On the way, I saw Nifl, who had changed into her sleepwear, walking toward me while carrying Nid, who had transformed into a small dragon.
Nifl looked exasperated as she held the completely exhausted Nid to her chest.
“Nifl, good work.”
“Ah…… you’ve caught me at an embarrassing moment.”
Looking truly embarrassed, Nifl lowered her face and hugged the Nid in her arms a little tighter.
“……Uguuu…… don’t shake me……”
“You drank too much, you stupid dragon.”
Ah, that again.
These two… plus one of the Hakkai (Eight Precepts) who isn’t here yet, make three. Despite how much they hate each other, their taste in alcohol and conversation matches perfectly. I joined them once, and even though they kept bickering almost like they were fighting, they drank with such gusto, and when they found something they agreed on, they were perfectly in sync. It was a very strange drinking party. Their relationship is quite complicated.
Nifl’s skin, usually white as fresh snow, was flushed red from something other than embarrassment. She really put them back.
My reliable right hand now had a gentle expression on her face, like the girl she once was.
“Was it fun?”
When I asked casually, Nifl pouted,
“……Well, it’s better than being alone……”
and mumbled
It seemed she had a very good time. That’s what matters most.
“Next time…… won’t you drink with us, Shiou-sama?”
“Yeah, maybe I’ll join in.”
Nifl hugged Nid tightly again and looked down at Nid, who let out a “Ugyuu~” sound.
“Come on, let’s go.”
“Water……”
“I understand…… Honestly.”
The people of Helheim are a collection of dangerous kids who might actually kill each other if they truly hated one another… so this kind of relationship might not be so bad.
“Well then, Corpse King…… goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
“Oaaah……”
As a limp Nid wagged her tail, Nifl walked straight toward Nid’s room.
She’s going to end up sleeping in the same bed, isn’t she? How nostalgic.
Helheim would collapse without me. The reason I took this break was to change that state of being, even just a little.
I’ve realized that the peace we have now and our casual daily lives would disappear if I weren’t here.
“……To be honest, I’m not really interested in the world.”
That’s my honest, unvarnished feeling.
I’m the only one who can do something about these guys who can’t live without depending on me.
“Sorry to the God, but… I think I’ll take it a little slower.”
The bonds that exist, however small, within the Hakkai. Only when those grow will they be able to live happily… I think.
That’s exactly why I want to hurry with the collection of the Hakkai.
“Well, that aside.”
I turned my thoughts toward the Sleepless City.
The fund-raising plan I came up with.
—The Sleepless City Tokijo (Fighting Arena).
A famous attraction of the Sleepless City where money, vanity, and combat swirl as a spectacle of fights between all sorts of monsters and outcasts.
The audience bets money on the participants, the “Toki,” gaining or losing money based on popularity and the outcome of the matches.
“I wonder how far I can climb with my current self……”
If I lose, I’ll lose everything I have, so I can’t afford to slack off.
Imagining the road to the Sleepless City tomorrow, I felt unusually giddy.
■
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
The Land of Desire, Shechem. People call it the “Sleepless City.”
This Land, built right on the edge of the territory of the world’s largest Fortem Empire, boasts only a single city as its territory.
The city, which has reached the height of prosperity as a commercial and entertainment district, is a dazzling “Sleepless Castle” that exists alongside the night… overflowing with light.
Its success is smeared with a human clamor and desire that rivals even the capital of the Empire.
If you walk through Shechem, lured by magic lights that dazzle more than the stars in the sky, you will inevitably see a castle. The keep that overlooks the city—Yaten (Night Heaven)—is the royal palace where the Lord of the Sleepless City resides.
The beautiful princess living at the top of Yaten, called “Kaguya,” is known as the [Keikokuki] (The Ruinous Beauty), and she never ceases to draw the gaze of the entire nation. So many people visit the Sleepless City just to get a glimpse of her, who is rumored to be the most beautiful on the continent.
And then, adjacent to Yaten, as if snuggling at its feet, is a large Colosseum-style fighting arena.
That structure, capable of holding a massive number of people, is a symbol of despair that contrasts with the hope of those who frequent it.
That is the Sleepless City Tokijo.
Seeking large fight purses, all sorts of races—mercenaries, explorers, nobles, slaves—participate as Toki… a den of iniquity that provides ridiculous creatures like “Tamed Demons” as entertainment.
And it’s a specialty of the Sleepless City, sustained by the spectators who bet money on the outcomes of those battles.
“O-oi……”
“Don’t you dare loseeeee!!”
“Pull yourself together! Do you have any idea how much I bet on youuuuu!!”
Abuse is hurled when the Toki someone bet on looks like they’re losing, and when they have the upper hand, it’s a mix of boisterous laughter and mockery.
Currently being showered with abuse was a grotesque beast.
[GUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!]
It was a four-legged beast-type Lesser Demon Toki provided by the Sleepless City side, utilizing taming-type supernatural abilities.
Facing that demon was an unremarkable, nameless Toki.
Medium build, blond hair, and no ambition in his stance.
However, the wind magic he manipulated was nothing short of extraordinary.
“What is with that rookie!?”
“S-so cool……”
“Even if it’s just a Lesser Demon, taking down a demon so easily……”
The spectators were in an uproar at the sight of the boy, who was devastating the demon with magic alone without even moving from his spot.
It is almost unheard of for a Toki’s debut match to have such an overwhelming outcome. This is because the management prepares an opponent suited to the Toki’s skill level.
“—Wait, why is everyone so surprised by this……?”
The boy’s voice echoed through the arena via amplification magic, leaving the spectators stunned.
“Everyone does this, right? It’s not impressive or anything, it’s normal.”
The boy muttered this, seemingly unaware of his own strength and power.
Not realizing he was out of sync with reality, the boy looked around at the spectators while delivering the finishing blow to the dying demon.
“Is this actually supposed to be impressive? I wasn’t even trying……”
Ignoring the boy who couldn’t grasp the situation, the referee gave the signal for the end.
“M-match over! The winner—Aleu-Carry!!”
“I guess I accidentally stood out too much……”
Leaving the arena with cheers at his back, Aleu made his way to the Toki waiting room with a nonchalant face.
He didn’t even flicker an eye at the stares directed at him from other participants along the way, maintaining a composed look.
In the Toki waiting room.
In the private space provided to him, while Aleu waited for his fight money to be processed…
“Nihihi…… Onii-san, you’re so stroooong!”
“……Hresvelgr, huh.”
“Eeeh! Please just call Fu-chan ‘Fu-chan’ casually~!”
“You’re annoying.”
“You say that, but it’s totally obvious you’re glancing at Fu-chan’s chest~”
“Hmph.”
Aleu turned his face away from Hresvelgr’s voice as she leaned in close, putting on a displeased expression.
“Onii-san, don’t you think you could be a little more grateful to Fu-chan? Fu-chan is the one lending you the wind magic you’re using.”
“You said you fell in love with me at first sight, so I’m using it for you. Don’t forget that.”
“……Nfu, okaaaay~”
Aleu shook his head with a “Good grief” as Hresvelgr narrowed her eyes with her usual mocking tone.
When Aleu entered the Sleepless City, the first girl to call out to him was this one. The girl, who called herself Hresvelgr, had said:
[I fell in love with Onii-san at first sight!]
While blushing, she bestowed magic upon Aleu.
For Aleu, who sought power for a certain reason, this was the ultimate stroke of luck. Combined with the fact that Hresvelgr was a beautiful girl who turned heads everywhere she went, Aleu believed without a shadow of a doubt that this was his luck finally turning around after a string of misfortunes.
“If anyone can use magic, they can do that. You’re the one who gave it to me, but I’m the one who’s handling it well…… right?”
“Ah, right, right! Onii-san, you’re amazing~~!”
“Haha, exactly. Just because my supernatural ability is inconvenient doesn’t mean I can’t do this much if I try. I could even take on a Level 8 Explorer…!”
Aleu clenched his fist, his eyes widening as he thought back to what happened in his hometown.
The boys and girls his age who looked down on him, saying he “wasn’t suited for it” just because they were lucky enough to receive powerful abilities.
[———Do your best! You can do it, Aleu!]
The smile of the girl he was closest to in his hometown had been Aleu’s hope.
And yet, despite saying those things with a smile, his childhood friend Laika had left Aleu behind to follow an explorer who came to town.
A memory of betrayal etched into Aleu.
However—
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