The Pretty Lions had stayed at the same inn as us, and we met again in the morning.
It was strange, but I wasn't going to complain.
Leona seemed different; had something happened between yesterday and today? Well, it wasn't my business.
"Good morning, ladies. Do you mind if we sit with you?"
They were already having breakfast when Lilian and I arrived at the tavern.
"Of course, feel free," Leona said, making space for us to sit down.
They were all much friendlier with me than before, for some reason. Except Rose, she kept her head down the entire time and barely whispered a greeting to me.
"You look different, Lilian. You're glowing," Luna commented.
"Matthew bought a cultivation elixir. The effects were stronger than expected."
"You advanced straight to Silver Rank 1," Felicia chimed in. "What kind of elixir does that?"
"You can ask Matthew later. I'm sure he'd love to help you girls," Lilian replied, sending me a suggestive look.
Leona nearly choked when Lilian said that. Her face started turning red.
Did she bite into a pepper?
"You wouldn't mind sharing his... 'elixir' with us, would you?" Leona asked.
Did she really understand what that implied?
Not that I was going to complain. As weird as it was, it looked like adding Leona to the harem wouldn't be a problem.
"You can all enjoy every drop of his 'elixir'... once I'm satisfied, of course," Lilian said, still in a playful tone.
"You don't have to worry, Miss Lilian. I won't be fighting for the top spot in the hierarchy," Leona replied.
They really were talking about the same thing? Did they both understand the implications of this agreement?
Leona's teammates were watching the exchange with the same shock I felt.
They weren't used to seeing their leader behave like that.
Felicia looked a little uncomfortable with how the conversation was going, so she took the initiative to change the subject.
"Evolving that fast can be dangerous. You need to train to stabilize your level-up," she told Lilian.
"You can come with us today. We're heading out to train," Luna added.
"I'd love to! A girls' day!" Lilian replied excitedly.
Can I join this girls' day too?
"You all go train, but Mr. Matthew needs to come with me," Leona said.
Every girl at the table looked at her with expressions ranging from shock to teasing. Faced with those looks, the lioness tried to explain herself.
"We need to formalize the escort request at the guild," she said, her face red as a tomato.
Seeing that strong, imposing woman act like a shy girl was charming.
"Of course. I have a few errands to run, but afterward we can go to the guild."
"Then it's settled. We'll go on our girls' day while Matthew and Leona take care of 'business'," Lilian said. "Just save some energy for tonight."
After that last comment, Leona went completely red. I wouldn't mind spending that much energy with Leona.
After breakfast, we went our separate ways.
The girls went off to train, and I left with Leona to take care of the final details of our preparations.
I needed to try on the new robes I had ordered, buy a carriage for our trip, and finally pick up the goods I had reserved at the Merchant's Guild.
Our first stop was the tailor.
"Matthy, I was starting to think you weren't coming," Luca greeted us.
"With how much you've charged us, of course, I came right away." The new clothes had cost a fortune, almost as much as I paid for my freedom.
"Lilian told me you were recovering from a run-in with Lady Smith," he said, giving me a teasing look. "You know, everything could've been free for you, right?"
If I didn't have money, maybe I'd consider paying that price. But now I had gold—I didn't need to stoop that low anymore.
"And who's this with you? Just got your freedom and already collecting women?"
Leona was too flustered by the question to say anything.
"She's an adventurer. I hired her to protect my company," I answered.
"You're really becoming a merchant?" he asked with a disappointed look.
What did he expect—that I'd stay a gigolo forever?
"Yes, we're leaving for Andaluz in a few days."
"Already? That's a shame. Well, then we'd better try on your new robes so we can make any last adjustments."
We went to the back of the store and started trying them on.
The process didn't take long. For some disturbingly accurate reason, Luca knew my measurements perfectly.
I left wearing one of the new robes. Luca was one of the best tailors in the kingdom. He just hadn't moved to the capital because he couldn't live without Atras' bohemian lifestyle.
With that robe on, I looked like a young noble or the son of a rich merchant.
"With clothes like that, you'll attract attention. You might become a target," Leona finally spoke.
"Unfortunately, that's something we'll have to get used to. To attract the clientele I want, I need to dress like a noble," I replied.
Luca agreed and nodded.
The reason wasn't purely professional, of course. Now that I had money, I wanted to dress well too.
But having people mistake me for a noble was exactly the goal.
My plan was to let people assume I was a third or fourth son of a low-ranking noble—disinherited and compensated by my father so he wouldn't split the family fortune too much.
That supposed noble background, implied but never stated, would help me move among the kingdom's upper class.
We had more errands to run, so we continued our journey.
Our next stop was the carriage dealership. Yes, it looked exactly like a car dealership from my old world.
"Young master, how may I help you?"
The new robe had already started doing its job.
The store clerk thought I was a noble. Having Leona—a Silver Rank adventurer—as my escort helped sell that image.
"I need a carriage for long-distance travel, with good storage and lots of space for passengers. I'm starting as a merchant," I told her.
"Of course! We have the perfect one for you."
She showed me a carriage that, from the outside, looked like any other.
But the inside was magically expanded. It looked like a motorhome from my previous world, only with Victorian decor.
It had space for ten people to travel comfortably. It had a kitchen, bathroom, living room, and even a suite. There were bunk beds for eight people, plus a queen-size bed in the suite. So there were enough beds for our whole group. No need to camp every night.
The cargo hold was the size of a small moving truck.
By my old world's standards, that wasn't much, but in this world, it was enormous.
Because the space was magically expanded, it could also store magical containers like bags and rings.
So in practice, the cargo hold was almost infinite.
I didn't even need to look at other options. That carriage was perfect.
It cost me 3.5k gold coins, including the four horses needed to pull it, but it was a necessary investment.
We left it immediately. Good thing I brought Leona—I had no idea how to drive that thing. At our next stops, the robe, Leona's presence, and the new carriage all did their job.
Everyone who didn't already know me treated me like nobility. Even people who did know me had trouble recognizing me.
After picking up all the supplies and goods I'd ordered, we stopped by the Adventurer's Guild.
Just that day had cost me over 5k gold coins. I was already getting used to spending that much, like it was spare change.
But the truth was, I'd need to find another sugar mommy soon. When we got back to the inn, it was still only mid-afternoon.
Leona and I would have the rest of the day alone. Her body language made it obvious what she wanted.
And I wouldn't miss the opportunity to add another member to my harem.