༺ Finding A Place Is Hard! (2) ༻
Jack Croker.
The thieves he led are said to have abducted, threatened, and extorted the people of the Freesia Principality for a long time, amassing wealth.
Most of those assets were safely recovered to the Freesian Treasury and the victims.
If it were the Kingdom of Ordor, where King Ordor resides, there would have been another accident fighting over the recovered property.
The level of civilization in Freesia was quite high, so everything went smoothly.
“So this is the mansion.”
The day after the banquet.
Sunday.
I got up early in the morning and checked the mansion that came up for sale.
It was a mansion located on 3rd Street.
It was large, spacious, and good, except for the fact that it had been neglected for a long time.
“There’s a swimming pool!”
Naru was happy to see the swimming pool installed in the garden.
We were looking at the fourth of five properties.
This was the only place with a swimming pool.
“This one looks the best.”
The kids would love it if we lived in such a place, I thought. Tourette spoke again then.
“There’s still one last property for sale. Would you like to check it out? Or are you just going to choose this one?”
“Um… Well. We’ve come this far, so show us the last property.”
I had nothing else to do anyway.
Naru seemed to enjoy looking at houses, so there was no harm in seeing the last one.
The last mansion.
It was located on 5th Street, the same as where the civil servant lived.
But unlike the sophisticated houses on 5th Street, the entrance was covered in cobwebs and the garden was very narrow.
There was no swimming pool or fountain either.
All the windows of the mansion were broken, and there were piles of garbage inside and outside the building, giving off a strong smell.
I wondered if an animal’s body was buried under all that garbage.
“This is a very nymphobic place…! This is the worst mansion we’ve seen so far…!”
Sifnoi grumbled.
She had been saying things like this for a while, and civil servant Tourette, who could not hold back his curiosity, asked me.
“Lord Judas, who is this person?”
“Can’t you tell by looking? She’s a nymph.”
“No, I know that since my wife is a nymph, but… what I’m asking is where on earth did this nymph pop out from?”
“Ah.”
“If I, Sifnoi, may say so, Sifnoi is a nymph thief who was released into the world after being pardoned for her crimes with an amnesty…! Mwehehehe….”
Sifnoi laughed wickedly.
She was as she said.
I used the amnesty I received from the Duke yesterday to immediately get Sifnoi out of jail.
Sifnoi was the porter of the Demon King’s Subjugation Party whose members were selected with a rather strict standard.
Of course, hiring her as a porter was just our whim, but still, Sifnoi was a competent friend in her own way.
“Sifnoi, teach me how to do rubber band shapes again…!”
“This time, I’ll show you how to create a star within a star…! I’ll teach you…! Even a lowly thread becomes art in the hands of this Sifnoi…!”
More than anything, Naru followed Sifnoi quite well.
She always complained of boredom.
But since she started following Sifnoi around, the two have been getting along well and having fun.
“Mwehehe, if you do well with rubber band twizzling, your hand skills will improve…! And if your hand skills improve, you have a higher chance of becoming a great thief like Judas…!”
“Oh, holy shh…! Naru wants to be good at rubber band twizzling too…!”
……
Sifnoi didn’t exactly have the kind, loving babysitter vibes I wanted.
I warned her, just in case.
“Hey, I spoke about the ‘Naru SSR Improvement Plan ‘ yesterday, didn’t I? Don’t do anything that will unnecessarily lower Naru’s princess power.”
I spoke to Sifnoi about Naru.
Sifnoi also knew that Naru came from six years in the future.
It wasn’t my choice, but something Naru first said to her, “Naru came from 6 years in the future!” Perhaps in Naru’s mind, Sifnoi was a trustworthy person.
In my view, Sifnoi was a petty thief, someone who easily backstabbed people.
But Sifnoi confidently said.
“Mwehehe, if it’s for looking after kids, don’t worry…! We Nymphs are always friendly with the young Kores…! For your information, ‘Kore’ means a cute and beautiful young lady…!”
So it seems.
Soon, Tourette nodded in agreement.
“My wife is amazing with kids. We had so many neighbors asking us to look after their kids that our house was always brimming with them.”
I’m not sure, but with Sifnoi around, it seems likely that Naru will grow up to be an SSR princess and eventually look after me when I’m older.
Honestly, I was wondering how well a petty thief Nymph could look after a child.
But just as it’s a bee’s instinct to gather honey and a mole’s instinct to dig, the Nymphs, as if they were born to care for children, played well with Naru.
Were they some kind of natural nannies?
Anyway.
“What a dreadful house.”
The fifth mansion.
Looking at it, I frowned.
Soon, Tourette, who had been looking through the documents, explained.
“This house has been abandoned for over 100 years. The owner died and no inheritor could be found, so it went up for auction, and Jack Croker owned it. He left it as it is since then.”
“I see.”
“It’s the only legitimate property among what Jack has. I don’t know why he left the mansion deserted after buying it. It’s more common for a thief’s mind to change than for a dog to bark.”
Anyway.
We’ve looked at all five mansions.
The fourth one, with a swimming pool, seems to be the best choice.
Just as I was thinking this, Naru shouted as if she had suddenly found something.
“Ah, Naru remembers this!”
Naru has discovered something.
There was a tree planted in the garden.
I didn’t know what kind of tree it was, but despite being buried in trash, it towered quite impressively.
Creak— Creak—
The old swing hanging from the branch swaying added a peculiar touch.
As I approached, I noticed many scars on the tree.
I wasn’t sure whether to call them scars or scratch marks.
They were densely scattered from about thigh height to chest height.
Sifnoi commented upon seeing them.
“It looks like someone’s measured their height here…! There must have been a little child…!”
Indeed.
Hearing Sifnoi’s words, it seemed as if someone had measured a child’s height and scratched marks into the tree with a sharp object.
Swish— Swish—
Naru touched those marks and said,
“I did this too! Mom made these marks on the tree like this. I remember this swing too. Dad used to push me on it. I even flew off because he pushed too hard sometimes!”
“Really?”
Naru was recalling memories from this house.
It seemed that Naru had lived in this old, broken-down mansion.
“Every day was fun. Everyone made snowmen when it was winter. Cleaned up leaves when fall came…we even dug a deep hole and buried Sifnoi. Oh, holy shh…! That’s right! Everyone buried Sifnoi!”
“…Why did you bury Sifnoi in a hole?”
“It was fun. Mom and Dad were there. Cecily was there too. Was Cecily just visiting…? Now that I think about it, there were always people bustling around…”
“Why did you bury Sifnoi in a hole? This Sifnoi is very curious and might not be able to sleep tonight…!”
“…Naru doesn’t know.”
While Naru and Sifnoi were chattering away, I took another slow look around the mansion.
The house was full of garbage, crumbling, and shattered. The cost of repair alone could probably buy a whole new house.
I wanted to choose the fourth mansion with the attached swimming pool.
But upon hearing that Naru was recalling memories one by one from this worn-out place, my decision was made.
“Okay. Let’s go with this one.”
I said.
The official frowned as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Really, Mr. Judas? I know it’s not my place to say, but this place is like a trap. It’s been neglected and received numerous complaints.”
“Well, give me the contract before I change my mind.”
I took the contract from the official.
Right before signing to take over this garbage mansion located at 5th Street—I pondered one last time.
Is it right to take over this place?
“Sifnoi! Push the swing!”
“The swing is broken…!”
“Unlucky!”
However.
No matter how I looked at it, Naru seemed to enjoy this place.
And there must be a valid reason why my future self and wife, or wives, had lived in this mansion.
With that thought, I dipped my finger in ink and stamped the contract.
“Well, that’s it. Is there anything else to write?”
“No, let’s end it here. Here are the house keys. This is the key to the main gate. This is the storage key. And these are the room keys. And this is the deed. Well, now this is your house.”
I received the keys and the rolled-up deed.
It was the first time in my life that I had something I could call my own home.
Actually, I’ve always vaguely thought, ‘Could I ever own a house of my own?’
I only thought vaguely that someday when I got married, I might be able to buy a new house with the money I’d saved.
Since housing prices skyrocketed at some point, I gave up on the dream of owning my own house.
After all, even marriage was a difficult task for me.
But.
Instead of an apartment or a villa in the city, I ended up owning a mansion on the Pangea continent.
And I even had a daughter before getting married.
Once again, things got stranger, somehow.
* * *
“Here? Your ‘house’? It’s just a junkyard.”
Brigitte.
She came to visit the mansion and was very critical.
A very cool-headed assessment.
I’ve been cleaning and throwing things away all day, but the work just didn’t seem to end.
It would at least take a month to clean everything at this pace.
Brigitte said.
“Why are there so many things here? It’s like a Junk Mansion.”
“Holy shh…!”
Naru, who was buried under the junk, popped out with her hands held high.
It was like a clown in a surprise box.
“Junk Mansion! Come to think of it, that’s what this mansion was called! It had everything! There were all sorts of things! And there was the Junk Throne of Judas, the King of Thieves!”
The hell is a Junk Throne?
Is it an homage to the Scum Throne throne that Jack had in the Kowloon Mountains?
“A throne made of junk….”
Honestly, it sounded a bit shabby, but kind of cool in a way…
While I was thinking that, Brigitte pulled Naru out of the pile of stuff.
Then she wiped the dust off her face with a handkerchief and said,
“You got so dirty in just a day. Why did you choose a place like this? Rather than living here, you should have just continued to live in my lab.”
Today, Brigitte was a bit grumpy.
“Brigitte, you’re unusually cranky today.”
“What?”
“Don’t tell me, you….”
“Don’t tell you what? You think I became grumpy because my lab, which was noisy these days, has become quiet again and I’m feeling lonely?”
“No, I was about to ask if it’s that day of the month.”
Women’s moods can change quickly due to hormones.
Soon, Brigitte blushed and yelled.
“It’s not that day!”
“Right, we’re still two weeks away.”
“That’s right… no, it’s not. What the hell!? How do you know about that!”
How do I know that?
Isn’t it a given that I’d know that much after spending so much time with her?
Of course, I couldn’t say such things.
Because Naru was tugging at Brigitte’s hand.
“Brigitte, do you feel lonely when the house is quiet?”
“……”
Even Brigitte seemed unable to get angry at Naru’s question.
I realized lately that she had a soft spot for kids.
Finally, Brigitte let out a deep sigh.
“Yes. I honestly liked it when the lab was bustling. It was much better than I had thought to have someone welcome me when I came home after work. But now it’s going to be quiet again.”
Brigitte’s eyes held disappointment and loneliness.
She seemed to already feel the sensation of entering a dark room after work.
Soon, Naru shouted.
“Then, let’s all live together at the mansion! The Junk Mansion has lots of rooms! Naru is so smart!”
At Naru’s suggestion,
Brigitte scratched her nose with her finger.
“…Well, it’s not far from Graham Academy where I work. The transportation is good too. Also, the magical energy in this area is the most stable. It feels like there’s a vein flowing. If I were to make my workshop, there would be no better place than this mansion in this area…”
Stealthily.
Brigitte stole a glance at me.
I casually said.
“I can give you a spare room if you help clean the house. Brigitte, I already owe you for hosting us, so consider it a repayment.”
“Oh─”
As Brigitte was about to say something.
Someone softly landed in the garden, which was beginning to be tidied up, from the mansion’s rooftop.
“Speaking of debts, you owe me a lot too.”
It was a thief, wearing a costume like an Arabian dancer and a black veil on her face.
Seeing her, Naru shouted,
“Wow, holy shh…! A thief has already invaded the house!”
A thief had already invaded the house.
Naru seemed happy for some reason, but Brigitte furrowed her brows.
“What the, you. Aren’t you the thief who stole my clothes?”
“Did I? Anyway, Judas, you used to live in my house. If that’s considered a debt, I should also get a spare room, right?”
It was Salome.
As she had suggested, I had once hidden in Salome’s house in the old Kowloon Mountains.
Though, didn’t I already pay back that debt by resurrecting her a few days ago?
Before I could say anything, Salome continued.
“And I heard everything. That Naru doesn’t know who her mother is. But I think I know. Naru’s mother is me.”
She boldly declared.
On hearing that, Brigitte furrowed her brows.
“What did you just say?”
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