Chapter 46

After finishing her shopping, Aldis returned to the forest that same day and brought up the topic during dinner.

"From the two days I spent gathering information in the capital, it seems that the commotion over Nere's capture was solely the decision of the Duke of Tria. It appears that the information hasn't even reached the capital, and very few people knew about it. The Duke seems to be trying to cover up his mistake."

"Hmm, if that's the case, then I don't need to hide myself either."

Nere nodded in satisfaction.

"So, that means we can walk around the capital openly... However, I'm not really keen on staying in an inn or buying a house in the city."

"Why not?"

"No matter how much we try to hide it, the existence of Phia and Riana will eventually be discovered, just like in Tria. In that case, it might be safer to make this place our permanent home."

Of course, compared to living in the city, the danger from wild beasts would increase, but as long as Aldis and Nere were around, it wouldn't be a significant problem. It would be much easier to deal with than the hostility from the residents, which would be more difficult to handle.

"Besides, it would be better for these children to have an environment where they can go outside, rather than being confined indoors all the time."

Aldis and Nere's gaze fell on the twins. The sight of them eating large pieces of bread with both hands, nibbling away, gradually relaxed Aldis's heart.

"If my lord has decided, then I will follow."

Nere said this as a matter of course.

"Alright. Then let's start building a proper house tomorrow."

"Ouch, I want to help too!"

"Me too, I want to help!"

The twins opened their mouths, cheeks stuffed with bread, but only incomprehensible words came out.

The next morning, after finishing breakfast, Aldis and the others immediately began the construction of their new home.

"First, we need to clear the site. Nere, can you clear that area? Just pile the wood around here."

"Understood, my lord."

Nere, following the instructions, used magic to clear the area around the hut and burned the remaining stumps with high-temperature flames. Aldis cut the branches that were being piled up one by one and applied a drying process with magic. They should be dry in half a day.

Next, Nere used earth magic to dig up part of the cleared land, pouring magic into the soil to bake it into blocks of an appropriate size.

"My lord, is this good enough?"

"It's perfect."

After about an hour, they had secured enough land to build a house. It was about twice the size of the plot where they had lived in Tria.

"Alright, let's use the baked soil blocks as the main building material and cover the inside with the dried wood later. We'll have a living room, dining room, kitchen, and bathroom... Since we're at it, let's make a bath. We can use the excavated area as a basement for storage... and while we're at it, let's make a hidden room for emergencies... and a dummy storage room outside..."

While Aldis was deep in thought, the twins tugged on his clothes and spoke up.

"What about Aldis's room?"

"Aren't you going to make one?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'll make one. My room, Nere's room, and... should Phia and Riana have separate rooms?"

"I want to be with Aldis!"

"I want to be with Riana and the others!"

"Since we have enough space, why don't you have your own rooms?"

At this, a servant interjected.

"I don't mind sharing a room."

"No, that's a bit... inappropriate."

Aldis immediately frowned. It was fine to share a temporary hut, but Nere was a young woman, and it felt wrong for a girl who looked like she was seventeen or eighteen to share a room with a young man, even if she spoke like a man.

In the end, they decided to make separate rooms for Nere and the twins, whether they used them or not.

"Let's make it a single-story house to avoid drawing attention, and make the basement larger to compensate..."

"My lord, why don't we also build an oven for baking bread?"

Indeed, even if they went to the capital to buy supplies, buying bread in bulk each time would be cumbersome. It would be less trouble to stock up on ingredients and bake bread at home. It wouldn't be difficult to design the oven so that the smoke wouldn't draw attention.

"Can Nere bake bread?"

"That's no problem."

She was a surprisingly versatile woman.

"Alright, let's build it next to the kitchen."

After deciding on the basic layout, Aldis immediately began constructing the foundation. He shaped the surface of the excavated holes, poured magic into them, and baked them solid, dividing them into several rooms. He laid the blocks that would form the floor of the basement, covered them with soil, and then covered that with more blocks.

The main building material for the above-ground part was also the baked blocks. He stacked the blocks like bricks to form the walls and roof.

When they ran out of blocks, Aldis instructed Nere to get more soil. She brought a large amount of soil from a nearby location and started making blocks on her own. While pouring magic into the soil and baking it solid was Aldis's unique method, Nere managed to do it easily without any instruction. In terms of raw power, Aldis didn't feel he was inferior, but in terms of mystery, Nere was even more inscrutable than Aldis.

The first day's work ended there.

On the second day, they processed the dried wood to cover the floors, ceilings, and walls inside the house. The leftover wood was used to make furniture like tables and chairs, as well as doors for the entrance and each room.

They also set aside space within the plot for exercise and storage of firewood and lumber, and finally created a small garden near the house. Even though the twins could now go outside, they couldn't move freely in the forest or other cities, so Aldis thought it would be good for them to have a garden to alleviate their boredom.

"This is starting to take shape. From now on, this will be our home, not the hut."

"Are we moving in?"

"Right now?"

"Yeah, let's move our stuff from the hut. Can you two help?"

"Sure, Phia and the others will carry the clothes!"

"Then Riana and the others will carry the bread!"

The twins answered enthusiastically and ran to the hut.

After watching them go, Aldis took a look at the newly completed house. There were still many details to work on and many things they lacked, but he felt a small sense of satisfaction in having a place to settle down.

"Next, we need a bed, a fireplace, wood-cutting tools, and more cooking utensils. We also need to buy more household items, so I won't have time to work for a while... Money... I still have enough."

"My lord, if you lack anything, I have about sixty gold coins in reserve."

"No, those are your earnings, Nere."

It seemed that Nere had no intention of using her earnings for personal expenses. She would 'hold' her share from hunts and didn't seem to consider them her own property. Of course, she would make minimal expenses, but even then, it was just a few silver coins.

"I still have enough money. There's no need to use Nere's gold."

Aldis had over eighty gold coins. Without rent, they could live for several years.

"Tomorrow, I'll go to the capital to buy household items and bedding."

"What should I do?"

Since they had to leave the twins here, one of them needed to stay to protect them from wild beasts. If it came down to it, it would be better for Aldis to go out and leave Nere behind, considering the possibility that the Duke of Tria might be secretly searching for Nere, even if there was no official order.

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to stay and watch the house."

"Understood, my lord."

Nere bowed respectfully without showing any dissatisfaction.

Building a house outside the city and hiding the twins from prying eyes was only possible because they could leave the twins with Nere. If Aldis were alone, he would have to either take the twins with him, knowing the risks, or rent a house in the city as before.

Thanks to Nere, Aldis had the freedom to act. Though he didn't say it out loud, he was grateful for it.

"I'm leaving the house to you."

Instead of words of gratitude, he expressed his trust. Nere smiled in satisfaction when she heard this.