Tondemo Skill – 303 – Meeting Lambert Again
… Gumi must have deleted close to 400 words…
“Hello, Marie-san, it’s been a while,”
The first person I saw at the Lambert-san’s shop was his lovely wife, who greeted me enthusiastically.
“Mukouda-sama! It’s been such a long time. You’re finally back in Carelina!”
“Yes, yes, and it looks the soap and shampoo are selling well?”
The beauty product corner of the store was crowded with ladies.
“Thanks to you, we have great success every day. Ah, but since our product is limited, we, regrettably, have to limit it to one item per customer to prevent hoarding…”
Aah, as expected.
I knew that inventory would be an issue. [5] It’s been quite some time since I topped up the stocks back at Verulean.
“I’ve come especially to speak Lambert-san about this, [5] is he here?”
“Please wait a moment,”
Marie sent an errand boy off to call her husband and Lambert-san quickly appeared from the back of the store.
“Oh, Mukouda-san! It’s been a while.”
“Yes, it’s certainly been a while, Lambert-san,” [7] I said warmly.
“The Wyvern cloak you ordered is in the final stages of production. It’s going to look great!” [7] Lambert-san clearly showed his pride as a leather artisan.
“I look forward to seeing it,”
“I believe it will be ready in 20 days,” [5]
“Looks like I’m a little early… oh but, this is way earlier than the estimated time,”
[6] “Hoho, estimated time are just that, estimates!” Lambert-san looked proud of himself. [8] “Come, we can speak at the back.”
Lambert-san ushered me to the back of the store.
Since we’re going to talk about soaps and shampoos, Marie-san came with us too.
“Apologies for the rush but is it alright if we talk about restocking of the soaps and shampoos first? Marie has been feeling a little uneasy over it, hahaha.”
“It can’t be helped, with how popular the soaps and shampoos are, things get sold out too quickly. I feel so sorry for the dear customers I had to turn away.”
…how should I put it?
They are a great and loving couple that completely supports each other. If I look at them for too long, I feel like my lifespan will be shortened.
Stop showing off!
“Now that Mukouda-sama is here, I’d love to restock as soon as possible… [4] hmm, as for the amount, about the same as what we bought from you in Verulean should do it.” [5]
I have the stocks, of course, since all I have to do is buy them from [Net Super]. However, decanting the shampoo into jars and filling up wooden crates full of soaps is going to be a real pain. [5]
Finally, I said, “Will the day after tomorrow be alright? About noon?”
[6] “Oh? If you would be so kind,” exclaimed Marie-san. Then she stood up and said, “I should go and look after the counter now. Have a good talk~”
Then, she rushed off.
“Ahahaha, apologies Mukouda-san,” [7] said Lambert-san indulgently. “Marie loves selling and promoting this new product. It’s so great to see her having fun every day…”
[6] “Ahahaha…” are you trying to crush me with your public display of love?
“Speaking of which, you have something you wish to speak with me about?”
“Ah, to be honest… [4] I’ve been thinking about getting a house as a base of operation…” after I started renting houses in various cities, it got me started thinking about how nice it would be to have a spacious house where I could relax with my familiars. [5]
Thanks to them, I should have enough money to purchase a nice house, maybe even a luxury mansion!
I mean, I do intend to keep travelling but it would be nice to know that I have a lovely house to come home to.
To be honest, one of the first places I thought of settling down in was actually Doran but… thinking about Elland-san suddenly popping in now and then… as well as Dora-chan’s reaction…
[5] Yeah, Carelina is better.
“Hoo~ and you decide on this city? Excellent choice!”
“I’ll have to depend on Lambert-san to tell me more about this city,”
“Naturally I’ll be happy to be of any assistance!”
“So… I guess I should consult the Merchant’s Guild [5]?”
“Ah, that would depend on the type of house Mukouda-san would like to purchase but, yes, the Merchant’s Guild could generally be counted on for such things. Is there a particular kind of house you’re looking for, Mukouda-san?”
[4] “I think, the rooms would have to be large, to accommodate Fer and the rest. It should have a fully equipped kitchen, bath and other facilities. A large garden would be nice too…” I said, thinking of the various mansions I had rented thus far.
While I was listing down my requirements, Lambert-san suddenly smacked his knee.
“Oho! I think I have just the place for you. It’s already fully furnished and fully equipped with all the features you want. You can walk in and make yourself at home right away.”
[6] “Ah? There’s such a great place?”
[4] “The villa was built for some high-ranking noble. It’s not quite the centre of the city but it’s close enough for regular shopping trips. Quite large too. The main building itself is a 14LDK structure with three smaller houses dedicated to servants,” [3] explained Lambert-san as he checked off the advantages of the property. “For some reason, the original owner decided to give it up and the sale of the property has been handed to the Merchant’s Guild. Naturally, it’s been pretty difficult to find a buyer for such a luxurious building like this.”
“I see…”
“They told me to keep an eye out for a willing buyer,” [6] a light flashed in Lambert-san’s eye. “I heard you’ve made S Rank, so what do you think? [5]”
“Well, I suppose I don’t mind having a look,” I demurred. “How much is it going for?”
“12,000 gold coins. A little pricey but considering the location, the size of the property and the quality of the build-up area, it’s practically a steal. On top of that, it’s all fully furnished!”
12,000 gold? It’s expensive but not impossible for me. Or, should I say, I could easily afford it. Since Lambert-san says it’s practically a steal, I should at least go and have a look at it.
“Could you guide me to the place? Or should I ask around at the Merchant’s Guild?”
“Eh, I’m an agent for the Guild, so we can go over and have a look now if you like,”
It felt a little rushed but I needed a place to stay for the night anyway… [5]
[Gumihou: Ohoho, so this is why Eguchi-san says Mukouda would be spending lots of money soon~~]
[1] Structural Change: Combine 2 paragraphs
[2] Structural Change: Combine 3 paragraphs
[3] Structural Change: Combine paragraph & dialogue
[4] Structural Change: Change passive sentence to dialogue
[5] Delete Repetitive or Pointless Information
[6] Additional Information for Aesthetic Purpose
[7] Add Dialogue Tag
[8] Creative Licence Taken