The Pretty and Competent Administrator (10)
The pretty and capable administrator Hildeva opened the city hall doors with a slightly troubled expression. "Come on in for now."
I turned the carriage around and headed back to the inn. Since it was a post horse carriage, I'd have to return it eventually, but with no one heading back right now, I'd just leave it at the inn.
As I arrived, I heard Kali barking from beyond the fog. Moments later, he burst through the mist and charged at me.
"You doing okay?"
"Woof!"
Entering the courtyard, I spotted several cargo wagons lined up. Probably those guys from earlier.
Pushing open the inn door, I saw people seated in the hall. They didn't look like locals—judging by their outfits, they were merchants. Likely speculators who'd heard the rumors and wanted to use the northern route.
Detouring around Rosens would add over two weeks to the trip. With the Vurn Mountains stretching left and right, plus knights from passing territories, bandits, monsters, and all that jazz. For some personalities, gambling on the uncertain northern path wasn't a bad bet.
Leaning on the table were axes and maces—they'd come prepared.
"More bread over here! And some warmed milk!"
One of them barked hoarsely, and Della's reply came from the kitchen.
Heading into the kitchen, I found Della sweating bullets as she laid out ingredients and hustled with the cooking.
"Oh? Master! You're back?"
"I'll handle the kitchen. You go to the hall."
"Ah, yes!"
I set a pot of milk on the stove to heat and scanned the ingredients she'd prepped. Hmm... pretty obvious what to do. Della, with no real kitchen experience, had clearly planned basic dishes to handle the crowd. Since I'd jumped in midway, I just followed her lead.
I laid strips of bacon in the pan to fry, then cracked eggs and sausages into the rendered fat, sizzling them like fritters. On each plate: bacon, sausage, fried eggs, cheese, and bread. Simple, but hearty breakfast fare.
Della shuttled back and forth between hall and kitchen, ferrying plates. I grabbed two in each hand and headed to a table.
"Looks like you're all traders, huh?" I said, setting them down.
The men replied, "That's right. We trade between Beshiut and Aibuv."
"Beshiut and Aibuv... must've been a pain detouring around the Vurn Mountains."
"Ever since this place got blocked, it's been hell. We tried punching through mountain paths, but nothing beats passing through Rosens."
"No kidding. Where else do the mountains cut off like this?"
Eyeing the weapons at their belts, the men asked, "So, you're heading north now that the path's open?"
"The costs of those two- or three-week detours are insane. We came as soon as we heard."
"Got it from a reliable source, so it must be legit. If it's wrong, we're all dead meat."
The men burst into rough laughter. I could feel the tough, boisterous vibe of traders who'd braved every roadside peril.
"You'll probably be fine. Good luck."
"Thanks. Gotta say, we were shocked to find this inn."
"Yeah, thought it'd be a ghost town with nothing, but here's this fine place doing business."
The merchants glanced around the hall anew.
"I only got here recently myself. Pretty lucky, I guess."
"Luck's everything in business. Especially real estate—you gotta squat first."
The merchants finished their raucous meal, packed up, and left. They checked their wagons' loads and weapons before filing out of the courtyard.
"Great food, great rest—thanks! We'll stop by on the way back!"
With the hall empty, Della sighed while clearing tables.
"Della. You okay?"
"Don't even ask... Since yesterday, crowds keep pouring in—I'm wiped soul-deep."
She'd been hired assuming I'd be around, so handling it solo when guests flooded in was overload city.
"How many came and went?"
"Maybe just under twenty?"
I was honestly surprised. Della had inn experience, sure, but handling twenty alone? The inn was big enough that twenty wasn't much, but solo? Breakfast prep, cleaning, rooms, lunch deliveries to the fields, livestock... and spotty ingredients forcing menu improv. Yet the merchants left happy—no skimping on service.
Looked like I'd scored an amazing employee for free.
"Why are you staring like that, Master?"
"Huh? What?"
"Why the creepy grin?"
"Nothing."
A proud smile was only natural.
But I couldn't rely on Della forever. Word was spreading fast—quick ones would swarm soon, and once those merchants hit Fribourg, it'd blow up there too. 'Merchants made it through Rosens' northern path unscathed!' Skeptics would hold back at first, but traffic through Rosens exploding was just a matter of time. Detourers, mountain-crossers, returning citizens, new opportunists like me—they'd all come.
The inn was huge, so no space worries... which was the problem. Time to recruit more from Bue... Didn't expect things to snowball this fast.
"Sorry, Master, but could you help out?"
"Huh? Yeah, sure."
We spent the morning cleaning the hall and rooms, tidying the kitchen.
Luckily or not, no more guests showed until sunset. Late evening, Hildeva arrived bag in hand.
"Welcome, Administrator."
Della greeted her and led her to a table by the fireplace.
"Administrator, we were just about to eat—join us?"
"Anything's fine. I'm starving."
Hildeva plunked her bag by the table and wiped her glasses roughly on her sleeve. I grabbed the lasagna fresh from the oven and brought it straight to her table.
"Whoa, smells amazing. What's this?"
"Lasagna. Like it?"
"Love it!"
Hildeva beamed and clapped. I sliced deep into the steaming lasagna, dropping a huge piece onto her plate. Layers oozed thick tomato sauce-soaked minced meat and veggies. Melted grated cheese wafted a nutty, saliva-triggering aroma.
Hildeva inhaled, lips smacking in bliss. "Insane."
Once plates were served, she sawed off a corner and popped it in. It was hot—she pursed her lips, huffing, but chewed and swallowed anyway. Adjusting her fogged glasses, she murmured dreamily, "God... so good..."
Della tasted hers, eyes closing in a deep sigh. "Master, you're too good at this. Never had lasagna like it."
I puffed up at their praise. "Eh, piece of cake."
We ate in contented silence for a while. Della and I had been run ragged with the inn; Hildeva surely had a backlog from stepping out. Everyone starving.
"Haa."
Only after devouring her portion did Hildeva look up with a satisfied sigh. "Now I can finally see straight. Earlier, hunger had my vision blacking out and whitening like crazy."
"Have more. Plenty left."
She reached for another helping.
"Oh, right—those speculators from this morning? They threw a fit and stormed off."
"Why?"
"Why do you think? Because of you, Bertrand."
Innocent Della stared at me. "Master, did you...?"
"Nah, didn't do a thing."
No clue what she suspected, but denial first.
Hildeva continued, "They came early to snap up facilities, but some lunatic had already bought everything."
"Ahaha... lunatic..."
"Their words, not mine. They were pissed."
Hildeva probably suspected leaks via Goluk's head and official docs.
"Civil servants, am I right?"
She, a civil servant herself, shrugged it off and changed topics. "Picked up a bunch of official docs at city hall while I was out."
"From the capital?"
"Yep. Sounds like folks are coming soon to set up the city's admin structure."
I tensed. New administrator? That'd tank my plans to keep Hildeva here...
But no—docs were about assistant officials under her and a resident guard unit.
"A few more underlings for me. City's growing; can't handle it solo."
"No official order yet naming you Zamas's replacement and stationing you here permanently?"
"Who knows. Docs are all jumbled time-wise. But yeah, I'm holding it down for now."
"Guard unit? Normal for a city this size?"
"Probably a platoon. Old barracks fit over thirty."
They'd pull from Bue initially. Hildeva got docs late, so arrivals tomorrow—things would get busy then, she explained.
"Better head back early and rest, then."
"Where?"
"City hall. You live there."
Hildeva eyed me, then her bag. I got it.
"Stay here?"
"Hall's freezing, bed's rock-hard."
"Allowed?"
"Administrators gotta sleep at city hall? Nah, they have homes and commute. I'm the poor sap in a dead city with no house."
She added, "Just tonight. Tomorrow I'll be swamped, won't even make it here. I'll pay, obviously."
"If you insist, you're welcome. No charge."
"Hehe. Thanks."
After dinner, Della prepped Hildeva's single room upstairs. Hildeva followed me to the kitchen with plates, whining, "Gotta work for real tomorrow. Hate sleeping early."
"Can't be helped. Time to shoulder this city and revive it."
"Don't say that—already stressed enough."
As we loaded the dish tub, she asked, "You drink at all, Bertrand?"
"Heard of the Tepica Year's drunkard?"
She chuckled at my joke. "Wanna booze tonight, then?"