Chapter 5

"I really need this. I still haven’t solved all my questions."

"I’ll come early tomorrow morning!"

"Yeah, that’s it! Early in the morning! Listen, I actually sleep a lot and can hardly wake up. If no one wakes me up, I’ll sleep all day. Tomorrow is really important to me, and I might waste my time sleeping. If that happens, it would be a big problem, right?"

"Y-Yeah, that’s right?"

"That’s why I need you. Hire! Yes! Part-time job! Do you know what a part-time job is?"

I blurted out whatever came to mind. But then the innkeeper, who had been listening to us, approached to mediate. What if he thinks I’m suspicious and reports me?

"You want to hire this child as a part-time worker? This child is just a wanderer in the village. Wouldn’t it be better to hire a professional? I can recommend a labor agency if you want."

"I don’t need anything grand. I just need someone who can help with small things right by my side."

"Oh! I think I get it! You said you were raised well, so you must have always had a servant by your side, right? I read that in a fairy tale! You need a servant, huh? Hehe!"

The child quickly covered her mouth with both hands, remembering the secret I had asked her to keep. Actually, it was just a made-up story, so it wouldn’t matter if it was exposed. She’s so cute.

The innkeeper, who had been watching the flustered Daisy, spoke to me.

"I overheard because there weren’t many guests. You seem like a distinguished person, so why are you in such a humble place…."

"It’s a special situation! Yes, a special situation! Everyone has one, right?"

What is this? My face turned red with embarrassment. Am I really a well-educated person? Is this the extent of my language skills….

The innkeeper still looked skeptical. I admit it’s a bit strange, but can’t you just understand and let it go? Sob.

"Most importantly, this child is very kind and gentle, and I feel comfortable with her around."

Daisy’s face turned red at my unexpected praise. The innkeeper nodded in agreement.

"Daisy is indeed kind. But did you… check anything?"

"What? Check what?"

I didn’t think I had missed any conversation, but the innkeeper asked a strange question. What did he mean by checking?

"Um, no. Then, are you going to let Daisy stay at the inn? There will be an additional charge."

"I’m fine! I’ll sleep outside the inn door! I’ll come up in the morning to wake you up!"

Oh, you’re quick! I hurriedly took out five diamonds from my pocket. Both the innkeeper and the child’s eyes widened at the sight of the diamonds. I needed to handle this quickly before she changed her mind.

"I’ll pay for a room for this child, breakfast tomorrow, and three bottles of water."

"That’s too much! I can’t accept…."

Daisy started shaking her head and hands vigorously.

"You should listen to this person."

The innkeeper quickly took the diamonds, probably worried that he’d have to return them if Daisy kept refusing. He’s sharp!

"The guild is cold and cramped, and it’s hard to sleep properly. The floor is hard, and you have to worry about your next meal as soon as you wake up. This kind Druid is offering you a favor, so you should accept it. This person needs your help, so it’s not excessive."

He quickly added, "I’ll send the three bottles of water to your room," and disappeared. Yes! That’s settled! I felt a bit guilty about Daisy’s nervousness, but it seemed better for her to stay here.

"You used too many diamonds…."

"It’s fine. I have a lot of diamonds."

More than enough. When I woke up my phone from sleep mode, the <Infinite Diamonds> game screen appeared. The dwarves started waving their hands at me. I had 999,999,999,999,988 diamonds.

The number decreased by exactly the amount I had taken out. When I touched the cart, the 8 turned back to 9. Look at this, I could spend it all my life and still not run out.

How can I describe this feeling? Could you even win the lottery a hundred times and reach this amount? Suddenly a millionaire, no, a billionaire? Yes! I’ve become a trillionaire!

I, who used to tremble when spending more than 50,000 won on game items, can now touch the purchase button in <Infinite Diamonds> without feeling any regret.

Exciting! I want to spend money! I want to spend it lavishly!

The fear of having too much money disappeared with the thought, "It’s just a game, after all."

I shook my phone a few times in front of Daisy, and diamonds rolled out. Oh no, what if too many come out! I stopped before it overflowed. On the screen, the dwarves were shoveling diamonds towards me.

"I’ll only use what I need! Only what I need!"

[Master! Take more! The cart is full, and we can’t work!]

I carefully threw the diamonds into my pocket and looked at Daisy. Daisy… was so shocked that her face turned pale.

I managed to get Daisy to the second-floor room. We were given a two-person room with two beds.

Daisy was delighted, saying it was her first time sleeping in a soft bed. After that, I didn’t ask her any more questions. As soon as I lay down, fatigue hit me, and my eyes started to close.

"You’re the first person to properly pay me. Actually, you gave me more. Everyone just took my help and left because I’m young. It was unfair, but I was too scared to say anything."

Daisy’s soft voice sounded like a lullaby. I buried my face in the slightly damp pillow and let my heavy eyelids close.

"If it weren’t for you, I would have worried about my next meal tomorrow. I would have been grateful to wake up without any pain and wandered around to get water from the morning dew on the windows. It feels like a dream. I wish it would never end. If I had been too late, the other children would have taken all the water."

Daisy clutched the blanket tightly and looked up at the ceiling, chattering away. Yes, it’s good to see her happy.

I felt a renewed sense of wanting to take care of Daisy. Even though I had only used her for my own benefit, I felt a pang of conscience for developing an attachment.

"Good night, Druid! I’ll definitely wake you up early tomorrow morning!"

I wanted to say, "Yes," but I quickly fell asleep.

***

"…Druid!"

Ten more minutes… Siri, set the alarm for ten minutes later. Just ten more minutes. I think I went to bed late last night. I don’t plan to wash my hair, so I can sleep a bit more.

"Druid! It’s morning!"

"Ugh…."

I just want to take a day off today. I don’t remember what lectures I had, but I’ve been doing well lately, so it should be fine. Maybe I’ll go to the department office and get a leave of absence form….

"Druid! Breakfast is ready! The orchard is far from here, so you need to get up early and prepare!"

Orchard… Orchard… Druid… <Terrarium Adventure>! Ah! I jumped out of bed. It’s the start of the game adventure!

"You really can’t wake up. I think I’ve woken you up more than ten times."

"You’re a good kid. As a reward, I’ll take care of your breakfast and dessert."

"No!"

She handed me a damp cloth, saying it was morning dew, and hurriedly ran downstairs. She’s energetic in the morning. I feel like I’m going to die. I rubbed my face with the cold cloth, which made my hands tingle. I want to wash my face properly, but they said water is scarce, so it’s probably not possible.

I didn’t feel hungry or full yesterday, but the smell of food followed me down the stairs, making my mouth water. The smell is amazing! I saw Daisy sitting at the table, stretching her neck like a meerkat, looking at me.

I didn’t go straight to Daisy but headed to the kitchen. The innkeeper was chatting with the cook. I took a diamond from my pocket and placed it on the bar.

"I noticed Daisy eats a lot. Can you prepare more food?"

"The amount you paid yesterday is enough."

After thinking for a moment, I took out two more diamonds. Their mouths dropped open.

"Please take care of Daisy’s meals even after I leave. She’s so kind, and I want to do something for her. Do you need more diamonds?"

"Oh, no, that’s fine. We sometimes give Daisy lunch out of kindness! But I’ll gratefully accept this."

The two diamonds disappeared into the innkeeper’s apron pocket, and the cook put the pot back on the stove.

"What were you talking about?"

"Nothing much. The food is getting cold. Let’s eat."

I picked up a fork and took a piece of dry salad. Only then did Daisy start eating, moving her hands quickly. She always looks so adorable when she eats. Usually, someone who eats so eagerly would look messy, but Daisy looked very lovely.

"Take your time. Drink some water too."

Daisy hadn’t touched the water bottles yesterday, and all three were still full. I had fallen asleep immediately.

You can just drink if you’re thirsty. I poured water into a cup and handed it to her. She took it hesitantly but drank it well. Oh… how can she be so cute? If I had a younger sibling, it might have felt like this. I was an only child and always envied friends with siblings, but now I feel satisfied.

I ate small pieces of meat and watched Daisy’s eating speed. At this rate, she would finish before the next dish came, so I pushed the bowls and plates set for me slightly towards her.

"Druid, aren’t you eating?"

"I don’t usually eat much for breakfast."

It was a complete lie. I used to even grill pork belly for breakfast. But watching Daisy eat made me feel full somehow.

After that, the dishes kept coming, and Daisy didn’t notice anything strange and ate well. The timing of her putting down her utensils and the end of the dishes matched perfectly.

"How far is the orchard from here?"

I asked, wiping my mouth with a napkin the innkeeper had slipped me. Daisy, with seasoning on the corner of her mouth, munched and said,

"It’s a bit of a long walk. We need to go further from where we met yesterday."