R302 | Chapter 3

Licht was scared Ain might drop him.

“Be good, okay? Give it to hyung. You can’t just take it back after giving it.”

“I’ll give it, so put me down!”

“Haha.”

Ain lifted and lowered Licht lightly, then plopped him onto the bed. He hugged Licht tightly, like he was a beloved stuffed toy, and buried his nose in Licht’s shoulder.

“Licht, you still smell like a baby.”

“I’m not a kid! I’m twenty!”

“Twenty-year-old baby. Mm, nice.”

Ain sniffed like he was smelling a puppy, and finally let Licht go after a while. Licht’s face was red from struggling. Ain sat up and looked down at the panting Licht, then grinned.

“I want to tickle you, but I’ll let it go.”

“…Then I’ll really get mad.”

Licht warily got up, keeping an eye on Ain. He handed over the key he’d been gripping tightly enough to leave marks.

“Here, the key. Keep it safe.”

“Thanks.”

“Yeah. And I don’t know if you remember, but… you can change the bedding every three days if needed. If you want it changed sooner, it’ll cost 70 Rund. If you need hot water, let me know in advance. We’ll heat it up for when you get back.”

These were the same instructions given to other guests, but saying them to Ain felt strange. It was hard to believe Ain, whom he thought he’d never see again, was staying at this inn.

“I remember. I’ll keep it in mind and let you know if I need anything.”

“…Yeah. And the food Mr. Heiker makes is even better than before, so buy some if you need it. From 10 PM to 7 AM, we only serve the same menu, and from 7 AM to 11 AM, there are only three set menus, so keep that in mind.”

“Got it, got it.”

Ain nodded, amused by Licht’s fluent explanation.

“I won’t explain the basics since I know you’ll handle them well. You must be tired from the trip, so rest up.”

“Are you going to work, Licht?”

“Yeah, I still have things to do.”

“Mm, work hard. Hyung will be cheering for you.”

“You must be tired from the trip, so you don’t need to cheer, just rest.”

With that, Licht left the room. Ain’s teasing words made him respond grumpily, but Licht’s mood was soaring.

Reuniting with Ain, whom he missed so much. And Ain would be staying at this inn for a while.

Licht’s steps were light as he went down the stairs.

‘But why is he staying here for so long?’

Arne Village, where Licht lived, was about two hours by carriage from the major city Thales, the center of Count Vans’ territory. It was a village people passed through when heading east or south without going through Thales, so there were quite a few guests, but it wasn’t a place to stay for a year. It would be better to stay in nearby Thales.

“…Well, he must have his reasons.”

Ain was a reliable adventurer. He had earned the trust of the villagers at just seventeen. Ain’s companions were the same. They were all competent people, so they wouldn’t come here without a reason.

Licht soon set aside his worries and continued his work. There was a mountain of tasks today, too.

* * *

Ain, who had been staying in his room, went down to the first floor as the sunset was almost over. He saw familiar faces gathered at a table in the nearly full first-floor dining area.

Bjorn raised his hand when he saw Ain. Ain grinned and, instead of going to them, headed to Licht, who was handling a payment. He stopped the hand of a customer who was about to pull out silver coins.

“What, what are you doing?”

“I’m in a good mood today.”

“So what?”

The customer frowned at the sudden interruption. Ain, unfazed, looked at Licht with a relaxed demeanor.

“Licht. Today, I’ll cover all the food and drinks. Tell everyone to enjoy.”

“What? R-really?”

“Yeah. Really. You know hyung has money, right?”

“Oh, I know, but….”

“Oh… Oh! Hey! Everyone, listen up! This gentleman here is covering all the bills today!”

The customer’s previously grumpy attitude completely changed. Excitedly spreading the news, the customer bowed to Ain.

“Oh my, I didn’t recognize such a generous person! Thank you for the meal!”

Thanks to the customer shouting loudly, there was no taking it back. The customer returned to their table, and soon hands were raised all over the place.

“Owner, three beers here, please!”

“One meat pie here!”

“One beef stew too!”

“Two plates of paella!”

“Two bottles of wine, please!”

“J-just a moment. Please speak in order!”

Thanks to Ain’s sudden announcement, Licht was overwhelmed. Ain smiled and said, “Put it on my tab,” then headed to his group.

Licht seemed overwhelmed but quite happy. As a kid, he used to sulk when his dad was busy, but now he was a proper inn owner, happy about the rising sales. Ain felt proud, as if he had raised Licht himself.

“Why are you looking at him like you raised him all by yourself?”

“I probably had a little part in Licht growing up.”

“You didn’t even visit when he was growing up fast…. Ouch, I mean, never mind.”

Maser, who had been making a sly remark, groaned after getting his foot stepped on. Bjorn clicked his tongue.

“That’s what you get for saying unnecessary things.”

“It was just honest advice! Ouch, it hurts. I need to disinfect this. Licht, a bottle of whiskey, please!”

Licht, who was busy taking orders, came running.

“Aren’t you ordering any food?”

“…Hmm, I’ll have a gratin, please.”

“An onion soup too.”

After taking all the orders, Licht looked at Ain.

“Ain, aren’t you eating anything?”

“Me? Just give me something easy to cook.”

“Got it. I’ll bring out something quick!”

Licht quickly went into the kitchen. Thanks to the people ordering greedily, the kitchen was running nonstop. It was so busy that even though Rutte, who worked at night, arrived, Nidia couldn’t leave and was stuck in the kitchen. Licht was also very busy going back and forth between the hall and the kitchen.

“Because of… Ain-nim, Licht is really busy….”

“Yeah, way too busy.”

“I think I should go help….”

Albina mumbled and slowly got up. Everyone looked at her curiously.

“You can’t even cook. Are you planning to make charcoal?”

“Surely you’re not going to take orders.”

“Oh, no, of course not…. The kitchen seems short on fire, so… I’m going to stoke it a bit….”

Saying that, Albina headed straight to the kitchen. Heiker and Nidia, who were working busily, looked extremely flustered, gesturing wildly. But in the end, Albina seemed to win, as she started placing pots on the floor.

Watching the pots enveloped in a faint flame, Bjorn clicked his tongue. A dish with the head mage of the tower personally lighting the fire.

“That’s a dish with high labor costs.”

“Well, it’s good.”

Ain chuckled and then noticed someone gesturing towards him. The man’s face looked somewhat familiar. He was probably a resident of Arne Village. Ain gestured for the man, who was flapping his mouth in surprise, to be quiet. The man nodded rapidly.

“…The people in this village seem to know.”

“We did make quite a scene.”

Ain reminisced about the past. The customer who was grumpy during the payment earlier seemed to be a traveler and didn’t know, but many of the villagers in the restaurant seemed to recognize Ain.

“I told Licht to call Ruschilka and Albina by their nicknames.”

“Yeah. It’s better to pretend to hide it.”

Ain replied nonchalantly and looked at Licht. Watching him bustle around was quite entertaining. Was it because they met after a long time, or because old memories were coming back? Even though the reason for coming to this inn was due to a serious incident, Ain was quite happy.

After watching for a while, the dishes finally started coming out. A bowl of beef stew was placed in front of Ain, along with several other tables.

“Enjoy your meal, Ain.”

“Mm, thanks.”

Ain smiled warmly. Maser, seeing this, shivered as if creeped out and got his foot stepped on again.

After Licht left, Ain tasted the beef stew. He nodded in satisfaction.

“It’s delicious. I could recommend it to the royal chefs.”

“The food here is indeed tasty.”

Bjorn swallowed his saliva, eyeing Ain’s beef stew. Regardless, Ain finished his bowl cleanly. Bjorn, who hadn’t eaten anything and was licking his lips, noticed something.

“Ain-nim.”

Bjorn subtly pointed to the window. A black cat was sitting on the outside windowsill, staring at them intently.

Ain immediately got up and went outside, with Bjorn following. As they circled around the inn building to the backyard, the black cat they saw earlier was sitting upright, as if waiting for them.