*

　Mako and the others were facing the priest in the church.
　Somewhat farther away stood a man wrapped in expensive-looking clothes and a well-built body.

''We are very pleased that our church has been able to unite our two intentions. I'm sure this is also the guidance of Apeiron-sama.

　The priest's voice echoes in the chapel.
　No, is it wrong to say it echoes?
　Because she is just a normal voice.
　Her voice is neither loud nor small.
　It has a tangled scent and a holiness that is hard to violate.
　If a devout believer had listened, he would have found God behind the priest and might have cried tears of joy.
　Unfortunately, Makoto was not in the mood.
　Mako is not even a believer.
　And since she knew the meaning of the words, she couldn't be moved by one now.
　She's just saying that the church's intermediary has found a prospective buyer of the magic stone.
　Even though it's called an intermediary, it's actually like a church-sponsored auction.
　The church uses its own network to find potential purchasers.
　If there are multiple applicants, the church will hold an auction, and the highest bidder will get the right to purchase the spatial magic stone.

''I don't care, can you transfer the money quickly?''

　Yuka said in a sullen voice.
　It's no wonder that he was called out of the place where he was about to take a break at the inn after three days of escort duty.
　I thought it would be better to choose a few more words, but the priest didn't even show any signs of being offended.
　That's what I call a clergyman.
　He is well trained.

'.....then give me your hand.

　The priest slowly held out his hand.
　The well-dressed man put his hand over his right hand and the well-dressed man put his hand over his left hand.

''William, manager of the Rockwell branch of Rogers Trading Company, you are willing to purchase the magic stone for 1.8 million A, is that correct?
Yes, I'm sure.

　The well-dressed man - William nodded quietly to the priest's question.

''Makoto-sama, Yuka-sama, Fene-sama, and Liv-sama, you mean to say that the magic stone will be sold for 1.8 million A, correct?''
Yes, that's fine.

　Mako replies on behalf of the company.

'We have confirmed that both parties' wishes have been met. We will not allow any further complaints about the transaction.

　As the priest declares, multiple windows emerge.
　One is William's, another is the joint account of Makoto and the others, and the rest are personal accounts.

''Furthermore, we will transfer 60,000A as a reward for the defeat to the joint account of Makoto-sama and the others.
Oh!

　Yuka raised her voice.
　She must have realized now that she hadn't received a reward for conquering the non-return dungeon.

''Why didn't you tell me?''
I found out when I was brokering the magic stone.
You could have told me when we got back to the inn.
You slept until noon and Fene didn't come home until evening.
'You can report me. You said the exchange of money is the exchange of life, so get it right.
Huh.

　Mako grunted.
　It's exactly the right thing to say - I can't say it back when he even quoted his own lines, but unlike usual, his tone is weak, so the damage is minimal.
　After all, the fatigue of work hadn't worn off, I guess.

''........You didn't transfer the reward for your own defeat to your personal account first, did you?
I wouldn't do that.
Hmm, I don't know.
Would you like to view the transaction history, if you don't mind?
What?

　Yuka heard the priest's words, and a perturbed expression appeared on her face.

'If you don't mind, I can show you the transaction history?'
You don't have to go that far.
Are you having an emotional breakdown?
No, I don't. I don't want this to set a precedent and give us all a sense of privacy.

　Yuka glared at me with a snap.
　His tone was weak, but his eyes were sharper than ever.
　At that moment, William cleared his throat.
　'Hurry up,' his eyes pleaded.

'I'm sorry. Please continue.'
I'm sorry, sir.

　The priest nodded at Mako's words and the numbers switched in an instant.

'Excuse me,'
Excuse me?
I need to pay back the money I owe my brother.
Yes, sir.

　Furthermore, the numbers in the window switch.
　The amount transferred was 465,000A - 46.5 million yen in Japanese yen.

''We'll hand over the magic stone here. Thank you for your hard work today.

　Makoto let go of her hand and bowed lightly.
　He had already done his business, so he headed to the waiting room attached to the reception desk.

''It's ... empty.

　There was a glimpse of people here when I arrived, but the waiting room was deserted, perhaps because they had finished their business.
　It's a convenient place to have a conversation with your friends.

'I'm going to go home first,'
What, you're leaving?
I'm tired.

　Yuka said as she let out a sigh.
　Normally she would have said it back, but apparently she was really tired.

''If it's that hard, you could use your skills, right?''
I used it.

　Yuka's lips twitched.

'Didn't work?'
'You'll see. Maybe soul heels just don't work for me.
Is it like a snake can't die from its own venom?
You'll remember that when you're feeling better.

　Yuka raises her willow eyebrows upside down, but it's still weak because she's not in her element.

''Miss, good job.''
Get some rest.

　Fene and Liv labored, and Yuka walked out of the church.

'We might as well give it a couple of days to see how it goes.

　Mako sat down on the couch and let out a sigh.
　He's not as tired as Yuka, but he seems to be getting tired.
　'No,' he reminded himself.

'That's odd.'
What?

　Liv sat down next to me and crossed her legs.

'I'm a high status guy,'
So?
Do you ever get tired of being high status?
You're tired, of course.

　I don't know what the hell you're talking about," he said, as if to say, "It's a matter of course.

"When you're mentally tired, your body gets tired.
Yeah, right.

　After conquering the Skeleton King's dungeon - it's the opposite pattern from when I roamed the forest.
　At that time, I had plenty of energy to spare, so I was feeling optimistic.
　The bottom line is that it's important to have a mental and physical balance.

"Brother, brother!

　Fene sat down next to Makoto and wagged her tail with a flap.

'Is it true that you're taking a break for a while?'
Not for a while. Just a few days.
You don't have two days off, do you?
What's in store for the day after tomorrow?
...it's

　When Makoto asked back, Fene turned away.
　Her tail also hung down in a shuffle.

''There's a spirit festival the day after tomorrow.
A seance?
'Yeah, at least once a year, it's an event where we can thank the spirits for their efforts in maintaining the world, too.
I don't feel sorry for the spirits when you talk like that.

　The one time a year that I'm thanked for doing an infrastructure maintenance-type job - well, maybe that's just the way the world works.

'What, you want to go to a festival?'
You're a little girl.

　Liv smiles a nasty smile.
　Why is it that I can be caring when I'm on an adventure, but not at times like this?
　Does he think he's trying to maintain a balance in his own way, Liv?

'It's not like that,'
So what is the reason for this?
My brother.

　When Mako asked again, Fene replied, turning away again.

'Does it have anything to do with the fact that you're leaving your brother with the church?'
'If you leave them with the church, you'll only see them at the Spiritual Festival.

　Fene's lips quirked up in a huff.

'Why?'
Makoto, that's what the church is all about. You can only meet the man who was given to you as a priest's apprentice on the day of the feast.

　'Basically,' Liv added, her voice hushed.

'Is your brother in Rockwell?
Yeah.
Then I'll see you anytime.
You can't do that. I gave my brother to the church for my own reasons. And if I break my word, I'll be the worst kind of person.

　Fene said in a voice that sounded like he was about to cry.
　I thought he wasn't a very religious person, but he seems to be uncharacteristically religious.
　No, maybe it's the guilt of leaving her brother in charge.

'Is that how it works?'
Fene's stubbornness is a rarity. But for people who are in debt or in other circumstances, it's not a bad system.

　Liv replied somewhat bummed out.

'If that's the case, let's just relax until after the Spirit Festival.
Really?
I wouldn't lie to you.

　Makoto replied to Fene, whose eyes sparkled.

'After all, I should have bought a souvenir, shouldn't I?　Is it food or clothes?　Cash is not a good idea, is it?　Ah.....

　Fene turned over after he said it in a wound up manner.

'Is it okay if I ask you to come live with me?
Isn't that okay?

　It was Liv who answered.

''That's right. Actually, I've been looking for a new home since I got the Spatial Demon Stone.''
What, are you jumping to conclusions?

　Liv said with a bit of a drawl.
　'Maybe she's worried that if she tells me she doesn't want to live with me,' she said.

'A good house can be rented out very quickly. If you wait for your brother's reply, you might be able to rent one.

　Help me, Liv pleaded with me with her eyes.
　I thought he should take care of himself, but I didn't want the conversation to get weird and sulk.

'Oh, Fene. It's not too late to find out how your brother feels, is it?
Oh, you're going to get a house.

　Fene's lips quirked up in frustration.
　It seems that he can only see the future that is convenient for him.
　Come to think of it, there was a guy who fell for the scam, Makoto reminds me of someone I know.
　He was running a franchise store.
　The business was running on a bicycle with franchise fees and product prices.
　He couldn't last long, and he couldn't afford to pay for his products.
　Normally, he would go to the bank to borrow money, but the guy saw an ad on the internet.
　He called immediately and was told that he would be lent millions if he transferred how much by when - normally he would suspect a scam - but he transferred it.
　After that, I couldn't get in touch with the vendor and his shop went out of business just like that.
　The story goes that all that was left was a debt.
　People who are in a panic make bad decisions with the intention of keeping their cool.
　That's what happened to Faene now.

'Okay, Faene. I'll check it out.
Brother, you'll only see your brother tomorrow.
No, I'm going to meet him. I'm gonna see her. I'm gonna talk to her. I'll meet you, and you can hide in the shadows.
Hmm, but...
'Even your brother will be happy to hear that Fene wants to live with you. I think that's the best gift you can give him, I think.
Hmm~, that's true.

　Fene snorted with difficulty and said matter-of-factly.
　Apparently, she really has lost the ability to make normal decisions.

'But what are you going to do about it?'
I have a confidant.

　Mako turned her gaze to the girl at the reception desk.