye-catchingly slender. It goes without saying Lyell’s physique is good. He’s tall and toned, but not to the point that he seems sinewy. Despite still being a child, I’ll have to drop my expectations of reaching their heights. “Wait, Letina!” I left the line to chase down the smart-ass Letina. However, I was stopped by being picked up from my armpits. Suffice to say, it was my homeroom teacher, Cortina. “Hey now! Line up properly.” “But Letina...” “No excuses, get going.” And with that, I was lifted onto a weight scale like a doll. As expected, the numbers were below average for a child my age. “Haaaa...” “How odd. I’m feeding you quite a bit at home though.” “You put out plenty, but my appetite can’t handle it. This body’s stomach is so small. Just half a piece of toast is enough to fill me up. It’s like I’m only able to eat the bare minimum required to maintain basic activity. “Yeah, I’ve heard you’ve only been eating a little, but you still seemed to have put on weight.” “Don’t call me fat!” I struck my fist at Cortina’s belly, but it seemed to have as much effect as a gentle breeze. It felt like a solid smack, but it just sounded like a silly thunk. And so, after school, I once again went to the infirmary. In addition to myself, I was being escorted by Cortina, Michelle, who had just come over from the adventurer’s school next door, and behind her was the add-on Letina. Upon entering, there were various measuring devices strewn about. Most likely everything was set up in a hurry after the physical measurements today. “Welcome. How about we get started immediately.” As soon as she saw my face, the doctor picked up a syringe with a shit-eating grin. It seems she was showing an unnecessary large syringe off on purpose, which made Michelle take a step back. “Yup.” I looked at the doctor who was showing a satisfied smile from seeing Michelle’s reaction. “Normally, kids get a little scared when I show them that... but you’re fine with it?” “I’m pretty used to the pain.” “While impressive, isn’t that pretty bad?” Pain is an important signal alerting you to life-threatening danger. Getting used to ignoring pain is like becoming indifferent to death. Previously, I’d grown numb to pain. The result was that brash decision... the decision to face off with the Devil. With a sigh, the doctor grabbed my arm, smeared it with alcohol and thrust the syringe into me. She took advantage of a slight bit of carelessness to draw blood with a practiced hand. “They say carelessness is one’s greatest enemy. Sit still for a bit.” At that point, I had several tests done. A blood exam, a magic power exam, and finally an eye exam. At the end of it, she seemed to mull over the results for a bit. “Yeah, I think I’ve pretty much got it.” “Probably Magic Buildup Disease.” “Magic Buildup Disease?” Apparently even Cortina, with her extensive knowledge, hasn’t heard of it. Judging by the sound of it, an excess build-up of magic power was the cause? “It’s a result of storing too much magic power inside the body. In other words, you’re building up more magic power than you can handle.” I urged her to keep explaining. Now that I knew the cause of my poor health, I felt impatient. “Ordinarily, people have a balance between their build-up of magic power and their release rate of it. However, that’s not the case with you.” “Uh-huh.” “It rarely happens in children, and normally as they grow up, their ability to release magic increases, so the symptoms naturally abate and eventually disappear as the child matures.” “Mhm, mhm!” “In your case, the difference is too great to wait until you reach adulthood. You’re storing up so much up until you pass out and then balancing it out by releasing it slowly during your fainting spells.” “Hm, hmm?” “This kid is too cute. Let me have her a bit.” “No way.” The doctor suddenly turned toward me while I clenched my fist listening to her talk. While I was completely lost in thought, Cortina quickly blocked the doctor. “At any rate, if this goes on it’ll be dangerous.” “Dangerous? She just has to expel excess mana in her sleep no?” “There’s no immediate threat to her life. The rate of release is greater during her fainting spells than during normal times.” “Then...” “But that’s the limitation. She’s more likely to increase her absorption rate than her release rate. If it keeps up she may spend all day passed out.” “That’s...” I’m still young so it’s manageable right now. But if this keeps going it’ll only get worse over time. “Can you fix it?” “Nothing can’t be cured. In short, everything will be fine if we just increase her rate of release by a greater degree.” “If we could just do that, we wouldn’t be in this mess,” Cortina said with a look that seemed to scream “What the hell are you even saying right now”. She too was frustrated by her magical release rate. You could say her small rate of release was a major problem for her, so she knew full well the difficulties involved. “Normally speaking, you only improve it by constant training and natural growth. However, there “What?” Saying that, the doctor gave us a sickly sweet smile.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 5, "inserted_lines_src": 6, "inserted_lines_trg": 4 }
これがよくある話ですすでに少しは知っている話です生物学とは強い者が生き残る戦争である企業や国家は競争相手を打ち負かし破壊し征服することでのみ成功する政治とはどんな代償を払っても勝つことにあるでも新しい物語の兆しが見え始めたように思いますそれはいくつかの異なる分野に広がりそこでは協力集団行動そして複雑な相互依存がより重要な役割を演じますそして支配的ながらそれだけが重要とは言えない競争や適者生存の役割は少し縮んでスペースを作ります「スマートモブズ」を書いたとき私はコミュニケーションやメディアそれに集団行動の関係について考え始め本を書き終えたあとも考え続けていました実際振り返ってみると人類のコミュニケーション媒体と我々が社会を形成する方法は非常に長い間共に進化してきました人類は約1万年前に農業文明で定住したときよりもはるかに昔から存在していました小さな家族集団で狩猟型遊牧民はウサギを狩り食物を集めましたその頃の富の形は生きるのに十分な食物でしたしかしある時点で彼らはより大き獲物を狩るために団結しました実際彼らがどうやってそうしたのかは知りませんしかし彼らは集団行動に伴う問題をいくつか解決したにちがいありませんなぜなら他の集団と争っている間はマストドンの狩猟が出来ないからですどうやってかはわかりませんが新しい富のかたちが現れてきたのは明らかです腐る前に家族が食べきれないほどのタンパク質がとれこのことが新しい社会をつくる原動力となる社会問題を引き起こしたそのマストドンの肉を食べた人は狩人とその家族に何か負債があったのか? そうなら彼らはどうやって取引をしたのか? 我々はそれを知るすべはありませんが何か象徴的なコミュニケーションがあったことは間違いないでしょうもちろん農業とともに最初の大きな文明が築かれ最初の都市が泥とレンガから造られ最初の帝国が出来ましたそしてこれらの帝国の管理者たちは借出された小麦や羊そしてワインその上に義務づけられる税金の記録をつける人を雇い課された税金は粘土に印付けられましたそれからしばらくしてアルファベットが発明されましたそしてこの強力なツールは帝国の会計を記録したエリート管理者の間のみで何千年もの間使われていましたそれから他のコミュニケーションテクノロジーが新しい媒体の発明に貢献し印刷機が導入され数十年で何百万もの人が読み書き出来るようになりましたそして読み書きが出来る人口から新しい形の集団的行動が知識や宗教政治の分野で出現しました以前は考えられなかった科学革命宗教改革立憲民主制が可能になりましたそれは印刷機から作られたのではなく読み書きが出来ることから始まった集団的行動によって可能になりましたそしてまた新しい富のかたちが現れました商業は太古からあり市場は十字路と同じくらい古いのですが我々が知る資本主義はたったの数百年の歴史しかなく合資会社、分担損害保険複式簿記のように協同の措置と技術によって可能となりました現在もちろん問題の解決を促進するテクノロジーはインターネットに基づきますそして多対多の時代あらゆるデスクトップは現在印刷機であり放送局コミュニティまたは市場です進化は速くなっています最近ではその力はデスクトップから離れて暴走しています近い将来過半数とはいかなくてもかなりの割合の人々が今日のブロードバンドというようなものよりももっと速いスピードでつながれたスーパーコンピューターを身につけて歩き回っているのを見ることでしょう集団的行動を調査していくと社会学者が「社会的ジレンマ」と呼んでいるものに基づいた文献が沢山あります社会的ジレンマには二、三の神話的物語がありますそのうち二つをご紹介しましょう囚人のジレンマとコモンズの悲劇ですケビンケリーとこれについて話したときここにいる人は皆囚人のジレンマの詳細は知っていると保証してくれたのでここでは短く語りますもし質問があれば後でケビンケリーに聞いてください囚人のジレンマは昔、核戦争を想定してゲーム理論の数学的マトリクス上に作られた物語です互いを信頼することができなかった2人のプレーヤーすべての保証のない取引が囚人のジレンマの良い例だと言っておきましょうモノを持っている人もお金持ちもお互い信頼できないと取引しませんどちらからも取引を始めないか割に合わない報酬を受け取るかです彼らは望むものを得ず両方とも負けます彼らがもし囚人のジレンマを保証ゲームと呼ばれるような他の報酬マトリクスに変える同意ができればゲームを進めることが出来ます 20年前ロバートアクセルロッドは生物学的問題の調査に囚人のジレンマを使いました: 先祖が勇敢な競争者だったおかげで我々がここにいるならいったいどうやって協力が存在するんだ? 彼は囚人のジレンマ戦略を投稿させるコンピューター競技を始め驚いたことにかなり単純な戦略が勝つことを発見しましたそれは最初の競技で勝ちそして皆がその戦略が勝つとわかった後でも第2の競技も勝ちました "しっぺ返し"の名で知られています囚人のジレンマほど知られていないもう一つの経済ゲームは最後通牒ゲームこれは人の経済的取引のやり方を想定するにおいても非常に面白い実験ですこれがゲームのやり方です 2人のプレーヤーがいますこれまでこのゲームをしたことはなくまた以後することもないでしょう彼らは互いを知りませんそして彼らは別々の部屋にいます最初のプレーヤーは100ドルを提供され分け前を提案するよう言われます: 50/50 90/10 提案する割合にかかわらず二番目のプレーヤーが分け前に同意すれば両方のプレーヤーが分け前を受けとりゲーム終了です取り分を拒絶すればどちらのプレーヤーも支払われずゲーム終了ですさて新古典主義の経済学の基本は知らない誰かが部屋の向うで99ドルを得るからと言ってこちらで1ドルを拒絶することは不合理だと訴えますでも欧米や日本の学生と何千もの実験をしたところかなりの確立で 50/50に近くない提案は拒絶されます彼らは事前審査でこのゲームを知らずこのゲームをしたことさえなかったのに平均的な提案が驚くほど50/50近くだったので提案者はまるでこれを知っていたかのようでしたこの実験の面白いところは最近わかったのですが人類学者がこのゲームを他の文化でやってみて驚きをもって発見したのはアマゾン川の焼畑式農民中央アジアの遊牧放牧民またその他沢山の文化 -- 彼らはそれぞれ何が公正かについてかなり違ったアイデアを持っていましたこれは我々の経済的取引の基本が生来の公正という感覚によるものでなく社会的機関によって影響されることを示します我々がそれを知っているかどうかは関係なくその他の社会的ジレンマの主要物語はコモンズの悲劇ですガレットハーディンは1960年代後期にそれを使って人口過剰を語りました彼は共有放牧地を例に挙げましたそれぞれの人が彼らの群れを最大化するために過度に放牧することで資源の枯渇を招いた彼は人間が使うことを制限されない共有の資源を必然的に強奪するという気のめいるような結論に達しましたさて政治学者のエレノアオストロームは 1990年代優れた科学者なら誰もが提議する問題を問いました人間が共有地から常に強奪するというのは本当なのか? 彼女はあらゆるデータを検証しました人々が共有する川の流域森林資源漁場と何千もの症例を検証しどの症例においても人間が彼らの依存する共有地を破壊したことを発見しましたしかし彼女は囚人のジレンマから抜け出した例も沢山見つけました実際コモンズの悲劇は複数のプレイヤーによる囚人のジレンマですそして彼女はこう言いました「自分自身を囚人と思う人のみが囚人である」彼らは集団的行動のための組織を作ることで逃れますそして最も興味深いことを彼女が発見しましたこれらのうまくいった組織にはいくつかの共通のデザイン原則がありましたそしてこれらの原則は失敗した機関にはありませんでしたこれらの規律について短くご紹介しましょう生物学では共生関係集団選択進化心理学の概念は正しいと論争されていますしかし協力的な措置が補助的役割から中心的役割に生物学での細胞レベルから生態系レベルへと移行したという事実についての大論争は今ではほとんどされませんそしてまた個人は自己の利益を追求するという概念はひっくり返されました合理的な自己の利益は必ずしも優勢な要因でありません実際自ら代償を払っても人々はペテン師を罰するために行動しますそしてごく最近神経生理学的実験において経済ゲームでペテン師を罰する人の脳の報酬センターが活発になることが明らかになりましたそれは一人の科学者に利他的な懲罰は社会の連帯感を保持する接着剤の役割をすると断言させましたさて私は新しい形のコミュニケーションや媒体が過去いかに新しい経済の形成に役立ってきたか話しました商業は古代からあり市場の歴史は古く資本主義は新しい社会主義はその対立軸として表れましたしかし次はいったいどんな形が出てくるかについてはあまり語られていませんジェームズスロウィッキーはヨハイベンクラーのオープンソースについての文書にふれ新しい生産方式を指摘しました: ピアツーピア生産です皆さんに心に留めていただきたいのは過去に新しい技術によって新しい形の協力関係が可能になり新しい形の富が作られました我々は前とはかなり違った別の経済形式へと移動しているかもしれません手短にいいます一部の企業をみてみましょう IBM はご存知ですね HP Sun -- ITの世界で最も競争力の強い企業のいくつかはソフトウェアをオープンソースにしてパテントポートフォリオを共有の場に提供していますイーライリリー -- 製薬会社の世界ではかなりの競争力を誇ります -- 製薬問題を解消する市場をつくりましたトヨタはサプライヤーを市場として扱う代わりにネットワークとして扱い生産性向上にむけて訓練しますそれが競争相手の為に訓練することになってもさてどの企業も利他主義者から行っているのではありません彼らはある種の共有は彼らの自己利益に適合することを知っているからそうしているのですオープンソース生産は Linux やMozilla などの世界に通用するソフトウェアが我々が思っていたような官僚的な構造の会社や市場の誘因なく作ることが出来ることを示しましたグーグルは AdSenseを通して何千ものブロガーを豊かにすることで自らを豊かにしますアマゾンは APIを 6万人の開発者無数のアマゾン店に開放しました利他主義者でなく彼ら自身を豊かにする方法として他人を豊かにしていますイーベイは囚人のジレンマを解決して市場をつくりました何もないところに囚人のジレンマを保証ゲームに変えるフィードバックメカニズムを作製したのです「お互いに信頼できないので、準最適な行動を起こす」ではなく「あなたが信頼に値することを証明してください、そうすれば私は協力します」 Wikipediaはたったの二年で、200の言語からなる150万の記事を無料で提供する百科事典を作成するために、何千人ものボランティアを利用しました我々は ThinkCycle が発展途上国のNGOが抱える問題を掲示して世界中のデザイン学生が解決するのをみてきましたそこには津波救済ですぐに使えるものが含まれていますコレラ犠牲者への水分補給メカニズムですとても簡単に使え文盲も教われば使えます BitTorrent はあらゆるダウンローダーをアップローダーに変換しシステムをより効率的にすることで利用者を増やします何百万人もの人がデスクトップを使用していないときに医学研究者のたんぱく質折畳問題解決を援助するためにインターネットを通じて PCを相互にリンクしてスーパーコンピューターとして貢献しましたスタンフォードの Folding@homeですコードを解読する宇宙での生命を捜すまだ十分な知識があるとは思いません基本的な原則が何であるかさえ見出せたとは思いませんしかしそれらを考え始めることはできると思いますすべてをお話する時間はありませんしかし自己の利益について考えてください結局のところはすべては自己の利益についてですエルサルバドルでは内戦から撤退した両者は、囚人のジレンマ戦略を証明する動きをしました米国フィリピンケニヤ世界中で市民はモバイルやSMSを使って政治的抗議や投票推進運動を自発的に組織しました協力的アポロ計画は可能でしょうか? 学際的な共同研究は? 成果は大きいと思います我々は学問分野に渡ってこの話が出来るようこの領域の地図を開発し始める必要があると思います私は協力することの意義を理解することで我々が優れた人間になるとは言いません人は折々悪いことをするためにも協力しますでも数百年前彼らの愛するものを病で亡くしたとき人は原罪や外国人や悪霊のせいだと思っていたことを思い出してくださいデカルトは我々にはまったく新しい考え方が必要だと言いました科学的研究法が新しい考え方を提供し生物学が微生物が病気を引き起こすと証明したとき苦しみは軽減されました我々がもうすこし協力について知ることでどんな形の苦しみが軽減されどんな形の富が作られるでしょう? この学際的な談話が自動的に起こるとは思えませんそれは努力を要しますそこで、私はあなた方に協力プロジェクトを始める手助けとなる協力を求めますありがとう	Here is the old story -- we've already heard a little bit about it: biology is war in which only the fiercest survive; businesses and nations succeed only by defeating, destroying and dominating competition; politics is about your side winning at all costs. But I think we can see the very beginnings of a new story beginning to emerge. It's a narrative spread across a number of different disciplines, in which cooperation, collective action and complex interdependencies play a more important role. And the central, but not all-important, role of competition and survival of the fittest shrinks just a little bit to make room. I started thinking about the relationship between communication, media and collective action when I wrote "Smart Mobs," and I found that when I finished the book, I kept thinking about it. In fact, if you look back, human communication media and the ways in which we organize socially have been co-evolving for quite a long time. Humans have lived for much, much longer than the approximately 10,000 years of settled agricultural civilization in small family groups. Nomadic hunters bring down rabbits, gathering food. The form of wealth in those days was enough food to stay alive. But at some point, they banded together to hunt bigger game. And we don't know exactly how they did this, although they must have solved some collective action problems; it only makes sense that you can't hunt mastodons while you're fighting with the other groups. And again, we have no way of knowing, but it's clear that a new form of wealth must have emerged. More protein than a hunter's family could eat before it rotted. So that raised a social question that I believe must have driven new social forms. Did the people who ate that mastodon meat owe something to the hunters and their families? And if so, how did they make arrangements? Again, we can't know, but we can be pretty sure that some form of symbolic communication must have been involved. Of course, with agriculture came the first big civilizations, the first cities built of mud and brick, the first empires. And it was the administers of these empires who began hiring people to keep track of the wheat and sheep and wine that was owed and the taxes that was owed on them Not too much longer after that, the alphabet was invented. And this powerful tool was really reserved, for thousands of years, for the elite administrators who kept track of accounts for the empires. And then another communication technology enabled new media: the printing press came along, and within decades, millions of people became literate. And from literate populations, new forms of collective action emerged in the spheres of knowledge, religion and politics. We saw scientific revolutions, the Protestant Reformation, constitutional democracies possible where they had not been possible before. Not created by the printing press, but enabled by the collective action that emerges from literacy. And again, new forms of wealth emerged. Now, commerce is ancient. Markets are as old as the crossroads. But capitalism, as we know it, is only a few hundred years old, enabled by cooperative arrangements and technologies, such as the joint-stock ownership company, shared liability insurance, double-entry bookkeeping. Now of course, the enabling technologies are based on the Internet, and in the many-to-many era, every desktop is now a printing press, a broadcasting station, a community or a marketplace. Evolution is speeding up. More recently, that power is untethering and leaping off the desktops, and very, very quickly, we're going to see a significant proportion, if not the majority of the human race, walking around holding, carrying or wearing supercomputers linked at speeds greater than what we consider to be broadband today. Now, when I started looking into collective action, the considerable literature on it is based on what sociologists call "social dilemmas." And there are a couple of mythic narratives of social dilemmas. I'm going to talk briefly about two of them: the prisoner's dilemma and the tragedy of the commons. Now, when I talked about this with Kevin Kelly, he assured me that everybody in this audience pretty much knows the details of the prisoner's dilemma, so I'm just going to go over that very, very quickly. If you have more questions about it, ask Kevin Kelly later. The prisoner's dilemma is actually a story that's overlaid on a mathematical matrix that came out of the game theory in the early years of thinking about nuclear war: two players who couldn't trust each other. Let me just say that every unsecured transaction is a good example of a prisoner's dilemma. Person with the goods, person with the money, because they can't trust each other, are not going to exchange. Neither one wants to be the first one but both lose, of course, because they don't get what they want. If they could only agree, if they could only turn a prisoner's dilemma into a different payoff matrix called an assurance game, they could proceed. Twenty years ago, Robert Axelrod used the prisoner's dilemma as a probe of the biological question: if we are here because our ancestors were such fierce competitors, how does cooperation exist at all? He started a computer tournament for people to submit prisoner's dilemma strategies and discovered, much to his surprise, that a very, very simple strategy won -- it won the first tournament, and even after everyone knew it won, it won the second tournament -- that's known as tit for tat. Another economic game that may not be as well known as the prisoner's dilemma is the ultimatum game, and it's also a very interesting probe of our assumptions about the way people make economic transactions. Here's how the game is played: there are two players; they've never played the game before, they will not play the game again, they don't know each other, and they are, in fact, in separate rooms. First player is offered a hundred dollars and is asked to propose a split: 50/50, 90/10, whatever that player wants to propose. The second player either accepts the split -- both players are paid and the game is over -- or rejects the split -- neither player is paid and the game is over. Now, the fundamental basis of neoclassical economics would tell you it's irrational to reject a dollar because someone you don't know in another room is going to get 99. Yet in thousands of trials with American and European and Japanese students, a significant percentage would reject any offer that's not close to 50/50. And although they were screened and didn't know about the game and had never played the game before, proposers seemed to innately know this because the average proposal was surprisingly close to 50/50. Now, the interesting part comes in more recently when anthropologists began taking this game to other cultures and discovered, to their surprise, that slash-and-burn agriculturalists in the Amazon or nomadic pastoralists in Central Asia or a dozen different cultures -- each had radically different ideas of what is fair. Which suggests that instead of there being an innate sense of fairness, that somehow the basis of our economic transactions can be influenced by our social institutions, whether we know that or not. The other major narrative of social dilemmas is the tragedy of the commons. Garrett Hardin used it to talk about overpopulation in the late 1960s. He used the example of a common grazing area in which each person by simply maximizing their own flock led to overgrazing and the depletion of the resource. He had the rather gloomy conclusion that humans will inevitably despoil any common pool resource in which people cannot be restrained from using it. Now, Elinor Ostrom, a political scientist, in 1990 asked the interesting question that any good scientist should ask, which is: is it really true that humans will always despoil commons? So she went out and looked at what data she could find. She looked at thousands of cases of humans sharing watersheds, forestry resources, fisheries, and discovered that yes, in case after case, humans destroyed the commons that they depended on. But she also found many instances in which people escaped the prisoner's dilemma; in fact, the tragedy of the commons is a multiplayer prisoner's dilemma. And she said that people are only prisoners if they consider themselves to be. They escape by creating institutions for collective action. And she discovered, I think most interestingly, that among those institutions that worked, there were a number of common design principles, and those principles seem to be missing from those institutions that don't work. I'm moving very quickly over a number of disciplines. In biology, the notions of symbiosis, group selection, evolutionary psychology are contested, to be sure. But there is really no longer any major debate over the fact that cooperative arrangements have moved from a peripheral role to a central role in biology, from the level of the cell to the level of the ecology. And again, our notions of individuals as economic beings have been overturned. Rational self-interest is not always the dominating factor. In fact, people will act to punish cheaters, even at a cost to themselves. And most recently, neurophysiological measures have shown that people who punish cheaters in economic games show activity in the reward centers of their brain. Which led one scientist to declare that altruistic punishment may be the glue that holds societies together. Now, I've been talking about how new forms of communication and new media in the past have helped create new economic forms. Commerce is ancient. Markets are very old. Capitalism is fairly recent; socialism emerged as a reaction to that. And yet we see very little talk about how the next form may be emerging. Jim Surowiecki briefly mentioned Yochai Benkler's paper about open source, pointing to a new form of production: peer-to-peer production. I simply want you to keep in mind that if in the past, new forms of cooperation enabled by new technologies create new forms of wealth, we may be moving into yet another economic form Very briefly, let's look at some businesses. IBM, as you know, HP, Sun -- some of the most fierce competitors in the IT world are open sourcing their software, are providing portfolios of patents for the commons. Eli Lilly -- in, again, the fiercely competitive pharmaceutical world -- has created a market for solutions for pharmaceutical problems. Toyota, instead of treating its suppliers as a marketplace, treats them as a network and trains them to produce better, even though they are also training them to produce better for their competitors. Now none of these companies are doing this out of altruism; they're doing it because they're learning that a certain kind of sharing is in their self-interest. Open source production has shown us that world-class software, like Linux and Mozilla, can be created with neither the bureaucratic structure of the firm nor the incentives of the marketplace as we've known them. Google enriches itself by enriching thousands of bloggers through AdSense. Amazon has opened its Application Programming Interface to 60,000 developers, countless Amazon shops. They're enriching others, not out of altruism but as a way of enriching themselves. eBay solved the prisoner's dilemma and created a market where none would have existed by creating a feedback mechanism that turns a prisoner's dilemma game into an assurance game. Instead of, "Neither of us can trust each other, so we have to make suboptimal moves," it's, "You prove to me that you are trustworthy and I will cooperate." Wikipedia has used thousands of volunteers to create a free encyclopedia with a million and a half articles in 200 languages in just a couple of years. We've seen that ThinkCycle has enabled NGOs in developing countries to put up problems to be solved by design students around the world, including something that's being used for tsunami relief right now: cholera victims that's so simple to use it, illiterates can be trained to use it. BitTorrent turns every downloader into an uploader, making the system more efficient the more it is used. Millions of people have contributed their desktop computers when they're not using them to link together through the Internet that help solve the protein folding problem for medical researchers -- that's Folding@home at Stanford -- to crack codes, to search for life in outer space. I don't think we know enough yet. I don't think we've even begun to discover what the basic principles are, but I think we can begin to think about them. And I don't have enough time to talk about all of them, but think about self-interest. This is all about self-interest that adds up to more. In El Salvador, both sides that withdrew from their civil war took moves that had been proven to mirror a prisoner's dilemma strategy. In the U.S., in the Philippines, in Kenya, around the world, citizens have self-organized political protests and get out the vote campaigns using mobile devices and SMS. Is an Apollo Project of cooperation possible? A transdisciplinary study of cooperation? I believe that the payoff would be very big. I think we need to begin developing maps of this territory so that we can talk about it across disciplines. And I am not saying that understanding cooperation is going to cause us to be better people -- and sometimes people cooperate to do bad things -- but I will remind you that a few hundred years ago, people saw their loved ones die from diseases they thought were caused by sin or foreigners or evil spirits. Descartes said we need an entire new way of thinking. When the scientific method provided that new way of thinking and biology showed that microorganisms caused disease, suffering was alleviated. What forms of suffering could be alleviated, what forms of wealth could be created if we knew a little bit more about cooperation? I don't think that this transdisciplinary discourse is automatically going to happen; it's going to require effort. So I enlist you to help me get the cooperation project started. Thank you.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
制服破れちゃったから私服だけどしょうがないね。とりあえずの準備が出来たので団長の部屋まで移動する。「ようやく来たか。随分時間がかかったな」「ちょっとトラブルがあったから。あ、制服の再支給お願いしていい?」「かまわんが......ん? ああ、そうかさっきの状況からすると破けたな?」変に察しがいい。でもデリカシーないね、普通わかってても言わないと思うんだけど。ネラさんが溜息ついてるってことは前からそうなんだろうなぁ。「さて、それじゃ説明をしてもらおうか」「説明の前に、そのー、団長ごめんね」「何がだね?」「いや、ちょっと今まで冷たくしすぎたかなって」「......デレ期か?」「違うから! 色々悪かったと思ったから言っただけ!」これじゃ本当にツンデレじゃないか。団長ニヤニヤしてるし。まったくもう! 説明と言っても僕がちょっとはっちゃけただけなんだよね。騎士団が過剰反応しちゃっただけで。その辺をサラっと説明すると、団長が軽く呆れていた。「出来そうだからって軽く出来てしまうのがまた凄いが、そういうのは相談してからやってくれ。とりあえず被害も植木くらいで済んだからお咎めは無しとしておくが、今後は気を付けるように」そう言ってお茶を次の言葉を待っているとネラさんがジトーっと団長を見ていることに気付いた。団長もそれに気づいたのか眉を顰める。けどちょっと考え込んだ後に愕然としたような顔に。なんだろう? 「ま、まさか、これも癖だというのかね!?」「やっぱり気づいてなかったんですね。これから相手が嫌がるであろう話題を出すときはそういう飲み方するんですよ」へー、ネラさんそんな癖把握してるんだ。これも、なんて言ってるから他にも知ってるのかな。でもいくら部下だからって、普通は気づかないと思うんだけど? うーん......まさか、ねぇ? 「それで内容としては以前ナツキさんとお話合いしたいと言っていた件ですか?」「それもあるんだが、もう一つあってな。......どちらから話そうか?」えー、他にもあるの? 聞かないって選択肢はないだろうしどうしようかな。「んー、じゃあ団長が前に言ってたお話合いのほうから」「わかった。まぁ話し合いといっても、こっちの言い訳というか話を聞いて欲しいだけなんだが」団長曰く、僕達を魔法士団に誘ったのは、もし僕達が他国に行った時に敵対されたら怖いというのと...... 団のアイドルが欲しかった......だと......。「呆れた......。他国の件はわかったけど、アイドルって何よそれ。そんな事の為に無茶な契約押し通したわけ?」「いや、大半の理由は前半の部分なんだ。本当だからな? だからそんな目で見ないでくれ......」本当かなぁ? それに、そんな事言われても自然と視線はじっとりとしちゃうよねぇ。まぁ懸想されてるわけじゃないなら、とりあえず安心なんだけどさ。口を湿らすようにお茶を飲んでるけどこれも何かの癖なのかな? チラっとネラさんを見ると、ジト目だけじゃなくて眉まで顰めてるからそうなんだろうね。「それでもう一つの話っていうのは何かしら?」「それなんだが、賊が北西の山間部にアジトを作ったという噂があってな。噂だけならともかく、実際に賊がちらほらと出てきているんだ。そこでネラ君とナツキ君で調査をお願いしたい」なんですと? ルティは?じゃダメなのかな? 「なんで私が入ってないの? あと騎士団に任せられないの?」「騎士団は集団行動に特化してるからな。少人数での行動に向いてないんだ。その点魔法士団は少人数での行動に向いている。魔法で機動性も高いしな。だから偵察、調査はもっぱら魔法士団の仕事になってる。あと、ルティ君を数に入れてないのは隠密性を考えて出来るだけ人数を絞りたいからだ。そこで経験豊富なネラ君と、いざという時の近接に強いナツキ君を選定させてもらった」「理由はわかったけど、その噂の場所っていうのはどのくらいかかる場所なのさ?」あんまり遠いと嫌だな。ルティとそんな長い間離れたことないから、どうしても不安になる。「歩いてだと最寄りの街まで二十日くらいか。その街から噂の場所までは約二日。ただ今回は街周辺の飛行許可を出しておくから飛んでいけばもっと短くなるな。その場合、ネラ君は飛べないからナツキ君が抱えることになるが」うげ、精々、前のスライム遠征くらいかと思ってたらそれどころじゃなかった。ネラさん抱えて全力で飛んでいくしかないかなぁ。今なら大分速いだろうし、相当短縮は出来そう。「......ねぇ、他の人にお願いは出来ないの? もしくはやっぱり私も一緒に行くとか。私もいれば戦力的には十分だと思うし。調査じゃなくて別に殲滅してしまっても構わないのでしょ?」ルティさんフラグらめぇぇぇ!? 僕任務から戻ったらルティと結婚するんだくらいヤバイ。「調査だと言っただろう? 賊の規模も何もわかってないんだ。団長として殲滅戦だけは許可できん。リスクが高すぎる。それに他の者も別の任務があったりして都合がつかないんだ。聞き分けてくれないか?」「でも......」「ルティさん、私が一緒なので納得してもらえませんか? これでも隊長なんです。団長の無茶ぶりも何度もありましたけど、なんとかしてきましたし」ネラさんもルティを説得するけどやっぱり不安は拭えないみたい。ここは僕が直接言わないと納得しないかな? 「大丈夫だって。ささっと行って、ささっと終わらせて帰ってくるから。だからルティはここで待ってて。それに戻ってきたらなんでも一つ言うこと聞いてあげるから」「............わかったわ。でも無茶はしないでよね? 怪我して帰ってきたりしたら駄目よ? 絶対よ?」「わかってるって。心配性だなぁ。ネラさんもいるんだし何事もなく帰ってこられるってば」ルティが抱き着いてくる。よっぽど心配なんだろうね。よしよし、落ち着かせるために頭を撫でてあげる。でも、なんとか納得はしてくれたけど、何でも聞いてあげるは言い過ぎたかな......。ルティの為だから何でもしてあげるつもりではあるけどね。「ストレートティーなのに甘ったるくてしょうがないんだが......」あ、ごめん団長忘れてた。	Since my uniform was ripped, I had no other choice but to wear my casual clothes. Anyway, now that we’re ready, we headed to the Leader’s office. 「You’ve finally arrived. Still, you took quite some time.」「There was a bit of a problem, so yeah. Oh, can I ask for a new set of uniform?」「I don’t mind but-...... Hm? Ahh, I see. Considering what happened earlier, the uniform was torn up, was it?」 He’s oddly sharp, though he has no tact at all, doesn’t he? Normally, you wouldn’t ask that even if you know, don’t you think? And since Nera-san is letting out a deep sigh, this has probably happened before, huh. 「Now then, would you mind explaining the situation?」「Before that, umm... Leader, I’m really sorry.」「About what?」「Well, I might have been a bit too harsh in the past, so...」「...... Finally warming up to me?」「No! I’m just saying sorry because I thought that I went too far!」 But now I sound like a real tsundere, don’t I? The leader even has a huge grin on his face. Oh come on! 「So, about what happened earlier...」 Well, there’s not really much to explain, I just acted a bit too careless. And after that, the Order of Knights just overreacted. After honestly explaining that, the Leader was a bit taken aback. 「While it’s quite amazing that you were able to do that after simply thinking that you might be able to, you should consult someone before doing these kinds of things. At any rate, the only casualties this time were some trees, so you won’t be punished for this but be more careful from now on.」 of his tea. While I was waiting for his next words, I noticed that Nera-san was glaring at him. Probably also noticing that, the Leader knits his brows. But after pondering for a while, he had a seemingly stunned look on his face. I wonder why? 「I-It can’t be, you mean that this is also a habit!?」「As I thought, you haven’t noticed it, have you? You always drink that way before saying something that the other party would likely dislike.」 Heeh~ So Nera-san knew about this habit of his. Since the Leader said “also”, I guess Nera-san knows more of his other habits as well. But even though she does work under him, it isn’t something you’d normally notice, is it? Hmmm...... It can’t be that, can it? 「Then, is the subject of this matter about what you’ve previously wanted to discuss with Natsuki-san?」「Well that’s a part of it, but there’s one more thing...... Which should I start with?」 Eh? There’s something else? I probably can’t say that I don’t want to hear it, so which should we start with? 「I understand. Well, although I said that I need to discuss something, I simply wanted you to listen to my excuse, or rather explanation.」 According to the Leader, the reason he invited us to join the Order of Mages is because it’ll be scary if we leave for another country and become their enemy, and...... Because he wanted idols for the Order...... What?...... 「I’m quite baffled...... I can understand the going to another country thing, but idols? What the heck? So you agreed to our absurd contract just because of that?」「Well, no, it’s mostly because of the former. I swear, it’s true. As such, could you please not look at me like that......」 Is it really though? Besides, even if you say that, it’s only natural for me to react like this, you know? Well anyway, since it’s not like he’s actually in love with us, that’s a relief. Now, he’s sipping the tea in a way that looks like he’s dampening his lips, but is this one of his habits as well? Stealing a glance at Nera-san’s direction, she’s not just glaring at him, she’s scowling at him too, so I’m probably right. 「So then, what is the other matter you want to discuss?」(Ruti) 「About that, you see, there’s a rumor that a group of bandits had built a hideout at the Northwestern Mountain Range. It’s not an issue if it’s simply a rumor, but there are actually bandits appearing around the area. And because of that, I want Nera-kun and Natsuki-kun to investigate the area.」 Excuse me? And what about Ruti? Can’t there be three people? 「Why am I not a part of this? Also, couldn’t this be entrusted to the Order of Knights?」「This is because the Order of Knights specializes in functioning as a group. The knights aren’t used to acting in small teams. On the other hand, the Order of Mages is suited for missions that require only a few people. Also, because of magic, mages have higher mobility. For those reasons alone, reconnaissance and investigation are what make up most of the Order of Mages’ job. Also, the reason that Ruti-kun isn’t part of this mission is because we want to reduce the risk of detection by limiting the number of people. For that, I’ve selected Nera-kun, for her experience, and the strong close-combat fighter, Natsuki-kun, just in case anything happens.」「I understand why I was chosen, but how long does it take to reach the rumored place?」 I’d hate it if it’s too far away. I’ve never been separated from Ruti for long periods of time, so I just can’t help but feel anxious without her. 「On foot, the town nearest to the location is approximately days away. And from the town, the location would take about days away. However, you’ll be given permission to fly around the outskirts of the town, so flying should make the travel time much shorter. Although in that case, Natsuki-kun will be carrying Nera-kun since she can’t fly.」 Ugeh... At most, I expected it to take as much time as the slime campaign back then, but it’s not even going to come close to it. No choice but to fly full speed carrying Nera-san, huh. I should be able to go faster now, so that should shorten our travel time by a lot. 「...... Say, can’t you assign other people to do it? Otherwise, maybe you can reconsider going too. If I go along, we should be strong enough. You wouldn’t mind if we actually annihilate them instead of investigating, would you?」 Ruti-san, stop jinxing itttt!? That’s like “I’m marrying Ruti after this mission” level bad. 「I said that it’s an investigation, didn’t I? We don’t even know how large this bandit group is. As the leader, I can’t permit an extermination campaign. There’s too much of a risk. Besides that, the others are also assigned to different missions, so the former isn’t possible. Do you understand?」「But......」「Ruti-san, I will also be going along with Natsuki-san, so please be at ease. Despite how I look, I am still a captain. This isn’t the first time the Leader gave unreasonable demands, but I’ve always managed to handle it.」 Nera-san also tried persuading Ruti, but it looks like she’s still worried about it. Would she be convinced if I say something myself? 「It’s going to be fine. We’ll just go there quickly, complete it, and I’ll be back in no time. So Ruti, just wait for me here. Besides, once I’m back, I’ll do any one thing that you want.」「...... Fine. But don’t push yourself, alright? You can’t come back wounded, alright? Promise me?」「I know. You’re worrying too much. Nera-san’s coming too, so I’ll be back without a scratch, okay?」 . I stroked her head to help her relax. Still, I somehow managed to convince her, but it was probably too much to say I’ll do anything she wants...... Well, for Ruti’s sake, I do intend to do anything, though. 「Why does my black tea taste so sweet right now......」 Ah, sorry about forgetting you, Leader.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 1, "inserted_lines_src": 1, "inserted_lines_trg": 4 }
その働きに魅了されてきましたクロマグロは人間と同じ恒温動物ですマグロの中で最も大きく硬骨魚類としては 2番目に大きい魚です実は彼らは内温性で哺乳類のように温かい筋肉で海の中を力強く泳ぎますこれは私たちがモントレー・ベイ水族館で飼育しているクロマグロです彼らの体型と流線形のデザインが水中を泳ぐのに適していることが分かります彼らは胸びれで水中を飛ぶようにして泳ぎ三日月状の尾びれで力強く進みます水との抵抗を少なくする為体の大部分はウロコがありません大自然が生んだ最高のマシンの1つですクロマグロとは人類の歴史上ずっとあがめられてきました 4千年もの間我々は持続可能な形でこの動物を捕まえてきましたがそれは何千年も昔の芸術からも見て取ることができますクロマグロはフランスの洞窟壁画や 3千年も昔に遡る硬貨にも見つけることができますこの魚は人類に崇拝されてきたのです私たちの世代に至るまでずっと持続可能な形で捕獲されてきましたクロマグロはどこにいても追われます世界ではクロマグロ版のゴールドラッシュが起きていますつい最近まで漁獲は持続可能な規模で行われてきましたしかし現在行われている漁では生け簀や巨大な立て網を使いクロマグロを絶滅の危機に追い込んでいます一般的にクロマグロは一ヶ所に運ばれます日本です皆さんの中にもクロマグロの減少に一役買っている方がいるかもしれませんクロマグロの身は美味で脂が乗ってたまりませんそれがまた問題なのです私たちは食べ過ぎなのです大西洋を見れば一目瞭然ですここのクロマグロには大小2つの個体群が存在します北アメリカの個体群は毎年約2千トン捕らえられヨーロッパと北アフリカつまり東大西洋系群はとんでもないレベルで約5万トンがこの十年ほぼ毎年水揚げされてきましたその結果東と西両方の個体群が大幅に減少し 1950年を基準にすると 90パーセントも減ってしまったのですこのためクロマグロはトラやライオン一部のアフリカゾウやパンダなどと同じ地位を得ましたこの魚はこの2ヶ月間絶滅危惧種に指定するかどうか検討されてきましたちょうど2週間前になりますがこの提案は否決されました 2つの機関が CITESの付属書Iにあたるという 2つの機関が CITESの付属書Iにあたるという明確な科学的根拠を提出したにもかかわらずですそれでもマグロが気にならないと言うならこれならどうでしょう世界中で行われるはえ縄漁業はマグロのみならずオサガメ、サメ、カジキマグロアホウドリまで捕らえてしまいますオサガメ、サメ、カジキマグロアホウドリまで捕らえてしまいますこれらの動物の死はマグロ漁業によってもたらされています実は問題は私たちがマグロについてほとんど何も知らないということでしょうここにいる誰もがアフリカのライオンが獲物を仕留める姿を想像できるはずなのに巨大クロマグロがエサを食べる姿は見たことがないでしょうこのマグロが会場にいる私たち全員の抱える問題を象徴しています 21世紀になって私たちはやっと海についてその全容を理解し始めたばかりです技術の進歩によって宇宙から地球を見下ろしたり遠隔操作で深海を覗くことが可能になりましたそして我々の海洋の働きをもっとよく理解するためにはこれらの技術を早急に使わなければなりません船から見ると ―私でさえ― 大海は均質に見えますどういった構造になっているのか― アフリカの平原のように動物たちの水飲み場がどこにあるかなんて分かりません廊下もなければマグロ、オサガメアホウドリの関係もマグロ、オサガメアホウドリの関係も分かりません私たちの理解は始まったばかりでそれは海洋物理学と海洋生物学がいかに団結して季節的な力を生み出しホットスポットがホープスポットになるよう湧昇できるかということですこれらの課題が難しいのは技術的に海での研究が困難だからですクロマグロを太平洋全体で研究するのは困難でアオザメに近づいてタグを付けるのはさらに難しいのですオレゴン州立大学のブルース・メイトチームの一員になってシロナガスクジラに近づいて外れないタグを取り付ける姿を想像してくださいこれはまだ我々も解決できていない技術上の難題です熱心な我々チームの物語はフィッシュアンドチップスと言えます私たちがやっていることは衛星電話と同じまたは皆さんのコンピューターに含まれるチップを使います普段やらないような組み合わせによってこれまで分からなかったような大海が明らかになってきましたさらに今回初めて海の下のマグロの移動を見ることができましたこれは光と光量子を利用して日の出と日の入りを測ることで実現しました私はマグロを15年以上に渡って研究していますがモントレー・ベイ水族館と一緒に働く機会をいただきました私たちは海の一部を水槽に再現して展示用としてクロマグロとキハダマグロを準備しました毎朝泡のベールが浮き上がると眼前に迫るのは外洋魚のコミュニティーで巨大クロマグロが泳ぐ姿を見れるのはここだけですその美しい姿と機能や絶え間ない動きを見ることができます海という名の宇宙を飛んでいるのです私たちはこの魚を間近で見てその美しさを知ってもらうために年間2百万人を集めています舞台裏にはモントレー・ベイ水族館の協力機関であるスタンフォード大学の研究施設がありますここで14、5年に渡って捕獲してきたのはクロマグロとキハダマグロですこれまで彼らを研究してきましたがまずは飼育法を学ぶ必要がありました何を食べるのか? 彼らにとって心地よい環境とは何か? 私たちは水槽に入ってマグロの生肌に触れます素晴らしい感触ですそしてさらに素晴らしいのはマグロと理解し合えるチャック・ファーウェルとアレックス・ノートンが大きいマグロを海水と共に一息で抱え込みます私たちはマグロの研究をするため彼らを傷を付けない方法を学ぶことができますマグロは大海においては境界など知りませんこちらのジェフとジェイソンは科学者ですマグロを取り出して踏車のような人工水路に入れますマグロは日本へ連れて行かれると思うかもしれませんが実際はマグロの酸素消費量と熱消費量を計測しているのですこのデータをもとにより良いモデルを作っています私はこのマグロを見るとき ―これが一番好きな眺めです― 不思議に思うのはどうやって人間より先に経度を把握したのだろう?と彼らをご覧くださいこれ以上近づくことはできないでしょうラボでの研究によってどのように大海に繰り出せば良いのか分かってきました “Tag-A-Giant”というプログラムでは私たちはアイルランドからカナダコルシカ島からスペインまで旅をしました世界中で釣りをしたのは巨大マグロの体内に電子コンピューターを取り付けるためです実に1,100匹ものマグロにタグを付けることができましたこれから3つの映像をお見せします 1,100匹もタグを付けましたからねとても大変ですがチームプレーが要ですマグロを引き揚げ測定します漁師、船長、科学者、技術者のチームが一丸となってこの動物を海上にあげておきます 4〜5分ほどです酸素を与えるためエラに海水をかけてあげますそうして懸命にタグを付けてコンピュータを埋め込み周りの環境を感知するようアンテナが出ていることを確認して海に帰してやります彼らを見送る時はいつも幸せになります尾びれを振って行きますデータを収集できるのはダグが戻って来る時です漁師が千ドルの報酬のために返してくれます脊椎動物なら今では5年分までの海の中の情報を得ることができます時にはナンタケットで捕まえたような巨大なマグロもいますしかしそれでも我々がタグを付けた中では一番大きい個体の半分しかありませんマグロを引き揚げるには人間のチーム力が必要ですここでやっているのはポップアップ式の衛星アーカイバルタグをマグロに付けていますマグロに装着されたタグは周りの環境を感知すると後にマグロから外れて切り離されると海面に浮上し地球周回軌道衛星にタグから計算された位置データ、圧力データ温度データなどが送られますポップアップ式衛星タグは人間がタグを回収する手間を省いてくれますどちらの電子タグも高額ですこれらは北米の様々なチームによって開発されてきました現在海で使用できる新しい最高の機器の1つですどこよりも我々を支援してくれたコミュニティーがありますノースカロライナ州沿岸の漁業者ですハリス市とモリヘッド市という 2つの町では数十年に渡って毎冬 “Tag-A-Giant”というパーティーを開き漁師の人たちと一緒に 8百から9百匹もの魚にタグを付けたのですこの作業では魚の大きさも測ります私たちがここ数年始めたことは粘液を採取することですとても光沢のある肌です私の姿が映っているのが見えますこの粘液から遺伝子情報を得ることができるのです性別も分かりますポップアップ式のタグを再確認してあとは海に帰してあげますここが私のお気に入りです以前一緒に研究したギャレス・ローソンのお陰ですがこれは一匹のマグロの素晴らしい画像ですこのマグロは数値化した海中を移動しています暖かい方がメキシコ湾流で上の寒い方がメイン湾ですマグロはそこに行きたがりますニシンの群れでも探すのでしょうしかしそこには行けません寒すぎるのです暖かくなるとそこにマグロが現れ魚を食べて元の場所に帰ったりまた獲りに行ったりして冬になるとまたノースカロライナ州まで下りてきてその後バハマまで下っていきますここから私の好きなシーンです 3匹のマグロがメキシコ湾に向かいますタグを付けてあります天文学的な見地から位置を計算しています一緒にやってきました交尾かもしれませんここですここがマグロの産卵場所なのですこのようなデータからマップを作ることができましたこのマップには 15年にも及ぶタグ付け作業による何千もの位置が記録されていますこれで西側のマグロたちは東側へ移動することが分かってきました 2つのマグロの個体群は片方はメキシコ湾流の個体群でタグ付けができ先ほどのとおりメキシコ湾にも行きますそしてもう一方私たちの北米のマグロにも入り混じっているのが地中海方面から来るヨーロッパのクロマグロですホットスポットやホープスポットに関わらず彼らは入り混じって存在しているのですこの科学情報をもとに私たちは国際委員会に向けて新しいモデルを構築することで今日まで2つの個体群がそれぞれ独立して存在するというワシントン条約の否決にも用いられたモデルの間違いを訴えていますこちらの重なり合うモデルが前に進む方法ですどの海域を管理すればよいのか予測できるからですメキシコ湾や地中海などは単一の種や個体群が捕獲できるところですこれらが真っ先に保護しなければならない場所になります混じり合いが起きている大西洋の中心で漁業体制がしっかりしているアメリカとカナダには漁業権を認める政策を取っても良いと思いますただし過剰な漁業が行われてきた国際海域においてはホープスポットを作らなければならない所もありますクロマグロを保護するにはこれだけの海域が必要なのです次のプロジェクトは “Tagging of Pacific Pelagics”で海洋生物センサスに身を置く私たちは地球を相手に一丸となって挑みました当初はスローン財団などから資金提供を受け 17あるフィールドプログラムの一つである私たちのプログラムを遂行することができマグロのみならず多くの捕食者にタグを付け始めることができました私たちがやったのはアラスカでネズミザメにタグを取り付けるために彼らがホームグラウンドでサケを捕まえる姿を追いかけながら分かったことがありますもしサケをエサに釣り糸を垂らせばホホジロザメの仲間であるネズミザメを捕まえられるということですそして注意深く ―これが重要です― 暴れないようホースを口に入れデッキから遠ざけて衛星タグを取り付けることができますそうすれば通信衛星がサメの状況を連絡してくれますジャンプしているサメをよく見るとアンテナが見えます衛星タグ付きの野生のサメがサケをジャンプして追いながらデータをこちらに送信してくれるのですタグを取り付けるのはネズミザメだけではありませんがここではネズミザメがいる水温をレベルメーターで色分けします暖かい海は明るい色になりますサメたちは熱帯に産卵のため南下しその後モントレーにやってきますモントレーの隣のファラロン諸島のホホジロザメのチームはスコット・アンダーソンとサル・ジョルゲンセンが率いています彼らはアシカのような形をしたマットを投げておとりに使い私たちの5メートルあるボートに好奇心につられてやってくるのを待ちます数トンもある生き物ですそこでおとりを引き込みます音響タグは “OMSHARK 10165”などと呼ばれこれをピンで取り付けるのですそこに衛星タグをつければ長旅の様子が分かります魚につけたコンピューターから算出された発光式の地理情報アルゴリズムのおかげですこの場合サルは2つのタグを見ることになりますカリフォルニアのホホジロザメが仲間のところに行って戻ってきました米国海洋大気庁の仲間と共にアオザメやヨシキリザメにもタグを取り付けますこれによって私たちは温度で色分けされた海を 10日間にわたってアオザメ、ネズミザメホホジロザメ、ヨシキリザメが移動するのを確認できますこれまでに前例がなかった海全体のサメの移動経路が分かる生態図ができたのです TOPPのマグロチームは何と 3つのチームが1,700匹ものタグ付けに成功しましたクロマグロ、キハダマグロビンチョウマグロすべてに同時に― 注意深く練習したタグ付け作業を行います若いマグロを選んで各種センサーがついたタグを埋め込み放してやります放流されたマグロは戻っていきますが NASAによって数式化された海の上をクロマグロなら青色で大海原を渡って西太平洋に戻って行くのがわかります我がUCSC(カリフォルニア大学サンタクルーズ校)チームもゾウアザラシの頭に脱皮の際に外れるタグを付けていますゾウアザラシの行動範囲は太平洋の半分もカバーし水深500メートルからも素晴らしいデータを送ってくれますスコット・シェイファーはミズナギドリにマグロタグである発光式のタグを付けることでニュージーランドからモントレーの往復 3千5百海里にも及ぶ旅を見ることができますこれまで見たことのない光景です今では小型の発光式地理位置情報タグによって彼らの旅路を観察できるのですコアホウドリも時々マグロと同じ海域を通って大海を旅をしますだから捕まえられるわけですねジョージ・シリンジャーとプラヤ・グランデのオサガメのチームはオサガメにもタグを付けます彼らも同じように移動しますスコット・ベンソンのチームが証明したのはアオガメがインドネシアからはるかモントレーに移動することでしたこの変化する海の図によってようやく捕食者たちの場所が分かってきました海全体に及ぶ彼らの生態域を見ることができるのですこの情報をもとにホープスポットを描き出すことができますこれは3年分だけのデータですがこれが10年分あります彼らの脈拍や季節的な行動の変化などを観察することができますこれらのデータを使ってできるのはホットスポットを特定し 4千個ものタグを放つという非常に困難な仕事で初めて分かったのは 2千個ものタグが集まる集合場所のような所がカリフォルニア沿岸にあることでしたアンコールに応えてくれるように彼らがやってくれるのはタグを利用して水深2千メートルからデータを送ってくれることです彼らが送ってくれる情報に含まれるのは人類が容易に足を踏み入れられない南極や北極です様々な国から放たれたアザラシは氷床の下をくぐって海洋学的な温度データを提供してくれます南北の両極地方においてです大変興味深いのはデータが可視化された時ですがデータを可視化する最善の方法は模索中です水中の動物達が私たちに送ってくれるデータは気候変動問題に大変有用ですまた私たちはこの情報を社会に発信して皆さんに参画していただくことも重要だと考えますグレート・タートル・レースではタグを付けたカメたちが 4万件ものアクセスを集めましたそして今やグーグル・オーシャンによって海に放たれたホホジロザメがまるでその美しい道を知っているようなカリフォルニアからハワイまでの壮大な海底地形を映し出してくれます “Mission Blue”の役割は私たちが見えない海の様子を教えてくれることです我々にはノウハウがあり NASAは海全体の様子を知っています力を合わせれば良いのですまとめますと北米のイエローストーンは私たちの海岸沖にもあるということですテクノロジーによってその場所も分かります “Mission Blue”のために我々ができることはバイオロギングの量を増やすことかもしれませんどうすればこのような活動を他の地域でも広められるでしょうか? そして最後に考えていただきたいのがシロナガスクジラやホホジロザメからの映像を生中継することどうか凄いアプリを作ってください多くの方がゴールデンゲートブリッジの下を泳ぐサメに喜ぶでしょう皆さんのiPhoneでこの活動に繋がってくださいそうすれば妙な都市伝説も廃れるでしょう私たちはクロマグロを救えますホホジロザメも救えるのです私たちには科学技術があります希望が見えてきました私たちにはできますこの可能性を海にかけてみようではありませんかありがとうございました	Bluefin are warmblooded like us. They're the largest of the tunas, the second-largest fish in the sea -- bony fish. They actually are a fish that is endothermic -- powers through the ocean with warm muscles like a mammal. That's one of our bluefin at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. You can see in its shape and its streamlined design it's powered for ocean swimming. It flies through the ocean on its pectoral fins, gets lift, powers its movements with a lunate tail. It's actually got a naked skin for most of its body, so it reduces friction with the water. This is what one of nature's finest machines. Now, bluefin were revered by Man for all of human history. For 4,000 years, we fished sustainably for this animal, and it's evidenced in the art that we see from thousands of years ago. Bluefin are in cave paintings in France. They're on coins that date back 3,000 years. This fish was revered by humankind. It was fished sustainably till all of time, except for our generation. Bluefin are pursued wherever they go -- there is a gold rush on Earth, and this is a gold rush for bluefin. There are traps that fish sustainably up until recently. And yet, the type of fishing going on today, with pens, with enormous stakes, is really wiping bluefin ecologically off the planet. Now bluefin, in general, goes to one place: Japan. Some of you may be guilty of having contributed to the demise of bluefin. They're delectable muscle, rich in fat -- absolutely taste delicious. And that's their problem; we're eating them to death. Now in the Atlantic, the story is pretty simple. Bluefin have two populations: one large, one small. The North American population is fished at about 2,000 ton. The European population and North African -- the Eastern bluefin tuna -- is fished at tremendous levels: 50,000 tons over the last decade almost every year. The result is whether you're looking at the West or the Eastern bluefin population, there's been tremendous decline on both sides, as much as 90 percent if you go back with your baseline For that, bluefin have been given a status equivalent to tigers, to lions, to certain African elephants and to pandas. These fish have been proposed for an endangered species listing in the past two months. They were voted on and rejected just two weeks ago, despite outstanding science that shows from two committees this fish meets the criteria of CITES I. And if it's tunas you don't care about, perhaps you might be interested that international long lines and pursing chase down tunas and bycatch animals such as leatherbacks, sharks, marlin, albatross. These animals and their demise occurs in the tuna fisheries. The challenge we face is that we know very little about tuna, and everyone in the room knows what it looks like when an African lion takes down its prey. I doubt anyone has seen a giant bluefin feed. This tuna symbolizes what's the problem for all of us in the room. It's the 21st century, but we really have only just begun to really study our oceans in a deep way. Technology has come of age that's allowing us to see the Earth from space and go deep into the seas remotely. And we've got to use these technologies immediately to get a better understanding of how our ocean realm works. Most of us from the ship -- even I -- look out at the ocean and see this homogeneous sea. We don't know where the structure is. like we can on an African plain. We can't see the corridors, and we can't see what it is that brings together a tuna, a leatherback and an albatross. We're only just beginning to understand how the physical oceanography and the biological oceanography to create a seasonal force that actually causes the upwelling that might make a hot spot a hope spot. The reasons these challenges are great is that technically it's difficult to go to sea. It's hard to study a bluefin on its turf, the entire Pacific realm. It's really tough to get up close and personal with a mako shark and try to put a tag on it. And then imagine being Bruce Mate's team from OSU, getting up close to a blue whale and fixing a tag on the blue whale that stays, an engineering challenge we've yet to really overcome. So the story of our team, a dedicated team, is fish and chips. We basically are taking the same satellite phone parts, or the same parts that are in your computer, chips. We're putting them together in unusual ways, and this is taking us into the ocean realm like never before. And for the first time, we're able to watch the journey of a tuna beneath the ocean using light and photons to measure sunrise and sunset. Now, I've been working with tunas for over 15 years. I have the privilege of being a partner with the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We've actually taken a sliver of the ocean, put it behind glass, and we together have put bluefin tuna and yellowfin tuna on display. When the veil of bubbles lifts every morning, we can actually see a community from the Pelagic ocean, one of the only places on Earth you can see giant bluefin swim by. We can see in their beauty of form and function, their ceaseless activity. They're flying through their space, ocean space. And we can bring two million people a year into contact with this fish and show them its beauty. Behind the scenes is a working lab at Stanford University partnered with the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Here, for over 14 or 15 years, we've actually brought in both bluefin and yellowfin in captivity. We'd been studying these fish, but first we had to learn how to husbandry them. What do they like to eat? What is it that they're happy with? We go in the tanks with the tuna -- we touch their naked skin -- it's pretty amazing. It feels wonderful. And then, better yet, we've got our own version of tuna whisperers, our own Chuck Farwell, Alex Norton, who can take a big tuna and in one motion, put it into an envelope of water, so that we can actually work with the tuna and learn the techniques it takes to not injure this fish who never sees a boundary in the open sea. Jeff and Jason there, are scientists who are going to take a tuna and put it in the equivalent of a treadmill, a flume. And that tuna thinks it's going to Japan, but it's staying in place. We're actually measuring its oxygen consumption, its energy consumption. We're taking this data and building better models. And when I see that tuna -- this is my favorite view -- I begin to wonder: how did this fish solve the longitude problem before we did? So take a look at that animal. That's the closest you'll probably ever get. Now, the activities from the lab have taught us now how to go out in the open ocean. So in a program called Tag-A-Giant we've actually gone from Ireland to Canada, from Corsica to Spain. We've fished with many nations around the world in an effort to basically put electronic computers inside giant tunas. We've actually tagged 1,100 tunas. And I'm going to show you three clips, because I tagged 1,100 tunas. It's a very hard process, but it's a ballet. We bring the tuna out, we measure it. A team of fishers, captains, scientists and technicians work together to keep this animal out of the ocean for about four to five minutes. We put water over its gills, give it oxygen. And then with a lot of effort, after tagging, putting in the computer, making sure the stalk is sticking out so it senses the environment, we send this fish back into the sea. And when it goes, we're always happy. We see a flick of the tail. And from our data that gets collected, when that tag comes back, for a thousand-dollar reward, we can get tracks beneath the sea for up to five years now, on a backboned animal. Now sometimes the tunas are really large, such as this fish off Nantucket. But that's about half the size of the biggest tuna we've ever tagged. It takes a human effort, a team effort, to bring the fish in. In this case, what we're going to do is put a pop-up satellite archival tag on the tuna. This tag rides on the tuna, senses the environment around the tuna and actually will come off the fish, detach, float to the surface and send back to Earth-orbiting satellites position data estimated by math on the tag, pressure data and temperature data. And so what we get then from the pop-up satellite tag is we get away from having to have a human interaction to recapture the tag. Both the electronic tags I'm talking about are expensive. These tags have been engineered by a variety of teams in North America. our new technology in the ocean today. One community in general has given more to help us than any other community. And that's the fisheries off the state of North Carolina. There are two villages, Harris and Morehead City, every winter for over a decade, held a party called Tag-A-Giant, and together, fishers worked with us to tag 800 to 900 fish. In this case, we're actually going to measure the fish. We're going to do something that in recent years we've started: take a mucus sample. Watch how shiny the skin is; you can see my reflection there. And from that mucus, we can get gene profiles, we can get information on gender, checking the pop-up tag one more time, and then it's out in the ocean. And this is my favorite. With the help of my former postdoc, Gareth Lawson, this is a gorgeous picture of a single tuna. This tuna is actually moving on a numerical ocean. The warm is the Gulf Stream, the cold up there in the Gulf of Maine. That's where the tuna wants to go -- it wants to forage on schools of herring -- but it can't get there. It's too cold. But then it warms up, and the tuna pops in, gets some fish, maybe comes back to home base, goes in again and then comes back to winter down there in North Carolina and then on to the Bahamas. And my favorite scene, three tunas going into the Gulf of Mexico. Three tunas tagged. Astronomically, we're calculating positions. They're coming together. That could be tuna sex -- and there it is. That is where the tuna spawn. So from data like this, we're able now to put the map up, and in this map you see thousands of positions generated by this decade and a half of tagging. And now we're showing that tunas on the western side go to the eastern side. So two populations of tunas -- that is, we have a Gulf population, one that we can tag -- they go to the Gulf of Mexico, I showed you that -- and a second population. Living amongst our tunas -- our North American tunas -- are European tunas that go back to the Med. On the hot spots -- the hope spots -- they're mixed populations. And so what we've done with the science is we're showing the International Commission, building new models, showing them that a two-stock no-mixing model -- to this day, used to reject the CITES treaty -- that model isn't the right model. This model, a model of overlap, is the way to move forward. where management places should be. Places like the Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean are places where the single species, the single population, can be captured. These become forthright in places we need to protect. The center of the Atlantic where the mixing is, I could imagine a policy that lets Canada and America fish, they're doing a good job. where fishing and overfishing has really gone wild, these are the places that we have to make hope spots in. That's the size they have to be to protect the bluefin tuna. Now in a second project called Tagging of Pacific Pelagics, we took on the planet as a team, those of us in the Census of Marine Life. And, funded primarily through Sloan Foundation and others, we were able to actually go in, in our project -- we're one of 17 field programs and begin to take on tagging large numbers of predators, not just tunas. So what we've done is actually gone up to tag salmon shark in Alaska, met salmon shark on their home territory, followed them catching salmon and then went in and figured out that, if we take a salmon and put it on a line, we can actually take up a salmon shark -- This is the cousin of the white shark -- and very carefully -- note, I say "very carefully," -- we can actually keep it calm, put a hose in its mouth, keep it off the deck and then tag it with a satellite tag. That satellite tag will now have your shark phone home and send in a message. And that shark leaping there, if you look carefully, has an antenna. It's a free swimming shark with a satellite tag jumping after salmon, sending home its data. Salmon sharks aren't the only sharks we tag. But there goes salmon sharks with this meter-level resolution on an ocean of temperature -- warm colors are warmer. Salmon sharks go down to the tropics to pup and come into Monterey. Now right next door in Monterey and up at the Farallones are a white shark team led by Scott Anderson -- there -- and Sal Jorgensen. They can throw out a target -- it's a carpet shaped like a seal -- and in will come a white shark, a curious critter that will come right up to our 16-ft. boat. It's a several thousand-pound animal. And we'll wind in the target. And we'll place an acoustic tag that says, "OMSHARK 10165," or something like that, acoustically with a ping. And then we'll put on a satellite tag that will give us the long-distance journeys with the light-based geolocation algorithms solved on the computer that's on the fish. So in this case, Sal's looking at two tags there, and there they are: the white sharks of California going off to the white shark cafe and coming back. We also tag makos with our NOAA colleagues, blue sharks. And now, together, what we can see on this ocean of color that's temperature, we can see ten-day worms of makos and salmon sharks. We have white sharks and blue sharks. For the first time, an ecoscape as large as ocean-scale, showing where the sharks go. The tuna team from TOPP has done the unthinkable: three teams tagged 1,700 tunas, bluefin, yellowfin and albacore all at the same time -- carefully rehearsed tagging programs in which we go out, pick up juvenile tunas, put in the tags that actually have the sensors, stick out the tuna and then let them go. They get returned, and when they get returned, here on a NASA numerical ocean you can see bluefin in blue go across their corridor, returning to the Western Pacific. Our team from UCSC has tagged elephant seals with tags that are glued on their heads, that come off when they slough. These elephant seals cover half an ocean, take data down to 1,800 feet -- amazing data. And then there's Scott Shaffer and our shearwaters wearing tuna tags, light-based tags, that now are going to take you from New Zealand to Monterey and back, journeys of 35,000 nautical miles we had never seen before. But now with light-based geolocation tags that are very small, we can actually see these journeys. Same thing with Laysan albatross who travel an entire ocean on a trip sometimes, You can see why they might be caught. Then there's George Schillinger and our leatherback team out of Playa Grande tagging leatherbacks that go right past where we are. And Scott Benson's team that showed that leatherbacks go from Indonesia all the way to Monterey. So what we can see on this moving ocean is we can finally see where the predators are. We can actually see how they're using ecospaces as large as an ocean. And from this information, we can begin to map the hope spots. So this is just three years of data right here -- and there's a decade of this data. We see the pulse and the seasonal activities that these animals are going on. So what we're able to do with this information is boil it down to hot spots, 4,000 deployments, a huge herculean task, 2,000 tags in an area, shown here for the first time, off the California coast, that appears to be a gathering place. And then for sort of an encore from these animals, they're helping us. that are actually taking data down to 2,000 meters. They're taking information from our planet at very critical places like Antarctica and the Poles. Those are seals from many countries being released who are sampling underneath the ice sheets and giving us temperature data of oceanographic quality on both poles. This data, when visualized, is captivating to watch. We still haven't figured out best how to visualize the data. And then, as these animals swim and give us the information that's important to climate issues, we also think it's critical to get this information to the public, to engage the public with this kind of data. We did this with the Great Turtle Race -- tagged turtles, brought in four million hits. And now with Google's Oceans, we can actually put a white shark in that ocean. And when we do and it swims, we see this magnificent bathymetry that the shark knows is there on its path as it goes from California to Hawaii. But maybe Mission Blue can fill in that ocean that we can't see. We've got the capacity, NASA has the ocean. We just need to put it together. So in conclusion, we know where Yellowstone is for North America; it's off our coast. We have the technology that's shown us where it is. What we need to think about perhaps for Mission Blue is increasing the biologging capacity. How is it that we can actually take this type of activity elsewhere? And then finally -- to basically get the message home -- maybe use live links from animals such as blue whales and white sharks. Make killer apps, if you will. A lot of people are excited when sharks actually went under the Golden Gate Bridge. Let's connect the public to this activity right on their iPhone. That way we do away with a few internet myths. So we can save the bluefin tuna. We can save the white shark. We have the science and technology. Hope is here. Yes we can. We need just to apply this capacity further in the oceans. Thank you.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
イルカたちと会うために私の研究の関心はイルカたちの大きな脳と高い知能を備えたイルカたちが野生の中でどのような暮らしをしているのかにあります私たちはイルカが高い知能を生かして複雑な社会生活を営むことを知っていますがイルカの知性の何が本当にわかっているのでしょう? いくつかのことは知られています脳の全身に対する比率は体から計測できる知性の尺度ですがこれは人に次いで大きいのです認知力の面ではイルカは人工言語を理解できます鏡に映った自分の姿を認識しますある海域では海綿を道具として使い魚を捕るイルカもいますしかし大きな疑問が残りますイルカに言葉があるのかもしあるとすればイルカは何を話しているのか数十年前に -- 数年ではないのですよ -- 私は水面下でイルカを観察できる場所を探しに出かけました彼らの情報伝達システムの秘密を解くためです世界のほとんどの海は水が濁っているので水面下で動物を観察することは難しいのですバハマ諸島の浅い砂浜の澄んだ水に住むイルカの集団を見つけることができましたフロリダ半島の少し東になりますイルカたちは昼間は浅瀬にいて集い休憩します夜になると浅瀬から出て深場で狩りをします研究する場所としても悪くはないですね毎年夏の5ヶ月間ほど現地に出かけ数週間をサイクルとして 20メートルの双胴船に研究と生活の場を設けます主に用いる道具は水中ビデオカメラと集音器です集音器は水中用のマイクロホンで音と行動を関連づけるために利用しますイルカの生活には極力干渉しませんイルカたちの活動を水中で観察するので水中では彼らのマナーに従いますタイセイヨウマダライルカはいくつかの点で研究に適したイルカたちです生まれたときには斑がないのですが成長とともに現れます成長の段階がはっきりとしていて行動を記録するのが楽しいのです 15歳頃になると全身白黒の斑に覆われますこれは母イルカのマグジーです撮影時には35才でしたイルカは50才前半まで生きることもあります群れのイルカたち同様にマグジーの写真を撮り斑を記録し背びれの傷跡や固有の斑模様などを成長と共に記録しました若いイルカは成長過程で多くを学びます 10代に当たる年齢で社交術を学びます 9歳頃になると雌のイルカは性的に成熟し妊娠可能になります雄はかなり遅れて 15歳頃に成熟しますイルカは不特定の相手と関係を持つので父親が誰なのか調べねばなりませんそこで水中から排泄物を集めて DNAを抽出し実父を確定する検査を行いますその結果 28年間の間に祖父母を含む3世代の家系が明らかになりましたイルカは生まれつき音を操ることが得意で人間に聞こえる10倍の高さの音を発し 10倍の高さの音を聞くことができます他の伝達手段も持ち合わせています視覚にすぐれ体の姿勢で意思疎通できます臭覚はダメですが味覚と触覚にすぐれています水中では音を肌で感じることができます水と皮膚との音響特性が近似しているからです遠くからガヤガヤとおしゃべりもできますある種の行動に伴う音の使い方については解明が進んでいますシグネチャーホイッスルと呼ばれる鳴き方は個体に固有の鳴き方で名前のようなものですこれは最もよく研究されている鳴き声です測定しやすくたとえば子イルカが母イルカの元に戻るときに聞くことができますもう一つ研究が進んでいるのはエコーロケーションのクリック音ですイルカのソナーです (エコーロケーションの音) このクリック音は狩りや餌を摂る時に用いますこの2つの音を同時に発して社交の際の音としても使いますたとえば求愛の追尾行動では雄が雌をこの音で刺激します実は私もこれで言い寄られたんですよ秘密にしといてくださいね体に感じちゃうんですだから内緒ですイルカは争いを解決できる交渉力も持ち合わせています争うときにはこのバーストパルス音を発しさらに頭をつきあわせるような行動を見せますこれはまだ十分に研究されてない音です測定が困難だからですこれは典型的なイルカの争いの様子です 2つのグループがいます頭をつきあわせる行動を見せます何頭かは口を開いてかなり激しく言い争っていますね泡も吹いていますやがて一方の集団が後退し事態は解決しました実際激しい戦いになることはありませんバハマにはバンドウイルカも住み着いていてマダライルカと交流していますお互いに子供の面倒を見たり雄はお互いの雌を追尾して示威行動も見せますこの2種のイルカは時に連合してサメを追い払ったりもします協調行動のコミュニケーションは同調によって行われますイルカたちは声を合わせ姿勢を合わせて声をより大きくし体をより大きく見せますこれはバンドウイルカです動作と鳴き声を同調させようとしていますね連れ合いやもう一組のカップルに声と動作を合わせているのがわかるでしょう私もこんな具合に協調できるといいのですがここで注意すべきは人に聞こえる音はイルカの発する音の一部分に過ぎないことですイルカは超音波も発します超音波を録音するためには特殊な機器を持ち込みます研究者は情報理論を用いてイルカのホイッスル鳴きの複雑さを分析し鳴き声は人の言語とすら比較できるほど高度に複雑であるとしていますですがバーストパルス音は少々謎ですここに3つの声紋があります 2つは人間の発した単語で 1つはイルカの発話ですさあこのうちどれがイルカのものでしょうバーストパルス音は人の発話の音素に少々似ていますこれを解読する一つの方法は一つ一つの音の信号を解釈し意味を探ることですこれは難しいことです暗号解読表もありません二つ目の方法は双方向的な伝達を可能にする何らかの方法を開発することです私たちは開発を続けてきました即時的な伝達を目指して科学者たちはこれまでキーボードを使ってチンパンジーやイルカなど異なる生物との意思疎通を試みてきましたフロリダ州オーランドエプコットセンターのこの水中キーボードは水中で人間とイルカが交流し意思疎通するために設計されたもっとも洗練されたインターフェースですバハマではより自然な環境の中で同様のインターフェースの開発を試みましたこれが可能だと考えたのはイルカたちが私たちに対して強い好奇心を示すようになったからです自発的に私たちの発声をまねたり姿勢をまねたりイルカたちのゲームに誘ってくれたりしましたイルカは社会性を持つほ乳類で遊びが大好きです彼らの好む遊びの一つは海藻を -- この場合はホンダワラの類ですが -- を引っかけて泳ぐことですとても上手ですよひれからひれへと運んだり拾ったりしますこの動画のイルカは大人で名前はカローです当時25歳でこれが生まれたばかりのコバルトですこの子はゲームの遊び方を習い始めたばかりです彼女は子供をずいぶんじらせていますね子供は海藻がほしくてたまりませんイルカが人間をこのゲームに誘うときにはイルカたちは最初にまっすぐに沈んでゆきそのとき海藻の一片をひれに引っかけていきますやがて体を揺すってその海藻を海底に落とし私たちに取ってこさせるのですこれが海藻取りっこゲームです私たちが潜って海藻を取りに行かないとイルカたちは海藻を拾って海面に持ってきます尾ひれに引っかけて私たちの眼の前で振って見せ子イルカにするのと同じように水中に落します私たちが拾いに行くとゲームが始まりますこれを見て思いついたのがイルカたちの好きなおもちゃをその場でイルカたちが要求できるような装置の開発です当初はコンピュータにつながれたキーボードを船から水中に降ろしてダイバーとイルカがキーを押して楽しくコミュニケーションしておもちゃを要求できるようなものを考えましたしかしイルカはボートの周りに居続けることはなくキーボードも使わないことがすぐにわかりました自然の中にはもっと楽しいことがありますからね捕獲されていればともかく野生では無理ですそこで水中で持ち歩けるキーボードを作りイルカが遊びたがる4つのものを表示しましたスカーフロープ海藻ボウライド[船の舳先を泳ぐこと]ですボウライドはイルカが大好きな遊びです今のホイッスルはスカーフを示します音色をものを表す記号と関連づけますホイッスルの音色は人工的に作られたものでイルカが通常出す鳴き声ではありませんがイルカがまねるのは簡単です同僚のアダム=パックとフェビアン=デルフォーと共同し交互にこのキーボードを使いイルカの見ているところで 4年間実験してみましたイルカは遊びに加われますし目に見える対象物を指し示しホイッスル音をまねることもできますこれが実験の録画ですダイバーがロープのおもちゃを持っています私は左側でキーボードを持っています私はロープを示すキーを押して音を出しましたこれが人間にロープを要求する合図です私がロープを持って潜っていきますイルカの注意を引こうとしているのですイルカは小さな子供と同じで注意を引かねばなりませんロープを落としますイルカは来るでしょうかやってきましたロープを拾い上げておもちゃとして引っ張り回します私は左側のキーボードのところにいますこれは初めてこの実験をしたときの録画です私がロープを示す音を使ってロープのおもちゃを要求します意味が通じたか見てみましょうこれがロープを要求する音ですイルカがやって来てロープを落としてくれましたやりました! (拍手) これはたった一回だけでしたので音の役割を本当に理解したかどうかわかりませんそこで第2番目のおもちゃですスカーフですイルカを誘ってキーボードを見せますスカーフの記号と音の信号ですこのイルカを「スカーフ泥棒」と呼んでいますこれまで数年間に 12枚ほどのスカーフを持ち逃げしていますバハマのどこかにお店でも開いているのかしら私が手を伸ばし彼女が右ひれでスカーフを持ちますできるだけイルカには触れないようにしています過度に人慣れしないように気をつけているのですもう一度キーボードまで連れてきてダイバーがスカーフを要求するための音を聞かせます私がスカーフを渡そうとしますがおっと取られそうになりましたこのときこそすべてが可能になる瞬間ですイルカはキーボードに向かい人の動作に集中しますこれが何回も何時間も続くことがありますこのビデオを皆さんにお見せするのは画期的な発見のためではなく -- 画期的な発見はまだですが -- イルカが示す意思力と集中力実験装置への興味を見ていただきたいからですそれ故にもっと洗練された技術が必要だと考えるに至りましたそこでジョージア工科大学のタッド=スターナーのウェアラブルコンピューティング研究チームと組んで水中でも使えるウェアラブルコンピューターを開発し CHATと名付けました水中でキーボードを持ち運びする代わりにすべてを含むシステムを身に纏います音響のみですダイバーは前腕に装着したキーパッドを操作し音を出します音は水中スピーカーから発せられイルカがホイッスルをまねたり人がホイッスル音を発したりすると 2つの水中マイクが音を拾い位置を記録しますコンピュータが言葉の認識に成功すれば誰がおもちゃを要求したかを位置から判断しますこのシステムの強みは音の認識が即時的に行えることですそれでイルカたちに即座かつ正確に反応することができます現時点では試作段階ですが完成時にはダイバーAとBがウェアラブルコンピュータを身につけイルカはホイッスル音をそのままの音で聞いて理解しますダイバーはイルカのホイッスル音を水中で聞きますが同時に骨伝導でその意味も聞きますダイバーAがスカーフのホイッスル音を発しますダイバーBが海藻のホイッスル音を発しますイルカにおもちゃを要求させるためですうまくいけばダイバーAが海藻を持っているときイルカがホイッスル音をまねて海藻のホイッスル音を発するとダイバーは海藻を求めてきたイルカにあたえイルカとダイバーはいつまでも海藻で遊びながら夕日の中へ消えていきますさてこのような意思伝達の未来はどうなるのでしょうか? CHATは人間からものを要求するイルカの能力を高めるよう設計されています双方向的に設計されていますイルカはホイッスル音の働きを理解してまねるでしょうか? 私たちはそう思っていますイルカたちの発話を解析する一方で解析結果をコンピュータに入力して分析しています現在彼らのシグネチャーホイッスルをコンピュータ入力して特定のイルカを選んで遊ぼうよということができます同様に私たち自身に名前つまりホイッスル名を作りイルカたちに特定のダイバーを指名して遊ぶようにすることもできます現在のモバイル技術は我々に近い種の動物たちとのコミュニケーションを促進してくれるかもしれません認めたがらない方もおられるとは思いますがイルカはその知性において多くの点で私たちに近い動物ですですが住んでいる環境は大きく異なりますその間隙をセンサーシステムで埋める必要がありますこの惑星に生きるもう一つの知的な生命体の心が本当に理解できたらどんなにすばらしいでしょうかありがとうございました	Now I'm interested in dolphins because of their large brains and what they might be doing with all that brainpower in the wild. And we know they use some of that brainpower for just living complicated lives, but what do we really know about dolphin intelligence? Well, we know a few things. We know that their brain-to-body ratio, which is a physical measure of intelligence, is second only to humans. Cognitively, they can understand artificially-created languages. And they pass self-awareness tests in mirrors. And in some parts of the world, they use tools, like sponges to hunt fish. But there's one big question left: do they have a language, and if so, what are they talking about? So decades ago, not years ago, I set out to find a place in the world where I could observe dolphins underwater to try to crack the code of their communication system. Now in most parts of the world, the water's pretty murky, so it's very hard to observe animals underwater, but I found a community of dolphins that live in these beautiful, clear, shallow sandbanks of the Bahamas which are just east of Florida. And they spend their daytime resting and socializing in the safety of the shallows, but at night, they go off the edge and hunt in deep water. Now, it's not a bad place to be a researcher, either. So we go out for about five months every summer in a 20-meter catamaran, and we live, sleep and work at sea for weeks at a time. My main tool is an underwater video with a hydrophone, which is an underwater microphone, and this is so I can correlate sound and behavior. And most of our work's pretty non-invasive. We try to follow dolphin etiquette while we're in the water, since we're actually observing them physically in the water. Now, Atlantic spotted dolphins are a really nice species to work with for a couple of reasons. They're born without spots, and they get spots with age, and they go through pretty distinct developmental phases, so that's fun to track their behavior. And by about the age of 15, they're fully spotted black and white. Now the mother you see here is Mugsy. She's 35 years old in this shot, but dolphins can actually live into their early 50s. And like all the dolphins in our community, we photographed Mugsy and tracked her little spots and nicks in her dorsal fin, and also the unique spot patterns as she matured over time. Now, young dolphins learn a lot as they're growing up, and they use their teenage years to practice social skills, and at about the age of nine, the females become sexually mature, so they can get pregnant, and the males mature quite a bit later, And dolphins are very promiscuous, and so we have to determine who the fathers are, so we do paternity tests by collecting fecal material out of the water and extracting DNA. So what that means is, after 28 years, we are tracking three generations, including grandmothers and grandfathers. Now, dolphins are natural acousticians. They make sounds 10 times as high and hear sounds 10 times as high as we do. But they have other communication signals they use. They have good vision, so they use body postures to communicate. They have taste, not smell. And they have touch. And sound can actually be felt in the water, because the acoustic impedance of tissue and water's about the same. So dolphins can buzz and tickle each other at a distance. Now, we do know some things about how sounds are used with certain behaviors. Now, the signature whistle is a whistle that's specific to an individual dolphin, and it's like a name. And this is the best-studied sound, because it's easy to measure, really, and you'd find this whistle when mothers and calves are reuniting, for example. Another well studied sound are echolocation clicks. This is the dolphin's sonar. And they use these clicks to hunt and feed. But they can also tightly pack these clicks together into buzzes and use them socially. For example, males will stimulate a female during a courtship chase. You know, I've been buzzed in the water. Don't tell anyone. It's a secret. And you can really feel the sound. That was my point with that. So dolphins are also political animals, so they have to resolve conflicts. And they use these burst-pulsed sounds as well as their head-to-head behaviors when they're fighting. And these are very unstudied sounds because they're hard to measure. Now this is some video of a typical dolphin fight. So you're going to see two groups, and you're going to see the head-to-head posturing, some open mouths, lots of squawking. There's a bubble. And basically, one of these groups will kind of back off and everything will resolve fine, and it doesn't really escalate into violence too much. Now, in the Bahamas, we also have resident bottlenose that interact socially with the spotted dolphins. For example, they babysit each other's calves. The males have dominance displays that they use when they're chasing each other's females. And the two species actually form temporary alliances when they're chasing sharks away. And one of the mechanisms they use to communicate their coordination is synchrony. They synchronize their sounds and their body postures to look bigger and sound stronger. Now, these are bottlenose dolphins, and you'll see them starting to synchronize their behavior and their sounds. You see, they're synchronizing with their partner as well as the other dyad. I wish I was that coordinated. Now, it's important to remember that you're only hearing the human-audible parts of dolphin sounds, and dolphins make ultrasonic sounds, and we use special equipment in the water to collect these sounds. Now, researchers have actually measured whistle complexity using information theory, and whistles rate very high relative to even human languages. But burst-pulsed sounds is a bit of a mystery. Now, these are three spectragrams. Two are human words, and one is a dolphin vocalizing. So just take a guess in your mind which one is the dolphin. Now, it turns out burst-pulsed sounds actually look a bit like human phonemes. Now, one way to crack the code is to interpret these signals and figure out what they mean, but it's a difficult job, and we actually don't have a Rosetta Stone yet. But a second way to crack the code is to develop some technology, an interface to do two-way communication, and that's what we've been trying to do in the Bahamas and in real time. Now, scientists have used keyboard interfaces to try to bridge the gap with species including chimpanzees and dolphins. This underwater keyboard in Orlando, Florida, at the Epcot Center, was actually the most sophisticated ever two-way interface designed for humans and dolphins to work together under the water So we wanted to develop an interface like this in the Bahamas, but in a more natural setting. And one of the reasons we thought we could do this is because the dolphins were starting to show us a lot of mutual curiosity. They were spontaneously mimicking our vocalizations and our postures, and they were also inviting us into dolphin games. Now, dolphins are social mammals, so they love to play, and one of their favorite games is to drag seaweed, or sargassum in this case, around. And they're very adept. They like to drag it and drop it from appendage to appendage. Now in this footage, the adult is Caroh. She's 25 years old here, and this is her newborn, Cobalt, and he's just learning how to play this game. She's kind of teasing him and taunting him. He really wants that sargassum. Now, when dolphins solicit humans for this game, they'll often sink vertically in the water, and they'll have a little sargassum on their flipper, and they'll sort of nudge it and drop it sometimes on the bottom and let us go get it, and then we'll have a little seaweed keep away game. But when we don't dive down and get it, they'll bring it to the surface and they'll sort of wave it in front of us on their tail and drop it for us like they do their calves, and then we'll pick it up and have a game. And so we started thinking, well, wouldn't it be neat to build some technology that would allow the dolphins to request these things in real time, their favorite toys? So the original vision was to have a keyboard hanging from the boat attached to a computer, and the divers and dolphins would activate the keys on the keypad and happily exchange information and request toys from each other. But we quickly found out that dolphins simply were not going to hang around the boat using a keyboard. They've got better things to do in the wild. They might do it in captivity, but in the wild -- So we built a portable keyboard that we could push through the water, and we labeled four objects they like to play with, the scarf, rope, sargassum, and also had a bow ride, which is a fun activity for a dolphin. And that's the scarf whistle, which is also associated with a visual symbol. And these are artificially created whistles. They're outside the dolphin's normal repertoire, but they're easily mimicked by the dolphins. And I spent four years with my colleagues Adam Pack and Fabienne Delfour, working out in the field with this keyboard using it with each other to do requests for toys while the dolphins were watching. And the dolphins could get in on the game. They could point at the visual object, or they could mimic the whistle. Now this is video of a session. The diver here has a rope toy, and I'm on the keyboard on the left, and I've just played the rope key, and that's the request for the toy from the human. So I've got the rope, I'm diving down, and I'm basically trying to get the dolphin's attention, because they're kind of like little kids. You have to keep their attention. I'm going to drop the rope, see if they come over. Here they come, and then they're going to pick up the rope and drag it around as a toy. Now, I'm at the keyboard on the left, and this is actually the first time that we tried this. I'm going to try to request this toy, the rope toy, from the dolphins using the rope sound. Let's see if they might actually understand what that means. That's the rope whistle. Up come the dolphins, and drop off the rope, yay. Wow. So this is only once. We don't know for sure if they really understand the function of the whistles. Okay, so here's a second toy in the water. This is a scarf toy, and I'm trying to lead the dolphin over to the keyboard to show her the visual and the acoustic signal. Now this dolphin, we call her "the scarf thief," because over the years she's absconded with about 12 scarves. In fact, we think she has a boutique somewhere in the Bahamas. So I'm reaching over. She's got the scarf on her right side. And we try to not touch the animals too much, we really don't want to over-habituate them. And I'm trying to lead her back to the keyboard. And the diver there is going to activate the scarf sound to request the scarf. So I try to give her the scarf. Whoop. Almost lost it. But this is the moment where everything becomes possible. The dolphin's at the keyboard. You've got full attention. And this sometimes went on for hours. And I wanted to share this video with you not to show you any big breakthroughs, because they haven't happened yet, but to show you the level of intention and focus that these dolphins have, and interest in the system. And because of this, we really decided we needed some more sophisticated technology. So we joined forces with Georgia Tech, with Thad Starner's wearable computing group, to build us an underwater wearable computer that we're calling CHAT. [CHAT: Cetacean Hearing And Telemetry] Now, instead of pushing a keyboard through the water, the diver's wearing the complete system, and it's acoustic only, so basically the diver activates the sounds on a keypad on the forearm, the sounds go out through an underwater speaker, if a dolphin mimics the whistle or a human plays the whistle, the sounds come in and are localized by two hydrophones. The computer can localize who requested the toy if there's a word match. And the real power of the system is in the real-time sound recognition, so we can respond to the dolphins quickly and accurately. And we're at prototype stage, but this is how we hope it will play out. So Diver A and Diver B both have a wearable computer and the dolphin hears the whistle as a whistle, the diver hears the whistle as a whistle in the water, but also as a word through bone conduction. So Diver A plays the scarf whistle or Diver B plays the sargassum whistle to request a toy from whoever has it. What we hope will happen is that the dolphin mimics the whistle, and if Diver A has the sargassum, if that's the sound that was played and requested, then the diver will give the sargassum to the requesting dolphin and they'll swim away happily into the sunset playing sargassum for forever. Now, how far can this kind of communication go? Well, CHAT is designed specifically to empower the dolphins to request things from us. It's designed to really be two-way. Now, will they learn to mimic the whistles functionally? We hope so and we think so. But as we decode their natural sounds, we're also planning to put those back into the computerized system. For example, right now we can put their own signature whistles in the computer and request to interact with a specific dolphin. Likewise, we can create our own whistles, our own whistle names, and let the dolphins request specific divers to interact with. Now it may be that all our mobile technology will actually be the same technology that helps us communicate with another species down the road. In the case of a dolphin, you know, it's a species that, well, they're probably close to our intelligence in many ways and we might not be able to admit that right now, but they live in quite a different environment, and you still have to bridge the gap with the sensory systems. I mean, imagine what it would be like to really understand the mind of another intelligent species on the planet. Thank you.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
まだ、自分に何が起きているのか理解できていないようだ。アリシアがじっちゃんの方に少し顔を近づける。じっちゃんがアリシアの頬にゆっくり手を置いた。その手は小刻みに震えていた。じっちゃんは涙を堪えながら震えた声でそう言った。今にも涙が落ちそうだ。今までに聞いた事のない声だった。僕は胸の奥から何か熱いものが込み上げてくるのを感じた。アリシアは目を瞠ってじっちゃんを見ている。アリシアも気付いたようだ。「信じらんねえ」「あの美少女って何者......」「私達を救ってくれるのかな」「けど、貴族っぽいぜ」が喋り始めると皆が一斉に話し始めた。この村の人達の会話が......いつもと違う? アリシアが魔法を使えると知って勝ち目がない事が分かっても、いつもなら間違いなく罵る奴らがいるはずだ。それに、じっちゃんやレベッカがこの村を従えているみたいだ。「何があったんだ」「アリシアが頑張っているんだったら、私達も頑張ろうってなったのよ。まぁ、私は手伝っただけで実際は師匠がほとんどここの治安を良くしたんだけどね」レベッカが僕の独り言に答えてくれた。じっちゃんの事を師匠って呼んでいるんだ。「他の奴らはこの村の奥に逃げて行ったよ。だから、前までは全体的に治安が悪かったけど、今は良い所と悪い所で分かれているって感じかな」「これからどうするの?」レベッカはそう言って軽く笑った。実際にはじっちゃんとレベッカがこの村を良くしたんだろうけど、軸となっているのはアリシアだ。彼女は意識していないんだろうけど、自然と人を魅了する。そして、人の心を掴むのが上手い。まだ、アリシアには言っていないけど......リズ宗教の洗脳っぷりは半端ない。間で彼女の純情さが魔法学園の皆に浸透した。全員とは言い切れないが。まぁ、アリシアの事だからもうそれには気付いているだろうけど。「アリシア、本当に有難う」じっちゃんの言葉で周囲はまた静まり返った。彼の涙はこの村全員の心を痺れさせた。じっちゃんが泣く所を僕は生まれて初めて見た。「師匠が死んだらアリシアに目が戻ったりするの?」この静けさを破ったのはレベッカだった。「そうだよ。死んだら持ち主の所へ戻る」 ......悪女の道のりは遠いな。僕は自然と笑みがこぼれた。瞳があるのとないのとでは人の印象は随分変わる。「結構ハンサムだな」「分かる、格好いい」「多分歳ぐらいだぜ」「でも髪の毛は真っ白よ」「喋り方もじじいって感じだしな」数人の若く張りのある声が耳に入ってくる。貶しているのか、褒めているのか、よく分からない。おじいさんというよりおじさんって感じだ。「ウィルおじいさん」アリシアが落ち着いた声で静かにそう言った。あの様子だと、彼女はもう分かっているのだ。あの時......確かに見覚えがあると思ったんだ。だから、デュークに聞いたんだ。「わしの名前はシーカー・ウィルじゃ」空気が引き締まるような威厳のある重く低い声が響いた。	Gramps freezes up while looking in Alicia’s direction. It appears that he still can’t fathom what just happened to him. ....I knew it. I knew that was Gramps. I was only guessing before, but now that I see him like this, I know I was right. “Grandpa Will?” Alicia says carefully, bringing her face closer to his. Gramps just looks at her for a moment, and then slowly, very slowly, brings his hand up to touch her face. Fine tremors run through it as he lightly touches his fingertips to her cheek. “So you were this beautiful....” Gramps says with a trembling voice as he fights to hold back his tears. They look like they could fall at any moment. In the years that I’ve known him, I’ve never seen him so overcome with emotion. Nor have I heard him speak in such an unsure tone. Seeing him like this, from somewhere deep inside me a deluge of heat erupts in my chest as tears threaten to spill out from my own eyes. “Grandpa Will, you’re.....” Alicia stares at him with eyes of wonder. And in that moment I know that Alicia must have realized it too. “I don’t believe it.” “Old man Will’s got an eye now.” “Just who is that beautiful girl....?” “Has she come to save us?” “But look at ‘er. She looks like a noble.” As soon as one person started talking, the whole crowd of onlookers burst out with their own commentary and thoughts. In an instant, the whole area is boisterous with their speculations. Listening in, I can’t help but feel that their conversations seem.... somehow different than usual? Their words lack their typical cutthroat, suspicious nature and they’re all acting much more meekly than I would have thought. Even if they realized they have no chance to overpower her since Alicia can use magic, there would typically be at least one or two cowardly b*stards cursing and yelling for all they’re worth. But there are none. They’re all being rather docile today. It’s like Gramps and Rebecca subjugated them or something. “What happened here?” I mutter. “Since Alicia was off somewhere trying her hardest, we thought that we ought to do the same. Though, well, in actual fact I didn’t really do much. For the most part, I just helped out here and there while Master was the one who actually got the public order under control.” I hadn’t intended to ask her, I was just mumbling to myself in surprise, but Rebecca helpfully answered my question anyway. So she calls Gramps her Master now.... “Not everyone agreed to play nice of course. Some of the nastiest thugs decided to flee to the middle of the village rather than submit to a couple of rules. And before they left, things got pretty rough for a while. When they finally fled though, things settled down quickly for us. It was like an invisible wall had formed dividing the good from the bad.” “And? What are you planning to do from now on?” “We were in the midst of discussing that earlier, when you guys got here,” Rebecca says, a small smile finding its way onto her face. In reality, while Gramps and Rebecca were the ones who improved this village quite a bit, the one who made it all possible, the driving force behind those changes, was actually Alicia. I doubt she’s even realized it herself, but she has this uncanny ability to charm and fascinate people. Without even having the intention to, she unwittingly wins over the hearts and minds of those around her. I’m sure anyone who’s unprejudiced would fall prey to those charms in an instant, though for the members of the Liz religion, their hearts aren’t likely to be moved at this point. I haven’t really discussed it with Alicia but..... the brainwashing undergone by Liz’s followers is quite impressive. It’s gone way past the point of simple admiration. I’ve heard that members of her diehard fan club very literally worship the ground that Liz walks on. In these last two years, her pureness, innocence, and naivete is bound to have soaked into their very souls. Her ideology is infectious to the point that once they’ve started to accept it, then it’s only a matter of time until their minds become fertilizer to fuel her flower fields. Though I can’t say that everyone’s minds have been poisoned to that degree yet. But, since it’s Alicia we’re talking about, I’m sure she’s already realized all that. “Alicia, thank you. Truly.” At Gramps’ words, the surrounding buzz of conversation once again falls silent. They all watch, mesmerized, as a single tear falls from his one eye and rolls down his cheek. It’s the first time in my life that I’ve seen Gramps cry, and judging by the others’ expressions, he probably hasn’t shed a tear even once since he’s been here. The crowd looks positively dumbfounded. “When Master dies, will Alicia’s eye go back to normal?” The one who breaks that silent, emotional moment is Rebecca. She’s looking at me with unbridled curiosity, seemingly oblivious to the mood. “Yes. When the recipient dies, whatever part was exchanged will return to its original owner.” .....She’s still a long way off from becoming an actual villain. I can’t help it. The thought brings a natural smile to my face. And seeing him now, Gramps actually looks a lot younger than I initially had him pegged for.... Believe it or not, not having eyes really does change the impression that a person’s face gives off by quite a bit. “Hey! He’s pretty handsome~” “I know right? He’s not half bad.” “He’s gotta be at least .” “I always thought he was older ’cause his hair was white.” “Yeah! Plus, the way he talks makes him sound ancient lolz.” Excited giggles and mock-outraged cries reach my ears as some young people gossip nearby. It sounds like they aren’t even trying to keep their voices low. They’re loud enough to reverberate throughout the area. And I can’t tell if they mean to praise or insult at this point. But their mentioning of Gramps’ age is valid. With his new look, he looks more like an uncle than grandpa now. “Grandpa Will,” Alicia says, quietly. Coolly. She looks at him straight on. Her expression says that she knows what Gramps is feeling right now. And as Gramps looks back at her, I can tell that he understood all that too. His face becomes alight with emotion. Happiness, amazement, gratitude... they all spill over. But in the depths of his eye and in the set of his mouth, there’s also a strong determination sitting there, ready to answer her. Finally. At that time..... I knew he had seemed familiar. That’s why I asked Duke about that portrait that hung on the wall in the royal palace. I had my hunches about who was pictured there, but now I’m sure. Even before Gramps speaks, I already know what he’s going to say. “My name is Will Seeker.” His stately voice rings out low and grand, the gravity of his words filling the atmosphere with a tense, shocked energy.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 1, "inserted_lines_src": 26, "inserted_lines_trg": 4 }
』だと? あの怪物の出現する理由がわかったのかっ?」メルクはアスタードが放った言葉に間を置いた後、勢い込んで尋ねた。なにせ『仇為す者』と言えば、これまであらゆることが謎に包まれ満足に調査が進んでいなかったのだから。その怪物染みた強さの秘密も、出現の理由も出現を防ぐ方法も何もかもが分かっていなかった。仮に出現理由だけでも分かったとなれば大発見である。「まだ調査中ですが、おおよその見当はついています。僕は現在この迷宮で、その検証を行っているんです」「うん? その見当がついている事ってのは、この迷宮で検証できることなのか?」「ええ。エステルト、君も『仇為す者』を見た時感じませんでしたか? 何かに似ていると」「......つまりお前とその共同研究者ってのは、『仇為す者』は『鬼人』の突然変異と考えたわけか?」「ご名答。元より『仇為す者』は迷宮より生まれた怪物であると言う伝承があります。もちろん、諸説ある中に過ぎない話ですが、僕はこの説こそが有力だと思っているんですよ」「何故だ?」「迷宮にて産出される魔石の中には、膨大な魔力を秘めた物が数十年に一度の割合で生まれることがあるようなのです。その魔石を『鬼人』が摂取することにより『仇為す者』に至るのではないか――そう考えられるのです」たしかに、『鬼人』が何らかの方法で魔石から魔力を生命力として摂取できるのであれば、強大な力を得られる可能性もある。だがそれが本当に可能なのであれば、『仇為す者』が出現する間隔は狭まってもおかしくはない。膨大な魔力を含んだ魔石が生み出されるのが数十年なのであれば、『仇為す者』が出現する間隔もそれくらいで良さそうなものだが。メルクの疑問に、アスタードは「いい質問だ」と言わんばかりに小さく頷いた。「なに?」再びメルクが首を傾げるとの傍にいた『鬼人』が、「お、おい?」「エステルト、見てなさい」戸惑うメルクをアスタードは一言で制し、採りたての魔石を次から次へと口に運ぶ『鬼人』へ視線を移す。 (何のつもりだ?) メルクも内心で疑問に思いながらも、アスタードの真似をして『鬼人』を見た。すると見る見るうちに『鬼人』の頭部から生える角が膨らみ始める。そし目の魔石を飲み込んだところで『鬼人』の角が破裂し、『鬼人』は白目を「――このように、耐性が無ければ魔力を自分の力へと変える前に過剰摂取により死に至るようです。この迷宮で何度も試しましたが、何の術も施していない『鬼人』は、ことごとく死に絶えました。どうやら急激に多量の魔力を吸収したところで、通常の『鬼人』では力を自分のものにはできないようですね」「お前、酷いことするな......」メルクに分かりやすく示すためだろうが、情けも容赦もないそのアスタードの所業にひいてしまう。しかし当の本人は、表情を変えずにメルクのその反応こそがおかしいと言わんばかりに首を傾げた。「なんです? 僕が使役している魔物をどうしようが勝手だと思いますが? どうせただの『鬼人』であれば、時間を置いてすぐに生み出されますし」「それよりもちゃんと伝わりましたか? つまり僕が言いたいのは、「数十年に一度迷宮より生み出された魔力を多く含んだ魔石を、急激な魔力増加に耐えられる『鬼人』が摂取して初めて『仇為す者』に至るのではないか?」ということなのです」「......なるほど。膨大な魔力量の魔石と特殊個体の『鬼人』が同時に出現しなければ、『仇為す者』は生まれない。そしてそれらの出現時期が重なるのが数世紀周期と言う事なのか」「ええ、おそらくは」「おそらくは」という言葉で濁したが、彼はどうやらほとんどこの推測を正しい物として見ているようだ。これまでの研究で確信に近い何かを掴んでいるのだろう。 (......待てよ?) 「さっきお前は、「何の術も施していない『鬼人』は――」そう言ったな? もしかして何らかの術を施せば疑似的に特殊個体の『鬼人』を作り出すことができるのか?」「さすが、察しは良いですね」メルクの鋭い視線に、アスタードは唇の端を少しだけ吊り上げ笑う。そんな二人の傍に、再び『鬼人』が走り寄ってきて背負っていた籠を下した。その『鬼人』へ、アスタードは両掌を向けて小さな声で何事かを呟き始める。辛うじて聞こえるその詠唱のようなものは、エルフの里で魔法の修行を積んできたメルクにしても聞き馴染のない独特な文言と文体、そして語調だった。ただ、身体強化や精神高揚魔法の詠唱に近いような気がしなくもなかった。アスタードの呪文を受けた後、再び『鬼人』が採りたての魔石を貪り始める。そして先ほどの『鬼人』と同じようにどんどんと角が膨れ上がり―目の魔石を口に含んだところで角が破裂。「......」「......やれやれ、また失敗か」メルクの低い声での呼びかけに、アスタードは面倒くさそうな声音で呟いた。「実は、特殊個体の『鬼人』を創り出す術式は、未だ完成していないのです。惜しいところまで行っているのですが、まだ完全ではない」「今のどう見ても惜しくもなんともないだろう。本当に研究は進んでいるのか?」「ああ――っ? もしかしてあの二体......」「そうです。彼らは数少ない成功例ですね。僕が開発した術式を施すことで、少なくとも『鬼人』たちの魔力摂取許容量は増えるんです。ただ、通常種から上位種へと至るほどの生命力増大はなかなかに難しい」』の魔物が人工的に作り出されたことになる。それは画期的な事であると同時に、脅威的な事であった。悪意ある者が意図的に『橙級』の魔物を生み出し街に放てば......考えるだけで怖ろしいほどの犠牲が出ることだろう。「......もしかするとこの術式は、不完全なままにしておいた方がいいのかもしれませんが」メルクの視線から言わんとすることを感じ取ったのか、アスタードが小さく呟いた。「『鬼人』から人工的に上位の種族へと進化させる――それはつまり『鬼人』を使役する力さえあれば、『剛鬼人』や『暴鬼人』、果ては『仇為す者』さえ支配下に置けると言うことに他なりませんから」「なに?」「フォナン伯爵はおそらくそれを狙っているんでしょう。面倒な事です」「......」	“The Falgaro?! Have you found out why that creature keeps appearing?!” After a brief gap prompted by the Astard’s statements, Merc enquired enthusiastically. After all, everything about the Falgaro had been cloaked in mystery for a long time and had never been thoroughly researched until now. The source of its monstrous strength, as well as the cause for its appearance and how to avoid it, were all unknown. It would be a game-changing finding even if merely the reason for its appearance was uncovered. “We’re still looking into it, but we have a lead. I’m here precisely to confirm that.” “What? Is it really possible to test that theory in this Dungeon?” “It is. Estert, you also saw the Falgaro that day. Didn’t it look familiar?” “So you and your partner believe the Falgaro is a sudden mutation of the Gai?” “Correct. According to folklore, the Falgaro is a Magic Beast that emerged from the Dungeons. Of course, this is only one theory among many, but I think it to be the most attractive.” “Why is that?” “There are some Magic Stones with immense Mana born once every few decades among the Magic Stones formed in the labyrinths. It’s thought that if a Gai consumes such a stone, it will turn into a Falgaro.” Indeed, if a Gai could somehow absorb the Mana from Magic Stones in the form of Life Force, it could be able to attain tremendous strength. “If this were true, it would not be strange if the intervals between the appearances of Falgaros were shortened. If it takes several decades for a Magic Stone with immense Mana to form, then the time between the appearances of the Falgaros should be similar, no?” In response to Merc’s question, Astard gave a small nod and said, “That’s a good question. Theoretically, yes. However, not everyone is capable of harnessing that vast Mana.” “What?” When Merc tilted her head in confusion once more, the Gai near them suddenly began devouring the Magic Stones from the basket. “H-Hey?!” “Estert, just watch.” With a single word, Astard silenced Merc, who was baffled, and shifted his attention to Gai, which was stuffing its mouth with recently gathered magic stones one by one. What is it doing? Merc pondered inwardly, but followed Astard’s example and stared at the Gai. The horn sprouting from the Gai’s head then began to swell. The Gai’s horn burst as it swallowed the sixth magic stone, and his eyes went lifeless. It seemed to have died from the looks of things. “As you can see, if you don’t have the tolerance, you’ll overdose before you can convert the Mana into your own energy. I’ve attempted this several times in this Dungeon, and each time a Gai which hasn’t been affected by any spell has died. Apparently, after quickly absorbing a large amount of Mana, an average Gai is unable to turn the energy into its own.” “You’re acting heartlessly...” Although it was supposed to make it simpler for Merc to grasp, Astard’s lack of empathy or pity made Merc uneasy. The person in question, on the other hand, cocked his head as if to imply that it was Merc’s reaction that was weird. “What? It’s up to me what I do with my Magic Beasts, isn’t it? They’re merely Gai. They’ll respawn in no time.” “Well, I guess you’re right, but...” “That aside. Are you sure you understood what I was trying to say? In other words, a Falgaro is born only when a Gai who can withstand a rapid surge ingests a Magic Stone with a vast volume of Mana, which emerges every few decades in the Dungeons.” “I see... A Falgaro will not be born unless a Magic Stone with enormous Mana and a unique Gai appear at the same time. And every few centuries, the timing of their emergence coincides, is that right?” “Probably.” Despite the fact that Astard did not confirm it, he appeared to believe his hunch was correct. Merc was positive Astard had unearthed something significant during his investigation. Wait... “You just said that you’ve made attempts with Gai that haven’t had any spells cast on them, right? Is this to say that by casting a certain spell on a Gai, you may create a unique Gai?” Astard’s lips raised slightly in a smile in response to Merc’s piercing stare. After that, a Gai rushed over to them once again and dropped the basket it was carrying. Astard mumbled something as he extended both palms towards Gai. The barely audible chant was in a language, style, and tone that even Merc, who had been schooled in magic in the elf village, had never heard before. She was able to discern, however, that it was similar to the chants used for the Body Strengthening and Psychic Fortitude spells. The Gai began to consume the Magic Stones after Astard completed his spell. Its horn expanded and swelled, exactly like the last Gai’s, until it exploded when it put the eighth magic stone in its mouth. Its eyes went lifeless and it died. “......” “Oh my, another failure.” Astard murmured in a bothersome tone of voice in response to Merc’s low-pitched call. “To be honest, I haven’t perfected the formula for producing a unique Gai. I am close, but it is not yet complete.” “How is this ‘close’? Are you certain your research is progressing?” “What...? You don’t mean those two...” “That’s right. They are among the few positive trials. The spell I developed can increase the amount of Mana a Gai can absorb. However, increasing their Life Force to the point where they transition from a normal Gai to a higher Grade one is rather challenging.” If Astard’s allegations were true, it meant that an Orange Grade Magic Beast had been produced artificially, regardless of the fact that it was still imperfect. This was both revolutionary and frightening at the same time. There would be a staggering number of casualties if a person with ill intent produced an Orange Grade Magic Beast and unleashed it on a city. “Don’t you think you should leave this spell as it is?” Merc asked. Astard mumbled quietly, perhaps realizing what Merc was attempting to express through her gaze. “Artificially evolving a Gai to a higher Grade Magic Beast implies you can control a Dorus Gai, a Dorum Gai, or even a Falgaroas long as you have the power to control the original Gai.” “What?” “Count Fonan is most likely aiming for that precise result. It is extremely infuriating.” “......” Merc was horrified by the casualness with which Astard spoke.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 1, "inserted_lines_src": 23, "inserted_lines_trg": 5 }
運ばれてきた食事を好き勝手に食べながら、エカルラートカリヨン団長も加えた打ち上げは、主に古代神殿についての話で終始する。アルフィナがどストライクだったとゼフ。折角の精霊剣しか使えなかったとエメラ。ミラには冒険者の常識が抜けていて、実力とのギャップが凄かったとアスバル。ミラの可愛さが留まる事を知らないとフリッカ。そう楽しそうに話す様子から、セロの慕われっぷりに少し羨ましく思うミラ。時折「そうだよな?」とか「そう思うよね?」と同意を求められ「そうじゃな」と相槌を打つ。「ミラちゃんは、私のものです」という言葉だけは全力で否定したが。ミラは、嬉々としたエメラ達の会話を聞きながら、時折タクトの口を拭ったり、追加の飲み物を注文したりしていた。会話も進み最後は、魔動石の他、悪魔から剥ぎ取った素材の分配はどうするかという話になる。結論として、流石に全滅したとされている悪魔の痕跡を、一宿屋の食堂のテーブルに並べるわけにもいかないとなり、悪魔の素材分配は後ほど個室に集まってする事となる。一通りの分配作業を終えて、それなりに腹も膨れ酔いも回り始めた頃、一人の男が春淡雪の扉を開く。アスバルがカランコロンと軽快なベルの音に誘われて視線を向けると、そこには見知った顔があった。「お、キリクじゃねぇか。丁度いい時に来たな!」キリクと呼ばれた青年。彼はエカルラートカリヨンのメンバーの一人であり、艶の無い黒い鎧を身に纏っていた。その顔は無表情で感情が読み辛く見えるが、声に振り向きアスバル達を目にした瞬間、ほんの僅かに微笑んだ。その差は写真を並べて見比べなければ判別出来ない程だが、付き合いの長いアスバルはキリクは機嫌が良さそうだと分かる。「なんですかアスバルさん。丁度いいとは?」キリクは、ゆったりと一同のテーブルまで歩み寄ると、余り抑揚の無い声で問いかける。「今日の戦利品で丁度お前に合いそうな物があったんでな、帰って来たら渡そうと思ってたんだが」そう言いながら、アスバルはミラを目線で指し示す。キリクは、その視線に誘導される様に顔を向けると、視界に一人の魔法少女を捕らえた。「可愛い......」キリクは誰にも聞こえない程度の声量で呟く。笑顔満面でデザートのタルトを頬張っていたミラは、じっと見つめる視線に気付くと慌てて取り繕い、こほんと一つ咳きを零す。「そうか、お主がエメラ達の仲間の闇騎士という訳じゃな?」一応話だけは聞こえていたミラは、その内容とキリクの持つ容貌から推察して、そう口にした。「確かに、僕は闇騎士だけど......。アスバルさん、どういう事です?」「お前は、ついてるなって事だよ」立ち上がったアスバルは、キリクの肩をばしばしと叩くとセロから大鎌を受け取り、それをキリクの前に差し出す。「これは......っ? 大きな力を感じますが、これ、どうしたんですか」キリクは、目の前に突き出された黒い大鎌に目を見開く。闇に身を置く闇騎士にしか感じられない、蠢く様な業火の力の一端を感じ取ったのだ。「そこの嬢ちゃんの戦利品だが、使わないから使える奴に渡して欲しいと頼まれてな。俺達のギルドじゃ、これを扱えそうなのはお前くらいだろう。とりあえず、持ってみろ」アスバルは言いながら、グイっと押し付ける様にして鎌をキリクに手渡す。思わず受け取ったキリクは実際に大鎌を手にしてみて、その圧倒的な力を直に感じ総毛立った。「どうだ、使えそうか?」そう問われるとキリクは少しだけ下がり、大鎌を両手で構える。込み上げる魔力が大鎌の力に混じり、キリクはじわりとその身に馴染んでいくのを感じる。「これは......かなりの力を感じますが、多分使えると思います」ミラはそう答えるキリクを見つめながら、感心した様に小さく感嘆の吐息を漏らす。アスバルですら両手でどうにか構えられた程度であった代物を、キリクは微塵もぶれる事無く制御している。「どうだ、嬢ちゃん。こいつなら使えそうだ。それにこいつの人格は俺が保証する。見た目は暗いが、孤児院に寄付するくらい情に篤い男だ」「え......アスバルさん。何で知ってるんですか!?」一瞬、大鎌を取り落としそうになりながら、アスバルの言葉に慌てるキリク。孤児院への寄付は、自分が孤児院出であり、世話になった神父に少しでも恩を返す為に、こっそりと行っていた事だった。しかし、キリクの問いに、「んなもん、全員知ってるぜ」と、ゼフがからかう様な笑みを浮かべて言うと、その場に居るエカルラートカリヨンの面々は大きく頷き、優しい目をキリクに向けた。無表情だった顔を大きく崩しキリクが赤面する中、ミラもこの者なら問題ないだろうと納得する。「いいじゃろう。そやつ......キリクと言うたか。お主に預けるとしよう。それを使い精進し、更に子供達を満たしてやってくれ」「えっと......持ってみると分かりますけど、これはかなりの代物ですよ。本当に僕が使っても?」「うむ。世の為、人の為に役立ててくれれば幸いじゃ」今まで使っていた武器とは明らかに格が違う大鎌を手に、キリクは戸惑いを感じながらもミラに正面から向かい問うと、その少女は真っ直ぐな瞳でそう答えた。その瞳を受けて、キリクは姿勢を正す。「ありがとうございます。決して意に沿わぬ事はしないとお約束いたします」ミラの思いを真摯に受け止め、自分よりも明らかに歳下の少女に対し、キリクは憚る事無く礼の姿勢をとる。周囲の客は、その様子に一瞬キリクを一瞥するも、すぐに元の会話に戻る。対してエメラ達は、こういうところがキリクらしさだと微笑んでいた。「う......うむ。どう......いたしまして?」キリクのそんな真面目な態度に面食らったミラは、曖昧な返事を返し気恥ずかしさを誤魔化す様にタルトを頬張った。「それはそれとして、こんなに良い物を貰ったままでは、僕の気が済みません。何かお返しをさせてくれませんか?」大鎌をアイテムボックスに大切そうに入れたキリクが、ミラへそう問う。「お返しと言うてものぅ......」ミラは要らないからあげただけで、そこまでされてもと困惑する。だが、キリクに引き下がる気は無く、瞳に燃え上がる様な決意を湛えていた。宿に戻ってきた時の無表情さとは大違いだ。「そうですね。私も、ギルドの団長として何かお礼がしたいと思います。今回の件で、かなりの戦力増加が見込めるはずですので」「ぬぅ」突如名乗りを上げたエカルラートカリヨン団長セロという伏兵に、更にミラは言葉を詰まらせる。セロにしてみても、これだけの恩恵を得てそのままという事には出来ない。エメラ達も、ここぞとばかりに賛同し、視線がミラに注がれる。ミラは強い意志の込められた視線から、うやむやにする事も出来ないと悟る。ならば何か無いかと思考する事暫く、少し前の記憶に丁度良い事柄があったのを思い出す。「そこまで言うのならば、ちと頼まれてくれぬか」「はい、任せてください」そう言ったミラに内容を聞かず頷くセロ。まずは話を聞いてくれと苦笑しながら、ミラは封書から一枚の紙を取り出す。「今から言う、年と月日を含め数日のうちに起こった事件事故、出来事が無いか調べて欲しいんじゃが。どうじゃ、出来るか?」「情報収集ですか。うちには諜報に長けたメンバーも居ますので問題ないと思います。言ってください」セロはそう答えると、いつでも思いついた詩を書き留められる様にと常備している、ペンとメモ用紙を懐から取り出し、ミラの言葉を待つ。「2117年9月20日。 2132年6月18日。 2138年1月14日。以上じゃ。どの様な些細な事でも構わぬ。何かあったら教えて欲しい」ミラが言い終わると少しして、ペンを走らせていたセロの手も止まり、そこに書かれた日付を繰り返してミラに確認する。ミラが間違いないと答えると、セロはペンとメモを懐に戻した。「エカルラートカリヨンの諜報員の中でも指折りの者達に任せましょう。それと、この日付にどういう意味があるのかは知りませんが、知り得た情報は決して漏らさないと誓います」「うむ、そうして貰えると助かる」そう易々と悟られる事は無いと思うが、事はアルカイト王国の最重要人物者についてだ。一介の冒険者のギルドに頼む様な事でもないと思うが、下手に国家の諜報員が動き回るより、逆にこの方が良いカモフラージュとなってくれるかもしれない。ミラは、そう考えた。一通りの交渉も終わり、取り留めの無い話題で談笑をしている時、店の柱時計が夜を告げるベルを鳴らした。ミラは、初めて聞くその音に顔を上げて視線を巡らせると、その流れで現在時刻を確認する。「もうこんな時間じゃったのか。タクト、随分遅いが祖父には何時に帰ると言ってきたんじゃ?」タクトは両親と離れてからは、祖父の家で世話になっていると言っていた。ミラは、その事を思い出し問いかけると、どうにもタクトの様子がおかしい。さっきまで楽しそうにしていたはずが、今はバツが悪そうに視線を彷徨わせている。「もしや、何も言わずに出てきたのか?」続けてミラが問うと、タクトは身体をびくりとさせてからミラへと視線を向ける。その様子から、祖父には何も言っていない事は明らかだ。そして実際問題、タクトの様な子供が冒険者と一緒にランクCのダンジョンに行ってきますなんて言って、許す保護者が居るわけが無いという思いに至る。ミラは、顎先を指でなぞりながら溜息を零すと、タクトの瞳をじっと見る。タクトも、その事については悪いと自覚しているのか、肩をしょんぼりさせていた。「両親が死んだと聞かされた時、悲しかったのはタクトよ、お主だけではないぞ。お主の祖父も同等かそれ以上に悲しんだはずじゃ」「はい......」「そんな時に、お主まで心配を掛けてどうする。お主は、祖父を悲しませたいのか?」言葉無く首を左右に振るタクト。「そうじゃろう。出かける時は、しかと行き先を告げてから出るんじゃぞ。約束じゃからな」そう言いながらミラは、落ち込んだタクトの頭を優しく撫で微笑み掛ける。「うん!」タクトは、その言葉を胸に刻み頷く。「良い子じゃ」とミラに抱擁されると、タクトはその温もりに、遥か遠くの記憶に埋もれていた母を幻視した。「お姉ちゃんモードのミラちゃん............っ」「フリッカちゃんじゃないけどよ、ミラちゃんって何か時々大人びてるよな」「お、なんだロリコン。そいつは自分への言い訳か?」「あれー? まだそのネタ引き摺ってんのーー!?」無駄に清清しい目でゼフが言うと、すかさずアスバルが新しい称号を持ち出す。不名誉だと言わんばかりに頭を抱えるゼフに、「それは詳しく聞きたいですね」「ゼフさん、おっきい胸が好きじゃなかったんですか?」そう、セロとキリクが追撃をかけた。さりげなく性癖まで暴露して。結果、数日の内にゼフの恥ずかしい称号は、エカルラートカリヨン全員に周知される事となる。「では、わしはこのままタクトを送って帰るとしようかのぅ」ミラはそう言うとタクトと一緒に立ち上がる。しかし、すぐに待ったの声が掛かった。「お嬢ちゃん。もう一種類の素材の分配が終わってねぇが、どうすんだ」その言葉に、ミラは悪魔の素材がまだ残っている事を思い出す。とはいえ、それ程必要も無い素材なので要らないと言えれば良いのだが、他の面々がそうはいかないと目を光らせている。「では、タクトを送った後でまた戻って来るとしようかのぅ」「でしたら、私が送っていきましょう」ミラがそう言った直後、悪魔素材の分配について話を聞いていたセロが席を立ち、代わりにタクトを送ると言い出す。「いや、しかしじゃな」そもそもの発端といえば、自分が連れて行くと約束したからであって、今回の話に関係の無いセロに手間を掛けさせる訳にもいかない。ミラはそう断ろうとした時、キリクも立ち上がる。「僕も一緒に行きます。この程度で少しでも恩が返せるとは思えませんが、手伝わせて下さい。それに団長と僕の二人ならば、安心安全です」確かに、タクトの安全は保障されると思いながらも渋るミラに、「ミラちゃんが送っていったら、また間違えて補導されちゃうと思うな」そう、からかい気味のエメラの声に記憶を呼び戻されたミラは、項垂れながら了承するのだった。「ミラお姉ちゃん、エメラお姉ちゃん、アスバルおじちゃん、フリッカお姉ちゃん、ゼフお兄ちゃん。ありがとうございました。今は、余り出来る事が無いけど、いつか必ずお返しします」タクトは立ち上がると、背筋を伸ばし深々と頭を下げる。決して忘れる事は無い今日のこの日を始まりとして、タクトは今目に映る者達の様な立派な冒険者になりたいと、そう心に決める。長い礼から頭を上げたタクトは、感謝と共に決意を秘めた事により、一回り大人の表情をしていた。「じゃあまたね。タクト君」「冒険者になるなら今度オレが、色々と心得ってもんを教えてやるぜ」「魔術士を選ぶなら、私にも何か教えられるかもしれません。いつでも聞きに来て下さいね」「おじちゃん......か」エメラ達が寄ってたかってタクトの頭を撫で回す。それにより一瞬で元の少年の顔に戻ると、タクトは年相応の笑顔を浮かべる。「まあ、なんじゃ......。祖父にも両親は生きていると伝えてやれ。きっと喜ぶじゃろう。それと、お主にの術士の道も示された。わしが言う事ではないが、折角の才能じゃ。もしも、どれかを目指すならば、塔を訪れると良い。歓迎するぞ。だが、祖父と良く話し合う事も忘れぬようにな」最後にミラが、そう言い頭を撫でると、タクトは今までで一番の笑顔で「はい!」と答える。タクトにとって、全てはこの一人の少女のお陰だ。ミラが理由を聞くや否や即答し、それを心配したエメラが仲間を引き連れ、そしていつの間にかこんなに素敵な人達に囲まれている。幸運に結ばれた縁に心から感謝して、タクトはその場を後にした。ミラと別れ、タクトは夜の闇を照らす人の光の下、大きなお土産を胸に、有名ギルドのエカルラートカリヨン団長と団員の二人に家まで送ってもらう。タクトの祖父に説明を終えて、春淡雪に戻るセロとキリクの背後では、雷が落ちた様な怒声が鳴り響いていた。「ミラちゃん! タクト君だけじゃなくて私も歓迎して!」タクトが帰った直後、フリッカは先程耳にした、ミラの送った信じられない言葉に喰らい付く。それは、塔を訪れれば歓迎するという言葉だ。アルカイト王国だけでなく、大陸において最大の術研究機関である九本の塔。そこへ入るには、多少の箔が付いただけでは到底足りない。一流の冒険者程度では鼻で笑われる場所。超一流以上が日夜研究に明け暮れる、変人の巣窟。それが銀の連塔だ。ミラの立場は、そこの最高位であるダンブルフの弟子であり、塔へ入る条件をクリアしているのは悪魔との戦闘から見ても明らかだろう。フリッカには判断できない事だが、さも当然の如く歓迎すると言ったミラは、既に塔に対してかなりの影響を持っているのだと窺える。そしてもちろん銀の連塔は、術士であるフリッカにとっても憧れであり、聖地ともいえる場所なのだ。「ミラちゃん、せめて少し見るだけでもいいんです、おーねーがーいーしーまーすー!」フリッカがこれまでミラに向けていた情欲に染まった目と違い、今の目は術士としての好奇心と羨望が秘められている。「なんじゃなんじゃ、わかったから放さぬか!」今までのフリッカは、獲物目掛けて飛び掛る獣の様だった。しかし今は獲物を捕まえた後の様な、逃さないという気迫が篭っている。ミラは、手を触れられていないが、それでも逃げられそうに無い執念染みたものを感じて、思わず了承してしまう。「ミラちゃん、大好き!」ミラの許しを得て感情が昂ったフリッカは結局飛び掛り、それを想定済みだったエメラに迎撃される。そしてこの件は結局、タクトと一緒に、という話で落ち着いた。一段落したミラ達は宴会をお開きにすると、春淡雪二階奥のゼフの部屋に集まる。「さって、続素材分配ターイム」ゼフはアイテム欄から、押し込めた悪魔の素材を片っ端から選び、テーブルの上に無造作に引っ張り出していく。捻り曲がった二本の角、黒光りする八つの爪、漆黒の表皮、二枚の翼。そのどれもが禍々しい気配を放っており、エメラは呪いでもあるのではと若干引き気味だ。しかし、フリッカはそういった事が分かる為、彼女が何も言わないのだから杞憂である事は理解していた。「しかしこう改めて見ると......なんつうかよ、すげぇな」「そうですね。この爪に宿る魔力だけでも相当なものです。力の方向性からして炎を秘めている様に見えますので、これで術式武装を作れば、かなり強力な物が出来上がるでしょう」溜息混じりに悪魔素材を睨むアスバル。フリッカは爪の一つを手に取り目を凝らしながら言う。そして、そのフリッカの言葉にいち早く反応したのは、遠巻きに様子を窺っていたエメラだった。「炎の魔法剣......っ!」刀剣類に必要以上の執着を持つエメラは、今までの感情など遥か彼方に吹き飛ばし、テーブルの上に散乱する悪魔の爪に瞳を輝かせる。「さて、まずはこれらを分配する訳だけど......ミラちゃんさ、本当にこれも貰っちゃっていいの? これこそオレら何の役にも立ってないわけだけど」もはや何度目になるかも分からない問い。舞い上がっていたエメラは、ゼフの言葉で現実に引き戻される。悪魔は自分達が勝てる様な相手ではなかった。それどころか、ミラが居なければ自分達は今、冷たい骸となり、人知れず地下墓地に埋葬されていただろう。「くどいのぅ。気になるのならば、さっきわしが頼んだ事をお主等も覚えておいてくれれば良い。ほんの些細な事でも、今は情報が欲しいのでな。今のわしには、それに勝るものは無い」ミラのその言葉に、ゼフとアスバルは顔を見合わせると、やっぱりなと肩を竦める。フリッカは、ミラが日付を言い並べていた時セロと一緒にメモを取っていたので、元よりそのつもりだ。「任せて!」エメラの瞳にはまた輝きが戻る。「まあ兎に角だ。嬢ちゃん、この中から好きなものを好きなだけ持って行ってくれ。残りを俺達で分ける」「......ふむ、分かった」ミラはそう答えると、テーブルの上を一瞥する。悪魔の表皮は、鎧系統の装備に加工するのが適切な素材。装備制限というものは無いが、鎧系統は筋力と体力が低いと動きに悪影響が出てしまう。これは現実となった今では、より顕著に現れるだろう。そしてミラはその二つのステータスが一般術士と大差ない為、悪魔の表皮は必要無いと判断。加工してローブの補強材としても使い様はあるが、見た目に拘るミラは、そういったローブを着た事は無い。今の服装から言えた事でもないが。悪魔の爪は、魔道具や術式装具作成と非常に相性が良い。翼は、魔道具や武具の補強として使われる事が多い。だが、そのどれよりもミラと相性の良い素材がある。悪魔の角だ。「では、わしはこいつを貰うとするかのぅ」そう言いながらミラは二本の角を手に取る。「嬢ちゃん、それだけでいいのか? 遠慮なんていらねぇぜ。俺達にしてみれば、一つだけでも随分な報酬になっちまうからな」角を二本選んだだけで、他は必要ないと手を引いたミラにアスバルが問う。アスバルの言う様に、今は全滅したと思われている悪魔の素材は、かなりの高値で取引されている。古戦場や遺跡、地層など、現在では古い悪魔の素材が稀に発掘される程度だからだ。それに対して今、目の前の素材は採れ立てフレッシュな状態の悪魔素材。その価値はかなりのものになるだろう。「これで十分じゃよ。他は手に余りそうなのでな」もちろんミラが選んだ悪魔の角も相当な代物だが、何よりもミラの扱う精錬技術と相性が良かったのだ。「まぁ、ミラちゃんがそう言うならな。んじゃま、オレ達も分けるとしようか」ミラはもう本当に何も要らなさそうだと判断したゼフは、言いながらテーブルに視線を落とす。するとほぼ同時に、テーブルの上に手が差し出され、その手は悪魔の爪を掴んで引っ込んだ。ゼフとアスバル、フリッカに冷ややかな視線を向けられる、エカルラートカリヨン副団長エメラ。炎の魔法剣のあたりから、落ち着かない様子で悪魔の爪を虎視眈々と狙っていたのだ。まるで『待て』と言われた犬の如く。「え......だって、もういいんだよね?」刀剣類の事となると、いつもの頼れるお姉さんから一変して盲目的になるエメラだった。結果的に、エメラは爪、アスバルは表皮、フリッカは翼、ゼフは爪二つと少しの表皮を手にして分配作業は終了した。「では帰るとするかのぅ。中々楽しかったぞ」頃合をみてミラが言うと、エメラ達は揃ってミラに礼をする。突然の事に驚いたミラは、何もいう事はなく成り行きを待つ。「私達が生きているのはミラちゃんのお陰だから。改めて御礼を言わせてもらうね。ありがとう」エメラは、思わずどきりとしてしまう程の笑顔を咲かせる。「ありがとうな、嬢ちゃん。命だけじゃなく、こんな物まで貰っちまってよ」「ありがとうございました、ミラちゃん。受けた恩はいつか必ず返すから。出来れば連絡先を教えて......っ」「オレもさ、お陰で色々吹っ切る事が出来たからさ。ありがとな」フリッカは途中でエメラに遮られると、間髪入れずにゼフが後を継ぐ。ミラはこう改めて感謝の言葉を向けられ、どうにも気恥ずかしさが勝り視線を泳がる。「なんじゃ、礼を言われる様な事ではない」そう言いながらそっぽを向く。しかしその頬は程よく紅に染まり、満更でもなさそうに笑んでいた。「ミラちゃん、可愛いっ!」もちろん、その姿にフリッカが耐えられるはずもなく、一連の流れを経て幕引きとなった。	As the food began being served, everyone, the leader of Écarlate Carillon included, began eating what they liked the most while livening up the room, though most of their conversations revolved around the Ancient Temple. Zef spoke about Alfina and how she struck him, Emera about how she was able to use the Spirit Sword only once after finally obtaining it, Asbar about Mira’s lack of common sense as an adventurer and the incredible gap between her appearance and actual strength, Fricca about how she could not get enough of Mira’s cuteness, and more stories like that. Mira kept listening to their merry conversation while turning to wipe Takuto’s mouth from time to time or to order extra drinks. By the end of the conversation, the topic went back to the distribution of the loot since apart from the Magic Stones, they still had all of the items obtained from the devil. In the end, they figured that they could not leave the remains of a devil on a table in the dining room overnight, so they would take it and split it later inside their rooms. When they were done splitting everything, their food and drinks had already started being digested, but then a man opened the door of the inn. Asbar turned around incited by the sound of the bells of the door, there, he saw a familiar face. 「Is that you Killick? You came at just the right moment!」 That man named Killick was another member of Écarlate Carillon. He wore a black-matted armor and with a face devoid of any expression, it was hard to read his emotions, but when he heard Asbar’s voice, his lips twitched into a smile for a split second. That difference was so subtle that it would be impossible to tell unless two pictures were taken at the moment it happened and after, but for someone who had known him for as long as Asbar had, it was clear Killick was in a good mood. 「What is this right moment I came in at, Asbar?」 Killick walked up to the table and asked in an incredibly monotonous voice. 「There was this item we had while splitting the loot that would’ve been perfect for you. I was planning on giving it to you once we were back.」 After he said that, his eyes shifted to Mira as if pointing at her. Killick followed his gaze and turned around, the single spellcaster girl flooding his vision. 「Cute...」 Killick muttered with a voice so low no one could hear him. Mira was stuffing her cheeks with a tart at that moment, but when she felt that gaze on her, she gulped down everything flustered. 「I see, you must be the dark knight Emera and the others told me about, yes?」 Mira had only heard about him once, but what she heard about him matched his current appearance, so she asked that. 「It’s true that I’m a dark knight, but... Asbar, what does this mean?」「It means you’re in luck today.」 Asbar stood up, patted Killick on the shoulder a few times then took the scythe from Sero and held it in front of Killick. 「This is...? I can feel a strong energy in it, but what is this?」 Seeing the black scythe being held in front of him, his eyes opened wide. He could sense a fragment of something like a wriggling fire exuding from it, a type of energy only a dark knight that endowed his body in the darkness could feel. 「This is one of the spoils of war that that young girl got. She said she wouldn’t use it and that we should give it to someone who would. In our guild, only you look like the one able to use something like this, so try holding it for a bit.」 As Asbar said that, he pushed the scythe towards Killick and had him hold it. Killick instinctively received it and held it in his hands, the immense power coursing through his body made all his hairs become erect. 「How is it? Do you think you can use it?」 Being told that, Killick took a step back and held the scythe with both hands. His built-up magic power began mixing with the scythe’s before it returned to his body and began seeping into him. 「I... can feel quite a strong power from it, but I can probably use it.」 Mira watched over him as he replied and seeing his situation, she released a soft sigh of admiration. Even though Asbar had such a rough time maneuvering it with both hands, Killick was now swinging it with such precision he could easily cut through the smallest of particles. 「Well, what do you think girlie? He looks like he can use it and I can vouch for his personality as well, he might look like a dark personage, but in truth, he’s a softhearted man that even donates to orphanages.」「Huh... Asbar, how do you know about that?!」 Killick became slightly flustered hearing that and it seemed he was about to drop the scythe. His donations to the orphanage were because he also grew up in it, so he wanted to return the favor to the priest there and secretly made donations, but the reply to his question was different. 「Everyone knows about that, y’know.」 Zef replied with a smile, then the other members of Écarlate Carillon there all made big nods, looking gently at Killick. His original deadpan face quickly crumbled as he flushed red, but that was enough to convince Mira that he was a good man to possess the scythe. 「This is good. So you... Killick, take good care of it. Devote yourself to mastering it, and work hard to fulfill the dreams of even more children.」「Err... I can tell just by holding it, but this is quite a valuable item. Is it really good if I take it?」「Yes. It is best for the world and its people to put it to use in this way.」 The scythe clearly outclassed any weapon he had held to date, so Killick felt hesitant when holding it, but hearing his question replied and the way the girl looked straight at him, he accepted her gaze and fixed his posture. 「Thank you very much. I vow I shall never do anything that goes against your will.」 Accepting Mira’s wishes head-on, Killick bowed respectfully to her without wavering, even though she clearly looked younger than him. The other guests in the inn glanced at Killick because of that, but after a short moment, they all returned to their original conversations. On the other hand, Emera and the others just smiled knowing that it was just like Killick to act that way. 「Uh... Yes. You’re... welcome?」 Mira was lost for words after witnessing Killick’s extremely serious manners. After giving that vague reply, she stuffed her cheeks with tart to mask her embarrassment. 「Leaving that aside for now, I feel indebted after receiving such a fine item. Is there anything I can give in return?」 After carefully storing away the scythe in his Item Box, Killick asked Mira. 「Something in return...」 Mira had given it away purely because she had no use for it, so having to think of something in return bewildered her. But she also did not want to let Killick down, his eyes were burning with determination now, which was completely different from the deadpan look he had when he entered the inn. 「That’s true. As the guild’s leader, I’d also like to give something back. This event has increased our fighting strength by quite a bit after all.」「Hmmm.」 Being cornered by the Écarlate Carillon leader Sero as well, Mira was even more lost for words. When it came to Sero, she could not build an unpaid debt with him and leave it at that. Emera and the others were also of the same feeling, so they all had their eyes focused on Mira. Feeling all those intent gazes on her, she realized she could not get away by saying something vague either. So when she began thinking if there was anything at all she could request, she recalled that there was one thing from not too long ago she could ask about. 「If you insist so much, there’s one thing I’d like to ask.」「Yes, anything you say.」 Sero nodded and agreed without waiting for Mira to give the details. She had a strained smile wishing they would at least wait until she explained what she wanted as she took a piece of paper from a sealed envelope. 「I’d like you to investigate if there were any major events, incidents or occurrences a few days around the dates I’ll give you. Do you think you can do that?」「So collecting information? We have some members who excel at gathering intelligence, so I believe we should have no problems. Tell us the dates.」 Replying as such, Sero took out a pen and some pieces of notepaper he always kept in his pocket to write down poems when they entered his mind, then waited for Mira to speak. 「September th, , June th, 2132, January 14th, 2138. Those are the dates. I don’t care if it’s something really trivial. If anything happened, I want to know it.」 Shortly after Mira finished speaking, Sero’s writing hand also stopped, then he repeated the dates for Mira to confirm them. When Mira confirmed there were no errors, Sero returned the pen and paper to his pocket. 「I’ll give this information to the best intelligence brokers in Écarlate Carillon so they can take care of it. And while I don’t know the meaning of these dates, I promise I won’t let this information leak anywhere.」「Mm, I’d be glad if you did so.」 She did not believe that they would be able to make a connection all that easily, but this involved the most important personages in the Arkite Kingdom, the Nine Wisemen. It was not the same as asking a run-off-the-mill guild to do the investigation, while it was also a nice way to conceal the information as opposed to having a bad run with the nation’s information brokers. Or at least so thought Mira. With the negotiations over, they returned to their lighthearted stories and conversation, until the bell of the inn’s clock rang to indicate it was already 8 o’clock. It was the first time for Mira to hear that sound, so she lifted her face and looked around until she found that it was indicating the current time. 「Oh, it’s already this late? Takuto, it’s already pretty late, did your grandfather tell you by what time you should be back?」 After Takuto had been separated from his parents, he was staying at his grandfather’s house. Mira recalled that so she asked him, but Takuto’s reaction seemed somewhat off. He had been enjoying himself until a moment earlier but now his eyes danced around awkwardly. 「Don’t tell me you left without saying anything?」 When Mira asked again, Takuto’s body twitched and he looked at her. His reaction alone told her that he had left without telling anything to his grandfather. And that led to the next problem, if his grandfather found out he had left with some adventurers and entered a C-rank dungeon with them, there was no parent or guardian that would pardon him. Mira began scratching her chin as she heaved a sigh, then peered straight into Takuto’s eyes. He seemed to realize he was in the wrong as well, as his shoulders sank. 「You know, when you found out your parents had died, you weren’t the only one suffering, your grandfather must’ve been suffering just as much if not even more.」「Yeah...」「And in the middle of such a time, you leave and cause him even more worry. Do you want to make your grandfather grieve for you as well?」 He did not reply, only shaking his head left and right. 「Exactly. Now, when you go out, you have to tell him exactly where you’re going, can you promise me that?」 As she said that, she gently smiled and patted his slumped head. 「Yes!」 He engraved those words into his heart before he nodded and replied. Mira then told him 「Good boy.」 and hugged him. Embraced by that warmth, Takuto imagined his mother from deep inside his memories. 「Sisterly Mira mode activateddd...!」「This is usually not like Fricca but sometimes Mira gives off some really mature vibes.」「Oh, what’s with that, you lolicon? Are you trying to excuse your own dirty tastes?」「Huhh? Are you still trying to drag on with that narrative?!」 Zef spoke with eyes too relaxed for his own good, which prompted Asbar to instantly come up with another title for him, the disgrace of which made Zef hang his head down in shame. 「I’d like to know more about this whole thing now.」「Zef, I thought you liked large breasts?」 Sero and Killick also jumped on the bandwagon, revealing his inclinations without reserve. As a result, Zef’s new shameful title would be known throughout all members of Écarlate Carillon in just a matter of days. 「Well then, I’ll go take Takuto back home now.」 Saying that, Mira stood up together with Takuto, but a voice quickly made her stop. 「Girly, there’s still one type of loot that hasn’t been split yet, what should we do about that?」 Hearing that, Mira remembered that the remains of the devil were still left without being split. Though those were materials that she did not need, so she could just say that she did not have to receive anything, but then everyone would try to stop her and get her to take something. 「Then, I’ll first see Takuto off and return after that.」「In that case, I can take him.」 As soon as Mira mentioned that, Sero stood up from his seat. Having heard about the distribution of the devil’s remains, he offered to take Takuto so Mira could stay. 「Err, but still.」 When everything started, she had promised she would bring him back herself, so she could not let Sero, who was an outsider until a few moments ago, take care of it. But when Mira thought that far, Killick also stood up. 「I’ll also go. I don’t know how much worth it will be, but I hope my help can repay my debt at least by a bit. Not to mention that if I’m together with our leader, we’ll be completely safe.」 That did guarantee Takuto’s safety, but Mira was still hesitant... 「But Mira, if you go, then you might get confused for someone else and guided by the police back here.」 Emera was just trying to tease her a bit, but that brought Mira’s memories back, which made her hang her head down low and give them her permission. 「Big Sis Mira, Big Sis Emera, Uncle Asbar, Big Sis Fricca, and Big bro Zef, thank you very much. There isn’t much more I can do now, but I promise I’ll return the favor in the future.」 Takuto stood up, then began bowing to each and every one of them. He would never forget this day, and it would mark the beginning of his life towards becoming a splendid adventurer like those he was seeing that moment, he swore so in his heart. After his long goodbye, he lifted his face, which now looked a little bit more mature, with signs of gratitude and a strong will in it. 「See you around Takuto.」「If you want to be an adventurer, I’ll teach you a bunch of things next time we meet.」「If you decide to be a magician, I might be able to teach you a few things as well. Feel free to come and ask anything anytime you want.」「Uncle...」 Emera and the others walked closer to Takuto and took turns patting his head. That made his face return to a more childish one for a moment, a smile appropriate for his age spreading on his lips. 「And well... tell your grandfather that your parents are alive, I’m sure that’ll make him happier. Also, you have been deemed apt for three paths as a spellcaster. I can’t say much myself, but you have talent. If you decide to pursue any of them, you can visit the tower. You’re always welcome there but don’t forget to talk about it with your grandfather first.」 With those last words, Mira patted his head as well, he replied with his biggest smile and replied with 「Yes!」. For Takuto, everything had been thanks to that single girl. Mira sometimes did not listen to reason and acted rashly that made Emera get anxious so she brought her companions, and at some point, he was surrounded by such amazing people. So with his heart filled to the brim with gratitude and happiness, Takuto left that place. Leaving Mira behind, Takuto left while accompanied by that man shrouded in darkness like the night who also had received a large present earlier, as well as the leader of the well-known guild Écarlate Carillon until he was home. Once they had explained everything to his grandfather, Sero and Killick headed back towards the Spring Snow inn, when an angry scream like that of thunder resounded behind them. 「Mira! Don’t only welcome Takuto but me too!」 As soon as Takuto left, Fricca lost her mind at the unbelievable words Mira had spoken to him. Namely, that he could go visit her at the tower any time he wanted. The Nine Towers were the most influential magic research facilities in not only Arkite Kingdom, but of the entire continent. Saying that it was a privilege to enter one of them was an understatement. An average adventurer would get laughed at if they tried to enter the Linked Silver Towers. It was a den of eccentric and extremely proficient people who spent day and night working there. Danbulf was the top-ranked member there, and Mira was his disciple, adding to that the fight against the devil they witnessed, it was obvious she would have permission to let whoever she wanted in. Fricca was not one to have a say in the matter, but from the way Mira had told Takuto he was always welcome there, Fricca could guess Mira already had quite a strong influence on the tower. Not only that, but Fricca was a spellcaster herself, so the Linked Silver Towers were obviously a place she dreamt of arriving at, almost like a Mecca of sorts. 「Miraaa, I want to have at least a quick look around. Pretty please with a cherry on top~?」 As opposed to the lustful eyes which Fricca had turned on Mira’s way until then, this time her eyes were filled with the desires and jealousy of a spellcaster. 「Alright alright, I’ll do it so leave me alone now!」 Fricca had been acting like a predator about to pounce on her prey. but now she looked satisfied having a tight hold on her prey, not letting it go. Although Fricca was not directly touching Mira, she knew Fricca would not budge until she got her way, so she gave in to her demand. 「I love you Mira!」 Now that Mira had granted her permission, Fricca was taken over by her emotions and leaped onto Mira, but Emera had guessed that would happen and intercepted her. In the end, the matter was settled with her having the same amount of favor as Takuto. Their feast came to a close, then they all went to Zef’s room further down on the second floor of the Spring Snow Inn. 「Alright then, now’s time to continue sharing the spoils.」 Zef began taking the devil’s drops from his item bag and piled them up on the table. There were two twisted horns, eight claws with a dark aura emanating from them, pitch-black hide, and two wings. They all had a sinister appearance, and Emera pulled back slightly thinking there might be a curse on them. But since Fricca would have been able to tell if something was amiss on the items, she knew she was being unnecessarily cautious. 「Seeing all of this again...it looks somehow hard to believe.」「I know. The magic power infused in the claws alone is already amazing by itself. Judging from its attributes it seems to be on the fire element spectrum, so the spell devices made from these would be quite powerful.」 While Asbar sighed as he looked over the drops, Fricca took one of the claws and looked closely at it as she said that. The one who reacted first to those words was Emera who was cautiously watching from a distance. 「Like a flaming magic sword...!」 Emera had an abnormally high attachment to different types of swords, so she let her emotions control her much more than necessary as her eyes shone looking at the claws piled up on the table. 「So let’s start by deciding how we’ll share these...Mira, are you sure it’s okay for us to keep these? We really were nothing but dead weight when acquiring them.」「Mm...I know.」 They were asking the same question once again. When Emera heard Zef ask that, her mind returned to reality and she stopped dead in her tracks. They alone would have never been able to win against the devil. Not just that, but if Mira had not been with them back then, at this moment only their cold bones would remain buried inside a secret underground graveyard. 「You’re asking that too much. If it bothers you that much, then just make sure to remember what I requested earlier. I don’t mind how small it is, I want any sort of information I can get. There’s nothing else I desire more than that.」 Hearing her reply, Zef and Asbar looked at each other and shrugged seeing they kept getting the same reply. They had written down the dates back when Sero was there, so they had always planned on keeping their word. 「Leave it to us then!」 Emera’s eyes were shining again. 「Anyhow, take anything you want first, we’ll split whatever remains between us.」 Replying so, Mira took a glance at the table. The devil’s hide was really useful when added to armor items, and while there were no limits to what items it applied to, armor normally decreased movement speed and physical strength, limiting the wearer’s mobility. Now that this world was Mira’s reality, that caused a bigger impact on her than before, and since Mira’s stats were roughly the same of any other spellcaster in those aspects, she figured there was no need for the hide. It could have been used as an additive to her robe, but since Mira focused more on her looks, she had never worn something like that. Though her current clothes were not that different either. The devil’s claws were incredibly well suited to make magic tools or weapons with spells imbued in them. The wings were commonly used to reinforce magic tools and weapons as well, but there was one drop which suited Mira’s needs more than all the others, namely, the horns. 「Then I guess I can take these.」 Saying that, Mira picked up the two horns. 「Are you sure that’s all you want? You don’t have to hold back. Even if we get a single item it would be more than enough for us.」 After choosing the horns, Mira pulled her hand back not needing anything else, but Asbar interrupted her asking that. As devils were thought to be exterminated, drops from one would be traded for high prices. These days it was thought that the only way to find those was on ancient battlefields, old ruins, or the underground. But the drops they had there had been freshly harvested from a devil, so that made them all the more valuable. 「This is enough. The rest would be more than I could handle.」 The horns she had chosen were obviously of a high value as well, but more than anything, they worked the best with the type of refining skills Mira used. 「Well, if you’re really okay with it then I guess that’s it. Anyway, time for us to split this up then.」 Seeing that Mira was convinced she did not need anything more, Zef said that as he turned to look at the table. Just as he did, he saw a hand jump out and take hold of the devil’s claws. Zef, Asbar, and Fricca all shot cold stares at Emera, the second in command of Écarlate Carillon. Ever since the idea of a flaming magic sword got in her head, she had been impatiently staring at the claws waiting for an opportunity to snag them. She was almost acting like a puppy that was told to wait before being given something. 「Huh...I mean, it’s fine now, right?」 As soon as the topic became sword types, Emera would change from her reliable older sister character to one oblivious to anything else. When they were done splitting everything up, the results were as follows: Emera took six of the claws, Asbar the hide, Fricca the wings, and Zef took two claws and a small piece of the hide. 「Well, I think it’s high time I head back now. This was a fun experience.」 Mira said that once she found a suitable moment for it. Emera and the rest grouped together to thank her. That was a sudden development for Mira, so she remained silent watching where things would go. 「It’s only thanks to you that we’re still alive now, so let us express our gratitude again. Thank you.」 Emera said with an almost startling smile. 「Thank you, Missy. You didn’t only save our lives, but you even gave us all these things.」「Thank you very much, Mira. I promise we’ll repay this debt one day. Maybe you can tell us how to contact-」「Same goes for me, thanks to you I was also able to let loose on many fronts. Thank you.」 Emera silenced Fricca before she could finish her sentence, and Zef filled that gap instantly. Being thanked that way once again, Mira felt embarrassed and could only let her eyes wander around incessantly. 「It was nothing big, you need not to thank me this much.」 Saying that, she turned her sideways looking away. But her cheeks were flushed red, her lips smiling more than her words made it seem. 「Mira’s so cutee!」 Of course, Fricca was unable to contain herself seeing that, and with that their exchange came to an end.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 4, "inserted_lines_src": 1, "inserted_lines_trg": 2 }
大急ぎで修復が進む騎士アカデミーだが、その作業の合間に、イングリス達は門前に出て見送るをする事になっていた。は再び、隣国ヴェネフィクとの国境付近の戦線に戻るのだ。ミリエラ校長が使いに出したラティとプラムから状況を知らされたセオドア特使は、大急ぎで引き返して来てくれたのである。だが、到着したのはあの戦いが終わった日の深夜だった。しかし決して無駄足というわけではなく、特使の名において、リップルの身に異変は起きず、正常であると宣言。の教主連合が王国からの献上と関係改善の願いを受け付けなかったため、そうする他は無かったと思われる。騎士アカデミーの行動もセオドア特使のおかげで不問とされ、事後の処理を実スムーズに行ってくれたと感じる。寮は無事だったので寝る所はあるが、食堂が潰れてしまったのはの非常事態である。早く再開してもらわないと、お腹いっぱい食べられない。「みんなありがとね。ホントにお世話になっちゃって。おかげでボク、また聖騎士団に戻れるよ。本当にありがとう」リップルは見送りに来た面々に向けて、深々と頭を下げた。「しかし、もう復帰されるとは早過ぎませんか? もう少し傷を癒されてからでも――」と、シルヴァは少々複雑そうな顔をする。のリップルの体は特別で、ラフィニアの治癒の「大丈夫大丈夫! この通り――!」と、胸をドンと叩いて見せるが―― 「うっ――!? あいたたた......やっぱまだちょっと痛いや」「ご、ご無理をなさらないで下さい! もう少しこちらに滞在して療養された方が――」「いやいや。何日かかかるから、向こうに着いた頃には治ってるよ。それに、セオドア様が前線に戻るのに護衛がいるでしょ?」「......結局何もお力になる事が出来ずに、申し訳ありませんでした。自分の未熟さを痛感しています」伏し目がちのシルヴァに、ラフィニアは慰めの言葉をかける。「いやー......あれはクリスが不意打ちして無理やり出番を奪ったから――シルヴァ先輩は悪くないような......」を握った聖騎士は天下無敵のはず......それが昏倒させられるなど、僕が未熟だった事に他ならない。リップル様に問題などあろうはずがないのだから――」「いやいやいや、味方に肘打ちするうちのクリスが悪いんです。本当にごめんなさい、代わりに謝ります。強敵を前にすると止まらないんです」「いやいやいやいや――」と、何だか不毛そうなやり取りを眺めていると、リップルにちょいちょい、と袖を引かれた。「イングリスちゃんイングリスちゃん――」「はい、何か?」「......気づいた? 武器化した時の事――」こっそりと、イングリスだけに聞こえるような耳打ちである。「ええ......穏やかではないですね。ですが納得は行きます。何故、あれほど強力な力が地上に遣わされるのか――」「......うん。そうだね。じゃあ気づいて止めてくれたんだね、ありがとうね」を横取りして、自分が戦いたかったのも偽らざる事実である。「ははは......イングリスちゃんらしいなあ」 ――システィアさんが武器化するところも見たのですが、彼女はリップルさんのような感じではありませんでした。何の副作用も無い感じでしたが......」「ええぇぇぇっ!?」リップルはとても驚いたらしく、大声を上げてしまっていた。「どうしたのよ、クリス?」「何かありましたか? リップル様」ラフィニア達がこちらを向く。「あ、いや何でもない何でもない――それよりシルヴァくんは、体の方は大丈夫なの?」「ええ。大きな問題はありません」「そっか。よかったよかった。健康第一、だからね? 健康な体があってこそ、もっと強くなれるし、なりたい自分になれるようになるんだよ」「はい! もっと訓練を重ねて、必ず正式な聖騎士になって見せます!」「うん。決して無理はしないようにね?」シルヴァの肩をポンと叩くと、リップルは再びイングリスに耳打ちする。「さっきの話――みんなには黙っておいてね? 聖騎士が正式にそうなる時に、知らされることになってるから――」「......はい、分かりました」と、ミリエラ校長と話をしていたセオドア特使の方も話が終わり、リップルを促した。「では参りましょう、リップル殿。ウェイン達の前線も気になります」「はーい! じゃあね、みんな! また王都に戻ったら、顔見に来るからっ!」リップルとセオドア特使は、特使専用の大型「皆さん、今回は本当にありがとうございました。皆さんのような騎士候補がいて下されば、この国の未来はきっと明るいと思います」セオドア特使は騎士アカデミーの面々に対し、深々と頭を下げる。「後は私達に任せて、修練に励んでいてください。いずれ、皆さんがこの国の未来を担う時が来るまで......それでは――」その慈愛に満ちた笑顔が、どうしてもラフィニア個人に向けられているように見えたので――イングリスはすっとラフィニアの前に立って、その姿を隠した。「ちょっとクリス。見えないんだけど――?」「子供は見ちゃいけません」「何を言ってるのよ、そんな卑猥なものみたいに......」「そうじゃないとは言い切れない!」小競り合いをしているイングリスとラフィニアを見て、リップルは可笑しそうに笑っていた。「ふふふっ。じゃあね、みんな! またね~!」明るく手を振るリップルの笑顔が、	A few days later, the Knight Academy was being restored in a big hurry, but in between their work, Inglis and the others went to the gate to see off some people. It was Ripple and Special Envoy Theodore that they were seeing off. Those two were going back to the frontline, near the border to the country of Venefique. Special Envoy Theodore had been informed of the situation by Lahti and Pullum, both of whom were sent by Principal Miliera, and therefore rushed back. However, he didn’t arrive until late at night on the day the battle ended. His arrival wasn’t a waste, however, as he had proclaimed above his position as a Special Envoy that the oddity should no longer happen to Ripple and she was fit for duty. He negotiated with the King of Charalia to allow Ripple to remain in this country as a Hyrule Menace. It was assumed that King Charleas had no other option, however, since the Church’s Union didn’t accept the Kingdom’s offer and request to improve their relationship. Thanks to Special Envoy Theodore’s authority, the Knight Academy’s actions were not persecuted, and the aftermath was handled very smoothly. Thanks to this, Inglis and the other students were able to concentrate on rebuilding the Academy while they trained. The dormitory was safe from harm, so they had a place to sleep, but the cafeteria was destroyed, and that was a First Degree Emergency. If the cafeteria didn’t open soon, Inglis and Rafinha wouldn’t be able to eat to their fill. For that reason, both of them were really active in helping the reconstruction. 「Thank you, everyone. I’m really indebted to all of you. Thanks to you, I can go back to Holy Knight Order. Thank you so much.」 Ripple bowed deeply to the people who had come to see her off. 「However, isn’t it too soon for you to return to duty? You could have waited until your wounds have healed a bit more!」 Silva rebutted with mixed feelings showing on his face. The body of Hyrule Menaces like Ripple was special, as even Rafinha’s healing Gift didn’t work on her. In other words, Ripple had to be left to recover naturally. Although, she was indeed extraordinarily resilient and had great recovery power. 「I’m fine, I’m fine! Just look!」 She spoke as she pounded on her chest, but... 「Uugh!? Ouchie-chie......Guess it still hurts, huh.」「P-, please take it easy! You should stay here recuperate a little longer!」「Nuh-uh. It’ll take a few days until we reach, so I’ll be fine by the time we get there. Besides, Lord Theodore will need an escort on his way back to the front, right?」「......I am truly sorry that I could not help you in the end. I am very aware of my own inexperience.」 Rafinha offered some comforting words towards the downcasted Silva. 「No......That was because Glis took you out by surprise and forcefully took the spotlight for herself! I don’t think you’re at fault at all, senior Silva......」「No no. Normally, a Holy Knight who wields a weaponized Hyrule Menace should be invincible and peerless under the Heaven......It was my own inexperience that allowed me to be taken out. Since it is impossible for Lady Ripple to make any mistake!」「Nonono. Clearly, Glis is the one at fault for elbowing her own ally. I’m really sorry for it, let me apologize in her stead. She just can’t stop when she sees a strong enemy.」「No no no no——」 Whilst she was watching over the somewhat unproductive conversation, Ripple tugged at Inglis’ sleeve. 「Inglis, Inglis——」「Yes, what is it?」「......Did you notice it? When I weaponized...」 She whispered so silently that only Inglis could hear it. 「Yes......I can’t say that it’s the most peaceful method. But it makes sense if you question why the Highland would willingly send such immense power to the Midland at all!」「......Yeah. Exactly that. So you noticed it and stopped him. Thank you.」 It was also an undeniable truth that she wanted to take Prisma from Silva so she could fight it all by herself. 「Hahaha......That sounds just like you, girl.」「But then, there is something I don’t understand. I have seen the Hyrule Menace affiliated with the Ironblood Chain Brigade——Cystia, weaponized beforehand, but, unlike when you did it, Miss Ripple, it was as if she produced no side effect whatsoever......」「EEEeeehhh!?!?」 It surprised Ripple so hard that she practically screamed at the top of her lung. 「What’s wrong, Glis?」「What happened, Lady Ripple?」 Rafinha and Silva looked over. 「Ah, no, it’s nothing, nothing! Rather, Silva. How is your body?」「Yes. There isn’t any major problem.」「I see. That’s good, that’s good. Prioritize your health, okay? Only a healthy body can bring you to a greater stage of strength and become the you that you want to be.」「Yes! I will train harder and I will definitely become an official Holy Knight!」「Yeah. Don’t ever push yourself, okay?」 After she patted Silva’s shoulder with a plop, Ripple gave Inglis a whisper again. 「Back to what we spoke about before... don’t tell anyone about it, okay? When a Holy Knight officially becomes 「......Yes, understood.」 Then, as Special Envoy Theodore and Principal Miliera finished their discussion, Ripple was prompted to go. 「Then, let’s get going, Miss Ripple. I’m concerned with Wayne and everyone on the frontline.」「Yees~! Laters, everyone! I’ll come back to see you again when we’re back to the capital!」 Both Ripple and the Special Envoy boarded the Envoy-exclusive Large Flygear. 「Everyone, thank you very much for all you have done this time around. With Knight candidates like you in our Academy, I am sure the future of this country will be bright.」 Theodore bowed deeply to the members of the Knight Academy. 「We will take care of the rest, so you may continue with your training. Let us fight together by the time you are bearing the future of this country on your shoulders......Well then!」 He showed a compassionate smile that seemed like it was addressed for Rafinha personally, so Inglis quickly stood in front of Rafinha, hiding it with her own body. 「Wait, Glis. I can’t see, you know?」「It’s not something a child should see.」「What are you even saying, you make it sound like it’s something indecent......」「Can’t say it’s not!」 Ripple laughed hilariously at Inglis and Rafinha’s little skirmish. 「Fufufu. Bye then, everyone! Laters~!」 Riding the Flygear further away into the sky, Ripple’s smile was bright and her hand waved cheerfully.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 1, "inserted_lines_src": 21, "inserted_lines_trg": 2 }
「詳しいことは後でしっかり調べねばなるまいが、壊すことは出来る」魔法陣の仕組みを解析するには時間がかかる。だが魔力を真祖に流している部分がわかれば壊すことは出来るのだ。「色々とごまかすために手を尽くしていたようだが、魔力の波長と魔法構造を把握すればなんということはない」「化け物が......」真祖はそう呟くと、みるみるうちに顔が土気色になっていく。そして干からびて完全に動かなくなった。バラバラになった身体のほうもピクリとも動かない。真祖の身体を動かしていた魔力は完全に消失した。「まさに化け物そのものの、お前が言うな」俺とエリックは真祖の動かなくなった身体を調べる。真祖はすでに死んでいるので、灰になったわけではない。俺が先ほど壊した魔法機構とは別の魔法機構につながれば、再び動き出すのかも知れない。慎重な調査が必要だ。「その前に......」俺は空を見上げる。遙か彼方。晴れた空に浮かぶ風竜王ケーテ、風竜の先王ドルゴ、水竜の侍従長モーリスがの昏竜を相手にしている。「......昏竜が、増えてないか?」俺はおもわず呟いた。戦闘開始当初、昏竜は十頭だった。恐らく、ケーテたちのことだ。すでに何頭も倒しているはずだ。倒しても倒しても敵の増援が押し寄せているのだろう。「ケーテ、大丈夫か?」俺は通話の腕輪で話しかける。『大丈夫である! もうみんなで十五頭を殺したのだ!』と言うことは王都上空にやってきた昏竜は頭ということ。「手助けが必要なら言ってくれ。こっちは真祖を倒した」『わかったのだ! まずくなったら遠慮無く頼むのである』それで通話が終わる。ケーテたちもあまり余裕がないのだろう。話を聞いていたエリックが言う。「ああ。総力戦なら勝てば平和になるだろうさ」、ゴランは、セルリスたちの方へと歩いて行った。俺たちが真祖を倒したときには、シアたちもロードを全部倒している。「見事だ。やるじゃねーか」死骸である灰を確認しゴランはシアとセルリスとガルヴを褒めた。「あ、ありがとう」セルリスは頬を赤らめて照れる。「光栄であります」「がう」「驕るのはまずいが、自信は持っていい」ゴランは戦いが終わったと油断しているわけではない。褒めながら周囲を観察し、灰となったヴァンパイアの死骸を調べているのだ。シアも速やかにロードの死骸の観察に移る。「まがまがしいメダルでありますね。これまで倒したロードのものより呪いのたまり方が尋常ではないであります」最初匹に加えて、駆けつけようとしてゲルベルガさまに灰にされたのが十匹。それで三十匹のロードを殺したのだ。『ロック。王宮にのこった霧はどのくらいある?』エリックは念話で話しかけてくる。どこで誰が聞いているかわからない。それを警戒して、念話に切り替えたのだろう。『まだ所ほど残っているな』『増えたりはしていないか?』『それは大丈夫だ。真祖を倒したから終わったんだろう』俺は少し今後のことを考える。そして、真祖の足元に刻まれていた魔法陣に魔神王の剣で改めて斬りつけた。床が深く傷つき、同時に魔法陣にも大きな傷が入る。『ロック、これで魔法陣は壊れたと考えていいのか?』するとゴランが言う。『魔法陣には魔力が流れてはいないんだよな?』『流れていない。だが、魔素が濃密すぎて探索の精度を高くできないんだ』俺は真祖につながる魔法機構の位置も魔力探知や魔力探査では見つけられなかった。だから仕方なく、ドレインタッチで暴いたのだ。この場は魔素が濃すぎる。ヴァンパイアが変化した霧が立ちこめていたのを、ゲルベルガさまの力で払った。払うというのは、霧からただの魔素に戻すと言うこと。加えて真祖を倒し、ロードを三十匹を殺したことで魔素はさらに濃くなった。『だから魔法陣の全容はつかめない』時間をかければつかめるが、今は時間が無い。『つまり壊れていない可能性もあるってことか?』『ある。そのときは対応を頼む』魔法陣を剣で傷付けたら、通常は壊れて機能しなくなる。だが、目に見えないこちらとは違う次元に魔法陣を書き込まれていた場合、剣で傷付けても無駄だ。それこそ時間をかけて解析し、どこにあるか見つけ出して、構造と理論を把握して壊さねばならない。俺がやっても半時はかかるだろう。いまは残っている霧を消して、神の加護を復活させるのが先決だ。それに日没まであまり時間が無い。日が沈めば、昏き者どもの動きが活発になるだろう。それまでには絶対に王宮内の霧を全て晴らしたうえで、神の加護を復活させたい。『ここの後処理は任せていいか? 俺は霧を消してくる』霧を消すにはゲルベルガさまの力が最適。ゲルベルガさまは、敵に狙われやすい。だから護衛として俺がついて行かねばならないのだ。	“While I won’t know the details until I investigate later, it is destructible.” It would take time to analyze the workings of the magic circle. However, if I knew what part was sending magic energy to the true ancestor, I would be able to destroy it. “It seems like you put a lot of effort into tricking us, but it will be for nothing once I am aware of the wavelengths and structure of the magic.” “You monster...” The true ancestor muttered, and his face grew even more pale. And then after shriveling up, he stopped moving altogether. The severed parts of his body did not move either. The magic that had been moving him was completely gone. “You’re one to talk, monster.” And then Eric and I began to search the true ancestor’s motionless body. As the true ancestor was already dead, he did not turn into ashes. Perhaps if he was connected to a different magic mecanism, he would start moving again. And so we had to be very careful while studying him. “But first...” I looked up at the sky. Far into the distance. Above the swirling clouds in the clear sky, dragons were fighting a brutal battle. Wind Dragon King Kathe, the previous king, Dorgo, and Morris of the water dragons were fighting fifteen evil dragons. “...Are there more evil dragons now?” I couldn’t help but mutter. When the battle had just started, there were only ten of them. And this was Kathe and the others. They would have already defeated a few. And yet, the number of enemies was increasing. “Kathe. How are you?” I said through the communication bracelet. ‘I’m fine! We’ve killed fifteen of them already!’ That meant that a total of thirty evil dragons had flown over the royal capital. “If you need any help, just tell me. We defeated the true ancestor over here.” ‘Understood! If things get bad, I won’t hesitate to ask you.’ And then the communication ended. I didn’t want to distract her now. Eric, who had been listening, said, “Thirty, eh? They are really coming out in full force.” “Aye. That means if we win, things will be very peaceful afterwards.” “I hope you are right.” On the other hand, Goran was walking towards Serulis and the others. By the time we had defeated the true ancestor, they had defeated all of the Lords. “Brilliant. You impress me!” After seeing the piles of ashes, Goran praised Shia, Serulis and Grulf. “Th-thank you.” Serulis’s cheeks flushed. “It’s an honor.” “Arrogance can be dangerous, but you have a right to be confident.” Goran said with a smile. Just because the battle was over, it did not mean that Goran had let down his guard. As he commended them, he scanned the area and studied the piles of vampire ashes. Shia also quickly moved to inspect the dead Lords. “These are ominous medals. The way that they are filled with curses is different from previous Lords we defeated.” “And there are thirty of them.” Aside from the first twenty, ten others had rushed towards them, and were turned into ashes by Lord Gerberga. And so they had killed thirty Lords in total. ‘Locke. How much mist is left in the palace?’ Eric asked me through telepathy. We didn’t know who might be listening to us. And so he had cautiously switched to telepathy. ‘There are still four other places left.’ ‘Will they increase?’ ‘There is no need to worry about that. We defeated the true ancestor, and so it is over.’ I thought a little about what we should do now. And then I took the Devil King Sword and cut the magic circle under the true ancestor’s feet once again. A deep cut appeared on the floor, as well as the magic circle. ‘Locke. Is the magic circle destroyed now?’ ‘I believe so. The more complex and detailed a magic circle is, the easier it is to destroy.’ And then Goran said, ‘So there is no magic energy running through it?’ ‘There is not. However, as the mana is so dense, I cannot explore with much precision.’ I had not been able to use Magic Detection or Magic Exploration to locate the magic mechanic that was connected to the true ancestor. And so I had no choice but to use Drain Touch to find it. The mana was too thick in this place. As it was thick with the mist of transformed vampires, I had to use Lord Gerberga’s power to drive it away. But driving it away just meant returning the mist to mana. On top of that, we defeated the true ancestor and thirty Lords. So the mana became even thicker. ‘And so I can’t get a full grasp on the magic circle.’ Perhaps if I did it slowly, but we had no time right now. ‘In other words, it’s possible that it isn’t broken?’ ‘Yes. You’ll have to deal with it if it turns out to be the case.’ When cutting a magic circle with a sword, usually, it would break and no longer be able to function. However, if the magic circle was written in a different dimension that we cannot see, cutting it with a sword would do nothing. Indeed, it would be necessary to analyze it carefully and find it. It would not be breakable unless I fully understood the structure and theory behind it. And that would take at least half an hour for me. But right now, we had to get rid of the remaining mist and bring back the divine protection. And there was not much time left until sundown. If the sun set, then the dark ones would become more active. And so I definitely wanted to clear the palace of mist and repair the divine protection before then. ‘Can I leave the rest to you? I’ll go and deal with the mist.’ Lord Gerberga was the best way to erase it. But Lord Gerberga was also an easy target for the enemy. And so I had to stay with him at all times.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 0, "inserted_lines_src": 6, "inserted_lines_trg": 1 }
(ゴールドスタイン)理性は困難な時代を迎えているわ大衆文化はどんどん下らなくなっているし政治の議論の質は急速に落ちている私達は今科学的創造論や同時多発テロ陰謀説や電話心霊占いや宗教的原理主義が再来する時代に生きているわ深く考え過ぎるとエリート主義だと非難され高等教育機関でさえロゴス中心主義が攻撃され論理が思考を支配するのは罪とされているの (ピンカー)でもそれは本当に悪いことなのかい? たぶん理性は過大評価されているんだ善意や明確で揺るがない道徳は頭でっかちの官僚が立てる — 精巧な計画に勝ると主張する専門家も多いよ「最高の知性」が私達をベトナム戦争という — 泥沼に引き込んだんだからそれに地球に荒廃を招き人類を大量破壊兵器で脅かす源は理性じゃないか? そう考えると私達を救うのは冷酷な計算ではなく徳と良心だろうそれに人間は脳がついた棒切れじゃない同僚の心理学者達は人間が身体と感情に導かれていて直感を正当化するために少し理性を使うだけだと証明しているよ (ゴールドスタイン)でもどうやったら理性的な議論で論理的に「理性的な議論は無効だ」と言えるの? あなたは理性が無力だと説得しようとするけれど脅迫や買収をするわけではないからこの問題を多数決や美人コンテストの要領で解決していると言えるわそしてあなたが説得を試みること自体 — 理性の力を認めた証拠になるはずここでは理性は簡単には使えないはずよあなたは理性を争点にしているけれど議論には始めから負けているの (ピンカー)でも私達は理性によって善良で礼儀正しく道徳的になれるだろうか? 君の指摘では理性は目的達成の手段に過ぎないけれど理性の持ち主の感性次第で目的は変わってしまう人が平和と調和を求めるなら理性は平和と調和に向かうけれど争いと論争を好むならそちらに向かってしまう理性だけで人は残酷さや荒廃を避けるだろうか? (ゴールドスタイン)理性だけなら答えはノーだけれど簡単にイエスに変えられるわ 2つの条件が揃うだけでいいの 1つは理性の持ち主が自分の幸福を大事にしていることこれは理性が働くのになくてはならない要素だし皆が持っている感性ね私達は皆熱心に自分の幸せを気にかけているわ 2つ目の条件とは理性の持ち主が共同体を構成してお互いの幸せに影響を与えながらメッセージのやり取りをして考え方を理解し合えることよ私達人間のように社交的でおしゃべりな言語の本能をもつ種にはよく当てはまるわ (ピンカー)理屈は通っているけれど実際にそうなんだろうか? 特に私が5年前に TEDで話した — 重要な歴史的進歩をそれで説明できるだろうか? つまり人類がどんどん人道的になっている点だ数世紀前私達の祖先は娯楽としてネコを焼き殺していた騎士達はいつも戦争をして相手の小作人を出来るだけ多く殺そうとした政府はつまらない理由で人民を処刑した例えばキャベツを盗ったとか王家の庭園をけなしたという理由だよ処刑は出来るだけ時間がかかり苦しむように設計された磔刑や腹裂き — 車裂きの刑がいい例だよ立派な人でも奴隷は持っていた現代人に欠点はあっても野蛮な慣習は捨てたんだ (ゴールドスタイン)人間は本質的に変わったということ? (ピンカー)そうじゃない私達は暴力に発展するような本能を今でも持っているどん欲さや同族意識復讐支配サディズムなどだでも同時にそれらを避けようとする本能もある自制心や共感公正がそうだリンカーンはこれを「私達の本性に住む — 善き天使」と呼んでいるね (ゴールドスタイン)人間性が変わらないとしたら何が「善き天使」を突き動かしているの? (ピンカー)色々あるけれど共感する対象が広がったことだろうかつて私達の祖先は自分の家族や隣人の痛みしか感じなかっただろうでも識字能力や旅行が拡大するにつれて人々はより広い範囲の人に同情する様になった親族から部族国家人種にまで広がりおそらくやがて全人類にまで広がるだろう (ゴールドスタイン)でも頭の固い科学者が生ぬるい共感なんて本当に信用するかしら? (ピンカー)実際に信用しているよ神経生理学者が発見したあるニューロンは自分の行為と同じように他人の行為にも反応するんだ共感は生まれてすぐ — たぶん1才になる前から現れる共感をテーマにした本もベストセラーになっている『共感する文明』や『共感の時代へ』がそうだね (ゴールドスタイン)私も共感には賛成でも誰でもそうでしょうただ倫理観を発達させるとなると共感だけでは十分じゃないわそもそも共感には偏りがあって血縁とか赤ちゃんとかふわふわした動物に向きがちねだから共感だけだと醜いよそ者はどうでもいいことになるつながりがない人々にも共感しようといくらがんばってもまったく不十分よそんな人間の本質の嘆かわしい真実をアダム・スミスが指摘しているこう仮定してみよう突然中国が大地震に見舞われたとする欧州の博愛主義者達はこの恐ろしい災害の報を聞いてどのような反応をするだろうかおそらくまず気の毒な人民を襲った — 不幸に哀悼の意を表すだろうそれから人生のはかなさについて憂鬱な考えに沈むだろうでもこんな人道的な感情もいったん表してしまえばまるで災害などなかったかのように容易に自分の仕事や娯楽の追求に戻っていくだろうもし明日自分の小指を失うとしたらその晩は一睡もできないだろうでも一億人の同胞が破滅してもそれを自分の目で見なければ安心して眠りにつけるのだ (ピンカー)でも共感だけで人道的になれないとしたら他に何があるんだろう? (ゴールドスタイン)あなたは私達にとって最高の — 「善き天使」になり得るものつまり理性を忘れているわ理性には力がある理性こそが共感の輪を広げる ― 力を持っているのあなたがあげた人道面の発展はどれも思想家達に端を発しているある慣習を擁護できない理由は彼らが与えてきたの彼らが示したのは人が — ある特定の集団を扱うやり方と自分が求める扱いとは論理的に矛盾するという点よ (ピンカー)理性が実際に人間の心を変えるということかい? 人間は自分に都合のいい信念にしがみついたり生まれ育った文化に従ったりするのでは? (ゴールドスタイン)人間に関する興味深い事実があるわ私達は矛盾に直面させられるとそれが気になるのこれは私達が理性に影響されることを別の言い方で説明しているだけね道徳が発達する過程を追っていくと理性に基づく議論から実際に感じ方が変化するまでの道筋をたどることができる思想家がしばしば展開した主張はある慣習が擁護できない上に不合理ですでに存在する価値観と矛盾するということよ彼らの評論は伝染する様に広まり様々な言語に翻訳されパブやコーヒー・ハウスやサロンや夕食会で議論を巻き起こし指導者や政治家や世論に影響を与えたのその結果思想家達が出した結論は常識的な感覚に取り込まれてそこに至るまでの議論の跡は消えてしまっただから私達現代人のほとんどはなぜ奴隷制や公開絞首刑や子どもへの体罰が悪なのかを厳密かつ哲学的に議論しなくてもいいわけこういった事は今では単に悪いと感じるだけでもかつては議論の必要があったし実際数世紀に渡って議論されたわ (ピンカー)異端者を火あぶりにするのは少し問題があると納得するには順を追って議論を重ねる必要があったということかい? (ゴールドスタイン)そうよフランスの神学者 — セバスティアン・カステリョはこう主張しているわカルヴァンは自分が正しいと言い他の宗派は自分達こそ正しいと言うでは誰が判断するのか? 誰にとって正しいのか? カルヴァンにとってか? ではなぜ真理を証明するために彼は多くの本を書くのか? この曖昧さを考えると異端者は「考え方が違う者」と定義する他ない従って異端者を殺すなら論理的帰結として互いを絶滅させることになるそれぞれ自分が正しいと信じているからだ (ピンカー)骨を砕くような残酷な刑が悪だということもかい? (ゴールドスタイン) アメリカの憲法で残虐で異常な刑罰を禁じているのは 1764年にイタリアの法学者チェーザレ・ベッカリーアが配布したパンフレットの影響ね (チェーザレ・ベッカリーア) 刑罰が残酷になるにつれて人間の精神は無感覚になる精神は液体のように周囲に順応するからだ 100年間も残酷な刑を続けていれば車輪の上で骨を砕いても投獄以上の恐怖など与えられなくなる刑罰の目的を達成するために唯一必要なことは犯罪による利益より刑罰による苦痛の方が大きいことであるそしてそれを見積もるには刑罰の必然性と犯罪によって失われた価値を考慮に入れなければならないそれを超える刑罰は過剰であり非人道的である (ピンカー)でも反戦運動では集団でのデモやフォーク歌手の心に残る歌や胸が痛む戦争犠牲者の写真に頼っているよ (ゴールドスタイン)確かにそうねでも現代の反戦運動は連綿と続く思想家の歴史にまで遡れるわ思想家達はなぜ反戦感情を利用すべきかを主張してきた近代思想の父エラスムスがいい例よ平和から生じた利益は広範囲に広まり多数の人に届く一方戦争では仮に上手くいったとしても利益はわずかな人間にしか及ばないし彼らにはそれを受ける資格がない 1人が安全なのはもう1人が破滅したからだ 1人が成果を得たのはもう1人から略奪したからだ一方の喜びの源はもう一方にとって嘆きの源となる戦争ではあらゆる不幸が容赦なく襲いかかる反対にあらゆる幸運は相手の悲しみから生まれた — 野蛮で残酷な幸運卑劣な幸運なのだ (ピンカー)でも奴隷制度廃止運動が信仰と感情に基づいていたのは周知の事実だよ運動を率いたのはクエーカー教徒だったし運動が広がったのはハリエット・ビーチャー・ストウの『アンクル・トムの小屋』がベストセラーになってからだよ (ゴールドスタイン)でも始まりはその100年前よジョン・ロックはそれまで数千年に渡ってごく自然だと思われていた慣習に逆らったわロックは奴隷制が理性的な政府の原則と矛盾すると主張したの政府のもとでの人間の自由とは確立された規範を持つことである規範とは社会で暮らす全員に共通しその社会が選んだ立法権によって作られるまた規範が禁じない限り常に自分の意志に従う自由 ― 矛盾し不確かで未知で恣意的な他者の意志に従属しない自由を持つことだなぜなら自然状態の自由には自然法以外の制約は課されないからだ (ピンカー)聞き覚えがあるなどこで読んだんだろう? ああそうだ国家に絶対的な主権が必要ないならなぜ家庭に必要なのだろうか? 反対に家庭に必要ならなぜ国家には必要ないのか? 一方に当てはまらない理由は他方でも主張できないもし男性が生まれつき自由ならなぜ女性は生まれつき奴隷なのか? というのも矛盾し不確かで未知で恣意的な人間の意志に従うことが奴隷の条件ならば女性は奴隷そのものだからである (ゴールドスタイン) 論理を取り入れるのはまさに理性の機能ねある権利拡大運動が別の運動を引き起こすのは論理が同じだからなのそしてその論理が定着すると今度は矛盾を無視するのが難しくなってくる 1960年代には公民権運動が女性の権利や子どもの権利 — 同性愛者の権利や動物の権利運動にまで広がったでもその2世紀も前に啓蒙思想家のジェレミ・ベンサムが動物に対する残虐行為といった ― 慣行は擁護できないと主張していたの問題は動物が理性を持っているかとか話せるかではなく動物が苦痛を感じられるかどうかだ (ゴールドスタイン)同性愛を迫害することについては・・・一時的害悪の点では同性愛は明らかに誰にも苦痛を与えないむしろ同性愛は快楽を生む 2人とも望んでいるからだ仮に片方が望まなければその行為は罪であり本質的な結果は全く異なるそれは個人に対する傷害であり一種のレイプである苦痛以外の危険という点では仮にそれがあったとしても大部分は同性愛の傾向自体にある同性愛が持つ傾向とは何か? それは他者に同じ振舞いを促す点であるそれでもこの振舞いはすべての人に対していかなる苦痛も与えない (ピンカー)でもどの例をとっても偉大な思想家の主張が少しずつ伝わり社会全体に浸透するまで1世紀はかかっている私達が生きる現代ならどうだろう? 私達の慣習の中に反対意見が公然と存在するにも関わらず続いている慣習はあるだろうか? (ゴールドスタイン) 私達の子孫が過去を振り返って今私達がしていることに愕然とするかしら? 私達の先祖が奴隷を所有し異端者を火刑にし妻を殴り ― 同性愛を非難したことに私達が愕然とするように (ピンカー)誰でも一つは例をあげられるだろうね (ゴールドスタイン) 私なら工場式農場で動物が虐待されていることをあげるわ (ピンカー)暴力的でない麻薬犯の投獄や国内の刑務所におけるレイプの容認もそうだ (ゴールドスタイン)人命を救う開発途上国への義援金をカットするのもそう (ピンカー)核兵器を保有することも (ゴールドスタイン)宗教を利用して避妊の禁止といった普通は許されないことを正当化することもそう (ピンカー)じゃあ信仰全般については? (ゴールドスタイン) あまり期待はしていないわ (ピンカー)とはいえ私は納得したよ理性こそが善き天使で人類が享受してきた道徳的な進歩に最も貢献し将来もその進歩が続くという ― 希望を抱かせてくれる (ゴールドスタイン)そしてもしも皆さんがこの主張に欠点を見出したとしてもそれを指摘する時理性に頼っていることを忘れないでくださいありがとう (ピンカー)ありがとう	Rebecca Newberger Goldstein: Reason appears to have fallen on hard times: Popular culture plumbs new depths of dumbth and political discourse has become a race to the bottom. We're living in an era of scientific creationism, 9/11 conspiracy theories, psychic hotlines, and a resurgence of religious fundamentalism. People who think too well are often accused of elitism, and even in the academy, there are attacks on logocentrism, the crime of letting logic dominate our thinking. SP: But is this necessarily a bad thing? Perhaps reason is overrated. Many pundits have argued that a good heart and steadfast moral clarity are superior to triangulations of overeducated policy wonks, like the best and brightest and that dragged us into the quagmire of Vietnam. And wasn't it reason that gave us the means to despoil the planet and threaten our species with weapons of mass destruction? In this way of thinking, it's character and conscience, not cold-hearted calculation, that will save us. Besides, a human being is not a brain on a stick. My fellow psychologists have shown that we're led by our bodies and our emotions and use our puny powers of reason merely to rationalize our gut feelings after the fact. RNG: How could a reasoned argument logically entail the ineffectiveness of reasoned arguments? Look, you're trying to persuade us of reason's impotence. You're not threatening us or bribing us, suggesting that we resolve the issue with a show of hands or a beauty contest. By the very act of trying to reason us into your position, you're conceding reason's potency. Reason isn't up for grabs here. It can't be. You show up for that debate and you've already lost it. SP: But can reason lead us in directions that are good or decent or moral? After all, you pointed out that reason is just a means to an end, and the end depends on the reasoner's passions. Reason can lay out a road map to peace and harmony if the reasoner wants peace and harmony, but it can also lay out a road map to conflict and strife if the reasoner delights in conflict and strife. Can reason force the reasoner to want less cruelty and waste? RNG: All on its own, the answer is no, but it doesn't take much to switch it to yes. You need two conditions: The first is that reasoners all care about their own well-being. That's one of the passions that has to be present in order for reason to go to work, and it's obviously present in all of us. We all care passionately about our own well-being. The second condition is that reasoners are members of a community of reasoners who can affect one another's well-being, can exchange messages, and comprehend each other's reasoning. And that's certainly true of our gregarious and loquatious species, well endowed with the instinct for language. SP: Well, that sounds good in theory, but has it worked that way in practice? In particular, can it explain a momentous historical development that I spoke about five years ago here at TED? Namely, we seem to be getting more humane. Centuries ago, our ancestors would burn cats alive as a form of popular entertainment. Knights waged constant war on each other by trying to kill as many of each other's peasants as possible. Governments executed people for frivolous reasons, like stealing a cabbage or criticizing the royal garden. The executions were designed to be as prolonged and as painful as possible, like crucifixion, disembowelment, breaking on the wheel. Respectable people kept slaves. For all our flaws, we have abandoned these barbaric practices. RNG: So, do you think it's human nature that's changed? SP: Not exactly. I think we still harbor instincts that can erupt in violence, like greed, tribalism, revenge, dominance, sadism. But we also have instincts that can steer us away, like self-control, empathy, a sense of fairness, what Abraham Lincoln called the better angels of our nature. RNG: So if human nature didn't change, what invigorated those better angels? SP: Well, among other things, our circle of empathy expanded. Years ago, our ancestors would feel the pain only of their family and people in their village. But with the expansion of literacy and travel, people started to sympathize with wider and wider circles, the clan, the tribe, the nation, the race, and perhaps eventually, all of humanity. RNG: Can hard-headed scientists really give so much credit to soft-hearted empathy? SP: They can and do. Neurophysiologists have found neurons in the brain that respond to other people's actions the same way they respond to our own. Empathy emerges early in life, perhaps before the age of one. Books on empathy have become bestsellers, like "The Empathic Civilization" and "The Age of Empathy." RNG: I'm all for empathy. I mean, who isn't? But all on its own, it's a feeble instrument for making moral progress. For one thing, it's innately biased toward blood relations, babies and warm, fuzzy animals. As far as empathy is concerned, ugly outsiders can go to hell. And even our best attempts to work up sympathy for those who are unconnected with us fall miserably short, a sad truth about human nature that was pointed out by Adam Smith. Adam Smith: Let us suppose that the great empire of China was suddenly swallowed up by an earthquake, and let us consider how a man of humanity in Europe would react on receiving intelligence of this dreadful calamity. He would, I imagine, first of all express very strongly his sorrow for the misfortune of that unhappy people. He would make many melancholy reflections upon the precariousness of human life, and when all these humane sentiments had been once fairly expressed, he would pursue his business or his pleasure with the same ease and tranquility as if no such accident had happened. If he was to lose his little finger tomorrow, he would not sleep tonight, but provided he never saw them, he would snore with the most profound security over the ruin of a hundred million of his brethren. SP: But if empathy wasn't enough to make us more humane, what else was there? RNG: Well, you didn't mention what might be one of our most effective better angels: reason. Reason has muscle. It's reason that provides the push to widen that circle of empathy. Every one of the humanitarian developments that you mentioned originated with thinkers who gave reasons for why some practice was indefensible. They demonstrated that the way people treated some particular group of others was logically inconsistent with the way they insisted on being treated themselves. SP: Are you saying that reason can actually change people's minds? Don't people just stick with whatever conviction serves their interests or conforms to the culture that they grew up in? RNG: Here's a fascinating fact about us: Contradictions bother us, at least when we're forced to confront them, which is just another way of saying that we are susceptible to reason. And if you look at the history of moral progress, you can trace a direct pathway from reasoned arguments to changes in the way that we actually feel. Time and again, a thinker would lay out an argument as to why some practice was indefensible, irrational, inconsistent with values already held. Their essay would go viral, get translated into many languages, get debated at pubs and coffee houses and salons, and at dinner parties, and influence leaders, legislators, popular opinion. Eventually their conclusions get absorbed into the common sense of decency, erasing the tracks of the original argument that had gotten us there. Few of us today feel any need to put forth a rigorous philosophical argument as to why slavery is wrong or public hangings or beating children. By now, these things just feel wrong. But just those arguments had to be made, and they were, in centuries past. SP: Are you saying that people needed a step-by-step argument to grasp why something might be a wee bit wrong with burning heretics at the stake? RNG: Oh, they did. Here's the French theologian Sebastian Castellio making the case. Sebastian Castellio: Calvin says that he's certain, and other sects say that they are. Who shall be judge? If the matter is certain, to whom is it so? To Calvin? But then, why does he write so many books about manifest truth? In view of the uncertainty, we must define heretics simply as one with whom we disagree. And if then we are going to kill heretics, the logical outcome will be a war of extermination, since each is sure of himself. SP: Or with hideous punishments like breaking on the wheel? RNG: The prohibition in our constitution of cruel and unusual punishments was a response to a pamphlet circulated in 1764 by the Italian jurist Cesare Beccaria. Cesare Beccaria: As punishments become more cruel, the minds of men, which like fluids always adjust to the level of the objects that surround them, become hardened, and after a hundred years of cruel punishments, breaking on the wheel causes no more fear than imprisonment previously did. For a punishment to achieve its objective, it is only necessary that the harm that it inflicts outweighs the benefit that derives from the crime, and into this calculation ought to be factored the certainty of punishment and the loss of the good that the commission of the crime will produce. Everything beyond this is superfluous, and therefore tyrannical. SP: But surely antiwar movements depended on mass demonstrations and catchy tunes by folk singers and wrenching photographs of the human costs of war. RNG: No doubt, but modern anti-war movements reach back to a long chain of thinkers who had argued as to why we ought to mobilize our emotions against war, such as the father of modernity, Erasmus. Erasmus: The advantages derived from peace diffuse themselves far and wide, and reach great numbers, while in war, if anything turns out happily, the advantage redounds only to a few, and those unworthy of reaping it. One man's safety is owing to the destruction of another. One man's prize is derived from the plunder of another. The cause of rejoicings made by one side is to the other a cause of mourning. Whatever is unfortunate in war, is severely so indeed, and whatever, on the contrary, is called good fortune, is a savage and a cruel good fortune, an ungenerous happiness deriving its existence from another's woe. SP: But everyone knows that the movement to abolish slavery depended on faith and emotion. It was a movement spearheaded by the Quakers, and it only became popular when Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" became a bestseller. RNG: But the ball got rolling a century before. John Locke bucked the tide of millennia that had regarded the practice as perfectly natural. He argued that it was inconsistent with the principles of rational government. John Locke: Freedom of men under government is to have a standing rule to live by common to everyone of that society and made by the legislative power erected in it, a liberty to follow my own will in all things where that rule prescribes not, not to be subject to the inconstant, uncertain, unknown, arbitrary will of another man, as freedom of nature is to be under no other restraint but the law of nature. SP: Those words sound familiar. Where have I read them before? Ah, yes. Mary Astell: If absolute sovereignty be not necessary in a state, how comes it to be so in a family? Or if in a family, why not in a state? Since no reason can be alleged for the one that will not hold more strongly for the other, if all men are born free, how is it that all women are born slaves, as they must be if being subjected to the inconstant, uncertain, unknown, arbitrary will of men be the perfect condition of slavery? RNG: That sort of co-option is all in the job description of reason. One movement for the expansion of rights inspires another because the logic is the same, and once that's hammered home, it becomes increasingly uncomfortable to ignore the inconsistency. In the 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement inspired the movements for women's rights, children's rights, gay rights and even animal rights. But fully two centuries before, the Enlightenment thinker Jeremy Bentham had exposed the indefensibility of customary practices such as the cruelty to animals. Jeremy Bentham: The question is not, can they reason, nor can they talk, but can they suffer? RNG: And the persecution of homosexuals. JB: As to any primary mischief, it's evident that it produces no pain in anyone. On the contrary, it produces pleasure. The partners are both willing. If either of them be unwilling, the act is an offense, totally different in its nature of effects. It's a personal injury. It's a kind of rape. As to the any danger exclusive of pain, the danger, if any, much consist in the tendency of the example. But what is the tendency of this example? To dispose others to engage in the same practices. But this practice produces not pain of any kind to anyone. SP: Still, in every case, it took at least a century for the arguments of these great thinkers to trickle down and infiltrate the population as a whole. It kind of makes you wonder about our own time. Are there practices that we engage in where the arguments against them are there for all to see but nonetheless we persist in them? RNG: When our great grandchildren look back at us, will they be as appalled by some of our practices as we are by our slave-owning, heretic-burning, wife-beating, gay-bashing ancestors? SP: I'm sure everyone here could think of an example. RNG: I opt for the mistreatment of animals in factory farms. SP: The imprisonment of nonviolent drug offenders and the toleration of rape in our nation's prisons. RNG: Scrimping on donations to life-saving charities in the developing world. SP: The possession of nuclear weapons. RNG: The appeal to religion to justify the otherwise unjustifiable, such as the ban on contraception. SP: What about religious faith in general? RNG: Eh, I'm not holding my breath. SP: Still, I have become convinced that reason is a better angel that deserves the greatest credit for the moral progress our species has enjoyed and that holds out the greatest hope for continuing moral progress in the future. RNG: And if, our friends, you detect a flaw in this argument, just remember you'll be depending on reason to point it out. Thank you. SP: Thank you.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
その若者は政治家ではなくビジネスマンでもありませんでした市民活動家でも信仰指導者でさえありませんでした彼は思いがけないヒーローでして何と経済の専門家でした彼の名前はサイモン・クズネッツ彼の提出した報告のタイトルは「1929-1932年の国民所得」でしたそれは退屈で面白みの無い報告だろうと思われるでしょうみなさんその通りですひどく退屈なものでしたしかしその報告は今では国の成功を測る基礎となりました皆さんご存知の「国内総生産」「GDP」として知られています GDPはその後80年を定義しまた形作りました GDPはその後80年を定義しまた形作りました今日お話ししたい事は国の成功を測る別の方法について次の80年の定義付けと形成をする別の方法についてです次の80年の定義付けと形成をする別の方法についてですまず始めにGDPがどのように私達の生活を支配しているか理解しなければなりませんクズネッツは危機の時代に提出されましたアメリカの経済は世界大恐慌に向けて急降下しつつあり政策立案者が苦闘している時代でした何が起こるのか全く分からず苦闘していたのです彼らはデータも統計も持ち合わせていなかったのですそこでクズネッツはアメリカ経済が生み出したものについて信頼できるデータを年次報告として彼らに提出したのですこの情報を元に政策立案者はついに大恐慌を抜け出す事ができたのですクズネッツの発明はとても便利だと思われたため世界中に広がってゆきましたそして今日すべての国では GDPが集計されていますしかし実のところクズネッツはそれに対して警告を唱えてもいたのですそれは報告の序章にあります 7ページ目で彼は述べています「国の社会福祉そのものは上述した国家収入をものさしとして推量することは滅多にできない」推量することは滅多にできない」世界最高のキャッチフレーズではなく経済学者の慎重な言いまわしでしたが言いたいことははっきりしています GDPは道具に過ぎない経済のパフォーマンスを測るものに過ぎないと言っています私達の幸福を測るものではないのですすべての決定を導く手引きではないはずなのですしかしクズネッツ氏の警告は無視され私達の世界では GDPがグローバル経済の成功を測る基準となってしまいました GDPが上がると政治家は自慢しますマーケットは動き何兆ドルもの資本金が世界中をめぐっていきますどの国で富が増えていてどの国で富が減っているかに基づいてそれらすべてはGDPで測られています我々の社会がさらなるGDPを創出するためのエンジンに成り果てたのです GDPには弱点があります環境を無視して軍需産業や刑務所ビジネスを発展と捉えながら幸福感や人々の事は考慮されませんそして公平さや正義についてまったく言及されていませんだとすればむしろ当たり前ではありませんか GDPにのって進軍するこの世界が迫りくる環境災害の対応にもたつき怒りと闘争に満たされているのは? もっとふさわしい社会の測り方は実際人々の上に起こっている事に基づいて測られるべきです十分に食料があるか? 読み書きができるか? 治安は大丈夫か? 権利があるか? 差別の無い社会に住んでいるか? 自分の将来と子供達の将来は環境破壊から保護されているか? これらはGDPが答えようとせずまた答える事のできない問い掛けですもちろんこれまでにも GDP論を超えてゆこうとする努力もありましたが今こそ社会の測り方に革命を起こす時が来たと私は信じています今こそその時だと言えるのは 2008年の金融危機で経済発展への依存に惑わされた事を私達は目撃したからですそしてアラブの春でチュニジアのような経済の優等生のような国であっても彼らの社会が不満に溢れていた事も私達は目撃しました今ではクズネッツ氏の想像の及ばない方法でデータを集積解析できるテクノロジーさえ持ち合わせているだからこそ今が「その時」なのです今日は「社会進歩指数」を紹介しますそれは社会の幸福を測るもので GDPとは全く関係がありません世界を見るまったく新しい方法です社会進歩指数は 3つの次元において良い社会とは何かを定義します良い社会とは何かを定義します第一にすべての人に生活に必要な食料水住居治安が備わっているか? 第二にすべての人が教育情報健康持続可能な環境などの生活を向上させるための構成要素が得られるか第三にすべての個人に目標夢熱意を障害無く成し遂げる事のできる機会があるだろうか? 権利自由な選択平等を持ち合わせ最先端の知識を得られているだろうか? 最先端の知識を得られているだろうか? これら社会進歩の枠組みからなる 12の要素が一緒になっていますこれら12の要素が国々がどのように運営されているかを測る指標となっています努力や意思の指標ではなく本物の成果を測っています国がどれだけ国民の健康に費やしたかではなく国民の寿命の長さや生活の質を測ります政府が偏見に立ち向かう法律を通過させたかではなく人々が偏見を経験したかで測りますでも皆さんが知りたいのはどの国が一番かでしょう? わかってるわかってますそうですよねではお見せしましょうこのグラフをご覧くださいここにあるグラフの縦軸座標は社会進歩指標を表しています高いほど良いのですそして比較のために冗談めいていますが横軸座標は1人あたりのGDPです右に行くほど多くなります世界の国々の中で社会進歩指数が一番高いのは社会進歩指数が一番高いのはニュージーランドです (拍手) いいですねぜひ行きたいですね社会進歩指数が最も低いのは残念ですがチャドです行った事がありませんたぶん来年行ってみますいや再来年かも今皆さんが何を考えているかよく分かります「えーでもニュージーランドのGDPはチャドより高いからだろう!」良い指摘ですでは他の2つの国をお見せしましょうこれはアメリカ合衆国ですニュージーランドよりもずっと豊かではありますが社会進歩指数では低くなっていますそしてセネガルチャドよりも社会進歩指数が高いのですが GDPは同じレベルです何が起きているのでしょうかご覧くださいこちらは 132の測定可能な国すべてを点で表していますたくさんの点が出ましたすべて説明する事はできませんがまとめて説明すると G7に所属する国で最も高ランクだったのはカナダ私の国イギリスはまずまずな感じで誰も気に留めないでしょうがフランスには勝ちました経済新興国を見ると BRICSのトップはおめでとうブラジルでした (拍手) やった万歳! ブラジルに行きましょうブラジルは南アフリカに勝ちましたそしてロシア中国インドです GDPが高くて一番右に表示されているが社会進歩指数が低い国はクウェートですブラジルより少し上で社会進歩指数が高い国はコスタリカ共和国です西ヨーロッパの国々と同じ社会進歩指数ですが GDPでは劣っています私のスライドがごちゃごちゃしてきたので点の話に戻りたいと思います国の名前を消して回帰線を表示させますこのグラフはGDPと社会進歩指数の関係性の平均値を表しています最初に気づかされるのは傾向線の周囲にたくさんノイズがあることですこれが示しているのは GDPは必然ではないということを証明しています一人当たりGDPがどれだけだろうと関係なく GDPを達成するよりずっと低リスクでもっと多くの社会的進歩を果たす機会はあるのです次に気づかされるのは貧困国では曲線が急になっている点ですこれが示しているのは貧困国がもう少し多めの GDPを得られて貧困国がもう少し多めの GDPを得られて医師看護師給水設備衛生設備などに投資できたならば GDPとして得た資金で大規模な社会的進歩が望めるという点です好例としては過去20-30年で貧困国のいくつかが経済発展と良い政策によって貧困から抜け出したことですしかし少し曲線の先を見てみると線が平になっていきます余剰GDPで得られる社会的進歩が次第に減少しています曲線のこの部分にあたる世界の人口が増えれば増えるほど GDPが発展をはかる指標として使い難くなってきていることを示していますブラジルの例を見てみましょうこちらがブラジルです社会進歩指数は100点中の約70点で 1人あたりのGDPは年間14,000ドルですブラジルは曲線の上にありますブラジルはGDPを社会進歩指数に転換する面でかなり良い線をいっていますしかしブラジルはどうなって行くのでしょうブラジルであれば大胆な経済計画を適応して GDPを次の十年で2倍にできるかもしれませんしかしそれは計画の半分でしかありませんいいえ半分以下でしょうブラジルは社会進歩指数においてどこに行こうとしているのでしょう? ブラジルは社会的進歩を停滞、或いは後退させながら成長率を増加させて GDPを増加させるかもしれませんしかしブラジルにはロシアのようになって欲しくはありませんブラジルには GDPから社会進歩指数を作り出す面でもっと有能であって欲しいロシアよりはニュージーランドのようになって欲しいところですそのためにはブラジルは社会進歩指数を発展計画において優先しただもっぱら成長するだけでなく社会進歩指数とともに成長する必要があります社会進歩指数がなし得る事は GDPの事だけでなく人々の生活を実際に改善させる包括的で持続的な成長を含めた発展の枠組みの再構築ですそれは国家のことだけではありません今年すでに非営利組織Imazonは初めてブラジルで地方での社会進歩指数の利用に着手しましたアマゾン地域で行いましたそこはヨーロッパと同じ程度のサイズで 2400万の人々が住む貧しい場所ですこちらがその結果です 800の自治体に分けられていますこの地域における本当の生活の質についての詳細な情報がここに表されていますアマゾンの熱帯雨林を保護しながら人々の生活の質を向上させる発展計画を人々の生活の質を向上させる発展計画を Imazon 政府企業自治体からのパートナーと共に自治体からのパートナーと共に作り上げていますこれは始まりに過ぎませんあなたもどの国地域都市や自治体でも社会進歩指数を作る事ができます「TEDx」がそうであるようにこれは「社会進歩指数x」です誰でも用いる事ができるツールですたまに私達はこう言います GDPは神から託された十戒の石板ではない GDPは20世紀の発明品で 20世紀の問題に立ち向かいました 21世紀には高齢化肥満気候変動など私達は新たな問題に直面しますこれらに立ち向かうためには新たなツールが新たな発展を評価するツールが必要です非営利組織チャリティーボランティア団体自治体などが私達の社会に貢献できているかどうか測る事ができたらどうなるか想像してみてください企業が経済的な貢献度を競うだけでなく社会の進展への貢献度を競う姿を想像してみてください私達が政治家が本当に私達の生活を向上させているように責任を問える事を想像してみてください政府企業自治体私にあなたが今世紀と社会の進展を作るために共に働く姿を想像してみてくださいありがとうございました	That young man wasn't a politician, he wasn't a businessman, a civil rights activist or a faith leader. He was that most unlikely of heroes, an economist. His name was Simon Kuznets and the report that he delivered was called "National Income, 1929-1932." Now, you might think this is a rather dry and dull report. And you're absolutely right. It's dry as a bone. But this report is the foundation of how, today, we judge the success of countries: what we know best as Gross Domestic Product, GDP. GDP has defined and shaped our lives for the last 80 years. And today I want to talk about a different way to measure the success of countries, a different way to define and shape our lives for the next 80 years. But first, we have to understand how GDP came to dominate our lives. Kuznets' report was delivered at a moment of crisis. The U.S. economy was plummeting into the Great Depression and policy makers were struggling to respond. Struggling because they didn't know what was going on. They didn't have data and statistics. So what Kuznet's report gave them was reliable data on what the U.S. economy was producing, updated year by year. And armed with this information, policy makers were, eventually, able to find a way out of the slump. And because Kuznets' invention was found to be so useful, it spread around the world. And now today, every country produces GDP statistics. But, in that first report, Kuznets himself delivered a warning. It's in the introductory chapter. On page seven he says, "The welfare of a nation can, therefore, scarcely be inferred from a measurement of national income as defined above." It's not the greatest sound bite in the world, and it's dressed up in the cautious language of the economist. But his message was clear: GDP is a tool to help us measure economic performance. It's not a measure of our well-being. And it shouldn't be a guide to all decision making. But we have ignored Kuznets' warning. We live in a world where GDP is the benchmark of success in a global economy. Our politicians boast when GDP goes up. Markets move and trillions of dollars of capital move around the world based on which countries are going up and which countries are going down, all measured in GDP. Our societies have become engines to create more GDP. But we know that GDP is flawed. It ignores the environment. It counts bombs and prisons as progress. It can't count happiness or community. And it has nothing to say about fairness or justice. Is it any surprise that our world, marching to the drumbeat of GDP, is teetering on the brink of environmental disaster and filled with anger and conflict? We need a better way to measure our societies, a measure based on the real things that matter to real people. Do I have enough to eat? Can I read and write? Am I safe? Do I have rights? Do I live in a society where I'm not discriminated against? Is my future and the future of my children prevented from environmental destruction? These are questions that GDP does not and cannot answer. There have, of course, been efforts in the past to move beyond GDP. But I believe that we're living in a moment when we are ready for a measurement revolution. We're ready because we've seen, in the financial crisis of 2008, how our fetish for economic growth led us so far astray. We've seen, in the Arab Spring, how countries like Tunisia were supposedly economic superstars, but they were societies that were seething with discontentment. We're ready, because today we have the technology to gather and analyze data in ways that would have been unimaginable to Kuznets. Today, I'd like to introduce you to the Social Progress Index. It's a measure of the well-being of society, completely separate from GDP. It's a whole new way of looking at the world. The Social Progress Index begins by defining what it means to be a good society based around three dimensions. The first is, does everyone have the basic needs for survival: food, water, shelter, safety? Secondly, does everyone have education, information, health and sustainable environment? And then third, does every individual have access to a chance to pursue their goals and dreams and ambitions free from obstacles? Do they have rights, freedom of choice, freedom from discrimination and access to the the world's most advanced knowledge? Together, these 12 components form the Social Progress framework. And for each of these 12 components, we have indicators to measure how countries are performing. Not indicators of effort or intention, but real achievement. We don't measure how much a country spends on healthcare, we measure the length and quality of people's lives. We don't measure whether governments pass laws against discrimination, we measure whether people experience discrimination. But what you want to know is who's top, don't you? I knew that, I knew that, I knew that. Okay, I'm going to show you. I'm going to show you on this chart. So here we are, what I've done here is put on the vertical axis social progress. Higher is better. And then, just for comparison, just for fun, on the horizontal axis is GDP per capita. Further to the right is more. So the country in the world with the highest social progress, the number one country on social progress is New Zealand. Well done! Never been; must go. The country with the least social progress, I'm sorry to say, is Chad. I've never been; maybe next year. Or maybe the year after. Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Aha, but New Zealand has a higher GDP than Chad!" It's a good point, well made. two other countries. Here's the United States — considerably richer than New Zealand, but with a lower level of social progress. And then here's Senegal — it's got a higher level of social progress than Chad, but the same level of GDP. So what's going on? Well, look. Let me bring in the rest of the countries of the world, the 132 we've been able to measure, each one represented by a dot. There we go. Lots of dots. Now, obviously I can't do all of them, so a few highlights for you: The highest ranked G7 country is Canada. My country, the United Kingdom, is sort of middling, sort of dull, but who cares — at least we beat the French. And then looking at the emerging economies, top of the BRICS, pleased to say, is Brazil. Come on, cheer! Go, Brazil! Beating South Africa, then Russia, then China and then India. Tucked away on the right-hand side, you will see a dot of a country with a lot of GDP but not a huge amount of social progress — that's Kuwait. Just above Brazil is a social progress superpower — that's Costa Rica. It's got a level of social progress the same as some Western European countries, with a much lower GDP. Now, my slide is getting a little cluttered and I'd like to step back a bit. So let me take away these countries, So this shows the average relationship between GDP and social progress. The first thing to notice, is that there's lots of noise around the trend line. And what this shows, what this empirically demonstrates, is that GDP is not destiny. At every level of GDP per capita, there are opportunities for more social progress, risks of less. The second thing to notice is that for poor countries, the curve is really steep. So what this tells us is that if poor countries can get a little bit of extra GDP, and if they reinvest that in doctors, nurses, water supplies, sanitation, etc., there's a lot of social progress bang for your GDP buck. with a lot of people lifted out of poverty by economic growth and good policies in poorer countries. But go on a bit further up the curve, and then we see it flattening out. Each extra dollar of GDP is buying less and less social progress. And with more and more of the world's population it means GDP is becoming less and less useful as a guide to our development. I'll show you an example of Brazil. Here's Brazil: social progress of about 70 out of 100, GDP per capita about 14,000 dollars a year. And look, Brazil's above the line. Brazil is doing a reasonably good job of turning GDP into social progress. But where does Brazil go next? Let's say that Brazil adopts a bold economic plan to double GDP in the next decade. But that is only half a plan. It's less than half a plan, because where does Brazil want to go on social progress? Brazil, it's possible increase your GDP, while stagnating or going backwards on social progress. We don't want Brazil to become like Russia. What you really want is for Brazil to get ever more efficient at creating social progress from its GDP, so it becomes more like New Zealand. And what that means is that Brazil needs to prioritize social progress in its development plan and see that it's not just growth alone, it's growth with social progress. And that's what the Social Progress Index does: It reframes the debate about development, not just about GDP alone, but inclusive, sustainable growth that brings real improvements in people's lives. And it's not just about countries. Earlier this year, with our friends from the Imazon nonprofit here in Brazil, we launched the first subnational Social Progress Index. We did it for the Amazon region. It's an area the size of Europe, 24 million people, one of the most deprived parts of the country. And here are the results, and this is broken down into nearly 800 different municipalities. And with this detailed information about the real quality of life in this part of the country, Imazon and other partners from government, business and civil society can work together to construct a development plan that will help really improve people's lives, while protecting that precious global asset that is the Amazon Rainforest. And this is just the beginning, You can create a Social Progress Index We all know and love TEDx; this is Social Pogress-x. This is a tool for anyone to come and use. Contrary to the way we sometimes talk about it, GDP was not handed down from God on tablets of stone. It's a measurement tool invented in the 20th century to address the challenges of the 20th century. In the 21st century, aging, obesity, climate change, and so on. To face those challenges, we need new tools of measurement, new ways of valuing progress. Imagine if we could measure what nonprofits, charities, volunteers, civil society organizations really contribute to our society. Imagine if businesses competed not just on the basis of their economic contribution, but on their contribution to social progress. Imagine if we could hold politicians to account for really improving people's lives. Imagine if we could work together — government, business, civil society, me, you — and make this century the century of social progress. Thank you.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
なぜ人は風呂に通うのだろう、とミトロフは顎肉を揉んだ。ギルドでグラシエと食事をして解散してから、真っ直ぐにやってきたのは公衆浴場である。何を考えるでもなく、足は自然とここに向かっていた。もはや無意識である。ここで湯に浸かり、ミルクエール、ぐっと飲み干すことがミトロフの習慣になっていた。いつもの大きな丸湯の縁に腰掛け、絶え間なく蒸気が立ち昇るのを眺めている。毎日のようにここに通うようになれば、自ずと顔馴染みというのが分かってくる。ミトロフは迷宮の探索次第で来る時間も変わるのだが、町人たちは仕事終わりだとか、出勤する前だとか、おおよそ決まった習慣があるようで、いつも同じ時間にいる彼らの姿を、不定期にやってくるミトロフが見つけている。太陽が同じ時間にのぼり、月が同じ時間に沈み、それを休みなく繰り返すように、彼らもまたいつもそこにいるように思える。風呂を楽しむために来ているのか、習慣を守るために来ているのか。人間というのは不思議だな、などと考えたりする。そして自分もまたその一員であることに気づき、「ブッヒッヒ」と小さく笑ってみたりする。「あれ、あんた、迷宮で会ったよな? なに笑ってんだ?」急に声をかけられた。ざぶん、と飛沫を跳ねながら隣に入ったのは、トロル討伐を依頼されたという大剣の少年冒険者だった。「狼々ノ風の......」「お、よく覚えてんなあ。おれ、一応リーダーやってんだ。ミケル」へへ、とミケルは少しばかり誇らしげに笑う。どこか控えめな調子が残る笑い方に、ミトロフはミケルの人間性を感じた。能天気に自慢できることばかりではない苦労や失敗を抱えて、それでも前に進んでいる人間が浮かべる笑みだった。「......パーティーのリーダーか。それは、大変だろうな」「なにマジになってんだよ! そりゃ色々あるけどさあ、面白いじゃん、迷宮」ケラケラと今度は明るく笑う。ばしゃばしゃと湯を肩に掛け、前髪をぐいと後ろに撫でつけた。「ていうか、アンタも名前教えろよ」「悪い。ぼくはミトロフ。パーティー名はまだない」「結成したばっかってことか」「ああ。まだひと月もたっていないな」「駆け出しじゃん! じゃ、おれ先輩な」歯を見せて笑いながら、ミケルは自分を指差した。「なんか困ったこととか、分からねえことがあったらおれに訊けよ。できる限りなんかしてやっから!」ミトロフはちょっとばかし目を丸くした。「......なぜだ?」「はあ?」「ぼくを助けても、君にはあまり益がないと思うが......」貴族とはそういうものである。自分に益がないことに労力は注がない。助けて得にならない相手は助けない。助けた相手がいつか助けてくれるなどと、そういう甘い理屈は通らない。ミケルは呆れたようにミトロフを見返した。「なんだよ益って。いらねえよ。困ってたら助け合うのが冒険者だろ。おれ、先輩。お前、後輩。だったらおれが多めに助ける。そういうもんじゃん」「......そういうものか?」ふと、初めてグラシエと出会った日のことを思い出した。彼女もまた、見ず知らずのミトロフの命を救ってくれた。益はなく、見返りも求めず。と、ミトロフは納得する。貴族として生きてきたミトロフにとっては信じがたいが、冒険者とはそういう理屈で生きるものらしかった。助け合う。「良い言葉だな」ブヒ、と笑ってしまう。ミケルは口を引きつらせてミトロフを見ている。「......お前って、変わってんな」「そうでもない。冒険者になったばかりでな。いま、色々と学んでいる」「冒険者のくせに真面目かよ、うちのヨルカみたいなこと言ってるし......」まあいいけど、と呟いて、ミケルはバシャリと顔をお湯で洗った。「トロル捜索でしばらく上にいるし、どっかで会ったらよろしくな」「......トロルの手がかりは、なにかあったのか?」「んや。誰かが討伐したって話もないし、下に戻ったんじゃねえかなあ。魔物だけが使う横穴ってやつに隠れてる可能性もあるから、しばらくは探すけど。たぶん見つからねえよ」そうか、見つからないか。ミトロフは顎肉をさする。姿を隠してしまったのは、怪我を癒すためだろうか。本当に下に戻ったのだろうか。魔物の考えることを推測しようとしても難しい。自分のいた場所に戻っていてほしい、という思いがある。姿が見えないままということに不安を感じてもいる。他人に討たれてほしくない気持ちを抱えている。ぐっと首を下げ、湯面を見つめる。トロルの姿が思い出される。背筋が凍るほどの恐怖、その巨体。死への予感と、生への実感。恐ろしかった。けれど、あれほど、あの瞬間ほど、燃えるように自分が生きていると思えたことは–––– 「そうだ、5階に行ったなら知ってるだろ、青鹿がいなくなってんの」ミトロフは、ふっと意識を握り直し、ミケルに顔を向ける。「ああ、ギルドでも話を聞いたよ」「あれもトロルのせいじゃねえかって話があるな」「......どういうことだ?」「トロルがなんで上がってきてたかってことだよ。トロル捜索を受けたついでに調べたんだけどさ、あ、おれじゃなくてヨルカがな? んで、青鹿の数が減ってる時期に合わせて、トロルの目撃情報がちょくちょくあったんだよ」「戦闘になったとか、襲われたとかじゃなく、姿だけ見かけたってんで、ギルドもそこまで重要視してなかったみたいだけど。実際に目撃したってやつに話を聞きにいったらさ、どうも変な話でさ。トロルが青鹿を抱えてたって言うんだよ」「––––それは、興味深いな」「だろ? トロルってのは普通、8階あたりをうろちょろしてんだよ。それが何だって5階まできて青鹿を狩ってるのかってことでさ。8階も見てみたけど、トロルどもはいつも通りって感じだし。何が起きてんだか」分かるのは、青鹿が姿を消した原因に、あのトロルが関わっているということだった。あの一体、あるいはもっと。「青鹿はもう絶滅したんだろうか」「さあ、どうだろうな。迷宮ってよくわかんねえし。前にキラービーが大繁殖したことがあってさ、そんときに火の魔女が全滅させたって話だけど、今はもうキラービー、いるもんな。いつの間にか戻ってんだよな、数が」「......そのときは、どのくらいの期間が空いたか分かるか」「いや、詳しくは知らねえけど。半年くらいは見なかった気がすんな」半年。あるいはもっと長い。間に合うだろうか、グラシエは。ううむ、とミトロフは黙り込んだ。「おい、どうした。ミトロフ? ミートー? ローフ––––?」 ––––トロルってのは普通、8階あたりをうろちょろしてんだよ。その言葉が頭に残っていた。 8階。8階か。「......遠いな」ブフゥ、と大きくため息をついた。	Mitrof massaged his chin while pondering why people take baths. Since having dinner with Grace at the guild and parting ways, he had come straight to the public bathhouse. His feet had unconsciously led him here without any particular thought. It had become a habit for Mitrof to soak in the hot water and drink a glass of milk ale here. He sat on the edge of the usual large circular tub, watching steam constantly rise. As he came here almost every day, he began to recognize familiar faces. Mitrof’s visiting time might vary depending on labyrinth exploration, but the city folks seemed to have established habits such as after work, before commencing work, and Mitrof, who comes irregularly, finds them at the same time. The sun rises at the same time and the moon sets at the same time without fail, and the city folks seem to always be there like an endless cycle. “Do they come here to enjoy the bath, or do they come here to maintain their habits?—Humans are mysterious,” Mitrof thought, realizing that he too was part of that group and chuckling to himself. “Hey, aren’t you the one I met in the labyrinth?—What’s so funny?” He was suddenly approached and saw a young adventurer with a large sword, who had been asked to hunt a troll, join the bath beside him with a splash. “Wolves Wind...” “Oh, you remember me well; I am the leader—Mikel.” Mikel smiled proudly, with a somewhat modest tone. In his laughter, Mitrof could feel Mikel’s humanity. It was the smile of someone who carried the struggles and failures that came with being able to move forward, not just bragging about the good things in life. “...You’re the party leader—that must be tough.” “What are you talking about?—It has its difficulties, but it can be fun in the labyrinth.” He laughed brightly, his shoulders shaking with mirth as he brushed aside his bangs. “By the way, you should tell me your name too.” “My apologies—I am Mitrof—our party—we don’t have a name yet.” “You mean you just formed it.” “Yeah, it hasn’t even been a month.” “Wow, you’re just starting out!—Then I’ll be your senpai.” Mikel pointed at himself and flashed a toothy grin. “If you ever have any problems or don’t understand something, ask me—I’ll help you out as much as I can!” Mitrof widened his eyes in surprise. “...Why would you do that?” “Huh?” “Even if you help me, I don’t think it’ll be of much benefit to you...” That’s just how the nobility operates. Energy is not poured into things that do not benefit oneself. A person who is not worth helping will not be helped. The sweet notion of helping someone in the hopes that they will one day help you is not a valid argument. Mikel looked back at Mitrof, looking visibly exasperated. “What’s the point of benefiting?—No thanks. Isn’t helping each other what adventurers do when they’re in trouble? I’m a senior, and you’re a junior, so I’ll help you more—that’s the way it is.” “...Is that so?” Suddenly, Mitrof remembered the day he first met Grace. She had also saved the life of the unknown Mitrof, without any benefit to herself. Mitrof agreed. As a nobleman, it was hard for Mitrof to believe, but it seemed that adventurers lived by that kind of reasoning. ‘helping each other.’ “Good words.” He laughed with a snort. Mikel looks at Mitrof with a tight-lipped look on his face. “...You’re a strange one.” “Not really—I’ve only just become an adventurer—I’m still learning a lot.” “Even as an adventurer, you’re so serious—you sound like our Yoreka...” Mikel murmured, then splashed water on his face. “Well, we’ll be up looking for the troll for a while, so if we run into each other somewhere, let’s say hi.” “Did you find any clues regarding the troll?” “Nope. There wasn’t any news about someone defeating it, so it may have returned to the lower floors. We’ll keep searching for it since it could be hiding in the tunnels only used by monsters. However, we probably won’t find it.” ‘I see, they can’t find it.’ Mitrof rubs his chin. Did it hide to tend to its wounds? Is it really back on the lower floors? It’s hard to predict what the monster is thinking. He wants it to be back where he was. He feels anxious about not being able to see it. He also harbors the desire for it not to be defeated by someone else. He lowers his head and stares at the surface of the water. The image of the troll comes to mind. The terrifying presence that made his spine chill. The sense of impending death and the feeling of being alive were both overwhelming. It was frightening. However, at that moment, at that very instant, he felt like he was burning with life. “Oh, by the way, if you went to the fifth floor, you should know that the blue deer are missing.” Mitrof suddenly refocused his attention and turned to Mikel. “Yeah, I also heard about it at the guild.” “There’s talk that it might also be the work of the troll.” “...What do you mean?” “It’s about why the troll came up to the higher floor—when we were searching for the troll, Yoreka, not me, found out that there were frequent sightings of the troll around the time when the number of blue deer decreased.” ‘Interesting,’ Mitrof nodded. “It wasn’t considered that important by the guild because it was just sightings, not actual attacks or fights—but when we asked those who claimed to have seen it, the stories were strange—they said that the troll was carrying a blue deer. “——That’s intriguing.” “Right? Trolls usually hang around the th floor, but they came all the way up to the th floor to hunt blue deer. I checked the th floor, but the trolls seemed to be acting normally. I wonder what’s going on.” No one understands what’s happening. All that was clear was that the troll was involved in the blue deer’s disappearance, at least in part. “I wonder if blue deer are already extinct.” “I don’t know. I don’t understand the labyrinth very well—there was a time when the killer bees proliferated and the ‘Fire Witch’ wiped them all out, or so the story goes—but now, there are still killer bees around—they returned without us noticing, and their numbers increased.” “... Do you know how long it was between those times?” “Well, I’m not sure, but I think it was about six months.” ‘Six months, or maybe even longer. ‘Will Grace make it in time?’ “Hey, Mitrof, what’s wrong?—Mitrof? Mirtof? Lof——?” ——Trolls usually lurk around the eighth floor. Those words stuck in his head. ‘The eighth floor. The eighth floor, huh.’ “... That’s a long way.” “Bufoo.”He let out a big sigh.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 1, "inserted_lines_src": 3, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
夕食を目前にした、穏やかで優しい空気の流れるリビングの扉が慌ただしい調子で開かれた。「父さん、母さん、聞いて聞いて大変なんだよ~!」日常をぶち壊しかねない剣幕で飛び込んできた俺に、ビールを飲みかけていた父は怪訝そうな、テーブルに皿を並べていた母は困惑と心配と不安のブレンドされた目をそろって向けてきた。「すっごい大変なことが起こったんだよ! 凄く大変で本当に凄い、凄いことがさあ!」俺は要領の得ない『大変』という言葉を繰り返す。「待ってくれ、ジェラルド......それは今日の夕飯のおかずよりも大変な話なのか?」「............」水を浴びせるような、少し皮肉の効いた父さんの言葉に、ようやく冷静さを取り戻すことができたのだった。俺と父さん、母さん掛けのテーブルに座り、妹はテーブル近くのベビーベッドですやすやと寝息を立てている早く、母さんにミルクを与えられたのだろう。安心しきった寝顔が愛らしかった。一方で俺達の夕食はというと、ハムに玉子、それに潰したじゃがいもにタマネギのスープ。といった献立だ。「それで見つけた本の中身を見てみたら、魔法言語が書かれててさ。最初は意味が分からなかったんだけど、いきなり頭が痛くなったと思ったら読めるようになってたんだよ、なぜか」 ......ちなみに前世の記憶を思い出したことは伝えていない。だから、魔法言語が読めるのも『不思議な頭痛』のせいにしている。――いちおう、嘘は言っていないよな? 「ふーむ......そんなことが。にわかには信じがたいが、これを見ると嘘だとも思えないな」頭上の明かり(俺がさっき魔法で実践して作ってみたものだ)に視線を向け、父さんは腕組みをして考え込んだ。一方の母さんは、「不思議なこともあるのねえ......」と温和に反応しただけで、この唐突に誕生した魔術師(俺のことだ)の存在をあっさり受け入れていた。「魔法のことなんて、わたし達何にも知らないじゃない。だから、もしかしたらうちの子がいきなり魔法言語を読めるようになったり、魔法を使えるようになったりすることだってあるかもしれないんじゃないかしら?」「まあ、それは君の言う通りだが......まさか十年前にもらった魔法書を息子が読めるようになるとはなあ。ジェラルド、ちょっとその本を私に貸してくれないか?」「うん」俺は食事の邪魔にならないよう膝の上に置いていた本を、対面に座った父さんに手渡した。「......ダメだな、どうも。私では読むことができないようだ。どうだ、セシルも試してみるかい?」父さんが、母さんに本を手渡そうとすると、母さんは首を横に振った。「う~ん、わたしはいいかなあ......お料理やお掃除やお洗濯が魔法で簡単にできたら便利かもしれないけれど、どれも大好きな仕事だから」「そ、それはまた......そうかもしれないが。セシルは物語に出てくる魔術師のような派手でかっこいい魔法を使えたらとかいうことは思ったりしないのか」どうやら少年心を刺激されたらしい父さんの声は、心なしか少し興奮しているようだ。「でも今はシエラちゃんの面倒を見るのも忙しいし」「......いやセシル、それは微妙に答えになっていないぞ」「あと乱暴なのも苦手なのよねえ」屈託のない母さんの答えに、父さんの表情が苦くなる。「それにね、ラッセル。ジェラルドちゃんが魔法を使えるようになったんなら、シエラちゃんの面倒でまだまだこれから忙しいことだし、きっと魔法で色々手伝ってくれるようになってくれるでしょ?」母さんが、父さんから僕へと視線を移しておっとりと笑いかけてくる。「ね、ジェラルドちゃん?」「......ちゃん付けはやめてくんないかなあ」「だって、ジェラルドちゃんはわたしとラッセルの子どもだもの」「だから答えになってないって!」「あら、そっちも答えになってなかったじゃない」「大人ぶりたい年頃なんだろう。からかいたい気持ちも分かるが、少しは手加減してやってくれよ、シセル」「父さんもさあ!」俺がムキになって声を上げるととも幸せそうに微笑んだ。それは幸せな、仲睦まじい家族の光景。あまりに恵まれすぎた『幸せ』の形がそこにあって。 ......だから、前世とは裏腹なその様子が、なんだか不意におぼろげなものに思えて強い不安を覚えてしまった。	In the living room, dinner was about to be served. It was a calming and tender atmosphere, until the door was opened in a flurry. “Mother, Father, listen! Listen! It’s amazing!” The excited high-pitched voice of a boy – my voice – reverberated throughout the room. My father, who was drinking beer, faced me with a questioning look while my mother, who was setting the table, gazed at me with a mix of concern and bewilderment. I ignored how Mother glanced at me as if doubting my sanity. “A really amazing thing happened! It’s super amazing, super duper amazing!” I uselessly repeated the word ‘amazing’ in an attempt to convey the significance of my discovery – completely belying the fact that I had lived for a total of years. Consumed by excitement, I was unable to give a clear explanation. “Wait a minute, Gerald...is it more important than eating dinner?” “...” Father’s sarcastic remark threw cold water on my enthusiasm. In the living room, a sphere of light shined down from above. Father and Mother sat at the four-person table while my baby sister slept soundly in her crib. Mother probably fed her earlier. She had a lovable peaceful expression as she slept. On an unrelated note, the menu for tonight was ham, egg, mashed potato and onion soup. It was a humble fare, but eating Mother’s cooking never failed to warm my heart. And so, while appreciatively smacking my lips, I recounted my time in the storeroom. “...and it was written in the magic language. I didn’t understand it at first but, for some reason, I suddenly got this headache, and then I was able to read it.” By the way, I didn’t mention that I regained the memories from my past life and pushed all the blame onto my ‘mysterious headache’. “Hmm...so something like that happened. It’s hard to believe, but it’s impossible to deny it after seeing this.” Father crossed his arms while inspecting the light overhead (that I had created earlier with my magic). He was frowning and seemed to be deep in thought. On the other hand, my mother remained unperturbed. “We don’t know anything about magic. Is it even possible for our son to suddenly be able to read the magic language and cast spells?” “That’s true...I didn’t think that our son would learn how to read that grimoire we received years ago. Gerald, can you lend me that book for a little while?” “Sure.” I handed the book, which was on my lap out of the way of the food, to Father who was sitting opposite me. He effortlessly lifted the heavy book and started examining it from various angles. Then... “Hopeless...looks like I can’t read it. Do you want to have a look too, Cecilia?” Mother shook her head. “No, I’m okay... It would be convenient if I could do the cooking, cleaning and washing with magic, but I enjoy it.” “Even so...haven’t you wished you could use magic like in the stories?” It seemed it had brought out the kid in Father; his voice was laced with excitement. “But I’m also busy taking care of Sierra-chan.” “Cecilia, you didn’t exactly answer the question...” “And I don’t like violence, you know...” “Like I said, that’s not really an answer.” Father’s expression soured after hearing Mother’s casual response. I understand her feelings though... “Besides, Russel, we’ll be as busy as ever taking care of Sierra-chan. Surely Gerald-chan will be able to help out with his magic from now on?” Mother gently smiled, her gaze moving from Father to me. “Right, Gerald-chan?” “...please don’t add chan.” “But Gerald-chan is my cute child.” “Again, that’s not an answer!” “He’s at the age they start acting like grown-ups. I understand it’s tempting to tease him, but go easier on him, Cecilia.” “Father, not you too!” When I raised my voice in irritation, the two of them smiled warmly. It was a picture of a happy family. It was the very image of happiness. It was in total contrast to my past life. And yet, unexpectedly, there was a nagging feeling of unease.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 2, "inserted_lines_src": 10, "inserted_lines_trg": 2 }
私達が生きている間に地球からの恒久的な移住が行われるようになるでしょうこれはエキサイティングなことです宇宙を開拓することは倫理的要請であると私は思っています惑星の予備を持てるようになる— 初めての機会が得られるのです生物圏をバックアップする機会です宇宙を考えるとき私達が地球上で価値を見出しているもの金属や鉱物や土地やエネルギーが宇宙には無尽蔵にあります地球は資源に満ちたスーパーマーケットの中のパンくずみたいなものですかつてのアラスカと同じですアメリカはアラスカを買ったんです 1850年代のことで当時はスワードの愚行などと言われたものですアラスカの価値はどれだけアザラシの毛皮が手に入るかで計算されましたしかしその後様々なものが見つかりました金石油魚木材・・・兆ドル規模の経済になったのです新婚旅行先にもなっています同じことが宇宙でも起きるでしょう我々は人類史上最大の大航海時代を迎えようとしているのです宇宙探査する理由は3つあります一番小さいのが好奇心ですこれまでNASAの予算を支えてきたものですこれは1997年に火星から送られてきた画像です今後10年内に間違いなく火星の土壌中や至る所で生命が発見されることでしょうもっと強い動機になるのは恐怖ですこれは私達を月へと駆り立てたものでした文字通り恐怖によってアメリカはソ連と競い月へと向かったのです宇宙には数キロの大きさの岩が無数に漂っていて確率は小さいもののその1つが地球に衝突したならその衝撃たるや巨大なものですだから観察し探査し備えることに多少のお金をかけるのは十分理にかなっていますそして3つ目の動機は起業家である私が惹かれるものですが富ですそれもすごく大きな小惑星には鉄やニッケルの塊があり岩を1つ発掘して持ち帰れたなら白金属元素の市場価値だけで 20兆ドル規模になります私のプランは希少金属市場でプットオプションを買い採掘してくると宣言するというものですそれがミッションを行うための資金源になるでしょう恐怖好奇心欲が私達を突き動かすのです私自身には—— 右のちびの方ですがアポロ計画が動機になりましたアポロ計画ほど大きな動機付けはありません何があったのでしょう? 1961年5月25日ジョン・F・ケネディが「我々は月に行く」と言ったのですするとみんな職を捨てて辺鄙な場所に集まりこのものすごいミッションに参加したのです宇宙に行くことについては何も分かっていませんでした何もないところから始めてアラン・シェパードが弾道飛行をしそして人類が月に辿り着くまで8年です参加した人たちの平均年齢は26歳でした何が不可能かさえ分からずすべてを作り上げる必要がありました何が不可能かさえ分からずすべてを作り上げる必要がありましたそしてそれはものすごい動機付けになったのです私の友人のユージン・サーナンは月面着陸した最後の人間ですがこう言っています「月に行けるのであれば不可能なことなど何もない」そのようなことをするのは政府だと私達はずっと思ってきましたしかし敢えて言いますが宇宙へ連れて行ってくれるのは政府ではありません政府には宇宙開拓のようなリスクを負うことができないのですスペースシャトルの打上コストは 1回10億ドル絶望的で理不尽に大きな数字ですこのようなことを甘受すべきではありません私達がアンサリX PRIZEで取り入れたのはリスクを取るのは構わないということです宇宙という新たなフロンティアへと乗り出すためにはリスクを許容する必要がありますリスクを冒すべきではないという人たちを横にのけておく必要があります私達の目の前にはかつてない大きな発見が待っているからです宇宙ビジネスの起業家をほ乳類とするならば軍産複合体やボーイングやロッキードや NASAは恐竜なのです宇宙にあるリソースにアクセスできれば惑星規模の冗長性が得られます遺伝情報をはじめとするあらゆる情報を集めてデータベースに収め地球外にバックアップして破滅的な災害に備えるのですそこへ至る上で大きな困難は地球軌道に乗せるコストにあります軌道に乗せることさえできれば 2/3は達成したようなものです月に行くにしろ火星に行くにしろ現在そのための乗り物は3種類しかありません米国のスペースシャトルロシアのソユーズそれに中国のやつですスペースシャトルでは 1人当たり1億ドルかかります私の始めたスペース・アドベンチャーズ社でチケットを売っていますがこれまでに2枚売れましたさらに2枚ソユーズで宇宙ステーションに行くチケットを 2千万ドルで売り出しますしかしこれは高価であり宇宙の可能性を考えるなら・・・確かに高いですでも喜んで買う人もいるんです! 私達は今とても面白い時代に生きています個人の手に十分な富が集積され利用可能な技術を使ってポケットマネーで宇宙探査ができるのですしかしこれはどこまで安くできるのでしょう? 目標地点を出したいと思います今はチケットが2千万ドルしますがこれはどこまで安くできるのでしょう? ちょっと物理のおさらいをしましょう位置エネルギーはmghです人間と宇宙服を高度2百キロまで運び時速2万6千キロまで加速します運動エネルギーは1/2 mv^2なので計算すると5.7ギガジュールになりますそれを1時間でやるとすると 1.6メガワットです電力は安いところでは 7セント/kWhで売られているので・・・計算が得意な人? 人間と宇宙服を軌道に乗せるのにいくらかかるかというと 100ドルです価格下落のグラフを描くなら・・・どこかで物理学上の発見が必要になるでしょうその願いを叶えてあげます歴史が教えてくれるのは想像することができるならいつかそれは実現できるということです物理学や工学が私達みんなに軌道周回宇宙飛行できるようにしてくれる日は遠くないと信じています難しい点は投資を引き寄せられる本物の市場が必要だということです今日ボーイングやロッキードは研究開発に自分の金を一文も使っていませんすべて政府の研究予算でわずかなものです実のところ大企業や政府というのはリスクを取れないものなのですだから宇宙で経済活動の爆発を起こしてやる必要があります今日の世界の商用ロケット市場はどんなものでしょう? 年に12から15回の打ち上げが行われています会社はいくつあるのでしょう? 12から15社です 1つの会社が1回ずつですこれを狙っているわけではありません目指す市場は1つ「炭素質自律移動ペイロード」打ち上げです自分のお金で乗りに来る貨物— 人間ですアンサリ X PRIZE が私の答えでしたリンドバーグについて読んでいて見つけたそこへ至る乗り物を作るための方法です 3人を乗せ 100キロの高度まで行って戻り 2週間以内にそれを繰り返すことのできた最初の再利用可能な宇宙船に賞金1千万ドルを提示しました 7カ国から26チームがこのコンペに参加しそれぞれが百万から 2千5百万ドルを投じましたそして2回の飛行を成功させ勝利を勝ち取ったのが我らがSpaceShipOneです皆さんをその日の朝にお連れしましょう短いビデオです本体を切り離す成功を祈る高度112キロに到達しましたアンサリX PRIZEの主審としてモハーヴェ・エアロスペース・ベンチャーズ社がアンサリX PRIZEを勝ち取ったことをここに宣言しますたぶん一番難しかったのは資金を募ることで文字通り不可能に思えました私は100人 200人という CEOやCMOに会いました誰も信じませんみんな言いました「NASAはどう思うだろうね?」「人が死ぬことになるぞ」「どうやってこんな話を進めようというんだ?」先見の明があるアンサリ家の人々やチャンプカーがスポンサーになり資金の一部は確保できましたが 1千万ドル全部ではありません私が結局やることになったのは保険業界に出向いて賞に保険をかけるということでした保険会社がボーイングやロッキードに行って「コンペに参加しますか?」と聞くと「いいや」「誰も達成できやしないよ」という返事ですそれで彼らは 2005年1月まで誰も達成できないという方に賭け私の方は誰かが達成するという方に賭けたのです一番良かったのは彼らの小切手が不渡りにならなかったということです私達は多くのことを成し遂げ大成功を収めました私にとってことに嬉しかったのは今やSpaceShipOneが航空宇宙博物館でスピリット・オブ・セントルイスやライトフライヤーと共に吊されていることですちょっとすごくないですか? 未来を少し先取りして今日でもできることをお教えしましょう皆さん無重量状態を体験できます 2008年までにヴァージン・ギャラクティック社による弾道飛行の値段は 20万ドルになるでしょうこの値段を下げようという本格的な努力が 3、4箇所で行われています弾道飛行は2万5千ドルくらいになるだろうと思います軌道飛行では皆さんをスペースステーションへとお連れしますそして起きるだろうことは一度地球周回軌道に乗ったなら・・・他の人がやらなければ私がやります・・・燃料を軌道上に備蓄してそこから月に直行し土地を少しばかり確保するということですこの場にいる設計者の方たちのために一言無重量飛行にFAAの認可を取るのには 11年かかりました楽しい画像をお見せしましょうこれは無重量状態のバート・ルータンと親友のグレッグ・メロネクですみんな無重量室があってスイッチ1つで重力を切れると思っていますが実際は飛行機で放物飛行をしていますセブンアップがコマーシャルを作って今月流しています音量を上げてもらえますか? 宇宙への最初の無料チケットを手に入れるチャンスですダイエット・セブンアップの特別パッケージを探してください気を重くしない味をお望みなら選ぶべきは「アップ」ですこれはうちの飛行機内で撮影されました皆さんもできるんですフロリダでやっています私が夢中になっている別のものをご紹介しましょう未来の賞です賞というのは古くからあるアイデアです経度法やリンドバーグを後押ししたオルティーグ賞からアイデアを拝借しています X PRIZE財団ではこのコンセプトを別の技術領域でも進めることにして新しいミッションステートメントを掲げました「人類に貢献するために宇宙やその他の技術領域に革新をもたらすこと」これには本当にワクワクしていますこのスライドは最近取締役会に加わったラリー・ペイジに見せたものです非営利組織に寄付したら 1ドルに対し50セント程度マッチングギフトなら通常1に対して2から3 賞を設けたら1に対して50のレバレッジが得られますそれほど大きいんですそしたらペイジが振り向いて言ったんです「じゃあ賞を主催する組織に出資して 10個の賞を設けたら1に対して500になるね」私は「そりゃいい」とそれで私達は実際 X PRIZEを世界的な賞を主催する組織にしようと取り組んでいますこれは賞を設けたとき何が起きるかを示しています告知して様々なチームが挑戦し始めます知名度が上がっていき受賞者が決まったとき知名度がグッと上がります適切に管理されたならこれはスポンサーに大きな利点になりますそして受賞に伴って出てくる社会的利点があります新しい技術に新しい能力スポンサーにとっての利点は知名度と長期の社会的利点を合わせたものになりますこれが私達が賞で提案する価値です SpaceShipOneのような新技術を直接生み出そうとするなら不確かな結果に対して最初から出資し資金を提供し続ける必要があります成功するかしないかわからないのです賞を設けるのが素晴らしいのは維持費をとても小さくできて成功したときに払えばよいということですオルティーグは大西洋横断に挑戦しようという 9つのチームに一銭も払っていません私達もアンサリX PRIZEを誰かが獲得するまで一銭も払いませんでしただから賞はとてもうまく機能するのですイノベーターや世の起業家たちがゴールに向かっているとき最初にすべきことは自分は成し遂げられると信じることですそれから人々の嘲笑に遭うかもしれません「馬鹿なアイデアだ」「うまくいくわけがない」それから人々を説得して資金集めを助けてもらう必要があります前に進むことを望まない政府や組織の官僚主義を相手にやり合う必要がありますそしてまた失敗に対処する必要もあります賞を設けることで私たちが体験したのはこれらすべての問題に対して近道やサポートが得られるということです賞はアイデアの良さにお墨付きを与えますいいアイデアに違いないと何しろそのために1千万ドル出すという人がいるわけですからアンサリX PRIZEを通してこれらの問題すべてに対しイノベーションの近道をする助けが得られました私たちは組織としてどうやって賞を考え出すかという賞の発見プロセスをまとめルールを作りましたそして様々なカテゴリで賞を設けようとしていますエネルギー問題や環境問題やナノテクノロジーに挑もうとしています後でもう少し詳しくお話ししますそのための方法は X PRIZE内にチームを作るということです宇宙賞チームがあります軌道飛行の賞を追求していますいろいろなエネルギー賞を検討していますクレイグ・ヴェンターが取締役会に加わり高速遺伝子解析賞を準備していますこの秋に発表する予定です誰でもDNA解析を千ドル以下で受けられるようになることを想像してみてください医療に革命をもたらすでしょうきれいな水教育医療それに社会起業まで視野に入れています最後のスライドです人類の大きな難問を解決する最も重要な道具はテクノロジーでもお金でもありませんそれはただ1つのもの情熱を持って打ち込む人間の精神なのです	It's during our lifetime that we're going to take the Earth, take the people of Earth and transition off, permanently. And that's exciting. In fact, I think it is a moral imperative that we open the space frontier. You know, it's the first time that we're going to have a chance a chance to, if you would, back up the biosphere. And if you think about space, everything we hold of value on this planet -- metals and minerals and real estate and energy -- is in infinite quantities in space. In fact, the Earth is a crumb in a supermarket filled with resources. The analogy for me is Alaska. You know, we bought Alaska. We Americans bought Alaska in the 1850s. It's called Seward's folly. We valued it as the number of seal pelts we could kill. And then we discovered these things -- gold and oil and fishing and timber -- and it became, you know, a trillion-dollar economy, and now we take our honeymoons there. The same thing will happen in space. We are on the verge of the greatest exploration that the human race has ever known. We explore for three reasons, the weakest of which is curiosity. You know, it's funded NASA's budget up until now. Some images from Mars, 1997. In fact, I think in the next decade, without any question, we will discover life on Mars and find that it is literally ubiquitous under the soils and different parts of that planet. The stronger motivator, the much stronger motivator, is fear. It drove us to the moon. We -- literally in fear -- with the Soviet Union raced to the moon. And we have these huge rocks, you know, killer-sized rocks in the hundreds of thousands or millions out there, and while the probability is very small, the impact, figured in literally, of one of these hitting the Earth is so huge that to spend a small fraction looking, searching, preparing to defend, is not unreasonable. And of course, the third motivator, one near and dear to my heart as an entrepreneur, is wealth. In fact, the greatest wealth. If you think about these other asteroids, there's a class of the nickel iron, which in platinum-group metal markets alone are worth something like 20 trillion dollars, if you can go out and grab one of these rocks. My plan is to actually buy puts on the precious metal market, and then actually claim that I'm going to go out and get one. And that will fund the actual mission to go and get one. But fear, curiosity and greed have driven us. And for me, this is -- I'm the short kid on the right. This was -- my motivation was actually during Apollo. And Apollo was one of the greatest motivators ever. If you think about what happened at the turn of -- early 1960s, on May 25, JFK said, "We're going to go to the moon." And people left their jobs and they went to obscure locations to go and be part of this amazing mission. And we knew nothing about going to space. We went from having literally put Alan Shepard in suborbital flight to going to the moon in eight years, and the average age of the people that got us there was 26 years old. They didn't know what couldn't be done. They had to make up everything. And that, my friend, is amazing motivation. This is Gene Cernan, a good friend of mine, saying, "If I can go to the moon" -- this is the last human on the moon so far -- "nothing, nothing is impossible." But of course, we've thought about the government always as the person taking us there. But I put forward here, the government is not going to get us there. The government is unable to take the risks required to open up this precious frontier. The shuttle is costing a billion dollars a launch. That's a pathetic number. It's unreasonable. We shouldn't be happy in standing for that. One of the things that we did with the Ansari X PRIZE was take the challenge on that risk is OK, you know. As we are going out there and taking on a new frontier, we should be allowed to risk. In fact, anyone who says we shouldn't, you know, just needs to be put aside, because, as we go forward, in fact, the greatest discoveries we will ever know is ahead of us. The entrepreneurs in the space business are the furry mammals, and clearly the industrial-military complex -- with Boeing and Lockheed and NASA -- are the dinosaurs. The ability for us to access these resources to gain planetary redundancy -- we can now gather all the information, the genetic codes, you know, everything stored on our databases, and back them up off the planet, in case there would be one of those disastrous situations. The difficulty is getting there, and clearly, the cost to orbit is key. Once you're in orbit, you are two thirds of the way, energetically, to anywhere -- the moon, to Mars. And today, there's only three vehicles -- the U.S. shuttle, the Russian Soyuz and the Chinese vehicle -- that gets you there. Arguably, it's about 100 million dollars a person on the space shuttle. One of the companies I started, Space Adventures, will sell you a ticket. We've done two so far. We'll be announcing two more on the Soyuz to go up to the space station for 20 million dollars. But that's expensive and to understand what the potential is -- -- it is expensive. But people are willing to pay that! You know, one -- we have a very unique period in time today. For the first time ever, we have enough wealth and the technology accessible that will allow us to really drive space exploration. But how cheap could it get? I want to give you the end point. We know -- 20 million dollars today, you can go and buy a ticket, but how cheap could it get? Let's go back to high school physics here. If you calculate the amount of potential energy, mgh, to take you and your spacesuit up to a couple hundred miles, and then you accelerate yourself to 17,500 miles per hour -- remember, that one half MV squared -- and you figure it out. It's about 5.7 gigajoules of energy. If you expended that over an hour, it's about 1.6 megawatts. If you go to one of Vijay's micro-power sources, and they sell it to you for seven cents a kilowatt hour -- anybody here fast in math? How much will it cost you and your spacesuit to go to orbit? 100 bucks. That's the price-improvement curve that -- we need some breakthroughs in physics along the way, I'll grant you that. But guys, if history has taught us anything, it's that if you can imagine it, you will get there eventually. I have no question that the physics, where all of us can afford orbital space flight is around the corner. The difficulty is that there needs to be a real marketplace to drive the investment. Today, the Boeings and the Lockheeds don't spend a dollar of their own money in R&D. It's all government research dollars, and very few of those. And in fact, the large corporations, the governments, can't take the risk. So we need what I call an exothermic economic reaction in space. Today's commercial markets worldwide, global commercial launch market? 12 to 15 launches per year. Number of commercial companies out there? 12 to 15 companies. One per company. That's not it. There's only one marketplace, and I call them self-loading carbon payloads. They come with their own money. They're easy to make. It's people. The Ansari X PRIZE was my solution, reading about Lindbergh for creating the vehicles to get us there. We offered 10 million dollars in cash for the first reusable ship, carry three people up to 100 kilometers, come back down, and within two weeks, make the trip again. Twenty-six teams from seven countries entered the competition, spending between one to 25 million dollars each. And of course, we had beautiful SpaceShipOne, which made those two flights and won the competition. And I'd like to take you there, to that morning, for just a quick video. Pilot: Release our fire. Richard Searfoss: Good luck. RS: We've got an altitude call of 368,000 feet. of the Ansari X PRIZE competition, I declare that Mojave Aerospace Ventures has indeed earned the Ansari X PRIZE. Peter Diamandis: Probably the most difficult thing that I had to do was raise the capital for this. It was literally impossible. We went -- I went to 100, 200 CEOs, CMOs. No one believed it was done. Everyone said, "Oh, what does NASA think? Well, people are going to die, how can you possibly going to put this forward?" I found a visionary family, the Ansari family, and Champ Car, and raised part of the money, but not the full 10 million. And what I ended up doing was going out to the insurance industry and buying a hole-in-one insurance policy. See, the insurance companies went to Boeing and Lockheed, and said, "Are you going to compete?" No. "Are you going to compete?" No. "No one's going to win this thing." So, they took a bet that no one would win by January of '05, and I took a bet that someone would win. So -- and the best thing is they paid off and the check didn't bounce. We've had a lot of accomplishments and it's been a tremendous success. One of the things I'm most happy about is that the SpaceShipOne is going to hang in Air and Space Museum, next to the Spirit of St. Louis and the Wright Flyer. Isn't that great? So a little bit about the future, steps to space, what's available for you. Today, you can go and experience weightless flights. By '08, suborbital flights, the price tag for that, you know, on Virgin, is going to be about 200,000. There are three or four other serious efforts that will bring the price down very rapidly, I think, to about 25,000 dollars for a suborbital flight. Orbital flights -- we can take you to the space station. And then I truly believe, once a group is in orbit around the Earth -- I know if they don't do it, I am -- we're going to stockpile some fuel, make a beeline for the moon and grab some real estate. Quick moment for the designers in the audience. We spent 11 years getting FAA approval to do zero gravity flights. Here are some fun images. Here's Burt Rutan and my good friend Greg Meronek inside a zero gravity -- people think a zero gravity room, there's a switch on there that turns it off -- but it's actually parabolic flight of an airplane. And turns out 7-Up has just done a little commercial that's airing this month. If we can get the audio up? Narrator: For a chance to win the first free ticket to space, look for specially marked packages of Diet 7-Up. When you want the taste that won't weigh you down, the only way to go is up. PD: That was filmed inside our airplane, and so, you can now do this. We're based down in Florida. Let me talk about the other thing I'm excited about. The future of prizes. You know, prizes are a very old idea. I had the pleasure of borrowing from the Longitude Prize and the Orteig Prize that put Lindbergh forward. And we have made a decision in the X PRIZE Foundation to actually carry that concept forward into other technology areas, and we just took on a new mission statement: "to bring about radical breakthroughs in space and other technologies for the benefit of humanity." And this is something that we're very excited about. I showed this slide to Larry Page, who just joined our board. And you know, when you give to a nonprofit, you might have 50 cents on the dollar. If you have a matching grant, it's typically two or three to one. If you put up a prize, you can get literally a 50 to one leverage on your dollars. And that's huge. And then he turned around and said, "Well, if you back a prize institute that runs a 10 prize, you get 500 to one." I said, "Well, that's great." So, we have actually -- are looking to turn the X PRIZE into a world-class prize institute. This is what happens when you put up a prize, when you announce it and teams start to begin doing trials. You get publicity increase, and when it's won, publicity shoots through the roof -- if it's properly managed -- and that's part of the benefits to a sponsor. Then, when the prize is actually won, after it's moving, you get societal benefits, you know, new technology, new capability. And the benefit to the sponsors is the sum of the publicity and societal benefits over the long term. That's our value proposition in a prize. If you were going to go and try to create SpaceShipOne, or any kind of a new technology, you have to fund that from the beginning and maintain that funding with an uncertain outcome. It may or may not happen. But if you put up a prize, the beautiful thing is, you know, it's a very small maintenance fee, and you pay on success. Orteig didn't pay a dime out to the nine teams that went across -- and we didn't pay a dime until someone won the Ansari X PRIZE. So, prizes work great. You know, innovators, the entrepreneurs out there, you know that when you're going for a goal, the first thing you have to do is believe that you can do it yourself. Then, you've got to, you know, face potential public ridicule of -- that's a crazy idea, it'll never work. And then you have to convince others, so that they can, in fact, help you raise the funds, and then you've got to deal with the fact that you've got government bureaucracies and institutions that don't want you to move those things forward, and you have to deal with failures. What a prize does, what we've experienced a prize doing, is literally help to short-circuit or support all of these things, because a prize credentials the idea that this is a good idea. Well, it must be a good idea. Someone's offering 10 million dollars to go and do this thing. And each of these areas was something that we found the Ansari X PRIZE helped short-circuit these for innovation. So, as an organization, we put together a prize discovery process of how to come up with prizes and write the rules, and we're actually looking at creating prizes in a number of different categories. We're looking at attacking energy, environment, nanotechnology -- and I'll talk about those more in a moment. And the way we're doing that is we're creating prize teams within the X PRIZE. We have a space prize team. We're going after an orbital prize. We are looking at a number of energy prizes. Craig Venter has just joined our board and we're doing a rapid genome sequencing prize with him, we'll be announcing later this fall, about -- imagine being able to sequence anybody's DNA for under 1,000 dollars, revolutionize medicine. And clean water, education, medicine and even looking at social entrepreneurship. So my final slide here is, the most critical tool for solving humanity's grand challenges -- it isn't technology, it isn't money, it's only one thing -- it's the committed, passionate human mind.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
「おいどうすんだイングリス!? さっきの光の弾で船本体もぶっ飛ばすのか!?」「ううん、それはちょっと難しそうかな――」くらいならまだしも、船本体を完全に覆いつくして消滅させるにはさすがに出力不足だ。撃てたとしても、先程の二発目より確実に威力は低下するだろう。「じゃ、じゃあどうすんだ!?」「地面の近くまで下りて。どのあたりに落ちそうかを見て考えたいから」もし人のいない空き地や広場に墜落するならば、そのままでも構わないだろう。反対に商店街や住宅街に落ちそうならば、受け止めるなり落下地点を逸らすなりしなければならない。「落ちても大丈夫な場所ならそのままでもいいって事よね?」「うんラニ。少しずれて湖に落ちてくれる可能性もあるし」「イングリス、本当に街中に落ちるようならどうするの?」「受け止めるか、落下地点を逸らすかかな。空中だと踏ん張りが効かないし、どのみち下には降りないと」「そうね、分かったわ」「早く避難を呼びかければ、避難も間に合うかも知れません!」普段おっとりした雰囲気のプラムも、流石に真剣な顔つきをしていた。「よしじゃあ全速力で降りるぞ!」は猛スピードで地上へと舞い降りて行く。彼の天性の空中感覚で、落下地点を予想して先回りした先は―― 「......このあたりに落ちそうだぞ!」「まずい所だね」「うん、最悪よね!」「絶対に何とかしないと!」目の前にあるのは、王都の中心中の中心――王城だった。「おい早く逃げろ! 上からデカいのが落ちて来るぞ!」ラティが城の門番達に大声で呼びかけている。慌てふためいた兵士達がそれぞれに駆け出し始める。あっという間に混乱が城中に広まっていく。「そのまま呼びかけをお願い、わたしたちは降りるから。行こうラニ、レオーネ」イングリスはそう言い残して、王城の門前に飛び降りる。「うん、クリス!」「ええ、行きましょう!」ラフィニアとレオーネもそれに続いた。「私も――!」イングリス達に続こうとしたプラムはラティに止められていた。「どうして止めるんですか、私だって支援なら――」「だったら降りなくても出来るだろ! いいから乗ってろ!」「でもみんなは危険を承知で降りて......」「いいんだよ。ラティはプラムの事が心配みたいだから、そこにいてあげて」「わ! 本当ですかラティ!?」丁度イングリス達に続いて、他のラティたちは置いておいて、イングリスはそちらに呼び掛ける。「皆さんも、避難の手助けをお願いします!」「ああ、分った!」集まったあとはこちらが、落ちて来る船を何とかするだけだ。「あの二人、ちょっといいわよね――あーあ、あたしも彼氏欲しいなあ......」「絶対ダメ。ラニにはまだ早いから、ダメだよ?」「まあ、クリスが言う事だし何とかなるんじゃないかなぁって――ね、クリス?」「うん。レオーネがいるしね?」「私?」「うん。あれを受け止められたとしても、手の届く所まで待ってるともうお城に突っ込んじゃうでしょ? だから、もう少し上で叩いてあっちに落とせば――」イングリスが指差したのは、王城の敷地の端に設けられた桟橋だった。湖から水路を引いて、城から直接湖に出られるようにしてあるのだ。王城やその手前の住宅などの上に落とすよりは、水路に落とした方が被害は少なくて済む。「叩く? そうか、私の剣を伸ばして......!?」「うんそう。限界まで剣を大きくしてね? その方が弾き飛ばしやすいから」「それをあたし達で力を合わせて振るのね――」「じゃとても無理だけど――」「三人なら出来るかもしれないわね。何せクリスは怪力だしね!」「――とにかく、やるわね!」を強く握り締めると、その幅と長さがグングンと増して行く。「――これで限界よ! もっと大きくしたい所だけど......!」幅は手を広げた大人の数人分。長さは城の屋根に届く程になったが―― あの大きさの船を弾き飛ばすには、もっと獲物の大きさが欲しいのは確かだ。「私に任せて下さい!」は、武器の形状をしていなかった。キラキラとした銀色をした竪琴である。プラムがそれを奏でると、流れる美しく済んだ旋律と共に、レオーネとラフィニアのの性能を強化する効果があるらしい。味方を支援するための同じ騎士科のラフィニアから話には聞いていたが、イングリスも直接見るのは初めてだった。「ありがとう――! これでもっとできるわ!」レオーネの剣の長さと幅が、更に倍近くに膨れ上がる。剣を振る力自体も強くなっているだろう。ラフィニアも同じく、力が増しているはずだ。を持っていないイングリスに効果は無いが、ラフィニアとレオーネの力を強化してくれるのは有り難い。「もう来る――ラニ、レオーネ準備はいい?」もう船の姿はすぐ近くまで迫っていた。イングリス達は三人で、巨大になったレオーネの剣の柄を握り締めた。	「What do we do, Inglis!? Are you gonna hit it with the same light ball thingy again!?」「Hmm, that would be hard——」 Inglis shook her head at Lahti’s question. It became clear after she fired Ether Strike; While she could evaporate a single Flygear Carrier, the technique was too lacking in power to completely engulf the huge ship. And in case that she fired a third round of Ether Strike, it would unquestionably be less powerful than the last one she launched. 「W-, what do we do then!?」「Let’s get closer to the ground. We’ll think about it after we estimate where it will crash into.」 If the ship were to crash into an empty lot or open space, it would pose no problem. If it were to crash into a shopping or a residential area, then they would need to either stop it or divert it from its trajectory. 「So, if it’s a safe place to crash, we’ll let it be?」「Yeah, Rani. It’s also possible that it’ll fall outside the city and into the lake.」「But what do we do if it is right in the middle of the capital?」「Either we stop it or we change the falling trajectory. At any rate, we need to get down, there’s no good footing up here.」「I see. I understand now.」「And if we’re fast enough to call for an evacuation, it might be still affordable!」 Even Pullum, who was usually quiet, had a stern expression. 「’Kay then, maximum speed to the ground!」 The Flygear Lahti piloted dove towards the ground at breakneck speed. With his natural grasp of D space, he anticipated the point of the crash, and its ultimate destination was— 「...... It’ll fall around here!」「This is a terrible place to crash.」「Yeah, the worst one!」「We have to do something about it!」 What stood in front of them was the very heart of the Royal Capital—the Royal Castle itself. Predicting from its trajectory, the flying ship apparently would fall right in the middle of the city. And its smoky figure was, in fact, getting bigger by the second passed. 「Oi, run quick! Something huge is falling from above!」 Lahti called to the castle’s gatekeepers, his voice loud. The soldiers panicked and ran about, all without direction. In no time at all, chaos took place within the castle walls. 「You two, please continue to warn the others, we’ll get down here. Let’s go, Rani, Leone.」 Inglis stated, jumping off to the Royal Castle’s gate. 「Yeah, Glis!」「Sure, let’s go!」 Rafinha and Leone followed suit. 「Me too——!」 Pullum showed the intention to enter the fray as well, but Lahti stopped her. 「Why did you stop me, I can still support——」「You can do that without getting off! Just don’t go anywhere!」「But, everyone gets down, fully knowing the danger......」「It’s all right. Lahti stops you because he’s worried about you, Pullum. Just stay on the Flygear.」「Wah! Is that true, Lahti!?」 Just in time after Inglis group’s descent, several other Flygears gathered. Putting aside Lahti and Pullum, Inglis called out to the Flygear troops. 「Everyone too, please help with the evacuation!」「Aah, roger that!」 The gathered vessels scattered in the air. The only thing left was to deal with the falling ship, somehow. 「Those two are so dreamy—Aa~ah, I want a boyfriend too......」「Not even one in a million chances. It’s still too early for you, Rani. You can’t.」「Well, it’s Glis’ suggestion, so it’ll be sorted out somehow——Right, Glis?」「Yeah. We have you after all, Leone.」「Me?」「Yup. Even if I were to stop that, if we wait for it to come close enough for me to reach, it’ll be too late all the same. That is why, we’ll strike it while it’s still a bit higher in the air and drop it around there——」 The spot Inglis’ finger pointed to was a wharf at the edge of the castle grounds. There was a waterway drawn towards it from the lake so they could sail into the lake directly from the castle. Rather than letting the ship crash on the Royal Castle and the people in it, letting it drop on the water canals would cause less damage. 「Strike? I see, if I extend my blade, then......!!」「Yeah, that’s what I mean. Can you enlarge it to its limit? The bigger it is, the easier to swing it at the ship.」「And to swing it, we combine our strengths, right?」「Doing it alone is just impossible, but——」「If it’s the three of us, then it could work. After all, Glis is such a superhuman!」「——At any rate, we’re doing it!」 As Leone tightened her grip onto the Artifact, the great sword’s width and length increased by leaps and bounds. 「——This is the biggest it can get! Though I wish it can get bigger......!」 The blade was as wide as several adults with their hands outstretched, and high enough to reach the roof of the castle, but—— To thwart a ship that enormous, Inglis wouldn’t lie that she’d hoped to have a bigger tool in hand. 「Leave it to me!」 The Artifact carried by Pullum who rode Lahti’s Flygear was not a weapon. It was a glittery Lyre, sparkling in the color of silver. When Pullum plucked its strings, both Leone’s and Rafinha’s Artifacts were enveloped in a thin film of light, along with a beautiful melody that accompanied it. Apparently, the tone released by Pullum’s Artifact had the effect of strengthening the performance of the surrounding Artifacts. An Artifact to support allies, so to be said. Although Inglis had learned of it through Rafinha, who was in the same division as Pullum, it was the first time Inglis saw it in action in person. 「Thank you——! I can make it bigger with this!!」 The length and the width of Leone’s great sword expanded to nearly double the size. Her own strength to wield the sword seemed to have been enhanced as well. Same with Rafinha, her physical prowess should’ve increased too. It didn’t affect Inglis at all since she didn’t own any Artifacts, but having Rafinha and Leone getting stronger was more than welcome. 「It’s here already——Rani, Leone, are you ready?」 The ship was already close-by. The three of them clutched tight onto the hilt of Leone’s gigantified sword.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 7, "inserted_lines_src": 35, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
「あの、ゴホン、そちらの方を紹介して頂いてもいいですだか?」「きゃあっ!」キスをした瞬間声を掛けられて、エルサは悲鳴を上げて僕にしがみついた。人生で2回目のキスをしていた僕も腰を抜かすほど驚いた。「やあ、待たせたな、ドッヂ」「カルロ様、オラのこと忘れてお楽しみだったですだね?」「ま、まさか、そんな訳ないだろう」 ......やばい、完全に忘れてた。ドッヂがジト目でこっちを見てくる。こっち見んな。「エルサ、これはドッヂだ。俺に仕えてくれてる。力が強くて勇敢で、実に頼りになる男だ」忘れていたことを誤魔化すために持ち上げてみるけどあまり効果はなさそうだ。あの気のいい、忠誠心の高いドッヂが疑わしげに僕を横目で見てる。「ドッヂ、この娘はエルサという。これからバルハムントに連れて帰るからな」「初めましてドッヂさま、エルサです。カルロさまの愛人になりましたのでよろしくお願いします」そうそう、今日から愛人になった......っておい! エルサ、なにを堂々と宣言してるんだ?! 「あ、あ、愛人って......どういう意味だか?」今度はドッヂがビックリして目を白黒させている。いや、意味っていってもその、そのままの意味だけど。でもここで気付いた。エルサをもし屋敷に連れて帰ったらピカールやメリッサに何と言われるか。想像しただけでも恐ろしい。勢いで愛人なんか作っちゃったけど、後のことを考えてなかった。うーん、どう考えてもエルサを連れて帰るのはまずい。というかリュアンでの屋敷でルーノスやナルスに会わせるのだって同じことだよな。そんなことしたら絶対ピカール辺りにバラされる。どうしていいのか分からなくてモジモジしているエルサと、僕の愛人だと聞いてうろたえているドッヂを見ながら考える。やっぱりここは隠れ家に連れて帰るしかないな。でもその為にはエルサに暁の話をしておかなきゃいけないし、エルサをどうやって隠れ家まで連れて行くかも問題だ。あー、どうすりゃいいんだ! さっきまで頭の中がピンク色で幸せだったのに、現実に戻ると問題だらけだよ。だんだん面倒くさくなってきた。「エルサ、ドッヂ、聞いてくれ」「はい、カルロさま」「なんですだか?」僕にいっぺんに説明することにした。「エルサをバルハムントに連れて帰るわけだが、俺の屋敷に連れて行くわけにはいかん」「そりゃそうですだ、メリッサ様に知られたら怒られますだ」悪役のカルロがメイドに怒られるとか。でもやっぱりドッヂもそう思う訳ね。「あの、ではわたしはどこに行けばいいのでしょうか......」エルサはすでに不安そうだ。「実はな、俺はバルハムントに隠れ家を持っている」「え、隠れ家! そりゃあなんだかカッコいいですだね」「エルサにはそこに行ってもらおうと思う」「わたしは置いて頂けるならどこでも大丈夫です」「そこは俺が秘密の仕事をするための拠点だ。これはメリッサもピカールも、他の誰も知らない秘密だ。ドッヂ、秘密は守れるな?」「も、もちろんですだ。死んでも秘密は洩らしませんだ」誰も知らない秘密を教えられたドッヂの顔は真剣だ。隠れ家の事月は知ってるけどドッヂとは面識がないからな。それを見て思わず笑いそうになるのをこらえて、僕は真顔で話を続けた。「ドッヂなら信用できるから話すんだ。そこでは俺は仮面を着けて『「仮面......! ますますカッコいいですだ」「なにせ秘密の仕事だからな。でドッヂ、お前に頼みがある」「なんですだか?」「このエルサをこっそりその隠れ家へ送り届けて欲しい」「うん、分かりました。間違いなく送りますだ」「うん、ドッヂなら出来ると分かってる。道中もしっかり護ってやってくれよ」「任せておいてください!」特別な任務を頼まれてドッヂは張り切ってる。すっかり鼻息が荒い。「エルサ、今夜はもう遅いどこかに泊まって明日出発するといい。この辺りに宿屋はないか?」「はい、ここから少し行ったところに小さな宿があります」僕とドッジはエルサをその宿まで送り届けた。途中でエルサにも僕のことを「暁」と呼ぶように言っておいた。上手い具合に部屋に空きがあったので一部屋取ってお金を払い、エルサを置いて宿を出た。「ドッヂ、明日の朝早くこっそり屋敷を抜け出してエルサを迎えに来てやってくれ」「......分かりました。ルーノス様にもナルス様にも他の騎士さまたちにもバレないように気を付けますだ」まだ屋敷についていないと言うのにドッヂはすでにヒソヒソ声だ。まあそれだけ気合いが入っておるという事だからいいか。屋敷に着くとまだルーノスもナルスも戻っていなかった。僕はドッヂを自分の部屋に入れ、隠れ家の地図と鍵と、いくらかの費用を渡した。「では頼んだぞ、ドッヂ」「......お任せくださいだ」なぜかドッヂは忍び足で部屋を出て行った。怪しすぎるぞ。翌朝起きると、ドッヂの姿はすでになかった。「カルロ様、見張りを頼んだドッヂの姿がないのですがご存じありませんか?」「ああ、ちょっと用事を思い出してバルハムントに先に戻ってもらったんだ」ルーノスが不思議そうに聞いてくるから適当に答えておいた。「ナルス、ヴァルス内務大臣との話はどうなった?」「無事まとまりました。まず軍備に関しては王室の許可なく拡充することを黙認してくれるそうです。独自の関税を取ることも問題ないと確認しました。あとバルハムントと王都の間の街道の舗装も特別に許可されました」よし、王都とバルハムントの間の街道の舗装の許可が出たことは大きいな。他国が攻め込んできて王都に向かう場合や、貴族が反乱を起こして王都に攻め込むことを想定して、主要な街道は舗装を許されていない。そのことが物流の大きな妨げになっているし、何かあった時に王都に軍を送る時間が掛かる原因だった。これを舗装すれば保守派の貴族が不穏な動きを見せた時にすぐ対応できるし、将来僕がクーデターを起こす時にも都合がいいからぜひやっておきたかった。「シャーロット王女の件はどうだ?」「はい、婚約自体はカルロ様の功績によって判断するとなっていますが、それを前提に他の王女殿下の婚約話は全て中断、もしくは取りやめにするとのことです」これで知らない間にシャロンが他の誰かと婚約する事はなくなった。あとは僕が保守派貴族との戦いで功績を上げればいいわけだ。「良くやってくれた。これでかなり自由に動けることになりそうだな」「そうですね、後は出来るだけ早く軍備を整えていつでも動けるようにしておかないと」王室ともつながりを持ってシャロンとの婚約への糸口も出来たし、アルマンディー公たちに反感を持つ貴族(ただし爺さんたち)とも知り合えた。最大の目的だったDDT作戦は失敗し、代わりになぜか愛人が出来るというハプニングはあったけど大体の目的は達成できたから、そろそろバルハムントへ戻ろうかな。「では明日の朝バルハムントへ戻るとするか」「そうですね、あまり長居するとここのご婦人方に恨まれそうですし」ルーノスも情報収集のために女性に近づいたものの、あまり深入りすると後が大変だろう。「では私は今日のうちにヴァルス大臣と正式な文書をかわしてきます」「頼む。俺も一応王城へ上がろう」僕はナルスと一緒に城へ向かった。出来たら最後にフラウディアに会いたかったからだ。エルサとあんな風になっていながらフラウの事が気になるなんて、僕も結構悪い男だな。まあいまだにチェリーなんだけど。王城に入って一応ヴァルス大臣やドルズ将軍に挨拶をした。カマキリ野郎ことマクベル伯爵がいないか探してみたけど見つからなかった。あいつ、僕の暗殺に失敗して隠れてるに違いない。結構あちこち歩き回ってみたけどフラウも見つからないし、王城の中の廊下を歩きながらそろそろ諦めようかと思っていた時にばったりフラウに出会った。「カルロさま!」「フラウ、あの後大丈夫だったか?」「はい、カルロさまもご無事で何よりです」「うん、明日の朝リュアンを立つことになった」「それでお城に来られたのですか?」「ああ、フラウに会えるかもしれないと思ってね」「......まあ」フラウは恥ずかしそうにうつむいてしまった。頬が赤く染まっているのが可愛すぎる。「しばらく会えないけど、出来るだけ早くまた来るから元気でいてくれよ」「カルロさまもお体を気を付けてください。ご武運を祈っております」この子はだいたいの事情が分かっているからな。「ああ、頑張るさ」シャロンとの婚約が出来ればフラウと会える機会も増えるだろう。本当は抱きしめたかったけど見つかると大変なので、そっと頬に軽く触れて別れた。いつまでも見送ってくれているのが背中で分かる。さあ、バルハムントに戻って頑張ろう。	“Uhm, ehem, would you mind introducing her? “Eek!” At the moment we kissed a voice called out to me then Elsa screamed and clung to me. I was also surprised that I got to kiss the second time in my life. “Hey, I kept you waiting, Doji” “Carlo-sama, you completely forgot about me and enjoyed yourself, didn’t you?” “Tha, that can’t be, I would never do that” ......****, I completely forgot about him. Doji looked at me with doubtful eyes. Don’t look at me like that. “Elsa, this is Doji. He’s serving me. He’s a strong, brave and really reliable man.” Though I tried to praise him to gloss over the fact that I forgot about him but it didn’t seem to be very effective. That good-natured, loyal Doji was looking at me doubtfully from the side. “Doji, this girl’s named Elsa. She’ll come back with us to Braham.” “Nice to meet you, Doji-sama, I’m Elsa. As I became Carlo-sama’s mistress please take care of me.” Yeah yeah, she became my mistress today......I mean, hey! Elsa, what are you declaring so proudly?! “Mi, mi, mistress......What do you mean?” At that moment Doji was so surprised his eyes started spinning. No, even if you ask what it means, it means exactly what she said. But that’s when I noticed. What do I say to Pikaru and Melissa when I take Elsa back with me to the mansion? Even just imagining it is horrible. Though I made her my mistress in the spur of the moment I didn’t think about this back then. Mmm, no matter how I think about it, it’s bad to return together with Elsa. I mean it would be the same with Lunos and Nals if I take her to the mansion in Ruan. If I do that they would definitely rat me out to Pikaru. While I was thinking about such things Elsa, not knowing what to do, started fidgeting and Doji who heard about her being my mistress looked at us confused. As I thought I have no choice but to take her to the hideout. But to do that I would have to talk with Elsa about Akatsuki and how to take her to the hideout is a problem as well. Aah, what should I do?! Just a moment ago the inside of my head was filled with happiness and pink but as soon as I returned to reality a lot of problems appear. It gradually becomes troublesome. “Elsa, Doji, listen” “Yes, Carlo-sama” “What is it?” I decided to explain it to those two immediately. “I want to take Elsa back with me to Braham but I won’t take her to my mansion.” “That’s right, if Melissa-sama finds out about this she’ll get angry.” For that villain Carlo to get yelled at by maid. But looks like Doji thought the same as my. “Ehm, then where are you going to take me......?” Looks like Elsa was already uneasy. “I actually have a hideout in Braham.” “Eh, a hideout! That’s kind of cool” “I intended to let you go there Elsa.” “I’m okay with anywhere you put me” “That’s my base for doing undercover work. This is a secret not even Melissa or Pikaru know about. Doji, can you keep that secret?” “O, of course. I’ll keep that secret even if it costs my life.” Doji had an earnest face after he heard about this secret no one else knows about. Though Crescent Moon knows about the hideout but she isn’t acquainted with Doji. While looking at this I held back the urge to laugh and continued to talk with a straight face. “I’ll tell you this because I trust you, Doji. When I’m there I’ll be wearing a mask and go with the name “Akatsuki”.” “A mask......! This is getting even cooler” “Anyway, it’s undercover work. So, I have a request for you Doji.” “What is it?” “I want you to secretly take Elsa to this hideout” “Yeah, understood. I’ll definitely take her there.” “Yeah, if it’s you I know you can do it, Doji. Take care of you on the way” “Please leave it to me!” Doji was enthusiastic because I gave him a special mission. He was completely dauntless. “Elsa, tonight it’s already too late. Stay overnight somewhere and then tomorrow you should leave. Is there an Inn somewhere around here?” “Yes, there’s a small inn located a bit away from here” Doji brought Elsa to the in together with me. On the way, I told Elsa to call me “Akatsuki”. As there was luckily still one room in a good condition still vacant I paid the money, made Elsa stay there and left. “Doji, sneak out of the mansion early in the morning tomorrow and go pick up Elsa.” “......Understood. I’ll be careful not to be found out by Lunos or Nals or the other knights.” Doji was talking in a low voice even though we had yet to reach the residence. Well, it’s good to be fired up, right? Neither Lunos nor Nals have returned yet when we arrived at the mansion. I took Doji into my room handed him a map to the hideout and the key to it and also some money. “Then I’m counting on you, Doji” “......Please leave it to me” For some reason, Doji left my room while tip-toeing. You’re too suspicious. The following day when I got up in the morning Doji wasn’t there anymore. “Carlo-sama, I told Doji to stand guard but I don’t see him anywhere, do you know where he is?” “Yeah, he remembered that he had to do something and returned to Braham earlier.” Lunos asked me curiously and I answered appropriately. “Nals, how did the negotiations with State Minister Walles turn out?” “Everything got settled safely. First, to the matter of the military expansion without the royal family’s permission. He gave his tacit consent. I confirmed that it isn’t a problem to remove the original tariff. Furthermore, the pavement between Braham and the Capital was particularly permitted as well. Alright, it’s great that the permission to pave the road between the Capital and Braham was given. I assumed that fearing another country might invade or the nobles would start a revolt they wouldn’t grant the permission to pave the road. That was a major hindrance to logistics and it would cause a delay in sending troops in the case of something happening. If I pave it I can immediately react if the conservative nobles show some threatening movements and I wanted to do it because it’s convenient for me when I’ll do the coup d’état in the future. “How’s the matter with Princess Charlotte going?” “Yes, although the engagement itself depends on Carlo-sama’s achievements, but all talks of Her Imperial Highness the Princess’s engagements got suspended or cancelled.” With this Sharon won’t get engaged to someone she doesn’t know. Next, I should earn some credits by fighting the conservative nobles. “You did well. It seems like we can move considerably freely with this.” “That’s right, after that we have to quickly arrange the military so that we are able to move at any time.” I build connections to the Royal Family, I made progress in the matter of getting engaged to Sharon and I met some nobles (Though they are old men) who hold antipathy towards Duke Armandi Rejum. Operation DDT which was my biggest purpose for coming here failed though I somehow gained a mistress through that, but all in all I was able to accomplish everything I came here for so shall I return to Braham soon? “Then shall we return to Braham tomorrow morning?” “That’s right, the ladies here might hold a grudge against me if I stay here for too long.” Lunos approached some women to get some information but it might get hard for him if it grows too deep. “Then I shall pass the official documents with Minister Walles today” “Please do. I’ll go to the Royal Palace for the time being as well” I went to the castle together with Nals. That’s because I wanted to see Fraudia one last time if possible. I’m quite the bad man for being concerned about Frau when I’m like this with Elsa. Well, I’m still a virgin. I entered the Royal Palace and greeted Minister Walles and General Dolus first. I tried looking for Earl Mcbell, also known as mantis, but I couldn’t find him. That guy, he must have gone into hiding after that failed assassination attempt on me. Though I walked around for a long time I couldn’t find Frau, but just when I thought about giving up I found her while walking up the Royal Palace’s corridor. “Carlo-sama!” “Frau, were you able to safely return after that matter?” “Yes, more importantly, Carlo-sama is also safe.” “Yeah, I decided to depart from Ruan tomorrow morning.” “Did you come to the castle because of that?” “Yeah, I thought I might be able to meet Frau.” “......Well” Frau looked down bashfully. Her cheeks turning red is just too cute. “I won’t be able to meet you for a while but I’ll come again as soon as possible so stay healthy.” “Carlo-sama, please take care of your body as well. I pray for your success.” This child mostly knows about those circumstances. “Yeah, I’ll try my best.” If I get engaged to Sharon the chances to meet Frau might increase. I actually wanted to hug her but as it was hard to do I just gently touched her cheek and parted from her. I could watch that back who was seeing me off forever. OK, let’s get back to Braham and do our best.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 2, "inserted_lines_src": 3, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
獄炎天羽矢の大嵐赤黒い炎を宿した無数の矢が遥か彼方の戦場に殺到する。この位置からなら、反撃を気にせずにいくらでも矢が撃てる。アンヌが気づかないうちに場所を移動しているのを見て、俺も敵に気づかれないように高台に移動し、いきなり急所に奥義をぶち込んでやろうと思った。そのためにはアッと驚く目くらましが必要だと考え、思い付きで【結果として想像以上の目くらましになったとはいえ、味方に大ダメージを与えてしまったのは反省しなければならない。もちろんペッタさんが天使になれることも【彼女もまた温存しながら戦える実力者だったということだ。しかし、合体奥義は使用後ユニゾンがクールタイムに入る非常にリスクが高い技だ。ソロならガー坊を失った俺がピンチになるだけだが、パーティ戦では全員を不利な状況に追い込むことになる可能性も秘めている。やはり、今回の使い方は少し安易だった。教訓として忘れずにおくとして、今は勝負のことだけを考えよう。俺がこの位置に陣取ったからには、絶対に勝利を掴んでみせる! 「油断っ! 油断っ! もうアタシったら本当に笑えない油断だわっ! でも、対策は考えてあったりして......っ! 忍法・畳返しの術!」シンバが地面を強く踏みつけると、何もないところから畳が現れた! 畳を返すだけではなく、畳自体を召喚するスキルなんだな。しかし、畳がそんな頑丈な壁になるとは思えないが......。「畳も返すっ! 飛び道具も返すっ! そういうことっ!」畳に当たった矢はそのまま180度軌道を変え、俺に迫る......! なるほど、確かにこれは対策だ。俺の矢をそのまま反射されるということは、射程もそのままということ。こっちまで攻撃を届かせることが出来る! 「くっそ、飛べるうちに戦況を変えないとな......! 「おじさん対策はボクでもわかるようにキツく教え込まれているのだよ......。残りの2人も反射系スキル......!? どうやら、パーティ単位で俺を警戒してくれているらしい。これは光栄なことだな......! 「でも、俺が撃った矢のことは俺わかってる! とうっ!」俺は狙撃ポイントであるジャンボ滑り台から......滑り降りた! 滑り台の滑るところ、滑降部はうねうねと折れ曲がり非常に長い。角度もなかなかキツく、スピードが出る。俺は正確に敵を狙っているから、そのまま反射されると普通に俺に当たる。逆に言えば正確に狙っている分、素早くうねうねと他のところに逃げれば当たりはしない! 滑り台は攻撃するのにも、逃げるのにももってこいなのだ! とはいえ、ジャンボ滑り台のゴールは遥か下の方だ。最後まで楽しく滑り切ると戻ってくるのに苦労する。だから、キィィィと途中でブレーキをかけて立ち上がり、滑降部を走って上に戻る! この滑り台の逆走......昔はよくやったな......。でも、それはあくまでも人がいない小さな公園の滑り台の話。こういう大きな滑り台の場合は次から次へと人が滑ってくるから逆走は許されない。このイベントを観戦している良い子は絶対マネしないでね! 「逆走......普通にしんどいぞこれ......!」すぐに上に戻るのは無理そうだ......! 仕方ない。途中で立ち止まって仲間を援護をしつつ、隙を見て上を目指そう......! 頑張れ......ネココ、アンヌ! ◆ ◆ ◆ 「あらやだ、オジサマったら滑っちゃって楽しそ~うっ! あんな遠くに逃げられたのは失態だけど、ああしてもがいているうちに他の子たちを仕留めてゆっくり接近すればオールオッケーってね!」シンバは口調こそ上機嫌だが、内心キュージィを逃がしたことを気にしていた。キュージィ本人が自分の得意戦法を忘れてしまうくらい【死亡フラッグ】のインパクトが強かった以上、他人であるシンバがそのことを忘れていても仕方ない。だが、シンバはこのパーティを引っ張るベテランとして、どうしてもぬぐえない自責の念があった。 (アタシみたいなそこそこ歳のいった孤独なゲーマーをハタちゃんは迎え入れてくれた。それが個性優先でバランスが崩れたギルドを安定させるという目的のためだとはいえ、嬉しかったわ......) ハタケのギルドメンバーはめちゃくちゃで『黄道宮』の隠しではない通常の試練ですら安定してクリアできずにキュージィを頼った過去がある。その経験からギルドは安定して戦えるプレイヤーをメンバーに加えようとしていた。今のイベントで苦戦するなら、これからのイベントはもっと苦戦するだろうと考えてのことだ。シンバはその結果自分が新メンバーに誘われたと思っているが、真実はそうではない。安定して戦えるプレイヤーはまだ見つかっていないのだ。では、シンバはなぜ仲間に誘われたのか......? ハタケのギルドにお似合いの強力すぎる個性の持ち主だからである! そう、アラビアンオネエ忍者というキャラだけで実力関係なく仲間に誘われたのだ。結果としてシンバが実力者だったから勘違いが生まれたが、彼らの関係に打算は一切ない。というか、ハタケの辞書に『打算』の文字はあるにはあるが、薄れて読めない程度である。 (待っててみんな......っ! アタシが必ず優勝に導いてあげるっ! さあ、反撃よっ!) その時、シンバの足元の地面に穴が開いた。「まっ!? きゃあああああああああっ!!」シンバは突然のことに受け身もとれず、そのままドシンと尻もちをつく。「さっきあなたが言ってた『地面に潜った後はちゃんと穴をふさがないといろんなものが入ってきちゃう』って......チャリン戦のことかな?」穴の底で待ち構えていたのはネココだった。】を避け、そのままシンバの足元まで移動したのだ。が穴を掘って逃げずに自爆しておけば、チャーちゃんもその穴を使って逃げることが出来ず、もっと楽に戦いに勝てたって......っ!」「よくも本人の前で言えたわねぇ!! ずっと気にしてることを......ッ! ズタズタにしてやるっ!」「ひえ~っ!」穴の中で毛を逆立てた猫の怒りが爆発する......!	“Inferno Arrow Tempest!” Numerous arrows that were enveloped in dark red flames shot out across the battlefield. At this distance, I could shoot as much as I wanted without fear of counterattacks. I saw that Anne was moving away while the enemy still wouldn’t notice her, and so I had also moved to a high platform so that I could attack with a charge attack and take them by surprise. In order to do this, I needed a smoke screen that would be truly shocking. And so I had the idea of unleashing Armageddon Arrow. The result was that it was even better than I had expected, but it also did great damage to my teammates, which I was very sorry for. Of course, I had not known that Petta could turn into an angel or use this insane charge attack called Apocalypse Melody. It meant that she too was someone who was capable enough to fight while also holding back for the time being. However, combination charge attacks were very risky, as your Unison would go into cool down when it was finished. If I was solo, then losing Garbow would only put me in danger. However, since I was in a party, I could be putting everyone in a disadvantageous position. And so I did feel that I had been a little reckless this time. I would have to take it as a lesson learned. But for now, I had to think of the current battle alone. Now that I have taken position up here, victory will be ours no matter what! “I let my guard down! It’s too much that I cannot even laugh! But I still have a countermeasure...! Ninpo – Tatami Flip Art!” Cymba stomped hard on the ground, and then a tatami appeared out of nowhere! The skill didn’t just flip a tatami, but summoned one. However, I didn’t think that a tatami mat would be very durable as a wall... “Flip tatamis! And flip projectiles! That’s what it means!” The arrows that hit the tatami mat did a degree turn and shot back at me...! I see. This definitely was a countermeasure. If my arrows were being reflected as they were, then the range would also be the same. And so they could definitely reach me! “Shit. I have to change the tide of battle while I can still fly...! Echo Melody!” “They taught me rather harshly so that even I can deal with the old man... Rise in Revolt!” The other two also used reflecting type skills...!? Apparently, the entire party was wary of me. I suppose it was an honor...! “However, no one knows more about my arrows than me! Ha!” And so I slid down the jumbo slide! The slide twisted and turned many times, and was very long. Its angles were also sharp and it was very fast. As I had targeted the enemy with precision, it would hit me if they were reflected back. On the other hand, they wouldn’t hit me if I escaped! And so the slide was perfect both for attacking and escaping! That being said, the end of the jumbo slide was far below. If I slid down all of the way, it would be quite difficult to get back up. And so partway down, I hit the brakes and stood up. And then I began to run back up the slide! Running up a slide... I had done that a lot as a child... However, that was only in a small park where there were hardly any other people. You wouldn’t be able to do it on a big slide like this, as a lot of other people would be sliding down. Kids, don’t copy this at home! “Actually...this is very tiring...!” I would not be able to get back to the top immediately...! Oh, well. I would take pauses to cover my teammates and then start climbing when I have a chance to...! You can do it... Necoco, Anne! ◆ ◆ ◆ “Well, look at that. The old man is playing on the slide! We shouldn’t have allowed him to run so far away, but I suppose we can take out the others while he’s struggling over there. So it all works out for us in the end!” Cymba sounded like he was in a good mood, but deep inside, he was annoyed at having allowed Kyuji to escape. The impact of Death Flag had been so great that Kyuji himself forgot to fight in the way that he knew best, so it was no wonder that Cymba would forget as well. However, as a veteran who sometimes led the party, Cymba had a strong sense of responsibility that he could not shake off. (Hata-chan accepted an old and lonely gamer like me. While it was to balance out a guild that had too many people that were accepted based on uniqueness, I am still grateful...) Hatake’s guild was a complete mess, so much so that he once had to rely on Kyuji’s help in order to clear one of the trials for the zodiac labyrinths. After that, he tried to bring in players who could fight and add stability. Because if they were going to struggle during that event, then they would surely struggle even more in future events. And so Cymba thought that as a result of that, he was invited to join. But it was not the truth. Because they had not yet found a stable member who could fight. So, why was he invited to join...? It was because he too was someone so unique that it would be hard to find a better match for the guild! Yes, just by being an Arabian, feminine ninja character, he had been invited. While Cymba had misunderstood the intent, there was nothing calculated about their relationship. In fact, it was unlikely that the word ‘calculated’ even existed in Hatake’s dictionary. (Wait for me, everyone...! I will lead us to victory! Now, it’s time to strike back!) Just then, a hole opened up under Cymba’s feet. “What!? Ahhhhhh!!” It was so sudden that he couldn’t even enter a defensive stance as he fell heavily on his haunches. “You were saying something earlier about plugging holes so that things don’t fall in afterwards... Was that about the Charin fight?” It was Necoco who waited in the bottom of the pit. She had used Drill Claw to dig through the ground and avoid Kyuji’s Inferno Arrow Tempest, and then moved right under Cymba’s feet. “Th-that’s right! It’s a famous story! Had you self-destructed instead of digging a hole and running away, Charin would not have been able to use the hole and escape. Then you could have won that battle much easier...!” “I can’t believe you would say that to my face!! Something that’s been bothering me all of this time...! You’ll pay for this!” “Ahh!” And inside of the hole, the fury of the cat exploded...!	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 0, "inserted_lines_src": 10, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
うわぁ、入りたくないわ。もう私がここで過ごすことが決まっているみたいじゃない。......まぁ、実際そうなんだけど。「あの、王子」「何だ?」ヴィクターはあからさまに嫌そうな表情を私に向ける。「本当だけでいいから休暇下さい。過労死してしまいます!」「お前は死なねえだろ」「それは......否めません」だけど、私はずっとこの王宮に潜んでいるわけにはいかないのよ。闘技場にもう一度行って、現状を把握しておきたい。それに街の様子も知りたいし......。「どうしてそこまで休みが欲しいんだ?」「休みたいからです」「見た感じほぼ体力復活しているじゃねえか」「復活と休暇は別物です。一緒にしないでください。一日ぐらい自由をくれても良いじゃないですか!」「お前は一番自由を与えちゃいけねえ奴だろ」「そ、れは......」王子の言いたいことが分からないわけじゃないけど、それにしてもなかなか辛辣。「何をしたいんだ?」彼はどこか諦めた表情を浮かべる。「えっと、少しだけ闘技場に行きたくて」「駄目だ」「え、秒殺過ぎない? もう少し考えてくれても」「却下。この話はなしだ」なんて横柄なの。こんな性格なのに、どうしてモテるのかしら。皆、顔に騙されないで欲しいわ。「理由を教えて下さい」私は出来るだけ怒りを鎮めるようにして言葉を発する。「今、あの闘技場で伝染病が流行り始めたんだ」ヴィクターは少し低い声でそう言った。	Ugh, I didn’t want to go in there. It was as if I were already supposed to stay here. Well, I will probably live here from now on. “Um, Prince.” “Yes?” Victor gave me a blatantly disgusted look. “Please give me just one day off. I’ll die of exhaustion!” “You’re not going to die.” “That... is undeniable.” But I couldn’t stay in this palace forever. I should go back to the arena and find out what’s going on. Besides, I would also like to know what’s going on in the city.... “Why do you want a vacation so badly?” “Because I want to rest.” “From the looks of it, you’re almost back to full strength, aren’t you?” “A revival and a vacation are not the same thing. Please don’t put them together. Why can’t you give me one day of freedom!” “You’re the last person I should be giving freedom to.” “That’s...” It wasn’t that I didn’t understand what the prince was trying to say, but it was still quite harsh. “What do you want?” He looked somewhat resigned. “Well, I just wanted to go to the arena for a bit.” “Nope.” “Oh, aren’t you a little too quick? You could give it a little more thought.” “Nope. I’m not having this conversation.” How arrogant. With this kind of personality, how could he be so popular? I hope the people won’t be fooled by his face. “Please tell me why.” I said as I tried to calm my anger as much as I could. “There’s an epidemic going around that arena right now.” Victor said in a slightly low voice.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 0, "inserted_lines_src": 1, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
あまりの衝撃に私は腕を止めてしまった。はい!? もしかして私がリズさんと仲良くできなかったからかしら。いや、それは関係ないわよね。だって私、魔法学園の生徒じゃないし......。「さっきアル兄からの緊急の言霊が来たんだよ」私が国王様とお話ししていた時かしら? それにしても言霊の魔法なんてあるのね。凄く便利そうだわ。「何かあったのですか?」「リズが倒れたらしいよ」アランお兄様に代わってヘンリお兄様が答えた。リズさんが倒れた? やっぱり、前に私が嫌な態度をとったからかしら......。「なんか、リズの魔法が暴走したらしい」「魔法が暴走?」「ああ、まだ理由は分からないらしいがフェスの時に何かあったら大変だから禁止になったらしい」あまりにも強力な魔力を持っていたから暴走したって可能性があるわよね。私は剣のお稽古を途中でやめて図書室に向かった。魔法大全をもじっくり読んだがどこにも魔法の暴走については書かれていなかった。今までに魔法が暴走したって事はなかったって事よね。私は近くにあった魔法書を取り出し、目を通した。そもそも全魔法を使える者なんて現れた事がなかったものね。それも平民で......。『闇魔法について』闇魔法の説明? 私はページを捲った。『闇魔法は破壊の魔法かつ治癒の魔法』私はもう一枚ページを捲った。あれ? ......これだけ? 他の魔法は膨大な紙の量を使って説明されているのに、闇魔法はたったの一ページ? やっぱりしょうもない魔法なんじゃ......、ダメよ、ネガティブに考えるのはやめましょ。気分転換に魔法の練習でもしましょ。私はレベル16からレベル20までの本を読んだ。きっと、魔法学園の入学可能レベルがレベル20だから案外簡単に習得出来そうな気がするわ。私はレベル16から順番に魔法練習を始めた。正直なところレベル1と同じノリでレベル20も出来た。 ......あっさり入学レベルにまで達してしまったわ。凄いじゃない、私! 段々ヒロインと対等になってきているわ。後はリズさんの体調が戻ればいいのだけれど......。こんな事を言ったら卑怯かもしれないけど、リズさんが倒れている間に私がどんどんレベルアップしとけば、リズさんが目を覚ました時には完全に対等になるんじゃないかしら。まぁ、そんな夢のような話あるわけありませんし、こつこつ頑張るしかなさそうね。私はレベル21の本を手に取り、読み始めた。	I’m so shocked, my arm freezes mid-swing. What!? The festival was cancelled? Is it because Liz-san and I weren’t able to become friends? No..... That should be irrelevant. Since I’m not even a student at the academy, I’m sure the reason has nothing to do with me..... “Al-Nii sent us an urgent magic communication a little while ago to let us know.” I wonder if that was around the time when I was talking to the king. But that aside, I forgot communication magic was a thing. That sounds super convenient! “Did something happen?” “Apparently Liz collapsed.” Instead of Alan-Oniisama, this time Henry-Oniisama is the one who answers. Liz-san collapsed? Wait, so maybe it really was my fault? Because I was acting so abominably towards her.....? But it hadn’t been my intention to torment her to the point of making her ill. “Her magic seems to be spiraling out of control or something.” “Her magic’s gone out of control?” “Yeah. Apparently they still haven’t figured out the cause yet. And since it would be dangerous if something were to happen while the festival was underway, they decided to cancel it altogether.” Why would her magic suddenly go haywire.....? I suppose it’s possible that it’s because she has extremely strong magical power... But then, why now? As I’m already lost in thought, I decide to give up on the sword practice for today and head over to the library. I carefully read through the whole magic encyclopedia again, but I still can’t find any mention of magic raging out of control. Does that mean that there’ve been no such occurrences up until now? I scan through the rest of the magic books that I have piled up around me. In the first place, it looks like this is the first time that someone who is capable of using every type of magic has appeared. Not to mention that she’s a commoner..... 『Darkness Magic』 A description for darkness magic? Will it say something about how useless it is? I turn the page. 『Darkness magic is based around destruction and healing.』 I turn one more page. ......That’s it? Every other magic has pages and pages filled with descriptions, but darkness magic gets what? Not even a full page? It really is the most useless element..... No, stop that. Let’s not think so negatively. I should do some magic practice as a change of pace. I read through the books for levels through . It seems like I’m going to reach level unexpectedly easily. For it being the level requirement to attend the magic academy, it’s not that hard to get to. Starting from level , I practice all of the new spells in order. It really is easy. I’m raising my levels within minutes and I don’t feel any sort of resistance. Honestly, I find casting level 20 magic to be as natural as casting level 1. .....And in no time at all, I’ve already fulfilled the required level to enter the academy. Good going, me! I’m so amazing. I’m gradually chipping away at the gap between the heroine’s level and mine. How great would it be if Liz-san just waited to get better until after I’m done..... It might be cowardly of me to think so, but as long as Liz-san is out of commission, this is my chance to catch up to her. If I can level up like crazy during this time period, then by the time she opens her eyes again we’ll be on equal playing fields! That would be a dream! But that plan is not without fault. It relies heavily on luck and my own abilities, so I guess I’ll just have to work hard in the meantime to make it a reality. I pull down the book for level 21 and start to read.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 1, "inserted_lines_src": 8, "inserted_lines_trg": 2 }
「学院長。パンプキン殿をお連れしました」「分かった。入ってくれ」「失礼します」女性が学院長室と書かれた扉をノックすると中から返事が返ってきて、その返事を受けてから俺と女性は部屋の中に入る。部屋の中には実用性を重視した感じの応接机に椅子。そして椅子には立派な髭を蓄えたエルフの老人が座っていた。「遠路はるばるご苦労じゃったな。パンプキン殿。どうぞそちらへ」「こちらこそ急な求めに対してわざわざ時間を割いて頂いたことも含めてありがとうございます。では失礼させてもらいます」老人の言葉に対して答えた後に老人の正面に置かれている椅子に腰かける。老人は年老い飄々とした様子だが、その眼光は長年の経験に裏打ちされる形で非常に鋭く、その奥には様々な感情が渦巻いているのが見えた。ま、品定めと言ったところだろう。「ではではあるが自己紹介からしておこうかの。儂はマドサ領領主にしてこの領立マドサ学院の学院長でもあるジーニア=ケルプ・マドサ侯爵じゃ。名前から分かるとは思うが一応転生者じゃな」「竜殺しの魔法使い、パンプキン・サンサーラ男爵です。この度はウリコ・マウンピールとマジク=タイガ・サンサーラエッグの保護者として参りました。名は覚えていませんが私も転生者です。今日はよろしくお願いします」「うむ。よろしくじゃ」挨拶が終わったところで俺とマドサ侯爵は握手を交わす。なお、ウリコとマジクの苗字は学院内で苗字の有る無しによって貴族かそうでないかを見極めて何かをしようとする人間対策の一環で出身の村の名前を流用した学院内でだけ使う苗字である。「この場については学院長と竜殺しの魔法使いが会ったという事で良いじゃろうな」「そうですね。私と学院長の爵位では良からぬ噂を立てられるかもしれませんので」で、お互いの立場も明らかにしたところで他話を交わしてから本題に入る。「さて、今回私が学院長に面会を求めた理由ですが、それはウリコ・マウンピールの学院生活について先に相談をしておきたいのです」「先に言っておくがテストの採点を甘くしてほしいや、寮生活において何かしらの便宜を計ってほしいと言う願いなら論外じゃぞ?」「それは本人の為にもならないのでこちらとしてもお断りです。ある意味では便宜を図る事に近いかもしれませんが」「ふむ......内容を窺おうかの」「ありがとうございます。それで相談と言うのは......」そして俺が学院長に対して相談内容を告げようとした瞬間...... ウリコたちの居る検査会場の方から巨大な爆発音が学院中に響き渡った。「なんじゃ!?」「マジク......お前が付いていながら......」謎の爆発音に対して学院長は即座に反応していくつかの魔法を使用すると共に側仕えの女性......たぶん秘書だろう。秘書を呼び出して話を聞いた後にいくつもの指示を出していく。学院長が使った魔法は恐らくこの手の緊急事態に対応するための連絡や探査、防御の魔法と言ったところだろう。対応の早さも含めて学院長はこの手の事態には相当手馴れているようだ。で、爆発音の原因だが実を言えば俺には分かっている。だって、爆発音がする一瞬前に検査会場から上空に向かって高密度の魔力で作られた柱が立ち昇っていくのが見えたし。「パンプキン殿。どうしてお主が相談を持ちかけたのかが分かったわい」「分かってもらえましたか」と言うわけで数分後。事態の把握と収集を一応一通り終えた学院長が微妙に顔色を悪くしながら俺に話しかけてくる。「一応、何が有ったのかを窺っても?」「分かった。説明を頼む」「はい」学院長の言葉を受けて横に立っていた秘書の女性が何が起きたのかを説明し始めてくれる。で、その話を纏めるとだ。最初はウリコもマジクも大人しく検査を受けていたらしい。そして、魔法科なので魔力の量と密度を測る検査を受けた際に俺の言いつけを守って程々の魔力を流して検査を終えようとした際に、詳しい内容は事情聴取中という事で分からなかったが、どこぞの貴族の息子がウリコとマジクの事を馬鹿にすると共に喧嘩を売ったらしい。まあ、後は言わずもがな。自分の事ならともかく兄弟の様に育ったマジクの事も馬鹿にされたためにウリコはブチ切れ、全力で魔力を放出したそうだ。「幸いと言うべきか。直ぐに彼女が我に返ってくれたので被害としては体育館の屋根が壊れたのと、余波を受けた検査機器が壊れただけで済みましたが、全力で魔力を放出した際に観測された魔力量は宮廷魔道士たちと比較しても遜色無かったそうです」「なるほどのう......」「そう......ですか......」実を言えば学院長や秘書の女性は一つ勘違いをしている。ウリコは全力で魔力を放出したと言ったがそんなことは無い。ウリコは俺仕込みの魔力操作技術を持っている上に最も得意とするのは成体のワイバーンとも殴りあえるレベルの身体強化魔法なのだ。つまりはあの魔力の柱自体はウリコの身体強化魔法の余波でしかないのである。ついでに言うとそんなレベルの身体強化を掛けた状態で普通の人間を殴れば吹っ飛ぶとかもげるとかじゃなくて触れた部分が蒸発するし、亜竜のブレスやバジリスクの魔眼を始めとして大抵の攻撃は半自動的にはっきり言って人間レベルで使うのなら反則物である。まあ、学院長たちには敢えて何も言わないが。「さて、もう殆ど分かってはおるが、パンプキン殿の口から相談の内容について聞きたい」「そうですね。俺の相談内容と言うのはウリコのカリキュラムについてです」と言うわけでこれ以上の邪魔が入らない内に学院長に対してウリコのカリキュラムに倫理や道徳、常識に関する授業を出来る限り多く盛り込むように提案し、学院長は今回の件も有ってだろうか俺の提案を飲むのであった。とりあえず、ウリコと同期の子供たちは色々と大変なんだろうなぁ......と、同情はしておく。	“Director. I’ve brought Pumpkin-dono.” “Alright. Come in.” “Excuse me.” The woman and Pumpkin entered the room after the door marked “Director’s Office” had received a response from within. With an emphasis on functionality, a reception desk and a chair were set up in the room. An elderly Elf with a fine beard was occupying the chair. “You have come a long way, haven’t you? Pumpkin-dono. Please sit over there.” “Thank you for taking the time to see me on such short notice. Now, please excuse my manners.” Having answered the old man’s words, Pumpkin seated himself in the chair positioned directly across from the old man. Despite his aloof demeanor, the old man’s eyes were keen, reflecting his many years of experience, which revealed a variety of emotions swirling in the depths of his gaze. Well, Pumpkin supposed that he was evaluating him. “Now, let me introduce myself. I am Marquis Genia=Kelp Madosa, Lord of Madosa and Director of the Madosa Institute. As you can tell from my name, I am a reincarnated individual.” “I am Baron Pumpkin Samsara, the dragon-slaying sorcerer. I am here as the guardian of Uriko Maunpir and Majik=Taiga Samsara Egg. Your name is unknown to me, but I am also a reincarnated person. Pleased to meet you today.” “Hmm. It is my pleasure to meet you.” After the greetings, Marquis Madosa and Pumpkin exchanged handshakes. The surnames of Uriko and Majik were adopted from the names of the villages they came from as part of a countermeasure against those who would try to distinguish between aristocrats and non-aristocrats by their surnames within the institute. “As for this occasion, I can assume that a meeting took place between me the Director, and the dragon-slaying sorcerer, is that right?” “Right. I think that my title and the Director’s title might provoke some unwelcome rumors.” Before getting down to business, a few further exchanges took place after both parties clarified their respective positions. “The reason I requested a meeting with you this time is to discuss some matters concerning life here about Uriko Maunpir.” “Let me tell you first, if you are asking for lenient test grading or some other accommodation in dormitory life, that’s out of the question, you know?” “That is not in the best interest of the student, so even for me, I would decline. In a sense, it may be akin to offering accommodations though.” “Hmm... Let me hear what you have to say then.” “Thank you. So, the subject of the discussion is...” Pumpkin was ready to tell the Director what he desired to discuss with him about when... From the direction of the examination site where Uriko and the others were, a massive explosion reverberated throughout the Institute. “What happened!?” “Majik... with you on it...” The Director immediately responded to the inexplicable explosion and employed some magic beside the woman by his side—who was probably his secretary. A lot of instructions were issued after calling the secretary and questioning her about it. The magic employed by the Director was likely communication, exploration, and defense magic to cope with this kind of emergency situation. In addition to his rapid reaction, the Director gave off the impression of being highly experienced in handling situations of this nature. Pumpkin, in all honesty, was aware of the reason for the explosion. Because a pillar consisting of high-density magic power could be seen emerging into the sky from the examination room right before the explosion. “Pumpkin-dono. Now I understand why you sought a discussion with me.” “Do you get it now?” Several minutes after that, the Director of the Institute, who had grasped the situation and gathered all the information, approached Pumpkin with a subtly pale face. “May I ask what happened?” “Sure. Please explain.” “Yes.” After receiving the Director’s words, the secretary standing next to him started explaining what had occurred. So, here was the summary of the story. At first, both Uriko and Majik were quietly undergoing the examination. They followed Pumpkin’s instructions and attempted to complete the test with a moderate amount of magic power when they were tested to determine the amount and density of magic power since they were in the magic department. But the details were not known because it was under questioning, but the son of some aristocrat apparently made fun of Uriko and Majik and engaged in a physical altercation with them. Well, the rest goes without saying. Uriko went berserk and unleashed all of her magic power after being ridiculed, not just for herself but also for Majik, who had grown up alongside her like a brother. “Fortunately, she came to her senses immediately, so the only damage was to the roof of the gymnasium and to the examination equipment that was affected by the aftermath, but the amount of magic power observed was comparable to that of the court sorcerers during the full force of the magic power release.” “I see...” “Is... that so...” In actuality, there was one thing about which the Director and the secretarial woman were mistaken. They said Uriko fully unleashed her magic power, but that was untrue. Not only did Uriko have Pumpkin’s own magic power maneuvering skills, but she was also proficient in body enhancement magic that would allow her to go toe-to-toe with a full-fledged wyvern. That pillar of magic power was only the result of Uriko’s body enhancement magic, in other terms. Furthermore, striking a normal human with such a level of body enhancement will vaporize the parts that come in contact with them in addition to blowing them up or causing them to shrivel up. And most attacks, including wyvern’s breath and basilisk’s magical eye, will be semi-automatically neutralized and resisted. To put it bluntly, if used on a human level, it would be a deadly weapon. Pumpkin, however, dared not mention a word of this to the Director and the others. “Now, I already know most of the details, but I would like to hear from you what you would like to discuss.” “Right. My question is about Uriko’s curriculum.” Pumpkin, therefore, urged the Director to incorporate as many lessons on morality, ethics, and common knowledge in Uriko’s curriculum as possible in order to prevent further unrest. At any rate, I sympathize with Uriko and the children of her classmates... who must be facing a lot of hardships.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 0, "inserted_lines_src": 2, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
その後の数日は、毎日基礎鍛錬と素振り1000回を繰り返した。ようやく鍛錬に体が慣れて来た頃、裏庭に出たエッケンハルトさんからちょっとした実戦形式の鍛錬をする事を伝えられた。「実戦形式......どうやるんですか?」「私と剣を使って簡単な試合をしてもらう。当然ながら私からも攻撃するからな」「お父様と......」エッケンハルトさんは木で造られた剣を持ち、俺達と向き合っている。ティルラちゃんは緊張しながらそれを見る。実戦形式か......剣の振り方は教えてもらえたし、基礎鍛錬や素振りはサボらずちゃんとやってるから最初よりは良くなってるとは思うが、やっぱり不安だな。エッケンハルトさんは、特に構えているわけでも無く、手に持っているのは木剣だが、その立ち姿は様になっている。やっぱり慣れてる人だと迫力が違うな......。「お父様、大丈夫なのですか?」「さすがに手加減はする。まぁ、ここ数日の鍛錬でどこまで出来るようになったか確かめるだけだからな」クレアさんの言葉に、エッケンハルトさんは木剣を確認するように振りながら答える。 ......俺やティルラちゃんが剣で素振りするより、鋭い風切り音がしてるなぁ......。まずは俺からという事で、ティルラちゃんは後ろに下がり、俺とエッケンハルトさんで対峙する。クレアさん達は今日も見学するようで、離れた場所から見守っている。「では、そちらから自由に打ち込んで来い」「はい!」木剣に対してこちらはちゃんとした刃のある剣。だけ、大丈夫かと思ったがそんな事を考える事が失礼なくらい実力差は明らかだと思い直し、剣を構える。教えられた通りに、いつも素振りをしているように......。頭の中でどう動くかを決め、エッケンハルトさんに向けて剣を振りかぶる。まぁ、教えてもらった事はまだ少ないから、単純に全力で上段から振り下ろすしかないんだけどな。「はっ!」「......中々の太刀筋になった......だがまだまだだな」俺が渾身の力を込めて振り下ろした剣を、エッケンハルトさんは木剣を横から剣に合わせて振っただけで俺の剣をずらした。太刀筋をずらされた俺は、そのまま地面に剣を打ち付けてしまう。剣から伝わる振動に手が痺れ始めるが、それを我慢してもう一度振り上げようとする視界の隅で、エッケンハルトさんがゆらりと揺れた様に感じた。「これで、タクミ殿は一回死んだ。実戦だと相手から目を離してはいけないぞ」「......はい。ありがとうございました」揺れたと思われたエッケンハルトさんは、俺の首に木剣の先を突き付けて終了を告げる。これがちゃんとした剣で、相手が俺の命を狙っていたら......もう俺は死んでいるだろう......。剣がずらされた事で、太刀筋ばかり気にしてた俺の失態なのは明らかだ。エッケンハルトさんから目を離さなければ、対処出来てた訳でもないけどな。「次、ティルラ」「はい!」ティルラちゃんがエッケンハルトさんに呼ばれ、一歩前に出て対峙する。その間に、俺は剣を鞘にしまって痺れた手をブラブラさせつつ離れた。 ......しばらくじんじんしそうだな......この手......。ティルラちゃんは、俺の時と同じように剣を振り降ろし、それを受け止められて持っている剣を弾かれた。体制の崩れた隙にエッケンハルトさんは木剣をティルラちゃんの顔に突き付ける。「これでティルラも終わりだな。力を込めて剣を振るのは悪い事じゃないが、体勢を崩してしまった後の事も考えないとな」「ありがとうございました」ものの数分で俺とティルラちゃん共、エッケンハルトさんにやられてしまった。まだまだ鍛錬を開始して数日だから仕方ない事だが、これだけ軽々とあしらわれるのは少し悔しい。「さて、二人共実力不足は実感できたと思う。まだまだ鍛錬を始めたばかりだから当たり前だがな」「「はい」」「私が教えられる事はそんなに多くない。剣を使うには手に馴染む程の努力が必要だ。あとは考える事だな」「考える事......」「相手がどう動くかの予想。自分がどう動けばいいのかの想像。そして、実際に動けるかどうかといったところだな......まぁ、細かい事を言えばまだまだあるが......」相手によって動きも違うし、対処法も違う。自分がどう動けばいいかを決めるのは、日頃の鍛錬次第。エッケンハルトさんが言うのは、戦いにおける基本的な部分なんだと思う。戦闘に詳しくないが、実際に動いて俺達を軽くあしらった人の言葉には説得力がある。「私も忙しい身でな。鍛錬に付き合っていられるのも今日までだろう」「お父様、帰るんですか?」エッケンハルトさんは公爵家の当主様だからな、忙しいのは当然だと思う。ここ数日、俺達の鍛錬に付き合ってくれた事を感謝しないといけないな。エッケンハルトさんがこの屋敷に来る前は、緊張したり、項垂れたりしていたティルラちゃんは少し寂しそうだ。まぁ、この年頃だから父親と一緒にいたいと思うのは当然の事だろうな、項垂れたりしてたのは主にお見合い話のせいだしな。「さすがにここにいつまでもいるわけにはいかん。タクミ殿の薬草販売の事もあるしな」「お手数をおかけします」「タクミ殿が畏まる必要は無いぞ。これは公爵家の利益のためでもあるからな」その後は、寂しそうなティルラちゃんの頭をガシガシと撫でるエッケンハルトさんから鍛錬法を聞いて、それを実践。いつもよりは少しだけ控えめな内容だが、十分に辛い鍛錬だった。それを繰り返し行う事と、もう一つの鍛錬を試す事で一人前に剣を使えるようになるだろうとの事だった。もう一つの鍛錬は、夕食の時間になったので後日に持ち越してその日は終わった。夕食後はいつものように、ティルラちゃんと一緒に剣の素振り。エッケンハルトさんと戦った時の事を思い出しながら、頭の中で色々な事を試して剣を振ったから、漫然と素振りをするより効率は良くなったかもしれない。変な癖を付けないようにと、エッケンハルトさんから注意されてた事を思い出しながら。最近レオとあまり遊べていないな......なんて考えつつ就寝した。	For a few days after that, we continued our basic training every day, as well as the one thousand sword swings. And just when my body was starting to get used to the training, Mr. Ekenhart came out into the back garden and told me that the training would now include some actual combat. “Actual combat... How will we do that?” “Oh, a simple duel with swords. Obviously, that will mean that I’ll be attacking you two as well.” “With father...” Mr. Ekenhart was holding a sword made of wood as he faced us. Tilura looked at it nervously. A real fight then... Well, we had learned how to swing a sword, and the basics, on top of our nightly training. So we should have improved a lot. But I was still anxious. Mr. Ekenhart wasn’t even pointing the sword at us. But just by holding it, he looked intimidating. People who were used to fighting had a different aura... “Father, are you sure about this?” “Of course, I will have some restraint. This is just a test to see how much progress they made during the past few days.” Ms. Claire sounded concerned, and Mr. Ekenhart replied while swinging the wooden sword a few times as if to test it. ...It definitely made a much louder sound when cutting through the air, compared to Tilura and I... As I would be starting first, Tilura stepped back, and Mr. Ekenhart and I faced each other. Ms. Claire and the others were here again, and they watched us from a distance. “Now then, you can start. Come at me.” “Yes!” While he had a wooden sword, I had an actual blade. And for just a second, I wondered if he would be all right. But then I remembered that such thoughts would be quite rude, considering his ability. And so I raised my sword. As if I was practicing, just as I had been taught... In my head, I decided on how I would move, and then I swung the sword at Mr. Ekenhart. Well, he hadn’t taught us that much yet, and so I was mostly just swinging down with all of my might. “Ha!” “...Your swordsmanship has improved...but it’s not enough.” Even though I was swinging with all the strength I could muster, Mr. Ekenhard seemed to just flick his wrist, and push my sword to the side. With my trajectory altered, my sword slammed into the ground instead. The vibrations that I could feel through the sword started to make my hands numb, but I ignored it and tried to raise the sword again. But then I saw Mr. Ekenhart sway in the corner of my vision. “It looks like you’ve died once, Mr. Takumi. You cannot take your eyes off of an enemy during a real fight.” “...Yes. Thank you.” By the time I had registered Mr. Ekenhart’s movement, he already had his sword at my neck, and the battle was over. If this was an actual sword, and he wanted to kill me... Then I would really be dead... I knew that I had made a mistake by caring only about the sword after it had been turned aside. Though, I doubted I would have been able to do anything even if I did keep my eyes on Mr. Ekenhart. “Next is Tilura.” “Yes!” Tilura was called by Mr. Ekenhart, and so she took a step forward and faced him. In the meantime, I sheathed my sword and moved back, while shaking my numb hand. ...It will feel prickly for a while...this hand... Tilura swung down, much like I had, but her attack was blocked, and her sword bounced away. Once she had lost her balance, Mr. Ekenhart thrust the wooden sword towards her face. “And now you are dead too, Tilura. It is not a bad thing to swing with all of your might, but you have to think about what you will do if you are thrown off balance.” “Thank you.” And so in just a few minutes, both Tilura and I were defeated by Mr. Ekenhart. It could not be helped, as we had only been training for a few days, but I did feel a little resentful over how easy it had been for him. “Now, I think you both can see how lacking you are. It’s only natural, as your training has only just begun.” “Yes.” “But there is not a whole lot that I can teach. In order to use a sword, you need to practice until you can become one with it. And you have to be able to think.” “To think...” “To think ahead. How will your opponent move? How should you move? And whether or not you can actually do it... Well, there are also a lot of smaller details...” The movement and countermeasures would depend on the opponent. And the thing that would tell you how you should move, was your daily training. According to Mr. Ekenhart, that was the basics of combat. I didn’t know much about fighting, but the words of someone who easily beat us sounded quite convincing. “I’m a busy man, after all. And so today will be the last day that I can oversee your training.” “You are leaving, father?” Mr. Ekenhart was a duke. And so it was no surprise that he was busy. I had to be thankful that he had spent time to train us during these past few days. Tilura had looked nervous and a little crestfallen when learned that he was visiting, but she looked very sad now. Well, she was still young, and so it made sense that she’d want to be with her father. She had only been upset earlier because of the matter of arranged marriages. “Yes, I cannot stay here forever. Besides, there is the business of selling Mr. Takumi’s herbs.” “I apologize for the trouble.” “There is no need for you to apologize, Mr. Takumi. This is also for the benefit of our family.” After that, Mr. Ekenhart tousled Tilura’s hair to cheer her up, and then he told us the next part of our training. It was a little less harsh than before, but still harsh enough. We repeated it over and over, and then he said that there was one more thing that we could do. By mastering this training, we should be able to handle a sword without any help. But as it was time for dinner, the training would have to wait for the following day. And after dinner, Tilura and I practiced our swings as usual. I thought back on my fight with Mr. Ekenhart as I tried swinging in different ways. And I did feel that I was swinging less aimlessly and more efficiently, compared to before. Mr. Ekenhart had also warned us to not develop any troublesome habits, which I had kept in mind. On the other hand, I hadn’t been able to play with Leo very much... It was with such thoughts that I went to bed.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 0, "inserted_lines_src": 0, "inserted_lines_trg": 1 }
白の街と黒の街の衝突は未然に、ギリギリではあるが防がれた。しかしそれで事態が解決したかといえば、残念ながら否と答えるしかないだろう。確かに今回の衝突は避けたものの、原因である互いへの悪感情は解決していない。それどころか、いかに魔神族に唆されたとはいえ、白の街の連中が自主的に義勇軍を結成して黒の街の連中を殺そうとしていた、とわかってしまっては、互いの仲はますます悪化するばかりだ。そしてこればかりは俺達じゃどうしようもない。この国の王はメラクなのだ。ならば彼が凛として双方を抑えない限り、内戦の危険はいつまでも続くだろう。と、他人事みたいにドヤ顔で語ってはみたものの、事態は既に俺達が知らん顔をするのを許容してくれそうにはない。全くもって自業自得ではあるし、リーブラやディーナに命令を出したのも俺なのだから後悔など出来るはずもないのだが、メラクからの視線がめっちゃ厳しい。俺は未だ物影に隠れて様子を見ている状態だが、メラクの視線は完全にリーブラに固定されている。そりゃまあ、破壊されたと伝えられているゴーレムが普通に出てきたら怪しむよな。ついでに、ゴーレムはアルケミストのスキルじゃないと回復しないので、自ずとリーブラを直した奴の正体も限られてくる。わざわざ(この時代では)攻略困難な王墓の最上階まで出向いて、リーブラ直して外に連れて行き、更に破壊されたと虚偽情報をバラ撒くアルケミスト......ま、そんな事出来る奴は今の時代じゃメグレズか俺くらいだわな。で、実行に移す奴と言ったら......うん、俺しかいないわ。ま、実際の所嘘情報散布はディーナがやった事なんだが。そんなわけで俺の生存を疑われるのは予想出来た流れではあった。「そこのゴーレム......ええと、ブルゼフスキ17世だったかな?」「いいえ、コペルニクス4世です」有無を言わさぬメラクの強い口調。それに対しリーブラは表情を変えずにサラリと断言した。「お断りします。貴方は私への命令権を所有しておりません」「そ、そういわずに来てもらえると嬉しいのだが」リーブラが強気に出た途端、メラクが何か弱気になってしまった。おい国王。ちょっとヘタれるの早いだろ。このままだとリーブラは俺の指示がない限り『嫌』の一点張りだろうし、メラクは強気に出れないし......仕方ない、俺が出るか。そう決めた俺はローブを被り(男装? ああ、あれはもうやめたよ......)メラク達の前に姿を現した。「まあ待て。折角の王の誘いだ。「マスターがそう仰るならば、私に異論はありません」俺が出る事でリーブラはあっさりと城への同行に賛成し、そのまま俺の斜め後ろにまるで定位置のように立つ。ディーナとアリエスも俺の側に駆け寄り、『これで全員だ』という事をアピールした。実はアイゴケロスが俺の影の中に今も潜んでいるのだが、これはわざわざ教える必要もあるまい。「助かるよ......それでは、行こうか。民衆の前だからか何とか気を張っているものの、先を歩くメラクの背にはこう、何というか覇気とか威厳とか、そういうものがまるで感じられない。メグレズはまだ威厳が感じられたのに、これは一体どういう事だ。アリエスも小声で「あの人、本当にメラクなんですか?」とか俺に聞いてくる程に、それは王らしからぬ姿だった。自信というものがまるで感じられないのだ、彼からは。ゲームではどうだった? 俺の知るメラクは......いつも落ち着いていて、皆を諌める役割だったはずだ。決して強く自己主張するわけでも、意見を出すわけでもない。しかしただ流されているだけではなく、誰かの意見がぶつかっていた時は、やんわりと互いの長所と短所を教えるなどして間を取り持っていたはずだ。戦闘でもそうだった。あいつは決して自分が前に出て活躍するタイプではない。天翼族は戦闘向きの種族ではあったが、同時にアコライトなどの後衛職との相性もいいという面がある。だから俺のように自らを補佐しつつ立ちまわる戦闘型と、完全に後衛に徹した補佐型類のプレイヤーがおり、メラクは後者だった。あいつ自身は活躍も無双もしない。しかしメラクがいるといないとでは、戦闘の難易度は段違いだった。いつだって的確に、一番欲しいタイミングで支援を飛ばしてくれる。空気を読む......とでも言えばいいのだろうか。不思議と、こちらが支援を求めるメッセージを書き込むよりも早く、求める事をやってくれる。あいつはそんな奴だった。いつでも場を収める事が出来る、相手の求める事が分る、そんな奴だと。 ......俺の過大評価だった? 本当は、『一歩退いた視点で見る事が出来る』じゃなくて『前に出れない』。『控え目』なのではなく、単に『自信がない』。落ち着いているようで、その実自主性がないだけ。空気を読んでいるわけではなく、自分では何かを出来ないだけ。そういう、事なのか? 俺があいつを勝手に凄い奴だと思い、勝手に己の想像を押し付けていた? 俺はゲーム上でしか王になった事はないし、本当の王というのがどれだけ大変かなどまるで分からない。云わば素人。いかにルファス・マファールとなろうとも、俺自身はただの一般人だ。しかしそんな俺でも、自信のない王様ってのは不味いと分かる。ましてやこんな導火線に火が付いた状態で、王が自己主張をしないのはかなりやばい。多少強引でも王の威厳を以て双方を抑えるくらいの事は必要なはずだ。 ......こりゃあ本当に、魔神族が何もしなくても滅ぶぞ、この国。 ――なんか、腹が立つ。「さ、座ってくれ」メラクは俺達を自室と思われる部屋へ案内すると、人数分のカップに紅茶を注いだ。紅茶なんぞ缶かペットボトルに入った午前の紅茶くらいしか知らない俺だが、それでも注がれたそれは相当善い物なんだろうという事は香りで分かった。流石は王様。いい物を飲んでるって事か。「ドラウプニルから取り寄せた茶葉で淹れた紅茶だ。また俺の知らない名前だ。俺は紅茶を一口飲み、隣の席に座っているディーナへと視線を走らせた。すると彼女も予想していたのか、小声で俺に教えてくれる。「今は亡き獣王ドゥーベが作った、獣人の国です。「ほう」学者の集う国スヴェルに、工業品のブルートガング。そして農業がドラウプニルか。なんだかんだで、それぞれの国が色々な分野で活躍してるんだな。「この国は?」「魔物使いの素質を活かしての家畜の養殖や酪農が主な収入源です。「それはまあ、自分達も鳥みたいなものだしな」天翼族は今更言うまでもなく翼のある人類である。その発生元は公式でも一切説明されなかったが、最も有力視されているのが『天使の末裔』説だ。しかしそれ以外にももう一つ、『マナで変質した鳥』説が存在する。つまり天翼族の祖先は天使などではなく、鳩とかペリカンとか、鶴とか、そういうのじゃないのかと考える酷い説だ。正確に言えば、それらから派生した獣人だな。それが人間と交わって出来たのが天翼族なのではないか、と一部では考えられている。勿論真偽は不明だし、それだともっと様々な色の翼があっていいだろうとも思う。まさか都合よく白い翼の鳥だけが変異したなんて事もあるまい。しかし、もしそれが本当だとすると鳥なんて出荷するわけがない。自分達のご先祖様を家畜にして売るとか許されざる行為だ。そのフードを取って顔を見せてはくれないか」「うむ、よかろう」周囲に人はいないし、ここでならば顔を出しても問題ない。俺は言われるままにフードを外し、素顔を見せてやった。するとメラクは泣き出しそうな、嬉しいのか悲しいのか分からない複雑な顔をし、項垂れた。「やはり、君か......ルファス。その様子を見て、俺は軽い失望を感じていた。予想はしていたが......こいつ、プレイヤーじゃない。始めからこの世界で生きて、今日まで歩んできたこの世界の住人だ。俺みたいな混ざり物じゃない。「其方は、随分と変わったな。「そう、見えるか?」メラクは俺の、取り方次第では侮辱とも取れる発言に反論せずに弱弱しく笑う。まるで今にも壊れてしまいそうな、情けない笑顔だ。私は元々弱かった。王の器じゃなかったんだ」ぐしゃり、と己の髪を両手で掴んで彼は自嘲する。頭を抱えるその姿は天空王と呼ばれる英雄にはとても見えず、打ちのめされた一人の青年でしかない。「あの頃は君がいた。アリオトやドゥーベがいて、皆が前に立ってくれた。よほど疲れているのか、一人称まで変わってしまっている。『王』としての仮面が完全に剥がれ落ち、その姿は最早憐れみすら感じさせた。多分、こっちが本来の顔なのだろう。弱気で、自己主張がなくて、周囲に合わせる気弱な青年。先程までの姿など、必死に取り繕っていた虚栄でしかない。それが、俺という昔の知人と合う事で完全に剥がれてしまった、といったところか。もっとも、俺は俺で彼の知るルファスじゃないんだがな。なんか放っておいても胃に穴開けて死にそうなんですが」「うむ......余も此奴がここまで気弱だったとは今初めて知ったぞ」ディーナが呆れたような口調で俺に聞いてくるが、俺だってメラクがこんな奴だったなんて今初めて知った事だ。こいつ、こんな打たれ弱かったのか、メグレズなんかも結構追い詰められていたが、あいつとはまた種類が違う。メグレズはむしろ罵倒や軽蔑を望んでいたが、逆を言えばそうしたものを望む程に慕われていたという事でもある。つまり、何だかんだでちゃんと国を纏めていたし、慕われていたんだ。メグレズは。しかしメラクに同じ事したらストレスで死んでしまう気がする。 ......やばい。7英雄、超面倒臭い。「僕は王になるべきじゃなかった......君が王のままであるべきだった。放っておいたら、なんかどんどん落ち込んでブツブツと下らない事を言い始めた。駄目だこいつ......このままじゃ本当に自殺しかねん。仕方ない。ちとショック療法だが、活を入れてやるか。あまり説教ってのは好きじゃないし得意でもないのだが、メラクに踏ん張って貰わないとこの国マジで終わるからな。そしてメラクの座っている椅子を蹴り、彼を床に転ばせてやった。打ち所が悪いと結構やばい事になりかねない行為だが、こいつのHPは万を超えているのでこの程度ならダメージにもならない。こんな時だけ言うのも都合のいい話だが、ファンタジー万歳である。俺はこいつの知るルファスじゃない。しかしあの時俺が吐いた(というより書いた)最後の言葉をこの世界のルファスも言っていたならば、きっと負けた事自体に悔いなどなかったはずだ。だというのに、勝った側が後悔して挙句の果てに『勝ってはいけなかった』などとほざく。これではルファスも浮かばれないし、俺も気に食わない。勝者にそう言われてしまっては、負けたこちら側の立場というものがないのだ。なあ、俺達は間違いで倒された道化なのか、と。そう思うしかなくなってしまう。だから俺はメラクの胸倉を掴み、片手で彼を強引に立たせた。そうとも、認めるわけがない。勝者がこんなに情けなくては、ルファスが報われない。俺に持ち上げられたメラクはしばらく唖然としていたが、やがてその整った顔を歪めて両目から涙を溢れさせた。君は変わらない......200年前と、同じ、自信に溢れた君のままだ」「これでも少しは変わっているのだがな」俺はメラクを離し、椅子に座らせる。柄にもなく偉そうな事を言ってしまったが、間違えた事を言ったつもりはない。とはいえ、こんな大口叩いた後だと気恥ずかしくもなる。これ以上、ここに居座るわけにもいかないし、早々に立ち去ってしまうとしよう。俺はさっさと背を向けて、その後にディーナ達も続く。これ以上言う事などないし、する事もない。俺達がこの事態を解決したとしても、王はメラクなのだ。ならばメラク自身が己に自信を持たない限りまた同じ事が起こる。「余に勝ったのだ。その程度の事はやってみせよ。	The White Town and the Black Town had reached a step away from collision previously, but the battle itself was avoided. Nevertheless, if someone were to ask whether the issue was resolved or not, the answer was ‘unfortunately no’. Indeed the collision was avoided, however, the underlying cause for hostility was not addressed in the slightest. On the contrary, the relationship between the two sides only worsened. This was due to the fact that, regardless of being induced by the demon, people from the White Town had intentionally formed a volunteer army to attack. And for this point alone, there was nothing that my group could do. Merak was this country’s king. As such, as long as he did not brace himself and kept both camps under control, the danger of civil war would continue to be a possibility. I said that with a self-satisfied look of a third party. However, the situation was such that it had developed to the state where we could no longer remain completely uninvolved. Really, you reap what you sow. Considering I was the one who had ordered Libra and Dina to conduct in the way that they did, there was no room for me to feel regret. Notwithstanding, Merak’s stare was quite severe. At the time, I was still hiding in the shadow and observing the situation, however, Merak’s line of sight was fixed on Libra. Well, I guess, if the golem that was supposedly destroyed casually show up, then anyone would be suspicious of it. As a side note, as golem could only be repaired by the alchemist’s skill, unexpectedly, the identity of the one who had repaired Libra would be limited. An alchemist who would purposefully (in this day and age) climb onto the top of the extremely-hard-to-conquer tomb, who then repaired and brought Libra out of that place, and proceeded to release fake information about Libra’s destruction... Well, I guess the only individuals who could achieve such a feat in this age was Megrez or me. Furthermore, the individual who would actually do something like that.... Un, there was only me. Anyways, it was Dina who actually spread the fake information though. For those reasons, it was within my expectation that he would arrive at such a conclusion. “Golem over there.... Ummmm, Brudzewski XVII was it?” “Nope, I’m Copernicus IV.” Merak’s forceful wording left no room for rejection. Yet, without even the slightest change in expression, Libra firmly stated her reply. “I refuse. You do not possess the power to issue an order to me.” “I, I would appreciate it if you don’t say it like that and come with me...” The moment Libra replied in a firm manner, Merak became timid for some reason. Oi King. Didn’t you become sloppy too quickly? At this rate, unless there was an order from me, Libra will most probably stick with a single phrase, “I refuse”. Merak was also unable to bring himself to be confident..... It couldn’t be helped, I guess I needed to take an action. After I decided, I donned a robe (cross-dressed? Aah, I’ve stopped with that...) and showed myself in front of Merak’s group. “Mah wait. It’s a rare invitation from the King. Why don’t we accept it this time around?” “If that is master’s order, I have no objection.” Once I came out, Libra easily agreed to go to the castle and went to stand diagonally behind me as if it was a predetermined position. Dina and Aries also stood diagonally behind me and made a “this is everyone” appeal. In truth, Aigokeros was inside my shadow, however, there was no need to go out of my way to let them know. “I’m really thankful.... Well then, let’s head off. There are quite a few things I want to talk about.” Although Merak was putting up a front because he was in front of his citizens, from the sight of his back as he walked in front of us, there was no feeling of any haki or dignity at all. Even Megrez gave off a form of dignity, so what was up with this? The feeling was so bad that Aries also asked “Is that person really Merak?” quietly. Merak really did not give off the feeling of a King. There was absolutely no feeling of confidence or the sort being given off by him. What about when he was in the game? The Merak that I knew.... was always calm and stood in the position to remonstrate everyone else. He was by no mean self-assertive or out-spoken about his views. Nevertheless, he was also not someone that would be carried away by the flow. Indeed, when there was a clash of views, he gently listed out the pros and cons of each opinion for everyone else and guided others. It was the same with the fight. He was never the type to proactively stand at the front. Flugels were a race that was suited to battle, yet they were also a race that had great compatibility to be backline support such as acolyte. Therefore, there were battle types like me who helped themselves as well as complete backline support players. Amongst the two types of players, Merak was the latter. He himself was neither proactive nor matchless. However, the difficulty of the battle was completely different depending on whether he was at the scene or not. Whatever the situation, he always sent the best possible support at the best possible timing. He read the atmosphere... was how I would put it. Strangely, before we could write down what and when we needed the support, he would always cast the support you wanted at the time you needed. He was that kind of a person. He could always manage the situation, and he always knew what people wanted, that was what I had thought of him. .....Was that just my overestimation? Maybe it was “couldn’t go the front” instead of “could be seen a step away”. Maybe it was simply “no confidence” instead of “reserved”. Maybe he actually did not have any autonomy even though he looked calm and collected. Maybe he just could not do anything by himself instead of being capable at reading the atmosphere. Is that how it was? Maybe I just thought that he was great on my own and had portrayed and pushed that image onto him. I have only ever become a King in the game itself and thus did not know how difficult it was to be a king in actuality. In other words, I was a total amateur. However much I became Ruphas Mafahl, I myself was still an ordinary citizen. Notwithstanding, even someone like me knew that a King without confidence was nothing good. Especially now when the fuse had already been lit, having a King that was not assertive was detrimental. Even if it was a little forceful, it was important for the King to show his majesty and keep both sides down. ....At this rate, this country would really collapse without the demons doing anything. —somehow, it pisses me off. “Please, have a sit.” Merak led my group into what looked like his personal room then poured tea into cups for all of us. I had only ever known and drank tea out of a can or a pet bottle previously, but even I could feel that it was a high-quality tea from the fragrance it gave off. As expected from a King. He had been drinking some good stuff. “It’s a tea made by the tealeaf imported from Draupnir. I think you will enjoy it.” Again, it was a name I did not know of. I took a sip of tea and shifted my line of sight to Dina who was sitting in the chair beside me. When I took such an action, maybe she was predicting that I would do such a thing, she explained to me quietly. “It’s a country of beastkin, made by the now deceased Beast King Dubhe. It’s been told the quality of agricultural product from that country is high.” “Hou.” Country of scholars Svalinn, industrious nation of Blutgang. And now an agricultural nation of Draupnir, huh. One way or another, each country was prominent at something by their own way of life. “And this country?” “By utilising monster tamers, dairy and livestock farming produced and exported out serving as their main source of income. It’s just, they never export out any bird meat.” “Well err, I guess they’re kind of a bird themselves.” It would be stating the obvious this late, but Flugels were humanoids with wings. Although there was no official explanation as to the origin of the Flugels, the most influential explanation was the story of [Descendants of Angels]. In addition to that story, there was another explanation which stated them to be [Bird which was transformed by the mana]. In other words, it was a cruel explanation which viewed the ancestors of the Flugels not as the Angels, but more along the lines of pigeons, pelicans and cranes. More explicitly, the Flugels were the Beastkin which originated from them. And those Beastkins, in turn, had gotten involved with the human to create the Flugels. That was the train of thought of some people. Of course, the truth was unknown. However, if that was the case, it would not be strange for there to be more Flugels with mixed coloured wings. It was difficult to believe that only the white-winged birds transformed. In any event, if that was the truth, then it would be strange for them to export out birds. It would not be a forgivable act to turn their own ancestors into domestic products and sell them out. “Anyways... isn’t it enough by now? Would you be able to take your hood off and show me your face?” “Umu, very well.” As there was no one else nearby, even if I showed my face in that place, there would be no problem. I took off the hood that I was wearing as I was told and showed my face. When I did so, Merak became teary and showed an expression that I could not decide whether it was joyful or sad. He then hung his head down. “As I thought, it’s you.... Ruphas. It’s been a long time. You are, alive.” Seeing that reaction, I was feeling slightly disappointed. I had given a thought about it but... this guy... was not a player. He had lived in this world from the very start and was an original inhabitant of this world. He was not a mixed existence like me. “On the other hand, you’ve changed a lot. You became quite weak in the short time I didn’t see you.” “Is that... how it appears?” Merak gave off a weak laugh to my sentence which could be taken as an insult depending on how he interpreted. It was a pitiful smile which might be broken at any given moment. “That’s not it.... That’s not how it is Ruphas. I’m weak from the start. I never had a King’s calibre.” He grabbed and scrunched his own hair with both his hands and laughed at himself. The appearance of him holding onto his own head was far from what one would imagine of a hero who was called the Sky King. It only gave off the appearance of a young man who had been beaten down to rock bottom. “Back then, you were there. Alioth and Dubhe were there, and everyone had stood in front for me. I was just... someone that walked behind you guys.” He must have really been tired, he was even speaking in a different first-person pronoun. His mask as the [King] had completely fallen away, and the sight of it alone made me feel pity for him. This was most probably his true face. Timid and without self-assertion. A young and weak-willed man who matched up with his surroundings. His previous appearance was nothing more than a mask he had frantically kept on. ‘And due to the appearance of someone he knew from the past, that mask was completely peeled away’ was how I would word it. Though, I was me and not the Ruphas that he knew of. “Is, is this person alright? I feel like even if we let him do whatever he wants, he might get a hole in his stomach and die.” “Yeah... It’s also the first time I found out he was this weak-willed.” Dina asked me a question with an astonished tone. However, it was also the first time for me to find out that Merak was this kind of a person. This guy, was he really this weak to stress? Megrez was also fairly driven into the corner, however, he was different from Merak. Megrez sought abuse and disdain, but it could also be said that he was loved to the extent that he could wish for those yet still not receive them. In other words, whatever people wanted to say, Megrez had properly unified his country and was loved by them. Megrez was all that. However, if Merak did something like that, he might die from stress. ....It’s bad. Heroes are super troublesome. “I should not have become a King... you should have remained as the King. Aaa, why did I become an enemy and fight with you years ago?.... I should have been the one to die.... At that time, I shouldn’t have won.....” As I left him alone, he started falling further and further into a deep end, reaching to the point where he started muttering. This guy is not good... he might really end up committing suicide. Can’t be helped. I’ll give him some shock therapy. I don’t like nor am I good at giving lectures, but, if Merak doesn’t hang on, this country will really collapse. I then kicked the chair Merak was sitting in and made him fall onto the ground. It was an act where if I had kicked the wrong place, it might have gotten ugly. Nevertheless, because his HP was well over ,0, even if it had landed, it would not have done much damage at all. It was weird to be saying at the time like this, however, it was a fantasy banzai. I was not the Ruphas that this guy knew. However, those final few words I said back then (or more like typed) were also the words that Ruphas had said out loud, then she most probably would not feel regret about the loss itself. Notwithstanding, to think that the winning side felt regret to the point of eventually muttering “it was wrong to have won”. With such a situation, Ruphas would be turning in her grave and I also would not be able to stomach it. If the winner said such a thing, then there’s no face remaining for the loser. Hey, was I a clown that was defeated by mistake, huh? There was no option but to think of it like that. That was why I grabbed onto Merak’s collar and forcibly pulled on him to make him stand up. Exactly, there was no way I could accept it. If the winner was this pitiful, Ruphas could not be saved. After he was lifted up by me, Merak was looking dumbfounded. However, after a while, his well-featured face was distorted and started sobbing from both his eyes. “....I can’t be your match huh, not against you. You haven’t changed... just like 200 years ago, exactly the same, still always full of confidence.” “Even like this, I’ve changed a bit.” I released Merak and let him sit on the chair. Uncharacteristically, I spouted out arrogant things, but I did not think I had said anything wrong. Having said that, after saying something so boastful, it was a bit embarrassing. I could no longer just go back and sit on the chair again with how the things had developed, thus I decided to quickly leave the place. As I quickly turned my back to him and left, Dina and the group also followed. There was nothing more for me to say nor for me to do. Even if we had solved the issue, the King would still be Merak. In any event, unless Merak decided to believe in himself and acquire some confidence, something similar was bound to happen again. “You won against me. Show me that you can solve something this small. Don’t turn me into a fool.”	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 7, "inserted_lines_src": 24, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
「メルが手ぶらで主の前に現れると思う?」デュークの言葉に自慢げに即答する。僕とヘンリも情報を入手するのはそれなりに上手い方だと思っていたが、こを見ているとまだまだ全然だなと気付かされる。 ......この二人が異次元過ぎるのかもしれないけど。「じゃあ、ま目! この国の法律で王子は聖女と結婚しなければならないけど、果たして聖女は一人なのか? ......キャザー・リズ、平民のくせに魔力がぶっとんで強く、全属性。ルックスグッド、中身バッドという、まぁ簡潔に言うと奇跡の女。聖女としか言いようがないけど、実際に奇跡を起こしているのはうちらのアリアリ! というわけで、結論を言いますと、アリアリの今までの成果を書き上げると彼女も聖女認定できるよ!! ちゃんと書類にしてきたんだから、感謝してね!」そう言って、メルは勢いよくデュークに数枚の紙を渡す。彼はそれをざっと見通す。そうか、聖女は別に一人とは限らない。それに、この国の一番の問題と言われている貧困村を立て直したのは、まぎれもなくアリシアだ。そして、貴族の優越を壊し、実力主義を実現しようとしている。僕を貧困村から出した時からもう変わり始めていたんだ。 ......更に、この国をより大国にしようと今も戦っている。今思えば、キャザー・リズ、なんであいつがいるんだ? 口ばっかりで何もしていないじゃない。ただの全魔法使えるだけの能無しだ。理想論も大事だが、何も行動していない奴が言うべきじゃない。それはここにいる皆が思っていることだろう。「力があってもそれを使わないと意味がない」「使い方も大事だけどな」全部見終えたのか、デュークはさっきの紙をメルに返しながら僕にそう言った。「全魔法使えるのがアリシアだったら良かったのに......」「アリはそれを望まないだろう」僕の言葉にデュークもヘンリも納得しなかった。「アリは全部持っているわけじゃないから、あそこまで成長したような気がするけどな。最強だけど、最初から最強じゃない。俺達と比べ物にならないぐらい努力して、あそこまで上り詰めたんだ」「まだ強くなろうとしてるけどね」「確かにな。俺達の立場がなくなるな」ヘンリはそう言って笑う。そうだ、彼女は最初から完璧じゃない。ずっとアリシアの傍で彼女を見てきたから分かる。元々の素質があったからっていうのは勿論あるのだろうけど、それを活かす努力を物凄くしてるんだ。 ......動機はいまだに意味が分からないけど。そもそも彼女が憧れている悪女は僕からしたらただのヒーローだ。「本当にアリが男だったら、国王の座を狙えただろうな」「俺はアリシアが女で良かったけどな」「可愛い妹をそんな簡単に渡さねえぞ」「私もアリアリの話をもっとしたいのは山々なんだけど~、てか、なんなら、私がアリアリを貰いたいんだけど~、でも、その前に! 情報その二について話してもいいかなッ?」ヘンリとデュークの会話を遮るようにメルの声が僕の耳に響く。情報なんて手に入れようと思えば簡単に入る。情報入手には色々な手段があるけど......、デュークはメルにこんな短期間で一体どれだけの情報集めを頼んだんだろう。そして、それをこなすメルは流石としか言いようがない。	“Do you think Mel will come before my Lord empty-handed?” Duke’s words were answered immediately with pride. I thought Henry and I were good at gathering information, but seeing these two made me realize that we still have a long way to go. ...Maybe these two were on another level. “Well, first! By the law of the land, a prince must marry a saint, but is there really only one saint? ...Liz Cather, she is a commoner, but her magic power is incredibly strong, and she has all attributes. She is a miracle woman with an excellent appearance but a rotten heart. She is a saint, but it is our Aliali who is actually performing miracles! We’ve documented it properly, so you should be grateful!” Saying this, Mel vigorously handed Duke a few sheets of paper. He skimmed through them. Well, there was more than one saint. Alicia was the one who rebuilt the impoverished village, which was said to be the biggest problem in this country. And she wanted to destroy the superiority of the aristocracy in order to realize a meritocracy. She started to transform the village when she took me out of the impoverished village. ...And she was working hard to make this country more powerful. Looking back, Cather Liz, why is she here? All she did was talk and do nothing. She’s nothing more than a useless person who could do whatever she wanted with magic if she wanted to. Idealism may be important, but it shouldn’t be said by someone who did not do anything. That was what everyone here thought. “Even if you have power, if you don’t know how to use it, it’s meaningless.” “How you use it is important, after all.” Duke said to me as he handed the paper back to Mel after he had gone through all of it. “I wish Alicia was the one who could use all magic...” “I don’t think Ali would want that either.” Neither Duke nor Henry agreed with my words. “Ali doesn’t have it all, although I feel like she has grown so much. She may be the strongest now, but she wasn’t the strongest from the beginning. She put in a lot more effort than we did to get to that place.” “She’s still trying to get stronger, though.” “Indeed. That’s definitely going to put us in a bad place.” Henry laughed as he said this. Yes, she was not perfect from the start. I have been by Alicia’s side all my life, and I could tell. Of course, it could be because of her natural talent, but she was working very hard to make the best use of it. I still didn’t understand her motive. To me, the villainess she aspired to become was more like a hero. “If Ali were really a man, she would have had a shot at the king’s throne.” “I’m glad Alicia is a woman, though.” “I ain’t handing over my pretty little sister that easily.” “I would love to talk more about Aliali too – I mean, if you want, I’ll take Aliali – but first! Can I talk about information number two?” Mel’s voice rang in our ears, interrupting the conversation between Henry and Duke. Information could easily be obtained if one wanted to. There were various ways to get information, but I wonder how much information Duke asked Mel to gather in such a short period of time. And Mel did a great job of it.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 1, "inserted_lines_src": 1, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
兄弟でむさぼるように食べているとそこに父が帰って来て激怒されどんなに泣いたかいまでも覚えています半分食べかけのお菓子を乗せたままカートはとりあげられてしまいましたあとで父がなぜあんなに怒ったのかわかりましたそのお菓子は賄賂だったのです業者が父に州政府の契約を発注させるものでした父はビハール州の道路建設の責任者で汚職に対して厳しい態度でいやがらせや脅迫があっても立ち向かっていましたそれは孤独な戦いでしたなぜならビハール州はインドで最も腐敗した州でもあったからです州の役人たちは汚職で金持ちになり貧しい人々の役に立とうとしませんでしたむしろ貧しい人々は子供たちが食物も学校もない苦痛を訴えるすべがなかったのです私がそれを切実に経験したのは貧困を研究するために田舎の村を訪ねた時です村から村をまわっていた時ある日空腹と疲れから倒れそうになりましたそこは木の下の焼けつくような場所でしたちょうどその時村の最も貧しい人の一人が私を小屋に招き入れ親切に食物を与えてくれたのです後に分かったのですがその食物は彼の全家族の食事の2日分でしたこの寛容な深い恵みが私の心を揺さぶり生きる目的そのものを変えたのです私はこの慈悲に報いようと決めましたその後私は世界銀行に入りました富裕国から貧困国へと支援を届けることで貧困と戦う組織でした私の最初の担当はウガンダでしたウガンダの財務省に改革を促すことに注力しローンを得ることができましたしかしローンの貸出後にウガンダを旅した時にみた真新しい学校を覚えていますそこには教科書も教師もなかったのです新しい診療所には薬がなく貧しい人々はそこでも孤立無援で訴えも頼るものもありませんでしたまるでビハール州の状況の再現でしたビハール州は開発の困難さを体現しており汚職にまみれた絶望的な貧困状態です世界的に 13億人の人々が一日1.25ドル以下の生活をしていますウガンダでの私の仕事はこの貧困問題への典型的なアプローチでしたこれは1944年から実施されており第二次世界大戦の勝者で創立の父 500人と創立の母たった1人がアメリカのニューハンプシャー州に集結してブレトンウッズ体制を設立しその中に世界銀行が含まれていましたこの開発の伝統的アプローチには 3つ要素が鍵でしたまず資源の移転すること北側の豊かな国から南側の貧しい国に改革の処方箋をつけて移転させます 2番目に資源の移転を仲介する開発機関が不明瞭で投資目的と成果が不透明でしたそして3番目は開発途上国での関与が一部の役人のエリートに限られまさに開発援助の恩恵を受けるべき市民との対話がほどんどなかったことです今日これらの要素が明らかになってきました世界の状況が大きく変化したからですオープンな知識オープンな援助オープンな意思決定またこれらと共に 3つの要素は変わり開発援助を変化させウガンダやビハールで私が見た問題に対し大きな希望を抱かせてくれます最初の変化の鍵はオープンな知識ですご存知のように今日の開発途上国は単純に米国やヨーロッパや世界銀行に与えられた解決策を受け取るわけではありません彼らは創造性と自身の希望と実践的なノウハウを獲得しました南側諸国の経済発展の成功によって得られたものです彼らが知りたいのは中国の5億人もの人々が 30年前の貧困からいかに離脱できたのかメキシコにおける貧困政策がいかに数百万人の子供達の教育と栄養状態を改善できたのかこれはオープンな知識による新たなエコシステムであり単に北から南でなく南から南へそして南から北へ向かう流れなのですメキシコの貧困政策はいまニューヨークでも注目されていますこの南北間の知識の移転が始まったようにそれらの移転を支えた開発機関にも変化が始まっていますこの2つ目の変化はオープンな援助です最近世界銀行はデータを公開し 200ヶ国で50年以上にわたる 8000もの経済・社会指標の一般利用を可能にしましたさらにデータを利用した革新的アプリの開発をクラウドソースする世界規模のコンペを発表しました今さらに開発機関は投資計画を公開調査できるよう公表していますジオマッピングでケニアの地図を見ると赤い点のように資金提供で建設された学校と濃い緑色で示した未就学児童が多い地域が一目で分かりますこの簡単なマッシュアップ技術で資金援助者はこの地域の学校はまだ資金援助がなくほとんどが未就学児童だと知らされ新たな課題として開発援助が最も必要な人々に向いているかと問いかけますこのように世界銀行は 143ヶ国 3万のプロジェクトをジオマップにまとめ資金援助者が共通のプラットフォームで全ての援助プロジェクトを確認するようになりましたこれにより援助の透明性と説明責任が格段に進歩しましたさらにこれが私の見解では開発における最も重要なシフトを導きました 3番目のオープンなガバナンスです政府は今日市民が求める声明と説明責任を開示していますアラブの春からインドのアンナハザレア運動まで携帯電話やソーシャルメディアを使い単に政治的な説明責任だけでなく開発の説明責任をも追及していますでは政府は国民にサービスを提供しているのか? 例えばアフリカと東ヨーロッパのいくつかの政府は予算を一般公開しましたしかしご存じのように公表されている予算と利用できる予算に大きな差がありますこれは公表されている予算ですご覧のように実際に触れられず一般市民にはその資源の政府の利用計画が理解されないのですそこで解決策として政府は新たに予算を可視化して一般に分かりやすくするツールを利用していますこのモルドバの地図上の緑色は教育支出が少なくても優れた教育効果が出ている地域を示し赤色はその反対を示していますこのようなツールは不可解な書類でいっぱいの棚をだれでも見てわかるようにしさらに素晴らしいことにこの公開によって今日の市民にフィードバックと政府に携わる機会を与えましたフィリピンでも親たちや生徒達がウェブサイト上でリアルタイムにフィードバックできます「Checkmyschool.org」や SMS(ショートメッセージサービス)で学校に先生や教科書が整備されているかどうかこれはまさに私が目撃したウガンダやビハール州の問題です政府の対応が迅速だった例もありますこのサイトに報告された 800名の生徒が学校の修理が汚職で中断し危険な状況だというレポートに対してフィリピンの教育省は素早く行動しました素晴らしいことにこの革新は今や南側諸国から南へフィリピンからインドネシア、ケニア、モルドバ、さらにその先まで広がり続けていますタンザニアのダルエスサラームの貧困コミュニティでさえこれらのツールでその願望を主張できるのですこれは(ダルエスサラームの) タンデール地区の2011年8月の地図ですこれが数週間のうちに大学生達が携帯電話とオープンソースなプラットフォームを使い全てのコミュニティのインフラが描かれた飛躍的な地図にすることができましたエキサイティングなことに市民がそこでどの保健衛生拠点や給水所が機能していないかフィードバックすれば赤い点で集計されて可視化できるのですこれにより貧い人々の声が視覚的効果と共に届けられました今日ビハール州でさえ転換が起きオープンになろうとしています熱意あるリーダーシップのもとで政府を透明化し貧しい人々に理解しやすくすぐに対応するようにしかし世界の多くの地域では政府が情報公開や貧困への援助に興味を持たないので仕組みを変えようとする人々にはまさに挑戦なのです彼らは孤独な戦士です私の父や他の多くの人々のように開発援助を切り開く鍵となるのはこれらの孤独な戦士と手を携えて共に不正と戦うことです例えば今日ガーナの市民組織の勇敢な改革者たちと議会と政府が石油部門にて透明な契約をするための同盟を結びましたこれに感化され議会の改革者達がいま疑惑のある契約を調査中ですこれらの事例は新たな希望と新たな可能性をもたらします私がウガンダで見た問題や父がビハール州で直面した問題に対してです 2年前 2010年4月8日私は父を訪ねましたそれは夜遅くでしたが 80歳の父は 70ページにおよぶ道路計画の汚職に対する告訴状をタイプしていました父は弁護士でもないのに法廷でこの件を争い翌日勝訴しましたしかしまさにその日の午後父は倒れ亡くなりました彼は最後まで戦い続け腐敗や貧困への闘争に対し誠実であるべき政府の役人だけでなくその声を届かせるために集い参加すべき市民にも高まる情熱を注ぎましたこれらは彼の人生の両端のブックエンドのようでしたその間を旅する人生は開発環境の変化を映す鏡でした今私はこの変化に鼓舞され世界銀行が 20年前の私のウガンダの仕事から私達が抱いていた 2つの新たな方向へ大きな出発をした事に興奮しています私達は開発を大々的に公開する必要がありますそうすれば知識が多方面へ広がり実務者を鼓舞し援助は透明化されて説明可能で効率的なものなります政府はオープン化し政府の改革によって市民が関与でき権限を与えられますこの変化を加速する必要がありますもし実現すれば貧しい人々みんなの声がビハールに響きわたるでしょうウガンダにもそして世界中にもきっと教科書があり先生のいる学校が子供たちのために整備されるでしょう子供たちもまた実際に貧困を抜け出すチャンスをつかめるのですありがとうございました(拍手) (拍手)	He was livid, and I still remember how we cried when that cart with our half-eaten sweets was pulled away from us. Later, I understood why my father got so upset. Those sweets were a bribe from a contractor who was trying to get my father to award him a government contract. My father was responsible for building roads in Bihar, and he had developed a firm stance against corruption, even though he was harassed and threatened. His was a lonely struggle, because Bihar was also India's most corrupt state, where public officials were enriching themselves, [rather] than serving the poor who had no means to express their anguish if their children had no food or no schooling. And I experienced this most viscerally when I traveled to remote villages to study poverty. And as I went village to village, I remember one day, when I was famished and exhausted, and I was almost collapsing in a scorching heat under a tree, and just at that time, one of the poorest men in that village invited me into his hut and graciously fed me. Only I later realized that what he fed me was food for his entire family for two days. This profound gift of generosity challenged and changed the very purpose of my life. I resolved to give back. Later, I joined the World Bank, which sought to fight such poverty by transferring aid from rich to poor countries. My initial work focused on Uganda, where I focused on negotiating reforms with the Finance Ministry of Uganda so they could access our loans. But after we disbursed the loans, I remember a trip in Uganda where I found newly built schools without textbooks or teachers, new health clinics without drugs, and the poor once again without any voice or recourse. It was Bihar all over again. Bihar represents the challenge of development: abject poverty surrounded by corruption. Globally, 1.3 billion people live on less than $1.25 a day, and the work I did in Uganda represents the traditional approach to these problems that has been practiced since 1944, when winners of World War II, 500 founding fathers, and one lonely founding mother, gathered in New Hampshire, USA, to establish the Bretton Woods institutions, including the World Bank. And that traditional approach to development had three key elements. First, transfer of resources from rich countries in the North to poorer countries in the South, accompanied by reform prescriptions. Second, the development institutions that channeled these transfers were opaque, with little transparency of what they financed or what results they achieved. And third, the engagement in developing countries was with a narrow set of government elites with little interaction with the citizens, who are the ultimate beneficiaries of development assistance. Today, each of these elements is opening up due to dramatic changes in the global environment. Open knowledge, open aid, open governance, and together, they represent three key shifts that are transforming development and that also hold greater hope for the problems I witnessed in Uganda and in Bihar. The first key shift is open knowledge. You know, developing countries today will not simply accept solutions that are handed down to them by the U.S., Europe or the World Bank. They get their inspiration, their hope, their practical know-how, from successful emerging economies in the South. They want to know how China lifted 500 million people out of poverty in 30 years, how Mexico's Oportunidades program improved schooling and nutrition for millions of children. This is the new ecosystem of open-knowledge flows, not just traveling North to South, but South to South, and even South to North, with Mexico's Oportunidades today inspiring New York City. And just as these North-to-South transfers are opening up, so too are the development institutions that channeled these transfers. This is the second shift: open aid. Recently, the World Bank opened its vault of data for public use, releasing 8,000 economic and social indicators for 200 countries over 50 years, and it launched a global competition to crowdsource innovative apps using this data. Development institutions today are also opening for public scrutiny the projects they finance. Take GeoMapping. In this map from Kenya, the red dots show where all the schools financed by donors are located, and the darker the shade of green, the more the number of out-of-school children. So this simple mashup reveals that donors have not financed any schools in the areas with the most out-of-school children, provoking new questions. Is development assistance targeting those who most need our help? In this manner, the World Bank has now GeoMapped 30,000 project activities in 143 countries, and donors are using a common platform to map all their projects. This is a tremendous leap forward in transparency and accountability of aid. And this leads me to the third, and in my view, the most significant shift in development: open governance. Governments today are opening up just as citizens are demanding voice and accountability. From the Arab Spring to the Anna Hazare movement in India, using mobile phones and social media not just for political accountability but also for development accountability. Are governments delivering services to the citizens? So for instance, several governments in Africa and Eastern Europe are opening their budgets to the public. But, you know, there is a big difference between a budget that's public and a budget that's accessible. This is a public budget. And as you can see, it's not really accessible or understandable to an ordinary citizen that is trying to understand how the government is spending its resources. To tackle this problem, governments are using new tools to visualize the budget so it's more understandable to the public. In this map from Moldova, the green color shows those districts that have low spending on schools but good educational outcomes, and the red color shows the opposite. Tools like this help turn a shelf full of inscrutable documents into a publicly understandable visual, and what's exciting is that with this openness, there are today new opportunities for citizens to give feedback and engage with government. So in the Philippines today, parents and students can give real-time feedback on a website, Checkmyschool.org, or using SMS, whether teachers and textbooks are showing up in school, the same problems I witnessed in Uganda and in Bihar. And the government is responsive. So for instance, when it was reported on this website that 800 students were at risk because school repairs had stalled due to corruption, the Department of Education in the Philippines took swift action. And you know what's exciting is that this innovation is now spreading South to South, from the Philippines to Indonesia, Kenya, Moldova and beyond. In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, even an impoverished community was able to use these tools to voice its aspirations. This is what the map of Tandale looked like in August, 2011. But within a few weeks, university students were able to use mobile phones and an open-source platform to dramatically map the entire community infrastructure. And what is very exciting is that citizens were then able to give feedback as to which health or water points were not working, aggregated in the red bubbles that you see, which together provides a graphic visual of the collective voices of the poor. Today, even Bihar is turning around and opening up under a committed leadership that is making government transparent, accessible and responsive to the poor. But, you know, in many parts of the world, governments are not interested in opening up or in serving the poor, and it is a real challenge for those who want to change the system. These are the lonely warriors like my father and many, many others, and a key frontier of development work is to help these lonely warriors join hands so they can together overcome the odds. So for instance, today, in Ghana, courageous reformers from civil society, Parliament and government, have forged a coalition for transparent contracts in the oil sector, and, galvanized by this, reformers in Parliament are now investigating dubious contracts. These examples give new hope, new possibility to the problems I witnessed in Uganda or that my father confronted in Bihar. Two years ago, on April 8th, 2010, I called my father. It was very late at night, and at age 80, he was typing a 70-page public interest litigation against corruption in a road project. Though he was no lawyer, he argued the case in court himself the next day. He won the ruling, but later that very evening, he fell, and he died. He fought till the end, increasingly passionate that to combat corruption and poverty, not only did government officials need to be honest, but citizens needed to join together to make their voices heard. These became the two bookends of his life, and the journey he traveled in between mirrored the changing development landscape. Today, I'm inspired by these changes, and I'm excited that at the World Bank, we are embracing these new directions, a significant departure from my work in Uganda 20 years ago. We need to radically open up development so knowledge flows in multiple directions, inspiring practitioners, so aid becomes transparent, accountable and effective, so governments open up and citizens are engaged and empowered with reformers in government. We need to accelerate these shifts. If we do, we will find that the collective voices of the poor will be heard in Bihar, in Uganda, and beyond. We will find that textbooks and teachers will show up in schools for their children. We will find that these children, too, have a real chance of breaking their way out of poverty. Thank you.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
ゲーム内だというのに何故相手がリアルにおじいさん達だとわかるのか? それは本人たちが公言しているからだ......! 』とは、暇を持て余したおじいさん達がネットを通して繋がり、共にゲームを楽しむために作られたチームなのだ。いろんな活動をして多少の収益も得ているらしいので、カテゴリー的には正しくプロゲーマーチームと言える。古来よりプロゲーマーは若い方が好まれる。有名チームだの年齢を超えると引退を余儀なくされることもあると聞く。』は逆だ。歳をとっていなければ入れない......! 』に入る条件はまったく満たしていないし、おそらくここまで出会ったたくさんのプレイヤーの中にも『ある意味、次の戦いは未知との戦いなのだ......! 「勝利の鍵は十分なリサーチ。1回戦のアーカイブを見ましょう」サトミがウィンドウを開き、試合アーカイブのページを開く。これは本選出場者にのみ許された機能で、すでに終わった試合の映像を再度視聴することが出来る。初期街のモニターで試合を見守るプレイヤーや、PCや携帯端末で試合を観戦する人々は現時点で終わった試合を巻き戻して見ることは出来ない。は1回戦を2対0で勝利しています。結構ギリギリの勝負だったわけです。そのせいでかなり手の内を明かしてしまっている。パーティ構成は物理型前衛職3人に魔法型後衛職1人、それにイヌ型ユニゾン『シヴァ犬』のコロマロを加えた5人です。このコロマロもガチガチの前衛タイプですね」 ......前衛多くない? 俺たちのパーティもかなり変則的だが、一応は前衛2人、後衛2人、万能型のガー坊1人で表向きのバランスは取れている。偏っても問題ないくらい1人1人が強いベテランプレイヤーなのか......? は発足間もないルーキーチームなのでパーティバランスを理解していない可能性もあります。まあ、バランスが良ければ強いと言いにくいのがNSOですけど」「そ、そうだね......」ベテランチーム説は消えたけど、1回戦を突破したことは事実だ......! 俺だってVRMMOに関しては素人だったのに結構上手くやれてるし、おじいさんには無理ということはないはずだ。のメンバーを1人1人見ていきましょう。まずはリーダーのジージィさんです」名前の方向性被っている......! というか、やっぱり『ジィ』で『爺』を連想するよな。あの頃の俺の懸念は間違っていなかったのだ......! 「唯一の後衛にして唯一の魔法職ですが、回復役ではなく彼もアタッカーです。白くて長いヒゲと大き帽子が大魔法使いの風格を感じさせますが、どちらかというと派手さより堅実さのプレイヤーです。敵から逃げて距離をとり、ちまちま敵を攻撃するシーンが多かったですね」戦闘スタイルも俺とちょっと被ってる......! やっぱり歳取ると前衛職は辛いよなぁ......。まあ、最近の俺は必要に迫られると接近戦もやっちゃってるけど......。「次に前衛のユウシヤさんです。『ユウシャ』じゃなくて『ユウシヤ』である理由は不明です」超レトロゲーの再現なのか、単純にミスなのか......。の中では比較的若い感じがします。ですが、いわゆる魔法剣士的な育成をしているようで、物理魔法ともに火力があまり出ていません。かといって防御面もまあまあといった感じで、特徴が特になく......」勇者の次に憧れる職業があるとすれば、魔法剣士だよなぁ......! その気持ちは痛いほどわかる! カッコいいもの! でも、ゲームの魔法剣士は器用貧乏になってしまうことが多いのも事実......。くっ......剣と魔法の世界を冒険するのに、剣と魔法のどちらかだけを選ばないといけないなんて不条理じゃないか......! いや、剣を速攻で捨てて弓を選んだ俺が言えることではないけど! 「3人目はシショウさんです。武器は刀、防具は渋い柄の羽織袴。例えるなら歳を取って隠居している凄腕の侍といった感じですね」同じ和風装備には親近感がわくなぁ。顔立ちも経験豊富な老剣士の雰囲気が再現されている。これは強そうだ......! 「彼に関しては特に活躍もなくキルされてしまったのであまりデータがありません。しいて言うなら......剣の構えも振りもぎこちなかったです」きっとゲームにも刀にも慣れていなかったんだ! 現代人がこの両方に慣れた状態になるのは簡単じゃない......! 俺だって初めて弓を持った時は......なぜか上手くいったけど、それはそれ、これはこれだ。「最後にコハルさんです。女性っぽい名前ですが、見ての通り無精ひげを生やした浪人スタイルの男性です。武器は身の丈以上の長さの大太刀です」方向性は違うとはいえ、同じパーティ内で侍要素が被っている......! でも、この武骨な見た目に巨大な刀はカッコいいなぁ。「ふらふらと酔っぱらったように歩いているシーンが多かったですが、これはキャラ付けではなく大太刀の重さに負けてふらついているようです。歩くこともままならないのですから、もちろん普段は振ることも出来ません。ですが、スキル奥義には動きに補正をかける効果があるようで、機敏に大太刀を振り回してきます。この切り替わりに要注意です」ある意味、ダラけきっているけどやる時はやるキャラを上手く再現できているのかも......。ふらふら歩いていると思ったら、いきなり達人の動きで斬りかかってくるわけだしな。の中ではこのコハルさんが一番厄介だ。「最後にユニゾンのコロマロです。見た目は普通の柴犬ですが、パワーが尋常じゃありません。お手で地を割り、じゃれつきでプレイヤーを殺します。1回戦では実に3人ものプレイヤーをキルしています」そ、そうだった......! 俺もリアルタイムで試合を見ていたはずなのに、なんかプレイヤーたちの印象が薄いなぁと思っていたが、その原因はこれだ! 』の1回戦はコロマロの独壇場だったんだ......! して守ってくれますが、コロマロは気にしません。プレイヤーがキルされようと敵に向かっていき殺します。愛くるしい見た目とは裏腹に一度狙った獲物はずっと追い回します。この他のユニゾンにはない特性を理解しきれず、相手パーティは壊滅しました」おじいさんを愛犬が助けたと聞けば心温まる話だが、実際はB級モンスター映画のような光景だったなぁ。試合前の緊張感と試合後の安堵感で記憶が濁っていたが、これでスッキリした。「こうして確認するとコロマロだけが脅威に思えますが、彼の独壇場で試合が終わってしまったことからプレイヤーたちの実力には不明な点が多いです。誰が相手でも油断せず、確実に倒しましょう。総合力で見ればコアとの戦いを終えたサトミは昔より少年らしさが増した気がする。そんなサトミの言うように、このおじいさんたちがコアたちよりも強いとは思えない。だが、そういう時こそ足元をすくわれる......。おじさんの俺がたくさんの強敵の足元をすくってきたように、おじいさんにも『成長』と『可能性』が存在するんだ。頭の中でイメージを膨らませ、対策を考える。油断はしない。若さで勝つんだ。おじいさん相手なら、おじさんも若さを武器に出来る......!	How did I know they were actually old grandfathers when this was just a game? Because they were making it loud and clear...! This was a group of old men who were bored and befriended each other online. And they formed this team in order to enjoy the game together. Apparently, they were quite active and even making a profit. So they could be categorized as a pro gamer team. In general, the best pro gamers tended to be young. I even heard that with some famous teams, you are required to retire once you pass a certain age. But it was the opposite with the G’z. You couldn’t get in unless you were old enough...! Of course, I wasn’t even near the required age. In fact, I doubt I’ve even met any other players that were as old as them. In a way, the next battle would be a battle with the unknown...! “The key to victory is doing enough research. So let’s watch their last battle.” Satomi opened up a window and went to the battle archive page. This was a feature that only participants could access, and it allowed you to rewatch battles after they were finished. And so players watching on the monitors in the first town, or on their computers or phones could not rewatch the battles at this point. “They won their battle to . So it was actually a close call. And so they showed a lot of their abilities. As for the party composition, there are three physical type advance guards, one magic type rear guard, and a dog type Unison called Koromaro. And this Koromaro is also a strong advance guard.” ...Why so many advance guards? While our party wasn’t the most conventional either, we still had two advance guards, two rear guards, and Garbow, who was an all-rounder type. Were they each so strong individually that it didn’t matter if they weren’t balanced...? “By the way, they are still a relatively new team, so it’s possible that they don’t fully understand party balance. Well, in NSO, balance doesn’t always make your party better.” “Th-that’s true...” While they may not be veterans, they had still won the first battle...! I was an amateur to VRMMOs at first, but was doing pretty well. So it could be the same for them. “Now let’s look at the members individually. First, there is the leader, Jiji.” They chose names like I did...! Clearly the ‘ji’ was from ojisan. I suppose I had been right to think like that...! “He is the only rear guard and magic user. But is an attacker and not a healer. The long, white beard and tall pointed hat might make him look like a great wizard, but this is someone who plays it safe. A lot of the time, he would run away from an enemy and attack them from far away.” Even his fighting style was similar to mine...! Yes, it was hard being in the advance guard once you got older... Well, recently, I’ve been fighting in close quarters, as it was necessary... “Next is the advance guard, Yushia. I’m not sure why it wasn’t simply Yusha(hero).” Was it a reference to really retro games, or a typo... “His weapon is the classical sword and shield. And his movements definitely feel a little more youthful compared to the others in the group. However, it seems that he has grown in a magic warrior kind of direction, and so he doesn’t seem to deal much magic or physical damage. And his defense isn’t really impressive either. He has no defining features...” If there was one job after hero that I wanted to be, it was magic warrior...! So I understood how he felt! It sounded so cool! But it was also true that in games, they tended to be a jack of all trades and master of none... Tsk... You were adventuring in a world of swords and magic. So why should you have to choose just one...! Not that I didn’t quickly abandon the sword and choose a bow! “The third is Shishou. His weapon is a katana, and he wears a haori hakama. He looks like an old samurai who is hiding, but still more than capable.” I was also wearing Japanese style clothes, so I felt a connection there. And even his face had the look of an old, seasoned warrior. He looked strong...! “As for him, he was killed without really doing anything, so we don’t have any data. But from what I saw...the way he held and swung his sword looked pretty clumsy.” Oh, well...! He was probably not used to swords, let alone games! It wasn’t easy for the modern person to get used to both those things...! When I first picked up a bow...it actually went pretty well. But that was the exception. “Lastly, we have Koharu. It sounds like a woman’s name, but as you can see, this is a ronin-style man with a beard. He uses a odachi that is longer than he is tall.” While it was a different kind, this guy was also similar to a samurai...! But this katana looked so rough and cool. “There were a couple of times when he stumbled around like some kind of drunk. Turns out he wasn’t playing a character, but it was due to the weight of the sword. Obviously, if he can barely walk with it, then he won’t be able to swing it either. However, he does have a charge attack that aids with his movements, and he is suddenly able to swing it around quickly. You’ll need to be careful when this change occurs.” In a way, that change seemed to be very fitting for the character... One moment he is stumbling around, and then he suddenly cuts at you like a master swordsman. This Koharu was the most dangerous member of the G’z. “Last is the Unison, Koromaro. It looks like a normal shiba dog, but its power is incredible. It can break the ground with its paws, and kill players with a pounce. In fact, it killed three players in the first fight.” I had been watching the fight in real time, and still had trouble remembering much about the individual players. So this was the reason! Koromaro had done most of the work during the first fight...! “But Koromaro is not very bright. And that is even more dangerous. While Gochu and Garbow will protect players that are in danger, Koromaro does not care. It will continue attacking and killing enemies even if a player is about to be killed. In spite of its adorable appearance, it will chase its prey until it catches it. The other party was destroyed because they didn’t understand how it moved.” The idea of an old man helping a dog sounded like the beginning of a heart-warming story, but this was more like a monster B-movie. I had been feeling a mixture of relief over winning the last battle, and anxiety over the upcoming one. But I feel refreshed now. “Looking at them like this, it seems that Koromaro is the only threat. But there is still a lot we don’t know about the other players. And so we must not let our guard down while fighting them. But looking at them as a whole, they should be weaker than Mad Slime CORE. So we should be able to win if we keep calm and do our best!” After the battle with Core, there was something more child-like about Satomi compared to before. But I agreed with what he said. It was hard to believe that these old grandfathers were stronger than Core and the others. However, people had a way of surprising you... Just like I had surprised many strong enemies, these old men could also grow, and they held many possibilities within. My mind was filled with different scenarios and countermeasures. I would not underestimate them. And we would win. If I was fighting older men, then my youth could be a weapon...!	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 1, "inserted_lines_src": 19, "inserted_lines_trg": 1 }
長話のせいか少しのぼせ気味となったミラは、湯船から上がると片隅に積まれている木桶と風呂椅子を手に確保した洗い場へと向かう。木桶に湯を張りタオルを浸していると、突然纏めてあった髪が解かれた。「なんじゃ、お主か。まだ用があるのか?」ミラが見上げると、そこには髪を止めていたリボンを綺麗に畳むアセリアの姿があった。見上げた分迫力のある胸が迫る。「貴重な話を聞かせてもらったからね。お礼といっては何だけど、髪と背中を洗わせて!」途中で大きく話が逸れてしまっていたが、そもそもミラに近づいた理由は妹のようなミラの面倒をみたいという姉心が始まりだ。アセリアは初心を忘れる事なく適当な口実でミラに迫る。マリアナとは根本が違うが、どことなく似ていると、ミラはその少しだけトーンの上がった声から感じた。ミラとしても人に頭を洗ってもらうのは何故か気持ち良いので断る理由も無い。「好きにせい」ミラが簡潔に答えると了承を得たアセリアは、意気揚々とシャワーを手にしてその銀の髪を洗い始める。その手付きはとても慣れたものであり、頭皮に直に触れた指先は少しくすぐったいが快楽にも似たその心地良さにミラは瞼を閉じる。結果、アセリアは懐かしいお姉さん気分を満喫し、気を張る必要の無いミラも完全に緩みきった表情で身を任せるのだった。身体までを洗い終わり程よく冷めた身体で再び湯に浸かれば、今度は静かに庭園の風情を満喫する。一定の間隔で響く鹿おどしの音はミラにとって、とても心和むものであり、ゆったりし過ぎたミラは、またも若干のぼせ気味になるまで浸かっていた。十分に満足したのは、大浴場に来てから一時間半が過ぎた頃であった。 (そろそろ上がって夕飯にするかのぅ) 十分に大浴場を満喫したミラは、次の鹿おどしの響きを合図にと立ち上がる。するとアセリアもそれに倣い、ミラが身体を拭いだすと、アセリアもタオルをヌンチャクのように振り回して随分と大雑把に身体の水気を取っていた。そしは一緒に浴室を後にする。浴室を出ると、アセリアはいそいそと他の入浴客を躱し部屋の隅の棚へと向かう。ミラはというと脱衣所に置かれた姿見の前に立ち、じっくりと観察するようにしながら無形術で髪を乾かしている。目で見て直ぐに分かるほど早く乾いていくその様子に、改めて感嘆するミラ。 (何とも不思議な光景じゃな) 濡れそぼって互いを拘束するように纏まっていた銀髪は、数十秒で絹のような質感を取り戻す。軽く髪を靡かせれば、粉雪の如く解け火照った肌に舞い散る。鏡を見れば、そこに映った少女の姿はとても魅惑的で、ミラは髪をおもむろに纏い流して胸を隠すと満足気に頷く。「わし、セクシー」新しい自分を発見した瞬間だった。それからミラはロッカーの鍵を開けてバスタオルを取り出す。とても柔らかい布地で、その肌触りに満足しながら暫しの間、湯上り直後の余韻を楽しんでいた。「あれ、まだ着替えてないんだ」手早く着替えを済ませたアセリアが籠を小脇に抱え、声と共に再びミラの元へと現れる。その身に纏っているのは淡い紫色の浴衣で、開いた共襟から僅かに垣間見える谷間は、裸の時よりも扇情的にミラの目に映る。「うむ......、まあのぅ」ちらりと向けた視線を戻すとミラはカバンを取り出し、そこから下着を手に取った。するとその手品のように突如出現したカバンを見たアセリアが、堪らず声を上げる。「すごいすごい! これが操者の腕輪のアイテムボックスってものなんだ。いいなー、あたしも早くほしいよー」更にミラがカバンを片付けると、頬を上気させて銀に輝く腕輪をその手で撫で回す。Cランクに今一歩のアセリアにとって、上位の証ともいえる操者の腕輪は、それこそ現在最も分かり易い目標となるものだ。「ああ、ごめん」そう言って手を離すと「あたしも直ぐに手に入れるんだ」と、ミラから指標を与えられたアセリアは、力強く拳を握ると嬉々とした笑顔を見せる。強くなる為に努力を惜しまないその態度にミラは随分と好感を抱き、声には出さないが、そんなアセリアを応援した。「あれ? ミラちゃんは浴衣着ない?」ロッカーからいつものワンピースを手にしたミラにアセリアが問い掛ける。ミラが振り返り答えると、アセリアはその場から駆け出す。向かった先は脱衣所の端にある棚だ。そこを開けて中にあった物を手に取ると、勢い良く戻ってきた。「ミラちゃんなら、サイズはこのくらいだよね」そう言いアセリアが差し出したのは、薄緑の優しい色合いをした浴衣だった。「勝手に使ってもよいのか?」「うん、着替え用に置いてあるものだから」それは旅館が用意した着替え用で、脱衣所にサイズ別で分けて常備されているものだ。更にはサイズだけでなく、メオウ族などの種族別にも準備されているとアセリアが説明する。ミラはその事に感心しながら、浴衣を受け取った。 (して......どう着るんじゃろう) 確かに、趣のある旅館に来たのだから、浴衣を着るのもいいだろう。だが、和装の着方というものを知ってはいなかった。袖を通して帯を締めればいい。そう思いミラは適当に羽織る。丈の長さ等はアセリアの見立て通りで丁度良く、僅かに手の甲に被る程度だ。それから、共襟を閉じて一緒に受け取った帯で留めようとすると、「ちょっと待った。襟の重ねが逆だね」そう言ってアセリアはミラの正面に回り、丁寧に着付けを始めた。皺の寄った袖などを綺麗に伸ばし共襟を合わせ、とても手際良く整える。そして最後に帯を締め軽く調整すると、一歩離れてミラの全体像をその視界に収める。「よし。これで完成」その出来栄えに笑顔を浮かべ、ミラの頭をそっと撫でる。その仕草は姉そのものといった印象があり、アセリアにとってもそれは無意識の行動だった。完全な子供扱いだがミラは頭に載せられた手を払うでもなく、何か久し振りな感覚とアセリアの遠く懐かしむような穏やかな雰囲気に、どうでもいいかと息を漏らした。 (多少の事では動じない。わしも大人になったものじゃ) 着替えも終わり脱衣所を出れば、そこには土産の売店や卓上球技の台が並ぶ。湯上りで寛ぐ宿泊客は何をするでもなく凪の一時を過ごしていた。提灯の淡い光がぼうっと照らすここは、元の世界か今の現実かその境界か、ミラは異空間にでも迷い込んだ気分になる。そのような中、丸く平べったい板に棒が付いた見覚えのあるものを手に取った。 (これは完全に卓球じゃな......ここのオーナーは絶対に元プレイヤーじゃろう) ミラは技術だけでなく、文化方面にも元プレイヤー達の思想が進出してきているのかと感心すると、その恩恵を存分に享受する。「はい、ミラちゃん。これはあたしの感謝の気持ち。お風呂上りにはこれが一番」売店から小走りで戻ってきたアセリアは、そう言って手にしたビンの内、一本をミラに差し出す。「おお、良く冷えておるな!」ミラが受け取ったビンには、茶褐色の文字で『コーヒーぎゅうにゅう』と書かれていた。これもまた風呂上りの定番だ。「あ、何々、卓球やりたいの?」アセリアは、ミラが手にしていたラケットに目を留めると、まるで獲物を見つけた鷹の如く目を細める。「いや、そういう訳ではないんじゃがな」そう答えたミラがラケットを卓球台に戻すと、途端に覇気が消え失せるアセリア。「お主は、遊び方を知っておるのか?」「もちろん。あたし、結構強いよ!」ラケットを手に取ったアセリアは、軽く素振りを見せる。鋭く風を切る音と共に、大きな二つの山が地殻変動に揺れる。満足そうに見つめるミラに、アセリアは無邪気な笑顔を向けた。「ミラちゃんもやった事ある?」「うむ、それなりにな。しかし、お主は随分と詳しいのぅ。浴衣の着方も知っておるし、ここには良く来ておるのか?」浴衣や湯上りのコーヒー牛乳に卓球、どれもが本来この世界には無かったものだ。だが、アセリアは既に常連とでもいった様子で馴染んでいる。自分の国の文化を親しんでくれているアセリアに、好感を膨らませたミラ。「この旅館は初めてかな。でも和風様式は共通だからね」「和風様式のぅ......」「あたしさ、和風様式が好きなんだ。なんかこう、独特な情緒っていうのかな、すっごく落ち着くんだよね。浴衣だけじゃなくて、着物の着付けも知ってるよ。師匠に教えてもらったんだ。ああ、師匠っていうのは、あたしに和風様式を教えてくれた人ね」よほど好きなのか朗らかな表情で話すアセリア。ミラは、自分の国の文化が和風様式として浸透しているのかと驚きながらも、その文化の馴染み具合に少しだけ嬉しくなる。『日本大好き』という外国人にでも会ったような、そんな気持ちだ。「さあ、ミラちゃん。冷たいうちに飲んじゃおう。これは腰に手を当てて、ぐいっと飲むのが通なんだ」言いながら、そのポーズをとるアセリア。そして視線でミラにも同じ事をするよう促す。その純粋な視線に、苦笑染みた笑顔を浮かべると、ミラはアセリアの見覚えのあるポーズと同じ姿勢をとる。両足は肩幅で左手を腰に、コーヒー牛乳をぐいっと喉へと流し込んだ。 (これは、違う気がするんじゃがな......) アセリアに和風様式を教えた師匠とやらに僅かな憤りを感じつつ、ミラは甘い甘いコーヒー牛乳を飲み干した。「ミラちゃんも、明日は鉄道に乗るの?」「うむ、そうじゃよ」「やっぱりかー。どっち方面に行くの?」「アリス行きじゃな。そういうお主はどうするんじゃ。精霊剣ではなく盾を手に入れる事にしたんじゃろう?」二人は、飲み終わったビンを売店の回収ケースに捨てながら、今後の話を交わす。駅前の宿泊施設の客のほとんどは鉄道利用者であり、アセリアも明日はオズシュタイン方面への便に乗る予定だった。だが、それは精霊剣が販売されている店があるという情報の元だ。ミラと話した事により、精霊剣ではなく赤玉の石盾を手に入れると決めたアセリアは、今はもうその店へ行く必要は無い。「ソロモン様のお膝元、ルナティックレイクを目指す予定にしたよ。属性武具のマーケットがあるって聞いた事あるんだ。そこで探せば見つけられるかも」「ほぅ、そんな所があったのか」まだ隅々まで首都を見て回っていないミラは、楽しそうに笑みを浮かべ、いつかの観光にマーケットを追加する。「あたしがさ、Cランクになれたらソロモン様の続きの話、聞かせてくれる?」少しだけ控え目に、だが最大限の想いを込めてアセリアは、そう訊いた。「いいじゃろう。ではCランクになれたならお祝いとして、あやつのしていた訓練方法を教えてやるとしよう」「ほんと!? やった! あたし、がんばる!」予想以上の返答にアセリアが全身で喜びを表せば、大きく揺れて開いていく共襟にミラは釘付けになっていく。「ところで見たところ、ミラちゃんって一人旅だよね?」不自然にならないようミラは視線を僅かずつ逸らしながら答える。徐々に度胸をつけてきたミラでも、まだ凝視したままの会話は不可能なようだ。「アリスには依頼で行くの? 一人でも大丈夫?」 Cランクという組合が保証する基準から、その実力は判断できる。そして天人族という存在であるミラが自分よりも年上であるという事も分かっている。だがアセリアは、姉心が無性に刺激され、ついついそう問い掛ける。「心配無用じゃ。まだまだ若いもんには負けん」「それじゃ、またね!」「うむ、またいつかじゃな」今回も組合経由による連絡を約束すると、アセリアはやる気に満ちた瞳を爛々と輝かせたまま颯爽と走り去っていく。荷物の奥底に盾の取扱教本を入れてあったはずだと思い出し、それを熟読する為だ。ミラは、生き生きとしたその後姿を見送ると、壁に貼られている見取り図の前に立ち、それをじっと睨む。 (わしの部屋はどこじゃったかのぅ......) 仲居の後を着いて来ただけなので、道順を全く覚えていなかったからだ。受け取った部屋の鍵に書かれている『空の間』という場所を探していた。そうして見つけた部屋へと順路を覚え、ミラはようやく歩き出す。部屋に戻ると、仲居が卓上に食事を並べている最中だった。仲居はミラの姿を確認すると、「おかえりなさいませ。直に準備が完了しますので、少々お待ち下さい」そう言いながら、お盆から食器を移していく。ミラは小さく頷くと、その卓上の前に腰掛ける。鮮やかな色合いを見せる器は、どれも陶器であり、素人目でも楽しめる美しさであった。並べられているのは器や温度の影響しない漬物に玉子焼きといった料理だ。席についたミラが準備を進める仲居の揺れる尻尾を眺めていると、襖の外から声が掛かり主役達が運ばれてきた。天ぷらから始まり、味噌汁、煮物、そして白米と並べられていく。ミラは、郷愁を誘う料理の数々に胸を躍らせた。それは盛り付け方にも華があり、和風の名に恥じない見事な一品揃いだ。「料理の説明は必要でしょうか」「うむ、頼む!」卓上に料理が揃うと、メオウ族の仲居が問う。ミラはこれもまた醍醐味と即答する。こちらの世界ではどのような食材で再現しているのかも気になったというのもある。「では、こちらから。ガーデンバードの卵に、燻製にしたブラックツナの煮汁を加えた玉子焼きです。その隣にありますのは、フロストバイソンの肉を醤油、砂糖、ジンジャーで煮込んだ大和煮という料理となります」饒舌に話す仲居は徐々に調子を上げていき、まるで自分で作ったかのように詳しく、一品一品への思いや調理時の拘りを並べる。それから更に熱くなり始めたメオウ族の仲居は、並んだ料理に関係ない事を口走りだす。和風様式の花形である獲れたて新鮮な船盛りが、海から遠いこの店では難しいのだと涙ながらに零し、干物も美味しいが活き造りには及ばないと、魚についてより一層饒舌に語る。そんなメオウ族の仲居を、料理を運んできたもう一人の仲居が強制中断させると、「では、ごゆっくりお召し上がりください。食後にそちらのベルを鳴らしていただければ、器を下げに伺いますので。では失礼いたします」正座の姿勢で上品に一礼すると、仲居はメオウ族の仲居を連れて空の間から出て行く。直後、扉の向こう側から「何度言ったら分かるのですか!」「すみませんー」と、小さく声が響いた。そちらのベルと言われてミラが目を向けた先には、平常心と書かれた掛け軸と、淡い色彩が心を穏やかにさせる生け花が飾られている。その脇に、ソロモンがスレイマンを呼び出した時に使った物と同じ形のベルが置いてあった。それを確認したミラは現在、卓上を布巾で拭っている最中だ。 (平常心とか......! 掛け軸にわざわざ書く言葉ではないじゃろう!) 無駄に達筆で、どこか滑稽に見える掛け軸に、ミラは口に含んだ味噌汁を吹き出してしまっていたのだった。その後は特に問題も起こらず、ミラは久々の和食に舌鼓を打ちながら平穏な時間を満喫する。金属製の容器から急須に湯を入れて、茶葉が広がっていくのを目で楽しんだ後、緩みきった表情でそれを湯呑み茶碗に注ぐ。鼻腔に広がる茶葉の香りに満足すると、一口啜って舌を出す。「熱い......」ベルを爪で弾けば音は聞こえないが、それは確かに響いており、暫くすると先程の仲居二人が器の回収にやってくる。「お布団の方は、隣の部屋に敷かせていただきました。朝起きましたらベルでお呼び下さい。朝食を運ばせていただきます」メオウ族の仲居が隣の部屋の襖を開けて顔を見せる。寝床の準備をしていたようで奥の間には言葉通り、畳の上に布団が敷かれていた。絢爛豪華な龍の意匠の施された掛け布団が目に入る。随分と寝心地は良さそうであった。仲居達が器を下げ終わり、二杯目のお茶を飲み干した頃。ミラは欠伸をしながら大きく伸びをする。「寝るか」そう呟いて立ち上がり、お手洗いの扉を開ければ、そこには和式の便器が備え付けられていた。ここまで和風に拘るのかと感心しながら、ミラは浴衣の裾を捲り上げる。用を済ませたミラは、洗面所に準備されていたアメニティの歯ブラシを手に、就寝準備を着々と進めていった。準備を終え布団に潜り込み仰向けになれば、ふと顔を傾け木枠の嵌め込まれた窓の外へと視線を投げる。夜遅く物音一つしないが、空だけは渋滞したような星が瞬き、目を瞑れば今度は静寂に包まれる。僅かに香の匂いが漂っており、耳には自分自身の吐息が微かに響いた。軽く柔らかい毛布と布団に包まれて、ミラの吐息は安らかな音色を奏で始める。	Mira began feeling dizzy after a while, probably due to their long conversation. She stood up and went to a corner to wash herself, grabbing a small stool and wood bucket on her way. After she filled the bucket with hot water and soaked a towel in it, she noticed her hair suddenly come loose. 「What is it, do you still need something?」 Mira turned around and looked up, seeing Aselia carefully folding the ribbon that once held Mira’s hair in place. Looking at her from below also accentuated her bountiful breasts. 「Well, you did tell me a very valuable story. Washing your hair and back is the least I can do to return the favor!」 Their conversation had gone into many tangents as they spoke, but Aselia’s first reason to approach Mira had been an overlap between Mira and Aselia’s little sister. That reason was still valid now, but Aselia chose to find an excuse instead. She had a very different personality compared to Mariana, but somehow Mira thought they sounded similar, mostly due to the slightly high tone with which they spoke to her. Then again, Mira also enjoyed having someone else washing her hair, so she had no reason to refuse Aselia’s offer. 「Do as you wish.」 Hearing Mira consent, she happily grabbed a nearby shower head and began washing Mira’s hair. Her fingers seemed used to that action, the tips barely touching Mira’s scalp, which tickled slightly but also felt pleasant making her close her eyes. That way, Aselia could satisfy her sisterly desires, while Mira could relax and not worry about anything. With her body fully washed and cooled down, Mira entered the bath again, silently staring at the garden. The bamboo beats sounding in regular intervals gave a strong Japanese ambiance to the bath, which Mira relished until she started feeling light-headed again. One hour and a half passed since Mira arrived at the bath, she finally felt satisfied. (I guess it’s time to get out and grab dinner.) Mira timed her steps to the next beat of the bamboo, which Aselia also imitated going out of the bath together with her. When Mira began wiping her body with a towel, Aselia violently rubbed her body with a towel which she moved around like a nunchuck, finishing as soon as she could. After that, the two left that room together. When they reached the changing room, Aselia sped through the other clients, heading to a locker in a corner of the room. Mira went to a large mirror that was placed there, carefully watching herself as she dried her hair with concept magic. She was impressed all over again seeing how quickly the water evaporated. (What a bizarre sight.) Her hair that moments before was soaked wet and was a disheveled mess, transformed into silky strands in just a few seconds. She lightly flung her hair, which fluttered in the air like powder snow before landing on her luscious skin. Her eyes were focused on the mirror, watching her bewitchingly cute appearance, as she gently moved some strands of hair to the front to cover her chest. Then she nodded in satisfaction. 「Man, am I sexy.」 It was like she had discovered herself anew. Next Mira took off the key to her locker and opened it to get a towel. The fabric felt really comfortable, which she enjoyed the most through her soft after-bath skin. 「Oh, you haven’t changed yet?」 Aselia had changed as fast as she could, and now she appeared in front of Mira again, holding a small basket under her arm. She was wearing a soft violet yukata, which was not fastened around her waist exposing more of her skin, which to Mira looked even more lustful than when she was naked. 「Ah... mm, not yet...」 After a quick glance at Aselia, Mira looked away and took her basket from her Item Box, fishing out underwear from it. When Aselia saw that basket appear out of thin air, like it was some trick, she got extremely excited again. 「That’s so cool! You took that out of the Item Box from your Operator’s Bracelet, right? That’s amazing... I want to have one soon too...」 After a while Mira returned the basket to her Item Box, her cheeks slightly flushed as Aselia caressed her silver bracelet. To Aselia, a rank C adventurer, the Operator’s Bracelet was something akin to a proof of higher levels, and in a way, it was the embodiment of her goals. 「Oh, sorry sorry.」 Hearing that, Aselia let go of Mira’s wrist, 「I’ll get one soon too」 she said while taking a step back. Mira had given her a tangible goal, so she was more motivated than ever, smiling broadly while shaking her fist in the air. Mira liked her motivated spirits, silently rooting for her in her mind. 「Huh? You won’t wear a yukata?」 Seeing Mira take her usual dress from the locker, Aselia asked her puzzled. Hearing that, Aselia quickly ran to the other side of the changing room, towards a large shelf placed there. She looked through whatever was there, picking something up and returning with the same swiftness with which she had left. 「I think this is around your size.」 She handed Mira a yukata of a light green color. 「Are you sure I can use this?」「Yeah, they’re there for you to use.」 Those were clothes provided by the inn, placed in the changing rooms. Aselia explained that not only were there yukatas of all sizes, but some had small modifications to accommodate people of other races, like Meous with their tails. Mira put the yukata on while being impressed by the service provided. (Anyway... how do I put this on?) Mira was visiting a rather unique inn, so wearing a yukata during her stay made perfect sense. The only problem was her lack of knowledge on how to wear those traditional Japanese robes. Figuring she could just wear it like any bathrobe, Mira flung it around her and stuck her arms through the sleeves. Aselia had picked well, the yukata fitting Mira’s frame perfectly without being too long or too short. Then she wrapped the band around her and fastened it with a belt. 「Wait, it’s the other way around.」 Saying that, Aselia stood in front of Mira and carefully fixed Mira’s yukata, straightening the wrinkled sleeves and other parts while she was at it. She finished it by tying the belt around her again, then she took a step back and looked at Mira. After looking up and down along Mira’s body, Aselia gently patted her head. That was another act out of sisterly instinct, which Aselia did not even realize she was doing. Mira felt like she was being treated like a child, but seeing the longing and nostalgic look on Aselia’s face made her accept it without complaining. (I can’t let little things bother me. I’m an adult after all.) Fully clothed, they left the changing room, coming out to a large space with small souvenir stores and ping-pong tables set. Many guests were there, spending a relaxing and calm time after soaking in the bath. The way everything was illuminated with the soft light of paper lanterns made the scene resemble Mira’s old world so much that she almost began to doubt she was still in that new world. Amidst that, she picked up a certain item she knew well, a flat circle fixed to a pole. (This is identical to the rackets we had there...the owner of this place is definitely a former player.) Mira was impressed with that former player, not only for the elaborate reproduction of such an inn, but also for conserving the culture of that world, which Mira relished there. 「Mira, you can have this, for earlier. There’s nothing better than this after a bath.」 Aselia came back from a quick visit to the nearby shop, handing Mira one of the bottles she bought. 「Ohh, it’s pretty cold!」 The bottle had a ‘Coffee Milk’ label written in brown letters. That was also something common to have after a bath. 「Ah, say, do you wanna play a few rounds?」 When Aselia saw what Mira was holding, she narrowed her eyes and looked at Mira as if a predacious bird eyeing its prey. 「Well, not really.」 She replied, returning the racket to the table. As soon as it left her hands, Aselia’s attitude returned to normal. 「You know how to play though?」「Of course, I’m pretty good at it actually!」 Aselia picked up a racket and did a practice swing, producing a clear sound through the resistance between the flat racket and air. At the same time, the deep valley on her chest seemed to tremble like an earthquake. Mira watched her satisfied, which Aselia met with an innocent smile. 「You’ve played before as well?」「Well, somewhat. Though you seem quite knowledgeable around here. You also know how to properly wear a yukata...do you come here often?」 Yukatas, coffee milk and ping-pong after a bath, those things were not usual in that world. But Aselia seemed very accustomed to it all. Mira enjoyed seeing how knowledgeable Aselia was about her native culture. 「It’s my first time in this inn, though Japanese-style buildings are really common.」「Japanese style, you say...」「Yeah, I like it a lot. There’s this serene and calm feeling to it, it always makes me feel at ease. I also learned how to wear kimonos. My master taught it all to me, and ahh, I call master the person who introduced me to it.」 Aselia sounded happy talking about it all, showing just how much she liked it. Mira was surprised to hear that her culture had permeated that world and was known as ‘Japanese Style’, while also being glad to hear how familiar Aselia was about it. In a way, it was a similar feeling to meeting a Japanophile tourist. 「Anyway, let’s hurry while the drinks are cold. This is how you do it, first you put your hand to your hip like this, and tilt the bottle up to drink it all.」 As she spoke, Aselia took that pose. Her eyes were focused on Mira, inviting her to imitate her. Mira could not refuse that look, so she forced a smile and copied Aselia’s pose, which she had seen before. Standing with a certain distance between both feet, left hand to the hip and tilting the bottle up to drink it all in one go. (I’m pretty sure this isn’t a common thing to do though...) While blaming Aselia’s master in her mind, Mira drank the sweet coffee milk. 「Mira, are you taking a train tomorrow too?」「Yes, I am.」「I guessed as much. Where are you going?」「To Alis. And you? You’ve stopped thinking about a spirit sword and will look for a shield instead, yes?」 Having finished their drinks, the two went to place the empty bottles in a bin next to the shop, talking about their future plans as they did that. Almost everyone staying in the inns close to the station was planning on taking the train the next day, Aselia had mentioned she was headed towards Ozstein earlier. But that was still when she wanted to buy a spirit sword, and after talking with Mira she had settled on getting a Red Gem Shield instead. So there was no reason for her to go there anymore. 「I’ve decided I’ll go somewhere closer to His Majesty Solomon, in Lunatic Lake. I heard the markets there also sell elemental tools, so maybe I’ll find the shield there.」「Ohh, I didn’t know there was such a place.」 Mira had still to visit the entirety of the capital city, and hearing that she smiled while adding the market to her list of places to visit. 「Also, will you tell me more about Solomon once I achieve rank C?」 She sounded slightly reserved asking that, though her eyes were very hopeful. 「Sure. Then to celebrate when you get there, I’ll tell you what Solomon used to do to train.」「Really?! Thank you! I’ll do my best then!」 Hearing even more than she hoped for, Aselia jumped with joy, Mira’s eyes glued to her cleavage that shuffled slightly open from the movement. 「I’ve also noticed that you seem to travel alone, are you sure you’ll be safe?」 Mira looked away in a sly manner, trying to not arouse any suspicion. She was getting more brazen over time, but it was still hard for her to maintain a conversation while her eyes were distracted. 「Are you going to Alis for some request? Won’t you be lonely all the way there?」 Mira had already achieved a high rank, so that said enough about her power. On top of that, she was a celestial, which meant Mira was much older than Aselia. But her sisterly worries were too strong, making her ask that even if there was no real need for it. Hearing her worried question, 「No need to worry. I won’t lose to any younglings.」 She replied with a presumptuous smile. 「Well, see you around then!」「Mm, until we meet again.」 They agreed to contact each other through the Spellcaster’s Union when the time came, and Aselia left while jumping with happiness. She recalled there was a book on how to maintain shields at the bottom of her luggage, so she wanted to read that as soon as possible. Mira watched her until she disappeared past a corner, then went to look at a map of the establishment, placed on one of the walls. (Where was my room again...) She had just followed the waitress around, so she had no idea where she had come from. She looked through the map trying to find the Sky Room, which was the same name written on her key. Once she found it and traced the route there from the bathhouse, Mira finally left. When Mira returned to her room, the waitress was already placing her dinner on the table. Looking up, she recognized Mira. 「Welcome back. Dinner is almost ready, just give me a minute.」 She continued offloading items from a tray as she spoke. Mira nodded slightly and sat down. The colorful plates were all made of ceramic, which looked beautiful even to someone without art knowledge. So far the table held basic items like pickled vegetables and fried eggs. Mira waited expectantly for the rest, her eyes following the waitress’ tail. Then a voice came from the corridor outside, and the main dishes were brought in. There was tempura, miso soup, a stew, and a bowl of white rice. Mira’s chest was filled with a sense of nostalgia as she saw all those familiar dishes, even their plating being gorgeous and representable of Japanese cuisine. 「Should I introduce the dishes?」「Yes please!」 With everything placed on the table, the Meou waitress asked Mira. She was very much looking forward to that as well, wondering what ingredients had been used in this world to recreate the dishes, so she replied immediately. 「Let’s start from here then. These are Garden Bird eggs, mixed with a broth of smoked Black Tuna and then fried. The bowl next to it is a dish called yamatoni, made of Frost Bison meat cooked in soy sauce, brown sugar, and ginger.」 She eloquently described each dish, going into detail about the ingredients and cooking methods, almost as if she had cooked everything herself. When that was done, the Meou waitress began talking about things that were not directly related to the food as well. Like how the star of the inn’s meals, their freshly caught fish, had to be brought from the sea far away and it was always a rough process, and lamented that while dried products still were tasty, they could not compare to the fresh deal. Another waitress that helped bring the food had to step in and force her to stop talking when that happened. 「Anyway, I hope the food is to your liking. Ring the bell there once you’re done and we’ll come to take the dishes away. Enjoy your meal.」 The other waitress bowed deeply to Mira and then dragged the Meou waitress out of the Sky Room. When the door closed behind them, Mira heard a low 「How many times do we have to tell you to stop that!」 and an 「I’m sorryyy」 from across the thin paper walls. Mira looked towards one side of the room, looking for that bell the waitress mentioned. First, she saw a hanging scroll with ‘Self Control’ written on it, then some flowers arranged colorfully, and to the side of that, a bell similar to the one Solomon used to call Suleyman. By the time Mira found that, she also had to desperately wipe the table. (Self Control...! That’s not something you should write on a scroll like that!) It was written with excessively elaborate calligraphy as well, which made it look very comical. That had made Mira spit out the miso soup she was drinking. There were no major issues after all, and Mira was able to fully enjoy the Japanese cuisine she had missed so dearly. She poured some hot water from a metal container into a teapot, watching the tea leaves slowly float inside, and after a while, she poured some tea into a cup. After a satisfying whiff of tea scent, she took a sip but quickly stuck her tongue out. 「It’s hot...」 Mira waited a bit for her tongue to cool and then finished her meal, taking a deep breath afterward. She flicked the bell after that, and while she heard no sound, it had definitely worked as the two waitresses soon appeared to collect the empty plates. 「Your bed is in the adjoining room. Please use the bell when you wake up tomorrow morning, we’ll bring you breakfast then.」「Alright.」 The Meou waitress went and slid a door open, showing Mira a bed ready for her to slip in and sleep. A magnificent dragon was painted on it, which made Mira feel like she would sleep soundly on it. When the waitresses were done cleaning up, Mira served herself a second cup of tea and drank it. After that Mira yawned widely and stretched. 「I guess it’s time to sleep.」 She muttered standing up. Through another door, she went to the bathroom to wash her hands, but was impressed to see a proper Japanese toilet installed there as well. Once she had thoroughly washed her hands, she took the amenity toothbrush placed for her and got ready for bed. When she was ready, Mira slipped into the bed and lay face up for a while, then she turned her head to the side and looked outside through the window with a wooden frame. It was late at night so everything was silent around her, but the stars still looked busy twinkling at her. Once she closed her eyes, there was only stillness. There was a fragrant scent lingering in the air, and her soft breathing was the only sound she heard. Wrapped in soft blankets, Mira’s breathing became longer as she fell asleep.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 2, "inserted_lines_src": 7, "inserted_lines_trg": 4 }
「あいつらか・・・」降伏の使者であるクノゲンは降伏文章をピウスに持参し、それをハーピーが俺の下に素早く届けてくれた。その書簡に記された名前を見ながら、俺は舌打ちをしていた。自分たちが放り出した領地に復興の兆しが見えたからと言って、まさか軍を率いて奪いに来るとは思わなかった。「まずは敗軍の将たちを引見しなければならないでありますなー」「そうだな。本来はここを連れてくるのが筋なんだが、あそこからじゃ遠い。ピウスの手紙にもある通り、俺が行くしかないな」俺はゴンを背中に乗せ、イリモに乗って奴らの下に向かった。俺たちの姿を隠す結界を張り、上空から状況を見て回る。帝国騎士団はピウスの部隊とゲュリオン、そして海人族の部隊に完全に囲まれており、さらに上空には、帝国騎士団からは見えないが、ハーピーが飛び交っている。蟻のはい出る隙間もないほどに囲まれているのだ。俺はイリモに戦場から少し離れたところに降りてもらい、結界を解除して、奴らのところに向かった。「ピウス!待たせたな!」「リノス様、お待ちしていました。降伏した三名です」ジョーノ、グラゴレイル、オーシェの三人が項垂れるようにして拘束されていた。特にオーシェは顔面蒼白で死人のような顔をしていた。俺はそいつらをイリモの上かし、「ここでは話が出来ん。この三人はホテルクルムファルで引見する。クエナに空いている部屋を使うと伝令を出せ」ハッ!とピウスの配下の一人が返事をし、馬を走らせる。「ホテルは基本的に満室ではないのでありますかー?」「いや、最悪の状況を考えて、必ず一部屋屋は空けてある。そうしないと、スタッフたちが回らないのだ」そんな話をゴンとしていると、一人の男が俺の前に進み出る。「帝国騎士団のクノゲンと申します。この度は我々へのご厚恩、感謝であります。本来ならば騎士団副団長のオーシェが応対せねばなりませんが、ご覧の通りの状況です。誠に不躾ではありますが、私を介添えとして同行させていただきたく、お願い申し上げます」「ク・・・クノゲ、ン、勝手・・・な・・・ことを・・・する・・・な」息も絶え絶えにオーシェが呟く。「このポンコツ野郎じゃ話が出来なさそうだ。いいだろう、クノゲン。同行を許そう」「ありがとうございます」「ピウスはこを連れていけ」オーシェは一人で歩くことが出来ず、クノゲンに肩を貸してもらいながら連れられていった。さすがに司令官が連行される場面は、兵士たちには衝撃的だったようで、動揺が走っている。俺は兵士たちの前に進み「静まれ!全体気を付け!!」一瞬のうちに隊列が整えられる。さすがによく訓練されている。「クルムファル領を管理しているリノスだ。諸君たちは俺たちの館を攻撃した。そのために俺たちも防衛手段を取らせてもらった。亡くなった兵士たちには哀悼の意を表するが、これも戦場の習いだ。この戦いを起こした張本人たちには罪に問うが、諸君たちは命令に従ったまでで、俺たちに敵意はないと信じる。追って帝都に帰還の手続きをとる。指示があるまで待機せよ!」俺はマルセルとカールスにそれぞれ騎士団の兵士を預かるよう指示を出した。兵士たちは唯々諾々と彼らに引率されてカイリークとトホツの町に向かっていった。「フェリス、ルアラ、よくやったぞ」「エヘヘ。大したことじゃないですよー。それにしてもリノスさん、すごいですね。すごいかっこよかったですよ」「師匠、まるで神様のように眩しかったです」「世辞はいい。お前たちは館に帰って、リコたちを警護してくれ。ゲーキもご苦労だった。戻って休んでくれ。ハーピーたちは引き続き空を見張ってくれ。その時はカイリークとトホツの騎士団が大人しくしているかも忘れずに頼む。何か異常があればすぐに知らせてくれ。ご苦労だった!」皆が引き上げていく。俺は飛び立とうとするフェリスを呼び止め、「館に着いたら、ハーピーとゲュリオンたちにぜんざいを作ってやってくれ。少し多めに作れよ?俺達も食べたいから」「任せてください!では!」「お姉さま痛いです!乱暴にしないでください!」「うるさいわね!大人しくしてないと落ちるわよ!」ギャアギャア言いながら二人は森の奥に消えていった。俺はイリモと共に、ホテルクルムファルに向かった。「さて、一体なんでこんなことになったのか、訳を聞こうか?」「・・・」ホテルのスイートルームで始まった降伏の会談は、重苦しい雰囲気が漂っていた。三人共に顔面蒼白で俯いている。面倒くさいのでこいつらを鑑定する。「・・・大体わかった。お前たちはクルムファル領の収穫された作物を横取りするためにこんなことを起こしたんだな?バカな奴らだ。お前たちの下らない欲望のためにいったい何人の人間が迷惑したと思っているんだ。バカ、という言葉以外お前たちを形容する言葉を俺は知らん」「・・・き、貴様などに、わかって、たまるか」絞り出すようにオーシェが呟く。「アホかお前。部下を見殺しにした挙句、死ぬこともできずにのうのうと生き残っている奴のことなど、知りたいとも思わん」オーシェは殺意を込めた目で俺を見ている。「お前たちが起こしたこの戦いの理由は、クルムファル領の収穫物の横取り。違うのなら違うと言え」三人共に俯き、震えている。「無言は肯定と受け取るぞ。それにしてもお前ら厚かましいな。自分たちが放棄した領地が復興したからその収穫物を奪う。どういう思考回路を通れば、そんな考えに至るんだ?死んだ兵士が哀れすぎるな。クノゲン、そもそもこの軍は一体何だ?よくこれだけの兵士を集められたな」「我々は北方軍に所属しており、オーシェ副団長の旗下にある兵たちです」「被害はどのくらいだ?」「約、半数が死傷したと見ています」「そんなにも兵を犬死させたのか。マジでポンコツだな」「僕たちをあまり粗略に扱わない方がいいぞ。僕がその気になれば、君の身分をはく奪することなど、簡単にできるんだ」「ジョーノ、脅しになってないな。大体俺は身分には興味がない。むしろそういう煩わしいことから解放されたいと願っている。身分はく奪?ハッ、こちらからお願いしたいわ!」ジョーノは唇をかみながら俯いている。取りあえず、この三名はホテルで軟禁状態にすることにし、その警護をピウスたちに任せた。俺は報告のため帝都に向かう。途中、カイリークとトホツの町に寄り、捕虜となっている騎士団の様子を見る。特に大きな問題もなさそうだが、やはり同僚が魔物に蹂躙されたのがショックだったのか、皆、暗い顔をしている。兵士たちに飯を食わせてやってくれと、食料を置いておこうとしたが、小母さんたちに断られた。200人以上いるのだが、美味いものを食わせてやるよ!という笑顔にちょっと感謝しながら俺は帝都に向かった。夕闇が迫るころ、宮城に着き、宰相閣下に取り次ぎを願う。しばらく待たされたが、宰相閣下とヴァイラス殿下がやってくる。俺は今日のことを二人に報告した。「帝国騎士団が?そんなバカな」「それは本当のこと・・・なんだろうな」「本当ですよ。まずは、兵たちを帝都に帰さなくてはいけないと思うのですが」「それはそうだ。北方軍の軍団長はラファイエンス殿だ。彼にも知らせてやった方がいいだろう。誰か、ラファイエンス殿を呼んでこい」王国騎士団の詰め所は宮城の中にあることもあって、思いのほか早く軍団長はやってきた。「何と・・・オーシェが・・・。まさかそんなことを考えていたとは・・・」軍団長はかなりショックを受けているようだ。銀髪をきれいにまとめた、ナイス・ガイの風貌をしているが、その顔に大きな影を落としている。「わかりました。今回のことについてはこのラファイエンス、心からお詫びする。明日、私がオーシェとその兵達を連れて帰ろう」「くれぐれも、兵たちに罰を与えないようにお願いします」「もちろんだ。オーシェの命によって多くの兵が失われた。一番の被害者は兵たちかもしれんな」ジョーノとグラゴレイルについても拘束されることになり、明日の朝、俺はラファイエンスと共にクルムファル領に戻ることになった。城を出て、イリモに乗って屋敷に帰る。全員帰っているかと思いきや、まだ誰も帰ってきていなかった。そのまま転移結界に乗り、クルムファルの館に移動する。すると、リコ、ゴン、フェリス、ルアラがいた。「ぜんざい、作りましたよー。みんなとても喜んでくれました」「リコ姉さまにも手伝ってもらいました。姉さますごく手際がいいんですよ」ここだけは平和な時間が流れている。俺はこれまでのことと明日のことを説明する。「それは大変ですわね。私たちは今日はこの館に留まります。何が起こるか分かりませんですから」「リコ、一人で大丈夫か?」「フェリスやルアラがいるから大丈夫ですわ。いざとなればゴンもいますし」「そうか、じゃあ頼むぞ」俺はリコを抱きしめてから、屋敷に帰った。ダイニングでペーリスとメイが待っていた。彼女たちの顔を見ると、昼から何も食べていないことを思い出し、急激に腹が減ってきた。何か作りましょうというペーリスの言葉に甘えつつ、久しぶりに俺も一緒にキッチンに立つ。メイも一緒に手伝ってくれた。今日の日の話をしていると、あっという間にパンにスープにサラダ、黄金鳥のから揚げが出来上がった。この鶏肉も残りわずかになってきた。またジュカ王国に行ける日があれば、また狩りたいものだ。ガッツリ食って満腹になった俺はメイと風呂に入り、そのまま一緒にベッドに入った。	「So it’s them......」 The messenger of the opposite party, Kunogen, delivered the declaration of surrender to Pius, who had the harpies deliver it to me. As I looked at the names on it, I clicked my tongue. I never thought that they would move the army upon seeing the signs of restoration of the territory. 「It seems that we need to have a serious talk with the leaders」「Right. Normally, they should have all come here but, as expected, it’s a bit too far. As Pius said in his letter, it seems that I have no choice but to go there myself」 I put Gon on my back and rode on Irimo towards them. I concealed our figures with a barrier and made rounds in the air to confirm the situation. The imperial knights are surrounded by Pius’ squad, the geryons, and the sea tribe from all sides. As for the knights themselves, I didn’t see much because the sky was full of the harpies. Not even an ant can slip through. I landed a slight distance away from the battlefield, canceled the barrier, and rode towards them. 「Pius! I’ve kept you waiting! 」「Rinos-sama, I was waiting for you. Those are the surrendered three」 The trio of Gragoleir, Oshe, and Jiono was tightly restrained in extreme dejection. Especially Oshe, who had a pale face like that of a dead man. I glanced at them from Irimo. 「We won’t be able to talk here. Move those three to the Hotel Kurumfar. Send a message to Kuena and tell her to prepare a room」 Roger! Answered one of Pius’ subordinates and rode away. 「Isn’t the hotel always completely booked?」「No, considering the possibilities, one or two rooms are always free. If I won’t do that, the staff won’t be able to change shifts」 While I was discussing this with Gon, a man approached me. 「I’m Kunogen of the Imperial Knights’ Order. I’m deeply grateful for showing us your grace. Originally, it should have been the vice-captain Oshe instead of me but you can see the situation. Although it’s presumptuous of me, I would like to ask you for an opportunity to accompany as an adjutant」「Ku.....noge, n, don’t.....make....arbitrary......decisions」 Muttered Oshe in uneven breath. 「It doesn’t seem like I will be able to have a proper conversation with this metal can. Fine, Kunogen. I shall permit you to accompany me」「Thank you very much」「Pius, bring these four with you」 Since Oshe couldn’t walk by himself, Kunogen was forced to lend him a shoulder. It seems that this scene finally made the soldiers snap out of their dazed state and follow after him while clamoring. I stood before the soldiers. 「Silence! Assume the formation!!」 It took only a moment for them to restore the formation. They’ve been trained well. 「I’m the manager of the Kurumfar territory, Rinos. You’ve launched an attack against my mansion. With that as a reason, we made defensive preparations. I express my condolences to the dead but this is how the battlefield works. The masterminds will be questioned and trialed but I believe that the gentlemen here only followed the orders and don’t bear any hostility against me. Your return to the imperial capital shall be discussed afterwards. You are on standby until further orders」 I split the knights and instructed Marcel and Kars to watch over them. The soldiers proceeded to their respective towns without any complaints. 「Ferris, Luara, job well done」「Ehehe. It wasn’t a big deal. That being said, Rinos-san is amazing. You were incredibly cool」「Teacher was as dazzling as a God」「That’s enough for the flattery. Return to the mansion and protect Rico and the rest. Geki did well too. Return and rest. The harpies are to continue watching from the sky. Please remind the knights to behave is something goes wrong. Let me know is there is something wrong. Good work, everyone! 」 Everyone energetically replied. I called Ferris as she was about to take off. 「Make some zenzai for the harpies and the geryons once you reach the mansion. Make a lot. We will have some too」「Leave it to me! Well then! 」「It hurts, big sister! Don’t be so rough! 」「Noisy! You will fall if you won’t stay put! 」 The two disappeared deep into the forest as they argued. Irimo and I headed towards the Hotel Kurumfar. 「All right then, can anyone tell me how did this situation came into being?」「........」 The meeting in the hotel started with a heavy atmosphere. All three of them stayed silent with pale faces. Since it is rather troublesome, let’s appraise them. 「......I mostly understood. Did you guys do all of that for the sake of obtaining our harvest? Morons. Did you ever think how many people did you inconvenienced with your stupid ambitions? I don’t have any other words but morons to describe you 」「.......Like, someone like y-you, can understand us」 Muttered Oshe as if squeezing something out. 「Hey, you over there. Should I remind you about sending your people to a certain death, people, who are either dead now or still live wishing to die?」[] Oshe stared at me with killing intent. 「The reason for this battle is your desire for our harvest. Tell me if I’m wrong」 The three silently trembled. 「I shall treat your silence as an affirmation. That being said, you are truly shameless. You immediately wanted to take the harvest of the territory that you yourself abandoned. What kind of logic even led you to this conclusion? The soldiers are too pitiful. Kunogen, what is this army in the first place? You did well gathering this many」「We are affiliated with the Northern Army, they are the soldiers under vice-captain Oshe」「How many casualties?」「About a half is either dead of injured」「Did you lose so much? You truly are a metal can」「You better treat us well. If you put my mind into it, I can easily take away your title even with your identity」「It’s not even a threat, Jiono. I’m not interested in obtaining status in the first. I would be glad to take it easy. Deprive me of my title? Hah, please do! 」 Jiono, turned silent as he bit his lips. For now, we put the three under house arrest with Pius watching over them. I, on the other hand, headed to the capital to make a report. On the way, I visited Kairiku and Tohotsu to check on the captured knights. There were no particular problems except for the feeling of gloom on their faces. I tried leaving some food behind to feed them but I was refused by the aunties. Although there are more than of them, we will give them something nice to eat! They said as I headed to the capital with a gratified smile. At dusk, I arrived at the imperial palace and asked for an audience with the prime minister. After a while, the prime minister and Prince Viras appeared before me. Then, I made a report about the events of today. 「The imperial knights? This is ridiculous」「Is this.....really true? 」「It’s true. First thing first, I think that we should return the knights to the capital first」「Makes sense. Rafaiens-dono is the commander of the Northern Army. It’s better to tell him about it. Someone, summon Rafaiens-dono」 The headquarters of the Northern Army were near the palace so the commander appeared soon enough. 「What?......Oshe did?....I never expected that he was up to something like this」 The commander received quite a shock. He is a silver-haired nice guy but his face now had a shadow on it. 「Understood. Let me, Rafaiens, offer my deepest apologies about this matter. Tomorrow, I will bring Oshe and his men back」「Even so, I ask to not punish his men in for that」「Of course. We lost many lives because of Oshe. The soldiers might be the biggest victims here」 Gragoleir and Jiono are going to be detained and it ended up with me and Rafaiens going to the Kurumfar territory in the morning of the next day. I left the palace, mounted Irimo, and returned to my mansion. I thought that everyone would already be there but I didn’t find anyone. I went straight to the Kurumfar mansion using the teleportation barrier. There, I found Rico, Gon, Ferris, and Luara. 「I made a zenzai. Everyone was pleased」「Big sister Rico helped us too. Big sister is really skillful」 Only this place is truly peaceful. Then, I explained about the event of today and the plans for the future. 「Seems like a lot of trouble. We would stay overnight in this mansion. I can’t predict what may happen」「Are going to be all right all alone, Rico?」「Ferris and Luara are here so I would be fine. If it comes to it, Gon is here too」「I see, then I’m counting on you」 I hugged Rico and returned to my mansion. Peris and Mei were waiting for me in the dining room. When I looked at them, I finally remembered that I didn’t eat anything for the whole day and the hunger assaulted me in full force. Let’s make something, I heard from Peris and stood in the kitchen for the first time in a long while. Mei also joined us. As we talked about the things that happened during the day, bread, soup, salad, and karaage from the meat of a golden bird were made by us. I don’t have much of these birds’ meat left. If there would be a day when I return to the Juka Kingdom, I want to hunt them by all means. Stuffing myself until I was full, I entered the bath together with Mei and then went with her all the way to the bed.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 0, "inserted_lines_src": 0, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
〝ぬ、抜いてたもぉ~、お尻のそれ抜いてたもぉ~〟北の山脈地帯の中腹、薙ぎ倒された木々と荒れ果てた川原に、何とも情けない声が響いていた。声質は女だ。直接声を出しているわけではなく、広域版の念話の様に響いている。竜の声帯と口内では人間の言葉など話せないから、空気の振動以外の方法で伝達しているのは間違いない。だが、そもそも人の言葉を話せる魔物自体が有り得ないのだ。現在、確認されているのは何処ぞの人面魚だけだ。一般的な認識でも、人の言語を解する魔物など唯一の例外を除いて存在しないはずである。故に、ここで推測出来る可能性となれだろう。この黒竜が目の山脈地帯よりも向こう側の完全に未知の魔物である可能性。そして、もう一つは...... 「お前......まさか、竜人族なのか?」〝む? いかにも。妾は誇り高き竜人族の一人じゃ。偉いんじゃぞ? 凄いんじゃぞ? だからの、いい加減お尻のそれ抜いて欲しいんじゃが......そろそろ魔力が切れそうなのじゃ。この状態で元に戻ったら......大変なことになるのじゃ......妾のお尻が〟ハジメがまさかと思いつつ黒竜にした質問の答えは予想通りの大正解だった。ハジメは、内心自分の〝縁〟というものに呆れた。この世界に来て一体何度、〝レアな存在〟と出会うというのか。ユエは年前の戦争で滅びたはずの吸血鬼族だし、シアはこの時代の〝先祖返り(推定)〟だし、眼前の黒竜は五百年以上前に滅びたはずの竜人族である。「......なぜ、こんなところに?」ハジメが自分に呆れている間に、ユエが黒竜に質問をする。ユエにとっても竜人族は伝説の生き物だ。自分と同じ絶滅したはずの種族の生き残りとなれば、興味を惹かれるのだろう。瞳に好奇の光が宿っている。〝いや、そんなことよりお尻のそれを......魔力残量がもうほとんど...ってアッ、止めるのじゃ! ツンツンはダメじゃ! 刺激がっ! 刺激がっ~!〟ユエの質問を無視して自分の要望を伝える黒竜に、ハジメは「ユエが質問してんだろうが、あぁ?」とチンピラのような態度で黒竜のお尻から生えている杭を拳でガンガンと叩く。直接体の内側に衝撃が伝わり、悲鳴を上げて身悶える黒竜。出会った当初の死神もかくやという偉容はまるで夢幻だったとでも言うように微塵も見受けられなかった。「滅んだはずの竜人族が何故こんなところで、一介の冒険者なんぞ襲っていたのか......俺も気になるな。本来なら、このまま尻からぶち抜いてやるところを、話を聞く間くらいは猶予してやるんだ。さぁ、きりきり吐け」ハジメとしても、伝説の竜人族の行動にしては余りに不自然なので、本来敵であるなら容赦はしないのだが、少し猶予して話を促す。片手で杭をぐりぐりしながら。〝あっ、くっ、ぐりぐりはらめぇ~なのじゃ~。は、話すから!〟ハジメの所業に、周囲の者達が完全にドン引きしていたがハジメは気にしない。このままでは話が出来なさそうなので、ぐりぐりは止めてやるハジメ。しかし、片手は杭に添えられたままだ。黒竜は、ぐりぐりが止まりホッとしたように息を吐く。そして、若干急ぎ気味に事情を話し始めた。その声音に艶があるような気がするのは気のせいだろうか。〝妾は、操られておったのじゃ。お主等を襲ったのも本意ではない。仮初の主、あの男にそこの青年と仲間達を見つけて殺せと命じられたのじゃ〟黒竜の視線がウィルに向けられる。ウィルは、一瞬ビクッと体を震わせるが気丈に黒竜を睨み返した。ハジメの戦いを見て、何か吹っ切れたのかもしれない。「どういうことだ?」〝うむ、順番に話す。妾は......〟黒竜の話を要約するとこうだ。この黒竜は、ある目的のために竜人族の隠れ里を飛び出して来たらしい。その目的とは、異世界からの来訪者について調べるというものだ。詳細は省かれたが、竜人族の中には魔力感知に優れた者がおり、数ヶ月前に大魔力の放出と何かがこの世界にやって来たことを感知したらしい。竜人族は表舞台には関わらないという種族の掟があるらしいのだが、流石に、この未知の来訪者の件を何も知らないまま放置するのは、自分達にとっても不味いのではないかと、議論の末、遂に調査の決定がなされたそうだ。目の前の黒竜は、その調査の目的で集落から出てきたらしい。本来なら、山脈を越えた後は人型で市井に紛れ込み、竜人族であることを秘匿して情報収集に励むつもりだったのだが、その前に一度しっかり休息をと思い、この一つ目の山脈と二つ目の山脈の中間辺りで休んでいたらしい。当然、周囲には魔物もいるので竜人族の代名詞たる固有魔法〝竜化〟により黒竜状態になって。と、睡眠状態に入った黒竜の前に一人の黒いローブを頭からすっぽりと被った男が現れた。その男は、眠る黒竜に洗脳や暗示などの闇系魔法を多用して徐々にその思考と精神を蝕んでいった。当然、そんな事をされれば起きて反撃するのが普通だ。だが、ここで竜人族の悪癖が出る。そう、例の諺の元にもなったように、竜化して睡眠状態に入った竜人族は、まず起きないのだ。それこそ尻を蹴り飛ばされでもしない限り。それでも、竜人族は精神力においても強靭なタフネスを誇るので、そう簡単に操られたりはしない。では、なぜ、ああも完璧に操られたのか。それは...... 〝恐ろしい男じゃった。闇系統の魔法に関しては天才と言っていいレベルじゃろうな。そんな男に丸一日かけて間断なく魔法を行使されたのじゃ。いくら妾と言えど、流石に耐えられんかった......〟一生の不覚! と言った感じで悲痛そうな声を上げる黒竜。しかし、ハジメは冷めた目でツッコミを入れる。「それはつまり、調査に来ておいて丸一日、魔法が掛けられているのにも気づかないくらい爆睡していたって事じゃないのか?」全員の目が、何となくバカを見る目になる。黒竜は視線を明後日の方向に向け、何事もなかったように話を続けた。ちなみに、なぜ丸一日かけたと知っているのかというと、洗脳が完了した後も意識自体はあるし記憶も残るところ、本人が「丸一日もかかるなんて......」と愚痴を零していたのを聞いていたからだ。その後、ローブの男に従い、二つ目の山脈以降で魔物の洗脳を手伝わされていたのだという。そして、ある日、一つ目の山脈に移動させていたブルタールの群れが、山に調査依頼で訪れていたウィル達と遭遇し、目撃者は消せという命令を受けていたため、これを追いかけた。うち一匹がローブの男に報告に向かい、万一、自分が魔物を洗脳して数を集めていると知られるのは不味いと万全を期して黒竜を差し向けたらしい。で、気がつけばハジメにフルボッコにされており、このままでは死ぬと思いパニックを起した。それがあの魔力爆発だ。そして、洗脳された脳に強固に染み付いた命令に従って最後の特攻を仕掛けたところ、シアの一撃を脳天にくらって意識が飛び、次に、尻に名状し難い衝撃と刺激が走って一気に意識が覚醒したのである。正気に戻れた原因が、脳天への一撃か尻への一撃かはわからない。「......ふざけるな」事情説明を終えた黒竜に、そんな激情を必死に押し殺したような震える声が発せられた。皆が、その人物に目を向ける。拳を握り締め、怒りを宿した瞳で黒竜を睨んでいるのはウィルだった。「......操られていたから...ゲイルさんを、ナバルさんを、レントさんを、ワスリーさんをクルトさんを! 殺したのは仕方ないとでも言うつもりかっ!」どうやら、状況的に余裕が出来たせいか冒険者達を殺されたことへの怒りが湧き上がったらしい。激昂して黒竜へ怒声を上げる。〝......〟対する黒竜は、反論の一切をしなかった。ただ、静かな瞳でウィルの言葉の全てを受け止めるよう真っ直ぐ見つめている。その態度がまた気に食わないのか「大体、今の話だって、本当かどうかなんてわからないだろう! 大方、死にたくなくて適当にでっち上げたに決まってる!」〝......今話したのは真実じゃ。竜人族の誇りにかけて嘘偽りではない〟なお、言い募ろうとするウィル。それに口を挟んだのはユエだ。「......きっと、嘘じゃない」「っ、一体何の根拠があってそんな事を......」食ってかかるウィルを一瞥すると、ユエは黒竜を見つめながらぽつぽつと語る。「......竜人族は高潔で清廉。私は皆よりずっと昔を生きた。竜人族の伝説も、より身近なもの。彼女は〝己の誇りにかけて〟と言った。なら、きっと嘘じゃない。それに......嘘つきの目がどういうものか私はよく知っている」ユエは、ほんの少し黒竜から目を逸らして遠くを見る目をした。きっと、三百年前の出来事を思い出しているのだろう。孤高の王女として祭り上げられた彼女の周りは、結果の出た今から思えば、嘘が溢れていたのだろう。もっとも身近な者達ですら彼女の言う〝嘘つき〟だったのだから。その事実から目を逸らし続けた結果が〝裏切り〟だった。それ故に、〝人生の勉強〟というには些か痛すぎる経験を経た今では、彼女の目は〝嘘つき〟に敏感だ。初対面でハジメに身を預けられたのも、それしか方法がないというのも確かにあったが、ハジメ自身が一切の誤魔化しをしなかったというのが、今にして思えば大きな理由だったのだろう。〝ふむ、この時代にも竜人族のあり方を知るものが未だいたとは......いや、昔と言ったかの?〟竜人族という存在のあり方を未だ語り継ぐものでもいるのかと、若干嬉しそうな声音の黒竜。「......ん。私は、吸血鬼族の生き残り。三百年前は、よく王族のあり方の見本に竜人族の話を聞かされた」〝何と、吸血鬼族の......しかも三百年とは......なるほど死んだと聞いていたが、主がかつての吸血姫か。確か名は......〟どうやら、この黒竜はユエと同等以上に生きているらしい。しかも、口振りからして世界情勢にも全く疎いというわけではないようだ。今回の様に、時々正体を隠して世情の調査をしているのかもしれない。その黒竜にして吸血姫の生存は驚いたようだ。周囲の、ウィルや愛子達も驚愕の目でユエを見ている。「ユエ......それが私の名前。大切な人に貰った大切な名前。そう呼んで欲しい」ユエが、薄らと頬を染めながら両手で何かを抱きしめるような仕草をする。ユエにとって竜人族とは、正しく見本のような存在だったのだろう。話す言葉の端々に敬意が含まれている気がする。ウィルの罵倒を止めたのも、その辺りの心情が絡んでいるのかもしれない。ユエの周囲に、何となく幸せオーラがほわほわと漂っている気がする。皆、突然の惚気に当てられて、女性陣は何か物凄く甘いものを食べたような表情をし、男子達は、頬を染め得も言われぬ魅力を放つユエに見蕩れている。ウィルも、何やら気勢を削がれてしまったようだ。だが、それでも親切にしてくれた先輩冒険者達の無念を思い言葉を零してしまう。「......それでも、殺した事に変わりないじゃないですか......どうしようもなかったってわかってはいますけど......それでもっ! ゲイルさんは、この仕事が終わったらプロポーズするんだって......彼らの無念はどうすれば......」頭では黒竜の言葉が嘘でないと分かっている。しかし、だからと言って責めずにはいられない。心が納得しない。ハジメは内心、「また、見事なフラグを立てたもんだな」と変に感心しながら、ふとここに来るまでに拾ったロケットペンダントを思い出す。「ウィル、ゲイルってやつの持ち物か?」そう言って、取り出したロケットペンダントをウィルに放り投げた。ウィルはそれを受け取ると、マジマジと見つめ嬉しそうに相好を崩す。「これ、僕のロケットじゃないですか! 失くしたと思ってたのに、拾ってくれてたんですね。ありがとうございます!」「あれ? お前の?」「はい、ママの写真が入っているので間違いありません!」「マ、ママ?」予想が見事に外れた挙句、斜め上を行く答えが返ってきて思わず頬が引き攣るハジメ。写真の女性は二十代前半と言ったところなので、疑問に思いその旨を聞くと、「せっかくのママの写真なのですから若い頃の一番写りのいいものがいいじゃないですか」と、まるで自然の摂理を説くが如く素で答えられた。その場の全員が「ああ、マザコンか」と物凄く微妙な表情をした。女性陣はドン引きしていたが...... ちなみに、ゲイルとやらの相手は〝男〟らしい。そして、ゲイルのフルネームはゲイル・ホモルカというそうだ。名は体を表すとはよく言ったものである。母親の写真を取り戻したせいか、随分と落ち着いた様子のウィル。何が功を奏すのか本当にわからない。だが、落ち着いたとは言っても、恨み辛みが消えたわけではない。ウィルは、今度は冷静に、黒竜を殺すべきだと主張した。また、洗脳されたら脅威だというのが理由だが、建前なのは見え透いている。主な理由は復讐だろう。そんな中、黒竜が懺悔するように、声音に罪悪感を含ませながら己の言葉を紡ぐ。〝操られていたとはいえ、妾が罪なき人々の尊き命を摘み取ってしまったのは事実。償えというなら、大人しく裁きを受けよう。だが、それには今しばらく猶予をくれまいか。せめて、あの危険な男を止めるまで。あの男は、魔物の大群を作ろうとしておる。竜人族は大陸の運命に干渉せぬと掟を立てたが、今回は妾の責任もある。放置はできんのじゃ......勝手は重々承知しておる。だが、どうかこの場は見逃してくれんか〟黒竜の言葉を聞き、その場の全員が魔物の大群という言葉に驚愕をあらわにする。自然と全員の視線がハジメに集まる。このメンバーの中では、自然とリーダーとして見られているようだ。実際、黒竜に止めを刺そうとしたのはハジメなので、決断を委ねるのは自然な流れと言えるだろう。そのハジメの答えは、「いや、お前の都合なんざ知ったことじゃないし。散々面倒かけてくれたんだ。詫びとして死ね」そう言って義手の拳を振りかぶった。〝待つのじゃー! お、お主、今の話の流れで問答無用に止めを刺すとかないじゃろ! 頼む! 詫びなら必ずする! 事が終われば好きにしてくれて構わん! だから、今しばらくの猶予を! 後生じゃ!〟ハジメは冷めた目で黒竜の言葉を無視し拳を振るおうとした。だが、それは叶わなかった。振るおうとした瞬間、ユエがハジメの首筋にしがみついたからだ。驚いて、思わず抱きとめるハジメの耳元でユエが呟く。「......殺しちゃうの?」「え? いや、そりゃあ殺し合いしたわけだし......」「......でも、敵じゃない。殺意も悪意も、一度も向けなかった。意志を奪われてた」どうやら、ユエ的には黒竜を死なせたくないらしい。ユエにとっては、竜人族というのは憧れの強いものらしく、一定の敬意も払っているようだ。しかも、今回は殺し合いになったと言っても、終始、黒竜は殺意や悪意をハジメ達に向けなかった。今ならその理由もわかる。文字通り意志を奪われており、刷り込まれた命令を機械の如くこなしていたに過ぎない。それでも、殺しあった事に変わりはないが、そもそも黒竜はウィルしか眼中になく、ハジメと戦闘になったのは、ハジメが殺意を以て黒竜に挑んだからである。更に言えば、ハジメの都合上ウィルに死なれては困るので、ウィルを狙ったという点では確かに敵と言えるかもしれないが、その意志は黒竜の背後にいる黒ローブの男だ。敵と言うなら、むしろこっちだろう。それに、止めた理由はもう一つある。ユエとて、ハジメのスタンスは知っている。しかし、ユエの眼には、かつて殺してきた〝敵〟と黒竜が同じには見えなかった。吸血鬼族の王であって、手痛い経験もあるユエの人を見る目は確かだ。そのユエの目は、己の心に黒竜の本質を〝敵〟とは伝えていなかった。ユエは、ハジメには出来るだけ〝敵〟以外の者を殺して欲しくなかったのだ。なぜなら、「......自分に課した大切なルールに妥協すれば、人はそれだけ壊れていく。黒竜を殺すことは本当にルールに反しない?」ハジメが〝敵〟以外を殺す事で〝壊れて〟いくのではないかと心配しているのである。ユエの言葉を受け止め、その心を察するハジメは、よくよく考えてみると、今の黒竜は〝敵〟と認定するべきものかと少し首を捻る。操られていたからといって、殺し合いの最中にそれを慮ってやるほどハジメは甘くはない。容赦なく殺すだろう。しかし、洗脳が解けて正気が戻った後にまで、わざわざ処刑するように殺すことは〝敵は殺す〟という考えとズレているのではないか? 首元に抱きつき、今にもキスしそうな至近距離のユエと見つめ合いながら、そんな事を考えていると、不意に、割と切羽詰った声に話しかけられた。〝いい雰囲気のところ申し訳ないのじゃがな、迷いがあるなら、取り敢えずお尻の杭だけでも抜いてくれんかの? このままでは妾、どっちにしろ死んでしまうのじゃ〟「ん? どういうことだ?」〝竜化状態で受けた外的要因は、元に戻ったとき、そのまま肉体に反映されるのじゃ。想像してみるのじゃ。女の尻にその杭が刺さっている光景を......妾が生きていられると思うかの?〟その場の全員が、黒竜のいう光景を想像してしまい「うわ~」と表情を引き攣らせた。特に女性陣はお尻を押さえて青ざめている。〝でじゃ、その竜化は魔力で維持しておるんじゃが、もう魔力が尽きる。あと一分ももたないのじゃ......新しい世界が開けたのは悪くないのじゃが、流石にそんな方法で死ぬのは許して欲しいのじゃ。後生じゃから抜いてたもぉ〟若干、気になる言葉があったが、その弱々しい声音に本当に限界が近いようで、どうやらハジメが考えている時間はないらしい。ハジメは、片腕にユエを抱いたまま、迷うくらいならパートナーの言葉に従っておこうと決める。人とは、得てして自分のことほどわからないものだ。ならば、もっとも信頼するパートナーが感じている不安を取り除く方向で決断するのも間違いではないだろう。ハジメは、そう考えて空いている方の手で黒竜の尻に刺さっている杭に手をかけた。そして、力を込めて引き抜いていく。〝はぁあん! ゆ、ゆっくり頼むのじゃ。まだ慣れておらっあふぅうん。やっ、激しいのじゃ! こんな、ああんっ! きちゃうう、何かきちゃうのじゃ~〟みっちり刺さっているので、何度か捻りを加えたり、上下左右にぐりぐりしながら力を相当込めて引き抜いていくと、何故か黒竜が物凄く艶のある声音で喘ぎ始めた。ハジメは、その声の一切を無視して容赦なく抉るように引き抜く。ズボッ!! 〝あひぃいーーー!! す、すごいのじゃ......優しくってお願いしたのに、容赦のかけらもなかったのじゃ......こんなの初めて......〟そんな訳のわからないことを呟く黒竜は、直後、その体を黒色の魔力で繭のように包み完全に体を覆うと、その大きさをスルスルと小さくしていく。そして、ちょうど人が一人入るくらいの大きさになると、一気に魔力が霧散した。黒き魔力が晴れたその場には、両足を揃えて崩れ落ち、片手で体を支えながら、もう片手でお尻を押さえて、うっとりと頬を染める黒髪金眼の美女がいた。腰まである長く艶やかなストレートの黒髪が薄らと紅く染まった頬に張り付き、ハァハァと荒い息を吐いて恍惚の表情を浮かべている。見た目は二十代前半くらいで、身長はセンチ近くあるだろう。見事なプロポーションを誇っており、息をする度に、乱れて肩口まで垂れ下がった衣服から覗く二つの双丘が激しく自己主張し、今にもこぼれ落ちそうになっている。シアがメロンなら、黒竜はスイカでry...... 黒竜の正体が、やたらと艶かしい美女だったことに特に男子が盛大に反応している。思春期真っ只中の男子生徒三人は、若干前屈みになってしまった。このまま行けん這い状態になるかもしれない。女子生徒の彼等を見る目は既にゴキブリを見る目と大差がない。「ハァハァ、うむぅ、助かったのじゃ......まだお尻に違和感があるが......それより全身あちこち痛いのじゃ......ハァハァ......痛みというものがここまで甘美なものとは......」何やら危ない表情で危ない発言をしている黒竜は、気を取り直して座り直し背筋をまっすぐに伸ばすと凛とした雰囲気で自己紹介を始めた。まだ、若干、ハァハァしているので色々台無しだったが...... 「面倒をかけた。本当に、申し訳ない。妾の名はティオ・クラルス。最後の竜人族クラルス族の一人じゃ」ティオ・クラルスと名乗った黒竜は、次いで、黒ローブの男が、魔物を洗脳して大群を作り出し町を襲う気であると語った。その数は、既に三千から四千に届く程の数だという。何でも、二つ目の山脈の向こう側から、魔物の群れの主にのみ洗脳を施すことで、効率よく群れを配下に置いているのだとか。魔物を操ると言えば、そもそもハジメ達がこの世界に呼ばれる建前となった魔人族の新たな力が思い浮かぶ。それは愛子達も一緒だったのか、黒ローブの男の正体は魔人族なのではと推測したようだ。しかし、その推測は、ティオによってあっさり否定される。何でも黒ローブの男は、黒髪黒目の人間族で、まだ少年くらいの年齢だったというのだ。それに、黒竜たるティオを配下にして浮かれていたのか、仕切りに「これで自分は勇者より上だ」等と口にし、随分と勇者に対して妬みがあるようだったという。黒髪黒目の人間族の少年で、闇系統魔法に天賦の才がある者。ここまでヒントが出れば、流石に脳裏にとある人物が浮かび上がる。愛子達は一様に「そんな、まさか......」と呟きながら困惑と疑惑が混ざった複雑な表情をした。限りなく黒に近いが、信じたくないと言ったところだろう。と、そこでハジメが突如、遠くを見る目をして「おお、これはまた......」などと呟きを漏らした。聞けば、ティオの話を聞いてから、無人探査機を回して魔物の群れや黒ローブの男を探していたらしい。そして、遂に無人探査機の一機がとある場所に集合する魔物の大群を発見した。その数は...... 「こりゃあ、三、四千ってレベルじゃないぞ? 桁が一つ追加されるレベルだ」ハジメの報告に全員が目を見開く。しかも、どうやら既に進軍を開始しているようだ。方角は間違いなくウルの町がある方向。このまま行けば、半日もしない内に山を下り、一日あれば町に到達するだろう。「は、早く町に知らせないと! 避難させて、王都から救援を呼んで......それから、それから......」事態の深刻さに、愛子が混乱しながらも必死にすべきことを言葉に出して整理しようとする。いくら何でも数万の魔物の群れが相手では、チートスペックとは言えトラウマ抱えた生徒達と戦闘経験がほとんどない愛子、駆け出し冒険者のウィルに、魔力が枯渇したティオでは相手どころか障害物にもならない。なので、愛子の言う通り、一刻も早く町に危急を知らせて、王都から救援が来るまで逃げ延びるのが最善だ。と、皆が動揺している中、ふとウィルが呟くように尋ねた。「あの、ハジメ殿なら何とか出来るのでは......」その言葉で、全員が一斉にハジメの方を見る。その瞳は、もしかしたらという期待の色に染まっていた。ハジメは、それらの視線を鬱陶しそうに手で振り払う素振りを見せると、投げやり気味に返答する。「そんな目で見るなよ。俺の仕事は、ウィルをフューレンまで連れて行く事なんだ。保護対象連れて戦争なんてしてられるか。いいからお前等も、さっさと町に戻って報告しとけって」ハジメのやる気なさげな態度に反感を覚えたような表情をする生徒達やウィル。そんな中、思いつめたような表情の愛子がハジメに問い掛けた。「南雲君、黒いローブの男というのは見つかりませんか?」「ん? いや、さっきから群れをチェックしているんだが、それらしき人影はないな」愛子は、ハジメの言葉に、また俯いてしまう。そして、ポツリと、ここに残って黒いローブの男が現在の行方不明の清水幸利なのかどうかを確かめたいと言い出した。生徒思いの愛子の事だ。このような事態を引き起こしたのが自分の生徒なら放って置くことなどできないのだろう。しかし、数万からなる魔物が群れている場所に愛子を置いていくことなど出来るわけがなく、園部達生徒は必死に愛子を説得する。しかし、愛子は逡巡したままだ。その内、じゃあ南雲が同行すれば...何て意見も出始めた。いい加減、この場に留まって戻る戻らないという話をするのも面倒になったハジメは、愛子に冷めた眼差しを向ける。「残りたいなら勝手にしろ。俺達はウィルを連れて町に戻るから」そう言って、ウィルの肩口を掴み引きずるように下山し始めた。それに慌てて異議を唱えるウィルや愛子達。曰く、このまま大群を放置するのか、黒ローブの正体を確かめたい、ハジメなら大群も倒せるのではないか...... ハジメが、溜息を吐き若干苛立たしげに愛子達を振り返った。「さっきも言ったが、俺の仕事はウィルの保護だ。保護対象連れて、大群と戦争なんかやってられない。仮に殺るとしても、こんな起伏が激しい上に障害物だらけのところで殲滅戦なんてやりにくくてしょうがない。真っ平御免被るよ。それに、仮に大群と戦う、あるいは黒ローブの正体を確かめるって事をするとして、じゃあ誰が町に報告するんだ? 万一、俺達が全滅した場合、町は大群の不意打ちを食らうことになるんだぞ? ちなみに、魔力駆動二輪は俺じゃないと動かせない構造だから、俺に戦わせて他の奴等が先に戻るとか無理だからな?」理路整然と自分達の要求が、如何に無意味で無謀かを突きつけられて何も言えなくなる愛子達。「まぁ、ご主じ......コホンッ、彼の言う通りじゃな。妾も魔力が枯渇している以上、何とかしたくても何もできん。まずは町に危急を知らせるのが最優先じゃろ。妾も一日あれば、だいぶ回復するはずじゃしの」押し黙った一同へ、後押しするようにティオが言葉を投げかける。若干、ハジメに対して変な呼び方をしそうになっていた気がするが......気のせいだろう。愛子も、確かに、それが最善だと清水への心配は一時的に押さえ込んで、まずは町への知らせと、今、傍にいる生徒達の安全の確保を優先することにした。ティオが、魔力枯渇で動けないのでハジメが首根っこを掴みズルズルと引きずって行く。実は、誰がティオを背負っていくかと言うことで男子達が壮絶な火花を散らしたのだが、それは女子生徒達によって却下され、ティオ本人の希望もあり、何故かハジメが運ぶことになった。だが、そこで背負ったり、抱っこしないのがハジメクオリティー。面倒くさそうに顔をしかめると、いきなりティオの足を掴みズルズルと引き摺りだしたのだ。愛子達の猛抗議により、仕方なく首根っこに持ち替えたが、やはり引き摺るのはかわらない。何を言ってもハジメは改めない上、何故かティオが恍惚の表情を浮かべ周囲をドン引きさせた結果、現在のスタイルでの下山となった。一行は、背後に大群という暗雲を背負い、急ぎウルの町に戻る。	“I-it’s pulling~, it’s pulling out this one’s *~” On the mountain side of the northern mountain range, where trees were mowed down and the dried up river was in ruins, a truly miserable voice rang out. It was a woman’s voice. A voice that was not spoken, but rang out just like a wide area version of telepathy. Because a dragon’s vocal chords and mouth were incapable of speaking human words, it definitely used a method to transmit words through air vibrations. However, it was impossible for demonic beasts to speak in human words in the first place. Currently, the only confirmed case was the human-faced fish from somewhere. Even among the general population, there shouldn’t be an existence such as a demonic beast capable of understanding human language. Furthermore, the existence of the Black Dragon right before their eyes was strange in and of itself. It was the first thing to ever endure so many shots of Hajime’s railguns excluding the ones in Great Dungeons. Moreover, although there were powerful demonic beasts that could fire such Breath, they shouldn’t exist around this place. If they lived here, then the danger should already be widely known. Therefore, he deduced two possibilities as to why it’s here. First: it was possible this Black Dragon came from further than the fifth mountain range, a completely unknown demonic beast. Following that, the other one was.... “You... ... don’t tell me, are you from the Ryuujin race?” “Mu? Indeed. This one came from the prideful Ryuujin race. Isn’t that great? Isn’t that amazing? That’s why, although this one wants to pull it out of this one’s ... ... this one’s magic power is about to be cut off. If this one returns to original form in this situation... ... it’ll be awful... ... this one’s will.” Hajime thought it couldn’t be possible, but the Black Dragon replied, saying he was correct. Hajime was surprised in the “edge” of his mind. Just how many times since he coming to this world did he meet “rare existences.” Yue was from the Vampire race that should have been annihilated in the wars years ago. Shia was the current generation’s atavism, and right before his eyes was the Black Dragon who came from the Ryuujin race, which was believed to have been annihilated more than years ago. “... ... Why are you in this place?” While Hajime was still surprised, Yue continued to ask the Black Dragon. The Ryuujin race was a legend even for Yue. She was interested in whether or not it was the only living one of its race, just like her. The light of curiosity dwelled in her eyes. “Well, more importantly, the ... ... the amount of magic power remaining is about... ... eh, ah, please stop! Poking it is not good! The stimulation—! The stimulation—~!” Because the Black Dragon ignored Yue’s question, speaking with a delinquent-like attitude, Hajime said, “You dare to ignore Yue’s question, Aa?,” while using his fist to drive in the stake sprouting from the Black Dragon’s butt. With the shock directly spreading inside its body, the Black Dragon let out a scream as it writhed. Its dignified appearance as if it was a death god when they first met was just like an illusion because not even a bit of that remained. “Just why would the should be perished Ryuujin race be here, attacking mere adventurers... ... I also want to hear about that. Normally, I’d just pierce your as is, but I’ll delay that to hear your story. Well then, tell me briefly.” Hajime thought the actions of this legendary Ryuujin race were too unnatural. Normally he’d be merciless, but he slightly delayed that as he urged it to speak. And he continued to grind the stake with his hand. “Ah, kuh, stop grinding it~ nanojya~. I-I’ll tell you!” Hajime’s action astonished the surrounding others, but Hajime didn’t mind them. Because it couldn’t talk if he kept it up, Hajime stopped the grinding. However, his hand was still affixed to the stake. The Black Dragon was relieved when the grinding stopped as it let out a sigh. Following that, it began to talk about its circumstances in a somewhat hurried tone. The captivated tone must be just their imagination. “This one was being manipulated by someone. This one didn’t have any intention to attack thou. The temporary master ordered this one to find the young man over there and his companion and kill them.” The Black Dragon turned its gaze towards Will. Will was twitching for a moment and his body trembled, then he firmly returned the Black Dragon’s gaze. Having seen Hajime’s fight, he must have settled something. “What do you mean?” “Umu, this one will talk in order. This one....” When the Black Dragon’s talk was summarized, it became something like this. It seemed this Black Dragon went out of the Ryuujin race’s hidden town for a certain purpose. Its purpose was to investigate the visitors from another world. Although the details were omitted, there was a person with high magic perception inside the Ryuujin race, and it seemed that person perceived a huge magic discharge and some things arrived to this world several months ago. Although the Ryuujin race had a law which prevented from involving themselves on the surface stage, but just as expected, to leave the the matter of unknown visitors as an unknown was something that’d be dangerous, even for them. After some discussion, they decided to start the investigation. The Black Dragon before them left the hidden town with the purpose of investigation. Normally, it’d turn into human form after passing the mountain range, then it’d work hard in secretly gathering information, but it thought to rest a little before that, and it seemed to have taken a rest in the vicinity of first and second mountain range. Naturally, it used the Ryuujin race’s peculiar magic; “Dragon Form” and turned into the Black Dragon because there were demonic beasts in the surroundings. And then a man completely covered in black robe from head to toe appeared in front of the sleeping Black Dragon. That man gradually gnawed on the thoughts and mind of the sleeping Black Dragon using the using a variety of brainwashing and suggestion magic from the dark magic system. Naturally, if that happened it’d usually counterattack. But the Ryuujin race had a bad habit. That’s right, it was the one that became the origin of that proverb. Ryuujin race that entered deep sleep in dragon form wouldn’t be easily awaken. However, it was as long as no one kicked its . Even so, Ryuujin race boasted the toughness of their willpower, so it shouldn’t be easy to manipulate it. Then, for how it was able to be perfectly manipulated. That was.... “That man is frightening. His aptitude in dark magic can be called the level of a genius. That man continuously used magic for one full day. So no matter how strong this one is, this one couldn’t endured it after all....” It’s the greatest mistake of this one’s life!, was the feeling that came from the Black Dragon’s sorrowful voice. However, Hajime just tsukkomi’ed that with cold eyes. “In other words, having come here to investigate, how can you not notice magic being used for a full day, just because you’re fast asleep?” Everyone’s eyes look somewhat foolish. The Black Dragon turned its gaze towards the day after tomorrow, and it continued its story as if nothing happened. By the way, the reason it knew it took a full day was because it was still conscious even after the completion of brainwashing, and heard the culprit grumbling, “For it to take one full day....”. Afterwards, obeying the robed man, it helped brainwash the demonic beasts in the second mountain range. Then, on a certain day, the Brutal army was moved to the first mountain range, and they encountered Will’s party who were undertaking the investigation request. Having received the order to kill any witnesses, it chased after them. This one alone reported to the robed man. For some reason, it seemed it’d be bad if the fact he had brainwashed a lot of demonic beasts was revealed, so he ordered the Black Dragon to do a complete search. Then, by the time it’d noticed it, it was already knocked down by Hajime, and panicked because she’d be dead if this kept up. That’s why it exploded its magic power. Following that, at the time it was going to do suicide attack according to instructions ingrained in its brainwashed brain. Its consciousness was blown away after Shia’s attack. In the next moment, its mind immediately woke up from an indescribable stimulation and impact to its . It didn’t know whether it was the blow to its head or its * that made it regain its senses. “... ... Stop playing around.” Towards the Black Dragon who finished its story came a shaking voice that was desperately trying to suppress its fury. Everyone turned their glances towards that person. With his fists clenched, Will’s aimed his anger filled eyes towards the Black Dragon. “... ... Just because you were manipulated... ... Gale-san was—, Navarre-san was—, Lento-san was—, Waslee-san was—, Kurt-san was—! Killed but that couldn’t be helped you say!” Apparently, he was angry because he understood why the adventurers were killed. He raised a voice filled with fury towards the Black Dragon. “... ...” The confronted Black Dragon didn’t raise any rebuttal. It just received all of Will’s words with calm eyes as it gazed at him. He was unable to stomach that attitude. “In the first place, your story can’t be proven to be true! You most likely made it up because you didn’t want to die!” “... ... What was spoken just now is the truth. For the Ryuujin race’s pride doesn’t allow this one to lie.” Now, Will tried to argued vehemently. But, Yue intervened. “... ... Surely, it didn’t lie.” “Kh, what’s your basis for saying that....” Having glanced at the snapped Will, Yue began to talk as she looked at the Black Dragon. “... ... The Ryuujin race is noble and honest. I’ve lived much longer from everyone here. That’s why I am more familiar with the legend of the Ryuujin race. This one said “For its pride.” That’s why, it is surely not a lie. Furthermore... ... I know if someone has the eyes of a liar.” Yue slightly moved her gaze away from the Black Dragon as she looked at the distance sky. Surely, she was reminded of the event 0 years ago. For the aloof princess, her surroundings had set her up and remembering the result, surely there were a lot of lies involved. Even the most familiar person to her could be called “liars.” The result of her constantly looking away from that fact was the “betrayal.” Therefore, for Yue, who had experienced the bitterness called the “study of life,” her eyes were sensitive to “liars.” Although the reason she entrusted herself when she first met Hajime was because there was no other way, and although Hajime never lied to her, when she was reminded of that time, her sensitivity to liars might have been the biggest contributing factor after all. “Fumu, for someone to still know of the Ryuujin race’s ideals... ... No, didn’t thou say a long time ago?” For someone to still know the ideals of the existence called the Ryuujin race, the Black Dragon’s tone was somewhat joyous. “... ...Nn. I am a survivor of the Vampire race. 300 years ago, I was heard the Ryuujin race was the ideal example of nobility.” “Wow, Vampire race’s... ... Moreover 300 years ago... ... Indeed, although this one heard they were dead, thou are the Vampire princess. Surely thy name is....” Apparently, the Black Dragon was alive for more or less the same amount of time as Yue. Moreover, its words implied that it knew of what had happened in the world. Even now, they might still hide their identities and are investigating the world. But, the Black Dragon seemed surprised that the Vampire Princess had survived. The surrounding, Will, Aiko, and the students were also looked at Yue with eyes of astonishment. “Yue... ... that’s my name. It’s the name I got from my most important person. So, I’d like you to call me that.” Yue gestured as though she were embracing something closely with both hands as her cheecks blushed faintly. For Yue, the Ryuujin race was an existence that should be taken as an example. So, the edge of her spoken words were filled with respect. That feeling must also have been involved in how she stopped Will’s disparagement. In Yue’s surroundings, an aura of happiness somehow drifted around. Because of the abrupt love talk, the female students wore expressions as though they had eaten something sweet, while the male students were blushing because of Yue’s charm as they looked at her. Even Will seemed to have lost some of his vigor. However, he continued to speak because he still regretted what had happened to the senior adventurers. “... ... Even so, that doesn’t change the fact that it killed them,... ... but even I don’t know what should be done... ... Even so—! Gale-san was going to propose when this job ended... ... their regrets...” He knew in his head that the Black Dragon’s words weren’t a lie. However, he couldn’t help but blame it. His heart just couldn’t accept it. Inside Hajime’s mind, “Once again, a splendid flag was raised huh,” with weird admiration. Then he recalled the locket pendant they had picked up on the way. “Will, is this that Gale’s belonging?” As he said that, he threw the locket pendant to Will. Will received it, he looked at it then he smiled as if he was truly happy. “This, this is my locket pendant! I thought I had lost it, but you picked it up. Thank you very much!” “Huh? It’s yours?” “Yes, it’s not a mistake because there’s mama’s photograph!” “Ma-Mama?” His expectation came off splendidly, and the answer even made Hajime’s cheeks cramp inadvertently. Because the woman in the photograph should be in the first half of her twenties, he was doubtful but he heard, “After all, the photograph of mama in her youth is the best.” as Will answered as if it was some kind of divine revelation. Everyone there realized, “Aa, mama-con huh,” as they wore subtle expressions. The females looked more and more subtle.... By the way, Gale’s other party seemed to be a “man.” Following that, Gale’s fullname was Gale Homoluca. It was just as the say that the name influenced the body. Maybe because he regained his mother’s photograph, Will considerably calmed down. It’s effectiveness was truly an unknown. But, even if he was calmed down, his grudge and pain didn’t disappear. Will, calmly, insisted to kill the Black Dragon. Moreover, even though it said it was brainwashed, he reasoned that it was completely faking it. His main reason should be revenge. Then, as if to repent, the Black Dragon spun its words that contained guilt in its voice. “Even if this one was manipulated, it is true that this one is guilty for plucking the precious life of people. To make up for it, this one will obediently received the judgement. However, this one want you to delayed that for a while. At the very least, until that dangerous man is stopped.That man is trying to make an army of demonic beasts. Although Ryuujin race’s law doesn’t allow any interference against the continent’s fate, this one was responsible. This one can’t just leave it... ... This one know it is just this one’s selfishness. But, please somehow overlook that.” Hearing the Black Dragon words, everyone in that place were surprised when they heard about the army of demonic beasts. Naturally, everyone’s gazes focused on Hajime. These members were naturally looked at their leader. Actually, because Hajime was the one who stopped piercing the Black Dragon, they naturally entrusted the decision to him. Hajime’s answer was, “Well, I don’t really know about your circumstance. But, it’ll be a troublesome so I’ll ignore it. Die as an apology.” He swung the fist of his artificial arm as he said that. “Wait—! Th-Thou, with the flow of the talk, thou shouldn’t have done the finishing blow as if no discussion is necessary! Please! This one will apologize without fail! This one don’t mind whatever thou do when that matter is over! That’s why delay it for now! The afterlife will—!” Hajime continue to swung his fist as he ignored the Black Dragon’s words with cold eyes. However, he couldn’t finished that. At the moment he swung it, Yue clung on to Hajime’s neck. Surprising him, Yue whispered to Hajime’s ears as she instinctively held him. “... ... Are you going to kill?” “Eh? Well, we were trying to kill each other....” “... ... But, it’s not an enemy. Killing intent and malice were never turned towards us. It was deprived of it’s will.” Apparently, Yue didn’t wanted the Black Dragon to die. For Yue, Ryuujin race was something she yearned for, so she respected it. Moreover, even though he said they were trying to kill each other, from the beginning, the Black Dragon never turned its killing intent and malice towards Hajime and the others. They understood the reason now. With it’s will literally deprived, it only did as ordered just like a machine. Even so, there was no change with how they tried to kill each other. However, in the first place, Will was the only one in the Black Dragon’s eyes, and the reason it battled Hajime was because the Black Dragon confronted Hajime’s intent to kill. Further saying, Hajime would be inconvenienced if Will was dead, so certainly it was an enemy because it aimed at Will, but the one behind the Black Dragon was the robed man. Then, if he were to talk about who the enemy was, it’d be more likely to be that man. Also, there was a reason for her to stop him. Yue knew Hajime’s stance. But, in Yue’s eyes, “enemy” that should be killed and the Black Dragon weren’t the same thing. Because she was the ruler of the Vampire race, having experienced such things, her eyes wouldn’t be mistaken about a person. In Yue’s eyes, there were no essence of “enemy” inside the Black Dragon’s mind. For Yue, she at least didn’t want Hajime to kill things other than the “enemy,” After all, “... ... If one compromised on the important rule imposed to themselves, one would be broken. Wouldn’t your rule changed if you kill the Black Dragon?” She was worried that Hajime would be “broken” if he killed things beside the “enemy.” Having received Yue’s words, Hajime could guess her mind, and he thought more and more carefully if the Black Dragon was the “enemy” as he slightly inclined his neck. Even if it was manipulated, Hajime was not so naive to considered that in a fight to death. He would have most likely killed it without mercy. However, after it regained its mind and the brainwashing was dissolved, to purposely execute it with “enemies will be killed,” he thought, isn’t that a deviation? As she clung on Hajime’s neck, Yue was watching him closely and looked like they’d kiss at any moment, and having thought of that, unexpectedly, it spoke with a quiet desperate tone. “This one is sorry to intrude on such good atmosphere, but even if thou feel lost, at the very least could thou pull out the stake from this one’s *? If this keep up, this one will be dead no matter what will happened.” “Nn? What do you mean?” “Having received the external thing while in dragon form, at the time this one returned to original form, it’d influence the body as is. Try imagining it. The scene of this stake piercing a woman’s ... ... Do you think this one will survive that?” Everyone in the area imagined the scene that the Black Dragon said, then “Uwa~,” their expressions cramped. Especially the females, they hold their butts as they turned pale. “Well, although the dragon form could be maintained using magic power, this one’s magic power almost exhausted. In a minute... ... although it isn’t bad to go to a new world, please pardon this one from that kind of death. The afterlife without it unplugged—” Somewhat, its words seemed anxious, and its tone weakened as if its limit was truly close, and apparently Hajime didn’t have more time to think. Hajime embraced Yue with his right arm, and decided rather than hesitating, he’d go along with his partner words as is. For people, they wouldn’t be able to understand their own selves. That’s why, it wouldn’t be a mistake to choose the direction where his trusted partner wouldn’t feel uneasy. Having thought that, Hajime carefully put his hand on the stake which was stucked in the Black Dragon’s . Following that, he used his strength to pull it out. “Haaan! P-Please do it slowly. This one still inex- afuuun. Yah, how intense! If this— Aanh! Comingg, something is coming~” Because it stuck hard inside, he twisted it for so many times, and he put considerable power while twisting it to pull it out, but somehow the Black Dragon began to let out a captivated voice as it panted. Hajime ignored that voice and pulled it out without any mercy. ZUBOh!! “Ahiii— — —!! A-amazing... ... Even though this one said to do it gently, to be treated without any mercy... ... This is the first time....” As the Black Dragon muttered unknown things, immediately, its body completely wrapped with cocoon-like, jet-black magic power, and its big size began to decreased. Following that, after it reached the size of a human, the magic power immediately disappeared. In the place of the black-colored magic power was something collapsed on its feet, and while using one hand to support its body, the other hand was holding its butt. With blushing cheeks, it was a black-haired, golden-eyed beautiful girl. Her glossy, straight, black hair reached her waist and her cheeks dyed bright red, Haa haa, she breathed roughly as if she was in a trance. Her appearance was in the first half of her twenties, and her height might be around 170 cm. With a splendid proportion one could be proud of. Every time she breathed, a pair of hills were intensely shook as they peeped from inside the clothes’ collar that became disordered as it hanged on her, and it looked like they’d came out at any moment. If Shia was melon, the Black Dragon was watermelon.... The Black Dragon’s real form was a captivating beauty and the males were especially reacted grandly to that. The three male students in adolescent were somewhat slouching. If this keeps up they’d likely go on all fours. The female students were looking at them with eyes as if they were no different from cockroaches. “Haa haa, umuu, this one still alive... ... Although there is still a sense of discomfort on the *... ... this one’s whole body is hurting in all places... ... Haa haa... ... for pain to be this sweet....” The Black Dragon wore a dangerous expression and let out a dangerous words for some reason, then she pulled herself together as she immediately straightened her sitting position and began to introduce herself in such cold atmosphere. Still, she sometimes panted, haa haa, and messed various things, but.... “This one have troubled thou. With all of this one’s might, this one apologize. This one’s name is Tio Clarce. A person that came from the last tribe of Ryuujin race, Clarce tribe.” The Black Dragon introduced herself as Tio Clarce, next, she talked on how the black robed man was going to attack the town with an army of brainwashed demonic beasts. Their number had reached around 3,000 to 4,000. Also, from the second mountain range, the leaders of groups of demonic beasts were already brainwashed, so he could use the groups more efficiently as his subordinates. When she said about controlling demonic beasts, it reminded Hajime and the others about the new power of the one called Demon Race in this world. Maybe because Aiko and the students also thought of that, they guessed the black robed man was actually from Demon race. However, their guess was easily refuted by Tio. After all, the black robed man was black-haired, black-eyed human, and still at the age of a boy. Moreover, from the mouth of the Black Dragon called Tio, who was made as a subordinate to him came the settling words, “That person introduced himself as a hero,” with a tone filled with considerably grudge against the so called hero. A black-haired, black-eyed human boy, moreover he was someone with genius-like talent on dark magic. With this much hints, a certain person came to their minds. Aiko and the students muttered, “That, can’t be...,” at the same time as they showed mixed and complexed expressions. Though it didn’t limited to pure black, they said as they didn’t wanted to believed it. And, Hajime suddenly leaked a mutter, “Ooh, this is...,” as he looked at the distance. If ones asked, having heard Tio’s story, he seemed to have looked for the groups of demonic beasts and the black robed man using the unmanned probes. Following that, the unmanned probes finally discovered a certain place where the demonic beasts army was. They numbered.... “That’s, not at the level of 3,000 to 4,000, you know? It’s at the level which one more digit should be added.” Everyone opened their eyes wide after they heard Hajime’s report. Moreover, the army had started their march. The direction was surely towards Ul town. As they were, they’d came out of the mountain in a half day, and they’d likely reached the town in a day. “W-We must quickly inform the town—! Tell them to take shelter, called the rescue from Imperial capital,... ... then, then....” Because it was a serious situation, Aiko desperately tried to arranged her words in confusion. No matter if the enemies were tens of thousand demonic beasts, even with their cheat-like specs, the students carried a trauma. Aiko didn’t have any combat experience, while Will, who inspired to be an adventurer, and Tio who exhausted her magic power wouldn’t even became an obstacle for the enemies. That’s why, just as Aiko had said, they must quickly inform the town of the emergency, then it’d be the best to run away until the rescue from the Imperial capital came. And, among everyone who was shaken, Will suddenly muttered. “Umm, if it’s Hajime-dono something can be....” With those words, everyone looked at Hajime. Their eyes were dyed in expectation of the possibility. Having stared at like that, Hajime shook her hand gloomily, and replied with a feeling of abandonment. “Don’t look at me with such eyes. My work is only to take Will back to Fhuren. As if I will take the object of protection into a war. That’s why you should stop that and immediately return to the town to report.” The students and Will could feel the antipathy from Hajime’s unmotivated attitude. Among them, Aiko asked a question with an expression as if she remembered something. “Nagumo-kun, did you find the black robed man?” “Nn? Well, although I am checking the groups since a while ago, I didn’t see any human’s shadow.” Having heard Hajime’s words, Aiko looked down again. Following that, potsuri, she said she wanted to remained here to confirmed if the black robed man was Shimizu Yukitoshi who currently missing or not. It was because Aiko always thought of her student. She’d likely unable to do anything if the current situation was caused by her own student, after all. However, they couldn’t leave Aiko at the place where several ten thousands of demonic beast were, so Sonobe and the students desperately tried to persuade Aiko. But, Aiko still hesitated. Among them, then how if Nagumo also goes... ... they began to think like that. Already, Hajime thought the talk about returning and not returning as they stopped in this place as a hassle, so he turned a cold look towards Aiko. “Remain here if you want. We are going to take Will along to the town.” As he said that, he gripped Will’s collar and dragged him as he began to descended the mountain. Will, Aiko, and the students tried to object in a panic. Their reason, they couldn’t leave the army of demonic beasts as is, they wanted to confirmed who the black robed man was, and the army could be defeated by Hajime.... Hajime let out a sigh and looked back Aiko and the others with somewhat irritated look. “Didn’t I already said it, my job is to protect Will. Taking along the protection target into battle against that army is something I won’t do.. For example, even if I have to do it, the obstacle would be too big and it’d be a battle of annihilation for me alone. By no means would I want to suffer like that. Furthermore, if you go to confirm the black robed man’s identity, then who will report this matter to the town? If by chance we are annihilated, the town will be devoured by a surprise attack, you know? By the way, the magic-driven two-wheeler can only be moved by me, so it’d be impossible for the others to return earlier if I fight, kay?” Having heard the logical counter to their demands, Aiko and the others were speechless as he pointed how futile their demands were. “Well, just as Mas—... ... Kohonh, just as he said. Because this one has exhausted her magic power, this one can do nothing. So, the top priority is to inform the town about the emergency. If this one rests for one day, this one will recover considerably.” Because everyone kept silent, Tio spoke to back him up. Just a little, she called Hajime in a strange way... ... but it must have been their imagination. Aiko also knew that it’d be the best to temporary stopped worrying about Shimizu, and she decided to give priority to secure the safety of the students by her side. Tio was unable to moved due to magic power exhaustion, so Hajime dragged her by her neck root. Actually, the male students said someone should carried Tio on their backs as they grandly scattered sparks among themselves, but that was rejected by the female students. And because Tio herself have wished it, she was somehow carried by Hajime. However, rather than on his back, it was Hajime’s characteristic to not hold her. As he frowned because it was a hassle, he suddenly gripped Tio’s foot and began to dragged her. Because of the protests from Aiko and the others, he reluctantly changed it to gripping her neck root, and dragged her just like before. No matter what Hajime did, it resulted in Tio, who somehow floated an ecstatic expression that made the surroundings shuddered, and they descended the mountain as is. The party, with dark cloud and an army behind them, rushed to return to the Ul town.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 0, "inserted_lines_src": 1, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
あちらこちらで火の手があがり、悲鳴や怒号が聞こえる。窓から明々と燃え盛る炎を見ながら、私とティレアさんは茫然と立ち尽くしていた。「......はっ! ティム!」ティレアさんが突然、思い立ったかのように声をあげる。そうだ、ティムちゃんが正門にいるんだった。この大惨事、正門に「あぁ、なんてこと! きっと怖くて震えているよ」「急ぎましょう」私はティレアさんと駈け出そうとするが、足がもつれてうまく走れない。そして、そのまま地面に倒れこんでしまった。だめだ、蓄積されたダメージの為か満足に動けそうにない。ティムちゃんの状況を争うというのに......。このまま私を連れているとティレアさんの足手まといになってしまう。「すいません。私のことは構わないで先に行ってください」「乗って」ティレアさんは腰をかがめ、おんぶの姿勢をとってくれる。「いいんですか?」「早く! 時間がないの!」「は、はい」ティレアさんの権幕に押され私は立ち上がると、その背中に覆いかぶさる。ティレアさんは私をおんぶするやいなや、正門までダッシュする。やっぱりティレアさんすごく足が速いよ。ティレアさんは、疾風のごとき速さで正門まで突き進んでいく。それにしてもティレアさんって腰が細い。ティレアさんの背中から伝わってくる感触から、その引き締まった体つきが実感できた。ティレアさん、力もあるし俊敏で凄腕の冒険者と比べても遜色ない。それでいて胸もあるし美人だし、冒険者になればきっとマイラさんみたいに人気者になると思う。これだけの才能があるのになんで料理人なんだろう? 「あぁ、くそ、失敗した。こんなことならミューをティムの警護につけておけば良かった」ミュー? 誰のこと? ティレアさんが走りながらぶつぶつ独り言を言っているのが聞こえてきた。ニールゼンへ、変態? そのままの意味なのかな? ティレアさんの言動は相変わらず意味不明だが、何やらすごく後悔していることが伝わってくる。「あ、あのティレアさん、ミューさんって――」「ちっ、こんな時に」ティレアさんの走る速度が初めて緩まった。どうしたんだろう? ティレアさんの肩越しに前方を見る。吸血鬼!? 数百といったところか、吸血鬼化した元人間達が獲物を求めて「どうしますか?」「ジェシカちゃん、クカノミ持ってる?」「いえ、持ってないです」「あ、でもそれなら代わりにその辺の石ころを使えば」「だから、それじゃあだめだって言ったでしょ!」「で、でも――」「ジェシカちゃん、ごめん。ちょっと口閉じてて。舌噛むといけないから」「しっかり掴まっててよ」ティレアさんはすさまじい速度で学園に戻っていく。い、息ができない。は、速すぎる! 身体強化の魔法を使っているそぶりはなかった。というより身体強化の魔法を使ってもこの速さは無理だよ。ひ、人ってこんなに速く走れるものなの? あぁ、振り落とされそうだ。必死にしがみついているが、手の感覚がなくなってきた。そして、とうとうティレアさんを掴んでいる手を離してしまった。地面に激突する。あ、あ、もう、だめ。そう思った瞬間―― 「おっと、気をつけてね」ティレアさんがすかざす片手で私をキャッチし、ぐいっと引き寄せてくれた。私はもう呼吸をするのもやっとである。そして、あっという間に食堂に戻ってきた。「ぜぇ、はぁ、はぁ、はぁ、はぁ」私はその場に座り込み、激しく呼吸する。はは、担がれていたほうが息をみだしているなんて......。私が休憩している間にティレアさんは奥の食糧庫に入り、置いてあった大袋にあらんかぎりのクカノミを詰め込んでいく。え、えっ!? それ学園の生徒全員分の食材が入っていた袋だよ。見ると袋はパンパンに詰まっており、力自慢の男たち数人がかりでももてあます量であった。「テ、ティレアさん、いくらなんでも詰め込みすぎですよ!」「堅いこと言わないで、緊急事態でしょ! ティムの命がかかっているんだから、食材の代金は大目に見てよ」「いや、そうじゃ――」「代金は後で国がなんとかしてくれるって」ティレアさんはまたピントのずれた返事をし、いっぱいに詰めた大袋をひょいと抱えた。それに全然苦ではなさそうだ。ティレアさんって本当に何者なの? 「さ、行くよ」「は、はい」ティレアさんは右手に大袋を抱え、私をおんぶする。そしてそのまま正門に向かって走り出した。西門から出ると、吸血鬼の群れが私達を見つけ襲ってくる。ざっと見渡した限りでも襲ってくる吸血鬼達は一人......十人以上だ。ティレアさんは袋に手を入れクカノミを掴むと、吸血鬼達に投げつけていく。「くらえ、はどぉおおきゅうう!」ティレアさんのクカノミをくらって、吸血鬼がはじけ飛ぶ。「もう一丁、はどぉおおきゅう!」すごい。掛け声は奇妙だが、クカノミの一撃で数十人の吸血鬼が吹き飛ばされていく。それにしてもティレアさんの体力は底なしなのか。魔族と対決し、今も吸血鬼をけちらしながら走り続けているのに息ひとつ乱れていない。「あぁ、もう人数多すぎ! これじゃあ、クカノミがいくらあっても足りないよ」「ティレアさん、さっきからクカノミ、クカノミって別にクカノミじゃなくてもいいと思いますよ」「そ、そうだね。私は何をクカノミにこだわっていたんだ」ティレアさん、ようやくわかってくれたの? 「そうだよ。吸血鬼の弱点は十字架もあれば木の杭もあるじゃないか」十字架? キノクイ? やっぱり通じてない。「ジェシカちゃんってロザリオ持ってる?」「ロザリオですか。いえ、持ってません。あんな高価なもの神官かよほど信心深い人じゃないと持ってませんよ」「えっ、そうなの? まいったなぁ」「木製のイミテーションで良ければ持ってますけど」私は露店で買った十字架をティレアさんに渡す。「うんうん、これでいいよ。普通に十字架に見える見える」「そうですか。何をしたいのかいまいちよくわかりませんが、それをどう使うんですか?」「こう使うのよ。はぁあ!」ティレアさんは木製の十字架を吸血鬼にかざす。だが、吸血鬼には何も変化がないようだ。「何も起きないみたいですよ」「おかしいなぁ。う~ん」ティレアさんが腕を組んで悩んでいる。恐らく、いや、かなりの確率でティレアさんは何か勘違いをしている。「ティレアさん、そんな玩具じゃ吸血鬼は倒せません」「そんなことは......そうか! わかったよ、ジェシカちゃん。私じゃ神聖な力がないから遠距離からかざしてもだめなんだ」「こ、根本的に違うと思いますけど」「いいから見てて。こうやって直接当てればいいのよ」ティレアさんは十字架を握ると、その握った手をそのまま吸血鬼にぶつける。「すごい!」「やっぱり、直にぶつけなきゃだめみたいね」吸血鬼達が軒並みふっとばされていく。でも、十字架の力というよりティレアさんの拳の威力に思える。「あの、十字架なんて使わずに普通に殴ったらだめなんですか?」「だめだめ。私の拳なんて吸血鬼に通じないよ。十字架があってこそだから」ただ十字架を握っているだけじゃないの? 普通に殴るのと変わらないよ。わからない。ティレアさんの思考はどうなっているんだろう? ともかくティレアさんはただ者じゃない。冒険者じゃないと言っていたから勇者の末裔なんだろう。「ティレアさんってもしかして勇者の末裔ですか?」「何を言ってるの? 私は料理人だってば」「でも、こんなことできる料理人なんて......」「ジェシカちゃん、日頃から鍛えていないとおいしい料理は作れないのよ」「で、でも」「ジェシカちゃん、おしゃべりしている暇なんてないの。早くティムのもとまで行かないと」「す、すいません」なぜ強さの根拠が料理人なのか。突っ込みどころ満載だが、確かに今はティムちゃんの安否が優先だ。私は言いたいことを飲みこみ、口をつぐむ。そして、吸血鬼を蹴散らしながら短時間で正門までたどり着いた。だが、それほど時間がたっていないと思われたのにティムちゃんの姿は見えない。「......ティムがいない」「どこかを逃げ回っているんじゃないですか?」「あぁ、私のせいだ。私が早く戻っていれば」ティレアさんは頭をかかえて苦悩する。ティムちゃん、どこに行ったんだろう? ティレアさんが言うほど時間はロスしていないはずだけど......。やっぱり吸血鬼がわんさか湧いたので、どこかを逃げ回っているのかな? 「ふぇええん、ひっく、ティムどこに行ったの?」「ティレアさん......」あんなに頼もしかったティレアさんが、ぽろぽろと大粒の涙を零しながら「ティレアさん、大丈夫です。王都には治安部隊もいれば冒険者もいます。きっとティムちゃんはどこかに保護されてますよ」「ひっく......ぐっ......えぐっ......ティム、ティム、どこ、どこにいるの?」ティレアさんは涙を流しながら半狂乱になって、飛び出していった。「ま、待ってティレアさん」だめだ、聞こえていないみたいだ。よっぽどティムちゃんが心配なんだろう。私の言葉も耳に入らず、あっという間に遙か彼方に走り去っていった。「ティレアさん、一人で行動したらあぶな――」いや、違う。ティレアさんは大丈夫だ。あの常人離れした力は下手な冒険者なんかより強い。今、危険なのはむしろ私だ。まずい。ティレアさんとはぐれてしまった。もう私の体力は限界に近い。とりあえず寮に戻ろうか? いや、この騒ぎだ。どこが安全なのか判断がつかない。学園の誰かと合流できたらいいのだが......。この先の行動を模索していると、背後から足音が聞こえた。誰かいる? 反射的に後ろを振り返ると、「ひっ、エディム!」振り返ったさきには元親友の姿があった。「ジェシカ、こんなところにいたの? 捜したのよ」エディムがこちらに向かって一歩ずつ歩いてくる。さきほどまでの幽鬼な様子と違い顔には怒りの表情が窺えた。「せっかくジェシカも仲間に入れてやろうと思ったのに」私は逃げ出すために踵を返そうとするが、エディムに腕を掴まれる。「私ね、知っているのよ。あんたを捜して食堂に行ったんだから」「それって、まさか......」「そう、見つけたの。アルキューネ様を! あぁ......おいたわしい......あんなにも無残なお姿をさらして」「ち、ちょっと待ってエディム」「よくもよくもよくもぉおお! アルキューネ様を殺したなぁあ!」エディムが憤怒の表情で、牙をむき出しにして襲い掛かってくる。「や、やめて、エディム!」「殺してやる! 最後の一滴まで血を啜り、殺してやるから」だめだ。ものすごい力......エディムに掴まれた手はびくともしない。やっぱりエディムも身体能力が大きく向上している。それに対して私には抵抗する体力はほとんどない。「そうね。ジェシカ、あんた程度の力でアルキューネ様を殺せない。でも、あんたの仲間が殺した、そうでしょう?」「お、お願いよ。私たち親友なのに。エディムだって本当はこんなことしたくないんでしょ!」「親友? まだそんな戯言を言っているの? もう私は人間じゃない。魔族、吸血鬼なのよ」「そんなこと言わないで。なんとか人間に戻る方法を探そう」「ふん、ジェシカはあいかわらずのいい子ちゃんだね」「お願いよ、また昔みたいに......」エディムから掴まれていた力が緩む。もしかして友情を思い出してくれたの! 淡い期待が胸をよぎる。「ジェシカ......私はあんたのそんなところが昔から......大嫌いだったよぉお!」エディムはその人間離れした力で私の胸倉を掴んでくる。「ど、どうして? なんで......こんなひどいことをするの?」「ジェシカ、その分け隔てなく接する優しい性格と愛らしい容姿でクラスの人気者、マークもジョンもそんなあんたに夢中」「え?」「ふふ、まったく勘が鋭いくせにそっち方面にはうといんだから。そんなとこも人気の秘密なのかな?」マーク、ジョン......それってエディムが好きだって言ってた男子じゃない! 「ご、ごめんなさい。私、知らなくて......」「別にもうどうでもいいのよ。今となってはたかが人間に執着するつもりなんて、さらさらないから」「ふふ、理解した? 友情なんてない。昔からあんたが嫌いだったのよ!」エディムはそう言って私の首を絞める。苦しい。圧迫される気道に意識が刈り取られていく。「かふっ。エ、エディ......ム」「ともかくアルキューネ様を殺した奴らは全員殺してやるから!」そ、そんなそれがエディムの本当の気持ち? それとも吸血鬼になったせいで心がおかしくなったの? わからない。だけど、私を嫌いだったなんて話、信じたくない。あぁでも確実にわかることは......。私が大好きだった親友はもういないという事実だけ......。死んだほうがましかも。私はエディムにされるがまま意識を落としていった。	Fires were rising from here and there, and I could hear wails and roars. While watching the bright flames from the window, Ms. Tilea and I stood still in a daze. “...Ha-! Timu!” Ms. Tilea exclaimed like she suddenly remembered. Right, Timu should have been by the gate. In this huge disaster, there might have been vampires gathering by the gate. “Aaah, how could this happen! She’s definitely trembling somewhere in fear.” “Let’s hurry.” We began to run, but my legs wouldn’t hold out. And so I collapsed to the ground. At this rate, I’ll just slow Ms. Tilea down. “Sorry. Please pay me no mind and go ahead.” “Get on.” Ms. Tilea bent down, and took a piggy-backing pose. “Is it really fine?” “Hurry! There’s no time!” “Y-, Yes.” Threatened by Ms. Tilea’s attitude, I stood up and leaned onto her back. The very moment that she picked me up, she began dashing all the way to the main gate. Ms. Tilea’s speed really is amazing. We arrived at the gate with the speed of a gale. But still, Ms. Tilea’s waist is so slender. I could feel from my position on her back that she was toned. She’s powerful and quick in her judgments and reactions, and even compared to an expert adventurer, she isn’t any worse off. And what’s more, she has a chest too, and she’s a beauty, and if she became an adventurer, I’m sure she’d be popular just like Maira. Even though she has this much ability, she’s a chef? “Aahh, dammit. I messed up. If I knew this was going to happen, I should have left Myuu as Timu’s guard.” Myuu? Who’s that? I could hear her mumbles as she ran. “Urgh, I shouldn’t have left her with Pervert (Nielsen).” A-, A pervert? Should I take that at face value? Ms. Tilea’s words and behaviour are cryptic as usual, but I could at least tell that she was feeling regretful about something. “U-, Umm, Ms. Tilea, is Myuu―” “Tsk, at a time like this.” For the first time, Ms. Tilea’s speed eased. Why? I looked over her shoulder. Vampires!? Something like hundreds of vampirized former-humans were prowling for prey. “What should we do?” “Jessica, do you have any laminariales?” “No, I don’t.” “Ah-, but if you threw some rocks instead, then,” “I told you! It doesn’t work like that!” “B-, But―” “Jessica, sorry. Close your mouth for a little? It won’t do if you bite your tongue.” “Hold on tight.” Ms. Tilea ran back into the academy at an incredible velocity. I-, I can’t breathe. T-, Too fast! I didn’t see her use any body reinforcement magic. Or rather, even if you used reinforcement magic, these speeds would still be impossible. C-, Can a human really run at these speeds? I clung desperately to her, but I couldn’t feel my hands anymore. And eventually, my hands parted from Ms. Tilea. The moment I thought that― “Oop, be careful, okay?” “Eh?” With one hand, Ms. Tilea caught me, and then pulled me in tight. I could finally breathe again. And then in an instant, we arrived back at the dining hall. Hahh, hahh, hahh, hahh...” I collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. Haha, to think that the person being carried would be the one with rougher breathing... While I was resting, Ms. Tilea headed into the storage room and began stuffing laminariales into a huge sack. E-, EH!? There’s enough going into that sack for the entire school. While I was watching, the sack got bigger and bigger, and turned into a weight that would take a few strong men to carry. “M-, Ms. Tilea, no matter how much you need them, that’s too much!” “Don’t be so stiff! This is an emergency, right! Timu’s life is at stake, so give me a break about the money.” “No, that’s not what I―” “I’ll compensate the nation later, okay?” With a slightly off-kilter reply as always, Ms. Tilea picked up the entire sack. S-, She managed to lift it!? And she makes it look so easy. Really, just who is Ms. Tilea? “Now then, let’s go.” “Y-, Yes.” With the sack in one hand, Ms. Tilea gave me a piggy-back. And then just like that, she started running for the main gate. The moment we left the west exit, a crowd of vampires came to attack us. Glancing around, I counted one, two... more than ten now. With the laminariales sack in one hand, she started pelting vampires with the other. “Take this, HADOOOOKYUUU!” Hit with a laminariales, the vampire was sent flying. “One more! HADOOOKYUUUUUU!” Amazing. She was making weird cries, but each laminariales sent dozens of vampires flying. But still, does Ms. Tilea have endless stamina or something? She dueled with a demon, and even now she’s running around while attacking vampires without losing a single breath. “Aahh, there are too many! At this rate the laminariales won’t last!” “Ms. Tilea, you’ve been saying laminariales this, laminariales that, but I think you’ll be fine even without them, you know?” “Y-, You’re right. I’ve been a bit too fixated on the laminariales haven’t I.” Ms. Tilea, do you finally understand me? “Right. Amongst the weaknesses of the vampire, there are also crosses and wooden stakes, aren’t there.” Crosses? Wuu Densteiks? I’m really not getting through to her. “Jessica, do you have a rosary with you?” “A rosary? No, I don’t. Only priests or really religious people would have something that expensive on them.” “Eh-, really? Damn.” “If you’re okay with a wooden imitation, I do have one though.” I handed over the thing I bought at a market stall. “Mn, mn. This’ll do. It looks just like a cross.” “Is that so? Although I still don’t quite understand what you want to do, how is this thing used?” “You use it like this. HAHHHH!” Ms. Tilea held up the wooden cross to the vampire. But there wasn’t any change. “It doesn’t look like anything is happening, you know.” “That’s weirdd~ Hmmm...” Ms. Tilea folded her arms in thought. It’s probable, no, it’s almost certain that Ms. Tilea is misunderstanding something. “Ms. Tilea, you won’t be able to beat a vampire with a toy like that.” “That shouldn’t be the... I know! I’ve got it, Jessica. I don’t have any holy powers, so even if I hold it out from afar, nothing will happen.” “I-, I think that there’s a more fundamental issue here, but...” “Just watch me. It should be fine as long as you use it close-up, like this.” Gripping the cross, she punched a vampire, hard. “Amazing!” “It really does just look like you’re hitting it.” Vampires were being mown down left and right. But rather than the power of the cross, I could only see it as the force of her fist doing the job. “Umm, what if you forgot about the cross, and just hit them normally?” “No way. My punches wouldn’t work on a vampire, you know? It’s only because of this cross that I can fight them.” Aren’t you just gripping a cross? It’s the same as punching normally. I don’t get it. Why did Ms. Tilea come to these conclusions? Anyway, Ms. Tilea isn’t an ordinary person. If she’s not an adventurer, then she’s probably a hero’s descendent. “Ms. Tilea, could it be that you’re a hero’s descendent?” “What the heck are you saying? Geez, I told you that I was a chef.” “But, a chef who can do something like this...” “Jessica, you can’t make tasty food unless you train your body every day, you know? “B-, But,” “Jessica, we don’t have time to chat. We have to hurry to Timu.” “I-, I’m sorry.” Why is it common sense for her that her strength comes from being a chef? There are a mountain of things I want to comment on, but it’s true that Timu’s well being comes first. Swallowing what I wanted to say, I zipped my mouth shut. And so, while vampires were being mown left and right, in a short time, we made it to the gate. But even though I didn’t think we took long, Timu was nowhere to be seen. “...Timu isn’t here.” “Perhaps she ran away somewhere?” “Aahh, it’s all my fault. If only I quickly came back here.” Ms. Tilea held her head in agony. I wonder where Timu went. I don’t think the time loss was as big as Ms. Tilea is saying, but... Maybe because of all the vampires popping up, she’s running around somewhere? “Wahhhhh... hic-, where did you go, Timu?” “Ms. Tilea...” Even though she was so reliable before, large tears started to run from her face as she sobbed. It was painfully obvious just how important Timu was to her. “Ms. Tilea, it’s okay. We have the Public Safety Force, and we have adventurers as well. Timu is definitely being sheltered somewhere.” “Hic... Ghh... Ngh... Timu. Timu. Where are you? Where are you?” While shedding tears, Ms. Tilea ran off, half-crazed. “W-, Wait, Ms. Tilea.” It’s not good. I don’t think she could hear me. I’ll bet she’s crazy worried about Timu. Without hearing my words, in a blink of time, she had run far off. “Ms. Tilea, running about by yourself is dange―” No, Ms. Tilea will be fine. With such monstrous strength, even adventurers would be weaker than her. The one in trouble right now is actually me. This is bad. I’ve separated from Ms. Tilea. And my stamina is at my limit. Should I return to the dorm for now? No, the situation won’t permit it. I can’t tell what place is safe and what place isn’t. It’d be good if I could meet up with somebody in the academy, but... While I was considering my future measures, I heard footsteps from behind me. Is somebody there? When I turned around in reflex, “Hiiee! Edim!” standing right there was my former best friend. “Jessica, you were in a place like this? I’ve been looking for you, you know.” Edim started closing in, step by step. Unlike the soulless expression from earlier, I could see anger on her face now. “Even though I even thought of making you one of us...” I turned around to run, but Edim grabbed my arm. “I know, you know? While looking for you, I went to the dining room after all.” “Then, it can’t be...” “Yeah. I saw him. Master Alcyune! Aahh... So pitiful... To be left in such a tragic state...” “W-, Wait, Edim.” “HOW DARE YOU HOW DARE YOU HOW DARE YOUUU! HOW DARE YOU KILL MASTER ALCYUNEEE!” Her face warped with rage, Edim bore her fangs and attacked me. “S-, Stop, Edim!” “I’ll kill you! I’ll take every last drop and kill you!” It’s not good. With this incredible strength, it’s impossible for my arm to even budge. So Edim really did gain more strength. And I basically have no strength left in me. “That’s right. With your strength, you couldn’t have killed Master Alcyune. But your companion did. Am I wrong?” “P-, Please. We’re best friends. Even you don’t really want to be doing this, right!?” “Best friends? Are you still spouting that garbage? I’m not a human anymore. I’m a demon. A vampire.” “Don’t say that. We’ll look for a way to change you back.” “Hmph. The good girl as always, aren’t you.” “Please, go back to the old you...” Edim’s grip slackened. Could it be that she remembers our friendship!? A faint hope rose in my chest. “Jessica... You know, I’ve always, always... HATED YOUUUUU!” With inhuman strength, Edim gripped me by the collar. “H-, How come? Why? ...Why are you doing something so cruel?” “Jessica, with her indiscriminate kindness, and her adorable appearance. The favorite of our class, and the girl who even Mark and John were obsessed with.” “Huhu, even though you’re always so sharp, it’s only in this area that you’re slow. Is that also one of the secrets to your popularity?” Mark and John... Aren’t those the names of the boys that Edim told me she liked!? “I-, I’m sorry. I, didn’t know...” “Well, that doesn’t matter now. At this point, I don’t have any attachments to humans anymore.” “Huhu, do you understand now? We’re not friends. I’ve hated you all this time!” After saying that, Edim started to squeeze my neck. It hurts. My throat was being constricted, and my consciousness was starting to fade. “Ka-, huu-, E-, E... dim...” “Anyhow, I’ll kill all of Master Alcyune’s murderers!” W-, Was that really how Edim felt? Or was it because her heart went mad from becoming a vampire? I don’t know. But I don’t want to believe that she always hated me. Aahh, but... what I do know... Is that the best friend that I loved doesn’t exist anymore... It might be better that I die.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 5, "inserted_lines_src": 14, "inserted_lines_trg": 13 }
こんなことに興味を持ち始めたきっかけは、成長するにつれて、数年前までは、人に感謝の気持ちを伝えたい、人を誉めたい、そして私自身も人から誉められたいと感じていることに気付いたからです。しかしそれを止めてしまうのです。そこで自分に問いました「なぜ?」私は照れくさくなり、困惑していたのです。そこで疑問は「これは私だけ?」に変わりました。そこで調査することに決めました。私は幸運にもリハビリ施設で働かせていただいており、中毒で生と死に直面している人々に会うチャンスがあります。時々は単純なとこに行きつきます、例えば彼らの心の最大の傷は父親からの「お前は俺の誇りだ」という言葉を聞けなかったことが挙げられます。しかし、後に彼らは残りの家族や友人から、お前の父はお前のことを誇りに思ってたとみんなに言っていたと耳にします、しかし息子自信には決して言わなかったのです。理由は息子が耳にすることにの必要性を認識していなかったからです。そこで私の疑問は「なぜ我々は重要なことについて尋ね合わないのか?」私は25年間の結婚生活の間で妻から「子供たちと一緒にいれるのは、あなたが働いてくれているおかげだわ。」と言われたいと願い続けたが一度もそんなことは尋ねなかった男性を知っています。こういうことに関して上手な知り合いがいます。彼女は週に一回夫に会うと、「家事とか子供の世話とか、感謝して欲しいわ」と言うんです。そこで彼は「おぉ、そうだな、ありがとう」と答えます。賞賛は絶対に心からのものでなくてはなりません。でも彼女はそこの責任をとっています。次に友人の一人エイプリル、幼稚園からの付き合いなんですが、彼女はいつも子供がなにか家事を手伝うと「ありがとう」と言います。彼女に言わせれば「子供たちが担当だからって、なんで感謝をしないの?」という感じです。そこで疑問は「なぜ私はこれらを遮断していたのか?」です。なぜ他の人もそのような言葉を口に出せないのでしょうか? なぜ私は「ステーキはミディアムレアで」とか「サイズ6の靴を探してるんですけど」とは言えて「こんな風に私のこと誉めてくれる?」とは言えないのだろう? なぜならこれは他人に自分の弱みを見せることになるからです。どこで自分が脆くなるのかを明かすことになります。どこで助けが必要になるのか自白することになります。そこで私は、心の内側であなたを敵対者のように扱っているのです。だって弱点になる情報があれば何ができるでしょうか? 私を無視できるかもしれませんね。もしくは弱みに付け込むことも可能です。もしくは実際の私の要求を満たすこともかのうでしょう。この話は好きなんですが、先日私は自転車を自転車屋に持って行きました、そこでは店員さんはなんか「車輪の修正」と呼ばれることをしてくれるみたいです。「ほら、修正すればもっとよくなるからさ」と言ってました。自転車を引き取ると、私が二年半悩んでいた車輪の細かいひずみを全て直してくれていました。するとその自転車はまるで新品同様でした。そこで皆さん、全員に挑戦をします。あなたたちにもひずみを修正して欲しんです。誉められるに値する行動に対しては正直になりましょう。どんなことを言われたいですか?家に帰って妻に聞いてみましょう「なんて言ってほしい?」って。家に帰って夫に聞いてみましょう、「なんて言われたい?」って。家に帰ったら、こんな質問をして周囲の手助けをしてください。簡単でしょ。なんでこんなことが重要なのかって? 世界平和の話をしてるんですよ。どうやって異なる文化、言語間で世界平和を達成できるでしょう? 私は一つ屋根の下、一つ一つの家庭から始まると思っています。さぁ私たちの出来ることから始めましょう。そこで聴衆の皆さんに、素晴らしい夫であること、素晴らしい母であること、素晴らしい友であること、素晴らしい娘、息子であることに感謝したいと思います。多分誰も今までそんなことあなたに言わなかったでしょう、けど今まで本当によくやってきました。そして本日はご列席いただき、意識の変革を生み出していただいたことに感謝します。ありがとう。	And the way I got interested in this was, and until about a few years ago, that I would want to say thank you to someone, I would want to praise them, I would want to take in their praise of me and I'd just stop it. And I asked myself, why? I felt shy, I felt embarrassed. And then my question became, am I the only one who does this? So, I decided to investigate. I'm fortunate enough to work in the rehab facility, so I get to see people who are facing life and death with addiction. And sometimes it comes down to something as simple as, their core wound is their father died without ever saying he's proud of them. But then, they hear from all the family and friends that the father told everybody else that he was proud of him, but he never told the son. It's because he didn't know that his son needed to hear it. So my question is, why don't we ask for the things that we need? I know a gentleman, married for 25 years, who's longing to hear his wife say, "Thank you for being the breadwinner, so I can stay home with the kids," but won't ask. I know a woman who's good at this. She, once a week, meets with her husband and says, "I'd really like you to thank me for all these things I did in the house and with the kids." And he goes, "Oh, this is great, this is great." And praise really does have to be genuine, but she takes responsibility for that. And a friend of mine, April, who I've had since kindergarten, she thanks her children for doing their chores. And she said, "Why wouldn't I thank it, even though they're supposed to do it?" So, the question is, why was I blocking it? Why were other people blocking it? Why can I say, "I'll take my steak medium rare, I need size six shoes," but I won't say, "Would you praise me this way?" And it's because I'm giving you critical data about me. I'm telling you where I'm insecure. I'm telling you where I need your help. And I'm treating you, my inner circle, like you're the enemy. Because what can you do with that data? You could neglect me. You could abuse it. Or you could actually meet my need. And I took my bike into the bike store-- I love this -- same bike, and they'd do something called "truing" the wheels. The guy said, "You know, when you true the wheels, it's going to make the bike so much better." I get the same bike back, and they've taken all the little warps out of those same wheels I've had for two and a half years, and my bike is like new. So, I'm going to challenge all of you. I want you to true your wheels: be honest about the praise that you need to hear. What do you need to hear? Go home to your wife -- go ask her, what does she need? Go home to your husband -- what does he need? Go home and ask those questions, and then help the people around you. And it's simple. And why should we care about this? We talk about world peace. How can we have world peace with different cultures, different languages? I think it starts household by household, under the same roof. So, let's make it right in our own backyard. And I want to thank all of you in the audience for being great husbands, great mothers, friends, daughters, sons. And maybe somebody's never said that to you, but you've done a really, really good job. And thank you for being here, just showing up and changing the world with your ideas. Thank you.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
Torブラウザは元々米海軍の諜報プロジェクトでその後オープンソースになりました誰でも自分の場所を知られることなくインターネットの閲覧ができますその方法は IPアドレスを暗号化し同じソフトウェアを使っている世界中のコンピュータを介しルーティングするというものですそれは通常のインターネットにも使えますがダークネットへの鍵になりますその極めて巧妙な暗号化システムによって 20か 30かはたまた数千か分かりませんがそこで運営されているサイトを閉鎖させるのは極めて困難です匿名ユーザが訪れる検閲のない世界ですそこが何か隠し事のある人の行く場所になるのは自然なことですがその「何か」は違法なものとは限りませんダークネットにはニューヨーカー誌が内部告発を受け付けるサイトがあり政治活動家のブログがあり海賊版書籍の図書館がありますその他麻薬のマーケット違法ポルノ有償ハッキングサービスまだまだありますダークネットはインターネット上でもっとも興味深く刺激的な場所だと思いますそれというのもイノベーションというのはもちろん大企業や世界的な大学で起こりますがそれはまた社会の周縁でも起きるものだからです社会の周縁にいる人々 — 社会ののけ者や追放された人々というのはとてもクリエイティブなことがありますそうならざるを得ないからですインターネットのこの領域においては LOLCATもなければポップアップ広告もありませんそれは皆さんの多くが遠からずダークネットに行くようになると私が考える理由の1つです皆さんの中の誰かが高品質な麻薬を入手するために使うだろうなどと言うつもりはありませんが仮にそうだと仮定しましょう少しお付き合いくださいこういったサイトに入ってまず気付くのはよく見慣れた見かけをしていることです何千とある商品のひとつひとつに高画質できれいな画像と詳細な商品説明があり価格がついています「レジに進む」ボタンがあり素晴らしいことに「違反商品を通報する」ボタンまであります感心しますねサイトを見て回り商品を選び暗号通貨のビットコインで支払いをし届け先を入力します自宅住所じゃないほうがいいでしょうねそして品物が届くのを待ちますほとんどの場合ちゃんと届きますその理由が巧妙な暗号化の仕組みによるのでないというのは重要なポイントですずっと単純な仕組みで実現されていますカスタマーレビューですこれらのサイトのベンダはどこも当然のこととして偽名を使っていますが評判を築くために同じ偽名を使い続けています買い手の方はいつでも取引先を変えられますがベンダが信頼できるかどうかをサイトの他のユーザーから好意的に評価されているかで判断しますこの競争と選択の導入は経済学者がまさに予想するだろうものです価格は下がっていき商品の品質は上がっていきベンダは話を良く聞き丁寧に対応をし顧客第一で様々な工夫をします「特別奉仕」「今回限り」「1個買うと1個無料」「配送無料」顧客を満足させるためです Drugsheavenというベンダに連絡を取ってみました Drugsheavenは安定した高い品質のマリファナを適正な価格で提供していました返品条件が寛大で取引条件は詳細に記載されていて発送も迅速です「Drugsheaven様」暗号化して送られる内部のメッセージシステムを使って書きました「初めてなんですがマリファナを 1グラムだけ買うことってできますか? 」 2時間ほどして返事が来ました彼らは必ず返信します「ご連絡いただきありがとうございます少量から始めるのというのは賢明です私があなたの立場ならそうしますね」「1グラムから始めたいというのはまったく問題ありません良いお付き合いができることを願っています Drugsheavenより」何でこんな気取った話し方をしたのか自分でも分かりませんがなんかそんな感じがしたんですこのような顧客中心の姿勢だからこそ — サイトに3ヶ月間で残された 12万件の評価を見ましたが評価の95%が 5段階中の5という結果になっているのでしょうここでお客様は神様なんですこれが意味することは何でしょう? 一方ではより多くの人がたくさんのドラッグを容易に買えるようになるということで個人的には良いことではないと思いますがしかし他方ではドラッグを買おうというとき一定のレベルの純度と品質が保証される満足な方法があるということでありこれはドラッグを使う場合には極めて重要なことですしかも家にいながら買うことができ街で買う場合のようなリスクはありませんこのマーケットで生き残るには創意と革新性が必要ですそこで現在運用されている 20かそこらのサイトは — ちなみにそういったサイトが常に機能しているわけでも完璧なわけでもありませんお見せしたサイトは 1年半前に閉鎖されましたがそれまでに10億ドル規模の取引が行われていましたこういったマーケットはその運用条件の難しさ厳しい環境のため常に革新的でいつもより上手い方法を考えていますより分散的で取り締まりが困難で顧客の利便性が高くなるようにたとえば支払いのシステムですがもちろんクレジットカードを使いはしません直接自分に紐付けられていますからそこで暗号通貨のビットコインを使います実際の通貨と容易に交換することができユーザの匿名性を高度に保つことができますこういったサイトで当初はシステムに問題がありました中には悪質なディーラーがいて商品を送らずビットコインだけ受け取って逃げてしまったのですコミュニティは対策として複数署名エスクローという送金方法を考え出しました私が商品を買う場合私はビットコインを中立的でセキュアな第三者のデジタルウォレットに送りますベンダは私が送金したのを見て安心して商品を私に送ります私が商品を受け取ると関わっている三者ベンダ買い手サイト管理者のうち 2人が電子署名を使って承認することによってベンダに送金が行われます素晴らしい! これは簡潔で見事に機能しますしかしビットコインには別の問題がありましたビットコインのトランザクションはすべて公的な台帳に記録されるため誰が関わっているか突き止められてしまいますそれで「タンブリング」サービスというのが考案されました何百という人が1つのアドレスにビットコインを送金しますビットコインはそこでごちゃまぜにされた後にそれぞれ本来の受取手にしかるべき金額が元とは別のビットコインで送られますいわばマイクロ・ロンダリング・システムですうまいもんですダークネットの市場で今人気のドラッグが何か知りたいですか? Gramsという検索エンジンがあります広告スペースを買うことさえできるんです道義的な消費者として麻薬業界で行われていることに懸念をお持ちでしょうか? そういうことなら有機栽培されたフェアトレードのコカインを扱っているベンダがあります卸元はコロンビアの麻薬王ではなくグァテマラの農家です利益の20%を地元の教育プログラムに寄付することまで約束しています消費者のための覆面調査を行うところさえありますこういったサイトを倫理的にどう考えるかは難しい問題ですがそれは別として当局によって閉鎖されるリスクに常にさらされながら誰も互いのことを知らないような匿名の市場を競争力があり機能するものとして作り上げるというのは並外れた驚くべき偉業だと思いますそしてこのようなイノベーションこそ未来の先触れは社会の周縁に見られると言われる所以ですその短命さ故に忘れてしまいがちですがインターネットはこの30年ほどの間に何度も様変わりしてきました 70年代に軍事プロジェクトとして始まり 80年代に学術ネットワークに変わり 90年代に営利企業に取り込まれ 2000年代にソーシャルメディアにより万人のものになりましたが再び変わろうとしていると思いますダークネット上のマーケットのようなものクリエイティブでセキュアで検閲が困難なものそこに未来があると思いますそこに未来があるという理由はみんなプライバシーを心配しているからです調査では人々のプライバシーへの不安が示されていますネット上で過ごす時間が増えるほどプライバシーへの懸念は大きくなります調査でみんなの不安の高まりが示されています自分のデータに何が起きるかみんな心配しています誰が自分を監視しているかみんな懸念していますエドワード・スノーデンによる暴露以来プライバシーを高める様々なツールを使う人が増えています Torブラウザのデイリーユーザー数は 200〜300万になっていますその多くはまったく合法なことむしろ日常的なことに使われています世界中の何百という活動家がネット上でのプライバシーを守る技術やツールの開発に取り組んでいます標準で暗号化されるメッセージサービスとか Ethereumはネットに繋がっているが使われていない何百万というコンピュータのハードディスクを利用し誰もコントロールすることのできない分散的インターネットを作ろうとしていますもちろん分散コンピューティングは昔からありました Skypeから地球外生命の探索まであらゆることに使われていますしかし分散コンピューティングに強力な暗号化を組み合わせることで検閲やコントロールを極めて難しくできるのです MaidSafeも同じような原理に基づいていますそれにTwisterその他まだまだあります重要なのはより多くの人が参加するほどそういったサイトは面白いものになり面白くなればいっそう多くの人が参加するということですそれが今後起きることだと思います実際既に起きていますダークネットはもはや密売人のアジトでも内部告発者の隠れ家でもありません一般に普及しつつあるのです最近ミュージシャンのAphex Twinがダークネット上のサイトでアルバムをリリースしました Facebookもダークネットサイトを使い始めていますロンドンの建築家のグループは再生プロジェクトを懸念する人々のサイトをダークネットに作りましたダークネットは普及しつつあり予言しますがほどなくすべてのソーシャルメディアすべての主要報道機関がダークネットを使うようになり従ってこの場にいる皆さんもダークネットを使うようになるでしょうだからインターネットはもっと面白くもっと刺激的でもっと革新的でもっと恐ろしくもっと破壊的になるでしょうこれは自由を気にかける人にとって朗報です独立を気にかける人にとって朗報です民主主義を気にかける人にとって朗報ですこれはまた違法なポルノを見たり罰せられずに麻薬売買したい人にとっても朗報ですまったくの黒でもなければまったくの白でもありません勝利を収めるのは一方ではなく両方なのですどうもありがとうございました	Now, the Tor browser was originally a U.S. Naval intelligence project. It then became open source, and it allows anybody to browse the net without giving away their location. And it does this by encrypting your IP address and then routing it via several other computers around the world that use the same software. You can use it on the normal Internet, but it's also your key to the dark net. And because of this fiendishly clever encryption system, the 20 or 30 -- we don't know exactly -- thousand sites that operate there are incredibly difficult to shut down. It is a censorship-free world visited by anonymous users. Little wonder, then, that it's a natural place to go for anybody with something to hide, and that something, of course, need not be illegal. On the dark net, you will find whistle-blower sites, The New Yorker. You will find political activism blogs. You will find libraries of pirated books. But you'll also find the drugs markets, illegal pornography, commercial hacking services, and much more besides. Now, the dark net is one of the most interesting, exciting places anywhere on the net. And the reason is, because although innovation, of course, takes place in big businesses, takes place in world-class universities, it also takes place in the fringes, because those on the fringes -- the pariahs, the outcasts -- they're often the most creative, because they have to be. In this part of the Internet, you will not find a single lolcat, a single pop-up advert anywhere. And that's one of the reasons why I think many of you here will be on the dark net fairly soon. Not that I'm suggesting anyone in this audience would use it to go and procure high-quality narcotics. But let's say for a moment that you were. Bear with me. The first thing you will notice on signing up to one of these sites is how familiar it looks. Every single product -- thousands of products -- has a glossy, high-res image, a detailed product description, a price. There's a "Proceed to checkout" icon. There is even, most beautifully of all, a "Report this item" button. Incredible. You browse through the site, you make your choice, you pay with the crypto-currency bitcoin, you enter an address -- preferably not your home address -- and you wait for your product to arrive in the post, which it nearly always does. And the reason it does is not because of the clever encryption. That's important. Something far simpler than that. It's the user reviews. You see, every single vendor on these sites uses a pseudonym, naturally enough, but they keep the same pseudonym to build up a reputation. And because it's easy for the buyer to change allegiance whenever they want, the only way of trusting a vendor from other users of the site. And this introduction of competition and choice does exactly what the economists would predict. Prices tend to go down, product quality tends to go up, and the vendors are attentive, they're polite, they're consumer-centric, offering you all manner of special deals, one-offs, buy-one-get-one-frees, free delivery, to keep you happy. I spoke to Drugsheaven. Drugsheaven was offering excellent and consistent marijuana at a reasonable price. He had a very generous refund policy, detailed T's and C's, and good shipping times. "Dear Drugsheaven," I wrote, via the internal emailing system that's also encrypted, of course. "I'm new here. Do you mind if I buy just one gram of marijuana?" A couple of hours later, I get a reply. They always reply. "Hi there, thanks for your email. Starting small is a wise thing to do. I would, too, if I were you." "So no problem if you'd like to start with just one gram. I do hope we can do business together. Best wishes, Drugsheaven." I don't know why he had a posh English accent, but I assume he did. Now, this kind of consumer-centric attitude is the reason why, when I reviewed 120,000 pieces of feedback that had been left on one of these sites over a three-month period, 95 percent of them were five out of five. The customer, you see, is king. But what does that mean? Well, on the one hand, that means there are more drugs, more available, more easily, to more people. And by my reckoning, that is not a good thing. But, on the other hand, if you are going to take drugs, of guaranteeing a certain level of purity and quality, which is incredibly important if you're taking drugs. And you can do so from the comfort of your own home, without the risks associated with buying on the streets. Now, as I said, you've got to be creative and innovative to survive in this marketplace. And the 20 or so sites that are currently in operation -- by the way, they don't always work, they're not always perfect; the site that I showed you was shut down 18 months ago, but not before it had turned over a billion dollars' worth of trade. But these markets, because of the difficult conditions in which they are operating, the inhospitable conditions, are always innovating, always thinking of ways of getting smarter, more decentralized, harder to censor, and more customer-friendly. Let's take the payment system. You don't pay with your credit card, of course -- that would lead directly back to you. So you use the crypto-currency bitcoin, which is easily exchanged for real-world currencies and gives quite a high degree of anonymity to its users. But at the beginning of these sites, people noticed a flaw. Some of the unscrupulous dealers were running away with peoples' bitcoin before they'd mailed the drugs out. The community came up with a solution, called multi-signature escrow payments. So on purchasing my item, I would send my bitcoin to a neutral, secure third digital wallet. The vendor, who would see that I'd sent it, would be confident that they could then send the product to me, and then when I received it, at least two of the three people engaged in the transaction -- vendor, buyer, site administrator -- would have to sign the transaction off with a unique digital signature, and then the money would be transferred. Brilliant! Elegant. It works. But then they realized there was a problem with bitcoin, because every bitcoin transaction is actually recorded publicly in a public ledger. So if you're clever, you can try and work out who's behind them. So they came up with a tumbling service. Hundreds of people send their bitcoin into one address, they're tumbled and jumbled up, and then the right amount is sent on to the right recipients, but they're different bitcoins: micro-laundering systems. It's incredible. Interested in what drugs are trending right now on the dark net markets? Check Grams, the search engine. You can even buy some advertising space. Are you an ethical consumer worried about what the drugs industry is doing? Yeah. One vendor will offer you fair trade organic cocaine. That's not being sourced from Colombian druglords, but Guatemalan farmers. They even promised to reinvest 20 percent of any profits into local education programs. Now, whatever you think about the morality of these sites -- and I submit that it's not actually an easy question -- the creation of functioning, competitive, anonymous markets, where nobody knows who anybody else is, constantly at risk of being shut down by the authorities, is a staggering achievement, a phenomenal achievement. And it's that kind of innovation that's why those on the fringes are often the harbingers of what is to come. It's easy to forget that because of its short life, the Internet has actually changed many times over the last 30 years or so. It started in the '70s as a military project, morphed in the 1980s to an academic network, co-opted by commercial companies in the '90s, and then invaded by all of us via social media in the noughties, but I think it's going to change again. And I think things like the dark net markets -- creative, secure, difficult to censor -- I think that's the future. And the reason it's the future is because we're all worried about our privacy. Surveys consistently show concerns about privacy. The more time we spend online, the more we worry about them, and those surveys show our worries are growing. We're worried about what happens to our data. We're worried about who might be watching us. Since the revelations from Edward Snowden, there's been a huge increase in the number of people using various privacy-enhancing tools. There are now between two and three million daily users of the Tor browser, the majority of which use is perfectly legitimate, sometimes even mundane. And there are hundreds of activists around the world working on techniques and tools to keep you private online -- default encrypted messaging services. Ethereum, which is a project which tries to link up the connected but unused hard drives of millions of computers around the world, to create a sort of distributed Internet that no one really controls. Now, we've had distributed computing before, of course. We use it for everything from Skype to the search for extraterrestrial life. But you add distributed computing and powerful encryption -- that's very, very hard to censor and control. Another called MaidSafe works on similar principles. Another called Twister, and so on and so on. And here's the thing -- the more of us join, the more interesting those sites become, and then the more of us join, and so on. And I think that's what's going to happen. In fact, it's already happening. The dark net is no longer a den for dealers and a hideout for whistle-blowers. It's already going mainstream. Just recently, the musician Aphex Twin released his album as a dark net site. Facebook has started a dark net site. A group of London architects have opened a dark net site for people worried about regeneration projects. Yes, the dark net is going mainstream, and I predict that fairly soon, every social media company, every major news outlet, and therefore most of you in this audience, will be using the dark net, too. So the Internet is about to get more interesting, more exciting, more innovative, more terrible, more destructive. That's good news if you care about liberty. It's good news if you care about freedom. It's good news if you care about democracy. It's also good news if you want to browse for illegal pornography and if you want to buy and sell drugs with impunity. Neither entirely dark, nor entirely light. It's not one side or the other that's going to win out, but both. Thank you very much, indeed.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
犬は考え感じるのかそうだとしたらどのようにするのかですから今日は限られた時間の中で大いに当てずっぽうに想像して 2匹の犬をご紹介したいと思います 2匹とも“話してごらん”という号令に文字通り従ってくれました最初の犬はこちら彼は主人との関係性のある側面について考えを巡らせておりタイトルは『犬による主人についての考察』です「僕の方が若く見えはするが主人よりも速く年を取りつつある犬の1歳は人間の7歳にあたるのだと人は言う数字はどうあれ僕はいつか主人の歳を追い越し先導するのだ林を散歩するときのようにこのことに主人が気付くときが訪れたら雪や草原に映し出された僕のどんな影よりも甘やかなものになるだろう」ありがとう次の犬は亡霊となって語りかけてきます犬の魂が再び主人に会いにこの世に戻ってきたのです「俺はあんたに安楽死させられた犬だ忘却の針とあんたが呼ぶところの物で簡単なことをひとつ教えに戻ってきてやったよあんたのことはずっと嫌いだった」「あんたの顔をなめるときはいつも鼻をむしり取ってやろうと思っていたしタオルであんたが体をふくのを見て飛びかかってがぶりと局部を噛みちぎってやろうとも考えたあんたの動き方も気に食わなかった動物として品性を欠いているよ― 椅子に座って物を食べるときにひざにナプキンを乗せてナイフを手にするなんてさ逃げようとも思ったけれど弱すぎてそれはできなかった芸も覚えさせられたよなお座りして足元にぴたりと付いたり一番傷ついたのは手がないのに「握手」をさせられたことさ確かに散歩用のリードを見せられると興奮したけどそれはあんたが触れたことのないものの匂いをかぐことができるからさ信じないだろうけど嘘をつく理由はないんだからな車もゴムのおもちゃも大嫌いだったしあんたの友達も嫌いだった親戚はもっと嫌だった首輪の金属のタグがちりちり鳴って頭がおかしくなりそうだったあんたはいつも気持ち良くない場所を撫でてきた」「あんたから得たかったのは食べ物と水だけさあんたが寝ると月が空に昇っていく間あんたが寝息をたてるのを見ていた頭をのけぞらせて吠えるのを我慢するのはそれはそれは辛いんだもう首輪もない黄色のレインコートもないモノグラムのセーターもあんたの庭のばかばかしい芝生もない俺が今いる場所についてあんたに言いたいのはそれだけさもうお分かりだろうし今頃でよかったと思ってるだろうけどここではみんな読み書きできるんだ犬は詩を書き猫や他の動物は散文を書くんだ」ありがとう	So this afternoon, in my limited time, I wanted to take the guesswork out of a lot of that by introducing you to two dogs, both of whom have taken the command "speak" quite literally. The first dog is the first to go, and he is contemplating an aspect of his relationship to his owner, and the title is "A Dog on His Master." "As young as I look, I am growing older faster than he. Seven to one is the ratio, they tend to say. Whatever the number, I will pass him one day and take the lead, the way I do on our walks in the woods, and if this ever manages to cross his mind, it would be the sweetest shadow I have ever cast on snow or grass." Thank you. And our next dog speaks in something called the revenant, which means a spirit that comes back to visit you. "I am the dog you put to sleep, as you like to call the needle of oblivion, come back to tell you this simple thing: I never liked you." "When I licked your face, I thought of biting off your nose. When I watched you toweling yourself dry, I wanted to leap and unman you with a snap. I resented the way you moved, your lack of animal grace, the way you would sit in a chair to eat, a napkin on your lap, a knife in your hand. I would have run away but I was too weak, a trick you taught me while I was learning to sit and heel and, greatest of insults, shake hands without a hand. I admit the sight of the leash would excite me, but only because it meant I was about to smell things you had never touched. You do not want to believe this, but I have no reason to lie: I hated the car, hated the rubber toys, disliked your friends, and worse, your relatives. The jingling of my tags drove me mad. You always scratched me in the wrong place." "All I ever wanted from you was food and water in my bowls. While you slept, I watched you breathe as the moon rose in the sky. It took all of my strength not to raise my head and howl. Now, I am free of the collar, free of the yellow raincoat, monogrammed sweater, the absurdity of your lawn, and that is all you need to know about this place, except what you already supposed and are glad it did not happen sooner, that everyone here can read and write, the dogs in poetry, the cats and all the others in prose." Thank you.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
最後になったが大切なことは、今日に至るまで、シリアがレバノンの主権国家としての存在を完全には認めていない、というレバノン事情の異例が、広く知られていないことである（シリアの学校の教科書には、レバノンは大きなシリアの一部として描かれている）。つまり、これら2国の間には、通常の外交関係が存在しないのだ－ベイルートにシリア大使館はなく、また、ダマスカスにレバノン大使館はない。	Last but not least: it is not widely known that one anomaly of Lebanon’s status until this very day is that Syria has not fully recognized its existence as a sovereign nation (in Syrian school textbooks, Lebanon figures as part of Greater Syria). Consequently, there are no normal diplomatic relations between the two countries – no Syrian embassy in Beirut and no Lebanese embassy in Damascus.	{ "source": "news_commentary", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
それは糊としては使えない別々の2つの樹脂で 2つの樹脂を混ぜ合わせると不思議にもしっかりと結びついてとても強力な接着剤になりますさてこの技術で私が目指したのはパン作りの世界が20年間に渡って培ってきたパンを焼くための技術を集大成することでしたなぜなら私たちはアメリカにおけるパンのルネサンス運動とも言える技術の集大成からおいしい全粒粉のパンを作る方法を見つけたかったからです誰もが全粒粉のパンを食べる努力をしています全粒粉のパンは健康によいということが 40年前にわかってから私たちはついに全粒粉のパンを実際に食べるところまで到達しました全粒粉のパンを作る職人にとってのチャレンジはどのようにしておいしいパンを作るかということです精製した小麦粉でおいしいパンを作るのは簡単です精製した小麦粉の主な成分はでんぷんででんぷんは糖分です腕の良いパン職人はでんぷんに含まれている糖分の引き出し方を知っています全粒粉の場合いくつかの障害があります小麦の皮はパンの成分のなかで最も栄養のある部分ですまた繊維質を多く含んでいますなぜなら皮自体が繊維質だからです胚芽も体にいい成分ですしかし皮や胚芽はおいしい部分ではありません全粒粉のパンは昔から体にいいのですがあまり食べる人がいないという歴史がありました私たちは健康にいい食べ物をおいしく食べたいのですしかし私たちは体にいい食べ物と言うと健康のために頑張って食べるものを想像しますおいしくて心から食べるものではありませんすべてのパン職人すべての料理学校の生徒すべてのシェフの目標はおいしさを届けることですおいしさが重要でおいしさがすべてを決めます私はこれをおいしさの法則と呼んでいますそして誰かに体にいいものを一度食べてもらうことは簡単ですしかしおいしくなければ二度とは食べてくれませんそうでしょう? これがこのパン作りの難しさですこのパンを後で食べたいと思いますがその前にもう少し話をさせてくださいこれは単に2つのパン生地から作られるのではありませんおいしさを届けるという目的のために一つ目のパン生地を発酵させないで作りますそれは単に湿ったパン生地です「ソーカー」と呼ばれる水と化合したパン生地ですそれが酵素が働き始めるのを助けますパン生地では酵素がおいしさの秘密なのです酵素はでんぷんの中の糖分を解放しますそれが酵素の働きです糖分を引き出すことができれば味覚で味わうことができます糖分はイーストの食物になります糖分はオーブンで焼いたときにカラメルとなり美しいパンの皮になりますもう1つのパン生地は発酵させますそれはサワー種のパン生地や "biga"と呼ばれるものあるいは他のイーストを少し含んだパン生地でこれも次第に風味が増しますそして次の日 2つのパン生地を合わせますこれがエポキシ製法です私たちはここで酵素をもつパン生地が発酵を司るパン生地の燃料となりこの2つのパン生地を合わせていくつかの材料を加え穀物がもつ本来のおいしさを引き出すことができるパンになることを期待していますこれがチャレンジです穀物がパンになる旅の12のステージを見てみましょう駆け足で12ステージを紹介した後もう一度説明しますまずは最初のステージですこれは全ての学生が最初にやることで料理の世界にいる誰もが最初のステージは "mise en place"だと知っています単にフランス語で「準備する」という意味です必要なものが揃った状態これがステージ1ですパン作りの世界では材料を適量用意することを意味しますステージ2は「混合する」です材料を混合しますグルテンが出るようにします小麦粉にグルテンはありませんグルテンが出来る可能性があるだけですここにもエポキシの萌芽が見られます混ぜることでグルテニンとグリアジンが出来ますがどちらもいいパンを作るのに必要な強さはありません水と合わさることでお互いに結びつきグルテンという強い分子強いタンパク質になります「混合する」プロセスではグルテンを作らなければなりません酵母あるいはイーストを活性化しすべての材料が均質に混じり合うようにしますステージ3が「発酵」ですおいしさはこのステージで生まれますイーストは活性化して糖分を分解し始め二酸化炭素とアルコールができますげっぷや汗のようなものでパンの基本ですイーストのげっぷと汗ですそして不思議なことにそれは変容しますイーストのげっぷと汗は変容してパンを特別な食べ物とする核心へとつながっていきますパンは変容する食べ物ですすぐ後で詳しくお話しますいまは次の数ステージを見てみましょう発酵が進むとおいしさや個性が顕われてきます私たちはそれを小さく分け分けたかたまりの形を整えます普通まるい形ですが葉巻型にすることもありますそれは「ラウンディング」と言われますそしてパン生地を寝かす短い期間があります数秒から20−30分程度で「休ませる」と言います次に最終的な型作りに進みます「パンニング」は形を整えたパンを鉄板に並べることですこれは数秒の作業ですが特徴的なステージですローフ型に入れられることもありますそしてステージ9 ステージ3で始まった発酵は継続していますそしてステージが進むにつれおいしさが深まります最終的な発酵はステージ9で起きます「最終発酵」といいますパン生地が生きていることを確認するステージですそしてステージ9でパン生地が最終的な形になりますオーブンに入るのがステージ10 3つの変容がオーブンで起きますパン生地の糖分がキャラメル化してパンの皮になりますこれがパンにきれいな茶色の皮を与えますパンの表面だけが十分熱くなりキャラメル化します内部のタンパク質あるいはグルテンは凝固します 160度になるとタンパク質は並んで構造体を作りますグルテンの構造体これがパンの柔らかい部分と呼ぶものになりますでんぷんは180度になるとゼラチン化しますこのゼラチン化はオーブンで起きる変容のもうひとつです凝固、キャラメル化、ゼラチン化でんぷんに粘性があり周りの湿気を吸収すると膨らんで破裂します破裂するとでんぷんをパンにばらまきます私たちはイーストの汗とげっぷとでんぷんの破裂した中身を食べていますステージ10でオーブンのなかで変容が起きますオーブンに入れたパン生地がステージ11でパンとなって出てきますステージ11は「冷ます」段階です焼き上がったパンをすぐ食べることはあまりありません焼き上がった後も焼いた時の効果が少し継続しますタンパク質が整えられますステージ12は教科書では「パッケージング」といいますが私の生徒達は「食べる」と呼びます今日は小麦からパンまでの旅を体験したいと思います後でこのパンを試食してみたいと思いますパン職人の使命であるおいしさを引き出すことに成功しているかどうかその前に12のステージを見直し変容という観点から見てみたいと思いますなぜなら全てのことは4つのレベルで理解できると思っているからですこれはソクラテスの時代から言われてきたことです全てのことには 4つの理解のレベルがある逐語的に、比喩的あるいは詩的に思慮あるいは倫理的にそして最終的には神秘的に逐語的な理解なしにその先のレベルの理解は困難ですダンテは先の3つのレベルの理解は最初のレベルの理解なしには難しいと言っています私たちが逐語的にパンの話をする理由がここにあります一連のステージを一段深いレベルの視点で見てみたいと思います「パンはなぜ特別なのか」という質問に答える探求の旅の視点でそして最大限おいしさを引き出すという使命の視点で何が起きているかというとパン作りは小麦や他の穀物から始まりますでは小麦とは何でしょう? それは大地で育つ一種の草ですそして他の草と同じように種を作ります私たちは種を収穫しますこれが小麦の粒です収穫とはどういうことでしょうかそれは命を頂くことの婉曲表現ですそれが収穫です私たちは豚を収穫すると言いますよね私たちは命ある食物を頂きます小麦を収穫しますそして収穫によって植物の命を頂きます生きていた小麦が収穫することでその種を手放します種のままであれば次の植物になる可能性があります種を植えることができます種の一部は次の世代のために使われますしかしほとんどの種は挽かれて小麦粉になりますこの時点で小麦は究極の変容を強いられますそれは刈り取られただけではなく将来植物として再生する可能性を失います私たちはそれを小麦粉にします繰り返しになりますがパンは変容する食べ物だと思います最初の変容 --ところで私の「変容」の定義はあるものから違うものへの劇的な変化です劇的な変化微妙な変化ではありません微妙な変化熱湯が水になったり水が熱湯になったりすることではありません水が加熱されて水蒸気になるといった変化ですそれが変容です変容の前後は別のものですパンの場合最初の変容は生から死ですそれは劇的な変化と言えると思いますそして小麦粉が出来ますそして水を少々加えますステージ1で重さを計量しステージ2で水と塩を加えて混ぜ「クレイ」と呼ぶものを作りますそれは実際粘度のようですそのクレイに「膨張剤」を加えますこの場合はイーストを加えます膨張剤の意味は何でしょうか膨張剤の語源は生き返らせるという言葉です生き生きとさせる生を授ける「クレイ」のヘブライ語をご存知ですか?アダムですこの瞬間パン職人はある意味においてパン生地の神となりますパン生地は単純な形態ですが生を得ます生きていることはパン生地がステージ3で成長することからわかりますそして成長する間いろいろな変容が文字通り起こります酵素が糖分を作りますイーストが糖分を分解し二酸化炭素とアルコールを作りますバクテリアも糖分を分解し酸を作ります別の表現をすればパンの個性や特徴が形作られますパン職人が見守るなかでそしてこの過程でパン職人がする選択がパンの出来を決めますちょっとした温度の変更ちょっとした時間の変更温度、時間と材料のバランスが全てですこれらがパン作りの技なのですこれらのことはすべてパン職人が決めますパンはいくつかのステージを進み特徴が形作られますそして大きなパン生地は小さく分けられます分けられたかたまりはパン職人によって形を与えられます形が与えられるのと同時に再び発酵しまだパン生地が生きていることを証明しながらパン特有の風味を増して行きますステージ10でオーブンに入れますこの時点ではまたパン生地ですパン生地をそのまま食べる人はほとんどいません何人かパン生地を食べる人に会いましたが普通はパン生地なんて食べません私達が食べるのはパンですしかしパン生地はパン作りに必要なものですパン生地をオーブンに入れてパン生地の内部の温度が 140度を超えると「死を向かえる温度」と呼ぶ温度を超えます生徒達はTDPが大好きですテレビゲームの名前だと思っているようですそれは「死を向かえる温度」ですすべての生が失われますパンに生を与え生き生きと活性化させる使命をもったイーストはその使命を終えますそれはパン生地をパンに変えていたものが生を終えるということです背後にある象徴的なものが見えてきたように思いませんか私にとってオーブンに入ったパン生地がオーブンからパンとして出てくるのはあるいは生きていたものが生を失って出てくるのは理由があるように思います 3回目の変容です最初の変容は生から死 2回目の変容で生を取り戻し 3回目の変容でまた生から死へしかしその結果パン生地からパンが出来ます他の表現を上げるならば毛虫から蝶になるということでしょうそれがオーブンから出てくるものです私たちが生命の糧と呼ぶものですこれが完成したものですこれがみなさんが食べそれなしの生活は考えられないものですそれは私たちの精神にあまりにも深く結びついているのでパンは生命のシンボルとして使われますそれは変容のシンボルとして使われますそしてステージ12でパンを食べますこれで生命の環が閉じます私たちはパンを食べることで成長し生きていくことができますそして今日お話したようなことを考える機会を得ますこれが私がパンから学んだことですこれがパンが私の旅で教えてくれたことですそしてここにあるパンで実現しようとしている試みはいままでお話したことに加えてビール粕を使うことです「ビール粕パン」ですなぜならパン作りはビール作りと非常に似ているからですビールは基本的には液体のパンですあるいはパンは固体のビールですそしてそれはほぼ同時期に発明されました確かビールがすこし先ですビールの世話をしていたエジプト人が寝こけてしまいエジプトの熱い太陽の下パンが出来ましたこのパンで私が試みたのは穀物から更においしさを引き出そうということですビール作りに使われるビール粕を加えましたいろいろなビールで使われるいろいろなビール粕を使うことができます私は濃いビール粕が好みです今日は軽いビール粕を使いましたそれはラガービールかライトラガーかエールビールつまりトーストされた小麦と大麦ですつまりビール職人も穀物からおいしさを引き出す方法を知っているということです発芽、麦芽、ローストによってこの一部を選んでパンに適用しますこのパンは高繊維なだけではなく繊維の上に繊維がありますこのパンが健康によいパンというだけではなくおいしいパンになっていることを期待しますこのパンを分けて少し味見をしてみましょうかここからと私も少し頂いて残りをここから配ります皆さんが召し上がる前に私も味を見てみたいと思いますパン職人の祈りと私が呼ぶもので終わりにしたいと思いますパリっとした皮が出来ますように生地がきちんと膨らみますようにありがとうございます	It's two resins that are, sort of, in and of themselves -- neither of which can make glue, but when you put the two together, something happens. A bond takes place, and you get this very strong, powerful adhesive. Well, in this technique, what I've tried to do is kind of gather all of the knowledge that the bread-baking world, the artisan bread-baking community, has been trying to accumulate over the last 20 years or so -- since we've been engaged in a bread renaissance in America -- and put it together to come up with a method that would help to take whole-grain breads. And let's face it, everyone's trying to move towards whole grains. We finally, after 40 years of knowing that wholegrain was a healthier option, we're finally getting to the point where we actually are tipping over and attempting to actually eat them. The challenge, though, for a wholegrain baker is, you know, how do you make it taste good? Because whole grain -- it's easy with white flour to make a good-tasting bread. White flour is sweet. It's mainly starch, and starch, when you break it down -- what is starch? It's -- thank you -- sugar, yes. So a baker, and a good baker, knows how to pull or draw forth the inherent sugar trapped in the starch. With whole grain bread, you have other obstacles. You've got bran, which is probably the healthiest part of the bread for us, or the fiber for us because it is just loaded with fiber, for the bran is fiber. It's got germ. Those are the good things, but those aren't the tastiest parts of the wheat. So whole grain breads historically have had sort of this onus of being health food breads, and people don't like to eat, quote, health food. They like to eat healthy and healthily, but when we think of something as a health food, we think of it as something we eat out of obligation, not out of passion and love for the flavor. And ultimately, the challenge of the baker, the challenge of every culinary student, of every chef, is to deliver flavor. Flavor is king. Flavor rules. I call it the flavor rule. Flavor rules. And -- and you can get somebody to eat something that's good for them once, but they won't eat it again if they don't like it, right? So, this is the challenge for this bread. We're going to try this at lunch, and I'll explain a bit more about it, but it's made not only with two types of pre-doughs -- this attempt, again, at bringing out flavor is to make a piece of dough the day before that is not leavened. It's just dough that is wet. It's hydrated dough we call "the soaker" -- that helps to start enzyme activity. And enzymes are the secret, kind of, ingredient in dough It starts to release the sugars trapped in the starch. That's what enzymes are doing. And so, if we can release some of those, they become accessible to us in our palate. They become accessible to the yeast as food. They become accessible to the oven for caramelization to give us a beautiful crust. The other pre-dough that we make is fermented -- our pre-ferment. And it's made -- it can be a sourdough starter, or what we call a "biga" or any other kind of pre-fermented dough with a little yeast in it, and that starts to develop flavor also. And on day two, we put those two pieces together. That's the epoxy. And we're hoping that, sort of, the enzyme piece of dough becomes the fuel pack for the leavened piece of dough, and when we put them together and add the final ingredients, we can create a bread that does evoke the full potential of flavor trapped in the grain. That's the challenge. Okay, so, now, what we -- in the journey of wheat, let's go back and look at these 12 stages. I'm going to go through them very quickly and then revisit them. Okay, we're going to start with the first stage. And this is what every student has to begin with. Everyone who works in the culinary world knows that the first stage of cooking is "mise en place," which is just a French way of saying, "get organized." Everything in its place. First stage. So in baking we call it scaling -- weighing out the ingredients. Stage two is mixing. We take the ingredients and we mix them. We have to develop the gluten. There's no gluten in flour. There's only the potential for gluten. Here's another kind of prefiguring of epoxy because we've got glutenin and gliadin, neither of which are strong enough to make a good bread. But when they get hydrated and they bond to each other, they create a stronger molecule, a stronger protein we call gluten. And so we, in the mixing process, have to develop the gluten, we have to activate the leaven or the yeast, and we have to essentially distribute all the ingredients evenly. Then we get into fermentation, the third stage, which is really where the flavor develops. The yeast comes alive and starts eating the sugars, creating carbon dioxide and alcohol -- essentially it's burping and sweating, which is what bread is. It's yeast burps and sweat. And somehow, this is transformed -- the yeast burps and sweats are later transformed -- and this is really getting to the heart of what makes bread so special is that it is a transformational food, and we're going to explore that in a minute. But then, quickly through the next few stages. We, after it's fermented and it's developed, started to develop flavor and character, we divide it into smaller units. And then we take those units and we shape them. We give them a little pre-shape, usually a round or a little torpedo shape, sometimes. That's called "rounding." And there's a short rest period. It can be for a few seconds. It can be for 20 or 30 minutes. We call that resting or benching. Then we go into final shaping, "panning" -- which means putting the shaped loaf on a pan. This takes a second, but it's a distinctive stage. It can be in a basket. It can be in a loaf pan, but we pan it. And then, stage nine. The fermentation which started at stage three is continuing through all these other stages. Again, developing more flavor. The final fermentation takes place in stage nine. We call it "proofing." Proofing means to prove that the dough is alive. And at stage nine we get the dough to the final shape, and it goes into the oven -- stage 10. Three transformations take place in the oven. The sugars in the dough caramelize in the crust. They give us that beautiful brown crust. Only the crust can caramelize. It's the only place that gets hot enough. Inside, the proteins -- this gluten -- coagulates. When it gets to about 160 degrees, the proteins all line up and they create structure, the gluten structure -- what ultimately we will call the crumb of the bread. And the starches, when they reach about 180 degrees, gelatinize. And gelatinization is yet another oven transformation. Coagulation, caramelization and gelatinization -- when the starch is thick and they absorb all the moisture that's around them, they -- they kind of swell, and then they burst. And they burst, and they spill their guts into the bread. So basically now we're eating yeast sweats -- sweat, burps and starch guts. Again, transformed in stage 10 in the oven because what went into the oven as dough comes out in stage 11 as bread. And stage 11, we call it cooling -- because we never really eat the bread right away. There's a little carry-over baking. The proteins have to set up, strengthen and firm up. And then we have stage 12, which the textbooks call "packaging," but my students call "eating." And so, we're going to be on our own journey today from wheat to eat, and in a few minutes we will try this, in fulfilling this baker's mission of pulling out flavor. But I want to go back now and revisit these steps, and talk about it from the standpoint of transformation, because I really believe that all things can be understood -- and this is not my own idea. This goes back to the Scholastics and to the Ancients -- that all things can be understood on four levels: the literal, the metaphoric or poetic level, the political or ethical level. And ultimately, the mystical or sometimes called the "anagogical" level. It's hard to get to those levels unless you go through the literal. In fact, Dante says you can't understand the three deeper levels unless you first understand the literal level, so that's why we're talking literally about bread. But let's kind of look at these stages again from the standpoint of connections to possibly a deeper level -- all in my quest for answering the question, And fulfilling this mission of evoking the full potential of flavor. Because what happens is, bread begins as wheat or any other grain. But what's wheat? Wheat is a grass that grows in the field. And, like all grasses, at a certain point it puts out seeds. And we harvest those seeds, and those are the wheat kernels. Now, in order to harvest it -- I mean, what's harvesting? It's just a euphemism for killing, right? I mean, that's what's harvest -- we say we harvest the pig, you know? Yes, we slaughter, you know. Yes, that's life. We harvest the wheat, and in harvesting it, we kill it. Now, wheat is alive, and as we harvest it, it gives up its seeds. Now, at least with seeds we have the potential for future life. We can plant those in the ground. And we save some of those for the next generation. But most of those seeds get crushed and turned into flour. And at that point, the wheat has suffered the ultimate indignity. It's not only been killed, but it's been denied any potential for creating future life. So we turn it into flour. So as I said, I think bread is a transformational food. The first transformation -- and, by the way, the definition of transformation for me is a radical change from one thing into something else. O.K.? Radical, not subtle. Not like hot water made cold, or cold water turned hot, but water boiled off and becoming steam. That's a transformation, two different things. Well, in this case, the first transformation is alive to dead. I'd call that radical. So, we've got now this flour. And what do we do? We add some water. In stage one, we weigh it. In stage two, we add water and salt to it, mix it together, and we create something that we call "clay." It's like clay. And we infuse that clay with an ingredient that we call "leaven." In this case, it's yeast, but yeast is leaven. What does leaven mean? Leaven comes from the root word that means enliven -- to vivify, to bring to life. By the way, what's the Hebrew word for clay? Adam. You see, the baker, in this moment, has become, in a sense, sort of, the God of his dough, you know, and his dough, well, while it's not an intelligent life form, is now alive. And we know it's alive because in stage three, it grows. Growth is the proof of life. And while it's growing, all these literal transformations are taking place. Enzymes are breaking forth sugars. Yeast is eating sugar and turning it into carbon dioxide and alcohol. Bacteria is in there, eating the same sugars, turning them into acids. In other words, personality and character's being developed in this dough under the watchful gaze of the baker. And the baker's choices all along the way determine the outcome of the product. A subtle change in temperature -- a subtle change in time -- it's all about a balancing act between time, temperature and ingredients. That's the art of baking. So all these things are determined by the baker, and the bread goes through some stages, and characters develop. And then we divide it, and this one big piece of dough is divided into smaller units, and each of those units are given shape by the baker. And as they're shaped, they're raised again, all along proving that they're alive, and developing character. And at stage 10, we take it to the oven. It's still dough. Nobody eats bread dough -- a few people do, I think, but not too many. I've met some dough eaters, but -- it's not the staff of life, right? Bread is the staff of life. But dough is what we're working with, and we take that dough to the oven, and it goes into the oven. As soon as the interior temperature of that dough crosses the threshold of 140 degrees, it passes what we call the "thermal death point." Students love that TDP. They think it's the name of a video game. But it's the thermal death point -- all life ceases there. The yeast, whose mission it has been up till now to raise the dough, in order to complete its mission, which is also to turn this dough into bread, has to give up its life. So you see the symbolism at work? It's starting to come forth a little bit, you know. It's starting to make sense to me -- what goes in is dough, what comes out is bread -- or it goes in alive, comes out dead. Third transformation. First transformation, alive to dead. Second transformation, dead brought back to life. Third transformation, alive to dead -- but dough to bread. Or another analogy would be, a caterpillar has been turned into a butterfly. And it's what comes out of the oven that is what we call the staff of life. This is the product that everyone in the world eats, that is so difficult to give up. It's so deeply embedded in our psyches that bread is used as a symbol for life. It's used as a symbol for transformation. And so, as we get to stage 12 and we partake of that, again completing the life cycle, you know, we have a chance to essentially ingest that -- it nurtures us, and we continue to carry on and have opportunities to ponder things like this. So this is what I've learned from bread. This is what bread has taught me in my journey. And what we're going to attempt to do with this bread here, again, is to use, in addition to everything we talked about, this bread we're going to call "spent grain bread" because, as you know, bread-making is very similar to beer-making. Beer is basically liquid bread, or bread is solid beer. And -- they -- they're invented around the same time. I think beer came first. And the Egyptian who was tending the beer fell asleep in the hot, Egyptian sun, and it turned into bread. But we've got this bread, and what I did here is to try to, again, evoke even more flavor from this grain, was we've added into it the spent grain from beer-making. And if you make this bread, you can use any kind of spent grain from any type of beer. I like dark spent grain. Today we're using a light spent grain that's actually from, like, some kind of a lager of some sort -- a light lager or an ale -- that is wheat and barley that's been toasted. In other words, the beer-maker knows also how to evoke flavor from the grains by using sprouting and malting and roasting. We're going to take some of that, and put it into the bread. So now we not only have a high-fiber bread, but now fiber on top of fiber. And so this is, again, hopefully not only a healthy bread, but a bread that you will enjoy. So, if I, kind of, break this bread, maybe we can share this now a little bit here. We'll start a little piece here, and I'm going to take a little piece here -- I think I'd better taste it myself before you have it at lunch. I'll leave you with what I call the baker's blessing. May your crust be crisp, and your bread always rise. Thank you.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
町ってこんなに賑わっているものなの? 前世の世界で例えると中世ヨーロッパみたいな街並み! 花屋やパン屋、酒屋、呉服店が並び、なんて活気に溢れた町なの。音楽がどこからともなく聞こえ、踊っている者もいて......。太陽が照る下で笑顔に包まれている町よ。このずっと奥に貧困村があるなんて考えられないわ。貧困村はウィルおじいさんによると太陽の光もないらしいわ。 ......貧困村で生まれた子は太陽の光を知らずに死ぬのよ。同じ国なのにどうしてこんなにも差があるのかしら。私達は馬を降り町を見て回った。「何か見たい所はあるかい?」そうね、私は周りを見渡した。パン屋にも行きたいし、あのお菓子屋さんも覗いてみたいわ。行きたい所が多すぎるわね。迷うわ。私は辺りを見渡した。......あの看板は植物屋さん? 「ねぇ、エリック様、あそこは何屋さんですの?」エリック様は私が指差した方に視線を向ける。「ああ、あれは珍しい植物を扱っているお店だ」珍しい植物!? 私最初に読んだ本の中の植物が置いてあるって事? 「私、あそこに行きたいですわ」ヘンリお兄様の声が後ろから聞こえる。あら、エリック様も植物屋さんに行きたかったのかしら。私達は店の前に立ち中の様子を窺った。開店しているのかしら? 私はゆっくり扉を開けて入った。なにここ......。まるで魔法の中にいるみたいだわ。空気がさっきまでと全く違うわ。新鮮で心が浄化されているみたい。なんて心地いい場所なのかしら。心が安らぐわ。沢山の植物が本当に生きているみたいだわ。まるで踊っているみたい。空飛ぶ植物! 本に載っていたやつだわ。生で見られるなんて......。確か、名前はウィングだったかしら。奥から丸眼鏡をかけた中年の栗色の髪の男性が出てきた。エプロンがよく似あうわね。何かしら......。彼が出てきた瞬間、植物たちが喜んでいるように感じるわ。もしかして彼って緑の魔法を使えるんじゃ......。「エリック、ヘンリ! 久しぶりじゃないか!」お兄様やエリック様と知り合いなの? 「ポール! 久しぶりだな。元気だったか?」私が茫然と立っていると、その男性はしゃがんで私と目を合わせてくれた。「初めまして。僕はここの店長のポール。君がアリシアだね?」「初めまして。アリシアです。あの、どうして私の名前を?」「ああ、君のお兄ちゃんからよく話を聞いているからね」一体何の話をしているのか物凄く気になるわ。悪口じゃない事を願うわ。「あの、お兄様達と仲が良いんですか?」「これでも僕、一応貴族なんだ」貴族!? だから緑の魔法......ゲームにほんの一瞬出てきた植物屋の店長のポール! どこかで見た事あるなって思ったのよ。そうよ、ヒロインが薬を作る為に植物屋に行くのよ。もしかして私......、ヒロインより先に植物屋に来ちゃった? だってヒロインはカーティス様とここに来るんだもの。先を越せて勝った気分だわ。「どうして植物屋を開こうと思ったのですか?」「植物は人の病気を治したり、人の心を癒す力があるんだ。だから僕も人を助ける仕事に関わりたいと思ったんだよ。もともと下級貴族だしね」「凄く素敵なお仕事をなさっているのですね」悪女は人を褒める事なんてしないのに! この植物達に癒されてそのまま気が緩んでしまったんだわ。これじゃあ、第一印象が良い人になってしまうじゃない。どうしましょ。 ......ポジティブに考えましょ。たった一回の失敗よ。いくらでも印象を悪くすることぐらいできるわ。ポールさんは満面の笑みで私にそう言った。いくら中年とはいえそんな笑顔を向けられたら惚れてしまいそうだわ。「ここには本当に珍しい植物がいっぱいあるんだ。例えばこれ......」ポールさんは奥の方にあった小さい植物が入った瓶を取り出した。「「チャド」」ポールさんは目を丸くした。その目、今まで何回色んな人に向けられたのかしら。確かにチャドは本当に珍しい植物ですものね。ポールさんは目を丸くしたまま私に聞いた。	But it’s seriously amazing seeing it for myself. Were little towns like this always so crowded and lively? The streets look just like what I would imagine medieval Europe from my past life would have looked like! There’s flower shops, bakeries, liquor stores, dry-goods shops, etc. all lined up in front of us with people bustling about. I can hear music playing from somewhere and there are people dancing in the streets too..... The sun is shining and everyone is smiling, what a happy little town this is. I almost can’t believe that a destitute village lies just on the other side of it. According to Grandpa Will, even the sun doesn’t shine there. .....That means that people who are born there end up dying without ever seeing the sun. Even though both places belong to the same country, why is there such a huge difference between them? We dismount from our horses and start looking around. “Is there anything that you wanted to see?” Eric-Sama asks me. Hmm.... I survey all of the shops around us..... I really want to visit that bakery, and I’d love to peek in that confectionery shop.... Looking around, I feel like there’s actually too many places that I want to go. It’s too hard to choose. I keep looking around, hoping to see something that might help me decide. .....Wait, doesn’t that sign say ‘plant nursery’? “Um, Eric-Sama, what sort of shop is that one there?” Eric-Sama looks in the direction that I’m pointing. “Oh, that’s a shop that deals with rare types of plants.” Rare types of plants!? Does that mean that I might be able to see some of the plants that I read about in that very first book that I found in the library? “I want to go there~!” I say, grabbing Eric-Sama’s and Henry-Oniisama’s hands and pulling them towards it. “Oy! Eric! Wipe that grin off your face,” I hear Henry-Oniisama say from behind me. Oh? Did Eric-Sama also want to visit this plant nursery? Once we had arrived in front of the store, I drop their hands and peek in through the window. Are they even open? I hesitantly open the door and head inside. What is this place......? It almost seems like it’s been engulfed in magic. The air feels completely different from outside. It’s so fresh. And the general ambiance feels so peaceful, like it’s purifying my heart from any negativity. To think that I’d be able to find such a pleasant place in this town.... It really makes me feel at ease. And there really are a multitude of plant varieties living here. They’re so full of life, they almost look like they’re dancing. Oh! The plant that flies in the sky! The one that I had read about.... To think I’d actually be able to see one firsthand...! I believe it was called ‘Wing’. “Welcome,” greets a middle-aged man, walking towards us from the back of the store. He has chestnut-colored hair and is wearing a pair of round glasses. The apron he’s wearing suits him quite nicely as well. Oh, woah..... The moment he had come forward, all the plants seemed to react as if they were feeling happy. Might he be a greenery magic user....? “Eric, Henry! It’s been so long!” he says, smiling at Eric-Sama and Henry-Oniisama, and reaching out to shake each of their hands. Is he an acquaintance of theirs? “Paul! It’s been a while. How have you been?” Henry-Oniisama says in reply, smiling back at him. As I stand there in a daze, the man walks over to me and squats down to meet my eye level. “Nice to meet you. I’m Paul, the manager of this shop. And you must be Alicia?” he says, greeting me with a grin. “Nice to meet you. Yes, I’m Alicia. But, how did you know?” “Oh, that’s because your brother talks about you often.” Hm? I’m extremely curious to know just what he’s been saying about me. I hope he hasn’t been badmouthing me here. “Um, are you close with my brothers?” “We’re on good terms. I am still considered to be a nobleman after all, even if I am working here like this,” Paul-san says with a hint of a bitter smile playing on his face. A nobleman!? Then he really does use greenery magic..... Oh! He appeared once during the game! Paul, the plant nursery manager.... I had thought he sounded familiar for some reason. Right, the heroine visited this shop during the game because she had needed some ingredients for some sort of medicine she had been making. Wait, doesn’t that mean..... Did I manage to come here first? Since she was supposed to visit this shop with Curtis-Sama, I doubt she’s been here yet. She hasn’t had enough time to get that close to him, I’m sure! Ooh, being first makes me feel like I’m winning. “What made you want to open a plant nursery?” I ask him. “Well, plants have the power to cure diseases as well as heal people’s hearts.... And since I’ve always wanted to work in a field that was able to help people, it seemed like a good fit for me. I’m originally only a low ranked noble anyway so....” Paul-san tells me, smiling warmly. As he talks about his aspirations, he almost seems to shine with a soothing light. “Well, you’re doing a wonderful job,” I say, accidentally letting my true feelings leak out. Even though complimenting someone should be like pulling teeth to a villainess!! Being surrounded by such lovely plants, I ended up letting my guard down because I was feeling too at ease. His first impression is going to be that I’m a good person! Darn it! What should I do about this? ......No, wait, let’s think positively, shall we? It was just a single slip of the tongue. I should still have plenty of chances to worsen his impression of me from here on. “Thanks,” Paul-san says, beaming at me. Even if he is on the older side, with a smile like that I could see myself falling for him. “We grow a variety of extremely rare plant species here. For instance this.....” Paul-san picks up a bottle that houses a very small plant inside of it. ” “Chad,” ” Paul-san and I say simultaneously. Paul-san’s eyes go wide. Just how many times have people looked at me like that at this point? Though, in this case I guess it isn’t so surprising considering how rare Chad is. “You’ve heard of it?” Paul-san asks me, still looking at me in surprise.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 1, "inserted_lines_src": 15, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
「けほっ、けほっ、うっ」「はぁはぁ、無事か、香織?」「う、うん。何とか......皆は......」結構な量の海水を飲んでしまい、むせながら周囲を見渡す香織の目には、自分の腰に手を回して抱きしめるハジメの姿と、真っ白な砂浜が映っていた。周囲にはそれ以外何もなく、ずっと遠くに木々が鬱蒼と茂った雑木林のような場所が見えていて、頭には水面がたゆたっていた。結界のようなもので海水の侵入を防いでいるようだ。広大な空間である。「はぐれたな......まぁ、全員に小さな倉庫レベルとはいえ〝宝物庫〟を渡してあるし、あいつ等なら自分でどうにでもするさ」香織の腰から手を離して髪をかき上げながら軽く言うハジメだったが、香織はどこか沈んだ表情だ。香織は、隣で立ち上がり堂々と服を着替え始めたハジメの姿を見ながら、つい先ほどの出来事を思い出していた。巨大クリオネから戦略的撤退を図ったハジメ達。彼等が落ちた場所は巨大な球体状の空間で、何十箇所にも穴が空いており、その全てから凄まじい勢いで海水が噴き出し、あるいは流れ込んでいて、まるで嵐のような滅茶苦茶な潮流となっている場所だった。その激流に翻弄されながらも何とか近くにいる仲間の傍に行こうとするハジメ達だったが、潮流は容赦なくハジメ達を引き離していった。ユエが、魔法で水流操作を行うが、流れがランダム過ぎて思うようにいかない。シアが、体重操作とドリュッケンの重さを利用して何とかティオと合流したのはファインプレーと言えるだろう。本当なら潜水艇を取り出して乗り込みたいところなのだが、激流の中では無理があった。ハジメは歯噛みしつつ〝宝物庫〟から超重量の圧縮鉱石を取り出しシアと同じように重さで潮流を乗り切ろうとした。その矢先、運良くユエが流れてくるのが見えた。このまま行けば、ハジメとかち合い合流することが出来るだろう。既に、シアとティオは、どこかの穴に流されたようで空間内に姿が見えない。これ以上、はぐれる前にと、ユエに手を伸ばしたハジメだったが、その視界に、下方を流れていこうとしている香織の姿を捉えた。苦しげな香織の視線とハジメの視線が絡む。前方には手を伸ばした先にユエがいて、やはり、ハジメと視線が絡んだ。ユエを捕まえれば、香織はおそらく一人で、どこかの穴に流されるだろう。そして、香織を捕まえた場合もしかり。今のハジメには、どちらかの手しか掴むことが出来ない。ハジメは、一瞬とも永遠とも言えるような時間、ユエと視線を交わし、そして決断した。ハジメは、〝宝物庫〟から超重量の圧縮鉱石を取り出すと、その重さを利用して一気に下降する。そして、流れてきた香織を、しっかりとキャッチした。香織が驚いたように目を見開くが、直ぐに、そんな事をしていられない程の激流にさらされ、二人は一緒に、一つの穴に吸い込まれるように流されていった。流されている間、ハジメは、腕の中に香織を庇いつつ〝金剛〟を発動して、岩壁に叩きつけられながらもひたすら耐え抜いた。そして、水流が弱まったところで上方に光が見えたので一気に浮上した。するとそこは、今現在いる真っ白な砂浜が広がるこの海岸線だったというわけだ。「......ねぇ、ハジメくん。どうして......私を助けたの?」背を向けて着替えるハジメに香織がポツリと疑問をこぼす。ハジメは、いきなり何だ? と首を傾げた。「どうして、ユエじゃなくて私を助けたの?」「そりゃあ、香織は死にそうだけど、ユエは自分でどうとでも出来るからだ。ユエも、香織を助けろって眼で訴えてきたしな」「......信頼してるんだね」「当たり前だろ? パートナーだぞ?」沈んだ表情で先程までの回想をしつつ質問をして、更に沈んだ香織。不意に、俯く香織に影が差した。何だろうと香織が顔を上げると、間近い場所にハジメの顔があった。本当に目と鼻の先だ。もうちょっと近づけばキスが出来そうな距離である。香織が、吸い寄せられるようにハジメの瞳を見つめていると、突然、その両頬がグニィ~と引っ張られた。しかし、ハジメは、そんな香織の抗議をさくっと無視して、しばらくの間、彼女の柔らかな頬を存分に弄んだ。ようやく解放され、赤くなった頬を両手でさすりながら恨めしげに見上げてくる香織に、ハジメは「フン」と鼻を鳴らす。「落ち込んでいる暇があったら、行動を起こせ。ここは大迷宮だぞ? 何時まで、そのずぶ濡れの姿でいるつもりだ? それとも、同情でも引きたかったか?」ハジメの辛辣とも言える言葉に香織の顔が一瞬で真っ赤に染まる。それは、羞恥だ。言外に、やっぱりここにいるのは場違いじゃないか? と言われた気がしたのだ。「そ、そんなわけないよ! ちょっとボーとしちゃっただけ。そ、そのすぐ着替えるから。ごめんね」香織は、急いで立ち上がり、エリセンを出る前にハジメから全員に贈られた小型版〝宝物庫(極小さい家庭用倉庫程度)〟から替えの衣服を取り出して服を脱ぎ始めた。さりげなく背を向けるハジメ。普段の香織なら、恥ずかしくはあるものの、「見てもいい」くらいのことは言ってアプローチするのだが、今は、何だかそんな気になれずそそくさと着替えを終える。「で、出来たよ......それで、これからどうするの?」「そうだな......このまま海底に戻っても、あいつらが何処に行ったのかなんて分からないし......深部目指して探索するしかないだろう。アイツ等もそうするだろうしな」遠くに見える密林を眺めながら、ハジメが振り返る。香織は、沈んだ心を悟られないように笑みを浮かべ頷いた。そんな香織の笑顔に、ハジメは少し目を細めたが、結局、何も言わずに歩き出した。真っ白な砂浜をシャクシャクと踏み鳴らしながらしばらく進み、二人は密林に入る。鬱蒼と茂った木々や草を、ハジメがバッサバッサと切り裂いていく。香織は、その後ろをついていくだけだ。と、その時、ハジメが突然立ち止まり、くるりと香織に振り返ると、そっと抱きしめるように片手を香織の後頭部に伸ばした。「ふぇ? あ、あのハジメくん? そ、そんな、いきなり......」赤面する香織だったが、スっと体を離し戻されたハジメの手に摘まれたものを見て、一瞬で青ざめた。それは蜘蛛だった。手の平にすっぽり収まる程度の大きさで、合計十二本の足をわしゃわしゃと動かし、紫の液体を滴らせている。足は、通常のものと背中から生えているものがあって、両面どちらでもいけます! と言いたげな構造だ。激しく気持ち悪い。「油断するなよ? 大迷宮は、オルクスの表層とはわけが違う。同じような認識だと、痛い目みるぞ?」「う、うん。ごめんね。もっと気をつける」ハジメが取り上げた蜘蛛は魔石を持っておらず、普通にキモくて毒を持っているだけの蜘蛛だった。魔物でもない生き物に殺されかけたという事実が、そして、その尻拭いをハジメにしてもらったということが、更に香織をへこませた。光輝達といた時は、それはも活躍だったのに、ハジメ達のパーティーでは、まるで役に立てていない。それが、少しずつ香織の中に焦りを生んでいく。香織は、今まで以上に集中した様子で辺りを警戒し、そのせいか会話も少なく、二人は微妙な雰囲気で密林を抜けた。その先は...... 「これは......船の墓場ってやつか?」「すごい......帆船なのに、なんて大きさ......」密林を抜けた先は岩石地帯となっており、そこにはおびただしい数の帆船が半ば朽ちた状態で横たわっていた。そのどれもが、最低でも百メートルはありそうな帆船ばかりで、遠目に見える一際大きな船メートルくらいありそうだ。ハジメも香織も思わず足を止めてその一種異様な光景に見入ってしまった。しかし、いつまでもそうしているわけにも行かず、ハジメと香織は気を取り直すと、船の墓場へと足を踏み入れた。岩場の隙間を通り抜け、あるいは乗り越えて、時折、船の上も歩いて先へと進む。どの船も朽ちてはいるが、触っただけで崩壊するほどではなく、一体いつからあるのか判断が難しかった。「それにしても......戦艦ばっかだな」「うん。でも、あの一番大きな船だけは客船っぽいよね。装飾とか見ても豪華だし......」墓場にある船には、どれも地球の戦艦(帆船)のように横腹に砲門が付いているわけではなかった。しかし、それでもハジメが戦艦と断定したのは、どの船も激しい戦闘跡が残っていたからだ。見た目から言って、魔法による攻撃を受けたものだろう。スッパリ切断されたマストや、焼け焦げた甲板、石化したロープや網など残っていた。大砲というものがないなら、遠隔の敵を倒すには魔法しかなく、それらの跡から昔の戦闘方法が想像できた。そして、その推測は、ハジメ達が船の墓場のちょうど中腹に来たあたりで事実であると証明された。 ――うぉおおおおおおおおおおおおおおお!!!! ――ワァアアアアアアアアアアアアアアア!!!! 「ハジメくん! 周りがっ!」突然、大勢の人間の雄叫びが聞こえたかと思うと、周囲の風景がぐにゃりと歪み始めた。驚いて足を止めたハジメ達が何事かと周囲を見渡すが、そうしている間にも風景の歪みは一層激しくなり――気が付けば、ハジメ達は大海原の上に浮かぶ船の甲板に立っていた。そして、周囲に視線を巡らせば、そこには船の墓場などなく、何百隻という帆船が二組に分かれて相対し、その上で武器を手に雄叫びを上げる人々の姿があった。「ハ、ハ、ハジメくん? 私、夢でも見てるのかな? ハジメくん、ちゃんとここにいるよね? ね?」ハジメも香織も度肝を抜かれてしまい、何とか混乱しそうな精神を落ち着かせながら周囲の様子を見ることしかできない。そうこうしている内に、大きな火花が上空に上がり、花火のように大きな音と共に弾けると、何百隻という船が一斉に進み出した。ハジメ達が乗る船と相対している側の船団も花火を打ち上げると一斉に進み出す。そして、一定の距離まで近づくと、そのまま体当たりでもする勢いで突貫しながら、両者とも魔法を撃ち合いだした。ゴォオオオオオオオオ!! ドォガァアアン!! ドバァアアアア!!! 「おぉ!?」「きゃあ!」轟音と共に火炎弾が飛び交い船体に穴を穿ち、巨大な竜巻がマストを狙って突き進み、海面が凍りついて航行を止め、着弾した灰色の球が即座に帆を石化させていく。ハジメ達の乗る船の甲板にも炎弾が着弾し、盛大に燃え上がり始めた。船員が直ちに、魔法を使って海水を汲み上げ消火にかかる。戦場――文字通り、このおびただしい船団と人々は戦争をしているのだ。放たれる魔法に込められた殺意の風が、ぬるりと肌を撫でていく。その様子を呆然と見ていたハジメ達の背後から再び炎弾が飛来した。放っておけばハジメ達に直撃コースだ。ハジメは、なぜいきなり戦場に紛れ込んだのか? などと疑問で頭の中を埋め尽くしながらも、とにかく攻撃を受けた以上皆殺しOKの精神でドンナーを抜き、炎弾を迎撃すべくレールガンを撃ち放った。炸裂音と共に一条の閃光となって飛翔した弾丸は、しかし、全く予想外なことに炎弾を迎撃するどころか直撃したにも関わらず、そのまますり抜けて空の彼方へと消えていってしまった。「なにぃ!?」もう何度目かわからない驚愕の声を上げながら、傍の香織を抱いて回避行動に出ようとする。「待って、防ぐから! 〝光絶〟!」香織の詠唱と共に、光系初級防御魔法の障壁が出現した。ハジメとしては、確かに魔法の核を撃ち抜いたのにすり抜けた正体不明の攻撃など避けるに越したことはなかったのだが、香織が魔法を発動してその場に留まろうとしたので、仕方なく〝金剛〟を発動し炎弾に備える。しかし、ハジメの心配は杞憂に終わり、香織の障壁はしっかり炎弾を防いだ。ハジメは、訝しそうな表情となり、まさか射撃ミスか? と首を捻って、再度、飛来した炎弾に向かって発砲してみた。今度も、ハジメの魔眼石には、確かに魔法の核を撃ち抜いたように見えたのだが、やはり、弾丸は炎弾をすり抜けて明後日の方向へ飛んでいく。「......そういう事か?」それを見て、攻撃の有効性についてある程度の推測を立てたハジメは、別の攻撃方法を試してみることにした。飛来する炎弾を防ぐため、香織が、もう一度障壁を張ろうとしたのを制止して、ハジメは、ドンナーに〝風爪〟を発動した。そして、回避と同時に〝風爪〟で炎弾を斬り付けると、今度は、炎弾をすり抜けることもなく真っ二つにすることが出来た。「えっと、ハジメくん?」「どうやら、ただの幻覚ってわけでもないが、現実というわけでもないようだ。実体のある攻撃は効かないが、魔力を伴った攻撃は有効らしい。全く、本当にどうなってんだか」ハジメが、厄介な状況に溜息を吐いていると、すぐ後ろで「ぐぁああ」と苦悶の声が上がった。何事かと振り返ると、年若い男がカットラスを片手に腹部を抑えて蹲っていた。見れば、足元に血だまりが出来ており、傍らには血濡れの氷柱が転がっている。おそらく、被弾したのだろう。咄嗟に、香織は、「大丈夫ですか!」と声を掛けながら近寄り、回復魔法を行使した。彼女の放つ純白の光が青年を包み込む。香織の〝治癒師〟としての腕なら瞬く間に治るはずだ......と思われたが、結果は予想外。青年は、香織の回復魔法をかけられた瞬間、淡い光となって霧散してしまった。「魔力さえ伴っていれば、魔法の属性や効果は関係ないってことじゃないか?」「......それじゃあ、わ、私......あの人を殺し......」「香織、これは現実じゃない。〝直接作用できる幻覚〟くらいに考えておけ。それに、回復魔法をかけられて消えるものを人間とは呼ばない」「ハジメくん......うん、そうだね。ごめんなさい。ちょっと取り乱しちゃったけど、もう大丈夫」ハジメの淡々としながらも香織を気遣う言葉に、しかし、香織は、いつものように喜ぶでもなく、ただ申し訳なさそうに肩を落とした。そして、直ぐに笑顔を取り繕う。そんな香織に、ハジメは思わず先程から思っていた事をポツリと呟いた。「えっ? 何か言った?」「いや、何でもない」香織との間に微妙な空気が流れそうだったからではなく、不穏な気配を感じたからだ。周囲を見渡せば、雄叫びを上げながら、かなり近くまで迫ってきた相手の船団に攻撃する兵士達に紛れて、いつの間にか、かなりの数の男達が暗く澱んだ目でハジメと香織の方を見ていた。香織が、ハジメの視線に気がつき同じように視線を巡らせた直後、彼等はハジメ達に向かって一斉に襲いかかってきた。「全ては神の御為にぃ!」「エヒト様ぁ! 万歳ぃ!」「異教徒めぇ! 我が神の為に死ねぇ!」そこにあったのは狂気だ。血走った眼に、唾液を撒き散らしながら絶叫を上げる口元。まともに見れたものではない。相対する船団は、明らかに何処かの国同士の戦争なのだろうと察することが出来るが、その理由もわかってしまった。これは宗教戦争なのだ。よく耳を澄ませば、相対する船団の兵士達からも同じような怒号と雄叫びが聞こえてくる。ただ、呼ぶ神の名が異なるだけだ。その狂気に気圧されて香織は呆然と立ち尽くす。ハジメは、香織を後ろから抱きしめつつ、その肩越しにドンナーを突き出し発砲した。ただし、飛び出したのは弾丸ではなく、純粋な魔力の塊だ。〝魔力操作〟の派生〝魔力放射〟と〝魔力圧縮〟によって放たれたそれは、通常であれば、対象への物理的作用は余りなく魔力そのものを吹き飛ばすという効果をもつ。魔力が枯渇すれば人も魔物も動けなくなるので、ある意味、無傷での無力化という意味では使える技術なのだが、相対した相手にそんな生温い方法をハジメが選ぶはずもなく、今まで御蔵入りしていた技である。だが今は、その生温い技が何より役に立つ。ドンナーによって撃ち放たれた紅色の弾丸は、一瞬で空を駆け抜けると、狂気を瞳に宿しカットラスを振り上げる兵士の眉間をぶち抜いた。それだけに留まらず、貫通して更に背後の兵士にも着弾し、その体を一瞬で霧散させる。「香織! 飛ぶぞ! 舌を噛むなよ!」狭い甲板の上から囲まれるのも面倒なので、ハジメは、香織を抱き上げて〝空力〟を使い一気に飛び上がった。余りの勢いに香織から悲鳴が上がる。ハジメは、先に物見台にいた兵士を蹴り落としつつ、四本あるマストの内の一本にある物見台に着地した。下方で、狂気に彩られた兵士達が血走った眼でハジメ達を見上げている。今の今まで敵国同士で殺意を向け合っていたというのに、どういうわけか一部の人間達がハジメと香織を標的にしているようだった。しかも、二人を狙う場合に限って敵味方の区別なく襲ってくるのだ。その数も、まるで質の悪い病原菌に感染でもしているかのように、次々と増加していく。一瞬前まで、目の前の敵と相対していたというのに、突然、動きを止めるとグリンッ! と首を捻ってハジメ達を凝視し、直後に群がって来る光景は軽くホラーだ。狂気に当てられた香織など、既に真っ青になっている。「さて、どうすれば、この気持ち悪い空間から抜け出せるんだ?」「......どこかに脱出口がある......とか?」「海のど真ん中だぞ?」「船のどれかが脱出口になっていたりしないかな? ......ほら、ど○でもドアみたいに」香織が例えに持ち出した真っ青な猫ロボの便利道具を思い出しつつ、周囲を見渡すハジメは、船の多さに眉をひそめて嫌そうに反論する。「......見た感じ、ざっと六百隻くらいあるんだが......一つ一つ探すのは無理だろ。戦争が終わる方が早いと思うぞ?」「う~ん、確かに、沈んじゃう船もあるだろうし......じゃあ、戦争を終わらせる......とかかな?」「終わらせる......なるほど、取り敢えず皆殺せと? 香織も中々過激な事を言うじゃないか」「えっ? えっと、そういう意味じゃ......」「うん、きっとそうだな。それ以外思いつかないし、何より俺好みだし」ちょうど、マストのロープを使って振り子の要領で迫ってきた兵士数人を見もせず魔力弾で撃ち抜き霧散させたハジメは、こんなことなら魔力砲でも作っておけばよかったと思いつつ、撃ち放った紅色の弾丸を〝魔力操作〟の派生〝遠隔操作〟で誘導し、更に飛来した炎弾を迎撃していく。「香織、お前は攻撃系の魔法は不得意だろうけど、ここでは回復魔法すら強力な攻撃になる。脱出方法はよく分からないが、襲われたのは事実なんだから、取り敢えず、全員ぶちのめすぞ」「わ、わかったよ!」ハジメの言葉に、震える体を叱咤して決然とした表情で詠唱を始める香織。狂気が吹き荒れる戦場は、香織の精神を掘削機のように削り取っているのだろうが、隣にいる想い人に無様を見せたくない一心で気丈に振舞う。そんな彼女を守るようにハジメは周囲を睥睨した。眼下を見れば、そこかしこで相手の船に乗り込み敵味方混じり合って殺し合いが行われていた。ハジメ達が攻撃した場合と異なり、幻想同士の殺し合いでは、きっちり流血するらしい。甲板の上には、誰の物とも知れない臓物や欠損した手足、あるいは頭部が撒き散らされ、かなりスプラッタな状態になっていた。どいつもこいつも、〝神のため〟〝異教徒〟〝神罰〟を連呼し、眼に狂気を宿して殺意を撒き散らしている。兵士達の鮮血が海風に乗って桜吹雪のように舞い散る中、マストの上の物見台にいるハジメ達にも、いや、むしろハジメ達を狙って双方の兵士が執拗に襲いかかった。その度に、紅色の弾丸が縦横無尽に飛び回り、敵の尽くを撃ち抜いていく。更には、ハジメと香織の周囲を衛星のようにヒュンヒュンと飛び回って、攻性防御の役割を果たす魔力弾もあった。それでも、狂気の兵士達は怯むどころか気にする様子もなく、特攻を繰り返して来た。飛翔の魔法で何十人という兵士達が頭上から、そして、隣のマストやマストにかかる網を伝って兵士達が迫って来る。見れば、ハジメ達の乗る船にやたらと攻撃が集中しており、ハジメの魔眼石には、ハジメ達に向かって手を掲げる術師達から最上級クラスの魔力の高まりが見えていた。ハジメが、何とか狙撃してやろうかと考えたその時、香織の詠唱が終わり、彼女の最上級魔法が発動する。に抱きて、ここに聖母は微笑む〝聖典〟!」直後、香織を中心に光の波紋が一気に戦場を駆け抜けた。波紋は、脈動を打つように何度も何度も広がり、その範囲は半径一キロメートルに及んだ。そして、その波紋に触れた敵の一人一人を光で包み込んでいく。光系最上級回復魔法〝聖典〟。それは、超広範囲型の回復魔法で、領域内にいる者を全員まとめて回復させる効果を持つ。範囲は、術者の魔力量や技量にもよるが、最低でも半メートル以内の者に効果がある魔法だ。また、あらかじめ〝目印〟を持たせておけば、領域内で対象を指定して回復させることも出来る。当然、普通は数十人掛りで行使する魔法であるし、長時間の詠唱と馬鹿デカイ魔法陣も必要だ。たった一、二分で、しかも一人で行使できるなど、チート以外の何者でもない。香織の放った〝聖典〟の光が戦場を包み込むと同時に、領域内の兵士達は敵味方の区別なく全てが体を霧散させて消え去った。魔法の効果が終わり、香織の体が魔力枯渇で傾ぐ。ハジメが、すかさず支えに入った。「おぉ、メアリー・セレスト号の量産だな。やるじゃないか、香織。いや、流石というべきか?」「あ、う、そ、そんなことないよ。ハジメくん達の方がずっと凄いし......」香織は、ハジメの素直な称賛に照れくさそうに頬を染めつつも、ユエなら、もっと早く、もっと強力な魔法が使えるのだろうなと思い、自嘲気味の笑みをこぼした。そして、「〝補充〟」と呟いてハジメから貰った魔晶石のペンダントより失った魔力を充填していく。香織は魔力の直接操作が出来ないので、ハジメが魔法陣を刻んで詠唱で取り出せるように改良したのだ。ハジメは、香織の表情を見て眉を少ししかめ何かを言いかけたが、新たな敵が迫ってきたのでそれに対処するため、一旦脇に置き、再び戦闘に入った。物理攻撃が一切通用せず、どのような攻撃にも怯まない狂戦士の大群と船の上で戦わなければならないという状況は、普通なら相当厳しいものなのだろうが、ここにいるのはチートと化け物。二国の大艦隊は、その後、一時間ほどでたった二人の人間に殲滅されたのだった。「......うっ、げほぉ、かふっ、ごめ゙......」「いいから、我慢すんな」最後の兵士達を消滅させた直後、再び、周囲の景色がぐにゃりと歪み、気が付けば、ハジメ達は元の場所に戻っていた。やはり、殲滅で正解だったかと、安堵の吐息を漏らした直後、香織は近くの岩場に駆け込み、胃の中ものを吐き出し始めた。夕食は消化された後なので吐けるものがなく、一層苦しそうに目尻に涙を溜めながら、香織は、片手で「来ないで」とハジメに制止をかけた。しかし、ハジメはお構いなしに近寄り、香織の背をさする。思い人に無様を見られたくない香織だったが、背中に伝わる優しく温かい感触が心地よくて、次第に精神も吐き気も収まっていくのを感じた。ハジメが〝宝物庫〟から取り出し、差し出したリンゴジュースのような飲み物を、素直にコクコクと飲むと活力も戻ってきたようだ。甘く爽やかな味が、胃液の苦さを洗い流した。「ごめんね......」面倒を掛けて申し訳ないと眉を八の字にして謝罪する香織に、ハジメは目を細める。「まぁ、無理もないだろ。俺でも気持ち悪かった。人間ってのはあそこまで盲信的で狂気的になれるもんなんだなって思ったよ。......とにかく、少し休憩しよう。俺も相当魔力を使ったからな回復したい」「......うん。ねぇ、ハジメくん。あれは何だったのかな? ここにある廃船と関係あるよね?」立ち上がり近くの岩場に腰掛けながら、香織が問いかける。ハジメは、少し考えたあと推測を話した。「おそらくだが、昔あった戦争を幻術か何かで再現したんだろうな。......まぁ、迷宮の挑戦者を襲うという改良は加えられているみたいだが......あるいは、これがこの迷宮のコンセプトなのかもしれない」「コンセプト?」「ああ。【グリューエン大火山】でティオが言ってたんだよ。大迷宮にはそれぞれ、〝解放者〟達が用意したコンセプトがあるんじゃないか? ってな。それが本当だとすれば、ここは......」「......狂った神がもたらすものの悲惨さを知れ......かな?」「ああ、そんな気がするよ」ハジメの言葉を引き継ぎ、答えを呟いた香織は、先程までの光景を思い出して再び、寒気に襲われたように体をぶるりと震わせながら顔を青ざめさせた。香織が吐き気を催すほど精神を苛んだのは、兵士達の狂気だ。〝狂信者〟という言葉がぴったり当てはまる彼等の言動が、思想が、そしてその果ての殺し合いが気持ち悪くて仕方なかったのだ。狂気の宿った瞳で体中から血を噴き出しながらも哄笑し続ける者や、死期を悟ったからか自らの心臓を抉り出し神に捧げようと天にかかげる者、ハジメ達を殺すために弟ごと刺し貫こうとした兄と、それを誇らしげに笑う弟。戦争は狂気が満ちる場所なのだろうが、それにしても余りに凄惨だった。その全て〝神の御為〟というのだから、尚更...... 口元を抑えて俯く香織を見かねて、ハジメは香織のすぐ隣に腰掛けると香織の手を取って握り締めた。狂気に呑まれそうになっている香織を放っておくことは出来ない。香織は、少し驚いたようにハジメを見ると、次いで、嬉しそうに頬を緩めてギュッと手を握り返した。「ハジメくん、ありがと......」「気にするな。狂気に呑まれそうになる辛さは......わかる。俺も、奈落の底で堕ちそうになったしな......」「......そうならなかったのはどうして? ......って聞くまでもないか......ユエ......だよね?」「ああ、そうだ。奈落の底で、あいつと出会わなければ......どうなっていたことやら」懐かしそうに、それでいて愛しそうに遠い目をするハジメ。きっと、ユエと出会った時のことを思い出しているのだろう。その表情を見て、香織の胸が締め付けられる。「悔しいなぁ。ハジメくんをつなぎ止めるのも、守るのも......私でありたかったよ。って言っても、私じゃ何が出来たかわからないけどね......約束一つ守れなかったし。あ~、ユエは強敵だなぁ~」おどけたように笑う香織に、ハジメは、また目を細めた。香織の笑顔が、いつもの温かな陽だまりのような笑みではなく、多分に自虐や自嘲が入ったものだったからだ。「......ここに来てから、やたら謝ったり、そんな笑みばかり浮かべるな」「え? えっと......」突然のハジメの言葉に、香織は頭に〝?〟を浮かべる。しかし、次ぐ、ハジメの言葉で笑みが崩れ一気に表情が強ばった「......なぁ、香織。お前、なんで付いて来たんだ?」「......それは......やっぱり邪魔だってことかな?」ハジメは、俯いてしまった香織に、溜息を吐くと質問には答えず話し出す。「あの日、月明かりの下でマズイ紅茶を飲みながら話をしたこと、俺は覚えている。だから、正直、「ハジメくん、私は......」「だが、否定するつもりもない。きっと、香織には香織にしか見えないものがあって、それが心を動かしたんだろう。その上で決断したことを、他者が否定するなんて意味ないしな。俺は、俺の答えを示したし、〝それでも〟というんなら好きにすればいいと思う。シアなんか、全然めげないしな。むしろ、最近、寝込みを襲われないか割かしマジで心配なくらいだ」最近、身体能力がバグってきたウサミミ少女を思って、どこか恐ろしげな表情をするハジメ。そんなハジメを見て、香織は苦笑い気味に同意する。「......うん、あのアグレッシブさとポジティブさはすごいと思う」「最初の頃は、自分で言うのもなんだが相当雑な扱いだったんだ。俺は、ユエしか〝特別〟に思えそうになかったし......さっさと諦めてくれればそれに越したことはないだろうとも思っていたしな」「でもあいつは、俺が、どんなに雑な扱いしても、ユエを特別扱いしても、いつも怒ったり笑ったり泣きべそ掻きながら、それでも、どこか楽しげなんだ。例え、適性が全くなくてユエのように魔法を使えなくても、模擬戦でユエにあしらわれても、前を向くことを止めたりはしない。劣等感に苛まれて、卑屈になったりはしない」「わ、私、卑屈になんて......」ハジメの言葉を黙って聞いていた香織は、耐えかねたように反論するが、それも力はなく直ぐに尻すぼみになっていく。「気がついているか? ここに来てから、事あるごとに謝ってばかりだってことに。笑い方が、前と全然違うことに」「え?」「なぁ、香織。下を向くな。顔を上げて俺の目を見ろ」そう言われて、香織は、自分がずっと俯いていたことに今更ながらに気が付いた。以前は、話をするときは、きちんと相手の目を見て話していたというのに......香織は、ハッとしてハジメと目を合わせた。「いいか、もう一度いうぞ。俺は、ユエが好きだ。他の誰かを〝大切〟には思えても、〝特別〟がユエであることは変わらない。その事に、辛さしか感じないなら、ユエと自分を比べて卑屈にしかなれないなら......香織、お前は、俺から離れるべきだ」はっきりと告げられた言葉に、香織は再び俯いてしまう。それを見ながら、ハジメは、言葉を重ねた。「あの時、香織の同行を認めたのは、シアと同じで、俺の傍にいるという決断が香織にとって最善だと、香織自身が信じていたからだ。俺の気持ちを理解した上で、〝それでも〟と願い真っ直ぐ前を向いたからだ。それなら、好きなだけ傍にいればいいと、そう思ったんだ......だけど、今は、とてもそうは思えない」ハジメは、一度言葉を切ると、俯いてしまった香織の手を離し、最後の言葉を紡いだ。「もう一度、よく考えてみてくれ。なぜ、付いて来たのか、これからも傍にいるべきなのか......香織はシアとは違う。シアは、ユエのことも好きだからな。......場合によっては、「わ、私......」香織は、離された手を見つめながら何かを言おうとするが、やはり言葉にならなかった。気まずい雰囲気のまま、それでも前に進まねばならないと、ハジメは香織を促し、一番遠くに鎮座する最大級の帆船へと歩みを進めた。	“Cough, cough, ugh.” “Huff huff, are you okay, Kaori?” “Y-Yeah, somehow... Everyone is...” In front of Kaori, who was coughing from drinking a large amount of seawater, were Hajime, whose hand was coiled on her waist, and a pure-white sand beach. There was nothing else beside those around her, but she could densely see packed mangrove-like trees in the distance, and the surface of the waving sea high in the sky. The seawater was like a barrier, preventing any intruder. It was a vast space. “Looks like we are getting separated... Well, I gave everyone a smaller version of “Treasure Box,” so they should be able to do something by themselves.” Hajime lightly said after letting go of Kaori, and fixed his hair. However, Kaori’s mind seems to be somewhere else. While watching Hajime stand up and began to change his clothing, Kaori recalled what happened a while ago. Hajime’s party attempted a strategic retreat from the huge Clione. The place they fell into was a gigantic, spherical space with tens of tunnels, where there were spouting seawater with tremendous force. Or maybe it could be said that they were flowing from there; a place with storm-like and messy current. Swept by the swift current, Hajime’s party somehow managed to stick close together, but next the current mercilessly separated the party. Yue tried to control the current with magic, but it didn’t work well because the current was too random. Shia controlled the weight of Doryukken in cooperation with Tio; a fine play. Hajime had actually wanted to take out the submarine and ride it, but it was impossible inside the swift current. Clenching his teeth, Hajime took out ultra-heavy, compression ore, and tried to use the weight to overcome the current just like Shia. At that time, by luck, he saw Yue getting swept towards him, and Yue would meet up with Hajime thanks to the current. Shia and Tio had already disappeared into a tunnel somewhere, and their figures could no longer be seen inside the space. Hajime tried to reach out to Yue so she wouldn’t get separated from him, but Kaori’s figure was being swept to the lower side had entered his view. The pained gaze of Kaori’s met Hajime’s. He previously reached out to Yue before him, but his and Kaori’s gaze had indeed met. If he catches Yue, Kaori would be swept alone into a tunnel. The same thing would happen to Yue if he was to catch Kaori. The current Hajime could only choose one of them. Within that moment, it felt like eternity. Hajime exchanged gazes with Yue, and he made a decision. Using the weight from the ultra heavy compressed ore he took out from “Treasure Box,” Hajime rushed below, and then he caught Kaori. Kaori’s eyes were wide in surprise, but the two were immediately exposed to an even stronger swift current. Together, the two were thrown into a tunnel. While being swept away, Hajime activated “Vajra” to protect Kaori in his arms, enduring it even when he was thrown at a rock wall. Then, he was able to see light coming from above once the current weakened and went up. And there was the pure white sandy beach spreaded across the coastline. “... Nee, Hajime-kun. Why... why did you save me?” Kaori questioned Hajime whose back was turned towards her. Hajime only tilted his head, thinking “what kind of question was that?” “Why did you save me and not Yue?” “Well, Kaori seemed to be dying and Yue can do something by herself. Yue’s eyes also told me to save Kaori.” “... You really trust her, eh.” “Isn’t that natural? We are partners, you know?” The already depressed Kaori was even more depressed after hearing the answer. Suddenly, a shadow stretched over the downcast Kaori. Puzzled, Kaori looked up and there was Hajime’s face very close to her own. His eyes and nose were right before her. A distance that would conclude in a kiss if he move even a little closer. Kaori felt as if she was sucked by Hajime’s eyes, and suddenly, her cheeks were pulled. However, Hajime ignored Kaori’s protest and played with her soft cheeks without reserve for a while. After finally being released, Kaori looked up with a reproachful gaze while rubbing her red cheeks, but Hajime only snorted with “Hmph”. “If you have time to be depressed, then it’s better to use and move. We’re inside a Great Dungeon, you know? Just until when will you stay wet like this? Or, are you trying to gain my sympathy?” Hajime’s sharp words made Kaori’s face instantly reddened. It was of shame. She noticed what he unexpressed said, isn’t this the wrong place for that? “Th-There’s no such a thing! I was just daydreaming. I-I will change my clothes soon. Sorry.” Kaori hurriedly stood up and began to take off her clothes after taking out substitute clothes from mini-“Treasure Box” (around the size of a house’s storage) that was given to her before the party left Elisen. Hajime nonchalantly turned his back towards her. The normal Kaori would do an approach by saying, “It’s okay to watch,” though embarrassed, but the current Kaori hurriedly finished changing her clothes without saying anything. “I-I am done... So, what should we do?” “Let’s see... Even if we go to seabed again, we still don’t know where the others are... but there’s nothing we can do other than keep searching. Those girls would probably do so as well.” After looking at the jungle nearby, Hajime turned around. Kaori nodded at him while smiling; a smile hiding her depressed heart. Hajime slightly narrowed his eyes at Kaori’s smile, but he didn’t say anything in the end and started to walk. Advancing along the pure-white sandy beach, creating sounds as they walked, the two entered the jungle. The dense trees and bushes were cut by Hajime. Kaori was only following him from behind. Then, Hajime suddenly halted and turned towards Kaori, put his hand on the back of Kaori’s head as if to embrace her. “Fue? Ah, umm, Hajime-kun? Wh-What’s with this sudden...” Kaori blushed, but Hajime immediately separated and she instantly paled when she saw the thing on Hajime’s hand. It was a spider. With size almost as big as a palm, it was moving its twelve legs with violet liquid dripping from it. Some of the legs grew like a normal spider while some grew from its back; a structure expressing it was capable of moving using both sides! It looked disgusting. “Don’t let your guard down, okay? A Great Dungeon is vastly different compared to the surface of Orcus. Don’t think of it as the same or else you’ll experience pain.” “U-Un. Sorry. I will be careful.” The spider Hajime caught didn’t have magic stone, a normal poisonous spider. The fact that she was almost killed by creature other than a demonic beast, and how Hajime helped her, made Kaori even more depressed. When she was still in Kouki’s party, she was an all-rounder, however, in Hajime’s party, she isn’t at all useful. It made Kaori panic more and more inwardly. As such, Kaori put even more attention towards the surroundings which caused the conversation between the two to lessen, and they got out of the jungle with a subtle atmosphere between them. Ahead of them was... “This... isn’t this the so-called ship’s graveyard?” “Amazing... those are sailing ships, but the size...” In the rocky area ahead of the jungle were several partly rotted sailing ships lodged. The sailing ships were around a hundred meters in length at the lowest, and in the far distant was an even bigger one with at least three hundred meters in length. The bizarre spectacle made Hajime and Kaori unconsciously halted their advance. However, it didn’t take a long time for Hajime and Kaori to regain their senses and entered the ship’s graveyard. They advanced by passing through the gaps between rocks, sometimes passing over them, while at other times, they walked on the ships. “Even so... there are only battleships here.” “Un. But only the biggest one there seems to be a passenger boat. It has luxurious decorations on it...” The ships in this graveyard didn’t have cannons located at the starboard side like those battleship (sail-type) on earth. Even so, Hajime was able to conclude they were battleships because there were marks of fierce battle on all of the ships. From the appearance of the ships, they seemed to have received magic attacks. Some have their masts cleanly cut, burnt, carbonized decks, and petrified ropes and nets. They didn’t have any cannon, so they used long-ranged magic to defeat the enemies which was a battle method imaginable from the marks remained. Then, Hajime’s guess was proven to be a fact when he and Kaori were halfway through the ship’s graveyard. — UoOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! — WAaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! “Hajime-kun! The surroundings are—!” When they felt they heard shout of many men all of a sudden, the surroundings scenery began to distort. Hajime and Kaori stopped walking from the surprise and they observed the surroundings to observe what was happening. The surrounding distortion became even more intense and before they were aware of it, Hajime and Kaori were already on a ship’s deck, above the vast ocean. Following that, they looked at their surroundings, it was not the ship’s graveyard, but hundreds of sailing ships divided into two groups, confronting each other. Above the ships were people raising their weapons while shouting. “Ha-Ha-Hajime-kun? Am I currently inside a dream? Hajime-kun, you are here, right? Right?” Both Hajime and Kaori were taken aback, but they somehow managed to get out of their confusion, however, they weren’t able to look at their surroundings. While they did so, a big spark rose into the sky, generating firework-like loud voices followed by the hundreds of ships moving out simultaneously. The fleet on the side of the ship Hajime and Kaori rode on also moved out after the firework rose. And when the ships approached a certain distance, they used the momentum to ram the other ships used its bodies, while magic were also fired. GOoOOOOOOOO!! DOoGAaAAAN!! DOBAaAAAA!!! “Owh!?” “Kyaa!” Flame bullets fired accompanied by roaring sounds and created holes in the ships’ bodies. Huge tornadoes advanced aiming at the masts. The sea’s surface froze, stopping the ships. And bullets of gray-colored sphere instantly petrified everything. Even the deck Hajime and Kaori were on was hit by the flame bullets and began to blaze up grandly. The ship’s crews immediately activated magic to draw up the sea water and extinguished the fire. It was literally a battlefield where innumerable people and ships fought on. The fired magic clad in killing intent grazed their skins. Hajime and Kaori absentmindedly watching these spectacle, and once again fire bullets fired from behind them. The bullets’ courses were aimed straight towards Hajime and Kaori. Hajime buried his question of why did they suddenly were involved in this war in his head, and he pulled out Donner because it was OK to kill everyone because they attacked first. Thus, he intercepted the fire bullets using the railgun. The bullet fired was accompanied by explosive sound and a flash, but unexpectedly it didn’t even hit the flame bullets much more intercepting them. The bullet flew into the sky, and it disappeared. “What!?” Raising surprised voice for the nth times, Hajime embraced Kaori by his side and began to evade. “Wait, I will obstruct them! “Light Severance”!” With Kaori’s chant, the beginner-level defense magic of light attribute appeared. Hajime tried to evade because the unknown magic kept going even after their cores were hit, but Kaori had activated her magic and couldn’t move away from there. Reluctantly, he activated “Vajra” and waited for the flame bullets. However, Hajime’s worry proved to be groundless because Kaori’s barrier completely blocked the flame bullets. With dubious expression, Hajime thought whether he just misfired while tilting his head, and he once again fired at the incoming flame bullets. Even this time, Hajime’s Magic Eye indeed saw the cores being hit, but the bullet just passed through the flame bullets and flew towards the day after tomorrow.. “... Is that it?” Seeing that, Hajime was guessing why his attack wasn’t effective and decided to try another method of attacking. Kaori tried to put up another barrier to block the incoming flame bullets, but Hajime stopped her and activated “Wind Claw” in Donner. Following that, he evaded, and at the same time, he slashed the flame bullets using “Wind Claw.” This time, the flame bullets didn’t pass through and slashed in two. “Umm, Hajime-kun?” “It doesn’t seem to be an illusion nor was it a real thing. The physical attack didn’t effective, but attacks that contained magic power are effective. Good grief, what’s with this situation.” Hajime spat a sigh from this troublesome situation and “Gwaa,” an agonized voice rang right from behind him. While wondering what it was, he turned around and there was a young man crouching while suppressing his abdomen, while his other hand was holding a cutlass. Looking carefully, there was a pool of blood below him and blood covered icicle rolling nearby. He must have been shot with the icicle. “Are you okay!?,” Kaori immediately raised her voice while approaching him, and then she used her healing magic. A pure-white light released from her and wrapped the man. He should be healed in a blink of an eye because Kaori was a “Healer”... or so she thought, but the result was unexpected. The moment the young man received Kaori’s healing magic, he turned into light particles and disappeared. “Wasn’t it because the effect and attribute of the magic didn’t matter as long as it carried magic power?” “... Then, I-I just... killed that person...” “Kaori, this is not reality. Just think of it as “an illusion where we can move freely.” Besides, you can’t call something that disappeared by being healed a human.” “Hajime-kun... un, you are right. I am sorry that I was confused a little there. But I am okay now.” Though slight, Hajime said words of concern to Kaori. However, Kaori didn’t feel happy like the usual her, only drooping her shoulders apologizing. Then, she smiled to smooth things over. Seeing her reaction made Hajime inadvertently muttered the thing he had thought since earlier. “Eh? Did you say something?” “No, nothing.” Hajime moved his gaze from Kaori. It was not because of the subtle atmosphere drifting around Kaori, but because he felt ominous presences. When he looked around, the soldiers were shouting and attacking the nearby ships, and before they were aware of it, several men with dark gazes were looking at Hajime and Kaori. Kaori noticed Hajime’s gaze and looked at the direction he was watching, and the men immediately came to attack Hajime and Kaori. “For the God!” “Long live! Eht-samaa!” “Pagans! Die for our God!” They were in frenzy. With bloodshot eyes, they declared while scattering saliva around. Completely abnormal. He was able to guess it was a war between countries from how the fleets looked like, and he finally understood the reason for it. It was a religious war. If he strained his ears, he could hear the other soldiers in the other fleets were shouting similar things. However, they were shouting different God’s name. Kaori could only stand in blank surprise inside the frenzied atmosphere. Embracing Kaori from behind, Hajime thrust out and fired Donner over his shoulder. Only, the fired thing was not a bullet but mass of pure magic power. Using “Magic Power Compression” and “Magic Power Emission” derived from “Magic Power Manipulation,” he was able to blow off magic power without affecting the target physically. In a sense, it was a flawless technique to disarm the target because human and even demonic beast wouldn’t be able to move if their magic power was exhausted. This move had always been kept inside of him because he would not use such a lukewarm method on his enemy. However, this lukewarm method was the most useful in this situation. The bright red bullet fired by Donner momentarily cut through the space and pierced the forehead of one of the frenzied, cutlass swinging soldier. Without stopping, the bullet hit the soldier behind the previous one, too, and their bodies instantly dispersed. “Kaori! We are going to jump! Don’t bite your tongue!” It would be troublesome if they were surrounded on the deck, so Hajime jumped using “Aerodynamic” while embracing Kaori. Kaori screamed from the powerful momentum. Kicking the soldier on the crow’s nest, Hajime landed in one of four crow’s nest on the masts. Below them, the frenzied soldiers were looking up at Hajime and Kaori with bloodshot eyes. Even though there were the enemies from other countries, too, somehow some of the men were targeting Hajime and Kaori. Moreover, the ones targeting them didn’t have any distinction between allies and enemies. Their numbers keeps increasing one after another just like a bad case of contagious virus. Before even a moment passed and in front of their own enemies, the soldiers suddenly stopped moving and twisted their heads, staring at Hajime and Kaori. They immediately came crowding towards the two like a horror movie. The frenzied air even made Kaori pale. “Now then, what shall we do to get out of this disgusting space?” “... Maybe there’s something like... an exit?” “We are in the middle of the sea, you know?” “Maybe there’s an exit in one of these ships? ... see, something like wherever door.” Kaori recalled and compared it to the convenient tool of the blue cat robot. Looking at the surroundings, Hajime frowned and objected her idea because the ships were too numerous. “... From what I can see, there’s at least six hundred ships here... it’s impossible to search one by one. Don’t you think we’ll be able to find the exit faster if the war ended?” “Umm~, indeed, there are also the sunken ship... Then, shall we...end the war?” “End it... I see, time to kill everyone, huh? Kaori also can say something extreme, eh.” “Eh? Umm, I don’t mean that...” “Yup, that must be it. No other thing comes to my mind, and I like it better this way.” Firing bullets of magic power and shooting through the several soldiers climbing using the ropes on the mast, Hajime thought it would be better if he had make a magic gun. He thought so while he continued firing the bright red bullets along with “Remote Control” derived from “Magic Power Manipulation,” making them intercepted the incoming flame bullets. “Kaori, I know you aren’t proficient in offensive magic, but even healing magic becomes offensive magic here. And even if we don’t know how to escape from here, it is the truth that we are being attacked, so let’s knock them all down.” “O-Okay!” Hearing Hajime’s words, Kaori began her chant with resolute expression while trembling. The frenzied battlefield seemed to shave off at Kaori’s mind, but she absolutely didn’t want to show a disgraceful behavior to the important one beside her. Hajime was glaring at the surroundings as if protecting her. Looking down, allies and foes were mixed as they boarded the ship, killing each other. Unlike what happened when Hajime and Kaori attacked, the killing in this illusion was full of bloodshed. On the deck were someone’s entrails, cut limbs, and splattered heads. Everyone was repeatedly shouting “For the God,” “Pagan,” and “Divine Punishment,” with frenzied eyes as they spread killing intent. Within the fresh blood of the soldiers scattered just like a storm of cherry blossom, the crow’s nest where Hajime and Kaori, no, it was more like the soldiers were obstinately targeting Hajime and Kaori. Time to time, bright red bullets flew about in all directions, shooting through the enemies. Furthermore, they flew around Hajime and Kaori to protect them, positioned as both offense and defense at the same time. However, the frenzied soldiers weren’t even worried, repeatedly attempted suicide attacks. Tens of the soldiers used flight magic while there were those who approached by going from one mast to another. It could be seen that the fight was concentrated on the ship where Hajime and Kaori rode. Hajime’s Magic Eye also caught the fluctuation of magic power of highest-ranked magic from the hand of the magicians aiming at them. At the time, Hajime thought of sniping them, but Kaori’s chant ended and she activated highest-ranked magic of her. “— — people, held out your arms as this is the place where Holy Mother smiling at, “Scripture”!” Then, ripple of light spread into the battlefield with Kaori as its center. The ripple throbbed as it expanded for so so many times, reaching one kilometer in radius. The enemy who touched by the ripple was wrapped by light. Highest-ranked healing magic of light attribute, “Scripture.” It was a super wide-ranged healing magic with effect of healing everyone inside its area. The range itself was depended on the amount of user’s magic power and proficiency, but at its worst, its effective range was meters in radius. Moreover, if the user gave out the “sign” beforehand, it would be able to heal specific object. And normally this magic was used with tens of magician, and took a lot of time to chant along with its stupidly gigantic magic array. To be able to activate it in only one, two minutes alone was impossible unless one was a cheat-like character. At the same time the light of “Scripture” activated by Kaori wrapped the battlefield, all soldiers inside the effective area had their bodies dispersed without distinction of ally or foe. When the magic ended, Kaori’s body tilted from magic power exhaustion, and was thus promptly supported by Hajime. “Ohh, a mass reproduction of the Mary Celeste, huh. You did great, Kaori. No, should I say as expected of you?” “Ah, uh, th-there’s no such a thing. Hajime-kun and the others are far more amazing...” Honest praise from Hajime made Kaori’s cheeks blush from embarrassed. She made a self-ridiculing smile as she thought Yue would be able to use more powerful magic quickly. Then, she muttered “”Replenish,”” to replenish the lost magic power from the pendant given by Hajime. Hajime had improved the pendant with magic array and the ability of taking out the stocked magic power by chanting because Kaori was incapable of directly manipulating magic power. Hajime slightly knitted his eyebrows and wanted to say something when he saw Kaori’s expression, but he put it aside for now because he had to deal with the new incoming enemies. The battle had restarted. With the ineffectiveness of physical attack, it was a situation where the large amount of soldiers didn’t falter against any kind of attack as they battled on the ship. Normally, it might be a hard situation, but there were cheat-like monsters present. Big fleets of two countries were afterwards annihilated by the two humans in a span of one hour. “... Uuh, cough, kafh, sorr-...” “It’s alright. Just endure it.” Immediately after the last soldiers were annihilated, their surroundings were once again distorted. They noticed that they had returned to ship’s graveyard from before. Wondering if the annihilation was indeed the correct answer, Kaori immediately sighed in relief, ran to the nearby rock, and vomited. However, she vomited nothing since the dinner she ate had already been digested, and thus she felt a pain from trying to vomit. With tears accumulated in the corner of her eyes, Kaori used one hand to tell Hajime “Don’t come,” to stop him. However, Hajime still approached her and rubbed her back. Kaori didn’t want to show such a pitiful sight to him, but she felt comforted from the gentle and warm feelings transmitted to her back. Her nausea and spirit gradually recovered. Hajime took out apple juice-like drink from “Treasure Box” and presented it to her. Kaori obediently drink it heartily and her energy returned. The sweet and fresh taste, flushed the sour taste of gastric juice. “Sorry...” Kaori who knitted her eyebrows and apologized for the trouble made Hajime narrowed his eyes. “Well, I think it is inevitable. Even I feel disgusted by it. I never thought humans would be so frenzied because of their blind belief. ...Anyway, let’s rest for now. Even I want to recover my considerably used magic power.” “... Un. Say, Hajime-kun. What was that illusion? Is it related to these ship wreckages.” Kaori stood up then sat on the nearby rock, and then she asked him. Hajime took a little time to think before told her his conjecture. “It is just a maybe, but I think the illusion might have been reproducing a battle in the past. ... well, it seemed there’s also some improvement to attack those challenging the dungeon... or it might have been the concept of this dungeon.” “Concept?” “Yeah. Tio said it when we were in “Guryuu-en Great Volcano”. She said ‘isn’t it possible that each of the dungeon had its own concept prepared by the “Liberators”?’ If that’s true, then here is...” “...To know the misery brought by the Mad Gods... maybe?” “Aah, I think so, too.” Continuing Hajime’s words by muttering the answer, Kaori recalled the spectacle from before, her face once again turned pale, and her body trembled as if she was suffering from a cold. What made Kaori felt sick was the madness from the soldiers. Their behavior and speech were exactly of those so called “Fanatic” while she also couldn’t help but feel disgusted from the killing. The people continued to laugh loudly in a frenzy even when blood were spraying from their bodied. There were even those who died from gouging their own hearts out, raised it towards the sky as an offering to their Gods. There was also an older brother who stabbed through his own younger brother just to attack Hajime and Kaori, while the younger one laughed proudly. War itself was a place filled with madness, but one they just saw was far too ghastly. And it was wage all “For our God,” so... Seeing Kaori covering her mouth because she couldn’t endure it, Hajime sat right beside Kaori and grasped Kaori’s hand. He couldn’t leave Kaori, who sickened by the madness, alone. Kaori was slightly surprised, looked at Hajime, relaxed, and squeezed Hajime’s hand back. “Hajime-kun, thank you...” “Don’t mind it. I understand... the pain from being exposed to the madness. I felt that when I fell into the abyss...” “... Then, how? ... Wait, there’s no need for you to answer... It was... Yue-san, right?” “Yeah, it was because of her. If I hadn’t met her inside the abyss... I wonder how I would have ended up.” Hajime looked into the distance in affection and nostalgia. He was surely recalling the time he met Yue. Seeing his expression made Kaori felt her chest squeeze. “It’s mortifying. To defend, to protect Hajime-kun... I wanted to do that. But even if I said that, it’s not like I can do anything. Since it’s me... who I couldn’t even protect a promise. Ah~, Yue is a really powerful enemy~.” Kaori joking laughter made Hajime narrowed his eyes again. Kaori’s smile was not the usual warm, positive smile because it might have also included self-torment and self-ridicule. “... You’ve been apologizing since we came here, and don’t make such a smile.” “Eh? Ummm...” Hajime’s sudden words made Kaori raised “?” above her head. However, her smile immediately collapsed and her expression stiffened from Hajime’s next words. “... Listen, Kaori. Why did you follow us here?” “... That’s... am I just a burden after all?” The downcast Kaori made Hajime sigh, and he didn’t answer her question. “I remember the talk we had under the moonlight while drinking that disgusting tea that day. That’s why, honestly, I don’t think it’s weird that you have goodwill for the current me.” “Hajime-kun, I...” “However, I have no intention of denying it. I am sure Kaori had things only you can see, and that’s what stirred your heart. Thus, there’s no meaning for me to deny the decision you made. I have given you my answer, “even so” I think it’s a good thing that you favor me. Even Shia didn’t even feel discouraged. Rather, she recently made me seriously worry if she was going to attack me in my sleep.” Hajime recently felt the dread as he thought of the rabbit-eared girl with bugged physical strength. Seeing such a Hajime, Kaori made a wry smile in agreement. “... Un, I think her aggressiveness and positiveness amazing.” “I treated her harshly at the beginning. I didn’t think of anyone as “special” other than Yue... I honestly thought she was going to give up quickly.” “No matter how harsh I treated her, how I treated Yue as special, and she was always neither angry nor did she cry, but she seemed happy about it. She couldn’t compare to Yue in magic usage because she didn’t have aptitude in magic, and even if she was defeated in a mock battle against Yue, she didn’t stop to move forward. She didn’t cower even though she was attacked by her own inferiority complex.” “I-I, thing like inferiority complex...” Kaori who silently listening to Hajime, couldn’t help to object and stood up. However, she was exhausted and immediately sat back. “Didn’t you notice it? You’ve been apologizing since we came here. Even the way you smiled is completely different than the usual.” “Eh?” “Listen, Kaori. Don’t keep looking down. Raise your face and look into my eyes.” That being said, Kaori finally noticed she had been looking down for a while now. Before, she made sure to look at the other person’s eyes when talking... thus, when Kaori met Hajime’s gaze she realized. “Listen here, I will not say it for the second time. I love Yue. Even if I thought of others as “important,” it won’t change that only Yue is “special.” So if you feel pain from it, if you feel you are inferior compared to Yue... Kaori, you should part from me.” The blunt words made Kaori look down again. Hajime continued talking even though he did see her reaction. “The reason I allowed Kaori to accompany us at that time is because of the same reason as Shia; I judged it’d be the best for Kaori to be by my side, because I trust Kaori. You understood my feelings, “even so” you moved ahead for your wish. That’s why I thought it’d be okay for you by my side if you favor me... but, I don’t feel the same way now.” When Hajime ended his words, he separated his hand from the downcast Kaori’s. Then, he spun the ending words. “Please think carefully about it once more. Why did you come along with us, and if should you stay by my side from now on... Kaori is not Shia. Shia likes Yue, too. ...Depending on your answer, I will send you back to your best friend (Yaegashi).” “I-I...” Kaori wanted to say something as she watched the hand separating from her own, the words wouldn’t come out. Inside the awkward atmosphere, Hajime urged Kaori to move because it was necessary for them to approach the biggest sailing ships enshrined at the distance.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 13, "inserted_lines_src": 9, "inserted_lines_trg": 1 }
最後の派には「伯爵家嫡子に娘が手籠めにされた」という形式を作ろうとした奴もいて、父親がやたらと俺に酒を勧め、宴が開催されている間に娘が代官館の俺の寝室に忍び込もうとしていた。予想していたんでケステン卿に俺の寝室に待機していてもらい、宴が終わる前の時間にその場で捕縛してもらったが。代官館への無断侵入の現行犯になるんで、若い女の子でも躊躇なく牢獄に叩き込むよう指示を出した。そうしたら翌日父親がのこのこ“娘の暴走”を謝罪に来たんで、俺が最初にアンハイムで出した指示を知っているか、と聞いたら蒼白になっていた。なんせ最初に出したのは山賊の処刑命令だからな。その日は罪は罪だ、と父親を追い返し、山賊どもの絞首刑が終わってから、侵入は罪だが被害者はいなかった、という事で罰金刑にした。とは言え結構な金額だった上、法的には罪人となった娘が嫁ぐ先を探すのは大変だろうが俺は知らん。ちなみにその罰金は全額酒に換えて着任した代官からの贈り物として町中に配った。その後にも町の顔役が難民の女性に乱暴を働いていた事を確認したんで、そいつの住居にノイラートとシュンツェル、ゲッケさんたちの傭兵団を率いて突入するようなこともした。乱暴犯本人はその場で切り捨て、生き残っていた取り巻きどもは全員トライオット方面に追放。何人かの誓約人が寛大な処置を求めてきたが容赦する気はない。なんでも誓約人の弟が取り巻きにいたらしいが、だからと言って妥協はできない。ちなみにこれをやったら代官付きの騎士や兵まで大人しくなった。お前らなあ。一方で民政の方は半分以上ベーンケ卿に丸投げしているが、治安維持と食料品の確保だけはとにかく最優先で行ってもらっている。魔軍が攻めてきてから食料品を買い集めるのは難しいんで、今のうちから少しずつ備蓄を増やしていかないと。それと並行して行っているのは衛生面だ。難民に日当を出し町の警備隊と協力させつつ街路掃除などを行わせ衛生面を確保している。よく言われることだが中世の町は決して綺麗じゃないが、それはこの世界の地方都市でも同様。理由の一つは家畜だ。町中で豚とか牛とか飼っているんだが、焼き印が押されているだけで放し飼いになっていたりするんだよ。普通の家には冷蔵庫はないし塩だって安くない。という訳で家畜を生かしておくのが肉の新鮮さを維持する最良の方法だ。それが町中であっても。それはいいというか仕方がないんだが、所有者はもっとちゃんと管理しろ。前世で犬の糞が道路に転がっていたように、豚とか牛とかの糞が道で無造作に放置されているのは流石に耐えられん。籠城戦の最中に家畜の糞から疫病発生とか、嫌だぞ俺は。結局、町全体の掃除をさせることと、家畜の管理をおろそかにしている家には罰金を設けることに。衛生面の重要性はこの世界でもまだ一般的じゃないからその辺の周知が課題だな。館で働く人間は難民と町の住人から半々ぐらい雇ったが、使用人に関しては面倒なんで高齢の男女ばかりにした。年齢が若いなら町での労働力としても働けるだろうし、なにより若い女に色仕掛けとかされる手間は省きたい。そうしたらなんか知らんが「代官殿には王都に婚約者がいるらしい、だから若い女性に興味を持たない」とか謎の噂が流れていた。そんな事実はないんだが面倒なんで放置してある。誤解でもなんでも変なのが寄ってこないのはありがたいし。ちなみに前世中世だと貴族には早くから婚約者がいるイメージがあるが、この世界ではそうでもなく、学生の頃に相手を見つけることも多い。幼いころの婚約は大体が親とか家の都合だ。いや前世でもそうなんだが前世の方は理由が深刻。なにせ前世の中世、死亡率が高い。中世と言うと範囲が広すぎるが、中世中期ごろの統計例で言うと、貴族家当主が死亡した際に跡継ぎの子供がいなかった家もある。しかもこれは子供がいない家だけだ。女児しかいなかった家がさらに二割。その上、この数字はあくまでも子供がいたという話限定。中には当主の病没時に奥方も既に死亡していて、月月の乳幼児しかいなかったなんて事さえある。そんなことしたらかえって母体を痛めそうな気もするんだが、その辺も含めて医学が未熟だったということになるんだろう。ところがこの世界、ポーションやら魔法やらという、前世から見れば謎の存在がある。急死してしまった場合はまた別にして、前世で言えばインフルエンザの発熱ぐらいじゃ死なない。魔法恐るべし。大金の治療費を払える貴族の乳幼児死亡率も前世と比べればかなり低くなる。という訳で早いうちから孫を目的とした婚約をする必要もなく、家の格に問題がなければ学生になってから相手を見つければいい、という考えが珍しくない。俺の兄には婚約者がいたがこれは相手の家の都合だったはず。むしろ貴族家間では子世代の恋愛は駆け引きの材料にさえなる。露骨な表現をすると「お宅の息子さんがうちの娘に惚れ込んで婚約を申し込んできたんですよねぇ。婚約してもいいですけど、見返りは?」という訳だ。うーん黒い。そんなわけで特に婚約を急ぐ理由もなかったこともあり、俺には婚約者とかはいないんだが、そんなことよりもそもそも学生を続けられるんだろうか。非常に難しい気がする。今考えてもしょうがないか。現実逃避じゃないぞ。それはともかく、着任から半月ほどの間にいくつか手も打った。王都に使者を出して予算と物資を借用する依頼も出した。賊の方はホルツデッペ卿に命じて当面は他の地方との流通だけは維持させている。徐々にではあるが支援隊も形になってきているし、周辺村落の備蓄なども把握できた。これで地図とあわせれば兵を動かす際の補給線を確保できる。「ケステン卿、支援隊はどうだ」「集団行動にはだいぶ慣れてきましたが、まだ実戦に出せるほどではありませぬな」「警備隊との関係はどうだ」「縄張り争いみたいなものはありますが、それはお任せを」「わかった、任せる。当面はの訓練を中心に続けさせてくれ」「はっ」現状で志願兵になるような人たちは、食いっぱぐれていた奴がいる一方で、家族が殺されていたりする人もいる。戦意の高すぎる人と、とりあえず兵になりましたって人が混在している状態だ。まだ無理はさせられないか。とりあえず魔物相手でも怯えることなく城壁上から弩弓を打てるぐらいにはなってほしい。「ベーンケ卿、書類の方はどうだ」「役人たちが見やすくなったと喜んでおります」王都でもそうだったが地方の俺様ルールの酷い事。代官に陳情する書状を例にすると、Aギルドからの場合は「陳情者名、本文、確認者名、ギルド長名」の順で書かれていた。なのでアンハイムでは今後必ずこの順番で書け、とを統一するように指示。その書式で書いていないものは自動的に差し戻しだ。不満も随分出たが放置。慣れればそのうち落ち着くだろう。「賊の動向は?」「最初に躊躇せず死刑としたため、賊が集合しつつあるようです」「その方がありがたい。一〇人、二〇人とかの小集団をあちこちで追いかけまわす方が糧食への負担が大きい」ノイラートの報告に頷いて答える。わざとそのために賊が集結する時間を与えているとさえいえる。他の地方を治める代官のグレルマン子爵とツァーベル男爵には賊を追い返してくれればそれでいいと依頼してあるし。地図の上にコマを置いて全体を見ていると、他の集団はいいとして、一個だけ面倒なのがある。ここは平地の中でぽかっと高くなっている丘だ。ありていに言えば俺だって野戦陣を張るならここを拠点にするって場所。嫌なところに居座られているな。「国境、敵の動きは?」「こちら側から対岸を見た限り、目立った動きはありませんでした」国境偵察の責任者はシュンツェルだ。トライオットとの国境には橋のない川が横たわっている。そういえばゲームではトライオット方面には川があるだけで直接移動できなかった。この辺はシナリオ上の都合かね。だが現実ではそうもいかない。難民だって必死になれば渡って来れる川だ。魔物の身体能力ならどこでも渡って来れそうだしなあ。川を防衛線にする選択肢は難しい。相手が魔軍だとよくある川をせき止めておいてタイミングを見て押し流すってのも使えそうもないな。うーん。「ヴェルナー様、王都から来客です」「俺に?」門番からの連絡を取り次いだフレンセンがそんなことを言ってきて、うっかり俺とか口走ってしまった。客が来るとは聞いてないんだが。「はい。王都からの物資護衛に同行して到着した出てきた名前にちょっと驚いた。いやまあ冒険者ならどこにいても驚くことじゃないが、また妙なところでその名を聞いたな。物資受け取りの件もあるし、気分転換も兼ねて会いに行くか。ついでに確認しておきたいこともあるし。	headline. The people of this group kept trying to offer me alcohol at the banquet, while their daughters were most likely trying to sneak into my bedroom. I expected this would happen, so I had already asked Sir Kesten to guard my room and catch all the people who tried to sneak in. I also instructed Sir Kesten to throw all people he caught into the prison, even if they were young ladies. After all, they had committed the crime of trespassing into the governor’s mansion. The next day, their fathers came to me and asked me to release their daughters while apologizing for their daughters’ On that day, I told those fathers to return, using an excuse that a crime was still a crime no matter who did it. Then, after the bandits’ execution was finished, I sentenced the young ladies to a fine on the grounds that By the way, I used the fines to buy alcohol and distributed it for free to the town’s citizens as a gift from the newly appointed governor. I also got a report that one of the town’s influential figures violently assaulted a refugee woman. After confirming that the report was true, I went to that man’s residence with Neurath, Schunzel, Gekke-san, and the mercenaries and killed the man on the spot while his surviving cronies were all banished to Triot. Several members of the Pledgers asked for leniency in the punishment. Apparently, one of the cronies was a Pledger’s brother, but I refused since that wasn’t a good enough reason for me to compromise on a criminal. After that incident, even the knights and soldiers that the kingdom had lent me became quiet. Good grief. On the other hand, I dumped more than half of my administration work on Sir Behnke. I also told him to prioritize maintaining public order and gathering food supplies. It would be hard to buy any food supplies when we would be battling Gezarius, so I had to use this chance to slowly stock up. In addition, I had also been working on the town’s sanitation. I gave daily wages to the refugees and had them work with the town’s security force to clean the street and ensure sanitation. It was often said that the town in the medieval period was not always the cleanest, but that was also the case for the provincial towns in this world. One reason why the sanitation of the town was poor was livestocks. Many people in the town owned livestocks, but the livestocks here were only branded by the owner and then left free-range. As preservatives techniques were not highly developed and salt was expensive, the only way for the town’s citizens to eat fresh meat was to keep livestocks. Even if the livestocks ended up dirtying the town. Seriously, couldn’t the owners of the livestocks take better care of their livestocks? It would be a huge problem if we had a disease outbreak because of livestock excrement while we were in the middle of a war. So, I had the whole town cleaned up and made a law to fine people who neglected to take care of their livestocks. The importance of hygiene wasn’t common knowledge in this world, so it was pretty troublesome to spread the word. By the way, I decided to hire only old people in the governor’s mansion, because it would be troublesome if some kind of scandal happened, especially against young women. It was possible that I would get accused of laying my hands on a young maid and forced to marry her. Plus, young people in the town most likely had their own work. In addition, half of the people I hired were refugees, while the other half were the town’s citizens. After I recruited the workers for the governor’s mansion, for some reason, there was a rumor about me having a fiancee in the capital floating around. I didn’t know who spread that rumor, but since that rumor stopped the advances of strange ladies toward me, I was grateful. By the way, the nobility of the medieval period often had an image of having a fiancee from a young age, but that wasn’t the case in this world. Nobles of this world usually found their fiances when they were students while engagements that happened from a young age were often engagements for the convenience of their families. Well, an engagement from a young age in the medieval period also happened because of the convenience of their families, but there was another more important reason for the difference in usual age for engagement here and in the medieval period. That reason was the high mortality rate in the medieval period of the previous world. In order to ensure that their noble family always had an heir, the heads of noble families of that time thought that it would be best to leave as many grandchildren as possible, so they began to decide their children’s marriage partners from an early age. There were even cases where as soon as their children were able to sire grandchildren, the head of a family would force them, albeit with supervision, to ‘go to the bed’ Although I believed that doing that kind of thing would harm the children’s bodies, I guess the health field of that era wasn’t advanced enough to know that sort of thing. Different from the medieval period on earth, this world had potions and magic. Frankly speaking, some random flu wouldn’t be able to kill anyone because of the existence of potions and magic. The infant mortality rate of nobles who could afford expensive potions was much lower. Therefore, the idea that didn’t exist here. As such, it was normal for engagement to be decided after their children became students unless there was some problem in the family itself. My late brother did have a fiance though, but that must be for the sake of convenience for the fiance’s family. The love between children of noble families was even used as a bargaining chip. To put it bluntly, when the head of a certain family noticed that the son of another noble family fancied his daughter, he would be like, ‘your son seems to like my daughter and even has proposed for an engagement with my family. If I accept this engagement... what do I get in return?’ The world of nobles could be pretty dark. As for me, I still didn’t have a fiance since there was no particular reason for me to hurry and get married. Rather than marriage, I was more concerned about whether I would be able to continue going to the academy in the future. I felt like that would be difficult. No, thinking about the academy wasn’t my attempt to escape the reality that I was still single, or anything like that! Well, moving back to the subject of Anheim, I had done several things to prepare for the war with Gezarius in the past half a month. Ever since I had become the governor of Anheim, I had sent an emissary to the capital to ask for the money and supplies for the war. As for the matter of the roads, I had ordered Sir Holzdeppe to maintain the public order of the roads that would be used for communication with other territories. The support troop had also gradually taken a shape and I had also managed to grasp the number of emergency supplies that were kept by the surrounding villages. With this, after matching the location of emergency supplies to the map of the Anheim region, I would be able to secure the supply lines for our army. “Sir Kesten, how is the support troop?” “They have gotten used to fighting in a group, but they have yet to reach the level of being able to fight in an actual war.” “How about the guards?” “There have been some small skirmishes among the guards, but I’ve taken care of them.” “Keep up the good work. For now, continue to focus on training the support troop on using crossbows and slings.” “Understood.” Currently, the people who had volunteered to become members of support troops were one who had either starved or lost their families because of demons. That means the current morale of the support troop was divided between people who were eager to fight for revenge and people who just joined the support troop for food. I still couldn’t let them do anything too difficult. At the very least, when the war came, I hoped they would be able to shoot the crossbows from the top of the town walls without any fear. “Sir Behnke, how were the documents?” “I am glad that they have become easier to read.” “Good.” Just like in the capital, the officials here did whatever they wanted with the structure of the documents. A petition to the governor for example needed to have the petitioner’s name, the content of the petition, the witness’s name, and the guild leader’s signature and if the petitioner couldn’t write, you need to put the writer’s name, but one guild put the petitioner’ name at the top, another guild put the guild leader’s signature at the top, and another one put the content on the top, it was all a mess. That was why I instructed all guilds to follow a certain format in writing all documents, including the petition letter. The documents that didn’t follow the format would be returned to the respective guild. I got some complaints, but I ignored them. Once they get used to the format, the complaints should stop. “How is the situation with the bandits?” “Because we didn’t hesitate to execute their leaders, they seem to be gathering.” “Good then. It would be more efficient for us to take care of them all in one fell swoop rather than chasing groups of or of them to all sorts of places.” I nodded in response to Neurath’s report. In fact, I didn’t immediately hunt all the bandits after I arrived in the town on purpose, so the bandits could gather. I also told Viscount Grellman and Baron Zabel, the nobles who became the governor of the remaining two Marquis Knap’s former territory, that they could just chase out the bandits from their territory. As I put a piece on the map I had spread out, I noticed one troublesome thing. There was this hill in the middle of flat land. Frankly, this was the place where I would build the headquarters if I was setting up a camp. This hill was located in a troublesome spot. “Is there any enemy movement on the border?” “As far as I can see from this side of the river, our enemy hasn’t made any significant movement.” Schunzel was in charge of inspecting the border. There was a river without any bridges on the border between Anheim and Triot. In the game, the players could see the river but couldn’t cross it. I guess this was for the convenience of the game’s scenario. However, it would be different in reality. Even human refugees would be able to cross the river if they were desperate, let alone demons with their superior physical capability. I couldn’t choose the riverside as the site of the battle. Hmm.... Since our opponents were demons I think the common tactic of ‘dam the river then destroy the dam when the enemies were crossing the river’ wouldn’t work... what should I do... “Welner-sama, you have a visitor from the capital.” “A visitor? For me (ore)?” Because Frenssen suddenly told me that I got a visitor, I accidentally used me (ore). I didn’t hear that someone would come to visit me, though. “Yes. The Iron Hammer party from the capital said they wish to meet you.” I was a little surprised to hear that name here. I guess since they were an adventurer party they could be anywhere, but once again, I heard that name in a quite unusual place. Since I needed to receive the supplies, plus I wanted to take a break from my work for a bit, I decided to meet them. I also had something that I wanted to check with them anyway.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 2, "inserted_lines_src": 9, "inserted_lines_trg": 15 }
どうもありがとうございます口笛をお聞きいただきましたどうにか英語でお話ししようとしています「なんだこの丸ぽちゃ巻き毛のオランダ人は? なんで口笛吹いてるんだ?」そうお思いかもしれませんね私は実際4歳の頃から口笛ばかり吹いていました父はいつも家で口笛を吹いていて私はそれをコミュニケーションの一種だと思い一緒になって口笛を吹いていたのですそして34になった私はいつも口笛で周りの人を煩わせ苛立たせていました正直私の口笛はちょっと常軌を逸していました 1人の時も口笛教室でも口笛自転車に乗っても口笛どこにいても口笛を吹いていたのです義姉の家でクリスマスパーティがあったときにも口笛を吹いていました彼らのかけるクリスマス音楽は私に言わせるとひどいものでしたそして気に入らない曲を聴くともっと改善してやろうと思うのです「赤鼻のトナカイ」はご存じですね? これはこんな風にだってできるのですでもクリスマスのディナーの場では耳障りだったようですそれで義姉に何度か「口笛やめてくれない?」と注意されましたでもやめられなかったのですそしてワインで酔っていたこともあって「もし口笛コンテストがあったら出てやるのにな」と言いましたその2週間後に義姉からメールを受け取りました「アメリカには行くのよね?」「アメリカなら行ってみたいけどなんでまた?」不思議に思って電話しました義姉はGoogleで調べて世界口笛選手権がアメリカであるのを見つけたのです義姉は私が行くとは思っておらず私は顔をなくすことになるわけです英語で正しい言い方なのか分かりませんがオランダ人なら言いたいこと分かりますよね私は顔をなくすのです「本当に行くわけがない」と思っているので行ってやることにしましたノースカロライナ州ルイスバーグアメリカの南東部にある町ですそして「口笛の世界」に参加し口笛世界選手権2004に出場して優勝しましたもちろんそれはすごく楽しい経験でしたそして柔道家やスポーツマンみたいにタイトルを防衛するため 2005年にも参加してまた優勝しましたその後何年かは参加できなかったのですが 2008年に東京であった大会にまた参加して再び優勝しましたそして今この美しい街ロッテルダムで大きなステージに立ち口笛の話をしているわけです実際私は口笛で収入を得るようになり看護師の仕事は辞めましたそして夢にかけようとしています・・・別に夢じゃなかったんですがそう言うと何かかっこいいでしょう? さて口笛を吹くのは私だけじゃありませんよ「どういう意味?」とお思いですか? 皆さんにも一緒に吹いていただきますこう言うといつも同じ反応が起きます互いに顔を見合わせて「おいおい勘弁してくれよ」と思うのです駄目逃げられませんよ実際簡単です吹くのは「美の饗宴」という 80分ほどの曲です冗談です 4分の曲です最初にちょっと口笛の練習をしましょうこう吹いてくださいすいません 1つ言い忘れていました私と音程を合わせてください随分いろんな音がありましたよすごく有望ですね有望ですよ技師の方に音楽をスタートしてもらいましょう始まったら口笛を吹く部分をお教えしますどうなるかお楽しみおっとしまった技師は私でしたいつもやってもらっていたものですから自分でやりますさあ始めましょうどうぞ簡単でしょうここからソロです私が吹かせていただきます口笛世界チャンピオンのヘールト・チャトロウでしたどうもありがとうございました	Thank you very much. That was whistling. I'm trying to do this in English. What is a chubby, curly-haired guy from Holland -- why is he whistling? Well actually, I've [been] whistling since the age of four, about four. My dad was always whistling around the house, and I just thought that's part of communication in my family. So I whistled along with him. And actually, till I was 34, I always annoyed and irritated people with whistling, because, to be honest, my whistling is a kind of deviant behavior. I whistled alone. I whistled in the classroom. I whistled on [my] bike. I whistled everywhere. And I also whistled at a Christmas Eve party with my family-in-law. And they had some, in my opinion, terrible Christmas music. And when I hear music that I don't like, I try to make it better. So "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" -- you know it? But it can also sound like this. But during a Christmas party -- at dinner actually -- it's very annoying. So my sister-in-law asked me a few times, "Please stop whistling." And I just couldn't. And at one point -- and I had some wine, I have to admit that -- at one point I said, "If there was a contest, I would join." And two weeks later I received a text message: "You're going to America." So, okay, I'm going to America. I would love to, but why? So I immediately called her up, of course. She Googled, and she found this World Whistling Championship in America, of course. She didn't expect me to go there. And I would have lost my face. I don't know if that's correct English. But the Dutch people here will understand what I mean. I lost my face. And she thought, "He will never go there." But actually I did. So I went to Louisburg, North Carolina, southeast United States, and I entered the world of whistling. And I also entered the world championship, and I won there in 2004. That was great fun, of course. And to defend my title -- I thought, well let's go back in 2005, and I won again. Then I couldn't participate for a few years. And in 2008 I entered again in Japan, Tokyo, and I won again. So what happened now is I'm standing here in Rotterdam, in the beautiful city, on a big stage, and I'm talking about whistling. And actually I earn my money whistling at the moment. So I quit my day job as a nurse. And I try to live my dream -- well, actually, it was never my dream, but it sounds so good. Okay, I'm not the only one whistling here. You say, "Huh, what do you mean?" Well actually, you are going to whistle along. And then always the same thing happens: people are watching each other and think, "Oh, my God. Why? Can I go away?" No, you can't. Actually it's very simple. The track that I will whistle is called "Fête de la Belle." It's about 80 minutes long. No, no, no. It's four minutes long. And I want to first rehearse with you your whistling. So I whistle the tone. Sorry. I forgot one thing. You whistle the same tone as me. I heard a wide variety of tones. This is very promising. This is very promising. I'll ask the technicians to start the music. And if it's started, I just point where you whistle along, and we will see what happens. Oh, hah. I'm so sorry, technicians. I'm so used to that. I start it myself. Okay, here it is. Okay. It's easy, isn't it? Now comes the solo. I propose I do that myself. Max Westerman: Geert Chatrou, the World Champion [of] Whistling. Geert Chatrou: Thank you. Thank you.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
テロリストは今日のメディア時代における戦争に巧みに順応したが、しかし、大部分で、アメリカと他の民主主義諸国の政府は順応していない。暴力的な過激派がエリートの意見を操作する目的で独自の「メディア関係委員会」を設置していることを考えてみてほしい。彼らはあらゆるコミュニケーション手段を用いて、自由な人々の団結した意志を打ち砕き、威圧するために、大見出しに挙げられるような攻撃の計画を練っている。	Terrorists have skillfully adapted to fighting wars in today’s media age, but, for the most part, America and the governments of the other democracies have not. Consider that the violent extremists have their own “media relations committees” aimed at manipulating elite opinion.	{ "source": "news_commentary", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
「人目に付かない場所ですか? ......それなら、私の家の裏がいいでしょうか。村の端なので、誰も家の裏までは来ません。......ですが、そこで何をなさるのですか?」「いえ、公爵家の屋敷には戻りませんが、仕事をしておこうと思いまして。ただここでのんびりするというのもね......」「私共としては、のんびりして頂いて構わないのですが......熱心な方ですね。それなら、家の裏は自由に使って下さい。人目......という事は、私達も近づかないようにします。布の方もすぐに」「すみません、お願いします」公爵家の仕事、と言った事で、ハンネスさんは見てはいけない仕事だと感じたようだ。『雑草栽培』を見られないためだから、誰も来ない場所というのはありがたい。この村にいて、経過を見るにしても、何もせずのんびりするというのも気が咎める。それなら、暇な時間でラクトスに卸す薬や薬草をを少しでも作っておきたいからな。もちろん、剣も持って来ているから、鍛錬もするつもりだ......こういうのは、出来る時にやっておいた方が良いと思う。ハンネスさんが布を取りに、村の入り口から離れようとした時、俺のお腹が「ぐぅ~」という音で空腹を訴えて鳴ってしまう。そういえば、お昼も食べて無かったな......。「先に、昼食の用意をさせます」屋敷でも以前あった事だが、正直な自分のお腹が恥ずかしい......。クレアさん達の前でなくて良かった。「どうぞ、腕によりをかけて村の者に作らせて頂きました」「ありがとうございます。頂きます」しばらく後、昨夜宴のあった村の広場にて、昼食を食べ始める。ハンネスさん曰く、特別な用が無い場合は、こうしてここで村の様子を眺めながら昼食を食べる事にしているそうだ。昼......は大分過ぎてしまったが、明るい時間に村の人達の様子を眺めながら、食事をするというのも悪くない事だと思う。ハンネスさんは村長として村を見守るためにしている事だろうな。村の皆は、病が治った事で明るく過ごしているように見えた。「そういえば、ハンネスさん。半分程のワインが使えない事になりましたが......村の収入は大丈夫ですか?」本当なら、俺が心配する事でも無いのかもしれないが、村の様子を見ていると、ワインを主産業にしているこの村の事が気にかかった。小さい村だから、半分もワインが駄目になったとなると、厳しいんじゃないだろうか? 「そうですね......正直に申しますと、少々厳しい事になると思います。村の者達には苦労を掛けますが、しばらくは節制する事になるかと......」「そうですか......」やはり村にとっては結構な痛手のようだ。この世界の季節に関してはよく知らないが、冬とか物入りな時期を無事に過ごせる程の蓄えというのは、小さな村にとっては重要な事だろう。「ふむ......」村の人や、ハンネスさんの奥さんが丹精込めて作ってくれた料理を頬張りながら考える。ワインを半分失う事になるこの村は、しばらく厳しい事になるかもしれない......。それこそ、年単位で手間がかかるのが酒作りなのかもしれない。あと、正直あれだけ美味しかったワインが、病の気配がしたからと言って、全て活用されずに捨てられる......というのはもったいない気がするしな......。こういう所は、日本人気質なんだろうな、俺。「ワインの市場価格......いや、それだと高過ぎるか......卸値で良いかな」俺が食事をしながら考え込み、一人呟いていると、難しい顔をしてしまっていたのか、ハンネスさんが料理の味の方を心配して声を掛けられた。料理の方は、朝や昨夜と変わらず十分に美味しいので、安心して欲しい。豪華な作りじゃないが、ホッとする味で、庶民の俺としては安心する味だ。 ......そうだな、節制をしなきゃいけないはずなのに、これだけ美味しい料理も用意してもらってるんだから、俺に出来る事をしよう。「ハンネスさん、物は相談なんですが......」「破棄されるワイン......あれを全て卸値で俺に売ってくれませんか?」「何と!? あのワインを買って下さるのですか!? しかし......あれらは疫病に罹る恐れがあるため、飲めない物とのことですが......」「あれを飲んだら病になるので、確かに飲めないでしょうが......どうにか出来ないかと思うのです」例えば、煮沸消毒して病の病原菌を殺してからとか......利用法は何かあるかもしれない。この世界で病原菌というものがあるのか、ワインを煮沸して良いのかはわからないけどな。そもそも、お酒を沸騰させたらアルコールが飛んでしまうしな。まぁ、どう利用出来るかも定かではない、単なる思い付きだ。「利用法に関しては、色々な人に相談してみます。もしかしたら何かに使えるかもしれません。もちろん、病をこれ以上広げるためとかでは無いですから、安心して下さい」「タクミ様がそのように利用される事は無いと、信用しております。しかし......捨てるだけのワインを卸値で売るなどと......」色々な知識のあるセバスチャンさんなら、何か考えてくれるかもしれない。もしセバスチャンさんが駄目でも、料理に詳しいヘレーナさんに聞いても良いかもしれないな。 ......どうしても利用法が見つからなければ、捨てるしかないかもしれないが。それに俺には、薬草を卸す事で貰っている報酬がある。使い道も無いのに増えるばかりのお金は、こういう時に有効に使うべきだ......村のためと考えると、無駄使いとは決して思わない。念のためと、セバスチャンさんにこっそり言われて、ある程度のお金を持って来てある。 ......使う事なんて無いと思ってたんだがな。	“Ah, that’s right. Mr. Hannes. Is there any place outside that no one will see you? Also, I would like some clean cloth...” “A place that is secluded? ...Well, you could go behind my house. As it is at the edge of the village, no one will go there. ...But, what are you going to do?” “Well, since I’m not returning to the duke’s house, I thought I should work a little. I cannot just sit here idly...” “But we really wouldn’t mind if you took things easy... But I see that you are a passionate person. In that case, please feel free to use the space behind my house. I too will make sure that I don’t bother you there. And I’ll bring you the cloth at once.” “I’m sorry to trouble you.” After mentioning that it was the work related to the duke, Mr. Hannes assumed it was something that he should not see. And since I wanted to keep Weed Cultivation secret, it was good that it was a place where nobody would go. Even though I was here to ensure that everything was well with the town, I did not feel like resting and doing nothing. In that case, I might as well make some herbs and medicine to send to Ractos later on. Of course, since I had my sword with me, I also meant to continue my training... It was best to do these things when you had time. Mr. Hannes was about to leave in order to get the cloth when my stomach suddenly sounded loudly. Now that I think about it, I haven’t eaten lunch yet... “I’ll have something prepared for you first.” “Thank you...” This happened back at the mansion as well. It was rather embarrassing... But at least it wasn’t in front of Ms. Claire. “Please eat. I made this with the other villagers.” “Thank you.” After some time had passed, I was back in the center of the village, where the feast had been held the previous night. And I started to eat lunch According to Mr. Hannes, unless there was something that kept him away, he would eat his lunch here and watch the village. Lunch... Well, it was actually a little late now, but I thought that it would be quite nice to eat and watch the people while the sun was still high in the sky. It must be something he did because he was the village chief. And now, it seemed to me that the village had brightened up considerably, now that they were all healed. “By the way, Mr. Hannes. Half of the wine can no longer be used... How will that affect the village’s income?” Perhaps it wasn’t something that concerned me. But as I observed the village, I started to think about how much they must rely on their wine production. It was a small village, and so if half of their wine could no longer be sold, then it must be a great loss? “Indeed... If I am being honest, it will be quite severe. And while it won’t be easy for everyone, we will have to live in moderation for some time...” “I see...” So it really was a heavy blow for them. I didn’t know how the seasons worked in this world, but for a village of this size, you would have to save up in order to survive during the winter. “Hmm...” I ate the food that was made by the villagers as I considered this. Losing half of the wine meant they would be in a dangerous position for some time... Perhaps it was something that would take years. Also, the wine was so delicious. It almost felt like a waste to throw it all away just because it had the scent of disease... I suppose that was the Japanese side of me talking. “The market price for wine...no, that might be too expensive...perhaps the wholesale price...” “What is it, Mr. Takumi? Is the food not to your liking...?” “No, the food is delicious and quite satisfying. I was just thinking about the wine that is to be disposed of...” “Oh?” I had been muttering to myself while I ate, and Mr. Hannes had interpreted my scowl as a sign that I was not enjoying the food. But it really was every bit as delicious as what we had yesterday, and there was no need to worry. Even if it wasn’t anything fancy, there was something comforting about it. I was just a common person, like them, after all. ...Indeed, in spite of their upcoming troubles, they were still serving me such good food. And so I wanted to do what I could. “Mr. Hannes. I want to ask you about something...” “Yes, what is it?” “The wine that you can’t use... Could you sell it to me at the wholesale price?” “What!? You wish to buy that wine!? However... You said that it cannot be drunk, as it will likely make people sick...” “Yes, that is true. It cannot be drunk... However, I think I might be able to do something about that.” For instance, maybe you could kill the pathogenic bacteria by boiling it...and then it could be used for something. Of course, I didn’t know if there even were pathogenic bacteria in this world. Or if it was fine to boil wine. In the first place, boiling it would get rid of the alcohol content. Well, I didn’t know what could be done, it was merely an idea. “I’ll have to consult with others before deciding how to use it. I just think that it might be used for something. Of course, I don’t mean to use it to spread the disease even farther. Don’t worry.” “I trust you, Mr. Takumi. However...I cannot sell something that is likely to be thrown away...” Sebastian had so much knowledge, and might be able to think of something. And if he couldn’t, perhaps Ms. Helena would know something. ...And if I still couldn’t find a way, I would have to throw it out. I was currently being paid to grow herbs. And since I had nothing to spend the money on, surely spending it on something like this... After all, it was for the village, and so I didn’t see it as a waste. Just in case, I had actually brought some money with me at Sebastian’s suggestion. ...Though, I never thought that I would end up using it.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 1, "inserted_lines_src": 6, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
「......アリシア」デューク様は私をじっと見ながら、そう呟いた。「誰かがデュークの記憶を消し、ウッ......」ジルが最後まで言う前に片手でジルの口を覆った。本人の前で記憶を消されたなんて言ったら混乱するに決まっているわ。「お前は俺とどんな関係なんだ?」「......分かりませんわ」「どうしてお前は俺の事を知っているんだ?」「デューク様は有名ですもの」私はそう言って軽く微笑んだ。もし、このまま私の事をずっと思い出さなかったら、普通の乙女ゲームの展開になるわよね。リズさんとデューク様が結ばれる......。「アリシアと言ったな」「はい」「目を怪我しているのか?」デューク様は私の眼帯を怪訝そうに見ながらそう言った。 ......また説明しないといけないのかしら。「怪我というより、目がないのですわ」私は口角を高く上げ、声の調子をいつもより低くしてそう言った。私の言葉にデューク様固まった。顔は一緒なのに、いつものデューク様とは別人だわ。窓から差し込む光でデューク様の瞳が輝いているが、いつもより少し瞳の色が深い。どこか光を失ったような目だわ。「何があったんだ?」「......人を殺した罰ですわ」ヘンリお兄様とジルの声が重なった。驚いた表情で私を見ている。記憶のないデューク様に私が悪女だって事を認識させないといけないもの。こんなチャンス滅多に来ないわ。それに、実際、誘拐された時に人を殺した事はあるわ......。「人を殺したのか?」眉間に沢山の皺を寄せながらデューク様はそう聞いた。確かに、騎士でもない女の子が人を殺すなんて普通じゃないものね。「ええ、何か問題でも?」私は少し微笑み、明るい口調で首を傾げてそう言った。これぞ悪女だわ! 私の言葉が気に障ったみたい......。人を殺したなんて自慢できる事じゃないけど、あの状況ではしょうがなかった。「俺はもう行く」そう言って、デューク様は私達に背を向けて歩いて行った。 ......無事に悪女の印象を与えられたかしら。私はそんな事を思いながらデューク様の背中を見送った。どこまでも長く、だだっ広い廊下にデューク様の足音だけが響いた。「誰の仕業だろうね」「犯人を捜さないとな」「私は結構嫌われているから、沢山の候補者が上がるわよ」犯人を探し出すのはかなり大変だわ。全く見当がつかない。「今日の朝のデュークはアリシアに甘い男だったよね」「怒らせてしまったけど......」「それから、エマに会って、マリカに会って、カーティスとフィンに会って」「どういう経緯でそいつらに会う事になったのか気になるが、今は聞かない方がいいな」「......誰かからの私に対する挑戦状かしら」「挑戦状だとしても、どうしてそんなににやけているの?」「嬉しいに決まっているでしょ。悪女はね、誰かに喧嘩を売られて一人前よ」「なんだかやっぱり変だけど......、アリシアが良いならそれでいいか」ジルは少し顔をしかめながら、私を説得するのを諦めたようにそう言った。ヘンリお兄様もジルと同じ表情をしている。 ......誰からの挑戦状か分からない限り、喧嘩を買う事は出来ないわ。私は探偵じゃないもの、犯人を見つけ出すのは不可能よね。ああ、どうしたらいいのかしら。「とりあえず、僕たちの味方を集めて話し合おうよ」「人に頼るの? これは私の問題よ」「たまには、妥協も必要だよ。特に今回の事件は面倒くさそうだ」ジルは真剣な表情でそう言った。ジルの言葉にヘンリお兄様も頷く。「分かったわ」私は少し不服ながらも、承知した。	“...Alicia.” Duke-sama muttered, staring at me. “Someone has wiped Duke’s memory and ugh...” I covered Gilles’ mouth with one hand before he could finish.Of course he would be confused if someone suddenly told him his memory had been erased. “What kind of relationship do you have with me?” “...I don’t know, my Lord.” “How do you know about me?” “Because Duke-sama is famous.” I replied with a slight grin. If he didn’t remember me for the rest of his life, then it would turn into a normal otome game. Liz-san and Duke-sama will get back together... “You said your name was Alicia.” “Yes.” “Is your eye injured?” Duke-sama said, looking at my eye patch suspiciously. ...I guess I’ll have to explain again. “It’s not really an injury, it’s more like I’m missing an eye.” I raised the corner of my mouth higher and lowered the tone of my voice without saying anything else. Duke-sama froze for a moment at my words. He has the same face as Duke-sama, but he isn’t the same person. In the light streaming in through the window, his eyes shone brightly, but their colour was a bit darker than usual. His eyes look like they’ve lost their light somehow. “...It’s punishment for killing someone.” “”What?”” Big Brother Henry and Gilles’ voices overlapped. They looked at me with a surprised expression. I need to make sure that Duke-sama, who has no memory, is aware of my reputation as a villainess. It’s not every day that I get a chance like this. Besides, I’ve actually killed people when I was kidnapped... “You’ve killed people?” Duke-sama asked, with his brows furrowed.It was certainly unheard of for a girl who wasn’t a knight to kill someone. “Yes, is there a problem?” I said, smiling a little and nodding enthusiastically. Now that’s what I call a villainess! I guess my words offended him... Killing someone is not something I’m proud of, but I couldn’t help it in that situation. “I should take my leave now.” With that, Duke-sama turned his back on us and walked away. ...I wonder if I managed to give the impression of being a wicked villainess. I thought to myself as I watched Duke-sama walk away. Only the sound of Duke-sama’s footsteps echoed in the endlessly long and wide hallway. “I wonder who did this?” “I guess we’ll have to find the culprit.” “Many people despise me, so there will be a lot of candidates.” It’s going to be pretty hard to find the culprit.I’m at a loss about where to begin. “Wasn’t Duke very sweet to Alicia just this morning?” “Well, it pissed her off, but...” “And then I met Emma, and then I met Marika, and then I met Curtis and Finn.” “I’m curious as to how you ended up meeting those guys, but I’d rather not ask right now.” “...Is this a challenge to me from someone?” “If it’s a challenge, why are you smiling like that?” “Of course I’m smiling. A villainess isn’t deemed a villain until she has someone to fight against.” “It’s still weird, but if it’s okay with Alicia, then it’s okay with me.” Gilles said with a slight frown, as if he had given up trying to convince me, and Big Brother Henry had the same expression on his face. ...I can’t get into a fight without knowing who the opponent is. I’m not a detective, so it’s impossible for me to find out who did it. Oh, I don’t know what I’m going to do. “In the meantime,let’s meet our allies and discuss this issue.” “Rely on others? This is my problem.” “Sometimes, you have to compromise. This case in particular is going to be messy.” Gilles said with a serious look on his face, Big Brother Henry nodded at Gilles’ words. “Alright.” I agreed, albeit a little grudgingly.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 1, "inserted_lines_src": 1, "inserted_lines_trg": 2 }
そのゴブリンたちは、障害物を乗り越え、街の南部へと歩を進めていた。彼に続いたゴブリン。皆、どうという理由があってバリケードを乗り越えたわけではない。ただ彼らは、ロードの支配が少しばかり他より薄かっただけと言えよう。その少しだけ残された理性が、『壁があるなら奥に何かを隠しているはず』という思考に至らせた。そして案の定、彼らは発見したのだ。柔らかそうな肉――すなわち子供を。三日ほど前から、市民は南部に避難させられていた。ゴブリンの襲来と言っても、騎士団が駐留し、高い外壁に守られた首都では、その危機感は薄い。ましてや実際にその脅威を目にしたわけではないのだから、実感しろと言う方が無理な話だ。そして狭いエリアに押し込められた子供は、時にその好奇心を押さえきれなくなる。大人よりも遥かに危機意識は薄く、危険と言われても好奇心が勝った結果、『偵察』という名の暴挙に出た。「ほら、こっちに壁が作られてる」「ねぇ、かえろうよー」「この向こうにゴブリンがいるんだって。見れるかな?」気楽な少年の言葉に、付き合わされた少女が涙目で訴えかける。そんな声を無視し、少年はバリケードによじ登ろうとしていた。「うるさいな、帰りたかったらお前だけ帰ればいいだろ」「だってじゃ怖いし......」「だったらそこでおとなしくしてろよ。俺たちは『偵察』に来たんだからな」ゴトゴトと壁をよじ登り始めた少年の背後に、ゴブリンが姿を現したのは、その時だった。「グギャギャ?」「え......ひぁ!?」「なに......きゃああああぁぁぁぁぁぁぁ!」ゴブリンの姿を見て、硬直する少年と悲鳴を上げる少女。それが逆にゴブリンの嗜虐心を刺激する。久方ぶりの美味そうな餌を前に、これ見よがしに舌なめずりをして見せる。その醜怪な表情と、ちらりと覗いた乱杭歯が少年たちの恐怖をさらに煽った。「く、くるな、くるなよぉ!」少年の腰は抜け、恐怖で立てなくなっていた。少女も、最初の一声以外声を上げることもできずに震えている。ジリジリと近付くゴブリンに、恐怖が限界を超え、少年の股間から生暖かい液体が漏れ始める。「やだ......やだ、いやだあぁぁぁぁぁ!!」逃げ場はない。歯向かうこともできない。そんな恐怖に絶望の悲鳴を上げる少年。少女はそれを、虚ろな目で見ているしかできなかった。しかしそこへ駈け込んで来る、一人の少年の姿があった。「でえぇぇぇぇぇぇい!」ゴブリンの方は体格差のおかげで大きく吹っ飛び、民家の壁に叩きつけられていた。「お前ら、無事か!?」「えっ?」「悲鳴が聞こえたから駆けつけてみれば......なんでこんな場所にいるんだ」少年の方は悲鳴を上げた後は頭をかばい、強く目をつぶっていたので、何が起きたのかすら理解していなかった。「無事だったら早く逃げろ。そっちから戻れる!」一声叫び、ゴブリンに向き直る少年。その額には小さな角が見て取れた。それは半魔人の証でもある。そして胸元には冒険者を示すカード。赤色に縁どられたそれは、駆け出し冒険者の証でもあった。せっかくの助けだが、少年の腰は抜けており、少女も震える足で立っているのがやっとの状態。それを見て取り、少年――クラウドはここでゴブリンを倒すことを決意する。「クソ、立てないか......だったら、ここで倒すだけだ!」彼はファングウルフとも戦ったことがある。ゴブリン一匹程度ならば、どうということはない。一匹たりとも後ろに逸らすことなく、すべての攻撃を自分一人で受け持たねばならない。状況を理解し、改めてクラウドに襲い掛かるゴブリンたち。背後に抜けようとするゴブリンは、手にした長剣で牽制し、自分に意識を向けさせる。そうやって注意を引いていれば、反撃の機会は失わざるを得ない。クラウドは数の暴力という猛威に晒されていた。ライエルとの戦闘では強者一人を相手にする鍛錬が多かった。こうした一人で多数を自分に引き付けるという戦いは、実は経験が浅い。乱戦の最中、改めてニコルの先手を取る能力のありがたさを噛みしめる。後ろには自分よりも幼い子供がいるのだ。孤児院の子供ではないが、そこで育ったクラウドは、年下は守るべしという教えがしっかりと根付いている。だが覚悟だけでは、手数の差を補うことは難しい。その傷の一つ一つは大したものではないが、出血はそれだけで疲労を誘う。いつまでも耐えきれるものではないと理解しつつ背後を覗き見ると、少女が少年に肩を貸し、逃げ出そうとしているところだった。しかし少女の足も震えて力が入らないため、もつれるようにして倒れている。「それまでは、なんとしてでも――!」しかしその時、ゴブリンの一匹がまるで魔法のように宙を舞ったのだった。	Even if there were barricades, there were bound to be a few Goblins that did climb over them in the end. Climbing over it, they headed towards the southern side of the city. Following him were three Goblins. They didn’t cross the barricades due to some specific reason. It could be said that the effect of the Lord’s domination on them was slightly weaker. Thus, their faintly remaining reasoning had told them, if there are walls, they must be hiding something behind them. And as expected, they had discovered it. A soft-looking meat—that is, a child. Three days ago, the citizens had evacuated to the southern part. Even if they were told it was a Goblin raid, they had the chivalric order, and were also protected by tall walls, so they didn’t have much sense of danger. Much less when they had never seen the threat they possessed, so it was hard to get them to really understand the dangers. And the children who had been forced to stay in such secluded places had, from time to time, failed to hold back their curious hearts. They who lacked the sense of danger more than the adults had lost to their inquisitiveness despite being warned of the dangers, and decided to do something as reckless as “scouting”. “Hey, there are walls built here.” “Hey, let’s go back already.” “There are Goblins just beyond this wall. I wonder if we can see them?” The girl who had been convinced to come along by the carefree boy urged him to go back with teary eyes. Ignoring her pleas, the boy tried to climb up the barricade. “Leave me alone, if you wanna go, just go back by yourself.” “It’s scary being alone...” “In that case, be quiet and wait there. We are here for ‘scouting’, remember?” It was then, when the boy was trying to climb up, that a Goblin had appeared behind him. “Gugyaya?” “Huh... Waah!?” “What... Eeeeek!” Seeing the Goblin, the boy was petrified in place while the girl raised a shriek. That only served to further stir the Goblin’s sadistic desires. In front of the delicious-looking feed that it found after so long, it started to lick its lips in an ostentatious manner. Seeing its ugly expression, along with the uneven teeth that peeked from its mouth, the children’s fear intensified even more. “G-Go away, go awaaay!” He was trying to be tough, but his voice was shaking pathetically. His legs gave out and couldn’t stand up from fear. The girl was also the same, no longer able to speak a word since the first scream. Seeing the Goblin slowly approach, the boy’s fear finally went over the limit and a lukewarm liquid started to leak from his crotch. “No... No...Nooooo!!” There was no place to run. No way to strike back. That fear made him scream out of hopelessness. The Goblin slowly raised its hand up. The girl could do nothing but stare back with hollow eyes. But then, a certain youth suddenly rushed to the scene. “Haaaaaaah!” He set up his large metallic shield and charged to ram the Goblin as it had its hand raised. Thanks to the difference in physique, the Goblin got blown away and crashed into the house wall. “Are you two alright!?” “Huh!?” “I rushed here when I heard a scream... What are you doing in a place like this.” Due to the drastic change of the situation, the girl could only muster a silly sound in response. The boy, on the other hand, had covered his head after his scream and closed his eyes shut, so he didn’t even realize what had occurred. “If you are fine, then run already. Follow that path back!” The youth yelled once and turned towards the Goblin. On his head was visible one small horn. That was proof that he was a Half-Demon. He also had a card on his chest showing that he was an Adventurer. It had a red border, which meant he was a novice Adventurer. The children had been saved, but the boy’s legs had given out and the girl’s legs also trembled so standing in place was the best she could do. Sensing that, the youth—Cloud, decided to take down the Goblin here. “S̲h̲i̲t̲, you can’t stand... In that case, I’ll just have to take it down here!” He had faced Fang Wolves before, so defeating a single Goblin was no problem. The problem was... There were more. He had to face four Goblins alone. With two powerless kids behind him. He had to take on every attack himself, without letting even a single one pass behind. And there was no one who would back him up. Understanding the situation, the Goblins charged at him again. He received their attack well with the shield and forced them back. He swung his sword to keep the Goblins that tried to slip behind him in check, focusing their attention on himself. If he attracted their attention like this, he would lose chances to counterattack. Thus, Cloud was experiencing the power of numbers. Until now, Nicole made plans and they fought in favorable situations during their adventures. And when he trained with Lyell, most of the battles were against a single, strong opponent. He had almost no experience in drawing many enemies towards himself. In this hard struggle, he once again realized how grateful he was for Nicole’s ability to take the lead. Even so, he could not pull back here. Behind him were children even younger than him. They weren’t the kids of the orphanage, but he had learned there to protect those younger than him. That said, it would be hard to make up for the difference in numbers with just his resolution alone. Goblins that slipped through his shield defenses started to graze his skin with claws. Each of those wounds wasn’t significant, but the bleeding would still cause fatigue. Realizing that he would not be able to withstand the onslaught forever, he looked behind him, where he saw the girl lending her shoulder to the boy and trying to escape. But her legs also trembled, so she tripped up and collapsed. Seeing their condition, it would take some time until they would manage to run. “Until then, I have to endure no matter what!” He voiced his decision to rouse himself up. But then, one of the Goblins suddenly flew up into the air as if by magic.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 1, "inserted_lines_src": 16, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
未熟者の護衛を解放して、俺はようやくコルティナ宅に帰宅した。だが俺はその気配に気付くことなく、家の中に上がり込んでいた。そこへフィニアからの遠慮のないハグが襲い掛かる。「おかえりなさいませ、ニコル様」「うわっ!? あ、フィニアか。うん、ただいま」プリシラの事を考えていたせいで完全に不意を突かれ、まともにそのハグを受けてしまい、思わず変な声が出た。「むぅ、鍛えなおす必要があるかも」「ニコル様がそれ以上鍛えてどうするんですか」いそいそとカバンを受け取り、脱ぎっ放しの俺の靴を整えてくれる。そして俺の後ろに控えるところまで、完璧な侍女振りだ。いきなり抱き着いてきたことを除けば。「あのポンコツ隠密とは大違い」「はい? なにか?」これで雨の日はタオルまで用意してくれるのだから、至れり尽くせりである。俺は腕を出して腕をつまんでみる。ぷにゅりとしたマシュマロのような触感。筋肉の欠片も感じられない。「フィニア、やっぱりわたし、鈍ってる?」「ニコル様がそれ以上ハードトレーニングをなさいますと、鶏がらみたいになっちゃいますよ?」「結構脂肪ついてるよ」「むしろ少なすぎるくらいです。もっとプニプニになってください。楽しめません」「その発言はどうかと......」最近フィニアは、はっきりとモノを言うようになってきている。スキンシップも以前より増してきた。彼女も次第に明るさを取り戻しているようだ。レイドの転生という事実が現存することが、彼女の重荷を少しだけ解放したのかもしれない。「それで、こちらに荷物を用意しておきましたが......」「荷物? なに?」「明後日の遠足です。ケビン領のコスモス園を見学に行くとの話でしたが」田舎というだけあって、民芸品や花畑も多く、首都から適度な遠さということもあって、頻繁に校外学習の目的地として選ばれる場所だ。今回の遠足も、森の中では珍しい花畑の見学という事で目的地に選ばれていた。「さすがにお弁当はまだ用意しておりませんが、荷物の方はこちらで用意しておきました。後でご確認ください」だがしかし、俺の事になるといささか暴走の傾向を見せる彼女の『用意』だ。確認しておかねば、何を入れているかわからない。赤い布地で作られた、可愛らしいリュックだ。少々眩暈を覚えるほどに...... 用意されていたのは遠足用のしおり、チリ紙、ハンカチ、レジャーシート、防寒用の上着、虫除け用のポプリ、保存食一式、救命用発光筒、回復用ポーション、カッちゃん......などなど。「どこの迷宮に突入するつもりだ!? 後、ナマモノ禁止だ!」ついでにリュックの底に潜り込んでいたカーバンクルのカッちゃんを引っ張り出しておく。学院が先導する校外学習になぜ保存食や回復用ポーションが必要になるのか。「そりゃ、森の中の辺境だから? そういう備えがあった方がいいのかもしれないけど? いくらなんでも無駄な荷物が多すぎる。これだけ抱えたら、重さで行き倒れてしまうじゃないか!」日帰りなのだから、弁当がある以上、保存食も要らない。防寒用の上着は必要になるかもしれないのでキープ。虫除け用のポプリは......肌に虫刺されの痕が付くのは嫌なので持っていこう。「ん、肌に?」これも不要......と思って手に取ってみたが、思いのほかいい香りが漂ってきたので、逡巡する。強い花の香りがして、この香りで虫を遠ざけるのだろう。だがそれを除外したとしても、これはなかなか悪くない匂いだ。「ま、いいか」半分以下の重さになったリュックは、俺でも負担なく担げる程度で、しかもふわりとラベンダーの香りが漂い、気分がいい。リュックが動く都度、その香りが漂ってくるので、俺はその場でくるくる回って香りを振り撒き、その芳香を堪能してしまった。そこで俺は気付いた。ドアがわずかに開かれ、その隙間からコルティナとフィニアが顔を覗かせ、こちらを窺っていたことに。状況を鑑みてみれば、俺は遠足の準備を整え、部屋の中でリュックを背負って、待ちきれないとばかりにくるくる回っていたようにも見て取れる。「のぞくなあぁぁぁぁ!?」「あははは! ニコルちゃんってば、やっぱりお子様なんだからぁ」「コルティナ、コロス」「きゃー、こわーい。にげろー!」実力行使に出るべく、拳を振り上げた俺を見て、コルティナは諸手を上げて逃げ出した。ちくしょう、後で覚えてろよ、お前ら。	After letting the amateur guard go, I finally returned to Cortina’s house. When I opened the door, Finia started heading over with pattering steps to greet me. I didn’t catch her presence and walked in. That, however, made me the victim of her unrestrained hug attack. “Welcome back, Lady Nicole!” “Woah!? Ah, it’s you, Finia? Yeah, I’m back.” I was too focused on the matter of Priscilla, so that hug took me by complete surprise and I leaked a weird voice. Regardless of how distracted I was, I couldn’t believe I failed to notice something like this; perhaps it was proof that my senses had dulled quite a bit. “Ugh, this calls for some training, I suppose.” “Lady Nicole, is there a need to train even more than you already do?” She promptly took the bag from my hands and arranged the shoes I took off and left as is. Following that, she positioned herself behind me; she was a flawless lady attendant in just about every way... setting aside that sudden hug from before. “Quite unlike that joke of a spy.” “Huh? Did you say anything?” She even prepared a towel for me on rainy days, so there was really nothing else I could wish of her. Leaving that aside, the problem was that I have grown dull. I raised my hand and pinched my upper arm. I couldn’t feel any muscle there. “Finia, do I lack training, after all?” “Lady Nicole, if you train even harder than you do now, you would really become like chicken bones, you know?” “I do have quite a bit of fat on me.” “It’s too low. I want you to become more squishy. It’s no fun this way.” “I’m not sure about your statement there...” Lately, Finia had become able to clearly express her desires. She had become more touchy with me too. Before, it felt like she was putting a little distance in our relationship, so this was a desirable outcome. She also seemed to be growing more cheerful. Perhaps knowing about Reid’s reincarnation had eased the burden on her. “Also, I have prepared the luggage over here...” “Luggage? For?” “For the trip the day after tomorrow. I believe you were heading to see the Cosmos Garden in the Kevin Domain.” The domain of Earl Kevin. It was a simple rural town further north from here. Given it was a rural area, it had a lot of rural crafts and flower beds, and as it was at just the right distance from the capital, it was often used as the location for off-campus learning. It was chosen for our current excursion too, where we were going on a field trip to study a rare flower bed in the forest. “I haven’t prepared a lunch box yet, but your luggage is all here. Please confirm it later.” Usually, I’d have replied with “since you prepared it, it doesn’t need any confirmation”, but she tended to a bit over the top when it came to things concerning me. There was no knowing what she put in there if I didn’t check. I went to change in my room and then opened the rucksack that she prepared. It was a lovely, red rucksack. A little too overbearing, in fact... At any rate, confirming the contents took priority now. There was an excursion guidebook, tissue paper, handkerchief, potpourri that served as an insect repellent, preserved foods, Kabby... and so on. “Does she think I’m gonna plunge into some dungeon or what!? Also, raw food is prohibited!” I ended up shouting on reflex. While I was at it, I dragged out the Carbuncle that had snuck deep inside it. It eluded me why we’d possibly need preserved foods and restorative potions for the off-campus learning that the academy was in charge of? Things like the lifesaving flare were only used during disasters and accidents. I couldn’t imagine why we’d need them during a flower field study. “Well, I suppose going to a remote forest demands that much? Having them on hand is better than not, I guess? Still, there’s too much luggage here. I’ll sooner collapse from its weight at this rate!” I took out all the unnecessary stuff while grumbling to myself. It was a day trip, so I didn’t need any preserved foods as long as I had a lunchbox. I wasn’t heading for battle so recovery potions weren’t needed either. The flare gun? Nope again. A jacket to protect from cold might come in handy so that will stay. The potpourri... stays as well since I don’t want to have bite marks on my skin. “Huh, my skin?” Why did I suddenly become attentive to my skin? I was about to throw it away too... but it had an unexpectedly good smell wafting from it so I hesitated. Perhaps it used that strong flower fragrance to ward from the insects. But leaving that part aside, the fragrance itself was quite nice in itself. “Oh well.” I fastened it on the side of the rucksack and put it on my back as a test. Now that it was less than half of its original weight, even I could easily carry it, and it had a nice lavender scent to top it off. The scent drifted every time I moved, so I started twirling around and enjoying the perfume. Then, I finally noticed it. The door to my room was slightly open and Cortina and Finia were peeking through the gap. They had warm smiles on their faces, as if they had witnessed something pleasant. Taking the situation into account, it looks as if I just finished my preparations and started twirling around with the rucksack on my back in anticipation of the trip. Of course they’d have such pleasant expressions. Even I’d have been the same. “Don’t peek at meeeeee!?” “Ahaha! You are a kid after all, Nicole!” “Cortina, I’ll smite you.” “Kyaa, I’m so scaaared. Time to ruuun!” Seeing me pumping my fist and resorting to the use of force, she pushed both hands up and broke into a dash. Finia ran in the opposite direction, which was quite a sound judgment on her part. Don’t go doing tactical fleeing inside the house! Damn it, I’ll remember this, you two!	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 3, "inserted_lines_src": 18, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
更の月日が経過した。俺はラウムの魔術学院入学を目指し、魔法の勉強に重点を置いて、日々修行の毎日を送っていた。無論、身体を鍛える事も忘れない。筋力、持久力ばかりはどうしようもないが、瞬発力だけはかなり付いてきたように実感できる。受験まであ月という時期に、俺とミシェルちゃんは森の中で息を潜めていた。俺はこの二年で悩みに悩んで選んだ後ろに控えるミシェルちゃんは少し大振りな狩猟弓と革鎧。ちなみに俺は非力すぎて、革鎧すら着れないのだ。と呼ばれるモンスターの一種が暢気に餌を食んでいる。このモンスターは動物系モンスターで、その肉は食用に適している。しかも毛皮は防寒材として使用でき、牙も装飾品として人気だ。つまり全身余すところなく利用できる『美味しい獲物』なのだ。ただし狩れれば、の話である。俺は後方を振り返り、後ろに控えるミシェルちゃんと目配せした。「朱の一、群青の一、山吹放たれし俺の呪文詠唱に呼応して、ミシェルちゃんの弓に光が宿り――消える。光は消えたが、これで彼女の弓はかなり威力を増したはずである。朱は強化する度合いを、群青は対象の広さを、山吹は効果時間を現しているのだ。この場合、最低レベルの強化を一人に、三分間という指示である。更に色の濃さ等で使う魔力の強さも変わっていく。これがマリアクラスになると無詠唱で発動できるのだが、俺にはそれはまだ無理だった。というか、発動できる魔法はこれだけである。朱の二や群青の二、山吹するとあっさりと魔力が霧消してしまうのだ。だがこれはこれで、メリットはある。仲間も俺の詠唱を聞いて、どの魔法をどの範囲にどれだけの時間掛けるかを判断できるのだ。俺は呪文を小声で詠唱したため、ストライクボアはまだこちらに気付いていない。その矢は一直線に飛翔し、ストライクボアの首筋に深々と突き刺さった。「ブキィ!?」突然の激痛にストライクボアが苦鳴を上げる。そしてこちらを振り返った。その時には既にミシェルちゃんは木の陰に隠れていた。「ニコルちゃん、お願い!」「まかせて」シミターを抜き放ち、猪の突撃に備える。ストライクボアはその名の通り、突撃からの攻撃を得意とする。前世では冒険先の非常食としてよく狩っていた。だが今ではこいつも強敵である。「ブモォォォォ!」叫びと共に襲い掛かってくる猪を、サイドステップで躱す。後方のミシェルちゃんは既に木陰に姿を消しているため、気にする必要はない。そして擦れ違いざまに、シミターを一閃。無論、非力な俺では有効なダメージは与えられない。せいぜい皮の表面に浅く傷を付けた程度だ。だが、それでいい。こうして接近してしまえば、得意の突進は使えない。「ブキィ!?」足を止めた一瞬を見逃さず、ミシェルちゃんの第二射が飛んだ。すぐさま猪はミシェルちゃんに注意を向けるが、俺がそうはさせじとシミターで斬りかかる。攻撃に参加するなら、俺にも強化付与を掛けておけばよかったのだが、それをするだけの余裕が、俺には無かった。「せやあぁぁぁ!」気合のわりに相変わらず刃は深く刺さらない。これが頭の良い敵ならば、俺を無視して最大火力を持つミシェルちゃんを狙うのだろうが、ストライクボアはしょせん獣である。頭を下げて攻撃に出るタイミングを見計らって横に飛び、その太股に斬りつけて行く。足回りへのダメージを受けて反射的に足を止める猪。そこへ飛来する矢。後はこれを繰り返していけば、倒せる。こうやって戦う事三分。俺達は二人だけの力で、ストライクボアを討伐する事に成功したのである。	From here on I will be years old Two more years have passed. I wanted to enter Raum Magic Academy, and focusing on learning magic, I spent my daily life training. Of course, I also didn’t forget to train my body. Though I wanted to improve my strength, it just couldn’t be helped and only my endurance improved, but if it’s about instant use of force then I could somehow manage it. It was one month before the entrance exams, and right now Michelle-chan and I are currently hiding in the woods. Hanging on my waist is a short scimitar like sword which I was recommended to use two years ago, and this is the result of giving up on the two-handed sword and giving priority on sharpness. On the other hand, Michelle-chan was standing away from me holding a big hunting bow and was wearing leather armor. By the way, I was considerably so weak that I couldn’t even wear leather scraps. And beyond our sight was a Strike Boar, a kind of monster boar which is happily eating the bait we set up. This is one of the animal based monsters that have edible meat suitable for consumption. Moreover, its fur is a good material for making cold resistant clothing, and its fangs are considered to be popular decorative items. In other words, it was a 『Delicious Prey』 that it’s whole body could be considered as materials for consumption and use. However, that would only be the case if we could actually hunt it. I looked back and forth to Michelle-chan and the target in front. This will be our opponent to see the result of our training for the past years. Right now, with just a glance, we could understand what we need to do. 「Crimson One, Ultramarine One, Gold Three. Grant Power to my Partner’s Bow.」 In response to my casting, Michelle’s bow glowed for a moment―― then the light vanished. Though the light has disappeared, this doesn’t mean that the effect vanished and her bow was granted some power. Crimson is for strengthening, Ultramarine is for number of targets, and Gold is for duration. In this case, it will be minimum effects granted to one person for three minutes. And if I further increase the amount of magic used, the color density and composition also changes. This level of enchantment could be silently activated by Maria, but it’s still impossible for me to do so at my current level. Even if I say that, this amount is what my current magic capacity could use. If I go for Crimson Two, Ultramarine Two, and Gold Four, then my current magic power would be completely emptied. But despite that, there’s still some merit in doing this. My partner would be able to know what magic was used and how long it will be in effect. Despite the noise from casting, the Strike Boar wasn’t able to notice us yet. After nocking an arrow and stretching the string to the limit, Michelle-chan released the arrow. It flew straight and pierced deep onto the Strike Boar’s neck. At her current power, she could only penetrate it halfway. Half of the arrow buried into the boar’s neck. 「Bukkeeee!?」 We could then hear the scream of the boar suffering from severe pain. Then it set its sight towards us. But at that time, Michelle-chan was already hidden in a tree. 「Nicole-chan, I’ll leave it to you! 」「Yeah」 Removing the scimitar from my waist, I prepared for a direct assault. As the name implies, a Strike Boar’s main attack is a powerful charge. On the other hand, if you are able to dodge its main attacks, then it will be an enemy that could one could easily cope up with. Most adventurers would hunt one as a source for emergency ration when on a hunt. But it doesn’t mean that they were an easy foe to hunt. 「Bummmoooo!! 」 I side stepped in order to dodge wotb minimum movements and barely got grazed by the attack. There’s no need for me to worry about Michelle-chan who stayed hidden in the shade of the trees. Then in gap of the attack, I made sure to deliver a sharp strike with my scimitar. As expected, the damage I inflicted was minimal because of my feeble strength. The best I could do was scrape off the skin and inflict shallow scratches. But that alone is fine. As long as I am targeted and the boar’s rush attacks are aimed at me. Luring and provoking the strike boar is only part of the act. In other words―― 「Bukkeeeee!? 」 Another arrow was shot by Michelle-chan without being noticed, and that arrow penetrated its leg and stopped its movement. Not missing the moment she nocked and shoot another arrow, penetrating its neck for the second time. Finally noticing Michelle-chan, the boar aimed at her, but it was struck by the scimitar again. As I participated in the joint attack, I thought that it would have been a great idea to also enhance my strength, but there wasn’t enough room to do so right now,and that I did not have enough Magic Power. 「Seiyaaaah!」 The attack didn’t mean much and the blade didn’t stab that deep. However, it was good enough to draw the attention of the boar back to me. If this was an intelligent creature, it would have ignored me and aimed for Michelle-chan, but the Strike Boar is just a beast moving on instinct. It’s not intelligent enough to think about who to attack and would only focus on the last opponent that attacked it. The attacks, though powerful, was linear and was easy to dodge. And with this, we continued to inflict damage. This time, the arrows were aimed at its thigh. Because the main aim is to stop it by disabling its legs, most of the arrows were aimed at that spot. We continuously repeated the attack, until it was defeated. And then, after three minutes, the two of us successfully defeated the strike boar with our own power.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 0, "inserted_lines_src": 16, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
中国やインドのような国が、より繁栄するにつれ、増加する中流階級への食肉と卵の供給のために、西洋式を真似して動物を巨大な農工場に入れていることは、悲劇的である。これが続けば、さらなる環境へのダメージや心臓病、消化器系統の癌が増加するとともに、現在の西側諸国の規模より、さらに大々的に、動物に苦痛を強いる結果となるだろう。また、ひどく非能率的にもなる。消費者としての私たちには、動物に残酷で、私たちに有害な農場経営のシステム支持を拒否する力－そして道徳的な義務－が、ある。	It is tragic that countries like China and India, as they become more prosperous, are copying Western methods and putting animals in huge industrial farms to supply more meat and eggs for their growing middle classes. If this continues, the result will be animal suffering on an even greater scale than now exists in the West, as well as more environmental damage and a rise in heart disease and cancers of the digestive system.	{ "source": "news_commentary", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
清水幸利にとって、異世界召喚とは、まさに憧れであり夢であった。ありえないと分かっていながら、その手の本、Web小説を読んでは夢想する毎日。夢の中で、何度世界を救い、ヒロインの女の子達とハッピーエンドを迎えたかわからない。清水の部屋は、壁が見えなくなるほどに美少女のポスターで埋め尽くされており、壁にあるガラス製のラックには、お気に入りの美少女フュギュアがあられもない姿で所狭しと並べられている。本棚は、漫画やライトノベル、薄い本やエロゲーの類で埋め尽くされていて、入りきらない分が部屋のあちこちにタワーを築いていた。そう、清水幸利は真性のオタクである。但し、その事実を知る者は、クラスメイトの中にはいない。それは、清水自身が徹底的に隠したからだ。理由は、言わずもがなだろう。ハジメに対するクラスメイトの言動を間近で見て、なお、オタクであることをオープンにできるような者はそうはいない。クラスでの清水は、彼のよく知る言葉で表すなら、まさにモブだ。特別親しい友人もおらず、いつも自分の席で大人しく本を読む。話しかけられれば、モソモソと最低限の受け答えはするが自分から話すことはない。元々、性格的に控えめで大人しく、それが原因なのか中学時代はイジメに遭っていた。当然の流れか登校拒否となり自室に引きこもる毎日で、時間を潰すために本やゲームなど創作物の類に手を出すのは必然の流れだった。親はずっと心配していたが、日々、オタクグッズで埋め尽くされていく部屋に、兄や弟は煩わしかったようで、それを態度や言葉で表すようになると、清水自身、家の居心地が悪くなり居場所というものを失いつつあった。鬱屈した環境は、表には出さないが内心では他者を扱き下ろすという陰湿さを清水にもたらした。そして、ますます、創作物や妄想に傾倒していった。そんな清水であるから、異世界召喚の事実を理解したときの脳内は、まさに「キターー!!」という状態だった。愛子がイシュタルに猛然と抗議している時も、光輝が人間族の勝利と元の世界への帰還を決意し息巻いている時も、清水の頭の中は、何度も妄想した異世界で華々しく活躍する自分の姿一色だ。ありえないと思っていた妄想が現実化したことに舞い上がって、異世界召喚の後に主人公を理不尽が襲うパターンは頭から追いやられている。そして実際、清水が期待したものと、現実の異世界ライフには齟齬が生じていた。まず、清水は確かにチート的なスペックを秘めていたが、それは他のクラスメイトも同じであり、更に、〝勇者〟は自分ではなく光輝であること、その為か、女が寄って行くのは光輝ばかりで、自分は〝その他大勢の一人〟に過ぎなかった事だ。これでは、日本にいた時と何も変わらない。念願が叶ったにもかかわらず、望んだ通りではない現実に陰湿さを増す清水は、内心で不満を募らせていった。なぜ、自分が勇者ではないのか。なぜ、光輝ばかりが女に囲まれていい思いをするのか。なぜ、自分ではなく光輝ばかり特別扱いするのか。自分が勇者ならもっと上手くやるのに。自分に言い寄るなら全員受け入れてやるのに......そんな、都合の悪いことは全て他者のせい、自分だけは特別という自己中心的な考えが清水の心を蝕んでいった。そんな折だ。あの【オルクス大迷宮】への実戦訓練が催されたのは。清水は、チャンスだと思った。誰も気にしない。居ても居なくても同じ。そんな背景のような扱いをしてきたクラスメイト達も、遂には自分の有能さに気がつくだろうと、そんな何処までもご都合主義な清水は......しかし、ようやく気がつくことになる。自分が決して特別な存在などではなく、ましてご都合主義な展開などもなく、ふと気を抜けば次の瞬間には確かに〝死ぬ〟存在なのだと。トラウムソルジャーに殺されかけて、遠くでより凶悪な怪物と戦う〝勇者〟を見て、抱いていた異世界への幻想がガラガラと音を立てて崩れた。そして、奈落へと落ちて〝死んだ〟クラスメイトを目の当たりにし、心が折れた。自分に都合のいい解釈ばかりして、他者を内心で下に見ることで保ってきた心の耐久度は当然の如く強くはなかったのだ。清水は、王宮に戻ると再び自室に引き篭ることになった。だが、日本の部屋のように清水の心を慰めてくれる創作物は、ここにはない。当然の流れとして、清水は自分の天職〝闇術師〟に関する技能・魔法に関する本を読んで過ごすことになった。闇系統の魔法は、相手の精神や意識に作用する系統の魔法で、実戦などでは基本的に対象にバッドステータスを与える魔法と認識されている。清水の適性もそういったところにあり、相手の認識をズラしたり、幻覚を見せたり、魔法へのイメージ補完に干渉して行使しにくくしたり、更に極めれば、思い込みだけで身体に障害を発生させたりということができる。そして、浮かれた気分などすっかり吹き飛んだ陰鬱な心で読んだ本から、清水は、ふとあることを思いついた。闇系統魔法は、極めれば対象を洗脳支配できるのではないか? というものだ。清水は興奮した。自分の考えが正しければ、誰でも好きなように出来るのだ。そう、好きなように。清水の心に暗く澱んだものがはびこる。その日から一心不乱に修練に励んだ。しかし、そう簡単に行く訳もなかった。まず、人のように強い自我のある者には、十数時間という長時間に渡って術を施し続けなければ到底洗脳支配など出来ない。当然、無抵抗の場合の話だ。流石に、術をかけられて反応しないものなど普通はいない。それこそ強制的手段で眠らせるか何かする必要がある。人間相手に、隠れて洗脳支配するのは環境的にも時間的にも厳しく、ばれた時のことを考えると非常にリスクが高いと清水は断念せざるを得なかった。肩を落とす清水だったが、ふと召喚の原因である魔人族による魔物の使役を思い出す。人とは比べるべくもなく本能的で自我の薄い魔物ならば洗脳支配できるのではないか。清水は、それを確かめるために夜な夜な王都外に出て雑魚魔物相手に実験を繰り返した。その結果、人に比べて遥かに容易に洗脳支配できることが実証できた。もっとも、それは既に闇系統魔法に極めて高い才能を持っていたチートの一人である清水だから出来た事だ。以前、イシュタルの言ったように、この世界の者では長い時間をかけてせいぜい一程度を操るのが限度である。王都近郊での実験を終えた清水は、どうせ支配下に置くなら強い魔物がいいと考えた。ただ、光輝達について迷宮の最前線に行くのは気が引けた。そして、どうすべきかと悩んでいたとき、愛子の護衛隊の話を耳にしたのだ。それに付いて行き遠出をすれば、ちょうどいい魔物とも遭遇出来るだろうと考えて。結果、愛子達とウルの町に来ることになり、北の山脈地帯というちょうどいい魔物達がいる場所で配下の魔物を集めるため姿をくらませたのだ。次に再会した時は、誰もが自分のなした偉業に畏怖と尊敬の念を抱いて、特別扱いすることを夢想して。本来なら、僅か二週間と少しという短い期間では、いくら清水が闇系統に特化した天才でも、そして群れのリーダーだけを洗脳するという効率的な方法をとったとしても精々千に届くか否かという群れを従えるので限界だっただろう。それも、おそらく二つ目の山脈にいるブルタールレベルを従えるのが精々だ。だが、ここでとある存在の助力と、偶然支配できたティオの存在が、効率的目の山脈の魔物まで従える力を清水に与えた。と、同時に、そのとある存在との契約と日々増強していく魔物の軍勢に、清水の心のタガは完全に外れてしまった。そして遂に、やはり自分は特別だったと悦に浸りながら、満を持して大群を町に差し向けたのだった。そして、その結果は...... 見るも無残な姿に成り果てて、愛子達の前に跪かされるというものだった。ちなみに、敗残兵の様な姿になっている理由は、ハジメに魔物の血肉や土埃の舞う大地を魔力駆動二輪で引き摺られて来たからである。白目を向いて意識を喪失している清水が、なお、頭をゴンゴンと地面に打ちつけながら眼前に連れて来られたのを見て、愛子達の表情が引き攣っていたのは仕様がないことだろう。ちなみに、場所は町外れに移しており、この場にいるのは、愛子と生徒達の他、護衛隊の騎士達と町の重鎮達が幾人か、それにウィルとハジメ達だけである。流石に、町中に今回の襲撃の首謀者を連れて行っては、騒ぎが大きくなり過ぎるだろうし、そうなれば対話も難しいだろうという理由だ。町の残った重鎮達が、現在、事後処理に東奔西走している。未だ白目を向いて倒れている清水に、愛子が歩み寄った。黒いローブを着ている姿が、そして何より戦場から直接連行して来られたという事実が、動かぬ証拠として彼を襲撃の犯人だと示している。信じたくなかった事実に、愛子は悲しそうに表情を歪めつつ、清水の目を覚まそうと揺り動かした。デビッド達が、危険だと止めようとするが愛子は首を振って拒否する。拘束も同様だ。それでは、きちんと清水と対話できないからと。愛子はあくまで先生と生徒として話をするつもりなのだろう。やがて、愛子の呼びかけに清水の意識が覚醒し始めた。ボーっとした目で周囲を見渡し、自分の置かれている状況を理解したのか、ハッとなって上体を起こす。咄嗟に、距離を取ろうして立ち上がりかけたのだが、まだ後頭部へのダメージが残っているのか、ふらついて尻餅をつき、そのままズリズリと後退りした。警戒心と卑屈さ、苛立ちがない交ぜになった表情で、目をギョロギョロと動かしている。「清水君、落ち着いて下さい。誰もあなたに危害を加えるつもりはありません......先生は、清水君とお話がしたいのです。どうして、こんなことをしたのか......どんな事でも構いません。先生に、清水君の気持ちを聞かせてくれませんか?」膝立ちで清水に視線を合わせる愛子に、清水のギョロ目が動きを止める。そして、視線を逸らして顔を俯かせるとボソボソと聞き取りにくい声で話......というより悪態をつき始めた。「なぜ? そんな事もわかんないのかよ。だから、どいつもこいつも無能だっつうんだよ。馬鹿にしやがって......勇者、勇者うるさいんだよ。俺の方がずっと上手く出来るのに......気付きもしないで、モブ扱いしやがって......ホント、馬鹿ばっかりだ......だから俺の価値を示してやろうと思っただけだろうが......」「てめぇ......自分の立場わかってんのかよ! 危うく、町がめちゃくちゃになるところだったんだぞ!」「そうよ! 馬鹿なのはアンタの方でしょ!」「愛ちゃん先生がどんだけ心配してたと思ってるのよ!」反省どころか、周囲への罵倒と不満を口にする清水に、玉井や園部など生徒達が憤りをあらわにして次々と反論する。その勢いに押されたのか、ますます顔を俯かせ、だんまりを決め込む清水。愛子は、そんな清水が気に食わないのか更にヒートアップする生徒達を抑えると、なるべく声に温かみが宿るように意識しながら清水に質問する。「そう、沢山不満があったのですね......でも、清水君。みんなを見返そうというのなら、なおさら、先生にはわかりません。どうして、町を襲おうとしたのですか? もし、あのまま町が襲われて......多くの人々が亡くなっていたら......多くの魔物を従えるだけならともかく、それでは君の〝価値〟を示せません」愛子のもっともな質問に、清水は少し顔を上げると薄汚れて垂れ下がった前髪の隙間から陰鬱で暗く澱んだ瞳を愛子に向け、薄らと笑みを浮かべた。「......示せるさ......魔人族になら」清水の口から飛び出したまさかの言葉に愛子のみならず、ハジメ達を除いた、その場の全員が驚愕を表にする。清水は、その様子に満足気な表情となり、聞き取りにくさは相変わらずだが、先程までよりは力の篭った声で話し始めた。「魔物を捕まえに、一人で北の山脈地帯に行ったんだ。その時、俺は一人の魔人族と出会った。最初は、もちろん警戒したけどな......その魔人族は、俺との話しを望んだ。そして、わかってくれたのさ。俺の本当の価値ってやつを。だから俺は、そいつと......魔人族側と契約したんだよ」「契約......ですか? それは、どのような?」戦争の相手である魔人族とつながっていたという事実に愛子は動揺しながらも、きっとその魔人族が自分の生徒を誑かしたのだとフツフツと湧き上がる怒りを抑えながら聞き返す。そんな愛子に、一体何がおかしいのかニヤニヤしながら清水が衝撃の言葉を口にする。「......畑山先生......あんたを殺す事だよ」「......え?」愛子は、一瞬何を言われたのかわからなかったようで思わず間抜けな声を漏らした。周囲の者達も同様で、一瞬ポカンとするものの、愛子よりは早く意味を理解し、激しい怒りを瞳に宿して清水を睨みつけた。清水は、生徒達や護衛隊の騎士達のあまりに強烈な怒りが宿った眼光に射抜かれて一瞬身を竦めるものの、半ばやけくそになっているのか視線を振り切るように話を続けた。「何だよ、その間抜面。自分が魔人族から目を付けられていないとでも思ったのか? ある意味、勇者より厄介な存在を魔人族が放っておくわけないだろ......〝豊穣の女神〟......あんたを町の住人ごと殺せば、俺は、魔人族側の〝勇者〟として招かれる。そういう契約だった。俺の能力は素晴らしいってさ。勇者の下で燻っているのは勿体無いってさ。やっぱり、分かるやつには分かるんだよ。実際、超強い魔物も貸してくれたし、それで、想像以上の軍勢も作れたし......だから、だから絶対、あんたを殺せると思ったのに! 何だよ! 何なんだよっ! 何での軍勢が負けるんだよ! 何で異世界にあんな兵器があるんだよっ! お前は、お前は一体何なんだよっ!」最初は嘲笑するように、生徒から放たれた〝殺す〟という言葉に呆然とする愛子を見ていた清水だったが、話している内に興奮してきたのか、ハジメの方に視線を転じ喚き立て始めた。その眼は、陰鬱さや卑屈さ以上に、思い通りにいかない現実への苛立ちと、邪魔したハジメへの憎しみ、そして、その力への嫉妬などがない交ぜになってドロドロとヘドロのように濁っており狂気を宿していた。どうやら、清水は目の前の白髪眼帯の少年をクラスメイトの南雲ハジメだとは気がついていないらしい。元々、話したこともない関係なので仕方ないと言えば仕方ないが...... 清水は、今にも襲いかからんばかりの形相でハジメを睨み罵倒を続けるが、突然矛先を向けられたハジメはと言うと、清水の罵倒の中に入っていた「厨二キャラのくせに」という言葉に、実は結構深いダメージをくらい現実逃避気味に遠くを見る目をしていたので、その態度が「俺、お前とか眼中にないし」という態度に見えてしまい、更に清水を激昂させる原因になっていた。ハジメの心情を察して、後ろから背中をポンポンしてくれているユエの優しさがまた泣けてくる。シリアスな空気を無視して自分の世界に入っているハジメのおかげ? で、衝撃から我を取り戻す時間が与えられた愛子は、一つ深呼吸をすると激昂しながらも立ち向かう勇気はないようでその場を動かない清水の片手を握り、静かに語りかけた。「清水君。落ち着いて下さい」「な、なんだよっ! 離せよっ!」突然触れられたことにビクッとして、咄嗟に振り払おうとする清水だったが、愛子は決して離さないと云わんばかりに更に力を込めてギュッと握り締める。清水は、愛子の真剣な眼差しと視線を合わせることが出来ないのか、徐々に落ち着きを取り戻しつつも再び俯き、前髪で表情を隠した。「清水君......君の気持ちはよく分かりました。〝特別〟でありたい。そう思う君の気持ちは間違ってなどいません。人として自然な望みです。そして、君ならきっと〝特別〟になれます。だって、方法は間違えたけれど、これだけの事が実際にできるのですから......でも、魔人族側には行ってはいけません。君の話してくれたその魔人族の方は、そんな君の思いを利用したのです。そんな人に、先生は、大事な生徒を預けるつもりは一切ありません......清水君。もう一度やり直しましょう? みんなには戦って欲しくはありませんが、清水君が望むなら、先生は応援します。君なら絶対、天之河君達とも肩を並べて戦えます。そして、いつか、みんなで日本に帰る方法を見つけ出して、一緒に帰りましょう?」清水は、愛子の話しを黙って聞きながら、何時しか肩を震わせていた。生徒達も護衛隊の騎士達も、清水が愛子の言葉に心を震わせ泣いているのだと思った。実は、クラス一涙脆いと評判の園部優花が、既に涙ぐんで二人の様子を見つめている。が、そんなに簡単に行くほど甘くはなかった。肩を震わせ項垂れる清水の頭を優しい表情で撫でようと身を乗り出した愛子に対して、清水は突然、握られていた手を逆に握り返しグッと引き寄せ、愛子の首に腕を回してキツく締め上げたのだ。思わず呻き声を上げる愛子を後ろから羽交い絞めにし、何処に隠していたのか十センチ程の針を取り出すと、それを愛子の首筋に突きつけた。「動くなぁ! ぶっ刺すぞぉ!」裏返ったヒステリックな声でそう叫ぶ清水。その表情は、ピクピクと痙攣しているように引き攣り、眼はハジメに向けていた時と同じ狂気を宿している。先程まで肩を震わせていたのは、どうやら嗤っていただけらしい。愛子が、苦しそうに自分の喉に食い込む清水の腕を掴んでいるが引き離せないようだ。周囲の者達が、清水の警告を受けて飛び出しそうな体を必死に押し止める。清水の様子から、やると言ったら本気で殺るということが分かったからだ。みな、口々に心配そうな、悔しそうな声音で愛子の名を呼び、清水を罵倒する。ちなみに、この時になってようやく、ハジメは現実に復帰した。今の今まで自分の見た目に対する現実逃避でトリップしていたので、いきなりの急展開に「おや? いつの間に...」という顔をしている。「いいかぁ、この針は北の山脈の魔物から採った毒針だっ! 刺せば数分も持たずに苦しんで死ぬぞ! わかったら、全員、武器を捨てて手を上げろ!」清水の狂気を宿した言葉に、周囲の者達が顔を青ざめさせる。完全に動きを止めた生徒達や護衛隊の騎士達にニヤニヤと笑う清水は、その視線をハジメに向ける。「おい、お前、厨二野郎、お前だ! 後ろじゃねぇよ! お前だっつってんだろっ! 馬鹿にしやがって、クソが! これ以上ふざけた態度とる気なら、マジで殺すからなっ! わかったら、銃を寄越せ! それと他の兵器もだ!」清水の余りに酷い呼び掛けに、つい後ろを振り返って「自分じゃない」アピールをしてみるが無駄に終わり、嫌そうな顔をするハジメ。緊迫した状況にもかかわらず、全く変わらない態度で平然としていることに、またもや馬鹿にされたと思い清水は癇癪を起こす。そして、ヒステリックに、ハジメの持つ重火器を渡せと要求した。ハジメは、それを聞いて非常に冷めた眼で清水を見返した。「いや、お前、殺されたくなかったらって......そもそも、先生殺さないと魔人族側行けないんだから、どっちにしろ殺すんだろ? じゃあ、渡し損じゃねぇか」「うるさい、うるさい、うるさい! いいから黙って全部渡しやがれ! お前らみたいな馬鹿どもは俺の言うこと聞いてればいいんだよぉ! そ、そうだ、へへ、おい、お前のその奴隷も貰ってやるよ。そいつに持ってこさせろ!」冷静に返されて、更に喚き散らす清水。追い詰められすぎて、既に正常な判断が出来なくなっているようだ。その清水に目を付けられたシアは、全身をブルリと震わせて嫌悪感丸出しの表情を見せた。「お前が、うるさ発しても、ただひたすらキモイだけだろうに......ていうか、シア、気持ち悪いからって俺の後ろに隠れるなよ。アイツ凄い形相になってるだろうが」「だって、ホントに気持ち悪くて......生理的に受け付けないというか......見て下さい、この鳥肌。有り得ない気持ち悪さですよぉ」「まぁ、勇者願望あるのに、セリフが、最初期に出てきて主人公にあっさり殺られるゲスイ踏み台盗賊と同じだしなぁ」本人達は声を潜めているつもりなのかもしれないが、嫌悪感のせいで自然と声が大きくなり普通に全員に聞こえていた。清水は、口をパクパクさせながら次第に顔色を赤く染めていき、更に青色へと変化して、最後に白くなった。怒りが高くなり過ぎた場合の顔色変化がよくわかる例である。清水は、虚ろな目で「俺が勇者だ、俺が特別なんだ、どいつもこいつも馬鹿ばっかりだ、アイツ等が悪いんだ、問題ない、望んだ通り全部上手くいく、だって勇者だ、俺は特別だ」等とブツブツと呟き始め、そして、突然何かが振り切れたように奇声をあげて笑い出した。「......し、清水君......どうか、話を......大丈夫......ですから......」狂態を晒す清水に愛子は苦しそうにしながらも、なお言葉を投げかけるが、その声を聞いた瞬間、清水はピタリと笑いを止めて更に愛子を締め上げた。「......うっさいよ。いい人ぶりやがって、この偽善者が。お前は黙って、ここから脱出するための道具になっていればいいんだ」暗く澱んだ声音でそう呟いた清水は、再びハジメに視線を向けた。興奮も何もなく、負の感情を煮詰めたような眼でハジメを見て、次いで太もものホルスターに収められた銃を見る。言葉はなくても言いたいことは伝わった。ここで渋れば、自分の生死を度外視して、いや、都合のいい未来を夢想して愛子を害しかねない。ハジメは溜息をつき、銃を渡す際にワイヤーを飛ばして愛子ごと〝纏雷〟でもしてやろうと考えつつ、清水を刺激しないようにゆっくりとドンナー・シュラークに手を伸ばした。愛子は体がちっこいので、ほとんど盾の役割を果たしておらず、ハジメの抜き撃ちの速度なら清水が認識する前にヒットさせることも出来るのだが、愛子も少し痛い目を見た方がいいだろうという意図だ。が、ハジメの手が下がり始めたその瞬間、事態は急変する。「ッ!? ダメです! 避けて!」そう叫びながら、シアは、一瞬で完了した全力の身体強化で縮地並みの高速移動をし、愛子に飛びかかった。突然の事態に、清水が咄嗟に針を愛子に突き刺そうとする。シアが無理やり愛子を引き剥がし何かから庇うように身を捻ったのと、蒼色の水流が、清水の胸を貫通して、ついさっきまで愛子の頭があった場所をレーザーの如く通過したのはほぼ同時だった。射線上にいたハジメが、ドンナーで水のレーザー、おそらく水系攻撃魔法〝破断〟を打ち払う。そして、シアの方は、愛子を抱きしめ突進の勢いそのままに肩から地面にダイブし地を滑った。もうもうと砂埃を上げながら、ようやく停止したシアは、「うぐっ」と苦しそうな呻き声を上げて横たわったままだ。「シア!」突然の事態に誰もが硬直する中、ユエがシアの名を呼びながら全力で駆け寄る。そして、追撃に備えてシアと彼女が抱きしめる愛子を守るように陣取った。ハジメは、何も言わずとも望んだ通りの行動をしてくれたユエに内心で感謝と称賛を送りながら、ドンナーを両手で構え〝遠見〟で〝破断〟の射線を辿る。すると、遠くで黒い服を来た耳の尖ったオールバックの男が、大型の鳥のような魔物に乗り込む姿が見えた。ドパンッ! ドパンッ! ドパンッ! ドパンッ! ドパンッ! ドパンッ! ハジメは、一瞬のタメの後、飛び立った魔物と人影にレールガンを連射する。オールバックの男は、攻撃されることを予期していたように、ハジメの方を確認しつつ鳥型の魔物をバレルロールさせながら必死に回避行動を行った。中々の機動力をもってかわしていた魔物だが、全ては回避しきれなかったようで、鳥型の魔物の片足が吹き飛び、オールバックの男の片腕も吹き飛んだようだ。それでも、落ちるどころか速度すら緩めず一目散に遁走を図る。攻撃してからの一連の引き際はいっそ見事という他ない。おそらく、あれが清水の言っていた魔人族なのだろうとハジメは推測した。既に低空で町を迂回し、町そのものを盾にするようにして視界から消えている。ハジメの攻撃手段を知っていたような逃走方法だったことから、魔人族側にハジメ達の情報が渡るだろうと苦い表情をするハジメ。逃走方向がウルディア湖の方だった事から、その手前にある林に逃げ込んだなら無人偵察機などによる追跡も難しいだろう。何より、今は優先しなければならないことがある。「ハジメ!」ユエも敵の逃走を察したのだろう、普段の落ち着た声音とは異なる焦りを含んだ声でハジメを呼ぶ。ハジメは、ドンナーをホルスターにしまうと、近くで倒れている清水には目もくれずシアのもとへ駆け寄る。シアは、ユエに膝枕された状態で仰向けになり苦痛に顔を歪めていた。傍には愛子もおり同じく表情を歪めてユエに抱きしめられている。「ハ、ハジメさん......うくっ......私は......大丈夫......です......は、早く、先生さんを......毒針が掠っていて......」シアの横腹には直径三センチ程の穴が空いていた。身体強化の応用によって出血自体は抑えられているようだが、顔を流れる脂汗に相当な激痛が走っている事がわかる。にもかかわらず、引き攣った微笑みを浮かべながら震える声で愛子を優先しろと言う。見れば、愛子の表情は真っ青になっており、手足が痙攣し始めている。愛子は、シアとハジメの会話が聞こえていたのか、必死で首を振り視線でシアを先にと訴えていた。言葉にしないのは、毒素が回っていて既に話せないのだろう。清水の言葉が正しければ、もって数分、いや、愛子の様子からすれば一分も持たないようだ。遅れれば遅れるほど障害も残るかもしれない。ハジメは、視線を愛子から逸らすと、躊躇うことなくシアに頷き〝宝物庫〟から試験管型の容器を取り出した。その頃になってようやくハジメ達の元に駆けつけた周囲の者達が焦燥にかられた表情で口々に喚き出す。特に、生徒達やデビッド達の動揺が激しく、半ばパニックになっている。ハジメに対して口々に安否を聞いたり、様子を見せろと退かせようとしたり、効きもしない治癒魔法を掛けようとしたり......だが、そんな彼等も、ハジメの押し殺したような「黙れ」の一言に、気圧されて一歩後退って押し黙った。ハジメは、自分でも少し驚いていた。自分が、シアの負傷に想像以上の怒りを抱いていることに。どうやら、自分でも気がつかない内に、心底、大切な仲間だと認識していたようだ。それ故に、清水と接触した魔人族が、まだ近くにいるかもしれないという可能性を失念していた自分に腹が立って仕方がなかった。愛子達に対して何かをするつもりなら、ハジメ達が前線に出ている時に、どさくさに紛れて行う可能性が一番高かった。しかし、実際には、何もなかったので、もう直接手を出しては来ないだろうと何の根拠もなく思い込んでいたのである。実のところ、あの魔人族も清水が暴れている隙に愛子を暗殺しようと考えていたのだが、ハジメ達の規格外ぶりに茫然自失してしまい機会を逸していたのだ。その後、隙を探っていたところ、清水と愛子の対談が始まった。そして、清水が愛子を殺せるなら任せようと考えて遠方から様子を伺っていたのだが、ハジメの規格外ぶりから最後の瞬間に愛子を奪還されるだろうと察し、清水ごと愛子を貫通特化の魔法で射抜いたのである。ただ、機を見るに敏であるこの魔人であるが、一つ誤算があった。それは、あわよくば射線上にハジメ達を重ねて一緒くたに危険因子を葬ろうとしたがために、シアの固有魔法を発動させてしまったことである。そう、〝未来視〟だ。ハジメの後ろにいたシアは、当然射線上にいたために、清水、愛子、ハジメ、自分が一気に〝破断〟で貫かれる未来を見たのである。おかげで、愛子が頭を貫かれて即死する未来は避けられた。シアが、体を張って変えた未来だ。なぜ、大して親しくない愛子にまで体を張ったのかは疑問だったが、ハジメは、大切な仲間の頑張りを無下にするつもりは毛頭なかった。故に、躊躇いなく数少ない〝神水〟を愛子に使う。時間がない以上、それが一番確実だからだ。ハジメは、ユエに支えられた愛子を受け取り、その口に試験管を咥えさせ、少しずつ神水を流し込んだ。愛子が、シアを優先しなかったことに咎めるような眼差しをハジメにぶつけるが、ハジメは無視する。今は、愛子の意思より、自分の意志より、シアの意志を優先してやりたかった。なので、問答無用で神水を流し込んでいく。しかし、愛子の体は全体が痙攣を始めており思った通りに体が動かないようで、自分では上手く飲み込めないようだ。しまいには、気管に入ったようで激しくむせて吐き出してしまう。ハジメは、愛子が自力で神水を飲み込むことは無理だと判断し、残りの神水を自分の口に含むと、何の躊躇いもなく愛子に口付けして直接流し込んだ。愛子が大きく目を見開く。次いでに、ハジメの周囲で男女の悲鳴と怒声が上がった。しかし、ハジメは、その一切を無視して、愛子の口内に舌を侵入させるとその舌を絡めとり、無理やり神水を流し込んでいく。ハジメの表情には、羞恥や罪悪感の類は一切なく、ただすべきことをするという真剣さだけが浮かんでいた。やがて、愛子の喉がコクコクと動き、神水が体内に流れ込む。すると、体を襲っていた痛みや、生命が流れ出していくような倦怠感と寒気が吹き飛び、まるで体の中心に火を灯したような熱が全身を駆け巡った。愛子は、寒い冬場に冷え切った体で熱々の温泉にでも浸かった時のような快感を覚え、体を震わせる。流石、神水。魔物の血肉を摂取することによる肉体崩壊すら防ぐ奇跡の水だ。効果は抜群である。長いような、一瞬のような口付けが終わり、ハジメが愛子から口を離す。僅かに二人の間に銀色の糸が引かれた。ハジメは、愛子を観察するように見る。それは、確実に神水の効果で危機的状況を脱したのか見極めるためだ。一方、愛子の方は、未だボーとしたまま焦点の合わない瞳でハジメを見つめている。「先生」「先生?」「おい! 先生!」ハジメは愛子に容態を聞くため呼びかけるが、ハジメを見つめたままボーとして動かない愛子。業を煮やしたハジメが、軽く頬を叩きながら強めに呼び掛けると何とも可愛らしい声を上げて正気を取り戻した。「体に異変は? 違和感はないか?」「へ? あ、えっと、その、あの、だだ、だ、大丈夫ですよ。違和感はありません、むしろ気持ちいいくらいで......って、い、今のは違います! 決して、その、あ、ああれが気持ち良かったということではなく、薬の効果がry」「そうか。ならいい」ハジメは、非常にテンパった様子で、しどろもどろになりながら体調に異常はないことを伝える愛子に、実にあっさりした返事をすると、愛子を支えていた腕をこれまたあっさり外してシアの方へ向き直ってしまった。ハジメの態度に茫然としつつ、そんな場合ではないと気がつき愛子も急いでシアに向き合う。ハジメは、もう一つ取り出した神水の半分を直接シアの負傷した箇所にかけて、もう半分をシアに飲ませようと試験管型容器を口元に近づけた。負傷箇所がシュウーと小さな音を立てて急速に治癒していく中、何故かシアが、神水を飲もうとせずにイヤイヤと首を振った。「ハ、ハジメさん......」「シア、どうし......」「私も......口移しぃ......ぐっ......がいいですぅ......」痛みで脂汗を流しながら、欲望をダダ漏れにするシア。転んでもタダでは起きないぜ! と言わんばかりの要求に、流石のハジメも呆れを通り越して感心する。流石に、必要もないのに公衆の面前でわざわざ口移しする気にもなれず、最近シアに甘いユエからの無言の訴えも無視して容器をシアの口に無理やり突っ込んだ。「むぐっ!? ......コクコク......ぷはっ......うぅ~、ハジメさんのいけず......先生さんが羨ましいですぅ......」「ハジメ......メッ」「ふぇ!? シ、シアさん、私は、違いますよ! あれは救命活動です! シアさんが求めるものとは意味が違いますからね! 私、先生ですからっ!」シアからは拗ねたような視線と言葉を向けられ、ユエからは空気読めとでも言うようにお叱りを受け、何故か顔を赤くして分かりきった事をわざわざ弁解する愛子に、ハジメは「はぁ~」と安堵と呆れの両方を含んだ深い溜息をついた。そして、一段落着いたと察した外野が再び騒ぎ始める前に、おそらく全員が忘却しているであろう哀れな存在を思い出させることにした。特に、愛子にとっては重要なことだ。おそらく、愛子は、突然の出来事だったので忘却しているわけではなく理解していないのだろう。ハジメは、一番清水に近い場所にいた護衛騎士の一人に声をかけた。「......あんた、清水はまだ生きているか?」その言葉に全員が「あっ」と今思い出したような表情をして清水の倒れている場所を振り返った。愛子だけが、「えっ? えっ?」と困惑したように表情をしてキョロキョロするが、自分がシアに庇われた時の状況を思い出したのだろう。顔色を変え、慌てた様子で清水がいた場所に駆け寄る。「清水君! ああ、こんな......ひどい」清水の胸にはシアと同じサイズの穴がポッカリと空いていた。出血が激しく、大きな血溜まりが出来ている......おそらく、もって数分だろう。「し、死にだくない......だ、だずけ......こんなはずじゃ......ウソだ......ありえない......」傍らで自分の手を握る愛子に、話しかけているのか、唯の独り言なのかわからない言葉をブツブツと呟く清水。愛子は、周囲に助けを求めるような目を向けるが誰もがスっと目を逸らした。既に、どうしようもないということだろう。それに、助けたいと思っていないことが、ありありと表情に出ている。愛子は、藁にもすがる思いで振り返り、そこにいるハジメに叫んだ。「南雲君! さっきの薬を! 今ならまだ! お願いします!」ハジメは、愛子の言葉を予想していたようで「やっぱりか......」と呟きながら溜息をつくと、愛子と清水の下へ向かった。そして、愛子に、どんな返答がなされるか分かっていながら質問する。「助けたいのか、先生? 自分を殺そうとした相手だぞ? いくら何でも〝先生〟の域を超えていると思うけどな」自分を殺そうとした相手を、なお生徒だからと言う理由だけで庇うことのできる、必死になれる〝先生〟というものが、果たして何人いるのだろうか。それは、もう〝先生〟としても異常なレベルだと言えるのではないだろうか。そんな意味を含めて愛子にした質問の意図を愛子は正確に読み取ったようで、一瞬、瞳が揺らいだものの、毅然とした表情で答えた。そういう先生でありたいのです。何があっても生徒の味方、そう誓って先生になったのです。だから、南雲君......」ハジメは、予想通りの答えに、ガリガリと頭を掻いて不機嫌そうにしながらも、これが愛子先生なんだよなぁと仕方なさそうに溜息をついた。そして、しばらく何かを考えるように天を仰ぐと、一度目をつぶり深呼吸し、決然とした表情で清水の傍に歩み寄った。「清水。聞こえているな? 俺にはお前を救う手立てがある」「!」「だが、その前に聞いておきたい」救えるという言葉に、反応して清水の呟きが止まりギョロ目がピタリとハジメを見据えた。ハジメは一拍おき、簡潔な質問をする。「......お前は......敵か?」清水は、その質問に一瞬の躊躇いもなく首を振った。そして、卑屈な笑みを浮かべて、命乞いを始めた。「て、敵じゃない......お、俺、どうかしてた......もう、しない......何でもする......助けてくれたら、あ、あんたの為に軍隊だって......作って......女だって洗脳して......ち、誓うよ......あんたに忠誠を誓う......何でもするから......助けて......」ハジメは、その言葉に無表情となる。そして、真意を確認するようにジッと清水の目を覗き込むように見つめた。清水は、心の奥底まで見透かされているような気がして咄嗟に目を逸らす。だが、ハジメはしっかりと確認していた。清水の目が、今まで以上に暗く濁っていたことに。憎しみと怒りと嫉妬と欲望とその他の様々な負の感情が飽和して、まるで光の届かない深海でも見ているかのようだった。ハジメは確信した。愛子の言葉は、もう決して清水の心には届かないということを。そして、清水は必ず自分達の敵になると。故に決断した。一瞬、愛子に視線を合わせる。愛子もハジメを見ていたようで目が合う。そして、その一瞬で、愛子はハジメが何をするつもりなのか察したようだ。血相を変えてハジメを止めようと飛び出した。が、ハジメの方が圧倒的に早かった。ドパンッ! ドパンッ! 息を呑む音。それは誰のものだったのか。頭に一発、心臓に一発。正確に撃ち込まれた弾丸は、清水の体を一瞬跳ねさせ、確実で覆しようのない死を与えた。乾いた銃声の余韻が響く中、誰も言葉を発せず、白煙を上げる銃を片手に黙って物言わぬ死体を見下ろすハジメを、唯々呆然と見つめた。静寂が辺りを支配し、誰もが動けない中、ポツリと言葉がこぼれ落ちた。「......どうして?」それは愛子だった。呆然と、死出の旅に出た清水の亡骸を見つめながら、そんな疑問の声を出す。ハジメは、清水から視線を逸らして愛子を見た。同時に、愛子もまたハジメに視線を向ける。その瞳には、怒りや悲しみ、疑惑に逃避、あらゆる感情が浮かんでは消え、また浮かんでは消えていく。「敵だからな」そんな愛子の疑問に対するハジメの答えは実に簡潔だった。「そんな! 清水君は......」「改心したって? 悪いけど、それを信じられるほど俺はお人好しではないし、何より自分の眼が曇っているとも思わない」最後の質問をしたときの清水の目は、何より雄弁に清水が〝堕ちている〟ことを物語っていた。死の淵で、殺そうとした愛子になお心を向けられて、あるいは生き方が少しでも変わるのではないか、かつて自分が堕ちそうになったとき、ユエの存在が自分を繋ぎ留めた様に......そう思ってハジメは清水に問うたのだ。もしそうなら、清水を愛子に預けて首輪付きではあるがチャンスを与える事も考えていた。しかし、死に際の清水の目に、そんな兆しは微塵もなかった。その事は、愛子も感じていたはずだ。ただ、愛子は〝先生〟であり、決して諦めるわけにはいかなかった。諦められなかっただけなのだ。「だからって殺す事なんて! 王宮で預かってもらって、一緒に日本に帰れば、もしかしたら......可能性はいくらだって!」「......どんな理由を並べても、先生が納得しないことは分かっている。俺は、先生の大事な生徒を殺したんだ。俺を、どうしたいのかは先生が決めればいい」「......そんなこと」「〝寂しい生き方〟。先生の言葉には色々考えさせられたよ。でも、人の命が酷く軽いこの世界で、敵対した者には容赦しないという考えは......変えられそうもない。変えたいとも思わない。俺に、そんな余裕はないんだ」「南雲君......」「これからも俺は、同じことをする。必要だと思ったその時は......いくらでも、何度でも引き金を引くよ。それが間違っていると思うなら......先生も自分の思った通りにすればいい......ただ、覚えておいてくれ。例え先生でも、クラスメイトでも......敵対するなら、俺は引き金を引けるんだってことを......」唇を噛み締め、俯く愛子。〝自分の話を聞いて、なお決断したことなら否定しない〟そう言ったのは他でもない愛子なのだ。言葉が続かない。ハジメは、そんな愛子を見て、ここでのやるべきことは終わったと踵を返した。静かに寄り添うユエとシア。ハジメの圧力を伴った視線に射抜かれて、ウィルも、愛子達の様子や町の事後処理の事で後ろ髪を引かれる様子ではあったが黙ってハジメに付いて行った。町の重鎮達や騎士達が、ハジメの持つアーティファクトやハジメ自身を目的に引き止めようとするが、途端に溢れ出す〝威圧〟感に、先の戦いでの化け物ぶりを思い出し、伸ばした手も、発しかけた言葉も引っ込めることになった。「南雲君! ......先生は......先生は......」言葉は続かなくとも、〝先生〟の矜持がハジメの名を呼ぶ。ハジメは、少し立ち止まると肩越しに愛子に告げる。「......先生の理想は既に幻想だ。ただ、世界が変わっても俺達の先生であろうとしてくれている事は嬉しく思う......出来れば、折れないでくれ」そして、今度こそ立ち止まらず周囲の輪を抜けると、魔力駆動四輪を取り出し全員を乗せて走り去ってしまった。後には、何とも言えない微妙な空気と生き残ったことを喜ぶ町の喧騒だけが残った。	For Shimizu Yukitoshi, to be summoned to a different world was the dream he yearned for. Because he knew that was impossible, every day he was dreaming by a reading book in his hand or web novels. In his dream, he saved a lot of worlds, though he didn’t know if he went towards the Happy End with the heroines. Inside Shimizu’s room, the walls couldn’t be seen as they were buried by posters of beautiful girls, and inside the glass rack at one of the walls were his favorite beautiful girl figures with improper poses lined up in such a cramped place. His bookshelf was filled with manga, light novels, thin books, and eroges, while the ones that couldn’t be put there were all over the room as they made towers. That’s right, Shimizu Yukitoshi was a genuine otaku. However, there’s no one among the classmates who knew that fact. That’s because Shimizu himself thoroughly hid it. There was no need to talk about his reasons. He had seen the classmates’ attitude towards Hajime, that’s why there was no way he could become an open otaku. Inside class, it could be said he was just a mob character by those who knew him well. There was no one he was especially close to, and he always quietly read a book in his seat. If he was talked to, he would give the minimum answer in a small mutter. To begin with, he kept the quiet attitude because he was bullied in junior high school. Maybe because it was the natural flow, he became a truant and stayed inside his own room every day, and he inevitable tried to create books and games to kill time. Even though his parents always worried about him, he brought otaku goods into his room every day which made his big and little brother annoyed. They even showed that in their attitudes and words, which made Shimizu feel that the comforting house became worse, the so-called losing his place to stay. With such a gloomy environment, Shimizu thought of doing devious things to others inside his mind without letting it out on the surface. Thus he became more and more devoted into delusions and book creation. Because he was like that, when he understood the summoning to a different world was the truth, his mind’s state was as if shouting, “Here it come–!!”. Even at the time Aiko protested fiercely against Ishtar, or when Kouki passionately decided to help humanity win and return to their original world, inside Shimizu’s head were only the delusions of the real him doing spectacular things in this different world. He was elated because the delusions he thought as impossible had become truth, and the pattern of being summoned to a different world where the protagonist was being unreasonably demanded was driven away from his mind. Thus it actually became just as he expected, there was a conflict in this different world life for real. First, Shimizu certainly kept a certain cheat-like spec as a secret, but that was the same thing for the other classmates. Furthermore, Kouki was the “hero,” not him and maybe because of that the women only kept coming near Kouki, and it became the saying that “he was just one of the many additional people.” With this, nothing changed from the time he was in Japan. Though his wish was fulfilled, the reality that didn’t become just like he hoped for made Shimizu increase his deviousness, and his dissatisfaction was increasing in his mind. Just why am I not the hero? Just why do the women only surround and desire Kouki? Just why is it not I, but Kouki who always gets treated as special? Even though I can do better if I am the hero. Then, the girls will accept me if I approach them... this, this satisfying condition is everyone’s fault, I am the only special one, that’s the egoistic idea which gnawed on Shimizu’s mind. At that time. The combat practice held in the « Orcus Great Dungeon ». Shimizu thought of it as his chance. I won’t mind about anyone else. It was the same even if they are here or not. Those classmates that treated me as background will surely notice my skill, Shimizu tried to use this opportunity... however, there was something he noticed. He wasn’t a special existence at all, there was no opportunity-like development, and he certainly would become a “dead” person in the next moment. As he was about to be killed by the Traum Soldier, he saw the “hero” who fought with a more brutal monster in the distance, and his fantasy about a different world crumbled as it made a rattling sound. Then he witnessed the classmate who fell to “death” into the abyss, and his heart was broken. He only interpreted things on his own convenience and his mind always kept seeing others inferior than him, so naturally his heart was not strong. When he returned to the royal palace, Shimizu once again shut himself in his own room. However, the literacies that could cheer him up just like in his room in Japan were not here. That’s why Shimizu naturally spent his time reading books around the skills and magic concerning his class, “Dark Magic-user.” Dark magic system was a magic system which acted on the others’ minds and senses, it was recognized as magic that basically give bad statuses to the target in battle. Shimizu’s aptitude were such as altering the others’ recognition, showing illusions, interfering with the image of the completed magic to disrupt the invocation, and with further mastering, he could make disorder in one’s body control. Thus the depression in his heart was completely blown away as he read the books, and Shimizu immediately recalled something. Can I brainwash someone if I master dark magic?, something like that. Shimizu was excited. If his assumption was correct, he could do whatever he wants to anyone. That’s right, whatever he wants. The stagnating darkness spread in Shimizu’s mind. Since that day, he zealously trained with undivided attention. However, it didn’t easily go his way. First, for something with strong ego like a human, he needed to continuously apply the spell for several hours or else he could not do the brainwashing. Naturally, that was if there was no resistance. As expected, there’s no one who wouldn’t react if he put the spell. It was necessary for him to put the target in a sleep-like state. If the target was a human, it would be too hard for him to hide and control brainwashing, circumstance-wise and time-wise. As he thought of what happened when he was found out, Shimizu couldn’t help but abandoning this because of the high risk. Shimizu drooped his shoulders, but he immediately recalled about the reason he was summoned, the demon race could control demonic beasts. He wondered if he could brainwash the demonic beasts who moved by instinct and have small egos compared to humans. To confirm it, Shimizu went outside the Imperial Capital and repeatedly experimented on small fry demonic beasts. As the result, he proved that it was far easier to brainwash them compared to humans. To begin with, he could only do it because Shimizu was one of the cheaters and had an extremely high talent in dark magic. Previously, Ishtar had said that even if the people of this spent much time, they could only control - things. Shimizu who had finished the experiments in the Imperial Capital’s outskirts thought it’d be good if he could control strong demonic beasts. However, he felt intimidated to go towards the dungeon frontline just like Kouki’s party. Then at the time he was at lost of what to do, he heard the talk about Aiko’s bodyguards. If he joined them, he’d be able to encountered a good demonic beast or so he thought. In the end, Aiko’s party came to Ul town, then he heard about the demonic beasts in the mountain ranges area in the north and he was lost in greed when he thought to make them his subordinates. In their next meeting, everyone would be in awe and respect towards his great achievement, and he’d be treated as special or so his delusion went. Normally, for the short amount of time of around two weeks, no matter if Shimizu was a genius in dark magic, and he used the efficient method by only brainwashing the leader of the groups, , was the limit. Moreover, it would only be those in Brutal’s level in the second mountain range. However, he was helped by a certain existence, and he was able to control Tio, who gave her power to Shimizu to efficiently brainwash even the demonic beasts in the fourth mountain range by chance. And at the same time, that certain existence promised him to reinforce him with troops of demonic beasts every day, and Shimizu’s bound of reasoning completely came off. Finally, as he was soaked in joy that he was indeed special, the large crowd in his full control was turned towards the town. Thus as the result... He was turned into such misery for those who saw him, and he was made to kneel in front of Aiko and the others. By the way, the reason why he looked like a defeated soldier was because Hajime dragged him using magic-driven two-wheeler on the ground which covered with demonic beasts’ flesh and blood coupled with the fluttering cloud of dust. Shimizu was unconscious with the white of his eyes displayed, and when they saw he was brought to the town with his head repeatedly hitting the ground, Aiko and the others’ expressions were cramped. By the way, their current location was in the outskirts and in this location were only Aiko, the students, several people from the bodyguard Knights and town leaders, Will, and Hajime’s party. As expected, if the mastermind behind the attack was brought to the town, the commotions would become bigger and it’d be difficult to hold a conversation or so their reason. The town leaders which remained inside the town were currently busy with post treatment. Aiko had stepped up towards Shimizu who was collapsed with the white of his eyes shown. His appearance which wearing a black robe, following by the fact he was dragged back directly from the battlefield became unassailable proofs that he was the culprit behind the attack. It was a fact she didn’t want to believe as Aiko’s expression warped in sadness, and she shook Shimizu to woke him up. David and the others told her to stop it because it was dangerous, but she shook her head to refuse them. The same thing happened with the restraint. It was released because she wouldn’t be able to hold a good talk with Shimizu with that on. In the end, Aiko was only wanted to talk as a teacher and a student. Before long, Shimizu’s consciousness begin to return from Aiko’s call. He looked at the surrounding with a blank look, and maybe because he understood his situation, Hah, he raised his upper body. He immediately tried to distance himself, but maybe because the damage on the back of his head, he staggered and fell on his butt, then backed away as is. With caution and abjection, he had a mixed expression with irritation excluded, and he looked around. “Shimizu-kun, please calm down. There is no one here that will harm you... sensei only want to talk with Shimizu-kun. Just why did you do that... I don’t mind if we talk about something else. Will you, let sensei hear Shimizu-kun’s feelings?” Because Aiko matched her gaze to Shimizu, he stopped looking around. Following that, he averted his eyes and looked down then spoke with voice that couldn’t be heard easily... rather he started cursing. “Why? You still don’t understand that. That’s why this guys and that guys are so incompetent. Treating me like an idiot... the hero, that hero is annoying. Even though I could do better if it’s me... unnoticed, and treated like a mob character... honestly, there are only idiots... that’s why I thought of showing my worth...” “You... know your place! You almost destroy the town!” “That’s right! If you are talking about idiot, it is you!” “Think how much you made Ai-chan-sensei worried!” Far from reflecting, Shimizu was cursing out his dissatisfaction to the surrounding, so Tamai, Sonobe, and the other students were angry and said their objection one after another. Maybe because he was pressured by their momentum, Shimizu looked more and more down and assumed silence. Because Aiko couldn’t stand Shimizu looked like that, she tried to held down the further heating up students, and questioned Shimizu with a voice which carried as much warm as possible. “I see, you have a lot of dissatisfaction... however, Shimizu-kun. If it’s about triumphing over everyone, that made sensei don’t understand it even more. Why, did you tried to attack the town? If you attacked the town as is... a lot of people will be dead... aside on how you subdued a lot of demonic beasts, that cannot show your “worth.”” Aiko’s justifiable question made Shimizu slightly looked up and his dreary, dark eyes turned towards Aiko from the gaps of his dirtied forelock which hanged down, then he floated a faint smile. “... I can show it... if it’s to the Demon race.” Those unexpected words which came out from Shimizu’s mouth made not only Aiko, excluding Hajime and his party, everyone in that place were shocked. Shimizu raised a satisfied expression when he saw their appearances, and though it was the same as before, he began to talk with a voice that stronger than the previous pressure which made him shut up. “To capture the demonic beast, I went to the mountain range area in the north alone. At that time, I met a person from demon race. At the beginning, of course I was cautious... but that Demon race wanted to talk to me. Then, we came to an understanding. That guy know my true worth. That’s why I came to that guy... demon race’s side and made a contract.” “A contract... you say? What do you mean?” Aiko was shaken by the fact he was connected to the Demon race, their enemy in war, but she was sure that the Demon race must have coaxed her student and she asked that while restraining her anger. Looking at Aiko, Shimizu was grinning as if he saw something amusing, then he said the impactful words. “... Hatanaka-sensei... it is to kill you.” “... Eh?” For a moment, Aiko didn’t understand what he had said as she spontaneously let out that silly voice. The same thing happened to everyone there, they became stupefied for a moment, they understood the meaning earlier than Aiko, and stared at Shimizu with fury in their eyes. Shimizu ducked for a moment from the piercing glares which filled with strong anger from the students and the guard Knights, but he stopped mid-way and continued his words as if to shake off their glares. “What’s with that expression. Did you think I was used by the demon race? In certain ways, you’re a more troublesome existence than the hero... “Goddess of Good Harvest”... if I make it looked like you killed the townspeople, I will be welcomed to demon race’s side as a “hero.” It’s that kind of contract. My ability is amazing after all. They said it’d be too wasteful for me to be under that hero. As expected, the one who understands it will understand. Actually, they also lent me strong demonic beasts, and I was able to create an army that exceeded my imagination... that’s why, that’s why I thought can absolutely kill you! What’s with that! What the heck was that! Why an army of ,000 was defeated! Why those weapons existed in this different world! You, just what on earth are you!” Because of the ridicule at the beginning, Aiko could only stare blankly at Shimizu, her student when he said the word “kill,” and maybe because he was agitated as he spoke, he began to shout when he looked at Hajime. Inside his eyes were something more than melancholy and abjection, the irritation because nothing went according to his desire, the hatred towards Hajime who obstructed him, following that, the envy towards that power were mixed, mixed and created his madness. Apparently, Shimizu didn’t notice the gray-haired, eye-patched boy before him was Nagumo Hajime, his classmate. To begin with, it could be said it couldn’t be helped because he never talk to him... Shimizu kept glaring and cursing at Hajime as if he would attack him at any moment, and Hajime who suddenly became the target could hear Shimizu cursing as “Even though you’re just a chuuni character,” and actually he got a considerably deep damage as he looked at the distance to escape the reality. His attitude could be seen as, “I don’t think anything of you,” so it caused Shimizu to agitated further. Having guessed Hajime’s feeling, his back was patted by Yue and her kindness made him want to cry again. Maybe thanks to Hajime ignoring the serious mood and entering his own world(?), Aiko was given the time to regain her sense from the impact, she took one deep breath and even without any courage to confront his rage, she didn’t move from her spot then grasped Shimizu’s hand, and talked quietly. “Shimizu-kun. Please calm down.” “Wh-What’s with you! Let go!” He was surprised by the sudden touch and Shimizu immediately tried to shake her off, but Aiko said she wouldn’t let go and further increased the power of her grip. Maybe because Shimizu couldn’t look back at Aiko’s serious gaze, he gradually calmed down as he looked down again, and his expression was hidden by his forelock. “Shimizu-kun... I have understood your feelings. You want to be “special.” Your feelings aren’t mistaken. It was a natural wish for a human. Following that, you surely can become “special.” After all, although your method was mistaken, it is the truth that you can do that much... however, don’t go to the demon race’s side. Having heard your story, that demon race was just trying to use your desire. Sensei, can’t entrust her important student to that kind of person at all... Shimizu-kun. Let’s do it over, okay? I don’t want anyone to fight, but if Shimizu-kun wish for it, sensei will support you. If it is you, you definitely can fight as equal with Amanogawa-kun and the others. Then, some day, let’s return together when we found the method to return to Japan, okay?” Shimizu heard Aiko speaking in silence, and before one knew it his shoulders trembled. Even the students and the guard Knights thought Shimizu was shaken by Aiko’s words and began to cry. Actually, Sonobe Yuka, who famous to be easily moved to tears in the class, was already crying when she saw Aiko and Shimizu. However, it wasn’t something sweet as it wouldn’t simply went her way. Aiko patted the trembling Shimizu’s head with gentle expression, but Shimizu suddenly gripped the outstretched hand in return and pulled her, then he turned her over and coiled his arm around Aiko’s neck. Aiko unintentionally groaned because her arm was bound behind her and he took out a 10 cm long needle from god-knows where, then he pointed it at back of her neck. “Don’t move! Or I will pierce it!” Shimizu shouted hysterically. His expression was twitching in convulsion, in his eyes had the same madness when he was cursing Hajime. His previously trembling shoulders was apparently from laughter. Aiko looked in pain because she was unable pull apart Shimizu’s arm which coiled on her throat. The surrounding people desperately stopped their movement after they received Shimizu’s warning. From Shimizu’s appearance, they understood he would seriously do that for real. Everyone worriedly called Aiko’s name with regretting tone, and Shimizu continued to ridicule them. Incidentally, Hajime finally returned to reality at this time. Because he was on the trip to escape the reality up until now, his face said, “Oya? Since when...,” because of the sudden development. “Listen, this is a poisonous needle I got from a demonic beast in the northern mountain range! She’ll only suffer for a few minute before she die if I pierce it! If you understand, then everyone must throw away their weapons and raise your hands!” With the words from the maddened Shimizu, the surrounding people turned pale. Shimizu was grinning at the students and guard Knights who completely couldn’t move, and he turned his glance towards Hajime. “Oi, you, chuuni *****, you! Not on your back! I am talking about you! Don’t take me for a fool, you *****! If you keep joking around, I’ll really kill her! If you understand, give me your gun! The other arms too!” Because the way Shimizu called him was too cruel, he inadvertently looked back appealing, “It’s not me,” which ended as futile, and Hajime face looked so unpleased. In spite of the tense situation, his attitude didn’t change as he was calm, and Shimizu lost his temper because he thought he was taken for a fool again. Thus hysterically, he demanded Hajime to hand over his firearms. Hajime returned to look at Shimizu with extremely cold eyes when he heard that. “Well, you, to say you won’t kill her... to begin with, you can’t go to the demon race’s side if you don’t kill sensei, so you’re going to kill her anyway, right? That’s why I won’t hand them over.” “Shut up, shut up, shut up! Just be quiet and hand them over! An idiot like you should just do what I said! Th-That’s right, hehe, oi, give me your slave too. Let her carry the firearms!” With his calm returning, Shimizu shouted some more. Because he was too cornered, he couldn’t do a normal judgement anymore. Shia, who marked down by Shimizu, was trembling and her expression displayed her disgust. “Even if I fired three times in succession to shut you up, you’ll only become more creepy... rather, Shia, even if you’re disgusted don’t hide behind me. He isn’t that dreadful.” “But, he is really disgusting... it can be said my mind can’t accept it... just look, those pimples. It’s impossible to not feel disgust.” “Well, though he wish to be a hero, his lines were the same as the thief that was killed easily by the protagonist in the very beginning after all.” Though the person in question couldn’t hear because they lowered their volumes, everyone could hear them because as her disgusted eyes and their volumes were becoming louder. Shimizu could only flapped his mouth and his complexion gradually dyed in red, then it changed to blue, and in the end it turned white. It was an example of the change in complexion because of the anger which became too high. Shimizu began to mutter, “I am a hero, I am special, this guys and that guys are just idiots, everything are those guys’ fault, there’s no problem, everything will go as I wished, I am a hero after all, I am special,” with hollow eyes, following that, he suddenly let out a high-pitched laugh as if he was shaken free of something. “... Shi-Shimizu-kun... let us talk... after all... everything is okay...” Even though Aiko was in pain as she was exposed to Shimizu’s crazed antique, she let out those words, and at the moment he heard that, Shimizu completely stopped his laugh and strangled Aiko further. “... How annoying. Stop trying to be a good person, you hypocrite. Just shut up and become a tool for me to escape from here.” Shimizu muttered that with a dark tone and he looked at Hajime again. Without any agitation or other expressions, he looked at Hajime with eyes filled with negative feelings, next he saw the gun in the holster on his thigh. What he wanted was transmitted without the need for words. If he falter here, he could just disregard his life and death and, no, his good future would be only a dream if he didn’t harm Aiko. Hajime leaked a sigh, he thought to fire the wire when he passed the gun and used “Lightning-clad” even if Aiko got involved, but he slowly reached Donner-Schlag so as to not stimulated Shimizu. Because Aiko body was small, she couldn’t become a shield, and it was possible for Hajime to hit Shimizu before he realize with his drawing speed, he thought it’d be okay to be looked by Aiko with slightly hurt eyes. But, at the moment Hajime started to drop his hand, the situation suddenly changed. “Kh!? Don’t! Avoid it!” As she shouted that, Shia strengthened her body to the best of her ability and momentarily achieved a high-speed movement on Ground Shrinker level, and she jumped towards Aiko. Because of the abruptness, Shimizu immediately tried to pierce the needle into Aiko. Shia was doing the impossible by pulling Aiko and twisted her body to protect her from something, then a blue colored water current penetrated through Shimizu’s chest and that laser-like thing passed over the place in which Aiko’s head where a while ago almost simultaneously. Hajime, who was inside the trajectory, used Donner to defend against the laser of water that probably the offensive magic called “Break” from water system. Then about Shia, she vigorously charged as she embraced Aiko closely, as is, she slipped and dived into the ground with her shoulder. She raised a dust storm, and Shia who finally stopped, “Uguh,” raised a pained groan and remained lying. “Shia!” Among everyone who was stiffened by the sudden development, Yue ran with all of her might as she called Shia’s name. Following that, she took a position to protect Shia and the woman she embraced, Aiko from another attack. Hajime didn’t say anything and only thanked and praised Yue in his mind because she moved just as he hoped for, then he held Donner with both hand while he used “Farsight” to trace the trajectory of that “Break.” Immediately, he saw a black clothed man with pointed ears and swept-back hair who rode on a huge bird-like demonic beast in the distance. DOPANh! DOPANh! DOPANh! DOPANh! DOPANh! DOPANh! In a flash, Hajime successively fired the railgun towards the flying demonic beast and the silhouette. The man with swept-back hair, as if he had anticipated the attack, made the bird-like demonic beast desperately evade by doing barrel roll as he confirmed Hajime’s location. It was quite an agile demonic beasts, but it couldn’t evaded everything and one of the bird-like demonic beast’s leg was blown off, the swept-back man’s shoulder was also blown off. Even so, rather than falling, its speed didn’t slowed and it aimed to escape at full speed. It could only said the way it escape from the series of attacks as nothing but splendid. Hajime guessed that the man probably the person from Demon race from Shimizu’s talk. The man already detoured to the town in low altitude as if he was making the town as a shield, then vanished. From the method he used to escape from Hajime’s bullets, it seemed the information about Hajime and his party were already known by the Demon race which made Hajime raised a bitter expression. Because he escaped towards Uldeia lake, it’d be too difficult to pursuit him using unmanned reconnaissance plane if he escaped through the forest. Above all, that’s not his current priority. “Hajime!” Maybe because Yue had also guessed the enemy escaped, she called Hajime with a voice which contained impatience unlike the usual. Hajime put Donner back into the holster, and ran up to Shia without even looking at the collapsed Shimizu. Shia was faced-up as she was rested on Yue’s laps and her expression warped in pain. Aiko beside her also showed similar expression as she was embraced by Yue. “Ha-Hajime-san... ukh... I... am... okay... p-please, sensei-san was... grazed by the poisonous needle...” There was a hole with three centimeters in diameter in Shia’s flank. Even though the bleeding was suppressed by body strengthening, it could be understood that she was in considerable pain from the amount of sweat flowed in her face. However, she floated a forced smile and told to give priority to Aiko with a shaking voice. When he saw Aiko, her complexion was completely paled, and her limbs began to convulse. Maybe because she heard Shia and Hajime’s conversation, Aiko desperately shook her neck, appealing to let Shia treated first. She couldn’t let out any word because the poison had already spreaded. If Shimizu’s words were correct, she only had several minutes, no, it’d be less than a minute looking from Aiko’s appearance. She didn’t want to make more trouble as it was already too late. Hajime averted his gaze away from Aiko and unhesitatingly nodded at Shia, then he let out a vial from “Treasure Box.” At that time, the surrounding people finally ran up towards Hajime and the others with uneasy expressions as they let out cries from their mouths. The students, David, and the Knights were particularly shaken, they were half in panic. They were asking Hajime about her safety, stepped back when they saw her appearance, and tried to cast recovery magic which was ineffective... towards such people, Hajime’s one word, “Silence,” with killing pressure made them stepped back and keep silent. Even Hajime was slightly surprised by what he had said. His anger because Shia’s injury was more than he expected. Apparently, without him noticing it, he had recognized her as an important companion deep in his heart. Therefore, he was unbearably angry towards the Demon race that came in contact with Shimizu and himself who had forgotten the possibility of him still nearby. If he do something to Aiko and the others when Hajime’s party went to the frontline, the possibility it become a chaos was high. However, because he actually didn’t do anything, he was convinced that he didn’t want to do it directly, without any basis to it. As a matter of fact, that demon race person have thought to assassinate Aiko when Shimizu was on rampage, but he lost the chance because he was stupefied by Hajime’s party which was out of the normal. Afterwards, as he was looking for a chance, the talk between Shimizu and Aiko started. Thus he thought to leave killing Aiko to Shimizu as he looked from the distance, but he guessed that Aiko would be recaptured in the last moment by the unstandard Hajime, so he cast a magic which specialized in penetration to pierce Shimizu and Aiko. However, even though the Demon race was quick to see that opportunity, there was one miscalculation. That was, if thing went well the trajectory would make it hit Hajime and the others, erasing those risk factors at the same time, but Shia’s peculiar magic was activated. That was “Foresight.” Shia who was behind Hajime naturally would be hit by the trajectory along with Shimizu, Aiko, and Hajime, so she dashed out to “break” the future she saw. Thanks to that, the future where the attack went through Aiko’s head and she immediately died was avoided. Shia had put her body in the line to change that future. Even though he was doubtful on why she put her life for Aiko who wasn’t not intimate with her, Hajime would not treat an important companion who had worked her best coldly. Therefore, he unhesitatingly used the scarce “Holy Water” for Aiko. Because there was no time, it was the most certain thing to use. Hajime held Aiko who was supported by Yue, put the vial in her mouth and poured the holy water little by little. Aiko looked at Hajime who didn’t take Shia as the top priority with criticizing glare, but ignored by Hajime. Currently, he prioritized Shia’s will than Aiko’s or his own intention. That’s why he just poured the holy water as discussion wasn’t necessary. However, Aikos’ whole body began to convulse and couldn’t be moved as she desired, so she couldn’t swallow the water. Rather, it was possible to enter the lungs and made her vomit. Hajime judged it was impossible for Aiko to swallow the holy water by herself, he put the remaining holy water inside his mouth, and he unhesitatingly poured it directly into Aiko’s mouth. Aiko opened her eyes wide. Next, screams and angry voices raised by everyone in Hajime’s surrounding. However, Hajime ignored all of those and he twined his tongue that invaded Aiko’s mouth, then he forcefully poured the holy water. Hajime’s expression didn’t contain any shame or guilt, there was only seriousness about doing what had to be done. Before long, Aiko’s throat moved as to swallow and the holy water flowed inside her body. Following that, the pain which attacking her body and the cold feeling as her life was going to be washed away were blown away as if a fire was lighted in her core and started to spread around. Aiko remembered the feeling of being soaked inside the hot spring in the cold winter, and her body shook. It was just as expected of the holy water. It was a miraculous water that prevent his body broken from eating the flesh and blood of demonic beasts. The effect was preeminent. Not long after, the mouth to mouth ended just in the blink of time, and Hajime separated his mouth from Aiko’s. Silver colored string appeared between the two. Hajime observed Aiko. His purpose was to ascertain that she had escaped from the crisis. On the other side, Aiko was still looking at Hajime blankly as her eyes were unfocused. “Sensei.” “Sensei?” “Oi! Sensei!” Hajime called Aiko to ask her condition, but Aiko keep blankly looked at him and unmoving. Hajime was irritated, so he lightly slapped her cheek and raised his volume, then she raised an indescribably lovely voice and regained her senses. “How’s your body? Are there any sense of incompatibility?” “Heh? A, um, that’s, I am o-o-o-okay. There is no abnormality, rather I feel good... wait, th-that’s wrong! By no mean that, th-that thing feel good, what I mean was the medicine’s effect-” “I see. Then, that’s good.” Hajime looked as if he’d lose his temper, and answered simply towards Aiko who said there was no abnormality in her physical condition, then he simply removed the hand which supported Aiko and moved towards Shia. Although she was stupefied by Hajime’s attitude, Aiko didn’t stay in that spot and she had run towards Shia before she aware of it. Hajime took out another holy water and poured half of it directly into Shia’s wound, and the other half was brought close to Shia’s mouth to let her drink it. The injured parts make a small shuu- sound and recovered rapidly, but somehow Shia didn’t want to drink the holy water and shook her head. “Ha-Hajime-san...” “Shia, wha-...” “Me too... it’ll be better... guh... to do it mouth to mouth...” As she was drenched in sweat because of the pain, Shia leaked out her desire. Even if I am rolled around, I won’t get up until you do that!, she said those kind of demand, and even Hajime was amazed by this. As expected, there’s no need to purposely do mouth to mouth because it was unnecessary, so he ignored the silent complaint from Yue who was nice to Shia recently and thrust the vial into Shia’s mouth. “Muguh!? ... gulp gulp... puhah... Uu~, Hajime-san is unfair... I am jealous of sensei-san...” “Hajime... bad.” “Fue!? Sh-Shia-san, you’re wrong! That’s a lifesaving action! It is different from what Shia-san want! I am a teacher after all!” She received sulky gaze and words from Shia and scolding from Yue to read the mood, but Aiko whose face redden purposely made excuses, and Hajime could only let out, “Haa~”, a profound sigh which contained both relief and amazement. Following that, the outfielders who had guessed thing had settled began to make noise again because, everyone probably recalled the pitiful existence which had been forgotten. It was particularly important for Aiko. So Aiko probably didn’t forget him and just didn’t understand what had happened all of a sudden. Hajime called out to a guard Knight who was nearest to Shimizu. “... You, is Shimizu still alive?” With those words, everyone went “Ah,” with expressions as if they just remembered about him and they looked at the collapsed Shimizu. Only Aiko displayed a perplexed look and said, “Eh? Eh?,” as she looked around, she might’ve recalled the situation when Shia snatched her. With mixed complexion, she panicky run towards Shimizu. “Shimizu-kun! Aa, this is... so cruel.” In Shimizu’s chest was a hole similar to Shia’s. The bleeding was intense, and there was a big pool of blood... he probably only had a few minutes left. “I-I don’t want to die... h-help... if it’s like this... no... I can’t believe it...” Shimizu spoke to Aiko who held his hand by his side, it was just monologue of words which couldn’t be understood in a muttering whisper. Aiko looked at the surrounding for help, but all of them averted their eyes. It was already hopeless. Moreover, the expressions of not wanting to help vividly appeared on them. Aiko clinged to the last straw as she looked back and shouted to the Hajime who was there. “Nagumo-kun! That medicine from before! If it is now-! Please!” Hajime had expected Aiko’s words and muttered, “It really came to this...,” along with a sigh, then he moved towards Aiko and Shimizu. Following that, he questioned Aiko even though he know what the answer would be. “Do you want to help him, sensei? He was going to kill you, you know? I think it had crossed the limit no matter how much a “teacher” you are.” He was someone who tried to kill her, but she protected him just because he was her student, just how many people could became a “teacher” like her in such desperation. She might already be at an abnormal level for a “teacher.” Aiko accurately read the meaning behind his question, her eyes shaken for a moment, then she answered in a firm expression. “Certainly, it might be as you had said. No, it is surely as you had said. However, I just want to be that (...) kind of teacher. I will be the students’ ally no matter what happen, I have vowed to become that kind of teacher. Therefore, Nagumo-kun-...” Hajime became ill-humored as he scratched his head because the answer just as he expected, and he sighed in reluctance because that’s just how Aiko-sensei was. Following that, he looked at the sky as he thought of something for a while, he took one deep breath and went towards Shimizu’s side with a resolute expression. “Shimizu. Can you hear me? I have something that can save you.” “!” “However, there’s something I want to ask first.” Hearing the words he could be saved, Shimizu responded by stopping his mutters and his wandering eyes were staring at Hajime. In a beat, Hajime asked a simple question. “... Are you... an enemy?” Shimizu immediately shook his head without any hesitation. Following that, he floated a smile of abjection and began to plead for his life. “I-I am not your enemy... I-I won’t do... anything... I will do whatever you want... so help me, I-I’ll even give you an army... and even... brainwash the women... I-I swear... I swear to be loyal... I’ll do anything... so help me...” With those words, Hajime became expressionless. Following that, he could be seen looking into Shimizu’s eyes quietly as if trying to confirm his real intention. Shimizu who thought he was seeing the depth of his heart immediately looked away. However, Hajime was able to confirm it. There’s darkness and impurity more than before inside Shimizu’s eyes. They were saturated by hatred, anger, envy, desire, and other negative feelings, they were just like the deep sea where the light did not reach. Hajime was convinced. Aiko’s words didn’t even reach Shimizu’s mind. Therefore Shimizu would surely become their enemy. He had determined that. For a moment, his gaze matched Aiko’s. Aiko was also looking at Hajime and their gaze met. Following that, Aiko was immediately able to guess what Hajime was going to do. Her expression changed and she jumped out to stop Hajime. However, Hajime was much faster. DOPANh! DOPANh! The sound where a breath was taken away. It wasn’t known who let that out. One in the head and one in the heart. The bullets which accurately shot made Shimizu’s body jumped for a moment, and they awarded him with death. Inside the lingering gunshot, no one let out a word, and they could only watch Hajime silently looking at the corpse with a gun in one hand that raised white smoke, in blank surprise. Silence ruled their vicinity, within those who could not move, a mutter was leaked. “... Why?” It was Aiko. In a blank surprise, she watched the remains of Shimizu who had began his travel to the death, and she raised that question. Hajime looked away from Shimizu and he looked at Aiko. At the same time, Aiko matched Hajime’s gaze again. Inside her eyes, anger, sadness, distrust and others feelings were raised and disappeared, then they raised and disappeared once again. “He is an enemy after all.” Hajime’s answer towards Aiko’s question was truly simple. “That! Shimizu-kun is-...” “Reforming? Sorry to burst your bubble, I am not so good natured to believe that, above all my eyes aren’t clouded at all.” When he asked the last question, Shimizu’s eyes was telling him that he had “fall.” Before death, his mind still moved towards killing Aiko, Hajime thought Shimizu could slightly change his way of life because just like the time when Hajime almost fell, there’s Yue’s existence that was capable of holding and retaining him, so... he questioned Shimizu with that thought in mind. If that was so, he had consider to give Shimizu a chance by putting into him a collar and letting Aiko take custody of him. However, even before death, Shimizu’s eyes didn’t even show such sign. Aiko should also feel that. However, Aiko was the “teacher,” by no means could she abandon him. She just couldn’t do that. “Therefore, rather than killing him-! If he is kept inside the royal palace, and returned together with us to Japan, possibly... there’s the possibility-!” “... Even if I tried to give you a reason, I know sensei won’t agree to it at all. I have killed sensei’s important student. It’s okay for sensei to decide whatever you want to do about me.” “... Such a thing is-” “‘A lonely way of life.’ I’ve thought of various things because of sensei’s words. However, in this world where a person’s life is cruelly light, I thought of not showing any mercy towards my enemy... and I won’t change that. I don’t think I want to change that. I have no time for that.” “Nagumo-kun...” “I’ll do the same thing from now on. At the times I think it is necessary... I’ll pull the trigger no matter how many times it’ll be. If you thought I was mistaken... sensei only has to do what you want... however, I want you to remember one thing. Even if it’s sensei or the other classmates... I’ll pull the trigger if you become my enemy...” Aiko looked down as she bit her lip. It was no one but Aiko who said, “Having heard my talk, I won’t refute whatever your decision is.” No more word coming out. Hajime looked at such Aiko and he turned his feet because the things needed to be done here had finished. Yue and Shia quietly nestled close to him. Accompanied with Pressure, Hajime looked at Will, Aiko, and the other’s appearances, and because there’s also the matter of post treatment, they silently followed Hajime in painful reluctance. The town leaders and Knights’ had a purpose to detain Hajime and his artifacts, but because of the overflowing “Pressure” and remembering the previous monster-like fight, they withdrew their hands and swords. “Nagumo-kun!... Sensei is... sensei is...” Even if her words weren’t continued, he called out Hajime’s name because of her pride as a “teacher.” Hajime stopped for a while and spoke to Aiko over his shoulder. “... Sensei’s ideal is already a fantasy. However, we are glad that sensei remains as our teacher even if the world had changed... if possible, please don’t give up.” Following that, this time he didn’t stop and came off from the surrounding circle, he took out magic-driven four-wheeler and escaped from there when everyone had boarded it. Afterwards, what remained was the clamor from the town that was joyed for their survival and the the indescribably subtle mood.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 9, "inserted_lines_src": 1, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
この村はノルウェーの最南端にあります 2015年1月2日この村に住む老人が直前に起きた嵐で浜辺に何か打ち上がっていないか見に行きました波打ち際の草むらの一区画で老人はウェットスーツを発見色は灰色と黒で高価なものではなさそうでしたスーツの脚の部分から 2本の白骨が突き出ていました明らかに人間の遺骸でしたノルウェーでは通常遺体の身元はすぐに判明します警察が捜査を開始し地元の失踪届けや国内の失踪届けを調べ関連のありそうな事故を捜査しましたが何も見つかりませんでしたそこでDNA鑑定を行いインターポール経由で国外の失踪者捜査を開始成果なし誰にも探してもらえない人のようでした人知れぬ人生は無縁墓地に葬られようとしていましたところが1ヶ月後ノルウェー警察はオランダ警察から連絡を受けました 2ヶ月前にオランダ警察は 1人の遺体を発見同じウェットスーツを着ていて身元不明だと言うのですただウェットスーツの出所は何とか突き止めましたスーツに縫い付けられた無線識別チップのおかげですそこで分かったのはスーツは2着とも1人の人物が同時購入したもので購入日は2014年10月7日購入場所は英仏海峡のフランス側カレー市でしたでも分かったのはこれが全て支払いは現金でした店に監視カメラの映像もなく未解決事件となりましたこの話を聞いて私と同僚カメラマンのトム・クリスチャンセンは一体この2人は誰だろう? という疑問にかられました当時の私はカレーについてほとんど知りませんでしたがすぐさまわかったことはカレーは要するに次の2つの点で有名なのです第1に欧州大陸の中で英国に最も近い場所であり第2に多くの移民や難民がカレー・キャンプに滞在し必死に英国に渡ろうとしていることでしたここで2人の身元について説得力のある仮定が成り立ち警察でも同じように考えていましたもしヨーロッパにしっかりしたコネがある人がフランスの海岸で失踪すればすぐに身元がわかるはずです友人か家族が失踪届けを出し警察が捜索してマスコミの知るところとなりその人のポスターが街頭に張り出されるはずです跡形もなく姿を消すなんて困難ですでも仮にシリアの戦火から逃れた人が家族も ― 生き残っていればの話ですがその人の所在を知らずこの難民キャンプに不法滞在して日々行き交う数千の人々に紛れていたとしたら... そんな状況である日いなくなっても誰も気づかないでしょう誰も失踪に気づかなければ警察が捜索に来るわけがありませんそしてまさにそんな状況がシリア出身のシャーディ・オマール・カターフとムアーズ・アル・バーキに降りかかりました 2015年4月私とトムは初めてカレーに行きました調査すること3ヶ月やっとわかってきたのはこの2人の若者がシリアの戦火を逃れカレーで立ち往生した挙句ウェットスーツを買い英仏海峡を泳いで英国に渡ろうとして溺死するまでの経緯ですここでお話しさせていただくのはすべての人に名前がありすべての人に物語がありすべての人がかけがえのない誰かだという事実です一方これはヨーロッパの難民の現状に関する話でもありますこれが調査の開始地点カレーです現在ここに3,500〜5,000人が暮らしていますひどい環境ですヨーロッパ最悪の難民キャンプと呼ばれてきました食料は乏しく水も手に入りにくい十分な医療もありません疾病や感染症が広がっています彼ら全員ここで足止めされます英国に渡って亡命するためです方法はフェリーやユーロトンネルに向かうトラックの荷台に隠れるか夜にトンネル・ターミナルに忍び込み列車の中に隠れようとします大半の人が英国を目指すのは言葉が分かるので人生をやり直すのが楽だと考えるからです彼らの望みは働き勉強し生活を続けることです彼らの望みは働き勉強し生活を続けることです彼らの多くは高学歴の熟練労働者ですカレーで難民の方々と話すと法律家、政治家、技術者、グラフィックデザイナー農家、兵士だとわかりますあらゆる職業の方がいますでも難民や移民の話をしているとこういった人々の人となりは見失われがちです統計上の数字で話すことが多いですからさて世界には6千万人の難民がいます今年に入ってこれまでに約50万人が地中海を横断してヨーロッパにやって来ましたそのうち約4千人がカレーに滞在していますでもこれは数字に過ぎません彼らが誰でどこから来てなぜそこにいるのかを数字は教えてくれませんまず1人取り上げましょうこちらはシリア出身の22歳ムアーズ・アル・バーキです彼について知ったのは初めてカレーへ行った後でした 2人の遺体に関する仮説への答えを求めて行った時ですしばらくしてこんな話を聞きました英国ブラッドフォード在住のシリア人男性がもう何ヶ月も必死でムアーズという名の甥を探していたというのです明らかになったムアーズの最後の消息は 2014年10月7日ウェットスーツの購入日と同じでしたそこで私たちは英国へと飛び叔父さんという人に会い彼のDNAサンプルを取りその後ヨルダン在住のムアーズの近親者からもサンプルを採取しました分析の結果オランダの浜辺でウェットスーツ姿で発見された遺体がムアーズ・アル・バーキだと確認されましたこの調査を進めていくうちに私たちはムアーズの身の上を知るようになりました彼は1991年シリアの首都ダマスカスに生まれ中流家庭に育ちました写真中央の父親は化学技術者ですがシリアで野党だったために獄中で11年を過ごしました父親の投獄中ムアーズは責任を持って 3人の妹の面倒を見ました妹たちはムアーズをそういう人だと語りましたムアーズは電気技師になるためダマスカス大学で学んでいましたシリア戦争突入後2年一家はダマスカスを逃れて隣国ヨルダンに移りました父親のヨルダンでの職探しは難航し勉強を続けられなくなったムアーズの結論は「わかった家族を支えるために自分にできる最善のことはどこかに移って勉強を終えて仕事を見つけることだ」そこでムアーズはトルコへ行きますがトルコの大学では入学許可が下りませんさらにヨルダンから難民として出国したため再入国も許可されませんでしたそこで彼は叔父さんの住む英国に渡る決心をしますそこで彼は叔父さんの住む英国に渡る決心をしますなんとかアルジェリアへ行き徒歩でリビア入りを果たします密入出国請負業者に金を払ってボートでイタリアへと渡りそこから英仏海峡に面したカレーの隣町ダンケルクを目指します彼はトラックの荷台に隠れて英仏海峡を渡ろうとしましたが少なくとも12回失敗していますでもある時点で彼は希望を失ったに違いありません生きていたことが確認できた最後の夜彼はダンケルクにある駅付近の安宿に泊まりました宿泊者名簿に名前がありました一人で泊まったようですその翌日彼はカレーに行きスポーツ用品店に入店夜の8時より数分前でシャーディ・カターフが一緒でした 2人ともウェットスーツを購入し店内にいた女性が知り得る限り生きている彼らを見た最後の人になりました私たちはどこで2人が出会ったかを突き止めようとしましたができませんでしたでも2人とも同じような身の上でした私たちが初めてシャーディの話を聞いたのはドイツに住む彼の従兄弟がムアーズに関する記事のアラビア語訳を Facebookで読んだ後でした私たちはこの従兄弟に連絡しましたシャーディはムアーズより2歳年上で彼もダマスカス育ちでしたどちらかというと労働者階級でタイヤ修理店を経営後印刷会社に勤務大家族で生活していましたがシリア戦争初期に爆撃で家を失いましたダマスカスのヤルムーク難民キャンプという地区に一家は逃れましたヤルムークは地上最悪の居住地と言われますヤルムークは地上最悪の居住地と言われます軍の爆撃を受け包囲され ISISによる猛攻撃を受け何年もの間物資の供給が断たれています去年国連職員が訪れ「皆が雑草を食べたので草一本残っていない」と言いました 15万人だった人口のうち今もヤルムークに残っているのはわずか1万8千人と推測されていますシャーディと妹たちは脱出しましたが両親は今も足止めされていますその後シャーディと妹の1人はリビアに逃れましたそれはカダフィ政権の崩壊後ですがリビアが本格的な内戦に突入する前でしたそしてリビアがある程度治安を維持していた最後の時期にシャーディはスキューバ・ダイビングを始めほとんどの時間を水中で過ごしていたようです彼は完全に大海原に魅せられましただから 2014年8月下旬もうリビアにはいられないと覚悟を決めた時イタリアに行けばダイバーの職に就けると期待したのですでも現実はそう甘くありませんでしたシャーディの旅路はよく分かっていません家族との連絡が困難な時期だったからです彼が苦労したことは分かっています 9月の終わりには彼はフランスのどこかで路上生活をしていました 10月7日彼はベルギーの従兄弟に電話をかけて状況を説明しています「今カレーにいるんだけど僕のリュックとPCを持ってきて欲しい渡英するにも密入国請負業者に払う金がないからウェット・スーツを買って泳いで渡るつもりだよ」と従兄弟は当然やめさせようとしましたがシャーディの携帯は電池切れとなり再びスイッチが入ることはありませんでしたシャーディの遺体が発見されたのはほぼ3ヶ月後 800km離れたノルウェーの海岸ウェットスーツ姿でした彼はノルウェーで葬儀の日を待っていますが家族は誰も出席できないでしょうシャーディとムアーズの話は死についての物語だと考える人も多いでしょうでも私はそうは思いませんこれは私たち皆に当てはまる「2つの問い」の物語だと思うのですつまり「より良い生活とは何か」― そして「それを実現するために何をするか」です私にとってそして多分多くの方々にとってより良い生活が意味するのは意義があると思うことをより多く実現できることですそれは家族や友達ともっと一緒に過ごすことかもしれないし異国を旅することや稼いだ金で小洒落た新しいデバイスやスニーカーを買うことかもしれませんそしてどれも私たちの手の届くところにありますでも戦場から逃れようとする人には 2つの問いに対する答えは全く違ったものになりますより良い生活とは安全な暮らしであり尊厳のある生活ですより良い生活とは家が爆撃されず誘拐される恐れがないことですより良い生活とは子供を学校にやれること大学に行けることあるいはただ就職して自分や愛する家族を養えることですより良い生活とは少しでも未来への可能性があることですだって戦場で可能性はほぼ皆無なのですからそれが大きなモチベーションなのです私にも容易に想像できます何週間も何ヶ月もの間下級市民と蔑まれ路上だとか「ジャングル」という馬鹿げた差別丸出しの名で呼ばれる劣悪な仮設キャンプで暮らせばほぼ誰でも何だってやってやるという気持ちになるでしょうもしもシャーディとムーアズが凍るような英仏海峡の水に足を踏み入れる瞬間質問できたとしたら彼らはこう言ったでしょう「リスクを冒す価値はあるよ」彼らにはもう他の選択肢など頭になかったからです命知らずな行為ですがこれが西暦2015年の西欧で難民として生きるということなのですありがとうございました (拍手) ブルーノ・ジュッサーニ: ありがとうアンダースこちらがトム・クリスチャンセンですご覧になった写真のほとんどはトムが撮影し 2人で記事を書きましたトム 2人で最近カレーに行きましたね 3度目のカレー行きでしたがそれは記事の発表後のことでしたね何か変化は? どうなっていましたか? トム・クリスチャンセン: 初めてカレーに行ったとき難民は約1,500人でした皆苦労していましたが前向きで希望を持っていましたでも前回にはキャンプが広がり難民は4〜5千人になっていたでしょうかそして滞在が長期化し複数のNGOが来て小さな学校が開校していましたただ問題なのは難民の滞在期間がさらに長期化しフランス政府が国境封鎖を強化したことで「ジャングル」が巨大化し難民たちの間に絶望と諦めが広がっていることですブルーノ:キャンプを再訪する予定は? 報道を続けますか? トム:もちろんですブルーノ:アンダース私は元ジャーナリストです私が驚いたのは出版業会が予算を削減し危機的状況にある中でダグブラデット紙がこの記事への資金提供をしていることですこれは新聞社としての責任感の表れだと思いますがどうやって編集者に記事を売り込んのですか? アンダース・フィエルベルク:最初は苦労しました私たちにも何が発見できるかわからなかったのですからでも1人目の身元が判明する可能性が出てきてからはやりたいだけやればいいという気になりました必要とあらばどこにでも赴き必要なことは何でもするやり遂げるしかないんですブルーノ:それが編集者としての責任ですねところでこの記事はすでにヨーロッパの数カ国語に翻訳、出版され今後も翻訳され続けるでしょうぜひ最新情報を読みたいと思いますありがとうアンダースありがとうトム	It's right at the southernmost tip of Norway. And on January 2 this year, an elderly guy who lives in the village, he went out to see what was cast ashore during a recent storm. And on a patch of grass right next to the water's edge, he found a wetsuit. It was grey and black, and he thought it looked cheap. Out of each leg of the wetsuit there were sticking two white bones. It was clearly the remains of a human being. And usually, in Norway, dead people are identified quickly. So the police started searching through missing reports from the local area, national missing reports, and looked for accidents with a possible connection. They found nothing. So they ran a DNA profile, and they started searching internationally through Interpol. Nothing. This was a person that nobody seemed to be missing. It was an invisible life heading for a nameless grave. But then, after a month, the police in Norway got a message from the police in the Netherlands. A couple of months earlier, they had found a body, in an identical wetsuit, and they had no idea who this person was. But the police in the Netherlands managed to trace the wetsuit by an RFID chip that was sewn in the suit. So they were then able to tell that both wetsuits were bought by the same customer at the same time, October 7, 2014, in the French city of Calais by the English Channel. But this was all they were able to figure out. The customer paid cash. There was no surveillance footage from the shop. So it became a cold case. We heard this story, and it triggered me and my colleague, photographer Tomm Christiansen, and we of course had the obvious question: who were these people? At the time, I'd barely heard about Calais, but it took about two or three seconds to figure out Calais is basically known for two things. It's the spot in continental Europe closest to Britain, and a lot of migrants and refugees are staying in this camp and are trying desperately to cross over to Britain. And right there was a plausible theory about the identity of the two people, and the police made this theory as well. Because if you or I or anybody else with a firm connection to Europe goes missing off the coast of France, people would just know. Your friends or family would report you missing, the police would come search for you, the media would know, and there would be pictures of you on lampposts. It's difficult to disappear without a trace. But if you just fled the war in Syria, and your family, if you have any family left, don't necessarily know where you are, and you're staying here illegally amongst thousands of others who come and go every day. Well, if you disappear one day, nobody will notice. The police won't come search for you because nobody knows you're gone. And this is what happened to Shadi Omar Kataf and Mouaz Al Balkhi from Syria. Me and Tomm went to Calais for the first time in April this year, and after three months of investigation, we were able to tell the story about how these two young men fled the war in Syria, ended up stuck in Calais, bought wetsuits and drowned in what seems to have been an attempt to swim across the English Channel in order to reach England. It is a story about the fact that everybody has a name, everybody has a story, everybody is someone. But it is also a story about what it's like to be a refugee in Europe today. So this is where we started our search. This is in Calais. Right now, between 3,500 and 5,000 people are living here under horrible conditions. It has been dubbed the worst refugee camp in Europe. Limited access to food, limited access to water, limited access to health care. Disease and infections are widespread. And they're all stuck here because they're trying to get to England in order to claim asylum. And they do that by hiding in the back of trucks headed for the ferry, or the Eurotunnel, or they sneak inside the tunnel terminal at night to try to hide on the trains. Most want to go to Britain because they know the language, and so they figure it would be easier to restart their lives from there. They want to work, they want to study, they want to be able to continue their lives. A lot of these people are highly educated and skilled workers. If you go to Calais and talk to refugees, you'll meet lawyers, politicians, engineers, graphic designers, farmers, soldiers. You've got the whole spectrum. But who all of these people are usually gets lost in the way we talk about refugees and migrants, because we usually do that in statistics. So you have 60 million refugees globally. About half a million have made the crossing over the Mediterranean into Europe so far this year, and roughly 4,000 are staying in Calais. and the numbers don't say anything about who these people are, where they came from, or why they're here. And first, I want to tell you about one of them. This is 22-year-old Mouaz Al Balkhi from Syria. We first heard about him after being in Calais the first time looking for answers to the theory of the two dead bodies. And after a while, we heard this story about a Syrian man who was living in Bradford in England, and had been desperately searching for his nephew Mouaz for months. And it turned out the last time anybody had heard anything from Mouaz was October 7, 2014. That was the same date the wetsuits were bought. So we flew over there and we met the uncle and we did DNA samples of him, and later on got additional DNA samples from Mouaz's closest relative who now lives in Jordan. The analysis concluded the body who was found in a wetsuit on a beach in the Netherlands was actually Mouaz Al Balkhi. And while we were doing all this investigation, we got to know Mouaz's story. He was born in the Syrian capital of Damascus in 1991. He was raised in a middle class family, and his father in the middle there is a chemical engineer who spent 11 years in prison for belonging to the political opposition in Syria. While his father was in prison, Mouaz took responsibility and he cared for his three sisters. They said he was that kind of guy. Mouaz studied to become an electrical engineer at the University of Damascus. So a couple of years into the Syrian war, the family fled Damascus and went to the neighboring country, Jordan. Their father had problems finding work in Jordan, and Mouaz could not continue his studies, so he figured, "OK, the best thing I can do to help my family would be to go somewhere where I can finish my studies and find work." So he goes to Turkey. In Turkey, he's not accepted at a university, and once he had left Jordan as a refugee, he was not allowed to reenter. So then he decides to head for the UK, where his uncle lives. He makes it into Algeria, walks into Libya, pays a people smuggler to help him with the crossing into Italy by boat, and from there on he heads to Dunkirk, the city right next to Calais by the English Channel. We know he made at least 12 failed attempts to cross the English Channel by hiding in a truck. But at some point, he must have given up all hope. The last night we know he was alive, he spent at a cheap hotel close to the train station in Dunkirk. We found his name in the records, and he seems to have stayed there alone. The day after, he went into Calais, entered a sports shop a couple of minutes before 8 o'clock in the evening, along with Shadi Kataf. They both bought wetsuits, and the woman in the shop was the last person we know of to have seen them alive. We have tried to figure out where Shadi met Mouaz, but we weren't able to do that. But they do have a similar story. We first heard about Shadi after a cousin of his, living in Germany, had read an Arabic translation of the story made of Mouaz on Facebook. So we got in touch with him. Shadi, a couple of years older than Mouaz, was also raised in Damascus. He was a working kind of guy. He ran a tire repair shop and later worked in a printing company. He lived with his extended family, but their house got bombed early in the war. So the family fled to an area of Damascus known as Camp Yarmouk. Yarmouk is being described as the worst place to live on planet Earth. They've been bombed by the military, they've been besieged, they've been stormed by ISIS and they've been cut off from supplies for years. There was a UN official who visited last year, and he said, "They ate all the grass so there was no grass left." Out of a population of 150,000, only 18,000 are believed to still be left in Yarmouk. Shadi and his sisters got out. The parents are still stuck inside. So Shadi and one of his sisters, they fled to Libya. This was after the fall of Gaddafi, but before Libya turned into full-blown civil war. And in this last remaining sort of stability in Libya, Shadi took up scuba diving, and he seemed to spend most of his time underwater. He fell completely in love with the ocean, so when he finally decided that he could no longer be in Libya, late August 2014, he hoped to find work as a diver when he reached Italy. Reality was not that easy. We don't know much about his travels because he had a hard time communicating with his family, but we do know that he struggled. And by the end of September, he was living on the streets somewhere in France. On October 7, he calls his cousin in Belgium, and explains his situation. He said, "I'm in Calais. I need you to come get my backpack and my laptop. I can't afford to pay the people smugglers to help me with the crossing to Britain, but I will go buy a wetsuit and I will swim." His cousin, of course, tried to warn him not to, but Shadi's battery on the phone went flat, and his phone was never switched on again. What was left of Shadi was found nearly three months later, 800 kilometers away in a wetsuit on a beach in Norway. He's still waiting for his funeral in Norway, and none of his family will be able to attend. Many may think that the story about Shadi and Mouaz is a story about death, but I don't agree. To me, this is a story about two questions that I think we all share: what is a better life, and what am I willing to do to achieve it? And to me, and probably a lot of you, a better life would mean being able to do more of what we think of as meaningful, whether that be spending more time with your family and friends, travel to an exotic place, or just getting money to buy that cool new device or a pair of new sneakers. And this is all within our reach pretty easily. But if you are fleeing a war zone, the answers to those two questions are dramatically different. A better life is a life in safety. It's a life in dignity. A better life means not having your house bombed, not fearing being kidnapped. It means being able to send your children to school, go to university, or just find work to be able to provide for yourself and the ones you love. A better life would be a future of some possibilities compared to nearly none, and that's a strong motivation. And I have no trouble imagining that after spending weeks or even months as a second-grade citizen, living on the streets or in a horrible makeshift camp with a stupid, racist name like "The Jungle," most of us would be willing to do just about anything. If I could ask Shadi and Mouaz the second they stepped into the freezing waters of the English Channel, they would probably say, "This is worth the risk," because they could no longer see any other option. And that's desperation, but that's the reality of living as a refugee in Western Europe in 2015. Thank you. Bruno Giussani: Thank you, Anders. This is Tomm Christiansen, who took most of the pictures you have seen and they've done reporting together. Tomm, you two have been back to Calais recently. This was the third trip. It was after the publication of the article. What has changed? What have you seen there? Tomm Christiansen: The first time we were in Calais, it was about 1,500 refugees there. They had a difficult time, but they were positive, they had hope. The last time, the camp has grown, maybe four or five thousand people. It seemed more permanent, NGOs have arrived, a small school has opened. But the thing is that the refugees have stayed for a longer time, and the French government has managed to seal off the borders better, so now The Jungle is growing, along with the despair and hopelessness among the refugees. BG: Are you planning to go back? And continue the reporting? TC: Yes. BG: Anders, I'm a former journalist, and to me, it's amazing that in the current climate of slashing budgets and publishers in crisis, Dagbladet has consented so many resources for this story, which tells a lot about newspapers taking the responsibility, but how did you sell it to your editors? Anders Fjellberg: It wasn't easy at first, because we weren't able to know what we actually could figure out. As soon as it became clear that we actually could be able to identify who the first one was, we basically got the message that we could do whatever we wanted, just travel wherever you need to go, do whatever you need to do, just get this done. BG: That's an editor taking responsibility. The story, by the way, has been translated and published across several European countries, and certainly will continue to do. And we want to read the updates from you. Thank you Anders. Thank you Tomm.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
パレスチナ選挙でのハマスの勝利は、世界をくぎ付けにした。しかし、今度は世界の石油資源の10％を持つペルシャ湾の首長国クウェートにおいて、それぞれに異なる大衆と議会の主張が、等しく重要であるということが証明されるだろう。クウェートにおけるあらゆる兆候が、民主化の波が確かなものであることを示しており、これに伴う様々な変化が及ぼす影響はクウェート国内にとどまらず、同じく王族や首長によって支配される他の湾岸石油大国すべてに広がっている。	But a different assertion of democratic and parliamentary power, this time in the Gulf sheikdom of Kuwait, which possesses 10% of world oil reserves, may prove to be equally important. Every sign indicates that the wave of democratization in Kuwait is irreversible, and the impact of these changes extends beyond Kuwait to all the other oil-rich Gulf countries, which are also ruled by emirs and sheikhs.	{ "source": "news_commentary", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
既に数日前から、コレットちゃんは自分でお手洗いに行けるようになっている。まぁ、特別室だから室内にあるんだけどね、お手洗い。元々完全看護だから、コレットちゃんの心のケアと退屈させないこと以外には、私達がずっと張り付いている必要はなかったんだけど......。なので、コレットちゃんからの申し出により、私は面会時間には少し顔を出すけれど、長時間付きっきりではなく、他の仕事を進めることにした。 ......サビーネちゃん? ここで使いやがったよ、あの『録音内容確認のための、徹夜のバイト』の報酬を......。そう、『自分が指定する時間に、病院と日本邸の間を移動させてもらう権』として......。ここへ転移する時にはトイレの中へ、と指定しやがった。確かに、お医者さんや看護師さんとかが来ていても、この部屋のトイレは使わないだろう。コレットちゃんが使用中でも大丈夫なように、ドアぎりぎりの場所にふたり揃って転移、とか......。となった。しかも、部屋代が馬鹿高い、特別室だ。なので、広いトイレが付いているし、防音も遮光も完璧。そして、なぜか私とサビーネちゃんが面会時間以外に出没しても、看護師からの指導は入らない。 ......絶対、上から何か指示が出てる。『容態に影響がないことには、なるべく自由にさせるように』とか何とか......。そもそも、個室料金も、払っているのは普通の個室の料金なのに、特別室だよ......。何かの指示が出てるに決まって......、あ! 私達、『お忍びで旅行中の、他国の貴族の娘』って触れ込みじゃん! 』が駆け付けて、警官を追い返して自分達で仕切ったり、その後も何回か私と話しに来た。これで、特別扱いされないはずがないよ! おまけに、私達がこの国で犯罪の被害に遭ったと思っているからね、病院側の人達は。う~ん、部屋の差額分、病院のご厚意なのか、国から出てるのか......。私の懐から出るのじゃ ......。そして、サビーネちゃんの要求が『病院と王宮の間を移動』じゃなくて、『病院と日本邸の間を移動』なのは、アレだ。『親友の危機に駆け付けないで、何が王族か!!』って王様達を言いくるめて、『ずっとコレットちゃんに付き添っている』と言い張って王宮には戻ってないんだよね、ここんとこ、ずっと......。そしてその実態は、病院か日本邸に滞在して、王女教育のない休暇を満喫してやがるのだ。そういうわけで、しばらくほったらかしになってたところの様子見。そしてやって来ました、ギャラリーカフェ『Gold coin』。「何か変わったことはある?」閉店時刻の15分後くらいに顔を出したから、お客さんはもうひとりもいない。だから、ドアを開けると同時にそう言ったところ......。「あ、オーナー! 実は、ちょっと困ったことが......」ルディナが、そんなことを言ってきた。店の片付けと明日のための仕込みが終わった後、客席のテーブルで紅茶を飲みながらふたりの話を聞くと、何と驚きの報告が! 「プ、プロポーズされたぁ? ルディナが?」そう、18歳のシルアではなく、13歳のルディナが、である。横でシルアが、ぐぬぬ、と悔しそうな顔をしている。 ......大分、表情が出るようになってきたなぁ......。いや、4歳も年下のルディナに負けて、それだけ悔しかったのかな? このあたりは、先進国に較べ、結婚年齢が低い。現代地球でも、12~15歳くらいで結婚できる国はある。日本でも、平安時代とかには13歳前後で結婚することも珍しくはなかったらしいし......。でも、この国の女性の結婚可能年齢は、さすがにもう少し上だったはず......。「あ、勿論、すぐに結婚できるわけじゃないですから、婚約、ということですけど......」あ、それなら納得だ。婚約なら、どこの国でも、生まれてすぐにということもある。しかし、貴族だとか金持ちの家だとかならばともかく、孤児がそんなに早く婚約する必要があるかな? 結婚できるようになった時点で結婚すればいいだけであって、あちこちへの根回しだとか家同士の繋がりだとかで、事前契約のようなことが必要な立場じゃないだろうに......。どうしても逃がしたくない、って執着してるのかな......。「孤児院の頃のお友達?」「いえ、それが、全く知らない人で......」「えええええ? ......詳しく!!」そしてルディナが言うには、最近店に来始めた24~25歳くらいの男が、唐突に婚約を申し入れてきたらしいのだ。それまでは、シルアの胸ばかり見ていたらしいのに......。シルアは店でウエイトレスなので、客の眼に付く。無表情ではあるものの、整った顔立ちでスタイルもいい。年齢的にも、交際を申し込まれて何の不思議もない。 ......というか、申し込まれない方が不思議なくらいだ。ルディナも、決して可愛くないわけではない。しかしそれは、まだ13歳という『子供らしい可愛さ』だ。の人達から見れば、普通に13歳の子供に見えるだろうから。......私と同じく。「ロリコンかっっ!!」思わずそう叫んでしまったが、そうなると、私に交際を求めてくる者もロリコンだということになってしまう。思わず頭を抱えて、絶望の叫びを上げてしまった......。 ......大丈夫、日本なら15~16歳くらいに見られるし、向こうの世界なら12~13歳で婚約するのも全然おかしくない! 私、貴族だし......。婚約してから2~3年経てば、外見には関係なく15~16歳だと認識される! 『渡り』で生命力を削られて成長が遅れていると思われているし!! はぁはぁはぁ......。 ......え? あれ? 私、向こうで結婚することを前提として考えてる? で結婚することは諦めていると? ......いや。いやいやいやいやいや!! そう、今はルディナのことである。その男は、本当にルディナのことが好きなのか。愛しているのか。......そして誠実なのか。「私はいつもカウンターの中か奥の調理場で調理をしていますから、お客さんとはあまり顔を合わせないし、お話しすることも殆どないんですけどねぇ......。まだ、シルアの方が、同じくお話しはしないものの、近くで顔を合わせるのに......」その条件でもシルアではなくルディナが選ばれたということであり、自分の言葉が暗にシルアをディスっているということに気付いていないらしきルディナ。勿論、それに気付いているシルアは不機嫌そうである。「それで、勿論お申し込みはお断りしたのですが、それ以後、急に馴れ馴れしい態度を取られるようになりまして、勝手にカウンターや奥の調理場に入り込もうとされたり、色々と......」衛生管理的に、部外者を厨房に入れる飲食店なんかあるものか。そういう、常連面をした勘違い野郎は、店の者からはそりゃまぁ、客商売だからあまり露骨には文句を言わないけれど、絶対に許容できない行為だ。そんな者は、常連扱いどころか、いつ出入禁止を言い渡されるかも分からない、嫌われ者だ。「そして、『お店の経営を手伝ってあげる』とか、『もっと価格を上げて利益を出さないと』とか、お店のことに口出しをされて......」え? いくらルディナと付き合いたいといっても、それは少し出しゃばり過ぎだ。ルディナは、いくら店長とはいえ、ただの雇われ店長に過ぎないから、勝手に経営方針を変えたり、アドバイザーを雇ったりする権限はない。実際には、うちはかなりルディナの自由にさせているけど、それはたまたま部外者には関係のない話に過ぎない。なのに、なぜそんなことを......。私は、日本では15歳前後に見られるけれど、欧米系の人種からは12~13歳くらいに見られる。異世界でも、そして地球の多くの国々でも。異世界では、『魔物の肉』という安価で充分な供給量がある動物性タンパク質の食べ物があるため、栄養不足で身長が低かった昔の地球人とは違い、現代の地球人並みの身長と体格なのである。 ......いや、まぁ、ここは地球なんだけどね。そして、私はこの店の設立のためにあちこちに顔を出したし、従業員を雇うための面接もした。は、12~13歳の少女である』という情報が流れているわけだ。そして、顔写真とかは出回っていない。シルア。18歳で、ウェイトレス。ルディナ。13歳で、店長兼経理担当兼料理人。普通に考えれば、13歳の店長兼経理担当兼料理人、というのはあり得ない。しかし、料理好きな金持ちのお嬢様が趣味で開いた店ならば、それもあり得る。しかも、趣味の店であれば、あまり利益が出ないであろうと思われる低価格設定の理由も理解できる。......普通の店にとっては、大迷惑であるが。そして、オーナーは12~13歳の少女であるという情報。ルディナは店に住んでいる。武術の心得があるらしき年上の女性が、地元の犯罪組織が手出ししないということは、で、金持ちの娘だと思われていて、完全に財産狙いじゃん! アウト! アウトオオオオォ~~!!」	After a few days, Colette-chan was able to go to the bathroom by herself. Well, it’s a private room, so there’s a restroom inside the room. Originally, it was full of nurses, so there was no need for us to stick around all the time, except to take care of Colette-chan emotionally and keep her occupied...... So, at Colette-chan’s request, I decided to show up briefly during visiting hours, but instead of staying with her for long periods of time, I decided to pursue other tasks. ......Sabine-chan? She used it here. The reward for that [all-night job to check the recordings]....... Yes, as [the right to move between the hospital and my Japanese residence at the time they specify]... She specified that whenever I transfer here, would be the time she had to go into the bathroom of my house. Certainly, if a doctor or a nurse or someone else were here, she would use the bathroom in this room. The two of us were transitioning together just in front of the door so that Colette-chan can be safe while she was using it...... And the room rate was ridiculously high, it’s a special room! So it comes with a spacious bathroom and it’s perfectly soundproofed and light-shielded. And for some reason, whenever Sabine and I show up outside of visiting hours, we don’t get any guidance from the nurses. ......There was definitely some kind of instructions from the top. [Let them be as free as possible without affecting their condition] or something like that...... To begin with, it’s a special room, even though what we’re paying for was the price of a regular private room...... There must be some special instructions...... We’re supposed to be “daughters of a noble family from another country on a secret trip”! And on the first day, [people from a certain agency......] rushed in, turned away the cops, and took charge themselves, then came to talk to me several times after that. Of course, there’s no way they wouldn’t give us special treatment! In addition, the people on the hospital side thought we were victims of crimes in this country. , I wonder if the difference in room was courtesy of the hospital or from the government... Well, I guess it doesn’t matter either way. As long as it’s not coming out of my pocket...... unless....... Also, Sabine-chan’s request was not to “move between the hospital and the royal palace” but to “move between the hospital and my Japanese residence”, that’s the thing. “What’s royalty if you don’t come to your best friend’s rescue?!!”, and the king was like “She hasn’t returned to the royal palace, insisting that she’s been with Colette-chan all the time”. He kept asking me when would she return to the castle. And the reality was that she was either staying at the hospital or at my Japanese residence, enjoying her vacation and avoiding her princess’ education. That’s why I’m going to take a look at what’s going on that I’ve been neglecting for a while now. So here I am at the gallery cafe [Gold coin]. “Anything unusual?” (Mitsuha) I showed up about minutes after closing time, so there were no more customers. I just said so as soon as I opened the door...... “Ah, Owner! Actually, I had a bit of trouble...” (Rudina) Rudina then told me what happened. After cleaning up and preparing for tomorrow, I sat down with them over a cup of tea at one of the tables in the seating area, and to my surprise, they had a surprise to share! “Pro, someone proposed to you? Rudina?” (Mitsuha) Yes, not to the -year-old Silua, but to the -year-old Rudina. Beside her, Silua looks frustrated. ......She’s starting to make a lot of expressions...... No. Was it that frustrating to lose to Rudina, who was four years younger than her? Marriageable age was lower in this place than in developed countries. Even on modern earth, there were countries where people could get married at about -15 years of age. Even in Japan, it was not uncommon for people to get married at around the age of 13 during the Heian period or so...... But the marriageable age for women in this country was indeed a bit higher...... “Oh, of course, we can’t get married right away, so it’s an engagement...” (Rudina) Ah, that makes sense. Engagement can be done immediately in any country. But putting nobles or powerful houses aside, do orphans need to get engaged so quickly? They can just get married whenever they’re ready to get married. They’re not in a position where they need to have some kind of pre-contract, whether setting their roots or making connections between the families...... I guess they’re just so obsessed with not wanting to let go...... “A friend from the orphanage?” (Mitsuha) “No, it was a complete stranger......” (Rudina) ? ...Details!!” (Mitsuha) And Rudina said that a man aged 24 to 25, who recently started coming to the store, suddenly offered an engagement. Until then, it seems that he was only looking at Silua’s breast... Silua was the only waitress in the restaurant, so she caught the eye of the customers. Although she has no facial expression, she has a well-defined face and a good figure. It’s no wonder that she has been asked to be in a relationship with a man of her age. ...or rather, it would be strange if not. Rudina, too, was by no means not cute. But she has ‘childlike cuteness’ at only 13 years old. No, it’s a racial thing and she’s about the same height as me, but to the people here locally, she would look like a normal 13-year-old kid...... just like me. “Lolicon!” (Mitsuha) I exclaimed that without thinking, but then that would mean that anyone who confessed to me would also be a pedophile. Ā ā ā ā a~ I couldn’t help but hold my head up and scream in despair...... ......It’s okay, in Japan I would be seen as 15-16 years old, and in the other world, it’s not at all strange to be engaged at 12-13 years old! It’s not strange at all! I’m also a noble, and, and....... After a couple of years of engagement, I’ll be perceived to be 15-16 years old, regardless of my outward appearance! And they’ll think I’m slowing down my growth because of my ‘Transition’ and my life force has been cut off every time!!!! Ha~a ha~a ha~a....... ...... Are ? Am I assuming that I’m going to get married over there? Have I given up on getting married here on earth? ......No. No no no no no!!! Yes, right now it is about Rudina. Does that man really like Rudina? Does she like him? ...and is he sincere? “I always cook at the counter or in the kitchen at the back, so I don’t often meet and talk to customers, though... Silua hasn’t told him about it yet, but I’d like to meet him up close...” (Rudina) Even under those conditions, Rudina was chosen instead of Silua, and Rudina seems unaware that her words were implicitly disrespectful of Silua. Of course, Silua, who was aware of it, seems to be in a bad mood. “And of course, I declined his proposal, but after that, he suddenly became very familiar with me, and tried to enter the counter and the kitchen in the back without my permission, among other things......” (Rudina) From a sanitation standpoint, what kind of restaurant would allow an outsider into the kitchen? Such a person, who misunderstood that since he’s a regular, would be disliked by the staff as if he were a snake. Well, from a businessman’s standpoint, I won’t complain too explicitly because he’s a customer, but it’s an absolutely unacceptable act. Even so, such people were not only treated like regulars but were also hated bastards, who did not know that they could be banned from the restaurant. “And then he would meddle in the store’s operations, by saying things like, “I’ll help you run your store”, or “You need to raise your prices more to make a profit”......” (Rudina) Eh? No matter how much you want to get along with Rudina, that’s a little too much of a stretch. Rudina, however, was only a hired manager, so she does not have the authority to change management policies or hire advisors on her own. Actually, I pretty much let Rudina have her way, to some extent...... But it has nothing to do with outsiders. Still, why did he do that?... I am seen as about 15 years old in Japan, but about 12-13 years old by the Western races. In many countries of the earth and even in the otherworld. In the other world, because of the availability of “monster meat,” an inexpensive and ample supply of animal protein food, people became as tall and built as modern earthlings over time, unlike those of the past, who were short due to lack of nutrition. ...... No, well, this is the earth. And I have been all over the place in setting up this restaurant and interviewing people to hire employees. ......So the information would be spread as “the owner of this store is a 12-13” year old girl, To among those who were in the same line of work... And there were no photos of my face circulating. Silua is 18 years old and a waitress. Rudina is 13 years old and she’s the store manager, accountant, and cook. If you think about it, normally, a 13-year-old can’t be a store manager, accountant, and cook at the same time. But if the restaurant was opened as a hobby by a rich young lady who loves to cook, then maybe. Moreover, as a hobbyist, the reason for the low price-setting would be understandable, which would unlikely be profitable...... It’s a big nuisance for ordinary stores though. And the information is that the owner is a 12-13-year-old girl. Rudina lives in the store. An older woman, who appears to have a background in martial arts, is always on hand as her bodyguard poses as a waitress. Also, the fact that the local crime syndicate does not mess with us means that the family backing the guy was quite powerful. “......This is a complete property takeover because they thought Rudina is the owner of this place, and she was supposed to be the daughter of a rich man! That’s out! Ouuuuutttt~~!!!” (Mitsuha)	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 3, "inserted_lines_src": 20, "inserted_lines_trg": 9 }
ハジメとユエの祝詞のような言葉と共に部屋も意識も塗り潰した爆発的な光。それには、主にハジメの、そして同調し支えるようなユエの強い意志が込められているようだった。余りに大きな意志の奔流に、何も考えられず前後不覚に陥ったシア達だったが、それのことだったようだ。ぐらりとバランスを崩した体が地面に叩きつけられる前に、意識を埋め尽くした純白は霧が晴れるように消え去った。少しふらつきながらも、頭を振って体勢を戻した一同は、視界の先に美しい輝きを見た。全ての光を吸収したかのように紅と金の煌きを、余すことなく内包した半透明の鍵。複雑で精緻な紋様と正体の結晶が特徴的なアンティーク調のアーティファクト――〝クリスタルキー〟だ。「って、ハジメさん! ユエさん! 大丈夫ですかぁ!」シアが、ハッと我を取り戻し、慌てて駆けて行く。クリスタルキーの傍には、ハジメとユエが手を繋いだまま崩折れるように倒れていたのだ。香織達も、シアに一瞬遅れて駆け寄った。「香織さん、お二人は......」「......うん、大丈夫。気を失ってるだけみたい。原因は魔力枯渇だね」真剣な表情で診察していた香織は、不安そうな表情のシアに微笑みながら答えた。その診察結果にティオ達も安堵の吐息をつく。香織は、魔晶石から魔力を取り出すと、魔力譲渡の術を併用して二人に分け与えていった。すると、その診察結果が正しかったと証明するように、ハジメとユエは呻き声を漏らして身動ぎしつつ、薄らと目を開いた。「あぁ? ......どうなった?」「......んぅ。アーティファクトは......」頭を振りつつ起き上がるハジメとユエに、香織が状況説明をしつつ、クリスタルキーを手渡した。「二人は魔力枯渇で倒れたんだよ。一応、魔晶石一個分の魔力を均等に分けておいたから。アーティファクトの方は、私じゃよく分からないけど......」「そうか。ありがとな、香織。魔力枯渇で倒れるなんて久しぶりだ。加減がよく分からなかったから、取り敢えず全力でやったんだが......次からは調整できるかな」「......ん。大丈夫。何となくコツは掴んだ。概念に昇華できるほどの意志を発現できるかは問題だけど」ハジメの言葉に、ユエが思案しながら答えた。ハジメは、手元のクリスタルキーを魔眼石で確認する。今まで創ったアーティファクトとは比べ物にならない魔力が宿っていた。「......会心の出来だな。でかい力を感じる。導越の羅針盤と似たような感覚だ」ハジメは満足気な笑みを浮かべつつ、試しに〝導越の羅針盤〟でとある場所の座標を特定してから、クリスタルキーに魔力を注いで起動させ前方に突き出してみた。〝望んだ場所への扉を開く〟と言っても、ある程度、目的地との距離や繋げる場所のイメージができなければ空間を繋げられないのだ。突き出されたクリスタルキーは、作製者であるハジメのイメージ通り、空間転移用の鍵型アーティファクト〝ゲートキー〟と同じく、何もない空間にズブリと沈み込み波紋を広げた。但し、〝ゲートキー〟とは比べ物にならないほどの魔力を持っていかれる。しかも、あらかじめ座標が設定されている〝ゲートキー〟と異なり、クリスタルキー自体で空間座標を固定する必要があるので、少し時間が掛かるようだ。それにもまた、魔力をグングンと吸い取られていく。ハジメは栓が抜けたように流れ出ていく魔力に眉をしかめながらも、そのままクリスタルキーを捻った。すると、目の前の空間が揺らぎ、楕円形の穴が空き始めた。そこからは何故かビシッバシッという打撃音と「あぁん!」という艶かしい女の声音が聞こえる。やがて、完全に開ききったゲートの奥には...... 「この恥知らずのメス豚がぁっ。昇天させてやる!」「あぁ! カム様ぁ! 流石、シアのお父様ですわぁ! すんごいぃいい!!」恍惚の表情でムチ打たれる、しなだれた姿のアルテナと、そのムチ打ちをしているカムの姿があった。いきなり出現した先程とは違う意味で凄絶な光景に、ハジメとユエ、そしてティオ以外のメンバーの口があんぐりと開く。同時に、ゲート越しのハジメ達の気配を感じ取ったのか、カムが「おや?」という表情で振り返り、その視線の先でハジメ達の姿を捉え、思いっきり目を見開く。「ボ、ボスぅ!? な、なぜこんな場所に、ボスのゲートが!」「ぇ? って、シア! それにハジメ様達まで!」驚愕するカムとアルテナに、ハジメとユエは冷めた声音で言葉を掛けた。「......よぉ。何かお楽しみの最中に邪魔したな」「......ん。二人がそういう関係だったなんて。シア、気をしっかり」「ふふ、同志アルテナよ。よいご主人様を見つけたようじゃな」ティオが妙に嬉しそうなのはスルーして、ハジメとユエの物言いに、カムは「ご、ごごごご、誤解ですぅ!」と、娘そっくりの口調で必死に弁明するが...... 我に返り、ぷるぷると震えているウサギが一匹。身の内から湧き上がる激情が魔力となってうねり、噴き上がる。ゆらりと立ち上がったシアは、無言でドリュッケンを取り出した。そして、ハイライトの消えた瞳で、ゲート越しのカムとアルテナを睥睨すると、ジャキ! と音を立てて砲撃モードのドリュッケンの銃口を向けた。「ま、待て、シア! お前は猛烈に誤解をしている! 父は決してっ」「シア! カム殿は素晴らしい御人ですね! 流石、シアのお父様ですわ! ちょっとシアの私物を拝見しようとしただけの私に、あんなに激しく! しかも力加減が絶妙ですの!」カム必死の弁明を、アルテナがにこやかにぶっ潰す。「てめぇ、ちょっと黙ってろや!」という眼光を向けるカムに、ゾクゾクと身を震わせるアルテナ。どうやら、彼女も既に手遅れらしい。そして、どうやらアルテナが、残してきたシアの私物を勝手に漁っていたのを咎めていたという事情が推測できるものの、割とノリノリでムチを振るっていたように見える実の父と、一応? 友人である同い年の女の子のアブノーマルな現場を目撃してしまったシアは、「いっぺん死んでこいですっ、この変態共がっ!」問答無用に引き金を引いた。発射される炸裂スラッグ弾。ハジメは成仏を祈るような気持ちで瞑目しつつ、弾丸が通った直後にゲートを閉めた。完全にゲートが閉じる寸前、爆音と「ぎゃあああ!」とか「あぁあああん!!」とかいう悲鳴が聞こえた気がしたが、この場で気にする者はいなかった。「......ん。シア、元気出して」「大丈夫だよ、シア。あれは......そう、ちょっとした気の迷いだよ。きっと、さっきの一撃でお父さんも目を覚ましてるはずだよ」「......ぐすっ、ユエさん、香織さん、お気遣いありがとうございますぅ。でも、あれくらいじゃ家の父様は死んでないでしょうから、ハジメさんの世界に行く前に息の根を止めておきますぅ......うぅ、ミンチにしてやるですぅ」どうやら、魔力量に比例して文字通り〝望んだ場所への扉を開く〟ことの出来る、概念魔法付与型アーティファクト〝クリスタルキー〟の軽い気持ちでの試験運用は、娘に父親殺しを決意させる結果になったらしい。「あ~、なんつーか、シア? カムは俺が矯正してやるから、取り敢えず泣き止め」「うぅ、ハジメさぁ~ん!」苦笑い気味のハジメの胸に飛び込むシア。傍らで「南雲君とティオさんの関係も余り違わないんじゃ......」と呟く鈴の言葉は華麗にスルーされた。その後、シリアスが吹き飛んで何とも言えない表情をしていたメンバー達は気を取り直し、再びリビングルームに集まった。「さて、初めての試みで色々と手際の悪さは目立ったが......」ハジメは、全員が着席したのを確認して手元のクリスタルキーを皆が見えるようにかざし、ニヤリと笑いながらその言葉を、希望の言葉を響かせた。「帰る手段を、手に入れたぞ」その瞬間、まず鈴が飛び上がって喜びをあらわにした。それに釣られるように龍太郎がガッツポーズと共に歓喜の咆哮を上げ、雫と香織が満面の笑みで抱き合った。ずっと暗い表情だった光輝も、薄らと微笑む。「と言っても、召喚防止用の概念を作るのは、帰還用の概念を作るのより骨が折れそうだからな。主に意志の面で。試行錯誤が必要そうだから、今しばらくは帰れないが」「それは仕方ないよ。それでも帰れるっていうだけで......本当に......すごいよ。ぐすっ、ハジメくん、ありがとう......」香織が涙ぐみながら、ハジメの傍によりその手をギュッと握る。その〝ありがとう〟には色んな意味が含まれていた。あの映像を見た後だからというのもあるだろう。生きていてくれたこと、何一つ諦めなかったこと、自分の危機に駆けつけてくれたこと、大切な存在だと幾度も自分のために怒ってくれたこと、そして今、故郷に帰る手段を手に入れてくれたこと......本当に様々な意味が含まれていた。ハジメは、握られていない方の手で頬をポリポリと掻きながら仕方ないというように肩を竦めると、そっと香織を抱き寄せた。一瞬、目を見開いて驚きをあらわにした香織だったが、直ぐに満面の笑みになると、ギュウウウと抱き締め返し、その胸元に顔をグリグリと擦りつけた。ユエも「まぁ、今回は許してやるか」と肩を竦めて甘える香織に微笑む。一方で、雫は、そんな香織を少し羨ましそうに見つめていたが、一瞬、光輝に視線を向けると頭を振って、微笑ましそうな眼差しとなった。本音を言えば、自分もハジメに甘えたかったのだが、光輝の精神を不安定にする可能性を考えて遠慮したのだ。もっとも、空気は読んでも自分に素直になると決心したばかりなので、後でこっそりハジメに甘えようと画策していたりする。羞恥心を乗り越えてちゃんと甘えられるかは分からないが......せめて手くらいは繋いでみせる! と小さな目標を掲げる。既にほっぺチュウをしたくせに、普段はとことん初々しい雫だった。そんな雫の可愛らしい野望を宿した眼差しから、何となくその心情を察しつつもスルーして、香織の髪を優しく撫でながら、ハジメはこれからのことを口にする。「取り敢えず、俺達は召喚防止用アーティファクトの作製に取り組みながら、ミュウ達を迎えに行こうと思う。ゲートを開いてもいいんだが、クリスタルキーは使用魔力量に比例して空間を繋げるもので、地球までだと俺の全魔力かくらいが必要だから、極力使いたくないしな」ちなみに、クリスタルキーの持ち手側に付いている正十二面体の結晶は、地球へのゲートを開くのに必要な一回分の魔力を溜め込むことが出来る機能が付いている。流石、概念魔法というべきか、その燃費は頗る付きで悪い。先程、実験的に開いた樹海へのゲートだけでも、香織に回復してもらった魔力のうち相当な量を持っていかれたのだ。同じ世界の中で移動するなら、行き先にあらかじめ〝ゲートホール〟を設置しておく必要があるとは言え、〝ゲートキー〟の方が遥かに使い勝手がいい。ちなみに、〝ゲートキー〟は王都滞在中に開発できたものなので、ミュウ達のいる海上の町【エリセン】にはない。迎えに行くなら飛空艇〝フェルニル〟が有用だ。「なら、その間に、鈴達は魔人領に行ってくるよ。......せっかく手に入れた神代魔法だし、出来れば強力な魔物を従えて行きたいところだけど......」よく休んだおかげで気力も魔力もほぼ完全に回復している。今なら、神代魔法の発動に挑戦も出来るだろう。だが、生憎と【氷雪洞窟】内の魔物はフロスト系しかいない。炎系魔法が効果を発揮しにくい迷宮内ならともかく、外の世界では弱点を突かれやすく、また強みである周囲の氷を利用した再生能力も期待できない。はっきり言って、外の世界へ従えていくには不向きな魔物だった。フリードの魔物の中にフロスト系がいなかったのもそういう理由だろう。ハジメは、それを聞いて少し思案顔になると、おもむろに取り出した〝ゲートキー〟を鈴に投げ渡した。わたわたと手を動かして何とか受け取った鈴が首を傾げる。「俺とユエは、魔力が完全回復するまでもう少し休む。そのゲートキーはフェアベルゲンに設置したゲートホールと繋がっているから、樹海の魔物でも従えてみたらどうだ? あそこは気配操作の上手い魔物が多いからな。従えて強化してやれば、中々、有用だと思うぞ?」「なるほど......うん、やってみるよ。ありがとう、南雲君!」嬉しそうに笑う鈴に、手をひらひらとさせるハジメ。結果、鈴達はハジメ達が休んでいる間に、樹海へと魔物の捕獲に出かけることになった。光輝も付いて行ったのは手伝いをするという名目だが、単に残ってハジメといるのが嫌だったからだろう、という推測は、彼の凄まじく複雑そうな表情から外れてはいないだろう。なお、ユエ、シア、ティオは残っている。魔人領に乗り込むわけでもないので戦力の拡充は不要だからだ。香織だけは、雫達が心配だから付いて行った。それからしばらく、魔力の回復と使用した魔晶石への魔力補充に専念しつつ、ゆったりとした時間を過ごした。ハジメなどは、どこか今までにない穏やかな雰囲気すら漂わせていた。物欲しそうにしているティオにまで抱きつきとナデナデを許し、どこか甘い雰囲気を醸し出したハジメに、当のティオ本人が一番驚いていた。帰還手段を手に入れたことが、ハジメの心にゆとりを与えたのだろう。ちょっかいを掛けて罵ってもらおうと画策していたティオは、予想外に優しい眼差しと手付きで抱き締められ、「普段の変態は何処に行った!?」とツッコミを入れたくなるほど、テレテレ、もじもじと恥じらいながら目一杯、ハジメに甘えていた。「むぅ、ご主人様が優しい......痛くされるのが最上と思っておったが、これはこれで悪くない、というか物凄く幸せな気分じゃ。同じくらい恥ずかしいが」「ティオさん、普段からそうしていれば、非の打ち所のない魅力的な女性ですのに......」「......ん。やっぱり、ハジメは責任を取るべき、かも」顔を真っ赤にしつつ、蕩けた表情でハジメの胸元に身を預けるティオに、シアとユエが苦笑いを浮かべながら呟く。ユエの発言には、ハジメも苦笑いを浮かべずにはいられなかった。「まぁ、今更、ティオが他の男をご主人様とか呼んだら、それはそれで思うところがあるが......」「ほ、ほぅ? ご、ご主人様よ。そ、それはどういう意味......もしや、妾もシアと同じ......」「ほら、懐いてた駄犬が、突然手の平を返して他の奴に尻尾振ると、イラっと来るみたいな?」「んんっ、ここでい、犬扱いじゃと......しかも、〝駄〟をつけおった。ハァハァ、甘えさせ、期待させながら罵倒するとは、なんという高度なテクニックを。ハァハァ、んぁ、たまらんよぉ!」ハジメの胸元にグリグリと顔を押し付け、腰元に下半身を摺り寄せる万年発情駄竜。しかし、そんなティオを常時喜ばせているハジメも客観的に見れば大概だった。ユエとシアの呆れたような眼差しがハジメに突き刺さる。そんな馬鹿なことをしつつ、全ての魔晶石に魔力を充填し終わった頃、再びゲートが開いて鈴達が帰って来た。彼女達の背後には、大型の虎と狼、そして蛇など樹海の中でも上位に位置する魔物達がいる。どうやら無事に従えることに成功したようだ。その後、鈴達は、ユエとティオの簡単な指導のもと、従えた魔物の強化に力を費やした。ユエ達の手伝いもあって、それなりに強化できた魔物達には、ハジメ印の首輪が付けられた。この首輪には、ゲートホールが組み込まれており、鈴達がゲートキーを使用することで、いつでも呼び出せるようにしたのだ。普段は、樹海などで好きにさせておけばいい。そうして、ハジメとユエの魔力も完全に回復し、いよいよ【氷雪洞窟】から出発することになった。ハジメ達は共に帰還する者や別れを告げたい者達の元を巡りながら召喚防止用アーティファクトの作製に勤しみ、鈴、雫、香織、龍太郎、光輝は魔人領にいるであろう恵里の元へ向かう。「ハジメさん、これを」氷の邸宅を出たところで、シアがハジメに垂れる水滴を模したようなペンダントを手渡した。氷のように青みがかった透明の石で、中にヴァンドゥル・シュネーの紋章が掘られている。【氷雪洞窟】の攻略の証だ。ハジメとユエが気絶したあと、部屋の壁の一部が溶けて現れたのを回収しておいたのだ。それを受け取って、ハジメは、泉の直前にある足場に描かれた魔法陣の上まで歩を進めた。ハジメが、魔法陣に足を踏み入れた瞬間、ビキビキッと、音を立てて眼前の泉が凍てつき始め、徐々に盛り上がっていく。そうして、巨大な十メートルほどの卵型の氷塊となったそれは、やがて膨張と氷結を止めると、直後、バリンっ! と音を立てて砕け散った。砕けた氷卵の奥から現れたのは、氷で出来た竜だった。半透明の、クリスタルで出来たような光沢を放つ壮麗な竜だ。氷竜は、その長い首をスロープとするようにハジメの足元へスっと頭を垂れた。どうやら、この氷竜に乗って出るのが【氷雪洞窟】のショートカットらしい。「これまたファンタジーなショートカットだな」「......ん。ご褒美?」「試練の内容の嫌らしさとはかけ離れた心遣いですね」それぞれ感想を漏らしつつ、ハジメ達は互いに頷くと、鱗が階段のようになっている首を伝ってその背中に乗り込んだ。直後、氷竜はバサッ! と翼をはためかせると一気に上昇した。天井の氷壁がみるみるうちに迫って来るが、衝突する寸前で溶けるように氷壁に穴が空き、円柱形の通路が出来上がった。その通路を、氷竜は全く速度を落とさずに突き進んで行く。耳に響く風切り音や肌を撫でる涼風、「ご主人様を背に乗せていい竜は妾だけじゃ......今からでも乗り換えんか?」という誰かの戯言を楽しみながら、氷のトンネルを飛翔すること十数秒。ハジメ達を乗せた氷竜は、遂に見えた地上の光へと一気に飛び込んだ。そのまま地上に降ろされるのかと思っていたハジメ達だが、氷竜は全く止まる気配を見せずに上昇を続ける。そして、そのまま【シュネー雪原】の曇天に突っ込み、ボバッ! と音を立てて飛び出すと、太陽が燦々と照りつける雲海の上を優雅に飛翔し始めた。「太陽の位置からすると北西に向かってるのか。......どうやら、親切なことに雪原の境界まで送ってくれるらしいな」「......ん。ミレディとメイルは見習うべき」「私、解放者って女性の方が悪辣な気がします」雪原の西は魔人領であり、北は【ライセン大峡谷】、東は【ハルツィナ樹海】だ。北西に進んでいるということは、魔人領にも北大陸にも、どちらにも行きやすい場所に降ろしてくれるということなのだろう。しかも、上空の冷えた空気を余り感じないので、氷竜を媒介に簡易の結界も敷いてくれているようだ。確かに、大迷宮を攻略したあと、極寒の雪原に放り出されるのは勘弁であるが、一部解放者の所業を思えば、「なんという気配り!」と、ハジメ達は少々感動してしまった。そして、シアの推測はきっと間違っていない。人を苛立たせるエキスパートのような奴とか、ショートカットと言いながら海中に放り出す奴とか、ゴキブリを強制的に好かせる奴とか......きっと、過去の男性解放者達は、彼女達が巻き起こしたであろうあれこれに相当苦労したに違いない。そうこうしているうちに、氷竜は徐々に高度を下げ始めた。どうやら、着陸場所に近づいて来たようだ。氷竜は、雪原の外には出られないのか、上空を通って境界の外には出てくれないようで、再び、曇天へと突っ込んだ。そして、境界からは目と鼻の先といった場所に柔らかく着地した。思わず、丁寧に礼を言いつつ労うハジメ達。氷竜は、気にするなとでも言うように尻尾を振ると、再び飛翔して雪原の奥地へと消えて行った。視界を覆う吹雪を鬱陶しく思いながらも、雪原の境界は直ぐそこなので足早に移動するハジメ達。だが、その時、ハジメの感覚とシアのウサミミが何かを捉えた。二人の眼が剣呑に細められる。「全員、警戒しろ。境界の外に色々いやがるぞ」ハジメの警告に、緊張が走る。全員が武器に手を掛けながら、視界を閉ざす吹雪の向こう側へ出た。そこには...... 「やはりここに出て来たか。私のときと同じだな。......それで、全員攻略したのか? 白髪の少年よ」「ふふ、光輝くん、久しぶり~。元気だった?」二回りは大きくなった白竜とその上に騎乗するフリード、灰竜を主とした数多の魔物、灰色の魔力の翼を広げた恵里、そして、数百体はいるであろう、おびただしい数の、銀翼を生やした同じ顔の女〝真の神の使徒〟――ノイントが待ち構えていた。	Along with Hajime and Yue’s words which sounded like a prayer, light explosively painted over the room as well as their consciousness. It was mainly Hajime and Yue’s strong wills supported in the alignment that were filled inside that light. The large torrent of will made Shia and others unable to think of anything and they fell into unconsciousness, but that was only for a moment. Just before their limp bodies hit the floor, the pure white that overfilled their mind vanished like clearing mist. Even while staggering for a bit, all present restored their postures and shook their heads. They then saw a beautiful radiance in their sight. Crimson and gold radiances that felt as if they were sucking up all the light covered every inch of the surface of that transparent key. It was a characteristic artifact that looked antique with its crystal form that had a complicated and delicate pattern and twelve exact sides?the ‘Crystal Key’. “Wait, Hajime-san! Yue-san! Are you two okay-!” Shia returned to her senses with a ‘hah’ and rushed toward them in a panic. Beside the Crystal Key, Hajime and Yue were lying down with their hands still holding each other while looking like they were passed out. Kaori and others were also rushing in a moment after Shia. “Kaori-san, the two of them...” “... Hm, they are fine. Looks like they just fainted. The cause is magic power exhaustion.” After examining the two with a serious expression, Kaori answered with a smile towards the anxious Shia. The examination result made Tio and others breathe out in relief too. Kaori extracted magic power from the magic crystal and gave it to both of them at the same time using the technique of magic power transfer. Then, as if to prove that her examination result was correct, Hajime and Yue leaked out groaning sounds while opening their eyes thinly. “Aa? ... What happened?” “... Nnu. The artifact...” Kaori explained the situation as Hajime and Yue rose up while shaking their heads, she also handed over the Crystal Key as she explained. “Both of you passed out from magic power exhaustion. For the moment, I divided the magic power of one magic crystal equally between both fo you. As for the artifact, I don’t really understand it but...” “I see. Thanks, Kaori. It has been a long time since I passed out from magic power exhaustion. I didn’t really know the right amount needed, so we did it at full strength at that moment but... the next time we will be able to regulate it I think.” “... Nn. It’s fine. I grasped the trick somehow. Though the problem is whether we can manifest a will to the degree that can be sublimed into the concept.” Yue answered Hajime’s words while making a pondering look. Hajime examined the Crystal Key in his hand with his magic eye stone. The artifact contained the magic power that couldn’t be compared with all the other artifacts he had created until now. “... It’s a satisfying result. I feel a large power in it. The sensation feels like the compass of guidance.” Hajime made a satisfied smile while designating a coordinate towards a certain spot using the ‘Compass of Guidance’ for a test. Then he poured magic power into the crystal key to activate it and thrust it out to the front. Even if ‘Open the door to the desired place’ was said, but if the distance of the destination and the image of the connected place couldn’t be imagined to a certain degree, then the space wouldn’t be connected. The thrust-out crystal key was similar like the space transfer key-shaped artifact ‘Gate Key’, it plunged into space where there was nothing and ripples spread just like the creator Hajime imagined. However, it carried a magic power that couldn’t be compared with a ‘Gate Key’. Furthermore, different from the ‘Gate Key’ that had the coordinates fixed beforehand, there was a need to fix the space coordinate with just this one crystal key, so it took a little more time. In addition, it was sucking his magic power steadily. Hajime frowned at the magic power that was flowing out as though the plugging cork had come out, even so, he still twisted the crystal key next. And the result was the space in front of him shook, an ellipse hole began to open. and captivating sound “Aan!” of a woman that were audible. Before long, inside the gate that had opened completely... “This shameless female pigggg. I’ll make you ascend to heaven!” (TN: The ascend to heaven should mean die/passing away in Japan, but the kanjis forming the word can also be read as rising to heaven) “Aa! Kam-samaaa! As expected, from Shia’s honored fatherrr! Amaziiiiing!!” The drooping figure of Altena being lashed with an ecstatic expression on her face while the figure of Kam who was doing the lashing were displayed. The suddenly manifested scene that looked extremely gruesome in a different meaning from the scene some time ago made Hajime and Yue’s jaws drop, as well as every other member other than Tio. At the same time, perhaps sensing the presence of Hajime and others from across the gate, Kam was turning back with “Oh?” expression, he caught the appearances of Hajime and the others ahead of his gaze and his eyes opened wide with a snap. “Bo, bossss!? Wh, why are boss’s gate, in this kind of place!” “Eh? Wait, Shia! Also, Hajime-sama and group too!” Toward the shocked Kam and Altena, Hajime and Yue spoke with cool words. “... Yoo. Looks like we are intruding in the middle of your fun.” “... Nn. Who can imagine that you two are in that kind of relationship? Shia, live strong.” “Fufu, oh my comrade, Altena. It seems that thou found a good master.” Ignoring Tio who was strangely joyful, Kam was “Thi, thi thi thi thi, this is misunderstanding desuu!”, he was desperately making excuses towards Hajime and Yue’s manner of speaking with a tone that was exactly like his daughter but... There was a rabbit that returned to her senses while trembling all over. The violent emotion rising up from inside her body became undulating magic power that burst out. Shia who was standing up wordlessly took out Doryukken with a sway. And then with eyes that lost their light, she glared over at Kam and Altena across the gate. “Wa, wait, Shia! You are making a severe misunderstanding! Father is by no means-“ “Shia! Kam-dono is a magnificent person, isn’t he! As expected of Shia’s honored father! I who was only trying to look at Shia’s personal effect just for a little is treated this violently! Furthermore, his strength control is exquisite!” Kam’s desperate justification was violently smashed by Altena smilingly. “You bitchh, shut your mouth a bit!” Altena’s body shuddered all over from the eye glint Kam directed at her. It appeared that it had been already too late for her. And then it appeared that Altena was being condemned for fishing through Shia’s left behind personal effects as she pleased. But even though there was such a circumstance which seemed plausible, Shia witnessed this abnormal scene where her flesh and blood father looked relatively high-spirited in swinging the whip against Altena more or less? A girlfriend of the same age... “Just die all of you-, these perverts-!” The trigger was pulled with no questions asked. Burst slug bullets were fired. Hajime closed his eyes with a prayer so they could enter nirvana while closing the gate the moment the bullet passed. Just before the gate was completely closed, there was an explosion sound with audible “Gyaaaaa!” and “Aaaaaan!!” screams, yet there was nobody in this place who paid that attention. “... Nn. Shia, be strong.” “It’s fine Shia. That’s... right, that’s only a bit of momentary madness. Your father should have opened his eyes with the attack just now, surely.” “... Hics, Yue-san, Kaori-san, thank you for your consideration desuu. But, my father surely won’t die with just that much, so before we depart to Hajime-san’s world I’ll stop his breathing first desuu ... uu, I’ll make him into mince meat desuu.” It appeared that in proportion to the amount of magic power the crystal key used it was possible to literally ‘open a door to the desired place’, the experimental use of the concept magic endowed artifact ‘Crystal Key’ which was done casually turned up a result that made a daughter resolve herself to kill her father. “Aa, what to say, Shia? I’ll correct Kam’s fault, so anyway, stop crying.” “Uu, Hajime-saan!” Shia leaped into the chest of the wryly smiling Hajime. At the side, “Nagumo-kun and Tio-san’s relationship is not that different, though...” those words that Suzu whispered were beautifully ignored. After that, the members whose expressions were at a loss for words because the serious atmosphere was blown away pulled themselves together as they gathered in the living room once more. “Now then, in the first testing, there are various bad performances that stood out but...” Hajime confirmed that everyone had sat down and he lifted up the crystal key so that everyone could see it, and then with a wide grin, he resounded those words, the words of hope. “The method to go home is in our hands.” At that moment, it was Suzu who was the first jumping up and expressing her joy. Lured by that, Ryuutaro raised a happy roar while making a guts pose. Shizuku and Kaori hugged each other with a wide smile. Even Kouki whose expression had been dark all this time smiled faintly. “Even though I say that, to make a concept that will obstruct future summoning, it will be a harder compared to making a concept for going home. Especially as an aspect of the will. It seems that trial and error are going to be necessary, so we still cannot go home for a while.” “That cannot be helped. Even so just with hearing that we can go home... that’s real... amazing. Hics, Hajime-kun, thank you...” Kaori was moved to tears while clutching Hajime’s hand from the side tightly. That ‘thank you’ was filled with various meanings. It was surely also including her feeling after looking at those images. About how he had survived, about how he didn’t give up not any one thing, about how he rushed to her when she was in danger, about how he got angry several times for her because she was important to him, and then now, about how he obtained the method to go back home... various meanings were really filled with that thanks. Hajime scratched at his cheek using his hand that wasn’t clutched while shrugging his shoulders helplessly, then he gently hugged Kaori back. For a moment, Kaori’s eyes opened wide with her shock plain to see, but she quickly became all smiles and embraced back Even Yue gave an expression as if to say “Well, I’ll forgive it this once”. She shrugged her shoulders and smiled to the fawning Kaori. On the other hand, Shizuku was staring at Kaori with a little envy, but she instantly sent her gaze at Kouki and shook her head and her gaze became pleasant. If she had to speak her mind then she also wanted to be spoiled by Hajime, but thinking about the possibility of Kouki’s unstable mind, she restrained herself. But, although she was reading the mood she also had resolved herself, to be honest just before this so she was scheming how to secretly get spoiled by Hajime later on. She didn’t understand whether she could overcome her shyness and properly asked to be spoiled but... at the very least she swore that she would hold his hand! She set that small objective. Despite the fact she had already kissed his cheek, normally Shizuku was thoroughly innocent to the end. Hajime somehow guessed Shizuku’s sentiment from her gaze where such cute ambition was residing, yet he looked the other way and gently caressed Kaori’s hair while talking about the matter from here on. “Anyway, I’m thinking to go to meet Myuu and others while also striving to create the artifact for summoning obstruction. Opening a gate to their place is also fine but, the crystal key is something that uses magic power in proportion with the connecting of the space, so if we are going to open a gate until earth then magic power of three or four times my whole magic power is going to be necessary, that’s why I don’t want to use it as much as I can.” By the way, the twelve surfaces crystal attached at the handle side of the crystal key had the function to store the amount of magic power that could be used to open a gate to earth once. Perhaps it should be said that it was expected from a concept magic that fuel consumption would be extremely bad. Even the gate he experimentally opened to the sea of trees just now used up a considerable amount of the magic power Kaori restored to him. If it was transportation inside the same world, using the ‘Gate Key’ was far more convenient although it was necessary to set ‘Gate Hole’ as the destination beforehand. By the way, ‘Gate Key’ was something developed while they were staying in the capital, so there was none put in the above sea city of Myuu and her mother Lemia. To go meet them, they would use the airship ‘Fernir’. “Then, during that time when Suzu and others go to the territory of the devil. ... since they got their hands on the age of god magic after much pain, it is possible if Suzu wants to go there she can be accompanied by a powerful monster but...” Thanks to their well rest their magic power and vitality had almost recovered perfectly. If it was now, they could attempt to invoke age of god magic. But, unfortunately, the inside of the ice and snow cavern only had frost type monsters. Putting aside they were inside the labyrinth where flame magic was hard to be used, it would be easy to have their weak point aimed at in the outside world. Also, their main strong point, that their regeneration ability made use of the surrounding ice, also couldn’t be expected. Saying it clearly, they were monsters that didn’t suit to follow them to the outside world. The reason why there was no frost type among Freed’s monster was also for this reason. Hearing that, Hajime made a little thinking face and suddenly took out a ‘Gate Key’ that he threw at Suzu. In panic, Suzu’s hands moved and somehow caught it before she tilted her head. “I and Yue will rest a little more until our magic power recovers completely. That gate key is connected at the gate hole set in Fair Bergen, so how about you try making the monsters from the Sea of Tree follow you? There are a lot of monsters there skillful in manipulating their presence. If you make them submit and strengthen them, I think they are going to be fairly useful.” “I see... yes, Suzu will try it. Thank you, Nagumo-kun!” Hajime waved his hand listlessly at Suzu who was smiling in delight. As the result, Suzu and the others would go to the Sea of Trees to hunt for monster while Hajime and others were resting. Kouki went with Suzu’s group under the pretext of helping but surely that was simply because he hated to be left behind with Hajime, such hypothesis didn’t seem to be wrong looking from Kouki’s awfully complicated expression. Furthermore, Yue, Shia, and Tio were staying behind. They weren’t going to embark to the devil territory, so it was unnecessary for them to expand their battle strength. Only Kaori who would go with Suzu’s group because she was worried for Shizuku. After that Hajime and his group for a while focused on recovering their magic power and replenishing magic power into the magic crystal while passing the time in relaxation. Even Hajime was somewhat drifting off the calm atmosphere that he had never shown until now. He even allowed the wanting Tio to an embrace and caress, looking at Hajime who was exposing a somewhat sweet atmosphere, it was Tio herself who was the most shocked. The procurement of the method to go home surely had granted leeway at Hajime’s heart. Tio who made a pass in the hope to get abused was unexpectedly embraced with gentle gaze and hand gesture, Tio was acting shy and fidgeting bashfully so much that it would make anyone watching want to tsukkomi “Just where has the usual pervert gone!?” while fawning at Hajime with her all. “Muu, master is kind... I thought that being hurt was the best, but this is also not bad in its own way, or perhaps I should say that this is a frightfully happy feeling. Though it’s also embarrassing to the same degree.” “Tio-san, if only normally you are also like this, you will be a charming female without any fault at all, yet despite so...” “... Nn. As I thought, perhaps, Hajime should take responsibility.” Looking at Tio who was entrusting her body on Hajime’s chest with melting expression while her face was bright red, Shia and Yue were smiling wryly while whispering. Yue’s statement made Hajime couldn’t help but smile bitterly. “Well, after this far, if I hear Tio calling another man as master as it will really not be a good feeling in that case...” “Ho, hou? Ma, master. Wha, what kind of meaning it has... by some possibility, similar like Shia, I too...” “You know, like if a worthless mongrel that I’ve already got attached emotionally at suddenly wagged its tail at another guy as easily as flipping over the hand, it will feel irritating, right?” “Nnn-, in a moment like this, to be treated like a dog... furthermore it had ‘worthless’ attached. Haa haa, to be spoiled and made to have an expectation before got abused, what an advanced technique. Haa, haa, nnaa, it’s just unbearable!” The worthless dragon that was in heat eternally pushed her face nuzzlingly on Hajime’s chest while her lower body was rubbing close at his waist. However, looking objectively at Hajime who was continuously making such Tio delighted all the time, he was also just like her. Yue and Shia’s exasperated gazes stabbed on Hajime. While doing such stupid thing, by the time the replenishment of magic power at all the magic crystals was over, a gate opened once more and Suzu and co went back. Behind the girls, large tiger, and wolf, and then snake and so on, monsters that were high ranked even inside the sea of trees were there. It appeared that they successfully managed to make those monsters submitted. after that, Suzu and co increased the strength of the submitting monsters using reinforcement under the simple guidance of Yue and Tio. In addition to the help of Yue and Tio, the monsters that were considerably strengthened were attached to the collar made by Hajime. The collar had a gate hole inserted in it if Suzu and co used the gate key then they would be able to call the monsters anytime. In ordinary times, they could just leave the monsters to do as they pleased in the sea of trees or anywhere. Like that the magic power of Hajime and Yue were also recovered, finally they were going leave the Ice and Snow Great Labyrinth. Hajime and his group would travel around all the places with people who wanted to go home together with them and the people they wanted to say goodbye to while endeavoring to create an artifact to hinder summoning. Suzu, Shizuku, Kaori, Ryuutaro, and Kouki, the five of them would head to the devil territory where Eri was located. “Hajime-san, here.” When they exited the ice mansion, Shia handed over a pendant that was modeled after a dripping water drop. Inside the bluish transparent stone that was like ice, the crest of Vandur Shune was hollowed. It was the proof that they had conquered the Ice and Snow Great Labyrinth. After Hajime and Yue fainted, a part of the wall inside the room melted and this proof appeared to be collected. Receiving that, Hajime walked above the magic circle drawn on the foothold right in front of the fountain. The moment Hajime’s foot stepped into the magic circle... biki biki- Such a sound was audible and the fountain before their eyes began to freeze, it was gradually swelling up. Like that it became a huge egg-shaped ice mass that was almost ten meters, before long the expansion and freezing stopped, right after that, What appeared from inside the broken remains was a dragon made from ice. A magnificent lustrous dragon that looked transparent as though it was created from crystal. The ice dragon lowered its head directly below Hajime’s feet where its long neck made a slope. It appeared riding this ice dragon was the shortcut for this great labyrinth. “This is also a fantastical shortcut, huh.” “... Nn. A present?” “This consideration is far removed from the repulsiveness of the trial’s content, isn’t it?” Each of them let out their impression while nodding at each other, then they crossed the neck where the scales were like a bridge and rode on its back. Immediately after, the ice dragon flapped its wings grandly and ascended in one go. The ice ceiling was approaching in the blink of an eye, but just before they crashed the ceiling melted and a hole opened, a cylinder pillar was created there. The ice dragon didn’t drop its speed at all and charged into that path. The sound of cutting wind resounded in their ears and chilly wind caressed their skin, “The only dragon who master can ride is just me... does master want to change rides[ even now?” while enjoying such nonsense from a certain someone, they soared inside the ice tunnel for ten-odd seconds. The ice dragon Hajime and the rest rode finally flew into the visible light of the surface. They were thinking whether they would be let down on the ground right after that, but the ice dragon didn’t show any sign of stopping at all and continued to climb into sky. And then without stopping it charged into the cloudy sky of the Shunee Snowfield. “From the position of the sun we are heading to the northwest. ... It seems that it is kindly sending us until the border of the snow field.” “... Nn. Miledi and Meiru should follow this example.” “I get the feeling that the female camp of the liberator is just unscrupulous.” The west of the snowfield was the territory of the devil, at the north was Raisen’s Grand Canyon, at the east was Haltina’s Sea of Trees. Advancing at the northwest like this meant that they would be let down at a place where it would be easy to go to the devil territory or to the north continent. Furthermore, they didn’t really feel the cold air of the sky, so it seemed a simple barrier was spread from the intermediary of the ice dragon. Indeed, they wanted to be spared from getting tossed out into the snowfield of extreme cold after conquering the great labyrinth, but after thinking about the deed of a part of the liberators, “Such consideration!” this made Hajime and others a bit emotionally moved like that. And then Shia’s guess was surely not mistaken. A woman who was an expert in irritating people, a woman who tossed them into the sea while saying it was a shortcut, a woman who forcefully made people love cockroaches... surely the male liberators in the past was considerably made to go through hardships of this and that which were caused by those women without doubt. While thinking of such a thing, the ice dragon was gradually beginning to lower its altitude. It appeared they had approached near the landing place. Perhaps the ice dragon couldn’t go out of the snowfield, it seemed that it wouldn’t go through the sky and brought them outside the boundary, it once more plunged into the cloudy sky. And then it softly landed on a spot that was just a stone throw from the boundary. Hajime and others reflexively said a polite thanks to it. The ice dragon shook its tail as though to say not to mind it and once more it soared and vanished inside the snowfield. Even while thinking gloomily about the snowfield that covered their sight, the boundary of the snowfield was just right there so Hajime and others moved with quick steps. But, at that time, Hajime’s senses and Shia’s rabbit ears caught something. The eyes of the two narrowed dangerously. “Everyone, be on guard. Various things are happening outside the boundary.” Hajime’s caution made nervousness run through them. Everyone held their weapon in hand while coming out at the other side of the blizzard that blocked their sight. Over there was... “As expected you all are coming out from here. It’s the same like my time... And, has every one of you conquered the labyrinth? Oh, white-haired young man.” “Fufu, Kouki-kun. Long time no see. Are you healthy?” A white dragon that was two-sizes bigger and Freed that was riding above it, a lot of monsters that were mainly grey dragons, Eri who spread wings of gray magic power, and then, there must be a few hundred of them, many women with the same face growing silver wings ‘the apostle of true god’?Nointo, they all were lying in wait.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 0, "inserted_lines_src": 0, "inserted_lines_trg": 10 }
「それなら、出来るだけ早く蔵にある樽を持って来て下さい。どのワインが無事かどうかを調べないといけませんから」「そう、そうですね。わかりました。村人総出で運んで来ます」「そんなに急がなくても良いですよ。原因となった球はここにあるんです。ゆっくりで良いですから」言葉で言って、ハンネスさん達を納得させる事が、俺には出来そうに無い。それなら、今は何かしら動いて、悪い方向に考える事をさせない方が良いと思った。俺の言葉が聞こえたのかどうか......急いで村人たちを連れて蔵へと向かうハンネスさんは、落ち込む余裕は無くなっているように見えた。「レオ、色々頼んでしまって済まないが......また樽の判別を頼むよ」「ワフ」レオにとっては、嫌な気配や臭いを判別しないといけない事だから、改めてお願いをしておく。ワイン自体は好きでも嫌いでも無いだろうが、レオが吠える程の嫌な臭いをかがされるわけだからな。それでもレオは、任せろとばかりに頷いてくれる......ほんと、レオには感謝しないといけないな。「タクミ様、ガラス球の回収は終わりました。......どうしましょうか? すぐにセバスチャンさんに報せますか?」出来ればすぐにでもセバスチャンさんに報せたいところだ。セバスチャンさんなら、このガラス球がどういう物かわかるかもしれないし、色々対処を考えてくれるだろう。だけど、原因が判明した事で、俺にはこの村でまだやりたい事が出来たからな......。「タクミ様、お待たせ致しました。残りの樽も、すぐに運んで来ると思います」「はい。それじゃあ、レオに樽の判別をお願いします。レオが吠える、うなる等をした樽は危険なワインです。それ以外は蔵に戻しましょう」「わかりました」「レオ、頼んだぞ。嫌な気配のする樽には吠えたりうなってハンネスさん達に伝えてくれ。大丈夫な樽は何もしなくて良いからな」「ワウ!」ガラス球をどうしようか考えている途中に、ハンネスさんがいくつかの樽を村人達と運んで戻って来た。こうして話してる間にも、続々と村人達が樽を運んで来てくれている......相当な数があるだろうから、後でしっかりとレオを労ってやらないとな。ハンネスさんにレオを任せ、樽の判別をお願いして、こちらはこちらでどう動く考えないといけない。レオを連れたハンネスさんが樽の方に行くのを見送りながら、フィリップさんに話しかけられる。「樽の判別が終わったら、レオ様に乗ってすぐに屋敷へ帰るのが良いかもしれませんね」「それも考えたんですが、俺が帰るのはちょっと遅くなりそうです」「どうかされたのですか?」「ワインは村の皆も飲んでいるはずです。そのせいで疫病がこの村で蔓延したわけですが......これからまた病に罹る人が出ないとも限りません......」「それは......確かに......」今症状が出ていないだけでこれからという人もいるだろうし、新しく病に罹ってしまう人が出るかもしれない。もしもの場合に備えて、俺はラモギを作りながら様子見をした方が良い気がした。日本の風邪と同じに考えるなら、一度罹って治れば、抗体が出来るんだろうが、ここの病が同じ物とは限らない。それに、まだ病に罹ってなかった人達もいるから、その人達がこれから発症してしまうかもしれない。疫病の中心地だった村だけに、しっかり見ておく必要があると思った。「ラモギが必要になった時、俺ならすぐに作ることが出来ますからね」「そうですね。タクミ様がここに滞在していれば、病も怖くないでしょう。......しかし、そうなると屋敷へ報せるのが遅れてしまいますな......」「そこで、です。フィリップさん」「は?」俺が帰れないなら、代わりの人が報せに行けば良いわけだ。村の人達は、ワインの事もあるし、病の事もある。レオにも慣れきっていない可能性もあるから、任せられないし、フィリップさんなら信用も出来るからな。「フィリップさんが、俺の代わりにレオに乗って屋敷に報せに行く......というのはどうでしょう?」「......レオ様に......しかし、私は護衛です。タクミ様を放っておいてというのは......」元はハンネスさんの護衛のためにここに来たフィリップさんだけど、村に着いた時点から俺の護衛という役目になったのか。フィリップさんにとっては、護衛である自分かレオ、どちらかが俺の近くにいない事が気になるようだ。「大丈夫ですよ。ここは平和な村です。襲われる事はないでしょうから。それに、もしもに備えて剣も習いましたし、魔法も教えてもらいましたからね」けど何もしていないよりマシだと思うし、セバスチャンさんからの教えで逃げる事も覚えたから、何かあっても、すぐにどうこうなるわけじゃない......はずだ。そもそも、平和そうなこの村で、襲われるような事は早々無いと思うしな。「まぁ......確かにこの村にいれば襲われる可能性は少ないでしょうが......」「でしょう? 村の人達からは歓迎されていますし、皆良い人達に見えますからね。大丈夫ですよ」「......わかりました。私が屋敷に報せて、すぐにレオ様に戻ってもらいます。それまで、無理はしないで下さい」「はい、お願いします」何とか納得してくれたフィリップさん。言われなくても、無理をする気はないから大丈夫......適度にラモギを作りながらのんびり過ごしていればいいんじゃないかと思う。後は、樽の判別を終えたレオを待って、しっかり労うのと屋敷まで走ってくれるのをお願いするだけだ。 ......ほんと、俺ってレオに頼りきりだなぁ。「ワフワフ!」「おー、レオ。終わったか。ありがとうな、ほんとに」「ワフー!」数時間経って、ようやく全ての樽を判別し終えたレオが、俺に報告とばかりに尻尾を振りながら戻って来た。誇らし気なレオの体や頭を思いっきり撫でながら、先にハンネスさんの奥さんに用意してもらっていたソーセージを食べさせてやる。今回は特にお手柄だったから、ご褒美はしっかりあげないとな。「ありがとうございます。タクミ様、レオ様」「ハンネスさん。樽の方はどれくらい残りましたか?」「そうですね......大体半分......といったところでしょうか」「そうですか......」	“In that case, please bring the barrels out from the storage. We must find out which of the wines is safe to drink.” “Ye-yes, you’re right. Very well. I will have all the villagers work together to bring them out.” “You don’t need to rush too much. Since we have the sphere, you can take your time.” I said, but the words had little effect on Mr. Hannes and the others. Regardless, it was best to have them act now, and so they would have less time to think negative thoughts. But it was as if they didn’t hear me...and the villagers rushed towards the storage house. Still, Mr. Hannes would be kept busy for now. “Leo. Sorry to ask you again...but you’re going to have to sniff out the barrels again.” “Wuff.” The smell and presence was very disagreeable to Leo, and so I felt bad for her. I didn’t think she cared much about wine, but she had been upset enough to start barking because of the smell. Still, she nodded firmly as if to say that I should leave it to her... I really was grateful for that. “Mr. Takumi, the glass sphere is secure now. ...What should I do? Should I report this to Sebastian?” “Indeed... I’m not sure...” I would like to inform him as soon as possible. He might know what this glass sphere is, and what we should do with it. However, even though we knew the cause, there was still a lot that I wanted to do here in this village... “Mr. Takumi, sorry to keep you waiting. The rest of the barrels will arrive soon.” “Good. Please inspect each one with Leo. If she barks or growls, that means the wine is dangerous. Otherwise, they are safe, and can be returned to the storage house.” “I understand.” “I’m counting on you, Leo. I want you to bark or growl when you find a bad barrel, so that Mr. Hannes and the others will know. You don’t need to do anything to the barrels that are fine.” “Wou!” As I was wondering what to do with the glass sphere, Mr. Hannes and the other villagers returned with the barrels. And I could see other villagers following them from behind... There were so many barrels, I would have to make it up to Leo later. And so I left them to deal with the barrels. I had to think about our next move. I continued to talk to Phillip as Leo and Mr. Hannes got to work. “Once they are finished, we can ride on Leo and return to the mansion.” “I’ve thought of that, but I don’t think that I can return so soon.” “Why is that?” “Everyone in this village drinks that wine. And that’s how it spread... I think it’s likely that people will get sick again...” “Well...that is possible...” There were probably people who were already sick, and just hadn’t shown any symptoms yet. It could end up spreading all over again. And so I thought that I should make more Ramogi and watch them for a short while. If it was similar to a cold, then maybe they would have built up a resistance to it, but I wasn’t sure. Besides, there would be some people who hadn’t gotten sick yet, but would soon enough. As this was where it all started, I thought it was necessary to see it to the end. “Because if they need Ramogi, I will be able to make it quickly.” “That’s true. There will be no need to fear the illness if you are here, Mr. Takumi. ...However, then word won’t reach Sebastian until much later...” “And so I have an idea, Phillip.” “What?” If I couldn’t go, someone else could go instead. But it couldn’t be anyone from here. They were busy with the wine and disease. Besides, they weren’t used to riding on Leo. But Phillip was, and he could be trusted. “Phillip. What if...you were to ride on Leo and return to the mansion instead?” “...On Leo... But, I am a guard. I can’t just leave you here, Mr. Takumi...” Phillip had actually come as an escort for Mr. Hannes, but once we arrived at the village, he became my guard. And so for Phillip, it did not seem right for both Leo and him to not be close by my side. “I’ll be fine. This is a peaceful village. I am in no danger of being attacked. Besides, it is for occasions like this that I learned to use a sword. And some magic as well.” However, it was better than nothing. Sebastian had told me of the importance of running away. Even if something did happen...it didn’t mean that I had to fight. But this was a peaceful village, and so anything like that was very unlikely. “Well... It’s true that you will probably be safe here, but...” “So you agree? The people have welcomed me here, and they have been good to us. I will be fine.” “...Very well. I will go to the mansion and send Leo back to you as soon as I arrive. But please don’t push yourself too hard while you’re here.” “Yes, thank you.” I had managed to convince Phillip. Though, he didn’t need to remind me to be careful... I intended to only make what Ramogi that was necessary and at a leisurely pace. Now, I just had to wait for Leo to finish sniffing the barrels, and ask her to run back to the mansion. ...Really, I seemed to rely on her for everything. “Wuff. Wuff!” “Oh, Leo. Are you done? Thank you!” “Wuff!” A few hours later, Leo was finished with the barrels, and she returned to me with a wagging tail as if to make a report. I petted the proud Leo on the head, and then fed her some sausages that Mr. Hannes’s wife had prepared. As she had worked hard, I had to reward her generously. “Thank you. Mr. Takumi and Leo.” “Mr. Hannes. How many barrels were left?” “Indeed... About half of them...”	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 0, "inserted_lines_src": 3, "inserted_lines_trg": 1 }
しばらくすると、クラウドとフィニアも起き出してきた。「で、ミシェルちゃん、その服どうしたの?」「うん、朝の弓の用意をしてたんだけどね」彼女の話によると、朝起きて弓を張り、それを引いて具合を確かめていたところ、放した弦が彼女の豊かな胸を強打したらしい。いつもは胸当てを着けているので、弦が当たっても防護してくれているのだが、起き抜けで防具を着けていなかったらしい。「先に胸当て着けるようにしようね。怪我すると大変」「そうですよ。子育てにも関わる胸は大事な場所ですから」やや呆れ声の俺に、フィニアも同意する。だがミシェルちゃんはそれに反論してきた。「でも、胸当てがきつくなってて、着けられなくなってたんだよ?」「『も』ってことは、ニコルちゃんもきつくなってた?」「うん。ベルトがちょっとね」確かに谷の陰影が少し深くなっている気がする。ミシェルちゃんに至っては、シャツのボタンがきつくなっているようで、合わせ目に隙間ができていて下着がちらりと覗いていた。「うむうむ......うむ?」俺がミシェルちゃんの胸元に視線を向けていると、そこに重なる視線を感じ取った。「こら、クラウド!」「あっつぅ!?」制裁として熱いお茶の入ったカップを奴の手にぶっかけてやる。「ミシェルちゃんに邪悪な目を向けるな」「頼むから先に言葉で注意してくれ!」「そうじゃぞ。ワシの淹れた茶で遊ぶな」「それはごめん」ちょうどガドルスが、焼いたベーコンとスクランブルエッグを挟んだホットドッグを持ってきたところだった。「ニコルにミシェル。さすが分も調整に出すのは手間じゃろ? ワシでよければ調整してやろう」「こう見えてもドワーフの端くれじゃ。装具の調整をするくらいの腕はある」「もちろんタダだよね?」「マリアやライエルに似ず、ちゃっかりしとるな。まったく」大きく息を吐くと、ガドルスは俺の申し出を了承してくれた。「あーでも、わたしの分はともかく、ミシェルちゃんのはシッカリと作った方がいいかも」「え、なんで?」「だって、いつもの狩猟弓を使う分にはいいけど、『それ』を使うとなると普通の防具じゃ物足りなくなっちゃうよ?」のことだ。あの強力な反発力を持つ弓の弦なら、普通の防具では胸を守りきれない。それどころか、大怪我をしてしまう可能性が高い。「でも、この弓から守れる胸当てなんて思いつかないよ?」「そーだよねぇ」普通の防具なら、確実に弾き飛ばしてしまう。それだけの力がこの弓にはある。ミシェルちゃんがこの弓を使いこなすには、相応の胸当てが必要になってくる。しかし、その心当たりは......俺にはあるが、口に出せない。邪竜の素材を使えば、彼女の胸当ては確かに作れる。俺がその素材を取り出した段階で、正体を疑われてもおかしくない。「うーん......」「とりあえず、冒険者ギルドに行ってくればどうだ? 階位の昇格には試験もある。それほど難しい物じゃないから、試験から戻ってくる頃には防具の調整も終わっておるじゃろ」「そんなにすぐ終わる?」「ミシェルはともかく、ニコルの防具はベルトの調整だけじゃ。夕方には終わる」「むぅ、ここにも胸囲の格差は存在したのか」「なにをいっとるんだか」ガドルスは俺の後頭部をベシンと叩いてから、カウンターに引っ込んでいった。俺とミシェルちゃんは、食事の後で部屋にそれぞれ防具を取りに戻った。防具をガドルスに預けた後、俺たちは推薦状を持って冒険者ギルドへ向かった。どうやら昇格に当たって試験があるらしいが、それさえクリアすれば階位が上がり、より割の良い仕事を受けることができる。そうなれば、今の資金難からも脱出できるはずだ。「ね、ね? 二階位になったら、どんな仕事が受けれるのかな?」弾むような足取りに合わせ、胸当てのない胸部が上下に跳ねる。もちろん俺とクラウドの視線は釘付けだ。今回は俺も見入ってしまったので、お仕置きはお預けにしてやろう。そんなまぶしい光景を目にしながら、冒険者ギルドへやってきた。まっすぐカウンターに向かうと、この一週間で何度か顔を合わせた受付嬢が、俺たちを出迎えてくれる。「ぃらっしゃい。今日は何のお仕事受けてくれるん?」東方の国の独特の訛りのある言葉使いで、にこやかに笑いかけてくる。見た目は二十歳そこそこ。ずば抜けた美人というわけではないが、愛嬌のある笑顔と親しみやすい口調に、意外と人気がある人だ。「今日はガドルスから昇格の推薦状を預かってきたよ」「お、ついに試験を受けるんや? ニコルちゃんたちの実力なら、問題ないと思ってたところやで」「そうなんだ?」「ガドルスさんは慎重派やからね。その推薦状だけでも昇格させてもええくらいやけど、まあ一応規則やし」「うん、説明お願いね」どうやら試験の内容は、指定の薬草を採取してくることが第一試験。これ一緒に行うことができ、パーティそのものの戦闘力を見ることが目的だ。「というわけで、採取してもらうのはコルネ草。赤い小さな花を咲かせるのが特徴や。詳細はこっちの図鑑に載っとるで」一緒に提示された図鑑のページをめくると、赤い花を描いた絵が載っている。詳細を調べると、街の近くの湖のそばで咲いている花らしい。「意外と近くなんだね」「そりゃ、駆け出しに出す試験やからね。難しかったら誰も昇格できへんやん?」近辺に咲く花の採取ならば、こうして俺たちは試験を受けるため、初めてストラールの街を出ることになったのだった。	After some time, Cloud and Finia also woke up. Once we were all gathered, Gadius brought us our food. He was renting the rooms to us quite cheaply and it even included meals too. “So, Michelle, what’s with your clothes?” “Well, I was doing a morning check for my bow, you see.” According to her, when she was inspecting the condition of her bow and pulled it, the bowstring had hit her abundant chest. Normally she wore a breastplate so she was protected even if the string hit it, but this time she hadn’t worn it since she had just woken up. “You should keep it in mind to put it on from now on. It would be bad if you get injured.” “Exactly. The chest is an important part that is necessary for child-raising too.” I said with an exasperated voice, and Finia seemed to be of the same opinion. But Michelle objected back. “But the breastplate has gotten too tight and I couldn’t put it on, you know?” “You mean you too Nicole?” “Yeah. The belt needs some adjusting.” While saying that, I pulled my clothes a bit and checked my chest. The shade between the valley had indeed grown deeper. As for Michelle, the buttons on her shirt were having a hard time containing them, so there were gaps at the seams that gave a glimpse of her underwear. “Hmm...hmmm?” As I stared at her chest, I felt like someone else’s gaze was on them too. Needless to say, it was Cloud, the only boy in the group. “Hey, Cloud!” “Agghh!?” I punished him by pouring the hot cup of tea on his hand. “Don’t direct wicked gazes at Michelle.” “Please just warn me using words!” “Yeah. Do not play with my tea.” “Sorry about that.” Gadius showed up with hot dogs of grilled bacon and scrambled eggs. I felt bad for wasting the drink that he made for us. “Nicole, Michelle. It is too laborsome to have to make adjustments to both of your equipment, yes? If you wish, I can do it for you.” “I’m still a Dwarf. I have enough skill to make some adjustments.” “Naturally, for free right?” “You are quite a shrewd one unlike Maria and Lyell. Goodness gracious.” With a big sigh, Gadius accepted my request. But since he was not an expert, he could not guarantee the quality. “But setting mine aside, it might be better to make Michelle’s one sturdier.” “Huh, why?” “I mean, it’s fine for your normal hunting bow, but normal armor would be insufficient when you use that , I was referring to the Third Eye that was stored inside the suitcase on her back. Its bowstring had extremely strong resilience, so normal armor would not be able to fully protect her chest. Rather, it could even lead to a big injury. This problem stood out more now when her chest had grown a lot. “But I can’t think of any chest piece that could protect me from this bow.” “Yeaaahhh.” Normal armor would just be sent flying. The bow was powerful enough to do just that. Michelle would need a suitable breastplate to continue mastering this bow. But the likely candidate for that... Well, I had one in my mind, but couldn’t voice it. If I used the Evil Dragon’s materials, we could certainly make a suitable breastplate for her. But how would I explain it to her? She would probably take it without suspecting a thing, but it would be hard to hide the thing from people. And there was also Gadius here who had seen the Evil Dragon up close. It wouldn’t be strange for him to suspect something if I suddenly brought those materials. “Hmm...” “For now, how about you just head to the Adventurers Guild? The rank promotion has a test. It’s not that hard so once you return from it, your equipment should be done too.” “Will you finish it that fast?” “Your equipment aside, Nicole’s only needs some belt fixing. I should be done by evening.” “Mhh, so the difference in chest measurements shows its face here too...” “What are you on about?” Gadius slapped the back of my head and went back to the counter. Once we finished our meals, Michelle and I went to our respective rooms to get our equipment. Once we entrusted the equipment to Gadius, we took the letter of recommendation and headed to the Guild. There was apparently a test during the promotion, but we should rank up as long as we clear it and will be able to land better commissions. With that, our shortage of money should go away too. “Hey, hey! What kind of work can we take on once we are second rank?” Michelle asked with sparkling eyes. She was also skipping about so her chest that wasn’t covered by the breastplate was swaying up and down. Naturally, Cloud’s gaze and mine were glued to it. I was also to blame this time, so decided to postpone his punishment. We headed to the Guild while having such a dazzling sight before us. We headed straight for the counter and faced the receptionist lady that we had been interacting with the past week. “Welcome. What kind of work would you be taking today?” She addressed us with a smile with a peculiar oriental accent. She seemed to be in her twenties. She wasn’t a peerless beauty, but her smile and warm tone made her quite popular. “We brought Gadius’ recommendation for promotion.” “Ohh, you’re finally taking it, hmm? I was just thinking it would be fine with your abilities.” “Oh really?” ”Sir Gadius is on the careful side. That recommendation is enough to rank you up, but rules are rules.” “I understand, please explain what we have to do.” At my urging, the receptionist took out some papers. It turned out that the first test was about gathering the specified herbs. Next was a sham battle with the Guild’s examinee to ascertain the combat skill. We could do that with the four of us, and it was there to see the battle power of the party. “And so, you need to collect Corne grass. Small red flowers are the characteristics of it. The details are written in this identification manual.” As I turned the pages of the book provided along with the documents, I saw red flowers depicted inside. According to the description, they apparently bloomed at the nearby lake. “It’s surprisingly close.” “Well of course, this is a beginner’s exam, after all. If it was that difficult, no one would be able to rank up, right?” If we needed to gather flowers that bloomed nearby here, we didn’t need to depend on the Third Eye. Because of the exam, we would be leaving Stollar for the first time.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 5, "inserted_lines_src": 21, "inserted_lines_trg": 4 }
『あう、あの、ゆるお姉ちゃん?』ボクは羞恥心が限界に達したのでゆるママに声をかけた。『その、流石に恥ずかしい・・・から。』「んー?聴こえないなぁ・・・?」恥ずかしいせいか小さな声しか出せない。『恥ずかしいから降ろしてほしいなって・・・』「あと10分、いや5分でいいから!!」勇気を出して声を大きくして降ろして欲しいと告げるもあと5分だけと言われたのであと少しの我慢と思って頑張って耐えることにした。最初は恥ずかしすぎてどうにかなっちゃいそうだったけどボクの頭を嬉しそうに撫でるゆるママの姿を見るとダメなんて言えなかった。でもこの恥ずかしさだけはどうにかしないとボクが死んじゃう。何かマシになるような事を考えないといけない。この状況だけを見ればきっと微笑ましい姉妹のように見えるんだろうけどボクは男。・・・姉妹? そうか、ボクは今からゆるママ、いや、ゆるお姉ちゃんの妹だ。ボクは妹、ボクはゆるお姉ちゃんの妹。ずっと頭で反復し続けていると、ボクの意識は少し曇りがかってきた。ーかちゃん!」「ゆかちゃん!」ボクは眠っていたのだろうか、とても気持ちのいい夢を見ていた気がする。「よかった、やっと正気に戻ってくれた・・・」「いや、えっと、その・・・なんというか・・・覚えて、ない?」そう言われて記憶を探ってみる。『あっ』ボクが意識が曇りがかっていた時にゆるママに言った内容や行動についての記憶を全て取り戻した。『う、うわあああああ! ボク、ボク、いやあんなこと言うつもりこれっぽっちも無くて!』ゆかちゃんめっちゃ焦ってるでもあのシーンだけ観てると幸せそうだったよね何度でも観れるはぁ、死ぬかと思ったぜ『なんでボクはゆるママの妹なんて思い込んでたの!? ボクのバカぁ!男なのに何考えてるのボク!』は??????? 唐突な性別発表ォォォォォォォォ!!!! リアル男の娘ォォォォォォォォ!??!? 浮雲ふわり:えっ? 生きてて良かった.... あっ...ここまで最高の男の娘を見たのは私、初めてでして、こうなんといいますか、感動って言うんですかね「ゆかちゃん!?まだ配信中!配信中だよ!?!?」『えっ・・・?』そしてコメント欄を見てボクは悟った。『お、終わった・・・』終わってないでむしろこれがスタートゆかちゃん更に推せるわというか男の子だったらこんな美人なお姉さんに膝枕されて頭なでなでとか拷問だわなむしろよく耐えたと言いたいはぁーてぇてぇ.... 浮雲ふわり:ほ、本当に男の子...なの? 『うー!もう認めるよ!ボクは男! でも、今のボクは白姫ゆかとして見て欲しい、かな。』男と... いやむしろ女の子にしか見えないまって今思ったんだけど男の子なのに声そんなに可愛いとかなんなの? 『ボクのこの声は地声だよ、白姫ゆかとしての声はちょっとだけ作ってるけど、ベースは地声なんだよ?』歌う時に人の声が変わったりするやつと同じかまぁどっちでもいいけどゆかちゃんは可愛い、いいね? ねぇ、お姉ちゃんにも撫で撫でさせてくれない? ず、ずるい!私もゆかちゃんなでなでしたい! 浮雲ふわり生まれてきてくれて本当にありがとうございます、オフコラボの詳細はピヨッターで。ふわちゃん壊れたwwwww もはや生まれてきた事に感謝してるぞこの人さり気なくさっき取った言質を速攻で利用してて草『えっと、ボクはこのままでも大丈夫、なのかな?幻滅した?』感激まで覚えてる、これからも応援する! 幻滅するなんてないない、むしろ期待してた展開まである失望しましたそんなに可愛いなんて酷いです。夢中になってしまいました。最初だけ見るとアンチコメに見える不思議俺の性癖...逝ってしまったのか...? 安心して少なくともここにいる奴らの大半はむしろ喜んでるご褒美なんだよなぁはい優勝ゆかちゃんはそのままのゆかちゃんでいて「それじゃあ重大発表終わったところで、衣装変更に行こっか。」『うぅ・・・男ってバレた上に衣装変更とか一種の罰ゲームだよぉ・・・』なぁ、本当に男の子なんだよな...? 俺も自信無くなってきた... 私より可愛いもん、自信無くす... 勝てる要素が男らしさだけで泣ける浮雲ふわり:私たちにとってはご褒美だから罰ゲームなんて言わないで! ふわちゃんいいぞ!!! 『うっ・・・そ、それじゃあ行ってくるね!』逃げたw うーん可愛い「ふふ、皆から可愛がられてゆかちゃん羨ましいね。」浮雲ふわり:私は今貴女が一番羨ましいですよーみーとぅーそれから10分ほど雑談を続けていたゆるママだったが、その雑談の終わりを告げるノックが部屋に響いた。「来た...ね。」やべぇ緊張してきた『えっと・・・どうかな?』そこには白いフリルドレスに身を包んだ白姫ゆかの姿があった。お姫様か?????? 普段はお嬢様言葉で話すお姫様きりになると自分をボクと呼び始める、なんて最高のシチュエーション... なんか物語作り始めた奴いるぞ誰かそういう漫画描いてゆるママwww 浮雲ふわり:一瞬意識が飛んでいましたーふわちゃんも酷いwww はぁ....男だからこそ出る言葉.... 浮雲ふわり:私はなんで家にいるのでしょうかーわかる.... わたしなんで仕事してるんだろ....休憩とかいいから早く終わらないかな... 皆大変だな... そしてそこからまた色々と衣装を着た白姫ゆかであったが最後にとんでもない物を持ってきた。『えっとこれがラストなんだけど・・・』いかないでもうやめて...しぬ.... ぁ....ぁ.... 浮雲ふわり:もうだめですしんじゃいます最後の衣装は有名な不思議の国の◯リスの衣装をベースに現代風にアレンジされた衣装だった。おまけに大きなうさぎのぬいぐるみを抱いている。あああああああああああ!!!!! 最後に!!!!王道の!!!!コスプレ!! 卑怯だろおおおお!!!! 浮雲ふわり:ぁぁぁぁぁぁぁぁ可愛いよおおおおおお!!!!抱っこさせて!!!!!! 抱きしめたい可愛さ.... どこで....抱きしめられますか...? お姉ちゃんの妹になって....あれ?弟? 『どう?可愛いでしょ?今日の中で一番気に入ってるんだ♪』可愛いです.... 死ぬほどかわいい.... 浮雲ふわり:にあってるよぉぉぉ!!! 『それじゃあ時間も来ちゃった事だし、りすにぃりすねぇ、ううん。』『お兄ちゃん、お姉ちゃん、コミケよかったら遊びに来てね!約束だよ!』いくうううう浮雲ふわり:もう向かってますーわたしもいく!!!!! 『いやふわりお姉ちゃん早すぎるよ!?』 ------配信は終了しました------	Yes, Yuka-chan? My embarrassment was at its limit that I had to call out to Mama Yuru. Um, this is getting really embarrassing for me... so... Hm? I can’t hear you. I could only speak in a small voice out of extreme shyness. I feel embarrassed, so... could you please let me down already... Just ten more minutes, no, five is enough! I mustered up the courage to ask her to let me down in a slightly louder voice, but she asked for five more minutes, so I decided to endure it a little longer. At first, I was so embarrassed that I felt like I was going to die, but when I saw Mama Yuru happily patting my head, I couldn’t say no. But I have to do something about my intense emotions, or I’m really going to kick the bucket. Something needs to be done to fix this. If you just look at our situation, it probably looks like a wholesome sisterly moment, but I’m a guy. ...Sisters? Oh, I see, I’m Mama Yuru’s, no, Yuru-oneechan’s sister right now. I’m the little sister; Yuru-oneechan’s little sister. As I kept repeating that in my head, my consciousness became a little hazy. -ka-chan! Yuka-chan! Was I sleeping? I felt like I was having a really good dream. Thank goodness, you finally came to your senses... Well, um, like... don’t you remember anything? I tried rummaging through my memories. Ah. I remembered everything I said and did to Mama Yuru when I was feeling woozy. U-Uwaaaaaah! I...I didn’t mean to say any of those things! Yuka-chan’s panicking so much it must’ve been the most embarrassing thing for her but just watching that scene made me happy I could watch it over and over again sigh, i thought i was gonna die What made me think I was Mama Yuru’s little sister?! Stupid me! I’m a guy, what am I even thinking?! ha??????????? a sudden gender reveal, whooo!!! A real-life traaaaaaap?!?!!? Fuwari Ukigumo: Eh? I’m so glad to be alive... ah... this is the first time I’ve seen such a pretty trap Yuka-chan?! We’re still live! Your stream is still on!!! Huh...? Reading the live comments, I realized it. I-It’s over... nah, it’s not over If anything, were only getting started ppl will root for you even more, yuka-chan I mean, as a dude, being cuddled and patted by such a pretty girl is straight-up torture Fuwari Ukigumo: Are you really...a guy? Hn...! Okay, I admit it! I’m a guy! But if possible, I want you to continue perceiving me for what Yuka Shirahime is. guy where... nah if you ask me, all I see is a girl but then why’s his voice so damn cute for a dude? This voice is my real one. I just tweak it a bit when I’m Yuka-chan. But it’s still my real voice, okay? Is it like one of those people whose voice changes when they sing? id say its more similar to acting Eh, whatever. Doesn’t change the fact that yuka-chan is cute as hell Hey, won’t you let your other onee-chans pat you too? n-no fair! I wanna give yuka-chan head pats too! ¥,Thank you for being born. I’ll disclose the rest of our off-collab’s details on Tweeter. fuwa-chan’s broken wwwwww she’s already thanking him for being born lmfao she’s even nonchalantly using the promise from earlier as ammo LOL Um, are you okay with how I am? Do you not feel disappointed or betrayed? I feel deeply moved. I’m gonna keep supporting you! disappointed? oh, no, we were actually anticipating this I’m in despair. How can you be so darn cute?! I’m obsessed now. i thought that was a hate comment at first glance, lol. that was weird did my fetish...just show itself out...? dont worry, the majority of the people here are super stoked abt this its like a reward for us Yup, you’ve won this Just keep being you, Yuka-chan Well, now that the big announcement’s over, let’s go change clothes. Ugh... now that everyone knows I’m a guy, changing clothes feels like some kind of punishment game... hey, ur really a dude, right...? now also I’m starting to doubt myself... He’s even cuter than me. It’s a blow to my self-confidence... the only aspect where I would win is when it comes to masculinity, its just sad Fuwari Ukigumo: This is like a reward for us, so don’t think of it as a punishment game! well said, fuwa-chan!!! Mmh... O-Okay then, I’ll go get changed for a bit! she ran away lel aaagh so cute Haha, I’m so jealous of Yuka-chan being loved by everyone. Fuwari Ukigumo: As for me, I’m jealous of you the mosttt Me too Mama Yuru kept chatting for about ten minutes, but then a knock signaled the end of the idle conversation. She’s...here. gulp S̲h̲i̲t̲ I feel nervous waku waku Umm...What do you guys think? There stood Yuka Shirahime in a white frilly dress, not with a tiara like a fairytale princess, but wearing a black headband instead. Haaaaaaaa... are u a freakin’ princess or what??? A story about a proper princess who starts loosening up and acts more boyish when she’s alone with that special someone... or something... Someone’s already cooking up a situation here someone make a manga out of that! mama yuru XD Fuwari Ukigumo: My consciousness left my body for a seconddd fuwa-chan’s pretty intense herself lol Haa...words you expect to hear from an actual guy... Fuwari Ukigumo: Why am I even at home right noww we feel you... Why am I even at work... Can’t I just finish this already and take a break... everyone’s struggling, huh... And from there, Yura Shirahime, dressed in various costumes, finally brought something mind-blowing. So, um, this is the last one... dont go yet stop it...imma die... a... a.... Fuwari Ukigumo: I can’t go on, I’m gonna die The final outfit is a modernized version of the iconic dress from A**ce in Wonderland. She’s even holding a huge stuffed rabbit to go with it. aaaaaAaaaAAAaAAAA!!!!! The!!!! Ultimate!!!!!!! Cosplay!! this is unfairrrrR!!!! Fuwari Ukigumo: Aaaaaaaaaa! You look adorbs, Yuka-chaaaaaan!!! Let me hug you!!!!! So cute...can I hug you pls... where can we... hug you...? Be onee-chan’s little sister...wait, should it be little brother instead? What do you think? Is it cute? It’s also my favorite among the ones we tried out today♪ its v cute... It’s too damn cute, I’m gonna die... Fuwari Ukigumo: It suits you perfectlyyyyy!!! Well, it looks like our time’s up, so... Lis-niis and Lis-nees, wait, no. Onii-chan, onee-chan, come hang out with me at Comiket, okay? That’s a promise! Fuwari Ukigumo: I’m already on my way to the connn I’m going too!!!!!!!! Um, it’s still too early for that, Fuwari-oneechan! ===The live stream has ended.===	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 10, "inserted_lines_src": 26, "inserted_lines_trg": 24 }
翌日から本格的に授業が始まった。時間割によると、その日の最初の授業は何と基礎体力錬成である。俺達は教室で運動着に着替え、運動場へと集合し、そこで初めて自分達以外の存在に気が付いた。この運動場は冒険者育成学園と共同の為、広場の反対側には学園の生徒の姿も見える。そこへコルティナがやってきて、笛を咥えながら準備運動を始めさせた。俺とレティーナで並んで柔軟体操を行っていた。「うわっ、ニコルさんって身体が柔らかいんですのね」「うん。わたしは前線に立つ事もあるから」「前線に? 魔術師志望ではないのですの?」「ううん。魔法剣士志望」「それはまた、高い目標ですわね」そうでなければどちらも中途半端になってしまう。技量が劣るとパーティのバランスを崩してしまうのは、前世で経験済みだ。「うん。でもがんばる」「わたしも負けてられませんわねぇ」「ほら、そこー。おしゃべりしながら準備運動してると、怪我するわよ!」心なしか、コルティナの表情も家にいる時以上に明るい。そう言えば孤児院の時も、彼女は子供と遊ぶのが好きだったな。俺は子供に弄ばれていただけだったが。「それじゃ、続いてグランー」「えー!?」「先生、それはすごくキツイです!」次々と不満の声が上がるが、これは仕方あるまい。この広いグラウンドを三周となると、優ロメートルを超える距離になる。幼い子供では、それはあまりにもハードな運動だ。「大丈夫よ、これは体力の限界を計る為のものだから。それにこの授業は体力錬成よ? ハードじゃないと鍛えられないじゃない」「鬼ー!」「残念、私はネコよ! ほら、走る!」「うわーん!」悲鳴を上げながら生徒達が走り出す。一緒に俺とレティーナも走り出した。これでも村では毎日のように体を鍛えていたのだ。もやしの魔術師の卵たちに負ける様な事はあるまい。そう思っていた時期が、俺にもありました。「ぜひゅー、はひゅー」「ちょっと、まだ半周回ってないのに......大丈夫、ニコルさん?」「どう見ても大丈夫には見えないのですけど......」最初の百メートルほどは快調に他の生徒についていった俺なのだが、二百メートルに届くころには急激に失速していた。明らかに体力切れの兆候である。ちなみに他の生徒達は、既に遥か先だ。人攫いの男と戦った時はもっと長く持った。どうやら継続的に体力を消費する運動は、俺にとって天敵の様だ。あの時は静と動を繰り返した事で、息抜きを挟みながら戦う事ができたのだが、マラソンでは常に体力を消耗し続ける。そういう運動では、体力の総量の少ない俺は、長く動けない。にしても......少し早過ぎやしないか? 「これで魔法剣士を目指すとは......」「だ、だひ、じょぶ。いまはまだ――からだが、でき......うぷっ」「ちょ、ちょっと! ここじゃ......先生、ニコルさんがギブですわ! 至急、大至急! 衛生兵ー!?」胸元まで込み上げてきた、キラキラする危ない物質をどうにか飲み下す。さすがにこれをぶちまけては、人間としての尊厳に関わる。だがその無理が残った体力を大幅に奪い取ったのか、急激に目の前が暗くなっていく。「あっ、これ......」「わわ、ちょっと、ニコルさん!」とっさにレティーナが支えようとしてくれたが、どちらも幼い子供である。次に目を覚ました時、俺は医務室で寝かされていた。周囲を見渡してみると、壁際にはポーションが多数収められた薬品棚があり、微かに消毒用のアルコールの匂いが漂っている。窓際に設置された机の前には、白衣を着た女性が一人座っていた。「あら、目が覚めた?」「......ん、ありがとう。おせわをかけました」「ちゃんとお礼を言えるのは褒めてあげるけど......まさか最初の授業でぶっ倒れる生徒が出るとは思わなかったわ」「すみません」恐らくは保健教師。彼女は俺のそばまでやってきて、手を取り、脈拍を測る。白衣の名札にはトリシアと言う文字。見た目は結構美人なのに、なぜかもっさりした印象を受ける。髪がいまいち纏まりきれてないからだろうか? 「んー、少し早いわね。これは元から?」「そうなの。もう少し鍛えた方がいいかも」俺の脈拍は、同年代の子供と比べても早い。そして体温も高めだ。トリシア女医の手の冷たさが、心地いいくらいだ。「でもコルティナ先生も、生徒が倒れるまで走らせるなんて、無茶するわねぇ」「これはわたしの身体が弱いせい。いきなり全員の体調を把握するのは無理だし」「難しい言葉を知ってるわね。でも今回はちょっとねぇ」確かに他の生徒ならともかく、一緒に暮らしている俺の体調を彼女が見誤るなんて珍しい。こんなことは前世を通しても、存在しなかった。「んー、なんでだろ?」「まぁ、おかげで可愛い寝顔が見れたけどね」「むぅ......」妙齢の女性に可愛いと言われるのは、元男として微妙な気分になる。まぁ、散々ライエルやマリアに言われてきているので、今更ではあるが。続いて体操着の前を開けて聴診器で胸の音を調べられた。ひんやりとした冷たい金属の感触が、火照った身体に心地良い。「呼吸音も特に異常ないみたいね」「うん。そう言った異常は今までもなかったし」「こうして気絶する事は多いのかしら?」「しょっちゅう」ベッドから起きられなかった乳児時代では、気絶するまで魔力を操作する訓練を積んでいた。無論成功したことは一度もないが、それでも精神的な疲労感で、毎日気を失うように眠っていた。「なんだか無駄にハードな毎日送ってない?」「目標があるし」魔法剣士になる。そして今度こそ暗殺者ではなく、勇者として名を馳せる。素質に恵まれていない俺としては、それくらいしてようやく舞台に立てるというモノだ。女医とそういう話をしていると、医務室のドアが勢いよく開けられた。「あ、目を覚ました? 心配したんだから!」「ニコルさん、目を覚ましましたの?」どやどやと騒々しく踏み込んできたのは、コルティナとレティーナのコンビだ。ベッドに腰を掛けて診察を受けている俺を見て、双方安堵の息を漏らしている。「ごめんね、いつもならしっかり管理できるんだけど、ニコルちゃんってば急激に衰弱しちゃって」「コルティナが見誤ったの?」「うん。あんなに急に疲れていくなんて、思ってもみなかったから」コルティナの言葉に、俺は自身の貧弱さを思い知る。「でも、言い訳する訳じゃないけど、あの弱り方はちょっと異常よ。一度詳しく調べてみた方がいいんじゃないかしら」「昔っからあんな感じだったと思うけど」コボルドと戦った時も、急激に疲弊して足を滑らせてしまった。人攫いの時もミシェルちゃんが来た直後くらいから、急に疲れている。指摘されてみれば、確かに怪しい場面は多い。未成熟ゆえの体力の無さかと思っていたが、ひょっとしてこの身体には、どこかに病巣があるのかもしれない。	The following day, class began in earnest. According to our schedule, the first class was meant to train basic physical fitness. We changed into athletic clothes in class and gathered on the playground, it was then that we became self-conscious for the first time. The playground is shared with the Adventurer’s School, so you can see their students on the other side of the square. Cortina came out and started warm-ups with a whistle in her mouth. Letina and I started doing calisthenics alongside each other. “Whoa, Nicole you’re so limber.” “Yeah, I want to stand on the front lines.” “The vanguard? You don’t want to be a mage? “Right. I want to be a Magic Swordsman.” “That’s a lofty goal, isn’t it.” A Magic Swordsman has to be proficient with both magic and swordsmanship. Otherwise, both skills will be half-baked. I experienced in the past what happens when parties become unbalanced because of inferior skills. “Yup, but I’ll do my best.” “I won’t fall behind either.” “Hey now, you there. Don’t hurt yourselves while you’re busy talking.” Cortina seems more gleeful than when she was at home despite sounding heartless. That reminds me, she really enjoyed herself playing with the kids at the orphanage. Meanwhile, I just got played by the kids. “Well then, next, do three laps around...” “Whaaa!?” “Teach, you’re a monster!” The students started raising complaints one after the other, but it was pointless. Three laps around the large playground would be well over a kilometer. For younglings, it’s a tad extreme for an exercise. “It’s fine, this is to measure your physical fitness. Besides, this class is about physical fitness, isn’t it? No pain no gain.” “Demooon!” “Deviiil” “Sorry but I’m a cat lol! Now, get going!” “”Ugggh!”” The students started running while screaming. Me and Letina started running along with them. But anyway, I was training my body almost every day in the village. Like I’d lose out to some flimsy mage children. Yeah, there was a time I actually believed that. “Zehiuu, hahiiuu” “Hold on, it hasn’t even been half a lap.... Are you ok Nicole?” “But no matter how I look at it, you don’t look fine...” I was following the other students closely for the first hundred meters, but by the two hundred meter mark I had stalled out. This was a clear indication that my stamina was insufficient. By the way, the other students left me in their dust a long time ago. During the battle against the kidnappers, I held out longer. Apparently, exercise that consumes stamina constantly is my natural enemy. During that time, I managed to fight while repeatedly holding my breath and movement when possible, but in a marathon I’m forced to keep burning my energy. That being said, since I have scant physical strength I can’t keep moving for a long time. Even so.... Isn’t this a bit too fast? “With this you’re aiming to be a Magic Swordsman...” “I, I’m, fa, fine. It’s still... my body, can keep... oof” “Wa, Wait! Teacher... over here! Nicole gives! Immediately! We need a medic asap!?” I just barely managed to gulp a sparkly liquid threatening to rise from the pit of my stomach back down. As you’d expect, it was a matter of my dignity as a human being. However, the exertion robbed me of my last remaining bits of stamina, making me lose all hope of accomplishing this impossible task. “Ah, this...” “Whoa whoa, wait, Nicole!” Letina did her best to support me, but we were still little kids so we fell onto the ground in a tangled mess and I lost consciousness. When I next came to, I was lying in the infirmary. Looking around me, I saw a shelf with a great deal of potions and could smell the faint odor of alcohol used as disinfectant. Sitting in front of a desk installed by the window was a woman in a white robe. “Oh, you’re up?” “...mmph, Thank you. I’m sorry for the trouble.” “While I appreciate the polite thanks... honestly, I never would’ve imagined a student collapsing in the first class of the day.” “I’m very sorry.” Most likely she’s a health instructor. She came up to me and took my wrist to check my pulse. Judging by the nametag on her white robe, her name’s Tricia. She’s easy on the eyes but for some reason doesn’t stick out. Maybe if she did something with her hair? “Hmm... It’s a bit fast. Is it always like that?” “Is that so. You should probably keep working out.” My pulse is a bit faster than most kids my age, and currently, my body temperature is a bit high. Dr. Tricia’s cool hands feel nice to the touch. “But honestly, that Cortina, I swear. Pushing a student to the point of collapse, how unreasonable can you get.” “This is my body’s fault for being so frail. It’s impossible to instantly grasp everyone’s physical limits.” “You know some complicated words. Well, I guess it’s fine this time.” True she shouldn’t be able to grasp the other student’s limits instantly, but given we’ve been living together, it’s strange for her to overlook my condition. Such a thing never happened last time. “Hm... Why’s that?” “Well, thanks to her I got to look at your cute sleeping face.” “Mmmm....” As a former man, I have some reservations about being called cute by a beauty in the prime of her youth. But well, I guess I’m pretty used to it after hearing Lyell and Maria tell me so often. Next, she opened my gym clothes to examine my chest with her stethoscope. The cold metal felt pleasant on my overheated body. “Your breathing seems normal at least.” “Yep. Never had any problems there.” “Do you normally have fainting spells like this by chance?” Since I was an infant who couldn’t get out of bed, I’d work on manipulating magic until I passed out. Of course, I never succeeded, but I’d still fall asleep each night with mental fatigue, so in that sense, fainting is nothing new to me. “Somehow, isn’t that an impossible way to live?” “I have a goal in mind.” I’ll become a Magic Swordsman. I won’t become an assassin, I’ll gain my fame as a hero. To become a hero without the qualities of one, that was the sort of thing I was going for. While chatting with the doctor like this, the door to the infirmary was suddenly opened. “Oh, You’re up? I was so worried!” “Are you awake Nicole?” The ones intruding with noisy footsteps and questions were Cortina and Letina. Seeing me sitting up in the middle of an examination made the two of them let out a sigh of relief. “Forgive me, you’re always keeping up on your condition, so I thought it was fine, then suddenly you collapsed!” “Cortina made a misjudgment?” “Yeah. I never expected you to get worn out so suddenly like that.” Hearing Cortina’s explanation made me realize my weakness. “That’s no excuse. However, this fragility is a bit unusual. I suppose we’d better do a thorough examination at least once just to make sure.” “I’ve been thinking there was something wrong for the longest time.” When I fought the kobold, fatigue kicked in suddenly and caused me to slip. Then again during the kidnapping incident, I started to get tired quickly right after Michelle showed up. Looking at it objectively, things don’t really add up. I’d always attributed my weakness due to my stunted growth, but could there be some underlying condition inside my body causing me to be like this.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 0, "inserted_lines_src": 6, "inserted_lines_trg": 3 }
サトミたちとクラッシャーの戦いもまた【】の効果はまだ続いている。サトミは3体のユニゾンに加え、アンヌとも合流することでその戦力を5人とした。対するクラッシャーはただ1人......。決着はすぐにつくと思われた。しかし、ふたを開けてみれば5対1の戦いはクラッシャー有利に進んでいた。なぜこのような事態になったのか......。その理由はお互い理解していた。「要するに修行不足......! 法師殿はそのミラクルエフェクトの情報を隠そうとするあまり、大会までに対人戦を行ってこなかった! 無論、その代わりに人気のない場所で対モンスター戦を繰り返してこられたのでしょうが、対人戦の感覚を掴むには結局対人戦をこなすほかないのですな!」「くっ......!」図星だった。サトミはミラクルエフェクトの情報がネットに広まることを恐れ、大会が始まるまで対人戦で発動したことは一度もなかった。】を使ったのは、トーナメント1回戦のコア戦が初めてだ。もちろん、いくら手練れのプレイヤーとはいえ1回見ただけで完全に技を見切れるわけではない。だが、断片的にでも知っているのと、まったく知らないのとでは天と地ほどの差があるのだ。を取り囲んで全方位から攻撃を仕掛けるのは良し。しかし、わずかにタイミングをずらされると簡単に崩れ、場合によっては同士討ちを誘発する......。これは決められた動きをするモンスターとばかり戦い、思いがけない動きをするプレイヤーとは戦ってこなかったことの証明に他なりませぬ!」その通りだった。クラッシャーのあえて無駄を混ぜ込んだ動きは予想が難しく、ユニゾンたちも混乱する。それに加えて今はアンヌも一緒に戦っている。幽霊組合ゆえに急に連携しようとして上手くいく時もあれば、噛み合わない時もある。今回はまさに噛み合わない時だった。「お仲間だというのにお互い遠慮がちですな。それならば1人で戦った方がまだマシではありませぬか?」「そうかもしれません。今までは......!」サトミたちはクラッシャーを取り囲むことをやめ、横一列に並んだ。これならば少なくとも自分の攻撃で仲間を傷つけることはない。代わりに攻撃が1方向からになり、回避や相殺がしやすくなるが、そもそも数的有利はサトミたちにある。 5つの奥義を一気に放てば、たった1人のプレイヤーに受け止められる道理はない! 超空気砲光る夜明けの星球合計5つの奥義に対し、クラッシャーは両膝と両手を地面につけの地」その瞬間、サトミを中心とした半径数メートルの地面がぐるりと180度回転し、サトミたちはクラッシャーに背を向ける形になった。さらには放った奥義までもが180度回転し、クラッシャーとは反対の方向に飛んでいく......! サトミたちは一瞬何が起こったのか理解できず、動きが止まってしまう。「1人であれほどの奥義を受け止められますまい。だから、こちらへ飛んでこないようにしたまでのこと」クラッシャーはいずれ奥義でゴリ押されることを予想していた。そして、その対策こそが敵の向きを変え、奥義の向きすら変えてしまう奥義【直接敵の奥義とぶつかるわけではなく、敵の足元の地面を少し回すだけの効果だからこそ、どんな強力な攻撃をも無効化してしまうとっておきの切り札になり得たのだ。、一か所に集まった敵を一網打尽にするのは得意ゆえ、集まったのは下策でしたな。しかしながら、散らばるのもまた下策.....塞がりとはこのこと。さあ、往生しなされ!」クラッシャーがサトミに迫る......! そこへ割って入ったのはアンヌだった! 「反応が早い......! なるほど、これが本能型と評されるクラッシャーの接近に気づくのは早くとも、ハンマーを振り回して間合いを維持するには遅かった。「鎮魂粉砕!」両腕装備の装甲で攻撃を受けるアンヌ。流石は重装タイプの前衛職。1発2発攻撃を受けたところで揺らぎはしない。それも不自然なまでに......! 「心が鎮まれば、身も沈む......悪くないこじつけですな!」【鎮魂粉砕】はダメージを与えた相手の重量を増やす効果を持つ。一撃の威力が高いのにも関わらずアンヌが吹っ飛ばないのは、この効果のせいで重量を増やされているからなのだ。こうなると衝撃の逃げ場がなくなり威力が増すだけではなく、そのままの意味でも逃げられなくなる。脱出は絶望的かと思われたその時、我に返ったサトミが援護に入った。クラッシャーはそれを敏感に察知し、引き下がる。「ふぅ......。1対5でも攻撃を受け流すことは出来ますが、仕留めろと言われると厳しいものがありますなぁ......。やはり、戦いは数。こちらも頼れる同胞と合流させていただきますか」今、クラッシャーとバックラーが並び立つ......!	The battle between Satomi and Crusher also began right after Forbidden Ground of Pain was deactivated... The effect of Unison Trinity was still active. On top of Satomi’s three Unisons, Anne had also joined him, making them a fighting force of five. And Crusher was all alone... It seemed like this would be over quickly. However, once things got going, it became apparent that Crusher had the upper hand. How did this happen...? Both sides understood the reason. “Basically, you lack training...! You wanted to hide information regarding the Miracle Effect so much that you didn’t fight PvP until the tournament! I suppose you thought it would be enough to fight monsters in secluded places, but there is no way to get used to fighting other players without actually fighting other players!” “Tsk...!” He was right on the money. Satomi had been afraid of others finding out about his Miracle Effect, and having the information spread online. And so he had not fought a single player before the tournament. He had used Unison Trinity for the first time during the first battle when up against Core. Of course, no matter how much of a veteran player you are, you would not understand everything after seeing it just once. Still, it was a big difference compared to not knowing about it at all. “To be blunt, your coordination is bad...! Surrounding me and attacking from all sides is fine. However, you crumble easily when your timing isn’t right, and you even end up hitting each other... This is proof that you’ve only been fighting monsters with limited move sets, instead of players who are unpredictable!” It was exactly as he said. Crusher was moving in a way that was purposely complex and hard to predict. And the Unisons were confused. On top of that, Anne had joined them. But the Ghost Guild had not practiced so that they could move together. And so while sometimes their emergency cooperation worked well, sometimes it did not. And this was one of the times where it did not. “In spite of being teammates, you seem too reserved. Don’t you think you would be better off alone?” “That might be. But up until now...!” Satomi stopped trying to surround Crusher and formed a line instead. At least now they wouldn’t have to worry about friendly fire. Though, now that all of the attacks were coming from a single direction, it was easier to dodge or cancel them out. But Satomi’s side had a numerical advantage. If they unleashed five charge attacks at the same time, then there was no way that one player could deal with all of them! “Unison Maestro...Flame Rock Flower – Double! Ultra Air Cannon! Guerilla Stream!” “Shine Daybreak Star!” In reaction to this, Crusher placed his hands and knees on the ground and lowered his head. “Land of Metempsychosis.” Immediately after, the ground surrounding Satomi rotated degrees so that their backs were now facing Crusher. Not only that, but even their charge attacks rotated degrees and flew in the opposite direction as Crusher...! It happened so suddenly that Satomi and the others could not comprehend, and they remained frozen. “I can’t block all of that alone. And so I just made them go somewhere else.” Crusher had predicted that they would use brute force eventually. And his way of dealing with it was to change the direction of the enemy, as well as their charge attacks. As it wasn’t about clashing with the enemy’s attack, and just rotated the ground they were on, it was able to nullify any powerful attack, making it a very useful trump card. “While you are good at surrounding an enemy, it also didn’t work out for you here. But spreading out doesn’t work either... There is nothing you can do. Now, it’s time to die!” Crusher moved towards Satomi...! But then Anne intercepted him! “A quick reaction...! I see. So this is what they call an instinct-type. However...!” While she was quick to realize what Crusher was going to do, she was slow in swinging the hammer and maintaining the right distance. “Repose of Souls Crush!” Anne blocked the attack with the armor on her arms. That was a heavy armor-type advance guard for you. One or two hits wasn’t going to shake her. But this was almost unnatural...! “If your heart quiets down, your body will sink... That’s not a bad analogy!” Repose of Souls Crush had an effect that increased the weight of the person who took damage. And so the reason that Anne wasn’t knocked off her feet in spite of it being a powerful attack, was because the effect had increased her weight. When this happened, not only was the force increased, as there was nowhere for it to escape, but it also trapped you. Just when it looked like escape was impossible, Satomi returned to himself and came in to support. Crusher detected this immediately and withdrew. “Phew... While I can deal with five of you at once, it gets a little harder when I have to start killing... Fights really are about numbers. I suppose it’s time for me to rely on a partner as well.” And then, Crusher and Buckler were standing side by side...!	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 3, "inserted_lines_src": 17, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
今も絵を描き芸術を愛しています色彩が私たちの生活や地域にもたらす喜びを愛していますそして芸術家としての自分を政治に生かす努力をしています今日ここに来たのは私の党のみならず政治そのものについて皆さんに知ってもらい政治が市民生活を改善できることを語るためです政治が市民生活を改善できることを語るためです私は首都ティラナの市長を 11年勤めました困難の連続でした芸術は解決策の1つでした就任直後私は2つのことで知られていました就任直後私は2つのことで知られていました公共空間を取り戻す為に違法建築物を取り壊したことと首都で失われていた希望を再生させる為に色彩を使ったことでしたただし色彩を使う事は単なる芸術活動ではなく市長選出後に与えられた無いに等しい予算の中で実現できた 1つの政治活動でした初めて陰鬱な灰色の建物を鮮やかなオレンジに塗りなおした時鮮やかなオレンジに塗りなおした時想像だにしなかったことが起きました渋滞が起き人だかりができそこはあたかも派手な事故現場かスターが予告なく現れたかのような騒ぎとなりました資金提供を担当するEUのフランス人係官が慌てて塗装作業を止め「予算差し止めだ」と叫びました「何故?」と訊くと「君が指定した色は欧州の基準に合わない」と言われましたそれで私は答えました「そうですかでもねここらの建物自体が欧州の基準に合っていませんよそれは私達も気に入らないんですでも色は自分たちで決めますこっちはまさに私達が求めているものだからです作業を妨害するようなら今この場で記者会見を開きあなたの態度が社会主義リアリズム時代の検閲官のようだったと公表します」すると係官は困った顔をして妥協案を求めましたでも私はこう断りました「妥協とは色に例えれば灰色です灰色ならすでに一生分あるんです」それを変えるべき時なのです公共空間の復旧は人々が失っていた市に対する帰属意識を呼び覚ましました住んでいる市に対する誇りと公共空間に次々と現れた野蛮で違法な建築物への怒りで長年抑え込まれていた感情があふれ出ましたそして至るところに色が現れ雰囲気が変わると人々の意識に変化が生まれました人々がこんなことを口にし始めたのです「色が与えるこの感覚は何だろう?」そこで世論調査をしました私の生涯で最も面白い調査でした質問内容は「建物の色を塗りなおすのは良いことだと思いますか?」 2つ目の質問は「中止すべきですか継続するべきですか?」 1つ目の質問に対して 63%の人が良いと回答しました 37%は良くないと答えましたしかし2つ目の質問に良くないと回答した半分の人たちが継続を望みました変化を感じられました例えばポイ捨てが減りました税金を払うようになりました忘れていた感情を人々は取り戻し警官や州そのものが見失っていた護衛の役割を「美」が担っていきましたある日塗装したばかりの通りを歩いたときのことを覚えていますそこは丁度木を植えている最中でしたある店の主人とその奥さんが店の正面をガラスに変えていました元のシャッターはゴミ捨て場にありました「どうして捨てたのですか?」と尋ねると「安全な通りになったからさ」と言われました「安全? 警官の数が増えたのですか?」と訊くと「何言ってんだい警官だって? 見りゃ分かるだろ塗装に街灯にでこぼこのない新しい舗装それに植木きれいになったら安全なんだよ」そうなんです街の美しさが安心感を与えていたのですそしてそれが見当違いではなかった証拠に犯罪が実際に減りました 1990年に勝ち取った自由は市に無秩序をもたらしましたそして90年代の蛮行によって市から希望が消えました壁の色は子供に食べ物を与えた訳でも病人を看病したり教育を与えたりした訳でもありませんがそれは希望と光を与えましたその光が見せてくれたのは物事の進め方は一つではないこれまでと違う気持ちで生活ができるということそしてそのエネルギーと希望を政治に向けられれば国全体の生活を良くすることができるということです川岸からだけでも12万3千トンのコンクリートを除去しました市全体で5千以上の違法建築物を取り壊しました最も高かったものは 8階建てでした道に5万5千の木や低木を植えました環境税を導入すると市民はそれを受け入れ事業家は定期的に支払ってくれました公開コンペを通じて多くの若い人達を市当局で採用することができそうして政治に影響されない男女平等の公的機関を確立することができましたこの20年間国際機関はアルバニアに対し多額の投資をしてくれましたがその全てを上手に使えた訳ではありません世界銀行の幹部に市民のための模範的な市庁舎窓口の建設に資金を援助してほしいと依頼した際それが地域特有の日常的な汚職への対抗策であるという私の意図は理解されませんでしたしかし市民は日差しと雨に晒されながら長時間並びしかし市民は雨と日差しに晒されながら長時間並び 2つの金属製のブースの2つの窓口で証明書や素っ気ない回答を得るのでした彼らは長い列に並ばずに済むように賄賂を渡していました彼らの要望には暗い穴から聞こえてくる声が対応する一方で暗い穴から聞こえてくる声が対応する一方で謎の手が彼らの書類を受け取りそこに忍ばせてある賄賂を探すのです窓口の担当者を毎週変えても不正行為は変わりませんでした世界銀行のドイツ人担当者に私は言いました世界銀行のドイツ人担当者に私は言いました「彼らがドイツの組織で勤務していたなら賄賂なんてありえないでしょう勤務していたなら賄賂なんてありえないでしょう逆にドイツ人の職員をあの穴に放り込んだならきっと賄賂を受け取ることになるでしょう」国民性の問題ではありませんその人が高潔かどうかも関係ありませんその人が高潔かどうかも関係ありません体制や組織環境と尊厳の問題なのです体制や組織環境と尊厳の問題なのです私達はこんな窓口を撤去し新たに明るい市庁舎を建設しました用事のあるティラナ市民に入った瞬間に海外に来たのかと思わせる作りになっています入った瞬間に海外に来たのかと思わせる作りになっています手続きもオンライン化して迅速にできるようにしました市民を第一に考えたのですアルバニアのような国に見られる公的機関の汚職には― ギリシャもそうだと言っている訳ではありませんが― 近代化で対抗するしかありません政治を刷新し政府を刷新することこそが解決法であって先進国がよくやる既存の方式にあてはめて人を変えようとすることは通用しないのですこんな状態になってしまったのも我が国では特にそうですが政治家全般が国民をばかにしているからですどんな施政を敷いても国民は従って当然と思っているその一方で政治は国民の不安や庶民の喫緊の課題にますます対応できなくなっています政治は政治家達による皮肉な団体競技のようになり国民は横に押しやられ観客席の傍観者のようです政治への情熱は徐々に冷め人を無知にし絶望を生んでいます今の政治家は傍観者には同じに見え今の政治家は傍観者には同じに見え政治は攻撃性と悲観論を助長する競技のようになってしまいましたが本来なら社会の結束や市民の活動を擁護するべきなのです本来なら社会の結束や市民の活動を擁護するべきなのですバラク・オバマが勝ったのはソーシャルネットワークを駆使して国民を動員できたからです直接には知らない国民を見事な仕掛けで活動家に変えました彼らにあらゆる可能性を与え選挙活動に必要な論点や道具を与え自分の名前を使った選挙活動を展開させたのです私はTwitterが大好きです自分の意見が発信できると同時に他人の意見を届けてくれるからですこれこそ政治ですトップダウンではなく下から上や横のつながりがあり民衆の声を吸い上げることこそが必要なのです指導者、政治家、法律だけで政治ができるのではありません指導者、政治家、法律だけで政治ができるのではありません人々の考え方や世界に対する見方時間とエネルギーの使い方を考慮せねばなりません時間とエネルギーの使い方を考慮せねばなりません政治家は皆同じだという人たちオバマはブッシュと同じですか? オランドはサルコジと同じですか? 違いますよね彼らは異なる考え異なる展望を持っています何も変わらないと言う人たち立ち止まって 10、20、50、100年前の世界を思い出してみてくださいこの世界は変化の速さで定義されます世界は変えられるのです私が挙げたのはとても小さな例です色を使うというだけのことが変化をもたらしてくれるのですアルバニアの首相として私はもっと大きな変化をもたらしたいですがみなさん1人1人もその気になれば変えられるのですルーズベルト大統領曰く「やれると思えば半分できたも同じだ」 efharisto kalinihta	I still paint. I love art. I love the joy that color can give to our lives and to our communities, and I try to bring something of the artist in me in my politics, and I see part of my job today, the reason for being here, not just to campaign for my party, but for politics, and the role it can play for the better in our lives. For 11 years, I was mayor of Tirana, our capital. We faced many challenges. Art was part of the answer, and my name, in the very beginning, was linked with two things: demolition of illegal constructions in order to get public space back, and use of colors in order to revive the hope that had been lost in my city. But this use of colors was not just an artistic act. Rather, it was a form of political action in a context when the city budget I had available after being elected amounted to zero comma something. When we painted the first building, by splashing a radiant orange on the somber gray of a facade, something unimaginable happened. There was a traffic jam and a crowd of people gathered as if it were the location of some spectacular accident, or the sudden sighting of a visiting pop star. The French E.U. official in charge of the funding rushed to block the painting. He screeched that he would block the financing. "But why?" I asked him. "Because the colors you have ordered do not meet European standards," he replied. "Well," I told him, "the surroundings do not meet European standards, even though this is not what we want, but we will choose the colors ourselves, because this is exactly what we want. And if you do not let us continue with our work, I will hold a press conference here, right now, right in this road, and we will tell people that you look to me just like the censors of the socialist realism era." Then he was kind of troubled, and asked me for a compromise. But I told him no, I'm sorry, compromise in colors is gray, and we have enough gray to last us a lifetime. So it's time for change. The rehabilitation of public spaces revived the feeling of belonging to a city that people lost. The pride of people about their own place of living, and there were feelings that had been buried deep for years under the fury of the illegal, barbaric constructions that sprang up in the public space. And when colors came out everywhere, a mood of change started transforming the spirit of people. Big noise raised up: "What is this? What is happening? What are colors doing to us?" And we made a poll, the most fascinating poll I've seen in my life. We asked people, "Do you want this action, and to have buildings painted like that?" And then the second question was, "Do you want it to stop or do you want it to continue?" To the first question, 63 percent of people said yes, we like it. Thirty-seven said no, we don't like it. But to the second question, half of them that didn't like it, they wanted it to continue. So we noticed change. People started to drop less litter in the streets, for example, started to pay taxes, started to feel something they had forgotten, and beauty was acting as a guardsman where municipal police, or the state itself, were missing. One day I remember walking along a street that had just been colored, and where we were in the process of planting trees, when I saw a shopkeeper and his wife putting a glass facade to their shop. They had thrown the old shutter in the garbage collection place. "Why did you throw away the shutters?" I asked him. "Well, because the street is safer now," they answered. "Safer? Why? They have posted more policemen here?" "Come on, man! What policemen? You can see it for yourself. There are colors, streetlights, new pavement with no potholes, trees. So it's beautiful; it's safe." And indeed, it was beauty that was giving people this feeling of being protected. And this was not a misplaced feeling. Crime did fall. The freedom that was won in 1990 brought about a state of anarchy in the city, while the barbarism of the '90s brought about a loss of hope for the city. The paint on the walls did not feed children, nor did it tend the sick or educate the ignorant, but it gave hope and light, and helped to make people see there could be a different way of doing things, a different spirit, a different feel to our lives, and that if we brought the same energy and hope to our politics, we could build a better life for each other and for our country. We removed 123,000 tons of concrete We demolished more than 5,000 illegal buildings all over the city, up to eight stories high, the tallest of them. We planted 55,000 trees and bushes in the streets. We established a green tax, and then everybody accepted it and all businessmen paid it regularly. By means of open competitions, many young people, and we thus managed to build a de-politicized public institution where men and women were equally represented. International organizations have invested a lot in Albania during these 20 years, not all of it well spent. When I told the World Bank directors a model reception hall for citizens precisely in order to fight endemic daily corruption, they did not understand me. But people were waiting in long queues under sun and under rain in order to get a certificate or just a simple answer from two tiny windows of two metal kiosks. They were paying in order to skip the queue, the long queue. The reply to their requests was met by a voice coming from this dark hole, and, on the other hand, a mysterious hand coming out to take their documents while searching through old documents for the bribe. We could change the invisible clerks within the kiosks, every week, but we could not change this corrupt practice. "I'm convinced," I told a German official with the World Bank, "that it would be impossible for them to be bribed if they worked in Germany, in a German administration, just as I am convinced that if you put German officials from the German administration in those holes, they would be bribed just the same." It's not about genes. It's not about some being with a high conscience and some others having not a conscience. It's about system, it's about organization. It's also about environment and respect. We removed the kiosks. We built the bright new reception hall that made people, Tirana citizens, think they had traveled abroad when they entered to make their requests. We created an online system of control and so speeded up all the processes. We put the citizen first, and not the clerks. The corruption in the state administration of countries like Albania -- it's not up to me to say also like Greece -- can be fought only by modernization. Reinventing the government by reinventing politics itself is the answer, and not reinventing people based on a ready-made formula that the developed world often tries in vain to impose to people like us. Things have come to this point because politicians in general, but especially in our countries, let's face it, think people are stupid. They take it for granted that, come what may, people have to follow them, while politics, more and more, fails to offer answers for their public concerns or the exigencies of the common people. Politics has come to resemble a cynical team game played by politicians, while the public has been pushed aside as if sitting on the seats of a stadium in which passion for politics is gradually making room for blindness and desperation. Seen from those stairs, all politicians today and politics has come to resemble a sport that inspires more aggressiveness and pessimism than social cohesion and the desire for civic protaganism. Barack Obama won — — because he mobilized people as never before through the use of social networks. He did not know each and every one of them, but with an admirable ingenuity, he managed to transform them into activists by giving them all the possibility to hold in their hands the arguments and the instruments that each would need to campaign in his name by making his own campaign. I tweet. I love it. I love it because it lets me get the message out, but it also lets people get their messages to me. This is politics, not from top down, but from the bottom up, and sideways, and allowing everybody's voice to be heard is exactly what we need. Politics is not just about leaders. It's not just about politicians and laws. It is about how people think, how they view the world around them, how they use their time and their energy. When people say all politicians are the same, ask yourself if Obama was the same as Bush, if François Hollande is the same as Sarkozy. They are not. They are human beings with different views and different visions for the world. When people say nothing can change, just stop and think what the world was like 10, 20, 50, 100 years ago. Our world is defined by the pace of change. We can all change the world. I gave you a very small example of how one thing, the use of color, can make change happen. I want to make more change as Prime Minister of my country, but every single one of you can make change happen if you want to. President Roosevelt, he said, "Believe you can, and you are halfway there." Efharisto and kalinihta.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }
「これはどういう事じゃ」信じられないという様な表情で、黒い箱を文字通り通過する自身の手を、閉じたり開いたりしながらミラは顔を寄せる。「見ての通りだよ。現実になったとは言っても、元々のルールは有効なんだ。この化粧箱みたいに、譲渡不可のアイテムは人に渡す事は出来ないし、君の持つ「つまり、化粧箱は自分で手に入れなければどうにもならんという事か?」「そゆ事。まあ知っての通り課金アイテムについては絶望的と言わざるを得ないけど」りの言葉を交わし終わると、ミラはソファーに正面から突っ伏した。諦めに似た感情が支配した脳内では、いよいよ持って保身を前面に押し出した言い訳をどうしようかと全力で思考し始める。「例外は無いのかのぅ?」顔だけを向けて一縷の希望に縋るミラ。「こ年間、聞いた事はないね」歴史の篭った返事にあっさりと希望をへし折られる。ミラはソファーに寝転がりかつての雄大な姿を思い出し、妄想の世界へと逃げ込もうと瞼を閉じる。「僕も何とかしてあげたいところだけど、こればかりはね」「本当にそう思っとるのか。内心、わしの事を笑っとるのじゃろう」ソファーでゴロゴロしながらネガティブ思考全開になったミラの姿は、不貞腐れた子供そのものだ。「いやいや、そんな事ないって。昨日の今日ならこの国の事忘れてないでしょ。君達に守られて、この国は他国と対等にやっていけたんだ。だけど今、大事な柱である賢者が不在だから、ってこの事は知ってた?」ソロモンが言うのはエルダー消失事件の事だ。ダンブルフが居なくなった時より一年足らずで全てのエルダーが姿を消した、アルカイト王国最大の事件として年表に刻まれている。「うむ、グライアより聞いておる。何でも時を同じくして皆が居なくなったとな。その後、今よ年程前にルミナリアが戻ったと聞いての、事情を聞きに塔に寄ったのじゃよ」「そっかそっか、それで塔にね。まあ、そこまで聞いているなら話は早いか。そんな君達、国最強の矛と盾が居ないとなれば、もう後はどうなるか想像出来るでしょ?」「なるほど......のぅ」者の後ろ盾を生かし、決して侵略戦争を行わない事で他国との軋轢を避けていたアルカイト王国。土地は豊かでいて、王は強欲で無かったため、奪う必要も無く国防に注力していれば、他国も自然と交易を望んでくるようになった。だが、その国の柱が失われたのだ。公式に発表されたのは、ルミナリアが戻った二十年前だが、いくら九賢者とはいえ一人で国の全ては手に余る。結果、有益な大地を得ようと他国からの介入が増え、戦争まではいかなかったが度重なる小競り合いに徐々に国は疲弊していた。これが現在アルカイト王国が置かれている状況だ。一人とはいえ、九賢者の一人が戻ったとなれば、その影響力は計り知れないだろう。特に隣国の騎士名を一人で押さえ込んだはこの国の英雄なんだ。その存在だけでも影響力は絶大なんだけど、それがこんなロリっ子になっちゃったなんて、ちょっと大きな声では言えないよね」「う......うぬぬ」「実力は同一人物なんだから変わらないけどさ、印象が全然違ってくるよ。もし君が最初からその姿だったら問題は無かったかもしれないけど、この国に根付いた君のイメージは正に老練の術士で、賢者という肩書きに恥じない風貌をしていたからね」「そうであろう。最高傑作じゃったと今でも声を大にして言えるからのぅ」ミラは理想の男性像を褒められて気を良くすると、瞼を開きソロモンに嬉々とした視線を向ける。「そんな英雄が、こんな女の子になったなんてイメージ的にどう思う?」言われて想像してみる。尊敬する人物。たとえば、ダンブルフの名前の元になった人物が年端もいかぬ少女になった場合。「............頼りないのぅ」そう呟き、ミラは自分の置かれた状況を理解した。「そうなんだよね。僕としてはダンブルフが国に戻ったって宣言したいところなんだけど、今の君の姿を晒すわけにもいかないんだ。化粧箱なんて一般人は知らないんだから」「宣言するだけして、姿は見せないと言う訳にはいかんのか?」「それは難しいかな。三十年振りの英雄の帰還だ。国を挙げての盛大なパーティが開かれるだろうし、主賓が出ないわけにはいかないでしょ。落ち着いてくれば、きっと他国から偵察が来るだろうし」ソロモンの言うように、三十年も不在であったなら帰還を祝してのパーティが開かれるのは当然の流れだ。真実かどうかを探りに来る間者も現れるだろう。それでダンブルフが居ないと分かれば、国の不信を買う事は目に見えている。だがソロモンは、そもそもミラに会った時からダンブルフの帰還を発表する気は無かった。もう一つ、本題があったのだ。それを告げるべくソロモンはミラの寝転がるソファーまで歩み寄る。側で佇むソロモンの笑顔に隠れる真剣な眼差しに、ミラは居住まいを正すと、怪訝そうな瞳で見上げる。「そこで提案があるんだ」「ほう、何じゃ」「誰もが納得するような成果を上げてから、ダンブルフの弟子としてエルダーの襲名を宣言すればいいと考えたんだ」ソロモンの言いたい事は、少女の姿に箔をつけるというようなものだった。突如現れた少女がダンブルフだと言っても、信じるものは少ないだろう。信じたところで、先程の話のように威厳が失われているため、与える影響は高が知れている。また、ダンブルフの弟子としてすぐに賢者の地位に据えるという方法を取った場合、英雄の弟子とはいえ何の実績も無い少女が、術士の最高位であり国の方向性を左右する権限まで得るとなれば、日々を励む術士達にどのような影響を与えるか計り知れない。だが、国に貢献する大きな何かと共に現れればどうか。そういう話だった。「絶対にうまくいく。とは言えないけれど、やってみる価値はあると思うんだ。むしろやって欲しい」「まあ、事情は把握したが。して、わしに何をやらせようというのじゃ?」ミラがそう訊くとソロモンは大きく深呼吸して腕を組む。そして真面目そうに振舞いながらも多少困ったような表情を浮かべた。「ダンブルフ......いや、これからはミラと呼ぶ事にするね。どこで洩れるか分からないし」「さて、ミラ。君に頼みたい事は他でもない、皆を探してきて欲しいんだ」顎に手を添えながら言葉を繰り返すミラ。皆と言われても、どこをどうとって皆なのか。一瞬聞いただけでは分からないが、話の前後から自ずと予想は出来た。ミラは、その答えに思い当たると、心底面倒くさそうな表情を浮かべる。「今この世界に居るのは、ルミナリアとわしだけではないのか?」「うん。あえていうなら、君が最後だ」「さっきフレンドリストについて教えたよね。確認してみるといいよ」そこに並んだ名前は、かつて仲良くなった友の名だ。ソロモンやルミナリアの名前は白い文字で書かれている。そして、目的の名前を見付けると、心底気だるそうな表情でその白い文字で書かれた名を目で追った。「全員オンラインじゃな」「そうなんだよね」「なら、何故おらん?」「それが分からないから君に探してきて欲しいんだ」「難儀な話じゃのぅ。どこをどう探せというのじゃ。塔でなければ、こやつら一所に留まるような輩ではないぞ」「まあ、正直なところ時間はかかるだろうね。ただ出来れば今年中に半分は見つけて欲しい」今年中に半分。制限時間を掛けたソロモンの真意に見当が付かないミラは、そのまま疑問を口にする。「今年中とは随分と性急じゃな。なんの手掛かりも無くゼロからあ奴等を探すなぞ、一年二年で成せる事ではないじゃろう」「まあ、そうなんだけどね。どうしても今年中じゃないとまずいんだ。君がこの世界に現れたのも、本当にギリギリのタイミングだったからね。もう僕はその偶然に縋るしかないんだよ」心底疲れたように眉間に皺を寄せる少年は、何とも違和感のある姿だったが、ミラはその口調と表情から余程切羽詰った事情があるのだと察した。「何ゆえ、それ程急ぐ。理由を言うてみい」ソロモンは、本棚から書類をまとめた一冊のファイルを取り出し開くと、ミラへと渡す。そのファイルには、十年前に起きたある戦闘の記録が記されていた。ミラの頭の片隅の方にグライアとの会話が蘇る。ある戦闘の後、魔物の出現率が上がったと。「三神国防衛戦......か」ミラは記述を一瞥すると、ファイルの表紙を呟くように読み上げる。「知ってる?」「うむ。十年前の事らしいのぅ。グライアがその後、魔物の襲撃が多くなったとも言っておった」「そうそう。君たちが居なくなったから騎士団を派遣する事になっちゃったんだ。数も多いし軍事費も馬鹿にならないよ」「して、これにどのような理由がある。結局は昔の事じゃろう。それともわしらにまた討伐をさせて、軍事費ケチろうという腹か?」「あー、そうだね。そうしてもらえると大助かりだけど、もっと切迫した問題があるんだ」そう言ったソロモンは、ミラの手にあるファイルのページを捲り、あるところで止める。そこには、『限定不戦条約』と題された事柄が書かれている。「ふむ、これは?」「君は居なかったから知らないだろうけど三神国防衛戦は、かつて僕たちが経験した戦争とは比べ物にならない程の規模だったんだ。初期三国の王、神王が直に指揮を取ったといえば君にも分かりやすいかな」「なんと......。あの不動王どもが」ミラが驚くのも無理もない。初期三国というのは、誰もが一度は所属するゲームの始まりの国。それはつまり、プレイヤーが建国する前より存在していた国であり、国内ならば駆け出しのプレイヤーの安全が保障されているという事でもある。建国ラッシュを迎え湧き上がる大陸の中でも、この初期三国に布告するような国はなかった。たとえしたところで有名どころの揃った三国のNPCは破格の実力を持っており、プレイヤーですら軽く蹴散らかされる程だ。そんな国の王が三人も出張るとなれば事の大きさが窺い知れるだろう。余談だがミラの言う不動王とは、動いたところを見た事が無いから付いたあだ名だ。「三神国防衛戦って銘打ってるけど、初期三国が最前線で奮闘していたからであって、この戦争は大陸全土を巻き込んだものなんだ。事の始まりは空から飛来した魔族の大群。主に三国を攻めていたみたいだけど、増援と共に別の場所に飛び去るんだ。その飛び去った魔族が隣国周辺に襲い掛かるもんだから被害も当然広範囲に拡大して、小国はその多くが壊滅。酷いもんだったよ」表情を苦悶に歪めながら酷かったと言うソロモンは、正に民を憂う王の意志をその身に宿している。ミラはそんなソロモンの姿に「そうじゃったか」と心中までは理解出来ぬとも、友として親友を憂う。「まあ、そんな大戦が十年前にあったんだけどね、それだけの戦争だから、終戦後どんな状態だったか想像しやすいでしょ」「どこもかしこも復興作業で大忙しじゃな」「正解。それで各国で牽制し合う様に出来たのが、限定不戦条約ってわけ。内容を簡単に言うと、条約制定から十年間、戦争とそれに準じる全てを禁止するっていうもの」つまりは大陸全ての国が、まともに戦争出来る状態では無いので、一先ず復興に尽力してスタートラインは足並み揃えていきませんか。という事だ。「この条約の期限が近い。そういう事じゃな?」話の流れからミラが察した時間制限。それはつまり、条約の失効と共に戦争が解禁となるまでの期限だ。アルカイト王国の主力、九賢者が一人ともなれば付け入る隙もある。富んだ大地は、様々な大地の恩恵を与え、術においては右に出る者が居ないアルカイト王国を手中に入れれば、その英知は大いなる実りを齎すだろう。見逃す手は無い。「正直なところ、今はこの条約に守られているといっても過言ではないんだ。抑止力とまではいかなくても、せめて国を守りきれるだけの戦力が必要だ。ミラは、ファイルを閉じると一呼吸置いてソロモンの真剣な瞳を見つめ返す。その心にはもうすでに答えは出ていた。「いいじゃろう。引き受けよう」ミラがそう答えるとソロモンは「ありがとう」と破顔一笑する。	「What is the meaning of this?」 Looking at how her hand passed through the black box, Mira’s face drew near while closing and opening her hand. 「As you can see. Even when this game became a reality, the former rules still apply. This vanity case is not transferable so I can’t give it to you. The same goes for soul-bound items like your master key; you can’t even steal them.」「Do you mean that the only way is to get a vanity case myself?」「Exactly. And you should know that it’s impossible with billing items.」 After the brief conversation, Mira fell down on the sofa. An emotion resembling resignation took control of her head and she finally began to think at full power what excuse to make for her current state. 「Shouldn’t there be any exceptions?」 Only lifting her face, Mira clung to the last ray of hope. 「I haven’t heard about any during these last years.」「No way...」 This answer which was backed by a historical basis had utterly shattered her remaining hope. Turning herself on the sofa, Mira closed her eyes retreating into the world of delusions dreaming of her past magnificent appearance. 「I’d like to help with this but I’m out of options here.」「Do you really think like that? In your heart, you must be laughing about me, right? The view of Mira rolling on the sofa full of negative thoughts made her look like a sulking child. 「Oh no, of course not. It’s not like you forgot about this country in those two days, have you? Protected by you all, this country was able to stand equal to others. But now, the wisemen that supported this country have gone missing, did you know that?」 He was talking about Arkite Kingdom’s greatest incident where all the wisemen have disappeared within a year since Danbulf’s disappearance. 「Yes, I heard about it from Graia. It’s like everybody vanished at the same time. However, I also heard that Luminaria returned twenty years ago, so I stopped by the towers.」「Ah, so that’s why you were at the towers? Well, if you know that much then I’ll jump straight to the point, what do you think would happen to this country without the strongest shield that you guys were?」 Leveraging the support of the nine wisemen, the Arkite Kingdom never once partook in any aggressive wars, thus avoiding conflict with foreign countries. With rich and fertile lands, there was no need to steal lands of others and the kingdom could focus on defense, thanks to which it also became possible to establish trade with other countries. However, the country lost those pillars. The public announcement was made twenty years ago when Luminaria returned. Even if she was one of the Nine Wisemen, supporting the whole country by herself was beyond her powers. As a result, the other countries who wished to claim the profitable lands have increased their campaigns. While there was no full-fledged war, frequent skirmishes gradually exhausted the country. That was the present situation of the Arkite Kingdom. Even if it was just one, the return of one of the Nine Wisemen would have granted the country an immeasurable influence. Even more so if it was the 『One Man Army Danbulf』 who singlehandedly suppressed the neighboring country’s chivalric order of five thousand knights. 「This is my opinion as the king, but you are this country’s hero. The influence of your existence alone is tremendous, but we can’t grandly spread the news that you turned into a loli, can we.....」「W... well.」「While I understand that you are the same person so your skill did not change, the impression is completely different. It might not have been a problem if you originally have such an appearance, but the image of you carved in this country’s history is that of a majestic veteran mage whose appearance was well suited for the title of wiseman.」「That’s right. Even now I can proudly say that it was the supreme masterpiece.」 Hearing Solomon praise her image of a perfect man, Mira’s mood improved, she affirmed what he said and looked at Solomon happily. 「And what will happen to the image if it was known that he turned into a girl like this?」 Mira imagined it as she was told, a case when a respected person who called himself Danbulf turned into a girl of such tender age. 「...Feels unreliable.」 Murmuring that, Mira understood the position in which she had placed herself. 「You said it. I would be really glad to announce that Danbulf has returned to the country but I can’t show your current appearance to the public. People don’t know about the existence of vanity cases.」「How about making an announcement without showing me?」「That will be difficult. It’s a hero’s return after thirty years, the country would have to host a grand party to celebrate and it wouldn’t work without the main guest. And when things calm down, other countries would definitely send spies.」 According to Solomon, a party and celebration would be an inevitable course of events if Danbulf returned after thirty years. Spies seeking to confirm the truth would also come, and if they found out that Danbulf was not there, Arkite would lose trust. However, from the moment Solomon met Mira, he had no intention of announcing Danbulf’s return. There was a more important issue, to relay it, Solomon approached the sofa Mira was lying on. As he stood by her side, hidden behind Solomon’s smile was a serious look in his eyes, Mira corrected her sitting posture and looked up suspiciously. 「And here I have a proposal for you.」「So, what is it?」「I want to announce you as the pupil of Dunbalf after you get a nationally acclaimed achievement.」 Solomon’s proposal was for Mira to earn enough achievement. Prematurely announcing that the girl was Danbulf himself would likely generate confusion in the people. Even if they believed in the unlikely story, she wouldn’t have that much influence due to her appearance. Additionally, immediately appointing the position of a wiseman to Danbulf’s disciple would put her in a tough spot instead as she was nothing more than a girl without any accomplishments despite being a hero’s disciple. But it was another matter altogether if she piled up great achievements for the country. 「I can’t say that it will work for sure, but I think it’s worth a try. Rather, I want you to do it.」「Well, I understood your point. So, what exactly do you want me to do?」 When Mira asked this, Solomon took a deep breath and crossed his arms. Then with a serious attitude, he made a slightly troubled expression. 「Danbulf... No, I’ll call you Mira from now on to prevent any leaks.」「So, Mira. The thing I want to ask you to do is to find everyone.」 Mira put a finger on her chin and asked him to explain. What exactly did he mean by ‘everyone’? Mira couldn’t understand that at first but based on the context she eventually made the connection. She furrowed her eyebrows and made a really aggravated expression upon reaching the answer. 「Aren’t Luminaria and I the only wisemen in this world?」「Nope, if anything — you are the last one.」「I believe I just told you how the friend list works, right? Try to look at it yourself.」 Mira operated the bracelet and displayed the hidden window in response to that. Upon opening the friend list, she found the names of her past friends with whom she was close to. Obviously, the names of Solomon and Luminaria were displayed in white. And once she found the names she was looking for, she made a very languid expression as she stared at them displayed in white. 「Everyone is online.」「It seems that way.」「Then why are they not here?」「If I knew that, I wouldn’t have begged you for that.」「That’s a difficult task. I have no idea where to look for them. Towers aside, they’re not the type of people to stay in one place.」「I agree that it takes time. But if it’s possible, I’d like to find half of them within this year.」 Half of them within this year. Without any ideas as to why Solomon placed such a limit, Mira asked a question. 「Finding half of them within this year sounds like quite the hurry. Without any leads, searching for them is definitely a task that can’t be completed within a year or two.」「Well, that’s true. But no matter what, we still need them within this year. You barely managed to appear here in time. I have no other ways besides betting on this chance.」 His expression with furrowed eyebrows—showing that he was tired from the bottom of his heart—really did not fit him. Though, Mira realized this based on the way he spoke and from his expression that he was at his wit’s end. 「So why? Can you tell me the reason why we have to hurry so much?」 After Mira asked this, Solomon picked up a single document file from a bookcase. He placed it on the table next to the sofa and opened it. This file recorded the war chronicles from ten years ago. Mira recalled the conservation with Graia in the corners of her mind. After a certain battle, the rate at which monsters appeared had increased. 「So it’s the Defense of The Three Gods’ Countries, huh...」 After glancing at the description, Mira muttered the title of the file. 「You heard of it?」「Mm-hm. It’s about ten years ago, right? Graia said the number of monster attacks increased after that.」「That’s right. Ever since everyone disappeared, I had to dispatch the chivalric order. From that, the military costs are nothing to joke about and we simply couldn’t ignore them. 「So, how is this related to your reason? It’s already in the past, no? So what, you want to dispatch me again and exterminate the monsters just to avoid having to spend military funds?」「Ahh, well. That would greatly help but we have a more pressing issue.」 While saying so, Solomon turned some pages and stopped at a certain point. It was a page titled 『Limited Armistice Treaty』. 「Hmm, and that is?」「You probably don’t know this because you were absent but the Defense of Three Gods’ Countries was a battle that scoped far beyond all wars we have experienced in the past. If I say that the kings and pope of the Three Initial Countries directly took control, you should easily understand, right?」「Impossible... Those immovable kings moved?」 Mira’s astonishment had good reason. The Three Initial Countries were the starting location of this game. It meant that they existed before players founded their own countries and guaranteed the safety of new players. Even during the country-founding rush, there was no country who would declare war against the Three Initial Countries. For comparison, the NPCs of those three countries had enough power to easily wipe out even the top players. When even the kings of those three countries themselves came forward, it’s easy to perceive the scale of things. To digress a little, the nickname 『immovable kings』 that Mira mentioned was given to them because no one has ever seen them in action. 「Even the title 『Defense of Three Gods’ Countries』 reflects the amount of effort put in by the Three Initial Countries at the frontlines. This war involved the entire continent. It all started from a large army of demons who flew in from the sky. They mostly attacked the three countries but when their reinforcements arrived, they started to scatter to other places. Because the scattering demons attacked countries indiscriminately, the damage obviously expanded at a colossal scale and many small countries were destroyed. It was really cruel.」 Talking about the cruelty with a warped face due to anguish, Solomon certainly displayed a king’s lament about the nation. Answering 「Is that so.」 to Solomon while still not completely comprehending the situation in her mind, Mira lamented for her close friend. 「Well, even if ten years had passed since that great war, with that much impact, you surely can tell what happened after that.」「Everyone’s hands were full with reconstruction works all over the place, I believe.」「You’re right. That’s why all countries made the Limited Armistice Treaty to restrain each other. Summarizing the contents, all military actions were prohibited for ten years.」 In other words, all countries for the time being were proposed to focus efforts on restoration to put everybody on decent starting grounds because they weren’t in a state to hold a proper war. 「And you want to say this treaty ends soon?」 Based on the context of the conversation, Mira pointed at the time limit. It meant that the deadline is almost up and the time of wars will start after the treaty ends. Without the main force of the Arkite Kingdom — The Nine Wisemen — someone will surely take advantage of this opening. The abundant, rich land would give them a lot of benefits and there was no other country as versed in spells as Arkite Kingdom, if they took over the country they would be make a lot of that knowledge theirs. 「Honestly speaking, it’s not an exaggeration to say that we’re being protected by that treaty Even if it isn’t enough to completely deter them, I at least want enough military power to protect ourselves. I’ll say it one more time. Mira, will you go find everyone?」 Taking a breath after closing the file, Mira returned a serious look to Solomon. The answer was already set in her heart. 「Very well, I’ll undertake it.」 Hearing that, Solomon broadly smiled 「Thank you. 」	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 5, "inserted_lines_src": 8, "inserted_lines_trg": 4 }
屋根の上で気配を消しながら、俺はおばさんたちを助け出す機会を探る。中にいる男は全部した立ち回りからすると、正面から俺が戦っても、余裕で勝てる程度の力量だ。しかし怪我をしたおじさんや、拘束されたおばさんが人質になっている以上、下手な手出しをしたら彼らの命が危ない。仕掛けるなら一気呵成に、かつ、おばさんたちの安全が完全に保証されるタイミングでないといけない。「にしてもよぅ、こいつら生かしておく必要とかあるのか?」「あん? ミシェルってガキを捕らえる人質なんだから、必要に決まっているだろ」「でもよ。どうせならそいつを捕まえちまえばよかったんじゃねぇか?」「いなかったんだから、仕方ねぇだろ。それにガキだからって甘く見るな。尖塔の上から市外を狙撃できるバケモノだぞ」そこまで聞いて、男の一人が唾を吐き捨てる。「ぎゃっ!?」おばさんは悲鳴を上げて、おじさんのそばから蹴り飛ばされる。位置が離れてしまって、奇襲するには悪い状態になった。「まったく、手間かけさせやがる!」「やめとけ。そいつを殺しちまうと、そのガキの矢がこっちに向くことになるんだぞ」「親の身柄を盾に服従させるのか。俺たちも落ちぶれたもんだ」「仕方ねぇさ。俺たちの腕じゃ一旗揚げるのも難しい。ゴブリンどもが隊に持っていかれたのも、実力が無いからだ」「機会さえあれば、俺だってよぉ!」そこで男は、今度はおじさんを蹴りつける。怪我をしていたおじさんは受け身すら取れず、まともに蹴りを受け、血を吐いていた。ここで俺は状況について考えた。この状況で踏み込んでも、おばさんたちを危険に晒すだけだ。しかし、おじさんの容態はかなり悪そうに見える。コルティナかマクスウェルが駆けつけてくれるのを待つと言う手もあるが、その場合、容体が悪化する可能性もある。「......一刻も早く治療するためには、俺が始末した方が早いか?」ニコルのまま異常な戦闘力を発揮するのを見せてしまっては、不要な疑惑を持たれてしまいかねない。「レイドに変化すれば問題ないが、服がなぁ」この姿でレイドに変化してはさすがに変態だ。まあ、いざとなったら、それどころではないだろうが。「おばさんの意識があるのも問題か。それにしても――」俺は再び視線を下に向ける。そこでは男がもう一度おばさんを蹴りつけ、気絶させていたところだった。無体な真似を、といつもなら憤るところではあるが、今回に限って言えばありがたいとも言える。「だからこそ、三下だったのかもしれないけどな」目撃者がいなくなったのなら、遠慮する必要はない。できるだけ音を忍ばせて俺は服を脱ぎ捨てて畳んでおく。この痛みも何度も経験したおかげで、かなり慣れてきている。それでもやはり、耐えきるのは難しかった。がりり、と拳を握りしめた拍子に屋根の木板を引っ掻いてしまい、その音が中にも伝わったようだ。「どうかしたか?」「いま屋根の上で何か......」「鼠でも屋根に上ったんじゃねぇか? この森の中だぜ」「一応確認してこい。ひょっとしたら娘がつけてきたのかもしれん」「いくらなんでも、ガキにそこまでの追跡能力があるかね?」そんなことを言いながらも、ブラブラと扉へ向かう男。まだ痛みでフラフラする頭を堪え、俺は屋根の端へと移動する。武器である手甲を召喚したところで眼下の扉が開く。そして扉から出てきた男の頭上めがけて飛び降りざまに一撃を加えた。肘を頭上に叩きつられ、男は悲鳴も上げず奇妙な声を漏らして崩れ落ちる。こいつらには黒幕が誰かを話してもらわねばならないため、殺してしまうわけにはいかない。不意に登場した俺に、残りの二人は状況が呑み込めず、呆然としていた。「なっ......なんだ、この変態は!」全裸に手甲だけ着けた男が屋根から飛び降りてきたら、誰しもたじろぐだろう。俺だってさすがに怯む。男が不意を突かれたのもあるだろうが、俺の加速も半端なものでは無かった。操糸を使った身体能力強化と、これらが重なり合い、俺の身体はまさに目にも留まらぬ速度で小屋の中を駆け抜けたのだ。無論、こんな場所で不正に手を染めるような輩が、対応できるはずもない。そしてその男が壁に叩きつけられるより先に、俺はもう一人の首筋に手刀を打ち込んでいた。「なっ、消え――」そう口にした直後に手刀を受け、気絶する男。誰一人起きている者がいなくなった小屋に、全裸で「――服、着よ」そう呟くと、さっそく気絶させた男たちから、衣服を剥ぎ取り始めたのだった。	I remained on the roof while erasing my presence, waiting for an opportunity to rescue Michelle’s parents. There were three men in total. Judging from how they conducted themselves, I should have easily won even if I challenged them head-on. However, the injured uncle and restrained auntie were hostages now, so doing something reckless might put their lives in danger. If I was going to do it, I had to choose the timing to take care of them in one fell swoop, while also guaranteeing the safety of the hostages. “Still, do we really have to keep these two alive?” “Hah? They are the hostages to catch that Michelle brat, so of course we do.” “Come on. Couldn’t we just catch the brat instead?” “Well she wasn’t there, so there you have it. Besides, don’t underestimate her just cuz she’s a brat. She’s a monster that could shoot enemies outside from the spire top.” Listening to that, one of them took a spit. Then he approached auntie and kicked her in frustration. “Gyah!?” That caused her to scream and sent her flying away. That change in position made it hard to do a surprise attack now. “Damn it, making us put extra work!” “Stop it. If you kill her, that brat’s arrows would be pointed at us next.” “So we’re using her parents as a shield huh. We sure have fallen low.” “It is how it is. We won’t be able to make a name for ourselves with our abilities. The fact that the second company claimed the Goblin raid achievements is also because we lack strength.” “If I had the chance, even I could’ve done the same!” This time, he went and kicked the uncle. Given how injured he already was, he failed to put up any defense and took on the kick, spitting out blood. He seemed to be already unconscious, however, as he didn’t raise any voice. There, I started considering the situation. If I broke inside the way things stood, I would only be putting them to danger. That said, uncle’s condition seemed quite bad too. I could wait until Cortina or Maxwell arrived, but his condition might worsen until then. “...I suppose it’s better that I deal with them to heal them as fast as possible, huh?” But in that case, I had to hide my identity if I intended to capture them alive. If they saw me display extraordinary fighting strength as Nicole, it could lead to complications. “It would be fine if I turn into Reid, but the clothes...” I had the academy clothes on me now. If I turned into Reid in this condition, I would just come off as a pervert. Well, in the worst case, I would just have to deal with it. “I’m not sure if auntie is still conscious either. But still...” I once again looked down. The man had kicked her once again and made her faint. Normally, I would curse them for doing something so inhuman, but this time, you could say it helped me too. After all, they had just made the witnesses faint for me. “I guess this is why there were petty underlings.” Now that there were no more witnesses, there was no need to hold back. Trying to keep the noises as low as possible, I undressed and folded my clothes. Then I took my leftover scroll and changed to Reid. The pain as if my body was melting tormented me, but I gritted my teeth and endured screaming. I had experienced this pain many times already, so I was quite used to it. Still, it was difficult to endure it completely. As I was clutching my fist, I ended up scratching the wooden board of the room, and the sounds reached inside. “What’s wrong?” “I heard something from the rooftop...” “It’s probably just a rat, don’t ya think? We are in a forest, you know.” “Check it just in case. Maybe the girl chased after us.” “Please, some brat can’t possibly be so skilled in pursuit, can she?” While saying that, the man walked to the door with lazy steps. You could say this was a good opportunity for me. While holding my head that was still tingling with pain, I moved to the roof edge. Just as I summoned my gauntlets to me, the door below opened. I then jumped off, attacking the man from above. As I slammed my elbow on his head, he could only muster a weird yelp and collapsed on the spot. These guys had some mastermind, so I couldn’t kill them until they spit it out. Seeing me suddenly show up, the two other guys stood shocked without understanding what happened. “Wh-... Who the **** is this pervert!” I ended up yelling back, but their reaction was natural. If a naked man in gauntlets jumped from the roof, just about anyone would shrink back. Even I. Still, I couldn’t care less about their state now. I closed in on the flinching men and drove a knee into one’s gut. He was certainly taken aback, but my speed was quite something too. Physical strengthening using the threads as well as Enchant magic. And above all, the body that could handle them both. As all of those overlapped, I managed to move so fast inside the hut that they couldn’t even follow me with eyes. And as expected, a bunch who would get involved in such a fraud had no competency to deal with it. Thus, one of them took my knee head-on and flew back without putting up any defense. And before he hit the wall, I drove in a hand chop on the other man’s neck. “Wha-, he dissa-” My chop landed right after he said that, making him faint. In the hut where there was no one conscious left, I alone stood buck naked. “...Let’s get dressed.” Saying that, I promptly started to strip the man off their clothes.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 3, "inserted_lines_src": 17, "inserted_lines_trg": 0 }
異世界転生したと周囲の人間に打ち明けたところで、信じてくれる者はいないと思っていた。目の前にいる女ダークエルフの存在は心の重荷をおろすには十分で、シェーナの背中を優しくさすって聞いてくれた。「色々と頑張ったけど、辛くて怖かったよ! この異世界では浩太ではないと否定されて自分が自分でない恐怖......と言ったらいいのかな。皆はシェーナ・ウラバルトとして俺を女性と認識するのが嫌だった。俺の中には前世の浩太もいるんだと叫びたかった!」「ああ、私には分かるよ。シェーナ・ウラバルトの中にはたしかに浩太は存在する。キシャナ・ウスティーにも俺が......康弘は存在する。常人には理解できないことかもしれないが、それを理解できる者は私だけだ」神様がいるのなら、何故このような残酷なことをしたのだろう。前世の記憶がなければ、こんなに苦しむことはなかったかもしれない。でも、記憶があったからこそ前世の親友と無事に再会できたのは事実である。「異世界転生は何か意味があることだと思う。それを私達なりに探っていこう」「......うん」「よし! お腹も減ってきたし、夕飯は奮発して美味しい御馳走を用意しちゃおうかなぁ」キシャナは台所の床下に保存してある燻製肉と野菜の漬物を瓶から取り出して調理を始める。自炊は手慣れたもので、胴ベルトのようなものからナイフを取り出して燻製肉を捌いていくと、鉄製のフライパンに移して指からキシャナの魔法で炎が放たれてさっと炒める。皿の盛り付けを終えると、家庭菜園で育てているハーブりして完成する。「おまたせしました。あと私が漬けた漬物もあるから食べてね」「良い香りがして美味しそうだし、漬物なんて久しぶりだな」「最近作ってみたんだけど、日本で食べていた物に比べて味は正直落ちるね。試行錯誤しているけど、独学だと今のところこれが限界かな」早速キシャナが漬けてくれた漬物を口に入れると、たしかに美味しいのだが前世で食べた漬物と比べると見劣りする。それでも一生懸命になって作ってくれた物にケチをつけるつもりはないし、漬物を食べさせてくれたキシャナには感謝の言葉しかない。「美味しいよ! 心を込めて作ってくれた料理に勝るものはない」「それ、褒められてるのか微妙だなぁ。無理に言わせてたら申し訳ないし、今晩は私を食べちゃってもいいよ」キシャナは胸をチラつかせてシェーナに言い寄ると、シェーナは顔を真っ赤にして首を横に振る。「すまん......そんなつもりで言ったんじゃないんだ! 頼むからそういう冗談はよしてくれよ」「あはは、相変わらず可愛らしい反応だね」意地悪な笑みを浮かべて、キシャナは自分の席に戻る。今日ほど楽しい食事はない。できることなら、ずっと続いて欲しいとシェーナは願う。	Schenna was well aware that no one would believe her if she were to ever open up and say that she was actually once a boy and was reborn in this world. However, just the existence of the female dark elf that was standing right in front of her was enough to put her mind at ease, as she patted Schenna in the back and listened to her. “I really did try my best, but it was just so harsh and scary! The fear of living in this world and being denied of my own identity as Kouta while being Kouta... If that’s even the correct way to describe what I felt. I hated being recognized as Schenna Urablatt by everyone. “Yeah, I understand you perfectly. Kouta does in fact still exist inside Schenna Urablatt. Just like Yasuhiro... still exists in Kishana Ustey. It’s just something that only we can understand, other people would never be able to.” If God does exist, then why did things turn out this way. If only the memories had not remained, there would be no need for them to suffer. But then again, only because those memories were still there, the two best friends were able to meet each other once again. “I think there must be a meaning for being reborn in a different world. Then it’s up to both of us to find that meaning” “... Yeah” “Alright! I’m getting hungry, time to make something delicious for dinner” Kishana headed to the kitchen and took out the smoking meat along with some vegetables from a bin and began cooking. She was already used to cook for herself so she had this utility belt around her waist, from which she took a knife out and began cutting the meat. She then placed it on the iron fry pan and lit up the stove with magic that came out of her finger, thus beginning the cooking process. “Sorry to keep you waiting. I added some pickles so feel free to take a bite!” “It’s got a really good smell and looks delicious, plus it’s been a while since I ate pickles.” “I just recently started trying making them, however, it doesn’t compare to what we had in Japan at all. So far this is the best I could do, taking into account that I’m learning by myself by trial and error.” Schenna promptly tried out the pickles and they were indeed pretty good, however like Kishana had said already, they were no comparison to the ones they had in Japan. Still, she had put all her effort into making the pickles so Schenna couldn’t afford to be stingy about it, so she kept thanking her over and over. “It’s delicious! There’s nothing that can beat food made with passion, that’s for sure!” “Ugh, I’m not quite sure if I should take that as a compliment. I sort of feel like I’m forcing you to say that after telling you I had been trying my best lately to make them so you can eat me instead if you want” Schenna’s face turned red and she tried looking away as Kishana slightly flashed out her breasts and closed the distance between them. “I’m sorry... I didn’t mean it that way! I’m begging you, don’t pull those jokes on me” “Hahah, such an adorable reaction as usual.” Showing off a teasing smile, Kishana headed back to her seat. There’s no other dinner that compares to how fun this one was. Schenna kept thinking if only it was possible to stay like that forever, nothing would make her happier.	{ "source": "manual-fanfic", "missed_lines": 0, "inserted_lines_src": 0, "inserted_lines_trg": 2 }
悪しからず私は脳神経外科医で長い歴史を持つ脳神経学の仕事に携わっています今日みなさんにお話しするのはあらゆる脳神経回路をダイヤル調節するように調節し機能を活性・不活性化したりして患者を治療する方法です今言いましたように脳神経外科には長い歴史があり約7千年にもなりますメソアメリカにも脳神経手術が存在し患者を治療していた脳神経外科医がいました彼らは脳が神経病や精神病に関係があることを知っていました正確には把握していませんでしたが今とあまり変わりませんねしかし彼らの考えは神経・精神病の原因は悪霊にとり憑かれることで神経や精神に問題が生じるので治療のためには頭蓋骨に穴をあけて悪霊を追い出さなければならないというものでしたこれがその穴です時には患者はかなり抵抗したようですというのも複数開けかけられた跡があるからですいくらか穿孔しすばやく切り上げたものと考えられます一部開けられた穴は1つでこの手術を受けて生き延びたのだと分かりますこれが当時のやり方で遺跡の中には見つかった頭蓋骨の1%に穴があることもあり神経・精神疾患は 7千年前もかなりよくあった事がわかります時代が進むにつれ脳の領野別の機能が分かってきました運動や視覚やあるいは記憶や食欲などをコントロールする領域などに脳が割り当てられていて物事がうまくいくときは神経系機能がうまく働きすべて正常に機能していますしかしときには物事があまりうまく行かず脳神経回路にトラブルが起こり誤作用している変異ニューロンが問題を引き起こしたり機能を鈍くしたりして正常に機能しないことがありますその事により起こる病気は変異ニューロンが脳のどこにあるかによります変異ニューロンが運動系の回路にある時は運動系の機能不全に陥りパーキンソン病のようなものに罹ります心的状態を制御する回路に機能不全がある場合はうつ病のようなものに罹りますまた記憶と認知機能を制御する回路にある場合はアルツハイマー病のようなものに罹りますそこで我々ができることは正確に障害のある箇所を突き止め脳神経回路に介入して機能を調整することですこれはちょうどラジオのダイヤルで調節して正しい局を選ぶようなものですジャズであれオペラであれ一度正しい局を選択すれば — 神経学的には運動であったり心的状態であったりですが— そこにダイヤルを設置しもうひとつのボタンを使用して音量を調整し強めたり弱めたりできますそれで次にお話することは電極が埋め込まれた脳神経回路の領野の機能を強めたり弱めたりして患者の脳機能を調節する脳深部刺激療法の装置についてです脳にこのように電極を埋め込みます 10セント硬貨サイズの穴を昔同様頭蓋骨に開け電極を挿入し配線は完全に皮膚の下に埋めんで胸のペースメーカーまで導きますちょうどテレビのリモコンのようにしてターゲットとなる領域に送る電力をリモコンで調整し強めたり弱めたりつけたり消したりできます現在世界のおよそ10 万人の患者が脳深部刺激療法を受けています症例をお見せしましょう脳深部刺激療法を用いて運動障害や気分障害・認知症疾患を治療した例です電極が埋め込まれた脳内の状態です頭蓋骨を通って電極が脳に入っているのが見えますこうして脳のあらゆる場所に配置できます私がよく言う事ですがどんなニューロンも神経外科医から隠れることはできませんなぜなら脳内何処でも確実に安全に届くからです最初にお見せするのはパーキンソン病患者の例ですこの女性はパーキンソン病を患っており脳には電極が埋め込まれてあります彼女の様子をお見せしましょう電極がオフのときパーキンソン病の症状があります電極をオンにしますこのような感じです電極は今オフで震えが見られます医師:大丈夫患者:できないわ医師:私の指に触れられる? 医師:少し良くなった患者:そちら側の方がいいわ電極をオンにします今オンになりましたこのように直ちに効果が現れます震えの有無の違いは— (拍手) 震えの有無の違いは視床下核における 2万5千個のニューロンの誤作動と関係しています問題のニューロンを見つけ出し「いい加減にして」「やめて欲しい」と電気で制御します電気を使いニューロンの興奮具合を見て誤作動をブロックし変異ニューロンの活動を抑制しているのです我々はこの手法を他の疾患にも使い始めました興味深い問題についてお伝えしましょうジストニアのケースに遭遇した事がありますジストニアは子供たちを襲う病気です遺伝性疾患でねじれを引き起こし徐々により酷いねじれになり体が痛くなるまでよじれ息が出来なくなり尿路感染症を起こし死に至ります 1997年にこの少年を診るよう依頼されました彼は他に問題はなかったのですが遺伝的ジストニアがありました家族には8人子どもがいてそのうち5人にジストニアがありましたその少年です少年は9歳で 6歳まで健常児でしたが最初に右足がねじれ始め左足右腕そして左腕さらに体幹と進みました彼が到着した時には発症から1〜2年経っていてもはや歩くことも立つこともできず身体不自由になっていましたこの病気によく見られる進行です悪化するにつれ次第にねじれて身体不自由になり子どもたちの多くは生き残れません彼は今話した5人の子の1人ですこのように腹這いで動き回るしかありませんでしたどんな薬も効き目がありませんでしたこの少年に何をすべきか分からずどんな手術をすべきか脳内のどこを治療標的にしたら良いかも分かりませんでしたしかしパーキンソン病における成果にもとづいて抑制を試みようと判断しましたパーキンソン病で抑制した脳内の同じ箇所を抑制しどうなるか見てみようと回復を期待して手術をしました回復を期待して手術をしましたこれが現在の彼ですイスラエルに戻っています術後3ヵ月の彼です (拍手) この成果を元にこの手術が現在世界中で行われています何百人という子どもたちがこのような手術で助けられていますこの少年は今大学生になりごく普通の生活を送っていますこれはジストニアの子の運動と歩行を回復するために今までの経歴の中で行った手術の中で最も満足のいく術例の1つです (拍手) 我々はこの技術を運動回路の制御だけでなく他の回路にも使えるのではと考え次に気分を司る回路の制御をするためうつ病に取り組むことに決めましたうつ病が蔓延しているのも選んだ理由ですご存知のようにうつ病に対する治療法は薬や心理療法と多くあり電気けいれん療法までもありますしかし何百万人ものうつ病患者の10〜20%にはそういう治療は効きませんそんな患者こそを助けたいと思っていますうつ病患者を助けるために使えるかどうか見てみましょうまず最初にうつ病患者と健常者の脳で何が異なるか比較しました具体的に脳の血流を見るため PET 画像を撮りましたうつ病患者と健常者を比較して気づいたのは脳のある領野で機能が停止していることですまさにブルーの箇所ですその青い箇所が動機、意欲、意思決定に関与している領野です実際重度なうつ状態になるとそれらの領野の機能が損なわれ動機と意欲に欠けることになります他に分かった事は過活動であった領野領野25です赤で見られます領野25は悲哀の中枢です人を悲しませた場合たとえば私があなたに死ぬ前に最後に見た親や友人を思い出させた場合脳のこの領野が点灯します脳の悲哀の中枢ですうつ病患者はここが活動過剰なので悲哀の領野は赤くなっていますここが最大限に活動する一方で意欲と動機に関与する脳の他の領野は停止しますそこで悲哀の領野に電極を配置しサーモスタットを下げて温度調節するように活動を抑えることができないだろうかその結果どうなるだろうかと考えうつ病患者に電極を埋め込みましたこれはエモリー大学の私の同僚ヘレン・メイバーグとの共同研究結果です領野25に電極を配置しました一番上のスキャン画像が手術前です領野25 悲哀の領野は過活動の赤で前頭葉が青で停止していますそして術後3ヵ月 1日24 時間 6ヵ月の継続的な刺激を与え完全な逆転が実現しました領野25を抑制することができより正常であるレベルにまで再び脳の前頭葉を戻すことができましたこのように重度のうつ病患者において非常に著しい成果が見られています現在は第3相臨床試験中で重度のうつ病の患者を治療するために安全かつ有効であると分かればこれが新しい治療になるかもしれません脳深部刺激療法は運動系の治療に使えることをパーキンソン病とジストニアの症例で示し心的回路の治療に使えることをうつ病の症例で示しましたではより賢くなるために脳深部刺激療法を使えないでしょうか? 興味ありませんか? (拍手) もちろんできますよね? そこで我々は脳内の記憶回路を加速しようと決めました活動を加速できるかどうか見るため記憶と認知機能を制御する回路に電極を配置します現在健常者には行いません認知障害がある患者に行います我々はアルツハイマー病患者への治療を選択しました認知障害・記憶障害を抱える患者ですご存知のように認知障害・記憶障害はアルツハイマー病の主な早期症状ですそこで脳弓と呼ばれる脳の領域の回路内に電極を配置しました脳弓は記憶が出たり入ったりする高速道路ですそこで記憶回路をオンにしてアルツハイマー病患者に役立つかどうか見ようと電極配置したのですところがアルツハイマー病では脳でのブドウ糖消費において重大な問題が判明しましたブドウ糖消費にかけては脳は少し貪欲です脳のブトウ糖消費量は人体のブトウ糖消費量の20%です脳の重量は体重のほんの 2%であるにも拘らずその10倍もの割合— 人体の総ブドウ糖消費量の20 % が脳によって使用されます正常の状態から軽度の認知機能障害の状態になるというのはアルツハイマーの前兆で果てはアルツハイマー病になり脳のある領野ではブドウ糖消費を止め機能が停止してしまうということです確かに回りの赤い領野は次第に青で覆われて行き確かに回りの赤い領野は次第に青で覆われて行き機能が完全に停止するまで続いているのが分かります機能が完全に停止するまで続いているのが分かりますこれは停電と似ています脳の領野における部分的な停電ですアルツハイマー病の患者は脳のある部分で電灯が消えているようなものです電灯は永遠に消えるのでしょうかそれともまた点灯することができるのでしょうか脳の領野がブドウ糖をまた使えるようにできるでしょうかそこでアルツハイマー病の患者の脳弓に電極を埋め込みオンにして脳のブドウ糖消費に何が起こるか見ました一番上が手術前です青はブドウ糖消費が正常時よりも少ない領野大部分は頭頂葉と側頭葉ですこれらの脳の領野は停止しています電灯が消えているようなものです DBS電極を配置し 1ヵ月から1年待ちます赤の領野がブドウ糖消費を増やした領野ですブドウ糖を消費していなかった領野を再びブドウ糖を消費する領野にすることができましたつまりアルツハイマー病では電灯は消えているけれども家に誰かがいてまた点灯できるということで我々の方法で脳のこれらの領野に機能が戻ることが期待されます現在は臨床試験中です初期のアルツハイマー病の 50人の患者に手術をこれが安全かつ効果的かどうか神経学的機能を改善できるか見るため行う計画です (拍手) 今日皆さんにお伝えしたいことはさまざまな病態にわたって正常に作動しない脳神経回路がありますがパーキンソン病であれうつ病、統合失調症アルツハイマー病であれどの脳神経回路や領野が臨床徴候と病気の症状に関与しているか理解しようと我々は研究しています今やそれらの神経回路に到達し電極を埋め込み回路の活動を修正することが可能です脳の至る場所で感知されるトラブルを引き起こしているような過剰活動の場合は弱めることができ機能が低下している場合は強めることができますそうすることで全体的に脳機能の改善が可能になるかもしれませんという事はもちろん病状を改善させられるかもしれないとういうことですまだお話していませんが電気を使用して損傷した領野も修復できるだろうという事も分かっていますこれは将来に向けて重大なことです活動そのものだけでなく脳機能自体の修復も可能だという事です脳機能自体の修復も可能だという事ですこの技術の適用は大きく拡がるだろうと予想しています多くの脳疾患に電極が配置されることでしょう最もエキサイティングなことの1つはあらゆる分野技術者医用画像科学や基礎分野の科学者神経学者、精神科医脳神経外科医などとの共同作業— お互い刺激し合う複数分野との連携で成り立っているということですそして将来時が経つにつれさらに多くの悪霊を脳から追い払うことができるようになりその結果もちろんより多くの患者を助けることができるようになるでしょうありがとうございました	I just wanted you to know that. So I am indeed a neurosurgeon, and I follow a long tradition of neurosurgery, and what I'm going to tell you about today is adjusting the dials in the circuits in the brain, being able to go anywhere in the brain and turning areas of the brain up or down to help our patients. It's been around for about 7,000 years. In Mesoamerica, there used to be neurosurgery, and there were these neurosurgeons that used to treat patients. And they were trying to -- they knew that the brain was involved in neurological and psychiatric disease. They didn't know exactly what they were doing. Not much has changed, by the way. But they thought that, it must be because you are possessed So if you are possessed by an evil spirit causing neurologic or psychiatric problems, then the way to treat this is, of course, to make a hole in your skull and let the evil spirit escape. So this was the thinking back then, and these individuals made these holes. Sometimes the patients were a little bit reluctant to go through this because, you can tell that the holes are made partially and then, I think, there was some trepanation, and then they left very quickly and it was only a partial hole, and we know they survived these procedures. But this was common. There were some sites where one percent of all the skulls have these holes, and so you can see that neurologic and psychiatric disease is quite common, and it was also quite common about 7,000 years ago. Now, in the course of time, different parts of the brain do different things. So there are areas of the brain that are dedicated to controlling your movement or your vision or your memory or your appetite, and so on. And when things work well, then the nervous system works well, and everything functions. But once in a while, things don't go so well, and there's trouble in these circuits, and there are some rogue neurons that are misfiring and causing trouble, or sometimes they're underactive and they're not quite working as they should. Now, the manifestation of this depends on where in the brain these neurons are. So when these neurons are in the motor circuit, you get dysfunction in the movement system, and you get things like Parkinson's disease. When the malfunction is in a circuit that regulates your mood, you get things like depression, and when it is in a circuit that controls your memory and cognitive function, then you get things like Alzheimer's disease. So what we've been able to do is to pinpoint where these disturbances are in the brain, and we've been able to intervene within these circuits in the brain to either turn them up or turn them down. So this is very much like choosing the correct station Once you choose the right station, whether it be jazz or opera, in our case whether it be movement or mood, we can put the dial there, and then we can use a second button to adjust the volume, to turn it up or turn it down. So what I'm going to tell you about is using the circuitry of the brain to implant electrodes and turning areas of the brain up and down to see if we can help our patients. And this is accomplished using this kind of device, and this is called deep brain stimulation. So what we're doing is placing these electrodes throughout the brain. Again, we are making holes in the skull about the size of a dime, putting an electrode in, and then this electrode is completely underneath the skin down to a pacemaker in the chest, and with a remote control very much like a television remote control, we can adjust how much electricity we deliver to these areas of the brain. We can turn it up or down, on or off. Now, about a hundred thousand patients in the world have received deep brain stimulation, and I'm going to show you some examples of using deep brain stimulation to treat disorders of movement, disorders of mood and disorders of cognition. So this looks something like this when it's in the brain. You see the electrode going through the skull into the brain and resting there, and we can place this really anywhere in the brain. I tell my friends that no neuron is safe from a neurosurgeon, because we can really reach just about anywhere in the brain quite safely now. Now the first example I'm going to show you is a patient with Parkinson's disease, and this lady has Parkinson's disease, and she has these electrodes in her brain, and I'm going to show you what she's like when the electrodes are turned off and she has her Parkinson's symptoms, and then we're going to turn it on. So this looks something like this. The electrodes are turned off now, and you can see that she has tremor. Man: Okay. Woman: I can't. Man: Can you try to touch my finger? Man: That's a little better. Woman: That side is better. We're now going to turn it on. It's on. Just turned it on. And this works like that, instantly. And the difference between shaking in this way and not -- The difference between shaking in this way and not is related to the misbehavior of 25,000 neurons in her subthalamic nucleus. So we now know how to find these troublemakers and tell them, "Gentlemen, that's enough. We want you to stop doing that." And we do that with electricity. So we use electricity to dictate how they fire, and we try to block their misbehavior using electricity. So in this case, we are suppressing the activity of abnormal neurons. We started using this technique in other problems, and I'm going to tell you about a fascinating problem that we encountered, a case of dystonia. So dystonia is a disorder affecting children. It's a genetic disorder, and it involves a twisting motion, and these children get progressively more and more twisting until they can't breathe, until they get sores, urinary infections, and then they die. So back in 1997, I was asked to see this young boy, perfectly normal. He has this genetic form of dystonia. There are eight children in the family. Five of them have dystonia. So here he is. This boy is nine years old, perfectly normal until the age six, and then he started twisting his body, first the right foot, then the left foot, then the right arm, then the left arm, then the trunk, and then by the time he arrived, within the course of one or two years of the disease onset, he could no longer walk, he could no longer stand. He was crippled, and indeed the natural progression as this gets worse is for them to become progressively twisted, progressively disabled, and many of these children do not survive. So he is one of five kids. The only way he could get around was crawling on his belly like this. He did not respond to any drugs. We did not know what to do with this boy. We did not know what operation to do, where to go in the brain, but on the basis of our results in Parkinson's disease, we reasoned, why don't we try to suppress the same area in the brain that we suppressed in Parkinson's disease, and let's see what happens? So here he was. We operated on him hoping that he would get better. We did not know. So here he is now, back in Israel where he lives, three months after the procedure, and here he is. On the basis of this result, this is now a procedure that's done throughout the world, and there have been hundreds of children that have been helped with this kind of surgery. This boy is now in university and leads quite a normal life. This has been one of the most satisfying cases that I have ever done in my entire career, to restore movement and walking to this kind of child. We realized that perhaps we could use this technology not only in circuits that control your movement but also circuits that control other things, and the next thing that we took on was circuits that control your mood. And we decided to take on depression, and the reason we took on depression is because it's so prevalent, and as you know, there are many treatments for depression, with medication and psychotherapy, even electroconvulsive therapy, but there are millions of people, and there are still 10 or 20 percent of patients with depression that do not respond, and it is these patients that we want to help. to help these patients with depression. So the first thing we did was, we compared, what's different in the brain of someone with depression and someone who is normal, and what we did was PET scans to look at the blood flow of the brain, and what we noticed is that in patients with depression compared to normals, areas of the brain are shut down, and those are the areas in blue. and the areas in blue are areas that are involved in motivation, in drive and decision-making, and indeed, if you're severely depressed as these patients were, those are impaired. You lack motivation and drive. The other thing we discovered was an area that was overactive, area 25, seen there in red, and area 25 is the sadness center of the brain. If I make any of you sad, for example, I make you remember the last time you saw your parent before they died or a friend before they died, this area of the brain lights up. It is the sadness center of the brain. And so patients with depression have hyperactivity. The area of the brain for sadness is on red hot. The thermostat is set at 100 degrees, and the other areas of the brain, involved in drive and motivation, are shut down. So we wondered, can we place electrodes in this area of sadness and see if we can turn down the thermostat, can we turn down the activity, and what will be the consequence of that? So we went ahead and implanted electrodes in patients with depression. This is work done with my colleague Helen Mayberg from Emory. And we placed electrodes in area 25, and in the top scan you see before the operation, area 25, the sadness area is red hot, and the frontal lobes are shut down in blue, and then, after three months of continuous stimulation, 24 hours a day, or six months of continuous stimulation, we have a complete reversal of this. We're able to drive down area 25, down to a more normal level, the frontal lobes of the brain, and indeed we're seeing very striking results in these patients with severe depression. So now we are in clinical trials, and are in Phase III clinical trials, and this may become a new procedure, if it's safe and we find that it's effective, to treat patients with severe depression. I've shown you that we can use deep brain stimulation to treat the motor system in cases of Parkinson's disease and dystonia. I've shown you that we can use it to treat a mood circuit in cases of depression. Can we use deep brain stimulation to make you smarter? Anybody interested in that? Of course we can, right? So what we've decided to do is the memory circuits in the brain. We're going to place electrodes within the circuits that regulate your memory and cognitive function to see if we can turn up their activity. Now we're not going to do this in normal people. We're going to do this in people that have cognitive deficits, and we've chosen to treat patients with Alzheimer's disease who have cognitive and memory deficits. As you know, this is the main symptom of early onset Alzheimer's disease. So we've placed electrodes within this circuit in an area of the brain called the fornix, which is the highway in and out of this memory circuit, with the idea to see if we can turn on this memory circuit, and whether that can, in turn, help these patients with Alzheimer's disease. Now it turns out that in Alzheimer's disease, there's a huge deficit in glucose utilization in the brain. The brain is a bit of a hog when it comes to using glucose. It uses 20 percent of all your -- even though it only weighs two percent -- it uses 10 times more glucose than it should based on its weight. Twenty percent of all the glucose in your body is used by the brain, and as you go from being normal to having mild cognitive impairment, which is a precursor for Alzheimer's, all the way to Alzheimer's disease, then there are areas of the brain that stop using glucose. They shut down. They turn off. And indeed, what we see is that these areas in red around the outside ribbon of the brain are progressively getting more and more blue until they shut down completely. This is analogous to having a power failure in an area of the brain, a regional power failure. So the lights are out in parts of the brain in patients with Alzheimer's disease, and the question is, are the lights out forever, or can we turn the lights back on? Can we get those areas of the brain to use glucose once again? So this is what we did. We implanted electrodes in the fornix of patients with Alzheimer's disease, we turned it on, and we looked at what happens to glucose use in the brain. And indeed, at the top, you'll see before the surgery, the areas in blue are the areas that use less glucose than normal, predominantly the parietal and temporal lobes. These areas of the brain are shut down. The lights are out in these areas of the brain. We then put in the DBS electrodes and we wait for a month or a year, and the areas in red represent the areas where we increase glucose utilization. And indeed, we are able to get these areas of the brain that were not using glucose to use glucose once again. So the message here is that, in Alzheimer's disease, the lights are out, but there is someone home, and we're able to turn the power back on to these areas of the brain, and as we do so, we expect that their functions will return. So this is now in clinical trials. with early Alzheimer's disease to see whether this is safe and effective, whether we can improve their neurologic function. So the message I want to leave you with today is that, indeed, there are several circuits in the brain whether we're talking about Parkinson's disease, depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's. We are now learning to understand what are the circuits, what are the areas of the brain that are responsible for the clinical signs and the symptoms of those diseases. We can now reach those circuits. We can introduce electrodes within those circuits. We can graduate the activity of those circuits. We can turn them down if they are overactive, if they're causing trouble, trouble that is felt throughout the brain, or we can turn them up if they are underperforming, and in so doing, we think that we may be able to help the overall function of the brain. The implications of this, of course, is that we may be able to modify the symptoms of the disease, but I haven't told you but there's also some evidence that we might be able to help the repair of damaged areas of the brain using electricity, and this is something for the future, to see if, indeed, we not only change the activity but also some of the reparative functions of the brain can be harvested. So I envision that we're going to see a great expansion of indications of this technique. We're going to see electrodes being placed for many disorders of the brain. One of the most exciting things about this is that, indeed, it involves multidisciplinary work. It involves the work of engineers, of imaging scientists, of basic scientists, of neurologists, psychiatrists, neurosurgeons, and certainly at the interface of these multiple disciplines that there's the excitement. And I think that we will see that we will be able to chase more of these evil spirits out from the brain as time goes on, and the consequence of that, of course, will be that we will be able to help many more patients. Thank you very much.	{ "source": "iwslt2017", "missed_lines": null, "inserted_lines_src": null, "inserted_lines_trg": null }

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