Chapter 174
Chapter 174
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Demolition
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“U-Un-ho sir!”
A young man among the pair spotted me and lit up with delight.
“Hm? Albert? Eileen’s here too.”
“I-It’s Albert, Un-ho sir.”
“Just kidding.”
I’d genuinely forgotten, but I played it off smoothly.
“Ah.... Y-Yes....”
“Go inside and wait. What are you doing out here?”
“W-Well....”
Their awkward expressions told me everything.
Eileen, who was at least pretending to be a mage, fared a bit better, but Albert looked like a ragged mercenary to anyone’s eyes.
The hotel guards weren’t likely to let them in.
Did they just wait here with no plan?
I wasn’t particularly curious about the details, so I didn’t pry.
“You two coming to find me means Eileen’s agreed to become my disciple?”
“Yes! Un-ho sir! Please guide her well.”
Albert bowed his head and pleaded.
“Don’t worry. I have no disciples right now. She’ll be my one and only. I plan to train her intensively.”
“I-Is that so? Thank you, Un-ho sir.”
Of course. Turning down the chance to study under a grand mage like me would be like ripping up a winning lottery ticket.
“Um, excuse me....”
Eileen spoke up hesitantly.
“Yeah? What is it?”
“Even if I become your disciple, Un-ho sir, I don’t want to be separated from Albert.”
“Hmm....”
Wanting to stay close to some outsider guy even as my disciple.... She’d need some training later.
“Eileen. This isn’t the time for childish whims. This is a crucial moment for you as a mage.”
“B-But....”
Albert was right, but Eileen pouted sadly.
Of course, everyone except Albert knew why.
I wanted to separate them right away, but....
“Don’t worry. I plan to stay in Slumber for a while too, so it’s not like you’ll be completely apart. You’ll see each other often.”
For now, it was best to reassure my soon-to-be disciple.
“We have things to discuss, so let’s sit and talk.”
“S-Sit and talk?”
Albert glanced around, as if wondering where.
There was a fine spot nearby.
I led them to the carriage.
The two gaped in surprise upon entering.
How many people wouldn’t be stunned by the spacious, luxurious interior that looked even grander than the outside?
“U-Un-ho sir..... Th-This is....”
“Magic.”
“Incredible.”
Albert marveled, looking around in awe.
“It’s nothing special.”
I hadn’t made it myself, but....
I saw no need to reveal the truth.
“So, where are you staying?”
“At the Warm Soup Inn.”
“Not you. Eileen.”
The kid seemed fine, but his sense was a bit.... lacking.
“Ah.... Y-Yes.... Eileen’s staying at the same inn.”
Albert scratched his head sheepishly.
“Any other work besides dungeon runs?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m asking if you have jobs outside of labyrinth parties.”
“N-No, none.”
Unemployed, as expected. One party member dead, another crippled—it was predictable.
“I have a job for you, if you’re up for it. Good pay.”
“Pay? No way! How could we take money from our benefactor, Un-ho sir? Just say the word. We’ll do anything.”
What a pushover....
Eileen’s frustrated expression said it all. He must pull this kind of thing all the time.
How strong was his pushover power....
“Hey now. What do you take me for? I don’t exploit people for free.”
Eileen—my future disciple—was watching, so I needed to mind my image.
The job for Albert was simple.
The real estate agent had listed every flaw when I wanted to buy the mansion.
Not out of conscience, but desperation to avoid future blame.
One issue: rumors of it being haunted made hiring cleaners or repairmen tough.
She’d looked worried when I insisted on buying it anyway.
Even if I said no ghosts now, no one would believe it on the spot....
So, I thought of Albert.
Cleaning and repairs for the mansion.
Repairs might be beyond him, but cleaning at least.
I wasn’t sure how far he could go.
If the mansion didn’t end up livable, I had no plans to move in.
I’d just stay at the Slumber Hotel.
“Eileen should stay close for training. How about moving to the hotel?”
“P-Pardon? Th-That’s....”
“Don’t worry about the room fee. As her master, it’s my responsibility.”
“N-No, it’s not that....”
“Eileen, thank him properly.”
Albert spoke to her sternly, like a big brother.
“.......Th-Thank you.”
Eileen thanked me with a pout.
“Eileen, pack your things and come with Albert tomorrow. I’ll tell him about the job then.”
“Yes, Un-ho sir! Thank you!”
Albert replied briskly.
I wasn’t sure what he was thankful for, but.... he was polite.
“You bought a house?”
Lilliana asked me during dinner at the hotel restaurant, with everyone gathered.
Did Isla tell her?
“Yeah... something like that.”
I’d brushed it off vaguely to Isla then, since the mansion wasn’t livable yet.
I planned to have Albert clean it, but with its size, who knew how long it’d take.
“Quite the big spender. You went out alone today and bought a mansion?”
“Yeah. But it’s a mess, so not move-in ready. It’s got that ‘haunted mansion’ rumor for a reason.”
“Haunted mansion? Why buy something like that?”
Isla frowned, baffled.
“The big tree there caught my eye.”
The reason was odd, but true.
“You get sentimental in weird ways.”
Lilliana eyed my purchase reason skeptically but said no more.
“Too wrecked for living in now, even by haunted rumors?”
“Yeah.”
“I might be able to fix that. Everyone, pack up. We’ll sleep in the new house tomorrow.”
“How?”
“Hehe. Leave that as tomorrow’s fun surprise.”
Lilliana smiled confidently, at ease.
The next day.
Albert arrived bright and early, diligently, but I leisurely had brunch and left the hotel only in the late afternoon.
“You seriously need to consider if you’re ill.”
“Who? Me?”
“Yes. Your horniness isn’t normal.”
Lilliana seemed annoyed that our morning “greeting” with Isla had delayed the schedule a bit.
Of course, her complaints wouldn’t stop our morning greetings.
While we chatted idly,
diligent Marie drove the carriage to the mansion I’d bought yesterday.
“Is this the mansion you bought?”
“What.... is this? A wreck..... Worse than I thought.”
Lilliana and Isla shot me incredulous looks for buying this dump.
“U-Un-ho sir.... Is this....”
Albert asked with a doubtful expression.
“Yes, the job for you is cleaning this house.”
Confirming his fears, Albert paled.
“Of course, you don’t have to do it alone. Hire help if needed.”
Tough to find, though....
“Albert, was it? No need to worry. You won’t have to clean.”
Lilliana said.
“What do you mean?”
“We’re demolishing this mansion.”
“Demolishing.... suddenly? I admit it’s bad enough to inspire that, but....”
“Demolish it, clear the lot, and place this on it.”
Lilliana pulled an item from her subspace.
It was a familiar mansion model.
Eileen, Albert, and Marie—who hadn’t seen Lilliana’s magic—looked puzzled.
But I and the elf friends knew.
It wasn’t just a model.
It was her house, miniaturized by magic.
“Well? Better than that rundown shack, right?”
“Definitely....”
The pattern on Lilliana’s parasol glowed faintly.
As she shook it, mana spread around us.
“I’ve put up a barrier so the noise doesn’t leak. Now, just demolish it.”
Lilliana glanced at me.
“Me?”
“Yes, you, Un-ho. Who else?”