Translated from Japanese to English by Namirrha.

Last revised 5 September 2001.

My sincere thanks to Cronus and Olivier Hagué for their valuable contributions, which have significantly improved the quality of this translation. Thanks also to those others, notably CnC, who took the time to comment on parts of this translation.

Some brief notes on the subject matter of chapters 7 and 8 are provided at the end of the document.

Though every effort has been made to provide an accurate English translation, mistakes may none the less have been made. All such mistakes are, of course, purely unintentional.

Please feel free to distribute - via web page or otherwise - or edit this translation.

If changes are made to the script, which improve it, please make an effort to share such alterations with other Berserk fans, including namyrrha@hotmail.com

Sounds within speech bubbles are generally just converted from kana into romanji. All such sounds are in Italics.

Rhetorical questions are punctuated with full stops rather than question marks.

Material in brackets is either for informative purposes or additional/alternative text.

Man: Again…

Man: Another priest……

Boy: The heretics…

Man: It's the heretics' (handi)work.

Man: Things will be tense once more. The hunt for the heretics…

Man: Sh!

Man: Food… [lit: a blessing]

Woman: Please, food… [lit: Please, alms/a blessing…]

Knight: F…Fools!! This is an offering to the church!!

Knight: Aid is distributed to you everyday, isn't it!!

Man: What, soup made from vegetable scaps. We need more or we'll die!!

Man: You have a full stomach everyday, don't you!?

Crowd: Have mercy…

Guard: H…Hey!!

Crowd: Please, have mercy…

Knight: Wha…What are you doing!!

Crowd: It can't be!!

Crowd: The Knights of the Holy Iron Chain!!

Farneze: Stay where you are!! Don't let any of them escape!!

Knight: This is all of them.

Farneze: What kind of plan is this!? Since when have you thought to lay hands on church property!?

Farneze: Is this the way believers behave!?

Man (back-right): The sick…

Man (back-left): Almost all the tress here abouts have been felled. How are we to make it through winter to…

Man: How many more days must we live on nothing but watery soup!?

Man: We can not survive such hardship. We don't want to die.

Farneze: The provisions, medical supplies, the other materials as well, are required by the Vatican!!

Farneze: I know it's hard, but I will not let you have them!!

Mother: Please, I beg you!

Mother: This child…He no longer has the strength to breast feed!

Mother: My baby is dying!

Mother: God's divine protection is needed now!!

Farneze: …What (did you say)?

Mozgus: Well spoken.

Mozgus: In deference to your courage,

Mozgus: the Lord will show mercy.

Farneze: But Lord Mozgus if they go unpunished law and order will…

Mozgus: Naturally, I have taken that into consideration.

Mozgus: Although I am also opposed to that which I have borne witness.

Mozgus: Her blasphemy was motivated by the welfare of her child. The other matter before me, which has led to their arrest, is the work of God.

Mozgus: It is said that love knows no fear.

Mozgus: We must heed the call of this courageous woman's pure love.

Mother: Thank you!

Mother: Thank you!

Mozgus: Take these people to the abbey at once.

Mozgus: Escort these people that way.

Mozgus: Do not be concerned. You will meet (up) again later.

Mozgus: Now, we go this way.

Monk: Come now, drink.

Monk: …will it work?

Monk: His condition seems to have improved.

Monk: If he's given rest and nourishment it shouldn't be too long before he recovers. [alt: If he's given rest and nourishment, he should recover before too long.]

Mother: Thank goodness…!

Mozgus: I have also sent a letter calling for aid to the Vatican. The report should reach there shortly. ['There' or 'here'? Mozgus does not expressly mention which.]

Mozgus: And then I will try to negotiate with the prelate over conditions for sharing some measure food from amongst prior offerings with the refugees. [Re 'prelate', Mozgus literally refers to 'the head'.]

Mother: I…

Mother: I really do no know what to say…

Mother: Thank you…

Mother: Thank you!

Mozgus: I don't deserve your thanks.

Mozgus: I merely executed God's will.

Mozgus: You can return to resume your responsibilities for this child later.

Mother: …E(h)?

Mozgus: Come now, this way.

Mozgus: Your duties as a believer await.

Mozgus: Farneze, this is the first time that you've set foot into this room, isn't it.

Mozgus: The land surrounding Albion Abbey is now the haunt of criminals.

Mozgus: In the garden of the seminary……… a wretched state of affairs;

Mozgus: robbery, rape, murder…

Mozgus: and, worst of all,

Mozgus: heretics.

Mozgus: Recently another person, a monk, was found murdered in the refugee camp.

Mozgus: What is worse is that only the monk's flayed skin and robes were found, both fluttering on the trunk of a tree.

Mozgus: The blessed message is spreading thanks to the efforts of both zealous believers and the Knights of the Holy Iron Chain.

Mozgus: At the end of an inquiry, we have been able to capture many suspicious persons. With each confession the futility of heresy increases.

Mozgus: Many converts have also come forth from that within. It is a righteous task to provide guidance.

Mozgus: Do not avert your gaze.

Mozgus: This hellish vision is merely another side of that Vatican you swore to protect.

Mozgus: For all the things that pour forth onto the earth, God has only love. But, God is a stern judge of men.

Mother: Hi…

Mozgus: You can not escape!!

Mozgus: My child, I will help you to free yourself of the sins of the past. Your love and courage must be praised!!

Mozgus: But, a sin is a sin!!!

Mozgus: You have courage, and because it is you!!

Mozgus: I want you to undertake this test of God's, and I want you to pass it!!

Mozgus: Come now!! Your attendant has waited long enough!!

Mozgus: Do not be afraid!!!

Mozgus: Put your faith in the Hand(s) of God!!

Mother: N…

Mother: No…!

Mother: Hi

Mother: Hiiiii..

CHAPTER 3 END

Prisoner: Release me!

Prisoner: I didn't do anything to the priest…! [The hiragana reading under the kanji normally read as 'korosu', 'to kill', is for the negative of 'yacchimau', that is the negative of 'to do something that the speaker regrets'.]

Prisoner: I'm not a heretic!

Farneze: We have testimony stating you were observed at the scene of the crime!!

Farneze: We're going to examine those claims now!!

Prisoner: You're joking!! Not one other person has come back safe and sound, have they!!

Farneze: Nonsense! If you're innocent, immediately upon it being proven………

Mother: A blessing……

Mother: (from) God…

Mother: A blessing…

Prisoner: My companions!! Who the hell is it!? [Not 100% sure about this.]

Prisoner: Who put me in (it)!?

Prisoner: I'm going to kill them……!!

Prisoner: Because if I come back, I'm going to beat them to death!! You can count on it!!

Prisoner: Gaaaa(h)

Farneze: Take him in.

Prisoner: Kishooo.. [I presume that this is a cry of rage/despair roughly equating with 'shit'!]

Behind tattered cloth: ……A(h)---A(h)

Luca: [The meaning of one of the terms used by Luca here - 'kowamote' - alludes me, although I have a sneaky suspicion that I've come across it before. At any rate, Luca seems to be here identifying the prisoner, who has just passed, for the benefit of someone as yet unglimpsed. She mentions 'that guy', 'in this vicinity', and 'the man who passed'.]

Luca: [Had problems here as well! Luca starts by saying 'It's because he kept to himself.' Or, at least, I think she does. One of my dictionaries indicates that the plain form of 'kemutagaru' should be read as 'to be sensitive to smoke', whilst another dictionary indicates that it should be read as 'to keep at a respectful distance'. At any rate, I would adopt the later definition. Luca then goes on to note that 'a nuisance was got rid of'. She concludes by noting 'It makes me sick', although, as I'm unsure as to the meaning of 'chikuru', I can't say with certainty exactly what makes her sick. That being said, I think she's talking about the conduct involved, noting that irrespective of who does it or who is subject to it, it makes her sick!]

Man: Oi, make a bit of an effort.

Luca: Oh, no. I'm sorry.

Luca: But are you OK?

Luca: Even though your fellow soldiers are still working,

Luca: and the sun hasn't set, you're inside like this…

Luca: You're upset, aren't you?

Man: It's not like that. You're special……That's why I pass-by every day like this.

Man: I'm happy. Work can wait. [The 'work can wait' part is a guess! Although he does refer to work.]

Luca: But that female officer looks frightening.

Luca: I'm concerned. You won't be scolded (by her), will you?

Man: ………I don't care for the commander.

Man: Nobody does.

Man: If she opens her mouth, it's about the mission. It's religious fervour. She handles us poorly.

Man: She has the bad habit of being unable to pay a compliment. [Not sure about this.]

Man: Even if her ability is equivalent to a man's, there's nothing to indicate she's mastering leadership.

Man: …The Commander of the Knights of the Holy Iron Chain is always a woman, it's a tradition. But, if she is an ornament, I want her to act in the most graceful manner possible, as befits an ornament.

Luca: It must be (really) awful.

Luca: Surely…

Luca: The only woman in the midst of men.

Luca: A(h)…

Man: The main problem is the collusion. The feelings of her colleagues, whom waste their energy on an ill-conceived task, can't be known. [This is probably a bit literal, which indicates my uncertainty over what he is getting at … exactly. Re 'the main problem', the man literally refers to 'the main point' as being 'the collusion'. The collusion presumably being on the part of Farneze's men in making sure that she doesn’t find out what they really think.]

Luca: That's rich… [I'm not sure what Luca is getting at here. Luca uses a term meaning, according to the dictionaries I have at hand, 'dissipation, prodigality'. Perhaps it's merely a somewhat nicer way of saying that something's 'wasteful', 'wrong' or 'stupid'!]

Man: Owaa(h)----!

Mummy: A(h)--------!

Luca: Hmm.

Luca: Hey Elen! This (place) is a workshop.

Luca: And despite me telling you not to come in as well!

Man: Ha---- I was so terrified I went limp.

Luca: I'm sorry, OK--- She's my……younger sister.

Luca: What's up with the bandages, right?

Luca: ……They're an integral part of the, this profession.

Luca: Syphilis…She was unlucky, wasn't she. [There's more here, but in this instance I'm reluctant to make a guess. For what it's worth, Luca seems to be referring to the extent of the disease's effects.]

Man: Her, that's a pity (isn't it).

Man: I'll go back today, for the time being.

Luca: I'm sorry, OK. I'll make it up to you next time!

Man: Here's the usual payment.

Man: And there's this…

Luca: Wa(h)! It's beautiful-

Man: Good, because it's worth a fortune.

Man: It's something the masses couldn't appreciate. [There may be some problems here.]

Luca: …I'm delighted

Luca: But I wonder if it isn't a little too extravagant for somebody like me?

Luca: You know, pearls and all that…

Man: …I also wonder whether I've gone senile.

Man: When the mission here is over, I'll take you back to my country.

Man: As the next head of the household, it's not possible for me to marry you.

Man: But, I can keep a mistress. Nobles everywhere (also) do it. It will allow you to live in comfort.

Man: Let's take along your sister as well.

Man: I'll put her in the care of a good doctor.

Luca: What is she doing…

Luca: …Thank you Jerome.

Luca: I do not expect anything from you, but I will be waiting. [alt: I'll be waiting without anticipation.]

Luca: ……Case after case, I treat pillow talk seriously. [I'm not sure that I've put this together correctly. According to my dictionary 'honki ni suru' should be read as 'take for truth'. 'Suru' is here rendered in the past, progressive form indicating that 'something' was taken seriously for a time [Without the 'ichiichi' (one by one, separately) contained in Luca's statement, I'd normally start by taking this to mean 'was taking seriously']. The 'something' in this instance being the 'pillow talk' [lit: talk while lying in bed]. Anyway, I've taken Luca to be the subject. Thus, she seems to be saying, more or less, that she takes the pillow talk seriously only for so long as the client is in bed with her.]

Luca: A prostitute can't do otherwise. [This is an awkward little statement. Luca refers to 'prostitute', but I'm uncertain as to what is meant by 'yatterannai'. My searches indicate that I should read this as 'can't do' or 'can't help doing'. At any rate, this is my best and only guess.] [For the reader's benefit, the Acclimate Solution translation renders this and the previous line collectively as 'Guys say always same thing….']

Dark-haired: Hey---Hey---

Blonde: We overheard Luca.

Luca: You guys…

Brunette/Red-head: That's not nice---- Luca----

Dark-haired: Not having spoken with a nobleman, I also want to know what it's like to be told such things by at least a great merchant gentleman.

Blonde: The shop boy companion would be good enough for you, wouldn't he. [Guess alert! Once again, I'm not sure that I've thrown this together correctly. The lady in question more literally says "For you, at best the shopboy companion is good, isn't he." I should add, however, that I'm not sure that I've read 'decchiaite' correctly - 'dechi' meaning 'apprentice' or 'shop boy', 'aite' meaning, according to my dictionary, 'companion', or, according to Spahn et al, 'the other party', 'partner' or 'opponent'. Perhaps, 'His apprentice would be just about right, wouldn't he.']

Luca: What, you're all speaking so casually. At this hour, your faces had better be effective on public officials, hadn't they. I therefore…

Brunette/Red-head: Yeah---

Dark-haired: But---

Blonde: C'mon---

Dark-haired: …At any rate, Luca, the…

Blonde: Yes--- Yes---

Luca: I get the message. Come in.

Blonde: Sorry to bother you.

Luca: Don't eat it all at once.

Blonde: We understand.

Brunette/Red-head: We're always being rescued by you.

Luca: And there's this……

Brunette/Red-head: A(h) This was given to you by the knight who left not long ago.

Blonde: Waa(h)-- It's beautiful, isn't it.

All: Wa(h) Wa(h) Wa(h)

Brunette/Red-head: God no!

Luca: All right, divide these pearls between everyone equally.

Brunette/Red-head: Ee(h)!?

Brunette/Red-head: But this was given to you, Luca…

Luca: Naturally, I'll also get the same as everyone else.

Luca: I made up my mind in the beginning, to distribute profits, irrespective of their connection with the earnings of one person or another, equally between everyone. [There may be - nay, probably is - a problem with the 'irrespective of their connection' etc part of this sentence. Luca literally says something along the lines of '…regardless of the earnings of one by one…'. So…!?]

Blonde: ……But

Dark-haired: Hey

Brunette/Red-head: This extravagant looking thing……

Luca: All right Pepe, Fu-ke, Lucy. ['Pepe' is a Spanish pet form of Joseph and, presumably, Josesphine. I have absolutely no idea what 'Fu-ke' might be.]

Luca: Listen well.

Luca: We are prostitutes.

Luca: Even at the best of times, it's an occupation that is shunned and despised by society.

Luca: But now we're plying our trade right in the midst of a witch hunt, aren't we?

Luca: (Do you) Understand? It's for surviving how dangerous it is.

Luca: If there is a witch, she's been betrayed. And that is not funny. [Had problems with this, partially due to Luca's use of 'itsudare'. I'm guessing that what Luca is saying is that 'if somebody is a witch sometime, she's been betrayed'. I should add, btw, that I've taken 'witch' to refer to a woman - a male 'witch' presumably being a 'warlock'. Anyway, Luca would probably perceive a witch to be a woman; and that's all that counts, right!?]

Luca: Even under normal circumstances, don't broadcast your feelings to others. Even if you're burning to do so. [Not sure about this, particularly the second sentence.]

Luca: I'm telling you (now), to create smouldering coals of jealousy and suspicion in your family and friends is absurd.

Luca: Human beings are wretched things. They envy anyone who possesses even a little more than themselves. And yet, they despise them if they have nothing.

Luca: Fear and loathing at the smallest difference.

Luca: ……It's vexing but particularly for people having something to offer who look like us, true. [Not sure about this. The problem in this instance is 'motazaru', which according to my dictionary means 'to let (someone) have, give; have (someone) hold/carry/bear; preserve, make last'. So, 'a person/people who gives/lets (someone) have who looks like us' = ?????.]

Fu-ke: That's not the case……

Fu-ke: We…

Pepe: Isn't it-

Luca: OK then!

Luca: Now to make sure that it doesn't happen, we'll do things like this everyday. [This was a real pain. Literally Luca says something along the lines of 'Now, so that it won't happen, every day (we'll) perform in this way and prove it.']

Luca: Because a relationship of trust that is not backed up by deeds is not a trusting relationship, now is it.

Luca: Throw our lot together. [alt: By throwing our lot together.] ['Unmeikyôdôtai' = fate/destiny (unmei) + community, co-operative body, co-operative system (kyôdôtai)]

Luca: To survive here that's all we can do.

Luca: OK then, always share half the proceeds with the neighbours.

Pepe: E(h)--- Them as well.

Lucy: But we don't need to.

Fu-ke: 1--- 2--- 3---

Luca: What did I (just) say? Don't buy envy unnecessarily, it's not worth it. In a world such as this, the greatest danger is in possessing too much.

Luca: You don't want to be dobbed in, do you. Go right away, and be lavish with the compliments!

Lucy/Pepe: Yes M'am.

Fu-ke: That's strange, one's missing…

Luca: Ah.

Luca: That's no good, is it. We'd better tie them back on more firmly (this time).

Casca: U(h)---..

Luca: Put up with them (for me), even if they're a little tight. [alt: Please put up with them, even if they're a little tight.]

Luca: If a beauty such as yourself staggers about a place like this unmasked, one day she won't return safe and sound. [Re 'unmasked', Luca literally says 'unfortified'.]

Luca: To craving men, you'll appear prey.

Luca: If that truly is the case, I should have you work for your own up keep.

Luca: But I won't do it. I won't force you before you're ready and have given your assent………as you too are a woman, aren't you. [Despite feeling pretty confident about this, I do have some reservations. It could certainly be phrased somewhat better.]

Luca: …Besides, there's a mark on this girl's breast.

Luca: It appears to be there for a reason but…… [Simple statement, but I'm 'notorious' for stuffing up even simple statements!!]

Luca: I can't tell everybody else about this, can I. Even if it is a witch mark, I mustn't make a fuss…… [The first sentence here is fine. I did, however, have some problems with the second, for two reasons. Firstly, I was unable to find 'sawagidasu' in my dictionaries, and thus had to guess at 'put out an uproar' or 'make a fuss'. Secondly, I had two separate pieces of advice about how to treat the 'kanenai' following 'sawagidashi'. At any rate, I decided to treat it as 'must not' (make a fuss) rather than 'might'(make a fuss).]

Man: Lu--ca--

Luca: A(h) Yes Yes, Sir. Just a minute, OK.

Luca: Nina, since I'm on a job, [alt: Nina, since I'm doing a job/trick,]

Luca: Please take care of everyone's meals and of Elen, OK.

Nina: ……OK.

Luca: And there's this.

Luca: I spoke to my doctor-client about your problem, and he gave me this as payment.

Luca: Morning and night, take two mouthfuls a day.

Nina: ……Th

Nina: Thank you,

Nina: Luca…

Nina: We'll go down and draw some water, and then come back. [lit: We'll go to the drawing water and (then) come back.]

Fanatics: Heretic!!

Woman: Throw (it)!

Woman: It's OK, throw it. Quickly!

Casca: A(h)---

Casca: A(h)---

Casca: O(h)---..

Standard-bearer: The Hawk!! ['Taka' can also be read as 'falcon'.]

Standard-bearer: The Fire Goddess has spoken. [alt: The Fire Goddess' oracle/message; The oracle of the Fire Goddess.]

Standard-bearer: The Hawk swoops. ['Swoops' is my guesstimation of 'maioriru'. Another reading could be 'to fly down'.]

Standard-bearer: After sweeping away the barbarians, he will lead us to a land of prosperity!! [The standard-bearer literally refers to 'the country that to be(come) one/first'.]

Standard-bearer: Everybody, you must not soon forget.

Crowd: Shut up---old man!

Crowd: Get away! If we're mistaken for heretics, what then!? [Not 100% sure about this short statement.]

Casca: A(h)---.

Nina: No, Elen.

Old Man: It's a shame.

Old Man: [I'm unfamiliar with some of the terminology used by the old man in this instance ("shoppikarete"?), thus I won't hazard a guess at what he is saying. That being said, I can say that the old man is referring to the standard-bearer; noting that 'although he [the standard-bearer] was a frank/open-hearted monk, with the suspicion that he was preaching heresy' something happened to him 'and since that…'. Reference is also made to 'going around and calling out to we common folk'. Behaviour that the standard-bearer also seems to have did in the past.]

Woman: Father, sh!

Nina: The blood won't (come to a) stop.

Nina: Pus is mingled with it also.

Nina: What's more, the inside of my mouth is swelling as well…

Nina: (For) Me … perhaps

Nina: it's already hopeless…

Casca: Au---

Nina: The doctor was saying,

Nina: this disease, if the bad blood circulates through to your head you'll go mad. ['Mad' may be a little strong here. Nina literally says that her 'mind will be touched'.]

Nina: I wonder if I'll also end up like you?

Nina: For you,

Nina: there is no fear (is there)?

Nina: Elen.

Nina: Here,

Nina: most of the day is swallowed up by that tower's shadow (isn't it)…… [Not sure about this, and had problems with the next three speech bubbles as well.]

Nina: Even though it's a place where God exists.

Nina: How can such solemn and fearful thoughts

Nina: gaze upon it.

Nina: …I am afraid…

Nina: Afraid-…

Nina: I'm afraid……

Nina: Afraid

Nina: and I can't bear it…

Nina: Luca-.

Nina: Of dieing,

Nina: of living,

Nina: of this world,

Nina: and of God…!!

Nina: Everything,

Nina: I'm afraid…

Nina: of everything,

Nina: and I can't bear it…

CHAPTER 4 END

Zombie: …Although we prayed……

Zombie: pain…

Zombie: Despite this, we continued to pray…

Zombie: Pain…

Zombie: Can change…

Zombie: Bodies…

Zombie: Sacrifice

Zombie: A sacrifice…

Zombie: Cold…

Zombie: Where…

Zombie: The warm body……

Zombie: God…

Zombie: Will curse-

Zombie: I'm hungry…

Zombie: Sacrifice…

Zombie: The Body…

Zombie: A sacrifice

Zombie: Warm…

Zombie: Once more…

Zombie: Sacrifice.

Casca: A(h)---

Nina: Hey…

Nina: Ellen, what's wrong?

Casca: U. U---..

Nina: …Come (along)

Nina: We have to go home now, it's getting dark.

Casca: A(h)---.

Casca: A(h)---.

Jerome: The alcohol's no good. [The alcohol tastes unpleasant.]

Jerome: Definitely. [alt: Indeed] [Jerome says "Mattaku". My dictionary indicates that, depending on the context, this term means "really, truly, entirely, completely, wholly, perfectly, or indeed". Considering the context here though, I'd be inclined to represent the term as "Shit" or "This sucks [is fucked]".]

[Background Noise: Gyaaaaa…]

[Background Noise: Hiiii…]

Jerome: If I hadn't heard those fucking annoying shrieks up until dinnertime, would it (taste the same).

Blondie: Why are the Knights of the Holy Iron Chain here to help Mozgus in the first place?

Big Blondie: As it is, it's as though we were his private army, isn't it.

Jerome: Perhaps that's what he thinks.

Jerome: Our commander.

Jerome: It's as if she was pandering to (that) Mozgus.

Jerome: No (that's not it), she's totally enthralled by the faith. [alt: No (that's not it), it is (the) faith that she whole-heartedly admires.] [Whose faith? That of Mozgus I presume.]

Blondie: O Oi… [alt: H Hey…]

Jerome: Either that or maybe it's because she's a woman? [Jerome goes on to say '…onnagokoro [a woman's heart (that is, what it is to be a woman] tte yatsu [a fellow, a guy] kane……'.]

Jerome: Shit! She heard (me).

Blondie: Uwa

Serpico: I am…

Serpico: dreadfully sorry.

Blondie: Please watch where you're going!

Blondie: Why is that worthless fellow the herald? [alt: How did such a worthless fellow become the herald?] [In the absence of a dictionary definition, I've rendered 'monshôkan', a 'coat of arms officer/official', as 'herald'. I'm sure there's a better title, I just don't know what it is!]

Blondie: Aa [alt: Ah!] I see, by using flattery. [Problems here as well! Blondie refers to Serpico using flattery. Tail and possibly wagging as well are also referred to. 'By using flattery to make her wag her tail'!?]

Farneze: Don't waste food over trivial matters.

Serpico: (I'm) Sorry.

Knights: …At any rate.

Knights: They've increased again.

Knights: What has?

Knights: The refugees.

Knights: I'm sometimes afraid.

Knights: Something……You can't help but think that day by day Albion Abbey is being besieged by refugees.

Knights: But that's ridiculous.

Fish Faced Follower: Ka-- Ka-- [This presumably represents the follower's attempt to mimic the cry of the birds around him. 'Caw-- Caw--' may be a better representation of what is being "said".]

Bird-Masked Follower: Something wrong?

Farneze: Err… Lord Mozgus is? [alt: Well…Lord Mozgus is?]

Follower: The Master is at present in the chapel.

Follower: I'm going to call him from there. Let's go together.

Follower: Were you shocked?

Farneze: A(h)…

Farneze: N…No!

Follower: By the appearance of them playing with the birds? [alt: By their playing with the birds?]

Follower: Or was it their personal appearance?

Farneze: …That

Follower: They are boon companions. [alt: They are good-hearted companions.]

Follower: All of us were violently persecuted because of our appearance. [alt: We all suffered severe persecution because of our appearance.]

Follower: Driven from towns and villages. Sold to freak shows to be loathed as abominations. Living hidden away amongst the woods.

Serpico (thought): ['Iketeru'? The Acclimate Solution translation renders this short statement as: 'He looks just a nice guy.']

Follower: Please observe.

Follower: It's a strange disease I've had since birth. When hit by sunlight my skin becomes inflamed, and in no time at all it ends up looking much like a burn.

Follower: My body's resistance is also weak. Without this mask, I guess I'd succumb to serious disease within 3 days.

Follower: Having the appearance of one burnt, I wished not be seen.

Follower: I banished myself from the village. I banished myself from the society of man.

Follower: Society is a curse, but alone, inside the body of a wayside side tree, I wanted to die. [alt (more lit): Society is a curse, but (as I was) alone let me die in obscurity inside the body of a wayside tree.] [The substance, I'm sure, is correct. The construction, however, may not be so.]

Follower: It's at a time like that, I happened to encounter Lord Mozgus.

Mozgus: God.

Mozgus: I give thanks for this meeting and for fate.

Follower: With those words, the Master wrapped me within his vestments; kindly obstructing the rays of the sun.

Follower: Later, (standing) before us, he stated,

Mozgus: People may call you monsters or devils.

Mozgus: But that is a mistake.

Mozgus: Because in these Scriptures, regardless of whether it proves true for an individual born with your appearance, no such sentence is recorded. [This gave me a great deal of trouble. Could no doubt be much better, but I, for one, have no idea how!]

Mozgus: I, on the other hand, think there is significance in the fact that you were given forms such as these at birth. [alt: I, on the other hand, think it (is) significant that you received forms such as these at birth.]

Mozgus: It shows God was thinking of you. It is fate. [lit: (As for) it, God was thinking of you (all). It is fate.]

Follower: Fate?

Mozgus: That's right.

Mozgus: The proof,

Mozgus: Because it was fate that made it possible for (all of) you and I to meet like this.

Mozgus: Both your forms, which differ from man's,

Mozgus: and your hearts, which were filled with hatred, fear and loneliness day after day as a result of being driven away by people.

Mozgus: God needs them all.

Mozgus: You have been chosen. You are children of fate.

Mozgus: Have pride,

Mozgus: and have faith.

Follower: …It was a shock.

Follower: Enough to make a person shake.

Follower: Everybody loathed me as I monster. I whole-heartedly believed it myself. Me, who behaved as might a gutless cur that had been ceaselessly beaten,

Follower: If I was needed by God……

Follower: Yes…

Follower: It was a miracle.

Follower: …I have no love for this work. […I don't like this work.]

Follower: (It is/which is) shunned, hated and feared. [I presume that the follower is here talking about the work, rather than himself.]

Follower: I also have no love for that which harms people. [alt: I also don't like to harm people.]

Follower: I can't help but think I have indeed became a monster…

Follower: ……No

Follower: Maybe, if that were the case, I'd face a person and would not be able to behave in that manner… [alt: If that were truly the case, I'd stand before a person and would not be able to act in that way [like a monster], perhaps…]

Follower: And yet,

Follower: I still have pride. [alt: I am still proud.]

Follower: This the Vatican recorded in the Scriptures…… [alt: This was recorded by the Vatican in the Scriptures……]

Follower: God was thinking of me, because it's a sacred office.

Farneze: That sound? [alt: What's that noise?]

Follower: …The sound of prayer.

Follower: The Master's prayers.

CHAPTER 5 END

Farneze: That is…?

Follower: The bowing ceremony.

Follower: Lord Mozgus does it 1000 times a day

Follower: (He performs it) In the morning and again in the evening. [This little passage is actually quite awkward. Literally, the bird masked followers says 'Morning, night, that [the bowing ceremony] he repeats.' So, the implication seems to be that he does it 1000 times a day, some in the morning, some in the evening.]

Follower: To abandon one's self to God. To the best of my knowledge, over these last 10 years,

Follower: a day has not passed in which Lord Mozgus has not performed that prayer.

Serpico (thought): Is this the secret behind that face.

Follower: He seems to have finished. [alt: It looks as though he's done.]

Farneze: Lord Mozgus.

Mozgus: Why here's (Sir/Lady/Lord) Farneze. [alt: This is (Sir/Lady/Lord) Farneze]. [Mozgus always refers to Farneze as Farneze-dono. "Dono", according to my Japanese to English dictionary, equates with English "esquire" or "mister", "miss" etc. None of these is, however, really appropriate. Considering Farneze's rank, as a commander of knights, the appropriate form of address would seem to be "Sir", though "Lady" might be better for gender reasons. I should add hear, lest I cause any confusion, that Farneze always refers to Mozgus as "Mozgus-sama", indicating that he is her superior. If the Knights of the Holy Iron Chain answer directly to the Pope, as did "our" own Knights of the Temple of Solomon (The Knights Templar), this is hardly surprising, as Mozgus would be acting under the authority of the Pope.]

Farneze: Lord Mozgus, you're bleeding… [lit: Lord Mozgus, blood…]

Mozgus: Aa(h)

Mozgus: For this, excuse me.

Mozgus: I was not aware that I was bleeding as I almost have no feeling in my legs. [alt: I was not aware that I was bleeding on account of almost having no feeling in my legs.]

Mozgus: In this tower a wise man was once imprisoned by Gaiseric the Conqueror.

Mozgus: They say that in the midst of all kinds of torture he continued to implore God to punish the crimes of the King, until finally some angels appeared. [These are presumably the same angels that destroyed Gaiseric's Midland 1000 years ago - see volume 10.]

Mozgus: Sacred ground certainly makes for miracles.

Mozgus: Someone once said, for worship, as well as strength, let me have seclusion.

Mozgus: Thank you.

Mozgus: In few moments the feeling will return, along with the pain.

Mozgus: Because of these injuries, I can barely walk…… And I'm no longer suited to running.

Mozgus: And yet I cherish this pain.

Mozgus: My sacred duty is to execute the laws of God, who can be severe. I also have to make people suffer lots of pain, which makes me sad.

Mozgus: Of course, I do not have a guilty conscience. [alt: Of course, I have no regrets.]

Mozgus: But a man will only understand that through the grace of God. [alt: But a man will only understand why through the grace of God.] [Had all sorts of problems with this.]

Mozgus: Man is oblivious of that which exits within himself. [alt: As for man, he is oblivious of that which exists within himself.]

Mozgus: More so, if the person in question is of the same general disposition as myself. [alt: Mores the case where the person is of my general disposition.]

Mozgus: This injury is a warning to myself. It is proof of my belief in God. [lit: It is a proof of faith wound.] [alt: It is proof of religious faith.]

Mozgus: Is there something troubling you, is that why you're here?

Farneze: e(h)

Mozgus: If you're being evasive, is it because you have to make a confession? [If you're stepping around me, is it because you have to take confession?]

Mozgus: If so, we can be alone…… [alt: If so, I'll clear the room……]

Farneze: No, that's not necessary. [alt: No, that will not be necessary.]

Farneze: …What I have to say,

Farneze: I was hoping you would listen

Farneze: to me…

Farneze: I don't understand it,

Farneze: this task. [alt: this duty.]

Farneze: What does it accomplish, and how can it save the people. [alt: What does is accomplish, and how does it aid the people.]

Farneze: Despite the arrest of numerous suspects, [alt: Despite the many suspects arrested,]

Farneze: we have absolutely nothing to indicate that the priest murders have come to an end. [alt: We have no guarantee that the priest murders have stopped.]

Farneze: Word has come to us of the masses seething with malice… [alt: Word has come to us of the masses being full of ill will…]

Farneze: (And) That's not all.

Farneze: I am ashamed to admit this, but even within the Knights of the Holy Iron Chain there are not a few (persons) voicing (their) disapproval for this task. [alt: I am ashamed to admit this, but even within the Knights of the Holy Iron Chain there are those voicing disapproval for this task.]

Farneze: I try to laugh at the novice's joke. [Not 100% sure about this, although I am sure that Farneze is talking about both a novice's joke and about laughing.]

Farneze: …But,

Farneze: in this instance, there's too much fear about for it to be just a joke. And, it's not solely due to emotional exhaustion either...

Mozgus: Let me tell you a story.

Mozgus: In ancient times there was a holy woman who dedicated her life to the aid of the poor. [alt: …to aiding the poor] [Mozgus refers to "honourable poverty" indicating most probably that the holy woman in question dedicated her life to those born into poverty.]

Mozgus: She never turned her back on anybody who had been thrown from the society of man, whether due to plague, destitution or similar matters. Until the hour that they were summoned to appear before God, the dieing were (at the very least) each tucked under blankets and at peace. It is said that she would gather each in turn to her breast and hold them like a mother. [alt: … and hold them as if she were their mother.]

Mozgus: Once she discovered an old man who had become so thin and worn out that he had fell dieing by the roadside.

Mozgus: As always, she gathered the man to her breast and held him.

Mozgus: But it was he who spoke (first). He said, "I who now waste away by a pathway like this, I would approach no one. This is proof of my having spent a proud existence in isolation." [alt: But it was he who spoke (first). He said, "I who waste away by the trail like this, I approached no one. This is proof of my having spent a lordly existence alone."]

Mozgus: (He (The old man) continued,) "Please, this sublime moment to be. Please do not dishonour the hour of my death with your warmth." [alt: (He (The old man) continued,) "Please, this sublime moment to be. Please do not disgrace my time of death with your warmth."]

Mozgus: What is suffice for a man to save him, I do not know.

Mozgus: That (question) perhaps is best left in the hands of God.

Mozgus: Now then, what is to be the standard by which we measure one's conduct and that of others. It is not (with)in man. The answer is within these pages. [alt: All is revealed within these Scriptures.]

Mozgus: God.

Mozgus: Solely for the good of God.

Mozgus: It is for God that we proceed. [alt: It is for him that we carry on.]

Mozgus: Be not disheartened by a difficult task. [alt: Do not lament a difficult task.]

Mozgus: Be not disheartened by people's understanding, nor that it is not obtained. [alt: Do not lament people's understanding, nor that it is not obtained.] [Does either make any sense!?]

Mozgus: Be not afraid of a person's death, nor of one's own death. [alt: Do not be afraid of a person's death, nor of one's own death.]

Mozgus: Be not covetous of reward for one's own gain. [alt: Do not seek reward for one's own gain.]

Mozgus: Be not suspicious of God. [alt: Do not question God.]

Mozgus: As a human being, let me shed the blood of the flesh and the mind so long as I go on living (solely) for the good of God. [As a man, let me shed blood from the heart and the flesh so long as I go on living (solely) for the sake of God.] [Re the "heart" and "mind" differences between the two "options", this is due to "kokoro", meaning heart, mind or core, being used. As "flesh" would seem to cover the heart, I prefer "mind". That being said …]

Mozgus: That is called faith.

Mozgus: The Lord be with you.

Follower: Master, we must return soon.

Mozgus: Aa(h)

Mozgus: Well then

Mozgus: Shall we go.

Farneze: We must be going as well.

Serpico: Yes.

Serpico (thought): There's something not quite right here (isn't there). But, his argument was faultless. [alt: But, his argument left nothing to be desired.]

Mozgus (Farneze's memory): God

Mozgus (Farneze's memory): Solely for the good of God.

Mozgus (Farneze's memory): It is for God that we proceed. [alt: It is for him that we carry on.]

Nina: Here, take this… [alt: Here, mother, take this…]

Old Lady: Thank you, as always, Nina.

Old Lady: This place has improved for the better, thanks to you. [alt: Conditions in this place are much better, thanks to you.]

Nina: I'm glad, but you take care of yourself OK.

Nina: Hey! Elen! [Elen is, of course, Casca, none here abouts knowing her real name.]

Nina: Oh---! [lit: Mo---!]

Nina: That's enough, you'll cover yourself in mud!

Casca: Splash, splash.

Young Man: Nina…

Nina: Joachim…

Joachim: Um…Well [alt: Uh…Ummm]

Nina: If it's about work, you'll have to ask one of the other girls. I'm having a rest.

Joachim: Umm…

Joachim: No

Joachim: I…

Nina: What is it then? [alt: What do you want to know?]

Nina: Is it about my health…

Nina: or…

Nina: You know and

Nina: You're (still) going to say you want to sleep with me? [alt: You're still going to tell me you want to sleep with me.]

Nina: Sir. [alt: Mr Customer]

Joachim: …I

Joachim: …I

Joachim: Only…

Joachim: Worry about you…

Nina: …(But) even if you sweet talk me,

Nina: I still can't service you.

Nina: Why don't you understand? [alt: Why can't you understand that?]

Joachim: No…

Joachim: Not my…

Joachim: Intention…

Nina: If that's the case, just go and fuck someone, OK!!

Joachim: Ah

Joachim: No.

Joachim: I…

Nina: If you have the courage [If you truly have the courage]

Nina: Tonight, at the stroke of midnight, come to the river's edge.

Luca: Nina, what's wrong?

Luca: You've been making a racket all morning…

Luca: Hey, Nina?

Nina: Nothing's wrong!

Nina: …You came.

Joachim: Nina.

Nina: Answer me, Joachim. [alt: Joachim, answer my question.]

Nina: Do you love me?

Joachim: Ah!

Joachim: Aah

Joachim: I do…

Nina: In that case [alt: If that's the case]

Nina: Will you be willing to hold me in your arms forever? [Nina here and in the statements that follow, on this page and the next, is asking Joachim whether he can (or, in these instances, will) do the things that she is asking about. Thus, a better translation here may well be: "Will you cherish me?"]

Nina: To die together. [alt: Will we die together?]

Nina: Together with me

Nina: are you willing to descend into hell?

Joachim: …Yes

Joachim: With you

Joachim: If we are together… [alt: As long as we're together…]

Nina: …and it's not business. [Not sure about this, though I am sure that it is better than my first attempt: "…enough".]

Nina: OK [alt: Come]

Nina: We'll go together.

Joachim: Wh…Where to?

Nina: A place sacred to a dreadful deity. [alt: The inner sanctum of a dreadful deity.]

Nina: At World's End. [alt: The Edge of the World.] [lit: The End of the World.] [I have here worked on the assumption that Nina is talking about a place, that is the place at World's End, rather than a state of being.]

Luca: That girl

Luca: She can't be-…

Casca: Vu---..

CHAPTER 6 END

Narrator: Out of anxiety, out of stress, [alt: From anxiety, from stress,]

Narrator: at the base of the cavern

Narrator: is that (which is) known as sin.

Narrator: Of human beings there is naught in the formless vastness.

Narrator: But, there is certainly life;

Narrator: A heaving sea of flesh.

Joachim: Aa…

Nina: Come.

Nina: Let's descend. [alt: Let's join them.] [Though the hiragana reading given here indicates that this is to be read a "oriyoo" (yoo form of oriru, to descend, to alight, to get off) the kanji used is normally read as "da", fall, with "dasuru" meaning "to descend to, to degenerate, to lapse into". The implication here is thus that Joachim is being tempted to, and at page 140 (16) does, "fall from grace". Of course, I could be wrong.]

Luca: That girl, I knew it…

Joachim: Ni…

Joachim: Nina…!

Nina: Come

Nina: Let us flyaway together. [The verb in this instance means "to run away, escape, flee". "Flyaway" was chose quite simply as it was appropriate for the subject matter - witches during, and after, the Middle-Ages were purported to make use of a flying ointment to fly to the sabbat.]

Joachim (thought): …What is this salve?

Joachim (thought): An illusion…?

Standard Bearer: The Fire Goddess!! [lit: The Flame Goddess!!]

Joachim (thought): Fire… [lit: Flame]

Joachim (thought): Goddess…?

Luca: An illusion…?

Luca: They're brewing a potion in the cauldron, aren't they. [alt: They're mixing chemicals in the cauldron, aren't they.] [Had all sorts of problems with this, with each visit back to it yielding another interpretation. At any rate, I've taken "renchuu" to mean "they", and "kusurimazekonderu" to mean "mixing chemicals [or medicine] in".]

Joachim (thought): I'm falling…!!

Nina: Joachim, come with me.

Nina: Great Goat (Lord)

Nina: I have brought this person as he wishes to convert.

Nina: From this day you shall speak nothing but ill of God.

Nina: Now, kiss Great Goat's heart and phallus. [Phallus was used in here instead of the literal translation "thing". Of course, I could have used several other terms…]

Nina: Come, this is the last test.

Nina: Drink this, then you shall be one of us.

Joachim: Ge…!!

Nina: Joachim!?

Joachim (thought): …This is

Joachim (thought): no illusion.

Joachim: Hi..

Joachim: Hiii..

Nina: Joachim!!

Joachim: Uwaaaa

Nina: Wai…

Nina: Kill that man.

Nina: He will betray us.

Joachim: …Hi

Joachim: Uwaaaaa

CHAPTER 7 END