'Mu......?　You're up at last. Good morning, Ayase-kun.
Hmm. ....... Good morning, Mr. Shamash.
He slept like a baby.
'That's right, ...... I was tired yesterday, you know. A lot of things.

　After that, we ended up getting another room.
　It's partly because I took care of Aeon-san, the real princess, but it was the first night.
　I'm sure there are things you'd like to talk about with a woman alone, without hesitation.

　...... As for me.
　Naturally I slept alone. Yes.
　Mr. Shamash only came to wake me up as a result of the junket, as it was the slave's first job. Yes, sir.
　I couldn't sleep well that night, remembering the warmth and softness of everyone's skin. Yes.

　Yesterday.
　After hugging Shamash-san, Shamash-san let out a strange "fluffy" and Ai-chan-like voice, and within a few seconds, he let out a kemuri from his head and passed out groggily. Needless to say, the scene was in an uproar for a moment.
　When I hugged her, her body was so hot, I wondered if she had a fever.　But it was my first time, and I was in a state of exhaustion, so it was a good thing I woke up after a while.
　Then I went around again!　One more round!　After hugging the noisy Deanna, I completed the spirit contract that Shamash-san would become my slave in the presence of Priestess, and I quickly escaped from the room.
　If I stayed there any longer, the Demon Beast Slayer was going to change class to a wild beast and my Demon Sword was going to become a wet raven.

　Well, today is the day to return to Elishe.
　I got ready, paid the bill at the inn and went outside.
　In front of the inn, Marco was waiting for me, just as he was yesterday morning. His sister is with him. I left them at the blacksmith's yesterday.
　Even though it happened over drinks, yesterday I half-heartedly fixed your sister's leg, but of course I'm not so good-natured as to be completely gratuitous. It's up to her, but I was going to ask her for a little favor, so it's good that she came to me.
　Well, it was mostly an imposition of good intentions, and it's not like I'm asking for anything that big.

　When I stepped outside, Marco smiled for a moment, but at a loss for words, he didn't say anything and started to squirm.
　The younger sister, who cowered at her brother's situation, nags at him with her elbow.
　Well, since we don't already know each other, I'll have to talk to him.

Yo. You drank quite a bit yesterday, are you okay with your hangover?
O...... Onii-san: ......

　Oh, come on, don't look at me so hot-headed .......

'This morning, my sister told me ...... that ...... I ...... me ......'
You don't have to be so scared. I'm not going to make any demands.
'Oh, really, ......?　But I didn't do anything. ...... On the contrary, I even tricked the old man into selling me a rock. And yet you saved my sister from a monster and even fixed her leg ......
They're the ones who saved us from that monster. Thank you for that. And the rest, well, ...... you got lucky.

　Yes, I can only say that I was lucky.
　It's like a great genie's wish.

Well, and I've heard all the thanks you gave me yesterday, so I'm done.

　Yesterday I was told by a drunk Marco that he was persistent. You could say I was tangled up with a drunk, though.

'And I'd like to ask you to do something for me ....... If you're feeling indebted to me for your sister.

　I took out of my bag a bag of ore that the people here call "white".
　I bought it from Marco the day before yesterday for a silver coin.
　I heard that it was discarded as a scrap mineral by the locals, but according to my appraisal, it was quite rare.
　I found it on ...... or something like that. It's Rarity A, so it's definitely something rare.

Please continue to collect these as much as possible. I'll come back to collect them from time to time. Well, if you can afford it, you can deliver it to Elishe.
'What?　But it's ......
'They've all thrown it away, haven't they?　I don't know what to do with it. That's why I'm buying them back. You just collect what you can. Well, not much to go on.

　Since it is said that this ore can be taken with us when we collect gold in the river, we had to negotiate with the gold diggers to get them to give it to us. It may require good communication skills, but it was discarded in the past. We'll figure it out.
　If you'd like, you could ask for wages to help with the sand and sorting work. It was done by hand with a small amount of work, and it looked pretty tedious.

　So, well, if you buy a bag of them for about a silver coin, it wouldn't be a bad deal for either of us.
　One silver coin is worth roughly 10,000 to 30,000 yen. Marco and his sister should be able to barely eat on that much for half a month. Of course, I can continue to pick gold as I've always done.
　If you're able to do this job properly and seem trustworthy, you can ask for a different job, or you can even offer our branch to Luclaera. Or you can hire my sister as a clerk.

　Whatever it is, it's a fate.

Well, just do it. You owe me a favor.
Yeah, is that what you want?
'Sure. ...... Yeah, if you still have some stock left at home, go get it and I'll buy it for you. We're going home now, if you can get it and come back soon.
I'll be right back!　Thank you, Onii-san!
I'll meet you at the blacksmith's yesterday. See you soon.

　Marco and his sister ran briskly.
　Yesterday they couldn't even walk, but now they could run normally. A magic that modern medicine can never achieve.
　I wonder what would happen if I went public with this in modern Japan.
　I suddenly thought about that.



　◇◆◆◆◆◇



　All that's left to do now is to stop by and say hello to the grand master and then go home.

'Master. The priest and I are going to show up at the guild for a moment.
I'm sorry, I didn't know I was up to something.
A few of the elves here.
Yeah, .......

　Deanna and her priestess leave with a scary smile.
　Poor thing. I guess they get yapped for not reading through the relief message.
　I got a glimpse of the darkness of the spirit communication society. ......

'What about Shamash-san and Ion?　Are you going to leave like this?

　Shamash and Ion are wearing their hoods because they might be conspicuous.
　Shamash is a demon, and Aeon is a royal, although she has her prison crest removed.
　And since Diana is also wearing a hood, we have a very suspicious group. It's like a secretive magician's society.

"Going home?　What is?

　Mr. Shamash asks, tilting his head slightly.

'Home,'
Home?　What is?
That's why the mine.

　Mr. Shamash packs up, even with tears in his eyes.

'You are ...... what are you talking about ......?　You'll be living with us, right? ......?　Was that a lie?　I even signed a contract. ......?
No, no, no, no. I said it!　It can't just be yesterday!　I'm sure you have a lot of preparations to do over there, too.
There's no such thing. We're going to continue on to your compound. Me and Aeon too.
Really? Well, I don't really care if that's the case. ......

　Was moving ever that easy?
　I guess it didn't matter that it was almost like a hiding place for the two of us. But there would be no small amount of luggage, and even furniture ...... that kind of thing can be done later?

'Oh, um - ......'

　Mr. Aeon raises his hand timidly.

'I'd like to go back to get some things I've forgotten: ......
Of course!

　Aeon, the former princess, has more normal senses than you do!

　As such, Shamash and Aeon are going back to the house to collect their forgotten items. They decide to pass the time at the grand master's place until they return.

　I think of the house in the mine where Mr. Shamash and Ms. Aeon lived.
　Shamash designed a strange shaped house. It was not a bad house, but it must have been unbearable to live in that dark, cold place.
　I hope their new life will be a peaceful one for them.

'Oh, here we are at last!　I was worried you'd left without stopping by.

　The grand master was waiting in front of the store.

'How can I help you?'
You'll be surprised how quickly this has come up, but I have a favor to ask.

　What is it? I guess I'm talking about selling more of the Yasugi steel (Yasugi Hagane) I gave you yesterday. I was pretty excited about it.
　...... Or maybe it's the sake.
　Well, both are not bad business. I'd like to consider it in a positive light.

Let's hear it.
Could you make me your master blacksmith in your husband's office?

　A full-time blacksmith!　That's a hell of a suggestion.

'Yes. May I ask why?
'I've been thinking about it all night. If we're going to do a knighthood, we're going to need a lot of equipment, right?　They can fight that much, I'm sure Danna's knight squad will be huge. It's better to make it yourself, rather than just ordering something by hand.
Yeah, no, that's a very nice offer. ......

　If the grand master were to become an exclusive, we'd make a lot of progress, but I don't feel like it would pay off. In the first place, the knight squad is still completely just a hobby activity.

It's not that I don't want to ask for my salary. It's just a form of retirement for me. And you can earn your own food for yourself. There's no problem in building a workshop, and Elishe can get the fruits of the fire. The problem is the iron. ......

　Grand master glancing at me.
　Yeah, I brought in some Yasugi steel. If you can get that kind of steel and make equipment out of it, that is.
　They're quite expensive, so if you have to buy everything with Yasugi Steel ...... you'll be bankrupt.
　No, bankruptcy is an exaggeration. But it's not cheap, that's for sure.

'I can manage to get you some steel. However, the level of steel you brought in yesterday is impossible. Just a little more ordinary iron.

　I don't know how much technology the grand master has to recycle iron, but if we're talking about bare iron, he can bring as much as he wants.
　Or, if you're going to be his family, you can let him in on the secret and give him all kinds of Japanese materials. They might be able to research and make something for you.

　As for the materials themselves, you can manage to get them if you want to.
　They are expensive if you buy them, but they are free if you pick them up or get them for free.
　Modern Japan is strong in this area.

　I'm sure you're right about that. I can get a cheap truck or bus plate spring from a dismantling shop I met because of my hobby of making knives, so you can take it. That's good steel.
　If the mirror is bigger, I would take the whole car.
　Well, it is hard to carry the steel material because it is heavy, but that is the part we have to work on.

Then it's settled!
'Yes, you're welcome!　It's nice to meet you too. At ......, but what do you do when you say exclusive?　Does that mean you're setting up shop in Elishe?
'Yes. What part of Elishe does your husband live in?
It's not far from the city. It's a mansion in the woods.
Yeah. Well, at any rate, let's build a workshop in a convenient location from there.

　Building a workshop ......?
　The story is getting louder and louder, but it's good to have a dream.
　Above all, a dream forging workshop. As a knife hobbyist, it's a dream come true for me to have my own workshop (not strictly speaking).
　And I also have a vocation as a blacksmith.
　If I could learn from the grand master, I might be able to at least be able to strike a short sword by myself.

　I mean, hmm?　There are plenty of books on sword making, and if you watch a video, you can see the process of making a sword.
　Does that mean that you can make a Japanese sword as it is?　There's no way he couldn't make it with the skills of the Great Dwarf Master.

　Wow, that's right. You could be a sword smith. The sky's the limit!
　Swords are tough to sell in Japan, but they're a good source of business. I'm sure they'll take beautiful swords in this world too.

　I have to build Shamash's house, and it's going to be busy now!


　We then packed up the conversation until Shamash and Ion returned.
　I heard that the grand master is basically coming to Elishe alone, but until he gets things going to some extent, he's going to have a couple of apprentices to help him out. In some cases, he'll consider taking a new apprentice in Elishe.
　It seems that the dwarves will all work together to set up the workshop as well.
　It takes a few hours by horse-drawn carriage to get from Luclaera to Eliche. It's not much of a distance, you know.
　By the way, I would like to have Shamash's house built as well.

　They already have the blacksmithing tools, and they will make sure that the work of Elishe's customers (mainly maintenance) is done by the Grand Master. As I recall, Shero-san's great sword was also the grand master's job. I wonder if Shero-san will be happy.
　The equipment I ordered for the knight's squadron will be made almost entirely in Roja by the grand master.

I'm not sure how much of a good story that is, but it's too delicious for me. Free of charge.
Don't worry about that, young man. Your husband is a merchant, isn't he?　As long as you make money with me, that's all that matters. That's what it means to be my employee.

　So, in short, you're saying that the blacksmith has been added as a new department in our shop?
　The grand master says that he will earn his own money for the operation, but as expected, he won't be able to make ends meet if he is in the red. Do I have to make a profit while making equipment for the knightly corps as well?
　Well, I don't have the know-how of a blacksmith, so I don't know the details, but the grand master is the number one blacksmith in the area.
　It won't matter what he does. What's important is the publicity.

"Etowah.
Hey, boss.
You heard me. If the grand master is going to be one of our people, then the blacksmith will be in charge of the financial matters as well. You can do it.
I'll take care of it!
Okay.

　Let's wait and see what happens after the workshop is built.
　Maybe it's time for my own business to finally grow in scale.
　I've made more acquaintances in Elishe and Priestess will support me, so I'll be able to manage even if I sell something of questionable origin.
　Up until now, I've been afraid of standing out, so I've ended up doing a humble business, but if I'm serious about making money, the power I can produce isn't anything like this.
　However, it's dangerous to sell a tremendous amount of goods rapidly, so it's a gradual process .......

　When the story was over, Marco came in, sweaty and out of breath.
　From the pouch on his hip, he pulls out a bag containing the example ore.

'This is all I have ...... right now, but ....... You can buy it next time, and I'll give you this one.
Are you sure?　It's a lot, like four bags.
''It's not enough for the spirit stone you spent on my sister's leg, but it's the only thing I can get out of it: ......
Okay. Well, I'll take it.

　It feels heavy when you receive it. It's about the same specific gravity as gold.
　I don't know how to use it, but it could be used for something someday. It may be dangerous to sell it as a mysterious ore in Japan, though. It might be a good idea to at least ask on the Internet.

　After some time, Deanna and her priestess came back again.

'How did it go?　After all, why didn't you come to help me?
''Let me first explain. Apparently, the priests here had rarely faced monsters on a regular basis, and the sudden outbreak of a massive outbreak blew them into the winds of cowardice. And he was evacuated under the guise of an 'escort' along with the city's leading figures.
'It's a terrible story. If I had the power to do this, I would do it in a horrible way.

　I see. Well, I knew it would be something like that.
　It doesn't matter, since it's already done.

''I'll pass this matter on to the mayor. Even if he's a priest, there will be some sort of shouting match.
Is that how it works?

　Well, I guess the elves are powerful and have a good salary and social status, so they have to work for it.


　After a while, Shamash and Aeon came back with a bag full of luggage.
　I wish we didn't have to come to Elishe with them right now, but they insisted on going right away, so I had no choice.
　Well, we've already signed a slave contract with Shamash and Ion has his prison crests, so you have a point that it's better to get it over with.
　It's a good idea to live in the mansion with everyone else for a while.

Then ...... I apologize for any inconvenience I may cause you from now on, but I look forward to working with you.

　Aeon-san bowed her head once again.
　Aeon's beauty shining under the sunshine had a kind of divinity to it that was unlike anyone else's. It's like a holy attribute, or maybe it's pure like water .......
　Yeah, this is the princess power. The real thing is indeed different.

　As I was thinking about that, Deanna glares at me with half an eye. It's troubling because Deanna can read your mind.
　I didn't have to glare so much to cite Deanna.
　She's supernatural enough.

''We may be the ones who are forcing you to live an inconvenient life, but I'd appreciate it. You'll have to work at the mansion, even if you're a princess. We only have one maid, but we have plenty of work to do.
'I wish. I'm just Ion. Treat me the way you want to be treated.
So, let's not get any special treatment.
I understand.

　I'm sorry to tell Orica, but I don't want her to know about Aeon's background.
　I'm sure she'll be scared to death of working with us.

"Good luck, Shamash-san.
Yeah. 'You can tell me anything you want, Ayase. I'm now your slave in name and substance!　Because that's what it is!
Okay.

　Shamash-san has maintained a high tension that hasn't changed much since last night.
　More to the point, the way she looks at me after hugging me seems to be different, but I wonder if this is just my imagination.

''Ah, yes. I wanted Shamash-san to teach me magic. I have a vocation as a sorcerer.
'Oh!　I'll show you how to take it down a notch!　Even Ion, who doesn't have a vocation, was able to master it there. I'm sure Ayase-kun will be a great magician in no time.
I know the Great Sorcerer is an exaggeration, but it would be useful to be able to use some of it.

　The Great Magician or ....... I don't really feel this at all, but I have another thing to look forward to.

　What I want to do.
　There are so many things I have to do.
　There are so many things to do, I'm already on the verge of a flat tire, but I'll clear them one by one.
　I'm not completely insecure, but I'm dreaming.

　And so we left Luklaera.
　It was supposed to be just a two-night trip, but it turned out to be a turbulent three days.