#by the way loptous is just. not as cool a name as loptyr.

[meikuumon]

JULIA DEFENSE SQUAD, TALK SHIT GET HIT 😤

[four-loose-screws]

FE4 Suzuki Novelization Translation (Gen II) - Chapter 4

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Chapter 4 - Divine Blade Balmung

The cave was exactly where Shannan had been told it would be: a little ways up the east side of the rocky mountain where the Aed Shrine was located.

He walked inside, led by the light coming from outside. The cave was small, and believed to have formed naturally. About ten meters in, he hit a wall, and could not continue going straight.

"We've reached the end of this path, so we'll go right. Then, there will be a small gap in the rocks at about waist height. That's the entrance to the secret shrine. When the Loptr Church was outlawed, the church's followers lived in hiding in the underground level of this shrine. But they probably didn't live down there all year round. When they came out, they would use this path. But since there's no need for any of that now, no one comes through here." The man explained to Shanan, then looked his lean, toned body up and down. “Big people can't make it through here, but someone of your size should be fine."

Just as the man had said, when they got on their stomachs and crawled through the hole on the right, they were able to make it to the opening. The rocks surrounding the opening were smooth to the touch.

'It has to be here.' Shanan pushed his belongings through first, then himself.

The narrow opening was only about two meters long. At the end was a much larger open space than he thought there'd be.

Once he'd made it through, he was surrounded by total darkness and didn't move for a while.

He didn't hear, nor sense anything.

When he felt it was safe, he lit a small candle.

The path, wide enough for the two men to easily walk next to each other, shined in the light.

"When we come to a fork in the road, we must turn left, as that will lead to the underground shrine. It will be different from the path we've traveled so far, as it's made entirely of stone. Since we have a light source, you'll know it when you see it. The treasure room is the farthest room down that path. I saw Balmung in there. There's no lock on the door, but there might be several mages standing guard."

The first time Shanan had heard this, he thought it was a trap.

The man had claimed he was an ex-priest of the Loptyr Church who fled because he didn't agree with the horrible things they were doing. To avoid their pursuit, he needed money.

'Even then, thirty gold coins is too cheap for a job like this, isn't it?'

However, after thinking it through, Shannan finally decided to try and see where the lead took him, even if it would be to a dead end. 

'If he's telling the truth, then that's the best case scenario, but even if it's a trap, that's just one move he could make. As one of Sword Saint Od’s sayings goes, ”When one makes a move, they always let their guard down.” Since he's trying to use Balmung as bait, the likelihood that he either has it, or at least knows information about it, is high. That will be when he lets his guard down, and I should attack him at that moment.’

As a descendant of Sword Saint Od, Shanan knew all of his sayings. Shannan also believed that he understood, though the intense training he’d subjected himself to, what most of them meant. However, he knew that he could not grasp the last saying if he did not obtain Balmung.

This is that final saying:

"If you are within light, become the light

If you are within darkness, transform into darkness

And within nothingness, is the truth."

He intended to figure out the meaning. However, he wouldn’t know what would happen when he obtained the holy sword, so he couldn’t understand it yet.

There was also one more reason he went with the man's movements.

And that was because Seliph had raised an army, and if they did not recruit Crusaders with legendary weapons, they would not be able to defeat the empire.

'We might be able to take back Isaach, but chances are, we'd lose if we went any further than that. Thracia has Heavens Lance Gungnir, House Friege has Holy Thunder Tome Mjölnir, House Dozel has Holy Axe Helswath, and Arvis has Holy Fire Tome Valflame.

And if someone among the enemy can wield Black Magic Loptous, then we won't stand a chance. So even if I am risking danger here, then I should go along with the enemy's movements and see what happens.'

They walked for about an hour, then finally reached the entrance to the shrine.

There wasn't a door, nor any people, but the path was dimly lit by a magic spell.

'This is the real trap.' Shanan sensed, but had no intention of turning back.

He walked into the shrine at his normal pace.

After taking five steps, he heard a creaking noise come from behind him.

He turned around, and a huge rock fell down between the cave and the shrine, blocking the path.

But since he'd predicted that there might be a trap, he didn't panic.

He confirmed that the path was completely blocked off, put the lantern and his supplies on the floor, and unsheathed a steel sword.

'If the exit is blocked, then I should continue forward.'

There were various doors on both the right and left sides of the path before him. Fearing that he might be attacked from behind if he walked too far, he only continued forward after he had checked each room to see if anyone was inside.

He didn’t find anyone, and finally came to the furthest door. To the right was a staircase going up.

He took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and flew inside.

He saw a mage, sitting at a small desk, in the corner of his eye.

He took a big step and used the force to attack. The mage didn't even have enough time to stand up.

Shanan immediately checked his surroundings. There was no one else in the room. Next, he noticed that there were items that could be considered treasure in the room, confirming that it was indeed the treasure room.

And so, he began to search.

There were both many valuable and rare items inside, but no swords.

'If this is a trap, then of course it wouldn't be here.'

He abandoned the treasure room and returned to the hallway.

He didn't know what he should do next, but knew that in order to attack the enemies while they were still unguarded, he needed to move quickly.

The moment he tried to climb the stairs, he heard footsteps coming down them.

'An enemy has found me already!?’

He braced himself, but the shadow looked like that of a child's, making him decide against attacking. It was obvious they were being chased by something and running away.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, he grabbed their arm.

"Eeeeek!" The shriek sounded feminine.

"Be quiet! I'm not your enemy!" Shanan hissed, while also noticing the item she was clutching to her chest. 

It was a sword, and not just any sword. He remembered seeing the design carved into the handle before.

"Where did you get that sword?"

"I found it."

"Where? In that treasure room?"

"No, in a room at the top of the stairs."

"As I thought. Now hand it over."

"Hey! Are you trying to steal what I worked for? I went through a lot of trouble to get this, so there's no way I'll just give it to you!" The girl said, slipped out of his grasp, and ran towards the secret passage.

"W-Wait!"

She was dressed in men's clothing, and could run very quickly, making it obvious that she was a thief…

However, she had no choice but to stop in front of the boulder blocking the way to the cave.

Shanan caught up to her and grabbed her shoulder.

"Eeek! Stop, or else I'll never be able to be a bride!"

"Don't be stupid! I'm not going to do anything to you! I just want you to return that sword to me."

"'Return…?' So this is yours?”

"Yes. It is the Divine Blade Balmung, that has been passed down in my family for generations. I'm the only person who can wield it. Even if you have it, you can't do anything with it."

"But why us a holy sword in the Aed Desert?"

"It was taken from my father when he was killed during Grannvale's military campaign in Isaach. I was only just recently told that it's here in the Aed Desert. That's why I'm here, to take it back."

"Wait, so does that mean you're Prince Shanan of Isaach!?"

"Yes, I am."

"Wow, really? Yay, I'm soooo lucky!"

"..."

"I've always admired Prince Shanan, and wanted to meet him, even if it's just once… but I didn't think I actually would…"

"..."

"But it really is so cool to meet you!"

"I get it, I get it. Now, my sword, please."

"Oh, sorry. Here you go!"

Shanan took Balmung from her, and slowly unsheathed it.

As he revealed the blade, it lit up with a sparkling light. Then, he started to feel a strange power course through his body and make him feel warm.

'Balmung is finally mine… Ah, what a magnificent power this is…'

His body overflowing with new power, Shannan kept his gaze straight ahead, and said over his shoulder to the girl behind him, "What is your name?"

"I'm Patty! And don't forget it!"

"You're a thief, aren't you?"

"You could say that. But I only target the rich!"

"And you were found, so you ran away."

"Yeah. It was the first time ever for me, so I was surprised. But I wonder why they didn't chase me all the way here…"

"There's no way out of here, so they aren't worried. There’s no doubt in my mind that they are slowly gathering together more people and heading this way.”

"So what are we gonna do?"

"Keep your distance, but follow me."

Shannan gripped Balmung with both hands, held it out straight in front of him, and slowly began to proceed.

When they reached the section of the wall lit up by a magic spell, the torch went out.

"Eeeeek! It's pitch black!"

"You can't see anything?"

"I can, but only the light coming from the sword."

 That was all Shannan could see as well. He gently closed his eyes.

'If all I can see is the sword's light, then I'll be able to see any enemy that comes within its range. In this case, I shouldn't rely on my eyes.’

"If you are within light, become the light

If you are within darkness, transform into darkness"

"Listen closely, Patty. We're going to follow the sword's light."

He abandoned his sense of sight, heightening his other senses.

'There's eight enemies. Three of them have swords.'

He pictured the hallway in his mind, and as he proceeded, he felt more and more like he was actually looking at it.

He turned right, and started climbing the stairs. 

There were several lights set throughout the stairwell, but if one looked down at the stairs from the very top, they were shrouded in darkness. 

When the leader of the mercenaries suddenly saw Balmung's light, he panicked and froze. He knew there should be a person on the other side of the sword, but he couldn't see them because the light was in his way.

The glowing sword slowly climbed up the stairs. It felt like someone was lying in wait for them, but it seemed like that person wasn't concerned at all.

"Die!" The mage standing in the back shouted.

"Hiii-yah!" The lead mercenary aimed as best he could, and swung his sword.

The man's voice and the movement of the air felt as if they were flowing through Balmung.

Shannan felt no resistance, as if he only cut through air, but he did actually slice open the mercenary's abdomen, who then fell down the stairs.

Another mercenary tried to come around from the left, but Shannan sensed his breath, the movement of his scent, the way he quietly stepped on the stairs, and the change in the temperature around him, as if they were concrete items Shannan could hold in his hands. Shannan only had to think, and Balmung moved, cutting down two more mercenaries.

The other mercenaries above him could only see the slight movements of Balmung's light. It returned to its original position in a split second, then started slowly moving up. As Balmung came close to each magic light, they went out, making Balmung's light grow stronger and stronger in the darkness.

The mages couldn't see what was behind Balmung's light, either. So even if they cast black magic spells, all they could do was aim at the sword, which sent every spell back at the casters. The next moment, the sword leapt into the air, and cut them both.

As he and Patty slowly climbed the stairs, Shannan defeated each and every enemy that came near them. He had no idea how many enemies he faced in total. He only knew he had become one with Bulmung, and the moment he sensed an enemy, he could take them out with the slightest of movement.

Then, finally...

He no longer sensed any enemies. After climbing a few more stairs, he could see light through his closed eyelids, so he opened his eyes.

They were already above ground, and in front of his eyes was a big door.

Shannan swung Balmung, and landed gracefully in the blood pooling beneath him.

He placed the Divine Blade in its sheath, then opened the door. It was the prayer room, and inside was a man in bishop's robes. He was surely none other than Kutuzov, wielder of the dark magic spell Fenrir and leader of the Aed Shrine.

'If I go any further, I'll probably be consumed by Fenrir's magic.'

"If you are within light, become the light

If you are within darkness, transform into darkness

And within nothingness, is the truth."

Shannan emptied his mind of all thoughts, then calmly stepped into the prayer room.

Kutuzov had seen Shannan the moment he opened the door, and realized the swordsman was not wearing clothing he'd ever seen before. However, Kutuzov didn't sense any ill intent, so he did not think he should do anything. He saw Shannan, but did not look at him.

As Shannan came closer, Kutuzov noticed a strange scent. It was the smell of blood. Then, he saw that the man's clothing was stained with blood.

'Why is he covered in blood…? I see, so he is Shannan!?'

Kutuzov panicked and tried to cast a spell.

In a movement so fast his eyes could not catch it, Shannan unsheathed Balmung.

Kutuzov's head went flying through the air before he was even done with his chant.

"That was so cool!!" Patty screamed from the entrance of the prayer room.

-

 Seliph and the liberation army defeated the mages stationed throughout the rocky mountain, and arrived at the Aed Shrine shortly after.

After they had fully seized the shrine, Seliph entered the shrine's underground with Lewyn, who had just returned.

"The descendants of the Loptrian Empire lived here in hiding for a long, long time, because if they went above ground, they would be persecuted and burned alive. But even that doesn't mean they were evil from the beginning. However, many, many years of that treatment turned them into demons."

Seliph walked into one of the rooms in the hallway lined with rooms on both sides.

On the walls was writing that looked like a child's scribbles.

'Please come back someday soon, Lord Loptous.

Please make them suffer.

If you make our wishes come true, Lord Loptous, then we will give our blood to you.'

He guessed those words had been there for over twenty years, but the hatred with which they had been written had not faded one bit.

Seliph was overwhelmed by that hatred. He didn’t know what to say.

"Hate only begets hate." Lewyn said.  "You must etch those words into your heart."

"What do you think of my hatred for Arvis?"

"I've said this before, but this fight is no longer yours alone. I understand how you feel, but you must only hate what he has done, or what he is doing, not the man himself. If you do, then it will cloud your judgement.

"You should hate the evil, not the person. You must never forget that."

[damoselcastel]

I'm complaining cause the localization seems to have purposefully chosen MORE gaelic-sounding names for characters that transliterated into name that would be less overt as references. Like Jamke's brothers are now Cimbaeth and Munnir whereas in Cipher FE and past translations it's Kinbois and Ganolf, or the Neir bros of Johan and Johalva into Iuchar and Iucharba. They went out of their way to try and pick references even if it's not very close to what the original was, especially since other than with Sigurd the name's aren't really proper allusions.

Localization also conflict, as we've seen with the of 8-4 vs Treehouse takes: Raquesis vs Lachesis, Loptyr vs Loptous. Though Valflame and Fjalar annoys me most, because the Holyweapon's name was meant to have the Crusader's within it, so you'd think the bloodline would be Vala (old translations had it as Fala and Falaflame). But nope, Treehouse wanted to stick to an "accurate" mythological name, so now it's a mess (also the case with Ced and Forsetti where the names no longer reflect each other like Sety and Holsety). Njörun seems to be the same case, going with "accuracy" despite it sticking out like a sore thumb with all the other bloodline names, instead of Noba or Nova.

And when I say past translations, I don't just mean by fans (eng and Jp- the latter seen in fanart often). I mean old artbooks and magazines that touched on the game and sometimes had wildly different transliterations. While there are quite a few Irish names used, it’s mostly for cool factor- something many JRPGs with various mythologies partake in.

@gascon-en-exil matter of taste, I guess. Personally I like the stir-fry; I feel like it allows for more creativity and original ideas. It's always annoyed me that Jugdral is just half Literally Ireland. Makes it harder for them to build their own identities when I already know who Cu Chulainn and Diarmuid and Fionn and Beowulf and Sigurd and Graine and...you know I can keep going. I already know all these stories and it's hard for the Jugdral characters to establish any kind of unique identity because of it.