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136. Fancy Mina

「Welcome home, Master~」

We had just crossed the mountains when we unexpectedly reunited with Eria.

We stared at each other in silence until someone inside the building called for her to come back in—only for a man to appear instead. Judging by his butler-like outfit, he must have been a server too. Probably came to handle the ‘trouble’.

「Excuse me, sir, but I’ll have to ask you not to bother our staff—eh…?」

It was a familiar face.

「M-Ma…」

「Oh, Pervert-san is here too.」

「…Altora. What are you doing here? And what’s with that outfit?」

「M-Marge!?」

「Don’t tell me you’re scheming something again?」

「That’s none of your damn business… I think?」

Last time we met, Altora had tried to curry favor with Duke Abik to get revenge on me and climb the social ladder. That plot had escalated to the point of moving an entire army. Is he up to something again?

「…No, as a maid café waiter, probably not.」

That last scheme had only worked because he’d been an S-Rank adventurer. You can’t run serious conspiracies in a dingy tavern.

It was impressive that he’d survived the trek across the Leon Enagoris Mountains, but if he made it, finding work was only natural. With skill points deep in the negatives, Altora and his group had no skills to speak of, and no prospects of acquiring any. They couldn’t be adventurers or skilled tradesmen, and they definitely weren’t cut out for any rough underworld job either.

In that sense, working at a tavern—where no skills were required—made perfect sense. Sure, customer service has its own techniques, but not the kind that consume skill points.

If you were going to use a skill in a tavern, though, what would be useful? With [Divine Blade/Three Moon Sword], you could use floating swords as trays to serve five hundred tables at once. [God’s Eye Drive] could read customers’ lips, letting you take orders even in the noisiest of halls. Or maybe…

「Master? Is something wrong?」

「I was just trying to calm myself down by overthinking. I’m fine now.」

Koe-san’s voice brought me back. The fact that I was seriously considering what skills are best for waitstaff meant I was more shaken than I realized.

Though, not as much as the others. A glance into the tavern revealed Gordon, his jaw hanging open, staring back and forth between me and Altora, visibly flustered.

「More importantly, what the hell are you doing he—uh, I mean, welcome, dear customer.」

「Geli understands! Pervert-san wants to curse out Skill Lender-san, but he can’t, because the other guests are watching,」 Angelina quipped.

She wasn’t wrong. Eria even started shoving us toward the door with her tiny hands.

「Banned. Never want to see Master’s face again.」

「Eria-chan, maids should smile, you know? Smile.」

「Like this? Smile~」

「Adorable.」

「Final recommendation. Leave.」

Eria might’ve said something wildly un-maid-like, but we didn’t come to make trouble for Altora and his group. I don’t care for the three of them, but we shouldn’t damage the store’s reputation. We’ll leave quietly.

「We’re clearly not welcome, so we’ll go. But answer me one thing, Altora.」

「Hah? Why the hell should I—」

「Do you know anything about the Elves?」

「Eria, handle the floor. Keep the guests calm.」

「Understood.」

The moment I said Elves, Altora’s expression changed. No—it wasn’t just him. The entire tavern seemed to freeze.

Grabbing me by the collar, Altora dragged me through the back door into the storage area. The smile was gone from his face, replaced by visible frustration and anxiety.

「Marge, what the hell are you snooping around about the Elves for?」

「Just a personal errand. But from the look on your face, you do know something. Where are they?」

「Hell, anyone who lives around here knows. But nobody’ll talk. Probably figured you’d stir up another mess with demi-humans or whatever.」

He wasn’t wrong—but I couldn’t deny that either.

When I didn’t argue, Altora clicked his tongue and let go of me, slumping into the nearest chair.

「You’ve gotta be kidding me. You even chased me over the mountains, you damn plague.」

「I didn’t chase you. But by your reaction, sounds like the Elves run things here… behind the scenes, maybe?」

「Beats me. Only thing I’ll say is this: don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong. That’s it.」

Didn’t look like he was going to spill anything more. I could force it out of him using [Placebo Master’s Golden Spoon], but that might cause trouble for innocent people. Better to find another way.

Just as I was considering alternatives, Altora looked away and muttered, like to himself.

「Totally unrelated thought here, but one of those Elves with green hair is stopping by tomorrow for some boring errand. Probably heading back to their base afterward.」

「Altora?」

「…It’s just, y’know, hard for customers and maids to relax with those guys hanging around.」

Apparently, Altora didn’t like the Elves either. Probably hoped we would take each other away and save him the trouble.

Whatever the reason, the info was worth its weight in gold to me.

「Hey, Altora.」

「Just get out already. I’ve got work to do.」

「Three of your finest drinks. For me and my companions. We’ll leave after that.」

「Damn it all.」

「Can’t stand owing you anything.」

No matter our history, I’d pay for what I took. That’s all.

As he stood up, Altora shot me a glare.

「Listen, Marge. This is the last time. Next time I see your face, I’ll slit your damn throat.」

「Confident, aren’t we? Tell me, Altora—do you really think you could?」

「I’ll do it. That’s how I’ve always been. Everything’s always gone exactly the way I planned it.」

「Right. And that’s how you lost.」

「Don’t flatter yourself, baggage boy. I’ve never lost to you. Never forgiven you either. Maybe I can’t do it now, but when the time comes, I will. If you’re gonna kill me, do it now.」

He had to know he couldn’t win against me as I am now. And yet, rather than beg, he’d rather die here. That was the resolve in his eyes.

Truth be told, I could kill Altora in an instant. He’s no longer a famed adventurer—just a tavern staffer. Easy to disappear, if I wanted.

But I won’t.

「…I’m not going to kill you. I’ll tell you the same I told the werewolves: revenge isn’t the goal—it’s the starting point. What matters is what you build from there. What would killing you achieve? What value would it bring?」

「Then regret sparing me. I’ll show you what it means to live—and rise again. Regret it when I take everything from you.」

「As long as you’re bound by that cycle of taking and losing, you’ll never get anywhere, Altora.」

That was the last word between us.

Afterward, I drank the expensive booze with Koe-san and Angelina, and we left the tavern.

「…Didn’t expect Altora to still be alive.」

As a side note, Fancy Mina turns out to charge not just for drinks, but for table fees too. We ended up spending more than expected on our way out.