The "missing person incident" flag that Diora had raised when she went was neatly broken, and (at least in the pinning) we had returned safely to Laffan without incident.

The first place we went to with Mary and Mitya, who were visiting Lafan for the first time, was, of course, our house.

This is our home.

When Haruka said this to them in front of our house, they were stunned for a while, but then they immediately raised their voices in surprise.

I'm not sure what to make of it.

"It's so big. ....... Is it safe to enter this place?

No, no, this is our house.

As a former nobleman's house, the grounds of our house are quite large.

It's understandable if you feel a little intimidated by the walls and the gate.

"On the other hand, the building is a little small, though. Compared to the garden.

We opened the gate and went inside to see our house.

Yuki pointed to it, but Mary immediately shook her head.

It's still many times bigger than our house.

When we went to see the house where Mary and her family lived, their house had completely burned down, so we didn't know how big it was, but based on the surrounding houses, it was probably a one-story house with only two or three rooms.

Compared to that, our house was a two-story building with 18 rooms, so it was spacious, but a little small compared to the size of the site.

Back then, we didn't have as much money as we do now, and building a big house was just for self-satisfaction. It would be a complete waste of money.

Let's go inside first. There are five spare rooms in the guest room ...... that Mary and her friends can use, but do you want to use them ......1 one at a time?　Or--

I want to be with my sister!

One room is enough for the two of us!　I'd rather have it in a corner of a warehouse or something!

Mitya and Mary said in a panic, but Yuki laughed and shook her head.

You can't live in a warehouse, you know. But we don't have a bed. Shall we go buy one?

The floor will be fine as long as we have blankets.

We'd be uncomfortable with that. We're like a family living together, so don't be shy. Not when they're kids.

Taking in a child and letting him sleep on the floor is complete child abuse.

If you want to do such a thing, leave the child to an orphanage.

It is our responsibility as adults to take care of the child's life and educate him to some extent.

When I explained this to her, Mary nodded, a little confused.

...... I understand. I'll do my best to work hard for you!

"Yeah, good luck with that. "Yeah, good luck. The garden is a mess.

The garden that I could see from the window was overgrown with grass.

The combination of summer and weeds is quite outrageous, since weeds are growing even in the area we use for training, which is quite hard-packed.

Anywhere else, it's a no-brainer.

Especially bad is the area of the vegetable garden. The area is rich in nutrients and the soil is soft, so it's all over the place.

At the sight of this, Mary also smiled dryly.

Ha ha ...... Yes, it looks like a lot of work.

It's a big place, though. It's a big place, so it's okay if it's not too big, just enough to show that it's inhabited.

It's a bit of a mess, the exterior ......

The path from the gate to the door of the house was paved with earth magic before the summer, so it is not damaged by weeds, but other than that, ...... the weeds are doing a wonderful job.

If the house is thought to be vacant, thieves could damage it, and even though I don't have much in it, I don't like the idea of it being ransacked.

Of course, it is not easy to break into the house because it is equipped with a security system, but it would be disgusting to find the dead body of a thief lying in the yard.

I don't even want to imagine what will happen to the corpse in the summer .......

Oh, by the way, you have to register two security devices, right?

Yes, we do. After that, we'll need to buy some household goods for the two of them. ...... Shall we go shopping now?　Once we get settled at home, we'll be too lazy to go out.

You know, we don't--

Yes, stop. Don't be shy. Didn't I just say that?　I'll buy the necessities. I won't accept any objections.

Yuki's words were a bit forceful, but perhaps it was better that way.

It's hard for us to make a living if you're so reserved.

"Um, ...... yes.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it. I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've.

And you can be as selfish as you want. In return, we'll tell you exactly what we approve and disapprove of. We don't want you to be a hoarder, so I'll tell you that first.

I don't know if this is the right thing to say to you, Mary, but we've never raised children before.

Fathers and mothers may become parents through trial and error, but this is a different culture from the one we lived in, and it's not like we can use our own parents as a reference.

We don't have any relatives or neighbors, and we don't have anyone to talk to ....... Maybe we should go and talk to him.

It's okay!　My father was rarely home, and my mother was gone for as long as I can remember!

It's okay!

Mary and Mitya say sad things with strength.

Maybe I'm just trying to say that children grow up without parents, but I'm sure the father, who was doing his best to raise his child, may be in tears up in the sky.

Nevertheless, there is no doubt that Mary is very strong compared to her age in Japan.

She seems to have basically taken care of everything at home by herself.

She said, "Well, we're going to live together in a different environment, so let's talk and get along. Both of you.

Okay.

Okay.

Then we split up and went shopping.

Yuki and I went to order the beds and chests, which unlike furniture stores in Japan, there was almost no room for choice, while Haruka and the others took Mary and Mitya to buy the other household goods.

Fortunately, the bed was in stock and could be set up that day, and the chest of drawers would be delivered in a few days.

Of course, I ordered it from Simon's place.

I guess they were willing to be flexible for us, their customers (mainly sellers, not buyers).

We had to order a futon because they didn't have any in stock, but this was not a big problem since we didn't need a comforter at that time of the year and we could sleep just fine with a blanket and a sheet on the mattress.

Haruka and his friends came back soon after buying what they needed, so Mary and her family's living environment was set up relatively smoothly.

That night, for the first time in a long time, we enjoyed a bath, which we hadn't had during our trip.

It was the first time in a long time that we enjoyed a bath.

I'm not sure what to say.

A high rank adventurer can live such an elegant life.

It was about a week after their return to Raffan that Mary mentioned this to him at breakfast.

"Elegant, huh?

"It's amazing!　The food is completely different!

Haruka's question was answered with a smile by Mitya, who happily tucked into her breakfast.

I'm not sure if it's our food that suits her taste, but she's been eating very well since she came to this house.

Although Mary was afraid of Mitya's behavior, she herself ate more than one serving when we recommended it, so there was no problem in terms of taste in our life together.

But you know, the food is Haruka's skill, right?　The ingredients themselves are usually bought at the market.

If I had to guess, I'd say that the inspiration sauce is a big part of it, but the food without it is also delicious.

Compared to the beginning, Haruka and her friends' cooking skills seem to have improved even more.

Their skill level has probably increased, but they have also gotten used to our ingredients.

Even though the inspirational sauce is versatile, it is still boring by itself, so this is a great help.

Thank you. Well, I didn't buy anything expensive. Mary knows that, doesn't she?

That's ...... yes. Usually, yes. But it's still a bit expensive for me. ......

Mary's job includes not only tending the garden, but also helping with the cooking - and even the shopping, so of course she knows the prices of ingredients.

She occasionally buys expensive ingredients, and other items seem to be of a slightly higher grade than what Mary and her friends were buying, but she doesn't buy anything extremely expensive.

If I had to guess, I would say that the quality of the meat and fish might be better because they are shipped directly from the place of origin, but that's about it.

But I take a bath every day. Even though it's hot.

"That's because it's your identity.

"Yes, it is.

Haruka answered immediately, and Yuki and Natsuki agreed immediately.

For me, a shower is fine in the summer, but when it gets cooler, I miss the bath.

It's not so popular with Mary and Mitya right now because of the hot weather, but I'm sure they'll wake up to the feeling in the winter.

However, I can understand why Mary refers to the bath as "elegant".

In order to take a bath, you first need a lot of water.

Although water is relatively plentiful in this area, it is still necessary to fetch water from a well, and most people's houses do not have wells, so they have to use a communal well located some distance away.

In other words, it takes a lot of effort.

In our case, we have a well in our house, so the labor of transporting the water is much less, but it is still very difficult to pump up enough water for a full bath, and if we hadn't been able to produce water by magic, we wouldn't have thought of taking a bath every day.

Next, the cost of heating water.

For the average person, that would be the cost of firewood.

This is also relatively inexpensive in this area, but even so, a large amount of firewood would be needed to heat enough water for a full bath.

None of these are things that ordinary people can afford every day.

We have solved this problem with magic and magical tools, so we don't spend so much money that we can be called "elegant". .......

It's a bit of a waste to say that it consumes magic stones, but you can get those yourself.

And it doesn't look like he's out working. ......

I'm not sure what to make of that.

Oh!　Yeah, right. Sorry.

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You don't have to worry about it. I had a lot of work to do.

We didn't want to leave Mary and Mitya at home, so for the past week or so, we've been at home without doing any work, but it's not like we've been lazing around.

I made some clothes for Mary and Mitya.

I went to the Adventurer's Guild, submitted a request form signed by Viscount Nenus, received a reward, and received the book on demons I had ordered.

Yuki and Haruka (to be precise, Tommy seems to have had a lot to do with it) made a magic tool for grinding soba noodles, and made soba noodles with the resulting flour.

While Mary and her friends were tending to the garden, I re-tilled the vegetable garden area and sowed the appropriate seeds.

I bought some picture books and taught Mary and Mitya some letters. I tried to teach them math.

In addition, I continued my daily training as a matter of course.

Since I didn't have much time for training while I was traveling, I spent more time on this than usual.

But it's true that we didn't go out to work, and it's no wonder that Mary feels 'graceful' when she sees us at home all the time.

"Well, if I become an adventurer, will I be like you?

By "like us," do you mean build a house, go to work occasionally, and eat well?

Yes. You don't have to be extravagant. We just need to wear clean clothes, live in a nice house, and eat a full meal.

We both ponder Mary's question.

It's a very solid wish, but it's a bit difficult to answer.

Our success is partly due to the skills we received from Lord Adversus, partly due to our diligent training, and partly due to the fact that we have been able to do our jobs to the best of our ability.

Then there was a bit of luck.

The fact that we had the job of harvesting dindol at the right time, and the fact that Haruka and I were elves, helped a lot.

The money we got at that time was very important for our equipment and our life.

In other words, if we can secure the initial funds and hone our skills to a certain degree before becoming adventurers, we have a good chance. .......

"Does Mary want to be an adventurer?　It may look elegant when you look at us, but most adventurers lead a hard life, you know?

Yeah, I know. But I don't know what I'm going to do when I grow up. ....... Is it impossible for me to be an adventurer?

I'm not sure if I'll be able to be an adventurer, but I'll take care of Mitya until she comes of age, so you don't need to worry about that. ......

I'm not sure what to say, but I'm going to say it.

It's a good idea to get a job in this world, as I thought when I introduced Tommy to Mr. Ganz.

Or perhaps I should say "how to get a stable job".

Short-term jobs and day jobs can be found at the Adventurer's Guild.

However, most of them are manual labor jobs that do not require much skill, and the wages are inevitably low.

According to Ishka at the orphanage, the children at the orphanage also have a hard time finding work, so they teach them letters and math so that they can have a better chance of getting a job.

However, it is the places where such skills can be utilized that require trust, and it seems that nepotism takes precedence over high ability, making it quite difficult.

Even so, because of the credibility of the temple, it is said that if a child has good behavior at the orphanage and is capable, he or she will be adopted to some extent.

On the other hand, the trustworthiness of ...... us is still low.

If you are an acquaintance with whom you have built a certain level of trust, but if you are not an acquaintance, "introduction by a rank 5 adventurer" is still not enough.

In the first place, the only acquaintances I have who do any serious work are Gantz, Aella, and Simon.

It would be impossible to get another adventurer to join Ganz, and Aella and Simon would be useless if Mary and Mitya are not interested in cooking or woodworking.

I think it depends on the stage before you become an adventurer, don't you think?　If you can't fight properly when you become an adventurer, you'll have to get a cheap job to make ends meet, and then you won't have time to train. In the end, you'll be destitute.

"That's true. At the very least, they should be able to kill boars and hobgoblins. If you can kill a vipu bear if possible, you will be much safer, and if you are less injured, it will be easier to save money. If you can't save money, you can't get proper equipment.

We started out without magic bags and had to make do with backpacks, and we could live for days just hunting a single task boar if we didn't splurge.

In fact, even a goblin can earn more than a day's work if he does well.

The innkeepers that Natsuki and his friends were working at paid very low wages, but it seems that there are many jobs at that level, and it's quite difficult for a rootless day laborer.

"Hmm, if you want, I can train you.

Are you sure?

Mary looked pleased at my suggestion, and Natsuki and the others nodded in agreement.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be an adventurer or not, but being able to protect yourself to a certain extent is probably a good thing.

"By all means!　Oh, but won't it interfere with your work ......?

If you participate in the morning and evening drills, you'll be fine. You'll have to practice on your own while we're gone, though.

No problem. Please!

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"Me too!　I'll do it too!

I'm not sure if you're ready for this.　Let's see, she's ......7 years old?

If we take into account the difference in the way of counting age, she is barely old enough to start compulsory education in Japan.

If you think about it, Yuki has a good point, but my sister seems to have a different idea.

If possible, could you take care of Mee?　There have been kids around Mee's age who have joined the apprenticeship program.

Is that how it works ......?

Well, in this world, children who work do work.

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I've heard that if you do too much muscle training when they're young, it can affect their growth, so you should be careful about that.

I'm sure. Mitya, if you don't do anything half-heartedly, we'll accept it. But if you slack off or do something without listening to our instructions, that's it, okay?

I know!　Master, please!

"Master?

Haruka's head twisted at the sudden reference to him as master.

"Me, where did you learn that word?

"My apprentice told me. The girl who took me on as an apprentice told me that if I don't call her master when she teaches me, she'll get angry.

Is that how it is with apprentices? But still...

I don't know who you're talking about, so we'll just keep doing what we're doing.

Okay. Nao-chan!

I'm sure you'll have a great time.

Yeah, that's good, 'big brother'.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.　It's a good idea.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that. They're not ready yet.

You can't do magic with Mary and Mitya because they're beasts, but if you can strengthen their bodies, that's a big advantage.

You can train skills such as swordsmanship as usual, and compensate for the lack of physical abilities by strengthening them with magic power.

If you can do something like that, you'll at least be better than the average adventurer in Raffan, right?

I know it won't be that easy to use, but if you work at it diligently, you might be reasonably skilled by the time you come of age?

I'll do my best!

I'll do my best!

Mary and Mitya raised their voices in unison.

They are still children, but will they ever go on an adventure with us?

I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also a little nervous. .......

It's a little bit complicated, because going on an adventure means having to kill demons and other creatures.

But that's about it. We should also resume our work soon.

As if to change the mood, Haruka clapped her hands and raised the fundamental issue.

"Well... It's been a while since I've had a real job.

In the pinning, one thing was ripe that was ambiguous whether it was work or leisure, but apart from that, I haven't worked in weeks.

If I don't get back to work soon, I'm afraid I'll get lazy.

I've got plenty of reserves.

Besides, one of the reasons I didn't go to work was out of concern for Mary and Mitya's mental state, but even though it hadn't been long since their father died, their condition was more stable than I thought.

Considering that they had also been burned to death, they would normally need counseling. ...... Are they not originally prepared for this?

I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.

I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.

But before we resume our work, ......

Haruka paused, smiled, and said, "Let's have a welcome party!

Let's have a welcome party!