Lina explained the troubles of becoming a noble to Sally, but Sally still couldn't understand, leaving Lina utterly exhausted.
Lina had taken Lani back into her arms, clearly seeking a bit of emotional healing.
"Sally, the guild master wants to meet you."
Jessica appeared, calling out to Sally.
I was a little surprised she was still wearing her uniform—she was supposed to have handed in her resignation yesterday so she could get married.
"Huh!? Jessica, how's Dad's mood?"
The moment Sally heard that Dex was calling for her, she slapped both hands on the table and shot to her feet, her face going pale.
And the first thing she asked… was about his mood.
It instantly told me Sally must make Dex angry very often.
"Super good."
"…I did something wrong, didn't I? It's not just good, it's super good… I-I-I-I'm d-done for…!"
Sally looked absolutely doomed. Her ponytail was trembling—clear proof that she was genuinely terrified.
What exactly did Dex do to her for her to have such trauma?
Where was the father-daughter trust? Why was her first reaction fear of punishment instead of wondering if it might be good news?
"Stop stalling. Go."
Jessica shoved her forward. Sally resisted, pleading.
"Jessica, save me…"
"You need to learn to be strong. Go, and don't come back."
With a firm push, Jessica sent her on her way.
"No…"
Sally trudged toward Dex's office like someone dragging a heavy chain, head down, moving inch by painful inch. She kept glancing back, hoping Jessica would rescue her.
Once their exchange was clearly over, I took the chance to ask Jessica something that had been on my mind.
"Ms. Jessica, didn't you resign?"
"Oh, our great hero~"
She practically sang the words. "The Guildmaster said I can only leave after I find a replacement."
She was teasing me—obviously.
"Please don't make fun of us. If you're looking for a replacement… what do you think about Lina?"
This was the idea that occurred to me yesterday when I saw Lina and Jessica talking alone.
It was also the thing I discussed with Dex earlier—letting Lina work here so she could stay in the capital.
"K-Karen!?"
Lina looked utterly shocked, panicking like she thought I was selling her off.
"I think Miss Lina is fully capable of doing the job. I asked her yesterday, but she refused."
So that's what they talked about yesterday.
Good—this made things easier to bring up now.
"Lina, we don't have to be adventurers anymore. Why not consider it?"
We only became adventurers to earn money.
But now we had a home, and a magic tool that let us enter any dungeon level freely—we didn't have to worry about money ever again.
"…Karen, do you want me to work at the guild?"
She looked up at me, eyes full of reluctance.
And I… pretended not to notice.
"Of course."
The moment she heard that, the light vanished from Lina's eyes.
Her head slowly lowered, and she spoke in a cold, flat voice.
"I think we need to talk."
Oh no! A domestic crisis. I'd acted on my own without talking to Lina first.
What was she going to do to me later? Just imagining it made me want to cry.
But we couldn't have that conversation in public.
"…Fine. Let's eat first."
"Mm."
"Well then, our hero, I'll be heading off."
Sensing danger in the air, Jessica quickly retreated.
We then spent a very quiet, very awkward lunch together.
At some point, Lani woke up as well.
We finally arrived at our new home—just a seven-minute walk from the Adventurers' Guild. But the entire way there, every time I tried to talk to Lina, she completely ignored me. My heart was about to shatter.
I opened the front door. It must've been abandoned for quite some time; weeds had taken over so thoroughly that it felt like we had wandered into a forest. The house itself was tall and wide, roughly three stories high and as area as a football field.
Then I felt a tug on my sleeve. Lina finally spoke.
"Karen, tell me the reason."
When I turned around, Lina's face showed nothing but displeasure and confusion. I took a deep breath and explained.
"There isn't really a special reason. It's just… once things settle down, we'll have too much free time. If we don't find something to do, we'll get lazier and lazier."
"Will we?"
"We will. A lot of things won't take much time anymore. Life will get too relaxed."
In my mind, I pictured the convenient home appliances I planned to install here. With them, Lina would be able to take care of Lani without any stress. And with the stone golems managing the fields and livestock, I would only need to handle delicate tasks. Life would become so easy.
But then our afternoons would become empty—too empty. We would start floating through our days without purpose. That wouldn't do. I needed to take over the housework so Lina would have something meaningful to do outside.
"I see."
"So, could you work at the guild? I'll handle everything at home and take care of Lani. I'll also pick you up and walk you home every day. When I'm free, I'll just wait for you at the Guild."
I didn't want Lina walking alone—someone would definitely hit on her. Suddenly, I felt anxious imagining what might happen if I wasn't around.
And when the King eventually found out I was the Hero, I'd negotiate with him using a few rare items to secure Lina's right to self-defense.
After thinking for a moment, Lina replied.
"…Alright. I'll do it. But will the Guild Master agree?"
"I already asked. He's happy to have you."
"Do I start tomorrow?"
"No, take care of Lani first. Once I finish rebuilding the house, just a few days, you can start."
"Mm."
Our house didn't need to be overly large. I had plenty of manpower, and once I enhanced my speed, construction would go quickly.
Time to summon my demolition team—my ancient earth-elemental magic: "Dummy." The stone golems would handle tearing the place down and clearing the vegetation.
After giving them their orders, we headed into the dungeon. Today, we had to design the house and collect materials.
First, we went to the Commercial District for building tools. Then the Construction District, where we grabbed as many materials as we wanted. Next, the Industrial District for batteries and solar panels.
Finally, in the Residential District, we struggled to design the layout. We would stay the night there, but before that…
"Karen, you made decisions without discussing them with me today. You need to meet my demands."
Lina had found her opportunity. If I didn't act now, she would absolutely demand that. I quickly declared:
"Anything except sleeping together."
"Uuu… You always decide things without asking me… you always decide things without asking me…"
Lina lowered her head, fake-crying in the cutest way possible, repeating the same complaint over and over. Guilt ate at me. Once Lina caught a weakness, I was doomed. I could never resist her when she acted spoiled—because she was Lina.
"…Fine. I'll agree to all your demands."
Instantly, Lina's eyes lit up.
"Then I want you to hold me while I sleep!"
"That's too much!"
I couldn't handle sleeping while holding Lina—too much pressure, I'd never fall asleep. But Lina started fake-crying again, tugging at my sleeve, looking painfully pitiful.
"You said you'd accept everything…"
I sighed and scratched my head, utterly defeated.
"Okay, okay, I'll do it. I'll hold you while we sleep tonight."
The moment she got my answer, she scooped up Lani—who had been toddling around the floor like a curious little creature.
"Yeah! Lani, come on! Let's go get washed up!"
"Yaa!"
Lina carried Lani off to the bathroom. She would definitely take a long time. She even used the words "get washed up" in that cutesy tone—I could practically hear her excitement.
After I washed up too, I lay down on the bed, opened my arm so Lina could rest on it, then turned sideways and wrapped my other arm around her waist. Perfect.
This time, Lina didn't face me as usual. She lay with her back toward me so she could hold Lani. Even so, she pulled my arm tighter, pressing her back close to me. Her scent drifted over—soft, warm, addictive.
I thought I wouldn't be able to sleep, but before I knew it, my eyes slid shut. I must've been more tired than I realized.
"Lina, Lani, good night."
"Good night, Karen. Good night, little Lani."