Master of the Dragon Vein (1)

"…When did this change?"

I'd only stepped into the bathroom for a moment, but the interior had transformed so blatantly that there was no missing it.

"This morning it was just a hole in the ground…"

Where that hole had been, a toilet now stood. Not the Western sit-down kind I knew from the modern world, but the older style that came before it.

"I think they call these squat toilets?"

You still had to crouch rather than sit, same as with the bare hole — but it was undeniably more comfortable than before. Given that it had been nothing but a pit this morning, the upgrade had almost certainly come with the inn's level-up.

Which meant…

"If the inn keeps leveling, I might actually get a proper sit-down toilet?"

That was excellent news for me.

After finishing my business in the newly improved bathroom, I told Grace about the change.

"I see. In that case, we can look forward to the kitchen as well."

"The kitchen?"

"Yes. If the bathroom is drawing closer to the modern facilities you remember, then the kitchen's fixtures should be able to do the same, shouldn't they?"

She had a point. Not just the kitchen — eventually, everything in this inn might modernize.

…Surely we won't end up with a kiosk, though?

"I believe the possibility exists."

"Oh…"

"No — perhaps even further than that."

Facilities from a future beyond the modern world you remember might install themselves here.

"…The future, huh."

"Which is precisely why there is something we ought to test in advance."

Grace fixed me with a serious look.

"What kind of test?"

"Master. Setting aside the present for a moment — if this inn eventually becomes fully modern, how do you think visitors will react?"

"That's…"

Simple curiosity would be fine. But not everyone was so well-intentioned.

"This inn is already high-class by local standards, if you set aside the fact that overnight stays aren't possible and that we don't serve meat dishes. If it starts displaying something beyond even that…"

"So you're saying we need to hide it."

"At this stage, we need to conceal the bathroom."

Can you change the bathroom back to how it looked when the inn was Level 1?

"I'll check."

I stepped up to the counter and activated the Inn Management skill.

…Not this one… not that one either…

I combed through the interface for a while.

"…Apply Skin?"

There it was — a system for applying skins to the inn. It hadn't been available at Level 1, so it must have unlocked when the inn hit Level 2. Ordinarily a "skin" only changed appearance without touching function, and right now, changing the appearance was exactly what I needed.

"Did it work?"

"Yeah. Still need to verify, but I switched the bathroom's skin."

Grace went to check and came back.

"It's an ordinary bathroom again. Unnaturally clean compared to a typical one, but that much shouldn't be a problem."

If Grace said so, it probably wasn't.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"…Wait. Does that mean even if the inn levels up, we're stuck using that kind of bathroom forever?"

I knew I was being spoiled, but I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠really didn't want to keep putting up with the inconvenience.

"Then why not change only the staff bathroom?"

"…Staff bathroom?"

I glanced toward the restrooms. There was one for men and one for women — that was it. Since when was there a staff one?

"There isn't one ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠yet. But among the locked features… if we use this, shouldn't we be able to install multiple bathrooms?"

I checked the interface where she indicated. The feature was called Inn Renovation. It was locked, just as she'd said — but once it opened, it looked like we'd be able to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠do far more than rearrange the layout. Adding new facilities seemed entirely possible.

"But does Inn Renovation even include that kind of function? And even if we install extra bathrooms, can we apply skins to them separately?"

It would be nice, but the whole idea felt a little too optimistic.

Grace smiled.

"Skills grow by feeding on their master's will. A famous example in this world: someone who simply wants to be good at swordsmanship ends up with a skill that lets them use various techniques reasonably well. But someone who wants a clean, perfect thrust gets a skill that elevates thrusting to its absolute limit."

So if you grow the Inn Management skill while wishing for those functions, Master, they will surely appear.

"The direction a skill grows depends on my mindset, huh…"

I stared at the interface, turning the idea over. Maybe this interface itself only took this form because, whenever I thought of another world, I automatically pictured something like a status window. Maybe it could have manifested as pure mental control — just thinking the skill's name and reshaping things at will — instead of this menu-driven approach.

"That may well have been possible."

Grace, reading my thoughts, conceded that such a possibility might have existed.

"…What are you doing, though?"

I watched her disappear into the liquor storeroom and come back hauling several casks.

"We need to be ready to serve drinks the moment a guest arrives."

"Hm? …Ah, right."

Grace set the casks along what served as the front counter of the tavern area, then stowed clean cups underneath. That way, she could pour the moment an order came in.

Why did I assume the normal way was for staff to duck into the storeroom and fill a cup every time someone ordered a drink?

While I was thinking that, Grace poured herself a beer and took a sip.

"Mm. Nice."

"…I know about it intellectually, but hearing you say it actually tastes good…"

"I hope the day comes when I can try the liquors you know, Master."

She held a cup out to me as she said it.

"No, I don't drink— wait. This isn't alcohol?"

"You didn't properly check the casks in the storeroom, did you? There isn't only liquor in there — there's plain water as well."

"Oh, really?"

Fair enough. I'd only inspected one cask when I first looked around the tavern, so water in the others wouldn't be strange.

"Do taverns usually sell water, though?"

"We don't sell it. But we do need to provide drinking water for guests."

Water this clean could probably be sold, but explaining that to customers would be difficult…

Listening to her, I drank. It wasn't cold, but the clean water going down my throat seemed to ease a little of my fatigue.

"……"

We sat at a dining table and let time pass.

"…This is boring."

There was nothing to do. My brain, pickled in modern dopamine, had no interest in sitting around blankly.

"Would you like to take a walk?"

"Maybe."

There were monsters in the area, but moving with Grace should be fine. I started to rise from my seat—

"…I'm sorry, but I think we'll have to postpone the walk."

"Hm?"

Grace's eyes narrowed as she looked toward the inn's entrance, sensing something.

A guest?

I started toward the counter.

"Pardon the intrusion."

"Huh?"

Grace grabbed me by the scruff of the neck, hauled me back, and pulled me into her arms.

"?"

I was still trying to make sense of it when—

Saaaa…!

"…!"

Goosebumps raced over my entire body. Something outside the inn was directing killing intent straight at me.

"……"

I was exposed to that murderous pressure, yet I didn't have to do a thing. Grace was protecting me.

"It's been a while, so I'm glad to see you — but what's this about, coming in swinging?"

Sister Garnet.

"Dropping the formalities the moment we reunite? You've grown quite a bit, Topaz."

A red-haired woman entered the inn, trading words with Grace as she came.

…A dragon.

And not an ordinary one — a special dragon on the same level as Grace. Grace had said the name Topaz was granted to only one dragon of any given era. The name Garnet was almost certainly the same.

"So. Why are you aiming killing intent at my master?"

"A master, is it… Taking a human as your master. Have you picked up a hobby like Diamond, Opal, or Turquoise?"

Diamond. Opal. Turquoise.

The two standing here — Garnet and Topaz. And then…

Aquamarine and Peridot, whom Grace had mentioned in passing. All of them were jewels — birthstones, specifically.

Did that mean there were twelve dragons in total who bore the names of jewels?

"Master. Your quick wits are admirable, but for now, stay quiet behind me. Don't think about anything."

Grace steered me behind her back, then turned to the dragon called Garnet.

"You still haven't answered my question, Sister Garnet. Why are you targeting my master?"

"The reason is simple enough."

You stole the Dragon Vein. Coming to take it back is only natural, isn't it?

"…The Dragon Vein?"

Grace's eyes narrowed, as if she had no idea what that meant.

And I…

I opened the still-nameless status window and fixed my eyes on one of the titles.

Master of the Dragon Vein.

"Because of this title I got when I contracted with Grace…?"

"What? What do you mean…?"

Grace reacted to my mutter.

"Besides Dragon Master, Master of the Forbidden Inn, and Transmigrator — is there another title?"

"…Didn't you look at my status window?"

"I did, but I never saw a title like that."

"Well, of course you didn't."

The dragon called Garnet glared at us, having overheard our mismatched exchange.

"The Dragon Vein is the single most important current among all the flows of the world. The world will go to any length to protect its master. For instance — by hiding the title, so that anyone who covets the Dragon Vein cannot harm its bearer."

And you, Transmigrator over there.

"No matter how special your skills may be, a transmigrator is still only human. You cannot protect the Dragon Vein from countless threats for long. Not a matter of strength — a matter of lifespan. So die here and now, and hand the position of Master of the Dragon Vein over to me."