Episod
I quickly shot my father a look, trying to convey both "keep quiet" and "what on earth are you doing?"
'Isn't it our inn's rule never to sell a guest's information?!'
But my father didn't lower his hand. Seeing his arm raised high, like a young student eager to proudly answer a question, made me feel dizzy. no, downright nauseous.
I had no choice. I had to step in.
"Ah, Father! What are you... didn't you say he left at dawn?"
I subtly pulled down his raised arm, making sure to emphasize the word 'left.' Then, with my back turned to the knights, I mouthed to him:
'What is wrong with you?! Did you forget the rules?'
Even if the guest hadn't been Derek, my reaction would have been exactly the same.
We had our own set of rules. If guests started a fight, we kicked both parties out. If one side was clearly the instigator, we only kicked out the bad guy. And unless a guest staying at our inn was a known criminal, our priority was to protect them.
Had he forgotten that?
"Ahem."
But instead, my father just shot me a look telling me to stay out of it.
"Before that man left today, he asked me where the Celia Plains were."
"The Celia Plains!"
"Just as we thought!"
The knights began to murmur among themselves. Judging by their reactions, it seemed they had already guessed Derek's destination.
"Thank you! Alright, everyone, move out!"
"Yes, sir!"
The fierce-looking man at the front tossed something to my father before ushering the other knights out. They stormed out of the inn in a rush.
Once they were gone, silence fell over the room.
"......"
What my father held in his hand was a small leather pouch. I snatched it from him and emptied it onto the counter.
"What's this? It's only 100G."
How cheap.
The currency in this game was 'G'. Players always read it as "Gold," but living inside the game, I realized it was literally pronounced "Gee." The word "Gold" was strictly reserved for actual, physical gold, like the coin my father received yesterday. G was just a coin minted to mimic the color of gold. Naturally, its appearance and luster were completely different.
I stared at the coins before looking up and glaring at my father.
"Did you just sell out a guest's information for money? And for a measly 100G?"
"Cecil! Shh! Keep your voice down. Someone might hear you."
"If you're embarrassed, you shouldn't have done it in the first place."
"Phew..."
My father let out a deep sigh and pulled me aside. Then, he spoke in a low voice.
"You saw it too, didn't you? That crest."
"The crest?"
I searched my memory. That large emblem painted boldly on the chest of their armor. A shape that looked somewhat like a blue bird, or perhaps a monster... It was strangely familiar.
"...What about it?"
"That's the crest of the Count Parvin family."
"......!"
"They're definitely knights of the Count's family. I don't know who that guest was... but if he's being chased by those knights, he's probably not a good person."
"Hmm."
I nodded repeatedly, pretending to be scared. Inwardly, I cursed my terrible memory. That crest. The crest representing the Parvin family was painted clearly on the armor Derek wore in the game. I just hadn't paid enough attention to it because I was too immersed in the combat back then.
"...Haa."
"Don't worry too much. It has nothing to do with us now."
Patting my back, my father smoothly slipped the leather pouch into his pocket. Any extra income outside of regular inn business became personal stash money. That was another one of our rules.
He's awfully good at following that one.
'Well... if they're knights of the Parvin family, they're Derek's allies.'
That was why I didn't push the issue further. If knights from his own family were looking for him, they were surely trying to protect him. It wasn't my place to interfere, and it shouldn't affect the game's storyline.
As my father tried to settle back behind the counter, I grabbed his shoulder and casually brought it up.
"So, I believe I have a stake in that money too."
"Hmm. How about some skewers from the stall out front?"
"I suppose that'll do. But I'm having two."
100G wasn't exactly a lot of money. Wasn't that reward a bit too stingy for knights of a Count? I smacked my lips in disappointment.
---
"Yes~ Just a table for one?"
The next morning, I was busy as ever with inn work.
Most of the morning guests came for a meal. Besides the ones staying in our rooms, villagers and passing travelers frequently stopped by. They claimed eating at our place boosted their recovery.
'To be fair... the buffs here were pretty efficient in the game, too.'
I giggled to myself as I wiped down an empty table. If business kept booming like this, I'd save up a fortune in no time. Then, I could take a short vacation. My first stop would be my favorite location from the game. Seeing it in real life had to be entirely different from the pixelated graphics. Since I had reincarnated anyway, I wanted to see that scenery with my own two eyes.
BANG!
"Hey!"
"!!"
Without fail, whenever I was lost in thought, a loud noise would shatter my daydream. All eyes turned to the man who had thrown the door open so hard it threatened to break. Having entered exactly the same way for the second time, he glared at me like a demon.
'If the door breaks, can I bill him for it?'
Same as yesterday.
"Do you have a room?" The man spoke, completely indifferent to the stares from everyone around him.
"......"
The reason I couldn't yell at him for almost breaking the door, or even properly answer his question, wasn't because the scary-looking man was scowling fiercely.
It was because the person he was carrying on his back was in terrible condition. His face, having slipped out of the hood meant to conceal it, was deathly pale and drenched in cold sweat.
Moreover, faint purple blotches seemed to be spreading across his skin. His eyes were squeezed shut, and he was biting his lip hard enough to draw blood.
"Ahem!"
Perhaps uncomfortable with my staring, the knight pulled the hood down, deeply hiding the man's face once again.
'What a shame.'
For a brief second, the thought crossed my mind. It was true that I was worried about his pale complexion. Yet, selfishly, a sudden urge to get a closer look at the face I couldn't properly see because of the blotches and the hood welled up inside me.
"I asked, do you have a room?" The knight made no effort to hide his annoyance.
"Ah! O-of course we do! Cecil, show him the way!"
"Right this way, please."
I quickly fixed my expression and led the knight upstairs. Walking faster than usual, I hurried up the stairs, immediately opened a door, and ushered him inside.
"Tch, this kind of room..."
But the knight's reaction as he inspected the room was far from positive.
I barely suppressed a surge of irritation. Was this his first time in one of our rooms? I wished he'd realize this was a surprisingly luxurious room for such a small village.
'It's kept pristine enough to lay any patient down comfortably!'
Besides, this was the exact room Derek had stayed in overnight without a single complaint. Insulting this place was basically insulting his own master, wasn't it?
"......"
The knight's face remained displeased as he laid Derek on the bed.
"Is there no healer in this village?"
"Pardon? A healer? Usually, we have to go fetch one from the next village over."
"Tch. You don't have anything proper here."
I forced my brightest smile. I somehow managed to pull my facial muscles up, but the corners of my mouth twitched violently. The only reason I was desperately clasping my hands together was to prevent myself from flipping him off on reflex. Getting mad over something like this would be unprofessional.
"......"
To calm my nerves, I shifted my gaze to the bed. Derek was biting his lip so hard it seemed he was trying to swallow down groans of pain. Cold sweat beaded on the small portion of his face that was visible. He lay completely limp, seemingly unconscious, without making a single movement.
And yet, he didn't let out a single moan. His pride must be truly immense.
"...Ahem."
The knight pulled the hood down even further to hide his face and stepped in front of him.
'So petty.'
It was an obvious move to block my view. But seriously, what on earth had happened to leave him in this state?
"Then we will head to the next village... No, in this situation, it would be better to bring someone more competent. Anyway, we will bring a healer, so make sure absolutely no one enters this room."
"But of course! Strict security! That is our inn's motto."
"......"
"......"
He silently glared at me. A drop of nervous sweat rolled down my forehead.
'Wait, could it be...'
I looked around and noticed the other knights standing next to him were giving me strange looks.
'Was he not talking to me?'
Come to think of it, I was just an inn employee. There was no way he'd entrust such an important task to me.
"Understood, Commander!"
"Leave it to us!"
The knights who had been staring at me finally spoke up.
The Knight Commander gave a curt nod, his sharp gaze still fixed on me. Pushed out by the chilling intensity of his stare, I had no choice but to step out of the room.
"I'll be back."
"Yes, Commander!"
"Have a safe trip~"
"......"
Completely ignoring my polite farewell, the Knight Commander took a few of his men and strode away. The room door clicked shut. Once he was entirely out of sight, I cautiously turned my head.
"......"
"......"
The two knights guarding the door glared at me, a silent warning to get lost. But if I let a little intimidation get to me, I wouldn't be able to run an inn. Flashing the most gentle smile I could muster, I faced them.
"What exactly happened to him?"
"That is none of your concern."
'Tch.'
I clicked my tongue inwardly. True to their status as arrogant knights of a Count, they weren't about to talk easily. They seemed all too used to ignoring people like me.
'Phew...'
I took a breath to calm myself and smiled brightly again.
"He didn't look too good, though?"
"Are you going to leave quietly, or.."
The knight rested his hand threateningly on his sword hilt. Simply put, he was asking, 'Do you want to get beaten up before you leave, or are you just going to leave?'
But there was a trap in this question.
"If you tell me what's wrong, I might be able to find a useful potion for you, you know? We have some pretty good stock here."
There are situations where you don't actually have to choose between the two options given.
"......"
The knight's eyebrow twitched. It wasn't an aggressive movement to chase me away; I could tell he was actually considering it.
If Derek died here, they wouldn't be able to escape the blame. But what if they managed to save his life? The situation would change drastically for them, wouldn't it?
The knight's eyes darted around quickly before settling back on me.
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