Arthur gave his new wife a small tour of the house. The house itself was quite spacious, with multiple rooms.
Two bedrooms, a study upstairs, an empty library was downstairs with the living room and kitchen along with a bathroom as well as one extra room, adjacent to the bathroom. There was also a basement.
"The bedrooms are upstairs, and the living room is downstairs. Do you think that will be an issue in the long run?"
Esme posed the question as both of them descended the stairs after having seen the bedrooms.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, in the future, I will be carrying your child, and it would be quite difficult to climb up the stairs in that state"
She explained, and a hum escaped his lips, he understood her reasoning.
She was correct, but not only that, but they were going to grow old someday, meaning climbing up the stairs would be a life-threatening ordeal.
"Of course, if you don't see the issue, then we can leave the house as it is"
"No, no. You have a valid point. This is something we should think about"
"It's an issue that could happen in the future. There's no need to consider it. It's irrelevant right now"
She countered, and Arthur found himself suddenly confused as to why she was suddenly speaking against her own idea.
"It's a good idea, thinking about the future is important, and thanks for noticing the issue, should we discuss this once we've settled in the house?"
Reasoned Arthur, feeling that if he didn't move the conversation forward, they would be arguing back and forth over the same thing.
"I think that would be best."
"By the way, do you need any new clothes? Or are the ones you already have enough?"
Her current clothes were very princess-like, and he didn't know if she'd like to change them, now that she's out of the palace.
"No, my current clothes are fine, I wouldn't want to put a strain on our funds just for clothes."
"I'm an explorer, a powerful one at that you saw the Gryphon, as long as I'm still able we will never run out of funds, so please tell me if you need clothes"
He reasoned, as an explorer he indeed gets paid very well, it's a rare job that only very few people are ever able to do, in fact, it's not uncommon for a single country to only have a total of only three explorers in its borders, that's how rare the job truly is.
It also did not help that being an Explorer often required a lot of travel and thus made it very hard to even see an Explorer, as they typically do not stay for too long in a single country and if they do, it's probably because they're doing what Arthur is doing, taking a long vacation.
The reason for this is the fact that magic is not as abundant in the world as it used to be and because of that very few people ever get born with magic skills or the ability to wield mana.
Unfortunately, however, monsters still exist so countries and people are forced to develop certain technologies and magic items to combat these threats and because of the lack of magic, cannons and guns are abundant in this world, something Arthur had found surprising when he heard about it.
In terms of development, this world was a weird mix of things. It was medieval, yes, but also not at the same time. There were no cars, no phones or radios, but there were things like electricity, stoves, and flushable toilets.
Although he figured it was only a matter of time until someone invented the phone or radio.
"Yes, I understand, Arthur. However, I feel it is wasteful to spend money on something as irrelevant as clothes"
Hearing her words Arthur couldn't help but feel a little disheartened, he wanted to spoil her a bit to at least make the day better for her considering she was married without being given a choice but then again he supposed she just didn't care for clothes in particular.
"Ok then, if that's how you feel, then alright, I'll go ahead and bring in your clothes from the carriage."
"Then I'll try and make something for us to eat"
Arthur gave her a nod and made his way out of the house to get the luggage. He did congratulate himself for having bought food earlier this week, even if it was for one person.
......
While the new couple was getting acquainted with each other and their new home, someone was watching them, from afar binoculars on hand and a devious smile on his face.
"New targets acquired"
The man expressed as he watched Arthur unload their luggage from the carriage.
The man had short black hair and dim blue eyes. He was short in stature and had a small scar on his cheek near his lips.
He placed the binoculars on his equipment bag and jumped down from the roof of the tavern he had climbed to scout out any possible new targets.
Seeing what he assumed to be the husband taking out the luggage made him feel a little giddy and happy. There aren't that many people who tend to move to the southern parts of the capital due to its proximity to the slums.
This usually forces thieves like himself to go further into the capital, which is much more heavily guarded and thus a risk, easy targets like this were very much appreciated
"Thank you"
He whispered to himself, smiling in excitement as he continued to watch Arthur.
His name was Darren, and as an orphan, he had no last name, Unfortunately, most orphans tend to grow up to be criminals or thieves, and Darren here was among the best in the city.
"hmm"
Darren hummed in contemplation, No doubt Boss Bulat will be informed of the new arrivals within the hour meaning, stealing from the new targets will be off the table and he will be able to only steal from them if Bulat allows it, either because the new arrivals are resisting the way things work around here or because Boss Bulat wants more milk from them
In either case, Darren will be involved and manage to get something, unfortunately working under Bulat means only getting a small cut and Bulat gets the bigger cut, it also doesn't help that Darren owes Bulat money so his cut will likely be lower than usual.
So it came to two choices, hope that newcomers resist causing Darren and to be deployed to steal and demonstrate the dangers of this neighborhood, or secretly get something for himself before Bulat.
The latter held more risks than the former, Bulat was ruthless and if Darren is not careful, he would he could end up crippled or worse, depending on Bulat's mood.
The young man rubbed his chin as he weighed his options and walked out of the alley and made his way to the open streets, he then travelled further away from the capital and reached a rather suspicious-looking Inn to which he entered.
However, as he set foot into the inn, he was suddenly grabbed by the scruff of his neck, lifted, and slammed against the wall of the building.
"I know you ain't walking back in here without the boss's money"Arthur gave his new wife a small tour of the house. The house itself was quite spacious, with multiple rooms.
Two bedrooms, a study upstairs, an empty library was downstairs with the living room and kitchen along with a bathroom as well as one extra room, adjacent to the bathroom. There was also a basement.
"The bedrooms are upstairs, and the living room is downstairs. Do you think that will be an issue in the long run?"
Esme posed the question as both of them descended the stairs after having seen the bedrooms.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, in the future, I will be carrying your child, and it would be quite difficult to climb up the stairs in that state"
She explained, and a hum escaped his lips, he understood her reasoning.
She was correct, but not only that, but they were going to grow old someday, meaning climbing up the stairs would be a life-threatening ordeal.
"Of course, if you don't see the issue, then we can leave the house as it is"
"No, no. You have a valid point. This is something we should think about"
"It's an issue that could happen in the future. There's no need to consider it. It's irrelevant right now"
She countered, and Arthur found himself suddenly confused as to why she was suddenly speaking against her own idea.
"It's a good idea, thinking about the future is important, and thanks for noticing the issue, should we discuss this once we've settled in the house?"
Reasoned Arthur, feeling that if he didn't move the conversation forward, they would be arguing back and forth over the same thing.
"I think that would be best."
"By the way, do you need any new clothes? Or are the ones you already have enough?"
Her current clothes were very princess-like, and he didn't know if she'd like to change them, now that she's out of the palace.
"No, my current clothes are fine, I wouldn't want to put a strain on our funds just for clothes."
"I'm an explorer, a powerful one at that you saw the Gryphon, as long as I'm still able we will never run out of funds, so please tell me if you need clothes"
He reasoned, as an explorer he indeed gets paid very well, it's a rare job that only very few people are ever able to do, in fact, it's not uncommon for a single country to only have a total of only three explorers in its borders, that's how rare the job truly is.
It also did not help that being an Explorer often required a lot of travel and thus made it very hard to even see an Explorer, as they typically do not stay for too long in a single country and if they do, it's probably because they're doing what Arthur is doing, taking a long vacation.
The reason for this is the fact that magic is not as abundant in the world as it used to be and because of that very few people ever get born with magic skills or the ability to wield mana.
Unfortunately, however, monsters still exist so countries and people are forced to develop certain technologies and magic items to combat these threats and because of the lack of magic, cannons and guns are abundant in this world, something Arthur had found surprising when he heard about it.
In terms of development, this world was a weird mix of things. It was medieval, yes, but also not at the same time. There were no cars, no phones or radios, but there were things like electricity, stoves, and flushable toilets.
Although he figured it was only a matter of time until someone invented the phone or radio.
"Yes, I understand, Arthur. However, I feel it is wasteful to spend money on something as irrelevant as clothes"
Hearing her words Arthur couldn't help but feel a little disheartened, he wanted to spoil her a bit to at least make the day better for her considering she was married without being given a choice but then again he supposed she just didn't care for clothes in particular.
"Ok then, if that's how you feel, then alright, I'll go ahead and bring in your clothes from the carriage."
"Then I'll try and make something for us to eat"
Arthur gave her a nod and made his way out of the house to get the luggage. He did congratulate himself for having bought food earlier this week, even if it was for one person.
......
While the new couple was getting acquainted with each other and their new home, someone was watching them, from afar binoculars on hand and a devious smile on his face.
"New targets acquired"
The man expressed as he watched Arthur unload their luggage from the carriage.
The man had short black hair and dim blue eyes. He was short in stature and had a small scar on his cheek near his lips.
He placed the binoculars on his equipment bag and jumped down from the roof of the tavern he had climbed to scout out any possible new targets.
Seeing what he assumed to be the husband taking out the luggage made him feel a little giddy and happy. There aren't that many people who tend to move to the southern parts of the capital due to its proximity to the slums.
This usually forces thieves like himself to go further into the capital, which is much more heavily guarded and thus a risk, easy targets like this were very much appreciated
"Thank you"
He whispered to himself, smiling in excitement as he continued to watch Arthur.
His name was Darren, and as an orphan, he had no last name, Unfortunately, most orphans tend to grow up to be criminals or thieves, and Darren here was among the best in the city.
"hmm"
Darren hummed in contemplation, No doubt Boss Bulat will be informed of the new arrivals within the hour meaning, stealing from the new targets will be off the table and he will be able to only steal from them if Bulat allows it, either because the new arrivals are resisting the way things work around here or because Boss Bulat wants more milk from them
In either case, Darren will be involved and manage to get something, unfortunately working under Bulat means only getting a small cut and Bulat gets the bigger cut, it also doesn't help that Darren owes Bulat money so his cut will likely be lower than usual.
So it came to two choices, hope that newcomers resist causing Darren and to be deployed to steal and demonstrate the dangers of this neighborhood, or secretly get something for himself before Bulat.
The latter held more risks than the former, Bulat was ruthless and if Darren is not careful, he would he could end up crippled or worse, depending on Bulat's mood.
The young man rubbed his chin as he weighed his options and walked out of the alley and made his way to the open streets, he then travelled further away from the capital and reached a rather suspicious-looking Inn to which he entered.
However, as he set foot into the inn, he was suddenly grabbed by the scruff of his neck, lifted, and slammed against the wall of the building.
"I know you ain't walking back in here without the boss's money"