Hi! So yeah, I didn’t promise, but I did say I would finish it this week, so I did it. Now is the important message:
Saratoga won’t become a full project. But well, I translated the first 5 t.i.tles in Saratoga’s page, so I’ll at least translate until chapter 5. If you want reasons:
-Also, while it’s fun, when you read slowly in j.a.panese like me, when the MC isn’t the main focus, it’s not as interesting. Sure, it’s not bad, and fun, but I would rather read it in a language I can read fluently. It’s a pain to read when I’m not that interested. So, if it’s a “pain” (actually, it’s rather good, just that I want more focus on the MC) to read, it’s a pain to translate.
-And the most important reason, I’m a self-centered person. I thought I could do it, but in the end, giving my time to translate something for other is too much of a pain.
That why, I’m stopping the translation after chapter 5. Perhaps one day I’ll suddenly want to translate a little something, but I think the chances for me to take a regulary updated project is impossible.
Anyway, here’s the chapter:
Chapter 3 – If it’s about the color of my panties, it’s white.
「I’m not managing anything, huh. This…」
He mixed a tsukkomi with a sigh thinking about the 『I’ll be able to manage somehow!』 he said before running down from the rampart. (TL: Do you prefer Tsukkomi or Retort?)
The boy was hidden in a thicket and observed the people coming and going in the main street.
At first, he thought he would be able to talk to someone without them noticing that the color of his eyes and skin were different if it was a dim street, but he became aware of a more fundamental problem.
The clothes.
The people walking on the street wore clothes similar to the Iln.o.bles from the oases. The men were wearing tunics and trousers. Many women were wearing a single showy dress.
The boy checked his own outfit one more time.
The People of the Desert were the only ones to wear this. THE People of the Desert. (TL: THE is in english in the raw)
It wasn’t different than carrying a sign marked 『Trespa.s.ser』.
Sighing again, the boy left this place.
If possible, he didn’t want to do it, but he could only go to a street with few people and threaten someone with his katana to get information.
So that people could not see him, the boy moved quickly from shadow to shadow towards a small alley he chose. After moving a little, he arrived in an area with relatively small houses standing in a row. Different from the main street he was at before, the stone pavement was dented and trash was scattered all over the place. The alley wasn’t straight, but narrow and turned many times. It seemed like this area was the slums.
Here, the boy found a little girl who walked a few meters ahead of him. (TL: Yeah, it’s meters, not zals. Don’t ask me why)
Her age was a little lower than the boy, perhaps 12, like Kisaragi. Her black hair was collected in two buns on both sides of her head, and she wore a showy pink dress with a white shawl on her shoulders.
The boy looked around to confirm that n.o.body else was here.
While muttering in his mind, erasing the sound of his footsteps, the boy shortened the distance between him and the girl’s back in one go. Then, from behind the girl, thrusting his katana to the nape of her neck, he said:
「Sorry. I just want to ask something… 」
Without showing sign of being surprised, the girl halted normally.
If the boy was a little calmer, he may have noticed.
If the boy was carrying the signboard 『Trespa.s.ser』, what was written on the girl’s was 『Decoy』.
Without waiting for the end of the boy’s question, the girl said:
「If it’s about the color of my panties, it’s white. 」(TL: She speaks like an old person/sage in manga/anime with “ja”, etc…)
Silence came.
After coming to his senses, the boy who was taken aback opened his mouth in a fl.u.s.ter.
「Wh-wh-wh-what are you saying!? That wasn’t what I wanted to ask…」
「Wait! You b.a.s.t.a.r.d! To say such a thing about the secret of a maiden!」
「The secret of a maiden?! Just now, you said it on your own accord, right!?」
The girl showed a little pondering behavior.
「Not only are you a degenerate, you’re a guy with a suspicious judgment.」
「A degenerate?! Wrong! That’s wrong!」
Without minding the katana thrust at the back of her neck, the girl turned her head.
Big black eyes. Refined features. You could say she was a sort of rare beautiful girl.
The girl looked at the confused boy and said:
「Wearing a white hood on his head, a man thrusting an edged tool at a girl from behind late at night isn’t a degenerate?」
「…. You are quite right」
The boy dropped his shoulders.
Changing his sign from 『Trespa.s.ser』 to 『Degenerate』, the boy was dispirited to a pitiful degree. After seeing him like this, as if satisfied, the girl shouted:
「Kirie! Is Kirie here!?」
「Here」
Reponding to the girl’s call, a shadow approached quickly from the crossroad a little ahead.
A slender woman with long hair collected behind her back. She was beautiful, but at a glance at her looks, she seemed strong-willed. She looked at the boy with her sharp eyes as if glaring at him.
「Kirie. The same as usual」
「As you wish」
The woman called Kirie coughed once, then she shouted with a loud voice:
「Do you know who this person is!? She is the Mobile Fortress Saratoga’s Lord. The Count of Saratoga, her highness Mio Lefaux Jahan!」(TL: ミオ＝レフォー＝ジャハン in katakana)
「…」
「Oi, degenerate. Say something. Aren’t you surprised?」
「Well… Umm, what’s happening?」(TL: Actually the two previous dialogues aren’t exactly like this in j.a.panese, but it wouldn’t flow well in english if I translated it literally, so I changed a few words)
「Even if you ask what, you know, that. When someone with a high social position hides it and punishes the ruffians. 」
「That’s right, that. Hearing that degenerates appeared frequently around this area, Mio-sama decided to catch them personally. So, you’re impressed, right!?」
Mio and Kirie puffed out their chests.
The boy himself couldn’t imagine what kind of expression he had at this instant. More than surprise, what came out was surely tiredness and bewilderment.
「Umm… I don’t know what I should say, but… Please do your best」
「You b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Don’t look at me as if I am pitiful! Wrong, that’s wrong, Kirie did it on her onw accord… 」
「Mio-sama?!」
Kirie turned her head surpised by Mio’s words. Mio looked away.
「Jeez! Whatever. Secure him! Secure this man!」
「As you wish!」
Responding to Mio’s voice, Kirie whistled. Then, he heard a sound resembling an earth tremor approaching gradually from the dark alley on the opposite side.
「Wh-what is this?」
「Whaaat? It’s nothing special. I just called my Personal Guards, the 「Black Rose Corps」. 」 (TL: Fun fact, Mio uses “Warawa” to speak about herself, but the kanji used is『娼』 which means “Prost.i.tute” and it doesn’t have this reading in normal time. Normaly, the kanji for “Warawa” is 『妾』 and can also mean “Mistress”)
「Bl-black Rose Corps?」
The boy was seized by an unpleasant presentiment.
「Right, to protect young women like me, no mistake can be made. Thus, it was decided they had to have no interest in women, and be strong」
Mio grinned broadly.
「It-it can’t be…」
From the dark back alley, a group of half naked machos happily joining hands appeared. In the narrow street, like an avalanche, a wall of muscles ran straight towards the boy. Should we call it a painting of h.e.l.l?
「Black Rose (Muscles) Corps! Secure him!」
「Nooooooooooooooooooo!」
The boy ran away at full speed.