MGRP Limited Ch 3

Chapter 3: Awaken, My Master!
(The Girls Who Returned From The Earthen Prison)

Magical Girls were vendors of hopes and dreams. Even so, people whose hands were stained with crime would regularly turn up. However strict the selection process, there would always be a certain percentage of mentally deviant people among them. The paradox was that the more deviant they were, the more likely they would be able to get into power, so there was no way to get rid of them. Smashing a pot of rice because of a single piece of rat droppings was not solely limited to humans.
魔法少女是贩卖梦想与幻想的生意。即使如此，还是会定期出现双手沾满犯罪的人。不管是通过怎样严格公正的考试进行选拔，心术不正的人还是会以一定的比例掺杂其中。吊诡的是，越心术不正的人就越有可能手握强权，所以没办法除掉。因为一颗老鼠屎坏了一锅粥的情形，并不只局限于人类之中。(楼主注:吊诡录入原文为弔詭。“吊诡”一词的使用兴于台湾文学理论和批评界，被借用于译“Paradox”这个词，Paradox在大陆通常被译为“悖论”。解释源于搜狗百科。)

Or rather, when it happened among Magical Girls, the consequences would be more dire than if it happened among humans. Magical Girls could easily deal with large carnivorous beasts, to say nothing of humans. Their abilities varied from person to person, and some Magical Girls had destructive power which surpassed those of tanks, fighter jets, guided missiles and weapons of mass destruction. Mentally disturbed Magical Girls were far more dangerous than mentally disturbed human beings.
也许应该说，发生在魔法少女之中的话，后果会比人类更严重。别说是普通人，就连大型食肉动物，魔法少女也能轻而易举地解决。能力因人而异，甚至有魔法少女具备超越战车、战斗机、导弹、大规模杀伤性武器的杀伤能力。心术不正的魔法少女，比起心术不正的人类更加凶残。

Even if humans could not clearly perceive the activities of Magical Girls, the bonds between fellow Magical Girls were weak, and there were no few cases of Magical Girls accusing other Magical Girls of wrongdoing. After all, the Land of Magic’s internal surveillance was riddled with holes, and it was hard to point out wrongdoing. However, when such wrongdoing was uncovered, it would be answered with severe punishment.
尽管人类无法确实地感应到魔法少女的行动，不过，由于同侪之间羁绊薄弱，魔法少女告发魔法少女的案例也不少。毕竟，“魔法王国”的监视体制漏洞百出，难以揪出犯罪行为。不过，只要罪行曾经遭到揭发，就会被施以严厉的惩罚。

Deliberately committing crimes would result in being assigned to a Magical Girl responsible for rehabilitation, whereupon they would be re-educated.
如果是明知故犯的犯罪行为，就会被押解至负责更生的魔法少女底下，进行再教育。

If the crimes in question had a great impact on human or Magical Girl society, or if their crimes were so unforgivable that they were judged incapable of rehabilitation, the criminal in question would have their memories of being a Magical Girl erased, and then released back into human society as a normal human being.
如果该犯罪事实对人类与魔法少女社会造成莫大影响，或该犯罪行为不可赦等，认定更生无济于事的话，在罪犯被消除所有关于魔法少女的记忆后，就会以普通人类的身份被放逐至人类社会。

Usually, this was the most severe punishment handed out. Punishments beyond this were very rare. That said, being very rare implied that they did exist.
一般来说，最重的刑罚只到这里，超过这个处罚的案件相当罕见。然而既然说是罕见，即意味着并非绝对没有。

There were some Magical Girls who could still cause trouble in human society even after losing their magical abilities. Also, there had been cases where people who had their memories erased and released back into human society ended up “picking up” their memories again through related parties, resulting in them regaining their lost memories.
其中也有即使失去魔法少女的魔力，但放到人类社会中就会酿成祸害的人。另外，也曾经发生过，明明记忆遭到剥夺并被放逐至人类社会，却通过相关人士“捡回”记忆，恢复一切相关记忆的例子。

In order to avoid worrying about recalcitrant criminals making contact with the world, the Land of Magic would imprison them. The Land of Magic’s legal system had been changed due to a bill passed 27 years ago, and the current Land of Magic now took a humanitarian stance, and did not practice the death penalty. However, the fact was that imprisonment was little different from a death sentence.
为了避免连绵不断的罪犯与世人有所接触这类后顾之忧，魔法王国会将其收监。魔法王国的法律制度，因为二十七年前的改正法案而有所改变，目前“魔法王国”基于人道立场，并不存在死刑制度。不过，事实上收监与死刑并没有太大差别。

Imprisonment in the Land of Magic referred to being sealed away by magic. Seals applied by first-rate spellcasters could put the sealed entity into stasis, dull their senses, and they would become lethargic and unmotivated.
“魔法王国”的收监，就是通过魔法进行封印。由一流术士所施下的封印，能够令封印对象的一切行为活动停滞，感官变得模糊暧昧，人也会变得懒洋洋的提不起劲。

Magical Girl repeat offenders who were sealed away would be locked under layers of barriers and strictly guarded. Even their location was a top secret, and most people only knew that these Magical Girl criminals were locked up somewhere in this world.
遭到封印的魔法少女重刑犯，会被关在层层张设的结界中，受到严密的监管。就连地点也是超级机密，一般只会知道魔法少女重刑犯就在这个世界的某个角落而已。

If security was their top priority, then they should have been imprisoned in the Land of Magic. That was because there were no escape routes from the Land of Magic, but yet the prison was in the human world. Apparently, this was because certain residents of the Land of Magic opposed the construction of a prison, and some people had also indicated that since they committed their crimes in the human world, they ought to be punished in the human world, but still others also said that this was a habit, and there was no significance behind it.
假如是以保全为最优先，应该要将监狱设置于“魔法王国”。因为“魔法王国”并没有任何逃脱的路径，但监狱却设置在人类世界。据说，这是因为一部分的“魔法王国”居民反对建造监狱，也有人表示，既然是在人类世界犯下罪行，理当在人类世界受处罚，但也有人说纯粹只是惯例，不具特别的意义。

☆Pythie Frederica

The thin line between dreams and reality made her feel confused and unfocused. It made her feel like she was spinning round and round and constantly melting, with no ability to think. However, it made her sensitive to time, and made her want to flee as though she were being chased from behind by something. All she could do was struggle and desperately try to resist. Even when she knew that nothing was coming at her from behind, she could not help but do so. Although her mind did not wish to advance, and all she wished to do was move her limbs, she could not even differentiate her arms from her legs, and doing so only added to her anxiety.
存在于梦境与现实之间的狭窄缝隙中，令人感到混沌不清，觉得自己一直转来转去、不停地融化、完全没有任何思考能力。然而，却对时间相当敏锐，想逃离从后头追过来的某种东西，只能不停挣扎、拼命抵抗。明知不会有任何东西追上来，就是忍不住这么做。虽然脑袋并没有想着要向前进，只是想移动手脚，但她明明连自己的手与脚都无法辨识，这么做只会徒增焦虑而已。

She did not want to go back to that place again. The Magical Girl Pythie Frederica was sure of that. She leaned back and stretched her body. She should have been locked in here for a long time. She flexed her arms, extended them, and then repeated those movements several times. Her hair bounced behind her. She savored the blissful sensation of being able to move her body under her own will.
她再也不想回到那样的地方。魔法少女“比缇·菲列特莉嘉”深切地这么想。她将背部向后弯，伸展身体。她被关在里面，应该已经过了很长一段时间。她弯曲手臂、伸展，接下来重复几次屈伸运动。头发在她的背部弹跳。她细细咀嚼着能够凭自我意志转动身体的幸福滋味。

Her muscle strength, stamina and willpower had hardly deteriorated. Even if she had to kill right now, her body would be able to bring forth a certain amount of power.
无论是肌力、体力与精神力，似乎都没有生锈。即使现在要她与人厮杀，想必她的身体也能够展现一定的实力吧。

She flexed each of her fingers and then extended them again one by one. She raised her legs and bent her knees. She leapt up at the ceiling which was not very high, and landed again after almost hitting it. Her long skirt billowed up lightly under her as she descended, and it threw up clouds of dust in the cramped room that stank of mildew.
将手指一根一根弯起，再一根一根打开。高高抬起腿，弯起膝盖。朝并不算高的天花板一跃而起，直到快撞上的高度后着地。长长的裙子随着身体落下轻飘飘地蓬起，在充满霉味的狭窄房间内扬起阵阵尘埃。

“Well?
“如何？”

“Let me see…”
“我看看……”

She walked as she talked. She took two steps towards the room’s center, and when she drew near the other party she promptly lashed out with a flying kick.
她边走边说。向前两步至房间中央，在接近对方的时候立刻使出飞踢。

The other person easily blocked that no-warning flying kick with her palm. As she withdrew her leg, she flourished her long skirt, long enough to reach her ankles, in order to obscure their line of sight, then spun a full 360 degrees and lashed out with a spear hand. Her target took half a step back, evaded the attack, then brandished the guitar on her back and generated an ear-splitting noise with a smooth strum of the strings. Frederica used her hand to contact and spin the quaver notes which the guitar emitted like sleet, swept them to the ground with her skirt, then rode the momentum generated to spin in mid air and then landed upright upon the ground.
毫无预警的前踢，被对方以手掌轻松挡下。在她收回脚的同时，扬起长到足以盖至脚踝处的长裙遮蔽对方视线，并利落地三百六十度旋身，使出贯手。目标向后退半步，闪避攻击，拔出背上的吉他，并以流畅的动作弹奏出尖锐刺耳的轰隆巨响。菲列特莉嘉以手旋转从吉他释放出来、如霰般冒出的八分音符，再用裙摆将其扫落，然后借力使力地在空中一个回转，直挺挺地着地。(楼主注:霰，在高空中的水蒸气遇到冷空气凝结成的小冰粒，多在下雪前或下雪时出现。)

As the quaver notes hit the ground, they emitted a loud noise and then melted away like they had never been.
伴随着硬实的声响传来的同时，八分音符纷纷掉落地面后，仿佛融化般消失不见。

The two of them remained in their fighting stances, facing each other, until the expression on Pythie’s face slowly softened.
两人就这样维持着战斗姿势，面对面对峙，直到菲列特莉嘉的表情逐渐变得柔和。

“It’s worth working for you just to repay this kindness.”
“光是这份恩情似乎就值得我为你效力呢。”

“Uihihihihi. You haven’t changed.”
“嘻嘻嘻嘻嘻。您还是老样子。”

Pythie scanned the room. It was a cube, roughly five meters on each side. The walls, floor and ceiling were made of bare concrete, and the view through the barred windows made it look like a wooden shack in a slum or a holding cell in a police station. However, the colorful magic circle in the center ruined that image.
菲列特莉嘉巡视房间一圈。大约五公尺的正立方体，地板、墙壁与天花板全都是赤裸裸的水泥壁，在小窗户加装栅栏的房间全景，仿佛贫民住的木赁宿或牢房之类的场所，但画在房间中央的色彩缤纷的魔法阵却破坏了这个印象。(注:木赁宿，只需支付木赁即薪柴费的廉价旅馆。)

She went to one knee and brought her face near the magic circle. There were several layers of magical diagrams drawn there. The arrangement of words and symbols in a magically significant arrangement complexed several magical circles into one and focused magic onto one location.
她以单膝跪地，将脸凑近魔法阵。上面画了不只一两个高达数层的魔法阵。以文字与符号进行魔法排列组合，把数个魔法阵结合成一个，将魔力全部朝同一个方位聚拢。

Frederica brushed the meat of her finger over the circle, and then dragged her nail over it. Nothing unusual happened -- it would seem the magic circle had lost its power.
菲列特莉嘉以指腹抚过魔法阵，再以指甲划过。并没有发生任何异状，看样子魔法阵已经失灵了。

“What an incredible spell. So this was the magic circle which was sealing me.”
“真是了不起的术式，就是这个魔法阵把我封印起来的呀。”

“It’s the Land of Magic that’s rotten. We’ve got a spellcaster on our side, the kind who only turns up once in a century, but it still took a lot of doing to break that seal.”
“果然是真金不怕火炼，即使是早已腐败的‘魔法王国’也不例外。虽然我们也得到了百年难得一见的术士，但还是耗费不少心力才成功解开封印。”

Frederica stood up and bowed to the person who had broken her out. Then she coiled her cascading black hair around her index finger and swept it behind her.
菲列特莉嘉站起来，朝帮助她逃脱的恩人一鞠躬，并以食指缠绕一头如瀑的黑发，拨至背后。

“Thank you for your help.”
“感谢你出手相助。”

“Nonono, there’s no need to thank me. It only makes sense for a student to rescue her master.”
“不不不，没有什么好谢的。徒弟拯救师父是理所当然的吧。”

“But you aren’t doing this with no strings attached, I take it?”
“你并不是无条件帮我的吧？”

“Well, that’s true.”
“也是啦。”

Frederica studied the Magical Girl Tot Pop once more. Her eye roved over her boots, her pants and her shirt. Given her rivets, leather belts and her spiked leather costume, she looked more like a pop star than a Magical Girl. The liberal use of skull accessories and designs, her hair decoration styled like an animal trap and her solid axe-like guitar only added to the impact of her appearance.
菲列特莉嘉重新面对魔法少女“托托流行乐”，以眼神扫过对方的靴子、裤子与衬衫。以铆钉与皮带、皮革、尖刺形成的装扮，与其说是魔法少女，更接近摇滚乐明星的舞台表演服装。大量使用骷髅配件与图案，发饰则像极了捕兽夹，再搭配乍看之下宛如一把坚硬斧头的吉他，更加强了外观上的冲击力道。

She also had a gas mask on her face, but given the incongruous nature of the design, the mask did not seem like part of her original outfit.
虽然她还用防毒面具罩住整张脸，但从那格格不入的设计看来，这个面具似乎并不属于原本的配件之一。

“It’s been a long time since I last saw you… looks like you haven’t changed, which is a relief.”
“好久没见到你了……看到你没有任何改变，令我松了一口气。”

“That should be my line, Master Frederica.”
“我把这句话还给您，菲列特莉嘉师父。”

The girl removed her gas mask and exposed her face. She was smiling, and the piercings at the corner of her lips rang with a crisp metallic sound. Cuteness and beauty were a common feature of all Magical Girls so those went without saying but her brilliant, unreserved smile was exactly what Frederica liked. What pleased Frederica most was her bangs, and not just because her hair was lustrous and glossy, but because each strand of that short hair was filled with vitality. Frederica put her hand on Tot Pop’s head and caressed it like she was soothing a child, and the petted Tot Pop turned down the corners of her eyes and had a very pleased expression on her face, like a spoiled kitten playing with her mistress.
少女移开防毒面具，露出脸来。她脸上带着微笑，嘴角的唇环清脆地发出锵的一声。由于可爱与美丽是魔法少女的共通特征，不需要特别说明，但那副毫不客气的灿烂笑容很合菲列特莉嘉的口味。菲列特莉嘉最满意的部分，就是那剪至额前的刘海，并不是因为她的头发光滑又润泽，而是那短短的头发每一根都充满了活力。菲列特莉嘉像是在安抚小孩般，将手放在托托流行乐的头上抚摸，而被抚摸的托托流行乐，有如像饲主撒娇的小猫般，眼角下垂、露出一脸舒服的表情。

After Frederica had thoroughly enjoyed herself with the sensation of that hair, she pulled her right hand away and brought it to her nose. She made a big show of slowly sniffing at it before sighing in satisfaction.
菲列特莉嘉尽情地享受完那头发的触感后，放开右手，凑近自己的鼻间。这次换成缓缓地大嗅特嗅一番后，才满意地吁出一口气。

“There’s no doubt that you’re Tot Pop.”
“你是托托流行乐，没错吧。”

“There’s no doubt that you’re Tot’s master.”
“您是托托的师父，没错吧。”

The Magical Girl “Pythie Frederica” had put a great deal of effort into training up Magical Girls for a long time. Frederica had many disciples, but few of them made an impression on her. Tot Pop was an excellent disciple, but simple excellence alone was not enough to leave an impression. What did leave an impression was the fact that Tot Pop was a committed revolutionary, a warrior who fought valiantly to topple the Land of Magic, and her sweet, fragrant hair whose odour stimulated her sinuses had also branded itself deeply upon her mind.
魔法少女“比缇·菲列特莉嘉”长年累月以来，一直致力于培育魔法少女。虽然菲列特莉嘉有不少徒弟，但有印象的人不多。托托流行乐是相当优秀的徒弟，但仅凭优秀是无法在她的脑海中留下印象的。托托流行乐是以投身于反体制组织，为推翻“魔法王国”而不停奋战的斗士的鲜明印象，与那又甜又滋润、搔痒着她鼻腔的头发香味，在菲列特莉嘉的脑海里烙下深刻的印象。

The person who had captured Frederica and locked her in here was Frederica’s final disciple. Perhaps she no longer considered Frederica her master, but to Frederica, that person was still one of her beloved disciples.
将菲列特莉嘉逮捕并关在这里的人，是菲列特莉嘉最后收的徒弟。也许那个人已经不把菲列特莉嘉当成师父看待，但是对菲列特莉嘉而言，事到如今那个人仍然是自己可爱的徒弟之一。

Frederica’s search for the unknown ideal Magical Girl had led her to do outrageous things beneath the eyes of the Land of Magic. She had gone down paths similar to those taken by that infamous Magical Girl, “The Musician of the Forest, Cranberry”. In a stroke of incredibly bad luck, her last disciple, the pure white Magical Girl “Snow White” had learned of her evil deeds. Unable to forgive her actions, Snow White had punished Frederica and thus she had been arrested.
菲列特莉嘉为了寻求未知的理想魔法少女，在“魔法王国”的眼皮底下做出逾矩的行为。她做出与过去那位恶名昭彰的魔法少女“森林的音乐家克莱莓”一样的行径。在阴错阳差的霉运之下，被成为她最后徒弟的纯白魔法少女“白雪”得知自己干下的坏事。无法饶恕如此行径的白雪，以罪名进行诛讨，菲列特莉嘉因此遭到逮捕。

The collection of Magical Girl hair she had painstakingly built up over the years had been confiscated, and that had angered her, but she felt that being arrested at that time was not a bad thing. Her final disciple had made Pythie Frederica think that “I won’t regret leaving the rest to her”, which was some comfort. After that, Frederica had been interrogated and imprisoned, but now she had been rescued by another one of her disciples. Her disciples had brought her good fortune and bad.
虽然常年以来一点一滴搜集的“魔法少女的头发”收藏品遭到当局没收，令人感到痛恨至极，但她认为在这个时机被捕似乎也不错。最后一任徒弟让菲列特莉嘉产生“如果是将位置传承给这个小丫头的话，自己绝对不会后悔”的念头，她也因此感到欣慰。在那之后，菲列特莉嘉接受侦讯，随即锒铛入狱，如今却被另一名徒弟所救。真是成也徒弟，败也徒弟，为她带来截然不同的命运。

Tot Pop gracefully moved aside and put her hand on the knob. Halfway through turning it, she said:
托托流行乐利落地朝旁边移动，将手搭在门把上，转了半圈后说:

“Then, let’s hurry and leave before the pursuers catch up with us. I’ll tell you the details on the road.”
“那么，趁追兵还没赶到，我们赶紧离开吧。详情路上再说。”

They opened the crude metal door, which creaked, and on the other side of the door was a narrow corridor where gas-masked girls were shuttling between cells with a patapata sound.
她们拉开粗糙的单扇金属门，发出叽嘎声，在门另一头的狭窄通道踩着啪嗒啪嗒的脚步声，带着防毒面具的少女们在房间与房间之间穿梭奔跑。

“Are you ready?”
“准备好了吗？”

Right after Tot Pop shouted--
当托托流行乐大喊出声后——

“Give me a bit more time!”
“再给我一些时间！”

One of the girls stopped, shouted back, and continued running. Her skirt fluttered as she ran, exposing her energetic alabaster calves as they pumped up and down, and her orange coloured hair flowed out from behind the gas mask, tossed by the wind. Frederica could not help but laugh. The feeling of joy she felt when she had just been arrested was long gone. Nobody would ever want to come back here after a taste of being imprisoned within a barrier. Frederica was no exception. More to the point, after regaining her freedom, she could once again feel the outside world and all its marvellous hair and excitement. Understanding that truth was easy, but actually internalizing it was difficult.
其中一名少女停下脚步，回吼，接着又继续跑了起来。飞舞着裙摆奔跑的少女，微微鼓起的白皙小腿正活力充沛地跃动着，从防毒面具中散出来的柿子色头发畅泳于风中。菲列特莉嘉忍不住会心一笑。自己刚被逮到时的欣慰之情，已经消失得无影无踪。只要品尝过被囚禁于结界之中的滋味，绝对不会有人想回来这里。菲列特莉嘉也不例外。更何况，重获自由之后，她再次感受到外面世界充斥着许多令人惊叹的头发与刺激。领悟这个道理容易，但实际开悟却很困难。

“Please wait a little longer. While we need to leave this place as possible, we need to make many preparations. On the magical side, for instance.”
“请您再稍等一下。虽然我们必须尽快离开这里才行，不过还是得进行许多准备，例如魔法方面的准备。”

The way she put her hands together and bowed look very Japanese. Tot Pop was not Japanese, so it would seem one’s habits changed with one’s living environment.
双手合十低下头的举动，看起来很有日本人的感觉。托托流行乐应该不是日本人，看来习惯确实会随着生活环境而有所变化。

Frederica looked at the running gas-mask girls, and stroked her chin with her finger.
菲列特莉嘉一边眺望着忙碌奔走的防毒面具少女们，一边以手指抵住下巴。

“I believe you just said that dispelling the barrier took a lot of effort, am I correct?”
“你刚才说过，为了解除结界耗费很大的苦心吧。”

“Yes.”
“是啊。”

“Then breaking through security should have been very tiring too, am I correct?”
“为了突破保全，应该也很辛苦吧？”

“Nonono, we used ‘that’.”
“不不不，这方面都靠那个。”

There was no better way to describe her smile than “evil grin”, Frederica thought.
没有比这幅笑容更适合“奸笑”这个形容词了吧。菲列特莉嘉暗自心想。

“We sent out a lot of spies everywhere, and used their information as a basis to launch an attack when the prison security was weakest.”
“我们也在各处派了许多暗桩，根据通过那些人得到的情报为基础，看准监狱防守薄弱的时机进行突袭。”

“...I see.”
“……原来如此。”

So the imprisoned Frederica had been freed by Magical Girls led by Tot Pop the revolutionary. In other words, the anti-establishment faction wanted to borrow Frederica’s abilities. Even if Tot Pop had performed this prison break to discharge her obligations as a loyal disciple, the group would never have lent Tot their people without asking for anything in return.
被监禁在监狱里的菲列特莉嘉，是被隶属于反体制派的托托流行乐所率领的魔法少女部队救出的。换言之，反体制派想要借助菲列特莉嘉的能力吧。即使托托流行乐是出自于徒弟对师父的道义而来监狱劫人，但组织绝对不可能在不要求任何回报的情况下，增派人手给托托。

“So what do they want me to do?”
“是想要我做什么呢？”

“They want you to find someone… no, I should say, to kidnap someone. One of the Land of Magic’s divisions has been raising an assassin, and we want to capture that person and let the whole world know about it.”
“找人……不，应该是说绑人。‘魔法王国’某部门养了个暗杀者，我们要逮到那家伙并大张旗鼓地昭告天下。”

“To think you would actually have information like this.”
“你竟然能够获得这方面的情报。”

“I told you, didn’t I? Tot and the others sent spies everywhere.”
“我刚才也说过了吧，我们在各处派了许多暗桩。”

Frederica closed her eyes and imagined it. Before her was a rail, one laid down by the revolutionaries  and telling her where to go. The future ahead was unclear, and they wanted her to follow it.
菲列特莉嘉闭上双眼想象。她的面前铺了一条轨道，一条由反体制派所铺下、希望她怎么走的轨道。前途茫茫，而对方要求她在其上通行。

However, she did not recall them telling her about the kind of transportation tool she should use.
不过，她可不记得对方要求自己搭乘何种交通工具。

“Is this Hostel No. 7?”
“这里是第七宿舍吧？”

“Yes.”
“是的。”

Perhaps it was because walls had ears, but secret facilities like this had special codenames. “Hostels” in this case referred to prisons.
似乎是考量到隔墙有耳，这类的“秘密场所”都拥有特别的暗号。“宿舍”这个称呼，即为监狱的行话。

Frederica went through her memories.
菲列特莉嘉回溯起自己的记忆。

Frederica had many reliable abilities -- her strength, her dexterity, her combat experience, and her Magical Skill. Before she had been imprisoned, she had even possessed far-reaching connections, and a broad knowledge of magic and Magical Girl-related knowledge.
菲列特莉嘉拥有许多可靠的技能——臂力、敏捷度、战斗经验，以及既有的魔法。早被关进监狱前，她甚至还手握广大人脉、魔法和魔法少女相关的丰富知识。

Frederica deeply loved Magical Girls, and for quite some time she had used her Magical Skill to gather information non-stop, and she had conducted very thorough investigations into prisons designed to hold Magical Girls. That was because criminal Magical Girls piqued her curiosity.
深爱着魔法少女的菲列特莉嘉，从前便会通过自己的魔法不断搜集情报，也曾对专门监禁魔法少女的监狱进行过相当程度的调查。原因在于犯下罪行的魔法少女们在刺激着她的好奇心。

Japan had no specialized prisons to hold Magical Girls. Even if the Japanese government apprehended them, they had nowhere to lock them up, so they had to imprison them in another country. Hostel No. 7 ought to be in England. Frederica was not the only Magical Girl imprisoned here. Long, long before Frederica had been captured and locked up, there was a Magical Girl who had committed many evil deeds and who had ultimately been gaoled here. Her name was--
日本没有专门用来监禁魔法少女的监狱。即使日本政府逮捕邪恶魔法少女也无处可关，只好送往别国监禁。第七宿舍应该位在英国。被关进这座监狱的魔法少女，不只菲列特莉嘉一人。早在菲列特莉嘉遭到逮捕的很久很久以前，有个在这个国家作恶多端、最后被打入大牢的魔法少女。她记得是——

“Is the seal-breaking spellcaster still here?”
“解除封印的术士还在吧？”

“Yup, why?”
“在是在，怎么了吗？”

“I’d like to ask the spellcaster to help me break two more seals.”
“我想请术士再帮我解除两道封印。”

“...Ah? Er… eh? No way no way!”
“……啊？呃……咦？不行不行！”

Tot Pop frantically flailed her hands in front of her.
托托流行乐的手奋力地在面前挥动。

“I told you, we don’t have time! We can’t, we can’t, there’s no way we can! If we’re too slow, those scary people will get here.”
“就说我们没有时间了。不行不行绝对不行！动作慢吞吞的话，那帮恐怖的家伙就会赶来。”

“On that note, there won’t be any problems.”
“关于这点，不会有问题。”

“It’ll be very problematic! Besides, the people on top told me to get in and out quickly!”
“非常有问题！而且，上面交代我要速战速决的说！”

“If I’m not wrong, we ought to have some leeway.”
“如果我想的没错，应该还有一点余裕才对。”

“No, but…”
“话不是这么说……”

“Please pass on my instructions per my request.”
“请你按照我的要求下达指示吧。”

The rail’s path was clearly visible, and because of that, she needed a powerful locomotive to travel it. She could not rely on herself. She needed a stronger, more vicious, more outstanding Magical Girl. While their brief spar just now had revealed how much Tot Pop had grown, it was still too much for her. What Frederica thirsted for was a monster who could even throw her for a spin.
轨道清晰可见，正因为如此，她需要强大的列车。不能只靠菲列特莉嘉自己，她需要更强、更邪恶、更优秀的魔法少女。虽然藉由刚才的小试身手，得知托托流行乐成长许多，但对她而言仍略显不足。菲列特莉嘉渴望的是，甚至能够将自己搞得天翻地覆的怪物。

Conveniently enough, there happened to be such a monster here.
这里因为地利之便，充斥着这类的怪物。

“Start by breaking the seal on Pukin. Then break the seal on Sonia Bean.”
“首先，请解除谱金的结界，再来解除索尼雅·荳荳的结界。”

Those two would be enough. Regardless of the task given, they could be used. While there was the possibility they might go wild because they were too useful, to Frederica,  this sort of liveliness suited her purposes just fine.
只要那两个人就够了。无论是何种任务，都能派得上用场。虽然有可能因为太过有用处而失控，但是对菲列特莉嘉而言，具备这种程度的活力恰恰好。

Frederica smiled. She was deeply thankful to be able to return to the outside world, to once again make contact with her beloved Magical Girls. Nothing was more delightful than that.
菲列特莉嘉笑了。她打从心底里感谢自己能够再次回到外面的世界，能够再次与她深爱的魔法少女们来往，没有比这更令人感到快乐的事情了。

“Alright, you lot hurry it up. Our senpais are very impatient and if you wake them up too late, we’ll be scolded.”
“好了，你们几个动作快点。前辈们很没耐性的，太晚叫醒她们的话，会被臭骂一顿的。”

Tot Pop handed out orders as she grumbled. The gas-masked girls began moving to break the seals.
托托流行乐一边不满地抱怨，一边下达指令。戴着防毒面具的少女们立刻为解除结界纷纷动起来。

Frederica hugged Tot Pop and pulled her close, then buried her face in Tot Pop’s hair.
菲列特莉嘉抱住托托流行乐并拉近自己，将脸埋入托托的头发里。

***

Pythie Frederica was obsessed with Magical Girls. If she heard of an outstanding Magical Girl to the east, she would run there to collect her hair, and when she heard of a beautiful Magical Girl to the west, she would head there forthwith and secretly collect her hair. In pursuit of her ideal Magical Girl, in her role as an examiner, she worked to unearth the abilities of fledgling Magical Girls and tutored them. This was not limited to contemporary Magical Girls; she had also flipped through the pages of history and studied her predecessors who had made great names for themselves and accomplished great deeds.
比缇·菲列特莉嘉对魔法少女有着强烈的偏执。一听说东边有优秀的魔法少女，她就会飞奔而至，捡拾对方的头发;再听说西边有魔法少女有美丽的魔法少女，就会立即前往，并偷偷将对方的头发占为己有。为了追求理想的魔法少女，她以考官的身份发掘魔法少女雏鸟的才能并予以培植。这不仅局限于现代的魔法少女，也包括翻开过去历史，曾经声名大噪并大肆活跃的前辈们。

These names were not necessarily all positive. As the saying went, no publicity is bad publicity, and villains would live in infamy. The Magical Girls of the times who made the records would probably prefer to record the villainous deeds of their peers rather than their good deeds. Perhaps it was a sense of jealousy, or a warning to their future successors, done with caution as a priority.
所谓的名声，并非全为正面的褒奖。常言道，负面宣传也是宣传，干下坏事的人必然也会在历史留名，当时制作资料的魔法少女，比起歌颂同事的活跃表现，想必会以记录坏事为优先吧。也许是嫉妒心使然，或许是抱持着给予后世警惕、引以为戒为第一优先的想法。

To Frederica, passion was essential. She thirsted for knowledge about why evil Magical Girls would walk a dark path and fall to their current state. The ideal Magical Girl which Frederica pursued was one who would walk a righteous path. For the Magical Girl who embodied the ultimate good, it was necessary that evil always existed..
热情对菲列特莉嘉而言，是不可或缺之物。她一直渴望知道，邪恶魔法少女会在歪路上堕落到何种地步。菲列特莉嘉所追求的理想魔法少女，是行走于正道上的魔法少女。对于极致的魔法少女而言，邪恶是必要存在。

Pukin and Sonia Bean were quite infamous even among those Magical Girls who had committed villainous acts. Their reign of terror had begun 130 years ago, in the British Isles. There were even folk tales concerning their evil deeds, like how the streets would be painted red with blood where Sonia walked, and how Pukin would stand atop a mountain of corpses and look down upon the people in pride and madness… their deeds had been rewritten into cruel tales and repeated in the region.
谱金与索尼雅·荳荳在干下坏事而成名的魔法少女中，也是相当著名的人物。她们胡作非为的时期，是在一百三十多年前的大不列颠岛。甚至还留传着关于她们恶行恶状的民谣，像是只要索尼雅行经之处，街上即会染成血红一片、将尸体堆成小山，狂傲地站在顶点睥睨众生的谱金……两人的行径被写成这类的残酷歌词在当地传唱。

Detailed information on the victims of Pukin’s cruel hobby of torture, the victims of Sonia’s spontaneous banditry, the number of crimes Pukin falsified, the purges Sonia conducted on her enemies, all of these negative records had been committed to paper.
死在谱金残忍拷问嗜好下的牺牲者的详细资料、因索尼雅突发性的强盗行为造成的被害者人数、谱金捏造的冤罪数量，以及索尼雅对敌对者展开的肃清行动，诸如此类的事情都以负面记录的角度被记载于册。

In the places where they had been most active, people still said “If you’re naughty, Pukin and Sonia will get you” in order to make children behave. Apparently the children thus frightened would be scared that they would burst into tears and obediently apologize to their parents. That might have been the sole positive thing these two Magical Girls had done for others ever since they were born.
两人最活跃的地区甚至还会说“不乖的话，谱金与索尼雅就会来抓你喔”，借此教育幼童。据说被恐吓的幼儿们会吓得嚎啕大哭，乖乖向父母亲道歉。也许这是这两名魔法少女呱呱坠地以来，唯一一次对他人有所贡献的正面事迹。

Pythie Frederica had not simply studied these records, but she was very familiar with the criminal history of Pukin and Sonia Bean, their inclinations, and their personality profiles which she had extrapolated from that data.
比缇·菲列特莉嘉不只调查了这类表面的记录，也非常熟悉谱金与索尼雅·荳荳的犯罪历史、倾向，进而从这些资料推敲出其人格特质。

First, they would break Pukin’s seal.
首先解除谱金的封印。

The squad of gas-masked Magical Girls scattered to their designated locations. Some people incanted spells to weaken magic, others enhanced the seal-breaking spell, some absorbed mana and transferred it to others, and some infused their psychic force into the magic circle, attacking it from inside. A nail pierced the magic circle, and the nail became a seedling that sprouted roots which shattered the concrete, and a pathway of cracks radiated out from the nail. The magic circle rippled and twisted, and magic discolored the surrounding air like industrial oil being dripped into water, and then the sound of something cracking pierced everyone’s ears. Frederica indicated that Tot Pop and the gas masks should step back.
防毒面具军团朝指定位置散开。有人为了减弱魔法而唱诵咒语;有人在一旁加强解除封印的魔法;有人吸收魔法之力并过渡给他人;也有人将念力传送进魔法阵，从内侧发动攻击。一根钉子刺入魔法阵，以钉为树苗，慢慢长出树根、撑裂水泥，并以刺入钉子之处为中心，产生放射状的龟裂纹路。魔法阵的形状产生起伏、歪斜，能够以肉眼目视的魔法，仿佛被滴入水的工业油般，改变起周遭空气的色彩，物体破裂的尖锐声音刺着众人的耳朵。菲列特莉嘉对防毒面具与托托流行乐下达命令，让众人向后退下。

The ever-shifting colors slowly blended into one, and then they became a plain gray. At the same time, space seemed to have rediscovered the principles of natural law and returned to its original appearance. Frederica was almost intoxicated by the display, and when she thought of how she had been released in this way, a faint sense of nausea rose through her.
不停变化的颜色逐渐混合为一，最后转变为清一色的灰，与此同时，空间仿佛找回了物理法则，显现出原本应有的面貌。菲列特莉嘉光是盯着瞧就觉得自己快醉了，一想到自己也是这样被解放出来的，忍不住产生轻微的作呕感。

The scattering gray color turned into a mist, which dispersed, and amidst the gray was a person’s silhouette.
飘散的灰色形成烟雾状后扩散，在一片浅灰色的深处出现一道人影。

A water bird’s feather was stuck into her brilliant hair, and she wore long gloves in the same style as her boots, as well as a ruffled collar. She had a rapier at her waist and was dressed like Prince Charming from a childhood story. If one did not know her true nature, one might think she was a heroic protagonist. She looked a little confused, and her eyes seemed blank, and she snatched glances at her surroundings. Even if her expression and actions looked a little retarded, her looks were the equal of any Magical Girl… no, that face of hers made Frederica’s eyes sparkle even brighter than before.
插在明亮头发上的水鸟羽毛、与长版手套同款的靴子、波浪状的皱褶领、挂在腰间的西洋剑，服装打扮仿佛童话故事中的白马王子，如果不识其本性的话，看起来就像是以正义为号召的主角。她的表情看起来有些迷惘，眼神带着茫然，毫无光彩心浮气躁地张望四周。即使表情与举动看来呆滞，但容貌美丽的程度绝对不输魔法少女……不，那张容颜令菲列特莉嘉的眼神闪耀出更胜以往的光芒。

“Amazing...”
“好惊人……”

Even Tot Pop was afraid.
(TL Note: this is Japanese for “Tot Pop could not help but moan quietly.”)
托托流行乐情不自禁地发出呻吟。



Tot Pop was not alone. There was a commotion among the gas-masked girls behind her as well.
不只托托流行乐，在她身后的防毒面具魔法少女们也骚动起来。

They must have been able to sense it, as enemies of the establishment and people who engaged in illegal activities. Frederica could see blood flowing around Pukin like a river and she could hear the victims writhing under Pukin’s feet, cursing and muttering grudges. Just by standing there, she could feel the number of people Pukin had murdered through her skin.
想必与体制为敌、从事违法活动的她们，应该察觉得出来吧。菲列特莉嘉看见大量的鲜血化为河川在谱金的四周流动，并听到在谱金脚下挣扎不已的牺牲者，从口中咒骂出来的诅咒与怨念。只是站在那里不动，她就能够通过肌肤清楚地感受到被谱金所杀的人数有多庞大。

Frederica spread her arms to stop the Magical Girls behind her. They could not approach Pukin yet. She carefully examined Pukin’s rapier, the length of her limbs, and the strength of her Magical Girl muscle. After deciding that it ought to be fine at that range, they pulled back to a safe distance.
菲列特莉嘉张开双手，制止身后的魔法少女们。目前还不能接近谱金。她仔细确认谱金腰间的西洋剑、手脚的长度，以及身为魔法少女的肌肉强度，判断这个距离应该不会有问题后，拉开安全距离。

Pukin’s face had originally been blank, but the light slowly returned to her eyes. Frederica looked at her feet and fell to her knees.
谱金原本一脸茫然无神，但眼神一点一滴地恢复昔日光彩。菲列特莉嘉将脸朝向脚边，当场跪了下来。

“Your servant is known as Frederica. General Pukin, we have come to receive you.”
“在下是菲列特莉嘉。谱金将军，我们前来迎接您了。”

When she raised her head, she realised Pukin was looking at her in surprise. Frederica smiled thinly, and after Pukin saw it she quirked up the corner of her mouth, though it was only a smile on the surface. It looked a little evil, but that smile did not ruin Pukin’s noble image.
当她抬起头时，发现谱金一脸意外地看着自己。菲列特莉嘉露出一抹浅笑，谱金看到后仅仅扬起嘴角，皮笑肉不笑。虽然这副笑容有点邪气，却没有毁掉谱金高贵的形象。

“Work, is it?”
“工作上门了吗？”

Her voice was no exception. She sounded like a beautiful young girl, yet her voice radiated an intense scent of blood. She was only asking Frederica a question, but it felt like a form of intimidation as well.
就连声音也不例外。听起来明明是个美丽少女的嗓音，却散发出一股浓烈的血腥味。虽然对方只是在询问菲列特莉嘉，却让人有一种遭到威胁的感觉。

“We have prepared your payment.”
“我们已经准备好您的报酬了。”

“Hoh? So we are not working for free, then?”
“喔？不是做白工喽。”

“You will not need to return to this prison. We will give you your freedom.”
“您不需要再度回到这座监牢，我们会让您自由。”

After hearing Frederica’s proposal, Pukin looked at her with surprise written all over her face, and then she laughed heartily.
听到菲列特莉嘉的提议后，谱金以一脸颇为意外的表情回望她，并愉快地哈哈大笑。

“How interesting! Do you intend to release the cursed monster which was sealed away forever?”
“这话还真是有意思呀！你打算解放被永远封印、受到诅咒的怪物吗！”

“Your blasphemies against humanity were what imprisoned Your Excellency here.”
“将尊贵的阁下您关在这里，是对人类历史的亵渎。”

Going by common sense, an average human being would not be happy to have left a stain upon history. However, Frederica knew that Pukin was not an ordinary person, and she needed to be spoken to in this way to be manageable. Therefore, the lady swordsman’s expression changed to one that said, “but of course” and then nodded proudly.
按照常理，一般人并不会在扯出人类历史，被大肆褒奖一番后感到欣喜。然而，菲列特莉嘉深知谱金并非常人，必须说到这种地步才好应付。于是，少女剑士露出一副“这是当然”的表情，狂妄地点了点头。

“I have no idea what manner of challenge you intend to pose, but leaving this utterly displeasing place is not a bad thing. Then permit me to stake my reputation in repaying the one who freed me from this durance. Speaking of which, where is Sonia?”
“我是不清楚你们打算出何种难题，不过，能够与这令人不快至极的地方道别也不坏。就让本人赌上名誉，回报把我救出这座监牢的恩人吧。话说回来，索尼雅在哪？”

“With Your Excellency’s permission, I shall have people rescue her immediately.”
“得到阁下您的许可后，我会马上命人将她救出。”

“No permission is needed; you shall release her forthwith. Sonia is a loyal vassal of mine. Not only will she follow me loyally, but she possesses certain special talents. Sonia is essential to me.”
“不需要得到许可，命你马上救出她。索尼雅是吾辈忠实的随从。她不会只是盲目地跟随，还拥有某种特殊的天赋。对吾辈而言，索尼雅是必要的存在。”

A commotion rose from behind, with someone muttering, “do people even talk like that nowadays” followed by a snatch of hushed giggling. There was a flash of silver light above Frederica’s head.
在背后陷入一阵骚动的同时，夹杂着有人轻声嘀咕“现在还有人自称吾辈啊”，另一人接着小声地窃笑起来，某道银光在菲列特莉嘉头上一闪。

“Now then, let us hasten to Sonia’s location. She must surely be tired of waiting. Despite her appearances, she is a crybaby who fears loneliness. If you leave her alone, she will end up squalling before long.”
“那么，快前往索尼雅的所在之处吧。想必她一定等到不耐烦了。别看她那样，她可是个怕寂寞的爱哭鬼。如果丢下她一个人，不用多久就会哭哭啼啼的。”

The gas-masked girls hastily cleared a path for Pukin, who did not seem to notice anyone other than Frederica as she strode off in a self-absorbed fashion, while Frederica moved before her as though to lead the way for Pukin.
由于谱金像是完全没看到菲列特莉嘉以外的魔法少女们般，自顾自地迈开步伐的关系，防毒面具军团急急忙忙地让开，而菲列特莉嘉则像是要替谱金带路般走至前头。

Pukin nodded twice in satisfaction.
谱金一脸满意地点了两次头。

“Do clean up behind those impertinents.”
“无礼之徒的善后工作就交给你了。”

Pukin snapped her the fingers of her right hand at the same time as the sound of something hitting the ground rang forth, followed by several screams. Frederica looked back, and saw two gas-masked -- no, there were two severed heads lying on the passage. The walls, floor and the bodies of the Magical Girls were dyed red with fresh blood.
谱金边走边弹响右手手指的同时，传来叩咚叩咚物体落地的声响，接着是数道尖叫声。菲列特莉嘉转过头去，只见两张防毒面具——不，有两颗被砍断的头颅躺在通道上。不管是墙壁、地上或魔法少女的身上，全部都被鲜血染成一片赤红。

The two Magical Girls had been decapitated. Their bodies crumpled to the ground in a kneeling position and blood welled out endlessly. They were probably the person who had poked fun at Pukin and the person who had laughed at her comment.
两名魔法少女被砍掉了头颅。头颅的主人以跪地的姿势瘫坐在地，鲜血源源不绝地流出。恐怕是刚才小声地讪笑谱金自称的人，以及听到之后笑出来的人吧。

Frederica looked at Tot Pop, who was frozen solid at this sudden violence. Then she quietly ordered her to clean up and then continued walking forward again.
菲列特莉嘉以眼神指示突然目睹暴行而僵住的托托流行乐，轻声下令进行善后，接着重新转向前方迈开步伐。

There were many things to consider if one wanted to work with Pukin. While she had nagged the gas-masked girls not to do anything rude, there were still some people who could not do it. After all, the creatures called girls were never the sort to quietly listen to instructions.
要想与谱金共同行动，必须考量许多事情。虽然她也叮咛过防毒面具少女们，千万不可做出失礼的行为，但还是有人办不到。毕竟，所谓的少女就是绝对不会乖乖听话的生物。

***

From head to toe, Sonia Bean was a stark contrast to Pukin.
索尼雅·荳荳全身上下的一切，都与谱金呈现强烈的对比。

Unlike Pukin, who radiated confidence and walked with her chest puffed up and her head held high, Sonia Bean looked nervous, afraid and uneasy. She shuddered tremendously upon hearing the grass rustle in the wind, and then she looked to the source of the sound. Just those actions alone would make people think she was adorable.
不同于全身散发自信、抬头挺胸的谱金，索尼雅·荳荳看起来战战兢兢、胆怯不安。只要听到一点风吹草动，就会吓到大大地颤抖一下，然后望向声音来源。光是看到她这副模样，就令人觉得很心疼。

Her outfit probably played a part in inspiring feelings of pity. Unlike the elegant, noble attire of Pukin, Sonia’s clothes looked very tattered. They were covered in patchwork stitches, and there were even loose threads in places. Fortunately, her clothes did not seem dirty at all, and if pressed, one could say she looked like a realistic portrait of a clown.
会让人产生怜悯心，也许是受服装打扮的影响。与服装优雅又洋溢着贵族风情的谱金相比，索尼雅的服装看起来相当破烂。上面有许多补丁缝线，有些地方甚至还脱线。幸好完全不会让人觉得肮脏，真要说的话，比较偏写实漫画化的小丑造型。

It was not just her appearance, but in her history where Sonia differed from Pukin. Pukin had accomplished many glorious deeds in her capacity as an official of the Land of Magic, and in contrast Sonia lay in ambush within a cave and attacked passing travellers. If Pukin had not made an exception to recruit Sonia, she might have been a mountain bandit all her life.
不只是外貌，索尼雅的经历也与谱金截然不同。以“魔法王国”官员身份，累积许多辉煌耀眼实绩的谱金，以及埋伏于洞窟中，袭击行经旅人的索尼雅。如果谱金没有破例提拔索尼雅的话，恐怕她会当一辈子的山贼吧。

Currently, they were eating whole chickens in an underground guest room in a bar. Pukin adhered to dining etiquette and ate elegantly, working her knife and fork with fluid movements. In contrast, Sonia tore at a chicken drumstick with her teeth, like a beast. If someone gave her raw meat, she might well devour it in the same way. The silver candle stands were from the York Dynasty, the tapestries were 100% Persian silk, the amethyst studded chandeliers and other extravagant decorations were the selling point of this special guest room, and Tot Pop proudly indicated that mobsters, politicians and spendthrifts would come to this room to enjoy themselves. They had specially booked this room for the recently awakened pair as a show of respect, but the two of them completely ignored the decor and buried their faces in the food.
如今，她们俩在酒吧的地下接待室吃着烤全鸡。谱金遵循用餐礼仪，以流畅的动作操作刀叉切肉，举止端庄地用餐。索尼雅则是有如野兽般，抓着鸡腿用牙齿撕裂肉。搞不好端上生肉，她也一样照吃不误。以约克王朝时代的银制烛台、百分之百由丝绸织成的波斯壁毯、缀满紫水晶的水晶吊灯等毫不收敛的华丽装饰为卖点的特别贵宾室内，托托流行乐刚才一脸自豪地表示，黑手党、政治家或暴发户都会秘密来这个包厢享受一番。为了对刚苏醒的两人表示敬意，特地借了这个包厢，但她们却完全不看装饰品一眼，径自埋头于食物之中。

Frederica excused herself and left her seat. Pukin and Sonia did not say anything, but continued eating in a self-absorbed fashion.
菲列特莉嘉向两人说了一句“失礼了”便离开座位。索尼雅与谱金都没有多说什么，自顾自地用餐。

Frederica opened the door, quietly closed it behind her, and walked out of the room. A low bass thumping echoed through her body. Music was not one of Frederica’s interests, so she did not even know about musical genres, but in this place she could hear music that Tot Pop seemed to like coming from above. She opened a door to a brightly tiled passage, and Tot Pop was standing there like a door god. Tot was nominally assigned to sentry duty.
菲列特莉嘉打开门，轻轻关上后，走到包厢外。重低音在她的身体深处轰隆作响。因为音乐并不被列在菲列特莉嘉的兴趣内，所以她连音乐的类型也不知道，不过在这里可以听到楼上正在播放托托流行乐似乎会喜欢的乐曲。推开门后，连接着铺满许多闪闪发亮瓷砖的通道，而托托流行乐宛如门神般站在通道上。托托在名义上算是负责担任守卫。

“Thank you for your hard work, Tot Pop.”
“托托流行乐，真是辛苦你了。”

“Oh yes, master, do those two need to eat?”
“对了，师父，那两个人需要吃饭啊？”

“That’s right. They are very different from modern Magical Girls. The Magical Girls after them were upgraded in many ways, and we’re superior to them in terms of efficiency… though let’s leave that aside for now.”
“没错。她们两位与现代的魔法少女有许多不同之处。后来的魔法少女历经多次品种改良，至少在耗油方面，是我们比较有利……姑且不论这点。”

Frederica narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
菲列特莉嘉狐疑地眯起眼。

“Why are you being so quiet?”
“你说话为什么要这么小声？”

“Because…”
“因为……”

Tot Pop brought her face close, and lowered her voice again. The sensation of Tot Pop’s hair caressing her cheek made Frederica shudder in delight.
托托流行乐将脸凑近后，声音再度一沉。托托流行乐的头发抚上菲列特莉嘉的脸颊，菲列特莉嘉为那股触感而欣喜，情不自禁地颤抖起来。

“I don’t want to say the wrong thing and lose my maiden’s head.”
“我才不想因为说错话，就被‘咔嚓’掉咧。”

“Oh, what a sexual turn of phrase.”
“还真是性感的状声词呀。”

“I’m not kidding. That person’s really dangerous, and scary.”
“我可没有开玩笑喔。那个人真的很危险，好恐怖。”

“Still, don’t you like people like that?”
“不过，你不就喜欢这种人？”

“But of course!”
“这是当然的喽！”

Tot Pop’s expression changed in an instant, and she gave a thumbs-up with a beaming smile.
托托流行乐露出满脸的笑容竖起大拇指，表情也瞬间一变。

“Still, Tot’s the leader now.”
“不过呀～托托我好歹也接下了领袖一职。”

This time, she pointed her thumb at herself while speaking with proudly. She laughed happily, and then Tot’s expression relaxed.
这次改用大拇指指向自己，一脸骄傲地说。接着，得意地一笑后，托托的表情才随之一敛。

“I don’t want to lose any more of my cute girls.”
“我不希望再有可爱的孩子牺牲。”

“But of course.”
“这是当然。”

“While I might like the thrill of carrying a bomb on me, as the leader I need to prioritize my subordinates’ safety.”
“虽然我最爱随身携带炸弹的那种战栗感，但是身为头目必须以手下的安全为第一考量。”

“On that note, would it be better if it were just the four of us; me, you, General Pukin and Sonia-san?”
“关于这件事情，如果只有我与你、谱金将军，还有索尼雅小姐四个人行动的话，是否更恰当呢？”

“Eh?”
“咦？”

“That is to say, an elite team. It’s easier to work when there’s fewer people.”
“也就是所谓的精锐部队。人数少也比较好做事。”

Tot Pop leaned against the tiled wall and stared at the door.
托托流行乐靠着瓷砖墙，瞥了一眼尽头的门。

“Do you really trust those two?”
“您这么信任那两个人吗？”

“By their abilities alone, they’re absolutely reliable. Going by their personalities… well, we don’t have the right to criticize others.”
“如果只根据实力来看，她们两位绝对值得信赖。人格的话就……反正我们没有资格评判别人吧。”

“But, that bomb might detonate because it loses control.”
“但是，那颗炸弹有可能会因为失控而引爆吧。”

“Controlling Sonia is General Pukin’s job, and making General Pukin enjoy her work is our task.”
“控制好索尼雅是谱金将军的工作，而让谱金将军心情愉悦地工作是我的使命。”

130 years ago, when Pukin had still been active as a Magical Girl, she had been an investigator for the Land of Magic -- the complete opposite of her current situation as an ex-prisoner. Apparently, Pukin had been an outstanding investigator, having uncovered many Magical Girls’ criminal acts and earning the title of “General”.
一百三十年前，当谱金仍以魔法少女的身份活跃时，就是担任“魔法王国”的监察员——与如今阶下囚立场完全相反的监察人员。据说，谱金还是优秀的监察员时，揭发了许多桩魔法少女的犯罪行为，因此得到“将军”的美称。

However, that glorious title soon fell into disrepute. The true criminal of a robbery which Pukin had solved turned herself in, saying “I couldn’t take the guilt and confessed to a friend, and she encouraged me to give myself up”. The case was reopened, and while it was finally ruled a mistrial, the falsely-accused defendant had already been punished.
然而，如此美名过不了多久即一落千丈。谱金破案的强盗事件的真正犯人前来自首“因为承受不住罪恶感，向朋友坦言后，对方劝她自首”。事件因此重启调查，虽然最后终于证实是冤案，但遭到诬陷的原犯人已遭到处刑。

Of all the cases Pukin had handled, the suspicious ones were re-opened one by one, and her past cases were also unearthed. The inquiry concluded that Pukin had used her Magical Skill to force the defendants to confess, and that the culprits in all the cases, be they incidents, accidents, or suicides, had been born from her hands. Under the laws of the Land of Magic, investigators had incredibly powerful rights. Convicted criminals would have their assets confiscated and 20% of them would go to the investigator. Pukin was viewed as having perverted the course of justice for money, and thus she was arrested and sentenced to imprisonment.
谱金所经手的事件中，被认为可疑的案件一件一件重启调查，过去的案件也被一一挖掘出来。最终的调查结果显示，谱金通过魔法强迫受审者自白，无论是事件或事故、自杀，一切案件的犯人都是经由她的手孕育而生。在“魔法王国”当时的法律之下，监察官的权力异常强大，遭到处刑之人的财产会全数遭到没收，其中五成会落入监察官的口袋。谱金被认定为为了金钱不惜增加冤案，因此遭到逮捕，最后被判以封印之刑。

Pukin had published a book shortly before she was arrested. It proudly boasted of her accomplishments and defended her actions, and a copy of that book still remained in the information vaults of the Land of Magic until this day. It was filled with the pleadings of defendants and abnormal arrogance, which made people ridicule it. While it did not seem very consistent with the facts, one could vividly feel the author’s true nature through the writing.
谱金遭到逮捕前不久出版了一本书，自豪于本身辉煌功绩的同时，也替自己的行径辩护的那本自传，如今仍然被保存在“魔法王国”的资料保管库中。充斥着犯罪者的狡辩与偏离正道的自负心的内容，令人看了啼笑皆非，虽然看过之后并不觉得与事实相符，但确实能够鲜明地感受到作者的本质。

Frederica was skilled at winning people over. She would unearth things which made them feel comfortable, work her way into their hearts, and gently caress them. If they operated on easily-understood patterns, then it would be simple enough. Even manipulating Pukin was not a problem. Pukin’s book essentially talked about herself, but parts of it mentioned Sonia. Sonia seemed to be Pukin’s bodyguard. Given the masterful display of skill Frederica had seen in the prison, it was not hard to tell that Pukin was by no means unskilled in combat. And the person who could make Pukin entrust the weighty role of fighter to her, that rare martial prodigy, was the Magical Girl known as Sonia Bean. With Sonia’s invincible fighting force as backing, Pukin became even more haughty and domineering, contributing to her arrogance, and until she was arrested by the Land of Magic, she practically did as she wished, like a fish in water.
菲列特莉嘉擅长讨人欢心，发掘出令对方感到舒服的事物、进入对方的心扉，温柔地抚摸。如果是浅显易懂的固定模式就更不用说了。即使是谱金，想怎么操控都不成问题。谱金的著作基本上都是在讲述自己的事情，不过有一小部分提及索尼雅。索尼雅是类似谱金保镖的存在。根据菲列特莉嘉在监狱看到的神乎其技，不难明白谱金并非不擅长武打场面。而能够让那样的谱金委以武打之重任、世间少有的武生——即是名为索尼雅·荳荳的魔法少女。以索尼雅那所向无敌的暴力为靠山，谱金更加嚣张跋扈，助长了她的气焰，直到遭“魔法王国”逮捕之前，她简直如鱼得水，为所欲为。

“Since we’ve already let them out, it’s a bit too late to be saying this now. However, I feel that letting them take part in this operation is overkill.”
“虽然都已经把她们放出来了，事到如今才说这种话也为时已晚。不过，我觉得让她们参与这次的工作，火力似乎太过强大了。”

“You mean to say we don’t need them on this job?”
“你是说这次的工作不需要她们？”

“This job is to capture a killer hiding in a city. The biggest problem is the “Mage” in the investigation team. Because of that, the city’s been wrapped in a barrier and we, on the outside, can’t do anything.”
“这次的工作是要抓捕一名躲藏在城市里的杀手。目前最大的问题是调查小组里有‘魔法师’，因此整个城市都被设下结界，导致在市外的我们无从下手。”

Frederica smiled thinly and then caressed Tot Pop’s head.
菲列特莉嘉露出一抹浅笑，抚摸托托流行乐的头。

The revolutionary faction wanted to capture and safeguard the criminal’s life, as a witness to the Land of Magic’s illegal activities… that was the objective of their current activities. At least, that was what Tot Pop believed.
改革派想要抓住并保护犯人的人生安全，作为“魔法王国”不法勾当的污点证人……这就是目前行动的意义。至少，托托流行乐是如此相信的。

Frederica did not believe that. The Land of Magic might look down on Magical Girls, but they would not allow Magical Girls to do as they please. Frederica had used her Magical Skill to collect various pieces of information, which was why she was very aware of the mutually beneficial relationship between the revolutionary faction’s leadership and the Land of Magic. While they played the role of the revolutionaries on the surface, the fact was that they were deeply involved with certain factions of the Land of Magic, and at best, they were just another branch playing a role in their power struggles. Frankly speaking, the reason why the Land of Magic allowed these revolutionaries to exist was because they were convenient to certain people in the Land of Magic.
菲列特莉嘉并不相信。“魔法王国”虽然瞧不起魔法少女，却也不会放任魔法少女乱来。菲列特莉嘉过去一直通过她的魔法搜集各种情报，所以才非常清楚改革派高层与“魔法王国”之间的利益勾结。尽管在表面上扮演革命家，实际上却与“魔法王国”一部分势力有相当深的挂钩，充其量不过是以分支的身份，担任争夺势力的角色之一而已。“魔法王国”会允许革命家存在的理由，说穿了，就是因为对“魔法王国”的一部分人来说很方便。

The Land of Magic would never allow people to easily attack a prison and release a dangerous criminal without any response whatsoever. No matter how she thought about it, Frederica felt that someone was manipulating Tot Pop, had secretly arranged to leave the doors wide open and had made extensive preparations for this jailbreak. This was why Frederica and released Pukin and Sonia. That was because she was certain that even if they took their time, the guards would not show up.
让人轻轻松松地突袭监狱，并在没有任何动作的情况下任由劫狱者释放危险的囚犯，绝对不是“魔法王国”会做的事情。不管怎么想，菲列特莉嘉都觉得是在背后操控着托托流行乐的某人，从其他方面暗中安排，让警卫门户大开，替这次的劫狱行动做好了万全准备。正因为如此，菲列特莉嘉才会释放谱金与索尼雅两人。因为她非常确信，即使花时间慢慢来，警卫也绝对不会现身。

Every Magical Girl Division in the Land of Magic was a strictly hierarchical organization. Each department was involved in intense fighting, and they pulled each other back to protect themselves and make gains. The rumors that the assassin had been commissioned to do work was probably not false. Therefore, it went to reason that there were various factions interfering from within, trying to capture or kill the criminal.
“魔法王国”里每一个魔法少女部门，都是严谨的上下级结构的组织。各部门陷入激烈的斗争，为了守护自己阵营的既得利益而互相扯后腿。暗杀犯是接受某部门的委托执行工作的谣言恐怕不假。因此，不难推测出有各种势力介入、从中搅局，互相抢夺犯人抑或是其生命。

Right now, there ought to be powerful Magical Girls from the various Divisions within B-City, in addition to the dedicated investigation team. Since they were going there, they would need the appropriate strength. If they did not bring enough fighting strength with them and showed up without knowing what was going on, they might end up being defeated in an instant. The outcome would not change no matter how many mooks she sent out. Having a trump card in hand would be more than enough. So long as she had Pukin and Sonia, she would not end up suffering an  ignominious defeat. The two of them were the solid, unyielding pillars of her faith.
目前身处B市的，应该不只专门的调查小组与犯人，想必已有数名受命于各部门，被各部门派出的强大魔法少女潜入市内。既然要前往那里，她必须拥有相等的力量。如果不具备强大的战力，一脸搞不清楚状况地出现的话，只怕瞬间就会被打得落花流水吧。无论派出多少名小喽啰，结果都不会变，她只需要王牌即绰绰有余。只要有谱金与索尼雅，她绝对不会落得惨败的下场。她们俩是她深信不疑、百折不挠的精神支柱。

And these pillars could still be used after the job was over. This job was very sensitive. While Tot Pop was a beloved disciple of Frederica’s under these circumstances, she could not put her full faith in either Tot or those pillars. In order to be guaranteed her freedom after accomplishing this great task, she needed insurance just in case. After all, there were many masters who would throw the hunting dog into the cookpot along with the rabbit. In order to attain the freedom she thirsted for, Frederica needed enough strength that she would not have to worry about being silenced.
而这个精神支柱即使在工作结束后，仍然派得上用场 。这次的工作相当敏感。虽然托托流行乐是菲列特莉嘉的爱徒，但身处这种状况下，无论是托托或是她的精神支柱，都不能百分之百相信。为了能够完成重责大任后顺利获得释放，她需要以防万一的保护措施。毕竟，捕到兔子之后，连猎犬也一起下锅烹煮的饲主，绝对不在少数。为了得到菲列特莉嘉渴望的自由，她需要不会遭到封口的力量。

“Please consider your priorities. What you should be doing now is not worrying about trivial matters.”
“请你好好考虑一下优先顺序。你现在最应该做的事情，就是别担心多余的琐事。”

“Trivial matters?”
“多余的琐事吗？”

“Yes, trivial matters.”
“没错，多余的琐事。”

Frederica erected her index finger and lightly rested it on her lip, and then glanced at the guest room. As Tot Pop followed her gaze to the door, she saw it open slowly, and jumped.
菲列特莉嘉竖起食指，轻轻抵在唇边，并将视线投向贵宾室的门。当托托流行乐在她的眼神示意下跟着望向门口的同时，立刻看到门缓缓打开，因此吓了一跳。

“Pu-Pukin says, not enough food…”
“谱、谱金说饭不够……”

Sonia poked her head from the gap in the door and muttered timidly. Sonia was looking at her feet, but she was definitely addressing Frederica and Tot Pop. Frederica urged Tot Pop on, and Tot Pop ran off with astounding speed, returning in less than three minutes. She had a huge platter in each hand and balanced a plate on each of her arms, and she even had a big bowl on her head. Frederica made room along the corridor, and gently pushed Tot Pop on.
索尼雅从门缝中探出头来，怯生生地低喃。虽然索尼雅的视线望向脚边，但确实是在对菲列特莉嘉与托托流行乐两人说话。菲列特莉嘉催促托托流行乐，托托流行乐立刻以惊人的气势飞奔离去，不到三分钟即返回现场。只见托托两手各端着一个大盘子，再用双臂夹着一个盘子，头上甚至还顶了一个大碗。菲列特莉嘉在通道上让开路，从背后轻轻地推了托托流行乐一把。

“What should you be doing?”
“你现在应该做的事情是什么？”

“Serving the dishes, right?”
“应该就是端菜吧？”

“That’s right, serve them their food, and one more thing -- please them.”
“没错，端上菜肴，还有一件事——让客人感到宾至如归。”

“Please them?”
“宾至如归？”

“Please them with those dazzling verbal skills of yours. Get along with them. Make friends. Doing so will be beneficial to this job.”
“用你那舌灿莲花的话术取悦两位，跟她们好好相处、交朋友吧。这么做一定会对工作有所助益。”

“Eh? Wait! Master, you say that, but…”
“咦？等等！师父，就算是这样我也……”

Frederica knocked on the door, gently opened it and pushed Tot Pop through, then closed it.
菲列特莉嘉敲了敲门，轻轻打开门将托托流行乐推进去后，再度阖上门。

Tot Pop had her job, and so did Frederica. Frederica was thinking about that assassin who had gathered all these factions and was currently locked on by everyone. An assassin specialized in killing Magical Girls. Her weapon was a gigantic blade. She recalled urging her final disciple -- Snow White -- to use a large weapon...
托托流行乐有她的职责所在，菲列特莉嘉也有自己的工作。菲列特莉嘉正在思考关于那位吸引各方势力聚集，遭到各路人马锁定的暗杀犯。专门暗杀魔法少女的暗杀者。武器是巨大的刃物。记得她也曾经劝过最后收的徒弟——白雪使用巨大的武器……

--But that girl probably would not be an assassin.
——但那孩子应该不会做出暗杀的行为吧。

Frederica’s collection of Magical Girl Hair had been confiscated by the authorities. With that, she could see that girl. While she regretted having to restart her collection, at the same time she felt excited about being able to collect Magical Girls’ hair once more.
菲列特莉嘉之前搜集的魔法少女的头发收藏品，全数遭到当局没收。如果有那个的话，她就能够去见那个孩子了。虽然她遗憾地心想只能重新来过，但同时又对能够再次搜集魔法少女的头发而感到雀跃不已。

Pythie Frederica’s Magical Skill could not be explained in a single word.
比缇·菲列特莉嘉的魔法很难一言以蔽之。

Firstly, she needed her target’s hair. It had to be long enough to wrap around her finger. In addition, it had to be hair from the head. Hair from any other part of the body would not do. She had to knot her target’s hair around her finger, and this would make her target’s image appear in the crystal ball on her left hand.
首先，需要目标对象的头发，长度必须长到足以缠绕在手指上的程度。另外，头发为必要条件，不能以其他部位的体毛替代。将目标对象的头发卷在手指上并打结，如此一来，目标对象的身影就会映在她左手的水晶球上。

Even if her target was floating 100 million light years away in space, or trapped within an electronic cyberspace, or adventuring in another dimension, or starting a new life in a parallel world, Frederica’s crystal ball would show her target’s condition. The sole exception was that the target had to be alive. The crystal ball could not show images of dead people.
即使对方飘荡于距离百亿光年的宇宙中，或是被关在电脑空间里、在异次元进行冒险、或在平行世界开拓崭新的人生，菲列特莉嘉的水晶球都会映照出目标对象的现况。唯独一点例外，对方必须是在活着的情况下，水晶球无法映照出已逝之人的身影。

When Frederica had been an active Magical Girl, she had made ample use of this Magical Skill. She had honed the trick of stealing hair during brush-pasts, and if she saw that this skill could not be used on her target, she would sneak into their homes and search their carpets for fallen hair. She used these methods and the hair she had collected to learn her colleagues’ weaknesses, memorize her superiors’ illegal activities, spy on secret conversations between her betters, spying on pretty girls as a snack, and generally used her Magical Skill as she saw fit.
菲列特莉嘉以魔法少女的身份活跃时，充分地利用这个魔法。磨练轻轻擦肩而过也能偷到头发的技巧，如果判断这招在对方身上行不通时，她就会潜入对方家里，趴在地毯上搜寻落发。她就是通过这些手段，利用到手的头发、掌握同事的弱点、记住上司暗地里的不法勾当、偷窥上位者之间的秘密谈话，窥伺可爱少女的生活当做下酒菜，自由自在地使用魔法。

Also, Frederica’s Magical Skill was not simply used for distant surveillance.
再加上，菲列特莉嘉的魔法并非只是单纯的远端监视。

If she stuck her hand into the crystal ball, she could affect the image on the crystal ball. The hand Frederica extended into the crystal ball would float in mid air. It could move around and claw, twist, grab, punch, knock and do everything else a hand could do.
只要把自己的手伸进水晶球中，她就能干涉在水晶球上的影像。菲列特莉嘉伸进水晶球的手会在空中漂浮、移动，并且能够执行抓、拈、握、揍、敲等“手”能够执行的所有动作。

If she reached into the crystal ball, grabbed something within and pulled it back, she could bring it back to herself. The object she could pull forth from the crystal ball was not limited to the size of the crystal ball. If Frederica could lift it with one hand, she could manipulate masses that were even bigger than the crystal ball. The laws of physics did not apply to her magic, and her Magical Skill was unaffected by limitations of distance, dimensions, space or the world.
如果将手伸进水晶球抓住球内的物体再抽回，便能将该物带到自己身边。从水晶球拖出来的物体并不受限于水晶球的大小。只要是菲列特莉嘉能够以单手抬起的重量，即使比水晶球大也能被拖出来。物理法则无法套用在魔法上，而她的魔法完全不受距离、次元、空间或世界的限制。

She could even do the opposite. Once the crystal ball showed a target, she could take something in hand and push it into the crystal ball, and thus give it to them.
甚至能够反过来。在水晶球上映照出目标人物后，她可以拿着物品将手伸进水晶球，把物品送至目标手边。

This time, the revolutionary faction wanted Frederica to use that particular application of her Magical Skill. If she could send  people through the Crystal Ball, they could ignore the 24-hour barrier which blocked all entry and exit, allowing them to enter the city and escape again. For people who could come and go as they wished like Frederica and company, the barrier was a instead a great help. Once the barrier was deployed, their target could not escape. It would be as easy as reaching into a cage to catch a bird. Their objective was to capture the criminal within these 24 hours.
这次，改革派希望菲列特莉嘉做的事情，便是这个魔法的运用方法。只要通过水晶球将人员送进去，就能够无视于整整二十四小时无法进出的结界，进入市内再出来。对于能够自由进出的菲列特莉嘉等人而言，结界反而帮了很大的忙。只要张设结界，目标就无法逃离。等同于以手抓住笼中鸟般轻松。在二十四小时的期限内，抓到犯人即为此次任务的目标。

The serpents who had locked onto the bird would be taken care of by Pukin and Sonia as they saw fit. The same would apply to the investigation team if they got in the way. She could not help but wonder how many could exceed those two in the field of violence?
锁定小鸟的毒蛇就由谱金与索尼雅进行适当的处置，就算调查小组从中阻挠也一样。她忍不住好奇，在暴力的领域中，有多少人的能力凌驾于那两个人之上呢？

By the time Tot Pop was released from the room, it had been 30 minutes.
托托流行乐被放出包厢时，已经是三十分钟后的事情了。

Frederica was skilled at winning over her opposition. She would observe their speech, their movements, their experiences and other aspects, and with those she would figure out what they wanted. Then she would remove obstacles, arrange things, flatter them, smile to them, aid them, guide them, match them, and sometimes even antagonize them, all to win them over.
菲列特莉嘉擅长拉拢对方，通过魔法观察对方的言语、小动作、经历与其他方面，借此摸清对方所求为何，并排除万难、调配安排、阿谀奉承、逢迎色笑、协助、指导、迎合，偶尔还会战略性地站在敌对立场，全力讨好对方。

As Frederica’s disciple, Tot Pop was also very adept at winning others over. However, her method was something which even Frederica could not learn. Though she was her disciple, Tot Pop’s technique was not taught, but a natural talent.
身为菲列特莉嘉徒弟的托托流行乐，也相当擅长拉拢对方。但那个方法，连菲列特莉嘉也学不来。虽说是徒弟，但托托流行乐的方法并非托托流行乐传授的，而是与生俱来的天赋。

Tot Pop was random, casual, big-hearted, and not bogged down by anything. Her life -- lived in pursuit of happiness -- was far removed from common sense, and she did not mind if her conversation partners were the family or friends of her enemies if she enjoyed talking to them. Be they terrorists, thrill killers, hair fetishists, stalkers, Magical Girl maniacs, or examiners who liked to make their students kill each other, once they caught Tot Pop’s eye, she would go “Rock on!” and that would be the end of it.
托托流行乐率性、随意、大而化之，不拘泥于任何事物。一切以快乐为基本的生活态度大大超脱常理，只要相谈甚欢，即使对方是亲人或好友的仇敌也无妨。不管是恐怖分子、为了追求快乐而杀人的杀人犯、搜集头发癖、跟踪狂、魔法少女狂热者，或是喜欢让考生自相残杀的考官，一旦托托看上眼，也只会说一句“好Rock喔！”便不再深究。

There was none of Frederica’s falseness there, but a genuine attempt to get along and make friends, which made the other party instinctively want to return the sentiment. Against a powerful foe like a hedgehog, Tot would not avoid the spines, not would she pluck them out, but she would handle it in a way that did not involve trying to solve the problem, like allowing the spines to prick her.
其中并没有菲列特莉嘉那种虚伪的成分，而是实实在在地与对方交好、产生友情，对方也会情不自禁地想要回应这份感情。面对仿佛刺猬般顽强的对手，托托并不会避开尖刺，也不会拔除尖刺，而是以被针刺到也不在意、完全无法解决问题的对策来应付。

Frederica had pushed Tot Pop before Pukin and Sonia knowing full well about that personal quality of hers.
菲列特莉嘉便是在知道托托流行乐的人格特质的情况下，才将托托推至谱金与索尼雅面前。

“To think they would actually call me a perjurer! Granted, I did massage the facts, and I see no reason to deny that. But all that was done for the sake of justice!”
“竟然将吾辈说成是捏造罪名之人，虽然的确有捏造事实，也没有什么好否认的。但是，那些捏造全部都是为了正义呀！”

“What does that mean?”
“这句话是什么意思？”

“Given my long experience as a questioner, I could vaguely surmise the basic nature of my opposite number. I could tell if someone was boon or bane to the world!”
“根据吾辈身为拷问官常年以来累积的经验，吾辈隐隐约约能够察觉出对方的本性。这个人对这个世界是有害还是有益！”

“Awesome! That’s amazing!”
“好棒！真不是盖的！”

“Even if they had not committed a crime at the moment, once I learned that they were villains who would bring harm to the world, eliminating them before they could cause mischief was but the duty of myself, as a defender of the law! I simply lived according to my beliefs, but the investigation team actually wrote that I was a villain who slaughtered the innocent to satisfy my selfish desires!”
“即使现在还没犯下任何罪行，但既然知道她之后会变成对世界有害的坏人，在事情尚未发生前先排除对方，才是身为法律守护者的吾辈之职责。吾辈只是实践这个信念而已，但是负责调查的那帮家伙竟然在报告书中，将吾辈塑造成为一己私欲而虐杀无辜市民的坏人。”

“No way! How could that be?!”
“不会吧！怎么会有这种事情！”

“And so these records passed into history, and I was actually branded a vile fiend in the history books…”
“这些记录就这样留在后世历史，吾辈竟然被冠以大逆不道的恶徒罪名，在历史上留下污名……”

“That’s terrible! Those investigators were too much!”
“好过分喔！那帮调查员也太过分了吧！”

“Leaving their twisting of the truth aside, I could still endure them blackening my name as an evildoer. But the fact that they actually involved Sonia as well fills me with regret.”
“不管那帮人如何扭曲事实，将吾辈骂成多么罪大恶极的歹徒，吾辈还能够忍耐。但是，把索尼雅牵连进来，直到如今吾辈仍然感到遗憾万分。”

“Uwah, you’re awesome, General! I want to follow you! If I had a boss who was so concerned about her subordinates, I’d follow you even if I had to risk my life to do it!”
“唔哇，将军人超好的耶！我要跟随您，如果有这么罩属下的上司，就算拼上性命我也要跟随您的脚步——”

Tot seemed to have completely forgotten the fact that Pukin had killed her subordinates earlier. Tot had also listened in earnest to Pukin’s endless stream of complaints. Frederica removed her ear from where it had been plastered to the door and rose.

I have a great disciple.
托托似乎完全忘记，先前为自己的部下遭谱金杀害而哀叹不已的过往。面对谱金滔滔不绝的抱怨，托托非常认真地倾听。菲列特莉嘉移开原本贴在门上的耳朵，站了起来。我的徒弟还真是了不起。

***

Pukin had suggested, “If we are to leave the country, then I would like to do so aboard an aircraft”, but due to a lack of time and because she did not want Pukin to lose face, Frederica had refused very carefully indeed. More to the point, Frederica had obtained the hair of a B-City resident through a collaborator. Without that hair, they could not ignore the barrier and enter B-City.
谱金提出“如果要出国的话，吾辈想搭乘飞机”的提议，由于时间不足的关系，再加上不想让对方觉得颜面无光，因此菲列特莉嘉极为小心谨慎地婉拒了。更何况，菲列特莉嘉早就通过协助者拿到B市居民的头发。没有这一根头发，她们就没办法无视结界进入B市。

After wrapping the B-City resident’s hair around her finger, she pressed Tot Pop through the crystal ball, then Sonia, Pukin and finally she grabbed herself and went through. Through this physics-defying means, the Revolutionary Army Special Forces Unit -- as named by Pukin -- bypassed the barrier which could deflect all magic and entered B-City.
菲列特莉嘉将B市居民的头发缠在手指上，首先将托托流行乐压入水晶球中，接着是索尼雅、谱金，最后用手抓住自己再进入水晶球里。于是，革命军特务部队——谱金取的——藉由这种无视物理法则的行为，穿越了能弹开所有魔法的结界，潜入B市。

When Frederica entered B-City, she found that the hair’s owner was on the verge of death.
菲列特莉嘉一进入B市，就发现那根头发的主人已经陷入濒死状态。

“I warned him that if he made a ruckus, his life would be forfeit, but he actually believed he could flee.”
“明明警告过这家伙大声嚷嚷的话就杀死他，竟然还妄想逃跑。”

“Somehow, I have the feeling that the warning didn’t work because it wasn’t in Japanese.”
“隐隐约约觉得，如果不用日文警告对方，似乎起不了作用耶。”

“What a tragic misunderstanding.”
“真是令人悲伤的鸡同鸭讲呀。”

He was an old gentleman whose throat had been cut open, and he currently lay on the table in a pool of blood. Before long, he expired. It would seem that her explanation of “I can’t use my magic if the owner is dead” had gotten through to them. That was because Pukin or Sonia could have quickly and cleanly killed him if they were not holding back.
喉咙遭人割开、趴倒在桌上血泊中体态优雅的老绅士，不久之后即断气了。看来，她事前进行过“头发主人被杀死的话，就无法使用魔法”的说明，她们姑且有听进去。因为无论是谱金或索尼雅，如果没有手下留情的话，都能够迅速利落地杀死人。

They had successfully entered the barrier. Next, they would need to find their target on foot, but because Pukin had wilfully declared that, “I have no intention to walk about”, they had no choice but to find a car as a substitute. In truth, a car was an excellent movement method, especially in the countryside where one only had to worry about rush hours when people were going to and from work. Jams were rare, and all they had to worry about was the four of them attracting attention.
她们顺利进入结界之中了。接下来，就是靠双脚找出目标，但由于谱金任性地表示“吾辈不想徒步移动”，因此只好寻找代步用的车子。真要说的话，汽车确实是不错的移动手段。尤其乡下地区只要注意上下班的尖峰时段，基本上很少塞车，最重要的是能够四个人在不引人注意的情况下一起移动。

The problem now was finding a car which would make Pukin happy. Night had fallen, and they were on an empty rural road. They had estimated that it would take a long time to find a suitable vehicle, but as it turned out, they actually found a car which suited Pukin’s taste driving past. Pukin ordered Sonia to chase it. She ran up alongside the car, opened the door from the outside, and after she reached her hand inside, everything above the driver’s neck vanished. The out-of-control vehicle then crashed to a halt against a power pole.
问题在于，必须找到谱金满意的车辆。现在夜幕已经低垂，而且她们身处无人的乡间小路，原本预计要花不少时间才能找到合适的车子，想不到结果出乎意料，竟然没多久便发现符合谱金口味的汽车呼啸而过。谱金命令索尼雅追上去，索尼雅跑到汽车旁边，从外面拉开车门，才刚看到索尼雅将手伸进车里，司机脖子以上的部位已经消失，失控的汽车就这样一头撞上电线杆后，停了下来。

Pukin scolded Sonia roundly for damaging the car. Perhaps she felt sorry for Sonia with her trembling body and her big, tear-filled eyes, but Tot Pop tried to smooth things over.
由于撞坏目标车辆的关系，索尼雅被谱金大骂一顿。也许是觉得双眼泛着泪光，身体不住颤抖的索尼雅很楚楚可怜，所以托托流行乐帮忙缓颊。

“The bumper’s just dented, you can still drive it like this. American cars are sturdier than the cars of this country.”
“只是缓冲器撞凹了一点而已，这点程度的损伤还能开喔。跟这个国家的汽车比起来，美国车打造得相当坚固。”

It was a brightly-polished, practically brand-new Plymouth Fury. Only the bumper bore any signs of the traffic accident which had just occurred. The car was painted a beautiful pigeon’s-blood red. The driver was wearing what looked like a mass-market Western suit, but it did not seem to fit too well. It would seem he was a rookie salaryman. How such a man could drive a high-end vehicle like this would forever be a mystery.
那是一辆被磨得闪闪发亮，简直与新车无异的普利茅斯复仇女神车款。唯独车头留有刚才发生的交通事故痕迹。车身是美丽的鸽血红。司机身上穿着看起来像是在大卖场买的西装，也许是成衣的关系，有点不合身。看来这个人应该是菜鸟上班族吧。这样的人驾驶如此高级汽车的原因，如今已是永远无解的迷题。

“I once saw a vehicle like this in a movie. Ever since that day, I have longed to ride in one.”
“我以前曾经在电影里看过这种车。从那一天起，我就一直很想坐坐看。”

“Ah~ was it the one where the car attacked people?”
“啊～就是那部车子会攻袭人的电影吧？”

“Indeed, that is the one.”
“没错没错，就是那部。”

Why did Pukin -- who had been locked up 130 years ago -- know about a movie which had come out after that time? The reason was because she had been released from prison to do “work”.
一百三十年前被监禁起来的谱金，为何会知道之后才上映的电影呢？原因在于，她曾经多次由于“工作”的关系被放出监牢。

“I regret to say that this vehicle is not of the same make as the one in that movie.”
“非常遗憾，这一辆与电影里的那辆车不同款。”

“What a shame. However, we shall have to make do.”
“虽然很遗憾，不过也只能妥协了。”

“There was a novelization of that movie.”
“那部电影也有原著小说喔。”

“Oh? I would like to read that. Is there an English or French version of it?”
“喔喔～真想读读看。有英文或翻译成法文版吗？”

Tot Pop rode in the assistant driver’s seat, Sonia was in the back, while Frederica was in the driver’s seat. With extremely familiar and practiced movements, Sonia had stripped the corpse of its clothes and chucked it and the victim’s personal items into the boot. Pukin roared at her as she saw this.
托托流行乐坐上副驾驶座，谱金坐在后座，菲列特莉嘉则是坐在驾驶座上。索尼雅以极为熟练的手法，利落地脱掉尸体的衣服，与死者的随身行李一起丢进后车厢。看到这幅场景的谱金发出怒吼。

“Sonia! How many times must I tell you! Do not plunder everything you see! Dispose of the corpse and its belongings!”
“索尼雅！到底要我教几次你才明白！不要看到什么东西都想带走！把行李跟尸体一起处理掉！”

“But, he had nice clothes…”
“但是，他的衣服不错耶。”

“We will not starve even if we do not strip the dead of their vestments and sell them. This country has much in the way of delicious cuisine. Be it ‘sushi’ or ‘fried tempura’, you may eat whatever you wish, but I must ask you to endure for a while longer.”
“就算没扒光别人的衣服拿去卖，吾等也不会饿死。这个国家有很多美味的食物喔。无论是‘寿司’或是‘炸天妇罗’，你想吃什么都没问题，不过现在请你先忍耐一下。”

With a reluctant look on her face, Sonia swept her eyes over the corpse from the tips of its toes to its neck, and then she lightly touched the corpse all over, whereupon it crumbled into black ash. Unable to maintain its shape and in the absence of the wind, the ash crumbled and eventually there was nothing left.
索尼雅一脸依依不舍，视线把尸体从脚尖到脖子扫过一边后，轻轻碰触尸体全身，尸体立刻化为黑屑。黑屑无法维持原本的外形，在没有风吹过的情形下，哗啦哗啦地崩解，最后什么都没留下。

This was Sonia Bean’s Magical Skill: the ability to degrade anything she touched. All living things, inanimate objects and energy were helpless before it. This Magical Skill had aided in Pukin’s wickedness and tyranny, and it was also the reason why the Land of Magic had hunted them down.
这就是索尼雅·荳荳“能令碰触到的物品劣化”的魔法。一切的生物、无机物、能源，都只能在毫无抵抗力的情况下遭到凌辱。就是这个魔法助长了谱金的恶行与蛮横专制的行径，也是她们遭到“魔法王国”讨伐的原因。

Sonia sat despondently in the back seat. Pukin tried to cheer her up by telling her about delicious “sukiyaki”, while Tot Pop cheerfully commented about “such a hungry spirit”. However, Frederica had no idea what was making Tot Pop so happy. She quietly wondered if she was the most normal of the four of them. As she thought that, a sense of delight quietly bloomed throughout her chest. Frederica once liked an extraordinary Magical Girl. How were her disciples faring?
索尼雅一脸沮丧地坐进后座，谱金安慰着她说还有好吃的“寿喜烧”，托托流行乐则是一脸开心地说“好执着的渴望”。但菲列特莉嘉完全不懂，到底是哪一点令托托流行乐如此高兴。她暗自心想，也许自己是在这四个人之中最有常识的人吧。一思及此，一股窃喜悄悄地在她的胸口扩散开来。菲列特莉嘉以前最爱拥有超越一般常识的魔法少女。不知道她的徒弟们近来可好？

B-City was not small by any sense of the word, and half of it was covered by the barrier. It would be best to avoid the city limits when driving, because it would be very bad if they made contact with the barrier. If they drove a car into the barrier, only the vehicle would be able to leave. The Magical Girls inside it would be trapped within the barrier. It was not hard to imagine the final fate of the passengers.
面积不算小的B市，被结界盖住了大半。行车时最好避免靠近市区边缘，一不小心碰触到结界就不妙了。如果开车冲向结界的话，只有汽车能够开出结界外，而里面的魔法少女会被阻挡在结界内。不难想象，车内乘客最终会落得何种下场。

***

Frederica drove for 15 minutes along the highway, surrounded as it was by rice fields. During this time, Pukin made small talk, while Sonia played with the original owner’s smartphone. Frederica saw a conveyor belt sushi chain outlet by the side of the road and immediately stopped the vehicle.
菲列特莉嘉在被田地包围的国道上开了十五分钟。其间，谱金继续扯些没意义的闲话，索尼雅则是玩起原车主的智慧型手机。菲列特莉嘉发现道路边的连锁旋转寿司店后，立刻停车。

“Eh? We shouldn’t need to eat, right? We just ate before going out.”
“咦？应该还不用吃吧？毕竟，刚才是吃饱后才出门的耶。”

“Sushi goes in another stomach! Onwards! Sonia!”
“寿司是装在另一个胃里！走吧！索尼雅！”

“Okay~”
“遵命——”

Pukin elegantly slipped past the door curtain of the sushi outlet, while Sonia nervously followed behind her. Frederica maintained an even smile on her face.
谱金优雅地钻过旋转寿司店的短门帘，索尼雅则是战战兢兢地跟在后头。菲列特莉嘉露出一抹沉稳的微笑。

“Let’s go too.”
“我们也一起过去吧。”

“Ahhhh, really! We’ve got a job to do and… save me some tuna sashimi!”
“啊啊，真是的！明明有任务在身的说……帮我留鲔鱼生鱼片喔！”

Unlike modern Magical Girls, old-type Magical Girls were not very fuel-efficient. They needed to eat. More to the point, Pukin had just subtly requested that they have sushi, tempura and sukiyaki in the name of soothing Sonia. Accommodating all the requests she could and reducing their stress would be the wisest course of action.
与现代的魔法少女相比，旧型的魔法少女在燃料费上实在相当不划算。她们必须补充食物。更何况刚才谱金打着安抚索尼雅的名义，暗地里要求吃寿司、炸天妇罗与寿喜烧。好好回应能力所及的要求，减轻对方施加的压力才是明智之举。

“Ohhh, so this is sushi! Amazing. To think it would be delivered to us. Although I have heard this was an industrialized country, I had not expected them to use their technology upon sushi. What an admirable people. Calm down, Sonia, the sushi will not run away… no, it really is running away. All right, let us begin.”
“喔喔，这个就是寿司啊！真了不起。竟然是用输送带运过来的。虽然听说过这里是工业大国，想不到居然将此技术运用在寿司上，真是令人钦佩的民族呀。冷静一点，索尼雅，寿司可不会逃跑……不，寿司确实会逃跑。好，快开动吧。”

Sonia gobbled the sushi like she was trying to stop a rushing river, while Pukin cleaned off the places Sonia had dirtied while securing her own share of the sushi. Tot Pop was egging them on from the side. Their looks had already made them quite distinctive, but this only bathed them further in attention. The store attendants and several people were looking at them and whispering to each other. Some people even requested to take photographs. Frederica agreed while smiling to their smartphone cameras which were raised high.
以仿佛阻止急流的气势迅速吃掉寿司的索尼雅，与一边不露痕迹地擦掉索尼雅弄脏的地方，一边确保自己寿司的谱金，以及在一旁替两人加油的托托流行乐。原本外貌就已经相当引人注目，如此的行为更是令她们沐浴在目光焦点中。店员与店里少数几名客人都看向这边，窃窃私语地交谈起来。其中甚至有人要求拍照，菲列特莉嘉一边答应要求，一边朝对方高举的智慧型手机微笑。

When she had still been an active Magical Girl, she would have hidden her identity per the Land of Magic’s rules, and carefully conducted her activities in secret so humanity would not discover her. However, she was basically an outlaw right now. As long as she remained transformed, she could do as she pleased. Of course, it would be a different matter if doing so was harmful to them, but they did not have to worry about getting caught up on small details. Sonia’s cheeks were puffed up with food, and she made a victory sign to the middle-aged man pointing his smartphone’s camera at her. Tot Pop was coolly signing an autograph pad a staff member had brought out.
当她还是以魔法少女的身份活跃时，会按照“魔法王国”的规定隐瞒身份，小心翼翼地在不被人类发现的状况下暗中活动。然而，她如今的立场只是一名法外之徒。只要维持变身的模样，自由自在地活动就行了。当然，如果这么做对她们不利的话就另当别论，反正她们没必要拘泥于过度的秘密行动原则。索尼雅双颊吃得鼓鼓的，对拿着智慧型手机朝向自己的中年男子比出胜利手势，托托流行乐则是潇洒地在店员递出来的签名板上签下大名。

Frederica steeped a bag of green tea in hot water, blew on it a couple of time, and then used the green tea to moisten her throat. The tea from the sushi chain was cheap, but not undrinkable. The green tea calmed her spirits, and the teacup covered in kanji formed from fish made her feel like she had finally returned to her home country and the nostalgia of being close to the countryside.
菲列特莉嘉将绿茶包泡在热水里，徐徐地吹了两次后，才用绿茶滋润自己的喉咙。旋转寿司的日本茶，虽然便宜却不难喝。绿茶令她心情沉稳下来。印满鱼字偏旁汉字的茶杯，让她感受到自己终于回到祖国的真实感与近乡情怯的乡愁。

Pukin and Sonia had been confined for a long time, and on many occasions they had been released to do dirty work for the Land of Magic. There was no other reason to waste the effort to seal up dangerous Magical Girls than to have them “render useful service to the Land of Magic”.
谱金与索尼雅在长期监禁期间，多次因为“魔法王国”的肮脏工作被强行释放出来。费事地将危险的魔法少女封印起来的理由，除了“之后对‘魔法王国’有所助益”之外别无其他。

Mages could use countless spells through incantations, ritual items, live sacrifices and spell formulae. Some said that the variations could do anything. However, there were many preconditions and requirements needed to use magic. Time or a contact medium was needed to raise potency, and all those had costs of their own. On the other hand, Magical Girls had only one Magical Skill, but they could be very powerful under certain circumstances, they could be activated at will, and their Magical Skills did not deplete with use. On top of that, Magical Girls had far superior physical attributes and outstanding mobility. That was why the Land of Magic used Magical Girls.
魔法师们能够透过咒语、施术道具、活祭品、术式，使用无数魔法。根据其丰富性甚至说是万能也不为过。但是，使用魔法有许多前提与条件，为了提升威力需要时间或触媒，总之得支付额外的成本。另一方面，魔法少女们虽然只拥有一种魔法，但绝大多数都是相当强大的魔法，而且能够即时发动，魔法也不会越用越少。再加上，与魔法师相比之下，魔法少女具备大大超越魔法师的强健肉体与优越的运动能力，所以“魔法王国”才会如此运用魔法少女。

Frederica sifted through her memories -- the many secrets she had seen while magically spying on others.
菲列特莉嘉挖掘记忆的深处——她通过魔法窥见旁人的诸多秘密。

Every time they had temporarily lifted the seal on Pukin and Sonia, the authorities took extreme precautions, not giving them the chance for defiance and forcing them to take on a task while they were powerless to resist. Apart from closely monitoring them with minders, there were also several layers of countermeasures in place. For instance, bomb-installed transceivers, magically brainwashing and manipulating them, using one of them as a hostage, or injecting them with a magical toxin which could kill even a Magical Girl if they did not receive an antidote within a certain period of time, and so on.
每次暂时性地解开谱金与索尼雅的封印时，当局都会采取极为谨慎的对策，不给她们能够忤逆当局的手段，在她们无力反抗的状态下进行差遣。除了派遣严密监控的贴身监视员，还会加设好几重把关措施。例如内附炸弹的通讯对讲机、通过魔法洗脑后进行操控、以其中一人作为人质，或是注射在一定时间内没施打解毒剂，即使是魔法少女也会死亡的魔法毒液，诸如此类的措施。

Pukin should have felt very angry about this. Frederica had also personally experienced what it was like to be sealed away, as though she were trapped in mud, with no way to tell up from down or left from right, the only thing she could do being to struggle. This was the appropriate punishment for their crimes, and it would have continued forever. Bound hand and foot, dispatched at others’ whims, and after their work was finished, they would be sent back to resume their sentence. There was no way they would not resent this.
谱金应该会感到相当愤慨不满。菲列特莉嘉也亲身体验过，被封印时仿佛深陷在泥泞里，完全分不清上下左右，只能不断挣扎。这是根据罪行所判的报应惩罚，会永无止境地持续下去。被铐上手铐脚镣，任人差遣，等到工作结束后又得回去服刑。绝对不可能毫无怨言。

Currently, Pukin was not bound in any way and she had great freedom of movement. There was no telling what sort of danger Pukin would plunge the world into, and in fact she had already claimed a few victims.
如今的谱金并没有铐上任何手铐脚镣，行动相当自由。不晓得谱金何时会让这个世界陷入危机之中，事实上确实已经出现几名牺牲者。

Frederica asked herself, “Would the Land of Magic ever have released them without installing any safety measures?” After that, she answered her own question: absolutely not. Frederica was certain that she had now exceeded the Land of Magic’s predictions, and that she was acting in a way they had not predicted.
菲列特莉嘉自问“魔法王国”会在没有加装任何安全装置的状况下放出她们两人吗？接着，她回答自己，这是绝对不可能的。菲列特莉嘉确信，现在的自己是在出乎“魔法王国”预料之外、完全没有料想到的状态下行动。

She took another drink of the green tea. The bland and cheap taste seemed quite addictive.
再啜饮一口杯中的绿茶。偏淡又廉价的味道，似乎会让人上瘾。

“Say, Frederica.”
“呐，菲列特莉嘉。”

“What is your will, General Pukin?”
“有什么吩咐吗？谱金将军。”

“No more plates are coming to us.”
“都没有盘子过来耶。”

“You can order directly from the chef. Allow me to translate.”
“也可以直接向厨师点餐。我来帮您翻译吧。”

“What an outstanding woman you are! After this mission, I shall take you on as a second retainer.”
“你还真是优秀呀！等到这次的任务结束后，就把你收为家臣好了。”

She had obtained Tot Pop’s hair, and she had just acquired Pukin’s and Sonia’s hair. She had also gained several strands of hair from Tot Pop’s subordinates and the hairs of people she had brushed past.
她得到托托流行乐的头发，也在刚才拿到谱金与索尼雅的头发。另外，也拿到几根来自于托托流行乐的几位部下与擦肩而过的普通人类的头发。

Hair was an essential element of Frederica’s Magical Skill. The more she had, the more choices she had. Widening the scope of her abilities implied that Frederica was stronger.
对菲列特莉嘉的魔法来说，头发是不可或缺的要素。数量越庞大，选择性越多。当能力范围越广，即意味着菲列特莉嘉的力量越强。

That was the foundation for everything. She hungered and thirsted for hair in her heart. Even if the quantity was not enough to make up for her lost collection, she still wanted to collect an amount to approach it. Therefore, she needed true freedom, without being interrupted by anyone. For starters, she had to successfully complete this job.
这就是一切的前提。她的内心渴望着搜集毛发。即使数量不及之前失去的收藏品，但她还是想要尽可能地凑到接近的数量。因此，她需要不受任何人打扰的真正的自由。首先，她得顺利完成这份工作。

Frederica opened a piece of kaishi paper and withdrew a strand of hair from within it. She studied it in the light of the sushi store. This strand had come from one of Tot Pop’s girls, the one with the most beautiful hair. While it was only 30 centimeters long, it radiated a golden glow that made her think of an ample harvest in fall. Frederica could not help but smile at this beautiful strand, and then she took another drink of tea.
菲列特莉嘉打开怀纸从中取出一根头发，透过寿司店的照明观察。这根头发是从托托流行乐的部下那里，拥有最美秀发的少女身上得来的。虽然头发只有三十公分，却绽放出令人联想到收获丰足的秋日稻穗般的金黄色光芒。菲列特莉嘉忍不住对这份美丽露出微笑，再度啜饮一口茶。(注:怀纸为茶道用品之一，用来装日式点心，兼具美观功用。由于纤维较一般纸长，因此质地牢固，不易破。)