Chapter 10

"Hmm, the estimate from the carpenter has come in.

'Oh... 100 gold coins...'

Mom slumped onto the table face down. She looks like a slime. Though I've never seen one.

"Mom, that's for a complete renovation, right?"

"Yeah... a shiny kitchen..."

"...Then, how about building a beast pen?"

"Even Dad?!"

This is hopeless. I'll just leave my parents who tend to go overboard. After all, beast tamers don't come by often. In that case, I'll build a bath. A bath... an outdoor one would be impossible, though, in the middle of town. I wonder how much it would cost if I asked to build it.

"Still, it seems like it will be the minimum repairs..."

"Sophie, I understand! This is it, right!"

What Sophie pulled out was the estimate for the minimum repairs. Yes, this is it. A total of 20 windows for 10 guest rooms, 6 windows and one large window for the first-floor dining room. Replacing these and repairing the holes in the walls, it would cost 10 gold coins in total.

"100,000 gelt... this seems within reach."

"We have about 300,000 gelt on hand."

"Pay the down payment and try to earn the rest by autumn, it should be doable."

Finally, Mom and Dad came back to their senses. That's good. Seeing unrealistic numbers can really mess with you.

"Down payment, so it means we can pay on credit?"

"Where did you learn that word? ...Well, it would be impossible to get credit for a complete renovation, but for window repairs, I think it would be flexible. After all, we're asking the master carpenter who built this house."

"Wait, isn't he quite old?"

"Well, it's the son's generation now, but the master himself is still alive."

Since it's the house he built, he apparently studied the estimate himself. Connections are important. Speaking of connections, it reminds me of something.

"Remember the gold coins Tagera left behind?"

"Yeah, we owe him one."

Calling him 'that guy.' They must have really hit it off. Ah... Mom's mood...

"How about making the large window on the first floor a bit more impressive with that money?"

The large window on the first floor faces the main street and can be considered the face of the inn. Yet, our window has gaps when closed and tilts when opened. Making this window look better would be an investment, wouldn't it?

"...! That's a great idea! I want to decorate a beautiful window with flowers."

Mom, who had given up on the shiny kitchen, agreed. Good, good. And flowers. That's a woman's idea. It wouldn't have come to me.

"Flowers? Are you going to plant flowers?"

Sophie, you're a girl too. Lately, you've been showing interest in wild beasts, which has been a bit worrying as an older brother.

In the end, we decided to stick to repairs and upgrade the large window on the first floor, and we asked for a new estimate. We plan to consult the carpenter about what kind of window to install when we go to request the estimate.

****

"Hmm, window repairs and wall patching. That's a reasonable decision."

The next day, Dad and I immediately went to the carpenter's workshop. Although there's a bit of budget concern, I can't wait. Mom wanted to come, but we couldn't leave the inn to Sophie alone. Also, she might go overboard.

The master, Buschan, led us to the back of the workshop.

"What about replacing this large window? The current trendy design is something like this."

He showed us a wooden window with streamlined metal fasteners. There were various designs, such as vines, flowers, birds, and geometric patterns.

"Within the budget, it would be something like this."

From the many window panels, Buschan picked out a slightly simpler one. Hmm, it's not bad, but... it doesn't quite hit the mark...

While comparing the windows shown one after another, Dad and I were nodding when an old man appeared from the front.

"Ah, Maximilian! If you're here, you should have called out."

"Master Yelter... no, retired master."

"Cut it out, I feel like I've aged all at once."

No, you're a respectable old man. However, Master Yelter stood straight with sharp eyes, looking like a still-active craftsman.

"Buschan, show them that one. The one we're making now."

"Huh, that one? It exceeds the budget."

"Just bring it over quickly."

A slightly dissatisfied Buschan brought a window panel from the back of the workshop. It was held by streamlined lily emblems and had elegant rose carvings.

"Wow! That's amazing. It's a grand window."

"How about it, Maximilian? This was commissioned by a merchant, but a house like that deserves a window like this."

"...This."

Dad pointed to the rose carvings.

"Can you change these roses to star carvings? ...The fasteners can be simpler."

"Dad!"

"Dad!! Hold on!"

"Stars... 'Golden Star,' huh... Good taste. Of course, it's possible."

Master Yelter ignored his son's words and patted his chest. Dad also ignored my voice and started discussing the window size and process. Ah, come on!!

"...In total, 20 gold coins. No more than that."

Buschan, looking a bit pale, gave us the final estimate. It was a significant budget overrun.

"I'm sorry."

"No, work hard and earn the rest so you can order the rest of the renovations from us."

"Sure, I will."

Regarding the schedule, we asked for it to be done by winter, and Buschan agreed to start from the empty rooms when he had free time. Fortunately, we have plenty of empty rooms. Sniff.

"Dad"

"What is it, Luca?"

"Mom will be angry, so you should handle it."

"Um..."

"And, we need to earn more... How about borrowing Mom's hand mirror?"

"Huh? Why?"

"To practice your sales smile."

"Ugh... I'll try..."

When we returned to the inn, we were, as expected, scolded by Mom. Asking for a new estimate and coming back with such a request, of course, she would be angry. By the way, Dad didn't function well as a buffer. Damn.

"Luca, why did this happen with you there?"

Ugh, expecting too much from a 6-year-old. It was useless to say anything after a while. I defended myself while explaining the design of the new window.

"This window with star carvings... and colorful seasonal flowers..."

Ah, Mom is also getting carried away. Well, it's good that she's distracted. More importantly, we need to think about the future. I wanted to run the inn without debt, but I want to pay off the renovation costs as soon as possible. First, we need to fill the empty rooms.

****

That night, when I woke up to go to the bathroom, I found Mom sitting in the living room in her pajamas.

"What's wrong, Mom?"

"Ah, Luca... come here."

"What is it... huh?"

Mom led me to the shadow of the bedroom door... and there was Dad holding Mom's hand mirror, pulling up the corners of his mouth.

"He suddenly asked to borrow the hand mirror and has been doing that all along."

"Sorry... Mom, it's my fault..."

Dad's strained smile, illuminated from below by a light stone... it was completely terrifying. I almost wet myself. I decided to make him stop tomorrow.

The scale of my resolve...