Side: Labyris
"Fuahhh...... It's already morning."
Because of the uncomfortable bed, I woke up earlier than I expected.
"...It's still dark outside."
That said, the current time is around 5:00 AM.
In a normal place without electricity, waking up usually happens right around when it starts getting bright outside, and people head to sleep once the sun sets and it gets dark.
Weed is just way too exceptional.
Thanks to electricity, it's bright even late at night, and because clocks are widely available, everyone moves according to schedule.
Because of that, daily routines aren't dictated by the weather or daylight, allowing everyone to live a properly regulated life and providing an excellent reference point.
Yuki once mentioned that it sometimes feels like being bound by time. I can understand what he means, but without it, problems arise from everyone's varying perceptions of time, which causes all kinds of inconveniences. Personally, I view it as a form of efficiency rather than being bound.
"Back in Weed, almost everyone would still be sound asleep at this hour, but I guess things don't work that way over here."
It seems the reason I woke up so early wasn't entirely due to the bed.
Through the door and the windows, I can hear the distant sounds of people moving about.
For the Jilva Empire, this hour is the standard waking time, marking the start of a new day.
"Nnn..."
A sleepy voice came from beside me.
"Hehe... Onii-chan... it's delicious..."
Over there, Aslin is smiling in the middle of a dream.
Judging by her sleep-talking, Yuki had probably treated her to another new dish in her dreams.
Filia and Sheila were still asleep as well.
"What should I do, I wonder?"
Thinking that, I got out of bed.
"Yuki and the others are probably still asleep too. If we were back home, I'd ambush him while he's still in bed."
Mornings were when Yuki's important part got bigger, so it needed proper attention.
However, I don't quite have the nerve to pull off that kind of stunt using a Doppel body in a foreign country—especially a delicate, ambiguous place where we aren't exactly on friendly terms.
Well, if Yuki requested it of me, I'd comply in a heartbeat. I'd gladly welcome an outdoor display or whatever else he wanted.
Setting aside those pink delusions for when we get back home today, I need to figure out what to do right now.
I step away from the bed and head over to the table.
The room assigned to us this time is quite spacious.
The fact that it had a bed large enough for all four of us to sleep together should tell you it was a fairly respectable room.
"But it's only spacious."
The overall quality doesn't even come close to Weed's standards.
Because it's unnecessarily large, it feels quite cold, and we have to light the fireplace ourselves—which is completely standard for the outside world, but back in Weed, it's handled by a single button press.
Complaining won't change anything, so I decide to light the fireplace for the first time in a while.
Before long, the temperature in the room starts to feel a bit warmer.
That said, there were still some embers left over from last night, so all I had to do was add some firewood and give it some air, which didn't take much effort.
I had almost forgotten since it's been so long, but keeping the embers buried in the ash to preserve the flame is a basic technique. I did it myself last night and completely forgot about it.
"Now the girls won't wake up shivering from the cold."
Having stoked the fire, I finally sit down in a chair.
But there's nothing to do.
Going back to sleep feels pointless, and wandering outside by myself isn't a good idea either.
In terms of actual combat ability, I'd be perfectly fine, but leaving the room would leave Aslin and the others entirely unprotected.
The way Yuki spoke yesterday was an absolute provocation, no matter how you look at it.
His goal is undoubtedly to wait for the other side to make a move, intercept them, and use the incident as leverage to ensure we can move about with complete freedom.
Of course, given the overwhelming gap in raw strength, Aslin and the kids aren't in any real danger of being killed or subjected to anything perverted, but mentally speaking, Aslin and Filia are still quite young.
Sheila has plenty of experience handling things as royalty, so while she might be a bit detached from standard common sense, she isn't the type to be easily deceived.
Consequentially, if I disappear, there's a good chance Aslin and Filia might take it upon themselves to look for me and end up getting completely lost.
"If they're going to target anyone, it'll almost certainly be us since we look so young."
Yes, if trouble is going to brew, it will definitely happen around us.
During yesterday's brief skirmish, we didn't do a single thing while standing next to Yuki. All the enemies were taken down by Tori, Riel, Kaya, and Ria.
Therefore, even if those humans look down on demi-humans, I highly doubt they'd be foolish enough to pick a fight with opponents they couldn't even touch.
Which means their targets are us.
We look young, we are demi-humans, and we are easily perceived as weak targets requiring protection.
There's a non-zero chance they might try targeting Yuki instead, but... worrying about him is pointless.
"Just being awake and on guard should help."
Without waking the three sleeping girls, I pull my katana from the Item Box so that I'm fully prepared to counter an ambush from any direction.
With that, my preparations are instantly complete, so I pick up a snack-like item left on the table and take a bite.
Crunch.
"A cookie? But it isn't sweet. It feels like it's just been baked plain."
Comparing this to Weed is just pitiful. I really think they should have at least a few delicious delicacies we haven't seen before.
As I spend my time internally criticizing the Jilva Empire's environment—
BOOM!!
A massive sound echoes through the castle.
"Fweh!? What was that!?"
"Anii-sama!! Something terrible has happened!!"
"Both of you, please calm down."
The noise startled Aslin and Filia awake.
The sudden blast jolts Aslin and Filia wide awake.
Since they look ready to bolt out the door immediately, Sheila, who woke up at the same time, hurriedly tries to soothe them.
"I wonder what happened?"
I tilt my head, casting a wary gaze around the room.
That explosion sounded incredibly close.
Did they decide to bypass us and launch an attack on Yuki's room instead?
Sheila directs her eyes toward me, silently asking what's going on, but since I don't have an answer, I simply shake my head.
For the time being, we ready our weapons and maintain a defensive stance inside the room without stepping out, when suddenly—
"—Get out!!"
"—You've got some nerve coming to attack us!!"
"...Fools never learn!!"
Accompanied by those distinct, familiar voices, another loud crash echoes through the corridor.
"Ah, that's Tori-oneechan and the others!"
"Something is happening!! We have to go right away!!"
Ignoring Sheila's attempts to stop them, the two girls dashed out of the room.
"Ah!"
"...We're going after them!"
Sheila and I immediately sprint out of the room to catch up with Aslin and Filia.
"Don't tell me..."
"No doubt. Unbelievable, isn't it? To think they'd choose to attack the people who utterly crushed them..."
I don't know what the King of Jilva or his high-ranking ministers are thinking, but it seems this country harbors quite a few brainless idiots who refuse to listen and simply never learn.
