Akatsuki Translations

The sleep that follows a body’s overexertion is deep and soothing. 

In a world shrouded in darkness, thoughts form and dissipate before they can take shape, like the depths of the sea. There is no cause for concern, only a tranquil abyss offering healing. Thus, the re-emergence of consciousness is a torment. 

The mind pleads for more sleep, yet the body ruthlessly refuses, relentlessly pulling the consciousness towards awakening, as if there were a task to be done. 

A task to be done. When pondering what must be done, the only thing that crossed the mind was his sole family member. 

“…” 

Ur awoke. 

His eyes should have been open, but for some reason, everything in front of him was pitch black. Perhaps he was dreaming, but his body moved. The movement of his own body confirmed this was reality. So, what was this darkness? 

《Nii-taaaaaan! You up?! 》 -Akane 

“Is that you, Akane?” -Ur 

Upon peeling off the thing sticking to his face, Ur understood the nature of the darkness. Akane had been clinging to his face. While it was unclear why she had adhered herself to his face during his slumber, she seemed exceedingly pleased upon his awakening, her limbs fluttering with excitement. 

《You hurt anywhere~?! 》-Akane 

“Hm, I’m fine… Where’s Shizuku?” -Ur 

He didn’t have to look far. She was lying in the bed next to him. 

Dragging his heavy body, he slowly approached her. Shizuku lay on the bed, breathing steadily, seemingly in a blissful slumber. At the very least, she didn’t appear to be dead. Ur exhaled in relief. 

“Shizuku…” -Ur 

He called out softly. 

He would have been fine if she stayed asleep, but at his voice, Shizuku’s eyes flew open. She sat up, confirmed Ur’s presence, spread her arms wide, and then… 

“Wha- ugh..” -Ur 

“I’m glad you’re safe.” -Shizuku 

She tackled him in a hug. The impact ran through his recovering body, but it was a soft touch, so he let it be. Looking down, Shizuku was smiling with utter relief and joy. It was a captivating, adorable smile. 

“You don’t hesitate, do you, Shizuku?” -Ur 

“It’s a joyful occasion, after all.” -Shizuku 

Regardless, it was good that she was safe. Ur heaved a sigh of relief. Then, he came to a belated realization that his surroundings were different from the usual horse stable he used as a bed. 

“You’ve been asleep for three days.”  

A familiar voice spoke. It belonged to a woman in her mid-thirties who had cared for him “previously”. She was clad in a large apron, a healer of the sanctuary. 

“I don’t have any money.” -Ur 

“We’ve deducted the treatment fees from your reward.” -Healer Woman 

She seemed to know why Ur and Shizuku had been brought in. It was expected. 

“So, how much was it?” -Ur 

“Two gold coins for the treatment of both of you.” -Healer Woman 

“That’s steep.” -Ur 

Ur couldn’t help but let out a scream-like groan. 

It was more expensive than he had imagined. No matter that they were not citizens of this country, it was a blow to have such an amount of money evaporate. Just how badly were they injured? 

As Ur paled at the thought, from behind the woman… 

“We had to use a high potion after all~. I requested it.” -Diz 

Diz appeared out of nowhere. 

As he saw her for the first time in three days, she looked no different from when they parted at the entrance of the dungeon. She elegantly entered the room as usual. Neither Akane, who was by Ur’s side, nor the healer seemed surprised by Diz’s presence, so perhaps she had been visiting daily for the past three days. 

He ought to thank her, but there was a phrase that intrigued him. 

“High potion?” -Ur 

“A high-class elixir favored by experienced adventurers and the wealthy. It’s a rare experience, you know?” -Diz 

“Wasn’t there a cheaper treatment option?” -Ur 

“Would you have preferred to devote three months to treatment?” -Diz 

That would not have been better. Ur didn’t have the luxury of time. With a deadline to buy back Akane, he couldn’t afford to be bedridden for three months. He wouldn’t even know if he could wake up in three days. Diz’s decision was the right one. 

Although the expenditure was painful. 

“Okay, understood. Thanks, Diz. You really saved me.” -Ur 

“I find your struggle to accept everything quite amusing, that’s thanks enough.” -Diz 

“Give me some time to swallow the fact that an amount of money I’ve never even touched in my life has flown away while I was asleep. I’ll try hard. I’m grateful.” -Ur 

Until just a month ago, Ur would fret over one or two copper coins, let alone a silver coin. And now, he faced a reality far beyond that. 

“It looks like your heart is going to have a hard time from now on.” -Diz 

　　　　　　　　　　　◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆ 

The Adventurer’s Guild, Greed Branch. 

Right behind the training facility where Ur and Shizuku resided, stood the central hub and administrative center of the adventurer’s profession that now spun the world. It was a stopover for all sorts of adventurers, offering various procedures, exchanging information, accepting tasks, receiving rewards, applying for promotions, party applications, and so on. This place was responsible for supporting every aspect of “adventure”. 

Since they were at the training facility just nearby, even without receiving having to come here, Ur and Shizuku had received news and procedure-related information directly from Glen and the others. Even without this, Ur’s days had been full of dungeon exploration, training, and dealing with the crystal golem. Today, however, Ur and Shizuku were here for a reason. 

“Here is the reward for the crystal golem you two defeated.” – Guild Receptionist 

The reward for defeating the crystal golem. 

In front of Ur and Shizuku, an amount of gold coins they had never seen before was stacked. It was a total of ten gold coins, a sum that could support a year’s living expenses if used frugally. 

“…” -Ur 

“Well, that’s impressive, isn’t it?” -Shizuku 

Ur lost his words at the sight of the mountain of gold coins, while Shizuku leisurely admired the scene. 

“And from this, we will deduct two gold coins for the clinic treatment and the high potion.” -Guild Receptionist 

Then, two gold coins were casually taken from the pile. These were large gold coins, each engraved with the visage of The One True God, Zerudia, usually handled with care, but were casually plucked away. 

“And to this, we will add five gold coins as part of the additional reward for the subjugation festival.” – Guild Receptionist 

On top of that, five more gold coins were casually placed, and… 

“In addition, the exchange of magic stones generated during the defeat of the crystal golem adds two more gold coins and twenty silver coins.” – Guild Receptionist 

“Time out.” -Ur 

Ur gave up. 

“Ur-sama, are you feeling unwell? Should I rub your back?” -Shizuku 

“Yeah… I feel like my concept of money has been violently overturned.” -Ur 

As Shizuku rubbed his back, Ur’s head spun. 

Since he started working as an adventurer, he thought his colleagues’ handling of money was too casual, but he glimpsed the reason. Money flowed swiftly from right to left with terrifying momentum. 

 It would be strange if his concept of money didn’t go haywire. 

But anyway, Ur looked again at the gold coins in front of him. A total of fifteen gold coins. It was indeed a large sum. However… 

“Is this an appropriate reward for risking our lives?” -Ur 

“Ur-sama’s equipment was almost completely destroyed. We must arrange for new gear.” -Shizuku 

“If we plan on renewing Shizuku’s equipment as well, it will decrease further…” -Ur 

What a vicious cycle. They delve into the dungeon, fight a bounty head in a deadly battle, and then use the money earned to gain weapons to fight stronger enemies. The occupation of an adventurer was stupid, Ur reaffirmed. 

“There’s still one more important issue left.” -Ur 

“Indeed… What about our promotion as adventurers?” -Shizuku 

“Whether or not you get promoted is decided at the Adventurer Guild’s regular monthly meeting. That happens to be in five days, so we’ll have a preliminary interview tomorrow. If all goes well, you should have the results within a week, so please wait until then.” -Guild Receptionist 

The receptionist at the Adventurer’s Guild smiled sweetly, without waiting for a response. 

“We’ll be left hanging for five more days, huh? How do we spend the time?” -Ur 

“Don’t worry. Y’all have plenty to do.” -Glen 

With a familiar voice from behind, and a pat on the shoulder. An unpleasant premonition made him turn around and, as expected, Glen, with his scruffy beard, was grinning. 

“It’s been a while, master. So, what’s up?” -Ur 

“It’s been a while, my pupil. Let’s go.” -Glen 

“Wait a min—Geh” -Ur 

Without further ado, Ur was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and dragged away. 

“It’s a banquet.” -Glen 

Crystal Golem Bounty Reward: 15 gold coins, 20 silver coins. 

I hope the healer lady continues to be a reoccuring character lol