Chapter 36

In the Albein Kingdom's calendar, the names of the gods called "Star Gods" are used. These names are also used for the names of guilds, and my guild is named after the Water Bearer god. That's why it's called the Silver Water Bearer Inn.

It is now the fifth month, known as the "Month of the Lion God." The correspondence between the Star Gods and the numbers seems to have been decided arbitrarily when the calendar was established, and there doesn't seem to be any particular rule.

Roughly from March to July, the climate is similar and warm, with August being abnormally hot. This is because it is the month when the Fire Elemental King is most active. It is said that the presence of fire dragons in the Albein Kingdom's territory is also due to such circumstances.

At this time of year, the sun rises around 5:30 AM. At the same time, I wake up, open the curtains to bask in the sunlight, and then close them again. I then wake up the morning-sensitive Verlene, have breakfast, and prepare for the store to open at 10:00 AM.

To keep drinking all day, it is necessary to maintain a steady flow of customers in the store. For this, I always need to consider the quality of the food, and if a dish is unpopular, I need to improve the cooking or ingredients, change the name of the dish, or replace it with a new one. The same applies to alcohol and drinks. I manage the temperature and humidity of the high-quality wines stored in the basement of the store, and I check the freshness of the fruits before making juice.

I entrust the procurement of ingredients to the suppliers, but there was a time when I used to go to the morning market in the capital. During that time, I obtained the qualification to appraise food, and I believe that making an effort to make things easier is a necessary thing.

Even for a drinker, there is a certain level of grooming required. The clothes should not be too wrinkled, but they should not be too neat either.

I prepare a week's worth of clothes, plus some extras, and when they get old, I gradually incorporate new, slightly worn clothes into the rotation. If a customer says, "That guy always wears the same clothes to drink," the store might be seen as unhygienic. For the same reason, I have almost fixed the cycle of getting my hair cut. When I was a child, my sister would cut my hair or not, depending on her mood, and it would grow out of control. Now, I get my hair cut once a month at a familiar salon.

I almost don't grow a beard, but I do get my face shaved. When the barber's daughter's large chest hits my face during the shave—let's not go into that.

I am used to seeing large chests, but there is no opportunity for physical contact. It's not that I am not given the chance, but it's like a horse enduring the carrot hanging in front of its nose without eating it.

After washing my face, I knocked on the door of the office. If she doesn't wake up, I am allowed to enter the room.

"I'm coming in."

After calling out, I opened the door and entered. From the office, you can enter the archive room, but since there was still space, Verlene had put a bed there and was sleeping there. She has the guild members organize the archives and set up her furniture, and I allow it because she works hard.

"..."

As I entered, Verlene turned over. The timing was so deliberate—she actually does it on purpose—that it was clear she was already awake.

"How many times do you think this is? I'm getting used to your morning greeting."

"...Mmm. Master is so cold. Since I am known as a skilled fisher, I can't be caught, can I?"

To be honest, it's impossible not to let my eyes linger on that one spot. Verlene is sleeping in just a shirt, with the buttons undone down to her chest, and lying on her back—what happens in that position. One wrong move and it could be a disaster.

"I'm counting on Master to take responsibility if the buttons pop off..."

"Showing off your body is fine, but you'll catch a cold sleeping like that."

"When I lived in the castle as a demon king, I used to sleep naked. I explained that I can't settle with anything on me."

"I appreciate your consideration, but please wear something on the bottom."

"I do wear undergarments... but if I keep acting innocent, I might be seen as having a fetish. It's a difficult situation."

Verlene got out of bed. On the first day she came to this guild, she liked the shirt I lent her as a nightgown and sometimes takes it from my room. Today, she is wearing one of those shirts, and without pants, her brown legs are exposed.

"I think you should wear something... or at least try a regular nightgown?"

"Being constricted is enough during work hours. I'm used to it, but the maid uniform is difficult to put on and take off. I was so impressed by the effort that I raised the maids' salaries by 20% on the spot after learning from a professional maid."

"I don't mind if you run the store in regular clothes. I have some prepared."

"The outfit Master prepared for a female bar owner... that sounds interesting. I might try it once. The customers might get tired of seeing me in a maid uniform all the time."

I bow in admiration of Verlene's service spirit. In fact, many male customers come to see her in her maid uniform, so changing her outfit regularly might increase the number of customers—no, the store is already so crowded that there are entry restrictions, so her outfit changes need to be handled carefully.

She got up and headed to the bathroom. She says she likes to take a bath in the morning and at night, but there aren't many people in 12th Street who live such a noble lifestyle—no, it's not surprising since she used to be a demon king.

◆◇◆

Thirty minutes later, I had breakfast with Verlene, who had finished getting ready, and we went downstairs. We completed the necessary preparations before opening, updated the daily menu, and welcomed the opening time.

The first customer—no, a guild member—arrived. He is a medium build, medium height young man with short black hair, named Rigel. He passed the adventurer certification exam a year ago and joined our guild. Normally, no one would choose the 12th guild.

Rigel is a B-rank adventurer and has recently been forming a party with Lya and McKinley to complete quests. Lya, who is A-rank, follows Rigel because I value the experience gained after joining the guild. Lya doesn't seem to have any complaints and has accepted my policy of gradually getting used to B-rank quests. McKinley, on the other hand, has become devoted to me and follows my orders without question, but I believe he will naturally develop independence as he gains more experience.

"Brother, it looks like it's already ready today."

"Hey, you seem to be in a good mood. It's on me, so have a drink."

"Thank you! Man, drinking ale at noon is the best!"

Rigel is easy to get excited but is fundamentally serious. He has potential with the sword and could reach AA-rank within five years.

S-rank and above is a matter of talent, and not something that can be achieved with time and experience. Even Lya, who is currently A-rank, has a limit to her potential considering her age, and it's difficult to say if she can reach S-rank.

"By the way, this is something I was asked to deliver..."

Rigel placed a paper on the counter as casually as possible and handed it to me.

It read, "Dear Guild Master, from all the guild members."

"...Again. What's so fun about calling out a drunk like me?"

"Everyone is grateful. I mean, I'm saying this seriously."

My guild has over a hundred members. In terms of numbers, it is the smallest among the 12 guilds. The largest, "The White Goat Inn," has a thousand members, but the second-largest has fewer than 300.

A significant number of quests are needed to sustain the adventurer profession, but the current number of adventurers is slightly oversupplied. I have scouted people I see potential in without hesitation, but some leave the guild for various reasons, and about ten members are replaced each year, never exceeding 100.

I would like to place guild members in various regions of the country, but for now, only about 50 are stationed in places with transfer arrays and major cities, and the remaining 50 are in the capital, visiting the store to receive quests from Verlene and forming parties when necessary.

The Silver Water Bearer Inn has 62 seats, including 8 at the counter. In theory, all the guild members in the capital could gather, but if we held such a meeting, there would be no point in individually handing out quests, forming parties, and introducing members.

"Sir, isn't it good? It's been about a month since the last one, and we can reserve the store a few days from now."

"Sure, you really understand, don't you? Brother, it's really great to have such a beautiful person here!"

"I'm a customer, and she's the owner. But, yes, she is beautiful."

"Hehe... Thank you, sir. Even if it's a compliment, it's a pleasure to hear."

In her white elf form, Verlene smiled. Although it's not a compliment, she is modest while working as the owner.

"Alright, I'll treat everyone. Bring as many as you want."

"Really!? Ah, sorry, I got a bit loud..."

"By the way, Sir Rigel. I heard a story from a customer recently. Are you interested?"

"Ah, yes! I'm interested in anything!"

This is how Verlene assigns quests to guild members in the form of "rumors." We decide who gets which quest the day before in the office.

The store has been open for a while, and customers are coming in. It's not too busy, but the kitchen staff has arrived, and the store is getting lively—when it gets this busy, we can't openly talk about quests, so we need to disguise it as casual conversation.

"Recently, a group of merchants near the capital had an 'accident.' It seems the animals they were transporting escaped and are hiding in a nearby cave..."

This was the quest we discussed yesterday.

The group of merchants deals with rare animals. The animal in question seems to be a ferocious beast that humans can't handle, and there is a request to capture it.

The quest has already been posted to several guilds, so there might be overlap, but the contract is to pay the reward to the successful guild and only the deposit to the others.

"Wow... there's such a story. 'Can you tell me more about it?'"

"Yes. 'Do you have time to talk?'"

"Yes, 'I'm free.'"

The guild member's acceptance phrase. With this, Rigel will receive the quest materials and form a party with the members listed to complete the quest.

It's better to start the quest as soon as possible, but there is some preparation involved, so it will take a day. Rigel understands this, finishes his drink, and stands up.

"Thank you! Brother, I'll bring 'some friends' tonight!"

"Sure, come again."

"Bringing friends" means bringing guild members to drink before reserving the store.

It takes time to coordinate the schedules of fifty people, but that's not a problem. The guild members of the "Silver Water Bearer Inn" are always welcome to visit the store and enjoy themselves.

"Sir, do you have plans for tonight?"

"I might have some friends coming."

"Hehe... You've been visiting more frequently recently."

Verlene says this suggestively. Aileen, who is free but is part of our guild, is fine, but Miralca, Yuma, and Cody have been taking turns visiting the store.

Offering something Yuma can drink, even though she can't drink alcohol, greatly impressed her—normally, I could bring it to her busy schedule.

Thinking about this, I remembered. If I don't visit Miralca's laboratory today, it will be four days in a row without bringing a gift. I had planned to visit regularly, so four days is a bit too long.

"...Sorry, I'll leave the store at noon."

"Understood. I'll be waiting here, so please take your time."

"Thanks, always."

"I'm like a housewife, so don't worry about it."

Verlene says this boldly because there are few customers in the store. I take a sip of the third ale she served. While watching me, Verlene polished the glass without a single smudge and smiled contentedly.