Published: August 1, 2025
I finally emerged from the hellish throbbing headache late into the night.
Apparently, I had been asleep for quite some time. Thanks to that, my hangover had finally subsided... but to waste an entire precious day like this...
I placed my hand on my forehead and let out a deep sigh.
This must be a hotel room. The fireplace seemed to have gone out a long time ago, leaving the room pitch dark and quite cold. I lay on my back on the bed, but the back of my head felt strangely warm.
I quickly realized the pillow beneath my head was Marie’s thigh. Marie was giving me a lap pillow, sitting on the edge of the bed, dozing off. Looking up, my entire field of vision was filled with Marie’s sleeping face. I savored this paradise for a moment… but then realized I was burdening her peaceful rest, so I hurriedly sat up and laid her down on the bed.
Looking down at her calm sleeping face, I sighed deeply once more.
“…Damn, I’m pathetic…”
I glanced around the room and saw a meal set for one on the tea table. Apparently, Marie had saved dinner for me to eat when I woke up. The table was packed with luxurious Ipsandros cuisine.
…I wanted to enjoy this meal freshly made, together with Marie. Surely she would have wanted to enjoy it too, chatting with me.
Sighing yet again, not sure how many times by now, I ran my fingers through my hair.
We came to Ipsandros to hold our wedding— to be legally married before the gods and become a formal couple. On the very day of our arrival in port...
—But there’s no use holding my head like this forever. Mistakes must be made up for with action, not regret. From now on, I must tighten my resolve even further, to see the wedding through to completion— no, to be a husband Marie can rely on without worry for life.
I slapped my cheeks repeatedly and shouted, “Alright!” to pep myself up.
A messenger will come tomorrow morning. I must be in perfect health so as not to offend them. I need to eat dinner properly and get some more sleep.
I would ask the hotel staff for a warm drink— and so I left the room.
This was the finest hotel in the port town. Though not as grand as the Granado Trading Company, it was a place frequented by wealthy merchants and high-ranking nobles. The building was large, and the lobby was a fair distance away. Our room was on the top floor, the fourth floor, making the trek even longer.
In the darkness, I carefully made my way by the faint glow of scattered gas lamps. Around the center of the floor, near the stairwell, I encountered some acquaintances.
Both of them had their backs to me, but those distinctive outfits left no doubt.
The female merchant Kaede from the far eastern island nation of Mizuho and her attendant Angelo— and another person. A boy dressed in traditional Ipsandros clothing?
“Well then, the deal’s done.”
The Ips boy said cheerfully. Not in ips language, but in sphainese, which both Mizuho people understood.
“I’ll be your interpreter and guide the entire contract period. Payment upfront. I’ll come get it tomorrow morning, so have it ready.”
“I’ll pay right now, but in return, I want you to start working immediately.”
“You want to go out in Ips at night? That’s a bit…”
The boy hired as interpreter and guide faltered, looking troubled. But when Angelo handed him a small pouch, he quickly pocketed it.
“Well, as long as you’re with me, you’ll be fine. So, where do you want to go? The Grand Bazaar and mosque are already closed. The gambling den?”
“—That’s a tempting suggestion too, but— the slave market.”
…Wha...!?
I almost shouted out loud. The Ips guide apparently felt the same. He let out a startled “Huh!?” before shaking his head.
“That’s just madness, miss— where on earth did you get that idea? Such a thing doesn’t exist in this day and age.”
“But the labor of slaves is indispensable for urban development. Mercenaries were needed during wartime too.”
“That was decades ago. Even in your country, laws prohibit that now.”