Sugar Dark Chapter 1

Hole 1: Grave Digger

The ground beneath his feet was wet and all around him he could hear the

blindfold, he quickly realized that he had been dropped off near a forest.

canopy, filling his lungs with fresh air was almost like a sweet feast. Even

breathed such wonderful air as this.

was kicked hard in the back.

Called by his name, he followed the officer’s directions. The boy was fairly

his shadow on the ground, he appeared to be a full-grown adult. But, things

clear that he was obviously still a young boy.

low, husky voice.

how many hours he had he been in the paddy wagon. No one had bothered

argument’s sake, even if he had, he knew that there were only two possible

shoved.

road was flat. Since he couldn’t depend on his eyesight, his other senses were

His hands were handcuffed and right in front of him a military police officer

no signs of being human.

For the term slave, in the original Japanese it was written [オリッド/oriddo]. Later when the boy first

combination of the word Oar 「オール/ouru」and slave 「どれい/dorei」

breathed in the naturally fragrant air of the forest trees. Though he

roots. This place didn’t seem like a wild, untamed wilderness.

What is this place?

Although he couldn’t say for certain, he did feel that the ground he was

of life.

witnessed floated about his mind. His old hometown’s beech wood forest,

covered nameless roads and the lone soldier continuing to dig out trenches in

No matter where you went, you could see the tracks of their tanks. The scent

unit’s carts, and also the sight and smell of horse manure scattered about.

of burst explosive casings. There was also the smoke of gunpowder…and the

Hole 1

Sweat oozed out from his pores. One of the beads trickled down to the collar

him, there was no use wanting to remove the irons. Neither the cuffs on his

more, although his legs were unfettered, he noticed that trying to lift his

heavy.

Yet, unexpectedly within the darkness of his blindfold, a strange impulse

potential suicides, he was starting to think that the land he was walking

It’s like I’m walking on top of something…

The officer stopped and sharply cluck his tongue. The boy’s body stiffened in

Instead, the blindfold was roughly ripped off his face. The boy’s pupils had

down on him were quite violent. He twisted away as if he had been slapped,

“Eyes up, brat.”

Hole 1

His vision was blurry, white and hazy.

looked like he was in his 30s with a lean, long and thin face. The next thing to

came the graves.

countless of the monuments of death. The stones came in various different

irregular. There were stones separated by a distance of about ten steps, all

the others. Half even seemed to be buried in the forest. Some of the

been eroded by the rain, their epitaphs and inscriptions no longer legible.

“Could this be…?” In a young voice oozing with shock, he continued to ask his

trouble of transporting my corpse?”

“Then I guess this would be yet another tragedy based on a false claim.”

Hole 1

Although he doubled over in pain, the color in the boy’s face remained

he would receive a life sentence, he had never thought he would be executed

Heh, I bet this guy wouldn’t even be punished if he killed me.

With a bony index finger, the guard pointed in the direction they were to

graveyard, the boy caught a glimpse of a mansion and its white walls. It was

trees. As far as he could see, it looked like a place where only one person

As they drew closer to the mansion, the boy being pulled forward by the rope

The color was actually the white of recently quarried stone. The building also

of black iron without a trace of rust. The countless tops of the fence posts

off thieves. The gate’s side entrance, an iron door almost blending in with the

take them in.

Tall iron fence

give even a hint that there had been any recent activity. Between the fence

and featureless with not even one tree or shrub. There were neither

Yet, instead of those things, there was a mechanized buzzer and receiver to

to things like telegraphs, to say nothing of the entranceway it was furnished

often during his military service, just like tanks, they were tools only utilized

“battleground moles”3 had no opportunity to touch these kinds of things.

keeping his opinion to himself.

buzzer. He then picked up the receiver attached by a long and narrow cord.

have escorted prisoner 5722.”

sounding voice.

Probably cannon fodder.

service.”4 The receiver’s volume seemed so loud that the boy standing

“At the current time, Officer, your duties have concluded. Since we will now

you. Please, we hope that you will encounter no difficulties on the road

Hearing this, the long-faced guard’s expression seemed to twist with anger.

denied entry like a simple peddler of goods seemed to wound the warrant

“But my duty is to personally make sure that the prisoner has indeed been

rude to not even show your face?”

trouble of coming here, the prisoner’s work papers have already been signed

of that agreement, I do not recall there being a clause that requires you to

“But…” though the officer refused to back down, before he could insist

English, but the prevalence of formal honorific language has diminished greatly in English. Overall, the

Hole 1

“Pardon me, soldier. Are you Warrant Officer Barrida Clemens attached to

“Um, that’s right…” The guard responded suspiciously to the unexpected

Whoever was on the other side of that receiver, spoke with as much courtesy

“Although it is for your convenience, at our discretion please allow us to

mountain called ‘The Cat’s Earpick’. There you will be able to enjoy your time

fully paid for and provided. And since your return to the detention camp will

situation. So, what do you think about this offer?”

faced officer, lost in a wide blank stare, blinked5

the dispute had been resolved like an enemy who had just received their final

“As for the boy, is he wearing a collar?”

ニンジンを差し出され。

air, “I don’t want to be in this gloomy place anymore. He turned around and

shifted into one of embarrassment.

the guard spat at the boy’s feet.

As if he were throwing away a cigarette butt, the guard released the end of

“Once a month, there will be a fixed inspection. If there is any problem, you

employer is even a little dissatisfied with you, he will be okay with the idea of

run.

wouldn’t be found no matter who was looking.”

improved 100 times compared to the last several minutes. Judging from the

many brief and unexpected visits.

flung it into the courtyard. Then, with a gait that almost looked like he was

And so with his handcuffs still on, the boy was left in front of the iron door.

Well, whatever happens now, I’m sure in the end it won’t be very good.

a high pitch “Caww” screeched in a deep voice above his head. Looking into

the branches of the trees. It was hard to believe that this bird with its

tree sparrow.

want to be in this gloomy place anymore.”

Even now, the strange feeling that had welled up inside him when he was still

The weather wasn’t too hot. And probably a typical person would find

filtering in through the trees to be quite agreeable. Nevertheless, the boy and

Hole 1

was a graveyard; there seemed to be something in this place that made

Once again, this time using his eyes, he confirmed the ground that he was

This place is unpleasant. Well, it’s no wonder since I feel like I’m walking on

When the officer’s figure had completely faded into the distance beyond the

metal crashing together reverberated through the air.

with detailed engravings, a black dog suddenly poked out its snout from

seen. If he had to say, the dignified appearance gave him the impression of a

within its eyes there was a calm radiance that was only present in welltrained

making a sound was elegant.

the boy stood completely still, his gaze fixed on the creature. From his

friendly.

came from under a hood used to shield the hanging receiver from the rain.

Hole 1

The dog then faded back into the darkness of the entranceway. Even though

could see absolutely nothing within the mansion’s dark interior.

There was no one guarding him, nor was there anyone pulling him forward by

he really that unguarded?

rope in its mouth?

they were holding his reins was far too pathetic. Of course, he didn’t think

Soon after entering the terribly dark and windowless mansion, he couldn’t

the darkness he noticed he was at the entrance of a somewhat narrow

After waiting for the boy to start walking, the dog proceeded to lead him

forward. There was a high quality looking carpet with geometric patterns

its surface made him feel that he was committing some kind of crime.

Hole 1

The voice echoed the moment he treaded into a large parlor. It was the same

The lamp fixtures that decorated and illuminated the room were made from

extravagant they were. There was also a statuette of a human with wings

lakeshore, and fine golden candlesticks decorating the parlor. And resting in

stoop, extremely small statured old man. Although the boy wanted to hide

“You’re the owner of this place?” The boy asked the question, but he didn’t

Then without even realizing it, the boy’s eyes gravitated to the man’s nose.

man’s case, the stump of a nose looked like it had been scraped off, and now

more unsettling were his difficult to read, smallish eyes. He completely

his tail coat stylishly.

may think of me as this place’s caretaker. As you might have already guessed,

The boy’s had planned to purposely speak in a cynical way in order to trick

never crumbled. By intuition alone the boy knew this man was not the

Hole 1

He then asked, “But, what exactly am I supposed to do now?”

you think there is only one thing prisoners have to do in this place?” Then

derisively.

Prisoner.1

ancient galleys. Since the slaves mostly toiled on commercial boats, the

in the present where instead of oars, boats are powered by steam engines

referred to by the term. According to the law, all prisoners without exception

The prisoners had to do such tasks as: butchering animals, disposing of

the difficulty and grueling nature of the labor, there were very few people

life imprisonment, in particular, prisoners were forced to toil until the end of

….The shovel the boy had been provided with was only one pinky’s width

extremely dried and hard plain wood, and acid-resistant steel had been used

brought here straight from the factory.

Oriddo

graveyard. And whenever the boy named “prisoner 5722” wasn’t sleeping, he

His living space was the complete opposite of his high quality shovel. As for

back of the estate. The straw that had been spread across the floor was stale

time, on each of the discolored wall’s wooden posts, the characteristic stench

Shortly after the sun appeared, the old man and an old woman turned up.

old witch’s, they looked exactly the same. However, compared to the man

that looked like dealing with a horse would be far less objectionable, spat

So the boy put some hard bread and extremely strong, salty soup into his

sunlight, he put up with the discomfort and continued to dig graves for

To tell the truth, from the moment the blindfold had been removed….in

the boy had a vague hunch that this same fate would probably happen to

That’s because digging holes and trenches was the primary responsibility of

Hole 1

…he wondered how many knights had been moved from the front lines of the

the industrial revolution, knights, pike men and bow soldiers all across the

were armed with firearms as a result of mass production, there was a large

because it was convenient, the foot soldiers had spread out endlessly…and

so called “battleground moles” were born.

roots at his feet. At the same time, he offered a silent prayer to the human

plain, the edge of a forest, or an abandoned wheat field, I pray that my Mole

they are still digging too.

the length of his arm. His body remembered that length. And so for the boy

back of his head scorching in the direct sunlight were as unpleasant as the

short.

person.

had dug the hole, but it seemed big enough to fit a small house.

need a 10th of the space. Maybe they are planning to use an extremely large

Or, as fitting a place called “The Mass Grave”, the boy wondered just how

After a large battle there would be many corpses coming here…was that why

Well, however they want to use these holes is none of my concern.

should find out.

he dug was escape. Strangely, it seemed like at this Mass Grave he was the

His warden…no, although it looked like he was watching the boy 24 hours a

who would know where the boy was. If somehow the boy were able to

digging holes? However, if he wasn’t able to get out of there, then for the

doing forced labor as “Prisoner #5772”.

Hole 1

This situation is definitely not a joke. I’ve got to escape from this place. This

Compared to the usual shackles and prison bars he had during his trial, the

somehow sneak away from this place. Then he would go by a new name,

military or the police couldn’t reach…

The graveyard in the wake of the sun’s disappearance was eerier than ever.

chilly. He doubted the idea of him needing something like a lamp or candle

the moon and the stars, his stable was completely enveloped in darkness. It

but to pull up his blanket. Hell, even falling asleep on the first night had been

There are no such things as ghosts. In his mind he understood that.

himself, with the old hinges creaking and the creepy, ominous sound of the

someone was approaching.

there was no one there. Still, as this feeling came back again and again, he

spirits slipping out of their corpses.

regrets.

but a waste of time.

this third night there was not a single cloud, and the moon was bright. It was

take a walk.

which as usual was sprawled across the ground at the entrance of the stable,

“I’m just taking a piss. You probably don’t go in your own bed right?” The boy

following closely behind.

what I say.

The collar around his neck and also…this dog.

watching. And even if the boy wasn’t directly in the dog’s sights, he felt like

anywhere, eventually “Dephen” would be at his back, following.

on the first day. “Dephen here is an excellent grave keeper. At the same time,

him worthy of being a jailer second to none.”

For the three days he had been under watch, this dog had performed its task

directly with hounds and it had been difficult to win those struggles without

happen if he could succeed in a surprise strike against the dog with his

range.

Nevertheless, even though only a few scraps of bread had been thrown at

scent.

aimlessly walked by the mansion’s side fence. He was reluctant to head

made him feel uncomfortable.

a legless guy, or something like that.

something about what the graveyard looked like without the sunlight. In case

unknown dark forest no matter which direction he went in ….and that would

know if he would be able to actually reach the nearest town. Even if he were

need to follow a roadway. And in order to go down a roadway he would have

That’s alright. There are no such things as ghosts. Besides, wasn’t I far more

After that thought passed through his head, the boy used the same cautious

innumerable gravestones bathed in the moonlight, creating a blue shine that

color of the weathered stones made him think of bones.

vision couldn’t penetrate the deep darkness, he instead started to feel that

the same gravestones scattered about with the thick black forest in the

the boy was sure he wouldn’t be able to find his way back to the stable. Still,

following behind him was actually reassuring.

assured this jail hound will accompany you.”

out.

but in the end ghosts are things that only come out in stories.

invigorated.

his collar, and even his two muscular arms had Goosebumps. This is far

thoughts crossed his mind.

that day. From his position it looked like some sort of cellar could be

and the darkness seemed to be like a liquid, pooling at the bottom… there

anyone.

And now, questions about what would happen to him after he died welled up

Hole 1

If he had broken one of the rules within the confines of the detention camp,

told him what would happen if he died here. For example, if his escape was

would his body be buried in this graveyard afterwards?

him. Plus, before at the trial it was decided that the boy’s name, the name his

name on his tombstone, anyway.

That sarcastic thought once again made him smile bitterly. But he didn’t

was vague and left him feeling empty. In fact, the emptiness resembled the

While he listened to the sound of the sudden wind, he thought he heard

Twisting his head at the sound, the boy noticed that the dog had disappeared

Cold sweat ran down the back of his neck.

so like a person with a guilty conscience, he hastily checked his surroundings.

The giant hole at his feet…

The slightly, waning large moon…

There was something there.

of the night?

Whatever it was, it was about the size of a human wearing a nearly black,

wind.

. Wight3

…the eerie fables of ghosts that the adults had

The hood created a shadow, preventing the boy from seeing the person’s

it was coming right towards him.

It was difficult to breathe. He didn’t run, but only because his body

him to panic, his mind completely blotted out. His legs were frozen, as if he

that spot. Maybe it was some benevolence or mercy from the heavens that

Swaying slowly side to side, the approaching person’s pace was actually quite

Am I… passing out…

死霊 with レイス Furigana. A Wraith is a visible spirit

悪魂機鬼 with ワイト Furigana. A wight is an archaic term to refer to a supernatural being.

影魔 with シエード Furigana. A shade is a specter or ghost.

about. He must run. From that ghost…from this graveyard. Even though his

energy into the limbs and urged them to move.

fell. As he tumbled downwards, for some reason he felt the distance to the

Nothing good happened after all.

consciousness.

creature, he thought he saw a white face.

…His oldest memory was of a sound. Off and on he could hear a high

looking at an old-looking ceiling, something he was all too familiar with…his

Trying not to wake his sleeping brothers next to him, the young boy quietly

lower than it was now…. He was only faintly aware that it was a dream of his

Kiin…Kiin…

swinging a chisel and hammer.

stepladder and poured all his mind and energy into carving the stone.

he was a stubborn and quiet person. Actually, he was extremely quiet….very

your body and heart would become just as hard. His father’s shortly trimmed

And the palms of his slightly dirty hands were as coarse as elephant skin.

current height. In fact, if he thought about it now, it was probably strange

in the midst of his memories he remembered his father appearing big

As the boy continued to motionlessly stare upwards at his father’s back, his

“XXXXX, can’t sleep?” he asked, calling the young boy’s name.

a dream. And the voice he did hear faster than how his father would have

had called out his name…

Since when did I start having dreams of my father…, the prisoner thought in

He quickly woke up… If possible, he had to get ready for today’s work before

comfortable that he didn’t feel like getting up. It was similar to the great

bathtub. And so for just a little bit more, he figured it was okay to continue

He could taste dirt in his mouth.

However, despite his intents, for some reason his left side was completely

his side, to his right he could see a dirt wall right in front of him.

With a start, he rose up and instead of being on a futon, dirt, of all things,

rather it had been buried. The fact that the boy was now within the very

That’s right, I passed out.

down and covered his head. “Waah, what the, ugh.” Spitting out the foreign

“You were alive?” said lips the color of cherry blossoms.

received, seemed to shine a bright silver as the moonlight reflected off the

the girl holding the shovel and looking down at him from the lip of the hole.

Hole 1

The dark navy cloak the girl wore was definitely the same as the one he saw

appeared to be human, but in reality, it was beautiful. At least he thought so.

breathe.

then she slightly tilted her head to the side and asked, “Or are you moving

“….What are you talking about?” the boy blurted out in response to the

Her voice was slight and beautiful; her dark blue eyes seemed to be full of

years of life he had never seen a creature so beautiful. And he thought he

Hole 1

…Wait. Don’t get angry. Have you forgotten where you are? The boy asked

Trying to calm his thrashing heart, a great number of questions welled up

Needless to say, the girl’s expression looked like she hadn’t seen him working

he could never forget her face. But what in the world was she doing at this

the graveyard by herself at this hour.

beautiful ghost

“Who are you?” the boy asked, standing to his feet.

Although she didn’t look panicked or frightened, her expression seemed to

walking along the road she happened to come across a chick hatching out of

Hole 1

At first the girl said nothing, but when he was starting to wonder whether her

“Meria Mass Grave1

It took him a while to understand that that series of words was her name.

slightly.

middle of the night?”

As if those few words completed her explanation, the girl…Meria said nothing

No longer able to endue her silent gaze, the boy averted his eyes and decided

which was about the same depth as his height, he eventually noticed his

believe the author wanted the name to sound like an actual name, however the actual Japanese makes

Hole 1

It seemed like the moment he thought Meria was a ghost and tried to flee, he

the reason for the stiff pain in his neck. There was definitely nothing more

attention to his struggle made his skin burn. So with a flushed face, he

Once his feet finally touched the surface, he stood and found himself looking

came up to about his chest. For a girl he could say she was rather ordinary in

They were either the same age or she was a little younger than him. Her

dark navy coat and other than her face, the only part of her that was exposed

“…And you are?” the girl asked, tilting her head to the side.

a lake with no waves.

That question and her straight gaze seemed to pierce directly into the depths

Well…who am I…after all? He wondered how he should respond and

Hole 1

The third son of a stone mason, a battleground mole, a superior officer killer,

correct and they certainly represented him.

For me, what do I want to be called?

It had been taken away…his real name…

That word was different than the dirt that had been in his mouth. He was

If he thought about it, it was a foolish name. But as long as a person’s

Japanese, however it seems a bit odd for a boy to be named Mole in English, so I kept the

Hole 1

“Muoru, huh?” As if mimicking his previous dumbfounded expression, she

The boy took a step back, distancing himself a bit from the girl.

Why am I this surprised when she only said my name?

mind for the reason. Maybe, although he could say it, he had completely

That must be it. It was the only reason.

front of her chest.

“I was just…Pihhhh…..”3

「小便」The book has しょ…う written down, And since he was urinating, it is probable he was trying

Hole 1

“…”

“Pih?” Meria asked with a pretty voice, repeating back to him the partial

“Relieving myself,”4 Muoru rephrased, his chest tight.

her hair, he caught a glimpse of her thin collarbone.

Though there should have been many questions he should ask, the thoughts

them. Fixing his eyes on the girl, he could feel his mind grow slightly numb,

. However, it

someone. And that was far from unpleasant….

[手洗い] A polite phrase for toilet, and most likely a polite way to say he was relieving himself.

I believe this is a drug reference.

“Well then….” Meria said, briskly starting to walk away as if she had lost all

“Wa…wait a sec!” Muoru shouted impulsively.

“No…..that,” although it was good to tell her to stop, as usual his only half

shoulder at him. With her hood only half concealing her profile, the girl gazed

could stare longer.

though the boy could not even string together two words, the girl

“….That shovel, it’s mine. Sorry about this, but could you leave it there?” He

Meria had been holding the boy’s shovel, but after he had spoken, as if she

Muoru’s hole she had started to fill earlier, before turning back to the boy.

Hole 1

The boy nodded yes and Meria, with an expression in her eyes that was

Then without warning she rushed towards him, almost stumbling from the

and held out the metal shovel. Reflexively, the boy accepted the shovel. As

Instead he said, “Thank you”.

property returned to him, at any rate, he wasn’t able to say anything else.

The girl for some reason rapidly blinked her eyes. As she looked at him, he

retreating, she distanced herself from him.

“Yeah…”

away.

darkness……like a ghost or something.

As the earthworm was pulled out of the ground, the unlucky creature was

Although it probably was nowhere near the same level as an actual mole,

every day. Of course as the worms suddenly appeared in the grave, he often

Yet despite the frequency of the event, today Muoru was captivated by what

enthusiastically staring at the worm’s dried up corpse, but in the end he

Since today he was made to dig a new hole, perhaps he had been mistaken

him. Thankfully, this time it was just a hole for one normal sized human.

away from the hole, to the point where the amount of time he was

digging.

that he had struck. Also, as if he were a fool, the depth he had to dig was

According to that guide, today’s assignment was approximately 1 and ½

Hole 1

…but Muoru noticed that for that assignment he had dug about the length of

missing the ground repeatedly and striking his foot with the shovel.

hitting himself in the head.

day. Or perhaps he should say he felt his thoughts weren’t focused on his

asleep.

today’s work took far too long. He wasn’t particularly trying to push himself,

how his treatment wasn’t improving. On the other hand, he was still

“Mr. Prisoner,”1 Muoru heard Daribedor say just as he was starting to tidy

looking down at Muoru’s completed hole.

believe in this case Daribedor is being extremely polite, which fits with his character so far.

throat. His feeling that it would be difficult to deal with this nose-less old man

“I know you’re probably tired, but now I would like you to help with the

place, it’s where you were digging up till yesterday, so you don’t require

“No, I got it,” Muoru answered curtly, walking away with his shovel in hand.

However, as he was leaving, Daribedor yelled for him to stop.

prisoners, if you don’t want to enter the holes you dig, it would be better to

“…?”

could inquire about the meaning, the old man quickly went back towards the

As he walked, Muoru pondered what the man could have meant.

looking for a way to escape.

Meria.

If he were to believe what she had said, then she was this land’s grave

However, he didn’t intuitively know specifically what tasks the position of

doing that, and the caretakers of this cemetery were the humans in the

If he were to speculate, perhaps the grave keeper was charged with

beneath the gravestones. But even if he could clearly say that was the case,

her words and speech were like something from another world2 , in Muoru’s

girl…well, maybe it was hard to say that her appearance was simply normal.

浮世場慣れている部分 I think this should be translated as an Ivory Tower= a place secluded from the

“another world”.

Well, at least Muoru thought so. Every night, the girl seemed to be patrolling

into his calculations when he was escaping. And for that reason, Muoru

But as he advanced into the graveyard he could see people gathering in the

Muoru had been digging until yesterday.

…However, from the edge it didn’t appear like any type of melancholic

should have been natural for such an occasion. There wasn’t even any wailing

As he tried to approach closer, he could see that the people were wearing

white painted masks. The white masks were completely expressionless,

threadlike slits. They were very much like masks of death. And although the

What kind of event is that? They’re probably not having a masquerade ball in

such a party.

Although he was suspicious of their purpose, the boy bowed slightly towards

approach…that was when he saw something strange.

yesterday, now…the hole had been filled with the head of a giant beast.

he was looking at. That was understandable of cours

Chapter end

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