Valley of Storms | Main Episode

[healingbonds]

MahoYaku Masterpost & Translator's Notes

CHAPTER 1

Akira: We've arrived at the Eastern tower. Today I'd like the Eastern wizards to head to the Valley of Storms.

Faust: The Valley of Storms....?

Nero: I’ve heard of it before. It’s also known as the valley of no return.

Heathcliff: Valley of no return.....

Nero: Yeah. They say that once you wander in, you can never escape.

Shino: Heh. I wonder if it stands a chance against the guardian of Sherwood Forest.

Faust: So what kind of incident do we have this time?

Akira: The valley has always been known for its mysterious occurrences; it looks like there are several incidents going on. According to a person who lives in a nearby village.....
He thinks the black sorcerer and the white witch who live in the Valley of Storms are involved.

Faust: A black sorcerer and a white witch?

Akira: Yes. Apparently there’s a black sorcerer who leads people astray, and a white witch who saves them.

Faust: ...........

Nero: Does anything come to mind, Faust?

Faust: No. But the Valley of Storms is known to be a retreat for hermits.
I don’t know what kinds of people live there, but perhaps they too loathe the human world and wish to be left quietly alone.

Shino: Don’t go siding with them just because you’re a shut-in too. Let’s head off and investigate the place.

Faust: ....Got it. Oh, that’s right, Sage. You should try gathering spirits in the Valley of Storms.

Akira: Gathering spirits?

Faust: If you enticingly wave a "Cattail Firm," spirits disguised as cats might gather around you.
When these spirits show themselves, those who spot them are said to allow their feelings to flow more actively than usual.

Akira: Gathering spirits, huh. I see. I’ll try it out.

Faust: Yes. Plus, they're cute, too. All right, let’s head to the Valley of Storms.


CHAPTER 2

Akira: So this is the Valley of Storms....

Heathcliff: This place feels really restless. It’s noisy, and I can sense the presence of many beings.....

Shino: Looks like there are spirits hiding too.

Akira: (Now that he mentioned it, I do sense and hear them....)
(The sound of the wind....)
(The chirping of bugs....)
(The songs of birds....)
(The flowing of the river.....)
(What a mysterious place..... Even the shining pollen, the fruit hanging from the trees, and the moss growing by our feet move strangely....)
(It’s like these so-called spirits are giggling as they watch over us....)

Nero: Humans who wander into this valley will undergo bizarre and troubling experiences — because this is a valley made for beasts and spirits.

Akira: Is it different from Sherwood Forest?

Shino: Blanchett Castle lies at the center of Sherwood Forest: it stands close to the livelihood of humans.

Faust: That’s right. But this is a place humans should avoid.

Akira: Ah.... The space between the roots of that tree is large enough for a grown man to pass through.
According to a nearby villager, he tried to rest at these roots, and fell down a hole.

Faust: ....He fell from here?

Nero: There might be a wizard in hiding living here, who set up a barrier. Sometimes, weird spaces like these can lead to the space inside a barrier.

Shino: Then this might lead to the house of the black sorcerer or the white witch.

Heathcliff: The villager met two wizards, right? What did they say about their experience?

Akira: He fell through the hole, and when he regained consciousness, a white witch was taking care of him. Apparently she healed his leg injury with magic, too.
After that, a black sorcerer came along and said, "I’ll curse you if you come near this valley again. Never come back here."

Faust: ......Did he say anything else?


CHAPTER 3

Akira: He said that the white witch loved to eat lizards, and the black sorcerer was eating a bird.

Shino: Sounds like they have terrible taste buds. Are you sure they’re not related to Mithra?

Akira: Also, the witch’s little house stood by the river, and there was white and purple grass in her yard that the cats loved to nibble on; they said it was a beautiful place....

Nero: That might be cat grass. Well, we’ll know once we go. Let’s hop in.

Faust: Hold it, Nero.

Nero: It’s fine. I don’t sense anything fishy here. I’m heading in first.

Akira: Let’s follow him.

Faust: ............

✦✧☾✧✦

(Rustle)

Akira: .....Ouchh..... Where am I? Where is everyone....?

(Meow)

Akira: Ah.... Kitty cats! A white cat and a black cat.... Maybe they’re siblings? Their eyes are of similar colors.....
Looks like the black cat is a male, and the white cat is a female. Where did you two come from?

(Meow)

Akira: Ah.... A small house by the river.....

Faust: Sage.

Akira: Faust. Is everyone all right?

Faust: Shino and Nero went to look for Heath. We heard his voice, so he should be fine. Let’s wait for them here.

Akira: Thank goodness. Faust, please look at that house. Doesn’t it look like the little house the villager was talking about?

Faust: No, it’s probably not.

Akira: Huh!? A-are you sure....? But there are white and purple flowers in the yard, and two cats....

(Meow)

Faust: Now now, stop it. Fufu. There there. There there.

Akira: I’m jealous.... They love you so much.....

Faust: That’s not true at all. Shoo shoo, you two.

(Meow)

Akira: ....... Why don’t we take a look inside the house? We might meet the white witch.

Faust: No need. It probably belongs to some random stranger.

Akira: Why do you say that? Ah.... Because the black sorcerer might appear and cause us trouble....?


CHAPTER 4

Faust: You normally wouldn’t just barge into someone’s house, right? The door is locked. Nobody is home.
It’s also surrounded by a powerful barrier. You wouldn’t be able to enter even if you tried.

Akira: So it is a wizard’s secret hideaway.

Faust: If he lives all the way out here, he must seriously loathe people. We should just leave him alone.

Akira: (Faust..... Is so understanding of hermits because he also has trouble getting along with others....)
Faust, you lived in hiding as well, right? Can you tell me what that was like?

Faust: I mean.... I curse people for a living, so my life was gloomy and brutal.

Akira: I see..... Were you ever lonely?

Faust: Being alone is not the only time loneliness can overtake you. You can be surrounded by others and still feel lonely.
We all treat loneliness like poison. But poison makes medicine.
There is healing in solitude.


Option: I think I understand.

Akira: I feel like I understand.... You can relax when you’re alone. I like that you can take some time to understand yourself.
I love my friends and family, but when I’m alone just doing what I want to do, I feel like I can go back to being my true self.....

Faust: I agree.

Akira: Faust, were you able to understand yourself?

Faust: No..... I still don’t, to this day.


Option: I don’t know about that.

Akira: I wonder if that’s really true.... It can definitely be easier to spend time alone, but I’m afraid of being healed by solitude.
Because it would feel kind of sad to realize that you don’t need anyone else to survive.....

Faust: But humans and wizards aren’t your only friends.
Bugs, birds, and even beasts are citizens of your world. For some, they can provide sufficient company.


Faust scoops up the cats playing by his feet and narrows his eyes.

Faust: Endlessly reflecting on your life within a lonely world where nobody else exists. For some reason, that....
Also makes it feel like time is frozen in place.

A strange emotion wells up in my chest as I listen to Faust murmur.
I begin to feel like the little house in front of my eyes has been cut off from the flow of time that is bestowed equally upon the rest of the world.


CHAPTER 5

Faust: I once read a book that said this: your heart ages each time you exchange feelings with another person.
The hands of my clock are frozen in place.

Faust mumbles with a quiet gaze as he strokes the white cat’s chin.
I stroke the black cat on its back while observing Faust’s profile, and cast him a mischievous grin.

Akira: But I suppose your clock has started moving again lately. Because you’ve met so many people in such a short span of time; it must be lively.

Faust blinks and bursts out laughing, his shoulders rocking back and forth.

Faust: You’re right. Every day I speak to as many people as I used to speak to in a single year.
It feels like the few hundred years I’ve lived will fly by in no time.

Shino: Faust!

Shino’s voice breaks through our conversation. It looks like he’s with Nero and Heathcliff.

(Rustle)

Shino’s scythe appears in hand as he begins marching towards the little house with giant strides.

Shino: This is probably the witch’s home! I’ll destroy it!

Faust: Hold it!

Nero: Calm down, Shino! There’s a barrier surrounding the house! Plus, this thing is.....

Shino: Hmph. I’ll crush this gloomy barrier in an instant.

Faust: Stop....!

Heathcliff: Huh....? That water bowl for cats in front of the house.....

Shino: << Matztzāh Sudipas >>

(Crash)

Faust: You idiot! You’re going to activate a magic rebound.....!
<< Satillquinart Mullcreed >>

Akira: ......! The mysterious space surrounding the house was undone before Shino’s scythe could reach it!

Nero: The barrier disappeared. Which means.....

Faust: ..........

Heathcliff: Mr. Faust.... Didn’t you buy that water bowl at the Central market before we fought the < Great Catastrophe >....?
I spotted you while I was headed out to shop with my master. I remember it well, because I was surprised to see you there.

Faust: ..........

Akira: Could it be that.... This is your secret hideaway, Faust?

Faust: ..........
It is.


CHAPTER 6

Faust begins to speak while offering the water bowl to the black cat and the white cat cuddling up against his legs.

Faust: I helped a human who was lost in the valley before the battle with the < Great Catastrophe >. That’s all there is to it.

Shino: What about the white witch and the black sorcerer?

Faust: He was so grateful that he insisted on repaying me, so I tried to rob him of his memories.
But that’s when these two got in the way. That’s probably why I failed to erase all his memories; instead, they got jumbled and reassembled in a strange fashion.

Heathcliff: In other words.... His memory of Mr. Faust tending to his wounds got mixed in with the white female cat.....

Nero: While your words, "Never come back here" got jumbled with the impression of the black male cat.

Faust: That’s probably what happened.

Nero: So this is your secret hideaway, Faust.....
....... It doesn’t look like it belongs to a curseworker at all.

Akira: It looks like you’re living a healing, laid-back lifestyle.....

Faust: Shut up. There’s a straw doll lying on the floor.

Heathcliff: I want to take a look inside your home, Mr. Faust.... C-could you please let us in?

Nero: Yeah, and treat us to dinner while you’re at it. The water running through this stream looks really good. I bet there’s some delicious tea, too.

Shino: Hey, there’s a garden in the back with lots of yummy-looking vegetables. Let’s eat them before they all go bad.

Faust: What are you all saying? What about our job?

Shino: We resolved the mystery thanks to these guys.

(Meow)

Shino: Heh... You’re cute. I’ll treat you kindly tonight.

Faust: Don’t do anything unnecessary. ....Oh lord, I guess I have no choice.
<< Satillquinart Mullcreed >>

A gentle light envelops the small house.
The dead leaves and dust disappear; the clouded window-glass grows clear. The front door slowly swings open.
Faust shrugs and beckons us in.

Faust: Welcome. Come on in.