Mushoku Tensei — Chapter 54 - Settling In and Resting Up

"Yo! Rudeus, taking your little sister out shopping?"

A burly bald man called out to me from across the way.

His name was Barn. He looked like a warrior, but his actual class was priest, though he could handle himself in melee well enough.

"Yeah."

"How about it? Want to team up with us next time? We're planning to hunt Amethyst Wolves. The price of amethyst has been going through the roof lately."

"I'll think about it."

"That line again? Alright, when are you finally coming to the brothel with us? You're the only man in this Adventurer's Guild without a wife who still doesn't go."

"I'll pass on that... I have a..."

The word "fiancée" never made it out of my mouth. Aisha cut me off.

"My brother doesn't need to go! I'll take care of that for him — no need for you to worry about it!"

She grabbed my hand and marched toward the property shop, puffed up with indignation.

Barn's laughter followed us out. I wasn't worried about being misunderstood. Aisha had said things like that in front of them plenty of times. They all knew it was a joke. That said, every single time she said it, she'd get huffy about it afterward.

"Brother! You are not allowed to go to a place like that. If you do, I'm telling Sister Eris the moment she gets back!"

"I know, I know... I wasn't planning to go anyway."

"Hmph~ But Brother is at that age now, so if you have... physical needs, Aisha is available, you know."

She pressed a finger to her chin and made a show of looking cute.

"Enough of that. Time to look at houses."

I flicked her on the forehead and walked into the property seller's shop.

Something like a real estate agent from my previous life, I supposed.

I had no idea how to pick a house, so once we were inside I handed the whole thing over to Aisha.

About two hours of bargaining later, I came back to find Aisha beaming and the agent looking like he'd aged ten years.

"Lord Rudeus... the final price is 361 gold coins and 74 silver coins..."

"Why such a specific number?"

"This is practically rock bottom already! I cannot round it down further!"

"Alright, alright."

This poor man had been put through the wringer by Aisha.

I picked up the property deed and read through the description.

"Wow..."

"So? Do you like it, Brother?"

"This is really..."

Three floors. Three rooms per floor, each with its own bathroom. A toilet at the end of every hallway. And a courtyard that size?

The main hall on the first floor looked like something out of a noble estate, like Eris's family home.

I read further down. Brand new. Owner selling because they were going away to school...

But this house was right next to the school.

Wait, no. The most important thing was, brand new? Not even a second-hand house?

"I'm paying right now. We can go see it immediately after, right?"

"Yes."

We paid and set off for the new house, both of us buzzing with excitement.

On the way, I ran the numbers in my head, a place that size, how many maids would I actually need? I still had enough money. If the magic university took me on as a teacher, there'd be a salary on top of that. If not, I could keep adventuring. Either way, it was fine. One maid was only 2 silver coins a week. Cheap by any measure.

I was still thinking about it when we arrived.

Exactly like the deed said: luxurious and brand new.

I put the key in the lock and pushed the door open.

A little dust on the surfaces, but most of the furniture was still there. The previous owner hadn't taken much.

I noticed I was already feeling something I hadn't expected. A tightness behind the ribs.

Maybe because I'd never owned a house in my previous life. Never bought something that was just mine. That might have been why.

"Aisha... you're incredible."

I picked her up and spun her around.

"Right? Right? I had my eye on this place for a while, actually! I'd already asked around about it the last time we walked by!"

"To find a deal this good — we really lucked out. Should we move our things in tonight?"

"No~ Tomorrow Aisha will clean the whole place properly. Brother moves in the day after."

She said it as I set her back down.

Clean? This place is enormous.

"Aisha, I'll hire some maids tonight. You don't need to clean it yourself."

"Eh? This is clearly mine and Brother's love nest — why would we let outsiders clean it~"

"What love nest... Norn and Mother Lilia are going to be living here too."

"That's still half a year away! Let me clean it~ Besides, I already bought a maid outfit for this! It's almost exactly the same as Mother's!"

I flicked her forehead again.

"Mother Lilia is not a maid. She's my mother. And you are not a maid. You're my little sister."

"Oh..."

She looked a little deflated. I stared at her. Could she genuinely want to clean the place?

Before I could figure out how to handle that, she perked back up.

"Then let me choose the maids!"

"That's fine."

"Then I have no objections!"

What exactly was the difference? I had no idea.

But she was happy, so it was fine.

We did a full walkthrough of the house and then headed out.

On the way back to the inn, Aisha dragged me from shop to shop, furniture, plants, and a collection of small iron trinkets I couldn't name.

I remembered Zenith once giving me a plant encyclopedia. I still knew some of the names from that. But the plants Aisha was buying? I didn't recognize a single one.

"Do we really need more? I'm out of hands here."

"I know, I know! Then let's go pick out the maids now!"

"Now? Not tomorrow?"

"I like getting everything done in one go!"

"Aisha, you go. I'll head back to the new house and put all this away first."

"Okay! Then wait for me there, Brother — I'll bring the maids straight over."

"Mm."

I'd been keeping up with my training, but the sheer volume of what Aisha had bought was something else.

Bags of soil. Plants. Iron trinkets in various shapes and sizes.

Was this normal for girls? I genuinely didn't know.

Now that I thought about it, Aisha had almost never bought clothes for herself. Not once, that I could remember.

That was probably my fault. I'd been pulling her along on an adventurer's life the whole time, and for adventurers, clothes were the worst investment you could make. Especially for Aisha, who fought in close range, close-combat mage was probably the right term, actually. She'd chant spells mid-sword-swing.

I should move up the schedule for finding her a sword instructor. She seemed like the type who picked things up naturally through combat, but a dedicated long-term teacher was still the better call.

I shuffled to the new house one heavy step at a time and stacked everything inside.

About half an hour later, Aisha came back leading two maids.

Both looked to be around forty. At a glance, they were the picture of competence.

"Greetings, Master Rudeus."

"Greetings, Master Rudeus."

They lowered their heads. The way they curtsied, I'd seen that somewhere before.

Eris's birthday banquet. The maids there had moved exactly like that.

"Hello."

Looking at how polished they were, I had serious doubts they were really only 2 silver coins a week.

I pulled Aisha aside and whispered.

"Why are they so professional?"

"Of course~ These two have been maids since age ten, all the way to forty-something. They used to serve nobility. Naturally, the wage I offered isn't low, 10 silver coins a week, more than almost every maid on the market. They also have combat ability, though probably not at any serious level. Mainly useful for counter-surveillance. And the most, most, most important thing is they have no husbands and no children. Full dedication. Their only condition is one visit home per month to see their parents."

Aisha looked exceptionally pleased with herself.

Honestly, she had a right to be. But talent like that, choosing to work as our maids?

"Fili, Miria, Rudi and I are heading back to the inn. Get the new house sorted out."

As she said it, she slipped her arm through mine.

My incorrigible little sister.

"Fili and Miria, right?"

"Yes."

"So... this is my little sister. Not my wife."

They didn't look surprised at all. They simply adjusted.

"Our apologies, Master Rudeus. And Miss Aisha."

"No need to apologize, that was my sister's doing. You don't have to finish everything tonight. If you get tired, pick any room and sleep. Anything missing, report to me tomorrow."

"Thank you for your generosity, Master Rudeus."

"That's all."

Back at the inn, I caught Aisha by the cheeks and pinched.

"You, honestly."

"Brother is so particular~"

"By the way, you told them you were my wife, and they didn't even blink?"

"Of course not~ They served nobility. The women those nobles took a liking to came in all kinds. Plenty of them preferred children."

"I see..."

"Alright, let me lie down for a bit."

"Brother can take a nap too~"

"How thoughtful. I'll take you up on that..."

"Sweet dreams, Brother~"

Why was I tired?

I hadn't really done anything today.

Maybe it was just the sudden stretch of calm after so long without one.

Either way. Sleep first.

➤ Next: Daily Life