Chapter 147

^{The sudden dissolution of the Empire’s strongest party. I’ve decided to travel freely through life with my cute companion.}

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From early morning, an unexpected event occurred.

But that’s that. Daily life waits for no one.

“Today, I’ll go take on some work again. Without money on hand, I can’t do anything.”

“Humans have it tough, huh?”

“You’re living as a human now too, aren’t you? Does it bother you?”

I glance around, as if daring anyone to voice their opinions.

Arnella and Noel’s servant group seem to have no particular objections and nod in agreement.

Sepia seems deep in thought, and it’s a bit unclear if she’s even listening.

“Sepia? Were you listening?”

“Ah, sorry. We’re earning travel money through work again today, right? It’d be nice if there’s a job that suits us.”

Sepia replies with a gesture that seems to brush off the question.

She’s probably preoccupied with thoughts of her sister.

After all, she’s been under the influence of her sister and their father, who has always been under her sister’s sway, since birth.

It’s impossible for her not to have feelings about it.

But in times like these, it’s better not to dwell too deeply and keep busy; it’s better for the mind.

Once you fall into a pit, it’s hard to climb out alone.

Sepia is like family. She’s at a sensitive age, so we need to be considerate.

We all head to the job agency again.

Just like yesterday, the well-paying jobs have long lines and are quickly taken.

Unless you line up in the dark, it’s unlikely you’ll get one, but there’s no need to force ourselves to join.

We line up at the agency’s reception and ask the clerk if there are any jobs available.

It seems Arnella and Noel have been specifically requested by the same shop.

That shouldn’t be a problem.

They can go ahead and take the job.

I tell them to speak up immediately if there’s any harassment.

Well, considering Arnella and Noel’s strength as mages, they’re stronger than the average soldier.

They’ve also been educated to serve their master, so they can handle themselves, but they still look like delicate women.

Sometimes it’s quicker if I, a man, step in.

“You don’t need to worry so much. It’s a reputable shop.”

“The skirt was a bit short… but the clientele seemed decent.”

“That’s good. If anything happens, let me know.”

Normally, I wouldn’t be so overprotective.

But now, we don’t know anyone or any country here. It’s fortunate that the language is the same, but we can only rely on our own strength and each other.

The clerk then presents several jobs to Sepia.

“For you, miss—no, mage, we’d really like you to take this one.”

“Yesterday’s job is over, but the demand for mages is still high, huh?”

As Sepia says, there’s plenty of work for high-level mages in construction projects that can’t be done manually or in places where heavy machinery can’t be transported.

The pay is also a cut above—no, two cuts above—other jobs.

They’re willing to pay that much because such talent is invaluable.

This time, it’s about constructing a new river channel to the city.

“Alright, I’m off.”

“Yeah, safety first.”

“Okay~”

She replies childishly and heads off.

As expected, being busy leaves no time to brood. She seems a bit more spirited now.

The problem is us.

Our forte is rough work, but there’s none of that here.

I can do mage work, though not as well as Sepia, but the remaining jobs require complex control, so it’s better to avoid them.

I feel the clerk’s evaluation of us is lower compared to the other three.

It’s humiliating… I can’t beat Arnella and the others in artistry.

And I can’t surpass Sepia as a mage.

The adventurer’s job is less flexible than I thought.

I had prepared various financial strategies for this, but they’re useless here.

“How about this job?”

While looking at non-manual labor jobs, the clerk suggests one.

It’s about assisting in receiving supplies.

There’s an exchange of goods between this city and a city further back, and it involves escorting them.

It’s a job befitting an adventurer. Logistics is indeed something that never disappears, no matter how much technology advances.

Valuable goods need to be guarded to prevent theft.

The pay is much higher than yesterday.

After confirming the details, I decide to take it with Mastema.

“Not many people want to go outside the city, so your help is appreciated.”

The clerk says with a professional smile.

Of course, no one wants to go out with those Homunculi out there.

But the number of people involved in the transport is surprisingly small.

Including us, there are only about eight.

Considering the possibility of encountering those Homunculi, I’d think more soldiers would be necessary.

There must be some conditions.

Come to think of it, the first encounter was with a Golem made of similar materials.

There are still many mysteries.

Heading to the designated spot, we find soldiers waiting in front of the city gate.

If no one had taken the job, they would have proceeded as planned.

Here, I meet a familiar soldier.

He remembers me too, and we shake hands.

“With the young lady here, this trip should be safe.”

“Hey, hey, we’re just assistants, right? You’re not planning to run if something happens, are you?”

“You can say that because you don’t know how strong this lady is. She took down that big monster.”

When one of the soldiers introduces Mastema like that, there’s a stir.

She seems to have become somewhat of a legend.

The goods are coming by carriage, and we’ll meet them on foot and take over the carriage.

We start moving immediately.

I look in the direction where the Homunculi were gathered this morning, but there’s nothing there now.

There must be some conditions, after all.

The soldiers stop joking once we’re outside the gate and move seriously.

They’re earnest soldiers. Their superiors must be strict.

After moving for about half a day without rest, we see two carriages approaching.

That must be the goods we’re receiving.

It’s a bit anticlimactic for the pay.

Walking for half a day is tiring, but that’s all.

We meet up with soldiers from the other side, equipped somewhat differently.

The carriages are loaded with materials, and we take them over and sign for them.

Now, we just need to take these back, and the job is done…

The soldiers from the other side turn and leave.

“Alright, let’s head back. Stay alert.”

With that, we board the carriages and start moving.

The small number of people must be because there’s no room on the carriages.

“I hear something.”

“What is it?”

Mastema is listening intently.

She seems to have caught something.

I can’t hear anything yet, but a demon’s senses are different from a human’s.