A few days later, Katya returned to our house for a meeting about the workshop. She still needed her cane, but she was getting more and more used to walking without it. It was a relief to see her improvement. I matched her slower pace as I led her to the parlor. Miina and Marcus were already waiting; they’d come early so I could introduce them to her.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Katya said. “I’m Katya, the daughter of a merchant. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Miss Daisy recently, and I will be helping her start her workshop.” She smiled and gave a polite bow.
“Katya, these two will be staff members working with me at the shop,” I said. “This is Miina, our cook and baker, and this is Marcus, my Alchemy assistant.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Katya,” they both said, bowing politely.
I hadn’t seen Marcus in a while, but he seemed more composed than before. He sat up straight, with no trace of the flustered boy he used to be. It was all thanks to Sebastian, to whom I sent my silent gratitude.
“Shall we sit down and talk?” I said, and we all took a seat together.
I laid out workshop plans Miina and I had drafted together earlier.
Katya looked at it and frowned. “A two-story building could be an issue. I think three stories would be better, with ladies living on one floor and gentlemen on the other. Even though you are young, Miss Daisy, you are still a noblewoman, so you must be mindful of appearances.”
“I hadn’t thought about that,” I said honestly. I mean, I didn’t even think of Marcus as a gentleman in that way.
“Miss Daisy, even if you are planning on keeping a shop, you are still of noble birth, so you must uphold certain standards.” Katya’s words made me feel a sharp pang. She kind of reminded me of a younger version of Kate.
On this particular day, Katya and I went to look at potential properties for the workshop. A real estate agent was giving us a tour, and we were now on our way to check out one of the candidates. Leaf was with us too, sleeping peacefully on my lap.
“Is this your familiar, Miss Daisy?” Katya asked curiously, looking at Leaf. “I’m surprised your parents let you go out without a bodyguard. Is he powerful?” She hesitantly reached out from across the seat to pet him.
“Yes. This is Leaf,” I said. “Normally he’s a giant wolf. He’s stronger than most bodyguards.”
Katya’s hand froze at the words “giant wolf.” Leaf cracked one eye open and looked at Katya, then shut it again like nothing happened. Katya pulled her hand away, but I stroked his fur instead. His tail swayed with contentment as I gently combed through his soft, fluffy fur.
As we chatted, the carriage came to a stop: we’d arrived at the first property. The carriage door opened and the real estate agent poked his head in. “Hello, ladies. We’ve arrived at our first stop.”
He helped us both out of the carriage.
“This parcel sits right on the border between the lower noble district and the business district,” he said as he unlocked the front door and showed us inside. “They’re just across the street from each other. It’s an ideal location for a business, because you can expect both nobles and commoners as clientele.” Leaf followed us inside too, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Now, this building is designed around a central courtyard, allowing a view from every roo—”
“No, this won’t do at all! The sun won’t reach the garden properly!” I interrupted him. With this configuration, the garden would only get sunlight part of the day. How would the fairies and the mandrakes thrive under those conditions?
“The garden?” the real estate agent repeated, his eyes widening with surprise.
Well, it wasn’t every day that a young noblewoman rejected a property based on the sunlight a garden would receive.
“Pardon me. You see, Miss Daisy grows her own medicinal herbs for her Alchemy work,” Katya explained smoothly to the baffled real estate agent on my behalf. “The garden will be stocked with herbs, so sunlight and ample space are very important.”
“Hrm, I see. In that case, then this property won’t do, will it?” He seemed to understand the situation and nodded, then fell silent.
Just then, the sound of the front door opening echoed throughout the room. Heavy footsteps pounded across the floor as three rough-looking men barged into the house.
“Sorry to interrupt ya, Mister,” one of them sneered. “But we’ve got business with these two fine young ladies here.” He started to walk closer to us.
Leaf, still in his puppy form, bared his tiny fangs, letting out a deep growl. The agent stepped in front of us protectively, pulling out a small dagger used for self-defense.
“Ah ha ha! Oh, come on. A puppy and a guy who’s trembling too much to hold his dagger? You don’t stand much of a chance,” one of the men snickered. The brutes drew knives from their jackets and moved closer.
“I bet they’ll fetch a decent ransom, and they’re so cute we could make even more sellin’ ’em off!”
Just as one of the men raised his knife, Leaf reverted to his original form as an enormous Fenrir. He let out a deep, thunderous growl, his fangs now thicker than a grown man’s finger.
“Huh?!” All three intruders froze at the sudden sight of the huge beast looming over them.
Leaf didn’t waste a moment. He lunged at the first man and sank his teeth into his arm, making him drop the knife. Then he charged into the man’s stomach, slamming him into the wall and knocking him unconscious.
Leaf spun around, darting behind the other two and using his sharp claws to slash through all four of their ankles. Their tendons severed, the men dropped to the floor with a dull crash.
“Young ladies! We need to leave and call the city guard! This way, quickly!” the real estate agent urged. He led us to the door, and since Katya still had some trouble moving, he apologized and scooped her into his arms. Leaf stayed behind to keep the criminals in check.
The agent unlocked the door and rushed outside to shout for the guards. Two arrived almost immediately, and the moment they heard the agent’s story, they rushed into the building. Just as they went inside, Leaf emerged in his puppy form. I pulled him up into my arms and whispered, “Thank you,” into his ear.
The brutes were quickly arrested and dragged off. They were charged with the attempted kidnapping of a noble’s daughter and the child of a prominent merchant’s family.
“Wow, you were right. He really is stronger than a bodyguard,” Katya murmured, looking at Leaf curled up in my arms before letting out a sigh of relief.
After that, we continued looking at properties, knowing we were safe with Leaf by our side. Finally, we came to one that caught my eye. It was a vacant lot near the northwest gates of the capital. There was a guard station nearby, and two guards were always posted even during closing hours, which made it a very safe location. It sat right on the border between the lower noble district and the business district. Not only that, but it was close to both my and Katya’s family homes. We couldn’t have asked for a better spot.
To sweeten the deal, the northwest gate saw constant traffic from adventurers and merchants heading to the dungeon city west of the capital, making it perfect for business. No one had bought the land yet because, despite its prime location, it was large and too expensive for most buyers. And no one wanted to split the land up for sale either, so the agent had been struggling for a solution.
“If you’ve got the funds, the best thing to do is buy the land outright so you can build your workshop exactly how you want it,” Katya said.
We’d spent the entire day looking at properties, and now the sun was setting. She looked satisfied as she gazed over the sunny plot.
I came up beside her and said, “Thank you.” I reached out and took her hand as we stood bathed in the setting sun. Our joined figures cast a long silhouette across the golden ground.
After I signed the purchase agreement for the land, the news reached the most powerful person in the kingdom.
“Ah, yes. That’s a fine choice of location. Expand the northwestern guard station and double the number of posted guards to four within the year,” said the king, issuing the order.