The hunt for Aldis, Greshe and the others continued the next day.
　However, the incident with the mercenaries who had turned into wild thieves had created an unnatural tension between Ardis and Greshe, and the group was certainly in a stifling atmosphere.

　As a result, Aldis decides to end the hunt with Greshe and the others on the seventh day.
　It's a good thing that we've been able to get a great deal more efficiency from the division of roles between hunting and gathering and transporting, and the amount of gain that can be gained from that.
　However, it's a bit difficult for people who don't have a good relationship with each other to cooperate with each other, let alone be on good terms with each other.

　When the morning of the seventh day, which was the minimum number of days that was originally intended, Greshet showed an indescribable expression when Aldis told him that the request was over.
　Greshe must have known that it was because of the disagreement between him and Aldis. But the thought that he hadn't said anything wrong seemed to be preventing him from repairing the relationship.
　On the other hand, he must also feel a debt to his members for being the cause of losing the unbeatable job of five silver coins a day.

　The other three, except for Gresche, are simply disappointed.
　But I'm not going to blame Greshet, the leader, outright, and I can't blame him.

　Just like before, we walked around the grasslands that spread out to the north of Tria, hunting for the Beast King and the dispersers.
　A cart full of materials was piled up and we returned to the city at a time when the sun had long since set.
　As usual, when they finished selling the materials, they would pay the rewards to Greshe and the others and then disperse the rest of the way.

I'll call on you again when I have a chance. Good luck on that occasion.''

　Aldis smiles and speaks up without a rut.
　It's a good thing that you're not the only one who's worked with them for the past seven days. Aldis, who seems unconcerned from start to finish, has a certain amount of compassion.

　But the minimum number of days planned has passed, and we've achieved our goal of earning money for the time being.
　There is no reason why the period has to be extended, nor do I see any reason why I want to extend it, so there is no problem in finishing in the stipulated number of days.
　Since we're not breaking up in a fight, it's a relatively peaceful goodbye.

''Oh. I made a lot of money, you know. I'll see you again!

I've learned a lot from these stories. Maybe we should have another drink sometime.

Be sure to give me a shout when you have a good deal!

　Ralph, Gio, and Conia call out to Ardis. Their voices are bright.
　But only the last one has an unflattering look on his face.

'Aldis ......, the mercenaries who attacked that .......

　As Greshet faltered, Aldis blinked slowly at Greshet and said as he preached.

'Greshet,' he said, 'it's not about who's right or who's wrong. ─ It's not about who is right or who is wrong,' he said. I think Greshet's ideas are part of the answer. It's just that it's not the way I live my life. I don't want to impose my ideas on you, and Gresche should be able to live his life the way he does. Just remember that there are people who think this way.

...... Okay, I get it. I'm not convinced, but I'll keep that in mind.

　After a few moments, Greshet replies.

'Yeah, that's good enough for me. See you then.

　Ardis waved goodbye to Greshet and his friends.
　We walked quickly through the city of Awasora and arrived at a stop sign.
　You'll be able to get a tray of dinner from Kasija, whose smile has begun to cloud over the past few days, and return to your room.

'I'm back now.'

　I called out to the twins, knowing that they wouldn't respond, and I saw them both nod slightly together.
　They still can't speak, but they are beginning to respond somewhat to our voice, nodding and shaking their heads.

'Dinner. You may eat first.

　Setting the tray with the food on it on the table, Aldis begins to unpack his equipment.

　Placing the backpack on the side of the bed, he removes his sword from his waist and takes off his robe and drapes it over the back of the chair.
　Fortunately for the lightly armed Aldis, it doesn't take him long to unpack his equipment.
　If he was wearing leather armor like Ted, it would take quite a bit of time, but that's because the robe Aldis is wearing isn't much different than taking off his clothes.

　The twins, meanwhile, approach the table fearfully, standing by the chair and looking alternately at the table and at Aldis.
　This continued until Aldis sat down in his chair.

'You don't have to wait for me, you can go ahead and eat.

　I've said that every time, but I never tried to touch it until Ardis started eating.
　In fact, he was so thorough that he would always sit in his chair after Aldis.

(It's better that we started eating at the same table. ......)

Both of you. You can sit in the chair even if I'm not sitting down, and you don't have to wait for me to eat. You can eat before I do.

　The twins finally sit down in their chairs and nod at the same time.
　I tell them every day at every meal, but it's not easy for Aldis to get his way.

'You may eat,'

　Even though I called out to them, they all kept glancing up at me as if they were trying to get a better look at me, as if they were trying to get a better look at Aldis.
　The twins finally started to eat when Aldis started to eat.

(Not that I want them to miss you, but ....... It's not that I want you to miss me, but I'm sure you're scared of me.

　Whether you're taking them out into the city or looking for someone to take them in, it's too obvious to take the twins out with you.
　But if the twins are too frightened to leave each other, we can't force them to take just one of them out.

(I'll need a while, this one.)

　After repeating to the twins, morning and night, that he wasn't going to turn them into people, that he wasn't going to turn them into slaves, that he wasn't going to beat them, that he was on your side, he was finally able to eat at the same table.

　I finally got to know their names, too.
　One of them was Filia and the other one was apparently Liana.

　But other than saying their names, I didn't remember hearing anything that sounded like words from their mouths.
　In addition, Ardis couldn't tell one from the other at all, but to be honest, he doesn't care much about that.
　Because I don't intend to hang out with them for that long.

　But that's as far as I've made progress with the twins.
　They have started eating together, but one of the beds is not used at all, even though we have rented a room for them.

　Whenever I told them to sleep in bed, they would cower in the corner of the room.
　I picked them up by force and threw them into bed once, but they slipped out and returned to the corner of the room the next morning.
　The next morning, she slipped out and returned to the corner of the room.




　The next morning, Aldis ate a meal with the twins and then left the inn wearing only her robe.

'As usual, please,'

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with your friends and family.

　It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on a new one.
　It's a large, two-story building in a prime location facing the main street, and Ardis stepped into it without hesitation.

Welcome. Are you looking for a house?

　As I walked into the store, an employee approached me.
　It wouldn't help. There were no other customers in the store besides Aldis.
　It's no wonder that the three employees would have an immediate reaction to the visit of a long-awaited customer.

　It's not that the store is particularly deserted.
　It's not that the shop is particularly deserted, because buying and selling of land and buildings is not a common occurrence by nature.
　Ordinary citizens rarely leave the village or town where they were born and raised, and since it is common for three families to live together, opportunities to buy and sell property are rare.

　As a result, these trade associations deal with lords and other ruling classes, or merchants who are successful enough to set up shop, and a small number of successful mercenaries.
　The absolute number of partners is small, but the goods they trade with are orders of magnitude more expensive than others.
　The profit per case is also naturally large, and it's a normal world where it's commonplace for employees to provide one-on-one customer service to each customer.
　Therefore, unlike a general store or armor shop, the interior of the shop is decorated in a way that is not distasteful and gives a refined impression.

What kind of use are you looking for today?

　The cleanly dressed male employee cuts Aldis off as such.
　Looking at Aldis's deportment, he must have instantly decided that he was a mercenary.

　A merchant might look for land for his business, but mercenaries usually decide to buy houses and warehouses.
　The employee, who looks to be in his late thirties, seems to be a seasoned veteran in his own right and seems to have decided that Aldis's purpose is a house or warehouse.

I'm looking for a house for me and one other person to live in. The location doesn't have to be that good, but we don't want to be in a bad neighborhood.

I'll be right with you. Please have a seat and wait for me to see what you want.

　The employee offers Aldis a chair and then deftly pulls out a bookcase with a list of properties.

"We can only show you these eight houses.

　All of the properties picked up by the employees met Aldis' requirements.
　Moreover, the amounts were in a reasonable price range that a successful mercenary would be able to afford.

　It looks like I've hit on a good trade association, Aldis thought.

　Good workmanship. The prices are reasonable. Moreover, they have been polite to the young-looking Aldis from the start.
　This is neither a general store nor an apothecary shop. It's no wonder that when Aldis, who appears to be a boy from the outside, comes in, some of the employees immediately assume that he is a scam artist.

'Is the man you live with your family?'

Yes, she is. She's still my little sister. I'm a mercenary, as you can see, so I'm away from home a lot.

'I see, so you want a safe place. If so, how about these two?　Both of them are close to the guards' filling stations, so I highly recommend them in terms of safety.

　Aldis looked over the two documents the employee recommended.

'I'd like to see both of these properties.

Very well. Let me show you around. Please wait a moment.

　Aldis actually looked at two houses with an employee showing her around and ended up signing a contract for the first property she saw.

'It was a quick decision,'

　If you are an employee, the less hassle you have to put into selling the same property, the better.
　The reason why he's showing a sincere smile instead of a sales smile is because Aldis decided to sign the contract on the same day.

''In the case of mercenaries, a late decision can lead to a life threatening situation, you know.

I agree.

　However, there are people like Orphelia who are indecisive in their private lives, Aldis chuckled inwardly.

"Do you want your contract to be 'annualized'?

Yeah, so do me. I'm just trying to figure out if I'll be settling in Trier at the moment.

　An 'annual rate' is a way of contracting for the purchase of residency on a yearly basis.

　Normally, the ownership of the property itself is bought and sold.
　However, since mercenaries are not always in one place, they rarely buy a whole house unless it's time for them to retire and settle down.
　You can buy a residence for about a tenth of the price of the property, but in addition to that, you have to give a deposit, and only active mercenaries will sign a contract for a property at an annual rate.

　The price of the property chosen by Aldis is two hundred gold coins.
　Since the contract will be on an annual basis, the contract fee for one year is 20 gold coins.
　In addition, a deposit of 100 gold coins is required.

''Then I will take ten gold coins as an advance payment, and after receiving the remaining one hundred and ten gold coins, the property will be handed over to you.

I'll pay you the full amount now and you need to get ready as soon as you can.

'Sorry about ....... I will have it ready for you as soon as possible.

　Ardis takes out 120 gold coins from his pocket and the employee gasps for a moment.
　But as expected of a professional. He immediately readjusted his expression and began the contracting process.

　Fortunately, it seems that the property Aldis signed a contract with had just undergone maintenance a few days ago, so the employee said it was possible to hand it over on the same day.

　Aldis hoped to hand over the property tomorrow at noon, and after signing the contract, he left the shop.
　On the way, she purchased two children's robes that completely wrapped her entire body and returned to the stoplight pavilion where the twins were waiting.