The best motivation for people is money.


    Some might talk about dreams, hopes, justice, beliefs and other idealistic notions, but living 11 years in a medieval fantasynd makes such talk disappear. After all, wasn''t Rnd an adventurer who roamed the Kingdom''s four corners, from northern snowfields to southern jungles, just to earn gold coins?


    The point is, this wasn''t modern fantasy but medieval fantasy.


    More precisely, when divided by economic standards, the upper ss lived lives closer to modern times while the lower ss lived medieval lives. The obvious reason was the existence of mages, something Earth didn''t have.


    Nobles wore fashionablece and frilled dresses and silk tailcoats, living clean andfortable lives with magitech devices simr to modern conveniences. But poormoners lived medieval lives without gamepany buffs.


    Lives where pigs were raised inside homes, filth lined the streets, and people didn''t know the word hygiene so they never bathed. If everyone lived that way it wouldn''t matter, but knowing how the rich and noble lived made everyone''s eyes turn red with desire for money.


    Misfortune and difort stand out more when there''s something topare them to.


    "Should we leave right away?"


    "After meeting up with the others buying exploration supplies.""Oh my, you could''ve just ordered us to do that."


    So naturally these people from the harsh north followed me around grinning like hypnotized by the glittering gold coins I offered.


    With money you could buy magitech devices that kept homes warm without firewood, or that produced clean water without having to break ice with cracked, frozen fingers.


    Mages sold magitech devices tomoners and nobles alike if they paid, wanting gold coins for research funds. Some entrics had strange elitist ideas about only nobles using their items, butmoners didn''t care about that.


    Come to think of it, magitech devices were superior to modern civilization in terms of infrastructure. Even remote viges without plumbing or gas lines could have perfect water and heating with just one fist-sized magitech device.


    "Rnd, did you find those people?"


    "Yes. We can leave after meeting Katie back at the mansion."


    "Why''d you send Katie anyway?"


    "Since the hero party came to handle monsters in an Empire Margrave''s territory, not the Kingdom, we should let them know."


    As I thought this, Han Se-ah waved her hand in the distance and called out loudly. Not even trying to hide that she found us using her camera, she came right to us without arranging a meeting spot.


    Well, she probably found constantly speaking cryptically to NPCs annoying and wanted to gloss over such details. Since I was cooperating with her stream anyway, it didn''t feel right teasing her about this. ?


    "So, did you buy everything?"


    "Got everything properly. Tent, sleeping bag, heating stones for warmth,ntern and snow boots. Seems word spread - the shop owner had everything ready."


    "Ah, makes sense after yesterday''smotion. Outsidersing to this cold ce."


    No wonder we''d seeded in contracting immediately without fuss thanks to the enthusiastic receptionist - there was a reason they finished shopping and joined us first.


    The general store owner must have prepared a snow exploration set for the hero party yesterday, anticipating that famous adventurers in the north would do some exploring. Given Grace''s bright expression after going along, they probably hadn''t been sold defective goods.


    So our group of three retired adventurers and our four minus Katie headed back to the lord''s mansion. Though we seemed to wander aimlessly, this was how adventurers lived. We couldn''t even book carriages without these three since we didn''t know where to go.


    "You''re back already? That was faster than expected."


    "Northern people handle business quickly."


    "Haha, you freeze to death if you dawdle in cold ces!"


    Katie''s eyes widened in surprise that we''d finished hiring and buying winter supplies in less than half a day.


    Well, we''d started moving leisurely after breakfast, but the sun wasn''t even overhead yet. We''d left around 10 AM and finished everything by around 11:40 AM. Hadn''t noticed while outside, but checking the clock on Han Se-ah''s stream window, we had moved quickly.


    Katie weed us with wide eyes, one maid helped and gave instructions beside her, and Olek and Alisa followed behind Katie.


    ...Why were those two here?


    "Ah, these two are joining us. Margrave Olegedof said he couldn''t let the hero party wander his domain without attendants, so he''s sending his children."


    ※


    The 19 Ice Cross Knights returned to their domains for a rare chance to see their families, while Captain Olek and Vice-Captain Alisa joined our party.


    The reason the knight order responsible for monster waves got vacation was naturally the Wyvern-Giant Wormbo we''d chopped up and sold to the Magic Tower. They judged it safe since the two high-rank monsters had devoured all nearby monster waves while rampaging freely.


    As for why Olek and Alisa joined...


    "Incredible, treasure of the ducal house hidden under a rainbow!"


    "It''s not confirmed to be ducal treasure, Olezhenka."


    Seems Margrave Sibedev was also very interested in the rainbow treasure. Unable to leave his position himself, he seemed eager to send his son to hear the story. As for Alisa, she appeared to be following her unrequited childhood friend.


    By the way, I searched and found Olezhenka (Олеженька) is a diminutive of Oleg (Олег). Apparently diminutives can be longer than the original name - isn''t that annoying?


    "Hey, that''s the diminutive nickname right? She''s a pretty childhood friend who''s followed and taken care of him forever, calls him by a nickname, and he still doesn''t realize she likes him? Should we just stuff them both in the same sleeping bag this trip?"


    -As a Japanese person I apologize for this situation, these enantte characters are really awkward to watch, deaf protagonist with pretty childhood friend die w


    -Japanese people poisoned BB Games!


    -Thought the Margrave would be some huge stoic old man but he''s just like his son lololol


    -But is there any reason we need to take those two?


    -Dunno? First time keepingpanions this long, maybe teacher still has Empire sensibilities


    While I pondered the minor question of whether diminutives longer than names weren''t annoying to use, Han Se-ah seemed eager to y matchmaker again.


    The three retired adventurers watching cautiously, the childhood friend couple(?) openly flirting,panions examining our carriage, and Han Se-ah giggling alone at a distance for her broadcast. Tenpletely mismatched people prepared to venture into the cold snowfields.


    "We can take a merchant carriage to where the vige was, then get dog sleds from there."


    "Dog sleds?"


    Katie, more expert than me about the cold north and snow-covered ins, started exining. She seemed more enthusiastic than usual, probably fired up with curiosity.


    Usually scatter-brained and easily distracted by random things, earning the peculiar nickname "kid," Katie now seemed ready to charge full speed toward our destination. Having it be about her ancestors clearly filled her with overflowing enthusiasm.


    Speaking of dog sleds, I hadn''t realized we''d go so authentically northern. Well, I suppose it made sense since we were heading to the edge of unexplored snowfields, halfway up a snow mountain. Even hardy northern horses couldn''t handle running through snowy mountains.


    "Wow, dog sleds? Really?"


    "Come to think of it, I''ve heard stories about using dogs instead of horses in the cold north since they handle cold better."


    "I thought dogs were just for tracking prey."


    Thanks to this, Han Se-ah grinned at finding a content angle, Irene started sharing stories she''d heard at church, and Grace, apparently only thinking of hunting dogs, began listening to Irene''s story.


    As our group of ten slowly left the mansion again, drawing everyone''s stares, we saw what were clearly merchant group members gathered ahead.


    "Ah, Young Master Olek, you''re here!"


    "Yes, did Father tell you?"


    Apparently these weren''t regr merchants but family merchants delivering supplies to the front lines - they bowed to Olek and led us to carriages clearly toorge for normal merchants.


    At this rate we could progress faster than expected.


    ...Was that thought too dismissive of Han Se-ah''s notorious clumsiness?