Chapter 8: "Getting a Home"
"To get back to the topic, Kuu-chan, what are your plans for the future?
"Well, even if you ask me..."
The Emperor continued to press me with this question, making me feel quite uneasy.
"Hmm. For now, I was thinking of collecting herbs diligently."
"Do you not have a divine mission or anything like that from the gods?"
"I do."
"Oh? Can you tell me about it?"
"To 'fluffy-fluff.' That's what the goddess Assis told me, so I'm here to bring fluffiness to the world."
"You seem to have a good relationship with the goddess."
"I guess so, but I haven't heard anything directly."
"Speaking of which, you mentioned 'fluffy-fluff' earlier. What does that mean?"
"It means doing things in a light-hearted and fluffy manner."
"Interesting. Well, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me."
"Thank you. I appreciate it."
"So, Kuu-chan, you'll be living here, right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Have you decided where you'll be staying?"
"Under a bridge."
"Huh?"
"Well, I don't have any money at the moment, so it can't be helped."
"Would you like some financial assistance? I could provide you with funds."
"Oh, no, that's alright. I'm guessing you'd expect something in return, like running errands or tasks, right?"
"I won't demand anything like that, but I do have a favor to ask."
"What would that be?"
"Every now and then, play with Seraphine. She considers you a friend, so I hope you can spend time with her."
"Sure, if I have permission to come here, I can play with her. I don't need any money for that."
"Very well, I grant you permission."
"Yay! Please come and play with us every day!"
"Although I want to, earning money daily might be challenging. However, I'll come occasionally."
"But, Kuu-chan, staying under a bridge is not acceptable. Father, can you do something about it?"
"Alright, let's provide you with a house."
"Huh?"
I made a strange sound.
"Don't worry; I won't go overboard. I'll prepare something suitable for you."
"Uh, I can't accept."
However, the Emperor persisted.
"Living under a bridge on rainy days would be tough. Some unruly characters might show up at night."
"I'll manage, thank you."
"Imagine the nights. It's dark and scary, isn't it?"
"Ugh..."
It gave me the shivers just thinking about it.
"But don't worry. I won't do anything. Just secure yourself a place to stay. If I do anything to you, I'll be disliked by Seraphine."
"That's right, Kuu-chan. Please accept it."
"Ugh..."
In the end...
"...Alright, thank you."
"That's settled. Tonight, you can stay in the palace."
"Kuu-chan, please come to my room. Let's sleep together. Father, is that alright?"
"Do as you wish."
"Yay!"
"Ugh..."
I'm weak. Is this really okay? Where's the invincible me?
"Oh, by the way. I won't make your presence here public, so don't worry. In fact, I'll keep it hidden. If you want to stay fluffy, don't do anything that attracts attention."
"That's appreciated."
Honestly, I'm grateful. No, I'm extremely grateful. Because, well, yeah. Living under a bridge seems like a recipe for attracting ghosts. But, this makes me feel like a bird in a cage. Even though I didn't intend to say this when receiving a house, it's irritating. But if I look at it positively, I have the freedom to do various things now. I can stay hidden.
Let's see. I have a house now. Is it okay to stand out a bit? I want to earn money. Maybe start a business?
A shop... or something like that. A workshop. That might work.
The question is, where can I gather customers? The Adventurers' Guild, perhaps? Demonstrating my crafting skills would ensure a reliable audience, but I won't do that.
Although I haven't used it yet, probably, using the crafting skill makes materials glow and transform into a finished product in about 5 seconds. That's how it worked in the game. Perhaps, in this world, things aren't created that way. At least, cooking involved following procedures. It's probably better to keep it a secret.
The crafting should be done in the workshop, inside the house. Initially, I can make weapons for someone who seems nice. That could serve as advertising. I'd like to offer them to A-rank adventurer Rock, but I'm not confident in gathering the necessary materials for a weapon suitable for a strong person. Let's target beginners.
I need ore to make weapons. I'll turn on the mini-map and fly around various rocky areas.
Yeah. Let's fly around and explore properly. Maybe there are plenty of materials.
As for the Adventurers' Guild, selling potions might be a good idea too. I have medicinal herbs as materials.
Huh?
Come to think of it, can I make potions myself?
I open the menu.
I select a low-level potion from the recipe list. It only requires medicinal herbs and water, a beginner-level recipe. The characters for the medicinal herb in the recipe are white. This means that the herbs in the item inventory can be used to craft it.
Yeah.
Depending on demand and selling price, this might work too.
"I can see it! Something is coming into view!"
"It's coming into view! Congratulations, Kuu-chan!"
"Thank you, Sera!"
"Kuu-chan!"
"...Hey. Even though you finally returned after getting lost in your own world for so long, what are you shouting about?"
"Oh, sorry. Well, it suddenly became visible to me."
"So, what is it?"
"I'm getting a house! I'm going to have a fluffy, beautiful girl's workshop for everything."
"Who's the beautiful girl?"
"That would be me?"
"Kuu-chan is a beautiful girl, right? I could watch Kuu-chan for hours!"
"Thank you, Sera! Ku-chan!"
"...So, what's this workshop thing?"
"It's a place that protects cute spirits from vested interests. I hope you're looking forward to it."
I make the request with a beautiful girl smile to the Emperor.
This is something she can't refuse.
"If you're going to start a business, register with the Commercial Guild, okay? Learn the Empire's laws properly, act accordingly. I won't tolerate lawbreaking."
I got rejected!
But I won't give up.
"I don't understand complicated things, so please take care of it for me."
"...Alright. I'll give you an introduction along with the house. Go register."
"Thank you."
I did it.
"Congratulations, Kuu-chan! I'll help you too!"
"Thank you, Sera! Kuu-chan!"
I suddenly feel energetic too.
"That's great. Consider it a social study. Serafina, accompany Kuu-chan to the Commercial Guild."
"Yes! Father!"
"Make sure to have guards with you for safety while learning."
The Emperor laughs good-naturedly.
"Emperor, you're surprisingly straightforward. I had a scarier, less flexible image in mind."
"Is that a compliment?"
"Yes."
I answered with a beautiful girl smile, as it's my honest opinion.
"I've been strolling around the streets like a normal person from my student days until my coronation. Got into bar fights and got scolded by barmaids... It's a nostalgic story."
You were a troublemaker.
"I was stuck at D-rank, but I did adventures with friends."
"Oh, that's impressive."
The Emperor, a rowdy ruler!
I almost spilled the secret.
"Serafina, I hope you gain a lot of experience too. It will be a lifelong asset".
"Yes! Father!"
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