The journey to the town of Lenaf typically took three days by carriage, passing through four small villages along the way. I had heard it was a reasonably large town, though not quite on the scale of Gimul. While the trip usually required a minimum of three days, I expected to significantly shorten that time by utilizing Space Magic and Qigong.
During the trip, I primarily moved using Warp for practice. Since I needed to keep a healthy amount of mana in reserve, I spent the rest of the time running with my body enhanced by Qigong. This allowed me to travel at a pace that would be impossible for an ordinary person, alternating between magic and physical exertion to let my mana recover as I ran.
I had considered taking it slow and fighting monsters along the way, but I already knew that only weak monsters appeared in this area—creatures I could easily defeat even without magic or Qigong. I had discovered this over the past two months by venturing as far as possible on various day trips from town.
However, I had recently heard rumors that some slightly stronger monsters had appeared near Lenaf. If I hurried, I might be able to find them. Additionally, I was carrying a delivery for Pioro-san that Grisiela-san had entrusted to me. Since I intended to pay my respects to him anyway, it seemed best to get there as quickly as possible.
Relying on my mana and physical stamina, I pushed forward. I wove through forests, cut across open plains, and passed the third village. As the sun began to dip toward the horizon, I found myself roughly halfway between the third and fourth villages.
I suppose I’ll call it a day here...
I pulled off to the side of the road and activated Dimension Home. Once inside, I began preparing dinner.
Tonight’s meal consisted of several types of travel rations I had purchased in Gimul just before leaving. I had bought them out of pure curiosity. I wanted to see what the general rations in this world actually tasted like.
First, I tried a thin, square, biscuit-like item.
"The texture is nice and crisp, but... it’s incredibly powdery."
It wasn't particularly good, but it wasn't terrible either. I filled a cup with water using Water Magic to wash it down, then tried a brown, cube-shaped lump.
"Let’s see... it’s hard. I can chew it, but barely. It’s like hardtack. Is it this tough because of the thickness?"
Next was the dried meat.
"Salty... it’s just pure salt. The more I chew, the more the salt seeps out. I can’t taste any actual meat, just brine. I think I’ll stop here; this can't be good for my blood pressure."
Finally, I reached for the green bread.
"This looks like another tooth-breaker. It feels like a rock."
The woman at the shop had been very insistent about this stone-like bread. She warned me sternly that I must never soak it in liquid. She told me with a sour face that it would become utterly inedible and a complete waste of money if I did.
I guess I just have to bite into it with everything I’ve got!
"Ow! Dammit, that’s hard! What is wrong with this bread?"
My teeth literally couldn't make a dent, so I was forced to use Qigong to strengthen my jaw. When I bit down again, I finally managed to break a piece off. At first, it seemed tasteless, but then...
"Kh—! Cough! This is... this is disgusting!"
I scrambled for my water, but even a full cup wasn't enough. I had to conjure more just to rinse the taste out.
"Ugh... what on earth was that!?"
It tasted like... grass? Or maybe medicinal herbs? It was hard to tell because so many things were mashed together. But the more I chewed, the more it mixed with my saliva, releasing a raw, grassy stench along with a wave of bitterness and astringency that coated my entire mouth. It was foul.
The dried meat Hughes-san gave me before was actually decent compared to this... I really shouldn't have let my curiosity get the better of me. I might try other rations again, but I was never, ever touching that green bread again.
Having made that firm resolution, I bit into a piece of fruit to cleanse my palate. I was glad I had kept some in my Item Box.
The shocking taste had completely killed my appetite, so I finished my dinner with just the single piece of fruit and went to sleep right there in the Dimension Home. I had to be careful when stepping back outside, but overall, it was an incredibly convenient spell that eliminated the need for a tent.
The Next Day
After a safe night’s rest, I resumed my journey. Around early afternoon, the city walls of Lenaf finally appeared on the horizon. Since I planned to head straight to Pioro-san’s shop once I entered the city, I decided to take a quick break inside the Dimension Home to wash off the sweat and road dust.
"Phew."
After finishing a Cleaner Slime Bath, I emerged from the Dimension Home and headed for the city gates. Much like in Gimul, I passed through easily by showing my Adventurer Guild card. I took the opportunity to ask the guard for directions to the Saionji Company. He told me to walk straight from the East Gate until I hit the end of the road, then turn right.
I thanked the guard and followed the wide thoroughfare. Before long, I came across a building surrounded by high, sturdy walls. A crowd of people were busy hauling crates in and out of the facility. I wasn't sure what the building was, but this was the end of the road.
After walking a short distance to the right, I spotted a sign that read "Saionji Company."
"It’s huge..."
There was an entire block consisting of a butcher shop, a greengrocer, a fishmonger, a dry goods store, and a spice shop, all lined up in a row. Every single one of them bore the Saionji Company brand. There was even a small deli tucked into the corner.
"I wonder which door I should use..."
I decided to start with the spice shop. My reasoning was simple: since I didn't have an appointment, I figured the shop with the fewest customers would be the least intrusive. Spices were expensive, so the shop was empty, which suited me perfectly.
"Ex—"
"Welcome!"
A voice greeted me the moment I stepped inside, though I couldn't see anyone at first. As I looked toward the sound, a girl emerged from behind the counter. She looked to be about the same age as Elia and me. She had long blonde hair, pale skin, and... were those fox ears?
She appeared to have been working on something, as she lightly smoothed her slightly messy hair while stepping out.
"What can I do for ya today?"
"My apologies, I’m not actually a customer. I have a delivery for Mr. Pioro Saionji from the Commerce Guild in Gimul."
"Oh, a delivery for my old man? Thanks a bunch."
Old man? So this was Pioro-san’s daughter.
"Excuse me, are you Pioro-san’s daughter?"
"You know my pops—er, my father?"
"Yes. We met recently through a business connection."
"Is that so? Pardon my manners. I’m Miyabi Saionji, Pioro’s daughter. Nice to meet ya."
"I’m Ryoma Takebayashi. The pleasure is mine."
"Ryoma... I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere. Anyway, please, come this way."
Miyabi-san led me through a hallway at the back of the spice shop and into a reception room. Barely a minute later, both she and Pioro-san arrived.
That was fast. She had told me to wait a moment, but I barely had time to sit down.
"Ryoma! It’s been a couple of months, hasn't it? What brings ya to Lenaf?"
"It’s been a while, Pioro-san. I just arrived. I’m here to open a second branch of my shop."
"Openin' a branch here? Well, in that case, I’ll take ya over to the Commerce Guild myself."
"Before that, I have a delivery for you."
I retrieved the small package from my Item Box and handed it to him.
"Oh, right. What’s in it?"
"I wasn't told the contents."
"I see."
Pioro-san tore open the package. It contained a letter, which he read with a few nods. After tucking it away, he turned back to me with a serious expression.
"Ryoma, sounds like things have been pretty hectic for ya lately."
"Did the letter mention me?"
"Just a bit at the end. Old Lady Gris says she’s gonna lend a hand and all that. Not that I needed her to tell me to help ya out."
"Thank you very much."
"Don't mention it! Oh, right, let me introduce ya. This is my daughter. She’s a year older than you, so try to get along, okay?"
Since the topic had shifted to her, Miyabi-san finally spoke up.
"Pops, what’s with 'this is'? I have a name, and it’s Miyabi. At least use my name when you're introducing me. Besides, I already told him who I was."
"Did ya now? Well, how about this? The name Miyabi was also the name of the daughter of the Saionji Company’s founder. I gave it to ya hopin' to catch some of our ancestor’s good luck."
"What are you bringing that up for? Nobody asked!"
Wait, what was this? Had a comedy routine started? Regardless, I couldn't just stand there silently.
"Was that ancestor a particularly great person?" I asked.
"Not that I’ve heard," Pioro-san replied. "She was just a regular shop girl who got married, lived a normal life, and passed away happily surrounded by her family."
"I see. So you named her that so she could have a happy life like her ancestor..."
"Nope! Ancestor Miyabi’s father was the founder, right? And I’m this Miyabi’s father. That means I’m the one who gets to share in the founder’s good luck!"
"You’re the one benefiting from it!?"
The retort flew out of my mouth before I could stop myself.
"My apologies," I added quickly.
"Nah, don't worry about it! That was a solid retort. You’ve got potential, kid, though you're still a bit green. My daughter’s stopped playing along lately, so this is perfect."
That was a relief... but it was interesting to see that the concept of a "straight man" and "funny man" existed in this world. It had to be the influence of an otherworlder.
Still, that retort... one of my former bosses was the type of person who would get incredibly offended if his jokes were ignored. I guess responding had become a conditioned reflex for me. Back when I was swamped with work, those stupid jokes were nothing but a nuisance, but ignoring them just wasted more time in the long run. I usually did it unconsciously, but I remembered getting yelled at quite a bit for the times I failed to play along.
I pushed those memories aside and followed Pioro-san to the Commerce Guild. To my surprise, he led me straight to the building with the high walls that I had seen earlier.
Seeing it up close a second time, it was even more massive. These walls were high enough to be part of a fortress.
As I followed Pioro-san inside, I realized the interior looked more like a castle than a guild hall.
"What do ya think? Pretty impressive, ain't it?" Pioro-san asked as we were shown into a reception room.
"It is. I was thinking the outer walls looked like a fortress."
"That’s 'cause they are. This building used to be a frontline base during a war a long time ago. The town was built on the ruins of that base, and the guild was modeled after the original fortress's design."
"I see."
"There’s one more reason it’s built this way. Take a look out that window."
I looked out the window Pioro-san was pointing at. Since it was the guild’s reception room, the glass was high-quality and crystal clear.
"This is amazing... I’ve never seen so many large monsters in one place."
Outside, the area was teeming with monsters—mostly medium to large avian types, and even a few dragon species that looked like Wyverns. They were fitted with saddles between the base of their necks and their backs, and I could see several people mounted on them. It was a scene that felt like it had been ripped straight from a fantasy novel.
"All these monsters are here specifically for transporting people and cargo," Pioro-san explained.
"All of them!?"
"Using flying monsters allows for high-speed transport of large quantities of goods, but ya need a lot of infrastructure—stables, loading docks, runways, all that. They used the fortress as a base to build those facilities."
"That makes sense."
"And the one who came up with this whole logistics system, oversaw the town’s construction, and dubbed it the 'Airport' was the founder of the Saionji Company. Pretty sharp, don't ya think?"
It’s definitely sharp, but he didn't come up with that name himself! ...Not that I could ever say that out loud. I wondered if someone would think the same thing about my shop if another otherworlder ever showed up. Between the "Airport" and the way Pioro-san and Miyabi-san acted like a manzai duo, the fingerprints of an otherworlder were all over this place.
"An 'Airport,' huh? I suppose a port is where all sorts of things gather," I commented.
"Exactly! You get it!"
Pioro-san clapped me on the back, looking very pleased with himself. A female guild clerk soon arrived, and the business negotiations began. When it came out that I was the one purchasing the property rather than Pioro-san, she looked a bit surprised, but the process went smoothly. Pioro-san had done all the legwork beforehand, so the guild was ready to finalize the handover immediately. Despite the unexpected age of the buyer, they were very efficient.
After finishing up at the guild, we headed to the new property to inspect the interior.
The building was two stories tall. The first floor would serve as the warehouse and retail space, while the second floor contained a reception room and a manager's office. There was also a house attached to the back where the previous owner had lived, which was included in the purchase.
Excluding the shared living spaces, there were five vacant rooms that could be used as a dormitory. I wouldn't be able to give every employee a private room, but I had heard that it was normal for two or three staff members to share a room, so it shouldn't be an issue.
"Looks good to ya?"
"Yes. It’ll be ready for use as soon as I get some furniture and shelves in here. If I contact Gimul now, I can have the staff here in three to five days."
As I spoke, I summoned a Rimur Bird from my Dimension Home to handle the message.
"Are you ready, Drei?"
The bird I had brought this time was "Drei." It was a German name meaning "three." After Elia sent me a letter saying she had named her birds, I decided it was time to give mine proper names as well.
I had named my slimes at first, but their numbers had exploded so quickly that it became impossible to manage. Since the Taming Contract allowed me to identify each individual anyway, it hadn't been an issue, but naming a monster felt quite nostalgic.
My Nightmare Rimur Bird was named "Eins," while the other four were "Zwei," "Vier," "Fünf," and "Sechs." Elia apparently chose to name hers after musical terms.
"Man, ya really did contract with Rimur Birds," Pioro-san remarked, watching Drei intently as I took out my writing kit and drafted a message.
I had previously shared my senses with a Rimur Bird while it flew, and the scenery had blurred past like I was on a bullet train. I estimated their speed to be somewhere between 200 and 300 kilometers per hour. They were fast naturally, but they could use Wind Magic to create tailwinds that boosted their speed and endurance significantly.
With them, a journey that took three days by carriage was nothing. Even with detours, the message would definitely reach Gimul by the end of the day.
"All set."
I tucked the letter into a dedicated cylinder and attached it to the bird using a red cloth with a metal fastener. This cloth served as a permit, allowing the bird to enter a city on its own.
"I’m counting on you!"
"Piroro!"
I took Drei outside, where he gave a sharp cry in response before soaring into the sky. He circled once near the clouds and then accelerated, vanishing from sight in an instant.
"That’s that."
"Now we just wait for the reply, right?"
"Yes."
"In the meantime, Ryoma, ya got a place to stay?"
Oh, right. I completely forgot about an inn.
"No, it slipped my mind."
"Perfect. Stay at my place until ya finish your business here."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course! Don't be a stranger, ya hear?"
"Then I’ll gratefully accept your offer."
And so, I ended up staying at Pioro-san’s house.