Since there was no staff in sight, they yelled towards the back, and a cheerful voice replied,
"Got it!"
A plump lady popped her head out from the kitchen with a big smile. Nice vibe!
"Got it. Five lunch specials, coming up!"
The lady nimbly brought out five plates.
"The soup and bread will be right out," she added.
She set the plates on the table and went back into the kitchen.
Each plate had something that looked like a meat patty and something resembling mashed potatoes. Wooden utensils were stacked in a basket on the table, which they distributed among themselves.
The lady returned with a tray of soup and a basket piled high with round bread rolls.
"Help yourself to more bread if you want. Just let me know when you need a refill," she said before heading back to the kitchen.
"Because of that, everyone, don't hold back—go ahead and eat!"
The four of them started eating silently.
Normally, this is where they would all say "Itadakimasu" together before starting, but that can come later.
They had just finished some skewers, and while the meal wasn't particularly tasty to me, it seemed different for the slave girls. They were eating with great delight. There was no conversation, but it was somehow heartwarming.
As I dipped my bread into the soup and brought it to my mouth, I pondered our next steps.
First, I need to buy them some personal items. Then, we need an inn.
When I save up a bit more money, I'd like to have a base house too.
Watching the kids eat so intently left me with nothing to do, so I took out the stack of purchase certificates from the slave guild, one by one, from my item box.
I wonder if taking out a stack of parchment from nowhere surprised the kids a bit? But they seemed too focused on eating to notice.
Hmm, the girl with the bad leg. Her name is Iona, right? She's how old? Twelve, huh? She looks younger than that. Maybe I should heal her leg now.
I created a Heal Potion in my item box, focusing on making it better than any potion I've made before.
At least, it should be better than the first Lvl 3 equivalent Heal Potion I made.
"Hey, Iona. Sorry to interrupt your meal, but try drinking this potion. It should probably fix your legs."
As I handed the potion bottle to Iona, she froze, holding it in her hand. The other three were also staring at Iona and me with surprised looks on their faces. When I encouraged Iona to drink the potion again, she seemed to steel herself, opened the bottle, and downed it with her eyes shut tight. It wasn't that bad, really.
Maybe because she gulped it down so quickly, she started coughing for a bit. Once she finally calmed down, I said,
"Stand up and take a few steps."
Iona pushed herself up from the chair and took a couple of steps. Her legs moved steadily.
"… Master! My legs! They're straight and moving freely. It feels like a dream. Thank you so much. U-uh…"
Hearing that, I felt relieved too. It would've been pretty embarrassing if it didn't work as promised. The other three were clearly shocked.
"Is Master so wealthy that he can use an expensive high-heal potion on a slave so casually?" asked the bob-haired girl with black hair.
"No, no. That potion was one I made myself. Believe it or not, I'm an alchemist," I said with a smug grin.
"So that's why Master is a renowned alchemist! It all makes sense now!"
A girl with blonde hair that reaches her shoulders is nodding confidently.
"Indeed, Master," she says.
A brown-haired girl with twin tails is also nodding along.
These three girls sure have great energy. They always know when to chime in with "One, two, finish."
Iona's leg has healed, but these three have been living in unsanitary conditions, so they might have some illnesses or even parasites inside them.
So, I told them,
"You should drink this as a precaution."
And with that, I handed them healing potions I made in the alchemy lab, just like before.
"Wha—!?"
"Just drink it. It's a precaution in case you have any illnesses or parasites," I reassured them.
The three of them exchanged glances but drank the potions anyway.
"How do you feel? Any lighter, or easier than before?"
"The potion seems to have lightened my stomach area a bit, and I feel more energetic," said the bob-haired girl with black hair. The other two nodded in agreement. There must have been some parasites or something. At least now, I can be relieved.
Thinking about it, I might also have some illness, so I decided to drink a healing potion too. I hadn't known what color healing potions were before, but after checking the remaining potion at the bottom of the empty bottle on my palm, I saw it was a deep blue.
"That's what I mean. Once we're done eating, we'll go buy your daily essentials and other things you need, so think about what you want."
By the way, according to the purchase certificate, the girl with black bob hair is Eva, 14 years old. The one with blonde long hair is Olivia, also 14. The one with brown twin-tails is Kiria, 12. As an added note, all four of them can do basic arithmetic and read and write, which is great since their minimum education included these skills.
Finally, the meal was over. All four of them really went to town on the bread, refilling their plates twice.
Despite bringing along such a ragtag bunch, the kind lady at the counter didn't say a word and served us well, so I left a little extra on the table as a tip before we left the cafeteria.
Next up: the general store.
We found a store that seemed to sell both groceries and clothing and went inside. I told the kids to pick out shoes, underwear, and tops for themselves.
Don't forget spares. And there must be other household items you need. Don't forget the stuff girls need, like towels.
Am I turning into Mom?
On my end, I picked up a few wooden boxes. They'll be used to store potions for selling to the alchemists' guild starting tomorrow.
The kids came back with a mountain of shoes, clothes, underwear, and even cups in the store's shopping basket.
I paid the shopkeeper and put our purchases into four separate wooden boxes, one for each of us, before leaving the store. Oh, by the way, the silver coins I just used were counterfeit. Ah, well, they probably won't notice.
Eva said, "Sir, you really are rich!"
Olivia chimed in, "Sir is a renowned alchemist and, of course, wealthy. That makes sense."
Kilia added, "As expected of you, sir!"
These guys sure know how to butter me up. Even if they're little girls, it still feels good to be flattered.
Iona, however, had a slightly odd look on her face.
I thought about putting the kids' stuff in my item box, but since all four of them were holding their wooden boxes tightly, I let them carry their own things. The extra wooden boxes went into the item box instead.
With shopping out of the way, we decided to look for the recommended inn we heard about at the adventurer's guild shop. And there it is, right away. How convenient, isn't it? Wandering around aimlessly looking for a place wouldn't make much sense narratively, so... *cough*
Yeah, you get it. Adult stuff.
We arrived. This is the recommended inn.
I booked two connecting rooms for a week and paid upfront. It was quite expensive, but with breakfast and dinner included for both rooms, it seemed reasonable. Plus, I'm using that money anyway.
Both rooms are for two people, but the kids will share one room together. Sir needs his own room because he has lots of things to do.
"Since they're kids, it should be fine for them to share one bed.
The kids' belongings were still in wooden crates, which seemed to serve as their makeshift dressers.
I made sure to prepare healing potions for tomorrow and put them in the crates.
Twelve across, ten down.
Each crate held a total of 120 potions.
Though more than a hundred, I figured people would buy them.
I made another batch of potions for the adventurer's guild.
While making the second batch,
*Pirooron!!*
'Your alchemy skill has reached a certain level. You have been granted 1 skill point.'
Name: Zenjirou Ianaga
Age: 27
Occupation: Alchemist
Skills: Alchemy Lvl Max, Item Box Lvl Max, Staff Technique Lvl 3, Appraisal
Skill Points: 83 (hidden)
I didn't know skill points could increase like this. It's great that they do.
I finished making another 120 potions for the second crate.
I took one out, opened the lid, and dropped a few drops on my palm to check the contents. Unlike the healing potions I gave the kids, this one was a pale blue liquid. I drank it myself and replaced it with another potion in the crate.
Since I didn't tell the old lady at the adventurer's guild shop in advance, they might not sell, but since the cost is zero, who cares."
The next room was quiet, so I peeked in and found all four of them sound asleep on the beds, looking completely exhausted. I decided to let them rest until dinner.
By evening, the kids were bustling around in the next room, fussing with their belongings packed in boxes.
"Hey! It's time for dinner!"
When I stepped out of my room, all four of them were waiting by the door, properly dressed in their new clothes and shoes.
We went down to the dining hall together and sat at a large table. Soon, our dinner was served.
"Listen up. Before you eat, say 'itadakimasu.' And after you finish, say 'gochisousama.' Let's do this together, okay?
Itadakimasu."
"Itadakimasu!"
This feels good. For some reason, I felt sleepy after finishing the meal.
The next morning, we all had breakfast together in the inn's dining hall while I told the kids about our plans for the day.
"Today, we'll head to the Alchemists' Guild to deliver potions, then swing by the Adventurers' Guild. After that, we'll pick up some groceries. In the afternoon, you can do whatever you want within the inn."
The box full of potions was quite heavy—probably around 20 kilos. I thought about having two kids carry one box each, but they wobbled when they tried lifting it. We can't risk any injuries, so today, I'll use my item box to carry them while the kids guide me. First stop: the Alchemists' Guild.
"Excuse me. I'm Zenjiro, the alchemist. Is Kazuha here?"
A different woman from Kazuha came out of the office.
"Oh, you must be Alchemist Zenjiro. Kazuha has told me about you. Could you please go around back and bring the potions to the handover counter? I'll show you the way."
Following the woman through the office, we went out through a door that seemed to lead to the back. There, wagons and carts were lined up in front of warehouses, waiting their turn. It was unclear whether they were picking up supplies or delivering them, but it was probably both.
"This is the small-batch handover counter."
After showing me to the counter, the woman explained my presence to the staff and left.
"Please place the potions on the counter."
Following the staff member's instructions, I placed the wooden box of healing potions on the counter.
The staff member randomly picked one potion from the box, drew some of the liquid with a glass pipette, held it up to the light, and then returned the potion to the bottle. The opened bottle was quickly sealed and sealed with wax for inspection.