"Good evening! Mr. Braimon, Mrs. Madret, are you home?"

"Oh, Tetsuya and Lilia, is it?"

"Oh my, welcome. Please, come on in."

"Thank you for having us."

"Excuse us."

After the messenger from that noble was taken away by Rizac, the guild master of the Adventurer's Guild, and after discussing future plans with the employees, Lilia and I left the store's closing duties to everyone else and came to visit the real estate shop next door to the outdoor shop.

This real estate shop is run by a married couple in their sixties. Whenever we moved in or started selling new products, we made it a point to greet them. Naturally, today’s visit is to talk about what happened earlier.

"It seems you had a rough time earlier today. We could even hear the commotion from here. Glad to know your employees are all safe."

"Yes, it was truly a relief that no one got hurt."

"As you said, we immediately went to notify the guards, but was that the right thing to do?"

"Yes, Mrs. Madret. You going to call the guards was a great help, thank you."

In the end, the Adventurer's Guild arrived first, but shortly after that, the guards called by Mrs. Madret and some of our regular customers also arrived. They were briefed on the situation regarding Baron Rigeem's messenger.

The guards later went to the Adventurer's Guild to question the messenger. The punishment for the messengers and the baron is now pending Rizac and Patrice's reports.

"Oh, it’s nothing. We're neighbors, after all. We help each other out, hahaha!"

"Exactly. Having someone as strong as Miss Lilia, a former adventurer, next door really puts us at ease."

"Indeed. Since it's just the two of us running this shop, even in a well-guarded town like this, bad people can show up anywhere. We’re lucky to have a former high-ranking adventurer move in next door."

Well, this is the kind of world it is. It’s understandable they'd feel reassured knowing a strong person lives next door.

"If anything happens, feel free to rely on me. I’d be happy to help out a neighbor."

As always, Lilia was cool and dependable. Even when she faced enemies earlier, it reminded me again just how reliable she is. I really lucked out having Lilia work at our shop.

"Sorry for always causing such a commotion around our shop. Oh, and this is the same sweet treat I brought last time."

The trusty old sweet gifts—yokan and chocolate bars. Giving gifts like these is essential for fostering smooth communication... not bribery, mind you.

"Oh, these are such a treat. That sweet snack you brought last time was the first of its kind I’ve ever tasted. I bet even nobles wouldn’t have the chance to enjoy something like this."

"Absolutely. It was sweet and absolutely delicious. On top of that, the customers lining up at your shop often stop to look at the ads posted in front of ours. It’s brought more people into our shop than usual."

It’s great having a real estate shop as our neighbor. If it were another store selling similar products, we probably wouldn’t have this friendly relationship. That’s one of the reasons we chose this location for the shop in the first place.

"Hearing that makes me happy. Let’s keep working together from now on."

"Please, take care of us as well."

"Of course, likewise."

"Yes, please count on us."

Maintaining good relationships with neighbors is important. It was fortunate Lange was around this week, but if he hadn’t been, Rizac and the others would’ve taken much longer to arrive.

We’ll need to rely on regular customers and neighbors to notify the Adventurer's Guild or guards in times of trouble. It’s too dangerous for Fia or me, who lack combat abilities, to go ourselves. There’s always the risk of an ambush. Keeping up good neighborly relations will remain a priority.

By the way, the shop on our right is a pharmacy, and across the street is a clothing store. After greeting the Braimon family, Lilia and I went on to greet the pharmacy and the clothing store as well.

◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆

We launched a new product line and had our share of troubles, but we managed to make it through the week safely.

On our day off, Lilia, Lange, and I decided to visit the Adventurer's Guild to check on the status of the noble’s messenger and hear an update on the map-making progress.

"Good morning, Tetsuya. Please head to the Guild Master's office."

"Thank you."

Despite not being an adventurer, the guild staff have come to recognize me. Well, that’s probably because I deliver items like compasses and water purifiers to them every week.