Kara no Teikoku : The Empty Empire
written and illustrated by Naoe Kita
translation by ryuuen yanagi

Chapter Two: Counterfeit Love V

--page 37

Rose: I don't know where Ririka is yet! This is bad! To get caught here...

Bloody: "...............you..."



--page 38

Bloody: "...aren't you Idea's clo--"

Mia: "Rose-san!"

Rose: "Huh? Mia?"

Mia: "What, are you sleep-walking? I never expected to find you in a place like
this when you didn't come back to your room! Excuse us, this girl is still new here
and it seems she got lost."

guard: "What the hell, this is getting complicated~~~ Hurry up and get out of here!"

Bloody: "..................."



--page 39

Bloody: "You're going to let them get away?"

guard: "Eh? But that maid is really obedient; there's no way she'd lie."

guard 2: "...he's not broken, is he? Heh heh."

Bloody: "!"

guard 2: "I know about him---. I was around Himmel-sama and I heard him talking...
This guy's an assassin robot, you know! An android! Inside his head's this machine..."



--page 40

Bloody: "If you know you're around an assassin then you should know to watch your
mouth. I'm not programmed to obey humans."

guard: *squeak*


--page 41

Bloody: "Although I am structured to look like a human, I am a tool for killing people."


--page 42

Rose: "Are you okay?"

Mia: " 'Am I okay'!? Do you have any clue of what you were doing?! Going into a room
that a person like that was staying in!!"

Rose: "I know. Well, actually, I didn't know that the person staying in that room
was him, but... anyway, thanks for helping me. But why did you help me? Weren't you
already asleep?"

Mia: "The truth is that I've taken a liking to you from the moment you came."

Rose: "Heh?"


--page 43

Mia: "Because you look like Idem-sama."

Rose: "Like Idem? ......."

Mia: "Ah, I'm sorry. It must be troubling to be told you look like a man."

Rose: "Er, no, not really..." (Because I am a man...) Idem and I are clones of Idea, 
so it's only natural that we look like him, but...



--page 44

Rose: This is the first time I've been told that _I_ look like _IDEM_. "Oh, yeah,
I'm looking for a girl named Ririka; do you know anything?"

Mia: "Looking for her for what? Do you know her? ...Ririka-san...?"

Rose: "Yeah, she's a treasured acquaintance."

Mia: (What on earth could Rose's connection to Ririka be...?)



--page 45

*siren noises*


--page 46

Mia: "What's that noise?"

Rose: "They've probably discovered that I'm an intruder." I bet that's it.

Mia: "All this fuss over one girl? It's dangerous, right? No matter how long
you've known that girl, I don't think that Idem will forgive this."

Rose: "Why?"

Mia: "Why...?"

You belong to me.


--page 47

Mia: "I seriously doubt that Idem-sama will... allow that girl out of his grasp."

Rose: "He's just doing this on his own, right? How should I know! With a guy like HIM."

Mia: "Don't speak badly of Idem-sama!"


--page 48

Mia: "Idem-sama is a kind person. He helped me when I first came to this castle."

Rose: "......"

Mia: "Let's go back to our rooms. You too, Rose."

Rose: ".....Can I ask you to go ahead of me? I can't go back yet."

Mia: "Rose-san..."

*turn*

*step*


--page 49

Rose: I was a little jealous of Idem. People who knew Idea should have ill feelings
towards this.

You look like Idem-sama.

Don't speak badly of Idem-sama!

My companions were solely people who knew Idea before... so my _real_ companions were
only those who didn't know Idea...


--page 50

Only Ririka!

Ririka: "I wonder what's happening?"

*BANG*

Ririka: "Idem!"

Idem: "........"


--page 51

Idem: "You're okay?"

Ririka: "? H.. has someone come here!?"

Idem: "Not really. We're going to kill him soon."

*door closing*

Ririka: "Idem!"


--page 52

Ririka: It's probably Rose. But even if he helps me get out of here, I can't
return to Eiri's place. To Eiri, who took me in for Idea's sake. What should I do?
In this lost state...

guard: "It seems that Idea's fake clone has appeared!"

*running footsteps*

Rose: ? I ended up somewhere strange.



--page 53

Rose: "Hm? Dust."

Dust: "!? Who are you?"

Rose: "It's me. It's Rose."

Dust: "!? 'Idea'!?"

Rose: "Yeah."

Dust: "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT OUTFIT YOU'RE WEARINGGGGG~~~~" Gya, it's a female Idea~~

Rose: "Hmph. Well _excuse me_. Suits me, doesn't it?" I'm real popular with the guys.


--page 54

Dust: "Idea never, EVER dressed as a woman!"

Rose: "Well, then, next time I run into Idea's body I'll switch clothes with him and
see what he looks like, okay?"

Dust: "~~~~~~"

Rose: "Anyway, do you know where Ririka is?"

Dust: "Oh, yeah, I heard that they had captured her... what on earth are they doing?
If I recall right, it seems that they put her in the second most beautiful room..."

Rose: "That might be the room I was in when I first came to this castle, right?"

Dust: "Yeah, that's right."

Rose: "Great! Ah, that's right, Kid showed me a map of escape routes, didn't he..."



--page 55

Ririka: (What should I do? Rose is coming.) And he'll definitely help me. And I
do want to get out of here, but... I feel like I don't want to see any more people
with Idea's face... I wonder if I'll be okay around Rose; if it won't be painful
for me. I know that Rose isn't a bad person, but... but...

"Ririka!"


--page 56

Rose: "Ririka!"

Ririka: "Eh..."



--page 57

Rose: "I did it! I found you!"

Ririka: "Ah..."

Rose: "AAHH?! Crap! I forgot I was wearing these clothes! This was a disguise...
At least the wig is... and uuugh it itched, and..."

Ririka: "..........."


--page 58

Ririka: "Rose."

Rose: "Eh? Ririka?"

Ririka: "I knew it. You're different, Rose."


--page 59

Ririka: "Although I never would have thought you'd come to save me dressed
like that." *snicker*

Rose: "~~~~~~~~~~"

Ririka: "You're okay, Rose. I missed you, Rose."

Rose: "? Me, too."


--page 60

*SLAM*

Rose/Ririka: "!"

Idem: "! You bastard."


--page 61

Idem: "How the hell did you get in here?!"

Rose: "Uwa~~"

Ririka: "Rose, hang in there!"

Rose: "Ow ow..."

Idem: "You are the one person I won't give Ririka to. You, a clone of Idea."

Rose: Idem....


--page 62

Idem: "What a foolish outfit."

Rose: "....... If you dressed like a girl, you'd look like this, too. We look
alike, you know."

Rose: "WAA~"

Migime: "Idem!"


--page 63

Idem: "Himmel. Migime."

Himmel: "There's no need for you to make a special entrance, Bloody. Take care of
the clone."


--page 64

Bloody: "I'm not to kill him? It would be more fun that way."

Migime: "No, leave him alive. I don't care if you hurt him a bit, but give him to
me living. Rose, you're the one who got Idea's inheritance, aren't you? That crown
was just a bonus; the light was the real inheritance, was it not?"

Idem: Migime...


--page 65

Rose: (Ugh...) "Um, well, I didn't get, uh, anything, I mean, there was nothing, uh, 
I mean, well, actually..."

Himmel: "Rose-chan *heart* You know, lying is based on experience. When a kid like you
who hasn't lied much before tries to lie to a biiiiiig liar like me, he gets caught-caught."


--page 66

Migime: "You really know, don't you?"

Rose: "....."

Ririka: "Rose?"

Himmel: "Capture them!"




Chapter Two - Counterfeit Love V - FIN
don't take the translations, please!
I'd hate to have to send Bloody after you. >:D