Chapter 5

I told the devil king before the princess left the shop that I would temporarily return the "royal emblem" to her as a success fee.

In return, she left ten rare ancient gold coins as an advance. This amount alone could run the guild for three months, but I decided to let it go. Money is, after all, a circulating asset.

Three days after the request.

News arrived that Princess Manalina had challenged Duke Vinzburkt to a duel and won.

Why was she able to win? It was undoubtedly because she had requested help from my guild, but I haven't revealed the method used yet.

When she comes to deliver the reward, I have no intention of revealing what I did.

The truth is, I used a reliable magic spell that I had used multiple times to defeat the devil king—enhancement magic.

I can apply enhancement magic to food and drink. The advantage of this is that I can cast the spell without the target noticing, simply by having them eat or drink it.

I had the princess drink milk enhanced with the magic, temporarily increasing her combat rating by 1000 points. The effects of the kylin milk wine, which enhances physical abilities, and the thousand-year peach, which reduces enemy magic, also contributed, allowing Princess Manalina to easily reverse a 500-point rating difference and defeat Duke Vinzburkt with a sword alone.

Guild members witnessed her victory. Princess Manalina, with her long blonde hair tied in a single braid, wore silver light armor and faced the duel with ease. She knocked Duke Vinzburkt's competition saber out of his hand with her first strike, greatly surprising the king and the nobles who were watching the battle.

It's good that the request was completed, but this method has one risk: the princess might overestimate her own abilities. However, it's unlikely that she will have another opportunity to duel, and if she does, I can easily make her win by preparing in advance.

If she needs to duel again, I'll ask her to use the Silver Water Jug Inn. If I have her trust, she will likely agree to the request.

This is not cheating but enhancement. It's a method that can be used to train weak adventurers, and my shop has gathered various drinks and snacks to enhance all kinds of abilities.

It will be difficult for the self-proclaimed maid to leave the castle, so it might be a while before I see her again.

"Dick, why didn't you say you knew it was the princess?"

When Aileen completed a difficult request and returned, she immediately came to the guild. As a member of my guild, she is known as the "guild where the devil slayer's martial artist belongs," so I have her work as a freelancer. The reward is the same as if I were employing her, and the guild handles the taxes.

At 17, she has grown from "bouncy" to "about to burst," but she is still a brainy martial artist. Despite appearances, she is quite good at cooking and sometimes helps in the kitchen. Of course, she uses the back door when she comes in, and in a sense, she is like an employee.

I can cook decently well, so when the chef is on leave, Aileen and I sometimes prepare the evening menu together. I'm not always drinking 24/7.

"The princess came to the request in disguise, so it wouldn't make sense for us to pretend we didn't know."

"Oh, right. But what will happen now? I heard that Duke Vinzburkt is in shock and bedridden."

"He's not a duke but a duke. It seems that by rushing into marriage with the princess, he caused a rebellion among the women he was involved with. Some of them were daughters of other dukes, and now there's a big commotion among the nobility. It's a terrible mess, but he brought it upon himself."

The devil king is on break until the shop opens at night but is helping voluntarily. She is particularly good at peeling root vegetables. Aileen is trying to compete, so I have less to do and it's easier for me.

Cody, who was caught between the nobles and the knights, has seen a dramatic reduction in interference from the nobles thanks to Princess Manalina's advice to the king. As a result, requests that were previously handled by the knights are now coming to the adventurer guild—our guild is also benefiting from this.

I would like to hear more from Cody when he comes to drink. I want him to have a good time and clear his mind with a fine drink.

"But, I heard that Princess Manalina is very beautiful. Now that she's an adult, she might start appearing at public events and receive more marriage proposals."

"The princess won't accept any proposals. She knows the charm of her master."

"Why is that... I was just drinking on the side. The princess has probably forgotten about me. Besides, she came to the shop as a maid."

While saying this, I still can't forget the beauty I saw when she took off her hood.

However, I had a similar feeling five years ago.

When I first met Miralca. Until she opened her mouth and called me a "dull man, even as a porter," I was completely captivated and happy to travel with her.

She is only interested in annihilation magic and cute animals and sees men as no more than potatoes. Still, there is no denying that she is an absolutely beautiful girl. After the devil king's defeat, Miralca received countless marriage proposals.

However, no one could break through her ironclad defense, and she rejected all of them with the line, "I see no elements in you that could make me interested in you, now or in the future." She is probably still alone.

I haven't seen Miralca since a year ago when our relationship with Aileen was misunderstood. Sometimes, even though she only came to the shop to complain, I miss her.

"By the way, the school the first princess attends..."

"Did you say something, Aileen?"

"Hehe, no, it's nothing. Maybe it's just my imagination, but if it's not, you'll find out eventually, Dick."

"What are you talking about...? I'm curious. If you don't tell me, I won't be able to focus on anything else."

"Mmm, as expected, the devil girl is skilled at capturing her master's attention. I should learn from her."

Aileen's suggestive words were bothering me, so I asked her several times, but she wouldn't answer.

While this was going on, the doorbell of the shop, which should have been closed for preparation, rang.

"Hey, a customer came in?"

"I can't be recognized as a staff member. Devil king, can you go out and handle it?"

The devil king went out to greet the customers, and Aileen and I watched from the kitchen, hiding our presence—then.

Two women, one wearing a cloak and the other with a hood covering her face. One of them was Princess Manalina—and the other was.

"Customers, we are currently preparing. What brings you here?"

"Bring out the person in charge of this 'Silver Water Jug Inn'—Dick Silver. It won't do you any good to hide."

Nothing has changed from a year ago.

Her voice, always harsh towards me but captivating, like the ringing of a bell, resonated in my ears.

She took off her hood, and the golden hair hidden beneath it spread out. I knew it was her even without seeing the earrings that seal her overwhelming magical power. Her voice alone was enough to identify her.

Miralca Eris. Two years ago, at the age of 14, she became a professor at the magic university. Known for her intelligence, beauty, and unchanging harsh personality, as well as the intensity of her annihilation magic experiments, she is still called the "Adorable Catastrophe."

No, she can no longer be called a girl—she is a full-fledged woman. It is said that every man at the magic university falls in love with Miralca first, and her beauty, now complete at 16, is enviable. Even in this rundown tavern, she exudes a radiant presence. Even with her arms crossed as she used to, the fruits of her growth, overcoming her complexes, rest on her arms.

Why did she come to see me with the princess? I had a vague idea, but the burning emotion in her eyes was an aggressive feeling towards me.