Chapter 57

Day 2 -- Morning.

The momentum of the banquet that continued from the evening of the first day until dawn was incredible.

The fruit wines and the specialty dishes of Abatox Village, which were prepared in advance, were highly praised by the guests due to the quality of the ingredients.

Naturally, the next morning, there were no people who came to drink alcohol from the early hours.

Instead, customers began to appear, wondering if there would be something like breakfast.

"Shall we serve a simple breakfast and some vegetable and fruit juices?"

I had prepared recipes in advance and used fresh vegetables and fruits to make healthy 100% fruit juices.

This way, customers who came looking for breakfast would be satisfied.

Of course, for those who wanted alcohol, we would serve it as well.

"Mako, is this okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. Ram, your cooking skills have really improved."

In *Beowulf*, since we started growing our own vegetables, some people have become more interested in cooking.

Ram, for example, has become particularly skilled, following the recipes I gave and preparing them meticulously, while Garai and Iksa efficiently served them to the tables.

Not only the sales of goods, but the smooth operation of the store system was ideal.

From the early morning, we earned revenue through a morning service.

Then, at nine o'clock, the time when other stores began to open arrived.

"Well, this is where the real challenge begins."

The night before, our store opened after other stores had closed, so we didn't have any real competitors.

From this time onward, the competition with other stores would begin.

I had to call out to as many people as possible and invite them in...

However, it seemed that the promotion from the previous day had been more effective on the capital's citizens than I had expected.

Or perhaps the word-of-mouth from the customers who visited last night had already started to spread.

Before I knew it, just like the opening last night, the store was bustling with customers.

"Hmm...? "

While working and taking a breath, I noticed something.

Beyond the wave of regular customers, carriages began to stop one after another on the road in front of the store.

The doors of the high-class carriages opened, and young ladies dressed in luxurious attire stepped out.

(…They are nobles…)

Sure enough, they came.

The capital has the king's castle at its center, and between the castle and the town, there are the residences of the upper-class citizens, the nobles.

The fireworks last night must have caught the attention of the nobles.

Especially, given their keen interest in new and rare things, I expected that they would come to investigate.

However, I didn't expect that the nobles themselves would visit.

(…Alright, bring it on…)

"Excuse me, could you please make way?"

The young ladies in dresses cut through the flow of regular customers and entered the store one after another.

"Oh? Good morning, Lady Viola of the Snider family. It's been since the party last month, hasn't it?"

"Good morning, Lady Merry of the Baltro family. I'm glad to see you looking well."

The young ladies exchanged polite greetings.

"I was wondering what all the commotion last night was about, and it seems to be the opening ceremony of this store."

"Yes, I heard. I was curious about what kind of goods you would be selling..."

At that moment, I noticed that the young ladies' expressions had become a bit stern.

One of them was frowning, holding a fan to her mouth.

The reason was probably the sight of the *Beowulfs*.

Although the prejudice against them in this area had somewhat diminished, the country was still strict in its views on beastmen.

Especially, the royal family and the nobility were known to have strong discriminatory attitudes.

Perhaps because of this, the expressions and movements of the *Beowulfs* serving the customers were stiff.

"A, a, that's the product..."

"H, here, 30G change..."

Oh dear, they're so stiff.

Perhaps they were nervous about maintaining proper etiquette while being conscious of the nobles' gazes.

"It's alright, there's no need to be so guarded."

At that moment, Iksa appeared in front of the young ladies.

"These are harmless and friendly people. You've probably never been this close to real beastmen, have you? This is a good opportunity to understand them better. I think it will be beneficial for you as nobles."

"I, Iksa Prince!?"

The young ladies, being in the presence of Prince Iksa, were clearly surprised.

"It's an honor to meet you! I am from the Baltro family—"

"I know. We met once a few years ago, didn't we? The Baltro family is known for its wealth from trade. Your unchanged beauty made me recognize you immediately."

Iksa smiled and said this.

(…Iksa is… saying something really princely and charming!)

I almost burst out laughing but managed to hold it in.

However, it was good that Iksa was here.

The young ladies were smitten with him and seemed to have easily let down their guard against the *Beowulfs*.

"Then, Mako, could you introduce the store's products to them?"

"Yes, of course."

With Iksa's assistance, I began to introduce the fruits, vegetables, flowers, and crafts from our village to the young ladies.

"Delicious!"

"I've never tasted such sweet and juicy fruit before!"

They savored the samples of the fruits.

"Beautiful... It's as if flowers are blooming inside glass..."

"And it has a wonderful fragrance."

They admired the beauty of the herbariums.

"Oh, how cute!"

"Is this a rabbit? And a boar? This arrangement seems to be inspired by a garden. It's very well done."

They were moved by the wooden carvings and flower arrangements made by Garai.

Even the highborn young ladies were now enjoying the atmosphere like teenage girls.

"I want this one too!"

"Please load this and this onto the carriage!"

They were giving orders to their butlers, buying one item after another.

Oh, nobles are really good at shopping.

"It's very enjoyable, but it's getting a bit stuffy, isn't it?"

One of the young ladies said this, fanning herself.

Seizing the moment, I signaled to the *Beowulfs*.

"Would you like to cool off outside?"

I led the young ladies to the tables outside.

"I'll prepare a refreshing drink made with local fruits."

"Drinks?"

Garai brought a tray and placed the drinks in front of the young ladies.

"Wow..."

The young ladies let out sighs of admiration.

What I had served them was a refreshing drink made with our village's fruits and carbonated water, a fruit soda.

Actually, I had been preparing jam with the fruits (which was also displayed in the store) up until today.

I used *Alchemy* to create a "large pot" for disaster relief.

The carbonated water was provided by the liquor store.

The liquor store owner said that the carbonated water wouldn't last long because it only needed a cork to seal the bottles, but that's where I came in.

Using *Alchemy*, I created a "champagne stopper" (with some modifications to the gasket) to allow for long-term storage of the carbonated water.

Then, I mixed the jam and soda in artistic glasses made by Delphi.

The jam settled at the bottom, creating a vivid gradient with the clear soda.

It was a beautiful finish.

Great, great, this would definitely be Instagram-worthy in the modern world.

"Beautiful! It's like a gem!"

"Sebastian!!"

One of the young ladies called for her butler.

Looking over, the butler brought a device that looked like a handheld camera.

"That's a magic tool."

Iksa added from the side.

"Among the young noble ladies, a magic tool that instantly captures scenes on paper is very popular. They compete to capture beautiful scenes and use them as topics for boasting."

Really?

Such a culture or trend exists in this world too.

'Oh, oh...'

A voice came from my feet.

"Oh, little one."

The little Urifang, carrying a tray and drinks, was wobbling along.

Was he helping out?

Good job!

"What is this adorable creature!?"

The young ladies, spotting the little one, lit up and reached out.

'Oh, oh!'

Startled, the little one ran to my feet.

"Who is this? Is this for sale in the store!?"

"No, no, it's not for sale. It's not a product."

"How much would it cost to get one!?"

"It's not for sale. He's an important employee. No touching allowed."

The little one, at my feet, was teary-eyed.

In the back, one of the young ladies was trying to see the situation by stretching up.

She seemed to be the more reserved one among the nobles.

"Oh!"

As she stretched, she stumbled and almost fell.

"Whoa!"

Garai, who was nearby, quickly caught her.

"Thank you so much."

The young lady, caught in a princess-carry position, looked up at Garai with a surprised but blushing face.

"Please be careful."

Garai gently lifted her and set her on her feet.

Wow, so gentlemanly.

The young lady, probably not used to encountering men like Garai, was blushing at the sight of the wild and strong man.

"Me too! Can you do that for me too!?"

"How much does that service cost!?"

"No, I'm sorry, that's not a service."

After that, the young ladies thoroughly enjoyed our store.

Thanks to their generous spending, they bought a lot of products at once.

They seemed to really like the store's atmosphere and products, and they even said they would come again.

"Wow, we've got some high-spending customers."

"Mako! Amazing! The products are selling out fast!"

The *Beowulfs* were excitedly shouting, but...

(…Yeah, the sales are good, but…)

This might be a bit "too good."

"Oh, that one's out of stock too?"

"Yeah. Could you change the POP sign to 'sold out' for that product?"

"Sure."

Now, I'm starting to worry.

Will the inventory hold out?