Chapter 19

Chapter 19. Our House

I came back with four shopping bags of clothes.

Ria received them.

"Why did you buy so much?"

"It is to commemorate earning a lot of money thanks to Ria."

"I just repaid what I received."

"You did repay it. Dozens of times over at that."

"......It is not that much. Anyway, the clothes are so pretty. Thank you."

Her cheeks flushed and she seemed to like them more than I expected.

Ria continued.

"But would feminine clothes like these suit someone like me, a former knight who is like a tomboy?"

What is she talking about?

I definitely put a full-length mirror in Ria's tent.

To say such things even after looking at herself in the mirror.

Moreover, since she is from nobility, if there were balls and such, young nobles would have lined up begging to dance with her just once.

'Well...... Ria did say she continuously trained since childhood under her father.'

She might not have been able to attend balls.

After becoming strong, she said she wandered the outskirts with the knights to subjugate the remnants of the Seven Demons.

"They suit you well. Do not worry."

"Thank you for saying so."

Soon Ria came out after changing clothes.

A white off-shoulder top with blue pants.

"How is it......?"

"Yeah, it suits you well."

"Seon-u, you are looking somewhere else right now though?"

"No, I looked."

My eyes naturally averted.

She always wore clothes that were good for activity, but since she wore casual everyday clothes, it seemed I would need time to adjust.

Soon I turned my attention to Rin, who was diligently growing the Applecherry tree today as well.

I approached Rin and looked at the tree.

"Fruit has started to form already."

Very small green Applecherry fruit had begun to form.

Thanks to Rin, I would now be able to harvest Applecherry in the front yard.

"I bought a present for Rin too."

When I called by name, Rin stopped growing plants and looked up at me.

"Give me your hand."

Rin tilted its head while looking at me.

This is difficult to explain with actions.

I lowered my posture and took Rin's small hand.

Then I put on the platinum bracelet I had bought.

A bracelet with 'Rin' written in Korean on the central plate of the bracelet.

At first I was going to engrave it in English, but since neither Ria nor Rin know English anyway, I engraved it in Korean.

Because Korean looks more sentimental.

'I went through some trouble going around several jewelry stores to buy this. Because I had to buy the smallest one even among bracelets that babies wear.'

In the end, even buying the smallest one, I had to shorten the chain.

Soon I pointed at the Korean initial and said to Rin.

"What is written here is Rin's name. Rin."

I pointed at the bracelet once and at Rin once with my finger.

Then Rin also pointed at the bracelet once and at itself once with its finger.

"Right, that is correct. Rin's name is written here."

Only then did it nod as if understanding.

Soon it touched the bracelet with its hand.

It seemed to be stirred, but I could not tell what emotion it was feeling.

Seeing that, Ria said.

"It seems happy."

"Really?"

"I did not know at first, but after spending day and night together every day, I came to know now."

"Then that is a relief. I was inwardly worried about what to do if it found it bothersome and took it off."

Soon Ria also lowered her posture and looked at Rin's bracelet.

"So this is the writing of the world where Seon-u lives."

"Right."

"Fascinating. Say, Seon-u."

"Yeah?"

"My learning speed is quite fast, you know."

"I know, you quickly pick up cooking when I teach you too."

But why is she suddenly appealing?

Ria continued.

"Even if it is just occasionally, could you teach me your country's language from time to time?"

"Well, I do not mind. But why my country's language?"

"Because I want to converse in the same language without translation magic. Even if it takes a long time to learn, I want to learn it."

To even learn a language in order to converse with me.

I was moved, grateful for that heart.

Inwardly, I had thought that if Ria got tired of life here, she might leave someday, but Ria does not seem to have such thoughts.

'Well, for Ria who has no place to return to, this is everything.'

This Rift and me and Rin.

Her world has become very narrow.

So I suddenly became curious and asked.

"Ria, is it not suffocating to only stay in this Rift? That you are unhappy now......"

Ria firmly cut off my words.

"No, except for memories with my father, I am happiest now. I do not have to train hard enough to die, and I do not have to see the deaths of comrades dying while going around subjugating the remnants of the Seven Demons."

"......"

Training aside, losing comrades would certainly be mentally difficult.

Moreover, since Ria was the commander, her shoulders must have been quite heavy.

"I decided to live for my happiness following my father's last words. So I am here of my own will. I am not unhappy at all."

"Then that is a relief. Alright, I will teach you Korean."

"Yes!"

Ria's day is very busy.

She trains me, tills the land to clear it for planting crops directly.

She learns cooking from me. And she does not skip her own training either.

Learning Korean was added on top of that.

Even so, she takes good care of Rin like a late-born younger sister.

On the other hand, I train, teach Ria cooking.

Research cooking, cook.

'Compared to Ria, my daily schedule is relaxed.'

Still, I will be busy starting tomorrow too.

I have to survey the land to build the house and start foundation work.

Because the modular house will be completed soon.

I have not told Ria yet.

'Even starting now is late. I should have started the foundation work in advance.'

After the contract, I received the building blueprint from the company and know the building's actual size and the size of the foundation work site.

So I should have done the work in advance, but it was delayed because I kept it secret from Ria.

Still, since I pre-ordered the materials, I can start right away from tomorrow.

I started by moving Ria's tent right in front of the cave.

Because it overlaps with the area for foundation work.

"Can you not tell me what you are planning too?"

Ria asked curiously, but I did not waver.

"You will know if you see it later."

***

Concrete materials including cement, crushed stone, rebar, formwork and other foundation work materials that I purchased in bulk from a steel company began to be delivered.

Trucks came and went in the desolate morning parking lot at the village entrance.

Every time, what the truck drivers said.

"Mister, did you not call a forklift? How do you expect me to unload? I cannot do it because it is too hard."

"No need for a forklift! I will do it."

After climbing into the cargo hold, I opened Acresia right next to it and began putting the cargo in right away.

I could use the skill to absorb it, but moving a lot would overconsume Mana too much.

Most importantly, I had not yet revealed to anyone that Acresia had leveled up and had absorption ability.

I was being careful in case rumors spread.

"It will not even take 10 minutes."

"What, what is that? Is that the skill I have only heard about? Mister, were you an Awakened?"

"Yes. That is right."

"Well now, not only the skill but your strength is impressive too."

After starting to be trained by Ria, I gained confidence in using strength.

Moreover, not only strength but flexibility and elasticity increased, so weights under 50kg do not even feel like weight.

I bent down, grabbed a cement bag, threw it into Acresia and repeated this like fast-forwarding.

I finished one truck in an instant like that.

"It all fits in there. Mister, you are cool! I do not know what you are building, but with that much strength and stamina, you could build a house alone."

"Thank you! I will do my best!"

I loaded all the cargo from the trucks that arrived with intervals into Acresia like that.

"Phew, the warm-up is over."

Soon I went home and immediately entered the Rift.

Holding a gym hammer for training muscles by hitting a 30kg tire, beyond a sledgehammer.

Seeing that, Ria was flustered.

"Seon-u, why that big hammer?"

"To compact the ground."

"The ground?"

"I have something to do."

For foundation work on houses, there is actually no need to compact the ground unless it is soft ground.

On the other hand, soft terrain needs to be firmly compacted in advance by striking it with something heavy.

The terrain here was not soft and rather on the hard side, but I still wanted to do it thoroughly when doing it.

Soon I tried striking the bare ground once.

THUD!

I did it and regretted it.

Rin, who had been growing trees, looked this way, startled either by the vibration of the ground or by the sound.

"Rin, sorry. Did I startle you? Ria, sorry but could you take Rin for a walk? For the duration of one turn of the hourglass."

"Huh? Mm, alright."

Soon Ria placed Rin on her palm, gathered the hourglass, and went for a walk.

Only then did I begin striking the ground with all my might inside the area I had enclosed with string.

Wherever I struck, the ground dented and the ground became firm.

'This becomes exercise as I keep doing it.'

I should specially make a heavier hammer later and train my muscles and stamina by striking a thick tire.

Resting and pounding repeatedly, I pounded the ground like that for roughly over an hour.

"Phew! This is tough."

It is as hard as training with Ria.

Still, I struck the inside that I marked with string once each and compacted the ground.

'Better than not doing it.'

It seems to have been compacted quite firmly.

Soon I took a shovel and started work on compacting the perimeter of the foundation site I had surveyed.

Then Ria and Rin returned.

"I do not know what you are doing but should I help? Seon-u seems tired."

"I would be grateful if you helped. It is a bit hard alone."

I started the foundation work together with Ria like that.

It was not something that finished in a day but over several days.

Day 1: Digging the foundation site, strip foundation.

Day 2: Compacting crushed stone.

Days 3 and 4: Laying P.E. film and pouring concrete made by mixing cement, sand, and gravel in a 1:2:3 ratio with a concrete mixing machine.

Day 5: Laying rebar and installing formwork.

Days 6 and 7: Pouring floor concrete.

After the concrete dried, on the final day 9.

Dismantling the formwork to finish.

After Ria and I worked day and night, the foundation work was finished in 9 days.

Finally, Ria substituted for work that could only be done with machines.

"Is that Ria's real ability?"

The Mana and sword wind rippling from Ria's sword dance smoothly and precisely refined the concrete floor.

I knew she was strong, but I felt anew that it was strength beyond the human realm.

"Cool, right Rin?"

I was watching that appearance from above a tree with Rin to avoid dust and stone powder.

On my palm, Rin stared intently at Ria.

I was now beginning to read Rin's expressions too.

That expression is definitely an expression of admiration.

When the sword dance ended and Ria came down from the concrete floor, we also came down from the tree and approached Ria.

Ria stretched and said.

"It is really finished."

"Indeed, thanks to Ria helping, it finished earlier than expected."

Otherwise it would have taken about two weeks.

Especially the concrete pouring work was the hardest.

Mixing and making concrete through a mixing machine outside the Rift, bringing it and pouring it.

We kept repeating like that, but that alone was absolutely unmanageable, so because Ria helped with concrete production by putting materials in a large tub and rotating at high speed with a shovel, we could shorten the time.

"So you really will not tell me? I really helped hard."

Ria asked with an expression that said she was dying of curiosity.

"Sorry, I will tell you after I come back."

"Alright, I will wait."

Ria was very curious even while helping with the work.

However, I absolutely did not open my mouth.

I have to hurry back and show her directly.

Two days ago, I received contact from the modular housing company that it was completed.

So I left the Rift and immediately got in the car and drove the car toward Gangwon Province toward the modular housing company's factory.

***

I had checked the progress of the house's exterior and interior in advance through numerous photos and videos from the company.

The modular company was that kind and meticulously took care of things, giving trust.

After arriving at the workplace and thoroughly looking around the completed modular building, I said to the president.

"There are no defects anywhere, it is exactly as you showed in the videos. I will deposit the balance."

After filling out documents and paying the balance, I completed the purchase.

Soon the company president expressed doubt to me.

"Customer, but when are the transport company drivers coming?"

"President, do you remember what I said when I made the contract?"

"Do you mean when you said I do not have to deduct transport and installation costs from the purchase price, so please maintain confidentiality no matter what you see?"

"Yes."

Considerable transport and installation costs go into moving those large modular buildings.

Since I, the purchaser, would do the transport and installation myself, I would pay that money as-is without deducting it from the purchase price.

"From now on, I am going to do something, and I would appreciate it if the employees did not see it. I would be grateful if you could close the factory door as well."

"What? Mm, understood."

The president sent all the factory employees out.

He closed the factory door that had been left open so large trucks could reverse in.

Then I summoned Acresia overlapping the modular building.

"Could it be a skill......? Were you a Hunter?"

"Right. What you see from now on is absolutely secret."

"Ah, yes. Of course."

While saying that, I used the absorption skill toward the modular building.

Then the building was sucked into Acresia very slowly.

Because it had weight and bulk, absorption also took long.

"Good heavens......"

The president covered his mouth in surprise.

Soon I finished absorbing one building and also absorbed the other two modular buildings.

After absorbing all three buildings, my breathing became labored as if a lot of Mana was depleted.

'Phew......! The Mana consumption is no joke. I almost had to stop midway.'

Still, I completed it even forcing myself a bit.

Because there is someone who will be waiting with their neck craned in curiosity.

"President, it is absolutely secret. If you keep the secret, I need one more restaurant building, so I will make it here next time too."

At those words, the president's face brightened.

"Haha! Of course. Giving trust to our customers is our company's iron rule. I will absolutely keep the secret."

***

It became time for dusk to fall before I arrived home.

I immediately entered the Rift.

Then Ria, who had been waiting for me, and Rin on her shoulder welcomed me.

"Did you finish all the work and come back?"

"Yeah, I finished everything."

"Then you will tell me now, right?"

"Before that, there is work I need to finish, can you help?"

"Alright!"

First, I had to install anchor bolts for supports at the designated locations.

When Ria created a concentration of Mana infused with Aura and dug grooves, I placed anchor bolts on top and fixed them by hitting with a hammer.

Smoothly finishing the work quickly by installing all the anchor bolts at the marked positions like that.

I summoned Acresia and took out one modular building precisely above the anchor bolts for supports and fitted it to the grooves.

"Good heavens......"

Ria saw the first modular house and covered her mouth.

"Could it be a house......?"

"Right, the house where Ria and Rin will live from now on. Three buildings connected to each other by roofs, and I will also use one of them."

Ria's eyes began to moisten as if moved.