#at some point she started calling Marco Brock by name in the narration but by that point he didn't get to introduce himself yet

[lutiaslayton]

Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva

ＰＡＲＴ　１０

〚ＦＩＲＳＴ〛〚ＰＲＥＶ〛〚ＮＥＸＴ〛

Disclaimer: This is a fan-translation for the Japan-exclusive novellisation of the movie Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva. The original novel was written by Aya Matsui under the supervision of Akihiro Hino, and belongs to Level-5.

This translation only aims to be a pleasant read for non-Japanese fans, nothing more: I made a few deliberate changes while translating in order to get the writing style closer to what is usually found in English fanfictions, as the Japanese storytelling can sometimes be different than what we are used to.

＊ Leaving the Crown Petone

While the professor and Luke were lowering one of the lifeboats into the sea, Melina left Mr Whistler’s side and came to me.

Thank goodness, she was safe… She could hardly imagine how worried I had been.

I was about to tell her just that, but she spoke first.

“Why…?”

I blinked in surprise and confusion.

“Why did you bring Professor Layton?”

“Melina…”

“Don’t let him win!”

This was the fiercest tone I had ever heard from her.

“You’re my best friend. Aren’t you, Janice? Please, let us have our wish!”

“Our…?”

Our wish…

I quickly realised what she meant. This was a display of just how deeply ‘we’ were connected.

But Melina… It was for your sake that I wanted the professor to solve this puzzle. Our sake.

Please… You have to understand.

In the end, two lifeboats quietly left the Crown Petone and ventured into the sea.

In one of them, alongside myself, stood Professor Layton, Luke, Mr Whistler, the girl with the ribbon, and the man in a safari shirt who always kept his backpack with him.

I was extremely worried of what Melina could tell the professor.

‘Do not let him win’… I could not get her face out of my mind. The expression she had when she had said it…

But for the time being, she had taken refuge by Mr Whistler’s side and fallen quiet.

“Where are we going?”

Luke had asked this out of the blue, to no one in particular. This seemed to be a question he had meant to ask for a long time, and could no longer keep to himself.

“We’re here to see the biggest crown. Aren’t you?” the man with the backpack replied.

“B-but, where is it?”

“You will find out in a few more minutes, Luke,” the professor smiled as he continued rowing.

“I can’t believe that you were the one who shouted the boat’s name out loud, and yet that you still haven’t figured out the answer…”

The girl in the ribbon had blurted this out in a huffed mumble. The professor turned to her and asked:

“If I may, Miss…”

“‘Amelia’ will do.”

“Amelia,” he repeated with a light nod. “How did you get involved in this game?”

“Surely, a ticket to that opera is not something that a student like you could afford,” the man with the backpack agreed.

Amelia did not answer. Instead, Mr Whistler replied on her behalf:

“Miss Amelia did not buy a ticket. She was invited.”

This surprised me. Until now, I had assumed that every member of the audience had bought the expensive tickets on their own.

“I have lost my daughter, who so loved to sing… This is why I sent an invitation to some young women, so they could listen to this new opera on her behalf.”

On his daughter’s behalf… This still was the real reason behind the invitation, wasn’t it?

“And I thought that such special invitations should only be sent to equally special ladies. I used the London Times and other sources as reference… Miss Amelia is an incredible chess champion, and at such a young age!”

Mr Whistler’s words of praise were directed at the young lady in question, but they fell on deaf ears. I wondered if she had a different reason for participating… Such a young and pretty girl should not be involved in this sort of eternal life game.

As silence fell once more, I noticed that Professor Layton’s gaze was fixed on Melina. When she saw that he was smiling at her, she leaned closer to Mr Whistler, trying to avoid his gaze.

“She’s a shy little girl…” Mr Whistler said defensively.

“Mr Whistler, is it true that Melina was reborn with eternal life?” the professor asked.

Amelia and Mr Brock were both surprised to hear this, focusing their attention on Melina. Mr Whistler looked at me accusingly for a moment.

“Of course not. I adopted her, and it just so happens that she has the same name as my late daughter. That’s all there is to it.”

“But…”

I tried to tell him what Melina had said, but he interrupted me.

“Janice… I am very touched that you wish Melina could come back to life. But she is no longer with us…”

Tears welled up in his eyes.

“So I decided that I would live long, for my daughter’s sake. Then at some point, that man came to me and offered the idea to create an opera on the theme of ‘eternal life.’ I agreed to it… but I never thought it would come to this.”

Mr Whistler was looking at the floor and wiping his tears. I looked at him with great sadness.

At that moment…

“Aah!”

Luke stood up at the same time as his yell, causing the boat to rock for an instant, and he continued to fumble on his words afterwards. His gaze was fixed on a single thing.

“Professor, the ship! It’s shaped like a crown!”

I followed his finger pointing at the scene, and saw that it was true. The Crown Petone must have been designed in such way that this shape would appear once it became a ship…

“To everyone currently standing in a lifeboat, congratulations.”

The voice resonated from somewhere around us, and my heart immediately lept with fear. That man could not be found anywhere; only the anxiety he caused remained, perpetually close to us all.

His voice had to come from some sort of device, hidden somewhere, in order for it to reach the lifeboats.

“You have all moved a step closer to eternal life… Please enjoy your trip, as it will last for some time.”

To our surprise, mechanical rails emerged out of the lifeboat, and some sort of engine started by itself. The two lifeboats sped up, rapidly moving away from the Crown Petone…

…which, a moment later, exploded.

One, then two, then more deafening detonations resonated and reached our ears from afar. Bright red smoke from the blasts splashed across the night sky and the azure sea.

At the same time, countless debris started to rain down on the lifeboats.

I heard a scream coming from the other one, and it brought me back to reality. Melina! I had to protect this child!

I quickly held her in my arms and took cover at the bottom of the lifeboat.

　⇚　　　　　　　⇛