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Base
Allen and the other four came to the Real Estate Guild the day after they registered as adventurers and registered their party at the Adventurer’s Guild.
“Welcome, what can I do for you today?”
(Hmmm, we are just four 12-year-olds, but we are treated very well. Is the whole city like this?)
I felt a sense of service that was absent in Kurena Village.
As yesterday, we were shown to a low counter seat, and the staff of the Real Estate Guild took care of us.
“So, what kind of property would you like?”
“We want a single house for five or six people. It should be near several dungeons and Magic Train, and be easy to get to from the Academy.”
I asked for a place as close to the station as possible, with dungeons nearby.
“I see.”
The staff took notes on a piece of parchment as he flipped through a booklet-like record of houses to see if there were any that met our criteria.
After returning from the Adventurer’s Guild yesterday, we talked about the type of house we want. I asked if there would be any problem with two boys and two girls living under the same roof once again just to be sure, and there seemed to be no problem. Cecile and I had lived in the mansion for four years, and Kurena and I had slept in the same room.
Dogora just said, “It’s okay.”. He didn’t seem to have any basic objections to it
“Does the dungeon nearby need to be C-class?”
“It would be nice to have a C-class dungeon nearby, but it would also be nice to have B-class and A-class nearby.”
The staff decided that we were students who would be attending the Academy this year and thought we would be going to a C-class dungeon, but I told him that a B-class or A-class dungeon would be better.
He searched the booklet further after that.
“Hmmm, with those requirements, it would be a building along the main road where there are several dungeons crowded together.”
(Mm-hmm, I like it that way.)
“That’s the way it should be.”
Cecile agreed with me.
“It’s just, those buildings are a little big.”
The staff gave us a brief explanation. Many adventuring parties of 20 or even 50 people are needed to conquer such difficult dungeons.
(50 people?)
That’s why buildings near the more difficult dungeons are inevitably larger; no building can accommodate five or six people, they say.
“I don’t mind if it’s a little big. You just have to prioritize other requirements.”
“If that’s the case, there is a relatively small building that can accommodate 20 people.”
(It’s okay but we will need to inspect it. We don’t want to end up with a wrecked building because some drunk adventurer went wild.)
I told the three of them that we should take a look at the place before deciding, and they agreed to do so. We got on the Magic Train with the staff member and headed for the house we wanted.
“This way, sir. How do you like it?”
“‘It’s nice to be so close to the station. Which way is the dungeon?”
“The dungeon can be found by walking in that direction and that direction as shown on the map I just showed you.”
He explained the appearance of the building and its location. As I listened, I checked the actual distance of the dungeon from the building by using Eagle.
(Adventurers are getting sucked in. But is that three-story building a dungeon? It’s nice that the station and the dungeon are close enough to walk to. And there are lots of restaurants too.)
None of us could cook. I used to help cook when I was in the Kurena Village, but it was not much cooking, just boiling and grinding.
When I was a manservant, the only thing the Head Chef taught me was how to dismantle magical beasts.
If possible, we were going to eat out all the time, but as this was a section with many adventurers, there were several food stalls and restaurants near the station.
(Well, a gamer who cooks for himself is not a gamer. I don’t have time for that.)
With these thoughts in mind, I walked through the solid gate and into a large three-story building with a garden.
“This building can accommodate 10 people each on the second and third floors.”
The staff member explained about the building to us.
On the first floor, there is a multi-purpose room mainly used for eating together, a reception room, two baths, and two toilets. The city is equipped with sewage systems. The toilets can be flushed by inserting a magic stone into the magic tool, and the baths can be filled with hot water.
The first basement floor is said to be an armory, where you can store items obtained in the dungeon.
“Ten Gold coins a month for this?”
“Yes.”
(Hmmm… I don’t know how much a Gold coin would be worth in my previous life, but if it’s 100,000 Yen per Gold coin, that’s a million Yen a month in rent.)
“What do you guys think? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.”
Apparently, there was no reason to object. I saw Dogora making an expression showing it might be expensive, but he didn’t say anything.
Then we returned to the Real Estate Guild, signed a contract and rented the building on the same day. We paid 120 Gold coins, enough for one year.
And so it was evening. We bought dinner and the bare necessities, and left the rest for tomorrow.
The multipurpose room on the first floor was used as a cafeteria, where everyone ate the meals we had bought.
“Now that we have a base, I think we should talk about the future.”
I said, and looked at Cecile. Cecile nodded.
“The future?”
“Yes, about the next three years, I guess. Lady Cecile and I have a goal. We want to share information about it. I’d like you two to listen while we eat.”
Then I began to talk. I spent almost an hour slowly talking about the battle against the Demon King happening in this world, which I had learned from the magic teacher, and what the Academy was for.
“Lady Cecile will have to go to the battlefield in three years as part of her Noble duties. So does Kurena.”
“Me too?”
Apparently, the history of the Demon King will be taught after the summer break of the second year, and the policy seems to be to teach it only to students who have completed the assignments for the first and second year. They don’t need to teach it to students who failed the assignments, so they are keeping the information circulation to the minimum.
I heard that the Nobles in the Royal Capital are also taught in the second year. It is said that the Nobles basically never fail, so all Nobles learn about the work of the Demon King and the Noble’s duty.
All the Talented Nobles who fail out of the Academy will be disinherited and lose their Noble status.
“Are you going to the battlefield to protect Lady Cecile, Allen?”
Dogora seemed to have understood the conversation and asked about the future. Cecile nodded with a look that said, “That’s the way it’s going to be.”
“No, it’s not.”
“What? Why?!”
He hadn’t expected me to answer differently, and his expression changed at once.
“I’m planning to fight with Cecile and destroy the Demon King’s army. After that, we’re going to defeat the Demon King.”
“”Defeat the Demon King?””
“Yes, I’m going to take him down. That’s what you want, isn’t it, Kurena? We’ll fight the Demon King’s army together.”
“Yes!”
Kurena smiled and agreed with me. She seemed to think it was typical of me.
Cecile was surprised to hear that she was part of the party that would destroy the Demon King’s army. However, there was a part of her that agreed that it was a typical Allen idea. So, she didn’t say anything more to Allen.
“What about Dogora?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you want to fight with me against the Demon King’s army and become a Hero? Or do you want to be a Knight in the service of some Noble?”
“Hero or Knight?”
“‘Honestly, I know I’m talking in such a light-hearted way, but I expect this to be a pretty tough fight. I want you to decide for yourself.”
I added that it’s okay if he doesn’t choose to go to the battlefield but still spend three years of Academy life together.
“Yeah, I’m coming with you. Oh, so being a Knight was just a small dream.”
Dogora replied with a smile.
“What do we do now?”
“We’ve got a few things to do, and we’re all going to be conquering dungeons, getting through trials, and getting equipped.”
In response to Kurena’s question, I explained our plans for the next three years.
“You’re right.”
“And I’d like to have some friends. But what I’m looking for is a Priest.”
“Friends? Priest?”
Kurena and Cecile’s voices overlapped. I think that our party needs a healer.
I can also use an E-rank Grass summon to heal, but it drains my mana and magic stones. So, I want someone who specializes in this.
I told everyone I will be looking for some with Priest Talent in the Academy.
“You were looking for some kind of ring and requesting a lot of magic stones. What does that mean? I saw a big book or something too.”
“Oh, about the Adventurer’s Guild. I’ll have to explain this to you, too. I grow stronger slower than everyone else. That’s why I almost failed my exam the other day.”
(All right. Let’s talk about this while we’re at it.)
“Slow growth?”
I told them that I need to complete trials 100 times more difficult than a normal person’s. And for that reason I need a large number of magic stones and a Mana Recovery Ring is needed to overcome the trial.
At the same time, I explained about the Grimoire that appeared at the Adventurer’s Guild. I said that this was a visual representation of my Talent.
“Hey! What! 100 times?”
“I see. That’s why Allen was working so hard.”
“What?”
Cecile said it was impossible, but Kurena easily accepted it. I was surprised at Kurena’s conviction. It seemed that Kurena had been watching me closely for a long time.
“Allen, that’s why you were checking this and that at the Adventurer’s Guild, isn’t it?”
“That’s right. So we’re going to be busy for the next three years.”
Everyone seemed to understand that the three years would fly by.
After securing their base, Allen and his friends went about their Academy and dungeon activities with the same goal in mind.