An Adventurer Mom, Who Awakened [Housewife] Skill Through a Login Bonus, Is Making the Most of Her Adventurer Life With the Weekly Flyers She Gets! - Chapter 7

“Jessica, welcome back. Thank you for picking up Barbara.”

“No problem. I thought it might be a bit unnecessary, but I’m glad I didn’t miss you.”

“Thanks, that’s really helpful. And you even brought a Slime Hat… Did you buy this from the tool shop?”

“Of course not, I got it after defeating a Shield Slime.”

Shield Slime is a mid-tier slime that appears in the middle floors of dungeons. Despite being a slime, it’s known for its incredible toughness.

Jessica is a well-known adventurer. She’s a mage, dressed in a long robe suited for spellcasters, and has an intelligent beauty about her.

“As expected of Jessica. Thank you so much.”

“Don’t mention it. This hat is really popular among kids right now, right? My party members told me that if I gave it to a child, they’d be thrilled, so I brought it along.”

“That’s right! There’s even a limit of one per household at the tool shop, and I was worried because we could only get one.”

“Oh, you already have one?” Jessica lowered her voice and whispered to Kachua, “I was wondering what to do since we don’t have one for Ed.”

Kachua whispered back, “I already bought one for Ed.”

“Perfect, then!”

As they chatted at the entrance, Ed happened to return from school.

“Oh, Jessica-chan! You’re back?” Ed ran over to Jessica, excited.

Jessica patted his head. “Ed, how have you been? Were you a good boy?”

“Yep!”

Jessica, a year older than Kachua, has known her since before Ed and Barbara were born. Because she’s unmarried, they call her “Jessica-chan.” Jessica is an old friend of Kachua and a distant cousin of Alan. Interestingly, Kachua didn’t meet Alan through Jessica. It was only by chance that Jessica introduced them, unaware that they were already lovers.

As a close friend of both Kachua and Alan, six months ago, when Alan was reassigned to a new post, Jessica asked, “If you have an empty room, can I stay there?” She then became a lodger in their home.

Since Alan is a knight, he has a private room to store dangerous weapons and armor that must be kept out of children’s reach. Jessica now uses that room as both her storage space and bedroom. Given her relation to Alan, her lodger application was quickly approved.

Jessica is a capable adventurer, easily able to find a more convenient place to stay, whether in a warehouse or a proper house. However, she chose to stay with Kachua’s family, likely out of concern for them after Alan’s departure.

Tonight, the four of them—Kachua, Jessica, Ed, and Barbara—enjoyed a lively dinner, with stuffed cabbage rolls that were a gift from Natalie, and some side dishes Kachua had prepared earlier.

Being an adventurer, Jessica often spends several days at a time exploring dungeons. Even after leaving a dungeon, she is busy checking her spoils and planning for the next expedition. It’s rare for her to join Kachua’s family for a meal, so Ed and Barbara were particularly excited.

Jessica’s party is currently employed by a wealthy merchant. Though the details are vague due to circumstances, they are apparently searching for a particular treasure within the dungeon.

“Here, this is for you, Ed.”

“Thank you, Mom!”

Kachua handed Ed the Slime Hat she had secretly kept in her room. Both Ed and Barbara were overjoyed and wore their hats throughout dinner, even though wearing hats indoors, especially at the table, is bad manners. However, seeing how happy they were, Kachua thought, Maybe just for today.

After dessert, which was apple pie, the delightful dinner came to an end, and it was time for their baths.

Though it was usually time for bed, after their bath, Kachua quietly approached Jessica.

“Do you have a moment? There’s something I’d like to discuss.”

Jessica nodded slightly. “Sure.”

Jessica had been curious about the unfamiliar ladle and pot lid Kachua had brought home. Earlier, Kachua had casually mentioned, “I saved a pair of twins on the first floor of the dungeon. The stuffed cabbage and apple pie were a thank-you gift from them.”

What had happened to Kachua?

***

In the living room, Kachua and Jessica began their conversation with a toast of wine.

“Cheers! You’ve worked hard.”

“So, what happened?” Jessica asked right away.

“Well, it’s not a bad thing, but something very strange happened. First, take a look at this.” Kachua pulled out a flyer from her purse and placed it on the table.

Kachua nervously watched Jessica’s reaction, but Jessica just tilted her head in confusion. “I don’t see anything.”

“Just as I thought…”

Like Ed, Jessica couldn’t see the flyer.

But in the next moment, Kachua gasped. Even though Jessica said she couldn’t see it, she picked up the flyer.

“You can’t see it, right!?”

“Yes, I can’t see it, but I can sense there’s a magical tool here. I am a mage, after all.”

“A magical tool?”

“Yes.” Jessica examined the flyer closely. “I can’t read it, though.” She sighed and placed the flyer back on the table.

“Ed couldn’t see it either. Does that mean I’m the only one who can see it?”

“It’s possible. There are magical tools like that.”

“Can you see this? I also received this Fashionable Coin Purse.” Kachua showed Jessica the purse.

“I can see it.”

“Great! What about this point card?” Kachua pulled out a monster point card from the pouch, but Jessica couldn’t make it out. She could, however, see the ladle and pot lid.

“There’s no pattern to this.”

“Well, maybe because these were gifts from the goddess statue, there’s no logic to it.”

When Kachua said that, Jessica’s eyes widened in surprise. “The goddess statue? Kachua, what happened?”

“Well…”

Kachua then explained how she had prayed at the goddess statue at the dungeon entrance and was bestowed with the skill [Housewife].

Jessica tilted her head. “I’ve never heard of that skill before. It might be a rare one.”

“It doesn’t seem like a big deal. I mean, the skill is called [Housewife].”

There are skills like [Sword Saint] and [Sage], which, even though Kachua doesn’t know much about them, sound impressive just by their names. Compared to those, [Housewife] seems mundane and unimpressive. Though it might be rare.

But Jessica disagreed. “That’s not true. A rare skill has value in itself. You should go to the temple and learn more about it. Also, what’s with the ladle and pot lid?”

“They’re my weapon and armor. I got them as a first-time clear reward for a daily mission.”

“You got those?”

“That’s not all. I also got the Slime Hat through points.”

“Seriously?”

Jessica found the monster point card fascinating.

“Hey, what can you get next with that point card?”

“Let me check.” Kachua peered at the point card. “…I can’t read it.”

“What do you mean you can’t read it?”

“The letters are too small! Look!”

“I can’t see it, remember?”

“Ugh, there are twenty slots, but the writing is so tiny that I can’t make it out.”

Kachua, who wasn’t very strong with alcohol, had already had two glasses of wine.

“So, you’ve saved up twelve points so far, right? You’re almost there.”

She only had to defeat eight more monsters to claim the next reward. If it’s a triple-point day, she could do it in just three kills. For Jessica, monster hunting was second nature, so she said this casually.

But for Kachua, an F-rank adventurer, this was no small task.

“Ugh, eight monsters…”

Jessica suddenly looked serious. “You really should visit the temple. I’ve never heard of this skill before. Let’s get it checked out.”

“Well, I’ll talk to the sisters at the next bazaar.”

“When is that?”

“In a month.”

“Oh, come on, Kachua. Go get it checked out right away.” Jessica said, exasperated.

“I have something I want to focus on more than finding out about this skill.”

“What’s that?”

“Actually, Ed’s teacher wants to recommend him for the Junior School at the Loa Academy…”

Kachua then shared her other worry with Jessica.

“Wow, that’s amazing!”

“So, I really want to save money to make sure Ed can study without any worries.”

“If that’s the case, I could—”

“No, it’s a family matter. Though, if things get really tough, I might ask for your help. But I think if I work hard enough as a porter, we’ll manage. Besides, the real reason Ed can’t go to the Academy is because I’m unreliable. I want to become stronger for Ed and Barbara.”

That was Kachua’s current goal.