The Girl Who Was Once a Serf

"I'll sell the magic items we don't need, and then there's this…"

*　*　*

It seemed various things had happened in the Crystal Village this time, but apparently they had defeated the boss and obtained a pair of twin swords.

They were made of crystal and about the size of short swords.

*　*　*

However, they weren't ordinary crystal. They were quite sturdy, and according to Alexia's assessment, they had excellent sharpness as well.

*　*　*

Finn had tried using them once, and they found that the swords absorbed ambient mana and could repair themselves even when chipped.

*　*　*

"They're a bit rough as art pieces, but there should be buyers."

"I think you'll find a buyer. Self-repairing weapons don't need maintenance."

"True. Want to use them, then?"

"… Is that okay?"

"I won't say I'm giving them to you. But I'll permit you to borrow them while we're working together."

"Stingy. But these weapons aren't bad."

*　*　*

The daggers Finn currently used were well-maintained but ordinary.

When facing opponents that weren't living creatures like this time, there were limits to what she could handle.

*　*　*

Hidden weapons also had their limits against such opponents.

These crystal twin swords could be wielded by Finn even without mana.

And she could attack using the stored mana.

*　*　*

It would expand her capabilities.

*　*　*

"Rest up for a bit. Though the next plan is already decided."

"What is it?"

"Azu has experience with this. The great sheep migration."

"Sheep… Oh!"

*　*　*

Back when Azu was my only slave, a great herd of Water Sheep had passed through Kassad.

At that time, I had sent Azu out to hunt the sheep.

*　*　*

The result was… she did well for the Azu of that era, I suppose.

The sheep migration approached twice a year: once before it got cold, and once before it warmed up.

*　*　*

The second time was coming up soon.

I hadn't had time to have Azu and the others participate in the first one due to all the chaos.

*　*　*

For the second one, they could participate and earn pocket money.

Sheep fleece had many uses beyond cold-weather gear, and the meat was always welcome.

*　*　*

Water Sheep had strong reproductive abilities, and no amount of annual hunting would drive them to extinction.

If too few were hunted, they would eat all the grass along their route and turn the land barren.

*　*　*

That would damage the roads, alter the monster ecosystem, and cause various problems that would interfere with business.

*　*　*

"The schedule is seven days from now. Relax until then."

"Sheep, huh."

"Well, I don't particularly mind."

*　*　*

Finn and Alexia, who had never seen it firsthand, seemed unenthusiastic.

But once they saw that herd, they would change their minds.

*　*　*

I had them put the magic stones and other items back into bags.

*　*　*

"Um, we'll be taking our leave then."

*　*　*

I nodded and Azu and the others left the room.

The magic stones and crystals they had left behind would fetch a decent sum if I put them up at auction.

Even though their adventurer rank had risen, lucrative quests didn't fall into their laps.

*　*　*

It was important to steadily accumulate earnings like this.

*　*　*

Large transactions ended up being handled through promissory notes anyway and couldn't be used as operating capital.

It seemed I would be relying on Azu and the others for some time yet.

*　*　*

I also wanted to expand the shop further, and upgrading equipment was necessary for tackling new, higher-difficulty labyrinths.

*　*　*

Once I bought wheat from the tenant farmers and delivered it to the Kingdom, things should ease up for a while.

At that point, I would expand the shop all at once.

*　*　*

That would finally use up all the land I had inherited from my father.

Well-located land was nearly impossible to acquire. I felt a sense of accomplishment at having come this far.

It had been worth maintaining it all these years while paying taxes.

*　*　*

More than anything, I just wanted things to proceed smoothly.

Fortunately, there were no troubles, and I was able to spend moderately busy days with Azu and the others.

*　*　*

As long as I grabbed whoever was free and had them help, even the mountain of work became manageable.

*　*　*

And so the days passed, and the day came to send Azu and the others off to the sheep hunt.

*　*　*

"This time I'll earn plenty for sure. I'm not alone anymore, so no one can steal my kills."

"Come to think of it, you bought me partly because Azu-chan alone had trouble with various things. In that sense, maybe it worked out."

"That time was rough… When people tried to steal my kills and I reported it to the officials, they wouldn't listen. If that kind person hadn't been there, who knows what would have happened."

"There are worthless people everywhere."

"Things have changed at the top, so I don't think that'll happen anymore."

*　*　*

Now Jacob was keeping watch as lord, but back then the previous lord's son had been throwing his weight around in league with the Church of the Sun God.

*　*　*

The officials and guards had stopped doing their jobs properly, and the city itself had been on the verge of collapse.

In hindsight, that was probably the goal.

*　*　*

If Azu… no, if Azu and the others hadn't defeated that statue, who knows what would have become of this place.

*　*　*

"Be careful not to get hurt. If you get caught up in trouble, it's fine to call it early."

"Understood. I'll earn plenty!"

*　*　*

I watched them go, thinking how dependable they had become.

No adventurer would mess with these four, so leaving it to them should be fine.

*　*　*

After closing the back door, I was preparing to check on Kazusa when there was a knock.

Thinking Azu might have forgotten something, I sighed as I unlocked and opened the door.

Standing there was a person wearing a hood.

*　*　*

The hood was pure white silk, clearly expensive.

Unable to tell who it was, I found myself frozen, and the person lowered their hood to show their face.

*　*　*

… I recognized her.

The girl from the manor estate I had helped during my previous visit to the Empire.

It was Orleans.

*　*　*

She had grown taller, and her hair was longer. What had been somewhat unkempt before was now well-maintained, beautiful long hair.

Most notably, perhaps due to improved circumstances, her previously thin, undernourished body now looked healthy.

*　*　*

At the very least, it didn't look like she had been mistreated.

*　*　*

"It's been a while, sir. I'm Orleans."

*　*　*

Orleans said this and gave a polite bow.

Completely different from when we had met before.

She no longer looked anything like the uneducated serf she had been.