Fire Emblem if/Fates: 4Koma KINGS Page 29 Translation

The latest of my daily scan/clean/translation of  Fire Emblem if (Fates): 4Koma Kings (ファイアーエムブレムif 4コマKINGS).

This is an individual post for Page 29. The compilation post that features all pages thus far is here! This is the last of the colored pages.

I do not post the raw scans here, but you may email if you want them to compare translations! I do at least one page per day.

This particular page had a lot going on in terms of puns that had to be translated. See notes below the image if interested in trivia or how the Japanese had to be slightly changed to convey intent!

All scanning, editing, translating, and uploading is done on my free time and is rather time consuming. It is certainly a lot of work… so please consider donating if you like the work I do. Any amount (no matter how small) is much appreciated and helps me keep going on a daily basis. I hope you enjoy the end results of my work!

Notes:

You may be surprised to know how much thought goes into translating a simple comic strip like the above! Here’s an example for today’s:

• The left comic (“How to Kill a Man”) had a lot going on in Japanese. The lunch box (bento box) and devotion was clearly a reference to simply putting love into the food as a way to “bring a man to their knees” romantically to fall for her for whatever gain she had in mind. In Japanese, she says there is a “thing” called “devotion” in the box. But, it can also be read as “person” called “devotion.” To best convey this,I had to write “Devotion is hidden in this box” to convey that meaning that it could be a person as well as a conceptual thing for the next part to make sense.
• Beruka being Beruka, assumes she must mean a lethal “thing” at first, but then wonders if she meant “person.” Since the words are two different ones in English, I decided to make her assume a poison (an item/thing that can logically be in the food that would “bring a man to their knees”), but then wonders if she meant a “person” (due to the vague reference, and conceivably could be a person who kills others). That is what causes her to wonder how such a man would fit in that box!
• But the puns continue. During the surprise attack she envisions, he is saying “私と「突」き合ってください！！” (watashi to tsukiatte kudasai!!). It translates to “Please go on a date with me!” (given the context, but it could also be a request to get to know each other better, too). However, Japanese readers will notice the obvious pun. The kanji 突 is used in place of what it was supposed to be (付). They are both read the same (tsu), but the first means “stab” while the second would turn it into the intended meaning. So, it is essentially a pun to both go on a date/get familiar with them –but to also die (“let me stab you/get stabbed by me!”). To best convey this, after a lot of deliberation and discussion with friends, the chosen pun was “Let me take you out!” “Take you out” works both for going on a date, but also for killing/offing/stabbing someone.
• For those curious, runner-up one-liner-style puns were, “Give up your heart for me!” “Nice to beat you!” “This is a date to die for!” “DIE-N on this!” What would you have come up with? xD To convey both a date/meeting and a killing?