kscans

Chapter 254 - The Send-off and Warehouse Organization

The morning after the farewell party, Hayato logged in early for the send-off.

Gil had said he would be returning to the Demon Country quite early, so Hayato timed his arrival accordingly. Besides Hayato, only Rose was there, making the situation feel a bit lonely, but with the sun still on the horizon, it couldn't be helped.

"I told you yesterday that a send-off wasn't necessary, but you are both so dutiful, Hayato-dono and Rose-dono."

"After all your help, we couldn't possibly let you leave without seeing you off."

Rose nodded in agreement with Hayato's words.

Gil did have some problematic behaviors, like constantly showing off his muscles or recommending workout routines, but he was a gentleman in a way one would never imagine from his intimidating face. For Hayato, sending such a person off without a farewell was unthinkable.

"Then I thank you. Besides, I had a rare experience here. Not only did I get to party with the Hero, but it was also refreshing that no one was frightened by this face of mine."

"It felt more like we forced you to join our expedition, but I'm glad to hear you say that."

"Indeed. Well then, I suppose I should be going. Ah, Rose-dono, could you please tell the Maid Chief-dono that I am grateful for all her help as well?"

"Um, it would be helpful if you could tell her that directly."

Rose said this as she glanced behind Gil. Noticing the presence behind him, Gil slowly turned around.

"Oh, Maid Chief-dono, you came to see me off. It is so early in the morning, I feel quite honored."

"Not at all. For a maid, rising early is a matter of course."

(Esha's a maid too, but she's terrible in the mornings. She used to say she'd wake up before her alarm clock went off. I wonder if that's true.)

Ignoring Hayato's trivial question, Gil and the Maid Chief continued their conversation.

"Maid Chief-dono, fighting alongside you was a wonderful experience. Your godlike strength is still burned into my memory."

"I am quite embarrassed to have shown you such an unseemly display."

Though she said that, a faint smile graced the Maid Chief's face. And while it was only Hayato's subjective opinion, he thought her cheeks were also slightly flushed. His only thought was that virtual reality was amazing.

"It was not unseemly at all. Strong women are beautiful. Well then, Maid Chief-dono. Thank you for everything. I am grateful. If we have the chance, let us form a party and go on an expedition again."

"Yes, someday, we must. Also, I will write you letters."

"I... see. My handwriting is poor, so it is a bit embarrassing, but I will do my best to write legibly at least, so I look forward to it then... Now, I suppose I shall return to the Demon Lord's Castle. If I stay any longer, I will not want to leave. Well then, Hayato-dono, you have my thanks."

"Not at all, thank you for everything as well."

Gil gave a slight bow to each of the three of them, then waved and walked off toward the Royal Capital. He would teleport to the Demon Country and then walk the rest of the way.

The three of them watched him go, but Hayato and Rose were afraid to look at the Maid Chief.

They didn't know what state she would be in. Would she return to her days of punching a sandbag, or would something else happen?

Ignoring the two frozen players, the Maid Chief spoke.

"He's gone."

Hayato and Rose breathed a sigh of relief at her unexpectedly calm demeanor. At yesterday's farewell party, she had seemed on the verge of storming the Demon Lord's Castle in pursuit of Gil.

"Um, are you, uh, all right?"

"I have caused you a great deal of trouble, Hayato-sama. I am fine now, so please do not worry. However, between Relic-sama and Gil-sama, there are so many wonderful men in the world. I regret not having noticed it until now."

"Ah, yes, that's true. Even from a man's perspective, they're both gentlemen. I hope to be like them in the future."

"Yes. I certainly hope you will become a wonderful man like them, Hayato-sama. Now then, I shall also devote myself to becoming a wonderful woman who is worthy of Relic-sama and Gil-sama. First, I must defeat Lunaria-sama."

"...Pardon?"

"Gil-sama said it just now. Strong women are beautiful. Therefore, the strongest woman is the most beautiful. To achieve that, I believe I must defeat the Demon Lord, Lunaria-sama."

(I feel like the direction of her devotion is a little off, but it's probably better not to say anything...)

Though there seemed to be a few lingering issues, the Maid Chief appeared calmer than before to Hayato. Or rather, that's what he wanted to believe.

Afterward, as the three of them were chatting, Mist and her companions arrived.

After exchanging greetings, Mist bowed her head to Hayato. Damian and Ruth bowed their heads along with her.

"Hayato-san, thank you for all your help. Though I suppose we will continue to be in your care."

"Not at all. As I said yesterday, please don't worry about it. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."

"Yes, thank you. We will return to the mansion for now. We will contact you if anything comes up."

After that, Mist and her companions bowed to the Maid Chief and Rose in the same manner, then headed toward the Royal Capital, just as Gil had.

After seeing them off, the Maid Chief also said, "Well then, I shall take my leave," and returned to the Maid Guild.

Once inside the base, Rose looked at Hayato.

"Hayato-sama, what are your plans now? I imagine you have many things to do, so I was wondering what you would start with."

"Let's see. First, I think I'll make some money. We need funds for everything. So today is for Warehouse Organization. I plan to put some unused equipment and other things up for auction."

"You won't sell them in the shop?"

"I've decided that I'll only sell things I've made myself in the shop. Unique equipment or rare drop items, I put those up for auction. It's not that there's a difference in sales, it's just a personal preference, I guess."

This was simply Hayato's preference. He had decided that the items sold in his shop would only be things he had created himself. He never sold metals or herbs obtained through mining or gathering as they were. To do so felt like a defeat as a craftsman.

The auction, unless you set a buyout price, took time to sell and charged a fee. It was rare for an item to sell instantly unless it was extremely rare.

Among the items he had obtained on the Floating Island and in the Necropolis were several rare ones. He had been busy recently, so they had been gathering dust in his storage without being put up for auction.

He had decided to convert them into cash now so that he could make effective use of the funds for future expeditions.

"Understood. In that case, please leave the shop to me. I will handle the shopkeeping with the intention of selling out all the products."

"I'm counting on you. And could you also keep an eye on recent trends? The equipment and medicine for beginners we put out before sold quite well, so that was a big help."

When Hayato said that, Rose's face lit up with a smile. She was probably happy to be praised.

"I understand that as well. If you don't mind, could you also check the sales trends at the auction, Hayato-sama? I believe items that are sold out are in high demand."

"Good point. Since I'm going out anyway, I'll take a look at that too. That said, first things first is organizing the warehouse. I'll be in the storage room on the second floor, so let me know if anything comes up."

"Very well."

Rose headed to the shop, and Hayato headed to the storage room on the second floor.

The storage room was the last room on the second floor, next to Hayato's room. Across from the storage room was the indoor garden, where he cultivated ingredients for cooking and medicine.

Recently, Rose had been watering them every day, so Hayato only went inside for gathering, when his cultivation skill was applied, and for planting seeds. I should expand the garden sometime, Hayato thought to himself as he entered the storage room.

The storage room was filled with a large number of item storage boxes, but they weren't particularly organized. Unless it was an extremely rare item, he just tossed things in randomly.

"Alright, let's get this item organization started."

Hayato made a gesture of rolling up his sleeves and opened a nearby box.