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運命の時へ…… To the Fateful Time... The Fated Hour
= Sidequest: Finishing off Vinnegar =
ビネガーのやかた A.D. 600 Vinnegar's Manor Ozzie's Fort

To the east of where Magus Castle was, on the site of Medina in the Modern Age, stands a small castle. A version of "Underground Waterway" that lacks the watery effects plays here, probably for the eerie feel. Vinnegar himself stands atop a flight of stairs in the entryway.

ビネガー「ウエ~ルカ~ム!
  ここは大魔王ビネガーの……
         !?

Vinnegar: Welllllcome!
This is the Grand Magus Vinnegar's...
        !?

OZZIE: Come on in!
 This's the Great Ozzie's place.
 

Vinnegar has attached a title to his name. It's the same one the Magus uses in place of a name, but with an intensifier added. For consistency, I'm using "Grand Magus", but much like before, it's arguably closer to "Grand Demon King".

Vinnegar looks shocked and utters the following garbled and apparently meaningless noise, adapted to something similarly meaningless:

ビネガー「おぴょおっ!!

Vinnegar: Gblarg!!

OZZIE: What the...!

If the Magus is not in the active party, Vinnegar runs off almost immediately.

ビネガー「また、お前達か! Vinnegar: You guys again!? OZZIE: Oh, and you again!
ビネガー「……、さらばだっ! Vinnegar: ...see ya! OZZIE: Outta here!

If the Magus is here, things are a bit more interesting. Vinnegar somehow manages to look even more shocked.

ビネガー「あ、あなたは、魔王様! Vinnegar: Y-you're, the great Magus! OZZIE: You...you're the great {Magus}!
魔王「……いい身分だな、ビネガー。 Magus: ...wormed your way into luxury, Vinnegar? {Magus}: You're doing well, Ozzie!

After checking into it more thoroughly, I've found that in this context, いい身分 (ii mibun) amounts to a snarky comment used when someone has, in the speaker's opinion, managed to get into an unfairly comfortable situation, one that he never earned and certainly does not deserve.

ビネガー「……、何を言われるか!
  魔族の世をきずくための戦いをすて
  人間共にこびへつらうあなたなぞ
  もう、我らの王ではない!

Vinnegar: ...what are you saying!?
The likes of you, who kiss up to humans
and abandon our battle to build a world of
Demons, are no more king to us!

OZZIE: The nerve!
 Deserting your fellow Mystics to
 serve these humans!
 You're a traitor! You're not our King!
ビネガー「なぜ、我らを裏切った…… Vinnegar: Why have you betrayed us...? OZZIE: Why did you desert us?

Vinnegar retreats into the castle, but stops in the next room.

ビネガー「し、しつこいヤツらめ!
  こうなったら……

Vinnegar: Y-you obstinate bastards!
Fine, then...

OZZIE: You pesky, low down, good for
 nothings!
 Ooh!
 I'll have you begging for mercy.
ビネガー「マヨネーッ! Vinnegar: Mayonnay! OZZIE: Flea!

The room dims and Mayonnay appears, as giddy as ever.

マヨネー「は~い!
  あたいを、よ{heart}{heart}{heart}

Mayonnay: Here!
You called {heart} for {heart} me?

FLEA: You sent for me?

Magus-free version.

マヨネー「あ~ら、これはみなさん
  おひさしぶりネ~。
  しつこいコは、オネーサン
  キ{heart}{heart}イ なのヨネ~。

Mayonnay: Oh my, look who we have
here. It sure has been a while.
Big sis does {heart} not {heart} like stubborn
little boys and girls.

FLEA: Long time no see.
 You know, I REALLY don't like you.

Magus-enriched version.

マヨネー「あ~ら、これは魔王様。
  どのツラ下げて来られたのかしらネ~。
  人間に味方するような裏切り者は
  このオネーサンがおしおきヨネ~。

Mayonnay: Oh my, it's the great Magus.
I wonder how you have the nerve to
come here. Big sis will punish the
traitor who would side with humans.

FLEA: Well, if it isn't Sir {Magus}.
 Who'd you bribe to get in here?
 Traitors like you deserve a beating.
マヨネー「さ、大魔王ビネガー様は
  下がってて。
  ききわけのないこのコ達のシマツは
  このあたいにまかせてヨネ~。

Mayonnay: Now, stand back,
O Grand Magus Vinnegar.
Leave dealing with these
naughty children to me.

FLEA: Oh great Ozzie, stand back, and
 let ME take care of these cretins.
ビネガー「たのんだぞ、マヨネー! Vinnegar: I'm counting on you, Mayonnay! OZZIE: I'm counting on you, Flea!

He retreats again.

マヨネー「さ~、オ{heart}{heart}{heart}{heart} Mayonnay: Now, for your pun{heart}ish{heart}ment! FLEA: Get ready for a SLAPPING good
 time...get it?!

Battle time. Super Mayonnay (Flea Plus), monster ID 187, is nothing special, though, and Ayla can't even steal anything.

マヨネー「キ~ッ! くやし~い!!
  おぼえてらっしゃい!

Mayonnay: Urgh! How irritating!!
You'll pay for this!

FLEA: OH!
 Just you wait!
 We'll teach you a lesson!

Mayonnay retreats too. The next room has chains, conveyor belts, and pits on the sides of the room. Vinnegar stands on a ledge above, next to a crank.

ビネガー「な~いす とう みーちゆ~!
  出でよ、我がしもべ達!
  ワシが魔王城から持ち出した宝物を
  取り返そうとするこやつらを
  ボッコボコにするのだ!!

Vinnegar: Niys too mee chew!
Come forth, my servants!
Make mincemeat of these bastards
who are trying to take back the treasure
I carried off from Magus Castle!!

OZZIE: Howdy!
 You're nothing but common
 thieves!
 Anyone who tries to steal my
 treasure is looking for a VERY cruel
 death!

Try saying the first line out loud. He's saying "Nice to meet you" in very poor English in the original, so I tried to preserve the awfulness while making it somewhat readable. And it's treasure from Magus Castle, not just any treasure. Oooh...

He starts turning the crank, and monsters come up the chains.

ビネガー「れっつら ご~! Vinnegar: Let's la go! OZZIE: And away we go!

Possibly a reference to a variety show of that name.

The battle music starts, everyone pulls out their weapons, and the monsters look menacing for a few seconds, but they just fall into the pits on the other side of the conveyor belts. Oops. Vinnegar's Manor may have similar architecture to Magus Castle, but apparently less care was put into making sure things actually work the way they're supposed to. The music slows to a halt, and everyone looks perplexed.

ビネガー「ビ……
  ビネガー ピ~ンチッ!!

Vinnegar: Vi...
Vinnegar PINCH!!

OZZIE: Oz...
 Ozzie's in a pickle!!!
ビネガー「……、さらばだっ! Vinnegar: ...see ya! OZZIE: Outta here!

He fades out of the room, and the normal music resumes. A little further in, Vinnegar stands at the far side of a room much like the one where he summoned Mayonnay.

ビネガー「ま、まだ追って来る気か?
  こうなったら……

Vinnegar: Y-you still mean to follow me?
Fine, then...

OZZIE: You STILL haven't given up?
 Well, how about a good thrashing!
ビネガー「ソイソ~ッ!! Vinnegar: Soysaw!! OZZIE: Slash!!

The room dims and Soysaw appears, with rather more dignity.

ソイソー「お呼びになられましたか? Soysaw: You called? SLASH: Yooouuu rang?
ビネガー「ソイソー、まかせたぞ! Vinnegar: Soysaw, I'm leaving this to you! OZZIE: Slash, don't let me down!

Vinnegar retreats, again.

Without the Magus.

ソイソー「過日は君達におくれをとったが
  二度目は、ない。

Soysaw: I suffered defeat to you the other day,
but it won't happen a second time.

SLASH: Beat me once, shame on you!
 Beat me twice, shame on me.
 Grrr...

With the Magus.

ソイソー「かつて主君とあおいだ方と
  剣を交えるのは不本意であるが……
  これも運命とあれば、しかたあるまい!

Soysaw: I am reluctant to cross swords with
my former liege and one whom I revered...
but if this, too, is fate, I have little choice!

SLASH: At first I really didn't want to
 slice and dice ya, but now it sounds
 kind of fun!

Bad... NA... translation... brain... hurts...

ソイソー「カクゴはいいか!? Soysaw: Are you prepared!? SLASH: Ready?

Battle time. Super Soysaw (Super Slash), monster ID 186, is nothing special either, and Ayla still can't even steal anything.

ソイソー「クッ、ぬかったわ! Soysaw: Kh, I fouled up! SLASH: Ouch!

Soysaw retreats too. In the next room, Vinnegar stands by another crank, and a blade on a chain dangles by a treasure chest.

ビネガー「かま~ん、べいべ~! Vinnegar: Comon, baybay! OZZIE: Come on, sweethearts!

He turns the crank, and the blade moves up and down.

Walking underneath it is an option...

ビネガー「ひょ~っひょ!
  ひっかかったな!!

Vinnegar: Hyo, hyo!
You fell for it!!

OZZIE: Mwa ha!!
 Gotcha!

Vinnegar speeds up the cranking, and the blade goes nuts, reducing everyone to 1 hit point. He laughs and disappears.

...but of course it's a better idea to ignore it and keep going.

ビネガー「あ、あの~、宝ばこは?
  取ってかないんすか?
  きっといいものが入ってるよ!

Vinnegar: Um, hello, the treasure box?
Aren't you going to take it?
I'm sure it's got something good in it!

OZZIE: Don't you want the treasure
 box?
 Probably filled with goodies!

A Jarry (one of the little goblin monsters) walks in and sees the chest.

あ、お宝 見~っけ!! Ah, treasure found!! Found the treasure!!

It walks right into the blade, gets chopped up, and dies.

ビネガー「ビ……
  ビネガー ショ~ック!!

Vinnegar: Vi...
Vinnegar SHOCK!!

OZZIE: Oz...
 Ozzie's stumped!
ビネガー「……、さらばだっ! Vinnegar: ...see ya! OZZIE: Outta here!

Vinnegar disappears.

The chest has the same contents either way, so why not wait until it's safe to take? Vinnegar, Mayonnay, and Soysaw await the party in the next room.

ビネガー「フッフッフッ、3度目の正直。
  今度は、そうカンタンにはやられんぞ。

Vinnegar: Hu, hu, hu, third time's a charm.
This time, we won't be beaten so easily.

OZZIE: Heh heh. Not so fast, friends.
 I'm not going to make it that easy
 for you.
ビネガー「ビネガー・パンツ!

Vinnegar: Vinnegar Underpants!

OZZIE: Ozzie Pants!
マヨネー「マヨネー・ブラ! Mayonnay: Mayonnay Bra! FLEA: Flea Vest!
ソイソー「ソイソー刀2! Soysaw: Soysaw Katana 2! SLASH: Slasher 2!
ビネガー「我らが身につけし
  この必殺アイテムで、キサマ達を
  メッタメタのギッタンギッタンに
  してくれるわ~!

Vinnegar: With these sure-kill items
we have equipped, we'll beat you
bastards to a bloody lifeless
unrecognizable pulp!

OZZIE: These unique items make us
 INVINCIBLE!

I'm taking some liberties with what he intends to do to them, but that's basically his meaning.

It's time for another battle! But this time it's actually challenging, partly because all three are here, but mostly because they have special abilities and counterattacks. They even get the special alternate boss music.

With help from Super Mayonnay, Super Soysaw counters, whenever hit, using an unnamed skill that resembles Crono and Lucca's Fire Sword (there's something in the combat text about a Heartfire Sword that might be for this, but it never displays in-game). All three of them counter hits against Super Mayonnay with...

 悪インパルス / モンスター3体技 Vile Impulse / 3-monster tech Bad Impulse / 3 monster technique

...a Fire attack similar to Crono, Marle, and Frog's Arc Impulse, if dumber looking. Also note the phonetic similarity between the usual アーク (AAKU, ark) and the 悪 (aku, bad/evil) here. I sort of want to call it "Dark Impulse", but that would suggest it's Dark-elemental, which it isn't.

All three of them counter hits on Great Vinnegar with...

ミックスデルタ / モンスター3体技 Mix Delta / 3-monster tech Delta Force / 3 monster technique

...which is essentially the same as the Crono+Marle+Lucca skill with the same name. Attacking all three at once triggers all three counterattacks at once, so don't. Since many of these attacks are Fire-based, equip some Fire protection. Most of their power comes from the counterattacks, and they can only use them when all involved remain in the fight. Kill Super Soysaw first to make things easier. Super Mayonnay will run away shortly if Super Soysaw falls, and Great Vinnegar is predictably helpless when alone.

Alternately, if you have Dark absorb or enough magic defense to handle their counters, taking out just Vinnegar wins the battle automatically.

Also, I hope you brought Ayla with you, since you can actually steal all three of the items they mentioned, but be warned that this provokes counterattacks. Although the Vinnegar Underpants are predictably worthless despite their high defense, the Soysaw Katana 2 is a fairly good sword for Crono, and the Mayonnay Bra provides the best bonus to magic defense of any accessory. See the items page for details.

ビネガー「んな、アホな! Vinnegar: It CAN'T be! OZZIE: What in the...!

Very minor wordplay here. そんなバカな (sonna BAKA na) occurs fairly often as a "no way!" expression, and あほう (ahou) and ばか (baka) both mean (approximately) idiotic, so substitute アホ (AHO) for baka... Or it might just be a regional variant.

Vinnegar retreats yet again. The party finds him upstairs, with three switches on the wall behind him.

Extra dialog if the Magus is present.

ビネガー「魔王様……
  あくまで、ワシを倒そうとされるか。
  共に戦い、魔族の世界をつくろうという
  夢は、ウソだったのか!

Vinnegar: Great Magus...
Are you bent on taking me down?
Was our dream of fighting together
to create a world of Demons a lie!?

OZZIE: {Magus}!
 You lied when you said you wanted
 to create a world of evil!
 You used me!
魔王「フン……。
  私は力がほしかっただけだ。
  お前にも聞こえるだろう。
  黒い風の音が……。

Magus: Hmph...
I just wanted power.
Perhaps you can hear it too.
The sound of the black wind...

{Magus}: Oh, how dreadful.
 Say, can you hear that?
 It's the sound of the Reaper...
ビネガー「ワシは負けぬ!
  ワシが負けたら魔族の未来はどうなる!
  ワシは負けるわけにはゆかんのだ!

Vinnegar: I won't lose! What would
become of the Demons' future if I lost!?
I simply can't afford to lose!

OZZIE: I can't lose!
 What would become of my Mystics?
 I MUST win!

Vinnegar (now just Vinnegar, not even Great Vinnegar) resorts to his trick of hiding in an impenetrable barrier. Incidentally, Ayla can steal Vinnegar Underpants from him if she didn't earlier, or even if she did. Attacking the switch ends the battle, but this time the hole opens up beneath the party.

This is monster ID 167 again, just like when you face him earlier in Magus Castle. The only thing keeping you from stealing Vinnegar Underpants then is that Ayla can't be in the party at that point.

ビネガー「ひょ~っひょ!
  ひっかかったな!!

Vinnegar: Hyo, hyo!
You fell for it!!

OZZIE: Mwa ha!!
 Gotcha!
ビネガー「アディオス アミ~ゴ! Vinnegar: Adios, amigos! OZZIE: Adios, amigos!

However, they just land, unharmed, in the room below, and can come right back up.

ビネガー「ムダ、ムダ、ムダァァァァッ!
  キサマ達ではワシは倒せん!

Vinnegar: Useless, useless, USELESS!
You bastards can't beat me!

OZZIE: NEVER!
 You will NEVER defeat me!

The boss music starts up, but before anyone can do anything, a cat walks up and hits one of the switches.

ビネガー「そ、そのスイッチは! Vinnegar: Th-that switch! OZZIE: N...no! Not THAT switch!!

A hole opens under Vinnegar, and he falls and goes splat.

(someone speaks)

マール「……、こりない人よね。 Marle: ...he never learns, does he. {Marle}: He never gives up, does he?
ルッカ「……。
  なんだったの、アイツ?

Lucca: ......
What was up with him?

{Lucca}: What was he trying to do?
カエル「バカが…… Frog: The idiot... {Frog}: The stupid fool...
ロボ「リ、理解不可能デス……。 Robo: C-comprehesion IS impossible... {Robo}: What was he trying to
 accomplish?
エイラ「アイツ ナニ したかった?
  エイラ わからない。

Ayla: What he want do?
Ayla not understand.

{Ayla}: What he want?
 {Ayla} no understand.
魔王「過ぎたことだ。
  全ては、うたかたの夢……

Magus: What's past is past.
Everything, an ephemeral dream...

{Magus}: The past is dead.
 It was all just a dream...

Don't leave just yet... remember that treasure Vinnegar mentioned? In the room where he trapped the chest, go down from the right side of the stairs. There's a passage through the wall to a small room with a Magic Capsule and three chests. The chests contain the Mantle of Despair, the Helmet of Despair, and the Scythe of Despair, very powerful equipment that only the Magus can use.


メディーナ村 A.D. 1000 Medina Village Medina

With the fall of Vinnegar 400 years earlier, things have changed a lot here. The little goblins now run the town, they're peaceful and friendly, and "Merry Specchio" plays. The merchant, far from overcharging, actually gives a 20% discount compared to other shops. Not only that, but all the bigger, more warlike Demons are doing all the menial tasks. The most amusing change is in the chief's house. A blue Jarry sits in the chief's couch...

私がメディーナ村の村長だ。
まあ、ゆっくりしていってくれ。
I am the chief of Medina Village.
Now, go ahead and enjoy your stay.
I'm the leader of Medina.
Make yourself at home.

...there's a human here...

おいらの名前は、バンドー。
メディーナ村とトルースの間に
定期船を作るために、ここにきているのさ。
My name's Bandeau.
I'm here so we can build a ferry
between Medina Village and Truce.
The name's Bandeau.
Here to build the ferry between Medina
and Truce.

...and even Vinnegar's descendant is on cleaning duty.

ビネガー8世「ハイ!
  いっしょうけんめい そうじしています。
  サボってなんかいません、ホントです!
  …………、シクシク。
  そんなにイジメなくても……

Vinnegar VIII: Yes!
I am cleaning with the utmost effort.
I am not slacking off at all, I swear!
........*sob*, *sob*.
You don't have to pick on me like that...

OZZIE VIII: Yes sir!
 I take pride in cleaning up.
 No, I'm not slacking off!

Well, that's the end of that sidequest. Rewards: Vinnegar Underpants (steal up to 2), Soysaw Katana 2 (steal), Mayonnay Bra (steal), Magic Capsule, Mantle of Despair, Helmet of Despair, Scythe of Despair, various other treasure, 20% off item prices in Medina, and getting rid of that hideous statue in the Medina village square.

With the Magus having vanished after his failed summoning of Lavos, and Vinnegar utterly stripped of any credibility or dignity he may have had, the warmongers must have looked like fools. The resulting impact on prevailing attitudes and relations with the humans has had a drastic effect on the situation in the Modern Age.



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