House and Bank

The house we rented was located a bit far from the central plaza of the Labyrinth City.

“It’s quiet.”

A street where not many carriages circulated and only occasional guard patrols could be seen. Even the road had magic lamps installed at regular intervals.

“So this is where we catch the carriage. And if we go straight that way, we’ll reach the labyrinth, right?”

I said as I looked around. Unlike other streets, this was a very clean place with no garbage to be found. I liked that.

“Yes. It takes about 10 minutes on foot. And if you take a carriage, you can get there in 3 minutes.”

Isabella explained from beside me. Inis hummed a tune as she followed me. She seemed to be in a particularly good mood.

“How long does it take to get to the blacksmith district or the food district?”

“Those are actually closer. It varies depending on the shop, but as quick as 5 minutes. I think we could reach them within 15 minutes at most.”

“That’s good.”

I nodded with satisfaction. As we talked, we arrived at the house we had rented.

High stone walls were built around it. The gate of the house was made of iron, making it difficult to see inside.

A space isolated from the outside.

This was exactly the kind of house I wanted. For me and Inis to operate comfortably, this place was perfect. Especially considering Egun.

‘I think I heard houses with such high walls are more likely to be exposed to crime.’

But it didn’t really matter if robbers or thieves broke in. It was a problem we could handle ourselves.

Click-

I inserted the key I received from the land manager into the gate. With a satisfying sound, the door slowly opened.

“Hmm.”

It wasn’t large enough to be called a mansion. But it was more than enough for three people to live in. We could even accommodate one or two more people without issue.

What I particularly liked was the existence of a yard. Though it was currently overgrown with weeds, with proper management, we could grow flowers or herbs for spices.

“May I manage the garden?”

Isabella was the first to speak. I noticed she had been eyeing the grounds carefully, suggesting she was interested.

“I don’t mind if Inis doesn’t plan to do it. I think these things are more efficient when done by someone who wants to do them.”

Her gaze naturally turned to Inis.

“As long as you don’t neglect household chores, I don’t mind.”

“I’ll work hard!”

Isabella clenched her fist and spoke enthusiastically. She must have really coveted the garden.

“Then do as you wish.”

“Thank you!”

She showed discipline. It seemed Inis had properly established the hierarchy.

“I’d like to hire someone to do the housework and a gardener, but it’s unfortunate that we’re not in that situation or have that luxury. It’ll be troublesome, but I’ll have to ask you to handle the housework. I’ll help occasionally too.”

“No way. How could we let Master’s hands touch water? From cooking to cleaning and garden management, we’ll take full responsibility.”

“That’s right! We’ll take care of everything!”

“Alright. I’ll trust you with it.”

We entered the house following the path through the garden. A living room was immediately visible, along with several doors.

“That was the kitchen over there. This is the bathroom. That’s the toilet, right? And there were three more rooms on the second floor.”

“That’s right. The previous occupant repaired the house before leaving, so there shouldn’t be anything that needs fixing.”

“It’s definitely clean, which I like.”

However, without any furniture, it felt like a ghost house. I guess we’ll have to furnish it piece by piece.

“The rent here is 2 gold per month. With all the furniture and items we need to buy for the house, we’ll have to work hard.”

The rent was absurdly expensive for such a good house in a good location. At first, I wondered if it was right, but considering the money we earn in the labyrinth, it wasn’t that reckless.

“Which rooms would you two like to use?”

“Master should choose first. Then it would be right for us to choose!”

At Isabella’s words, I nodded. It was much more reasonable than them choosing while worrying about my preference.

“Then I’ll take the largest room on the second floor.”

It was a room with good lighting that overlooked the garden at a glance. It was the largest room in the house.

“I’ll take the room next to the stairs.”

“I think I’ll use the room at the end of the second floor!”

“Then explore the rooms you’ve chosen and think about what you need. We’ll go shopping for everything together later. Understand?”

“Yes!”

After sending the two slaves upstairs, I explored the first floor briefly. I had seen it before, but I wanted to check again.

The toilet wasn’t a Puse style, but a Mase style toilet. It was said to use magic activated by the magical power in the magic stones to clean up neatly.

It was a popular type of toilet, but only magicians could install it, and the installation itself was not preferred, making it expensive.

‘The toilet was the biggest reason for choosing this place.’

The Puse style used at the inn was unbearably terrible. Even now, thinking about it made me shudder.

There was a small well in the bathing area. Thanks to this, there was no need to bring water from elsewhere. As for warm water, there was no problem at all since I could use divine power.

I didn’t check the kitchen separately. Inis had thoroughly inspected it when we met the land manager.

After finishing the first floor tour, I climbed the stairs. Sunlight coming through the windows brightly illuminated the corridor.

Creak-

Opening the door, I saw a spacious room with a fireplace. Looking outside the window, I could see the garden and the gate at a glance.

“Master. We’ve finished checking.”

Inis approached me as I was leaning against the window frame and zoning out.

“Oh? Then shall we get going now?”

“Yes.”

I turned around. We all went down the stairs and out to the yard.

“Today, let’s just check Isabella’s skills. We need to buy furniture for the house too. There’s a lot we need.”

“Yes. I think that would be good too.”

“Ah. This might depend on the situation of the Green Skin layer, but I think it’s about time we move to the next layer.”

“Isn’t that too rushed? I heard most adventurers stay in the Green Skin layer for several months before moving on.”

“If our skills weren’t up to par, I’d understand. But I think our party’s skills are sufficient already. Plus, Isabella has joined us now.”

We already had sufficient attack power. So there was no reason to delay further. We were a bit lacking in the front line, but it was still okay for now.

“If it’s about income, I don’t think we need to rush just yet. With 24 gold a year, we have about 5 years of leeway.”

“It’s partly about income, but I also want to get to the next layer quickly. It’s my personal desire too.”

“If you say so, I won’t press the matter further. However, I think it would be good to make sure we’re well-coordinated with Isabella before going down.”

“That’s a given.”

“I agree too!”

At Isabella’s energetic response, I smiled and nodded. We closed the gate of the house and headed to the street.

“Let’s take a carriage.”

Now that we had some extra money, we took a carriage and stopped by the bank. As expected, the street was quiet. We climbed the stairs and entered the building.

“What brings you here today?”

I requested an account opening from the employee. She processed it skillfully and then asked if I wanted to deposit money now.

“Yes.”

“Would you please place the amount you want to put into the account?”

At her words, I took out the pouch from my bag and placed it on the counter. The employee opened the pouch and carefully checked the money.

“It appears to be a total of 200 gold. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. Then I’ll proceed with opening an account and depositing 200 gold. Please wait a moment.”

The wait wasn’t long. Soon, the employee handed me a card.

“This is a card imbued with the power of Poidun, the contract demon, and the magic of Magia, the god of magic. Would you please drop a drop of blood here?”

I drew blood with a needle and dropped it onto the card.

“Yes. With this, the owner registration is complete. You need the card for deposits and withdrawals, and if you lose it, you’ll have to pay 10 gold to make a new one, so please be careful.”

“I understand.”

“Do you need checks?”

At her words, I immediately nodded. One of the main reasons I wanted to come to the bank was for checks.

“How many would you like?”

“50, please.”

“Here you are. To use them, enter the amount and then hand it to the other party, and the contract will be immediately concluded. Please be careful, as you’ll face disadvantages if the entered amount is not available in your account.”

“I understand.”

“Alright. Then all procedures are complete. Do you have any other questions?”

“No.”

“Then you may leave now. Thank you very much for using our bank.”

I collected the card and rose from the chair.

“Let’s go.”

I gestured to Inis and Isabella, who were sitting nearby, and went outside.

“Master. May I take a look at the card?”

At Inis’s words, I handed over the card.

“Isabella, don’t you have a card?”

“I did, but I destroyed it right after being expelled.”

“Hmm. I see.”

I never dreamed that cards would exist in this world too. In the game, there was no bank at all, so it felt a bit unfamiliar.

Falcion, where things from the modern world strangely exist. Is this because of the game world? Or is there another reason?

“Master. Here.”

Inis’s voice broke my reverie. I took the card from her and immediately put it in my bag.

“Then let’s go to the labyrinth.”

“Yes!”

“Isabella. You can’t wet yourself out of fear like last time, okay?”

At my words, she blushed. Isabella answered in a small voice.

“I-I’ll try my best.”