Chapter 62

And then, the morning of the fourth day arrived.

"We won the battle! We can run our business without any qualms!"

Today, as usual, the store was bustling with activity, and everyone at Beowulf was enthusiastically serving the customers.

A few days had passed since the opening, and we had somewhat gotten used to the number of customers.

"But, Brado and his group didn't do anything yesterday, did they?"

Inside the store, I was having a conversation with Iksa about the duel between the royal heirs.

"Yeah, I thought they would make some last-ditch effort or something..."

"Maybe they suffered a setback from the failed attack the night before."

Or perhaps, they fled the capital out of fear of Nero's purge— Iksa laughed.

Indeed, that possibility couldn't be ruled out.

But, something felt off...

Something was nagging at me...

"Good afternoon, Manager!"

At that moment, the noble young ladies entered, exuding an elegant aura.

It seemed that over the past few days, the store had become their regular hangout spot.

"Are those adorable children working as usual today?"

"These are outfits I prepared, thinking they would suit them. Could you please have them try them on and take some photos?"

The "children" she referred to were the Uri cubs.

One of the young ladies had brought small clothes for the Uri cubs—what we would call pet clothing in modern times—and was excitedly requesting a photo session.

It seemed she was completely smitten with them.

"Sure, but please don't force them and scare them."

"Lord Mako!"

At that moment, the head of the Weeble family, who hadn't been seen for a while, also arrived.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I've been busy, and I finally managed to come by! Congratulations on the opening!"

"Ah, Head, thank you very much."

"...By the way,"

The head noticed Reyle working diligently inside the store.

"Is that the young lady from the Grossem family, a competitor in the same industry...?"

"Yeah, well, a lot has happened while you were away..."

I said with a wry smile to the flustered head.

"Hmm, so this is Mako's store. It seems to be doing quite well."

Then, a familiar face appeared.

It was the adventurer, Urushima.

"Oh, Urushima!"

"Congratulations on the opening, Mako!"

And Akashi was there too.

It seemed we had a lot of customers today.

"I heard that your main job is not being an adventurer but running a store in this capital. Did you receive the reward from the other day without any issues?"

"Thank you, Urushima. It's fine, you didn't have to go to so much trouble."

"That's not the case. It was undoubtedly your strength that defeated the demon clan that day."

By the way— Urushima recalled.

"I heard that the representatives of the Holy Church are looking for you because of that rumor. Haven't they come here yet?"

"Eh? Sorry, what exactly is the Holy Church...?"

"Lord Mako, I'm sorry to interrupt."

Oh, here she comes.

Interrupting our conversation with Urushima was the receptionist of the Adventurer's Guild, Bertna.

Her sudden appearance startled me.

"Regarding the A-rank promotion we discussed the other day..."

"Ah, didn't I decline that offer?"

"Even though you declined, I came to ask again because I really want you to consider it."

Oh, this is troublesome!

And Moguro! Where is Moguro!?

Ah, there he is, sampling the fruits!

Moguro, control yourself as a guardian!

The store was enveloped in a chaotic atmosphere.

...I thought no more customers would come...

"Good evening, everyone at the Abatos Village specialty store."

The most unwelcome guest appeared.

It was Brado.

And he had brought his companions.

As Iksa had said, they had already been informed of their defeat by the inspector.

Now that their defeat was certain, what could they be here for?

"Surprised to see us show up, huh?"

The other customers in the store also looked puzzled.

Some of Brado's companions were the ones who had caused a commotion in the store a few days ago.

Iksa spoke up amidst the tension.

"To still be hanging around after the battle is decided, you must have some serious guts."

"Are you worried about us?"

Brado chuckled, and Iksa sighed.

"I'm sympathizing with you. I'm not saying this to be mean, but it's better to run away. He won't be lenient enough to let his failed subordinates off the hook."

"Haha, we know that."

Brado's response indicated that he was well aware of Iksa's warning.

His expression and attitude showed no signs of ease.

But if that's the case, why did he show up so calmly?

"...But, even if we run away, we have nowhere to go."

Ignoring my suspicion, Brado continued.

"You should understand, Prince Iksa. Prince Nero has his roots in all the underground activities and black markets of this country. He rose to the position of the Eighth Prince through his power. No matter where we go, we will lose our place in the shadows of this country."

So—

Brado's face twisted into a bitter smile.

"At least, we'll take one last shot at revenge."

Brado pointed at someone.

"Gurai Quiron."

It was Gurai.

Gurai frowned at Brado.

"He seems to be working here as a store employee without any issues... Manager, you seem to be quite close to him."

Brado spoke to me in a casual tone.

"Have you known each other for a long time?"

"About a month, I guess."

I said firmly to Brado.

"But, he is one of us... one of the important members of Abatos Village."

"Ah, I see, I see. That's good to hear. I'm relieved to know that."

Brado's face suddenly twisted into a smirk.

"But, you know, people in the underground world can't help but hear rumors."

"...What are you trying to say?"

I was puzzled, and Brado chuckled.

Something felt off.

"Yes, I remember, I remember. I remember you. For a while, you were the talk of the underground world."

"..."

Gurai said nothing.

He showed no reaction.

But his face seemed to show that he had come to terms with something.

"Gurai Quiron. An agent of the dark guild, known for taking on all sorts of dirty jobs in the shadows of this country."

"...Stop, don't say any more."

Iksa, who had noticed something, tried to intervene.

But Brado didn't stop.

"And, a fugitive who killed a noble and stole their property."

"...What?"

I looked at Gurai.

Gurai said nothing.

"Unfortunately, this isn't a lie, a misunderstanding, or a rumor. The relatives of the murdered noble are actively hunting for him."

Brado looked at Iksa.

Iksa was grinding his teeth.

He had previously mentioned that he had 'taken care of' the reason why Gurai couldn't return to the capital.

So, Iksa knew.

He knew why Gurai had been exiled from the capital and why he refused to return.

And, to put it bluntly... for the sake of this store in the capital, he had used his own power to suppress the issue.

"Gurai Quiron. The head of the Black Leo family, known for his collection of artworks, was involved in a transaction of valuable imported goods. Gurai Quiron appeared at the transaction site, murdered the head of the Black Leo family, and stole the artworks, then fled."

"..."

"Everything is true. The transaction, the theft, all of it. The relatives of the Black Leo family, and especially the dark guild, which had its reputation tarnished, sent out bounty hunters to eliminate Gurai. But you managed to escape until today. Why...?"

Brado glanced at Iksa.

"Prince Iksa. You pressured the Black Leo family to drop the case, didn't you?"

"...Iksa."

I looked at Iksa.

"If you say so, that's it..."

Iksa, looking down, said without hesitation.

"But, there were many unclear points in that case. I thought it was premature to suspect Gurai."

"Premature!? Then, why not ask the person himself? What do you think, Gurai?"

Brado asked Gurai boldly.

I understood his intention.

This was a last-ditch effort, a final act of spite.

There were noble young ladies and their butlers in the store.

A store with a member of the underground world who had killed a noble.

He might be trying to raise their suspicions and turn the nobles against the store.

Or, perhaps, in the wake of their defeat, he was trying to get some satisfaction.

Or, maybe he was trying to curry favor with Prince Nero.

In any case, the truth about Gurai had been exposed, and the events that had occurred behind the scenes were revealed.

I didn't know the truth.

I didn't know if it was true, a lie, or if there were other circumstances.

But, the fact that Iksa had to control the nobles' reactions temporarily suggested that proving other possibilities was difficult.

"Prince Iksa, it seems you have a personal connection with him and tried to suppress the case. This man is a murderer. Prince Iksa, you tried to cover up the identity of a criminal who killed a noble."

Brado chirped.

His words spread to the customers, causing a stir.

"Gurai..."

"..."

Gurai said nothing.

The noble young ladies looked at him with fear.

"Come to think of it, my father mentioned something like this before..."

One of the young ladies whispered.

At that moment,

"...Hey."

Gurai spoke.

His words were directed at Brado.

"These people have nothing to do with my past. They are just pure... good people."

Pointing at us, Gurai said.

Then, he took a step forward.

"Wait, Gurai."

I stopped him.

"Are you planning to leave?"

"..."

He was about to leave, saying that we had nothing to do with him.

I wouldn't let him.

"No, Gurai. I said it before. Gurai is one of us."

The truth was unknown.

The current rumors might be the truth.

But— the Gurai I knew was the one I met in the forest near the village that day— the one who saved Meala from a wild dog, helped build a house, and was quiet, domestic, and kind-hearted.

I didn't want to say goodbye just because of a few words.

"Are you going to protect him, Manager?"

"I will. I might be deceived, or I might be a fool who can't see things clearly. But I can't abandon Gurai now."

"..."

The situation was tense.

Everyone was speechless at the sudden turn of events.

"Wait!"

At that moment,

A girl called out desperately from behind Brado, at the entrance of the store.

"The uncle is innocent!"

It was Maple.

Her parents stood nearby, looking stunned.

In the midst of everyone's attention, she shouted, tears in her eyes.

"The uncle killed that noble to save me!"