A Peace Like Family

We left Alhechhi's house.

His village would be sealed away by winter for the foreseeable future.

I'd have liked to talk more, but it couldn't be helped.

"Thanks for everything."

"It was repayment for the help. Don't mention it. Come back when it's warmer."

I said my thanks, and we set the cart moving.

It was a fair distance from here back to the Kingdom.

There were no cities along the way where we could use a portal, so we had no choice but to take it slow.

The villagers saw us off as we left and made our way through the forest.

Whether from the Wyvern blood or not, there were no monsters or animals anywhere nearby.

Perhaps butchering on that site was intentional, a way to keep monsters from approaching the village.

We descended the mountain and returned to flat ground.

Looking back, the weather that had been stable moments before was breaking apart over the mountains. Snow had begun to fall.

The wind picked up quickly, and it turned into a blizzard before long.

A little later and we would've been caught in it.

"Mountain weather turns fast, they say, but…"

"It turned to snow in no time. Our footprints are already gone."

As Azu said, the path we'd taken was already buried in snow.

It wasn't falling on the plains, though. Strange.

"We don't know when it'll reach us. Let's move while we can."

"Right."

We set off.

Thanks to the new cold-weather gear, it felt warmer than when we'd left Kassad.

On the return trip, we did encounter some monsters unique to cold regions, but compared to that Blizzard Wolf, they were all manageable.

We rested the mules periodically and kept moving.

We finally reached the Kingdom three days later.

Alexia's magic meant we never lacked for fire or water, so even camping out was comfortable enough, but after a few days of it, you start craving a real bed.

Even Elza's healing miracles couldn't do anything about plain exhaustion.

From there, it took several more days to reach the shop.

Once we arrived, I moved the cart to the stable, freed the mules from their cold-weather gear, and tied them up.

After unloading the cargo and going inside, I told the three of them to do whatever they wanted for the rest of the day. They promptly stripped off their travel clothes and headed straight for their rooms.

They must have been exhausted and sleepy.

I felt the same way.

I loosened my clothes, lay down on the bed, and was asleep within moments.

 

＊　＊　＊

 

I didn't wake up until a full day later.

When Azu came to wake me, I asked, and apparently Azu and the others had slept about the same length of time.

She'd drawn a bath, so I went to take one.

"Oh my."

"Ugh."

I ran into Elza and Alexia, who had just gotten out.

They were still lightly dressed from the bath. I told them they'd catch cold, then went in.

Traveling by cart really does wear you out.

This trip had been especially full of trouble and unexpected detours.

The auction had been a learning experience, full of rare items I'd never normally see.

I was still curious about who those people were that had attacked us.

Soaking in the bath, feeling good, I reflected on the journey's events.

Oh, right. I still needed to visit the Duke.

If I took too long, it might come across as rude. That would be bad.

I'd had more than enough trouble with nobles already.

The ducal territory was just a portal away. I'd head there tomorrow.

Getting out of the bath, I felt like the fatigue had finally lifted.

Azu and the others had prepared a meal, so we sat down to eat together.

When I sent Azu and the others out on quests or into the labyrinth, we couldn't share meals, so I made a point of eating together whenever we were all home.

Sharing meals was indispensable for building a relationship.

I believed the trust between us had solidified through everything we'd been through, but trust was something that had to be maintained.

Since we'd used up the perishable ingredients before the trip, they'd gone shopping and made stew.

They'd apparently used the silver coins from their allowance, so I'd reimburse them later.

Soft bread was a luxury I'd missed.

The stew was a bit overcooked, but otherwise well made.

"Is it good?"

"It's great. Seconds, please."

I handed my bowl over, and Azu carried it back with a beaming expression.

"She was really going all out making it."

"She did most of the cooking herself this time."

Elza and Alexia had mostly just helped and watched over her, it seemed.

"Here's your refill."

I received the heaping bowl.

That was a lot, but a man finishes what's in front of him.

I managed to clean my plate, and left the dishes to Elza and Alexia.

Azu tried to help too, but the other two told her to sit down, so she took a seat beside me.

Her cup was empty, so I topped it up with water while pouring my own.

"Thank you."

She sipped at it slowly.

She seemed a bit taller than before.

At her age, she'd still be at the stage where she just wanted to play.

Yet I'd put a sword in this girl's hands. A strange turn of fate.

I had no intention of letting her go now, of course.

We talked on and off.

Sometimes we both fell quiet, but it didn't feel awkward.

If anything, I realized that having Azu beside me was calming.

Had we really spent that much time together already?

Elza and the others finished cleaning up and came back.

Given that we'd just returned from a trip, I declared today a rest day.

You can't push yourself without rest.

Back before I'd bought Azu and the others, there was a time I'd convinced myself that the harder I worked, the more I'd earn, and thrown myself into it. The result was a major mistake that actually cost me money.

Since then, I'd made a point of always taking rest days, and I enforced the same for Azu and the others.

As their master, I couldn't have them looking worn out and unhealthy.

I'd heard that some people worked their slaves into the ground, but that kind of thing was bound to fall apart eventually.

Different standings or not, we were all human.

How you treated and handled people was something you always had to think about.

"What are you planning after visiting the Duke?"

Alexia asked.

"Business as usual. Quests and the labyrinth."

"In that case, there are things I'd like to buy beforehand. Winter preparations."

"Oh, me too."

"Shopping? Fine, but don't buy anything we stock in our own shop."

"I know that."

"You should think about what you want too, Azu. It's on me."

"Really? Okay, I will."

Looked like winter preparations were about to begin in earnest.