episode_0097

“What is it? Is this finally back?”

“Ah, you mean leather armor. There were a lot of comments from drivers saying they didn’t wear it because it made them feel bad.”

‘You guys are full.’

From what I experienced at the time, it was a pretty good armor.

When I hear that such good armor was given up simply because it was made by peeling the skin of a demonic beast, I feel insulted as it is difficult for me to find good equipment.

Then I got a good idea.

“Huh? Come to think of it, even though we are leaving the accommodation, isn’t it okay if we wear what we are wearing now?”

“Hmm. Yes? The items we have now are fine because we were paid for them.”

‘Then it doesn’t matter.’

After hearing those words, he took the black leather armor to one side and put it on inside his clothes.

They said they wouldn’t use it anyway, so it’s a test product and will be discarded.

So I don’t think it’s okay if I take it.

“Good. I put everything I have here, and I’ll go down first.”

“Yes. Yes.”

Afterwards, he leaves the box containing the items in a visible place in front of the door so that Enin doesn’t forget it, then comes out and walks out of the unit.

Conditions exactly as Enine said.

“What you need to look for is several lodgings that are tightly packed together…or large lodgings that can be renovated if possible.”

With that in mind, I wander around the area where inns are concentrated, asking around.

But finding accommodation is not as easy as you think.

If you look at it right now, it’s similar to the peak season.

It is said that there are no rooms left, perhaps because all the wizards and alchemists who came to see Deshade stayed here.

The place we had to work with required a long-term contract, but even the places we were lucky enough to remain in actually had prices that were exorbitantly high, so we left.

In addition, it was unusual for a soul bottle to wander around alone like this, so people did not look at it with a positive eye.

“Empty room? No. Rather, isn’t it a disease of your soul? If you have a mental illness, why are you trying to find a place to stay instead of just staying in the barracks?”

“Do you want to rent an accommodation for a long period of time? … I’m sorry, but that won’t work. It’s okay if you’re renting for a week, but not after that. People who stay long term often leave their rooms in shambles. And especially, what do you believe in and sign a contract with a soul bottle? Are you trying to do something strange?”

“There is a room. But I will never lend it to you guys. My family has been running an inn for pilgrims of the Gaia Church for generations! But what? Church of Deshade? And soul disease? It won’t be until my eyes get dirty! Cancer!”

All the inns either gave their own reasons or looked suspiciously at me because I was mentally ill.

Even if I try to explain the situation in detail, the only people here who serve the Gaia Church are the ones who just don’t listen to what I say.

So, I got angry the way I did, and in the end, I had no choice but to pick up the dirt on the ground and put it in the eyes of the last man and leave the inn.

After that, there really was nowhere to go.

“What should I do with this?”

I stand in the middle of a street full of inns and just stare.

As I leave the inn I knew for the last time, I feel empty.

It feels like an apartment complex seen from the middle of the city.

I feel like I have unintentionally realized how sad it is to not have a home of my own.

“Ha… Mr. Really.”

At that time, when I couldn’t think of anything else and was just sighing, I saw Peria and Eila coming out of an alley on one side.

“What is it? Oppa, why are you here?”

“Irim! Long time no see!”

“It’s been so long, how many hours have passed, Peria, why are you here?”

Although it was an unexpected meeting, it was nice.

“What is it? I asked first, hmm! Since I finished my business, I was on my way to wander around. I made a lot of money thanks to buying information that the corps commander was very interested in. So, for the rest of the time, I was giving Aila a tour of the village.”

“Human city is fun! There were so many delicious things!”

The two people look quite excited.

Have you two become friends before you know it?

Eila and Peria’s hands are full of food sold on the street.

“Have you eaten already? What should I do in the evening?”

“What does my brother have to do with it? And only Aila is eating it. I am listening to this girl because she buys so much. But I don’t know why I eat so much. That’s why I’m on my way back to exchange gold coins for silver coins. So what about you?”

“ After all, I’m looking for accommodation. But there was no room, so I was wondering why the world was so dreary today.”

“What kind of desert is that kind of world? But accommodation?”

Since it was something Peria needed to know anyway, I went under a nearby tree and explained the situation.

“What? So, are you saying that we should all leave the dorm now and spread out?”

“I think it has to be that way. Now, Ennin’s accommodation and Deshade’s accommodation are close, so it’s easy to go back and forth, but since we have to vacate the room and everyone in the accommodation has only one room, we’ll all have to stay apart. If you get too busy with work, it will be really hard to see your face.”

“I don’t like that…”

Peria thought for a while after hearing what I said.

A little bit of time to think.

In the meantime, Aila continued to eat, and by the end of the story, she had eaten all of the food.

The moment Aila puts down the last piece of food, the skewer, in one mouthful, Peria makes a suggestion.

“Hmm… Then, would you like to try our building?”

“Huh? It’s your building.”

“Building our organization. I told you before that there is a building in our organization’s name here as well. We don’t just hoard money like orcs or goblins. Money only has true value when it circulates. So, if we feel like we have accumulated enough currency there, we buy a lot of land or buildings here and there. In fact, the place where I sleep is also going back and forth to manage the buildings that are in the name of the organization on the Grace side.”

‘They were the building owners.’

An unexpected proposal, and an unexpected building owner appears.

I was grateful for the offer, but I was a little worried about Peria.

“Really? For some reason, when I showed you where you were staying before, I said there was no sign of anyone living there. But is it okay to use it however you want?”

Peria also thought for a while about whether that would take a while, and then quietly opened her mouth with difficulty.

“… Still, to me, it’s no different from Korean food, so why not just use a building? To my teacher, I’m a fagot… Hmm! Don’t worry about it because I’m going to tell you that they are important people.”

“… Thank you.”

I felt grateful and sorry that Feria’s answer saved me the lodging I couldn’t find.

Feria may have her own circumstances, but I feel very grateful to hear that she is willing to give up a building in this difficult situation.

I had no idea that Peria could be relied upon like this.

So, I said thank you, which I don’t usually do, and Peria also trembled, probably because I was embarrassed to say such a thing.

“Why are you acting so strange? Just like usual, ‘Really? Then, why don’t you take care of me?’ That’s enough.”

“I also have a conscience. If nothing else, I know how great it is to rent out a building for free.”

Monthly rent, lease, management fee, water bill, electricity bill, etc.

It’s not much different from another world.

I forgot about it for a while, but the fact that the world ultimately revolves around money remains the same.

So, giving away the building willingly is such a big deal.

“Well, this is enough. Because my brother and I are tied anyway.”

“Are you also a business partner?”

“Yes. That’s it. Ugh… that’s a really good word.”

“But what does it mean to be a partner?”

I feel this all the time when I hear it, but it seems that Peria treats it with a different meaning rather than its literal meaning.

“Hmm… The partner in the organization is the same as what I mentioned before, and to me, he is a symbol of an adult? That’s why it’s like that.”

“Symbol?”

“In our organization, there are many people in the senior line who work in pairs, right? When they call each other, they call each other “partners” instead of their names. It doesn’t matter to me right now, but seniors who go back and forth to dangerous places are prepared for unexpected situations that may arise. I heard there is a way to curse someone with just their name.”

‘It’s so scary. ‘I can’t believe I used my mouth once and was remotely cursed.’

Peria clenches her fist and points to her chest and my chest in turn with her thumb.

“I have seen such seniors since I was very young, and I thought it was so cool that they called each other ‘my partner’ when they introduced each other. These days, due to the influence of the imperial language, the word partner is also used a lot.”

“So you kept asking me to say that?”

“Yes. Do you know how cool it is? I fell in love with them when I saw them wearing black suits and calling each other business partners.”

“Well, if you watched it from a young age and grew up, I would say it’s cool even if you’re like me.”

For Feria, the meaning of a partner was aspiration.

It seems that a partner is someone who does their job properly, is not tied to a lifespan, and goes to dangerous places with bravado to get the information they want, relying on each other.

“That’s right! right! That’s why I wanted to make a partner quickly, but my teacher wouldn’t allow it, saying I had to be very careful in choosing such a thing. It’s important because a business partner lasts a lifetime.”

“Huh? For life?”

‘Why a lifetime? ‘Isn’t that what I know?’

However, if we only listen to the words of the person who is Peria’s teacher, I think the meaning is a little different.

“Well? Perhaps you are saying that because it is a relationship built on trust? I think a trickster’s partner is like a close friend who will never betray. I asked him why he did that, but he never said anything again after that.”

There seems to be some hidden meaning. But it was difficult for me to infer more than that.

“ That’s right, while sending this letter, I should also tell you that I chose you as my partner.”

“But now that I’ve heard it, isn’t it only tricksters who are partners?”

“No? From what I saw before, there were people who formed partnerships with deer beastmen and it was very diverse. So, it doesn’t matter if my brother is mentally ill, right? Well, I think I might be the first person to partner with a soul bottle.”

“Well, I’m glad if that’s the case.”

If you listen to Peria’s words, it seems that there are many people who have formed such relationships with various beasts other than humans.

After we finished our conversation, Peria and Aila decided to go back to the building we had talked about, and I went back to the base.

“Then I guess I’ll have to move all my belongings to our building this evening. Aila, let’s go with me first and clean up the building.”

“Yes! But can I buy some more before I go?”

“Sister, are you going to eat and eat like that just a moment ago? Wait until evening. Anyway, let’s all have a drink to celebrate everyone moving in.”

“Alcohol? Drinking is good! I also like alcohol!”

“Elves also drink alcohol… of course they drink it.”

“Irim says the obvious again, right? Is there a race that doesn’t drink alcohol?”

“They say this oppa is mentally ill. I guess there are people in my hometown who don’t drink alcohol.”

“No, I don’t mean that, because there is an image of an elf… No. Let’s stop talking.”

It was different from what I thought, but I decided to think of it as my fault for trying to apply the common sense I had in this world.

‘Looking at that, it’s actually strange that he doesn’t drink.’

From the beginning, I wondered if there was something Aila didn’t like when I saw the food she was holding and the way she acted.

“See you then, oppa.”

“Yes. Deshade, I’ll tell you that you can move your luggage there too.”

It is said that the accommodations that Thistle and Deshade are using must be vacated because they were provided by the security forces until now.

Originally, it was a place where the county paid money with taxes, so I don’t know if that’s why, but if you try to borrow it with your own money, it’s quite expensive.

If you stay longer than this, your accommodation costs will continue to rise and it will be difficult, so you will have to move.

“Then it seems like Aila will have a hard time getting a room anyway, so why don’t you stay at our dorm?”

“Huh? Is that so? It would be nice if I didn’t have to talk about it anymore, so that’s right!”

“Good. Well then, let’s just go ahead and clean the dorm with me. Do you know the cleaning magic?”

“Okay then! I still worked hard to learn life magic for the future! So, at home, I was always scolded by my sisters for only cleaning with magic while lying down. Honestly, I still don’t understand. It’s a magic created to make life easier, but why are you telling me not to use it in everyday life?”

“That seems strange even to me. Well, anyway, if that’s the case then it’s very reliable. Then let’s go quickly.”

The two of us left for the dorm first and I decided to move too to tell the news to the others.