Chương 56: Chapter 32 : My Home : Part 1

The following afternoon, Aldric and Emma returned to the building. This time, they weren't there to visit a room. They had come to complete the final paperwork. The landlord welcomed them with the same warm smile as the day before and invited them upstairs. The six flights of stairs felt slightly less exhausting than during their first visit. Once they reached the door to the small attic room, the elderly man pulled out a folder containing the remaining documents.

He placed them on the kitchenette counter and pointed to the final page.

"All that's left now are your signatures." Aldric took the contract in both hands. Since arriving on Earth, he had learned that a signed document carried as much weight as an oath sworn before a king. So he carefully read every line without rushing. The rent, the tenant's obligations, the payment dates, the inventory checklist... None of it seemed confusing anymore. Just a few weeks earlier, he wouldn't have been able to understand half of it.

Now, thanks to Emma's patient explanations, he recognized almost every term.

"Everything looks good?" the landlord asked.

"Yes." He took the pen the old man offered him and wrote his name at the bottom of the last page. Once he had finished, the landlord turned the contract toward Emma.

"Your turn." She took the pen and signed as well.

"Why are you signing too?" Aldric asked.

"It's normal. I'm the one who found the apartment for you."

"I see. A written recommendation must strengthen the applicant's credibility."

"Yeah... something like that." The landlord simply closed his folder with a smile.

"Thank you for strengthening the credibility of my application."

"My pleasure." The landlord opened a small key ring, removed one key, and placed it in Aldric's palm.

"Starting today... this is your home." △ ITEM ACQUIRED △ Apartment Key Quality: Common Importance: Legendary"You don't have to look at it like it's buried treasure," the landlord said with a laugh.

"To me..." He gently closed his fingers around the key.

"It is."

"Then I hope it brings you good fortune." Aldric inclined his head.

"Thank you." He slipped the key into his pocket with the same care he had once reserved for sacred relics entrusted to him by kings. Emma couldn't help smiling. When they stepped away from the improvised office in the kitchenette, Aldric stopped in front of the apartment door. He took the key out again and slid it into the lock. A quiet click echoed through the hallway. Never before had such a small sound seemed to announce such a profound change.

The landlord wished them welcome one last time before closing the door behind him. His footsteps gradually faded down the staircase until silence settled over the apartment. For the first time since arriving on Earth, Aldric stood in a place that belonged to him. His eyes wandered around the room. The walls were bare. The wooden floor creaked beneath his feet. The kitchenette held no utensils yet, and the room was almost empty. Yet the simplicity didn't disappoint him.

On the contrary, it gave him the feeling that he could build something from nothing. He walked to the window, opened it once more, and looked out over the rooftops of Paris. The view was exactly the same as the day before, yet it felt completely different. It was no longer the view from a room he was considering renting. It was the view he would wake up to every morning. Emma remained by the door, unwilling to interrupt the moment.

After a few minutes, Aldric returned to the center of the room, set his bag on the floor, unfastened the sword from his back, and leaned it against the wall. The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The tip of the blade nearly reached the opposite wall.

"We should probably avoid leaving it by the door..."

"Indeed." He crossed the room and searched for another spot. Against the window, the sword blocked the shutters from opening. Near the kitchenette, it got in the way. In the corner, the hilt stuck too far into the room. After several attempts, he finally found the only place where it could stand without completely blocking the path.

"I think your apartment is smaller than your sword."

"That is a possibility."

"Have you thought about getting rid of it?"

"No. I no longer wish to use it. But neither do I wish to abandon it." He opened the kitchenette cupboards, checked the faucet, looked over the electrical outlets Emma had already explained to him, then stepped into the tiny bathroom. When he came back out, the smile was still on his face.

"Everything works."

"Good. Now all you need is some furniture." For years, he had slept in military camps, besieged fortresses, and sometimes even beneath the open sky between battles. An empty room didn't seem uncomfortable to him. After locking the apartment, Emma led Aldric to a shopping district a few metro stops away.

"So... where exactly are you planning to sleep tonight?" Aldric pointed at the floor.

"Here."

"On the hardwood floor?"

"I've slept in places far less comfortable."

"That wasn't really the point." Emma headed for the exit and motioned for him to follow.

"Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"To buy everything you need."

"I already possess everything necessary."

"You don't have a bed. Or a table. Or a chair. Or even a plate."

"The floor can serve several of those purposes."

"Today's mission: IKEA."

"What is the objective?"

"To furnish your apartment before you decide to sleep on the floor for the next ten years."

"I had not intended to remain on the floor for quite that long."

"That's very reassuring." △ SIDE QUEST △ Furnish Your Home Progress 0% They left the building and headed for the metro station. Once they were seated, Emma asked him what his room had contained back in his own world.

"A bed, a chest for my clothes, a table, a chair, and a weapon rack."

"That's it?"

"There was also a washbasin."

"No bookshelf? No decorations? No rug?"

"Why would I need a rug?"

"To make the room feel nicer."

"The floor was already sufficiently level." Emma struggled to suppress a smile before describing the room she had grown up in. She told him about the posters covering the walls, the shelves overflowing with books, the clothes tossed over a chair, and the little keepsakes she refused to throw away even though they served no purpose anymore.

"So your room contained many useless objects."

"They're called memories."

"Did they possess exceptional value?"

"Not really. But they were mine."

"I understand." When the metro finally stopped, Emma stood up.

"We're here." Aldric followed her onto the platform.

"Does this guild truly possess everything we require?" A smile spread across Emma's face.

"You haven't seen anything yet." After changing lines, Emma and Aldric finally arrived in front of the enormous blue-and-yellow building. Aldric immediately slowed as they reached the edge of the parking lot. Before him stood a structure so vast it could easily have housed several companies of soldiers, their mounts, and enough supplies to last for months. Hundreds of vehicles filled the endless rows of parking spaces.

Families moved in every direction, pushing oversized metal carts, while employees dressed in yellow walked between the entrances. Farther away, several trucks waited beside the warehouses before disappearing behind massive loading doors.

"You neglected to mention that this guild owns an entire fortress."

"It's not a fortress."

"The walls are high enough to withstand an assault. The entrances are monitored, and the supplies appear to be secured behind the building." Emma followed his gaze toward the trucks.

"Those are just deliveries."

"A supply network of this scale demands remarkable organization." He then pointed toward the families entering the building.

"And the number of visitors suggests this guild enjoys an excellent reputation."

"You could say that." They crossed the parking lot. Aldric kept an eye on the cars moving between the rows, but his gaze repeatedly returned to the building. The closer they came, the more overwhelming its size seemed. The main entrance resembled the gate of a colossal covered market, capable of swallowing dozens of people every few seconds without ever slowing. Inside, Emma grabbed a large yellow shopping bag and started walking. Aldric noticed a display filled with store maps and took one.

He unfolded it before stepping aside to study it. The map showed the entire store, including its different sections, shortcuts, showrooms, and warehouse. Arrows marked the recommended route, while symbols indicated staircases, exits, and available services. Aldric raised the map closer to his face.

"They freely distribute the complete layout of the fortress."

"It's so customers don't get lost."

"The emergency exits are clearly marked. The storage areas are also identified."

"That's the warehouse."

"They have even marked routes that bypass certain sections. I shall keep this. Such a detailed document could prove useful."

"For buying a table?"

"Or for evacuating the building quickly in the event of an attack." They followed the arrows painted on the floor. They formed a continuous route through the store. Whenever another customer stepped off the marked path, Aldric watched them as though they had broken an important rule. After a few minutes, Emma spotted a shortcut leading directly to the next section. Without warning, she turned and walked through the opening.

"Emma." She looked back.

"What?" He pointed toward the arrow on the floor, which indicated a different direction.

"The official route continues that way."

"I know."

"Yet you have abandoned the designated path."

"It's a shortcut." Aldric looked at the narrow passage, then back at the map. He checked the location several times before raising his eyes again.

"Are we authorized to use a route reserved for the staff?"

"Yep."

"No guard is stationed here?"

"No."

"And we may bypass part of the route without any special authorization?"

"It's even marked on your fortress map." Aldric studied the symbol once more, still suspicious, before finally following her. Even so, he cast one last glance over his shoulder. They emerged into another section filled with fully furnished living rooms. Sofas, coffee tables, lamps, and bookshelves were arranged into complete living spaces, ready to be inhabited.

"Have we entered the residents' quarters?"

"No." She stepped toward the first living room display.

"Now the tour really begins."