#basically the only straightforward line is the one about killing hector lol

[beevean]

“What did he wish from me, that he even rebelled…? Unforgiveness is my nature. The more precious things are, the more they resist and are lost…”

“I shall take his head as a consolation… One more thing… while this is regrettable…”

“I will obey You…”

«Why are you hurt? Humans are difficult, aren’t they…»

This is my translation: here’s the much more widely available fan translation of the page, which I’ll use as comparison.

This is quite the fascinating conversation, and I think it’s worth analyzing. It happens after Hector confronts Dracula and affirms his own humanity - and gets thrown off the castle keep as a response. But that’s not the point: the point is that these three panels show facets of Dracula and Isaac that I would have never imagined.

“What did he wish from me, that he even rebelled…?”

Not much to say about this line for now, but I’ll point this out: Dracula is genuinely confused. This doesn’t sound particularly angry, not even in a “tranquil fury” way.

“Unforgiveness is my nature.”

I genuinely struggled to find the right word for 情. It can mean anything from “heart” to “emotion” to “compassion” to “situation”, and it’s more commonly found in compounds. The fan translation goes with “Being unforgiving is my compassion”; I think “nature” is more apt, based on compound words such as 人情 (human nature) and because, well, it just makes more sense in context. Lord Dracula isn’t known for being forgiving. Implied, Hector should know that. And yet he rebelled anyway, and Dracula can’t wrap his head around what was so important to him, that he’d rather face the wrath of the Dark Lord.

“The more precious things are, the more they resist and are lost…”

“Precious” is 惜しい, which has three meanings: “regrettable/pitiful” (as in “such a pity that...”), “precious/dear”, and “too good for something” (for example “too good to be thrown away”). The fan translation says: “So is one dear, so is one wrested away”. The other two don’t make much sense and I don’t think they fit grammatically, so I agree with the fan translation for one main reason: the tone of the whole conversation implies that Dracula was genuinely affected by Hector’s betrayal.

This is so intriguing. Is that so? Not just enraged that his underling dared to question him (and how enraged he was!), but actually hurt and confused? The mighty, cruel Lord Dracula? Well, this is purely my speculation, but... remember who else turned his back on Dracula during this period of time? Someone precious to him? :)

That’s got to sting. Ah, if only they didn’t completely ignore Alucard in CoD...

Basically, compare this whole speech with its equivalent in the MF manga, and you’ll see that the tone is very, very different:

While Dracula’s feelings were surprising, Isaac’s softness was also unexpected, coming from him.

"While this is regrettable, I will obey You…”

The fan translation says “I’m sorry to say... I will serve you now”, which... I don’t know if it’s correct? Why would Isaac say that it’s unfortunate that he will serve Dracula? Yes, 残念ながら all together means “unfortunately”, but I think the words are meant to be read separately in this context. It makes much more sense that Isaac is trying to comfort Dracula: “yes, it’s regrettable that Hector left, but don’t worry, I’m still here”.

There is something to be said about the hesitance that comes off with the pacing: “one more thing...”, and “I will obey You” being in a separate panel, to emphasize it. It’s as if Isaac is scared to say those words, because of their inherent gravitas.

(as for “serve”/”obey”, I just found the latter to be a more common translation of 従う, along with “follow”.)

(also when I first read 貴方 it really threw me off - anata? Isaac is calling his Lord anata??? That is way too close. But apparently it really used to be a polite way to refer to someone of higher status that became ruder as time went on, kind of like kisama. So nevermind, Isaac is still being as formal as he should :P I was already ready to question their entire relationship)

“Why are you hurt?”

And this is why I went for the translation above, and what cemented my interpretation of Dracula’s tone: there is personal care here. Isaac is feeling sorry for him and empathizing with him. He’s surprised that Dracula seems to be affected by Hector’s betrayal: it might mean “why are you hurt? You’re Lord Dracula. You’re above this”. That’s why he wants to comfort Dracula, by reaffirming his loyalty and swearing that he’ll bring Hector’s head back. It definitely feels something more than mere servitude.

I wonder if perhaps the sentiment is also influenced by Isaac’s own personal feelings. After all, I’m just assuming that the subject is Dracula. It could be Isaac talking to himself. Japanese is funny like that :)

“Humans are difficult, aren’t they…”

This comment takes sad connotations when you remember the pervasive theme of Devil Forgemasters being human but not feeling like they're part of humanity - fun fact, this is also present in the Japanese version of the Devil Forging formula heard in the game! Devil Forgemasters call themselves “a person who is not of the human world” everytime they forge an Innocent Devil :)

So, does Isaac consider himself as “difficult” as the humans that have hurt his Lord, or is he speaking from a place of detatchment? The tone, along with the art, feels melancholic to me. Knowing Isaac, I would assume that he’s keeping distance from the humans that he resents. “Difficult” is the direct translation of 難しい, but other good translations would be “troublesome” or “complicated”, which have different connotations, and I don’t know which one I prefer.

Have I looked too deeply into three throwaway panels? Maybe. But the potential for alternative character interpretation is too vast to ignore <3 I’m just enjoying a lot this deeper side of Isaac that we didn’t get to see in canon thanks to the Curse (related to this, his honor code when it comes to fighting), and what could be an inkling of humanity from Dracula.