WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: nemui

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◈ The Forgotten Curse Knight ◈

Vol. 3 Ch. 16: An Attractive Person

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Beryl was staying behind at Cinder House. Sitting on her bedroom bed, she brushed Lenny, the white, fluffy fluffball.

Mrs. Moran had bought the brush for her.

"How is it? Feel good?"

Mefun.

It sounded as though Lenny were saying, "You may proceed."

This mouse-or-rabbit-like creature（according to Theo, "probably a white horse.") apparently recognized individual humans.

It was most attached to Theo, then probably Beryl and Hulk.

It acted high and mighty around JJ, who liked small animals. As if it were saying, "I'll graciously let you pet my fluff."

It did not interact much with Carla, Rosé, or Archibald, and it definitely hated Gertrude.

（And it looks down on Hugo... Animals are good at seeing who ranks where.）

Beryl carefully loosened tangles in the fluffball's fur with her fingertips and brushed it.

Cinder House was generally boring, so Beryl welcomed the chance to interact with a strange little creature like this.

"Beryl."

Beryl looked up at the voice. Carla was approaching her, without her mask again today.

Beryl blinked several times. Carla had divided her white hair in two and tied it high on either side. The two sides were uneven, though, and loose strands hung limp.

"Twin ponytails? Like Lily, that popular songstress lately?"

"...I want you to teach me how to groom myself too."

"Sure. Sit there."

Carla sat beside Beryl, and Lenny gave a proud mefun, as if showing off its fluffy coat. Carla stared intently at Lenny with her expressionless red eyes.

A girl Carla's apparent age would probably be drawn to a cute creature like this, but Carla always looked at Lenny as if she were observing it.

It was not the same curiosity Gertrude showed toward Termea.

Carla observed things to determine whether they were enemies or allies.

（Well, Carla has Immortality, so she isn't really the age of a girl... But she doesn't feel old, either.)

The closest description was a doll. Apparently, some within the Holy Knight Order called Carla the Slashing Doll.

Carla truly was like a doll. Her expression beneath the mask barely changed, and there was little humanity about her.

Yet, once a battle with Termea began, she flew faster than anyone and tore the Termea apart with her great scythe.

When Beryl became a Gray Knight and came to Cinder House, Carla had been even slower to react than she was now. She was always blankly staring into space and never responded when spoken to.

And yet, since the day she met Theo, Carla seemed to have become more human.

This was the first time Beryl had seen her change her hairstyle like this.

（Is this some sweet, sour first-love thing between a boy and a girl?)

Come to think of it, Carla had worn her hair in twin ponytails at Theo's welcome party too.

Remembering that, Beryl asked her.

"Carla, you wore twin ponytails the other day too, right? Did you do those yourself?"

"I did, but I couldn't do them well, so Theo fixed them for me."

"I see, I see. Have you recently awakened to fashion?"

"............"

Carla fell silent. It was not the silence of embarrassment, but the pause of someone thinking of an answer.

Beryl took a comb from the small case on the bedside table and combed Carla's hair.

As Beryl combed it, Carla quietly said, "I thought... I wanted to become an attractive person."

"A change of heart?"

"I want Theo to look at me. I want to talk to him more."

Oh?

Beryl's hand stopped moving.

Carla had been especially concerned with Theo ever since they met in the mining town of Worg.

"I thought... that if I wanted Theo to notice me, it would be good to become attractive."

"I see, I see. Theo is handsome, after all."

"............?"

Carla went silent at Beryl's words.

This time, it was the silence of not understanding what Beryl meant.

Carla tilted her head and looked up at her.

"It isn't that I like Theo's shape."

Shape. What a choice of words.

"At least call it his looks. This big sister thinks Theo is handsome."

It was not flattery. Theo naturally had refined features. In another three years, Beryl thought, he would surely become a fine-looking young man with a strong-willed face.

But apparently Carla saw things differently.

"I don't like people with blond hair. People who did unpleasant things always had that color of hair."

"But Theo isn't scary?"

"I don't know."

What was she supposed to do? Beryl had thought a sweet first-love story between a boy and a girl was beginning, but it seemed to be veering in a somewhat unexpected direction.

At the very least, Carla did not seem to have any particularly favorable impression of Theo's looks.

As Beryl wondered how to respond, Carla murmured, "But..."

"Theo's words are nostalgic and kind, so I want to hear more... I want to talk more."

At Carla's murmur, Beryl felt a definite humanity in her.

Dolls did not speak in voices so wistful and sweet.

（...So Theo's face isn't her type, but she likes his personality?)

That happened sometimes. It sure did, Beryl thought.

For the record, Beryl was the sort who fell for looks, or rather, expressions. Whenever she thought, Oh, that's a nice expression, she generally ended up liking the person.

"I see, I see. So you want to become attractive because you want Theo to look your way."

"I think Beryl is attractive."

"Oh, that makes me happy. Thanks."

"I understand that Theo and Beryl are attractive. But I didn't know how I could become attractive too, so..."

Carla's fingers tightly gripped the bedsheet, as though she did not know where to put her feelings.

"So I tried copying the hairstyle of a songstress people say is attractive... But I think that alone is not enough."

Beryl was a little surprised.

This was the first time Carla had revealed what was in her heart like this.

（Well, I understand why having a Curse like Immortality would make someone reluctant to connect with others...）

She wanted to become attractive, so she had tried copying the hairstyle of a popular person. It was such an adorable thing to say.

So Beryl decided to try to sympathize with Carla's concerns in her own way.

"Hmm, let's see... This is just what I think, but I wonder if the people who seem attractive are always the ones who connect with others."

"Connecting with people makes someone attractive?"

"Because if someone is alone, nobody around them can tell whether they're attractive or not. You can only tell whether someone is attractive after getting involved with them."

It was practically a prerequisite.

No matter how attractive someone was, their charm would not reach anyone if they never connected with anybody.

"For example, Theo gets forgotten by everyone because of the Curse of Oblivion, right? But he doesn't give up on being remembered, and he tries to connect with people. This big sister thinks that's attractive about him."

Though it was a little painful too, Beryl added silently.

His eyes lit up over a single candy, and he savored the happiness of simply having someone call his name.

Thinking of his circumstances, it even seemed heartbreaking.

（Still, he doesn't become self-deprecating. His family must have loved Theo very much.）

She remembered Duncan, her late comrade-in-arms.

He had been bold and broad-minded, someone who faced the flaws in others and accepted them. What sort of father had he been to Theo?

"I..."

Carla murmured in a small, ashamed voice.

"I didn't try hard to connect with people... I only thought about what I didn't want to forget, and lived vaguely for a long time."

"Then let's have a study session with the people staying behind afterward. Gertrude made a book summarizing Termea's characteristics."

"...Mm, I'll do it."

"Good, good. Now let's finish those twin ponytails. When you divide your hair, pay attention to the position of the hair whorl and the direction your hair falls."

Beryl divided Carla's hair in two and tied it high. Now she had bunny ears.

Beryl put away the comb, collected Lenny, who was rolling around on the bed, and stood.

Then she spoke to Carla, who was checking her hairstyle in a hand mirror.

"Recently, you've been actively trying to connect with people, right?"

Carla, who had been looking into the mirror, blinked softly and looked up at Beryl.

Beryl flashed her white teeth in a cheerful smile.

"This big sister thinks that's attractive too."

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