Chapter 16: It’s written as ‘make over’ and read as ‘quagmire’

Now I am troubled.

My words don’t get through.

I haven’t had any difficulties until now speaking in japanese.

It was okay with the orcs, dwarfs, and spiders after all.

It’s also because of Tomoe and Mio. After they made a pact with me, they both turned human shaped, so I thought my words would work, you know?

No, that’s not it.

In the first place, instead of agreeing that I can talk with mamonos, it was more out of my expectations that I couldn’t talk with human beings.

Yes, not possible.

I had a really bad presentiment, but I had Tomoe and the others that could talk the common language and had them converse.

I didn’t understand. I was plain hurt that they could speak -especially Mio. Why can she speak it? Is she a genius?

It reminds me of the first time a foreigner tried to talk with me. By the way, I am able to speak a bit of english. The moment a specialized word is used, I am out though. But still, I didn’t do well at all in the language test of this world.

And so, an experiment.

I had a number of representatives from every resident that lived here assemble, and tried having a casual talk with them.

When I did that, the only one who could understand everything and speak with everyone was me!

The other races could only understand me and the ones who had a connection with me; Tomoe and Mio. But aside from them, the other ones’ words were vaguely understood or maybe they didn’t even understand them.

The ones who excelled were the orcs.

Aside from themselves, they could somehow communicate with every other race. They could become great assets in the future management of this city.

Anyways.

I had to urgently learn the common language and, at the very least, be at the level where I can read it.

That Tomoe and Mio could speak the common language was a real help.

Damn it… I will show you I can certainly learn it!!

..

.

——–

That I would certainly learn it, huh.

There was a time when I believed that. Eh? It hasn’t been that long since I said it?

I was studying in my state of complete concentration and, you know, it was on the level that I felt could leap into time and space. Well, I admit that I exaggerated a bit.

You see, how does the pronunciation of the common language work?

I may be able to understand it.

I learn the sound of the words I don’t know, record it inside my brain, and while playing it, I look for its meaning. Yeah, it’s far from the ideal method.

That’s because no matter how many times I hear it, I always get estación; estación, you know?! It doesn’t become station! (TN: in original he says it in English and then in Japanese. He must be referring to the fact that the words still sound foreign.)

No, not even that. The basic ‘yes’ sounds like only groans to me. Maybe it’s like in Chinese where there are many pronunciations for the same word.

It’s fatal that I can’t even do a proper greeting.

Frankly, I had the optimistic thought that I would be able to learn the words ‘Hi’ or ‘Nice to meet you’ without any difficulty.

Like ‘xie xie’ or ‘obrigado’ or ‘merci’.

This is bad. I feel that this is seriously bad.

Will I even be able to perceive the subtle emotions of the other party at this rate?

I feel like it’s impossible.

And the fatal part is still the pronunciation. Super ‘dificil’.

This is devastating. No matter how many times Tomoe and Mio taught me, I only tilted my head.

And it’s so bad that even I agree with it.

I am faithfully trying to repeat the words that the two of them are telling me, but the words that I use are suddenly totally different.

Even if you tell me to change that ‘A’.

Just how in the world am I going to change an ‘A’?

This is just… no good.

This was the conclusion I came to after trying my best for 1 month. It’s surprising, right? I gave it my all for 1 month, you know?

Of course, I will not be stopping my learning though.

I judged that it was wiser to just give up on talking.

And also moving solo. I don’t even know if I will be able to establish a mutual understanding, so it’s better if I refrain from doing it.

If it’s just communication, then I am able to construct the word inside my head, and then send out magic to talk while drawing. I can do that kind of menacing physical labor. 

Basically, I can communicate by writing.

The understanding of the other party’s feelings can be done by Tomoe or Mio.

Hm? I am fine with writing the word ‘Yes’, you know? Because it has no relation with the sound and I am truly just writing a foreign word.

It was literally a hopeless problem, but with 1 month of hard work, I managed to learn how to write at least. The pronunciation… I can’t do the pronunciation!

Fuuuh… However, there were a pile of problems aside from that. From where should I even begin fixing for it to go well? I can’t find a clue for that.

In the first place, why did the first villager have to run? Did I arrive at military training?

There was a reason.

It wasn’t just because the words didn’t get through, as one would expect. The moment she ran away from me, I was honestly suspecting it, but…

Maybe she was in a pressing situation and was in a state of alertness, or she mistook me for someone else.

It wasn’t any of those two. From what I surveyed, that side was in a normal state of awareness and there wasn’t any person that committed atrocities that looked like me, she also didn’t have any valuables on her. It was the spectacle of a normal day in her life.

I don’t want to believe it… I don’t want to admit it but…the reason was myself.

It looks like I was discharging an incredible amount of magic power while I was walking. And it was an overwhelming amount that even normal people would be able to recognize as well. To be more concrete, it felt like everything in several tens of meters around me looked distorted.

Everyone in Asora was obviously aware of this, but they came to a mutual understanding. Since I had a slave dragon that was able to carry a dimension and, moreover, my appearance was that of a hyuman. The people themselves seemed to not mind my magic power leaking.

So, they thought that it was unnecessary for them to tell me.

… Please, do mind it. And then, please, tell me.

Lately, the orcs have been social and mingling around with their surroundings.

When I approached the highland orc Ema-san, she told me that the moment she met me she didn’t feel any magic power. Maybe it was being enclosed inside of me?

I realized that from the time I learned magic in the body purifying cave. My magic power had begun leaking out or, more like, the lid had been opened and was overflowing.

And then, the time I returned to the cave with Tomoe, the time I led her to the orc village and stayed there, the time when I was attacked by the black spider, the time when the dwarfs gathered, and in this 1 month…

It looks like my magic power has been increasingly growing and in a state of continuous discharge.

Please, tell me. Give me a single word about my magic power leaking out. Because I am still a newbie *tear*.

I might as well just have learned it by collapsing from all this discharging.

‘It’s like a spring that continuously grows to a large river’ is what my two followers’ impressions were. 

Cheers for the quality of my servants. Someday I want to get a maid that goes all lovey-dovey for her master. It would be nice to have one with common sense that can point out basic things like my magic power. And when that happens, I may be able to put a proper distance with these two.

But even if I said so, I felt like I would just go ‘well, isn’t that nice?’. That’s why, I respect myself for being able to say this.

“In reality, how did the people there see me?” (Makoto)

Is what I said. I am the best.

“Let’s see… Well, if I had to put it in words, it would be…” (Tomoe)

“Yes, I rely on you to explain it in an easy to comprehend way.” (Makoto)

After pondering for a bit, Tomoe came out with a metaphor.

“It would be like a lot of demon lords suddenly appearing at the same time?” (Tomoe)

“??” (Makoto)

What is she saying?

My brain froze.

I see.

I comprehend now.

Leaving aside the part of demon lord.

If a rivaling race like a demon suddenly comes out without even trying to hide its presence, moreover, tries to get closer to you and even follows you, it would truly be a horror-like experience.

The town must have been the same. In the area that they were on the lookout, something that was discharging a monstrous amount of magic power was heading there at a speed that was out of common sense.

The gate that was designed for combat, the running citizen, and the smiling me, and to top it off, it seems like my presence was fiendish.

Yes, that behavior was probably the proper action to take.

Su~Ha~

A large deep breath.

What should I do?!

I totally failed in my public park debut!

Moreover, they perfectly saw my face!

… Maybe I should really just make a kingdom of mamono?

If I could just leave it at that. ‘I want to walk the traces of my parents’ I even decided on such an objective not that long ago.

But I won’t falter!

Heh! Something like this, I will overcome it. Don’t underestimate the Misumi household!

My magic power is leaking? No problem. I have been given a ring from the dwarfs that absorbs the magic power and compresses it! By the way, if anyone other than me puts it on, he/she will have their magic power sucked to death, so it has become a ‘cursed bracelet’!

There was no way for me other than this to hide my magic power. I can suppress it myself, but it seems that if I suppress the magic power that is leaking out the whole time, in the end, I will release a high reaction.

That’s why this finger ring will accumulate the magic power and change its attribute. It has a function to perfectly change the way people see my magic power. By the way, the ring changes from white to red. It’s not like I asked for it to be like this, the raw materials had to have this dyeing properties or it would be impossible to make. That it would be blood red was not in my expectations!

I named it Draupnir! I feel like the real one was a bracelet, but I decided not to mind it. (TN: No, I am not a connoisseur of mythology, but wiki tells me it’s a ring.)

That they heard my voice? From the start I can’t even pronounce, so I won’t speak!

They saw my face? Such a thing, if I just put on a mask, see? No problem! Don’t underestimate the all-purpose blacksmiths! It’s a stylish mask that hides the upper half of my face!

I even changed my clothes.

In any case, I can’t move properly by myself, so I will have to bring Mio and Tomoe.

With this, they will never be able to connect me with the threat of last time!

Because, you know, it’s a mask! It’s the world’s common sense that when you put one on, no one will be able to recognize you! (TN: I’m looking at you, Tuxedo Mask)

There are two girls at both of my sides. It’s quite an eccentric appearance.

I myself am wearing a mask and a seemingly cursed finger ring.

Did I overcome it?

More like, I feel like I have lost?

You are right, this decision, I have lost.

But you know. I have already done it. I will be doing a recovery from now on. I just…don’t know what I should do.

Wu~u, it shouldn’t have come to this. (TN: Picture him in stylish clothes and a mask. Chuunibyou to the max. Now you know why he is sad.)

This is what I thought. If I were to register in an adventurers’ guild (though I don’t know if there is one) and display some superhuman plays, then travel to various countries and enjoy a bit of romance…

Save a princess in a moment of trouble, and in the middle of travelling together, a novel romance fantasy happens or something like that.

From now on there will be none. Yeah, even I understand that. I was made to understand.

Even if that did happen, in my case it would make me look like an inhuman target. I totally reject it.

When I asked Tomoe to accompany me, she responded immediately with an OK, and the next thing she said was…

“If we are talking about three people, then it’s obviously Koumon-sama! Waka is the retired, and I will be Kaku-san! Mio can be Suke-san or Hachibe!” (Tomoe) (TN: Koumon-sama’s setting is that a very high official goes incognito in the country, along with two or three bodyguards. When they meet a miscreant/corrupt official, one will whip out a badge saying “Behold the one before you is Koumon-sama” etc… It is kinda like the english king Richard Lionheart going incognito, but much much flashier. It’s a very famous and popular setting. Credits to: Nyugen Gia Thai)

Is the nonsense she said afterwards. 

If we talk about Mio…

“To walk around eating all specialty products, ah~ how sweet. Of course, the main dish will be Waka-sama, and the desert could be an historic ruin?” (Mio)

Leaving aside the specialty products, me and historic ruins are not food. Will this glutton not eat the people and the inorganic products?

More like, am I the main dish for my own servant? Uaa, what a turnoff!

Incidentally, why is it that you are trying to make this sword and magic world into a tragic period drama? It’s even more of a turnoff!

“Hey, Tomoe, if it’s a famous one, wouldn’t it be ‘Mito no go Rokou?’ (TN: 水戸のご老公)” (Makoto)

For this world’s nature, no matter how you see it, it should be a fantasy from Middle Age Europe!

“Mu, certainly, I haven’t taken into account the sub-characters. Fumu, then a different one. It would be hard to make a setting while we are travelling after all.” (Tomoe) (TN:  They are having a discussion about the setting for their made up characters)

No, the setting is hard to make? What are you even…?

I am telling you to stop the whole period drama in itself.

“No you know, why are you even bringing period dramas to our setting?” (Makoto)

“What a strange thing to say. I have finally gotten my katana forged, so isn’t it obvious that I want to swing it around?” (Tomoe)

It’s all just your desires.

Go and be a Japanese jack the ripper or something -by yourself.

“Then, you said something about Koumon-sama but…” (Makoto)

“Yes?” (Tomoe)

“I am not the previous vice shogun you know? If I don’t have political influence, I cant become Koumon-sama.” (Makoto)

“Yeah, for that point there is no problem. If we just change the last scene for the eight generation shogun then, see?” (Tomoe)

What do you mean by ‘see’?

If I do that, I would just become a ruffian.

If there is no medicine case, then there would be no mallow family crest.

I am no previous vice-shogun nor a present time shogun-sama, you know?

Ah~ no good. I have to be more level-headed.

Tomoe was saying things like ‘When I take out this sword a scattering ice blade appears! Ei, don’t get close! If you approach, I will slice you!’ and swings around her sword. She is all hyped.

But you know, those are from a different story. Not a single word coincides with the aforementioned~.

And Mio was:

“As expected, from now on its quality over quantity. Waka-sama’s blood, magic power, and also… ufufufufufu.” (Mio)

This side is probably eating me. My headache. I don’t want to think about the meaning of that ‘ufufufu’. She occasionally…no, frequently clamors about ‘nursing’ or something of the sort, but I hope it won’t become like the copulation of a mantis.

A life-risking nursing is not nursing. In the first place, the word nursing is supposed to be an expression of servicing.

So I will be travelling while accompanied by these two, huh.

I feel like I am carrying a handicap that is even worse than language.

Do your best, me.

Don’t lose, there is surely a bright future somewhere out there.

What is it? I feel like my surroundings have become silent.

Yeah, I see. So in the end we are going with Koumon-sama.

Geez, I don’t care anymore. Seriously. Can’t it be changed?!

I, who had asked the dwarfs to make Draupnir, had the whole colony of Asora reunited, and gave instructions to every representative on the current situation.

With this, I can go out travelling.

The result of the setting consultation was that I am the son of a wealthy merchant that is travelling around places for my training. I have been afflicted by a disease and am unable to speak. Moreover, I have a cursed mask and finger ring on me and all sorts of miseries. That kind of messed up setting.

Just how much of a misfortune parade am I? I wanted to ask about those ‘all sorts of miseries’.

Compared to a period drama, this one beats it with its childish and unmotivated setting.

Both of them are supposed to be accompanying me as bodyguards and followers. The especially rare product that we handle is the Uri. This especially rare product is a creation from the people that live in Asora. In a sense, this is commerce.

Certainly, the things that can be obtained here are rare. This could become our income source for the mirage city in the future. Tomoe and Mio are not total idiots.

It’s just that their sense of value is remarkably different from other people.

Ah, that also makes them a problem. Yeah, they are stupid.

And so…

I, who is called Waka-sama, have now begun my journey to peddle around the world with my own legs.

Wait, I don’t even know the money system in this world yet!

The one walking there!

Please stop my two (supposed to be) servants!

——

Translator:

It’s finally time for him to go to a hyuman settlement! (I hope)

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42 thoughts on “Chapter 16: It’s written as ‘make over’ and read as ‘quagmire’

  1. Uwah, I see how you had trouble translating this. There’s no connectors at all! Maybe the author realised that too and came up with the POV chapters to bridge the gaps… Thank you for the hard work!

      1. I have nothing but to say but thank you… I’ve a bit of experience with translation, but that was with manga. I can’t even begin to imagine translating a whole novel… so thank you for letting us read this hehe

  2. This is the weakness of web novels, no editors to tell the author “Hay, you screwed up how are you going to fix this???” at least it’s not the worst translation of a cluster F**! I have read. All I got from this is that he can’t speak and he’s leaking magic like a sieve, and I think he’s on drugs … or the author is …

  3. Just to correct a mistake, it’s “obrigado” which means thanks in portuguese (when used by a man – a woman says obrigada, female version).
    And thanks for the chapter

  4. Note: For readers’ reference

    Koumon sama setting is that a very high official go incognito in the country, along with two or three bodyguards. When they meet a miscreant/corrupted official, one will whip out a badge say “Behold the one before you is Koumon sama” etc… It is kinda like the english king Richard Lionheart go incognito, but much much more flashier. It’s a very famous and popular setting.

  5. but i wont flatter? omg please its not even a small deal let alone a big deal or maybe its such a big deal to be misunderstood by other?

    if its for me its just happen all the time

    why is the japanese LN these day have such a pussy as an MC?

  6. If it’s just communication then I am able to construct the word inside my head and then send out magic to talk while drawing. I can do that kind of menacing physical labor. (TN: I am sure he has a diary and pencil with him so I don’t think he needs to do that. Maybe I am not getting the whole meaning. コミュニケーションだけなら頭に構築した簡易式ミスミ電子辞書で聞き取り、そして魔術で吹き出しを描いて喋るという脅威の荒業でクリアできている。)

    “If it’s to simply communicate, I can manage it with a menacing brute force by asking a Misumi Electronic Dictionary constructed in my head and them and send them out via magic”

    Only 90% sure that Misumi is a company name, cuz afaik Misumi is a company that produces engineering parts only. Although, after I checked they apparenly also sell Electronic Dictionaries, only they’re Casio brand. Well, whatever.

  7. give up on humans dude. humanity is overrated anyway. enjoy the bliss that is all the other races…. wow. there sure is a lot. nevertheless, screw huumaaaaaannss!!!!

  8. You probably did read the manga, and the point is the praticity, you wont nered to take every time the note and pencil to comunicate

    If it’s just communication then I am able to construct the word inside my head and then send out magic to talk while drawing. I can do that kind of menacing physical labor. (TN: I am sure he has a diary and pencil with him so I don’t think he needs to do that. Maybe I am not getting the whole meaning. コミュニケーションだけなら頭に構築した簡易式ミスミ電子辞書で聞き取り、そして魔術で吹き出しを描いて喋るという脅威の荒業でクリアできている。)

  9. Draupnir appears as an arm brace in the Yu-gi-oh TCG. Maybe that’s why he didn’t think it was a ring in his original world.

  10. Urgh, i would take a long nice talk with those two slaves if i were him. Having them toying around with him all this time and deciding everything and forcing him to comply is just…
    If Makoto aint careful they will repaint him into this world’s newest Demon lord. 😛

  11. What stops me from really liking this story is how whiny Misumi is…he’s such a little bitch!

    Seriously, stop complaining and just enjoyed what’s going on more.
    I hate idiots who can’t seem to adapt and not remember that their common sense might not apply.

    Plus, he may not think so but Tomoe and Mio are FRIGGING GREAT. Weird, sure…but totally acceptable. It’d be fine if he were plain but forceful but Misumi is just childish and annoying.

  12. Learn a other language is really complicate, much more when the language have some big phonetic differences with your mother language, in that sense the spanish speakers (like me) have some advantage with the japanese for been phonetically the same.

    The thing about a disease is understable, though something like a curse should be better if later he learn to speak, or for a set up in which the curse make him speak in other language and after many years his attendants have learned it so they can speak with him.

  13. Wu~u, it shouldn’t have come to this. (TN: Picture him in stylish clothes and a mask. Chuunibyou to the max. Now you know why he is sad)

    Chuuni is Not the only Problem tho…
    Imagine u are lonely and longing to meet Humans finally. Only to learn that they reject you.
    So you have to hide your face, cant Talk, and come Up with some misery Story to Camouflage yourself.

    In Essence you have to give Up in yourself in Order to enter a settlement. As a weirdo. Setting yourself at the far outskirts of society by Default

    So He. As the Person makoto misumi, who Had to hide himself, Had lost.

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