Episode 2-a. The City Where Night Never Comes, Tevris.
The distant city walls are visible.
And beyond them, buildings rise even higher than the walls.
“There aren’t usually that many buildings taller than the city walls, but here most of the buildings exceed their height.”
“Indeed.”
“Wow~”
In a typical city, only important buildings tower above the walls to showcase their grandeur.
Palaces where emperors or kings reside, temples of the holy nation, or perhaps a guild branch for adventurers are the kind of large buildings that might exist.
Since the city walls themselves are quite tall, there aren’t many buildings built to surpass them.
However, in Tevris, this seems to be a disregarded common sense.
Well, with such a large floating population, they probably need to build taller buildings in the limited space to drain the visitors’ purses.
And old Horn, seemingly unfazed, leaned back once more and uttered a remarkably racist comment.
“Humans sure do a lot of useless things.”
“That’s a misanthropic statement.”
“Who cares?”
“….”
I made a mental note of the dwarf hate.
I directed the carriage toward the city.
As we approached, I expected to see other carriages lined up like ants, and thought we wouldn’t be able to enter until nightfall.
But one by one, the queued carriages entered the city quickly, and before long, it was our turn as well.
They say it’s a city for tourism.
Does that mean they relax security checks just to siphon off tourist money?
I thought as I drove the carriage.
As our carriage passed through the city walls, the darkening sky suddenly turned bright and blue again.
“Oh, that’s fascinating.”
The floating letter scenery was quite remarkable, but magical phenomena never ceased to feel unfamiliar and new.
“It became daytime again, Tori!”
“Yaki, sorry, but I have eyes too.”
The children began to exclaim in awe and looked around, and even Avery put down his book and started to peek his head out eagerly.
But, hmm.
“Hmm…. However, it seems more of a city for adult pleasures than a city for family tourism.”
As Horn said, rather than a city for family tourism, it was a city strictly for adult enjoyment.
The large buildings in the distance were casinos, and despite it being broad daylight, there were alleys that emitted a lurid scent.
Tourists, appearing to be carrying hefty purses, entered the gleaming establishments, and defying the term “red-light district,” scantily-clad women lingered on the streets.
From the buildings lined up behind the women, sounds that seemed inappropriate for children wafted out.
“Tori, Tori. Look at that woman. She’s dancing, all exposed.”
“…Ain oppa, can Yaki see? It feels like we shouldn’t….”
In other words, this was a scenery wholly unsuitable for bringing the kids along.
No.
They clearly advertised this as a city for tourism, so why does it feel more like it’s aimed at adult pleasures?
I had hoped to let the twins enjoy the sights while I unearthed the secrets of the city, but my plans began to crumble.
“Mom.”
“That’s a misandrist comment.”
“…, Maman.”
“Right.”
Whether it was a hateful comment or not didn’t concern me much; for now, I needed to shield the kids’ eyes.
So I asked the old man and Avery to cover the kids’ eyes, and the two of them kept doing so until the carriage arrived at our lodging.
“…Why are they shaking their behinds suggestively in broad daylight?”
“There’s only daytime here, you fool. What are you doing forgetting what you just explained?”
“Ah.”
Right.
Night never comes.
I thought so as I turned my head to glance beyond the walls, but inside the city, the external scenery also reflected a bright and sunny sky.
Sure enough.
Before entering, the sunset had been settling.
Fortunately, one thing to note was that, contrary to our worries, there was ample accommodation.
Lodgings were generally quite affordable, so after finding a decent place for the carriage, we simply unpacked and collapsed onto the beds.
“Wow, it’s so soft!”
The kids were right; the beds were unnecessarily plush.
I wondered what the point of having a plush bed was if no one was going to sleep.
Perhaps, contrary to our expectations, the low prices and abundance of accommodations had something to do with that.
As I lay there blankly, I heard Horn’s voice.
“So, what now? The one who called us here should explain the plan.”
“Um….”
“Are you seriously without a plan?”
Well, I mean, it’s not that there was no plan.
I let out a deep sigh and sat up, glancing around at my staring comrades before I began to speak.
“First, we won’t stay long. Here, we may not feel tired, but the fatigue will accumulate in our bodies, so I intend to finish our business and leave within the maximum of ten days.”
After all, we paid for accommodations for that duration.
Most tourists realize they can only stay here for about ten days.
When the accumulated fatigue hits after not sleeping for that long, it will definitely take its toll on both adults and children.
“So don’t tire yourselves out unnecessarily by running or getting too excited—the accumulated fatigue can hit hard.”
Furthermore, since it’s a place where one doesn’t feel tired even after intense exercise, that was another reason for caution.
My comrades nodded at my words.
The twins, who had been bouncing on the beds, stopped their antics and quietly sat.
“I didn’t think it would be a place solely pursuing pleasure, so my plan to let the kids play while I investigate has hit a snag.”
Of course, I expected there would be leisure activities, casinos, and such, but I never anticipated it would be solely those things; that was my mistake.
“Regardless, the essence remains the same. I will focus on the investigation. I want to uncover why night never comes and gather clues about Nasatya.”
However, the purpose of coming here hadn’t changed.
“So, everyone, while primarily investigating any suspicious aspects, if you wish to enjoy the casino or other entertainment, a day or two would be fine. Of course, excluding the brothels.”
I spoke with an oddly serious tone amidst the revelry and cheers around us.
I had said most of what needed to be said.
And if there’s one last important issue, it was the two kids, sitting quietly and smiling.
“Twins… um. Would you rather wait at the lodging, or follow me? I’d prefer if you stayed safely at the lodging…”
Upon hearing my words, the two kids stood up from the bed and ran toward me.
““Let’s go! The chance for a windfall!””
The kids declared loudly that they would follow, grabbing onto my legs and rubbing their faces against me.
I couldn’t help but smile at their antics and patted their heads.
Thus.
We each finished preparing to go out and stood in front of the lodging, looking at each other.
And then, I suddenly recalled an important fact that I hadn’t shared, so I spoke to my comrades.
“Just so you know, there are no clocks inside the buildings in the city. The only public clock is the tower in the central plaza, so don’t get too lost in the city.”
“Wait, then how are we supposed to manage?”
“First, let’s set a time to regroup. I’ll split into two teams: myself with the twins, and Horn and Avery will make a separate group.”
In the city, aside from the public clock at the clock tower, personal clocks were non-existent.
It was to ensure that tourists would unwittingly spend money without realizing the time passing.
But since we wouldn’t feel fatigue or get sleepy, we could easily lose track of time.
Furthermore, personal clocks were costly, and only Horn and I had them within our group, so Avery and the old man had no choice but to team up.
“The current time is… 8 PM. So we will regroup at 2 AM, six hours from now. Although you won’t feel tired, if you wish to return early, feel free to do so.”
“Alright, that sounds good.”
Horn nodded at my words, glancing at Avery who had approached his side.
“Ha ha… Well then, I’ll be counting on you, elder.”
“Right, just don’t get distracted and follow along.”
“Ha ha… I’ll do my best.”
Avery nodded slightly, bending his knees to match Horn’s gaze.
“Have you ever seen such an impolite child? Bending his knees because he’s short is dwarf discrimination.”
“Ah, is that so…?”
Hmm.
I’m already worried about this combination.
No matter how unavoidable the choice, I’m not sure whether having that damn racist old man and a pathetic doctor with a three-time success rate do the investigation together is wise.
I thought that I would rather separate quickly and not have to watch that spectacle anymore.
“Then let’s get going.”
And so, we turned our backs to each other and stepped in opposite directions.
The sky was clearer and more blue than anywhere else.
It whispered that it would never reach an end.
The eternal white night claimed it was a fate that could never be forsaken.
