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118. [Altora] In the West – 3

 

「Question. Why isn’t this place popular?」

Altora’s observation, perfectly reasonable, was echoed by Gordon—who seemed to have regained a bit of his bulk.

「Sure, the place is a dump, but drunks don’t usually care about that. The booze and grub are good, there’s even a poster girl of sorts. Can’t see why this place is dead quiet.」

「Well, a lot’s happened… Wait, ‘of sorts’?」

Apparently, the place had once seen a little more business. But after a rival tavern popped up on the nearby main street and started stealing their customers, and the local shadowy power—the Vehl family—took an interest, things started to spiral. The Vehl family’s interference got their bank loan pulled, and to top it all off, a relative racked up a mountain of debt and disappeared.

「Damn, that’s rough. Must’ve done some pretty awful stuff in a past life.」

「Observation. If that logic holds, Altora must’ve been a real villain in his last life and shouldn’t expect much from the next one either.」

「It’s a saying, shut it. Anyway… wait, you—what was your name again?」

Altora wasn’t so pious or charitable that he’d start trying to rack up good karma for the next life. Then he realized—he still hadn’t asked the girl’s name.

「I’m Mina! Mina Rayleigh! It’s a super common name, I know, but I kinda like it!」

「…Rayleigh? Did you say your family name is Rayleigh?」

「Yeah?」

「Just to be sure, you don’t have an older sister living far away or something, do you?」

A familiar surname. It clicked with the story she’d told earlier—about a relative who’d made off with a mountain of debt.

「…I do. She’s the one who made that debt.」

「What’s her name?」

「Tina. Tina Rayleigh.」

「…You’ve got to be kidding me.」

「You know my sister?」

「…No. Forget it. Keep going.」

So it was that Tina Rayleigh—the one who’d once been part of his party, the ‘Saint’ who’d served as healer with her unique skill, [Angel’s White Wings]. This place was apparently her family’s tavern.

But Tina had once been a famed adventurer, even briefly called a hero. If this was her family’s place, it should’ve thrived from her fame. The fact that it hadn’t meant only one thing—Tina had never even sent them a single letter since she became a ‘saint’.

「So the great ‘Saint’ couldn’t let anyone find out she came from a rundown dive bar, huh… What a saint, alright.」

Her fame hadn’t crossed the mountains—but her debts sure had. Muttering under his breath so Mina couldn’t hear, Altora stared up at the ceiling.

But Mina didn’t notice. She kept talking.

「So yeah… thanks to my sister, the place is in this sorry state. We’re getting to the point where we might have to shut the place down… and with Dad like that, well…」

「Yeah… I can see how it’d come to that.」

Altora took another look around the tavern. Not a soul at the other tables. The street outside was nearly empty too.

Even under ideal circumstances, this wasn’t a great location. And with the Vehl family’s pressure, even the occasional rough-looking guys who passed by would quicken their pace and avoid eye contact as they hurried past the ‘Mom’s Tavern’. This place wasn’t going to last much longer.

Sensing that Altora grasped just how dire the situation was, Mina slammed the table and pleaded.

「But I don’t want to give up on this place! So please—I’m begging you—help me rebuild it!」

「Huh? Why me?」

「I asked Eria-san earlier, and she said you’ve got a knack for business! Please, lend us a hand!」

Altora raised an eyebrow. Eria rarely gave compliments, and when she did, it was always in some weird way. Still, being praised didn’t exactly feel bad. Mina caught the slight softening in his expression and pressed her advantage.

「While we rebuild, we’ll provide meals and a place to sleep! Oh, and one more thing—though this isn’t exactly a reward…」

「Yeah?」

「You beat the Vehl thugs earlier, right? They will retaliate. And if you’re all gone by then, my dad’s gonna end up buried in a ditch somewhere, and I’ll be sold off to some sleazy brothel to offer my ‘purity’ to a greasy old man. …That’s gotta hurt.」

「Are you seriously threatening me right now? After asking for help?」

「If the buyer’s human, that’d be lucky, honestly. I heard rumors about a gambling den in the back alleys that puts on weird shows. Shows starring a girl in chains, a metal cage in front of her… and inside it, a monster in heat…」

「Nope. Don’t care.」

Mina wiped at imaginary tears for effect, but threats like that had no effect on Altora. She knew that, too—he’d nearly left her to her fate earlier.

Her real targets were the other two listening in. And bingo: Eria and Gordon were practically leaning forward with eagerness.

「Assertion. We should accept. Food and lodging are covered. No reason not to.」

「I’d lose sleep if we walked away from this one…」

Altora had to admit, the offer had its perks. No more freezing in the mountains, being ambushed by monsters on the plains, or sleeping in alleys under piles of trash. That kind of life might finally be over.

After a long pause, Altora downed the rest of his drink and slammed the cup on the table.

「Dammit, fine! Fine, fine, fine! I’ll do it! But if I do, I’m going all in.」

「That’s what I was hoping for!」

「This is a job for the reborn Divine Silver Sword. Failure is not an option—even if it kills us.」

At their former leader’s declaration, Eria and Gordon nodded in agreement. The course was set.

「Acknowledged. If the tavern fails, we lose our meals. Maximum effort required.」

「I-it’s do or die. So… where do we start?」

「First off, we change that lame-ass name. ‘Mom’s Tavern’? Please. I’ll turn this place into the ultimate watering hole for real men—just watch…!」

A few weeks later—

The city of Fathie saw the grand opening of the kingdom’s very first ‘Maid Tavern’.

But that’s a story for another time.