The Vocation Board that had popped out transformed into a small spirit. It was the same foul-mouthed one who usually handled my guidance.

At the same time, another small spirit flew out of my clan ring. This one was in charge of clan matters.

They looked almost identical, but their hair color and facial features were different enough to tell them apart. Not that it really mattered, I suppose.

"Yo, yo! Finally! How many months did it take you to clear a simple mission like this? Pick up the pace from now on! Anyway, here's your Spirit Stone. And I guess the Clan is ranking up too? I'm outta here. Doron!"

"Doron?"

Like a ninja? Does he have knowledge of Japanese pop culture? Or is there actually a [Ninja] Vocation in this world?

Setting that aside, a familiar Spirit Stone was now resting in my hand—proof that I'd cleared the mission 『Acquire a Home of Your Own 0/1』.

By staying the night, the mansion was officially recognized as my "Home." It felt a bit late for that realization, but I'll take it. The stone was a deep blue—likely a tourmaline. Given my future plans, Spirit Stones are always welcome. This single pebble was worth 20 gold coins, or roughly 3 million yen.

"Um... Master? May I proceed now?"

The Clan spirit spoke up timidly. She had been waiting patiently. Compared to the Guidance spirit, she was incredibly modest.

"Ah, sorry about that. Go ahead."

"...Thank you. Well then, this mansion is now officially your 'Home.' We can register it as the 'Clan Home' right now. Shall we?"

"Please do."

"Understood. Pon-pon-pon... There. The mansion is now registered as the headquarters—the 'Home'—for the Clan 'Artemis.' And congratulations! You are now eligible to rank up the Clan from Blue to Orange. Shall we proceed?"

"Do it."

She hummed that same "pon-pon-pon" tune while waving her wand with a flourish. The Clan Rings on my and Diana's fingers shifted from blue to a vibrant orange.

Finally, Orange Rank. That meant the special perk I'd been waiting for: "Teleport to Home" was now a reality.

"Regarding the Orange Rank perks: First, your Clan Inventory slots have been increased from 15 to 20."

See. Back at White Rank, it was only 10 slots, so I've doubled my capacity. And remember, it's 20 types of items, not just 20 individual things. Since you can carry a large quantity within a single slot, this ability alone would let someone make a fortune as a traveling merchant.

I still need to test the limits, but being able to transport a one-of-a-kind national treasure secretly, or a massive amount of local specialties all at once, is incredibly convenient. In a game, an "Item Bag" is standard, but in reality, it's nothing short of a cheat.

"Next, you may now use 'Teleport to Home' once per day. Please note that this is a one-way trip, and you cannot teleport from inside dungeons or similar restricted areas."

There it is—Teleportation!

Still, once a day, huh?

It sounds like a small number, but honestly, it's more than enough.

Teleportation—instantaneous movement. It means I can set out on a journey carrying only enough supplies for the trip there, without worrying about the return leg. I can play around until I'm exhausted and be back in my own bed in an instant.

If I wander into an unknown wasteland and get hopelessly lost? No problem.

If I mess up a "business deal" and get chased by guards? I could just teleport away (not that I plan on doing anything illegal).

Imagine: climbing to the summit of a mountain and then just teleporting home. Spending a day at the beach and teleporting back while still in my swimsuit. Since I have the Inventory, I could travel to a distant country, buy a massive amount of goods, and teleport back with the whole haul.

Even if the cargo isn't "heavy," it's perfect for goods that don't handle long-distance travel well—high-value items prone to bandit attacks, perishable foods, small pets that might not survive a weeks-long journey, or fragile ceramics and porcelain.

Yeah, this is convenient. Too convenient. I can think of a dozen uses for this just off the top of my head.

However, there is a catch.

We use horses to get to Erishe. If we teleport home, the horses stay behind. They're currently kept at a paid stable near the city entrance, so paying an extra fee isn't a disaster, but it means we'd have to walk to work the next day.

It's like driving your car to the city, getting drunk, and taking a taxi home. You wake up the next morning thinking, "Ugh, now I have to go pick up the car." It's a bit of a hassle.

Also, the "no dungeons" rule... wait, what exactly counts as a dungeon? I've heard there's one in the Lucraella Mountains, but it hasn't really crossed into my daily life yet. I'll just keep it in mind for when we eventually go on an expedition.

"And one more thing—"

"There's more?"

"Yes. Technically, the 'Teleport to Home' perk is a benefit of reaching Blue Rank. The Orange Rank benefit is separate."

Jackpot. There's actually something else.

"The perk for Clan Rank 'Orange' is a 3% increase to both Member Experience Gain and Item Drop Rates from monsters."

"Ah... okay."

Honestly... that's a bit underwhelming.

"Experience gain," huh? I mean, my Vocation already gives me a 5x growth rate, and I assume "Experience" translates to whatever metric allows a Vocation to "Class Up." In that sense, gaining more XP is technically a good thing... right?

I can't help but wish for something more "materialistic." Like a legendary weapon! Or armor! Or just cold, hard cash! Or more Spirit Stones!

Maybe the system avoids giving physical goods to prevent friction between Clan members? If I keep ranking up, maybe the "material" rewards will start showing up. I'll have to work hard to see.

"So, what's the next rank?"

"The next is Red Rank."

"And the requirements?"

"The Clan must have at least 10 members, and its 'Fame' must exceed a certain threshold."

Ten members seems doable, but "Fame"?

"Fame refers to the Clan's reputation—specifically, 'Good Reputation.' Unlike individual fame, this requires activities performed as a Clan unit. Primary sources include contributions to wars and the slaying of 'Named Monsters.' Steady, helpful activity within a city also slowly increases Fame."

It's a bit vague, but it basically measures how much the name "Artemis" is worth. Having slain a Named Monster already, I feel like our Fame should be decent. But "exceeding a threshold" is still pretty fuzzy.

"Is this Fame... a numerical value?"

"...On our side, yes." The spirit's face went flat for a moment.

"I see. In that case—"

"Are you asking for a rank up? The Fame of 'Artemis' is currently a bit insufficient to reach Red Rank. Please do your best!"

With a "Doron!", the spirit vanished. I guess she didn't want to be grilled about the internal numbers. It was as if I'd spoiled the fantasy atmosphere with a crass, "meta" question.

"On their side, huh...?"

I wondered how far that "their side" actually extended.

"...Is it over?"

Diana's voice snapped me back to reality.

Normal people can't see the Guidance or Clan spirits. That's the "system" for you. To Diana, I must have looked like a crazy person talking to thin air.

"Yeah. The Clan Rank went up to Orange. I also finished the mission for registering the Home."

"Congratulations, Master! We should celebrate today, nodesu!"

A celebration. That sounds nice—

"Ah... Aruji-dono, are you awake, de-arimasu? G-Good morning..."

I turned to see Marina passing by. She had noticed I was up and stopped to greet me.

"Marina."

'Aruji-dono, I love you, de-arimasu.'

The memory of last night came rushing back. Marina was blushing furiously, half-hiding her body behind a doorway as she peeked at me.

Oh man, that reaction. I'm starting to get embarrassed too! It really wasn't a dream!

"Morning. Did you sleep well?"

"I... I couldn't sleep much, de-arimasu."

"...I see."

"...Yes, de-arimasu."

We both just stood there, exchanging awkward, goofy grins.

"Mu, mu-mu-mu...? The atmosphere between you two is strange, nodesu."

Diana narrowed her eyes, looking back and forth between us with a suspicious groan.

I think I'll keep last night a secret from her for a little while longer...

* * *

I tried my best to maintain a professional distance from Marina... or at least, I intended to. But she was staying significantly closer to me than usual—whether consciously or not, her chest kept brushing against my elbow—and it was making it very hard to focus as we headed toward our stall in the Erishe market.

The Erishe market is a vibrant place, packed with people. The foot traffic is consistent enough that it rivals the busyness of a typical Japanese marketplace. Because of that, even my tiny stall pulls in a decent profit and has gained a fair amount of local recognition.

We mainly sell plain, unpatterned cloth, so we don't usually cause a massive stir. In reality, machine-woven fabric of this quality is unheard of in this world, but Diana—being a High Elf—serves as a perfect distraction.

People are so dazzled by her presence that they don't look too closely at the technical details of the merchandise. Still, our sales are steady, and we've been quietly building a loyal customer base.

However, a stall is still just a stall. Even on a good day, we only pull in about one gold coin. It's time to think about the next step.

"So, having said all that, Etowa..."

"Yes, Boss? You look so serious all of a sudden."

"It's time. We're going to rent a proper shop and open a high-end fabric store."

"Finally! What about this place?"

"We'll keep it running. Hire someone to manage it. There's still demand at the low-price end, so shutting it down suddenly wouldn't feel right."

"Got it! Graduating from the stall life at last! I'm getting excited!"

The cat girl was visibly buzzing with excitement.

Yes—at long last, it was time to move the business to the next stage.

Up until now, I'd been keeping a low profile as an 'Outlander,' sticking to modest trades. But now I have ties to the Knights, the local priestess, and even the Mayor. Things shouldn't get too out of hand.

In this world, most commoners make their own clothes or have acquaintances sew them. Second-hand clothes are common, but tailors are still the primary way people get new outfits. Fabric, rather than ready-to-wear clothing, is the standard commodity. For the wealthy, they buy high-grade cloth and hand it off to their personal tailors.

My plan? A luxury fabric specialty shop for the elite.

I've spent enough time scouting the textiles in Erishe to know what exists and what doesn't. Quality is important, but rarity is better. I can now introduce synthetic fibers that I avoided before.

With an Elf and a Demon in my crew, I can just claim the fabric was spun using "Spirit Magic" or "Ancient Sorcery." It's a total lie, but in business, the source is a trade secret. As long as the product is exclusive and high-quality, I have no legal or moral obligation to reveal the manufacturing process.

Besides, if things get hairy, I have the Knights for protection and a blacksmith shop of my own. With my new teleportation perk, I could probably make a living just doing "internal" trade within this world, but I have all the materials I need to play for higher stakes.

"Take a look at this. This is what we're going to sell."

"Yes—whoa, amazing! It's so smooth! I've never felt anything like this!"

"Go ahead, Diana, Marina. Try touching it too."

"This is exceptionally fine material. It feels a bit like spider silk, nodesu."

"It's so slippery and shiny, de-arimasu!"

"Pretty good, right? This fabric is called 'Satin'."

Technically, Satin weaving exists here, usually with silk or cotton. But what I brought was 100% polyester satin. It has a high-end gloss but is incredibly affordable on my side. It's the perfect "affordable luxury" for this world.

"Wait, Boss, didn't we sell something like this before?"

"Did we? I've tested so many samples, I forget."

"You know... the Taf-taf...?"

"Oh, Taffeta, huh?"

"Nya-nya-nya, that's the one!"

I had sold some navy blue taffeta I'd found on a clearance site for about 300 yen per meter. It was also polyester, but it was thinner and lacked the high sheen of this satin.

"Taffeta is okay, but it's a bit weak compared to this. This satin has the kind of luster you'd want for a noble's evening gown. Not that I've ever seen a noble's ball, but I can imagine."

"True. It works for dresses or even high-end coat linings. There will definitely be demand."

I realized then that I should ask Ion about this. She's a genuine princess—she'd know exactly what colors and textures the nobility craves.

Though she was only a princess until age 15 before becoming a fugitive... I wonder if a 15-year-old princess actually pays attention to fabric types, or if she just wore whatever her maids brought her. I'll have to ask.

* * *

I plan to roll out other luxury fabrics gradually. The clientele for a shop like this is entirely different from a market stall. My goal is to land the "whales."

Ideally, I'd have 20 super-rich customers buying 1 million yen worth of goods every month, netting a 20 million yen profit. Or better yet, 5 ultra-rich clients buying 4 million yen worth each. For a business built on "imported" goods, a thick but narrow customer base is much easier to manage discreetly.

I also have to watch out for resellers. To prevent people from "flipping" my luxury goods at insane markups elsewhere, I might eventually need to move to a membership-only system. It's hard to be that picky with customers starting out, so I'll have to be flexible for now.

Once I have a secure base of wealthy, tight-lipped clients, I might finally be able to sell Earth items other than cloth. If I can reach that point, my position here will be unshakable.

Not long ago—well, "not long" is an understatement; it was barely six months ago—I was living off tiny margins by flipping flea market finds on internet auctions.

Flea markets in Japan are supposed to be "open to everyone," but they're often closed-off circles of professional regulars. The pros take the best spots and sell junk for ten times its value. When a "fresh newcomer" shows up with actual interesting items, they get a lot of quiet attention.

When I started in Erishe, I was that fresh newcomer. I brought over random things to see what would stick, and the answer was everything. Everything sold, and it sold for high prices.

But after six months here, I've reached a terrifying conclusion: in this world, if you really want to sell something, you can sell anything. And if you aren't careful, it becomes an explosive hit.

I say "anything" because this world lacks even the most basic things we take for granted. They don't even have thin, white paper. They have thick, parchment-like sheets harvested from plants, but nothing like a standard sheet of A4. Selling that alone would make me a billionaire.

The list of "miracle items" I could bring is endless:

• Glass, screws, wheels, rubber, musical instruments

• Adhesives, towels, paint, detergent, cosmetics

• Microfiber blankets, chocolate, compasses, mirrors

• Work gloves, wire brushes, sharpening stones, plastic sheets

• Safety goggles, carabiners, rope, steel wool, coffee

• Telescopes, honey, hair wax, fishing reels, water guns

Every single one of these would be a revolutionary invention here. And that's exactly why it's scary. Introducing these things would likely destroy the peaceful life I'm finally starting to build. It would draw too much heat.

That's why cloth is the perfect middle ground. Cloth already exists here. It requires a tailor to turn it into a finished product, which adds a layer of "local" processing and lowers the profile of the "miraculous" nature of the material.

"Oh, but Boss—what about the items forged at the smithy? Where will we sell those?"

"We'll sell those too, but they need to take shape first."

The iron products Dargos creates are the most "grounded" items we have. Since the only Earth-side component is the raw iron, they are very easy to sell without raising eyebrows.

However, I'm holding off on selling his work at this new shop until his "katana" project is finished. Even if he's a master, selling standard iron tools doesn't leverage my unique position. We can wholesale the normal stuff to the Meeker Trading Company for now.

"Anyway, I'm going to head to the Guild to see if there are any vacant storefronts nearby."

"Safe travels, Boss!"

The shop doesn't need to be big.

Small but high-class—someplace wealthy clients can visit discreetly.

That's the kind of shop I want.