Re:Zero Arc 4 Interlude I (Chapter 71.5) [Tea Party] (Part 1/3)

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Translator: TranslationChicken

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Editor: TranslationChicken

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ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO TAPPEI NAGATSUKI, THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR OF RE:ZERO, THIS IS A TRANSLATION OF THE FREE JAPANESE WEB NOVEL INTO ENGLISH
JAPANESE WEB NOVEL SOURCE: HTTP://NCODE.SYOSETU.COM/N2267BE/238/

Previous Chapter: https://translationchicken.com/2018/03/04/rezero-arc-4-chapter-71-ending-list-part-2-2/

ARC 4

THE EVERLASTING COVENANT

 Interlude I [Tea Party]

 

[???: Parallel Universes, that’s one school of thought. It states that, separate from the universe we are living in now, there exists many alternate universes following along a similar path]

The person speaking was trying her best to suppress the waves of excitement in her voice.
Accompanying that lecture-like statement, she was lightly tapping her fingers on the table in a pleasant and even rhythm.

[????: That sounds, huu… like it’s, haa…… kind of complicated]

[???: It’s not that hard to wrap your head around. Imagine infinite Parallel Worlds, each being generated by just one difference in choice. For example, say there is a split in the road on your way home. Both paths ultimately lead to your house, and there is a you who went right and a you who went left―― that possibility would already constitute an extremely small-scale Parallel Universe]

[?????: What. So you’re saying that there’re so many worlds out there that we can’t even count them? That’s just stupid]

Hearing the response to the lethargic voice, a spirited voice butted in.
The lecturing speaker returned a wry smile, and raised a finger in front of her impatient companion,

[???: It’s not nearly so ridiculous. Indeed, that last example may have been too narrow to convey the sheer scope of the variations…… but you can definitely apply it to a grander scale as well]

[?????: Grander scale…… like what?]

[???: Let’s see, right. ――Imagine if you had abandoned the isolated Elven vanguard on Boroid Plains, what would have happened then?]

[?????: ――――]

[???: ……Hmm. I was expecting you to be more infuriated by that]

[?????: It’s simple why I’m not angry. Even if you repeat that situation tens, hundreds, or thousands of times, I would always’ve choosen to throw my fists into the fray. ――So your Parallel Universe or whatever would never’ve come to be!]

With that forceful proclamation, the speaker threw her foot right onto the table. Seeing her literally “Putting her foot down” on the matter, the lecturer let slip a small smile. Noticing this, the spirited one angrily scowled up her pretty face,

[?????: What’s so funny!?]

[???: No, I mean that was very manly of you, but your panties are showing, Minerva]

[Minerva: Aa, kya! What, you dumbass! Unbelievable! Idiot! Dumbass! Duuumbass! Blockhead! Stupid! So stupid! You stupid, dumbass!]

Shouting curses that exposed the limits of her vocabulary, the blond-haired girl―― Witch of Wrath, Minerva, pulled her foot off the table with tears in her eyes, quickly closing her legs and holding down her skirt with her hands.
She looked up furiously―― at the white-haired Witch sitting opposite her. But,

[????: Haa. Leaving aside who’s right or wrong here, huu… your panties… haa…… you kind of did that to yourself, Minerva, always so unladylike, huu…… no point blaming anyone else for it… haa]

[Minerva: Unladylike! Like you’re one to say that, Sekhmet. As if you ever wear anything other than that…… actually, when’s the last time you changed your robes?]

Minerva swiped her harsh glare onto the Witch of Sloth―― Sekhmet, plopped on the table, completely buried in her long, magenta hair.
Under that sea of hair, a head moved and peeked out between the gaps, looking back at Minerva.

[Sekhmet: You just throw it over your head, huu…it’s the most convenient……haa… Typhon wipes my body for me…huu…so it’s not like I get filthy or anything…haa]

[Minerva: You go criticizing other people’s behavior when you…… Augh, aughh, aughhh……what do you want!? So I’m to blame? It’s all my fault? You want me to beat you clean here!?]

Minerva angrily waved her fist about, while Sekhmet turned her head away without saying a word.
Seeing Sekhmet lose even the energy to speak, a blue vein popped up on Minerva’s forehead, but, as if having grown used to her temper, Sekhmet already completely lost interest.
Taking over for the spent Witch of Sloth, the first Witch―― the Witch of Greed, Echidona, clapped her hands together and carried on the conversation,

[Echidona: I do understand your anger, but as much as I find it delightful, I would like to continue on our topic now]

[Minerva: Hrrmph. You’re the one provoking me with all that Parallel Worlds rubbish, Echidona. I’m angry. I’m enraged. I’m furious…]

[Echidona: Right right. Now, on with Parallel Universes. If that last example didn’t stick…… let’s see. What do you think would have happened if Flugel never sealed the pact with Volcanica?]

Holding a finger to her lips, Echidona mischievously smiled as she raised this question to Minerva.

 

 

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Next Part 2/3: https://translationchicken.com/2018/03/08/rezero-arc-4-interlude-i-chapter-71-5-tea-party-part-2-3/

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(If anyone knows the source of the thumbnail please let me know!)

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Welp… we had to reschedule the flight, so I’ll be sticking around for another 20 days before going home.

I’ll try to get more chapters done while I can, and in a couple weeks I might need a few days off, but the releases should definitely be faster this month!

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Arc 4 Interlude I Live Draft:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/re-zero-arc-4-i-17370266

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Next Part 2/3: https://translationchicken.com/2018/03/08/rezero-arc-4-interlude-i-chapter-71-5-tea-party-part-2-3/

107 thoughts on “Re:Zero Arc 4 Interlude I (Chapter 71.5) [Tea Party] (Part 1/3)”

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  2. Pingback: Re:Zero Web Novel Fan Translation : Table of Contents! – TranslationChicken

    1. So I have a series of post farther down in this thread trying to get to the bottom of this line of thought. If you’re up to it, I’d like a different perspective.

      Like

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  9. 20 days WTF!? Can’t even remember where you went but the idea of being stuck somewhere ‘not home’ unexpectedly like that for that long freaks me out just a tad.

    Nice update tho, the witches are always good.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. ??: It’s not nearly so ridiculous. Indeed, that last example may have been too narrow to convey the sheer scope of the variations…… but you can definitely apply it to a grander scale as well]

    [?????: Grander scale…… like what?]

    [???: Let’s see, right. ――Imagine if you had abandoned the isolated Elven vanguard on Boroid Plains, what would have happened then?]

    [?????: ――――]

    [???: ……Hmm. I was expecting you to be more infuriated by that]

    [?????: It’s simple why I’m not angry. Even if you repeat that situation tens, hundreds, or thousands of times, I would always choose to throw my fists into the fray. ――So your Parallel Universe or whatever would never’ve come to be!]

    What mean bro?????

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    2. Minerva is saying that since her personality would always force her to make the same choice when given the same situation, there is no possibility of an alternate world where she did otherwise.

      Its quite a valid philosphical argument.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      2. I think the basic mistake made here is supposing only big choices make a parallel reality. If they realities existed, it wouldn’t matter how big the choice was. Every step taken with the wrong foot, every blink of an eye… Even making the same choices every time you still produce diverged realities, millions of them. In some you even die by slipping on wet floor…

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      3. No, it’s logic, THAT parallel universe theory can’t be real; if you make a different choice is two different universes, then those two ‘yous’ can’t be the same person, they think differently. Any event occurs as a result from a previous event. There is only one possible future that could happen blablalbalbal….(i suck at explaining, this took me too long to write so i give up at this point)…………

        Also how do they know of the parallel universe theory? Or even those words?

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        1. Well, continuing your line of thought, you’re right about the subtleties of personality in that instance. The other “you” would be fundamentally different in choosing the opposing direction, resulting in a fundamentally different person down the line. But, I feel that conclusion seems a bit off. What she’s saying though is that her decision was absolute in that instance, therefore there can be no opposite direction.

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    3. That means, from narrative point of views, those speaker’s identities weren’t revealed yet. The [????] as names wasn’t a mistake. Readers had to guess who by the way they speak, until it was revealed one by one.

      Or perhaps you asked a different question? Then maybe as explained by chicken. Minerva would only take the same action if those scene ever happened, leading to only 1 universe for “that time” minerva.

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  17. “The person speaking was trying her best to suppress the waves of excitement in her voice.”
    I end up thinking of Jibril from No Game No Life, drooling over Sora’s iPad. Actually, how would Echidona react to a handheld device with 20,000 books in it?

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  18. So this chapter is gonna be a discussion about parallel worlds? Damn, I already know all this stuff about parallel Universes and timelines, but oh well, tea party is fun. Hopefully they explain more about this world’s mechanics like what return by death really is instead of just explaining the simple terms like parallel word to this dumb blond bitch.

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    1. No one knows about how RbD works. Outside of the witch and possibily Subaru (but his ego is completely obvious to it I guess).

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        1. The real question is how she could glimpse into a reality that Subaru had no conscious knowledge of. He was dead, after all, and her ability to create a representation of Japan is based on Subaru’s conscious memory of his home life.

          Subaru was long dead and his consciousness had already passed to another reality. So how could she have an accurate record of what happened after his death if he wasn’t consciously aware of that event. Even if she had some sort of clairvoyant power, you can’t perceive realities you aren’t conscious of.

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          1. The book of wisdom doesn’t only contain subaru’s memory, but also the world’s memory.

            Like

    2. He is just a sage from 400 years ago who fought along the first sword saint and volcanica the dragon to seal envy. You think he is mufasa or simba??

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  20. Pingback: Re:Zero Arc 4 Chapter 71 [Ending List] (Part 2/2) – TranslationChicken

  21. I always imagined somehow that each RbD would create a parallel universe. Seeing Echidona bring this topic over to the other witches makes me wonder if what Subaru is watching is what actually happened on those worlds he left behind or is it just a set of illusions made by Echidona using his memories and her vast knowledge. I’m more inclined to believe it’s the 2nd, but who knows.
    Thank you so for the fast updates!

    Like

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    2. See, I had this same thought.

      How could she glimpse into a reality after Subaru’s death when he has no conscious knowledge of those events? And if she can’t, is she creating a narrative based on Subaru’s memories to steer him to a particular conclusion?

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  23. Sooooo yeah… This interlude excluded subaru from the tea party because subaru at this point of time were undergoing 2nd trial. Nice to see girls talks, i mean… witches talks.

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  27. I’m going to have to disagree with you there Wifi, I would say on the best girl list echidona would probably be 5th at best maybe 6th…
    1st Emilia
    2nd Rem
    3rd patrachi
    4th Crusch
    5th would be a toss up between echidona and beako.

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    1. As for me:
      1. Original Lewes
      2. Four Duty Lewes
      3. Lewes Omega (spoiler)
      4. Twenty Lewes dolls
      5. Petra
      6. Beatrice
      7. Felt

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  29. Ha Ha! So this tea party is essentially all the witches coming togther to make fan theories of a story THEY ARE IN! I LOVE IT!!! It sounds like something they would do.

    Also all this paraell world talk is starting to make me see why studio White Fox was picked to do Re Zero’s anime adaptation (see steins gate for further details)

    Thank for translating little “side story” chapter. I have a feeling it is going to be a lot of fun. Sorry for your traveling troubles but I sure you will get through it.

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    1. What if after subaru fails/passes the second trial echidona brings him into the tea party as a reference for her parallel world theory. Lol

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  30. My ranking goes:
    1. Rem/Emilia
    2. Ram
    3. Crusch Karstein
    4. Beako/Petra
    5. Priscilla

    I’m not into dead witches, you see. Besides, there’s something strange about Echidona – for someone 400y.o. she behaves kinda childish with Subaru. Like she intentionally stoops to Subaru’s level of romance. My theory is, she wants something from him. Probably to get revived.
    Dona lives in a state of information deprivation – and I can’t imagine a worse torture for someone like her, Embodiment of Greed for knowledge.

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    1. Close enough…but not to get revived. Subaru is the only onr with the ability to repeat deaths, so echidna wants “something” from subaru related to that. Be it how or where or when to die, the feeling of it is what echidna would never taste. She envied that ability lol

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      1. Well, that ability does give a certain level of freedom. When playing an RPG, I like experimenting by choosing the most dangerous path, most stupid answer, getting into unnecessary fights with random people – pretty much what Subaru does on daily basis. By doing this you do get a fuller picture of other characters from their reactions. Information you don’t normally get.

        So I kind of understand Dona, if that is what she wants. Wait… don’t tell me she wants to take the RBD from him?

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        1. She is already dead and separated from her body. But she can still do some contract with another person. Personally i think she should be conflicted about wanting RBD ability, as that power is originated from witch of envy. We all know how disgusted echidna towards that envy b*tch.

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    3. You do have a point but echidona is still my favorite, and it will take a lot to change that. I believe that she will be an importaint asset in the future.

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  31. No corrections or suggestions to make

    Talking about parallel universes now, eh? That confirms even more that each of Subaru’s deaths does indeed have a continuation. I would read an entire light novel’s worth of after-death worlds, it develops a bunch of other characters and would just lead to interesting developments in general

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  32. Well, fellow readers.

    What exactly did Echidna gain from this little interaction with these tiny glimpses into the other loops Subaru previously experienced?

    What sort of mechanism does she have, in spite of lacking consciousness outside of her initial reality, that can craft accurate glimpses into several different realities that Subaru lived through without him ever consciously experiencing the events showed to him? He was dead; his consciousness had already passed to another reality. With that point in mind, how can she possibly create accurate representations of events that transpired after his death without him having conscious knowledge of those events?

    I don’t mean to get meta, but it’s a valid question. Any ideas?

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    2. One idea that comes to mind is that her consciousness exists separately from reality in the respect that all realities are present within her “dream.” What I mean by that is that all realities intersect within her dream, making them Quasi-visible, and she can piece together a somewhat accurate record of events that came to pass using Subaru’s curse as a tool in doing so. In other words, a sort of “unconscious root.” A metaphysical reality in which all realities are visible.

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    3. Sorry about replying to my own thread so much, but there’s another idea that comes to mind.

      With her not having anything to build off of after Subaru’s death, seeing as he has no conscious knowledge of those events, she is inserting her own narrative into the trial using the cast present during or arriving after each death to steer Subaru to a particular conclusion.

      Really, sorry about this. Id really like some other ideas if others are up to it.

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    4. Echidona mentioned in a previous chapter that she can read mind but she doesn’t prefer it because conversation is more enjoyable. Now as for after death vision, she is a geneous and could make an accurate vision based on what she read from Subaru and what she knows and fathers from Subaru’ s interactions with others to find deeper meaning within the actions of others to find the true feelings of others tward Subaru. Correct me if I have any incongruities in my reasoning

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      1. Well I think you’re half right. During this chapter will have a little more background on what the purpose is behind showing Subaru these conclusions to his suicides. There’s a direction here, it’s just hard to decifer.

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        2. Welp… A purpose you ask? Second trial of course. First is past, second is present, third is future.
          Ultimately, the purpose is for the liberation if sanctuary.

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          2. Well, that’s precisely the question, right? If the purpose is to merely have him pass the trials, why show him visions that could be false? What would be the purpose to have him feel regret at this level? If she wants to motivate him to be a better person, that hardly good her character this far. So she must want something.

            Like

          3. Yoy don’t understand the autonomous mechanism. The trial has to be neutral to whoever attempt to do it regardless echidna’s personal feeling. Echidna is forbidden to give any aid or help to anyone who wants to clear it. And no, she doesn’t want to motivate him at all. Whatever happens to subaru will just become an interesting knowledge for her.

            It wasn’t her that showing those failed deaths to subaru, but the trial system itself, depending on and differs to each individual who take it. Subaru’s case is special because he had already created many possible alternative timelines due to his RBD.

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          4. In case you forgot. Subaru asked echidna to stop this trial nonsense and just let the sanctuary liberated, but she said she can’t and it needs to be cleared in a proper way.

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          5. I see where you’re going with it. I still really don’t buy that the mechanism is autonomous, especially if Echidna is the orchestrator behind the trial system. Ethically, these trials so far deal in acceptance of past mistakes or points of trauma. So this relates to my first point: that the tomb and the dream are focal points in every timeline, or reality in the respect that all realities are quasi-visible.

            Thanks for your input though. I really appreciate it.

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          6. The trial system’s contents just don’t fall in line with her character, unless there’s an aspect of Greed that includes catharsis and altruism.

            Like

  35. Pingback: Re:Zero Arc 4 Interlude I (Chapter 71.5) [Tea Party] (Part 2/3) – TranslationChicken

  36. All of them together? Is this happening inside Echidona’s head? The hell… Or is it maybe a flashback? It can’t be, how could we know about this?
    Thanks for the work!

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