Chapter Text 章节正文
"You should try listening to me for a change, your grace," Taro clicks his tongue as he places a bandage about the gash on Yoichi's arm.
"您或许该试着听听我的意见，陛下，" Taro 咂舌道，同时为Yoichi手臂上的伤口缠上绷带。
"It appears Tanaka has a bit of a temper," the king says with an unbothered smile.
"看来田中有点脾气呢，"国王带着无所谓的微笑说道。
"You're going to end up dead at this rate, your grace."
"照这样下去，您迟早会丧命的，陛下。"
In fact, Itoshi Rin wasn't the first person who'd attempted to take Isagi Yoichi's life. In the short tenure of his reign, there had been five other such attempts, one of which had resulted in Yoichi's first near-death experience.
事实上，Itoshi Rin并非首个试图夺取Isagi Yoichi性命的人。在他短暂的统治期间，已有五次类似企图，其中一次差点让Yoichi经历首次濒死体验。
"I need to prove I'm not my father," Yoichi explains, "If I can reason with one such as him, if I could change his mind... I could make an example out of him. Am I right, Taro?"
“我必须证明我不是我父亲，”Yoichi解释道，“如果我能说服像他这样的人，如果我能改变他的想法……我可以拿他做个榜样。我说的对吗，Taro？”
"Well... If you so wish, your grace."
“嗯……如果您如此希望，阁下。”
"Thanks for your support," king Isagi replies dryly.
“感谢你的支持。”国王Isagi冷淡地回应。
"His grace does require some support, everyone else wants him dead."
“他的确需要些支持，其他人可都巴不得他死呢。”
Yoichi pauses, feeling slightly irked by Taro's sarcasm. It was quite typical of him to behave as such... Often far too sassy for a king's advisor.
Yoichi顿了顿，对 Taro 的讽刺感到些许不悦。他总是这样……作为国王的顾问，未免太过尖酸刻薄了。
The silence lingers as Yoichi recalls his encounter with Rin in the archives. Flashing steel, a knight wearing his king's guards garb attempting to stab him in the back, and those eyes... Yoichi felt a bit embarassed recalling how damn beautiful Rin had looked, swinging that sword around the way he did, face crinkled up, frustratedly, almost cutely—and those fucking eyes of his.
沉默在Yoichi回忆起在档案馆与Rin的遭遇时久久萦绕。寒光闪烁，一名身着国王卫队服饰的骑士试图从背后刺杀他，还有那双眼睛……Yoichi想起Rin挥舞长剑时的模样，那张因挫败而微微皱起的脸庞，几乎带着几分可爱——尤其是他那双该死的眼睛，不禁感到一丝尴尬。
Yeesh. 哎呀。
"Your grace, the wound has been tended to. Will there be anything else you need of me?"
“大人，伤口已经处理好了。您还有什么需要我做的吗？”
"Send him to me, Taro. Tomorrow. He'll assist with my weekly outing."
"把他送到我这儿来，太郎。明天。他会帮我处理每周的外出事宜。"
Taro pauses, clearly hesitating at the bizarre request. "... Your grace. I'm not sure it would be wise."
太郎停顿了一下，显然对这个奇怪的要求感到犹豫。"……大人，我不确定这样做是否明智。"
Isagi shifts in place and grins, now toying with the bandage on his arm.
Isagi 挪了挪位置，咧嘴一笑，开始摆弄手臂上的绷带。
"Wise? Oh, no. Certainly not. Wise is not exactly my style, though, is it, Taro?"
"明智？哦，不。当然不是。明智可不算是我的风格，不过，是吧，太郎？"
"... Well... That's true, your grace."
"...嗯...确实如此，大人。"
Day 2 第二日
The following day, Rin arrives at the king's chambers by Yoichi's summon, knocking thrice on the door. He steps inside when he's bid to do so. Yoichi was apparently still being dressed for the day.
次日，Rin应Yoichi之召来到国王寝室，轻敲三下门。得到允许后，他步入室内。Yoichi显然还在为当天着装。
"Rin," Yoichi says as his shirt is buttoned, "We're going into town today."
“Rin，”Yoichi一边扣衬衫纽扣一边说道，“我们今天进城。”
"Fine," Rin grunts back. “好的，”Rin咕哝着回应。
"No resistance? No questions?"
"没有反抗？没有疑问？"
Rin simply stands in his place quietly and watches on as the king is dressed... Dressed in an absurd amount of clothing, really. The knight takes note of a bizarre number of coin purses being tied at his hip as well.
Rin 只是静静地站在原地，注视着国王被穿上... 真的是一层又一层的衣物。骑士还注意到，他的腰间系上了数量异常多的钱袋。
As it would happen, the newest member of the king's guard was about to find out about Yoichi's weekly outing... A ritual of sorts.
正如即将发生的那样，国王卫队的新成员即将发现 Yoichi 每周的外出... 某种仪式。
Not long later, Rin was following Yoichi off the castle grounds and down into the capital city on foot. They made their way through the wealthiest end of town, passing through the merchant's sect and fishing port by the ocean, before they ended up in one of the poorest, if not the poorest, end of town.
不久之后，Rin跟着Yoichi徒步离开了城堡，向首都城市走去。他们穿过城镇中最繁华的区域，途经商人的街区和大海边的渔港，最终来到了城镇中最贫困，即便不是最贫困的地区之一。
"I always bring a king's guard with me when I do this, but not for protection."
"我每次做这件事都会带一名国王的护卫，但并非为了保护。"
"I didn't ask, idiot-king. What is all this about?"
"我没问你，傻瓜国王。这一切都是为了什么？"
Yoichi, who's in the lead, stops to bash the mud off his boots, then continues onward.
Yoichi，领先的那位，停下来拍打掉靴子上的泥巴，然后继续前行。
"You'll find out. Just watch."
“你会知道的。看着就好。”
When they reach a certain point, the king stops in his tracks. He tugs a ring off his finger and hands it over to someone, a poor woman with a young child cradled in her arms who appear to be homeless.
当他们到达某个地点时，国王突然停下脚步。他从手指上摘下一枚戒指，递给了一个抱着幼儿、看似无家可归的贫穷妇人。
"Take it, please," he says to her, but she doesn't move and simply stares at him in silent shock, eyes bulging. The woman's frail body lingers firm in its place and she begins to tremble, so he gently tosses the jewelry over to her. The king watches on as she reaches for it with a quivering hand, where he then nods, smiles, and continues on his way. Only a few more steps, though, before he stops again.
"请拿着吧，"他对她说，但她一动不动，只是默默地瞪大眼睛震惊地盯着他。女人的瘦弱身躯坚定地停留在原地，开始颤抖，于是他轻轻地将珠宝抛向她。国王在一旁看着她颤抖着手去接，然后点头微笑，继续前行。然而，没走几步，他又停了下来。
Another ring is removed from his finger and tossed to another person.
他又从手指上取下一枚戒指，抛给了另一个人。
They press onward. Not much further up the road and all of Yoichi's jewelry has already been removed from his body.
他们继续前进。没过多久，Yoichi身上的所有珠宝都已被取下。
The pair proceed deeper down into the slums, an area of town Rin is more than familiar with, having lived there briefly himself after Sae's passing. The next person receives a shirt from Yoichi, another receives a cloak, some recieve gold, and on and on and on it went until the king had given away every article of clothing from his body and every coin he'd brought, save for his linen underclothes.
两人继续深入贫民区，这个地方对Rin来说再熟悉不过了，他在Sae去世后曾短暂地在那里生活过。接下来，有人从Yoichi那里得到了一件衬衫，另一个人得到了一件斗篷，有些人收到了金币，如此这般，国王将他带来的每一件衣物和每一枚硬币都分发了出去，除了他的亚麻内衣，身上已一无所有。
"This is what you're here for, Rin."
“这就是你来这里的目的，Rin。”
The knight glares on in disbelief as the king removes his shoes and gives them away, too.
骑士难以置信地瞪大眼睛，看着国王连鞋子也脱下送了出去。
"You're on piggy-back duty today."
"你今天负责背我。"
"I will not be doing that," the knight replies hotly.
"我不会那么做的。"骑士热切地回答。
"You'd come all the way down here with me and have me walk all the way back up to the castle without shoes? Come now, don't be so inconsiderate."
"你大老远陪我下来，难道要我光着脚走回城堡？别这么不体贴嘛。"
Rin stands for a moment, eyeing up the king in all his unclothed glory. Inconsiderate? he thinks bitterly, wondering why the hell this idiot-king hadn't properly informed him of why he was being dragged out into this folly in the first place so he couldn't simply say no. Rin then begrudgingly hikes the king of rags up and onto his back.
Rin 站立片刻，目光扫过国王那赤裸裸的荣耀。不顾他人感受？他苦涩地想，纳闷这个白痴国王为何没提前告知他为何被拖入这场荒唐事，好让他能干脆拒绝。Rin 然后不情愿地将衣衫褴褛的国王背起。
"Idiot-king, why the hell would you give your shoes away? At least keep those."
"白痴国王，你干嘛把鞋子送人？至少留着那些。"
"Most of the poor don't have shoes. I can buy another pair easily, they cannot. And it's not like it's that hard for you to carry me anyway."
"大多数穷人连鞋都没有。我可以轻易再买一双，他们却不能。而且，背你也不算太难。"
Rin plods on through the muddy streets, back toward the castle the way they'd come down.
Rin 踏着泥泞的街道，缓缓返回城堡，沿着他们下山的路。
"Ride a horse, then." “骑马吧。”
"I don't want to look down on them. You know, I do this for two reasons. The first is to help some of the poor, even if it's only a small number of them. The second is to earn their respect. A king is not truly a king if he doesn't have the respect of his people, and I don't want to make myself look like a pompous asshole riding some fancy steed through the streets, y'know?"
“我不想俯视他们。你知道，我这么做有两个原因。第一是为了帮助一些穷人，哪怕只是少数。第二是为了赢得他们的尊重。一个国王如果没有人民的尊重，那他就不是真正的国王，我不想骑着高头大马在街上招摇，显得自己像个自大的混蛋，明白吗？”
"You're an idiot. Parading yourself around like this only makes you look like a fool."
"你真是个白痴。这样招摇过市只会让你显得像个傻瓜。"
Yoichi laughs softly at this, the sound of his laughter somehow not as unpleasant a thing to Rin as he would have hoped.
Yoichi 轻声笑了起来，他的笑声不知为何并没有像他希望的那样让 Rin 感到不快。
"I'm sorry about your brother," Yoichi says quietly, "He seemed like a good guy. He didn't deserve his fate. My father, he... I don't understand why he did what he did."
"我很遗憾关于你哥哥的事，" Yoichi 轻声说道，"他看起来是个好人。他不该有这样的命运。我父亲，他……我不明白他为什么要那样做。"
Though Yoichi didn't mean to provoke him, the statement only seems to bother Rin, the knight's hands clenching in against Yoichi's legs as he masks his fury.
尽管Yoichi无意激怒他，但这番话似乎只让Rin感到困扰，骑士的双手紧握，抵在Yoichi的腿上，掩饰着怒火。
"I don't need your sympathy," Rin snaps. "The tyrant king was just that, and my brother paid the ultimate price for ever choosing to enter into that man's service in the first place."
“我不需要你的同情，”Rin厉声道，“那个暴君就是那样，而我兄弟当初选择为那人效劳，付出了最惨重的代价。”
They're now on their final stretch back up to the castle, the sun dipping below the horizon behind it, casting the building in molten gold.
他们现在正返回城堡的最后一段路，太阳沉入地平线，将城堡映照成熔金般的辉煌。
"Sympathy is not what I'm offering you. I simply want you to know that I do care, that's all. I know Sae tried to leave the king's guard, but did you ever find out why?"
"我并非向你提供同情。我只是想让你知道，我确实在乎，仅此而已。我知道Sae曾试图离开国王的卫队，但你有没有查出原因呢？"
Of course he knew why. What kind of question was that, even? The question pisses Rin off, not only because it assumes Rin wasn't paying attention to his own brother, but also because...
当然他知道为什么。这算什么问题，甚至？这个问题激怒了Rin，不仅因为它暗示Rin没有关注自己的兄弟，还因为...
Rin remembers Sae, bowed pathetically before thousands of people in the capital city. The boy had never seen his older brother look like this before—his hair was a mess, skin dirty, and his eyes... Sadness in Sae's eyes that Rin had never seen the likes of before. Rin believes the tyrant king must've detained Sae, but more than all that, Rin remembers Sae's last words more than anything else...
Rin记得Sae，在首都成千上万的人面前卑微地弯腰。这个男孩从未见过他的哥哥这副模样——头发凌乱，皮肤肮脏，而他的眼睛... Sae眼中那种Rin前所未见的悲伤。Rin相信暴君国王一定扣留了Sae，但更重要的是，Rin对Sae的临终遗言记忆犹新...
"Rin, if you're out there, I want... I want you to know I'm sorry. Stay strong for your big brother. Live."
"Rin，如果你在那边，我想……我想你知道我很抱歉。为了你的大哥坚强活下去。活下去。"
Just remembering Sae's last words was painful beyond belief for him, but Rin had been living in hell every single day of his life since that fateful day. And the most painful thing about all this was that Rin couldn't help but blame himself for Sae's execution.
仅仅回忆起Sae的遗言就让他痛苦得难以承受，但自从那决定命运的一天起，Rin每一天都生活在地狱中。而这一切最痛苦的部分在于，Rin无法不为自己导致Sae被处决而自责。
"Was he your only family?"
"他是你唯一的家人吗？"
Now back on the castle grounds, Rin pauses near the large entry door leading inside the castle, persistently silent following the king's question. Just as Yoichi is about to ask it again, he's promptly dropped down onto the ground behind him with a thud.
此刻重返城堡庭院，Rin在大门入口处驻足，自国王提问后一直沉默不语。正当Yoichi准备再次发问时，他突然被猛地摔落在身后的地面上，发出一声闷响。
"Your grace." “陛下。”
The king makes a point in ignore the rough treatment. He gets to his feet slowly, rubbing at his lower back to dull the ache.
国王刻意忽视这粗鲁的对待。他缓缓起身，揉搓着后腰以缓解疼痛。
"Thanks for your help, Rin. I'll have you help me next week, too."
"谢谢你的帮助，Rin。下周我还需要你帮忙。"
"Get someone else to help you next time, idiot. I have no need to assist you in this pointless folly."
"下次找别人帮你吧，白痴。我可没兴趣参与你这无意义的愚蠢行为。"
Rin's eyes pass over the figure of the king who now stands before him. He's shoeless, mostly unclothed, and dirty. The man did not look very kingly in his present state, not one bit.
Rin的目光扫过此刻站在他面前的国王身影。国王赤着脚，衣衫不整，浑身脏兮兮的。以他现在的模样，实在看不出半点国王的风范。
"Consider it a team bonding experience, Rin."
"就当是团队凝聚力训练吧，Rin。"
"We are not a team. You damn fool."
"我们不是团队。你这个蠢货。"
Rin jerks around, facing away, readying himself to head back into the castle, but Isagi halts him with another question.
Rin猛地转身，背对着众人，准备返回城堡，但Isagi用另一个问题拦住了他。
"You know black and gold are not my house colors, correct?"
“你知道黑色和金色不是我家族的颜色，对吧？”
Rin lingers for a moment, then turns back around and stares in disbelief at idiot-king Isagi.
Rin 停顿片刻，然后转过身来，难以置信地盯着蠢国王 Isagi。
"I don't fucking know your house colors, moron. And I don't care. Do you know when to shut up?"
“我他妈才不知道你家族的颜色，白痴。我也不在乎。你知道什么时候闭嘴吗？”
Yoichi seems entirely unbothered by Rin's snarkiness, a fact that only serves to somehow piss him off even more. He ignores Rin's comments and continues on to make his point.
Yoichi似乎对Rin的尖酸刻薄毫不在意，这一事实反而让他更加恼火。他无视Rin的评论，继续阐述自己的观点。
"The king and all those in his service, including his king's guard, all wear black and gold. Not the house colors of house Isagi. In fact, no one in the castle is permitted to wear those colors."
"国王及其所有侍从，包括他的王室卫队，都穿着黑色和金色。并非Isagi家族的家族色。实际上，城堡里没有人被允许穿这些颜色。"
"I didn't ask," Rin insists. He flips around on his heels and makes to move away again, but it would seem the king is not finished.
"我没问，"Rin坚持道。他转身准备离开，但似乎国王还没说完。
"We wear black because we mourn them," Rin hears.
"我们穿黑色是因为我们哀悼他们，"Rin听到。
"Not my family. No... We don't mourn them. We mourn those who died during my father's reign... Those who still continue to die because of his influence."
"不是我的家人。不...我们不哀悼他们。我们哀悼那些在我父亲统治期间死去的人...那些因他的影响而继续死去的人。"
Silence ensues as Rin lets what Yoichi had just said wash over him. Mouring those who died during his father's reign. In that moment, Rin couldn't help it when his own brother's face flashed into his mind.
Rin沉默了，任由Yoichi刚刚说的话在他心中回荡。哀悼那些在他父亲统治期间死去的人。那一刻，Rin忍不住想起了自己兄弟的面容。
And this king Isagi—this Yoichi—He's an oddity, isn't he? What reason does he have to do such things? Mourning people of the lower class was not a thing most nobles would choose to do, let alone the king himself. It's most likely for appearances, Rin thinks.
而这个国王Isagi——这个Yoichi——他真是个异类，不是吗？他有什么理由做这些事呢？哀悼下层民众可不是大多数贵族会选择的举动，更别说是国王本人了。多半是为了做样子，Rin这么认为。
Yoichi hears only one other thing from Rin before the knight makes his way back into the castle:
Yoichi在骑士返回城堡前只从Rin那里听到了另一句话：
"I didn't fucking ask."
“我他妈没问。”
Day 9 第九天
Following a day of patrols assisting the city guards, Rin pulls into the throne room to present a trial before the king. He's found out the king prefers to pass judgment himself, even on trivial matters such as this one. The criminal in question is thrown to the floor before Yoichi's throne. Behind Rin, a girthy nobleman hastily bows, necklaces of gold clattering as he moves.
在协助城市守卫进行了一天的巡逻后，Rin步入王座厅，准备向国王呈递一桩案件。他已得知国王偏好亲自裁决，即便是如这般琐碎之事。被告被扔在Yoichi的王座前。Rin身后，一位肥胖的贵族匆忙鞠躬，金链在他移动时叮当作响。
"What are the crimes this man is charged with?" the king asks of his king's guard, eyes carefully sweeping the one who's been presented before him.
“此人被指控何罪？”国王向他的王室卫队询问，目光仔细扫过呈现在他面前的那个人。
"This man stole from me!" Isagi hears a quivering voice, not from Rin but from the nobleman standing behind him.
“这人偷了我的东西！”Isagi听到一个颤抖的声音，并非来自Rin，而是来自他身后的贵族。
"You are not the one I'm addressing," the king says sternly to the plump nobleman. The man's upper lip curls up in a grimace and Yoichi's attention is brought back to Rin.
“我不是在对你说话，”国王严厉地对那位肥胖的贵族说。那人的上唇扭曲成一个痛苦的表情，而Yoichi的注意力再次回到了Rin身上。
"The poor man attempted to steal from this one," Rin explains, motioning backward at the nobleman behind him.
“这个穷人试图从这位身上偷东西，”Rin解释道，同时向后示意他身后的贵族。
"He must be lashed! Killed for his crimes! How dare this swine lay his hands on me?" the nobleman shouts up to the king. He then leans forward and spits on the poor man on the floor before him.
"他必须受到鞭笞！因他的罪行而死！这畜生怎敢对我动手？"贵族向国王喊道。随后他俯身向前，朝面前地板上的可怜人吐了口唾沫。
King Isagi watches on quietly as the nobleman throws his tantrum. Calculating. Yoichi is an excellent judge of character and always takes a person's character into account in bringing his justice. And in this case, one didn't need to be an excellent judge of character to see this nobleman is a pompous prick.
国王Isagi静静地注视着贵族发泄怒火。他在盘算。Yoichi是个出色的识人者，总是将一个人的品性纳入审判考量。而在这个案例中，即便不是出色的识人者也能看出这位贵族是个自大狂妄的家伙。
"What's your name?" Yoichi asks, though the deep blue eyes of his are trained steadily on the frail criminal on the floor before him, not on the rich man.
"你叫什么名字？"Yoichi问道，尽管他深蓝色的眼睛始终紧盯着面前地板上虚弱的罪犯，而非那位富人。
"Your grace would address this man instead of me? This... This criminal? This scum?"
"您的恩典要与这人对话而非我？这...这罪犯？这人渣？"
The nobleman is now noticeably upset. He continues to ramble on his displeasure, until...
贵族此刻明显不悦。他继续喋喋不休地表达不满，直到...
Thud. 砰。
The king's guard's fists is brought up and meets with the man's face.
国王的侍卫拳头一挥，正中那人面门。
"Shut your damn mouth," Rin growls at the man.
"闭上你的臭嘴，" Rin 对着那人咆哮。
"You... Punched me?" Now visibly outraged, the nobleman's face reddens, contorting into an unsightly sneer before he's punched once again.
"你...打我？" 贵族此刻怒不可遏，面色涨红，扭曲成一副丑陋的讥笑，随即又挨了一拳。
This time he shuts up.
这次他闭嘴了。
Yoichi smirks at Rin, clear amusement passing over his features before he moves his attention back down to the criminal on the floor.
Yoichi 对 Rin 微微一笑，脸上明显流露出戏谑之情，随后又将注意力转回到地板上的罪犯身上。
"What's your name?" he repeats to the criminal.
“你叫什么名字？”他再次问那罪犯。
"Y-yer grace... My name... Asahi..."
“大…大人…我叫…朝日…”
"Did you attempt to steal from this man, Asahi?"
“朝日，你试图从这个人那里偷窃吗？”
The poor man, clearly starving, thin, and weak, nods his head slowly, frail body trembling at the effort.
这个可怜人，显然是饥肠辘辘，瘦弱无力，缓缓地点了点头，虚弱的身体因这番努力而颤抖。
"Yer grace, I was only hungry..."
"大人，我只是饿了..."
Of course you are... Yoichi thinks bitterly, Everyone in my damned father's kingdom is still starving.
当然你是... Yoichi 苦涩地想，我那该死的父王的王国里，每个人仍在挨饿。
"Asahi, you'll return what you've stolen from this man here," the king says. He pulls a ring off his finger and hands it to Taro beside him, who makes his way down to place it into Asahi's hand.
"朝日，你得把你从这人那里偷的东西还回来，"国王说。他摘下手指上的戒指，递给身旁的太郎，太郎便走下去将戒指放入朝日的手中。
"Sell that. It will keep you fed for quite a while if you don't squander the money." Yoichi then motions back at the nobleman as he continues. "And you will work for this man in his personal service to repent for your crimes."
卖掉它。如果你不挥霍这笔钱，它足够让你维持一段时间的生计。Yoichi 随后向贵族示意，继续说道：“而你，将为这位先生提供私人服务，以此赎罪。”
King Isagi now finally addresses the nobleman. "You," he says with another gesture, this one more mocking, "Will hire Asahi into your personal service. He will work for you for one full year as repentance for his crimes. You will provide him with basic needs such as food, clothing, and a place to sleep during this time."
国王Isagi 终于转向贵族，用更加嘲讽的手势说道：“你，将雇佣朝日进入你的私人服务。他将在你这里工作整整一年，以赎其罪。在此期间，你需为他提供基本的生活需求，如食物、衣物和住所。”
Of course, the nobleman clearly does not like this one bit.
当然，贵族显然对此极为不满。
"Feed him and... clothe him? Your grace has clearly lost his mind. Why would I do such things for a criminal? For a... For a pig such as this one? A lowly scum—"
"给他吃的，还有...给他穿衣服？阁下显然是疯了。我为何要为一个罪犯做这些？为一个...为一个像他这样的猪？一个低贱的渣滓——"
"You are fat, rich, and entitled. Which one of you is really the pig here? It won't cost you much at all to care for him. You'll do as I say."
"你肥胖、富有且自以为是。你们俩到底谁才是真正的猪？照顾他对你来说根本花不了多少钱。照我说的做。"
"I will not do these things! The crown will pay me—"
"我不会做这些事的！王室会付我钱——"
"The crown will not do shit. Don't forget my title you scum. It's your grace. If you disobey me, I'll have you punished and thrown in prison. Your greed will be your downfall. Now out with you."
"王冠不过是个摆设。别忘了我的头衔，你们这些渣滓。是‘阁下’。敢违抗我，我就让你受罚并关进大牢。你的贪婪会毁了你。现在，滚出去。"
Yoichi meets with Rin's gaze after he says this, but only for a short moment, before he nods his head sharply. At the king's signal, the knight hauls both men off and out of the throne room.
Yoichi 说完这话后与 Rin 对视了一眼，但仅是短暂一瞬，随即他猛地点了点头。在国王的示意下，骑士将两人拖走，离开了王座厅。
"Your grace," Yoichi hears from Taro, "An... Odd judgement call if I may be so bold."
"阁下，" Yoichi 听到 Taro 说，"恕我直言，这...是个奇怪的判决。"
"Taro, I honestly don't care what you think of my judgements."
"太郎，老实说，我不在乎你怎么看我的判断。"
"... I know. Your grace."
"...我知道。您的恩典。"
"The rich would hoard their wealth and watch everyone beneath them suffer and starve before lending a single hand to help. It's better this way, Taro. Asahi will not starve to death, and the king was... Quite frankly amused by the fat nobleman's displeasure."
"那些富人会囤积财富，看着他们之下的人受苦挨饿，却绝不出手相助。这样更好，太郎。朝日不会饿死，而国王他...坦白说，对那肥胖贵族的不满感到相当有趣。"
"... I... I see, your grace."
"...我...我明白了，阁下。"
"I do what I can to help them but I'm a busy man. The poor will always require the crown's assistance. It's a humanitarian matter, Taro."
"我尽力帮助他们，但我事务繁忙。穷人永远需要王冠的援助。这是人道主义问题，太郎。"
"Your grace." "阁下。"
"What do you actually wish to say to me, Taro? Out with it."
“Taro，你到底想对我说什么？直说吧。”
"Your grace... With all due respect, you will make enemies with the wrong people making these brazen decisions. Not all your grace's judgements are such... In fact, I do believe your grace is an excellent critical thinker, a profound judge of character, and quite often his grace's judgements are fair and just... When it comes to the poor, though..."
“阁下……恕我直言，您这样大胆的决定会招致错误的敌人。并非您所有的判断都如此……事实上，我确实认为您是一位出色的批判性思考者，对人性有着深刻的洞察，而且您的许多判断都是公正合理的……只是，对于穷人而言……”
"They need my help. I care not for the rich anyhow, Taro."
“他们需要我的帮助。我不在乎那些富人，Taro。”
"... I am aware. Your grace."
"... 我明白，陛下。"
Day 28 第 28 天
Rin hears word of a rumor around the castle spoken amongst the other king's guard.
Rin 在城堡中听到了一些传闻，这些传闻在其他国王的卫兵之间流传。
In king Isagi's spacious ensuite bathroom, he has a bathtub, vast in size and flush-mounted to the floor. Every night, Yoichi would take his bath in said tub—he'd be in his bathroom for normally about an hour at a time at the same time each night just after sunset, away from his room door and from his door guards.
在国王Isagi宽敞的浴室内，设有一只巨大的嵌入式浴缸。每晚，Yoichi都会在这浴缸中沐浴——他通常会在日落后固定时间进入浴室，每次大约一小时，远离房门和守卫。
Most guards have no desire to help king Isagi anyway, so they never offer him much assistance.
大多数守卫本身就不愿协助国王Isagi，因此他们从未提供太多帮助。
Assassins would often break in through the window in his bathroom at this time. It had happened a fair amount of times since the prince had ascended to kinghood, apparently. The rumors did say that Isagi Yoichi is quite skilled with his dagger, though, and that he's capable enough that he'd managed to thwart those assassination attempts himself so far.
刺客们常趁此时从浴室窗户闯入。自王子登基为王以来，这种情况已发生多次。传闻称，Isagi Yoichi的匕首技艺相当了得，且他能力出众，至今已成功挫败了这些暗杀企图。
On the 28th day since striking a deal with king Isagi, Rin does not go back to his quarters to sleep. Instead, he makes his way up to the king's room, still fully garbed in his knight's robes.
与国王Isagi达成协议后的第 28 天，Rin并未返回自己的寝室就寝，而是身着骑士长袍径直走向国王的房间。
*
Yoichi drops himself into the hot water in his bath and unleashes a drawn-out sigh of relief.
Yoichi将自己沉入浴缸的热水中，长长地舒了一口气，感到无比放松。
The one thing Yoichi and his father had in common was their love for bubble-baths. Having inherited his father's room, the young man frequently made use of the king's very graciously-sized ensuite, which included a vast bathtub that was mounted flush with the tiled floor.
Yoichi与其父唯一相似之处便是对泡泡浴的热爱。继承了父亲的房间后，这位年轻人时常享用国王那宽敞得体的套间，其中配备了一个与瓷砖地面齐平的大型浴缸。
Well, unfortunately for Yoichi, he wasn't always able to fully enjoy this otherwise wonderfully enjoyable thing. The assassins loved to visit Yoichi during his bath time, you see. He didn't fully enjoy his tub time the way he used to, but, well, he was stubborn, and the assassins couldn't keep him from his tub.
唉，遗憾的是，对于Yoichi来说，他并非总能完全享受这本应无比愉悦的时光。刺客们偏爱在Yoichi沐浴时造访，你知道的。他无法像从前那样尽情享受泡澡时光，但，好吧，他固执得很，刺客们也无法阻止他泡澡。
So now there he sat, 28 days following his deal with Itoshi Rin, in his bathtub, enjoying a fragrant bubble bath.
于是此刻，他坐在浴缸里，距离与Itoshi Rin的交易已过去 28 天，正享受着芳香的泡泡浴。
Unfortunately for the young king, bath time was interrupted yet again by another assassin climbing in through his window. The man was quiet and light-footed, but Yoichi is always fast to react.
不幸的是，这位年轻的国王的沐浴时光再次被一名从窗户爬进来的刺客打断。那人悄无声息，脚步轻盈，但Yoichi反应总是迅速。
The king leaps from his bubble-bath and shoots his hand out to grab at his dagger, however, he only finds air where the weapon would normally sit.
国王从泡泡浴中一跃而起，伸手去抓他的匕首，然而，他只抓到了一片虚空，那武器本该在的地方空无一物。
Oh shit. 哦，该死。
Apparently he'd forgotten to bring his dagger into the bathroom this time... He swears at his own stupidity under his breath as he dodges an attack.
显然这次他忘了把匕首带进浴室……他一边躲避攻击，一边低声咒骂自己的愚蠢。
Even in his slick nakedness, the king is quite agile. He's in good shape, a contrast to most noblemen, and well-practiced in all manners of self-defense. He dodges several fast attacks from the assassin without much effort and loops around his ensuite, away from the assassin, as he makes for the doorway. A blade flies by him, barely grazing his neck skin, and he winces at the sharp pain.
即便赤身裸体，国王依旧身手敏捷。他体态健硕，与多数贵族形成鲜明对比，且精通各种自卫技巧。他轻松躲过刺客的几次快速攻击，绕过内室，远离刺客，直奔门口。一把利刃擦颈而过，仅差毫厘，他因剧痛而皱眉。
The injury throws him off balance, wet feet slipping on tiles as he topples forward face-first. Panic immediately grips him... He's nowhere near where he needs to be to reach his dagger, and now he's in a very vulnerable position.
这一伤势令他失去平衡，湿漉漉的脚在瓷砖上打滑，面朝下摔倒。恐慌瞬间攫住了他...他离需要取刀的位置相去甚远，此刻更是处于极度脆弱的状态。
Now, if Yoichi was alone... He'd certainly have been killed right then and there.
若此时只有Yoichi一人...他必定当场丧命无疑。
But he wasn't alone. 但他并非孤身一人。
The assassin raises one arm above his head in an attempt to finalize his deed. However, Yoichi notes an oddity:
刺客高举一只手臂，试图完成他的行动。然而，Yoichi注意到一个异常：
The man's hand clutching his dagger drops to the floor.
那人紧握匕首的手突然垂落至地板。
The next thing that happens: a fountain of blood squirts out and coats the now kneeling king as he's decapitated. His breath barely squeezing from his lungs, Yoichi watches on as the assassin's severed head rolls across the floor toward him. The body before him goes limp and lifeless, hitting the floor with a loud thud.
接下来发生的一幕：一股鲜血喷涌而出，将此刻跪地的国王全身染红，他的头颅被斩落。国王Yoichi的呼吸几乎要从肺中挤出，他目睹着刺客被砍下的头颅滚向自己。眼前的身躯瘫软无力，重重地摔在地上，发出一声巨响。
"You...?" "你...？"
King Isagi's eyes become wide as shock grips around his neck. There's blood dripping from his naked torso now and a pool of crimson is collecting on the floor beneath his knees.
国王Isagi的眼睛因震惊而瞪大。此刻，他的赤裸上身滴着血，膝盖下的地板上已汇聚了一滩深红。
Yoichi knows he should've expected this to happen, however, he still finds himself surprised.
Yoichi 知道他本该预料到这一幕，然而，他仍感到意外。
The tip of Rins blade finds the centre of his neck and he rocks back instinctively, away from the blade's sharpness.
Rin 的刀尖直指他的颈中央，他本能地向后仰，避开刀锋的锐利。
"Rin... You saved me..." “Rin... 你救了我...”
"Saved you, yes..." Rin presses his weapon in a little further, satisfaction curling in his gut as Yoichi's face reflects his terror.
"救了你，没错..." Rin 将武器再推进几分，满意地感受到腹中的快意，因为 Yoichi 的脸上映出了他的恐惧。
"Only because your life is mine. This is the moment you die, Isagi Yoichi."
"只因你的命是我的。此刻便是你命丧之时，Isagi Yoichi。"
King Isagi is indeed surprised to find this man now standing before him. However, he's neither a coward nor a weakling, and he doesn't falter in the man's presence. Showing such weakness in the face of death would mean bringing shame to himself in his final moments.
国王 Isagi 确实惊讶于眼前这人的出现。然而，他既非懦夫也非弱者，面对此人毫不退缩。在死亡面前显露软弱，意味着在生命的最后一刻自取其辱。
"Then do it," Yoichi says, his voice firm and determined. "Fucking kill me, you damned revenger. Take your revenge."
“那就动手吧，”Yoichi说道，语气坚定而决绝。“杀了我，你这该死的复仇者。来报你的仇。”
Rin leans forward a little... Only a little. Vengeance is this close, only a hair's breadth away. He can't pass up this opportunity, not at this time of night while they're alone.
Rin微微前倾...只是稍稍前倾。复仇近在咫尺，仅差毫厘。他不能错过这个机会，尤其在这夜深人静、他们独处的时刻。
Yet... He's clearly hesitating.
然而...他显然在犹豫。
"Do it you mother fucker." Yoichi's fingertips hover precariously above the floor beneath them, barely touching into the assassin's blood. His fingers tremble slightly but his conviction does not waver.
"动手吧，混蛋。" Yoichi 的指尖危险地悬停在地板上方，几乎触及那刺客的血迹。他的手指微微颤抖，但决心丝毫未减。
"Do it," he urges, deep blue eyes flashing with pride as they stare intently at Rin's unmoved weapon.
"动手，" 他催促道，深蓝色的眼眸中闪烁着自豪，紧盯着 Rin 那纹丝不动的武器。
The opportunity is there for him to take, yet, Rin's blade holds firm in place, blood dripping off steel. Yoichi is noting Rin's clear hesitation. The fact that he's still alive would only mean...
机会就在眼前，然而，Rin 的刀刃依旧稳稳地停在原处，血滴从钢刃上滑落。Yoichi 注意到了 Rin 明显的犹豫。他还活着，这意味着...
The steel moves in slightly, ever so slightly, and the knight's jaw clenches. He stares on as his blade touches the skin and sinks inward, lacertaing the smoothness on Yoichi's neck... Only a little. Not very much. The anticipation is ravishing him now and his heart races, but something feels wrong.
钢刃微微移动，极其轻微，骑士的咬紧牙关。他凝视着，自己的剑尖触及肌肤并缓缓切入，划破了Yoichi颈部的平滑...只是轻微一点。并不深。期待感此刻正吞噬着他，心跳加速，但有种不对劲的感觉。
Yoichi's facial expression has become blank, in contrast to the determination it had shown on it only moments before. Then, his body racks with a shudder and he falls forward, completely limp. Rin's arm shoots out to catch him, just barely in time.
Yoichi的表情变得空白，与片刻前展现的决心形成鲜明对比。随后，他的身体猛地一颤，向前倒下，完全瘫软。Rin的手臂迅速伸出，及时接住了他。
Shock, perhaps... Rin thinks as he lowers his blade, examining the king's unconscious body. He notes the man's skin sporting an unusual pallor and sweat beads on his brow and neck. Yoichi should be cold, yet he's sweating quite profusely.
震惊，或许是...Rin想着，放下剑，审视着国王失去意识的身体。他注意到那人皮肤呈现出异常的苍白，额头和颈部布满汗珠。Yoichi本应感到寒冷，却汗流浃背。
One of Rin's hands moves across Yoichi's pale, sickly skin, and fingertips brush against a single fresh wound on Yoichi's neck. Rin moves the naked body to the side, presenting the neck to him so he can examine what he's found.
Rin的一只手在Yoichi苍白病态的皮肤上移动，指尖轻触到Yoichi脖颈上的一处新伤。Rin将那具赤裸的身体侧向一边，露出脖颈让他仔细查看所发现的情况。
The fresh cut on the king's slender neck immediately screams the clarity of the situation. He notes veins of purple tendrils licking out from the wound.
国王纤细脖颈上的这道新割痕，立刻昭示了局势的明朗。他注意到伤口处蔓延出紫色的脉络。
King Isagi's condition is critical, Rin now realizes.
Rin此刻意识到，国王Isagi的状况已极为危急。
Poison... Rin thinks bitterly, A coward's weapon.
毒药... Rin 苦涩地想，懦夫的武器。
Despite the ideal opportunity to kill Yoichi and exact his revenge presenting itself, the moment feels sour. It feels wrong, but Rin doesn't understand why. After all, in the past, he'd found himself fantasizing about killing Isagi Yoichi in absolutely any way possible, under any circumstance.
尽管杀死 Yoichi 并报仇雪恨的绝佳机会摆在眼前，这一刻却让人感到酸楚。感觉不对劲，但 Rin 不明白为什么。毕竟，过去他曾无数次幻想过在任何情况下，以任何方式杀死 Isagi Yoichi。
He doesn't know why, but the knight doesn't find himself slitting the unconscious king's throat, strangling him to death, nor plunging his weapon straight into the heart of his prey...
他不知道为什么，但骑士发现自己并未割开昏迷国王的喉咙，勒死他，也没有将武器直刺入猎物的心脏...
Perhaps he had some single shred of honor left in him... One that would tell him not to murder a man in his bathroom, nor to kill an unconscious person with no way to defend themself.
或许他心中还残留着一丝荣誉感……这份荣誉感会告诉他，不要在浴室里谋杀一个人，也不要对一个毫无防卫能力的昏迷者下手。
So, instead of killing Yoichi, Rin picks the assassin's dagger up off the floor to examine the poison coating it. He now knows which type of poison the metal was treated with. Itoshi Rin now holds Isagi Yoichi's life in his hands.
因此，Rin没有选择杀死Yoichi，而是从地板上拾起刺客的匕首，检查其上的毒药涂层。他现在知道了这金属被涂上了哪种毒药。Itoshi Rin此刻掌握着Isagi Yoichi的性命。
Yoichi will inevitably die, but Rin decides that this will not be the moment it happens. The king's life is his to take and only his, after all.
Yoichi注定难逃一死，但Rin决定，这并非其丧命之时。毕竟，国王的性命只属于他，也只能由他来取。
So he then resolves to act.
于是他下定决心采取行动。
He could draw the poison from the king's wound with his mouth, but doing so would only buy the man minutes... Maybe minutes. Nothing more than that. The castle most likely had a well-stocked apothecary at its disposal, so rather than waste his time with first-aid, Rin lifts the limp body of the king off the bathroom floor and wraps it in his king's guard cloak.
他可以用嘴吸出国王伤口中的毒液，但那样做只能为国王争取几分钟...或许只是几分钟。仅此而已。城堡很可能备有充足的药房资源，因此Rin没有浪费时间进行急救，而是将国王瘫软的身体从浴室地板上抱起，用国王卫队的斗篷包裹起来。
You'll die, Isagi Yoichi... But not today.
你会死的，Isagi Yoichi...但不是今天。
Not like this. 并非如此。
With the dying Yoichi clutched tight in his arms, Rin dashes off into the halls of the sleeping castle.
怀抱着濒死的Yoichi，Rin疾步冲入沉睡城堡的走廊。
Day 34 第 34 天
The king finally rouses to consciousness. Initially, he's confused, blinking out of the daze of sleep.
国王终于从昏迷中苏醒过来。起初，他有些迷茫，眨眼间摆脱了沉睡的迷糊。
Then, Yoichi remembers... He'd barely brushed with death... How long had it been since that night? He couldn't recall, but there is one thing he immediately takes note of.
接着，Yoichi想起来了...他刚刚与死神擦肩而过...距离那个夜晚已经过去多久了？他记不清了，但有一件事他立刻注意到了。
There's a lone king's guard who seems to be standing watch. It's then that he recalls Rin saving his life.
有一个孤独的国王卫士似乎正在站岗。这时，他记起了Rin救了他的命。
"Rin," Yoichi addresses his king's guard, "You... You saved me."
"Rin," Yoichi 对国王的护卫说道，"你...你救了我。"
"Only because your life belongs to me, Isagi Yoichi. Not to any assassins."
"只因你的命属于我，Isagi Yoichi。不属于任何刺客。"
The king finds himself smiling anyways, despite himself and despite Rin's threats. He'd barely escaped death this time... It was his closest brush with death he'd had yet. He'd never been poisoned before and he knows he wouldn't have made it out of that night alive without Rin's interference. It's all thanks to the man who now stands before him that he still draws breath.
国王发现自己不由自主地微笑起来，尽管内心抗拒，也尽管 Rin 的威胁。他这次几乎死里逃生...这是他迄今为止最接近死亡的一次。他从未中过毒，也知道若非 Rin 的干预，那晚他绝无生还可能。全靠眼前这位男子，他才能继续呼吸。
"How can I ever repay you for saving me, Rin?"
"我该如何报答你救了我，Rin？"
"By dying." Rin promptly whips his blade out and presents it between them. He paces in closer, eyes carefully trained on Yoichi like a predator, however, the king is even more unbothered by him this time than he had been on night 28. He carefully watches the steel inch closer to the bandage on his neck, however... He feels no fear whasoever despite Rin's looming weapon.
"去死吧。" Rin 迅速抽出刀刃，横在他们之间。他步步逼近，目光如猎食者般紧盯着 Yoichi，然而，这次国王对他的无动于衷比第 28 夜时更甚。他仔细观察着那钢刃缓缓逼近自己颈部的绷带，尽管如此……面对 Rin 悬在头顶的武器，他丝毫不感到恐惧。
"You won't kill me, Rin."
"你不会杀我的，Rin。"
It's another clear opportunity for Rin to take his life, yet the knight falters again, even faster than he had on night 28.
这是Rin再次夺取生命的绝佳机会，然而骑士又一次犹豫了，甚至比第 28 夜时还要迅速。
"Not today, idiot-king. Not until you can defend yourself. You'll fight me fair-and-square."
“今天不行，蠢王。除非你能自卫。你得跟我公平对决。”
"Fight you?" Yoichi finds himself laughing at the proposition. "Oh, no. I won't be doing that."
“跟你打？”Yoichi发现自己对这个提议感到好笑。“哦，不。我不会那么做的。”
Rin leers at king Isagi as he sheaths his sword.
Rin 将剑收入鞘中，斜眼瞥向国王 Isagi。
"You'll overwhelm me in an instant and I'll be dead anyway, Rin. If I'm going to die by your hand I'd rather you just did it quickly, without humiliating me first."
"你一瞬间就能压倒我，我反正难逃一死，Rin。如果注定要死在你手里，我宁愿你干脆利落些，别先羞辱我一番。"
Rin's narrow-eyed glare only intensifies when he hears this. "You don't get to choose how you die. Only I do."
听到这话，Rin 的眼神愈发凌厉。"你没有资格选择死法，只有我能决定。"
"Well... Sorry, Rin, but I will not be fighting you."
“嗯... 抱歉，Rin，但我不会与你交手。”
Rin then wordlessly turns his back on the king after this exchange, not another word said.
Rin 在这番对话后默然转身背对国王，再无一句言语。
Peculiar... king Isagi thinks to himself, Why do you hesitate? Why have you suddenly changed your mind? Why won't you kill me unless I fight you? Is this the way of a revenger? You're an odd one, Rin, that's for sure.
奇怪... 国王 Isagi 暗自思忖，为何你犹豫不决？为何你突然改变主意？为何除非我与你战斗，否则你不愿杀我？这就是复仇者的行径吗？你确实是个异类，Rin，这一点毋庸置疑。
Odd, yes... Yet you've saved me from certain death.
奇怪，确实...但你救了我一命，免于必死无疑。
And as it would happen, the span of time their deal marked had concluded. It's been 34 days since Rin had taken his post as a king's guard... Since he'd made a deal with the king.
而巧合的是，他们交易约定的时间期限已经结束。自Rin担任国王护卫以来，已经过去了 34 天...自从他与国王达成协议以来。
And Itoshi Rin had still not inflicted his vengeance upon Isagi Yoichi's life.
然而，Itoshi Rin仍未对Isagi Yoichi的生命施加报复。
Day 37 第 37 天
Rin is by himself in the training courtyard, his blade thumping against the practice mannequin as he goes through his drills.
Rin独自在训练场上，刀刃有节奏地击打在练习用的假人上，他正一丝不苟地进行着训练。
One. Two. Up. Down. Right. Left. Down. Left. Up. Left. Right.
一。二。上。下。右。左。下。左。上。左。右。
His sword darts rapidly in any direction he sends it with ease. Rin is naturally very strong and weilding a blade has always come as second nature to him. But he also knows the importance of keeping himself in peak physical condition—slacking off was not something Rin would ever allow himself to do.
他的剑随心所欲地疾速穿梭，轻松自如。Rin天生力大无穷，挥舞刀刃对他而言如同呼吸般自然。但他也深知保持巅峰体能的重要性——懈怠这种事，Rin绝不允许自己发生。
"Rin." "Rin。"
He whips around, startled by the sudden voice from behind him. It's Yoichi, standing there watching him very intently.
他猛地转身，被突如其来的声音吓了一跳。是Yoichi，站在那里，目光炯炯地盯着他。
"You? The hell do you want?"
“你？到底想干什么？”
"I was just watching... Sorry if I startled you. I just wanted to thank you again for saving me the other night, seriously... I don't know if I would've made it out of that one alive if not for your assistance."
“我只是在一旁看着... 如果吓到你了，我很抱歉。我只是想再次感谢你那晚救了我，真的... 如果不是你帮忙，我可能没法从那场危机中活下来。”
"Don't bother with the sentiment. As I've said before, I'll save you so I can kill you myself when I wish to do so."
“别费心表达感情了。就像我之前说的，我会救你，这样当我想要的时候，我就可以亲手杀了你。”
"Yeah, you did mention that. Why not kill me right now, then?" Yoichi asks, crossing his arms and leaning against the pillar beside him.
“是啊，你确实提过。那为什么不现在就杀了我？”Yoichi问道，双臂交叉，斜倚在他旁边的柱子上。
Rin's eyes narrow into a hard glare that's cold as ice. He doesn't say anything in return but instead he begins to pace toward Yoichi.
Rin的目光变得锐利如冰，冷酷无情。他没有回应，而是开始向Yoichi走去。
The king immediately regrets his suggestion. He finds himself wondering why the hell he's so stupid, why he had to provoke this man as such when he may have gotten off easy today. As Rin approaches him, Yoichi slowly steps back.
国王立刻后悔了自己的提议。他不禁暗自咒骂自己为何如此愚蠢，明明今天可能轻松脱身，却非要激怒这个男人。随着Rin的逼近，Yoichi缓缓后退。
"I—I mean... You said you wanted me to fight you, right?"
“我——我是说... 你说过想让我和你打一场，对吧？”
"You turned down the offer like the idiot you are, so perhaps I should just kill you here and now, instead."
“你像个傻瓜一样拒绝了提议，或许我应该现在就杀了你。”
His next step behind him, Yoichi's foot strikes with a rock on the ground and he falls backward, landing square on his back. When Rin is hovering over top of him, the menacing edge of his blade is swept above Yoichi, casting an ominous shadow in the glow of the dying daylight.
他身后的下一步，Yoichi的脚踢到地上的石头，他向后倒下，重重地摔在背上。当Rin悬在他上方时，刀刃的威胁边缘在即将消逝的日光下扫过Yoichi，投下不祥的阴影。
The king's fingers grip grass as he stares at Rin's sword catching the orange light of the evening sun. He's choking on the words that are dangling in his throat. Was Rin actually going to kill him now?
国王的手指紧抓着草地，目光凝视着Rin的剑在傍晚的橙色阳光下闪烁。他哽咽着，喉咙里悬着那些难以启齿的话。难道Rin真的要现在杀了他吗？
"Okay, I'm sorry Rin... I... I'm a total idiot, but I was really hoping you wouldn't kill me... If you're actually going to do it, I'll accept my fate as it is. The terms of our deal... If I couldn't change your mind about me after one month, then... Then I'd let you kill me and take your revenge... But... I actually want to break the terms of our original deal."
"好吧，对不起Rin...我...我真是个彻头彻尾的傻瓜，但我真的希望你不会杀我...如果你真的打算这么做，我会接受我的命运。我们交易的条款...如果一个月后我无法改变你对我的看法，那么...那么我会让你杀了我，让你复仇...但是...我其实想打破我们最初的协议。"
Rin cocks his head irritably. "What? Break the terms? You're in no position to do such a thing."
Rin不耐烦地歪了歪头。"什么？打破条款？你没资格做这样的事。"
"I know... The thing is, though... You have already made up your own terms. Only you get to choose how I die and when I die? That was never part of the original deal we made. So if you want to fight me, I'll fight you... But under one condition of my own."
我知道...但问题是...你已经自定了规则。只有你能决定我何时以及如何死去？这从来不是我们最初的协议内容。所以如果你想与我一战，我奉陪到底...但有一个我自己的条件。
Rin listens to the rambling Yoichi, though his blade does not move from it's place at the king's neck, a fact Yoichi is painfully aware of.
Rin听着Yoichi的絮絮叨叨，尽管他的剑仍未从国王的脖子上移开，这一点Yoichi痛苦地意识到了。
"I want you to train me. Train me so when we do finally fight I'll stand a chance against you. As I am now I'll be slaughtered like a pig, so if that was the case, you might as well just kill me unarmed instead."
“我要你训练我。训练我，这样当我们真正对决时，我才有机会与你抗衡。以我现在的状态，只会像猪一样被宰杀，所以如果那样的话，你不如现在就杀了我，赤手空拳地。”
Rin lowers his sword, eyebrow raising as he absorbs Yoichi's offer. Train him.
Rin 放下剑，眉头一挑，接受了 Yoichi 的提议。训练他。
For some reason, the idea absolutely revolts him to no end, though he doesn't fully understand why. Is it the idea of training his mortal enemy that disgusts him—of training someone he hates with his entire existence that seems so vile?
不知为何，这个想法让他极度反感，尽管他并不完全明白原因。是因为训练他的死敌——训练一个他全心全意憎恨的人，这念头如此可憎吗？
Or is it... The idea of training Yoichi specifically that he hates?
还是说... 他讨厌的是训练 Yoichi 这个特定的想法？
He briefly glances at the king's slender hands with grass tensely pulled in the grip between his fingers. The idea of those delicate, uncalloused hands holding a sword—no, not just holding a sword—the idea of those hands becoming irrevocably stained with the blood of the dead, is vile and disgusting to him in ways he never thought possible. The knight swiftly turns away from Yoichi in an attempt to banish the distaste that's curling in his gut, returning his steel to its sheath as he does so.
他短暂地瞥了一眼国王纤细的手指间紧握着的草叶。那些精致、未曾磨出茧子的手握剑——不，不仅仅是握剑——那些手无可挽回地沾染上死者鲜血的念头，对他来说是一种前所未有的厌恶。骑士迅速转身避开Yoichi，试图驱散心中翻涌的反感，同时将剑收回鞘中。
"I cannot train you." “我不能训练你。”
Yoichi's breath catches. "What? W-why—"
Yoichi的呼吸一滞。“什么？为——为什么——”
"You're weak. Perhaps not as weak as most others of your status, but still, weak. You're as light as a feather and those arms of yours are like twigs I could snap in half. You're competent enough with a dagger, yes, but to weild a full-sized sword is another matter entirely."
你很弱。或许不像你地位的其他人那么弱，但依然，很弱。你轻如鸿毛，那双臂膀细如枝条，我轻易就能折断。用匕首你还算称职，但挥舞一把全尺寸的剑，那完全是另一回事。
"I could do it! I really could... If it meant you'd train me..."
"我能做到的！我真的可以...如果这意味着你会训练我的话..."
"You don't understand, not one bit, you damn fool. Do you even know what the hell you're saying, idiot-king?"
"你根本不懂，一点儿也不懂，你这个该死的傻瓜。你知道自己在说什么吗，白痴国王？"
Rin hears Yoichi shifting behind him, most likely getting up off the ground. He finds he can't bear this bizarre exchange they're having any longer.
Rin听到身后传来Yoichi的动静，多半是从地上起身。他发现自己再也忍受不了这场怪异的对话。
"If one wishes to take up the sword, he needs to understand what exactly it means to do that. To hold a blade in your hands means you yourself are becoming the god of death. Idiot-king, tell me, do you think yourself capable of taking my life?"
"若想拿起剑，就得明白这意味着什么。握住刀刃，意味着你正在成为死神。蠢王，告诉我，你觉得自己有能力取我性命吗？"
Yoichi is now beside Rin, gazing at the other man with his sorrowful big blue eyes. When Rin looks back at him he immediately averts his eyes... Because finding such a thing beautiful—finding Yoichi's eyes beautiful—it disgusts him entirely, knowing who those eyes belong to. Knowing who he'd inherited them from.
Yoichi此刻站在Rin身旁，用他那双悲伤的大蓝眼睛凝视着对方。当Rin回望他时，他立刻移开了视线……因为发现这样的美丽——发现Yoichi的眼睛美丽——这让他完全感到厌恶，知道那双眼睛属于谁。知道他继承自何人。
"No, Rin... I really don't think I could do it."
“不，Rin……我真的觉得我做不到。”
"If you're incapable of taking down your enemy, of destroying them... You have no right to hold a sword in your hands at all."
“如果你连击败敌人、摧毁他们的能力都没有……你根本就没有资格握剑。”
Rin then makes for the courtyard's exit, entirely ignoring the strong urge possessing him to look back. Because for him, looking back here would mean turning his back on his own principles... On everything he now stood for. Everything he exists for.
Rin 接着朝庭院出口走去，完全无视了内心强烈的回头欲望。因为对他来说，在这里回头就意味着背弃自己的原则……背弃他现在所坚持的一切。他存在的意义。
"Rin..." Yoichi whispers tenderly to himself, watching as the knight leaves him out there alone.
"Rin..." Yoichi 轻声自语，目光追随着骑士离他而去，独留他一人。
He hates to admit to himself how the fallout of their conversation is still making his heart dance so. Why does Rin have such an affect on him? And anyway, he feels like a total idiot... After all, Rin completely loathes him, sees him as his enemy. Wishes death upon him.
他不愿承认，那场对话的余波仍让他的心如此跳动。为何Rin对他有如此影响？况且，他觉得自己像个十足的傻瓜...毕竟，Rin完全憎恨他，视他为敌。盼他死去。
So why... Yoichi wonders, Why does he make you feel this way, Yoichi?
那么为何...Yoichi疑惑，为何Yoichi会让你有这种感觉？