IOC - 23

No, no. Even thinking about it in the first place was wrong.

The moment you use your body as collateral, the end is obvious. Isn’t that how people usually fall into "selling" themselves? You get lured by a large sum of money, start with light physical contact, and eventually, you give up everything.

And isn't that exactly the situation I’m in right now?

Shaking my head vigorously, I rubbed my lips. It wasn’t like there was saliva on them, but… I felt strangely grossed out. A chill ran down my spine, as if a foreign warmth still lingered in my mouth.

I let out a sigh as I wiped my mouth, and my eyes met with the creature sprawled out in the middle of the floor.

Dark red fur, small horns, and a strangely indifferent, human-like expression.

“…I should go. To the market.”

Now that Geoffrey was gone, I needed to check if his magic was working properly and buy ingredients for tomorrow’s business.

I muttered loudly for no reason, tucked the monster into my arms, and headed outside. Truthfully, I just felt like if I stayed in the inn, I’d keep obsessing over what happened.

I was trudging along half-dazed when someone called my name.

“Shion?”

I turned around to see the vegetable shop owner burning dried leaves in a corner in front of his store. 

Whoosh~ 

The acrid smell of tobacco wafted over. As I grimaced, the man waved his hand and spoke.

“What’s that furball? Are you keeping it?”

“Furball?”

I looked down at my arms. The monster still had its horns. However, it seemed it looked different to the old man.

“Since when did you have a puppy?”

“What does it look like to you?”

“What do you mean? It’s white with pink ears. Did you dye it or something?”

At those words, my jaw dropped.

The magic really worked.

A wave of relief washed over me, and I let out a hollow laugh.

“Yeah, something like that…”

At my reaction, the man just shrugged and reached out toward the monster with a grin.

“C’mere, little guy. Come here.”

“Ah, Mister! You were just smoking!”

“Aigoo, look at you acting like a protective parent already. What’s its name?”

“Its name?”

What was its name? I couldn't exactly call it "Monster." I searched my memory for a moment and blurted out the first word that came to mind.

“Happy. It’s Happy.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just… I named him that so he’d be happy. I picked him up in front of the inn when he was half-dead.”

The man crinkled his nose as he laughed.

“Don’t keep him inside the shop, though. Customers hate it when fur gets in things.”

“Yeah, I’m just going to let him loose in front of the inn. He can act as a guard dog and watch the place at the same time.”

“That tiny thing is going to protect someone?”

I glanced down at the monster, no, at Happy. He had his head turned away petulantly. 

To the old man’s eyes, he looked like a white puppy, but to me, he was still a horned monster. …He probably had enough strength to crush a decent adventurer.

“Are you going straight back to the inn?”

“I don’t wan, I mean, yes, I should. Oh, is there a bookstore around here by any chance?”

“There is. But why?”

“I just want to do some reading. Since I’m running an inn on the border, I got curious about it.”

I had just blurted it out because I didn't want to go back to the inn immediately, but the excuse sounded plausible enough. However, the man let out a snort and flicked his tobacco as if he’d heard something absurd.

“If you’re curious about something, just ask me. Why waste money on books? That’s stuff for the high-and-mighty.”

“I can’t just take up your time like that. I just want to read a bit before I go to bed.”

I forced a smile, but my mouth felt bitter. He was right, what was the point of reading about legends that circulated as oral traditions anyway? Most of them would just be fairy tales.

Maybe it really was better to just quietly meet Geoffrey to avoid suspicion. Perhaps he read the subtle grimace on my face, because the man watched me for a moment before standing up and heading inside the shop. After the sound of rustling for a bit, he came back out carrying a heavy stack of books.

“What is all this?”

The books were covered in dust, but they seemed quite well-maintained. When I asked in surprise, the man awkwardly pressed the books into my arms.

“I don’t know what you’re looking for, but just take these. Everything from hero biographies for kids to all sorts of things. They’re just gathering dust here anyway.”

I stared at him blankly. Today, the man’s face looked particularly red.

I couldn’t tell if it was from embarrassment or the hot sun. He just scratched his neck with his thick forearm and let out a fake cough, looking strangely bashful.

“I used to dream of being a swordsman when I was a kid. I realized the reality of things pretty quickly, though. Still, back then, I was obsessed with hero stories. Magic was for the chosen ones, so I only watched from afar, but I was still interested. I even bought a bunch of magic books back then.”

“…Mister.”

He said it as if he were just rambling, but I felt a sudden lump in my throat. Perhaps it was because I saw the face of the boy who had survived reality in him.

Seeing me like that, the man roughly rubbed my head and muttered.

“Hey now, why is a grown man about to cry? Well, people like us had no choice but to face reality early… but you’re a bit different. You’ve made some money at a young age, and you’re still young. Don’t mind me projecting my own standards onto you. Do whatever you want to do.”

“…Yes. Thank you.”

I hugged the books tightly to my chest. Happy let out a 'kik!' sound of dissatisfaction and tried to push the books away with his front paw.

Seeing that, the man burst into laughter.

“How are you going to carry all that? Use that big guy. He’s a lazy fellow who makes the staff do all his work anyway, so make him your pack mule.”

In the end, Gilbert, who was dragged out by the vegetable shop owner’s call, scratched his head blankly as he helped me carry the load back to the inn. 

He grumbled a bit, but I just hugged the monster without much of a reply. When we arrived at the inn and I began organizing the books, I was stunned to see that Gilbert, who had been hammering away at something in the back, had already built a small house for Happy before leaving.

Before I knew it, Geoffrey’s misdeeds had faded from my memory, replaced by a tickling warmth in my heart because of these kind people. I ended up shedding a few inexplicable tears before finally opening the book of hero tales as night fell.

“What, it’s the same.”

> [The Beginning of the World. In an era of endless war, a Hero appeared. The Hero gathered four companions and finally established balance. The Saintess who crossed over from this world, the one who delivered the prayers of light. The progenitor of Hardt, the one who cut through the darkness and inherited nobility. The progenitor of Latour, the one who passed on wisdom and mystery. The descendant of the dragon, the one who shared immortal power. These five heroes finally established the Border, putting an end to the bloody struggle between humans and monsters.]

It was stylized like a myth, but the content wasn't much different from what Geoffrey had told me.

Thud. I closed the book and clicked my tongue, unimpressed. As I lay down to sleep, I muttered to myself.

“But even if Geoffrey is from a family of mages, why is a Prince doing alchemy?”

The question lingered in my mind, but sleep soon claimed me like a heavy shroud.

 ***

The next day.

I woke up to a heavy weight on my stomach. This cheeky monster, no, Happy, was using my stomach as a pillow, snoring away. When I tried to push him aside, he growled irritably.

What a nasty temper. I let out a dry laugh and tugged on his horn.

“Khung!”

He flailed his front paws, swatting my hand away. He glared at me with half-closed eyes as if I were being a nuisance.

“Huh?”

This guy is surprisingly human-like, isn't he?

And look at that nonchalant attitude. Is he really a monster? When did he become a domesticated pet? Did he become a house cat the moment I put a collar on him?

Finding the sight both absurd and funny, I shook my head and got up.

I headed down to the kitchen from the second floor to prepare for the morning business. But the moment I opened the front door, a thick scent of blood, rather than the morning breeze, hit my nose.

I looked down and saw dark, dried bits of skin along with a trail of blood on the floor.

It was the same trail of blood I had seen several times before Happy moved in.

“Was it you?”

I glanced back at Happy, who was stretching, and asked. He just let out a yawn and kicked the empty bowl I had left in front of the inn.

Thud, clatter.

It was the bowl I had been filling with late-night snacks for the past few nights.

So… you’re saying you paid for your meals? I was stunned for a moment, but then, feeling strangely proud, I picked him up and pecked him on the horn.

“Who’s a good boy? You did well.”

Kiii-ing?!

In an instant, the fur on Happy’s tail puffed out. He broke free from my arms, ran away, and hid behind a pillar, his red eyes darting around. What a prickly fellow.

I just shrugged and prepared for business. By the time I finished the prep and was ready for customers, I peeked outside to see that the bowl I had just filled was already licked clean.

“It really feels like I’m raising a dog, not a monster.”

I muttered those words, but a faint anxiety pooled in a corner of my heart.

After all, this was an inn on the Border where danger lurked, and the recurring bloodstains meant that monsters were lingering around the inn.

I tried to suppress that unease as I began the day’s work.

The inn was crowded as usual. It was especially busy around lunchtime, and I saw a familiar group walking in. 

They were a party of adventurers, regulars who always stopped by before heading out on a mission. I slipped a complimentary side of rolled omelets to the swordsman carrying a longsword.

“You always stop by before a subjugation, don't you?”

The swordsman, pausing mid-gulp of his soup, gave a refreshing laugh.

“Strangely enough, I only get energized when I eat here. Is it thanks to the owner’s love?”

“Hahaha……”