After dinner, we were supposed to have a meeting, but it turned into a drinking party and fell apart.
「…I drank too much…」
As expected, Mishinie drank a lot, and so did Azur Rise. Caught up in it, I ended up drinking quite a bit myself. I went beyond the Kakubin bottles and even reached for the sweet potato shochu. Somewhere along the way, I lost my memory.
I took out some bottled water I had stocked and chugged it down. The dryness in my throat finally eased.
「Did Kainzel-san go home?」
He is quite a drinker too, but he knows his limits. He probably slipped away halfway through.
Mishinie was asleep with her face down on the table, and Azur Rise was sprawled out on the floor, asleep.
「…I’ll have to earn not just food money, but booze money too…」
I took out a cassette stove and brewed some coffee.
After spacing out for a while, Mishinie and Azur Rise woke up too, so I made coffee for them as well. I added plenty of sugar and milk for Azur Rise.
「Good morning」
As the three of us sat there dazed, Miriel woke up and came out. When I checked my wristwatch, it was already past seven.
Ladarion came out next, followed by Bisha and Mebi.
I wanted to stay dazed a bit longer, but that was not an option. I made up my mind, stood up from the chair, and went back inside the home.
First, I took a hot shower to wake myself up, then drank five hundred milliliters of water to neutralize the alcohol circulating through my body.
Breakfast was a hassle, so I went with a business hotel breakfast buffet. I carried the dishes that appeared across the floor to the entrance, and had Ladarion and Miriel take them outside.
Despite drinking that much, both Mishinie and Azur Rise were eating like monsters. I envy their stomachs…
「Kainzel-san. I’m sorry, but can our discussion with Dyne-san be in the afternoon?」
I cannot manage the morning. Please forgive me.
「All right. Also, depending on the weather, they are planning to depart in about three days」
「Understood. Then we should finish preparations by tomorrow and move to the town of Misrim the day after」
「In that case, I’ll reserve an inn. The Pioneer can be left at the Luraize Company branch」
It seems things are coming together one way or another.
「Are Mishinie and the other escorts gathering at the Luraize Company branch too?」
「We will meet up in the town of Korel. There is a Luraize Company warehouse there」
Maybe they are being considerate of us?
「We’ll head to the town of Misrim in the afternoon. Let’s meet at the departure point. Bisha and Mebi, I want you to handle goblin extermination around Lasagna Village again. Ladarion, go a bit farther and take care of the Miond Village area」
「Can I go with Ladarion too?」
That was Azur Rise. Does he not have work today?
「I don’t mind if Ladarion is fine with it. What do you think?」
「I’m fine with it」
So the two of you do your best.
It was a simple meeting, but as long as we understood each other’s schedules, that was enough. All right then, safety first today as well.
「…Do you always do things like that?」
After everyone left and I refilled my coffee, Mishinie asked that. Things like that meaning the meeting?
「Yeah, pretty much. Is something strange about it?」
「No. Trusted squads do things like that, but even so, you are all different in age, gender, and even race. Yet you are well organized. It felt like you had been working together for many years」
「Well organized, huh. Yeah, everyone helps me out a lot」
Everyone has their own goals, but they are all motivated. That is probably why we are able to hold together.
「…That really is like you, Takato…」
Mishinie chuckled. What is that supposed to mean?
「I’m going to step out for a bit. Do whatever you like. Oh, as payment for guiding us, pick something you like from that shelf over there」
Kainzel-san drinks wine with his meals, so there is a shelf lined with bottles. They are all under a thousand yen though.
「I’ll drink and wait」
「…Don’t overdo it」
I said that and went back inside the home. I restocked the refrigerator, bought more daily necessities, and finished shopping while listening to Miriel talk.
「Living like this, the amount of stuff just keeps increasing」
I expanded the central room to nearly twenty tatami mats, but there was so much stuff now that it was getting hard to even walk around. If I do not add at least another ten tatami mats, it will overflow with luggage.
「No helping it. I’ll expand it」
My current savings are a little over five million yen. You could say I have money, and for now I am still in the black, but once I take on the escort job, it will turn into a loss. I had been hesitant about expanding out of anxiety, but there is just too much stuff now. I guess I will spend two million yen and expand.
I used two million yen to add an extension next to Miriel’s bathroom. It is only about six or seven tatami mats in size, but I will use it as a storage room.
I moved the dressers and clothes there, and since there was still space left, I also moved boxes of beer and juice.
「Whew. Moving around like that sobered me right up」
After taking a short break, I went outside. The giant wives were there, having tea, with Mishinie mixed in among them.
「Takato, thank you for all the cloth. Everyone is very happy」
「Glad to hear it. You can repay me at the manor. Will the carpenter come?」
I have not bought any carpentry tools yet, but I already told him I would give him the axe and knife I bought from Gaz’s stall as payment. The proper tools can be part of the success reward.
「Yeah. He said he will bring his companions. He also said he might bring their wives, so it might be finished by mid-autumn」
A giant migration, huh.
「Sorry, but could you provide them with meals and such? I will buy more cloth again」
「The cloth really helps. Giants use a lot of everything, after all」
No kidding. They are ten times bigger than humans. If they bought it normally, it would probably cost around ten silver coins. And they wear the same clothes every day too.
「Also, could they build a bread kiln or something? It can be sized for giants」
「A kiln?」
「Yeah. Once there are more people, buying bread will be a hassle, so I thought we should make our own. Also, is there a giant who can bake bread? Or rather, it would help if someone could be a cook」
If a giant does the cooking, it would not be much extra work even if the number of humans increases. One pot could feed dozens of people. That would really cut down on food expenses.
「That sounds good. Having an oven in the village would help too. If you give them cloth, they will make it」
Before meeting with Dyne-san, I should buy cloth in the town of Misrim.
「I will leave that to you. Tell them I will pay well, so make something good」
「Yeah, leave it to me. I will have them build something impressive」
And with that decided, we chose to head to the town of Misrim earlier than planned.
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