Allen the Reincarnated Merchant: A Plan to Get Rich in Another World

Although I did not meet Aria directly, I heard through one of Banku’s subordinates that she had woken up safely.

She awoke early the next morning after everyone had exhausted themselves from the excitement of the previous day. According to the night-shift worker who was making rounds, they found Aria sitting up in bed, gazing at the sunrise through the window beside her.

Eurua, who had been by her side the entire time, had apparently cried herself to sleep at Aria’s feet after I left. The emotional reunion they had was interrupted when the night worker cried out in surprise upon seeing Aria awake.

“Well, I guess this is how it was meant to happen,” I thought.

Aria’s doctor had said she would wake up eventually, but after nearly a year of her being unconscious, part of me feared that she might never wake up. Fortunately, those worries were unfounded, and now the house Banku had borrowed for the duration of the black market event was filled with raucous celebrations.

The subordinate who delivered the news to me looked noticeably fatigued, with dark circles under their eyes, probably from all the festivities.

“That should do it for now.”

Having heard about Aria’s recovery, I had been busy preparing a place for her and Eurua to live. Normally, this would not have been my responsibility, but since Aria had only just woken up, and she wasn’t a slave, it felt necessary. Eurua, too, wasn’t in the best condition, having been subjected to the public eye for the entire month of the black market event. The stress must have been immense, especially with the added relief of seeing Aria awaken.

Taking the opportunity to handle the preparations myself, I was planning to bring over some furniture from Japan. My personal room in the team house was under constant scrutiny from the other members, so I couldn’t place anything too conspicuous there. However, the new home I had secured was a different story.

Located not too far from the Akatsuki Brigade’s team house, the residence was in the safest area of the southern district. It was close to the central district, making it an ideal location, akin to a high-end neighborhood where commoners with connections to nobles lived.

The power of the royal family was impressive; instead of renting, the property had been purchased outright.

While unexpected, owning a permanent home allowed me to furnish it with items from Japan. The house was a single-story building with a yard and high walls for privacy. There was even the option to install magical security measures, making the property highly secure.

“Still, installing solar panels might be a bit much, right?”

Since Eurua had the slave contract magic and Aria was unlikely to interact with others much, I didn’t have to worry about them leaking the details of the items or information I planned to bring over. This meant I could make all the plans I wanted without restrictions. But maybe it’s just my modern sensibilities wanting to use home appliances.

“Well, there are methods to generate electricity in this world, so that might work. But I’ll need to check the efficiency… I guess I’ll need to consult with Shou-san.”

In the modern world, electricity was generated through various means such as thermal power, nuclear power, geothermal, and hydroelectric power. But in this world, there were no electric appliances, and even the streetlights were powered by some mysterious material. People here could live comfortably without electricity.

Electricity in the Asphial world was known mainly as an offensive magic element, considered much harder to control than fire or wind. Lightning magic was categorized as a basic element, and unlike holy or healing magic, it didn’t require special talent. Anyone with sufficient mana could use it.

If I could learn lightning magic or teach it to Eurua or Aria, we could generate electricity ourselves.

“I wonder if either of them already knows lightning magic?”

Though relying on magic to power appliances sounded overly ambitious, if I could at least charge a large battery with it, that would be a start. With that thought in mind, I continued preparing for their arrival.

—

“Word is, you’ve bought a house recently?”

While I was busy preparing the place for Eurua and Aria, Saioji suddenly spoke to me.

“Yeah, I bought a single-story house near the central district.”

“You managed to buy it, huh? Must’ve cost quite a bit.”

Saioji’s tone was casual, more like a colleague making small talk rather than a superior addressing a subordinate.

For a moment, I wondered if she had found out about Eurua, but her tone suggested genuine curiosity about the house purchase.

“Well, it was expensive, but I paid for it in full.”

Even though I had Sakakibara’s recommendation, it was still one of the best locations a commoner could buy in the capital. As expected, it cost a considerable sum. But ever since arriving in the capital, the profits I made from selling items brought from Japan had been more than enough to pay for it in cash within two months.

However, my savings were now a little lean.

“In this world, it’s not wise to go into debt. The interest rates are high, and debt collectors are far more aggressive compared to Japan. So, buying it outright was a smart move.”

I learned that Saioji had also bought the team house in full, avoiding loans.

“Well, I had the money for it… There was no need to go into debt.”

I thought it was just a casual conversation, but Saioji’s demeanor suggested she had something else on her mind. Still, I didn’t want to ask directly, so I waited, and eventually, she brought it up herself.

“So, are you furnishing the house with things from the other world?”

“Yeah, there’s no reason to stick to things from this world.”

At first, I thought she was interested in getting Japanese-made furniture for herself, but what she said next caught me completely off guard.

“I’d like to visit your house…”

“Huh?”

“I want to come over. I know it’s a bit forward of me, but… I just can’t seem to find a place where I can truly relax these days.”

Saioji, being the leader of the brigade, was usually confined to the team house. Most of her time was spent in her office handling administrative duties or keeping up her combat training. If you needed to find her, she was almost always there.

“I understand wanting to relax, but why my house?”

Given her age, she was still young and likely wanted to enjoy herself more, but the responsibilities she bore must have been overwhelming, leading to a buildup of stress. It was clear that her work-life balance was severely lacking, but I couldn’t grasp why she wanted to come to *my* house specifically.

If she needed a quiet place to relax, she could easily rent a private room at an inn or find another place in the capital. So why choose my home?