A Place of Her Own
Ah, right. First, I had to find her a place to live. Just as I stepped onto the windowsill with Cazar in my arms, Franche stopped me.
"Wait a moment."
"Is something the matter?"
"There is much to be done before that." Franche rummaged through the drawer beside her bed and pulled out a crisp sheet of white paper. "First, use this to secure a residence for Lady Uplain. We will discuss the business after that."
Still cradled in my arms, Cazar awkwardly raised a hand. "Um, excuse me..."
"What is it?" Franche asked.
"You can just call me Cazar."
"Very well." Franche approached me, her expression indifferent to the minor detail, and continued. "You must submit a business proposal and a detailed plan for the future. Since it's a clothing business, securing backing won't be easy. You understand what I mean, don't you?"
I nodded. "Of course."
"Good. Go and find a place for Cazar, then."
"Yes, My Lady." I stepped back onto the windowsill, preparing to carry Cazar out, when Franche leaned in and whispered in my ear. "Don't get too close to her."
I tilted my head, wondering what she meant by that, but left it at that. Franche sat back down on the bed and began tidying the drawer she had just rummaged through.
"She says the strangest things sometimes."
Well, it was probably nothing. Cradling Cazar, I pushed off the windowsill and leaped into the air. Perhaps thrilled by the sensation of gliding through the empty sky, Cazar widened her eyes and let out a bright smile.
With a soft thud, our brief flight ended as we cleared the iron gates of the ducal estate, landing safely outside.
Cazar spoke up. "Can I choose where I live?"
"Do as you please."
"And, um, can I buy the supplies I need for my research too?"
"Do whatever you want."
"Ooh," Cazar gasped in admiration. "The wealth of a ducal house really is something else."
Ignoring her commentary, I continued walking through the ducal fief. Along the way, we stopped by a general store to buy daily necessities, and then visited an alchemist to purchase various magical tools.
"Now all that's left is a place to live."
"Find somewhere cheap, but as close to the estate as possible."
"Hmm, since we're just renting anyway, does the price really matter?"
"Just pick a modest place for one person. Don't go choosing some unnecessarily massive house."
"Aww," Cazar whined, her disappointment clear. "I thought moving to the Duke's territory meant I'd get to live in a nice, fancy house..."
"Don't worry, it'll still be infinitely better than that dump you lived in back in the Seirel Barony."
"Well, that's true." She giggled. "Honestly, anywhere in the Duke's territory is bound to be better than where I used to live. The Seirel Barony was practically uninhabitable."
She wasn't wrong. That place was unfit for human habitation. I gave a quiet nod of agreement.
Just then, Cazar's eyes locked onto a particular building. "Oh! What about this house?"
It was a two-story detached house. It wasn't too large, sat reasonably close to the ducal estate, and was currently vacant. Not bad. The only issue was the price.
"Let's find the landlord first." Cazar and I headed to the local land registry office. An official sent out a carrier pigeon to help us locate the owner. A short while later, the landlord arrived.
"You wish to rent the house?"
"Yes."
"I'll give you a very cheap rate."
What's the catch? It was a nice house in a decent location, yet instead of naming a high price, he was offering a discount right off the bat. That meant there was a defect.
"How much are we talking?"
"An indefinite lease for 250,000 copper coins. You can move out whenever you wish, or stay there for the rest of your life."
An indefinite lease for 250,000 copper coins. I didn't know the exact market rates, but that was incredibly cheap for land within the Duke's territory.
"That's far too cheap. Is there some kind of catch?"
"Well, you see..." The landlord hesitated, struggling to find the words before finally speaking. "To be honest, the previous tenant committed suicide there, and rumors say their ghost haunts the place. Because of that, no one wants to live there, and I haven't been able to rent it out at all."
A ghost? I didn't recall seeing that kind of monster in the game. Cazar adopted a serious expression.
"A ghost... Yes, that is indeed a tricky problem."
"Do ghosts actually exist?"
"Of course they do! They're notorious troublemakers because physical attacks don't work on them."
"..." Well, in a world where monsters existed, there was no reason ghosts shouldn't. They just hadn't appeared in the game.
"So, can you deal with it?"
"If it's me? Easily."
Overhearing our conversation, the landlord's face lit up with hope. "Is—is that true? You can exorcise the ghost?"
"That's what she says," I replied.
Cazar placed her hands on her hips, looking utterly smug. "I happen to be a highly competent mage. A mere ghost is nothing to me. So, on that note, do you think you could knock the price down a bit?"
The landlord nodded frantically. "Of course! That house has been nothing but a headache. I can easily lower the price! However, if we do that, I'll have to remove the indefinite lease clause... Would that be alright?"
Losing the indefinite lease didn't matter. Once our business succeeded, I planned to establish the France Corporation in earnest anyway. I could just build a proper house for Cazar there.
"That's fine. In exchange, we will set the lease term. Do we have a deal?"
"As long as it isn't too long..."
"One year. And the rent will be paid in full by the exorcism of the ghost."
The landlord beamed, thrilled by the offer. "That works! As long as you rid me of that ghost."
"Excellent. Let's draw up the contract."
I finalized the contract with the landlord. Since I was using the funds from the check Franche had given me, there were no issues.
"And with that, the contract is signed. You may move in immediately."
"Then we shall be on our way. We have a ghost to exorcise."
The landlord bowed deeply with a bright smile. He must have been truly desperate.
"Let's go, Cazar."
We stepped inside the house where the ghost supposedly resided. The interior was a chaotic mess, thick with layers of accumulated dust.
"Still, the inside is cleaner than I expected," Cazar remarked.
That line had been a taboo since ancient times. Saying those words was a surefire way to trigger something ominous.
Right on cue—
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Suddenly, the floor began to vibrate, sending tremors through the soles of our feet.
No, the ground itself wasn't shaking. It was merely our senses perceiving it that way.
"It seems this ghost possesses illusion-type abilities," Cazar noted.
"Can you handle it?"
"Of course." Cazar clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. Even I could feel her activating her mana. After all, Aura and mana were cut from the same cloth.
"The ghost is on the second floor."
With bold, confident strides, Cazar marched up the stairs. I followed her up to the second floor.
"There it is."
The ghost of this world looked vastly different from what I had imagined. I had expected a human figure in white robes dripping with blood, but it was simply a corpse with melting skin. If I had to describe it, it was closer to a ghoul.
"Physical attacks don't work on that?"
"Yes. Despite how it looks, it doesn't actually possess a physical form." It was incredibly grotesque.
"Hurry up and get rid of it. It's an eyesore."
"I was planning to, even if you hadn't asked."
Whoosh!
Mana flared at Cazar's fingertips. As she quietly chanted, a brilliant white light erupted.
This is...
It was the holy attribute magic that Somire used. As far as I knew, Cazar was only capable of auxiliary magic and couldn't use attribute magic.
The light flooded every corner of the house, banishing the darkness.
—Screeeech!
The ghost shrieked, clutching its head. The holy magic had struck a direct, devastating blow. A moment later, the ghost vanished without a trace.
"Well, that was anticlimactic," Cazar said.
"...I have one question."
"What is it?" Cazar tilted her head.
"Does using gender-swap magic restrict your other spells?"
"Hmm, yes. As the body and gender change, the flow of mana alters as well... so I probably won't be able to use attribute magic anymore."
So that's why you only used auxiliary magic. If she hadn't undergone that gender swap, she would have been a far superior character in the game. I gave a simple reply.
"I see."
"But why do you ask?"
"No reason. Just a sudden curiosity."
"Is that so? Well, curiosity is natural." Cazar began humming as she looked around, exploring the house that was now hers. A bright smile spread across her face; she seemed genuinely pleased.
"Anyway, you'll be living here. I'll provide you with living expenses once a month."
"How much are we talking?"
"Equivalent to three months' worth of living expenses for a family of four."
"Whoa," Cazar gasped. "You're giving me that much? I don't think I could even spend it all."
"Should I reduce it, then?"
"No! I'll buy things I want, get some clothes, and... you know, stuff!"
Well, now that we had secured her housing, bought her supplies, and settled the preliminaries, it was time to get down to business. I turned to her.
"Cazar. I'm going to explain what we need from you now."
"Sure. What is it?"
"You already know about teaching magic to the Lady, so we'll skip that. Beyond that, you will participate in our future operations."
Cazar tilted her head. "Participate? You don't mean... assassinations, do you?"
I shook my head. "I'll handle those on my own."
"So you're not denying that you do them..."
Well, if someone needed to die, shouldn't they be killed? Of course, I would need Franche's permission first.
"Ahem. Anyway, your role is simple. I will call upon you whenever we require magic. You just need to show up. Of course, I won't make you do anything bizarre. Like killing people, for instance."
"Whew." Cazar let out a long sigh of relief. "That's a relief. Alright. You resolved the issue with the Barony and provided me with an environment where I can focus on my research, so that much is a piece of cake."
With this, Cazar Uplain was officially on our side. Now, all that remained was Seldas and that guy.
"Next time, I'll bring the Lady with me. Get yourself settled in."
Leaving Cazar's house, I made my way back to the ducal estate. Late at night, under the glow of the rising moon, I slipped past the iron bars and through the open window. Franche was waiting for me, tapping her fingers rhythmically against the table.
"You're back?"
"Everything has been settled."
"I see."
Screeech.
Franche stood up, pushing her chair back. "It's late, so we will draft the business proposal tomorrow. We can discuss the details then as well. Is that fine with you?"
"Yes. Whenever suits you, My Lady."
"Good. You may dismiss yourself for tonight."
Just as I turned to leave, Franche gasped softly and caught me by the shoulder.
"Is there something else you wish to say?"
"Nothing happened between you and that woman, right?"
"Like what?"
"Never mind. Go on."
What was that about? First telling me not to get too close, and now this. Was she actually jealous of a slave? There was no need for that. After all, I belonged entirely to Franche.
"Goodnight, then."
After bowing, I returned to my quarters. Waiting for me, as always, were two steamed potatoes and a bottle of milk.
"Phew."
The days of eating meat and leaving this dusty storehouse behind were not far off. Once Franche's current business took off and the money started rolling in, we would launch yet another venture. When that time came, we would become the most powerful figures in the entire Empire.
I would make it happen.
For myself, and for Franche.