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schoenheit
Source: Animage (Sept. 2021)
Purchasable: Physical | eBook
Author: Bunta Tsushimi
Characters: Cain, Owen
Cover Spread ✧ Introduction ✧ Interview
Cover Spread (p16-17)
GAZING AT...
Cain, a wizard from Central, and Owen, a wizard from the North. Both are of the Sage's wizards: those who have been tasked with protecting the world from the Great Calamity, a terrible force that wreaks havoc upon the world once a year.
Before they had been chosen for this duty, Owen stole Cain's left eye and replaced it with his own eye— or so the rumors go.
To this day, no one knows why Owen did as he did. Yet, bound by fate, the two of them were chosen to fight for the same cause. And thus, little by little, their relationship has come to change.
What reflects in their eyes now?
Introduction (p18)
The Two Bound by Fate
Cain, forthright and true, and Owen, contrarian and cunning. What do they think of each other, bound by the threads of fate as they are? Let's take a closer look.
About Cain and Owen
21 charming wizards await us in the popular mobile game Mahoyaku no Yakusoku. Each story gradually unravels the complex, tangled web of relationships between these wizards, not unlike a mystery novel.
Of these wizards, Cain and Owen have quite the striking relationship. Cain hid that he was a wizard when he was yet captain of the Central Kingdom knights— until Owen took to the stage. Owen launched an assault upon Cain's men, and traded their eyes against Cain's will. With that, the truth came out: Cain was known as a wizard, and thus had his title as captain of the knights stripped from him. By chance, fate chose him as one of the Sage's wizards, and now he and Owen work side by side to fight off the Great Calamity together.
As a consequence of fighting the Calamity, they've been afflicted with "wounds," or curious quirks: Owen will manifest a childlike persona very suddenly, and he will often try to hug Cain while cheerfully crying, "Sir Knight, Sir Knight!" On the other hand, Cain cannot see anyone unless he touches them first... except Owen.
Whether the threads that bind him are fate woven from mere coincidence or the inevitable, they have been tied and knotted so many times over they cannot be undone. Though their unpleasant past colors their relationship, curiously, neither of them hates the other: Cain wants to understand and accept Owen, and, as much as he claims to dislike Cain, Owen always comes to Cain's aid in times of crisis— even if he grumbles as he does. Because their personalities are diametric opposites, they struggle to communicate and get along, even when they try; and yet, on occasion, they become briefly, perfectly in sync.
Cain once said, "Everyone has a reason for choosing to live the way they do." It makes sense, then, that their relationship has so many reasons affecting its gradual change. As these reasons gradually unravel before the reader, we may see their relationship grow into something completely new.
Introductory Blurbs
Cain
VA: Daichi Kanbara
The former captain of the Central Kingdom knights. A kind, amicable older brother figure. He is skilled in swordplay, excellent in leadership, and inspires faith in those who follow him, causing him to be universally admired when he was still captain. Still, he's hardly the picture of perfection: he can often be overfamiliar and crude without thinking, and he's hopeless when it comes to cleaning up and doing paperwork.
Owen
VA: Shintaro Asanuma
Sharp-tongued and caustic, Owen is an eerie Northern wizard who leads people's hearts astray. He's hidden his heart away, which lets him die infinitely. Unlike other wizards, Owen draws his power from the wellspring of human malice and desire.
Cain's Wound
All of the Sage's wizards who participated in the previous Calamity were afflicted with curious "wounds." Cain's wound renders him unable to see someone until he touches them. Perhaps it's because of their exchanged eyes that Cain can see Owen without needing to touch him?
Owen's Wound
Owen's curious "wound" is that he abruptly manifests the persona of a young child. While in this state, he doesn't recall any memories belonging to the "usual" Owen, nor does he know that he's a wizard. His innocent adoration of Cain is rooted in a deep-seated longing for him, as he sees him as one of the "Sir Knight"'s from his picture book.
The Reaction He's Looking For
Though Cain cannot forgive Owen for what he's done, his other feelings far outweigh the lack of forgiveness. He plans to train until he's strong enough to take his eye back fair and square, and he's willing to cooperate with Owen given they're now both Sage's wizards. However, Owen claims that this reaction is "boring," clearly having expected something else. What kind of reaction was Owen hoping for? And will Cain ever understand what it is?
Their Eyes
Cain and Owen both have heterochromia because Owen swapped their eyes against Cain's will. When the Sage asked why he did that, Owen said he doesn't entirely recall...?
Interview (p19)
Special Talk: Cain & Owen
Written by: Tsushimi Bunta (Mahoyaku no Yakusoku's head writer)
Please introduce yourselves, if you could.
Cain: I'm Cain, former head of the knights and currently one of the Sage's wizards. Nice to meet you!
Owen: Owen. Wizard from the North. And, more importantly, the one who stole this man's eye.
—Look, look. Your attention, please. You can see how perfectly this amber eye fits in my skull. This actually belongs to Cain, if you didn't know.
Cain: As much as I hate to admit it, it's true. He attacked me when I still led the knights. I tried to fight him off with everything I had, but he still overtook me and stole my eye.
Owen: Fufu... Go on. Keep talking. It's so soothing to hear your voice tinged with such frustration, Sir Knight.
Cain: No, I think I'm good. It's not really all that interesting, anyway.
Owen: Of course it is. It’s the day you used your magic for the first time to protect your subordinates— The day the Cain Knightley, the man pretending to be human, died.
Cain: ........
Owen: Not only that, but it was the same day your accursed life as a wizard began.
Cain: Man. You really don't have to be so dramatic. Like, saying I "died that day" and that my life's "accursed" now? You can just say the cat got out of the bag. I don't consider being a wizard a bad thing, either.
Owen: Liar. How can you say that when you were hiding the fact that you were a wizard?
Cain: I had my reasons— I didn't want to cause any problems for my family, for one. So, honestly, all you did was give me the chance to live my life as me. In a weird way, I actually feel pretty grateful toward you.
Owen: Disgusting.
Cain: My gratitude disgusts you?
Owen: Exactly. It makes me sick.
Cain: No need to be so harsh, jeez.
... But, hm, I guess I see your point. If I put myself in your shoes, I guess I'd be pretty weirded out if I went up to a guy, gouged out his eye, and got a personal thank you for it?
Owen: What are you even...
Cain: What? I'm just validating your feelings. You're hard to get a read on, you know that? Like, you scowl when I agree with you, but you've got this Cheshire grin when I disagree.[1]
Owen: Because, O Dashing Knight, I want to hollow you out. I want to lash you with my words— exhaust you— leave you slick with sweat against your body, so pale you look no different than a spectre, unable to move.
Hey, heyyy... Why don't I corner you, bit by bit, until you're all alone? Until the look in your eyes is so ridiculous, so pitiful, as you beg me—me!—to save you, your face so desperate, knowing there's nowhere else in this world you can go?
Cain: Why?
Owen: .......
What do you mean, "why"?
Cain: I mean, all actions have a reason behind them.
Owen: Not mine. There's no logic behind anything I do. All there is to me is curses, resentment, and destruction.
Cain: Well, everything I do has a reason. And it's these reasons that mean I'll never regret anything, nor be afraid of you, no matter what you do.
Owen: You... You aren't just boring, you're as stupid as they come.
Cain: I disagree.
What do you think of each other?
Owen: I don't think anything of him.
Cain: I have a bunch of thoughts on Owen, but I don't want to say them in front of him.
Owen: Excuse me?
Cain: I mean... Not yet. But maybe, if things between us change, I'll talk about them.
Owen: Our relationship will never change. And when you die trying to get your eye back from me, our story will end there.
Cain: That might have been true before, but now, we're both wizards sworn to the Sage.
Owen: What does that have to do with anything?
Cain: It means we're comrades in arms.[2]
Owen: Comrades? So your hypocrisy runs that deep. You would call me your ally? The one who gouged out your eye and stole from you your future?
Cain: I'm not being hypocritical. This is just normal for me.
Owen: Normal? Treating me as an ally is "normal"? Not even Mithra or Bradley see me like that.
Cain: I can't speak for the Northern wizards— just me. I was a military officer for the Central Kingdom who commanded a great number of men. And, among them, some got into petty skirmishes with the troops stationed in neighboring military bases, resulting in injuries on both sides.
Owen: Ohhh? So you're saying they're like us?
Cain: Well, I mean, none of my troops ever caused problems on purpose the way you do. But when my men were hung up on their grudges and sniping at each other when it was critical that we all needed to get along, I gave them an order.
Owen: And what order was that?
Cain: "Forget the past. Yesterday's enemy is today's brother in arms. Trust them with your life, and fight, for we all march under the banner of Central Kingdom."
Owen: Hey, guess what? That order disgusts me. I'm going to throw up.
Cain: It's what I ordered my subordinates to do, so I'm going to follow my own word. I'm not gonna get hung up on you stealing my eye, and I'm not going to worry about how to handle it until we beat the Great Calamity.
Owen: .......
Cain: You are my comrade, whether you like it or not.
Owen: You really disgust me.
Cain: Oops, he disappeared... Sorry about that— I'm pretty sure he'll be right back, so just give it a second, please.
Owen: Hey. I just remembered something I wanted to say, and that's all, so...
Cain: Oh, there he is. We're not done yet, Owen.
Please tell us what your lives have been like.
Owen: What are you talking about? My life is what it is now?
Cain: I was born in the Town of Glory, and I wanted to be a knight ever since I was a kid, so I've been training to be one ever since pretty much forever.
When I was still pretty young, I was able to make a bit of a name for myself in my hometown, and that's how I ended up being invited to serve at the royal castle.
Then I joined Central's Order of Knights, met Arthur, got my eye stolen by Owen, and had my knighthood stripped from me. Then I became one of the Sage's wizards. I think that's pretty much everything.
Owen: Ohh? You sure have been through a lot for someone's who's barely been alive for any time at all— just two decades.
Cain: I don't think I'm all that different from most other people, honestly. What about you, Owen? ... What was your life like when you were a kid?
Owen: I grew up in the Central Kingdom castle. When they found out I was a wizard, my mother, the queen, abandoned me.
Cain: .......
Owen: She left me all alone in a world of endless, arctic white. Slowly, my body grew colder and colder, until my lungs were frozen through. Knowing I was going to die, I fell into a deep despair.
Every person, every name I could remember, I loathed. It was then that I knew what I wanted: I would make use of the power of the wizard reviled as the lord of all evil, and I would spread my resentment as though a curse throughout the world.
And then, I decided to deceive a certain clueless, happy-go-lucky knight.
Cain: ... That isn't funny, Owen. knock it off.
Owen: Fufu... Would you still protect him, if it were true? Even if the prince you so dearly revere resented the world?
Cain: I would. I would even swear an oath upon my sword. Granted, I'm a wizard, so I can't.
Owen: .......
Cain: When someone hates the world, all that means is that the world has hurt them and made them go through some terrible things. That's all the more reason to have their back— I'd protect him so he could live without resentment in his heart.
Owen: ... Hmph.
Cain: I'm not just talking about Arthur. I'm talking about you, too.
Owen: ........
Cain: I'll never abandon you. And if it ever looks like something bad is going to happen to you, I'll protect you.
Owen: What are you talking about? You know I'm stronger than you, right?
Cain: Oh, uhh, umm... I was talking to someone else.
Owen: Excuse me? Even though I'm sitting right in front of you? You're looking right at me? Talk to the person you're looking at. Isn't that just common sense when it comes to conversation?
Cain: I really, really don't want to hear that from you... Anyway, you're not wrong. There's no doubt you're strong. You might have a bad temper, but you have the power to protect others. I really do admire that about you. Plus, your strength means we can depend on you.
Owen: I'd never protect anyone.
Cain: Has anyone ever protected you before?
Owen: Of course not. A Northern wizard would find nothing more humiliating than being protected.
Cain: I don't think it's humiliating. My magic may be weaker than yours, and you may have survived for much longer than I have, but, for both the Sage and for Prince Arthur, I will protect you when the time comes. Come battle, I would become your shield, and I would die for you.
Owen: That's ridiculous.
Cain: That's what it means to be a soldier and a knight, and that's what it means to be someone's comrade. We all have duty we're bound by, whether we're heroes or the deceased. That's the kind of relationship we have now, as people on the same side.
Owen: What are you getting at?
Cain: Well, you know, maybe we could try getting on a little better?
Owen: No chance.
So how was the interview for both of you?
Cain: I feel like I understand less about the other person than when we started.
Owen: I feel the same way.
Cain: But I refuse to give up on understanding him. We have to be as steadfast as a stone if we want to save this world.
Owen: That was so tediously cliché you've genuinely made me wish I were dead.
Cain: Personally, if I were on a vital but life-threatening mission t...— Mmgh.
Owen: Enough. No more boring talk.
Cain: ... (Coughs) We're being interviewed, though?
Owen: Forget that. Let's go back to talking about the thing from before. About how you couldn't beat me, no matter how you struggled, no matter how much you agonized. Or how terrified you were when...
Cain: Your terrible taste strikes again...
Owen: Hey, hey, Sir Knight, Sir Knight.
Cain: Yeah, no chance.
Translation Notes
1. The verb Cain uses to describe Owen smiling is にゃにゃする (nya nya suru), which can be a knifecat grin, a mischievous grin, or grinning from ear to ear, depending on context. And, as you would imagine, the nya nya is sometimes used to invoke cat imagery. I went with "Cheshire grin" since it seemed to capture the meaning and potential imagery best. ↑
2. Throughout the interview, Cain refers to Owen as his 仲間, or nakama, which refers to people in a tight-knit circle with whom you are close, and can apply to friends, comrades, colleagues, etc. In this interview, this has been translated as comrade/ally depending on the context, but I wish there were a more consistent way to translate it. ↑
Thank you 310mc1 @ Twitter for proofreading!
