After returning to Renant, I decided to consult with the Commercial Guild about housing.
Although I haven’t saved enough money to buy a place yet, I want to find a temporary solution, such as renting or paying in installments.
The reason for this is that it takes a full day to make an elixir, and even if I rent a place, I won’t be able to finish before the closing time.
While I was preparing to leave my room at the inn, I suddenly heard a loud sound from the cupboard.
I looked around in surprise, but saw nothing. Then, a vertical vibration started, and the floor began to shake, making the table, chairs, and even the miscellaneous items rattle and tremble.
“Ahhh!”
The ground itself is shaking!?
Hearing my scream, Belial immediately rushed over.
“What’s going on?”
“M-My Lord! I don’t sense any magical power, but it’s shaking… it’s shaking…!”
“…It’s an earthquake. Things shake during earthquakes.”
Belial seemed completely calm. Meanwhile, I was flustered and started rummaging through my bag to pull something out.
“If it’s not magic, then surely this is the wrath of the gods! Here, take this…!”
“Are you an idiot? What demon would carry around such a charm?!”
It was a sacred charm, two pieces, inscribed with the six-pointed star hexagram and the holy four-letter YHVH (various interpretations). However, he didn’t take it.
“Leave it to me! I’ll recite the Three Sacred Prayers, Quedusa!”
“Are you trying to harm me!? That’s a song the angels sing to praise God! Calm down! See? The shaking will stop now.”
“…Huh?”
Now that he mentioned it, the shaking was much gentler than before. I looked around again. The cup was moving, and the positions of things were slightly shifted, but by the time I was panicking, the vibrations had completely stopped, and it was completely quiet, as if nothing had happened.
“I told you, it’s just an earthquake.”
“…An earthquake…? That’s a natural phenomenon that doesn’t happen in Egdoarm…”
“If you’re scared, just use flying magic.”
I see, that way, you wouldn’t be affected by the shaking.
After calming down, I decided to go outside and check the situation. Do earthquakes occasionally happen in the Chenkaslar Kingdom? No one seemed as flustered as I was. It was just an ordinary scene.
As I was walking down the street, a man in his fifties, whom I didn’t recognize, approached me.
“Hello, you’re Iriya , right?”
“Yes, I am Iriya .”
The man wasn’t tall and had a slender build. He was smiling cheerfully, but for some reason, I didn’t get a good impression of him. His gaze felt like he was evaluating me.
After looking at me and Belial, he began to speak grandly, gesturing as he did.
“I hear you make excellent items! I run a shop called Bikneze Tool Shop, and I came to invite you to sell your products with us!”
“No, my items are the kind that are sold in small quantities at street stalls, and I don’t make enough to supply a proper store.”
Bikneze… That’s the shop that sold poorly enchanted items and had a bad reputation. I’ve heard they even try to interfere with others. I politely declined with a smile.
“That’s a shame. But I’ll come back to you again, so please consider it.”
It was good that he left without causing further trouble, but I didn’t think that would be the end of it. Belial seemed suspicious of the man as well, giving him a sharp look.
At the Commercial Guild, I asked at the reception about houses for sale. While the staff were searching through the documents, the Guild Master appeared. Once again, I was led to the reception room, though it’s usually done in the consultation room.
After sitting on the guest sofa, the Guild Master made me some tea.
“You’re looking to buy a house, huh?”
“Yes, I need a place where I can work on magic item creation anytime.”
“Ah, I see. Well, there’s a house that used to belong to a craftsman that’s for sale. Want to go take a look?”
“Sounds interesting! What kind of house is it?”
The Guild Master laid out a map and documents, briefly explaining the house. It’s a bit old but sounds really good.
“It’s a relatively spacious house near the west gate. It’s a bit expensive due to the facilities, but it can be paid in installments. Want to go for a viewing?”
“Of course!”
The house, located a little away from the shopping district, was much larger than I expected, with several rooms, a kitchen, a shower, a walk-in closet, and even a basement. There was plenty of storage space, and the basement had a workshop for making items and a storage room for preserving them.
There was a room for Belial, my bedroom, and a guest room… Now I just need to decide what to do with the rest of the rooms. There were also about three rooms upstairs. It seemed like the previous owner had disciples, and the second floor was where they had lived. The roof was accessible, so I could also dry herbs there.
It had been temporarily rented by someone unrelated to item creation, but they had moved out, and now the owner wanted someone like me, who could make use of the basement facilities, to live there.
This was perfect! I really liked the house.
Belial didn’t object, so it looks like we’ll take it.
“I’ll take this one! I need to move quickly and start making elixirs!”
My enthusiastic declaration made the Guild Master look back at me with an expression of surprise.
“Elixirs!? You’re making elixirs!?”
“Yes, I’ve gathered the materials. It takes a whole day to make, so it’s impossible if I rent a place.”
I explained that I had used up all my current stock and needed to replenish it. The Guild Master asked awkwardly, in a quiet voice.
“C-Can I… observe… the process…?”
“I don’t mind, but it takes a full day, you know? The last six hours are for stabilization, so the work itself takes about eighteen hours.”
The Guild Master nodded vigorously in agreement.
It was going to be a long process, but it seemed he didn’t mind. I guess even non-craftsmen are curious about the process. Still, with him watching, I can’t afford to fail. I’ll have to do my best.
As I walked with the Guild Master, I spotted Zieghardt approaching from the right side.
Seeing us chatting in a friendly manner, he looked surprised.
We parted ways at the intersection, and I had to head towards Zieghardt, who was on my way back to the inn. Feeling down, I heard him mutter softly in my ear.
“You were with that suspicious man earlier… You’re good at getting close to men.”
That’s not what I meant at all… I didn’t make any deals with him.
I felt uncomfortable and hurried back to the inn.
At that moment, I didn’t notice Belial’s sharp gaze, which was fixed on Zieghardt.
That night, I didn’t have much of an appetite, but I bought a vegetable sandwich and made a warm cup of tea with honey and lemon in my room for dinner. As I was drinking it slowly, I heard a soft tapping on the window. Looking outside, I saw a small light flickering, and a familiar fairy was tapping on the window.
“Please, please! Help Zieg! I’ll apologize! Please help Zieg!”
This was the fairy who had been with Zieghardt. Her name was Silphy, a shy fairy who rarely went outside. She had explained that to me before, but now she had come all the way here alone. Something must have happened to Zieghardt, but why did she come to me?
Her desperate appearance made me skip questioning her for now and quickly prepare to go out.
I placed her on my shoulder and used flying magic to speed up, heading toward the destination.
