Chapter 67

The next day, after efficiently cutting out the materials for the bed and door, we started assembling them. Since I had already prepared hinges and nails from before, we saved a lot of time. It's true that being prepared prevents worry. I left the bed to Sermya and Rike, while Dianna and I worked on the door. Since it's for her own room, I wanted her to put some effort into it.

Even Dianna, who had never done carpentry before, learned as we worked. I didn't want the door to be crooked and not fit, so I did that part, but the rest was mostly done by Dianna. Perhaps because she was used to wielding a sword, she handled the hammer quite well for a first-timer.

"This is kind of fun," she said.

"Doing it alone might get boring halfway through, but working together on something like this is pretty good, right?"

"Yeah, I quite like it."

"Sometimes we have to do this kind of work. Do you think you can handle it?"

"Of course. If I couldn't handle something this simple, I wouldn't have come here in the first place."

Dianna smiled.

"That's for sure."

I laughed along with her.

The bed, which Sermya and Rike had made before, was completed before the door.

"Hey, can you bring it in?"

"Got it. Which room should we put it in?"

Sermya asked Dianna.

"Sure, that one is fine."

"Alright, let's go, Rike."

"Okay, Sermya, you take that side."

Since Sermya is a beastman and Rike is a dwarf, they are quite strong. They easily lifted and carried the bed.

"Alright, let's finish the door now."

"Got it."

After a while, the door was completed. It turned out pretty well.

"Good job."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Getting the boards to fit without gaps is actually quite difficult."

"I'm glad. I was worried it might not be usable."

"I wouldn't let you make such a mistake."

"You're right."

"Don't worry, it's a good job, no flattery. Let's go install it."

Although Dianna isn't as strong as Sermya and Rike, she is still quite strong. Dianna and I carried the door, and I installed it. The installation was quick, and with the bed already in place, Dianna's room was complete.

"From today, this is Dianna's room. I know it's much smaller than the mansion."

"That's fine. Since coming here, I've realized I don't need as much space as I thought."

"I see."

Dianna tries to adapt to this life in every way. She was already somewhat adapted when she first came, but back then, she was still half a guest. It's nice that she's making this effort.

"Now we're really a family!" Rike smiled at Dianna.

"Yes, nice to meet you again, Rike. Nice to meet you again, Sermya."

"Sure thing. Well, at least the food is guaranteed to be delicious."

Sermya puffed out his chest, but I'm the one who cooks. If they like my cooking, that's fine.

After that, we moved Dianna's belongings from the guest room to her new room, completing it.

The next day, we went to deliver goods to Camillo. This is the first time we're going to town with Dianna, as she couldn't go before. Rike and I pulled the cart, while Sermya and Dianna kept watch. Our pace was the same as usual. Occasionally, we saw rabbits and other small animals, which made Dianna excited. They are cute, after all. I hope they don't become a problem when we eat them later. We took a short break and then reached the road.

"Anything out there? I don't think so."

"I don't feel anything either. How about you, Dianna?"

"Me neither."

Just to be safe, we checked when we came out of the forest. It's good that there's nothing this time.

"Alright, let's go."

We pulled the cart down the road. We've traveled this path many times, but today feels a bit fresh with Dianna here. The city guards are diligent, so we can't completely let our guard down, but the risk of bandits is low. It would be nice if Marius' absence could be compensated with more manpower, but that's beyond our control. If there's something we can do to help, we should try.

As expected, we arrived in town without any issues. The guard on duty wasn't Marius' colleague, so we just nodded and passed by. But the guard called out to us.

"Hey, you've got one more person?"

He remembers us well, even though many people pass through here every day.

"Yeah, that's right."

"You must be quite popular. I'm jealous, handsome guy."

"No, it's not like that."

"Can I see the new girl's eyes and wrists?"

"Sure."

The guard looked at Dianna's eyes and wrists.

"Sorry about that. You can tell if someone is a slave or has been kidnapped by looking at their eyes and wrists. I can't tell you exactly what to look for, but thanks for your cooperation. You can go in."

"Thanks."

We bowed and entered the town. Seeing various people, I guess they develop skills like that. It's not a skill I'd be happy to have, but he must have gone through a lot.

We headed to Camillo's shop as usual. After putting the cart in the warehouse, we went upstairs. The staff and the manager were used to us, so we were quickly led to the negotiation room. It seemed like there were more people in the warehouse and among the staff.

Camillo entered the negotiation room shortly after.

"Hey."

My greeting was casual. Camillo noticed Dianna and said,

"Hey, that's right, Dianna is with you now."

"Yeah. You guys really like doing things that way, don't you?"

"Didn't you know?"

"I did, but still. By the way, you've got a lot more people."

"Yeah, thanks to increased profits. When you deal with the noble family, you need a small shop in the city, not just a warehouse in the capital."

It's like having a Tokyo office for an Osaka headquarters. Opening a large store with a warehouse in the capital now would be a big task, but as long as it functions as a store, it should be manageable.

"I see, that's good."

"Right? So, do you want the usual today?"

"Ah, this time, if you have two sets of firewater and bedding, I'd like those too."

"Sure, I've got them. Payment as usual, right?"

"Yep. Thanks."

I nodded, and Camillo looked at the manager. The manager nodded and left the room. While the goods were being loaded, Camillo and I talked about our time in the capital. Sermya and Rike listened with interest to the parts of the story they hadn't heard before, including some details Dianna didn't know.