The carriage arrives, and first, Miss Satella and Nia, along with other exhausted women, are loaded and sent off as much as possible.
Sending Miss Satella to the Lanakeld house is the top priority.
I took on the role of supervisor until the end.
The share of the treasure is already decided, and since it was Nia’s party that saved Miss Satella, it’s best to send Nia to the Lanakeld house. There shouldn’t be any trouble if Miss Satella is with her.
Nia would be able to perfectly protect Miss Satella even if they were attacked.
As for me, I have time to spare, albeit reluctantly.
As more carriages arrive, I pack people and goods into them, and finally, I send off a box filled with silver coins in a carriage with Nia’s confidant, Marg.
Unfortunately, there’s too much cargo, so I can’t ride.
Well, I don’t mind.
Walking back to the imperial capital is no big deal.
I’ve made enough profit. If I were a poor man, I would have to hunt magical beasts on the way back to make ends meet.
Leaving the stronghold behind, I walk on the highway. It’s utterly peaceful.
I immerse myself in a pastoral mood for the first time in a while.
After some time, I finally arrive at the imperial capital.
When I go to Nia’s base, they are cooking.
The captured women seem to have not been able to eat properly, but their complexion has improved a lot.
If they rest for a few days, their bodies should recover considerably, if not their hearts.
Since Nia’s base is too cramped to accommodate the women, I rent a cheap inn for a few days and have them stay there.
A relatively healthy woman with long hair bows her head.
“Thank you not only for saving us but also for taking care of us. I will not forget this kindness.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s only natural. I’ll make sure everyone is sent back to where they came from.”
I’m just giving back a part of the profit I made.
I could leave it to the empire since they are victims of bandits, but they would be inconvenienced.
Besides, it will become a good story that raises the image of adventurers.
I might as well put out a request to other adventurers to deliver them. Nia and I don’t have the time to do that.
While I’m doing that, Nia returns from the Lanakeld house.
She looks unusually worn out.
“It would have been better if the Sky Knight-sama had gone. You’re used to it.”
“You get used to it. You can’t avoid it forever.”
“Just so you know, the Marquis was really scary. He shook hands with both hands and thanked me, but he said he would strangle the kidnapper with his own hands. Too scary.”
That place is known for its martial faction within the empire.
“It’s good that the Marquis’ daughter was unharmed. Really. I wonder what would have happened if she had been hurt.”
“Yeah. I’m glad we went to crush them right away.”
There’s nothing more I can do. I don’t need to handle the guild procedures this time, and the rewards and shares will be settled later.
Oh, I need to collect the reward for the dragon subjugation soon.
I leave Nia’s base and return to my newly established home.
The furniture and other things haven’t arrived yet, so it’s just spacious.
I was too eager and rented a large house.
I sit and rest on the sofa. That’s also where I sleep.
Oh, what should I do while I’m away?
The house I rented with my previous party had a manager…
I don’t like coming home to a house that hasn’t been ventilated or cleaned.
Maybe it’s a good idea to buy a slave for house management.
Slavery is not illegal in the empire.
Those who become slaves are children who are a burden to feed, people who can’t pay back their debts, and various others.
Buying a slave means supporting a person.
It’s not exactly a social contribution, but still.
The house is quite convenient with magic installed, so two people should be enough.
Living alone is lonely. It’s hard for adventurers to have lovers.
Damn it, those two come to mind.
It was fun, after all…
Alright, I’ll pick out a slave tomorrow. Might as well be someone who’s easy on the eyes.
