I Said Make My Abilities Average! (LN) - Volume 5 - Chapter 43

Chapter 43:

The Inn 

“I know it’s still pretty early in the day, but the next town after this is kind of far. Why don’t we stop here for the night?” 

It had been three days since they left Calamity and the town in which it was situated. The first night, they stopped at an inn in a tiny village, and the second two nights, they camped out, hunting animals, exterminating low-level monsters, and gathering medicinal herbs and specialty foodstuffs along the way. There was still a fair bit of time until evening, but rather than spending a third night in the rough, they decided to overnight in the town where they had just arrived. 

The Crimson Vow had long since crossed the border from Mile’s home country, and now they stood within a small provincial town in the neighboring country. Without the fear of being pursued by someone from her native land, Mile finally appeared at ease. 

“This place is pretty small, so we’ll be lucky if there are even two or three inns in town. We’ll pick the best-looking one and stay there,” said Reina, and the group nodded. 

The various pros and cons of an inn had a large effect on what their physical condition would be like when they departed the next morning. The food needed to be good, the beds needed to be soft, and they had to be able to get a peaceful night’s sleep. When travelers who often camped out went out of their way to spend the money for an inn, it had better at least fulfill those basic provisions—or there would be complaints. When paying for such a luxury, there was no sense in staying somewhere subpar just for the sake of scrimping. 

On the other hand, just because an inn was costly did not automatically mean that it was good. And each inn had its own selling points, like amazing food or having its own baths… It was always a matter of cost versus value, as well as one’s individual preferences. 

In short, the only thing to be done was to investigate all the options and decide for themselves. 

Because this town was so small, it had only an outpost of the Hunters’ Guild, rather than a proper branch. Normal hunters would come to such a place to sell off the prey they had hunted and herbs and such they had gathered, as well as turning in their extermination trophies for points and rewards. However, the Crimson Vow had no need to sell their stock in some backwater place like this where they would almost certainly receive a lower price than elsewhere. As long as the goods were inside Mile’s storage space (read: inventory), they would never spoil, so it was better to simply hold out until they were at a larger branch where they could get a better rate. 

Still, it did behoove them to at least show their faces at the office. There was a chance that there might be some interesting jobs available, and they might be able to glean some information from the other hunters, too. 

And so, they popped in to scan the intel board and the job board. 

There was nothing. No useful information, no interesting jobs, no lucrative jobs—nothing. All they found were incredibly standard job requests and dailies: goblin hunting, herb gathering, and all manner of boring things like that. 

“So I’m thinking we just stay the night here and then head out first thing in the morning?” 

The other three nodded fervently at Reina’s proposal. 

Of course, checking the boards was not the only reason the four had stopped in at the guild outpost. They still needed one more important thing: a recommendation for an inn. Once they were finished checking the boards, they headed straight to the reception desk to ask for more information. 

*** 

“What the heck was that about?!” shouted Reina. 

As the Crimson Vow left the guild outpost behind, they walked through the town square, looks of utter bewilderment upon their faces. 

“Mm…” Pauline replied. “I guess our only choice here is to investigate the inns for ourselves.” 

The information they had received about the town’s inns was incredibly peculiar. 

Apparently, there were two inns in this town. That was typical. It was precisely what they had expected. However, when they asked which of the two the clerks would recommend, the staff members’ opinions were firmly divided. 

Mavis asked the first young man she saw, who recommended an inn called the House of the Maiden’s Prayer. Even if this was only a guild outpost, there was no reason a lower-ranking guild employee would try to deceive a hunter, so they decided that there was no reason not to take the recommendation. Just then, however, another clerk, a young woman in her early twenties, stopped them. 

According to the young woman, the House of the Maiden’s Prayer was dreadful, and instead they should stay at the Wild Bear Lodge. 

Neither of the two appeared to be lying. It was obvious that each of them thought that their recommendation was the truly superior choice. And so, they assumed that this meant that neither inn was definitively good or bad but that it was merely a matter of trivial differences and personal preferences. Therefore, they decided to go with the recommendation of the first young man, who appeared to be in his late teens, closer in age to them. That was when another girl of around fifteen or sixteen, who had previously been helping another hunter, stepped in to voice her disapproval—quite strongly. 

“Do not go to the Maiden’s Prayer! The Wild Bear Lodge is the only reasonable choice!” 

However, another man in his early thirties heard this and argued, “No, it’s definitely the Maiden’s Prayer!” But then another middle-aged hunter jumped in with, “How could you recommend that freakin’ piece-of-crap inn?! The Wild Bear’s the only way to go!” and then… 

The situation, thankfully, did not escalate beyond bickering and grumbling; however, seeing that neither side would be willing to concede their point, the Crimson Vow hurriedly took their leave. 

“This seems like it’s a little more serious than a matter of people preferring one very similar inn over another just because of personal preferences,” said Pauline. 

“Yeah,” Mavis agreed. “Everyone was like, ‘No, that inn is garbage, you have to go to this one!’ I never thought I’d ever see two groups so divided.” 

Reina thought quietly as she listened, arms folded. And then… 

“All right, change of plans! We’ll stay one night at each of the inns. That way we can figure out why their opinions are so divided and what the true source of this problem is!” 

Reina was tittering as she said this—she had veered straight into “Let’s have fun!” mode. 

“Sounds entertaining,” said Pauline. “I’m dying to know why it is that they’re so weirdly divided on this issue. It might even be a useful experience to help me learn more about managing my family’s shop…” 

“Sounds good to me!” Mile chimed in. “I’ve been wanting to do something fun like this!” 

“Then it’s decided! First off, let’s head to the House of the Maiden’s Prayer!” 

And with that, Reina, Pauline, and Mile were off. Mavis shrugged and followed them. 

Soon, they arrived at the House of the Maiden’s Prayer. Apparently, it was practically neighbors with the Wild Bear Lodge, which was only a stone’s throw away on the opposite side of the street. 

“Why?” asked Mavis, surprised at their proximity. 

In reality, it only stood to reason. This was a small town, and they were in the town’s center, near to the shopping district and the Hunters’ and Merchants’ Guild outposts. Both inns were in the center of affairs, facing out onto the main road. If you thought about it, this was the most suitable place for businesses such as theirs, targeted not at the locals, but at travelers who were passing through. 

“Do you have a room for four available?” Reina asked as they entered the inn, facing the girl of fifteen or sixteen who was overseeing the reception counter. 

“Welcome!” the girl replied with a smile. “Yes, we have some vacancies!” 

She had a good manner for customer service. 

“What? Two half-gold, without meals?” 

Reina was a bit shocked to hear the girl explain the prices. 

It was five silver per person per night, without meals included. In Japanese money, that would be nearly 5,000 yen. In other words, it was rather expensive. While it would be entirely reasonable to expect to pay like this at a business hotel in modern-day Japan, unlike Japanese hotels, these inns had no power outlets, fridges, TV s, or phones, so their furnishing and operation costs were completely different. Plus, it was not four single-person rooms they were after, but rather, one four-person room. 

Still, if half the people at the guild were adamant about their recommendation, there must have been something here that was good enough to warrant such an extravagant fee. In addition, they had come here for the purpose of satisfying their curiosity, so even if it was a little pricey, they were not about to change their minds. 

Naturally, they had to pay up front, so Reina pulled two half-gold pieces from her purse and handed them to the girl at the counter. 

“Hot water is four half-silver per basin, and it’s one more half-silver to borrow a towel.” 

“That’s a lot!” the four girls uttered without thinking. 

However, the girl did not appear to even notice. She must have been used to such reactions from customers. 

“Our dinner prices are on the menu on the wall over there. You can order food at any time before the second evening bell at 9 PM .” 

The Crimson Vow turned to look at the menu posted on the wall, and read… 

Vegetable Stew 1 Silver 

Vegetable Stir-Fry Special 1 Silver 

Soup and Rolls (2) 1 Silver + 2 Half-Silver 

Orc Meat Steak 3 Silver + 5 Half-Silver 

Ale 5 Half-Silver 

“That’s a lot!!!” the four of them shouted again, but the girl at the counter only continued to smile blithely. 

*** 

“What is with the prices here?” Reina grumbled as they entered their room. 

“This recommendation from the guild outpost is the real mystery,” said Mile. “We need to figure out what it is that warrants these prices…” 

Mavis and Pauline nodded. 

“Thankfully, since we have our cleaning magic, we at least don’t need to worry about wasting any money on that,” said Reina. 

“But the same can’t be said for the food,” Mile added. “If there’s some kind of secret to it, we can’t just forego dinner and eat what we’ve got in storage…” 

Reina and Pauline pouted. 

Though the money that they had earned here and there in the past several days did not amount to very much, owing to the situations with the rock lizards, the bandits, and the wyvern, as well as their recent tussle with the beastfolk and elder dragons, their actual savings were nothing to scoff at. Enough so that coughing up ten or twenty silver would by no means break the bank. 

However, most of the Crimson Vow were accustomed to a rather austere lifestyle. Even Mavis, thanks to hanging around the others for so long, had begun to take on a thriftiness that was unbecoming of a young noblewoman. 

This disregarded Mile, who was also a noblewoman’s only daughter, but no one really thought of her in that way. 

Mavis was a noble’s daughter. Pauline was a merchant’s daughter. Reina was a peddler’s daughter. And Mile was simply Mile. She was the singular complex creature that was Mile, no qualifiers attached. At least as far as the other three were concerned. 

Thus was Mile’s status amongst the Crimson Vow. 

“Anyway, the suspense is killing me. Let’s hurry up and go eat!” 

It was unclear whether Mile was truly concerned about whether the secret of the inn’s popularity lay in their food or whether there were merely sirens going off in her head to warn her that her tank was running on empty—as her fuel consumption tended to be rather inefficient. Either way, no one had any reason to argue with her proposal, so they all headed down to the first-floor dining hall. 

“Wha…?” 

The room was packed. Every seat in the room was not taken, but there were a ton of people regardless—so many that it could not be only overnight guests eating here but locals as well. 

This was a good sign. Any reputable inn tended to have patrons who came simply to eat. However, when they took a closer look around the room, they noticed something incredibly peculiar. 

“There’s no one here but young men…” Pauline noted. 

“Oh…” 

Thanks to her…well-developed body, Pauline was suddenly the center of attention and realized this straight away. Indeed, though there were plenty of customers present, outside of the Crimson Vow, there were no women or children anywhere in the crowd—nor were there any elders. They were all young men of ages varying from fifteen or sixteen to somewhere in their thirties. 

Now that they thought about it, all of the hunters at the outpost who had insisted that the Maiden’s Prayer was the best choice were young men, no older than their thirties. All of the women and elders had favored the Wild Bear. 

“I think I’m beginning to understand why the opinions were so divided…” said Mile. 

The other three nodded. 

“Well, let’s just see how their food is,” said Reina. “If we don’t, then this whole thing will go nowhere.” 

She had a point. The four of them took a seat at an open table and placed their orders. 

“Vegetable stew, veggie stir-fry, soup with bread, and orc meat steaks, please! Two orders of each!” 

No matter how overpriced it may be, Reina was not one to tighten her belt and order less just to save a few coins. Much as she might complain, food was food. That was the Reina way. The same went for Mile. 

Of course, the order Reina had placed was not for her alone but for the whole table. She had ordered two of each dish so that they could all try each one and still get a chance to eat their fill. 

This didn’t mean they might not still put in an order for seconds, later. 

The girl who had previously stood at the reception counter took their order and relayed it to the kitchen, a voice of acknowledgement echoing back from inside. It seemed to be the voice of another young woman. 

“………” 

After a short while, the food was brought and placed upon the table. The Crimson Vow gazed upon it. 

“It looks completely average…” said Mile. 

“Actually, I feel like the portion size is even smaller than average,” quipped Pauline. 

Naturally, Pauline’s complaint was a bit more pointed. 

“It smells average, too, and the ingredients are nothing special… Actually—no, it seems like they might even be using cheap cuts of meat, and the amount of meat that’s in here really isn’t significant.” Mavis prodded at the stew with a spoon. 

“Maybe they used a lot of high-quality seasonings? Let’s go ahead and try it…” 

“Hmm…” 

The four looked quite uncertain. 

“It doesn’t taste awful. It’s not even that it’s actively bad, but…” 

“It doesn’t taste good, either,” said Pauline, finishing Mavis’s sentence. 

“Yeah,” Mile added. “It’s kind of like whenever Mavis has tried to make something.” 

Hearing this, the appropriate phrase popped into Reina’s mind. 

“Amateur cooking?” 

“That’s it!” 

The food was not inedible by any means, so the Crimson Vow continued to eat, all the while racking their brains over the mysteries that had yet to be solved: of why the food was so expensive and why so many customers readily came by. 

After a short while, those who had finished eating stood from their seats and began to leave and a girl of seven or eight appeared from the kitchen to begin clearing the dishes and wiping down the tables. The customers looked upon her fondly. 

The last call for orders had already gone out, so after the final set of cooked dishes emerged from the kitchen, another girl of twelve or thirteen appeared from the kitchen, and began assisting the first with the cleanup, while chatting with the customers. Judging by her voice and the conversations they could overhear, this girl appeared to be the chef. 

The fact that the food was amateurish now made sense. It was because it had been made by an amateur. 

It was possible that the food here was so well reviewed because it was amateur cooking made by a cute girl. Indeed, in the same way one could relish the taste of food made for you by your lover or imagine the feeling of a father having a meal cooked for his daughter… 

The Crimson Vow considered this deeply, trying their hardest to understand. 

The girl of around fifteen or sixteen, who had taken their order, and who appeared to be the eldest of the three they had seen so far, now returned to the counter to settle the tabs of the departing customers. Well, that wasn’t so strange a thing for her to do. In fact, it was necessary. 

However, the Crimson Vow suddenly wondered: Why isn’t the oldest one doing the cooking? 

This mystery was almost immediately solved by a conversation between a customer and the girl who was in charge of the kitchen. 

“This must be hard on you, Miss Lafia. You’re so young, but you have to do all the cooking all by yourself…” 

“Ahaha, if my older sister did the cooking, this place would fall to ruin.” 

Suddenly, the Crimson Vow understood. They looked at the girl with pitying eyes. 

“So are you all still getting guff from those guys at the Wild Bear?” 

Oh? Something else was afoot! 

The Crimson Vow strained their ears to listen in. 

“Ah, yes, it’s still the same state of affairs…” the girl said sadly, her expression downtrodden. 

“I see. Keep your chin up! You can’t lose to guys like that, especially for the sake of your late parents! We all stand behind you, Miss Lafia!” 

At this, men sitting at other tables raised their voices in agreement. 

Now, the Crimson Vow truly understood. They now grasped the reason why there were so many customers, and the place was so strongly recommended, despite the higher-than-usual prices and the fact that the food was nothing worth writing home about—even a bit regrettably mediocre as far as inn food went. 

“I absolutely refuse to use this place as an example for our shop. Absolutely, positively, never!” 

Pauline appeared utterly disappointed. Mavis and Reina also seemed rather dissatisfied to find that the mystery was not so mysterious after all. 

However, something else still puzzled Mile: “I can understand why it is that people would favor this inn, but, um, why is it still only relatively young men? If this were just a matter of compassion, then you’d think that women and elders would be showing their faces here even more…” 

“Hmm…” 

Apparently, the mystery had yet to be solved, after all. 

A short while later, the girl who had gone to the counter called the one named Lafia over and left her to the bookkeeping. Then, the eldest walked over to where the customers were. 

“Thank you as always, everyone. It’s only thanks to you that the three of us have been able to make a living since our parents passed away. I must keep working hard until my sisters can marry good men,” said the girl, dabbing the corners of her eyes. 

The men nodded fiercely. And then, a number of their gazes began to drift toward the girls they were after. 

Waaaaauuuugh! 

The Crimson Vow were taken aback—at first, by the fact that so many of these gazes were turned toward the youngest girl, the one of seven or eight. Though they wanted desperately to think that this was merely a paternal, protective gaze, cast upon a young child who had lost her parents, what truly struck them was… 

Suspicious, unnatural, just a little bit flirty… She’s playing them! 

Indeed, the eldest girl’s expression was perfect, her words were perfect, and though no tears were being shed, she dabbed at her eyes with perfect delicacy. She was dangling bait before the men’s eyes—in a way that was clearly premeditated. 

“What an actress!” one might say. Or better yet, “How terrifying!” 

And yet, no woman or elder would be fooled by this routine. No other woman would be taken in by such a performance, and men past their prime no longer had it in them to be fooled by a little girl’s tricks. 

Which would be why the only local customers who ate here were young men. 

All the overnight guests were those who had been recommended here by the young male employees at the Hunters’ and Merchants’ Guilds—or they had chosen the place themselves and been charmed enough to find an inn run by three young girls that even the high prices could not force them to relocate… 

Finally, the Crimson Vow well and truly understood. 

“Mystery solved…” said Mile, as they returned to their room. 

The other three nodded. 

“Honestly, it was just some stupid gimmick! All the money we spent on lodging and food were a total waste!” 

Pauline did not even attempt to hide her discontent. As a merchant’s daughter, she would never dream of running a business in such a manner. 

“Is it really so bad if three sisters who’ve lost their parents—some of them still very young—do something a little underhanded to keep their inn and eatery thriving, in spite of being all on their own?” asked Mavis. “They aren’t bothering anyone, and they haven’t told any lies, much less done anything to break the law, have they? Everyone who comes here has knowingly consented to the listed prices, and they come and shell out for the food anyway. When you do something as an act of charity, you start to feel good about yourself, so really, both sides benefit from it, don’t they? 

“Plus, I think it makes a lot of sense to get the local hunters on your side, so no weirdos try to set their sights on you. In fact, it sounded like they have been facing some harassment. I really don’t think you can blame them for doing what they do.” 

Pauline cringed, lost for words. 

It was true that there were no real victims here. Though the girl’s words were a bit manipulative, she could not simply run off to get married and leave her two sisters behind. In reality, it was more than likely that the three of them would all eventually end up marrying someone from this town. 

Pauline, however, continued to grumble. She could not accept such practices. 

“Still, there’s no reason for them to be charging so much more than usual! With that many customers, the normal prices should be more than enough, shouldn’t they? If they just shelled out to hire a chef, they could have normal food, but no, they cook it themselves, dishing out tiny portions, with ingredients you can tell are garbage at first glance. Just what, pray tell, is the meaning of that ?!” 

There was no response they could give. There was nothing to be said but, That’s just how they run the place, isn’t it? Plus, no matter what the reason, it was none of the Crimson Vow’s business. If they didn’t like it, they could stay somewhere else. That was all there was to it. 

“Anyway, that’s half of our investigation complete! Tomorrow we’ll stay at the other one—the Wild Badger Lodge, right?” 

“That’s Wild Bear , Reina…” Mile softly corrected. 

*** 

The next morning, after having breakfast, they left the inn behind. 

As all of their luggage was put away in Mile’s storage (read: inventory), they had no need to transport it anywhere, which freed them up to move around. 

They’d held out no hope for the quality of breakfast, but it would have been more of a bother to eat elsewhere, and it would be unfortunate to have people think that they skipped breakfast because they were poor. Plus, even if they had embarked on this expedition just for a lark, eating breakfast was still part of their investigation. 

With hardly any—or in fact, zero—expectations for what they would be presented with, they placed an order for four breakfasts, and when they saw the plates that were brought over, they were flabbergasted. Honestly and truly, from the bottom of their hearts. 

Each plate had two small pieces of bread, a single hard-boiled egg, one quarter of an apple, and half a cup of milk on the side. 

This breakfast far surpassed their wildest dreams—in the worst possible way. 

“W-well at least they can’t charge us all that much for just this,” said Reina, but Pauline silently pointed to the sign posted up on the wall: 

Breakfast 6 half-silver per person 

“That’s a lot!!!” 

*** 

That evening, after a full day of harvesting birds and jackalopes, as well as hunting a few larger beasts in the nearby forest, the Crimson Vow returned to town. 

Given that they did not intend to remain for very long, and since there were no interesting job requests, they busied themselves with the completely average ingredient-gathering jobs that were available. It would have been boring to sit around doing nothing all day, and this town was too small and too rural for there to be any interesting sightseeing. 

On the other hand, doing jobs that were boring but required a significant amount of time would be equally bothersome. At times like these, the best jobs were the standing orders for materials, which required no preliminary discussion and allowed them to complete the job however they chose. If they were so inclined, they could always store their spoils in Mile’s inventory and cart them off to sell another day in another town—or eat them themselves, whenever they pleased. That said, they didn’t intend to hold on to them until they found a perfect price… 

They headed straight toward the Wild Bear Lodge, not even bothering to make a stop at the outpost. 

“So, this is the place.” 

As was becoming their custom, Reina stood before the inn, her arms crossed in an imposing stance. 

“What do you mean, ‘This is the place?!’” Mile cut in. “It’s right across from the House of the Maiden’s Prayer, where we just stayed last night!” 

Mavis quickly clapped a hand over Mile’s mouth. “Shh! What if people inside hear you?! How do you think those three sisters will feel if they heard that we decided to stay at a different inn for the night?” 

“Ah…” 

No matter how much of a rip-off—er, generous price to benefit the young sisters—they had experienced the night before, there was still no sense in hurting others’ feelings without reason. Mile took a moment to reflect on her words. 

“All right, let’s go in.” 

And so, Reina opened the door to the second inn, the Wild Bear Lodge, and the four of them stepped inside… 

“A bear?” 

“A bear ?” 

“An ursine?” 

“B-E-A-R!” 

Indeed, they were greeted by a bear. 

It had a beard that consumed its face, as well as arms and a chest thick with hair. Its legs were most likely the same. No matter who you asked about this creature, their first thought would have to be… 

“A bear.” 

“Shut your mouths!” 

No matter how bearlike this person was, they were very decidedly a person . Even Mile, usually quick on the draw, did not brandish her sword against him. 

“You have to admit, that’s how this seems, isn’t it?! The name of this place is so straightforward…” 

“It’s been named that since my parents’ time!” 

The man, who seemed to be the owner, shouted at Mile’s assertion, but honestly, he did not appear to be all that angry. This was a place of business, and he was accustomed to hearing this from first-time guests. In fact, it had become part of the expected patter whenever someone entered the establishment. 

“Might you have a room for four available?” asked Reina. 

Instantly, the man’s expression morphed back into that of an innkeeper, and he replied, “Sure do. The room’ll be one half-gold and two silver. Hot water’s one half-silver for a basin, and you get one towel for free. Extras are four copper each.” 

“What normal prices…” the group sighed in relief. 

“Lemme guess, you girls stopped over across the street?” the owner said with a grimace. 

The girls nodded. 

Truthfully, there was much that they wished to ask the man, but they still had yet to officially take a room and pay him his due, and they were each currently burdened with some small item (a canteen or some other light object), as people would think it strange if they kept showing up totally empty-handed. Besides, they were already interrupting an innkeeper, who was probably right in the middle of the evening’s preparations. Forcing him to linger any longer would be rude. 

And so, they paid for their room and then began to head upstairs, but they were stopped by the owner, who asked if they needed hot water or towels. 

Most likely, he knew that hot water was essential to a young girl’s grooming routine. If he’d really thought about it, though, he would have realized that there was no reason a group with two mages would ever need to pay for such a thing. 

“This place seems decent, even if he is a bear.” 

“The prices are normal, too, even if he is a bear.” 

“Nothing else seemed out of the ordinary, even if he is a bear.” 

“Well, I mean, we can’t make that judgment for sure until we’ve tried their cooking… Even if he is a bear.” 

And so, the four waited until dinnertime. 

“Such normal prices.” 

The dinner menu had plenty of options, all at standard prices. As always, the party ordered eight diners’ worth of meals. 

“There’s a normal amount. The variety of ingredients is normal. The quantity and quality of the meat is as expected, too,” judged Mavis, prodding the soup with a spoon. 

“Hm, the main flavor I detect is salt, followed by what’s probably locally grown herbs,” said Reina, sniffing with her face close to the plate of meat and vegetable stir-fry. 

“This steak is cooked perfectly rare, just as we ordered it. It’s not overcooked or seared only on the outside with the inside raw. A passing grade!” said Mile, nodding, as she examined a cut of the meat. She was quite fond of rare steak. 

“If you factor in that the ingredients are about thirty percent of the cost, as well as firewood and the wear on the cooking tools, the cost of labor, and taxes, these prices are incredibly fair,” said Pauline, assessing things from an economic standpoint. 

But then… 

“Shut up already! Hurry up and eat it before it gets cold!!!” the Bear raged at them. 

Hearing this, the other patrons laughed. 

The food had been prepared by the Bear… or rather, the owner, along with the woman who appeared to be his wife—though the fact that such a woman even existed seemed incredible. Each had prepared a separate set of dishes, and each carried out the ones that he or she had cooked. Considering the cost of labor, it was probably more profitable for them to do things that way, even if hiring a waitress would mean a slight increase in general efficiency. During times when business was slower, having additional employees was an unnecessary expense. 

At this moment, the owner had just emerged from the kitchen, carrying out another customer’s order. 

“And now, the final measure: the taste…” 

The four each carried a bite of food to their mouths. 

“I…” 

“It…” 

“It’s…” 

“Amazing!!!” 

It was absolutely delicious. The food had been made with normal ingredients and normal seasonings, but it was clear that it had been prepared by the hands of an experienced chef. 

Even if that chef were a bear. 

In any case, having four voices shouted praise for one’s food was never a bad feeling. The owner’s expression slowly began to soften. Until… 

“At least after eating that stuff across the street, anyway!” 

And there it went. 

“The food is delicious, and the prices are normal. I can see why the women and elders favor this place now. But still, all of the young men go to the other place. You’d think that this inn would be swarming with customers, but there don’t seem to be many here at all,” said Mile, perplexed. 

Wearily, Reina explained. 

“Mile, sometimes I wonder if that thing atop your shoulders is just there for show. Think about it. Locals who aren’t hunters have their own homes, so there’s no reason for them to eat out every single night. Think of the kinds of people who eat out every night in spite of not being a traveler or those who have no homes because they are always on the road sleeping at inns. Who would those people be? Young hunters! I mean, comparatively speaking, there are a lot more male hunters, aren’t there?! Of course, people living in their own homes do eat out every now and then, but for the most part, these would still be young, single men, wouldn’t they? Most women would rather cook for themselves, so they hardly ever eat out. 

“In addition, most hunters who are already past their thirties would have gotten married ages ago—men and women alike. They have their own homes, spouses, and maybe even some children, so they have no reason to eat a sad, solitary meal in a place like this!” 

For some reason, the mood in the room seemed to darken. Mile swore she could hear quiet sniffles here and there, but it was probably just her imagination—or so she wanted desperately to believe. 

That was when the owner barged in. 

“What’re you tryin’ to say?! Look at that! Now everyone’s lost their appetites, and no one else is placing any orders! You’re ruining my business!” 

With no choice but to take responsibility for this turn of events, the Crimson Vow ordered yet another round of food… 

*** 

After returning to their room, they held a discussion. 

“I mean, there isn’t really anything interesting about this place at all.” 

“Yeah, like, there aren’t any juicy scandals or creepy conspiracies here or anything. So boring!” 

“……” 

Mile and Mavis thoroughly agreed with Reina’s assessment, but they found they were not at all in agreement with Pauline’s words, which came immediately after. 

And then, Mile quietly asked, “If I recall, over at the Maiden’s Prayer they said they were getting harassed by the Wild Bear, didn’t they? However, as far as I’ve seen, the owner doesn’t seem like the sort of person who would do a thing like that at all… Even if he is a bear.” 

“Huh…” 

It was impossible to tell what sort of person someone was just from their appearance or from talking to them for a little while. It was normal for a swindler to be attractive in face and manner and to seem completely trustworthy. Nowhere in the world would you meet a con man with the face of a villain. Well, of course it was possible that somewhere out there was a con man who looked like a mustache-twirling hustler and just got by on their wits… At any rate, the owner of this inn did not seem like the type who was very good at concealing his true intentions, and even when he overheard them talking about the House of the Maiden’s Prayer, he had never slipped a bad word in. 

“After he’s done cleaning up the kitchen and dining room, and finishes his preparations for tomorrow, let’s ambush him!” 

“Yeah!!!” 

You shouldn’t go meddling in other people’s affairs, you say? 

You shouldn’t poke a bear just to see what will happen? 

Don’t worry about it! What’s life if you aren’t living it to the fullest?! 

If you always hold back and never do anything that you want to do, then you’ll die with regrets—and for Mile, one time was enough! 

*** 

After killing a bit of time with their usual jibber-jabber, the Crimson Vow moved down to the dining room on the first floor. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, they found the lights in the dining room low, the washing and tidying complete, and the owner and his wife in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on their preparations for the next day. 

“Hm? Can we help you with something?” asked the owner, stepping out of the kitchen. 

Mile leapt straight into it, asking, “Um, could we ask you all something about the House of the Maiden’s Prayer?” 

“What? Do you all have something to do with those girls? Or did someone put you up to this?” 

The owner looked a bit frightened, and his wife, hearing the conversation, came rushing out of the kitchen. 

“We’ve nothing to do with them, and no one put us up to this,” said Reina bluntly. “We were merely curious about the situation.” 

“Seriously?” 

The owner’s shoulders slumped. However, he seemed to realize that if they truly had some ulterior motive, they would not have asked him so directly. Most likely, it was nothing more than childish curiosity. He began to lower his guard. 

“It’s not somethin’ to go babbling to outsiders about. You’d best just leave things where they are,” he said. 

However, the four would not be deterred so easily. 

“If you were to ask us whether we have anything to do with that establishment, we would tell you no, we absolutely do not,” said Pauline. “However, if you were to ask us if we had no stake at all in this situation, nor any reason to require this information, then we would also have to say that you are wrong.” 

“What?” 

The owner stared at her. 

“What I’m saying is, we stayed there for a night and paid exorbitant prices for lodging and food. This matter has affected us, and we have every right to demand an explanation!” 

Pauline was fuming now. The owner and his wife grimaced. 

Here, Mile stepped in. “We would like to know about the House of the Maiden’s Prayer, but there is something else that we would like to know before that!” 

“Wh-what is it?” 

“How is it you got yourself such a young and smokin’ wife!” 

“Sh-shut your mouth!” 

After talking in circles for ages, the owner and his wife—perhaps simply because they were too tired to keep resisting—finally agreed to talk about the House of the Maiden’s Prayer. 

According to the owner’s explanation, the situation was as follows: 

For as long as the two inns had been in business here on this same road, they had always been rivals, but their competition was a friendly one. Because they were in the same business, they had the same worries and frustrations, and they always gave each other advice and helped one another out when times were tough. They had always gotten along well and been close friends, even during their parents’ times, and their grandparents’ times before that. 

In their youths, the owner of the Wild Bear, Dyllus (the son of the Maiden’s Prayer’s owners), and Aila (third daughter of the owners of the local general store) were thick as thieves, all being close in age. Indeed, until they were all of marrying age… 

“So then, Miss Aila of the general store became your wife…” 

“No, that’s not it.” The owner immediately shot down Mile’s conjecture. 

“Well, that’s where it seemed like the story was going! I mean, how could you manage to snag yourself a hottie like her without having made an impression on her while she was still an innocent child?!” 

“Just how much sass is in those little mouths of yers?!” 

Reina’s exceptionally rude phrasing had pushed the owner to his limit. 

“I met Lilieze in the forest while gathering food and firewood one day, back when my parents were still managing this inn. Our paths crossed when I came across her being attacked by a monster and risked my life to save her.” 

“Of course you would have met her in the forest! You are a bear, after all…” Mile chuckled. 

“Shut up!” 

“Ahh, how wonderful! Why, to your wife, you must be her knight in shining armor!” praised Mavis. 

The owner scratched the bridge of his nose, blushing slightly. 

“So, what kind of monster was it?” Mavis continued. “A goblin? A kobold? Don’t tell me—was it an orc, or something even worse…?” 

Suddenly, the owner averted his gaze, in a way that suggested he was not keen to answer. Seeing the suspicion on everyone’s faces, his wife answered quietly from beside. 

“Um, well, it was a ferocious monster known as a ‘jackalope’… I wasn’t really concerned about there being a jackalope nearby—I mean, it wasn’t very big, and even if it had struck me with its horn it wouldn’t have hurt much—but my husband here came rushing out, yelling, ‘Watch out! That is a deadly, ferocious Poison Jackalope from Hell! Take cover!’ and risked his life to save me from it…” 

This was the scam of the century. 

Mavis looked at the owner as though she were gazing upon a pile of muck. 

Reina and Mile appeared utterly weary. 

And Pauline wore a face that was almost congratulatory, seeming to convey a sense of, Well played, sir… 

“From the looks of it, your wife is at least ten years younger than you! Just how old were you at the time, you bastard?! Th-that’s… That’s absolutely criminal!” 

Mavis must have been deeply affected by the situation to use such strong language. She looked about ready to leap up and grab the owner by the throat. Quickly, his wife stepped in. 

“It’s all right, I understood the situation from the beginning. It would be one thing if I were a sheltered young maiden living in some sanctum in the capital, but there’s no way that someone who grew up around here wouldn’t already know about jackalopes. Honestly, I thought to myself, ‘Ah, what an amusing and witty person, he wanted a chance to talk to me so badly…’ I had no idea if he was joking or serious, but honestly I thought the fact that he would make up such a ridiculous excuse was pretty adorable.” 

“Wh-what?! You knew…?” 

“Of course I did, you silly bear!” 

The owner was stunned at this revelation, and his wife tittered to herself. The two of them stared deeply into one another’s eyes, and… 

“Gwaaaaaaaah!! You two save that for later, when we aren’t here!” Reina screamed. 

She hadn’t the slightest interest in witnessing a pair of strangers’ public display of affection. Especially if one of them was a bear. 

Deep down, the other three wholeheartedly agreed. 

“Anyway, this is all beside the point! After you went and got yourself a wife all on your own, those other two got close, right?” 

The owner nodded. 

“Even after we all married, we still remained friends. Lilieze became a part of our group, they had children, and we all lived happy lives… At least until five years ago, when Aila suddenly took ill from a plague and passed away. Me and Lilieze did what we could to help out with the children and lent a hand wherever else we could, but things were tough for them…” 

“………” 

The four girls were silent. 

“And then last year, Dyllus, their father, passed away as well. The eldest daughter, Meliza, was only fifteen, and the youngest, Alile, was no more than seven. I can’t believe that idiot…” 

The owner trailed off, his expression one of regret and sadness. 

“Of course, that wasn’t all. After Aila died, there was no way that Dyllus could be expected to raise three young girls and also run a business on his own, so in addition to the young chef he had been employing up until then, he hired on an old bag from the neighborhood to work as a waitress-slash-bookkeeper. The oldest, Meliza, started helping out at the inn, while the middle daughter, Lafia, both worked and looked after her younger sister, Alile. They all made do somehow, but once Dyllus died, those girls were really in a bind. 

“In order to keep the business that their parents left them going, and so that they could continue to live together as a family, the sisters steeled themselves through their sadness and started to drum up ways to keep the inn afloat. Until, that is, that bookkeeper made off with all of the inn’s money and their savings, too. And then, while they were still in the middle of this new crisis, that chef who was working for ’em tried to get his hands on the girls so that he could make the inn his own. He went after all three of them…” 

“Wh…” 

Since yesterday, the Crimson Vow had been struck with shock after shock, but this was the biggest surprise of all. 

He should’ve at least left it at only the oldest girl… they all thought—though of course that was not really the biggest problem here. 

“The old lady was eventually caught, but they never got the money back, and the girls and all their loyal customers got together to drive that cad of a chef out. After that, the girls felt that they couldn’t trust folks anymore and decided they were just gonna run the inn and dining hall all by themselves. Those girls did their damnedest, and everyone in town who knew their story did what they could to help out—even the merchants’ guild gave them a loan to help keep the place afloat, which doesn’t happen every day. Soon enough, those girls started to earn enough for them to live a normal life. But then…” 

“But then?” Mile interjected. 

The owner knitted his brows, and replied, “They got greedy.” 

“Ah…” 

Suddenly, the Vows understood. 

The sisters, no longer able to trust the adults around them, had decided to milk the help that had been extended to them for all it was worth. And then, they probably realized that they could use their status as sweet, tragic young girls as a selling point. 

“Plenty of people tried to advise them, but they wouldn’t take a word of it. Even me and Lilieze tried to talk to them, thinking they might listen since we’d been family friends for so long, but they just thought that we were trying to ruin the Maiden’s Prayer or take them over, and they refused us. I mean, I can’t blame them. They were betrayed by their trusted employees one after the other, but we’d known them since they were babies, so we were really kind of hurt…” 

A sadness crept across the owner’s face. 

“After that, they apparently decided that we were their rivals. They started spreading rumors that we were obstructing their business or sending in unsavory acquaintances to harass them and other things like that… I mean, as far as obstructing them? The only thing that’s happened is that Meliza slept in late one morning and by the time she got to the town market I had already bought up all the cheap, choice vegetables, and the like. And there are always unsavory guys on the road, aren’t there? At those prices, you’re gonna end up only getting guys who won’t complain about paying up to stay in a place staffed by cute girls—guys who might get the wrong idea and act out of line, aren’tcha? So really, this is all their own doing.” 

“Ah…” 

The Crimson Vow expressed their condolences with their expressions alone. 

“I mean, the crowds of overnighters and diners have always been split between our two places, so that’s no big deal. Besides, in a little town like this, everyone already knows everyone else’s business. Even the way things are now, we aren’t really bothered. It’s just…” 

“Just?” 

“In a year and a half, this’ll all be over,” said the owner, continuing to explain. “Everyone’s got a lot of compassion for those three girls, especially while they’ve still got Alile, who’s only eight years old, under their wings. They feel for Lafia, in particular, who’s only thirteen and working her hardest to take care of that little girl. But in a year and a half, those girls will’ve had two more birthdays.” 

“Oh…” 

Indeed, after two more birthdays, the two girls, now thirteen and eight, would be fifteen and ten, respectively. At fifteen, you were considered an adult. And ten was the age at which most people took up a proper employment. At ten, you could officially register at the Hunters’ Guild or take up an apprenticeship at a shop or workshop to receive instruction in craftsmanship. In other words, even if you were not yet an adult, you were recognized as a member of society and a true and proper worker. 

The three sisters would all be of normal working age. No one would have any compassion for three adult sisters all working to run a business that they owned themselves. There was no reason for anyone to pay an exorbitant amount of money to a group of three adults who had a higher collective household income than they themselves might. 

No longer would there be a place for the people who would pay high prices merely out of sympathy. Plus, any travelers would be wont to change establishments the moment they heard the inn’s rates. If the Wild Bear Lodge were full, they would just keep walking on to the next town or simply plan to stop at another town the next time they were in the area. Most of the customers who stopped at the inn were regulars, anyway—merchants who passed through the town time and again or other travelers making round trips from the big city to their hometowns. Even now, the number of overnight guests at the Maiden’s Prayer was already dwindling. 

In other words, it was as the owner had said. The House of the Maiden’s Prayer had only a year and a half to go. 

Pauline handed down a ruthless sentence. “They’re definitely going to go bankrupt. They’ll probably still get guys coming through there with their eyes set on the oldest and the middle girl, but that won’t be nearly enough to keep things running. Plus, if they only have customers like that, those guys will be at each other’s throats, and whenever a new client shows up, they’ll assume he’s a rival and send him packing. As a result, fewer and fewer people will start coming by. Eventually, it’ll become a haunt for only a few repeat customers, and soon the end will be upon them, without a doubt.” 

The owner nodded sadly in agreement. “We want to do something to help them, but they keep refusing us. If we tried to force help on them, they could call the authorities or have their regulars chase us out of town. At the very least it would provide them with public proof that we were interfering with their business. Of course, most of the people in town already know the situation, so it’s not that big of a deal, but… 

“All those guys feel pretty good about themselves, thinking they’re doin’ those girls a favor, but not a one of them realizes that all they’re doin’ is tying the noose around those girls’ necks themselves and ruining all their prospects for the future. They probably all think that they’ll be able to get one of those girls and run the inn with their new wife and sisters-in-law, but they don’t realize that by the time it comes to that, there won’t even be an inn to run.” 

“………” 

“Well, I guess we’ve solved the mystery, so let’s get back to bed,” said Pauline. “We’ll head out to the next town first thing in the morning!” 

“Huh?” 

The owner and his wife were dumbfounded. 

“Y-you’re not gonna go talk to them for us…?” 

Here was a group of girls who had followed the conversation with interest, understood the issues, and seemed to have a keen sense for business. Naturally, the owner and his wife had expected that they might be able to lend a hand and share their knowledge with the sisters. Therefore, they were somewhat bewildered by Pauline’s abrupt speech. 

“I mean, it’s really none of our business. We were just curious as to how they could have so many customers at that inn despite charging such ridiculous prices. Now that the mystery has been thoroughly solved, there’s no reason for us to remain in this town any longer. It’s none of our concern if an inn that laughs in the face of fair business practices goes bankrupt, and you can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped, right? Factor in the reality that we stayed a night here in this inn, and they’ll probably end up thinking that we’re a bunch of rivals, too…” 

Unable to refute Pauline’s logic, the owner and his wife were silent. An unpleasant atmosphere filled the room. 

“Hup!” 

Mavis lightly smacked the top of Pauline’s head. 

“Eep!” 

“You shouldn’t be so cruel to someone who’s in trouble.” 

“……” 

Indeed, the girls were nothing but a group of children who had lost their parents and sought desperately to protect the business they had left behind. Pauline, of all people, could not overlook that fact. Perhaps her words came merely from a place of anger at seeing people stray from the scruples of an honest merchant, or perhaps she didn’t want to make them waste any more time on this town for her sake. Which it was, Mavis and Reina didn’t know. Only Mile took Pauline’s words at face value. 

“Are you sure about this?” asked Pauline. 

“Do whatever you want. We aren’t in a hurry, and it’s not as though we’ll run out of money if we don’t take on another job straight away. The only reason we even prolonged our stay here in the first place was because this seemed like an interesting situation it might be fun to stick our noses into. We may as well see it through to the end. I mean, we can’t just throw our hands up and run out just when things are gettin’ good!” said Reina, grinning. 

Pauline couldn’t help but smile as well. 

“Hee hee hee…” 

Seeing that wicked grin, Mavis, the owner, and the owner’s wife all felt their lips twitch up in the beginnings of smiles. 

“Um, you can’t just throw your hands up and run off in the middle of a job, either…” Mile muttered, but no one seemed to hear. 

“So a-anyway, you’ll talk to them? Do you have some good ideas, then?” asked the owner. 

Pauline replied with a grin. “Of course, I do! If things go on the way they are, then that inn will be ruined in a year and a half, won’t it? The way to guard against that is simple. To keep them from being ruined in a year and a half, we must ruin them now!” 

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!” 

From Pauline’s tone, it sounded as though she were making a perfectly fair suggestion. However, no one in the room could accept this…not even Mile. 

“Wha…? But that won’t solve anything!” 

This seemed like a reasonable reply. 

“Well, I mean, if they won’t be persuaded, then the only choice is to physically drive them out. If we can’t convince them that that inn is already devoid of any value, and that we aren’t after their property or their money, then no matter what we say to them, it’ll be useless. Therefore, what we have to do is drive them to the point just before total ruination. If we get them to a point of ‘as good as ruined’ or ‘the end is just a matter of time now,’ then I think they might be interested in listening to what we have to say.” 

The owner and his wife were silent. 

It was up to Mavis to ask the obvious question. 

“So what, precisely, is it that you intend to do to convince them to listen to your advice? I mean, brute force is obviously out of the question. If we go out of our way to ruin them, won’t we just wind up with all their hatred and resentment coming our way—and drag this inn’s reputation through the mud at the same time? Besides, they might end up calling their customer posse or the town guards on us…” 

Naturally, Pauline was not one to overlook such a fundamental issue. 

“The Lenny Gambit.” 

“Wh…?” 

“If the Maiden’s Prayer’s selling point is ‘three beautiful and tragic sisters,’ then this inn just needs to provide exactly the same thing.” 

“Wha…?” 

“You remember when Lenny had us work as waitresses, tending to the customers? We need to recreate that but an even more amped-up version. An inn where the rates are cheap and the food is good that’s staffed by ‘four tragic young beauties’ who were driven from their home country. All the customers will be ours!” 

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!” 

And so, the waking nightmare began. 

*** 

“How odd…” 

Meliza, the eldest of the three sisters running the House of the Maiden’s Prayer, tipped her head. 

“What’s wrong, sister?” asked Lafia, the second sister, as she exited the kitchen. 

“Mm, well, somehow it seems as though we don’t have nearly as many customers as we did yesterday…” 

Of course, Lafia had already noticed this. She cooked all of the food herself, so there was no way that she couldn’t have noticed. 

“Hmm… I think you’re right, but this business always has its ups and downs, doesn’t it? I don’t think it’s anything we need to worry about.” 

Meliza, the eldest, tended to worry and fret over every little thing, perhaps because she carried the burden of the inn passed down in their family for generations and of caring for her sisters. 

This was the inevitable result of the position she had been put in, and every day it made her little chest ache… (This was not metaphorical—in relation to her age, she literally had a small chest.) 

Meliza was sixteen years old. She was beautiful and personable. To put it gently, she was slender; to put it less gently, she was flat as a board. She served as waitress, bookkeeper, and receptionist. Her cooking ability could be scored in the negative digits. 

The second sister, Lafia, ran the kitchen all by herself at the age of only thirteen. That said, her cooking ability was nothing beyond the reach of any typical thirteen-year-old girl. That was perfectly fine as far as many of their male customers were concerned. Those men probably went elsewhere when they wanted to eat some particularly good food—but when they wanted to delude themselves into thinking that they were being served a meal by their lover or daughter, they came here. If you considered it from that angle, then Lafia’s cooking was perfect—even on the occasions when a dish came out entirely wrong. 

Up until her parents died, Lafia had been an energetic, lively girl, but these days she was rather gloomy. She was of normal build and stature for her age, which was to say, she was around Reina’s height. Naturally, her bust was larger than Reina’s—and her elder sister’s as well. 

Because they were a bit worried about having Alile, the third sister, who was currently napping in their personal quarters, do things like carrying plates full of food, she was left in charge of collecting the dishes and cleaning the tables once the customers were done eating. In truth, although she had mainly been allowed to do so by her sisters so as not to feel left out, the task allowed her to unleash her true potential in drawing the sympathies of their customers. In fact, she played a key part in their scheme. 

The three sisters of the House of the Maiden’s Prayer were a perfect fighting unit. Indeed, like the Kisaki Sisters or the Yagisawa Sisters or the Kashimashi Girls, they were an indomitable trio. 

*** 

And then, the following evening… 

“Something is definitely going on. We’ve hardly had any customers come in for dinner and barely any overnight guests at all. Even the visitors who told us that they would be staying for a while have been checking out early… There is most certainly something afoot!” 

Those who stand in the way of the House of the Maiden’s Prayer will not be forgiven! 

Meliza, who trusted no one since the events surrounding their father’s passing, and would stop at nothing to defend her sisters and their inn, stood, her eyes flashing. 

“Lafia, mind the place. I’m going out for a bit.” 

“Huh? Oh, yes, okay.” 

Lafia was startled at her sister’s sudden change in demeanor, but since they had few customers at the moment, she and Alile would be more than able to manage the inn in her absence. Alile was eight years old, so at the very least she could tend to the finances, and of course, no one who came expressly to a place where the prices were so high would ever try to swindle them when it came to payment. Anyone who would bother with that would have gone to a cheaper, better establishment in the first place. 

The thought should have been comforting, but it left Lafia a bit depressed… 

The moment Meliza stepped outside, she headed straight across the street to the Wild Bear Lodge. There were of course other pubs and eateries around, but the Wild Bear was their number-one rival. As far as Meliza was concerned, that designation was an official one. Plus, given that they had been losing both their evening diners and their overnight guests, the Wild Bear was immediately suspect. 

It took her all of twenty seconds to cross the way. Meliza stood in front of the entrance of the Wild Bear and carefully put her ear to the door. 

“Yes, they wanted to force me into an unwanted engagement, so I flew from my home with nothing but the pocket change I had saved up, a single sword for my own protection, and the clothes on my back…” 

“I was abused by my stepmother and her daughter, who were certain to kill me in order to get me out of the way, so I fled, as quickly as I could…” 

“My father, a peddler, was killed by bandits, and the hunters who took me in afterwards were all wiped out while on escort duty, leaving me completely alone…” 

“Bandits murdered my father, and then the clerk who had hired those thieves stole my father’s shop…” 

“You’ve all been through such tragedy! But it’s all right now! For as long as you’re in this town, we’ll protect you, so you don’t have to worry anymore!” 

“That’s right! You can take it easy and keep working here for as long as you like!” 

“But I mean, not forever, though! Just until they find themselves a good husband, right?” 

“Y’ain’t wrong! Wahahaha!” 

“Ahahahahahaha!” 

Raucous laughter exploded throughout the room. 

Wh-what is going oooon?!?! 

Meliza was certain that the male voices she heard from within were the regulars who, up until a few days ago, had come to the House of the Maiden’s Prayer to eat almost every day. 

Th-those traitors… 

Stewing, Meliza carefully pushed at the door, opening it a crack so she could peek inside. What she spied there were the four girls who had stayed at the Maiden’s Prayer just a few nights ago. 

Th-those harpies… Grrrnngh… 

They were using their own misfortunes as some kind of marketing stunt—could they sink any lower? Yet as Meliza ground her teeth in anger, something suddenly occurred to her. 

That’s exactly what we’re doing. 

The revelation stunned her. 

They were cutting into the market share by doing the exact same thing that the Maiden’s Prayer was doing—far more efficiently and successfully, at that. 

“Miss Mile, another of those fried rock lizard dishes you brought out earlier, please!” 

“Idiot! If you order that, she’s gonna be stuck back in the kitchen!” 

“Oh… But I mean, it’s so good I’m just dyin’ to eat more. Goes perfect with ale, don’t it?” 

“It does… Well, guess we’ve got no choice, then. Everyone who wants some more rock lizard, get yer orders in now! That’ll make the prep easier for little Mile, yeah?” 

“Ooh, then count me in!” 

“Me two!” 

“I want two servings!” 

With the orders rolling in one after another, the girl called Mile, who looked even younger than Lafia, rushed back to the kitchen. 

A girl who was younger than Lafia but a better chef. 

A cheerful redhead the same age as Lafia, who was friendly with the guests. 

A very…large-chested girl around the same age as her, who was carrying on complex exchanges with the customers who seemed to be merchants. 

And a boyish beauty who was deep in conversation with the swordsmen hunters about the art of swordplay. 

They didn’t stand a chance. 

In shock, Meliza gently shut the door and stumbled back to the House of the Maiden’s Prayer, listlessly dragging her feet all the way. 

She was still light-headed when she returned to the Maiden’s Prayer, but she was no wilting maiden. She was a valkyrie who swore on her father’s deathbed to manage this inn and protect her two sisters, even if it cost her her life. Her heart was not so fragile as to be broken by the likes of this. 

She began to plan her counterattack at once. 

*** 

“B-big sis! You can’t do this…” 

As Meliza moved to exit the inn later that evening, swearing to win back their customers, Lafia tried all that she could to dissuade her. Meliza would not be deterred. 

“It’s of no consequence to me. I will win our customers back!” 

What Meliza was currently wearing was a garment that most adult women in this world would consider a “devilish,” even “aberrant,” length, showing off her knees as well as her cleavage. In other words, it left nothing to the imagination. 

Such a garment would not be at all strange for a child or a girl who was still underage—or for a female hunter for whom ease of movement was key, a dancer, a waitress, or other such person. However, for an adult woman who was none of those things, such dress would clearly be frowned upon. And yet for Meliza, who would do whatever it took to defend her dear sisters, such considerations were little more than a trifle. 

As she placed her hand on the door, there was a moment’s hesitation, but it was no more than a second or two. 

Then, she flung open the door, took a step outside, and immediately froze, her eyes wide. 

“The last time! This is the last time I’m ever wearing this! I’m serious!” 

Before her was the large-chested girl, red-faced and shouting. 

On her top half, she wore a tight shirt, the hem pulled up by her bust so that her whole midriff was showing. From her in-seam down to her knees, her thighs were mostly bare. Meanwhile, the bottom garment dug in, leaving no mystery as to the shape of her rump. 

Indeed, it was Pauline, along with her old friend: Mile’s old gym uniform. 

Is she a pervert?!?! 

She couldn’t do it. 

No matter how firmly Meliza might have steeled herself, she could never bring herself to wear anything as scandalous as that. 

She collapsed to the ground in defeat, cringing as the large-chested girl’s angry shouts echoed through the street. 

“Keep it down!” 

It seemed that her thoughts voiced themselves all on their own. Rather loudly. 

She slunk back to the Maiden’s Prayer, gripping her skull. She was no match for a girl who would abandon all pride and dignity. Furthermore, setting such an example for her sisters was entirely out of the question. She would do literally anything to make her sisters happy, but dragging those same sisters’ reputations through the mud to achieve that would be a rather stark confusion of ends and means. 

There were only a scant number of customers in the building, including the elderly couple who often looked after Alile. Lafia alone would be more than enough to handle that crowd, so Meliza took her seat at the front counter to think. 

As she contemplated the way they were managing the inn, she began to worry. Was it right to be running the inn that her parents, her grandparents, and her great-grandparents had cherished in such a way? 

That said, in the long hiatus they took after her father’s death, they had already used up most of his savings. Thanks to their former employee’s embezzlement, all their working capital had vanished as well. The Merchants’ Guild had extended them a loan, but saddled with debt, and understaffed with only a novice chef on hand, they had no choice but to stoop to underhanded means in order to compete with the Wild Bear Lodge. 

As she thought about it now, Meliza had no idea if they had made the right decision. However, that was little more than hindsight at work. Back then, she’d assumed it was the best option. 

In truth, this plan had served them quite well until now. They had paid back their loans and put away some savings in case of emergency, even if that amount was still modest. Upon reflection, she had no regrets. What she had to think about now was how to remediate things going forward. 

Should they return their prices to the standard rates? Honestly, she had not expected to keep things as they were forever. Sooner or later, even the young men who were their regulars would get girlfriends and even get married. Her sisters would get older, and once they were of age, they would no longer be able to garner exorbitant sums merely out of sympathy. 

That said, could they really compete with the Wild Bear on a level playing field, what with their amateur cooking? Especially now that their rivals had that shameless cow of a girl, that dreamy beauty, and those two girls around Lafia’s age, who were maybe, sort of, just a little adorable? It would be a reckless battle, one with only the slimmest chance of victory… 

Those girls, who seemed to be rookie hunters, even had a leg up when it came to making conversation with other hunters. 

It was impossible. They were invincible in every way. 

But if she did not do something, at this rate they were going to be facing poverty again. Though they had dutifully paid off all their debts, they could not expect to be offered another loan. The Merchants’ Guild did not look favorably upon how they had been running the business, and the way things were, it was uncertain whether or not they would be able to repay another loan in full. If they got anything at all, it would never be at the low interest rate and with the lax terms that they had received previously. There was no doubt that had been a special case, granted to them out of compassion. 

After the small handful of diners went home for the evening, Meliza locked up the doors and headed up to bed where she passed a tumultuous, sleepless night. 

*** 

The next morning, past breakfast time, the last of the morning diners had vacated. After cleaning rooms and making beds, there would be nothing to do until it was time to begin the preparations for dinner. 

And of course, when it was off hours at the House of the Maiden’s Prayer, it would be off hours at the Wild Bear Lodge as well. 

After thinking the whole night through, Meliza had come to a decision that morning, around dawn. Now, she resolved to do what she must. 

Aside from the shopping, all of the preparations for meals were generally left to Lafia. Even if Meliza were to step in here, she would be of little help. Still, Lafia had plenty to do, and when Meliza told her sister that she was going out for a bit, Lafia thought little of it. 

And so, Meliza arrived at the Wild Bear Lodge. 

Naturally, the door was not locked, so she flung it open easily and burst inside. 

“Huh…?” 

The owner, his wife, and the Crimson Vow, who were all assembled in the empty dining hall, were stunned by her sudden entrance. 

Glaring at them all, Meliza screamed, “I’m sorry! Please, have mercy on uuuuuuusss!!!” 

And with that, she leapt into a practiced and splendid jumping dogeza. 

Oh, thought Mile—frivolous as usual— it looks like they do extreme apologies in this world, too… 

“Wh…?” 

Though they were all surprised, the most shaken amongst them were the owner and Pauline. 

“P-please stop that! Even if it was just to force you to listen to us, we were the ones who were using underhanded means!” 

“Guh…” Meliza groaned. The man had no idea that his own words had just condemned the Maiden’s Prayer’s methods as “underhanded means,” but she could see this clearly. 

“P-please stop!” Pauline continued in turn. “We’d already prepared secondary and tertiary attack measures! You can’t be surrendering already!” 

Her plans had been spoiled. 

Thank goodness! Thank goodness I decided to give up and surrender noooooow!!! 

Though it was not warm inside, Meliza felt herself breaking into a sweat. 

*** 

“Now then, why don’t we go ahead and discuss this. Sound good, Miss Meliza?” asked Mile from her seat. 

Meliza nodded. 

Initially, Pauline was meant to be the moderator for this conference, but the moment she started talking, Meliza seemed to flinch, so it was decided that a change of plans was in order. Given their past relationship, and the strain that had been placed upon it these past months, they thought that it might be difficult for Meliza to talk to the owner and his wife one-on-one, so from the three remaining members of the Crimson Vow, who had no past connection with either side, they chose an intermediary. Of course, Mavis was clearly not suited to this sort of talk, and if Reina was in charge, then nothing would ever get settled. Pauline was already out, so by process of elimination that left Mile, who seemed as though she wouldn’t hurt a fly, to serve as the chairman-slash-facilitator. 

“Now then, Miss Meliza, what do you think of how the House of the Maiden’s Prayer is being operated currently?” 

Mile, who had little in the way of delicacy, cut straight to the chase. 

“Y-yes, well, it’s easy and profitable work, so I’d say it’s going rather… Oh, who am I kidding? It’s rather hopeless.” 

Seeing the looks of sorrow upon the owner and his wife’s faces, and how Pauline’s expression twisted in unease and scorn, Meliza quickly changed her tune. Even she herself had finally come to the realization that their current way of doing things was not an infinitely sustainable one. However, they were swiftly running out of time to return to a standard business model, and as it stood, if they were to drop their victim act and all that came with it now, they could never hope to compete with the Wild Bear with their amateurish cooking. Outside of the men who came in with their eyes set on the three sisters, they would lose all of their customers to the Wild Bear Lodge, and then they would only be three maidens, left without a prayer. 

“So then, what do you intend to do from now on?” asked Mile. 

“……” 

Meliza was hard-pressed to answer. If there were an easy solution to this, she would already have found it. 

It was then that Mavis cut in. “The problem is your food, isn’t it? None of the other jobs at the inn should be a problem for you. In fact, it’s work that should be easy for three young girls to do. So, hire a chef. Isn’t that the obvious solution?” 

“……” 

Meliza was silent. 

Just as the owner’s story had suggested, Meliza was still opposed to the idea of hiring outsiders on. 

“The owner here told us everything. You really don’t trust anyone else with a part of your business, do you?” asked Mile. 

Meliza hung her head. 

“It’s true…” 

Just as the owner had said, the girl no longer had faith in others. She had no problem dealing with them as customers—as marks who she could squeeze for all they were worth—but she could not trust them with the shop’s money. Plus, for the three sisters, whose memories still smarted at the near-assault by their former chef, being alone at the inn with a strange adult when all of the overnight guests were away was, understandably, out of the question. 

“Is there not a single person who you all could trust enough to work alongside you?” Reina asked. 

Meliza thought for a while, and then replied. “Hmm, well, I guess there’s the people here, and Miss Celila from the marketplace, and Lisaphy from the blacksmith’s shop…” 

Obviously, there was no way that either the owner or his wife could abandon this establishment. Running an inn and restaurant all alone was impossible, so naturally, they had to decline. 

“Well then, what about Celila or Lisaphy?” asked Mile, but the owner interrupted. 

“That’s impossible.” 

“Auntie Celila is the chief of the marketplace. You’d never find her working at a place like this. Plus, I dunno what you would expect a lady who’s already in her eighties to be able to do… And Lisaphy, on the other hand, is Alile’s playmate—she’s only eight years old. If we tried to drag her over there and make her work, her mother and father, the smiths, would have a fit. Plus it ain’t like she can cook, either.” 

“………” 

They were at a standstill. Everyone racked their brains, but nothing promising came to mind. The Crimson Vow were silent, but then, Meliza offered a proposal. 

“U-um! You all seem good at cooking! How about you all come to the Maiden’s Prayer?” 

“Huh?” 

Their confusion was resounding. 

“Come on! I mean, you can make that fried rock lizard that the customers love so much, right?!” Meliza gestured at Mile, talking wildly. “If you came and worked in our kitchen and did the cooking, with Lafia helping you out, then that would solve everything… Yes, that’s it! That’s the only way!” 

Mile stared blankly. 

“I mean, it is a good plan…” The owner, his wife, and Mavis all nodded in admiration. 

Even for ones as wary as the sisters, a girl of twelve or thirteen like Mile would be no problem. Plus, they wouldn’t have to have Mile involved in anything regarding money—as long as she stayed absorbed in her cooking, the sisters’ suspicions and anxieties would be eased. 

“That would be perfect,” said Reina decisively, “ if Mile were free to simply cut off all ties with the rest of us like that.” 

A reasonable reply. It would not be an impossibility to stay for two or three weeks, perhaps, but who knew how many years it could take to raise a thirteen-year-old girl into a full-blown chef. 

She could not stick around that long. 

Plus, Mile was merely recreating the food of Earth via magic, something that could only be replicated through the most incredibly advanced methods of cooking in this world. She did not herself possess the skills to perfectly pare vegetables, nor slice radishes into thin circles, or perfectly fillet a fish so as not to disrupt the molecular structures. 

Mile also tended to use a generous helping of all the spices and seasonings she had stored away in her inventory—without considering things like profit margins. That alone was reason enough to disqualify her from cooking as a profession. 

In other words, if they were looking for a master chef to teach Lafia, Mile was not the one. 

“Out of the question! I invoke my veto!” Mile immediately refused, not even stopping to entertain the thought. Obviously, she knew herself and her limitations. 

“B-but…” 

Just as Meliza began to sink into despair, the front door of the inn swung open. 

“Father, we’re home!!” 

Two young men of around fifteen or sixteen walked in. 

“Who are they?” the Crimson Vow asked. 

The owner replied, “My sons. They’ve been off in the capital training as chefs since they were twelve years old. Learnin’ a trade like cooking just by apprenticing at your parents’ place ain’t much of an education, so we usually send our kids off to work at other places to study. We told ’em, you boys work hard out there and don’t come back ’til yer fifteen. I guess that was three years ago…” 

“You suck, Papa Bear! Did you seriously forget your own sons’ birthday? I bet you forgot you even had sons!” 

“Well, that’s our father for you… My, what are Meliza and these four lovely ladies doing here?” 

The two brothers, who appeared to be fraternal twins, were both tall, handsome, and of stalwart build. Indeed, exactly the sort who would be quite popular amongst the girls of this world. The Vows glanced at Meliza to see her staring at the two, mouth hanging open. 

And suddenly, Mile screamed, “Is this a deus ex machinaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ?!” 

“Uh, day-oos… eggs… monkey-nah? What is that?” Reina repeated. Honestly, she was accustomed to hearing this sort of thing out of Mile, so she did not appear all that surprised. Mavis and Pauline were no different. 

“It’s deus ex machina ! It’s like in a play or something, when it’s getting to the climax, and it looks like the heroes are never going to survive and suddenly some contraption representing a god gets lowered down from the ceiling on a rope, and the ‘voice of god’ magically settles everything! 

“When a story’s done right, it should be carefully plotted, progressing with the inevitability of cause and effect, with the conclusion being derived from the intentions and efforts of the cast of characters. You can’t just have all the problems fixed by some ‘convenient solution’ just appearing out of nowhere without any build-up! That’s heresy! It’s garbage writing! Lord Tezuka would never allow such a thing!!!” 

The other three desperately tried to soothe Mile, who was seething with anger. 

“So, who’s this Lord Tayzooka, anyway?” 

While Mile continued to rage, Meliza popped back over to the Maiden’s Prayer and retrieved Lafia and Alile. All of the previous night’s guests had already left for the day, and they hadn’t yet taken on any new customers for the evening, so it would be fine to lock the door and leave the place unattended for a bit. 

For Mile, whose primary entertainment in her past life had been stories in the form of books and motion pictures, seeing a narrative resolved with something akin to a deus ex machina —including “it was all a dream”-type resolutions—was completely unforgivable. She continued to rant and rave the whole time until Meliza returned with her two sisters in tow. 

“I… this can’t …” 

By the time Reina finally calmed Mile down, the three girls had already taken their seats. 

“It really is unusual to see you get so worked up like this, Mile,” said Reina. 

“S-sorry. It’s just, it feels like all the work we put in up until now was for nothing—like the universe is mocking us. It plunged my heart into an inky darkness… It’s just like when Pauline realizes that she’s a single gold coin short.” 

“This has nothing to do with me!” Pauline shouted. 

“So… Are we all good, then?” asked Mavis. 

The other three nodded. 

Mile however, was still in a sour mood, and demanded, “Why did you all neglect to mention this important of a detail?!” 

The owner scratched his head and replied, “Well, I mean, you never actually asked us about our sons, so…” 

“There were no signs of them! We figured that maybe you couldn’t have kids, or they had all died or something. We didn’t press the issue! That’s not a subject that you could expect us to bring up! Whatever. Come on and tell us about your sons, then.” 

Meliza and the two sons sat quietly, not daring to speak. 

“Well, as you can see,” the owner explained, “we’ve got two boys. They grew up alongside Meliza and her sisters, and when they turned ten, they took up work as chefs, or at least, as sous-chefs to learn the ropes. A guy we knew who was setting up a restaurant in the capital asked for them to come help once they turned twelve, so I let ’em go off to learn as apprentices. It wouldn’t do ’em much good for us to send in two boys who didn’t have anything to contribute, so those two year I taught them at least the minimum in terms of skills. We figured that once they’d gone off and mastered the basics, they could come back and I’d teach them all my special techniques. So, what’s the deal then, you two? Learned everything you could? Yer tutors give you passing marks?” 

“Obviously they did if we came back here! We’ll show you the certificate from our master later. There’s a letter for you too, Pops. But it’s all the way at the bottom of my bag, so I’m not gettin’ it out right now.” 

Hearing this, the owner nodded, the corners of his lips turning up into a smile. Truly, he would have liked to show a bit more joy at his sons’ return, but now did not seem the appropriate time, so he restrained himself. 

Then, Mile, who had been deep in thought about something or the other, suddenly screamed, “That’s it, that’s it, that’s it! It’s clobberin’ time!” 

The innkeepers on both sides appeared completely perplexed by this sudden interjection of unclear meaning, but the other three Vows simply looked tired, as though they were completely used to this sort of thing. 

“Mile! What have we told you about saying weird, confusing things that only make sense in your head when there are other people around?!” 

However, at this point, Mile was so worked up that she could not be swayed by Reina’s words and turned to the owner, saying, “You need to explain to your sons everything that’s been going on here. From the beginning.” 

It was true; his sons needed to know the details of the situation, and if they had any hope of proving to Meliza and her sisters that they bore no ill will towards them, it made more sense to do it while the girls were present. 

Even if hearing their story told all over again might be a bit unpleasant for them. 

At Mile’s behest, the owner explained to his sons everything that had been going on. His sons’ expressions at hearing this were ones of sadness and regret. It was a natural reaction—this was the first that they were learning of the death of the girls’ father, who was like a second father to them, as well as all the hardships that the girls had gone through just to keep themselves and the inn alive, while the two sons were away, unknowing, unable to have done a single thing to help. 

Still, they did not press their father as to why he never contacted them about the matter. Even if they had known, there was little that two young boys such as themselves could have done about it at the time. What good would two young men who had abandoned their training and their work prospects be to anyone? The two knew this, so they could not bring themselves to berate their father for keeping them in the dark, not wishing to put unrest into the hearts of his only sons. 

“All right, now that you are all aware of the circumstances, it’s time to start making some plans for the future!” 

Finally, Mile began to unveil her scheme. 

“Including the apprentices, all of the cooking staff is currently present, and I have an idea for a way we can utilize you all. Here is my plan: For the times of day when the dining halls are open, from preparation to close of kitchen, how about a staff exchange?” 

“Huh?” 

Voices of confusion rose throughout the room. 

“What I’m saying is, you will take turns. During the times when the kitchen is active, the matron here and one of her sons will be in charge of cooking at the House of the Maiden’s Prayer, with Meliza and Alile in charge of waitressing and bookkeeping. Meanwhile, Lafia will work at the Wild Bear Lodge, along with the owner and the other son. Both sons and Lafia can work as assistants to the matron and the owner respectively, while furthering the study of their craft. That way, both of the establishments will have proper food, as well as a young girl helping them out. This should lead to an even split amongst the customers, allowing both inns to thrive! And furthermore, both the sons and Miss Lafia will grow to be full-fledged chefs along the way…” 

“Whooooooooaa!!!” 

“A-are you a genius?!?!” 

Meliza was overjoyed. In their youths, the two sons of the Wild Bear, Elethen and Beist, had been the constant companions of the Maiden’s Prayer sisters. And so, Meliza, who knew them as youthful but honest and hard-working, as well as kind and gentlemanly to each of the sisters, found their tall but boyish appearances rather charming. Up until the age of twelve, girls tend to grow faster than boys, so Meliza, who was a year their senior, had always been a fair bit taller than the boys until the day they left for the capital. Back in those days, she never saw them as anything more than two younger boys from the neighborhood of whom she and her sisters were fond. She certainly never acknowledged them as men. 

Now, however, in the three years that they had been away, the two had grown tall, and their faces, though still childish, had taken on a rugged edge—in short, they were incredibly handsome. 

They had appeared. 

They had finally appeared. 

The genuine article, two paragons, leagues beyond men like hunters, who were rarely so bright and might perish any day. 

Furthermore, they were chefs, something that the Maiden’s Prayer so desperately needed—chefs who would be honing their craft under the watchful eye of their skilled father and further polishing their skills by both of their parents’ sides. 

Finally. 

Finallyfinallyfinallyfinallyfinallyfinallyfinally!!! 

Meliza had grown so accustomed to a life of pessimism, but now her heart was singing. 

“Hm, sounds like a pretty good idea to me. So then, I suppose I’ll go to the Maiden’s Prayer, while you stay here, brother?” 

“Yeah. I am the older one, so I guess that makes sense… Works for me. That fine with you two? Mom, Pops?” 

Suddenly on the spot, the owner thought for a moment, and then swiftly replied, “Yeah, I think that’s for the best. This might actually be better than trying to teach you both at the same time, anyway… Lilieze and I can probably even switch places now and then. If that’s good with you three girls, then I’ve got no complaints. What’cha think, Lilieze?” 

The three girls and the owner’s wife all nodded happily in agreement. 

“All right then. It’s a plan! We’ll figure out the details of this all tomorrow, but tonight, we celebrate! After all of the evenin’ diners have gone home, we’re throwing you boys a proper welcome home party! Of course, you and your sisters are invited, too, Meliza!” 

“Thank you!!” the three sisters replied in chorus, smiles on all their faces. 

My, but which to choose…? Meliza pondered. Elethen, the older, is rather rough around the edges, but he’s strong and reliable. Beist, the younger, is slight and delicate, but so conscientious and ever so kind… Oh, but if I were to marry Elethen, I suppose that would make the Wild Bear Lodge our inheritance, which would leave Lafia the House of the Maiden’s Prayer… 

As the sails of Meliza’s dreams began to unfurl, she suddenly noticed something that poked a hole in them. 

“Do you still remember our promise?” asked Lafia. 

“Come on, how could I forget? Even if it was an accident, I saw what I saw, and I’m prepared to take responsibility,” said Elethen. 

“Ahaha…” 

Their manner was most definitely a flirtatious one. 

“Wh-what is going on?!” 

Meliza was stunned at the pair. There seemed to already be some kind of deeper connection between them. And exactly what was it he had “seen”?! 

She was shaken, but her sister appeared to be happy, so Meliza steeled herself and said nothing. 

Well, that’s fine, there’s always Beist… I’ll just take the second son as my husband! I mean, if you really think about it, between a wild child like Elethen and someone as gentle and thoughtful as Beist, there’s only one obvious choice. Plus, Beist is the one who I’m going to be working alongside from now on. Indeed, Beist is th— 

“Big brother, you were gone for so looong!! I thought I was gonna have to wait forever!” said Alile, clinging to Beist’s leg. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Will this make it up to you?” asked Beist, pulling a pendant from his pocket and draping it around Alile’s neck. 

Alile’s cheeks went red. 

“J…just what is going on heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere?!?!” 

Meliza’s scream echoed throughout the building. 

“Wh-wh-wh-whawhawhawhawha…?” 

Meliza was trembling, her eyes bloodshot. The Wild Bear family was perplexed, but the Crimson Vow understood everything. 

“Um,” Mile asked the owner, “Do you have any other children?” 

Meliza’s expression was crystal clear, and Mile could easily guess at the circumstances. 

“Well,” said the owner, “We do have a daughter, but she’s already married. As for sons, it’s just these two.” 

“Ah…” 

It was all over. This poor girl’s dreams had been demolished in a matter of seconds. However, when one considered that Meliza had done everything she had done for the sake of her sisters’ happiness—and that that dream looked as though it was about to come true—she ought to be a bit happier… So thought the Crimson Vow, though not a one of them would have been brave enough to say so to her face. 

The two couples sidled up to one another. 

The owner and his wife looked on obliviously. 

And Meliza was frozen, seething with white-hot rage. 

We gotta get outta heeeeere!!!! 

*** 

The second evening bell rang, and all the diners went home, the overnight guests heading up to their respective rooms. 

“We’re here!” 

Lafia entered, calling out in a cheerful voice, as Alile followed behind with a smile on her face. Meliza wobbled in third, a mask of death still on hers. 

She was like a shell of her former self. 

Now that her worries for the future of her sisters and their inn had been all but eliminated, she had lost all will to fight. The rosy future that she had only just begun to dream of had been snatched out of her hands in an instant. Furthermore, her sisters, only thirteen and eight, had soared past her, snagging two good men for themselves, and leaving only her, sixteen years old and all alone. 

At this point, it would be fruitless to try and convince her otherwise. 

For what had she struggled all this time? Apparently, her sisters had already had a happy future laid out for them from the start. 

And as for her? What about her happiness? 

“Nnnnnnnnngh…” 

She could not cause her sisters worry, Meliza thought, but she also could not help the growl of resentment that escaped from her chest. 

Her sisters, for their part, knew exactly how she was feeling. However, they would never relinquish the objects of their affection. Certainly not on this day, when they and their sweethearts had finally been reunited after three long years of waiting, when they had all sworn, on both sides, that their feelings would not change no matter how many days went by. Their eldest sister, who had looked down on the boys as nothing but a pair of squirts, treating them like children and not considering their future prospects, had brought this on herself. 

Sorry, sis, the two thought. And thank you for having such a lack of foresight! 

Indeed, had Meliza played the part of the “wonderful older sister,” a beauty with a silver tongue, the two younger girls would have never stood a chance. This was all made possible thanks to their dunce of a sister. 

Lafia and Alile thanked her, truly and deeply, from the bottom of their hearts. 

A pair of grins spread across their faces. Hehe. 

Waaaaaaah! They’re scary! These two are seriously scary!! Seeing the sneers that the two girls wore, Mavis, Reina, and Pauline shuddered with fear… Though of course, what Pauline was most frightened by was their skill. 

Seeing how Mile grinned blithely, not realizing that anything was amiss, the three found themselves, for once, just a little bit envious. 

The only people in attendance at this homecoming party were the employees of both inns and the members of the Crimson Vow. After the owner said a few words, they all toasted, and then spent the evening in lively conversation while eating and drinking their fill. Of course, Elethen and Lafia, and Beist and Alile were surrounded by force fields of their own making—invisible walls with all the strength of a lattice-power barrier. 

Atop the tables was the food that the owner and his wife had been preparing since the last call for evening dinner, along with plenty of ale for the boys, who were now full-fledged adults. As with many countries in this land, there was no minimum drinking age here, but Mile, Lafia, and Alile kept only to tea and diluted fruit juice. Meliza, however, drank and then drank some more. No one, including the owner and his wife, who seemed to have finally gotten a grasp on the situation, would have dared to stop her. 

This was dangerous. Everyone, save for Meliza herself, and the four who were in their own little worlds, sensed this. 

“Um,” Mile ventured, “are there no other good men in this town? Say someone who’s young and attractive, earns a good living, and would be interested in Miss Meliza?” 

The owner, who looked as though he had all but given up, replied, “Well, there are…” 

“Whaaaaaaaaat?!?!” 

The four were shocked. What an unexpected reply! 

“Y-you’re saying there is someone like that?!” 

Though they had heard it with their own ears, Mile and her three companions were half in disbelief. 

“Meliza’s never minded having hunters as customers, but she’s always said things like, ‘hunters are all just a bunch of broke losers,’ and, ‘it’s a trade for ruffians who could die any day.’ She always ruled them out as potential marriage partners from the get-go. But you yourselves should know that not every hunter is like that, right?” 

It was not untrue that many hunters were guys who couldn’t make it in any other job or people who schemed to claw their way to the top by strength and skill. In fact, this included even Mavis, who was striving to become a young, noble A-rank, and then a knight. These were the types of men whom Meliza would be keen to avoid. 

However, there were also those who would someday be forced to follow in their parents’ footsteps and assume a life of boredom, who worked as hunters to live a life of freedom while they could, and joined parties who only took on relatively safe jobs. Moreover, there were whole parties of veterans who were brought together by parents to look after youths. Colloquially, these were referred to as “young lord hunters” and “the hired help.” Such arrangements were not especially numerous, but they were not so rare, either. 

There were also those who were saving up money in order to open their own businesses and those who only did simple things like herb gathering once a week for the sake of their health and had other jobs for their primary income—hunters who only did the work as a hobby and other such anomalies. 

Without knowing of such exceptional circumstances, Meliza was likely to eliminate any hunter from the pool of potential marriage candidates simply because they were hunters. Yet leaving these prejudices aside, who knew how many of the regulars at the Maiden’s Prayer were honest, reliable, and attractive enough to catch the eye of the rather shallow Meliza? 

“A-are there really guys around here like that?” 

“Of course there are. Meliza herself probably doesn’t even know it, but there’s a young man who works as a hunter and is the heir to his family’s small, but successful shop, as well as a guy who calls himself a D-rank hunter but really only works one or two days a week to spend time with his hunter buddies. He spends the rest of the time tutoring the children of nobles. That’s not to mention the guys who never have to worry about money and hunt just for sport, takin’ on only jobs that excite them, and well—all sorts of others in various circumstances.” 

“………” 

Now that they thought about it, the owner must be right. 

No hunters who were strapped for coin and living payment to payment would have been able to afford to dine at the rather expensive Maiden’s Prayer every day—staying all the way through both breakfast and dinner at that… 

They were the sort of guys who you’d have to ask, “When do you ever work?” 

“I-In that case…” 

“Now that her two sisters have found men for themselves, Meliza’s gonna be in a hurry to do so, too… Probably too much of a hurry,” said the owner, throwing a glance Meliza’s way as she continued to gulp ale. 

“So if someone who was likely to give up their trade as a hunter and settle down after they get married found out…” 

“Plus, Meliza’s pretty popular. I’m sure there are plenty of guys who would be game to devote themselves to a non-hunting trade if they knew that they would get to court Meliza—and if she knew what those trades were, Meliza might be swayed also.” 

The owner looked to Meliza, who was still drinking like a fish, and the two couples, who were surrounded by force fields so impenetrable that not even alien invaders would have been able to disturb them. Just a few years ago, he never would have been able to fathom the idea of those girls and his own sons getting together. However, now that that reality had been thrust before his very eyes—along with the impossible tragedy of the eldest daughter having been skipped over in the process—a whirlwind of emotions swirled through the owner and his wife’s minds… 

“Is it my age? Is my age the problem? Or is it my chest? Is something wrong with my chest?” 

The eldest of the party, Mavis, who, based on her age, would likely stop growing soon in a measure that was not her height, began to fret over the inadequacy of her bust. 

Hearing this, Reina, who was perpetually enveloped by a feeling of inadequacy at the fact that both her height and bust seemed to have stopped developing, pulled the liquor bottle toward herself and filled her cup up to the top, chugging it down in a single swig—“R-Reina, you shouldn’t drink so much!”—all the while glaring at Pauline, who was the one person who had no room to talk. 

Mile, of course, was carefree as ever. 

She still had plenty of time. 

Her height and her bust were still blossoming. She had only just turned thirteen, after all. 

Ignorance, it would seem, truly is bliss.