As Haimer fished a brass key from his inner pocket, inserted it into the keyhole, and gave it a gentle twist.
"Click."
A crisp sound of metal engaging rang out.
The heavy black wrought-iron gates opened in response.
"Come in."
"This will be our home from now on."
Haimer stepped aside and made a gesture of invitation.
"..."
In an instant.
The group, originally still a bit woozy from the alcohol, felt their breath hitch the moment they saw what lay beyond the gates Haimer had opened. They filed in one by one.
Passing through the black wrought-iron gates.
Entering the meticulously pruned front courtyard.
Haimer walked up to the heavy double oak doors, reached out, and pushed them open.
"Creak—"
The door leaves swung inward.
In the next second.
A faint scent of vegetation mixed with warm air rushed toward their faces.
Everyone's breathing seemed to pause for a beat.
What came into view.
Was a grand hall so spacious it was jaw-dropping.
Beneath their feet was hardwood flooring polished to a mirror sheen, presenting a warm honey color.
Overhead, several brass chandeliers of primitive simplicity cast a soft halo of light, illuminating every corner with clarity.
What made it impossible to look away, however, was what lay directly ahead.
There were no walls there.
Or rather, the designer had boldly done away with traditional load-bearing walls, opting instead for a transparent floor-to-ceiling structure.
One's gaze could pass through the hall without obstruction, looking directly into the central courtyard at the rear.
There.
A massive laurel tree stood quietly under the moonlight, its branches lush and swaying in the wind.
Corridors on both sides were decorated with black wrought-iron railings, winding backward to connect with the various rooms in the depths.
"Wow..."
It was unclear who let out the first gasp of amazement.
Immediately after, it was as if a switch had been flipped.
"This... isn't this too beautiful?!"
Kikakujou Mary covered her mouth; inside those eyes of hers, it looked as if two sparkling stars were truly hidden.
However.
It wasn't just her.
The other girls behind her also seemed to have been cast with a stunning spell at this moment. They froze one by one at the entryway, unable to take another step no matter what.
After all.
Look at their current state.
Although their spirits were high, this getup of theirs—
Stained with the dust and peculiar fishy smell of the Dungeon, with dried blood still clinging to some spots.
Then look at this honey-colored hardwood floor.
Even Kyoubou lost his nerve at this moment.
He raised that massive bear paw, letting it hover in mid-air, seemingly conflicted over whether stomping down would directly stamp a black plum blossom print onto this beautiful wood. In the end, he could only retract his claw aggrievedly, emitting a "wu wu" whimpering sound from his throat.
"..."
Looking at this group of girls huddled at the door, their eyes clearly written with longing yet not daring to even breathe loudly.
Haimer shook his head with some amusement.
"Come in."
Haimer was the first to step onto the floor, producing a crisp clack sound.
"This flooring uses specially treated Ironwood. It is much sturdier than you imagine."
"It isn't that delicate."
"If it couldn't even bear this much weight, then it wouldn't be fit to be laid in this location."
"Besides, this is home."
"At home, there aren't that many rules."
"If you are even afraid of the owner, how can people live here in the future?"
Haimer turned around, smiling as he waved to everyone.
Hearing these words from their own Patron God.
It was like a reassurance pill.
The girls' tense shoulders finally relaxed a little.
However.
Just as they stepped into the hall.
"Hm?"
Inaba Tsukuyo then seemed to sense something through the soles of her shoes.
"Haimer-sama..."
Inaba Tsukuyo lowered her head slightly, a trace of surprise in her voice.
"Below..."
"There seems to be a heat source?"
"There is a very stable heat continuously seeping up from beneath the floorboards."
As soon as these words came out.
The others were also stunned.
Reminded by Inaba Tsukuyo, the girls finally realized it.
Although it was currently a late autumn night and the night wind outside carried a bone-piercing chill.
But in here.
Even with the main doors wide open, it remained as warm as spring.
Walking on the wooden floor, one couldn't feel a trace of coldness; instead, a toasty comfort rose straight up from the soles of the feet.
"It really does seem so, hey..."
"It's warm."
Onigawara Rin squatted down, pressing her palm against the floor, her face also full of novelty.
"Tsukuyo's senses are as sharp as ever."
Haimer nodded approvingly and casually closed the heavy oak doors, shutting out the night.
"Beneath this house, a complete Magic Stone Circulation System has been laid out."
Haimer stomped his foot lightly, making a dull thud.
"Not just the lighting."
"Including the floor heating, the all-weather hot water supply, and that Magic Stone stove in the kitchen that doesn't need a fire started."
"Everything is driven by the Magic Stone energy supply circuits buried underground."
"This system automatically regulates the magic power output of the Magic Stones."
"So."
"Even in the dead of winter, or when heavy snow seals the doors, this place can always maintain a constant temperature of twenty-four degrees."
"..."
Hearing these words.
The girls only felt that although they didn't quite understand, it sounded amazing, and they let out sounds of "Wow.".
But.
As the only expert present.
—The Captain of the [Hephaestus Familia], Tsubaki.
When she heard the words "complete Magic Stone Circulation System," she immediately understood the weight of this place.
Tsubaki walked to the center of the hall, squatted down, and extended her palm to press tightly against the floor.
Feeling the stable and even heat transmitting from her palm.
"No wonder..."
"I was saying, how could the housing prices in this area be so ridiculously high? Even more expensive than our Familia's storefronts on the commercial street."
"So they aren't just selling a house, they are selling technology!"
"Huh?"
"What does that mean?"
Hestia, who had been out of the loop the entire time, leaned over after hearing this, blinking her eyes with a face full of confusion.
"What does that mean?"
"Isn't it just a bit warmer?"
"I can start a fire too."
"..."
After listening, Tsubaki rolled her eyes at Hestia with a bit of 'hating iron for not becoming steel,' just like her own Patron God Hephaestus would.
"Hestia-sama."
"This isn't simple fire-starting."
"This kind of large-scale Magic Stone conduction circuit is definitely not something just any random mason can handle."
"It requires a master craftsman with at least decades of specialization in Magic Stone conduction to perform specialized calculations and designs just to draw the blueprints."
"Even without starting construction, just the price of designing this set of blueprints would already be considered sky-high."
"Not to mention turning the blueprints into reality."
"To perfectly embed those fragile Magic Stone conduction devices within these stone materials and wood."
"If there is even the slightest margin of error."
"It would go Boom—!"
Tsubaki threw her hands open abruptly, making an exaggerated gesture.
"And blow the entire house straight up into the sky!"
"So I'm saying."
"Looking at it now, since this house has been able to operate normally until today, it means the system underneath is operating perfectly."
"Truly incredible..."
"After all, generally speaking, this level of whole-house Magic Stone conduction technology can only be seen in the headquarters' core areas of those large Familia."
"I didn't expect it to be fully installed here."
"Not only that."
"I think, for you all right now."
"There is one place that will absolutely make your eyes light up."
Haimer took over the conversation with a smile.
Having said that.
He turned and strode toward the depths of the corridor.
...
Passing through the spacious hall and walking inward along the corridor paved with soft carpets.
Soon.
Haimer stopped in front of a frosted glass door painted with exquisite wave patterns.
"This is it."
Haimer reached out, grasped the gold-plated handle, and gave it a gentle push.
"Whoosh—"
The moment the door opened.
A burst of steaming water vapor rushed out.
Inside was impressively a massive rock bath capable of holding fully ten or more people.
The water was crystal clear to the bottom, currently emitting curling white steam.
On the four walls of the bath, several spouts carved into lion heads were continuously pouring hot water.
Haimer pointed to the bath.
"For you all, there shouldn't be anything more important than taking a hot bath after a battle, right?"
"..."
At this moment.
The girls' eyes became even brighter than before.
After all, for them, who had rolled and crawled in the Dungeon for a whole day, their bodies mixed with sweat, the smell of blood, and the foul stench of monsters.
The destructive power of this bath.
Was simply greater than anything else.
"I've decided!"
Before Onigawara Rin, Kikakujou Mary, Hanasaka Warabi, and Nomura Satori could light up their eyes and let out cheers.
A tender shout suddenly rang out.
One could only see.
After Hestia saw all this, she immediately disregarded everything and charged toward the huge resting sofa covered in thick velvet beside the bathroom entrance's rest area.
"Plop!"
A muffled sound.
Hestia's entire person sank into the sofa in a 'Big' shape, and even bounced twice on it.
Because the elasticity was so good, she bounced twice, and even those astonishing twin tails of hers trembled along with her.
"I'm not leaving!"
"Even if you beat me to death, I'm not leaving!"
Hestia buried her face deeply into the throw pillow, letting out a muffled sound.
____
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