Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Pub Interviews
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After fending off a debtor who clung to me until the very end, begging for a loan, the interviews finally wrapped up just as the sun was setting.
Of course, just the first day's interviews.
There were interviews at the pub tomorrow, so it was too early to fully relax.
If there had been a few more interviewers, it might have been manageable, but handling everything alone had drained me to the point of exhaustion.
"Ugh..."
I sipped on iced tea loaded with sugar, leaned back in my chair, and stared up at the ceiling.
I hoped tomorrow's applicants would be more normal, but if even the nobles who cared about their image were crazy, the commoners probably wouldn't be any better.
Ah.
Should I have reversed the order?
No, then I'd have seen nobles and commoners mixing at the pub.
The commoners hadn't dared even approach the coffee house due to its brutal prices, but nobles visiting a dingy pub was just a lighthearted commoner experience.
A noble gracefully sipping beer in a rowdy pub...
Uh... that actually sounded pretty good?
"Young Master, it's all done."
"Yeah, good work."
As I pressed the cold cup to my cheek to shake off my drowsy mind amid these pointless thoughts, Emily entered the room, having looked up the addresses of the people I'd been keeping an eye on.
"No issues, right?"
"Well... Lady Elizabeth made a bit of a strange request."
"Strange how?"
"Yes, she said she didn't need the address—just attach the name and this stamp to the envelope and send it."
"Stamp...?"
I shifted my gaze to the stamp Emily placed on the table.
A stamp depicting the imperial crest entwined with vines.
"Heh..."
I let out a hollow chuckle and flipped the stamp over.
This was a stamp used by high-ranking officials.
Whoever she was, she wasn't even trying to hide it.
With this much info, a little digging would reveal her identity right away. Why go through this hassle?
Was she telling me to look her up? Or maybe she'd disguised her appearance too?
"Sigh..."
I rubbed my temples and took another sip of iced tea.
Lady Elizabeth's antics were giving me a splitting headache right up to the end.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Elizabeth's baffling behavior left my mind in a tangle, and I tossed and turned all night. I woke up on Tuesday feeling sleep-deprived.
It was a truly stuffy, unrefreshing day.
If the pub hadn't been a tavern opening in the afternoon—around sunset, no less—I'd have conducted the interviews in a total daze.
After squeezing in a nap and chugging black tea to fend off the fatigue, I finished preparations just as the sun dipped low and headed to the pub.
The street was too narrow for a carriage, so I got off a short distance away and walked slowly. That's when I spotted Lady Rachel loitering around the pub I was heading to.
"Lady Rachel?"
"Sir William."
Still wearing her old battle uniform since the new one hadn't arrived yet, Lady Rachel turned at my voice, flashed a faint smile of genuine pleasure, and approached.
"It's been a while. I hope you've been well?"
"Yes, I've been fine. But what brings you here? You seem to still be on duty. Is something wrong?"
"We got a report of demi-humans gathering on this street, so I'm on preventive patrol."
"Demi-humans?"
True to its fantasy setting, this world had not just magic and holy power, but demi-humans too.
Elves, beastkin, insectoids, draconians, and the like.
After centuries of getting beaten down by humans, they kept to themselves in isolated communities, so aside from a rare few, you didn't see them often.
They stayed so hidden that some rural commoners believed demi-humans were just fairy tales or lies.
But demi-humans gathering here?
If this weren't the imperial capital, crowds would have swarmed to gawk.
It was as miraculous as snow in midsummer.
"Why would people who rarely leave their autonomous district suddenly flock here?"
"They're gathered because of you, Sir William."
"Me?"
I widened my eyes and pointed at myself.
"I asked a few about the reason for the gathering, and they said it was because of your newspaper ad, drawing them to the pub."
"Oh no..."
So I was the one stirring up the demi-humans.
Why on earth were demi-humans jumping into this mess?
Well, because they were demi-humans, I guess...
These weird variables kept popping up, complicating everything.
"Haa..."
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.
"I'll resolve this as quickly as possible."
"I appreciate it."
I spoke to Lady Rachel in a deflated tone and hurried into the pub.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Rushing into the pub, my first impression was like flipping through an animal encyclopedia.
Mammals, reptiles, birds, insects, elves, orcs—you name it, one of each race was there.
The good news? The atmosphere was surprisingly decent.
They'd smartly spaced themselves out to avoid conflicts, clustering by kind and chattering noisily.
Come to think of it, if it had been rowdy, Lady Rachel would be suppressing a riot instead of patrolling preventively.
"Haha..."
I let out a hollow laugh, ran a hand through my hair, gave a simple greeting and warnings like yesterday, and set up a table in the corner of the pub as the interview spot.
"Interviews starting now. Come up one by one in order."
With no time to spare, I dove straight into the interviews as people lined up.
It was evening already, and with more applicants than at the coffee house, I had to move fast or it'd go all night.
But an unexpected factor sped things up.
"I'm Franz of the bear beastkin. I came because you said you're hiring."
"Franz, I have a question."
"What?"
"Can you sew with those hands?"
"No."
"I see... Sorry, it doesn't look like we can work together."
"Too bad."
Their animal paws couldn't handle delicate work—a major issue that let me screen many quickly.
I wasn't discriminating against demi-humans, but asking a bear with paws the size of my head for fine sewing was impossible.
Even for commoner laborers, picking someone who couldn't thread a needle was tough.
Of course, not all demi-humans like Franz the bear beastkin left quietly.
"I-I can do it!"
"Then thread this needle."
"Yes!"
Most failed at threading and left.
Some couldn't even grab the thread, others got it tangled in fur or claws...
It was chaos.
"I'm Marie from the cat beastkin autonomous district! Oh, in imperial style, Marie Kartus. Thirteen years old!"
"Hmm... Miss Marie, can you sew with those hands?"
"No..."
"Sorry, but it doesn't look like we can work together."
"Wait! I can't sew, but I have one thing I'm great at!"
Occasionally, one would pitch a unique talent.
"What's that?"
"Massages! My family’s been kneading backs for generations—top-notch skills!"
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Yes!"
Some talents actually appealed to me.
Like a catgirl massage master or an elf girl who could model for a century without aging.
One surprising thing during the interviews: everyone had a beer in hand, but they showed less madness than the nobles.
Almost no real standouts.
Forcing it, maybe...
"Nice to meet you. I'm Adelaide Aranie, spider demi-human. Twenty-two years old, commoner."
"Uh... Nice to meet you."
"Hehe~ A bit creepy, right?"
"Sorry."
"It's fine."
One interviewee was a spider demi-human with a spider lower body.
"Can you sew, Miss Adelaide?"
"Of course. It's modest compared to other spider demi-humans, but... I can even do this."
"Huh?"
Right before my eyes, she spun thread from her abdomen, wove cloth, and embroidered it.
Sitting with her spider abdomen on the floor, using two human arms and six spider legs, she finished a rose-embroidered handkerchief in five minutes. It was miraculous.
"Hoo... haa... What do you think? Impressive, right?"
"You're hired. Just give me your address for the letter and you can go."
"Oh my."
So Miss Adelaide skipped all rounds and got hired on the spot.
She was panting, so it seemed stamina-intensive, but even half—no, 5% of that speed beat any human.
And another one stood out differently.
"Greetings. I'm Hans Lepus, eldest son of Baron Lepus, chief of the rabbit beastkin tribe."
"Pleased to meet you, Lord Hans."
This was the pub's only noble scion—a rabbit beastkin youth with animal ears and paws.
"Do you have a separate fabric supplier?"
"No, not set yet."
"I'm not interested in sewing or tailoring, but when you need fabric orders, come to me. We're expanding business outside the district."
He stated his business and set down a business card.
"I'll keep that in mind, Lord Hans."
"Thank you."
With my one word, he coolly withdrew.
His refreshing vibe charmed me, and I took the card he smoothly offered.
I'd check prices and terms later, but he seemed solid.