""Yes!"" they replied in unison.
Despite the refreshing taste of ice, the children were rolling chunks of it around their mouths. While it was amusing now, I realized living in the inn forever would be inconvenient, and I couldn't keep dragging them around with me. I would likely need to rent a house. But in that case, I would have to hire a cook, as I certainly couldn't cook, and I didn't think the kids could manage it either.
The woman in charge of the meals would suffice for now, but first, I should seriously look for a real estate agent. Without a specific lead, I doubted I could just stumble upon one, so I thought to ask a passerby. However, I quickly realized I had no idea about the real estate situation in this world. Surely there are rental homes available, but I pondered whether there are specialized agents for that—real estate agents, in other words. Instead, I decided to ask the children nearby.
"I'm thinking of renting a house. Do any of you know where I could go to find one?"
The three lively girls tilted their heads, and one of them, Iona, chimed in, "I'm sure they handle it at the Commercial Guild."
Iona may be quiet, but she seems intelligent.
We walked on while asking for directions to the Commercial Guild. Since we were already near the center of the town, it didn't take long to reach our destination.
The Commercial Guild was an impressive building, and once inside, we entered a spacious hall. At the front counter sat two receptionists. Aside from those two, there were only a few others in the hall, but it was unclear whether they were guild members or customers.
I quickly nodded in greeting to the receptionist, and she looked me over with a scrutinizing gaze before asking, "What can I assist you with today?"
"I heard I could find a rental here," I said.
"Ah, you're looking for a rental. A staff member will be with you shortly, so please wait in Room 5," replied the receptionist, who quickly dashed off. She must have gone to fetch someone. If there had been a phone, she wouldn't have had to run, but it was what it was.
The walls of the entrance hall were lined with doors. From my limited understanding of the foreign language, I had recognized "5," and I assumed the sign displayed a character that identified the room.
As I walked toward the row of doors, I noticed they were numbered sequentially, making it easy to spot Room 5.
Upon entering, I found the room structured like a conference space, with a large table in the center surrounded by about ten chairs. It seemed they had accommodated us with a spacious room for our group.
I sat in the center with two children on each side, waiting for the staff. After about five minutes, the door opened, and a business-like woman entered, carrying a large ledger. Naturally, she sat across from us; sitting alongside us would have made things quite confusing.
"I hear you're looking for a rental property," she began.
"Yes," I confirmed.
"Please let me know your preferred location and size."
With the four children here and myself, we need a room for five. I'm considering hiring a cook or perhaps buying a decent slave from the slave market, so we'd probably need six bedrooms. Additionally, a living room, kitchen, dining room, and a storage room would be ideal.
"What about a reception room?"
"There's no need for a reception room since we have no guests expected. By the way, is there a bathroom?"
"There's one available, but the maintenance costs are considerable. Properties with bathrooms are essentially estates, which always come with a reception room. Moreover, the rent is quite high."
"How much are we talking?"
"The rent is based on an annual contract, ranging from 200 to 300 gold coins per year. Additionally, for the first year only, you'll need to pay 20% of the rent as a contract fee to our guild."
Checking my item box, I found I still had about 400 gold coins. For a property costing 300 gold coins, that leaves me with 360 coins. I can manage that easily.
"Then I'll take the estate."
"Oh, really? Where would you like it to be located?"
"I'd appreciate a place close to the Alchemist's Guild and the Adventurers' Guild."
"Please wait a moment." With that, the woman in charge began flipping through a ledger.
"Found it! It's a smaller property, but the location makes it a bit pricier. This one will be 250 gold coins."
The layout includes eight bedrooms, two reception rooms, a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, a bathroom, three storage rooms, and an attic for staff. There's also a small shed in the garden."
"It's a bit large, but I'd rather have that than something smaller."
"Very well, it's not far, so we'll take you to the property now. I'll have the carriage brought around, so please wait outside."
They're really providing a carriage; this is classic real estate service.
After a short wait outside, a two-horse carriage arrived. The attendant from earlier stepped down from the carriage and said, "It's a bit cramped, but everyone can fit inside."
Hearing this, I climbed aboard first, followed by the children, and finally, the attendant took a seat next to me as the four children lined up opposite me.
The property was located in a residential area just a block off a main road. Surrounded by a two-meter-high fence, it looked like a grand mansion to me, born and raised in Japan. The gate was secured with a chain and padlock, which the attendant unlocked. I helped her open the gate. Upon entering the grounds, we found a garden leading up to the entrance, but the landscaping was uncared for, and weeds were growing abundantly among the grass.
"The maintenance of the garden and the cleaning inside and outside the estate will be handled responsibly by the guild after the agreement, so you can rest assured."
It's true that with no fixed move-in date for people, it's impossible to keep the Sky House in a state ready for occupancy.
As I opened the front door, I stepped into a lofty hall, with a staircase leading up to the second floor straight ahead. The first floor featured a living room, a reception room, a dining area, a kitchen, and a bathroom, while the bedrooms were on the second floor. Access to the attic was via a ladder from the second floor. After surveying the place, I turned to the children, who were trailing after the guide with their mouths agape.
"So, what do you think of this house?" I asked.
"Master, this mansion is amazing! I'm so surprised!" exclaimed Eva.
"If I could live in a place like this, I would happily accept my fate," said Olivia.
Don't say that yet.
"I feel like a princess. Just as expected, Master!" Kiria chimed in.
And Iona was simply silent, lost in thought.
"This is perfect," I stated firmly to the guild representative.
"Very well. Please allow four days for the preparations. During that time, we will complete the maintenance and cleaning, and set up the furniture. Rest assured, the garden will also be taken care of."
"Furniture will be included?"
"Absolutely. We'll provide beds, wardrobes, a living room table, a sofa, a kitchen cupboard, and a dining table with chairs, among other things."
As you may know, please procure bedding, tableware, and kitchen supplies on your end."
"Of course, where should I pay?"
"I'll return to the guild first, so please handle it there."
After I took a carriage back to the guild and made the payment, I was told, "Please come back to the guild in the morning five days from now. I'll send you to the location and give you the keys then."
Looking forward to receiving the mansion in five days, I spent the next four days supplying healing potions to both the alchemist and adventurer guilds. By the fourth day, I collected payments along with the children.
As a result, my stash of gold coins had easily surpassed 1,300. While the money was fine, it hit me that I had let the children carry the expensive potions on their own. Thankfully, nothing had happened, but I couldn't shake the feeling of being naive about their safety.
That said, hiring a bodyguard felt excessive, and it would be counterproductive for me to follow them around. So, I told the children, "If anyone tries to attack you for your cargo, leave everything and run without looking back!"
When I collected payment at the alchemist guild, someone subtly suggested I should charge the adventurer guild the same prices as before. I simply replied, "And?" and that was the end of the discussion.
Among the clients of the Alchemist Guild, the Adventurers' Guild may be significant, but losing me would be a greater blow to them. Also, since that incident, there has been no communication from the temple. It seems that my display of power was effective, and that's a relief.
And now, the promised transfer day has arrived. I checked out of the inn and, with the children in tow, visited the Commercial Guild. Their belongings were safely stored in my item box.
Soon, the assigned representative appeared, arranged for a carriage to transport us, and handed me the keys after a brief explanation of the mansion's layout. "We look forward to working with you," the representative said before climbing back into the carriage and leaving.
Over the past four days, I've purchased kitchenware, dishes, brooms, buckets, and bedding for potential future occupants, all placed in my item box.
Leading the children through the house again, I claimed the room at the top of the stairs as my own. Turning to the children, I said, "You each get your own room."
"Master, we're fine sharing a room," they replied together.
"If that's the case, then you can stay in the room next to mine."
Naturally, that room only contained a single bed. I removed a bed and dresser from another unused room and brought them into the children's room next door. The children then pushed the four beds together, creating a cozy communal sleeping area.
"Well, do as you like," I said, laying out bedding for four on the bed. "Just tidy up the room until lunch." With that, I let them be.
I returned to my room, placed the bedding down, then stored cleaning supplies in the closet. I headed to the kitchen to take out utensils, supplies, and dishes from the item box and started organizing them.
As I rummaged through the kitchen items, I realized I didn't have anything suitable to use as a cloth. I also hadn't prepared any rags. Going out to buy some felt like a hassle, and if I did, I'd miss lunchtime. I thought to myself how nice it would be to have a teleportation ability, but I knew those kinds of powers weren't just conveniently granted.
Just then, I heard a ping!
What's that? It's been a while since I heard that sound.
"Would you like to spend 10 skill points to acquire Transfer Skill Level 1? Yes, No."
Ten points sounded steep, but I naturally selected "Yes."
"You have spent 10 skill points to acquire Transfer Skill Level 1. You can now teleport within your perceptual range. You can also transfer objects from one location within your perceptual range to another.
You have 73 skill points remaining.
You can choose the profession: Transfer Mage."
"You can now exchange your current profession for one of the following options:
0. Do not choose for now.
1. Martial Artist (Staff Techniques)
2. Transfer Mage
Please choose a number from 0 to 2."
Though I was intrigued by the Transfer Mage, I didn't want to give up my alchemist role, so I was about to select 0 when another prompt appeared: