I SET OUT TO INSPECT THE ADVENTURERS’ TOWN. Well, it was less of an inspection and more of a leisurely stroll, except for the huge group of people I took with me. My vibes were positively majestic. I looked forward to seeing my citizens’ shocked faces.

“Ah, Lord Van.”

“Lord Van’s here to hang out!”

“Lord Van! I finally got my hands on some mithril ore, so can you make me a short sword?”

“Out of the way! I’m first!”

For some reason, the adventurers who spotted me in town were clambering over each other to pal it up with me. Some people even approached me with ore and swords in hand, hoping to get me to craft them something.

Wait, I am the lord, right? I’m a baron, right? I was suddenly very concerned.

Dee, meanwhile, took a furious step forward. The veins on his head were bulging out. “Do you fools want a beatdown? There’s a limit to how rude you can be!”

His roar echoed throughout the town. The ruffian adventurers fell silent.

I smiled wryly and looked over at Esparda. “Reading your reports and seeing things firsthand are pretty different experiences. It’s clear to me now that we’re short on stores, and we don’t have nearly enough storage space to put materials in. That said, I doubt the Bell & Rango Company has the means to open a new shop,” I lamented, looking around at the bustling town.

Esparda narrowed his eyes at me. “As I wrote in the report I gave you twenty days ago, there is an individual who wishes to do business with the adventurers here and would like you to craft a building for them, should you have the time to do so.”

Cold sweat ran down my back. His tone was as scary as always, but his eyes concealed a terrifying amount of pressure. “O-oh, right. That report. Yeah. I know. Of course. For adventurers, their bodies are basically capital. Um, so they want to build, uh…an inn…?”

I squirmed. Esparda closed his eyes and exhaled. “Correct. They wish to build an inn that can serve meals as well.”

“Y-yeah, I know. This town only has the one Bell & Rango Company store, if I remember correctly, so that’s a good idea.” Somehow I’d managed to answer correctly based on pure instinct. I was so relieved that I could have died then and there.

Esparda nodded shallowly. “I went ahead and checked whether they were capable of running a business. I concluded that they had the necessary business acumen and culinary skills. They have a family, as well, so staffing is unlikely to be a problem.”

“That’s perfect, then. All right, I’ll get on it right now. Are they an original Seatoh villager?”

“No. A former adventurer. Kusala, a member of Ortho’s party.”

“Wait, Kusala? Seriously?! When did he become a permanent villager?” I couldn’t hide my shock.

Esparda frowned down at me again. “Had you properly read my report, you wouldn’t be so surprised.”

“Ah, sorry… I didn’t actually read it…” I decided to apologize before I made him genuinely angry. This was one of my forty-eight pieces of worldly wisdom. Not even a demon like Esparda could snap at me now!

Just as this battle of wits was about to kick off, the adventurers and the members of the Esparda Chivalric Order started buzzing loudly about something. A knight came running from beyond the main gate.

“They’re home!” the knight said, delivering the report even as he tried to catch his breath.

He hadn’t said who was home, but there weren’t many Seatoh Village residents who had left the region lately. “Arte and the others?”

The knight straightened up. “Yes! Lady Arte and the members of the Seatoh Chivalric Order have returned. Sir Ortho and the other adventurers are leading the way! They appear to have sustained minimal casualties!”

“Thank goodness. However things panned out, I’m just glad that everyone got back safely.”

Buoyed by genuine relief, I made my way to the gates to greet them. When I arrived, the group had just entered the town. Seated in the cabs of the various carriages were the second squad members of my beloved machine bow force. They greeted me with big smiles and nary a scratch on them.

Ortho and the others were nearby, but they didn’t come over to me, just smirked at me. Before I could ask them what was up, though, the carriage that had stopped in the center of the formation opened up, and everything became clear.

The elf mage, Pluriel, exited first. She smiled at me, then cast her gaze to the inside of the carriage. That was when Arte, clad in her light dress, stepped out, her beautiful white hair swaying with each step.

The horror of war. A long journey by carriage. And then facing the sight of her own home being invaded by an enemy force. Any one of those could justify her reaction, never mind all of them at once.

“…Ngh…” The moment Arte saw me, all the tears she had been fighting back rose to the surface. In full view of everyone, she ran to me and wrapped her arms around me. Not a single person present could blame her for it.

I didn’t realize you could run so well in a dress, I thought inanely. Then I realized Arte was shuddering in my arms. I didn’t know what to say, so I did my best: “Welcome home, Arte. I know you gave it your all out there.”

Arte sobbed even harder and wailed, “Lord Van! I… I…!”

“Don’t worry. You don’t have to say anything. We can talk later.” I smiled at the small girl, who was crying so hard she could barely put words together, and gently rubbed her back in order to calm her down.

“Aw, man. Lord Van made her cry!”

“Hey, no teasing.”

“Why are you crying?”

There we stood in the center of the village: the daughter of a count, sobbing, and a young baron trying to comfort her. This was bad. If we weren’t careful, they’d start adapting the story into an opera. With Arte still in my arms, I cast a pleading look toward Ortho and the others. Ortho gave me a dazzling smile and a thumbs-up, and Pluriel seemed to just be enjoying the display of heartfelt emotion.

They weren’t going to be of any help.

Still, I wasn’t going anywhere until Arte calmed down. I glanced around, uncertain what to do, but once I looked back at the crying girl wrapped around me, I gave up on trying to find an out. Whatever. This is fine. I don’t care if they make us the subject of a song or something. I will be collecting royalties, though, I thought as I gently rubbed Arte’s back.

 

Arte

THE MOMENT WE ENTERED THE ADVENTURERS’ village, I felt tension release from my shoulders. Was I relieved? I was so focused on getting the job done that I hadn’t noticed how tense I had been since we left. Now that the tension was gone, exhaustion rushed in to replace it.

I was traveling in the carriage, so I should have been less tired than the adventurers who were scouting things out on the ground. Yet I felt as though I would collapse.

“Just a little further. Soon you’ll be able to sleep comfortably in your own bed again,” Pluriel said, kind and encouraging. She was a grown woman who had experienced all sorts of hardships in her life, and not just because she was an adventurer, either. She had a sense of poise about her that I found tremendously dashing.

I couldn’t help but compare myself to her. “I’m just no good.”

Pluriel looked at me but I cast my eyes downward, unable to bring myself to return her gaze. I’m truly pathetic. I know so little about the world, and I can’t do anything without the aid of others. Even worse, I stew in my own self-pity. How could I not hate myself? What must Pluriel think of me? I bet she thinks me pathetic, even laughable.

The embarrassment and shame were too much. I couldn’t look up at her anymore.

“And why do you think that?” Pluriel asked, gazing straight at me.

I trembled at the firmness in her voice. My body often locked up when I thought someone might be angry at me. I clenched my trembling fingertips into a fist, trying to convince myself I was strong, then said, “I’m not like Lord Van. I don’t have the confidence to issue orders to others, and I can’t decide what to do without getting someone else’s opinion.”

She shrugged her shoulders and sighed. “Believe me when I say this, knowing full well I might be punished for it…”

“Y-yes?” She was angry. I froze up, and unthinkingly raised my face to meet her eyes.

But then she did something unexpected: she smiled warmly at me. “Frankly, I think you’re incredible. I find it hard to fathom why you lack confidence in your own abilities. I certainly didn’t have such a good head on my shoulders at your age.”

“I’m sure that’s not…” She was offering me affirmation, and here I was, already rejecting it. Why did I do that when she was trying to comfort me? The thought made me sad, but Pluriel shook her head.

“Look around you. Ortho, Kusala, the others… They’re all over thirty years old. They still act like kids, right?” She giggled.

“Yes, that’s true… Oh!” I had unconsciously agreed with her, and by the time I realized that, Pluriel was laughing outright.

“Lady Arte, I think you’ve probably always been surrounded by adults. Adults who were incredibly talented, adults who were skilled leaders… All sorts of adults. But those people didn’t start that way. Everyone put in the work and accumulated the experiences that made them into who they are now.”

“I-is that really true? I mean, Lord Van…”

Pluriel waved a hand. “We can’t count Lord Van. I mean, think about it. He has Sir Esparda and Sir Dee with him, right? Not only are they both older, they’ve also both gone through a ton of real-life combat. Lady Panamera is the same; I think she’s probably fought her way through some horrendous situations.”

“You’re right,” I said slowly. “But they’re all always so calm and confident. Can I ever be like that?”

Pluriel nodded firmly. “Of course.”

My chest felt lighter. One day I would become an adult, and maybe, just maybe, I would be able to save Lord Van in his hour of need. Perhaps this was wishful thinking, but I hoped that someday I would be able to aid him. I lifted my chin up—and heard yelling from outside.

“Lady Arte! Lord Van has come to greet us!”

The moment I heard his name, my heart began to race. My body moved as if it weren’t my own, and when I opened the door and looked outside, I saw two taller figures in the town ahead of me. The slender one was Esparda, and the one with the wider frame was Dee.

Between them was Lord Van, whose eyes were open wide. He blinked a few times, then smiled kindly at me.

I leapt from the carriage and ran to him. I don’t remember much about what happened after that, but based on what the others told me, I clung to him and wailed.

My dream of becoming a wonderful, mature woman like Pluriel was still a distant one.

 

Van

THE GROUP I’D SENT WITH ARTE DISPERSED. When I told them to collect their reward from Esparda later, the adventurers laughed and scattered, their loud voices echoing behind them.

The machine bow squad stood at attention and delivered their combat report, then headed back toward Seatoh Village. It really seemed like they had worked their butts off. Before leaving, they quietly asked me to tell Arte she had done well. They must’ve grown quite fond of her.

For her part, Arte stayed by my side. “Are you going to make something here?” she asked unexpectedly.

I turned to her and nodded. “Yeah, that’s the plan. Pretty much all merchants and travelers pass straight through the adventurers’ town to get to Seatoh

Village, so I wanted to build some shops, an inn, and a restaurant here.” She flashed me a tired smile.

“Are you okay?” I asked, concerned. “You should really rest after such a long trip.”

But she just shook her head, still smiling. “Thank you for your concern, but I am fine. You indulged me, loaned me your machine bow squad, and hired adventurers for me, so now I want to help you as much as I can. That’s why I want to watch you work: so I can understand what you are trying to do and what you are thinking.”

It was rare that Arte expressed her thoughts so clearly and concisely. She even looked me in the eyes while she was doing it.

“I see… But if things get rough, let me know, okay? I can get someone to prepare a chair for you.”

“Thank you very much, but I am fine with standing and walking.” Arte clenched her tiny fist in front of her chest.

She certainly has the resolve, I thought. I noticed then that her expression seemed even more dignified than usual. Perhaps her experiences on the battlefield had led to a change of heart. That was pretty amazing for someone who was only ten years old, but she still couldn’t hide the fatigue settling over her.

I smiled and asked Till to prepare a small one-horse carriage. “Then shall we move by carriage? If you’re willing to help me think about work, I would love to have you with me.”

She blinked in disbelief. Then I stepped onto the carriage ahead of her, and she gave me a warm smile. “Thank you, Lord Van.”

I reached out to help her climb into the carriage. Till watched us with a peculiar smile on her face. With some effort, I ignored her. Honestly, though, the second Arte and I sat down in the carriage, everyone around us started grinning in our direction. It was all a little embarrassing. I ignored the smirking peanut gallery, too, and recalled what I needed to focus on.

“As far as opening a new shop goes, the Bell & Rango Company is already stretched too thin, so I’ll have to handle things until the Business Guild and the Mary Chamber of Commerce send assistance. Khamsin, I want you to go to our newest villagers and find any former merchants among them.”

“Right away!” Khamsin replied succinctly and quickly went into action.

Not long after, Esparda chimed in. “In that case, I will loosen my standards somewhat and secure a few individuals.” With that, he trailed after Khamsin.

We should be fine with those two on the case. I turned my attention back to the street. “First, let’s prepare the new inn. If it’s going to offer dining services, then the first floor should be a cafeteria. I don’t know how many people it’ll serve, so I should probably err on the side of caution and make it big, huh? The adventurers’ town is relatively narrow, so the building should be three to four floors tall. The bigger the better.” Next I had to select a space in the center of the town. “Let me see… It would make sense to put it near the entrance.”

Just as I was trying to settle on a plot of land alongside of the town’s main street, a familiar face appeared from the rear of the carriage.

“Lord Van? What are you doing?”

It was Pluriel. When she arrived earlier, she was with the large group of adventurers I’d hired for the job, so I expressed my general gratitude toward all of them; I planned to hold a barbeque for Ortho and the others at a later date.

“I’m making an inn. Someone who wants to start a business requested one.”

Behind Pluriel, Kusala was standing next to Ortho. He looked puzzled. “Huh?

An inn? I actually put in a request for one not too long ago…”

I nodded at him and pointed at an open plot of land. “Yup. You asked for one, so I’m making you an inn.”

Pluriel and Ortho whirled around to stare at Kusala. “Wait,” Pluriel said, “you are…?”

I nodded at Kusala as he stepped forward in a panic. His adventurer companions were staring at him. “Um, you’re really making me an inn? That’s amazing, and I’m chuffed, but, uh, there’s a lot about my current financial situation that I sorta gotta go over. I’ve saved more money in the last year than ever before, but I’m still not sure I can purchase a whole inn…”

I waved a hand at him, dismissing this. “I’ll give you a good deal. Fifty gold. I’ll even throw in the furnishings.”

Kusala looked like he might pass out. Ortho and Pluriel’s faces were twitching. Kusala said, “I-I’m sure that’s how much it would cost to build a brand-new inn, but it’s a little hard for an adventurer to come up with that kind of money.”

“Even if the whole party chipped in, we could only come up with half of that,” Pluriel put in.

As I listened to them discuss the matter, it dawned on me that my sense for this kind of thing was out of whack. This was going to be a problem, since it was likely that others would approach me about starting new business ventures too. If I did things for free each time, though, the orders would never stop coming in; I’d have no time to do anything else.

In that case, maybe I should drop the price by thirty gold? I thought. But Kusala looked at me then, sweat rolling down his forehead, and spoke up with a snort, like he was some kind of deviant.

“O-okay,” he yelled, “I understand! I don’t got the money on me right now, but I can save that much in five years!”

Ortho and Pluriel looked at each other and burst into laughter. “Lord Van, I’ll contribute as well. Um, do you mind if we fill in the rest with a loan…?”

“Please.”

I raised a hand and smirked. “That’s no problem at all. All right, let me get started,” I said, turning to the pile of wood blocks I’d had my people prepare for me.

I decided to go with a classic Gothic design for the hotel. It was going to be a large building, so it would take a bit of time. I wanted to craft a wine cellar, too, so I added a basement to the building. I loved this sort of thing.

“A nice big basement… I’ll put the kitchen and the dining space on the first

floor, a front desk, then guest rooms on the second and third floors… I’m out of materials, so I haven’t made any furniture yet, but the rooms should be plenty comfortable compared to any other inns.”

I turned around to find Kusala bug-eyed and frozen solid. Ortho and Pluriel also wore distant expressions.

“…I bet,” Ortho said, sounding exasperated.

“Are you sure this isn’t going to cost fifty large gold?” Pluriel asked.

I tilted my head. “Oh, if you’re okay with large gold, I could settle for five of them?”

Kusala reached over and slapped his hand over Pluriel’s mouth to keep her from screaming. Instead, she made a weird noise and fell over. “F-fifty gold works just fine for me!” Kusala insisted. “Thanks!”

“Oh, okay. Pluriel, are you good?”

“Awesome! I’m going to make this the best inn in the whole damn world!” Kusala jumped for joy, failing to notice Pluriel holding her face in one hand and glaring at the back of his head.

“With a hotel this big, you’re gonna have to hire quite a few employees. Cleaning this place will take one to two days, bud,” Ortho explained, looking stern.

“I’ll make it shine each and every day!”

Seeing Kusala brush off Ortho’s concerns, I decided to offer a bit of advice. “The adventurers who stay in town make a decent chunk of change, so I suggest setting the price on the high side. You can use that extra income to hire some cleaners. I think that you should also keep your hiring standards high, personally. Keep it to people who’ll make a good impression.”

As I spoke, though, I realized that my proposal would require a heavy initial investment.

“I’ll float you the initial capital. Do you want me to put out a notice that you’re hiring?”

Kusala was visibly shaken by my question. “Oh, um, really? In that case…”

We were interrupted by someone from the street. “Pardon me.”

I turned around and was treated to the sight of a gorgeous woman with deep brown hair that swayed in the wind. It was Flamiria. She wore a gentle smile, even as she narrowed her sleepy eyes. “Lord Van, thank you for always taking such good care of my husband.”

“Miss Flamiria! What brings you here?” Her sudden arrival had taken me off guard.

She looked over at Kusala. “Well, it appears as though my husband is trying to start a new venture as a businessman rather than an adventurer. Likely in consideration of my own feelings…”

Kusala slapped his chest and nodded. “Leave it to me! I’m gonna be the best hotel owner in the world, and I’ll make sure you live a safe and comfortable life!”

Flamiria’s laugh sounded pained. She shook her head. “That’s not what this is about. I simply wanted to live a peaceful life away from the cruelty of war. A life together with you. I would have been thrilled with a small business that the two of us could run together. Not something as big and spectacular as this…” “Flamiria…” Kusala looked surprised. Ortho, it seemed, was moved to tears.

This conversation seemed to be reaching a climax, but I was having none of it. “Nope, not happening. The Kusala Hotel exists now. I can’t put it back in the box.” Everyone’s gazes swiveled toward me. “I understand what you’re saying, Miss Flamiria, but frankly, I need all the help I can get. My goal is to create a livable town and increase jobs for the residents.”

My goal was for this place’s economy to stabilize itself without requiring anything from me, so the whole hotel situation was extremely important to me. That’s why I was so blunt about needing Kusala’s cooperation.

But Flamiria cast me a remorseful look. “My word, is that so? How could we ever ignore a request from you, to whom we owe so much? But living day to day with so much debt can be very painful. Could you show us some grace?”

She bowed her head deeply. Every adventurer and merchant in the vicinity turned to look at me.

Wow. Flamiria comes off kind of mellow and ditzy, but she picked the perfect time and place to initiate negotiations. My intent was to cultivate an atmosphere where people felt comfortable proposing business ideas to me. I had to handle this the right way.

Even more importantly, I would literally start sobbing if rumors went around that I was some sort of Scrooge.

“Sure, okay,” I said. “How much works for you?”

And so I asked her what her price point was, all while trying to keep the situation in check.

She blinked in surprise. “Thank you. I have no words for your kindness and generosity. Thank you so much.” Once again, she bowed her head deeply. Kusala, who looked like he could barely keep up with the conversation, quickly followed suit.

And just like that, our onlookers began to cheer. “That’s our Lord Van!”

“It’d cost platinum coinage for a snazzy new building like that anywhere else!”

Hearing the comments people were making, Flamiria’s smile grew even bigger. “In that case, Lord Van, if possible, I would like to discuss pricing while we tour the interior of the building…”

She was far shrewder than her appearance suggested. I had the feeling that she was orchestrating the flow of the entire conversation. If that was the case, she would make one hell of a politician.

“Fine by me,” I said, keeping my suspicion to myself. “Let’s all take a look together.” Till, Dee, and Ortho’s party all nodded.

I opened the front doors, which were a bit oversized, and entered the hotel. I had yet to install light fixtures, but the massive windows surrounding the cafeteria solved the lighting problem just fine.

“It’s so spacious,” Flamiria murmured in a surprised tone as she gazed up at the walls and the high ceiling.

“Wow! It’s huge!” Kusala sounded thoroughly impressed. His voice bounced off the walls and he smiled, looking around the room.

There was a door leading to the stairs and the toilet. I had also set up a counter, so they could open a bar if they chose to do so. Once they’d had a good, long look around the room, I said, “I’ll be making tables and chairs later. Oh, and I’ll hurry and prepare the lights for you guys. Let’s see…” I pointed to the back. “How about we head to the kitchen next?”

I opened the door in the back of the room, revealing a long hallway. On the right was the kitchen, and on the left were stairs that led to the basement. The basement itself was still just an empty storage space, so I decided to lead them through the right-hand door first.

Passing through the door, we were met with a professional kitchen that could fit about ten people. “I’ll prepare your cooking supplies later. All right, last but not least, here are the guest rooms.”

This time I led them up to the second floor. I had gone out of my way to make the stairs and hallways wide. The second floor was populated with singleperson rooms, while the third floor had rooms big enough to hold three occupants each. Each room had wooden flooring and its own toilet to go with it.

FYI, most hotels and inns in this world lacked baths. Large bathrooms just didn’t really exist. But this hotel had working showers.

“There’s no running hot or cold water right now, but eventually, there’ll be enough to wash up with.” I explained how to use the showers, and Pluriel’s eyes began to sparkle.

“Depending on the price, this place could find itself fully booked on the regular!”

“Yup,” Ortho agreed. “The adventurers who already live here won’t use it so much, but folks who come to dungeon dive or visit Seatoh Village are going to need a place to stay. Plus, the people coming back from the dungeon are going to have lots of money to spend.”

I acknowledged this with a little nod. “After this, I plan to build a public bath next door. That way, people staying at the hotel can also use it as well.”

“What’s that? Is it like the bathhouse next to the manor?”

“Yup! Though it’ll be a little smaller than that one.” I was already putting the building together in my mind.

I’d made Seatoh Village’s bathhouse large to accommodate the influx of citizens and set the entry price dirt cheap. But the adventurers’ town didn’t need something as grand as that. People would be off at the dungeon for days at a time, and if they took any guard jobs or bandit fighting gigs, they’d be gone for even longer stretches. As such, at any given time there were anywhere from three hundred to five hundred adventurers in town. There were potentially a thousand or so total adventurers operating out of Seatoh Village, but they wouldn’t all be using the hotel at once.

That was why I planned to make a comfy public bath, not unlike the ones you found in Japan. The facility would be able to hold fifty men and fifty women.

“Oh, and while the Bell & Rango Company already has a store in town, this place also needs a blacksmith, a carpenter, and a clothing shop. Personally, I want a bakery and a pastry shop… Think there’s anyone around who can bake?”

“I-I see.”

Ortho and the others had nodded as I spoke at length about my ambitions for the town, but they didn’t really seem to understand what I was saying. For my part, I’d already constructed a mental image of the main street, one lined with shops and businesses.

“Things are going to get really busy, but first I have to finish this hotel,” I said.

With that, I got to crafting the rest of the windows. Once the interior and exterior were complete, I set up the water supply and drainage system.

“Okay, all I have left are the furnishings, lighting, and the workers,” I announced, returning to the large cafeteria and facing the others. I looked at Flamiria’s face and recalled that we had agreed to talk business. “Ah, right. Fifty gold was a bit high, right? After looking around, what would you say is a fair price?”

For a moment she seemed stunned, but she collected herself and flashed me that warm smile of hers. “Actually, Lord Van… I never intended on having you lower the price for us. It might take some time, but I promise we will pay you fifty or even a hundred gold, if necessary,” she said, lowering her head.

Several of the people standing around us looked baffled. I smirked. “I thought that might be the case. After all, with how much Kusala makes, fifty gold shouldn’t be that difficult to come up with.”

Till seemed puzzled. “What is going on?”

I continued, “You picked that moment to bring up price negotiations specifically because of where we were, right? You knew I couldn’t afford to turn down your request to lower the price.”

Flamiria gave me a troubled smile. “I apologize for being so calculating. In my own foolish way, I wanted to help develop the town’s economy, so I took the liberty of trying to make this environment conducive to new businesses… But now I realize that was tremendously thoughtless of me. You have my sincerest apologies.”

I panicked and waved my hand. “No, no. There’s no need to apologize. More than anything, I’m worried that some folks will get the wrong impression of you.”

Flamiria put a hand to her chest and narrowed her eyes. “Thank you for your concern. I can’t help but doubt your age when we exchange words, Lord Van. Fear not, however; I have my husband with me, and even if people think poorly of me now, once we open the hotel, I will change their minds.”

Her strong, determined words belied her appearance. Even Ortho and the others looked surprised. Kusala, however, was nodding tearfully; Flamiria definitely had the power in their relationship.

“All right, in that case, you guys can pay me whenever. Just get everything you need together. Once they have a little bit of leeway, I’m going to have the Bell & Rango Company open another shop here, too.”

“Understood.”

“You got it!”

The couple lowered their heads in gratitude.

That was how Kusala the Adventurer career-hopped to become the owner and manager of the Kusala Hotel.