Chapter 2032: Traveling News

Outside the Guild, Veshara stretched both arms above her head, enjoying the pull through her shoulders after sitting in that ungrateful old man’s office.

A pair of dragonkin guards were coming down the street. They spotted her beside the entrance and straightened before saluting Veshara.

She smiled at them.

"Working hard?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Wonderful. Keep it up~"

Their boots continued down the paving while she lowered her arms, watching them go with a thoughtful hum.

"Hmm..."

She ought to be doing that too. Working. There were ships at the harbor, men awaiting their assignments, and probably someone somewhere doing something they shouldn’t.

She missed her proper command. Leading one of Sarthal’s elite combat companies had suited her far better than listening to merchants argue about cargo.

That posting had ended after she’d suggested that her superior retire.

She’d called him a cowardly old man while doing so, yes, but someone willing to fight ought to have his position. What was wrong with saying it?

Her superior had answered by sentencing her to a year of harbor duty.

Veshara still held her captain’s rank. Her elite company, however, had been handed to someone else while she supervised arriving ships and guards who spent their days checking crates.

’Hmph. He should’ve thanked me.’

Black had finally given her something interesting to do. Unfortunately, he’d made his feelings about her company rather clear.

"I really should go back... and work... ugh..."

Veshara looked toward the harbor, then along the much more inviting street leading away from it.

"Hmm..."

Perhaps there was an excellent reason for a captain to take the longer route. Something requiring her personal attention. She searched the passing crowd with renewed diligence, hoping somebody would provide one.

A merchant was arguing over a delivery. Children chased each other around a fountain. The patrol passed a woman carrying a basket, who thanked the guards when they moved aside for her.

Everyone was behaving themselves.

How inconsiderate.

Her hand found the purse at her belt, and the cheerful street began to look considerably less cheerful.

Black had taken her money. His dogkin had taken her money. If that wasn’t enough... Her Majesty had decided that a fine would help her reflect upon her foul personality.

"Muu..."

Her golden eyes grew wet.

’I reflected when I paid the first time...’

Apparently that hadn’t been enough reflection.

Now she was poor, scolded, and expected to return to work with a pleasant attitude. The Guildmaster had even thrown her out while she was confiding in him about her maiden heart.

"Cruel people..."

"Did you hear? Adventurer Black’s looking for a house."

Veshara’s hand left her purse.

Two women had stopped beside the Guild steps, one carrying a wrapped loaf while the other peered through the open doors.

"Here in Sarthal?"

"Where else? My sister saw him at a property agency. Brought all those pretty women with him."

"Oh, that poor agent. Imagine finding somewhere that pleases the whole lot."

"I’d start with a very big bed."

They laughed together. Veshara was already turning toward them, her financial troubles forgotten.

A house?

He’d barely arrived in Sarthal! How had he earned enough to start shopping for a home already?

Then she remembered his account of taking his wives abroad, with a company of female bodyguards accompanying them. Some foreign lord enjoying his honeymoon, supposedly. Perhaps a prince, considering how thoroughly accustomed he was to getting his own way.

Her mouth fell open.

’And he still made me pay him!’

She’d emptied her purse into the hands of a rich man who was now taking his beautiful wives out to buy a vacation mansion.

"How could you..."

The woman holding the bread glanced toward her. Veshara gave her a lovely smile before looking up the street again.

What was wrong with the inn, anyway? It was a perfectly respectable establishment. Spacious rooms, good service, a private dining room where a man could sit with his family...

Through whose floor she’d driven him.

"Ah. Right."

There had also been the roof.

"...Oops."

The bread-carrying woman had begun edging closer to her friend when Veshara turned back toward them.

"Ladies, could you tell me which agency your sister meant?"

"The one up that way, Captain. With the green sign. They’d already left to look at a place along the next street."

"How helpful of you. Thank you~"

Veshara set off in the direction she’d been shown, her copper tail swinging happily behind her. After a few steps, a pleased little laugh escaped her, and she skipped over a gap in the paving with the carefree delight of a maiden on her way to meet someone special.

...

Quinlan waited beside the front door of the first house while their property agent tried another key.

His women were discussing where they’d sit on the balcony above the entrance. Kitsara had already made her choice.

"On Hubby’s lap, presumably," Vex muttered.

"You know me so well~"

"It must have been very difficult to guess," Ayame sighed.

The agent glanced back at them, caught the red glow of his helmet, and promptly returned to the lock.

"My apologies. The owner keeps all the keys together."

"Take your time."

Every time the agent answered a question, another gorgeous face appeared beside Quinlan to ask something else.

His girls were enjoying themselves enormously. They were finally looking for a home here, somewhere they could arrange to their liking and have room for everyone.

"Miss Agent?"

The dogkin beside her spoke so sweetly that the woman stopped struggling with the keys.

"Yes, my lady?"

"Blossom would really like somewhere the smells aren’t so overwhelming!"

She pointed at her own nose, wrinkling it for the woman’s benefit.

"This one is very sensitive!"

"Oh. Of course. We can look farther from the market."

"So, away from the poor people?" Kitsara asked, her voice full of interest. "Since when have you become so discriminating, Blossom?"

"Wha-?!"

The dogkin spun toward her.

"Blossom didn’t say that!"

"You want a lovely house where the common folk’s nasty stench can’t reach your nostrils."

"Blossom just can’t rest with so many smells around her! There’s rotting fish over there, somebody’s burning their lunch, and that cart is leaking beer!"

"Eh?!" The driver jumped off the cart. After a quick inspection, he saluted Blossom. "Thank you, miss! You saved me!"

"Welcome..." she replied, nose scrunched, then turned back to Kitsara with her ears flattened.

"Blossom likes sleeping!"

"A very good excuse. I, too, prefer to live away from the stinking homeless. Nothing to be ashamed of."

"It’s the truth!!"

The agent laughed before catching herself. She pressed her lips together, but Blossom’s wounded look toward Quinlan made the effort hopeless.

"I’m sorry, my lady. I understand. I wouldn’t want to sleep beside the fish market either, and I don’t have a dogkin’s powerful nose."

"!!" Blossom beamed at her, then turned that newly vindicated smile upon Kitsara. "Miss Agent understands Blossom!"

"Your husband’s money will buy you a wonderful nose-friendly mansion."

"It will," Quinlan agreed, rubbing the dogkin’s head as she came to stand beside him. "Could we favor the quieter streets?"

"Certainly, sir. There’s another with private grounds, well away from the market."

She put the keys away and led them back down the steps.