Lunar: Childhood's End - Chapter 3: Hero of the Old Guard

Translation by Kizyr Images from Manga	Lunar: Childhood's End (Lunar - Yonenki no Owari) Author: Akari Funato Based on Work By: Kei Shigema Publisher: Kadokawa Comics Dragon Jr.
Translation by Kaiser Farooque ("Kizyr"). Editing help from Robin Peters. Translation may not be used without express permission of translator. Translation also may not be posted in part (longer than five pages) nor in full at any location besides LunarNET (www.lunar-net.com) without express permission of translator.

-57-

Chapter 3: Hero of the Old Guard

[Alice, Hiro, and Ruby are standing in a field. Alice is looking ahead, concerned. Hiro is behind her, Ruby is perched on his hand, looking at Alice.]

-58-

[Alice is seated beneath a tree, exhausted and holding her legs. Hiro leans towards her.]

Hiro: Just a little further and we’ll reach town. All right?

Alice (protesting): That’s enough!
Alice: Hiro, whenever you say “a little further” you never mean “a little”!
Alice: I can hardly move my legs. I need to rest.

Hiro (nervous grin): Alice...
Ruby: Hiro... I’m hungry...

[Ruby pokes at Hiro’s cheek, then starts flying in circles around his head.]

Alice: If I want to rest, I’m going to rest.
Ruby: I wanna eat fish... Fish!
Hiro (dumbfounded): Th... these two...

[A bird-driven carriage approaches.]

-creak creak-

Alice: Oh, a caravan! I wonder if they’ll give us a lift.
Ruby: You’ll ask them, right?
-mew mew-
Hiro: Yes, yes...

-59-

[Alice runs off towards the caravan. Hiro is shocked.]

Alice: Hey!

[Hiro leans his head on his hand and sighs.]

Hiro: So much for not moving your legs...
Ruby: Fish...
Voice: Hiro! Is that you!?

[Jean, in dancer’s clothes, steps out from behind the curtain of one of the caravan cabins.]

Hiro: ...Jean?

[Later. The caravan pulls into the carnival grounds in the Madoria Plains.]

Jean: There’s no free lunch here

[Jean hands Alice a few coins.]

Jean: In return for the lift, you’ll be expected to work a bit
Alice: Okay

-60-

[Ruby and Alice are walking past a few stalls being set up.]

Ruby: The market is this way! What should we buy?
Alice: Radishes, potatoes, and milk!
Ruby: And fish!

[Alice waves to Jean and Hiro. Jean laughs; Hiro is carrying something in the background.]

Jean (smiling): Ha ha ha; she’s so adorable
Jean (to Hiro): ...Ronfar is supposed to come, too
Hiro: Really? I haven’t seen him in so long.

Jean: I promised to meet him here and then take him to Vane.
Hiro: Hm...

[Hiro looks away, pensive.]

Hiro: Really, Vane...
Jean: ......

[Raindrops begin to fall.]

-plop plop-
Jean: Oh it’s raining… Will Ruby and Alice be all right?

-61-

[It’s now pouring rain. Everyone is inside their stalls and tents. Alice ducks underneath an awning, holding a bag of food in her arms. Ruby sits on her arm.]

Alice: No... what will we do...
Ruby: Alice, you’re no good at anything

Ruby (yelling): You took forever picking out what vegetables we were going to get!!
Alice (in protest): You’re one to talk! You took so long examining the fish you wanted!!

Alice: We have to hurry. Hiro and the others are waiting.
Ruby (crawling into Alice’s coat): Then quit talking!!

[Alice pulls her hood over her head and walks out in the rain.]

Ruby: Besides, if you pick out just any old fish then it’ll smell awful
Alice: Vegetables are the same way; if they’re not fresh, they’re no good

[Someone holds an umbrella over the two of them.]

-flap-
Voice: Hey, girl!

-62-

[Alice and Ruby look up. It’s Ronfar holding a bamboo umbrella over the three of them.]

Ronfar: You’ll catch cold
Alice (scared): This guy’s weird
Ruby (peeking out): ....What?
Ruby (smiling wide): Ronfar!!
Alice: Huh?

Ronfar: Oh, you have a little friend there... ...does this mean Hiro is around?
Ruby: Yeah, he’s waiting by the caravan with Jean right now

[Alice looks over to Ruby, who smiles.]

Alice: ...you know him?
Alice: He’s odd, isn’t he
Ruby (grinning): Yeah

-63-

Ruby: He’s our friend!

[They arrive at an open-air building. The rain has subsided. Alice and Ruby run inside.]

Ruby: We’re back! Ronfar is with us, too!

[Ronfar grins and takes Hiro in a headlock, rubbing his head.]

Ruby: We ran into him on the way back
Ronfar: Hehe
Ronfar: Hey, Hiro!! How you been!?
Hiro: (ow ow ow) Ronfar, you haven’t changed a bit

[Ronfar looks hungrily at the banquet spread out on the table. Jean has her back turned, helping herself to the food.]

Ronfar: Ooh, this is some fancy stuff
Ronfar: Looks good...
Jean: Nothing here goes well with liquor, though
Jean: Sorry about that.

[Alice looks on, fondly and a little wistful.]

Ronfar (off-screen): Hmph, you have no taste
Jean (off-screen): I didn’t think you’d be coming today, so you have to deal with it
Ronfar (off-screen): Say, Hiro...
Hiro (off-screen): Can’t help you there

Alice: ...Mister Hiro?
Hiro: Just ‘Hiro’ is fine. What is it?

-64-

Alice: Is that old man your friend, too?
-shock-

[Hiro is drinking tea and stops mid-sip. He leans in close to Alice.]

Hiro: Wha? He’s... only two years older than me...

[Alice looks embarrassed. Hiro turns back towards Ronfar, nervously laughing. Ronfar gives a blank stare at the two of them.]

Alice: -gahh-
Alice: Don’t... don’t tell him
Ronfar: What is it?
Hiro: Oh, uhh... Alice was just wondering what you do...

Ronfar: What I do?
Ronfar (confidently): I am a priest who spreads the teachings of the Goddess Althena!

[We see a statue of Althena in the room.]

Alice: You’re a priest?
Ronfar: I don’t look like it, do I?

[Alice looks Ronfar up and down. Hiro laughs wildly; Ronfar is dismayed.]

Ronfar: Eh... This stinks...

-65-

[Alice looks up at Ronfar, smiling now.]

Alice: So... can you sing any of the songs of Althena? Whoa... -heart-
Ronfar: That’s actually Hiro’s specialty. You should ask him. All I know is scripture.

[Alice curiously looks over at Hiro. Ronfar chuckles.]

Alice: hmm...
Ronfar: he he he
Hiro (nervous): What?

[Hiro tosses up his hands in protest.]

Hiro: Hold on now! I just play the ocarina.
Hiro: I can’t sing...

[Jean pats Hiro on the back, smiling.]

Jean: Nobody’s asking you to, Hiro.
-bah-

[Ronfar puts his cup down.]

Ronfar: Oh, yeah... two or three days ago...

-66-

Ronfar (pensive): I saw this great light flash from the north

[Hiro and Alice look shocked. A light is visible behind and above them in the frame. Alice stares into the distance, recalling the explosion in Meribia.]

Ronfar: Since that day, I’ve been feeling really strange

[Jean looks over to Alice, worried. A tear goes down Alice’s cheek.]

Ronfar: It’s like that light was sinister, aimed at something

-67-

[Ronfar seems oblivious to the others’ expressions. He continues, pensively.]

Hiro: Ronfar...
Ronfar: There wasn’t anything going on at the Shrine, I figured.
Ronfar: And that light seemed like it was magic.

Hiro: Was it from the direction of Meribia?

[Alice falls to the ground, eyes shut tight in distress.]

Alice: Ronfar...
Alice: Hiro... You don’t understand anything, do you?

[Jean taps her heeled feet on the floor.]

-tap tap-

-68-

[Jean grips the side of her dress with one hand and her fans with the other. Her back is turned to the rest. We can see the night sky from this view, the silhouettes of trees forming the horizon with the Blue Star looming in the starry sky.]

Jean: Enough of this depressing talk. It’s been ages since all of us were gathered together on a night like this.

Jean: The sky is clear.

-69-

Jean: The Blue Star looks beautiful.

Jean: It’s a perfect night to dance, isn’t it?

-70-

[Ruby and a crowd of people cheer. Hiro claps; Alice looks confused.]

-yay!-

Hiro: We’ve been waiting for Jean to dance!!

[Jean unfolds her fans.]

-snap-

[She starts to dance, holding her fans above her head as her heels click on the floor.]

-tap tap-

-71-

[The focus is entirely on Jean as she continues to dance.]

-72-

[Jean finishes and stands straight, looking down. Her fans are folded behind her again.]

-silence-
-cheers-

[Alice looks on in amazement.]

Alice: ...wow

Alice (eyes closed): It’s so amazing, how Jean’s dance...
Alice: How it can make other people feel happy in an instant

-73-

[Later that night at the caravan. Everyone is sleeping in one of the main tents.]

Ronfar: -snore-

Alice (asleep): -sigh-

[Jean suddenly awakens, worried, as if startled by something.]

-snap-

[Ronfar gets up.]

-creak-

[Hiro sits up in bed.]

Hiro: This feeling...
-stillness-

[Energy swirls up in the room near Jean. She sits up in bed.]

Jean: Hiro!!

-74-

[The visage of the Magic Emperor, in full armor, appears in the room floating up from the ground before Jean. She looks up at him, hands clenched. She gasps; Hiro runs over.]

Jean: The... the Magic Emperor!!

-75-

[The Magic Emperor nears Alice, who is still asleep. Hiro runs to her.]

-turn-

Hiro: !

Jean (sweating): He wants the child...
Jean: No!!

[Jean turns to roundhouse-kick the Magic Emperor.]

Hiro: Jean!!

[Her foot sinks into the Magic Emperor.]

-whoosh-
Jean: !!

-76-

[Jean’s leg appears trapped.]

Jean: I... I can’t pull out...

[Ronfar, too, is sweating. His hands are in front of him; his right hand in a fist, his left open-palmed.]

...
Ronfar: I don’t know what’s going on...

[He hits his hands together and a flash of white light fills the room.]

Ronfar: But I’ll take this guy down!
-flash-

[Jean is on the floor. She crawls away.]

-thud-

[She looks down at her leg, which is completely severed halfway below the knee.]

Jean: Yaahh!?

[Before she falls over, Hiro grabs her shoulder.]

-clasp-

-77-

[Hiro leans over to Jean. Jean’s leg is completely normal; she kneels down and examines it, confused.]

-huh?-
Hiro: Be careful! If you touch him, you’ll fall for his illusions!

[The Magic Emperor turns ghostly gray. Ronfar gathers up energy in his hands.]

Ronfar: Grr...

[He turns around towards Hiro. A hand appears behind him.]

Ronfar: Hiro! Protect the gir—

[Sparks fly before Ronfar. He’s hurled back.]

Ronfar: Whoa!
-crash-
Others: Ronfar!!

[An armored boot strikes the ground.]

-clank-

-78-

[The Magic Emperor reappears behind Hiro, but facing in the opposite direction.]

Jean: Hiro!
Jean: He’s going after the girl!!

[The shadow of the Magic Emperor hovers over Alice, still sleeping. His hand extends towards her.]

Hiro: He snuck up right behind me!?

-79-

[The Magic Emperor’s gloved hand still hovers over a sleeping Alice.]

Alice: Mm...
-stretch-

[His hand pulls back and he fades away. Jean, Ronfar, and Hiro are standing in the room, looking over Alice, who is still asleep under the covers.]

Hiro: He’s gone...

[Alice rises up from bed, rubbing her eyes, still sleepy.]

Alice: ...huh?
Alice: Did something happen?

[Jean hugs Alice close to her. Alice is surprised.]

-hug-

-80-

Jean: No, nothing happened.
Jean: We’re sorry for waking you.

[Still in Jean’s arms, Alice looks back, appearing suspicious and frightened.]

-heartbeat-
Jean: Now then, good night...

[Jean leaves with Hiro and Ronfar. They shut the door behind them.]

-shut-

[Alice sits up in bed, still with a frightened look. The wind starts to howl outside.]

-howl-

[Outside the room, Ronfar glares at Hiro, who tosses up his hands in protest.]

Ronfar (sneering): ...Hiro...
Hiro (nervously weak): Yeah...?
Ronfar: You care to explain all this?