“Good morning, Yuri. Good morning, everyone. Was there any danger last night? Did you sleep well?”
“…There was no danger, but it took me a while to fall asleep.”
“Is that so? It’s hard to sleep without a tent, isn’t it?”
“No, we’re former mercenaries, so we’re used to sleeping under the open sky.”
“Oh. Then why?”
“Because you and that woman were too loud!”
He refrained from specifying what kind of sounds they had heard. It was clear enough what his lord and his pet slave had been doing alone in their tent at night, and he hesitated to spell it out.
“Well, you see, we had just survived a life-threatening attack by bandits and it was a night of reunion for two lovers. I hope you’ll forgive us. Besides, it was your fault to begin with.”
Noein said with a cheeky grin.
“Tch… Fine.”
Yuri could only respond begrudgingly.
“No need to look so bitter. We’ll keep more distance from now on, and you’ll be sleeping in a tent, so it should be fine.”
After discussing this somewhat urgent matter for the sake of mutual comfort, they had breakfast and set out for their planned shopping trip to Retvik.
Initially, Noein suggested that the men go to Retvik for supplies while leaving Mathilda and Mai at the settlement. However, Mathilda made a terrifying face at the idea of her master being alone with men who had been bandits just yesterday, so Yuri and Mai were asked to stay behind while the rest of the group headed to Retvik.
From Noein’s perspective, it was a bit concerning to leave the settlement in the care of people they had only met the day before. However, they took all their valuables, such as money and magical tools, with them, so it should be fine.
They left the forest along a path that had been trodden by golems so many times that it had become somewhat like a road.
“Noein-sama, how do you manage to move golems so skillfully?”
As they walked to Retvik, the slender, shifty-eyed Pens brought up the topic.
“Yes, I’ve been curious about that too. Your golems move so smoothly, it’s almost eerie.”
The young, handsome Bart joined the conversation.
“Really? You think my golems’ movements are that impressive?”
“It’s incredible. We’ve seen golems used for carrying goods before, but they all moved much more clumsily.”
“I once saw an old puppet mage in the kingdom’s army who could control a golem almost as well as you, Noein-sama. But even he could only manage one at a time. It’s unbelievable that you can control multiple golems like you do.”
Pens’ comment was seconded by Radley.
“Usually, when someone is found to have puppet magic talent, they get a job moving cargo with only minimal training. I’m one of the rare cases who had nothing but time to master golem control until adulthood. That’s probably why I’m so good at it.”
Noein considered golem control to be similar to how a baby learns to move its body.
By endlessly repeating practice, coordinating his brain and body, and gradually refining his skills like connecting nerves one by one, he had become able to control two humanoid golems as if they were extensions of his own body. He could even control a horse-shaped golem effortlessly without much practice.
Although handling more than this would be difficult, Noein believed he was one of the top puppet mages in the kingdom, or perhaps even the world.
…
When they arrived in Retvik, their first stop was Eliza’s grocery store.
“Oh, if it isn’t the lord of the forest. You were here just yesterday, what brings you back so soon?”
Eliza greeted Noein with surprise.
“Hello, Eliza. I’ve decided to finally take in some settlers for my domain. I’m here to buy food for them.”
Noein smiled and pointed to the three men with him.
This was where Bart’s charm came into play.
“We were wandering refugees, but the lord took pity on us and took us in. We intend to serve him diligently to repay his kindness.”
With his earnest tone and good looks, Bart elicited sympathetic feelings from Eliza, who replied, “I’m glad you found someone to take you in.”
She would never have guessed they had been bandits until yesterday.
Impressed by Bart’s acting, Noein glanced sideways and was slightly taken aback.
First, there was Pens. His sharp eyes and thin frame gave him a lizard-like impression, but now he had a downcast look, embodying the role of a “wretched, pitiful man.”
Then there was Radley. Normally an unsightly man, his sorrowful expression now exuded a poignant sense of melancholy. He looked like a beggar you’d want to throw a coin to out of pity.
Noein stifled his urge to comment on their dramatic transformation and purchased additional food supplies from Eliza.
After buying food, they moved on to get their living essentials and bedding.
“You’ll even buy us new clothes?”
“Of course. You can’t keep wearing the same clothes forever, can you?”
Having roamed the kingdom as bandits, they hadn’t had much chance to wash their clothes or themselves, and they smelled.
While it couldn’t be helped given their circumstances, Noein thought it necessary to improve their living conditions promptly.
He bought enough changes of clothes for Yuri and Mai, who were guarding the settlement, as well as cloths, buckets, and soap for washing.
The bandits-turned-settlers were initially taken aback by the luxury of being given soap, but Noein reassured them.
“Good work comes from good living conditions. If you think it’s too much, just repay me with your hard work.”
Finally, they bought tents.
“It’s unrealistic to cram all five of you into one tent. How do you want to divide them? By gender?”
“No, Mai is our boss’s girl. It’d be better if she and Yuri are in one tent, and the rest of us in another.”
“Got it.”
Noein now understood why Yuri had volunteered to stay behind with Mai. He grumbled internally about Yuri complaining about his noisy night while planning his own private time.
Despite his grumbling, Noein bought the tents and returned to the settlement with a fully loaded cart.
