Chapter 1: Reunion in the Sleepless City
“Gurba, here, take this.”
“Ooh…… This is……”
After the commotion in Gagiur, we had returned to our base in Helheim, [Eljudnir], via Nifl’s teleportation, and were taking a moment of rest.
No matter how strong you are, mental fatigue is inevitable. Taking care of my subordinates’ mental health is part of my duty as the one who, for better or worse, claims the title of King.
What I handed to Gurba was a material left behind by Ose, the Greater Demon who held the title of “President,” whom we encountered when we stopped by the explorer city.
Gurba is a total workaholic—or rather, blacksmithing is his reason for living—so even if I tell him to rest, he won’t. I might as well let him go all out. Among his passions, messing with materials from Greater Demons is at the top of the list.
It had been a while since I stepped into Gurba’s workshop inside Eljudnir, but it hadn’t changed at all. That’s likely thanks to Nifl never failing to keep it clean.
“Ho…… Young Master, you don’t mind if I tinker with this as I please?”
“Yeah, I’m expecting great work. Of course, I’ll pay you for it.”
“……I have told you since long ago that I require no reward.”
“I don’t hold back on paying for actions taken. It’s part of a King’s role, after all.”
“Listen to you talk.”
What you return for trust is trust and compensation. Since he’s doing a job, it’s only right there’s a monetary or material reward.
Besides, for the current me, the armaments Gurba crafts are quite literally my lifeline. Unlike back then when I had numerous supernatural powers, my greatest weapons now are Gurba’s gear.
Right now, I have seven. And all of them generally require a “Cool-down Period.”
For example, the Sword of Flauros and the Chains of Glasya-Labolas. Those two, which I used recently, are unusable for about a month.
In other words, I’m constantly in need of new equipment. Fighting against Greater Demons of Marquis rank or higher is tough with just my body alone. I have my subordinates, of course… but I know from personal experience that things go south if you underestimate the situation. Even when chasing the “Fake Helheim,” haste makes waste. If time allows, there’s no harm in being prepared.
Gurba scrutinized the material from every angle. After looking at it through a magnifying glass he pulled from his vest, he let out a breath and placed a brush and parchment on the table.
“Hmm…… If we set this material as the base…… considering the required strength, I’ll need the hide of an Ancient Species, the carapace of at least a Mid-tier Demon, and the powdered liver of the same.”
Gurba’s brush glided smoothly across the parchment as he handed it to me.
“With those, I shall provide you with armaments that are in no way inferior to those of old.”
“Oh, that’s reassuring. As expected of you.”
“Gahaha! Leave it to me!”
Gurba slapped me on the back repeatedly and began a detailed cleaning of his workshop.
Seeing Gurba looking so much more lively than when we reunited in Gagiur made me smirk. He was called the Forge God, but… looking at him like this, he’s just a good-natured old man.
“……Even so…… an Ancient Species’ hide, huh?”
Ancient Species.
It’s the general term for the beasts that roamed the earth long before demons or humans were born.
An easy-to-understand example would be—
“King! Get in the bath!”
“You stupid dragon! Get in by yourself! Don’t bother the Corpse King!”
The one being dragged away by Nifl was Nidhogg, or Nid—a member of the Dragon race.
A type of Ancient Species commonly referred to as a “Dragon.”
Furthermore—
“Hey, Grandpa. Garm wants to watch Grandpa’s smithing after such a long time!”
“Mu? Is that so, is that so. Then, I suppose I’ll forge some random iron I brought from the Gagiur workshop.”
“Yay!”
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Garm jumped onto Gurba’s back. Her parent was a “Cursed Wolf,” an Ancient Wolf race and one of the Ancient Species.
Well, they are rare species. Since it’s their hide, it’s not the kind of thing that just circulates in the market.
Even if I tried to find one, their rarity makes the difficulty high, and they are more powerful than a clumsy Greater Demon. If I ended up using Gurba’s weapons just to defeat an Ancient Species, I’d be putting the cart before the horse.
In that case…
“I guess it’s the auction……”
I have to buy it. Since that’s decided, there’s only one destination.
The continent’s greatest nation of desire.
The country’s name is Shechem. People call it the “Sleepless City.”
“The Sleepless City…… maybe I’ll check it out.”
“Mu? The Sleepless City, you say?”
Gurba turned around, looking thoughtful with Garm still on his shoulders.
“The auctions in the Sleepless City always have featured items, right? Materials related to Ancient Species, or relics from fallen kingdoms.”
“Hmm…… It is more realistic than searching aimlessly, I suppose……”
“I won’t know for sure until I go. But among Ancient Species materials, hides are on the side that circulates more often. I think there’s a chance.”
As Gurba said, this method is the most realistic.
“Conversely, it means I’ll find out once I get there. I’ve always been one for playing it by ear, right?”
“You haven’t changed, Young Master.”
Gurba’s stern face relaxed into a happy smile.
Now, we had decided to head to the Sleepless City in search of an Ancient Species hide, but…
“If we’re going to an auction…… my pockets are looking a bit light.”
“Indeed. For an auction in the Sleepless City, one would likely need around 100 gold coins just for the entry deposit. And the competitors will surely bring plenty of their own.”
“Yeah, true……”
I racked my brain alongside Gurba over the money problem—the same one I’d struggled with before. Since it’s an auction format, I need capital. Furthermore, from the perspective of the item’s rarity and maintaining confidentiality, the deposit—the entry fee alone—is about 10 million yen in Japanese currency, which is absolutely insane. Even so, the number of participants is supposedly quite high. That’s how valuable and expensive the auction items are. It would be a disaster if they were stolen.
Sitting in the bath installed in Eljudnir’s courtyard, watching the night sky projected by magic, both of us groaned.
“I have more than enough in my savings, however……”
“I know I have a troublesome personality, but using that is a no-go. I can’t ask you for work and then ask you to fund it too.”
“Then, Young Master, do you have a plan?”
“……My total fortune is the 50 gold coins I got when I gave Lena-chan her sword…… Well, we’re going to the Sleepless City. There are plenty of ways to make it work.”
“Ho.”
Gurba, who had humored my slightly long soak, watched Garm swimming around in the same open-air bath we were in with a fond look, then curled the corner of his mouth in amusement.
“Are you thinking of something wicked again?”
“It’s not exactly… wicked. The Sleepless City is a city of gambling, after all.”
“……Surely, you aren’t suggesting you’ll gamble……”
“It’s in the ballpark… I guess. But this way is more certain than normal gambling.”
“What are you two talking about~?”
I caught Garm as she approached us, splashing around doing a doggy paddle.
“The auction in the Sleepless City is……”
“Just as it was in the past, held once a month. It should be in about two weeks’ time.”
“Oh, you’re well-informed.”
“An inquiry came in at the beginning of this month asking if I would submit my armaments. Given the delivery deadline, it should be around then. Naturally, I turned them down.”
Looking up at the fake moon, Gurba spoke calmly.
“You’re as indifferent to money as ever. An order from the Sleepless City would probably pay enough to live comfortably for a year… or two.”
“Those who buy armaments at an auction seek artistic value, rarity, or ‘mounts’ of superiority over other capitalists and dilettantes. It is the polar opposite of my true desire. You should understand that too, Young Master.”
“You’re the one who hasn’t changed. Stubborn as always.”
“It is consistency. Pride.”
Garm, left out of the conversation, tilted her head and looked up at mine and Gurba’s faces. I spoke while fiddling with the ears of the pure wolf-girl.
“Garm. I’m going to work hard and fight, so will you cheer for me?”
“Eeeehh!? King is going to work hard!? I want to cheer!”
“I see, I see. Thanks~”
Gurba seemed to understand my goal from my words as I played with Garm. He slapped his knee and nodded deeply with a “I see.”
I got out of the bath and dried Garm off as she shook herself to get the water off. The wolf-girl put on her clothes and jumped onto Gurba’s back to play.
“Grandpa, forward!”
“Well then, Young Master, I shall carry Garm to her bedroom.”
“Okay, goodnight. We start moving tomorrow.”
“Leave it to me.”
“Roger~!”
I watched them leave as Garm “vroom-vroomed” while pretending to steer the “Gurba Express,” and then headed to my own room.
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