Akatsuki Translations

~Day 2 of the stay in the City of Sin, Proudia~

The Mobile Fortress City of Uuga had some difficulty moving to Proudia.

Although its main body was controlled by gravity magic, it was still an enormous structure. One misstep could potentially lead to a catastrophe. That’s why they had to take extreme caution in finding a route, guided by Yuri of the Seven Heavens and others. They managed to position themselves at a distance from the urban area of the City of Sin, Proudia, in a less populated location.

Even so, the distance was considerable. It would take several hours by fast carriage. They had to keep their distance to avoid Uuga’s shadow interfering with the worship of the Sun God.

For this reason, 【The Walkers】 decided to stay at inns in Proudia. It would have been too troublesome to keep returning after finishing their business in Proudia.

However, on this day, all members of 【The Walkers】 had gathered at Uuga. They had no choice. It was due to a request from Lacretia of Gradol.

“This is the residential area,” Shizuku explained, as if giving a tour.

“Two to three stories high? Isn’t that a bit luxurious?” Ur asked while walking around Uuga’s interior.

Shizuku replied, “Uuga is a mobile fortress. If we build too high, it could cause stability issues—”

Ur, of course, already knew most of Uuga’s internal affairs. Shizuku’s explanation was for the benefit of their “visitors.”

Their job that day was to host visitors from Proudia who wanted to “see” Uuga.

“…This is tough,” Ur muttered.

“Don’t complain about the truth, brat,” Jain retorted.

“Tough is tough, ain’t it, Jain?” Ur shot back.

Ur as well as Jain of the 【White Serpent】were acting as escorts, moving along with the visitors. To be honest, it was a painful task.

“How many escorts did these guests bring?” Ur wondered aloud. “Looking at their titles, I guess it’s to be expected.”

The visitors included representatives from Proudia’s major guilds: 【Sacred Sun Garden】, an old establishment dealing in luxury goods for priests; 【Drops from Heaven】, the largest magic potion dealer of the Magicians’ Guild; 【Adamantine Knife】, which handles food processing from the production cities; and so on. These were the organizations that supported Proudia’s urban functions.

Additionally, there were priests beloved by the third- and fourth-ranked spirits. But their influence exceeded their official ranks. They were followers of the 【Spirit of Fate, Fortune】, which had the power to determine the fate of good and bad luck. Their spirit worship had been rapidly expanding in recent years.

In short, the most powerful figures in Proudia had gathered.

“Just how much are we being watched?” Ur asked.

“It’s natural, I suppose,” Jain replied. “From a certain perspective, Uuga is just a giant monster. It’s quite miraculous that we were allowed inside Proudia’s barrier.”

“Most of Uuga’s functions have been sealed by 【Heavenly Sword’s】 subordinate mages,” Ur pointed out. “We can’t even move until we get permission. Yet look at the number of guards.”

“If it’s not dead, it’s still scary,” Jain reasoned.

For the visitors, it seemed like entering the belly of a monster.

If they were so wary, Ur thought, they could have just not come. But they came because they desperately wanted to, bringing a large number of guards with them. And that increased the burden on Ur and his companions. Faced with armed groups strutting around Uuga as if they owned the place, Ur’s small force couldn’t help but feel on edge.

“Then, shall I tell you something to boost your spirits?” Jain offered.

“What is it?” Ur asked.

“Do you think today’s guests are allies?”

At Jain’s words, Ur looked at the guests’ faces again.

He remembered Lacretia’s tired expression as she had warned them earlier:

―― I hate to say this, but please be careful of the guests.

Apparently, Lacretia had initially refused the visit from Proudia’s representatives, but they had insisted. Since Proudia had provided significant support to fill the void left by the Earth Spirit’s priest, it was difficult to refuse their request.

The shortage of Gradol’s priests was, in a way, self-inflicted, and it was only natural that they should repay Proudia’s kindness in filling that gap. Even so, Lacretia’s expression had been grim.

―― They’re the type who think their authority extends to every place the sunlight reaches. Be careful.

“…No,” Ur muttered, recalling Lacretia’s words as he looked at the visitors’ faces.

“There’s quite a lot of waste in this construction,” one visitor remarked.

“It certainly reflects the taste of whoever directed the building. Yes, indeed,” another added.

“Let’s not be too harsh. After all, it’s supposedly the creation of heretics. Hehe,” a third chimed in.

The visitors were speaking freely, criticizing various aspects of Uuga.

Ur wasn’t bothered by their comments about Uuga’s architectural style or its shadowy origins. After all, Aesula had built it. Whether they mocked his taste or laughed at the darkness he left behind in life, Ur couldn’t care less. He might even join in their laughter if he felt like it.

“Hey, Echelle-dono. Don’t you think so?” one of the visitors asked.

“Oh my, what’s wrong? You don’t look well, hahaha,” another added.

“…” Echelle remained silent.

The problem, Ur realized, was that despite being guests, they showed not a shred of consideration.

Echelle was the leader here. One of the survivors of the Caraleigh family, she was a girl who had suffered various wounds in the recent turmoil. The visitors must have known this much information, having forced their way here after contacting Lacretia. Yet they showed such rudeness.

Shizuku and Kalkara were both trying to support Echelle, but her complexion wasn’t looking good.

“They’re certainly not allies,” Ur observed.

“Then they’re enemies,” Jain concluded.

“That’s extreme, hey,” Ur warned.

“At this very moment, enemies have infiltrated Uuga with a large number of soldiers,” Jain pressed.

“…”

Ur fell silent, then readjusted his grip on the dragonfang spear in his right hand.

“I knew it, but having it confirmed really fires me up, damn it,” he growled.

“This definitely won’t end well. Don’t mistake who we’re supposed to be guarding,” Jain cautioned.

Ur nodded, engraving Jain’s words in his heart.

“What are you doing?! Please stop!!” a scream suddenly rang out.

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

City-Type Giant Mobile Fortress Uuga

Its existence inspired both curiosity and fear of the unknown in many city dwellers. For those desiring unchanging daily peace, the unknown and change are terrifying.

However, those with wealth and power view things differently. They have the power to adapt to the unknown and change, and they understand the benefits it can bring. Uuga is extraordinary even among the “unknown.” There’s likely no record of such a massive “mobile fortress” in history. Even the magical mechanical city of Envy doesn’t compare.

The potential benefits are difficult to imagine. Such possibilities lie dormant here.

Therefore, they must obtain and monopolize it as quickly as possible.

Profit is about competition and first-come, first-served. This is why they aggressively led the support for Gradol when it was in crisis. When Envy’s Knight Order’s strike force tried to get ahead, it was a bit nerve-wracking, but that made it all the more important not to fall behind.

They explore Uuga with greedy eyes, gathering information meticulously about what it can and cannot do, and how it can lead to great profits.

“Hmm, the interior isn’t bad,” one of them commented.

As part of their investigation, it was only natural to check the living conditions of the Nameless residents. The Nameless people living inside looked frightened, but the visitors paid no mind. Armed guards restrained them, ensuring they wouldn’t cause any trouble.

Nakain Loine Stallan, manager of the North District branch of 【Drops from Heaven】 in Proudia, entered one of the residences and carefully inspected its interior.

There was a Nameless resident inside, but Nakain entered without concern. When the surprised man approached, the guards restrained him, so there was no problem.

“Please wait!! There are people living here!!” Echelle protested.

“Ah, Echelle-dono, I apologize, but could you have them leave? They’re in the way,” Nakain replied.

“Y-you want them to leave this house?!”

“No, from Uuga entirely. What are you saying?”

Echelle Loine Raleigh stared at Nakain with a shocked expression.

However, what was strange was that Nakain felt the same way. He couldn’t understand why they would let Nameless people live in such a place to begin with.

“W-why?” Echelle stammered.

“Why? The Nameless are nothing but harmful, without a single benefit. They’re vermin who can’t offer prayers to the spirits and only defile them. They should be removed as soon as possible,” Nakain explained.

Nakain believed that the Nameless defiled the connection between spirits and humans. This wasn’t just his belief; it was common sense for many around him and those who had boarded Uuga with him.

Compared to those with official ranks, the Nameless were eyesores to them. Adventurers brought in inefficient energy sources like magic stones and, as if in natural exchange, devoured the city’s precious resources.

They were vermin, no different from monsters.

Their “leader” clearly stated this. Although Nakain, as a merchant who sometimes had to deal with the Nameless, couldn’t easily agree out loud, he inwardly admired “her” for saying it without hesitation.

The ideal era when there was no worry of monster attacks and spirits’ power could be freely used without inconvenience. Many renowned mages published research claiming that the “Nameless” brought about and invited the Age of the Great Dungeon Flood that destroyed that era. Nakain and his associates were convinced this was correct. All information conveyed to him the undeniable fact that “the Nameless are unnecessary.”

In short, it was outrageous for the Nameless to arbitrarily settle in a place that would likely become their new business venue.

And yet…

“What’s wrong? Could you hurry up?” Nakain pressed, puzzled by Echelle’s strange expression.

“…Echelle-sama,” another priestess with the rank of Nuu approached her. Nakain felt a bit relieved, thinking she had come to correct her confused superior. There was no time to waste on such matters.

After a brief discussion, Echelle turned back to Nakain. Despite his growing irritation, he waited patiently for her answer. And then…

“Um… that’s not possible. They are residents of Uuga,” Echelle replied.

“…What?” Nakain responded, completely taken aback by this unexpected answer.

　　　　　　　　　 ◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

　―― Princess. Good morning. The Sun God has a pleasant expression today.

The Nameless who came to live in Uuga began calling Echelle “princess” after the judgment with Envy. Shizuku had informed the worried Nameless residents of the result, saying that Echelle might become the queen of Uuga.

　―― It’s best to start with appearances, after all.

Echelle was honestly surprised when first called this, but couldn’t argue when Shizuku responded with a smile.

Most of the current Uuga residents were, to put it bluntly, there by “default.” The Nameless who had worked on Uuga’s construction simply continued living there. Gradol had originally made such a contract—offering permanent residence rights in exchange for labor—so it was a legitimate right, but due to the continued chaos, the relationship between the Nameless and Echelle remained ambiguous.

It wasn’t quite an employer-employee relationship. After all, it was her brother Aesula who had gathered them and sent them to Uuga, not Echelle. While Echelle outranked them due to her official position, she had learned that asserting city status over the Nameless was weak.

―― Let’s show that you are the protector of the Nameless Uuga residents.

The “princess” title was part of making this clear.

Once it started, the Nameless surprisingly accepted the title readily. They showed clumsy but sincere respect, not just using it as a casual nickname. While Shizuku and Kalkara’s guidance surely played a part, the Nameless didn’t seem to dislike it.

―― The princess helped us, one of the Nameless told Echelle when she questioned it.

He was an elderly commoner with rough, worn hands, but he bowed deeply to Echelle.

―― Other city constructions were terrible. But you treated us as humans. Not only that, but letting us live in such a place—we can’t thank you enough.

Echelle struggled to swallow the words “That’s not true.” During Uuga’s construction, they hadn’t exploited the workers simply because they couldn’t. When it became clear that Uuga had reincarnated as a familiar and could be inhabited, Echelle had worried until the end about whether it was right to let the Nameless live there arbitrarily.

Her mentality was too immature to stand as their ruler. She wasn’t even aware of it. It was natural, given how things had been decided almost by default during that judgment.

―― Princess! Look, look! We harvested this many tolmetos from the vegetable garden!

―― Ah, Princess. Please look. We’ve beautifully repaired the buildings around here. It’s splendid!

―― Princess, princess. We’ve made processed goods from Uuga’s shed shell. Would you like to see?

But being respected like this inevitably breeds awareness.

Echelle understood the meaning of Shizuku’s words about “starting with appearances.” Those words had been directed at Echelle too. And while she might have been led along, Echelle truly felt that she “should be that way.”

“Um… that’s not possible. They are residents of Uuga,” Echelle declared.

That’s why Echelle decided she must protect the Nameless from the tyranny of these visitors before her eyes.

She might have agreed to a temporary evacuation. But telling them to leave Uuga entirely was too absurd. Even if the other party held official ranks, blindly following such a demand from someone who wasn’t even a Gradol priest would throw Uuga into chaos.

The merchants began to stir.

Their expressions showed confusion, bewilderment, and disappointment. As the commotion drew more visitors, they all looked at Echelle with dubious expressions. Seeing them all make such faces made Echelle feel as if she might be the one who was wrong. She struggled to suppress her anxious expression.

“I’ve heard the situation,” a woman said, pushing through the crowd of priests and merchants.

She appeared to be around 40 years old, a commoner. While the group of visitors lacked cohesion, she acted as their leader. She was Drona Gran Leikmere, a priestess of the 【Spirit of Fate, Fortune】.

She approached with a faint smile. Echelle was on guard. No matter what expression someone wore, Echelle was sensitive to detecting malicious faces. And this woman’s expression was exactly that.

“It seems there’s been a misunderstanding, Echelle Loine Raleigh,” Drona said.

“A misunderstanding?” Echelle asked, glancing behind her. Jain nodded at her look.

He was trying to quietly lead the Takanta family, the residents of this house, out without being noticed by the visitors’ mercenaries. Outside, members of the White Serpent were speaking to the Nameless who had timidly come to see what the commotion was about. Echelle prayed they would guide them well.

“I only heard that gentleman demanding the eviction of the residents here,” Echelle stated.

“Ah, that’s the misunderstanding,” Drona replied, her cheeks twitching as she gestured with her hand.

“What he gave was not a demand, but an order.”

Suddenly, the warriors flanking her reached out towards Echelle. Faced with their forceful, non-negotiable movement, Echelle caught her breath, and—

“We’d like you to refrain from violence,” Ur interjected.

“What are you going to do about it?” Kalkara added as they stepped between Echelle and the warriors.