"This must be it."
I arrived at the building matching the address written on the quest sheet.
It was a fairly large house located about a ten-minute walk from the Adventurer's Guild.
The garden was somewhat overgrown with wild grass and shrubs.
Seeing a doorbell installed by the entrance, I pressed it and waited for the client to answer.
"Yes? Who is it?"
The person who came out was a young woman.
She wore a black robe, and though her hair was largely hidden under a hood, it looked rather disheveled.
"I'm Erik. I've come from the Adventurer's Guild for the housework assistance quest."
"The housework quest! Wah, someone actually took it! Thank you so much for coming!"
When she had first poked her head out the door, she had looked wary.
However, once I explained where I had come from and why, her face brightened, and she welcomed me inside.
Her name was Marina, and she introduced herself as an alchemist.
"Whenever I get absorbed in my research, I have a bad habit of letting the house go. So I try hiring adventurers every time, but hardly anyone ever accepts..."
"Most adventurers are eager to go out on real adventures, after all. As for me, it's a safe way to earn money right here in the city, so I was glad to take it."
"I see, you're a novice adventurer. By the way, there's quite a lot of clutter—will you be all right?"
"I'll be fine. Despite my age, I often helped with household chores back in my village, so cleaning is one of my strong suits. If there's anything I shouldn't touch, just let me know beforehand and I'll make sure to leave it alone."
Earning money back in the village had never been easy.
At home, I was treated as though I didn't exist and wasn't even allowed to help with the family business.
That was why I had made a living outside our house by doing chores for the neighbors.
Among those jobs, the one that paid the best was helping with cleaning.
A house gets dirty before you even realize it.
Bachelors' homes in particular tended to accumulate mess effortlessly, so they hired me on a regular basis.
Looking back now, maybe they were letting things get messy just to give me work.
"In that case, could you avoid touching the things in that room over there and what's lying around here? Also, I don't really use the second floor, so feel free to clean it or leave it as you see fit."
"Understood. I'll get started right away, then. If anything comes up, I'll come find you, so please feel free to go about your work."
"Really? Well then, I won't hesitate to get back to my research, so just come ask if there's anything you're unsure about."
With that, Marina-san stepped into her workshop.
I watched the door close behind her, then set to work.
"...Phew, it's been a while since I've washed this many dishes."
An hour had passed since I took on the job.
I had already bagged up the large clutter from the living room and was currently tackling the mountain of dishes.
I had heard she lived alone, yet there were enough plates and utensils for over a dozen people.
She probably kept so many around simply because washing them was a chore.
"When you have too many, you just let them pile up. It really is best to only keep what you actually use."
Musing to myself, I scrubbed the tableware clean and moved seamlessly into scouring the sink and water fixtures.
Because the dishes had sat for so long, grime had coated the entire area.
I worked through the buildup using the detergent Marina-san had provided.
Being an alchemist, she crafted her own soaps and cleaning agents.
Though she might not clean herself, she had plenty of tools, and she had given me full permission to use whatever I needed.
I took full advantage of her supplies and kept on cleaning.
"Marina-san, do you have a moment?"
"Yeah, sure. Is something the matter?"
"No, I've finished the cleaning, so I came to let you know."
"Eh? Y-You're done already?!"
Roughly three hours after starting, I went to inform Marina-san that the job was complete.
She came rushing out of the workshop in a flurry.
Then, taking in the spotless interior of her house, she froze.
"I've finished cleaning the living room and the kitchen area. Also, though you mentioned you didn't use the second floor much, it had gathered some dust, so I went ahead and cleaned up there as well."
"T-The second floor too?!"
"Yes. And as for the garden, since you said it was all weeds, I cleared those out as well."
At my report, Marina-san darted over to look out at the yard.
"I-It's so clean?! That completely overgrown garden?!"
"Once it was cleared, it turned out to be quite spacious, so it might be nice to plant some flowers or vegetables. There were also planters scattered in the corner, so I washed them clean and left them out to dry."
"A-Are those the planters I bought when I first moved here intending to start a little garden, only for them to vanish into thin air?! So they were buried under all those weeds the whole time..."
Having finished checking everything, Marina-san walked back into the house with slow, unsteady steps, looking thoroughly overwhelmed.
"Erik-kun, just who on earth are you? To clean this much in such a short time... did you use magic or something?"
"No, I can't use magic. I'm just used to cleaning, so I put my head down and focused on the work."
"Even so, to finish all of this so quickly..."
Though dazed with surprise, Marina-san signed the quest completion form for me.
"And here, this is an extra reward. Your work was exceptional, so please let me give you a bonus."
"Eh, are you sure?! Thank you very much!"
She handed me two additional silver coins.
I bowed my head in gratitude and took my leave from Marina-san's house.
Making someone happy through my own efforts was an incredible feeling.
With a cheerful, lighthearted spring in my step, I headed back to the guild to submit my report.