We were staying in Lex's hometown.
　At first we had planned to stay until Mina finished reading Lex's textbook, but it just so happened that there was a textbook for swordplay and recovery magic in addition to magic.

　After experiencing the unorthodox abilities of the people of Lex's village, we realized that we had been on a roll with the fact that we had been trained a bit by Lex.
Therefore, we chose to stay in the village for an extended period of time to train in earnest, since we found other textbooks as well.

　However, we can't take advantage of Lex's parents' kindness forever.
　So we decided to work in the village.
　Jairo helped with hunting, Mina worked in Astraea's fields, Norbu did various chores for the old men in the village and cured his back pain using his recovery magic, and I helped with the care of the Jewel Apple.

　All of them seem like chores, but those helpers were literally risking their lives.

'Ugh, why is this field so big.......it's full of strange weeds that don't burn at all with normal magic, and watering it is so big you can't even do it without using magic.... It's too hard to make fertilizer for Alraune....

　Today, Mina is still collapsing due to the loss of magic power.

'I finished carrying the stones today... and I only have enough chores that I can't do them properly without using my body-strengthening magic... but hey, I'll recover before I go to bed... ...magic...

Norbu, who had been helping with the chores throughout the village, ran out of steam.

''Kye, we didn't hunt a single animal today either. They're too fast...

　Jairo's pride was in shambles as he was busy just following along with the kids he had gone hunting with, who had hunted down every last stone they could find.

　And as for me....

'The pests that flock to the Jewel Apple are bad. They were big, strong, hard, fast, and numerous.

Yeah, the pest control job swarming the Jewel Apple was beyond my imagination.
Obviously, the insects that looked like demons were coming in droves.
Apparently there is a warding spell placed around the tree, but even so, the insects kept coming incessantly, attracted by the smell, so I had to get rid of them.

Look, look, the bugs just keep coming!

　The sight of an apple farmer's old lady sputtering with a machete and exterminating a giant bug demon was out of this world.

"'It's hard,'

　Is this really the land of human habitation?

　You're not going to be able to do that.

But after spending our days learning from the textbooks that Lex-san made, we were able to help a little bit.

'Thanks to the fact that I was using magic so diligently, my magic efficiency and magic accuracy have improved recently and I'm no longer running out of magic.

Yeah!　I finally got to hunt my own food!　We can't let them get all the credit for that shit again!　Now I can put my own hunted catch on the table instead of leaving it to my dad!

Lately, I've been getting the hang of getting rid of these pests. I've learned where to cut through their hard shells and how to anticipate the moves of their fast opponents.

　They've all grown up to be very resilient, and they've grown a lot more than we were before we came to the village.

It's a good thing that you're not the only one who has been using it. I've been told by my grandfathers that my recovery magic has become more effective recently.

'Hahaha!　Now you can go meet your brother Lex with pride!　I'm getting stronger!

'Yes!'

Yes, we have become so strong because of all the things we've done with Lex.
　Next time we see him, we should thank him with all our hearts.

　After we are finally able to work, we go back to Lex-san's parents' house, where he has been a great help to us.

""I'm home!"

Welcome back.

　And as usual, Lex greeted me.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

　For some reason, I can see Lex's figure.
　I also see a strange woman beside me.

'Hey guys, good to see you.'

　Once again, Lex spoke to me.
　I mean........

Why are you here!

　You're not going to be able to do that.

I'm home, Mom.

I hadn't been home in a while, and when I heard from my parents that Jairo and his friends were staying there, I decided to wait.
　I had planned to go home to see them for a little while, but in the meantime, I introduced Liliella to my parents.
　But in the meantime, I introduced Liliella to my parents, and for some reason, they thought I was her boyfriend, which was a big deal.

'Oh dear, oh dear, did I make a mistake prematurely, mother?　Liliella, please take care of our baby.

'Yes, sir!　Leave it to me, mother!

　Liliera-san is too nervous too.

　In the meantime, Jairo-kun and the others returned.

Welcome back.

Why are you here?

　No, no, no, you're too surprised.
　I just came home to my parents, okay?

'I built a house in King's Landing, so I connected it to our gate for a bit and went home.

"Home in King's Landing!

My gate?

Or rather, who is that guy?

Well, it's been a while.

　Jairo and his friends ask me questions one after another.

'We've got some money saved up. I'm not going to be able to just save up, so I built a house. The guild recommended that top-ranked adventurers should have a base of operations.

'Oh my God, is a B-grade so great?'

My mom, who doesn't know much about adventurers, asks me, but that information is a bit out of date.

'Nope, they're now S-rated, not B-rated.

'Oh!　That's my brother!　Already s........s?

　And unusually, Gyro-kun stops speaking.

''S-ranked?!''

　Gyro-kun and the others shouted in unison.
　''Haha, you're too surprised.

''Yeah, S-rank. We just got promoted the other day.

''Hey, what's going to get you an S-rank so fast!

　I have my doubts about that, too.

I killed a few S-ranked demons, I guess.

'How many S-ranked demons do you have?

　Oh no, it wasn't all that big of a deal when I said "S-rank".

''So, who is that person?''

　Oops.

"This is Liliella. She's my party companion.

Party buddies!

　Everyone's eyes turned to Liliera-san in unison.

''Um, I'm a normal B-grade student, so don't get any strange expectations.

　Haha, that's humble.

''Liliera-san is an excellent B-rank adventurer. I think she should be promoted to an A-rank by now, in terms of her abilities.

''It's still a long way off from being promoted to an A grade. It's only recently that I was promoted to a B grade.

"You look like you're not much older than we are, but you're a B.

　Jairo-kun seems to have been inspired by the presence of Liliera-san, who is close to his age.

''Building a house in the King's Capital, that's not a ridiculously fine property........''

　Oh, I've built a house in a pretty good place, so maybe that's true.

It's awesome to team up with Lex and all that.

　As expected, Megri-san seems to have noticed Liliera-san's qualities.

''Well, congratulations on your promotion to S-rank.

　Yes, thank you, Mr. Norbu.

By the way, when you said you were going to hook up the gate, what did you mean?

　Oops, as expected of a wizard, Mina-san seemed to be curious about the gate.

I've made a base of operations. I made a gate so that I could go to various places. And as a first link, I connected it to my parents' gate, which I had prepared in case something happened. Now I can come home whenever I want.

How convenient. Do you mothers get to go to the capital whenever you want?

　Mom seems interested in the gate and asks me about it.

''Just in case I'm not with you, it's not allowed to move unless I'm with you for security reasons, but with me, it's just a short trip to the capital.

'Well, well, that would be lovely. I'll see you in King's Landing next time, Dad.

'What?　Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's good too.

　Both of you are still as close as ever.

'Mina-san, is a gate that easy to make?'

　Norbu, who is a monk and therefore has no technical knowledge, asks Mina, the wizard, about the gate.

'No way!　The point is, it's transference magic!　Legendary transference magic!　The world would change if people knew this was real!

　Eh, it's easy to make a transference device!
　It's just a matter of making an entrance and an exit, distorting and connecting the space.

''Oh yeah, since we're here, why don't we invite everyone to the King's House?''

What?　Your brother's house?

Yeah, I just thought it would be nice to have some guests over. Do you guys want to join us?

　I'm going to invite you and your father to the house in King's Landing... or at least that's what I was originally planning to do.

I've got some work to do in the fields and hunting to do. We'll let you do that some other time.

Oh, it's a shame.

Mother, you shouldn't interfere too much with one, or even two, of your sons.

　Well, I just rephrased it as living together, but that's because you're partying with Liliella, right?

So, Gyros, what do you guys want to do?

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

　When I turned to Jairo and his friends, they were discussing something with the four of them.
　Then, it seems the consultation is over, and they turn to me.

''Oh!　Of course I'll be there!　Because we wanted to test the fruits of our cultivation, too!

So, Ryde and Astraea, thank you for your help for so long, but I think it's time for us to get back to our adventurer's work.

　Norbu bowed deeply to his mother and others and thanked them.
　As expected of a monk, he is very polite.

It's a shame, isn't it? I thought the place was more lively than it has been in a long time since Lex was gone.

'It can't be helped, Mother. They're young, they can't just stay in one place.

　Dad quieted Mom, who was lonely.

'If you leave immediately, it would be a distraction to everyone who has helped you with your work, so I'd like to let you know that I'll be leaving once I tell you that I'm leaving and then I'll continue to help you until I'm ready.

All right, well, I'll come back for you when I know the date.

Yeah, I'll take care of that for you.

　Well then, I guess I'll go back to shopping to get ready to welcome Gyro and the others.
　As I stood up, Mom grabbed my hand.

'Since you're back, you should stay the night.

'....yes.

　Mom's smile was filled with an indescribable power.

　◆

　Once the date for Jairo's return was set, Liliella and I returned to the capital to prepare for their return.
　A few days later, after they had finished helping out and had left the village, I brought them back to the capital.

Welcome everyone. This is my house that I built in King's Landing!

　But the gate is inside the house, so you won't feel like you're in the royal capital at a glance.

"Wow, so this is my brother's house.

It smells like new wood.

Once again, it's an amazing thing to build your own house, isn't it?

Hmm?

　Among everyone who was surprised, only Mina-san was tilting her head.

''What's going on, Mina-san?''

There's something weird about this house.

　Heh, Mina-san noticed the flow of magic power.
　It seems that she's gained quite a bit of training since she left me.
　If you look closely, it looks like Jairo and his friends have improved a lot.
　I'm looking forward to our adventures together.

''That's because of the security magic.

Security spell?

Yes, we put in a security system from the construction phase to protect the house from burglars when they're not home.

'You said something plainly awesome, but you're not going to tell me you built the house yourself, are you?

Yes, I built it myself.

Really?　Holy shit!

Mr. Lex, can you design a house?

Well, if you live in the country, you have to be able to build a house yourself.

That's definitely not a good way to build a house.

　No, no, no, no, it's a very ordinary house.

'Well, let's go outside first and introduce you to the entrance.

　I lead Jairo and the others out of the house.

Well you guys better be prepared for a lot of things.

　Bosori and Liliera-san muttered.
What do you mean by that, Liliera-san?

""Don't worry, it's already in place."

　What do you all mean by that?

　You're not going to be able to do that.

'Oh!　So this is King's Landing!　There's a hell of a lot of people here!

Yeah, a lot of people.

'Oh, don't you people, don't scurry around so much!　You'd be mistaken for a grown-up!

No, it is, actually. But it's really an amazing flow of people and buildings.

　Jairo and his friends look like Liliella from a while ago, excited by the first time they saw the streets of the royal capital.
　I want them to enjoy the sights of the capital a little more, but if they continue like this, they'll be absorbed in the sights of the capital until the sun goes down.

Are you guys ready to go?

　I called out to them. Gyro-kun and the others remembered their original purpose and turned to me in a hurry.

"!

And for some reason, they all stopped moving together with a bleep.

'Huh?　What's going on?

　Maybe he was disappointed that my house was shabbier than he thought?

Well, it's not much of a house, so it's not what you expected?

"'Reverse, reverse, reverse!'

　Suddenly, Gyro-kun and the others shouted so loudly that passersby looked at them in surprise.

"What is this stupid house?

It's not a house, it's a mansion!

It's a mansion.

'I heard they built a house, but I didn't know it was such a mansion...'

　Huh?　That's unexpectedly high praise, right?
　It's funny, in my previous life, the house was just enough to hold all the research materials and papers I collected in my previous life.
　That's why they kept adding more and more houses in the basement in my previous life.

It's just a look. It's not really a very nice house. I'll explain the entrance to the house first. The house is protected by a high level of wardrobe magic, so only those who have been authorized by me are allowed to enter the house. That's why everyone must wear this when they leave the house.

　With that, I hand everyone a ring.

'This is the key to getting through the house's warding magic, so be careful not to lose it.

'You can't give me this stuff!'

　Mina exclaims in surprise.

'Don't worry about it. I'm just a fellow classmate with everyone else.

'Ooh! I'm glad you're here, brother-!

　When Gyro-kun puts the ring on with great excitement, the slightly larger ring shrinks to the perfect size for Gyro-kun's finger.
　By the way, this ring. It's a ring that's magically adjustable, so it's not a size restriction ring.
　I've also been experimenting with various features to see how far I can go with the current materials and equipment.

Once the ring is worn, it remembers its owner, so if someone steals it later, it will not be able to be used.

　Hmm.... I've got the key to prevent theft.

I've got a quick and easy lost item for you.

Let's go inside, then.

　We enter the house and I show you the garden.

'First of all, this garden, but we've prepared a garden golem to keep it clean at all times.

　When I give the signal, the garden stone, which had been quietly placed in the corner of the garden, breaks free of its disguise and returns to its human-shaped golem form.

"Golem!　You can make a golem?

　Mina rolls her eyes and stares at the golem.

The golem is easy for anyone to make if you learn the materials and the magic formula.　

Surely the material and the technique aren't easy at all.

Yeah.

　For some reason Megri-san and Norbu-san are nodding at each other, but just like a simple formula, if you learn it, you'll soon be able to use it.

''Golem, if you can make a golem........''

　Mina's interest seems to be glued to the golem.
So, would this one be of interest too?

And that pond there is not only a fishpond to keep your fish in, but the water itself is a security golem.

"Water Golem?　How did you do that?

Now, as soon as I heard that, I took back my previous statement.

I can't even imagine how they make a golem out of water.

　No, no, no, so this level of detail is not a big deal.
　It's a simple white thing that can't even understand complicated orders.

We have a small but ready-made field over here. They also have a magically strengthened glass greenhouse over there, so it's perfect for growing things like medicinal plants that are vulnerable to the cold.

'A greenhouse?

　And this is where Norv took a huge bite out of his mouth.

"Do you know it, Norbu?

　When Megri asked, Norbu nodded, burbling and shaking, and explained.

''I've heard of it. It seems that the facility was built to grow a valuable medicinal herb out of the gate at the cult's headquarters in the Holy Land, but I heard that not only the cost of construction, but also the cost of maintenance is quite high. I heard that not only the construction cost but also the maintenance cost is very high.

What is that?

　Megri-san is astonished, but it's not true.
　The greenhouse is kept at a constant temperature by using magic, and the greenhouse itself is kept from deteriorating by strengthening and state maintenance magic, so if you build it properly, it's something that can be maintained by an individual.

　And this greenhouse is only big enough for personal use.
　This greenhouse is only as big as an individual's. It's incomparable to greenhouses built by large organizations.

Next, I will show you the inside of the house.

　I lead the group into the house.

The front door is made of Elder Plant, which is fire resistant, corrosion resistant, impact resistant, slash resistant, and magic resistant, as well as shock reflective, so that anyone who tries to destroy the door will be able to bounce back from the damage they have done.

'What?　What?　Didn't they use super technology now?

''Also, the door is perfect for preventing thieves from unlocking the door, because if someone who doesn't have the ring that is the key tries to open it, the sleep and paralysis spells will be activated to put them to sleep!

'I don't think most thieves would have gotten this far in the first place.

So, when you go in, it's a small hall. We'll have a party here and we'll have guests.

Well, it's a pretty standard application.

　Mina is surprised by the unexpected look on her face.

''Also, the carpet is designed so that if you put someone to sleep, a recovery spell will be activated, so even if the royal capital is attacked or there is a coup d'état and a large number of people are injured, you can heal them quickly.

""All of a sudden it's a big deal!"

'This one is the living room, and there's enough room for about six people to live normally.

It's awfully big at that point, bro.

Also, the tables and chairs are enchanted with defensive magic, so feel free to use them as shields if you get into a fight.

"So why do we have to fight in a house?

　No, because it's common to fight against intruders, and city battles against surprise troops are basic.

"What were you saying to me just now?

　What are you talking about, Mr. Meghri?

This is the kitchen. All the cooking utensils are magic items, so you can prepare the fire and water automatically. If there is smoke, use the magic item of wind to ventilate it. Oh yeah, the fridge over here can use the magic of temperature control and ice magic to make your food last longer, so you can feel free to put food in it.

Oh no..........this is bad......it's only a lost item.

"Super convenient!　I want one too!

This isn't the kind of room you're not supposed to have guests in, is it?

'Whoa!　I don't know what it is, but you're awesome!

Also, there's a storage cabinet on the floor with all sorts of potions in it, so feel free to use them when you get into battle.

""Yeah, I knew that."

The room upstairs is a private room, fully furnished. The lights are lit by magic items, so you don't need to use lanterns or anything. The windows are also hardened with reinforced magic to prevent intruders. When the time comes, you can escape from the hidden passage under the desk.

There's all these hidden passageways?

　It's essential to have an escape route.

This whole thing was designed to be a real battlefield.

Also, there are animal sculptures in the house that are magic items to help prevent break-ins, so if you need them, they'll protect you.

""I'm pretty sure it will eradicate the intruder."

　Oh no, it's only for self-defense.

　Yeah.

'Wow, no way - no way!'

　Mina has only uttered the same line from earlier.

'All the baths you can take, and with warm water!　You don't even have to clean the bathroom!　I feel like an aristocrat!

　Megri-san's eyes sparkled as she seemed to like her new home quite a bit.

''No, no, if you get used to this mansion, you'll definitely be corrupted as a person.

　Mr. Norbu, like a monk, reminds himself not to be carried away by a life of convenience.
　He's a serious person.

My brother's house is awesome!　It's so awesome that I don't even know what's awesome anymore!　There are so many interesting things in there, and it's a house, but there's a workshop and a forge, it's like a store!　Well, I really don't know why every room is thinking about fighting.

　There's a lot more to it than that, but as expected, I'll get lost in the sun if I explain it all to you, so that's about it for today.

Huh... well, since it's Lex's house, it's better for your mental health to accept that it's a house like this.

You know, let's just hope we can get away with it if we have to.

"Maybe this house alone can hold the army of King's Landing.

　Yeah?　It's kind of a strange convincing thing to do!

It's really a good thing we went to Zengye Village beforehand.

　Huh?　How does that make sense?