Akatsuki Translations

Halfway across the The Gasp, which connected the Crystal Palace to the city streets, Shiga was squatting on the ground, glaring sharply at passersby.

People carrying supplies to the royal palace averted their eyes fearfully and hurried past Shiga. He looked like a chained wild beast.

“Stop scaring people,” Shuou admonished.

Shiga stood up slowly. “I’m not. This is just my face,” he retorted.

Shuou shook his head, motioning for Shiga to follow as he started walking away from the Crystal Palace.

“So, what happened? Are you going back there?” Shiga asked, referring to Ode, Shuou’s previous post.

Shuou clenched his jaw and shook his head. “I was told there’s no need for that.”

“Then what? You’re gonna work in this soft place?” Shiga grumbled.

“I don’t know my next assignment. I’m to wait for further instructions. Until then, I’ll be staying in the royal capital,” Shuou explained.

As they walked, Shiga swung his long arms in circles and started rotating his shoulders. “This is the capital, right? Get us a decent place to sleep this time. Everywhere we’ve been, the beds are too narrow and hurt my body. Also, it’s about time you gave me some money. Looks like I could get a good horse here, and I saw a shop selling some tasty-looking cloudy sake on the way.”

Shuou’s eyes flashed with irritation at the brazen demands. “I don’t have money for lodging, and I don’t have any wages to pay you. My wallet’s empty because of your food expenses.”

Shuou prided himself on being a low-maintenance person. He didn’t mind sleeping outdoors, had no food preferences, and didn’t even care if it was clean or not. If he had been traveling alone, he could have reached the royal capital with hardly any expenses. But Shiga, who seemed rough and carefree, was surprisingly demanding, picky about his preferences, and generally expensive to keep around.

“Hey, this isn’t what we agreed on,” Shiga protested. “I came all the way to this eastern backwater because you said you’d hire me.”

Shuou, exasperated by Shiga’s apparent lack of awareness that his freedom was being facilitated by others’ efforts, raised his voice. “I promised, and I’ll definitely pay. Once things settle down, I’ll ask Adulelia to send the money I left with them. Just wait a bit.”

Shiga raised his eyebrows and stretched out his chin, looking skeptical. “Hey, I’m not stupid. I know the name Adulelia. They’re a famous clan even in the east. There’s no way someone like you could borrow money from them. If you’re trying to get by with a stupid lie, I won’t stay quiet.”

Meeting Shiga’s sharp gaze head-on, Shuou raised his voice. “It’s not a lie. I’m not trying to deceive you.”

After a brief staring contest, Shiga snorted. “Fine, I’ll wait a little longer. But no sleeping outdoors!”

Shuou’s shoulders sagged with relief. “I have a place in mind.”

He pulled out a letter from his pocket. The name of a well-known friend was written as the sender.

To reach their destination, Shuou led Shiga through the streets that cut across the royal capital.

While Shuou was already accustomed to the unabashed stares of passersby, Shiga apparently wasn’t and seemed increasingly irritable.

“What a disgusting city,” Shiga muttered.

“…It’s my hometown. Don’t badmouth it,” Shuou replied.

Shiga raised an eyebrow. “Oh right, you did say that. Well, if you were really a northerner like you look, I wouldn’t have come along.”

Shuou glanced sideways at Shiga as they walked. “Do you hate northerners that much?”

Shiga snorted loudly. “Yeah, I hate ’em! Those white-heads worship some goddess called Rishia. A female god, can you believe it?!”

He seemed to be seeking agreement, but Shuou held no religious beliefs. Therefore, he couldn’t understand what Shiga was getting at.

“Is that bad?” Shuou asked.

“Ha! It’s way beyond just bad. Gods are supposed to be something special. Beyond male or female. The demonic god that Kuou preaches about is the one at the top of this world,” Shiga declared.

“Demonic god… huh,” Shuou mused.

The brown-skinned people of the south worshipped demonic gods under the Kuou Faith. Traces of it were abundant in the temples of Ode and along the roadsides.

In the religionless eastern lands, demons were known as fantastical beings from fairy tales. Shuou had seen them mentioned several times in the books he had read.

The demons described in books were depicted with one or two horns on their head and a formidable appearance mixing elements of monkeys, humans, and other beasts. This was similar to the stone statues in Ode, so it seemed there wasn’t much difference in the perception of demons between the east and south.

Demons were said to lack reason, possess extraordinary strength, and indiscriminately attack and kill anything in sight. It was fitting that they were the namesake for rabidaemons lurking in the Abyss. While their ferocity defined their existence, the southerners worshipped them as gods.

“Besides,” Shiga continued, “those northern folks claim that their female god created humans and gave them the miracrystals. That’s what pisses me off. Life isn’t something given, it’s something you seize. The strong devour the weak, sustain their lives, and aim for the top! There’s not a single thing that’s given by someone else.”

Shuou posed a question to the talkative Shiga. “Then what’s the purpose of the demonic gods?”

“The demonic gods are the ones who threw us into this world where we stake our lives,” Shiga explained. “They’re waiting for the creature that reaches the top by competing in life and death.”

“What happens when you reach the top?” Shuou asked.

Shiga laughed heartily. “How should I know? We’re right in the middle of that competition now.”

“So the god Rishia is like a creator, and your demonic gods are… something like a judge? I don’t understand the feeling of believing in something, but in terms of my impression of what a god should be, Rishia seems more fitting,” Shuou mused.

To Shuou, the concept of a god was that of a transcendent being. Rishia, who created life, fit that description. But the demonic gods, who merely threw creatures into a box and made them compete, lacked the dignity of a deity in his opinion.

Shiga’s face twisted in anger. “The godless fools around here are idiots, but I can never understand those who point in the opposite direction and believe in that. I’d rather deal with the godless barbarians of the east. But don’t you dare say, even as a joke, that the northern shit-woman is better in front of me.”

Receiving Shiga’s unwavering glare, Shuou averted his gaze. “Alright, let’s drop this topic. It probably won’t lead anywhere good.”

To Shuou, who was too ignorant to discuss gods, the eyes of a strong believer seemed as unbearable to look at directly as the glaring midday sun.

Their destination, a shop, was located in a corner surrounding the plaza in the center of the city. The shop, with a sign that read “The Spider’s Web,” was run by Kumokari, a former companion who had traveled with Shuou through the Abyss. In a previous letter, Kumokari had strongly insisted that Shuou must visit when in the royal capital, providing the shop’s address.

Standing in front of the shop of Kumokari, one of the few friends Shuou felt he could rely on without reservation, he opened the door. The sounds of lively conversation and clinking dishes spilled out, along with the fragrant aroma of tea and sweet dishes.

As soon as he opened the door, Shuou froze at the sight of something familiar.

“This is…” he muttered.

It was a vaguely familiar ugly statue. The small, gold-leaf covered demon figure was the tasteless idol that Aise, a nobleman’s daughter, had once tried to give to Shuou.

“Hey, isn’t this Lord Belikeen?” Shiga exclaimed. “Looks like this shop is run by a fellow countryman—”

Shiga, letting his imagination run wild, cheerfully remarked how thoughtful it was and headed into the back of the shop, ignoring Shuou’s attempts to stop him.

A moment later, Shiga let out a scream.

Closing the door that had been left open, Shuou followed after Shiga. A familiar voice could be heard from the back.

“Hey now, screaming at first sight is a bit much,” the voice chided.

Even before seeing the owner of the voice, Shuou’s face softened into a gentle smile.