Published: February 1, 2026
Lizel’s mornings weren’t particularly early.
In his original world, he’d either force himself up to ride to the castle for work, or a servant would sometimes wake him. Here, nothing interrupted his sleep.
On top of that, this world was overflowing with books he had never read.
It wasn’t unusual for him to stay up reading until dawn, which only made his already bad wake‑up habits worse.
Adventurers, however, usually started their mornings very early.
If it wasn’t a work day, that was one thing, but on days they went to take requests, they moved with the sunrise.
That wasn’t just to snatch up good quests first thing in the morning. If they were heading for a labyrinth far from town, they had to depart early or they wouldn’t make it back the same day. Nobody wanted to sleep outside if they could help it.
Lizel, who had no such plans yet, slept as long as he liked until the hour when people normally began their day. If he absolutely had to wake early in the future, he’d either grit his teeth and manage it somehow, or, just in case, ask Gill to help.
“Lizel‑san, are you awake?”
Lately, someone sometimes called out to him at that still‑dim hour before dawn.
At the sound of the landlady’s voice through the knock, Lizel blinked awake, even though it hadn’t even been three hours since he’d gotten into bed.
Back during his noble days, there had been busy periods when three hours of sleep a night was considered good—but that was different from this.
He heard the sound of the door to the neighboring room opening, then Gill’s usual voice mixing with the landlady’s as they talked.
“Oi, I’m comin’ in.”
Gill opened the door without knocking and stepped inside.
Looking down at Lizel, who was still drifting between dream and reality in bed, he brushed aside the bangs hiding his face.
Lizel’s half‑lidded, faintly open eyes were exposed.
“You’re sleepy ‘cause you’re up readin’ every damn night. If you say ‘I can’t move ‘cause I’m tired’ in the middle of a quest, I’ll deck you.”
“…I’ve never said anything like that.”
“I’m tellin’ you, when it counts you won’t be able to move. Cut it out.”
It was true that Lizel never let personal matters affect him during a request.
He never showed the slightest hint of sleep deprivation; his composure was impressive. But as an adventurer, many of his requests involved danger, so it was best if he got plenty of sleep.
It was a profession where his body was literally his capital. Maintaining himself in top condition was the most basic of basics.
No matter how well things had gone so far, there was no guarantee nothing would happen from here on.
That said, Gill never tried to take Lizel’s books away.
As the one hired to accompany him, Gill was confident he could cover for Lizel even if he did make a mistake, so while he grumbled, he never forced Lizel to sleep. Interfering with a person’s hobby never led to anything good.
There was also the simple fact that it was impossible to physically take a book from Lizel.
“The usual’s here. Is your room fine?”
“Mmm…”
Lizel gave a little nod but still didn’t leave the bed. Gill sighed and called out to the landlady, who was busily opening the window in Lizel’s room.
The chilly morning air made Lizel shiver and burrow back under the sheets. The landlady laughed at the sight and left the room.
Light, quick footsteps soon came up the stairs, and the door opened.
“Mornin’—”
“Knock first.”
“S‑sorry!”
The one who came in was Ain.
It was that time when those who worked early were just starting to prepare for the day, and he greeted them with a genuinely refreshing smile.
The moment Gill, standing by Lizel’s pillow, muttered a word, that fresh smile froze.
He had the flashy look common to young adventurers, but his attitude was anything but defiant.
If any other adventurer told him to knock, he’d probably pick a fight on the spot and glare them down. But he couldn’t bring himself to act that way toward Lizel and Gill.