A World Without a Sun

This world has no sun.

At dawn, a crimson full moon rises from beyond the horizon, causing the stars in the sky to hide their tracks. When night falls, a pure white crescent takes the place of the round moon, and the myriad stars gather once more into a celestial river, flowing across the boundless night sky.

Now, sitting on the straw pile in the stable, I gazed at the scenery outside the window. My tired eyelids drooped, but fortunately, the beautiful river of stars provided just enough nourishment for my eyes, allowing me to continue the work at hand.

A full day had quietly passed.

Recalling everything that happened during the daylight hours, I sat in the stable with a complex heart. The cold wind that occasionally blew in through the window wandered freely through the structure. This world without a sun was even colder than winter back in my homeland. But if there was no sun, wouldn’t that mean no heat ever reached this continent? Then why was there a hint of warmth during the day? And what exactly caused the changes in the sky between day and night?

“Ugh…”

As I pondered, a headache began to set in. I leaned my head against the wall behind me and let out a troubled sigh. With my body, the wall, and the floor forming a triangle to maintain a delicate balance, my gaze fell upon my hands.

In them was a piece of finely processed double-layered leather, with holes of varying sizes cut into it to fit various tools perfectly. However, the place where this leather was supposed to be housed… or rather, the area at the end of the leather, looked like a scrap heap at first glance. All sorts of components were tossed everywhere, though luckily I had at least spread a cloth underneath.

—How many times have I told you to arrange the parts neatly when disassembling! Just wait and see how you’ll struggle to put them back together later!

“I got carried away with the disassembly, sorry Master…”

Faintly hearing my Master’s scolding, I sat up straight and lowered my head in apology.

But.

Setting down the leather, I picked up the parts on the cloth and examined them closely, fitting two components together according to their grooves.

The bearings, the springs, this metal, and even the design of the patterns and shapes for the assembly…

“This is seriously badass! Cough, cough, cough…“

Before I could finish my exclamation, a coughing fit cut me off. Only then did I realize I had been speaking in a female voice with my Adam’s apple raised for the entire day.

“I really need to rest…”

Setting down the parts and rubbing my throat, I felt the raspiness of my voice once more.

Before that, however…

My gaze fell back to the components scattered on the blanket, and I spoke with excitement:

“I have to put it back together.”

This was the toolkit I had swiped from the pirate ship. Its cylindrical design felt even more exquisite after I had disassembled the interior to study it. My craftsman’s soul had burned brightly, leading to a frenzy of disassembly that resulted in this chaotic scene.

I had originally intended to modify it, as there were many areas that could be improved… or rather, it could be turned into a tool bag perfectly suited for me.

“Whew…”

With a wrench gripped between my teeth, I began the reassembly work, letting out another long sigh.

I don’t have enough materials… at the very least, if there were needle and thread here, I could do something.

But there weren’t.

Recalling the events of the day, I couldn’t help but lament the poverty of this village, even though the tools I was currently using had been provided unconditionally by Hisaba.

It’s not that I don’t understand the reality of the Nako race being looked down upon by the world. But since they have a place of their own here, discrimination cannot be used as an excuse for the state of things.

“Miss Ilu seems to be doing everything in her power for the village.”

Being able to trade with a Goblin merchant caravan while carrying the status of a discriminated race was an incredible feat in itself, and the fact that she maintained a long-term relationship with them was naturally astonishing.

Miss Ilu, huh.

As I whispered her name in my heart, though my hands didn’t stop working, my thoughts quietly drifted away.