第１５６７堀：朝起きてまた寝るのは気持ちがいい (Part1)
Chapter 1567: There’s a Certain Bliss in Waking Up and Going Back to Sleep
Side: Yuki
It was the third morning since our arrival at the old Vinoshia royal capital. This was the first day after we had finally opened the lodging facilities for the agricultural workers we were recruiting.
“...You always worry about the first day, don’t you?”
“Yuki, you really are meticulous about these things.”
“Indeed. Even when we tell you to get some rest, you stay up all night.”
Deryu and Riel seemed genuinely annoyed that I had pulled an all-nighter. But I couldn’t help it; I was genuinely concerned. In these kinds of situations, it’s a given that various problems will crop up on the first day, and you’ll spend the whole time chasing your tail to fix them.
“In reality, didn’t you have issues with the cold or a shortage of blankets?”
“That we did, but it was well within our projections. John’s unit and the sisters handled it properly.”
“That’s right. We were even able to deal with the children’s sudden fevers, so everything is fine.”
As they said, everything had fortunately stayed within a manageable range. Thanks to that, my all-nighter was essentially for nothing...
“I’m glad it stayed within manageable limits. I’ll sleep properly starting tomorrow, so that should be fine, right?”
“Honestly, Yuki. You haven’t forgotten that you’re the Commander-in-Chief, have you?”
“I haven’t. That’s exactly why I stayed up.”
“If you push yourself too hard and get sleepy during work hours, that won’t do, will it?”
“That’s a fair point. That’s why I’ll drink plenty of coffee.”
Exactly. I’m sleepy, but I just need to wake myself up. When it comes to times like this, caffeine is the only answer. Well, if I hit my limit, I’ll fall asleep regardless, but I still think I’ve got some gas left in the tank. After all...
“Besides, I’m planning to head to the castle today. There’s a possibility all sorts of things will turn up, and there are things I want to see for myself. I’m far too curious to be falling asleep.”
That’s right. On this third day, we were finally going to storm the old Vinoshia royal castle. We wouldn’t be using it as a base—it didn’t seem to be in a state to support that—but that didn’t mean we were going to do nothing. After all, this was where Canaria had been. It was the epicenter that had laid waste to Vinoshia. It was impossible not to investigate. I’m sure “they” are expecting us to head there, too.
“What’s with that face? Didn’t you sleep?”
As we stepped out of the bedroom, the first person we ran into was Agil.
“I’m the one in charge here, so you know how it is. By the way, were you coming along for the castle exploration?”
I didn’t want to get lectured, so I steered the conversation toward work.
“Of course. I’ve already checked the data beforehand, and I know where the hidden passages are. But seeing the site with my own eyes is a different matter.”
As Agil said, seeing the site is important. Unfortunately, I can’t grasp the details of what’s actually inside. The skill—or rather, the information management system—that allows me to grasp the internal state of the dungeon is convenient, yet not quite convenient enough. If I specify poisons or blades, it identifies them, and I can monitor people, but I can’t grasp the specific contents of books or documents.
I suppose it recognizes things by their constituent materials; a book is just a book, and ink is just ink. If an item has a specific name, I can identify it individually, but ordinary documents are just scraps of paper to the system.
“I wonder what kind of system it is that allows legendary swords and such to have proper names and be identified by me?”
“Where did that come from all of a sudden?”
“Well, it would be easier if I could check documents without having to go there, right?”
“Ah, certainly. If you could check every document within the dungeon’s range while staying right here, that would be the height of convenience. But can you?”
“I was just thinking if there was a way to make that possible. After all, the reason we’re going to the royal castle is to collect those kinds of documents, isn’t it?”
“I see your point. Well, it’s not something that can be done just by saying it, so we’ll just have to do our best this time. Researching how to make items ‘named’ will probably take some time, too.”
While we were talking about that, we arrived at the breakfast hall, where Lilishe, Rurua, and the rest of the church group, who must have woken up earlier, were preparing breakfast.
“Oh my~ Good morning~ You look unusually sleepy~ Did something happen~?”
“Lilishe-sama, it’s not particularly unusual. I imagine he stayed awake so he could respond immediately if something happened at the site.”
“You push yourself too hard~”
Rurua immediately saw through my condition and approached me. Lilishe followed suit.
“Pardon me.”
With that, Rurua placed her hand on my forehead and peered into my eyes, and Lilishe began to examine me from the side. Being examined by a Saint and a Goddess—experts in recovery—is something I should probably be happy about, but it makes me feel like a lab rat.
“You’re definitely sleep-deprived.”
“Indeed~ Sleep-deprived, yes~”
The two of them delivered their diagnosis without hesitation.
“If this were just staying up late for games or something, I would have given you a lecture...”
“It’s work, after all~ For now, eat your breakfast and go to sleep until it’s time to go to the castle at noon~”
“Well, that’s the most reasonable course of action. Riel, you should sleep beside him.”
“Eh? Me?”
The conversation was moving forward without my input.
“Indeed. Everyone else has work to do. Riel’s job is to act as Yuki’s bodyguard, so sleeping beside him is appropriate. In fact, stick to him and make him sleep. If he just lies in bed, he’ll try to do other things. If he’s sitting, he’ll start tinkering with this and that. I’ll handle the defense against external enemies.”
“Understood. I shall do so.”
Tch, Deryu is hitting my weak points with pinpoint accuracy. If I lie down when I’m this sleepy, I’ll definitely fall asleep. And with Riel assigned to keep me there, it’s going to be difficult to escape.
“I think that’s for the best, too. If it were a hobby, that’s one thing, but pulling an all-nighter for work is like a punishment game. Get some proper rest.”
Agil also told me to get to sleep already. When it’s put to me like this, I have no choice but to sleep. Just as I was thinking that, the others began to file in, but...
“...Yuki. You haven’t slept. Go to sleep, quickly.”
“Truly. Go to sleep already. Riel, stick to him and get him into bed.”
“I would love to be the one to sleep beside you, Micos-chan, but I suppose that’s not possible~”
“...You don’t have a cold, do you? Yes, eat your food and go to sleep immediately.”
Kaya, Kagura, Micos, and Enora immediately saw through my condition and said the exact same thing as everyone else.
“Sleep deprivation is something that can be cured by sleeping, so just sleep~”
“Indeed. If you collapse now, that would be the most troublesome thing.”
“I understand the desire to stay awake, but it is a fact that we will be in trouble if you don’t recover.”
No, even Hylen, Senal, and Light were telling me to go to sleep.