It had already been three weeks since we left Orario, and two since I taught those thugs a lesson. Fortunately, they did not come clinging to us on the morning after I dealt with them. More accurately, they probably could not come near us without getting beaten up, so we were able to set out comfortably.
However... rumors apparently spread through the caravan with terrifying speed afterward. Everyone I looked at would stiffen all over, while the guards reflexively put a hand on their sword hilts whenever their eyes met mine. It seems I have become quite a frightening presence in many ways. So long as they do not mess with my goddess, though...
Ah, and since everyone was so afraid of me, they decided to excuse me from night watch, which was originally supposed to be done in pairs. Well, according to Otto Swen, the caravan master, merely having an Orario adventurer escort them during the day was prestigious enough that there was no need for me to stand watch at night as well... but the guards who would have had to stand watch alongside me probably petitioned him because they were scared.
Unlike me, my goddess seems to have grown remarkably close to the others as my complete opposite. Is this the whole good cop, bad cop thing? I instill fear in them, while my goddess shows them her kind and easygoing side, making them depend on her all the more in contrast to me?
Anyway, since the thug incident, my goddess had apparently become close with the caravan personnel at a rapid pace. Whenever we camped, there was always a lively crowd around her. Of course, the amount they talked dropped by about half whenever I looked like I was about to approach...
Anyway, the reason I am talking about all this is...
"Hephaestus, farewell!"
...Our journey with them ended at a post town, and as we were about to part ways with the caravan people, they bowed ninety degrees in the middle of the street like some kind of gang. That made me wonder how things had ended up this way.
"Ah... haha, well, goodbye? Take care!"
My goddess had apparently not expected this either, because she saw them off while breaking into a slight cold sweat.
Once the frenzy of farewells was over, we hurriedly left to find lodging for the duration of our stay before we drew any more attention. Though we had already attracted more than enough attention in the middle of the street.
"What on earth happened...?"
"Well... um, all I did was get friendly with the people you terrified because of you, you know?"
"..."
"..."
"...I will find us lodging right away."
"...Yeah."
Fortunately, before the sun went down, we managed to find an inn with a stable attached to it... though the inn's name was...
"The Running Pony?"
"Hm? What is it?"
"Oh, it is nothing... I was just thinking that perhaps Bilbo and his nephew ought to have come here instead of me."
"What nonsense are you suddenly talking about? Come on, let us go in."
"Yes."
Leaving behind the smoothly opening door, which suited the inn's neat exterior and did not creak at all, we entered the wooden building.
The first thing we saw was a bar where simple meals could be prepared, along with several tables. There did not seem to be many customers. Aside from a single table where guests were eating dinner, the first floor held only a listless-looking white-haired proprietor and two equally listless Prum employees.
"Innkeeper."
"Ah, welcome, Sir Knight. I am Harry Gottlieb, proprietor of the Running Pony. Lodging is one thousand valis per person per day; with meals included, it is thirteen hundred valis. If you stay one night and only have breakfast before leaving, it is eleven hundred valis. If you pay for a full week at once, you receive a ten percent discount."
The proprietor looked drained, but the prices flowed out of him surprisingly smoothly. They were not bad rates.
"What would you like to do, my goddess?"
"It is not bad, but how long are we staying here?"
"If we hitch a ride as caravan escorts again, then considering the time needed to find one and work out the arrangements, it will take at least a week."
"Since we are traveling anyway, we might as well go comfortably. Fine, one week's lodging, with breakfast added each day."
"Yes, ma'am. Two rooms for a week, breakfast included. That will be fourteen thousand, eight hundred and sixty valis."
The proprietor naturally held out his hand. Seeing as my goddess did not react in any particular way, it did not seem like we were being overcharged.
I took out the pouch containing our extra money and handed him fifteen thousand valis.
"Keep the change. But could you look into whether there are any merchant caravans departing for the City of Sword Emperors, or in that direction, within the next week? If the results are good..."
I paused, then casually showed him the money pouch filled with valis before continuing.
"...I am willing to pay extra."
"...Understood."
"Ah, and here. Three thousand valis for dinner. Could you bring us something delicious with meat?"
"Yes, sir. I will bring out our inn's specialty, Honey Carrot Grill! Hey, Nob, show the guests to their rooms."
"Yessir, this way, please. I will show you to the two rooms at the end of the second floor."
...It seemed a dish from that world where otherworlders fall from the sky aboard meteors was about to come out, but it sounded delicious, so I did not care!
.
.
.
.
.
.
How long had it been since the Prum named Nob showed us to our rooms and we unpacked? After waiting about an hour, there was a knock at the door, followed by word that dinner was ready. I answered that we understood and headed downstairs with my goddess.
From the stairs leading down to the first floor, a sweet fragrance and the smell of meat came wafting up strongly.
...I think we can look forward to this.
"...That smells good."
My goddess must have been looking forward to it too, because she sniffed the air.
Hmm, this much just because we paid an extra five hundred valis? No, it was probably because of the tip and the additional payment I said I would give later. We were lucky.
Anyway, all that remained was to enjoy our meal.
When we went down to the first floor and approached the table Nob showed us to... there was Honey Carrot Grill.
Two generous bowls of Honey Carrot Grill, identical in every respect to the Honey Carrot Grill from One X, sat on our table.
"Ooh..."
"As expected, there is nothing money cannot buy."
"Then..."
"Let us eat."
With our backs to the other guests still sitting at the remaining table, I took off my helmet. Then, using the meat knife beside me, I cut off a piece of the meat resting atop the carrots, scooped it up with a carrot, and put it into my mouth.
...It was an excellent flavor that did not betray my expectations. The sweetness of honey and the sweetness of cooked vegetables complemented the grilled beef beautifully, while the carrots had absorbed the meat juices so thoroughly that chewing them almost made one feel as if one were eating meat.
My goddess was apparently just as surprised. Her eyes wide, she was rapidly devouring the meat. We were blacksmiths to begin with, and while there was a generous amount of meat, it did not seem enough to fill us. So I called Nob over, gave him a suitable tip, and asked him to buy some bread from a nearby bakery. When I told him he could keep the change, he practically sprinted off. As expected, money was the most important thing in the world more often than not.
.
.
.
.
.
The knight and the goddess were dining combatively...
.
.
.
.
.
After finishing the delicious meal to our satisfaction, I put my helmet back on and spoke with my goddess.
"Come to think of it..."
"?"
"Does it not feel like there should be a prince from some fallen kingdom here?"
"What are you talking about?"
"No, it is just that in one of the books I read long ago, the last legitimate heir of a fallen kingdom was staying at an inn with the same name..."
The guests sitting at the other table seemed to react with considerable surprise, but... no, surely not. It could not be.
"Seriously... if that were the setup, it would be a kingdom that was said to have fallen during the Rikia Kingdom's war of conquest."
Crash!
Well, would you look at that. Now they were startled enough to drop their cups and dishes?
No, no. I do not know anything at all. I do not want to know. I do not want to get dragged into anything troublesome!
...Fortunately, nothing happened.
Phew...