In his previous life, Theo used to think that money was the solution to any problem. Technically, he was right—the things that he was attempting to do were utterly impossible if he didn’t have gold to spare. However, in this world, money wasn’t a single issue he had to face. The spirit guide had taught him how to create a magic spindle—one that he was able to use freely without relying on Cmyk. However, the spirit guide hadn’t provided the main ingredient necessary for gold creation—hay. It had then been necessary to get the extremely lazy minion to go about town in searching for a few fistfuls of hay in order to buy more.

As a dungeon, and master of the minion, it was supposed to have been easy for Theo to order the skeleton around. Unfortunately, it turned out that the minion’s laziness trumped its loyalty or even fear. A long haggling match took place at the end of which Cmyk was to receive his very own comfortable bed in exchange for doing a few tasks.

Theo was big enough to give assurances that he would not go back on his promise, so he used his ability to create a special room on the top floor with a single deluxe king-sized bed inside. Content with the trade, Cmyk spent the next few hours roaming the city looking for cleanish hay he could use. Finding hay turned out to be more difficult than one would expect. The streets were exceedingly clean, and all the stables were too much hassle to bother with; Somehow, despite Cmyk’s disguise of flesh, animals continued to sense his real nature and acted aggressively whenever he neared. The people, in contrast, found him rather charismatic.

“Umm, excuse me,” an apple seller not too far from Theo said. She had been watching Cmyk go about the neighborhood all day with no apparent goal. “Umm, are you lost?”

The minion looked at her. The apple seller could be described as beautiful, although she was definitely pretty in a wholesome, plain sort of way. Short hazel hair went down slightly below her neck, in almost identical fashion to Cmyk’s. Like most of the stall sellers, she was dressed in simple linen clothes, although her brown skirt did have several glass beads sewn in as decoration.

Seeing this as a way to do less work, Cmyk nodded.

“Oh,” the woman said, looking down at the apples for a moment. “Would you like some help?”

The minion nodded again.

“It must be difficult arriving somewhere new,” the woman continued in a quiet voice. “Especially here. Rosewind isn’t as organized as a lot of the big cities. I saw when your mage house popped up here.” The woman let out a chuckle. “Everyone did, in fact. I guess it must be nice to be able to travel wherever you want without leaving your house?”

Uncertain how to respond to this question, Cmyk decided to rely on what he had established to work, so he nodded once more.

“What—” the woman began, only to be interrupted.

“Hey, Wanda,” a rather large man in an adventurer’s outfit shouted with a wave.

He was rather muscular himself to the point he rivaled Cmyk’s own size. Unlike the minion, though, his clothes were far more practical. Most of them were leather, with the exception of the rather fine shirt of white silk he was wearing. Two sheaths hung from the man’s belt, holding a sword as well as a large dagger.

“Who’s your friend?” The adventurer made his way to the stand and picked up an apple.

“Hello, Ulf.” The faint smile that was on the seller’s face disappeared, replaced by a slightly annoyed frown. “The kind sir is the owner of that mage house.”

“You don’t say?” The one called Ulf looked over his shoulder at the building in question, then turned around and tossed a copper coin to the seller. “I’m Ulfang von Gregor,” he introduced himself. “But my friends call me Ulf. So, what do you think of Rosewind so far?”

Cmyk hesitated. He was entirely disinterested in having small talk with the locals, and even if he wanted, Theo had forgotten to grant him the ability to speak. Pretty much everything he could do was sigh and grunt, which he promptly did.

“The man is lost,” Wanda said, quickly coming to Cmyk’s defense. “He just arrived, so—"

“Right. I remember what it was like when I came here.”

Ulf gave Cmyk a strong back on the back. It was clearly aimed at illustrating the adventurer’s strength, but against all odds, the minion didn’t budge. If nothing else, Theo hadn’t spared any energy on making him a rather strong minion—far stronger than needed.

“The town is a real maze,” Ulf continued, impressed by the strength of his new acquaintance. “I kept getting lost for weeks when I first arrived. Don’t worry, though. I’m here to help. And Wanda’s already taken a liking to you.”

The seller’s cheeks got a shade pinker.

“So, what are you looking for?” Ulf asked.

Cmyk immediately pointed at the bakery at the end of the street.

“Bread?” the adventurer looked in the direction in question.

Cmyk narrowed his eyes, then shook his head. What he was actually pointing at was the straw hat the baker was wearing.

“I think he means a hat,” Wanda suggested timidly.

“Ah, you want gear,” the adventurer said with pride, as if he’d won a million-dollar quiz.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” The seller crossed her arms. She was annoyed at many things, though mostly in Ulf monopolizing Cmyk’s attention. “He probably wants a new set of clothes. Fashion in Rosewind is nothing like in the big cities, and he clearly doesn’t want to stand out.”

That was somewhat true. Even Cmyk had become uncomfortable with the looks he was getting while walking about. If it hadn’t been for his impressive physique, he probably would have been subject to serious ridicule. Looking forward to wearing something more suitable—and more importantly—more comfortable, Cmyk nodded twice.

“Clothes and gear, then!” Ulf grinned. “A man who knows his priorities. I like you, friend! Let’s get you set up.”

“Umm, please take this.” Wanda offered Cmyk a rather large apple. “Just a small welcome gift.”