"Fi... na..."
"Mmm...?"
My body swayed as someone shook me. Was I being called?
"Fina, wake up!"
"...Jane?"
"Good grief! You’re usually so responsible, but why are you such a nightmare in the mornings?"
Oh no... it seemed I’d fallen back asleep. But since today was my day off...
"Did you forget our plan to head into town together?"
"That’s right!"
Starting this month, we were all allowed to take one shared day off per week. We had promised to go out and enjoy the city together!
"I'll be ready in a heartbeat! Just wait for me!"
I scrambled to get ready and rushed down to the dormitory lobby. Maria and Jane—who had come from the same village as me—were already there, along with our colleague, Li Ling.
"Sorry to keep you waiting! I’m so sorry I’m late."
"Good morning~."
"No need to worry, I say."
"Well, it’s a regular occurrence by now," Jane teased.
I wanted to argue, but I couldn't find the words to talk back. Why am I such a heavy sleeper...?
"Alright, let's go!"
With Jane leading the way with an enthusiastic shout, we set off into town. As we walked, Li Ling offered some comforting words about my tardiness, and my lingering gloom quickly cleared up.
For breakfast, we grabbed something to eat from a stand catering to the city’s bachelor laborers. Since the shop was aimed at men doing manual labor, the portions were a bit overwhelming for Maria and me.
After that, we spent our time buying daily necessities and browsing through clothing shops. The four of us thoroughly enjoyed the city life.
Before we knew it, time had slipped away. It felt like morning only moments ago, but the sun was already past its peak.
I never imagined that migrating for work would lead to a life like this. We were undoubtedly lucky. Back in the village, I assumed that even if I worked from dawn until dusk every day, I’d never earn enough to have any spending money. That was what everyone who had left for work and returned always said.
I’m sure Jane and Maria felt the same way. In reality, though, everything surpassed our expectations. We each had our own private room, Shelma cooked delicious meals for us, and our wages were high. Even after doubling the amount of money I sent home, I could still save enough to afford street food and shopping during our weekly outings.
Maria can be a bit spacey sometimes and often trips and hurts herself, but she gets treated with Healing Magic immediately when that happens. According to Li Ling, even Fei had a broken leg healed—and for free.
Treatment with Healing Magic isn't usually something you can ask for casually. However, at our shop, employees can receive it for free at any time. This was because the manager decided to have a Heal Slime permanently stationed at the shop around the time the harassment against us began.
The manager handled it himself at first, then Lobelia and the others took over while they were here. Now, Maria—who learned Taming Magic—is the one in charge of it. I’ve heard it’s a precious Slime, so I sometimes wonder if it’s really okay to entrust it to her so easily... but having access to Healing Magic at a moment's notice is incredibly reassuring.
When my parents sent a letter the other day, worried about my life here and what kind of person my employer was, I was able to write back from the bottom of my heart telling them they had nothing to worry about.
"Fina, why are you spacing out? Are you still half-asleep?"
"I'm wide awake. How long are you going to keep bringing that up?"
"Anyway, let's head to that shop."
"That shop" was a cafe that had recently become popular in the Town of Gimul. Word was that their sweets were relatively cheap and delicious. Since Maria and Jane had been dying to go after hearing the rumors, we’d agreed to make it our rest stop after shopping.
When we stepped inside, we found wooden tables and chairs arranged neatly, with flowers decorating the space here and there. While the fire wasn't lit during this season, a large fireplace sat in the corner, giving the interior a cozy, settled atmosphere.
We were guided to a seat by the window. After placing our orders with a waitress, Jane turned to me.
"So, what were you actually thinking about just now?"
"Nothing much. Just that we really lucked out."
"Oh, is that all? True, if we were working at any normal shop, we’d never be able to afford luxury like this."
"We can send money home~, we have days off~... it really is a wonderful workplace~."
"Now that I think of it, you three came from the same village, yes?" Li Ling asked.
"We did~."
"It’s a village with nothing—no strong Monsters, no local specialties, and the land isn't even that fertile."
"Since you are working away from home, will you quit this job eventually?"
There are certainly people who work away from home and eventually return to their roots, but we had no intention of doing so for the foreseeable future.
"If the manager is happy to have me, I’ll work here forever~."
"I can send more money home than I could with any other job. Besides, I don't know if I'd ever be lucky enough to be hired like this again."
"If he ever put out a recruitment call, I bet people would come flooding in," Jane added. "What about you, Li Ling? You and Fei? I heard you used to be peddlers."
"Our country is a very dangerous place. Neither I nor my father have any intention of returning."
Jilmar... What kind of place was that? It was a large nation, but since it was so far away, I’d only ever heard the name. When I lived in the village, knowing the name of our country and the surrounding settlements was enough; I almost never had the chance to hear about lands beyond the horizon.
It seemed Maria and Jane were just as clueless as I was. We understood that it was "dangerous," but we didn't understand the nature of the danger. Noticing our confusion, Li Ling explained.
"Jilmar has been at war for a very long time. Not with other nations, but between the nobles within our own borders. It supposedly started after the death of the Founding Emperor who established Jilmar, when people began fighting over the equipment he once used."
"A war over weapons?"
"Not just weapons, but his armor and helmet too. Apparently, they all possessed incredible power. There is a dubious legend that says if you gather the entire set, you will gain ultimate power and the right to rule the country."
"And they're still fighting over them?"
"Now, it's just a cycle of revenge. People retaliating for old grudges, over and over. Because of that, the land is in ruins and bandits are everywhere. I have no family left in Jilmar, so I intend to live here in this peaceful kingdom."
"In that case, we'll be together from now on, too~."
"I look forward to working with you all."
Just then, our tea and sweets arrived.
"Thank you for waiting. Here is your Black Tea and Seasonal Fruit Pie."
Jane and Maria’s eyes sparkled at the sight.
"It’s finally here! This is exactly what I wanted!"
"Time to eat~!"
Li Ling and I followed their lead. The pie seemed to be filled with several different kinds of fruit. The sweetness and refreshing tang spread across my palate with every bite.
"Wow. It’s every bit as delicious as the rumors said."
"This is bliss~."
Li Ling seemed to agree with Jane and Maria. We sat there for a while, enjoying our tea and sweets while chatting away. After the conversation about today's fashion purchases finally settled, Jane abruptly changed the subject.
"Hey, what kind of person do you actually think the manager is?"
"Where did that come from~?"
"I got a letter from my village recently, right? My family wrote to me, asking if I was being treated poorly by my boss or seniors, or if I was being pressured into... well, an untoward relationship."
I’d heard that such employers existed, so it was natural for Jane's family to worry. My parents had subtly tried to ask the same thing in their letter to me.
"Of course, I wrote back that this is a great shop and that there aren't any men here who would use their position like that... but when I sat down to think about it, I realized I don't actually know much about the manager."
"Is that so?"
"I mean, we barely know anything besides shop business and the fact that he's a 'good kid,' right? Just that he keeps a lot of Slimes and that he went out of his way to build a house in an abandoned mine."
Now that she mentioned it, she was right. Most of our conversations with the manager were strictly about shop facilities, customer service, or employee benefits. We rarely spoke about anything else.
We all thought about it for a moment, but in the end, we simply concluded that the manager was a "good kid" and a "kind person." We could learn more about him as time went on. Li Ling and I didn't have much of a desire to pry, but Jane and Maria looked like they might go and ask him all sorts of things on a whim. I’ll have to make sure they don't become a nuisance.
By the time I finished that thought, we had finished our Black Tea and Seasonal Fruit Pie. Realizing we had lingered quite a while, we finally left the cafe. We spent the rest of the day wandering the streets before returning to the dormitory before sunset.
My wallet felt a bit lighter tonight, but it wasn't a problem. I’ll save up my wages so I can go back to that cafe with everyone again soon.