Kays Translations

Chapter 202: Sleeping Forest

After several days without proper sleep, the slumber that enveloped Kasim felt like a certain kind of pleasure.

However, the blissful moment was not eternal. It was abruptly disrupted as if shaken awake. Kasim opened his eyes slightly and muttered resentfully.

"...This is harsh."

"Yeah, it's really something when someone just barges in and sleeps without permission."

The first thing Kasim saw upon waking up was Lutz's exasperated face. Another figure, a woman peering at Kasim's face, was also there.

Beautiful, Kasim momentarily choked on his breath. She had ample bust and curves. Not only attractive, but she exuded an aura that brightened up the surroundings just by being there.

In a hurry to sit up, Kasim was greeted with a smile from the woman.

"Hello, you must be Kasim. I've heard a lot about you. I'm Lutz's wife, Claudia. Nice to meet you."

"Uh, yeah, nice to meet you too. I'm Kasim. Hehe."

Kasim answered in a fluster. His mind was occupied by admiration, desire, and a certain level of resignation.

...Well, with a wife like this, who wouldn't want to go home as soon as possible?

He recalled Lutz's indifferent attitude, bordering on rejection, when they parted a few days ago upon returning from the labyrinth. And he could guess why he was awakened and what would be said to him.

"You're awake. Well, then, you can leave."

Lutz's demand was simple and straightforward.

"Is it impossible to stay overnight? I'd like to deepen our camaraderie a bit more."

Though he made a feeble attempt to negotiate, it was still futile. Lutz's eyes weren't smiling. If Kasim insisted any further, it seemed like he might get a kick to the face.

While Lutz was generally an easygoing and reliable guy, he also had clear boundaries that shouldn't be crossed. If Kasim interfered with Lutz and Claudia's life, he would cut ties without mercy.

Reflecting on the occasions where he had selfishly prioritized his own convenience without considering others, he ended up being expelled from the party. Kasim clenched his half-opened lips. It was a mouth that had been allowed to run wild for years, and unless he consciously controlled it, it would start talking on its own.

"Alright, got it. I'll leave today. When are we setting off for the labyrinth?"

"Tomorrow."

"Isn't that too soon!?"

"Is there ever a good day to go to that garbage dump? We're going because everything's ready. It's best to get through unpleasant things quickly, right?"

Lutz's penetrating gaze stabbed into Kasim. It was as if he could see through that Kasim wasn't prepared, merely trying to delay things.

These eyes ignited Kasim's cinder-like pride.

"Alright, fine! I'll do it! Starting from tomorrow or even now!"

"I-is that so? Well then, the two of you should come here tomorrow morning. We'll depart together."

"Prepare dozens of Flame Demons. With this famous sword, Kasimumaru, I'll turn everyone into hamburgers!"

Gripping the sword firmly, Kasim left the workshop with confidence. Although his lines were full of places to retort, there was no time to point them out.

"What was that...?"

"Well, he seems motivated, doesn't he?"

Although Claudia's words were sharp, the two of them couldn't come up with an immediate retort. It might be true that they had just released a suspicious person into the wild.

For some reason, Ricardo followed Kasim, who walked away. Fortunately, Kasim's pace was slow, and Ricardo quickly caught up.

"Hey, Kasim, you seem to be in a good mood."

"Yeah, I'm feeling great. I feel like I've been reborn. After washing my clothes and body, I'm a handsome man, don't you think?"

"A dog that hasn't been washed just became a washed dog."

"Being a veteran adventurer is tough. They suddenly gain a lot of vocabulary for insults."

Laughing, the two adventurers walked side by side towards the adventurer district. Kasim's eyes sparkled like a child who had received a toy.

"Well, having a good weapon is essential. When I hold a sword, I feel like I've become stronger. Well, of course, I understand it's just an illusion. But it's nice to have the courage welling up inside."

“I understand," Ricardo nodded slightly. Legendary swords and blades indeed have the power to uplift people's spirits. It could be described as a sensation where holding them made your spine straighten.

Ricardo had harbored suspicions that Kasim might only talk big but flee when things got tough, but he decided to discard that notion. Kasim, too, was one of those men captivated by his sword. He wouldn't do anything to disgrace his beloved blade.

Kasim parted ways with Ricardo and returned to the inn.

Using the last bit of his remaining money, he rented a private room. Even though he now had no money left even for lunch, he had no regrets. For now, he just wanted to sleep quietly and slowly recover from the exhaustion of the past few days.

He had taken a short nap at Lutz's workshop, but it was far from enough to erase several days' worth of fatigue. Rather, he found himself feeling sleepy again due to the incomplete rest.

"All right, time to sleep!"

He planned to sleep soundly tonight and then deal with the Flame Demon tomorrow—a perfect plan.

Blowing out the candle provided in the private room, he hugged his sword and slipped under the futon. However, it seemed the tiredness hadn't entirely dissipated. As soon as he closed his eyes, he fell into the depths of sleep.

He slept deeply, without making a sound, like a mound of mud. However, a few minutes later...

"Uwaaah!"

Kasim let out a strange cry as he jolted awake. His entire body was drenched in cold sweat. He even instinctively touched his groin, wondering if he had wet the bed.

Fortunately, his bladder was intact. Unfortunately, it had shrunk so much that it was painfully aching.

His heart contracted so violently that he feared it might tear apart. He tried to calm his breathing by placing his hand on his chest, but it took quite some time.

After calming down, he glanced around to confirm that this was indeed the private room in the inn. That's right, it wasn't the labyrinth. Next, he brought his hand to his neck. No signs of strangulation, no burns. It was all just a story from within a dream.

It was all just a dream. However, the only reality was that he couldn't sleep.

It wasn't just a matter of having a sword; the reason he could sleep was probably because reliable men like Lutz and Ricardo were by his side.

"It seems the gods really want me to fight monsters in that stinking labyrinth..."

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered, almost spitting out his words.

To sleep peacefully, he had no choice but to either confirm the death of the monster or ask Lutz and Ricardo to sleep with him every night. However, he couldn't imagine getting their consent for the latter, and Kasim himself didn't want that.

"Damn it, I'll definitely kill that flaming baldy!"

Turning fear into anger, Kasim drew his sword from its sheath.

Reflected on the blade was a face filled with murderous intent and sleep deprivation—a face that looked terrible.

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