"Who was the mage that built this house? Recommend her to me.
I want to hire her to build my palace too."
"Hold it. That is the first convincing thing you have said all day."
Kabe stopped Irene just as she was about to tell Selene who Levy was, then turned to Selene with a dark expression.
"A palace? You are joking, right? You seriously want to build a palace in Magnolia?
Let me remind you, land in this town is not cheap.
Even if you buy empty land outside the town, enough space to build a palace would still cost an astronomical amount."
Kabe did not say it outright, but his meaning was obvious enough.
'You useless dragon who spent four hundred years rotting away on the northern continent... do you even have that kind of money?'
In response, Selene only gave a meaningful little grin.
"And who said I was planning to buy some worthless patch of land outside town? Before coming here, I thoroughly investigated the area around Magnolia.
After looking everywhere, the only place that barely meets my standards is Hosenka Village, right beside the town."
Hosenka town?!
Irene, who had only just arrived, might not know that place well, but Kabe knew it perfectly.
It was a village under Magnolia's jurisdiction, bought at great expense by a certain duke and transformed into an Eastern-style hot spring district.
Now it had long since become one of Magnolia's more popular tourist spots. In the past, after finishing missions, Kabe himself had often gone there for a soak in the springs or a massage.
Given the hot spring town and Selene's own love of kimono and baths, Kabe immediately understood why she had fallen for that place at first sight.
And precisely because he understood, he became even more speechless.
"Hey, hey, that place belongs to a duke. He put a huge amount of money into that whole area.
If you want to take it, you will need an absurd amount of money. Or are you planning to threaten him with force?
Let me make this clear in advance, I do not want to see a request to subjugate you posted on the guild board."
"What kind of dragon do you take me for? I have observed human society for many years. Naturally, I understand human rules."
Selene looked displeased that Kabe would assume such a thing. As for how to obtain Hosenka Village, she had clearly already made her plans.
"In the end, it is only a matter of how much money is needed.
And luckily for me, money is the one thing I have never lacked."
As a dragon who had lived for over four hundred years and who adored luxurious human lifestyles, Selene had absolutely no shortage of wealth with which to command humans and make her own life better.
She casually lifted a hand, and in the next instant, a gold ingot as thick as an adult's forearm appeared in her palm.
The moment it appeared, both Kabe and Brandish were instantly drawn to it.
"My power allows me to move through countless different worlds.
Whether it is buying and selling goods between them, or exploiting the rich resources of ownerless worlds, it all lets me gather endless amounts of wealth with ease."
Selene proudly shared the source of her fortune.
After hearing that, Kabe's whole face changed.
'What the hell, are you some kind of interdimensional merchant?!
A cheat like that is supposed to be the exclusive privilege of a transmigrator like me!
This is way too broken!!'
The thought that Selene had countless other worlds behind her, all waiting to be squeezed for money, made Kabe so jealous his teeth practically began grinding.
And compared to Kabe, who was merely envious, Brandish was even more direct. She immediately dropped to her knees and hugged Selene's thigh.
"Lady Selene, do you still need muscle? Please look at me. How do I seem to you?"
Looking down at Brandish's "sincere" eyes, Selene smiled and patted her little head.
"Your magic power is quite good. Among humans, you would already count as exceptional.
Very well. I accept you as one of my fighters."
"I swear my life in service to you, my lady!!"
Watching Brandish, who only a few days ago had begged for him to keep her, now throwing herself into Selene's embrace instead, Kabe spat inwardly and cursed her as a gold-digger.
But just as Brandish switched camps, Irene followed up by speaking as well.
"The ability to move freely between worlds really is enviable.
But if you want to develop them efficiently, you will still need quite a lot of manpower."
As she said that, she casually cast Enchantment Magic on a wineglass sitting on the coffee table.
In the next moment, under Selene's astonished gaze, the wineglass transformed into a tall, slender beauty.
The moment she appeared, the woman dropped to one knee before Irene and offered her loyalty.
"It is my greatest honor to serve you, my master."