Of course, after spending two months with Gilbert, I knew he wasn’t that kind of person. He wasn’t the type to drag me to the magistrate’s office just because he was suspicious. The problem… was my own useless paranoia.
After agonizing over it, I realized there was no point in hiding it anymore and pulled the small pouch from my clothes.
“It’s a powder that deepens the flavor. I think… I must have made it before I lost my memory.”
Gilbert’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“If you lost your memory, how do you know what it’s for?”
“By that logic, how am I so good at work despite the amnesia? I probably spent my whole life working, so my body just remembers.”
Gilbert went silent at that. He slowly scratched his beard with a thick finger.
“…Is that so? Well, it’s not poisonous or anything, right?”
“I tasted it earlier.”
“Hmm.”
He seemed to ponder it in silence for a moment longer before nodding nonchalantly.
“Well, then that’s that.”
His answer was so simple it actually caught me off guard.
“That’s it?”
Honestly, I had expected a negative reaction, calling it a forbidden powder, grilling me on its source, or even pouncing on me to demand a share.
But he was so calm. No intense interrogation, no greed, just pure composure. If anything, his indifference was what moved me.
Gilbert looked me straight in the eye while stroking his beard.
“No reason not to believe you. If it tastes good, it’s good.”
Hearing his simple answer made my mind go blank for a second. A normal person would have been suspicious, but he remained uncomplicated to the end.
While I watched him with a face that couldn't tell if his simplicity was trust or just lack of interest, Gilbert added meaningfully:
“Anyway, kid. I suppose it’s time you ran your own inn.”
“…Huh?”
My eyes went wide at the sudden remark.
“Why the shock? You said yourself you were an innkeeper.”
“Well, yeah, but…”
As I hesitated, Gilbert tilted his head. The twin braids of his beard swayed cutely, a stark contrast to his massive frame.
“Usually, wouldn't you suggest we use this to expand the business together?”
“I hate being famous.”
“…….”
“Go independent, kid.”
The words were so simple they almost sounded cold.
“What? Just like that?!”
Independent?
I didn’t even know the geography of this neighborhood yet. …No, wait. Thinking about it, Gilbert was never my guardian to begin with. He was just the man who happened to take me in on that first day.
“If you have a proper inn, you should start acting like the boss.”
As if that place is a ‘proper inn.’ It’s a ruin. Ten thousand rebuttals rose to my throat, but I couldn't voice them.
“Don’t come in starting tomorrow.”
And just like that, I was fired from my part-time job at the tavern.
***
The next day, I found myself deep in thought as a jobless man… no, technically an innkeeper once again.
“I can’t believe I’m unemployed.”
Strictly speaking, I wasn't. Even if it was a half-collapsed building on the border, I was officially an innkeeper. Plus, I had my "cheat item," the MSG. Of course, I didn't have a single other ingredient to go with it.
I wallowed in despair on a creaking chair for a long time before finally lifting my head with determination and muttering.
“Fine. If I want to survive, I need to make money first. Money never betrays you.”
Gilbert hadn't betrayed me either, but… well, the conclusion was the same.
In the end, money was the only thing to trust.
But that resolve was short-lived. A new worry weighed down on me immediately. All I had left was the ten silver I’d received as my final pay. Even if I bought ingredients with that, how on earth was I supposed to fix this ruin of an inn?
Even after two months of scrubbing every nook and cranny, I couldn't get rid of the old musty smell or the rotting wooden floors. Holes everywhere, doors that shrieked on their hinges, there were too many things I couldn't fix on my own.
Creeeeeak, I was half-lounging in the ear-piercing chair when a sudden knock, knock made me look up.
There’s no one who would come here.
…Actually, there was one person.
I stood up and opened the door with a grumpy face. As expected, Gilbert’s bushy-bearded face filled my vision. Feeling a mix of emotions I couldn't quite name, somewhere between glad and annoyed, I spoke curtly.
“What is it?”
“This place is more of a haunted house than I thought. How have you been sleeping? Do the monsters leave you alone?”
“Didn't you say it was a proper inn once? Anyway, you sure are devoted, checking up on an employee who quit.”
Despite my sarcasm, Gilbert didn't snap back. He just scratched his head and began thumping my back with a palm the size of a pot lid.
“Is a grown man really sulking over something like that?”
I knew. I knew there was nothing to sulk about.
Gilbert wasn't my guardian, and he had no reason to be responsible for my life. Yet, after spending two months together, I realized I had subconsciously started to lean on him.
“…I know. It’s childish.”
I knew it.
Right now, I was acting like a pouting child, which wasn't like me at all.
Gilbert’s eyes widened for a split second. The look on his face was so funny that I couldn't help but let out a snicker.
“Who do you think you are, some main character? Firing an employee just because you don't want to be famous... you're so childish, it's killing me.”
To think the great Baek Shion was actually whining.
When I grinned and said that, the corner of Gilbert’s mouth quirked up awkwardly, and he reached out to give my head a rough ruffle.
“You really never let anyone get the last word, do you?”
“Ack! My hair’s getting tangled! It’s already curly enough!”
As I struggled, Gilbert burst into a hearty laugh.
“Will you die if your curls get tangled? A man worrying about his hair, is it going to stop you from getting married or something?”
“…Boss, that is so outdated and uncool.”
When I glared at him pouting, Gilbert clutched his stomach and laughed even harder. His boisterous laughter, so fitting for his rugged physique, felt strangely heartwarming.
“Anyway, I came to see just how much of a wreck this place is.”
“Why? To make fun of me?”
“No. To fix it.”
“…Huh?”
As I stared at him blankly, he jerked his chin toward the space behind him.
“Uh…?”
I peeked around him, and as his massive frame moved aside, the view slowly revealed itself. A crowd of familiar faces was gathered there.
The fruit merchant who always had a gentle smile, the butcher, even the owner of the restaurant next door. They were all people I had gotten to know during my part-time job, and every single one of them was standing there with something slung over their shoulders.
“Shion, I heard you’re opening for business? Thought I’d see if there’s anything I could help with.”
“I heard a party of adventurers was raving about the place. You’d better buy your ingredients from my shop then.”
I stood frozen, my mouth hanging half-open. The fruit merchant gave a bashful shrug and a smile.
“I’m here to set up a trade deal for the future. That’s what I’m saying.”
Then, the butcher stepped forward. He wrapped a thick arm around my neck and whispered.
“Don’t mind what that big guy said. He just hates standing out, that’s all. No need to feel hurt.”
“…….”
…Why would they go this far for someone like me?
It had only been two months. I was just a part-timer at an inn.
To them, I should have just been a kid who appeared out of nowhere, an outsider who didn't belong. I thought that was just my fate, ever since the moment I was born an orphan.
So I kept telling myself that the sense of belonging I felt at Gilbert’s tavern was just a fleeting illusion that would eventually disappear.
But what was this? Why were so many people reaching out their hands for just one person like me?
It was a feeling I couldn't understand. Something hot tightened in my chest, and an unknown emotion rose to my throat, making it hard to breathe.
Afraid I might be swallowed by the emotion, I quickly lowered my head before forcing my lips into a grin. I shrugged my shoulders with a bit of bravado.
“Who’s hurt? This is a chance to rake in the cash! I’m loving it!”
At my words, the fruit merchant’s eyes widened before he let out a loud laugh.
“Hahaha! I like the ambition!”
“Of course. My inn is going to do much better than all your shops!”
When I flashed them another grin, the other merchants burst into laughter as well. Their laughter filled the empty, chilly air of the inn, echoing with a strange, sturdy warmth.
Meanwhile, Gilbert stood a step away looking a bit sheepish. He scratched his head and blurted out:
“So, kid. Have you picked a name for the inn?”
At that question, I took a breath and looked around. Feeling the boisterous laughter of the merchants and Gilbert’s gaze on me, I replied with a bright smile.
“The Inn on the Border!”
Yes, this was the beginning of the Inn on the Border.
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