“Can’t we… do something?”
As I covered my mouth and racked my brain, I saw Nifl trembling out of the corner of my eye.
Looking closely, she seemed to be trying hard to keep the corners of her mouth from turning up.
“Wh-What is it?”
“N-No… I just thought, you really are the Corpse King.”
“What does that mean…”
Setting aside her inner thoughts, Nifl usually doesn’t change her expression much. Seeing her looking at me with her cheeks visibly softening made me feel restless. What did I do to strike a chord with Nifl…?
“Corpse King, leave it to me. This ‘Fumou’ (foolish) is here to fulfill your wishes, after all.”
“…Seriously? Do you have a connection?”
When I asked in a whisper so that Gurba, who was looking longingly at the auction poster, wouldn’t hear, Nifl lightly patted her chest. When her ample chest swayed, Nidhogg, who was being held there, let out a growl of annoyance.
As I forced my gaze away and resisted her intentional visual distraction, Nifl continued while pouting slightly.
“It is not my connection… but the fruit of the Corpse King’ own deeds. I am merely preserving it without forgetting.”
“…Eh?”
“Corpse King. From here, please visit a certain Chamber of Commerce. We cannot accompany you, but you should have no problem alone.”
I don’t quite follow the story. But Nifl wouldn’t say something meaningless. Since I don’t know left from right in this era, I have no choice but to believe her.
“Got it. Gurba, I have a bit of business to take care of, so I’m leaving everyone to you.”
“Hm, alone?”
“Yeah, just for a bit. Just walk around and explore while you wait.”
“…Understood.”
Leaving behind Gurba, who still looked a bit downcast, I headed toward the Sleepless City branch of a major Chamber of Commerce, just as Nifl instructed.
“First, Corpse King, go to—”
I headed to the Sleepless City branch of a certain major trading company, doing exactly as Nifl told me.
The Senoskar Trading Company. Apparently, it’s a major merchant house that has its base in the Fortem Empire and has spread its influence across the entire continent. At the very least, it didn’t exist back when I was around—one hundred and eighty years ago.
According to Nifl, the luxurious building standing before me is its Sleepless City branch. Even within the glittering Sleepless City, it possessed an overwhelming presence. If this is just a branch, the scale and wealth of the Senoskar Chamber of Commerce must be immense.
I felt so out of place that I almost hesitated to enter. It reminded me of the first time I tried to enter a stylish cafe in Tokyo. No… this was much worse. This is a place exclusively for the upper class. It is definitely not a place where a “King of the World (lol)” should just waltz in.
But… there’s no option not to go, is there?
“Alright… here goes.”
I reluctantly stepped up the well-cleaned marble stairs and took a deep breath in front of the heavy-looking black doors.
As expected, when I pushed the heavy door, it made a much louder creeeak! than I expected.
I felt the gazes of the people walking on the street piercing my back, making me feel a bit uncomfortable. It’s that feeling when you make a noise in a quiet classroom. It’s unbearable.
“—Welcome. Welcome to the Senoskar Chamber of Commerce.”
Meeting me as if they had been waiting were two people, a man and a woman, dressed in crisp, expensive-looking uniforms. The badges on their chests featured the intricate design of the Chamber of Commerce emblem.
“May I ask your business today?”
The male member asked respectfully. The woman stood by with a pleasant smile, but…
They’re really sizing me up… Well, I’m clearly out of place, and I probably look suspicious… wait?
I noticed a slight sense of wrongness there.
It was a somewhat gloomy atmosphere… the two people attending to me seemed to lack a certain vitality. Simply put, they looked tired. I could even see faint dark circles under their eyes.
No, it wasn’t just those two. While not everyone, several other employees and even some customers looked just as haggard.
It might just be my imagination, but… I wonder what it is.
Hiding my nervous, sweating inner self and the slight sense of wrongness, I put on my best poker face and a fake smile. While signaling that I was harmless, I mentally repeated the words Nifl told me.
When I heard this name from Nifl earlier, I must have had a very surprised look on my face.
The important thing is to act as arrogant as possible… apparently.
“—I came to see Zeno. Put me through.”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
■
“I came to see Zeno. Put me through.”
The one who visited the Sleepless City branch of the Senoskar Chamber of Commerce was a young man.
His well-defined features were noteworthy, but otherwise, he was the definition of ordinary. He didn’t have the splendor of the nobles who usually visit the House, nor did he have the sharpened edge or majesty of a high-ranking seeker.
And then, he suddenly uttered those nonsensical words.
The two staff members attending to the youth were stunned, unable to find a reply. But after a brief moment, they exchanged looks and began their manual-prescribed response.
—Ah, a troublesome customer, they thought.
“There is currently no member by the name of Zeno at the Sleepless City branch.”
When the male staff member spoke, the youth’s eyebrow twitched.
The customers who had cast suspicious glances at the youth’s voice echoing through the large building also snorted at his shabby appearance.
“Our apologies. This establishment only handles official transactions.”
The youth was empty-handed. By any measure, he wasn’t here for a transaction.
The female staff member sharpened her gaze as if looking at a suspicious person, though she maintained her polite tone.
Mixing clear rejection into her voice, she continued her speech to send the bothersome youth on his way.
“Our apologies once again, but please take your leave for today—”
“…I came to see Zeno. Put me through.”
Ugh, how annoying. How persistent.
The thoughts of the two staff members extracted the exact same words.
For certain reasons, the two were not at their best, and they continued to deal with the youth while feeling a growing sense of irritation and lethargy.
“As I said—”
“You are disturbing our other guests, so please leave.”
Taking over from the female staff member who was still trying to be polite, the male staff member pressed forward, his tone growing harsher.
Faced with those words, the youth, for some reason, had a troubled expression on his face.
Swallowing the words “That’s my line,” the male staff member was about to press even further when—
“—What is all this commotion?”
The click-clack of high heels hitting the marble echoed through the Chamber of Commerce.
The dignified woman’s voice resonated pleasantly, and her beautiful appearance caused the customers to forget the presence of the suspicious intruder and stare in admiration for a moment.
Her uniform was a jacket made of material a grade higher than the average staff member’s. A woman with intelligent features that suited her thin-framed glasses stepped into the center of the scene.
“Br-Branch Manager! Forgive us… this person…”
Branch Manager. The woman so called stopped, her black hair neatly trimmed at her shoulders swaying. The badge on her chest was silver, indicating her high rank. A capable and shrewd woman entrusted with the branch of a Chamber of Commerce that rivaled the best on the continent, she cast a suspicious gaze at the youth at the center of the fuss.
“Excuse me. I am Serge, the one entrusted with this branch of the Senoskar Chamber of Commerce here in the Sleepless City. Sir, what seems to be the matter?”
Serge pointed to the silver badge that indicated her status and gave a respectful bow.
Glancing at the youth, Serge narrowed her eyes. Seeing the staff having trouble, she assumed he was a malicious troublemaker. Though she tried to maintain a courteous tone, her eyes naturally grew stern.
The male and female staff members who had been dealing with him breathed a secret sigh of relief.
That was because they knew Serge was someone who didn’t show favoritism to anyone and could handle situations with a firm hand. In addition to her natural personality, the fact that she held the track record and authority personally granted by the Chairman of the Senoskar Chamber of Commerce was a [Power] that surpassed everything else here. Even nobles or high-ranking seekers were not allowed to oppose her in this place.
It was a filtering of customers that was only permitted because they were a major Chamber of Commerce. A wise person would not cross Serge in the Sleepless City branch.
The two staff members watched the youth’s movements with more composure than before.
—However, the youth spoke again with a sullen attitude.
“I came to see Zeno. Put me through.”
“…………H-Huh?”
The only things echoing in the Chamber of Commerce, which had fallen silent at Serge’s appearance, were the youth’s unchanged tone and Serge’s weak, leaking voice.
After a brief silence, Serge snapped her eyes open and cleared her throat. Straightening her posture as if nothing had happened, she—
“—M-M-M-May I… p-please have… y-your name…?”
Her voice trembled, and she was visibly shaken, far from her usual dignified self.
“It’s Hizaki.”
The youth, who continued as if he didn’t even have her in his sight, gave his name.
“—Hi-Hizaki-sama?!”
Furthermore, Serge’s agitation knew no bounds.
“Br-Branch Manager… what is the matter…?”
The female staff member asked hesitantly. But Serge only trembled.
“St… Stand back…!”
What finally squeezed out of Serge’s mouth was a small, thin, and unreliable voice that the staff had never heard before. Not only the two of them, but the other staff and customers watching the turn of events could only doubt their ears.
Then—
“E-Erh… h-aah… Ahem! Th—This customer will be handled by me personally, in accordance with the manual. You all, return to your regular duties.”
Recovering her intelligent tone and iron mask as if her previous state was a lie, Serge signaled to the staff.
Leaving the stunned onlookers behind, Serge began to attend to Hizaki with a demeanor many times more respectful than usual.
“Hizaki-sama. If I may be so bold, would you please accompany me?”
“…Eh, ah, yeah.”
The youth, who for some reason seemed taken aback for a moment, nodded hurriedly and followed Serge.
The people who had been watching the situation with bated breath stood there with their mouths agape at the abrupt conclusion and the strangeness of Serge’s attitude. The staff could do nothing but watch the backs of the Branch Manager and the youth as they walked away.
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