Ch.210A Night’s Rest

“We’re here! Moon Lake!”

“Ohhh… finally back, I see.”

“Whew~ Now I can finally breathe easy.”

From Moon Lake to the outlaws’ hideout was about 250km.

From there to the Dark Elf stronghold, about 100km.

And back to Moon Lake, about 280km.

Our grand journey totaling 630km came to an end at 3 PM on the last day of May.

We secured Iris, loaded a massive amount of gold onto the wagon, and finally achieved our triumphant return.

Although none of us were born and raised in Moon Lake, looking at the vast Moonlight Lake and the octagonal walls of Moon Lake filled me with a sense of comfort, as if returning to a nostalgic hometown.

“Sorry, but I can’t let your wagon into the city.”

It would have been perfect if we hadn’t been turned away at the entrance guardpost.

“Whaaat~? Why!? We don’t have any strange items at all!”

“True, we don’t have anything problematic except for the magic cores, and we’re going to submit those directly to the Pioneer Operations Branch…”

“Even so, we can’t let such a monster pass through the main street. Even with metal wheels, something this heavy would destroy all the roads.”

The entrance guards were preventing our entry because of the Ant Walker.

They said they couldn’t allow a steel ant into the city that was hissing hot steam from its sides and making ominous mechanical noises.

When they also brought up the reason that they couldn’t overlook the damage to the roads due to excessive weight, even Mina had to accept it.

“Then could you at least let us into the carriage storage area near the entrance? I really don’t want to think about moving all these loads to our lodgings one by one.”

“The carriage storage by the entrance is for passenger carriages only. It’s barely enough for covered wagons, let alone space for a large cargo vehicle with this monster-like thing.”

“Hmm…”

It was Jessica who offered a solution to this unexpected situation.

“Can’t be helped… Then we’ll park the wagon outside the wall and request an off-duty guard to watch over it. The guard duty would be to prohibit all outsiders from approaching. Is that possible?”

“No problem if you pay. Still, just to be safe, you should carry your valuables in bags when you enter.”

“That’s the plan. Thanks in advance.”

While Jessica finished negotiating with the guards and Mina parked the wagon next to the wall, Jessica secretly packed the artifacts from the mana supply into a luggage bag, away from the guards’ eyes.

“Jessica, what was that guard request you were talking about earlier?”

“It’s when transporters or merchants who can’t bring their wagons into the city hire off-duty guards as daily mercenaries to protect their cargo. It’s good for the clients because they can safely leave their belongings and rest in the city, and it’s good for the guards because they can earn pocket money on their days off.”

“Huh, I didn’t know there was such a trick.”

“It doesn’t work everywhere. Some places don’t have enough security forces or have strict supervisors who don’t allow side jobs, but the Moon Lake guards are relatively lax… I mean, generous.”

Hmm, so Moon Lake’s guards are on the lax side…

Well, thanks to Moonlight Lake, monsters won’t come close, relations with the Silver Wolf tribe seem good, and there don’t appear to be any dungeons nearby, so it must be a cushy post for the guards.

While we were talking, the guard unit selected a daily mercenary to watch our wagon, and after paying one day’s advance, we gathered some valuables and items to sell and entered the city.

It’s a bit concerning that we have to carry the artifacts in our bags since Ancestor is still groggy… but it should be fine if we have Setty guard Jessica’s back while she stays between us.

“Let’s see, first place to visit is the Pioneer Operations Branch?”

“Today is the Day of Darkness, so the Pioneer Operations Branch is closed. If it’s about magic cores, the sheriff’s office can handle it too, so let’s go there.”

“I hope there’s a hefty bounty on those outlaws. I didn’t have the presence of mind to check the wanted posters when we visited before.”

“I-I’m reflecting on that…”

To cut to the conclusion, there was a total bounty of 15,000 gold on the heads of the eight outlaws we eliminated.

Specifically, 8,000 for the boss and 1,000 each for the seven subordinates.

The boss was apparently the worst of the worst criminals who had dabbled in every possible crime in Grantis, including killing adventurers, stealing magic cores, manufacturing and distributing fake barrier towers, damaging public facilities, theft, fraud, and forging official documents.

Regarding the submission of magic cores, our statement that we had recovered them from the outlaw group, breaking the exterior of the fake barrier towers to reduce weight and only bringing back the cores, was accepted without issue.

The magic cores we submitted will be transferred to Moon Lake’s Pioneer Operations Branch tomorrow morning, and depending on the appraisal results, our achievements will be recognized and additional rewards will be paid.

Though we’ll be departing for the Grand Sage’s villa before those results come in, so receiving the recognition and rewards will have to wait.

After handling the bounty and magic core matters, we split into teams to tour the marketplace, selling gold ingots and purchasing barrier magic stones, several magical tools, food supplies, and women’s clothing for Iris.

By the way, since Iris’s existence shouldn’t be known to the people of the western city, she’s currently inside Phyllis’s bag along with the doll house.

After finishing our shopping, we secured lodgings, had dinner at a Moon Lake restaurant, and returned to our rooms.

After discussing the schedule for moving to the Grand Sage’s villa, we dispersed to our respective rooms to relieve fatigue with warm showers, and finally, the long-awaited moment arrives.

The first night with Mina, who has officially become my lover.

“…S-somehow I’m feeling nervous all of a sudden. Uheh…”

“Need a drink?”

“No, no. This kind of thing should be done with a clear mind. Hmm.”

Mina sits beside me, having just finished her shower.

Her usual side ponytail is undone, and she’s wearing a cute pajama I’ve never seen before.

Seems she prepared it specially for tonight.

“Um… does it look weird? Setty recommended something sheer and flowy, but I didn’t have the courage to go that far…”

“It suits you perfectly. As I noticed when we met Director Geronimo the other day, when Mina really dresses up, she exudes such femininity.”

“Th-thanks.”

After fidgeting for a while, Mina gently leans against my shoulder, closes her eyes, and slightly lifts her head.

As I softly embrace her still-tense shoulders and start with a light kiss, I naturally recall what happened at the mining camp.

Unlike then, when we ended with just a kiss, today we plan to go all the way.

“Mmm… chu… chu… haah…”

After exchanging deep kisses for a while, Mina’s body quickly heats up.

I learned recently that Mina’s body temperature is slightly higher than the other three.

It seems to be a racial characteristic of dwarves, and when our sticky flesh presses together, the temperature difference becomes distinctly noticeable.

“…Puha… haa, haa…”

Mina gasps for breath after our lips part, having been intensely focused on kissing while embracing my neck.

Her amber eyes are dreamily unfocused, as if under hypnosis, making me feel as if I’m conquering her with incredible technique.

“Today… we’re going all the way, right?”

“That’s the plan, but if you need more time to mentally prepare, I can wait. I don’t want you to share a bed out of a sense of obligation.”

“Mm, it’s okay. Actually, I’ve wanted to continue since that kiss, but I held back because I was afraid of getting pregnant.”

“And today is fine?”

“Yes. I went to the magic tool shop with Jessica during the day and got a sustained contraceptive spell.”

“Huh, I didn’t know you were making such preparations.”

It seems Jessica’s offer to accompany Mina around the marketplace earlier was to help her with these preparations.

“S-so… I plan to make up for keeping you waiting all this time, but just one request…”

“What request?”

“Today’s the last day Titania is visible, right? I confirmed earlier that it’s not shining particularly brightly, but just to be safe…”

“Ah, that legend Phyllis mentioned.”

On days when Titania shines exceptionally bright, someone is destined to conceive a child.

Even the contraceptive magic that humans and beastkin boast about can’t be fully trusted on such days.

Even if it’s just a legend, it’s hard not to worry about it.

“So… you can do whatever you want with everything else, but could we do the final step after midnight?”

“After it becomes June 1st?”

“Yes. O-of course, if you can’t wait until then, I’ll steel my resolve…”

Mina says this with a solemn expression.

I slowly stroke her hair and answer in the gentlest voice possible.

“That’s a good idea. For the sake of our future travels too, it’s better to start without anxiety about pregnancy.”

“R-right?”

“However, for that to happen, Mina’s willpower seems most important.”

“Huh?”

The current time is 9 PM.

There are still three hours until midnight.

I pointed at the clock hanging on the wall and grinned at Mina.

“I plan to keep making you feel good for the next three hours until midnight.”

As I said that, I gently pushed Mina down onto the bed, and her face, belatedly understanding my meaning, turned as red as a radish.

“W-wait… That’s how it’s going to be…?”

With those final words, no more proper language escaped from Mina’s lips.