"Hmm... what to do..." Tricia muttered, staring at her notes.
"You're really in a rut, aren't you," Luke observed.
"I know, right?" Tricia sighed.
Two months had passed since I arrived in Edinbia. Yet, Tricia remained busy every day as the resident healer at the Adventurer's Guild.
In her spare time, she would sit in the healing room, just as she was doing now, scribbling down ideas for her dream boarding house.
She still hadn't settled on a property for that coveted passive income.
"It doesn't help that earning money is just too easy... I've never had such a stable income before," Tricia mused.
The dungeon's lower levels were still increasing in difficulty. Because of that, more high-value materials could be harvested, so there was no shortage of adventurers.
"You can do the lower levels in a day trip. Everyone's bound to want to take a crack at it, right?" an adventurer remarked.
An adventurer's source of income was broadly divided into two. One was completing requests for a reward. The other was hunting monsters and selling the materials.
Usually, those materials would be bought by the guild or merchants, but Edinbia had a specialized procurement office1, and the current buying prices were listed on the notice board outside.
Perhaps because the dungeon's level had risen, the amount of raw materials being brought in had decreased, which in turn had driven the prices up. The adventurers' morale was soaring as a result.
As always, a steady stream of injured people was carried in every day. Even on Tricia's days off, some adventurers were starting to complain, insisting they only wanted Tricia's healing. She had even started getting invited to join adventurer parties.
"It's way easier having a Healer around~" one adventurer had coaxed.
"But if you don't get hurt, I'm useless, and your share of the rewards goes down, doesn't it?" Tricia had countered.
That was what Anetta had once told Tricia.
"That's just hindsight talking. Having a Healer there definitely lets you go all out, that's for sure," Luke argued.
"Eagle used to say the same thing," Tricia murmured.
The moment Eagle's name was mentioned, Luke's expression clouded over.
"I'm not trying to defend him, or anything," Tricia added quickly.
She replied with a bitter smile.
"Excuse me! We've got eight coming in!"
Bail, the guild staffer in charge of the healing room, called out. It was becoming noisy beyond the door.
"It's finished at noon, right? Once we grab a bite, we're heading to the Artisan's Guild," Luke announced.
"Eh? Why?" Tricia asked, blinking.
Luke left, waving a hand without answering Tricia's question. Adventurers were being carried in to replace them, so she couldn't ask any further.
Ultimately, patients kept arriving one after another until the relief healer arrived. Apparently, the dungeon had suddenly flooded with monsters.
"Well then, if you'll excuse me," Tricia said, packing her things.
"Oh, yeah! Enjoy your date~" Ash teased with a grin.
"It's not like that, honestly," Tricia demurred.
The one taking Tricia's place was Ash, a former B-rank healer. Rumor had it that he had already retired from adventuring and served a wealthy merchant for a long time, but he came to Edinbia because he couldn't forget his days as an adventurer.
Even though he had been living the ideal post-retirement life for a healer, he had thrown it all away to return to this town.
(I've thought about it too, you know~)
Life after retiring as a healer was better than for other adventurers. Healing magic was in demand everywhere. The higher your rank, the more options you had for re-employment.
(But if I'm going to bother, I want to live a little more freely, don't I?)
Adventurers are free. Tricia guessed that Ash must have returned to Edinbia with similar feelings. He still seemed to be training his body; he had a solidly muscular build.
The Artisan's Guild was a building where delicate craftsmanship was applied from the very entrance, with a sense of solidity and exquisite technique visible everywhere.
"Let's see, the construction department is this way."
Looking around, she followed Luke quietly. Unlike the Adventurer's Guild, there weren't many people coming and going. The departments were highly subdivided, which made it clear how many staff members were employed there.
"What is your business here?"
The receptionist was blunt. Perhaps because the construction sector didn't have much to do with adventurers, it was clear he was suspicious.
"I'm looking for a building that could serve as lodging, and I was wondering if you could introduce me to someone who knows about that sort of thing," Tricia explained.
"It can even be falling apart!" Luke interjected.
"Wouldn't the Merchant's Guild be better for that kind of talk?" the receptionist suggested.
"No, if you're walking around town and notice, 'this building would be great if you fixed it up,' it's the pros in that field who'd notice, right?" Luke reasoned.
Luke pushed forward with the conversation, ignoring the receptionist's attitude.
(The people at the Merchant's Guild have such a mercenary spirit... well, it was helpful for deciding on an area, at least.)
It was natural since they didn't know about Tricia's skills, but they only introduced her to expensive buildings that didn't really need any fixing up.
Either way, the interior of the rooms would need to be renovated for a boarding house. Since she had to keep a budget for the renovation costs, she decided to talk to the artisans who would do the work.
"I see... hmm... I understand... in that case..."
The man at the reception began to think. It seemed he was the type who was just blunt but got his work done properly. He pulled out a single sheet of paper, wrote down the details of Tricia's request, and signed it.
"There is an architect named Spin at the Valentia Workshop down this street. He's always grumbling about wanting to do houses, not just repairs to the city walls, so he might be able to help. He's from this town and is well-informed, so you might get some results if you ask him."
He spoke without any inflection.
Tricia thanked the blunt receptionist profusely and hurried toward the location as instructed.
"Excuse me!" Tricia called out.
The Valentia Workshop was larger than she had imagined, and outside, a stonemason was working away, making quite a loud noise.
"Excuse me!!!" she tried again, raising her voice.
When she called out loudly one more time, the craftsman working noticed and called out to another craftsman in the back.
"Sorry about that! What can I do for you?"
When she showed the paper she received at the Artisan's Guild to the young man who came trotting over, his face suddenly broke into a smile.
"I'm Spin! That sounds like such a fun request! If you don't mind, I have a few places in mind, so would you like me to guide you!?"
She could tell he was excited. Tricia liked him. She could tell by the look on his face that Luke, standing next to her, felt the same way.
Summary:
Tricia navigates her professional responsibilities at the Adventurer's Guild while seeking a property for a boarding house to secure passive income. After a busy day of healing, she visits the Artisan's Guild with Luke, where they are directed to an architect named Spin. The scene concludes with the trio meeting the enthusiastic architect, who expresses immediate interest in their project.
Trivia:
Tricia has been in Edinbia for two months.
The dungeon's increased difficulty has led to higher material prices, making adventurers more motivated.
There is a specialized procurement office for materials in Edinbia.
Ash is a former B-rank healer who retired but returned to adventuring life.
The Artisan's Guild is structured into highly subdivided departments.
Spin, the architect, is frustrated with his current work of repairing city walls.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ A specialized facility in the town specifically designated for purchasing monster materials, distinct from standard guild or merchant buying processes.
Notes:
• Tricia - A pragmatic C-Rank healer and orphan with dark, shoulder-length hair and obsidian eyes, she hides her exceptional healing expertise and rare "Reset" skill—which reverses physical damage and restores items—to avoid exploitation. After being ousted from her party, she lives in Edinbia, using her memories of a past life to build financial stability and a passive income empire while assisting low-rankers.
• Luke - A silver-haired, blue-eyed S-rank adventurer and noble-born son of a Marquis, he is Tricia's wealthy childhood friend, protector, and mentor. Though notoriously surly and a solo fighter, he maintains a mischievous, carefree persona for her sake. As her confidant and manager, he supports her passive income empire and dungeon ventures, balancing his overwhelming combat power with devoted companionship.
• Anetta - A blonde, manipulative adventurer and Sorcerer skilled in offensive and healing magic. Once part of Tricia and Eagle’s party, she used her influence to usurp Tricia’s position as Eagle’s romantic partner, leading to Tricia’s expulsion. Known for her hostility toward Tricia and a nuisance to fellow adventurers, she maintains significant control over the party while showing little regard for others.
• Eagle - A B-rank adventurer and former party member of Tricia, this swordsman has reddish-brown hair and bright, orange-tinted eyes. Growing up with Tricia in an orphanage, he is gentle but easily swayed. Burdened by guilt after betraying Tricia—his long-time companion—to pursue a relationship with Anetta, he maintains a stoic demeanor, though his history with Tricia remains a source of visible discomfort.
• Bail - A guild staff member responsible for the healing room operations in the Adventurer's Guild.
• Ash - A former B-rank healer who retired from adventuring to serve a merchant, only to return to Edinbia; he is physically muscular and maintains a fit physique.
• Spin - A young, enthusiastic architect at the Valentia Workshop who specializes in city walls but aspires to design residential homes.