Chapter 58

Even after the young noble ladies left, the flow of people did not cease.

Rather, it felt like the number was increasing.

"Wow... the customers aren't decreasing at all."

Around noon, Mau, Meala, and Orquidea, along with Fressa, had recovered.

They were surprised by the constant state of the shop.

I asked Mau and the others to serve as waiters in the dining area, delivering food and drinks.

"Phew..."

However, there's no time to catch my breath.

But then again, during my time at the home center, I was always fully occupied during business hours.

"Hello, Mako."

Then, I was suddenly called out.

"Ah! Moguro-san! And Bertona-san!"

The ones who appeared before me were the employees of the Adventurer's Guild I had met the other day: Moguro, the Appraiser, and Bertona, the receptionist.

"Thank you very much for your help the other day."

Bertona bowed deeply.

"Huh? No, rather, I was the one who was helped..."

"What are you saying! Mako! I heard from Mr. Urshima about your outstanding performance!"

Moguro, with shining eyes behind his glasses, took my hand.

Good, the glasses are back.

"To defeat a demon like that... and to do it instantly! What method did you use? This story has already spread in the community, and it seems the Church is quite interested, speculating that a legendary 'Holy Maiden' has appeared—"

"Moguro-sama, please lower your tone a bit."

Bertona, who was getting excited and speaking quickly, was calmed down, and she bowed again.

"The reason we came today is that we have something to deliver regarding that matter. First, here is the reward from the other day."

With that, Bertona handed me a rather large leather bag.

"Based on the wishes of Mr. Urshima and Mr. Akashi, most of the reward for this mission has been allocated to you. Additionally, considering the contributions and abilities of those who accompanied you, such as Prince Iksa and Mr. Garai, we have set the amount accordingly."

"Heh, you didn't have to go to such lengths."

After all, I just sprayed some insecticide. It's my job.

"Furthermore, based on your performance and abilities during this mission, the Guild has decided to promote you to A-rank adventurer."

"Eh?"

Bertona pulled out some thick documents.

"Once you sign this approval form, we will immediately issue an A-rank adventurer license for you."

"Wait, wait! Me, A-rank!?"

"Please."

Bertona leaned in closer.

Hmm... well, it's nice, but if I become A-rank, will I have more responsibilities and jobs?

If so, I don't really have the time...

"Mako, you became an A-rank adventurer?"

"Wow..."

Mau and Meala, who had appeared out of nowhere, looked at me with sparkling eyes.

"No, um, it might be a bit too much for me... or something..."

"To have the strength to slay a demon in one blow, what could possibly be too much for you?"

Bertona leaned in even closer.

Too close, too close!

"However, Mako, not only do you have martial prowess, but you also have such business acumen."

Meanwhile, Moguro was casually looking around the store.

I wish you could control your receptionist a bit.

"Y-Yeah, thanks to Delphi, we've been able to make good products—"

I tried to shift the topic to Moguro to escape from Bertona's pressure.

That's when it happened.

"Hey, what's going on here!"

A gruff voice boomed through the store.

Looking over, a tough-looking man was holding a vegetable and shouting.

"These vegetables are damaged! Is this the kind of quality you're selling to make money?"

"Hey! This glassware is broken, and the oil inside is leaking! My hands are dirty!"

Similar complaints came from other parts of the store.

Two, three, more customers started to raise their voices.

(...Maybe there were some defective products? ...)

Of course, that possibility isn't zero, but...

"Mako, those people..."

Fressa, who had been trembling, came over.

"I saw... they were damaging the products themselves in hidden places..."

"What? What are you saying, kid! Who are we!?"

One of the men roared upon hearing Fressa's voice.

Fressa let out a cry and clung to my legs.

"Mako, for the past few days, I have been guarding the store..."

Suaru appeared.

"These men are part of the group of troublemakers... I've seen them loitering around the store many times."

"...I thought so."

It seems they have resorted to direct interference.

Their goal is clear.

They're not just trying to find faults with the store's products and label them as subpar.

They want to create the impression that this store attracts low-quality customers.

If that happens, decent people won't come.

Nobles, in particular, will stop coming.

Indeed, the regular customers around us looked scared and puzzled.

"Shall we take care of these ruffians here?"

"Wait, wait, Suaru. We can't just show blood."

I pushed Fressa, who was clinging to my legs, towards Suaru and approached the men.

"I will handle it."

I went up to the men and bowed deeply.

"I am very sorry. We will conduct more thorough inspections of the product quality in the future. However, making loud noises in the store can also be a nuisance to other customers, so if possible, could we discuss this outside—"

"Who cares about that!"

The man threw the vegetable he was holding at me.

I caught it as it hit my shoulder.

"If you're sorry, show some sincerity!"

"Yeah, get down on your knees and pay us compensation!"

"I cannot do that."

I raised my head.

My gaze was straight ahead.

"All we can do is talk."

"What? This store has terrible service! Customers are gods, you know!"

"..."

I sighed deeply.

There are always people like this in any era.

"...'Customer'"

I wrote the word "customer" in the air.

"The word 'customer' means a person who is invited, a person who visits, a person who pays money to buy something."

I could see the man in front of me tense up at my gaze.

"A person. No matter how much we use 'o' and 'sama' to show respect, a customer is a human being. We recognize all customers as fellow human beings, regardless of who they are."

"Y-You, is this how you treat customers!"

The man, seeing my unwavering stance, started to raise his voice.

At that moment,

"Customers are human..."

A hand was placed on the man's shoulder.

"Then, a monkey that only screams in front of a store isn't even human."

It was Garai.

He exuded a presence that made the tough-looking men seem small, and he said,

"Do you want to be exterminated?"

Wow.

I can't tell who's the yakuza anymore.

"W-What, you!?"

The man was confused.

A tough guy who couldn't be intimidated by threats or high-pressure tactics.

Moreover, he clearly felt inferior to Garai in terms of courage.

Still, he was a thug.

A troublemaker who made a living by violence.

He immediately threw a punch at Garai's face.

"Garai!"

I shouted to Garai.

However, Garai didn't flinch and looked at me with a gaze that said, "I know."

On the other hand,

"Ow, ow, ow!"

The man who threw the punch clutched his hand and crouched down.

"That was..."

Moguro, who was behind me, adjusted his glasses.

"Probably due to Garai's abilities."

"Moguro, do you know something?"

"Well, he said he didn't need an appraisal the other day, but I have a habit of investigating things that interest me. I secretly appraised Garai's status as well."

Moguro smiled slyly.

"No, that's just stalking. It's definitely not okay."

"Well, I haven't told anyone! Garai's skill is 'Oni's Blood.' He is a demi-human with oni blood and can use his magic power to double his strength. If he uses 10 magic points, his strength doubles. If he uses 20, it triples, and so on, proportionally increasing his power."

If Garai's magic power is 100,

Using 10 magic points doubles his strength.

Using 20 magic points triples his strength—proportionally increasing his power.

"And when he uses all his magic power, which is fully recovered, his strength can increase to 100 times, 200 times, or even more."

"I see..."

So, Garai might be using a small amount of magic power to intercept the attack.

If he gets hit in the face, it means he's also hitting the attacker's fist with his face.

In any case, the men are confused and flustered because their attacks are not working on Garai.

Just then,

"Is this the place? I received a report."

A knight appeared at the store entrance, wearing armor with the capital's emblem.

A typical knight.

"There's a disturbance, so I came to check. What's going on?"

"Hey, sir! Perfect timing! The store employees attacked me!"

The man who had been crouching with his hand on his fist stood up and approached the knight.

He really has a lot of nerve.

"Is that true?"

"Yeah, this guy did it!"

The knight looked at Garai—

"...Huh?"

But his gaze shifted to me.

"M-Mako!?"

The knight recognized me and shouted.

Huh? Who?

"Mako! It's me! I used to be part of the market city's knight squad! I saw your heroic figure during the fruit stand robbery incident!"

...Huh?

"Oh! That time! Why are you here!?"

"My assignment changed, and now I'm in the capital! Oh! You haven't changed! Your spear skills are still talked about among my comrades! When will you come and teach us!?"

That story is still alive...

"Hey, sir! What are you talking about! Focus on this!"

The knight looked at the man and Garai, then at me.

"Is what that man said true? Mako."

"No, it's a lie. They were the ones who started it."

"What? What do you mean—"

"Shut up! Mako wouldn't lie about something so trivial!"

The knight sternly shouted at the man.

"I want to hear from the other customers! Who is telling the truth?"

When the knight shouted, the regular customers who had witnessed the entire scene started to testify, "The store manager is telling the truth! That man started the trouble!"

The thugs were now at a disadvantage.

"What's going on? Your story contradicts itself. Where are you from? You don't look like decent people. Could you be from the dark streets—"

"Get out of here!"

As soon as the knight started to question them, the men fled the store at lightning speed.

It seems the interference was easily dealt with.

After the men left, the other customers said, "That was intense," and "Good job!"

The knight said, "If anything happens again, call me. I'll come immediately!"

It felt like the town was on our side, which was reassuring.

"By the way, Mako. About the A-rank promotion—"

"Um... can we talk about it later when I have some free time?"

Bertona was very laid-back.