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"Yes, that sounds perfect to me. But I think it would be good to call Arya to join us," says Melisa while looking toward one of the rooms in the house.
'Right, Arya... Why wasn't she with Melisa? Did they have a fight?'
"Where is she? Shouldn't she have been helping you cook? If she's said anything rude to you, I—" I say, looking in the direction where I can see her blue dot.
"She hasn't said anything bad to me, Emir. In fact, she's quite polite as long as you respect her space…" says Melisa as she comes closer and touches my arm, then lets her hand drift down in a caress that ends on my hand.
Then she starts guiding me towards the room where Arya's blue dot is and lets out a laugh, after which she continues speaking in whispers.
"...She wasn't helping me cook because it's better to keep her well away from anything to do with the kitchen. She's completely hopeless at anything to do with that sort of thing."
"Oh? I didn't know that," I say with a smile.
"Don't say anything to her about it. She gets in a terrible mood whenever the subject comes up," she says quietly, looking at me seriously.
"Don't worry. I won't say a word," I say in an amused tone, which earns me a suspicious look from my farmer wife.
Then she opens the door to the room where Arya is, while signaling for me to be quiet, and we find the pale-skinned elf with straight black hair sitting at a luxurious oak desk on which there are several piles of papers of various sizes.
The elf is wearing her glasses, a light green shirt, and dark brown leather trousers, and she appears to be calculating, recording, and checking the contents of the papers in front of her with intense concentration.
In fact, she seems so focused that it takes her a few seconds to notice our arrival.
Arya then looks at us in confusion for a few moments, after which she turns her attention back to the papers.
Melisa looks at me with a smile and says, "I've discovered that Arya has a natural talent for bookkeeping. So she's mainly been helping me with that. Her help has really been just what I needed. She's brilliant."
"It's no big deal. I'm sure anyone could do what I do. But I won't deny that I enjoy it…" says Arya, looking up from the papers at the farmer, with a hint of satisfaction in her voice that I've rarely heard from her.
"... The numbers. They're easy to work with because they can't let you down."
"Don't be modest, woman; it doesn't suit you! If I say you're talented at this, it's because you are. I know what I'm talking about. Take it from a woman who has managed and made her businesses thrive all her life..." says Melisa in the tone of someone who knows what she's talking about, as she puts her hands on her hips and looks at the elf seriously.
"... I know very well how difficult it is to keep the accounts in order and stay on top of everything in business once you reach a certain stage. However, you manage it without much effort. That's something very few people could do without help. Believe me. Nobody gets where I am without knowing how to recognize and make the most of the strengths of the people around you."
"Haa… All right, boss, it'll take your word," says the elf with a half-smile as she looks at Melisa with a gaze full of respect.
"I'm glad you've found something you enjoy doing, but why do you wear glasses?…" I ask her curiously.
"…I thought you didn't need them anymore thanks to Eagle's Eye."
"I don't need them, Master, but I prefer not to have to use the skill constantly in my day-to-day life, as it demands a certain degree of constant concentration. And I need to concentrate for this job. That's why I only use the skill when I think the glasses might become a nuisance..." explains the elf in a mocking tone, speaking as if she were stating the obvious.
"… It's quite simple, actually. You could even say that what you've just asked me is nonsense. It's as if you thought that, because armor offers much more protection than everyday clothes, people should be constantly kitted out in full armor."
"I just asked you an innocent question," I say, slightly irritated by the elf's attitude, as I'd forgotten by now just how annoying it could be to talk to her.
"And I answered you as best I could, Master," she says with a mocking smile.
"Haa… whatever. Melisa and I are thinking of going to the labyrinth for a few hours, which is why we've come to pick you up," I say brusquely after sighing.
"Are you ordering me to accompany you, Master?" she asks in a monotonous, dispassionate voice, as all expression fades from her face.
'Why does everything always have to be so complicated with her?'
"No, Arya. We just wanted to know your opinion on the matter. Do you want to come?" says Melisa, positioning herself between the elf and me.
"Hmm, yes, I suppose it would be nice to stretch my legs for a few hours," says the elf, rising resolutely, after which she begins to stretch.
'It seems Melisa has found a way to tame her…
I suppose that means Arya can stay with her permanently…
Delia probably won't be too pleased with the idea…
But I'd rather not have to deal with Arya in my day-to-day life'
"Perfect. Then we can set off if you've got everything ready," I say, looking at the two women inquiringly.
"Yes. I've got the equipment you gave me today in my storage ring. I'll just need a few seconds to get changed," says Melisa, after which she conjures up the pile of items in her outstretched arms.
"OK. And you, Arya?" I ask, looking at the elf very seriously, trying to imitate what I saw Melisa do earlier to see if that way I can get a straightforward answer from her.
"I always carry the few possessions I own with me, Master. Do you want me to change in front of you, or are you going to give me some privacy?" says the elf, looking at me as if I were some sort of insect.
"Haa… no. I'm going to step out of the room for a few minutes. Let me know when you're ready and we can set off," I say with a grunt, after which I leave the room.
'It's pointless… It's exasperating talking to her…
I don't understand how Melisa manages it'
As I wait, leaning against the wall opposite the door to the room where the two women are, I can hear them whispering to each other.
I take the opportunity to equip myself with my own set of armor, which takes less than a second thanks to my ever-useful inventory.
But I don't have to wait long, as within a few minutes they both open the door, fully kitted out in their combat gear.
...
"How do you feel wearing the equipment I gave you…?" I ask Melisa as we take a few minutes' rest under one of the trees in the no-man's zone after spending nearly an hour fighting our way from one battle to the next.
"…It looks like you've got the hang of using it already."
"Yes. It's quite comfortable to use. But what surprises me most is how ridiculously more effective it is compared to the one I'd bought…" says Melisa as she looks at the short sword resting on the ground beside her.
"... What runes does this weapon have? The sword I bought has the Edge rune, but it doesn't cut as well as this one does."
"It has Edge+. That's the effect you get when you use two Edge runes on the same weapon. And the same goes for your shield and most of your armor pieces. Only in this case do they have the Physical Shield+ effect," I say, while keeping a close watch on our surroundings.
"Ohh. I didn't know you could do that," says Melisa, frowning as she looks at her sword.
We're under the protective effect of my [Pseudo Dimension], which makes us invisible to any monster below level 50, and I can see on the map in my interface if any enemies are approaching.
But I've seen several times already that I can't trust the information my interface gives me 100%, so I prefer to keep an eye out for anything strange.
And even more so considering that those accompanying me aren't as skilled and strong as the Saint and the Sword Saint I have for girlfriends.
As always in these situations, I've been supporting them as much as possible and have let Melisa set the pace at which we move forward.
I'm surprised by the self-confidence and ease the brown-haired woman displays in combat, considering she only decided to learn how to fight a few months ago.
Arya, on the other hand, has found it somewhat difficult to keep up with the group due to the growing gap between her stats and ours; unlike Melisa, she doesn't have the Harem member class, which means she doesn't benefit from the shared experience effect that I, my girls and, strangely enough, Beatrice enjoy.
But she has managed to overcome those difficulties largely thanks to the great coordination and camaraderie she apparently shares with my favorite farmer.
I don't understand what Melisa must have done to get on so well with the elf, even though she is human, but I suppose it's better that way.
In any case, their level of coordination isn't something achieved simply by getting on well, so I suspect the two of them must have been training together on their own.
There's no labyrinth in Danes City, but I imagine they haven't had that sort of problem in the capital of Drial Cenit.
While fighting the various monsters in the no man's zone, I've been experimenting with my status to see how much having my high-level classes active affects my combat potential.
And I've discovered it's quite a bit more than I thought.
Before, I didn't notice much difference when swapping a class at level 15 for one at level 1.
But now that the difference is much greater, the change is quite noticeable.
In any case, it's no longer possible for me to activate low-level classes to gain more stat points quickly, as since my stats have reached 50 points in most categories, the experience gained from low-level classes has been significantly reduced.
I wasn't quite sure what caused the change before, but now that both Alessia and Delia are in the same situation as me, I've come to the conclusion that it must be due to some sort of passive effect that people gain upon reaching a certain threshold in their stats.
I imagine this is some sort of 'divine control mechanism' to prevent people from becoming excessively strong by changing classes frequently.
Although it can't really be said that this is something so easy for a normal person to achieve without the help of something like the Solus Temple's status reset ritual.
Another thing I've been experimenting with, though I put this to the test as soon as we reached the no man's zone, is my new flying belt.
Unfortunately, it seems the belt is of little use in the labyrinths, apart from its function as an item of clothing.
Though that makes sense, as otherwise one could find the passages leading to the next floors far too easily.
...
"Right then. I think it's time to go to bed, my love…" I say as I look fondly at Melisa, now back at the farmer's house after we've had a shower and dinner, while reaching an arm across the dining table towards my girlfriend.
Melisa, Arya, and I are sitting at the table, and we finished eating a while ago.
"... Tonight I want to spend the whole night with you."
"I love hearing that," says Melisa with a beaming smile.
Then she stands up, comes over to me, takes my hand, and pulls it to force me to get up from my chair.
"Arya, you can join us if you like," I say to the elf with a teasing smile, getting a little payback for all the irritating comments she's made to me today.