Safe Return

"We're back!"

"Welcome home. Sounds like it was rough out there."

Azu and the others had finished the labyrinth expedition I'd asked them to do and returned.

It seemed like they'd run into all sorts of trouble, arriving later than planned, but from what I could see they were uninjured and things had gone smoothly overall.

Ramiza-san had been with them, so I hadn't been too worried, but when lives are on the line, you never know what might happen.

On top of that, when I heard the details, apparently they'd even been attacked by a Dragon Zombie.

They'd managed to repel it without causing any damage to the viscount's territory, the best possible outcome I could imagine.

That viscount would surely cooperate with us to the fullest extent going forward.

… It sounded like there was plenty more to dig into beyond the Dragon Zombie.

Azu's stalker, unauthorized merchandise being sold, and more.

They'd even met the former director of the insurance association, apparently.

The merchandise in particular. As Royal Advisor, I'd need to crack down on that hard. This was absolutely not an abuse of power.

The rights to Azu and the others belonged to me.

Even if I cracked down, it would be hard to stamp out entirely, so maybe we should just release official merchandise ourselves.

If we took a few photos with magitools of them in slightly revealing outfits, we could steal the whole customer base.

I'd heard that high-ranking adventurers were popular with the public, but my girls had already reached that level of celebrity, huh.

I'd gotten into the adventurer business after hearing it was profitable, but could this really be part of what they meant by "profitable"?

I'd assumed the money came from treasure and monster hunting.

It was more diversified than I'd thought. Impressive, really.

Maybe since I'd never gotten into that kind of business, someone else had moved in to fill the gap.

"We've got a lot of laundry piled up from the long stay, so I'm going to get that done first."

"Got it. Rest up once you're finished."

"Will do. Also, what happened with Finn-chan?"

"She's sleeping in her room right now. It's a long story, so let's talk about it later. I want to hear your report properly too."

"I'm glad she's okay…"

Azu and the others left.

Ramiza-san alone stayed behind.

"Thank you for this. For looking after my people."

"Oh, it was nothing. They're really talented, you know."

"They're my pride and joy. Would've been even better if Finn had been able to join them."

"The scout girl, right? Your party's balance is really solid. I gave them some pointers here and there, so they should keep improving. Now, how should I collect my fee, I wonder…"

"Knowing you, Ramiza-san, you wouldn't accept cash even if I offered."

"Of course not. I've got more than enough money already, and that wouldn't be any fun."

The look on her face said, "Now what shall I make you do?"

She'd probably rope me into helping with something again.

Not that I minded. Those situations always ended up benefiting me too.

"Well, you seem busy right now, Yohane-kun, so I'll collect another time."

"Works for me. Feel free to forget about it, though. Oh, right. Ramiza-san."

"Hm?"

"Do you have any kind of nutritional supplement for sick people? Something that dissolves in water?"

"I do."

She handed over a yellow powder just like that.

"I compressed essential nutrients, solidified them, and ground them into powder. Since it's for a sick person, it's not the same as that wake-up stuff from before. Dissolve this in water and they can drink it even if they can't eat."

"That's a lifesaver. You're really dependable at times like this."

"Only at times like this?"

"Always."

"Good answer."

With a cheerful "See ya!", Ramiza headed home.

From the look of her, she'd probably sleep for a few days straight.

I put the nutritional supplement into a cup and poured in water.

A bright yellow liquid was born.

The appearance was… something, so I gave it a sniff. Surprisingly, it had an herbal scent similar to a potion.

This should be fine.

Not that Ramiza-san would ever give me anything weird, but it was still worth checking.

I headed to Finn's room.

Orleans was at her bedside, nursing her.

Finn's face was flushed, and her breathing was slightly labored.

She looked better than when she'd first come back, but she was clearly still unwell.

I'd have Elza take a look at her later too.

"Orleans. Azu and the others are back now, so I'll take over. Go get some rest."

"Understood, sir. I am glad to hear Azu-sama and the others returned safely."

Orleans gave a polite bow and left the room.

We'd been taking turns watching over Finn since she came back, but I really needed to let Orleans sleep.

"Finn, think you can drink some water?"

"… Please."

Perhaps deciding that being stubborn while this weak was pointless, she accepted without protest.

I poured the supplement into the water pitcher, then gently brought the spout to Finn's lips.

I tilted it slowly so she could drink easily.

She must have been parched. She drained all of it.

"What is this? It's sour."

"Ramiza-san's special nutritional supplement. She says you'll get proper nutrition even if you can't eat. Go back to sleep if you're tired."

"Mm. I'll do that."

Soft breathing came almost immediately.

She must have been utterly exhausted.

She'd been in terrible shape when she came back.

I still hadn't been able to hear what happened, but for Finn to have been pushed this far…

I needed to get a proper report from Azu's group too, and the work toward implementing the tax cut was reaching its final stages.

Usually I handled things one at a time, methodically, but this time I was being pulled in so many directions it was making my head spin.

Orleans keeping meticulous notes on everything was the only thing keeping me from losing track.

Tomorrow I'd need to bring Orleans and spend the whole day at the royal castle.

Since they'd just gotten back, I'd ask Azu and the others to look after Finn.