CH 8

Sales have increased, but I still can’t afford to waste money.

And so, tonight too, I’m staying at the Reliable Inn: Bottakuro.

[You came again?]

On the third night I came to her inn, the proprietress’ attitude softened a bit.

[I’d like the same again tonight.]

[If you’re gonna stay for consecutive nights, I can give you a discount. 3500 rims for 5 days.]

That means I would only have to pay 150 rims less per day huh.

I would like to move to a better inn, but luxury is still my enemy.

I also have to factor in food expenses.

To eat well, I’ll have to stay in Bottakuro for a while.

[Not forcing you to do that or anything.]

[No, I’ll have that please.]

I paid 3500 rims in advance.

[Also, regarding that room next to yours……]

For some reason, at that moment, the blunt proprietress seemed to hesitate saying something.

[Is something the matter?]

[There’s a pretty dangerous person staying there tonight, so be extra careful……]

[By any chance, are they a criminal?]

Bottakuro is the perfect place for such people to hide after all.

However, the proprietress brazenly shook her head.

[It’s not that simple. Next to your room stayed a man called Grim Reaper. I don’t have any proof, but it’s rumored that he killed a number of people in the past.]

The heck, that’s so scary!

[How could the authorities let such a man at large?]

[You really don’t know anything, do you…… Wait a moment there.]

""

Perhaps bored, the proprietress brewed me a cup of tea.

The tea tasted somewhere between roasted green tea and black tea.

I felt bad about just being served by her, so I brought out my shoulder-pole stand and took out some snacks.

Product name: Dorachoco

Description: Two bite-sized dorayaki filled with chocolate cream. Split them up and eat them with another to increase intimacy levels. You can become even closer with your friends. Overfeeding and abuse of this product is prohibited!

Price: 30 rims

I’m not trying to make advances on the proprietress, but I chose this one because it was just right for the two of us to eat together.

……We won’t get too intimate, will we?

I’m a little scared.

[Please eat if you’d like. They’re pastries I handle.]

[Ara, I feel bad now.]

The proprietress popped a dorachoco into her mouth.

[Isn’t this tasty!? So you sell stuff like this huh? How much is one of these?]

[30 rims each.]

[That’s cheap! Sell me ten.]

I got a business from a place I didn’t expect.

Anyhow, I ate my share of the dorachoco and sipped my tea.

[So, why are the government officials letting a criminal go around at large?]

[Ahh, we were talking about that, weren’t we?]

Opening up a new pack of dorachoco from the ones she had just bought, the propritress began munching on it anew.

Naturally, she seems to be eating it alone.

If I ate any more of that dorachoco with her, we might end up becoming lovers.

If the proprietress had a spouse, that would be an adulterous relationship.

I didn’t want that, so I just kept my mouth shut and sipped my tea.

[You know this country is at war, don’t you?]

This was the first time I’d heard of that, but I just vaguely nodded along.

[All the excellent generals and soldiers have gone to the border. Besides, there’s also the King’s curse.]

[What curse?]

[You don’t know that either?]

[I’ve only been here a few days.]

[In that case, I guess it can’t be helped. The King once had a fiancée. She was a famous witch by the name of Michelle, but one day, their engagement was annulled.]

[Why?]

[Because the King fell in love with our current Queen. It was a terrible story. The Queen is a bewitching woman who makes men fall in love with her, and I guess the King was unable to resist her charms either. Geez, this is why men are……]

[And the enraged witch put a curse on him huh.]

[Yeah, rumor has it that the King is so sick that he can’t get out of bed. Heard rumors that his skin had become like the scales of a fish.]

Sounds like a curse that can’t be cured with the powdered juice (grape flavor).

[Since the King left office, the city’s security has only worsened. Even if there’s someone a little suspicious around, they aren’t even investigating.]

And that’s why there’s that Grim Reaper walking around as he pleased……

[What happened to the witch then?]

[I heard she ran away deep into the dungeon. That’s why the eyes of the high-ranked adventurers changed and they decided to go deep into the dungeon.]

In order to break the curse, the witch must be caught.

Adventurers are also tasked with hunting monsters, but their ultimate goal in the dungeon seems to be the capture of the witch.

There’s apparently a 100 million rim bounty placed on her.

Even so, one-sidedly having her engaged with them and one-sidedly having that engagement annulled……

[I kinda feel sorry for that witch named Michelle.]

When I said that, the proprietress looked at me with a surprised look on her face.

[Guess so. However, you shouldn’t say such things in this city. The soldiers would let those criminals walk around, but they will catch anyone who speaks ill of the royal family.]

I would be in big trouble if I were snitched on.

Anyhow, I should thank her for the tea and returned to my room.

[Thank you for the tea.]

[Yeah. Also, I’ll say this again, but be very careful of the guy in the next room. Remember, you must never even peek into his room.]

[Ummm, can I ask for a room change?]

[Unfortunately, we’re already at full capacity.]

I have only just started to fit into this world.

I don’t want to die yet.

Trying not to make even a single decibel sound, I slowly climbed the stairs.

Translator’s Notes:

Also, this is how Proprietess-san looks like from the manga.