Advance on Wages
"Salary... I mean..."
Keeping my mouth shut to let her continue, Marim glanced at me cautiously before speaking up.
"Um... could you pay me now... first...?"
A thief who had tried to rob the inn's cash register just last night was suddenly asking for her salary in advance, out of nowhere? And not even after working a bit and requesting a partial advance—she hadn't even started tomorrow yet?
If it had been yesterday, I might've slapped her again for not learning her lesson... but now that I'd taken her under my wing, I figured I should at least hear her out.
"Why? Something come up?"
"Well... the truth is, I was gonna send the money I stole here to my siblings, but now I can't... If I wait a month for my pay, they'll starve in the meantime..."
"Hmm... yeah, that makes sense."
At my positive response, Marim's face—which had looked like it was about to wither away—brightened instantly. I told Della, standing behind me, to grab some silver coins from the register and put them in a pouch. Della always followed my orders without a hint of doubt, so she headed off right away. Idwild just stared at me blankly from where she stood. Having witnessed everything with Marim so far, she might not get it. She could be thinking I was falling for another half-elf trick.
But I wasn't getting fooled by Marim again.
"Here you go, boss."
Taking the coin pouch from Della, I showed it to Marim and said,
"Here's the deal. I'll hold onto this and deliver it personally after breakfast. Sound good?"
She clearly hadn't expected that. Marim looked at me with pleading eyes for a moment. But soon enough, she gave a defeated nod in a deflated voice, saying she'd understand.
If she took this and spun her tale to the half-elves, their reaction would tell me everything in the end. Whether Marim grabbed the hand I extended from the cliff's edge... or jumped off backward.
"One more thing, boss..."
I was just turning toward the hearth when Marim's voice tugged at my nape.
"What now?"
"Could you... take me with you when you go...? Just to see my siblings' faces..."
Turning back, I flinched. A thin trickle of blood was running from her bitten lower lip down her chin. Her green eyes gleamed with raw desperation, pleading, and humiliation—no calculation, no lies, just pure emotion. I couldn't bring myself to refuse. Hell, there was no reason not to agree from the start. The Hell Horse could carry two, and Lenditofte wasn't that far. She'd already become an employee I'd decided to keep—showing a bit of mercy wasn't too much to ask.
"Fine. Go upstairs and get some sleep for now. I'll wake you before we head out."
"Thank you... thank you so much..."
Idwild watched Marim go, supported by Della, then turned to me.
"You sure you trust her that much...?"
"We'll know once we see where she lives."
"Still... she lies without batting an eye... You never know when she'll stab you in the back..."
Idwild. Sweet as a puppy to the inn family, endlessly kind... but in moments like this, she was the black mage incarnate. Cursed beings, despised and persecuted, forever fleeing into damp shadows. Even after joining our inn and easing her wariness of people, it made sense she couldn't fully trust Marim yet.
"Idi. Remember when I got caught in that Beldra's Curse Rope and what you were about to do to me...?"
"Wha-wha-what...? Why bring that up now...?"
Idwild flailed her arms to stop me, her massive center breasts jiggling heavily.
"Honestly, you could cast black magic on me anytime. Sure, I'd smash it easily, but if I let my guard down for a second, I might get hit."
"You think I'd do that...?"
Her eyebrows shot up in genuine outrage.
"Of course not. You're someone I brought here, under my protection."
"Your... protection?"
"Yeah. You're my employee. I take responsibility. That means I trust you."
"You... trust me...?"
Her face, twisted just moments ago, bloomed into that signature dopey grin like nothing had happened.
Della was pure-hearted by nature, no issue there. Pelle wouldn't care if the half-elf was a thief or a murderer. As long as Idwild played along with my plan, we'd be set.
Half-elf Marim. Tough bitch who'd taken a beating last night and still tried to stab me—but not anymore. I already had her weakest spot in my grip, ready to crush it anytime I wanted. She had no choice but absolute obedience.
And beyond that, now that I'd decided to use her, I couldn't just keep choking her out forever. I'd pushed her into despair out of pure necessity, not some sadistic fetish. I held the leash anyway. Which was better—a resentful employee plotting a knife in the back, or one treated like a person, slowly opening up? No one picks the former.
"That half-elf Marim? I've decided to keep her, so she's part of the inn now. Treat her the same as everyone else."
"O-okay... I will...!"
Idwild nodded with a goofy smile.
"By the way, do you know any spells like that?"
"Like what...?"
"A binding spell that triggers if they do certain actions, stops them cold."
It might seem weird after just saying I trusted her, but this was for Marim's sake. A lifelong thief doesn't go straight overnight. I was thinking of a little rehab and monitoring magic...
"I could... but it'd expose them to black mana constantly..."
"Oh, right. Can't do that. Hire a delivery girl just to have her drop dead next month."
"Hehe... not next month... maybe next week..."
She says the most horrifying shit with that smile. Direct black magic on the body causes massive side effects. That's why last night's tracking mark was limited to half a day. If this black milk cow were a normal mage, life would've been so much easier. Nah, she'd have drained my fortune in under a month. Gotta find another way.
Marim woke around lunchtime that day. A gentle hand shaking her shoulder and a kind voice opened her eyes pleasantly. A stunning blonde with piercing blue eyes knelt by the bed, gazing at her warmly. Waking to such a beauty smiling tenderly, Marim couldn't help but smile back a little.
"Awake? Come down for lunch."
"Lunch... already...?"
It felt like only five minutes since she'd closed her eyes... Had that much time passed? Was it from running all night? No, she never tired no matter how far she ran. What exhausted her was worry for her siblings.
When the innkeeper declared he'd kill them, her vision went white. Judging by his power, he could absolutely follow through. Desperate, she'd lied, begged on all fours. Luckily, she'd bargained work at the inn for their safety—but it was just a promise. Promises break, especially with such an insurmountable power gap. She could only pray for the strong innkeeper's mercy. Even if he changed his mind on a whim, she was powerless.
"Even if you're tired, you need to get up. Boss said you're leaving right after lunch."
"Y-yeah... got it..."
Marim dragged herself out of bed. Seeing her siblings and handing over the money mattered more than sleep. Following the pretty employee downstairs, the hall was quiet—lunch hour had passed. At one table, the inn staff ate together: the innkeeper, the woman with disgustingly huge tits, the cold horned demon. Seeing the demon on her first visit had shocked and baffled Marim. Just last year, demons under the Demon King were the world's great threat. Sure, they'd been wiped out by Blue Dragon Lurtjog's lightning from hibernation... but grudges lingered. How were they working so openly like it was nothing?
"Hurry up. It's getting cold."
The innkeeper waved her over. Seeing his face, she froze on the stairs—last night's intensity, and the terrifying black mage beside him. But Marim gritted her teeth. She'd survived thieving in a human city hostile to half-elves alone. Last night was unavoidable surrender, but she wasn't weak enough to keep groveling like a fool.
She had to adapt here, work. That was survival—for her and her siblings.
Hardening her resolve, she descended. Sitting, the pretty girl brought food: a clear soup brimming with gaping mussels.
"Moules marinières. Mussels boiled in white wine. Delicious."
Staring at the bowl, the innkeeper explained.
"Eat up. You skipped breakfast."
Marim scooped some broth while scanning the table. Big-tits was head-down devouring mussels. The demon chewed carrots indifferently. Pretty girl smiled at the boss after every sip. Bizarre vibe.
A man with inhuman powers, black mage, demon, absurdly pretty girl, now half-elf thief. What kind of lineup...?
"Toss shells here. Dip that bread in the broth."
"Ah, okay."
Marim sipped the moules-whatever broth. Bland-looking, but salty-smooth perfection. She tried not to show awe, scraping mussel meat with her front teeth.
"Use the shell to scrape... easier..."
The black mage spoke, seeing her struggle with shell bits on nose and lips.
"Like this..."
She deftly scooped meat with an empty shell, slurping the plump morsel.
"Hehe... yummy..."
Marim bowed to the black mage and followed suit. After mussels, tearing and dipping bread eased the despair gnawing her chest overnight. Good, warm food heals the soul.
"Good? Eat your fill before we go—no rush. Plenty left in the kitchen."
With appetite returning and heart softening, even the innkeeper's words felt warm, kind.
The demon finished carrots and cucumbers, rising coldly. Rude, but no one batted an eye. Black mage chowed down heartily; pretty girl stole glances at boss, smiling. Innkeeper slurped broth with shells, soaked bread, oblivious. She'd felt it staying days... what a weird inn.
Lunch done, the Hell Horse was summoned to the yard. She'd glimpsed it last night, but daylight close-up was terrifying. Even the inn's dog cowered, tail tucked, pawing to hide in big-tits' arms.
About to mount, Marim remembered something and grabbed the innkeeper.
"Before we go... could we stop by the market quick?"
"Why? Need to buy something?"
"Yeah... something for my siblings to eat."
"Huh." He pondered, then asked, "How many in Lenditofte?"
"About twenty."
"Only that many?"
"Half-elves aren't common. Plus some left for work and never came back..."
"Fewer than I thought. Hey! Pelle!"
The inn door opened; the demon leaned cockily against the frame without asking why called.