Journey to Godhood Begins in Frieren

"Shichen, congratulations on defeating a General of the Demon King's army—the Headless Horseman Beldia. Here is the guild's reward: three hundred million Eris."

Luna beamed at Shichen, her tone full of pride.

The day after the Headless Horseman was vanquished, Shichen and Megumin's party came to the guild to pick up their payment.

"H‑hiss—"

"H‑how much? Did I mishear?"

"We're rich!"

"We can finally buy a new house!"

One after another, Megumin and the others erupted in excitement, looking ready to jump for joy at the staggering sum.

"Thank you," Shichen said with a smile, accepting the three bulging money bags.

"No, we should be thanking you," Luna replied. "If not for you, many adventurers would've been out of work and gone hungry."

"You're exaggerating… Are you sure this reward isn't too much?"

"The guild added a special bonus for you. By eliminating that Demon King General so quickly, you saved us all a great deal of trouble."

"In that case, I'll accept it with a clear conscience."

"Hero!"

"Shichen, you're the pride of Axel!"

"That's right—way better than that so‑called hero, Kyouya Mitsurugi!"

"Earned this much and not treating us?"

The adventurers who had been lounging in the guild since early morning all began to cheer and tease at once.

Shichen laughed loudly. "All right! Today's tab is on me!"

"Yeah! That's our hero—so generous!"

"No surprise from a lolicon. Apart from that, no complaints."

"Hey, lolis are cute, you know? Adorable!"

"Don't tell me you're into them too…?"

"Hehe~"

Shichen's face darkened. "Whoever called me a lolicon—pay your own bill today."

"Ehh? Why?"

"Hahaha!"

The guild hall bustled from early morning, and Shichen's group joined right in.

After all, defeating a General of the Demon King's army called for a celebration.

The revelry lasted the entire day; laughter and cheers filled the guild without pause.

…

The next day, Shichen and the others slept in until nearly noon. After brunch they went to view a house Luna had recommended.

With so much money on hand, they could afford property in any part of Axel—well, anywhere except the estates of the City Lord or Darkness's family.

As luck would have it, Luna's recommendation was the very mansion Shichen had been eyeing—the same luxurious villa Aqua and company would one day occupy.

The mansion sat on the outskirts of town. From the outside it looked magnificent—several times larger than a modern standalone villa. According to Luna, it had belonged to a noble who had recently put it up for sale.

Fortune smiled on them again: the property had become haunted by evil spirits.

That might not sound lucky, but Luna wouldn't have steered them toward a "problem" mansion without a reason—namely Aqua.

As an Arch‑Priestess, Aqua could banish evil spirits with a wave of her hand.

Because of the haunting the price had plummeted, and thanks to Shichen's growing "hero" fame they received an additional discount: they could buy the entire estate for a mere "small goal" of one hundred million Eris.

That was why Luna had recommended it.

"This place is amazing! I love it! It's perfect for me!"

In front of the gate, Aqua sized up the mansion and couldn't hold back a shout of excitement.

"Mm, I think it's great too." Megumin was equally tempted.

"Big Bro, let's just take it, okay?" Kazuma could hardly wait to move in.

"Don't rush." Shichen chuckled, turning to the quiet Yunyun. "Yunyun, what do you think?"

"I—I like it too…" Yunyun answered shyly, cheeks slightly red.

"Good. Then it's settled! Aqua, the exorcism tonight is your job."

"Leave it to me!"

"But… can we really exorcise the place?" Darkness asked worriedly. "I heard that lately, no matter how many spirits are driven away, new ones appear immediately."

"What's causing the spirits?"

"No idea. Otherwise the guild would've posted a subjugation quest long ago."

"True. Still, with Aqua here we'll be fine. And I can put a barrier around our new home so no spirits can enter."

"A barrier? Big Bro, you can do that?"

"Wouldn't be much of a big brother if I couldn't, right?"

"As expected of Big Bro!"

"Flatter me all you like—Aqua, go handle the exorcism. We'll wait outside."

"Hold on, I'll use Enhanced Vision to check the situation first."

Aqua raised a hand to shade her eyes and examined the mansion.

"Enhanced Vision can do that?" Megumin asked, surprised.

"Not sure," Yunyun said, "but Aqua's a goddess, so maybe it's easy for her?"

"I still can't believe Aqua is a goddess," Kazuma muttered.

"Same here…"

"Ohh—I see it!" Aqua suddenly cried.

"According to my Enhanced Vision, this mansion used to confine a noble's illegitimate daughter!"

"Seriously?"

"Absolutely! The noble assaulted a maid on a whim; the child she bore was locked up here!"

"That detailed, huh?"

Speaking as though she'd witnessed it herself, Aqua had everyone half‑convinced.

"Ohh—" She went on, "The noble's health was frail, and he died soon after. The maid vanished, and the girl left alone in this mansion succumbed to the same illness before ever meeting her parents. Her name was Anna Filante Estroid. She loved plush toys, dolls, and stories of adventurers!"

"So that's the spirit's true nature?"

"Should we exorcise her?"

"No need to worry—she isn't malicious. She shouldn't harm us… Wait, though she's still a child, she likes pretending to be an adult and enjoys sweet alcoholic drinks. Let's prepare some liquor as an offering!"

"You made that last bit up, didn't you?" Shichen eyed her suspiciously.

"Of course not!" Aqua denied instantly.

"Is that so? I'll take your word for it—for now."

"You don't believe me, Shichen? I'm hurt." Aqua pouted.

"I'll buy you two bottles of sparkling wine later, okay?"

"Hehe~ now we're talking."

"All right, it's decided. I'll find the agent and pay. You guys head back to the inn and pack."

"Let's all go—after all, you can teleport," Megumin suggested.

"I—I think so too," Yunyun agreed.

"Fine, fine. Together it is."

Shichen led them to purchase the mansion. Even a hundred million was pocket change by now, and the moment he held the deed in this world's equivalent, it all felt worthwhile.

At last, they had a place to call their own.

…

After returning to the inn and packing, they moved straight into the mansion.

Because of the haunting it hadn't been cleaned for ages, but Shichen had learned housekeeping magic from Frieren. A few spells later the entire place sparkled.

The magic was practically conceptual—he didn't even need to specify what was trash and what wasn't; it all matched his intentions perfectly.

The spell's creator must have had very definite ideas about clutter—likely someone who hated cleaning.

With the mansion spotless, the next issue was room selection. Naturally, Shichen took the largest room—the master bedroom.

Conveniently, it sat in the middle of the second floor: two rooms on one side, the staircase on the other, and more rooms beyond.

Kazuma took one of the two rooms; Aqua and the girls occupied the rooms across the hall, which naturally became the "girls' wing."

After everyone finished settling in, dusk fell. Shichen treated Megumin and the others to a celebratory feast in town.

By the time they returned, night had fully descended.

He wasn't sure when the spirits would appear, but with Aqua on duty he didn't worry and went straight to bed.

A soft mattress and warm blankets—Shichen hadn't slept this well in ages. He drifted off almost immediately.

But he didn't sleep through the night. In the middle of the night someone's weight pressed him awake.

Opening his eyes, he found Megumin's delicate face inches from his, looking on the verge of tears.

~~~

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