“Astrea Familia?”
Jeanne dArc’s eyes lit up.
She settled the bill with the vendor and, clutching a paper bag full of oranges, stood by the side of the road with Fati, hugging the wall.
Watching the crowd quickly gathering toward the commotion to spectate, she asked curiously, “Is that the Familia belonging to the Goddess Astrea, who presides over the stars, order, and justice?”
Fati replied while peeling an orange, “That’s right.
The [Astrea Familia] is also known by the citizens as the ‘Wings of Justice,’ and they are an important force in maintaining order in the city.”
“In other words, their duties are similar to the Gendarmerie of the Ganesha Familia and the Guild staff?” Jeanne dArc pressed.
This was a difficult question for Fati to answer.
He thought for a moment and spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully, “Well…
how should I put it.
The [Ganesha Familia], under the command of Ganesha, the Lord of the Masses, are not only Adventurers but also carry the formal duties of the [Military Police].”
“You can think of them as an official security agency working in cooperation with the [City Management Authority].”
“As for the Astrea Familia, they are more like a group that spontaneously maintains city order—perhaps…
semi-official volunteers?
Or maybe collaborators.” He paused and added a disclaimer, “These are all just my personal guesses.
As for the specifics, that’s beyond my knowledge.”
After saying that, Fati couldn’t help but wonder: given the relationship between the Guild and the Astrea Familia, did the Guild provide them with salaries or subsidies?
If they really did all this purely out of their own will without getting anything in return, then he would truly admire them from the bottom of his heart.
After all, he certainly couldn’t bring himself to do such a thankless job for free.
But thinking of the Goddess of Justice’s divine will, he immediately shook his head.
‘Wait, what am I thinking?’ Suddenly, Fati froze and then thought self-deprecatingly, ‘I can’t even handle the mess in my own house, and yet here I am, a nobody, worrying about other people’s business?
Psh, I must be bored.’
Jeanne dArc’s gaze also fell on the members of the Astrea Familia who were handling the dispute in the distance, her expression appearing somewhat complex.
‘…Asking for nothing in return?’
Fati caught her expression out of the corner of his eye and understood.
Wasn’t she exactly like that back then?
Yet her end was the stake.
However, he tactfully chose not to point it out.
“Fati,” Jeanne dArc pursed her lips and asked in a low voice, “if it were you, what would you do?”
Hearing this question, Fati felt that hesitating for even a second would be a sign of disrespect to himself: “In the adult world, ideals take a backseat; interests come first.”
The girl fell silent, the past flashing before her eyes like a revolving lantern as she became lost in thought.
Indeed, one cannot be too naive.
Before doing anything, one must consider all aspects, especially when it involves the interests of others.
Seeing that Jeanne dArc had begun to reflect, Fati said no more.
He turned to the vendor and asked:
“Boss, these oranges are good.
I haven’t had them before; are they a new variety?”
“You have good taste, young man,” the vendor responded enthusiastically.
“These are ‘Hiiragi Oranges’ that Lady Demeter recently succeeded in trial-planting and just started promoting on a small scale this year!
Want some more?
With their current popularity, they won’t be at this price next month!”
Hiiragi Oranges?
The corners of Fati’s mouth curled up uncontrollably.
“Alright, give me another bag.”
“That’ll be 850 Valis.”
“Thank you.”
…Not far away, under the mediation of the Astrea Familia members, the disturbance caused by a verbal dispute was quickly settled.
However, Jeanne dArc had lost her interest in continuing to browse.
“Not shopping anymore?” Fati asked.
“No.”
“Alright, then let’s go take care of business.”
However, reality soon dealt Fati a heavy blow.
Inside the Demeter Familia shop.
“What?!
5000 Valis for a 5kg bag of rice?!” Fati looked at the price tag, his jaw dropping in disbelief.
“Wasn’t it just 2000 before?
It hasn’t even been a month!”
He was completely stunned.
The clerk was an old acquaintance of his, and he explained apologetically, “Sorry, Fati.
This price wasn’t set by Lady Demeter, but it’s the general market environment.
You know what I mean, right?”
“…”
Fati’s gaze swept over the other labels on the shelves, and his eyes twitched.
Good grief, none of the new rice was under 3000!
Even the cheapest Gugu Rice was already 2000 Valis.
What on earth was going on!?
But thinking back to the previous actions of the [Dark Faction], he suddenly felt a chill.
‘Is this…
have the sharp ones caught wind of something?
Or are there well-informed merchants hoarding goods to drive up prices?’
Realizing this, Fati felt a sense of dread.
The world never lacked clever people; if it weren’t for his own ‘cheats,’ he probably wouldn’t have anticipated this change.
Looking at the ridiculous prices on the labels, he let out a sigh.
In the end, he didn’t haggle any further and instead gritted his teeth and spent 200,000 Valis to purchase two 50kg bags of rice and two bags of flour.
Afterward, the two of them stocked up on meat, eggs, milk, fruits, vegetables, spices, butter, and other ingredients before heading home carrying large bags and small parcels.
With these supplies, even if they didn’t restock, it would be enough for the two of them for quite some time.
“The…
prices have risen way too sharply.” Even though she wasn’t particularly sensitive to numbers, Jeanne dArc was a bit overwhelmed.
“Anything produced by the Demeter Familia is bound to be high quality.
This is all premium rice and flour; the taste and nutrition are top-notch.
It’s just that the price hike is a bit fierce.” Fati, who was carrying the rice, twitched his lips.
Recalling the moment he paid, he still felt a bit of a sting in his wallet.
But as a foodie, he comforted himself: it was worth it…
“Finally home.” Putting the purchased items in the courtyard, Fati and Jeanne dArc sat by the stone table to drink water and rest.
After one trip out, they had spent nearly a million.
After leaving the Free Market, the two had also gone to a tailor shop and the [Blue Pharmacy].
At the tailor shop, he bought Jeanne dArc daily wear, training clothes, and a battle outfit.
At the [Blue Pharmacy], they restocked on consumed elixirs.
Finally, on the way back, they bought a set of Adventurer exploration TOOLs and a backpack at the [TOOL] general store.
All in all, it had almost emptied out Fati’s savings from the past six months or so.
However, these expenses were worth it.
In the future, when the two of them explored the Dungeon as a team, the speed at which they earned money would grow exponentially.
The gold coins hadn’t disappeared; they had just turned into something else to stay by his side…
After a day of wandering, his body was fine, but his mind was exhausted.
The planned dinner outing had to be postponed.
After a simple dinner, the two of them collapsed onto the sofa and floor in the living room, enjoying the tranquility of the evening.
“Even though I like the white noise of summer rain, without the dancing flames in a fireplace, I always feel like it’s missing some atmosphere,” Fati remarked while staring at the ceiling.
“Oh, you like rainy days and fireplaces?” Jeanne dArc opened her eyes.
“Of course.
Every time autumn arrives, I always look forward to it snowing and getting colder so I can have a legitimate reason to light the fireplace.” Fati nodded as if it were a matter of course.
Jeanne dArc lay on her side on the sofa, propping her head up with one hand, a few strands of blonde hair falling loose.
She smiled and met Fati’s gaze.
“I didn’t expect you to have such a childish side.” After spending these days together, the Fati in her eyes was mature and steady, but now…
“Childish, huh?” Fati’s gaze took on a bit of an aggressive edge as he looked Jeanne dArc up and down.
“Then how about I show some masculinity?
Why don’t you try on the battle outfit we bought today to see if it fits, and while you’re at it, check the tailor’s craftsmanship.”
“…”
Jeanne dArc was innocent, but she wasn’t stupid.
She saw right through Fati’s scheme.
He just wanted to see her wearing the battle outfit, yet he insisted on making it sound so high-minded.
At this thought, her cheeks couldn’t help but flush slightly.
“What’s…
what’s so good about looking at a battle outfit…”
“Jeanne~~~” Fati drawled out her name.
“…I really can’t do anything with you.” she sighed softly, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.
“I…
I’ll agree to it, then.”
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”