Chapter 17: The Problem Of Where To Sleep


TL: Scaramochi


***


I poured myself a glass of sake that I had just bought.


It had been a long time since I needed a drink to calm my frayed nerves after a day in the dungeon.


The fresh aroma tickled my nose as I sipped it.


I offered a drink to Gina, who was sitting across from me.


"Once again. This girl here is Tiana, who works for me."


Somehow the word "slave" seemed too harsh, so I rephrased it.


"And this woman here is Gina, the mage that dived in the dungeon with me yesterday."


Tiana, with her head bowed, raised her voice.


"So, this is the person to whom Master gave away the antidote is.......?"


"Yes. It was me. Thanks for saving my life."


Tiana, bowing her head, drops back into the kitchen and brings in some nuts roasted empty with salt and sets them down.


Then she went to a corner of the room and began tinkling and needlework.


I poured a drink into my own empty glass and turned to Gina.


"But it was a disaster."


"Yes, it was."


"They're the vanguard, but they're the one who gets bitten by snakes because they're too lazy to raise their helmet. If they had done their job properly, a snake would have been no big deal."


"Well, I got bitten too."


"Yeah, but that's no matter."


Gina straightened her residence and bowed her head.


"Thank you for giving away the antidote."


"What so sudden. After all this time?"


"I went to the temple to have the wound looked at because it hurt afterwards, and they said that if I hadn't taken the antidote, I would have been in danger. They think that because the bite was on my torso, the venom would have spread quickly."


Gina fiddles with the glass in front of her.


"I'm sorry it's come to this, but I'm going to pay you back as soon as I can."


I took a drink, chewed on a nut, and shrugged.


I guess she have the will, but it's not easy to earn a living as a clunky mage.


"Don't worry, I have income from teaching letters and magic."


"Heh."


"You don't believe me? I make a little over a dozen silver coins a month, you know."


I was honestly surprised.


I stirred the cup I was sipping from.


"So, you were really going to pay the money back?"


"Of course."


"You don't seem very wealthy for that."


Gina sighs.


"It costs money to be a mage. I have to get scrolls to learn new spells, but they're not that easy to get."


"And it doesn't help if the spells are from incompatible strains, right?"


She glared at me when I mixed it up, but quickly relaxed her sternness.


"Well, you're right. Even if I'm good at cold spells around here, but it won't help me much."


"Maybe if you go to the Ghana region or something, you'll be useful?"


"It's not that easy. I can't just go to the Ghana region and be useful, can I?"


I see. It's a hard life in any industry, isn't it?


I suddenly felt a gaze and turned to see Tiana staring at me.


When her gaze met mine, she dropped her eyes and began to move the needle.


I downed the rest of my drink and stretching my body.


What's that? There's hardly any sake left, even though I just bought it today.


"Well, I'm tired, I think I'll go to bed."


I call out to Tiana, who hasn't stopped doing needlework.


"Hey. Let's go to bed."


"Yes. Good night."


"Hey, you're not going to bed?"


Tiana puts down the mending she has set up and lies down on the couch.


"You. What are you doing?"


"As expected, the bed is too small for the three of us, isn't it?"


"Huh?"


"Um. Master and Gina-sama are using the same beds, aren't they?"


"Hey, were you going to take advantage of someone's weakness and do something like that?"


Gina had a grim expression on her face.


Her eyes were sharp to begin with, so it was quite powerful.


She was reaching for the cane that had been placed behind her.


"Tiana. Listen up. Gina's not sleeping in bed with me."


Tiana has a look of incomprehension on her face.


"Wouldn't you sleep better in bed?　I'm fine on the couch. It's much more comfortable than sleeping directly on the wooden floor."


"Oh, no, no, no, no. Come with me."


I took Tiana by the shoulders and led her into the bedroom.


I waved to Gina.


"Well, good night."


"Um. Uh. Sir?　I think it's rude to have a guest on the couch."


I close the bedroom door.


"You know what? We don't usually sleep in bed together."


"But I do sleep in bed with you, though, right?"


"That's......."


I search for words. But I stop trying to explain what it means for a man and a woman to sleep in bed together.


Tiana's innocent face dazzles me as she turns her head to look at me.


"It's because ...... it's because Tiana is special."


"I'm ...... special?"


There is a pause, and then a quick smile spreads across her face.


"Yes. I understand."


Tiana lies down on her bed hurriedly.


I activate the bedroom door trap just to be safe.


As I lay back down, Tiana asked me shyly.


"Can I ask you one question before we go to sleep?"


"What is it?"


"The woman who spoke to me is the wife of the man who was throwing Gina's luggage out with a scary look on his face. She said she felt sorry for Gina and was worried that she couldn't do something about it, so she was looking for someone to ask. Why would the husband of such a kind woman be the one to do such a terrible thing?"


"It's not like we're all nice people living together. It's not always about what other people think of you."


"......I agree. Because a bum like me can serves a fine person like Master."


"No, I'm not."


"Yes?"


"People must feel sorry for you, working for a b*stard like me."


"That's not true."


She raises her upper body and makes a clenched fist.


"Well. It just means that there are a lot of differences between the outside of the house and the inside, and there are things that the world doesn't know."


Lying down again, Tiana remained still, but suddenly let out a small voice.


"I don't care what other people say, Master is very special to me."



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