*Episode 11*
Later, Keiichi approached the Goddesses and told them what happened. Needless to
say, they wanted to see the note. After the requisite shocked expression on their faces
upon reading it (Let's face it. Has Kami EVER sent them a notice that DIDN'T surprise
them?), Keiichi asked them what it said.
"Kei-chan, it's rather long. I'll start translating as soon as I can," Belldandy said.
"Okay. Bell-chan, what's Ktharra oil?"
The three goddesses stared in mixed shock and horror. "Wha... where..." Belldandy
started.
"Yes, Keiichi, how do you know that name?" Urd asked.
"Keiichi..." Skuld said regretfully.
"What? What did I say?" Keiichi responded.
"Keiichi... Keiichi..." Belldandy said sobbing, "We have standing orders to kill any
mortal who even mentions that... that..."
Skuld leaned over to comfort her big sister. "There, there, oneesan," she started.
"But... But Mikoto said to ask you..."
Belldandy suddenly looked up hopefully. "Do you mean," she said and followed it
with my name. Again, mortals can't say it, so why would I be able to write it in a mortal
alphabet? You just don't have the phonetic symbols for it.
"Yes, I think that's his name. He said just to call him Mikoto since I can't say his real
name."
"Well, then," Urd said, "that changes everything. Don't worry, Belldandy. If he said
to ask us, this must be what Kami mentioned in that note. We don't have to kill him."
"What's going on?" Keiichi started, only to be interrupted by Urd.
"Keiichi, Ktharra oil is the single most hideous, vile poison ever to exist. One drop of
it could kill every living thing in Japan and most of China. Even the survivors would be
affected, not that there would be any within ten thousand miles. The best a survivor
could expect would to be to go totally, completely insane and to... Ungh. It's too
disgusting to mention. Not even we could survive if we were exposed to enough of it."
"What do you mean by 'enough of it'?"
"Were someone to place a drop of Ktharra oil in a well in Hong Kong, within a week
all three of us would be dead. Within a month, the whole world would be affected.
Maybe a few thousand people in America would survive, but they'd never be the
same..."
"But Mikoto said that his parents were killed when his brother poisoned his house's
water supply with almost a centiliter of it, and that his siblings who were there
survived!"
"Oh, HE could survive quite a bit more of it than we would. Not even he could stay
sane after *direct* contact with more than a milliliter or so."
"I see..."
"Before you ask anything else, we'd better translate that for you."
"Okay."
Ten minutes later, Belldandy was considerably calmer, and Skuld was still casting
ugly glances at Keiichi when Urd returned with a paper written in Japanese. It read
(Roughly translated to English):
"Norns:
"The mortal known as Morisato Keiichi is, at the request of (illegible characters)
granted level-three clearance to the Yggdrasil system and the information contained
therein. In addition, standing orders are suspended in relation to one additional request
by (same illegible characters), and the Goddess Belldandy is hereby given permission to
remove the secondary governors on her seal. On a different note, the Goddess Urd may
find it worthy of note that Allison Graveson will be moving to Japan within a week.
Standing orders pertaining to her are not changed.
"Kami-Sama.
"P.S.: You are to translate this notice for him, as he cannot yet read our
language."
"Keiichi," Urd started, "This is unheard-of. Level-three clearance is the same
clearance level that we have."
"Oh?"
"Yes. Actually, everyone has level-one clearance. Level-two is for mortals who meet
the requirements for being granted a wish. Level-three is for gods and goddesses, and
only Kami-sama himself has level-four clearance."
My voice interrupted, "That's not quite true, Urd. I have level-four clearance myself."
Urd looked surprised. "I didn't know."
"Yes, well, it's one of those things that Kam-chan doesn't exactly make public."
"Oh," Urd said, "I can see that."
Later, Keiichi approached the Goddesses and told them what happened. Needless to
say, they wanted to see the note. After the requisite shocked expression on their faces
upon reading it (Let's face it. Has Kami EVER sent them a notice that DIDN'T surprise
them?), Keiichi asked them what it said.
"Kei-chan, it's rather long. I'll start translating as soon as I can," Belldandy said.
"Okay. Bell-chan, what's Ktharra oil?"
The three goddesses stared in mixed shock and horror. "Wha... where..." Belldandy
started.
"Yes, Keiichi, how do you know that name?" Urd asked.
"Keiichi..." Skuld said regretfully.
"What? What did I say?" Keiichi responded.
"Keiichi... Keiichi..." Belldandy said sobbing, "We have standing orders to kill any
mortal who even mentions that... that..."
Skuld leaned over to comfort her big sister. "There, there, oneesan," she started.
"But... But Mikoto said to ask you..."
Belldandy suddenly looked up hopefully. "Do you mean," she said and followed it
with my name. Again, mortals can't say it, so why would I be able to write it in a mortal
alphabet? You just don't have the phonetic symbols for it.
"Yes, I think that's his name. He said just to call him Mikoto since I can't say his real
name."
"Well, then," Urd said, "that changes everything. Don't worry, Belldandy. If he said
to ask us, this must be what Kami mentioned in that note. We don't have to kill him."
"What's going on?" Keiichi started, only to be interrupted by Urd.
"Keiichi, Ktharra oil is the single most hideous, vile poison ever to exist. One drop of
it could kill every living thing in Japan and most of China. Even the survivors would be
affected, not that there would be any within ten thousand miles. The best a survivor
could expect would to be to go totally, completely insane and to... Ungh. It's too
disgusting to mention. Not even we could survive if we were exposed to enough of it."
"What do you mean by 'enough of it'?"
"Were someone to place a drop of Ktharra oil in a well in Hong Kong, within a week
all three of us would be dead. Within a month, the whole world would be affected.
Maybe a few thousand people in America would survive, but they'd never be the
same..."
"But Mikoto said that his parents were killed when his brother poisoned his house's
water supply with almost a centiliter of it, and that his siblings who were there
survived!"
"Oh, HE could survive quite a bit more of it than we would. Not even he could stay
sane after *direct* contact with more than a milliliter or so."
"I see..."
"Before you ask anything else, we'd better translate that for you."
"Okay."
Ten minutes later, Belldandy was considerably calmer, and Skuld was still casting
ugly glances at Keiichi when Urd returned with a paper written in Japanese. It read
(Roughly translated to English):
"Norns:
"The mortal known as Morisato Keiichi is, at the request of (illegible characters)
granted level-three clearance to the Yggdrasil system and the information contained
therein. In addition, standing orders are suspended in relation to one additional request
by (same illegible characters), and the Goddess Belldandy is hereby given permission to
remove the secondary governors on her seal. On a different note, the Goddess Urd may
find it worthy of note that Allison Graveson will be moving to Japan within a week.
Standing orders pertaining to her are not changed.
"Kami-Sama.
"P.S.: You are to translate this notice for him, as he cannot yet read our
language."
"Keiichi," Urd started, "This is unheard-of. Level-three clearance is the same
clearance level that we have."
"Oh?"
"Yes. Actually, everyone has level-one clearance. Level-two is for mortals who meet
the requirements for being granted a wish. Level-three is for gods and goddesses, and
only Kami-sama himself has level-four clearance."
My voice interrupted, "That's not quite true, Urd. I have level-four clearance myself."
Urd looked surprised. "I didn't know."
"Yes, well, it's one of those things that Kam-chan doesn't exactly make public."
"Oh," Urd said, "I can see that."