It wouldn't do for Miria to be the only one receiving special treatment; that would cause problems with the others.
"You're right. She is the only one without one," Roxanne replied.
It seemed my concern was unnecessary. I let out a stealthy sigh of relief. Maintaining a harem was clearly going to demand a fair bit of attention to detail.
"Thank you, desu," Miria said, bowing her head.
She had been listening to Roxanne while being measured for her new clothes. I was fairly certain she would have been happier with a fish than a new outfit, though. Or rather, there was the lingering question of whether a maid uniform actually brought her any joy. For now, I simply raised a hand to acknowledge her gratitude.
"How would you like to handle the payment? We can take the full amount now, or you can pay half today and the remainder upon collection," the clerk asked.
So, when having something custom-made, paying half at the end was an option. If that were the case, I suspected the thirty percent discount might still apply even if I only ordered a single outfit, since they would have to calculate the half-price anyway.
"I’ll pay in full. Along with these," I said.
Since I was buying the negligee at the same time, the discount would be triggered regardless. There was no harm in paying for the maid uniform upfront. Sherry actually praised my decision later that evening during dinner.
"Paying only half is the mark of a miser. My grandfather used to say that when having clothes made at a fine establishment, one should always pay the full amount in advance. You truly are impressive, Master."
"Is that so?"
"Paying in full is a sign that you trust the shop," she explained.
"I see. That makes sense."
I suppose there might be shady merchants out there who would take the money and vanish, though that seemed unlikely for a shop in a prime location within the Imperial Capital. Conversely, there was always the risk that an Explorer or Adventurer might die before they could return for their order. Paying upfront ensured the shop wouldn't be left with unpaid stock. Or perhaps it was simply a bold declaration of confidence that one intended to survive.
I hadn't actually thought that far ahead, though.
"As expected of Master. [Speaking in Barna...]"
Roxanne added her own praise, and Miria followed suit, looking at me with an expression of deep respect after hearing Roxanne's explanation. I wondered exactly how Roxanne was translating my actions to her. Was she being accurate? I couldn't help but feel that making Roxanne the educator might have been a bit of a gamble.
Then again, considering what usually happened after dinner, having them respect me—even a little—was highly desirable. I had no intention of putting an end to my wicked behavior. No, that wasn't right. It wasn't wicked—it was an act of love.
As proof of that love, I woke up the next morning feeling perfectly refreshed. Ever since Miria had joined us, my mornings had been excellent. I felt crisp and clear the moment I opened my eyes. I suspected that falling into a deep sleep while enveloped in a sense of pleasant fatigue and satisfaction was the key. I slept soundly and woke up feeling entirely recharged.
When it had just been Roxanne and Sherry, I never really felt exhausted. But with Miria making us a party of four, there was a perfect balance of weariness and fulfillment. It wasn't that I was running out of stamina, though. If things got dire, I still had my Sex Fiend job. I was honestly a bit surprised by my own endurance.
I gave Miria one final kiss before getting out of bed. It was still a stiff, slightly awkward kiss, but it had its own charm. I enjoyed the way Roxanne would entangle her tongue intensely with mine, and the way Sherry moved hers slowly and gently to caress me. With three of them, I could enjoy three distinct styles.
After getting dressed, we warped to the Halber 12th Floor.
"You should be somewhat used to the routine after yesterday. Today, Miria, I want you to step forward and fight a bit. Don't push yourself too hard. I just want you to get comfortable with the rhythm of combat."
From today onward, Miria would join the front line. Her Diver job had reached Level 10—double digits at last. It was time to see what she could do.
The three of them lined up at the front. Roxanne took the center, with Sherry on the left and Miria on the right. We met the monsters in that formation. Battles on the Halber 12th Floor didn't last long when I utilized Wind Magic. Even if Miria took a hit, we could likely kill the enemy before they could follow up with a second attack.
I watched their progress as we hunted for a while. It seemed fine; Miria wasn't being targeted often. In fact, I was the first one to take a hit today. While fighting with Durandal, I was struck by a Grass Bee's body slam.
When I used Durandal, the fights turned into chaotic brawls and lasted longer, so it was bound to happen eventually. Or so I told myself.
I needed to keep the Plating skill active on Miria at all times, which meant I couldn't unequip Alchemist. Balancing my other skills required me to seal my Warrior job instead. Without the Rush skill, I had to rely on normal attacks to kill the Grass Bees, which slowed things down.
Even so, I noticed I was killing them faster with Durandal than I had before Miria joined. The reason was likely the significant jump in Miria's Diver level. At first, it took five normal swings to kill a bee, but then it started taking only four. I initially thought I’d miscounted, but soon I was consistently dropping them in four hits.
My strength hadn't spiked suddenly. It had increased gradually between yesterday and today. The most logical explanation was Miria's Diver level. The job provided a "Strength Increase (Small)" effect. It seemed that job bonuses didn't just boost the user’s stats, but applied to the entire party.
It stood to reason that the Diver's strength boost was helping me, and that the value of the bonus scaled with her level. As she leveled up, I became capable of dispatching Grass Bees more efficiently. This meant that as long as the rest of the party was high-level, we could carry a single low-level member without much trouble.
I decided to run a confirmation test. It was a bit risky, but I switched Miria’s job to Villager Lv 5. I told her to just watch, then engaged a Grass Bee. It took exactly five hits to kill it.
There was no doubt about it: the four-hit kills were thanks to Miria.
When fighting with Durandal, Roxanne and I held the front. I had Miria poke at the enemies with her spear from behind us. Sherry moved between the front and back lines depending on the number of monsters. Comparatively, I spent more time in the thick of it than Miria did. It was only natural that I’d be hit first.
I chose not to think about the person who spent the most time on the front line of all. Even Roxanne took a hit this morning. Being in the center increased the frequency of attacks. Therefore, it was only logical that I, who often stood in the center when using Durandal, would be targeted.
It was unavoidable. Simply a matter of fate. I was... being forced to take those hits.
It was much later when Miria finally took an attack from a Grass Bee. We were facing four of them at once, and she couldn't dodge everything, eventually taking a body slam. Even with Roxanne handling the two in the middle, they would occasionally harass the flanks. Since the fight required keeping an eye on multiple enemies, reactions to the one directly in front could be delayed. I understood the feeling all too well. They had caught her off guard.
I finished off the swarm with a final Breeze Storm, then applied First Aid and reapplied Plating to her.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, desu."
She seemed fine. She had Plating for protection, and even if she took a heavy blow, I had ways to heal her as long as it wasn't a one-hit kill. I worried the impact might shake her confidence, but she seemed unfazed. I was relieved to see she was willing to fight properly in the Labyrinth. Once she grew accustomed to combat and her level rose, she’d be able to handle the front line even without Plating.
Miria continued to participate in the battles without any further issues. Once we finished the day’s hunt, we spent the final hours of the evening on the Vale 6th Floor, slaughtering Naive Olives.
"Do you really need this much olive oil?" Roxanne asked. We were hunting so many that it had caught her attention. It was the final task of the day.
"Just a bit more."
I didn't stop until a full row of my Item Box was packed with oil. After that, we warped to the Quratar Adventurer Guild. Miria walked at the head of the group, brimming with excitement. Today was the day of the promised fish.
"Fish. Fish. Fish, desu."
She certainly hadn't forgotten. She made a beeline for the fish shop. I had other things I wanted to buy, but I realized there would be no peace until we got the fish first.
"Did you find a good one?"
"[Speaking in Barna...]"
"Roxlar, desu," Roxanne translated as Miria pointed a finger firmly at a specific pile.
"You've got a sharp eye, miss. The Masumodoki just came in. Freshly caught, meaty, and perfect for boiling or grilling."
So, Roxlar was the local name for Masumodoki. It looked like a fish similar to a trout, about twenty centimeters long. That would do nicely.
"I’ll take four of them."
"Coming right up!"
"Thank you as always. For four of 'em, I’ll give you a special price of twenty-eight Nahl."
A thirty percent discount on fish that usually cost ten Nahl each. Fish weren't actually that expensive, it seemed. I paid the merchant, and Miria was the one to receive the goods. The old explorer wrapped the four fish in papyrus and handed them over. They looked a bit cumbersome for her to carry, but since she clearly wanted to, I let her.
"Miria and I will handle the main fish dish, so Roxanne and Sherry, you two take care of the rest."
"Understood. Sherry, what should we do for soup?"
"Let's see... I'll prepare the soup today."
We left the fish shop and went to gather other ingredients.
"The fish shop really didn't have anything but fish, did it?" I remarked.
"That's true."
"The sea is quite far from here, after all," Sherry added.
She was likely right. I knew there were many cultures that didn't eat things like octopus, so it wouldn't be surprising if people here avoided certain seafood too.
"Miria, do you like seafood other than fish?"
"She says she prefers fish," Roxanne translated.
"I see."
"She mentions she's eaten shrimp and crab before when they were caught in the nets."
So shrimp and crab did exist here. I just hadn't seen them yet. They probably weren't sold this far inland.
"What about shellfish?"
"I don't think anyone dislikes shellfish," Roxanne replied unexpectedly.
"Really?" I asked Sherry while Roxanne was still translating for Miria.
"Well... ordinary shellfish aren't edible. The only ones we can eat are the ingredients left behind by monsters in the Labyrinth."
"Oh, I see."
That was news to me. I had never seen shellfish for sale.
"Shellfish from the Labyrinth are considered a delicacy. However, the drops are usually quite small, so they're very expensive. Most people only eat them on holidays or special occasions."
Holidays were likely the breaks between the ninety-day seasons in this world's calendar. So, shellfish were a luxury for special days.
"Miria says she's never had them. I've only ever eaten Hamaguri once myself. It was delicious."
Even Roxanne had only tried them once. They must be something special.
"Hamaguri, huh? If that shop sells them, should we buy some for everyone?" I asked. If they were available, it meant the fishmonger handled more than just fish.
"Oh, please, I didn't say it because I wanted you to buy them!"
"I know, I know."
"Shellfish should be available at the fish shop. If we find any on the upper floors, we can sell them there as well," Sherry informed me, giving me a useful tip in the process.
"I see. Once we're strong enough to reach the higher floors, we can gather them ourselves. We're already fighting in the Labyrinth, so we can just wait until then to eat our fill."
"That sounds like a good plan. Miria says that as long as she has fish, she's perfectly happy."
I didn't doubt her for a second.
After picking up bread, vegetables, and eggs, we made a final stop at the hardware shop that had helped us with our house. I needed to buy a pan.
"Miria, is there any specific cooking tool you want to use?"
"She says she'd like this flat pan."
Roxanne translated as Miria brought over a shallow, flat-bottomed pan with two handles on the sides—perfect for something like paella. We didn't have anything like it at home.
"This one?"
"She says that with this pan, she can make wonderful fish dishes."
She really was single-minded about her fish. I needed to buy something to trigger the discount anyway, so this was fine. I bought a deep pot for myself and the flat pan for her. Since the hardware shop was near the guild, we walked back and warped home.
"Miria, can you clean the fish?" I asked once we were in the kitchen.
She set to work immediately without needing Roxanne to translate. She was remarkably fast at learning Brahim words when they were related to fish.
While she worked, I boiled some water for eggs. Before the eggs were even done, the fish was ready. Miria brought the fillets over on a cutting board.
"Yes, desu."
"You should say 'Deki-ta' (It's done). Deki-ta."
"Deki-ta, desu."
I took the fillets. There were eight in total, and she had even removed the skin. They looked plump and delicious.
"Next, squeeze these lemons for me."
"Yes, desu."
She had done this before, so she understood the instruction perfectly. I finely chopped some vegetables I’d boiled with the eggs, then combined them with the mayonnaise I’d made yesterday, the mashed boiled eggs, and the lemon juice. The tartar sauce was complete.
"Alright, next we need to crush the bread. Tear it into tiny pieces like this."
I began shredding some bread in front of Miria and Roxanne.
"Oh, breadcrumbs," Roxanne noted.
"You have those here?"
"When we can't afford cheese, we sprinkle those on top instead."
"...I see. Well, Miria, I'll leave the rest to you."
It felt a bit depressing to hear breadcrumbs described as a poor man's cheese. I left the shredding to Miria and got to work.
I poured a generous amount of olive oil into the new pan and heated it. I seasoned the fish with salt and pepper, dredged them in flour, dipped them in beaten egg, coated them in breadcrumbs, and fried them. Once they were golden, I topped them with the tartar sauce. The fish fry was complete. I was going to show them that breadcrumbs were far more than just a poor man's cheese substitute.
Since I was deep-frying, there was very little room for error. The only variable was the fish itself, but it looked fine. Miria was staring at the stove with intense longing.
When the meal started, Miria immediately dove into her fish fry. Her eyes went wide as she stuffed her mouth.
"O-o-o-oishii, desu!"
She definitely liked it. I tried a piece myself. It was quite good; the acidity of the tartar sauce paired perfectly with the fried fish.
"It's delicious! I've never eaten anything like this."
"Neither have I," Roxanne added.
"This is an excellent way to cook fish," Sherry noted.
"I’d expect nothing less from Master."
It seemed Roxanne and Sherry were equally satisfied. Miria polished off two large pieces in the blink of an eye, then looked down at her empty plate dejectedly.
"Do you want one of mine?" I asked.
"Thank you, desu!"
She snatched the piece from me instantly. She then proceeded to "liberate" a piece each from Roxanne and Sherry as well. I suppose she had officially been accepted as a comrade who shares in the bounty of fish.
Fried food didn't seem to exist in this world, but I had proven I could make it without issue. Feeling bold, I ended up making pork cutlets the following morning. It was a heavy, meaty meal for breakfast, but since we only ate twice a day here, it wasn't a problem.
Eating tonkatsu for the first time in ages was a dream. The pork belly I’d gotten from the 13th Floor of Tale was excellent. Even without proper tonkatsu sauce, it was delicious.
For a brief moment, it made me miss Japan.