Helena walked down the street, humming an old song from Earth.

  She did not even remember where she had first heard it. The tune drifted out of her without effort, soft and careless. Just being inside a living world again made her feel light. People passed her from both sides, footsteps echoing against stone, voices blending into a warm noise that wrapped around her.

  For a while, she simply walked.

  Then the excitement slowly faded.

  Helena stopped near the side of the road and scratched her head.

  “…What now?”

  She realized she had not thought past entering the capital. Getting inside had been the goal. What came after that had not crossed her mind even once.

  She stared ahead, unfocused.

  What should she do now?

  “Hmmm…”

  She hummed again, longer this time, thinking as she walked.

  Then it clicked.

  “Yes. Work and home.”

  She nodded to herself.

  “I need those.”

  A permanent home. A place she could return to. And permanent work.

  But the idea of working under someone else made her frown almost immediately.

  Her steps slowed.

  “…No.”

  That would not work.

  She tried thinking of alternatives.

  “What kind of work can I even do?”

  Starting a business crossed her mind.

  Her heart rejected it instantly.

  “Nope.”

  First, business was not her strong suit. Second, money.

  Most businesses revolved around money. Profit. Loss.

  If she ever messed up and the business started bleeding money, she knew herself well enough to predict what would happen next.

  She would fix it.

  She would use her ability to turn red numbers into green ones.

  And it would not stop at one time.

  She would do it again.

  And again.

  Until she got bored.

  Until she made a mess of the kingdom’s economy.

  Helena shook her head firmly.

  “No. Definitely not.”

  She sighed.

  “I’m way too dangerous for the economy.”

  She walked a few more steps, then suddenly stopped.

  Jinn.

  His group.

  The image flashed into her mind, and a metaphorical light bulb lit up above her head.

  “Yes!”

  Her voice came out cheerful.

  “Adventurer!”

  Her pace picked up immediately.

  “That’s perfect. No superior. No asking for vacations. Work whenever I want.”

  She smiled wider.

  “And adventure.”

  She nodded to herself.

  “I’ll love it.”

  If her memory from about a century ago was correct, she needed to register at the Adventurers’ Guild.

  But before that…

  She slowed again.

  “There’s something more important.”

  She looked around.

  “I want a home.”

  A permanent one.

  A place that was hers.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  But where did people even buy houses? It was not like someone stood on the street shouting about houses for sale.

  “…Whatever.”

  She shrugged.

  “I’ll just ask someone.”

  She had drifted into a less crowded area of the capital by now. The noise softened, replaced by open space and wider streets.

  As she entered another square, something caught her eye.

  Helena stopped.

  “…Huh?”

  Twenty horse drawn vehicles.

  Familiar ones.

  It was Jinn and Rob’s group.

  She smiled.

  Looks like I entered before them after all.

  They must have taken their time getting through the main gate. After all, someone had blocked the carriage entrance earlier by refusing to wait in line.

  Helena watched from the side as the convoy moved forward. The group did not notice her among the crowd.

  She bent her knees slightly.

  Then jumped.

  Her body cleared the space effortlessly as she landed on top of the main carriage, the one that was supposed to belong to Rob.

  The reaction was instant.

  Swords were drawn. Shouts rang out. Guards and escorts snapped into formation.

  An ambush.

  “Guys, it’s me,” Helena said cheerfully.

  Jinn froze, then let out a long sigh.

  “It’s fine,” he said loudly. “Everyone, sheath your weapons. It’s just our troublemaker, Helen.”

  Only then did the tension ease.

  Weapons slid back into place.

  Helena crossed her arms and looked down at Jinn.

  “Who are you calling a troublemaker?” she asked, her tone carrying friendly irritation.

  Jinn looked up at her like the answer was obvious.

  “Of course you.”

  He paused, then added, “I thought we wouldn’t see you again for days. But who knows? Your ambush came in just a few hours.”

  Helena shrugged.

  “Well, whatever.”

  She glanced toward the carriage interior.

  “Where’s Rob? I have some business with him.”

  She had already noticed he was not inside this one.

  Jinn followed her gaze.

  “We’re not stupid,” he said. “We wouldn’t put our client in the most flashy carriage. He’s in that one.”

  He pointed toward the back of the convoy.

  “Oh,” Helena said.

  Then she remembered something else.

  “Hey, Jinn. Where’s the Adventurers’ Guild? I want to register.”

  Jinn stared at her.

  “…You weren’t an adventurer?”

  Helena blinked. “I never said I was.”

  Only then did Jinn realize it.

  She really had not said it even once.

  He had just assumed.

  In his mind, Helena was already a high ranking adventurer. Maybe even the highest grade. She was strong. A mage with ridiculous abilities. He had thought she was from some faraway country, or a newly rising name he had not heard yet.

  It had all been his own assumptions.

  Jinn snapped back to reality.

  Helena was gone.

  He looked around quickly.

  “Where did she go?”

  The carriage driver pointed toward the rear.

  “She jumped toward the back carriages.”

  Jinn sighed.

  “…Is she the wind or something?”

  Helena left the deep thinker Jinn behind.

  She had asked him where the Adventurers’ Guild was, but he never answered. He simply sank deeper into thought, eyes unfocused, as if the world around him no longer existed.

  “…Right,” Helena muttered.

  She decided to leave him as he was and ask Rob instead.

  When she entered the carriage, she immediately felt the difference. From the outside, it looked ordinary. From the inside, it was anything but.

  Rob was there. So was Lysandra. A few other people sat inside as well, all of them looking important in one way or another. The moment Helena stepped in, every head turned toward her.

  She met their gazes and said calmly, “Hello.”

  Before Rob could say anything, Lysandra spoke first.

  “I thought you left!”

  Helena smiled faintly and replied in a teasing tone, “Oh? Lyasi was missing me already? Do you like your big sister that much?”

  Lysandra’s cheeks instantly turned red.

  “Cough… cough…”

  Rob cleared his throat right after, deliberately loud. If he let them continue, he knew exactly where this would go, and he had no intention of watching it unfold.

  Helena turned toward him.

  “Hey, Rob. Tell me something. Where can I buy a house?”

  Rob blinked, confused.

  “You want to rent a house?”

  “No,” Helena corrected him. “I want to buy it. A permanent residence. And a big one. A really, really big one.”

  Rob hesitated before responding, concern clear in his voice.

  “Please don’t take this the wrong way, Miss Helena. I’m not saying you’re poor or anything. But property in the capital is extremely expensive. Expensive enough to cripple my business.”

  He continued, “And even then, your choices are limited. You can either buy property in the slums or in the high end districts. Most land here has been passed down since the capital was founded. People rarely sell, and when they do, the prices are absurd. Enough to buy a small mansion in another city.”

  Helena listened without interrupting, her expression unchanged.

  When he finished, she replied with a fixed smile.

  “See, Rob, if I wanted to, I could become the royal family’s sugar mommy.”

  Rob froze.

  “Sugar… mommy?”

  Helena waved it off immediately.

  “Never mind that. Just tell me this. Is it possible to buy property or not?”

  Rob thought for a moment before answering.

  “You’ll need to go through the Merchant Guild. If there’s any property available, they would know.”

  “Merchant Guild,” Helena repeated. “A bunch of money hungry bastards.”

  Rob coughed again.

  “I am also part of the Merchant Guild.”

  She turned to him instantly.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean you.”

  Rob smiled instead, meeting her eyes.

  “What you said isn’t wrong. We are always hungry for money.”

  They returned to the topic.

  “Well,” Rob said, “if you truly have enough funds, then yes, your chances are high. The Merchant Guild sometimes keeps properties hidden, waiting for clients willing to pay any price. If you show that kind of intent, you might be able to buy a decent house in the middle districts.”

  Helena nodded.

  “Good.”

  Then she asked, “Last question. Where are the Merchant Guild and the Adventurers’ Guild? I want to register as an adventurer too. I don’t want to laze around all day. These bones need movement.”

  Rob paused.

  Adventurer, huh…

  He had seen people like her before, though he did not say it out loud. When Helena spoke of having a lot of money, he had initially thought she was some noble’s daughter. He was seventy percent sure.

  The remaining thirty percent was held back by her behavior.

  She lacked the arrogance common among nobles. She did not look down on others. She did not act selfishly. Instead, she felt like someone who wanted to enjoy every moment of life. Someone who did not care about most things, but when she did care, no one would dare take it from her or damage it.

  Above all else, she felt like a good person.

  To Rob, Helena was unique.

  “Do you know the layout of the capital?” he asked.

  Helena shook her head.

  “Not really. I don’t remember much.”

  “Then even if I tell you the locations, you won’t reach them before nightfall.”

  “You’re right,” she admitted. “I didn’t think about that.”

  Rob glanced at Lysandra and smiled. Then he looked back at Helena.

  “Take Lysandra with you. She’ll guide you. Bring her back whenever you want.”

  Helena raised a brow.

  “Are you sure? Won’t it cause trouble if your employee suddenly takes time off?”

  Lysandra’s heart began pounding.

  It was not that she did not want a break. And it was not that she did not want to go with Helena.

  She just did not want to become her body pillow again.

  She had already received far too much unnecessary motherly affection. Enough to make her miss her real mother.

  “It’s fine,” Rob said. “Lysandra hasn’t taken a break in a long time. She’s a bit of a workaholic. I was thinking of sending her on vacation anyway, but she never asked. This works perfectly.”

  Lysandra lowered her head.

  Helena smiled.

  “Thank you.”

  Lysandra thought, at least ask the person involved, but she did not say it out loud.

  “Well then,” Helena said.

  Before Lysandra could understand what was happening, Helena had already stepped outside and leapt forward into the air.

  “Waaaah!”

  Lysandra screamed as they sailed over the carriages and the crowded street below.

  People stopped and stared, watching the two figures pass overhead.

  Jinn looked up at them and muttered thoughtfully, “Hmm. A daytime kidnapping.”

  Of course, he said it as a joke.