Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint
Chapter 342: Sleep Well

Did being inside the Juggernaut make time pass by quicker?

We finished our evening meal and had just tidied up when the sun slipped past the horizon.

On the Catafract, time slowed down to a crawl, but on the Juggernaut, night came in the blink of an eye.

Perhaps, even time changes along with the scenery on these vehicles.

But time remained constant everywhere and for everyone.

The Juggernaut ran tirelessly despite the long journey.

Whenever it seemed to slow down, Peru would take some black steel from the storage and throw it into the furnace. The Juggernaut would then surge forward with renewed vigor.

I grew curious and asked.

“I heard the Juggernaut runs on the Primarch’s power. Does it keep moving at night too?”

“…If you put in enough fuel.”

I found it fascinating, but Peru’s thoughts held no answers either.

The creator of this marvel was the Golden Lord, leaving no choice but to accept it as it was.

That too, must be the majesty of the Golden Lord.

With my stomach full and my body refreshingly washed for once since the start of our trip, I looked around for a place to sleep when Peru spoke.

“…That room. Over there.”

She pointed to a nearby storage room. The inside had been tidied up a bit just to fit two modest beds.

It looked so cramped that privacy seemed impossible, let alone comfort.

I frowned and muttered.

“Look, I don’t mean to be picky as a guest, but why do I have to sleep in that corner room? Unlike Azzy or Tyr, I need basic living conditions.”

“…There’s no other way.”

｢…There’s no other space big enough for two beds. The only option is putting the two guys in the storage room.｣

Sleeping alone would’ve been fine, but that wasn’t even the case. On top of that, my roommate was…

“What? Why am I sharing it with him?”

Sleeping with a cross-dressing regressor?

Honestly, that’s dangerous.

If I accidentally approached her in my sleep… I could be attacked by her Heavenly Counter Domain and I might die in my sleep.

“Why are you being difficult, Mr. Shei? Honestly, it’s me who should be worried about sharing a room with you!”

“What’s there for you to worry about?!”

｢If we share a room, I’m the one in danger! I won’t even be able to rest comfortably since I have to maintain my cover! How much longer do I have to keep pretending to be a man…?!｣

Why are you the one feeling threatened? We’re not kids. Just sharing a room with the opposite gender isn’t the end of the world.

Sharing a bed, maybe, but a room?

Come on. If you were that worried, why disguise yourself in the first place?

“I wouldn’t be able to resist if you got weird ideas! Locked in a room together, who knows what might happen to me!”

“What weird ideas? I’ve never had any thoughts like that about you! I mean, I…”

“You mean what?”

｢Should I just reveal I’m a woman…? No. Calm down. Not yet. Until business in the Fallen Dominion is done, pretending to be a guy will benefit me. Even if it’s unlikely, if they mistake me for a Saintess… the Fallen Dominion and Tyrkanzyaka might turn against me.｣

The Regressor suppressed her urge.

The power of Foresight is attributed to the Saintess.

No wonder she’s been mistaken for one many times.

While it can be advantageous to be seen as a Saintess in certain cases, now isn’t the time with Tyr around.

The Regressor has her strategies.

Whether she’s only “mistaken” for a Saintess, though, is questionable.

“You almost beheaded me last time when I tried to wake you up! Now, you have the nerve to say: ‘Don’t touch me when I’m sleeping.’ Unbelievable!”

“Well, I can’t help it! Travelers must always have means to protect themselves while they sleep!”

“If it was just about self-defense, fine! The problem is: You aimed right for my neck when I was just trying to help!”

“I didn’t cut you, did I?!”

“If you had, you’d be a murderer! Don’t justify it by saying you didn’t cut me. You should be grateful I dodged it!”

Amidst the heated exchange, a boy with short hair stepped outside.

His appearance was so delicate that anyone could mistake him for a girl. He chuckled and spoke.

“Really now, Shei. You don’t know what you’re missing~ Sharing a room with Father is such a rare opportunity.”

The Regressor tilted her head at Hilde.

Right now, Hilde looked like the Regressor, with sharp eyes and short hair that revealed her neck, identical to the Regressor’s.

But something was off.

Hilde’s transformations had always been surprisingly perfect, but this time, it felt different.

This transformation, no matter who looked at it, would be easy to distinguish.

Something just didn’t feel right.

“What’s this? A transformation? But…”

Hilde, who didn’t fully become ‘Shei,’ let out a deep sigh and spoke.

“Doesn’t look right, huh? Yeah~ It’s a failure. Your character is so hard to interpret and I just couldn’t immerse myself properly, so the act isn’t convincing.”

The Regressor seemed secretly pleased that Hilde couldn’t fully mimic her.

Was it because she took pride in being unique?

Even though she usually attacked anything bearing her face, she was strangely lenient.

“Hmph. Not everything in the world goes your way.”

“I just learned that today. I give up. There’s something off in my interpretation, but I can’t figure out what it is~”

Makes sense.

Without knowing the premise of regression, how could anyone grasp her mind?

Even I, with Mind Reading, couldn’t fully understand it.

Hilde raised her hands with a mischievous grin and leaped toward me.

“In any case! If you don’t want to share a room with Father, swap with me! I don’t mind sharing a room with Father at all! In fact, I’d love it!”

“Huh?”

“Is it okay for a man and a woman to share a room? Sure, it’s fine! I’m disguised as a man, so sharing a room, even a bed, is perfectly safe!”

No, I’m going to refuse that offer.

Sharing a bed as a man?

No way. It’d be safer if she stayed in her female form.

The Regressor seriously considered Hilde’s proposal for a moment, but then she shook her head after picturing Hilde next to me with her face.

“No. I’d rather not see her hanging onto you with my face.”

“Oh my? Are you jealous?”

“Jealous? No! It’s just disgusting! Wouldn’t you feel the same if someone used your face to fool around?”

“Not really? I could do all sorts of silly things with my own face~ What kind of antics should I pull~?”

Hilde said as she subtly stepped toward the storage room.

Suddenly, shadows surged from behind, seizing her limbs.

“Huh? Tyrkanzyaka?”

[How dare a grown woman march into a man’s room so boldly? Come back here.]

“Old-fashioned thinking like that only slows down your progressss~.”

Despite her protest, Hilde was dragged into the darkness.

Peru, who witnessed someone being swallowed by shadows, panicked and fled.

In the end, only the Regressor and I were left in front of the storage room.

Running a hand through her hair, the Regressor clicked her tongue and waved dismissively.

“Fine. I’ll put up a curtain in the middle, so don’t cross it.”

“I don’t get why you’re being so defensive. If anything, I should be the one on edge. Unlike you, I’m a harmless person with no aggression whatsoever!”

“It’s not about you. I’m cautious with anyone. I can’t sleep well when I sense someone nearby.”

｢If there’s no one close, it’s not dangerous. Not for me, not for anyone. Everyone…｣

The Regressor pulled out a wide curtain and divided the room.

The already cramped space became even tighter, but the sense of ease beyond the curtain was palpable.

In her private space, the Regressor relaxed and let her guard down.

Well, do what you will. It’s better for me too. At least I won’t risk decapitation if I accidentally touch the curtain.

Carefully, I lay down on the makeshift bed.

“Privacy is guaranteed, it seems. Good night, Mr. Shei.”

“…Good night.”

Her response came a beat late.

***

Once upon a time, the King of the Golden Empire, Elric, spoke to her disciples.

“Fill this room with a single gold coin. The one who fills it most wisely will earn the right to my teachings.”

The challenge was a well-worn cliché, practically exhausted of its own novelty.

Each disciple put forth their ideas, using sound, light, and scent to fill the room.

They beamed, waiting for Elric’s judgment.

However, there was a hidden meaning to Elric’s trial.

“Water flows into the sea to become clouds and rain again. Broken tools are melted down and reforged into steel. True wisdom lies not just in consuming, but in knowing how to replenish. That is much harder to achieve.”

While the initial riddle was familiar, the disciples had never heard the second part.

Elric looked at his puzzled disciples and commanded.

“Return what you filled the room with back into gold.”

The disciples scrambled to recover their items, trying to convert them back into gold.

But once used, things lose their value.

Not a single disciple managed to return with an intact gold coin.

…Until the Golden Lord appeared.