R302 | Chapter 11

When Ain counted up to twenty-seven, Licht finally stumbled forward, his legs giving out. He squeezed his eyes shut without realizing it.

“I told you not to close your eyes.”

Ain, who had been three steps away, magically appeared beside Licht and helped him stand straight. He grabbed Licht’s flushed cheeks with one hand and kneaded them.

“Our Licht, you really have no talent for swordsmanship. How could you not dodge even once out of twenty-seven?”

“You’re too strong, Ain.”

“That’s why I went easy on you.”

“…I’m an inn owner, so I don’t need to know swordsmanship.”

“Yeah, yeah, hyung will protect you.”

Ain laughed, removing his hand from Licht’s cheek. Unlike Licht, Ain hadn’t broken a sweat, and his face was as bright as sunshine. Just as Licht was about to respond.

“But you have to take a penalty for those twenty-seven times, right?”

The words he had momentarily forgotten struck like a bolt from the blue. Licht backed away slowly, feeling a chill of anxiety.

“What’s the penalty…?”

“Tickling for 27 seconds.”

“What? No way. Something else… Ah, no, ah, stop, haha!”

He tried to escape, but there was no way he could get away from Ain with his exhausted body. Ain started tickling Licht mercilessly. Even as a child, Ain used to mischievously tickle Licht often.

Licht missed Ain, but not this tickling.

“Ah, haha, please, stop, stop!”

Licht laughed and pleaded, but Ain didn’t listen. He persistently chased Licht around, tickling him everywhere. He didn’t know how much time had passed, but Licht was getting more and more exhausted. He didn’t even have the strength to laugh anymore.

“Please… stop… I really….”

“Why? You like it. Your body seems to enjoy it.”

“No, I don’t… ha, ah….”

He didn’t have the energy to stand anymore. Ain lifted the limp Licht upright. Licht, swaying as he stood, let out a low groan and wiped the tears from his eyes from laughing so much.

“Why are you just standing there?”

At Ain’s question, Licht looked up. He thought Ain was talking to him, but Ain’s gaze was elsewhere. Following his gaze, there stood Bjorn, looking somewhat shocked.

“J-just now….”

“Mr. Bjorn, good morning….”

Maybe it was from laughing too much, but his voice lacked strength. Licht finished wiping his tears and looked back at Ain.

“Then I’ll go wash up.”

“Yeah, work hard.”

Licht nodded, bowed to Bjorn, and quickly headed into the inn.

Bjorn, with a dazed expression, watched Licht’s retreating figure before turning sharply to look at Ain. His face was filled with shock and betrayal for some reason.

“…What?”

Of all the relationships that changed with Ain over the past ten years, Bjorn’s had changed the most. They were originally comrades, but after becoming king and duke, Bjorn served Ain thoroughly as his lord. It had been years since Bjorn sent such a suspicious look.

“Ain-nim. Just now….”

“Just now?”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“…What?”

Are you the one who’s crazy? Instead of asking that, Ain waited for Bjorn to speak. Bjorn, still shocked, moved his lips several times but couldn’t continue easily.

“Are you, by any chance, making a move on Licht?”

“…Are you seriously crazy?”

Ain was so taken aback that he was at a loss for words. He managed to say one thing, but he couldn’t understand what Bjorn had seen to make such a statement.

Meanwhile, Bjorn had a lot to say. He had clearly heard Licht’s intense groans and Ain’s suspicious words from the backyard. What he saw when he rushed over was Ain hastily helping a staggering Licht to stand (to Bjorn, it looked like Ain was trying to cover up after being caught in the act!). Moreover, Licht’s flushed cheeks and tear-filled eyes, panting… it all looked suspicious to anyone.

“Do you think I’d lay a hand on a kid?”

Ain said seriously. Bjorn, sensing Ain might hit him if he doubted further, replied, “No.” But he couldn’t completely suppress the suspicion growing in his heart.

“Ha… even if I did, I wouldn’t do it here. I just tickled the kid a bit.”

“…….”

Bjorn finally understood Ain’s exasperated muttering. Indeed, Ain wasn’t an animal and wouldn’t do anything bad to Licht in the backyard. Ain was quite fastidious when it came to such matters.

“I understand. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, be sorry. How could you think that about a kid….”

“He’s not a kid anymore. He’s grown up.”

“He’s got a long way to go before he’s fully grown.”

“Twenty is grown.”

“Physically, maybe, but he’s still innocent.”

“…That’s true.”

Compared to noble kids who pretended to be adults and schemed clumsily, Licht was very innocent.

But isn’t it hard to stay that innocent while running an inn? There must be strange guests and all sorts of incidents.

Ain briefly wondered but was soon distracted by Bjorn calling him.

* * *

The inn was bustling in the evening. The first floor was packed with guests staying at the inn and villagers who regularly dined there.

Having many guests was common. But today, orders came in all at once. If Lorraine, who had taken a month off because her child was sick, hadn’t returned to work today, they wouldn’t have been able to handle the orders.

Head chef Heiker and kitchen assistant Lorraine cooked, inn owner Licht and employee Nidia served and cleaned up, and Rutte, who worked from evening to morning, busily helped with odd jobs between the kitchen and the hall. With the five of them moving diligently, the orders were processed one by one.

Of course, when there are this many guests, there’s bound to be at least one troublesome customer. The last guest to order started getting angry.

“Damn it, why is the food taking so long?! You take my money and are so damn slow. This countryside….”

Though it was muttered to himself, his voice was loud enough to echo on the first floor, making everyone glance at him. Ain, who was dining on one side, frowned.

“Why is that bastard causing a scene in our Licht’s establishment?”

“Indeed…. Should I set his head on fire?”

“Please don’t. Ain-nim, please stay calm too.”

Bjorn half-pleaded to stop Ain and Albina.

“He started it. That ugly bastard.”

“Please watch your language.”

“…Licht is going over.”

As the inn owner, Licht was approaching to deal with the troublesome guest. Ain, imagining Licht getting hurt by that crazy guy, fiddled with the sword at his waist.

“Um… you don’t need to worry.”

Nidia, who was standing nearby, approached and whispered. She had hesitated about whether to speak. She was still nervous about talking to this group, but she had gotten a bit used to it, and more importantly, she was scared Ain might actually draw his sword, so she intervened.

“Licht is good at handling such guests.”

“…Licht?”

“You’ll see.”

Trusting Nidia’s confident words, Ain watched the situation while holding his sword.

Licht approached the guest, slightly bowed, and spoke carefully.

“Excuse me, sir.”

“What?!”

“I’m the owner of this inn. I’m sorry your meal is taking so long…. I understand why you’re upset. But we’re just taking a bit longer to make sure it’s delicious, so could you please wait a little longer?”

“…What?”

“They’re doing their best in the kitchen right now. I know you’re hungry and tired, but if you wait a bit, I promise we’ll reward you with a delicious meal.”

“Oh. Oh….”

Licht’s gentle words had a way of softening people. When you see something beautiful, you can’t help but admire it. The guest facing Licht was exactly like that.

His eyes, reflecting the lights placed around, sparkled, and pure admiration for that appearance swelled inside, pushing out the anger. Moreover, Licht’s gentle face and troubled expression made the guest doubt if the fault was on his side.

The guest cleared his throat and shook his head.

“Well, if it’s because you’re trying to make it tasty, I should wait.”

“Thank you so much for understanding. Our inn is famous for its delicious food. You’ll be satisfied.”

The guest nodded. Licht smiled brightly, bowed, and turned away. The guest watched Licht’s retreating figure as if entranced.

“See?”

Nidia whispered. Ain let go of the sword and looked at Nidia with a very surprised face.

“Does this happen often?”

“Not much. Sometimes.”

“I see….”

Thanks to the brief commotion, Ain resolved the morning’s concern. Licht easily overcame difficulties with his looks, so he remained untouched by the world’s harshness. People probably granted his requests, making him see the world as a field of flowers. But…

“Not everyone will let it slide like that. It might attract weirdos.”

“Of course, there are people Licht’s looks don’t work on. But there’s a solution for that, so it’s okay.”

“…A solution?”

“Yes. Anyway, there’s nothing to worry about. There’s never been any danger so far. So….”

“Here, pea soup is ready!”

“Oh, I’ll be right there.”

At the shout from the kitchen, Nidia bowed and quickly left. Ain glanced at the troublesome guest who had just received and started eating the pea soup.

“Should I deal with him?”

“Deal with him?”

Bjorn said seriously. But Ain, still holding the sword, grumbled discontentedly.

“It’s better to eliminate future trouble. Besides, that guy’s eyes seem suspicious.”

“Oh, Ain-nim, come on. You’re surprisingly worried. Nidia said so too.”

Maser laughed and waved his hand. The other companions nodded in agreement.

“Right…. Licht is all grown up…. Impressive….”

“That’s what I’m saying. It’s overprotective for an adult.”

“It’s not good to use force unnecessarily.”

Everyone tried to dissuade Ain. He clicked his tongue and let go of the sword. They’d be off on another adventure tomorrow… Licht really weighed on his mind.