Over the next few days, some interesting changes took place.

  With Gwen joining our group, completing missions became much easier, and I began to feel the advantages of having two servants.

  The improvement I received from Varen growing every day had doubled with the addition of Gwen, making me twice as strong now.

  With every stat point they gained, I received a large enough percentage for my wings to grow a few more centimeters, finally reaching a wingspan of 13 meters.

  But the most surprising thing of all was that I started to feel a slight itch beneath my current pair of wings!

  It took a few days, but slowly a second pair of wings began to emerge from my back.

  The new wings were more cute than practical, but with the growth they were receiving daily, little by little the size of this new pair of wings was growing to match the originals!

  Knowing that each pair of wings meant a big increase in power level, I was even more excited to get other servants, but unfortunately no one suitable has appeared so far.

  Another big change we had was in our stored money.

  From the 400 copper coins we had saved, now that we had risen in rank as adventurers and started accepting only D-rank missions and some C-rank missions, the total amount of coins stored had now risen to over 1,500 copper coins, or 15 silver coins!

  That's even with our costs going up and our lifestyle improving to more luxurious meals and some additional expenses on better equipment and clothes for the three of us!

  Little by little, we were saving up enough money to buy a nice house in town.

  Initially, I thought about renting a house, but considering that I intended to turn the house into a base, and maybe a business, it would be better if I just bought a house so I wouldn't have problems with the landlord wanting to do something funny after seeing my business succeed.

  As for the business, after getting to know the city better, I realized that there was a very lucrative business in the Ironvale underworld, but since this business was being run without any planning and just trying to make as much profit as possible in the shortest amount of time, I saw an opportunity to take over this business and do my own version of it with my knowledge of the other world.

  Sure, that would make some people unhappy with me, but with our strength, I didn't have to worry too much about that.

  The members of the gang that killed Varen were already brave enough to send people to investigate us again, so why not take advantage of that and solve the current problem and the future?

  And I wasn't the only one who wanted a home.

  Earlier today, twilight fell over Ironvale, the orange light reflecting off the windows of the Iron Raven tavern, a new place we had discovered last week where the food and beer were a little more expensive, but the quality was much better.

  Sure, I still have a hard time liking the food and drink of the people of this world, but compared to what we were eating before, it was really better here.

  The smell of meat stew and beer filled the air, mixed with the murmur of tired adventurers.

  We were at a corner table, Gwen sat across from me, her red hair loose, still sweaty from today's C Rank mission, while Varen, next to me, cleaned his dagger with a cloth, his lute leaning against the wall behind us.

  The waiter left three bowls of stew, each costing 15 copper coins.

  But Gwen picked up her spoon hesitantly, looking at the amount of meat in the food as if it were something rare. “Is it really okay for us to eat something like this, Master?” she said, her voice low, almost a whisper.

  Her red eyes met mine, and there was something there, a softness that hadn't been there weeks ago.

  “It's all right, Gwen, enjoy the fruits of your hard work.” I smiled, picking up my spoon and noticing the small changes in the girl.

  She used to eat in silence, her head down, as if afraid to take up space, but now she was more confident in speaking her mind.

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  Varen cut off a piece of bread, dipped it in the stew, and spoke. “This is the life, master!” He looked at me with a half-smile. “Not much longer until we get home?”

  “A few more weeks of missions...” I replied, stirring the food. “But with the progress you're making, maybe even less.”

  Gwen took a spoonful, chewing slowly. “A home...” she said thoughtfully, almost to herself. “I've never had a real home.” Her voice trembled at the end, and she lowered her eyes, her fingers clenching the spoon.

  I stopped the spoon in midair, curious about her previous family, but decided it was best not to ask. “You'll have one now.”

  I spoke firmly. “The three of us, a place of our own and for those who come after us.”

  She looked up, surprised, and a slight blush rose to her cheeks. “Thank you, Master,” she murmured, and for the first time, “Master” sounded more like a term of endearment than a title.

  It made me feel a warmth that didn't come from the food.

  Varen, who had been quiet until then, cleared his throat. “Redhead, you'll want a room just for your daggers, right?” He tried to lighten the mood, but his eyes were kind, as if he understood how she felt.

  With us earning a lot more money, Gwen took up a hobby of collecting different daggers for her to try to replicate with her skill.

  Gwen gave a shy smile, poking at the stew. “Maybe, but... I want a window, to see the sun.” She looked at me again, hesitant. “Have you thought about what you want in the house, Master?”

  I leaned back, thinking.

  “A big table,” I said. “For us to eat together, and a good space for training.”

  “A training room, of course,” Varen said, chuckling. “Master, all you think about is training.”

  “And all you think about is music,” Gwen retorted, her smile more relaxed now. She took a piece of bread from Varen's plate, biting into it before he could complain.

  Varen feigned indignation but let it go, and for the first time, I saw Gwen laugh without holding back.

  I ate in silence, watching. Gwen shared the rest of the bread with me, a simple but meaningful gesture.

  She was no longer the girl from the pit, scared and closed off. She was here with us, opening up, piece by piece.

  When we left, night had fallen over Ironvale, and Gwen walked closer to me, her shoulder almost touching mine. “We're going to get the house, right, Master?” she asked, her voice quiet but full of hope.

  “Yes, we are, Gwen,” I said, looking up at the starry sky. And much more.

  —

  “It seems a little uncomfortable for you to read my stats every time, right, Master?” Gwen asked, a little embarrassed, as she sat across from me on the bed, cross-legged with her arm extended toward me.

  We had already taken a shower and were now wearing casual clothes.

  Varen had already seen the improvement in his [Noble Mark] a few minutes earlier and had gone downstairs to have a few more beers before going to bed, leaving only Gwen and me in our room.

  I nodded at her. “Yeah, having to turn your arm around all the time to see the data is a little tiring...”

  After I said that, Gwen was silent for a few seconds before speaking in a low, slightly embarrassed voice. “I saw that it's really easy to read Varen's stats, how about we move my [Noble Mark] to my back, like his?”

  I was surprised by her suggestion and raised an eyebrow. “You know you'll have to take off your shirt like him so I can read the data on your [Noble Mark], right?”

  Gwen's cheeks turned a little red, matching her red hair, but she still nodded. “It's okay, you've already done so much for me, Master, I don't mind showing you my back if it makes your job easier.”

  I could feel the concern in her voice, Gwen was really worried that it would be too much trouble for me to have to keep turning her arm around to copy the data from her [Noble Mark], unlike with Varen, which I could do in a few seconds.

  And her concern warmed my heart a little.

  I knew how difficult it was for a woman to show herself like that to a man, especially in times like these where things were much more conservative than in my previous world, so for Gwen to be willing to do something like that for me showed that she at least already saw me as family.

  Thinking about how our last few days had been and how our relationship had improved with our interactions, how Gwen had subtly grown closer to me and started sharing more things with me, I was happy about it.

  “All right, I'm not even sure if this is possible, but we can try.” I accepted her proposal.

  Hearing that I accepted, Gwen's face turned even redder, but she didn't back down.

  With her back to me, still sitting cross-legged on the bed, Gwen slowly lifted her shirt and showed me her white back.

  Her skin was as smooth as her face, and even with training and combat making her develop more strength and power, her muscles hadn't become bulky, keeping the shape of her back as delicate as it was originally.

  For a second I was tempted to reach out and touch her skin, especially when I realized she wasn't wearing a bra and I could see the outline of her breasts even though she was trying to hide them from me.

  Noticing the silence in the room and her skin turning redder with embarrassment, I shook my head and apologized. “I'm sorry, I got a little lost, I'll try to change the position of your [Noble Mark] now.”

  I could even see her ears turning red, while my Middle-Class Devil senses allowed me to hear her heartbeat increasing considerably after my comment, but she just nodded and didn't answer.

  With my finger pointing forward, I imagined myself using the [Noble Mark] and changing the position of her Mark.

  Just as I imagined, her bright red tattoo began to move across her skin until it reached where my finger was pointing, the center of her back!

  “I did it, and it's really much easier to read your data now, Gwen.” I commented with a smile as I began to copy her data onto a piece of Mana paper.

  When I said I was done, Gwen, still shirtless, turned her head to look at me for a split second, which was apparently enough for her to notice something about me and smile contentedly before turning back around and putting her shirt back on.

  I don't know what she saw on my face, but considering that my heart is also beating faster than normal, it's likely that my face is as red as hers is right now.

  “Damn, who said Devils have to be so attractive?” I thought frustrated and satisfied as I watched the last few seconds of the view I had of Gwen's bare back.