Chapter 19

Bathed in the pleasant morning sun, I gradually regained consciousness and woke up.

When I suddenly opened my eyes, there was Ferris’s face. She had been peering into mine.

Startled by my sudden awakening, Ferris quickly moved to the corner of the room as if fleeing.

"Ferris, good morning."

"…G…o…o…d m…o…r…n…i…n…g, T…o…y…a…"

Among the house spirits known for their lack of expression, Ferris seemed to have relaxed a little. Or maybe it was just my perception.

I don’t know if she felt embarrassed or disliked being stared at, but Ferris disappeared right away.

"At least you can greet me now…"

After getting dressed, I left the bedroom and headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast with the ingredients I bought from the market yesterday. I can’t rely on game-era items forever.

I took out some eggs and what looked like bacon and started frying them in a pan.

In this world, magic stoves are the norm, and this house is equipped with one. It uses a mineral that stores magic power, which can be reused, making it somewhat eco-friendly.

While thinking about this, I prepared the meal and carried it to the dining room.

Sitting alone at the table, I joined my hands in prayer before eating.

The adventurer guild’s currency exchange hasn’t been completed yet. I wanted to spend some time researching the city and the country.

"Ferris, are you there?"

Calling out in my room, Ferris naturally appeared.

"I’m going out today, but I plan to do some research for a while. I won’t be gone for more than a few days."

Ferris nodded, her cheeks slightly relaxed at my words.

After finishing breakfast, I spent time checking the contents of the dimensional storage.

Some items were recognizable by name, but their effects were unknown until I saw them. I didn’t remember everything in the storage.

...It was a good thing I had more than just the berserker equipment... Before that, can I even become a warrior?

While thinking about this, I familiarized myself with the contents.

By mid-morning, I headed to the commercial guild. I told Ferris I would be back by evening and asked her to take care of Kokuyou.

Entering the commercial guild, I found the young female sage, Sammy, already in a meeting with Natalie.

When she saw me, she smiled.

"Toya! Over here!"

"Good morning, Toya."

"Good morning, Natalie, Sammy."

Taking a seat, Sammy began her explanation.

"So, you’re transferring the ownership of that house to Toya, correct? I’ll bring the paperwork for the name change, please wait a moment."

Sammy left her seat, and Natalie placed four books on the table.

"This is the promised item. One of them... I don’t think you can use it yet..."

"Thank you. With this—"

"Here you are!"

While I was expressing my gratitude, Sammy returned with the paperwork.

"Please sign this. Additionally, as a handling fee for the name change, the commercial guild charges 50,000 gil."

Thinking it was similar to a real estate agent’s fee in Japan, I placed five silver coins on the table. Then, I signed the three contract documents with Natalie.

"From now on, the house is yours. Treat us to a feast at the house sometimes."

"...Maybe once in a while... I won’t bring out ‘that’ thing, though?"

"Mmm... No..."

Natalie seemed to still remember yesterday’s taste and was sulking.

Sammy, tilting her head at the exchange, continued her explanation.

"Here’s the handling fee. We will keep one of these documents at the commercial guild for building management purposes."

One of the three documents was kept by the commercial guild, and the other two were given to us. Sammy took the document and went back behind the counter, returning quickly.

"Name change procedures are now complete."

"Then, I’ll take my leave."

I stood up to leave, but Sammy stopped me.

"Toya, you still have some procedures to complete..."

I thought the name change was done and I hadn’t requested anything else, but I sat back down.

"Since you’ve purchased the house, you need to pay the property tax. It’s called land asset tax."

...Property tax... In Japan, I lived in a rental, so I never paid it, but I remember a colleague mentioning it when he bought a house.

Thinking it was inevitable, I nodded.

"Then, for this year, we need 2,000,000 gil."

"?! ...2,000,000 gil!? That’s so high..."

I was shocked and stood up involuntarily.

I can’t say I can’t pay it, but it feels too high. No... I don’t know the market, but for that house, it might be unavoidable...

"Most people are surprised, but for those maintaining a house of that size, it’s not a significant amount. Natalie has been paying it so far."

"That’s right. No one could live there, so no rent came in, and it was a continuous loss. But you were recognized by the house spirit, which was just in time."

Natalie smiled.

If I had rented, it would have been 150,000 gil per month, or 1,800,000 gil per year. But if I bought it, I had to pay 2,000,000 gil in taxes annually.

After some thought, I came to a conclusion.

"——I’ve been tricked..."

With my shoulders slumped, Sammy added another blow.

"If you want to sell, a house with a house spirit can only be sold if the house spirit approves. In Natalie’s case... well, she contracted it a long time ago, when such regulations didn’t exist."

For decades, the house had no recognized owner until it was finally approved by the house spirit.

It was hard to imagine finding a new owner easily.

Moreover, I liked Ferris.

I gave up and placed two gold coins on the table.

Thank you.