R302 | Chapter 6

“Ugh…”

Licht grabbed his head as he got up. The hangover from yesterday’s drinking was really bad. Why did he drink when he knew this would happen?

…Well, because he wanted to act like an adult in front of Ain, whom he hadn’t seen in a while. But it didn’t seem to have worked. It seemed to have backfired instead…

“Licht, got a hangover?”

Ain, who had gotten up early, was sitting at a table in the first-floor dining area having breakfast. He noticed Licht and asked. Licht nodded slightly, and Ain clicked his tongue.

“That’s what happens when a kid drinks.”

“I’m not a kid…”

Licht stubbornly denied it and sat in the chair opposite Ain. Even though he was suffering from a hangover, he felt good talking to Ain early in the morning.

“Licht. Eat this.”

Heiker came out from the kitchen and placed a bowl of cabbage soup in front of Licht.

“Thank you, sir.”

“If you need more, there’s plenty inside.”

Licht took a spoonful of the thick cabbage soup. It was a taste that made him happy. Feeling a bit more awake, Licht checked Ain’s hearty breakfast and asked quietly.

“Ain, are you going to wander around like before?”

“Yeah, I guess?”

“When are you leaving?”

“Starting today? I’ll head out late in the afternoon.”

“When will you be back?”

“Not sure… The schedule’s not exact. Maybe a week to ten days?”

“Hmm… I see.”

It seemed like he was going away for quite a while again, just like before. Licht felt a bit disappointed. But he quickly changed his mind, thinking it’s good that Ain would return at all. Ain smiled as he watched Licht, who was momentarily downcast but quickly regained his spirit. Then, as if he remembered something, he handed over a pouch that was casually lying on the table.

“What’s this?”

“It’s for the food and drinks from yesterday.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

Licht quietly opened the pouch. Inside were two dazzling 100 Rund gold coins and several 10 Rund silver coins. He gulped involuntarily.

“I asked Heiker about it, and he said the sales during dinner were 268 Rund and 38 Ruhin. I thought about just giving 300 Rund, but Heiker refused. I didn’t have any smaller coins, so I put in 270 Rund. Consider the 1 Rund and 62 Ruhin a bonus.”

“Wow… Yesterday was our inn’s highest sales ever.”

“Yeah, congrats.”

“Ain, hold on a second.”

Licht went to give silver coins as a bonus to Rutte, who was preparing to leave, and Heiker, who worked in the kitchen. It was only right to pay them for their hard work. Licht, who had also set aside silver coins for when Nidia came, returned with a smile.

“Are you happy?”

“Yeah, I’m happy.”

“Seeing you happy makes me happy too.”

Ain smiled contentedly. It felt like the most rewarding money he’d spent in years.

Feeling good, Licht overcame his hangover and finished the cabbage soup energetically.

“Then I’ll go to work. Ain, take it easy. It’s still early, so get some more sleep if you want.”

“I’ll watch you work, Licht.”

“That… might be boring.”

“I find it fun.”

“Ain, you’re unique.”

Licht collected Ain’s dishes and headed to the kitchen. He washed all the pots that Heiker had cooked with and then came back out.

At the counter, a familiar face was waiting for Licht, scratching Rinne’s neck. It was Fanny, a mercenary who stayed at <Cats and Adventurers> whenever passing through. Fanny waved cheerfully when she saw Licht.

“Hey, Licht.”

“Hello, Fanny. Have you been waiting long? You should have said something.”

“I haven’t waited long. But you don’t look too well today?”

“I drank a bit yesterday…”

“Licht, you can’t handle alcohol. Don’t push yourself.”

“Yeah. I’m reflecting on it…”

“Haha, alright.”

Fanny laughed heartily.

Meanwhile, Ain, watching the counter from a nearby table, looked at the scene with displeasure.

‘Who is that woman?’

A sword at her waist, hidden weapons below her calves and wrists. Leather armor under her loose clothes, light luggage to avoid hindrance in case of an emergency, and a shield-like emblem on her bag.

Clearly, she’s not an ordinary adventurer but a mercenary. He couldn’t understand why someone in such a rough profession was close to Licht. Of course, being an inn, they couldn’t avoid dealing with mercenaries, but their closeness was bothersome.

Ain barely suppressed his hostility. Regardless, Licht continued his warm conversation with Fanny.

“Licht, any good requests?”

“Yes. There are a few requests suitable for you, Fanny. There’s one to drive away wolves that have been appearing a lot in Emera Forest, another to collect thirty red Arico berries from the same forest… And a request to accompany Priestess Yvette to bless a goddess statue at the three-way junction on the eastern road.”

“Oh. What’s the deadline?”

“One week for driving away the wolves, one month for finding the Arico berries, and as soon as possible for Priestess Yvette’s request. The rewards are 50 Rund for the wolves, 17 Rund and five low-grade potions for the berries, and ten bottles of holy water and a blessing for Priestess Yvette’s request.”

“Not bad. I’ll take them all. I’ll handle Priestess Yvette’s request today, and I’ll head to the forest for the other requests the day after tomorrow.”

“Sounds good. I’ll register them under your name, Fanny. Are you staying?”

“Yeah. Book me a double room for three days. That’s 12 Rund, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. You can go to Room 208.”

“Thanks.”

The conversation flowed smoothly, and Fanny paid 12 Rund, filled out the lodging register, and went upstairs with the key. Ain, who had been listening quietly, approached Licht.

“Licht.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you take requests at the inn too?”

“Yeah, we’ve been doing that for two years. We don’t get a lot of requests, but it’s enough to keep things going. Oh, if you ever need help, Ain, put in a request. I’ll connect you with someone good.”

“Sure. I’ll do that. But what other requests do you have?”

“There aren’t many left now. Finding a runaway cat, repairing a roof, helping with moving, copying a book… And defeating a giant spider beast in Shalfe Forest and collecting white horned centipede eggs.”

Licht seemed to have memorized the ongoing requests, speaking without needing to check.

“Why didn’t you mention the Shalfe Forest requests to that guest earlier? Those are also suitable for a mercenary.”

“Fanny doesn’t like bugs. She’s okay with small ones, but big ones are tough for her.”

“Ah. I see. Did you pick the requests you suggested to her on purpose?”

“Yeah. Fanny is meticulous, so she’s good at requests like finding berries. She only brings back high-quality ones, so the clients are very satisfied. Since she’ll be going to Emera Forest for the berries, it would be good to handle the wolf request too. And since Fanny knows Priestess Yvette, the escort request to the goddess statue is a good fit. You can’t send just anyone for an escort request.”

Having once been an adventurer and taken guild requests, Ain could tell the quality of the requests was quite good. Remembering the traits of regular mercenaries and taking care of them accordingly, it seemed Licht was doing an excellent job not just with the inn but in other areas too. Ain was intrigued.

“Licht, should I take on some requests occasionally too?”

“Why? You have plenty of money, Ain.”

“Because it’s better to do something and move around than just sit idle in my free time.”

“If you take them, that’d be great for me.”

Licht’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“Ain, you used to take on big requests, right? Hunting beasts with bounties and all.”

“Yeah, I did.”

“You were amazing even at seventeen back then.”

“I’m even more amazing now.”

Ain boasted without a hint of shame. Licht nodded enthusiastically. Ain had been incredible even as a rookie adventurer back then, so he must be even more extraordinary now.

“Then I’ll gather some good requests for when you return.”

“I was thinking of starting today.”

“Today? There aren’t any requests suitable for you right now… Shalfe Forest would take half a day, and the copying… there’s quite a lot. And the moving is in two weeks.”

“There’s the cat-finding one.”

“Oh. But that’s… harder than it seems. It might be the toughest. The cat roams outside the village and is really fast. Plus, there are so many similar-looking cats…”

“True. This village does have a lot of cats.”

“Yeah.”

Having stayed in the village for 30 years, most villagers knew Rinne was a divine beast. Divine beasts are sacred and precious creatures with a nature to protect the places they reside, so everyone was friendly towards Rinne.

Having grown accustomed to the divine beast in the form of a cat, people naturally became more lenient towards real cats too. As a result, other cats comfortably stretched out and lounged here, leading to a higher cat population than in other villages.

“I’ll give it a try. Tell me about the cat.”

“Oh… right. The reward is a bit low. It’s 5 Rund and a cat doll.”

“A doll?”

“Yeah. The requester is still young. Fourteen years old. So the reward isn’t much… Is that okay?”

Ain smiled broadly at the worried question.

“Of course, it’s fine. Helping a kid makes me more motivated.”

Seeing Ain still so generous to children, he was just like before.

Licht rummaged under the counter and found a small drawing. It was a yellow-striped cat drawn with somewhat clumsy skill. Though awkward, the distinctive markings were emphasized.

“This is it, named Cheese. The requester drew it, so it’s a bit rough… Can you recognize it?”

“Yeah, I think I can.”

“If you take Rinne, you’ll find it easily. The problem is Rinne doesn’t usually go along…”

“Myaak.”

Rinne, who had been rubbing against Licht’s hand, stood up straight. Licht gently petted Rinne’s head.

“Rinne, will you go with Ain?”

“Myak, myang.”

Rinne jumped down to the floor. With its tail held high, Rinne pushed open the cat door at the bottom of the wooden door with its head and went out.

“Oh, it seems like Rinne’s going to help?”

“Yeah.”

“Sometimes it feels like Rinne understands everything.”

“……”

Having received a favor from Licht’s father, Kaine, and staying in the village to protect him for 30 years, Rinne had been with Licht since he was born.

Even after seeing Rinne all his life, Licht still adorably mistook Rinne for an ordinary cat, which Ain found endearing. Ain reached out and gently patted Licht’s black hair.

“Then I’ll go look for the cat.”

“Wait a sec. I’ll lend you a trap, so take it.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ll try catching it by hand.”

“That’ll be tough…”

“Yeah, I’ll show you how capable your hyung is.”

“…Okay, take care.”

Worried that Ain might just tire himself out by showing off, Licht swallowed his concern and waved as he saw Ain off.