Chapter 4: Mukohda Buys a House

I could see a familiar townscape past the open doors of the gate.

“It’s Karelina...... Great, let’s hurry and get in.”

“Indeed.”

《Yeah.》

I was on Fel’s back as he ran to Karelina with Dora-chan flying beside us. By the way, Sui was fast asleep in my bag, as usual.

The gate guards were a little alarmed; it’d been a long time since they had seen Fel, but I could see the comprehension dawn on their faces when they noticed me on his back, so there wasn’t really any problem. Even though Dora-chan was here too now, I was let through quickly once I showed them my shiny gold S-ranked guild card.

The power of a shiny gold S-ranked guild card really is no joke.

As I walked through the familiar streets in town, I somehow felt like I’d “returned.” This was the first town I’d visited after coming to this country, after all, and we had stayed for quite a while, too. It really was a town with a lot of memories and feelings behind it.

“First, let’s go give our greetings at the Adventurer’s guild.”

All of us headed for Karelina’s adventurer’s guild. It was a return for Fel, Sui, and I, but it was the first time for Dora-chan.

◇　◇　◇　◇　◇

When we entered the Adventurer’s guild, the receptionist, who remembered us, hurried to get up.

I smiled a little at the nostalgic display.

You don’t have to get so worked up, you know?

It didn’t take long for a ripped and energetic looking old man to come over. He was the guildmaster of the Adventurer’s guild in Karelina, Willem.

“Ohh! Long time no see!”

“Yes, it’s been a while.”

“I heard you became S-ranked!”

“Yes, thanks to your guidance. Also, I have a new familiar now — Dora-chan, over here,” I said, and for some reason Dora-chan latched onto the back of my head.

Dora-chan, guy, your claws are digging into my head and it hurts.

“Uhhh, this is my new familiar. A pixie dragon......”

“Haha! So, you even made a dragon one of your familiars!”

“Pixie dragons are rare, and this one is actually fully grown.”

“Gahaha! Rare, huh? To me, you’re even rarer since you’ve got three familiars following you.”

I mean, when you put it like that... It’s true that I’ve never even seen another adventurer with three familiars, and tamers themselves are already rare.

“I’ll be asking you for a lot while you’re here, got it? I’m countin’ on you.”

“Okay. I’m planning to stay here for a while. For now, I just came to greet you......”

Oh, that’s right. Since I’m already here, might as well ask them to take care of some butchering. Of course, I’ll sell them everything but the meat. Even though I learned how to butcher for myself, I couldn’t handle anything big, and I could only manage one or two at a time. I really can’t beat a professional. The rate at which we go through meat is no joke, so I should try to refill when I can.

“Also, maybe I could provide you with some goods...?”

“Oh, really? The stuff you bring in is always top-notch, so we’ll be happy to take care of it. Let’s hurry up to the storehouse,” he said, practically zooming towards his destination. We followed him to the storehouse.

“Yo! Johan! There’s a familiar face here!” When we reached the storehouse, the guildmaster called out, summoning a familiar, grim-looking old bald man from the back.

“Ohh, it’s you, bro! It’s been a long time! So, does the fact that you’re here mean that you have something to sell? Everything you bring in is always something rare, so I’m totally excited for anything you throw at me. Let’s see it.”

“No, it’s not anything that amazing this time.”

I had only sold about half of what we caught in Dolan to Dolan’s Adventurer’s guild, so I was just thinking that I’d sell the rest here.

“Um, let’s see......”

I brought out the rest of the monsters that we hunted in Dolan one after the other: eight wyverns, three wild bison, three golden sheep, a giant horned boar, two rockbirds, ten blue bulls, and three giant turkeys. It seemed like there was a lot of meat to be harvested off of the light truck-sized giant horned boar, so I asked them to do it right away. As for the blue bulls, I had so many that I stopped at ten for the time being.

“Wyverns? And golden sheep, and even a giant horned boar! Just what I expected out of you, bro.”

Seeing the monsters that I brought out, Johan sounded surprised. According to him, golden sheep and giant horned boars hadn’t been seen in Karelina’s Adventurer’s guild for a couple of years now.

“It’s been a while for me, too. Everything you bring in really is great.”

It seemed that the guildmaster felt the same, and he was looking mighty pleased.

Huh? Wait, could it be that they still have some leeway to do more?

“Umm, could I ask you to butcher a little more?”

“Hm? Ahh, sure. It’s fine. Thanks to you, we’re gonna have some more money in our coffers soon, after all,” the guildmaster said, grinning from ear to ear.

Hmmm~, izzat so? If that’s the case, I’ll show you the chimera and orthrus that got rejected the last time I showed them anywhere because they were worth too much money. How ‘bout that?

“Then, how about these ones that I showed you before?” I produced the chimera and orthrus. “And this.” On top of that, I added a dim gray rhino, which had also been languishing in my Item Box.

““............”” Both the guildmaster and Johan were silent.

“Ummm......”

Johan let out his breath in a hiss. “So that’s how it is. That’s the chimera and orthrus from before, right? And a dim gray rhino? You brought in some rare things again.”

“Yes. A while back, Fel and the others......”

Without even finishing that thought, the two of them understood.

“How about it, Johan?”

“The dim gray rhino is rare, but I’ve butchered one before so it’s not really a problem. As for the chimera and orthrus, of course, I don’t have experience, but I think I could try...”

Old man Johan was a lot calmer this time since it was his second time seeing the chimera and orthrus. As for the guildmaster, he sank into thought for a while after hearing old man Johan’s reply.

“Hmmm... let’s buy the dim gray rhino. But it really would be impossible to buy both the chimera and the orthrus.”

“If both are impossible, does that mean you’d be able to buy one of them?”

“Indeed. I’ll buy one of them. Everything you’ve brought in has made us a lot richer, after all. I’ll ride this wave and try to profit even more.”

Either the chimera or orthrus, huh? Both of them had basically been pickling in my Item Box, so I’d really like to get rid of even one of them while I can. If I were to just leave them in my Item Box forever, I’d honestly forget they existed at some point. Now then, which one will he buy?

While I was turning that over in my head, I heard Fel’s voice.

“The chimera.”

“The chimera?”

“Indeed. It is edible.”

Ahh~, yeah, Fel did say something like that, didn’t he? Wait, the chimera is really edible? Even though it looks like that?

I worriedly looked at the eerie form of the chimera. “Uhh, is the chimera really edible?”

“No, I’ve never heard of anything like that. What about you, Johan?”

“Neither have I......”

Both of them reported that they’d never heard of chimera meat being edible.

Hmmm~, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. The people of this world didn’t know that soft-shelled turtle was edible either...... In times like this I should use Appraisal.

【Chimera】

S-ranked monster. Edible. Top-class red meat. Delicious whether grilled or boiled.

............So, chimeras are edible. And they’re top-class red meat? When it looks like that, of course no one would be able to tell.

For now, I knew it was edible, so I asked them to take the chimera. Of course, I had them give back all the meat.

“Well then, please.”

“Sure thing. Let’s see... Come back in four days. We’ll have the money for you then, too.”

After saying goodbye to the guildmaster and old man Johan, we left the Adventurer’s guild.

Now then, next is Lambert’s place. It’s about time for him to be needing more soap and shampoo and stuff, too. There’s something personal I want to ask him about as well.

◇　◇　◇　◇　◇

“It’s been a long time, Mrs. Marie.”

When I got to Lambert’s store, Lambert’s wife, Marie, came out to greet me. “Oh my, Sir Mukohda! It has been a while! So, you’re back in Karelina!”

“Yes, after a long time away. It looks like the soap and shampoo are selling.”

Women were crowded around the corner of the store where the soap and shampoo were being sold.

“It’s all thanks to you. Every day is a success. However, there is a limit to our stock, so to prevent anyone from buying us out, we’ve been limiting sales to one-per-customer. Even though it hurts my heart to do so......”

Ahh~, thought so. I figured they’d be running low on inventory about now — the last time I had restocked them was back in Berléand.

“Yes, that’s one of the reasons I wanted to speak to Lambert today. Is he in?”

“Please wait a little bit.” Marie sent an errand boy to call Lambert, and the man himself rushed out immediately from the back of the store once he got the message.

“It’s been a while, Mukohda!”

“It sure has, Lambert.”

“The wyvern mantle you commissioned is undergoing final adjustments right now, but it’s very well done!”

“Oh! I’m looking forward to that~.”

“I think it’ll still take about twenty more days, though.”

“Of course, that’s just fine.”

I did come back quite a while before the promised date of delivery after all.

“It looks like you have some business with me, so please, come to the back.”

I was shown into the back of the store by Lambert. Since we’d be talking about soap and shampoo as well, Marie accompanied us.

◇　◇　◇　◇　◇

“Sorry for getting straight to business, but would it be fine to talk about restocking first? Marie’s looking really nervous over there, after all. Hahaha...”

“Oh, you! But it’s true that all the things like soap and shampoo that we buy from you are running low, Sir Mukohda. I’d feel sorry for all the customers who come to buy them if we were to run out, too.”

......How should I put it... they’re as great a couple as always. If I keep getting exposed to them, my HP will wither away, though.

“Sir Mukohda has come back, so I would like it if we could restock soon. If possible......”

Marie said that she would like the same amount I sold to them at Berléand as soon as possible. With that amount, while they would still have to refuse anyone trying to buy too many, they would finally be able to lift the one-product-per-customer limit.

The amount I sold them in Berléand, huh......? It’s so much work to repackage them into pots and wooden boxes... I get why they want it as fast as possible, but I’d like it if I at least had all of tomorrow.

So, I said I could have it ready before noon the day after tomorrow, and Marie agreed. With that finished, Marie hurriedly went back to the store, as it seemed she was concerned about the goings-on there.

“Sorry about that. Marie is having a lot of fun with work these days.”

“It’s nice to see women working.”

“True enough. Marie looks like she’s having a lot of fun every day, so I’m overjoyed as well...... So, what did you want to talk to me about, Mukohda?”

“Right. To tell you the truth............”

I told Lambert what had occurred to me a little while ago. Basically, I had decided that I wanted a house. I had been renting houses wherever we traveled, but I’d started to think that a permanent house would be really nice. It would have to be spacious, so that Fel and the others could live without feeling too constrained, and I wouldn’t have to worry about them either. And it would be nice to have a well-equipped kitchen and bath, among other amenities. Of course, the fancy mansions I had been renting had all of those features, but I had a lot of money now thanks to Fel, so I figured I’d be more than able to afford a nice mansion. And most importantly, having a home to return to was a good thing.

There was no question we’d still be leaving on journeys, but the feeling was completely different when you had a house to return to. So, when I tried to think of a nice place to buy a house, the best place I thought of was Karelina. I had also considered Dolan, but if I got a house there, I could see Elrand coming and going as he pleased, so I ultimately rejected the idea. Dora-chan would probably hate it too. So, if I really were to buy a house, it would have to be in Karelina.

“Huh~, so you will take up residence here. That’s great!”

“After all, you’re here Lambert. Thankfully, you’re someone I can ask about a lot of stuff like we’re doing now.”

“I’m happy to hear that.”

“So, I’d like to ask, if I were to buy a house here, would going to the Merchant’s guild really be the best choice?”

“Let’s see... It would depend on what kind of house you want, but I do think going to the Merchant’s guild as a middleman would be the safest choice. So, what kind of house are you hoping for, Mukohda?”

If I were to buy one, I really would like something about the size of the mansions I’d been renting up until now, a place that Fel could easily go in and out of, with large rooms, and a well-equipped kitchen and bathroom and such, and a large backyard too, if possible.

I explained what I wanted to Lambert, and he slapped his thighs.

“There’s one that fits perfectly with your conditions, Mukohda! And it’s already furnished too, so you can move in immediately!”

Apparently said house used to be a high-ranking noble’s villa, and although it wasn’t near the center of town, it wasn’t too far away, either, so not only was it well placed for shopping, its grounds were also large. The mansion itself was big, at a surprising 14LDK (fourteen rooms, plus living room, dining room, and kitchen). Along with the 14LDK main house, there were three small residences for servants, apparently.

“It was let go due to certain circumstances, so it was left to the Merchant’s guild to maintain, but given how grand the property is... The price of it is so large, it’s been hard to find a buyer, it seems.”

Lambert also belonged to the Merchant’s guild, so he had apparently been told to introduce any potential buyers to them.

“I’ve heard that you became an S-ranked adventurer, Mukohda, so I was wondering if you’d want it.”

Oh? So he really did know. But just how high is the price? If I can afford it with my money, looking at it would be an option, at least.

“So, how much is it?”

“It’d be 12,000 gold. You might think it’s expensive after all that, but given how large the land is and its location — not to mention the mansion itself — it’s actually on the cheaper side. Not only that, but it comes furnished, so it’s quite the bargain.”

12,000 gold, huh? It is expensive, but I can afford it. In fact, I could pretty easily do so. Lambert said it’s got a lot going for it, so it might be a good idea to at least give it a look.

“Hmm... I don’t know if I’ll buy it, but can you show it to me, at least?”

“I see. Then we’ll have to ask the Merchant’s guild, so let’s go now.”

I felt like I was dancing in the palm of his hand a little, but if I was going to buy it anyway, doing so faster would be best, so I followed Lambert to the Merchant’s guild.

◇　◇　◇　◇　◇

Thanks to Lambert’s introduction, I managed to talk to the head of the real estate department, Nestori, and we were quickly allowed to go see the property. It was about twenty minutes’ walk from the Merchant’s guild.

“This is it.”

“............Huh? H-Here?” In front of Nestori was a really magnificent gate. Not only that, but a pair of two-meter-tall stone walls extended out from either side of the gates.

“Now now, come in.” Nestori opened the gates with his keys and urged us inside.

After proceeding for a while on a paved stone walkway surrounded by beautiful greenery, we finally got to see the mansion.

“How about it? It’s a wonderful mansion, isn’t it?”

My jaw dropped at the sight of it.

No, rather than wonderful or anything like that............ Th-This... It totally isn’t the type of house for a single person to live in.

I remembered a special article in a travel magazine I had seen some time in the past. “A luxury space you’ll only experience once in a lifetime.” The thing being introduced by such a catchphrase was a super high-class foreign hotel that was kind of like a hideaway. In Japanese money, it would cost several hundreds of thousands of yen a night to stay. This place was just like that.

In front of the chalk-white walls of a mansion that could be called a castle, I was speechless.

“It’s magnificent every time I see it~.”

Lambert, don’t just call it magnificent so lightheartedly. I mean, it is true that it’s magnificent. It is, but... you know, why would you introduce a single adventurer to something this amazing?

I was totally imagining something similar to the mansions I’d been staying in during my travels. Of course, even those had been really luxurious by my standards, and I was thinking that one of those would be the height of luxury.

But, seeing the alabaster walls of the mansion before me, it couldn’t even be compared to what I had stayed in before. Its size was completely different, and there were many plate glass windows, which were supposed to be really expensive.

“Please look at the yard, too. Not only is it spacious, but it’s filled with greenery.”

Just as Nestori claimed, the grounds had been maintained wonderfully, and was filled with thick greenery surrounded by trees.

“Indeed. For a human’s house this one is fairly large.”

《Yep yep! There’s some trees too, so I think it’s good.》

《Yaayyy!》

“Ah! Hey!! Fel! Dora-chan! Sui!!”

Fel ran around the space, Dora-chan flew, and Sui went bouncing after them.

Ahh! Fel’s tearing up the lawn and leaving behind divots everywhere he runs! I did tell them that I was planning to buy a house, but I never said that I had decided on this one!

“Hahaha! Looks like your familiars like this place.”

“Seems so~.”

Both Lambert and Nestori are acting like it’s someone else’s problem! I haven’t decided that I’m buying it yet, got it?

“Fel, Dora-chan, Sui... I haven’t decided if I’m buying the house yet. Behave yourselves.”

“Mm... Why not here? I like it.”

《I like it too.》

《Sui also likes this place~.》

Grrrr... Were they planning this?

“Now then, let’s look inside, shall we?” Nestori opened the double doors to the ivory-colored palace. Fel and the others, who were satisfied after having had their fill of the grounds, followed us inside. The entrance was extravagantly wide, as if the builders were saying, “what, you were expecting a regular house here?” Even Fel, who was large, could easily stand inside, and the same went for the stairs that went to the 2nd floor.

“It’s huge, right? And look up.”

I did as Nestori said and looked up to see a large chandelier.

“It’s a chandelier that uses crystal beetles. You don’t see any this big that often. Of course, there are light magic stones inside, so by filling it with magic power like so......”

Nestori let his magic power flow through a black palm-sized panel that was set on the wall next to the door, and the chandeliers started to glow.

“The magic stones used here are of really good quality, so they’ll last almost ten years.”

What the hell is this decadent place...... It’s so rich that I’m filled up just being in the foyer.

“Let’s come over here next.”

...............

............

......

Nestori, you’ve only shown me the first floor, but honestly, I’m out of energy. I mean, I’m not even sure if these are hallways or whatever, but they’re decorated with vases and art and stuff I can’t even guess the value of, and each room is thoroughly carpeted with really soft and plush carpet that is obviously very expensive. And on top of that, the kitchen is so huge, it’s like it goes on forever...... There are even two stoves that were just like my four-burner stove. There are even stacks of plates and utensils ready to use... Lambert wasn’t kidding when he said I can move in immediately.

And the bath! The bath! I thought mansions I stayed in before had big baths, but this one blew those out of the water. And it was even an expensive one with flower patterns on it. The faucet had a magic stone in it, and it spewed perfect, temperature-adjusted water nonstop.

And the toilet! The toilet! Up until now, I had only been using latrines. Even the fancy mansions I’d rented while traveling were like that, so I’d figured that’s all this world had. But the toilet here was a flushing one that used a water magic stone. According to Nestori, it was the most recent model of toilet that was all the rage in the capital. Even in Karelina, only a couple places had these, apparently.

I was really enticed by the bath and the flushing toilet, but this place was way too fancy and I couldn’t calm down.

“Now then, I’ll show you around the second floor.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen inside, but it’s so luxurious I can’t help but sigh~.”

Lambert, you’re totally here just to sightsee, aren’t you?

“Please come this way.”

Nestori showed us the master bedroom.

“The first thing I want to show you is this bed.”

The bed was far too huge; it made me want to ask just how many people could fit on it.

《Ohh, now isn’t this comfortable looking?》 Dora-chan said as he dived into the bed.

“Ah! What do you think you’re doing, Dora-chan!”

《Ohh! So soft!》

《Sui too!》 Seeing Dora-chan do that, Sui also jumped onto the bed.

“Ahh! Sui, you too?!”

《Yayy! Master — this is super soft!》 Sui was happily bouncing on top of the bed.

“You two! What do you two think you are doing, Dora? Sui? ...But still, this house is certainly nice. I like whatever this is here very much,” Fel said, lying down on the soft carpet.

You guys......

“............Sorry.”

“No no, I’m glad it looks like your familiars like the mansion as well as the grounds, Mukohda.”

Even though I haven’t decided to buy it yet. You guys are all taking way too many liberties!

◇　◇　◇　◇　◇

“Yes. Now then, I have received 12,000 gold in the form of 120 platinum coins. Here are the keys.”

There were several keys bound by a ring; from Nestori’s explanation, there was a key for the gate, a key for the main house, and keys for each of the servant’s quarters.

Even though I would rather have had something only slightly better than the mansions we’ve been renting in our travels......

*Sigh*~. Those bastards.

I ended up having to buy this palace, and it was really making me want to complain about these children. It was fine that we all went to see the house and were shown around by Nestori, but all three of them had said that this place was good and refused to leave. Even though I had tried to tell them we could decide after seeing other places, they had refused to listen and kept repeating that they liked this place.

And now I’m all alone at the Merchant’s guild, too. It must have been really comfortable for them, since no one even tried to move.

There was nothing to be done, so I just bought the place.

“Man, S-ranked adventurers sure are amazing, to pay 12,000 gold out of pocket. I’m so proud to know you, Mukohda.”

Lambert, I never planned to buy this house...... *Sigh*... Whatever. There’s no use complaining now.

I parted with Lambert in front of the Merchant’s guild, and I returned to the white palace that had just become my home. But, what should I do with all the rooms? It’s just us four......