Leon glanced at Jeanne's delicate little face, which betrayed not a ripple of emotion, then raised an eyebrow and shot back without a hint of guilt.
"How is that the same thing? The Evilus money was a windfall, a one-time deal. This is a stable, long-term commission. As long as these partnerships keep going, we'll never have to worry about money again."
"And if you've got that energy and time, you might as well enjoy life a little."
Jeanne: "..."
So, when it came right down to it, that last sentence was the real point, wasn't it?
She lowered her eyes slightly, recalling the year of wild ups and downs in their adventures and the grinding daily scramble to make ends meet, and suddenly felt that... what Leon said wasn't entirely unreasonable.
"You're right. The Christmas Festival's almost here. We really should kick back and relax for once."
Noticing Jeanne's tense shoulders quietly ease, the corner of Leon's mouth ticked up almost imperceptibly.
"Everyone, get ready, we're heading out to the Free Market 'Zero-Six-Three' to do some shopping! Today's Orario Daily says the fishermen of the Njord Familia hauled in a rare batch of good stuff over the past couple of days, so let's go take a look!"
"Yeah!"
"Seafood! Seafood! Seafood!"
...
Evening.
To celebrate the lucrative long-term contract they'd signed with Freya Familia, the dinner table at Leon's place was especially lavish tonight.
For this meal, they'd not only made a daytime trip to the Free Market, dropping a hefty 100,000-plus Valis at Njord Seafood for all sorts of rare, just-landed catches, but Leon had even generously cracked open two bottles of the fine wine Goddess Demeter had gifted him, the kind he normally cherished and kept tucked away.
Which just went to show how good Leon's mood was right now.
"Three years of slogging, and we've finally come out the other side. Things are looking brighter and brighter for us!"
"Things are turning around!"
"Come on, everybody, to a wonderful life ahead...!"
"To the Goddess!"
"To the Goddess!"
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
...
...
Orario, Second District.
On Northeast Street, Leon and his group strolled along at a leisurely pace, expressions relaxed.
Their steps were unhurried, and now and then they'd stop in front of a shop window to look at goods from all over the world, or buy whatever food caught their eye from the various little stalls and eat it as they walked.
Their easygoing, unhurried air stood in sharp contrast to the fully armed, grim-faced adventurers, the craftsmen in work clothes lugging their tools, and the merchants hurrying by with knitted brows. It was as if the whole group of them simply didn't fit the fast-paced rhythm of life in this labyrinth city.
"Laurier, you see that? We used to be just like them, run ragged trying to make a living, every single day like a wind-up doll, body and mind always wound tight."
Leon gazed at the passing crowd, his tone touched with feeling and a wistful sigh.
"Now look at us. We've got the time and the peace of mind to stroll around like this, to live a good life where we never go without food or clothes and nobody pushes us around. And what got us here? It was all these fists of ours!"
Laurier's golden cowlick twitched, and she blinked, the tip of her head tilting.
"And?"
"And so, Laurier, as the head of this household, shouldn't you be offering up that grilled skewer in your hand to me?"
"Nope." "You wicked little elf brat, born rotten, I'll just have to..."
Jeanne picked her moment and stuffed a freshly peeled Holly Orange into Leon's mouth, snapping at him without much patience.
"If you want some, go buy your own! A grown man, snatching snacks from Laurier!"
"Nyah-nyah-nyah..."
Laurier poked her head out from behind Rose and Kureha, stuck out her tongue at Leon, and made a face. Just then, a craftsman crew happened to round the corner from a side street up ahead, everyone hauling bundles big and small, and came face to face with Leon's group.
"Huh? If it isn't Leon! What are you all doing over in the Second District?"
Just as Leon was about to clamp down on Laurier's little head and give her a good skull-crushing noogie, a familiar voice rang out by his ear. He turned to look, and there was their old friend, the One-Eyed Craftsman, Tsubaki Collbrande.
"Tsubaki?"
Leon had barely opened his mouth before his gaze drifted past his friend and locked firmly onto the Drop Item the dwarven smith behind her was carrying.
"Is that... a Goliath's Hard Skin?"
Tsubaki had been in the middle of greeting Jeanne, Rose, and Kureha, but at Leon's question she turned her head and raised an eyebrow. She wasn't bothered by Leon "ignoring" her; if anything, a hint of appreciation showed in her eye.
"Tch, looks like it's not just your strength and combat skills that have come along. Your eye for things has gotten pretty sharp too... That's right, this is a fresh-out-of-the-oven Goliath's Hard Skin, still warm, just hauled up from the Dungeon. So, you interested?"
How could he not be?
It wasn't the bug-tier Black Goliath's Hard Skin, but even the ordinary version was a rare find!
As the rare Drop Item from the Dungeon's only defense-specialized Monster Rex, the performance of any armor forged with it as the main material spoke for itself, and all the more so when forged by the hand of the One-Eyed Craftsman herself!
When it came to saving his own skin, Leon was dead serious.
Nobody understood survival better than he did!
"Interested, more than interested!"
His throat bobbed, he licked his lips, and his eyes burned.
Hearing Leon answer so readily, Tsubaki blinked, then, as though witnessing some great rarity, looked him up and down with a strange expression.
"You... you sure you're the real Leon?"
"?"
"Who the hell are you!? There's no way that cheapskate Leon would ever be this willing to spend money!"
Even as she demanded it, Tsubaki rested a hand on the hilt of her sword, staring in genuine alarm at this thing wearing "Leon's" face. "Pfft..."
That line of Tsubaki's, on top of her reaction, broke Jeanne and the others, and they burst out laughing.
"Tsubaki, stop teasing him. Look how dark his face has gone, hehe!"
"All right, looks like you really are Leon."
Tsubaki sighed and lifted her hand off the hilt, looking somewhat let down that she hadn't gotten to cut him down. You really were trying to cut me down, weren't you?
Joke over, Tsubaki smiled and said to Jeanne and Rose, "If I'm not mistaken, you all came over to deal with your spoils, right? Come on, follow me to the workshop and we'll talk more there."
Tsubaki glanced at the bulging Supporter backpacks they were carrying and instantly guessed why they'd shown up in the Second District.
She turned around and gave an order to the crowd of Hephaestus Familia smiths behind her.
"You lot head back to base first and report to the Goddess. I've got guests to take care of here."
The smiths nodded.
"You go on ahead, Captain. Leave the rest to us."
...
...
Tsubaki's workshop.