It was a lazy midday on a weekday, just like any other.
Even though customer traffic had increased somewhat compared to before, maybe because the store was in such a remote location,
Greg’s general store remained quiet to the point where it was rare to even see someone passing by the window.
Thinking about it, that made perfect sense.
This wasn’t some kind of fantasy world where special materials or contraband flowed endlessly.
A general store in a world filled with mechanical contraptions and mind-bending magic?
Not to mention the store was precariously located near the fringes of the underworld, and there wasn’t even any advertising to bring in customers.
No matter how beautiful the clerk was, the structure of the place simply didn’t allow for high demand.
Still, recently, business had been decent thanks to promoting Karen, a top-class artisan, as a sales draw.
Every now and then, I found myself wondering if Greg hadn’t chosen the wrong business altogether.
“Well, it’s not like he’s trying to become some mega-tycoon. If it’s just about having no financial worries in old age, this much is enough.”
Perhaps it was because the store had built a reputation for evaluating the value of artifacts with surprising accuracy and offering far more reasonable deals than anywhere else.
Despite all the disadvantages, the general store was being run pretty well.
Besides, the kinds of people who were willing to go out of their way to visit a place this remote were usually the ones willing to pay more to get something genuine,
so they tended to have deep pockets too.
From the perspective of an employee, it was much better [N O V E L I G H T] to work like this—calmly and unhurried—than to be constantly run off your feet.
Greg really was the best. I swung my legs, which didn’t quite reach the floor, and thought to myself in contentment.
Earlier, Raven had sent a message saying he’d probably be busy until late, so I should go ahead and eat first.
The real question now was what I should have for dinner once I got off work. A serious dilemma, truly.
[ “Today marks one month since former Mayor Tempest stepped down from his position. The abrupt announcement left citizens and officials alike reeling, unable to hide their shock...” ]
Just when I’d finally narrowed the options down to either curry or tacos,
a voice from the television—which had been playing like background noise—caught my attention and made me turn my head.
It was a news story about how it had already been a month since Tempest resigned from his post as mayor of Nighthaven.
To me, it still felt like an overwhelmingly surreal fact.
In the original story, Tempest had secured a third term in office without issue, thanks to overwhelming public support.
I couldn’t help but feel alarmed at how much the future had already diverged from that.
“Well, the fight against the Inter-Species Liberation Army in the Sky Garden wasn’t in the original at all, so I had a hunch something major was going to change, but still...”
I didn’t expect the aftermath to be Tempest stepping down.
Officially, it had been announced that he was resigning due to a worsening chronic illness and would be entering long-term care.
But what I’d learned through Echo told a different story: severe injuries with lingering aftereffects.
Even if it was in exchange for two of the Seven Calamities from the Liberation Army... the price was just too high.
Of course, the Liberation Army had also lost valuable personnel and poured in all sorts of high-tier magic and curses,
so it wasn’t exactly a win for them either.
Still, on this side, Tempest was practically a spiritual anchor.
Especially for the citizens of Nighthaven, the news had been nothing short of devastating.
“I really can’t rely on the original plot knowledge anymore. Sigh... guess figuring out what to do about the Liberation Army comes first.”
I stared at the news coverage on Tempest with a growing sense of discomfort, then finally used telekinesis to flick the remote and switch the channel.
The new channel showed a cooking program, with meat sizzling brightly over flame.
Maybe because I’d only had a light lunch, my mouth immediately began watering as I watched the screen.
Just as I was enjoying the sight of meat being flambéed in a flashy fire show,
Greg emerged from the back of the store looking mildly annoyed and called out to me.
“Yuria, are you here?”
“Huh?”
“I’ve got a little errand for you. The Twins sent us a batch of replacement parts, but there were some defective ones mixed in. I’m sure it was just an honest mistake—they’re not the kind of guys to do that on purpose—but they’re not picking up when I call. Could you go get it swapped for a working one?”
“Okay.”
The Twins were a pair of brothers who ran a parts shop way out east in Nighthaven.
Since our general store also handled artifact repairs,
we usually got parts made of artifact-specialized materials from the Twins.
But for those two—famous for their meticulousness—to have sent defective parts?
It was rare enough that I couldn’t help but react with mild surprise.
Well, if it was just a matter of swapping out a defective item, it shouldn’t be a big deal.
I took the bad part from Greg and raised my hand high in the air as if to say, I’m off!
Greg said there was no rush and I could take my time, but even so, it felt wrong to leave my post for too long when I was just an employee.
So I planned to head straight there, get the job done quickly, and return without any detours.
“The weather’s pretty nice. It’s still a bit chilly, but with my maid uniform on, I won’t need a coat.”
Stepping out of the store, I looked up at the clear, cloudless sky.
Maybe because I’d suffered through a particularly rough winter,
but I felt zero regret about the cold finally letting up.
Without stopping my steps, I slowly lowered my gaze from the sky.
The streets of Nighthaven came into view—filled with people of all shapes and kinds.
Well, it was hard to find common physical traits among non-humans, so that made sense.
In fact, it was actually relieving that no one was paying special attention to me, even though I was wearing a fox mask with a maid uniform.
Hugging the envelope of defective parts to my chest, I continued onward—
until I suddenly noticed a crowd of people gathered around something and tilted my head.
“Hm? Some kind of event?”
I was curious. What could possibly be happening that had drawn such a crowd?
But now wasn’t the time to be getting distracted—I needed to go exchange the parts.
Still clutching the envelope to my chest, I peeked over at the commotion again, this time with a bit more intent.
Surely checking what it was just for a moment would be fine.
Greg had said I didn’t need to rush.
I cautiously approached the crowd and perked up my ears to figure out what was going on.
Then, through the speakers, a strange man’s voice began to broadcast loud and clear.
“Right now, Nighthaven is facing an unprecedented crisis. With Lord Tempest’s resignation, increasing conflict with the Inter-Species Liberation Army, and a string of unexplained rampage incidents, the average citizen is left fearing for their lives, unable to sleep at night.”
“Ugh... I still can’t believe Lord Tempest stepped down.”
“Is another one of those goddamn wars about to start again? Damn it, I still have nightmares from my military days!”
“Oh dear, what’s going to happen to Nighthaven now...”
Murmur murmur.
Their voices were anxious, grim.
It wasn’t just Tempest’s resignation that had them on edge.
With the Liberation Army ramping up their activity again, tension was rising across the world—
and news of Tempest’s failing health only added fuel to the fire.
Still, was it really necessary to be having this discussion right in the middle of the street?
Just as I frowned in doubt, the man’s voice resumed.
“With Lord Tempest—protector of not just Nighthaven, but all humanity—stepping down, someone must rise to take his place! I, Chiron, descendant of giants, vow to do just that! I swear that no one will dare to lay a hand on the citizens while I stand watch!”
Hmm... I had a feeling, and I was right—it was a campaign speech.
Definitely not worth listening to.
Losing interest immediately, I turned on my heel and hurried away from the crowd.
Since I was legally a minor, none of this concerned me anyway. Sёarch* The NovelZone.fun website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Though of course, that only applied because I was human.
For beastkin, who matured faster than humans, the legal age threshold was lower.
On the other hand, plant-type non-humans—who could take decades to fully grow—had a much higher standard.
Still, I didn’t know if it was really fair that species with such wildly different life spans and growth rates all had the same one-person-one-vote system...
But then again, this was Earth, a human world.
To non-humans, this was someone else’s planet—they had no choice but to accept some compromises.
That aside, campaign season, huh...
As the loud voice faded behind me to the point it was barely audible,
I kept walking toward my destination and sank into quiet thought.
“A mayoral election, huh. The odds of nothing going wrong seem... slim.”
An election to choose the next mayor of Nighthaven in the wake of Tempest’s resignation?
No matter how I looked at it, something was definitely going to happen.
I couldn’t help but sigh.
If I couldn’t stop it, then please—at the very least—don’t let anyone I know get hurt.
All I could do was offer up that small, powerless prayer.