Chapter 7: The City That Never Sleeps

“So, as you instructed, we have decided to cooperate with the Goldman Merchant Group for the development of the northern mountain range mines.”

“We will begin development soon. Good work.”

“Thank you.”

After bidding farewell to Justia, it had been roughly half a day since I arrived in the capital.

I was receiving a report from Lucy about the affairs of the territory, feeling the soft sensation on the back of my head.

‘…How long is this going to go on?’

It had already been three hours.

As soon as I arrived at the mansion, she started giving me a lap pillow.

Was it her intention to make up for the days we hadn’t seen each other?

Worried about her blood circulation, I finally opened my mouth.

“By the way, Lucy, isn’t your leg numb?”

“I’m fine.”

“Hmm.”

Lucy answered as if it were nothing.

I tried to turn my body to see her expression, but…

‘I can’t see her face.’

Her face was completely obscured by the massive baby mammoth storage container.

Well, whatever.

I lay back down, pressing my cheek against her soft, plump thigh.

I heard that the more female hormones one has, the more fat cells accumulate in the thighs and buttocks.

I see.

So this is what femininity is.

It even seemed to give off a sweet scent.

I felt like I could stay like this forever.

‘Ah, no.’

Tap.

I lightly patted my cheek and scolded myself.

Now is the time to move for Liliana.

Summoning superhuman willpower, I sat up.

“…I should get up now. I have somewhere to be.”

“Where are you headed?”

“The city that never sleeps.”

Beneath the capital of the empire, Trieste.

A place where all the filthy desires and money of this world flow.

The city where the lights never go out, even at night—Orbit.

I planned to meet Ludenburger there to handle this matter.

I casually put on my coat and bid farewell to Lucy.

“I’ll be away for a few days. Please handle the affairs of the territory in my absence.”

“…Understood.”

A plain, emotionless answer, as usual.

But I could sense a subtle change in her tone.

‘Was it just my imagination?’

For a moment, it seemed like a flicker of disappointment passed over Lucy’s face.

A side of her I had never seen before.

I wondered what to do.

Lucy is my person.

A grateful person who has been my strength since I was suddenly thrown into this world.

I didn’t want to be so absorbed in other matters that I neglected her.

After a brief moment of thought, I stepped closer to Lucy and placed my hand on her head.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t rewarded you for handling the territory’s affairs so well. When I return, I’ll grant you one wish. How does that sound?”

“A wish?”

“Yes. If you’re not sure, think about it.”

It might be a difficult question for someone who has lived her entire life without wanting anything.

I glanced at Lucy’s expression and saw a tiny hint of contemplation on her doll-like face.

Pfft.

It was so cute that a soft smile formed on my lips.

After giving Lucy her first taste of contemplation, I headed out of the mansion.

***

Orbit–

The city that never sleeps.

A place where the discarded and those seeking pleasure gather.

There were various ways to get there.

The back alleys on the outskirts of the city, the filthy sewers, the garbage dumps, and so on.

These weren’t exactly pleasant paths, but they served as barriers separating the light and shadow of the capital.

Things like drugs, human trafficking, and slave auctions weren’t exactly accessible to ordinary citizens, after all.

Thus, most people who flowed into Orbit extinguished their own light and took these dirty paths to blend in.

But those who considered themselves noble, like the aristocracy, used a different route.

“This must be it.”

As dusk settled over the streets, I stood in front of a high-end clothing store in the capital.

Ding.

When I opened the door and entered, a clear bell sound announced my arrival to the counter.

Soon after, a middle-aged gentleman with a well-groomed mustache came out to greet me with a polite demeanor.

“Welcome. I apologize, but we are about to close. May I ask what brings you here?”

“I’d like to buy a mask.”

“…A mask, you say?”

“Yes. Something suitable for a night stroll.”

The code phrase to enter the city that never sleeps.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged gentleman’s eyes narrowed sharply.

“Understood. Please follow me this way.”

The middle-aged gentleman led me behind the counter.

Together, we walked down a dimly lit corridor.

It didn’t look like an ordinary passage.

After a while, the middle-aged gentleman stopped at a certain point.

He placed his hand on the wall and pressed a protruding part with his palm.

Creak—

The floor began to move with a heavy sound.

Soon, a staircase leading underground was revealed.

‘So they hid it here.’

A secret passage for nobles seeking to indulge their desires in Orbit.

I glanced down and saw that it was quite deep.

“It is an honor to serve such a distinguished guest. I hope you have a pleasant time.”

The middle-aged gentleman spoke mechanically as I observed the staircase.

He didn’t ask or question why I was here.

I gave him a nod of acknowledgment and stepped onto the staircase.

Thud, thud.

With each step, the inorganic sound of my footsteps echoed.

A staircase leading to the shadows of the city.

Despite being a path to a place filled with all sorts of filth, the elegant lighting above cast a soft glow.

After descending for a while,

I arrived at a quaint, old-fashioned space that resembled a dressing room.

“There’s quite a variety here.”

Looking around, I saw all sorts of masks hanging on the walls.

I guess it wasn’t a place where nobles could walk around showing their faces.

I slowly walked over to the masks and picked up a lion mask.

‘…Let’s stand out a bit.’

But the other masks didn’t seem to suit me.

I thought about wearing a plain white mask, but it felt like I was copying my subordinate Laplace.

In the end, I put on the lion mask and walked through the dressing room, opening the door at the end.

Creak—

‘Wow.’

They said this was the city that never sleeps.

Seeing it in person, the description seemed accurate.

The pleasure-filled, sensory-stimulating atmosphere of the city.

People who had become like trash, rolling on the ground.

In the distance, I could see a street lined with reddish lights, like a city that never sleeps.

“Hehe, Adela. How about 3 silver for tonight?”

“Are you crazy? It’s 5 silver.”

“Cut me some slack this time. I helped you out before.”

“Hmph. If you don’t have the money, go find some cheap hole.”

“You bitch, just you wait!”

“Ahhh!”

As I leisurely strolled through the streets, the sharp screams of a prostitute and the shouts of a drunkard greeted me.

‘It’s quite lively.’

The noise tickled my ears.

In the distance, people were buying and selling things, though they didn’t seem like ordinary goods.

It was a bit chaotic, but it felt different from walking through the streets of the academy.

Seeing one of the novel’s settings in person piqued my interest.

As I walked, taking in the pleasure-soaked streets like a tourist, someone bumped into my shoulder.

“Hey, what are you?”

A voice that still carried a hint of boyishness but was laced with insolence.

He reeked of something strange, like he was high on drugs.

And,

‘He’s wearing a mask.’

He seemed like a young noble.

Even though I was also wearing a mask, his attitude suggested he was from a prominent family.

I didn’t know which family’s scion he was, but it might have been one I knew, so I asked out of curiosity.

“And who are you?”

“What, what? Hahaha!”

He laughed as if it were ridiculous.

Then, his face twisted in a way that was visible even through the mask.

“You’re out of your mind. How dare you bump into me and play word games?”

“I don’t know which family you’re from, but since I had a good meal today, I’ll teach you a lesson myself!”

Whoosh!

He swung his right arm at me in a surprise attack.

Even a top-tier knight from a renowned order would feel the difference in skill.

But this guy was so pathetic that he didn’t even realize the gap between us.

‘What a bother.’

I wasn’t in the mood for this.

After a short sigh,

I caught his wrist mid-swing and slapped his cheek with my palm.

Slap!!!

A crisp sound rang out as his cheek was struck.

I heard the sound of his neck snapping, but I made sure not to kill him.

…Was that okay?

“What’s this? A fight?”

“They’re wearing masks. Must be some nobles having a dispute.”

“Let’s not get involved and move on.”

A small commotion broke out, and passersby showed brief interest before quickly losing it and dispersing.

I nudged the guy’s head with my foot. His mask was shattered, and he was lying face down on the ground.

“Hey, are you alive?”

“Let’s go. If you sleep here, you’ll catch a cold.”

Thud.

I grabbed the unresponsive guy’s ankle and dragged him toward my destination.

As I walked, I glanced back at his face and noticed he looked quite similar to Lucy’s, Justia’s guard knight.

His brother, perhaps.

So he was acting all high and mighty because he had the second prince’s backing.

While I silently mourned for the dysfunctional family,

I arrived at a conspicuously lavish building in the midst of the sleepless city.

‘This must be it.’

A castle-like building adorned with hundreds of reddish lights.

There were at least a dozen guards stationed outside, and inside, prostitutes oozed seduction.

As I stared at the building,

“Welcome!”

Someone burst through the door.

A giant of a man with an eyepatch.

An unsettling aura emanated from his entire body.

One of the three rulers of Orbit.

Ludenburger knelt before me with a face full of joy.