Home My death flags show no sign of ending My death Flags show no Sign of Ending – Chapter 60

My death Flags show no Sign of Ending – Chapter 60

Chapter 60 is here, sorry for the slight delay, but hey, I did say I’d do two chapters a week so technically, I’m not late…. technically.

Anyway, here is the chapter, I hope you’ll enjoy it!


Chapter 60

(Elu’s Pov)

【”What… does he mean?”】

Muttered Lifa, while her agitation was plain to see. She couldn’t understand the meaning of Justus’ words…. No, she didn’t want to understand.
Looking at her acting like that, Elu realized he had made a mistake.

All he told Lifa was that Harold was a test subject for a certain research. The more detailed version however was that it was an experiment that consisted of amplifying the user’s power by cutting down his own life. Clearly, it was an inhuman research.
And yet, Elu neither made that fact public, nor did he tell Lifa about it. That was because he didn’t need to.

To begin with, that research was made under the tacit consent of the most powerful people among the higher-ups of the country and the country’s government, just the fact that Elu knew about it was already a big risk, let alone publishing it. If he, instead of selling the information, made it public for the sake of someone he didn’t even know at the time, he would have been basically throwing his life away. Elu didn’t have that strong of a sense of justice, nor was he some sort of journalist that wanted to rebel against the power in place.
Besides, if he did that, it would attract some unwanted attention. That would mean attracting attention on Giffelt as a whole just for his personal matter, which would have been an extremely foolish move.

And this wasn’t limited to Harold’s case. Elu considered the risk and returns, and he deemed that the returns just weren’t worth it.
Elu had that way of thinking from long before, and when he actually became friends with Harold, he found out that Harold himself was trying to hide that experiment. He didn’t quite get what Harold’s aim was, but if that was what he wished for, Elu had no room to interfere.
Elu and Harold had a cooperative relationship. Elu couldn’t go against Harold’s wishes lest he lost his remuneration. Of course, that was assuming the pact he had with Harold was valid, but Elu still couldn’t confirm that at this point in time, so there was nothing he could do.

Therefore, even though Elu felt disgusted by that research, which played with Harold’s life, he couldn’t openly speak of it to anyone. Though he was aware that Lifa was in the process of falling in love for Harold, she was going to return to her village in a week’s time. Elu thought Lifa would be separated from Harold before she even became conscious of her crush, and the two would never meet again.
He couldn’t deny that this was a cold way of thinking for a friend, but he thought it would be better if Lifa didn’t know about the cruel reality. The relationship between Harold and her was still frail, so it was better for everyone if the two ended their relation while Lifa still wasn’t aware of her love.
Especially if Harold didn’t have much time left to live.

However, Elu’s speculations had backfired in the worst possible way.
Lifa would not be able to keep silent after hearing what Justus said.

【”Try to bear with it for now, Lifa”】

【”…. sorry”】

As Elu expected, his whisper had not persuaded Lifa. There was no way for him to withdraw from here without pinioning Lifa and making noise, and to begin with, there was a chance that Justus had talked knowing that the two were present.
Elu feared that was the reason why the room was cleared out of people.
He regretted having stepped inside so carelessly. But it was too late for regrets as Lifa flung the door to Justus’ laboratory open without knocking.

【”-!… How long have you been here?”】

Justus looked surprised by Lifa and Elu’s abrupt entrance. It was a natural reaction that didn’t feel forced.
Though the whole situation seemed artificial, like it was set up in advance, Justus himself didn’t seem like he was acting.

【”I’m sorry, we were eavesdropping.”】(Elu)

【”What did you hear?”】(Justus)

【”….That Harold doesn’t have much longer to live”】(Elu)

【”I-it was a lie, right? He looks so healthy….. I saw him training the other day! He was moving at an inhuman speed…… S-So, for him to be close to death or whatever, it doesn’t make any……”】(Lifa)

【”Calm down, Lifa.”】(Elu)

Lifa didn’t know what to think, she was in denial, her voice was shivering as she desperately uttered pointless words. Elu gripped her shoulders and lightly shook her in an attempt to calm her down, but that had little to no effect.
As he looked at the exchange between the two, Justus let out a sigh.

【”Please sit over there. It looks like we all have things to ask each-other, so I’ll treat you to some tea.”】

Justus stood up and poured some black tea, which he had heated up beforehand, in three teacups. The mellow smell of tea leaves that filled the room was soothing to the mind.
Partly thanks to that, Lifa somewhat regained her calm after a dozen minutes. However, she still wasn’t in a state where she could speak calmly.
Having noticed that, Justus turned towards Elu.

【”Well then, I’ll start with since you seem like you can talk properly. You two did some fine reconnaissance work there. You do know that was a crime, right?”】

【”Yes. We’re very sorry.”】

Elu gave a deep bow. There was no room for excuses in this situation.
If Elu didn’t tell the truth and tried to eloquently deceive Justus, he’d be giving him a legitimate reason to suspect him. It was wiser to obediently apologize, and pass off the matter as a kid’s mistake.
Justus sighed again. He was scratching his head with his right hand, seemingly trying to calm his temper. Elu couldn’t determine whether this was genuine or just an act.

【”Well, I’ll admit that I made a blunder, I was talking carelessly while I knew that you were coming to visit. But what you heard was a very important secret that can’t be disclosed.”】

【”A secret? Then that means…”】

【”Yeah, it’s the absolute truth, Harold is going to die soon.”】

As Justus affirmed that, Lifa, who was looking down at the ground, controlled her voice. Elu could see her tightly clenching her hands on her lap.

【”―― But why?”】

She, who had been silent up to this point, asked urgently. Her eyes were filled with tears.

【”Why is Harold going to die?”】(Elu)

【”Like I said, it’s confidential. If I tell you it would be-“】

【”Please tell us! …. Please….”】

The tears were spilling down, after filling Lifa’s eyes to the brim.
And yet, Lifa raised her head, and looked straight at Justus. After a short while, Justus was the first to give in.

【”Lifa, I’d like to ask you something.”】

【”What is it?”】

【”You haven’t spent that much time with Harold. At best, you’ve known him for two weeks. So why are you so concerned about him?”】

Justus’ question went straight to the heart of the matter.
As she ascertained her own feelings, Lifa started speaking her heart out while carefully choosing her words.

(Lifa’s Pov)

【”…… Harold often speaks cynically and has one twisted personality. Whenever we talk to each other, we end up quarreling, I don’t know about him being the worst but I haven’t heard any good rumors about him. However, he appreciates the magic I thought of. And, just to keep a promise he had with me, he fought without caring for the risks.”】

That made Lifa glad, but it also had a deeper impact than that. It made her wonder, “has there ever been a person who went that far for me?”.
Lifa held doubts regarding magical powers from her early childhood. Why was magical power different from one person to another? Why were there people who couldn’t use magic?
At first it was just pure doubt. However, as the years past, and as she acquired more and more fresh knowledge and values, her doubts turned into a dilemma.

Those who could use magic were rich, those who couldn’t were poor.
Those who could use magic were strong, those who couldn’t were weak.

These weren’t absolute truths, but most people went by them. That created disparity, as the rich became richer and the poor became poorer. And Lifa’s village was not spared from that.

The farmers who were able to use earth magic and water magic were more efficient at growing crops than the farmers who couldn’t. That was because the magic drastically decreased the labor needed to plow and water the soil.
As the work needed decreased, the same went for the cost of labor, which in turn led to a decrease in prices. Between two products of similar quality, people would always pick the cheapest. Moreover, using magic instead of man power could finish the job faster, granting the magic users some free time to do other jobs. And like that, the disparity became bigger and bigger.
Be it in agriculture, hunting, raising livestock or even manufacturing, the people who possessed magic that fit their jobs were blessed with a better life than the ones who didn’t. Getting a promotion because one’s magic was superior was a common occurrence.

“The right person in the right place”, perhaps that’s all there was to it.
But the issue was that, Lifa and her parents didn’t have any talent with magic. She did have magical power but she lacked the ability to use it properly. Even though she didn’t want to accept it and worked hard to change that, in the end, she still couldn’t handle magic.
Therefore, Lifa’s family was poor and went through many hardships.

Despite those circumstances, Lifa did not stop thinking about ways to break the status quo. And then, one day, she finally hit on a solution.
If she couldn’t use magic by herself, maybe she could use it by other means. And so, she came up with the idea of using magic with the support of science.

She believed that, if she could accomplish this, she would be able to help her parents and the many people that couldn’t use magic. With that in mind, Lifa devoted herself to her research, day and night, to the point of neglecting sleeping and eating.
Before she noticed, Lifa had been labelled as an eccentric by her village’s people, and her parents gave up on her, treating her like a good-for-nothing. She became solitary.

No one acknowledged Lifa’s efforts. But that was no wonder.
Lifa’s idea was too far apart from this world’s common sense. From her surroundings’ perspective, she was just a foolish girl, desperately trying to achieve her impossible dreams. At the time, Lifa wasn’t even ten years old yet, so she probably came off as being bizarre.

After that, Lifa persisted with her research. She kept on putting more and more effort into it, until it became her reason for living.
She didn’t know anymore if she wanted to help the people who were suffering or if she just wanted to triumph over those who gave up on her. Perhaps she just wished to leave behind proof of her hard work.
That is why she was glad when Harold qualified her magic as an【”Excellent means of attack”】, though there was some cynicism mixed to it. But even though he wasn’t being totally sincere, he really did find some usefulness to Lifa’s research, thus why he put her in contact with Justus, so that said research could progress even further.
Thanks to that, Lifa was confident that her magic would ascend to a whole new level.

【”I can’t thank Harold directly, but one day, I’m going to repay his kindness without fail. Or rather, that’s what I wished, so why……”】

“Why is Harold going to die” she wanted to say, but she swallowed back those words.

She couldn’t possibly tell all those lines to Harold face to face. She did wish to express her gratitude, but she wasn’t able to be frank in front of him. However, she sincerely wanted to become more honest in the future.

【”Even if everyone thinks of Harold as a bad man, he’s important to me. Therefore, if he doesn’t have much time left, I want to do whatever I can for him.”】

Harold was going to die soon. Just imagining that was unbearable to her, it made her feel at a loss and made her chest tighten. She hadn’t noticed but Harold’s existence had taken a huge place within her heart.
Lifa wiped her blurred field of vision with the cuff of her sleeve.

【”I don’t want to see him pass away without knowing anything about him….”】

Perhaps she was just being selfish.
However, that was truly how she felt.

【”Haah…… he’s really one sinful man. Just what is so good about that guy?”】(Justus)

Justus muttered in exasperation while sipping his tea. He sat up straight on his chair and looked up at the ceiling.
He kept pondering and hesitating in that same posture for a short while, and then, he sighed in resignation and started talking.

【”You absolutely must keep this story to yourselves…. Actually, scratch that. You can’t tell anyone about anything that you have heard or will hear in this place today. I will tell you about the secret that guy carries on his shoulders.”】


Translator’s note: Next chapter is going to be great, so do look forward to it. Also, if you wish to support the translations, please do consider donating on Patreon Over Here.


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78 Comments

  1. Cliff what cliff? We just received some nice exposition from the girl who isn’t the main heroine and therefore a love rival for my ship….
    Bleck!

    Hahaha… It’s not like I’m more interested in Justus’s motivations than Lifa… hahahaha… Bleck! Wha that’s so terrible… no way right?! I only have to wait… a few days… for the nexy chapter…. hahahaha….

  2. Is he going to make her work with him as for finding the solution to save Harold ?
    But I don’t think Harold would aahh…This is so messed up.

    Anyway thanks for the chapter.

      1. gehenna2305

        Her name is Yoruto Haru from “Kono Shima ni wa Midara de Jaaku na Mono ga Sumu” ! *soryy for the very lateeeee replyy…! m(__)m

  3. Where is Harold? Isn’t he supposed to be in the room talking to Jutus? Why is Lifa saying she can’t say directly to his face if he is there? And if Jutus really is alone then why is he murmuring the highest secret like it’s nothing? Elu should have realized this if he is even half as smart as the author make him.

    1. First, Harold isn’t there, he’s murmuring so the two can hear him, Elu knows but he doesn’t dare to do anything because it’s too dangerous

    2. Metroxylon

      In the previous chapter it was told that Justus was speaking to Harold with a magic tool over long range. Harold was in his journey.

  4. Rasta

    Thank you for the chapter. I really want to do things right now: Read Justus’ plan, and burn this harem flag.

  5. WhereThaYanderesAt?

    Heh lots of hate on the harem flag. I wouldn’t mind it, if there was a clear, concise pick at the end of the series, but that’s too hopeful y’know? Thanks for the hard work!

  6. Nyesh

    Justus really is a chess master. He purposely arranged for Elu and Lifa to overhear him saying something to Harold that otherwise there was no need to say (since both he and Harold knew it to be false, and no one should be able to intercept / overheard the message unless they are standing near either Harold or Justus), all so that he can have a reason to spread his misinformation to Elu and Lifa, thus possibly gaining their aid and/or gaining a means of further manipulating them. Lifa might even be (then or later) convinced to so some things she normally would not – and keep it a secret from Harold, all for Harold’s “own good” (at least per Justus – the final boss of the game, if I recall the earlier chapters correctly).

    It will be interesting to see how Justus spins his lies and half-truths and how successful he may end up being in manipulating Lifa and/or Elu.

  7. Dunno why but i already hate Lifa… Man, even her name is the same as Kirito sister nickname in ALO…

    Crying for a person she just met? And also suddenly become a person who want to hel Harold because she got “fallen in love” by only meeting Harold for less than a week and watching him partially naked? I won’t buy this!

    Hopefully next chapter is good :/

    1. Those are the words the author use, also seemed kinda weird to me to call that actual love but whathever… It kind of seems like it’s deeper than that and Elu just interepreted it in a down to earth way. Also, I started going out with my current girlfriend after less than two weeks, so maybe it’s not all that unrealistic…

    2. Ace

      Nah there are people who cross all limits in just 3 days of meeting ._. Love on earth basically is cheap you don’t have to kill dragons or wyverns to win heart it’s just ur looks and skills

      And in lifa case it still seems realistic
      A person abandoned by her own parents and villagers nobody cared abt her and she wanted hydra blood on a dangerous mountain ? Like basically that’s just stupid crazy but our mc still helped her and even killed another dragon

      ” “has there ever been a person who went that far for me?”
      Besides it’s just love in premature stages
      So realistic pretty realistic!

      1. Ace

        Besides >.>”” they been together from long (from the time they met)
        And not to mention Harold always spoke romantic and sweet words to her … So why not? (u.u”)

  8. Bye, Felicia. Seriously.

    Thanks for le chap!

    I hate this ship, just about as much as I hate it when the MC has amnesia and has another falling for them…ugh. Obliterate harem!!!

    Justus is damn slick! Here’s probably where he attempts to rope in Lifa into something she can’t get out of, and it’s up to Harold and co. to stop it!

    Wonder what happened with the guy who bumped into Elu…was that a successful pickpocketing or author’s hint towards Elu being a girl/possible bromance shipping?

    And will Harold’s meeting with Itsuki lead to solving the Lifa problem before it goes too far?

    Again LifaXHarold is a no-go. That ship will never sail. Burn it before it even leaves the dock/harbor/I don’t care. No. Seriously. Give me back Erika. Even Colette, just no ship- she’s with Ryner.

  9. Miki_Eisner

    NOOOOO!!!!!! Not a harem!!!! Get rid the harem flag!!!! Kill it before it started! Take Lifa away from Harold!!!!!

  10. aa3naan4

    Lol. I didn’t expect so many objections towards Lifa.

    Ah, sailors. Don’t worry, every character in this novel ships Harold/Erica. The only one who says no is Kazuki himself. XD

    For now, let’s just wait for the treasure island that Captain Itsuki will lead us to.

  11. First thing first, thank you as always for the chapter!

    There’re so many haters for harem flag. It’s not even confirmed whether he’s going to choose one of them or not. If you don’t like it, go read shoujo novel then, where the MC already set his target on heroine. Having great man surrounded by girls is normal. If not, go read some yaoi novel where you can see Male MC surrounded by male characters.

    Seriously, don’t ruin the author’s idea for your own ideal.

    1. Just A Lone Opinion

      Hm, I have to contest that…
      Well, I’ll retort in order of your words to keep it consistent if you please.

      Firstly yes, there are quite the haters/those who disapprove of the harem flag.
      However, I don’t understand what you mean by confirmation of whether he’s going to choose one of them or not. That contradicts the definition of a harem. If you mean to say that it hasn’t clearly been stated whether it’s harem or not, why bring up harem haters if you yourself do not agree it’s a harem yet? Just tell them “I told you so” when the time comes.

      Second, even if our fellow readers dislike the harem, it does not stop all of us from reading on (but for any who threaten to stop doing so, they are shameless needy-attention bugs who I prefer not to associate with at all). It should be within our rights to voice our opinions as long as we are not harassing others as well as the author.

      Third, it is rude and hypocritical of you to dismiss our fellow readers’ opinions simply because it is not to your liking. In talking down their opinions, are you not similarly doing what you, quote, ruin the author’s idea for your own ideal? Is it not the same action of dismissing other’s views because it is not the one you prefer?

      Finally, it is up to our fellow readers to read what they desire. It is base and low of you to put forth extremes (i.e. yaoi) in your annoyance towards their opinions.

      Personally, I neither like nor dislike harem. I just prefer it to be written a certain way, and when I drop or hold off on a series because I didn’t like it, I won’t tell others off and dampen their mood just because mine was.

      Last note, if you don’t like your fellow readers’ opinions at this point in time, just don’t read their comments. Post yours, and just wait for the next post when you find opinions more suitable to your taste. You have an opinion. I have an opinion. We both have these rights. Our opinions aren’t required to match, thank you very much.

      1. 1. Indeed it hasn’t been stated as harem. But I just put my opinion for the harem haters. So you should say it to them not me for it hasn’t yet confirmed whether it’s a harem or not.
        And the term harem means the MC is being liked by many of the opposite gender, not where he choose them. (the situation, not the result of choosing one of among them or not).

        2. I second this.

        3. Do note it that I am so against harem in here. I worship Erika x Harold as much as them.
        Indeed, I am disregarding their opinions, but I merely respect the author’s decision. It’s quite sickening to see the hate their threw. Such a good story will get ruined if they keep on throwing their hate since it will affect the other readers.
        And yeah, I’m saying this is probably for my own interest.

        Last. For the former, I kinda went overboard right there, my bad indeed.
        But for the latter, you should tell it to them. Just because they don’t like it, don’t ruin the mood by saying they want to crush the harem or so on. I will agree with them entirely if only they stated they ‘don’t like another love candidate coming up’.
        (Do note, Harem flag =/= with the coming up of another love candidate, since it can turn into Love Triangle or something like that makes the romance in here spiced up)

        Sorry, but communicating with another readers’ opinion is a natural thing. Either it’s an opinion to my liking or the opposite.
        My words may be harsh, but it’s just one way of me communicating to them how I love this series and not dampen the mood.
        (well I may be at fault for dampening the mood to other readers tho.)

      2. Just A Lone Opinion

        Well, I respect that you at least own up to it. It won’t help much to tell others though as they too state their opinions out of self-interest.

        Also, I guess the way I worded it didn’t come out as clearly but I meant the action of choosing would cancel the fact that it was going towards the harem route. He could be more favorable towards one female, but “choosing” in my opinion means a monogamous relationship. In my case, I find it that harem is not just when the male is liked by many females but also surrounded by them/in constant contact. If he was just liked by many other females, I’d say he was simply popular.

        Indeed, this is closer to the love triangle route the way it is now. I guess it’s simply that the rest of us have just read too many novels that head towards harem.

        Otherwise, I pretty much agree with you. Thank you for your respectful answer.

  12. Yabu

    you know, with how everyone describe justus as a genius, cunning, and evil master planner. I just can’t help myself but to think what if he never really plan anything that detailed, just every move he make turned out to be in his favor by luck and coincidence.
    well, that would be funny though

    1. WhereThaYanderesAt?

      How I understand it, from rereading it a few times, the sword itself does have the ability to drain life; however, Harold does not make use of it, he’s just inherently strong.

      1. Ohh. I see. I was wondering that too.
        I first thought it was possibly a lie and stuff just to satisfy the higher ups so they wouldn’t question about Harold anymore.
        But then Justus goes here about saying how it is draining his life,
        then I remeber Harold saying it didn’t have an effect on him.
        So that got me really confused
        But I get it now lol
        Thanks

  13. Okay. So only god knows what Justus will do now, but I really hoped Lifa and Elu wouldn’t get caught up in it. Perhaps Lifa is in true danger of being manipulated.
    Also, the progression of Lifa’s feelings seem a bit over the top, even if she feels attracted to Harold and grateful, there’s no bases for her to actually want to have anything with him, she doesn’t trust him! I don’t know, just didn’t want this to become one more thing between Harold and Erica. I miss her a lot 🙁
    Thanks for the chapter!

    1. I don’t get it, really, it doesn’t take months for people to fall in love, that’s the whole idea behind falling in love, it’s quick… especially for a girl who was isolated like her, well, at least, it seems pretty normal to me. Also, Harold looks good so it makes even more sense ><

      1. Just A Lone Opinion

        I agree with Deficchi (can I call you that @Defiring-san? haha) that it was easy for Lifa to end up holding such feelings for Harold considering her situation, as explained. I don’t agree that it’s love yet though, heh.

        In my opinion, love is the fully developed way of liking. Er, in other words, my definition of love is when one has accepted everything about the other, both good and bad, and appreciate everything you’ve been through together even more.

        In Lifa’s case, she holds a favorable impression of Harold because he didn’t take her for an eccentric and assisted her with a dangerous (quest?) no sane person would likely take. At this stage, honestly speaking, I would liken it to the “suspension bridge effect” for lack of better terms. So he “saved” her when her mental stability was somewhat low and *he* (while curt, did not take physical action towards others so far in front of her, and handsome to boot) was the first one to make such contact. Yah. Falling. But to say “love?”

        Unlike Erika who had the good fortune of discovering Harold’s true side, accepted him for who he was, and decided to aid him/be with him in her own way as much as possible, Lifa has not experienced this. She’s close though, which is exactly why I don’t like it and agree with you there @thestrawberryavalanche and co.

        Side note…I neither like nor dislike harem/monogamy. Just, it has to be played out well for me to like it.

  14. bellcross13

    I really hate characters like Justus. I would rather see a generic Characters who are trying to kill you upfront rather than a smiling/emotionless devil. Haha

  15. SSS

    Justus going the way of not being an antagonist…… this will be good… now the death flags wouldn’t rise… or will there rising speed increase???

  16. staz

    yes there are short girls in rl but loli is still ped* in anime becoz she will still look like a kid, pls dont be harem i skipped reading lifa pov haha lol

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