Chapter 176: I Will Begin
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 176: I Will Begin
“That was so exhausting…”
“Yeah… I think that was the most customers I’ve ever served in my life…”
“Still, we managed to wrap things up somehow.”
Around 12:30 AM. Finally, the last of the customers were gone. Because the workload during the dinner rush had been so overwhelming, we hadn't taken any overnight guests today. We had closed the doors at midnight to stop taking new customers, but some people had stayed outside, wailing and throwing a fit, begging us to take just one more person.
“Hehe, thank you so much. That was a truly great meal.”
After taking a few more groups like that, it wasn't until 12:30 that we finished clearing all the tables. Fortunately, clearing the dishes was easy—Tresha just had to pick them up and hand them to the Ents—but the problem was the mountain of washing up that had begun to pile up.
Thank you, Megido Serpent…! Are you even the strongest when it comes to doing the dishes?
Through the mana core of the Megido Serpent, which allowed me to manipulate water at will, I was able to perform high-pressure dishwashing that completely removed grease even without detergent. I was a bit clumsy at first and broke about two plates, but Mother didn't say much after seeing today’s overwhelming sales figures.
“Roland. Go to the northwestern brewery tomorrow.”
“Huh? Are we out of beer already?”
Father, who had been sprawled out on the floor like half-dried laundry, sat up straight with his eyes sparkling the moment he heard the word 'brewery.'
“Ehehe. Understood, Marta! I’ll make sure to go!”
“Drink in moderation.”
“Of course!”
Naturally, Tresha and Ravi were also collapsed on the floor, piled on top of each other. They must have been exhausted, as they were already fast asleep.
“Tresha, it’s fine to sleep, but you should wash up first. Ravi, you too. Wake up and get it together.”
“Uuugh…”
“This isn't going to work.”
After laying the two of them side-by-side on the floor, I dipped my fingertips in water and flicked it onto their faces. Only when the cold droplets hit them did they finally start to wake up.
“Now, go wash up, quickly.”
“You’re mean…”
The two little ones headed to the bath first. Father was excitedly wiping down the tables, and the wooden dolls were practicing using mops to find and scrub away food scraps or sauce spilled on the floor in preparation for tomorrow.
“Sera, good work today.”
“Ah, y-yeah. You too, Yoo Eon.”
After tidying up the kitchen, Sera stretched her arms up high. While the difficulty of grilling was low, the sheer volume had increased significantly. Her physical fatigue seemed to outweigh her mental exhaustion.
“Sola, you can’t cook because you’re too close to the fire, right?”
“Hmm, wouldn't it be okay if the Wiganas were soaked in water?”
“Can you tell how well the meat is cooked?”
“That might be difficult…”
Regrettably, it seemed helping with the kitchen work was out of the question. Since they were tiny Ents meant only for carrying plates to the tables, their hands could barely reach the tabletop.
“The outdoor tables… well, everyone said they’d leave them be. Then we’re all done.”
It was nearly 1:00 AM by the time everyone had washed up and gone to bed. Since there were no overnight guests, thankfully, there would be no work tomorrow morning. I should let everyone sleep until lunchtime.
“Ravi, Tresha. Sleep on the second floor today.”
“Huh? Is something wrong, Brother?”
“Sera looks very tired.”
“Aha, I see. Got it!”
The two little ones, fresh from their bath, giggled at each other and immediately claimed a room on the second floor.
“Th-thank you, Yoo Eon.”
“It’s nothing. Go on in and get some sleep.”
“Mm… You too, Yoo Eon… goodnight…?”
“Yes, see you tomorrow.”
* * *
—Honk! Honk!!
“It’s noisy…”
I woke up around 10:00 AM because the streets were getting crowded. Surprisingly, even though I woke up this late, I was the first one up.
I had helped with the dishes, but I had used magic for that. Since I had mana to spare right now, it wasn't particularly taxing. My fatigue had built up because I had to concentrate, but toward the end, I was able to do it even while spacing out.
—Mumble, mumble…
In front of the room where Tresha and Ravi were sleeping together, I could hear the sounds of them talking in their sleep. When I went down to the first floor, it didn't seem like Father or Auntie had woken up yet either.
I hung a lamp I brought from the second-floor hallway on the outer wall of the inn and opened the door. Wondering how Sera was doing, I went to the front of her room.
—Ugh… what should I wear…? Is this too flashy…?!
She must have been exhausted, but surprisingly, she was already awake. It seemed she was busy picking out clothes for today, so I decided to leave her be.
I went out to the backyard to stretch my body for a bit, and Sola flew over from somewhere and began chirping away.
“What is it, Sola?”
“I couldn't cook… but I finally succeeded! Look at this!”
“Hmm?”
Following closely behind Sola were five Ents, and in their hands, they were holding none other than cleaning tools. Since I had them practice mopping last night, they were now holding mops, brooms, and other cleaning supplies.
“The dining area is completely spotless! Do you want to see?!”
“Shall I?”
I followed Sola into the dining area, and lo and behold.
“Wow, this is impressive.”
“Right?! I watched everyone working last night!”
“Excellent work.”
I hadn't even told them to do anything other than mopping, yet they had done all this so diligently. Just taking care of food scraps or spilled drink stains on the floor would have been a huge help, but they even did the tables and the general cleaning?
They probably practiced while no one was around, so it might be difficult for them to do this while avoiding customers. Still, this was incredible. I could basically leave the closing cleanup to Sola.
“Great! Sola, is there anything you want?”
“Something I want? Hmm, not really?”
“Usually, when people work, they receive a reward. Sola, you’re a Wisp, but… well, that’s how it works.”
“I see…!”
Sola hovered around the dining area for a moment, then, as if something had occurred to her, she flew right in front of my eyes and buzzed.
“What you mentioned before?”
“Before? What did I say?”
“Good wood! In the forest where I lived, most of the trees were of the same species!”
“Aha, you mean that. Got it. I’ll have to go into the Labyrinth and find some good wood.”
“Thank you! Hero!”
As Sola spun around, the puppet-like humanoid Ents began to do somersaults in joy. Those guys probably don't realize that if good wood comes in, they might end up as firewood for the hearth. Wait, do they even have self-awareness? I thought they were just clumps of coding.
I spent a moment enjoying the relatively quiet and peaceful interior of the inn while listening to the noisy sounds from outside.
—Creeeeak…
“Young Master, are you here?”
“Oh, you are…”
It was Ms. Alfi. She was a servant of the Lymain family who had stayed with Ravi and me when we went to Roanmarie to facilitate quick communication. She was also one of the few people Ravi, who didn't have many friends, was very fond of.
“It’s been a while, Ms. Alfi. What brings you here?”
“Lady Theodora has granted me a paid vacation. She mentioned she wanted me to come to Calax and enjoy the festival with Lady Ravi.”
“Aha…”
I had a feeling, and I was right. This was likely a sort of surprise Theodora had prepared for Ravi. I suspected there might be another motive, but since that was the story Ms. Alfi gave, I’d take it at face value.
Ravi would be thrilled. The two of them were quite close.
“Ravi is sleeping on the second floor. She’s probably sleeping with a friend right now.”
“Lady Ravi is with someone else…?”
Ms. Alfi’s expression instantly turned serious. Was she surprised that Ravi was sharing a bed with someone? When I told her that Tresha, who she was sleeping with, was a child younger than Ravi, she seemed to relax a bit.
“I have a message from Lady Theodora.”
“Ah, I see. What is it?”
“She says she will be here at 11:00.”
“And?”
“That is all.”
“Hmm…”
Such a short and concise message. To send a person just to say that? Something was wrong.
“Ms. Alfi. This is very disrespectful of me to say, but I am currently standing at a crossroads of life and death.”
“I have heard of the situation.”
“H-how…”
Suddenly, Ms. Alfi snapped her fingers, and the surrounding noise began to fade. It seemed to be the noise-reduction magic I had seen before. I wondered what she was about to say that required such measures.
“I heard you have a primary wife.”
“Ah, uh… yes…”
“And in the meantime, the Young Lady demanded mating during her estrus.”
“Well… um…”
“I have a question. Do you have any intention of breaking up with your primary wife?”
“Sigh.”
I felt like something was fundamentally misunderstood, but it wasn't an entirely inaccurate interpretation to summarize the situation. It was true that I had a relationship with Sera before Theodora, and though it was sudden, I did have an impromptu mating session due to Theodora’s fertile period issue.
“That would be difficult. I have committed a sin against Theodora.”
“Young Master, the Young Lady is actually much more fragile on the inside than she appears.”
“Yes…”
True, she was quite overbearing when we first met. But it didn't take long to realize that those personality traits were mostly a facade.
“Were you aware? Of your current state, Aven, as seen from the perspective of the Beastkin?”
“My state? What about… ah, is it because of the scent of the Direwolf?”
“It is not just that. There is something more you must know.”
“You mean my condition?”
What Ms. Alfi said next was quite shocking. Because I had partially acquired the traits of the Beastkin, my emotional state was being transmitted through pheromones.
“Is that really true…?”
“It is. Regarding things you think about intensely, the part of the Beast Species currently latent in your body manifests and emits pheromones. Fortunately, as it is a primitive method of communication, it cannot transmit the diverse and complex emotions of the Human Species.”
“I can't believe it.”
Didn't that mean Theodora was aware of my emotional state yesterday? Even if it was only vague, she probably…
“I will teach you how to survive. For the next thirty minutes, I will instill in your mind a certain piece of information that must never be revealed to the world.”
“I’m feeling very uneasy. Where on earth did that come from?”
“It is the method for the men of the Lymain family to be permitted polygamy.”
“Oh boy.”
“For your information, Licht Lymain, Chairwoman Renart’s eldest son, also received this training. It is all for the growth of the family.”
What kind of family is this? It’s terrifying. Someone save me.
“W-wait a minute, Ms. Alfi. Why are you going this far for me…? Is this an order from Lady Lymain? Or… Theodora?”
“No, it is not.”
Ms. Alfi said, wagging her tail, which was covered in the spotted pattern characteristic of a leopard.
“Perhaps it is because I, too, have been observing your emotions for about two weeks.”
“Ah, um…”
“To put it in a very positive light, you are an honest and wonderful person. You are also quite warm-hearted.”
“And to put it negatively…”
“You are a total novice when it comes to women. I want to hit you.”
“Please, go ahead.”
At my words, Ms. Alfi nodded.
“I will begin.”