Well Then, Time to Put the New Party to Work

I kept an eye on Alexia for a few days. She still shot the occasional defiant glare my way, but there was no significant resistance. In everyday matters, at least.

She was impressed that I covered food, clothing, and shelter, and that she could eat three meals a day. But what truly seemed revolutionary was being able to bathe every day.

Apparently, the Empire's culture didn't include daily bathing.

Water was a more precious resource there compared to the Kingdom, and magic stones weren't as readily mined. As a result, even lesser nobles typically just wiped themselves down with a damp cloth.

Burning stone to heat bathwater was considered wasteful, it seemed.

But naturally, that had been unbearable for a young maiden like Alexia, and she'd often conjured her own water and heated it herself.

However, generating enough water for a bath and then bringing it to a boil consumed an enormous amount of mana, so she couldn't do it every day.

I ordered Alexia to recharge the fire and water magic stones in exchange for daily baths.

Whether it was my order or her own self-interest, she complied without complaint.

This saved me the cost of recharging the stones. A wonderful bit of economy.

Nowhere near enough to justify the investment, of course. But it was a byproduct, so it was fine.

In return, she demanded skin lotion and the like.

Elza sided with her on this, declaring it a matter of feminine grooming, so I agreed to provide it.

Just an operating expense for maintaining the merchandise, I told myself.

The one saving grace was that I could get the supplies at wholesale cost, being a tool shop owner.

Apparently they were made by combining herbs, alcohol, and medicinal water. Maybe I could partner with an alchemist and develop something new to sell.

I'd just have them gather the materials.

When I got the popular products for them, Alexia accepted hers with complaints on her lips but a pleased look on her face. She even taught Azu how to use the cosmetics.

Elza's mood improved too, so these were apparently prized items among women.

Generous of Alexia, looking after the others like that.

Indeed, after that, the three of them became remarkably more presentable.

With the right clothes, all three could pass for ladies of high birth.

The battle dress arrived, and I had Alexia put it on.

A light equipment set based on a sky-blue dress.

As a bit of harassment, I made her change in front of me.

Predictably, she fussed and complained, but the decision was mine to make.

Between the daily baths and skincare, she'd become noticeably more beautiful.

The sky-blue dress made Alexia's long red hair stand out all the more.

She'd turn heads at any high society gathering.

Not that such an occasion would ever arise.

Choosing her weapon proved difficult.

Alexia was a mage, but she also had knight training.

Simply handing her a staff would be a waste.

With a three-person party and no budget to add more members, a mid-line fighter would balance things out better than another pure backline.

When I asked what weapon she'd used before, she said she'd wielded a magic sword.

Poor as they may have been, they were still nobles.

The Sealed Sword Grungaus that Azu used was technically classified as a magic sword as well. It was rated higher, putting it in the magic-sword-and-above category.

The magic sword Alexia had used was supposedly far lower in rank than the Sealed Sword Grungaus, but even so, getting one would be difficult.

Transferring Azu's weapon to Alexia would be the best option for raw firepower, but letting Azu wield it served as a message that I trusted her.

In the end, I went with Alexia's own preference and gave her a steel battle-axe. The brooch would be sufficient for her mage support role.

Alexia was genuinely surprised when I equipped her with the brooch.

"How does a mere tool shop owner afford to buy me and have a brooch like this?" she said.

I smacked her on the rear without a word.

She rolled around in pain. I'd reconsidered hitting her face since it wasn't a good look, and switched to this instead. Seemed effective enough.

She appeared slender, but her weapon handling was sound.

Apparently, she could augment her physical strength with magic.

"Aren't mages basically all-powerful?" I said, and she told me that a well-trained warrior was still far stronger.

Come to think of it, the continent's strongest adventurer was a warrior, not a mage.

With that, preparations to send them out were complete.

Azu remained the leader. She was, without question, the most loyal to me.

Putting Alexia in charge was out of the question. She showed a proper noble's education in conversation, but there was an unmistakable screw loose somewhere.

The moment her emotions flared even slightly, she'd lose control, defy me, and earn herself another round of punishment.

I had them spar as a test, and Alexia won every bout.

Azu moved with incredible speed, but Alexia deflected everything with minimal movement. It was masterful.

However, with each round, Azu seemed to adapt to Alexia's fighting style. Even to my untrained eye, several moments came tantalizingly close.

According to Alexia, Azu was stronger than your average soldier and had excellent instincts.

I deemed them ready and decided to send them to a labyrinth.

A mid-tier one would be ideal.

I gathered the three of them in my room after lunch.

(Alexia ate the most. She ate more than Azu. This former noble, honestly.)

"Time to earn your keep. You've had three meals and naps to rest up plenty."

Alexia looked sheepish, probably because she'd been eating the most.

Whether that ability to shrug things off was a virtue remained debatable.

I pointed to a labyrinth on the map.

I'd also prepared several quests that could be completed there.

Alexia studied them and spoke up.

"A search for adventurers who never returned? You're having us do that sort of thing too?"

"If they're dead, bring back a lock of hair. These kinds of quests pay well as a side job."

"The rest… there are quite a few delivery requests for accessories from the labyrinth."

"That labyrinth produces quality silver ore. You don't even need to mine; treasure chests yield plenty on their own."

Alexia looked up from the quest forms and fixed me with a stare.

She clearly wanted to say something, so I gave her the floor.

"What's a treasure chest? I know about labyrinths, but wouldn't something like that get cleaned out immediately?"

"Beats me. I'd love to leave it at that, but apparently the labyrinth periodically generates new treasure chests to lure humans in. They're bait, essentially."

"Ugh… How thoroughly unpleasant. I'll go, I'll go, so please stop raising your hand."

Alexia conceded before I even stood up.

This particular labyrinth was famous for never dropping anything exceptional.

In exchange, it offered steady income from silver ore, with occasional small quantities of gold and platinum.

The labyrinth's boss was an ore-eating lizard, and I'd learned it was weak to magic.

With this lineup, they should be able to clear it.

Three people also meant they could carry sufficient supplies.

The next morning, I saw the three slaves off.