Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Clearance Sale
The Adventurers’ Guild.
This was our first time visiting together since receiving the reward for clearing the Pow Dungeon.
When we first came here, the adventurers’ eyes had been filled with curiosity.
A party of three women and one man wasn’t exactly common.
But now, what filled their eyes wasn’t curiosity.
It was awe.
Partly because of the misunderstandings about me, and partly because the rumor had spread that Yuna was controlling a Death Knight.
“That’s the Death Lord…”
“They say she rules over all the dead.”
“Even my grandmother?”
“Probably…”
What kind of nonsense is that?
The reason we came to the guild was to see the receptionist.
Guild receptionists answered all sorts of questions.
Not to be rude, but… most adventurers lacked a bit of common sense and social skills.
To the point where some would seriously plan things like goblin farming just because there weren’t enough goblins left to hunt.
That was why guild receptionists handled far more than just quests.
And right now, we were here for one simple reason.
We had no idea how buying a house worked.
“Hello.”
“Ah, yes!”
Miss Lily stiffened up and waited nervously for me to speak.
Well… probably because of Tanya or Yuna.
“I’d like to buy a house. Could you help us?”
“A house? Are you planning to settle here? Have you received permission from the Count?”
Permission?
What permission?
Why would I need someone’s permission to spend my own money?
When I stared at her in confusion, Lily nodded like she had expected that reaction.
“In cities under a Count’s domain or higher, only people with the lord’s approval can buy property for residence.”
“So you can’t just buy one if you have money?”
“Well… technically you can, if you have a lot of money. Residential rights can be bought too.”
That figured.
Money solved everything.
I turned to the others.
“What should we do?”
“We can just clear a few more quests,” said Melaim. “Or move our base if there are no worthwhile jobs here.”
Yuna nodded too.
Then Lily suddenly stretched out her hand.
“Wait!”
“Yes?”
“The Count is very interested in the news about the Pow Dungeon being cleared. You might be able to get residential rights. Having strong adventurers settle here benefits the territory.”
That would be nice if it worked.
Then Yuna asked,
“How much does the best mansion here cost?”
“Hm… since this isn’t exactly a safe city, probably around seventy gold coins? That’s just an estimate, so don’t take it as exact.”
Seventy gold?
That was cheaper than I expected.
Still way beyond what we had.
But Yuna clearly hadn’t given up.
She kept pressing.
“Where is it?”
…
After leaving the guild, we headed toward the mansion Lily told us about.
I looked at Yuna.
“Shouldn’t we get residential rights first? We can’t even buy it yet.”
“What if the best house in this city isn’t good enough? Then getting residential rights would be pointless.”
Hmm.
That actually made sense.
If Yuna wasn’t satisfied with the best house here, there’d be no reason to settle.
And when we finally arrived—
“Whoa…”
It was exactly what I imagined when I thought of a mansion.
No—better.
The garden alone was huge.
A little overgrown, but huge.
And this was seventy gold?
That was cheap.
I glanced at Yuna.
Her expression was bright.
She liked it.
“They said seventy gold, right?”
“She said it might cost more. So? Do you like it?”
“It’s way better than I expected. Honestly, even something cheaper than this would be fine.”
“Then… should we head to the castle and apply for residency?”
Yuna nodded.
But just as we were about to leave, Melaim stepped forward.
“I like this place.”
Yuna looked puzzled.
“Huh? But someone lives here.”
“So? We can just ask if they’re willing to sell it. Let’s go inside.”
And just like that, Melaim opened the gate and walked across the yard.
We followed behind her.
…This place was huge.
But there wasn’t a single servant in sight.
Did the owner clean all this himself?
Yuna, walking beside me, looked uneasy.
“Uh… isn’t this trespassing?”
“The gate was open. It’s fine. Tanya, why do you look like that?”
Tanya had been silently examining the mansion’s exterior.
She flinched.
“Huh? Oh… nothing. Just… the security’s weak. That tree over there should be moved.”
That assassin mindset really never switched off.
As we approached the main building, we heard two men arguing.
“Sir Merchant! Haven’t we already given you enough time?”
“Ugh… once the goods arrive, I can pay…”
“At this point, it’s obvious they’ve been robbed. If you don’t pay up, we’ll have no choice but to petition the Count.”
“Please, wait! I’ll sell this house if I have to!”
“And how long do you think it’ll take to sell a mansion like this?”
Hearing that, Melaim grinned and approached.
“Oh? Interesting conversation.”
The two men froze when they saw her.
Probably assuming from her appearance that she was some noble.
“Who… are you?”
“My name is Melaim. That’s enough. From what I heard, you need your money back immediately. In cash.”
“That’s right.”
“How much?”
“Fifty gold.”
“And how much do you need right now?”
The man shook his head.
“Not all of it. Twenty gold within two days, thirty within a week.”
Melaim nodded.
“I see. Then, merchant.”
“Yes?”
“How much are you willing to sell this mansion for?”
“As long as I can pay my debts!”
“So you’re willing to sell it for fifty gold.”
The merchant nodded.
Then Melaim turned to me.
“That’s what he says, Luka. What do you think?”
Caught off guard, I passed the question to Yuna.
“…What do you think? Fifty gold. We don’t have it now, but it’s a good opportunity.”
“I like it.”
“Can we make thirty gold in a week?”
“Who knows?”
Honestly, I didn’t know either.
With this party’s abilities, it wasn’t impossible.
But only if there was work.
Melaim turned back to the two men.
“We have thirty gold right now. We’ll pay twenty upfront, and the remaining thirty within a week. Hand over the mansion.”
The merchant looked uneasy.
“Can you really gather thirty gold in a week?”
“We’ll try. Have you heard the rumors about the adventurers who cleared the Pow Dungeon?”
“Yes… wait. Don’t tell me—?!”
Shock, then disbelief filled his eyes.
Melaim smiled leisurely and turned to Yuna.
“Yuna. Can you show him proof?”
“Well… summoning him should be enough.”
With a wave of Yuna’s hand, the Death Knight appeared.
“You called, my lord?”
“Gah!”
Both men stumbled backward in terror.
“Now you can believe us.”
“Y-Yes!”
“Good. Then it’s settled.”
The merchant nodded stiffly.
“Melaim turned to me.”
“Luka. Pay him the twenty gold.”
“Right…”
I handed over twenty gold.
The merchant immediately gave it to the debt collector.
The man took one glance at the Death Knight and practically ran away.
The merchant sighed.
“How pathetic… to be humiliated over such a small amount…”
Small amount?
That was enough to live off for decades.
“So things haven’t been going well?”
“It’s because of a bandit group nearby. Their crimes have gotten worse lately. I settled here because there were no trade caravans nearby to compete with, but… I was too careless.”
Melaim tilted her head.
“Can’t you just hire guards? Were you so careless that you neglected even that?”
“These aren’t ordinary bandits. They’ve taken over an abandoned military fortress and recruited retired adventurers and soldiers.”
Even after learning Melaim was an adventurer, the merchant still spoke respectfully.
At that moment, I noticed someone running toward us from afar.
What was the rush?
…Huh?
The man looked familiar.
It was Myts.
The adventurer who challenged us.
Why was he here?
Was he the merchant’s son or something?
Then the merchant asked me,
“An acquaintance?”
“…No.”
Guess not.
“Luka! Luka!”
He shouted my name desperately as he ran over.
So his business was with me.
Not the mansion.
Not the merchant.
How did he even know I was here?
I wanted to ask, but Myts spoke first, gasping for breath.
“The Count is looking for you! It’s urgent!”
“For me?”
“It’s an emergency quest! Important and dangerous! They need you!”
Melaim smiled at the merchant.
“Looks like we’ll have the rest of your payment soon enough.”
Yeah.
If it was an urgent quest from a noble, the reward would definitely be in gold.
“What happened?”
Myts glanced at the merchant nervously.
Then he leaned close and whispered into my ear.
“The Count Kite’s daughter has been kidnapped.”