Mithra | The Lingering Scent of Affection

[healingbonds]

MahoYaku Masterpost & Translator's Notes

CHAPTER 1

Akira: I’ve gotten used to living in the magic headquarters, and we didn’t have any trouble today. What a nice, peaceful day. I’ll spend the rest of the night relaxi.....

(Bam)

Akira: ....!? Did I just jinx it — what was that crash just now!? Wh-what happened!?

(Door opens) (Running)

✦✧☾✧✦

Mithra: .....Sigh.......

Akira: (It’s Mithra.... He looks super irritated.....)
(Can I talk to him..... Or will he just kill me....)

Mithra: ......Sir Sage.

Akira: ....! Hello, Mithra! What a coincidence, seeing you here!

Mithra: Sigh...... You always look so happy. Must be nice.

Akira: D-did something happen to you, Mithra?

Mithra: ....I can’t sleep.....

Akira: Right.... You have insomnia, right, Mithra? That must be rough.....

Mithra: It’s extremely exhausting. That’s why I was hoping to at least lose consciousness.

Akira: Lose consciousness....?

Mithra: Sometimes you pass out when you’re attacked, right? I asked Owen to attack me, hoping that would happen.
But then I retaliated on reflex, and....

Akira: Retaliated....? .....! Owen’s passed out on the ground! I-is he okay....!?

Mithra: He’s fine. This man doesn’t die. Sigh.... He’s fast asleep... I’m so jealous. Maybe I should humiliate him horribly.......

Akira: M-Mithra, please calm down.... You do seem very irritated..... Like you’re on edge......

Mithra: Sigh..... I want to sleep......

Akira: (He looks exhausted.... Pulling one all-nighter is rough enough already. I can’t imagine what it’s like to never sleep....)

Hoping to be of help, I try to give him some advice.


Option: Why don’t you try counting sheep?

Mithra: I tried that already. Rutile suggested it too....
But as I gathered and counted Lennox’s sheep, I just felt more and more awake.
That idea is probably a sham.

Akira: (Ah, so he literally counted sheep....)


Option: Why don’t you try taking a half body bath?

Mithra: A half body bath?

Akira: You slowly lower your body into the water until your hips are underwater. It warms your whole body and helps you sleep.

Mithra: Ah, I attempted that once, but then Bradley and I tried to kill each other.

Akira: (While taking a half body bath!?)

Mithra: He started complaining, "Don’t take the hot water out of the bath, you’re making it all lukewarm...." That man thinks he’s the boss of the bathroom.
That’s why I had to put him in his place — by showing him who truly controls the temperature and the water in the baths.

Akira: Turf wars happen in the bathroom too, huh.....


Mithra: I’m trying to come up with all sorts of ideas, you know? That’s how I ended up at getting someone to knock me unconscious.....


CHAPTER 2

Owen was sacrificed to Mithra's reflexive counterattack. I think for a while, and come up with an idea.

Akira: That’s right! Why don’t we ask Oz? Oz won’t get knocked out even if you retaliate.

Mithra: True....
I guess I have no choice. I hate having to rely on that man, but I’ll go ask Oz for his help.

Akira: Ah, wait! Mithra! Don’t just leave Owen here! At least carry him to his room....!

✦✧☾✧✦

Oz: ...And that’s why you came to me?

Mithra: Sigh.... Well, yes.
Hurry up and knock me out. You won’t die even if I retaliate.

Oz: That is not how you ask for help.

Akira: Oz, please spare him. Mithra is having a hard time because he can’t sleep.

Oz: ...... If the Sage wishes, then I suppose I must. Get ready, Mithra.

Mithra: Sir Sage. You should look away. This man has the personality of the devil, so there’s no guarantee that I won’t end up disfigured.

Akira: P-please don’t take it too far, both of you.

Oz: Here we go.
<< Vox no..... >>
.......Zz......

Akira: Ah....! Oz fell asleep! I didn’t realize the sun had set....!

Mithra: ....This bastard..... I’m suffering from insomnia, and he has the guts to fall asleep so happily right before my eyes......

Akira: O-Oz. Please wake up.....

Mithra: Please move, Sir Sage.... Watching his sleeping face just infuriates me.
I’ll kill him for real tonight.

Akira: No, Mithra...! Don’t rush into it! Please think it over...!

Mithra: << Arthi.... >>
......

Mithra pauses.
He looks down at Oz, and in the next moment, spins around and leaves the room.

(Footsteps)

✦✧☾✧✦

Upon reaching his own room, Mithra lies down on his bed, sulking.

Mithra: ....Sigh.... Everyone is so useless.....


CHAPTER 3

Akira: (He looks really worn down... He’s making a fuss, but I feel bad for him. But wow...)


Option: What a moody room.....

Mithra: What does that mean?

Akira: It’s... Dark, and mysterious, and has a real wizard-like atmosphere.

Mithra: I agree. I’m not like that boring man who has nothing but a fireplace in his room. I’m of a different class.

Akira: (He looks a little proud....)


Option: There are lots of taxidermied animals and bones....

Mithra: Well, I use them for rituals.

Akira: Even the mounted deer on the wall?

Mithra: That’s not a deer. That’s the head of the spirit king who was treated like a god in the ancient forest.

Akira: Eh.... That’s incredible.....
....! Did its eyes just move!?

Mithra: Sometimes it looks at me, like when I’m changing or doing warm-up stretches.

Akira: (A peeping spirit king....)


Option: That’s a cute body pillow.....

Mithra pulls the crescent moon-shaped body pillow close to his body. He puts his cheek on the pillow, and boasts:

Mithra: Rutile gave it to me. So I could sleep.

Akira: (He looks cute.....)

Mithra: I can’t sleep, but. It does feel good when I rest my head on it like this.


(Knock knock)

Akira: Ah... Mithra, it looks like you have a visitor.

Mithra: You get the door. You’re capable of that much, right?

Akira: (He’s just non-stop snark right now....)
Ye~s, who is it?

(Door opens)

Rutile: Sir Sage! I didn’t know you were here.

Akira: Hello, Rutile. Why did you drop by?

Rutile: Mister Mithra said he couldn’t sleep, so I made him a sleep mask stuffed with herbs.

Akira: Rutile, you’re so kind.....

Rutile: It’s because Mister Mithra is all irritated and won’t stop whining, like, "The Southern wizards are all useless."
I don’t want to sit back and take it, but I also can’t leave him alone when he’s miserable. Mister Mithra~, how are you feeling?


CHAPTER 4

Mithra, still sideways, gives Rutile a listless glare.

Mithra: ....Your voice is so loud that even if I could sleep, you’d have forced me awake.

Rutile ignores him and shoves him the sleep mask with a smile.

Mithra: Wah.....

Rutile: I’m glad you’re doing well. Here, isn’t the scent of the herbs relaxing? Even if you can’t sleep, it’ll make you feel better.

Mithra: I don’t feel better at all.

Rutile: Geez, don’t be all mopey. Take a deep breath. It smells nice.

Mithra: ....Sigh.....

Rutile strokes Mithra’s head and turns around to look at me.

Rutile: Sir Sage, I’m supposed to go help Mitile with his studies. Can I leave Mister Mithra to you?

Akira: Got it. Thank you, Rutile. Mithra, you should say thank you too.

Mithra: ............

Mithra lifts his sleep mask and looks up at Rutile like a pouting animal.
His listless, irritated gaze also makes me think of a spoiled child.
I recall how his master, the great witch Tiretta, was Rutile’s mother.

Mithra: ....Thank you.

Rutile smiles cheerfully.

Rutile: I’ll come back to check in on you tonight. Be good to Sir Sage, okay?

(Door closes)

After Rutile leaves, Mithra turns that same gaze on me.
I’m surprised by how defenseless he is. Mithra has a very pretty face, so I’m almost stunned by his looks.

Mithra: ...Please talk about something.

Akira: Talk about something...?

Mithra: Yes. Something that will distract me.

Akira: All right. Ah... You should put the sleep mask on.

Mithra: I’ll do it after I get sleepy. I want to use it at the most effective timing. Come on, hurry up and say something.

I think for a moment, and come up with a suggestion.

Akira: How about I ask you some questions, Mithra?

Mithra: Sigh.... That’s fine. I can’t sleep anyway.....



CHAPTER 5

Akira: Great. I’ve been taking notes on all the wizards in the sage’s manual, you see.
On what you don’t want to do, and what you dislike... So that everyone will have an easier time transitioning after I return to my world.

Mithra: You’re going back to another world?

Akira: Yes... Probably, one day.

Mithra: ......... I see.....

Mithra falls silent. His silence reminds me of how he looked when he was gazing down at Oz a little while earlier.
It’s a wistful, puzzled glance.

Mithra: Go ahead. ...Ask me your questions.

Akira: Ah... Yes. Then can you please tell me your age, and where you’re from?

Mithra: I was born near the Lake of Death in the North. I was born in the distant past, but I am younger than Oz and Figaro.....

Akira: What kind of place is the Lake of Death?

Mithra: It’s a cold and needlessly vast lake. There was a village nearby.... It’s been destroyed since then, but I was a ferryman there.

Akira: A ferryman....?

Mithra: Ah, is that no longer a job nowadays? Or maybe it was unique to the region..... It involves carrying the dead to their burial grounds by boat.
It was a job that was looked upon with disdain, but I actually quite liked it. The lake, the boat, the dead, the snow — they were all so quiet....

Akira: Is being a ferryman a job for wizards?

Mithra: No... I don’t think so.
Back then, neither the villagers nor I realized that I was a wizard. It was apparently a base job, being a ferryman.
The villagers taught me this formal manner of speech. Though at the time I didn’t realize it was quite so formal.
Why did I do that job....? It was probably because I had no family. But all I remember is the pure white landscape.

I’m surprised by Mithra’s past.
I imagine Mithra carrying the dead on a boat across a snowy, frozen lake.
His hair must have been the only burning red color in a soundless world at the very tip of Northern Country.


CHAPTER 6

Mithra: I only realized I was a wizard after I met the witch Tiretta.

Mithra mutters, covering his eyes with the palm of his hand.

Mithra: At first, I had no idea what she was saying.
She said I didn’t understand because I was uneducated and didn’t know many words.....
But Tiretta dropped by once in a while to chat, and that was how I learned about magic and the country.
And then.... We knew each other for a long time after that.

Akira: I see.... What kind of person was Miss Tiretta?

Mithra: She was like a flower.

My eyes widen at his poetic expression.
Mithra nonchalantly continues.

Mithra: Though sometimes she was also like a wild beast. ...How should I put it? She carried the same distracting feeling that comes when spring arrives.
She was loud, like birds chirping.... She would often give me food and clothes, and touch my face, and lock her arms around mine.

Akira: ....Were you two lovers?

Mithra: Hm.... We weren’t like that. And Tiretta ended up marrying a human, after all.
The twins said she was like my mother, but that doesn’t seem right either. She was more like my master, my comrade, and my little sister.
She got mad easily, and cried all the time..... She wouldn’t stop talking, and she was annoying, but if I didn’t see her face for a while, I’d think of her and wonder what she was doing.
That’s why when I think of her now, I also remember that she’s dead, and..... It feels strange.

Akira: It feels strange?

Mithra: It feels strange. Even back there — I had the perfect opportunity to kill Oz, but I missed my chance.
Because I thought, I only just said goodbye to Tiretta ten or so years ago; maybe it’s too early to say goodbye to this man as well.....

I look at Mithra. I can’t tell what kind of expression he’s making because he’s covering his face with his hand.
His open lips seem to be searching for the words "I’m lonely."


CHAPTER 7

My lips curve upwards, and I can’t help but stroke Mithra’s hair. Mithra doesn’t resist.

Akira: I can sort of understand why people want to pat you on the head, Mithra.

Mithra: Okay..... Is that so.

Akira: It’s like when you’re next to a wild beast that you usually don’t see around. It makes you want to touch him while you can.....

Mithra: You’re treating me like a rare animal......

Mithra rolls onto his other side.

(Rustle)

In the next moment, Mithra leaps up, pins me down, and bites my shoulder.

Akira: Gya....ah!

Mithra: Ahaha.

I scream, and Mithra laughs.
Apparently he only pretended to bite me. But I had prepared myself for death, so my heart won’t stop pounding.

Akira: (What the heck goes on in his mind..... Was he playing around with me because I called him a beast? I thought I was going to die.....)

Mithra: Oh. Want to see the skull I received from Tiretta?

Akira: (And he changes the topic out of nowhere.....)
A-a skull? Like human bones?

Mithra: It’s a crystal skull. Tiretta gave me her magical tool in exchange for that promise.

Mithra says, and the crystal skull appears out of thin air.



Mithra: I had wanted this, you see. Because it harbors powerful magic.

Akira: I see.

Mithra: Usually you choose an object that you have a special attachment to, though. Tiretta had been using this all her life, so I wanted it.
I like using regional spells — the kind of stuff that involves the bones of magical creatures, or ancient fossils, or dried beasts.

Akira: I see.... There’s all kinds of magic, huh. What are you good at, and what are you bad at?

Mithra: I’m good at teleportation and regional spells using bones and fur. I’m also good at swimming.


Option: You’re good at teleportation?

Mithra: Well.... Being a ferryman is a boring job most of the time, so I kept wishing I could go somewhere else, and before I knew it, I knew how to teleport.

Akira: (Being a wizard sounds so nice.... I wish I could’ve awakened the same sort of power when I was bored back in my world.....)


Option: You’re good at swimming?

Mithra: I lived by the lake, after all. I can stay underwater for a fairly long time. I think I could beat Oz in an underwater battle.

Akira: (An underwater battle between Oz and Mithra... That sounds like it would be totally out of anyone’s control....)


Mithra: I’m bad at holding back. And working with others. It’s a pain to have to adjust yourself to get along with other people.


CHAPTER 8

Akira: Ahaha. You’re honest. But...


Option: I think you should try to get along with others.

Mithra silently narrows his heavy eyelids. His face says, "what a pain."

Akira: That would cause less trouble, and... People would be less likely to misunderstand you, Mithra.

Mithra: What do you mean, misunderstand?

Akira: I don’t dislike you, Mithra. That’s why I wish you’d avoid doing things that would make people hate you unnecessarily.

Mithra laughs faintly.
The ends of his lips curve upward; he looks defiant, but he also looks like he’s trying to calm me.

Mithra: If it’s just about me and you, why should anyone else matter? I won’t change for the next thousand years.
If you’re going to express your love for me, give me an unchanging affection that lasts for a thousand years. Then I’ll consider it.

My eyes widen at his smooth statement.
Mithra bites back a yawn and scratches the back of his hand.


Option: I think you’re fine as you are, Mithra

Mithra blinks and looks up at me.

Akira: I mean, I don’t want you to go too far, but.... It would be boring if we were all the same.
I think people like you have the potential to make this world more entertaining.

Mithra: ....Okay.

Mithra mumbles, and then falls silent in thought.
He toys with his bangs while looking up at the ceiling, and then mumbles:

Mithra: Shall I do something entertaining, then?

Akira: Like what?

Mithra: Like destroying the magic headquarters.....

Akira: P-please don’t. That’s an example of going too far.

Mithra: Ahaha.

Mithra laughs happily at my slight panic. The atmosphere between us feels somehow peaceful.


Akira: And, uhh.... Is there something you definitely don’t want to do?

Mithra: I don’t want to lose my magic..... I made a promise by accident, so I need to make sure I keep it.....
I also don’t want to let Oz get away with his victories. I let him off the hook back there, but I’ll turn him to stone one day.

Oz: I’m tired of hearing that line.

Oz’s voice cuts in out of nowhere. He’s standing by the doorway--even though I never noticed the door opening.


CHAPTER 9

Mithra: At least knock. Do you have no manners?

Oz: I never expected you of all people to lecture me on manners.... Sage. I came here with advice.

Akira: Advice?

Oz: You managed to draw out my power when I couldn’t use magic because of my bizarre injury from the < Great Catastrophe >.
Perhaps you can do the same to Mithra and guide him to his slumber.

Akira: Ah....!

Mithra: Really?

Mithra leaps up and gazes at me; his eyes are full of hope that he might finally get some sleep.

Mithra: All right, make me fall asleep right now.

Akira: G-got it. Um.... What am I supposed to do?

Mithra: How should I know? Hurry up and help me.

Mithra presses me, and I turn around to look at Oz.

Oz: You should gently pat him on the back. Alternatively, you can read him a book, or sing him a lullaby.....

Mithra: Can you not treat me like an infant?

Oz: Infants are better than you. Sage, give it a try.

Akira: Y-yes. Uh... Sleep~, sleep~....

Mithra: What is that.... Are you cursing me in your language.......

Akira: I-it’s a lullaby. You’re getting sleeeepier~.... And sleepier........

Mithra: Oh..... Nice.... I feel like I am getting sleepy..... I can fall asleep.......

Oz: Ah-choo!

Mithra: What was that for!? You just woke me up!

Oz: By the way, I just remembered. When the Sage drew out my magical powers, he was holding my hand.

Mithra: Don’t forget something that extremely important. And don’t let a sneeze trigger your memory. Sir Sage, hold my hand.

Akira: Y-yes.

Mithra: Keep going.

Akira: Sleep~. Sleep~. You’re getting sleepier.... And sleepier.....


CHAPTER 10

Mithra: Zz..... zzz.....

A few hours later, I can hear Mithra sleeping, breathing softly.
I clench my fist in victory, and let out a quiet shout.

Akira: We did it...! Looks like Mithra is asleep!

Oz: What a troublesome man.

(Door opens)

The next moment, the door opens. I leap up in surprise, but it doesn’t seem like Mithra will wake up.
Owen enters the room.

Owen: Move.

Akira: Wh-what are you going to do?

Owen: I’m going to make him pay for beating me half to death. I’ll chalk up a magic circle that’ll curse him with nightmares.

Akira: N-no...! He finally managed to fall asleep....!

Oz: Well, he brought it upon himself. Let’s go.

Owen begins to scratch a magic circle onto the floor with his nails as Oz and I leave Mithra’s room.
Mithra might be haunted by his first dreams in a while.
But I hope that he can have at least some happy and nostalgic dreams as well.