Deep Winter Sets In

Maybe it was because all he'd had was cake, but he ate more than usual, though even then, he was a light eater compared to the four of them.

After about three, he felt full. A swig of hot tea to wash down the grease in his mouth, then one more.

That was his limit.

Finn and Alexia kept going without missing a beat.

The mountain of meat vanished completely.

"We're back!"

"Oh, you're awake, Master. How are you feeling?"

"Perfectly healthy… That's a lot of stuff you've got."

Azu and Elza had returned.

Both had their arms full of bags stuffed to bursting with food.

He reached for an apple from the haul.

Before he could do anything with it, Finn peeled it with sleight-of-hand speed and quartered it.

"Plenty of juice but no honey core. Well, as a snack between other things, that's probably better."

She popped one of the quarters into her mouth and gave her verdict.

He took the remaining pieces and examined the cross-section. A clean, pale yellow.

No honey core, as she'd said, but it was fresh, and the juice burst with each bite.

The rest of the haul was bread and skewered meat from a street vendor.

The skewers were tucked into bread and the sticks pulled out. Instant sandwiches.

Azu held one out to him.

"Want some, Master?"

"I'm done. You all eat. Don't leave any."

"Of course!"

No sooner had she answered than she bit into it with gusto that stopped just short of unladylike.

The lettuce inside added a crisp, satisfying crunch.

The meal continued a little longer, and every last bit of the additional haul was polished off.

They sure could eat.

"Hey, did you know?"

"Know what?"

"After equipment, food is the second biggest expense for adventurers."

"I believe it."

Alexia's physique had already been well-honed, so that was one thing, but Azu had been a lighter eater at the start.

Elza too, he thought, though she might have simply been matching Azu.

Now they all ate enough to put any glutton to shame.

During actual expeditions, portable rations were limited, so they held back… or so they claimed.

"Apparently it's what pushes a lot of them into the red and forces them to quit."

"That's rough."

It was a considerable food bill, to be sure.

But from Yohane's perspective, it fell well within operating costs.

Even if they devoured a whole sheep in one sitting, it would be trivial against the shop's earnings.

And one good haul from Azu's team more than covered it.

"So basically, some run out of money before they get lucky enough to earn big."

"Exactly. When you think about it, what you're doing actually makes a lot of sense."

"I'd like to think so. It's working out well enough."

Some would persevere solo and make it big. Others would give up and go back to tilling fields in the countryside.

Talented adventurers with dashed dreams, shutting the door on their careers.

A common story.

The average earnings of a mid-tier adventurer might look decent, but if you ran out of money before you got there, it didn't matter.

"Then again, it'd be hard with anyone but slaves. I've got a good group now, but some random down-on-their-luck adventurer wouldn't have turned out like this."

"Ha! I can just picture you standing there dumbfounded after someone runs off with your money."

"Even with slaves, quality drops if you have too many. Keeping the numbers small is what let me outfit everyone properly with gear and supplies."

"I think we're very lucky to have been bought by someone like you. Right?"

"Y-yes!"

Looking back, it was remarkable how far they'd come.

Azu had nearly been devoured by a Giant Centipede. Elza had faced her share of danger too.

Alexia had… Hm? Had she ever actually been in serious peril?

Come to think of it, she hadn't even flinched at a Dragon.

"What is it?"

Alexia had wiped the sauce from her lips with a napkin and was biting into an apple, skin and all, for dessert when she noticed his gaze.

"Hey, Alexia. What's the closest you've ever come to dying?"

"Where did that come from…? When I was taken prisoner by the kingdom, obviously. My forces were annihilated and I was surrounded. I broke through, only to find Holy Knights blocking the way. My weapon broke, and that was the end of it."

She'd fought like a demon, by the sound of it.

Would things have gone differently if her weapon hadn't broken?

No, surely not.

Holy Knights were the kingdom's elite of the elite.

If she could have fought multiple Holy Knights and come out on top, they wouldn't have bothered taking her prisoner.

All he could conclude was that it had been a good purchase.

She listened to him properly nowadays, too.

"What a strange man."

With that, Alexia finished off the rest of her apple.

After their meal, they rested briefly, then used the portal to return to Kassad.

A heavy snowfall had evidently hit while they were away. Everything was white.

The roads were barely distinguishable.

"This is quite something."

Alexia pointed her right index finger at the ground.

Snow began to melt before their eyes, turning to water.

"It's icy underneath, so this should make it safe."

"Handy."

They splashed along the wet ground toward the shop, where snow was piled high on the roof.

Kaimol was desperately trying to knock it off with a pole, but it was a losing battle.

"Kaimol, step back."

"Boss… young sir. You're back."

"Yeah. I'm about to clear all the snow, so get well back."

Kaimol obediently retreated.

"Alexia, same as before."

"I figured."

Alexia aimed her finger at the roof.

First, the snow began to melt in stages, water trickling down through the gutters.

The flow intensified, and then in one swift cascade, the snow slid off the roof and hit the ground.

It had been on the verge of melting anyway, so the impact was a dull thud followed by a small splash.

"Will that do?"

"More than enough. Kaimol, push the snow out of the way so it doesn't block the road."

"You're a lifesaver! I'll handle the rest!"

Leaving the relieved Kaimol to it, they entered through the back.

Moving to the living quarters, they lit the hearth and shed their cold-weather gear.

There was nothing like being home.

Did Azu and the others feel the same way?

"The snow's started piling up, so consider yourselves off duty until something comes up. Just don't let yourselves go."

"So we get the deep winter off. That's a relief."

"I half expected you to put us to work."

"I'm not that heartless… Even slave miners get this season off."

Deep winter. Once the snow began to fall, the cold became biting, and most monsters retreated to their dens, with a few exceptions.

Trade routes, everywhere except the southern ones, ground to a halt as travel ceased entirely.

Economic activity contracted to within city walls, and some cities even closed their gates.

The duke giving the Church of the Sun God time was likely for the same reason: you couldn't send envoys worth a damn in this weather.

The warehouse was stocked with enough merchandise to keep the shop running through the winter.

It had cost a premium, but better that than shuttering the doors.

A shiver ran through him.

Even with the hearth blazing, the cold seeped up from the floor.

It was going to be a long winter…