第１８５掘：ジルバ帝国の落日 馬鹿登場の章
**Dungeon Excavation 185: The Sunset of the Zilba Empire – The Chapter of the Appearing Fools**
**Side: Labyris**
"Haa... it's morning already."
Because the bed wasn't particularly comfortable, I woke up earlier than I had intended.
"It’s still dark outside, though."
That said, it was currently 5:00 AM. In places without electricity, the typical routine is to wake up when it gets bright and go to sleep when the sun sets. Weed is just too special. Thanks to electricity, it’s bright even late at night, and since clocks are common, everyone moves according to the time. Because of that, we aren't at the mercy of sunrise and sunset; we lead regular lives, and it serves as a useful benchmark for everything.
Yuki once said that it feels like we’re being shackled by time. I understand the sentiment, but conversely, without it, you run into all sorts of inconveniences due to conflicting internal clocks. I think it’s less about being shackled and more about efficiency.
"In Weed, most people are still asleep at this hour, but it seems that’s not the case here."
It seems the reason I woke up early wasn't just the bed. Through the door and the window, I could hear the sounds of people moving about. For this Zilba Empire, this hour is the time to wake up—the start of the day.
"Nn..."
I heard a voice beside me and turned toward it.
"Hehehe, Big Brother is delicious..."
Aslin was still in dreamland, smiling. Judging by her sleep-talking, Yuki must have fed her something new again. Firia and Shera were still asleep as well.
"What should I do?"
I thought about it, then decided to climb out of bed.
"Yuki and the others are likely still asleep, too. If this were home, I’d just jump into bed and surprise him."
After all, Yuki’s "important part" is always quite lively in the morning, so I’d have to take care of it for him. But I don't have the guts to do that in a doppelganger body, in a foreign country—a place that is, at the very least, not currently hostile. Well, if Yuki asked for it, I’d comply. I’d gladly do it, exhibitionism and all.
Anyway, I’ll save those pink fantasies for when we’re back home. For now, what to do? I walked away from the bed and toward the table. The room we were assigned is spacious, at least. The fact that it has a bed large enough for the four of us to sleep in tells you it’s a decent room.
"But it’s only spacious."
The quality doesn't compare to Weed. It’s pointlessly large, so it’s cold, and I have to light the fireplace myself. Well, that’s normal elsewhere, but in Weed, it’s just the push of a button. Complaining won't change anything, so I lit the fireplace for the first time in a while. The room felt a little warmer. It wasn't too difficult since there were embers left over from yesterday; I just had to add air and firewood. I’d forgotten about the trick of burying embers in the ash to keep the fire going. I’d done it myself yesterday and completely blanked on it.
"There. Now, when Aslin and the others wake up, they won't have to worry about shivering from the cold."
I sat in a chair after lighting the fire, but there was nothing to do. Going back to sleep felt wrong, and wandering outside alone wasn't a good idea. Given my combat ability, I’d be fine, but it would leave Aslin and the others defenseless.
What Yuki said yesterday was, by any measure, a provocation. I assume his goal is to bait them into doing something, intercept them, and use the opportunity to gain the upper hand so we can move freely. Well, Aslin and the others wouldn't be killed or subjected to anything lewd—the gap in power is just too vast—but Aslin and Firia are still mentally young. Shera has been doing various things as royalty, so while she might be ignorant of common sense, she wouldn't be easily tricked. Because of that, if I left, Aslin and Firia might wander off and get lost.
"If they’re going to pull something, they’ll target us because we look young."
Yes, if trouble happens, it will surely be us. In yesterday’s battle, we didn't do anything; we just stayed by Yuki’s side. Tori, Riel, Kaya, and Ria took care of all the enemies. So, even if they look down on us as demi-humans, I doubt they’d pick a fight with the people who completely dismantled them. If they’re going to target anyone, it’ll be us. We’re young, we’re demi-humans, and we’re seen as the ones who need protection. Yuki might be targeted too, but... worrying about him is a waste of time.
"Waking up early and staying alert is worth it."
I decided to keep my sword out of my item box, just in case someone tried a sneak attack, without waking the other three. That was all the preparation I needed, so I tried eating one of the cookie-like things on the table.
*Crunch.*
"A cookie? But it’s not sweet. It tastes like it was just baked and nothing else."
It’s pathetic to compare this to Weed, too. I think it would be nice if there were at least a few delicious things we didn't know about. As I spent my time complaining about the Zilba Empire’s environment...
*BOOM!!*
A loud noise echoed.
"Eek! What was that!?"
"Big Brother!! This is terrible!!"
"Everyone, please calm down."
Aslin and Firia jumped up at the sound. Shera, who had woken up with them, panicked and tried to soothe them as they looked ready to bolt.
"What happened?"
I tilted my head, staying alert. That loud noise happened quite close by. Did they decide to ignore us and go after Yuki instead? Shera looked at me, her eyes asking what was going on, but I couldn't answer and just shook my head. We kept our weapons drawn, maintaining a defensive stance without leaving the room, when...
"Get out of here!!"
"You have some nerve coming to attack us!!"
"...Fools never learn."
Along with those familiar voices, another loud sound rang out.
"Ah, that’s Tori-neechan and the others."
"What happened!! We’re going right now!!"
With that, the two of them brushed off Shera’s attempts to stop them and bolted out of the room.
"Ah!?"
"We’re following them!"
We chased after Aslin and Firia immediately.
"No way..."
"Yeah. To think they’d choose to lay a hand on the people who just beat them to a pulp..."
I don't know about the King of Zilba or his high-ranking officials, but it seems this country is home to fools who don't listen and never learn. And just like that, the enemy took the bait.
Labyris, waking up early was a waste of time, lol.