Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: A Place to Call Home
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Special agents were provided with decent safe houses by the guild.
They were a world apart from the smelly anthills I used as a Class 2 and Class 1 agent.
Of course, that was from the perspective of an ordinary agent. To my eyes, they were still subpar.
Having received a hefty special bonus, I had no intention of staying in one of the guild's safe houses.
‘You need a proper environment to produce proper results, after all.’
Logically, one's living quarters had no correlation with one's skill.
But today, I left the branch office to find myself a fantastic new place.
If I was just going to hoard money like a squirrel, what was the point of working so hard?
You have to treat yourself every once in a while.
"So, there are about three options."
A long-term stay at a high-end inn, leasing a villa, or buying a mansion.
These were the typical ways to find a place to live.
Inns had the advantage of a low initial investment, and they took care of all the minor details for you.
However, they also came with security concerns and the disadvantage of becoming more expensive for long-term stays.
I'd be staying at the eastern branch for quite a while, so leasing or buying was a much better option.
‘For this, I should see an administrator.’
A large city like Troven would have real estate agents, but this was a provincial marquisate.
Since real estate transactions weren't very active here, most were handled by the administrative office.
After all, most of the land in this area likely belonged to Marquis Penant.
The guards at the administrative office were wary of my plain attire.
But a few gold coins quickly changed their attitude, and they even personally escorted me inside.
Thanks to them, I was able to enter the administrator's office without a hitch.
*Knock, knock.*
"Administrator, sir. You have a visitor."
"Ah, show them in."
"Yes, sir."
As I entered, I saw a short, stocky, middle-aged man busy organizing documents.
"A pleasure to meet you. I am Huey Resilient."
"I'm Ray."
"Are you... a freeman, by any chance?"
"Yes, my father runs a merchant caravan in the Four-Part Autonomous District. I'm just a loafer."
"Aha! I see."
Since I didn't give a surname, Viscount Huey made his own assumptions.
I played along with the administrator's words, mentioning the Luberick Autonomous District.
It's easy enough to create a fake identity there.
"Coming straight here, it seems you have some significant business in mind... What brings you to me?"
"I'm looking to acquire a villa."
"Oh?"
When I stated my purpose, his eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together.
Like a man who manages the finances of a domain, he seemed to have caught the strong scent of money.
"Then how about we take a look at some properties first and talk then?"
"Sounds good."
"Please wait a moment."
Viscount Huey scurried over on his short legs and had a brief word with the guard outside.
From what I could overhear, he was ordering a carriage to be brought around.
So far, everything was proceeding smoothly.
That is, until a moment later, when an absurd figure was hammered into my ears.
* * *
"Excuse me?"
"This one is 100,000 Geld."
"You mean the sale price, right?"
"No, that's just the lease deposit. The rent and maintenance fees will probably come to about 500 Geld a month."
The first house we saw was a villa, one of the finest in the Penant Marquisate.
It was primarily used by central nobles looking to enjoy the beautiful grasslands and desert regions of the east.
I may have received a special bonus, but I didn't have that kind of money.
I stared at the mansion with a dejected expression, then tilted my head.
It was because, according to an internal guild intelligence report I'd seen before, the housing prices in the Penant Marquisate weren't this high.
"I'm sure the prices weren't like this."
"How long ago was that?"
"About a year or two ago. I came through a few times with my father's caravan."
"That was a relatively stable time. Prices skyrocketed when things got noisy in central politics."
"What on earth happened to have an effect all the way out here?"
"The Crown Prince has been bedridden with a congenital illness, and the covert struggle between the second and third princes has intensified. With the Sword Duke and the Chancellor each backing one of them, the political scene has become chaotic. The central nobles, feeling uneasy, have started fervently investing in provincial real estate..."
Hearing the sudden mention of the two dukes, I tilted my head slightly.
I was sure I had heard something similar somewhere before.
‘Ah, the prodigy of the ducal house! Was her name Adel?’
The talented young lady from the ducal family I saw at Salon Mascal suddenly came to mind.
But that brilliant Chancellor is backing the third prince, not the more powerful second prince?
He must have seen something special in him.
‘Well, that's a shame.’
With its classic exterior and vast garden, it was exactly my style, but it seemed this place was out of the question.
"Are there any other places?"
"This way for the next one."
The second property Viscount Huey showed me was still a decent house.
It wasn't as luxurious as the central nobles' villas, but it had all the necessary amenities.
A simple stone house with a small garden.
It didn't particularly grab me, but the location was excellent.
It was adjacent to the inner city and close to key infrastructure like the market and the administrative office.
"How much is this one?"
"80,000 Geld to buy. The owner isn't interested in leasing."
"This place doesn't look that expensive."
"Rumors are circulating that it's about to be designated a speculative zone, so the price shot up."
Dizzy from the absurd housing prices, I pressed my forehead and closed my eyes.
Why must the dream of owning my own home be so difficult?
"Next. Let's see the next one."
In the end, I had to pass on the second property as well.
The last one was a rather fine mansion on a pasture on the outskirts of the city.
Seeing that parts of the grounds had been dug up, it looked to be a newly constructed building.
"Still, you're a lucky man. To be able to see a property like this."
"It does look nice, being newly built."
"This is the first house in the new villa district. An ancient ruin was discovered next to it, so no further construction is allowed. But because of that, the price here has dropped significantly."
"How much?"
"A mere 70,000 Geld! At this price, it's practically a steal, wouldn't you say?"
Honestly, Viscount Huey was right.
It was such a fine house that no one would have argued if it was priced the same as the first mansion we saw.
But I only had a measly 40,000 Geld on me.
Since I couldn't buy a house anyway, I decided to at least dig for some information and asked a question.
"An ancient ruin, you say?"
"His Lordship the Marquis has been vexed by it. He was planning to build a new villa district, but then a dungeon suddenly appeared."
"Can't you just proceed with construction, excluding that area?"
"An order came down from the central government to halt construction. But sending in exploration teams has yielded no results, only casualties."
"It sounds like a dangerous place."
"Anyway, are you buying or not?"
"Ah..."
The sparkle in Viscount Huey's eyes had already faded to indifference.
It was because I had passed on every single property.
He had now reached the point of suspecting I didn't have the funds to buy a house at all.
"I'll come back another time."
Damn these housing prices.
Is life all about timing, after all?
* * *
Leaving my meeting with Viscount Huey behind, I trudged back to the eastern branch office.
I went out with a whole 40,000 Geld, and I still couldn't buy a house.
What is this nonsense?
"And the weather is just disgustingly nice."
The warm autumn day seemed to shatter my mood even further.
In my current state, anything would probably irritate me.
It looked like I'd have to just hole up in the safe house and sleep today.
‘If I'd bought a house, I would've been in a much brighter mood.’
The image of that first high-end villa kept flashing in my mind.
I probably wouldn't be able to sleep, let alone train.
As I entered the branch with a disgruntled look, a few agents saluted before scurrying away.
The fact that they fled on sight suggested my expression was less than pleasant.
Regardless, there was someone who approached me without hesitation.
"It's been a while, Crow. I heard you made Special Agent?"
"Ah, senior."
The man who approached me as I was slumped on the sofa was Deltron, the deputy chief who was temporarily in charge of the branch.
Short blond hair, a decent build—he had the appearance of a typical imperial citizen.
Even his foul temper resembled that of the macho men of the empire, but he was actually born in the Luberick Autonomous District.
He was ten years my senior, but we'd become somewhat acquainted over time.
"How's the work going?"
"It's a huge headache. I used to want to be the branch chief, but now I'm at the point where I want to quit."
"Why's that?"
"Too many requests, not enough agents. Plus, I have to sort through and scrutinize everything."
Having been suddenly thrust into the role of branch chief, he seemed to be facing quite a few work-related difficulties.
Becoming a leader is never an easy task, after all.
Deltron smoothed out his scowl and continued speaking.
"Aren't you still on your break? What are you doing at the branch?"
"Just because."
Hiding my unease, I subtly tried to get up and leave.
I had a feeling I knew why this deputy chief was suddenly being so friendly.
And just as I expected, a list of missions was thrust before my eyes.
‘Give me a promotion necklace or something, not this crap. I could sell it to help pay for a house.’
The stack of papers Deltron handed me was quite thick.
From the rank of Special Agent, you had the authority to choose your missions.
This made it possible to avoid the unprofitable and troublesome jobs to some extent.
"What's this?"
"If you've got nothing to do, go out on a mission. We've got a lot of high-paying ones in."
"It's not like I'm short on money..."
I trailed off, my lips forming a pout.
It was because the vision of that top-tier villa I saw earlier had flashed before my eyes.
Shaking my head vigorously to clear the worldly desires, I tossed the stack of papers onto the desk.
"I'm not doing it. I'm resting for the time being."
"C'mon. Don't be like that. Help your senior out."
"No, thanks."
I tried to get away from the increasingly greasy Deltron and leave the branch, but one of the missions on the list suddenly caught my eye.
Judging by the small note attached to it, it seemed to be a brand-new request.
—Request from the Felton Sword Family. In pursuit of Riverune survivors.