Good Work

Finn kept watch over the area, just as she'd declared she would.

She chased off any monsters that wandered close, keeping a sharp eye on everything.

Black hair, black shirt, black skirt.

A figure that melted into the darkness.

They had to wait until the sun climbed high enough before everyone could move properly again.

Once Azu had gotten to her feet, Finn poked Yohane in the stomach while he was preparing a light meal.

"Did that girl change somehow? She feels a lot stronger than when she fought me."

"Various things happened."

"Oh. Well, I'm still stronger, but…"

With that, Finn swiped one of the smoked meat sandwiches Yohane had been making and vanished.

It probably meant there was nothing left to worry about.

Yohane, for his part, was honestly grateful.

Even with the Fire Elemental around, Orleans didn't command it, so it wouldn't protect them. It seemed to have a carefree personality too.

Ensuring their safety had been critically important.

Looking everyone over again, they were all in terrible shape.

Azu's clothes would need to be replaced.

Good timing, actually. She was in a growth spurt.

They washed down their light meal with well-salted soup and went back to check on where the monster wellspring had been.

At first, a dark stain-like substance had been spreading across the ground, but now it was indistinguishable from ordinary earth.

The malevolent aura had dissipated, one might say.

This should be fine to show the duke.

The quest was complete.

It probably wouldn't count toward their adventurer record, but completing a request from a high-ranking nobleman of another country was something to be proud of, he thought.

"Once we get back and report to the duke, let's go eat something good. But first, a change of clothes and a bath."

"Uugh… I don't want to walk around looking like this."

Azu's clothes were drenched in blood and didn't look like they'd come clean no matter how many times they were washed.

If she walked outside like that, the city guard would be called immediately.

Elza, on the other hand, had been on the front lines and her clothes were barely dirty at all.

"I have the purification miracle, so. It does lose effectiveness over time, though."

She used the purification miracle on Azu's clothes.

The stains faded only slightly.

Alexia had stuck to the rear guard this time, so aside from exhaustion, she wasn't dirty.

"I want a bath… this sweat is unbearable."

"I'm right there with you."

Perhaps because the problem had been resolved, the mood inside the carriage was bright despite their fatigue.

As they chatted for a while, their voices gradually grew quieter.

One by one, they fell asleep.

Before long, everyone except Yohane was breathing softly in slumber.

Yohane drove the carriage, sneaking a brief glance behind him so as not to wake them.

"Good work."

He offered those quiet words of appreciation.

The soldiers who had been stationed along the road were already gone.

Perhaps because there was no longer any need for a watch.

Matching the mules' pace, the carriage rolled along slowly.

The sun was rather strong and it felt hot, but the breeze kept it bearable.

It would have been lovely to take a nap.

After a fair amount of travel time, they arrived at the city of Ateil.

The city's interior was familiar by now.

He had no intention of living here, but if he were going to stay somewhere for a while, it was the most comfortable city he knew.

Public safety was good, and there were no slum-like areas.

There were probably some rougher neighborhoods, but as long as you didn't go out of your way to visit them, it was fine.

Food was cheap and plentiful, and there seemed to be work available.

It was likely one of the Empire's premier cities.

Even if part of that prosperity was built on the backs of serfs like Orleans and her people.

He woke the slaves and the serf, who had all fallen asleep, and sent them to the public baths while he went to buy changes of clothes.

Buying women's undergarments didn't embarrass him in the slightest anymore.

In the early days, it had been inexplicably mortifying for some reason.

The shopkeeper asked if he was buying for a girlfriend, but fell silent after watching him pile up purchase after purchase.

He was a little curious what impression he'd left, but he'd contributed to their sales with the clothing purchases too, so there was that.

He handed the change of clothes to the public bath's reception desk and asked them to deliver them. With a tip included, naturally.

It seemed Alexia and Elza were still soaking in the bath.

Azu and Orleans had apparently already finished and came outside wearing the fresh clothes he'd provided.

Casually dressed, they looked for all the world like two ordinary girls in the prime of youth.

Both were adorable, and anyone could tell they'd grow into beauties.

If he'd asked someone whether those two looked like a slave or a serf, the answer would undoubtedly be no.

When the two of them spotted Yohane, they waved and came over with smiles.

Orleans only managed a bashful smile, but compared to when they'd first met, even that much could be called a real smile now.

Azu's affection was plain to see.

"These are cute. Thank you."

"They're secondhand, but they'll do for now. You can't walk around in those other clothes, and you'd get turned away at the duke's estate."

"True enough."

"Sir, thank you."

"Yeah."

The three of them killed time together after that.

While the other two took forever, they snacked on skewers from a street stall.

The trick to picking a stall was to choose a popular one.

Prices depended on wholesale costs and weren't reliable indicators.

But at a popular stall, you wouldn't get sold anything dodgy.

It was more about avoiding the bad picks than finding a hidden gem, but for street stalls, that was more than enough.

As they worked through the piping-hot herb-seasoned lamb skewers, Elza and Alexia finally emerged from the public baths.

Both of them were so warmed through that steam was practically rising off their bodies.

He'd given them changes of clothes too, and they looked great in them.

"My, what lovely food you're enjoying."

"You two took too long."

"I want to try some too."

Elza said as much and made an obvious attempt to cling to Yohane, but he shoved a skewer into her mouth and pushed her away.

She accepted it as-is, ate it, and savored it thoroughly.

Appetite over allure, apparently.