Exiled Alchemist’s Frontier Life: A Former Elite’s Fresh Start in the Backcountry After Failing Again - Chapter 6: House Inspection
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- Exiled Alchemist’s Frontier Life: A Former Elite’s Fresh Start in the Backcountry After Failing Again
- Chapter 6: House Inspection
After I finished putting my personal work tools into the desk drawer, I sat down in the chair and took a breath.
Next to me, Erika was also sitting, watching me with a big smile.
“Are you that happy?” I asked.
“Shall we take tomorrow off too? Then I think you’ll understand how I feel.”
Well, I guess she wouldn’t like being alone in such a big space. It’d be better to work from home.
“Wait, tomorrow too? Was today a day off?”
“Yes.”
She guided me around on her day off… That’s amazing.
“I’m sorry.”
“Oh, don’t worry. What are you planning to do now, Zeke-san? Since we’re here, do you want to get some work done?”
Work on a day off?
“No, I need to figure out where I’m going to live. Tonight I’ll stay at a hotel thanks to a coupon from a friend, but I don’t have a place to stay starting tomorrow.”
Since the atelier turned out to be shared, it looks like I’ll be stuck living in a hotel at this rate, which will drain my savings.
“Shall I show you around? I know a real estate agent.”
As expected of a local.
“Are you sure? It’s your day off, right?”
“It’s no trouble at all. I’m free anyway.”
This girl’s practically glowing.
“Then, sorry to impose, but I’ll take you up on that.”
“Okay. Do you have any preferences for a place?”
“I don’t want to be too picky, but at least I’d like an atelier. Two rooms would be ideal. But I need to keep the rent low.”
To be honest, my salary was cut in half with this transfer.
“I see… In that case, why not move into the dormitory?”
Dormitory?
“There’s a dorm?”
“Yes, but it’s actually just an apartment owned by the branch, so it’s not communal living.”
It’s like company housing.
“What’s the rent?”
“It’s 50,000 el, but branch employees get a discount, so it’s half that.”
25,000 el… That’s cheap. The cheap apartment I had in the capital was 70,000 el.
“Can I take a look at it?”
“You can check out my room, if you’d like.”
“Wait a minute… Would it be okay for me to visit? Isn’t that a bit intrusive?”
Once again, I paused to consult with Helen.
“If Erika-san says it’s fine, then just taking a quick look should be okay. But no overstaying your welcome—it’s a woman’s room, after all.”
Good point.
“Erika, could I just take a quick look?”
“Sure! Let’s go.”
We stood up, headed downstairs, and left the branch. Erika led me down a narrow path beside the branch, bringing me to the back. There, two apartment buildings stood facing each other.
“This is the place. As you’d expect, it’s just Leonora-san and me living here. My room is the one over there, and Leonora’s is upstairs.”
Erika pointed to the front door of the building on the left.
“It’s right behind the branch, huh?”
“Yeah, you can sleep in a bit in the mornings. It’s only a 30-second commute.”
That’s definitely convenient.
“What about the branch chief?”
“The branch chief rents somewhere else, apparently.”
I bet it’s a nice place. He is a noble, after all.
“I see. With only you and Leonora here, there must be plenty of vacancies.”
“Yes. Please, come inside.”
Erika went ahead, took out her key, and opened the door. Helen and I followed her inside, stepping into a living room with a small kitchen attached.
“It’s pretty clean.”
The wallpaper in the living room looked neat, and the place didn’t feel old at all.
“This is the living room. There are two more rooms aside from this one, and of course, there’s a bathroom and toilet. I’m embarrassed, so I won’t show you the bedroom, but you can take a look at the room I use as my atelier.”
Erika-san opened a door off the living room, revealing a room about eight tatami mats in size. There were bookshelves and various tools inside, along with a desk showing signs of recent work.
“As a personal atelier, it’s plenty big.”
“It’s the dormitory for the Alchemist Association branch, so it’s fully soundproofed too.”
I see.
“You don’t have to show me, but how big is the other room, the one that’s your bedroom?”
“It’s the same size as this one.”
“That’s impressive… Even at the full rent of 50,000 el, this place is a bargain. In the capital, it would easily be double that.”
This apartment is way better than the one I lived in back in the capital.
“Ah, I’ve heard rent and food prices are high in the capital.”
That’s true… Even in Japan, Tokyo was much more expensive than the countryside. Maybe it’s the same here.
“Helen, what do you think?”
I asked Helen for her opinion since she’d be living with me.
“I think it’s great. It’s spacious, affordable, and best of all, it’s close to work. And you’re not a morning person, Zeke-sama.”
I can’t help it if I’m always sleepy.
“Erika, I’d like to live here.”
“Zeke-sama, you should phrase that better.”
Huh?
Oh, right. That did sound a bit weird.
“I mean, how do I go about renting a room in this dormitory?”
“You just need to submit an application to the branch chief. Then the rent will automatically be deducted from your salary. But you can do that tomorrow. The branch chief has probably already gone home by now.”
Gone home already, even though it’s still midday… Well, I guess that’s typical for a cushy post like his.
“Alright, I’ll do that tomorrow. Thanks for going out of your way to help on your day off. You’ve really saved me.”
“Oh, it’s no problem at all.”
No problem, huh…
“I’m looking forward to working with you from tomorrow.”
“Me too.”
As I looked at Erika’s radiant smile, we left the room