"A guest?! We're still closed, you know?"
Fíliya looked at the woman approaching her. The stranger was slightly shorter than herself, with long pink hair tied in twin tails that draped down from her ears. Her bangs were cut just long enough to cover her eyebrows, giving her an aura that felt quirky and impish.
Although this girl was trying her best to play the role of a shop clerk, Fíliya could tell at a glance that beneath that disguised exterior lay the foundation of a sharp and lethal killer.
"Oh? Is that so? Then what's the deal with her?"
Fíliya raised an eyebrow slightly and casually pointed toward the drunkard woman off to the side.
With messy blonde hair tied in a simple ponytail at the back of her head, this young woman, dressed like a mercenary, had reacted strangely the moment Fíliya entered.
She had reached out to touch her sword, but as if unable to grip it steadily, she let the sword fall to the ground just like that.
Judging by the drunken reaction on the girl's face, this result seemed logical, yet Fíliya felt something was off.
After all... what flickered in the other party's eyes was neither suspicion nor curiosity, nor was it the emotion one shows when facing a threat. Instead, it looked more like... world-weariness.
Hmm... I see. Still pretending with me, are you?
Fíliya instantly understood everything. After all, she simply didn't believe that an agile [Shadow Warrior], even if paralyzed by alcohol, would be unable to hold her own sword steady. Therefore, the earlier reaction was highly likely just a performance.
"She... She is..."
The cute twin-tailed shop clerk looked troubled. After all, Fíliya barging into the tavern was an unforeseen emergency, and she hadn't received any contingency plan for how to handle such a situation.
"Heh. Manager, where did you hire this girl? She doesn't look too bright. She freezes up after a simple question; how is she supposed to entertain guests?"
Fíliya brushed directly past the clerk, moved her feet, and slowly walked over to the bar counter to sit down.
"It can't be helped. Iris is a new child, after all, and she isn't very good at dealing with people yet."
The clerk picked up the cup that had fallen, gripping it tightly with a grave expression as she inspected it thoroughly. Only then did she let out a sigh of relief, as if a weight had been lifted, pretending she was truly fortunate that the cup hadn't broken.
"Is that so? Then it seems, Manager, you can tell me what the background of that drunken mercenary is... Could she be your younger sister?"
Fíliya propped her cheek with one hand, her elbow resting on the bar counter, and narrowed her eyes at him.
"No, that person and I have a simple employment relationship."
The Manager, a young man with short blonde hair parted in the middle, looked calm, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"Oh, a bodyguard, then... It feels a bit strange, though. This is the Imperial Capital; is there really anyone who would cause trouble here?"
Fíliya asked, blinking her large, curious eyes.
The so-called person causing trouble is you, isn't it...
The young man serving as the manager subconsciously retorted in his heart, but his superficial disguise didn't falter.
"Well, there are naturally no troublemakers, but as you know, a place like a tavern inevitably gets guys who drink themselves into a stupor... Schulitte's job is to invite those kinds of people out of the shop."
Hmm... I feel like there are way too many holes in that statement.
Fíliya pursed her lips upon hearing this, then pointed her finger again.
"Then why doesn't she throw herself out first...? By the way, you sure are tolerant with your employees, Manager. Is it really okay to get dead drunk during working hours?"
As Fíliya spoke, she pinched her nose and revealed a look of disgust. Being someone very sensitive to alcohol, she had an instinctive aversion to that mercenary girl who was marinated in booze.
"We are closed, after all... Besides, isn't Schulitte quite cute like this?"
The Manager said with a smile, placing a specific emphasis on the word 'closed' in his sentence.
What? Trying to chase me away? Well, I'm not leaving.
Fíliya completely ignored the other party's hint and fished a cloth bag out of her satchel.
"Then just give me whatever to drink. By the way, the non-alcoholic kind."
Fíliya spoke on her own accord.
...You're here to pick a fight, aren't you? Coming to a tavern specifically to order 'non-alcoholic drinks'—what are you trying to do?
The Manager only felt a bit helpless.
"Young lady, this is a tavern."
"Mm, and? Oh... don't worry, I won't short you on the money."
Fíliya lifted the cloth bag in her hand and gave it a gentle shake.
Uh... Is this about money?
The Manager held his forehead with his hand. He felt powerless against this God of Plague whom he couldn't fight and couldn't chase away. This was clearly a critical juncture in their plan, yet they had suddenly encountered such unexpected trouble.
In the end, the Manager could only serve Fíliya a cup of... hot water.
"This is the only non-alcoholic drink we have."
He said as much.
"It's fine, as long as it's drinkable. I'm dying of thirst after walking around so much."
Fíliya didn't complain. She directly picked up the cup and performed a simple check... Mm, very good. Neither the liquid in the cup nor the cup itself had been tampered with.
Then, she drained it in one gulp.
"Mm... As expected, it's lacking a bit of flavor. Well, that's that. I just came to say hello to the neighbors. That's all."
Fíliya put down the water cup, casually held the cloth bag in the air, and then turned it inside out.
Next, a melodious clinking sound, like coins colliding, resonated through the entire tavern. But when the Manager looked, the things falling out of that cloth bag weren't coins at all, but... a large pile of [Magic Special Forces] badges.
"Why are you staring?"
Seeing the Manager's grave expression, Fíliya couldn't help covering her mouth and revealing a smile.
"It's just that your payment is a bit too much."
The Manager's shock lasted only for an instant. He quickly returned to his usual expression and swept those badges into his pocket, not missing a single one.
"After all, I am a generous person. In my hometown, people praised me for being a good child with a beautiful heart."
Fíliya chuckled lightly, then continued to add:
"Mm, I'll be coming by often in the future, so I suggest you hurry up and update your menu here. Personally, I prefer drinks with orange juice or apple juice flavors... It's so boring to only sell alcohol."
"That is indeed a pretty good suggestion. I will consider your opinion, dear guest."
The Manager responded while wiping a glass.
"Oh? The decoration of your little shop is quite interesting too. This is the first time I've seen someone frame a longbow and arrows to mount on the wall."
Fíliya looked toward the wall inside the bar area.
"That won't do. If you want to disguise yourselves, naturally you have to be a bit more ordinary. It's best to put away things like that which easily attract attention."
After leaving this final piece of advice, Fíliya stood up from the bar and walked straight toward the door.
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