By the fireplace, the flames danced.
Leon and Lydia sat across from each other.
The others, Aura, Laurier, and a few more, were upstairs helping tidy the rooms, faint sounds of cheerful chatter and shifting furniture drifting down.
On the other side, Jeanne, Rose, and Kureha were tallying up the funds they'd "taken over" from the Gray Chamber of Commerce today, the rustle of turning pages and the clink of coins fine and clear.
Taking advantage of the lull, Leon asked Lydia about her plans for the near future.
"Holding down the home base, huh..."
Leon mused, his gaze drifting on its own over Lydia's alluring outfit, her delicate face, the golden hair spilling over her shoulders, her emerald eyes, and lingering longest on those beautiful, straight, slender legs wrapped in thin white thigh-high stockings.
He didn't pull his gaze away, reluctantly, until Lydia had been stared at until her fingertips trembled, her cheeks flushed crimson, her cute toes curling slightly inside her high heels, and she bowed her head in embarrassment.
She knows she's no good at fighting, so she's picking the path that plays to her strengths the most...
Using her powerful healing ability to anchor the base, becoming a solid line of insurance.
A smart call.
If it were me... I'd probably do the same.
...
Leon's eyes rolled around, and in mere moments he'd come up with no fewer than "ten thousand" schemes to "develop" Lydia's "mana-replenishing" ability.
For instance... have Iri use alchemy to process Lydia's bathwater, then distill and purify it, mix in a bit of this and that, and after some simple final processing, it might just turn into an outstanding addition to the Potion lineup: holy water.
No, wait. That [Dea Saint] seemed to have a similar ability too. A bit of an overlap there.
Then let's call it [Sacred Water]!
"Mr. Leon..."
A soft call came from across the way.
Noticing that Leon hadn't reacted for ages, Lydia forced down the inexplicable tingling running through her body, her cheeks burning red, and finally bit her lip and lifted her eyes shyly toward the man opposite her...
S-so handsome...
Ugh... Lydia! What kind of nonsense are you letting yourself think!
"Huh?"
Leon snapped back from his daydream and gave a slightly apologetic smile:
"You just said you want to hold down the home base, right? No problem. For you, that really is the best choice. Even if you told me you wanted to join the team and go explore the Dungeon with us, I, or Rose and the others, would talk you out of it."
His tone was gentle as he continued candidly:
"And you don't need to feel bad about it. The adventurer profession, to put it bluntly... really does come down to talent. Not just Basic Abilities or potential, but talent across the board. Things like a spirit of adventure, the ability to learn and grasp tactics and techniques, the ability to adapt on the spot, and the composure to stay calm under enormous pressure... and so on."
"If you lack those traits and have no one to guide you systematically, then clearing even the basic threshold of being an adventurer is basically impossible without two or three years of fumbling, learning, and figuring it out..."
"Just look at the death rate of Orario's adventurers and you'll understand. The rookie stage especially, that's when the losses are heaviest."
After hearing Leon's explanation, the awkward little knot in Lydia's heart finally dissolved completely.
"Th-thank you..."
Leon chuckled softly and went on:
"As it happens, your joining also solves a thorny problem for us. Since Persephone will be coming into the Dungeon to explore and join expeditions with us from now on, that leaves only Flora handling guard duty on Goddess Demeter's side. She's only Lv.2, and protecting the goddess all on her own is bound to stretch her thin."
As for the ordinary members of Demeter Familia, they were like the fishermen of the Njord Familia, with all their skill points sunk into farming, and Leon didn't hold out much hope for their combat ability.
After all, every trade has its specialty. Mastering agriculture and excelling in combat both was, barring a rare few geniuses, beyond one person's limited time and energy. You couldn't demand everyone be a versatile warrior.
Back when they had no strength it was one thing, but now that Demeter Familia's power was swelling fast, the goddess's safety naturally had to be kept in mind.
"Lydia, come and take a look, see how we've set things up for you? Oh right... we've got spare bedding and luggage at home, but the room's decorations and ornaments will have to be added bit by bit. As it happens, New Year's Day is coming up in a few days. Let's go shopping together tomorrow or the day after!"
Laurier came pattering down the stairs and beamed a big smile at Lydia, then took her hand and led her upstairs.
"Th-that..."
Lydia kept glancing back at Leon. Leon just smiled and waved a hand:
"It's fine, go on ahead!"
After seeing the little elf and Her Highness the princess off upstairs, Leon drew his gaze back and turned his attention to the lists spread out in front of Rose and the others, and to the plump, bulging coin pouches.
"So, have you got the totals worked out?"
He greeted the busy ladies, then sank himself into the sofa, took a hearty gulp of iced lemonade, and let out a satisfied sigh.
Glancing at the man sprawled deep in the sofa, eyes shut and looking as cozy and lordly as some old master, Persephone set down her pen and paper, pushed up her glasses, and let out a cold laugh:
"Somebody's certainly run off his feet with work."
Leon: "..."
What's going on here? Jeanne's jealous all day, fine, but is this side part of your character too now, Persephone?
Leon caught the warning in her tone, straightened up, and smoothly squeezed in among them with an ingratiating smile:
"Ahem, I was just a little thirsty."
"Here, you beautiful ladies have been at it for so long, you must be tired. Come on... drink up, drink up. Sitting by a warm fireplace with a glass of iced lemonade, there's no feeling better than that!"
"You've got to know when to push and when to ease off in your work. We just fought a big battle today, no sense slaving over this little bit of work at night too. Think about it, what do we work so hard to earn money for? It's all to raise our quality of life and enjoy life properly..."
Watching the man fawn over them while never forgetting to ladle out the feel-good pep talk, Rose took the cup with some amusement, took a light sip, and pushed the list in front of her over toward him:
"Take a look. This is the tally sheet of everything you brought back from those two gray chambers of commerce. The cash and the Goblin Bank deposits were easy to total, and we've finished those, but the spoils still need a professional's opinion before we can estimate a rough price."
Leon stood up, took the [Gale-Force Reading Glasses] from the bookshelf to one side, clipped them over his left eye, and started speed-reading at 32x browsing speed.
He sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. Looking at the rows upon rows of zeros on the parchment, he leaned back in a tactical recline and instantly gasped.
"These bastards, no wonder they throw money around like it's nothing all day. Holy shit... they're actually this loaded!"
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